A Call to Order: Unnatural Causes

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville sat in a comfortable, ergodynamically designed commuter chair on one of the fastest trains in the universe. In front of her sat Silus Xilarian, new to the Hand, and across the aisle Vega Van Derveld lounged in his own seat.

The train was traveling over five thousand miles per hour down a tunnel built under the Silver Sea of Chandrila. They had met up on the continent opposite Hanna City, a less industrialized part of the planet. There had been rabbit like rodents everywhere, and the natives called them squalls and just let them...go...everywhere. De'Ville had been glad to leave. Of course, sitting in a maglift train which was hurtling down a vaccum tube under millions of gallons of water wasn't a very comfortable idea either. If you thought about it.

Once on the main continent, and in Hanna City, which was the destination point of this faster-than-a-bullet train, it would be a quick trip to the countryside, and then back with the morning commuters to their ships. A quiet night's work, and home again in the morning. Not bad.

The seats were comfortable, widely spaced, and the trip wasn't long, Which was a good thing, because there were no intertial dampers and if you got up from your seat you'd most likely be splattered on the back of the cabin before you could blink. De'Ville grinned and called up to Silus, who was tring to make eye contact with a pretty blonde female kitty-cornered across the aisle. "Hey, Silus, I need a drink. Will you go get me one?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Most people had trouble adjusting to the way the train moved. But it was the fastest way across the sea. Silus was surprisingly comfortable, given the conditions. The seat they sat in rotated to dampened the effects of the g-force, and it was to an extent soothing. For the first few minutes, Silus sat with his eyes closed, til he'd gotten adjusted. That was until his seat had rotated in the direction of a cute blonde off in the corner. Now it was almost a game, to try and get her attention in the few seconds they would be facing each other. It was about then Lilaena asked him to find her something to drink. Her voice was playful, but carried a hint of evil that could almost come across as mischievous.

"Sure, just come and unstrap me, and i'll be right on it"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She winked, and added, "Well, maybe we should wait until the train is done accelerating."

Vega was off in a world of his own, probably one where he was king and ruled over all the inferior beings of the universe. Which would be, of course, everyone. What he lacked in actual power he more than made up for in pride. The Dark Jedi checked her chrono. It was half an hour of travel in between acceleration and deceleration, both of which took about ten minutes.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Trains. Vega hated trains. Boats, plans, cars, bikes – all these he could abide, but it took him a fair bit of concentration to not get motion sickness on trains. Especially this one. It obviously just hankering to crash and show what a big explosion it could make at such a speed.

“How much longer?” he shifted uneasily in his seat, snapping himself out of his staring to look at De’Ville and Silus. They seemed to get on quite well, he thought, whilst also pondering where the dinner-cart was.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She looked over at Van Derveld, and caught the vauge sense of unease that clouded his eyes. "About half an hour." The light at the front of the train blinked over from red to green, and other passengers started undoing their belts and stretching out a bit. Acceleration was completed, and soon they'd be on the other side of the planet.

The Dark Jedi pulled out a datapad from her pocket and started reading a book. She had no interest in food at the moment.

[Silus Xilarian]

With a casual whistle, Silus hopped outta his seat. He may have brushed against Lilaena as he walked by. But it was most likely an accidnent. Most likely.

He walked on by and slid down in the seat beside Vega. They had thirty minutes, and Silus was bored. He spoke in almost a hushed whisper...

"See that blonde over there in the corner. I got 100 credits that says you cant get her to go in the 'fresher with you..."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Unclipping the belt that had previously held him in place, Vega shifted some in his seat – a little more comfortable now that the train was remaining at its current (ludicrously fast) speed. When Silus sat down by him and wagered a bet, he smirked. Leaning forward a moment, he saw just who Silus was talking about – the woman was staring directly at the two of them. He leant back against the seat and looked suspiciously at Xilarian.

“… Alright. You’re on.”

A man was walking by with a bottle stuffed into his pocket, bought from the just opened bar cart further down the train. With a little wave of his hand the bottle was Vega’s, and the Lupine settled it out of view for the moment. Another woman walked past, in an official looking uniform, who he stopped with a little telepathy. When she walked by, leaving Vega once again visible, he had a confused expression on his face.

“.. Wha?” he held the bottle aloft and looked at Silus momentarily, before getting up out of his seat and approaching the blonde.

“You didn’t order this did you? … No? … Oh the stewardess must have brought it to the wrong table I guess.”

