This must be the place

[Daria Cavill]

@Cade Lee

When you were basically a vagrant, it wasn't easy to get mail. Thankfully, the tech-savvy youth was never far from her holomail - which was how Daria had finally gotten a break. Some sort of program or internship, set up to help those who had walked away from the Jedi? It sounded a little too good to be true. But if it paid, (and Daria wasn't going to bother if it didn't) then it could be just what she'd needed. A job meant solid income, a reliable lifestyle, and not having to bounce around just out of reach of the pathetic remains of the Child's Refuge Services after the Rebulic started being more concerned with war than anything else.

Yes. Big break. Exciting thing.

All she had to do was meet with some guy - Cade Lee - at a big political building, and apply in person through an interview. So she'd gone all-out. Black turtleneck, to look as professional and mature as possible. White skirt, very low heels for that 'professional woman' clicky sound, without the threat of increasing her already too-considerable height. If this Cade Lee guy turned out to be a munchkin, she didn't want to be taller than him. That might threaten him. Men got threatened by that sort of thing. All in all, as always, Daria did a passable job of seeming like she wasn't just another orphan wandering from disaster to disaster without the faintest thing resembelling guidelines, rules, or education. She slipped on her newest pair of glasses as she entered the Senatorial building, clasping her hands in front of herself with the half-page mess that she called a 'resume' in a cheap manilla portfolio.

"Hello - I'm here to see Mister Lee?" Daria asked the first secretary she came up against, her tone a practiced mix of 'I'm kind of friendly!' and 'stop what you're doing and do what I tell you to'. Coming from an adult, it would be abraisive - from a fourteen year old girl, it was impetuous. "Could you let him know I'm here?"

 

[Lex-El]

Onderon​

Senate Offices​

Daria S. Cavill.

He kept staring at the name, and the results below it. Just seeing the name pop up in an email directed towards his other name had barely drawn his attention. How many times had that happened in his other life? All the conquests that name had been attached to, and all the daring things it had done? The phenomenon of seeing children named after him had been unexpected, and it had caused him to research things. Many a false lead had been tracked down, and they had been for various reasons. Some had done it in the hope of fame, glory. Some cultures demanded it as a sign of respect for his power.

Others were just idiots.

Tests didn’t lie, that much was true. Getting her blood had been easy, comparing it to his had been the tricky part. Getting away from Onderon, to more friendly space to be himself hadn’t been easy. Getting a doctor who knew to keep his mouth shut had cost a pretty credit, but the results in his hands had been worth it. She’s mine alright, but he had no idea who the mother was. Instead, he had been more interested in her exploits and her leaving the Jedi Order. Now that he could work with, and hopefully take advantage of. It was why the invitation had been sent, and why she was here in the first place.

He heard his secretary talking to her, and he hurriedly put up the papers while putting on his glasses.

“Why yes, he was expecting you!” Her voice sounded loudly through the hidden microphone, and he switched it off as the intern was led into his office. Rising to greet her, he played the part like he always did. Walking around the desk of his post-modern office, he hunched a little while extending a hand. “Good to see you, I’m Cade Lee. I’m the Senator of Bal’demnic, pleasure to have you interning for us.” Pointing towards the chair, he went back to his own seat while shooing his assistant. “So, tell me a little about yourself Ms….Cavill?”

[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

@Cade Lee

Something was weird, here. The secretary spoke a little too loudly - maybe she was worried that Daria was after her job? She couldn't think of anything more mind-numblingly boring than answering phones all day every day, so the worry was unfounded - the pretty lady with her stupid pantsuit and obnoxious voice could have her stupid, boring life. Daria had bigger plans. Better plans. And plans that, apparently, hinged upon the approval of a guy who couldn't even square his shoulders like a man, or stand up straight. Ugh. Stupid, boring people with stupid, boring lives. Senator or not.

