Rebirth of the Monarch

[Kay-Larr]

Defending him? Her mouth gaped open a little. She was defending herself. This was her home. It did not belong to her Master. But it was clear that what she had shown [member="Veiere Arenais"] was seen. The way that he turned away was evidence of that. She could torture him with those thoughts, those experiences, break him down so that he was nothing but a quivering mess as she was. Then he could rise up beside her, serve her and be more powerful than ever.

But not yet.

She had to be patient.

"Friends? Friends?! Friends don't come barging in and wreck my home! Friends don't come in and try to attack me like [member="Thraxis"] and like him!" She pointed behind her to [member="Ryn'Dhal"] with her lightsaber and then turned to Veiere once again. He did have what she wanted, but his terms were unfair and not fitting the situation. "That all depends on where their loyalties are. If they threaten me, why should I let them go? So that they can come back with a bigger force and take more away from me? I can't allow them to do that..."

He didn't get her earlier hint. Perhaps she had shown him too much. Veiere could be more fragile than she was. Maybe that was why her Master sought her out. She was more powerful than she realized.

Kay rested her thumb on the ignition switch of her lightsaber. "Where do your loyalties lie?..."

 

[WolfMortum]

[member="Lady Kay"] was his vulnerability, his point of weakness that [member="Coci Heavenshield"] had tried to warn him about...-To take care in his approach of the situation least his emotions overwhelm him as they were so capable of doing in such times of tension. Kay was a torrent of emotion herself, she pulled him in even while Veiere had tried to remain stoic in all of it, he watched as she lept from one accusation to the next, the anger of the Dark Side of the Force. Dealing only in black and white choices.

"As a Jedi Knight, my loyalty is to the Force and to the benefit of the people..." He replied quietly, turning to gaze back upon Kay, his eyes catching glimpse of the lightsaber in her hand, her thumb moving ever more for the weapons trigger, "Yet I came here for selfish reasons, I wished to see you...To see what had become of you...". Slowly Veiere moved to step away from the wall, walking slowly in an arc around to her side where he turned his gaze ahead of himself taking in the sight of the other two not so far off. His right hand moved to his belt, to which he unclipped the link that held the hilt of [member="Brennan Cabrol"] attached to his person, he did not activate it nor did he show it just yet though he did so out of caution in that her mind was far too unstable to accurately predict. "The Sith were responsible for the murder of your late husband, do you not recall this?" He asked curiously, his eyes still on [member="Darth Prazutis"] though his mind focusing on their immediate vicinity, this was a dangerous subject to broach with her yet he had a point to make. "Before me stands the Lady President of Commenor, formerly a gifted diplomat responsible for freeing countless slaves and incarcerating those at fault for their torture. Now you stand under the guise of another Sith Lord, he who is ready to kill every man and woman that you know...-And yet Commenor is not his. You are...Having undergone torture of your own, at his hands and yet he is your ally here today when those you have captured, have only wished to speak with you...", [member="Thraxis"] was a rogue, a member of the Hutt Cartel that Veiere had asked to join the rest of them upon the Chimaera on the eve of Kay's disappearance mostly to conclude that his syndicate of people weren't responsible themselves. He was a volatile man with an undeniable temper and not the sort that Veiere himself would typically involve himself with however there was history there between Thraxis and Kay, history that was significant enough to compromise for. "Thraxis is a touch feral, I will give you that" Veiere added, he had not been present to witness their interaction though with the presence of the Sith Lord it wasn't difficult to imagine, "I have a hard time deciphering his intentions but the others...They want only to help you and your true enemy stands not at your side but behind you facing off with a Jedi you used to call brother...".

