Needs and Wants: Sovereign Mission

[Telan Desaria]

The office lights were low, and Grand Admiral Desaria refused to have it any other way. Especially when he was off duty, he enjoyed the calmness and serenity darkness brought.

It was also perfect for business.

A woman sat in the chair opposite the Grand Admiral, her hair inviting and her eyes cold. An attractive woman, but not the type for an Imperial officer and aristocrat.

On top of that, she is a criminal.

" Madam, I appreciate your punctual arrival and seeing me on such short notice."

She nodded, and he continued to speak. " I have a proposition for you. As you know, the Imperial Sovereignty controls bacta production, and has a slight monopoly on tibanna gas. Now, that has made us very rich in the last month. I have the money to operate my abolishers round the clock, pay for massive defensive installations, and construct a shipyard for Imperial use.

" However, this yard will not be ready for some time. In its absance, the Sovereign fleet must continue to grow. It cannot stagnate. Every ship lost must be replaced twofold. Every fighter downed must have a squadron rise in its place!

" You see, Madam, it requires the services of a...an unalligned person...to execute the mission I have authorized. Here it is..."

For the next twenty minutes, the Grand Admiral detailed his needs and wants for his faction. And when the woman left to board her ship, the Grand Admiral was confident that Madam s'ILancy would fulfill her mission with all haste.

Twenty million credits were riding on her success.

And an Imperial warship...

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s’Il had listened quietly while Grand Admiral Desaria explained what he wanted of her. She chose not to say much; in fact, she didn’t say anything at all throughout their entire meeting, nodding only to indicate she understood what he wanted. MMU had come with her on the strict stipulation that he behave himself, and as he sat at her feet, he cast his glowing green gaze all around the office until she rested a booted foot atop his head to hold it still. Standing, her ship's avatar only came up to her knees, yet what he lacked in size he made up for in mental instability. Or at least that what s'Il swore it was.

It had been two months now, since she’d kissed death for the second time, and her scars were healing nicely. She still walked with a slight limp, but that would slowly fade over time as did everything else; with the exception of the restitched scar traveling from her neck straight down to her midriff; Barrok had reopened it, getting almost to her navel before he was interrupted by Millard. s’Il was alive because of Grand Admiral Taylor Millard.

And now, sitting before yet another of the Empire’s Grand Admirals, she felt a sigh escape her lungs. The things I do for credits…..

Loklorien s’Ilancy let a small grin play across her face as she stared at Desaria. She felt MMU shift beneath her foot….

He called you Madame- he began in a teasing voice, but a swift kick and a scowl shut him up once more, and she turned her attention back to the man in front of her.

Of course she had no intention of taking his credits; she’d decided early on that her payment would be much more practical. She knew also that it would be best to wait until she had what he wanted before laying down her new price. Simple, effective, and it usually got her what she wanted; it’d never failed her. To say she had the proverbial ace up her sleeve was a gross understatement.

She’d most likely wait for their next meeting until saying anything to him; right now she was gauging the man, getting an initial feel for him. He was incredibly proper; sickeningly so. At least she’d gotten Millard to not call her ‘Madame s’Ilancy’ so often anymore; it drove her up the wall. How anyone could be so rigid was beyond her. Desaria knew what he wanted, and as was evident by her presence in his office now, he would do what he felt was necessary to get it.

As he wrapped up his speech, she brought her foot from MMU’s head, and at the Grand Admiral’s dismissal, stood slowly. She gave him one last look, her metallic eyes boring into his own, and without another word, walked out; MMU trotting right behind her.

He called you Madame!!! the little avatar teased as he trailed her from the office. You even hate it when Millard calls you that....

“Shut up MMU.”

[MMU]

MMU followed s'Il closely, the tip of his little antannae just coming up to her knees as he hopped around her feet.

So did you tell Taylor where you were going?

She said nothing, and he stopped momentarily, letting her walk ahead before running to catch up.

You didn't? But Lok, he might get mad.....!