"It's nice to meet you, Senator." Daria replied polietly, shaking his hand regardless of her personal thoughts on his less-than-stellar presentation. The good news about spineless men - and slouching surely indicated that his spine was less than it perhaps should be - was that they responded eagerly to mature, confident women. That's what the Holonet said, and what the instincts of a girl who'd pushed around more than her fair share of peers told her, so it was likely correct. And it had to be - she needed an education, which took credits. Credits meant a job. A job meant acting like she wasn't fourteen and, more importantly, knew what she was doing.

So rather than sitting down, Daria stood behind the chair he'd gestured for her to sit in - she wanted to retain the height advantage and thus, the power dynamic. "My name is Daria Cavill - so Ms. Cavill is more than fine." She allowed with a thin smile. He could keep using honorifics attached to her name, for as long as possible - just to drive home the point that she was Somebody Special and Worthy of Respect.

"I'm sure you've already seen from my file that I'm a hard worker, with a varied and professional education." She began with a 'modest' smile - washing out of Jedi Acadamy, and spending years working on farms did imply hard work to a degree, but it was far from an excellent education. "I decided not long ago that my time was worth more than stuffy libraries could offer - you seem like a man of action, Senator Lee, so I'm sure you understand how eager I am to leverage my independant studies into a career as early as possible, and aim right for higher education." Daria bluffed professionally.

 

[Lex-El]

She didn’t sit, instead she chose to look down at him.

Deep inside, a mixture of feelings bloomed within him. Fury was the first thing, she was disrespecting him by not listening to his instruction. Most in the political and business realms did this, and he let it slide. Knowing who she was, it only made his blood pressure rise. Rubbing his ring, he was thankful his connection was severed while wearing it. Glass and durasteel would have been shattered by the impact of the blow he would have given her. In fact, he hardly listened to her words due to how blinded by rage he was from that slight. Not here, not now. That was all it took, and he was able to look up and smile at her as she spoke.

That was where the pride started to come from, he could see the similarities between them. Her posture, and her face were his. Judging from how lanky she was, she would only get taller. She’s already trying to use her height to intimidate people, another thought that made him smile. Defiance was written all over her, and it had been that quality among all others that had made him successful. Sure, his power and skill had helped, but that defiance had been what separated him from his peers and elevated him above those who thought they were superior.

“I can see you are eager, that much is certain. You have been quite busy thus far in your life.” Her records were right there on his desk, and he lazily read through them. “You were with the Jedi, and a farmer from what I can tell.” It had all been worded much more eloquently than that, but he had broken it down to it’s most base terms just to show her he was no fool. That same meek smile crossed his face as he set the papers down and stood up…

...to his full height. With his shoulders rolled back, and his size on full display. Now he had at least seven inches on her. Walking over to the window, he looked out at the cityscape with his back to her. Powerful arms crossed behind his back, though the suit hid his true size. “So, it just looks like you can’t commit to anything or stick. You have done a few things, and you’re only fifteen years old. Success isn’t about jumping from spot to spot hoping for the best, you have to earn things.” Turning to face her, he smiled.

“I’m giving you a chance, but assuming you’ve earned anything is a false assumption.”

[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

@Cade Lee

Wait. Wait, what just happened? The guy suddenly grew half a foot taller, after stammering? His posture and voice were a horrible mess of mixed signals, complicated motives, things she didn't understand but could just scrape the surface of. He'd summed up - and dismissed - her 'education' and 'career' to this point with the distain of a hunter turning up it's nose at a carcass, but then smiled with less confidence than she'd seen boys years younger than her struggle with. There was something going on here, and Daria wasn't privy to the details - the joke was at her expense. She did not like it.

"Commit?" Daria asked with an imperious tone, raising her chin slightly at his back. He might be suddenly taller than her, but she wasn't about to surrender her command of the situation simply because he'd thrown the power dynamic into disarray. "I've been worked since I could walk, and I excelled at it. I joined the Jedi to become a great warrior, and when my ambition upset the status quo, they decided to put me somewhere I couldn't rock the boat anymore." She corrected pointedly. The mature, professional veneer wasn't all veneer, after all - but Daria was still a teenager, and a very opinionated one. A very proud one. And he'd dismissed her, lectured her without knowing her.

