The Star Cluster Casino Penthouse

(( The following is converted from RP that took place on 4/17 just after Krayt/Invicta's party on Nar Shaddaa. As always, my eternal gratitude goes to the player of Untruth for being such a great RP'er. ))

Lord Khor'deth Arren opened the door, clad in exactly what he wore to the party minus the vest; his black boots, black pants and black shirt hugging his body and showing off his muscular chest and arms. "Aittera Timm, I wondered when you would find your way to my door."

The redheaded spacer smiled politely at the tall pureblood, the slightest note of curiosity in her otherwise even tone. "I had a feeling you might be expecting me. Your holopictures don't do you justice, Khor'deth."

He stepped aside to allow her entrance, motioning toward the sitting area. "Would you like a drink?  I just opened a bottle of Chimbak wine, though admittedly you weren't the guest I was expecting to drink it with."

She stepped through the door to move toward the indicated area. "I hope it won't be an insult if I decline. I was never a fan of Chimbak." She took a seat in what she could best surmise was the opposite of where he was likely to have been sitting, preferring to keep enough distance between them in case the need for a hasty exit was necessary.

He took the seat opposite her, scooping his glass from the table next to the chair. "No insult at all, I was merely being a proper host."  He raised his glass to his lips for a drink, staring across at her. "Now, what exactly are you here for?  I can't imagine it is to attempt kill me, though I have to say the aftermath of that may be quite fun.  I suspect you're here to see just how much like my parents I am."

She lifted her chin with an appraising smile, her blue eyes sharp as she read his body language, listening for any subtle inferences. "I thought that would be a good place to start. You're aware of my feelings about your father, obviously. Are you aware of the circumstances that led to them?"

He nodded. "I am.  You and your Cathar destroyed some of his fighters, and he responded in the only way he knows how."

"I suppose that is a fair assessment. You could say I responded in kind myself for what he took from me."

"He did love that ship."  Khor seemed to be living up to his even tempered reputation. "While I don't agree with his actions, and would have taken a different approach, there are many Sith that would not only applaud what he did to you, but would have done far worse."

Aittera seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself and the conversation. "I'm aware of the latter. What would you have done differently?"

"I wouldn't have started out abusing you.  I would have only done that as a last resort.  I hope you don't think me arrogant, but I have no doubt that had I been the one to capture you, I would have made you forget all about your Cathar, and the Republic."

She chuckled - though not in an unpleasant or disdainful way - and gave a simple shake of her hair, sending the cascading scarlet waves into motion against her back. "That might be a little arrogant," she teased. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and call it confidence though."

He gave her an open armed shrugging gesture, a smile on his lips. "Come now, I see you looking at me, that shake of your head to show off your hair just the right way, you're already flirting, Aittera.  The question is, are you doing it on accident, or deliberately?"

"That would be telling, Khor'deth," she answered with a charming smile of her own. Truthfully, she had, of course, been aware she'd done it. It was an instinctive reaction to the inference that she could be so easily conquered. Bring it on. He wouldn't be the first to find out how wrong he was. "So, I guess the most pressing question has to be: will you be getting in my way?"

"That would be telling."  He gave her a grin as he leaned back. "Why are you escalating your conflict with my father?  You killed his men, he punished you, you blew up his ship.  Why not just end it?  I would be more than willing to help you cease the hostilities."

Her expression grew serious, but he'd gained her respect already, so she spoke candidly rather than continuing the charade of 'playing nice'. "His punishment didn't end when Selus took me off of that ship."

"Allow me to help you then, Aittera.  The way I see this ending is bad for both of you.  It puts in danger everyone dear to you both.  I know you and my father can never be allies, but you and I have no bad blood between us.  Let me stop this for you before it goes somewhere that you don't want it to.  Let me be your ally, your friend and help you move past what was done to you."  Khor was either the best liar and actor she had ever seen, or the concern he was showing for her was genuine, and everything in any training she has had on body language was telling her that he was showing true concern.

His reaction caught her off guard, making her bristle with a sudden discomfort. "Why would you want to do that?" she asked, just barely keeping the suspicion from her voice.

