The Sith are eternal (solo thread)

[Darth Zilti]

Yakta Nsu saw him glance at Maja. It was brief but he saw it none the less. And he stared the Chiss down. “Don’t play games with me. And don’t assume nothing will happen because this pretty one is here. She’s a Sith and you know what some of them can be like – all pretty and sugar-coated on the outside and rotten on the inside.” He shot Maja a glance, “No offence my dear.”

“None taken,” she replied, not sure if she were a distraction for the Chiss or a potentially unknown threat. Either way, she sat and watched. Curious to see what would unravel. How long the bravado would last. Or for that matter the veneer of calm on her host. Which would crack first – but more importantly, who would break last.

“I’ll ask you again.” Now he was virtually nose to nose with Cryax. “Why?”

 

[Cryax Bane]

So the woman was a Sith. That was interesting. The Red Ravens had a treaty with the One Sith, a military alliance, signed with his own script. He glanced over at Maja again, wondering what her part was in all of this beyond perhaps taking voyeuristic pleasure at his humiliation. Was she a girlfriend of the casino owner's? A rogue agent? Once he found a way out of this mess, he would surely put his slicers and infochants on the case to unveil her identity. Red eyes became laser-focused on Yakta once again. "You sure do know how to sweet talk the ladies, Yakta," said the Chiss with a mocking smirk.

As the silver-haired human put his pale-skinned mug right up against the Chiss's, Cryax drew back all of his saliva and spit right in the man's face. "Why? Why what? Why did I taint your spice shipments? Why did I rig your lugjack machines? Why did I bribe the Galactic Gambling Authority to shut you down? Oh and by the way, did they ever find your bookmaker's body? Poor fellow screamed until his larynx busted." the Chiss chuckled darkly. "Why? It's just business ch'eo ch'acevi. We're rivals remember? There can only be one king of the criminal galactic underworld, and it's going to be me."

"As for kidnapping me, you're not pretty enough to be this stupid, you Moactan Teel bastard." Bane delivered his last line, a potent Chiss insult for fair-haired people, with a wink, and then simply scowled defiantly at Yakta as he tugged on his stun cuffs.

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Yakta looked ruffled for the first time - but the slip was momentary.

"Thank you, some of that I didn't even know to blame you for." He stood and paced the room. "And don't kid yourself. You may have a few friends in high places now, but such things are transient. Sooner or later, they'll tire of your limited skill-set and you'll be discarded. And guess who'll be waiting for you?"

"You see, I won't touch you now, not for the things you did. I'm a patient man. But this young lady and I had a deal. And you've caused a slight challenge for me in delivering my side of the bargain. So, I'll ask again Why?"

Maja's ears pricked up. She knew of Bane and had obviously dealt with hm before but never face-to-face and she liked it that way. But now he knew he she was and would no doubt double his prices going forward. But more importantly, what had he done that would jeopardise her deal with Yatka? So this time, she sat forward when the question was asked.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss took immense pleasure in seeing Yakta squirm. It was a small silver lining in his predicament that he could still manage to play mind games with his rival. Cryax rolled his glowing red eyes at the older man. "That's cute. Who's going to wait for me? You, Yakta? Is this your way of trying to offer me a job? Buy out your competition? You really aren't firing all your thrusters, are you? The day I work for you is the day that Hutts ride swoops. You're the old guard, visahot. There's a new kid in town."

When Nsu mentioned the woman seated on the couch and the deal they made, it dawned on him. The artifact. Cryax let out a light chuckle that soon turned into a belly laugh. He doubled over and laughed in an overly dramatic way for a good minute, then quickly raised his head to Yakta with a sneer. "Why? Because I like to play both sides of the fence, you idiot. I sold the information to the highest bidder. And there was one that wanted that artifact much more desperately than you, my friend." At that he cast a glance to the woman in the silk dress, then gave Yakta a shrug. "All in the game. man. Nothing personal of course." His glare, however, told a different story.

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja returned his glare with interest. She’d been ogled, groped, nearly eaten by giant spiders, poisoned, tattooed and missed death narrowly on a few occasions for this crystal. And the man that gave her the data was kneeling here laughing at the fact he’d sold her short.

She could feel the rage brewing. But she knew with her lack of control she might easily kill him – and then she’d never find out who had it now. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down but behind her lids all she could see was a red mist. And then, suddenly, it was gone. She’d managed to control her emotions and, by definition, the Force. Pleased with herself, she opened her eyes to see the two guards standing behind the Chiss lying on the ground. Their necks…yes, broken. She surmised she was a little premature in her self-control belief.

