Post by Bobbi on Sept 15, 2018 7:08:59 GMT -5
Sadhric hunts down Darien for a little help. Darien is not so helpful.
Sadhric:
It took some doing.
There were some drawbacks to demonstrating over time that you could find people even in the shadows of a big chaotic galaxy. It was never just a matter of being an excellent slicer, but when people didn't think about the trails they left it was always easier than when they did. Sadhric had seen the degree of ease of finding people who did not wish to be found--who knew him--grow more complicated over the years. With someone like Solomon Tekal, who knew the tricks, it would be hard except that the road went both ways: he knew Solomon very well, and when psychology played such a huge role in success he knew how to look.
He wasn't searching for Sol now, though. He knew right where that one was.
He searched for the brother instead. Darien was a different animal, with different training. His skills leaned toward the psychological, the anticipatory, so for him The Mechanic leaned hard on the technical to narrow down the impossibly huge number of possibilities into a handful he could have more thoroughly investigated.
And so what was not magic might seem like it when, three weeks later, he was walking up the same lane where Darien could be found, breathing the same air.
Darien:
It was something that could be found on any number of planets within the galaxy, in any number of residential neighborhoods that butted up against commerical districts. If you'd seen one, you'd seen them all. What may have set them all apart were the difference in people that could be found here and there. There was no two sets of faces that would be exactly the same, no two sets of eyes the same as the last. Darien had his reasons for picking this place, and as it had come to be pretty routine he was handing over a package to a young man, easily ten years younger than him and in some pretty threadbare clothing. It was not a heavy looking thing, but it did look well worn as if used many many times over. Darien had not changed much. There was the hint of growth to his chin, and a bit more mass to his body around his upper arms and shoulders. Still fit, still broad through the torso, but without the ghost of addiction that had clung to him in the past from his years of drinking and smoking. Soon, he'd see that young man carrying that case back toward one of the large residential buildings and disappear within the crowd. He always waited until he couldn't see the kid anymore, just to make sure it all went well.
Sadhric:
The Mechanic would have known Darien Tekal's outline by shape and by stance even if he hadn't verified by other angles and other means. He noted little changes, but didn't do much speculating. Or rather, didn't decide to do much speculating. A lot of that stuff just happened by instinct in him.
His hello was: "And where are your loyalties these days?" ... asked from not too far away as he approached.
Sadhric Tlin's eyes were shaded by amber-hued Lenses, and he wore a jacket that was part nerfhide leather at sleeves and shoulders and the rest a tough maroon material. The shirt underneath was cheap, black and white and a fierce orange with something or other for a logo that was mostly obscured. With brown trousers and scuffed boots, black hair cut very short, and a fit and wiry frame, he looked like... looked like... Well. He looked like a million-billion spacers doing well enough not to starve.
Darien:
That voice, and that presence, was not one he'd ever likely forget. Still, Darien kept his eyes on the younger man in the crowd for just a second more before turning himself toward Sadhric, "My loyalties? Why are you asking?" He responded with a tone of voice that would give the hint that he thought it obvious enough to not answer directly.
Sadhric:
"Oh, because you performed heinous and underhanded tasks for the military arm of the Daimon Empire under various assumed names while maintaining relationships in the Jedi Order and the galactic underworld for years, before ostensibly ditching that to rejoin the Order before ditching it, too." Sadhric's tone was mockingly light.
Darien:
Ditching.. The Tekal before him cracked a half-smile and shook his head, "What I did in my past is -in- my past as much as any man's could be. I haven't ditched The Order, I'm just not a cave person."
Sadhric:
Sadhric grinned at that with a husky laugh. "Fair enough. So. Where are your loyalties these days?"
Darien:
Drawing in a breath, Darien turned an eye to those passing by and then he exhaled, "With the people; with The Force. Your's?" The half-smile ticked, teasing at the wrinkles that edged the corners of his eyes when he looked back Sadhric's way.
Sadhric:
The question seemed to catch Sadhric off-guard. He was still for a second before he said, "Good question."
Darien:
"Well, regardless of where they are at this moment, do I need to assume this isn't a social visit?" He could think of a handful of reasons he might have run into Sadhric like this, but this was The Mechanic. Sometimes speculation could be way off when it came to Tlin.