He was getting an odd look, but never the less persisted. A warm smile spread over his lips.

“Well I think it’s been paid for now… and none of the people I’m with like it, so you might as well have it anyway.”

[Silus Xilarian]

As Vega walked on forward, Silus slid outta his seat and eased up next to Lilaena.

"I need to talk to you for a moment."

He whispered, as he casually, be it somewhat slowly, began making his way toward the back of the cabin.

Toward the refresher...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville was watching Vega with amusement, not sure what the two men were up to. Xilarian slowly walked by her once more, and she caught his whispered request as he walked down towards the refresher.

She sighed mentally, her mind wrapped up in the mission and wondered what in Corellia's Nine Hells he wanted to talk about. The 'fresher door closed behind him, and the Occupied light winked on. De'Ville waited a few moments, and then hopped up, and walked briskly down the aisle, using an attention avoidance technique to keep people from really noticing her.

She tapped on the 'fresher door, slightly annoyed that Silus wanted to change something about the plans.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus opened the door and pulled Lilaena. She may or may not have noticed that Silus had turned the Occupied light off, and 'forgot' to turn it back on... His whisper was very very light, but still loud enough for Lilaena to hear...People on the other side of the door wouldnt be so fortunate.

"How are ya feelin. Did you rest well?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Any day now... The door opened and he pulled her inside. There was a moment of arms and legs until they both were situated in the small space.

"How are ya feelin. Did you rest well?"

It was pretty cramped inside the refresher, and his whispered words were easy to hear, considering his mouth was right by her ear. He confused her at first, and then she smiled. "I slept fine. Did you?" Her arms snaked around his waist as she looked up at him.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Of course..."

Silus was sure Vega would have been there by now. She musta turned him down. They had a little free time. Silus lightly pecked at Lilaena's ear.

He could collect his credits later.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega didn’t notice Lilaena and Silus disappearing off down the corridor, as he was too busy cracking open the ‘complimentary’ bottle of wine for the surprisingly welcoming blonde. The Lupine cringed inside. Deliberately he was following the routine he’d seen in so many movies and somehow this woman was falling for it hook, line and sinker.

“So… Tina… I still can’t believe you’re traveling alone… Why? Well isn’t it obvious, you’ve probably heard it a thousand times before.”

She rattled off reasons for her being alone; how she was traveling for business, not pleasure, how she had just broken up with a boyfriend, how she needed some time away from people. Utilizing the wonderful skill all men are born with – nodding, smiling and saying “I see” – Vega was managing to convince her he was interested.

“I’m just here with my friend and his girlfriend. Yeah, it can get a bit awkward sometimes, but they’re good friends you know?”

‘Tina’ nodded and drunk a little more of her wine. Her cheeks were turning a lovely shade of pink, Vega noted – a sign that either she was getting embarrassed, hot, or drunk; the latter two of which would do absolutely fine for winning the bet. A little brush of a hand here, a little smile there, mixed with a little subtle help from the Force … he would win this easily.

“Hey… I’ve got this crazy idea…”

Oh yes, Tina certainly wouldn’t turn down the duster-clad, muscle bound blonde who’d come baring gifts of champagne offering to smuggle her off into the refresher for a bit of light entertainment. Vega waited for her to get up and smiled to himself, not considering exactly how they would explain to the poor woma what was going on once they actually got to the refresher. None the less the two made their way up towards the door, as Vega searched the carriage for Silus – he had better be watching – before turning to pull the door aside…

[Lilaena De'Ville]

He kissed at her ear, and then her neck, and she grinned like a schoolgirl. "I thought at some point you were supposed to grow out of wanting to do it in the refresher." Lilaena slipped her hands just under his shirt as he mumbled something against her neck about rumors and untruths.

The door wiggled, and her eyes shot to the opening as it popped open, revealing two blondes. "Well, I didn't know we were having a meeting." Her hands removed themselves from Silus' shirt as she raised an eyebrow at Van Derveld.

[Silus Xilarian]

It was hard to hold back the smile. It truly was. That little facial expression that screamed all the details of how Vega had been, well, Had.

"JEESUS JUMPED UP CHRIST....HAVENT YOU EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING. I NEARLY HAD MY PANTS OFF YOU CRAZY PROVERT!!!!"

