Ask Nar Shaddaa Criminal Ties

Lilith Vye

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Alais lead the weirdo to the small storage unit where she had a shoot out once before. The first place she started to lay the foundations of her desired criminal empire. She knew that people hardly came here anymore and so it seemed safe enough to do the hand over and get the answers she wanted. And if she had to, she could use the back exit and quickly run to her shop from here, but she hoped it wouldn't be necessary.

On the way she'd copied the manifest the man wanted onto a secondary datapad with less functions and with none of her hand crafted software. She'd done it while speed walking and tried to make it subtle, though he may have noticed. Either way, she wasn't about to hand over her primary datapad, or let herself walk away empty handed if this man didn't hold his end of the deal.

Fluorescent light chased away most of the darkness as she switched them on and lead the man into the storage. It was only seconds after that that she turned around and pulled out the secondary datapad. She roughly pressed it against his chest—assuming he didn't dodge out of the way—to show she still meant buiness but that she had held up her end of the deal.

"Now I want my answers," she nearly growled, forcefulness in her tone. She still did not know how skilled this man was, but she'd fight him if necessary.

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Talak Rand

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Talak had managed to make contact with her again shortly after escaping, and the two had made their way to this warehouse shortly thereafter. He was ever-alert to what was going on around him, and also aware that this could easily turn into a double cross. He really hoped it didn't, but he had made assumptions before that had nearly gotten him killed. Never again.

She turned and shoved a datapad into his chest once they made it inside and he took it. Keeping one metaphorical eye on her and one on the datapad, he poked a few times until he was satisfied the information he wanted was on it. There was always the possibility that she'd pull out her blaster again, and if that happened it would get ugly, but for the moment everything was "friendly."

He slipped the datapad away and looked up at her again.

Fine, you held up your end of the deal. I'll tell you what I can. What do you want to know? he asked. There were, of course, certain topics he wouldn't discuss, but he didn't intend to lie to her about most things. It wasn't good business. @Dread
 

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The fact that he didn't just take the datapad, try to stab her and run helped. It didn't stop her paranoia of course, but it helped. His words helped too, but he'd—more than likely—immensely regret asking instead of just telling her some vague things about his powers, because she craved this knowledge. She was ready to get every bit of information out of him possible so she could go home.

"Why were you able to get into my head?" she started, moving back from him so there was some distance in case things did got south, because she could feel emotions violently swirling inside her, mostly anger but confusion and desire too. "How come I can feel... sense things from you? Whats wrong with you?!"

Alais looked away for a moment after pretty much shouting, trying to calm herself. She thought for a second before looking back again. "How did you crush the gate? No, how come I felt you crush it? And is there more you can do?"

After practically assaulting him with questions she realized what she'd done, and tried to sum it all up. "Look I just... I feel like there's something that's always been there. Something I know but don't understand. I feel it in you too." She was still wearing her cloak, so her hood was covering most of her face and the shadows the rest, but he could likely feel the intensity of her stare.

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Talak Rand

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Oh boy, maybe he'd gotten himself into a situation here. She seemed to have a lot of questions, and she didn't even pause long enough to let him answer any of them. He was about to snap at her and tell her to take a breath when she seemed to catch herself and slow down, summarizing instead of vomiting words.

Congratulations. You're a Jedi, he said, letting that sink in for a moment. Fine, so comments like that were exactly the reason that the galaxy found itself so confused on what Jedi were or weren't, but Talak could clarify. Obviously, she wasn't actually a Jedi, but since the wider galaxy associated the Force only with Jedi, it was an easier point to start with.

Not really, but the power that makes a Jedi a Jedi is in you. And me. And that's what you felt, he said, sticking his hand out and lifting one of the boxes in the warehouse without difficulty and floating it briefly around the room.

Voila, he said, trying to sound as unenthusiastic as he could, as if he hadn't just dropped a bombshell of information on her. @Dread
 

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"Jedi?" she echoed, rising an eyebrow. If she was being honest with herself, the first thing he said only confused her more. She wasn't a Jedi, but the follow up helped.

"So they actually have super natural power,"
she added, both sensing and watching him float the box. She'd only heard people mention them offhandedly, and quickly dismissed the subject because she was too busy literally trying to survive on Nar Shaddaa. His unenthusiastic answer didn't bother her one bit, because he was basically her prisoner right now. Actually, it amused her somewhat.

"Then if I study the Jedi, I can learn to utilize this power," she said, mostly rhetorically but wanting confirmation. He'd given her enough to work off of and find her own path either way. IF he was telling the truth.