Sadhric:
That question seemed to catch him off-guard, too. His lip started to curl with an answer, but reset. He drew in a little breath and that was aborted, too. He seemed to be thinking about the actual answer. "Ah--social. I'm not sure."
Darien:
This was something new. It caused Darien's half-smile to fade from both his face and his eyes, "Then, can I ask why you're here?" It was concern through and through that Sadhric would see dawning on Darien's face, even as he got another eye on the crowd around them, "How about we go somewhere not so…here."
Sadhric:
"Yes," Sadhric said to the last. And then, as if he had to manually recall it, he added, "Please." ... and pretended not to know where Darien was staying, which also involved him holding himself statue-still for an extra moment or two so that he wouldn't glance in the correct direction or just start walking that way.
Darien:
It was no winding meander that Darien took toward one of the towering buildings that cut through the maze of walkways and sky traffic lanes. It was a short walk to get there, and unless Sadhric offered some form of small talk between where they'd met up and where Darien was taking them, the walk would have passed in silence. The building was of mid-range for its inhabitants. It wasn't luxurious, though Darien could have afforded better, but at the same time it wasn't bottom barrel conditions either. It was clean, and utilitarian in decor with every hallway looking the same as the last, and the only difference between doors being the designation that was stamped on them.
Sadhric:
Stopping by one, having had to take a lift up three floors from where they'd entered the building, Darien keyed in a code that caused the door to open. The apartment within was not decorated in any fashion that might have suited Darien. It looked like the showroom for a furniture store only every piece looked cheaply made to fit on a tight budget. He led the way in, bringing the lights up along the way. Only when they were both in and the door shut behind them would Darien be speaking again, "Okay. So, we're off the street. What's going on, Sadhric? You feeling alright?"
Sadhric:
The Mechanic followed Darien in, then walked past him. He saw the room without judgment, noted its message without caring. He stopped a few paces beyond Darien and turned around, eyeing the dimensions, thoughts elsewhere. It took a few beats for him to get some Basic out. "I need to talk to someone. The list is thinned. It was down to you or Maltez."
Darien:
"Please, tell me I was your first choice." That was meant jokingly despite the serious tone it carried. He was making his way toward one of the chairs in the common room which was parted from a small food prep area by only a small island that had a mess of odds and ends on it. "What do you need to talk about?"
Sadhric:
"You were," Sadhric told him. "I can't stand walking into that prison."
As Darien sat down, Sadhric remained where he was for a moment before turning a little almost mechanically, eyes staring at the flooring with an intensity that in backwards fashion suggested a lack of focus on the place where he was.
Darien:
He could understand fully. Darien hadn't thought about going there for Maltez, never for that Hutt of a man. For his brother, though -- he never got that chance. Still, he watched Sadhric and the way The Mechanic was acting quietly from where he sat for a moment before proding with, "What do you need to talk about?"
Sadhric:
The Mechanic made a sharp, truncated chop with one hand. "I'm not sure how to do this. I used to talk to Cato when I needed feedback. He's no longer available. I can't talk to your brother for obvious reasons. He'd only give me regurgitated advice anyway. Ava is out. I'd only talk to Jeryndi if I desperately needed to talk about Jeryndi. Seriously, try getting another topic in edgewise...."
Darien:
"Down you've come to one of the last on your list. What is it then? Where would it be easiest to start?"
Sadhric:
"I want out of Mandalore."
Darien:
"What's the situation with the Mandalorians? The last I heard they were under Hapes' microscope."
Sadhric:
"Not a single detail of their situation matters." Sadhric all but snapped it. "... Except that I am, in some superficial sense, the Mand'alor."
Darien:
"So, then, just pick someone and walk away. Appoint your own successor," Darien said shrugging.
Sadhric:
Sadhric shot him a look. Held it for a moment. "Maltez it is," he said, turning.
Darien:
Darien had reached for the ends of the arm rests of his chair, and sat poised and ready to rise, "Sadhric, wait," Maybe there was another way to approach this, "You want out of Mandalor -- what's keeping you from doing it?"
