Ask Our Gaze on Argazda

[Jasnah Atreides]

Capital City, Argazda​

Jasnah did not like the dust getting thrown up with every step, she liked the gown she had picked for the meeting, and for it to get ruined in this manner irked her a great deal more than she would like to admit. The very least they could have done was send out a speeder to pick them up, but it looked like these Argazdans did not have the benefits of many creature comforts. Something an alliance with the Empire would certainly bring to them.

"Acolyte Caerllion," she began, deciding it was as good a time as any to make some small talk, what with the entirely of the walk to the government building to look forward to, "is this your first time on Argazda?" She knew little about her fellow Sith, but it had been his mission, and she had simply been assigned to it as more of a diplomatic aide than anything else. So it was probably in hers, and the missions, best interest that she got up to page on what he had planned for the day.

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion coughed when a speederbike passed near them, leaving a cloud of dust behind. He was starting to think that visiting Argazda wasn’t a good idea. He and his companion had an important meeting with the governor of the planet, seeking to discuss the possibility of the world joining the Empire.

However, they needed to reach the building by foot, since no vehicle was sent to pick them up. Apparently the Argazdans had no sense of courtesy, forcing their quest to walk through a sea of dust, under the scorching sun. Caerllion was certain that he was going to end with a terrible sunburn and his black clothes were going to be covered with the red dust of the streets.

For the capital of the ancient Argazdan Redoubts, this planet was a joke. There wasn’t even paviment on its streets!

“Yes, Champion Jasnah. Until this day, I had never visited this planet.” he answered the question of his partner for this mission. “I wish that I had come here before, though. This way I could have been prepared for this.” he said, while picking a tissue from his pocket to remove the sweat from his forehead.

“I didn’t think that they were going to make us walk from the spaceport to the gubernatorial building. I heard that their situation wasn’t good, but never thought that it was at this point.” he looked at a group of beggars in an alley. “They could use some help from the Empire.”

“I wish that I had brought a canteen.” he said, more to himself than to Jasnah. “Do you want to stop in a cantina or caf store to buy a water bottle? I’m feeling a bit dehydrated.” he wondered if the hot weather was also affecting her. Being an Arkanian offshoot, her skin was even paler than his. “Maybe some shade could be good.”

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah had nodded along to Caerllion's earlier comments, but she raised an eyebrow at his mention of stepping into a cantina to but a bottle of water. She was here on a diplomatic mission, but she was also a Sith, and despite how she felt about other Sith in general, she found herself unable to turn a blind eye to an opportunity to help an acolyte. Her ambitions lay with the Empire, and for a stronger Empire they needed stronger Sith.

"Do you know why these people need our help, Acolyte Caerllion?" She questioned, but did not stop to begin looking for cantina or store. "Their pain, their suffering, we face it as well." She raised a hand, and the sleeve slid down, revealing the naked skin of her wrist underneath, the shades of pink hinting at the discomfort the scorching sun must be causing her as well. She twisted her hand before her face, before turning to Caerllion with a smile as she let her hand drop to her side.

"But we do not bend to it, we overcome it. There is strength in our suffering, that is what sets us apart from everyone else." After a moment she gave him another look, another smile, and slipped her hand into her robes and pulled out a small canteen, holding it out for the acolyte. "But we are not savages like those that came before us. Suffering for the sake of suffering is nothing but foolishness."

By then they had reached the building where they were to meet the Governor, and they finally got some indication that they were expected as two guards stepped forward and bowed to them. "Honored guests, we welcome you. Come!" They gestured towards the entrance, which were swung open by another pair of guards.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion paid close attention to what Jasnah was saying. Indeed, showing that they were capable of enduring the suffering of the Argazdan, would show that the Empire was capable of understanding them. However, by overcoming their pain, they would show their strength. This was a good strategy to win the hearts of the population.

“Now I understand. It’s a lesson that I’ll remember in the future.” he said, while accepting the canteen that she offered to him. “Thank you. I admit that nobility tends to make people less resilient.” he drank some of the water, feeling the liquid run down his dry throat. Living most of his time on a planet with temperate weather also didn’t help him appreciate desert and arid worlds.

When they finally arrived at the Gubernatorial building, the two were welcomed by a pair of Argazdan guards. Caerllion thought that their reception seemed to be a bit old fashioned, but at least they gave them a welcome. After the lack of any transportation, the Annfyn thought that the Governor could have forgotten about their visit.

“Thank you.” Caerllion said, before walking inside the building. Like the rest of the city, the place was also decadent. The paint in the walls seemed to have seen better days and the floor was lacking tiles. At least the place had an air conditioner. The cold made the Annfyn sigh in relief.