Then it hit, she turned around to face the man and raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you're a Jedi?" she asked. She thought Jedi were suppose to be hero types, not emo thieves like this guy, but then again she'd never really looked into the subject.

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Depends what you mean by "natural" powers, he said. He was being a bit pedantic, but wasn't that the job of Force users? To be cryptic and answer things without answering things. At least he wasn't outright lying like he often did.

No, I'm not a Jedi, he said. The Jedi are misguided, he started to say, but stopped. Somehow he doubted she cared about anything philosophical that he had to say.

Now you know what the power is, but without someone to teach you, actually learning how to use it for anything but the most basic functions will elude you, he said. It wasn't a particularly dishonest thing. It was mostly true. Self-teaching with the Force was incredibly difficult and limiting. A mentor made it much more rapid and increased the potential of the person.

Plus, the Jedi don't really use the Force... properly, he said. The dark side was the natural state, but the Jedi limited themselves. @Dread
 

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His cryptic answer was a little annoying, which showed on her face. But then again, she'd been annoyed and angry at this guy from the very start. Moreso than most people. There was something about him that brought it out of her.

His next answers only made her echo him again,"They're... misguided?" She wanted to understand exactly what he meant, because she needed to learn more about this power. There were what seemed like a million questions spinning around in her head. She had to pick the most prudent ones however, to not get carried away again.

But his answer of needing training made her chest feel heavy in worry. Even if the Jedi were the proper people to turn to for training, all she had to offer in return seemed pale compared. A small gang, credits from her growing business and her slicing skills. In the future she would have her empire, or so she hoped, but she didn't want to wait that long. Nor was she sure if the Jedi would accept any of this if they were what others painted them as.

Finally she decided on another question, frustration clear in her voice,"If I need to be taught, but the Jedi don't even use the Force properly then where do I turn? What do I do? I need this."

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Talak could sense the desperation and desire inside her. She wanted this, but that didn't mean that he was comfortable bringing her into the Sith Eternal. Assuming she was even interested or willing. He reached out in the Force, but he didn't sense the darkness within her. In fact, he had the impression that deep down beneath her criminal exterior was a person still interested in doing good. Reading people was always a difficult task, but he didn't sense the hardened, murderous malice of many criminals.

He had yet to determine if that was a good or bad thing.

All that was revealed of his face were his eyes, but she would be able to see his brow furrow slightly into a frown as he looked at her. There was a silence that ensued as he thought about how to handle this particular situation, but he made no hurry out of it and it was likely to infuriate and frustrate her further.

After a moment, he reached out with the Force and floated another crate over to himself before casually taking a seat on it.

I know someone who could train you... he began. In reality it was much more than a single someone, but he wasn't going to play his hand like that. If this didn't work out, he wasn't going to expose his entire sect so blatantly. Especially not to someone who might ultimately go to the Jedi for training.

...but he's picky, and I need to know if the two of you would even be compatible for training, he said. He had a feeling she wasn't going to like this one bit, but she was the one asking for training.

So I need to know a bit about you, he said. Oh yeah, she wasn't going to like that. Sharing her story and beliefs and goals with someone she labeled as "weirdo" wasn't going to go over great.

What do you do? he asked. It was a softball question comparatively. Nice and simple and not too personal. @Dread
 

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Silence fell between them, yet it wasn't just that. She could sense him probing her mind. Coldness crawled up her spine as if to warn her or spur her into action, but she barely reacted to it. He wasn't trying to control her mind this time. If he had been, her reaction would've been very different.

His news about knowing someone gave her mixed feelings. Only this one person could train her properly? That made her question some things. Then again, if this man existed perhaps he'd be more interested in what she had to offer than the Jedi.

But the idea of sharing information with this stranger? That she did not have mixed feelings about. That she did not like one bit. This was someone who tried to control her at first. Someone who, in order to get information out of, she had to put everything at risk for. She'd stole from the Crimson Dawn of all people. If he knew her identity after the fact... but she stopped the line of thought.

Why give up now?

Why turn back now when she may have found all the answers? No, she wasn't going to let it all slip away because she needed to take another risk. "Fine, if I must, but I will kill you if you're lying about this all." Maybe, she thought, if she had the skill, but she needed to threaten him at very least.

"I run a business. The front is technology repair, soon to be development as well." Now that she'd gotten into business with another tech they had plans on expanding. "but slicing is where a lot of my credits come from currently" she said frankly, since he already knew she possessed the skills. "Not that this will be all I ever do. I want more." She left it there, purposely truthful but vague so that she may get lucky enough for him not to pry further on the subject.

