Family Heirloom

[Wes Thul Drast]

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The Streets of Coruscant
2147 local time

A light rain had picked up in the 5 or so minutes since Wes had sat down on the bench, but he was not fazed by it, a hood pulled over his face. The precipitation was not the only reason for this choice of dress; he was lurking among the lower levels of Coruscant, its streets rivaling Nar Shaddaa's in crime, and certainly not a safe place for a Drast to be walking around.

He was sitting on perhaps the dirtiest bench he has ever had the misfortune of seeing, its wood blackened and missing the majority of its planks. Wes did not enjoy it, but it had been the agreed meeting spot precisely for its uniqueness.

He'd arrived rather early for the meeting, but only because he preferred to arrive in time to scout the grounds and ensure no foul business, something he'd grown used to seeing in the increasingly dog-eat-dog world of the Sith. Acolyte or not, he was a Drast, a possible heir to the throne, and billions of people would like to see his entire bloodline wiped out. A bit of precaution certainly did not hurt.

Wes didn't know what the woman he was meeting looked like—all he knew was what she was carrying with her. Hopefully, he would have it in his possession by the end of their meeting, one way or another.

@Kayenta Moenkopi

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[Talik Kru]

She carried in her mind the picture of a man with penetrating yellow eyes, pure fire bubbling in his veins, that shared his truth with her in the breath of one whisper. That night at the embassy on Alderaan was so long ago. It was but yesterday. It had never been.

He had promised that through trial and torment what was iron would be made steel. In that time she had indeed been transformed, though their adventures had been few. It was like that with some people who burned much too brightly. Pausing before stepping out of the shadows, her eyes upon this cousin of Eddard’s watching him check the area before taking up his place upon the bench, a slight smirk crossed her lips before she mouthed those fateful words once more.

’...I do it because I want to’

Slipping back into the shadows, the intelligence officer walked off into the night to circuit the entire block before entering the area once more from the opposite side of her prior location. Indeed she was late for their trist, but her pace did not increase in speed content to stroll sedately through the sector. Her long skirt billowed in time to the measure of her step. Just the tips of her boots protruding from beneath the heavy fabric in which she was clad. A form fitting vest of the same dark shade of blue adorned her torso while her arms were quite bare. Nor did she hide her face nor the evidence of her species within the hood of some concealing cloak, her lekku trailing down the straight of her spine and tattoo markings plain for all to see.

As she passed by the man on the bench she averted her gaze setting her sights upon a corner post that contained a call station for what passed for taxi’s on this level of Coruscant. Casually she dropped a scrap of paper into his lap never missing a beat as she moved to cross the street. <<follow>> was all that was written there.

There was no way she was going to have this meeting with the man out in the open like this and as she reached the call station she quickly activated the pad and ordered a ride. With hands before her waist looking along the street as though wishing her ride would not keep her waiting, she intended upon climbing inside and waiting for the man to join her before heading off into the night. He could risk all or she would find another to serve her need.

@vamp

 

[Wes Thul Drast]

.

Wes could see her approach out of the corner of his eye, but what alerted him of her presence was the book she was carrying. Even hidden as it was, it carried the unique traces of Eddard's signature, perhaps one of the last objects in the galaxy to still have his mark on it.

He'd never particularly loved his cousin; Drast relationships were based on mutual gain, rather than familial love, except for special cases. Wes had not grown to partake in one of those special cases. Perhaps that was why he hung out with criminals and aliens, instead of spending his time at the royal court, playing sabacc and gossiping about the latest trade deals. To him, those were the hobbies of a spineless fool, who focused on the smaller, less important things in life, in fear that the bigger ones would swallow him up. That was weakness. Perhaps they did need a purge. Just not carried out by Vrael and his thugs.

Wes did not stir as she approached, and he expected for her to sit. Rather, the Twi'lek dropped a note in his lap and kept walking. After uncrumpling it, Wes stood up and began following, though at a greater distance. When she entered the cab, he did too, finally lowering his hood and tapping the driver's shoulder before they took off.

