Chapter 3: Archaic

[Mara 29]

The man was just about to look through his ship's computer after he finished resupplying, when he noticed he had a message. Strange, he thought. No one knew about his mission, except for those people he questioned. Maybe someone had remembered something. More excited than he had been in quite a long time, he quickly decrypted the message and played it.

A small 10-centimeter holoprojection appeared before him. It was a man in his early 30s, with stark blonde hair that almost looked white in the bluescale image before him. He was dressed informally in a nondescript flight suite. Despite this, it was obvious from his bearing that he had been, or still might be, military. Though perhaps a bit relaxed, as he sat with his booted feet on his desk.

He cleared his throat, waiting for the image to speak first.

"Lieutenant Race Bannon, at your service. You wanted to speak to me Mr...." he glanced at something out of view a moment. "Mr. Hyton Zaqa, is it?"

The man blinked slightly before remembering the persona he had been touting around Coruscant. "Yes, thank you. You have information for me?"

Lt. Bannon chuckled. "Ah. Yes. I may." He quickly leaned forward, his feet hitting the floor with a thunk. "But I much prefer face contact. Is there somewhere I can meet you? Somewhere... exotic?" He grinned. "I am on leave, after all. Very hard missions. I need relaxation."

The man resisted a groan and smiled tightly back. "Let me see what is in the area..."

* * * * *

Kaden looked up from the datapad he was studying and cocked his head. He stood up, "I think someone is at the door. I'll go check it out."

He nodded to his companions before taking his leave of the former parlor and current information headquarters to walk down the hall towards the foyer and the front door.

Once there, he discovered the housekeeper, Selah Xol, helping two familiar figures: Jaim and Jya. Kaden walked up to them and smiled. "It's good to see you again." He dismissed the housekeeper and turned back to his squadmates. "We're just down the hall," he gestured. "If you'll follow me?"

[Ender 8]

"Be happy to," Jaim replied, following behind Kaden and Jya down the hall. "How are things going?"

[Mara 29]

If they were surprised to see him at the estate, Jaim and Jya sure didn't show it. For that, Kaden was glad. "We're trying to get inside Deign's head, following a lead. So--"

He would have added more, about how things didn't seem to be going far at all, but they had reached the room they were using for their mini HQ.

"Lieutenant, we have visitors..." Kaden said in the doorway before making his way back to his seat.

[Andy 60]

Aston and Arlan's airtaxi arrived outside Brier's home after what seemed like the longest ride ever. They paid the horrendously expensive fare and quickly left the vehicle.

Aston sprinted towards the door of Brier's house and burst in without knocking, causing the shocked housekeeper to drop what looked like it had been an expensive vase, "Flight Officer Kendall, Revenant 6," he blurted out his identification, "where is everyone? This is urgent!"

[Rogue 4]

"Officers Orson, Adarra." Nat stood as they entered the room. Nobody was supposed to report here unless it was urgent. Fortunatly they were the only two in their group, and neither appeared injured. "Is everything okay?"

[Drake 53]

Once breakfast had finished, Deign pressed a button on his desk. A multi-limbed humanoid droid appeared a minute later, gathered up the breakfast dishes then went off to clean them.

Afterward, Deign directed the women into the main living area of his suite where he ordered a couple children's holoprograms from the HoloNet. Layla and Ayana sat curled up under a blanket at one end of an expansive and expensive form-molding couch while Sena sat at the other end, knees folded up under her chin as she pretended to pay attention to the show while brooding.

Deign had seated himself in his comforter chair and spent much of the holoproj thinking about what he was going to do.

Layla isn't coming around and probably never will, he thought. Why was I so foolish to imagine otherwise? Sena...she will never forgive me either. I should probably just kill them both and be done with it. Ayana can never know...she will need me when they are gone.

A small frown crossed his face. He would no doubt feel sorrow after their death but that would pass with time, as will Ayana's memories of them. She was still so young, afterall, and time has a way of blurring and forgetting.