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She was the second of Talak's "students" who had seen fit to threaten or demand things from him. He had let the first one slide for intentional reason, but he wasn't going to make a habit of that.

Don't ever threaten me again, he said, his voice turning to ice. He had half a mind to simply finish this here and now, and it was obvious that he didn't feel intimidated. The tonal change was immediate, but evaporated as quickly as it had come.

He listened as she talked about her tech, and he was interested when she mentioned she wanted more. That was a start at least, and it told him something about her. At least she wasn't the selflessly benevolent imp that the Jedi were. She might yet have the strength needed to be what the dark side demanded.

And you have no qualms with crime, he stated. It wasn't a question this time, but he did have a question.

Have you ever killed anyone? he asked. That wasn't the type of question that normal people asked, but there wasn't anything about this that was "normal." He was beginning to see something evolve in his mind, and he could imagine a situation that would benefit both of them. Assuming they didn't kill one another by the time this conversation was over. @Dread
 

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She could tell he was being serious when he said not to threaten him. It wasn't just the tonal change, but something in the Force that warned her—now that she knew that it was the Force. Instead of trying to talk back, she was smart enough to say nothing. She wasn't going to push her luck, especially not with someone who had something she wanted.

The no qualms with crime didn't make her rise a single brow, but the question about killing did. It was from more curiosity than concern, but still a mix of the two. She debated for a handful of seconds on how or if she should answer, but her gut kept going back to 'yes', because, once again, she'd already come this far

"I grew up on the streets of Nar Shaddaa. Of course I've killed," she said almost snarkily, even though she knew he had no way to know how she'd grown up. "I killed to survive. I killed for food, for water. I killed to show that I wasn't some defenseless girl for men to mess with. And most recently I killed so others would follow me, because you aren't going to get far on this dumpster of a moon if you don't have anyone under your thumb."

Maybe it was too honest at this point, but she hadn't forgotten that he'd threatened to gut someone during their robbery.

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Good, maybe she has what it takes after all, he thought to himself as she regaled him with all the times she had killed throughout her life. The fact that she had to kill - owed to the crime, corruption, and depravity of this world - was a bad thing, but the fact that she had killed meant she had the potential to be the kind of killer that the Sith Eternal might need.

Good, he said simply. Evidently, that had been the answer he was looking for.

And what is it you're wanting out of your life? he asked. That was another personal question, but perhaps the most important one he had asked yet. There were many different things that members of the Sith Eternal wanted, but there were also things that were incompatible with the Order. @Dread
 

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Good? That wasn't exactly the answer she expected, but it wasn't a bad one either she supposed. This was still confusing, though she wouldn't stop.

"Security through power," she answered plainly, though she knew it may not be that clear so she tried to explain further, "I started at the bottom of the food chain and I refuse to go back. Refuse. I wont ever allow myself to be anything but the predator now. That is why I wont ever hesitate to kill, why I seek credits, assets, knowledge, but work under the safety of anonymity of multiple names." Admitting to working under multiple names may not have been the smartest move, but he didn't know any of them so she felt secure enough.

Alais tipped her head somewhat, muttering a, "You really aren't a Jedi." He had said as much, but now it was plainly obvious after all these questions. She wasn't really asking him a question, only talking to herself.

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She was certainly saying the right things. Of course there was always risk in revealing anything about the Sith Eternal to anyone, but it was also obvious that she was completely incompatible with the Jedi. No, he didn't need to worry about her going to the Jedi any time soon.

He took particular note of the word she used: predator. It was the precise verbiage that the Sith Eternal used for their work. Although it sounded like she was primarily interested in her own power, that wasn't inherently incompatible with the Eternal's goals either.

What if I told you there's a group that's interested in... being the galaxy's predators. Mostly made up of those of us with this power, he said. Every movement she made and emotion in the Force was now under his scrutiny. He wanted to know her reaction to the thought, and he wanted to know if she was going to be a threat or an ally. @Dread
 

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A group of... predators? It look her a moment to recall that she had used that very word—predator—during her explanation. Having to take a moment to reflect on her words didn't make them any less true though, in fact it made them even more true, as she had spoken plainly and emotionally. It was probably the first time she ever said it out loud.

When she took that moment to let it all sink in, she finally answered, "And this man you spoke of is... in this group?" she asked, trying to follow what he was saying. "Because if he is I'm interested," she continued, though she looked away briefly in thought than back, adding, "Even if he isn't, if there's more like us surely one of them will teach me?"

