And a plan to go with it

[Lassiter]

Sena had never been one for waiting. Impatience and an inflated ego rarely left her in enough of a good mood to simply sit around and do nothing while she waited for time to pass. In that regard the Ember of Vahl had spoiled her plenty, the Triumvirate not so much. She had no pull here, the name ‘Lassiter’ or ‘Darth Drethi’ carried very little meaning or weight in these parts and the woman felt it. She slowly paced back and forth outside the very spot she had been instructed to meet the new tribune at. They were going to discuss what her next move was to be, how Sena could be of further assistance to their cause. In reality she was only looking to strengthen her own position in the ranks, but that was hardly something she was alone in doing. This particular breed of Sith weren’t brutes, but an urge for power was universal. A cornerstone even, if you wanted to get into the realm of opinion.

The young woman’s head crooked for the third time in the last twenty minutes to look at her watch. She was still not through those doors. Eagerness ripped at her seams as if would let her into the room any quicker or as if it would let her get out there and put the weight of the Triumvirate and possibly the Ember on as many as should. Then again, it was doubtful that these people held any real value to her. As things were panning out in the moment all she really wanted was to prove that she would be a valuable ally to them, albeit a freelance one kept at arm’s reach. It was what both parties would want in the end, probably.

That said her contact within said organization might not have been one of the three heads at the very top but he was absolutely close to it. Newly promoted, most likely eager to fill his seat before anyone else can. She could work with that. The door slid open at last. The redhead brushed the impatience and stress off her shoulders, rolled them, tilted her head to each side to relieve the tension and stepped inside.

“Darth Athyssius.” Rule number one, always read up on the people in charge. The woman approached the new tribune. No hand was extended, that was a privilege reserved for friends and other similar targets. “We meet at last.”

“Congratulations on your promotion,” Small talk. People loved that, as if affirmation and confirmation of the obvious made people feel safer about the state of things, more often than not the weather in particular. “I hear it was quite a thing, but at the same time I believe that you are a very busy man, and I am a busy woman. We could skip formalities and skip straight to business.”

“Your message mentioned a plan, I am a willing soldier.” The direct approach. A gamble in itself depending on the insecurities, humor and overall appeal you had to the other person involved. “What do you have for me?”

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

It was his want to keep people waiting on him these days.

After Ruusan, the Triumvirate had many changes to go throughout. After he had executed his Master, Orcus personally towards the end of the battle when the tides were turning in their favour, he had expected to take the Herglic Triumvir's position as one of the three leaders of the faction. Evidently, he had been wrong. Slighted in all facets, most certainly. It put him in a sour mood most hours of the day, and when he wasn't in a sour mood, he was putting those who served him in a sour mood.

Of course, necessarily.

They had to go through the training regiments he fashioned countless times daily. By all means of the phrase, he was ruining their lives. But again, it was necessary. As the new Tribune of Military Affairs, he wanted efficiency in his ranks. Not the crippling forces that he had experienced in the Valley of the Jedi.

Stepping towards the door that [member="Lassiter"] was hidden behind, the newly anointed Sith Lord felt the irritation rolling off of his guest in droves. Even as a Padawan I would've sensed that. He sighed, and before his large frame could push through the door, he was ambushed by the Sith Knight. She approached him almost immediately, he was almost taken off guard. She was straightforward, perhaps too much he realized, but he certainly didn't let that show on his rugged features.

He pushed a hand through his hair, the gauntlet settling at the top of his head before he turned and beckoned her to follow him through the winding corridors that were his own to memorize. "I doubt you heard it was quite of anything." He says. Presuming she spoke of the battle in the Valley of the Jedi, or the death of Orcus, regardless, there were few enough to see it. Not even the Stormtroopers saw him kill Darth Orcus. At least, he didn't think they had.

"I appreciate your want for pushing this along," he says evenly as they finally entered his office and he strode behind the large desk that was covered in flimsi pads all over and with a flick of his wrist, anything and everything that wasn't rooted to the deactivated holo-table was cast off with a brush of the Force and he turned on the table a moment later once he sat down behind it. There were two chairs on the other side of it and he waved to them. "Have a seat," he said before he continued to speak. "But I don't know who you are. I selected a profile of someone who looked familiar. Perhaps we ventured past each other on the battlefield, or even in a past mission together, but besides that -- Your file was relatively just that. A folder." He cleared his throat as he placed his left hand on the table and threw something up into the centre of it, the holo-projector activating and bringing up the visuals of the planet Ruusan, the planet they were currently orbiting.

"You're not a busy woman. Not yet. That's going to change," he said with a pleasant smile. The sort of smile that didn't reach his eyes as his golden orbs watched her.

"Tell me about what you have done and what you intend to do. Combat oriented? Or perhaps clandestine operations?"

