Logged Sept. 23, 2001
Logged by Elynne
Titled:  Shifting Alliances 
******************************************************************************
Characters: 
Elynne
Simon
Ba'Sha
******************************************************************************
Guild Master Office - Bounty Hunters Guild - Nar Belsa Taboon Moon  
This comfortable office is dominated by a large desk with a wood 
finish. The guildmaster's large and ornate chair lies just on the far side 
of the desk, backed by large bay windows. On the entrance side, two smaller 
chairs are provided for visitors. A small crystal decanter and tumbler set 
sits on top of a small refrigeration unit near the door, just underneath 
framed portraits of some of the guild's more famous captives. The room oozes 
opulence, from the deep carpet to the carved wooden ceiling..

Simon's buzzer goes off and Tara says, "Darth Wyld and Ms Stregoth to see 
you sir, shall I send them in?" That last being code for 'if you refuse to 
see them, I'll quit'. "Yes, certainly," answers Simon, who wouldn't have 
said anything else anyway. He isn't sure if the office defenses will do him 
any good against a Darth, and doesn't bother arranging his hand on the 
controls.

Elynne strides in, looking disgruntled as usual. Maybe for having to wait, 
though it's possible that this has become her usual expression. It fades as 
she gets into the office proper, however. "Simon." She says, not adding the 
last name. "I've something to discuss with you. Do you have time to give me 
an audience?" Let's hope so, because if he doesn't she'll have to go 
anyways.

Ba'sha strolls in, hands clasped behind his back, and nodding a greeting to 
the Guildmaster, he looks towards a seat but apparently decides to stand 
until bidden to sit, waiting for Elynne to break the news.

Simon is somewhat surprised to see Elynne entering first, although he has 
become used to her referring to him with only one name. Looking at Darth 
Wyld, then back at the young woman, he is visibly flustered but says, "I 
have time." Nothing else seems to make sense. Noticing that Wyld is 
standing, waiting to be invited to sit, he makes a small gesture with a hand 
and nods his head - of course he can sit.

"Lord Darth Wyld has beaten me in a contest of strength. Presuming the Lord 
Darth Cabal's acquiescence, I will soon belong to Darth Wyld. This will 
continue until the slave Naomi can be reclaimed and returned to his 
service." Straight to the point, that Elynne. "I've been given permission to 
tie up the loose ends of my duties before I am transferred to the Darth 
Wyld's ownership."

The Dark Man reaches behind himself, unclasping the scabbard from his back 
and laying it against his chair before sitting, crossing a leg over the 
other as he sits with perfect posture, foot resting on knee and hands 
steepled in front of him, see how this goes....

Simon goes into shock. "You will... Naomi?" looking between Wyld and Elynne, 
he asks, "What does Naomi have to do with anything?" That said, he stares at 
Elynne - tie up the loose ends of her duties? Is she aware that that might 
take months or years? Is he supposed to say that now? But he's already asked 
one question, best to give her a chance to answer.

"I challenged the Lord Darth for Naomi's freedom. I lost. By the terms of 
our agreement I now belong to him, if the Lord Darth Cabal will relinquish 
me. If he does not, I most likely may expect severe punishment from my 
current Lords, and the Lord Darth Wyld will most likely receive some other 
repayment." Yeah, most likely Elynne will die for her impudence, and Wyld 
will get some other gift from Cabal. That's what Elynne is expecting.

Ba'sha nods his head, deciding now to step in to clarify matters somewhat, 
"Hastati Stregoth arrived just in time for Naomi to attempt escape. I 
believe you've dealt with her before Simon Farranger?" He nods his head 
without waiting for an answer, "So after shooting at me a few times, and 
missing atrociously I might add, Hastati Stregoth jumped in front of me with 
a spear, challenging me to retrieve Naomi only over her dead body, and 
slowing me enough to give the Slave the few needed moments to escape. After 
a ritual combat, which she lost although fighting admirably and 
fantastically. I have decided to ask Cabal to giver her as my slave, at 
least until Naomi can be retrieved or he finds pressing need for her." He 
shrugs his shoulders and waves a hand dismissively, "She /should/ be killed 
off hand." You see, he's really being a generous softy by only making her 
his unwilling and oft-to-be degraded slave.

