spiderparlour | The saga begins!

The saga begins!

"You sure you're gonna be okay?"

"I've only been captured here once," he replied, fastening the outer layer of his robes. Light enough to move in, armored enough to give him some protection. And, of course, the right color palette to complement both his and Vette's skin tones. "And besides, I managed to get out of that one."

"And who made that happen?" she punctuated the question with a little 'ta-da!' gesture with her lekku towards herself.

"Both of us, but mostly you." It'd been early on, when he was still finding his footing. It was lucky he'd survived with only a broken nose. "And you are going to be saving me again, by getting that information I need."

Vette sighed, frowning as she glanced down to check the straps on one of her pistol holsters. Neither of them really wanted to be here right now, but it was the best place to collect information on Darth Baras' plans. Which, they both suspected, included killing him. "For the record, your boss is stupid and sith are bad at life."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Agreeing with me so much makes arguing hard, you know."

"You're so right about that."

"Ugh!" She poked him in the stomach with a sheathed knife before sliding it into her boot. "I mean it though, be careful. And if you do anything funny, save me a holo, okay?"

"I will be." Baras had agents on all sides--he knew that well enough, he'd been sent to kill several of them before. He'd be traveling into dangerous territory for a Sith today. "And I'll give you a call to listen in if I can."

"Great!" she chirped. "Oh! And if you see any of those--"

"Of course I'm buying the cheesy puffs, I want those too."

She threw her hands up in mock exasperation. "Then what are you waiting for? Go give 'em hell and get us some puffs!"

"Hell and puffs, as you command," he grinned, leaning down to give her a kiss. "I'll see you later."

They left the ship and went their separate ways, Vette off to check in with her old gang, and he took a route towards the Nikto Sector. The gangs there were territorial, but that wasn't the real worry. He was using the sector as a means to approach Republic-aligned districts nearby, and there was a distinct chance an SIS listening post would pick him up anyway. He had some valid excuses for being there, but it likely wouldn't make a difference in the Republic's thinking.

Besides, he wanted them to see him. He had his own allies on Nar Shaddaa, and they'd be watching what happened, and who reported back to Baras.

So. All he had to do was walk towards enemy territory.

And buy some cheesy puffs.

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Saganor wasn't in a very good mood as he made his way back through the Nikto sector. He'd found Agent Galen, so his mission had been a success, technically. But he'd also been too late, and Galen had already been made part machines, neural overrides robbing him of his free will and forcing him to turn on his allies. So no, it didn't feel like a victory at all, especially not with Lord Sadic still out there.

He wanted nothing more than to storm Lord Sadic's base. There was little point in wasting any time regrouping, or sharing the information he'd learned, not when he'd be the one going anyway. He was still wound up, rearing for a fight. He'd sent Kira off to do some trading for him so he could work off some of his anger on his own. Thankfully, the Nikto sector offered plenty of opportunity for that.

He knew that as a Jedi, he shouldn't go looking for a fight. But the gangs here turned on him the second they saw him, forcing him to defend himself.

Saganor was so caught up in his own frustration, and in the fight, that it took him just a little too long to notice the newcomer. He only sensed him a few moments before he turned the corner, and by then he was already closer than he should have allowed him to get. Saga shoved the last Kintan King member back with the force, knocking him out, and turned towards the man.

No, the sith. There was no mistaking that.

"Luck really isn't on your side today, is it?"

A sith was perfect. It could even be someone Lord Sadic sent, or at least someone he knew. Saga lowered his stance, ready to launch himself forward.

"You shouldn't have come here, sith."

It was a slog to make his way across the sector. The gangs weren't about to let anyone through their territory, and the sight of a lightsaber didn't dissuade them. Oh well. He'd wanted the Republic to know he was here, hadn't he? This would certainly make that happen.

Sooner than he'd thought. He hadn't expected to encounter any Republic agents until he hit the sector's edge, but he could hear another lightsaber, feel... actually, was that a Jedi? They certainly didn't feel calm.

He rounded the corner, and yes, that was a Jedi. Terrible robes, the right lightsaber for it, and... he could never remember the name of that Zabrak subspecies. You didn't see many of those in the Empire. He stopped, waiting, watching the Jedi fight, a smile slowly settling onto his face. Look at him! He was half way to the Dark Side already. Powerful, certainly, but Jedi techniques weren't supposed to work like this. The results were flashy, but probably wasting a lot of energy.

It would be interesting to put his own techniques to the test against someone like this, but... oh, what the hell. He was going to mess with this one. How could he resist?

