Fandom Star Wars: Demesne [Closed]

[cleopat]

Handing the keys back over, Cora sighed as the clerk was of no help. Not that it was his fault, there was nothing more he could do for him, and she highly doubted cameras of the outside would help at all with the foot traffic the locker rooms received.

“Well, damn,” she muttered, looking at Eli. “I guess we should just head back and see what the Grand Admiral has to say to us.” There was nothing else for them to do at the amusement park.

A shame it had to end early, but at least they got in several hours of fun. And after they’ve spoken with Thrawn, they could at least still grab some food together on the ship, since they hadn’t eaten since brunch.

“Come on, let’s go. The next shuttle back leaves in about thirty minutes. If we leave now we should be able to make it.” Not that they would have to wait long for the next one, given the time of day was busy for them.

~~~

“Not technically forbidden, no.” Skye shook her head. Though by the way others looked at those who did wonder, it might as well have been. And it was one reason why she herself never looked into it, aside from one other big reason: she had created a family with the Jedi Order.

There was no point in looking for her biological family when she was already with what she considered to be her real family.

At least now you have us.

And that she did. Skye looked back at Adlai with a smile. “Yes, I do.” She had him. She had Ae’lia. And she had the others from Shah-tezh, even if she still didn’t know them terribly well.

She eventually stood back up and made her way back over to the cockpit. “We should be approaching Serenno.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli nodded, resigned to his fate, even if he wasn’t sure what that was. There was no help for them here, and he knew Thrawn was going to be upset. If he survived this, he’d have to make a note to get a personal datapad so things like this didn’t happen again, and make sure to keep the information between them different.

He had plenty of ideas of what someone could get out of his datapad.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

It was that agreement which got them to the shuttle on time, after a quick taxi ride to get to the pick-up spot. Then it was back to the ship. Eli didn’t even notice the new tension in the area, too caught up in his worries about the situation he had inadvertently created to take such notice of it. Not that it would have been surprising – Inquisitors had a way of making every location they were at, tense.

Even when they weren’t in sight.

The news had spread through the Chimaera by then, and people remained on their toes.

Eli didn’t care enough to look for any of them, only looking for Thrawn, expecting he’d be there to meet them in the hangar.

He wasn’t disappointed with that, as he saw Thrawn immediately, and made a beeline for him, after catching Cora’s gaze to indicate he knew where to head, “Grand Admiral, I’m sorry,” were the first words to come spilling out of his mouth, “we used a locker at the waterpark area of the amusement park, and it got broken into – unlocked and locked back up,” he wouldn’t suggest it had been unlocked. He and Cora weren’t that irresponsible, “Mine was the only thing missing.”

Someone knew.

It became clearer as Eli said it.

Someone knew.

“I don’t know how long it’s been missing, but no more than three hours.”

~***~

“I’d hope we are,” Adlai chuckled, though he knew Skye meant they were closer now to Serenno. He’d follow up to the cockpit, a softer smile coming to his face as he observed his world come into sight. It really had been too long. He’d offer some quick directions to get them back to his home, and would be the one to speak when they were hailed so that they knew for sure it was him.

As if the ship wasn’t a giveaway.

There was a cleared landing pad for his ship, with a bridge that led right into the family home, for Skye to land on. There were only a couple of guards in the area, another small safety precaution, in case Adlai was in distress on arrival, and clearly not with someone to be trusted. Adlai wouldn’t wait for Skye to follow immediately before he’d step out to greet them.

“Vonn, Brent,” their faces were familiar, “I thought you retired, Vonn?” A tease, really – Vonn was in his 50s, but notably still in good shape, and had years more experience than anyone else. So, Vonn scoffed.

“I’ll retire when I’m dead, Count.”

“Or when I take over,” Adlai smirked, “How have things been?”

An eye roll. Silence.

Brent spoke up, “Oh, just…well, you know,” it didn’t really answer the question, “The Empire’s added more reasons to tax us, and your father’s still trying to find ways not to pass that over to the people too much, while other noble families are arguing to spread it out more among the people.”

“Even Demici?”

“No, they’re still with us.”

 

[cleopat]

The journey back to the ship felt like forever, when in reality maybe an hour had passed. Cora felt nervous, but she wasn’t sure if it was nerves for the both of them, or just for Eli. But, why would Thrawn call for both of them, if not to simply chastise them both for their careless action of an imperial datapad?

The journey ended soon enough, maybe too soon, and they entered the hangar, where they were immediately greeted by the Grand Admiral himself.


Thrawn indeed had already been waiting for them to arrive in the hangar for not very long. He knew the shuttle’s schedule. He knew how long it would take the two to get back from wherever they may have been.

And he was pleased with how swift they were to return, despite ruining their day off together.

And immediately Eli came up to him and started apologizing, which Thrawn saw as completely unnecessary. Was he careless in bringing the datapad? Yes. Was Thrawn angry? Not in the least. He raised up one hand to put a stop to Eli’s babbling. “Commander Vanto, I am not upset.”

A statement which garnered a surprised look from Cora Suvan.

“Please, follow me to my office. I wish to speak to the both of you about this incident.” Without further word, Thrawn turned on his heel and made his way to his office, not bothering to look behind to see if they were following.

~~~

As the world came into view, Skye snuck a glance over at Adlai and saw the softer expression on his face upon looking at his homeworld. While the idea of being attached to any particular world was a foreign feeling for her, she could tell that Adlai missed his, as well as his family, for being away for so long like he was.

She went through all the proper protocols to land the ship, and Adlai was the first to depart, with her following behind at a distance expected of a bodyguard. Not too far, not too close.

Skye didn’t recognize the faces or the names from Adlai’s family, but it was clear that they were close and someone who worked for the family.