Sadhric:
Sadhric stopped. At first it looked like he wouldn't, but he did. Tiny muscles in his face worked so briefly it might have been missed. After a long moment, he turned his head to scrutinize Darien. "Pride." The word lingered alone before he went on, gaining speed: "Justice. Reputation. Order. Distrust. ... Confusion. Chaos. Distraction. Fear. Retribution."
Darien:
So very few times over the years had he found himself in Sadhric's confidence. It was usually Solomon, or someone else. Sadhric just didn't come to him unless he wanted something done. The odds were that Sadhric was more likely to deck him than to ask for his help, though so this -- He still wasn't quite sure what to do with it. "How would you be able to put all that aside in order to reach the goal you want?" Darien's hands didn't relax away from the ends of the arm rests, but his arms did. He no longer looked like he was ready to spring up to his feet so quickly.
Sadhric:
"Mm?" He didn't sound engaged. He sounded bored and close to giving up. "I could visit the fate of the Banak'tu upon them, I suppose. Wouldn't that be easy? Poetic, too, as it would very nearly be for the same reason."
Darien:
"I don't think it would be easy. It can't be, it shouldn't -- is it? To be the one to make that choice, to decide that someone has to die like that?"
Sadhric:
Sadhric held his gaze lazily.
Darien:
Force alive, how did Cato manage to do this for so many years? "I'm trying, Sadhric, I'm just not sure what you're looking for from this conversation. It seems like you want someone to talk you out of something...but I'm far worse at guessing games than Solomon is, I know I could be very wrong."
Sadhric:
Slowly The Mechanic looked to the floor and let out a nearly silent breath. "This was a mistake. Forgive me." Raising his head, he waved toward Darien. "Go about your business."
Darien:
There he did rise, leaning forward and pushing himself out of the seat, "I am sorry I couldn't help."
Sadhric:
Sadhric nodded. "It's all right. I think you did."
Darien:
He took that with a small nod, and made a gentle wave toward the door, "Let me see you out."
Sadhric:
A curt little laugh. "No, no; I apologize for pulling you away from your business on the street." And a whisper: "More desperate than I realized."
Darien:
"No need for that, its alright. Just helping some of my neighbors out. I hope you can figure it out with minimal loss."
Sadhric:
Sadhric breathed something like "Mm" and left.
Sadhric:
It took some doing.
There were some drawbacks to demonstrating over time that you could find people even in the shadows of a big chaotic galaxy. It was never just a matter of being an excellent slicer, but when people didn't think about the trails they left it was always easier than when they did. Sadhric had seen the degree of ease of finding people who did not wish to be found--who knew him--grow more complicated over the years. With someone like Solomon Tekal, who knew the tricks, it would be hard except that the road went both ways: he knew Solomon very well, and when psychology played such a huge role in success he knew how to look.
He wasn't searching for Sol now, though. He knew right where that one was.
He searched for the brother instead. Darien was a different animal, with different training. His skills leaned toward the psychological, the anticipatory, so for him The Mechanic leaned hard on the technical to narrow down the impossibly huge number of possibilities into a handful he could have more thoroughly investigated.
And so what was not magic might seem like it when, three weeks later, he was walking up the same lane where Darien could be found, breathing the same air.
Darien:
It was something that could be found on any number of planets within the galaxy, in any number of residential neighborhoods that butted up against commerical districts. If you'd seen one, you'd seen them all. What may have set them all apart were the difference in people that could be found here and there. There was no two sets of faces that would be exactly the same, no two sets of eyes the same as the last. Darien had his reasons for picking this place, and as it had come to be pretty routine he was handing over a package to a young man, easily ten years younger than him and in some pretty threadbare clothing. It was not a heavy looking thing, but it did look well worn as if used many many times over. Darien had not changed much. There was the hint of growth to his chin, and a bit more mass to his body around his upper arms and shoulders. Still fit, still broad through the torso, but without the ghost of addiction that had clung to him in the past from his years of drinking and smoking. Soon, he'd see that young man carrying that case back toward one of the large residential buildings and disappear within the crowd. He always waited until he couldn't see the kid anymore, just to make sure it all went well.
Sadhric:
The Mechanic would have known Darien Tekal's outline by shape and by stance even if he hadn't verified by other angles and other means. He noted little changes, but didn't do much speculating. Or rather, didn't decide to do much speculating. A lot of that stuff just happened by instinct in him.