She only snorted, and the little avatar's antannae dropped a little as he trailed her. Millard was going to blame him when he found out.

But Lok! He'll blame me if something happens to you! He... he... MMU's voice lowered to a whisper as if he Millard could hear him; all the way from Balmorra. ... he doesn't like me...

"Shush. Now."

But-

"MMU, this is a job. He understands that, and lets me work. It's the least I can ask of him."

The small droid thought about this, then let out a mechanical sigh as the two strode through the corridors. Ok....




MMU accessed his internals then, starting his preflight sequences, and his larger half, The Rascal King, slowly came to life as it sat in the belly of Desaria's Star Destroyer.

[Telan Desaria]

The Grand Admiral was stepping ou of the darkness of his office when he realized he had grately neglected protocol. Of all the revision made to Imperial customs with the formation of the Sovereignty, Desaria should not have slipped.

With that, he realized that despite his personna, Madam si'Lancy's feminine wiles were more than even a Grand Admiral could withstand. Shaking his head at the possibility to attracted to some one of her....definition.... the Grand Admiral spun about and headed for the foreward launch bay.

* * * * * * * * ** * * *

Madam sI'Lancy was doing a checkoever of her ship's exterior when the blast doors opened and in stepped Grand Admiral Desaria, trailed closely by his personal guard.

" Grand Admiral on deck!!!"

" As you were," came the quick reply, the Admiral not wanting to disturb forward flight operations.

The pair of soldiers moved towards the female pilot; the Fleet trooper halted just out of easy hearing distance. The Admiral moved forward and bowed low, in a typical gesture of respect for a lady.

" Madam sI'Lancy, I apologize for neglecting my duties as anot only an Imperia officer, but a gentleman and aristocrat."

The other was obviously mystified.

At that, the Grand Admiral smirked. " It is custom where I am from to treat a lady with much respect and grace. I did neither escort you here or offer you my hospitality."

" I apologize for the first, and see you are preparing to leave,so am remiss for frgetting the second. So, I beg your leave to join you for these last few moments as atonement for my actions."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il narrowed her metallic eyes behind the orange tinted lenses of her sunglasses, then pushed them up on her head so that she could look the Grand Admiral eye to eye; regardless of how much taller than her he was.

She could feel MMU practically climbing up her leg in hysterics at Desaria as he called her 'Madame s'Ilancy', and kicked the avatar away roughly, glaring down at him for a quick second before looking back to the Grand Admiral, confusion on her features. A hand reached up to brush back a strand of hair from her face, and she let out a breath.

"Well," she began haltingly, still taken aback, ".......ok..."

MMU latched onto her leg again, looking at the Grand Admiral with glowing green eyeports, then straight up to s'Il.

He called you Madame s'Ilancy... just like Taylor.....

s'Il could only roll her eyes.

[Telan Desaria]

" I know, Madam, that we have discussed briefly the possibilities for you payment for services soon to be rendered, but I would like to add something."

The female continued to glare at him.

Unperturbed, he strove on. " I know you roam the galaxy with your ship and....metallic companion...but I would like to offer you a second home...or a third if that is the case.

" As you may or may not know, an aristocracy is forming on Thyferra, harkening back the glory days of eons past. I would ike to offer you the title and lands of the Archduchess of Arrannia. It is a small state on a small island, but is perhaps one of the most scenic in all of that continent. "

The Grand Admiral waited, unable to control his own, precise actions.

The whole while he spoke, his conscious coninued to berate him....Stop it!!! Stop it!!! You are not like this!!!!!!!!!!!

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her eyebrows rose, and for a brief moment she tuned out MMU's tugs on her leg. She blinked, pulling the sunglesses from her head completely, and kneeling down, she peeled her ship's avatar from her leg.

"MMU, stop it now," she scolded him; it was as if he was a child, and as she stood back up, she pointed to the open gangplank of The Rascal King. "Go. Get yourself ready to go but don't take off until I say."

