Allegiance to the Empire

EXT- Coruscant, Day, outside the Jedi Temple | EXT – Khayal, Byss, landing platform | INT – Khayal, Byss, Inquisitorius Agency HQ

Senator Rywee Yawioon waves in an exalted manner: “KAAAASSSIEE”

Kassie had of course seen the woman but was only playing at walking by as if she hadn’t noticed her it made her seem more absentminded than she was. So when she turns and walks up to the Senator she wears excitement and surprise all over her face, and beams, “Well fancy meeting you here!”

Senator Rywee Yawioon gestures to a clock nearby: “I was worried you forgot about our date…for lunch…we wanted to try some typical Coruscanti Fast Food.”

Kassie shakes her head, and explains, “I was on my way. And, I could decidedly use a bite.”

Senator Rywee Yawioon turns slightly and points towards the Bantha King: “Someone suggested to try this one”, she claps into her hands in excitement, “It looks so…ORDINARY, you know?….let’s go there.”

Kassie licks her lips and starts to walk toward the place the moment she sees it. Sniffing the scent of grilling meat, she gushes, “That’s what smells so wonderful, isn’t it?” She goes on, as they walk, “Ordinary isn’t so bad when it comes to food. These little places sometimes have unforeseen charm–” She lets off speaking as they approach the food barge, and feasts her eyes on the menu.

Senator Rywee Yawioon had already grabbed one of the paperwork crowns, wearing it, she grins broadly pointing on the crown, with both hands: “I’m the PRINCESS!”

Kassie is distracted enough from her mesmerism of the food in order to look her companion’s way and chuckle indulgently. After does a small cursy, she agrees, “Yes, you are the Princess. I don’t think I am, my appetite is too big, because I’m thinking I need the double bantha burger….”

Senator Rywee Yawioon ignored Chef Hiski rolling his reptilian eyes and ordered two plates with Bantha burgers, one double, one without meat.” What an amazing trip…I hope you enjoyed your time here as much as I do?”

Kassie hadn’t really paid the Trandoshan behind the counter much mind, a testament to both her hunger and focus on the woman beside her. She reaches to put a hand on the other’s shoulder and looks right into her shades, “I had a wonderful time. You can’t be leaving so soon, can you? I haven’t even gotten the chance to come by your accommodations again.”

Senator Rywee Yawioon points to the bench behind them: “Let’s sit down while we’re eating. We can discuss everything then.”

Kassie takes hold of her quickly prepared food and in a rare occurrence in their brief acquaintance, disagrees, and offers, “Lets go have a sit in that lovely meadow. You’d never think you’d find anything like it here on Coruscant…” Her eyes are full of conspiratorial mischief as she begins to back away, making certain the other woman will come along.

Senator Rywee Yawioon turned around and followed instantly: “What a LOVELY idea…we shall do that.”

Senator Rywee Yawioon says “how’s your burger? You see, I will take the ship back to Taris in a few hours. I had hoped you would accompany me again. what do you think about it? I thought about offering you a…let’s say position, as a companion. I’ll pay extremely well!”

Kassie doesn’t seem the least bit hesitant about sitting in the grass despite her nice clothes. It is only after settling down and stretching her legs out in front of her that she pulls her wrapped burger from her nose where she’d been savoring it and looks to her companion again. Upon opening it, she’d just looked at it for a moment before taking two bites that were measured but voracious. Clearly she was really into it, chewing and staring at it for where she’d attack the hapless sandwich next. The Senator’s remarks almost seemed to come as a surprise, so pausing, turning and studying her for a moment, Kassie just chews. When she’s swallowed it all down, a smile crests over her lips. One could almost see the wheels turning in her head, new plans replacing old while her grey eyes glitter, and finally she says, “Well… I… wouldn’t that be sort of robbing you? I’ve hardly done anything that merits good pay…”

Senator Rywee Yawioon had already finished her meager meal and continued to talk: “OH, you are the best travel companion I had in YEARS..always polite…and we have so much in common too. I would be delighted if you accepted my offer.”

Kassie was so intrigued by the offer that her burger was forgotten in her hand. The credit symbols were almost floating around her head. It seems as though she was done with reasons why not to accept with two shakes of her head, words only following slowly after, “I am… I am… truly honored and pleased. Of course I’ll come with you. How could I say no getting to travel with someone of such style and vivacity?” Considering this sort of job… a legitimate one the sort of which she hadn’t had in a long time… she was relieved she wouldn’t even have to try to break into the woman’s safe… yet.

