Vahlen von Veiz's Office
There is a knock at the door to the office, followed by a junior army officer opening it slowly. Behind him stands Simon, and behind Simon, a corporal, holding a stun baton as if he means business. Simon smiles, and steps gently into the office. "General," he says.
Vahlen von Veiz glances up from some kind of map sprawled out on the table, held by a skull-ashtray on one corner, a spherical bottle adorned with gold designs melted onto it at the other, a half empty glass filled with light brown liquid (probably from the bottle) on the third, but the fourth corner is not weighted down and is curled up a little. The general is chewing on one end of a cigar while the other one melts slowly, sending a thin line of smoke up toward the ceiling. He narrows his eyes slightly, nodding to the junior officer, but his attention is completely focused on the man behind him. Vahlen slowly stands up from his seat, setting his hands on the edge of the table and leaning forward on them. The lieutenant's eyebrows shoot up in surprise - the General doesn't stand up to greet Colonels usually. Pfalzgraf von Veiz glances at the officer and murmurs "That is all, lieutenant." The escort nods, blushes slightly, and mumbling "Yes, sir. Right away sir..." staggers out the door, closing it behind them. The man turns his gray eyes to bear on Simon, studying him slowly and carefully. Finally Vahlen grunts and utters in a deep menacing voice "Simon Farranger, I presume?"
Grinning gently, Simon walks over to the desk, extending a hand for a handshake. "I am Simon Farranger," he says, a hint of pride in his voice. "And you must be General Von Veiz." Maintaining a confident, steady eye contact, he asks, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"
Vahlen von Veiz frowns slightly, glancing down at the offered hand. This man doesn't deserve a handshake... but the General decides to be civil. He lifts up his right hand an firmly grasps Simon's, gripping it extremely tight as he jerks it up and down twice, looking straight into the man's eyes to see how much pain he causes. Eventually Vahlen releases his grip and his fingers travel directly to his mouth, or rather to the cigar which has burned a dangerous amount of ash on its end. The General moves the cigar over the skull and taps on it lightly. The ash flutters down like dirty snow and the roll of tobacco returns to its rightful place - between the Pfalzgraf's teeth. He points to one of the chairs as he comments "You look terribly unimpressive for such a troublesome man." Considering that an adequate reply to Simon's question, Vahlen finally settles down into his own chair. He quickly removes the objects holding the map down and it rolls into a scroll. If Simon decides to be curious and looks at it, he may recognize some of the features of Cinnagar on Koros Major.... or at least the way they looked almost one hundred years ago.
STATCHECK: Simon
STAT: Strength Difficulty: Medium
.........................Failure!
STATCHECK: Vahlen von Veiz
STAT: Strength Difficulty: Medium
.........................Failure!
Simon grins as the general takes his hand and squeezes it hard, although finds that the general's strength is greater than expected when he tries for a counter-squeeze. Smiling, he takes a seat in the chair, being careful not to hit his left leg against anything, then shrugs at the general's opening comment. "I'm a very unimpressive man," he replies with a grin, "Although I'm not without uses. As for trouble, I'm not sure I want to comment on that without my lawyer." Glancing at the map the general is rolling up, Simon thinks it must be the tactical plan for the next inter-force laserball championship.
Vahlen von Veiz smirks and shakes his head "You don't need your lawyer. I may not have met you before, but I know all about you. Since Captain Ajalae dragged you in here, there has been an interrogation fiasco, an attack on my tower, a kidnapping of my staff member, and a brawl in a bar. That's not counting the actual crime for which you were here in the first place." The general lifts up the glass and takes a large gulp out of it, closing his eyes for a second as the strong liquor burns down his throat and warms his stomach. A deep pull from the cigar completes the picture and the man in the biggest chair in the room relaxes. He blows out a smoke ring and watches it rise to the ceiling slowly, dissipating along the way. Still looking up, Vahlen adds quietly "You are arguably the most bothersome prisoner in the past century."
Simon shrugs and raises his hands in a gesture of surrender. "It's strange isn't it? I'm unimpressive, but hugely unpopular at the same time - although all of these incidents can be traced back to the same cause - Darth Malign wants me dead, and has proven he will stop at nothing." Grinning, he says, "Of course if keeping me locked up is the problem you say it is, I'm sure we can settle out of court."
Vahlen von Veiz looks back down at Simon and quirks an eyebrow "Why do you think you are here?"