Yes, he would sit through the day once again, pretending to try to be the good father. The good brother. The good man. He would continue to weave the lies so that Ayana would turn to him in the end.

Once the program ended, he grinned and clapped his hands. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it, Ayana? How about another one?"

[Rogue 4]

"Yes please!" Ayana rocked back and forth on her mother's lap, the holoshows easily making the child forget the tension going on in adult world around her.

Layla wondered who could have gotten themselves captured. If it was somebody from the squadron, somebody coming after her she really hoped that it was someone who could handle Archaic's methods until everyone else found the place, like the Captain, or the Lieutenant, (Strange, with that came the funny mental image of the blue skinned Twi'lek lecturing the guards on propper torture ettiquete) or Jya, Attuarre or Tak. Tak, he would probably show them who was boss. She really hoped that if someone had been captured it wasn't Aston, or Arlan. The two of them would probably break faster and harder than bone.

Really though, she just hoped none of them had been captured. But if one of them had...it meant that they were searching for her, and they were close to finding her, and that brought her hope.

What a confused galaxy she lived in.

She looked over her shoulder at Deign, and something in his violet eyes startled her. Her mouth went dry. She set Ayana on the couch, kissing her on the forehead before rising from her seat.

[Drake 53]

Deign started the next holoproj, an older program about Ewoks helping a couple human children find their parents. The production quality was poor but Ayana seemed interested. Deign didn't care a whole lot about it.

He looked at Layla and found her looking over at him and starting to stand. He raised an eyebrow and mouthed "What?"

[Rogue 4]

"Nothing." Layla said, shaking her head and trying to hide the sudden unease she'd felt. "I'm just going to get a drink." She said, heading for the kitchen.

[Drake 53]

Deign smiled. "Oh, well in that case, I'll take a cup of caf. The caf machine should already have a pot ready. Dearest sister, would you like anything to drink?"

Sena glared over at him and uttered, "I would rather drink from the entrails of a dead rancor than have anything offered by you."

He held a hand to his heart in feigned hurt. "Ouch. Well then it's a good thing Layla is getting them."

The young woman raised a lip in a half-scowl. "Well...I guess I'll have water."

Deign smiled again and looked back up at Layla. His voice lowered, he said, "Watch out for the poison in the recooler. I keep it at the back." He winked then turned back to the program. "Ayana, sweetie, would you like your mommy to get you something to drink?"

[Rogue 4]

"Don't worry, I know what she likes." Layla said, the remark clearly meant to point out that she was the parent who had been there for the girl. She had bristled as he ordered her around. The Gammorean wanted caf, he'd get it.

She sauntered into the kitchen, looking behind her to make sure nobody was looking. Quickly, she removed a knife from the wooden holder. It was small, but all she'd really need. She slid the small blade into the back of her boot. She then started the caf machine, and got a glass of water for herself and Sena, and the only kind of juice that Deign had went to Ayana.

Deign hadn't changed a bit. He still kept his pills in one of the kitchen cabinets. When the coffee was ready, she dropped a few sleeping pills in, letting them disolve in the strong caf. Then she put the drinks on a droid serving tray to carry out for everyone.

Edited October 2, 2008 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

Before Layla could make it out of the kitchen, however, a metallic arm reached out from behind and grabbed hold of her shoulder. It was not forceful, merely enough to stop her from going further.

When she turned, Layla came face-to-face with a gleaming silver protocol droid. The hand used to grab her shoulder dropped down to the side of the machine while the other pointed directly at her stomach. The end of its index finger had split and drawn open, revealing a beam emitter. A red dot was shining on her stomach where the droid was pointing.

"That is a ZX-5 micropulse laser beam emitter aimed at your midsection. Powerful enough to transform your innards into vapour. My master has placed me here to monitor activity within his suite and stop any unwanted violence from transpiring. I am afraid the small cutting utensil in your left boot qualifies as potential violence. Please remove the weapon immediately or face summary death."