His hello was: "And where are your loyalties these days?" ... asked from not too far away as he approached.
Sadhric Tlin's eyes were shaded by amber-hued Lenses, and he wore a jacket that was part nerfhide leather at sleeves and shoulders and the rest a tough maroon material. The shirt underneath was cheap, black and white and a fierce orange with something or other for a logo that was mostly obscured. With brown trousers and scuffed boots, black hair cut very short, and a fit and wiry frame, he looked like... looked like... Well. He looked like a million-billion spacers doing well enough not to starve.
Darien:
That voice, and that presence, was not one he'd ever likely forget. Still, Darien kept his eyes on the younger man in the crowd for just a second more before turning himself toward Sadhric, "My loyalties? Why are you asking?" He responded with a tone of voice that would give the hint that he thought it obvious enough to not answer directly.
Sadhric:
"Oh, because you performed heinous and underhanded tasks for the military arm of the Daimon Empire under various assumed names while maintaining relationships in the Jedi Order and the galactic underworld for years, before ostensibly ditching that to rejoin the Order before ditching it, too." Sadhric's tone was mockingly light.
Darien:
Ditching.. The Tekal before him cracked a half-smile and shook his head, "What I did in my past is -in- my past as much as any man's could be. I haven't ditched The Order, I'm just not a cave person."
Sadhric:
Sadhric grinned at that with a husky laugh. "Fair enough. So. Where are your loyalties these days?"
Darien:
Drawing in a breath, Darien turned an eye to those passing by and then he exhaled, "With the people; with The Force. Your's?" The half-smile ticked, teasing at the wrinkles that edged the corners of his eyes when he looked back Sadhric's way.
Sadhric:
The question seemed to catch Sadhric off-guard. He was still for a second before he said, "Good question."
Darien:
"Well, regardless of where they are at this moment, do I need to assume this isn't a social visit?" He could think of a handful of reasons he might have run into Sadhric like this, but this was The Mechanic. Sometimes speculation could be way off when it came to Tlin.
Sadhric:
That question seemed to catch him off-guard, too. His lip started to curl with an answer, but reset. He drew in a little breath and that was aborted, too. He seemed to be thinking about the actual answer. "Ah--social. I'm not sure."
Darien:
This was something new. It caused Darien's half-smile to fade from both his face and his eyes, "Then, can I ask why you're here?" It was concern through and through that Sadhric would see dawning on Darien's face, even as he got another eye on the crowd around them, "How about we go somewhere not so…here."
Sadhric:
"Yes," Sadhric said to the last. And then, as if he had to manually recall it, he added, "Please." ... and pretended not to know where Darien was staying, which also involved him holding himself statue-still for an extra moment or two so that he wouldn't glance in the correct direction or just start walking that way.
Darien:
It was no winding meander that Darien took toward one of the towering buildings that cut through the maze of walkways and sky traffic lanes. It was a short walk to get there, and unless Sadhric offered some form of small talk between where they'd met up and where Darien was taking them, the walk would have passed in silence. The building was of mid-range for its inhabitants. It wasn't luxurious, though Darien could have afforded better, but at the same time it wasn't bottom barrel conditions either. It was clean, and utilitarian in decor with every hallway looking the same as the last, and the only difference between doors being the designation that was stamped on them.
Sadhric:
Stopping by one, having had to take a lift up three floors from where they'd entered the building, Darien keyed in a code that caused the door to open. The apartment within was not decorated in any fashion that might have suited Darien. It looked like the showroom for a furniture store only every piece looked cheaply made to fit on a tight budget. He led the way in, bringing the lights up along the way. Only when they were both in and the door shut behind them would Darien be speaking again, "Okay. So, we're off the street. What's going on, Sadhric? You feeling alright?"
Sadhric:
The Mechanic followed Darien in, then walked past him. He saw the room without judgment, noted its message without caring. He stopped a few paces beyond Darien and turned around, eyeing the dimensions, thoughts elsewhere. It took a few beats for him to get some Basic out. "I need to talk to someone. The list is thinned. It was down to you or Maltez."