And then turned his back on her? No, no. No job was worth that.

"Don't jerk me around, Senator." She demanded firmly, putting a hand on his desk as if, in some primal language, to claim what was his as her own personal space. "I'm dozens of times more dedicated than any spoiled College washup you could pick off the streets, and you know it. It's why you called me here." Daria assumed. "I've had to push and claw for every inch of dignity I have to my name! Serranno couldn't take that from me, the Jedi couldn't take that from me, and I'm not going to let a perfumed dignitary just write me off or try to make me squirm, so he can pat himself on the back for offering the poor orphan girl some crummy job, you hear?"

"If you're going to disrespect me, I'm not interested in the job. So why don't you tell me what this is really all about, because I doubt you care enough about the disenfranchised to send me a personalized job offer just to drag me in here and dismiss what experience I've got to try and make me squirm."

 

[Lex-El]

“Okay, again you are failing to see the point.” She was definitely his child, her tone was exactly like his. If he’d let his voice drop to it’s normal octave they would sound like each other perfectly. Even her accent was eerily like his, and the fury she was displaying was definitely his. Whoever the mother was, she didn’t get much from her. Everything about her screamed him, had she been a boy they would have been clones. Her face even looked exactly like his sister’s, though he hadn’t seen her in decades. Those thoughts passed from his mind as he spun on his heel and let his arms hang down to his sides. Sure, she was mad.

What did that matter when the guy you were yelling at could literally crush you?

“So basically, you were forced to work your entire life and the Jedi didn’t like your style?” He knew what that meant, she didn’t fit in their box. “So, you don’t like to conform. I can respect that, I’ve blazed my own path.” Cade took a few steps forward, obviously not moved by her outburst. In fact, he looked as relaxed as a man taking a leisurely stroll. Most would have backed away from someone who was trained as a Jedi. Senators themselves were known for being quite spineless, and his initial presentation to her had been the stereotype.

Mr. Lee wasn’t impressed though, and his arms crossing across his chest only showed that.

“I didn’t do this for charity, though your upbringing is something I am quite curious about.” Blue eyes bore into a matching set behind both of their glasses. “I have a need for someone who can assist me and learn on the job, and who isn’t afraid to do whatever is possible to get results. I’m not going to limit you, nor make you fit into a box. Your effort alone and your bravery are what will get you this job, but you have to commit to it.” A smirk crossed his face.

“Or I will give one of those college graduates a job with a six figure salary, free transportation, and a free apartment. So you can either relax and tell me about yourself, or we can part ways here. I’m not begging you for anything, but you will earn this.”

[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

@Cade Lee

She wanted to hit him. She wasn't sure why, but Daria knew more than anything else that, in that moment, she really just wanted nothing more than to deck this guy. He wasn't telling her anything she didn't want to hear, but his tone... she was used to respect, earned, won or assumed. The other kids on the farm had learned not to mess with her, and then learned their place looking up to her as an iron pillar of authority. The Jedi had handled her carefully and respectfully, firm only in their insistance that she wasn't adjusting to their syllabus. And in the Agri corps? She had carved out her own place there, to be sure. Senator Lee didn't give a damn if she walked away or not, apparently, and wasn't shy about letting her know that. He aslo knew he had something she needed very badly - a future. Held at his whim, above her head.

Oh, yes. She wanted to hurt him very much. Put him in his place.

The teenager glared upwards at the taller person in the room, her blue eyes burning with defiance and barely-restrained indignance. Her pride was quailling that she turn this into a physical confrontation, but her reason knew that the first move she made would be slamming the door shut on what she needed, in the face of somebody who could ensure her quality of life never, ever improved.

There was a long moment of defiantly staring up at the Senator, before Daria reluctantly sank into the chair he'd offered her to begin with - admitting her defeat, though not happily. She folded her arms, folded her legs, adjusted her glasses. "...very well, Senator." She decided in a carefully flat voice. "What would you like to know."