The little droid nodded, turning tail and trotting up the ramp, his little metal feet making a reverberating tak tak tak all throughout the hangar bay as s'Il turned to face Desaria.

A title and lands, eh? This is interesting......

She took a small step back then. His offer was enticing, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't interested. She let a thin smirk play across her features. Perhaps now was a good time to discuss her alternate methods of payment........

"That's a tempting offer," she started, then half-turned toward the boarding ramp. "Would you care to discuss this in my office......?"

[Telan Desaria]

" By your leave, Madam."

The Grand Admiral stepped aboard behind the hopefully soon to be Archduchess.

In his holster was a fully loaded blaster, and under his uniform, as per standard flag procedure, personal armor. The Admiralty had Grand Admiral Thrawn to thank for that, having encountered a would-be-assassin's arrow on Wayland.

The Grand Admiral sat where abl, and allowed the Madam to speak first, his own rank and title not applicable in the domain outside of Imperial control.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her office onboard The Rascal King was spartan to say the least containing only a large oak desk, two chairs before it with one behind, and a low table along the opposite wall which held a bottle of sake and a decantur of Corellian brandy. The only piece of deceration was a large painting on the wall behind her desk, depicting a sunset over Alderaan.

As with the rest of the ship, it had only what she deemed necessary within its confines.

Her blood from Miiki Barrok's merciless attack was gone; stripped away. In fact, her entire ship had been overhauled after crashlanding on Balmorra, being almost completely rebuilt. Now it was larger, faster, sleeker, more pleasing to the eye, and exotic; a design not seen before in the galaxy. s'Il loved it, and so did her ship's AI.

Stepping into the near bare office, she strode along its length, uttering a quick word in Selonian to turn up the lights just a little. Skirting the large desk, she lowered her small frame into her chair, watching carefully as Desaria sat as well.

She waited a few moments before speaking.

"You're right in saying that; should I take your offer, I would be having another home. My fourth, in fact."

She leaned forward slightly across the desk, framed by the painting behind her, and setting her sunglasses gently on the glossy surface next to an idle datapad, s'Il locked eyes with him.

"What I want to know first however, is why all of a sudden you offer me this now... "

[Telan Desaria]

For the first time in his career as an Imperial officer...his life, in fact...the Admiral could not reply.

A small bead of indistinguishable sweat emerged on the Admiral's face, and he could feel it. He was very glad she could not.

After a while, he could respond, though not near as eloquently as was his normal.

" Madam, I am a man of nobility. I cannot allow your suspicions of more than platonic relations to go un-allayed."

He gulped, this time again lightly.

But the other did.

" I must admit, you are attractive, as far as women are concerned. However, I have no other motives than offering you a means of payment far more rewarding than the bacta I could give or the credits I could hand out."

The truth was rooted deep in the Admiral's gut, and not any woman would reach it. Women were not for him. But this one had an...air...of rogue sophistication that drew him in....and so that no analyst i the galaxy could explain it.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il rocked back in laughter, tears almost coming from her eyes as she slapped the desktop in amusement.

"Y- you think," she managed to sputter after taking a few deep breaths, "You think I want anything more than a friendship?

"No offense, but... no. I already have someone that I choose to spend my time with."

She laughed again, though this time a little more lightly, and leaned back comfortably in her seat. She could tell he was just a little nervous; speechless for a little bit even, and she grinned, holding a finger up.

"First off," she started, "there's a few thing I want you to know about me.

"One: Don't call me Madam anything. I hate it; it drives me up the wall and as you saw earlier, only excites my already easily entertained ship. Call me Lok, Loklorien, or s'Il. I don't care which one just as long as there's no madame in there anywhere.

"Two: I'm not looking to warm anyone else's bed aside from the man I came back from the dead for; so don't think for a moment that I'm looking for anything... extracarricular to come of you and I."

She leaned forward then, her metallic eyes boring into him; not out of malice or anger, but out of sheer intensity.

"I won't be leaving Taylor Millard for anyone."

