Ask Dinner Date

[Malerion]

The blade easily glided through the tender meat, one slice then another a simple movement of the wrist, the serrated blade separating a small piece away, Malerion placed the sliced piece of meat in his mouth and took the first bite. It was beautifully cooked and tender, the chef despite his appearance was at least half decent with a skillet and a knob of butter it seemed.

Malerion chewed the piece of steak a few more times, the juicy meat falling apart in his mouth, he took the sharp blade to the steak, cutting off another piece and then another. He continued to eat in the silence of the dimly lit dining room, the table was set for at least a half dozen but only the Sith sat at the head of the table eating alone.

A drip brought his attention away from the beautifully cooked steak, looking up from his plate, his gaze drifting over to the pool of blood which had collected in the middle of the table. Another drip from above pushed gaze up to the woman dangling over the table.

She was alive, the pure terror in her eyes showed that the slow drip of blood came from the first of Malerion’s steak knives, buried in the woman's right arm. Her body slowly rotated in the containment field, her mouth was gagged, the screaming from earlier distracted Malerion from his meal. As he locked eyes with the woman she let out a scream through her gag, forcing a grimace from the Sith, quickly followed by another steak knife thrown into her flesh embedding itself in her leg. Let led to more screams, but the containment field was making it slow rotation, her face disappearing from view for a second, with that Malerion looking back at his food, picking up another knife and cutting another piece of meat free.

Another of his kind was due to arrive shortly and a similar yet smaller portion of his dinner had been prepared for them when they arrived. Once they had their fill of dinner, drinks and conversation, the woman would once again come to his forefront of his attention.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace wasn't entirely sure what to expect out of the dinner invitation she had received, but the useful Sith seemed few and far between these days, and Trace found herself realizing that if she wanted to make anything happen, allies would be a useful thing. Time would tell whether she wanted those allies to be Sith or someone else... underlings who were less of a threat.

A short knife was stored under her clothes, and even before she entered the room she knew the... activities taking place behind the door. Her lack of physical sight meant that doors and walls were no real limitation on her perception, but the scene unfolding beyond the door left more questions than answers.

The door slid open and she walked inside, seemingly not missing a beat despite the person that was hanging over the table bleeding for no apparent reason. Trace was no stranger to violence and she wasn't afraid of it, but she also took no joy in petty or unnecessary cruelty. Time would tell if the man was a sadist or had some purpose in his actions. She hoped for the latter.

I thought this was going to be a private dinner, she said, her voice intentionally flat even as she internally bristled at the scene playing out in the room. She withheld her judgment, though, as she slid into the seat that had been prepared for her.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

Malerion placed the knife and fork down on the plate as Trace entered an audible clink in the silence of the room as he did so. He did not rise when she entered, it was his ‘home’ after all. His eyes reached her empty sockets, the wrap of fabric hiding them from view, his own orbs flicked towards the rotating body of his prisoner as Trace spoke.

Taking the napkin from his mouth he dabbed at each side before speaking. “Do not mind Miss Storm here, she has the meeting slot after, she can wait her turn.” He replied with a grin, before reaching out to point to the seat to his right. “Please take a seat.”

If Trace did take a seat a serving droid from the corner would appear from the gloom and place a small dinner plate in front of her, steak, potatoes and asparagus all cooked to perfection.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Although Trace understood that the food could have been poisoned, it seemed a tad bit unnecessary and unlikely given the situation. So instead, she dug in, savoring the flavor of the steak and potatoes as she started eating. Her family was wealthy on Taris, and although she had now lost most of her assets after the fall of the Sith from grace, she hadn't lost her taste for the finer things in life.

I assume this isn't just a social visit, although I'm more than happy to eat your steak, she said.

I certainly hope I'll fare better than Miss Storm, she said, motioning with her steak knife toward the floating person. She was rather curious, but only time would tell what this was all about. She had to assume that the woman wasn't here for no reason.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

Once Trace took her seat, Malerion placed the napkin back down in his lap, picked up his cutlery and began finishing off the last of his dinner. “Of course there is desert after as well, if you please.” He said between mouthfuls of steak and asparagus. His eyes flicked up towards the woman as she asked the true meaning of their meeting. “There is some social aspect to this, I would like to know more of the Sith that stayed loyal to the Code. To see where they stand in comparison to myself.” He replied truthfully.

