Vaylin was intrigued to see the Alderaanian cantina, although she didn't have high hopes. Despite this world's undeniable beauty, its people proved incredibly stuck-up and boring, at least the nobles.
The moment she entered the cantina, Vaylin realized that it was exactly as she expected. Serenity, calm nobles, toned-down music, slow-paced server droids…
"Is that a cantina?" Vaylin raised an eyebrow. "Looks like some elite establishment for boring snobs."
"Says a princess who could look at all of these 'snobs' like they're peasants."
"Hey, I am not like them! I know how to have fun. We can have some fun here, right?"
"I don't see our guest of honor, so we'll have to wait and order something to appear somewhat authentic. I'll take wine and you…This isn't your first time drinking, is it?" Cassian said with a playful, sarcastic tone, yet the insinuation alone was enough for Vaylin to open her eyes wide.
"Seriously!? Just because I didn't have any sex until today doesn't mean I am THAT innocent! Do you think I haven't tried any spice, too?"
"Relax, I'm just joking."
"Oh, you…"
"Come on, you got baited there for a moment."
"Ugh."
Vaylin and Cassian sat at their tables and made their orders, slowly beginning to drink some Alderaanian wine. At first, Vaylin only felt mildly irritated by how serene this place was. No brawls, no drunkards, everything was so boring…And every time she took a sip, this feeling only became stronger, eventually leading to the point where she couldn't tolerate it.
"Uuuugh…" Vaylin groaned visibly after emptying another glass, immediately getting Cassian's attention.
"Not enjoying the atmosphere?" The Sith wondered.
"What's there to enjoy? I feel like half of those people are sleeping! Did you see that couple over there? Their fruits are cut into such small pieces, and they eat them so slowly…How do they even feel the taste?! They probably don't; they're just being performative." Vaylin rolled her eyes and pouted, as she often did.
"I'd take this over an average cantina on Nar Shadda. Half the time, they have to toss drunkards out along with the trash…If not dead bodies."
"I don't mean that extreme, more like those on Zakuul in the old city."
"You were there?"
"Yeah, that's not surprising, is it?"
"And…How did they react?"
"Immediately piped down and became this place." Vaylin giggled. "Their faces were priceless! But I also came undercover a couple of times to see what it's like. Boy, is it rowdy sometimes? Always a couple of people that cause scenes, but here, there's just no one…Ah, screw it. I'll just go with it and try it myself."
"That's not a good…"
"Hey!" Vaylin shouted, calling the nearest serving droid to her.
"May I assist you?"
"I ordered my fish half an hour ago, and it still hasn't arrived! Why does it take so long?"
"Can you specify the order's details? I will bring your concern to…"
"And my handsome friend over here ordered some steak, and it didn't arrive, either. He's literally dying from hunger!"
"I'm not." Cassian sighed and said.
"He's just polite and shy, and he doesn't like offending anyone, so I have to do it on his behalf."
"Excuse me?" Cassian spoke up. "Me? Shy and afraid to offend?"
"Then why are you not speaking up?!"
"It hasn't even been half an hour yet; we're not in a hurry!"
"Doesn't matter, we deserve respect!" They bickered until the droid spoke again.
"I am sorry. Do you have any specific requests?"
"Listen here, clanker…If I'm not getting some tasty fish in ten minutes, I'll rip that bucket you have for a head and then throw it into the deepest lake!" Vaylin said before raising the nearby chair with force. "See, that can be you!"
"In other words, hurry up," Cassian added calmly, making the droid rush away as quickly as it could.
"That's better." A sardonic grin came up on Vaylin's face.
"You think I'm handsome?" Cassian said with amusement.
"Of course, why would I fuck you otherwise? You make blue look like a hot color!" After those words, Vaylin immediately saw Cassian burst out in laughter; he couldn't hold it back anymore.
"I'd love to listen to your compliments for days without end."
"I could tell you a lot. But I want to hear some from you first."
"Well, when Lana saved me from the carbonite, and we had to rush off, I was almost tempted to stay with you chasing me. Very cute, deadly, and with your black hair you'd fit well among Dromund Kaas youth. A shame that you don't have that unhealthily pale skin anymore…I had a thing for that?"
