Sympathy for the Devil. [complete]

[Ishan Shade]

Gazing out at the ground level of Iziz City, Ishan could feel the light rain coming in from the open bay doors. The wind had picked up, and a slight breeze waved over him as the flow of air gained intensity. The storm now thundered it's presense, as if Onderon's climate was not welcoming his arrival at all. Pulling his garb tightly around him, Ishan left the shelter that Naj had been so kind to point him towards. (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33400) He had not come here to sit and wait while a storm passed, his curiosity was far stronger than that. Grinding against the cold winds and terinchal downpour, the Falleen walked the deserted streets.

"Excuse me sir," a voice came from the shadows of an alleyway he was passing, "Could you spare something for a poor beggar." Ishan glanced into the alley to see a man hunched over in a green blanket. "Any amount of money would be appreciated..." The rain came down with a blanket all it's own, and the man lay motionless in the wet enviroment. "Please...."

Ishan cared little for beggars. "Stand up."

The man tried with earnst, but stumbled upon his request, smacking the wet pavement.

"You people discust me."

He turned from the man, and squinted his eyes in the rainfall. Iziz was bigger than he thought.

There must be some place I can find the answers I'm looking for....

[Silus Xilarian]

"What!? He just let him go? So now this guy's wandering the city....Great....No no, to hell with the storm, I wanna know exactly whats going on. Look, you said they looked as if they knew each other...Send an escort to pick up Arilov, tell him Lady De'Ville has sent for him, gather your men, and personally see that our visitor makes it to the palace. I want him and Arilov here in an hour."

It was all Silus could do to keep from throwing the comm out the window at this point. Some guy shows up out of the blue, and Arilov just lets him waltz into the city unchecked. Even worse was the fact that the guard had said they acted familiar with each other.

After setting the comm down, Silus went to the closet to throw on some clothes. It was shaping up to be a long night...

[Ishan Shade]

Two hours now passed since Ishan had left the shelter and the storm was gaining momentum. Alone in a place he had never been - trying to find some sort of answers - was nearly impossible in a city such as Onderon.

Ishan ducked in from the rain under a canopy of a nearby cantina. He eyed the doorway before stepping into a wave of smoke and alchohol. The place was quaint, dirty, and noisy. He could think of better ways to wait out the storm, but in such an unfamilar place - he had to settle for this.

Taking a seat near the end of the bar, practically by himself, he lit a small Rjukomean cigarette, the price of which probably cost more than the whole establishment he was sitting in.

The barkeep cocked his head and motioned, "Anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

[Naj Arilov]

Naj had just gotten back to his quarters when he heard the doorbell chime. Grumbling a bit, he went back to the door and opened it, fully prepared to scold whoever would be disturbing him. Upon opening the door though, he was now standing face to face with two Iziz guards.

"Lady De'Ville requests your presence at the palace."

Immediately, red flags went up in Naj's mind. His master had a penchant for uncomfortable training, but even this seemed a bit beyond her tastes. The guards hand were also wavering near their sidearms. They were on edge...

"One moment, let me get my cloak..."

Naj turned and headed for his bedroom. He made his way to the closet and grabbed his cloak. He searched the inside pocket, making sure the lightsaber he'd recieved from De'Ville during his last training session was still there. He was in no way skilled with it, but given the situation, he felt it best to be prepared.

On his way out of the bedroom, he grabbed his staff. The guards started to disarm him, but didnt want to make the chiss any more suspicious than he already was.

"Follow us, we have a speeder waiting..."

[Silus Xilarian]

The door to the cantina opened, letting a spray of windswept rain to moisten the air until the door shut. Two Iziz guards had entered, and were making their way straight for Ishan. Outside the door, four more guards waited, just in case.

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to come with us..."

The guards studied the Falleen's response carefully, waiting for any sign of hostility...

[Ishan Shade]

Exhaling a stem of smoke into a rather large cloud in front of him, Ishan keyed a message onto his datapad. When the cloud disipated, two guards stood merely feet from him.

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to come with us..."

What? He looked up. One of the guards layed his hand on his blaster, emphasizing the point.