Senator Rywee Yawioon stood up and took Kassie by her hand: “Then let’s go to the port. I’ve already seen to it that our luggage is stored on my Yacht.”

Kassie quickly took up her bag, and then clasped the proffered hand with the less greasy of hers. As they made they way along she quickly wolfed down the rest of her burger and only when it was gone did she remark, elatedly “Then I guess its a good thing I always travel light!”

Screenwipe to the Senator’s ship, landing. But not on Taris…

Senator Rywee Yawioon smiled wickedly as she welcomed Kassie outside the Yacht, her voice had changed from the annoying pitch to something darker, commanding even, something was very wrong: “Welcome to the capital, my dear ‘companion’. I assume by now you have figured something went contrary to your expectations?”

Kassie looks around the place, which isn’t precisely what she’d thought Taris would look like, from her previous visit to the world. Taking note of the lava, the banners she pales, skin fading just a bit, though she tries to ignore the shift in tone, and keep matters light, she responds, “I… don’t remember Taris looking much like this… but then…” She turns to the blue-skinned woman and tilts her head a bit, asking a half-dozen questions with her expression before she asks the one with her mouth, “this doesn’t seem to be Taris afterall. Was there some trouble?” She was playing dumb, worried also that maybe this was the long arm of the law from somewhere having caught up to her.

Clana’thaly’nuruodo gestures with her hand: “If you would please follow me. I promise you shall find answers in time.”

Kassie had a hard time not asking those questions and legion others at that precise moment. It was only through a deeply concerted effort of taking deep breaths bravado that she didn’t turn altogether grey. Certain she was being run in for questioning, she just kept quiet, and tried to run through her mental list of past jobs that could have gotten her to this point. When they arrive at the imposing building, among others that are so much like it in the city, she opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

At the door, Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “after you, m’dear”

Once inside…

Clana’thaly’nuruodo stood before Kassie, her arms folded behind her back, her whole body language was very different from what she had displayed during the past few days: “You are very cunning and audacious, I’ll give you that. I also give credit where credit is due….you had, gained my attention for a little while now.”

Kassie’s eyes widened, not missing that the giggling society character that the other woman had been was now all but gone. She kept folding and unfolding her hands together, every time she wanted to turn and run, certain she was inches away from a terrible prison sentence at best. Denying nothing, but admitting nothing either, she responded with a deflated attempt at her accustomed cheer, “I would ordinarily say thank you to an admirer, but… I’m not sure that that’s really what this is.”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “Please take the elevator behind you, I shall be with you shortly.”

Kassie reaches up and twists some of her bi-colored hair around a nervous fingertip as she goes to do as she was bid, praying that she’s making the right move.

Kassie took the lift aloft and though other people were around, none paid her much mind. When someone arrived and looked at her, the Firrerreo’s lips thinned a bit over her teeth, mouth pressing into a line as she watched the entrance of this new individual. Where she’d had a hand on the table she leapt back and said, “I didn’t take anything- I was told to wait here.”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo stepped from the elevator and smiled slightly at Kassie as she moved closer to her: “What you see here…is the headquarter of the Imperial Inquisitorius and I…am its Director”, she grinned wickedly now, suddenly using the annoying pitched voice again, saying: “WELCOME TO BYSS.” She laughed in an almost maniacal way, but only shortly, it was unclear whether she had just been toying around with Kassie again. “Why do you think you are here?” Her voice had transformed again, to the commanding, yet calm tone she had used before at the Shuttle.

Kassie was clearly unsettled to have made such an admittance out loud, but was trying to regain her composure, as she listened. But that one word, Byss, and that chillingly quick shift into the alter ego had drained the rest of the warmth of her color until she’d gone silver-skinned. She haltingly replied, guessing it had to do with theft of some sort, “I… I… if I had a hand in… moving anything of yours… I’ll- I can repay you.”

Curwen Carfield moved closer to the Director, overhearing the conversation, but remaining silent for now. His eyes pierced the woman whom he was unfamiliar with.

Clana’thaly’nuruodo wasn’t smiling anymore, her calm voice didn’t spend any comfort, but instead contributed to the cold atmosphere of the whole place as she spoke up again: “You are a criminal. My organization has gathered detailed files about your past actions. And I can assure you, we are by far not the only organization that has gathered a file on you. I have a simple offer to make…consider it well: I will accept you into the ranks of the Inquisitorius, you will work for this Agency, you will support us will all your talents, you will receive a very generous payment. All you have to do is swear allegiance to the Empire.”