Conveniently enough, as Vega had opened the door, Silus had flicked the Occupied light on. And with Silus' loudness, every head on the train turned to see Vega trying to lead some woman into the refresher.

The confusion of the ordeal attracted a cluster of attendants to the door, and Silus took the opportunity to shuffle Lilaena out the door and to the back of the crowd, relatively unnoticed.

Every eye on the train was now fixed on Vega.....and the refresher door was wide open.

It was time to see just how badly he wanted his 100 credits....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Oh Mike, Mike, I’m sorry mate… Tina here was feeling a little off, needed to use the bathroom. I think there must have been something in the wine that set her stomach off.”

Tina was suddenly looking decidedly unhappy. Vega echoed this concern, though the look in his eyes was far from sympathetic or calm. The look was having trouble on deciding what it was, unfortunately – anger and amusement were playing tug-of-war.

“Come on people, let the woman in, don’t want to spoil the lovely carpet.”

Though Tina wasn’t quite sure why she suddenly felt ill and needed to use the refresher, she edged in, clutching her stomach.

“Sorry about this, folks… won’t be long, I’m sure. There, there, it’s alright Tina… I’ll stay with her, just to make sure she doesn’t pass out or anything.”

The staff was a little confused, but dispersed after offering to lend a hand or a medical supply or two, apologizing profusely for her discomfort. For a moment Vega’s eyes met with Silus, and there was a definite grin lurking behind that concern now.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville slipped away from Silus and took a walk to the other end of the train, passing through the different cars relatively easily. Once in the dining car she found it to be set up cafeteria style. The trip wasn't very long, but in case it was needed, there was food here for the passengers.

There were two staff members and a smattering of other passengers. Lilaena helped herself to a sandwich, and sat in one of the booths. She pulled out her book once more, chuckling over the debacle at the 'fresher just a few moments ago.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus was the last person to leave the scene of the crime. The look on his face said it all...

Good Save....

He shut the door before he walked off, leaving a pile of credits by the door at Vega's feet. He searched a bit through the train til he spotted Lilaena.

He quietly slipped into the booth across from her, and kept silent as she read...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She had her feet up on the opposite side of the booth, and as Silus sat down he nudged her feet to one side. De'Ville looked at him over the top of her datapad.

"I would ask how much money was involved, but I think I would rather not know." Lilaena took a bite of her sandwich, and chewed carefully while returning her attention to the book.

[Silus Xilarian]

"If it makes ya feel any better, I didnt think he'd be able to pull it off..."

Well, she was pissed. At least it seemed like it. The cold glare peering at him from above the datapad couldnt have been good. Of course, he would take his usual approach to the matter.

Be cute and hope she forgets about it.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

The Lupine emerged a few minutes later, without Tina. With his credits firmly in his pocket, and a smug smile on his face. A glance down to where the Dark Jedi had been sitting revealed no one. A quizzical expression came over him, when suddenly his stomach again began to grumble. Now was his chance to rustle up some grub. A sign on the wall said that the dinner cart was off to the left, so he wandered through the aisles, his nose guiding the way.

When he did stumble into the right place he found that his counter-parts too were here, and grinned maliciously as he barged his way through passengers to sit with them.

“Well then…”

Fishing into his metaphorical bag, and pulling out the metaphorical stirring stick seemed like a good course of action. He stretched his arms into the air, leant back on his seat and yawned casually.

“So De’Ville... when do I get to come chat in the ‘fresher with you?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Vega sat down next to her, and she resignedly put down her datapad. "I thought Mr. Xilarian wanted to change something about...about..." Her mouth twitched as though she were holding back a laugh. "..the plan for tonight."

It really didn't matter what she had thought, the long and short of it was she wasn't going to live this one down anytime soon. "It is a good thing we are all siblings in the Hand, or else I would not be taking this as well as I am." De'Ville tried in vain to find a frown, and instead grinned.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Ok Vega......We cant keep anything from you....Me and Lilaena, well.."

Silus caught the looks coming from both Dark Jedi. Especially Vega's which almost seemed to be morbid curiousity...

"We....had the whole thing planned out. The deal in the Refresher was our way of making things even more surprising for you..."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“I really don’t care what you were doing in there,” Vega replied dryly.

