Enter, Stage Left

Posted on Sun Jan 7th, 2024 @ 10:51pm by Bomoor Thort & Thane & Amare & Jela Valla

4,885 words; about a 24 minute read

Chapter: Chapter VI: The Last Bastion
Location: Abandoned Mining Facility, Mygeeto
Timeline: Daytime (Local Time) - Day Six, Week Four (After "Beneath the Surface")

OLD

All three of them could feel the others stretching out with the Force, the distinct tendrils of each of their presences open to one another and coalescing, such was the familiarity that had grown between them. As they descended a further two levels, finding the first sub-floor inaccessible without greater unnatural exertion, there was no denying the presence of a complex entity, intelligent and sapient, beyond a mere creature that may have turned the facility into its den.

Pausing before a large set of double doors, heavy and operated through a larger and weighty-looking manual mechanism, Thane peered at Bomoor and Amare, his and the Ithorian's blades still aloft. "Knock on the door?" He repeated his earlier wry comment.

Bomoor held his blade higher to catch a glimpse of his friend's face as he replied.

"Always," he answered in a softer tone, slightly relaxing at his friend's strength in the face of the unknown.

NEW

The Ithorian reached out a dark brown hand towards the door but, before he made contact, all three of them felt a shift in the mechanism within. A moment later, with a tremendous groan, the seal unlatched and the door began to slowly grind open and a small series of warm lights could be viewed from within.

The gentle hum of power could be heard from within and, as the trio entered, they spied an assortment of lights and equipment hooked up to a portable fusion furnace, which also appeared to be providing a small amount of power to the facility, allowing the remote triggering of the doorway. They also caught sight of an unusual crab-like droid with many appendages interfacing with a terminal on the far side. It gave a low garbled chime as it turned its receptor towards them before scuttling over towards the fusion furnace and settling into an idle pose.

A Twi'lek figure, identifiable by a pair of distinctive rosy-coloured lekku, was facing away from them, holding a datapad in one gloved hand, while tapping away at it with the other exposed hand. The rest of their body was garbed in similar warm weather gear to the Raptor crew, indicating they either had not long been inside or that they anticipated being out in the cold again very soon.

The strange droid caught Amare's attention almost immediately, an unusual design she hadn't seen before. The instant she saw its attached blasters, she knew the Twi'lek was the type who tended to attract trouble. The Nautolan felt amused by that thought. The Sith were, after all, the very definition of trouble...the worst kind possible.

The Twi'lek still did not yet turn to face the newcomers. The thrum of the furnace joined that of Thane and Bomoor's lightsabers. Only a few of the room's lights had been restored to life by the mysterious figure's energy source, so lost to time were most of them. The fusion generator itself cast a few long shadows from the light it emitted, and a couple of temporary fixtures had been affixed to large deposits of ice that had formed nearby, meaning the whole chamber was largely visible. In some prior life, it had presumably served as a manner of control centre, but showed notably more disrepair than the prior levels the Raptor crew had seen.

"This planet bears many scars from the decisions of successive regimes in history," the Twi'lek finally spoke, her voice stern but noticeably feminine. "Only the ice does conceals more than on most worlds I suspect that suits the Muuns excellently, so rarely do they misstep." The pronunciation was precise and clipped, and she finally concluded entering commands within her datapad, which she slid into one of the large pockets of her jacket. Purple eyes, reflecting the brilliance of the plasma weapons before her, flicked between the Human, Ithorian and Nautolan Force users, but only briefly on the two activated sabers. "Agent First Class Jella Valla, Third Republic Intelligence Office," she added, now clasping her hands behind her back in a formal military pose, eyes forward. "Welcome to Mygeeto, Citizens Thort, Thane and Versetto-Wolph. I bring tidings from Speaker of the Senate Damask Hul."

It was not lost on Amare to have her true legal name mentioned so casually, the Versetto legacy a heavy stain on her past, and she rued the day it would eventually catch up to her. It made her seethe with clenched fists, softly pacing to Valla's opposite flank in a faux casual manner yet kept her distance and being mindful of the droid.

