Taris

[extras]

"Ill be in my... cabin"

The Intendant's narrow eyed gaze slid in the direction of the Dark Jedi as he spoke those words. Hidden behind each hesitation was a possible lie, he'd spent his whole life learning the subtlys of such things. It didn't seem to matter what language one was spoken in, if the basics of that language were understood well enough, then it was possible to detect such things. But this one was good, very good, at hiding it.

Tln'aa Shoolb held his tongue, allowing the Jedi to pass without hinderence.
The droid that followed him with a slight whirr of servos however, he was sure to give that a good shove out the way with one hand when it appeared to get too close to him. And he uttered a curse under his tongue as the mechanized abomination continued on it's path after slight correction.

Tln'aa Shoolb kept his smile contained. The transparent and miniscule sensislug he'd slapped on the droid's casing as it passed would be able to relay all it heard and saw back to him when Drevin thought his prying ears would not be able to hear.

He merely retreated back to the cabin that had been assigned 'his' and went about contacting those on world as he had said he would. No doubt the Jeedai would be watching this himself.

[darklord]

Drevin watched the holocam as Tin'aa Shoolb disappeared into his cabin and felt himself relax to a certain degree. He never really knew what to expect with the intendant and he was forced to keep his guard up.

He turned to V3. "When this Vong ship comes for me I need you to take the Kath Hound to the coordinates I'm about to upload to you." V3 acknowledged with a bleep. "If you dont hear from me within a week then I want you to take your intel directly to..." He paused and with a great effort said "...to the Jedi." He sighed deeply. He hated the thought of helping them, but the New Republic couldn't be trusted to act on the information.

He removed his current garb in favor of a more suitable outfit for combat. His Black Jedi tunic would allow for more freedom of movement than his current attire and the long black cloak would perhaps make him appear more imposing to his hosts.

He took out the band holding back his long hair and let it fall at his shoulders. Looking into the mirror he found himself staring into a grim looking face, his dual scar being the most prominent feature. He looked down at the scars on his body from the torture he'd received at the hands of the prison guards. The ones on his torso would rival even that of the yuuzhan vong.

He walked slowly around the chamber, taking time to study each artifact for a moment. The energy that radiated from some of them was incredible and they seemed to infuse him with renewed strength as he moved among them.

[extras]

From within the confines of the cabin, Tln'aa Shoolb watched as the villip before him reverted back to a neutral state. The talk with the commander had gone well and he had noted the distinct look of interest in the Yuuzhan Vong male's eyes as Shoolb had mentioned who - or more poignantly what - he was about to bring to them. The Yorik-trema would be on it's way.

He had also mentioned that there may be more to this jeedai than met the eyes. He had been patient up until recently, when all Tln'aa Shoolb had been able to gleen from him was a sense of hesitation. Not completely unexpected, he thought, but enough to warrant placing that sensislug on Drevin's ever present abomination, V3.
There were a few types of such creatures, this one was merely standard and with one motion of it's trigger, would release a chemical that could render the jeedai unconscious for a short amount of time. Standard with an added twist.
He would need to recover the creature however, to gain it's knowledge of what it saw.

Once they were aboard the Yorik-trema, then the Jedi would be at somewhat of a disadvantage. Until then, he liked to keep something as a little failsafe.
Exiting the cabin, he waited for the jedi near the vicinity of the cockpit, appearing to merely be keeping an eye on the viewport.

[darklord]

Drevin finished his preparations, adding the final touches with the addition of his lightsaber, black gloves and cloak. He turned toward the holocam and watched it as it followed Tin'aa Shoolb to the cockpit. So, it was time he thought.

Drevin opened the hatch and walked to the cockpit where the intendant was waiting.

"I take it we're ready then?" It was more of a statement than a question.

It was only then that he noticed how little space traffic there seemed to be here. Garqi was not an important planet but he'd expected more ships to be in orbit than this. Perhaps the Yuuzhan Vong had more of a presence here than he'd thought. He'd presumed that they would be going to a secret location, but what if they had already taken Garqi? Drevin felt the back of his neck tingle at the thought.

