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The Galactic Empire presents
In association with my twisted little mind
A Tri-Nebula Entertainment Holodrama
Socially Acceptable Monsters
(http://webzoom.freewebs.com/alls/Imperial%20Star%20Wars/mp_imperial_symbol.gif)
The Cast:
Imperial Director Alexander Winton
Queen Monica Greyson-Winton
Doctor Henrick Masterton
Celeste Masterton
CorSec Major Kyri Patten
Lilandra Patten
Blair Gellar
*
Alexia Winton
*
Karen Winton
Melanie Masterton
Kimber Patten
Valerie Gellar
*
D'Arcy Saunders
Billy St. James
Lucas Maxwell
Reef Stratford
Skyler McNeal
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Series 1 - Victimless Crimes
Coruscant
Surface: 500 Republica
Alexander Winton stands over the wife he just knocked to the floor.
It is the first time he has ever struck her but something tells him it will not be the last. The silence, the secret, has been kept for so long that hearing it uttered out loud is enough to send him over the edge. How dare she? She swore. He narrows those emerald eyes. Fury and suspicion make for dangerous assumptions. There is a part of him that wonders if she will compromise this for them. For him. But she is far more clever than that -
"Without me you would have nothing."
It stings and he knows damn well why. He had gained everything a corporate cowboy could in the traditional yet morally bereft business sense but without her vision foretelling the fates of both daughters she bore to him, he would never have had the opportunity this afforded him. The Emperor issued a formal request of their presences. It was not something to be taken lightly although Coruscant was the last place he wanted to go. In truth, he loathed the Core. Too commercial, rigid, and monitored. He's a Mid and Outer Rim kind of guy. The more space the better but he accepted the invitation and moved them all to the center of the universe. It's monstrosity sickened him yet there was leverage to gain, an angle to play. He needed a particular appeal in order to land the kind of clout he thought he so richly deserved for being a forefather of those who would bring about a new Imperial era. It's amazing what people will believe even when you leave out crucial details. He made a choice and accepted it. � Monica's vision gave him clarity in a potentially tricky situation, part of the secret that he and only three others share. He was useful because his children would be useful to the Empire.
Therefore, he was granted authority and access.
"Get up," he says. "I'll take the girls to school. Big day."
Monica's stare is filled with durasteel and daggers that reflect off his back as Alexander strides out of the room. The massive residence is surprisingly quiet. No music blares from teenage bedrooms, no verbal spats about accessories or allegedly stolen toiletry items. He takes in a breath and smiles at the life he has while pausing for the spectacular sunrise from the living room windows nearly a thousand stories high.
There are upsides to this arrangement.
Heading through the expansive sunken living room he spots his eldest daughter Alexia slumped into the couch, feverishly hammering away at a datapad. He is tempted to pass without saying anything but she glances up.
"Hey, dad."
"Good morning, Alex. Have you seen your sister?"
She rolls her eyes then goes back to the datapad, "Last I saw she was having a panic attack over a sweater vest. Sounds a little downsy, if you know what I mean."
He frowns, wondering what a 'downsy' could be. Some sort of pet? A new trend?
"Come on. You can try and be a little supportive. It's her first day."
"How come I don't remember you freaking out this much when I started high school?"
"We did, sweetie. It was a long time ago."
"It was last year, dad. I'm a sophomore."
True but not for much longer.
"Oh. Really?"
Her eyes widen, flash with anger.
"Yes, really."
Still, he must maintain the facade for the Empire. This is what he tells himself daily.
"I'm sorry, Alex. That was a terrible thing to say. Forgive me?"
"It'll cost you."
"Doesn't it always?"
Alexia raises her eyes to him once more.
"I've done as you asked. I've agreed to take that meeting with the Emperor. I think it's time I got a little respect. I'm not a kid anymore."
No, not a kid. A down payment.
The firstborn.
His smile seems genuine, "You are right, sweetie. You deserve so much more. We're late so get your stuff while I get your sister."
"Deal."
Down another hall he stops in front of a bedroom door. He touches the controls, sounding the chime inside. No answer. He knocks, softly at first then a bit louder.
"Honey? You almost ready?"
Nothing. Silence.
Sighing, he taps the door open and walks inside to find Karen standing in front of a huge closet full of clothes. She throws her hands up and gasps.
"It's official. I have nothing to wear!"
He glances at the closest, the clothes, then back at his daughter.
Is she mad?
Karen is seriously alarmed here. It seems mortal to her. The concept of an article of clothing being that vital to ones larger purpose is so vague it barely translates so instead he winds up speechless and staring, searching for meaning...
He wonders if it's too early to start drinking.
"I don't think that's true. Just pick something and-"
"No, you don't understand. This is high school! And not just any high school but North Coruscant, dad. Presentation is everything."
"So be...presentable."
"Five minutes."
"Honey..."
"Five minutes!"
*
The ride over is typically devoid of banter until they land on one of the loading pads just outside the main promenade. The walkways leading to North Coruscant High are jammed with youth jaded by the affluence of their parents. Boredom, angst, apathy and fear seem to dominate the expressions. Alexia hops out of the speeder before he can call after her and disappears into a throng of teenagers. She thinks she's too old for this sentimental nonsense. Karen slides on sunglasses way too large for her face and steps out onto the pad as if it had been rehearsed � exhaustively.
"Karen."
She stops scanning the crowd, "Yes, daddy?"
"Good luck today. I'm sure you'll have no problem making friends."
"Let's hope so."
"Yes," he says distantly, "Let's."
Karen turns back around, already having caught the attention of several surrounding classmates, and strides forward. Through the crowds he can spot Melanie Masterton's long blond hair as she rushes to meet Karen. They embrace, laughing at some shared jest, and head toward the front doors.
Two down.
Alexander smiles as he raises the com, "Confirm on Winton and Masterton."
The com crackles.
An agent signals back.
"Confirm on Patten and Gellar. All assets in place."
He is anxious to see how this plays out.
"Excellent. I expect a full report at the end of the week."
More static.
"Of course, sir."
Alexander tosses the com onto the seat and pulls on the controls, easing the speeder up and away from the school. Back in traffic, he ponders the ease in which this will all transpire and if what he sent Alexia to recover holds any similarity to what Monica saw.
*
In his office, he closes all the shades and leans back in the chair. There needs to be moments of peace from the city where he can imagine a time before this one. One where he and his wife were young and happy as they whispered about the future and played by their own rules. They had their whole lives ahead of them. They talked of family and laughed about growing older.
Now there is a document from the Emperor's office in his Imperial in-box. It clarifies the terms of training and exclusivity to the Empire. It comes down to a choice he's had to continually make - One or the other but you cannot have both.
It also requires a signature.
Alexander signs it.
The last shreds of his soul seem to leak onto the screen.
It really is possible to sacrifice someone without them ever even knowing but he is willing to take the risk for more notoriety, wealth and connections than he can possibly imagine. It's not personal, it's business.
Except its always personal. And always business.
-TBC
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Coruscant
Surface: North Coruscant High
Kyri Patten watches with a hardened but heavy heart as the girls climb out of the speeder.
Fourteen years ago he stole a child. Valerie was taken from Blair as Kimber was born to Lilandra. Both were Kyri’s children but only one of their mothers his wife. A scandal, for sure. Something an up-and-coming CorSec officer could not afford to hinder the upward momentum of his career. He thought he was finished, that it would get out and destroy all the progress he’d made, the life he created, and the marriage he tried his best to cherish. It was not until fate intervened and another option presented itself.
On one of his many visits to the Core, he was approached by a man with intimate knowledge of his life. Things no one could possibly know. He had not told anyone of the affair or of the pregnancy that so ironically coincided with that of his wife. Kyri had knocked up two women in a month’s time which put their respective due date’s only weeks apart. He was stressed on that particular trip and the mysterious stranger wasn’t helping. Yet something about him seemed disarming and so he agreed to a business dinner.
The man’s name was Alexander Winton.
“Your daughters are very important.â€Â
Kyri would have been outraged if he had not recently discovered both children were female.
“How do you know?â€Â
Alexander smirks.
“Mine are as well.â€Â
“I see. Important in what way?â€Â
“Our children will shape things to come.â€Â
“As fascinating and vague as that sounds I am unconvinced you have any idea what you are talking about.â€Â
“Have I not produced enough proof through my knowledge of you and your life?â€Â
“You have a distinct air of government about you. I would venture to guess you are in some way tied to the Imperial machine.â€Â
Alexander arches a brow, “You are not wrong but my position is not how I came to discover what I know.â€Â
This interests Kyri even more. If not through the network then how? Was he some sort of clairvoyant? Some kind of spy? The delicate care he must take in his current situation is the reason he remains seated.
“I’m listening.â€Â
It is then he first hears of the Force-sensitive former Queen Monica Greyson and the powerful vision she received shortly after the first Winton child was born. The vision was confusing and painful, leaving Monica in a nearly comatose state for close to a standard week. There were only flashes she came to remember later, faces and names being spoken and shouted. People she saw but could not remember. There was a redhead and a blond joined by two others. A dark haired “ferocious†girl and the “precious one,†as Monica put it. Under his command, the Empire set out to find the unidentified girls when Monica discovered she was pregnant again. Before they were able to question this event, Monica remembered something else: a place.
Korriban.
“It is there you will find the answers.â€Â
So they sent a team to the infamous world and came up with nothing. The entire surface was covered with crumbling ruins and a thick, course sand. Alexander pressed his wife for details but it was all she could tell him. In her dreams, she would whisper. He would stay up late at night to listen. It was not long before he was rewarded with answers from her subconscious mind.
Monica spoke names he recognized but had no association with.
Gellar. Patten.
“Two of four,†Monica moaned softly, “Two…of four.â€Â
Alexander was already familiar with the Direx Board member Rutherford Gellar from his dealings with the Corporate Sector Authority. They had a limited interaction but had been formally introduced none the less. Gellar had a daughter, Blair, who he first suspected to be the woman in the vision until he learned through various channels that she was pregnant. They also knew of Kyri Patten by reputation in the Corellian Sector. With a few calls, Alexander discovered Patten’s wife, Lilandra, was also pregnant. Coincidence? Perhaps. Add the fact that his own wife, Monica, and her best friend, Celeste, were pregnant at the same time and he was more convinced it meant something. Four women to bear four children approximately at the same point in time.
“..of four.â€Â
This kept Alexander wide awake at night. His head kept telling him to stay the course, pursue the truth at all costs. When he brought this to Monica, she seemed unnaturally calm. He asked her about their second child, about Celeste’s child, then about the name’s Gellar and Patten. She seemed to recall clearly they were the girls she saw, that they were somehow important and connected to a change in galactic direction. She said that Gellar and Patten were unique. When he asked why, she told him they share a father but would not discover this until it was too late.
It is this statement, hanging frozen in the air above both men that cools Kyri to his core.
There is no way this man, Alexander, or his wife Monica could know this.
Denial is a powerful first reaction and the most obvious.
"That's impossible. This is some sort of dark magic, a trick."
"It's not a deception, Patten. It is the will of the Force."
"The Force? What does that ancient religion have to do with our daughters?"
"My wife is a highly receptive Force-sensitive empath that was sent the vision. My research has concluded that this vision has been had by others in the past."
"Others?"
"Those afflicted with the same. I believe it has been passed down through generations to finally rest with the one who it directly relates to. Our generation is the one who would bear those foreseen."
Kyri looks skeptical but scared.
"What will you do then in such a predicament? An illegitimate child? Tsk, tsk. I wonder what CorSec will say if they find out? And your wife?"
"They will find out."
Alexander's eyes sparkle an unnatural green.
"They don't have to."
Through the course of the meal, they conjure up a solutation: A planted agent-adoptive parent to keep Valerie nearby on Corellia. “Friends†of the “family†or something like that. So on Kyri's order, Alexander arranged fo have Blair's child taken and Rutherford blackmailed as insurance against retaliation. Anything to keep her and his other daughter close without those dearest to them being hurt by the facts. And to ensure they would be accessible if and when these foretold events came to pass. Kyri should not have trusted this man but deep down he felt a knot of dread beginning to tighten.
Years later, he received confirmation that the stranger was right.
It was his eldest daughter, Alexia, who spoke of it again. There was an attraction to Korriban, a calling. She too was Force-sensitive. Kyri had always wondered if that kind of thing ran in the family. Alexander sent her there with a team of highly trained agents to see what this feeling was about. It lead her to a cave where she said a voice told her to dig. The agents carved a large section out of the cave wall to find a rectangular case that contained a set of scrolls. When they returned a team of linguists were assigned to the task of translating the scrolls. Written in a dead language believed to be used exclusively by the Order of the Sith, the process was slow and excruciating but instantly rewarding in one particular area.
The first paragraph sealed the deal. It was all the convincing Alexander needed to ensure cooperation.
..and he stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise out of the sea having four heads and eight horns, and upon each of her horns a crown, and upon her head the names of blasphemy...
Winton. Masterton. Patten. Gellar.
..and they worshiped those named and gave power unto the beast.
From that moment on, Kyri Patten convinced himself his daughters were meant for a greatness written in the stars. Still, there was the knot of dread which is how he came to form his contingency. For a man of war, the gut can save your life. His was telling him to take out his own insurance.
He snaps out of it quickly, bringing himself back into the present. The girls are loitering nearby, checking bags for anything they may have forgotten.
Kyri heaves a sigh and calls out, "Valerie!"
She turns on heels she's too young to be wearing.
"Yes, Major Patten?"
It's like being brutally stabbed every time she does not call him father. She doesn't know to and she never will. Well, until it's too later, whatever that means.
He points to an oblivious Kimber staring off into the sky.
"Watch her."
Valerie laughs, "I always do."
-TBC
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Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City: Imperial Premiere Medical Center (IPMC)
After dropping Melanie off at school, Doctor Henrick Masterton returns to his office and glances through the day’s charts.
Fourteen years ago he made a deal with the devil.
Friendship became a professional arrangement became many shades of gray.
His whole life he had wanted to heal. As a Child of the Feather, he spent hours on end with research and homework. He devoured science and savored the opportunities his faithful knowledge afforded him. After attending the finest grammar schools in Salis D'aar on Bakura, he was sent to the Imperial capital to attend North Coruscant. He returned four years later to attend the prestigious Tiarest University which quickly led to medical school and residency. He had toyed with the idea of surgery as their people were so skilled at organ replacement but found that the personal touches of a general practitioner, a family doctor, fit him best.
Henrick met Celeste Bijou at Tiarest and she was as blond and beautiful as they come. She was active in campus politics and favored ecological debates but found her true calling in psychology. While his dream was becoming a doctor of the body, hers was to become a doctor of the mind. Though they parted ways for separate graduate programs, their relationship never suffered as a result. They were so young, idealistic and proud. They wanted to heal the world and may very well have until his best friend and son of the Bakur Repulsor Corp CEO made an offer that changed everything.
The Winton family's personal physician had gone missing. While the Bakuran authorities opened an investigation it proved to be full of false leads and dead ends. The family was deeply concerned but needed the peace of mind only a personal medical staff could provide the wealthy. That's when the friend made the offer.
The friend was Alexander Winton. The offer was everything.
Head personal physician to the Winton family with a full medical staff of his choosing.
Henrick accepted as a personal favor and an obligation to a family that had always looked out for him. The Winton's knew he would go far, despite their differences in opinion. Alexander never held this against him either and remained a supportive force behind his studies.
For a long while it seemed like he had it all. The position allowed ample room for leisure and travel and he would often accompany Alexander on business trips throughout the galaxy. Celeste and Henrick married soon after with Alexander the best man. It wasn't until a summer trip to Naboo that the wayward corporate cowboy met his match. A former Queen-turned-activist in Theed named Monica Greyson. She had not been in office in years but had captured the attention of the masses, calling on increased measures to protect their gorgeous land. The mysterious royal swept Alexander off his feet, much to the delight of Henrick and Celeste, who had been anxious for him to settle down. The two wed at the end of the summer. Monica and Celeste became fast friends and it was later learned they shared a connection through the Force. Alexander seemed to accept this without hesitation but put Henrick in direct conflict with his religious beliefs. He had been raised as a student of the Cosmic Balance which he believed led to him a life in medicine. Celeste, however, believed they were connected to everything and made their own fates through this connection. Alexander helped him through the internal struggle and Henrick eventually came to leave the faith for the perfectly symmetrical lives they had built for themselves.
Two years later, Monica gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Alexia. It was a difficult pregnancy which Henrick attended to diligently. In his care, mother and child made it safely through delivery. While they were excited for their friends, Henrick was secretly devastated. He and Celeste had been trying to conceive without success. Celeste was hesitant to accept what she called unnatural medical assistance and insisted on love and patience. So they focused their renewed joy on helping the new parents adjust. They were lucky to be such good friends for it was then Monica suffered what appeared to be a massive stroke. Henrick was able to stabilize her but the experience left her catatonic and unresponsive. Alexander was overwhelmed, beside himself with worry. Celeste cared for baby Alexia during the days that followed. When Monica finally awoke, she was disoriented and confused. Almost a full month passed before she was released from the medical center and sent home.
Monica began to remember things and would confess only to Celeste. She also began to fear her husband although she could not explain why. During that time Monica discovered she was pregnant with her second child and Celeste with her first. The happiness was somewhat bittersweet when Monica consulted Henrick about terminating. The Queen later told Celeste she thought if she did not have the second child, the things she saw could be prevented. She could alter the future in the present.
It was Celeste who alleged that while they may control their immediate fates, they cannot always escape our ultimate futures.
Monica continued with the pregnancy.
The following summer was one of the hottest on record in Bakura and they decided to relocate to the Lake Country on Naboo for the remainder of their pregnancies. Henrick and Alexander went to great lengths to ensure everyone's comfort. Alexander watched over Alexia while Henrick made the final preparations. A specialized midwife was brought in to assist the doctor who said she could feel the connection, the energy between the mothers. This energy triggered simultaneous labor that seemed over before it even started. It was the smoothest delivery he'd ever experienced and the most joyous. As Monica and Alexander tended to baby Karen, Henrick and Celeste fawned over baby Melanie. They felt complete in that moment and idealistically wished for it to stay that way.
And it did for a time.
The summer came and went and everything returned to normal. Back in Bakura, Alexia began acting out. Bouts of dark rage and an explosive temper were directed mostly at her infant sister. Older children often have the same reaction to a much lesser degree. The cries for attention had turned dangerous and the Winton's pleaded for Henrick to help. The only thing he was able to discover was a spiked midi-chlorian level and a perfectly healthy little girl. Force-sensitivity was confirmed but not submitted to the Imperial Regional Governor. Henrick did not want to draw unnecessary attention to their situation and feared for Karen and Melanie should they have also inherited their mothers gifts. But this secret was already out. The energy between the mothers sent out a shockwave that was felt all the way in the Core. The Imperial Health Authority contacted Henrick and Alexander regarding their children's wellbeing. Somehow it had become a great concern of the Empire.
Henrick was filled with dread and planned to conspire with Alexander to escape. He did not know the decree had a very different affect on his friend.
Where Henrick saw danger, Alexander saw opportunity.
"You would refuse an invitation from the Emperor himself?"
"It's not an invitation, Alex. It's a demand."
"So it is but to refuse would bring shame to your family, to my family. We have been bestowed with the highest of honors. A chance to increase the value of our name and bring honor to Bakura."
"What of your legacy? Are you not next in line for the chief executive position?"
"As if that matters now."
"It always mattered to you. What will your father say?"
"He already gave his blessing. We are respectable men of business. We know how to play the company angle. Repulsor Corp isn't going anywhere. The old man can keep it running while I investigate further business opportunities in the Core."
"You don't even like the Core."
"Nothing could be truer but something is telling me to explore our options. We've been riding easy for years and I think it's time to take a risk. Imagine how many people you could help in the capital? There will no doubt be opportunities for you as well."
Henrick concedes to this confidence, "There is no denying that. We'd all be together."
Alexander remains firm but sincere.
"That's what is most important. You are like family, Rick and we need to keep the family together. Come to Coruscant and let us build a new life for ourselves."
"You are right, old friend. Let us go to Coruscant."
The decision loomed over everything that would come later.
Alexander and Henrick did indeed find opportunity in the capital of the Galactic Empire. They were offered a variety of employment options to choose from in their respective fields and set up with the finest residences in 500 Republica. Henrick accepted a position at IPMC near their homes and Alexander secured several long-term and extremely lucrative Repulsor Corp deals that would legitimize his continued presence on Coruscant.
There was only one small catch.
Alexia, Karen and Melanie were needed for extensive testing by the Imperial Health Authority.
Henrick was barred from any oversight or assistance. The tests had to be conducted in an impartial environment. He inquired to the nature and reason for such precautions, as neither family had a history of disease, and was given the Imperial run-around. To make matters worse, Alexander was taking meetings with Imperial officials. There were whispers of private counsel with the Emperor. None of it sat well with the good doctor.
Once the girls were returned seemingly unharmed, Henrick decided to let the whole thing go. He and Celeste promised one another they would make the very best of their lives here. They would do so for themselves and for their daughter. Everything was finally going to be alright. That was right around the time Alexander dropped the proton bomb.
The stroke Monica suffered was actually a vision from the past.
Henrick refused to believe this at first. What good scientist wouldn't?
When Celeste came to him in a panic to say that in confidence the Queen had told her the same things just after she recovered, he was intrigued.
When he spoke to Monica he was stunned.
When they found the scrolls he was certain.
There was physical proof. Something tangible he could run through a dating system. He made absolutely certain the scrolls were authentic before allowing the linguists at it. As they waited for any signs of progress, Alexander weaved his web around Henrick and Celeste. The confirmation in the prophecy only added to the mounting evidence pointing toward a cosmic connection. The Force, something he could not prove actually existed, is what brought them all together. He hoped the same would not tear them apart.
Doctor Henrick Masterton shakes his head and reaches for the holopic of Melanie on the desk. The further the prophecy has been translated, the more layers they discover underneath. There have been multiple setbacks and a plethora of mistakes. Fourteen years and still no ending. Relationships have been strained and he wonders how it spun so far out of their control. They are entrenched deep in Imperial territory, tagged and bagged in one of most high profile buildings on the entire planet with their children as leverage and nowhere to run. They could not escape if they tried.
Enrollment at North Coruscant is the final step toward destiny realized.
Or so Alexander claims.
-TBC
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Coruscant
Surface: 500 Republica
Queen Monica Greyson-Winton twists the massive rock of a wedding ring around on her finger as she casually wanders through their several million credit residence. The dazzling aspects of their relocation have been enough to distract from the harsh realities of their business there. She used to be an advocate against urban sprawl. They destroyed the natural beauty of things. She longs for those days. Instead she settled with her husband and children in the most vile of all the cityscapes. However, it was her position that allowed for these accommodations. They were to be kept comfortable at all times. They were to worry for nothing. They were to be given everything to make them forget what they have. They were raising potential weapons and not for good, by the looks of it. Alexander was smooth but not nearly as smooth as he thinks. Her affliction became his obsession and now, on the verge of when and where it is supposed to begin, she wonders if they all made a terrible mistake.
"Mon?"
The voice throws her out of her own head.
"Cel."
"Are you alright? Why were you standing there?"
Monica smiles, heading toward the wet bar. It's approximately happy hour.
Somewhere.
"Lost in a moment. How are you?"
"Nervous," Celeste admits, "The girls will be home from school soon and I'm anxious to hear how it went."
"Me too. It's an exciting time. Drink?"
"I'd love one. North Coruscant is a wonderful school free of the more unsavory elements found in traditional schools. Rick has such fond memories from when he attended."
"He didn't have to worry about being strung along by his parents."
"They can't worry if they don't know."
"You think they don't? Come on, Cel. Even you are not that naive."
Celeste pushes blond hair over her shoulder.
"I'm not being naive. The kids don't know what is written about them nor does Alexia know what she was sent to obtain says. There is no reason to tell them something we don’t know. Not for sure.â€Â
"We know what it says."
"No, you know what you saw."
Monica hands her a martini glass before taking too large a sip from her own.
"Are they not turning out to be the same? There is a considerable amount of what they've translated so far that puts what I saw into perspective."
"You said there were elements of good and evil.â€Â
"Yes," Monica whispers, "There cannot be good without evil. I felt both but why does it now feel as though this is heading toward a very dark place?"
Celeste sets the glasses down and gives a sisterly look.
"We must trust our children to make the right decisions. Not everything can be planned out. There has to be a bit of mystery involved, a surprise. One has to allow for fate to take us where it wants to go. I have no doubt our children will surprise us."
"It's not our children I worry about."
"You mean Alex?"
"I mean everyone. My husband, your husband. The ever-abrasive Patten. The Imperial system. Things between all of us seemed organic as the children were growing. It wasn't until the girls were almost in high school that our husbands began acting differently. You haven't noticed it?"
She shrugs, "Henrick is so busy these days. Always at the medical center. There are so many in need. I have to limit my own appointments due to the overwhelming demand. Self-help has outdone simply having problems. You would be surprised how many people are looking to be fixed."
"By what?"
"People, places or things they believe will heal the void inside them but it is the individual who must first accept the void in order to begin healing."
Monica laughs, "I trust no one grasps this concept?"
"Would I have a thriving practice if they did?"
"I suppose not."
Celeste grins then redirects.
"What is it exactly about our husband’s behavior that has you so concerned?"
"They are never around. You said it yourself; Henrick is always at the medical center. Patten only comes to the Core when he absolutely must. Alexander is constantly at the Imperial Palace. I mean, the place gives me the creeps."
"It is rather...gothic."
"Intensely ominous, more like. I can't even go near it without shuttering in fear. There are parts of this city that positively reek of evil, present building included. Company excluded, of course."
"Of course. So, you believe the recent distance means something?"
"I think they hide things from us."
Celeste sits back, draining the last of her drink.
"What kinds of things?"
"The prophecy."
"They tell us what they know."
"Do they?"
"I see no reason for them to lie. I do not feel mistrust."
"You do not want to feel these things and never have."
"That's not really a fair statement."
"Some would disagree but it’s just one of the many reasons I adore you so. Have you spoken to Lilandra lately?"
"Last week. She is handling the last details of the move on Corellia. She wants Kimber to feel at home here but still have a familiar place to come back to. I think she's coping well given the circumstances."
"And what of Gellar?"
"Still gallivanting about."
"That poor girl."
"Thank goodness for Patten's kindness. He and Valerie's father are old war buddies and..."
The words trail off. Monica dies inside but is unable to bring herself to reveal to her friends that she knows Kimber and Valerie share a father. Kyri Patten is a cheating bastard but she could never tell. It would destroy Lilandra and enrage Alexander. She doesn't know what he would do. Or what Patten would do. The whole mess has put her in a curious position. She is no stranger to withholding information from those around her. Political office of any kind demands it. This is something entirely new. Monica has always told Celeste everything. Lilandra found her way into good graces over the years but had never been privy to the most intimate of their discussions. She withholds now because Celeste clings to a hopefulness Monica simply no longer feels. She does not want to shatter that prematurely.
"...who knew he had a soft spot for kids, right?"
Monica clears her throat, "Right."
Celeste's eyes are wide and clear.
"Listen to me. I don't want you to be all in your head so much. It's good that we're discussing this now but I honestly think you take what little we have to go on to the darkest place. If there is anything to fear, we'll deal with it as it comes. Together. For now I just wish to enjoy this next chapter of our lives. Don't you?"
Monica loves her for looking on the bright side.
"I really do and I’m trying…â€Â
They are interrupted by the sounds from the foyer. The girls are home. Karen and Melanie appear in the living room while Alexia sulks off down the hall.
Monica calls out.
“Alexia, darling. Wait a minute. I want to hear how today went!â€Â
She pauses, looking first at her mother then glaring at her sister.
“I’ll tell you how it went,†Alexia hisses, narrowing her eyes, “It was just like every other day. No one talked to me. No one even asked me any questions. Not like her.â€Â
There is fire in that last word.
Monica frowns, hazy but determined.
“What do you mean?â€Â
“Karen and Melanie met more people by lunchtime than I had my entire freshman year.â€Â
Karen sighs dramatically, “Well, if you tried being less of a freakshow-“
“I’m not compromising myself to fit in!â€Â
“Why not?! Everyone conforms to some degree, why can’t you just give a little?â€Â
“Show me someone worth it and I might.â€Â
Karen looks horrified, “What? I’m not worth it? You can’t just suck it up and attempt a personality that doesn’t so closely resemble that of a serial killer? I mean, the whole school thinks your some loner weirdo because you don’t associate yourself with anyone. No friends, no clique, nothing.â€Â
“Mom!â€Â
“Karen,†Monica warns.
Karen scoffs, “Fine, fine. Have it your way. I just don’t see why it’s such a big deal to strike up a conversation with someone every now and then. Be a pal.â€Â
“Pals are puppets, Karen. I’m not a slave to the trends you throw yourself before each day.â€Â
“Thank the Maker! We’d have designers diving into lanes of traffic.â€Â
Alexia’s eyes widen, anger flaring, before she storms from the room.
“Having a life isn’t a crime!†Karen shouts after her.
Down the hall, a door slams.
Melanie is sitting by Celeste quietly, hands folded in her lap.
Monica gives Karen ‘the look.’
“Oh come on. Am I not a good sister by encouraging social interaction? It’s not healthy to be so isolated.â€Â
Celeste nods, “Perhaps a lighter approach might work best.â€Â
“Exactly,†Monica says, “Alexia isn’t you, honey. You both hold very different outlooks on what is important. Melanie, how was your day?â€Â
Melanie smiles, “Lovely. We met a lot of people but only really talked to one in depth.â€Â
“Yeah, a boy in class.â€Â
Monica looks confused then remembers to make another round of drinks. She refills their glasses, careful to avoid the stares from the children. Celeste is nodding thoughtfully, holding up the conversation.
“What class, sweetie?â€Â
“Imperial History,†Melanie says.
Karen nods, “The coursework looks intense but the boy made it funny.â€Â
“What’s his name?â€Â
“Reef. Reef Stratford. He’s from Mandalore or something but got shipped off here on a scholarship for Chin-Bret. Apparently, he’s one of the only freshmen to make Varsity.â€Â
Melanie giggles, “Or so he says. So far it seems like a good place. I think dad was right about it.â€Â
“Yeah,†Karen confirms proudly, “I think we’ll do well at North Coruscant. I don’t know what I was so nervous about.â€Â
Monica is glad to hear it all went so smoothly. She would hate for there to be complications so early on. They have their whole lives ahead of them. Maybe Celeste is right, maybe they should not worry so much. What they don’t know can’t hurt them. For some reason a quote by Alexander is ringing loudly in her head.
Better to live on your feet than die on your knees.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: North Coruscant High
It's a brilliant day in the capital. The buildings seem prouder than usual in the forefront of an amber sky. Two weeks have passed and the city is in the throes of fall with warm days, crisp nights and that certain slightly burnt scent floating through the air. The school, called NCH by those who attend, is actually a massive, multi-arm floating platform. There is a running joke that it's too good to touch the ground. It's not an entirely untrue statement considering those who have passed through these exclusive halls.
The elongated oval loading-only pad hangs off the massive half-moon shaped base platform which houses the Administrative building. Inside, the upper floors of the tower are reserved for the offices of the Dean and staff. The mid-section is an impressive multi-level library and archive complete with private study rooms for coursework that involves actual conversation. The main level of the tower is where the locker corridors and a five-star dining hall dubbed the ‘Core Café’ or CC that leads out into an open air quad that faces the stadium. Since this is where everyone starts and ends the day, the call it ‘HOME2.’
There are five arms that connect to five other platforms equipped both with moving walkways and a light maglev train to shuttle students to each building. To the left of HOME2 is the Arts building and to the right, Sciences. Fanning out from the quad, left and right are the Grand Moff ("Muff") Building and Legacy (“Alumniâ€Â) Tower. In the center lies the Physical Education Department atop which sits the Magnus Arena. The training ground for hunky Chin-Bretiers destined to play before the rabid fans at the grand T'Chuk Arena.
North Coruscant breeds winners. That's the claim to fame.
Karen taps the locker closed and hefts the pink messenger bag over her shoulder. She has felt vaguely sick all morning. It’s not uncommon this time and year and was tempted to ask doctor Masterton about it when he dropped Melanie off. She moves through the crowded corridor to the maglev station that takes her to the Moff Building. Her Imperial History course starts in twelve minutes.
Melanie is waiting near the door, looking a little under the weather too.
“What’s wrong? You don’t feel good either?â€Â
She shakes her head, “No, I was just overcome with a wave of nausea. Maybe it’s something we ate.â€Â
“It can’t be from CC. Someone would sue.â€Â
Melanie shutters, “Whatever it’s from, I feel terrible.â€Â
Karen pulls a bottle of water from her messenger bag and hands it to her friend as they walk into the classroom. Reef has saved them seats and waves them over.
“Hey, ladies. Ready for the quiz?â€Â
Karen pretends like she didn’t know and has a faux freak-out. Reef and Melanie laugh and pull out their data-tablets to do a little last minute review. The professor, some staunch Imperial-Guard type, nearly coughs up a lung and begins the day’s lesson. He leans over his desk and taps the display to send them the quiz. It appears on their tablets instantly. Karen twirls the stylus around between her fingers and sighs. Another day, another lesson learned.
Silence reigns for most of the class as everyone works furiously. It’s not that the quiz is difficult but the professor loves to pepper the questions with misleading language that forces them to be super specific or else points are taken off.