She glanced at Yatka. She wanted to say sorry but wouldn’t for two reasons. One, she wasn’t actually sorry – and that was a good start. Secondly, she might be able to play this for what she could get. So she stood up and sauntered over. Slowly and seductively, like she’d seen her sister do. She was bare-foot but tall enough to be intimidating anyway. “Who?” she said, in a quiet voice barely above a whisper. And now she was close enough to speak directly into Cryax's ear. “And unlike laughing boy here, I don’t play games.”

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

When Cryax heard the thump behind him he startled for a second. Carefully peering over his shoulder, Cryax spied two henchmen lying cold on the carpet. So the Sith woman was finally putting on a little show. Cryax smirked at her. "I'd applaud but, you know," he said, gesturing to his cuffed hands with a nod of his head. Bane looked back once again and then raised his eyes to Yakta. "Might need to get that carpet steam cleaned now," he suggested, inappropriately amused by the situation.

When she closed the distance between them, Cryax lifted his chin defiantly to face the Sith directly. If he was afraid of her, it didn't show. He could feel her hot breath on his ear as she whispered her question. He waited a beat and titled his head in to return the whisper, his lips softly grazing her earlobe. "I'll tell you what you want to know if you do something for me first. Use those Sithy powers of yours to exterminate this little pest here," his eyes then flickered to Yakta who had no idea the Chiss had just asked her to kill him. "and then I'll tell you 'who.'"

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja considered his request. There was merit in his plan but it did come with a few drawbacks. Firstly she still wasn't able to control the Force well enough to kill on will. Secondly, of the two that faced her - one had kept his word and one had betrayed her. And her gut instinct said she was going to join the wrong team. On the other hand, she was growing impatient - and wanted this matter ended.

She looked to Yatka. "Do you have any of that poison left?" When he shook his head, she started to get angry. This time she could feel it growing within her. The more she focused and the more often she used the Force, the more she was becoming aware of it. So she decided to do the opposite of what her head and heart were telling her. She was a woman. It was her prerogative.

Keeping her eyes on Yatka, she had one option and one only. "Why don't I just kill you and be done with it? Free the Chiss and find the crystal by myself?"

Yatka sneered at her. "You? Kill me?" His eyes momentarily flickered and Maja could feel a force around her throat, like she was about to be choked - but no hand was upon her.

"St'p" she managed as the grip tightened. His leer had turned to a maniacal smile now and then... And then he started laughing at her. Mocking her. Belittling her.

She felt weak and spots popped in front of her eyes - but above all she felt anger - and she felt his anger too. Like a dried out sponge she absorbed his anger, his hatred, his enjoyment his...fear? He was now afraid, yes. She felt the grip around her throat loosen and she sucked in air quickly.

"No," he shouted and back-handed her across the face. Instead of closing her eyes, she opened them as wide as she could. She felt the invisible tattoo burning her skin as she drained him of all emotion. And then she watched his body quit literally implode. One by one each bone in his body snapped, and then snapped again. Organs were punctured, blood vessels ruptured.

In a few seconds he was dead, a body of skin on the floor filled with misshapen bones. Turning to face the Chiss, he would be able to see what she couldn't.

"Well, the name?" she demanded of the Chiss. She was breathing hard and her body was physically drained. Clearly using the Force was tiring and this was something she could thank her former host for teaching her. She wouldn't over-exert herself again.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax had been Force choked on one occasion, and therefore he knew the signs. His eyes widened when it started to happen to the Sith woman. Yakta was stronger in the Force than Cryax had realized. Turning his head and squeezing his red eyes shut, he decided he wasn’t in the mood to watch a woman die. Then, he heard the snapping of bones and squishing of organs. Yakta Nsu's body fell to the ground with a dull thunk.

It was extremely satisfying to see an enemy get snuffed out right in front of one’s eyes. Unable to contain his pleasure, the Chiss smiled widely through the entire murder of Yakta Nsu. However, when she turned to face him, his expression changed. Not only did she look pallid and drained, but she had symbol on her face that wasn't there before. Cryax played it off with a smirk. It wouldn't be smart to show fear to a woman who had just boiled all of Nsu's internal organs. With an expectant hope in his glowing red eyes, Bane gave her his request. "Uncuff me and I’ll tell you the name, ch'eo ch'acah. I’m guessing that Yakta holds the device that unlocks these blasted things if you want to check his pockets.” He shrugged nonchalantly. During their earlier transaction, she had dealt with him anonymously so he had one more question for her.

