There Are More Than Enough Stars in the Galaxy

[Sentiri]

How did I let everything go so far? ... ... ...

I remember...

Desire. Ambition. I used these familiar driving forces to replace... no, to bury the feelings that arose from a betrayal carried out by the one person I trusted more than anyone. I never truly understood my happiness before that betrayal, never analyzed it to find the source of the joy that brought me such contentment. Its presence hardly even registered. "It" just was, and I existed alongside "it" in peace. Even now I can barely give "it" a name, so little is my understanding.

And then the happiness was no longer.

And I retreated. Back into the depths of my mind, I went searching for something to drive my life forward. Because forward was the only way I knew how to proceed. Forward is logical. Forward is safe. Looking back is nothing more than a weakness.

Or so I thought.

And then I let it go so far... My desires. My ambitions. How foolish of me...

I started out where I should have stayed: in the blissful ignorance and anonymity that most chunks of matter enjoy. With hardly a name or title or registry. I was no one. I should have stayed no one.

But that would not have fulfilled my desires, my ambitions. I wanted more. So I reached out and took what I could take.

And what could I take? Knowledge. At the beginning, the data was all rather trivial. But information is one of those things, there's always some trifle, some little kernel that is so important, others will do anything to protect. The more of those stones you uncover, the more power you consolidate.

Dangerous? Of course. All ambitious paths are in one way or another, especially at the sacrifice of others. But I was smart, or so I thought. I maintained my anonymity. The only people who took notice of my skills were those people for whom I worked. They were impressed. They provided better facilities for my work, more sensitive targets and better access to those targets, employees to carry out what I couldn't do on my own. An office. An audience. A seat on the most powerful council in the sector. So many faces. So many eyes.

I let everything get out of hand so quickly...

The anonymity I once used as a shield fell to my desire and my ambition. Finding me became less of a challenge. My face, my name, my title, my registry, these weren't just public access, they were advertised. With the power I gained, I lost the blank slate of energy and matter that most appealed to me and became something I never wanted for myself, even feared. I was torn.

What did I let myself become?

And then the side effects came. A betrayal long since forgotten once more became a focus. My brother and sister, found me, easy to do with so notable of a persona. My flesh and blood filled in the missing pieces to a plot against me, their plot; a plot that exiled me from my people, and forced me down the path of desire and ambition. They told me everything: how they manipulated my husband into framing me, how they manipulated the courts into exiling me, how they had my husband executed to silence him, how they had profited.

I nearly lost myself. I had never known of my husband's demise, estranged though he may have been. The duplicity of my siblings was not surprising, but that they would go so far to keep me an outcast to serve their own needs was brutal. All of this had been years behind me. The realization came that I had never truly moved past any of those feelings. I had simply buried them, with my desires and my ambitions.

But I was smarter this time. I knew that my family would not just show up and impart this information. They wanted me out of sorts, to shake me, weaken me. Why else offer these details from a dead past? Their purpose was irrelevant. I recognized that I was a target and I removed myself from the situation.

This time I did not run. I would not. To make the same mistake twice was unforgivable. Instead, I took my leave. Things were left in order in my stead and I planned and plotted my own way forward. A better way. One not guided by greed but by logic. Being a target only gave me the excuse to take action.

I left the First Order. On file, my status is unknown, somewhere between Missing In Action and Absent WithOut Leave. I'm wanted. Information is precious, after all. My face is known, my name is known.

And yet... I've once more found my anonymity. I've become just another floating chunk of energy of matter, living my life by my design. At least for now. My only desire now, is not to repeat the mistakes of my past.

 

[Sentiri]

Sentiri took her hands from the desk and placed her thumbs beneath her chin, resting her head on them. The holoscreen in front of her blinked, closing the journal entry she had just keyed. The display returned to her home screen for a moment before a message appeared.