Turning slowly, he moved to face her again and this time allowed the hilt of his lightsaber to come into view; held within his right hand he brought it to his front, his left hand taking a hold of his wrist and standing there studying her closely. It was clear by now that he was not easily going to be removed from the situation until he had assurances that they could come off upon some mutual ground. At the least, if her captives were to be released, those who did not deserve their incarceration, Veiere felt he could leave with some small form of success in the entire ordeal. Providing nothing worse came to the health of Kay Larr, there would always be opportunities to come...-Above all else, it was made quite clear to him that he had something she wanted. Though small, it was an advantage over the situation that he hoped would benefit them both in the end.

"We can discuss this..." He added after a brief moment of silence between them, "You can allow me to escort our people away from Commenor and in time I can return should you wish my help...-But I must urge you not to draw your sword on me Kay; I did not come here to fight you. As you say, you are the Queen, you will always have a choice in how you decide to act".

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Veiere Arenais"] really did love her. Jedi weren't selfish, not to her knowledge anyways. Yet with the holes in her memories, she couldn't trust what she could remember either. Kay could be drawing up false conclusions.

He moved to her side then, and for a moment she thought that he was surredering to her. But that feeling was broken the moment he spoke about her late husband's death. Oh yes, she remembered the circumstances surrounding it. Those memories were also used as torture against her by her Master's hands, forcing her to experience it over and over in a constant loop. She stared ahead at the duel further down the corridor in one of the Halls while Veiere continued to speak and lay out his version of the way things are. She clenched her jaw when he said that she was the property of the Sith Lord. Her Master's words echoed in her mind when she finally gave in and knelt at his feet. He was her 'eternal Master'. Eternal. Forever her life was to be held in his hands. He had threatened to take away all that he had given her and she wondered when that day would come. Kay wasn't so sure if she had it in her to endure months of torture again. It was all too much. But then again...she could surprise herself.

It wasn't until he moved in front of her and drew his lightsaber that Kay came out of her thoughts. She was the rightful Queen and he respected that, he believed it too. That gave him an edge over the others. There was a time and place for everything and now was not the time for a war. No. There was plenty for her to do here and she did not have everyone on her side just yet. "Fine. Take them with you. But should any of them attack me or my home, I will have no choice but to protect myself. Now go before I change my mind." There was a lot of planning for her to do, a lot of restructuring of her government. All of this was getting in the way. She wanted time alone, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Meanwhile the guards stood there puzzled for a moment as [member="Darlyn Excron"] attempted to sway them with the Force. Fortunately for him it had worked, but the Palace was on lockdown. "Sir, we are on lockdown. But some ship crashed into the west side. Go in that way."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

How, in the name of the force, had that worked? Darlyn, unskilled in this particular power, had tricked the guards into letting him in. Well, in a certain way, anyways. But even so it was, simply implausible. Regardless, Darlyn took his opportunity, moving around to the west end, trusting the Guards weren't foolish enough to forget to alert anyone of importance to the arrival of a high priority message, or at the least to anyone at the west end. Hopefully it would go smoothly.

Hopefully. Just to be safe, he moved as stealthily as he could without being... well.. suspicious. Once his foot landed on tile, he dropped the charade and walked calmly, opening his mind enough to feel the obvious force signatures with ease. Two, one pulsating with darkness, and one that felt familiar yet, of course, much different. He knew which path to take, at least where he had to go. Taking his time, the man in a mirrored mask walked with even steps, echoing through the halls as he moved onwards to [member="Lady Kay"]. Under his breath, he whispered a soft sort of prayer, a hope that he would find fulfillment of his debt to the woman who saved his life.

Phase one of his plan was officially initiated. He just had to hope he ran into Kay, rather than the Darkness he sensed.

 

[WolfMortum]

Indeed he did not wish to push his luck any further, not when finally having secured the safety of lives outside of his own. Looking to her, he offered a slim smile as brief as it were, it held more disappointment than pleasure yet his words would show his gratitude in the final act on her stead; "Thank you, Kay...-You will see me again. Perhaps then we can talk much more privately in regards to this new life of yours...-I have a vessel not far from here, it will contact your people for the appropriate exchange..." He dipped his head in a brief bow, slowly stepping backwards and turning only once out of arms reach, his hilt being hooked back upon his belt and in turn reaching for his comm-link to make haste of the recovery of the incarcerated personnel still in Chasin City. Moving in swift pace, he sought to make leave of the Palace.