Silent, she paused her steps a few feet behind Adlai and watched the exchange silently, waiting for Adlai to introduce her before she would say anything. That was proper in this situation, right?

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli was taken aback by Thrawn not being upset. Despite how calm his message had seemed, he still expected the anger. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying more, or even asking why Thrawn wasn’t angry. He clearly wanted to make this conversation, which meant he intended to explain more, and ask more questions, privately.

This was a good thing.

Eli nodded, and would follow Thrawn to his office, glancing to Cora as they arrived, before following Thrawn further in. He’d been in his office enough not to feel any need to look around or examine his environment too much. Thrawn hadn’t updated it much since his promotion, anyways. Unlike some officers….

Eli supposed he ought to wait for Thrawn to speak, but he was still nervous. “We did check if there were cameras that might help,” he added, “There weren’t. Just outside. I…think someone knew I was there. Knew there was an opportunity.” That drifted from apologetic, to the more insight-based.

Probably more of what Thrawn wanted, really. He usually wanted people to take a look at what opportunities were around. This had the potential, even if Eli was still kicking himself over the error.

~***~

As Adlai heard Skye’s footsteps, he half-turned to see her, and then gestured, “Vonn, Brent, this is Skye, my new bodyguard on Coruscant. I thought I would bring her to see how things are here and get her familiar with the rest of you.”

Brent did look her over, frowning. She was small.

Vonn was the one to smirk, and then snort as he saw Brent’s disapproval, “Don’t let looks fool you. I’m pretty sure she could flip you over easily.”

Brent folded his arms over his chest, “Doubt it, Captain.”

“Skye, this is Vonn, captain of the guard, and Brent,” with no title, “My parents…?”

“Last I knew they were in the Green Room waiting for your arrival,” Vonn answered, “Shouldn’t be any issues getting there,” meaning no further checkpoints, and also no one waiting to hassle him, either. Friendly or otherwise.

Adlai nodded, “Thank you, then we’ll be on our way.”

 

[cleopat]

Thrawn could have smiled at the nervous energy the two were giving off. It was almost adorable, but painfully expected. They did lose a datapad with Imperial secrets on it, but they hadn’t seen the benefit of this loss yet, which he intended to make them see.

Cora remained silent as they entered the office, opting to observe the room rather than make eye contact with their superior, who moved to the other side of his desk, and where he remained standing, hands clasped behind his back.

Already Eli began to see some of the connections that Thrawn did soon after receiving Cora’s message. “Exactly, someone knew you were there. You, an officer of the Imperial Navy.” And only so many people would truly care about that rather than just try to avoid him.

“And who of the sort would care to take an Imperial datapad and leave behind a civilian one?” he further questioned. Cora, not quite connecting the dots, looked over at Eli, in hopes that he would better piece together the puzzle Thrawn created for them.

~~~

Skye gave a polite nod to the two guards as they were introduced, even if one seemed to question her ability as a bodyguard based on her size alone. It didn’t bother her in the least. She was used to such thoughts and comments, that it brought a small smirk to her face.

“If you doubt my capabilities, then I would be more than happy to give you a demonstration one day soon.”

She wouldn’t await an answer to her challenge before they were headed towards the Green Room, whatever that meant. Was it just a room that was really, really green?

Skye didn’t know what to expect.

“One quick question,” she whispered, in case anyone overheard, though she couldn’t detect anyone in the vicinity. “Do your bodyguards normally address you as Adlai, or Count Malvern?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Thrawn was in that pose again. He was in that mood again which Eli knew only too well from his time around the Grand Admiral. This had now become a test, which was made obvious as Thrawn agreed with his assessment before querying Eli further. “Rebels and enemies of the Empire are the most likely sources. It couldn’t be someone who’d want to ransom it, they’d likely know Imperial protocols with datapads,” to wipe it and render them fairly useless, with regards to the information they had.

He wanted to continue on, about the rebels that Thrawn was investigating on Coruscant, but he wasn’t immediately certain if Cora was aware of that situation. “So it’s someone who hopes to use the information on the datapad to deal a blow to us.”

Whether or not they got that information before it was wiped was still up in the air.

He wouldn’t continue on. He’d let Thrawn speak to whether or not he was on the right track before he humored speaking on, though he knew things were rarely that simple. Even if to some people, this assessment wouldn’t seem simple at all. Eli was just too used to Thrawn by now.

~***~

Brent’s lips quirked in a smirk before they left, but he hadn’t answered her challenge. No doubt, he’d be happy to test her…and Adlai knew as well as Vonn that he’d regret testing her, as well. Then again, perhaps it would be good for him. A guard of their family should know better than to underestimate anyone.

Still, they continued on, and Adlai chuckled at her question, “Count Malvern is my father,” he noted, “I’m just Count or Count Adlai,” he answered, “although it’s also acceptable to call me Adlai, the formality tends to get dropped quickly enough as it is.”

Perhaps not initially, but they weren’t strict on the titles amongst their guards. There was supposed to be some closeness, after all. These people were willing to lay down their lives to protect the family.

The green room was, in fact, green.

The guards alongside the doors – droids this time – easily let Adlai and Skye pass through to enter what was something of a casual study. It was the room his parents had always used to debrief after tense situations, be that warfare or politics. It was a planning room of sorts, and given the situation with taxes, he wasn’t all that surprised to find them there. Sure, they were waiting on him – but not aimlessly.

Eitana looked up from her seat on the couch, then rose, “Addie,” a smile bloomed onto her lips as he approached her, and she pulled him into an embrace. Doron remained where he was, though his face still softened. “It’s been too long.”

“I know,” he said, and stepped back a little, “This is Skye, I mentioned her before,” Adlai reminded.

“Oh yes, of course. It’s good to meet you, Skye – it’s been a while since Adlai chose to have any biological guards on Coruscant.” She clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth in disapproval.

 

[cleopat]

Eli began, and Thrawn nodded as he spoke. “Correct,” he spoke calmly. It was all too easy to come to that conclusion, that whoever had the datapad could now gain a step ahead of them.

Unless, of course, Thrawn and them could use that to their own advantage, since he did have the information that was on the datapad.

“They could deal a blow to us, unless we remain one step ahead of them,” he continued.

Cora furrowed her brows, the pieces slowly coming together for her, but not entirely.

“Therefore, we are going to wait to erase the information on the datapad,” Thrawn said. “Of course, fixing some things will be needed in the future as with any security breach, but I think this opportunity could help us lay down a trap for our rebel friends.”

Oh, so that's why he doesn't seem mad, Cora thought to herself. Leave it to Thrawn and his unsurpassed reputation to turn the unfortunate incident into something advantageous.

