TKR: The Tailheads Too

[Lyanna Drast]

Lyanna was of the opinion that if you wanted someone to work for you, fight for you, then you needed to be something more to them than some distant figure.

You needed to either know them on a personal level or you needed to be larger than life - something, someone, so much their greater that they felt there was no other way for them but to obey and adore you.

It was the first part that brought her here today - she was here to speak to a figure within the Imperial Republica who needed to be met in person. Reports said that they were a mover, a shaker, and Lyanna found herself in need of people of such skills.

And then Imperial Intelligence had told her about a Twi'lek.

A Twi'lek who apparently had had dealings with her cousin (for lack of a better word) Eddard Thul-Drast. Ned had been a busy little bee before his death and Lyanna was still discovering things about his dealings even now. So far most of what she had found suggested that her relative had had ambitions for the throne.

But now that he was dead there was absolutely no reason not to use the connections he had built up for her own advantage.

Even if they were tailheads... maybe this one was more useful than the others? Had something the others didn't?

Either way, Talik Kru was to be brought before her by Imperial Intelligence in one of the side rooms of the main Courthouse on Coruscant.

@Kayenta Moenkopi
@Talik Kru

 

[Talik Kru]

Ganked by Mandalorians. It was ridiculous, it was infuriating, it was causing so many setbacks. Was it even the truth? You’d think someone in Intelligence would know these things, but stories were conflicting and with all his seditious talk and overt criticism of Elix, she questioned everything. For all she knew it could have been a hit. But then the Emperor was no longer in the picture either. The snake had a new head, Empress Lyanna Drast. Frakken nobility eating itself to death!

If only they’d chew faster…

And now she was being escorted from Allerius’ home on Alderaan to Coruscant, seated in the back seat of a transport, staring daggers into the back of a man’s head once again. The nature of her trip was not explained and when your superiors called you into the office you didn’t say no. Her tentative questions had revealed little more than a person of importance required her presence. Whatever that meant. It sounded to her like had she so much as sneezed she would have made the trip in restraints.

After arriving on Coruscant she expected the transport to head over to HQ, but instead they veered off leaving her confused until the courthouse came into view. Now there were other reasons to be here besides being on trial for some crime, real or otherwise. You could apply for all manner of license and permits, pay taxes, snoop through old records and find all sorts of dirt on your neighbors. Well it wasn’t very likely she would ever have need for such mundane concerns. Certainly not under guard of Imperial Intelligence. In her mind there could be only one reason and that was to be accused of sedition.

When the officers brought her into one of the side rooms, she imagined this is where the interrogations rooms were. Sadly what was waiting for her in that small chamber was much worse.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lyanna Drast]

The Twi'lek was exactly what Lyanna had expected.

She was red, she was tattoo'd and she had an easy sex appeal about her that would doubtlessly ensnare some poor fool one day if it hadn't already. As a specimen she was exactly as expected and seemed to be rather well trained by the looks of her. Lyanna wasn't one to believe in the innate superiority of one species over another but she wasn't foolish enough to think that this Twi'lek was to be treated as an equal.

However, that was alright - she had raised herself to a position where, it could be said, no one was her equal any longer. It was not the Twi'lek's fault so Lyanna would keep a civil tongue.

"Talik Kru." She spoke aloud with a small smile, "I am told by my intelligence department that you may very well be someone to keep an eye on. They tell me that you have been visited by important members of our Empire in the past."

Her smile faltered ever so slightly.

"They tell me that you met with Eddard Thul-Drast before the mission that led to his death." She paused for a moment, breathing out slowly, "That he spoke with you at length and I am curious as to only one thing."

She held up a single digit with a soft smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Why you?"

@Kayenta Moenkopi
@Talik Kru

 

[Talik Kru]

The sight of the Empress, newly enthroned as head of the Imperial Republic, was the last one on any world she would have expected to see. Even as her escort bowed, silently withdrawing from the room to shut the door behind them, she held herself erect viewing the woman. Her posture was more from habit than anything for in truth she was stunned as she felt the Empress sizing her up in return.

It was with a growing expectation of danger that she remained poised, listening to her words as they revealed just how closely her activities had been monitored. No doubt it was only due to the spectacle of that dance at the Alderaan Embassy that had set tongues wagging, for who doesn’t hear every despicable bit of gossip when it concerns their own family? She could well imagine the sycophants at court competing over who could provide the juiciest tidbits. Motivation for informants no doubt were as varied as the stars ranging from spite to wounding or more often than not, just receiving some table scrap like a good little lap dog. That it was Sith engaging in such practices made the game all the more deadly.

Watching the woman’s smile fade as she breathed out slowly, the pause left no doubt in her mind just what the tongues had been saying. Her eyes narrowed for the briefest moment in anger and she thought, ’I’m nobody’s harlot!’, before bowing her head. Under such scrutiny she was certain the 'sabbatical' to Prakith had been observed as well adding scandal to viperous words.

