Unstable Aura : Corellia

The thrumming bass assaulted the busy urban from high above the streets, it’s techno undertone mixed with the rush of wind as the convertible tore through the air at a much greater speed than necessary. With one hand steering and the other hand thrown casually out into the open air, Palîn was the picture of youthful recklessness as her long auburn hair whipped behind her, whereas the individual in the passenger seat was not so fortunate. The businessman she seemed to be chauffeuring around Cornelia was dressed in black business attire that did not compliment his stark white complexion at the moment, but neither the fact that his lips were pealing back from his chattering teeth nor his position as a realtor was of any apparent concern to the driver.

“Can’t we slow down just a bit?” Arthis cried over the blaring music, despite the realization that it was to no avail as Palîn continued to weave through ‘traffic’ without the slightest hint of breaking. Leave it to the younger generation to be the cause of heart attacks in the fine, middle-aged population. An abrupt turn caused him to jerk to the left, grabbing hold of the door as if it were about to swing out and let him fall the few hundred meters down to the pavement below.

A sudden halt brought Arthis up to date, however, as he was realized they had finally slowed through breakneck speed to a comfortable cruise around a three-story warehouse. From the outside, as well as in the in, it was the epitome of urban, from its metallic exterior to its high double story ground level with what could have passed for a fire escape ladder leading to the 2nd floor. It had been used for storage for the past few years, but been vacant for the last month or two. Why a young woman with apparently little baggage would be interested in such a place made the realtor a tad skeptical. But looking over at her, she was simply grinning back at him with a “devil may care” stare. Glancing down at his shaking clipboard, one hand still clenched on the doorframe and the other not so steady on his data pad, Arthis read off the terms of conditions in his finest “business” voice. When finished, he raised his gaze steadily to see the same piercing green eyes confronting his without a look of concern. “Just so long as you aren’t using it for drug ferrying or something, sign here.” He held out his stylus to her, and handed over the data pad.

Scribbling out her name in the most illegible manner, Palîn handed the two articles back to the man. The place needed some serious renovations for her intentions, including new paneling on the interior that wasn’t exactly easy to come by inconspicuously. Going up and saying that you’d like to light saber proof a building was slightly suspicious. But the building itself was perfect. Dead center of urban Corellia (though little of Corellia could be labeled rural), a nightclub could attract the kind of attention in the younger generation that would allow an overseer to hand select a lamb from the flock. Finding an apprentice was difficult these days with the low force activity on both sides. But Palîn was eager to awaken a new calling, and as she stepped out onto the rooftop with the realtor to call him a cab service, she had to answer his one last question. “So what are you calling this place anyhow?”

“The Unstable Aura.” She remarked calmly, going over to the edge of the building to glance down at the busy streets below. Sitting, her feet dangled off of the ledge, looking entirely at ease with the scenario. She’d be putting out flyers and help wanted signs soon after all. She couldn’t pull something off like this all by herself…

"Am I to asume reports of your death have been greatly exaggerated." Redack said. Yes it was a sligh detour from his galactic invasion and all that, but when his spies scattered around the galaxy ahd reported a sighting of Palin, the daughter of Kira, there had been little to keep him from investigating it himself. He carried no visible weaponry, though he was certainly armed with two black hilted lightsabers concealed inside his robes, and was wearing his black and red sith robes, not the same ones he'd had back when he'd served Dark Lady Kira but the exact same design. Currently he'd exchanged his normal Clawdite appearance and was taking the form of a male human of similar appearance to what Palin would recognise him as, though it would look slightly older than their last meeting.

He'd say no more because no more needed to be said. Palin would likely respond to his voice, he'd served under her. His loyalty had certainly always remained with her, a pathetic trait for a Sith but then Redack had never considered himself a real Sith. Though now he'd betray her in an instant, not because he'd lost faith in her but because he'd spent a very long time reflecting on what it meant to be a Sith- enough time to realize that his chains, the ones that the true Sith Code spoke of breaking, were not limitations imposed by others or self weaknesses. Infact it was his loyalty to one bloodline that was his restriction, his weakness, and now that was gone. He still very much believed Palin could be useful to him, heck he'd go so far as admitting she was a friend. After all attachments in themselves were not a weakness, it was being able to severe the attachment that was the strength or weakness of a person. Though thsi was not the time for reflecting on his beliefs or desires, now was the time to get Palin on his side.

Craning her head over one shoulder, a mischievous grin spread across her full lips. Well at least they hadn’t just thought she’d up and disappeared. Death was a greater likelihood by any extent of the imagination, though she doubted if even that would keep her wild soul contained. Not every ending was final. Patting the hard concrete beside her, she beckoned him over to overlook the scene before them. It wasn’t the picture of beauty, but more one of development and industrial power. It had evolved over the time she had been away, trying to evolve herself, but never being able to completely severe an innate need.

“Well considering I don’t recall you having an affinity for consulting with ghosts, I think that’s an excellent assumption.” The slight chuckle in her voice was easy to distinguish despite the wind at these upper altitudes. “There are some things that people just can’t stay away from, aren’t there.” Her commentary was more of a nostalgic comment than a question, but it carried the same weight. She’d considered setting up base back at Coruscant, where her roots had originated, but she found the altered skyline from where the tall Jedi Temple had once stood too much of a…distraction, she supposed. So she’d turned to the next industrial center, and hoped that the bustle of the urban lifestyle would make her re-entry into the realm of the noticeable a little less noteworthy. Coming back from the dead wasn’t something that the mainstream population was use to.

“You know what I’ve missed most, my friend? Not the power or the influence directly, but having a piece of clay in my hand to form and mold. That’s where everything went wrong. We stopped being artists and began to simply look at it all like business.”