Simon looks down at his desk as he listens to Elynne speak, wheels turning 
frantically in his mind - several months in a prison cell with lawyers for 
company starts to come in handy. If the slave is the property of her master, 
then she has no right to sell herself to someone else, which makes the 
bargain invalid. The question of compensating Wyld can easily be addressed 
because of his good luck last night, but now Darth Wyld is speaking. The 
story he tells about Elynne intervening to rescue Naomi is utterly 
unbelievable, or at least it should be - but then he remembers that she has 
been loyal to Set Harth all this time. And Set Harth had two objectives, to 
rescue Naomi and kill the man who captured her. In shock again, he turns to 
Elynne with a disbelieving expression and asks, "Is that true?"

"It is true. I did challenge him to free Naomi." Elynne Stregoth states, 
blandly. How many times did Simon need to hear it? "I am paying my final 
debt to Set Harth. I do not enjoy being in the debt of others." Especially 
deceased 'others.' "I have provided for Erica- you will find a note at your 
estate about that. I have failed to free Naomi, but that would have cleared 
my debts." Aha, so she doesn't intend to kill Simon. But if she had, 
wouldn't she have done it already?

Ba'sha nods his head, "All we are waiting on is word from Cabal, obviously 
as a slave Elynne can not enter into any contract or anything of the sort. 
So technically the deal is not complete. however I have asked Darth Cabal to 
honor it, and I expect that he will." If not, it will be much much worse for 
Elynne....

Simon never stays in shock for long, and the businesslike tone of the others 
helps him to recover quickly. The trick to handling a wave like this is to 
take control of the situation, or enough of it at least. Turning first to 
Elynne he looks straight into her eyes and asks, "So you've paid your debts, 
is that what you're saying?" Only waiting long enough for a nod or single 
word, he turns to Ba'sha and says, "Elynne mentioned the possibility of 
compensation before - such as a replacement slave. Is that the sort of 
compensation that you would be prepared to accept?"

The God was using her first name. She hated that, people using 'Elynne' 
without her permission, but what can she say? She's been defeated. He could 
call her 'Fluffy' and she couldn't really object. Stregoth nods to Simon, 
though she really wishes she could speak. To be given away would be so much 
better than facing Darth Cabal's punishment. Surely the answer in that case 
would be death, as opposed to floor scrubbing. But then Terrick Harth, Set 
Seth comes to mind. The Jedi turned Krath who had so influenced Elynne. Once 
he had explained to her the difference between slavery and serving. Though 
she is a slave, up until this point she'd felt she was serving rather than 
being forced. Wouldn't death be better than total subjugation?"

Ba'sha nods his head, spreading his steepled hands wide in a gesture before 
returning them to a point just under his head, "I'm open to suggestions, or 
any deals." Let's see what Farranger can come up with.

Simon is racing ahead, but then remembers something - if she isn't 
transferred to Darth Wyld, she can expect severe punishment. So what's the 
winning path - one where she gets transferred to Wyld, but stays with him. 
Unlikely, but worth aiming for. "Now," he says, trying to get everything 
straight inside his head. "You, Darth Wyld, have made an arrangement already 
with Darth Cabal to have Elynne transferred to you, but you face the 
prospect of dealing with someone who might not be the most suitable for your 
purposes. I'm facing a situation where she is an asset to me, which I stand 
to lose whether she goes to you or not. Let's assume that she goes to you. 
Why don't I replace her with an adult female human slave that will be more 
suited to your needs?"