“What’s your name anyway? And don’t give me a fake one. I’m a slicer, babe. I’ll find it out eventually.”

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja wasn't sure if she liked the Chiss or not. He had a certain swagger - and she found that attractive. But it bordered on arrogance and that she felt was misplaced.

She searched for and found the small device that clearly unlocked the cuffs. She pressed the button and heard a soft click as the locks were no doubt released. "Super slicer? Knows everything? You already know me. Maybe not my face - but you know of me. Maja Vern. I don't do false anything - I hide from nobody and I don't fear anyone."

There was no bravado here - she clearly believed every word. Her new-found belief was simple. If she was worthy, she would live. If not, she would die. Such was the way with the Sith. Oh, she intended to live for a good while longer - and the crystal would somehow aid this, she just didn't know how, or why she knew.

"Come on then, I'm waiting?" The petulance had returned - and slowly the tattoo on her face was fading.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax shook out his hands and let out a sigh as the circulation soon returned to them. He slowly rose, stretching out his legs which had cramped up from his kneeling position. Then he walked over to Nsu's dead body and, with a sharp grunt, gave the corpse a fierce kick. The man's blaster, holster and all, were quickly confiscated, then the Chiss turned back to face the Sith as he armed himself with the dead man's weapon. A lot of people wanted him dead, and even more now that Yakta was gone, he wasn't about to go waltzing out of Nsu's casino with no firepower. Bane paused for a moment, his red eyes narrowed. In a half second he could raise the blaster and kill her in her weakened state. However, the treaty with the Ravens forbade it, so in a show of good faith, he made a ceremony out of showing her that he had clicked the safety on.

"Maja Vern," he repeated, then shook his head. "Doesn't ring a bell, babe." Bane shrugged and then added. "Sorry. Guess you must be just an underling in the ranks." He gave her an amused grin. From what he knew of the Sith, they were pompous enough that he was sure his little dig would rankle her.

A puzzled look crossed his face as he watched the strange mark on her face slowly disappear. Then he finally answered her question. Sort of.

"I never got the name, officially that is. Just like our own transaction, the other person dealt with me anonymously." He pointed to Yakta's desk where his computer sat. "But I can slice in and find it." The Chiss crossed over to the computer, where his fingers began frenetically moving over keys.

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja tapped her bare foot on the carpeted floor. If it was supposed to have an effect, it didn't due to the deep pile underfoot. "I need the truth. You know this, right?" She stood very close to him, pressing her body close to his, only the thin silk of her dress separating her from his skin where they touched.

"This is important to me, OK?" Her voice was softer now, almost a purr as she stood beside him, her breath gently caressing his neck.

[member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss straightened his back when he felt Maja’s body pressed against his. He seriously doubted that his geeky slicing skills were bringing out the sex kitten in the woman, so he had to assume that she was trying to manipulate him into speedier code-breaking. Perhaps it was the adrenaline from his capture, or her blasted Sith seduction powers, but Bane wasn't completely immune to her touch.

When her breath tickled his neck, Cryax let out a growl of pleasure. The Chiss whirled around like a striking cobra and quickly grabbed her, hoisting her up onto Yakta’s desk while sweeping everything off of the surface, files and loose papers fluttering to the floor. Tilting his head in to kiss her, he stopped short, his lips hovering a centimeter away from hers. Then, grabbing a fistful of hair, he yanked her head back and leaned in to hiss in her ear. “Whatever you’re playing at, woman. Stop,” he warned breathlessly, his heart beating a mile a minute.

Out of the corner of his eye the Chiss crime boss noticed Yakta's computer screen flashing. His slice into his own invisible market account was successful, and a name had been revealed. Without releasing her, he turned his head to read the name, the blue glow from the computer dancing in his red eyes. “Connor Harrison,” he said, turning back to face her with a smirk. “There’s your precious information, Maja.”

[member="Maja Vern"] [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

In truth, Maja wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed his effort was a show. The smile on her face would keep him guessing too. "Whatever you say," she purred. And then she smiled. She had a name. Did she trust him 100% Of course not, but he was all she had now. She ignored the mess and stepped off the desk, careful not to step on anything sharp. Walking across to the sofa, she sat down and thought for a second.