A cart rolled past with some plates on it, and from it floated a little chicken leg which Vega snatched out of mid air. He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, before speaking through half a mouthful:

“Next time just put the little occupied light on so I don’t have to walk in on you, hmm? If that Tina hadn’t been such an easy pull it could have been a whoooole lot worse,” he shot Silus a ‘tsk tsk’ look before grinning and turning his attention back onto devouring the drumstick.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville was careful not to shoot Silus a thankful glance as he fudged the truth. She methodically picked up her datapad once more, trying to ignore the fact that Silus was rubbing her leg. "Well, the idea was to not have attention on us as we enter the city, or did someone forget that along the way?" Lilaena raised an eyebrow at Silus, and sat up, getting her feet off of his seat and down to the floor again.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Well, just do that little thing you do, and I'll handle the rest. I dont think theres anything that can be done about Vega though....We could probably just drop him off at the nearest strip bar. Or have they outlawed those here?"

Already Silus was preparing for their exit from the train. Lilaena's attention diversion trick would help too. As for Vega, it looked like he was getting a 'free ride' on this one. All he had to do was keep his hands to himself....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“I’ll already be in enough trouble if Daiquiri hears about that bet,” he laughed, licking his fingertips clean. Looking at Silus he could see he was getting a bit antsy, and quirked an eyebrow.

“Trip almost over already? Damn, doesn’t time just fly when you’ve having fun.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Their banter was almost refreshing compared to the awful silences of Bast castle, and De'Ville toggled to the next page in her book... and then another...

"Excuse me, miss, but we'll be decelerating soon. You need to return to your seat." De'Ville looked up at the stewardess in her too-tight uniform, and nodded.

"Certainly." Silus was off using the 'fresher, and Vega had wandered back to his seat after finishing his snack. De'Ville walked through the cars until she got back to her seat, and settled into it, fishing around for the restraints. Not that restraints would do much good at these speeds.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus settled into his seat and strapped himself in with only a minute to go. Vega already had his eyes closed. Deceleration was just as 'intense' as exceleration. The Lupine would probably end up regretting the drumstick he'd had earlier...

"I hope we have enough time to eat. I didnt wanna eat anything earlier. DECELERATION gets a little rough sometimes. Dont you agree JOHN...."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega’s who face wrinkled into lots of tiny little frowns, fighting for position on his brow and lips. The Lupine gave another tug at his belt to make sure he wasn’t about to become a smear on the wall when the g-force of the deceleration kicked in.

“I hear it is, Mike. I hear it is,” he repeated, feeling his stomach preparing for spin cycle.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville locked her restraints into place, and the light switched from green back to red. Show time....almost. The seats all turned as one to face the back of the train, and she felt the tug at her body as the speeding train began slowing down.

The Dark Jedi squeezed her eyes shut and remembered it was only ten minutes, and then they would be in Hanna City. Ten minutes. Her stomach complained, and she concentrated with the Force, calming the queasiness.

[Silus Xilarian]

Deceleration was nearly over, and it was apparant to Silus that it couldnt end soon enough for his companions. Its not like he wasnt uncomfortable, but the troublemaker inside him was eating this up.

After a few more minutes, the torture was over, and Silus began to unstrap himself, making no attempt to hide the huge grin on his face.

"Lets do that again...."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

There was definitely something of a green tint to Vega’s skin as he freed himself from the cursed train. As other passengers stood up to get off the train the Lupine stumbled through the all, to get off the train as quickly as possible – halting over a bin on the platform and proceeding to regurgitate the whole of the chicken leg for all to see.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville covered her face, looking away from the pathetic Lupine as he made his peace with the garbage can. Silus was grinning like a big kid, and she faked a punch at his gut. "You know, there is a return trip, we could just send you back." He tried a straight face, failed, and resorted to more grinning.

She walked past Vega, her cloak dragging on the dusty duracrete of the train platform as she walked to the 'lifts which would take them up to the surface, and eventually to where she could hail a taxi.

[Silus Xilarian]

The funniest part of the whole ordeal came after De'Ville looked away from Vega. Silus had caused quite a scene on the train, and wanted to be sure no one from the train posted the trio out to any authorities, which could lead to complications later on in the day.

Silus covered himself in an illusion of a middle aged man, nothing with nothing particular to mention.

He covered Lilaena in an illusion of a similar aged woman.

And Vega was, of course, covered in an illusion of a teenage girl, wearing jeans and a red t-shirt.