~~~

Skye noted the answer Adlai provided for her. She may call him Count, or Count Adlai, in the beginning, since she was technically a new bodyguard, but eventually she would drop it to the name she was used to giving him. Adlai.

Addie.

As Skye was reminded of the nickname when they entered the room. And now she had the chance to see his parents in the flesh and not hidden off to the side while Adlai was on call with them. They looked just like him, though their age was evident through weathered years.

She remained behind Adlai as they said their hellos, but once introduced, she took a step forward and gave a polite nod. “Nice to meet you two.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli let his brows furrow. He was pretty sure this was not a strategy literally anyone in the Empire would be happy to hear. Least of all Tarkin. Of course, Tarkin didn’t need to know about this, and Eli would hardly be running off to go tell him, either. Especially given it was his error, but also because he knew Thrawn could use this.

So, he nodded.

Then took in a breath and asked, “Do you…have thoughts on what we might be looking for?” Eli knew there was a lot on his datapad. Eli wouldn’t presume that Thrawn hadn’t looked into the files now that they were out in the open, and pinpointed something that could be of use, some line he thought the rebels might follow – or a few.

Eli’s recent projects had been looking into the doonium trade, as well as the Prosperina situation, though that was now finished.

~***~

Doron assessed Skye from his distance. He knew better than most not to underestimate anyone, and so he wouldn’t underestimate her. Particularly as a friend of Eira’s, even if Eira hadn’t taken her up on a bodyguard job. It meant she’d run in such circles before, or so Doron assumed, so she knew how to maintain herself in busy and tight situations.

Still, he had suspicions where Eitana didn’t about what she really was.

Eitana wasn’t wrong; Adlai had preferred droids for a while now. “It’s nice to meet you as well,” Doron spoke, “And we’re glad to know how you helped our son back at the art gallery, a shame what happened there. We thought with Grand Admiral Thrawn in that area, art would at least be protected.”

“So you know his reputation, too,” Adlai couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“It’s not the first time Serenno’s dealt with him,” Eitana winked, which caused a confused look to cross his face, “but don’t you worry about that,” she poked his forehead.

“He doesn’t have to hear Duke Solha’s ramblings about it,” Doron grumbled. “The man’s obsessed with bringing him down ever since Thrawn did such a great disservice to him. As if that wasn’t Dooku’s fault to begin with.”

 

[cleopat]

Thrawn indeed had some idea of what they may be looking for. There was a lot of information of inconsequence within Eli’s notes, but from the little he perused through them, when he had the time, one section seemed ample opportunity for the Rebels to take advantage of, if they were smart.

And Thrawn knew to not underestimate their opponents, especially if a Jedi is amongst their ranks.

“Tell me,” Thrawn began, what do you remember that you wrote down about the Proserpina situation?”

Silent, Cora furrowed her brows, wondering how exactly something like that could be of any use to the Rebels. Thrawn, meanwhile, knew exactly what could be of use, if they weren’t careful to capture the Rebels before they could get out with the information and bring down the Empire from the inside out. “How do you think they could use this information?”

~~~

Skye looked down and bit back a smile at the interaction between Adlai and his mother. The way she poked his forehead was endearing, but she was sure it was inappropriate for her to outright laugh at such things.

Even if she really, really wanted to.

So she put back on a stoic expression as they talked about Thrawn, Dooku, and the one name she didn’t quite recognize, Duke Solha. In the past, she had ignored almost anything dealing with Serenno after the outbreak of the war, and after the war, she was only concerned with trying to live.

News be damned.

“It seems that the Admiral’s reputation precedes him,” she couldn’t help but to comment after hearing Doron’s and Eitana’s comments about the Chiss. Even they knew of his...passion for art, and then some.

It was almost amusing, if not what the Grand Admiral stood for.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli’s brows also knit together at Thrawn’s question of Proserpina. That situation was closed, at least to them. Eli recalled some frustration with that, of course, but what had he written on it that would make rebels want to look into it more?

“I know I made notes about the event itself that led to our investigation, and how we found Proserpina. I made some notes about those with her,” he hadn’t had much details on them, just brief descriptions. He folded his arms over his chest, “There wasn’t much more to do with that, after….”

And it dawned on him.

His eyes widened a tic, “I…my notes may have led them to believe that it was closed to us because it was…something of an internal affair,” he didn’t want to overtly say ‘because Tarkin’s a shady bitch’, which his notes may or may not have contained. It was definitely something similar to that.

Any rebel who wanted a shot at wrecking the Empire, would take a shot at Tarkin.

~***~

Adlai really wanted to ask what his parents knew about Thrawn, and how they even had a history with Thrawn. Well, not them personally, but this duke. He wouldn’t, however. He couldn’t show too much interest, but he would have to look into it, or run the name by Shay. It might be something they needed in their long game against the Empire.

“Oh yes,” a chuckle left Eitana, “I’m sure I’d enjoy a chat with him over tea over some of Serenno’s art.”

“I don’t think so,” Adlai muttered, and at the look his father gave him, he held his hands up, “He came to visit me once. I didn’t find his company enjoyable.”

“That didn’t have anything to do with Eira’s budding friendship with him, did it?”

Adlai rolled his eyes, “Maybe,” he’d allow, because there was still a game to be played. “It is just a friendship, but she has a lot of Imperial friends.” He sighed, “It was a bit of strain,” he admitted, which was understandable, even without being a rebel.

“Well, at least you two can retain a friendship,” Eitana said, patting his arm, “and it’s good you’ve come home for a break after all of that. We have plans for dinner, but if there’s more you want to do today, we won’t hold you up, dear.”

He gave a wane smile, “Thank you,” he inclined his head a little, “I know I plan to show Skye around Serenno a bit,” he hadn’t been sure what day, “she’s never been here before.”

“No,” Doron sniffed, “Looks a bit Core. No offense meant,” but it was implied.

 

[cleopat]

Thrawn watched as Eli connected the puzzle together. A slight smile graced his face. “Precisely.” There was a chance for the Rebels to exploit a potential weakness within the Empire, if they followed through on this lead dealing with Tarkin.

Which, he wanted to do instead.

“What do you think they will do with this information?” Cora asked, glancing from Eli to Thrawn. Having information, and actually doing something with it, was two completely different things.

“That is something I am still contemplating on,” Thrawn admitted. “For now, we will keep a sharp eye out on the media, in case anyone just so happens to ‘stumble’ upon this story for themselves,” he continued. “Unless, of course, you have any suggestions?”

