Despite the praise and titles his master and maker heaped upon him, Highsinger's response was to simply put his left arm across his chest and do a short bow. While it seemed a rather muted reaction, especially coming from someone of Miriya's pedigree and one with accolades as hers; this was the only time the infamous bounty hunter would show anything resembling respect and adoration that came from the bottom of whatever passed for a heart in his drives that wasn't wholly for the sake of protocol and proper courtesy. He was no archaic murder-automaton after all, he had standards and sophistication.

[b][i]"It is good as well to see you again."[/i][/b]

From her spot beside Invictus Janus, Aladar nearly let out a breath of shock. Highsinger assassination droids were rare, they were antiques and notoriously disrespectful and mouthy. "The" Highsinger, the special one who'd allegedly survived in the most dangerous of games for centuries was even more so. The infamous Droid was more like an urban legend she'd heard repeated on ecumenopolis, after ecumenopolis. Whispered about in Hutt bazaars and bordellos and the few remaining Highsinger models were often conflated for the original. But seeing him bow before her master only reinforced the sensation she'd felt ever since that fateful day when they'd found a ship floating in the void. 

Destiny moves us.

"You must tell me sometime, of all that you've done over the last two thousand years. I've read the history books, but it scarce does the events justice. Written as they were, by small minded, provincial fools seeking to ingratiate themselves to the catamites who replaced me on the Jedi High Council or the worthless fops of House Valorum or this...drug mad imbecile Sidious" she'd made a dismissive gesture with her left hand before her arms rested again behind her back over her waist. Her eyes, brimmed with the same fervor Aladar had seen in the hours after the coup against Sate Pestage. This was providence, a victory in her mind as well. 

Her master was going to speak again but one of the few Crimson guard she allowed in her presence cleared his throat causing her to turn her head at an incline, sneering at him for his impertinence. "Forgive  me Invictus Janus, but  Admiral Rae Sloane wishes to speak to you"

Aladar watched as her master's left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly at the mention of the Rank of Admiral. -was she truly that bad?- the apprentice thought, she'd worked with Sloane only once before as she was hunting some renegade Jedi. She seemed competent, if a bit pretentious, though it was pretension of a different sort. As if the low class origin of her birth and the tits made her somehow special. It was different from the typical humanocentric arrogance, a sort of victimized sense of entitlement that the ex drug addict and sex slave recognized for the danger it was.

Still though. 

A simpleton who discovered the universe sucked and lashed out by demanding special attention be given to her combat achievements solely because being female and "disenfranchised" made it somehow superior to the achievement of others still made her better than most of the drug addicts, maniacs and thugs who represented the Admiralty.

Her master, let out a sigh, her body swaying in a way that it appeared as though a great serpent had just let loose a hiss. "Very well, come both of you, we need to be departing this planet any way. Shame that, I rather enjoyed the sun"

As did I, Aladar thought. "Duty calls" she lamented, allowing herself a full two seconds before adding in her quip. Miryia had begun to allow her more freedom to speak, to act as more than just her shadow and even expressed pride in her progress at times but she wasn't about to test those limits, just yet any way.

"Indeed" Janus responded with a soft chuckle. "In truth I'd hoped to return here after our mission, this planet has had an affect on your senses and your body. You're healing, your strength is growing, responding the abundance of life".

But there would be other agriworlds and perhaps, if her apprentice didn't disgrace herself or worse, Miryia's charity. She'd return with a legion of trainees all her own. -I've become attached to this one, I hadn't expected that given her upbringing. That she could move me so at all makes her worthy of it though-.

Still, Miryia wasn't in the business of taking in whores for the sake of the whores. This one, earned it.

Taking note of his master's naked display of displeasure at the very mention of this "Admiral Rae Sloane", Highsinger held his vocoder and his judgement for the time being. There were many, many beings that Miriya saw as inferior and worth less than the dirt she stood over, thus her reaction wasn't exactly a precise indicator of who exactly this Rae Sloane was; but given that it is clearly a woman's name and an imperial admiral at that, logic dictates that she's self-important, entitled and with an over-inflated sense of achievement that they would base their entire identity around. Exactly like the usual sorts that held that title in the navy, but perhaps to an even greater degree due to the fact that the Empire as a whole was a male-dominated institution and for a woman to have made it to a flag rank? The Droid's processors temporarily lagged as it attempted to calculate how many "under the table" dealings this Rae Sloane made with superior officers.

