Good Morning, Sernpidal

[Susan]

Sernpidal was one of many planets in the outer rim, and while it had apparently served great purpose in wars long since passed, Zandar Quinn wasn’t here to appreciate the history. Intelligence gathering was one way to put it, but Zandar was far from the best at this whole intergalactic espionage shtick. For the first time in his life he found himself alone, his own man free to do what he chooses. He was not all that sure how to go about it. A life in servitude to his master, and now he was his own – it was an odd feeling, and at first he exploited that to the full. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted – which often ended with him staring into the bottom of a glass. It was on one such evening that he was given a new idea, a new purpose in life. The Sith were a galactic myth, a fairy tale about the darkest and scariest sentients ever to roam the galaxy. But it was no secret that the stories were built on fact, long gone but not fictitious. And gone no longer.

They were returning, rebuilding, the power they once had was going to be a reality – and Zandar wanted to be a part of that. He was no fool, he was nothing in comparison to the great Sith Lords of legend, but that didn’t mean the door was closed to him. He would find them, and he would learn from them – that would be his mission. But once more the young man had no real idea how to do this, so he just started from the bottom and decided to work his way up. He heard about them in the first place from some guy in a bar on Nar Shaddaa. Whilst that wasn’t the most reliable source of information, there was always the potential to uncover some gems. So Zandar headed on, from planet to planet looking for an answer, looking for information. He stuck to the outer rim almost exclusively, it offered more opportunities for the kind of people he was looking for after all. Doing his best to piece together what information he could find, he picked each planet as carefully as could – hoping the next one would be the goldmine. Sernpidal was once a key world for the Sith Empire, and whilst he was not interested in the history lesson, he was hoping that what was true in the past was still true now.

With his skills as an investigator limited, he couldn’t exactly go poking around in government buildings and have a nosey at top secret communiqués. For Zandar Quinn, the next best thing would have to do. The local watering hole also had the added benefit of having a copious amount of alcohol – which was certainly something too good to pass up. It was a good interrogation tool, once people had their tongues loosened they may be more willing to talk. Yes, that was the reason. Of course, he had to have one or two drinks himself, just for show. It was only fair, after all. Which was why the human was now three and a half drinks in with his new Zabrak buddy, shooting the breeze and talking about all things interesting. ”So you tell them, you see them you tell them yeah? You tell ‘em. Zandar Quinn is looking.” In his head the words probably sounded more threatening, or even the slightest bit important. And maybe they would have been, if his name carried a little more weight. As it was, his name carried about as much value as a dead womp rat. He would just have to hope the Sith liked dead womp rats.

[Neology]

Novus stood by the hotel suite's bank of steel framed windows, peering through the rain streaked glass at the streets below. As far as planetary capitals went, Sernpidal City was little more than a dusty backwater. There was little about it that caught the eye - squat gray buildings, heavily robed natives, uniformed Imperial soldiers. Her stay would be a short one. Just a few days to review the Empire's holdings and she could be gone again …

Seated behind her, Special Agent Simonova read aloud from a data pad, listing the manufactories that they would visit tomorrow. Nothing like an audit to give her a headache, and yet there was need for it. Lying to an accountant and lying to a Darth were two very different things.

”... Last on our list, Conway Fabrications is two weeks behind schedule.”

Novus glanced back, brows rising in inquiry. That name was familiar, though she could not readily recall the source. Something to remember for tomorrow, then.

“Very well. Is that all?”

“Yes ma'am.” Simonova nodded, ponytail of dark hair swaying with the movement. The analyst stood and sketched a quick bow. She moved to stow her datapad away, then stopped, brow furrowing at the screen. “Well, maybe not. The local police request advisement, but frankly I don't know if this is worth your time, my lady.”

“Oh? This should be good. Go on, please.” Novus swiveled around, arms crossed beneath her breasts, interest kindled in her wide blue eyes.

“They claim a drunk offworlder has been making a repeat nuisance of himself. Name drops the Order to anyone that will listen, so they haven't approached him yet. They ask if he's one of ours.” Simonova's tone was icy, the obviously not left unspoken. “Orders, ma'am?”

“Interesting. Well, it's his lucky day. I'll look into this myself.” As good an excuse as any to stretch her legs. “Dismissed, Agent.”

–

Cantinas tended toward strange, crowded places, with too much noise and too little light. Irritating to work in – too many distractions. Thankfully, she was not working, and tonight was quiet. The rain, and the Sith presence, kept the cursory visitor at home. Novus stepped inside and lingered a moment, scanning the room.

”... you tell them yeah?” A man's voice carried from tables away, too loud for normal conversation, not quite loud enough for properly addressing a crowd. Drunk, possibly. Her quarry? She pivoted toward the voice, smiling as the speaker shortly continued on. Novus straightened the ruby cuffs of her jacket and crossed to his table. A zabrak and a human. Maybe she should have asked Simonova for more than just the address. Too late now!

“You've been looking for me, I hear. Mind if I sit down?” She spoke to both of them, glancing from one to the other.

[Susan]

Apparently his name carried more importance than he was beginning to realise. Or the more likely explanation being he was becoming too much of a nuisance to ignore – an explanation Zandar chose to ignore completely. He would like to pretend that women approached him in bars all the time, but that was far from the truth. Well, the only ones that had in the past were after more than a few credits in exchange for their company. Something that he hadn’t completely ruled out with this strange woman that came out of nowhere. Judging by her attire, the dark Jedi doubted this woman was any more unfamiliar to the practice than he was. Her entrance was enough for him to completely forget about the Zabrak, who did not seem all that interested in what Zandar was spouting in any case. As such, the human turned his full attention away from the horned alien and towards the newcomer – which was when his appreciation of her changed radically.