Simon grins. "Aha, you don't like Sampson either?" After a quick laugh, he continues, "Well, he scares me, and I'm his client." Smiling broadly, he says, "So, what did you have in mind?"
Vahlen von Veiz frowns slightly and mumbles "Who's Sampson?" He puffs on his cigar again and suddenly the name surfaces in the back of his mind "Oh, right, the lawyer." The General smirks as he shakes his head "No, I don't really care about him. But you do seem to be a magnet for trouble, whether from this Darth who's after you, or anything else." Pfalzgraf von Veiz stares at Simon for a few quiet moments, wondering about the real identify of the man. Slowly he returns his attention to the matter at hand "If we keep you in custody here, there will probably be more attempts at your life and more of -my- people will get hurt. The courts..." Vahlen pauses to sigh unhappily "...the worst they will do is send you to some colony world to die from a virus transmitted by a mosquito." Pfalzgraf cringes "That kind of insignificant death I would only wish upon two people in the whole Galaxy. But anyway..." Vahlen pauses again. He seems to be fighting some kind of internal struggle with his own ethics. He puffs on the cigar some more and croaks out "...from what I have been told, you volunteered to help us rescue Captain Ajalae. Is that correct?" The General leans forward slightly, hoping to sense a lie if the man attempts one. That doesn't always take a Jedi.
Simon smiles softly to himself as the general tells his story. He is tempted to tell Vahlen that the inevitable result of a court case would be the destruction of Rohan's career, but bites his tongue. "Yes," he answers, "The captain is a fine officer, with a strong streak of humanity." After pausing a moment, he says, "If you ask her, you'll also find that I was willing to pay twenty thousand of my own money to secure her release, not to mention my effort to stop her from killing herself when Malign came for me in person." He shrugs, "I may be scum, general, but I'm a decent kind of scum."
Vahlen von Veiz pffts at Simon "That is an oxymoron. You are either a decent being or you are a scum bag." He reaches up to scratch his goatee lightly, still fighting that internal battle before speaking "I am not sure what your true motivation with helping Kastanje was. Maybe you just want to impress her and get her in the sack..." Vahlen shrugs slightly "...but it's really none of my business. The fact is, you helped to rescue a member of my staff, and since I am a decent man, born and raised to a noble family with strong values of chivalry and honor, I feel obliged to return the favor somehow." The General leaves out the fact that the Jedi have been practically begging him to show mercy for the 'wonderful' thing the criminal did. Pfalzgraf inhales from his cigar again and drops off more ash into the skull. It gives him time to compose himself and look Simon straight in the eyes as he makes the proposal "I have cut a deal with the DA handling your case. All charges will be dropped if you will tell us why you decided to return to Republic space to stand trial? You could have easily remained hidden on your neutral crime-ridden chunks of rock, yet you chose to face justice. What is so vital to you in Republic space?"
Simon grins back at Vahlen in response to the question. "What is there for me in republic space? You mean, besides good-looking medical officers?" laughing gently, he shrugs, "If you had cast-iron case, wouldn't you want to clear your good name? Besides, I'm staying at the Excelsior now, as a guest of my lawyers - there's no way that I'd be able to afford that kind of luxury if I had to pay for it myself."
Vahlen von Veiz frowns as he lifts up his glass and sips some more of the liquor. As the glass makes its way back to the table, the General grumbles "I don't buy it. I do not know who you are or what you do, but there's something about your cocky attitude that makes me think you're more then you say." Vahlen leans back in his chair and points an accusatory finger at Simon "You would not have come back for a trial if you didn't think there was something in it for you. Since most criminals usually dislike the 'awards' they get in court, there must have been something really important that you would risk a long sentence in prison for." The General stops before a rude demand escapes him. After all, the Army are not as pushy as Intell.
Simon shrugs, "Well, there's revenge - not that revenge is really a big deal for me, but I don't particularly appreciate it when someone comes into my cell and tries to murder me. Seeing that Intel officer go to jail would be satisfying." He shrugs, "Then of course there's the million credits that Sampson wants to extort from you, and the fact that I really do have a cast-iron case." Shaking his head with a grin he says, "I'm not taking a risk, this case is safer than crossing the street."