In the silence that followed, Thane did not actively look to his companions but trusted in the power of the connections they shared. Whilst suspicion crept through him, he sensed no hostility and conceived of no threat from Agent Valla. His gold-flecked eyes carefully examined their surroundings and the droid. The latter could be deftly dispatched through a simple application of Force-powered lightning, whilst he could make out no other weaponry or equipment that would pose an obstacle to them around them - save for any fragility associated with the building itself.

Retracting his lightsaber and returning it to his belt, Thane crossed his arms and inclined his head towards the Twi'lek, assuming the others had drawn similar enough conclusions about their situation, that the fears they had reasonably held were unlikely to now come to pass.

"Bold, antagonistic words to lure us in, Agent Valla," he said, his tone skirting between conversational and cold. Another whorp from the Twi'lek's unconventional droid caught his attention briefly, but he quickly dismissed any of its background functions as being relevant.

"But effective," the agent replied quickly and evenly, unphased. "Speaker Hul has been insistent on discretion in my approach to you, as although he deems a relationship with you highly preferable and conducive to our respective goals, he also recognises the tenuous positions you all enjoy. Politically for him, and... otherwise for you. You recently played a pivotal role in an internal conflict within the Bastion Moff Empire, in spite of your ongoing goals against the so-called Cult of Axion, and, if I may, active resistance from the Reborn Jedi Order, with little necessarily said about your vague arrangements with the Rift Jedi of the Outer Rim Alliance. Your political relationships, goals, achievements and notoriety are all highly-relevant to the Republic and its future, according to my superiors."

Retracting his own blade as Thane had done, while still keeping his pose ready for swift action, Bomoor challenged the Republic agent.

“And what, if anything, does Diplomat Bruta Thort’s name have anything to do with these goals, you and the Vice Chancellor have for the Republic? I have not seen my father in years and I struggle to see how he could be involved in any of this.”

There was an odd brief few seconds of hesitation from Valla as she stared at Bomoor. This prompted Amare to lose patience with the Twi'lek, in no small part due to her discomfort with the cold environment.

"Answer the question," Amare sternly, but calmly demanded with a narrow-eyed scowl.

The optical sensors of the many-appendaged droid visibly spun towards Amare for the first time in any meaningful way since their arrival. It did not desist in completing its functions, but two of its legs shifted, the metallic points at the ends crunching into the ice beneath. Some of the furnace's light shone across its conic bulk, and a few deep gauges could be seen marring its metal skin, although there was no doubting its functions appeared unimpaired.

"No disrespect is intended by either me or my superior," Agent Valla said, composing herself from her brief distraction. She maintained her military stance, even in how she addressed Amare, in particular. "Despite my occupation in subterfuge and the delicacies of Speaker Hul's political position, it is both our preferences to speak plainly, but he hopes that you appreciate the faith that is being placed in your characters by us approaching you - although some of what I will reveal to you is public knowledge."

She turned her head towards her droid and gave a brief command in Ryl. Its central structure spun around and it raised one of its appendages without compromising its balance on the uneven and frozen metal flooring. From both came two separate holographic displays. One was of a series of forward-facing profile images of different figures, not unlike a board of outstanding suspects in a CoruSec station, whilst the other depicted an aerial view of what was unmistakably an Ithorian settlement. Of the gathered profiles, two Ithorians were instantly recognisable to both Bomoor and Thane as the former's parents.

Bomoor's eyes widened slightly and he allowed his arms to droop slightly as the sight of his parents alongside the other individuals, caught him off guard. Not only was his father wrapped up in whatever was going on, but his mother too. While Bomoor had imagined their lives could continue happily without his presence, with Bruta having his diplomatic work to occupy him and Mumin having a whole other family in the form of the Elenca Herd, the Jedi had taught them to keep a distance from their former lives and so the idea of his new life intersecting with that old world brought uncertain emotions to the former consular.