 

[Lex-El]

Did he want to gloat? Of course he did, that was his nature. How many times had he broken an opponent and just stood over them, like a predator playing with it’s prey. Sure, circumstances dictated when he did things differently. This was one of those times, he merely flashed the goofy “Cade” grin as she went to sit down. Finally taking a seat himself, he didn’t speak as she pouted. At least have some dignity in defeat, he mused as he organized the paperwork on his desk. Shuffling papers only took a few moments, and then they were hid away in a drawer with the rest of the organized hard-copies he had. Organizely his datapads into their neat little stack, he finally looked back up at his guest before having a thought.

Heavy fingers pressed a switch.

“Yes sir, what do you need?” An eye roll would be visible to the young woman sitting before him, he found her voice quite infuriating. “Can you get us a couple of drinks. I’ll take something with some strong bourbon in it.” Looking over at his guest, who was in truth something much more. He debated on getting her another, but for some reason that seemed wrong to him. “Get Daria, well get her whatever kids drink that are her age.” It was true, Cade had never raised children nor had any inclination for it.

Thank the Force she’s out of childhood, I couldn’t do that.

Leaning back in his chair, he sat relaxed, a perfect contrast to Daria at that moment. "So, tell me about your parents. Who were they, what do they do? What was life like for you, and how did you wind up here at this very desk right now?” They were all reasonable questions, and he wanted to know the answers.


[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

@Cade Lee

And it was a contrast - wheras Cade was making a good show of being convivial and relaxed in his victory, Daria was very genuinely frustrated and annoyed. Perhaps Jacen Cavill of a decade ago could understand that frustration - the sort of anger that burned in one's cheeks and throat, the kind of indignation that wouldn't allow itself the shame of being completely hidden, even in loss of power. Defiance, pure and simple - and the girl was all but made of it, for good or ill. Despite her anger, Daria wasn't a bad girl - an angry girl, at times, a contrary girl, one who asserted herself at other's expenses, but she wasn't bad, and certainly not evil.

"I never knew my parents." She stated flatly, with all the ceremony and resignation of dropping an overdue bill into the trash bin. "My father didn't have the decency to stick around, my mother didn't manage to survive my birth. Serenno's barely an afterthought on the Outer Rim. Women die of preventable things all the time - usually things inflicted on them by men." Dial back the accusatory tone, honey. Daria swallowed hard and glared past Cade, to the window he'd been gloating out of a minute before. "They took me to Jo'Sirah's Home for Girls until I was old enough to walk, then sent me off to Belsallian School to fail at being adopted and to work on that stupid farm." Daria grumbled spitefully. "Told me my mother's land had been liquidated to cover my expenses. I doubt it. They just took it. Not that I give a hoot."

"A couple of Jedi wandered through and thought I was Force-Sensitive enough to have a shot on Coruscant, and the Matron wasn't too sad to get rid of me. They bounced me around as a youngling for awhile, but nobody wanted tgo take me as a Padawan - so when I was twelve, they assigned me to the Agricultural Corps, and I found myself working for stuffy old people and breaking my back their stupid, useless land again." Daria's voice was nearly a snarl at this point. She took a moment to collect herself, and take a sip from the (unpleasantly sweet) drink that Cade's secretary had brought her. "I decided that if I was gonna suffer to further anyone's way in life, it'd be me. Not some crusty old bag, certianly not one who thinks a lightsaber gives her the right to order me around. So I left. And I promised myself that I'd never work for free again."

Daria set her drink aside and refolded her legs, then her hands on her lap. "So, that's it. I never knew my parents, and I've been busting my hump for people who couldn't care less about me my whole life." She explained. "But that doesn't put a roof overhead. So... I guess that's why I'm here."

