The Pilot and the Counselor

[Chask274]

Theed
Downtown
1700 hours

Stepping out from the darkened alleyway, Vaxus finished wiping the vibrodagger clean, and tossed aside the rag as he sheathed it at his hip. Aside from the pistol on his other hip, the blade was the only weapon he carried as he began walking down the city street. Dressed in simple boots, trousers, and a shirt under a nerf hide jacket, the Zabrak would look like any ordinary spacer to the casual observer, which suited his needs just fine. Yet another lead had come up empty in this opulent city, and yet another body had been dumped in the gutter. As a Commander of the imperial Legion, he couldn't risk this little investigation of his getting revealed in the heart of Jedi territory. So any informant that couldn't provide anything useful got either a bolt between the eyes, or a blade to the heart. So far no one could tell him if they'd seen the woman he was looking for, or if they had seen her, they didn't know where she actually was.

Sighing in frustration, he snagged a soda from a street vendor as he passed, and cracked it open as he walked, his thoughts heavy with irritation, doubt, and anger.

 

[Oncaro]

Naboo was a beautiful planet, with a beautiful capital and beautiful, friendly people. As such, it was one of Dea's favorite places to visit. The fact that Naboo was aligned with the Jedi was just icing on the cake.

She walked through the streets of Theed, clad in a beautiful black dress and heels; not for any particular reason, but simply because she could, wanted to, and greatly enjoyed the positive looks and compliments she got when she did. Dressed elegantly as she was, it was nearly impossible for one to recognize her for what she actually was: A Jedi Knight. She, however, could clearly recognize that someone nearby was clouded by anger. A frown coming to her flawless, made-up face, Deashe Devoter looked around, locking onto the source of these emotions quickly.

A Zabrak? Interesting... Haven't seen many of those around... she thought, before beginning to stride toward him with the sort of poise and grace that simply came naturally to her.

"Excuse me," she said as she approached, looking down at him-- in her heels, she stood at a towering six-foot-four. "I don't mean to intrude, but you're looking rather distressed. Is something the matter?"

Despite the clear air with which she walked-- that of someone who had wealth and liked showing it off through her appearance-- her tone was incredibly polite and soft, and her lovely blue eyes filled with concern, indicating a humility unconnected to her striking looks.

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

Taking a sip from the soda, Vax had continued walking down the street when the distinctive click-clacking of heels on pavement caught his attention. Looking over, he noticed that an admittedly beautiful human woman was approaching him. As his right hand reflexively came to rest on the butt of his pistol, he snapped off a curt answer, "It's none of your damn buisness."

However, after walking a few more feet, he stopped and turned around to face her. "Actually, maybe you can help me. I've been looking around the city for someone, and I'm having a real tough time finding her. Hence my foul mood." Reaching into a pocket with his left hand, he pulled out a small holoprojector and turned it on while holding it in an open palm. The image shown was a pale human woman with white hair and golden eyes. "This is the person I've been looking for. Any chance you've seen her, or know someone who has?"

@Oncaro

 

[Oncaro]

Dea furrowed her brow at the Zabrak's very uncouth brushing off, frowning at him, before he suddenly turned around and explained his predicament. Upon seeing the picture, Dea carefully hid any recognition from her face. She knew of the woman the man was looking for, though she didn't know very much about her. But the fact that an angry man was looking for her made things click into place.

Her mind worked quickly, before she met his gaze evenly and gave a disarming smile.

"Ah, so that's why you're upset..." she said, nodding in understanding. "Why don't you come sit with me, and we'll talk about this?"

She expected he would at least make a token effort to refuse, but over the years Dea had learned how to peacefully coax people into conversation-- a charming disposition and a dazzling smile were usually all it took, at least for humans and those similar to them; there were times when men and women both just seemed to fall into her lap, and that made it so much easier to convince them to take her advice. She just hoped this young Zabrak would, as well.