~~~

Skye remembered when Thrawn came to visit Adlai. She had also been in the same office that day, for their ‘interview,’ and she had been just as shocked as Adlai over the Grand Admiral’s appearance, moreso when she found out that Thrawn had wanted Eira’s information.

Even now, she still thought that Eira was way too over her head befriending so many Imperials.

Upon mention of her name, Skye smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’ve been looking forward to seeing more of your planet.

Well, she certainly didn’t know if she should be offended by Doron’s words. “I’m not entirely Core, so no offense taken.” She still wasn’t sure to be offended, but while she was raised in the Core, she wasn’t born there, nor did she spend much time of the last fourteen years in the Core. In her eyes, she was just as much Core as she wasn’t.

 

[Lucyfer]

Thrawn had seen what Eli wrote – enough of it to gather an idea of what would appeal to the rebels. Eli wouldn’t feel too ashamed for that, though he suspected that some of the heat that rose to his face was noticeable all the same. Apparently, the rebels might try to work more on the Proserpina plot they had been investigating.

Leads they now had to drop. ‘But we didn’t have anymore leads, the only way they could follow it would be if someone knew….’ He thought of Eira. He thought of what he knew of Eira’s manager, another sephi, and a former journalist. That latter thought only came up because Thrawn mentioned the press.

He frowned a bit at that.

It was possible the two sephis knew each other, though that sounded racist to just assume it. Still, if he considered that, then that was a reason to watch for the press…although…it seemed foolish for anything too leak there.

“No suggestions, just…a question,” he said, still frowning, “I don’t quite understand why we would want to look to the press. If my understanding of things is correct, nothing would release to the press until there was solid enough information that they would be okay with giving themselves away. If anything, I would imagine the press would release things to distract – assuming the rebels have a hand in the press,” he wouldn’t go on to voice that any further.

He imagined Thrawn knew the ‘who’ he was referring to. “Can you explain if we’re looking for those kinds of distractions, or do you believe real information will be released there?”

~***~

Doron arched a brow at Skye’s declaration of not being entirely Core, but he wouldn’t go on to question. She’d prove herself to be like others from the Core, or she wouldn’t. He didn’t truly believe one shed their skin that easily; there was a certain manner in which people of the Core held themselves, one some from the Outer Rim tried desperately to adopt.

Few succeeded, if any. Not even Governor Tarkin had pulled it off, nor Palpatine – though he was Mid-Rim, not Outer.

“Then we shall not hold you up. I am sure there’s many of friends you want to see, too,” Eitana was the one to speak, “So go get yourself settled, and get out,” she chuckled, “just be back in time for dinner.”

“It’s at 7,” Doron reminded.

Adlai chuckled, “Thanks,” he said, admitting, “I don’t tend to keep the same schedules on Coruscant,” the reminder was useful, “I’ll see you both again, soon,” he said, before he’d nod to Skye.

He wanted to head by his room first, just to make sure everything from the ship was unpacked, and then determine where Skye would be staying.

 

[cleopat]

Thrawn watched as the heat traveled to Eli’s face, but he made no comment on the matter. Humans were fickle creatures, after all, and he probably broke some invisible barrier of privacy reading through Eli’s private notes on his datapad.

Even if said datapad was Imperial property.

Eli brought up an excellent question, though. “Well, if our rebel friends were indeed powerful, then this would only prove that one of them had a hand in the press.” His mind didn’t want to drift to Eira in that instance, but between herself and her journalist-turned-manager, they would have a powerful hand in the press, after carefully learning how to manipulate it for years.

Such information may only confirm their involvement, which, for some reason, he didn’t want to be true.

“Surely if they had information directly from an Imperial, they would want to release that information to the press in order to begin to sow the seeds of distrust, would they not?” Thrawn was still learning how many of these games were played between humans and others. “Although distractions would also be on par, while they make their real play.”

“So should we remain vigilant, and, well, keep an eye out for anything that may pertain to this information?” Cora spoke up, unsure.

