Ask Malastare Fuel and Oppression

[Kaldar]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled. Tag says it: open to one other​

It had come to Kaldar's attention that he required two things: money and influence. The former could become the latter if one was strategic, and Kaldar was enough of a weasel to get his foot in the door almost anywhere.

Kaldar had done his homework about the rise of power, and the state of the galaxy. His homework had led him to Malastare, and as he walked through the streets of this place, he smelled opportunity in the air. Or maybe it was just that the air here was thick with desperation in the Force. Desperation and animosity.

Although much of Malastare was a lush, jungle world, this area was barren, and the cities that performed the bulk of the mining operations had stripped away much of the resources in large chunks of the world. The gravity was heavier here, but the Dugs and Gran both had adapted to it, not to mention the other humans who had immigrated here. Kaldar would, too.

He sat on a bench outside the Governor's building, knowing what he had to do. He'd already met with the Governor and made his pitch. Now it was just a matter of carrying through on the promise he made. But that was what he did. He was a fixer. He solved the problems of other people, and that would be his foot in the door.

 

[Gareth Gin]

It had been a while since the last time Gareth had stepped out of Exalted space, Raze had given him a job and he had been focusing on it. While the initial invasion was easy to deal with, a mindless carnage until the planet fell to their claws, managing the exalted that lived within it was a different story. In planets as big as Coruscant were their influence spread, many new exalted thought themselves invincible and needed either to be pulled out of a bad situation after going solo in the lowest levels or had to be taught a lesson as they tried to take the position of leader from him in their frenzied state.

So, while he could've sent a lesser exiled to support Kaldar, he decided against it in order to break the monotony and check out Kaldar himself. Darth Raze did not keep many non-exalted people around, so the Miralukan felt quite curious about the young boy and thought it was a good idea to get acquaintanced with him...And nothing strengthened bonds more than working together for a common goal.

Gareth sat down on the bench next to Kaldar, who would've been told nothing except that an exalted was coming to help him. The fallen Matukai was wearing the usual brown robe instead of the outlandish Matukai clothing he usually wore, which made him look like a hobo instead of one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy, a very big hobo, but a hobo nonetheless. However, Kaldar would be able to take a glimpse at his wicked smile and the dark, unique presence in the force and know who he was dealing with.

"To think that the Zillo beasts of old tales came from such a dull planet...Well, good thing they've got great fuel to compensate for that loss" Gareth started the conversation, looking at the building Kaldar had left a while ago "So, tell me, kid." The Matukai turned his head slightly towards Kaldar "What's the plan?"

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar knew that Raze had plenty of people in his command, but to his knowledge there were only three actually Exalted so far. So, when one of them was sent to assist him, he was skeptical. Okay, so Kaldar was always skeptical, but that was a side issue.

The man that sat next to him he recognized immediately. Kaldar wasn't the strongest, fastest, or even the best fighter. He had clawed his way into the good graces of Raze through cunning, intelligence, research, and (yes, he would admit it) a bit of luck. He had done his research on the infamous man, and he knew that Gareth Gin wasn't a man to be trifled with. His body count even before Raze was astronomical, and since then it had only increased.

Of course, all of that still didn't mean he liked being called "kid" but that never resonated for a moment on his face. He was as smooth as he ever was. He cocked an eyebrow.

Shouldn't you be wearing a mask or hood or something? You've been on holo a couple of times now, he inquired, eyebrow still up. This job was about subtlety as much as anything, and Kaldar couldn't allow himself to be directly connected to Raze. At least not directly.

He pressed on a moment later without missing a beat, however, but would undoubtedly stop at a hat store or something along the way as he pushed himself to his feet.

I'm sure you're familiar with the history of the Grans and Dugs, he said, though in fact, he had no idea if Gareth was familiar with it. We're going to help the Dugs get back control of their government in exchange for a percentage of their fueling efforts and some political influence, he said. It was a large ask, but what was worse: having no say in your government or having say in your government and having to also take advisement from the people who helped put you there.

Anyway, long story short, the Gran Protectorate is already holding on by a thread. We accidentally off the right Senator, and they lose their political power completely. Have to bow to the pressure the Dug have been putting on them, he explained. It was clear that Kaldar was someone who did his homework. He'd been working this for quite some time and knew almost everything there was to know about the Senator in question. That wasn't an accident.

@Versok

 

[Gareth Gin]

The Matukai shrugged with his shoulders once Kaldar asked him why he was not wearing a mask or something similar "When you are given Exalted to aid you, it's because you either want to not be seen at all or you really want to be seen." Either way, the mask really would serve much purpose, he was not planning to get caught if they were going down a discreet route, not on such a small planet anyways. "But if it troubles you..." He would simply pull the robe's hood up, although by the tone of his voice he did make it clear that he thought it unnecessary, he had came to this place unspotted, after all...The perks of mastering force vision even beyond the average's Miralukan's ablities.