"We were never here," he said, staring the man straight in the eye. His voice was not a suggestion—he was ordering the driver to never speak about this, and the man nodded. The Force was useful in more ways than one.

Wes shuffled his cloak, moving it so that it was more open, revealing the hilt of his lightsaber. "I hope you don't mind, but it seems there are less of us in the galaxy by the day." He spoke clearly, gaze set on the Twi'lek. He could be intimidating if he wanted to, but right now that was not his goal. "It really is a difficult time to be a Drast."

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

Upon hearing him command the driver to forgetfulness Talik could not help but to give him the broadest of grins. Would the man have any notion of how rare an occurrence this was? Doubtful. Leaning forward, she slid her hand to the back of the driver’s seat and said, ”Take us on the midnight route, Beryl”. Leaning back she folded her hands into her lap, the slightest of smiles still lingering while she adjusted to the transport taking off into the night. As if she would have left the security of the driver to chance. Although the man was one of their operatives it would be a rather convenient excuse to be off Katress’ sensors for once. Those moments were all too rare.

His posturing in such a manner to reveal he was armed was hardly needful, what Sith ever went anywhere without their saber? He was nearly the same age as Eddard but for some reason he seemed ever so much younger. There was no sense in comparing the two, any of them really; the Drasts were as dissimilar in as many ways as they were in number. He assumed much, this one did. With no Drast holding the leash of the Republica, what was to keep her from talking his head? Could he not manage a trip across town without jumping at shadows how was he ever to withstand setting foot upon Prakith?

She shivered in a delicious manner just recalling the feel of the wet sand enclosing her skin as she had shoved her fingers down into that distant shoreline. In her mind she saw Allerius and Eddard calling her away from the water, but it was Wes’ voice that drew her from the recollection. Talik pursed her lips together slightly before nodding her head and commenting, ”So they tell me, very dangerous indeed.”

Beryl steered the taxi away from the darker empty streets heading for the more populous air way and as they merged with the shuttles speeding off in to the heart of the district, the lights from below grew smaller and smaller to be replaced with those of the higher levels. Long ribbons of light cut the night as countless people raced toward their destinations whatever they may be. Reaching forward to the back of the front seat, she pressed a button and a panel slide to one side revealing a bottle of amber liquor with a couple of small shot glasses. ”You look like you could use a drink.”, she commented without preamble.

Talik slipped her fingers round the neck of the bottle setting its base upon her thigh while her right hand spread to pick up both shot glasses. ”And while I pour out, you can explain everything.”, her words leaving no doubt that she was not going to be manipulated by this man.

@vamp

 

[Wes Thul Drast]

.

She intrigued him.

It was hard to find a Sith that wasn't uptight nowadays—most acted like there was a stick up their ass. The Empire lacked sense of humor, but some jewels shone more brightly than others, like this woman. She was entertaining, to say the least. Truthfully, Talik was the most interesting Sith he had met so far.

He may have come off as a brat, but that was just a consequence of his complaining. Not everyone was a Jedi; some people actually talked about their problems. Wes usually said the first intelligent thing that came to mind, and sometimes it was a complaint. With the atmosphere of the galaxy nowadays, he couldn't be blamed for not enjoying the way things were.

The underbelly of Coruscant had its charm, though the noble boy hadn't traveled it much in his childhood—all of his encounters with this lower world had taken place after he'd become a Sith and was granted freedom of movement wherever he chose. The lights and dilapidated cantinas intrigued him, perking his interest in a way only a criminal underground could. Wes wanted to see what made the people of the lower levels, what inspired them and what they wanted. Though the latter question was easy to answer. They wanted what everyone else wanted: to survive. Wes could relate to that.

"A drink wouldn't hurt." He was no saint. While most of the other Sith preferred to be and act all proper, Wes didn't mind indulging in the seedier aspects of life, whether it be spice, or alcohol, or other things. He had his own complex philosophy, and that was what set him apart from the rest—not his bloodline (though it didn't hurt either).

