Ask Raxus Broken Crowns

[Cipher Four]

Location: Raxus

​

​

​

​

​

___Altair Din returning to service. Those were not words Aimi believed she would ever hear, but the information spread like wildfire among the ISB the moment he returned. Moreover, recent HoloNews posts reaffirmed the rumours she was already hearing when the man himself showed up on the feed to declare his intention to don the mantle of Grand Marshall once again. With his return, he had declared a ceasefire with the Jedi, and the war with the Sith officially concluded, assuring that further acts of aggression would end. She had no doubt it was to focus efforts inward to rebuild and re-establish the Empire in its internal struggle against the Hutts.

___A frown tugged down the corners of Aimi's mouth. She knew he wanted to continue his life on Eiattu, and now he was being dragged front and centre back into the Empire's problems.

___As her speeder shuddered to a halt, Aimi turned her attention upwards. She had arrived on Raxus on personal business to see Altair, not as a Cipher on a mission from an Overseer or the ISB. It was her choice to be here, to request to see Altair on her own terms. However, even as she stepped out of the speeder and began walking, she couldn't help but wonder what the purpose of her visit was. Aimi hadn't seen nor heard from him since the night she was sent to spy on him. She wasn't sure what he thought of her, but she knew this was one of the few things she ever wanted to do for herself.

___As the speeder lifted off and departed, Aimi's eyes transfixed on the ground, watching her heels as they clacked against the ground. She hadn't thought this far ahead, and now that she was on the verge of arriving where they agreed to meet, she was at a loss about what to say or do. Inhaling deeply, she looked up and ahead. She would figure it out as she went, even if it meant looking like a fool.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was back to his old job and he had mixed feelings about it. He always thought he was done with all this when he returned to the farm. However, he couldn’t deny that a part of him missed the rush. Missed the thrill. He may not have enjoyed it all the time, but he knew he was good at it. He knew how to steer the Empire and had for years prior to retiring. He knew how to rally everyone, how to take swift action, how to bring quick and efficient stability to a regime that was on the brink of collapse.

The tiefling wasn’t so arrogant that he wouldn’t make time for social calls. After all, Altair was a farmer and a musician in addition to his Imperial duties. In between writing up new mission briefs and setting the direction for multiple military operations, Altair allowed himself a break to meet with Cipher Four. He had met her before, of course, under entirely different circumstances. He wasn’t too fussed about her originally being sent to spy on him - especially as he had little to actually hide. The ISB knew he had a daughter and extensive family. There were some details he managed to keep off record for now.

Altair was seated at a table at a local restaurant that he picked when she had suggested meeting. He had arrived early, always used to strict military punctuality. The tiefling was scrolling through his EZPhone, glancing up when she arrived. He gave her a smile, standing up to greet her, “Hey,” He said, “Naori or Aimi today?” Altair asked with a grin, recalling the names she had presented back then.

Always the gentleman, he pulled out her chair for her before taking his seat again, “So I suggested this lowkey spot because I thought I could blend in,” He said as he took a sip of his water, “But I’ve had a few casual drivebys already,” He said with a chuckle, shaking his head, “Not sure I dig all the attention,” Altair said, “How you been?”

@Remileah

 

[Cipher Four]

___As Aimi entered the restaurant and Altair came into view, the woman offered him a soft, warm smile. Smiling when she wasn't pretending to be somebody else felt strange. She had spent so much time wearing masks that she wasn't sure which one was the lie anymore: the masks or her own face.

___"Hey," Aimi responded, momentarily hesitating as Altair greeted her. How was she supposed to engage? A hug was likely too personal, but a simple handshake seemed too formal. It felt so simple when they explored the town on Eiattu, so why did it feel so difficult now? "Aimi, at least this time," she remembered to answer, even as her mind struggled with discerning the mathematically correct answer to socialising.

___As Altair pulled her chair out, Aimi furrowed her brow with confusion. Only after a few moments did she recall it was a gesture of courtesy, which most women found appealing. Nodding her head to express her gratitude, Aimi lowered herself into the chair and smoothed the folds in her skirt. She looked up at Altair as he explained his reasoning for choosing the location, her hands resting on the table as her fingers laced together. The Fiani cast some sidelong glances around the establishment, taking in the details of the patrons around her.

___"You left quite the impression on people during your speech," Aimi said, her shoulders bobbing in a shrug. "Who wouldn't come to see you if they had the chance?" she asked, another smile tugging up the corners of her mouth. As he asked about how she had been, Aimi paused. The Fiani reached out to grab her glass of water and take a sip, sighing through her nostrils afterwards.

___"Busy," she answered. "Arranging... vacations. There are a lot of people taking them this time of year," she continued, her eyes darting away. There was no gentle way to talk about her line of work. Eventually, her gaze met Altair's again. "What about you? You know, before you decided to return. How's everything on Eiattu?" she inquired. She couldn't imagine Altair wanted to talk about work, especially not during a social outing.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair only gave a vague shrug at her sentiment on his speech, “It’s part of the job,” He said nonchalantly as if making an address to the far reaches of the galaxy was the same as the average data entry job, “I guess I kinda became less social over time,” He mused aloud in response to others wanting to be around him, recalling back to when he used to be the life of the party. Things were different now since the split took many of his friends and others had just plain gotten killed in the multiple wars over the years. Somehow he was among the last ones standing from the old guard.

He chuckled to himself as she described ‘vacations’. In fact, he had suggested a few long term vacations to the ISB. Chief among them was to make the current Director voluntarily step down or suddenly disappear for an extended vacation.