“Yes, I believe that may be wise until we can narrow down their play even more.”

~~~

Once more Skye gave Adlai’s parents a polite nod before they left the Green Room. She would wait a few steps, sure that they were out of earshot, before she spoke, “I don’t think your father likes me too much.” It was a feeling she got. Maybe she was entirely wrong, or maybe she wasn’t.

And apparently the opinion of family members mattered to some people, even if it shouldn’t technically matter because Skye was only a bodyguard, and not Adlai’s girlfriend. She was only there to protect Adlai, not to when the approval of his family.

“Your mother is harder to read.” Skye certainly wasn’t getting the same feelings from Eitana, but the woman seemed pleasant enough.

Ultimately, she said, “They seem nice.” And they did, even despite the unsure feelings she was getting from Doron, or the unknown from Eitana.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli folded his arms over his chest. Thrawn proved right many times, but he wondered if it would be that simple. Still, there would be some change in the press, whether it was distraction, or related to his unfortunate failure, so he nodded. “Let’s hope we get something to show for this, then,” Eli certainly did. If he was going to mess up, he may as well have something to show for it.

He hesitated a moment in asking if everything was finished.

He bit the inside of his cheek, before sighing, and asking instead, “Are the…Inquisitors going to be a problem in fulfilling any leads this may gain?” Eli still hoped Cora hadn’t known about them, and they hadn’t plagued her afternoon the way it had for Eli. Yet, he couldn’t avoid asking about them now.

“Have we been assigned a new mission, or is a…Jedi suspected in the group we’re looking for?” He imagined it was the latter; if something had changed completely, Eli thought he would have heard about it before now, if only from annoyed messages from Faro throughout the day. So far, not a peep from Faro.

At least she respected his time out with Cora.

~***~

Naturally, as soon as they were a few steps out of the room, Skye began to talk about his parents – no doubt, just as his parents were doing about her. “You think that because you haven’t had to act like this in a while,” if ever. Adlai wouldn’t ask if she’d had to behave like this before, “in either case, if they do dislike you, they dislike the lie.”

Which could mean they’d like Skye more as she came out of her shell.

“I don’t think they dislike you, though.”

They hadn’t treated her terribly differently than they would any other guard, “Though my father does have issues with anyone he feels is Core, he even thought that of Eira despite her being from Mygeeto,” or at least, it being announced she was from Mygeeto.

She had been raised on Coruscant, like any other Jedi.

Apparently, his father was good at recognizing it. A rather fascinating, if someone disturbing, trait. “I’m sure he’ll come around.” Adlai added, “but you can worry about that throughout the day since we’ll see them again for dinner,” not what anyone would want to hear, but he couldn’t quite help it.

 

[cleopat]

Cora, indeed, hadn’t heard about the Inquisitors until Eli asked about them. Her gaze, eyes wide, shot over to Eli, and before Thrawn could answer Eli, she was the one to speak up, “Wait, Inquisitors?”

She certainly knew nothing about them, and she almost felt a little hurt that Eli had, apparently, knew about them, and elected to not tell her about them.

“Yes, Inquisitors,” Thrawn clarified, unconcerned with what Cora may have felt in the moment. It was trivial, and he was the one dealing with them, after all. He turned back to Eli and reshifted his focus on the question, “I admit, I do not know. They may pose a problem.”

He certainly didn’t like them, but he wasn’t going to allow his feelings to get in the way of actual investigation.

“There is a suspected Jedi in the group we’re looking into, which is why they have been assigned onboard the Chimaera for now.” And why they have their hands into his investigation. “I am hoping they won’t cause too much trouble for us.”

But they were Inquisitors, he silently added. They were volatile and unpredictable.


~~~

Skye felt some of her uneasiness leave her as Adlai assured her that his parents didn’t dislike her. Which wasn’t entirely reassuring, but it was better than outright admitting that they may be hard to win over.

Though, Doron may be more difficult, as Adlai admitted.

Skye groaned at the prospect of worrying throughout the day while waiting for their dinner that evening. “That doesn’t help.” But he knew that. He had to know that.

Instead of lingering on that thought, she opted to change the subject. “So where am I staying? As your bodyguard, I insist on somewhere near you.” Of course there were other reasons for wanting a close proximity to him, reasons she wouldn’t say. But they were there.

“After all, trouble can strike in the dead of night, when we least expect it.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Inquisitors were going to be a thing.

Thrawn seemed uncertain about how they may or may not influence the situation, which was never a good sign. Thrawn usually knew what he was dealing with; this variable was going to cause problems. Eli was certain of it. Not only because of the blow to morale, but also the fear that followed Inquisitors.

They didn’t really answer to officers, last Eli knew.

And with the knowledge that someone in Inquisitor grab had appeared on Corellia and messed up plans, there was a new layer of suspicion. Knowing now that a Jedi was suspected – likely because of that incident – wouldn’t quell much unease. It would likely just make it worse, in some ways.

Eli wouldn’t speak to that.

“I’m sure the Empire knows what it’s doing in assigning us two Inquisitors,” Eli said, biting back on commenting about how frustrating this was that it happened with so little warning. Was Tarkin upset with Thrawn? Possibly.

~***~

Adlai chuckled at Skye’s abrupt change of topics, amused with her assumption he would be in any danger here, “Of course, and it is not like there are plenty of other bodyguards throughout my home, prepared to protect me if anything should go wrong,” he was only being a little sarcastic. Skye knew this, of course.

She had seen some evidence of it already, while others went mostly unacknowledged by Adlai as the droids moved about the home. Some were just servants, others had guard duties, as well. None, at least, looked like the Separatist army droids.

He knew Skye would be close, though, and as they entered the familiar wing to his quarters, he did note the way one of the keypads nearby was lit in green, signaling it was prepared to have a passcode put into it. He led her first to that room, “This will be yours,” he added, “you can input a keycode of up to 10 characters,” though there were only numbers, “for your stay here, to have some privacy.”

He then gestured over to his quarters, across the hall, “That is where I’ll be.”