The handful of people that occupied the bar now stood and watched. Ishan rose from his barstool, the guards backing off slowly.

"And what may I ask is the meaning of this?"

[Naj Arilov]

"Have a seat"

The guard directed Naj toward two chairs set in front of a desk. It was getting more and more apparant that De'Ville hadn't called for him, and Naj was beginning to wonder just why he had been summonned. He sat quietly and almost appeared nervous. Inside his cloak, he ran a hand over his lightsaber, hoping he wouldnt need it.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Your presence has been requested at the palace. We have a speeder outside, we ask that you dont make things difficult."

The Iziz guards werent trained for pleasantries, but for effectiveness, so they gave no indication of what was going on. Both guards stared coldly at Ishan, waiting to see if he would go peacefully, or if they would have to use some sort of force.

[Ishan Shade]

"Your presence has been requested at the palace. We have a speeder outside, we ask that you dont make things difficult."


The palace? This was getting interesting. Ishan had been on Onderon for a handful of hours and already he had come to find that Naj was here - the rumors about this place were turning to reality. Not only that, but someone else knew of his presence as well. Perhaps the high price he paid to locate the planet was worth the investment.

He took a single step toward the guards, "Of course not." Ishan gave a slight nod of agreement and was lead outside.

[Silus Xilarian]

The flight back to the palace was rough, as the speeder fought through the pounding rain. Inside the speeder, things were quiet as a tomb, as the Iziz guards carried out their duty in stone silence.

After a short flight, they landing at the palace underneath a large outcropping where a door was located. The guards led Ishan into a room with a desk and two chairs. The room was empty, save for Ishan, the guards who had led him in, and Naj, who had already arrived and was sitting in one of the chairs...

[Naj Arilov]

The door to the room opened up, and Naj glanced over. Seeing Ishan being led in at this point wasnt surprising, but it did open more questions.

The Chiss looked back forward and didnt say a word. If he'd brought suspicion on himself when he let Ishan into the city, he didnt wish to further it with idle conversation..

[Ishan Shade]

The ride was uncomfortable to say the least. Luckily during the transport Ishan had been able to slip inside his cloak to open a comm with Starr back on Courcasnt. It wasn't a emergency frequency, but yet it could be used as a tracking device if things didn't go his way.

The sound of three pairs of footsteps broke the silence in the room. The guards stopped and motioned at the empty seat beside Naj. When he entered the room he saw the half-look that Naj had given him, so Ishan returned the favor and said nothing. He took the seat but didn't look over at him, instead he continued to look around the bare room.

"I get the feeling Onderon isn't known for it's palaces..." He mused at one of the guards.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Quiet"

Silus entered the room, seemingly irked. Naj started to say something, but Silus cut him off.

"I wanna know exactly whats going on here. Arilov, you know our policy on visitors. Why did you let him in unchecked?"

Silus glanced over toward Ishan...

"And you, who are you?"

[Naj Arilov]

"I didnt feel like trudging around in the storm to see what he was up to when the guards were handling that quite well."

Naj stated somewhat defiantly. He didnt know much of Xilarian, but he hoped that he could calm the man's suspicions with minimal conversation.

[Ishan Shade]

Ishan raised an eyebrow.

His voice slow paced and equally toned, "I am Prince Ishan, chief exuctive officer of Shade Industries. I trust you've heard of it." Ishan wasn't bragging in the least. It was more of a statement of solidarity, after all Shade Industries was merely a backdrop for a web of organized crime - most patrons in the galaxy had heard the rumors but very few choose to speak them out loud.

He looked back at the guards that still stood behind him and Naj.

"I hope I have done nothing wrong...?"

He glanced at Naj, then back to Silus, "And to whom do I owe the warm welcoming?"

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus stepped forward a bit and lowered his voice slightly.

"Forgive me if this situation is a bit contrary to what you're normally accustomed to, but my questions are a little more important than yours at this point..."

Silus leaned back on the desk again. Naj began to say something, but was cut short...

"So why exactly are you here?"

Naj's job at this point was to not speak, and the fact that he wanted to speak led Silus to further believe that he and Ishan were hiding something.