She'd made the walk to the the crimson and black Dreadnaught class cruiser, in silence. Though, less contemplative and more simply, allowing her senses to embrace the vibrancy of the planet one last time before they'd begun their departure. "Coruscant is a cornucopia of sentient life, but it was always rare for a Jedi of the High Council to truly enjoy the sensation of a more..diverse biome" Or the raw material she thought, sentient beings made for poor raw material to regenerate tissue and prolong lives, this she figured was why the Sith who performed such profane rituals as opposed to sapping the lives from animals or plants ended up degenerating mentally after repeated revivals or restorations using sentient life. 

It was one of the main reasons why she avoided it entirely after that event long ago. Beyond them, regular army and crew began packing up all the tents and kits, moving the water processors and kitchen gear into the vessels cargo bays. Storm troopers began to assist, ruefully as children dreading a return to class from a long vacation.

The command bridge went silent as they entered, many turning to look upon the Highsinger droid while others couldn't help but notice both master and Apprentice looked stronger, healthier somehow. It was also rare, for Invictus Janus to be dressed so..casually in front of anyone. She was barely wearing anything but silk robes and was entirely barefoot as she'd been outside. Bone white hair fell loose about her shoulders as if she was intending to make a statement about how vexatious this call was.

On the main compod a fully colorized holo image manifested itself of a dark skinned woman with really wild, puffy hair that was held backwards in a makeshift pony tail that hair such as hers was simply not designed for. Atop her head was an Admirals cap, barely resting on her scalp due to said hair. Brown eyes flashed with fear, concern and more than a bit of fire. She feared the Jedi, anyone who witnessed what she could do would be a fool not too, but there was respect interspersed with it and she wasn't so weak as to let that fear override her good sense. 

"Pontifex Invictus Janus"

"Admiral Rae Sloane"

Both stated their titles as matter of fact as possible, both held a hint of cordiality in it as though they were congratulating each other on recent promotions. But where Sloane's seemed genuine if misplaced (she seemed more happy that a non human and a fellow female rose so high, which Aladar could sense was an attitude offended her master beyond measure). The tone of the Jedi was pure formality "Sub Director General Raveem inquires as to your location"

"I shall be arriving on Coruscant in six hours" The edge of her lips curled ever so lightly.

Coy little Cervid.

Sloane's eyes narrowed on the droid "Your retinue grows it seems..."

Miryia raised an eyebrow, now that was unacceptable. Displeasure, openly especially. Was something very few sentients had the station or value to dare. "Effrontery is unbecoming of you, Admiral Sloane" 

"Effrontery, Invictus Janus, you are not part of the chain of command for the Stellar Navy and-"

For a second she seemed to hesitate, a murderous look came over the violet eyes of the Jedi and Rae was convinced she might have possessed the means to act on it. Still, she'd come too far, despite her gender and background to let some high born, privileged inner princess, war hero or not. dismiss her like that.

Highsinger returned the unpleasant look, having determined that his master's distaste was entirely justified at the mere sight of the "Admiral's" mangy mane of hair. For an admiral to proudly wear such a hairstyle most commonly seen in red-light districts? He need not know more.

"Are deferred too out of courtesy to your importance in civilian matters"

"And matters of the spirit" Miryia added, her tone dangerous. Aladar, wanted to back away, to remain as small as possible in a corner, instead she took a huge risk and stepped forward. "Part of the duties of the office of Pontifex Invictus is the creation of an army of force using Knights, to keep the peace, maintain imperial justice and protect the citizenry...That puts her squarely in line with The Supreme Commander..if you'd bothered to read the new charter that was drafted in the wake of Grand Vizier"

"Sorry, some of us don't have the luxury of spending hours in a palace, being read too by helper droids, apprentice Aladar".

The woman blinked, did Sloane just accuse her of privilege?! Her hands balled into fists and to her surprise, her master gently gripped her wrist then slid her hand over the first until it relaxed and their fingers interlaced...It was such an oddly maternal gesture that it silenced her welling fury. 

"This conversation is off course, Admiral Sloane. This is not a mere a Highsinger assassin droid, he is the original and my right hand in the New Sith Wars".

Sloanes eyes almost widened "Not the Highsinger who commanded the raid or Mintooine? The only droid to command Jedi in battle?" She steadied her jaw, as if the thought only reinforced her concern. "The same Highsinger who shifted a moon out of orbit with a hypermatter detonation to kill the Sith legions stationed on Ord Sustrel?"

Was that her plan?!

[b][i]"The sith died like the vermin they were. They assumed the Jedi wouldn't be ruthless enough to sacrifice a planet to deal them a blow which they could not recover from. They were wrong."[/i][/b]

Hesitation mounted in Sloane's eyes as the Droid responded to her. What an odd thing to say? The dismissiveness in his tone towards the Sith drew eyes from many on board her vessels and Janus' as well. Those who served a Dark Lord often found themselves devoted to the glory of his memory and the crimson guard might have chosen to serve her, but her contempt for their old master stung. Searching her memory for the proper dates, the battle of Ord Sustrel had taken place, thirty two years into a thousand year war. The Invictus herself would continue to fight in that war for another ninety six years, yet the look in her eyes brokered no descent from what the droid had said?