"This comes from data intercepted from GalactaWerks regarding ongoing strife on the planet of Öetrago," the agent explained calmly. "The Myagil sector is home to an organisation known as Mother's Aid, which is devoted to scientific research seeking to terraform and heal planets ravaged by war or, more historically, Vongforming. The natural resources and achievements of the world and this organisation has drawn interest and competition from GalactaWerks subsidiaries; both of Citizen Thort's parents have taken objection to this and have mounted their own efforts to counter the corporation's efforts, with mixed results. These individuals are the ones identified as leading their operations or playing key roles, in what has effectively mounted into an active resistance force. Isolated instances of combat have already taken place, but a full-scale conflict is yet to take place. TRIO predicted it this will take place within the next standard month, with the corporate forces already preparing intelligence for the Elenca herd."

Rather than seek to conceal any concern around his friend, Thane looked straight to Bomoor, frowning. The topic of their parenthood had featured regularly during their conversations over the years, as had willing investigation and awareness of their homeworlds' trouble and tribulations, but they had not before been spurred into action. Even as they had passed by Caanus to land upon one of its moons, Thane had not made the decision to touch upon the violet globe of his forebears. He wondered if these were latent principles ingrained into them from their years under Jedi Masters or simply an unwillingness to face such emotionally fraught circumstances, even after their newfound independence from the Order.

"Damask Hul claims to oppose GalactaWerks and the corrupt political parties that stand for market power," Thane said pointedly, turning back to the Twi'lek and glowering. "Yet, he stands alongside them in the Senate, propping up Paralles and his 'yes men'. He is part of the rot, pinned with a different-coloured rosette."

Although Valla did not display any fear towards these mystically-powered warriors, the more observant amongst them noticed the narrowing of the eyes, the tightening of the skin around her narrow face. "It is not my place to challenge the politics of the Senate; I am a servant of the Third Republic, as Speaker Hul believes you to be, too. We have observed you, insofar as you have not managed to conceal your actions, and you are not considered to be actively working against the Third Republic as an entity, but GalactaWerks and the Cult of Axion. In this, Speaker Hul believes your interests are aligned and would seek an alliance. Already, he has committed himself to assisting Diplomat Thort in finding and protecting his only son, and the Speaker values his commitments highly. It is why he has supported the Elenca in their efforts against the corporate forces on Öetrago, and why I have been dispatched to approach you now."

Bomoor regained some composure as the gaps in their knowledge began to be explained by the rose-skinned woman who still eyed them both with a wary gaze. He approached the display to get a closer look; there was another Twi'Lek woman on the display, although she had green skin and had some kind of prosthetic in place of part of her left lekku. She was familiar from Bomoor's childhood but he could not place her precisely in the moment.

"So, you come here now to tell us all this," Bomoor began, now turning his gaze towards the agent, his eyes glowing in the blueish hue of the holodisplay close beside him, "Clearly you have been monitoring us for some time on behalf of Republic Intelligence so how are we to believe that you and Senator Hul are not working with Quellus and the Jedi, concocting some ploy to draw us back to face some trial by the council?"

He light seemed to dim slightly from his eyes as he added, "Because I would not take kindly to my parents being used as bait."

Amare rested her face into a false display of stoicism as she folded her arms against her chest akin to an actress in a fantasy holoseries working with a bad director.

"He makes a good point, agent," the junior Sith said as she began to flex her inner inquisitor side towards the Republic spook as she casually and slowly paced left and right. "I find it ridiculous that the Speaker of the Senate would commit treason and burn all his GW bridges just to support the Elenca. Have you ever thought for a moment that your information may not be what you think it is? I have a feeling you believe it's all true, but if I were as politically powerful as Damask Hul..." she lowered her arms and turned and glanced at Thane before adding to Valla, "...a leader with so much to lose, I would consider deception as a means to sus out those I could trust, and those who would betray me to outside parties such as us. He might be setting you up as a traitor in an attempt to hand us over to the Jedi. Can you really trust him that much?"