[Telan Desaria]

The Grand Admiral was insulted at the implication that HE was interested. Such should not be mentioned!!! He was a Grand Admiral of the Empire!!!

He calmed himself quickly, his redness not showing, aside from the glowing inferno in his eyes. Had his retinas been superlasers, half the galaxy would nowhere to stand.

" ma-Ms. Loklorien, I apologize for the...accused innuendo..."

Just then, he halted in mid-sentence. Her last sentence hit him like the force of a thousand Star Destroyers.

" Grand Admiral Taylor Millard?

" Leaving him?

" You are one with Grand Admiral Millard???!!!"

Personal Memo: consult Grand Admiral Millard immediately following to confirm or deny. And chastize in the case of affirmatives for non-disclosure between friends.

" This is a shock, Ms. Loklorien. Would yo expound upon that, please?"

The Admiral's hands crossed his chest and waited.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A fingernail tapped the glossy surface of her desk as she smirked, the fire in his eyes easily apparent.

She leaned forward as he crossed his arms over his chest. "A shock? How so? That a Grand Admiral in your once united Empire enjoys spending his time with someone like me?"

He eyes narrowed then. "Or do you have such a limited and closed view of the individual you hired to carry out your little unorthodox mission?

We're all dirty goods, Desaria... " she dropped his title of Grand Admiral to maximize the effect of her words, "... some more than others; but regardless of whether you're pulling the strings or I'm up to my elbows in your s**t, we're just as guilty as the other."

She tapped at her desk once more, pausing for a few seconds before sitting back. "But yes," she said finally, "Taylor Millard and I are seeing each other. Though I'm not 'one' with him, as you put it."

She tilted her head to the side slightly, gauging his next reactions.

[Telan Desaria]

" No Madam," he slipped," it is not a shock that the Grand Admiral dates..."some like you"...as you so awkwardly put it. Anyone wo salutes or will at least stand next to the Imperial Banner, no matter caste or class, is worthy to date and love anyone from lowly citizen to Diktat and, in this case, Grand Admiral."

" You see, It is not that uou are dating Admiral Millard that is shocking. It is that he is dating anyone at all.

" I have not had a relationship since my days at the Centaurian Martial Academy. The burden of Command my own Grand Admirl-father placed on my shoulders left hardly enough time to sleep let alone sleep with another nd love them...no matter how much I longed for it.

" You are excellent at what you do, and are not a vagrant or bane upon Imperial society. The only people a Grand Admiral-any Imperial-is above dating is a New Republic denizen.

" I am pleased for both you and he...but shocked that I was neither informed nor thought cose enough to know."

The light shown off the Grand Admiral's eyes, thus hiding any internal precipitation that may have occured.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She rested both her elbows on the desk then, as the door to her office opened and MMU strolled in, a small capgun in each of his little hands and a miniature leather holster strapped around his waist.

Approaching the desk, he hopped up into the unoccupied seat next to the Grand Admiral before jumping from the chair to the desk in a spurt of agility not usually seen in a droid. Casting his green gaze at Desaria, he sat squarely of the surface of the desk, his little guns still in each hand.

All the while s'Il was silent, watching as the small droid ambled in and settled himself customarily on her desk. She looked at the man across from her.

"Who Grand Admiral Millard chooses to tell is his business, though neither of us actively announce the fact of the matter. If people find out, then fine. But we don't generally proclaim it to the ends of the galaxy.

"Though if it makes you feel any better, not even my own parents know."

She leaned back. "Is there anything else you'd like to know... ?"

[Telan Desaria]

The Grand Admiral had an epiphany: in front of business partners and enemies was far from the time to show emotions and weakness.

He regaind his noble stature and grace. His face faded from remembrance to Imperial-iron.

He grinned. " No, Ms. sI'Lancy. I do appreciate the time you have given me on this matter. I apologize for any personal...mistakes...I may have uttered. I can compensate you for any offense taken or given.