“I was enjoying the quiet life,” He explained, “I left a regent back on Eiattu. I think a part of me missed…this,” He gestured all around him.

By then, the waitress arrived to take their drink and food orders. Altair asked for a milder wine to go with the spicy dish he ordered. He glanced back at Aimi, “M’Fraid I can’t be Tai around these parts,” He said with a grin, recalling back to the name he adopted while he was pretending to not be a King. Within Imperial territory, he was always going to be the infamous Altair Din, the man that broke the Empire in two and ousted the Sith.

"But ya know, I like walking around to get the vibe of the locals. See how the people are feeling," He said, looking around, "It's easy to lose touch with the heart of the people when you're in the ivory towers and in the executive briefing rooms."

@Remileah

 

[Cipher Four]

___Aimi lofted a curious brow as Altair spoke about missing life in the Empire. Her hand moved in slow circular motions, causing the water inside to swirl as she listened intently to him.

___"I'm surprised to hear you say that," she said, her lips pursing. "You seemed happy. I didn't imagine you missed this, much less wanted to come back to it," she continued as her hand went still, lifting the glass to her lips to take another sip. As the waitress came by, Aimi smiled and quietly placed her order: hot cornbread with hazelnuts and apple baked into it, a salad of celery, lettuce, shredded carrot, and white button mushrooms, with a beaker of mint and dandelion tea. Aimi turned back to face Altair when the waitress departed.

___"I suppose I should ask what I should call you, then. Grand Marshall? Sir?" Aimi teased, pearly whites showing as her smile stretched wider. "That's something that sets you apart from the others," she said before taking another drink. "Many people are content to sit in those ivory towers. Much of what affects the commoners doesn't affect them, so it may as well not exist," the woman concluded with a sigh, setting her glass down. Aimi shook her head and looked up, glancing around the establishment to observe the people.

___"Their admiration for you doesn't just come with the job," she added. "You make efforts to show that you're one of them. No dismissive hand-waving, no looking down your nose at them, no putting yourself on a pedestal or requiring them to do it," Aimi continued, her head shifting to meet Altair's gaze again. "Humility. It's something a lot of people lack, myself included sometimes," she finished, her voice trailing off.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair chuckled at her question, “Altair is fine off duty. Just…don’t call me Emperor,” He added with a quiet groan. He already began to hear the whispers all over again. It was always bad, but it was especially awful when they continued even while Drast was in power. Altair dug into his meal, his tail swishing slightly at all the praise.

“Well thanks, Aimi, it’s good to hear that I ain’t fuckin’ things up already,” He said with a laugh as he sipped from his wine.

“So I know you ain’t come out here just to pat me on the back,” Altair said with a smirk, gazing at her over the rim of his glass, “So what’s up?”

@Remileah

 

[Cipher Four]

___"Altair it is, then," Aimi said, smiling with reticence as the man bemoaned the title. She accepted the food as it was brought to the table, immediately setting into breaking a piece of the fresh bread off the loaf. His thanks and statement about her presence here left doubts in Aimi's mind. Perhaps his comments were innocuous, or she made too many compliments.

___"What's up?" she echoed as she poured herself some tea. Aimi still had yet to decide why she asked Altair to dinner in the first place. Should she be upfront about her uncertainty? Should she confess that outside of her false identities and being married to her job, she had no idea who she was or why she wanted this? Aimi's brow furrowed as she set down the beaker, hinting at the apprehension she was faced with.

___"I'll be honest with you," Aimi stated, pausing as she sipped her tea. "I don't know." She looked up at the man. "I wanted to see you again. Why? I can't answer that," Aimi elaborated, her fingers tensing around the glass. "I've spent so much time in my line of work that I don't really know who I am," she continued, looking down at her murky reflection on the tea's surface. She wasn't sure what he would think of her confession, but it was better to be frank than to skirt around the issue and pretend she knew something she didn't.

___"I'm trying to find out, though," Aimi added, looking up at Altair again. "I know I wanted to see you again, and that's all I have to work with. I know that's a hell of a confession, but that's... what's up, so to speak," she chuckled wryly. "I thought you would be willing to find out and bear with me as I fail to keep the conversation casual and figure out how small talk works, and what people usually do during things like this."

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair stared at her while she answered, brows raising slightly the more she spoke. By the end of it, there was a moment of silence. The tiefling took a long drink and exhaled softly. He thought back to his days as an acolyte and how clueless he was back then. He thought of how he bumbled through situations, how he couldn’t pick up hints or navigate women. He thought back to how many times he had to soundboard with Cairo or smoke some spice for clarity. Those days were fun, confusing and hilarious. But they were long behind him.

The tiefling was older, measured and knew exactly what he was now. And so when he gazed at her over the rim of his glass while observing her, he knew what was happening here. The tiefling was not one to beat around the bush anymore either. He had seen far too many battles, he killed the former Empress, he blew up the Empress before that, he split the Sith in two.

The way he looked at her would make her feel as if she was slowly being stripped of every layer and wall, leaving her backed against a corner.

“Aimi,” He said calmly, his tail lazily swishing, “You are a lovely woman,” He said, genuinely, “But I cannot give you what you seek,” Altair said, “What you truly seek,” He stated simply, “However, if you would like to be friends, I am happy to get to know you better,” He said. He half expected her to burst into how he ‘clearly misunderstood the situation’, but Altair would simply stare at her through it before moving on. He was a disciplined, self-assured man. He could tell when a woman wanted him.

“There is a lot to discover within this city,” Altair said as he glanced out the window, “Ways to embrace just…being a civilian. Even I need to remember to do that sometimes and remember who I was before I was ever Imperial.”

@Remileah