/From: Daveed Laderis
/To: Agent
/Data blast redirect - redirect - redirect - ... encrypt ...
//Files secured. You're on your own. Don't mess this up. Mistakes will not be forgiven.
/End blast

The Chiss woman leaned back in her seat as the message auto-deleted, the data blast disintegrating as quickly as it had been processed onto the computer. A moment later, the computer too, started to disintegrate, small pops and crackles could be heard as sparks and small flames casually spread through the hardware. But Sentiri did not pay attention. She just looked out. Outside the wall-sized window on the other side of the desk, the view looked out on the city-planet of Terminus. Airspeeders flitted by in traffic at great velocities. Lights of neon, fluorescent, and bioluminescent sources shone and clashed with one another. The raucous noise of the industrial zone filtered in through the equally noisy airvents.

Here, Sentiri was no one.

"Boss? Some of the locals are here."

Sentiri looked over her shoulder. There stood Rhéala Aleyv, her once secretary, A human woman who learned how to use her appeal to her advantage. Continuing her role as secretary, eye candy for any lesser minded individuals, and spy and saboteur when the situation arises, Rhé was the only person Sentiri brought with her from her previous life. Though decidedly independent, the former Director of Intelligence knew quite well that to do everything alone was no longer possible.

"Old lieutenants of Shim apparently," the woman smirked. Her remarks were dripping with cynicism. "And apparently all just giddy to see his replacement."

"Well then," the Chiss woman said as she rose from her seat. "Let's not keep them waiting." As she turned to walk out the door, a small smirk creased her face oh-so-naturally.

 

[Sentiri]

"Please don't kill me!"

"Tell us where your boss is and we won't. You know the one. One of Shim's actual lieutenants."

The smell of blaster fire, burnt skin, and singed hair filled the room. There was no flirtatiousness coming from the voice of Rhé. Just a very real threat. A number of dead bodies scattered the floor, all mowed down by remote control turrets they had set up earlier for exactly one purpose. One was left alive, though scorched by a number of bolts that simply did not find their way to a kill strike. They were the only two in the room, as Sentiri waited in the hallway preceding.

"Honestly, are you all so stupid to think we would fall for a gang of goons with high-powered blasters as a welcoming party? Your boss really isn't all that impressive if he thinks we're so naïve."

Everything was going exactly to plan. With Shim dead there was a power vacuum. The Zabrak had controlled the underworld of Terminus. His lieutenants were fearful enough to remain loyal. One was foolish enough to think looking for outside help was his way up. He was wrong. Sentiri double-crossed Garen and took him out too. With all the lieutenants scrambling for power, none were truly taking any kind of control. That created chaos. And none of the lieutenants were apparently smart enough to come out on top. No wonder Shim had such an easy time of it.

But a war in the underworld of such a pivotal planet out on the fringe would be catastrophic, especially with tensions between the First Order and the Galactic Alliance rising nearby. Order needed to be restored. And autonomy was seen as the best solution in the short term. After all, having a neutral world would lead to profit for the planet. That profit was a security blanket for either government should they desire to reach out and take it. Taking a side prematurely would only bring the threat of war right to the doorstep of Terminus. Why spoil such a rich possibility?

The only thing left to do was to regain order to ensure that the underworld remained where it was, out of sight and out of mind. There were plenty of options. One was to unite the lieutenants. Unfortunately, as they all had tasted autonomy for the first time, none wanted to bow to another leader. They could all be wiped out, but that too would destroy an entire infrastructure. A middleground had to be found. The only way to do that was to infiltrate the inner circle of each lieutenant, and systemically replace that lieutenant with someone better suited and more loyal.

After that, it was a simple matter of consolidation.

Sentiri had made decent headroads in finding the right people. After all, information was her business, and people were information. People were easy to find, but bankrolling them wasn't. The other problem was infiltrating the inner circle of the lieutenants. She'd gotten most of them. But a few were more cautious than others. Drawing out their men proved easier than not though.