It wasn't an easy thing leaving [member="Ryn'Dhal"] behind yet he had warned his fellow Jedi that violence could have been deterred; the feline was so head strong in his want for vengeance where as Veiere wasn't one to rush a situation, there were still many variables unknown and much more time ahead to pursue Kay's final release from the tutelage of the Sith, if that was indeed what she wanted.

"Forgive me..." He whispered under his breath, feeling truly corrupt for his actions and yet putting priority on those who weren't in such a capable position as they were, to defend themselves and stand their own ground. A Keeper of the Peace, not a soldier for mindless violence, he had to hope that this wasn't as such a treasonous act as it felt like.

~

Vikras Ansion.
Location: Brelor, 2nd moon of Commenor.
Objective: Secure Prisoner Exchange from Commenor to The Chimaera.

The holo-table lit up as Vikras accepted the incoming call, the origin being Chasin City and just outside of the Royal Grounds. To his relief, the translucent image of Veiere Arenais appeared to be standing before him.

"Greetings Admiral" the Jedi Knight spoke quickly, his voice somewhat afflicted by the pace that he seemed to be moving in; "[member="Lady Kay"] has agreed to release all captive prisoners into our care for safe escort out of Commenori space; ready the shuttles and begin sending transports down to the co-ordinates I'm relaying to you now...". Vikras dropped his gaze only briefly, the fluorescent blue table top shifting to show notifications in front of the holo-transmission, data being sent via Veiere's personal datapad. "The majority of personal are being held in the warehouse district, families of Kay's former staff, ministers that have opposed her new regime. Follow all proper channels and do not cut corners, we cannot afford to anger her as she has given us this small victory...-I will rendezvous with the unit securing my estate and contact you from there...-Veiere, out".

Sharply turning to the nearest officer to him, the Admiral called to the man "Open channels with Commenori security, inform them of our ETA and have those ships ready for leave by the time we reach her atmosphere!".

~

Veiere didn't waste any time getting preparations under way. With the Chimaera en-route to Commenor and preparing to receive the exchange of prisoners over to Vikras Ansion, he had already decided he needed to tend to the warehouse district now. Raising a channel with [member="Ghorua the Shark"], he called for Kay's mercenary friend to fill him in on the details.

Played Captives include:
[member="Darben Skirae"], [member="Thraxis"], [member="Sareen Zar"], and [member="Stardust Raxis"]
(Extraction is optional to each individual player...)

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum indeed did notice almost being smashed into, and while he did not see any immediate importance of the person the information was catalogued away. If he should meet the man again, it would take a moment or two to recognize him by sight. His own thoughts were occupying far more of his processing than the surroundings. He felt that his decision might have been hasty, a moment of emotional heat blinding him to the potential of better options. The droid contemplated the possibilities that had been available before he chose to make it a face to face meeting. A holo-transmission might have been preferable, at least then there was far less likelihood of his making any more rash decisions in his dealings with Kay.

The palace was near, or so the various signs told him. Ultimatum resolved to at speak with personnel in the palace while he waited. Maybe they would be able to give him an idea of what organics thought of their changed ruler. Further he could begin speaking with organics around the world at some point in the future, get a greater idea of what the population thought and believed. It was a matter of being knowledgeable about the potential threats that [member="Lady Kay"] now presented. He had allied himself with a Sith once before and that had only made life more difficult for the droid. Thus, he would not compromise with Kay, if she proved to truly believe the Sith's ways, then he would not give her aid. At least not in the traditional sense. He had an idea of what he wanted to accomplish now.