One of the guards would guide them toward the Governor’s office. There a fifty years old male Argazdan was waiting for them. “Welcome to Argazda, my friends. I’m Governor Ulric Frosh.” he said, rising from his chair. “Please, take a seat. Do you want to drink something?”

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah titled her head with a shrug of her shoulders at Caerllion's comment about nobility, a slight smile on her lips. It was only after her family's fall from grace that she had understood just how true that statement could be, so she was glad to have helped the acolyte take a step towards that awareness, hoping that it would help him grow.

"Thank you Governor." She replied with a gentle nod of her head as she took the offered seat. On another planet, before another leader, her response might have been different, more respectful. But Argazda was a world that held little sway compared to the might of the Empire, and it was vital that the governor knew that. They were coming to this negotiation from a position of power, and she had no intention of conceding even a step from that position. "Some wine would not go amiss." After waiting for a response from Caerllion, the governor nodded to a waiting servant, who left to fetch the refreshments.

"I must admit," he spoke into the silence after the servant had left, "you are not what I expected from Imperial Diplomats." His eyes flicked to Caerllion oh so briefly, though whether or not it was intentional she could not tell. Was it lack of tact and experience that made him be so obvious, or was it simply a thinly veiled insult to try and grab power early in the discussion?

"Is that so?" Jasnah replied, just as the servant returned, and placed a fine crystal goblet before her, pouring a rich purple drink into it. Fine wine, a vintage from the looks of it, that was good. Even if he wasn't above taking shots at them, he wasn't foolish enough to serve them anything that did not warrant their station as representatives of the Empire. Picking up the goblet, giving the servant a small nod of thanks, she raised it to her face, taking a sniff as she slowly tilted the glass to swirl the drink within. "The Empire is a meritocracy, it does not discriminate by age," she finally took a sip of the wine, "or gender. Unlike many of your neighboring worlds." She gave the goblet another swirl, eyes on the goblet so that the Governor could use the moment to hide his flushed face as the implication behind her words landed.

"A most exquisite selection," she continued, returning her eyes to the man and raising her goblet in a small salute, "you are a man of fine taste Governor." Giving the man a small win after the subtle chastisement, she was all smiles, letting him know they were here as friends, but not above getting rough.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

”Thank you, Governor.” Caerllio said, before bowing. Then he sat next to his fellow Sith “You are too kind. I would also like a glass of wine, please.” Caerllion said, before bowing. Different from Jasnah, the Acolyte decided to show respect to the planetary leader.

The Argazdan were known for being a prideful species and he wanted to capitalize on it. This way, he would fake his respect for the Frosh, even if from inside he was furious with the treatment that they received after arriving on the planet. The success of the mission deserved this sacrifice.

Caerllion didn’t appreciate the Governor’s comment, even less the look on his face while he stared at him. It seemed that Frosh was disdainful of his presence. The Acolyte took a deep breath, more of annoyance than of rage. If he decided to become angry with any rudeness that he saw or heard during a diplomatic meeting, the Annfyn would have dropped this career many years ago.

Due to that, he allowed Jasnah to answer the Governor’s comment. Caerllion smiled discreetly, loving how Frosh seemed surprised with what she said. After the refreshments arrived, the Annfyn picked his glass of wine and sipped some of it. He immediately wanted to spit, because it was terrible like dirty water. However, he wasn’t an amateur and knew that he should please their host.

“Indeed. It’s one of the best that I tasted.” he smiled at Frosh, before sipping some more. Another sacrifice for the good of the Empire. At least he had a good health plan in the case of getting sick because of this. He wondered if Jasnah was also faking appreciation or she indeed liked this dirty water.

“Thank you, for your appreciation! However, I believe that we should go directly to the point.” Frosh said, while getting up from his seat. “I’m very aware that the Empire is a meritocracy, but I had expected more experienced individuals.” the Governor approached his windows and pressed a button, making the curtains close. Caerllion raised an eyebrow, wondering what was that.

“As you can see outside and even in this building, Argazda has problems.” the Annfyn was surprised that Frosh had admitted it. Few politicians would agree that their planets were in a bad shape. “It's been years since we've been extorted by pirates. They take all our resources as tribute. We tried to stop them, but they are more organized tham we expected. I hoped that you two could help us in stopping them, in exchange for that we’ll join the Empire and do anything that you desire.”

When the Argazdan finished talking, Caerllion turned to look at Jasnah. The Governor seemed really desperate, to the point of wanting to give the planet so easily. However, the Acolyte would not take a decision until the Champion said her opinion.