Gareth listened closely as Kaldar explained the situation, the Miralukan knew only the basic stuff when it came to the Grans and the Dugs, having learned only the gist of it because he was interested in old legends such as the Zillo Beasts and the two species lived in the planet that once had them.

"Very well." Gareth nodded in approval as he noticed that the boy had, indeed, done his fair share of research "I've been involved in a few jobs like this in the past, back when I was part of the syndicates, shouldn't be too complicated as long as your plan is decent" The old Matukai said, leaning forward before looking back at the human "So, what's the plan and how may I assist you with it?" Gareth asked, deciding to let the young man lead regardless of his experience, he clearly wanted to see what Kaldar was capable of.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar gave a nod as they seemed to come to an agreement about their path forward.

Follow me, he said, his tone of voice far from serious despite the serious nature of their business. Whether this was an act or genuine was difficult to tell, but Kaldar's brain never stopped moving.

He started walking down the sparsely filled street and continued to fill Gareth in as they went.

Gran Senator is named Carmeth Galvan, he said, pulling up a picture on his EZphone and showing it to the other man. Of course, to Kaldar all Gran looked pretty much the same, but they'd figure it out.

This... he said, holding up an envelope in his hand ...is a set of very inappropriate pictures taken between Mr. Galvan and a... temporary companion that he likes to visit when he travels. We're going to show it to his wife, and convince her that she wants to do something about it, he said. Was it a note taken out of Raze's book? Yes, the exact note, in fact, that Raze had taught him. Fanning doubt and uncertainty into full blown hatred.

What we have to figure out is how to get in touch with Mrs. Galvan so I can give her this information and completely screw her mind, he said, the bluntness of the words betraying that he was not at all squeamish about their plan. They were going to end one life and ruin another, and Kaldar didn't even miss a beat.

@Versok

 

[Gareth Gin]

The Miralukan slowly got up and followed Kaldar as he explained the information on the target and what he had at hand, nodding along as he was told the main plan. Although he would prefer to just snap the neck of the target and be done with it, this was objectively a better way to handle it, the less people suspected it was a conflict of interest the better. And, well, it was always fun to fuck with people like that.

"Mmm..." Gareth rubbed his chin as he let the cogs inside his mind begin to work, not taking long for him to come up with a few ideas "I assume you at least know where the senator, and therefore her, live, right? Or could get it from the people you're doing a favour to at least" He asked. It was important info to start with, after all "I see two ways to approach this. We could sneak into her room when the senator is away and leave it for her to see...Or we could wait until she goes out to do something and give it to her personally. Senator girls like to go shopping and hairdressing constantly, so it shouldn't take long." Each of them had their own advantages, obviously sneaking into her home was far more difficult...But approaching her in person meant needing to show their faces, so it depended on how secret Kaldar wanted his identity to be when it came to this task.

"Regardless of what you choose, we need to give her a reason for us, or more likely, you, to give her that information." The Miralukan explained, tapping on the envelop with his finger a couple times "So I recommend we spin the tale a little bit. Right now, what she will see in that envelope is her dear husband sleeping with a random whore, but you could take the role of her disgruntled boyfriend that had found out on his own and decided to let the other person being cheated on know so you can take revenge."

A smile formed on the Miralukan's face, wondering how good at acting Kaldar was, because it was the best way to deal with this right now, unless he had a better idea "Hate feeds off of hate, if you act angry and out for blood, her own hate will feel justified...and so will be more violent actions. So even if you prefer to go the less personal route...Probably leave a holo-number in there to talk to her later, a burner one, of course."

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar gave a nod to the perfectly reasonable question. Yeah, we're heading in that direction now, he confirmed. While they couldn't just waltz right in, they could still get a look at the place and what was going on.

He considered the two options that Gareth laid out and agreed that each had their merits.

And then he got to the juicy bit. The idea of playing a part as the woman's boyfriend and letting his own hate grow and resonate was brilliant.

I love it, that's absolutely brilliant, he said with a thoughtful nod.

If we're going that route, then I think public is our best bet, he said. No reason to hide it if it was going to be something legitimate anyway.

Let's do it. We can post up outside the house until she leaves. She probably won't have a large security escort anyway. Maybe one person, he said with a shrug. And if he had a legitimate reason, then hopefully he wouldn't be stopped from approaching her.

Maybe you could give me my opening. Distract the security while I plant the seeds, he suggested.

@Versok

 

[Gareth Gin]

Gareth nodded in agreement as Kaldar agreed to play his part and chose the public route, for it is what he would've chosen himself, it was certainly the easier of the options, the kid was choosing wisely as far as the Miralukan was concerned so far. Now they only needed to wait and see if he was capable of playing the boyfriend part well, Gareth's role in this was certainly simple, talking someone into killing their husband would be the true test.