Vahlen von Veiz laughs quietly "You depend on the law too much, Simon. Law is nothing but a scribble on paper. In real life, laws can be bent or even broken to suit one's needs. I'm sure you know that all too well." The General leans forward to deposit more burnt tobacco into the skull as he releases the smoke from his lungs through his nostrils. As the Pfalzgraf leans back, he grins a devilish smile "Now there are two teams of prosecutors and judges waiting for you. One will make sure you rot on a forsaken planet, no matter who shot you or who defends you. The other team is just waiting for an order to sign your release papers. I am the only one to give such order." Vahlen squints his eyes and leans toward the man on the opposite side of the desk "Now, Simon Farranger, I'm sure you understand that it is in your best interests to tell me the real reasons for your desire to be on the good side of Republic law and law enforcement agencies."
Simon shrugs, and raises his hands in that familiar gesture of surrender. "I don't want a fight with you, but I'm sure as space not going to walk away from it. Any republic Intel officer who shoots me and receives five thousand credits from a known Sith front organization deserves everything he gets." He looks Vahlen in the eye as he says this, curious as to how the general will react, but decides to keep talking. "There's nothing more I can say - I like having freedom of movement, and I want my name in the clear." Shrugging, he concludes, "Then again, are you trying to get me to admit that I have dealings with Jendai the Hutt? I do, although I'm not exactly in love with the giant slug."
Vahlen von Veiz quirks an eyebrow slightly. This is something the Lizard didn't mention in his report. Very carefully Vahlen probes into the matter. He smiles sweetly and purrs "Republic Intel on Sith payroll?" A quiet laugh as the General leans back in his seat "Come on! That organization isn't a front for anything. We're talking about the same one, right?" He puffs on his cigar, hoping he sounded convincing enough for Simon to mention the name of the organization. The Pfalzgraf thinks about the mention of the Hutt for a few moments and shakes his head slowly "Your dealings with the crime lord do not interest me. Lots of people associate with him, I can't arrest every single one. Although..." Vahlen grins slightly "...knowing a point man for Jendai might be useful. We'll definitely keep in touch after you are released." Now it's the General's turn to curiously examine Simon for the reaction to the last statement.
Simon smiles as Vahlen misses the point of his comment about Rohan, but answers the second matter first. "Well, I don't know that you could call me his point man, but Jendai has invested a lot in getting me out of jail, especially now that his family's law firm is involved." Shrugging, he continues, "I've been instructed to visit him the moment I get out, and I'd say he has something in mind. Of course, I'm not very bright, and I have a big mouth, so he should be careful what he says to me." After that last comment, he gazes meaningfully at the general, then decides to explain about Rohan. "Intel isn't being paid for by the Sith, but Rohan is - Sampson ordered a raid on Corellian Miscellaneous Goods, a known Sith front organization. Their records show that they paid Rohan five thousand credits two days after he shot me."
Vahlen von Veiz chuckles and shakes his head "Your lawyers is a very good story-teller for sure. Sith front organization..." The General keeps on chuckling as he makes a mental note to get some of his people working on the matter. As for Simon... Vahlen sighs deeply as he takes the last puff of the cigar, dropping a small remainder into the skull, letting it burn out by itself. "You are a confusing, confused, and once again - troublesome man, Simon. I do not wish to overload our courts with pointless people such as yourself, so I will sign an order to have all the charges against you dropped. You are free to go..." suddenly the General gets very serious. He narrows his eyes and leans forward slightly as he growls "...but I will keep an eye on you, so be sure to behave. Or else."
Simon smiles and raises his hands in surrender once more. "I can behave, I think I've been doing OK on that score lately." Breathing deeply, he wonders why it is that he found that 'or else' so scary - then realizes that this is the man who controls the largest military in the galaxy. "Pointless and irrelevant, that's me," he grins, hiding his fear behind a humorous mask. "Thank you for your time, general, I assume this means that I am free to go?"
Vahlen von Veiz nods slightly and makes an annoyed wave gesture with his right hand, as if trying to get rid of the mosquito "Yes, yes, have a good day. Stay out of trouble.." the General can't help but add "..and away from my medics."
Simon rises to his feet, and decides not to try for a parting handshake. "I'll try, general," he says, then turns and walks to the door, where he turns fully around while opening it. "Of course, I will be wanting to see your medics if somebody shoots me again - sometimes I think I'd be safer on Tattooine." Grinning, he steps backward into the doorway.
Vahlen von Veiz smirks and shakes his head as he lifts up his glass and quickly down the remaining liquor. The General sighs and reaches for the scrolled map lying on the edge of the table.