He needed a way of keeping tabs on her, for her own sake. If she became a Sith after disappearing then Ultimatum did not want to know what would happen to her if she went missing again. The droid wanted to be certain that they would she would not be taken, at least he wanted to be certain most of the time. A plan was forming in his head. As he walked up towards the guards that [member="Darlyn Excron"] had moments ago left, Ultimatum forced a smile to his face though none would be able to tell it was anything other than the real deal. He politely asked, "This is the Palace of Queen Kay correct?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay watched [member="Veiere Arenais"] while he thanked her and turned to go. Sure it was a small victory for him and her Master may view her as weak for letting him and others go, but she had a bigger picture in mind. Her chess board was being set. You can't win the game without pieces being assigned and put in their positions. So patience was required. And it wasn't as though she wouldn't see the Jedi again.

The sound of footsteps caught her attention. She turned her head towards them, placing her saber behind her back. Now who was coming? Maybe they should all take a number? Whomever it was, their footfalls sounded determined.

Then she saw him, a man in an odd mask. There was something familiar about him and she was going through her memories to try to place him. Was it on Bespin? Something about a mining platform? Parts of her memories from that expedition were missing as well. So she readied herself for anythung while [member="Darlyn Excron"] approached.

[member="Ultimatum"] 's inquiry about the Palace was greeted by blaster rifles aimed at him. There were far too many people coming to the Palace or crashing into it for their liking. "It is. State your business. We're under lockdown."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Echoing steps were met with the strange look of a woman placing her memories. Regardless of what had occurred to her, it only made sense for her to struggle to remember him. They'd only worked once together, and even then it was for such a short time she likely had forgotten all about him. Regardless, he was banking on her having enough memory anyways to not kill him, or try to, outright. He looked up a bit, letting her see her reflection a moment as he reached up to unclasp his mask, taking the mirrored surface and pulling it free. As the mask was clipped to his belt, she got probably one of the even fewer good looks at his face than before.

Of course, first to likely be noticed were his eyes, a deep, untainted blue pair of orbs looking at her, as he moved closer with each moment. As he pulled back his hood, revealing his vibrantly red hair, so too did the light shine over a long scar running up his neck. Yet these weren't what would help clue the woman into her fractured memories. No, that was his presence, the way the force flowed in and around him. Like a slow, calm river of flame. The darkside wrapped about him like a second skin, something that would stand out with no doubt, as he made no attempt now to hide it.

"Kay." Darlyn chuckled lightly, crossing his arms over his armored chest. Visible to her was his father's DL-17 on his hip, and his presence gave away the fact he held, somewhere on him, a lightsaber. Yet his stance also conveyed confidence, and a lack of intention to fight. "Gotta say I love what you've done with the place. So dark and brooding, feels right at home. Matches your new presence too."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Ultimatum]

The sudden show of aggression was not unexpected on Ultimatum's part. From his scans of the palace on the way down and various small news bulletins it appeared that a ship had indeed crashed into the palace. It was understandable that they would be overly defensive, no doubt they were loyal to their queen as much as any guard would be. However he did not want more carbon scoring on his cleaned silvery skin, so he decided he would have to defuse the situation. "I have an appointment with the Queen, she and I used to be a allies and I wish to her my congratulations on her return to the throne. Apologies for disturbing you, I am sure that today has been an interesting day for you what with the queen returning and soon thereafter a ship crashes into the palace."

He hoped that [member="Lady Kay"] was alright. He wanted to assume that the crash was an accident of some sort, or not intended to cause harm to her, but he had a feeling that such an assumption was just wishful thinking. This was a tumultuous moment and he hoped that even in her current state that she would not be swept away by it.

 

[Kay-Larr]

She squinted her eyes, looking both at her reflection in his mask and at [member="Darlyn Excron"] himself. "Darlyn?" By the Force she remembered! As he took off his mask and showed his face she knew. Not to mention his Force signature which also felt familiar. Kay was so pleased to recognize another face.

But why was he here? What drew him to her home like so many others? It wasn't as though they were friends. Were they? "Thank you. As you can tell by the hole in the wall, we're remodelling....What brings you here? I don't owe you any credits, do I?" As far as she knew, he was paid in full for his help on Bespin.

