Sith Lords were not nervous. No, they were angry, violent, and cruel, cunning creatures. But not nervous. If a Sith Lord was nervous, then there was good reason. If you were to see one, he would not appear nervous or frightened or anything of the sort; simply dangerous, as they were known to be. Have you ever seen a Sith Lord calm? It was a strange sight. Calm, they still vibrated with anger. But it was a cold kind of anger. The kind you might have seen from a tyrant. The kind you might have seen from a Hutt. The kind you never wanted to be on the business end of.
Lord Tyrannus was currently falling into this category. He was not naturally a nervous man, Sith or no, and due to his unusual upbringing, he had no trouble concealing his anxiety. Yet, he made for an almost awkward sight, standing in the middle of an abandoned factory in the middle of who knew where, evidently doing nothing.
He scanned his surroundings distastefully, never having been a fan of the decorations known as 'rust' and 'mothballs'. Still, he waited, watching towards the far end of the complex where a large door had been hauled open-and appeared stuck, permanently, in its position.
Outside this window was a barren track of metal that stretched all the way to the horizon, the Manufacture District. He had never enjoyed this part of Coruscant; it was an eyesore, an ugly blot on an otherwise sparkling landscape. The city world had long been in the throes of pollution and smog, much in part to the loose regulations enforced on the factories.
Speeder cars zigged and zagged in the far distance, carrying the masses to various jobs. And within the hour, one appeared, far away from the mainstream traffic, and began to head towards Tyrannus.
The speeder landed soundlessly and out stepped-what some might be fooled into believing-a harmless elderly man. Tyrannus, however, knew that this particular creature was far from weak. He was the most dangerous being alive, or so Tyrannus thought.
"What is your report?" Lord Sidious asked.
Tyrannus didn't respond immediately. His silence was long enough that he was certain that Sidious knew that something of particular interest had occurred. Though, he likely would have known that already. Sometimes the man's power made Tyrannus nervous. Finally, he responded, in his richly accented voice,
"You know, Master, that I was in the process of securing an alliance with Jabba the Hutt."
"Yes. Did all go as planned?"
Tyrannus paused, nodded, and confirmed, "Jabba accepted the credits and will keep silent regarding the Federation Droids found on one of his properties. During the negotiations Jabba offered a trade for a valuable piece of information, and I spent 500 Credits over the money you allotted this project."
Sidious remained silent, waiting for Tyrannus to explain why exactly he had gone so far over budget.
"As I am sure you are aware, Jabba has resided on Tatooine for many decades. While I was there, he revealed his knowledge of our search for Force-Sensitive children. He divulged, upon payment, that five years ago he owned a slave that bore the name of Skywalker."
Sidious halted.
Tyrannous continued his tale.
"She was a small child when brought into his palace as a servant-a sort of payment for a Mos Espa shopkeeper's debts. In the end she vanished, but while she was there, she displayed some…. unusual abilities."
"A Skywalker." Sidious murmured. "Do you have her first name?"
The Count bowed his head. "No…Jabba refused to give that away."
Although there was no visible, outward change of appearance, a vague premonition of doubt and then worry grazed Tyrannous through the Force.
"We must find this girl." Sidious finally said. "Find her and kill her."
The Count bowed his head.
"What of the negotiations with the Trade Federation?"
A brief spike of annoyance filled the Force as Tyrannous responded,
"Their conditions have not changed. They will have that Senator's head on a spike, or they will not join at all." Sidious regarded this for a moment.
"Then that is what we must give them. Do what you must to access this Senator, bounty hunters, bribes, but an alliance with the Trade Federation must be secured."
Tyrannous did not ask why it was so necessary; he did not need to know. He simply needed to do. Sidious appeared deep in thought, whether regarding the Skywalker girl, the Trade Federation, or any one of their other assets Tyrannous had no way of knowing.
"Find this Senator's register record." Sidious commanded.
"Naboo security is infamous." Tyrannous commented.
"It must be done." Sidious disagreed, his gold eyes flashing slightly at Tyrannous' arrogant disagreement, "Find the registry record for Senator Padmé Naberrie."
Tyrannous nodded assent. Perhaps this was not just business. He turned to leave.
"Tyrannous," Sidious added calmly, "Bring me proof of both deaths. Or suffer the consequences."