"Then you're coming with me, right?" She decided she trusted him as far as she could see him. "Get us an address and we'll pay him a visit."

[member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

When Maja asked Cryax if he was coming with her, he shook his head emphatically. “Oh no, this is where my joyride with you ends,” he announced. “I’ll get you an address, but then I’m going back to Antecedent where I’m going to have a nice, little talk with some One Sith leaders about how you had a prominent political ally of the theirs kidnapped.” The Chiss wasn’t sure just how much sway he’d have with said Sith leaders, but he was still livid about being hauled in front of Yakta like a sacrificial lamb. Let her sweat it out a bit.

With a long harried sigh, Cryax started typing on the dead man’s computer once again, his fingers flying over the keys, a slice he’d done a zillion times before. A few clicks later, he stopped. “There’s your address,” he said, tossing a hand towards the screen as he rose to leave. Once he made his way to the door of Yakta’s office, Cryax pulled the blaster from its holster on his leg, just as a warning.

“Now I’m going to leave,” he explained slowly, as if he were talking to an imbecilic child. “You’d be wise not to try and stop me, beautiful.” Pointing to Yakta’s corpse with the blaster, he added. “Unless you’d like to join him.”

[member="Maja Vern"] [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja knew there was no point in pressing the Chiss to go with her. She had an address and a name. It was enough to go on.

But the fool had let slip his intended destination and the fact that he was an ally of the One Sith. So if she needed to find him, all she had to do was ask them. She scoffed as he waved the gun and made idle threats. If he was that well connected he’d name names. Well she had a name for him.

“You do that slicer-boy. And when you’re looking for a ranking Sith to tell, I’ll give you a suggestion. [member=“Silara”]. Or Darth Vitium is a name she’s known by. Tell her all about how nasty I’ve been to you. Oh, and do me one favour. Tell her that her sister says hi!”

She didn’t even watch him leave the room, she was scanning it for any information she could find that might be of use to her. And she started by checking the dead man’s pockets.

[member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja frisked the man. The fact he was dead didn't bother her. She put everything she found on the now clear desk and checked it out. She pocketed the credit chips and a small diary with a lot of names and numbers in it and ignored the remainder. But her eyes were drawn back to a small sliver of a datachip. It was clearly a key for something.

So she searched the drawers of the desk and checked under it before turning her attention to the walls. The third painting was the one. Opening it via a side hinger, it revealed a small safe behind. She entered the key and half of the red lights that had been showing blinked green. She was aware of a light shining in her eyes before a quiet voice said, "Retina scan failed." She removed the key and returned to Yatka's body. Searching frantically for a tool she gave up and plunged her fingers deep into the dead man's eye socket. It came out with a loud slurping noise and she wandered calmly over to the safe and started again.

This time all of the lights turned green. The safe opened with a soft click and she discarded the eye. Wiping her hand on her dress she felt around inside but only found an old leather book. She flicked through it excitedly but found only one entry. Some coordinates and the simple words, written in red ink, "Zannah's Cipher."

Zannah again? And the coordinates were familiar to her. She double-checked them. Kasshyk! But she'd just been there? Were they for the caves? No, it said cipher? Shaking her head she manhandled Yatka's body and pulled his jacket off. Putting the book in one of the pockets, she pulled it around her shoulders, put on her shoes and tousled her hair.

She stepped out of the room and closed the door immediately behind her. Putting finger to her lips she smiled at the guard stationed outside the office. "He's tired. Less stamina than he thought." She gave him a conspiratorial wink and walked straight for her ship. She had what, fifteen minutes leeway before she risked being found out?

[member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Order of the Silver Jedi Grounds
Voss, Outer Rim​

”Of course I reside on Nar Shaddaa, and I often frequent The Slag Pit. Doesn’t every Master of the Silver Jedi do that, or is it just me?”

Connor sat on his bunk, leaning on his knees and speaking to one of the techies who worked under the Grandmaster. Annoyed? No. Frustrated? A little. Confused? Totally.

”Well, stop….what? No, trace it….yes, but…fine, I’ll wait,” he sighed.

Running his fingers through his hair, he waited for the techie to pull some information from his devices down in the depths of the Temple. Looking down at his bare torso, Connor eyed the scars running up his right hand side, small pockets that were once riddled with stone and grit. A memory of the Sith who had changed his life forever.