[Rogue 4]

"Leave it to Deign to have homicidal droids mulling about his residence." Layla murmured, placing the serving tray on the countertop before reaching down in her boot and removing the small knife. Droids, the one weakness in her beautifully manipulated world. "Here you go sweetness. Y'know, you really should go trade in that that beam emitter for a personality. Or some serving arms."

Edited October 2, 2008 by Drake

[Drake 53]

The droid took the knife with its free hand. "I am here for security purposes. I require few personality subroutines for I rarely interact with anyone. I do not require serving arms because that is not my function."

"You're absolutely right, TeeCee," Deign said, appearing in the doorway behind Layla. "You merely stand watch. Innocuous and inconspicuous. Nobody ever imagines a killer protocol droid." He walked around Layla to the droid's side, which handed the knife to him.

Immediately, he grabbed Layla by the hair and swung her around so that he was holding her from behind, knife pressed against her throat. He practically growled into her ear. "Do you think I'm a moron? No more games, lover. If you try this sort of stunt again I will take this knife and split open your spine in front of my daughter!" He lowered the knife and pushed her towards T-C, a smirk crossing his face. "Afterall, who better to teach how to stab someone in the back than her own mother?"

The droid placed a hand on her shoulder while pointing the one bearing the laser emitter at the side of her head.

"No need for that yet, TeeCee," Deign said. "I think we've come to an understanding. Right, Layla?"

Edited October 2, 2008 by Drake

[Rogue 4]

"That little fruit knife there, was there for protection, so don't go spinning a loop pastry, babe." Layla's expression was midway between a glare and a nerf in headlights as the droid held the weapon near her head. She shook off the metalic hand, forcing her gaze away from that malicious violet stare. She forced her stomach out of her chest, fear for herself and her daughter pounding through her veins.

She knew that the weapon had been to defend herself if he tried to attack. She already knew from their encounter yesterday that she couldn't kill him. She didn't have the nerve, and hated herself for it. If she had killed him then, Ayana and Sena would be safe now.

"What do you want from me, Deign? You, stop the games. I'm tired of trying to connect the navpoints in you're crazy luna-weed chewing world."

[Drake 53]

Deign couldn't help but laugh. "Protection? My dear, whatever could you need protection from? If I had wanted you dead, your corpse would already be floating in the sewers." His eyes narrowed and he took a step closer to Layla. "I had you tracked down and brought here out of some sort of hopeless dream that perhaps you could come around but I think I've come to realize that is...impossible. What I want from you, I now have. I have Sena and my daughter. I have plenty of information on this Revenant Squadron of yours for Mr. Skirata to track them down." His eyes darted to the ceiling as he remembered the information Layla had entered in the message she was about to send before Cale had stopped her. "Captain Tunon, Lieutenants Riamor and Beskar, Captain Fae of Intelligence."

He took another step closer, practically toe-to-toe with Layla now, looking down at her. His anger was strong now and he didn't try to hide it. "You need not worry for the safety of Ayana. I would let no harm come to my daughter. I would be more worried about your safety and that of Sena because, as I see it, you've both outlived your usefulness and only serve as a distraction, an irritant, and a drain on my personal resources. You have two options: tell me something useful and I'll prolong your life or continue being your damned stubborn and insolent self and I'll take both you and Sena down to the interrogation cells and beat you to death with a pipe."

Deign took two steps back. He stood tall and brushed some stray hairs out of his face. Looking infinately more calm and very Imperial, he said, "You were right when you said that I was playing games. As you can see, I'm not any more. I'm tired of them. Tired of lying to myself that you can somehow come back and we can be like we were before. No, that moment of foolishness has passed." He picked his caf off the tray, carried it to the sink, and dumped the contents down the drain. He then refilled the mug with fresh, undrugged caf. He took a sip, sighing as the scalding hot liquid made its way down his throat. Seeming almost content now, he smiled at Layla and said, "If you won't tell me anything then perhaps I can get it from your friend down in holding. What did you call him? Tak, was it?"

[Rogue 4]

Her eyes went wide, and she felt her heart skip a beat at that name. He was baiting her for a reaction. He didn't have Tak, but the fact that he had names meant that she was playing a losing game. "You're lying." Layla said simply in response. She wasn't going to let him bait her like this.

