Secret Alliances [completed]

[Lilaena De'Ville]

There was something more exciting than sneaking into a man’s hotel room to kill him. Meeting up with him a few days later in the old Senate building was one of them. Transformed from the center of Republic politics into a hub of the Imperial oppression, the building was a rabbit warren of passages and offices. The central chamber was rarely used these days, although there was talk of the Moffs gathering on Imperial Center for some sort of meeting. If that ever happened, security would be astronomically tight.

However, at the moment it was relatively easy for Lilaena to slip inside, showing a press pass that she’d had forged a week earlier. Dressed smartly in a charcoal pantsuit with a crisp white shirt underneath, she followed the other reporters to the room where a press conference was being held. Press conferences were something new, now that the Emperor was gone. The Tarkin girl would be fielding questions (carefully prepared and pre-approved questions) about the current state of the Empire. Before entering the conference room, Lilaena slipped into the restroom for beings of the female persuasion.

The scar that ran vertically down her face was covered carefully with makeup to blend it into her skin. A slight ridge was visible in the wrong lighting. Colored contacts had turned her hazel eyes blue, and she’d used color-crawlers in her hair to alter it to a dirty blonde. She stuck a stylus behind her ear and adjusted the frames on her face. A holo feed could be turned on with the touch of a button, visible to her eyes only.

Datapad in hand, she strode through the halls like she belonged in them, heels clicking on the tiled floors. Reaching the offices that Sevon kept when he was in Imperial Center, like right now, she entered without hesitation and walked up to the receptionist.

"Sara Tegast from WGN, here for the interview with Executor Sevon." She smiled through her spectacles, noting the lack of windows in this outer office. And the two guardsmen standing by the other door. "I'm a little early."

[Khendon Sevon]

The secretary wrinkled her nose and brought a pen to her full lips. She bit delicately, “Tegast, Tegast, Teeeeegaaast.” Her free hand tapped commands on her console, shaded from view by a privacy screen.

Of course, no one at all was scheduled to see the Executor. Never the less, the woman was putting on a good show of searching. In the mean time, the two guards stiffened underneath their combat armor.

Khendon woke to an overly persistent buzzer. It dredged him from his languid sleep and brought him back to a reality of pain and frustration.

The Executor had recently been severely hurt in one-on-one combat with a rogue. He had spent the past week in an isolated bacta treatment facility and only now brought back to his office to put on a show of good health. In truth, he was still damaged.

An enormous, raw scar started at his side and ran nearly the full length of his back, barely missing his spine in several spots. Rather than have a skin graft and remove all traces, Khendon had opted for the slow road to recovery and permanent disfigurement—he would keep the reminder of his defeat as a symbol of what he would do to the one that had inflicted such horrific failure.

The Imperial was sprawled on his comfortable couch, sleep still tugging at his senses. His suit was a bit messy and his hair disheveled. A hand found the nearby monitor and hit the blinking scarlet button.

“Great,” he mumbled and swallowed hard to refresh his dry throat, “a rep.. Lilaena?” A grin found its way to his face. Surprise, surprise. Khendon tapped a button and tenderly made his way to the grand chair behind his desk.

“Ah! Here it is!” Said the secretary with a broad smile. “Go right in. He’s waiting for you.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

“Thank you.” Lilaena smiled pleasantly, and fingered the holo-glasses, switching on GNN. The sound was off, but an anchorperson appeared to the right side of her vision, miming the news. She turned towards the opening doors, smoothing her jacket and adjusting the synth-leather bag that was over her shoulder. The guards checked her bag, which held a jumble of datacards and some feminine hygiene products. As she entered the inner office, she started talking before the doors were closed behind her.

“Executor Sevon, thank you for seeing me, I know it isn’t protocol to show up without an appointment, but the viewers of the Weekly Galactic News deserve to know –“ The outer doors clicked shut on her heels as she advanced into the room. “ – know what exactly your fleet was doing at Cathar last week.” The holofeed to the spectacles faltered, then dissolved. Lilaena slowed to a stop, well before she reached the desk that the Executor was sitting stiffly behind. “Well, to business then. Glad to see you had the presence of mind to turn on a dampening field.” Let him figure out himself how I know.