”Right. Go on….look, just patch it through, let me…LET ME sort it out this end and you file what you need to file with whoever reported it there. Before they sort it, I’ll have already got the answers we need, ok? Right. Right, and keep it quiet, ok….just, quiet. I don’t want anyone concerned about some punk preying on good people like us, ok? Thank you.”

He cut the signal and tossed the com on the bunk. Standing up, Connor stretched out and let out a frustrated groan. So it seemed even the Jedi weren’t invulnerable to hackers and slicers. Never mind the Sith, it was the geeks behind terminals who could use your name to make who knows what sort of transactions on the black markets and crime ring.

So, thankfully, the right people had found where the REAL Connor Harrison was and just who he was, and now it was time to take his name back.

Now it was time to get his training vest and thermal top on, with the combat trousers and trusty greatcoat, still torn and awaiting a replacement.

Thanks, Serena.

Time to visit the slicer down in the suburbs of Nar Shaddaa and remind him who he was dealing with. And Connor was actually enjoying the cool climate of Voss after the sun-baked adventures of Tatooine with one Miss Raaf.

He smiled to himself as he pulled down his top; if THIS was how she always seemed to follow him, he was certain she’d be in for a little surprise.

[member="Maja Vern"] [member="Darth Arcanix"] [member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Coruscant, Darth Arcanix's quarters

Taeli scowled at her terminal screen as she once again hit a dead end on finding what she was looking for. She had retrieved the two data packets that contained coordinates to the resting place of a holocron by Darth Zannah, at least she was sure they had coordinates in them. The problem was, she had been running them through several different slicers and decryption programs for a long time now, but someone had clearly known what they were doing. She needed the cipher to decode it, but she had no idea where to look for such a cipher.

She was so bloody close to finding what she needed, but it was just beyond her reach and it was frustrating for the Sith Lady. Pulling up the files she had on Darth Zannah, she started combing through mentions of her activities again for some small clue, some out of the way reference to where she may have hidden such a cipher.

Mentions of worlds the Sith Lady had visited, associates, and still nothing was jumping out at her until she landed on Kashyyyk. She knew about a hidden order that lived in the Shadowlands that it was rumored Zannah had visited during her time as Dark Lady of the Sith. It would be as good a place as any to start at she figured.

Grabbing her cloak, she draped it over her shoulders and started making her way to her personal shuttle. She had some field research to do now, and hopefully it would lead to what she wanted.

[member="Maja Vern"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

She had a choice. Nar Shaddaa where the crystal was or Kashyyk where the coordinates pointed. Maja hated to make choices and so she did what she always did - she took both. And she sulked whilst she did it.

She pulled out of the hangar just as a half-dozen suited thugs ran up to her ship. She hoped they wouldn’t use anything heavy to bring her down and her luck held. Dead men don’t pay any wages - and their interest in her would evaporate faster than the fuel vapour she was leaving behind.

There was an irony in going back to Nar Shadaa. Something of a virtuous circle. She shuddered involuntarily at some of the things she’d had to do to get that holovid. The one she had a copy of! But this new address made the establishment she’d frequented seem distinctly up-market. As she entered hyperspace, she decided to let Silara know what she was up to. She’d been gone a while and if she decided to pay a visit to their apartment, she might worry and do something rash.

So she left a few lines on their joint messaging system at the apartment. Which would work if her sister came there. But if not? Maja pulled out a card and found the details she needed. Apparently even the Sith have receptionists. “Yeah, I want to leave a message for Silara. Darth Vitium. Tell her I’m going go get the crystal and then I’m going to Kashyyk. Got that? Near Shaddaa and then I’m going to get Darth Zannah’s encryption code - whatever that means. Yes. No.” She sighed. “Read it back to me, OK?”

“Yes, perfect. Just get that message to her. She gave me this number, so I guess it’s not beyond the wit of humankind for you to do this. Oh? I’m Maja, her sister.”

[member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"] [member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Connor Harrison"]

A twinge in the Force caught Taeli's attention, she had stopped over in the Sev Tok system to check on an issue that had arisen at her shipyard there, but it had been handled before she had arrived. Something was radiating in the Force from the direction of Hutt Space, and pulling up a map of that region, she felt the strongest feelings coming from Nar Shaddaa.

"Perhaps. . ." she mumbled to herself. Something about her quest was on that world/moon, and she would be a fool to ignore traveling there and continuing blindly towards Kashyyyk. Setting her hyperdrive, she launched for the system and all the while heading that way, the Force continued to tell her she was choosing the right path to her goal.

Something or someone would have the answer she sought.