 

[Lex-El]

You definitely aren’t winning any father of the year awards here Jace…

That thought stopped dead in his tracks, instead of mulling over guilt, he tried to discern who her mother was. She’s from Serreno, his homeworld. Well, at least or his real name and persona. Thinking back to his days on that world, before he had been betrayed by his father, he was drawing a blank. Being an heir to the title of Count was practically a hall pass to be as wild as possible before having to settle down and get into a forced marriage. Many a Count had fallen in love and sired bastard children while fornicating with the peasants, or just fornicated. Cade had chosen the route that would have led to no children. Or at least I thought that, the evidence that he was wrong was sitting right before him. Lips pursed in deep contemplation, and he hoped she just thought he was listening intently.

Because, for the life of him, he didn’t know who her mother was.

"If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been to Serenno. It’s a dreadful planet with many a bitter, rich individual pontificating while spending their wealth while the people starve.” That was the truth, he had hated his father. What wasn’t said, was that he could claim that title, and that he had killed the man that had sired him. Instead, he took the tumbler before him and eyed the liquid for a moment before taking a small sip. Smooth, charcoal flavored bourbon ran down his throat, burning the whole way. A low sigh, signaled his contentment with the drink and the memories of crushing his father’s skull with his bare hands. Jareth had been a horrible man, the things he had done to his mother had more than warranted it.

Leaving him on Korriban to die had been the straw to break the camel’s back.

“So, enough about the past. No need to reflect on those who weren’t there for us,” he realized his slip of the tongue and kept going. “So, tell me about your abilities with the Force. What talents did you exhibit, and what do you know so far?” Prying eyes tried to look over the desk, as he was robbed of his true senses. “Do you still have a lightsaber, and would you be keen to carrying one with you wherever we go?”
[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

@Cade Lee

No need to reflect? Hey, buddy. You're the one who asked. Screw you if you don't like the answer.

Daria adjusted her glasses and shrugged absently, as if the entire conversation bored her. "Basic pushes, lifts and pulls." She said simply. "Anything fancier than that, I didn't have time to learn." Because hours and hours of trying, crying, trying harder, yelling at her teachers and trying again wasn't enough time to learn what she was simply just terrible at. Whether it was simply a natural proficiency or, as Daria feared in her deepest heart and refused to admit herself, a lack of skill with the Light side of the Force due to a natural leaning towards the other, she couldn't, wouldn't say.

"I do know how to use a saber. That much, I was good at." She replied, letting a small bit of pride creep into her voice. "They took my saber when I went to the agri corps, but I had a backup so I could practice on my own...." Daria shifted her weight forward, sitting up straight, and turned to the side so she could lift her skirt out of his sight - her pike, collapsable as it was - had been secured to her thigh just in case. She gave it a flick of her wrist, extending the weapon proudly outwards; it was nearly as tall as she was. The moody young woman even allowed herself a small smirk as she revealed her cherished, exotic weapon, the blue blade at the end lighting up with a soft humm.

 

[Lex-El]

You think that’s a weapon huh, you should see Daesumnor.

Cade kept that thought to himself, instead appearing to be mildly impressed with the lightsaber pike before him. “That’s quite the weapon there, seems you are rather proud of it.” Whatever twinkle was in his eye left as he examined the weapon thoroughly, and how it’s application would work for her. The entire hilt needs to be made of phrik, and she needs to grow into her body some more for it to be practical. Yes, or we could use songsteel to make it lighter. What if she eventually will have my strength, then we could go as heavy as beskar to prevent it from being used by other entities. His mind was going down many paths just looking at her weapon and seeing the discomfort on her face about telekinesis.

It was a shared trait.

“So, you’re pretty decent with telekinesis?” Finding a nice, rounded paper weight, he tossed it from his right to left hand. “Well, why don’t you show me how good you are at it then?” It was a test on many levels. “While telling me what you would change about my office staff, and the way I do things. If you have such a ground level perspective with people, I need to better reach my constituents. So show me that you can multi-task, and be what I hope you are.”
[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

@Cade Lee

Daria watched the paperweight with a small frown, collapsing her pike. She knew a test when she saw one - Senator Lee had made some big promises, and he wanted to make sure he was getting his money worth. Fine. Have it your way, nerd. She had to concentrate for this, had to make a big showing so he wouldn't have reason to question her at all. And that required that she not take the obvious bait of snatching his paperweight. No. She had to go bigger, and that required being better with TK than she'd ever been. All or nothing.