Karen is nearly finished when the school’s com system crackles to life.
The Dean of Students voice is strained but clear.
“We regret to inform you that the Death Star was confirmed destroyed in the Yavin system as a direct result of a Rebel attack. The counseling office will be open late for those who in need. Again, we regret to inform you…â€Â
Shock ripples through the full class as gasps and shouts escape from the students.
Karen glances at Reef, who seems outraged.
Melanie, on the other hand, sits quietly with a blank expression.
“Class will be suspended in the wake of this tragedy. Information has been sent out to all parents and updates will be released as they become available.â€Â
Everyone jumps out of their chairs and heads for the door.
Reef falls into step with the girls, “Can you believe this shit? Those bastard rebels!â€Â
“Filthy upstarts with no style,†Karen agrees with a nod.
Melanie follows them out through the halls to the station. The train takes them back to HOME2 where the students have begun congregating on the quad. The tension is as palpable as an electric current through the crowds. Everyone has an opinion or theory on how this could have happened. They were all under the impression the Death Star was an ultimate power that could not have been taken down by such a rag-tag band of scum like the Alliance. It’s not long before the rumors are swirling with whispers of technical oversights and design flaws.
“Look at this place!†Reef says excitedly, “It’s like a holiday.â€Â
“Yeah, one that will commemorate what’s essentially a massacre. How many people do you think were on the station?â€Â
“Lot’s, I’d imagine.â€Â
Karen snorts, “One would think with all the credits being thrown at production they could at least afford to hire an architect who didn’t leave any meter of that place vulnerable.â€Â
“Ladies and gentlemen, that’s what outsourcing will get you. Cheap labor and shoddy work.â€Â
“What a terrible way to figure that out.â€Â
Melanie is still mute, arms crossed and looking uncomfortable.
Throngs of people are passing by. Reef calls out to some.
“Hey, Val! Lucas!â€Â
A broad-shouldered blond boy steps out of the crowd with a spiteful-looking dark haired girl. The guys slap hands and commence the typical male banter. Another girl appears out of the crowd and takes the dark-haired girls arm. Reef pauses, glancing between them.
“Do you guys all know each other?â€Â
“No,†the girl says coolly.
He motions toward them, “Ladies, this is Lucas Maxwell, Valerie Gellar and Kimber Patten.â€Â
They mumble a greeting.
“This is Karen Winton and Melanie Masterton.â€Â
Karen smiles, “Nice to meet you guys.â€Â
“Likewise,†Lucas says with a devious grin. “Is everyone having fun yet?â€Â
“It’s total madness.â€Â
“Seriously.â€Â
Karen narrows her eyes at Valerie, “Do we know each other?â€Â
“Maybe,†she says, “But probably not. Come on, Kim. We’ll catch you guys later.â€Â
With that, they disappear back into the crowd.
Karen laughs, “Lovely friends you have there.â€Â
“They are Corellian’s adjusting the life on the capital.â€Â
“Guess that explains it.â€Â
Reef shrugs, “Good people though. I thought you guys would hit it off considering your all into fashion and shit.â€Â
“Karen,†Melanie says softly, “I’m not feeling so great. Do you mind if we go?â€Â
“Not at all. Sorry to bail on you guys but I’ve got to get her home.â€Â
Lucas and Reef wave as they head back through HOME2 to the front of the building. Once outside near the loading platform, Karen turns to her.
“You look a little pale.â€Â
“I feel faint.â€Â
“Me too but…â€Â
Melanie’s face is dreadfully serious, “I think it had something to do with what happened.â€Â
“The Death Star? How could that be?â€Â
“I don’t know but I could feel people…..screaming, dying…..somewhere far away. You don’t feel it too?â€Â
“I feel sick to my stomach but that’s about it. Screaming? Really?â€Â
“Yeah.â€Â
“Mel, that’s awful. Come on, let’s go.â€Â
Karen leads her toward the platform. Although the sickening feeling has lessened, she did feel something earlier but could not identify its origin. There were echoes in her head, voices. Now that Melanie put words to the feelings, she begins to wonders just how connected to the outside world they really are.
*
Surface: Imperial Palace
Director Alexander Winton leans over his desk in frustration.
Photage of the hollow space the Death Star used to fill is on one screen.
A recent translation on another.
"....an event framed by two similar tragedies."
One of two. Two of four.
The sequence building toward an unforseen climax is underway.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: North Coruscant High
Two senior Chin-Bretiers have him pinned against a wall of lockers. There was no warning and certainly no reason but alas, it is happening. He had left class as instructed by the Dean and thought the quad would be a good place to meet some friends seeing as he had not made many since starting NCH. He milled around, trying to join the many heated conversations involving the destruction of the Death Star but with little success. After all, he’s just a freshman and with the cruel politics of high school people tend to choose allies carefully. One wrong move could cost someone’s entire social life. He thinks it pretty stupid, all things considered, but that’s the way it goes.
The seniors are exerting their position over the underclassman which apparently includes slanderous name-calling. They call him a ‘puff’ for his tall and slender frame coupled with a vaguely effeminate swagger and an astounding lack of sportsmanship. He wasn’t aware these things were considered criminal in the surprisingly imbalanced social structure but there is something new to be learned every day. The Empire just found out they aren’t as invincible as they once thought. He just discovered he’s got to butch it up a bit for the mentally handicapped.
They pull him forward then shove him to the ground. His backpack falls and the contents scatter across the polished tile floor. One of them spits on his brand new shirt as they walk away laughing and slapping hands. People pass by but none stop and offer to help. He gathers up his things, feeling lower than he has in a long time, and makes his way out toward the loading platform. His parents are currently and typically off-world leaving him to take public transport over to his family residence in the Hyperion Building just west of 500 Republica.
It is on the platform he first lays eyes upon her.
She is tall and thin like him. Her crimson hair seems so intense in the fall sunlight. She is holding hands with a blond girl as they move toward a speeder that just pulled up containing, he assumes, one of their parents. The blond climbs in as the redhead slips on a pair of large oval sunglasses and pauses. Finally, she turns. Then she lowers the sunglasses. She is looking directly at him. No, she can’t be. There is no way a girl that beautiful would notice him among these athletic gods. But she is. A broad smile pulls at her full lips before she waves. Not a casual wave either. There is warmth and sincerity in the gesture. She pushes the sunglasses back up, flips that crimson hair and steps into the speeder.
In an instant, she is gone.
Skyler McNeal is floored with emotions.
Suddenly, the torturous commentary of his peers no longer seems hurtful. There is no sting in the insults. There is no pain in the actions. Not after the way the girl looked at him.
Suddenly everything seems okay.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Alexia Winton has never been much for frivolous festivities. Although her life has been built up and around the wealth of their family name she has sought no comfort or opportunity within it. Her parents finally seem content on the capital and had grown seemingly complacent and disillusioned because of it. The only exciting aspect of luxury was the underlying leverage and control such a position allows. There is sway and clout hidden in each monetary figure. With enough credits, one could make someone do virtually anything. That’s what thrills her the most. She feels she gets it from her father. She is more like him than any of them. Her mother was once an activist who got what she wanted by shouting loud enough while looking effortlessly breathtaking doing so. And her sister, the naïve and spoiled little tart, cares more for social-climbing than self-realization. Where Karen prefers to set her sights on popularity, Alexia wants nothing but power. Friends and lovers tend to serve as an obstacle which is why she so seldom seeks a connection with another. Her father has always known this and as she grew, she discovered he had parlayed his business ties with BRC into a multi-dimensional corporate venture with him as liaison to the Imperial Core. But she came to find out there is more to the story.
They are special. She and her sister have talents. Special talents and abilities that could make life so much easier while satisfying the Empire’s lust for domination. She is the only one who would acknowledge this power, the only one to want to use it. She was eleven when she began dreaming of a sandy and desolate world covered in ruins. She knew its name without ever hearing it. She needed to know more. She had to go there. Her father, surprisingly, did not stand in her way. Sure, he sent along a team of specialized Imperial Agents but still authorized a mission involving his tween daughter. Her mother was not informed of this decision until Alexia was already on Korriban, wandering toward a place that pulsed with energy and seemed to whisper her name.
The cave is where it told her to dig.
When she brought back the box, she thought she’d finally earned the respect of her father. He was so pleased with the findings and after allowing doctor Masterton to verify the age and origin, sent them off for immediate analysis. He told her he was proud of her, that she truly was gifted and that gift would be her greatest weapon against conspiring forces in the galaxy.
It wasn’t until she hit true adolescence that she uncovered the powers of her own mind. She could feel things with senses outside those typically known and used. She had control over their movements. Lift a remote here, a chair there, and soon she was spending afternoons locked in her bedroom with all the furniture hovering just above the plush carpeted floor.
Freshman year at North Coruscant was lonely. She was just as attractive as Karen, or so she liked to think, and assumed it would be just as easy. People were pulled toward Karen like a tractor beam and despite her age, seemed to always convince those around her to do as she pleased. Alexia waited for the floodgates to open, for people to clamor for her attention the way they did for Karen but it never came. She was often ignored both inside and outside of class. The year dragged on forever. Her only solace was the powers she could conjure with her mind and channeled the frustration into more productive means.
Toward the end of that year, her father told her the Emperor asked specifically about her well-being. Not just anyone but the Emperor! At that point all other social failures were rendered meaningless in her emerald eyes.
Or so she thought.
Alexia began her sophomore year at NCH thinking everything would fall into place. Per usual, things did not. The freshman Karen once again trumped any kind of placement she hoped to have within the exclusive social world. People clamored toward her and continued to ignore Alexia. As the days past, the resentment finally manifested physically in a kinetic rage that coincided with the time the Death Star was destroyed. A classroom was demolished but the news was somehow kept clear of the gossip mongers and Administration. On behalf of the Alumni Association coupled with Alexander Winton’s considerable influence, the outburst was covered up and all evidence linking her to the destruction swept under the rug.
There was only one condition.
A week later, she finally took the meeting that changed her life. Alexia went before the Emperor alone to discuss these feelings of anger and resentment. They spoke for over an hour and in that time, he reassured her more than she had been her entire life. They connected in a way she had not done with anyone else. Palpatine said he saw parts of himself in her youthful tenacity but warned to be patient and careful with how and on whom she chose to serve vengeance. That was, after all, the focal point of the discussion. Alexia was filled with such rage and that rage gave her power. The power was raw and wild and could only be harnessed with proper training. Vader was rumored to be the last of the Sith but Palpatine was bent on expanding the circle to a much wider threat radius. There were others who held potential for a great darkness but they were not yet ready to face who and what they are.
Alexia is ready. Palpatine made her an offer that had been previously accepted and signed into effect by the Imperial Director. She was to be formally trained as a Sith outside the confines and stipulations of NCH. After she agreed, they whispered and schemed as to how this could be done. Despite his notorious dislike for the female persuasion, Alexia was different. She was special. Just like her sister and the Masterton girl. There was no denying the plot would be emotionally damaging and possibly dangerous to certain relationships but they agreed it must be done. Alexia wanted out, wanted freedom, wanted power and Palpatine, seeing sheer untapped opportunity, wanted to help.
Before either of them knew it, they had the answer.
Several teenagers not fitting in or causing problems at traditional schools were sent to boarding schools off world. All they needed was compliance by the Administration office of NCH who were ordered to forge a considerable amount of grievances that breeched school policy and led to disciplinary action.
Alexander played the part well but Monica was truly mortified that Alexia had brought such shame on them through her alleged reckless actions. There were staged parent-teacher conferences, counseling sessions and ultimately, a choice. Transfer to the Carida Academy or risk the expulsion from NCH going on Alexia’s permanent record. A blacklist from such a prestigious school would obliterate any future chances she would have at academic excellence. In the parental fury, documents were signed, disappointed looks were thrown around, but in the end The Emperor, the Director and daughter dearest got exactly what they wanted.
*
Surface: 500 Republica: Winton Residence
With Karen out to the Holoplex with Melanie and Alexia officially grounded, Alexander and Monica square off in their master bedroom.
It’s a fight he had rehearsed for, a plot he and Palpatine conspired toward when the girls were just infants. At some point in time, one would have to be sacrificed. When it became apparent who the dominant Force-sensitive was, they tailored the plan to the changing circumstances. Only Alexia’s exclusive service to the Empire would ensure Karen and Melanie’s safety throughout the time leading up to the event. One daughter plays a specific role while the other is attached to a destiny not yet fully known. Both angles would benefit the Emperor or so Alexander led Palpatine to believe.
The Emperor was one thing. He knew how to deal with men of power. His wife would take much more finess.
“This is outrageous!†Monica shouts angrily, “How long has this been going on?
“A while now. It was discreetly brought to my attention last year. Alexia wasn’t adjusting well, lacked crucial social skills, and became combative when socially engaged. I thought it was your typical adolescent acting out, fighting against the system and trying to understand their place and personality. I had hoped our summer on Hesperidium would lighten her up and the new school year would be like a new start.â€Â
“Clearly, that wasn’t the case. Why didn’t you tell me?â€Â
Alexander rubs her shoulders, “You are under so much stress already. The prophecy, the broken translations, your lingering memories and nightmares from the vision. I did not want to upset you further.â€Â
“We’re supposed to be partners, Alex. I am your wife, not some client you are trying to placate.â€Â
“I am not trying to placate anyone, Monica. I am trying to do what is best for our children.â€Â
Monica sneers, “Best for them or best for you? I know it’s becoming more difficult to make that distinction these days.â€Â
“It’s best for everyone involved. Karen’s life does not have to be disrupted during all this. She is doing so well at North Coruscant and I would hate to jeopardize that with Alexia’s apparently instability. You remember how dangerous she was as a child. All those feelings of hatred toward her sister….â€Â
“I thought that had settled down as they grew. It seemed like they had come to accept one another.â€Â
“Did you not tell me about an outburst just a few weeks ago?â€Â
She sighs, “Karen was goading her. You know how she is.â€Â
“Which is exactly why this isn't the environment for her. Alexia is too sensitive. She is reactive and a potential danger to Karen, Melanie or any of the other students. We’re doing the right thing in complying with the Administration. Alexia will get the education she needs in an environment more suitable for her personality. You don’t want to worry something might happen, do you?â€Â
It goes exactly the direction he wants it to.
“No, of course not but…â€Â
She needs assurance despite the evidence.
“But what?â€Â
Monica’s dark eyes are full of mistrust. She knows what will happen if she treads into the wrong conversation territory. Alexander is unpredictable these days but somehow, at this moment, seems eerily calm and confident. Like a parent should be.
It is his composure that caves her doubt.
Alexander can be very convincing when he wants to be. So she heeds the words of Celeste and does not take it to the extreme.
“Nothing. Maybe you are right. Alexia needs a different kind of structure. She always has. I hope this doesn’t upset Karen too much.â€Â
Alexander holds her close, running his hands along her slender frame.
“Karen will be fine. She’s exactly where she wants to be.â€Â
And exactly where the Empire needs her to be.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: 500 Republica: Winton Residence
Uh oh, family meeting.
Karen has been summoned from her room via intercom and not an actual presence. This is what they have been reduced to but it beats the hell out of droids. As far as the Winton's are concerned, droids are for cleaning and serving. Nothing more. Humans are for talking and everyone else can kiss their aristocratic ass.
It is the Imperial way.
The sickness had vanished as quickly as it had appeared but she can't get Melanie's words out of her head. Were people actually calling out as the Death Star exploded? How could they feel and hear things on the other side of the galaxy? She knew they were different from others. She just wasn't sure how exactly or what that means for the slew of social events she has committed herself to. Then there is the boy. She hasn't been able to get him out of her head either. Somehow she knew he was watching her and could not resist letting him know. Now she would infect him the way he has infected her. She's never been much for the jocks anyhow. They are rumored to be good for only two things and neither involves much sentient activity. She's a girl who dreams of the sensitive brainy type who would kiss her passionately and mean everything he said.
The house com crackles to life to demand her presence in the living room. Apparently its important. More important that coordinating tomorrows outfit while studying for a mid-term? She thinks not. There are still so many faces to sort through, so many directions to go, and they haven't even hit holiday break yet.
Karen isn't sure what type of girl she wants to be and guards herself appropriately in public. Her mother taught her that. Keep your heart open but protected. It's not an easy task especially for one in the throes of adolescence. She is determined to remain aloof until she has more perspective. Besides, those she likes she is getting to know. Reef is nice and Lucas is quite the charmer. Melanie is even warming to them. Then there is that Gellar girl. Valerie or whatever. She is a real piece of work. Something about her though, she can't put her finger on it. It feels like they know each other from somewhere but that's impossible. They are from Corellia and her parents refused to take them "to a place where free-wheeling philosophers propagate sloth." At least that's what her father said. They were only taken to resort worlds and shielded from the more seedy aspects of urban life. She doesn't mind. Pampering has its perks, after all. She hasn't gone a week without a mani-pedi since she was seven and afternoon massages and skin therapy were not uncommon to unwind from a tedious day. She did well in school and provided moderate amusement to those dishing out the credits so she figures there is no harm in indulging. A lot. Forever, even. Hopefully. Sure, she'd land some cushy corporate job but still have enough backing her to allow for a smooth and comfortable slide into senility. Might as well go out in style.
That's all Karen cares about right now. Style. They say you can't have substance and style but she's out to prove them all wrong. There isn't a law that says you can't be smart and pretty, right? Right.
Finally, she slips off the plush pink comforter and pads out into the hall. She is wearing a white tank top, black micro boy shorts and white platform slippers and shuffles around the corner and down into the massive sunken living room. Her father is on the long sofa, mother on the loveseat and Alexia planted firmly in a chair between them. She can't tell if this is a protective thing or what but the room instantly begins to fill with dread. They have their serious faces on like a point needed to be made but not before a healthy lecture.
"Karen," her father says, "Please sit down. We have to talk to you about something."
"Am I in trouble?"
"No, honey."
Alexia says nothing and stares at the floor. Karen falls onto the couch next to her father.
"So, what's the sitch?"
They glance at each other before focusing on her. The Masterton's had coached them through this.
Alexander clears his throat.
"We realize how sensitive to your environments you both are. We respect that. What may work for one doesn't necessarily work for the other and understand the need for individuality. We want the best for both of you which is why we respect Alexia's decision to attend boarding school off world."
Karen jerks, looking quickly to her sister.
"Is this true? You are dropping out of NCH?"
"I'm not dropping out. I'm transferring elsewhere."
"But like, how? Why? Why would you do that?"
"Like you care if I stay."
"How can you say that? I mean, sure, we like never see each other and seldom speak but that doesn't mean I want you to go somewhere else. Are you sure you gave the school a chance? I could talk to some people. I could, you know, network, snag you a boyfriend and a-"
"It's not about the people."
"Then what is it? Why is it suddenly so intolerable? Is it because I'm there? I knew it."
Alexia gasps, "I marvel at your density. Brace yourself, Kar, all of this is surprisingly not about you."
"What am I supposed to think? You seemed perfectly fine last year when I wasn't there. What's changed?"
"Everything has. It wasn't fine. None of it was. I got into some....trouble."
Alexander and Monica allow them to talk it out. They are supposed to encourage dialog.
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
"I did things that hurt people. I have issues with anger. I get upset."
"So you have to go to a special school? Can't you seek outside counseling? What about doctor Masterton? Surely one of them knows someone."
Alexia shakes her head.
"I need help. This is the best way to get it."
"When do you leave?"
"My bags are already packed."
"So, like, that's it? You are just going to take off? Peace out, Kar, smell ya later? You are my big sister! What if something happens to me at school? You are supposed to clear the way."
"Somehow, I think you'll manage."
Alexander clears his throat, "Say goodbye to your sister. We have to get going."
Monica gets all choked up.
"What?" Karen snaps, rising off the couch, "You have to leave now? Can't we like, have a last meal, oh, what about a party? What's the rush?"
"We've got a long trip ahead of us."
Alexia stands. They are facing each other. Karen frowns, deflated. This is so actually happening. It is the older of the two who moves first, embracing the other. The hug is uncharacteristically drawn out. Alexia steps back, locks eyes and says in a way she finds slightly sinister.
"So long, sis."
Alexander is standing in the hall with the bags. Monica hugs Alexia multiple times before finally letting them leave. She stares at the closed door long after they've gone. When she turns back to Karen, her eyes are wide and blurred with tears.
"Guess it's just us."
That's the truth. No Alexia spells the end of competition. She is slightly sad to see her go and was completely caught off guard by the whole anger management angle but as far as sisters go, Alexia was more of a hassle than an ally. She could barely count on Alexia to have her back without trying to put a blade in it. Now that she thinks about, Alexia often found herself in fights. Physical violence seemed to be the first course of action. Karen wasn't exempt or anything, she was just in the way. Proximity and all. But all those little scheme's failed and its Alexia not Karen who is forced to leave the stage.
Small victories for some.
Monica makes a drink, downs it quickly and leaves the room in a daze.
Heartbreak for others.
Karen gets some fruit from the fridge and ponders life as an only child. She expects the parental units to be on the fritz for a couple of weeks but in the end, they will overcompensate and she knows exactly how to handle that.
With a sly smile and renewed sense of motivation, she returns to her room.
*
The shuttle trembles as it rises from the platform and ascends into the darkened purple sky. Alexia is fastened in, gazing through the window to a world beyond this one. There is a sense of pride swelling in the father. With time and training, his eldest daughter would become Lady of the Sith.
Alexander turns to her, face half drown in shadow. He speaks without knowing the damage it may cause. There are no facts to support the statement. But he says it anyway.
"Trust me. It is your destiny."
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Hyperion Building: Galatea Suite
Valerie Gellar stares at the twinkling lights of 500 Republica from through the living room windows. The building is one of the most hypnotic but completely overrated. There is far more security than most upscale towers and the movements of the tenants are generally monitored. Valerie is not one for being looked after despite the current situation.
The Galatea Suite, a ridiculously expensive luxury urban residence, was bought and paid for by Major Kyri Patten. There was concern his daughter, Kimber, would have some sort of breakdown if there was not at least some familiarity to her routine. Valerie thinks it’s all rubbish and that Kimber’s parents treat her more like a fragile object than a daughter. Valerie’s father and the Major were close friends and comrades in CorSec. Her whole life she heard about the bravery of Patten and how he had saved the day time and time again. Valerie had always been impressed but found it strange that their only daughter turned out to be so meek and gentle. She had always been brasher, more like the Major and he noticed. Kimber, on the other hand, found beauty and rapture in everything around her. The child-like sense of wonder never seemed to fade as they grew from toddlers to teenagers. Valerie thought it was adorable but the Patten’s found it dangerous. That kind of absentmindedness could only lead to trouble. Since the girls were frequently together, they were assigned security details and surveiled on a regular basis just in case harm was to befall the daydreaming Kimber. Typical uptight parenting. It was at the Major’s urging that she even applied for NCH. Kimber was sharper than she looks, pulled the grades and had a wide range of extracurricular activities during junior high. Valerie wasn’t about joining anything in those days and suddenly worried she would have nothing to offer the exclusive school. Low and behold, both of their applications were accepted without question. It was then Major Patten pulled Valerie aside to ask a very specific favor.
Kyri knows commuting to and from Corellia would be impossible therefore he was willing to purchase a residence that both she and Kimber would share. It was to be in close proximity to the school in Galactic City and have several spare bedrooms for the parents or overnight guests. The condition being that Valerie had to be the eyes and ears of the Patten’s while they were off world conducting business. Lilandra has a thriving floral market in Coronet and Kyri was quickly becoming an irreplaceable fixture at CorSec. There was talk he would be Field Minister one day and lead all the Corellian forces into battle.
Valerie’s father, Jerico Gellar, had become something of a loose cannon over the past several years before vanishing entirely last spring. She was quietly devastated, blaming herself for the sudden departure but Kyri and Lilandra were so warm and open. They explained that some wounds from battle are not always visible on the surface. Sometimes, war drives people to do very selfish things. Jerico was a good man but ultimately decided he needed to get help on his own. Kyri and Jerico promised each other long ago they would watch out for their respective families if something ever happened to one of them.
That’s the story they got.
Kimber bought it with bright eyes and a bursting heart. Valerie was not so sure.
So she did a little investigating on Corellia. She searched through the massive and empty Gellar residence. No corner was left unchecked. Everything seemed to be in order. Not so much as an unpaid bill. This only made her more curious. What kind of person gets their life in total order before having a meltdown? It wasn’t until weeks later she finally got a clue. At one of the Patten’s many outdoor dinner parties, she tailed Kyri when he took a com-call. From her hiding place she listened as his tone changed dramatically from the overly concerned father to that of the war-hardened Major. He was arguing with someone named Winton about timing and execution. The name Masterton was also mentioned.
A quick search through the public Imperial database came up with rather dull results:
Alexander Winton: Bakur Repulsor Corp consultant and liaison to the Core Worlds.
Monica Greyson-Winton: former Naboo Queen, royal court, and environmental activist.
Doctor Henrick Masterton: former Bakuran general practitioner turned premiere capital internal medicine specialist.
Doctor Celeste Masterton: former Bakuran counselor turned capital psychologist.
Valerie thought it was all some sort of joke. These people seemed like real squares. A consultant, a doctor, a psychologist and an ex-royal? Not much of a threat from where she’s standing but maybe there is more to the group than meets the eye. Some secrets may harm more than help and she doesn’t want to do anything that might negatively affect Kimber. She backed off the case. Still, she could not get the tone in which Kyri Patten used in speaking the names. Suspicion lingered until the day the Death Star blew the fuck up clear on the other side of the galaxy.
On the quad at NCH, Valerie was introduced to Karen Winton and Melanie Masterton. The last name’s activated her defenses and she may have come off a bit too rigid. These people might know something about their parents, something that might help her understand what happened to her own father. She doesn’t want vengeance so much as she does understanding. How could someone who claimed to be there for her just leave her like that? If it weren’t for the obscene amounts of credits mysteriously left to her name and the unconditional love of the Patten’s, Valerie might have turned out to be someone entirely different.
Questions loom as Valerie continues to stare at 500 Republica. The sky turns from orange to purple to a navy blue. She wonders what the Winton’s and Masterton’s are doing over there right now. She wonders why neither she nor Kimber had been introduced to their children considering they are all the same age and class. If everyone’s parents are friends with each other, it seems customary to engage each other’s children so that visiting one another would be easier for everyone. Mostly, she wonders what Major Patten meant about timing and execution. They are words that have haunted her mind since they were spoken. Of course, Valerie has never come out and asked anyone specifically, where as not to reveal she was spying, but she probably should.
Better yet, she could find out for herself. The Masterton girl seems nice enough, sweet in a way that isn’t completely annoying but the redhead, that Winton girl. Damn. What an elitist bitch all done up like some innocent schoolgirl. Attention whore much? “Do we know each other?†Please. If that were the case they wouldn’t have bothered with introductions…
Valerie stiffens.
Why would Karen even ask that question? Did they seem familiar somehow? Had she heard their names as Valerie had heard theirs? And better yet, why are their parents speaking about them and others they attend school with behind their backs? What’s the big hush-hush for? In some ways, this makes both Melanie and Karen more appealing. A mysterious edge always does that. Perhaps she would engage them to see what they know…
Kimber traipses across the polished wood floors, pausing by one of the many drooping flowers hanging from vines around the house. She sniffs it slowly and feigns utter intoxication before giggling like mad.
“What are you doing?â€Â
“Being silly, what are you doing? Being a zombie?â€Â
“No, just enjoying the view.â€Â
“It is pretty spectacular. Guess we lucked out on the digs.â€Â
“Your father has good taste.â€Â
Kimber smiles, “Thanks but I think he just likes expensive things.â€Â
“Don’t we all?â€Â
“Not everyone is that shallow. I prefer simple beauties regardless of price. That’s not really why you are standing there, is it? You are totally plotting.â€Â
Valerie turns, shocked that she could be so obvious.
“I am not!â€Â
“You so are! I can tell because you have that furrowed-brow, half-sneer thing going on. You only do that when you are in serious plot mode. So tell me, who is the target of this scheming?â€Â
“It’s not a scheme or a plot. What do you think of Karen and Melanie?â€Â
Kimber shrugs, “Melanie is very kind and always makes sure to say hello when we see each other. Karen seems a bit more reserved. I think maybe she’s also adjusting to life at NCH. I don’t think it can be easy for anyone but in truth I don’t know either of them that well.â€Â
“What do you say we make more of an effort?â€Â
“To get to know them?â€Â
Valerie nods, “Sure, why not? There are tons of people who talk to us every day but there aren’t any real connections there not counting Reef and Lucas, of course. We don’t really have any girlfriends. It’s been just you and me our whole lives. I think we should maybe….I dunno….expand our social horizons.â€Â
“Are you feeling okay? It’s not like you to be so….inclusive.â€Â
“I’m fine. I just think we’d have a much easier time if we let the walls down a little. I know I tend to be a bit protective but it’s in my nature. I don’t want us to get walked all over just because we’re off world freshmen. It can be rough without a solid group of friends.â€Â
Kimber smiles, “I think that’s a wonderful idea. We have been a little cautious since we arrived. Change always makes me uneasy at first but it’s been a while and I think exploring new friendships is the perfect way to settle in. What’s the catch?â€Â
“Catch?â€Â
“No offense, Val but you tend to have all sorts of angles and motives attached to the things you do. We’ve known each other forever, remember?â€Â
Valerie pauses but does not let it last too long. She doesn’t like being dishonest with Kimber but would hate to make their attempt at socializing sound more sinister than it really is. She would let Kimber be Kimber and approach the others with a classic charm that is sure to win everyone over. Valerie would keep an ear open to anything that might connect the family names to each other.
“No angle. I am just realizing how crucial socialization is to our age-group. We’ve gotta get out there, see the sights, meet the people. You know what I’m saying?â€Â
Kimber giggles again, “Yes, I do. Now come on, we have homework to finish.â€Â
Valerie trails slowly behind and imagines what their lives would be like as part of a whole.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: NCH
The CoreCafe is like a cavernous wonder. Most of those who are not eating are totally zoning out in the vaulted ceilings and highly gothic style. The Galactic Empire is pretty fond of Goth but they manage to class it up just enough where as not to seem like whiners.
It manages to both astound and creep someone out simultaneously.
Karen thinks it adds a certain something and has written a letter to the Dean stating so. She also commended the groundskeepers for maintaining their surroundings with impressive stealth and skill. Only after it was sent did she recall never even seeing a groundskeeper and realizes, with sickening horror, that droids must be responsible for the perfect polish on their lockers and the black tiled floors with the amazing shine. Did she just write a letter of praise for mindless machines?
It's practically winter and their little group has taken a more recognizable shape. Shortly after the whole Death Star thing, which still totally has everyone's panties in a bunch, Valerie Gellar approached her. She had been alone and was completely taken aback for two very specific reasons. 1) Uh, stalker much? and 2) she oozes a menacing sexual energy that almost makes it feel like a threat. Sexy is sexy but Valerie is, well, dangerous. Like the kind of girl who would jump your boyfriends bones right before jumping yours. And being amazing at it. Karen is instantly jealous and decides to ice the bitch until she delivers the line flawlessly.
"I think our parents know each other."
This hooks her simply because aside from the Masterton's, she was unaware her parents really had friends. Or knew people. Business associates don't count. There were always many of those. But actual friends, people they seemed to cherish, not so much. Celeste and Henrick seem like all her parents have. Or need. Maybe she is wrong. Yet she never remembers the name Gellar being dropped even in casual conversation. Not even when they drink. Questions spear the statement so she fires back.
"How?"
Valerie's brow spikes upward and responds to the challenge with another.
"Find out."
Now she, Valerie, Kimber, Melanie, Reef, and Lucas sit around a table in the CC discussing the latest over lunch. The topic is Chin-Bret head injuries and the similarities between the side-effects and Cro-Magnon Core settlers. Naturally the boys are less judgmental about it but Melanie somehow thinks the whole thing is barbaric. Not that Karen entirely disagrees but rather enjoys them running around in their vest and shorts. Carrying that stick. It's all so erotic.
Lunch ends far too quickly and everyone goes their separate ways. Valerie also has class in the Arts building and heads toward the maglev station with Karen. They make fun of a senior wearing last season's color scheme and the senior bursts into tears and runs into the bathroom.
It's appalling how some people just can't keep up with this sort of thing.
Carli Cole, one of the most sought-after sophomores, stops them on the platform. The girl was obviously doomed to be popular because of that face and is rumored to have landed a small but much-buzzed about role in the new Maranski movie. A starlet in training. Karen has already taken inventory of the major players from each class. Those deemed useful are managed accordingly. The rest are ignored. Carli Cole commands the sophomores and her position requires a certain amount of tolerance. They may be only freshmen with little sway now but building a brand name of yourself has to start somewhere.
"Car."
"Kar. So I just heard the wildest story..."
While some in the upper classes have other talents, Carli could be counted on to have the pulse on school scandal.
"Do tell."
"Word is your sister was getting some extra credit from the faculty. A certain science department chair."
"The one who died?"
"That's the one."
"I was under the impression his lab in the Legacy Building kind of, you know, exploded."
"At least that's what the Dean's office says. She did drop out right after that happened so one has to wonder..."
Valerie is now paying full attention.
"Alexia didn't drop out." Karen says with surprising conviction, "She got sent to a boarding school. There is no need to put a seedy spin on the story."
"Was it faculty related?"
"Not that I'm aware of. She didn't mesh, you know that. Some people just can't get with the program so she went elsewhere. No real shocker there."