She began pouring, but there wasn't much to explain. "Eddard and I used to play when we were little," he recalled. "At the age of 5 I somehow got my hands on a sword and damn near cut his ear off. He still has—well, had—the scar." Wes rolled his eyes. "But I know neither of us are here for childhood anecdotes about my lovely cousin. I was recently informed that you and Eddard conducted some business on Prakith. I'd like the book you found, if it's not too much trouble." She would probably give him a look, so he rolled his eyes again. "I'm not greedy or anything. Sure, it has a connection with Eddard, but I need it mostly for an upcoming campaign to take Prakith."

He reached his hand out for the glass.

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

There was quite a lot of resentment within the woman for the elite within the Republica, naturally the man sitting next to her qualified for that one hands down being a Thul-Drast and of the ruling class. He appeared a little clueless about the disparity between them, her species and others not included in the Homo-sapiens only club, and so indeed his complaining sounded like a serious case of a rich boy pity party. Well, it had not been a pleasant lesson, but she had learned to hold out her judgment on his kind until further evidence than a glance could justify her opinions. Eddard and oddly enough Allerius had taught her that not all of the nobility were cut from the same cloth, though the admission cost her pride dearly. He would have his chance, this Wes Thul-Drast. To most she was just a Xeno and she was fine with that as well. She was done trying to make change, that much was certain.

She managed opening the bottle and pouring out into the two shot glasses efficiently enough and even handed him his drink before securing the lid once more upon the container. Leaning forward, she slipped the bottle into its cubicle and leaned back once more, her eyes going to his face as he relayed his tale to her. Playing children, she had wondered what that might be like and did recall her own brothers before she was sent to work for their uncle in the merchant levels. How old had she been? Sometimes memory had a way of playing tricks on a person though she knew it didn’t really matter. She barely recalled anything past the moment Allerius came into her life anyway. It was by choice for those thoughts didn't profit her in the least.

At last he got to the pertinent information, or at least he eluded to that end. Talik brought the shot glass to her lips and knocked it back in one fell swoop before setting it next to the bottle as well. ”What can you tell me about this campaign of yours, and how is it that you came into possession of the existence of such a book? It’s not like we had to declare our belongings through a customs check upon returning from… vacation.” Had the man set his cousin upon her himself? Or had the intel come from the now late Empress. Either contingency wouldn’t have surprised her much to be honest, but why this one? She looked to Wes and couldn’t fathom where his strengths lay that such a prize should just be handed over to his care.

@vamp

 

[Wes Thul Drast]

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It was amusing to see the Twi'lek pose such an innocent question. It brought a slight smile to Wes' lips. He chuckled, then replied. "Any Drast worth his salt has a network of...correspondents, to keep tabs on his beloved family members. We may be a family, but we are prone to more infighting than normal Sith. It's only natural that a little bird told me about the book, and it perked my interest."

She wanted to know about the campaign, which wasn't a problem. Wes wanted it to be as widely spoken about as possible. After taking the shot glass and swallowing its contents in one gulp, he set it down on the little table between them. "Anyways, I have been pulling strings for the past few months to get approval to take over Prakith, so that we may rebuild the ancient Exile temple there. It's as important for us strategically as it is historically, and the Imperial Republica is not known for its Sith temples. I think it's time we change that and begin to steer the Empire into a more dark-side-friendly path. It's our only shot at winning the war."

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

The woman frowned as this man toyed with her as though she were some foolish child. She listened to him speak of his beloved family before turning to his talk of glory and winning the war. Had he no concept of history? Their Empire had already seen its golden age and there would be no return now that they were devouring themselves rushing toward its decline. Did he not realize that the last 500 years had already far exceeded the life expectancy of any previous Empire? Well, she would not disabuse him of his patriotic fervor. His words were unacceptable though.

She wet her lips before remarking softly, ”Little birds is not going to get it. I am sure that you know I am actually no diplomat but in fact am an intelligence operative. So let me ask you once more and see that you leave out the cute school boy answers. Who told you of the book?” Spies would not have unearthed that secret. It was not like the book seller had lived to tell the tale, nor was it like they had waved the tome around once it had been acquired. Other than herself there were only two people who knew of it’s existence. It was of a certainty that Allerius had not shared this with Wes. Had anyone, even the Empress known the purpose of their visit there was no way the text would have remained in Talik’s possession.