He tried to keep his sniggering to a minimum, and he was now glad that Lilaena wasn't watching him at the moment. If she saw what Silus was doing, the mock punch she gave earlier would probably become very real, and she probably would send him back to the previous train station....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Dragging the back of his arm over his mouth quite satisfied that his stomach had completed the evacuation, Vega turned to look back at Silus and Lilaena. It was definitely them, he could tell that from the force signatures and the scents, but there were other people standing in their places. He had to hand it to Silus, it was a good illusion.

After a moment stopped at a water fountain to get a drink and he jogged on after the two, whose masking veils faded as he got closer to them. Something odd struck him as he caught up with the two – the image which he was currently being covered by. He couldn’t see it, but he could sense it from the minds around him.

The Lupine frowned, and thumped Silus in the back. How immature.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville poked the button to call the turbolifts, not paticularly caring if ten people in front of her had already pushed it. They were faced with a row of five lifts, none of which were there. Silus and Vega caught up to her, and she took a second to realize who they were.

They felt the same, but the illusions they were draped in she could not penetrate. She squinted at the older man and the teenage girl with a scowl on her face, and rolled her eyes. It was probably a good idea not to comment. The lift in front of her opened and she walked in behind three men in business suits. One of them glanced at her and she smiled, wondering what on earth she looked like at the moment.

He smiled back, then studied the side of the 'lift. The older man and the girl entered as well, the girl looping her arm through hers. It was a bizarre feeling, because the illusion didn't cover the sense of touch... and Lilaena could tell now that the girl was a bit bigger than she appeared to be. The older man frowned as the girl grinned, and the 'lift doors closed.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus did his best to ignore Lilaena and Vega standing there arm-in-arm with each other. After all, he didnt have anything to be jealous about. But this mission was serious! And Vega was starting to act like a total child!

Of course Silus completely forgot the little details about all the trouble he'd caused already. It wasnt like Silus was trying to be mean, it was all in good fun!

Either way, an idea popped in Silus head as they got to their floor and exited the lift. A boy, probably 16-17 years old was eyeing Vega as they stepped off the lift, The idea was already in the boy's head, but he was too afraid to try it. It didnt take much for Silus to relieve that fear.

It wouldnt matter how angry Vega might have tried to look as he whirled around to face the boy who had just grabbed his butt, the illusion covering him was smiling as bright as could be....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Whether or not the girl was smiling didn’t change the fact that she slapped the boy right across the chops. Vega scowled underneath his illusion and scooted back over to Lilaena, clinging to her arm; trying to force a pout through onto the illusions face as the group exited the lift.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

They'd caught the evening commuter train, and the sun was starting to set as the trio exited the station. De'Ville slipped her arm away from Vega as Silus clomped ahead to hail a cab for the couple and their teenaged granchild.

De'Ville adjusted the bag on her shoulder, and stood next to Silus on the curb.

[Silus Xilarian]

Actually getting a cab to stop was a chore in itself, either Silus was purposely ignored, or the cab driver was busy dodging a Squall and didnt see the group standing at the corner. Out of sheer boredom, Silus lightly tugged at the bag on Lilaena's shoulder, just hard enough to make her have to catch her balance.

She cut a look his way, and he quickly held back a smile, until she turned away again, and he would proceed to tug at her bag again...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Finally a cab pulled over, and Lilaena tossed her bag at Silus, who caught it, his wrinkled face breaking out in a grin. She scooted over so Vega, as the teenage girl, could sit next to her, and the old man hopped into the front seat with the driver, surprisingly spry for his age.

Silus instructed the driver to take them to the nearest rentaspeeder place, and the cabbie mock saluted, and they pulled away from the loading curb.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

The temptation to abuse his current visage and make some sort of joke that would inflame either of the other two Dark Jedi was there, but Vega ignored it. Instead he just sat, silently, watching what was passing by the window of the speeder until they arrived at their destination.

[Silus Xilarian]

As they stepped out of the cab, Silus was now in heaven. All these speeders, begging for abuse. Of course, none of them were as fast as the Speeder he kept at home, or the one he kept on Coruscant, but these were OTHER people's speeders, which meant blowing a turbine out of sheer boredom was kosher...

The bright look in his eyed dulled a little as he caught the sidelong glare Lilaena was giving him. She'd seen his driving before, and their was no way she was gonna let him behind the wheel. Not while they were trying to keep a low profile.

Sensability began to kick in at this point. Odds were, either he or Vega was going to end up riding in the backseat at some point, so Silus eyed the nearest family sized speeder....