"Well," Carli sighs, "That is what everyone is saying."
"Someone really needs to be beamed a memo."
"It's not like you issued a statement but I'll be sure to let the masses know."
"I appreciate that."
"Later, Kar."
"Later, Car."
It was all so startling, so sudden. That is not a light accusation to make.
As Carli moves away, Valerie turns to her.
"You didn't tell me your sister got sent away."
Karen shrugs, "It wasn't exactly relevant."
"You seemed to defend it like it was."
"Look, my sister is a lot of things. Moody, irrational, whatever. But she's not some sort of skank who is hot for teacher. She's just...confused."
"About what?"
"Everything apparently. Alexia has always had behavioral problems."
Valerie smirks, "Sounds like someone's seen a professional."
"My parents best friends are doctors. One of them a psychologist. We've been briefed on how out of touch my sister is with her peers. She never seemed to find a need for connection with others."
"Not surprising."
"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
The maglev pulls into the station and the doors hiss open. They step inside.
Valerie crosses her arms.
"Well, why would she bother if everyone is always paying attention to you?"
"They most certainly are not!"
"Ok, hey, defensive? I'm not trying to be nasty, just pointing out something I noticed."
"From the whole like five microseconds you've known me."
"It's been most of a semester, thank you very much, and this is the first I'm hearing about this mysterious sister."
Karen gasps, "What? You don't have shit you don't like to talk about?"
"No, I do."
"Well, Alexia is my touchy subject."
"Got it, sister not on the table for discussion."
"My fam is my biz. You know, you never told me how our parents supposedly know each other. Wasn't that that your whole like, intro spiel?"
Valerie sighs, "I said I think they know each other."
"That's not exactly forthcoming..."
"Chill. Vague is in."
"Not if we're going to be friends, Val. Friendship means trust. The boys know what we want them to know. I tell Melanie everything just like you tell Kimber everything. I say it's time we share information. Now spill."
It's true and it's not. Valerie never told Kimber what she heard.
But she is going to tell Karen.
The train comes to a stop and they exit, heading toward the glass front of the Arts building. Valerie steers her away from the other students. A brisk breeze blows the last leaves from the massive potted trees.
"Alright, it isn't much but I'll tell you. I overheard Major Patten mention your last names."
"Who's?"
"Yours and Melanie's. He was talking to a Winton. He only mentioned Masterton."
"I don't really have a context to put that in..."
"Patten said something about timing and execution. So I did a little checking."
"On who? Me?"
"More like, your parents. Her parents."
"Please tell me you are not some sort of crazed groupie cuz, no offense, it wouldn't surprise me."
"Don't even flatter yourself, bitch. It was curiosity and still makes no sense. The context is lost on me too. It would never even caught my attention but sure enough, I'm introduced to two people with the same last names shortly after."
"Ok, strange but hardly conclusive. The whole conversation is circumstantial not to mention you were totally spying."
"It's not what he said. It's how he said it."
"And how did he say it?"
"I dunno, suspiciously. The whole thing with your sister just makes it that much more so. Don't you think?"
"I think you might be paranoid."
"Just cautious."
"Why?"
Valerie's face clouds over. Karen feels something, like maybe she's crossed a line. Not like that will stop her from pressing.
"Val? Why? Why must you be cautious?"
"Does it matter?"
"It does if it involves my family."
"Because you treasure your family so much, right?"
"Not always but I can see you are on the fence about yours. You've told me this much so why not just tell me the rest?"
"I don't know if I can trust you."
"One way to find out."
Dark strands of hair are blown across Valerie's olive colored eyes. There is suddenly a depth about her that Karen assumed she did not possess. Feelings flicker from all sides but she cannot identify any one specific emotion. Then she realizes Valerie must be deciding. Maybe there is something more to this girl.
"My father disappeared over a year ago."
The statement is enough to stun but Karen recovers quickly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't....know that..."
"You do now."
"Does anyone know what happened? That is, if you don't mind me asking."
"Major Patten said it was post traumatic stress. I guess that happens when people go to war. Not like we'd know, right?"
"Right. What about your mother?"
"I never knew her."
Valerie says this distantly, like it's merely an afterthought.
"Val, that's awful. So, now you have...no one?"
"I have the Patten's. This school. My new friends. A charmed life. Or so it seems. As a result I find mystery in everything. Obviously I have some attachment issues to work out."
"Clearly. I mean, you know, it's okay. We all have issues. I told you mine, you told me yours. What would an adolescence be without horror stories from the home front?"
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No but an afterschool shopping spree might. Oh, shit. Shit. There he is."
Valerie starts to turn but Karen grabs her arm. Valerie turns anyway. A tall, slender boy in slacks and a fitted navy blazer strolls toward the doors of the Arts building. He catches sight of them and almost trips, recovers, and slowly makes his way inside. Karen waves coyly.
"Is that the guy? The one from the platform?"
"Yeah."
"Him? Really?"
"Yes, him. What do you think?"
"I think...he's a very pretty boy. What's his name?"
"I'm not trying to ruin it with details yet."
"Smart. Play it cool."
"Always."
Even though Valerie still has more to tell, she hesitates to indulge in where her mind is taking her. She has revealed something about herself, gone out on a limb. It's not exactly a smart social tactic to go around asking questions about other people's business. Either way a seed has been planted in Karen's fevered little imagination. Death, disappearances and rumors? Wild.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Major Kyri Patten is not a foolish man. He knows when to do what and why. Two days ago he received a call on Corellia. The compulsory exodus that follows is motivated by the most intense fatherly instincts. It is beyond description or words. He has none for Lilandra as he burst out of the office and past her. No explanations or reasons as he blindly raced toward his ship. He suddenly thinks he has no time. Never before has hyperspace seemed so long and empty. His clearance level on the capital bypasses general public traffic lanes ensuring a hassle free entry. In the shuttle ride over, he replays it all in his mind.
Corellia. The crisp stunning day. The kind you knew wouldn't last. He was reading a file report from Detective Farmer while he waited for his call. It was insightful and compelling. Farmer would go far in the department. The alert from the desk rips him from concentration but he is quick to answer it. The Detective confirms it. The genetic evidence is a match.
Jerico Gellar is dead.
From that moment Kyri knows Alexander had him killed. It was his idea to place the agent posing as a parent and only too suspicious that he goes missing shortly before the girls are set to enter the capital scene. Now that they have it seems all bets are off.
Kyri arrives just as the students of NCH are out on winter break. A panicked Lilandra sent their schedules in a transmission when she figured out where he was going. He makes a mental note to call her as soon as he makes sure the girls are alright. The urge to protect them is overwhelming. He no longer knows what Alexander is capable of. What if Jerico was just the beginning? There are several others who are privy to sensitive information and it's only a matter of time before someone else becomes a liability. He'll be damned if it's his daughters. Alexander swears up and down their fates are destined to transpire elsewhere, that the bright and shining galactic core is merely a staging ground for the changes each one will make.
He races through Galactic City to the Hyperion Building.
Kimber and Valerie are exactly where they should be on a break from school - parked on the couch watching a holodrama. Both are happy to see him. He almost laughs at himself but remains the composed officer. A thorough report from the security staff shows nothing out of the ordinary and it still does not convince him. They must be guarded at all times by those he trusts most. To hell with the Imperial guards. He makes a call and the CorSec detail traveling with him shows up at the Galatea Suite to relieve the Imperial issue. This would be cleared by Alexander himself. Kyri would make certain of it. He would not take more risks than necessary. There have been so many already.
It may be Monica's vision, Alexander's plan, and Henrick's assurance but these are his damn children.
The week is spent upgrading security measures in the suite, going through routines with the agents and trying to find holes in his increasingly packed schedule to come and visit more often. All of it must be done not to appear as though he is plotting against Alexander. There would be a conversation and Alexander would tell him the truth or he would lie. Either way, he's adopting a more hands-on policy to this arrangement. Killing Jerico was never part of the terms. He calls the office and leaves messages at the residence in 500 Republica with Monica. Nothing is returned. When he finally goes to the Imperial Palace in search of him he runs into another dead end.
Alexander is suddenly unavailable due to the conflict at Felucia and would contact the Major at his earliest convenience.
Typical bureaucratic brush-off.
He does not pursue the issue further and returns to the Hyperion to have dinner with Kimber before he departs for Corellia. Alexander has his measures of avoidance which gives Kyri time to rethink his approach. It's the small liberties they take that will make the most difference.
Ambient electronic music thumps lowly in the background over dinner. He hates the music but tells Kimber he loves it because she seems to be uplifted by it. He finds himself constantly trying not to crush her buoyant spirit. It floats like a red balloon across a star littered sky that has managed to withstand the harsh winds surrounding it. She knows nothing and it scares him. Not the faintest idea. A part of him loves her more deeply for it. It's Valerie he must be mindful of. She seems calm enough to be plotting something of her very own. He knows this because he knows himself. That brash and reckless part of him shines through so clearly it's a wonder Lilandra hasn't come to the conclusion already.
Kimber clears the table as he swirls brandy around the bottom of a glass. The view from the suite is amazing and worth every credit. He cannot keep his eyes away from the Republica tower. It is meant to be the ultimate symbol of affluence but only seems to garner more and more suspicion.
Wealth breeds a jaded skepticism.
The door chime sounds, jarring him back into the present moment. Valerie appears followed by two other girls. A blond and a redhead. There are no introductions needed but they must be performed anyway.
"Oh, daddy, these are our friends from school Melanie Masterton and Karen Winton. They live just across the way. I told you we were having a sleepover tonight. Last night of winter break and all. You don't mind, do you?"
It is the first time he has seen them in person but he has seen them before.
"Not at all. Good evening, ladies."
Melanie nods respectfully, "Major Patten."
"Nice to meet you." Karen says with a sly smile.
He clears his throat and sets the glass down on the table.
"Well then, I'll leave you to it. Be safe and have a great semester. Call me if there are any problems. That goes for you too, Val."
Valerie groans.
"Yeah, yeah."
Kimber throws her arms around his neck and squeezes him tight.
"Bye, daddy."
As the ship roars out of Coruscant, pangs of regret begin to blossom. He does not want to leave them there alone but as long as they are together they are safe. That is what Alexander believes. The four would seek out one another and they have. His experiment in a controlled environment seems to have worked and those who needed reassurance have been reassured. Alexia has been discreetly shipped out and soon Alexander would have himself a Sith weapon as further means of control.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Imperial Palace
Alexander Winton grinds his teeth at the reports coming out of Felucia. No matter how bad it gets, it will be better in the future. A future dominated by a Winton. By Alexia. He has to believe it. More of the prophecy is evolving with each subtle translation. A glimpse into the horrific shapes of things to come. All steps closer to control. His control. Alexia's training has reached a critical point which will be tested. Monica clings to her rapidly fading denial. Karen and Melanie are now "bff's" with Valerie and Kimber. He does not even know what that means but they are together and that is what counts. He has everyone convinced. It had all played out as he said and Monica saw. He has taken his wife's vague flashes with the prophecy's heavy allusions and constructed a weapon of fear to precede his actual weapon. The others would be beside themselves if something went wrong. No one could live with the guilt if something happened to one of the girls. That is why they will do as he tells them. Or else. Risking those who have no idea may have seemed like such a good idea in the moment but after years of lying in wait to watch it all spring into action must be nerve-wracking. Not for Alexander. Oh no. He feels the charge wealth and power brings. It soothes him. It is all he ever wanted and so much more. Running BRC pales in comparison and the credit of the Winton name is swallowed by the immense influence and resource of the Empire. Can a man gain the whole world and lose his soul? Damn right he can. Alexander is building a brand around the ideal. The prime example. No one knows what or who he really is. They believe he is a consultant. A deal-maker. Every move he makes is legitimized by the company his family created and allows him hours on end to devote to this hideous scheming. He must remain vigilant in the battle for leverage. So far it's all his. Not one has evidence of foul play but he is not so emboldened as to believe it could not change quickly. That is why he and the Empire need Alexia. Sith Apprentices are in short supply and Palpatine is anxious to expand the circle of love. The Imperial machine gains another formidable defender and so does Alexander. No one would dare question his plans again! Muh- Muhaa-Muhaahaaa- MUHAHAHAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
But first, those forsaken rebel pieces of shit. Again with the meddling and the explosions. It has become a disturbing trend that must stop this instant! Any Imperial disruptions means disruptions for him. This is unacceptable and so the Alliance must suffer dearly at the black gloved choking hands of the Galactic Empire.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
(http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/thumb/b/ba/GalacticCityStreets_RMQ.jpg/200px-GalacticCityStreets_RMQ.jpg)
Surface: Galactic City: Glitannai Esplanade
The Raga’Ana Botique is not for the faint of heart. With price tags out of reach for most of the populus it is to be approached only with true style intent.
Melanie stands on a raised circular podium surrounded by mirrors. The dress is tasteful and conservative. She has an affinity for white and feels it is the best outward representation of what she feels internally. Purity is important to her and much effort is spent on maintaining such in all aspects of her life.
“Well, what do you think?â€Â
Kimber claps her hands together and breathes, “Oh, Mel. It’s gorgeous!â€Â
“You think it sends the right message?â€Â
“What message is that again?â€Â
“Look but don’t touch.â€Â
“It’s a date, Melanie. There is bound to be touching eventually.â€Â
“Eventually being the operative word. I just don’t see the necessity of moving at lightspeed. We are only fifteen.â€Â
“I’m sure Lucas will act like a perfect gentleman. I heard he was a nervous wreck for weeks before he actually asked you out. He’s not going to blow it by being a jerk.â€Â
“I should hope not.â€Â
Kimber glances at the platinum Carteris chronometer on her slender wrist and then makes a face.
“Come on, we better get you back for make-up and last minute adjustments. Don’t want to be caught off guard when he comes to pick you up.â€Â
*
Surface: Hyperion Building: Galatea Suite
Karen steps back to take a look, “It’s perfect.â€Â
“Are you sure?â€Â
“Of course, darling. Red lips and white as a ghost. Pale is the new tan and besides, sun damage is not sexy.â€Â
“I am not sun-damaged, Karen. We are only ever in direct sunlight on Hesperidium.â€Â
“Exactly. Val? Second opinion here.â€Â
Valerie leaps forward, powder brush in hand, with Kimber peeking over her shoulder.
“Stunning, Mel. Really. You have that uptight and chaste look down solid.â€Â
Melanie narrows her eyes, “Oh, thanks.â€Â
Kimber shoots Val a look.
“She didn’t mean that to sound so negative. It’s just that you look so wholesome and that’s what you were going for, right?â€Â
“Right.â€Â
Karen smiles, “That might drive him even wilder.â€Â
“Wild? I am going for sort of a subtle tingling feeling. I don’t want him to go nuts or anything.â€Â
“Something will definitely be tingling.â€Â
“Val.â€Â
“Oh, don’t be so provincial. We’re teenagers.â€Â
“So?â€Â
“So it’s expected of us to be sexually charged and a little raunchy.â€Â
“Says you.â€Â
“I just don’t think I want….raunch on a first date. It might be a bit much.â€Â
“Alright, alright, play it soft. Just don’t expect him to stay that way.â€Â
The door chime sounds, sending the girls into frantic giggles and squeals. They run around in circles before piling out into the hall toward the foyer. Valerie takes the lead and taps the front door open. Standing on the other side is a tailored suit-clad Lucas holding a bouqet of flowers. His medium length blond hair is slicked back and fashionably styled. He smiles broadly as Melanie steps forward to accept the flowers.
“These are beautiful, thank you.â€Â
“You look….amazing.â€Â
“Thank you.â€Â
“Shall we?â€Â
Lucas extends a hand which Melanie accepts and they disappear down the hall. Kimber holds the flowers and will put them in a vase. Valerie is about to close the door when Reef jumps out from around the corner.
“Boo!â€Â
They scream before becoming seriously pissed.
“Reef!†Valerie shouts, “What the hell are you doing here?â€Â
He flashes a devious grin.
“Just thought we’d see what you ladies are up to. Figured you might be a little lonely.â€Â
Kimber sighs, “Who’s ‘we?’â€Â
Two other boys step out from around the corner. One is shorter with a vaguely punk look and spiked brown hair. The other is Karen’s crush.
Kimber and Valerie stiffen when they spot him.
Awkward!
Karen is having trouble breathing and blushes brightly, cheeks flushing a deeper shade of crimson than her hair.
The boy smiles sheepishly.
Karen passes out.
“Oh shit!†Valerie screams. “Look what you did!â€Â
Kimber drops to the ground, using the bouquet to fan Karen’s face.
Reef shrugs and peeks into the residence, “Any adults home?â€Â
“No, thankfully they are offworld again. Why? Have something in mind?â€Â
“We could keep you company while we wait for Lucas to bring Melanie back.â€Â
“Who says we need company?â€Â
“I do.â€Â
Valerie sighs and steps aside, allowing the three boys in and the door to close.
Reef motions to his friends.
“This is Billy and Skyler. We have Art Theory together.â€Â
They wave.
“That’s nice,†she says sarcastically. "Could you be any gayer?"
Reef and Valerie continue to glare at one another. It’s a sexual tension stare-off!
Kimber is not having much luck rousing the princess, “Um, boys? Now would be a good time to make yourselves useful.â€Â
Billy and Skyler jump into action, gently hauling Karen over to the couch. Once they set her down, Skyler sits on the edge and pushes strands of hair away from her face. Karen stirs, eyes slowly blinking open. Once they focus on Skyler, she gasps, sitting upright quickly.
“Oh, so sorry about that. I must have, uh….fallen down.â€Â
“You fell? I thought you fainted.â€Â
She is absolutely mortified.
“Fainted, fell, it’s all so, you know, similar. I’m Karen.â€Â
He is absolutely smitten.
“I know. I’m Skyler.â€Â
Billy groans, having heard about this girl for months now without much action on the part of his friend. Then he chuckles to himself and turns to Kimber who is clutching the crushed bouquet tightly.
“We should probably get those in some water.â€Â
She glances down at them and laughs, “Oops, my bad. We can probably save them. Escort me to the kitchen?â€Â
"You got it. Besides, all this excitement has got me parched.â€Â
They disappear through the living room.
Reef moves closer to Valerie, “So, here we are.â€Â
"Yup"
“Got anything to drink?â€Â
“Juice, water, take your pick. It’s in the kitchen but you can get it your damn self.â€Â
“Easy, girl. I was thinking something a little harder.â€Â
Valerie rolls her eyes, “Yeah cuz the Major stocked his teenaged daughter’s residence with booze. Get real, Reef.â€Â
He slips a shiny object out from under his jacket.
“Not to worry. I came prepared.â€Â
“And I take it you are always prepared.â€Â
Reef smirks suggestively.
“You never know when or where a party may break out.â€Â
“Uh huh.â€Â
“What? You don’t trust me?â€Â
“Not when you say it like that.â€Â
He shakes the flask.
“What do you say?â€Â
Valerie sighs and takes it from him. He opened the cap like the gracious guy he apparently wants to be. She takes a swig, winces and hands it back.
“That is foul.â€Â
“It’s an acquired taste.â€Â
“If you say so.â€Â
Kimber and Billy appear in the living room and sit on the couch opposite Karen and Skyler. Reef takes Valerie’s hand and leads her over to the rest of the crew.
*
Surface: 500 Republica: Winton Residence
They have recently returned from the Grand Moff’s gala at the Imperial Palace. It was a very successful networking opportunity. Monica is passed out on the couch, slumped sideways clutching her purse.
Alexander is standing by the massive wrap around windows looking out over Galactic City. He lowers a pair of microbinoculars that had been aimed at the adjacent Hyperion Building. His daughter has made friends and he must be certain none of them harbor ulterior motives. Those she associates with have been checked through the Imperial network. A covert team has been dispatched to tail Masterton and her date. Nothing can prevent his plan from coming to pass. It has been foreseen and would be managed to ensure everyone stays inside the prophecy lines.
He raises the microbinoculars again.
Karen is sitting close to the taller boy, perhaps a little too close. Alexander had never really considered the possibility of her dating. Alexia never really expressed interest in boys at all and while Karen did fancy some, it was more from afar.
This is something different.
The father in him grows more suspicious but the Imperial knows such a thing is not meant to last.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Fobosi District
First dates can rattle even the most secure individual.
Lucas takes Melanie out to dinner at Monceaux, a bistro inside the Maxwell Corporate Center owned by his father. Over a candle-lit meal they share information about their background and families. Things not normally broached during school hours. Melanie skirts the whole Emperor Summons issue by stating that her parents, the good doctors, found more lucrative positions in the galactic core. Lucas was born and raised on Coruscant and his parents, namely his father, made a killing in the real estate market just after the fall of the Republic. The exodus of many staunch Old Republic supports left a wide variety of vacancies and the Maxwell’s were only too happy to snap them up at bottom-barrel prices, flip them to sell or lease at top credit. While he is mighty handsome, his nonchallance toward those forced out due to the New Order dampens something in her. Since she has lied by omission, she tries not to hold it against him. She figures dating must require some sort of information restraint while trust is felt out and extended. Boys have always been interested but she maintained an air of dignity that often came off as icy and unapproachable. She is aiming for something a bit less frigid.
They move on to the Skydome Botanical Gardens where she is amazed at the variety and selections. He knows she is fond of nature and thought it would be the perfect place. They wander through the lush multi-level gardens and explore the origins of each species. He buys her an expensive and rare flower. Afterwards, they take a walk on the exterior terrace. Melanie pulls the lush white fur coat around her tightly and gazes out over the cityscape that never seems to end. She lifts the flower under her nose and inhales deeply, thrilled by its intoxicating scent. Lucas buttons his suit jacket and leans toward her. As she turns, his lips brush hers. The kiss is sweet and innocent. He pulls back quickly to stare into her face and gauge her reaction. She is smiling coyly.
"It’s getting late.†He says, “I should get you home."
She nods and falls into step beside him. He reaches for her hand and she takes it. The whole evening has been proper and respectful. She wasn’t quite sure what kind of a guy he would turn out to be off the field but is pleased to discover he’s not quite the brute he portrays in athletics. They wander back through the connecting walkways to the light speeder parked behind the Maxwell Corporate Center. As they approach, Melanie’s stomach knots up tightly which slows her step. Lucas releases her hand and moves toward the speeder. In her mind, there is a bright flash that becomes full blown dread.
She sees it happening but it has yet to happen.
“Lucas,†she says with a voice suddenly coarse. “Lucas, wait…â€Â
He is almost to the speeder, walking happily and buzzing from such a wonderful evening.
“Lucas!†she screams, leaping forward to catch his arm and pull forcefully back. He stumbles and is about to cry out when a much larger craft slams into the side of his speeder, flipping it up and onto the main walkway. Sparks shower down over them as he turns and throws himself protectively over her. As they fall to the cold ground they can hear the crunch and squeal of metal against metal and finally the deafening crash as the light speeder hits the side of the landing platform, teetering briefly, and drops off into the windy abyss below.
They remain crouched and covered for several minutes, time losing all sense of meaning. He holds her close and can feel her shaking beneath the fur coat. When he finally lifts his head he sees the scorched platform from the crash contact and a few seconds later, an explosion in the distance. A pillar of smoke begins to streak across the sky between corporate towers.
“Stay here,†he says, standing and moving to the platform railing.
There is no sign of his speeder and no clear visual of the other vehicles impact sight. That was too close, he thinks. One more step and he would have been smashed and gone over the side with it. He would be dead right now if it were not for the warning. He turns around to find her standing a few steps away, bundled up beneath the jacket, long blond curls caught in the frigid breeze. Her blue eyes are wide and filled with tears.
“You…saved me.â€Â
“I…â€Â
“You knew that was going to happen…you knew…..how did you know?â€Â
It sounds ridiculous yet the words fly out of his mouth with the ease of surprise and disbelief. She called out long before he knew anything was wrong.
Melanie swallows the residual terror and stares into his confused face.
“I saw it.â€Â
In her minds eye.
A vague glimpse into the immediate future.
This is a talent reserved only for a certain few.
“You saw what? The crash? How is that possible? I’m not complaining but you called out to me before it happened….and, well, I don’t know how that could….happen…â€Â
“I’m….different from other girls.â€Â
“I know that. You are kind and compassionate but that does not explain what just happened. I should call ISP, they probably need statements from us…â€Â
“No, wait.â€Â
“What?â€Â
“They are already on their way. We have to get our stories straight.â€Â
Lucas’ face clouds over with concern, “What story? You saved me from being smeared all over the back of my father’s building.â€Â
“They’ll want to know how. The Imperial Sector Police relies on specific details to file reports.â€Â
“So?â€Â
“So you can’t tell them.â€Â
“Why not?â€Â
She frowns.
“Melanie? Why not?â€Â
"If you tell them I warned you before it happened they will turn that information over to the Prefect. They will take me in for questioning and I can’t have that.â€Â
He does not need abilities to know she is leaving out something crucial.
“What are you not telling me?â€Â
Sirens can be heard approaching. They have little time.
“If I promise to explain later will you back up my story?â€Â
Lucas glances behind him into the distance. Red lights are swirling toward them.
“Who…are you?â€Â
“More than what you see. Will you back me up or not?â€Â
He turns back to her and nods. Doubt has given way to curiosity. He would rather get the scoop than watch them take her down to the precinct for questioning. She did, after all, save his life. She could have just as easily said nothing and watched him die but that seems so out of character for someone like her. She cares for all life and would be crushed if she lost a friend. He deeply respects this position and agrees to sync their accounts of the evening.
Two Centurions find them near the platform. One of them investigates the site while the other takes statements.
The story is simple: they had dinner and went out. When they returned to the speeder it was hit by an unknown vehicle as they approached the platform. Neither was injured, just shaken and cold.
The other vehicle is found in the side of an adjacent tower.
The Centurions call it into the precinct then, since they are considered minors, make the call to their parents. When they ask for her name, she tells them. They exchange glances that register to both teenagers as majorly suspicious. This further fuels his desire to know more about her. The Centurion’s attitudes change from standard routine monotone to pleasant and accommodating. This behavior is even stranger as the ISP has a reputation for taking in the facts without providing any of the emotion. Now they are treating them like dignitaries with friends in high places.
Who is this girl and why does the mystery turn him on even more?
Lucas watches as she is escorted away by her parents. She turns her head and locks those blue eyes on his cold and flushed face. Then she winks. He returns the gesture and smiles.
More than what he sees indeed. But just how much more?
-TBC
-
Coruscant
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/thumb/0/0a/Imperialpalace1.png/200px-Imperialpalace1.png)
Surface: Imperial Palace
The vid plays seamlessly.
Maxwell and Masterton enter the shot heading for the speeder. The photage is paused when Masterton slows, falling behind Maxwell. Then he turns to face the table full of the Emperor's advisors.
All eyes are on the Director.
"It is here she first senses the disturbance. At this point our agent is on the next block over heading toward the target."
He taps on the photage again.
Masterton seems to be in deep thought, face contorting before snapping into action quicker than they expected she would. She reaches Maxwell in time and pulls him back the moment their agent's craft hits the speeder. The orders had been specific to come from an unseen angle using the roar of the surrounding traffic lanes to cover the approach.
They had to be sure.
The photage continues in the background as he addresses them again.
"This act suggests precognition, a powerful talent that can and will be used to our advantage. The tests done as infants only confirmed the sensitivity and until recently we were uncertain as to what direction each would take their ability. There is an exercise scheduled on Carida which should indicate the range of one Winton. This photage displays both Masterton's awareness and specialty. The Emperor is wise to keep them close. There may be a day he will need their services in ensuring the New Order remains the only order in the galaxy."
There are murmurs from the table.
Behind him, Maxwell and Masterton are talking and gesturing before the tipped off ISP Centurions arrive on scene. The agent had survived the "crash" and the report was filed using a false ID and the scripted story of a businessman leaving a work function after having too much to drink. There was even a staged apology issued by the "company" to both families. No charges would be brought against the "businessman." Henrick and Celeste believe it to be just one of the many dangers of the capital life and are so thankful their precious daughter is unharmed. People will believe anything. They just have to want to bad enough. Two down. One to go. A case must be built around their potential. It will keep them relevant and lucrative to the Empire so that all can transpire as it is written.
Finally, one of the advisors speaks.
"What of the third? The other Winton?"
Alexander flashes the same dazzling smile that has secured him everything in his life. The words of the prophecy burn brightly in his mind with visions of an order to end all orders rising from Palpatine's ashes. Nothing lasts forever and someone must plan for the inevitable fall.
"There will come a day when the other is awarded a chance to prove her purpose."
-TBC
-
Coruscant
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/thumb/9/94/GalacticCity_sunset.jpg/250px-GalacticCity_sunset.jpg)
Surface
The call comes through to the Masterton residence in 500 Republica. Celeste answers and casually takes a message before clicking off and keying up Melanie's com channel. She relays the information and tries to gauge her daughters reaction. It sounds promising and she can tell Melanie thinks so too. Celeste hangs up and goes back to her bedroom to mentally prepare for the afternoon session.
In the adjacent Hyperion building, Melanie turns around and screams. The girls hover nearby with expectant looks.
"It was Raga'Ana Haute Couture. The sales girl saw Kimber and I trying on dresses and called the marketing director at corporate. Apparently we "personify the image the company is trying to project" and "wanted to schedule a meeting." They said similar friends may join us."
Melanie's pulse is racing at the notion of setting a standard both in school and life. The ominous capital needs a few rays of sunshine.
Kimber claps her hands together as she bounces alone in the center of the living room. Finally, something that doesn't involve studying.
Karen is stunned but not like, really. This will seal their legacy at North Coruscant for the rest of fucking high school.
Valerie smiles then rolls her eyes, looks away and says she'll think about it. Shamelessly exploitative publicity aside, they will probably get to keep the clothes and those are some precious threads.
"So, should we return the call?"
It is returned within the hour. The meeting is set for the end of the week.
Not too far away in the Imperial Palace, Alexander is late for lunch with Monica and tells the hologram of Major Tanner Graves to proceed as planned. The test will be conducted at the end of the week. There is a message from Henrick on his voicemail but Melanie has already proven herself and more pressing issues beg his attention. His two daughters face challenges. One of combat. One of character. Both will benefit him and further solidify all of their positions. The Empire would have its weapons and the faces to glamorize the horror in just the right way so the public can't get enough. The New Order will consume a whole new demographic. Everybody wins and he'll be crowned father of the year for both discovering things that truly make his family happy and boldly using it to manipulate them.
He calls Monica to cancel who in turn calls Celeste to bitch about it. Vicious cycles.
It is truly a blessed modern age.
-TBC
In two part season finale of Socially Acceptable Monsters - Will Kyri move against Alexander for the murder of Jerico Gellar? Can Monica, Celeste and Henrick be kept in the dark forever? Who knows more than they are letting on? What darkness lies beyond the fashion and fame?
Find out next time on the Galactic HoloNet's leading Holodrama..
Socially Acceptable Monsters.
-
Series 1 - Season Finale - Part 1
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/thumb/9/94/GalacticCity_sunset.jpg/250px-GalacticCity_sunset.jpg)
Coruscant
Surface: Glitannai Esplanade: Raga'Ana Corporate Offices
The executives are clipped and professional but more than accommodating to the four "visions" that sit before them. The fiercest of these is the Marketing Director Maxi Marx who towers in front of the stark white minimalist chairs wearing the tightest blue couture suit and perfectly polished round-toe heels those girls have ever seen. She is one of the most powerful women in the Core under thirty and looks like she could praise or pounce at any moment for any reason. Landing her was quite the coup for Raga'Ana since they were in danger of folding at the time. She had been a fan of the lines but always considered their scaled back, non-intrusive methods of marketing combined with the price would be the cause of eventual downfall. When it turned out she was right, she saw an opportunity to be responsible for turning a fading staple into the an elitist beacon of glamour and wealth.
"You know why you are here. It seems our associate was in fact acting out of the company’s best interest when she alerted my office. Security vids of miss Masterton and miss Patten from the store floor was more than enough to convince my colleagues but seeing you now in person, with others who compliment yet add contrast, that I am convinced you all are what we are looking for."
The girls know who is best to respond to this which is why Melanie sits relaxed yet postured in the chair and speaks softly.
"We are deeply honored and highly flattered by your interest. May I ask what specifically you would like us to do for you?"
Maxi's polished lips form a dangerous smile.
"We want you to be our brand, of course. The premiere Imperial fashion house is expected to capture, project and personify all that is style. We can set the standard one season and shatter it the next. You will be the four faces that tell the public exactly what we want them to wear."
Karen makes direct eye contact.
"And who we want them to be."
Maxi nods.
"Exactly. Now we will, of course, need your parents' permission prior to signing a contract."
Valerie tilts her head to the side, "Contract?"
"What would be the terms?" Kimber says.
"You are sharp, ladies. I like that. It's nothing heavy and certainly something we can coordinate with your school schedules. Let me break it down for you. The contract would run the remainder of your terms at North Coruscant and would then be up for renegotiation should you decide to continue in the industry. It would mainly be spring-fall standard with summer-winter specials and the occasional event or premiere. It'll be pretty straightforward your sophomore year but kick into a higher gear for your junior-senior years. We will fully sponsor your outings and style you accordingly. With any luck you'll be able to get into any place at any time as well as be the envy of every girl in the Core."
The words and inflection in which they are spoken dazzles their senses. They are struck numb with the potential influence outside that they wield in their parents' names. It's a chance to do something for themselves not to mention the plethora of perks and doors it will open. They share knowing glances before bringing their eyes to meet Maxi's again.