The Jedi reached up with the opposite hand to touch a button on the side of the glasses, not wasting the time to take them off. “I believe you have something of mine, Sevon.”

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon grinned, “You have brass ones to visit me here. Luckily, I’ll handle cleaning up any records of,” he shot a glance to the thin monitor on his desk, “any visit by Miss Tegast.”

The Executor really didn’t know what to think. He had half expected her to never show up again. It wasn’t really a risk. She had already been wanted across the galaxy. Khendon lost nothing by letting her loose and maybe even gained an unforeseen ally.

There was a moment of his eye catching how she was dressed. In that fraction of a second, his heart sped up and mind nearly exploded. Then it was over, lost to the control that set in.

A single hand opened a drawer as he spoke. He retrieved a cylindrical device and placed it on the polished surface of the desk. The contact of the two materials made a small, satisfying clicking noise. “Oh, you want this, do you?” That sly Khendon smirk returned.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena held out her hand and the cylinder flew off the table, smacking into her palm. She tucked it into her bag. “So, trying to be chummy now? Give me the information on Anar.”

She offered him a smile of her own, one that didn’t quite touch her now blue eyes. “You do still want him dead, don’t you?”

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon frowned a little, “all business? You really want to kill them all that badly, hmm.” He reached into his inside pocket and threw a data chip across the table. “All the information you could dream of and more.

“You need credits?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She shrugged, walking forward and taking a seat across the desk from him. Lounging in the chair, she unbuttoned her jacket and let it fall open. "Credits? What I really could use is a ship. But anything you'd give me would probably have a bomb attached so you could easily dispose of me, and your credits would probably be traceable, so - no. I don't need anything."

She cracked a genuine smile, "And yeah, brass ones." Despite herself, she wanted to banter with this man, and tear him apart with words if not with her hands. It was fun, anyway. "Looks like you took quite a beating on your latest trip out to the worlds. Or is that uncomfortable look on your face from what I did to you?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon forced himself to look away from the thin, supple hands that unbuttoned the woman’s jacket so delicately. His stormy eyes rested on the datascreen but quickly diverted when he noticed the image of her entering the room still frozen on its display field.

Lilaena, Lilaena, Lilaena… you she-wolf.

He grunted, “Please,” it was mocking, “a far better warrior than you did this to me.” Khendon scoffed at the comment and brought a sly grin back to his lips, “I’ll be prepared for the next round, and my wrath will be felt upon her flesh.

“Jealous that another woman did what you could not?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena managed what might have been called a pout. "Jealous? You're still alive. I'm not sure what you mean."

She inserted the data card into the pad she was carrying, and brought up the text files. She whistled - there was information for the next month on all planned activity for nearly every single high ranking Imperial. Except for Sevon, of course.

It was even in alphabetical order, starting with Anar. Lilaena nodded, "This intelligence better be good. If I find any traps..." She looked at him pointedly.

[Khendon Sevon]

“Lilaena,” the grin stuck to his face with remarkable ease, “would I go to all this effort to spring a trap now? You still don’t trust me?” Of course, the moment she was no longer useful, she would be gone.

“Would you care for a drink?” He stood with a bit of effort and went over to a concealed 'fridge.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena slouched back into the chair, dropping the data card inside her bag. "Not really." She was genuinely amused at his talk of trust, while she noticed that he refused to turn his back on her.

"And, yes. You would." She raised an eyebrow at him.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon grunted and grabbed himself a cold ale. He shook his head, grin still painted on his lips, as he walked back to his desk. On his elbows, he leaned forward. “Lilaena, you’ve got me all wrong,” his gray eyes remained firmly fixed on her own.