Ailas felt that desperate tug in her mind again; the need to know more. But it was accompanied by an intense, almost overwhelming feeling that something was calling to her. Since she had no box to sit on, she instead walked closer to the man and went to her knee in front of him. She wanted to look him in the eyes, even if neither could really see the others. "If this is true, please, I need to know more."

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Oh yes, Talak had mentioned a man, hadn't he? It had mostly just been a cover to discuss the Sith Eternal, but she was correct, there would be someone who would be willing to teach her. Or he might even be able to teach her himself. He seemed to be doing a great deal of that lately.

Yes, if you joined, you would be trained, he said simply. How much should he tell her now? He couldn't trust her, but he might be able to continue to test the waters. They might both be able to get what they wanted out of this, actually.

He drummed his fingers against the box for a moment as he thought. I'll make you a deal to start since we don't know each other, he said.

I have a job I'm doing now, and you've already helped me with part of it. Help me finish it, and while we do, I'll start teaching you about the Force. When we're done, you can make your decision about whether you want to join us, he said. He would get a slicer and backup for his jobs, and she would get the first steps of training and a better idea of what it was that she might be getting herself into. It seemed like a win for everyone. @Dread
 

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After all this talk, she'd almost forgot about the heist. Almost. She still had a copy of the manifest on her datapad, which she unconsciously tapped through the fabric of her clothing. "Right. The heist. You wanted some information on that manifest, didn't you?" it was a rhetorical question, one that she paused after for a handful of heartbeats.

"Yes. I'll help you finish the job," the answer was obvious to her, she was getting what she wanted. "You should know that under one of my names I've done jobs for several members of the five syndicates." Particularly the Crimson Dawn, she thought. "As a result, I have friends and connections that I am willing to use if you need them to get this job done." That did remind her of something... names. Something told her that this man wouldn't want to be called weirdo for the rest of the job.

"But if we're going to be working together longer, what should I call you?" she asked, assuming he wouldn't give her his real name, so she didn't ask for it. In fact, she didn't plan to give her real name to him either. If she was going to join this group, it'd be under some other alias.

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Talak was glad to hear that they seemed to have a deal, and that meant they could probably begin the explanations about the Force soon. So she's worked for the Syndicates before? he noted. That could be advantageous or it could be a problem.

Tal, he said. It wasn't quite his name, but it was close enough. It wasn't like he was a person who was well documented, and with how many people were in the galaxy working out the rest of his name wouldn't have worked. In other words, he was fine with it. He waited for her to introduce herself as well before continuing.

You work for the Syndicates, but you don't have a problem targeting them? he asked. This was designed to target the Syndicates - or more specifically something they had that he wanted - and she needed to be on board with that. Though, she'd already helped him rob one of Crimson Dawn's lieutenants. @Dread
 

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She could deal with the name Tal, she thought. Shorter than what she was calling him. Now for her name. She had little time to think of one, and simply went with something she'd read awhile back, "Lilith."

"No, I don't,"
she said bluntly to his question about the syndicates. "I started to work for the syndicates out of necessity to survive on Nar Shadda, and continued because of my desire for power. But I have never committed myself to any of them, even the Crimson Dawn who may think I belong to them," she answered plainly.

"In fact, if I can join and continue what I started here, I can provide this group of yours with continuous information from my slicing jobs, connections and credits from my growing business to help fund any research or projects." If she was talking to a Jedi, she would've offered the same thing in return for their teachings.

Of course... it wasn't exactly a selfless offer. In the end, this type of arrangement would greatly benefit her; she'd get her training and be able to keep building a power base within the syndicates.

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Talak hoped that she was telling the truth. He couldn't be sure that what she said wasn't all lies, but double crossing him wouldn't benefit her. If she wanted training then she would want him alive. And her comment about why she worked for the Syndicates made sense. As he understood it, a lot of "independent contractors" took jobs for the criminals out of necessity and survival.

Okay, he said, standing up again. Lesson one: The power inside you is called by many names, but the most common is "the Force," he explained. He had always struggled to tell others precisely what it was because it was so many things. Defining it simply was incredibly difficult.

The Force is what drives the galaxy forward. Everyone and everything in the galaxy feeds into it. Everything alive, that is. That energy is something that people like you and I can tap into. We are the... manifestation of the Force, he said. It wasn't necessarily the best explanation, but it would do. She'd learn more about it on her own as time went on.

Close your eyes, and try to feel it. It's the same stirring you felt when I was in your mind, except it's something you can control instead of someone else controlling it, he waited for her to try. Whether she was successful or not would be up in the air, but she had to start somewhere. In large part, he was interested in getting her enough information to start mulling over while they traveled to the next part of the job. And yes, he intended to start again right away. @Dread
 
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