"What, you mean I'm ugly in my new body!?" Vaylin sneered.
"Really? Do you know how many women pulled this trick on me? Apart from the new body part, you're not the first."
"Well, you are the first man who called me ugly and didn't immediately die!" Vaylin pouted.
"That's not…"
"You'll have to repay me for that by taking me on a tour over Alderaanian wildlife."
"Not before we're done with the Westwind Estate…Wait a moment!" Cassian pointed at a lone man with bright skin and mousy blonde hair sitting at one of the tables. "Luke Garce, perfect timing."
"Going to try out some of those Daria Thul-style techniques?"
"No, I am a firm believer in simpler methods." Cassian smiled and gradually moved towards Luke while Vaylin watched. The Chiss took a seat on the table beside the man, speaking the moment his new contact noticed him.
"Luke Garce?"
"Yeah. And who's asking?" He said in an apathetic, annoyed and slightly awkward tone, as if he got drunk.
"Someone who wants to talk, but not with you. I know your work for a rather wealthy man who invested in a Panteer holding called the Westwind Estate. I want to know this man's name and where to find him."
"Sod off."
"Oh well, it was worth a try." Cassian sighed and raised a hand after Luke took another sip. Before the man could swallow the drink, Cassian clenched his fist, making him immediately tense up. Vaylin heard him trying to cough but failing due to barriers Cassian put. "Feel the wine stuck in your throat? It won't be long before you begin suffocating, and I can reduce that time at any moment. Even if someone will try to avenge you, there isn't a single prison in this world that can hold me."
"P-please…"
"Do as I say, understand? What is the name of the man you work for?"
"Liorel Merr…"
"Is he in this world?"
"He's…Arriving tomorrow to…See the estate…"
"What is the estate for?"
"Private discussions…I am not allowed there…"
"And where will he be tomorrow?"
"He's staying in the…Silver Star hotel…Third floor…"
"Where?"
"He rented…All of it."
"I see. Thank you for cooperating." Cassian said before releasing the man and allowing him to take a deep breath. If he had tried to scream, the Sith could have easily stopped him, but he must have been too terrified to try.
"And if you tell him about this conversation, I will find you and tear you apart, limb by limb. Enjoy your stay." Cassian said before walking back to Vaylin. "See? Just a friendly conversation."
"That was masterful." The woman smiled with pride.
"Liorel Merr…A familiar name. I think he's one of the stewards for the Dark council, probably another of Jadus's spies. He'll come here tomorrow and we know where to look."
"Tomorrow. Do you know what this means?"
"Don't tell me…"
"That we have just enough time to enjoy some of Alderaan's planetary vistas."
"Oh, that?"
"You were expecting something else?"
"Well… Doesn't matter, to be honest, I'd take a walk, too."
That was exactly what she wanted to hear.
...
Now that Raina had a concrete goal, her time on Odessen's base became much less daunting. She was still a prisoner with a void collar on her neck, yet at least she felt like her actions mattered and led to something. Every minute Raina spent near Lokin was an opportunity to show him that Atiel wasn't his only ally and friend. Raina became an assistant in his work when Lana brought Vette into the fold. The twi-lek helped her sometimes, but Raina didn't count on her too much.
One time, when Temple walked into the lab, she realized that the doctor was missing from his usual working place. After doing a quick search and ensuring that he wasn't there, she looked towards the other doctor, a tired, frowning Hutt.
"Have you seen Eckard?"
"Huh?" Oggurobb turned around and looked at Raina. "He isn't here?"
"Didn't see him."
"I really should pay attention to my surroundings sometimes…Even when the work is this intriguing." The scientist said sadly. "Didn't even notice he left."
"Where do you think he could've gone?"
"Hm…He goes outside to walk around the base, but usually not very far. Could wait for him or go look around."
"Thank you."
Raina left the lab and searched for Lokin, hoping she could help him with some errand. Eckard was used to her help, even though he always turned her down the moment Raina began to bring up the topic of Atiel and Jadus. Still, it was worth a try. Raina found him eventually, thought it wasn't where she expected.
