Ask High-ve Mind

[Jasnah Atreides]

Nameless Spaceport, Sevarcos​

The Sevari spice lords had never shown any interest in joining hands with any of their galactic neighbors, and had even resisted all attempts to form diplomatic relationships with anyone. Be it the Hutts, the Free Worlds, or the Republic, all such attempts had been emphatically, and sometimes rudely, rebuffed. But something had changed, a day ago they had reached out, an urgent call from one of the spice lords for a meeting on Sevarcos, with a possible alliance on the cards.

Sevarcos was neither been a threat to worry about, nor a sufficiently viable target to consider invading or forming diplomatic alliances with, so there weren't any active agents on the planet. What little intelligence they did have seemed to confirm growing tensions among the spice lords, but why, and to what extent was not known. Add in the fact that it could be a trap, even if no one thought the Sevari were unlikely to be brain-dead enough to consider antagonizing the Empire, and no one was willing to send anyone important to deal with them. It had not taken long for the request to reach a Moff's desk, and for her to track down someone worthless enough for the job, which was why the operation had landed in Jasnah's lap.

She had asked for support, and as expected her request had been shut down. Things were going crazy up north, and an insignificant investigation lead by someone even more insignificant did not warrant more resources. Thankfully they had allowed her to make an open call for support from any operatives in the area, confident that no one would actually volunteer. Imagine hers, and Jasnah's surprise when someone had actually answered. Jasnah was sure that had pissed some people off, whoever it was had either been too indifferent to care about the Moff's little schemes, or intent on pissing her off. Either way, Jasnah considered it a curiosity worth investigating.

So, here she was, waiting patiently at the spaceport, wanting nothing more than to ignore the questioning looks her would be guide kept on giving her. She wasn't sure if he was always this twitchy, or just being around a Sith made him more nervous than usual, but it was in her nature to diffuse situations so she smiled at him and spoke up, assuring him for maybe the thousandth time since her arrival.

"Any moment now, I promise."

 

[Darth Tempest]

For days without rest, Vahlrii had made her way throughout the Southern Reaches of the Empire - attending to Imperial missions and administrative matters across a handful of sectors where it was required. While some within their ranks tended to overlook their southern territories, Vahliri wasn’t nearly so short-sighted. Some of the Empire’s most important industrial planets lay within the North, and the half-Annfyn’s own involvement on Eriadu meant that, in light of the Kilik crisis, she had come to spend far more time within the region.

As a result, Vahliri had been one of the few operatives to receive notification of Jasnah’s request - and the half-Annfyn didn’t hesitate to begin rerouting in that direction. She wasn’t overly familiar with the situation on the ground - only that Sevarcos had been a notoriously stubborn planet in prior negotiations, and the possibility of an alliance was now balancing on a knife's edge. With the lucrative promise of the planet’s spice supply, the half-Annfyn wasn’t going to take any chances by allowing things go go awry.

She had little interest some low-level Moff’s schemes - and there was no small part of Vahliri that was smugly satisfied at the prospect of having dashed them completely.

After dropping out of Hyperspace, it didn’t take long for Vahliri to enter the atmosphere of Sevarcos - the sleek silhouette of the Pearl Empress cutting through the wispy clouds and finally making it landing within the spaceport. The chrome-plated ramp extended to meet the ground only a moment later, and Vahliri wasn’t far behind. The half-Annfyn was outfitted in her signature Sith attire - sporting her crimson-and-black robes, alongside both lightsabers clipped to her belt. Her black hair was pulled back into a long braid, tied away from her face and draping over her left shoulder.

As she stepped into the spaceport, Vahliri’s amber eyes flicked around the crowds - quickly settling upon Jasnah and her tour guide. A smile brushed the half-Annfyn’s lips as she approached, immediately extending a hand towards the fellow Sith. “Lady Atreides,” She began, her voice tinged with that signature Induparan accent. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.” Her attention briefly flicked over to the Sevari representative - offering him a small nod of her head in acknowledgement. “Champion Vahliri Kahtal.”

“Shall we?” She jutted her chin forward, expecting one of them was likely to fill her in as they walked.

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

One of Jasnah's eyebrows rose just a little as she spotted Vahliri's yatch, the sleek silver beast a testament to the Champion's power and wealth. It seemed her associate was someone much higher up the food chain than she had assumed. A part of her, a part she tried to keep buried deep down, was jealous. Jealous of what she assumed Vahliri had, what she herself should rightfully have had as well. But those were thoughts to keep to herself, specially when facing off against a seemingly strong, or the very least well positioned, Sith. Temperamental beasts were the Sith, best not crossed without reason.