The Executor took a sip of his drink and leaned back in his comfortable chair. “So, what keeps you here in this room, Lilaena?” He reached out slowly with the Force, sent a few gentle waking waves her way to see the reaction.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She shrugged. "Curiosity. Or maybe I'm just waiting here for the right moment to kill you. After all, I have what I need. And you are...not well."

Lilaena shook her head, "Or maybe I just wanted to see how long you can sit there without trying to kill me." She idly undid the top button on her shirt, exposing a bit of skin.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon raised an eyebrow, "is that all you hope to accomplish, my dearest dark one?" He allowed the force to flow from him like a warm stream of water and began to find the edges of Lilaena's own aura.

If this woman wanted to kill Khendon, now was the perfect time. The room was smallish, not on the grand scale the Executor was accustomed to. There were no security cameras, not a guard in sight, and no recording devices. There would be no evidence, if she was careful.

He took another sip of the mild, smooth ale and set it down with a satisfied sigh.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

As he reached out towards her with the Force, Lilaena felt the tingle of it along her skin. She tsked, and responded with a slap across his knuckles with the Force. "Now, now, Executor. Don't touch."

She noticed that the air in the room was warming, perhaps an unconscious side affect of what might be going on inside Sevon's mind. His eyes were fixed on her, she fascinated him, but only as a poisonous snake fascinates it's handler. He was confident that he could crush her before she was a threat. And maybe he could.

Lilaena released one more button as though it was too hot in the room, and asked, "Why are you so confident that I can assasinate your enemies for you?"

[Khendon Sevon]

“Your anger makes you strong, Lilaena. And, they are not as difficult as I to kill.” This game was beginning to bore him. He often enjoyed games, but not ones where he was the mouse. She was using her femininity to her best advantage—and it was working to a degree.

The gray eyed Imperial stood and took a seat by the nearby couch. He completely ignored the pain of his wounds—they weren’t of concern at the moment. “You’re a foolish girl, Lilaena. But, you have your purposes. Go on your crusade, burn down the house that you’re in, complete our deal, be consumed by the desires within yourself.

“You know what I get from this agreement. You know what you get—though you don’t understand truly what path you tread. Soon enough, you will.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Ah, yes. He thinks that even if I don't succeed, then I will die in the effort. A win-win, for him.

He looked irritated, and she wanted to rile him before she left. A game? Of course. One that would guarantee he would want her to live - if only so he could kill her himself. In his own way.

She got up from her seat, adjusting her jacket, and walked over to him. She leaned down, don't hesitate, and kissed him.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon frowned at the kiss and the apparent show of flesh. His guard was instantly up.

Against his own will, he forced himself to push away. “I don’t know what card you’re trying to play, Lilaena, but I don’t like it.” There was a deep frown etched onto the contours of his visage.

You do this every time a beautiful woman kisses you, eh, Sevon? A firm hand closed around her arm and he allowed his cold eyes to sink into hers. The Force ripped from him in a violent torrent and embraced her with all of the assaulting powers he possessed.

It was more of a melding than aggressive action. He wanted her to understand who he was, wanted her to understand the black smoldering shard that he called a heart, wanted to know what she was doing.

In the midst of the barrage, he pulled her closer, a bit forcefully, and returned the kiss in a deep and passionate way.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"I -!" She gasped as the weight of his power bore down on her mind, blowing away what mind blocks she had erected. She would have to be more prepared next time. A hundred images flashed through her mind, some of which she understood and others she didn't. The evil that she had sensed four years ago on Thyferra was raging through him, and into her, and she understood painfully that she might have bitten off more than she could chew.

Lilaena drew in a ragged breath, and Sevon pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. His hand gripped the back of her head, almost pulling her hair, and she stumbled to her knees on the floor in front of the couch. He still needs me alive. She felt a thrill of terror as she considered that she might have pushed him too far.

And against her better judgement - it was delicious.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon allowed his repressed memories of torment by the hand of his father to slip out with the flood waters. They seeped from forgotten memory and readily took with the flow. It was a dark, dark image.