"Ive instructed V3 to wait with the ship at a hidden location while we're gone." He added with a hint of a grin "Just in case."

[extras]

"We are." He responded cooly, peering - and then glaring - at the droid only meters behind the Jedi. He would have to bare it's presence a moment longer while he recovered the biot he'd placed upon it.

"Ive instructed V3 to wait with the ship at a hidden location while we're gone."

"Of course." he responded, and then thought to himself that he doubted the jedi would ever need this vehicle again, it would be located and ruined the moment they no longer required it.

A slight alarm began to sound in the cockpit of the craft then, breaking the silence at the appropriate moment. While the ship approaching them was only visible as a dark speck against Garqi's blue atmosphere, Tln'aa Shoolb knew it was the one they had been waiting for.

"Just as expected." He mused, "You will do as I say now Jeedai, unless you wish to be relieved of that life your kind cling so strongly to."

Again he looked at the droid, slipping past it to collect the biot he had placed on it's dispicable duranium casing, the motion was barely noticable to the naked eye.

"Make sure that abomination is out of sight, it is enough of an insult that we used this craft to bring us here, you need not insult us further." He sneered with disdain.

[darklord]

"You will do as I say now Jeedai, unless you wish to be relieved of that life your kind cling so strongly to."

Drevin bit back a retort and inclined his head slightly as though the remark hadn't even bothered him. But that was not how he felt inside. His heart was beating rapidly as the craft approached. He drew on the force for calm, it would do him no good to show weakness in the face of an enemy. It would do him even less good to be oppenly aggressive to his new hosts. At least to start with.

"Make sure that abomination is out of sight, it is enough of an insult that we used this craft to bring us here, you need not insult us further."

Tin'aa Shoolb was pushing his luck and Drevins patience was wearing thin. He moved in closer and spoke a warning of his own. "Don't push me too far intendant. I will do as you wish but I wont tolerate threats from you."

Drevin glanced at V3. This 'abomination' was his key to getting out of here, he needed to keep him safely out of harms way. Drevin instructed the droid to remain in the cargo hold until they had left.

[extras]

"Don't push me too far intendant. I will do as you wish but I wont tolerate threats from you."

He quirked a scarred brow in amusement,
"I was not threatening ignorant one, I was stating a fact."

He kept the jedi's own threat in mind, but said nothing of it. It would not matter soon.

The Yorik-trema could clearly be seen now from their position by the viewport and Tln'aa Shoolb felt the gentle pulsing of the villip he'd kept concealed in his robes, indicate that there was an incoming transmission.
Taking hold of the biot, no larger than a thermal detonator, he stroked the ridge of the creature allowing it to evert and form the features of a hideously scarred warrior.

"Everything is in place?" The visage uttered in a guttoral voice that was saturated with impatience.

"You have my word." Tln'aa responded in their own language.

"Your word means little to me, better for you that you keep it however, prepare to be boarded." The warrior snapped, then just as suddenly the villip closed, taking with it the grotesque features of the contact with it.

Tln'aa Shoolb replaced the creature within his robe, then turning his gaze upon the dark jedi. No turning back now.

"It will not be long. If you have anymore foolish questions infidel, you had best ask them now."

[darklord]

Drevin looked on astonished as the slowly approaching rock came ever closer to the Kath Hound. How the thing was able to fly Drevin could only guess. But his attention was soon torn away from the view port as he watched the horrid looking villip morph into the image of a Yuuzhan Vong. The intendant spoke in his own tongue as did the alien on the other end.

"It will not be long. If you have anymore foolish questions infidel, you had best ask them now."

There were a million questions he would like answered but his mind seemed to go blank at the thought. Only one question came to mind.

"If I help you destroy the jedi, ill be betraying my own galaxy. What do I get in return for my service?"

