Delivery. Wine for... five thousand?

[Victer Dejan]

Someone on Onderon liked wine enough to order a light freighter full of it. While he normally would have a freighter crew run this out, the cargo and destination interested him enough to do it himself. Besides, hanging around quiet backwaters was getting boring. Even though Iziz was not the most cosmopolitan of cities, it was, still, a city, and had the bustle a city entailed. Although Iziz was somewhat more insular than many other locales, it was diverse enough than an experienced spacer with a sensitive ear could find somewhere to make himself happy for a few days.

There were other reasons that Victer had decided to deliver this himself: one, the order instructions were unusually specific, and two, it was for delivery to the Royal Palace. Of course, getting in on the order in the first place had required some finagling, not to mentioning acquiring the very specific wines on the list in freighter-sized quantities.

Victer had banked on the local authorities flexing a little government muscle when he informed Iziz control of his destination and flight plan, but instead they were unusually casual and compliant when he explained his cargo. In fact, they were putting him down right next to the palace. Then again, it was possible that “weather” satellite had a cargo scanner and picked up enough tannin molecules to erase any doubts as to his cargo. The YV-888’s clumsy structure was set down with the upmost care.

He emerged from the vessel, and shielded his eyes with a hand. It was far brighter out than the auto-dimming viewscreen had let on.

[Razielle Alastor]

In a matter of hours, several weeks worth of planning would culminate, in what Razielle sincerely hoped would be a ball to go down in Onderon's social history. Decades from now, she fancied, when they spoke of the social history of Iziz, they would mention "The Royal Masquerade Ball" that she had planned, selected the entertainment for, not to mention coordinating the menu and the wine selection.

The wine! She had nearly forgotten, the shipment of selected imports should be arriving anytime now. She blamed her ineptitude on morning grogginess. Planning a bash like this was no simple task, but doing it when one had been up half the night training in the wilds.. well, she was doing quite well. Yawning, she sat up and blinked the sleep from her eyes.

Lira, maid and confidante, pulled open her bedcurtains. "Good morning, Your Highness. You asked to be informed when the wine shipment would be arriving. The ship will be landing momentarily and the staff would like to know which they should stock and which shall be chilled for the ball?"

Grabbing the cup of stimcaf off the tray Lira had brought along, Razielle drained the contents in a gulp and hopped out of bed. "Tell them I'll go see about it personally. They have enough to do with the other arrangements."

She dressed quickly, pulling on a jade green sundress and leaving her hair down. Scandalous or not, the fresh air and sunshine were giving her dark locks a reddish highlight that she rather liked. Lira held out a bonnet for her. Razielle just stared at her. Hanging the bonnet back on its peg, Lira sighed. "Well, you can't fault me for tryin' Highness."

"No.. I suppose, I can't."

A short while later, escorted by her maid, Razielle emerged from the palace and approached the ship and presumably, the captain. She really wished she would have brought along that bonnet now. The morning light was gleaming off every surface making it hard to not squint.

"Good morning, Captain..?"

[Victer Dejan]

“Victer Dejan.” Victer squinted in the morning light. His eyes were overwhelmed by the sun, but the woman’s voice and silhouette were stunning. She came closer, and smelled as nice as she looked.

“Whoever drew this list up has a selective palette.” Victer said, presenting Razielle with the cargo manifest. He fumbled for a moment, and found his sunglasses in one of his jacket’s many pockets. He nearly whistled, but instead smiled. Someone had won the genetic lottery.

“And how should I address you, miss…?”

[Razielle Alastor]

The thing with Razielle was, flattery could get you everywhere. She might have been causing some of the illumination herself, she was so aglow at compliments first thing in the morning. It also helped greatly when the owner of the smooth tongue was handsome in an "I'm a badboy" sort of way. Completely unacceptable company for a Princess, therefor exactly the kind Razielle would have picked out personally.

Sheilding her eyes from the sun, Razielle eyed the captain up once more. She'd been through this before. All the interesting ones, the ones that under any other circumstabce would have been entertaining, all went silent when they learned who she was. No point in rushing it this time. She should have said "Princess Razielle Shadana, lately of the Davora monarchy." But she didn't..

"Thank you. You can call me Raz, Captain Dejan. My parents were quite selective in their wines, I guess I may have picked that up along the way."

Lira squeaked a bit at the formality, but wisely kept silent. Razielle continued, accepting the cargo list and perusing it quickly all seemed in order and was not only on time but a bit early.

"I find the older vintage of blossom wines from Naboo to be my personal favorite."

[Victer Dejan]

"For sipping, I'm more of a merlot fan myself, but with food, blossom wine." He smiled.

"Since most of this was paid in advance, I can start unloading it now. Is this for a Royal function?" He reached up and keyed a sequence on the cockpit ramp controls that lowered the main ramp, a four meter long, three meter wide strip that descended from the center of the YV-888's hull.