Curwen Carfield nodded in response and moved back to his console.

Clana’thaly’nuruodo wasn’t smiling anymore, her calm voice didn’t spend any comfort, but instead contributed to the cold atmosphere of the whole place as she spoke up again: “You are a criminal. My organization has gathered detailed files about your past actions. And I can assure you, we are by far not the only organization that has gathered a file on you. I have a simple offer to make…consider it well: I will accept you into the ranks of the Inquisitorius, you will work for this Agency, you will support us with all your talents, you will receive a very generous payment. All you have to do is swear allegiance to the Empire.”

Kassie tried not to look to hard at the man who’d been looking through her. It was easily enough done, given she was having trouble enough accepting that the hapless woman she thought she’d duped had really turned the tables on her so completely. The Firrerreo did not take her eyes off of the other woman’s visage for the whole time she spoke. Her expression flitted somewhere between tense and false impassion. Her only reply was, “That’s it? No prison, no… hard labor?” The bare beginnings of a smile made its way to the corners of her mouth again, and she let out an audible breath, one she hadn’t realize she’d been holding. She reached out a hand to shake on it, and explained, “You had me at generous payment.”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo smiled, this time it seemed genuine. “You’ve made the right decision. I must warn you, it is a dangerous business we are in. But I am sure you will like the sense of…adventure that comes with it. I need to be off for the Empire meeting, the person behind me is Deputy Director Carfield; he will see you to your needs until I return.” she turns around: “Isn’t that right, Curwen?” Then bows in a dramatic gesture and moves to the elevator.

Curwen Carfield looked up from his console briefly: “Aye, chief.” He smirked devillishly, revealing two rows of pointed teeth, then turned to the console again.

Kassie just began to get some of her pigmentation back to rights as the much-altered woman announced her departure. She waved, tinkling her fingers as she’d done when they were on Coruscant together, though it felt incongruent, here in this place. She turned to the man whose custody she’d been placed in and meandered a few steps closer to him, keeping well enough away though when she stopped to be out of arm’s length. She called to him with a formality that spoke to her persona, though it too felt incongruent with the place, “Mr. Carfield, its… an unlooked for pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Curwen Carfield turned around, again piercing the lady with his cold gaze, before he replied: “Let’s dispense with the pleasantries for now. I need you to make an appointment with the nurse, for your medical examination. I have heard about your previous mischiefs and I can assure you this job is not as easy going as you may think now.”

Kassie sighed an only slightly held back long and long-suffering sigh. Looking around the various high tech terminals and things she simply responded, “I’m in quite good health. I haven’t even been sick in years. But… I must say, I do rather like to earn my keep, I wouldn’t dare presume it’d start being easy now…”

Curwen Carfield grinned terribly: “I am afraid the examination is mandatory, but rest assured, it won’t hurt a bit. Tell me, have you worked with the Sith before?”

Kassie had begun to meander a few steps away, to keep up her polite smiling facade when faced with something menacing, and to let off the impending feeling of being confined. Turning to look at the man again, she answered blithely, “Not really, no. But I’ve never been very religious. Is there something in particular I should know? Like you’re meant to bow instead of cursy or something?”

Curwen Carfield stared at her, chuckling at her response: “Well, to be clear: We aren’t Sith ourselves. We have some more leeway in doing what we want….as long as it serves the larger interest of the Empire. I don’t suggest to mess with the Sith around here though. They can be a bit touchy.”

Kassie might have been, if she was a different person, self-conscious over being so lushly dressed in a place made for utility and the cold fundaments of information, but instead she felt most discomfited by the the sort of medical examination that’d given the man such a cruelly glittering smile to speak of. In terms of his response about Sithkind, she just remarked, with a whisper of a laugh, “Well I generally try not to mess with dangerous people at all. Certainly not when they’re looking anyway. But thank you for your advice…” There was a little bit of mischief in her eyes when she admitted, “I didn’t think the Director was dangerous though, and I thought we were headed on a pleasure cruise so clearly…” She gestured around the room at where she’d found herself instead, “I can use the help.”

Curwen Carfield turned around to his console again. Even though he was apparently working on something important he was still able to focus on their conversation as well. “The Raven was impressed with your various talents. I can relate to that. We agreed to offer you a position and you did well to accept. Not hard to imagine what the….alternative option would have been.”

Kassie gulped silently, imagining any number of less comfortable choices she could have made. Only when the man had turned around again did she reach up to smooth her hair and then down to smooth her dress, doing this before she found voice to speak again, “Piles of credits certainly beat the alternative, I’m sure… She mentioned swearing allegiance to the Empire… does that mean taking some… oath or… there aren’t uniforms involved are there?”

