A Sorrowful Promise (Benedali Serrus)

[Nimue Stormson]

One of the advantages to living on Utapau was that it was in the outer rim and far away from any of the conflict between the war factions of the galaxy. Sure it wasn't exaclty a paradise of planets to be on but given how war and the like had ravaged places like Courascant, which was now under the boots of the Sith, and even the nicer places like Naboo were never fully safe from all the attacks in the shadows and the like. For someone like Mallory Gugina Utapau was a safe a place as any for someone like her.

But even the safest of places couldn't keep from shetlering how deep someone's emotions were. Mallory "Mouse" Gugina had been waiting at the space ports of one of the cities in Utapau becuase she was waiting for a special guest to appear. Someone she was reluctant to see but knew she was obligated to nonetheless. She didn't come out too often from her little apartment in the city but when she did it was often for exercise or to at least get some fresh air. Even though she was in a wheelchair, and likely for the rest of her life, that didn't stop her from trying to act as though she didn't have legs to begin with.

That wasn't what she was here for, however. The person in question, a young woman by the name of [member="Benedali Serrus"] , was due to arrive. She had called to her in the persona of her slicer vigilante name, "Mouse". She didn't expose her identity to her but told how "one of her contact agents" would be meeting with her. This was something she couldn't hide from.

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"]

Benedali sat next to [member="Maka Sumoto"] on the shuttle they'd taken, to the planet of Utapau. It was rare for the Duchess to leave her home world, and though most other times she would be dressed to impress, she'd instead chosen a much simpler outfit, a brown cloak thrown over her shoulders.

It had taken roughly seven and a half days to travel indiscreetly from Alderaan to Utapau. Seven and a half days for the Duchess to contemplate the reasons a slicer by the name of "Mouse" had contacted her. None of the scenarios were good. For the thousandth time she wondered, Is it about something wrong with Arick? The royal family? Is it -- Force forbid -- about Orron?

As the shuttle landed in the Utapau spaceport, Benedali turned to Maka, her Archer-slash-personal-guard. Touching his shoulder briefly, she whispered, "So why do you think this Mouse person contacted us?"

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka chuckled a little bit at the question. He'd never heard of this 'Mouse' in his life, and neither had Bennie. Of course, Arick still hadn't returned, so there was no consulting him. But Bennie knew her archer's mantra about uncertain situations very well. Why did she even ask?

"Even if it's not a trap, it's a trap, Bennie. Utapau is a neat little place to off somebody. Plenty of huge cities, with easy access to all the underground catacombs you could ever want. And there's a territorial dispute between a few of the ruling groups here. It's like Alderaan, with a little less accountability when you murder someone."

He sighed, pulling his duchess' head down a bit, to lean on his metallic shoulder.

"It might not be a trap for us, though. It's just as likely that somebody wanted to confirm us as part of that resistance network so they can target some other members. Might be, our little tech-rat doesn't even know who they're working for."

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Mouse"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Recognizing both [member="Maka Sumoto"] and [member="Benedali Serrus"] from photos she'd aquired Mallory perked up when she saw the two of them. A deep regretful feeling entered her gut as she knew it was time. She sighed after a long deep breath before taking the wheels of her chair and pushing herself foward. She was dresses in simple jeans and a jacket over a shirt while wearing a cap on her head. Her glasses rested on her eyes but, as she apporched, she lifted them up and over to rest on her cap when she was close enough to them. On her lap rested a laptop that was her own personal "home away from home" if need be.

"Miss Serrus?" she asked, getting her attention. "You ARE Miss Serrus, right? I'm a mutual friend of a mutual friend of ours." she said, trying to indicate it was "Mouse".

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

She let out a sigh, and lifted her head when it was time to get off. Standing up, she began to pull Maka with her. "It's not it being a trap I'm worried about. It's whether or not the reason behind this impromptu meeting involves Arick...or Orron." She stopped to collect her carry-on bag which was stuffed to the gills with clothes and make up.

As the two made their way off, her bag in one hand and Maka in the other, Benedali caught sight of a young woman in a wheel chair make her way over. As she approached, the Duchess nudged her Archer, muttering in a low voice, "Head's up, we've got company."

At the question, she nodded. "Please, though, call me...Bennie. You are our contact, then?"

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka shook his head at the duchess' worry about Arick. The man was combat-trained to be the head of Castle Serrus' House Guard. Even more so than the archer, he could handle himself. Orron, though...

"If either of those two got themselves seriously hurt, I'd bet money it was Orron. He has less combat training now, than I did at half this age. Might've blundered into something that eats circuits. He'd be done, if even a quarter of the stuff I saw on him got removed."

At the sight of the wheelchair-bound woman, he smiled. Possibly, the archer was being a bit mean to the woman, even if it was just in his head, but the idea that their would-be bait couldn't attack them herself made him feel a lot more relaxed. He didn't say anything when the woman asked Bennie's name, but it struck him as a bit odd that a supposed HoloNet vigilante would send a middle(wo)man who couldn't even defend herself.

Food for thought, and a bit of a conspiracy theory.