Raz said nothing and instead followed him up to the main cargo hold. The bottles were neatly shrink wrapped into groups, stacked, and palletized. A cursory glance satisfied her, until she spied a worn box in the corner. Without asking, she opened it and pulled two bottles.

"These were not on my list." They were a red and white wine from two of the smaller, but extremely well reviewed Naboonese vinyards that only sold from the vinyard.

"No, but they were on mine." He said, replacing his sunglasses.

[Razielle Alastor]

Shooting the captain an amused glance over her shoulder, Razielle replaced the bottles. She turned on a heel and smiled. The list was growing longer by the minute. He was a flatterer, he was handsome, he was dependable insofar as timeliness went at least, and he knew his wines. In short she had found the perfect way to end the ennui imposed on her. Maybe she could find a way to keep him around for a while.

"To answer your question. The order is for the Royal Masquerade being held tonight. Queen Adraudia wishes to give her people something to think on other than the threat of Mandalorians, that and she'll be introducing her ward." The last was said somewhat more quietly and without much interest.

"Will you be staying in Iziz for a while then, Captain..?"

[Victer Dejan]

Victer raised an eyebrow and a lopsided smile wandered across his face. Tonight? They were cutting it a little close with the delivery schedule. If he had been running late, there could have been many empty cups tonight. Or maybe this was to make sure the wine cellar was restocked, which made more sense.

“I figured I’d stop here for a few weeks after chasing down some of the cargo.” Was she inviting him to the Ball? She didn’t know anything about Victer beyond his good taste in wine and that he was decently spoken. Although he had tried to update himself on Onderon’s goings-on, he hadn’t been successful. The planet had a history of isolation. Beyond the subtle historical power struggle between the Throne and Military, there was always the Maladorians. Iziz had been rolling lately with a net-export economy, and the Maladorians had not been much a detriment.

"The Maladorians have been trouble lately?"

[Razielle Alastor]

"The Mandalorians are always a threat, but the Queen has been successful in keeping Iziz safe for some time now. "

If he was seeking lodgings in town, he would be in trouble. The Ball had caused an abnormal influx of visitors who had likely already arrived and taken rooms. In fact most of the establishments in the city would be closed today in general, in preparation. The Ball was not only for the Queen and her guests, the palace courtyard would be done in a similar style for the working class to enjoy a night of festivities as well.

Lira popped her head in the cargo hold with a disapproving scowl. "Your pardon, Raz. The pastry chef just walked out in a fury. The shipment of fruit was half spolied and your dress has arrived for your final fitting."

Razielle just stood there and blinked for a moment. "Well... Promote the pastry chef's assistant, they always have one. We'll have half fruit, half veggie platters and I'll be along in a moment. Does that cover everything?"

"Yes, Miss.."

"Well, Captain. If you are going to be staying in Iziz, allow me to arrange for suitable rooms for you. The Ball has made lodgings in the city.. hard to find. You'd wind up somewhere horrid, I daresay. "

[Victer Dejan]

Victer had stayed in enough shady spaceports for many lifetimes. He had not expected housing to be so scarce. To turn down an offer from someone likely important enough to inspect the wine would have been idiotic.

“That would be wonderful.” He returned his focus to the wine, and the unloading.

“I have some unloading equipment, but I’m sure that you have someone to take care of that.” Besides, Victer had neatly arranged the pallets so they would be easy to unload. It was attention to little details that had gotten him to where he was today.

[Razielle Alastor]

"Think nothing of it, the staff is likely gathered outside waiting for us to give them the word. I have to go for that fitting, but I can just show you to your rooms now, if that would be alright?"

The courtiers from Onderon, not to mention those visiting from other systems, had taken up most of the available rooms. There was however a wing of the palace that was being refurbished from the styles of past generations of Basilies, to more modern decor. Adraudia had taken Raz on a small tour, showing her the changes and a sample suite that was already completed. Probably more space than was required, but it would do. She didn't think that her friend would mind too terribly if she showed the hospitality of the royal house to a guest.

It wasn't too difficult to find either, they arrived in no time and Razielle moved from door to door, trying to find the completed rooms, done in blue as she recalled. "Aha! Here we go.. After you, Captain Dejan." She grinned and stepped aside, playing at being a servant.

[Victer Dejan]

Victer went where Raz directed. The palace, he noticed, was built with protection in mind instead of display. The battlements looked defensible, and the anti-aerospace batteries were well maintained. There were, after all, Maladorians lurking, ready to pounce. Not to mention the beasts that Iziz’s walls held at bay. Something about this place made him want to grab an ancient vibroblade. It had an odd vibe of violence that Victer couldn’t nail down. He had been to sites of historic battles, or even locations of constant historic warfare, but this one felt different.

Inside, however, aside from the unusually wide corridors for troop movement, the keep was more typical. He followed her into a wing, still under construction. He was an unexpected guest, and certainly not anyone of note. While unfinished, it was not dysfunctional. The room she showed him was merely incomplete. The wood floor was finished, and the walls painted, but aside from a bed, nearly unfurnished and devoid of decoration. The bed, however, was massive and canopied. Fine, dark wood composed the frame, and it was carved ornately. He ran a finger down the side, picking up a fine layer of dust. The wood still had it’s polish. He rubbed his fingers together and flicked them apart.