The guards regarded [member="Ultimatum"] with a hint of suspicion. They weren't told of anyone having an appointment. So one of them piped up. "Show me your identification and confirmation of the appointment." The day has been a tense one and they were not going to find tjemselves discharged and locked up for letting just anyone enter the Palace.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was not surprised by the continued suspicion, though he was annoyed by the fact that he was now in a tight spot. He had no verifiable manner by which to convey the fact that he had truly set up an appointment. The best he had was a recording of the conversation in which the appointment had been set, but he wondered if their suspicion would go so far as to make him out to be lying. The first part of their demand was easy enough to give, in a galaxy of organics where identities were so easily stolen it was a good thing for the droid to have maintained his own control. Pulling out a Duraplast card with his credentials engraved into it. Under most circumstances he used it as little more than a business card or would have if he had ever found need for it. The card contained information related to his identity and current living space. He then pulled out an official Mustafarian register document, which had been set in a Plastisteel container. It was easy enough to conceal the small pieces of metal and paper within the large cavities of his metal construct and while they were in there they were relatively safe from such things as blaster fire and similar hazards.

As he passed these to the guards, the droid replied calmly, "Of course. These documents should suffice and if needed I can have more definitive proof sent from Mustafar, though truth be told that will take quite a while and will likely not reach us in time for the appointment. Unfortunately, I do not have any official confirmation for the appointment," He injected disappointment into his voice at this point before looking hopefully to the guards as he continued, "I do however have a recording of the conversation if that would work." It was a long shot, and the droid knew it. He could take both guards easily enough, he had fought Sith and Jedi before. But confrontation was not what he wanted, that was not what she would have wanted. [member="Lady Kay"] always used to abhor violence, though the droid guessed that as a Sith that would have changed.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

He smiled, so she remembered him. That was good, it meant there was still some hope this would all work out. He chuckled a bit and unfolded his arms, taking an even more relaxed posture as she offered her own little quip back at him. "A long hunt brought me through the neighborhood, heard your big announcement. I wanted to come congratulate you on your return, wish you a long reign, all that good stuff." He turned slightly in place, looking past her towards the entirety of what was going on.

How things happened to be going in full force, today. "Worry not though, you don't owe me a single credit today. Quite the contrary, I owe you. You wouldn't happen to remember what you did for me on Bespin, would you?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

One of the guards took the credentials and ran it through the system to verify. They checked out. He handed them back to [member="Ultimatum"] . Neither of them wanted to be in trouble should the Queen miss an appointment with such a business man. More than likely his coming was a part of her plans to restart what the Empire of old had began long ago. Or so the rumours making their way through Chasin City had said. The recording isn't necessary, sir. Go in through the west side. We'll be sure that you have clearance."

Kay bowed her head as [member="Darlyn Excron"] congratulated her. She smiled a little and wondered just who it was that he was hunting. Probably someone important for it to take so long.

His inquiry about what happened on Bespin caused her to raise a brow. How much did she remember? Just bits and pieces. Even then she wasn't sure that none of it was her imagination trying to make sense of the gaps. "I remember that you were one of the last to leave the mining platform. I couldn't leave without you, so we waited until you were on board and used the explosion to hide our escape. But I don't remember you owing me anything for that." She hired him for a particular job and he did it. The only lives lost that day were some Furst Order soldiers and they weren't on her payroll.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

He smiled lightly and nodded his head a bit, she had most of the details. However it did seem she was missing one. "Of course I don't *truly* owe you anything, however what you did that day to save my life was unnecessary to your own objective. SO, quite frankly, I feel I owe you some measure of repayment for saving my life that day so selflessly." He was sure to leave just enough information to try and help her mind fix the most likely gaps he could fix, those revolving around himself. He hadn't been removed from her memory, if indeed her memory had been altered, and would take full advantage of that. Still, there was only so much that he could do alone, and even then that wasn't much.