 

[cleopat]

Cora still didn’t feel good at the prospect of the Inquisitors onboard the ship. She recalled the failure of their mission on Corellia...but then again, that hadn’t really been an Inquisitor, was it? That didn’t help matters in the least.

And she knew of the reputation of inquisitors and following their own orders from Darth Vader. Cora had every reason to feel unease with their presence on the ship.

Thrawn hated how powerless he was against the Inquisitors. He couldn’t read them as well as he could anyone else, and he couldn’t control them like he could with his officers. They answered to someone else; they just had the ‘fortune’ of being stationed aboard his ship due to its proximity to Coruscant.

“Oh, I’m sure they do,” Thrawn agreed, albeit with a touch of sarcasm. He was sure Tarkin knew exactly what he was doing. “Keep an eye out on them,” he then said. “I am unsure what to expect from them right now, but we need to keep our eyes on them for any trouble.”

~~~

Skye chuckled, knowing well enough that there were plenty of bodyguards, both human and droids, around the home to protect Adlai and his parents should something, or someone, happen.

She just enjoyed being cheeky.

At least none so far reminded her of those she fought during the Clone Wars, which, admittedly, was a foolish thought she held about Serenno before arriving.

It seemed that they would indeed be close together, which Skye couldn’t help but to smile at. She went ahead and input a code, a bit predictable that it was her birthday, but not even Adlai knew that date. “Fortunate that we are near each other,” she chuckled as she turned back to face him. “Was there anything else you needed to do before going out?”

 

[Lucyfer]

‘What do you expect me to do if they act up, throw a punch?’ Eli wouldn’t ask that question, he knew the point of watching the Inquisitors, even if he would not be making a point to be anywhere near the Inquisitors unless he absolutely had to be near them. “I’ll let you know if I notice anything,” Eli agreed. It was about as far as he was willing to take Thrawn’s order.

He had other duties to tend to that he assumed superseded that order.

He also assumed it wasn’t a direction to follow them around.

Thrawn had cameras in the Chimaera for that. It was just…when the Inquisitors happened to be around that Eli should report on any oddities. He didn’t know how useful anyone would be in that endeavor, though.

He let out a sigh, some relief, some frustration he’d been holding in. He wasn’t in too much trouble. They had a plan. He’d asked about the Inquisitors. “Thank you for working something out with…this situation,” he said, before continuing, “Is there anything more you need from myself or Cora?” He supposed they weren’t going back down to Coruscant.

A terrible way to end their first date.

~***~

Adlai shook his head, “I am going to check through my luggage before going out. You may want to do the same.” He didn’t mistrust the staff, but things got mixed up. He might have one of her bags, or something he needed later might have been put somewhere hard to find. “Droids don’t…always have human sensibilities. I’ve found bags high up in my closet before,” he let out a sigh as he shook his head.

Humans would just put the luggage on the bed and let the person sort it out on their own.

Droids still didn’t seem to understand that. At least, not the droids in the employ of the Malvern family. Which meant he wanted to make sure he had everything, and it was all somewhere accessible.

So, Adlai would turn back towards his room and open it with the familiar code. He didn’t need to input one, and no one ever changed it. The room was always set aside for him.

And always looked in good order. The similar green and gold hues played throughout the decoration, he occasional black running through it. For once, all of his luggage appeared to be on his bed, so he assumed there was at least a human helping the droids this time around.

He wouldn’t need to do anything, and he didn’t see any of Skye’s bags there.

 

[cleopat]

Thrawn nodded. “Good.” Not that he expected anyone to be able to do anything, but he could still mark any transgressions the Inquisitors may make and complain to Governor Tarkin later about them. Not that it would do much.

But he still could complain.

For now, he would leave Eli and Cora with those simple instructions, but he wouldn’t hesitate to tell them if there was more that they had to do for him.

Cora still wasn’t happy, but she would wait until they left Thrawn’s office before confronting Eli about the situation more.

“For now, that will be all,” Thrawn confirmed, to which Cora nearly breathed a sigh of relief. “You two are dismissed.”

~~~

Skye turned to make her way into her room, where she did as Adlai suggested and checked through her luggage to make sure everything was there. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be amiss, and she went ahead and put some clothes up so she wouldn’t be living completely out of a suitcase during their time on Serenno.

It didn’t take her long at all to put some clothes up. Other than that, the room was relatively bare except for what she assumed were some decorations in an attempt to make the room look more inviting, and in color schemes that matched what she knew of Adlai’s family. Greens, golds, and blacks.

After she was done, Skye headed back out into the hallway to wait for Adlai, if he weren’t already done. She wanted to knock on his door, or even just walk in, but as a bodyguard, it didn’t feel appropriate.

It would still take her some time to get used to the role as a mere bodyguard for Adlai and not something more. It felt weird, it felt off, and it felt wrong. But the alternative at the moment wouldn’t be any better.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli was relieved to be dismissed, “Thank you, Thrawn,” he would say, before he would turn to leave with Cora. There was no need to stay there and clutter Thrawn’s office. He probably had plenty more to figure out to get things moving on his plan to deal with the rebels, now that they’d fed the rebels information.

Eli was going to feel guilty about that for a while.

Not guilty enough to hold in his sigh as they left Thrawn’s office, though. “I’m glad he has a plan,” then again, he always had a plan. Before Cora could even ask about the Inquisitors, he added, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the Inquisitors. I only heard of them here this morning; I didn’t know what they were doing here, or how long they’d be around. I didn’t want it…to, well, intrude on our day.”

Other things had done that instead, it seemed. He’d also hoped there might be some miracle that sent the Inquisitors away, but it seemed they were going to be stuck with them for a long while, which was unfortunate.