"Because I do not wish to see your family, or my family destroyed when I could have prevented it.  I do not come at this completely unselfishly. What you and Selus did to the Avenger took a lot of bravery, and intelligence to pull off, and gaining you as an ally is much more appealing to me than having you as an enemy."

"I couldn't do anything that might lend itself to hurting the Republic down the road."

"I would never ask an ally to betray their ideals, Aittera. The Empire has enemies beyond the Republic."

"As long as he's acting against the Republic, he's a threat."

"We're at war, Aittera, at this point I'm a threat to the Republic.  Are you going to draw one of your pistols and shoot me?"

He stood, and removed his belt, letting it and his sabers fall to the floor before opening his arms. "If you truly feel that way then you should shoot me now."

She watched his belt fall to the floor, then looked up at him, truly perplexed. Why did men continue to insist on telling her to shoot them? "You're nothing like I expected."

"Everyone seems to say that."  He continued to stand there like the perfect target.

It was damned unnerving to her. This entire conversation. She finally stood from her own seat, shaking her head in a futile attempt to reconcile what she was experiencing with everything she believed before she walked in the door. "What do you think you can do for..." She shrugged, a hand gesturing outward, palm up. "...making this go away."

"Quite a lot.  I was the one that kept him and the Armada from coming to blows after Jheryth Chrystopher tried to set them against each other.  I give you my word that as long as you do not attempt any further escalation of your conflict that my father will forget you ever existed."

"What about Sky?"

"My father's interest in her waned when he met Katina."

"You're just going to snap your fingers and make everything go away?"

"Not exactly.  I am heir to two Sith households, Aittera.  Both my father's house, that he has no claim to, and my mother's which she allows him a large amount of control over.  Due to the deal I negotiated with Krayt, I have been given much leeway in speaking for him.  He would never dare go against any deal I have made, because of the power I am able to bring.  Making this deal with you will strain my relationship with him for a long time to come, but it is that or watch you and he destroy each other.  Because I tell you this with certainty, if you were to continue on the path you are on, either you or Selus would have to sacrifice your life to end my father's."

She considered this in silence for several minutes, weighing her desire for revenge, the nightmares she still had, the sense that still came to her - even with the protection Sky had given her mind - of Ragious's presence. In fact, it was almost as though she forgot Khor was standing there at all as she turned to pace in the open space beyond the seating area.

Khor sat there in silence as she paced, allowing her her deliberations for the time being, hoping his last words sunk in because of everything he has just told her, he is most certain that the destruction of his father will come at the cost of her or Selus' life, everything he can read from the force having told him so.  Finally, after several moments of silence, he spoke up again. "I promise you, whatever way you are thinking he will still use to circumvent me and get to you, I will stop him.  While you don't know a lot about me, when I give my word it actually means something, and I will give you my word that you will never have to worry about my father again."

Aittera finally stopped pacing, her back to the strange enigma born of two of the most violent Sith she'd ever run across. Her voice was quiet, contemplative. "I need to speak to Selus about this. He's just as involved as I am. It wouldn't be fair not to include him in my decision." She was waiting for her gut to weigh in, starting to wonder if Khor was having some kind of influence beyond simple conversation that she just couldn't detect. Damned Force users.

"Of course.  When you are ready to give me your decision then you know where to find me.  I have this room permanently reserved for the foreseeable future.  It comes with comped chips for the casino, and I would invite both you and Selus to take advantage of them as I myself do not do my gambling with games of chance."

She took a further moment to pull her thoughts back to the immediate, then turned to face him with a nod, extending her hand to him. "I'll be in touch. Thank you."

Khor stood and moved to take the hand as he bowed to her, once more giving her an open and undefended target should she choose to shoot him. At that point, it would have just been cathartic to shoot someone. Negotiation was not one of her stronger qualities unless one counted her ability to out-drink most people she met.

She gave him a slight smile. "You certainly have the distinction of being one of the most interesting men I've ever met." 

With that, she turned to head for the door.