"Seeing as my most recent hunt has gone, rather awry, and I owe you much, I thought it would be a rather lovely idea to solve both problems at once. And judging by how malleable your guards' minds were to someone without any genuine training in such force techniques, it just might prove a wise choice on your end as well." He reached down and pulled out his lightsaber, flipping the handle around a bit to face her. Was he within arm's reach? If she were to outstretch her hand, why yes he was. But just barely.

Darlyn, with his flair for theatrics, half knelt in front of [member="Lady Kay"], holding the disengaged weapon out to her. "Perhaps you would be willing to take someone with a firmer mind into your employ? Your warrant system showed an... open seat shall we say... in your security force."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked a little. [member="Darlyn Excron"] was hired for a job. And he did it. She wasn't going to just let him or any of her other hires die so that she wouldn't have to pay them. That would only send others after her.

She smirked again as he noted the simplicity of which he had gotten into her home. Perhaps she should use more Gorce users for guards. But that could be dangerous in it's own way.

Darlyn certainly was dramatic. She raised a brow as he offered her his saber as well as his services. She tilted her head to the side a little and then stepped forward, reaching for his saber and taking hold of it. Did she plan on igniting it? No. "Swear your loyalty to me first. If you break your word, the consequences will be severe. But you probably already knew that."

 

[Ultimatum]

It had proceeded better than expected. Ultimatum was actually shocked that there had been no complications. He was not complaining, it seemed very scarce indeed where situations followed normal procedures. At least, things tended to become far more difficult when he was working with or near organics. There was probably a correlation that he had yet to make with there, but there was too much happening to be able to spend time on such an insignificant issue.

"Thank you, I hope that your day does not become too exciting." Certainly everything that had been going on was quite enough for Ultimatum. He did not enjoy the fact that he was going to have to lie to the one who had once been a friend. He attempted to justify it to himself, but the problem remain that he was breaking his own morals. It was against his basic moral code to lie, but these were extreme circumstances and he would make amends for it at some point in the future. For [member="Lady Kay"], all for her.

 

[Samka Derith]

Masked in the shadows, Samka had watched things unfold. The two Jedi, these were things for [member="Lady Kay"] and [member="Darth Prazutis"] to handle things. It felt wrong to intervene with Kay's confrontation with [member="Veiere Arenais"]. It was her moment. Her moment to challenge what she once was and prove who she is now. There were moments she was tempted to step in, like she could feel the newly crowned monarch's will fading but she restrained herself.

Finally the Jedi Knight left, securing some deal about prisoners. Once she felt as though she would go unnoticed, Sam reemerged beside Kay.
"That was a mistake," she said bluntly, trusting the woman would take her council without offense. "If I were you, he'd be dead," Sam nodded in the direction Veiere walked off. "And the prisoners? You finally had a chance to get revenge on that worm, [member="Thraxis"], for all he'd done to you. A test subject you'd eagerly lap up any new punishments you may concoct." Sam's gaze fell to the floor for a moment, was this a remnant of the old Kay even the Dark Titan could not stamp out? Would she still make strategic blunders out of misplaced mercy? A pity. Perhaps the transformation was incomplete.

Sam looked over her shoulder to see another presence approaching. [member="Darlyn Excron"] was somehow familiar yet she couldn't quite place it. The teenage Ren stood to the side and behind Kay as they spoke, arms neatly behind her back.

That was it. As the two spoke of Bespin, she suddenly recalled the man with the mirror mask. A Bounty Hunter of some kind who had aided in Kay's mission. If she recalled correctly, Sam had briefly crushed his mind as a show of power. Hopefully there were no grudges. Those early days were frustrating for her, before her respect was earned. That day she'd been pushed around and walked over by some rash Knight but no, now she was more powerful and respected than that Knight in question had ever been. She'd changed and she was standing next to the woman who was once little more than a resigned politician of a failed state and her prisoner. A woman who was now a powerful monarch ruling with the aid of the true nature of the Force. Things had certainly changed and she wondered if the hunter had changed as well.