"I haven't come to fight you, Jedi." His voice was deep, with a proper, aristocratic Imperial accent. He hadn't drawn his own lightsaber yet. "Lower your blade, and we can resolve this peacefully."

Saganor spun his lightsaber backwards, a showy but useless gesture. He was tense but restless, holding himself back but clearly wanting to charge forward, his energy spilling out into minor gestures instead. He should attack, but something still held him back.

"And you expect me to believe that?" Saga scoffed. "You're not the first Sith I've dealt with. I'm not that easily fooled."

He wondered what the other Jedi would say if he defeated another one for them. They'd be impressed, maybe they'd even go so far as to praise him. Even if he wasn't the Sith Saga most wanted gone from this galaxy, it would still be a good deed, a worthy fight.

"Did that cowardly Sadic send you? You should tell him to stop hiding behind others and face me himself."

He watched, yellow eyes following the Jedi's movements, but he himself remained still, breathing slow and even. If this did become a fight, starting out close to a trance would help him. Maybe he could even use the Jedi's anger against him directly, though he hadn't tested the other man's mental defenses yet.

'Dealt with'? That wasn't a very Jedi way to put it. "I have no idea who that is," he said, completely truthful. "I'm following up on information that could save civilian lives."

...That was partly truthful.

"And will it save lives?" Saga asked. He wouldn't trust this Sith no matter what his answer was, he just wanted to confront him with his own words. He hated vague statements like that. They never led anywhere.

It didn't seem like this Sith wanted to attack right now, though. Either he was waiting for Saga to let his guard down, or he really did have other business that took priority. Either way, he wouldn't be getting anywhere. Saga could stare him down all day if he had to.

The Kintan Kings would be back soon, which could be a problem, but... Hopefully those gangs could tell that this wasn't something they wanted to get in the middle of.

"I hope it will," he smiled faintly. "A nearby sector contains facilities previously used by a terrorist organization responsible for thousands of Imperial deaths. Their network may be plotting more attacks." Had the news of the bombing reached the Republic? He had no idea. It had been several months, now, but an event like that might have been censored in Imperial broadcasts. Their secret intelligence service would know, but... possibly not this Jedi. It might sound like he was making things up.

And he sort of was, he had some vague leads from Lord Rathari that seemed plausible enough as a cover story. He'd barely been involved in this since that tip-off about the labs. That'd been the one where he'd gotten his nose broken, and Vette had not let him live that down. "I intend to search for information, then leave. No violence is required."

Saga hadn't heard of it. And if terrorists were attacking the Empire, that wouldn't keep him up at night... Except civilians were civilians, no matter which side they were on. Especially since he knew people didn't always have a choice in the matter, since it could just be down to which planet they were born on, or who their parents swore allegiance to. He took a second to consider it, finally forcing himself to shove down his anger. For now. Only for now.

"You'll forgive me if I don't trust you," he said. But could he really risk it? On the other hand... If this wass what it took to take down the Empire, was it really that bad? War meant casualties, there was no avoiding that.

"But if there's really a group capable of that much, then their skill should be put to better use."

Stars, this really was hard on the Jedi's brain, wasn't it? They never knew what to do with a Sith who wasn't just there to hit things and laugh about it.

He was still going to laugh, but he was keeping that on the inside. "You are forgiven."

"I very much doubt that they like the Republic, given the speech their leader broadcast." The Eagle didn't appear to be Sith, but he certainly had the mindset down. He also sounded startlingly like Grand Moff Kilran, which had no doubt caused some awkward moments for High Command.

"If you stand in the way of my mission, I may be forced to respond as you expect of me," he sighs. "Also, there are some markets on Level 80 that stock a brand of snack food I promised I'd bring back for my crew. I'd hate to disappoint."

Would that make him sound flippant and more suspicious? Yes.

Because this was already ridiculous, and he couldn't resist adding a little more.

He needed another second to process all of that. Saga still wanted to provoke him, he was still itching for a fight, but it really did seem like he'd have to make the first move in that case. He couldn't see how that was so bad against a Sith, but...

He could test him first, at least.

"If what you're saying is true, then I can't just ignore a potential threat like that." He sheathed his lightsabers, replaced them on his belt. "You won't mind if I verify it, right?"

Because he's not letting this Sith out of his sight. He doesn't trust him not to be up to something worse. And yeah, sure, the information was probably important, so really, there were so many reasons for him to follow this man right now.

Ha! Either it had worked, or the Jedi was going to try and stab him in the back. Either one counted as a victory.