 

[Lassiter]

It was her job description quite to the point. ‘I doubt you heard it was quite anything’ was like the ultimate description of what a successful run in her line of work entailed. If she did it right her target wouldn’t even have known they were back in the fold and if she got sloppy, well, Sena never was so there was no point in dwelling on that. Success and failure were bi-polar, if she succeeded it was with great skill and if she failed to stick with her original plan it was best to ignore unnecessary safety parameters to ensure the more important parts of the plan was covered. Usually that meant the death of someone. In her line of work she wasn’t the one to be picky about whether the lost sheep of the herd was a sad casualty or not.

The woman took her seat and looked at the man as he talked about pushing things along. Her legs crossed as if to accentuate her legs. The way the boots hugged her calves, the way her pants hugged her thighs. The leather jacket that seemed to match everything just right and the fact that her hair had been properly styled for this particular meeting. In many ways Lassiter had picked up more from her partner than she cared for as they powered each other’s egos. Sena turned to vanity and pride more often than she would like and in turn Ameli was starting to grow just a little bit more serious every now and then. In many regards Ameli was still her polar opposite, but the things that bound them together did so quite well if not to the point of dependency.

But enough about that, the present held more weight.

Lassiter nodded at the remark that she seemed familiar and tried not to grimace at the mention of not being busy. Internally she felt a rant cooking up in which she would state, repeatedly, that she was a Sword of Vahl. No, she was not just a sword of Vahl, she was the Sword of Vahl. Her entire life had been leading up to that particular spot in the organisation’s hierarchy, yet nonetheless she let the slight pass figuring he was most likely unaware of who she was. Which was a good thing. Told her that she had done her job right.

“Clandestine.” She gave the man a single affirmative nod. “I guess you could say I work in the ‘lost and found’ business. People go missing, I bring them back. Dead, sometimes alive.”

“I am not particularly involved in the Triumvirate’s business, but I have been present for a few operations. Mainly the acquisition of a space station above Validusia as well as the defense of Olmondo, Ruusan.”

“As far as intentions go I am ashamed to admit I have none. The One Sith are an example of stagnation and the Jedi are still allowed air to breathe. In many regards I represent my organisation, the Ember of Vahl, where I am currently a Sword of Vahl.” She paused herself for a second. “Hell, I am actually the Sword of Vahl at the moment. What I bring to the table is not just the soldier in me but the soldier in our members as well.”

“... An alliance of sorts, if you will. Unofficial, no real ties, but I can still convince a couple of us to fight by your side, should I feel so inclined.”

And as far as the Ember of Vahl went she Sena was still at least above many others in the ranks. Not quite on the same level as the Eye of the Dark Lord and High Priestess of the Ember, Darth Isolda, but Lassiter had some pull. All she needed was to be convinced that the Triumvirate was worth their time and she would do her best to make the arrangements.

Really, what more did an orderly Sith faction need if not an army of raving fanatics at their side?

“Though that entirely depends on you. Who are you, and what would you have me do?”

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

It was true that Athyssius was ignorant in regards as to who she truly was. Coupled with that, he also had little to no knowledge of the Ember of Vahl. He felt that it was almost his duty as a Sith Lord to not let her know that. So he remained impassive as he worked his jaw in curiosity while she spoke. His features didn't appear to be attentive, though he most certainly was. He was focused on scrolling through the rows and columns of information that sit in front of him.

Finally looking back up to where when she apparently had the... Gall to ask him who he was, he looked up and clasped his hands together atop of the table and gave an unsettling smile. It almost appeared genuine when it spread along the sides of his face and finally reached his gaze. There was little trust to be had in Sith. Everyone had a hidden agenda. He was certain that even Orcus had one, but he hadn't been able to figure it out. No matter, he was dead and gone now. There was no reason to dwell on the Herglic's would be secrets.

"The Sword of Vahl," he said, his facade of feigning interest almost slipping. He dropped the smile however as he answered, purposefully ignoring the question as to who he was.

"Destroy the Silver Sanctum Coalition from the inside." Clearing his throat, he says, "Naturally, you'll be tasked with disabling important structures. Sensors and scanners, communications, you get the point.

Perhaps even task you with assassinating a target, if I should feel so inclined."

[member="Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

Unsettling was a relative term. The man tied his hands with each other as a smile spread on his lips and Sena did the same. She leaned back in her chair, tented her fingers and raised her eyebrows in a way that was almost just about as condescending as she could make them without utterly disrespecting the man. Her head bobbed up and down in confirmation that, yes, she was indeed a Sword of Vahl and yes she was outstanding in that particular field. Although subtle it was still easy to see that the man wasn’t really all that interested, not really. Force know Sena would not have been had she been in his chair.

In that regard, she envied him. She had set herself into the Triumvirate to butter up Carach as a way to reconnect with her dead master, but fate seemed to have other plans. After all, it was hard to butter up a dead man.

… Unless you wanted to get the authorities involved, and Sena rarely did.

