Balancer's Eye

[Neology]

[googlefont="News Cycle"]

Lidah Faine studied a digital projection of the city, district by district, picked out in orange light above her desk. Regrettably, sieges were not her strong suit – at this scale, anyway. Her daily peace of mind had always demanded a clear plan: lines of retreat, bolt holes, secret caches. Half a dozen different ways to disappear and start again somewhere new, if this Compeer thing ever became too dangerous. This was not even remotely the same. And her conscience forbid any true plans of flight. She’d had nightmares lately, of succumbing to the plague in some secluded wild place. Of her body fraying away in the wind, expanding like dandelion fluff. After that, she’d read furiously and slept little. The Force lent her a jittery sort of vitality that nevertheless combined poorly with the lack of sleep and post-transfusion fever. Lidah rewound the same short passage and played it over and over, attention so scattered that the words became difficult to process. She flinched as her console chimed for her attention; the droid who had taken over for Curie. It showed a silent clip of the guest waiting to come up. Lidah signaled acquiescence and reached for some semblance of her usual manner. Spine straight, shoulders set, chin canted up just ever so slightly. The effect was for largely for her as no mere change in posture could mask that she was unwell. Her fair skin went to almost translucent bruised lavender where it was thinnest, around her eyes and her hands. The eyes themselves were glazed and ringed in dark violet. Stranger’s eyes. She opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a paper surgical mask. Brushing back her hair, she looped one elastic string over each ear. ”Solari. Kind of you to finally report in.” Lidah fiddled aimlessly with the clutter on her desk for a moment. Turned off a holo portrait of Locke, though for whose sensibilities she couldn’t say. ”Not even a Life Day card. One might think you’ve lost your taste for home entirely. Say, if that is the case, should I let the room out?”

[Jazen]

As the door to her office hissed open, the armored warrior most of the Eye came to know as Forte thumped his way forward. The soft clank of his boots as he padded his way over to stand before Lidah Faine, leader of the Exchange and former Darth Novus of the Sith. His T-shaped visor emotionless and cold, which is what the purpose of it was. And took one look at her and knew that all wasn't well.

For one, having been with her as long as he had, Jazen Solari, former Knight of the Order, could see that Lidah's complexion was suffering. Some might not notice it but having been around her so long, Jazen noticed the signs. And the mask she wore to cover her mouth and half her face was another ill sign. All was not right with the Exchange leader and Jazen was well aware of it.

"Apologies Mistress. Things have been hectic lately, as you well know with the Acheri pressing on all sides. Between trying to keep wayward Exchange assets in the system under control and other missions that have been assigned to me, I haven't really had time to make a proper report." He shrugged slightly, his suit shuffling just a bit with the motion. "Not quite. But I don't like to sit around for long and with this situation we find ourselves in, I don't want to remain idle for a moment."

He kept his suit sealed and helmet on, for it had been a constant ever since this plague had taken the galaxy. The last thing he needed was to join the others in getting infected...for as long as possible. "No need mistress. But you called me here for a reason; may I inquire as to what it is? As well as, and no sithspiting me around...how are you doing?"

[Neology]

[googlefont="News Cycle"]

Helmet or no helmet, she knew when she was being stared at. With a petulant air, Lidah crossed her arms beneath her breasts and waited – why did they all have to be so concerned? Speaking on a strictly personal scale, enduring that was almost worse than the plague. If one hated being coddled, and Lidah certainly did. And now that she’d scared Locke and Vance half to death, they would only worry more. Though at least the former could not, in fairness, ask her to stop. He had his own stupid but no doubt important tasks to risk his life doing. Typical Jedi. ”I prefer ‘Lidah.’” She muttered, half to herself. Solari had been working for her so long that she had little hope of correcting that habit at this late date. And yet, Lidah pinched the bridge of her nose as he went on. Surely he didn’t mean to equate merely being on Nar Shaddaa with idleness, insulting both her and Vance in one breath? ”There’s so much to be done here – or on Circumtore – or further afield than even that. You may choose whichever suits you, as always. The main issue I see is that very soon, you wont be able to travel out of this system without running a Archeri blockade. So once the choice is made ...” Lidah shrugged and straightened up in her seat, fidgeting mindlessly with objects on her desk. Her fingertips were bruised beneath the nailbeds, bleeding sluggishly. ”I had thought to give you some of our commando squads. These in particular have been slightly unemployed since we lost Kessel. I want you to get them up to date on their jetpack training. Unless you’d prefer to be assigned somewhere else? ...” Lidah trailed off as Solari finally addressed the bantha in the room. ”I’ve had worse.” She lied, staring flatly at his visor. When was the last time she had even seen Jazen outside of that mando-suit? ”In any case, I’m not about to drop dead. “I expect that commando stuff is going to take time. For today, I want to get a good look at the Cerbozz Pit. You can drive a speeder bike, right?” Standing, Lidah gestured back toward the turbolift.

[Jazen]

Jazen was stubborn. That was something he had always been; ask Locke how long it took him to stop calling him Master and start calling him Locke instead. He only did it now because their bond had been broken, for a while, which removed the need to call him that anymore. Now calling him Locke was second nature. He'd come around eventually; in fact, the more this went on, the likelihood of that was growing by the day. As for the other part, well, he didn't mean it like that. But he liked to constantly be on the move; remaining constantly at the Eye, while part of his job, would tug at him. Perhaps he enjoyed being out among the stars more then he let on.

"It has been getting harder to move about as freely as before. But if I may say Mis..." deep breath, as he removed his helmet..."Lidah, that its not much different then running a blockade the Sith or the Republic put up. Sure, its more inclined to "become one with them" then "getting thrown in the Sithspawn" for the rest of my life, but the dangers are still present. I'll make do. As for where I go...I'll go where you need me the most right now. Be it here or out there."

Hmmm. AN interesting thought. "That's doable. They may not be as happy with me as some but I've never let that bother me. It wouldn't take too long to bring them up to speed, especially with here as our operating base. Plenty of places to test to jump too and what not. So if that's what you need done, it shall be. I suppose a little time at home couldn't hurt." The big bantha that needed to be, not because he wanted to coddle her but as a mentor and as a friend, of sorts, he did care about her well being.

"I'm not entirely sure of that, but then, I don't know your entire life either. So I'll take your word for it." A tiny smile at the corner of his mouth appeared. "Dropping dead wouldn't suit you. Not your style at all."

Putting his helmet under his arm, he moved to follow her. "Of course I can. I'm almost insulted you have to ask. What are we looking for at the Pit? Is there trouble there or is it just a routine inspection?"