"Of course," his smile returned, and he bowed his head slightly. "I see no problem with this." He started to walk, gesturing towards the street he had been following. "The facility was abandoned some time ago, but they have left clues behind in the past. It's a long shot, but the less time Imperial Intelligence has to spend sneaking into Republic-aligned territory to search for these things, the better. Don't you agree?"

Edited 2019-11-19 17:16 (UTC)

Saga gave the Sith a look of complete disbelief, but he followed, speeding up to compensate for the Sith's longer strides. He made sure to keep some distance, though. He still didn't trust him not to attack out of the blue.

"The Empire really should mind it's own business, I agree," he said. He caught up, and kept several paces to his side instead of behind him now. It was easier to keep up a conversation that way. "We'll catch them eventually, or chase them out."

Catty, wasn't he? "No, the terrorists have already moved on. Most of their facilities have been sold by the Hutts to other customers by now."

He looked over at the Jedi, raising an eye ridge. "I'm afraid you're too late to fight them here. I'm simply interested in finding out what they were doing, and perhaps where they went."

"Let me clarify: We'll catch your Intelligence Agents. And these terrorists."

Confident, too. He'd been told it was one of his worse qualities, but he figured it was deserved. Plus, being humble in front of a Sith never got anyone anywhere, and would only leave him feeling frustrated. They didn't deserve that from him.

He shrugged a little. "If all I get today is information, I can work with that."

"Good luck, then," he said cheerfully, utterly unimpressed. "It will be useful to have you with me, actually. By the time I got to the last one, the Republic had bought the building. That was awkward. This time I won't have to ask anyone for their passcodes."

Yes, he had done that. Yes, it had almost worked.

Saga gave him another look, just as unimpressed, and increasingly annoyed. "If they have, I'm leaving you outside and going in alone," he said. "I don't actually need your help."

"If you really must," he replied, not responding to the Jedi's aggression. "Just know that the terrorists made it clear they intended to strike again if their demands weren't met. So, any information that doesn't make it back to the Empire puts civilians at risk."

Which had been a real worry the first time he'd gotten involved with the counterterrorism response. Now, when he was mostly lying about it? Not so much. This was mostly just a time-waster that would be very obvious to the SIS, and perhaps reveal which of their local agents was secretly working for Darth Baras.

Still, it would be funny to wander around an empty warehouse with a furious jedi following him.

"Then I'll decide what information you get," Saga said. He wasn't backing down. He was stubbornly holding onto control of this situation... Though even he knew he hadn't had any control of it at all from the first second he met this Sith. So it was more that he was taking it back.

Not that the Sith seemed at all bothered. Saga couldn't help scowling a little.

"What kind of demands did they make?"

"It wasn't very clear, really. They don't like the current Dark Council, don't like some of the Moffs, and they don't like the Treaty of Coruscant." Remember that one? The treaty that was supposed to keep the Republic and Empire from fighting? That was going well these days, wasn't it.

"Either they're for more war with the Republic, or they want the whole Empire to go back into seclusion. Or," he leaned slightly closer to the Jedi, "they just want power, and this was an excuse to kill thousands and make them feel important." And this Jedi wouldn't know anything about attacking people to feel important, would he?

"Can't say I like the Dark Council, either, though I don't know them personally." Not yet, at least, though he had fantasized about taking them all down. Even he knew that would be an impossible mission, though, unless he could get them one on one somehow... He'd never mentioned that particular fantasy to anyone, for obvious reasons.

He resisted taking a step away, although he really would prefer this Sith kept his distance. "I'm not sure I blame them for their feelings, even if their methods are wrong."

He didn't attack first. Even if he'd killed a few people who were ready to surrender.

That earned another skeptical look. "In my experience, that sort of anger really isn't healthy."

Yes. He was aware how insane that would sound, coming from a Sith.

Matching that look with one of his own. "This coming from a Sith?"

"I'm a Sith who doesn't want to be murdered before I turn forty," he replied. "It's perfectly possible to have anger and use it constructively, but that's not the way to do it."

"You're giving advice now?" A Sith giving advice to a Jedi. That was definitely new. "DId someone forget to inform you that it's your job to kill me?"

"My job is to follow the Sith Code, at least in theory." In practice, everyone basically took the Code to mean 'Fuck you, I do what I want.'

"In any case, it says nothing about killing Jedi."

"So if I tell your fellow Sith that you're helping the Jedi, they won't object?"

It's not much a threat, he knows. It's unlikely anyone would believe him. And he doesn't even know who this guy is, besides being able to describe him as incredibly tall and covered in piercings.

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