The Spider and the Storm

"They would likely be dead by now if they did not." Sirejj watched outside as the lift slowed.

"Mm." The lift stopped and the doors slid open to reveal a long strip of pavement where various other lifts met. People were boarding and exiting cruisers and transports here, heading home or to work or somewhere else entirely. All were dressed expensively.

Thalassa walked over to where her cruiser was parked; the droid in the driver's seat beeped a greeting as she opened the door and seated herself. "Take us home," she told it, and turned to Sirejj. "And see, you weren't nearly as exposed as you worried when we got here. Coruscant is the sort of place where everyone blends in, like I said. So long as we're not in Senator Mothma's apartment, it seems."

He chuckled. "Carrying the reputation of my people is both a help and a hindrance, depending on the situation." He looked up at the massive buildings. "I will say I will always prefer the wild places to this." Impressive as Coruscant was, the signature of the entire planet was clouded and he struggled to read it.

"And yet you and Wilhuff butted heads," Thalassa said in amusement. "It's a shame you didn't get to see the wilds of Eriadu in their full glory. Even I have to admit it's a beautiful sight."

"Our only similarity." He said shortly. "I would have liked to see them, but I was threatened with becoming the target of a headhunt if I did." He chuckled. Tarkin would have found he wasn't so easy to defeat.

"I'm aware." Her brow furrowed, and she looked out at the passing transports. "This goes without saying, I think, but what transpired in that room cannot be spoken of aloud except when we are both completely alone."

"Of course. I like my head on my shoulders."

"Good."

It was a short ride back to the penthouse made easier by the cruisers VIP clearance in certain lanes. When they arrived back at the penthouse and stepped through the door, Thalassa paused almost immediately and sniffed the air. The faint smell of lavender and aftershave lingered around the walkway, accompanied--for Sirejj alone to feel--by a familiar presence, only just beginning to go stale.

Thalassa frowned and stepped a bit further into the foyer, listening carefully. Her mind denoted caution and concern for Sirejj, but also a guilty flash of alarm at having just returned from committing treason to find Wilhuff Tarkin had just been here, or was still here. That alarm quickly turned to indignation, however, as she advanced further into the apartment and toward the stairs, casting Sirejj a questioning look.

Sirejj followed her. "He is no longer here." He said quietly, following the fading trail the Governor had left behind him to see what he might have been up to. Him being here could mean his more dangerous friends were not far behind, and Sirejj's difficulty to connect to Coruscant's life force made him even more uneasy. "A moment and I may know why he paid this place a visit."

Thalassa headed up the stairs. "I don't care why he came here, I want to know how long he plans to stay." She opened her door. "It may not be safe for you if he's staying long."

The bedroom was relatively unchanged; one garment bag hung in the closet but that was all. She turned and called back to Sirejj, "Not long, it would seem. Still..."

The idea of being exposed and hiding somewhere else bothered him but it was better than trying to evade Tarkin directly. "I will hide somewhere in the lower levels if absolutely necessary. I've plenty experience blending in with the scum of the world." He struggled to uncover any clear motivation in the Force for why Tarkin might have visited, or if he was staying for long. More importantly, how far away were the Sith he called friends?

Tarkin's Force signature was disturbed: addled by uncertainty, anxiety, and fatigue. It also carried hints of frustration directed inward, irritation at the disorder within. All of this had a hurried feeling to it, as though the penthouse were only a pit stop. He'd been alone when he came here.

Thalassa came back down the stairs. "You needn't go that far away. We'll move your things and have you sleep in the servants' quarters for the time being; that should be enough."

"I'll have time to conjure something up if he shows again, but I doubt he will. He was rushed in his visit. That's all I can tell." He traced the designs on his staff while thinking. "And I have time to get to you on the off chance something were to happen. Though..." He paused. The likelihood of someone attacking Thalassa on Coruscant was very small, but not impossible.

"I wouldn't worry," Thalassa said with a shake of her head. "Whoever wants his head isn't coming after me. They can batter away at Wilhuff all they want and be able to dodge the ISB, but if they try me then the Treacle will hunt them down before they have the chance to blink." She frowned. "I wonder if this rift between us has eased their way. He ought be careful...was there anyone else with him?"

"He was alone. He seemed troubled about something, but it was internal and I can't tell what about." The shreds of his signature had disappeared by now. He wouldn't know anything else.