Sola

[TwoSidedHeart]

The Coruscant club was booming. Thaddeus hadn't cared to memorize the name of it, nor did he recall the name of the person who had invited him to the party being hosted there. It didn't matter. Words in the wind that blew him from planet to planet to try and find... something. He had once thought his purpose was to play the part of the dutiful adopted son, to one day carry on his adoptive fathers never ending mission to help people in whatever way he could. With the reputation his mother had built for him and the wealth their family provided, he was sure he would have played that part well. But now thanks to his brother Antonius, that reputation had turned into something less than savory.

The name Thaddeus Devva still carried some sway of course. He was constantly finding himself bombarded with invitations to parties like the one he found himself wading through, but the articles on the Holonet painted him in a much more negative light now. The last one he'd bothered to read had suggested he had fallen into a deep depression, turned to Spice and wanted to end his life. Unfortunately for them, they were wrong. He was unable to muster enough emotion to care about what they thought of him, much less revel in a swamp of self pity and misery. But the Holonet needed their sob story shipwreck to babble about and apparently he was it.

He downed another shot that the bartender presented him with, enjoying the brief burning sensation it gave as it ran down his throat and glanced around the large open space. Wild bodies swayed as far as his piercing blue eyes could see, some moving to the beat of the ear splitting soundtrack while others flailed about to their own rhythm. He had worn white to play off the strobe lights, a sleeveless shirt and form fitting jeans. His wrists were wrapped in countless glowsticks and his naturally platinum blonde hair had the tips stained with various temporary neon colors.

"Hey!" A cheerful voice beside him tore his gaze away from the crowd.
"..." Thaddeus eyed the male skeptically. Human, slightly older than he was with wild hair and a wide smile. He looked like the kind of guy that always got what he want and judging from the way the males slightly glazed over eyes were looking at him, Thaddeus has an idea of what he wanted. "No."

Amid the protests from his apparent admirer, Thaddeus suddenly felt himself overwhelmed with the booming music, bright lights and general sensory overload. Pushing away from the bar, he made a beeline for the bathroom. It was the first place he could think of that would offer him a slight reprise from the club, without leaving it entirely. As he slipped past various swaying bodies and pointedly ignored the fact that the male from the bar was following him, he silently hoped he wasn't going to suffer another attack. The memories had been coming more often lately and without Yivo to do maintenance on the blocks in his mind.

Eventually reaching the bathroom, he breathed a sigh of relief as he found it empty. A strange occurrence in a club, especially one so densely populated but he wasn't going to question small blessings as they came. He made his way to a sink, letting water flow into his hands and splashing it on his face. Looking up into the mirror, he rolled his eyes as he found the guy from the bar standing there with a dumb smirk.

"Does the word no have some different meaning on Coruscant?"
"Don't be like that." The other male chuckled. "I just wanted to meet the infamous Thaddeus Devva."
"Well, now you have. Don't let the disappointment overwhelm you." Thaddeus' eyes narrowed as he watched the male step closer in the mirror.
"Ya know, you're prettier than my girlfriend." The mans words slurred slightly as he spoke. Thaddeus watched as he swayed slightly before taking another step towards him. The longer he was exposed to this person, the clearer his intoxication became. "There's nobody else in her-"
"I don't think you're understanding me clearly." Thaddeus turned swiftly and his voice took on a deadpan tone. "I don't want to know you. I don't want whatever it is that you're imagining happening between us right now. What I want is a moment to myself. As in without you."

The male stared at him silently for a moment and Thaddeus could practically see the gears turning in his mind. He gave him time to process it and for a moment, Thaddeus actually thought that this annoying guy was going to walk out and leave him to his quiet moment. Instead, Thaddeus' tensed as the male shrugged and closed in on him with a dark chuckle.

"The net say's you're easy and promiscuous as heck. I mean, do I really need to ask a washed out, rich boy reject for consent?"