The Chiss woman knocked on the door to the foyer from her vantage point in the hallway. On her datapad, she saw the terrified good and Rhé look toward the source of the sound. Rhé shrugged.

"Whatever. Useless." She shot at the feet of the man who screamed in response. "Get out of here. And tell your boss not to bother us again." In a flash the goon got up and ran out the front door into the Terminus night, dried blood caked to his clothes and a long wet streak running down his thigh. After a few minutes, Sentiri entered the room, her face still a mystery to the likes of the Terminus underground. "That should do it for Klaar."

"Indeed. We'll follow the isotope the turret tagged him with and find his boss' lair. Leave the turrets. Let's get to our next appointment."

Rhé followed the Chiss woman back through the small office they had rented for this one exact scenario and out the secret exit to a small underground hangar where their enclosed airspeeder awaited.

[member="Cassie Choi"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Inside a dark room, a petite figure sat hunched over a datapad.

Her manicured finger scrolled quickly through the Seoularian entertainment news outlets. From one article to the next, and then all the ones that came after. The quick flicking motion of her fingertip became more frantic and frustrated with each click. Next, she was on to the First Order State Media publications, specifically the ones that detailed events sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. She was not merely browsing to pass the time; she was looking for something very specific.

But she had found nothing.

With an irritated growl, she cursed and slammed the datapad against the floor. The screen cracked and began to flicker, casting her delicate features in a strange glow. Her dark eyes narrowed dangerously, and the corner of her mouth twitched once or twice. The young woman’s fists were shaking, and her high-heeled shoe came down on the broken datapad. With a last flash, the display died and the room went completely dark.

“Ms. Choi, we will be arriving at the spaceport momentarily.” A voice spoke over her comm system.

“Yes, very good.” She responded, her voice was calm but her mouth twisted into a dark smile.

She was surrounded by silence once more. After drawing a deep breath, she turned the lights back on and looked around her quarters. It was quite a luxurious space for a transport, it was obvious that she had a penchant for expensive things and the credits to do just as she liked. Standing in front of a mirror, she gently combed her dark hair back into place and affected a good-natured smile. Just as she stepped towards the door, she spared a backwards glance at the datapad on the floor. Her hand scooped it up and shoved it into her bag before leaving.

Having dismissed her escort, Cassie Choi walked out into the busy spaceport alone. She had come to Terminus based on the tiny bit of information given to her by Ma Gangrim, a Seoularian infochant and club owner. Her only lead was quite small, but would hopefully be unmistakable.

She was looking for a Chiss woman, her name and exact location unknown.

[member="Sentiri"]

 

[Sentiri]

The city-planet of Terminus; on the very edge of the galaxy, bordering the Kathol Outback region of Wild Space and the Outer Rim, Terminus was a hub for trade. Ships of unknown design and origin were more commonplace than those readily identifiable. As diverse as the ships were the cargo and life the vessels carried. So, too, were the cultures those species brought with them. From language, to cuisine, even to what was considered a habitable environment, all these various components came together on one rock floating through the far reaches of space.

And yet, despite the number of differences that the many peoples had, there was no conflict. At least there was no great conflict. Merchants would cry foul over trade agreements. Clashing cultures would occasionally find offense with one, the other, or mutually. And like any bustling port there were those less fortunate of individuals causing scuffles here and there, some under the influence of some mind altering substance, some pickpocketing to rise out of whatever hole into which they had fallen.

But these conflicts were always reasonably resolved. The local guilds were quite proficient at providing third party mediators in a variety of cases, not only financial but also cultural. There was a general understanding that all held when first coming to Terminus: you will see things you've never seen before so respect first, question later. This accord allowed for anyone to find acceptance, no matter how initially bizarre. A number of restrictions held by guild alliances kept the less reputable and morally detestable at bay.