“This is very generous of you, Raz. I’m just a freighter captain.” And you’re just the event coordinator. He pictured her nude on the bed. He half-hoped she could read minds, although he had been told by the Sith that his was difficult to crack. Good riddance to them.

[Razielle Alastor]

"Not at all. It's no trouble. I'll have someone stop by to clean up a bit and bring fresh linens." She sauntered into the room and opened the balcony doors, a cool breeze immediately swept inside and took the stuffiness out of the room.

"You should definately come to the ball. It will be frightfully dull sitting in here all by your lonesome all night with a grand bash such as this going on. "

Turning around she realized how completely alone she was, in a far wing of the palace, with a man she'd met less than an hour ago. No one knew where she'd gone. Her heartbeat increased slightly. "I.. would recommend a Lord Delinore, for a costume in a hurry, if you are interested. The man is a genius under pressure.."

[Victer Dejan]

Victer realized that she was blushing. He could not figure out why, unless she was not supposed to be here, wandering off, or if she was blushing.

“I’ll look him up.” Victer was prepared for a formal event, but not exactly for a Ball. Still, with a little flare, he was certain he could pull it off.

“Aside from planning massive parties, what do you do here in Iziz?" Victer asked, curious.

[Razielle Alastor]

Suddenly feeling uncharacteristically shy, Razielle didn't know how to respond. What did she do? She leaned against a bedpost and thought about it for a moment.

"I suppose you could say that I am in the service of the Queen. I function as a companion to her, you know? A confidante. I have tea with her a few times a week. We are quite close, hence the responsibility." She winked.

[Victer Dejan]

Victer sat on the bed, as there was no other place to sit.

“I guess you don’t get much opportunity to talk to anyone who is not part of the court, then.” He said.

“Do you follow the Queen around, mostly? I’m not familiar with the day to day workings of Monarchies.” Victer lied. While he was not familiar Onderon’s, he had dealt with several other monarchies in the galaxy and had a solid handle on how they worked, barring extreme local favor.

[Razielle Alastor]

She hooked an arm around the bedpost and sort of swung back and forth with her ankles crossed. "Hmmm, well I don't get outside the palace much if that's what you mean? Security is pretty tight."

She plopped down on the extreme corner of the bed, knowing she shouldn't but doing it just the same. "The Queen lets me know when she needs me, other than that I'm free to do as I please for the most part. But I've known Her Majesty since I was a child."

"What about yourself, Captain? Where are your comrades?"

[Victer Dejan]

“I arrange contracts between shippers, receivers and the haulers. Every now and then something catches my eye, and I’ll do it, and leave someone in charge that won’t run things into the ground while I’m gone.”

“I hadn’t visited Naboo’s wine country in years, and I was overdue for a vacation. But, in my line of work, the faces don’t stay in one place much.” He shrugged. Victer never trusted anyone enough to get close. Those who knew him well always found him to be something of a bastard. He wasn’t afraid of leaving the incompetent out to dry, especially if they botched something important or fed him false information. He paid well, though, and in the end, most everyone was satisfied. He did not mention his most profitable business of selling information. While he was not BlackSun, he did not aim to be BlackSun or compete with them. Instead, he was a good source of information for shipping, and, in the sectors where he ran enough cargo, solid information on the underworld.

[Razielle Alastor]

Running her hand across the covers smoothing out a few wrinkles, Razielle looked up. "So you move around a lot. Dosen't make you that much different from me. You don't get too close, am I right?"

Lira chose that moment to knock on the already open door and clear her throat, it was clear she was unhappy. "Razielle, your dress is presently walking out of the palace with a very angry seamstress."

"Oh dear.. I am coming right now. I'll catch the dress. Will you please relay to Her Majesty, Mr. Ave and General DeSang that we have a guest and that he will be attending the ball, right Captain..?"

She hopped off the bed and walked around to the side that Victer had sat upon. "I'll see you later..?" She looked expectant.

[Victer Dejan]

Victer waived goodbye without answering her question as Lira half-forced her out of the room. She probably did need to have the seamstress stopped. Tensions ran high, but Victer was relaxed. After all, he had the day to assemble a costume and no other responsibilities.

His abandoned wing was nearly silent, except for the noise coming through his balcony. After ten minutes of exploration, he retrieved and unpacked some of his more immediate belongings into the room, neatly arranging his normal luggage and his pair of suits which mercifully had a place to hang in the massive closet. He did not expect to see Razielle until this evening, or perhaps tomorrow, after everyone had recovered.

Razielle was childish, but had some organizational skills, and it was clear she was driven. He wondered exactly how old she was. It was clear that she had been sheltered, as most royalty was. He intended on finding out exactly how sheltered she was.