Being traded like chattel? Normally Elynne wouldn't care. But some of the 
reserves, the remembrances of nobility flare within her. She was someone 
once. A noble, the oldest child, and because there was no son, heir to a 
Sith house. She is indignant, and her chin lifts slightly. "I am of use to 
you, Simon Farranger? I was given to believe my only use was my ties to the 
Thethu. If I am no longer Thethu, and not Krath, what -am- I to you?" No. 
Elynne would not become a pet, a kept creature. She had teeth, and the God 
knew well enough that the Hastati was willing to sink them into flesh. She 
was her father's daughter, in more ways than one.

Ba'sha nods his head with a dark chuckle and gestures towards Elynne with a 
gesture that almost seems explanation, "You see the fire? The pride and 
ambition? Do you have any idea how much pain and damages she withstood? She 
had one hand, one arm, was keeled over in pain that would have sent grown 
men into spasms, and still she fought on. Can you replace /that/ 
Guildmaster? You do not know my purposes, nor my tastes, which I must admit 
runs to the feisty and spirited ones. They usually turn out to be the most 
useful."

Simon rises to his feet closing his eyes to block out the pain. Why he's 
doing this, he doesn't really know, but if he can make one dream a reality 
then he will fight to preserve it. Turning to Elynne, he speaks with a 
forced quiet that trembles with rage. "Sit down, and shut up." he orders. 
He'd give anything to explain what he's doing, but that is impossible here 
and now. Returning to the Sith Lord, he says, "I do, but she is virtually 
uncontrollable." he says, "Why else do you think she is repeatedly sent away 
from her masters?" Taking a deep breath, he continues. "Now then. I am on my 
way to Arkania after this meeting to collect female slaves. You are welcome 
to choose any of those slaves that you wish, or we can arrange some other 
compensation."

'Sit down and shut up?' Rage flares briefly in the Hastati. No one, no one 
treated her that way. Was Simon really any different in the long run? Using 
his position or his ability to get Elynne into trouble for his own purposes- 
to use Elynne as some female toy? She clenches her jaw, her fingers 
unconsciously gripping into fists, but she is too angry to speak. If Simon 
winds up buying himself Elynne, he'd find he'd bitten off more than he could 
chew...

Ba'sha shakes his head, knowing that Simon has probably bought himself more 
trouble than it is worth. And now he leans back, resting his arms 
comfortably on the chair arms, "What could you offer me Mr. Farranger that I 
do not already have? I have slaves in abundance, I have all my needs and 
wants instantly fulfilled." He grins openly, "My people worship me as a God, 
and for all intents and purposes I am, what could you possibly offer me? The 
one thing I do NOT have, is a Thethu military slave for my own."

Simon lowers himself into his chair, the rage allowing him access to an icy 
coldness. "If that's what you want to tell me," he says to Darth Wyld, 
noticing that Elynne has become silent but not sat down. Good. "But just 
minutes ago, you were asking me to put forward a proposal - this tells me 
that there is something you do want. I'm happy to oblige, but I suppose I 
can settle for one of the Arkanian women myself - I'd just become accustomed 
to her." As he says that, he has enough presence of mind to put his left 
hand on the armrest of the chair - it's all right if she hates him, but it's 
not all right if someone gets hurt.

That does it. 'I've become accustomed to her.' This Guildmaster was going to 
be put in his place. If Elynne was already in trouble, she would let him 
know just who he was dealing with- not some female to be made a concubine, 
but a fallen noble and a warrior. "Do you know who I am, Simon Farranger?" 
She says, softly and edged with a violence and rage never before shown. "I 
am Elynne of the House of Stregoth. Though I am a slave, my blood is noble. 
My father was weak. I am not. My father was stupid. I am not. I am 
uncontrollable, you say? That is because I do not know how to be a slave. I 
know how to be a servant, in the way all those not Gods know how to serve 
the Lords." Her tone slowly rises, growing in intensity, but never reaches a 
volume above speaking. Instead, it's a soft threatening purr. "I bow before 
no mortal. I will never bow before you. You have not proven yourself my 
superior, and given a chance I'd wager that I could make you bleed as I made 
the Minister Borealis bleed for accusing me of treason. I was proven 
innocent then, and I can be proven strong now. You are no God."