[Drake 53]

"Are you so certain that I am?" he asked. Of course he was. He had no idea who Jaing had captured. Of course, there was a chance that it was someone from her squadron come to try and rescue her. Events that had transpired over the past couple days pointed to that much. The attack on and subsequent destruction of the andris receiving port and processing plant, the deaths of over a dozen Crimson Daggers, reports of wiretapping and spybugs monitoring key Archaic allies and contacts, the raid on Groola's Place -- although that one seemed more like anti-Imperial insurgants than anything -- and now the capture of a man who fought his way past armed guards straight to the hidden underground entrance of the Archaic base. It was all too convenient to be anything but a covert New Republic strike against his empire.

[Rogue 4]

"Yes, I am." She strode over to him in three steps and poked a finger to his chest. "If you had a New Republic breach in here, you'd be doing something a little more than watching children's holoshows and harassing your former lover."

[Drake 53]

Deign grabbed the hand she was poking him with and twisted it hard, dangerously close to the point of breaking it. "Do not mistake this fa?ade for inactivity." He pushed a little harder. "And do not presume that you have any rights or freedoms within these walls. Any more of this bravado and I'll do worse than give you a sore wrist." He let her arm go then smiled once again, as if the exchange had never happened. "Now, let's go back and enjoy the movie and our drinks. I'll give you some time to think about what we've talked about."

Without waiting for a response, he opened the door out of the kitchen and walked back into the living room, caf mug in hand. The droid T-C remained motionless behind Layla, staring at her with robotic indifference. The laser finger remained pointed at her as if in anticipation for her to try anything.

When Deign returned to his seat, both Sena and Ayana looked at him. The former glaring daggers and the latter with a questioning stare. "She'll be along in a moment," he said, smiling.

[Rogue 4]

Layla rubbed at her wrist, staring down at the floor and leaning back against the counter as she took in that encounter. She was in high water, she knew that much. So either she was going to have to give him information, or start relaxing onto his side, start accepting her position here. At least in his eyes.

As far as she was concerned, she'd already given him enough information.

She closed her gray eyes, thinking. "You can put that weapon away, TeeCee. I'm not going to do anything."

If she did, she knew she would be endangering everyone.

She needed to think, focus, relax. She needed to stop acting like the paranoid person he made her, and start acting like normal, fun-loving Layla. And she needed to get Sena to lighten up too. Being Deign's sister wouldn't protect her from him. No more than it ever had.

With these thoughts in mind, she carried the tray of drinks out to the girls, forcing herself to relax so her pheromones would carry the same ease. Stang it though, her wrist hurt. She stode past Deign's chair, handing Ayana her cup carefully. "There you go sweetie. Careful holding that." She smiled at her daughter, bringing Sena her drink and setting her own down on the endtable. She massaged Sena's shoulders gently for a second, the clearest way she could tell her without words to relax, and ease up on the hostility. She hoped the girl got the hint.

[Ender 8]

"We've got a lead on Archaic's location. The nature reserve on the south side, there's a holoprojector disguising the entrance. And before you ask, unfortunately, I think we have to trust this. Nery is the most nervous being I have ever met in my life, but his info has never let me down. Been less than descriptive, yes, but it's always been a step in the right direction," Jaim reported.

[Rogue 4]

Nat blinked his yellow eyes in surprise. "That would explain why nobody has been able to locate it so far."

That might just have been the break they needed. "We'll need to verify the information of course. Unless it's a completely reliable source, we'll treat it as a lead and not as absolute fact. I want the two of you to take your speeder and scout out the location. Don't get close, just see if you can read the holosignal."

[Ender 8]

"Can do. Have you come up with anything else?"

[Rogue 4]

"Only the name of a high ranking Archaic member." Nat told him, frowning. "Cale Sano. Everything else has been a dead end so far. You should both get going. The sooner we know if this lead is acurate, the sooner we can plan an attack."

Edited October 4, 2008 by Rogue