​

 

[Panda Hermit 98]

The list of names his wife had left never specified what exactly it was that they could give him, only that he best go down them in order so he gets what he needs when he needs it. The first name wasn't hard to track, trashy little rich kid by the name of Thaddeus. He had downloaded his picture off the HoloNet, now it was just a matter of looking through the crowds in this godforsaken party to pick it out. He never understood whyJade liked these places, they were loud, they were fool of shifty eyed druggies and criminals, and half the time these women wouldn't be going home...they would just disappear like she did.

It would be so easy He thought, take his blaster, the grenade, clear this place out, that'd do this planet some good...but he would never hurt the few innocents in here, no civillians, never. His train of thought came to a stop as the boy's bored expression leapt out at him, currently ogling some kinda stripper looking for a hand down his pants. He didn't look too bothered, he just turned on his heel and headed for the bathroom, perfect. The bathroom was small, quiet, easy to escape if cornered, there was a skylight in the corner he could fit through. The only inconvenience was standing in front of him, advancing on his target with a predatory grin and eyes glowing with a dark intent. He knew what was gonna happen, he had no intention of letting it, and as quickly and as casually as one would knock on a door, Mortimer reached up, grabbed his chin and forehead, and snapped the would-be rapist's neck.

The rich kid could run all he wanted, he locked the door when he came in, he intended to get what he needed from him.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Thaddeus spotted the man behind the other one, briefly raising an eyebrow as he wondered about his intentions. Wild hair seemed to noticed his attention shift but before he could follow it, the sound of his neck snapping filled Thaddeus' ears and the young man fell to the ground. The pale skinned socialite looked down at the body with an unreadable expression and he was silent for a few moments as his mind went over what had just happened. On the one hand, he was somewhat relieved he hadn't had to get his own hands dirty fighting the would be sexual assault convict. On the other hand, he had no idea who this man was or what his intentions could be.

The silence dragged on for a little longer as he studied the newcomer. Thaddeus definitely had the height advantage but that meant nothing considering the fact that this man looked like he could fling him across the room as easily as he breathed. Hand to hand fighting had never been something Thaddeus was particularly good at, nor did he have any real interest in it. He had a feeling this man did not share his disinterest on this subject. He COULD make a dash for the door but considering muscle mass was standing directly in his path and seemed completely intent on keeping him in that room, that probably wasn't a particularly hopeful venture he could take. Especially since the young man had drunk his fair share of alcohol. And considering the fact Thaddeus wasn't carrying any weapons on his person, there was really nothing he could do except talk.

His eyes briefly were drawn to the skylight but he silently threw out that possibility and ran a hand through his platinum blonde hair, letting his gaze fall once again to the newcomer. Pointedly ignoring the cooling corpse lying on the ground in front of him, Thaddeus let out a soft sight before speaking. His tone was completely detached of any emotion betraying the possibility of him being unnerved by murder and his expression remained impassive as always.

"Are you going to kill me as well? Or is my savior going to introduce himself?"​

 

[Panda Hermit 98]

Mortimer was surprised, but somewhat relieved at his blasé reaction to the dead scumbag laying between them, good, he was cool under fire. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small holoprojector, activating it and allowing a small image of his wife to fill the room with blue light.

"Hello Thaddeus, if you're watching this then my husband has found you alive and well, and hopefully still in good wealth. You owe me for what happened on Rhodia, the time has come to collect, and I think this might be a break for you, depending on where you are. The Sith...The Hutts...well, long and short of it, they killed our daughter, they murdered her and left her to rot in the streets of Coruscant's undercity. Needless to say, I'm angry, and I'm vengeful, but I'm nowhere near as bad as the man standing before you, I know him, revenge is going to consume his every thought until it drives him mad. I...I want to help him Thad, and I want revenge too, and you want to help people...you should know by now what he needs, and I'm hoping you can help him out in more ways than one too...good luck man, and god speed"

The Hologram faded, and with it, the ethereal blue light that blanketed the room, leaving only the two men standing together, one of them now feeling more...focused. "Well, you heard her, so tell me...what is it you can give me?" He asked softly

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Thaddeus watched the hologram of Shia, his expression unchanging aside from the slight raise of one of his eyebrows. He hadn't expected to ever see her again. What had happened on Rhodia was... something he had been completely blindsided by and one of the only times he was ever truly fearful for his life. He did owe her a favor. The words detailing the death of the daughter that her and this man, Mortimer if he recalled correctly, shared and a desire for revenge from the both of them somewhat resonated with him. He did not know what it was like to lose a child, but he too wanted revenge. His exile by his adopted brother, the disappearance of his lover and cut off of communication from his mother still stung. He listened to her heartfelt plea and shifted his gaze back to Mortimer as the hologram ended.