"That one looks good...Who's driving.."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Why don't you two wrestle for it?" Lilaena walked over to the building onsite, and pushed open the door as the two Dark Jedi males looked at each other.

Cool air was blowing from a vent in the ceiling and she put her elbows on the desk. The human clerk looked up at her. "Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Yes...I need to rent a speeder, obviously, for two days." She resisted looking over her shoulder, to see what the men were doing. "I need a two door, four seater, fastest one in the lot."

"Certainly." The clerk tapped on the keyboard just out of Lilaena's line of vision. "Would you be wanting trip insurance with that?"

Ha! "Yes, please. You never can be too careful, with all the crazy drivers on the roads these days." She tried to make small talk, but the preoccupied clerk merely grunted.

"Okay you can have the silver one in aisle three." The clerk handed over the keycard for the speeder, and then looked up and past De'Ville who was trying to look non threatening. "What are they doing to -"

"Oh, how much is it going to be?" Lilaena sidestepped so she was again in front of the clerk's line of vision, and the human blinked.

"Uh....its gonna cost you two hundred plus insurance, so two-fifty." He tried to look around her to see what the two men in the parking lot were doing.

"Good, good." Lilaena hoped she wasn't cloaked by any sort of illusion. The prickling in her head was gone, so she guessed her true form was showing once more. A little bit of a lean down as she reached for her credits..and... got him. The clerk's eyes were snagged by a peek at her cleavage.

The Dark Jedi handed over the credit chit, and then made a show of following his gaze to her body. "Why you -!" She slapped him across the face. "Were you not taught better manners?!" Lilaena picked up the keycard from the desk and huffed out, a grin spreading over her face as soon as her back was turned.

[Silus Xilarian]

To look at Silus and Vega at this point, one could make absolutely no guess that the two were both finely tuned combat machines. Both men were hunkered down, both holding the other in a headlock, and both refusing to let go.

The simple fact of the matter was, both Silus and Vega were rather large men. There was no way in hell that Lilaena was going to give up the front seat, obviously, as she knew her way around Chandrilla better than both men. That meant, whoever wasnt driving was having to cram themselves into the back seat.

It was a good thing they were now in the position they were in. Leg space was an issue both would have otherwise drawn their weapons over.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Pride is such a terrible thing. Snarling and grunting as they were, vying to get in the front seat, even if either had decided they didn’t actually want the seat after all, they would have never given up. The Lupine shoulder-barged Silus again and as a result felt the lock around his neck tighten.

“Gnng… you… bastard…”

Vega’s vice around Silus in turn strengthened and all of a sudden balance became an issue, as gravity threatened to have a laugh at the both of them.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville walked carefully around them, and climbed over the door into the open cockpit speeder. She settled into the front passenger seat, and pulled out a pair of macrobinocs from her satchel. There was some grunting behind her, but she had decided to simply wait out their little match.

[Silus Xilarian]

As the two almost began to fall, Silus let go of his grip around Vega's head. Of course, this didnt mean Vega would follow suit. Quite opposite; Vega clamped down harder, leaving Silus completely helpless....almost.

Silus' arms flailed about slightly before he managed to slip an arm around Vega's back. His hand found itself patting against Vega's ribs, so Silus naturally opted for maximum punishment as he relentlessly began to tickle the Lupine...

[Vega Van-Derveld]

A sudden snarl and Vega flinched back away from Silus, giving him a hard punch in the back.

“Fine. Take the damn seat,”

Shoving Xilarian out of the way, he muttered to himself as he clambered into the back seat of the speeder – sprawling out uncomfortably.

[Silus Xilarian]

"HA! Puppybreath!"

With a victorious grin, Silus hopped into the driver's seat. Of course, Silus would handle his victory in honor, and give Vega the proper respect of a worthy adversary. And of course, since Vega's head was uncomfortably close to the hood of the speeder, Silus would take every opportunity to run through turbulent areas, and fly abnormally high, just to make sudden dives that would cause the Lupine to bump his head constantly.

After settling in, Silus glanced over to Lilaena....

"Where to?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She shot Silus a sideways glance as he climbed into the driver's seat, obviously gloating. Vega sprawled out sideways in the backseat for maximum leg room.

"Where to?" Silus looked at her, and she rolled her eyes slightly.