He'd had to ask this question in order for his story to sound realistic. Nobody in their right mind would betray their own people without having some form of payment. But how far would he have to go in order for them to believe he was on their side? Would he have to kill a Jedi as proof of his allegiance? He would deal with that if and when the time came

[extras]

"If I help you destroy the jedi, ill be betraying my own galaxy. What do I get in return for my service?"

Odd that he had not asked this in the same context before.

"That will ultimately be for my superiors to decide, but I imagine in return for your cooperation some agreement of...peace, shall we say, can be arranged with your kind and mine."

There was of course, no word for peace in the Yuuzhan Vong language. The only near translation for such a word and those related to it was submission to a greater force. But the Jedi clearly would not know that.

"The time of the infidels in this galaxy is at an end Jeedai, you can choose to embrace the truth or you can fight to no avail. The choice is entirely yours. But I assure you, it will happen." He spoke with little emotion, nor sarcasm this time either. He spoke it as though it was a given, there was no other way and this was just the beginning of the end.

He looked the dark jedi in the eyes then, "Do you trust the galaxy not to betray you? Are you not an enemy of the Jeedai as you first suggested?" He let his tone drop an octave, "Do you not think the Jeedai would sooner hand you over to protect their own?" He offered, planting the seed of doubt was always a good ploy.

The proximity alarms began to sound again and this time, the sound was accompanied by a soft, suckering thump to the side of the airlock.

[kazura]

Kazura watched as the Kath Hound soon became less than a shadow through the duraglass window of the escape pod. He had half expected a volley of blaster fire to soon follow but it seemed the exjedi was already preoccupied. Most likely with the Yuuzhan Vong. A pity he had thought the little darkling to be wiser than that.

His eyes closed and he remained very still. It was hard to connect from here in Yuuzhan space but they did not know where EVERY S-thread lay.

"Yes..yes I have done as you asked dark lord. Both of your plans will soon come to fruition I'm sure..He's already in the possession of the invaders. I am currently in flight to (not sure if Garqi is the real name or the yuuzhan vong one)."

His head lowered with a faint smirk at the next question. "He's a fool...but as you say my lady. I look forward to it." His eyes opened as he laughed. "Little dark jedi! You'll wish I had killed you rather than go along with the yuuzhan vong!" He continued to laugh in the small space of the escape pod.

[darklord]

Peace the intendant had said.

Peace was a lie. And it would certainly not come from an invading force trying to conquer the galaxy. From what he'd seen so far it didn't seem in their nature. If he'd had any doubt about that, then the intendants next statement confirmed it. No, there would be no peace for Drevin, whatever the outcome.

"Do you trust the galaxy not to betray you? Are you not an enemy of the Jeedai as you first suggested? Do you not think the Jeedai would sooner hand you over to protect their own?"

It was true, he was an enemy of the jedi and now that he thought about it, could he really trust them not to simply betray him as they had done before? Doubt seemed to fill him now along with the anger and resentment he felt towards the jedi and the other beings who had wronged him in the past. They were capable of it. He looked to Tin'aa Shoolb with certainty in his eyes. "I am and always will be their enemy."

It seemed to Drevin that he was caught between two evils and the choice he had to make was tearing him apart. He had thought he'd made the right choice by attempting to recon the 'enemy'. But his natural instinct was survival, that had always been the way of the Dark Jedi and Sith. Those too weak to fight would always be swept aside in order for the strong to rule. That was the way of things.

Maybe he would embrace this new order after all. If they proved the strongest. That remained to be seen

[extras]

He allowed an amused smile to slide onto his lips, displaying there his sharpened teeth. It was only as the sound of voices, and what appeared to be the sound of something hitting the air lock, could clearly be heard beyond the air lock door, did he sheath such an expression quickly.

Nonchalantly he turned towards the corridor the sound was issuing from.
" I suggest that you open that, unless you wish to loose your hatch" He mused.