 

[Chask274]

When the woman gave her response, he was taken aback by it, and his sour expression turned to one of surprise and mild confusion. 'Wait, she actually wants to help? Without needing to be coerced at gunpoint?' His expression changed for a final time, as a intrigued smirk crossed his face. "Well alright then, finally someone who's willing to help!"

He gestured for her to lead the way towards wherever she wanted to go sit, still keeping a hand on his pistol just in case. "Her name is Shae Vis. She's a Jedi with a history that's... well let's just say she's got a storied past. I've got some personal buisness with her that needs concluding." He looked over at her questioningly. "So do you know her, or have heard of her at least?"

 

[Oncaro]

Smiling, Dea turned on her heel, sashaying gracefully in front of Vax and subtly flaunting her toned backside. Her intention here wasn't simply to have someone staring at her ass, although she was certainly happy when people did; what she was truly hoping for was for the Zabrak to be so disarmed by her charm and her looks that his anger and frustration would be extinguished, and once that was done, perhaps she'd be able to steer him away from his vendetta.

She knew of Shae Vis' reputation as an utterly fierce duelist, and inferred by what little she knew of this Zabrak that she had likely injured him in some way. This encounter was meant to keep him for making another horrible mistake that might cost him his life, regardless of whether he found Shae or not.

Moving to a bench, still allowing her rump to sway deliciously with each clacking step, Dea sat down, crossing one leg over the other.

"I know of Shae Vis, yes," she said at last. "Now I'd like to ask you a question, if you don't mind. Why are you so interested in finding her?"

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

As the woman lead him over towards a bench, her more unorthodox method of distraction was doing it's job very well. As Vaxus admired her figure with an appreciative smile, his anger and general foul mood melted away. Once Dea had sat down, Vaxus moved to sit to her left. If she was paying attention, it wouldn't be too difficult for the Jedi to notice that Vax was walking with a slight limp, and that his steps with his right foot seemed a bit heavier and more solid sounding than those with his left.

Sitting down, Vaxus turned to intently stare at Dea after her answer, a glint of excitement in his eyes. Eyes which narrowed slightly when she countered with her own question. He'd have to be careful with his response, or else he might end up in hot water. "I'd rather not go into specifics, but let's just say I've got a score to settle with her.".

@Oncaro

 

[Oncaro]

Dea frowned in thought as she looked to Vaxus, and her eye wandered toward his legs, though he might mistakenly think she was looking toward his crotch.

"I see..." she said softly. "Judging by the slightly odd way in which you walk, I have to assume she injured your leg at the least. That's why you're angry, isn't it?"

Her eyes moved back up to meet his, and they were almost sparkling with sympathy. There was no pressure in her tone, no sense of interrogation; just a simple question and a gentle, almost motherly quality to her voice. It was obvious that she actually cared, despite not even knowing his name.

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

The Zabrak noticed where the woman's gaze was directed, and squirmed a bit in discomfort as he looked down at the ground. 'Is she looking where I think she is, or did she notice my le-Aww fekk, she did notice...' He looked up to meet her gaze directly, preparing to rebuke her and deny it, but something stopped him. Something in her expression told him she was sincerely just trying to help him, with no other motives being very apparent. As someone who had grown up on a world where you either proved yourself to be strong or you were cast aside for someone who could, having someone actually care about what was going through his head was surprising to say the least. "I...She..." He sighed heavily. "Yes, it was my leg. Although Shae didn't just injure it, she damn near blew it off. By the time I got picked up by the medics, it was too late to save it. They ended up amputating what was left of it..."

He reached down and pulled up his right pant leg a bit, revealing the polished durasteel of his prosthetic leg. Vax's voice took on a hard edge of resentment when he next spoke. "At the time, I didn't have enough credits to pay for a prosthetic, and the people I'd worked for nearly all my life weren't going to let me return to active duty. I was obviously able to eventually get the funds, but thee was a stretch of time there where I thought I was out of a job, and it didn't sit well with me. So I'm looking to get back at her for it."