She got to her feet at the Indapuran Sith's arrival, and gave her a slight bow. Lady Atreides? She hadn't heard that in a long while, and she wondered if the Sith was mocking her or just being overly formal, but she didn't have much time to think on it and instead replied with a smile. "Not at all," she replied as she straightened from her bow, "you are perfectly on time my Lady."

Letting her greet their guide, she gestured for the guide to begin leading them, and fell in step with Vahliri as he took the lead. When sure she was out of earshot, she began speaking to her fellow champion in a low whisper. "There have been reports of Killik activity on the planet," she began, her eyes on the guide to see if he heard or reacted, "though to what extent we do not know. ISB thinks it might be nothing more than forward agents scoping out the planet. But it could also be much worse than that, which would explain the sudden change in stance from the Sevari."

Their guide suddenly stopped at the base of a tall building, gesturing at a waiting turbolift. "This way." He would allow them to enter before stepping in himself, the doors closing behind him without warning as the lift shot upwards. It was only a matter of seconds and the door swooshed open, and the man gestured for them to step out. "My master awaits."

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri’s smile widened just a bit when Jasnah addressed her - gently clasping the other woman’s hand to give it a firm shake. In truth, the half-Annfyn had done her bit of research on the diplomat stationed on Sevarcos - and the scant bit of information alluded to her noble heritage. Regardless of the position the fellow Sith found herself in now, Vahliri still addressed her with the formal courtesy her birth demanded. It was a habit ingrained from her own upbringing that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon. Her head tilted the slightest bit when Jasnah spoke again, that friendly expression remaining bright. “Please,” She began, both hands folding in her lap as she walked. “Vahliri is just fine.”

With introductions out of the way, Vahliri fell into step just beside Jasnah - walking several paces behind their guide. Amber eyes swept the facility and the men all around them - unable to help but notice the way they simply.. Stared. Perhaps it was simply their affiliation to the Empire. Or perhaps the proposed alliance wasn’t born out of good will, but instead bitter necessity. Though she said nothing, the half-Annfyn’s fluted ears flattened just the faintest bit.

When Jasnah spoke - mentioning concerns about Joiner influence on the planet - Vahliri couldn’t help the way her jaw tightened in response. Since the incident on Ruusan, there were few planets that had been spared from the looming threat of the Hivemind - and the half-Annfyn wasn’t particular surprised to hear that the Insectoids had potentially turned their attention to Sevarcos. After a moment, she glanced back over to the Diplomat.

“We assume the worst,” She said very simply, fingers flexing ever-so-slightly. “They could very well be luring us into a trap. Or this particular gang of Sevari - Joined and indoctrinated - wish to use the Empire’s resources to spread in secret.” Up unto this point, the Kilik hive had been overt in their attacks. The thought of them merely laying in wait - using the Empire to slowly take over the planet for them - was horrifying to consider.

“Do not let them believe we suspect.” Vahliri said, her words barely above a whisper. It was only then that her attentioned returned to the Sevari guide, eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly. Nevertheless, she followed him into the turbolift - her gaze flicking to her companion as the lift skyrocketed to the top of the building.

Within moments, the pair were ushered past the grandiose doors - stepping into the office of the local spice lord. The man himself was seated behind a lavish, mahogany desk - surrounded by a handful of servants and pair of armed guards. All of them lifted their gaze to stare at the pair of Sith, silent as a crypt save one.

“My ladies,” The Spice Lord began, a yellowed smile spreading across his lips that didn’t betray even an ounce of legitimacy. “On behalf of all Sevarcos,” He said, hardly a constituency he could speak for, “..I thank you for making the journey. I believe there is room for a fruitful alliance between our two governments - should certain conditions be met, and if we only work together in the coming days.”

He gestured a hand forward to the chairs set out in front of his desks. His servants followed, stepping forth with a pair of goblets filled to the brim with refreshment. “Please,” The man muttered, “Sit.”

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Taking note of Vahliri's reaction to the mention of joiners, subtle though it was, Jasnah wondered how her won first interaction with the killik scourge would be like. "You've faced them," she added softy as they walked, commenting more than questioning, "I doubt it was a pleasant experience." The comment was a simple one, show genuine sympathy which served an easy mask for any attempts at probing for weakness. Weaknesses in the killiks, their joiners, and in Vahliri herself. Information, after all, was power.