Words spoken in Yuuzhan Vong could be heard - muffled by the thick plating of the door. Though Tln'aa Shoolb could just about make out the tone of pure disgust in their voices, no doubt at being confronted by the made thing they were now forced to board.
If the dark Jeedai was not quick, he would almost certainly lose the hatch to the natural acids formed by the living cofferdam beyond. Not that it bothered Tln'aa Shoolb of course, there was a high possibility that Drevin would not be allowed to return to his ship. If the commander took a particularly strong disliking to this idea of his, though that bothered him little also...a Jeedai sacrifice was just that. He would be rewarded for bringing this one in.

[darklord]

The intendant appeared to smile as though reading Drevins thoughts.

"I suggest that you open that, unless you wish to loose your hatch"

Open it to what? he thought. He scowled at the thought of them damaging his ship and stalked off to release the hatch. The hatch slid open with a hiss and the sight before him nearly made him reach for his lightsaber.

Stood only a meter in front of him were a group of Yuuzhan Vong, covered from head to toe in tattoos and scars and brandishing what appeared to be living staffs. They were as tall as he was and nearly twice as wide, their thick frames covered in crab-like armor.

But the most shocking thing of all was the void in the force that they seemed to create. It sent a shiver down his spine to think that even without their strength in numbers they had a huge advantage over him. But how was this possible?

He stared into the hideously scarred face of the foremost warrior, showing no sign that he was unnerved by their presence. The group looked ready to tear him apart and a moment of tense silence followed before Drevin eventually stepped aside and gestured for the aliens to step aboard.

[extras]

Behind the air lock hatch, Four warriors stood waiting, amphisaffs uncoiled from their resting places, ready to strike should they get the feeling that the Jeedai was about to do something foolish.

Tln'aa Shoolb was actually surprised, perhaps impressed that they had as much restraint as they did. His words must have been conveyed well by their commander.

He himself offered the warriors a sharp salute, touching his balled fists to opposite shoulders in an X formation.

" Tiz dag lightsaber, Phahg!" The lead warrior - distinguishable by the excessive scarring to one whole side of his body, more hideously mutilated than perhaps the others - exclaimed motioning toward Drevin's crude excuse for a weapon.

Tln'aa Shoolb nodded and then interceded to translate,
"He asks that you hand over your blasphemous weapon."
That was not the exact translation, but he highly doubted the Jedi would do as asked if he'd heard what was really said.

The warrior continued to utter a string of sentences, each one sounding as guttural as the last, as though he were offended at so much as setting foot on this hideous abomination. And as Tln'aa knew, he probably was.

"The warrior also requests that you do so quickly, he wishes not to pollute himself further by spending more time on this made-thing than is necessary." Again he missed out the part where the huge hulking being had uttered that he would very much like to leave so he could destroy the ship personally for this outrage.

Shoolb's face was a picture of calm considering his neck was on the line. The warrior caste had a particularly large dislike for his own, a conflict that had only been set aside for the sake of this invasion. Though he strongly suspected, had this mission not yielded what it did, the warrior would have gladly ended his life for being ordered to come here to recover an Intendant.

"Guvvuk!" The largest of the warrior group ordered, motioning for the Jedi to make haste in deciding. He would have so loved to challenge this being. Not to mention grant him death in the face of battle, the escalations he would receive...

"Well?" Tln'aa Shoolb's voice seemed to bring everyone back to the present situation.

[darklord]

"He asks that you hand over your blasphemous weapon."

He'd already anticipated this, but it still angered him. Drevin stood there for a moment longer, more of an act of defiance than courage. He could attack them now and perhaps die in the process, or he could give them what they wanted for the time being.

He unhooked the lightsaber from his belt and held it in front of him.

No. I wont be a prisoner again! he thought. Memories of his time in prison came flooding back to him like a tidal wave. The torture, the beatings and the confinement. And with that, Drevin ignited the blade, holding it in a one-handed grip before him, the blade pointing toward the leader.

"I am not your prisoner, commander." He said through gritted teeth. He would not give up his only weapon. Not now that he couldn't even use the force against the aliens.

It was very likely that he would die for his arrogance, but he would die a free man.