Ba'sha only hums thoughtfully at Elynne's speech, and could possibly be 
overheard to remark, "With a spirit like that, if you would serve the Krath 
Gods, Stregoth could be noble again." Spoken softly, with an incline of the 
head, if either of them notice, it is a huge respect for Elynne, probably 
the most that is proper for a God to show a slave, and then his voice raises 
back to normal as he looks to Simon, "I said I was open to suggestions, so 
far you have suggested nothing that fits my fancy Mr. Farranger, and I do 
believe you've only made things worse for yourself, as it seems the Hastati 
is now more than willing to leave your service if allowed of her." He raises 
an eyebrow, his point made, "Of course I need money not, but that could be a 
compensation, your service can be a compensation." He grins, "Really, the 
one thing you could give me I would want, would be to sever all ties with 
the Thethu, and Stregoth could be free to leave for home now." To report on 
Simon's betrayal to Cabal almost instantly of course, "And no longer show 
preferential treatment to ANYONE, as a proper Guild should do." But Simon 
won't do that, "But you won't do that, which leaves us at an interesting 
impasse."

Turning angrily to Elynne, Simon sees that he is going to have to explain if 
he can - not that it is possible for him to do so. "Listen," he hisses, "I 
may be buying you, but don't think that I'm going to use that to make you a 
slave of a big stupid rat." Saying that hurts more than he could imagine, 
but not as much as his next words. "So sit down, and shut up, before I shoot 
you and have the guards carry you to a cell." Breathing heavily, he turns 
back to the Lord. "Frankly, your lordship, I am beginning to reconsider my 
generosity to her. It's clear to me now that her understanding of events is 
not as skilled as I first thought. However, I would not like to lose this 
opportunity to develop relations with the Krath." He pauses to straighten 
his suit before continuing. "Now, I am disappointed that we have a history 
of favoring the Thethu over the Krath, and I will see that corrected. In my 
view, we should be favoring those who will favor us in return, and the Krath 
are known for their wisdom and fairness. Is there a particular favor that 
you wish?"

Ba'Sha has risen immensely in Elynne's esteem over the past few days, and 
the events of the past few minutes have secured him a place equal to that 
belonging to the Darth Bane, the Marshal of the Thethu military. In whose 
disfavor Elynne will surely fall, after fighting and losing to a God. Not 
that winning was ever likely. "On the contrary, Farranger." Elynne says, 
dropping even the 'Mister.' "My skills of observation are as acute as ever. 
I know what you want." She says, and indeed she thinks she does- to buy her 
and keep her as his female consort. It strikes her as possible that Simon 
might even have feelings beyond the physical, for which Elynne can only pity 
him. Did she ever care for Simon back? Possibly, but this evening's 'chat' 
is rapidly killing anything that might be festering in that malformed heart 
of hers. A plan starts to form- desperate times call for desperate measures. 
'If Darth Wyld agrees to 'sell' me to Simon, I must free myself. And then I 
may present myself as a servant to those who desire my services. I know how 
to serve, and that is not the same fate as a kept creature, however 
luxurious the cage.' Kill Simon? No, too under the table. Elynne is up front 
about everything- her dislike, her anger, her approval. So she sits, and 
plots, for now content to listen in that it serves her purposes.

"Just as I said, send Elynne home now, to serve her masters in the way they 
deem best. Sever all ties with the Thethu, stop being the go-between for 
them and the Hutts." Yes, that is causing us no end of trouble. "Favor no 
one over anyone else, including the Thethu." Ba'Sha's face grows more 
serious, the grin slipping from his visage as he sits forward in his chair, 
"This is what I want Mr. Farranger. Now you will give it to me, or you will 
enjoy your last few days with the Hastati until the message arrives letting 
us know what her God and Creator Cabal intends to do with her." The time for 
talk and half-measures is at an end, now is the time for action. "You speak 
diplomatically, you talk of favors and histories, you speak of the Krath 
when I doubt until recently you have ever heard of us. I sense you are not a 
born diplomat nor salesman." A nod of approval from the General, "And for 
this I am actually glad, for I despise both. Stop trying to sell me, stop 
trying to be everything to everyone, and be /yourself./" He leans back in 
the chair once more, "Tell me what you want, and what you are willing to 
give up. Then I will either take it and leave, or take /her/ and leave, 
assuming his Lordship sends permission. I will be happy either way." 
Although the original plan of humiliating the Hastati as a dancing girl and 
scrubber is changing rapidly, her directness and will to not only survive 
but flourish is too precious, too much of Nobility. She will either /become/ 
Krath nobility, or will be treated as such and aide in what way she can 
without totally changing alliances.