~***~

Adlai hadn’t unpacked, nor planned to, so when he went back to get Skye and he saw her unpacking, he just chuckled to himself and went to stand out in the hallway until she was done, checking a few things on his datapad while he waited. There were no updates from Shay, and no new scandals in the news he should be concerned with.

Not that he imagined there would be; Shay would be playing this close so no one caught onto anything. It didn’t make him less worried, though. Especially with news of Inquisitors back on Coruscant.

Thankfully, no news about them, either.

Which means they weren’t being obvious…yet.

He looked up as Skye came out of her room and smiled, pushing away from the wall he’d been leaning on, “Let’s get you acquainted with Serenno,” he offered, gesturing her along to follow, “Any particular things you’d like to consider looking at first? Food, museums, parks…?” He doubted Skye knew any real specifics, but if there were things she generally liked, he could accommodate.

 

[cleopat]

Cora didn’t get a chance to further question and berate Eli for neglecting to tell her about the Inquisitors before he spoke first, first glad that Thrawn had a plan, and second that he was truly sorry about failing to tell her.

She sighed, and shook her head. “While I am upset that you didn’t tell me, you had a good reason not to.” To give them both one day of peace that failed anyways, because they couldn’t just have one normal day.

Maybe that’s what they were destined to have, and any ‘normal’ days were those to be suspicious of.

Cora didn’t like that thought.

“It’s alright, you did what you thought was best for today. It seemed that either way, something was going to happen,” she said with a shrug. She didn’t blame Eli for keeping the Inquisitors from her, and she definitely didn’t blame him for the theft of his datapad. “But despite what happened, I had a great day.” Cora flashed him a genuine smile.

And it was a good day, if they ignored the last bit. They were actually able to forget about work for just a little bit and focus on one another.

~~~

Adlai was already waiting for her, which didn’t surprise Skye. “I’m not sure what I would want to see,” she shrugged. She didn’t know what was on Serenno, aside from what Adlai had already mentioned to her, such as the mountains.

But she knew that wanting to see the mountains wasn’t a first day kind of thing. Another day when they had nothing else planned.

“I do enjoy nature,” she said. Her connection to the Force was always strongest when she was surrounded by nature, and so despite her upbringing on Coruscant, she always gravitated towards nature parks and planets with a lot of green. “Are there any parks you enjoy?”

But museums were a close second. “I also enjoy most museums.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli wouldn’t argue with her being upset; he’d probably be upset to have something hidden from him. At least she was able to understand his rationale, and had enjoyed things. He smiled, a little, at that. “Yeah….” He was never bringing his work datapad out with him again. He was going to buy a new one as soon as he got access to his funds.

He’d have to stop over and get a new datapad for work.

Not a pleasant thought.

“I’m glad at least the day was good while we were out,” he said, “I had fun, too. We’ll have to do it again, someday,” he doubted she’d argue. They had a great time, and clearly got along outside of the work environment. “We can get dinner together if you’d like, but I…need to go get a new datapad,” he sighed.

He didn’t know how much paperwork that was going to be.

Or how much of a headache.

He’d never lost Imperial property before, but he imagined they didn’t make it easy. There would probably be enough punishment in the effort of trying to get a new one, that Thrawn didn’t even need to punish him. And Eli didn’t hate paperwork.

~***~

Nature came as little surprise; he hadn’t forgotten her entire interest in the mountains, and though he would want to see those with her, those were a bit of a hike. She’d see them from afar, but going up into one would be best saved for another day. So, for now, he was willing to consider a park.

“Oh, there’s a few,” he said, “there’s one dedicated to Serenno’s illustrious history in their war with the Sith, although perhaps that’s more fourth da—trip material,” he quickly caught himself. There were reasons not to go to that museum besides date reasons, but he thought it was worth mentioning whether or not Skye would want to see it.

Serenno’s history was checkered – but one of their reasons for reviling the Jedi had involved a certain distaste of the Jedi for not helping to expel the Sith ages ago. “There are other museums for art, and some of the local flora and fauna.”

Perhaps that would interest her more, “I know there is a decent zoo, actually, with a nice park – and all the zoo features of explaining everything, so it’s like a museum,” he chuckled, “if you care enough to read the holos,” or listen to them. Adlai had grown out of that, but he still liked seeing the animals.

Not to mention it was akin to a park, though there was a park outside of it, and the zoo did try to hold on to some of Serenno’s natural plant life along the walks around. Not necessarily within every enclosure, but they had a ‘native Serenno’ part. “I heard there was a varactyl born recently.”

~***~

A couple of days had passed before Shay called to Eira. Adlai was well on his way to Serenno, and Nikhil and Rem had met with those in Proserpina’s group – those they could meet, all to come to the same conclusion, “We’re not getting around Niima.” Shay said, frustration seeping into her tone. She had hoped for some way around it, but no one knew anything else.

Eira groaned, “You know the Force doesn’t work on Hutts.”

“I assume lightsabers do,” Shay noted, and Eira frowned, but didn’t protest, “A good threat should be enough. In, and out.”

“Do we even know where to find Niima?” Eira asked, “We know Jakku, but….” Jakku was a vast desert of nothing. Not even scavengers cared to go picking it apart, its sands had naught to offer, not even krayt dragons for the adventurous.

“There’s an outpost called Cratertown not far from it,” Shay answered, “I’m sure you can get directions from that point.” Eira probably could, and she wouldn’t argue it.

“You’re sending me to a desert in all black.” Eira managed a slight smirk, “You owe me.”

Shay rolled her eyes, but agreed, “I know. I’ve commissioned a few ships to jump you throughout the galaxy. You’ll pick up a ship at Belladoon,” Shay handed over the keys, “there’s no meeting with Niima scheduled.”

“I know,” she hadn’t needed to ask, “Inquisitors don’t need appointments.” She didn’t want to fall into this role again, but it was needed to bring down someone like Tarkin. It would have to be worth it.

 

[cleopat]

Cora would indeed want to have another day with Eli without thoughts of work, and she would hope it would go better than today: running into her brother and having an Imperial datapad stolen.

Maybe it was best to get some of the worst case scenarios out of the way, that way they would know for sure that they liked each other after rougher moments. And so far, Cora still looked forward to her moments with Eli.

“We’ll meet up for dinner,” Cora told him, after he mentioned needing to go get a new datapad. In the meantime, she’ll head back to her room, maybe send a message to Faro about the date going well. She’ll just leave out the ending and let Eli tell her if he wanted.

“So, I’ll see you then?” she asked, a smile on her face, before she then would head back to her room and try not to think about the Inquisitors on the ship, and the possibility of running into them.

