[@Honesty Crow]


			[b]Pestage's Folly[/b]



[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D1xljfMX4AAjXY4.jpg[/img]

For the briefest of moments the woman went silent, her eyes flickering at the mention of the Bothan's clan name and things began to fall into place. He'd played her, not for his benefit entirely, though it was clear he derived a great deal of amusement from her reaction. His mind erratic as it was spoke for an order in the chaos and Miryia declined to probe further, not wanting to risk what almost always happened when she tried to read the minds of the uninitiated (and even some who were) into the mysteries of force craft. She laughed, it might have been the only genuine laugh she'd laughed in a long age. "Vas'Ah, I begin to understand why you're among the few nonhumans in Imperial leadership" she inclined her head to the side, as if acknowledging his game and she straightened slightly, a serpent infurling its hood so that one who earned the right to gaze might get a better look. "I knew your clan, not entirely personally, but your reputation was well earned before the Thousand years war." As a Padawan both her and her master were assigned to protect a Bothan Senator of that clan, his rhetoric and his relentlessness against his political enemies had admittedly inspired some of her later movements against the Sith. 


As phasma was introduced and bowed, the Arkanian's smile constricted into a smirk. "You've trained this one well, though I thought she was a product of our genetic engineering until I came close enough to take in her scent, she's baseline human..Albeit remarkable for the ordinary." It was then the topic shifted to Pestage and Miryia's eyes grew slightly harder, she'd planned on accusing him of knowing there was a forged relic and sending them out to die. It was a good line to lead with if predictable, but perhaps he opened additional doors? And other vectors? His eyes seemed to catch what she was thinking, ever a student of body language were Bothans as it was their way to know how to manipulate the people they wished to manipulate. Knowing this she allowed a nod in confirmation and opted not to debase his intelligence by lying to him but to lead with the truth and her own insights. "I am the only one who can refute the lies that wrinkled, prune of a malcontented reprobate is likely spinning to cover for the fact that he sent the remnants of the Five Hundred and First, Admiral Karius and myself out there under escorted because he expected it would be depressingly easy to abscond with the Holocron. And if by mischance a fleet of terrorist trash from Alliance space entered our vicinity, well it was no loss." To say nothing, she thought; of the fact that both he and that aged, chandrillan tart were both made to look absolutely foolish by whomever among the three who arrived that had truly stolen the holocron. 

The Rebels looked worse, for it was on their watch the fraud took place, for after hearing what the bartender said she knew they had the genuine article once before. "Walk with me, if that diseased, hoodrat and his flock of garbage eaters believe they can use this to deprive the Remnant of proper soldiers and deny me then they are fools far more deserving of a beating than that wretched beast you sent to retrieve me is..." 

Miryia moved forward, the fabric trailing around and behind her giving the impression she slithered more than walked. One of her hands twitched, she'd held herself in check and played the dutiful subordinate for far too long and it was clear she was chafing on her self imposed chains. 

Making it clear she wanted blood.

She'd nearly flown up the steps and made it halfway through the great hall of the Senate building before the other two caught up to her. Before them several Stormtroopers in crimson motioned to stop her "sorry Master Janus, we were given orders that only the director and his...." the trooper stopped talking the moment his gaze fell on the Arkanian's, the hall seemed to grow smaller around him, the air stuffy and took a breath "Are you his guest?"

A slight nod was all the confirmation he needed to justify giving into the terror he began to feel and the doors opened. To the guards surprise, Miryia allowed Raveem to enter beside her, the only an inch or so of space ahead of him, which was an odd thing. In the two months that she'd attended these meetings she allowed none of her escorts or those who were part of the meetings but walked in with her to be fewer than ten paces behind her. 


As they moved closer to the archway leading to the former Senate chamber where they gathered before entering the main Senate Hall, she could hear the bickering already and laughed derisively. The pathetic scavengers didn't even have enough of to fill a qaurter of the Senate chamber and so bartered and bickered like back alley thugs haggling over spice prices, the sterility of prostitutes or the availability of Deathsticks. 


And soon a new sound emerged over the fray, her contemptuous laughter that rose like a hiss, brimming with venom and a sort of madness that many wrote about but few understood. 


"Ah, Admiral Karius!" Grand Admirals Grant and Tigellinus, who looked like they would rather be attending one of the balls going on in orbit at one of the Sky palaces finally perked up as the odd trio entered. Miryia threw her arms open in a cross like manner, her cloak flowing behind her, casting a hooded shadow about the room. "I came, because Director-General Raveem here was so kind as to warn me that you were in danger! But I see no threat to you here" Her voice grew cold, its melodies wove from their usual formality into something more potent, commanding and condemnatory. "I do see a great many vultures! I look about me and see" she turned her head now eying some Moff's "The weak" her gaze leveled to several others and two Generals "The feckless" again her eyes shifted towards those born of lower class "The Help"

And then she turned to Sate Pestage "And the absurd" she spoke the last part loudly, her voice echoed through the room in challenge.

But she wasn't so provincial as to challenge his authority, no as far as she was concerned the matter of his right to rule was decided, her inflection made it clear she was hitting him low and outright questioning his mental capacities. As if to say he was too cognitively impaired to rule more than a tablet and some coloring lazers and perhaps a toy speeder or two.