faithofthefallen | Deception (RP for Phinea)

Deception (RP for Phinea)

It was a few days after talking to Phinea that Darth Exedo's Fury-class Imperial Interceptor, recently renamed Tyth's Fury, settled onto its landing pad outside the Nar Shaddaa headquarters of Research Group Samekh. The former casino, hovering above Nar Shaddaa, was safely away from the worst of the territorial disputes below. Shipping crates and boxes still littered the lower floor and landing bay of the old casino, as the laboratory staff continued to unpack. Setekh could never afford one of the floating former palaces, but the Sith that came back from Zakuul several weeks ago had been slowly recovering all of Arannek's hidden wealth. Brand new Zakuulian computer stations gleamed in the harsh laboratory light as droids ferried crates to and fro and laboratory staff scrambled to get patients set up in the new medical bay. Subjects were present in all but two of the kolto tanks.

Darth Exedo looked on impassively, Nuro'tarkona on his heels. The impassive mask crafted to look like a technological bone mask gave nothing of Darth Exedo's mood away, and Nuro'tarkona had long since given up trying to guess at it. The Sith that came back from imprisonment on Zakuul was not the same Sith he'd known before. There was a new darkness to him, a great deal more patience, but a seething well of malice and evil that Setekh never had. His connection to the dark side was stronger than Setekh's had ever been, and something else was with him, something foreign but even more powerful...Nuro'tarkona wasn't sure what it was, but he was sure that he no longer wanted to cross his master. Given a choice, he'd prefer not to be on the same planet as his master. The few times he'd seen Setekh's familiar face instead of one of a dozen different masks he wore did nothing to ease Nuro'tarkona's suspicion that it was no longer Setekh Feraan that he served.

"I suppose we ought to travel to the surface to meet your Jedi, apprentice." It had been a point of contention between them, Nuro'tarkona's concern for the Jedi. Darth Exedo wanted to know why he cared so much for the enemy and Nuro'tarkona had refused to answer, even when subjected to pain. But the Sith that Nuro'tarkona served now was more patient that Setekh ever was, and instead of torturing the Twi'lek until he died or talked, he relented. At least at first. Nuro'tarkona had a bad feeling about this meeting, but he dared not even send a warning to Phinea. Darth Exedo would know. He always did. Darth Exedo looked over at the cyborg Zabrak unpacking crates of biochemical supplies. "Be sure the droids link the new computers to my terminal in my lab and then get started on unpacking and assembling the living spaces here. I'd like not to spend another night in rented accommodations or on board the ship. I get enough of that among the Alliance. Don't allow the 2V unit anywhere near the living spaces until its memory has been wiped. It's been acting suspiciously lately."

The Zabrak bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

Darth Exedo motioned to Nuro'tarkona and they moved through the labs to the speeder pad above. Both chose light, sleek models for the short speeder trip to the Promenade below them and it wasn't long before they left those speeders in the care of the droid manning the speeder platform. Darth Exedo didn't head towards the cantina, but instead towards the opposite end of the Promenade, towards where the Republic representatives usually congregated. Nuro'tarkona stayed close but behind him, far enough back that when he wanted to talk, Darth Exedo had to stop and turn to see him. "Apprentice, you've been quiet. Is there something on your mind?"

The words were innocuous. Even the tone was neutral, but Nuro'tarkona's pale green skin paled even more. He shook his head. "No, my lord. Just wondering if she'll show up."

"You still haven't told me why you're so concerned for a Jedi. Even with Zakuul's forces hanging over us all," literally, in the case of Nar Shaddaa, where a hulking battle station could just barely be seen through the moon's pollution-tinged atmosphere, "that is highly out of character for you."

Nuro'tarkona shook his head, refusing to speak, and Darth Exedo sighed. He clenched his hand, and Nuro'tarkona could feel a pressure on his throat. Not enough to choke, not yet, but enough to remind him that his master was not pleased with him. The Twi'lek's skin paled even more and his lekku twitched as he tried to maintain a stance as impassive as his master's and failed. That had never been Setekh's choice of punishment. Lightning, perhaps, but not choking. Nuro'tarkona looked around them, anywhere but at the Sith that pretended to be his master and was too powerful to call out on it.

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Phinea had found herself between a rock and a hard place - Hutt space (or was it all supposed to be Zakuul space now? Ugh) was never a safe place for twi'lek, but her concern for Nuro's safety had managed to wedge itself into the back of her mind and take her away from her child and lover. Some of the childish look to her face had been scrubbed away as she'd gotten herself more and more involved with the war. It made her pretty violet eyes seem even brighter - things were bad, but she hadn't lost hope yet. Phinea had matured into a very attractive young woman.