Well, she didn't understand, not that Simon can truly know this. What he 
does know is that she's stopped ruining everything. Shooting her a withering 
glance, he turns his attention to Ba'Sha, and raises his hands in a gesture 
of surrender. "I can't favor everyone equally," he replies. "If I did that, 
I'd never catch any targets, I'd be too busy treating them equally." How 
strange that the Krath might fail to understand such a fundamental concept. 
"What I can assure you is that we will not place other interests above the 
interests of the Krath. Now since the Hastati here is not going to be their 
servant any longer, I see no reason why we could not serve your needs and my 
sentimental desires by swapping her for another." That's that point out of 
the way - on to the next one. "It is true that I am not at fault in favoring 
the Thethu over the Krath, but I didn't want to point that out to you. I am 
offering to fix the situation, however. So I'm going to be myself. I'm a big 
stupid rat, and I want the things that I want and I bite the people that I 
need to bite. But I'd just as much prefer to be eating cheese, thank you." 
If he had time to think, he wouldn't talk this way, but there you go. "What 
I'm offering you is a relationship as close as our relationship to the 
Thethu - we will assist your interests where there is no conflict, and keep 
out of the way if there is a conflict. In addition, I will replace this 
rebellious loudmouth with any one of the women that are waiting on Arkania, 
after she is transferred to your ownership." He's taking a risk here, a risk 
that Cabal will unexpectedly snub the Krath - but it's a small risk, Elynne 
is a small issue to the lord.

Suddenly, a decision crystallizes in Elynne's mind. If Simon succeeds, he 
won't get to keep her. She'll have to go back to Teta, where she is now in 
disgrace. Rightfully so, of course. But she'll see Simon go down with her, 
oh yes. She'd tell her Lords and Masters of what he gave up to get ownership 
of one 'insignificant' slave. Loyalty is a precious thing among the Sith. 
And though Simon has lost Elynne's, Ba'Sha has gained it. She would not 
betray the Thethu, not give up secrets- if she knew any, of course- but she 
would be able to transition nicely into the other clan. After all, Aris Lorn 
had been Krath. Malign had been Krath for a brief period. And Wyld seemed 
shrewd, even now working to manipulate things to his benefit. Yes- she'd 
either serve faithfully her new Lords, or she'd see Simon's death warrant 
signed before she died, herself. The possibility that Simon might actually 
gain ownership of her slips her mind, but that would be easy enough to fix. 
Simon is nothing, a mortal as herself. And the rules for dealing with 
mortals are different. Another challenge, this time for her own freedom. 
She'd see him bleed, and then she'd be free to go to the Krath and offer her 
services.

