Strangers in the Night (Dalethria)

[Sanya Tagge]

The sight of Château Malreaux brought on mixed feelings for Sanya Tagge, as her private yacht Domina touched down on the rugged surface of Vjun. What most would have viewed as a dreary anachronism, Sanya had grown quite attached to in her time as Senior Monitor of the Auril Sector. Having had a childhood spent primarily in military academies and aboard starships, it was the first place she had felt at home – yet now it was a rare occasion that she returned to the ancestral seat of the Malreaux family. Her duties as Minister of Truth had compelled Sanya to Coruscant, and now new duties, new orders, were sending her elsewhere.

Word had come directly from the Empress herself. It was this fact alone that offer a degree of comfort to Sanya, who had no desire whatsoever to travel to Bespin. The long and useless length of the Ison Corridor – the trade route upon which Bespin and the equally pointless Hoth sat – held no charm for a woman used to the lights and life of the Imperial City. Yet, she was nothing if not a dutiful servant to the Empire. As an agent of the Coalition for Improvements, she had scoured worse scum form the Galaxy than that which was rumoured to cling to the underbelly of Cloud City.

Of course, a new posting to the Outer Rim Territories did present an opportunity stop by her old haunt on Vjun, where she had decided to pack up a few of the books in the château library. If reports were to be believed, Cloud City was somewhat lacking when it came to providing entertaining for the discerning Imperial citizen. An old leather trunk thrown open on the library floor, Sanya rose onto her tiptoes and blew dust away from a shelf of books that had gone too long untouched.

[Dalethria]

Château Malreaux had become a heavily fortified residence for the Tagge family. Friends of the Empress prior to her coronation, now they were family and their threat level as targets to be used against the current rule rose considerably. Stormtroopers and TIE fights tightened security around the complex now that their Mistress, the new Baroness of Cloud City, had returned home to gather her personal effects for it was uncertain when Vjun would be revisited.

Protocols were heavily enforced, as were the timing of shifts. Extra shifts were not tolerated, thus there was an intricate rotation of the roster so ensure maximum alertness from the Carrack Cruiser in orbit. It provided shuttles in and out of the system so those stationed could get some R&R in nearby systems.

At present, a rotation of troops was being implemented. Next to the Domina, an Imperial Shuttle touched down and unloaded the next squad of troopers. They marched down the ramp in unison, save for two who were controlling the hoverlift full of fresh supplies. Orders were exchanged briefly with the Squadron leader planetside and the troopers fanned out in search of those they were to relieve immediately.

The supplies were taken to the Quartermaster for inventory. The smaller goods were cataloged first, high quality food and rations, clothing, repair kits etc. The larger crates had a catalog manifest screen on the side. As the one trooper reached for the device, the silver cube unfolded, its sides hitting the ground with a clang.

He didn't have time to register the woman kneeling on the floor for too long. All he saw were pale blue eyes and dark hair. Then the darkness' embrace came but before his mind completely shut off into the abyss, he heard the symphony of cracking bones and the rush of air ...

[Sanya Tagge]

crack!

Sanya jumped back with a start, flinching away from the sudden clap of sound behind her. She turned with her hand clutched to the hollow of her throat, where a gasp of breath was caught. Her heart fluttered as she looked blankly at the door to the library, which had so suddenly slammed shut. The ancient wood groaned.

She crossed the room and turned the handle, stepping out into the hallway with the veneer of cool confidence that was fitting over her position applied over the moments fright she had felt. The passage beyond was empty, but a chill wind blustered down the corridor, tugging at the hem of her skirt and ruffling the dust-sheet that covered the priceless, antique side-table that stood in the hallway.

“Blasted oafs,” Sanya muttered. The chateau had more doors than she cared to count and if a select few were left open, the wind could blow right through from one end of the estate to another, often damp with acid rain. Fighting the frown of distaste that was creeping onto her lips, Sanya stalked way from the library towards the source of the cold, intent on giving whoever was responsible for the oversight a damn good telling off.

[Dalethria]

Loaded upon the hoverlift was the now reformed metal crate, its contents a surprise when it was returned to the Core on the next shuttle run. The biometrics would pick up nothing and its contents had already been cataloged by the Quartermaster - armor needing to be refurbished wouldn't raise any red flags until it was too late.

Chin to shoulder sharply, she narrowed blue eyes and heard quick footfalls against stone heading in her direction, but it was not boots that hit the floor. It was too high pitched in tone to be anything but high heels.

She grinned. She was coming. And alone. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Everything was coming together as it should be.

As the footsteps continued to encroach, she disappeared further into the storage room...

[Sanya Tagge]

The door to what appeared to be a storage cache stood wide open before her. Sanya paced inside, amongst the stacks of crates that were as high as her shoulders. She peered accusingly into the shadows and, upon seeing no one waiting their to explain their blunder, turned on her heel and began to stalk towards the doorway, with a renewed desire to scold whoever was leaving every damn door in the chateau open.

[Dalethria]

There was no warning. No time to scream. Only black leather clasping over the Minister's mouth, a strong arm locking the woman's arms against her torso as she was dragged across the room, around the Quartermaster's desk, and into the back.

A precise tap with her boot against the stone wall opened up a hidden passage behind the manifest terminal wall. Sanya was soon swallowed by the shadows and there was no one to help her as the passage sealed her away with her kidnapper.

[Sanya Tagge]

Her mouth sprung open to gasp, to shriek, but the sound that came out was smothered by a gloved hand. Sanya resisted the sudden restraints on her body. She was a politician by station, but she had been raised within the Imperial Military and was no weakling. Nevertheless, her captor had a grip as firm as Mandalorian iron and the Minister found herself being pushed, unwilling, into dank shadows where the air was as stale as the first new breath escaping from an exhumed burial casket. She felt a stiletto heel snap as the ground under foot became uneven, but the arms encircling her kept Sanya from stumbling and guided her onward to some unknown fate...