" On the note of payment, we have not concluded that line of dalogue yet. If you please..."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She grinned as well; though hers was a lopsided and carefree grin that lit up her face.

"Trust me; you couldn't offend me even if you tried. Now, you try and dress me up in one of your uniform monkeysuits and I'll have a bone to pick, but generally I don't get riled up easily."

She remained leaning back as she thought once more on his offer. It was tempting; it really was. It was ideal as well.

"I don't know about the title and whatnot, but the estate does sound nice. I'd have to see it before I make any solid decisions, though. I don't generally rush into things without looking both ways.

"Unless it's a barfight."

Then she leaned forward. "What exactly would all this 'payment entail... ?"

[Telan Desaria]

The Admiral glimmered. Funny, I rather like our uniforms.

" We make over sixty billion credits in bacta sales alone, after overhead. In tibanna gas, another forty.

" I can give you the credits, raw bacta or spin-sealed tibanna gas.

" All is up to you.

" This also includes the estate, and any other parts or modifications we can provide. Including droids."

The small avatar seemed indignant, but the Grand Admiral dismissed that. He was not sure if a small droid-like being could BE indignant.

" And I would strongly recommend you take the title as well. There is no politics required, and it sounds smashing during introductions."

" You can inspect the estate after tehcompletion of this assignment. "

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il reached out and closed two fingers around one of MMU's capguns. He held on to it, but she didn't let go, and after a moment he released it into her grasp. "I don't need the credits," she said lightly, reaching for his other gun, "and if I see another bacta tank... " she yanked it from his little hands, "... I'll go insane."

Now in possession of both guns, she set them on the other side of the desk, out of the avatar's reach. He made to stand up, complaining as he rose.

But Uncle Silus said-

She put a hand atop his head and held him down. "Hush. You'll get them back later. You know better than to come in here with those."

Satisfied that the small droid would stay put, she rested her elbows once more on the desk and looked at Desaria, slightly amused by the look he was giving her. "They're the most gawd-awful obnoxious things you've ever heard. His 'uncle' decided it would be funny to give them to him for his 'birthday', and I've been suffering for it ever since.

"Now," she went on, going back to business, "as for the tibanna gas, I suppose I could use some.

"I'll make my decision on the estate when I get back."

Smashing for introductions, eh... ? she thought ruefally, ... I'm satisfied with just plain and simple Mrs. Bad@$$, but oh well...

She stood then.

"Is there anything else I can help you with... ?"

[Telan Desaria]

The Grand Admiral had not reached his station without knowing when to make a discreet exit...

...and when he was no longer welcome.

" Ma-Ms. Loklorien, I think we will make excellent partners in the future. It will be profitable doing business with you. I hope we are all...successful...in this most notable beginning venture."

Desaria turned and looked down at the avatar. " And you, of you ever decide to become a combatant, I can guarantee you command of war droids."

He bowed lowly again, his face not smug or arrogant or even sarcastic. He wore a verious serious mask of formality.

" By your leave, Maam?"

[MMU]

MMU puffed out his chest then at Desaria's words, and looked up to s'Il as he stood as well.

You hear that Lok? War droids!

And with that, the little avatar waggled his behind at her tauntingly then dove for his guns, snatching them up and hopping from the desk before s'Il could grab him. He tore once around the room, firing the wretched little things left and right, the noise they made utterly obnoxious as he made for the door.

Their firing became distant as he ran hollaring though the halls to nowhere in particular, and finally they faded away altogether.




s'Il looked up at Desaria then, and shrugged before skirting the desk and heading for the bottle of sake sitting on the low table.

"Unless you wanna stay and deal with that," she grumbled good-naturedly, jerking her thumb at the now closed door while grasping the bottle with her other hand, "I suggest you leave and save yourself."

[Telan Desaria]

The Admira bowed again, his face formal. But it was obvious he was choking back a smirk.

He turned on his heel with Academy precision and departed the small vessel for his much larger warship.

And didnot look back, for a young lieutenant was waiting with other, urgent news.