Private Children of Shiraya: Pay the Piper

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Ryloth


Information was the name of the game, and Brandyn had nearly run out of it. The last lead he had was with someone titled 'Viceroy'. It sounded very formal, and the individual in question was possibly nobility. For this meeting, Brandyn scrubbed up a little more than he would for some of his back-alley info-broker dealings. He was back in his verdant green robes, the ornate designs woven into the subtly differently shaded panels of fabric gave an air of them being an ancestral heirloom. They weren't. They were a gift from his mother. But they looked important, and expensive. This was all he needed.

"I really must speak to the Viceroy..."

"It is a matter of some urgency," said the droid, "yes, you said that already. And the answer is still, no, the Viceroy is not currently taking guests, nor new servants...or whatever it is you think you hope to be to him today."

Brandyn hadn't even gotten past the first obstacle. "Fine. I will try elsewhere."

The droid gave some sort of informal salutation as Brandyn trundled off to the outside of the building. He took a left and joined the small amount of foot traffic that headed off to the west. The direct approach rarely worked, but Brandyn had not given up trying. It seemed that today would take infiltration, again, and then another encounter with a surprised individual who was afraid Brandyn was there to murder them. Having a partner, or some measure of support network from the Jedi would really have been helpful about now.

Coming to the corner of an alleyway, leading towards the back of the building, Brandyn just turned and walked in confidently. It had become apparent to him that doing something confidently was often the easiest way to get people to simply accept that you belonged there. If you were seen skulking about a place, that was always a red flag. Someone who just did something was rarely queried.

A quick glance over his shoulder, and he noted no one looking his way or following after him. He disliked opening himself up to the Force, as it made him a sudden surprise beacon within the Force to anyone sensitive and well-trained. The likelihood of this Viceroy being a Force-trained individual though? Very slim. Very slim indeed.

The cloak around his Force aura dropped, and the Force flooded him again. It was a strange feeling, but welcome. His legs felt the tingle of energy building up, before he bent down and expended that energy in a jump, then a second and a third as he bounded up the back of the building to reach the rooms on the top floor. He was muttering something about it being all too easy as be pushed back some curtains that covered a window, and stepped into a large, open room.

| Ket Van-Derveld |​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

Ryloth
City of Lessu
Government Building 01
Level Seven

[Ket's Soundscape: Transparent]

~Freedom is to be able to go in any direction, So take the uncertain path...~​

Equipment: Signet Ring, 'Big Iron', Hidden-Hilt Gauntlets.

It had been a long time since he'd set foot on the Twi'lek home-world, a very long time indeed. It still had a few fond memories for him, though, back in the days when the Confederacy was at it's zenith, and he had a fair few titles attached to his name; Viceroy of Ryloth among them. But, as they say, all good things. Still, he found himself coming back to the planet from time to time, as he still maintained a few discreet connections within it's government. The capital city and seat of the government had always stayed the same, regardless of who controlled the planet. The city of Lessu was one of the more unique places in the galaxy, a sprawling vertical city built in spiraling teirs within a massive spire atop the rocky mesas. Quite wondrous, the horizon taking on a certain beauty at dusk when you looked out from near the top tiers.

Yet, it was a city like all others in one regard. It housed all the same sort of criminal scum, corrupt politicians, bent security forces, and crooked cops. Nothing new there, nothing to write home about. Yet, out here in the Far Rim, near the borders of wild space, even the vaunted mandolorians of the Enclave couldn't put a stop to the flow of information. Every man and woman in power, from the Viceroy all the way down to the lowly security footman walking the beat, had their price. All you had to do was figure out the particular currency needed to pry open hands and loosen lips. Something the Family was very, very good at. The Coruscanti Mafia was everywhere, no matter where you went in the galaxy. From the dusty, barren deserts of Tatooine, the cloud filled skies of Bespin, the neon drenched cities of Denon, even the strom-wracked waters of Kamino. Even to the rocky mesas that Lessu sat upon Ryloth. The Family was there, sticky little fingers in everything, moving their pawns hither and fro, making credits hand over fist.

He'd just exited what appeared to be a random office on the seventh floor of the main building, having met with a low-level bureaucrat, reminding him very gently that a debt owed can sometimes result in a favor repaid. Adjusting the long, black leather coat he wore over his ebon-colored suit, he reached into an inner pocket, and produced a familiar sight to those who knew him; a small silver cigarra case with the howling wolf's head symbol of House Van-Derveld inlaid in obsidian. Taking a hand rolled cigarra from it's grasp, he lit it and took a drag as he placed the case back from whence it came.

That's when it hit him like a bolt from an ion cannon. The Force called out to him, it's tendrils wrapping around his mind, whispering it's sweet nothings into his consciousness like an old friend. Someone was reaching out, calling upon it's aid. It felt young, inexperienced, and... reluctant, yet determined. Sapphire blues snapped toward a door leading to the main elevator. Just as quickly, Ket Van-Derveld slipped quietly through the doorway as it opened, and made his way downward, following this beacon of light to it's source. A bit of a grin toyed on his features as he did, for how would one know the light without the darkness to contrast it?

Brandyn Sal-Soren ​

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

The room was oddly empty. Only a few pieces of art hanging on the walls, Brandyn looked them over with a half-hearted glance as he passed them. As he walked, he focused his energies on recloaking his presence, trying to his Force aura. He, as a biological being, was still very noticeable in the Force, but at least his Force abilities would be hidden from anyone that might be alerted to them.

