The morning sun brought Drasek Cale out of a good sleep as it came though his windows. Sliding from the immense, four-poster bed and walking to the balcony doors, he opened them, allowing the morning warmth to settle across his skin. The view from his bedroom was of a beautiful forest and a nearby lake. Ah, the fresh air of the mountains. Cale smiled for a moment. Drasek Cale, Duke of Baltimn. The title had a ring to it, in a fashion. Hell, it might as well have been 'Senator' as well; Baltimn's Senator was an old family friend and quite close to Cale, practically an uncle. The old man felt badly for Cale, what with the murder of his family. Cale, though saddened, saw it more as an opportunity.

Breaking free of the Jedi Order had, perhaps, been one of the best decisions of his life. The Republic... well, it simply relied on the Jedi too much, yet restricted them from being an effective team alongside the Republic. It was unfortunate, but the Republic just couldn't stand on its own. As likely as not, the amnesty he had placed here on Baltimn for Remnant soldiers and Republic soldiers alike was likely to be met with massive criticism amongst the Senate. It was a good radical move for a little-known planet. There, off the beaten path and free of Jedi, Cale had been able to reconstruct the School of Hidden Wisdom into his own private fortress. There were changes though, changes from the original school that would make it harder for any poor fool who intended an attempt on his life to succeed. The defenders of this school, as well, were more tenacious than the Jedi of old. Well, it was bound to come in handy at some point.

Added (11 Nov 2009, 11:43 Pm)
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After stretching, Cale moved over to read the daily reports that had been sent to him. A well-paid agent in the Senator's office kept him updated on a regular basis. Government workers were always so easy to bribe, it seemed. Corrupt, unscrupulous people who groped and groveled for extra credits to stash away in the hopes they might one day retire. Sipping on a cup of kaf, Cale reviewed the first set of papers. The Bimmel Report was the first matter to draw his attention. It was a decent play by the Remnant. It had to tie in with Holt's release from prison. If the Remnant had indeed orchestrated such a maneuver, perhaps Cale could turn it to his advantage. Taking Holt away when they attempted to transfer him would require some costly resources. It might well be worth it. From the rest of the reports Cale shuffled through, he could find little interesting aside from Ponc Gavrisom's passing of a motion to scrap some of the New Republic's defense forces.

Cale sho0ok his head, unable to repress a laugh. The feathered idiot was seriously cutting back on ships? Well, his idiocy would be Cale's gain at some point. Unless they destroyed the vessels, there might well be parts floating around here and there, as well as less ships to contend with as Cale worked his way through his plans. So far, all was going decently. Incriminating Jamie the Hutt in the attacks on Corellia should have gone over better, unfortunately. He'd have to work for that.

Added (13 Nov 2009, 10:09 Am)
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A few days had passed in rather quiet solitude, allowing Cale to work intently on his forms. Of course, there was no excuse with not keeping up on the outside world. As such, the first article he glanced over spoke of Orion Karath getting sacked from his position. That was a shame. Perhaps it would be a good excuse to throw the Senate into some turmoil. An assassination of a recently-sacked chairman. Even better, a failed assassination. Either way, it would cause a few fingers to start pointing here and there. Cale would need to see what could be arranged.

It was a beautiful thing, pulling so many threads from the center of his ever-expanding web. With Voss the only subordinate who reported directly to him, Cale was practically impregnable while he worked behind the scenes. The thought brought him back to the pirates he'd used in the Corellian conflict. They'd need to be re-outfitted if he wanted to utilize them again. For now though, it was time to take the next step on Taris.

Added (14 Nov 2009, 10:12 Am)
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All was going quite splendidly. Such plans as were put into place would be resolving themselves. Of course, there were other matters to take care of; matters that would, unfortunately, cause Cale to leave his sanctum and go forth into the galaxy. Nar Shaddaa was one such place it would be necessary to travel to, for the Hutts, foul as they were, would be instrumental in some of his planning. Who but the Hutts could be mutually used in such a dangerous fashion without scruples? After all, aside from Black Sun, they were and had always been one of the galaxy's most contemptible, crime-ridden groups that so often plagued the inhabitants of many worlds.

But who to go as? That was the question. Atropos was fear and awe-inspiring, yet the Hutts were not intimidated as such beings were. No, perhaps it was better to go as himself, an agent of yet a higher, fictional power that was simply delivering a message and showing what might happen, as well as a gift of sorts. It was actually quite fortunate that the Lucian Alliance had chosen to crop up at such an interesting time. They were cutting into the spice trade the Hutts ran, more likely than not.

Going about outfitting himself for his travel, Cale boarded his vessel in due time and departed Baltimn for Nar Shaddaa.