~~~

The history museum sounded interesting, but as Adlai said, it was one for another day. Skye didn’t know if she would want to immediately see an exhibit of a war against the Sith so soon after coming to the planet. It was a bit heavy, but what Adlai suggested next seemed better for the occasion.

“It sounds like to me that you’re wanting to go to the zoo,” Skye chuckled. But it didn’t sound like a bad idea. It had been ages since she’s seen a zoo, and one that featured a baby varactyl? She was sold.

Who could say no to baby animals?

“I think the zoo sounds like a lovely place to visit for the afternoon.” And not only would it be a great tourist location for someone who has never been to Serenno, it was easy to act as a bodyguard in such a public place.

“I can’t say no to a baby varactyl, after all.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli smiled, “Yeah – I’ll send you a message once I get my datapad,” he didn’t know if he’d have a new contact on it or not. Either way, that would get the information to Cora, and then the rest would get through the ranks and be updated in their datapads, as well. Hopefully no one sent him any more “useful” information to his real datapad. He wondered how long Thrawn was going to let that one be live.

Too long, and the rebels would certainly know that they knew something.

Eli was tempted to reach out to kiss Cora, but it felt awkward in the midst of a public space, even with very few people around, “’ll see you soon,” he echoed instead, before he’d turn away to go a different direction, eventually making his way to the Imperial Storehouse on the ship, where he was able to inform them of the missing datapad, and be given the paperwork to fill out for a new one.

It did indeed take a while.

His old information was uploaded onto the new one, which was at least one useful factor for having an Imperial datapad. He never had to think much about off-site storage, since they always backed up, at least overnight, to the Imperial’s storage system.

Eli wouldn’t be taking that for granted again. Or take for granted that higher officers could look at his notes.

Tarkin could look at his notes.

He was definitely removing those on his new datapad.

When eventually everything was settled and it was well into the evening, he did send a message to Cora to let her know he was finally in the clear.

~***~

Adlai chuckled, “I have a soft spot for baby animals,” then again, who didn’t? Only a monster, “And it seemed to fit the park idea,” while not being an overlarge park, which Adlai would probably get bored of, even with good company. If Skye was anything like Eira, she’d enjoy parks too much.

Adlai would suffer along with it, but there was only so much endless nature before he got bored. He didn’t feel it in the same way as they did. Animals added a pleasant distraction. “Let’s get on our way, then,” he said, taking out his datapad to call up an airspeeder to meet them outside of the manse, at the front gate.

It was still a bit of a walk to the front gate.

The aesthetic would stay the same, for the most part. The droids, the color scheme, with the occasional addition of plants or rugs in some areas adding to it. There were a few living servants and guards as well that they would pass before getting to the airspeeder that was waiting, a door opened for them as they approached.

“Count Adlai, it’s good to see you back.”

“It’s good to be back.”

“Where will we be going this afternoon?”

“To the Faunia Zoo.”

The man chuckled, “The varactyl?”

“Of course the varactyl.”

 

[cleopat]

Without a parting kiss, Cora made her way back to her quarters to rest and shower before dinner. Unfortunately, it seemed that she was not destined to have a peaceful afternoon, for nearly as soon as the door closed behind her, her dataping dinged with an incoming call.

From her mother.

Cora let out a loud groan, knowing exactly why she was calling instead of waiting for Cora to call her. Her brother had already told her mother about Eli.

“Coraline,” her mother appeared above the datapad, a tall and thin woman whose age was beginning to show in the fine lines around her face. “You really should call your parents more often. We miss you.”

She bit back a sigh and smiled. “I know, I’m sorry. Things have been hectic around here.”

“Is that why Leoline spotted you with some guy at an amusement park?”

There it was. “His name is Eli Vanto. I’ve been seeing him only recently.”

“A boy from Wild Space no less,” she sniffed. “Your father and I would like to meet this Eli Vanto soon.” Cora opened her mouth to protest, that they were both too busy, but her mother held up a hand. “I will not hear any complaints. I know you are due for a visit home soon, and if what your brother said about him is true, then he should be able to put in a request for time off easily.”

Cora sighed. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll see what I can do. I do miss you and father.” As well as all her siblings. It had been too long since they all had been in the same room together.

Her mother’s features softened. “And we miss you too. Let me know when you’re able to come home.” After a few more words and their parting, Cora sighed, and proceeded to go shower and relax for a bit.

Later, after she was cleaned and had time to think about what he mother said, she received a message from Eli, and immediately messaged him back:

I need to talk to you about something. We can meet at my quarters or in a caf for dinner.​

~~~

Skye took the time from walking to the front gate to check out what she could see of the house and the garden. Really, a gorgeous place, even if a bit opulent for Skye’s tastes, but she could still appreciate the color scheme and architecture.

She did know fine art, after all.

And the place was proving a lot larger than she had thought. I hope I don’t get lost.

Eventually they made it to the airspeeder, where a man greeted them and Adlai informed him of where they were going. She smiled at him with a nod, “I’m Skye Vind, Count Adlai’s newest bodyguard.”