@vamp

 

[Wes Thul Drast]

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This Twi'lek was too curious for her own good. Wes sometimes forgot that the subtleties of diplomacy among the higher classes did not carry on down the pyramid, resulting in him being too soft during negotiations. And she was capitalizing off of that.

"Kriffin hell," he said, somewhat irritated. "You may think you were slick, killing off anyone that knew about your mission, but you weren't as graceful covering your tracks. A spy followed you to Prakith, watched you go into a bookstore, watched you come out, looked through, saw the owner dead, and noted what book was missing." He poured another serving into his shot glass—he would need it if the conversation carried on like this. "Happy?" he asked, dunking the shot and setting it back down. The burning in his mouth kept his mind off the annoyance. And commoners wondered why the upper class disliked them so much.

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

The woman raised one of her etched on eyebrows at him with a delicate curving above her golden hued eye, the expression upon her face was one of distaste. Say what she wanted to about Allerius, he was never vulgar. Talik had no such sensibilities and as soon as the man was done spinning his fable she blurted out, ”Rycrit feces”. Her hand went to the bottle and poured herself another noting his lack of manners in refilling her glass or even offering. There was only one answer that made sense to her, and as yet he had to show her any reason why such a confidence had been made.

Of course Eddard had to have been the one to tell him about the book, probably some contingency plan should he get killed before the conquest of the ancient temple could be complete. It was complete fabrication to think that not one, not two, but three intelligence officers couldn’t manage to stay off the sensors of everyone on their excursion to Prakith. It was tenfold time more impossible than once upon the planet anyone had managed to go unnoticed in tailing them about the city either. And even had these miraculous fetes been managed, upon entering the book store and finding the owner dead, there was nothing to clue a person into what book had been sought, let alone that it was suddenly and so obviously missing. Lost and arcane lore didn’t just drop out of the sky so easily. It had been amazing Eddard himself had even found clues to the tome's existence, let alone where it might be found. Its exact location had not been discovered until they had arrived and conducted their search.

They had come looking for an ancient text that was said to be held on Praxith, a text that reveals clues about where the ancient Jedi Temple could be located. The Jedi Temple built on top of the Exile Temple that came before it. Eddard had a thirst to spark greatness back into himself, into the Empire and have that spark take hold and be the torch for them all to hold high. And this boy wanted to play games, with her did he? She sealed the bottle once more and knocked back her second shot enjoying the burning sensation as the liquid penetrated her throat to spread warmth throughout her body. ”I’m not some mindless fool, Wesley… how about you try again, and this time you will give me truth”, she did not threaten the man. No, her words were a promise.

@vamp

 

[Wes Thul Drast]

.

He couldn't help but laugh. "Wesley? The Drasts may be a noble family, but my parents weren't that noble. If my name was Wesley, I would have let myself get downed in combat years ago." He took another shot. He could already feel the effects of the first glass beginning to set in, loosening him up. Hopefully, he wouldn't end up too shitfaced.

Talik wasn't allowing any nonsense, which was a shame. Wes had wanted to see how far he could go with random bullshit excuses, but it seemed he had reached the end of the line. "Ugh. Okay." Deep sigh, since he would start to slur his words if he didn't focus. "Ed told me about it." It was simple, and that was precisely what would piss Talik off the most. He had beat around the bush so much, only for the real answer to be anticlimactic as hell.

"I've told you all you wanted," he'd add, after she had time to process the information and yell at him. "Can I have the book now?"

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

Talik actually laughed when he said he would have let himself get killed years ago if his name had actually been Wesley. It was so unlike her to find pure humor in much of anything, to get tickled and it took her a bit unawares. The Twi’lek was so steeped in intrigues and plots, espionage, assassinations and false identities that such openness kind of blindsided her. She couldn’t really pass it off as the booze either for she had to be able to hold her liquor or she wouldn’t have made a very good operative.