"No treason has been committed," Agent Valla replied simply, and it seemed like she may have expected the question. Her eyes moved between each of the others. Another few clicks were heard from within her droid. Whilst it did not move, the others had to wonder what the vaguely audible sounds signified, as visual receptors continued to gaze straight through the three Force users. "The conflict on Öetrago is one of proxies; private and corporate interests are formally conflicting with one another in a manner that is sanctioned under Third Republic statutes. Neither GalactaWerks nor an official Republic organisation are actively engaged in the conflict. No-one denies the obvious political affiliations behind these organisations or interests, and it is an historic fact that the Coalition and Centrality parties, despite their formal alliance in the Senate, hold disparate interests in these conflicts - but it does not mean that they can act openly and brazenly against one another. However, the Third Republic Intelligence Office is dedicated to intelligence gathering, the preservation of the integrity of the Republic, the protection of its citizens from those that would seek to harm it (both within and without), and taking action to further its interests."

She now looked to Amare, and continued to clasp her hands behind her back, motionless, in stark contrast to the young Sith's posture. "My allegiance is to the Third Republic alone and my instructions come from the Speaker directly; he has determined that GalactaWerks does not act in accordance with the Republic's interests - only its own. There is no denying the political undertone to instructions that arrive from either Centrality or Coalition politicians - but GalactaWerks is not the Republic, and any action taken in relation to their interests or actions is entirely legitimate and legal."

On this occasion, Thane interrupted before the Twi'lek spoke again, stepping forward, although his manner perhaps carried less hostility with the absence of his typically dark ensemble. "A riveting diatribe on the state of the nation, Agent," he said crisply, the coolness of the room still prompting a light billow of breath to be visible from his mouth. "But it still does not address the fact that Grand Master Quellus is seeking our doom, by one means or another. I could not believe that Speaker Hul is not aware of what happened on Korriban."

At this, there was another barely perceptible taughtening of skin around Valla's face and a narrowing of her irises. Instead of speaking, she turned aside and retrieved a small device from the droid, which she now offered to Thane, who made no move to accept it.

"This data rod contains intelligence held by TRIO regarding the exploits of the Red Raptor and her crew on Korriban, Nar Shaddaa, Alba, Naboo, Tython and Coruscant. There are references to other worlds and activities, but the data is, admittedly, sporadic," Valla explained, still stoic. "It also contains an array of intelligence held by TRIO and Speaker Hul on the Cult of Axion, which His Excellency believes you would benefit from, and would accept as a gesture of goodwill." As Thane continued to eye Valla warily, his eyes as cold as Valla's were stern. "His allegiance is, again, to the Republic, and not the Reborn Jedi Order under Jundal Quellus. Whilst the Reborn Jedi are formally dedicated to the nation, they operate somewhat beyond the scope of the typical legal systems and have posited themselves as supporters of Supreme Chancellor Paralles' political alliances, sacrificing their non-partisan position as protectors of the peace, according to my superiors. Information-sharing between TRIO and the Reborn Jedi Order still exists, but increasing amounts of blockers and limitations exist, as the Jedi are increasingly considered to be an unreliable agency." She looked to each of them in turn again, the data rod still proffered. "Their actions against you are indicative of an internal ambition, especially as former members of the organisation that have formally resigned, as opposed to a legal enterprise - and Speaker Hul considers this a very short-sighted assessment of your talents and the worth you hold to the Republic."

"This," Thane replied, now placing his gloved fingers about the end of the rod, but still looking at Valla, "is his incentive - his invite - to work for him?"