Karen arches a brow and mirrors the Marketing Directors devious grin.
"Thank you so much for this opportunity. Please have the documents sent to our contacts and we will be in touch."
*
Two weeks later...
Surface: Imperial Palace: Bakur RepulsorCorp suite
Alexander skims over the signed contract. Of course she accepted. As if he had a doubt. As parents, he and Monica taught them to go with their strengths and it just so happens that one obvious talent tends to cover the other even more obvious terror. Between school, fashion and whatever the hell else kids do these days, Karen is properly distracted from all that transpires in the background. Thankfully, Monica keeps herself dazed enough not to ask many questions these days which has eased the household pressure immensely.
Word out of Carida puts a song in his heart. The Emperor is also pleased with the situation.
The door chime sounds, a distant echo throughout the multi-room suite and he already knows who it is. He was alerted as soon as the clearance code was used entering Coruscant. If he was anyone else, he might be afraid of this confrontation but is honestly surprised it's taken them all this long to give him some serious resistance.
Major Kyri Patten strides into the foyer past Alexander.
"It's nice to see you too, Patten. I didn't know you were making a visit to the Core."
The Major stops and turns on a heel that squeals against the slick floor.
"Yes you did."
"I'm sorry?"
The door hisses closed and a dreadful silence fills the space.
"You knew I was coming here. You always know."
"I'm not sure I follow.."
Kyri's jaw tightens as he moves to strike.
"The agent you planted on Corellia is dead. My movements both on and off world are being tracked by the Imperial network and somehow my daughters images will soon be broadcast to all the known worlds. I want to know why. Are you following now, Alex?"
He expected the blunt approach from the Major. Hard line is the only way the man knows how to play it but there is still a limit to what he thinks he knows.
"I don't think I like what you are implying, Patten."
"I'm not implying anything!" he roars. "There is proof, Winton. Evidence my department found."
"And what will you do with it, I wonder?"
"Use it to make you tell me what the hell is going on. We were to spare no detail, remember? Total disclosure if memory serves. Yet somehow I get the feeling we're not being told the whole story. There was no need to murder "Gellar" after he'd already been extracted successfully without some motivation. Valerie must not be more suspicious than she is already. And the modeling contracts? Where in the prophecy does it say our daughters become the poster girls for the Empire?"
"It doesn't. It says those named will be worshiped. Do you see?"
"What I see is a man whose hands we've put our children's fates in who has little to go on beside whispers of an ancient text no one has even seen!"
"What is it you want?"
"I'm trying to understand what your bottom line is, Winton. The prophecy, the ever-watchful Imperial eyes - what's in it for you?"
"The same thing that's in it for all of us."
"Which is?"
"Everything and more. We are men of the Empire, Patten. We have careers, positions and families to build and protect. Many have died for less than being one step ahead of the game. I've ensured we never have to worry and have we? No. CorSec operations flow smoothly at your stern command. Masterton's practice flourishes. My BRC contracts continue the corporate legacy of my father before me. It is because of our children that we avoid being targets ourselves. Palpatine is notoriously paranoid and his closest enforcers ruthless beyond all reason. The last thing anyone wants is Vader making a house call."
"We're using them as shields."
"You make it sound like that has not always been true. Not even the Emperor can deny they each play a significant role in the future. So we keep them safe until we have a better idea of what that may be."
"You still don't know."
"No."
"I don't believe you."
"I don't blame you. Is there anything that I could do to sway you?"
"Show me the prophecy."
"It isn't finished."
Classic Alexander response.
Kyri scoffs disgustedly.
"Translating or writing it? I know the editing process can be the most difficult part. Must have been tough deciding how to tie up all those loose ends. The Gellar's finally handled once and for all and the characters in their respective places."
"You are suggesting something, Major?"
"In fact I am. What's to stop you from writing us out? Lilandra? Henrick? Celeste? For Maker's sake, Monica? I know how far you will go to get what you want. There is genetic evidence to prove it."
It is then Alexander's face hardens as his hands close out of several applications and key up a photage display of several shots taken from various angles of the same scene. The Major stands talking to another human male on a walkway overlooking unmistakable rows of Trade Federation battle droids.
After several seconds Kyri's eyes have registered what they are seeing. There is no covering his surprise and subsequent anger. His suspicions have been confirmed in a way that renders his leverage useless. A shot flashes across the screen showing the Major handing something to the other man. The next shows the other man holding up an object in between two fingers. And the next they shake hands.
"Speaking of genetics and ethics - Since when do you take meetings with MagnaCorp executives?"
"We've dealt with them for years."
"Not like this."
"Be careful, Winton."
"No, Patten. You need to be careful. You come here to call me a liar and accuse me of treachery only to have done the same. We all take measures of protection."
"Some more than others, I see. Well played.â€Â
"Thank you. Obviously it was necessary but I do not place blame. Insurance is comforting, isn't it? Thankfully I also have the luxury of primary and secondary planning. That's the blessing of having multiple children. Masterton is shut out of that one but something tells me he won't need it. Clearly, Melanie is the brains of the bunch. No offense, of course."
"None taken."
"I tell you of the prophecy as it is told to me. All I know is that our children survive whatever is coming as long as they are together.â€Â
“Yet you still don’t know what that something is. Or perhaps you do and withhold it from us for our so-called protection.â€Â
“You know what you need to know for now.â€Â
“What if I disagree?â€Â
Alexander squares his shoulders and taps off the display.
“Then I suppose you can run around waving your evidence of my activities and I could do the same of yours but think about what’s at stake here. If the plan falls apart and the Empire decides to move in a new direction then our efforts will have been for nothing. People could get hurt. Should Valerie and Kimber suffer because of our differences in opinion?â€Â
Kyri grinds his teeth.
A stalemate.
“No.â€Â
“Then I suggest you lay down arms, Major Patten, march your ass back to Corellia and allow things to move forward as planned. With our children safely in the spotlight that will blind both them and the Imperial skeptics, we are free to go and do as we please. The future happens regardless of want or intention. It is our duty as parents and citizens to ensure the end result is favorable for all of us.â€Â
Still, he will not leave without answers.
“Why did you kill him?â€Â
“Who?â€Â
So innocent.
“You know who, Winton!"
There is a touch of a smile to Alexander’s lips.
“Jerico Gellar was no longer content to stick to the script. His primary objectives had been completed and I think we can all agree he did a remarkable job under the circumstances. Valerie was not only accessible to you in every way but grew up to be quite the curious and clever girl.â€Â
“You still aren’t telling me shit, Winton. He was a good man.â€Â
“That he was. Past tense. Although it may seem like there was slight of hand, I assure you it was anything but. I kept his words and actions from you because I knew they would hurt you.â€Â
“More lies?â€Â
Alexander unlocks the second drawer on his desk, digs around and retrieves a datacard which he tosses in Kyri’s direction. It clatters on the floor by the Major’s polished brown boots.
“Hear for yourself. Jerico meant to undermine all we had built. He believed Valerie deserved to know the truth, that she would be better off hurt now by the facts as opposed to later.â€Â
“He’s entitled to that opinion…â€Â
“But to make plans to divulge a secret that wasn’t his to share? I don’t think so. Jerico was going to tell Lilandra. About the affair with Blair, the child she bore, and how she came to be in his possession, so to speak. He was going to ruin your life, Patten. Your career. Your world.â€Â
“He would never….â€Â
“He did. I tried to convince him otherwise but he was dead set. You said yourself he was starting to lose it there at the end. You blamed it on stress, on work, on anything other than the fact that the secret was too much for him to handle. Jerico was beginning to crack. He was a damn good agent but this assignment carried attachment risks. Once he made it clear he was going forward with what he knew, he became too large a liability to manage.â€Â
“You should have come to me with this. I could have talked him down.â€Â
“I don’t think that’s true. He was so far gone when we spoke I was certain he had already let it slip. Loose lips, as they say. One piece of information in the wrong hands could have started a chain reaction. Lilandra would throw you out right before calling to warn Celeste and Monica. Henrick would be up in arms and soon those who keep watch over us have enough to fuel the Emperor’s suspicion. Then we’d all be charged with conspiracy, murdered, and our daughters would be left at the mercy of the Empire.â€Â
Kyri’s mouth drops open. Somehow, the words make sense to him. He does not agree with the practical application but the motive is more solid than the evidence suggests.
“Is that what you want, Patten?â€Â
No matter what he came here with, Winton’s leverage still trumps his own. Acting irrationally could cost him more than he is willing to lose. He reaches to pick up the datacard and slips it into a cargo pocket.
“No.â€Â
“Good. Now please, go do your job and allow me to do mine. No one is the wiser save for you and I. Our wives, our children, are all safe and blissfully ignorant.â€Â
For now.
Alexander makes a persuasive argument. Without enough to move against him, Kyri is left with little option aside from conceding to continue on with the original plan.
“And what of the prophecy? How will I know you are telling me the truth if you refuse to show us the progress?â€Â
“You can watch it happening with your own eyes. My people are working as diligently as they possibly can and if anything should surface that is cause for concern, we will call a meeting to discuss it. For now, I think we should celebrate our children’s successful endeavor and support them as best we can.â€Â
Despite not leaving with the upper hand, Kyri departs newly empowered in light of the conversation. There is no fooling Alexander Winton or any plot or ploy to stop him. They are all in way over their heads and he hates himself for not recognizing it sooner. Alexander has had control since day one and he only hopes the recent lucrative valuation appraised and financially secured by MagnaCorp will not only find a way to spare Kimber but destroy Alexander.
Returning to the office, Alexander lets out a satisfied sigh. Round one in his favor. He saw Patten’s move from a star system away. They all think they know but have no idea because the truth is the ‘whatever’ that's coming isn’t just a vague and distorted menace.
It's Alexia.
-TBC
-
Series 1 - Season Finale - Part 2
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/thumb/9/94/GalacticCity_sunset.jpg/250px-GalacticCity_sunset.jpg)
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City: 500 Republica: Masterton Residence
Celeste hasn't heard from Monica in a month and would be highly offended if work wasn't taking over every aspect of her life. She just put in a seventy-hour work week and for the first time has a moment to herself. The days seem to have flown by. The kids are in the home stretch of freshman year with a spring that is starting to feel a lot like summer. Henrick remains satisfied with the help he provides at the medical center but, like her, spends more time with patients than each other. They agreed to life in the capital because they thought they could help. And while they do help many people it is their relationship that now suffers. They never let their careers or goals get between them in the past but over the course of the last year separate interests have slowly become separate lives. She makes a firm promise to herself to change that. They need to allow time for each other.
The only thing they have been able to focus on together recently is the contract. Raga'Ana is a solid company that commands respectability and when a thoughtful Melanie sat them down to explain her reasoning behind wanting to accept the offer there was nothing left to do but be supportive. Their daughter is no fool. She wants to bring brains into beauty with an open heart in just the right place. After a detailed contract review and a solemn promise from Melanie that she can balance school and a job, Henrick and Celeste happily sign.
Naturally, Celeste wants to gossip about this with Monica. There is a certain excitability in the whole thing. Surely Monica would also see the connection to the prophecy. The girls are destined to be known. Alexander has been telling them that for years. They found each other and have been recognized for it. Everything has happened as it was foretold. Celeste is downright giddy but calls to the Winton residence go unreturned. Work keeps the mounting worry at bay yet a lingering dread creeps in the corners of her mind. Monica had been tenuous about how much of the prophecy had actually come to pass. She could barely remember what she saw in the vision. Faces, flashes, and feelings really. Nothing as promising as what they found on Korriban. The scrolls were supposed to fill in the gaps of her memory. Despite the sluggish process, Celeste had always hoped the translations would trigger details from Monica's vision. Something that would confirm what it says matches what she saw.
The more Celeste's mind wanders across what they have been told, the more she feels something peeking out from behind the periphery. Monica's silence leaves room for this inkling to grow and soon she is digging through her office for the pieces of translation Henrick shared with her. The first warning signs that not everything would be as mellow and balanced as they had been led to believe. Her blue eyes scan the words that hang eternally on the last.
..and on her head the names of blasphemy.
Blasphemy.
Blasphemy.
Blasphemy.
With breath caught in her throat, Celeste reaches for the com to call Henrick.
*
Surface: 500 Republica: Winton Residence
Monica grips the drink tightly as the uneven towers beyond the wraparound windows blur out of focus. She has officially stopped talking. To her husband. To her best friend. Even her children. Well, the one that's still around. It's like her family no longer knows she exists. They carry on with their days as if she were a ghost. Alexander is always at work or in a funk. Karen is more selfish and spoiled than she ever thought possible and until recently, she thought Alexia might actually be getting some help.
If she's learned anything from her life, the move to the Core and this forsaken marriage is that nothing is ever what it seems.
Shockingly, it was Karen who first tipped her off. In one of the rare conversations they actually had with each other, Karen mentioned something about a girl at school, some actress, who said she heard that Alexia had an affair with a faculty member and dropped out. She remembers it distinctly because Karen said it in such a casual way. Like it happened all the time. Perhaps it did. While Monica was careful not to divulge the dodgy reputation Alexia already had at North Coruscant, the affair part was news to her. Typically, Karen did not pursue the topic further but Monica felt there was more beneath the surface of the statement. All information in relation to the "accident" in the Alumni building earlier this year is somehow classified. She supposes it isn't so strange, what with the rampant liability lawsuits these days. Yet something lingers. The same way something lingers for Celeste but she wouldn't know that. Bitch ain't talking. Consumed with this piece of unshared gossip, Monica takes up tracing a line through when things went wrong. Alexia's troubled childhood, the move, the bouts of aggression, the following years of peace, the upstart at North Coruscant and finally, boarding school off world.
It is then two things strike her simultaneously.
1) She hasn't seen her eldest daughter in nearly seven months
and
2) She does not even know the name of the school she attends.
Surely someone must have said something. A mention here, a note there? Nope. Nothing. Monica draws a complete blank. What kind of a mother doesn't know something like that? Doesn't call? Doesn't write? Doesn't attempt a visit? The kind of mother who doesn't really want to know, already knows, or doesn't care.
Monica Greyson-Winton is having trouble deciding which is why she makes another.
Staggering away from the bar across the sunken living room, she narrowly avoids both the coffee table and a plant she does not remember putting there. Halfway down the hall she rethinks the heels but only manages to get one off and hobbles sloppily the rest of the way. She hurls the shoe across the room and storms to the bedside, firing up that inner suspicion directed at her very suspicious husband. She fingers through an expensive and impossibly slim purse before finding the com-link. In a display of effort that would impress the gods, she manages to key up Alexander's channel.
"Honey, I know I'm late. Crazy day at the offi-"
"Spare me, Alex. Where is she?"
"Probably out spending our credits this very minute."
"That I know. Our other daughter, however, not so much. So I repeat, where is she?"
"Alexia?"
"You have more than two? Forgive me if I don't drop dead of surprise."
"Funny, Mon. I think your hilarity is directly related to your alcohol intake."
"So I've heard. Are you going to tell me?"
"We've been over this-"
"I don't think we have. Where did you send her, Alex? Just tell me where. It's all I want to know."
There is a longish pause. Monica utilizes the opportunity for another sip.
"Carida and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it."
Then he hangs up on her.
Several days pass before she finally brings herself to confirm it. Two out of three. Not bad. She didn't want to know but knew. Alexander sent their daughter to an Imperial training Academy. No specialized boarding school that catered to behavioral problems. She should have expected this kind of imaginative manipulation from him by now. So much seems to have been conveniently omitted. What else has been stricken from the record? How many lies does one have to tell before it becomes the truth?
He has his secrets. She begins to discover some of her own.
On nights alone in bed she dreams of a madness bathed in flame.
A girl in black leaves a room filled with screams and blood. Death is the price for her to live. There is a desperation in the sands of the dark place. It calls to them. To her. The girl in black stops in front of a robed figure and the beneath the robe glow eyes a brilliant blue. Electric. Magnetic. And she reaches for him and the world falls away. Somewhere in the distance, an infant wails. They are the end of all things. But there is hope and she is among them.
The girl in white.
*
Surface: Galactic City: North Coruscant High
The first wave of the new Raga’Ana campaign has hit the market. It is designed to pique public interest and involves a close-up shot of each girl focusing on a different feature - Karen’s emerald eyes, Melanie’s golden curls, Kimber’s button nose, and Valerie’s full lips - with a caption below each that reads:
Who is she? Find out: Fall 2ABY
At school, the buzz is massive. Classes fade into easily manageable blocks of time that build toward finals. The upcoming summer break has everyone in a much better mood and the girls revel in the newfound attention of their peers. The NCH Chin-Bret team, the Coruscant Crusaders, won city-state championship thanks to Reef scoring the final goal with seconds to spare. The rest of the crew continues to solidify their bonds with each other as some friendships border on angst-y and flirtatious. The semester ends on a high note for everyone. Clueless and happy about it. When the girls walk through HOME2 on the last day of school, they fall into an evenly spaced line that the whole school seems to make way for.
Carli Cole, having been in and out of class all semester due to the filming schedule on the Maranski movie, leans against a row of lockers and turns to her friends.
“Behold, the Fearsome Four.â€Â
*
Corellia
Surface: Coronet: CorSec Headquarters
Major Kyri Patten sits alone in his office as the recording plays. These are Imperial interrogation tapes. In them "Jerico Gellar" growls and spits out his intent to take down Alexander Winton's operation and effectively compromise Kyri and Lilandra Patten. The bastard was right. The whole thing would have come crashing down. On the recording there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
"Kimber will never forgive him...will never forgive you....no one, no one will be forgiven.."
During one of the more colorful periods Jerico can be clearly heard screaming.
"Valerie deserves to know! You can't do this to her! You caaahhhhhhh..you can't....! Ahhhhhh! Ah! AHH! She deserves to knoooooooooooww-"
The tape cuts into a hiss of static.
It has all gone too far to stop.
Kyri places a hand over his eyes and lowers his head.
-
Series 2 – Models and Mortals
Hesperidium
Surface
The Hessy is where the tragically hip summer.
This is their Mecca of decadence and relaxation – a tropical paradise the rich and famous flock to when things start to drag. Years ago, when the girls were still very young, Alexander Winton and Henrick Masterton decided to throw in together on a real estate venture. Through various contacts they were able to secure a prime spot on the then-sparsely populated Imperial Beach. It was a section of land on a small peninsula that extends down in every direction to gorgeous white-sand beaches. After permits were issued and contracts signed, construction began on the Bolerathon Tower. It took nearly two years for everything to be completed to their satisfaction. The residences were designed by the most expensive architects and interior designers who were instructed to maintain an upscale model with a carefree feel. The top of the tower was divided into only two massive residences for those who owned the building. Thus the Masterton and Winton suites were created on its own Penthouse level separated by a wide tiled hall and lounge that could only be accessed by unlocking the floor. Security was hired based on excellent referrals through the Imperial network with a minimal but highly trained detail to patrol the Penthouse level exclusively.
One can never be too careful.
The residences within the Bolerathon filled up quickly with the heiresses, business moguls and occasional arms dealer more than happy to shell out the phenomenal asking price for such a location. The Winton’s and Masterton’s vacationed there often and so summers came and went until the present summer at hand.
There is one massive alteration to the script.
This year, Alexander and Henrick decide to take their lovely yet increasingly difficult wives to the Outer Rim but drop the girls off on Hesperidium as promised. A whole summer without parents seems like the perfect present for an affluent teenager but it is merely a foreshadowing of things to come.
The Winton Residence @ Bolerathon Tower is quite an impressive space. Vaulted ceilings, large framed rectangular transparasteel bay windows, plush casually chic furniture, a massive wraparound terrace, and more bedrooms than anyone knows what to do with. The kitchen is stocked, Imperial Credit Cards on the table and nothing to do except two shoots and not much else.
Perfect setup. Perfect smokescreen.
*
1100
"The liquor cabinet is locked."
Karen turns to find Valerie looking disappointed. She and Kimber have been granted permission to stay on Hesperidium until the first shoot after which they would head to Corellia for a few weeks then return for the second shoot and fall semester at NCH. This took less convincing than anticipated.
Valerie is standing there waiting for something.
Karen pretends she didn't hear her, "I'm sorry?"
There is a flash of annoyance.
"Oh, come on. Practice makes perfect. How are we supposed to be hard partying seniors if we don't build up a tolerance now?"
"Cute. Did Reef share that poignant piece of information with you?"
"He may have mentioned it."
"I'm sure. Just how close are you two?"
"Close enough."
"There is something to be said for maintaining a little mystery."
"I'll take it under advisement and issue a memo to Skyler quoting you on that, thanks."
Melanie and Kimber happen upon the scene looking ready for serious beach time.
"What did we miss? More snappishness?"
"Wonderful. What's the big deal now?"
"Creative differences," Valerie says, glancing to Karen. "Well? About the cabinet?"
Karen sighs, "We'll work it out."
"Great, the boys will be here at eight. Thanks, Kar. Love ya, mean it. Buh-bye."
"Valerie!"
"Hold that thought, gotta change!"
Melanie whirls around to face Karen.
"What cabinet? Surely not the one I think it is because I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Why are you always jumping to conclusions like that?"
"So I'm wrong then?"
"That is so beside the point. Kim, we need you to weigh in here."
Kimber blinks, glancing around. The girl could not be more perplexed.
"We probably shouldn't. Someone might...tell."
"Tell who?" Valerie says, sweeping back into the room adjusting a bikini top. "Anyone who might care is way the fuck in the outer rim."
Kimber points to the door, "I'm sure the bored security team around here would just love a good story to report. It's like three transmissions away from me being lectured! My father will totally flip out if we get out of control."
"Excellent point," Melanie says, "They are putting a fair amount of trust in us."
"And we're not violating it. We're just having a little get-together. You know, intimate friends, intimate gathering."
"Not too intimate, I hope."
"Relax, reverend mother. No one is asking you to get frisky without consent. But at the very least consider it. Lucas is probably packing."
"Packing....what?"
Valerie and Karen share a laugh while Kimber scoffs and turns away. She finds this kind of talk flustering. They finally set out for a day at the beach but wind up on lounge chairs below massive umbrella's. The view can be enjoyed without sun damage. No one likes a charbroiled model. Once the ocean roar and salty air settles over them - everything just falls away. Nothing else exists except for them and a whole hell of a lot of blue sky. Then someone's com bleeps, a reminder of where and who they are.
Valerie rummages through a beach tote and pulls out the device. She scans it over but her face remains a mask. After slamming it closed and tossing it back into the bag, she lowers her sunglasses and smirks.
"The Alliance tried to stir up some shit on Corellia. They blasted out of hyperspace and broadcast a message before recalculating and jumping again. Defenses weren't able to reach them in time and no physical damage was done but it riled some of the locals. Got people talking."
Kimber sits upright quickly, completely horrified.
"Seriously? Is everyone alright?"
"I just said no damage! See, this is why the Major never tells you shit. You practically have a seizure."
"You say shit too much. Maybe it's time for a new word."
"Maybe it's time for you to form an opinion."
Karen moves between them, "Hey! Just answer the question, Val. Are they cool or what?"
"Yeah, everyone is fine. Wonderful, in fact. They send their love."
Melanie clears her throat, "What did the message say?"
"Huh?"
"The message from the Alliance. What did it say?"
Valerie shrugs, "Some shi, er, stuff about breaking free of our Imperial shackles. Started some serious discussions in Parliament. Bunch of bantha fodder. The whole lot of them. All talk and no action. Everyone needs to be respected while whining about it though. Like it's going to save them when it counts."
"So what are you saying? Like, no Parliament?"
"Why not? We're not bloody stupid! The Corellian Sector could totally stand on its own."
"Of course it can but it carries more clout and military power under the Empire. Allies are everything."
Valerie pretends to gag. Kimber puts her hands over her face.
Melanie waves her arm across the air.
"Wait a microsecond. Who is going to lead this Parliament-less Corellia sans alleged Imperial might?"
"Who do you think? I'm all about free thinking just as long as it doesn't make me look or sound bad in any way, shape or form. Haters can eat a dick."
"Wow," Karen says, semi-stunned, "You can put that in your campaign speech when you run for heartless bitch of the year."
"Wouldn't dream of stealing your spotlight, copper top."
Melanie shakes her head, "That would make you just like the Emperor."
"Like Palpatine's got such a raw deal. Power, possession and connections - bought and paid for. And how did he swing it? Probably by doing something terrible because, let's face it, that's how most people get what they want. They compromise something."
"Or someone. Is that what you would do? Compromise?"
"Screw mystery. It's all about opportunity."
"Yes, to be different! Not everybody wants more of the same."
Valerie rears back, satisfied with this response.
Melanie crosses her arms and turns over.
Kimber is clearly fretting, head filled with Alliance attacks and Corellian upset.
Karen leans back into the lounge chair and laughs.
The entertainment value alone is worth the price of admission.
"Not to break up this fascinating lesson in dirty Rebels and dictatorships but we've got a party to get ready for. Let's try and prioritize."
*
1400
Back at Bolerathon Tower, Karen and Valerie nap and shower in the Winton suite while Melanie and Kimber cross the hall to the Masterton suite. In comparison, the Masterton suite is a stark white museum. All look and no touch. The similarities between house and owner are lost on the hugely self-absorbed. A multi-ring chandelier takes up most of the ceiling in the foyer and gives the impression of diving into water. The individually carved shells that hang from the fixture are like bubbles rising to the surface. Kimber stands beneath it for almost five minutes, completely engrossed in her own imagination.
*
2000
They are dressed to kill as the door chime sounds. Let's hear it for the boys.
Karen made sure to clear them all with security before they arrived knowing how protective her father has been since Alexia left. Normally, she would loathe the gesture and claim it was stifling her independence but the parental units have been surprisingly supportive and relaxed over the past several months. Even the Masterton's haven't been so uptight. No one gets in the way. In fact, they are barely around at all. It's all very strange and intoxicating but she is determined not to hinder the upward momentum of the group.
Cue the electronic beats.
Skyler, Billy and Lucas wander through and say hello, commenting on how lovely the girls look this evening. Formality goes a long way. Reef trails them accompanied by an auburn haired girl.
How did she get in? Access to this level has to be authorized.
Valerie's eyes narrow into slits of jealousy. Kimber perks up, sensing imminent drama. Melanie is still wondering what Lucas could be packing. Karen is about to call Reef out but notices the girl is wearing couture with fierce colors. Bold choice but tis the season. The others take notice too. Credibility is instantly established. Some more than others.
Reef smiles, "Everyone, this is D'Arcy Saunders. We bumped into each other at the spaceport."
"Did you? How....nice."
"Actually," Skyler says, "I bumped into her. Knocked her down. My fault, completely spacing it. Turns out-"
"She has a place in BT," Karen concludes.
This legitimizes her presence in the building but not the floor. Valerie is now staring vibroblades at Karen which derails the train of thought. An unfortunate oversight is made.
"Oh she does, does she? I don't remember seeing her on the list."
"Val, simmer. Her father is Ty Saunders."
Kimber twirls a strand of hair around a pinkie finger, "That loud analyst guy who is all over the HoloNet finance channel? He's got that show, um, what is it? Crazed Credit, right?"
D'Arcy flashes a warm smile.
"The one where he screams at you to buy and sell? Yup, that's the one. Pretty obnoxious isn't he?"
"Not at all," Melanie says. "Just a bit outspoken. He has given some pretty lucrative tips over the years from what I hear. I must apologize for the skepticism. We're not as aggressive as we appear to be."
"Speak for yourself," Valerie quips. Reef rolls his eyes.
"It's all good. I dig the loyalty vibe. I think I actually met you before, Karen. Some random summer like eons ago."
She nods, "Yeah, we were like ten. I didn't see you much after that though. Where did you go?"
"All over. Mostly mid-rim territories. My mother is a big believer in culture and travel but all that moving around wasn't really a stable environment. Their words, not mine. I went to school in several different places and it was all good in the diversity department but in the end my parents decided to get serious and return to the Core."
"So," Kimber says, "You are going to stay local?"
"Looks like. You guys are from the capital, right? What part?"
"Uh, part? Just, you know, around Galactic City."
"Well, what school do you attend?"
Karen and Melanie exchange uneasy glances. They know what the name means and most of the time are more than happy to throw it around. Now it just doesn't seem appropriate. No one wants to be labeled so quickly. Karen speaks lowly, barely a whisper.
"North....Coruscant High."
D'Arcy laughs, "I knew it."
"That obvious, huh?"
"Yes but you can chill out. Billy already told me on the way up and I wanted to prove a point. Sorry. I'm attending in the fall. Apparently, it's unrivaled in academic excellence. Again, not my words. My dad's industry connections scored me a spot. I'm going to need a crash course in private school politics so I guess it's a good thing I got run over by your friend here."
Skyler smiles sheepishly.
Karen nudges him playfully and turns to D'Arcy.
"We'll make sure you are up to speed."
"Thanks. I don't know many people around here anymore."
"You do now. Welcome to our world."
Reef steps into the center of the crowd, "Now that we're past the veiled threat portion of the conversation, let's take it up a couple of notches."
Everyone's attention is on him. He turns to face the hostess.
"Was I to understand there would be cocktails?"
Ignoring Kimber's fearful expression and Melanie judgmental stare, Karen makes a command decision not to be such a square.
"You understood correctly."
*
2100
They are spread out around the kitchen staring at the tall rectangular liquor cabinet. Still locked. Karen has tried every code she's ever known her father to use. She thought she knew them all. Her parents are so predictable in the things they remember and hold onto. Not this time, apparently.
"There has got to be a way," Reef declares.
"Is it really worth it at this point?"
"I dunno," Lucas says, "I've worked up a thirst in all this anticipation."
After a moment of deliberation, Karen turns on sling-back heels and stomps out of the room only to return five minutes later with a small personal blaster. They said for emergency's and in the moment it qualifies. She stops in the middle of the kitchen, aims at the black locking mechanism on the cabinet and fires twice.
Kimber gasps, "You like, broke it!"
The destroyed lock clatters to the floor.
"I'll buy another one."
Melanie grabs a bottled water and walks out of the room. Valerie is nodding victoriously.
Karen pulls open the cabinet to reveal the stash of a gentleman. Only the best. She grabs a bottle and turns around.
Bottle in one hand, blaster in the other.
"Who wants a drink?"
*
2300
Empty bottles and cups litter the tiled countertops. Music blares loudly throughout the residence. All pretense has been drown. It may or may not have been between the second bottle of rum and third round of shots. No one is really sure of anything other than mission accomplished.
Kimber and Billy are hitting it off nicely until she bursts into tears and disappears into one of the bedrooms. Melanie leaves Lucas dancing in the living room to investigate and catches Reef and Valerie making out against a wall in the foyer. Figures. Shaking her head, she tries three different rooms before she finds Kimber standing in a guest bathroom sobbing right before she throws up and falls down. Melanie spends the next two hours convincing Kimber that Valerie is not going to die.
Meanwhile, out on the terrace, Karen shivers as the ocean breeze cools her skin. Skyler slips a sweater over her shoulders and smiles. She is pretty sure they are both drunk but manage to hide it well. He holds her hand. She feels woozy. The darkness beyond is blurred by wisps of gray fog that float and curl across the air. She feels something she doesn't know what to do with so they stand in a comfortably numb silence.
The music drifts from the residence and beckons them.
Inside, D'Arcy is trying to pull Billy into the center of the living room where Lucas is still dancing. Karen leads Skyler toward the group and moves her hips, raises her arms and turns to face him. Billy relents and dances with D'Arcy.
Club Exclusive is in full swing.
And in a guest bedroom at the end of the hall, Valerie slaps Reef and pushes him down onto the bed. He protests and acts like he's upset but she's done playing games with this fool. She tells him if he wants to get lucky he'll do himself a favor and stop talking. Reef stops protesting, bewildered, excited and terrified as he gives in.
Nothing like the first time.
-
((Apparently there is a limit to how much you can post at one time.))
*
0000
In the Penthouse corridor, security operatives pass each other during patrol. Interior and exterior coverage is provided. Orders are to protect the Imperial assets under the highest authority. They were given four names and a series instructions. No additional information was provided. Imperial Intelligence has a way of making details scarce.
A particularly handsome operative strides through the hall reviewing the building sign in sheet. He taps the remote com in his ear.
"All players accounted for, sir. Sending confirmation now."
Agent Scott St. Claire clicks off, steps into the lift and wonders just how much trouble four little girls could possibly get into.
-TBC
-
Bakura
Surface: Salis D’aar: Bakur RepulsorCorp Headquarters
Doctor Henrick Masterton leaves the medical conference early to surprise Alexander for lunch. They had dropped the kids off on Hesperidium then their wives on Naboo before heading to Bakura to handle some business. The conference is on a new procedure to relieve chronic pain which many of his patients in the Core suffer from. Alexander, however, meets with BRC quarterly to discuss his progress on the capital. The continual expansion of his contracts there has generated more profits than the company has seen in its history.
Henrick is waved through building security having been a familiar face throughout Alexander’s rise to corporate power -a best friend, personal physician and partner in crime. He enters the lifts which take him to the BRC executive floor. The place is surprisingly quiet for the middle of the day but it is just as well. Hopefully that means it isn’t too busy and the friends would be able to grab a meal in peace. He knows how much these meetings tend to aggrivate Alex.
He slows his pace as he approaches the office. The tone of voice leaking out into the hall is enough to give him serious pause. Henrick stops just outside the door and can clearly see Alexander standing in front of a small holoprojection of what appears to be a teenage boy. Henrick is not close enough to make out the boy’s features but can tell they have been arguing.
