Open Serenno Prelude to Payoff

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn had been undercover for well over a year by this point, and it had been far more taxing than he'd ever anticipated. Days melted together and ever one of them was filled with anxiety of blurring of lines. But it had all paid off. He'd finally gotten himself into a position for something of value to come of it.

He'd made his way to Serenno and punched in his passcode to permit a ship to land. Varyn knew that ship contained Sevrin the Shadow. Few outside the Order - and even few inside - really knew him well, but Varyn was a Shadow and he at least knew of the man's exploits and reputation. Truth was that beyond the nerves, Varyn was actually excited to meet the man. He represented much of what Varyn had hoped to become. These days he wondered if he'd ever actually reach those goals.

He pushed that thought out of his mind, fully armored as he awaited the arrival. He once again rehearsed the code name that the Jedi Master would be using and took a deep breath in. This should prove to be an interesting day if nothing else.

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Though he frequently traveled within Sith space due to the nature of his work, he never completely eased up on these planets. As a full Sephi, externally he always appeared calm and collected, but he had his fears and concerns just like anyone else. He had been setting up operations here and there on Serenno, but it was mainly to keep a close watch on the new Empress. Unlike Renfry, she kept mostly to herself and there was a mysterious air about her. It made it more difficult to seek out weaknesses and Sevrin had to work hard to try and identify who she had in her close circles.

His ship landed and the Sephi strode down the ramp. He always towered above anyone else near him and today was no exception. Though he wore simple civilian clothes, there was a regal flavor to his gait that was unmistakable even through his years of being away from his family. The striking silver gaze looked around till they fixed upon the Jedi waiting for him.

His codename this time was Varn Lyias. The Sephi stepped off the ramp and made his way towards the Jedi, “Afternoon,” He greeted as he extended a hand to formally shake.

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn couldn't help but look up with slightly wide eyes as the Jedi Master descended the ramp. He'd always known that Sephi were tall, but dang. Varyn wasn't exactly short but he was a full foot and change shorter than the Sevrin.

He took the extended hand, smiling behind his helmet as he greeted the man, the myth, the legend. Count Lyias, welcome to Serenno, he said, shaking the offered hand. He had reviewed the cover story thoroughly, and his own cover... well, it had become second nature to him. For the last two years he had been a Sith.

Please, this way, he said, motioning toward a vehicle that Varyn had already thoroughly swept to ensure that it was secure. A vehicle was probably the safest place for them to speak candidly anyway. Varyn didn't trust his apartment, and the transport station where he kept his Jedi supplies in a rented locker was far too public.

He opened the door for the other to climb into the speeder. There're many excellent sights to see here in the capital, not least of all the royal palace, he said, continuing to play his part of chauffeur and guide to the VIP. He closed the door before getting behind the controls and pulling out into traffic.

Speeder's clean, he said once they were moving.

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin couldn’t see the Knight’s face, but he could sense he was tense. It was a reaction he had grown accustomed to when other younger Jedi met him. Quite frankly, sometimes the Sephi despised having a reputation at all. Whether it was because of his exploits or vague comparisons to the stupid ISC President, he always had more attention on him than he ever wanted.

“I’ve always been very interested in the palace’s extensive history,” Sevrin responded, keeping up just as easily with the charade. In truth, he genuinely was curious about a lot of the ancient structures. The ones that housed Andraste and her family for a long time still had lingering Force energy and a presence that could be felt by highly experienced Force users. Darkness like that, even in a place of supposed love, always lingered for millennia.

Once they were in the speeder, Sevrin waited till they were on their way. He glanced over at Varyn, first waiting for him to take his helmet off. Even though he recognized the Force signature, he wasn’t going to trust just based on that.

“What do you know about her inner circle so far?” He asked quietly, his silver gaze as piercing as daggers. Most of the time it was not intentional, but the effect was always there nonetheless. He had a habit of making people feel as if they were standing on stage.

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Once they were on the way and at a stop, he slipped his helmet off and set it down on the console next to him. He tried not to show too much of his tension, but it was difficult. He'd have had a much harder time were it not for the fact that he had been having to suppress and mask his feelings for the better part of two years just to stay alive.

Her inner circle has a lot of people from Imperial intelligence, he said. There's a lot of rumor about her royal guard. She keeps the information about recruitment under wraps, but a lot of people say they're all ex-Inquisitors, he said. Knowledge about the Inquisitors was extremely limited apart from their existence. It was one of the things that Varyn had been wanting to turn his sights to digging into, but hadn't actually done so. Now he was wondering if he would ever actually have the chance.

Palace is serviced mostly by IDF troops all from elite units, mostly handpicked. There's a QRF team of special ops from the IAC that stay nearby as well. Defenses are tight, he said.

Our best bet will be the civilian staff, he said. Supplies still have to be brought in and the palace contracts with a company called "Arthrosia." They vet all their staff thoroughly, but they're the one spot we could actually get ourselves potentially disguised. Their staff are loyal, but their not Sith and they're not intel guys, he said. They didn't have the training to resist mindtricks or other such deceptions.