Ba'sha nods his head, and is suddenly struck by an idea. And I'm not just 
talking any idea people, this is the grandpappy of ideas. That's when, to 
put it mildly he does the most unexpected thing. I mean, an anvil falling on 
your head from the sky, a purple polka dotted and dancing wookie spinning 
outside the window, a whale turning randomly into a petunia. That kind of 
stuff is just incredibly unlikely, but let me tell /you/ buddy, none of 
those hold a candle to this. I mean wow, he's just way off the wall with 
this one, frankly this particular narrator doesn't understand, no siree not 
one bit, but do it he does, Ba'Sha opens his mouth and speaks. Oh okay so 
that's not TOTALLY unexpected, nor is the waving of the hand, but it's WHAT 
he says, so hush up and pay attention everyone, "Hastati Stregoth?" Any 
confirmation you are listening will do little ma'am, yes siree, better 
listen to this GREAT grandpappy of an idea from Ba'Sha, whoo-boy let me tell 
ya. "I hereby command you to speak freely. Nothing you say about anyone, 
from the Creator, to my own personage, to Mr. Farranger here, will be held 
against you in anyway whatsoever by me, and will not be told to me by anyone 
without your informed consent. Speak your mind as you wish, and say whatever 
it is you wish to say, but do focus on this one question. What would /YOU/ 
prefer done in this situation? What actions would you have me take, and 
which ones would you take should you be in my place?" An interesting way to 
solve the dilemma, unexpected, and a good insight both into Elynne's mind, 
as well as a small test of her suitability for the Noble status he is only 
vaguely considering giving her. All these thoughts after speaking run 
through Ba'Sha's mind, ain't he grand?

STATCHECK: Simon
STAT: Willpower                         Difficulty: Medium
.........................Failure!

Simon is a twisted mass of outrage at this point, a twisted mass that is not 
helped by a Sith Lord who commands him to speak and then disregards what he 
has to say. Pressing the silent alarm button on his armrest, he reaches into 
his jacket and takes out the blast pistol which he fires at the side wall to 
get the lord's attention before pointing it at him. "You know what," he 
says, "I think I know what your problem is. You barge into other people's 
affairs, demand answers, demand proposals and then ignore them. If you want 
a close relationship with me, you damn well listen when I talk to you. Now 
get out of my office."

Shock floods Elynne. How perfect was this all? Even if he wasn't a 
God...well, why not say this aloud, she's been given permission. "First of 
all, Lord Darth, were I in control of my own life, I would consider serving 
you even if you were not a God..." And that's as far as she gets before 
Simon's outburst. Anger floods Elynne, but instead of making her fiery, it 
cools her to the temperature of liquid nitrogen. -320 degrees Fahrenheit, 
for those that care. "If he leaves, Simon Farranger, I shall leave with him. 
It is highly disrespectful for you to treat a God this way. Any God. Put 
your blaster away, or you will have both of us to deal with. You may be able 
to shoot one, but both of us? And I promise, if you choose to fire upon 
Darth Wyld and not me, you'll regret your choice." Yeah. The Hastati will 
tear your throat out, baby. With her teeth. And you want to keep this girl? 
"I know you've the ability to be proper. Use it now." And it's a commanding 
tone of voice, one Elynne rarely uses on anyone. Because she rarely feels 
she's allowed to use it, mainly. But for once she feels superior- at least a 
slave has manners.

SKILLCHECK: Ba'sha
Skill: Force Power                      Difficulty: Very Hard
.........................Failure!

FORCE POWER CHECK               (Ba'sha)        *Neutral Power*
Power: Pull
...................................SUCCESS!!

FORCE POWER CHECK               (Ba'sha)        *Passive Power*
Power: Force Lock
...................................Failure!

A gun? Drawn and fired on a God for the second time in as many days! There 
are just no WORDS! Ba'Sha's eyes flare up as this man, no...this THING, 
points a pistol at him and actually ORDERS him in a threatening tone. Ba'Sha 
can be very diplomatic, but this is way across the lines. The blaster flies 
across the room, smashing into the corner furthest from Simon with the force 
of a Wookie behind the throw, and Ba'Sha briefly tries to conjure the 
learned patterns for a lock and a lightning but fails. THIS....THIS....THING 
DARES TO THREATEN ME! The anger and indignation in the room is almost 
palatable, buffering at the very outer edges of the awareness of even 
non-force users by now, as Ba'Sha puts a hand on his sword hilt leaning 
against his chair, but otherwise remains seated. His voice is cold and 
hard-edged as the darkest obsidian when it comes out, even though his eyes 
almost burn red as the Dark energy flows through him, "Mr. Farranger, this 
is behavior MOST unbecoming. I suggest you cancel whatever alarms you have 
tripped, and send your guards back, and sit down. I will leave, peacefully. 
But if you feel the need to continue this." A word continues the thought 
tinged with almost felt disgust, "display of childishness, I will fight to 
maintain my freedom and dignity. I will slay any guard that points a weapon 
in my direction for more than the briefest second, and if need be I will 
leave here with only myself and the Hastati left alive in a whirlpool of 
blood." His voice is calm and matter of fact, "I do not wish to do this 
however." And it's clear from his tone that despite his wish against it he 
WILL do it, and obviously is not merely boasting, but clearly feels himself 
capable of it. Whether he is or not, is a risk Simon will have to decide for 
himself.