“This sounds like preparation for something big.” Lassiter said as her gaze lowered. “Destruction from the inside is an arduous process that can take months if not years at worst.” Her shoulders rolled a shrug at the mention of assassination, “Really, I work assassinations more often than not. If you need key engineers dead, then I can do that. Explosives, not so much.”

“That said, infiltration and systematic termination of personnel, absolutely. Could even try my hand at replacing people in their ranks, depending on what you had in mind.”

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

At this juncture in their conversation, Darth Athyssius was all business.

Multiple scenarios played out in his mind as to what could happen if he said too much or little. The latter would likely be nothing, but the former could be leaked operations if his office was bugged which was highly unlikely, considering his extremely cautious nature in having it swept with his supervision numerous times throughout a week. He took his new position seriously evidently.

Clearing his throat, the planet of Ruusan disappeared from the Holo-Projector.

When she mentioned that it sounds as if he were planning something big, he didn't delegate that a direct response, instead he maintained that same look. Even confirming that could alert anyone.

"Not necessarily." He responded finally. "You only have to be in the right place at the right time for the mission that I suggest to work." He thinks for a moment, and once having gathered his racing thoughts, he says, "Simply because I do not trust you, I won't divulge the entirety of the operation yet. For now, however, I want you to perform surveillance with whoever you can trust on the planet, Saleucami. It's situated within Coalition Space, in the Outer Rim Territories. I'll have mission actual in your hands by tomorrow morning." Other things begged for his attention, but in this moment his mind weren't on those.

Turning his head as he jumped back to what she said earlier.

"Also, the death of civilians is sanctioned. Only if they do not lead back to you. Have it appear like a... Normal homicide. It's the Outer Rim, plenty of crazies out there. Of course, if there are military personnel, you may execute them as you wish." With that final statement, he shrugged. "Surveillance is the only portion you and yours must do, if you choose to bring any with you. You won't be needing explosives... You'll know when you have the details."

[member="Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

Now that’d be a first. To be at the right place at the right time was just about the one thing Sena never was, had she been as such then she would have been out of a job long ago. More often than not her job was to get the people who had been ‘at the right place at the right time’ to ensure that they didn’t swerve from the path the goddess had set out for them. It was a job that fitted her fine and very much the reason why she thought little of it when the man emphasized ‘normal homicide.’ Once again it was a matter of perception on the matter, and when it came to the norm for homicide it was perhaps fair to assume that Lassiter’s was a bit off. Draining someone of blood was pretty common for her brand of murder, outright stabbing and getting it over with was not.

Which wasn’t to mention the fact that, yes, it was the Outer Rim. There were plenty of crazies there.

“Well, at least we’re on the same page.” Trust was a precious commodity. “I won’t bring anyone with me, I work better alone.” Half-truth, there were someone that she worked well with but this man (or anyone else for that matter) was not one of the people who needed or deserved to know that. “So, surveillance and a potential assassination or two.”

Her head nodded up and down. “I can work that. Once I have the brief tomorrow I’ll get straight to work.” The woman got out of her chair, circled around it’s back and grabbed a hold of its back. “In any case, I assume that was all. Anything else you need to add?”

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Darth Athyssius had little else to say the Sword of Vahl. Now that their meeting was coming to an end, he was already certain of how the operation would play out in his mind. There were a handful of things that needed to finish falling into place, and when that was done, the Operation on Saleucami would be ready to be... Operated.

Clearing his throat, he nodded. "That is all." On second thought, he raised a hand to stop her from leaving should she already begin turning away from him.

"I'll be handing you the DataPad personally. Once you've read and understand the mission, you will destroy it. No one else must know of this. If they do, even if you know them from the Triumvirate." He looked back down at the DataPad that was already in front of him. It was the forewarning for her saying that they were done.

"Kill them."

Once he spoke those words, it was clear he was done with her.

He wasn't onoxious enough to wave a hand at her, shooing her out of the room, but some may have considered it just as bad. Even so, she seemed to be in a rush, for whatever reason. A date perhaps? He doubted it, he imagined she chased off anyone who was interested with her want for hurrying things along.

Not that he could blame her...

[member="Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

“Got it.” The woman nodded her once and turned around on her heel to leave. The slight rustle of fabric, the man’s voice rising up in one final instruction and warning. Tell no one, and kill those that you do tell. There were paranoia and then there was this guy. Her eyebrow perked in skepticism. Were all tribunes like this? “Of course.” She said and raised her arms by her waist in a half-shrug that screamed of ‘do I seem like an amateur to you?’

She stepped outside the office and walked down the corridors of the ship. He mentioned nobody must know what she was doing. A smart move, albeit the first she’d break. Not in the regard that she would tell anyone what she would be doing as much as the simple fact that [member="Ameli Trahir"] would be the first and only person to know who it was that hired Sena to dive into SSC territory. A way to ensure future retribution in case of an untimely death, if you will. Or perhaps a lover’s reassurance. Either of them worked, really.

But until then, Sena had to get ready.

Which she did. Hopefully.

She wasn’t an amateur.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]