Darien:
"Please, tell me I was your first choice." That was meant jokingly despite the serious tone it carried. He was making his way toward one of the chairs in the common room which was parted from a small food prep area by only a small island that had a mess of odds and ends on it. "What do you need to talk about?"
Sadhric:
"You were," Sadhric told him. "I can't stand walking into that prison."
As Darien sat down, Sadhric remained where he was for a moment before turning a little almost mechanically, eyes staring at the flooring with an intensity that in backwards fashion suggested a lack of focus on the place where he was.
Darien:
He could understand fully. Darien hadn't thought about going there for Maltez, never for that Hutt of a man. For his brother, though -- he never got that chance. Still, he watched Sadhric and the way The Mechanic was acting quietly from where he sat for a moment before proding with, "What do you need to talk about?"
Sadhric:
The Mechanic made a sharp, truncated chop with one hand. "I'm not sure how to do this. I used to talk to Cato when I needed feedback. He's no longer available. I can't talk to your brother for obvious reasons. He'd only give me regurgitated advice anyway. Ava is out. I'd only talk to Jeryndi if I desperately needed to talk about Jeryndi. Seriously, try getting another topic in edgewise...."
Darien:
"Down you've come to one of the last on your list. What is it then? Where would it be easiest to start?"
Sadhric:
"I want out of Mandalore."
Darien:
"What's the situation with the Mandalorians? The last I heard they were under Hapes' microscope."
Sadhric:
"Not a single detail of their situation matters." Sadhric all but snapped it. "... Except that I am, in some superficial sense, the Mand'alor."
Darien:
"So, then, just pick someone and walk away. Appoint your own successor," Darien said shrugging.
Sadhric:
Sadhric shot him a look. Held it for a moment. "Maltez it is," he said, turning.
Darien:
Darien had reached for the ends of the arm rests of his chair, and sat poised and ready to rise, "Sadhric, wait," Maybe there was another way to approach this, "You want out of Mandalor -- what's keeping you from doing it?"
Sadhric:
Sadhric stopped. At first it looked like he wouldn't, but he did. Tiny muscles in his face worked so briefly it might have been missed. After a long moment, he turned his head to scrutinize Darien. "Pride." The word lingered alone before he went on, gaining speed: "Justice. Reputation. Order. Distrust. ... Confusion. Chaos. Distraction. Fear. Retribution."
Darien:
So very few times over the years had he found himself in Sadhric's confidence. It was usually Solomon, or someone else. Sadhric just didn't come to him unless he wanted something done. The odds were that Sadhric was more likely to deck him than to ask for his help, though so this -- He still wasn't quite sure what to do with it. "How would you be able to put all that aside in order to reach the goal you want?" Darien's hands didn't relax away from the ends of the arm rests, but his arms did. He no longer looked like he was ready to spring up to his feet so quickly.
Sadhric:
"Mm?" He didn't sound engaged. He sounded bored and close to giving up. "I could visit the fate of the Banak'tu upon them, I suppose. Wouldn't that be easy? Poetic, too, as it would very nearly be for the same reason."
Darien:
"I don't think it would be easy. It can't be, it shouldn't -- is it? To be the one to make that choice, to decide that someone has to die like that?"
Sadhric:
Sadhric held his gaze lazily.
Darien:
Force alive, how did Cato manage to do this for so many years? "I'm trying, Sadhric, I'm just not sure what you're looking for from this conversation. It seems like you want someone to talk you out of something...but I'm far worse at guessing games than Solomon is, I know I could be very wrong."
Sadhric:
Slowly The Mechanic looked to the floor and let out a nearly silent breath. "This was a mistake. Forgive me." Raising his head, he waved toward Darien. "Go about your business."
Darien:
There he did rise, leaning forward and pushing himself out of the seat, "I am sorry I couldn't help."
Sadhric:
Sadhric nodded. "It's all right. I think you did."
Darien:
He took that with a small nod, and made a gentle wave toward the door, "Let me see you out."
Sadhric:
A curt little laugh. "No, no; I apologize for pulling you away from your business on the street." And a whisper: "More desperate than I realized."
Darien:
"No need for that, its alright. Just helping some of my neighbors out. I hope you can figure it out with minimal loss."
Sadhric:
Sadhric breathed something like "Mm" and left.