“And do not worry, Miss Storm was a traitor to the Sith Order. So you shouldn’t end up in her position, Miss Trace.”

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace let out a quiet "hmph" at hearing that the woman was a traitor to the Order.

Well, then she deserves what's coming to her, she said, unbothered by the woman's fate. A weakling and a traitor.

She continued enjoying her meal as they sat there, and thought about what he said. She hadn't met him before and he hadn't been one of those captured at Junction. Junction... she still needed to get herself a new lightsaber. That was when a thought clicked in her head... one that probably wouldn't work, but you never knew.

She didn't happen to have a lightsaber on her when you caught her? One you'd be interested in parting with? she asked, deciding that the worst thing that could happen was to receive a "no."

Regardless of the answer, she commented further. The number of people who remained loyal is small. It's going to take cunning and a real test of skill to bring us back to power, she said.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

His meat was finished, he just needed to mop up the last of the potatoes and he was done. Malerion looked up at Trace as she discussed Miss Storm’s lightsaber, ahh she must have gone to Junction. Malerion had only avoided that embarrassment due to time constraints, he was meaning to go but was not able to attend in time. Thinking on it further he wondered if it was a sign from some higher being that he was not subject to the embarrassment Trace, the ‘Dark Lord’ and many others had experienced.

He raised his hand and the serving droid trotted over. “Check Miss Storm’s things, if there is a saber among them, bring it to the table.” The droid's robotic voice confirmed the command before it moved out of the room and into the empty halls beyond.

“Have you witnessed any of these cunning or skillful moves so far? It seems to me that most of what has gone on since the Imperial Rebellion has been selfish idiots doing idiotic and selfish things.”

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Well, perhaps she'd get a lightsaber out of this after all. That wouldn't be the worst thing in the galaxy.

I never said I'd seen it, but that doesn't make it any less accurate, she said, pausing and facing her head toward him in a gesture that mimicked looking at him even through the blindfold she wore.

I imagine you wouldn't be asking me here if you didn't have a scheme, though, she said, turning back to finish off her own steak and begin polishing off her plate.

The fact of the matter is that the Sith shouldn't have even let the rebellion occur. The problems started before that happened. We were - or are - weak, she said. She was determined not to be, but she knew the reality of the situation was that the Order was weak, and she had been too.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

There was something unnerving about Trace looking at her without any eyes, sinister, something of a nightmare. He smiled. “To be Sith is to Scheme.” He said with a smirk. Malerion listened to her short summary of the rebellion, it was true they should have nibbed this in the bud years ago.

He himself traced the downfall of the Order and rise of the Imperial rebellion back to the deaths of Caelestis and Stolas. Once the two councillors departed this plan of existence there was no one to replace the constantly absent Darth Raze and the quickly retiring Andruil. They then fell into the weak willed control of Anaris, from there it spiralled quickly. ‘Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men and weak men create hard times.’ Was the quote and felt very apt to the situation with the Sith Order. Malerion strongly believed that it would repeat itself and the hard times they had fallen into would create the strong men, him.

“And what of our new Dark Lord, what are your thoughts on her?” He asked boldly. “She led you into that disaster on Junction afterall.”

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace considered the answer to his question, but didn't jump to answer. She cleaned up the remainder of the food on the plate as she considered the answer.

She is strong, but still getting her feet under her. The mistake at Junction was... unimpressive, but none of the rest of us stopped it either, she pointed out. Those who had arrived hadn't expressed their concerns either, and while it was easy to lay the blame all at the feet of the Dark Lord, it was dishonest. While Trace was willing to lie to get what she wanted, lying to herself was a sure way to demise.

