Its a Small Galaxy

[Dax Perl]

Location: Ziost​

Seriously...Dax had no fething clue why he was here. There had been no mission to go there, no mysterious call by the Force, nothing. And yet here he stood, clear on the other side of the galaxy from where he was supposed to be, staring up at an ancient temple that was older than [member="Jorus Merrill"]...and Dax was pretty that guy was an immortal or something.

The Rogue took a tentative step forward, suddenly curious as to what the ancient structure could hold within, assuming a graverobber hadn't gotten to it already...actually...Dax was pretty sure he would find graverobbers still in there, dead...Sith certainly liked their traps. Well, only one way to find out.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Temple exploring was always interesting. Ziost was a place Kaalia hadn't been to before, and it provided the perfect opportunity to scratch that ancient temple itch. There was no real other reason to be here. [member='Ishana Pavanos'] was on a pilot base, [member='Ara Ren'] was on a scouting mission, the list went on. A solo day wasn't the end of the world though, as it opened up the opportunity to reset her systems for a bit. Today wasn't going to be a solo day, however. What it was going to be was an interesting day.

As she took step after step, coming closer to the entrance of the temple, she sensed a presence that was familiar. It was the Force signature she had traded blows with back on Seoul after Ara had set her sights on taking him out. She immediately shrunk her own presence out of instinct and slowly closed the distance between her and the entrance. As she peeked inside she saw the figure of the man and although she her first thought was to sneak up and attack him, perhaps having him explain the history between him and Ara before that was a better idea. If he even wanted to talk, that was. She snuck up behind a pillar that was close enough for him to hear her voice, but far enough for her to react to him attacking her. "I see you walked out of Seoul alive. I must thank you for trying to drain the life out of me though, the ability has been of great use to me." What a small galaxy it was.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax was hardly surprised when a voice rang out from behind a pillar of the temple. Although the woman's Force presence was diminished, almost non-existant even, life in a lifeless place was certainly noticeable. "Its an interesting ability isn't it?" the Rogue said, turning towards the general direction of the woman's voice. She was good. He could hardly detect her, but he certainly had trouble pin pointing her location. It felt like the tiniest pinprick of his senses, just barely enough to be noticed, but not enough to be certain it had happened at all. "You better not have drained anyone I care about. You won't last long if you have."

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia smiled broadly as she kept her back towards the pillar, resisting the temptation to peek out. "Most definitely. It's just too bad that the people I'm trying to... Pass it on to, seem to die under mysterious circumstances. It really is a shame." The longer she could keep up the conversation, the better. In the meantime she would get a feeling of what the man was up to. She let out a chuckle that was loud enough for him to hear as he continued. "Need me to give you a list to sift through?" The woman kept her tone lighthearted, almost playful, as she kept her senses focussed on the one she had traded blows with on Seoul. "I would do it for you, but I don't really know you or who you care about and I would assume you're not very willing to share personal info."

The redhead was still trying to figure out how hostile the relative stranger really was and so she kept talking. "What is your issue with my friend anyway? I'd love to hear the other side of the story. What was it again... Something about Coruscant. A weapons deal, right?" In reality she knew most of what happened already through Ara, but she wanted to know how he would react to the information and his version of what happened.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"Coma gas." the Rogue answered as he cautiously put a hand on his saber. "Your friend happened across me and thought it'd be a good idea to try and attack me. Obviously that didn't work out too well." The man's eyes searched the darkness for any hints of movement, anything that'd give away the woman's position. He decided to begin pacing the hall cautiously, eyes flitting back and forth. "You didn't happen to bring her with you? I'd love to kick your asses back across the galaxy. And your boyfriend? What about him? Or was that her boytoy?"

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

With the mentioning of coma gas Kaalia realized she was dealing with someone even more dangerous than she had assumed before. Pacing could be heard as the otherwise silent temple was the host of little tapping sounds. Perhaps he was looking for her, which wasn't a very good sign. She let him finish talking, storing whatever was relevant into her memory. Perhaps it would be useful down the line. She remained silent for a moment to try to reset any pointers he had towards her location based on sound, but remained stationary.

After the small pause she spoke up again. "I checked, but I'm not sure if I have anyone with me I'm afraid. My mind slipped, sorry about that." The redhead was going to give as little information as possible, the potential uncertainties hopefully making him think twice about directly engaging her. Whether it would be of any help or not was left to be seen, but it was worth trying at the very least. "And no, the guy was hers, not mine. He... Does not fit my set of preferences." The one who did was Ishana, of course, but the woman wasn't going to give away the name or even allow him to know she even had someone in her life. All to stay as unknown as possible.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax aimlessly span his saber in his hand, his boots echoing into the depthless dark. The phantom voice losing a source as it echoed with every reverbation.