She curled her fingers into the palm of her right hand and swiftly drew her forearm across her chest. Planting her hand against her sternum as she bent her left knee and bowed before the woman. ”My Empress, I ask myself this very thing”, she responded in even tones. She would be open with her explanation keeping opinion out of her words.

”We met at the Embassy on Alderaan, where after newly graduating from the Academy I was assigned.” There was no need to give her cover of being there for diplomacy. The stating of the obvious for one who held the highest clearance would be insulting let alone unnecessary. Even so, some clarity was required.

”After a very public display upon the dance floor he removed me to a secluded balcony. There I was informed that he was working toward weeding out the dead wood in the Republic.” The words were hardly controversial nor all that secret. Reform was the best platform from which to advance a career. For the first time she had to wonder just how high Eddard’s sights had been set.

The thought caused her to raise her head and gaze upon the woman and she realized that she couldn’t have gotten where she was today if she had not had a careful eye upon the lives of any who might stand a chance to get in her way. So was her cousin a backer of Lyanna’s bid for the throne or had he been an obstacle to remove? The feeling that this visit was purely to tie up loose ends descended heavily, crushing her hope to survive an encounter with this particular Drast.

She went on to conclude, ”He spoke of reforging me like iron into steel. I can only assume that any fresh graduate, who was free of the sort of political bias he sought to eliminate from the Republic, would have served his purposes as well as myself. I consider it an encounter that was just being in the right place at the right time. In short My Empress”, she went on to say, ”He wanted a Xeno face to put on his bid for gathering support from the Alien powerbase.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Lyanna Drast]

Lyanna listened in silence.

It might even be considered slightly intimidating to see the Empress just staring her down, unflinching, as she spoke. Lyanna honestly didn't care - she just wanted to know more about what was actually going on with the people of her Empire and right now she wanted to know why one of her few non-useless cousins had wasted his time with this woman.

For Lyanna wasn't sure that it could be described as much else - unless there was something she wasn't seeing. What was it about this one Twi'lek that made her important enough for Eddard to deign to speak to her, to take her away with him on some form of unnamed trip?

"The dead wood?"

Lyanna didn't need clarification - Eddard had been looking to replace Elix as well it seemed. Well, she hardly thought her cousin stupid so his following of Elix made more sense if there was an ulterior motive behind it all. She chuckled a little bit, shaking her head.

"Oh Ned... half assassin and half politician." She muttered to herself before looking at the Twi'lek again, "And you? What did you make of all of this?"

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

Talik was growing increasingly uncomfortable underneath the scrutiny of the Empress. While it is true that she had gained considerable insight into masking her emotions since graduation, there were limits to what her pride would take. That this child was now Empress was just evidence of the weakness in the Republic. The elite rose to the top while those more skilled were passed over time and time again. She had basically had enough.

Rising to her feet, she dusted off her clothing before lifting her head to gaze upon Lyanna.
Shaking her head she said, ”I feel as though it is you who should be convincing me that you are worth my time. What can you tell me that will convince me you won’t just go and get yourself killed leaving the Republic to start over once more?” She sighed heavily, her fingers clenched into fists as she gathered her thoughts. ”All I know is that while we Sith war against each other, there are greater enemies out there reaping the rewards. While your family keeps us busy infighting among ourselves like the Empire is some sort of table scrap…” her jaw clenched very much aware that she could easily be struck down dead before finishing her rant. One long cleaning breath later, she would attempt to go on.

”I don’t make much of it at all. Why did Eddard deign to embroil me in his schemes? Perhaps he just wanted a face to use. Perhaps he saw something in a woman who refused to be drawn to his banner until he revealed his truth. It hardly matters, and my condolences on his death.” Her words trailed off, though her anger was only beginning to broil.

What should she do? Should she tell her of the book they found on Prakith? The answer was obvious for she had no confidence in the socialite turned Empress. ”What do you stand for, My Empress? I see that the Republic needs a strong hand and a sharp mind to steer her away from decline. Excuse my skepticism, but when countless resources are being squandered simply due to species...it hardly matters in the long run who holds the leash of oppression. We need unification, not more feuds.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Lyanna Drast]

Lyanna stared at the woman for a moment.

She let Talik speak and when she was done, Lyanna took a moment to consider her options. In the end, she decided that she was not going to resort to violence immediately.

"Sit back down."

It wasn't a request.

"And remind yourself to whom you speak." She instructed Talik simply, "Despite your passion, despite the truth and anything else in your words? You forget yourself and you forget who I am. The only reason I haven't pulled your lekku out or had my guards kill you right now is because you speak some truth."

She spread her hands.

"What the Sith need is reunification and that is precisely what I mean to give to them. I mean to give the Sith the reunification that they so desperately need or die trying. Because I want to rule a unified Empire, because I want to see the Empire of my people become whole again - and because I am willing to risk my own life to do it." She raised an eyebrow, "I am not, however, foolish enough to put all of the efforts of my Empire behind me and my attempts to reunify. Instead I will continue to plan for my Empire to continue - for better or for ill come my own push."

Lyanna took out a packet of cigaras and took one before offering one to Talik.

