2008-03-26 - Death of a Gentleman

The observatory is dark, and apparently empty save for the silhouette of a man seated near the telescope, perfectly motionless, a briefcase on his lap. Were it not for the fact that someone is expecting him to be here, he might be easily missed. It's possible to imagine conversations happening here with the man watching, impassive--evidently he has yet to see something which convinces him to stir.
 Into one of the dingy shafts of moonlight steps a long-legged brunette. Large green eyes fix on the man's shilohouette, and the full lips curve into a coy, subtle little smile of pleasure as she pauses, her face only half lit.
But she does not linger longer than a second. instead, she walks straight towards the man, her steps soft and steady. She leans on a nearby telescope, directly behind and to the side of the man. The smiles quirks a little further up. "Celis Dissek," she says softly, her low, smooth voice gentle enough to avoid startling the man. Her head tilts slightly to the side. "What was so urgent that it couldn't wait?" She seems cooly amused, and ever self-composed.
 "Do I need an excuse?" says Celis, stirring for once, injecting some life into his otherwise still silhouette. "It's always a pleasure to see you. Especially here." There is the shade of a smile on his lips. "Actually, I had some thoughts to offer you regarding that recording I sent you. And some updates on our man. I felt it appropriate that we meet in person."
 Elinor's smile turns coquettish at Celis' flattery, and her green eyes take on an flirtatiously sultry air. But she straightens with a languid grace and slips to a seat beside the man. "Well," she says, leaning back comfortably. Her eyes flick back to her companion's face and she smiles faintly. "You beckoned... And here I am."
She shifts to a more attentive position, falling silent and turning inviting eyes on Celis. She idly crosses her legs, the light casting her face into grainy charischuro, her body naturally and instinctively slipping into a pose that accentuates her womanly curves. She nods. "What can I do to be of service, Celis?"
 "The Republic might not be interested," responds Celis, "and indeed I have already alerted them to the possibility, but I believe he will be back on Tatooine soon. You may be able to set a trap for him there. I have hired some soldiers from the Brood of Zergata--if he does invade we will almost certainly shatter his resources and leave him wanting." He offers a smile. "I might lose the planet, but that, I think, would be a minor setback."
 Elinor nods, and touches a data pad in her hand. A strange script, unlike most sentient alphabets, appears as she touches a few things and locks it again.
"I've made note to speak to my superior about it." She grins. "And what were your thoughts about the recording? That was good work, by the by... I was pleased that you got those..."
 "Ah, yes. I have been conducting an investigation, though I have no conclusive leads yet. You see, I don't believe the content of the recording match the audacity of his actions--firing on a vessel in direct contravention to the chain of command?" Celis smiles faintly. "So I am wondering if Mr. Idant knew more than the recording indicated--had he seen something, perhaps? Why was he not content to let the Jedi take him? I believe there is something more sinister here than a pirate warlord demanding bribes."
 Elinor nods slowly as Dissek spells out his theory. "That is a good point," she says. The soft-spoken brunette thinks for a moment. "Well, I suppose you should keep digging around and see what you can come up with along that path. Who was Mr. Idant to our fellow? Why was he such a good mark? I'd like exhaustive answers the next time we speak. If you can."
She stretches casually, a soft little yawn causing her nose to wrinkle delicately. She shakes her head a moment and grins with natural-born seducutive good humour, a bright smile with an under-the-senses punch and a smoldering laugh in her eyes. "Sorry. Haven't been to bed in a little while. Hard to keep company around with Wolf's possessiveness to deal with, and I sleep -so- much better after company's been there. It's unfortunate." Her laugh is an impishly delighted little bubbling sound.
 "I think Mr. Idant was merely an observer. He was a contact of mine back when I was the CEO of Bespin Mining, Incorporated." Celis offers a faint shrug. "The question is, of course, what did he observe." He runs a finger along the edge of his briefcase as he speculates. "The next time we speak I will endeavor to have some concrete answers for you, of course. He does not seem like a man on whom it is difficult to spy."
 Elinor shrugs and rises, looking down at the man. "Then I leave it in your capable hands," she says with a small little smile. She prepares to leave, turning before pausing. She turns back, a contemplative look on her face and she steps closer. "One other thing, though..." She bends down to matter-of-factly press a heady, sensual kiss to Celis' lips. When she finally pulls back, she lingers near his face, eyes twinkling as they maintain contact, and the subtle scent of warm-blooded florals rises from her skin.
 Celis raises an eyebrow fractionally. "Are you always this friendly with your agents?" he asks with a smile just this side of a smirk. "But I suppose if it is -lucky,-" he says, "I can't complain. I could have used a bit of good luck before I went to Paxo." The smirk fades. "You only get one mistake, you know. And I made mine already."
 "No," Elinor says with a subtle smirk of her own. "But I can be friendlier if petted the right way..." The invitation in her voice is explicit but subtle, and that delighted, defiant laughter is lurking behind her eyes. It's almost as if she's daring Celis to take her up on her offer, but doesn't expect him to.