"Your set of preferences..." Dax scoffed. "Well, what are we to do now? Are you gonna try to even the score? If that's what you want, then I think you'll walk away disappointed...assuming you walk away at all." He snaked between the columns of the temple, his voice fading in and out with each new obstruction. He waited for her to make the first move.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The man was on the move. He was actively searching for her now, which was not a good sign for Kaalia. When he heard his voice slightly fade she calmly walked over to another column, looking to delay what he was going to do once he found her. "You will find that I can be very forgiving." A small strut, a new column. As long as he was on the move she felt she could do the same, although she wasn't sure how perceptive of it he was. "I can't entirely fault you for not appreciating someone butt in on private business. I would've done the same in your situation." The redhead looked around for a glimpse of the one she was playing the cat-and-mouse game with but found nothing. She moved for a third time, a third column was now in her back. "Now, you hurt my friend and that wasn't very nice of you. But..."

The woman decided to switch her strategy up on the fly. This game was entertaining, but it wasn't going to get her anywhere. They either would come to blows or not and playing hide-and-seek wasn't going to affect that. "I'd say Seoul evened the score. You hurt my friend, we tagged you in return." She smiled but kept her hands close to the sabers at her hips, ready to react would the man decide to attack her. "If we bury the hatchet here nobody has to die. Unless that is what you want, of course."

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

The woman surprised Dax. An offer of peace. That was unlike most Dark Siders the man had known. "What's the catch here?" he asked the air, "I don't believe that you'd let this die. Not without some ulterior motive at least. So spill." Honestly, Dax wouldn't put it past the Dark Sider to stab him in the back at the first opportunity. He wouldn't put it past himself for one, and he considered himself a decent person. But betrayal could be easy, especially when you didn't like the victim in the first place.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

He didn't trust it. Kaalia wasn't surprised by the fact, however. In reality she completely understood it even and even thought it to be the best thing for him to do from his position. "The catch? Well, preferrably I'd like you to apologize to my friend but I don't see that happening. Walking out of this place without any new scars is also a very alluring thing I could take away from this though." She'd rather see the encounter end without the ignition of her blades, but if it was necessary she would have had no qualms about using everything she had in her arsenal. "As long as we both keep our distance, we can talk. Right? I'm not asking you to become my best friend, but the reason I went after you in our previous meeting isn't here. I have no reason to fight you unless you have one." The redhead really didn't expect it to work, but it was worth a shot.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Silence followed the woman's request, a long and drawn out nothingness. Even the sound of his pacing had ceased. Finally, "Alright. Just don't expect me to put my sabers away." The man's eyes focused on the area from which he expected the disembodied voice to appear. "Now come on out. I like being able to see who I'm speaking with."

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia wasn't surprised. it was only smart to be weary and she herself was so too. "Don't expect me to put mine away either. As much as you don't entirely trust me I feel the same, funnily enough." Still, somebody had to take the first step and she was the one who had suggested it in the first place. "You better don't come jumping at me out of nowhere." Her eyes closed for a moment and she took a deep breath. She realized the risk she was taking, but she had decided to follow the man herself. If anything happened, it was on her.

She counted from three to one, then calmly walked away from the pillar she hid behind into the open. Her back was close to the wall as she looked around for the one she was talking to. "Well, here I am. If we can't figure it out and come to an agreement we can always resort to violence. This way we at least tried."

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

The Rogue stepped out of the shadows and into the light that streamed into the hall from the door way behind him, casting his shadow long, hiding his features from her. "I'd like to at least know the names of the people who have been trying to kill me." he said as he began to approach her. "Since we're being cordial, you can at least grant me that."

Honestly, he couldn't blame the woman if she didn't give up that precious piece of information. Truth be told, he normally wouldn't give it up either. Yet he sensed something different with the woman. For one, she hadn't outright tried to stab him as of yet. And second, she actually seemed sensible. Not a murderer or a genocidal maniac...or someone who randomly attacks people during arms deals...

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia grimaced for a moment. "Ehh..." Giving up names like that seemed like a terrible idea to her. She still had no idea what his true intentions were, so it wasn't a viable option to the woman. "I don't think I can do that. What if you're planning on seeking them out and doing not-so-nice things to them? I would look very silly if I helped you do that." Leaving a potential future meeting between the man and the others to him was not something she was keen on. "Besides, I don't even know your name."