“I don’t care who you are traveling with just make sure you are there. She must be redirected and it must appear coincidental. Improvise if you have to. This is not up for discussion. Is that clear?â€Â
The boy crosses his arms and nods.
“Good. Have a nice summer.â€Â
Alexander angrily taps off the projection and turns around to find Henrick looking stunned.
“Hello, my friend. What a surprise!â€Â
“I came to take you to lunch,†Henrick says, slipping into the office further. “That is, if you are available.â€Â
“I just finished with the last of my business and we can go now if you would like.â€Â
“That would be great. Is everything alright?â€Â
“Of course, Rick. Why wouldn’t it be?â€Â
“You sounded upset and he looked a bit young to be an employee.â€Â
Alexander smiles quickly, “Transmissions can be deceiving. He’s supposed to pick up a potential BRC client in the Core and running behind schedule.â€Â
“Well, I do hope he makes it in time.â€Â
“Time is money, after all. How was the conference?â€Â
"It's going great, thanks."
Doubt would not normally linger but after the concerns Celeste brought to his attention just before they left Coruscant, he is starting to feel somewhat ill about the whole thing. He does not want to accuse his best friend of anything without proof but his behaviors are making it difficult to maintain neutrality. Henrick had been able to quell Celeste’s worry for the time being but knows that if these suspicious occurances continue he would be forced to have a discussion with Alexander.
For now, he lets it go and follows him back down to the main plaza. Over lunch they talk about their separate dealings. Henrick shares the insight he learned at the conference and his confidence in its successful implementation into his practice at the medical center. Alexander briefly summarizes the series of “ridiculous†and “unnecessary†meetings he’d been in all morning to forecast the financial projections of BRC for the next quarter.
Lunch at a local bistro is spectacular. By the time they have finished, Henrick has nearly forgotten about the earlier conversation. He really should not let his wife’s active imagination affect his friendships. Laughing at himself, he bids Alexander farewell until later that evening and returns to the convention center to conclude the conference.
Alexander walks steadily across the plaza toward the BRC building. His com vibrates in his pocket and he answers it briskly.
“Winton.â€Â
“All players accounted for, sir. Sending confirmation now.â€Â
“Good,†he says with a devious grin, “I’ll be expecting it shortly.â€Â
-TBC
-
Naboo
Surface: Lake Country
The scenery is breathtaking.
Wide meadows of tall grass and wildflowers seem to dance in the summer breeze. Several Shaak’s can be seen grazing in the distance and beyond them the dull roar of waterfalls cascading elegantly off the mossy hills into the crystalline lakes below. The Greyson Villa is nestled in the lush hills of Varykino Island and is accessible only by Gondola-speeder. Everything in that region of Naboo is isolated. Such is the appeal. People come here to abscond from society for a while and frazzled parents escaping the Imperial capital are no exception. Still, there is work to be done but Monica and Celeste refuse to accompany Alexander and Henrick to Bakura and instead remain confined within the comforting tranquility of the villa. The women kept up appearances for the insanely long journey but shared enough knowing glances to understand that a discussion was coming.
Once their husbands have gone, Monica finally turns to Celeste and sighs.
“Forgive my silence, I've been a terrible friend."
“Only if you honestly share what has you in such a state. It's not like us to go so long without speaking. We've had our moments but this is bordering on the ridiculous. A whole month felt like years. I was worried."
Monica smiles, heading for the kitchen.
"Tell me about it. I've been in agony over it. Over everything."
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"I was just about to ask you the same question. You seem particularly opinionated today. I still think and feel the same way I always have."
Normally this is the point in the conversation where Celeste would tell her to take a step back and view the situation objectively. To rationalize her thoughts and actions to know whether or not it's all in her head. Not this time. Celeste slows her step and falls behind.
Monica turns with a bottle of wine in hand.
"Cel, sweetie? What's wrong? Red or white?"
"White. These feelings you've been having...."
"Yes?"
"They are directed at someone specific?"
"The usual suspect."
Celeste glances down quickly. Monica uncorks the bottle effortlessly, pours two large glasses and drifts toward her best friend.
"I'm sensing you feel something too."
"It frightens me."
"What does, darling?"
Celeste's voice is but a gentle whisper.
"Your husband."
The gaze between them is heavy and knowing. Monica tips her glass against Celeste's.
"I'll toast to that."
"Mon, this isn't meant to be amusing. You've been having doubts off and on for years. There wasn't really enough of your vision or the prophecy to know for sure. Nothing to go on but what he said. And we listened."
"I used to listen too."
"I feels like a shadow has suddenly fallen over our happiness."
"Nothing this good can last forever."
Celeste laughs hollowly and swallows half the glass.
Monica smirks and finishes off her own. It took her long enough but everyone works at their own pace. Celeste is finally suspicious. She and Henrick have been talking psychobabble bullshit around what she's suspected for years. Alexander used to be brash and outgoing but never before had she witnessed him become so singularly obsessed with one plan. No one gets that anxious unless something huge is at stake. But she let it ride, she believed in what she thought she saw, what they uncovered, and what that meant for all of them. Set for life. It was all so perfect, so fitting, and far too good to be true.
For every action taken there is a price - A sacrifice for every step forward.
"May I ask what started you in this direction?"
Celeste frowns and begins to wander down the open air corridor. Monica follows but takes the bottle with her. There is a cool breeze that floats between the wide pillars to moisten their skin against the heat. After a few moments of walking in peace, Celeste manages to get it out. Her speech is soft and fluid.
"Something we already knew. It was right in front of us the whole time. Weeks ago on the capital I was buried in work and worried about you. I kept thinking about this whole year and how everything seemed to accelerate since the children started school. Then this Raga'Ana deal made me realize how busy everyone is. The girls have academics and activities. Henrick is swamped with patients. My client list swells with referrals. Patten is increasingly needed at CorSec and hardly comes to the Deep Core. Alexander travels more often for business. You have been a fortress in your own solitude..."
Celeste shakes her head and places a hand upon her chest.
"...then I went looking for the transcription Alexander gave Henrick. The words that initially won us over held the warning. I had only seen it once, years and years ago when he brought back the scrolls. I suppose I was too excited about the prospect of having offspring that would somehow shape the worlds we knew. I don't know. In that excitement I saw past what was really there. I saw what you have been questioning all along. What exactly are our daughters meant for?"
This is difficult for her. Celeste wanted so badly to believe the best of things to come. So badly that their children were meant for good. To shape things for the better. She had never once considered that the road to the future may be marred by something darker. Something less noble and virtuous than Celeste and Henrick had hoped. They had been blinded by the build-up.
The word is branded into her mind.
"It says they are the names of blasphemy, Monica. It means our children are irreverent toward something considered sacred or inviolable. It means they will claim the acts of deities. With the sensitivity in our families I shutter to think what that might mean. Or what ramifications these things might have."
"For all of us."
"Alexander swore this would make them invaluable to the Empire yet blasphemy against it would make them a threat."
"That is, if he told Palpatine the truth about what was written in the prophecy."
"How could he lie? Surely the Emperor would see through the ruse."
Monica considers this while refilling both their glasses. She sets the bottle down and motions for Celeste to sit beside her on the step down into the garden. Several moments pass lost in the sounds and scenery that take them back to a time when all was as colorful and calming as Naboo.
Finally, she turns and levels with Celeste.
"Sweetie, he may be a man of great power but he is still just a man. He can feel it just as we do. The girls are special. No denying that. But the 'how' and 'why' are still vague concepts to all of us until the text is translated into something more definitive. Something that will answer questions some may not want answered. If what you are saying is true and it indeed contradicts Palpatine's vision then we're living on borrowed time. It means Alexander is tailoring what the prophecy says to appease the Emperor and keep us all safe until he figures out what the hell we're going to do. But do you honestly think he does this solely to protect us?"
"I dare say I am at a loss...."
"So much of what he does is double-sided. Always another edge."
"Then what should we do? What can we do? This is no way to live. How do we put an end to this wondering?"
"There is a way, a way to know for sure if Alexander has lied to us all."
Celeste turns sharply.
Monica's dark eyes reflect a chilling determination.
"I'm going to steal the prophecy."
-TBC
-
Hesperidium
Surface: Keoki Island
The Raga'Ana photage shoot is broken into two days and two different locations. The first is a beach/jungle spread on the island sixty-five kilometers off the coast of Imperial Beach.
Agent St. Claire leads a small security detail who forms a perimeter around the staging area. Three white tents serve as wardrobe, make-up and equipment storage.
Maxi Marx cracks the whip of perfection which motivates the girls to get it right. This is all about the group aspect. The four of them as a team, a brand unto themselves. They wear the latest for the upcoming fall season. Organic pants, skirts and jackets. Earth tones dominate the line. Lots of beige. There is a vaguely militant style to the outerwear that still somehow remains feminine. Maxi then pairs them off to pose and strut as they walk out of the reeds and grasses that line the beach or slouch seductively against the tropical foliage.
The ads will hit the Holo shortly before fall semester.
It takes six hours to get through the entire line before everyone heads back to the mainland as the sun slowly slips below the horizon.
*
Surface: West Iobatese Beach
The following evening, the girls grab a light dinner at Bistro Bibliotheca then saunter over to Club Hex. The six blocks leading up to the boardwalk are considered 'downtown' for Hesperidium. It's the center of all that happens on the resort moon. Posh boutiques, bistros, galleries, and nightclubs lure the wealthy out into the open.
It's freezing inside the club and no one seems to know why. This shoot showcases the signature eveningwear and includes individual spoken pieces from each girl. These ads will be the staple of Raga'Ana's image and broadcast to every system in the known universe.
Expand the market share in more ways than one. The lines, like the Empire, must appear attractive to all who behold it. This will further generate revenue for the company while appealing to a demographic largely overlooked by Palpatine’s Order. It is an all-encompassing Imperial marketing strategy and the girls hit their marks and say their lines without question.
The still shots will be splashed on billboards across Coruscant while the filmed scenes used as a series of commercials. Each one will be reworked to highlight a specific girl. There will be five commercials total, the last integrating shots from both this shoot and the first.
The swirl of lights and lasers over a crowd zeros in on four girls at different locations of the packed warehouse-style club.
Running in heels.
Lots of leg.
Smiles.
Dancing.
Turning, tilting and a copious amount of hair flipping.
A pop song from another time blasting.
Highly glossed lips purring.
"We are living in an Imperial world and I am an Imperial girl."
Miss Imperial.
The Collection - only by Raga'Ana.
It's all so beautiful and easy and over before anyone knows it. Maxi and the crew shower them with praise. There wasn't so much as a tantrum! It is a rarity in the modeling world. Someone always has a breakdown and must be sent flowers. Not these girls. They are bent on maintaining an air of class and professionalism at all times and because of this, the shoot wraps in under two hours. Needless to say this is some kind of record and everyone goes gaga over it.
Agent St. Claire rolls his eyes and groans. After the well-wishing, screaming and squealing laughter fades, he finds them all sitting on a white couch surrounded by an obscene amount of roses. Once they manage to exit the room, which takes more skill and patience than necessary, St. Claire's detail escorts them home.
*
Surface: Bolerathon Tower
They are giddy as they step off the lift onto the Penthouse floor. St Claire bids them goodnight. They ignore him. The first shoot was an amazing success for everyone. They float on this cloud of achievement, drifting through the possibilities of such exposure. The outfits have already been sent over by Raga'Ana and lay perfectly folded in boxes on the kitchen table. Names have been placed on each to avoid unnecessary confusion. Karen divides them up into piles. Valerie strides into the kitchen and returns with a bottle of champagne.
No one protests. The feeling is too good.
She pops the cork and pours it into four flutes.
"To us."
Karen, Kimber and Melanie smile broadly as they touch their glasses against Valerie's.
It is the beginning of something wonderful.
Wonderful and dangerous.
-TBC
-
Hesperidium
Surface: Bolerathon Tower
(http://th08.deviantart.net/fs32/300W/i/2008/197/b/3/The_Mysterious_Tower_by_Sugargrl14.jpg) sense something, copper top?
Winton Suite
The com bleeps around eight-thirty. Karen has been closely inspecting her face in a mirror for the past hour to ensure there are no visible pores. Checking the incoming channel, she laughs and taps on the consol.
A small image of her father appears.
"Good evening, honey. I'm not calling at a bad time, am I?"
"Nope. What's up? How are things on Naboo?"
"Everything is great. Doctor Masterton and I returned from Bakura last week."
"How's mom?"
"She's...good. It takes a bit time to truly unwind and relax. How are you doing? I trust all is well?"
Karen smiles, mildly touched by the concern. Maybe they really had turned over a new leaf somewhere in the time after Alexia left. She isn't as emotionally high maintenance as her sister and doesn't need as much oversight. Karen wonders if they had recognized her determination and thus allowed creativity to flow freely. They had been a lot more trusting with her lately.
"The BT is still standing. Val and Kim left for Corellia yesterday so Melanie and I have been at the beach getting that summer reading done. We're on the second novel. I don't know how I let her talk me into AP ImpLit."
"She knows you can do it, sweetie. I know you can too. Keep at it and you'll be able to get into any university in the galaxy."
"Hell-O! Can we save the college discussion until after standardized testing?"
Alexander laughs heartily, "Of course. I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to pressure you. I just know you have the potential to go far. Be mindful of your studies. You will need them later."
"Sure but right now, I'm on vacation."
"Which reminds me, how did the photage shoot go?"
"Beyond amazing. You should see the outfits."
"Out..fits? Was there a problem with the size?"
Karen gapes at his cluelessness, "It means I spend less of your credits on clothes."
"Well, that's wonderful news."
"I thought you might like that. Anyway, the boards should go up on Coruscant at the end of the season. We have to go back for the second shoot and the Maranski premiere. It was Maxi's idea but it is just a movie. Our first red carpet situation is actually happening."
"No after parties."
"Dad, they know we're minors. All we are required to do is put on a couture gown, walk in a line past a zillion flashing cameras in heels and not fall down then sit in a theater and watch a flick. It's entertainment not espionage. St. Claire will take us home afterwards just like he did for the first shoot."
Alexander's expression is difficult to gauge through the hologram.
"Agent St. Claire is my eyes and ears while I am out of the Core. He is there to protect you so I expect you girls to listen to him."
"We do. Why what did he say?"
"He says although you are surprisingly compliant there is an inordinate amount of sass."
"What can I say? I'm a sassy gal."
"Just be careful."
Karen nods, "I will. Say hi to the Masterton's and give my love to mom."
"Will do, sweetie. Goodnight."
She taps off, stands and pads out of the room. It was nice of him to check up on them. Not like anything is really going on. She didn't cop to the liquor cabinet incident because the lock has been replaced and the door permanently propped open. Reef has a fake and routinely stocks it each time he visits. She will have him replace the original contents, which Melanie insisted she write down, and lock it up. Her parents will never know. It sounds perfect in her head as she moves through the living room. She's got it all worked out.
The low gong of the main door echoes in surround sound throughout the residence. She changes direction and stops at the polished control panel. The door hisses open to reveal a startled D'Arcy Saunders.
"Hey!"
"Oh, hi!" Karen says, stepping out into the hall. St. Claire stands near the lifts looking bored. "How did you get up here?"
"He said it was okay."
"St. Claire did?"
D'Arcy looks mildly hurt.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound so accusatory. It's just that my dad is big on security and St. Claire usually has to be told things. I had to haggle him to get the boys cleared but maybe this means he's giving me a little credit in the company I keep."
"I'm on that list Valerie spoke of but if you want me to go..."
"No, not at all. Come in."
She steps inside and walks across the foyer.
"Actually I'm glad you came by. Melanie isn't feeling well and Valerie and Kimber left so it gives us a chance to catch up. I can't believe we've known each other for so long and never hung out."
D'Arcy laughs, "Tell me about it. We could have been childhood pals if I wasn't off exploring systems with my mother. But what's past is past. We can make a fresh start now and, like I said, there aren't many people I know around here. Those I knew as a child have all gone."
"You've got us even though everyone is a bit scattered for the summer. It'll all come together once fall semester begins."
"Don't remind me. I dread returning to school."
"NCH is pretty lush and transferring in with a social circle like us will make it a breeze."
"Jocks and models, I know."
"Those are things we do not who we are."
"I'm glad to hear it. You guys seem really solid and honestly that's something I've been looking for. Moving around leaves little time to build friendships that last."
"Well, rest easy girlfriend. Your time has come."
D'Arcy smiles, "Thanks. You hungry?"
"Actually yes, I could use something sweet. Let me just check and see if Melanie needs anything."
Karen calls over to the Masterton suite. It rings seven times before clicking over to voicemail. She's probably resting. Maybe she would bring back a slice of pie as a surprise.
"No answer. Let's 'ruise."
D'Arcy follows her out into the hall but they are stopped by St. Claire.
"Heading out?"
"For desert. You want?"
"No thanks but you are still getting an escort. I'll make sure they don't intrude on your girl talk."
Karen narrows her eyes, "I would say that was sweet of you if you weren't being so damn sarcastic."
"What can I say? I'm a sarcastic guy."
"Whatev. D'Arc?"
"It's cool. I'm just going to ask her everything there is to know about Billy."
Karen giggles, takes D'Arcy's hand and leads her toward the lifts. She turns before the door closes.
"Don't wait up."
They burst into laughter.
St. Claire shakes his head and wanders back down the long corridor. He is starting to wonder if this detail could get any more irritating when the sound of an object shattering jars him back into the present. He is standing outside the Masterton suite. Reaching for the door controls, he rings the bell twice.
Nothing.
"Miss Masterton?"
Silence.
He is sure he heard something but there had been no proximity alarms. No reports from the rest of the detail. The rush of adrenaline keeps him focused. He taps in the lock override code and steps inside.
Melanie is lying face down in the center of the tiled foyer. Shards of a broken vase that sat beside the com-consol surround her.
St. Claire springs forward and drops to her side. He turns her over, pressing two fingers against her very warm throat. Strong pulse. He leans closer. Breath is shallow. She stirs, murmuring softly.
"Miss Masterton, it's Agent St. Claire. You are in your residence and you are safe. I need you to tell me what happened."
Her eyes flutter open and suddenly she begins to struggle. Panicked, she screams, arms thrashing out. He contains her easily and holds the sides of her face.
"What did you see, Melanie? What did you see?"
*
(http://th07.deviantart.net/fs16/300W/i/2007/131/d/9/Blond_version2_by_VuokkoBirgitta.jpg)
what did you see, blondie?
(http://th00.deviantart.net/fs5/300W/i/2004/298/c/7/Vision_by_evilabnormalvamp.jpg)
Masterton Suite
Melanie wakes up with a headache the size of an asteroid. She manages to choke down breakfast and take a Bakuran homeopathic remedy. The whole day is spent in a state of heightened anxiety. She calls Karen to cancel lunch plans, throws on a white sundress, opens some windows and curls up for a nap. Hours later, she cannot seem to shake the feeling. A vague and unknown threat. Her chest becomes heavy with dread. Something is happening. It's happening. What's happening? It's almost nine when the anxiety becomes a full blown terror and she rushes toward the com with a sense of urgency she has never felt before. It is as if her legs are being propelled forward, arm outstretched, mouth open in an attempt to call for help. Her voice fails. Her vision crystallizes and whitens before closing in entirely.
Then she is in a half-night standing on the shore of the sea. A brisk wind streaks across the surface of the water and in the wind there are whispers of the coming dawn. Her feet sink slowly into the cool wet sand as the waves break roughly - ever closer.
A com rings continuously in the background. Lightening looks like flashbulbs. Droids march to the thunder's steady beat. The waves crash against her exposed legs, wind howling, blowing the dress against her body, blond curls floating freely around her head. Shadows lurk and leap before her eyes. Something is out there. She cannot free herself from the sand and stands defiant upon the shore.
The body of a beast but the heads of a humanoid.
A woman.
A daughter.
A sister.
A monster.
Alexia.
The shriek from its mouths turns blood to ice and sets the sky on fire. Clouds turn to ash and swirl to the ground like confetti. The beast rises up out of the sea and bears down on the shore. Melanie throws her arms up as if to fend off the monstrosity but even the shadow of the beast is like a blanket of magma and she screams watching the skin sear and melt away until she stares at nothing but bone.
The next thing she sees is St. Claire's face. He is speaking but she cannot hear him. He leans closer as she whispers.
"Soon."
-TBC
-
Naboo
Surface: Varykino Island: Greyson Villa
Once Alexander and Henrick join their wives in the Lake Country, the summer seems to heat up much the same way it did when they all became such close friends years ago. Temperatures skyrocket into the triple digits but all is made manageable by the continuous breeze and afternoon showers that arrive like clockwork.
All is peaceful, all is well.
On the surface.
Monica had convinced Celeste to calm her suspicion for the sake of appearance. If they were going to get anywhere with what Alexander has been hiding, they needed to make him believe no one wants to ask any questions. That goes for Henrick as well. The good doctor does not have the best reputation for keeping secrets from his best friend. If Henrick doesn’t know anything is wrong, neither will Alexander.
That is exactly the way the women want it.
Alexander politely interrupts the happy hour conversation, which lasts from mid-day to last person standing, to let Monica know he spoke to Karen on Hesperidium.
“And how is she?â€Â
“Fine, fine. She doubts her ability in that advanced literature course but otherwise, she seems good.â€Â
Celeste smiles serenely, “Oh, she just needs a little encouragement. That’s all.â€Â
Monica nods, “You did reassure her, didn’t you?â€Â
“I tried my best. She seemed very excited by how the Raga’Ana shoot went.â€Â
“Well, I hope its nothing too provocative.â€Â
“I didn’t even think about that. Should I have asked?â€Â
“We don’t want our daughters prancing around half-naked for the Imperial fleets to fawn over.â€Â
Celeste throws a hand over her heart, “Goodness no! I thought the contracts specifically stated it would be kept tasteful.â€Â
“I’m sure a call to Miss Marx will clear the air. She understands our concern.â€Â
“It will certainly ease my mind about the whole thing.â€Â
The com-link clipped to Alexander’s belt vibrates. He glances down and smirks. Not exactly a forthcoming expression even after all these years.
“I’ve got to take this. Will you ladies excuse me?â€Â
They nod as he wanders out of one room and into the next. All of the rooms in the villa are open-air and interconnected by a small corridor. He unclips the device and brings it up to his head.
“Winton.â€Â
“It’s St. Claire. There has been a situation.â€Â
“With whom?â€Â
“Masterton.â€Â
“That’s a first. What seems to be the problem?â€Â
“Found her dazed and barely conscious in the Masterton suite. No signs of foul-play or forced entry discovered. She reported not feeling well earlier in the day which is why your daughter was absent at the time.â€Â
“She’s ill?â€Â
“Not physically, it seems. We took her the IPMC as a precaution but no issues or injuries were found. The doctors are baffled. Medically, she’s fine.â€Â
“Then it’s metaphysical.â€Â
“That’s what I concluded.â€Â
“Did you question her?â€Â
“I tried. At first all she would whisper is ‘soon.’ There was no context to put that in. However, after she was examined, she told me she saw a monster.â€Â
“Monster? What kind of monster?â€Â
“She stated she didn’t know.â€Â
“Do you believe her?â€Â
“She does not strike me as one who would see gain in lying.â€Â
“Indeed but powerful flashes like this transcend precognition.â€Â
“You think she has the sight?â€Â
“Visions are common in empathic Force-sensitive’s. Most can barely recall what they saw at first but in time, the images begin to take shape - my wife being the prime example here. It took months if not years before pieces of what she saw became something she could communicate with words.â€Â
“How would you like me to proceed?â€Â
“Where is she now?â€Â
“Back at home. Your daughter and the Saunders girl are with her now.â€Â
“Good. Keep her calm and comfortable. I will alert her parents to the situation and proceed from there. And St. Claire?â€Â
“Yes?â€Â
“If she remembers anything, contact me immediately.â€Â
“Of course, sir. St. Claire out.â€Â
Alexander clicks off and lowers his arm. There is only one monster he can recall ever being aware of. It is the monster of the prophecy. The beast. He would never even think it if Melanie wasn’t involved. Her gift is proving more useful than anyone thought. She might be able to see the future but could she figure it out in time to prevent it? Monica couldn’t. Could Melanie? Only time would tell.
On the other side of the wall, Monica turns away. She had overheard enough of the conversation to know that Melanie Masterton possesses a potent and potentially life-threatening ability. Monica has been on the receiving end of that interrogation before and she would be damned if she would let Alexander do the same to Celeste and Henrick’s daughter.
Mind whirling, she escapes back into the villa unnoticed.
Alexander returns with the “unfortunate news†that Melanie has “fallen ill†and is currently in the “best care credits can buy.†This frightens then calms the Masterton’s. It is for the best. Henrick would call home in the morning to ensure she is recuperating while Celeste and Monica would be meeting in the dead of night to discuss what was really said between Alexander and the agent assigned to the safety of their children.
-TBC
-
Corellia
Surface: Coronet City
They arrive via luxury transport and find the Major waiting for them in the spaceport. He embraces them like it’s been longer than a few months but the girls don’t find the gesture as cheesy as they normally would.
It’s good to be home.
Beaming, he puts an arm around Kimber’s shoulders and leads them out to the waiting CorSec speeder. The ride is short but the sunlight feels wonderful as they pass between the architecturally superior towers. Corellian pride shines in all that they do. Downtown Coronet is one of many masterpieces in terms of design second only to Coruscant although no good Corellian would admit it.
As they near One CorSec Plaza, two giant holo-ads on either side of the traffic lanes beckon the public’s attention. One is of Kimber’s button-nose; the other of Valerie’s lips with the tag-line: Who is she? The cam pulls back to reveal more of each face with the Raga’Ana label appearing below.
Then it reads: Imperial Girl Collection. Fall. Exclusively by Raga’Ana.
“Well,†Valerie says lowly, “That’s not completely embaressing or anything.â€Â
The Major glances over his shoulder.
“You should be proud. I pulled some strings to have them put closer to work so I can see you both every morning.â€Â
Kimber frowns, “That’s creepy, dad.â€Â
“Is it? I just miss you. Can’t a father miss his kids?â€Â
“You mean kid. Singular.â€Â
“Kid, yes. You know Lilandra and I think of you as part of the family, Val."
“I’m touched.â€Â
“No, you are snide but that’s part of your charm.â€Â
Kimber giggles.
He adjusts his eyes back to the traffic. It could have been a tragic slip but his justification seems to warm something in her. He knows she struggles now that Jerico Gellar is out of the picture and he wishes her could offer more explanation.
They arrive at CorSec Headquarters and exit the speeder.
"Did you ladies want to grab some lunch?"
Valerie shrugs, "I'm exhausted. I think I'll just head home for now. Maybe we can do dinner."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm good. I'll call you later."
Kyri nods, signaling to the driver.
"It's great to have you back. Let us know if you need anything."
"Thanks, Major Patten."
Valerie hops back into the speeder and the driver pulls away from the plaza.
Kyri turns to Kimber and smiles, "What do you want to do?"
"I'm starved. Let's get some lunch but first I want to say hi to all your friends."
They move along the walkway and enter the massive complex that houses all departments of CorSec. She waves and smiles at everyone they pass in the corridors. They have all known her since she was a child and have heard about the modeling deal. There are a lot of congratulatory well-wishes and compliments. As they near the Major's office, a tall and striking man rounds the corner. His face lights up when he sees them.
"Welcome home, Kimber."
She glows, "Thanks, Detective Farmer. How are things?"
"Keepin the city safe for you."
"I really appreciate that. Coronet just wouldn't be the same without you watching over it."
He smiles then nods to the Major, "If you have a moment, there is an issue that needs your attention."
"Of course. Kim, darling, would you mind waiting in my office?"
"Sure, daddy."
She hums dreamily and floats through the door.
Detective Farmer raises his eyes to the Major, "Rally's around the city have increased protesting Imperial control. Our liason from the Core is displeased we are not taking more ruthless methods to quell the incidents."
"These are peaceful?"
"For now, yes."
"Protesting is not against Corellian law but I can see how that would conflict with the Empire's views of control."
"The liason wishes to meet with you."
"Understood but it will have to wait. My daughter's homecoming is more important."
Farmer smiles, "I agree. I'll let him know you will contact him later this afternoon."
"Thank you, Frank."
"It's no problem. Enjoy your time with Kimber."
"I will."
The Major steps into the office. Kimber is staring through the window at the cityscape beyond.
"Ready, honey?"
She turns, rays of sun shimmering through her light brown hair, "I sure am. Is everything alright? I hope the Detective wasn't the bearer of bad news."
"Nothing that can't be turned around. You shouldn't worry yourself with these things. Enjoy the freedom of youth."
"But I do worry. I worry about you and mom."
He laughs, "We worry about you too. That's our job, remember?"
She hugs him tightly then slides out into the hall.
"Well, you can relax. Everything is falling into place on Coruscant."
And that is exactly why he worries.
-TBC
-
Corellia
Surface: Coronet City: Gellar Residence
A summer sun stains the sky orange and purple.
The Residence is located in a converted corporate tower just outside of downtown. It is much too expensive for a standard CorSec Agent and she had always wondered how her father had been able to afford it. There were rumors about swindling wealthy citizens out of credits in exchange for protection or special treatment but nothing became of these accusations. The Major has integrity and would never allow such a thing to exist within the organization. She believes in CorSec and all it stands for. One day she would be a CorSec Agent herself, albeit the most attractive one. This is not entirely unappealing to her as Valerie has no qualms with capitalizing on her looks. If nothing else, they daze people long enough for her to sort through all the options. She can be hasty and vindictive.
Valerie swipes her access card and taps in the corresponding door code. The loft is musty from the months away. She strides through the room opening windows and finally begins to relax.
Alone at last.
She tries to remember the last time. Fail. Shrugging, she unclasps her necklace and tosses it aside, wandering through the living room and down the hall. She pulls off her top and bra and drops it carelessly. A stiff breeze brings with it the whisper of the city. She unzips her skirt, letting it slip down her tanned and moving legs as she steps out of it wearing now only heels. They echo in the empty space. Turning sharply, she enters her room. It is exactly the way she left it. The walls are a color called delta fog with a brigade green border which gives it a somewhat somber tone. She is quite the angsty teenager and tends to brood and obsess about certain things. Things she dare not share with Kimber. There is definitely a limit to what the Major's daughter can handle and Valerie would just as soon avoid the panic attack these things will inevitably induce. It's all suspicion anyway. No proof, no lines to draw pieces of information together. Nothing that would make her sound any less paranoid or emotionally damaged. Parental abandonment promotes deviant behaviors which may explain why she is searching for answers in a self-made conspiracy. Maybe it is all really happening randomly - a life so sweet it has to make you wonder.
A part of her is waiting for the reality of it all.
What goes up...
She draws a bath and tosses in several foaming beads. She pads back into the bedroom, kicks off the heels and flips on the radio. Classic Corellian Rock. It's really the only way to go. Nude, she briefly jams out before kneeling to open the nightstand drawer. The back pulls away neatly to reveal a small rectangular compartment. Credit chips are stacked neatly next to a flask, a vibrator and five expertly rolled joints of the finest Corellian herb. She withdraws one and replaces the drawer.
Bubbles fill the tub and a thin trail of smoke curls above them.
Valerie drifts between the Coruscant life and the Corellian life before it. The primary schools she attended. All those rules. Birthday parties. Barbeques at the ranch. Field trips to the capital building. A particularly chilly winter. Her father teaching her how to fire his CorSec sidearm. The friends she had and let go after the capital switch. She was beautiful but scrappy. She was a different kind of girl. The polished version she stares at in the mirror now is something else entirely. The contract mandates composure at all times. If they are in public, they have to be pretty. No bad hair days or missed brow waxes. She looks subdued and spoiled. It doesn't suck by any means but it took some getting used to. This isn't the way anyone here remembers her and those ads, this deal, that contract, only add to the confusion. She did it to herself. Mostly for the free clothes but also because there is no way in hell she would let Karen have something to throw in her face. No leverage to hold over her. Even playing fields make for easier maneuvering. The politics of high school are irrational and cruel. Certain concessions must be made.
She slides into a little black number and pulls up the straps of her polished heels. Her dark hair is free-flowing and maxed on the volume. Face is natural with smoldering eyes, bringing those olive peepers to life. Her lips, the darkest of reds. Grabbing her purse, she heads out the door and down the hall. The living room is much more comfortable now that the loft has had time to air out. She checks her com and glances around for anything she may have missed. The sun is sinking and it muddles the sky, colors merging with clouds that become the thunderheads of an approaching storm.
Something drops from her purse, hitting the slick floors with a clang. It twirls on end for a moment before slowing to fall on its side. At first she thinks it's a misplaced bracelet and bends down to retrieve it. Only upon closer inspection does she realize it's not jewelry. There are distinct grooves from a cast mold. Something made in a factory. It looks like a joint casing...for a droid.
- TBC
-
Corellia
Surface: Patten Ranch
The sprawling equestrian estate was established by Colonel Parnassus Patten, grandfather to Major Kyri Patten. It lies twenty-four kilometers outside Coronet’s glowing metropolis and has twice served as a temporary command post during invasion-occupation crisis’ over the years. The grounds are lush and professionally maintained. Horticulture has always been part of the family and currently Lilandra Patten tends the massive gardens surrounding the property. Night blooming flowers fill the air with an intoxicating fragrance to mix with the mouth-watering scent of home-cooking that drifts from the open windows of the ranch. Lilandra has prepared a homecoming feast with help from the kitchen staff. Several hired hands from all around Corellia have been on staff for years. The Patten’s are notorious for their generous employment opportunities. They pay more than a fair wage and interact with each staff member like they are a part of the family. All who have worked for them sing their praises and find that maintaining the ranch has brought them peace in an increasingly unstable universe.