The Executor’s passion began to build, but he knew this woman wasn’t ready for what lay ahead. He was projecting his desires onto her, that was all.

He pulled away gently, face a little displeased, and allowed his slate eyes to pierce her.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Another memory pressed against her mind, sensually overwhelming her. Her father was -

But she had no memories of her father. She had been taken to the Jedi Temple as soon as she had been weaned, and did not remember her birth parents. With an effort she resurrected her shields, slamming the mental blocks back into place. Khendon's eyes widened slightly as he was cut off from her mind.

Her pupils were almost fully dilated, and she drew in a shuddering breath of air. Then she slapped him across the face, hard enough to leave a white hand print on his face that flushed with red. The Executor caught her hand firmly to keep her from repeating the motion.

"Don't ever do that to me again." She tried to yank her wrist away from him, furious at the incursion into her mind.

[Khendon Sevon]

The wicked man narrowed his storming eyes and broke a sly, grim grin. “So, now you know better than to kiss a Sith.” He pursed his lips and gave a small nod.

Khendon hadn’t even noticed he had caught her hand, it was so automatic. He tightened his grip and felt the constriction on the smooth, warm skin beneath. There was still a fire smoldering on somewhere within his chest—not a good sign.

“Lilaena, do you not want me to do it again because,” the grin rose in anticipation of the next words, “you liked it too much.” It wasn’t a question.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"My head is not a playground for bullies to run around in." She jerked her hand away from him and took a step backwards.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon grinned, “one minute you’re kissing me, the next calling me names. Lilaena, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you loved me.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Annoyed that her ploy had backfired on her, Lilaena brushed her blond hair out of her eyes, and adjusted her spectacles. She replied frostily, "Remember that when you're the last one on my list."

She picked up her shoulder bag, and patted the side. "The information you've given me means that I'm not coming after you for now. Unless I find that there's a trap hidden in Anar's schedule, in which case you get bumped back up to the top." Lilaena stepped backwards again, standing in the middle of the room.

[Khendon Sevon]

“Yes, yes, dramatic, indeed, Lilaena. Just remember, you failed at killing me before. And, now, you love me,” that sly grin formed on his face as he verbally prodded her again, “so, it’ll be harder this time.

“If you want some training, stop by again. I’ll give you a work out.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"I will keep it in mind." Lilaena nodded, and then turned towards the door.

Taking a few steps forward, she paused and turned back to him. "I won't be in contact with you again until afterwards." She walked out of the office, the holofeed to the spectacles blinking on as she neared the door.

Lilaena allowed herself a smile as she turned off the feed, and the doors opened and shut behind her.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon frowned, that woman had something under her sleeve. He trusted her as much as he trusted anyone—very little.

“Harbinger,” the Executor spoke into his communication system, “make sure she does her job.”

He sat at his desk and poured himself a drink. Stress is a killer, almost as bad as a woman's touch. Strong medicine would, hopefully, remove the memory of that woman's lips... oh, that woman's lips.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Once she was in an airtaxi and on her way from the old Senate building, Lilaena allowed herself to relax. Slightly.

She tapped the black rimmed spectacles on the side as the human driver of the taxi took her to a bar across the sector. From there she was going to take another taxi to another location, and then another. She didn't intend to make it easy for Khendon to keep tabs on her, but was realistic in her expectation that he would find a way anyway.

The spectacles were an unobtrusive bit of technology. Many people wore them, and they were also useful to disguise ones appearance, if only slightly. They'd told her that Khendon was jamming certain signals in and out of his office - keeping eavesdroppers well away from his private conversations.

However... she touched the tiny button on the side of the frames, and a picture flickered to life as the miniscule holorecorder she'd installed began playback. It appeared that she now had an Ace in the hole.

Using, and being used, by an enemy such as Khendon should not have been as exciting as it was. Lilaena turned off the recording and tucked the spectacles into an inside pocket of her suit jacket. The game of dejerric they were playing was getting more and more interesting by the day.