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah sipped at the wine once more, letting her face betray a sense of satisfaction at the drink, not hiding her feelings behind a mask so that she could convince the Governor of their sincerity. The sincerity was fake, through and through, she didn't care one way or another what happened to the Governor or his people. The mission was just another step in her accent up the ladder of power, which was the only reason she was here. The appreciation of the wine though, was genuine. Despite her upbringing and regal heritage, or maybe because of it, she had always had a fascination for the most tasteless and cheap drinks she could find. The worse it was, the more she enjoyed it. What had started as simple curiosity about how the other side lived had developed into a guilty pleasure that she made no attempt to hide.

"These pirates," she replied after taking another sip, "do you have any information on them? Any idea where they come from? Their numbers?" The Governor gestured to an aide, and she handed a datapad to the Champion with reports on the activities of the pirates and the meagre information that the Argazdans had gathered.

"We do not have much," he said as she inspected the report, "we have a general idea of their numbers, but nothing beyond that." Disappointed with how useless the information was, Jasnah nonetheless transmitted the information to the captain who had brought the two Sith to Argazda, with instructions to run through local intelligence and try to get more information on the pirates.

"There are ways to pre-empt these attacks," Jasnah replied, handing the datapad over to Caerllion for him to inspect, "subspace tracking, hyperspace beacons. The Empire can help you with that, ensure that no pirate harasses you in the future."

Just them a message came down from the corvette that was waiting in orbit, and Jasnah pulled out her own datapad to read it. "Your reports did not give us much to go by, but we seem to have found something, and given enough time we can easily deal with the pirates." She stopped, before turning to Caerllion. "Of course, there is the matter of authorization. Acolyte Caerllion, how long would we have to wait till we get permission to engage, even if they are pirates, they have done nothing to threaten the Empire. Won't be quick, will it?" She paused, letting the Governor sweat for a bit. "But if they were attacking an Imperial planet, an official member of the Empire, that would fall within the purview of ours ship's duties, would it not?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion watched Jasnah’s reactions out of the corner of his eye and noticed how she seemed to be satisfied with the wine. The Acolyte was starting to doubt if she was faking all that. No normal person would be capable of faking it so well, he couldn’t even sip anymore of the drink without being sure that he would spit it out. Perhaps the Champion lacked taste buds and also had a stomach made of steel.

From that day on, he would never ask her opinion on any food or drink. Jasnah’s taste wasn’t trustworthy.

The Acolyte paid close attention to the exchange between the Governor and the Champion. While Frosh couldn’t give them any useful detail about the pirates, Jasnah proposed some useful ways of dealing with the criminals. “Exactly, Champion Jasnah. As a member of the Empire, Argazda would have the same rights for protection that the other planets already have. If it wasn’t the case, we couldn’t do much to help.” he smiled, satisfied with how the Argazdan seemed to be thinking about what he should do next.

“Of course! My people already agreed that Argazda should join the Empire, we were only waiting for your arrival to officialize it.” the Governor said in desperation, seeking to have the interest of the two Sith at any cost. “While I don’t have any information about from where the pirates are coming, we have some images of their group during the last raid.” he picked a hologram disc and gave it to Caerllion.

The Annfyn skipped through the images without much interest. There was the ship, some type of old corvette, and scenes of them attacking some mines and farms. He wondered how this ball of dust could have any agriculture. Suddenly, Caerllion stiffened and his hand holding the disc started to shake. Among the images there was that of a person that he recognized. “Who is this?”

“He is their leader. His name is Taresh, or at least it’s how they call him.” the Governor said, making Caerllion frown. He had known this person with another name. He stared back at the Annfyn in the image. Once upon a time, this Taresh was called Tarlon Eshmar and worked as a guard to his family. Until he disappeared in the forest, on the same day that his mother was killed. Until this day, the Acolyte thought that he was dead.

“Governor Frosh, I need to talk with my collaborator, alone. While we do it, I believe that you could prepare the documents to formalize the union with the Sith Empire.” the Argazdan nodded in agreement, while Caerllion rose from his seat and gestured for Jasnah to follow him outside. If she did it, the Acolyte would show her the images in the hologram disc and explain who Taresh could be. “I know that it isn’t part of our mission, but could you help me catch him alive? I need to understand why he disappeared for so many years. If it didn’t happen, he could have protected me and my mother from the damhán alla.” he pleaded with her, it could be his last chance to understand what happened that day.

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Caerllion's fascination with the pirate leader surprised Jasnah. There was obviously something there, but she did not know what, so when he asked her to accompany him outside she agreed. She was not going to get the bottom of this by refusing, nor would it be the best look if the Governor saw them disagreeing over such seemingly trivial matters.

