Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

Zeno had gotten Delmi's contact information from Xero, after talking with him about bug squashing for Syrush. So he called her up to see if she wanted to meet for lunch to discuss it. And to maybe get to know the new associate. He had lunch delivered to the room, and now waited while watching the news.

Delmi was led to the room in question in her dress uniform that she had changed into in preparation for the event in the evening.

She walked up towards the Duke and smiled.

Yuuup… that’s a Sith.

“Good afternoon Lord Thul. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extended her hand to shake.

He gestures to the opposite seat at the table after turning off the news. With the TV off in this room, there is the dim sound of some sort of show or movie coming from the bedroom, but it is quiet enough that it fades into the background quickly. He looks to the door and smiles, before turning his attention back to Delmi.

"Please, Zeno is fine. I haven't been a lord for a long while and I'm a Duke-Consort now which is a mouthful. Plus the pomp gets tiring, and there's going to be plenty of it this week."

The food is plated and ready, still warm from it's delivery.

She stopped, “Lord not the right term then? Yikes. They said I’m like a Lady or something now so figured that ‘Lord’ is what they called the men.”

She took a seat where directed to and replied, “You can call me Delmi. Or Koor… people do that a lot too.”

She took a good look at the spread and then her host.

Man this is trippy… Normally I’d be shooting this dude in between his eyes before he stabbed me…

“This all looks great. Thank you.”

"It's all rank and protocol stuff. But when I was a lord it was back when I was still a Sith. That's the past now," he says.

"I've heard that you were asked to help with the killik issues plaguing house Syrush. I'd like to lend a hand with that."

“I see. Well yeah… I’m lookin’ for people to go out and do some fighting with.” She replied.

“I talked with one of the members of House Syrush this morning…. Looks like there’s a bit of a population problem that is threatening to warrant a bigger response than they are comfortable with. They’re looking for help to help thin the numbers down a bit. That’s where we come in…” She paused.

“I’m guessing all that… training you had before you defected is still something you put to use now and again?”

"I don't get to put it to much practical use, honestly. But I do train and keep sharp," he says. "I spend a lot of time raising my daughters and managing some household affairs."

"Also, I didn't really defect as much as emigrate during a time of peace. But being a Republic citizen doesn't mesh well with being a Sith so I was removed from the order. Which is why the imperials here don't try to kill me for being a traitor."

"But if I can put my skills to use for the good of my house and world, I am glad to."

"I... see. Sounds kinda rough." She said with a nod.

"So... bug-killing! I spoke to Golji Bol, he gave me some readouts of what they know of the current lay of the land. I'm thinking we put together a small team. Maybe a couple of bruisers like yourself... Well 'laser swordy' type bruisers... with a couple of mid to long range support types to make sure you all don't get overwhelmed." She offered.

"You... uhh... know anybody who might be interested?"

"I'm sure there are plenty around that would be glad to help out, but the house guard and Blackguard are scheduled fully during the festival for security. We'll probably have to look outside the house for folks to help out. I noticed an old acquaintance on the guest list for this evening that I went hunting with in the past. Galen Sol? Don't know if he'd be up for it, can't speak to his schedule here. But he was pretty skilled with trap setting and the like from what I remember," he offered.

"Plus there are a few Jedi running around. They always like helping folks in need. Don't know if they'd consider working alongside me, and they may want to try and negotiating with the bugs, mistaking organization for true sentience. But a few of them are probably more practical than all that."

She nodded, "Okay... Yeah. Sounds good. I think I remember the name Galen... maybe had a drink with him once or something."

She tilted her head to think, "I'm thinking someone like... Layne Hoshin might be someone I can ask. She's uhh... usually pretty direct in her approach."

She then backtracked a bit, "I mean... I'm not opposed to convincing the bugs to leave if they can really be convinced... The dude I talked to today, however, said that he didn't know anyone who was a specialist in dealing with them."

"Layne," he ask with a wide smile. He chuckled at that, which turned into laughter, which became a bit uproarious.

After a bit he wipes a few tears from his eyes. "She's here? I can't believe she'll be excited by the prospect of fighting alongside me. Last time we fought together did not go well for us, and we never got along well even before that. Don't know if she's lost her wrath, but she's certainly a capable fighter."

He sighs to let out the last of his mirth, but still has a wide smile, shaking his head. "Wonder if it'll go bad when we meet..."

Ex-sith dramaaaaa! Probably some crazy shit... best not to ask.

"I hope it goes well... Could use good fighters. Group should be small but skilled. In and out."

He nods at that. "While there may not be experts on the killiks specifically, it might be best to see if anyone has useful information about them. Maybe a biologist or environmental scientist that studies the impact of pests? They may be able to tell us about how they build their mounds, hunt or defend their territory," he suggests.

"May not be much we can learn from them directly, but there's probably plenty that people with the mind for it have learned using aerial and satellite imagery or observation."

"I'm guessin' those types of folks would be Alderaanians. Not really people I know... You able to hunt down people like that?" She asked.

"I could ask around, but to be honest there's not a lot of trust or warmth among many Alderaanians for me," Zeno replies with a shrug. "As a Havoc Squad vet, you probably have a fair amount of distrust yourself. I could look, but I don't touch the minds of friends and comrades without permission. I've always been a proponent of trust and loyalty, even when I was a Sith."

"Havoc Squad... distrust?" She asked.

"My dad helped save this planet from uhh... Your old friends."

"Yes, distrust for me," he clarifies. "You're unit has fought well and earned plenty of victories against the Empire, so I imagine that dealing with me is not really comfortable. I don't blame anyone for that on a personal level. It would hardly be fair to be offended when people dislike me for things I did when I was a Sith."

She tilted her head, "I mean I try not to judge folks by their outward appearances... But that particular outward appearance does bring up some... colorful memories for sure."

She smiled, "I don't know like anything about you... but I'm guessin' we're on the same team for bug splatting. No real use in stabbing me in the back when there are hundreds of crazy insects swarming at us. Soo... I know I can trust you that far at least."

She takes a grape and pops it in her mouth, "I don't get all concerned about likes and dislikes really. It's a job. We do the job."

"As long as you're helping out the house we're on the same side for most things," he says with a nod. "Nothing is more important to me than my daughters and they are the future of Thul. So anyone protecting the future of Thul is a friend in my view."

She nodded, "Just here to help. That and try and figure out a bit more about my mom. She's buried out on Thul grounds and not much is known about her... Xero is looking into it for me. I'm here to be of use and figure out what I can."