But the Sith are like cats currently without any shepherd. Perhaps you'd like to give you input on whether or not that's a good thing in your mind, she said. There were many ways to view the changes, and not all of them were terrible. The individual, arguably, had more power than ever before. She was interested to hear his take on the current situation.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

Crossing his knife and fork and placing them on the plate with a loud click, Malerion pushed the plate away before using the napkin to dry his mouth. The actions gave the Sith time to consider his answer, he had strong and clear visions on what had happened with the Sith and how he was going to resolve it. But how much of that he could let on was the main consideration here. How much of a loyalist the blind woman was to Darth Tempest was still to be determined.

“It depends if you like running around causing wanton mayhem without any true purpose in your dull existence.” He replied, disgust evident in his voice. “Too many of our people can't see past the strength the Dark Side gives us. Thinking they are gods amongst men as soon as they can fling some lightning from their fingers. Once they have this taste of power they abuse it without any thought, they are the fools that helped create the divide in our Empire, sowing the seeds of hate in the common people. They need to be controlled like sheep and pointed in the right direction.”

A piece of meat had seemingly got stuck between his canine tooth and premolar, using the tip of his finger nail he dug the meat out from its perch before continuing. “The true power of the Dark Side is to control, to rule. These fools need a shepard less we fall back into the obscurity of centuries past.”

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace listened to what he said, and her opinion on it was... mixed. It could have been preached by any one of the Sith and she had heard things like it before. But "saying" and "doing" were two very different things.

And you intend to herd them? she asked, her mouth tugging up into a smirk that was enigmatic. It seemed everyone had an idea of what the Sith should be these days, and that meant that, by extension, no one did.

What you're talking about requires a great deal of power, she said. Power she knew he didn't have. Power she knew she didn't have... yet.

I do agree that there are many reckless Sith. People controlled by the Force rather than in control of it, she said.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

A cold smirk appeared across his face, a glint of pearly white teeth shone in the dim light of the dining room. “I do.” That is why he had come out of the shadows of the Sith Order, because he intended to lead, at least those that followed, to the true glory of the Dark Side.

“Correct power is what we need and part of that is why Miss Storm is here alive, and not rotting in the street where I found her.” He continued, his gaze finally shifting away from the blind Sith and up to the traitor who was slowly rotating above their heads. Malerion slouched back in his chair, bringing his hands onto his lap, fingers interlocked.

The serving droid arrived a moment later, confirming he had Miss Storm’s lightsaber which he placed next to Malerion’s empty plate which he then dutifully removed along with Trace’s. “Miss Storm here has some information that I require. Although I doubt she will forgo it willingly.”

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace's face turned toward the rotating woman as he described what she had done. She didn't envy the woman, and she wasn't even sure she had deserved this, but Trace wasn't going to risk herself for a traitor's sake.

And what kind of information is that? she asked curiously, and still wondering to herself why she of all people had been asked here. Looking for allies, she supposed, though Trace wasn't one who was eager to begin taking orders from her peers. Respect was earned and that went the same for the Dark Lord. Still, the woman had demonstrated incredible power if perhaps not the most preparation or cunning. She'd seized the mantel before she was truly ready.

You need a partner to act on the information she has? she speculated. It wasn't a certainty, but that was what Trace would wager.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

“Perhaps depending on the information we receive I may need a second pair of hands. But also I am looking for those within the Order who are looking to work towards the glory of the Sith and the Dark Side.” Malerion’s right hand reached under the desk pressing a button on a concealed pad, the containment field around Miss Storm disappeared in an instant and the woman came crashing down on the table.

She let out a scream through the gag as the already impaled blades dug in deeper as she lay there. Gripping each with the Force he pulled the two steak knives free, flinging them into the corner of the room. “Droid, patch the bleeding.” He called, the protocol acknowledging his master before moving towards the squirming woman with a Kolto Pack and syringe.