True, the last of Darth Ruins apprentices had fallen on that dark day and the Sith spent the next fifteen years fighting themselves just as viscously at they fought the Republic. The Internecine warfare certainly did cripple the Sith, but the Jedi barely fared much better..Why did that disturbingly seem like? Whatever thought was grasping at muted in her mind as she caught the intensity of that violet gaze, which was scrutinizing her. 

"You were a master of war in your time Highsinger" the remark was a bit of a backhanded compliment. She marveled, but she was disparaging. He deserved praise for who he was not who he became.

[b][i]"And yet Palpatine lies dead and the Empire fragmented. At the hands of underpaid and under-armed rebels."[/i][/b]

The droid's photoreceptors slowly scanned the Admiral's hologram as it spoke, a very subtle jab at the people who were supposed to prevent such a thing from transpiring. He didn't know or care if the female had the awareness to realize she and the institution that she clawed her way up from were being insulted.

"Palpatine is dead" Admiral Sloane put in slowly, she was doing her best  to restrain herself from the insult not to the dead hobgoblin and his privileged elite, his misogynistic cavalcade of clowns, but against her and those like her. Who were stuck paying lip service to intractable elites, solely because they had a penis and had good last names. "But the Rebellion's victory can't be easily dismissed... Master Droid" she let the last part out in more of a sneer than she meant too.

"Well said Highsinger." Miryia remarked her eyes stern, this line of discussion was ended and Admiral Sloane, gave ground a look in her eyes suggested she was enraged over it. "Is he perhaps the reason you've requested funds to equip and lease sixteen thousand freighters? Another ten thousand passenger liners? Are you mobilizing a quarter of our repair and rescue fleet, our support vessels and droids over war? AG technology has improved since then Invictus Janus."

Miryia raised an eyebrow, her features tensed. Did this entitled child truly view her strategic acumen so poorly? Did this pathetic, drug filled brothel born harlot claim to understand military doctrine yet think a fellow player at the game of war would be so stupid? "If you're insinuating that I intend to use starships as Kinetic weapons of mass destruction then I would advise you to read the history books, not blurbs on some activist run holoblog."

Admiral Sloane stiffened, it always came back to that didn't it? Even with a potential ally, it always came down to class. "With respect, Invictus Janus, my concern is for the empire, its future and not any personal enmity" 

"That fact is why I put your name forward for Admiralty, not that you needed it. Supreme Commander Pellaeon was a staunch proponent of your rise" she added that last bit with a sliver of a smile.

Sloane nodded slowly, this had been news to her. "I thought" "You allowed your resentment towards the circumstances of your birth and mine to blind you, your judgment, Admiral Sloane is clouded by your perverse notion of how thoughts should be. You've the makings of a great leader, but you consistently make a slave of yourself by whining about your station. My apprentice, the woman who may succeed me should someone kill me before she passes from old age was born nameless, raised by a Jedi and then made a drug addicted whore before she was twisted into Sith Cannon fodder..Yet here she stands by my side, irregardless of her low birth"

Sloane's features paled somewhat, humiliated and yet oddly fortified.

"I don't care about the help..but I care about people Admiral Sloane, merit is the only true currency, I suggest you stop dismissing your own by twisting it through such a dusty lens" Miryia turned, only stopping to cast her head back slightly, her purple eyes gleaming over her shoulder through strands of white hair. "You will soon understand why I've issued such an order, but until then..you must show others the trust you struggle to show in yourself."

A wave of her hand silenced the comm and she turned to Highsinger "You have command of this vessel, I intend to instruct my apprentice on the journey home, help yourself to the maintenance bay and any weaponry or powercells you find would suit your needs"

[b][i]"Understood, Master."[/i][/b]

Inwardly Highsinger was most pleased, this truly was a return to form; back during the first years of his existence. While the advantages of anonymity and subtlety might no longer be his, he cannot deny the boons of having a Dreadnaught's worth of personnel under his command and its stormtrooper contingent, which would make one particular contract of his so much less complicated.

[i][b]"However, I would like to accompany you to Coruscant. Information on a certain bounty, one of the most high-profile postings the "New Republic" made is to be found in the lower reaches and it was to be my next assignment. A certain bounty that could prove beneficial if we could properly harness his talent for our own."[/b][/i]