Her long lekku weren't quite as long as her older brother's but she had the same frown he did as she picked out Nuro in the crowd and felt out in the Force as to his mood. There was a feeling of resignation, and fear.

That was unsettling in itself. If she didn't show up, would something worse happen to him? She couldn't have that, and as much as it felt like she was betraying the no-attachment promises of the Jedi Code, her brother was an important part of her history.

Phinea's soft-soled boots made hardly a sound as she passed through crowds (there were quite a few less than there had been). She kept her lightsaber hidden away - it would give her away too easily - and approached the Promenade concourse where there were even fewer mingling people. This is not my brightest idea yet.. Now to wait for Nuro and his strange master.

Nuro sensed Phinea's familiar presence a moment before Darth Exedo did, and silently in her head, his voice echoed, Careful. He steadfastly did not turn to look at her, but it was a useless effort.

Darth Exedo was watching him, and the Twi'lek Sith was no good at hiding his emotions. Fear growing exponentially in the pit of his stomach but not being used to power the dark side, just existing and paralyzing him. The masked Sith's power was almost touchable, heavy with the dark side and with Darth Exedo's own leashed rage, as he sought out and found Phinea. He watched her through the eyes of the mask for a moment, then without a word to Nuro'tarkona, he started walking towards her.

Unlike Phinea, both Sith were very obviously Force-users. Very obviously Sith. Nuro wore heavy black robes over black armor. Darth Exedo wore a technological bone mask and armor reminiscent of the armor that Darth Marr had preferred. Spikes of Mandalorian iron on his shoulders were not just for show, they interfered with lightsaber blows to his head and in a pinch could also deliver a nasty blow. A single lightsaber hung from Nuro's belt. A saberstaff from Darth Exedo's.

Darth Exedo stopped in front of her, Nuro several feet behind him. "You must be Phinea. I am Darth Exedo, formerly of the Imperial Guard." Not quite the truth, but not quite a lie either. Darth Arannek had never enjoyed flaunting his title of Emperor's Wrath and had instead always worn armor to blend in with the Imperial Guard or the Emperor's Hand. One thing Arannek could not disguise fully was Setekh's voice, which was distinctive even through the light filtering of the mask.

"It's good to finally meet the Jedi that has my apprentice so distracted." Passers-by gave them a wide berth, even though Darth Exedo's voice was nothing but pleasant and his hands were nowhere near his lightsaber at the moment. "If you'd like, there are tables inside where we can have a quiet word." He gestured towards one of the shops, what looked like a quiet caf bar.

A word.

Phinea's brows furrowed together. He could probably kill her, and considering that they were in Nar Shaddaa, most of the bystanders would probably not even bat an eyelash. Both she and Nuro were really in it this time. She smiled a little at her older brother. "I wouldn't really call myself a distraction."

A pain in the side, someone to eat lots of nerf burgers with, but not a distraction. She wanted to say, Are you alright? to him, but something told her that would be unwelcome. "I don't have a lot of time to spend here, unfortunately. But I can stay for a cup of caf. Lead on."

Darth Exedo turned and lead the way towards the cafe. He chose a table with his back to a wall and sat down, motioning to the serving droid. He reached up and pushed his hood back, then unsnapped his mask and pulled it off, setting it beside him on the table. Setekh's familiar scarred face looked back at her, but his eyes were darker. Truly red instead of the yellow-orange they had been.

Nuro sat down beside him, wrapping his lekku closer around his neck. He slumped in his seat, watching Setekh like a hawk. When the serving droid walked up to the table, he shook his head.

Setekh looked up at the droid and said warmly, "Caf with sugar and cream, please." Once Phinea ordered and the droid left, he said, "Apprentice, you can calm down. You're giving the Jedi the wrong impression. Any violence today would be counterproductive to our Alliance. I still have hopes of getting more overt Hutt support, you know."

Nuro nodded slowly, but he shot Phinea a nervous look.

Five years ago had been almost a different lifetime for Phinea, when things had been certain. It bothered her that she couldn't recall precisely what Setekh had looked like back then. Only that her brother had been distinctly less nervous around him.

Phinea ordered a latte; something she didn't have to really concentrate on drinking since she hated them, but would give an excuse to be inside the caf bar. "Like I said before, I'm really not all that interesting."

Why was Nuro so nervous? What was going on? More importantly, how quickly can I get to an exit if I have to?