“I hope that through this little conversation and your assistance in the relieving of such information from Miss Storm, I can come to understand if you are someone who is like minded to myself.” His hand moved to rest on Miss Storm’s lightsaber. “If I find you are, I would have no qualms in handing over the lightsaber to an ally.” He said with an overley friendly smile.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace turned her attention back to the man who had invited her here and who she had more than a few dubious feelings about. The statements he had made were grandiose, but as yet unsubstantiated. Many people had said many things, but Trace was tired of having to prove herself to people. She would always remember the sneers that she received for the academy she attended, and she had worked hard to graduate at the top of her class. She'd become a Champion, and she was done trying to prove herself to her peers.

I'm not interested in being someone's pawn, she stated matter of factly. Or in being tested by others who haven't proven themselves, she added. It was hard not to notice the way he spoke about himself and the way he spoke about the others in the Order. While he wasn't entirely wrong, She saw no point in dancing around the issue. They were both Sith, after all.

Still, what are we trying to get out of her? she asked, turning her attention back to the bleeding woman.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

Malerion tilted his head and shrugged slightly when Trace mentioned she wasn’t interested in being a pawn. If that was the case then perhaps the blind Sith should be looking to take control of the Sith herself, we were all pawns unless we stood at the top of the mountain. “As I am not interested in trusting people who haven’t proved their worth or reliability in return.” He said matter of factly.

Not missing a beat he continued, it was up to Trace if she wanted to stick around or not. “Miss Storm here was once the aide to Lord Agravain, the previous ruler of Namadii before the dissolution of the Sith Kingdom of Avillion. As such, Miss Storm was privy to information about Exegol, its discovery and usage during its time under Caelestis, Andruil and Anaris.” That planet, although apparently in ruins, was potentially still a treasure trove of valuable assets for the skulking Sith Order. If Malerion could grab even a handful of what Caelestis had found their he would be catapulted into a leading seat within the Order.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

To her credit, Trace wasn't usually known for her rash decisions making. In fact, she erred toward the opposite, and she knew it. She wasn't prepared to walk away just yet, but reserved the thought in the back of her mind.

She listened to his pitch about who the woman was. And you suspect she was involved in handing over the ISC information about Exegol's location? she asked. She was smart enough to see the potential benefits of being privy to information about the planet's location regardless of her feelings about an alliance here. That alone was enough to keep her interested in assisting with the interrogation.

Rather than further pluck at that string though, she followed another line of thought in her mind.

What do you specialize in, Malerion? she asked. Although some Sith chose to be true generalists, most had at least some sort of bend or inclination. It was simply the nature of sentient beings: everyone had their own interests and pursuits, and knowing one's strengths and weaknesses as well as those of a potential ally could mean the difference between success and failure.

@Braden

 

[Malerion]

“For a fact, I know she sold out some Sith holdouts to the Empire for coin. So I do not think it's far-fetched to say she sold the Sith out before that.” He replied, venom thick in his voice as he spoke, his eyes flicked over to the woman, Miss Storm recoiled slightly at his gaze. She must have known what was coming, would she just give in meekly like she had to the Empire, or would she stubbornly put up some fight.

Malerion’s gaze flicked back towards the blind Sith when she asked what he specialised in. He paused for a moment, contemplating on an answer, as of yet, he had found no technique or aspect of The Force that seemed to mould easily against his persona. Most of the great Sith excelled in something, be it the Lightsaber, Force Lightning, Alchemy or something else. Malerion had yet to find his physical calling, but he did have one strength he relied on more than others. “My tongue.” He replied with a smile.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace shook her head and tsked with her tongue as she heard of the woman's betrayal. It wasn't that betrayal never had a place, but this was a very different kind. The Sith were not exactly the most unified group, but they should all be loyal to their cause.

His response about his specialty raised more questions than answers, but she kept her own tongue in check for now. A diplomat? Or perhaps he just fancied himself to be cunning and convincing. She'd not taken him to be particularly charming thus far, but she was helping him at least for the moment, even if her reasons were her own.

Well then you shouldn't have any trouble convincing her to tell you everything she knows, she quipped smoothly.

But I suppose if that were true, you wouldn't have asked me her to slice her up for you, she said. That was what ISB agents were known for after all. She pushed herself to her feet and let out a low hum in the back of her throat.

You have a workstation prepared? she asked.

@Braden