On the wooden wrap-around porch, Kimber sits perched on a railing and listens to the songs of night insects in the surrounding woods. They always calmed her when she was young, whispering a gentle comfort that would put her instantly at ease. In the spring and summer months she would ride horses if she wasn’t shadowing her father at work. She, too, has aspirations of one day becoming a famed CorSec Agent specializing in communications. The command center within One CorSec Plaza is unrivaled and she could spend hours on end watching officers transfer and connect transmissions to high-ranking officials. She dreams of being a part of her father’s elite team who would be responsible for all communications on his behalf. While Valerie has her sights set on being a field agent, Kimber wants to remain at her father’s side. Never in the history of CorSec has a man led with such aggressive compassion. The Major could be firm but it was always out of love. Being a popular high school model on the brink of universal success is a wonderful opportunity but these girls were raised to be grounded no matter how charmed life becomes.
Thus the difference that divides The Four.
Karen and Melanie were raised with far different values that seem to soften and change for the better around those of Valerie and Kimber.
They seem almost bound together….
“Credit for your thoughts?â€Â
Startled, she turns.
Valerie is standing a few meters away with a devilish smile.
“You scared me.â€Â
“What’s new?â€Â
Kimber sighs, hopping off the railing.
“That’s not funny. So, do you feel more rested now that you got a few moments alone?â€Â
“Actually, yes. It was nice to unwind at home. How does it feel to be back here?â€Â
“Refreshing. I forgot how nice all this silence could be. Such a thing is practically unheard of in the capital.â€Â
“That’s for sure.â€Â
Kimber glances over Valerie’s chic ensemble, “You look lovely but you really didn’t have to dress up just for dinner. This is one of the few places we can still go casual and not catch heat from Maxi.â€Â
“I know but I felt a little wild tonight. I was thinking I might hit up the downtown scene later. You won’t be too disappointed if I go out?â€Â
“Not at all. I am totally looking forward to a perfect nights sleep in my own bed! Nothing sounds better right now…..except for maybe dinner. I’m starving yet again!â€Â
“I dunno where you put it.â€Â
“Hollow leg?â€Â
“Pretty shapely for being hollow.â€Â
Kimber giggles and stares longingly out into the darkness beyond the trees. Summer nights are so warm and inviting. Valerie’s expression changes, face falling. There is a hint of melancholy to those pouty lips.
It takes several minutes for Kimber to finally catch this.
“Hey, why the long face? You aren’t getting super homesick are you? Cuz like, we still have three more years of school before we can even think about returning on a more permanent basis.â€Â
Valerie clings to her purse, uncertain as to whether or not she should share what she found with her dearest friend. Usually, she only keeps obscene and perverse thoughts and instances from Kimber out of respect for the girl’s altruistic nature. She doesn’t want to shatter the innocence that keeps those violet eyes shimmering. But something about the find is weighing heavily on Valerie’s soul. There is no way a piece of a droid could have ended up in a purse she hadn’t used in almost a year by accident especially since the accessory had been buried in a walk-in closet the whole time. Finally, she takes Kimber’s hand and leads her down the steps out into the yard. They cross through a pruned shrub made into an archway then deeper into the expansive gardens. When they reach the two stone benches beside a carved stone bird bath, Valerie sets the purse down and opens it. When she turns around, she is holding the casing between two fingers.
“What is that? A bracelet? Can I see?â€Â
Valerie hands it to her, “It’s not a bracelet.â€Â
Kimber inspects it closely, puzzled. She runs her slender fingers along its smooth surface and over the grooves that give the casing a unique shape.
“What…is it? Some sort of machinery thing?â€Â
“Close. It’s a droid joint casing.â€Â
“And how do you know that?â€Â
“I pay attention.â€Â
Kimber arches a skeptical brow.
“Okay, so I pay attention when a hot guy is talking. That Trade Federation rep came to our middle school and virtually dissected a battle droid. There were diagrams. You were there!â€Â
“I must have nodded off because that sounds dreadfully boring.â€Â
“Beside the point. More important than identifying the object is where I found it.â€Â
“Where did you find it? Please tell me this isn’t going to gross me out.â€Â
Valerie sighs even though she deserved that one.
“It was in this purse which has been hanging in my closet since we left Corellia.â€Â
“Maybe your dad stashed it there or something…â€Â
“In my purse? Come on. Besides, I bought it after he took off.â€Â
“I don’t know how it got there. I mean, who would even be in your house to put it there? No one is allowed access while you are off world. Well, accept my father of course but I don’t exactly see him having much interest in your accessories.â€Â
Valerie frowns deeply, “So you think it’s weird, right? I’m not just being paranoid?â€Â
“It’s definitely weird. Should we ask my dad?â€Â
“No,†Valerie says quickly, “It’s best if we don’t mention it.â€Â
“Why not? Maybe he knows something.â€Â
Valerie is sure that he does but bringing it to his attention might in turn raise suspicion about her. She has been wondering how much the Major knows for a while now and had not been able to get the fact that he spoke both Karen and Melanie’s last name shortly before they attended North Coruscant. Add to it the fact that her father is still missing with absolutely no traces of evidence even with a vast amount of CorSec’s resources searching for him and there is something serious going on. Missing parents, new friends who may not have been the strangers they seemed, droid parts turning up in places they most certainly shouldn’t be.
“I don’t want to bug him. He’s such a busy man. Forget about it, Kim. I’m probably just leaping to conclusions like usual.â€Â
“Are you sure? I would sure hate for this to be troubling you…â€Â
“No, really. It’s fine. I’m sure there is reasonable explanation.â€Â
Lilandra calls to them from the porch.
Valerie covers her doubt with a sincere smile and follows Kimber back through the garden to the house. It’s been a long day and the last thing she wants to do is cause concern when the Major and his wife are overflowing with excitement at their return. Questions remain. Questions she could only ponder in the privacy of her own home.
Perhaps there are more clues hidden amongst the possessions left behind by Jerico Gellar.
Major Patten sits at the head of the table with Lilandra at his right. He raises a toast to the girls and their safe return before the meal is served. Cheers echo throughout the house as the table digs in.
Welcome home indeed.
-TBC
-
Corellia
Surface: Coronet City
The endless bass of club music does not lessen the intensity. She had run into some old friends, friends she used to be close with who, after spotting the ads and running a HoloNet search, think Valerie is a sellout. They say she is a capital girl now, that her bravado has been diluted by excess. This is not what any good Corellian girl wants to hear. It stings even though she knows such opinions are usually motivated by jealousy.
So she tries to dance it out.
These friends catch up with her later at the bar where she sits casually sipping a mineral water. They want to know why she decided to grace them with her presence. She tells them it's called marketing and that they should really get a clue. There is speculation about her father, more ugly rumors to blast down. Trading barbs is her style and she handles the jabs easily. It isn't until one of them insults Kimber, labeling her a hapless follower, that Valerie is pushed over the edge. Technically, she is supposed to avoid situations which would reflect poorly on Raga'Ana's respectable image but that does not stop her from dropping some meathead fool to the ground clutching his junk for dear life. As he gazes up at her with tears in his squinted eyes she allows a satisfied sneer.
"If you think a year is all it takes to wash the Corellian blood from my veins - think again, asshole."
The surrounding crowd concurs with a round of applause.
Valerie turns him over and uses his shoulder as a resting place to adjust the strap on her heel. Someone steps out of the crowd and takes a picture. By tomorrow afternoon, this picture will be splashed across Imperial forums and finally make its way to the desk of Maxi Marx with a bi-line that reads:
Corellian Model Man-Eater Fights Slander with Style.
Maxi will find this strangely refreshing.
Valerie does not stick around the club to chat afterwards and heads home fully charged. She spends most of the night tearing the place apart in search of something that will dull the roar of uncertainty. Selling out, trading up, indulging in the opportunities afforded to them on Coruscant - it's all for nothing if she has nothing. No one. The Patten's are great and so are her new friends but there will always be something missing without any real family to call her own. She feels as though she's been living a borrowed life since her father flipped out and left. Not so much as a note. A goodbye. An apology. Nothing. The Major's explanation made sense and a part of her did not fault Jerico Gellar for the pressures of law enforcement weighing down on him. It's how he chose to deal with that pressure that is killing her inside. Normally this is when the daughter would bond with the mother but Valerie was told her mother died in childbirth. Her last breath was spent naming her daughter. So when her father suddenly vanished from the picture, she was left no choice but to suck it up and keep moving forward.
The Gellar's were known for being brash and stubborn and it was something she so admired in Jerico's work. She wanted to be just like him growing up but the events of the recent past have called his integrity and judgment into question.
Who just leaves a daughter in the hands of close friends?
Newly enraged, Valerie ransacks her father's office.
Everything is as it should be. Supplies, datacards full of reports, and a box of cigars. The residence is suddenly cold and unrevealing. How exactly does one leave without a shred of acknowledgement to those left behind? Someone on the verge of a meltdown would exhibit symptoms worse than those she saw. She does not remember anything close to crisis in the months leading up to that point in time. Yet he is gone. Did a damn good job of staying gone too but to vanish so completely would require a hell of a lot of time or some serious help. The Major said that CorSec's investigation has turned up nothing to suggest foul-play but this alternative rationalization also makes sense to her. Maybe Jerico ran and someone else covered up the tracks. Maybe there wasn't a choice involved. It all happened so fluidly. Now you see him, now you don't. He made it all look so easy. Still, there is nothing to validate this line of thinking and it only serves to frustrate her further.
Why does anyone do what they do? Can you really say you know someone? Space stations explode, people die, parents leave and maybe the sad truth is that Valerie simply will not accept that as an answer. There must always be something deeper, a motive to help others understand. But what if there isn't? What if Jerico Gellar just left and it is up to her to restore glory to the Gellar name? What legacy would she leave this world?
Disillusioned, she wanders listlessly through the house.
It may all be too daunting and there is only one way to gain a bit of perspective. High as a kite, she might stop to check you out...
The early morning air is crisp even in the throes of summertime. She stretches in a chair on the slim rectangular patio and watches the city rise and shine. Clarity happens upon her softly. She would bring fame and clout to Corellia's doorstep. Apparently there are prizes for being genetically superior and who is Valerie to refuse such positive reinforcement after all she's been through?
Maybe she would return to the capital and continue the indulgence...
...but not before she has one conversation with the Major.
Risk or not she must know.
*
Surface: One CorSec Plaza: Special Operations Division
The reception area is all fluff.
Large half-moon desk, perky blond receptionist, lots of plants, framed self-celebratory recruitment posters. Valerie marvels at the cheesiness as she clears initial security. This grants her access through two glass doors and down a long and boring hall to the official business offices of Major Kyri Patten. Nothing involving a mission is ever discussed on this floor. There are several "war-rooms" levels down that serve that purpose. She's not supposed to know that or know anything exists below the administrative level of this building but she's too curious for her own good and had discovered three other areas undetected. Secretly, she hoped the Major would discover this therefore making her that much more marketable in his eye for recruiting the best.
The Major's office door is open and he stands upon her entry.
"Good afternoon, Valerie. To what do I owe the honor?"
"First, you were notified the microsecond I set foot in this building and second, I need a reason to see you?"
He laughs. The girl is a whip.
"Security said you walked in here with purpose. A girl with something on her mind."
She taps the door closed and falls into a chair.
"That's a pretty fair assessment."
He rounds the desk and takes a seat.
"What can I do for you?"
"You can answer me something."
"I will try my best."
Valerie meets his steely gaze and speaks slowly.
"My father. He's never coming back, is he?"
Kyri takes a dreadfully long pause but in it his face gives away nothing. He does not want to lie but cannot tell her the truth.
"No, Valerie. He is not."
Prior compulsive speculation does not soften the blow nor does it dim any suspicion that something more complex transpires beyond the blinding lights of the main stage. She knows better than to ask for follow-up. She doesn't have to. He's confirmed enough to risk reprimand from the CorSec Director. Her skin hums with the effort it takes to keep it together as she rummages through her purse. She's a tough girl. She's going to knock 'em dead. The mantra's ring in her head like blaster fire as she stands in front of the desk.
"Well if you see him," she says, placing the droid joint casing in front of him. "He might want that back. It seems that is the only thing he left behind. Good afternoon, Major."
Valerie leaves the office but refrains from storming.
The point has been made.
Kyri lifts the object in front of his eyes, running a finger over the signature grooves before closing his hand around it. He shakes a fist and opens a secure line to his com-unit.
"Get me Viceroy Medivh."
-TBC
-
Corellia
Surface: Patten Ranch
Kimber hasn't seen Valerie in almost two weeks. She won't even return her com calls. Reef sends a transmission asking what Valerie's problem is. He is like, totally freaking out. Even Karen has expressed concern which borders on annoyance but that's to be expected. None of their Coronet friends have seen her either.
They are scheduled to depart for the capital in four days.
Worried, she consults her parents. Her mother defers to the Major who tells Kimber that Valerie is "dealing with an emotional fallout." Then he tells her that CorSec has all but given up hope of finding Jerico Gellar alive and there was no easy way to break this to Valerie.
She is taken aback, shocked that her father would be so blunt in handling such a sensitive subject. The details of Jerico Gellar's disappearance hit Valerie hard even though she seldom mentioned it to Kimber. Valerie can be secretive when it comes to personal pain and Kimber respects that. She doesn't want to intrude mostly because she doesn't know what to say. How can she console someone when no one understands what happened? There is not much reassurance in more uncertainty. The Major gave Kimber the same initial explanation he gave Valerie.
"Jerico Gellar was a decorated member of the CorSec family and a dear friend but the years of upholding both our laws and those of the Empire got to him. It was too much. He saw no other choice but to escape despite the consequences of doing so."
An act that desperate seems so extreme, so irrational to her that it barely makes any sense at all.
Kimber has never been backed into that kind of corner before.
In fact, she has spent most of her life smoothing out Valerie's rough edges. Not everyone is a fan of unabashed forwardness. It takes Kimber's adorable embellishments to talk everyone down from the ledge of defensiveness. Strangely, she finds this brashness mostly admirable and the perfect place to hide behind. No one has ever moved to strike with Valerie standing in front of her. She misses her life here but had been determined to make the most of the experience away. After all, being accepted to North Coruscant is an honor and wonderful opportunity. If she did well there she could do anything. Academics aren't exactly her strong suit but the modeling thing kind of takes the edge off. Gorgeous, in a humble way with a face unblemished by time. Add the tanned little hard-bod and legs most girls would kill for and Kimber is quite the public relations package. She may as well enjoy it. She will only be young once and isn't in it for the credits or the fame. She has always looked past high school with eyes on the CorSec prize. Graduating from NCH would seriously increase her chances of getting into CorSec Academy without her father's help. She would be good enough all by herself. Everything else is just icing on her multi-layered and extensively decorated pink cupcake.
*
Surface: Coronet City: Gellar Residence
Finality is not as comforting as she imagined it would be.
*
Surface: One CorSec Plaza: Classified Area
In the silence Kyri ponders Jerico Gellar. That is not even his real name.
The worst part is, Kyri doesn't even know it nor does he ask himself what Jerico would think about all of this. He knows the man too well. At least he did. How did they get here? That's right. He fucked up bad and so Alexander Winton blackmailed Rutherford Gellar using several other executives of the Corporate Sector Authority. To remain in power he was forced to hand over his only grandchild. The scathing evidence produced by the Bureau of Imperial Intelligence would have ruined him personally and financially. The ultimatum was simple; hand over the child or the information is released to board members and shareholders alike.
The Gellar name could not be besmirched and so like all men with power he made a deal that would allow him to keep that power and strengthen his hold on the competitors.
To be a father is to know sacrifice.
Blair Gellar was understandably less than thrilled with this arrangement. She reached out, plead with Kyri to help her. She said someone was after their child. He couldn't, didn't and the child was taken. A year later she threw herself from the top of Rutherford's corporate tower. They say it was the price for his greed.
None the less, Blair's death cleared the way.
Kyri was devastated. The affair had been a moment of weakness that extended into months of weakness. Blair was exotic and passionate with the mystique of a gypsy but a trust fund that would make most investment bankers blush. She was young and wild and for a time it eased the guilt over the fact that he was cheating on his wife. When Lilandra told him she was pregnant, he decided to break off the affair. He wanted to be an honorable family man who served his sector well. Then Blair told him she was also pregnant he knew it was punishment. He almost came to accept that he would have to confess and risk everything he spent his entire life building. He saw it all come crumbling down. Then came Winton. His spin on the situation was cold-blooded but none the less compelling.
Kyri wanted it all and to have it someone was going to have to move stars for it.
The Patten name could not be besmirched so like all men with power he made a deal that would secure the futures of the one's he loved most.
To be a father is to know sacrifice and Alexander built an alter. Guilt followed by more guilt. Kyri had betrayed his own laws. This was justified for him by the Empire as a situation that did not occur on Corellia and in no way involved a Corellian. No crime was committed. Let the record show.
"It is in everyone's best interest."
By then, Kyri was so distraught he agreed to the plan. An agent of Alexander's choosing would be placed in charge of the child. Soon enough a man showed up with everything to legitimize the lie. Kyri's portion of the deal involved chronologically organizing the fabricated details across the CorSec network. His access and personal programming skills made this easier than it should have been.
For a long time it seemed like it could work. It was working. A solid background and the highest approval from the Major. No one even asked them any questions. As the years passed, assignment become emotional attachment. Once so loyal to the Empire, Jerico grew to care for Valerie. He raised and taught her well. In his eyes, she was his daughter but that was not part of the plan. Kyri tried to dissuade him from acting territorial but his aggressive behavior caught the eye of CorSec's Imperial liaison.
This was eventually reported and soon a call came from Alexander.
Jerico's assignment was to act as guardian and keep her close to Kyri until she was of age and introduced into the arranged environment. From there he was to scale back his presence and allow destiny to take its course. A destiny dictated by a prophecy Kyri Patten has yet to see with his own eyes. The Emperor seemed convinced enough to allocate manpower and resources to helping provide such coverage therefore he was convinced. A man of his stature would not bother if there was no merit to the claim. When the time came, Jerico refused to let go. He would not send her to Coruscant to take part in a charade that he was convinced would take her life. But it wasn't up to him. Kyri could do nothing as a trusted friend openly defied the Empire.
Alexander's men came like thieves in the night.
Jerico was gone, Valerie was alone, Kimber was frightened, Lilandra was asking questions and Kyri was stuck without an official statement.
He did what any good Corellian Major would do for a comrade. He opened a covert investigation outside the knowledge of their Imperial liaison. Almost a year passed before Detective Frank Farmer and his team discovered partial remains beyond the Northern Hills. His suspicions were confirmed. Jerico Gellar was dead and only one person to blame for it.
Only one problem too.
Now the girls hang in a delicate balance with Alexander well within range. He could technically hurt them whenever he wants but why would he? They are "important." That is what he has always told them, what he still tells them....
They are going to change the worlds.
Kyri no longer believes so much in the prophecy as he does in Alexander's belief in the prophecy. This fanatical response buys time to skew the odds. MagnaCorp is in. The Federation visionary secured. They are waiting on the Corellian go-ahead. The experimental piece that sets the project apart. It's a long shot but he has run through every scenario for Coruscant.
Sacrificing one may save both.
-TBC
-
These...are the days of our Imperial lives..
Hesperidium
Surface: Bolerathon Tower
Masterton Residence
Karen feels like a shit. How did she not know something was wrong? Melanie said she wasn't feeling good but she never sensed it escalating to the point it reached. The doctors said she was having a full scale panic attack, so much so that her body had to shut down to protect itself. To think of how scary that must have been! St. Claire called and asked that she and D'Arcy return immediately.
They were here in a hot microsecond.
Once they get Melanie settled, D'Acry bids them goodnight but urges them to call should they need anything. Karen walks her out and apologizes for the brevity of the evening. They were on a roll getting to know each other. D'Arcy really seems cool and grounded, someone she could definitely see bringing into the fold. She doesn't know how they suddenly became so exclusive. Once they found each other they all kind of just stopped trying. Weird. Whatever the reason, the group feels complete.
They think they are quite the well-rounded bunch.
Melanie rests in bed with her legs beneath a thin white sheet. She is propped up against pillows with hands folded in her lap. The crying has stopped but trembles of terror still distort her expression. She seems burdened. Karen feels bad and wants to help but Melanie was always a bit theatrical when it comes to dreamscapes and nightmares. She has learned to take these musings with a grain of salt.
Then she goes makes it interesting.
"I didn't tell him everything..."
An unexpected twist for the virtuous blond.
"You..lied? You did? That is so unlike you. I'm glad to see you loosening up."
"I didn't lie. I omitted."
"I thought you said that was lying?"
"Oh so now you pay attention to the things I say?"
"Only when it serves as a counterpoint."
Karen laughs.
"Okay, so you didn't feel like sharing with stupid St. Claire. I don't blame you. I wouldn't tell him anything either."
"I saw something."
"Yes, you said it was a monster. That's awful."
Melanie swallows hard, "It wasn't just a monster. The monster had a face."
"Who's face?"
"Alexia's."
Karen sits back sharply, floored.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Trippy. What did the rest of it look like?"
"I can't remember....it was tall, towering over me and it's voice...it's voice...a shriek....I'll never be able to get that out of my head."
"Sure you will. It was just a bad dream."
"I still hear it..."
"Mel..."
"I don't think this is random, I don't think it's a coincidence..."
"That you are seeing monsters or that monster looks like my sister?"
She is borderline hysterical.
"Both!"
"Okay, now you are sounding crazy. What did the doctor give you and can I have some? Before you prepare your lecture just think of how much fun it will be to be laced out together..."
"She's coming."
"Alexia hasn't even visited on a holiday. I doubt she'll be swinging by anytime soon."
"Do you know where she is right now?"
"Boarding school, duh."
"School's out, Karen but if you want to shrug it off like that fine. Then where? In what system? What planet? Summer is half over! Where is she?"
"Who cares!? She's not running around causing a ruckus and suddenly we're quasi-famous? No shit it's not a coincidence! Alexia makes everyone nervous. She's better out of the way. Now we can all relax."
"Do I look relaxed to you?"
"Actually, no. You are starting to scare me."
Melanie's blue eyes shutter with intensity, "I think....we should be."
-TBC
-
Coruscant
The ads hit the city on Friday night, appearing first on the Esplanade then everywhere else. The rich need someone young to envy while the young need attractive role models to aspire to become. Even the worst parts of the capital display these images because the poor cannot fully realize their situation without dangling something expensive in front of them - always out of reach but always in their eye lines. Every social class has a marketing strategy. Finally, the ads are broadcast to all affiliated worlds via the HoloNet as the last shreds of their personal privacy suddenly disappear.
(http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/132/m_e86d6183042e461a87e1a682bde08e9e.jpg)
Karen for Raga'Ana - Imperial Girl Collection
(http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/130/m_263d7d7095994af4b65e7ca0eb365862.jpg)
Melanie for Raga'Ana - Imperial Girl Collection
(http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/123/m_02cbb48d75e94e6181a6abb4c8669e9d.jpg)
Kimber for Raga'Ana - Imperial Girl Collection
(http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/120/m_8f85c652177a44f5af68fdd3a636ba9e.jpg)
Valerie for Raga'Ana - Imperial Girl Collection
*
Meanwhile, blissfully unaware....
Hesperidium
Surface: Bolerathon Tower
Dramz to the max!
D'Arcy calls Billy to share the deets but gets an earful of her own. Apparently Reef is pretty pissed at Valerie who, according to Kimber, has been a total recluse. Lucas is hurt no one let him know about Melanie sooner while Skyler has already sent flowers with a get-well card. The consensus is there needs to be a mandatory weekend trip which is thrown together and implemented on the fly. Sure enough, they arrive on Friday afternoon full of questions. With Melanie still resting, Karen secures D'Arcy as reinforcement. She will attempt to explain both situations but if there is anything she has learned from her mother it's that sordid gossip is best served with cocktails. A few cold ale's bring everyone down to a manageable level but Reef is still fuming so she starts there.
"Valerie will come around."
"One minute she's all up in my face and the next she's shutting me out."
"Look, how much do you know about her?"
He smirks, "In what way?"
"Personality and background, buddy. What do you know about where she's from? Do you know what her life was like there?"
"No parents but still loaded so like, whatever..."
"So like, she is probably dealing with some shit right now? Instead of acting like a douche maybe your time would be better spent trying to be supportive."
"I barely see my parents but I'm not all fucked up. No need to go get all hardcore about it."
Billy stifles a laugh, D'Arcy punches him for it, and Lucas' mouth drops open. Skyler has learned not to put anything past Reef and prepares himself accordingly. Karen is typically and defensively reactive with a side of rich creamy sarcasm.
"Your parents are safe and sound on Mandalore, Reef. Her mother is dead and her father disappeared. Kimber said CorSec can't find him and have recently called off the search. Can you say "devastated" or is that like, beyond your comprehension?"
"Oh."
Lucas, Billy, and D'Arcy flinch. The point is seriously made.
"Yeah, oh. So calm down and cut her some slack."
Reef frowns and falls back against the couch.
Karen glances at everyone else. Looks like it was news to them too. Suddenly uncomfortable, they nods slowly as if processing the information. Whoops. She may have just crossed a line but there was no way to justify Valerie's behavior without leveling with them. Or was there? Hard to tell or failure to care?
Questions, questions.
Lucas stands and excuses himself to check on Melanie.
Skyler takes her hand, "Speaking of Mel, how is she?"
"Better, I guess. She's been a bit withdrawn...."
It begs another question. Does she spin the panic attack story to downplay it's potential severity or come clean about the fact that they possess abilities outside those of the general populous? She did just lay out Valerie's personal shit but would feel better about telling them if everyone was here. Valerie and Kimber should probably be privy to that information. Surprise, we're freaks! What would they say? She knows Lucas has inquired about it but Melanie has thwarted his curiosity at every turn. They can't keep lying to their friends though despite what her father says. Maybe it won't be such a big deal, really, even though it's widely known that Vader is the last with the exception of rumored up-and-comers including Alexia, Karen and Melanie. These things aren't supposed to be public knowledge. Her father thinks it could put them in danger for anyone wishing to harm the Empire. She supposes that could be true but the point of having a trusted network of confidantes is to share and deal with the vast trivialities of life. Exactly how much is she willing to risk for them?
"Karen? You okay?"
"Yeah, fine. It's been a long couple of days. We should make something for the troops. Drama does stimulate the appetite. You game?"
"Meet me in the kitchen in five."
"See you there, slim."
*
Lucas finds Melanie curled up on the couch reading in the Masterton Suite. She smiles when she sees him and pats the area beside her. He sits carefully and sighs. She can sense he has come for the answers to questions she has avoided.
"I was worried."
"I know."
"That's the thing isn't it. You always know but never tell me how."
"I thought we've been over this..."
"No, you promised me an explanation. Five months ago."
Melanie pushes her blond hair over her shoulder as she sits upright. Her expression is slightly creased with concern then acceptance. She knows she should probably consult Karen before spilling anything but has never felt a threat or ulterior motive from Lucas. The sensitive athlete you see is the sensitive athlete you get.
"I'm different."
"So you keep saying. Mel, please. Tell me what's wrong."
She nods then raises her eyes to meet his.
"How much do you know about the Force?"
That's not the direction he expected this to take.
"The Force? I thought that was some kind of crazy religious thing."
"It exists in all living things, Lucas. Even you. The biological aspect is only going to confuse you so I will spare you the mental anguish."
"I'm not a moron, Melanie."
"I didn't say you were. I would just prefer to keep it simple."
"Fair enough."
"The Force is strong in my family. My mother specifically. She has always felt a great connection to life and the many wonders it brings. This trait, like many others, is something than can be passed down. It was passed down to me."
Lucas tilts his head to the right.
"That's how you know? You can see the future?"
"It's complicated."
"Try me."
"I have read one's connection to the Force can manifest in different ways. Some are more physical manipulations like those of the Emperor and his henchman, Vader. Others tend to be emotional. For me, it's the ladder. I feel things more strongly than most and that can trigger visual side effects...."
"Like the night of the accident?"
"Yes."
"You saw that skiff crash. You saved me."
"It has benefits as well as risks."
"Was I an acceptable one?"
"Yes."
He smiles, lost in thought.
"You think this is cool?"
"Isn't it? You are like a superhero or something."
She touches his hand softly.
"Not everyone has such noble intentions, Lucas which is why no one can know. My parents would be upset that I shared this with you."
"You are worried what your parents will think?"
"It's not just them. The Empire has many enemies."
"All political factions do."
"Not like this. Going public with my ability would be unwise for everyone involved. Why risk our safety to give those who would do me harm ideas?"
"Good point."
"You won't tell anyone?"
"No but I think you should at least consider telling the others. I mean, I assume Karen knows about this."
"Yes, she knows."
"Who else?"
"The Emperor knows too," she says distantly.
Lucas' face clouds over with terror, "He...does? How does he know?"
She remains calm with wide blue eyes that shimmer in the fading sunlight.
"He could feel us through the Force when I was born. He is the reason my family was ever in the capital in the first place."
"Why?"
"I don't know but now you see why this isn't something I bring up at social functions. If this becomes public I will become a target. I am telling you this because I trust you, Lucas. Do you understand?"
"No, no, I totally get it. Not a word, I promise."
"Thank you."
He nods deftly as he stands. Something seems to have changed. He wanted to know so badly but now he wonders if this makes him some sort of accessory. They were allowed many freedoms because of who their parents were but all were aware of the invisible line that dare not be crossed. To tamper with the Imperial machine would mean jeopardizing the fantastical and fluid world they exist in. He isn't sure he is ready to take that risk and so he will keep her secret.
How much does she know? Can she see into his future? Would the Empire use her to find the Alliance?
Melanie feels his uncertainty grow and raises her eyes to him. The gaze washes over him. He extends a hand.
"The others are worried too and making an appearance would ease everyone's anxiety."
She takes his hand and stands.
"Then let's make an appearance."
-TBC
-
Days later...
Hesperidium
Surface: Imperial Beach
White sand, chaise lounges and a giant white umbrella.
"I can't believe you told him."
Melanie barely moves, "I can't believe you busted open your father's liquor cabinet to steadily drink yourself into a stupor all summer but some things cannot be helped. He deserves to know, Karen. They all do."
"You can let go of the self-righteousness any time."
"Fine, don't take me seriously. What do I know?"
"Apparently a lot more than I do! You see flashes, spill our secrets and judge me to death."
"You are still breathing."
"Barely."
Finally, she turns.
"Why are you so angry about this? Lucas is not someone you have to worry about."
"Yet you keep him stationed on first base."
"So, you waved Skyler into home?"
Karen gasps, "What? No. I am hardly a trollop unlike some people we know."
"You brought it up."
"Aren't we testy today? I am just trying to have a conversation with you."
"So converse, Karen."
She sighs, "What are we going to do about Valerie? They get back tomorrow."
"After she finds out you betrayed her trust? I suspect we'll be calling St. Claire in to keep her from killing you."
"That is so not funny."
Melanie adjusts her sunglasses, "But none the less true. Who is spilling secrets now?"
"From you. Look, all I was trying to do was rationalize what she's going through for those who obviously don't have a clue."
"They didn't know because Valerie chose not to tell them. She may have eventually but you took that choice away."
"What was I supposed to do?"
"Tell them she is dealing with some family issues and leave it at that."
"You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple."
"Sure, let's just put out a press release in the North Coruscant Wave. The whole school will become completely suspicious and mistrustful. Our parents would ground us for eternity. We could kiss our status goodbye!"
"Is that the worst thing that can happen?"
"In high school? Yes!"
"Lucas agreed to discretion. I am certain the others would too."
"Why is it so important to tell them?"
"Why is it so important to keep it a secret?"
Karen frowns sharply.
"Because we don't even know what it all means. They told us we are special but never offered any follow-up. We haven't been trained and they barely mention it anymore. It's like they pretend it doesn't exist and a part of me is scared to find out why."
"Maybe it is time we stop being afraid and start getting answers."
"And just how are we going to do that?"
"By finding out what happened to your sister."
-TBC
-
Hesperidium
Surface
The transport arrives into the spaceport on schedule.
Valerie barely said a thing after she showed up at the Patten Ranch and the Major took them to catch their flight. He remained guarded but attempted to reassure her there was always a place for her on Corellia. She nodded, eyes hidden behind giant sunglasses and walked away. Alarmed, Kimber did her best to be supportive in allowing Valerie emotional space.
Finally, back on the resort moon, Kimber can remain silent no longer.
"Why won't you talk to me?"
Valerie sighs, "What is there to say?"
"I dunno, how about starting with where you've been for the past few weeks. I had to fend off our outraged friends while you were out doing whatever it is you were doing."
"Who did you tell?"
"Karen."
"And what did you tell her?"
"The truth, Val. I told her the truth."