Daria took her glasses off and tucked them into the neck of her dress shirt, took off her suit jacket. She stood and took a deep breath.

"Politics are usually stupid." Daria began, dropping her lightsaber pike. She might not have the TK finesse or power for a big showing, but she could turn this to her strengths. The weapon dropped and hovered about six inches above the floor, hovering thanks to a look of intense concentration on the part of Miss Cavill. "Because people are stupid. They want to know that somebody else is going to take care of all the big decisions, so they can thank them for good stuff and blame them for bad stuff and never feel responsible." She explained, stepping forward carefully, stepping out of her low heels.

Her feet set delicately upon the collapsed pike, her pantyhosed toes wiggling as she tried to find her balance. It wasn't hard. Once she was balanced on her hovering weapon, Daria took a deep breath and kept her arms outstretched to focus her will. Tranquil. Peaceful. Focused. Tranquil. Peaceful. Focused. "They'll eat up anything you say, if you sound confident and take responsibility for them." Daria continued, closing her eyes. The Pike hovered a little bit higher - only a couple of inches. She was struggling - not with her balance, but simply to keep lifting the thing with her on it. "T-That's why..." She'd almost lost her control, there, the pike had wavered slightly on it's axis. She swallowed hard and tried to amend this brief breach of skill by making up for it - lifting one leg slowly, the way a maiden might when kissing someone she fancied. "...that's why people get rid of Chancellors after disasters..." She explained, wetting her lips. "They want to burn someone at the stake so they can say 'that person is at fault' instead of trying to do something to make it right."

Peaceful. Focused. Tranquil. "In the average office, ten percent of the people do ninety percent of the work. If you... identify who the ninety percent are that aren't working hard and get rid of them, your costs come down." Daria continued, sweat beading on her brow and the back of her neck. "Do it quietly. Stupid people don't like... being reminded... that they aren't fulfilling any sort of potential. They'll come after you for being efficient."

 

[Lex-El]

Now, there’s my face. She looked exactly like him without the glasses on, down to the unruly hair. Even now, he had to fight a daily battle with it to do what he wanted. If not for copious amounts of styling products, and a good team, he would be in trouble. It was only when he was immersed in the darkside did his hair ever seem to want to mind, and even then it usually just slicked back against his head. Whether that was a side effect from him being able to fly, or the great speed with which he moved. Cade wasn’t of the mind to even analyze that, as he was supposed to be paying attention to the woman that he was probably about to hire.

In truth, he wasn’t listening. He was more interested in her display.

How in the feth did she get telekinesis? Mr. Lee leaned back in his chair and let his fingers meet each other as he rested his hands on his broad chest. Wide eyes narrowed, and he pondered for a moment about taking the ring off that Solieal had made. If only I could feel her power, right now, I could better gauge her ability. On the flip-side, if she was adept at reading signatures he would be outed. Art of the small wasn’t something he had ever learned or cared to learn. The only reason he could even do the things he did were due to the ring, so he kept it on. No need to test out just how far away from the Jedi she really is.

Cade also didn’t need another battle on a Republic world, just yet at least.

“So, essentially you want to streamline things and trim the fat.” Her views seemed very far away from the preaching of the Jedi, maybe she is more like me than I thought? A vibration triggered on his wrist, and he checked the chronometer. Ah, I forgot about that. “Well, hop off your weapon and holster it. I have another engagement to go to, and you officially start your job now.” Standing up, he slouched just a little as he breezily walked by the floating girl in the middle of the room. Most would be in shock at what she had done, he simply had questions about how she was able to do that.

What was floating to a man who could fly?