Perhaps it was the alcohol that dulled his senses, he had always been a lightweight and never quite stuck to his limits. Perhaps he was simply just too absent minded to notice when she first walked in, but now with his attention fully focused, there was no mistake. This woman, whoever she was, had training in the force, exactly how much he could not exactly ascertain. Something he would perhaps endeavour to find out in the future. ”Go ahead. He was just leaving.” The human waved his hand dismissively at the Zabrak stranger without looking back, soliciting some foul words from the disregarded alien. As far as Zandar was concerned, the other man no longer held any interest and pretty much did not exist.

This woman though, powerful in the force was apparently exactly who he was looking for. The implication behind her speech being that she was Sith. That, coupled with what his senses were now picking up, he did not hesitate to believe her unspoken words. Perhaps it was also his eagerness to finally find the ancient order that made him so readily to believe that which could easily be a lie – but Zandar was not concerned about that right now. He was naive when it came to the galaxy as a whole, his upbringing being incredibly sheltered – part of why he wanted to find the Sith. He wanted to learn from them, to know everything. With the woman invited to sit, he decided to begin the conversation in earnest. ”I wondered how long it would be before they sent someone. Obviously you know who I am, and what it is I seek. But right now I want to know who you are. Who did the order deem important enough to speak with me?” Again, it may well have been the alcohol. But more likely it was a mixture of this and his own excitement that enhanced his arrogance.

He was less than zero in the eyes of the Sith Order, one of many force users inhabiting the galaxy that knew nothing when it came it the true power of the dark side. Yet the way he saw it, he was important – the fact they sent someone to find him only confirmed that which he already knew. It seemed that she was powerful as well, more than an initiate at least. A sign of respect. It looked like this day would be a fruitful one after all.

[Neology]

Novus endured the young man's appraisal with a crooked smile, reading his assumptions in the track of his gaze. Pretending at that particular profession had proven useful a time or two, on this job or that. Utterly useless here, of course, but she remained unoffeneded. With a glance after the swearing zabrak, the Arkanian slid into the booth with murmured thanks.

The young man's expression had changed, she noted, as he launched into excited speech. She listened quietly, brows rising. Idly, she examined the zabrak's abandoned glass, noting that it contained something foul smelling and likely potently alcoholic. She set it aside, thoughtful.

“Of course. I wasn't told much, but I came here straight away.” Not a lie, technically. Surely he meant to join the Sith, or so she guessed. Most other Force users had little reason to speak to her otherwise – at least not without a lightsaber in their hand.

Arrogance and ambition were fairly common traits among Sith recruits – and all the way up the ranks, were the truth to be told. Unfortunately, it often outstripped the individual in question's ability, or the Order's needs. She wondered if it was the drink that made the young man so bold. Easy enough to play along for now

“My name is Novus. I'm afraid my title wouldn't mean much to someone outside the Order, however. It is enough to say that I am Sith and you, so far, are not.” She clasped her hands in front of her, the glass tabletop cool beneath her fingers.

“Why do you want to join, if you don't mind me asking? Why do you belong?”

[Susan]

Whether the woman intended to flatter him or not, Zandar neither new nor really cared. Whatever the purpose behind the words, the young man picked up on it and interpreted it into a manner he saw fit. She rightfully painted him as someone who was not part of the Sith Order, yet the addition of those two little words transformed the sentence completely. So far. It was perhaps a bit childish for the human to grasp on such a minor thing with almost unrestrained glee, but it stroked Zandar’s ego enough to keep him happy and focused on his own importance rather than exactly who this woman was. The name meant nothing to him, but then again it wouldn’t. Finding information on the Sith order was difficult, albeit not for the want of trying.

Really, a few sentences from this woman were the closest he had gotten so far to confirmation that the order actually still existed. Not that he ever had any sincere doubts. ”I am Zandar Quinn, Novus. But yes, you already know that. As I am sure you know what an asset I would be to your order.” Whilst the woman did not need to know his name, the young dark Jedi felt the need to formally introduce himself. Not just because he enjoyed saying his name out loud, which he most certainly did. This woman, this Novus, was surely powerful. Even his own arrogance did not stretch enough to believe they would send the strongest warriors the order had to offer, but she would be more than ideally equipped. He would not put it past the Sith to try and squash him before his own power could become too much of a danger. He had no intentions of fighting this woman, but he was completely committed to joining the order she represented – whatever it took.

The human shifted his body once more, placing the cantina bar firmly behind him as he better aligned himself to face the force user before him. His robes were not closed tight around him, and he made no effort to cover up the blade hanging at his belt in easy reach. Which was not to say he was actively flaunting his weapon, but rather being nonchalant about its existence. Or at least trying to pretend to be. ”The order is where I belong. There is much for me to learn, this I know. I am strong, but with the order’s help, I can be more so. A strength that I will commit to the Sith to strike down our enemies.” A confident smirk twisted into existence upon the arrogant young hopeful’s face, he was starting to believe that it was only a matter of time before he was a Sith proper. He saw of no feasible path why it would not happen. He was in no doubt of his own abilities that he was good enough, and quite obviously he was impressing the representative they had chosen to assess him. ”I belong with the Sith as much as you do, Novus, of this I am certain.” He decided that a bit of flattery on his own part might be due, and something that wasn’t just needless smoke blowing. He could sense that Novus was skilled, and comparing her to him was a compliment for her, as he saw it, and in no way dismissive of her own accomplishments. Whether it could be interpreted differently was an issue Zandar either did not foresee, or ignored entirely.