This man did not mince words.

"I..." Thaddeus stopped mid word, taking a moment to consider the question posed to him. He did want to help. His adoptive father had always been off on some excursion to help the less fortunate and while his adoptive mother had very strong political views, generally ones that did not fully coincide with the interests of any of the powerful factions throughout the Galaxy. And he himself had been looking for something to define him. Perhaps helping this man avenge his daughter could lead to that? He took a breath before continuing. "I could provide a rather generous amount of funding towards this venture. My face is also quite recognizable wherever the Holonet reaches to which means I could potentially build a network of contacts and informants as well as invitations to various high society functions and parties as simple as this one. Such invitations clog up my messages as it is." Thaddeus rolled his eyes. Everybody seemed to want him to show up to their parties to validate them somehow. Such things came with his social reputation. He then continued, casually folding his arms and leaning to one side. "This is all hypothesis of course. What Shia and yourself seem to be asking of me is to go up against the governing faction of this planet and many others based on a desire for revenge. It reminds me of my adoptive sibling. Ruled by his head and blind to the consequences of his heated actions. So what I ask you, is what can you offer me in return? From my point of view this would be a partnership and those are generally mutually beneficial."
​

 

[Panda Hermit 98]

Mortimer carefully and quietly soaked up everything around him, closing his eyes and letting his mind go blank. His wife's words rang in his head over and over...'I want to help him', why though? Did she lie when she said she wanted revenge? Was she just sparing his feelings and pretending for his sake? Why? He doesn't matter, she was all that mattered after they found her lying on the streets, cold and mutilated and...enough. Mortimer opened his eyes again and looked at his target, mulling over his options.

Clearly this guy wanted to make a diffrence, he wanted to to do something worthwhile, but his self preservation instinct needed a little whittling down beforehand. He grimaced at him at the mention of those lowlives as a Government.
"What Government? They just hole up in their tower and send their bullies down to hurt people for no reason, they're not a government, they're scumbags and thugs...and I'm gonna put em down!" He spat before taking a breath. He was getting off track, he needed to stay focused, and that meant getting this guy on his side. He was gonna need a little work, but whatever he needed wouldn't be too hard hopefully. "...what do you need?"

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

"And what do you think will happen to this planet if you just bring down the government in a vengeful blaze? A temporary victory against the Empire sure, but have you considered the very likely possibility that the Sith will become involved?"

Thaddeus was far more cautious than the tabloids portrayed him as. To the galaxy on a whole, he was just a party boy who lived the life every 'normal' person wanted to. Sure, he was considered intelligent according to some of the articles about himself that he'd bothered to read on the Holonet but little else other than handsome and rich. The general consensus was that he was face value. His upbringing had consisted of the finest tutors. He knew the basics of how a Government was run and he knew that one man alone could not win a decisive victory over them, especially one overseen by the Sith Empire. If Mortimer did somehow manage to bring them down, the Empire would just swoop in and replace it. And if Thaddeus involved himself, there would quickly become a target painted on his back. The Empire did not tolerate rebellion of any kind, let alone a flat out insurgency.

He pondered Mortimers question. What did Thaddeus need? His mind slowly slipped back to the past, in the time before he had been thrown out into the Galaxy by Antonius. He hadn't heard from his mother in the year he'd been gone and he had no idea how his lover fared. A reputation among the social schemers of the galaxy wouldn't get him his life back. The funds in his bank account could hire some mercenaries yes but he didn't want to try and storm his own home with a band of hired goons. And he did want to help Mortimer. Shia had asked him for help and his father was always willing to help those in need. But he didn't want to just be a faceless funder. He wanted to be personally involved. If he was going to do this, he wanted to commit to it.