"So tell me Talik Kru - are you willing to do what it takes to earn the title of crusader? To bring the fight to our enemies?" she gestured to her, "Because I can see fire in your. But I want to know if you are ready to use that fire to bring our enemies to their knees."

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

The Empress was sadly mistaken if she thought she would ever forget who she was, what she was; she just didn’t give a flying hootenanny. It didn’t mean she would ever know who or what Lysanna Drast was. So she had inherited the throne? So she had killed to get it? Didn’t mean she was deserving of respect from the Twi’lek any more than she had respected Elix, or Eddard, or Allerius.

Her face paled slightly as she realized the lie within her truth. She had respected Eddard for his willingness to attempt to bring about change in a system that was growing stagnant and weak. She had respected his willingness to at least exploit someone such as herself to use toward that end. That did not mean she found him the least bit altruistic. His own words best described his motivation; he did it because he could. This was no great revelation to the Twi’lek. It was her respect for Allerius that threw her off balance.

He was not symbolic of the oppression of Xenos, of a group of elite whom she could hate. No, with Allerius it was personal. He was responsible for taking so much away from her. And yet...he gave her everything. If that was not cause for hatred she didn’t know what was.

If the Empress thought this paling of her complexion was due to having her lack of awe in the royal presence reprimanded, then so be it. Talik did as she was told because she was not stupid. These people...they were all the same. She moved to take a seat as commanded upon a bench along the side wall, leaving Lysanna the bulk of the room from which to perform her sales pitch.

And it was a sales pitch, the woman needed every person she could get, no doubt. She had to know what people thought of her and her sudden rise to power. Maybe Eddard had been different… at least the part about being sick of what his family had become, of what they were doing to the Empire. She’d never get to find out how deep his sincerity truly ran. It was only when the Empress hinted at plans to carry on after her time was over, did she even begin to suspect that Lysanna might be different too.

The offering of a cigara was bizarre and very out of place with the situation. She shook her head and said, ”No thank you. Those things will kill you, you know.” And then she laughed softly, ”But then what won’t, right?” She knew there would be no sharing of truths between them, only herself providing answers and that would have to be enough.

”To say that I am a woman filled with hatred for your kind is as obvious as the lekku upon my head which you so easily threaten to rip from my skull. It is a hatred that fuels my power in the force but I acknowledge it also blinds me to the obvious”, she smiled a bit ruefully before going on to reveal her hand. ”Nor do I fear death, my life has not been my own at any point in time so the loss of such a thing can hardly be of consequence when it has never been mine in the first place. I am a simple woman who comes from simple people; Rycrit herders if you can imagine such a thing.”

The admission caused her to smirk softly over the notion that any of the nobility could look on that life with anything but disdain, but for Talik’ru...it had been the only happiness she ever knew. That child was dead and all that was left was Talik Kru, a woman without a people or place to call her own. She would conclude her digressions with few words, ”I am not, however, a woman concerned with the power that comes with status or rank. Free will? This is all I crave. I will do this, fight your enemies, use my fire to bring them to their knees. I will do it because I can.”

@Nefislab

 

[Lyanna Drast]

Cigaras being the thing to kill her? Lyanna was rather amused by the very idea. She was already planning on a course of action that would bring her close to life and death. The idea that a cigara would be what could kill her just made her want to laugh - but she held off, of course. Talik was hardly someone the young Empress was comfortable enough being around to laugh freely. No, the twi'lek was a xeno and someone who seemed to enjoy being mouthy.

Lyanna had half a mind to just kill the xeno woman if she was honest with herself.

It was an idle thought and she thought about how she was do it as the young woman continued. No hint of her homicidal thoughts crossed her face or was readable in her mind or emotions. Instead she seemed completely unmoved by what Talik was saying until she had finished. At that point she took a longer than usual drag from her cigara, tapping the ash off into an ashtray...

Before taking another pull.

"I can accept this." She declared bluntly, blowing smoke out the side of her mouth, "You, of course, know that my Empire does not readily accept the xeno."

Stating the karking obvious and then some.

"But you also know the code we all live by as Sith." She took the cigara from her lips and leaned in slightly, "Power. Breaks your chains. You excel and grow in power and no one will have any choice but to accept your position."

She tapped her cigara against an ash tray.

"How attached to Katress are you?" She asked bluntly, "I may have missions that will take you away from him long periods of time so I would prefer the truth rather than a boast that will see your effectiveness wither and die without his direct support."

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

Very much keeping her own council Talik replied in simple terms. ”I have worked in conjunction with Acolyte Katress on numerous occasions. I would term that a familiarity rather than an attachment. I am quite capable of functioning without his supervision.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Lyanna Drast]

They were done here.

The tailhead was done talking and Lyanna didn't have anything else to add either. Instead she just nodded once and gestured for the guards to begin escorting Talik away. Before the Twi'lek could get out of earshot however, Lyanna turned back to the woman with a simple nod.

"We shall be in touch."

But for now? Their business was concluded.

/End Thread
@Kayenta Moenkopi