@Oncaro

 

[Oncaro]

Dea listened carefully to Vax's words, frowning sympathetically as he told her what happened and showed her his leg. She looked to it, noting the lack of any artificial skin.

"I can't imagine," she said softly. "I can't imagine what it's like, to lose a part of your body and need to rely on something artificial in its place. I certainly hope it never happens to me. But in regards to Shae, I have a simple question for you: What's the point of 'getting back' at her, and how far are you willing to go?"

She could infer quite easily the point of his mission. But by questioning the point, she was hoping to get him to see how foolish it would be, for more than one reason.

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

Vaxus' anger began to flare again at the woman questioned him on his point. "What's the point of it? Lady, have you even been listening?! The fekking point is to inflict as much pain on her as she did to me, plus interest. Whether that means maiming her, or killing her, I don't really give a damn. Hell, I'll go after her family if need be! Whatever it takes to get even." His voice had slowly risen as he spoke, until he was practically shouting at the blonde sitting next to him.

@Oncaro

 

[Oncaro]

Dea's face remained impassive as Vaxus went on his little tirade. She simply sat there, watching him, allowing him to vent his frustrations; and when he was done, she gently lifted a hand to tell him nonverbally to calm down. Pedestrians were looking to him in shock.

"Loudly declaring your intent to hurt a Jedi on one of the planets under their influence isn't the smartest move. Let's try to keep your voice down, hm?" she said softly, soothingly. "I understand your anger, sir. But I have to ask: What makes this anger burn so brightly within you? Why this hatred for a single woman, enough that you are willing to target any potential family she has, solely to get to her? Many people lose limbs in fights, but very few develop a single-minded determination to inflict that same pain onto the one who hurt them. So why her? Is it because she's a Jedi?"

Getting to the matter, and helping this young man through it in a way that would prevent trouble, required several layers of questioning. This was one of those layers, getting at the actual source of his anger.

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

Glancing around at the various passerby, Vaxus suppressed a growl of frustration as he realized the woman was right. He looked her in the eyes, lowering his voice but still keeping a hard edge of anger in it. "Her being a Jedi is partly the reason, but it's mainly because she defeated me in the first place. Where I was raised and trained, you were judged almost solely on skill and strength. If you couldn't beat your enemies in combat, you were seen as less than worthless and cast aside. When i returned home after losing my leg, I lost a lot of the respect I'd earned over the years, and was even mocked. As I said earlier, this isn't just about the loss of a limb. It's about regaining my reputation."

He'd been careful to only say what was necessary to get his point across, because as Dea said, he was in Jedi territory, and openly talking about his true allegiances in public wouldn't be the wisest decision.

@Oncaro

 

[Oncaro]

Dea frowned as she looked to Vax while the Zabrak explained himself, watching him closely.

"You want to know what I think?" she asked him, and she leaned in a bit closer, her eyes on his. "I think that any society that refuses to acknowledge your worth as a person, and instead judges you solely by how good a warrior you are, is not a society worth living in. And any friends or comrades who see fit to disrespect and deride you over losing your leg in a fight, aren't really the kind of people worthy of your attempts at gaining respect."

She leaned back a bit, still looking to him. "Have you never considered putting what skills to have to good use elsewhere? Surely you're more than just a warrior."

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

Vaxus scoffed and rolled his eyes. "It's not my peers I worry about earning respect from, it's my superiors. The only way to move up in my society is by shows of strength and skill. I don't win my fights, I don't move up in standing." He paused for a moment, looking down at his hands, then looked back up at her. "I haven't really had the opportunity to apply them elsewhere. I'm an excellent pilot, but I've never even tried working somewhere. I really didn't much choice in the mater, to be honest. There was a time I considered stepping away and finding work elsewhere, but how can you walk away from something that you've known and done your whole life?" His expression was almost wistful as he spoke.