"Did you forget already? We have a country villa to visit before the sun comes up." She pointed ahead as Xilarian pulled out of the parking lot, repulsors whining as they warmed up. "Take the main flyway, and try not to get us there too fast, as we do at least have to wait for the sun to go down all the way."

The sun was glimmering over the tops of the mountains that ringed in Hanna City, bathing the city in a warm orange glow. As the sun dipped lower it turned red. Red like blood.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Its not that I forgot, I was just under the assumption that we were trying to keep a low profile. If we're gonna take the speeder straight to the Villa, then you might as well have rented it under your name. I mean, if we're trying to get caught, we may as well do it right..."

Silus looked over and grinned slightly. He was being short with her, but the smile was to let her know that it was meant in jest. He really didnt like the idea of taking the speeder that close to the villa, however.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Do not be ridiculous." She shot him a glance that could have felled a bantha at fifty paces. "If you try to take it right to the villa I will shoot you myself." Then she winked.

"I was hoping I did not have to retell you the entire plan again, but obviously you were only there in body the night we all talked about this."

[Silus Xilarian]

"Ah, im glad you remembered....not a kind word or a compliment, I was begining to think you had forgotten."

Silus glanced in the rearview at Vega....

"Just point me to where we can get some food, I think Vega's hungry again..."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena ignored the two males, and let her eyes close slightly, thinking about the night ahead of them as Silus drove.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Not to worry, Silus. If I can desperate I’ll just take a chunk out of one or you two,”

Vega flashed a mock grin for a moment, shifting again in the confines of the speeder.

“Just so I’m clear, I’m playing watch dog tonight, right?”

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus glanced in the rearview, slightly annoyed that Vega was making puns about himself....that was Silus' job, not his! Either way though, it was time for them to start getting serious.

"Yup, I want you posted right beneath Maren's bedroom window. If anything looks suspitious, let us know, I dont care if a leaf turns over in a funny way. Let me know...Lil, when we get to the bedroom, you can turn your comlink off, but as soon as you leave that room, I want it back on. If something happens, Im not going to yell for either of you....."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She nodded slightly, feeling very calm and ready. After a few minutes, just as the sun slipped below the mountains that ringed Hanna City in against the Silver Sea, Silus parked the speeder in the middle of a thicket of tall bushes, several yards away from the road. De'Ville exited, and stretched, loosening up her muscles for the climb over Maren's country villa's walls.

Vega and Silus looked ready for anything, Silus being overprotective and double checking her commlink to make sure it worked. She snatched it away from him, knowing that since she was not a telepath that she had a distinct disadvantage from the other two. He threw up his hands defensively, and then winked, which made her grin. Frell you, Silus. She looked away, and followed Van Derveld, who was starting the trek towards the villa, about a klick away.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

It was a long walk to the villa, giving the group plenty of time to prepare both mentally and physically. As Vega walked the furthest ahead, Silus jogged up to his flank, already donning a mask which made the Lupine give him an awkward look. The Dark Jedi pushed an identical black cover into Vega’s hand, which he looked at in annoyance for a moment before pulling it on over his eyes – the only thing that distinguished between the two men now was their eyes, and of course the carriage (Vega somehow managed to pull of a swagger for every occasion).

[Silus Xilarian]

"We're gonna get there just a little bit early...Should be two guards passing by when we get there. As soon as they're gone, we hop the wall, and its smooth sailing from there..."

On Silus' back was a rifle, complete with silencer and scope. He carried a two blasters along side of it, just in case things got a closer than he would have liked. Lilaena was right behind them, and he had to resist the urge to check her comlink once again before they arrived. He wasnt nervous, he had all the confidence he needed in his plan. He was still a bit edgy though. This wasnt exactly going to be a walk in the park...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She eyed their masks, and pulled on her own, her short dark hair hidden underneath the thick black knit. Her lightsaber was attached to her thigh with a quick release holster, as opposed to being hooked to her belt where it could swing around.

The trio reached the wall, and she knelt down on one knee, waiting for the guards to pass.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus stood next to a tree as the two guards crossed each other. One arm was held up in front of Silus as he watched his chrono. The other rested behind his back on one of his blasters, just in case of the freak chance that one of the guards spotted them.

Right on schedule.