"Distractions are something I am pretty good at." The Miralukan said confidently...Although he would control himself this time, the last time he did distraction work he did end up slaughtering a whole spaceport in Mon Cal, this job didn't seem to need that much violence sadly "I can always rob the woman's purse, knock one of the guards out while getting out, that oughta do it." He replied, that would also be enough to have their weapons shooting at him, but he was not really scared of guards, be it two or twenty, he was confident he could make his way out easily enough.

Eventually, they would reach their destination, something that Gareth would be more than able to tell even if he was not the one to receive the coordinates. "Not much of a difference between a senator's house and a Hutt's palace, huh." Gareth would say under his breath, shaking his head at the display of opulence from the kind of people that would call themselves "civilized" in comparison to syndicate folk "Well, now we wait..."

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

They had their plan, although that wasn't the hardest part. Not by a long shot. They arrived at the Senator's house, and Kaldar couldn't really argue. It was massive and excessively opulent. Yes, it was similar to the decadence of a Hutt palace.

Apparently. Let's just hope a life of comfort has lulled them into a sense of security, he said. It was a good bet. No one really expected the moment when an assassin would come.

Time ticked by and he wondered how many hours they'd be sitting here, having posted up in a rental speeder with nothing to do but sit around and listen to the radio. Small talk, then?

So what's it like to be Exalted? he asked. Sure, he could have gone with a more subtle question, but he wasn't stupid enough to think it might not end up happening to him someday. He entertained all possibilities, and had even pondered the loss and payoff he might receive for such a... transformation. Who better to find out all the gory details than one of the few who could claim to know it first hand? What was the worst that would happen? They got in a fight because the question caused Gareth to lose his temper? Okay that would be bad, but Kaldar thought that was extremely unlikely. Next worst thing was that he got told to piss off. That was fine if it happened.

@Versok

 

[Gareth Gin]

Gareth silently nodded, agreeing about the false sense of comfort that the senator and his wife must have. It was true, no matter how paranoid someone was, at one point they would lower their guard. It's something that Gareth and people he had worked with had used against Hutts, important people and entire planets, the latest being the now desecrated shining jewel of the galaxy, Coruscant.

The Miralukan didn't say much while waiting, the chatty part of him having died in solinary confinement while spending time on death row back when he was in Mon Cal. However, fortunately for the young human, he didn't mind talking about the exalted curse. In fact, it was interesting to try and put into words what it felt like. "It's your human side taking a backseat in your own body, while the latent presence of the dark side that is in every person, greatly strenghtened by the gift, takes over." Gareth explained, his arms crossed as he looked ahead.

"For that period of time you are no longer human, the negative parts that are commonly associated with the dark side are strenghtened, and turn you into a monster of pure instinct and desire" The Matukai added, his head now turned towards Kaldar "Most people don't remember anything about when they are turned...But they can feel what they've done. For me and many others, it's liberating, pure power...But I assume a jedi wouldn't be all too happy about being turned" He wondered if there were any exalted jedi, how it would affect them. Perhaps they would end up falling to the dark side as humans too as a result?

He shook his head for a moment, remembering something else "Then again, the experience is a bit more different for me, be it because of my strength or because I am the firstborn, I have clearer memories of my time as a monster, and get to influence its actions somewhat...But the weaker folk? They are at its whim."

"Also, transforming hurts, a lot." He finally added after a long pause, a small, irrelevant detail compared to everything else he had just said "Be it from monster to man, or from man to monster, as one would expect from something that changes your body like that, but I've gotten used to it."

@Sreeya

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar listened intently and closely to the explanation given. For certain, he was interested in taking influence of the planet and its resources, but that was the obvious thing. The more subtle piece of this meeting was what he might learn from Gareth. The transformation captured his imagination, twisting and evaluating from every angle as he imagined how it might be exploited if he had it for himself or how he might be exploited if he had it for himself.

The process was painful, evidently, but it also sounded empowering in a way. To be stripped of anything that might hold you back and unleash raw, unadulterated Dark Side. It was tempting, but Kaldar also thought of the warnings he had been taught as a Sith. The warnings about not letting the Dark Side consume you until you became a pawn. It was a delicate balance. A dance with condemnation that if you strayed but a little, it could destroy you.

That's fascinating, he said after several more minutes. Do you have control over it? he asked. Some of the rumors he had heard said that it wasn't controlled per se, but that it could be brought on by great swells of rage. He didn't know if this was true or simply rumor.

As they sat there, talking, Kaldar spotted a speeder begin to pull away and he engaged the vehicle into drive and fell in behind them, narrowly spotting the senator's wife as he did. Excellent, he thought to himself. Perfectly on course.

@Versok