[Ishan Shade]

Ishan was somewhat taken back. He was usually the one having the interrogating done, now he himself was sitting in the hot seat.

He rebutted, "For a simple opportunity."

Now it was Ishan who leaned in close to Silus.

"As I'm sure your aware this galaxy is full of information. ...That is, for the right price. It has come to my understanding that this place is hiding secrets within it's walls." Ishan's voice grew cold, yet held a level of excitement.

"Dark secrets."

[Silus Xilarian]

"So is that what Arilov told you? We've got some dark secret here?"

His voice was aggitated. Naj tried to speak again.

"Shut up.....I'll get to you in a minute."

Silus looked back over to Ishan.

"So what kind of dark secrets did he tell you we're hiding?"

[Ishan Shade]

"Him?" Ishan voice held a rare comedic tone.

"I don't know what your talking about."

"My sources," Ishan emphasized the point, "informed me of a rather strong darkside presense here."

Ishan leaned back in his chair and eyed the guards that still stood at attention, before returning his gaze to Silus.

"Once I stepped foot on this planet, it was undeniable. I could feel it. Like a blanket covering the entire city."

[Silus Xilarian]

"So what you're trying to say is, you two dont know each other?"

Silus' eyes narrowed as he waited for an answer. So far, it seemed that Ishan was telling the truth, while Naj, who looked to be calm and collected, was nervous as could be.

[Ishan Shade]

"No." Ishan shot back at Silus, "Like I said, I don't know what your talking about."

[Silus Xilarian]

"My guards said you two acted as if you knew each other."

[Ishan Shade]

"Your house pets told you that did they?"

Ishan scoffed.

The Falleen were known to be extremely calm under pressure, and Ishan was a very methodical person. He looked over to Naj, then back to Silus.

"Your friend here allowed me entrance into this city because I posed no threat. I explained to him, as I have to you, my reasoning for being here. I do not come in hostility, but only to learn what I can."

Ishan concluded, "I am a simple business man."

[Silus Xilarian]

"You havent seen the house pets just yet, and I doubt you'd want to."

Silus allowed himself a slight grin. This guy was keeping his cool.

"So tell me, what kind of 'dark secrets' would attract a business man such as yourself, just out of curiousity."

[Ishan Shade]

"Powerful ones."

Ishan matched his grin.

"So tell me, am I at liberty to know your name yet, or are there more questions?"

[Silus Xilarian]

"Dont feel compelled to be vague. You arent exactly in a negociable spot at the moment."

Silus cut a glare over toward Naj.....

"Get outta here, and hope I dont tell your master about this."

Naj cut a bit of a glare back at Silus, but left quietly. With a nod of his head, the guards left the room also, leaving Silus and Ishan alone.

"Now, the way I see things, you can either explain exactly what it is you're looking for, or you can try to escape. Take all the time you need in figuring out which would better fit your needs."

[Ishan Shade]

Ishan was surprised at the turn of events. Silus had dismissed Naj and the guards, leaving the two alone in the desolate room. But he was satisfied at Naj's dismissal, it held meaning that he had done well.

"Try to escape?" Ishan echoed.

"My well spent money and well devolped time has been concentrated on the location of this planet and the people here." Ishan paused, "No, I have not come here to turn and run."

"If you want to know what it is that I seek, then I'll tell you." Ishan held a feeling of comfortablility in talking with the mystery man. He may very well hold the key to what I've came here for. "It is my understanding that this place holds secrets."

"Secrets of...the Sith."

[Silus Xilarian]

"See now, that wasnt so hard, was it."

Silus checked the chrono on the wall, it was getting late, and Lileana was probably up and waiting on him by now.

"I'll tell you what. Feel free to stay in the palace tonight. Tommorrow, after the storms passed, you can take a tour of the city. Ive got some things I need to attend to, and we'll speak more about this later on."

Silus stood back up.

"Silus Xilarian......in case you were still wondering.."

[Ishan Shade]

Ishan stood and bowed slightly to Silus.

"Your hospitality is appreciated Mr. Xilarian."