”Ed is it?”, she grinned as she slipped her hand into her cloak to pull out not one but three books. The large antique was obviously the tome in question, but the two thinner books looked like children’s stories. At first she had made the purchases as a bit of a kark you to Eddie, her smirk broadened as she mentally added the diminutive imagining how ill humored he would have been over such familiarity. Their first encounter had been quite the struggle of wills and the lack of his permission for her to use his familiar name when addressing him. She looked to Wes and tapped the cover of the fairy tale thinking these cousins were quite different indeed.

”This one here, ‘The Big Bad Sith’, well it amused me and was going to be a special gift for Eddard along with this other. Well, that never happened of course”, her words died off as she was still readjusting to the ruination of all her future plans to be indoctrinated into the Venatori. Oh she was technically part of their numbers but who the others were she would never now learn. She handed the large book to him by pulling it out from beneath the other two, but she would open the book to the richly colored illustrations.

”It wasn’t until later that I realized the force must have been guiding my hands, I’m not one to impulse buy. Note the engravings on the walls of the cave in this picture?” She would slide the book toward him for him to take and then open the robber who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. This folk hero had made his base within the Enchanted Asonel Caves and contained the same designs upon the walls of the cavern that were detailed in the first. She then indicated the red ribbon that was sticking out of the ancient tome marking a passage she wished to share. ”Check out the drawing in the text Wes. Because to me they look more than just a little alike.”

@vamp

 

[Wes Thul Drast]

.

Surprisingly enough, Talik had a sense of humor. Relaxing, Wes sat back in his seat, realizing that he'd been rather tense. She mentioned Ed, and he watched as she fell silent, a somber air falling over them. Death tended to ruin plans.

He looked at the first book, then at the other, and nodded. "They're identical." It seemed Talik had already done her homework. "Where are these caves?" he asked. "Are there coordinates?" They would need them, if so. And they would need a route to Prakith, if possible. He'd heard of how difficult it was to get to the planet in the first place, let alone the cave.

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

The woman shook her head, ”No, unfortunately you will have to search. It would be too easy otherwise, yes?”, she commented. Despite this young man’s hope to have the hard part of his search complete, he would still have to do this thing himself. There was no silver salver to present his prize upon, nor pretty little ribbons to tie it all into a neat package ready for delivery. As a wielder of the force, she knew that he understood the concept despite his elite status in a galaxy where every advantage was given to his kind and withheld from her own. Despite the huge chip she carried upon her shoulders Talik could very well have just burned the book or kept it for herself so that she might one day return with a force of her own and claim this glorious discovery for herself. That she had done neither was a very telling move on her part.

Shifting in her seat she went on to say, ”The route to Prakith is easy enough”, her hand reached into a pocket of her skirt to retrieve a data stick and handed it over to Wes before going on to say, ”this contains the navigational coordinates we used. However the region is prone to upheavals in the intensity and position of the gravity wells so your successful arrival is not guaranteed. But I have no map to provide for the location of this temple other than what you can glean from the tome. From what I gather, however, these Asonel caves are but a small portion of the extensive tunnels created by ancient lava flows and mining. Perhaps rumor of these outlaws can be found in Prak City. It is a lead and nothing more.”

Leaning forward she said, ”Beryl, I’ll be getting out at the corner. You take my friend here anywhere he wishes to go.” There was one more loose end tied up nice and neat and a weight within her eased. Another piece of the plan falling into place, she turned to Wes and said one final thing even as the shuttle came to a halt, ”This place has an evil unlike any other you will have felt and there is nothing that can prepare you for that. Be certain it will use your desires against you.”

The door of the taxi slid up like the wing of some exotic beetle giving the Lethan room in which to navigate in her skirt and maintain some mystery to her form as she set foot to the side walk and drifted off into the night. The perpetual masking of her mind that she had constructed before leaving to meet this man shifted incorporating this moment into her memory until it left her conscious thought completely.

//exit thread
@vamp