Taking the seats that were offered to them, and with the pleasantries out of the way, Jasnah began the talks. "And that," she said, "is why we are here. To ensure that those conditions are met. So tell us, how can the Empire help you. What is it that you desire?" Seeing the obvious signs of spice addiction on the man, and his claims of grandeur greater than his station, she decided to take a gamble on appeasing to that part of him.

"Spice." He replied almost at once, eagerness evident in his voice, before attempting to pull himself together, licking his lips in anticipation before continuing with his earlier composure. "Sevarcos has some of the richest spice deposits in the Galaxy, but we have only scratched the surface of what we can produce." He leaned forward, making no attempts to hide his eagerness now. "We would like your help to increase our production of spice. The industrial might of the Empire, joined with our expertise, could make us the biggest producers of spice in the Galaxy. Making even Kessel pale in comparison."

Jasnah picked up the goblet that had been offered to her, and let a finger dance on its lip as she digested his words, before returning the goblet to the table, untouched. With the risk of killik presence, and without an antidote at hand, that was not a risk she was willing to take.

"Lofty goals," she said, "worthy of someone of your standing. But what of the other Spice Lords, is it safe to assume you have their support on this matter?"

"That," he replied, a smile on his yellow lips, "is the first condition. There are some who oppose, some whom you must convince. One way, or another."

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Despite her immense distrust, Vahliri forced herself to keep all of that buried beneath the surface. Instead, the half-Annfyn wore a perfectly pleasant and friendly expression - flashing the Spice Lord a dimpled smile as he spoke. Amber eyes flicked between both Jasnah and the man himself - allowing them both to say their piece before she interjected herself. Diplomacy wasn’t necessarily her strong suit - but she would adapt when necessary.

“Naturally,” She began, folding her hands together on the table. “The Empire would expect a substantial portion of Spice supply or profits, in return.” Her voice flowed smoothly, calm and measured as she spoke. “After all, it will be Imperial resources expended to enable this growth in production. You will enjoy the boons of more Spice than you have ever been able to mine on your own - and the Empire will absorb the excess.”

She leaned back a bit. “The precise terms of the arrangement can be ironed out later - once production is streamlined and quotas can be consistently met.”

The man drummed his fingers against the table, slowly to respond. When he finally did, it was by nodding his head in agreement. “Fair enough. We can discuss the matter once further once.. Other complications are handled."

And there it was. Vahliri knew that Sevarcos was full of rival Spice Lords - and it didn’t surprise her in the least that the man wanted her and Jasnah to handle his competition. They certainly could attempt to ‘convince’ the men and leave them alive, but the half-Annfyn was smart enough to read the underlying meaning behind his words. “I presume you have coordinates to where these other Spice Lords are?” She asked simply. The half-Annfyn didn’t need to elaborate further that they would comply with the demands.

“I do,” The man said with a grin, passing over a datacard to both Jasnah and Vahliri. Within it was the coordinates to a multitude of Spice Lord hideouts, men and women who would need to be ‘convinced’ to go along with the plan. Or silenced from posing any opposition, more accurately.

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

After spending some more time discussing more details, the Sith were left with the simple matter of dealing with the other spice lords, and found themselves leaving the company of the spice lord.

"A spice lord with an ulterior motive," she said once they were on their way, "who would have thought. Guess we can make the same offer to the others, see who agrees to the best terms for us and let that one run the show. Worst case scenario, they all agree, best case scenario the Galaxy has a few less spice lords."

Getting back on their shuttle, Jasnah lead the way towards the pilot's seat, where a blinking light on the console caught her attention. Indicating an incoming call, she pressed a button to answer, and a small hologram came to life on the central console between them.

"Champions Kahtal, Atreides," Jasnah turned to Vahliri with a look of surprise on her face, the hologram that greeted them was Killik, "thank you for answering our summon." The hologram shimmered and the Spice Lord they had just met stepped into view as well. "We had to make sure you were not already joined, make sure we could trust you. There are others here, another nest," the hologram shimmered, showing the figure of one of the other spice lords, "part of an earlier arrival. But they have gone rogue, broken contact with the hive. They are a threat, to us and to you. Deal with them, before they destroy everything. Be careful, they have eyes and ears everywhere."

With that the call abruptly cut off, before either of them could get a word in. Jasnah stared at the now inactive hologram projector, before turning to Vahliri. "What the fuck was that?"

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri couldn’t shake her head a bit, cracking a bit, “Really, I never would’ve guessed.” She glanced back at Jasnah, giving the woman an amused look. It wasn’t hard to decipher the ulterior motives and little power plays at hand - and the reality was that Vahliri didn’t care either way. As long as the Spice Lord in question paid homage? More power to them. In this case, quite literally. “Agreed. If we can get a better deal, we switch sides and eliminate the others. Find ourselves the most compliant and call it a day.”