Exiting his office, he waved off his secretary and got into the turbolift. Daria was following, so he held the door even as he pressed the button for the floor. “I have a business deal finally coming to fruition, so we must go sign some documents.”

[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

What a relief. Daria stepped off the floating pike and wiped the sweat from her brow, trying not to look too satisfied with herself. She'd gotten the job - at fifteen! - that a woman twice her age would be thrilled with. Eat your grassy, corn-fed hearts out, Agricultural Corps. The teenager stepped back into her heels and pulled her suit jacket on as she busted after her new boss, doing her best to compose herself on the move. Her pike went back into it's hidden holster, and she was ready to go.

Once they were in the elevator, Daria slipped her glasses back on with little ceremony, catching her reflection as she and the senator descended. The resemblance, she realized, was almost uncanny. Weird. Maybe that's why he'd hired her?

"May I ask where we're going, sir?" The young woman asked carefully. "I thought you'd have documents delivered to you." If she were an executive, she wouldn't be tromping all over for paperwork. She'd make the rank-and-file deliver that stuff. It seemed only logical.

 

[Lex-El]

Turbolift music was the worst, and his face clearly showed his annoyance as he leaned against the rail. Despite the advances in technology, it still took quite some time to drop hundreds of floors to the area where the top-of-the line speeder they would be taking was located. Biting at the inside of his lip, he simply looked at the patterns on the door for a moment. It could be attributed to him simply ignoring her, but he really just had a lot on his mind. There was no voodoo teaching technique at hand, nor was he intentionally testing her patience. Tirdarius thought it was good fun to play these type of games, as did Reyven Samoth. His youth, temper, and impatience had made it quite the dangerous game. This wasn’t it, he really was just focusing on the moment.

“I’m sorry, and you’re correct. Typically I would get documents brought to me, this situation dictates that I don’t though.” Looking at the corners of the elevator, he could see where a few microphones where. If I speak too much, then I’ll just give fuel to my rivals. “Give it a moment Daria, and everything will be clear.” Soon the turbolift stopped with a ding, and they made their way to the speeder.

The driver let them in, and Cade made sure that the door was closed before continuing.

“Basically, I just bought a major player in the starship industry. Publicly as a Senator I can’t be seen or have it on record that I’m participating in business. There is a reason I could be in politics, I lost my last company due to the events of Akala. I was actually raptured over to that other world and had to escape.” That wasn’t a lie, he had been sucked over there and been forced to survive. A thought struck him as the speeder took off, and he handed her a datapad full of legal forms.

“Sign all of those now, and consider this conversation to have taken place after you did just that. I can’t have you employed without signing that confidentiality agreement.”

[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

Daria nodded as she looked over the legal forms. She didn't actually have any training or experience with Legalese, but was fairly clever and reasoned that she'd be able to see if everything was on the level - it wasn't like she would sign away her soul. Provided there wasn't anything like that, she added her signature to the bottom.

"So, are you purchasing the company through a shell or third party?" Daria asked as she reviewed her 'paperwork', glancing up at her boss. "It's stupid that you have to hide your job from your job - everyone knows that that the Senate is corrupt and run by big businesses." She complained in a sagely fashion, handing the data pad back to Cade. "What's the point in a role if nobody enforces it, and it's always broken in secret?"

"Like, gee, anybody is going to be surprised that the guy who ran freaking BLASTECH doesn't just up and completely devote his life to useless civil service."

 

[Lex-El]

Litigation was a powerful weapon, and one he wasn’t afraid to use. Murder was a powerful motivator, but he had to pick and choose when he used that weapon of fear. Sure, a few of his workers had met their end from him in his other guise. Insubordinance couldn’t be tolerated, or people trying to spill the beans on his secrets. There were even a few times when he had stopped corporate sabotage and spying just by being much more than what he appeared. So, he knew his gifts had their place in the world of business and politics. It just didn’t always have to be so gloom and doom.