As for the morally grey, that was where the alliance of underworld lieutenants came in. They had all accepted the Terminus accord initially. Many even had ties to one guild or another. But they saw an opportunity, the ability to pass substances, items and services through the borders of Terminus that otherwise would be highly restricted in the eyes of the merchant guilds was an area of great value to some visitors. First timers were almost always sent on their way. But respected members of the community, willing to put themselves at risk were allowed audience. Niche markets arose from these criminal dealings and as a result, another side of Terminus lay hidden but ever present.

Keeping those things hidden was the most important thing. If word spread to the general population of seedy deals happening right under the nose of the common merchant, there would be chaos.

Sentiri couldn't stand the idea. But more importantly to her, controlling the circuit meant access; access to information. Information was power. And power, she knew where that led. With the First Order, power had led to her discomfort and her eventual displacement due to a public persona she could not control.

This time would be different. This time, there was no public persona. The power was only for access. And the only purpose for that access was maintaining peace, not only for the community, but for her. She hadn't realized that need the last time. The Agent had only been concerned with her ambition. Now there was purpose. And that purpose would not lead her astray. It could not.

"A few months in and we've finally tagged them all. Every lieutenant accounted for."

Rhé's voice carried to Sentiri's ears and her attention came up from the console at which she was staring. The Chiss woman looked at her human partner and nodded, a small smile of acknowledgment creased her lips. The more time she spent around humans, the more the Chiss started to open up her emotional palate. Not until she had parted ways with the First Order, though, did she truly begin to express those feelings. They may be slight, but if anything else, they were honest. Sentiri simply didn't know anything else.

Still, that cold, calculating part of her brain remained firmly intact. "Now to gain control of them. Our plants are in place. But I fear this strategy of infiltrate, decapitate, and replace will take too long."

A look of chagrin came over Rhé's face. "Come on. This is a huge win. Plans or no, we're closer to our goal than ever. A few more months and you'll be the kingpin of the whole Terminus underworld. That's cause for a little celebration, no?"

Sentiri's looked briefly showed remorse for her ever-present cautiousness.

"Hey, don't make that face. I'm only trying to get you to see the bright side of all this. Come on, I found this cute little unui rice place the other day. They have seafood from, like, at least forty different planets and some great alcohol to match. My treat."

The Chiss looked up at her friend. Rhé had stood and went to Sentiri's side, her hand resting on Sentiri's rigid shoulder.

"There might even be some cute folk around the area that might find my tall, blue-skinned friend to be a real catch~."

Sighing and shaking her head, Sentiri stood. "Fine, fine. Let's go. But leave my relationship status out of it." Sentiri gave one side-ways glance as she made for the ramp of their freighter towards the airspeeder parked outside. "Just a nice meal between friends... To celebrate."

An excited scampering and a shout of glee emanated from somewhere behind Sentiri as she shoved her hands in her slacks' pockets as she stepped out into the Terminus night.

[member="Cassie Choi"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

The clicking of high heels could be heard as Cassie Choi meandered through the spaceport. The young woman was clad in a pretty dress that featured a floral print, and she’d thrown a preppy cardigan over her shoulders to complete her feminine look. It was true that there were all sorts of people in the spaceport; Terminus seemed to have a little bit of everything. However, Cassie had managed to draw a few glances her way. Normally this would have been quite welcome, but today she was treading on unfamiliar ground. And the slow smirks that accompanied these glances made her tuck her purse tighter into the crook of her arm.

Cassie narrowly avoided colliding into a few rough-looking men, and sought refuge against the side of a large freighter. Her dark eyes narrowed in disgust as she cast a glance at the vessel, it was ghastly. Did people really have ships this ugly? Honestly! She shook her head and attempted to steer her thoughts back to the task at hand. Slowly, she slid her hand into her bag and produced a pair of expensive sunglasses. Cassie placed the glasses over her eyes and glanced around with a new sense of comfort, almost like the dark frames granted her complete anonymity.

The sound of footsteps and voices made Cassie instinctively couch down.