"I have some skills outside of just money and charm, however I feel that I could benefit from some more practical ones. Something tells me you could teach me such things. In exchange for my money and what influence I can still muster for this cause of yours, you will teach me what you know of combat in both hypothetical and practical terms. Seem fair?" ​

 

[Panda Hermit 98]

"When the Empire falls, the sith pick up the pieces yeah, but the world will be vulnerable for a time, and when that happens, the Republic can reclaim Coruscant...if not, I'll just keep going" He said plainly. He knew full well he'd be killed doing this, he just didn't care, people died in war and he was one vs thousands, it was inevitable. He did have a point though, going it alone and winning would throw the world into chaos, people would, die, lawlessness would reign...maybe he had this list so he could take down his enemy whilst the infrastructure stayed intact. Either way, he trusted her, and he intended to see this through either way, so he could only see what happens and adjust course accordingly for it.

His terms were clear: he wanted training, he wanted to have the skills of a soldier, he wanted to be able to fight. Maybe he underestimated and misjudged the kid, he might have what it takes to fight with him, two is better than one after all...but Mortimer wasn't much of a teacher...but he needed to try to get what he needed, so either way, he lost nothing. He nodded to the k...Thaddeus, and offered a hand. "Partners..."

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Thaddeus listened to Mortimers words. Sure the Republic could come in and surprisingly liberate the planet but then the reverse could happen. Regardless, the man seemed determined to do this with or without him and at least this way he would have some say in how it went down. The mere fact he had met with Mortimer was enough to convict him in the eyes of the Empire anyway, let alone he had a short lived shared past with the mans (ex?) wife which the Imperials could find out pretty easily. He looked down at the mans hand and took it, sharking it and nodding.

"Partners." He took his hand back, considering something before continuing. "Remember that while I may be funding this venture of yours, my money is very much finite. There is an end to it, despite what the tabloids may suggest. So whats our first move? Do you have some kind of base of operations? Do you have access to weapons? Any other allies I should know about?"​

 

[Panda Hermit 98]

"Don't worry, I don't need an army" He said with slight smirk, shaking his hand firmly. "But you might wanna write this down...I need safehouses all across coruscant, at least 3-4 miles apart, large enough to hold a small armory. They'll need to be bought slowly to avoid suspicion or anything to narrow me down to one place, so maybe buying them under a few false names is a good idea. I'll need you to help me pay for any weapons that I need too, not an army's worth, just enough for a two man militia." He was in a difficult situation now, at first it was just 'meet this guy, use what he could give, then leave' but now...partners? He probably should've expected this, any good soldier knows that no plan survives contact with the battlefield, but all the same, this war would be easier if it was just him, no emotional attachments to hold him back, and there would be one if he trained this guy. Training is a slow but personal thing for Mortimer, you take a man, get into his head, find out what makes him tick and then you can use that to mold him into a fighter. Still, he couldn't deny the merits of having someone watching his back, though it'd be a little while before he was doing that. Ah well, in for a penny, in for a pound, might as well go all in...

"I wanna know more about you, I know you wanna fight but there has to be something else you can do now, tell me about yourself"

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

"If we're going to have a proper conversation, I'm not doing it in here."

Thaddeus pointed down at the dead body with a raised eyebrow before stepping past the other male. He reached the door and found it locked, unlocking it casually. He supposed that Mortimer was taking a precaution in case he had initially tried to run instead of just talking it out. It made sense. If Thaddeus had been the type to panic, he likely wouldn't have been able to focus on unlocking the door and instead been completely concentrated on trying to get away. As he opened the door and the blasting music and lights exploded onto his senses again, he was reminded of why he'd entered the bathroom in the first place. Of course, he had money and was invited to this party so...

He made a beeline through the crowd to a flight of stairs that led to a private area where the party thrower was residing. As he ascended up the stairs, he found such a place. It overlooked the crowd of drunken stupor below, simplistic with a round table surrounded by a large leather couch. A Twi'lek looked up at him, surrounded by several friends and smiled.

