Mouth of the Beast (Alicia Dray)

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Darth Ayra"]

"Romeo Sin."

A slow and halfway genuine smile grew as Mara turned in place, keeping Ayra in front of her. Out behind the older woman, columns of smoke rose from the sites of Iron Crown's new cortosis mines.

"I have an anecdote you'll appreciate. A few years back, Romeo Sin made a pass at Spencer Jacobs. Ashin Varanin showed up in his throne room, used his own courtiers to block his attacks, shattered his throne, and beat the clart out of him. His little empire collapsed, and that's when the Primeval did their thing."

She kept turning. "That's interesting that he's trying again. I've always wanted to vacation on...what's it called again? Eclipstica? Uninhabited rock with one city and a Force nexus?"

 

[Darth Ayra]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

"Never heard of it." Darth Ayra only knew of the Sin Empire- or whatever Romeo had decided to call it- because of her ties to the New Order. She had taken over Darth Vulcanus' fledgling group of exiles after he decided to- quite literally- pull a sun out of his bottom in the middle of a battle. That was the last time she saw the Graug and she was unlikely to see the monster, once known as Krag, ever again.

"I assume you know the way to Eclipstica? Of course, assuming, that we have reached an accord. Assuming that you aren't leading me, inviting this conversation, to get to know as much as I know because getting out of dodge?"

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Darth Ayra"]

Mara shrugged again. This time she meant it. "As for my intentions, believe what you like. My aunt was Velok's lab assistant and spent her younger years outwitting your Master. She was Sirella Valkner's apprentice, too. In short, she had a taste for chaos, tricks, mischief, change for its own sake, a good plot. I was like that when I was a kid, but I got the flightiness shot out of me. Playing you for the sake of playing you? Not interested. This meeting was about mitigating risk, not about baiting you. Yes, I know where Eclipstica is -- I'm a Merrill; astrogation is what we do -- and yes, we have an accord. I'm sure we'll reevaluate that arrangement as necessary."

She turned and walked away into the swamp, trying to project a bravado that she didn't quite feel. Out past the jungle, she could hear the Iron Crown cortosis mines grinding away. "I'll comm Eclipstica's coordinates and a handful of routes to your public persona. Take the route you prefer; you should need a couple of weeks to get out that far. See you then, Alicia."

 

[Alicia Drey]

| [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] |

Alicia came to a stop, feeling the rage subside and replaced by the twisted, yet serene calm she came to after years of honing her mind. Arms folding over her chest, she watched Mara leave, wondering if she had made a mistake letting her leave Obradaan. Rave had been clever, crafty, manipulative; portraying a subtly that she herself practiced. Mara had seemingly fulfilled her large boots. Was she being played?

It was too late to stop her now. Plus, she didn't want to expose who she was to the nearby Jin'ha. The damage was already done, crafted by Pandeima and her idiocy. As she watched Mara leave, Alicia turned her thoughts to Romeo Sin. There was no point focusing on the possibilities now. She had a target, and apparently, an accord with a Merrill. Stranger things have happened, she thought quietly.

"See you then," Alicia echoed as Mara left the Cortosis mines.