She listened intently as the man offered his services, Lady Kay eagerly accepted his aid and yet... Samka knew he was an associate of [member="Ghorua the Shark"] who was in turn an associate of Veirere. The hunter may walk the path of the Dark Side but the Ren remained suspicious.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn shimled lightly to himself, slowly raising himself up a bit as [member="Lady Kay"] took the saber from him. Weak willed guards, Kay's veiled willingness to accept an old ally into her fold, some things just didn't change. Unsurprising, and quite delightful. He nodded once, addressing her directly before anyone else could interrupt, ruin the flow of the moment. "Of course, my Queen. Loyalty freely given cannot be purchased, and even if it could a steady paycheck and regular confidence of being able to eat is a hard price to top." And Darlyn always cracking a joke at inappropriate times. Things didn't change. "My loyalty to whom I owe my life is something I shall not break, I can swear you that. You have my my blade, Queen Kay."

[member="Samka Derith"], his eye could only twitch slightly as he recalled her vaguely. She'd attacked his mind, for no real reason, either. True he was a belligerent man from time to time, but her attack hardly matched the situation she had been faced. Perhaps he resented that, perhaps he simply wished to outdo her in turn. The darkness in him swelled as he glanced at her, subsiding as he chose to return his gaze to Kay. His word would prevent him from doing anything to her, and would require him no doubt to work with her. But the Ren would find the obvious clue that there was, on some level, a grudge.

Born from what was a different question.

[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had heard [member="Samka Derith"] critique of her actions, but while [member="Darlyn Excron"] was approaching, she chose to not address her right now.

As Darlyn rose and swore his loyalty, she handed him back his saber. "Good. There is a lot that will change here. Starting with rebuilding the Palace and hiring new staff....And new security." She couldn't afford weak minded individuals, especially now during the transition. There was so much to do in such a short time and these constant interuptions weren't helping. She needed to find her focus again.

Oh yeah. Sam. Her eyes went to the youth then and she narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're young. What you see as a mistake, I see as a small loss for an even greater gain. Let them think that I am so easily negotiated with, so easily pushed around. They'll be in for a surprise later on when their defences are down." Manipulate them. That was what her Master told her to do. She was their weakness, so she was taking advantage of it. "As for [member="Thraxis"] , he'll be back. He always comes back. I know him better than anyone. And I don't need him to be a test subject for torture....He will have other uses." Kay waved her hand towards the rubble in the halls. "Are we ready for a big conflict? Not yet. The First Order may have offered aid, but they are too far away for immediate assistance. So I'll need to bide my time before then. Patience is required."

Whether that was satisfactory or not, she didn't know. But right now she didn't care. She didn't answer to Sam or any of them. Only her Master. She glanced over at his duel with [member="Ryn'Dhal"] . [member="Veiere Arenais"] had said that she called him brother? But he was a different species. And he was weak, letting his anger cloud his judgement. With all of these 'friends', it was no wonder that she was captured so easily.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Kay saw one of her staff approach, letting her be aware of [member="Ultimatum"] 's arrival. Now to see what this old friend wanted.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

- [member="Veiere Arenais"] -​

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Darkness.​

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A blip of harsh blue light.​

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A deep, tired sigh.​

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A reply.​

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-----​

TO: OLD MAN​

FROM: SHARK​

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I'm holed up somewhere safe for now, thanks for asking. I've decided the opportunity to strike has come and gone, especially since I picked up negotiations had somewhat succeeded. Congrats are in order, I suppose.​

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I'm monitoring the streets and crime world at the moment, getting a feel for how Kay's rule is going over with the middle class and the criminal scum. All I can tell is that people are confused. No wonder.​

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I'll update you if I find anything interesting. Until then, the Shark is diving deep.​

-----​

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A resolution for revolution.​

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Darkness.​