Once out, things finally started to make sense, first with the picture he showed her, and then with his explanation and request. "Very well, wait here." She went back in, the deal was more of less done, regardless of what she did with Caerllion's request, so it was good to get that done and dusted. She returned a little while later to the waiting acolyte, the relevant documents in hand. She gestured for him to follow, and began making her way back towards the shuttle, while she gave the acolyte's request more thought. There wasn't much of a resemblance between the man in the picture and the acolyte, so he probably wasn't family. But someone close, someone trusted enough to protect him. If nothing else, she was intrigued. She blamed all those true-crime podcasts that were flooding the holonet, made you see a mystery everywhere.

"If you want him alive," she said as they approached the shuttle, "then dealing with these pirates will become that much more complicated. We could have simply blasted them out of the sky, but that's off the table. The captain can keep their ships occupied while we deal with this issue of yours. We'll be losing time, man-power, and resources, all while we have the added threat of the Killiks dancing over our heads. This man," she asked as the pilot opened the shuttle door and dropped the boarding ramp for them, "is he worth all that?"

Leaving him with that question, she boarded the shuttle and handed the datapad with the treaty documents to the co-pilot, who was waiting for them at the entrance. "Send that out, have a droid read through it and make sure everything is in order. Then send it to Korriban for ratification." Once he left for the cockpit, Jasnah settled into one of the seats in the passenger section of the shuttle and poured herself another drink.

"Let's start from the beginning, who is this man, and why is he so important to you?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

The Acolyte watched Jasnah return to the Governor’s office, being left alone with his own thoughts. He wondered what she was going to say to him regarding his request. Caerllion knew that it wasn’t the purpose of their visit in Argazda, but he needed to talk with Taresh.

When Jasnah returned with the documents, the two Sith walked back to their shuttle. During most of the walk, the Champion had remained in silence. The Acolyte was controlling his nervousness the best that he could to not demand an answer from her immediately. It would only make the situation worse.

After she finally gave her answer, Caerllion opened his mouth to say something, but he soon closed it. Jasnah was right, they would lose resources if they wanted to catch Taresh alive. The Acolyte always thought that he was a person capable of thinking logically when necessary. However, what he wanted to do now wasn’t logical and showed that he was still affected by emotions, like all the members of his species.

“When I was a child, my parents and I went to have a picnic in the Silver Woods, a forest of my homeworld. I went to walk with my mother, but I ended up walking ahead of her. We thought that there wasn’t any problem with it, because we had a guard scouting the place. Taresh, at the time his name was Tarlon Eshmar, was that guard.” he started to explain, while the two entered the shuttle. Since he had asked Jasnah for her help, it would be only fair if he told her the whole story. “He was new to working with my family but had been well recommended. However, he disappeared when the damhán alla killed my mother. We thought that he was also killed that day, but he reappeared today.”

“The damhán alla are giant nocturnal spiders from Annwfyn, but they never appeared in the Silver Woods. Because of that, there were rumors that its presence there that day wasn't a simple accident.” while the authorities dismissed the entire thing as a misfortune, some individuals continued to say how the circumstances around it were strange.

“With Tarlon being alive, I thought that I could find answers about what happened that day. Maybe these rumors could even be true.” he shrugged. Maybe he could understand why Taresh wasn’t there to protect his mother. “I only need to use a small telepathic spell to see inside his mind, but I understand if it wasn’t going to be possible. Our purpose here isn’t to solve a crime.”

He sat in a chair of the shuttle, looking through the window. The wind was blowing over the city and raising a cloud of dust, giving the place an even greater decadent atmosphere . While Caerllion was distracted looking outside, the co-pilot returned. “Ma’am, we received a message from the Governor. He said that pirates are raiding a village not far away from here.”

The Annfyn immediately turned to look at the man, then he stared back at Jasnah. “No one noticed them arriving?” the co-pilot gave a negative answer. “If it’s true, then it means that they were hiding on the planet all this time.”

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah followed Caerllion's story, sipping on her drink and even accepting a plate of snacks and finger food that a droid walked up with once they were in the air. "What would you have done if you discovered that this Tarlon Eshmar was innocent? That the death of your mother was nothing but an unfortunate accident," she asked as she wiped the corner of her lips with a napkin, "and this man ran away not to hide a crime, but rather his own failure? Maybe even shame, guilt."