“I take it diplomacy is your expertise?” She asked as they made their way back to the shuttle, conversing a bit before they delved back into the fray. The simple reality was that Vahliri hadn’t often made a point of diplomacy to achieve her objectives, and was curious about Jasnah’s own method of approach.

As they arrived, however, Vahliri’s attention was drawn back into the cockpit. Plopping down into the pilot’s chair and reclining a bit, the half-Annfyn couldn’t help the way her mouth hung slightly agape as the hologram appeared. Her amber eyes flicked between Jasnah and the Kilik on the screen - up until the moment the Spice Lord stepped back into view. What the actual fuck? She couldn’t help but blink, completely stunned.

It wasn’t until the cabin was silent that Vahliri finally turned - swiveling in her chair to look at Jasnah. “The fuck if I know..” She blinked a few times, rubbing her temples. “Either he’s telling the truth - and there are some.. Independent? Kilik’s who operate here.” Her eyes narrowed a bit. “Or he’s lying. Some kind of insurance policy - convince us they are Joined and can’t be trusted, so we don’t ditch him for a better deal.” They had no way to tell if someone was Joined on a glance - it wasn’t an awful strategy, if that is what it was.

“Either way, seems like we’ll need to take a closer look ourselves.”

@Wit

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

"Expertise isn't the word I would use, preference maybe? Being out in the field, getting my hands dirty, didn't really appeal to me. Besides," she said with a smile as they were nearing the ship, "more than one instructor at the academy seemed to like making a point of me being nothing but a pretty face, yet now they have to answer if I call. I always wonder if that makes them wish they had a pretty face themselves."

She was just as taken aback by the Killik contact as Vahliri, not sure what to make of it all. Vahliri's suggestion seemed to be the best option at hand, she couldn't really think of a better way to deal with this mess. She had thought the worst they'd have to deal with today was the greed of a spice-addled drug-lord, but this was worse, so much worse.

"Alright, no point in dallying about. Setting course for the nearest candidate." It didn't take long for the ship to take off, and once the course was set she handed over control to the auto-pilot. "Come on, I've got something that might help improve your mood."

She would lead the way to the back of the shuttle, where what would have been the small storage hold had been modified into something else. She pressed a button, and the door slid open to reveal a walk-in closet, shelves lined with clothes, accessories, and shoes. Rows, upon rows of shoes.

"The advantage," she said as she gestured for Vahl to enter, "of being a member of the Diplomatic Corps, is that I can expense all of this. Seeing as we might have to get our hands dirty, a change of clothes might be in order. Take your pick, I'm sure I have things that will fit."

Jasnah herself would pick up a suit and some comfortable shoes, a combination that was neither entirely informal, nor too uncomfortable to be a pain in case of combat. Heading to the refresher, which had also been modified to have enough room to allow someone to change and freshen up, she would begin getting ready, while Vahl picked something out for herself.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

It was abundantly clear that Vahliri was growing tired of the expedition to Sevarcos already. Though she’d handled negotiations well enough prior to this point, diplomacy had never necessarily come natural to the half-Annfyn - and the added threat of Kilik’s somehow being involved was just another factor that weighed down on her. Irritation was reflected clearly in the small flicks and twitches of her fluted ears, even if she didn’t say a single word.

Nevertheless, Vahliri’s amber gaze promptly flicked over when Jasnah mentioned something that was going to improve her mood. “Is it homemade Lamb Karahi?” She asked somewhat hopefully. Jasnah was the only other Induparan she’d met amongst the Sith and likely the only other person who could understand her culinary homesickness. “‘Cause that would definitely make me very happy.”

She followed Jasnah until they reached the expensive closest, and couldn’t help but flash a grin once they stepped inside, “Okay, this is pretty nice too,” She nudged Jasnah playfully before starting to pick around for an outfit of her own. “Sounds like a pretty good damn deal,” She called back to Jasnah, just as she picked out a blazer for herself.

After a few moments, the half-Annfyn stepped into the refresher and stood before the mirror - glancing over to Jasnah as she did so, “Not bad at all,” She gestured down to her own outfit, a white suit with caped sleeves and black shirt underneath. Her lightsaber was safely tucked away, just in case things took a turn for the worst. “And you look gorgeous,”

Her gaze flicked back to the mirror, beginning to tie her hair back into a loose bun. “Any bets on how long it takes for shit to hit the fan?”

@Wit