After a few more moments, Silus stepped on out. After checking both directions, he took two running steps and jumped, barely making a noise as he grabbed the top of the wall. Holding himself up with one arm, Silus reached an arm down to Lilaena, offering her 'assistance'.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega pushed one hand against the wall, took a step back, bent his knees then vaulted himself upwards – both hands digging against the stone on the top of the wall to keep himself in place. This was all so awkward and tiresome, Vega wished they could have just killed everyone and been done with it.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She ignored the proffered hand, and quickly climbed up the wall, utilizing the Force to assist her in finding finger holds. Silus shrugged (or would have, had he not been hanging by one arm) and pulled himself up and over the wall. De'Ville dropped to the ground beside him, and Vega walked back towards them from where he'd wandered.

Even with the mask on the Lupine looked unhappy. De'Ville understood what he was feeling, to a point, but some things required subtlety. It wasn't one of Vega's strong points. But it was something he had to learn. Or, at the very least, put up with until the morning.

Silus led the trio across the lawn, into the trees that convieniently hugged the side of the mansion. De'Ville's nose itched under the ski mask.

[Silus Xilarian]

As they got to the mansion, Silus gave Vega a nod, and the lupine started down along the wall toward his position underneath Maren's bedroom window.

As he and Lilaena started for the door, Silus drew one of his blasters and set it for stun. With his left hand, he reached into a sidepocket on his backpack and removed a lock pick.

Two minutes later, they were in.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega sat crouched on his haunches under the window. He inspected his blaster a moment before lifting it and training it on a tree in the distance and mouthing 'bang'. The Lupine spun the gun around his index finger before lowering it back down onto his knees. His vision shifted to monochrome, his pupils becoming turgid, and all the scents of the word bloomed in full color. His hearing too sharpened, and he sank back against the stone, waiting and watching.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

They walked silently through the house, Silus adopting a military-esque take on the entire 'breaking and entering' phase. He waved her forward, and she followed him up the stairs, past the servant's quarters. "Droid." She barely whispered, and he saw it, sitting in a corner, powered down.

It was up to him if he tried a restraining bolt, or if they just continued on, hoping it wouldn't power up and alert the household. There was always the matter of getting the bolt back off before leaving. De'Ville hesitated, not sensing any danger in the Force. She stepped forward, to head towards Maren's bedchamber.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus followed closely behind Lilaena, his eyes shifting in all directions, making sure he didnt bump into or trip over anything that might make a sound that might have caused the droid to power up. As he and Lilaena reached Maren's bedroom, Silus hung back to keep an eye on the hallway as Lilaena stepped into the bedroom....

At this point, he wasnt too sure he wanted to know what was going on...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The bedroom was decorated plainly. Moonlight filtered in through the sheer curtains that were drawn in front of the doors that led to his balcony. Lilaena stepped inside, standing at the foot of the old man's bed.

He was sleeping peacefully, on one side of the large bed. Like a man who was used to sharing, but hadn't gotten used to the fact that his wife had left him three years ago. The Dark Jedi viewed this dispassionately, and then looked around the room, just in case Silus had missed an internal security vid system. There was nothing apparent.

De'Ville peeled off her face mask, and took a knee, letting her eyes close as she concentrated. Maren shifted in his bed, turning over, and she breathed in and out slowly and silently. If he woke up now it would not give her enough time before he could sound an alarm. The Senator settled down once more, his sheets tucked in around him.

She concentrated, delving deep into the Force and finding him through it. There was his feet, nearest to her...and then his legs, torso and shoulders...and his head. Lilaena's eyes snapped open, but she wasn't looking at anything in the room. She stared blankly as the Force showed her Maren's brain, and all the little nerves and blood vessels inside that kept him going.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

There. Selecting a proper vessel was tedious work. They were so small... it was hard to concentrate on just one or two. De'Ville's eyes lidded slightly, her eyes rolling back as she focused with the Force.

The blood vessel expanded and popped, as did two more near it. A massive stroke was triggered, and the old man's body shuddered. She released her hold on his brain, and De'Ville slumped backwards to the carpeted floor, breathing heavily. She tapped the comm, signaling Xilarian to get inside the room. It had taken more out of her than she'd anticipated.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus quietly opened the door and stepped in. He wanted to just burst in and start blasting, assuming something had gone wrong, but he knew that they had to stay quiet, especially with a droid on standby downstairs..

He came in to see Maren laying on his bed, not breathing. Lilaena was on the floor breathing pretty heavily. In an instant, he was at her side and cradling her...

He mouthed the words 'Are you Ok' then checked his chrono...they had ten minutes.