"With him," Valla corrected quickly, releasing her own grip so that Thane was left holding the device mid-air, and as she did, her droid concluded its holographic display, restoring the room to its previous dim lighting. "The Speaker believes your interests are aligned; you have not betrayed the Republic and any recordable action that has been taken appears in conflict with the Reborn Jedi Order, which does not concern TRIO nor the Speaker. Your rebellion against Quellus and continued crusade against the Cult of Axion, a known and dangerous terrorist organisation, has been noteworthy for its successes, and the extraneous achievements of forming relationships with Mandalorians, Rift Jedi, the Hutt Cartel and, now, the Bastionites. TRIO and the Speaker can assist you with continued intelligence-gathering and support around pursuing the Cult of Axion, alongside government resources and legal defence from any supra-judicial taken by the Jedi against you - for a similar exchange in support from your own exploits."

Ah, Thane thought, as he placed the data device within one of the pockets of his parka. Finally. The plain admission.

"Speaker Hul wants the records we were furnished with by Grand Moff Tarses," Thane said simply, and he could not deny himself the shadow of a smile curving at one side of his mouth. "A handsome prize, for someone so dangerously poised against GalactaWerks - and Supreme Chancellor Paralles."

With the plain facts laid out, Bomoor too relaxed his form slightly, crossing his arms and allowing one hand to support the curve of his long neck pensively. He kept his frown in place, however, with the unsettling news still lingering in the air.

"That certainly makes your position a lot clearer, Agent Valla," he agreed, before adding, "Of course, the authenticity and, thereby, the power behind the information we hold could easily be diminished if it is distributed too freely or by the wrong mouthpiece. It is also worth adding that we only sought out information on Bastion as a result of a previous agreement I would still like to uphold. I think all parties would be keen to know just how this information is going to be used before we consider any trade, even given the concerning and personally troubling revelations you have delivered."

One thing began to seem clear to Amare: Hul was attempting to use them as his pawns. What was worse, TRIO was somehow tracking them almost every step of the way. Valla was just the messenger, although Amare suspected she was more than she let on, and quite possibly more dangerous than she looked.

Serus' apprentice loathed the idea of becoming tethered to a major politician's strings. The very thought alone ran roughshod against the Sith Code. She hoped Thane had a plan in mind to turn the tables and somehow make Hul their pawn instead. Or perhaps it would be up to her to devise that plan on her own; a contingency at the very least. She continued to quietly listen and study Valla's body language.

"The Speaker is not asking you to betray your personal alliances and would not expect this of you," Valla replied. "Uphold your arrangement with your connections without fear of recrimination from him or TRIO. Speaker Hul intends the very-same outcome as your own contact; a public reveal, via the Speaker's Office and HoloNet, of the underhanded and illegal activities undertaken by the GalactaWerks Corporation and its affiliates. Our projections, if the information is interrogated and revealed largely in tandem within both the Outer Rim territories and Coreward realms, indicate a maximum fallout for the Corporation, and the greatest impact in rallying support within the Third Republic against them."

"And the support for Damask Hul and the Centrality," Thane added, although the comment was not levelled antagonistically.

"That is one of the projections," Valla agreed with a professional nod. "It is the necessary development to reveal and therefore oust the illegal and corrupting influence of GalactaWerks - and it is only by revealing the material facts of the company's conduct. The Supreme Chancellor is presumably unaware of the extent of the activities of the organisation supporting his regime, so it is our duty to uncover the facts and reveal them transparently." She looked to all three of the others in turn again, now seeming more comfortable with them all. "The people of the Republic will make their own choices as they are trusted with the truth, as will the courts."

The shadow of a smile that threatened Thane's face continued to linger. His face was, in fact, feeling notably warmer as he considered the proposition before them, as well as the data rod now concealed in his pocket. He was unsure if the sensation was from the ludicrous turn of events that had unfolded since Theon had contacted them about his suspicious within Bastion space or from the churning furnace gradually melting pockets of ice surrounding them, but he did not allow the Force to yet flow too freely from and around him as he moved through the considerations. For a brief moment, he considered executing the agent, of firmly pitting the new Sith against all facets of the government that had betrayed the galaxy so supremely, and to take revenge for the flagrant, but understandable, invasion of their privacy through Hul's dogged pursuit of them across the cosmos. Ultimately and quickly, he knew such a move was foolish, although he silently questioned his companions' positions on the matter.