Outside the room, two guards in riot gear have been summoned by the silent 
alarm - one carries a blast pistol, the other a carbine. Acting according to 
the plan, they position themselves in the corridor, ready to burst into the 
office at the sound of gunfire or if the second alarm goes off. Inside, 
Simon feels the blast pistol wrenched out of his hand and hears Elynne 
speaking. He turns to her, feeling betrayed beyond words. "Once," he says. 
"Once in the entire time you have been assigned to me, I have given you an 
order. Once. But once is too much for you where I'm concerned." And there is 
nothing more to be said there, so he turns to Darth Wyld. "Darth Wyld, thank 
you for not killing me, I apologize for losing my temper. What happens to 
this woman is none of my concern - I should have understood that before, but 
it has taken this incident for me to work it out." He flashes anger at 
Elynne once more before continuing to speak to the lord. "Be aware that she 
was instructed by Darth Cabal to serve me and to remain here, and bear it in 
mind when you expect obedience from her. My offer of good relations with the 
Krath never had anything to do with her, and still stands." The idea that he 
might say such a thing, put Elynne in such danger, would not have occurred 
to him yesterday - but now he has to salvage what he can, and that has to 
start by finding a way out of the hole he's been digging for himself.

"How interesting, Simon Farranger, that you betray your own alliances as 
soon as it is attractive to do so." Elynne purrs out- the Guildmaster has no 
idea at all what he's gotten himself into. Elynne hates few, but those that 
draw her vengeance will find it swift and without mercy. "You know why I am 
here- because you asked the Darth Cabal to give me as a gift to you. So I 
was given to you, with a mission to keep me busy. And once upon a time I was 
glad to come. But now I know what loyalty means to you, and I also know 
where I stand." Yeah. Betray the girl, that's a good way to make her be 
loyal to you. She turns to Ba'Sha, offering him the bow of the Thethu 
Military. Show some respect before speaking your mind, Stregoth. "You know 
what I am, Lord. I have not hidden anything from you thus far, and I shall 
not lie now even if it is my death. I feel I must point out- if his 
allegiance to the Thethu is so easily swayed, that he would give up his 
alliance for the hope of something more attractive and profitable, then 
perhaps his new allegiance to you might be likewise changeable. I am Thethu. 
I do owe my loyalty to Darth Cabal, and if given to you I will serve as I 
must. The loyalty I owe the Thethu will remain up until the point I am given 
away. I cannot betray that which is in the past- so if you seek a spy or 
informant I cannot be that for you. But if you wish a servant, and the Lord 
Darth Cabal, the Creator, agrees, I will do for you what I am asked to do." 
Until death and all that. Yep. So that's where she stands, take it or leave 
it. And Elynne straightens, to take what will come like the warrior she 
knows herself to be.