Curwen Carfield focused for a moment on one of the screens, which showed a man running from something on a field. A flash could be seen and the man was gone, vaguely there seemed to be a pile of ash left on the ground: “Oh, no, we are indeed free to dress as we please. But I recommend using different styles for the various occasions you will find yourself in.”

Kassie was upon reflection glad to hear that her employers weren’t the dread dark lords… directly. Calming herself inwardly that it was perhaps going to be alright, just when she happened to spy the screen he was watching and blinked a few times at the images there. She spoke more to it than any of her orientation questions, moving to close the distance just a little bit, “I’d heard of your organization of course. Just whispers, naturally… in my line of work one tries to stay out of your view. Things like that are the reasons why…”

Curwen Carfield chuckled but it sounded remotely as if a Manka Cat made her dying breath: “No one ever remained out of our view for long.”

Kassie seemingly hadn’t given up trying to ingratiate herself, despite the cold demeanor
Cardfield presented, determined to keep the bitter fear well at bay, and replied, “So it would seem. Have you… ahhhhhhhhh…. been here long?”

Curwen Carfield rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he seemingly watched what appeared to be another remote execution: “I have worked with The Raven, long before I joined the Inquisitorius at her side. She is a…rather unique person, very intriguing, I am sure you will find out soon.”

Kassie only half watched the grisly offerings of the screen, for bending her attention to what she was being told, and studying the man’s profile. She explained, “I thought I had quite gotten to know her, but, clever as I thought I was…ha. I guess its a good thing I didn’t try to snake her room key the way I was tempted to, afterall. I might have lost a hand!” If she had any quandaries about the deaths, it was not evident, given she saw fit to joke.

Curwen Carfield: “Hands can be replaced.” He responded in a cold manner.

Kassie’s nose wrinkled and eyes widened in response as she looked over and up at him. Her face was half a scowling wince, showing her appreciation for the idea of such loss of limb. Calming her feral response, she argued, “I am rather attached to the ones I have now…”

Curwen Carfield inclined his head slightly towards her: “Then see to it that you’ll manage to keep them all where they belong.”

Kassie saluted instead of responding verbally to that one, as if she just felt the need to use those hands at that moment. Though shortly thereafter they were folded together behind her back, protectively. For the moment she just seemed content to clear her throat, and turned grey eyes to the screen again.

Curwen Carfield moved away from the screen to take a seat at the conference table, gesturing to the Acolyte to do the same. He rubbed his temples, for the first time in their conversation he seemed to be somewhat tired: “This can be a rough business. Some, who have been badly prepared, failed in their missions and we still need to adjust our protective measures to minimize future losses. Of course then there are those who we wanted to get rid of as well….”

Kassie took up a seat just beside her new acquaintance, crossing her legs primly as she did. She seemed to take a moment to try and unravel his words, before sympathetically offering, “seems like all business is rough these days. I suspect even the masters of the galaxy would say so. Not to belittle your experience though… I just mean to say, business isn’t what it used to be.”

Curwen Carfield lighted a cigarra, merely nodding at the Acolyte’s words. He seemed rather melancholic all of a sudden, inhaling the smoke deeply, while not saying a single word for a rather extended period of time.

Kassie looked covetously at a billow of smoke as it made it’s way to the lofty ceiling, to disperse from its loose form before it ever made it there. She did not disrupt the silence for a long moment herself, having plenty and more to think about, given the day’s events. After a long while she finally sighed, looked over to Carfield, and murmured, “I suppose it really is better this way.”

Curwen Carfield exhaled for an unnatural long moment, the sound it made being quite terrible: “Indeed, it really is…, well Acolyte, it’s been a pleasure to meet you. I hope you will in time become a valuable asset to our agency, just as The Raven predicted. I need to retire for today. You can use one of the empty bureaus down there for now until you’ll receive the keys for your personal apartment. Take care!” With that said he rose from his seat and took the elevator down, accompanied by a gruesome coughing, which was the last sign of his presence until the Blast doors in the lower level closed behind him.

Kassie watched him speak, and then go, and looked after him for a long moment. Finally unattended, even feeling she’d softened him up the tiniest bit, she could cradle her forehead into her palm and massage her temples, really starting to let the reality of her situation set in. She was another few moments before she collected herself up with shoulders squared against the uncertainty of the future and made for the lift.