She was quiet for a moment as they were informed of the ongoing pirate attack. "Have a squadron be dispatched to intercept the attack, have us more to intercept as well." The co-pilot moved to comply, and Jasnah turned her attention back to Caerllion. "He is a criminal, one way or another. For that he will pay, but the question you must ask yourself is will that be enough? Are answers all you seek, or is revenge what really drives you?"

Getting to her feet, she moved towards the rear of the shuttle, and took off the fancy cloak she wore over her clothes, hanging it carefully in a storage locker. "When you face your demons, Acolyte Caerllion," she said as the shuttle started another descent, "chose wisely who is in control. The child who lost his mother, or the Sith who is here as a representative of something bigger than him."

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Everything that Jasnah said hit Caerllion like a truck. Was he really allowing himself to be consumed by the desire to avenge the death of his mother? The Champion could be right, it could have been only an accident and Tarlon left the planet because he was ashamed.

However, a part of the Acolyte screamed that there was more behind it. That this moment of his life, which plagued his dreams for many years and had left him traumatized, wasn't a simple misfortune. Caerllion believed that it was the Force that was guiding him toward this answer, and he wanted to follow it.

The Annfyn had remained in silence while their ship moved toward the pirates. He continued to digest Jasnah's words. Caerllion needed to understand which part of him would guide his actions during this mission. After all, before everything else he was a servant of the Empire. His actions here would reflect on it.

“We are reaching the point. Our fighters had already intercepted the pirates.” the voice of the co-pilot disturbed Caerllion’s musings. “It seems that their ships have already received a large amount of damage, but their fighters are bringing ours down.” he explained, before something in the cockpit attracted his attention.

“The pirates sent a message. Their leader wants to talk with us in person, apparently to talk about surrender.” Caerllion raised his eyebrows in surprise, this had been faster than he had expected. “How do you want to answer it?”

Caerllion turned to look at Jasnah, expecting her answer. “Perhaps we could talk with these pirates and give them an ultimatum. They leave Argazda, or are destroyed.” he said to the Champion, while trying to convince himself that it could be good for the Empire. “Perhaps we could even turn them into allies to target planets that are enemies of the Empire.”

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah nodded in response to Caerllion's suggestion, not opposed to resolving this situation without resorting to violence, even though she expected the pirates to have some trickery planned. Still, it could be a good opportunity for the acolyte as well.

"Tell them we are willing to speak, no weapons, two of them, two of us."

As the pilot communicated with the pirates, Jasnah turned to Caerllion. "Very well, speak with them. Threaten them, trick them, bribe them, the choice is yours." She had no intention of actually letting the pirates mess things up for her, but she was willing to let the acolyte have a chance to deal with this on his own terms. One way or another, the pirates would be dealt with, which meant that this was also a good opportunity to let the acolyte get some good experience without putting the main mission at risk.

"The pirates must be dealt with," she said softly after they had landed and the two Sith were walking towards the waiting pirates, who were standing at the designated meeting point, "how is entirely up to you. I hope I don't regret letting you decide how."

She didn't say more after that, as they came to a stop before the pirates, though behind their masks she could not tell if one of them was the man Caerllion was so interested in. "Which one of you in charge?" One of the pirates spoke up, and Jasnah gave Caerllion a look and nodded, handing over the stage to him.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

”You’ll not regret it.” Caerllion reassured the Champion. He knew that their priority there was to stop the pirates and use it to convince the people of Argazda to join the Empire. Being able to talk with Tarlen about what happened on the day that his mother dies should remain in the second plan, even if he wanted so much to do it.

After the arrangements were made, the two Sith went to meet with the representatives of the pirates. For his annoyance, they were using masks and this made it impossible for him to identify which one of them was Tarlon. Caerllion could try to enter in their mind, but it would be more problematic and he would need more time to do it.

“I’m in charge.” the Acolyte said, before taking a step forward. He watched the two pirates, trying to identify which one could be Tarlen. By the clothes that they were wearing, the Annfyn couldn’t identify if they were male or female and the masks only made things more difficult. “Which one of you is Taresh?"

One of the pirates stepped forward. “I’m Taresh, the leader of the Dusk Children.” Caerllion controlled himself to not frown. The name of this group of pirates was the same as the personal guard of House of Cyfnos. This man was so shameless for using this name, even after abandoning its services. “We are surprised to have Sith around here. Argazda isn’t part of the Empire.”

“It wasn’t until recently. Early today, the Governor had signed a treaty that declared Argazda as part of the Empire.” while he couldn’t see the reaction of the pirates due to the masks, the Acolyte could feel through the Force how they became nervous. “So now we have a problem. Your group is disturbing an integral part of the Empire. However, rather than destroying you, we want to negotiate a peaceful solution.”

@Wit