For a moment, Valerie's face flashes with anger. When the Major told her CorSec called off the search for her father, she was reduced to a lost little girl. A girl without a frame of reference. She had held out hope he would turn up somewhere and explain everything but that hope was shattered by a trail that had long since turned cold. Her hope died with the investigation and now she doesn't quite know what to do. Self-destructive high-risk behaviors come naturally and so she reached for anything she could find to dull the roar of questions now blaring through her mind. In the end, there was no choice but to return to the capital and finish what she had started.
"The truth," she laughs bitterly. "The truth is the only luxury we seem to be denied."
"You are my best friend. I want to help you."
"You can't help me!"
This outburst echoes and causes others in the spaceport to stare. Kimber grabs her arm roughly, a move so shocking it jars Valerie out of her haze.
"Then the least you can do is stop acting out and consider letting me in. I have been patient and respectful of your pain because sometimes people need to work through their own issues. This isn't working through anything, this is shutting out those who care about you the most. The point of having friends is knowing there is always someone to talk to. We may not fully understand but you aren't really giving us a chance to try."
Valerie is on the verge of tears, anger giving way to something soft and unfamiliar. Still, she does not break.
"Can we just go?"
Kimber releases her arm and motions toward the doors.
Outside, moisture soaks into skin instantly. Everything is dewy and fresh. The sun is so much more intoxicating and the breeze off the ocean kilometers away brings everything back into a more manageable perspective. A townspeeder takes them to the Bolerathon Tower. Droids cart their bags into freight turbolifts as they wander along the vast glaring walkways. They are cleared through two security checkpoints and whisked up to the penthouse floor.
St. Claire nods as they pass.
"Welcome back, ladies."
Kimber waves, "Thanks, are they in?"
"Waiting anxiously for you inside, I'm sure."
Valerie glares hatefully at the snide Imperial Agent as Kimber leads her down the hall to the Winton suite. Melanie answers and the squeals and screaming begin. There is even a banner that reads Welcome Back Kim & Val! with an impressive spread of nibbles that suddenly seems far too suspicious for Valerie's taste. She stops in the middle of the living room and turns to Karen.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You heard me."
"Doing?"
"Clueless doesn't really work for you and this whole thing is way over the top. You didn't miss me that much."
Karen glances quickly at Melanie who lowers her gaze. It's like the girl is psychic or something with the casual way she just predicts this shit. Valerie seems even more rigid and aggressive than she did when they first met. Yet Karen knows Melanie didn't tell Valerie anything which is why she is hesitant to drop the act.
"Who says I missed you? This is more for Kimber."
Kimber perks up, "Really? Oh that is so sweet of you guys!"
"We did miss you," Melanie says sincerely, always on the high road.
Valerie is still staring heatedly at Karen. She needs someone to take it out on and knows just the target.
Karen blinks, "What?"
"I hear you got the scoop on the Corellia sitch."
Kimber looks anxious and Melanie crosses her arms.
"We all did and truly, I am sorry about.-"
"Save it, Kar. I have no doubt you were the mouthpiece that relayed the sordid tale to the masses so I have to ask, what did you say that prompted such a spectacular soirée?"
"Um, hello? Paranoid?"
"Am I?"
"Okay for once no, but it isn't as horrendous as you might think. Kimber did tell me what was up when I asked about you, like genuinely. Reef was upset and everyone else was asking questions. We were just worried, Val."
"How much of the story did you share exactly?"
"Maybe....the whole thing. But really, if you think-"
Valerie's left arm moves in a blur to slap Karen across the face. This act cuts her off mid-sentence for maximum effect. Kimber gasps. Melanie reaches for her com-link but Karen raises a hand to stop her.
"Don't, it's fine. I deserved that and have something to offer in return."
Her eyes narrow into slits.
"You want to make a deal? I can't believe you."
"An exchange of information. Something to balance the scales. There is something we need to tell you anyway. Something we should have told you both."
Melanie arches a brow, wondering if she will actually do it. The conversation they had yesterday seemed to sink in. Karen has become curious as well. The visions scare her and she cannot understand them. There has to be a starting point and it happens to be the most obvious question. Alexia's notable and startling absence has left a void in the what appears to be a flawless exterior. She senses a secrecy that involves their unique gifts. Trusting those closest to them with information may provide more opportunities as well as much needed perspective.
"What could you possibly have to tell me that would make up for-"
It all comes spilling out.
"We're Force-sensitive! Melanie, Alexia and I. We're...different. Our parents were summoned to the Core when the Emperor felt us. We were to be kept close. Creepy, right? He and Vader know about us but haven't made so much as a menacing com-call the whole time we've been here. If that isn't enough my sister hasn't been seen or heard from in almost a year and keeping this from you guys probably wasn't the smartest move. We want you to make an informed decision. So, yeah, that's the shit and now you know and I'm sorry."
Valerie is stunned silent, rocked by the revelation. She has only heard stories of those who were murdered on a mass scale for possessing such abilities. The Empire keeps that kind of thing scarce in fear of the enemy within. The missing sister thing sets off more alarms.
Kimber makes a face, tries to say something, stops, then tilts her head to the right.
"So, like, you guys are all...Forcey?"
Melanie swoops in for the assist.
"Yes and we are confiding in you because we trust you. Both of you."
Valerie's rage is tempered by this admission. Something about it feels fair and vaguely dangerous.
"Prove it."
"What?"
"I said prove it. You can't just drop something like that in a conversation without backing it up."
Karen sighs, extending her hand toward the coffee table. She focuses solely on the circular platform candle holder. As children, Alexia was always more interested in this kind of stuff and made sure to show Karen two handy tricks should either of them be in a bind. It was the only known moment of actual bonding. Alexia taught her how to move or call small objects from short distances and subtly influence the mind to get what they wanted. Both of these acts struck Karen as lazy and irresponsible but she had secretly practiced them on her own. But where did Alexia learn these tricks? The candle holder shutters before sliding forward as if dragged by an invisible hand. Karen exhales sharply and turns her gaze to Valerie. This seems to have taken considerable effort and weakened her.
Valerie smirks, impressed, then looks to Melanie.
"Now you."
"I can't do things like that."
"What can you do?"
Melanie shakes her head, "My gift lies more in the emotional aspect of a situation. I feel things very strongly and most of the time I don't know why. Usually, we would have been trained at a young age and raised in the ways of the Force but not us."
"Why not?" Kimber says suddenly, stepping closer to them.
"That's what we are trying to find out. We think Alexia may have something to do with it."
"Your sister?"
"Yeah."
Now Valerie is very interested.
"I thought you said she was pulled out of North Coruscant and sent to boarding school."
Karen frowns, "That's what I was told but....we don't think that's the entire truth."
"Did you ask your parents?"
"I called them last night. My mother said ask my father. My father wouldn't answer his com. Then I got to thinking about it and realized neither one of them has so much as uttered her name. That's weird, right?"
Kimber nods, "Very."
"The only other places that might tell us are Five Hundred Republica or my father's office at the Imperial Palace. We'll be back on the capital soon so I guess it can wait until then."
Valerie arches a brow, "Why is it so important to know?"
"Do you really have to ask?"
"No but I still want to know."
Karen's jaw tightens before she speaks.
"I may not have had much use for Alexia when she was around. In fact, she was unpredictable and borderline psychotic but she is still my sister. If she is not where she is supposed to be I want to know why because there really isn't anything to stop the Empire for one day coming for Melanie and I."
Melanie feels the point driven home. Kimber gets the chills.
Valerie realizes this would be a good time to spill what she knows, what with the secrets and gossip. The Major knew about them before they did. Did he also know about their abilities? Was the Winton on the com Alexander? What the hell is going on? She has to stop herself just like she stops herself from revealing too much. Valerie is still much too hurt to share and so she remains on topic.
"Thanks for letting us know."
Kimber steps closer to the group, "Seriously. We can keep it under wraps too. Won't we, Val?"
"Yes, under wraps. My lips are sealed."
Karen gazes at her skeptically. Yeah, she'd believe it when she sees it.
Melanie assesses the situation.
"This does not bother you? There is potential risk. Neither of us can know what the Empire may or may not do. We would certainly understand if you both wanted to walk away for safety sake."
Kimber goes and says something sensible.
"Can anyone really know what the Empire will do next?"
Then she says something else.
"If you guys get super powerful then I want immunity, okay? In writing."
Finally, Valerie laughs. She hasn't done that in weeks.
Melanie smiles, "You got it."
*
Out in the corridor, Agent St. Claire answers his com.
"Well?"
"Gellar and Patten arrived today as planned. They are with them now."
"Good. See that they are transported to Coruscant safely at the end of the week and then you will take your leave of them."
"Sir?"
"You have babysat long enough, Scott. I think it is time to utilize the skills that first brought us together. There is a project that is of particular interest to the Empire. A project involving what has potential to be the next experimental step in droid evolution."
"Sir, the Empire's firm policy on-"
"There are uses for everything and everyone."
"Of course, sir."
"Transport the Four to the capital and await my instructions."
-TBC
-
Three days later...
Coruscant
Surface
The cruiser illegally breaks from the skylane and descends into Galactic City. It sails past the Senate building and then pulls sharply across the Esplanade. Everything is framed by the menacing backdrop of the Imperial Palace. The cruiser first stops at the Hyperion Building to drop off Kimber and Valerie before finally making its way across to an executive platform on Five Hundred Republica. The sky is burnt orange blended with a deep purple that begins to bend the shadows.
St. Claire meets them near the ramp.
Melanie gathers her things and breezes past him to follow the bellmen droids across the platform walkway while Karen lingers, smiling slyly.
"Well, thanks again for yet another fascinating lesson in drunk driving."
"I'm afraid it will be our last."
"Good," she laughs, stepping onto the ramp. "One of these days I'll surely report you. Catch you later."
"No, you won't."
She pauses, snickering lowly.
"You have something better to do?"
"I've been reassigned."
Now she turns to him, crimson hair caught in the breeze.
"To what?"
"Classified."
"That is so lame, even for you. No formal announcement? No hug? You are just going to leave?"
"Pretty much yeah. Please try to contain your grief."
Karen gasps, "Go to hell."
"Harsh words for such a small girl."
"I am not what I seem."
"No, you are not but that hardly gives you license to step out of line. I've done my job and no harm has come to you. Now it is time to do something else. Don't worry, there will always be someone calling the shots."
"Oh yeah? Like who?"
"Probably not anyone nearly as charming and patient, I'm sure but somehow I think you'll manage. Protecting four spoiled schoolgirls who can barely grasp concepts beyond next weekend and their equally dense friends isn't exactly the kind of challenge a standard Imperial Agent seeks out. It takes a special breed to put up with your particular brand of vapid arrogance and now I am being rewarded for it. Another moment with you and I just might kill myself."
Karen's eyes widen with the severity of his words.
"Now get off my ship."
"You are such a jerk, St. Claire! A louse! A scoundrel! An asshole!!" she screams as she storms down the ramp.
Scott St. Claire hits the controls and hopes this is the last time he ever lays eyes on Princess Karen Elizabeth Winton. In the cockpit there is a message waiting and it takes several minutes to decode. Information begins to display across the screen in the form of pictures attached to bios. The heading outlines an objective and a location. Names beneath faces serve as reference and marked confidential.
Medivh; Trade Federation Viceroy, primary contact
Len Gesser; Trade Federation Operative
Kyri Patten; Corellian Security Force Major
Vital Ezee; Administrator of The Wheel
Greyson Antilles; MagnaCorp shareholder and board member
The list goes on. Details accompany names and faces. A clusterfuck is forming in his head followed closely by the realization that those he watched over may be far more unaware than he first thought. After setting the designated course, St. Claire pulls on the controls and ascends into the sky.
*
Hyperion Building
Galatea Suite
Valerie stares through the windows as Kimber meticulously checks the plants to make sure they are all alive. She wonders for a moment if she belongs anywhere. She feels like a stranger. With Kimber preoccupied, Valerie takes her bags into her room and closes the door. The silence is rather inviting. She unzips a beach tote and reaches inside only to pull out a custom make blaster.
It is Jerico Gellar's CorSec sidearm that she found hanging in what was once his closet. No good Agent would ever leave it behind yet there it was, hiding in plain sight. To her it is a message that signifies he did not leave of his own free will. He left it for her to find so that she would know. She did not breathe a word of it to anyone and packed it away with the rest of her luggage that would return with her to the capital. She can't shake the feeling that there are connections yet to be made and the recent Force-revelation only amplifies it. She promised the Major she would look out for Kimber and that is exactly what she will do.
*
Five Hundred Republica
Masterton Residence
Melanie's heels echo through the empty apartment. The air is scented with traces of namana extract that intoxicates the senses. She smiles dreamily, happy to be home, and taps on the primary lights. There is a sweet message from her parents welcoming her home with promises to join her soon. They wish her luck at the premiere and not to be nervous. She's going to do great. For a moment it all seems alright. Pressure off, secrets out, new school year, loving and supportive parents. The whole pretty package. Then she remembers what she saw in her mind. The sickening feeling that plagued her for days. The anxiety. That face. She has not found a way to fully rid herself of the images and takes a moment to focus on her breathing.
In with the love, out with the fear. In with the love, out with the fear.
*
Winton Residence
There is fury and outrage!
Karen blows through the front door and stomps across the foyer. Why the nerve of that stupid St. Claire! ? How can he be so callous? So cold?! Well, outside the training and all. It's not like they are friends or anything but she had gotten used to his presence and become fond of their ridiculous verbal spats. She had someone to practice on and because of this she had been able to perfect her NCH persona. Every line was delivered with a tactical efficiency. St. Claire led by example. Now she would have to break in an entirely new head of security. The thought seems daunting and dreadful but a rush of fresh air directs her mind elsewhere. It is then she realizes she is not alone. Dropping her purse, she steps down into the living room. There is a figure outlined against one of the open patio doors. This is usually the time she would freak out but something about it all feels so familiar. The figure turns, moving into the glow of the last few rays of light. Full lips are pulled into a trademark sneer.
"Miss me?"
Karen's face goes slack, mouth parting in a confusing mixture of surprise and relief.
"Alexia?"
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Bolerathon Tower: Winton Residence
Welcome to What-The-Fuck-Central.
Neither girl looks the same as they did the last day they saw each other in this very living room. Alexia's hair is shorter, cut unevenly around the shoulders of what appears to be a black combat modified jumpsuit. She wears no make-up and her emerald eyes seem brighter and more intense. A blaster hangs from the holster around her waist. Karen, however, seems soft and demure by comparison with the designer ribbed pink tank top, white pleated skirt and heeled strappy sandals. Several moments pass as they absorb and process the stark contrast to one another. Karen's surprise gives way to curiosity so she takes a less defense stance and moves closer.
"Where have you been? No one has heard anything from you for like, ever."
"You sound concerned."
"Well, yeah. Kinda. You don't call, you don't write and it's not like anyone tells me anything. Hello, leave me without a press release why don't you?"
"I was on Carida."
"Something about that sounds familiar-ish. Wait a freaking microsecond, what boarding school do you attend exactly?"
"The Carida Academy."
"Isn't that...an Imperial training facility? For like, Stormtroopers and Agents?"
"It sure is."
"Our parents sent you to boot camp? Way harsh! Why didn't you say anything?! We could have totally sprung you from that place."
Alexia shifts her weight and turns.
"Who says I wanted to leave? It's where I needed to be."
The expression on Karen's face falls slightly.
"So, what? You return reformed? Is that what's happening here?"
"In a sense, yes. There are things you have been asking yourself lately, things you want to know. I come bearing answers."
Karen shutters even in the warm breeze. Alexia never fails to turn up the creep factor when she gets all preachy. Always going on about how easily they could use what they had been given to skew all the odds in their favor. She tried so hard to shine and seemed never to care that she was catching on fire. A serious hazard to everyone around her. Karen watched her crash and burn so many times the same mistakes were that much easier to avoid. Karen sidestepped them all to become what she thought was her parents pride and joy. She was the pretty girl with an alluring and socially acceptable array of first world problems. Alexia was just a mess.
Now she stands here after a year of secret Imperial training and Maker knows what else to claim she has a juicy scoop? Karen is highly skeptical.
"Alright then, why would you need to be somewhere like that? I mean, military training? Come on! That seems a bit excessive for our parents let alone something you would choose yourself. There are plenty of independent study programs that can help you. I don't see why things must always be violence-oriented with you."
"You know why. We're special."
"Oh I am so tired of hearing that."
Alexia laughs as the room lights flicker and dim.
"We both know that's not true. One look at your latest narcissistic endeavor proves that."
"So you do keep up with pop culture." Karen scoffs, "What a hypocrite."
"Saw the ads. They are kind of hard to miss. Love the shoes. Glam group shots too. Lots of Imperial team spirit. A bit exploitative though, don't you think?"
"It's an outfit, Alexia. Get a grip."
"Your tits are practically hanging out. You aren't even sixteen yet."
"Says the brainwashed barely year and a half older sibling! I can't show off my style skills but you can be shown how to shoot things up? That is seriously unfair."
"No, it's exactly the point. You are allowed your freedoms as I am allowed mine."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Alexia begins to circle her sister.
"It means you are off the hook."
"What...hook? What are you talking about?"
"Our powers? Melanie's astounding clarity? Our relocation and cushy life? You think it just happened like that? We've been under observation our whole lives, waiting for signs we would be useful to them. Sooner or later someone was going to be called upon. My interest in our abilities, my connection to the Force, my problems...
...I do this so you and Melanie can continue doing what you do. You are safe from the Emperor's whims so long as I accept my destiny and serve."
Karen is horrified by this admission. Something ominous stirs beneath that sun-kissed and pouty exterior. She knew something was up but not anything like this. Vague connections to Melanie's vision are attempted but she is too stunned to draw any real conclusions.
"Destiny? Serve? What happened to you out there?"
"I found my way and you no longer have worry about our shared genetic parting gifts robbing you of the socialite life you seem to think you are entitled to. That life is yours to live."
"As long as you do what? Be a slave? No way, Alex. No way! We can find another way."
"Is a military contract so different from a modeling contract?"
It stings and she hates the implications but reacts just the same.
Karen grabs Alexia to stop her from circling.
The whole thing is making her dizzy.
"I can't say I'm surprised you don't see the distinction but whatever. Is this what you really want? To serve the Empire by letting them exploit your knack for destruction?"
"No one is exploiting anything. I am to be trained as a Sith and protect our Empire."
Karen's mouth falls open. She can't help it. Nightmares jump from mind to manifestation. All the worst fears she had about her sister are playing out in a posh living room in Five Hundred Republica. Such casual scandal!
"A Sith? Alexia, that's....that's...insane. That's dangerous! Look at Vader? He's like, a psychotic asthmatic machine! And Palpatine? FUGLY! There are so many stories of people abusing this power and it never ends well! For anyone!"
"First time for everything."
"Wow, you have reached a whole new level of delusion..."
"You think I'm crazy?"
"Sadly, this is par for the course in your case but what about mom and dad? They are totally going to shit a skyscraper!"
Alexia pulls free of Karen's grasp and steps back into shadows.
"They've given their blessing."
"They wouldn't dare."
"Are you going to call them on Naboo or shall I?"
They stare fiercely at one another.
"You are telling me they agree with this decision? They are just going to hand you over to the Emperor."
"Not the Emperor. There is another potential, someone with a deep and real connection to the dark side of the Force. Someone who can show me how to protect us all."
"From what?"
"You don't get it, do you?"
"Clearly not."
"Yes, clearly. There are conspiring forces out there, Karen. More than what appears on the social horizon. People who would do anything to get their hands on Imperial assets they might use against the Empire. They want to dismantle it from the inside. Palpatine knows this thus why I must be trained. If anyone were to find out about you, Melanie or any of the other potentials they would have all the resources they need."
Karen's guilty heart begins to race.
"Who's going to find out?"
Alexia frowns.
"What? What's that face mean?"
"You do not have a stellar track record when it comes to keeping secrets."
"My friends are fine, Alex. I'm sure dad had them all checked out otherwise they would never be cleared to interact with us outside school."
"Friends can be bought and sold."
"Not these friends."
"You sound so certain."
"I am."
"In that case I hope your faith is well placed but it does not change anything for me. This is what I want for myself and for my family. Someone needs to utilize this gift we were given. That is why I must go."
Alexia brushes past and heads for the door.
Karen sighs, defeated by all that has been said. She turns and calls out.
"Well, who is going to protect us until you get back? St. Claire was pulled off our detail."
"Agent St. Claire's obligation lies elsewhere. For now."
"So he'll be back?"
"Eventually, yes. Don't worry, our father has taken great care to make sure you and the others will be watched over. Enjoy what you've made for yourself. We're all proud that you have capitalized on what comes most natural. Do not let needless worry dampen your happiness. Nothing is going to happen."
"And if it does?"
Alexia pauses, head turned slightly, hand braced against the door.
"You will be safe as long as The Four remain together."
Then she is gone.
*
Bolerathon Tower: Exterior: Landing platform
As she powers up the shuttle, Alexia opens a com channel to the Outer Rim. The voice comes through crisp.
"Did she buy it?"
She pictures the look on Karen's face, the concern creasing her delicate features, the sincerity Alexia no longer feels.
"Yes, she bought it."
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface
It is the night of the Maranski premiere. Tension is high. Maxi Marx calls to cover the revised details of the evening. Sticking to the schedule is imperative and this is repeated at least six times. Limo at seven, red carpet by eight, event at nine-thirty, home by midnight. No after-parties or Maxi would catch hell from their parents who somehow collectively agreed their involvement in the industry should remain goal-specific. The girls are to be highly visible in these outfits but beyond the reach of those who would prey upon them. Producers, mostly. Everyone is looking for the next great romantic lead but the primary objective is to be seen and not heard.
Karen hurriedly agrees to these terms and says goodbye in a language she doesn't speak as the stylist tugs too hard on her hair. She curses, scolding him for being so violent while she is getting lectured by the powers that be. He compliments her shoes. She forgives him. A movie premiere means pulling out all the stops. Best dressed list ranking could make or break the whole path of someone's career which is why Raga'Ana's specialized styling team is hard at work making sure everyone personifies the statement they want to make about themselves. Every one of the dresses is distinctive to each girl. After Maxi caught the photage of Valerie's couture Corellian brawl she proposed to the designer, Claudius Raga'Ana, that broadening his vision to include the unique personalities of these girls would exponentially increase their appeal and audience. Everyone was bound to relate to one of them and thus the premiere designs were altered.
Karen in black: Scoop neck, form-fitting, floor-length gown.
Melanie in white: Billowy ankle-length dress.
Kimber in pink: Halter dress with bejeweled belt worn high above frilly folds of fabric.
Valerie in red: Tight beaded Garçonne dress.
After the stylists vanish, they have only a few minutes to themselves. Everyone is careful not to smudge anything and uses the time to carefully rearrange items in their impossibly small purses. Karen stares at her reflection in the mirror. She has been sitting on the Alexia information for almost a week. The experience had left her feeling unsettled and moderately disturbed. On one hand the outcome was pretty good. Alexia has a way to channel all that pent up aggression doing the Empire's bidding while Karen and company live it up. On the other, her sister doesn't have a choice in the matter and their parents are perfectly fine with it. This is not something she wants to believe. So she pokes around her father's home office to find organized copies of contracts, the occasional office memo about someone's birthday or company sponsored event and the jackpot. A spare key to the RepulsorCorp offices. Unfortunately, this is located inside the Imperial Palace and Karen cannot yet bring herself to go there alone. She stashes the key away for consideration. While she weighs the importance of knowing, the premiere awaits.
The door chime sounds at six-forty-five sharp.
Agent Nikoli Venko, the hunky new head of security, asks if they are ready to leave. He is fresh out of the Academy and looks to be taking his first real assignment very seriously and, as an added bonus, his manners have not been completely diluted by the Imperial ideal. Due to the nature of the event, Nikoli is dressed in a fitted black tuxedo with his dark hair slicked back and weapons carefully concealed.
Valerie slinks toward the door almost reflexively. Karen falls into step beside her.
"Dry yourself, he's not here to service you."
"Isn't he?"
"In a much less sordid way."
"Bummer."
Then the voice of reason from behind.
"Let's check the crass at the door for once and try to enjoy ourselves."
They file past the Agent swiftly with Kimber lagging behind as usual. She stumbles in the heels, better here than the premiere, and almost takes a flopper dive. Nikoli reaches out to steady her, keeping both feet firmly on the ground. He then steps back and chuckles nervously. Kimber looks puzzled.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just in that dress you look like a bit of frosted cupcake."
"They say I am as cute as one but that's just silly, right?"
"Not if it's true."
Blushing wildly, she glances down.
In the turbolift, Valerie narrows her eyes. Melanie sighs. Karen smiles smugly.
"Told you."
"Eat shit and die."
"This is going to be the longest night ever."
Outside, the ocean breeze brings a chill to the skin. Salty air seems to soothe the nerves. The polished black luxury transport idles on the executive platform which takes them to The Old Orsic Theater. Upon arrival, they step out gracefully into the spectacle and begin the long walk-pause-walk-pause routine they had been shown. The red carpet is a frightening place. Flashes exploding, people shouting out, everyone begging for attention. They manage to move quite steadily and without incident past Carli Cole, classmate and actress in the film, giving an interview. Reporters also want them to say something, to go on record as actually having a voice, but Venko and the well-dressed security team prevent this from happening. Tonight, it's strictly image. The shouts fade as they disappear into the darkness of the theater.
The movie, Magnificent Splendor, is about two emotionally complex teenagers who become romantically involved and decide to throw themselves off a skyscraper ("the tallest in all the galaxies," someone actually says) in the name of love and of course, to spite their devious parents who tried to keep them apart. It was artfully done if not moderately boring but everyone still stands as the credits roll to applaud the effort.
They linger as the isles empty and proceed only once the path is clear.
Agent Venko is waiting for them in the crowded lobby with the grand entrance to the after party in the Velvet Ballroom just beyond him. Karen turns to Kimber.
"Go ask Venko to get the transport and we'll meet you outside in ten."
"Why would I do that?"
Karen turns her head toward him.
The Agent smiles at something someone says, hands behind his back, soulful eyes scanning the room for danger.
"Why wouldn't you?"
Kimber hands in her mineral water and pushes through the crowd, "See you in ten."
Karen turns back to Valerie and Melanie.
"Oh no, what's going on?"
She points to the ballroom.
"Oh, yes I think so," Valerie says, grabbing their hands and leading the way.
Venko is properly distracted by Kimber and does not see them slip in. No one near the entrance does anything but look them over. Once inside, it's all smooth sailing or so they think until Maxi Marx can be seen laughing it up with the director and his entourage of celebrity hangers-on. Karen nudges Melanie who sighs and makes her way over. Maxi will be less wigged dealing with her which allows just enough time for Valerie to snag a couple drinks and ditch Karen. It takes several minutes to realize this has happened and is almost furious until Carli Cole appears out of the crowd and whisks her away.
"We need to talk."
Carli secures two glasses of champagne and makes her way out onto one of the private balcony's of The Old Orsic Theater. Karen is surprised by how much quieter it is out here with a party so lively just inside.
"Loved the movie."
"Really?"
"Of course, darling. Your take on the lothario's tragically troubled sister was so intense. It moved me."
"Thank you. Love the dress."
"It is stunning, isn't it?"
Karen can easily recognize the casual conversation above the real issue and cuts right to the point.
"You mentioned something about talking?"
"That was quite a show on the carpet. The Raga'Ana campaign, that's big."
She also knows how to play this game.
"Not as big as Maranski."
Carli grins, "You flatter me, I like that but you can hold your own. All of you can. That can mean a lot of things in a place like North Coruscant."
"Since you are now an upper-classman at NCH I'll let you tell me what that means."
"Celebrity is something that goes a long way. It can be the best thing that ever happened to you or it can ruin your life. People who don't have it want it and will do shameless things to get it."
"Are you accusing me of something here?"
"No," Carli says softly, "I'm simply saying that we find ourselves in an interesting position. Our academy relies heavily on the salacious whispers about fellow debutantes and our rising stars could be tempted to dampen the other."
To Karen, this statement implies she has already done something inappropriate. Not only does it give her adequate leverage to secure inter-clique allies but also brings the warmest smile to her face.
"You propose a political treaty?"
"A mutually beneficial arrangement."
"I'm listening. Terms?"
"Preemptive damage control. If one of us should hear something about the other we sit on it until we notify each other. Deal?"
Karen squares her shoulders and chooses her words carefully.
"I want shared social resources. Our extensive networks must be accessible should any alleged undesirable information turn up. My crew covers your ass, your crew does the same for mine. No one's reputation has to suffer and private lives can remain private."
Carli poses to consider. It's almost outrageous for a sophomore to make such demands but that Grand Moff was just a little too convincing.
"Deal."
They break stance to withdraw similar stylish com-units and alert the second in command. Karen wills Melanie to answer but she doesn't and it kicks to voicemail. So typ! She relays the terms of the deal anyway. Carli does the same to a friend not currently at the party. They click off at the same time and toss them into clutch purses.
Carli raises a glass, "To our success."
Karen toasts happily until something catches her eye beyond the wide circular patio. Squinting, it almost looks like a ripple that grows into a larger spiral. What the hell? It's like, a swirling tentacle in a perfectly beautiful summer sky.
Then, a glint of light off metal.
She gasps.
The large spike punches roughly through the center of Carli's chest right between the daring neckline of her sparkling dress. The glass slips from her hands, the shatter barely a whisper. Karen is doused with a hot spray of blood. The spike stops spinning and two sets of long sharp hooks spring out of either side upon which is marked with the Rebel Crescent symbol used by the Alliance. Karen's eyes meet Carli's. The actress is in a state of shock, arms outstretched, mouth open and filling with a deep crimson blood that clashes badly with her lipstick. Behind them, the swirling tentacle tightens, pulling both sets of hooks into Carli's flesh before dragging her over the edge smoothly and completely. She disappears so suddenly that Karen can do nothing but stand there - covered in blood - reaching out - blinking.
Then she screams.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Old Orsic Theater
Sizzling summer night. Roar of the city. Party raging inside.
No one heard that scream.
Options scroll across her eyes like the grand marquis outside. She could rush inside, covered in blood, and cause the biggest scene this side of Coruscant but that would ruin the premiere, get her in serious trouble, and cast a murderous shadow across Raga'Ana's image.
Wait, wait wait, what the hell just happened?!
She tries to make sense of it as she fumbles with her purse. Carli Cole, classmate-slash-blossoming starlet, was brutally snatched from a balcony at the stroke of midnight by Rebels? Sure, whatever, but why would they do that? Then again, why does Alexia aspire to become a Sith? Why does anyone do anything? Karen finally locates the com and keys up her security channel with shaking hands.
"Venko?"
"It's Karen. Where are you?"
"That's a very good question, your Highness."
"Cut the formality, I need...help."
"Are you in any real danger?"
"Yes! I mean, I think so...."
"I think you need to be back in this lobby right away."
It becomes clear Agent Venko has been briefed on her antics. She was the girl who cried danger about things like broken nails and misplaced heels. She suddenly feels the need to be slightly more specific.
"Carli Cole has been murdered!" she shrieks then quickly lowers her voice to a whisper, "Do you like, copy?"
His voice changes drastically.
"Where are you?"
"East balcony. I can't go inside...there is blood all over me...and Carli, oh shit, Carli...."
"Stay there. I'm coming to you."
Karen clicks off and turns around, squinting out into the darkness. There is nothing aside from the glowing angular towers and distant lanes of traffic. She suddenly feel so exposed and backs away from the carved balcony railing.
Footsteps can be heard on the landing above.
Agent Venko and three other operatives in formal attire descend onto the balcony. Venko is by her side instantly, eyes taking in the scene. Karen's black dress, skin flecked with blood, shattered champagne glasses at her feet, no sign of the alleged victim. His first thought is that they had a petty fight and the princess actually pushed the actress over the balcony but that would not explain the blood. Possible brawl beforehand? Not likely given she looks untouched. He decides not to lecture her about sneaking into the after-party but needs to gather a sequence of events.
"What happened?"
Karen is shivering. He shrugs off his jacket and lowers it over her shoulders. It is so much wider than she that it covers most of her body and effectively conceals the gore.
"We were just talking and....and then there was this, like spike thing..."
"A spike thing?"
This was not going to be easy but he maintains composure. The report from Agent St. Claire stated that the easiest way to obtain information from the assets was to refrain from reacting and dig deep for patience. Everything would come to light with careful phrasing and a moderately soothing tone.
"Yeah, a spike thing. Don't look at me like that! One minute we're celebrating how fabulous our lives are going and the next, she's being dragged over the side by a Rebel hook!"
She motions frantically as if this will help clarify.
"Rebel? As in the Rebel Alliance?"
"There are others?!"
He almost chokes on a sigh, "What would lead you to believe this weapon was one of theirs?"
"I know what a Rebel symbol looks like, Venko! It was sticking out of her chest!"
"I see."
"What? You don't believe me?! You think I would ruin a five thousand credit gown for a prank?!"
"No, I don't but this is highly disturbing considering the Alliance has only struck at military targets."
The operatives return to them.
"Anything?"
They shake their heads.
"Get the others to the transport. I'll get her out through the emergency exit. We need not create a panic so this must be done discreetly. Understood?"
Now they nod - silent, obedient, Imperial - before disappearing back into the party.
Venko focuses on Winton.
"We're going to leave but your father and the authorities must be notified. They will need a formal statement in order to begin their investigation. Cooperation is essential now that allegations against the Alliance have been made. Can you do that?"
She nods weakly, clinging tightly to the inside of the jacket.
True to his training, he absconds with the princess undetected as the party rages on.