"Subtle changes go unnoticed, even when they amount to something big." Redack said in response as he sat beside her, though instead of taking up a casual sitting pose as Palin had he instead sat cross legged. It was a habbit he'd gotten into with all the meditation he'd been doing. Of course that related to conjuring up dead Sith and learning ancient techniques once lost, which he didn't need tell Palin about just yet. "So what are you doing hiding here on Corellia, if I hadn't actually been looking for you I doubt i'd have found you."

“Unnoticed and at times in vain. As for what I’m doing here,” She glanced over at him as she patted the cement again as if it were a good pet resting at her feet. “I’ve decided to take up a more unorthodox manner of recruitment. You know the majority of the galaxy doesn’t even think people like us exist anymore. We lost our glory, and with that went our futures. I figure if we can bring back some elements of it, maybe we can claim a new generation.”

Pushing off of her seat, she started to walk towards the ceiling entrance to the building, swinging one leg over the fenced in ladder before climbing down headfirst. As she was moving, she continued talking, figuring that he’d go ahead and follow, not missing his implications that he had been in fact looking for her. “I want to turn it into a night club. Make it a big rave. See if I can’t find another use for these old light sabers besides fighting. It’s always been an art form, you know. Why not turn it into a benefit? I need the find a vendor that will refurbish the interior with cortosis paneling so I can use it as a training room too. Get a DJ, a few bouncers. Know anyone that could help out?” By this point, she was on the balcony that overlooked the vast open area of the warehouse. It was barebones, right down to the rafters that pseudo separated the first and second floor. But leaning over the rail, her elbows resting on the cold steel, you could tell she had something in mind. The dark side of the force wasn’t bad, necessarily. It was just…unconventional.

He followed her down, taking note of everything she said. What she said was quite interesting as if she was a new person of sorts, or he maybe hadn't known her quite as well as he'd thought. That was for him to consider later. right now what he was thinking of most was: did she know of recent events that had placed the Sith pretenders in control of the Galaxy. That and that this planet was slightly warmer than the climate on Wayland which slightly irritated him, not enough to be noticable but enough that he noticed it. Though really it was nothing compared to most things and they were nothing compared to the torture he'd experienced when he'd joined the Vong so long ago, of course he was no logner welcome with the modern Vong.

"There is someone, your mother knew him." Redack said as he took position beside her, gazing out at the empty warehouse considering what Palin had planned. "He goes by the name of 'The Slayer', he might be able to provide some hired hands to act as bouncers...I doubt he'd consider it good use for them, but then he tends to like credits."

She paused before answering, hesitating over the mention of her mother before recovering with reasonable quickness. After all, she was trying to make some reconnections with individuals who were not as die hard off for power as some of the individuals she’d been associating with. First came control, and then came power. It never worked the other way around she’d realized after a few attempts. Nodding thoughtfully, she turned around and jumped up to sit on the rail, balancing with one foot looped around the lower railing and the other dangling to the side.

“I don’t know if hired hands will do it. I may need some real enforcement, people who can actually use the force if things get down and dirty. But do you know where I can find him? Or considering you’re the one with the network out these days, tell him where he can find me.” She smiled at the thought, remembering when she had been the one for networking all over the galaxy, but that had gone under about the time she’d joined up with the military under a new identity. IT had been a change of scenery, but the sort of power struggle that existed in that environment was significantly different than what she desired. The dishonorable discharge didn’t seem to bother her ego in the slightest however. “So, what do I owe the pleasure of this reunion anyhow?”

"I think he operates here on Corellia, however I can easily contact him and send him in your direction." Redack said. He supposed it was a good a time as any to mention the current state of the Galaxy now that she'd asked about him being here. "The current Dark Lord of what he calls a Sith Order has conquered the Galaxy from his Order and named the galaxies Emperor as Malas. I believe in times like these its best to know who's side everyone is on and reuinite with old friends."

Her expressionless face turned up in a small smile at the mention of both the Sith Order and Malas. Both left a slightly bitter taste in her mouth that no amount of time seemed to wash away. Shrugging, she reclined against the ladder and looked up towards the still open ceiling entrance before answering. “I’m where I’ve always been, somewhere in the middle where very few others like to walk. How can I say I’m a part of the Sith Order when they don’t exist in my mind past a memory.” Rolling up her elbow length sleeve, she pointed to the tattoo on her upper right arm. It wasn’t that she covered it for shame, but rather out of necessity for a period of her life. Tapping it gently, she nodded. “This is as close to base as it ever got for me. I know my place.”

"We walk similar paths in that respect." Redack said. He was a Sith in his mind, but he rarely helped them and only if they asked him nicely with some reward waiting for him if he did. The rest of the time he tended to oppose them, especiallyl ike now when they were just getting in his way. "Though you've got me interested, for what purpose are you recruiting... To attack the Jedi? To attack the Sith? Or something closer to you heart? So that you have something to manipulate?"

She couldn’t answer that right away. It was a complex situation of connecting cables that refused to go to a single objective. They fueled different emotions, none of which could be labeled primary. After mulling it over a minute, however, she finally replied. “I…I don’t know. Call it a hunch.” She said it half-heartedly, but there was part of it that was true. “I don’t need to manipulate. I don’t need the power. I need…emotion.” The last word dripped from her mouth like honey, something that she tasted in every syllable as she spoke it.

“You know we still have a chance, but not the way they’re going about it. It’s all business to them.” Though she didn’t know who “they” were, she suspected that Redack had some idea. Raising her eyes to meet his, like a pair of cat’s eyes that caught the light seeping in through the ceiling, she saw opportunity. “Now, what are you thinking…”

"I'm not sure what I think." Redack said. He was not used to this, he prefered to always know what was going on. To know what everyone was thinking and feeling. Yet With Palin, right now, he was not completely sure what she was thinking, plotting or feeling.