However, if it was a meeting he wanted, maybe she could help out. "Now, if you want to have a nice little chat with the one who ruined your arms deal I could perhaps arrange such a thing. Granted, it's not happening if she herself doesn't want to talk to you but... I need to know whether you do. And no, not face to face. That would be bad idea." A holocall was much safer to prevent things from coming to blows. Perhaps the stranger would've been able to contain himself, but Kaalia was much more concerned about Ara's explosive nature towards people like him.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax couldn't help laughing. Deep, from the belly, raucous laughing. The kind that made your sides hurt. He was certain the woman thought he was insane. "Well Red, lemme tell ya. I really don't care to ever see you, or your friends again. No offense, but you guys can become very annoying at times. You ruined an info deal for me as well ya know?" the man grinned anyways, despite the ruined deal. He'd nicked the datachip anyways. "But here, I'll go first. The name's Dax. Next time we meet, which it seems the Force thinks it should happen on occasion, I can at least call you by your name." In his few years Dax had discovered two truths in the universe. The galaxy was infinitesimally small, and that if you ever saw someone twice in your life, you were bound to see them for a third.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"].

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia let out a good laugh at his statement, but couldn't necessarily blame him. "Can't say you've been very nice or positive either. You even indirectly cost me my friendship with her. But hey, that's life. I still have my best friend, we're all still breathing, and things are still rolling." She shrugged and started leaning against the wall with her hand weaved together to form a headrest. "But yeah, I can see why you would be alright with never seeing any of us again."

The man introduced himself as Dax, finally giving the woman a name to connect to the face, something she appreciated. "Kaalia," she replied in return. It was the least she could give. "Better late than never, I suppose. And it's progress!" Progress towards what she wasn't entirely sure, if it was progress towards anything at all.

"So, Dax," she said after a short pause, "I came here to explore the place. I bet you had the same in mind. Since you're keen on making deals, at least I assume, how about we make sure that the other doesn't die a horrible death and we split the profits of what we find? Or is that a step too far on your trust meter?"

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"You're right. A little high on my trust meter right about now." the Rogue said, crossing his arms. "But lets be honest. Whatever crazy Sithspawn is in there, it's better off if we're working together. You can try to kill me afterwards." Either the woman was being disarming and was planning to kill him the moment he turned his back to her, or she was genuinely trying to avoid further conflict. An odd trait for a Darksider, but admittedly a possibility. There was only one way to find out which she was.

"I'm ready whenever you are." the man said drawing his slugthrower and racking the slide.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The answer that Dax gave was far from what Kaalia had expected. The major reason she suggested to explore the tomb together was to help keep things civil, but she would gladly follow up on it. Having someone to watch your back in these kinds of ruins was always a good thing. There still have some apprehension coming from the man, but the point he made was very much accurate. They both would benefit from working together until at least after they had found anything valuable, if such things were even still here. Still, the redhead bore no intention to stab him in the back. It simply wasn't who she was.

Dax readied his slugthrower, at which Kaalia nodded. "Then what are we waiting for? Since you're the one with the huge rifle I suppose I can stay in front. Just don't 'accidently' hit me. That would suck." She looked around for a moment as she chuckled, noticing a stairway. "Come on, I think it's this way." The woman took hold of Mirari as she unclipped it from her hip, ready to ignite it in case danger would get a bit too close. She had a sneaking suspicion that she would have to use it on more than one occasion.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"I make no promises." Dax said with a smirk, clearly in good humor. He took up a position on her six, pistol in his left, Moreth's saber in his right, unlit, prepared for any of the unholy creation that the tomb may send careening their direction.

"So, any reason you chose Ziost as your vacation spot?" Dax asked as they proceeded through the long dark hall. The man hoped to glean some idea of who the woman actually was, beyond just her name. She seemed to be willing to talk first and kill later, a trait few darksiders exhibited. A true paradox of the Force in Dax's opinion.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia chuckled lightheartedly at Dax' statement, picking up on the humurous tone. "Can't say that's not smart. I hope you'll at least try though." She made sure to let the Force watch her back in case he decided to try to leave her to die here, not taking unnecessary risks. She was hopeful it wouldn't be immediately needed, but she'd take such a situation as it came.

The redhead took it slow, her eyes constantly darting around for any danger. Traps could be hidden anywhere and Sithspawn could be around any corner. She took a moment to answer the question that was sent her way, first making sure the coast was clear as the two made their way through the hallway. "I love exploring, especially ancient structures.. Normally I wouldn't tackle these kind of places alone, but unfortunately everyone was busy. Still, I wanted to go, so I went anyway."

They came to the end of the hallway where there was a split, giving them the option of going either left or right. She put her back against the far end of the left wall and looked in front of her, seeing barely anything on the right path due to how dark the place was. A peek to the left revealed just as much. "I need some light in here, I can see kark all," the woman said in a hushed tone as she brought up a hand, a bright flame appearing in her palm. There still wasn't too much to see, the worn and even-colored walls now visible however. "Your choice. Left or right?"

[member="Dax Fyre"]