Ba'sha stands, heedless of the door behind him, and he straps his sword back 
underneath his cape in a quick and efficient manner. His eyes still burn so 
that it looks like his eyeballs have been replaced with pools of blood red, 
but they no longer flash out their light, "Mr. Farranger, I wish no special 
alliance with you, and I never did. I do believe this incident reflects 
badly on your self-control, and I will make a note of that." Elynne's point 
is well-considered, "However I do not believe it precludes a business 
relationship, and admittedly your Guild is the best in the business. I will 
still consider you a viable business contact, not to mention placing 
bounties with you. However do not expect more." He nods his head, might as 
well be polite, then he turns to Elynne Stregoth, "My plans for you have 
changed drastically in the past few days Hastati, beginning with an 
impressive showing in our fight. I would not ask you to inform or otherwise 
betray to me any Thethu secrets such as you mention, and indeed would slay 
you out of hand." There is /nothing/ more hated to this man than a traitor. 
"However, I must now inform Cabal of my wish to keep you on a more permanent 
basis, and we can only hope he will acquiesce." If he doesn't, Ba'Sha is 
sure he can find SOMETHING to trade for the woman, "And if you are given 
into my service," He chuckles, "And prove as steadfast, intelligent, and 
strong of will as I believe you to be. For the way will be extremely 
difficult," Indeed, "then Hastati you will be no longer, but Lady." He gives 
the military salute to a lesser, "If you succeed, House Stregoth will be 
nobility to the Sith again. Of course, if you fail on this arduous road, you 
will die. But I feel that you are prepared for this." Without really 
inviting her to come, only assuming that she will, Ba'Sha moves to the door, 
and waits with his back to Simon for the Guildmaster to open it.

"I betrayed you?" Simon asks, "Do you seriously believe that I betrayed 
YOU?" the idea is so absurd that he tilts his head back and laughs at the 
ceiling. "You betrayed me when you interfered with Darth Wyld here to free 
Naomi - the woman your masters had captured - the woman they hired me to 
capture. You betrayed me when you failed to follow the one order I have ever 
given you, to sit down and to shut up. You betrayed me, and you betrayed 
Darth Cabal when you arranged a duel with Darth Wyld to pay a price you 
couldn't pay. Don't talk to me about betrayal, traitor. And perhaps you can 
explain to me and to Darth Wyld how it is that I betrayed Darth Cabal, when 
you have no idea what the terms of our agreement are. For your information, 
Traitor Stregoth, our agreement was that I would find support within the 
Hutt organization for close dealings with the Sith - excluding the Krath was 
never part of the deal." But it looks like it's too late for that - whatever 
spell was on Simon has been shifted to the sith lord, or so it would appear. 
Pressing a button on his desk, he speaks into the intercom. "Tara, our 
guests seem to want to leave and I don't think it would be wise to try and 
keep them. See that they are allowed out without any trouble please."

Elynne starts towards the door, turning only once to speak to Simon. "You 
shall see the day when you pay for calling me traitor. I pay my debts, which 
is why I challenged for Naomi's freedom. That debt is paid. As is my debt to 
you. Serve well, Simon, for the Creator deserves to be served well. I shall 
do the same, serving those I owe allegiance to." Meaning, the Krath, should 
ownership be transferred. Thethu if it is not. Cryptic, and since Elynne's 
descended to wanting to inflict harm on Simon, that last part about serving 
well might not be so reliable. Or maybe it is- Elynne is nothing if not 
brutally honest. With that, she turns and sweeps from the room with all the 
strength she can muster. No mortal would ever see her flinch, ever see her 
bow.

Ba'sha nods his head as the doors open and Elynne strolls out with him, 
turning around a moment to actually give a full nod to Simon, "I'm sorry 
circumstances have forced us to this, perhaps another time, another place. 
When neither of us has such tremendous responsibility to shoulder." With 
that he turns, giving only a brief look at the guards still hanging around, 
and then marching past them out the door.

Simon walks over to pick up his gun from the corner where it fell and looks 
it over. At least good quality Corellian manufacturing is still the same, 
the gun isn't damaged in any way. A guard sticks his head through the door 
with a questioning look, and Simon just shakes his head in disgust and 
disappointment. Still, he bounces. This is the moment where he's hitting the 
floor, and the upward bounce is about to kick in. By the time he gets back 
to his desk, he is starting to plan - now that he'll be a bit less 
distracted he can get on with his job. And what the hell - maybe he will buy 
one of those Arkanian women.

END OF LOG