Sometimes, you could just threaten to sue someone for everything they would ever be worth. Or threaten the very fortune of their family(born and unborn.) That was the beauty in what he had gotten Daria to sign, it made anything he said null and void in the court of law. Which was wonderful, but he still wasn’t going to leak to her the fact that he may be her patriarch. Information like that was worth in the billions of credits at least. Thankfully, she had come to him seeking a job. Yes, he had manipulated the system a bit in getting her here. Morale of the story, she was sitting on a goldmine and didn’t know it.

“The senate is broken,” he said matter-of-factly. “That’s a very astute observation, and it all starts with our paranoid Prime Minister. She has managed to change the very government and no one has really taken notice.” He had been inserted into his job by the Tion Hegemony, just to keep a check on her. If that didn’t speak to how corrupt the senate was, that a Sith Lord was keeping a watch on it...well that said a lot. “The truth is, is that I can do a lot more good secretly owning a few companies through shell corporations and influence trade in other ways.”

He found a bottle of water in the small refrigerator near him, and took a sip.

“You’re going to learn, that if you really want to do things. You have to think outside the limitations most want to put on you. True freedom is pushing towards what you want, and seeking it through any means necessary.” Another sip of water, and he continued. “So I want to influence trade with the Techno Union, so I bought a company that serves both governments. I want to monitor funds in the Tion Cluster, so I bought a bank in that area. Now I can monitor and affect politics in multiple regions, far above my station. Do you see what I’m doing?”

[member="Daria Cavill"]

 

[Daria Cavill]

Daria reasoned she did, and she wasn't terribly impressed. "I understand that you're a businessman and politician, Senator, but this feels like a waste of your time." She admitted flatly, as dismissive as a know-it-all teenager could be. She folded her arms and glanced out the tinted window. "I mean..."

"You've got all this power and influence. You walked away from one of the biggest companies like, ever, and you're doing all this clandestine crap on a national scale." Daria summarized, speaking with her hands flapping slightly to emphasise her point. "Why all the stupid games, then? If you've got all this power just sitting around collecting interest, why not USE it to fix things, or at least make people fix things, and get rid of the old money jerks who keep all the stupid, useless rules around?"

Enacting that same might-makes-right policy was about one lightsaber away from Sith 101, a fact that seemed entirely lost on Daria. "I don't know, sir. I'm sure you've got good reasons for playing by their stupid, useless rules. It just feels like you're wasting your own time on someone else's game, when you likely have enough power to flip the table and make them start over fair and square."

 

[Lex-El]

Cade wanted to smile, he wanted to pull that damn ring off. Feth, he wanted to take his glasses off and beam at what she was saying. The conversation was already happening in his head, and he could picture it. “You’re right, I can just go in there and cut down the Prime Minister. Once I’m done there, I’ll enact new policies and put those I trust in charge.” It all made wonderful sense in his head, and hearing her logic only enhanced that vision. Even if her impatience and lust for swift change matched his, he couldn’t respond like he wanted to. Reign it in Cade, or she’s going to know way too much too soon.

There were layers to this, he’d have to peel them back gently.

“I actually didn’t walk away from Blas-Tech. It was bought from me in absentia, and I made sure the men who sold it for me paid. I have no gripes with the new owner, and I made quite a few trillion credits off of that venture.” Lee missed the weapons industry, it allowed him a better excuse for all of his traveling. Being a senator for Bal’demnic was a little more constraining, but he made the best of it. His recent fight with Tyrin had allowed him the perfect alibi for being away from those he worked with, even if he had lost the gauntlet.

“Those old men, well they are the majority. Elections are happening, and change is slowly coming. I do have enough ammunition to flip the board, but they have just enough to paint me as a villain.” A knowing smile crossed his face, his eyes looking out of the window for a moment, admiring the traffic. “True victory will be when I’ve dwindled all their advantages, and then fully wipe them from the board. It also will allow me a chance to let the public draw to my side and allow me to introduce the change I want under the illusion that it was what they wanted.” He could remember having these same talks a decade earlier.

“You aren’t wrong, but when swaying the masses, a different game must be played.”

[member="Daria Cavill"]