The force enclave.
By the time Raina came inside, she immediately realized that something has been wrong. Ki Sazen stood at the edge of it with Lokin by her side, the doctor looked incredibly distraught and spoke chaotically to her while she clung onto her remote control device.
"This is absurd!" Lokin spoke up. "Can't you see, it won't take any more!"
"It's still standing, that means it can!" Ki responded snappily and pressed a button that gave off a command. Two void nekghouls stood on the opposite side, one of them eagerly injecting more and more Voidcaller into the other. The other ghoul was in pain and shook; its skin grew to become dark violet until Raina heard a loud bang as its skin was torn to pieces, leaving nothing but a puddle of Voidcaller on the floor, even wounding the ghoul beside it.
"Yes, marvelous!" Ki shouted with excitement. "I never thought they could take in so much, but… It's amazing."
"There is nothing marvelous about it; this is utterly absurd!" Lokin spoke up. Raina noticed that his eyes turned towards her for a moment, but they continued to ignore each other for now. "That's not how I intended for the Voidcaller to be used; what you're doing isn't targeted or precise; it's chaos!"
"And who said I need it to be targeted and precise? Jadus will craft me a piper protective gear, and then I can use whatever I want on the battlefield. More damage, the batter!"
"Voidcaller will quickly destroy you and your allies, maybe all of us! You conduct those experiments too carelessly. Does Jadus know about this?"
"He does…And he just told me to stay careful." Sazen shrugged. "You have your own research. I have mine. So how about you respect your fellow 'scientist' and back off?"
"This is not research. This is derangement! If you continue to be so careless, those ghouls will turn into walking bombs; they will destroy not only your enemies but everything around them, including yourself!"
"I don't care," Ki said dismissively. "As I said, destruction isn't a hazard; it's a worthy goal."
"Ahem." Raina stepped forward, interjecting directly into their talk. "If I may, from what I've seen of the Voidcaller, it is incredibly volatile and destructive in large quantities. I saw Dr. Lokin performing some of his tests; there was no armor that could completely withstand Voidcaller's explosion, not on Odessen, at least. You may not care about anyone else's life, but surely you care about your own. If you want to remain safe, you should tone down the experiments."
"Am I hearing this right?" Ki turned towards Raina with furious yellow eyes. "You are lecturing me!? Some feisty prisoner trying to tell me how to do my job? Lokin is one matter, but your task is to stay silent. After all those years, neither Jedi nor Sith took me seriously, said I was crazy for my experiments and passion, and said I could finally master the true power beyond any of those snobs. You tell me I should hold back? What makes you think, even for a fucking second, that I care at all? Leave me to my work and get out!" Ki said furiously, leaving Lokin and Raina no choice but to back away. She had the upper hand and could use the force, all while possessing barely any restraint; challenging her would be suicide. As Lokin approached Raina, she noticed a saddened gaze of defeat emerge in his eyes.
"I suppose I should've expected it with her in charge…"
"Atiel could've tried holding her back, at least, but she doesn't even do that."
"Hah…If only that would work with our Sixth Inquisitor." Eckard chuckled. "She is a ruthless lunatic, there's no other way of putting it! I suppose I shouldn't be the one complaining with the work I did on Taris, but at least I tried to make it safe. Sazen is in this for destruction, and it seems that far too many in Jadus's fold are…"
"Exactly as I told you," Raina said. "He gave away our base to mad scum like Ki, and he doesn't care how much damage they do."
"I know where you are going with this." Eckard sighed.
"You know I have a point. What's the point of repaying your debt to Atiel if she and her allies are not respecting your work?"
"I suppose they don't care about my intent…I thought Jadus would use it for targeted attacks on his enemies, not allow it to be transformed into this atrocity."
"You can still help stop the chaos. They aren't your masters; I'm sure you know that."
"I…" Lokin paused. It was a rare sight to see him be so conflicted, but soon his face grew stern and aloof again. "It's of no consequence. I don't need your help today, Raina, you can go back to your duties."
Perhaps the cracks would soon show. That was Raina's hope.