She watched as two women moved down the ramp of the ship, and her dark eyes went wide. One was a fairly average human woman, and the other had skin that was a rather stunning shade of blue. Cassie bit her bottom lip. This was likely the contact she was seeking, but how were these things supposed to work? She was stumped; after all, her dark dealings thus far had been few.

Cassie straightened up quickly and scratched her head. Before she knew it, she was moving again. Her feet took careful steps, remaining a respectful distance behind the pair. Her fists closed slowly, should she say something? Of course, she could always follow the Chiss woman for a while to see if she truly was the infochant she was looking for…

But subtly had never been one of her strong suits.

Her steps became more confident and determined as hurried after the blue-hued woman and her companion. Cassie cleared her throat rather loudly to announce her presence. She crossed her arms and took a few steps close, casting a glance down her nose.

“Excuse me,” She said with a tight smile, “I am looking for someone. Would you be able to… help me?”

[member="Sentiri"]

 

[Sentiri]

If there was one thing that Sentiri did not know how to do before coming to Terminus, that thing was how to act casual.

Her cool was frigid, her suave was bristly, and her calm was mechanical. Walking around in that manner and trying to blend in made her look more like a persnickety protocol droid and less like a functioning sentient member of society. Even on Terminus, where personality types were a dime a dozen, such behavior was conspicuous at best, memorable at worst. Any trait that could tip someone off was a detriment, especially when covert operations were in the job description.

On Dosuun, the Chiss woman had stuck out like a bantha among ranats. Terminus awarded her the ability to hide within plain sight, after all, humans were far from the norm. One rarely regarded one's appearance as the first point of judgment. Their pockets were far more revealing of a being's character. But personality was a tip off. Anything stand-offish was potentially bad business. Bad business was remembered. Sentiri couldn't afford to be remembered.

So, she had learned to adopt some techniques taught to her by Rhé. Relax the shoulders. Hands free and fluid or stashed out of sight. A slow but not too slow pace. After awhile, Rhé was pleased with the results. The persona was still a little difficult for Sentiri, but she continued practicing, just as she had with high heels all those moons ago. Eventually the motion felt more natural, even if the persona was just a guise to throw people off.

Still, she knew that being discovered was only a matter of recognition. Anyone with previous knowledge of the former Agent wouldn't be fooled.

The raucous cacophony of the street life nearly drowned out the voice coming from behind the two women. But Sentiri, always en garde, felt the attention emanating from the response in her eardrums. The woman made a full stop. For a moment, a panic set in. Who would address us? What could they want? Do they know us? Have we been discovered? She took a deep breath, quieting her thoughts and stilling her racing mind as she turned to face whomever thought to address the pair. Outwardly, her hands remained loosely tucked in her slacks' pockets, her deadpan countenance rather chilly.

The privateer was greeted by a small, human woman wearing a flowery dress, eyes covered by a shady pair of glasses, standing taller than normal aided by high heels. After months on Terminus, she had forgotten what that fashion had been, and once more, her memories were drawn back to the dress standard of Dosuun and Bespin. Still, the girl before her was unknown to Sentiri.

"Why would you be inclined to believe we would be of assistance?" Sentiri said, her tone dismissive. Yet, to be approached out in the open so boldly, this girl must know something. "It's a big planet. Surely there are plenty of qualified denizens with whom you could inquire."

[member="Cassie Choi"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Cassie watched as the two women stopped in their tracks and turned towards her. The frosty glance of the blue-hued woman nearly made her shiver. As always, the Seoularian took a moment to take a quick appraisal of the Chiss and her human companion. The former had the outward appearance of one attempting to be casual, but her stern posture and cold stare seemed to give her away. And the latter was a bit more relaxed and natural in both movement and expression.

Her lips parted slightly at the rather unhelpful response given by the Chiss. However, instead of showing her surprise, she pressed her painted lips back together into a small, but defiant smile. She wouldn’t be deterred so easily. Cassie knew that the key to most social situations was an air of confidence, and this was no exception. This wasn’t going to be easy, but she did have a few tricks up her sleeves.