At the far end of the room was a single door, which he suspected lead to an elevator. Given the size of this room, it surely took up the whole third floor, meaning that the elevator to upper levels had to be the only way in or out, well, other than the way he got in. It took him a few moments to get to the elevator controls.

"Secured," he muttered, looking at the red lights indicating their locked state, "damnit."

Pulling out his small toolkit, Brandyn crouched and got to work pulling the small control panel apart. Once inside the lift, he would likely have access to the other floors, unless the top floors required some keycard...he would cross that bridge when he had too.

Flicking open the panel, Brandyn froze. The lights on the panel had changed colour, and were slowly morphing from one colour to another. Was this the panels way of showing the elevator was moving? It was getting closed to red...wait, the panel hadn't been locked. This floor was signified by the red light!

"Carkin' sithspit," Brandyn hissed, before setting out in a dead sprint for the window he had previously jimmied open.

| Ket Van-Derveld |​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

As the elevator made it's way down from the top floors, Ket lost himself in thought for but a few moments. He adjusted the signet ring he wore on his pinky, rubbing the embossed Wolf's Head a moment as he thought back to the last time he'd felt such a presence. This one was unique, that much was certain, but it had that tinge of 'holier-than-thou' to it. A Jedi, perhaps? Here on Ryloth, at the same time he was here? Either exceedingly good luck on his part, horrid luck on their part, or perhaps a twisted little joke of the Force.

It was only then as the thought of seeing another Jedi after years of decidedly avoiding them that the beacon of light seemed to melt away. Slowly, it faded from his senses, but not entirely. His own presence within the Force would look just the same as any other sentient being going about their business this day thanks to that little piece of jewelry he wore among the other silvered rings on his fingers. He was quick to tap the controls, and he found himself upon the third floor. An old gathering room, if memory served, although he was unsure what they used it for these nights. Eventually, the elevator door opened, and as it did, sapphire eyes locked in on a figure dashing toward a far window.

Just as whomever it was got to the ledge, he called out aloud to them. "Leaving so soon? If I were to wager a guess, I'd say you've only just arrived." he said, leaning on the wall next to the elevator door, taking a drag off his cigarra. He exhaled a bluish-tinted smoke, as he took the cigarra between his fingers, and ashed it on the carpet. He was nothing if not unconcerned with trivial things such as proper smoking etiquette. There were other, much more intriguing things to be investigated, after all.

Brandyn Sal-Soren ​

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Brandyn paused as he was about to jump from the window's ledge. He could jump? Make a run for it and try to escape? He would probably do so, even quite easily, but it would require he open himself to the Force again, which was risky. Instead, he turned back to the direction of the voice.

"Why yes...but I was merely looking at the view...departing through a window would be very untoward," Brandyn said as he turned toward the man. He caught a glimpse outside the window again, noting that the view was utter garbage from that window. He winced.

Time to roll the dice, Brandyn.

"I have come to see the Viceroy. I was told that I could have an audience with him. Do you know...where I may find him? I seem to have become lost," he said.

Brandyn walked casually towards the man, his arms clasped behind his back.

| Ket Van-Derveld |​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

"Untoward, yes. But necessary? Perhaps, especially considering what's just outside." came his reply, a slight bit of laughter escaping his lips. The young man before him gave off a vibe of someone trying to bantha-chit his way out of a very compromising situation, took a gamble on a whim, and lost that particular roll of the dice. Had to give him, though. He was trying to think on his feet, that much was obvious. Yet, the Lupine didn't get the impression it was something this fair-skinned boy was used to.

Letting the youth finish speaking, he had to stifle a laugh at that. Come to see the Viceroy? It was common knowledge that the so-called 'Viceroy' was merely a puppet to the the real power of Ryloth these nights; the Mandolorians of the Enclave. They ran the show around here now, and if Ket were to admit it out loud, well, he would tell the boy it broke his little black heart. Bright sapphires trained upon the boy's hands as they disappeared behind the small of his back. He could hear the boy's heart beat just a tad faster as he began to stride, albeit slowly, toward the man clad in all black, cigarra hanging from his lips. Taking another drag, he exhaled a bit more of the blueish smoke, a corner of his mouth curling upward just a bit.

"Why ever would you be looking for the Viceroy out of a window, my boy? Lost is one thing, but playing ignorant another entirely. Not that you'd get anything of worth out of whomever occupies the office these nights." he mentioned off-handedly, with a knowing little wink thrown in for added measure. Ket wanted to see just how far the boy would go with his rather pathetic little ruse before getting to the meat-and-potatoes of why he was leaping from window to window. After all, if not for the slight bead of sweat, the little tears in his clothing and the discoloration near the tips of his shoes would be enough to make that assumption with a bit of assurance. Not to mention the small bits of plaster under his nails the Lupine figured he was trying to hide, with keeping his hands behind him as he was. His eyesight was just a tad bit better than your average human, after all. Just a tad, yes...

Brandyn Sal-Soren​

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Brandyn was working his hardest to not show that the man before him was intimidating to him. He thought he was doing well, faking it till he made it.

"I like nice views," Brandyn said with a shrug, "must admit that it wasn't great."

With the mention of 'playing ignorant' Brandyn wondered if the gig was up, but he pushed it just a little further. "It's not the Viceroy's position that is of concern to me, so his ability to do something for me is not necessary. I seek information...can you point me...in the right direction?"

He wandered past the man, keeping him in his peripheral vision at all times, and approached the elevator.

"What floor is the correct floor again?"

| Ket Van-Derveld |​