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Mouse"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Mallory had taken note of the bags both of them had with them, saying "Oh. I didn't know you were planning on staying. That is Mouse didn't tell me." she shook her head before saying "Sorry. I'm not starting this out very well." She cleared her throat before saying "I'm Mallory. I'm a friend of a friend of our mutual friend, Mouse. He sent me here to....talk with you." She took a momen to bring her glasses back over her eyes, wanting to see both of them more clealry. Seeing Benedali she said "Wow. Even prettier in person than in a picture." She then looked over to Maka and asked "Friend of yours?"

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

Benedali looked down at her bags before looking back up. "Oh, most of this was for the shuttle ride. The idea of wearing an outfit for more than three days in a row isn't an appealing one. And it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mallory." Glancing over, she noticed Maka smiling and, guessing that it wasn't over a nice joke, she cleared her throat a bit before giving him a discrete kick on his lower leg.

Blushing at Mallory's compliment, the Duchess nodded. "This is Maka, my security chief and personal bodyguard." She then began to chew on her lower lip. "Now, returning to that thing...it's nothing good, I take it?" What Maka said came back to her, and was accompanied by a queasy feeling. She didn't even want to think about it.

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka nodded vaguely, still not taking his overly suspicious eyes off the woman in the wheelchair. Her name was Mallory. She was their 'mutual friend' with the Mouse, huh? Then the archer grimaced as Bennie gracefully kicked him in the shin. So, she'd noticed he badly concealed smile. Ah, well.

A hand went out behind his back to squeeze the duchess' free one. She was clearly trying not to cry before she even knew what happened. Maka, though, wasn't overly worried. Arick was his friend, to a certain degree, and he wouldn't just run off to die like that. Sure, it'd been a couple of months since he'd last been seen, but that was his business.

Orron, he couldn't really give a damn about, except on Bennie's behalf. He knew her well enough to think that she'd be feeling broken if the guy was dead, or even seriously injured, even though she'd only met him privately a couple of times, as far as the archer knew. But, besides his duchess' feelings, Orron had been a bit of a bad bet. The Jedi were impartial, usually, and he didn't think that the Order would have let the cyborg go off half-cocked on a plan like this revolution the Organas were planning.

And besides that, who the hell wants to see the girl they love go off with somebody else? It was a tad infuriating, having Orron around.

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Mouse"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Once it was clarified who [member="Maka Sumoto"] was Mallory nodded before looking back to [member="Benedali Serrus"] and saying "Is there a chance we can talk in private. About....it? I know you're probably thinking this is a set-up or something, but I promise you it's not. I mean look at me. You expect me to try and pull something?" Despite referencing her disability she smirked, obviously showing how she was joking about it all. Really she just needed to speak with Benedali in private about the matter. And, if need be, Mallory had just the guys to call on to keep Maka occupied if need be. Really this was hard enough as it was and she didn't want it to be any more so.

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Maka Sumoto"] [member="Mouse"]

Benedali squeezed back, before placing both hands on her bag handle. She was grateful for the gesture, though it did little to reassure her. At Mallory's request, she hesitated before nodding. "I rented rooms for Maka and myself in a nearby inn; we can talk there, if that's alright."

The rooms in question were two joined rooms. It was clear that Mallory only wished to speak to her, which made her even more anxious. If it was indeed a trap, Maka would only be a door away. In the meantime, the two women would still have the requested privacy.

Giving a weak smile, the Duchess gestured at the exit. "It's half a block away we can travel on foot there, unless you'd rather call a cab?"

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka sighed inaudibly as Bennie pulled away, and set about to mentally taking inventory of all the weapons he had on him. His lightsaber was concealed in the appalling white leather longcoat he was wearing, along with no less than three blasters and his retracted energy bow. He and his duchess would be as safe as they'd get without backup.

"Yes, I'd rather we stayed on the ground. Easier to see everything that way. "

He didn't add that he couldn't exactly shoot down any attackers from a moving vehicle. He was good, but not that good. But the slightly veiled plea for their trust caught the archer's attention as he pulled his jacket closer around himself. He grinned vaguely at the woman, and reflected on how his mantra about uncertain situations might sound to somebody who'd never met him before.

"Everything's a trap, Mallory... It's just about whether the trap is set for you, or not. And whether it's set to kill."

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Mouse"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

When it was clarified to her about the partment Mallory nodded, seeing as they had things prepared in advance. In hearing Maka say how he belived everything was a trap she rolled her eyes and said "Well okay. I mean it's not like I'm sweating over it." She then looked to Benedali when she asked about calling a cab when it was only a block away, Mallory giving a slighty resented look before answering "I can manage, thank you." She turned her wheelchair around and began to roll off, following with the two of them as they did. Trying to make conversation despite a bad situation she asked "So....how was your trip from...wherever Mouse managed to contact you?"