"Theon will reveal the documentation publicly regardless, and I cannot deny the allure of the agent's intelligence on Axion or the promised defence against the Jedi," the Caanan then said, turning his head in turn to Bomoor and then Amare. "Unless we take the Bastion data and dispose of it in our own fashion... " He thought of Hesk Scivo and the other contacts he and Amare had forged in recent months, of the web they had spun across the underworld of the galaxy in their more sinister guises. He shook his head lightly. "We have had such successes in pursuit of Axion and of evading the Jedi, but we have also had failures and near-misses. Korriban and Jericho were not the victories we might claim them to be, and Nar Shaddaa has remained a shadow over it all. I think we should grasp the hand that the Speaker offers to us." He focused now more on his apprentice, as he added, "It is not so readily that we would be on a first-name basis with one of the most powerful figures in galactic government."

His apprentice held her tongue and solemnly nodded in agreement matching his vague grin. However, Amare couldn't help but dwell on the irony of those words...

I don't know... she thought. I seem to already have been at that basis before. Here stands before me the most powerful of all. Sometimes I call him Thane, other times he wears a mask and becomes Serus...hm, no...I think now it is Serus that wears the mask calling himself Thane. I long for the day we can openly be known as the Sith that we truly are. No masks. No aliases. Only true power. The kind of power that fools such as Hul will never know.

Having allowed Valla's proposal and Thane's rationalisation to settle in his mind, Bomoor gave a firm nod along with an hum of agreement.

"I can see we are all coming around to this alliance in principal," he addressed the room, gesturing gingerly towards the agent's datapad, "But I would also ask for a transmit of all your intelligence on the Öetragan dispute as well as a line to any future intelligence gleaned. I will need to learn more about the situation there and would be very keen to hear precisely what dealings Senator Hul has had with my father."

"Under the instructions provided to me by Speaker Hul," Valla began, finally appearing to offer a genuine, if somewhat small and professional, smile to her new confederates, "I am authorised to agree to that request. Moving on, you will require a more direct line of communication with the Speaker. NX-02," she did not look to the droid, but a low warble emanated from deep within its bulk as it confirmed its response to the agent. "Transfer command protocols to Thane of Caanus, Bomoor Thort and Zaracoda Versetto-Wolph, acting in service of the Third Republic Intelligence Office."

The many-appendaged machine spun its optical sensors towards the Red Raptor crew and made a series of warbling declarations in its own loose and low-toned interpretation of droidspeak, but it did not yet move.

"We already have droids," Thane said, his faint smile faltering as he regarded the machine briefly, even if he recognised the obvious purpose behind its transfer into their care.

Bomoor was similarly unimpressed at the gesture, "The Raptor is fairly crowded as it is and we already have a more-than-capable communications array on board. Can whatever transponder the droid possesses not be integrated into the ship?"

Valla seemed unconcerned at the queries or suggestion, but perhaps mildly weary at the insinuation. "The NX-series is a prototype field intelligence droid being trialled by operatives working in the fringes of the Third Republic and the galaxy - not commercially available, and amongst the few of its kind not being developed by GalactaWerks or its subsidiaries. This particular unit is equipped with the means to safely utilise particular HoloNet beacons and subspace transceivers to minimise the risk of interception, which has become standard issue with a number of TRIO starships. It's an attempt to make the process more compact and separate from a vessel - and its welfare is not monitored, and the unit is not tracked."

Thane looked briefly back to Bomoor. "Reave will enjoy his new friend, perhaps."

"Do as you will with the droid, so long as the ability for two-way communication is unimpeded," Valla added, a little more sternly. "Speaker Hul will be pleased with the arrangement made, and you can expect the first data burst once the Bastion data has been transmitted to us." And with that, NX-02 finally trudged its way towards the others, piercing the ice loudly as its bulk shifted to its new caretakers. Valla pressed an unseen device and the machinery surrounding them all dimmed, returning to its frozen, lifeless state. "Welcome back to public service."

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