A hand swiped the dark glasses off her face, revealing chestnut hued eyes that were slightly almond shaped. Long lashes fluttered quickly, but in a most irritated manner. Hips shifted impatiently to the right, and her arms crossed tightly. Cassie took a few steps forward, her brown eyes now matching the red gaze of the Chiss.

“You know,” She said, her voice lowering to a gentle hush. “I was informed by a most useful source that a Chiss stationed in this area of Terminus would be able to assist me. Of course, I know that you can’t be the only Chiss here,”

Cassie looked side to side in a slow and deliberate manner.

“But you’re the only one I see around right now.” She added a sweet smile.

Her shoulders rose into a nonchalant shrug and she sighed. Slim fingers popped her clutch purse open; she pulled out a thin item – a credit stick. Cassie gave the item in her hand a long and meaningful glance before looking back to the Chiss woman.

She waited until she was sure that the two women had seen her rather blatant display before dropping the stick back into her bag, and exchanging it for a tube of lipstick. Cassie dabbed the color onto her lips.

“Perhaps I have been misinformed?”

Most people could be moved by credits, this she knew. Cassie offered the Chiss a crafty grin, a hint that the credits would be an easy prize. This was just a gentle nudge – there was much more where that came from.

[member="Sentiri"]

 

[Sentiri]

Sentiri's left brow raised and lowered just as quickly at the first remark the woman made. Looking specifically for a Chiss woman with information? Does someone out there know I'm here? The thought was enough to make a Chevin shiver. But the Chiss' emotions were kept well in check. The one benefit that remained in her lack of expressivity was her interactions with unknown entities such as the one standing before her. The benefit was less so with those she held close.

The mystery woman was right of course, there were other Chiss on Terminus, though few and far between, and all just as secretive as Sentiri, if not more so. Many still were information brokers, or at least in a similar market. But Sentiri was the only one working independently of the Ascendancy. As far as she knew, none of those Chiss knew Sentiri existed. So if the mystery woman did indeed have an inkling as to Sentiri's name and background, then who would have tipped her off?

The woman continued to speak with enough flair to make up for Sentiri's lack. One graceful movement displayed a cred-stick. Sentiri couldn't help but let a small scowl come across her face. The walkway they were on was busy enough for several folks to glance at the currency that flashed through the woman's fingertips. That left Sentiri only one option: get off the street as quickly as possible and away from a crowd.

"Fine," came in a grumble. "We talk elsewhere." The Chiss woman turned and continued toward wherever Rhé was leading before they were interrupted.

Rhé looked between the two women as Sentiri walked away and then back at their mysterious interloper. "Looks like dinner is on you tonight," she said with a giggle before turning back and jaunting off ahead of her partner to lead the way.

Silence came to Sentiri, though that was nothing unusual. Rhé hummed a tune, leaving her partner to her thoughts for the few blocks that remained between them and their destination. The street bustled with the same foot traffic that it did every night. Vendors sold their wares in loud and dramatic displays, signs shone in neon and phosphorescent lights, and speeder traffic flew overhead.

After a few minutes, Rhé maneuvered toward a less flashy display, a building with signs made of wood and stone adorned with a few leafy plants. They entered to a quieter space, the din of the outside bustle fading into the background. "Grab a table," Rhé motioned to the mostly empty room where tables with chairs were laid out. "I'll go see about the food. Trust me, it's delicious." The decor was a wide variety of polished and stained woods. More vines and leaves covered the walls. A few booths were occupied but most of the room was open. Sentiri had no idea if the place just wasn't popular or the food was actually miserable but either way, she appreciated the quiet setting, especially under the circumstances.

Picking a booth far from the other patrons, Sentiri slid into one side. She waited for the other woman to sit before speaking. "So,"" she began. "Let's start with who you think I am and why you think I'm capable of what you ask."

[member="Cassie Choi"]​