"I apologize if my invitation gave the wrong impression." Setekh accepted his caf with a quiet 'thank you' to the droid server and sipped at it, then added a bit more sugar to the cup. Setekh looked around the cafe, eyes settling on a Rodian attempting to look inconspicuous but shooting glances their way. He rested his elbow on the table and his hand clenched. The Rodian gave him a wide-eyed look and clawed at his throat. Setekh just watched impassively. The Rodian held up his hands in a placating gesture and Setekh opened his fist. The Rodian doubled over, coughing, and when he could breathe again, he fled through the open door of the cafe to the Promenade.

"Information brokers are getting desperate. Zakuul is as likely to kill as to pay for their services." Setekh gave a serene shrug and sipped at his caf. "A few of us, a very few, are attempting to organize a resistance, but it takes time and resources, and my power base was shattered years ago. It takes time to rebuild." There was a flash of anger, then, and his lip curled. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he sipped at his caf instead. He took a deep breath. "I've paid back the most important of the debts I owe. Old rivalries do us no good. Not against Zakuul. They enjoy watching us attack each other."

Nuro cleared his throat and shot Setekh a meaningful look, then looked over at Phinea and gave her a wan smile. "We fell out of touch for a while, I know. How have you been?"

Phinea wasn't entirely certain how to react to that; Darth Needed-His-Caf seemed a little to relaxed for what she recalled. But five years, she reminded herself again, was a very long time. "I've heard bits about it, but I've been doing other things, and I haven't had any real time to track those rumors down." She shrugged and turned her attention to her nervous, worried brother.

"I've been alright, a friend of mine," Husband, actually, and one unknown to the remnants of the Order, "is waiting for me in Coruscant." Phinea smiled at her older brother. "But I wasn't worried about you. I was confident you'd show up perfectly fine and I wasn't disappointed."

She sipped her latte and her eyes were bright with amusement. "Thanks for that."

Darth Exedo looked from Phinea to Nuro and back with interest. This was something he could grasp at, something he could watch and begin to pick apart. A friend on Coruscant. Master? Husband? Lover? Did it matter? They had more of her attention than Nuro, which meant that Arannek's worry that Setekh's apprentice was more than a little attached to the enemy was unfounded. Or was it? He looked closely at them. The bone structure. The skin tone was irrelevant. Twi'lek breeding and skin tone inheritance was a topic of much debate on Dromund Kaas and on Nar Shaddaa, and Arannek knew enough to know that it varied wildly, even among family members. The bloodlines were too mixed by slavery. But their bone structure, their build....Arannek imagined he could see a bit of resemblance. He smiled and sipped at his caf.

Nuro didn't notice his master's attention, he was looking at Phinea. He gave a wan smile. "We hit a rough patch for a while. Not entirely welcome in Imperial space, and then Darth Exedo was captured. I don't exactly have the resources or clout my master has, the best I could do for a while was stay one step ahead of the Hutts. I think they'd have liked to take over our operation and enslave who they could, rather than pay."

"You allow them to do it, apprentice. You were never properly trained. Don't worry, we'll fix that eventually." Darth Exedo said it softly, without a hint of malice, but Nuro flinched anyway. The other Sith noticed and frowned. "Your fear does you no credit. Use it or let it go."

Nuro actually did take a deep breath and try to relax, which made Darth Exedo's frown deepen. Nuro said, "I'm sure the Order's been busy. I heard about some of what's going on. As if there needed to be any more unrest, with the Empire and the Republic already at each other's throats."

"I don't suppose you've heard anything about Jedi Sakhar? I think he was stationed on Balmorra, last I checked. It's been a few years now." Darth Exedo sipped at his caf, then said, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, just pass along a message, would you? It's difficult to get transmissions through on Republic channels. Let him know that his brother, Tarek, sends his greetings."

"I haven't heard of a Jedi Sakhar," Phinea said. "But, if I run across him, I'll let him know." Well, it would either cause someone stress or relief, Phinea decided. Sith thrived on throwing the proverbial multi-tool into the machinery, so to speak. If it was bad, she'd just have to take care of it there.

Maybe it wouldn't be, though, and that would be good. "Frankly speaking, it's difficult to get anything through Republic channels even for us." Which was its own source of anxiety when she couldn't get a clear frequency out to Xhaelas. Speaking of which, he'd been decidedly displeased with her plans.

That was a fish that needed frying another time, though. Under the table she nudged her brother's foot with her own, tapping lightly in code against the side of the shiny boot. You've got a niece, FYI. "I don't hold the lack of communication at all, you know. Just let me help when I can, where I can."

"That's very kind of you. We'll see. We're getting organized and we may need a Jedi, you never know." Setekh winked and finished his coffee, then stood and put on his helmet again. He said, "You two enjoy catching up. I have business to attend to while we're here." The Sith lord turned on his heel and dropped his cup into a receptacle on his way out of the cafe.