[member="Maka Sumoto"] [member="Benedali Serrus"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Maka Sumoto"] [member="Mouse"]

Benedali couldn't help but roll her eyes at Maka. In her opinion the man was much too paranoid for his own good sometimes. Though it's sometimes come in handy... Letting out a faint sigh, she caught sight of Mallory's look. Realizing the woman had taken her comment the wrong way, she thought of a way to explain herself. "I didn't mean to imply you couldn't handle being on ground, but you wouldn't believe some of the nobles who require transportation just to walk ten feet." She shook her head in shame. The joking manner was as much of a way to reassure Mallory as it was to keep her queasiness at bay.

At the other woman's inquiry, the Duchess tilted her head slightly, thinking. "Well..." Maka would most likely have a heart attack if she told Mallory they were from Alderaan, and she didn't feel like sharing the fact that she worried too much to pay attention, so in the end Benedali just shrugged. "I slept most of the time, unfortunately. But I must say, the moments I was awake were intriguing. I don't think I've ever seen so many species in one place. Though, I wish the seats had been cleaner." She wrinkled her nose at the memory. Definitely not the accommodations she was used to, but the redhead kept that to herself as well. Even she was aware that not everyone could afford what she had.

Sidestepping a pedestrian to avoid collision, she looked down at the other woman. "So, do you live here? Or did Mouse simply decide that this would be an excellent meeting place?"

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka just grinned wider as the two redheads rolled their eyes at him. He was totally aware of what that little line of his sounded like: Either something that would have come off as badass if it hadn't been a lanky, one-armed, spectacled archer saying it, or a line from a badly directed action flick. It was both. Action flicks were his bread and butter as a kid, and he'd been in awe of superheroes (who were nearly the same as Jedi) and grumpy veteran soldiers.

Why this train of thought even occurred to the archer was impossible for him to know... almost as if somebody else had placed it in his mind (Oh, wait...) Anyway, when Bennie described the trip as 'intriguing', he tried not to laugh. His duchess had been drooling on his shoulder for most of the three-day trip. Not like he was gonna tell her, though. She looked cute when she slept on his shoulder like that. Obviously not a conversation they'd have in front of, or in the general earshot of, Mallory or anybody else.

At any rate, he pointed at the building when they got to it. It was a pretty swanky place. With an odd look at Bennie, he opened a door for the two women.

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Mouse"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Mallory continued to wheel her way with them all the way to the building, hearing [member="Benedali Serrus"] describe her trip and how she wished things were a little cleaner. She smirked and huffed before saying "You must come from a nicer part of the galaxy then. Let me guess.....Alderaan?" She waited to hear wheather she was right or wrong before saying "I used to live there. Decent place. But one thing lead to another and I wound up here. I'd say.....four years now. Maybe five." Once they'd arrived in front of the building Mallory stopped and looked up, seeing how large it was, before commenting "Oh yeah. This place. Lots of diplomats and all tend to stay here. I'm sure you two will get easily accomedated then."

[member="Maka Sumoto"] [member="Benedali Serrus"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Maka Sumoto"] [member="Mouse"]

Benedali returned Maka's odd look, mouthing, 'Good privacy and security' to him. In truth, she'd also predicted that the shuttle ride would be a tad dirty, and as such had arranged the proper accommodations. She was surprised, though, when Mallory guessed that they were from Alderaan. Not too sure on what to reveal, she simply said, "In the general area, yes. Alderaan is beautiful, though you wouldn't be able to tell if you visited it now. But, there's still places where the planet fights for its natural ecosystem."

She gave a small sigh, before nodding at the desk. "I'd better get our key for the rooms." Shoving her bag into Maka's arms, Benedali marched to the desk at the fastest natural pace she could manage. The Duchess wanted this meeting to be done and over with.

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka took Bennie's bag from her with a raised eyebrow. So there was security here, but that honestly didn't do very much to reassure the slightly paranoid archer. In fact, if he really had to shoot somebody, hotel security could make his life hell. But privacy was important, and something told him that they'd be glad of it soon enough. As his duchess walked away, his expression darkened a bit. Without looking at the woman in the wheelchair, his voice dropped to a mutter.

"Something happened to that Jedi, am I right? He dead, or just disappeared?"

[member="Mouse"] [member="Benedali Serrus"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Mallory nodded at the mention of Alderaan. She didn't tell anyone of them but she'd grown up there. Best not to get too much into detail about how, she was just relieved they didn't recognize the name "Gugina" if they were the high soceity types they claimed to be. But given what had happened she knew it would come up eventually, or at least the reasoning why she was involved with Orron, the person she'd called about in the first place. Once the duchess went to get her key Mallory sat there and waited before Maka had whispered his question to her. Mallory didn't look at him, hiding her expression from him as best she could. She only lowered her head a little and kept her hat over her eyes to hide the inital response.

"It's for the duchess to hear first." she said.

[member="Maka Sumoto"] [member="Benedali Serrus"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

Benedali returned with the key card in hand, a slightly perturbed look on her face when she caught sight of Mallory and Maka. She wanted to ask why they looked as if someone they knew had died, but didn't. The Duchess had a feeling they'd been discussing the news Mouse had wanted to share with them, and quite frankly she would rather have been in her rooms to hear it.

"We are on the second floor, rooms 2115 and 2117. Elevators are...that way, I believe." Benedali gestured in what she hoped was the right direction. "Shall we?"