"Thaddeus Devva. You came." The Twi'leks tone betrayed excitement.
"I did." Thaddeus tilted his head to the side in a curious gesture and spoke again, this time his voice dripping with charm. "I actually wanted to get away from the party for a moment. Could my friend and I borrow this table for a while?"
"Anything for someone of such... infamy." The Twi'lek stood and the entourage rushed past Thaddeus down to the dancefloor, a chorus of excited whispers being exchanged between them. Thaddues ignored them and slid onto the now vacated couch. Taking a sip of one of the fuller drinks that had been left there, he looked at Mortimer. "What exactly were you wanting to know?"​

 

[Panda Hermit 98]

Mortimer couldn't suppress a small irritated grunt at the mention of talking elsewhere, out of all the places in a nightclub, the bathroom was probably his favorite, purely for the quiet. That thought only intensified when the door was wrenched open and the two stepped out into a cacophony of ear piercing screeching and deafening wubs. Mortimer never got why Jade always wanted to go to places like these, all people do is drink, dance, do drugs, and bang in the bathrooms, it was a cesspool of flesh and bright colours that threatened to drown you if you weren't careful. The crowd never gave to much trouble, the mere hint of someone brushing against them just caused them to grind more and more against each other and automatically sway in the other direction, parting into a nice corridor.

The Twi'lek shot Mortimer a look as she passed, giving him an inquisitive glare, another reason he didn't like clubs, too many drunkards and nosey joesy's. Seeing as how he was trying to blend in though, he helped himself to a small drink of Mon CalaBrandy that had been neglected in the booth. Now that they were alone again, the thoughts and option came into his head. What did he want to know...?

"Hmmm...well, I guess the first thing I wanna know is just who the person sitting in front of me. and asking to be trained by me, is"

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Thaddeus pondered the other males request for a few moments, taking a sip of the discarded drink to fill in the time without it turning into an awkward silence. Mortimer could easily just go on the Holonet and find various reports of his activities in the eyes of the media if he really wanted to. It seemed a little redundant to him to give him an explanation on who he was but it didn't seem like Mortimer wanted to know how the public viewed him.

"I'm the adopted son of two wealthy people from Naboo, Quentin and Ravira Devva. I have an adopted, elder brother named Antonius. I grew up knowing all forms of privilege. There was nothing I could want for that wasn't within reach for me." He took another drink before continuing. "At least, that's what I remember. I suffer from a severe form of amnesia and cannot remember anything before my pubescent years." It was a lie of sorts, something of an altered truth but he wasn't going to tell this random man EVERYTHING about him. About the blocks on his mind out there by the Force Sensitive Yivo or his own budding connection to the power that 'connected the Galaxy together'. Nobody outside of the Devva's even knew the truth about him. It came easily, like breathing. "My father enjoyed using his wealth and influence to help the less fortunate and frequently went on trips to do so. My mother used her free time travelling the galaxy and building herself a reputation through the Holonet. She believes that a persons reputation is paramount to their success in life. I suppose you could say that each of them passed on aspects of their lifestyles to me." He took a moment before he spoke again. "Antonius is an ambitious, impulsive idiot. We never really got along. After my father died of a heart attack, he took over as the leader of our family and inherited the fortune. After he had me thrown out of the estate, my mother set me up with the funds you now want me to throw away on your crusade." He would leave out the information about his lover, that memory was too... painful. He continued once more, his tone remaining flat throughout the entire speech. "I've been diagnosed with a Schizoid Personality Disorder, which seems to have come from my amnesia. I also don't smile. At all. This whole 'party boy' reputation that the media loves to report on is an act that my mother drilled into me. In her words 'If you control how the rest of the Galaxy see's you, nobody will ever be able to hurt you or predict your motivations.' It's like armor I suppose. I'm only letting you in on this little secret since there's no point in hiding it from you if we are going to work together effectively." He finished his drink and placed the glass down on the table, looking at Mortimer expectantly. "Anything else you'd like to know in particular?"​