When Nuro heard the Sith's heavy boots fade away, he heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry about that. He's been different, ever since he came back from Zakuul." But really, it was before that, wasn't it? Because he'd acted strangely even when he came back from Dromund Kaas after the death of Arannek and his apprentice. Nuro pushed aside those suspicions with a shake of his head. "I don't know." I have a niece? How old is she? Is she Force-sensitive? He tapped the code lightly, not trusting that Darth Exedo was truly gone.

Can't tell yet. She's four. Phinea tapped as she sipped her latte. "I knew something was up - the way he was messaging me was all different, and he's usually nicer to you."

Perhaps it was vestiges of sibling affection that hadn't been given time to properly bloom that made her feel affronted. "So, seriously, how've you been?"

"I've been better. Being...alone and in charge here wasn't ideal, but we were slowly making a profit and I didn't fear for my life." Nuro looked down at his hands. "Ever since he's been back it's been strange. He doesn't remember...anything." Me.

Nuro tapped against her foot. Four. So big already. I want to see her. He cleared his throat. "If it weren't for my managers in production, we wouldn't be making a profit, now. I don't think Setekh cares. He's been using the organization to...I don't know. He's looking for things. Things I have never even heard of, and I was his right hand." Nuro shook his head, confused. "I would be very cautious." And don't tell him a thing about her. Don't need that threat.

Got a holo. Phinea tapped back. You're crazy if you think I'm mentioning her to anyone but you. After all, it wasn't like she could really go running around, eagerly showing off pictures of her ~~precious, perfect~~ kid. The Jedi might have been diminished, but that didn't mean they had thrown out the rulebooks.

"Will you be able to take any time off? Get away and, I dunno. Play pazaak for a week somewhere?" It wasn't so simple as that, but Phinea knew that advising Nuro to get out, get far, and get gone wouldn't go over well. Her brother loved his master too much. "Visit me; I'm not due to be anywhere for a couple months."

Nuro looked down at his hands. "I don't know. We're working on something big right now and everyone is busy. Well, except for me and a few of the others that my Master used to hold in high regard." He pulled his lekku closer around himself, then shook his head, lip curling in disgust. "I would like to get away. It's been a long time since I had a proper vacation."

He beckoned the serving droid back and said sharply in his Imperial-accented Basic, "Corellian rum."

"Yes, my lord, right away." The protocol droid hurried back to the bar.

Nuro pulled out a credit chip and tapped it against the table. Under the table, though, he tapped his foot against hers. I know a smuggler that can get me as far as Coruscant, provided I keep a low profile. I want away for a bit, things have been...too strange. And I want to see my niece.

You send me the message, and I'll make sure there's a place for you at the table. "So, take one. I'm sure there's some sunny beach somewhere that's calling your name, Nuro."

Her name is Nurae. Phinea added and sipped her latte. It was almost empty, which upset her somewhat. "If he can spare you - and it seems like that's the case - take the opportunity. It's not like you're required to spend time in meditation and peace."

Nuro's face flashed from surprise to shock to joy. He beamed at Phinea and it was only with difficulty that he continued the conversation. "Do Jedi really choose to spend free time like that? I can't imagine that's...at all fun." The droid returned with Nuro's rum, and Nuro handed it the credit chip in payment. He sipped at the rum gratefully. "Ah. They're stocking the good stuff. I'll have to ask the Hutt that supplies us why he's holding out."

You named her after me? I don't know what to say. I'll have to visit now. I'll make the arrangements. I just have to cover my trail a bit so my lord doesn't catch on. Nuro sipped at his rum, then said softly, "I'm not sure what the Jedi have been doing when they're not beating back the more short-sighted Imperials, but..." He looked around, noted no obvious surveillance, and said even quieter, "We're helping to organize a resistance to Zakuul. Main base is...safe and anonymous for now, but we're moving my lord's lab here to a more secure facility on Yavin 4. You ought to visit sometime. Despite my master's...strangeness, I do think he's doing the right thing. I only wish I knew where this sudden change came from." He paused, frowned. "I'm not used to him being such a calm and decisive military leader, he doesn't have the experience, but now he commands troops as if he's fought on the front lines of countless battles. It's very strange. But good for what he's doing, I guess."

"Well, we do other things, but yeah. That's the gist of relaxation time." Except when she went to see Xhaelas, that is. Then it was relaxation of a different, endearing type entirely.

"I'll see what I can do about the Yavin visit." She is super cute, I'll send you the holo. Phinea was nothing if not infinitely proud of the surefire cuteness of her little daughter. Shall we wrap this up, go somewhere quieter so I can show you? "But I can't make promises, since they like throwing me all over the galaxy. Because why not? I guess."

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Deception (RP for Phinea)

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