"Mistakes happen," she purrs. "And new life can be ...quickened."
 "I have made my mistake," says Celis again. There is a hint of regret to his voice--perhaps regretting his earlier mistake or the decision he is making now. "And a man like myself can't live without a little superstition. A charm, a little belief to cling to. It keeps him sane. Keeps him careful." A pause, and is there a subtle edge to his expression or is that a trick of the light? "Keeps him suspicious."
 Elinor smiles and gently kisses the man again, his face cupped in her hand. When she stops this time, she leans over to whisper softly in Celis' ear. She presses one last kiss to his cheek before straightening up to lean back against the telescope, a sad, coy little smile on her lips.
Elinor whispers: It's alright. I really do understand. It's a tough job, and you play on a larger field than mine. The question is, though, what will you do now? Seems you have a few choices, but you and I both know there's only one that you're likely to make, Mr. Idant. And I'm sorry it's come to that.
 "Perhaps I have made -two- mistakes," says Celis, his expression not wavering, though his eyes drop to his briefcase. "One mistake too many." He flips the latch on it but doesn't open it. "There is a time for lying and subterfuge and deception and games but at this moment I think there is nothing I will be able to do to convince you. So I have a number of options. I could kill you, of course. An inelegant solution at best and besides, I owe you--not for my life, you understand. That's trivial." He flips the latch back and forth a few times absently. "Or I could be . . . forthcoming with you."
 "Forthcoming is usually best, Celis," Elinor says softly. "Some ancient cultures believed that honesty before the end helped to purify the soul for its final resting place in the Force. She smiles over at him and motions towards his hand. "Why don't you hold off on that for a moment. Be honest with me and I'll be honest with you... It's in my best interest to not be here when you open that little toy of yours. My husband is, of vourse, close by waiting for me... And he's quite on edge as we're expecting."
The brunette holds her hands up and twirls briefly. "See? No weapon. But you've a choice between settling this yourself or having something quite a lot worse happen before you make that final transition."
 Celis nods his head. His expression does not waver. "I have no illusions about what I have done. Innocent people died at my whim--thousands, if not millions. I had empires balancing on my fingertips. Even the Chancellor. I did it because the Black Empire stands for something. Do you understand? The Republic is nothing short of corrupt, an assembly of vain politicians, maneuvering so they can advance their petty ambitions. Even now, with a threat at its doorsteps. And the lies they tell! I don't believe they truly know why they fight. They paint Lord Dragen and his men as monsters. If only you could see--the nobility of purpose, the steel resolve, the unity." Celis offers a vague sneer. "I regret nothing. I made sacrifices so the galaxy could be as it was meant to be. I kept nothing for myself."
 Elinor shrugs, seeming unaffected. "I am not blind to shortcomings," she says softly. "Your recent escapade on Alderaan was proof enough of some of them. That should never have happened. But neither am I blind to the downside of your Cause. Perhaps -you- are the naive babe lost in the woods if you can't see the faults in your own ideals."
She smiles sadly still and shakes her head, almost fondly as if dealing with a child. "You knew you'd get caught, Celis. I knew you would too once I put my men on you. I just didn't expect you to slip up so quickly. You are, after all, very good at your job. That little farce you played with Bellamy... You almost pulled me in on it too, with my maternal desire to protect." She laughs lightly, that brightly shimmering sound.
"But I'm here because I'm offering you a chance to end your life the way you lived it. On your own terms." She grins, tilting her head in such a way that her hair frames her dramatically lit face. "You don't think I'd be here to arrest you myself, do you? Me? Get my hands dirty? Perish the thought..." There it is again, that smartelecky seductiveness. "I wanted you to know that -I- will give you that option. I'd hate to see all that talent humbled. I respect greatness, dear; I just don't have to agree with its message."
 "Your man is dead," says Celis. "His body is drying in the desert. Did he have a name?" He sighs. "No, you would never get your hands dirty. But you would never let me go, either. You are not incompetent. Easily played, perhaps, but never incompetent." A disdainful smile. "So -Republican- of you, making yourself look the saint." He fixes her with a long, blank stare. "It has been a pleasure." He opens the briefcase.
 But Elinor seems to know when her time to go is. And she's already leaving, slipping into her friends, the shadows, even as he speaks. And as his hands move to open the briefcase, she's gone.
 A second later there is a massive explosion--it will not be said later that his death was second-rate. He does not scream. If someone were watching closely they would see a man sitting eerily still with a briefcase in his lap--though the resulting explosion soon sends his body flying to the far wall of the observatory. And through some quirk of the flaming air currents in the room, his hat flies from his head and drifts to the doorway of the repulsorlift, unscathed by flame or shrapnel alike.
 "Well," Elinor mumurs as the repulsorlift doors slide shut. She picks up the hat and puts it on her head. "At least he tipped his hat."
Category:March 2008 RP Logs