*
In the back of the limo, Melanie, Kimber and Valerie huddle around Karen. They guard her closely like something is going to come crashing through the windows at any moment.
Venko taps up the partition and stares into the glittering lights of Galactic City. The whole thing doesn't make sense. A movie premiere is hardly an effective target for a Rebel attack not to mention they only made themselves known to one person. He grabs his com and puts the team at Bolerathon Tower on high alert. They are ordered to conduct a sweep and lockdown the penthouse level. Anything unusual is to be reported immediately. He then makes the call to Alexander Winton who seems annoyed until the situation is made clear. Alexander reacts the way Venko expects any father would and the concern practically leaks through the com-link. Once it is established that his daughter is indeed safe, the Bolerathon locked down, and the authorities discreetly en route, Alexander seems to calm down considerably. He orders Venko and his team not to let the girls out of their sight until he and Queen Greyson-Winton can return from Naboo.
No time frame is given.
*
The Bolerathon Tower Penthouse level is tense but secure. No security anomalies to report. All systems have been checked and rechecked. Once Venko exits the lifts, he gives the order to maintain lockdown until further notice. No one in or out without first contacting him.
A male Imperial Security Agent and a female Imperial Intelligence Agent are waiting outside the Winton suite. They make sure to ask if they are alright and if Karen would mind answering a few questions. Karen says she would feel more comfortable doing so with her friends present which causes the agents to exchanges glances before hesitantly allowing it. Minutes later, Venko is stationed behind the couch all four girls sit upon while the two agents take seats across from them. They ask for her statement. By now, she's had time to relax which makes recounting the events much more fluid this time around. They want to know if she is certain she saw the crescent symbol attached to the grappling hook used to drag the actress from the theater balcony.
"I'm positive."
The agents thank her for her compliance, apologize for the loss of her friend then sequester Venko and ask him to recount his version of what happened. He is as detailed and professional as possible and includes the fact that the girls were not supposed to at the party in the first place. The crowd had been massive and he did manage to find three of the four before he got the call. He purposefully omits that he finds himself wrongly but powerfully attracted to cupcake Kimber Patten.
They say they will be in touch.
Karen vanishes into the house no doubt to shower away the memory while Melanie takes to making some tea for everyone. Valerie mysteriously has a bottle in her hand no one saw her get and Kimber meets him in the foyer.
"Sorry we caused you any trouble. That really wasn't our intention."
"I know."
"No foolin?"
"What happened wasn't a result of anything any of you did. Take care of your friend. I'll make sure you stay safe."
Kimber smiles and returns to the living room.
Venko steps back out into the corridor, bringing his com up in front of him. He leaves a message with miss Cole's assistant to have her talent manager and press agent call him as soon as possible.
This could not explode across the Holo until they could verify the legitimacy of the attack. The media would take any inkling of Rebel activity and run with it despite the peculiar circumstance and lack of motive. The whole thing could be a publicity stunt at best and a carefully staged Imperial separatist ploy at worst. Still, a murdered actress hardly makes the kind of throwback political statement the Alliance is so fond of.
Unless Carli Cole wasn't the intended target.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Bolerathon Tower
There is a limit to what Agent Nikoli Venko was told.
The girls are considered Imperial assets. They must be kept safe. Two are Force-sensitive. Their parents have a deep set of connections that should never be questioned.
There were many confidentiality agreements signed before he was given clearance.
Notes from the former head of security, Scott St. Claire, only outline how to effectively deal with the personality types. They make no reference as to how or why these girls are so desperately important to the Empire. A part of him doesn't want to ask but implications in recent events seem to imply the need. His requests for full file information are denied by the Director of Imperial Intelligence. Speaking his name would result in automatic termination. All reports should reflect the designation: The Director. He is told information regarding the assets is strictly need-to-know and does not currently conflict with his primary objective. Should that change, his security clearance would be raised. Properly reprimanded for questioning a superior officer, he is instructed to remain on course with the investigation at hand.
Alliance activity and interference must be resolved immediately.
On day two, Venko is back in contact with Cole's people. She has not been seen since the premiere and they are calling to report her missing. The entire guest list is called in for questioning and the concerned actors and directors guilds are more than happy to comply.
Thankfully no one can place who she was with last at the after-party. Everyone claims to have seen her multiple times throughout the evening. Some reports claim to have seen her even after the unreleased time of her disappearance.
An investigation is officially launched that afternoon.
On day four, Carli Cole's perfectly preserved body is found on the grand steps of the now-dissolved Senate building. Her skin is an icy blue and chest a massive puncture wound. The dress sparkles garishly in the sun. It is a symbol and sacrifice the Empire demands. The gods of decadence must be appeased and nothing will ever hold the public's attention better than the suffering of the young and the beautiful.
There are no traces of the Alliance on or around the body but the media still unleashes the spectacle without a political twist. The city-planet mourns the fallen starlet and the promising career cut tragically short by violence. No suspects have yet been named but the authorities continue their search for Carli's killer.
*
This is day seven of lockdown and most certainly not the way Karen thought she'd be spending the final week of her summer vacation. Apparently this is a result of their overprotective parents who all once again decided this would "be best" after "such an ordeal." They all hang out now or something. The idea terrifies Karen and she imagines them sitting around sipping cocktails discussing their children. Free-flowing, unobstructed conversation about real issues. She shutters, fighting back a wave of nausea.
After everyone gets on each other's nerves, they retire to gab it up with the outside world.
Karen gushes to Skyler who grows ever-sweeter in her eyes. He is the sympathetic gentleman most girls would overlook. She sees him for the surprisingly rational and understanding guy he really is. This is a rare find in the Imperial world of casual cruelty. Skyler listens as she explains the impact of Carli's demise on the social scene and how she was scolded by Maxi Marx for ruining the gown by not sidestepping the backsplash. Models have to be light on their feet. The outfit comes first. Karen is having moderate trouble wrapping her mind around that but Skyler puts it all into perspective. No one could have known that would happen and it's best to remember Carli fondly by her artistic contribution.
Later, she goes for a swim alone to ponder why everything suddenly seems so somber only to realize she cannot get Alexia's words out of her head. There are those who would do anything to stick it to the Empire. Would someone stoop low enough to make an actress an example? She wonders if Alexia was right. Maybe they were in more danger than they realized and keeping the secret is keeping them all alive. That is completely ridiculous. Then something else strikes her. What if somebody knows? Someone outside their group? Her proximity could have inadvertently made Carli a target. Alexia is off training with some mysterious stranger, parents away on another endless vacation which leaves Venko and his team as their only line of defense. Her mind is spinning, wondering just how much damage her connection to the Force could cause.
Karen breaks the surface of the water and inhales deeply. She can't withhold this speculation any longer. She would have to tell the others about the visit from her sister.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: North Coruscant High
1545
The one called Dementat watches from the sidelines, presence shielded by sheer will, as she rushes into the arms of another. The tall boy embraces her warmly, half his face concealed by her crimson hair. Even from this distance he can sense that the boy's love is true. It permeates his being and is, at the moment, reflected in her. That is why he does not reveal himself. Not now. Not yet. It is much too soon. There is another task that needs his more immediate attention yet he remains drawn to her - the girl - and even though they are destined for one another he knows with certainty and sadness that she must first learn how to lose.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: North Coruscant High
The first few days of any school year are always the most crucial. One misstep could set the stage for disaster. Lucky for them, they are fresh off the tragedy trail. Although forbidden from divulging details about what actually happened to Carli due to the ongoing investigation, they are allowed certain bragging rights for being in proximity. The whole premiere situation garners and commands an attention they find startling but not entirely unpleasant. The fact that their faces are plastered across the city-planet certainly doesn't hurt their upward momentum either and sure enough, Tenley Price approaches Karen. She was Carli Cole's best friend and has a brother, Landon, who graduated two years before to become some hot shot in the Imperial Navy. Tenley takes Karen aside to discuss the social arrangement made between Carli's group and Karen's group. Carli's death does not void the agreement and Tenley wants Karen to know that. Karen is sympathetic, knowing that she just lost a best friend and is honoring her memory by fulfilling her last social will and testament.
OMG, FF FTW!
Venko and his team watch over them closely and without incident. A "suspect" is caught in "connection" with the Carli Cole murder. There is a distinct "crazed stalker" spin on the press release. The public praises the Imperial authorities for ensuring no one takes away their mother fucking entertainment.
Weeks roll on, deepening from summer to fall and Karen finally decides to claim Skyler as her one and only. She does so by walking out onstage while he is campaigning for a spot on student council to kiss him passionately in front of the entire school. Melanie plays it safe with Lucas and keeps him in a holding pattern that borders on an almost-couple. She throws herself into classes with hopes to maintain the perfect balance of academics and extracurriculars to score herself a spot at the university of her choice. Kimber recovers from Billy choosing to pursue and land D'Arcy by scandalously but subtly flirting with Agent Venko. Something about his position as head of security screams sexy. Valerie becomes increasingly vicious toward those outside the group and enters into a bizarre and highly sexual relationship with Reef. It takes five minutes for her to make him forgive her for the summer silent treatment. From there is gets kinky and weird.
Distracted by the whirlwind of being a teenager, Karen spaces on the Alexia information. Nothing else has happened so all is well. On the surface. She is currently more concerned with the fact that her parents have stopped returning her com-calls and have yet to return to the capital. Neither have the Masterton's for that matter. There are "business matters" to attend to on Bakura and Naboo. That's the vague reason they cough up to justify their negligence. Karen is disgusted by hardly surprised. They want Karen and Melanie to come visit in the meantime but school and their own business responsibilities make this impossible. Their parents know that. Stranger still is the fact that Major Patten has also been unreachable due to a confidential CorSec assignment.
It feels like they are suddenly on their own.
There are certainly enough things to occupy attention which slightly smoothes over the sting of parental absence. Slightly, then moderately. Soon enough these responsibilities and relationships overwhelm the wondering and drown the anger in sweet selfish satisfaction. These lives could not be more perfect, more sculpted for jealousy, and because of it they have grown lazy and entitled. They have no idea Carli Cole was just a taste of what has been foreseen from a prophecy branded into their shared destinies...
..and from afar, Alexander Winton keeps track of the countdown.
-TBC
-
The agony of letting go of your own children is a pain beyond all words but when the lives of so many others hang in the balance it becomes a necessary cross to bear.
~ M
*
Naboo
Surface: Lake Country: Greyson Villa
Queen Monica Greyson-Winton nods to Doctor Celeste Masterton before boarding the brand new J-type silver and pink royal cruiser. A minimal staff has been requested due to that fact that they would not be returning on the same vessel. Packed carefully in one of her trunks is the item Celeste brought back.
Needless to say things had unraveled over the course of the summer.
The vacation had been progressing marvelously and for a brief moment reminded her of the glorious summers of the past. It was wild and romantic. The way it used to be. The doubt and resentment that had been steadily growing began to fade. This all changed suddenly one particularly sweltering afternoon. Alexander became increasingly agitated and confrontational. Henrick spent most of his time in a Bakuran lab consumed with a cure for a disease that was never mentioned. Baffled, Monica and Celeste wanted explanations but all inquiries were treated as inconveniences and requests to leave were denied. Their husbands swore up and down they needed them nearby, that all would be better soon. Things were crazy with lives and millions of credits at stake. Monica and Celeste could not understand their desperation and fell into a state of confusion. Pills were taken, drink were consumed. Everything was rendered meaningless until they found the file.
In a spiteful drunken fit, Monica stole and downloaded the contents of Alexander's datapad into her own device and returned it undetected before his next trip to the corporate office. His behavior renewed her suspicion of his sinister motives and she had to know what was so damn important. She and Celeste spent tedious hours going through contracts and correspondence before finding a document with a title they both recognized.
Persephonea
It details a madness reserved only for the nightmares Monica has been plagued with for years. It is the prophecy her dear husband has withheld from all of them under the claim it had not been translated. The Master, the Beast, daughters of darkness and light and the hoards sacrificed without ever even knowing why. It's all there. Things she knew but could never remember. Alexander's plan was not and had never been about protecting anyone.
It was about the price of power and a weapon that could destroy them all.
Days pass before either woman can come to terms with the implications. There was already suspicion in Alexander but the script also casts serious doubt across Henrick. How much does the good doctor know? Had he also been lying to his wife about what their children are really meant to do? Celeste is devastated while Monica finds the validation she was looking for. They console each other into sobriety and from there clarity takes on a more recognizable shape. They now realize why their husbands want to keep them away from the Core.
The time has come to seek out alternative options.
There are so few Jedi scattered throughout the galaxy but one seems to find them as if he was waiting in the wings. They wisely communicate only through brief but intense dreams and soon agree to meet on Naboo. Most of Alexander's security departs with him and Henrick so all the women have to do is wait. There is always a reason to leave and always an excuse as to why they must stay.
Monica demands the remaining security detail accompany her on a pointless shopping trip into Theed which allows Celeste to escape from Varykino Island with the prophecy. She meets with a Master Corrin in the foothills of the Gallo Moutains. There he reads the words of the ancient Sith Order and listens to how one man has conspired to ensure these events come to pass. Master Corrin confirms the passage highlights a threat that lies just beyond Palpatine's rapidly dwindling reign and affirms the Alliance against the Empire will both succeed and fail. An Alliance victory will dethrone Palpatine but open a window for the Master spoken of in the prophecy to ascend to power with the daughter of darkness and replace a dark Empire with something much more sinister. Celeste calmly brings his attention to one glaring detail.
"There is hope."
Master Corrin agrees to help them and places the prophecy within a Holocron that he gives Celeste to take back to the Queen. She is waiting at the Greyson Villa when Monica returns. When they retire for the evening, she reveals the outcome of the meeting. There are a very specific set of instructions included with the offer of assistance.
The Queen must abscond with the Holocron into the Imperial capital. It must be carefully orchestrated as the Sith must not feel any disturbance. This will be made easier with the Emperor and Vader sidelined by the Skywalker short-sightedness so Monica stashes the Holocron and sets to carry out the Jedi's wishes under the guise of Karen and Melanie's sixteenth birthday party. This is the only way she is allowed to leave Naboo: blatant treason and bad parenting. Class all the way. She would be the bearer of gifts and a great deal of responsibility.
*
Bakura
Surface: Salis D'aar: RepulsorCorp Corporate Headquarters
Silence. Drink in a highball glass. No ice. Straight up.
That's the way Alexander Winton likes it.
The day thus far:
Message from the boy-spy. The capitals kids are slacking. Interest has waned.
Alexia is set to embark on her first Outer Rim exploration as an Imperial Agent.
St. Claire has successfully infiltrated an ethically questionable Corellian-Federation-MagnaCorp operation.
The young Dementat is tempted.
His wife took the bait.
Things, as they say, are looking up.
The sun is high enough to dull the glare of the surrounding towers and the congested traffic lanes running through corporate centre is like an increasingly amusing performance art piece. Skiffs and transports compete for position, everyone racing toward their destinations as if their lives depended on it. The wide transparasteel windows frame the scene and prove a much needed distraction from the tediousness of his persona. Mid-level executives complete his tasks as he pushes Henrick toward finding means of control while fending off the seemingly endless Imperial progress reports. So many things could go wrong but it is well worth the risk to discover where everyone's loyalty lies. And it does lie. As does Alexander. He remains justified while allowing himself the liberty of conducting social experiments on those he cares about most. He would do anything so that his offspring will rule.
- TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Fall is dragged into winter kicking and screaming.
There have been six mini-shoots so far for designs Raga'Ana will release throughout the rest of the year. These images replace the others around the city, a continuous evolution into style excess that the public eagerly laps up. In a month they will have to return to Hesperidium and shoot summer lines along a frigid beach pretending to be basking in all the warmth. Until then they are relatively free to do as they please but everything else is pushed aside for a single all-important event.
Sweet Sixteen.
After an arduous deliberation they decide to have a combined birthday party. Valerie is slightly older but only by a few weeks, followed by Karen and Melanie on the same day, and lastly, Kimber a week or so later. It just makes sense. This information is released to specific people at North Coruscant and in a few days they have generated all the publicity they need. Everyone wants to come but Karen makes a case about taking a solid cross-section of the student body. Only the coolest of each clique, so to speak, hand-chosen and cleared by security to be seen and heard with brand names.
"There always needs to be a strong supporting cast floating around the central characters."
The compiled list is given to Agent Venko and verified by his team. Invitations go out the following day. There are grumblings in the aftermath of those not in good graces but that's how these things go.
Karen has resigned herself to parental oversight with the knowledge they have the capital to do anything they so desire. With enough credits, who needs parents? Valerie agrees a little too quickly. Melanie, however, is wounded by this truth. Although the Masterton's are in regular contact with her via long-range com, it does not replace their presence in her eyes. She is used to confiding in them and their support and understanding have always been a source of great strength. She is having trouble comprehending how business can suddenly trump family when it has never been that way before. Kimber sympathizes with the situation, sorely missing her father still away on CorSec assignment, and does her best to be there. The bond between The Four solidifies in the reliance on each other.
It's them against the worlds but there is always another distraction.
-cut back to party central.
All one hundred invitations are confirmed.
Alaiia Lounge @ Five Hundred Republica had been reserved two months ago.
A starched white canvas tent is erected inside with soft white lights strung up everywhere. One side of the tent is removed to reveal a spectacular view as the perfect backdrop. A giant mirror ball hangs from the center of the room above the dance floor. Several circular tables surround it with a head table at which the birthday girls will sit. The tables are adorned with thick white table clothes, ornate floral centerpieces and generous gender-unique gift bags.
Music by MC Marvell - Upbeat urban electronic merging into the latest club hits as the night progresses.
Catering by Lagos - Five star all the way.
Dinner at seven.
Cake at nine.
Drinks throughout.
Dancing until midnight.
Transport for the intoxicated.
All angles covered.
Maxi Marx smugly alerts all the right people, still semi-pissed about the previously ruined gown. They will be in Raga'Ana couture tonight which will now be photaged to death upon their arrival. That, too, will be staged for maximum exposure.
"In the end," Maxi sighs tiredly, "We're all advertising ourselves."
The stage is set.
On the evening of the party, Karen fastens bejeweled chandelier earrings and stares at her heavily dolled-up face. The layers of shadowed eyes, light blush, glossy pink lips. She is dreaming ahead to the rave reviews and sour feelings that will further establish them as a North Coruscant staple and legacy. She wants to look back fondly on these days and smile.
Melanie is having a mild anxiety attack.
Kimber asks Venko to zip up her dress.
Valerie might as well go topless with that much spillage happening.
Too late, it's show time.
The Four saunter by fashionably and purposefully late. Paparazzi clamor for shots but are barred from actually entering the party.
Inside the Alaiia, people are taking their places. Skyler, Reef, Lucas, Billy and D'Arcy sit on one side of the head table. Tenley Price and company sit on the other. From there it fans out by clique ranking but it all merges on the dance floor which is where everyone ends up after a light but exquisite meal. Champagne is opened and poured for those who want it. Credits have been thrown around to ensure the bending of certain laws would not be a problem. Soon it's much more lively, the lounge virtually transforming into a club. Everyone on set is relaxed. Lights are dimmed but the mirror ball reflects just enough to make it seem magical.
Agent Venko and his well-dressed team watch silently and keep the peace. Kimber stays close to a vulnerable Melanie. Billy and D'Arcy pretend to be entertained by Tenley Price and her boyfriend, senior Varsity Chin-Bret running back Vex Sienna. Valerie gets hammered and fights with Reef then a bunch of people she doesn't know then Lucas, Melanie and Kimber then Reef again before finally storming off. Ignoring that tragic scene, Karen mingles freely but always returns to Skyler for a kiss and a slow dance. His hand on the small of her back keeps everything steady. They are about to cut the cake when a spotlight illuminates the lounge entrance, halting all movement and drawing attention away.
Queen Greyson-Winton makes her grand appearance. She is in full Naboo royal court gear and makeup, completely destroying the simple elegance of the party. She allows her eyes to linger only briefly on the crowd before spotting her daughter standing frozen in a dress that borders on beautiful indecency. No doubt this may be construed as embarrassing but suddenly remembers the larger picture and ignores the vague feeling of intrusion.
Karen is startled, relieved and mortified.
In that order.
The Queen says nothing about the underage drinking or how fantastic the setup actually is as she breezes effortlessly past the dazed guests and greets her daughter warmly, apologizing for the extended absence, and presents Karen with a gift. She motions to the windows.
Every set of eyes follow.
A J-type Naboo Royal Cruiser with a highly polished silver and pink exterior and a Marc Overus-designed interior sits perfectly lit on a landing pad outside.
Flashes ignite as if on cue.
The crowd is pleased by the spectacle.
They applaud without knowing why.
Shock quickly becomes jealousy.
Karen is too dazzled by the gift to be suspicious of its motive.
Melanie has a headache the size of a small forest moon.
Valerie, who has reemerged, is thinking, hyperspace trip?
Kimber giggles gaily, head filled with red hearts and pink bubbles.
Queen Greyson-Winton kisses her daughter, wishes them all a happy birthday and abruptly vanishes.
The party resumes with renewed vigor almost as if it never even happened...
Abstract blurs of color, reflected off holocams, becomes a sickening reality.
Melanie finally excuses herself. Kimber accompanies her up to the Masterton residence, temporarily blinded by the paparazzi still lurking outside the lounge, where they search for painkillers. Melanie's headache has become skull-splitting and the herbal remedies they find are not going to cut it.
"Wait here," Kimber says, traipsing off through the cavernous residence to check the other bathrooms. The echo of her heels fade. Melanie hugs herself tightly and sighs. There is movement beyond the master bath doorway, a shadow splashed across the wall.
Queen Greyson-Winton sweeps into the master bathroom.
Reflexively, Melanie bows.
"Your Highness."
"There is no time so you must listen to me carefully."
She lifts her head, staring directly into the Queen's deathly serious face.
"The life we live is just a series of lies told across more people than I care to count. Somewhere, deep down, you know this too. The things you see in your mind I have also seen. I have felt that fear but you cannot let it control you the way it controls us. You will be the one they turn to in the darkest of hours. You alone can save them. But you must first let them go."
Melanie's head is suddenly clear. The worlds have stopped spinning as a connection between them is made. The Queen reveals a bag from which she pulls a small, glowing cube. She stares at it as if debating something before hesitantly offering it to Melanie.
"This Holocron contains information pertinent to your survival. You must take it to the Jedi and follow their instruction. The others must never know or you risk everyone. Heed the prophecy and stay alive."
"Prophecy?"
"Search your feelings, Melanie. You feel there is more beyond this facade but you cannot see it. Not yet. The prophecy will show you the way."
The Queen disappears through the doorway, past Kimber pressed against the wall, clutching a bottle of pills. She rushes into the master bath to find Melanie holding what looks like a party favor. It glows in the palm of her hand.
"What...is that? Some kind of cube?"
Melanie finally glances up, eyes wide but strangely hollow.
"Not a cube, a Holocron but you will never repeat that."
Kimber shutters.
"I forget already."
Melanie drops the Holocron into her purse and moves toward the door. Kimber follows somewhat reluctantly.
Downstairs, at the party, Valerie is back at it and, double-fisting champagne bottles, manages an impressive table dance. Boys go wild. Reef is furious. Lucas is searching the party for Melanie but becomes waylaid by smashed teammates excited about the season. Billy and D'Arcy dance the night away.
Breaking from a kiss, leaning into him, Karen ponders going all the way with Skyler.
*
Tenley Price does not return home from the party. The following morning, her parents worriedly call her com-link to find that the channel has been disconnected. Imperial authorities are immediately contacted. They are told to calm down. The are told to wait.
A day and a half later, Tenley is officially declared a missing person.
-TBC
-
"...the tears I've cried - they won't subside - unless the music starts to play. Heartbreak make a dancer, dancer! DJ give me the answer, answer! Love stops getting me down, down, down (Do it alone, I couldn't do it alone). Heartbreak make me a dancer, dancer! Keep my heart beating faster, faster! Love stops bringing me down, down, down (Do it alone, I couldn't do it alone)..."
~ Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Coruscant
Surface: Five Hundred Republica: Winton Residence
The days leading up to winter break are filled with disillusionment.
Karen is jarred by her mother's unexpected arrival and departure. It seems her family has a fondness for the random and unexplained. Then she realizes she has spent a total of two minutes with a parent in the last six months so a purchase must be made to ease the underlying rage and resentment.
Cash-convinced.
She would shrug it all off completely but Tenley Price has yet to be found and an abstract fear materializes on the periphery. No one knows what happened and a part of Karen is dreading she'll show up just like Carli. The entire guest list is interrogated and makes the party that much cooler in the eyes of the jaded Imperial youth. They wear their badges of potential villainy with pride. Tenley's boyfriend, Vex Sienna, has been downgraded from prime suspect to person of interest after his story, told repeatedly to various officials, never changes. He was an invited guest accompanying his girlfriend to a birthday party. They talked, laughed, ate and drank like everyone else. Many other guests confirm whereabouts and timeframe. The last time he saw her was at their table discussing an alarming outbreak of vast apathy among the upperclassmen with Billy St. James and D'Arcy Saunders when Tenley excused herself to use the restroom and never returned. Billy and D'Arcy confirm that this happened and how concerned Vex became after minutes became hours became a drunken search party.
Tenley's friends concluded she went home with friends and left the party...
and the pace inevitably quickens
...from there her parents report her missing and an investigation is launched and Agent Venko is starting to see a disturbing pattern and the Queen races back to Naboo a traitor to the Galactic Empire and somewhere lines have been crossed and suspicion goes both ways and finals at North Coruscant are imminent and the images of The Four leer suggestively down into the city, threatening something unspoken...
*
Surface: Hyperion Building: Galatea Suite
Kimber picks at the petals of a flower, heart skipping beats, blissfully encased in a world entirely her own. There is no madness. No melancholy. There is only the best intentions, romantic gestures, and wonderfully surprising outcomes. In her mind, it all works out.
Valerie gazes upon her fondly, only moderately envious, but cannot relate to this delusion. She knows better than that. The galaxy is dark and wide and filled with so many secrets. She does not fail to see a connection between the abilities of their closest friends and the disturbing proximity to seemingly senseless tragedy. Karen and Melanie would be both valuable and dangerous is they fell into the wrong hands. Or wrong school of thinking. That Force shit can go either way. It's not such a fine line sometimes. Even she knows that. In a moment of desperation people will do anything. To get what they want. To save themselves and those they care about most. A sacrifice must be taken. There is always a price. How much trust is too much? Blame must be assigned somewhere so whatever the problem really is, Valerie is sure it's mostly Karen's fault.
Kimber pulls the last petal from the flower, closes her eyes and giggles softly.
Valerie finally turns away and glances over the silent durasteel towers beyond the windows, at a place brimming with shadows and suspicion. One girl is dead, another is missing. There is a Winton sister lurking out there somewhere and parents who apparently now prefer a hands-off approach. There is too much to do. So many things to occupy the mind and daze the senses and she wonders, dimly, from what?
*
Surface: Five Hundred Republica: Masterton Residence
It rises out of the sea and on the shore, between the thick cloak of fog, is the outline of the Bolerathon Tower.
Imagine a girl sitting at an antique desk in a white room.
Melanie's eyes lose focus on words so heavy they weaken the soul. This is not just a cautionary tale from the past but a prophecy in which they are named. There is only one piece of scripture that glares up at her with true malice.
The Beast.
Pieces of the vision return.
The inhuman shrieks with a human face.
"Somewhere, deep down, you know this too."
The Queen had issued a warning. She spoke of many lies but Melanie does not know who told them or why. She is working without an explanation. But everything she has been feeling is validated by the Queen's admission. They have seen the same things. They have felt the same fear. Something, someone is coming and Melanie has always known it. The backwards knowing glances, the low-level anxiety that lies in wait, threatening to consume, the whole story unedited in one sitting-
Melanie is floored by the implications shrouding every syllable and alternates between weeping and gnawing on a fist. There is no more facade. There is nothing but answers phrased as different questions. Then there is the issue of the Jedi. How would she find them if she has been told they were wiped out? Could they really protect her if the Empire found out what she now knows? And what about the others, those caught in the crossfire? What? No, what?
Daughter of darkness, daughter of light.
She convulses, gripping the desk for support.
Friend becomes enemy becomes another abomination.
It's all too much and she throws herself toward the door, staggering down the hall in search of something, anything to dull the now-deafening roar. She finds herself in the master bath staring at the bottle of powerful anti-anxiety painkillers Kimber found elsewhere in the house. Melanie snaps the bottle from the counter and roughly twists off the cap, swallowing two, washing it down from the sink, breathing heavily, staring at her reflection from a much different angle.
"The others must never know..."
And they won't because this isn't a story with a happy ending.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Five Hundred Republica: Winton Residence
Skyler McNeal doesn't know today is his lucky day.
Karen is in the kitchen grinning and planning while trying, unsuccessfully, to open bottles of ale with a lighter. She has thought about this a lot and they have come awful close. There has been some show and tell and touch but they were cool about it and never rushed into anything. They were being responsible. At the party, swaying slowly, out of sync with a techno song, she looked at him and knew she had to have him in that way. A part of her came alive and she began to kiss him more forcefully. There was a spark, a hunger, between them.
He is sitting on the couch when she returns to the sunken living room.
"I want you to make love to me."
There is a dreadful pause as it settles in then his blue eyes go wide, a faint smile pulling at the corner of his lips. But the boy is well bred and this prevails in the end.
"You, what? That's...really? Wow, uh, yeah, wow."
His rambling is rendered adorable in the moment so she rounds the couch to stand in front of him.
"This hasn't crossed your mind?"
"No, no it has," he says, repositioning himself. "It's just that I thought it would happen naturally when we were like, ready..."
Karen moves closer, bare leg brushing against the fabric of his pants.
"You aren't ready?"
"Well, yes. No. Maybe. Are you?
She anticipates the redirect and takes control.
"So ready."
"But...I've never..."
"Me either. What are you afraid of?"
"Afraid? I..."
"Do you want me, Sky?"
"So...so badly..."
"Then take me."
This is whispered like a challenge. She is acting bolder than she feels but she loves him and he loves her and there is a need she cannot explain. He bolts to his feet quickly, activated in some way, shoulders up, freaked the hell out of his mind as she moves into his arms. When she kisses him, she feels his body relax into her.
The door chime sounds, echoing throughout the silent residence.
"Mother fuck-"
"Karen."
So proper.
"Sorry, sorry, language. I know."
The door chime sounds again.
He looks mildly panicked. She pulls him tightly against her and he gasps.
"Hold that thought while I get rid of whoever it is."
Skyler exhales loudly as she walks away, filled with an intense combination of excitement, fear and relief. This is actually happening, that moment in a boy's life that changes them forever...
Except not so much.
Karen stalks back into the living room moments later with Agent Venko trailing behind. He glances at Skyler, the look on his flushed face, clothes wrinkled and pulled at and manages to conceal a double-take of surprise before training his gaze on Karen.
"I am sorry to interrupt but there are a few things we need to go over-"
"Can it wait?"
"It can but it's not going to, if that clarifies anything."
She scoffs dramatically, "You are worse than St Claire."
"Somehow I doubt that. Mister McNeal, would you excuse us please?"
Skyler jerks when spoken to, nodding numbly as he shuffles out of the room.
"Well, what's so important?"
"I'm afraid there have been no leads in the Price case. All the stories check out. Everyone is accounted for throughout the duration of the party. Nothing, it seems, was out of the ordinary. Then I began thinking of similarities between Carli Cole and Tenley Price-"
She is instantly bored and cuts him off.
"That's pretty easy, Venko. They were best friends. Carli was an actress, Tenley was a cheerleader, and both had wealthy self-involved, seldom seen parents."
"Exactly."
Karen gestures wildly, annoyed.
"What's that supposed to mean? Exactly? Is there some obvious factor I'm missing here?"
Isn't there always?
"You are a model with wealthy, self-involved, seldom seen parents."
This shuts her down. She stands there, completely stunned.
"They also have one other thing in common."
"And what's that?"
"You."
"Circumstantial, counselor," Karen says flippantly. "Everyone who goes to NCH knows who we are."
"As do most of the known worlds by now but Carli and Tenley were your friends. Not in the way you and miss Masterton, Patten and Gellar are but still, friendly. They were in your 'scene' as you call it. Closer than the average student."
Karen does not like where this is going.
"So?"
Venko knows this isn't what she wants to hear but does not care. He needs to draw her attention to certain things, certain irregularities. Just enough for her to maintain some sense of awareness. He speaks slowly and annunciates.
"So, someone might be using them to hurt you."
Skyler curiously wanders back in during this exchange. He becomes alarmed and protective.
"Why would anyone want to hurt Karen?"
Karen glances quickly at Venko, wondering just how much he was told.
Venko does not miss a beat, "Celebrity has a way of bringing out the worst in people."
"Oh, thanks a lot."
"You are quite welcome, actually."
Skyler seems to accept this and again reverts to thoughtful nodding and sideways glances. She smiles broadly and he seems to weaken beneath her gaze.
This disturbs Venko greatly.
Karen suddenly becomes something more than an entitled royal. If all he has read is true then there is a dire need to protect her in the name of the Empire. She is in more danger than she realizes, if she realizes anything at all. Force-ability is not looked upon fondly in this day and age. It is something that is tightly controlled. There is always a context, a bottom line. The Emperor would slay her and Melanie both if they fell from his favor or were no longer deemed useful. The Director assured him that would not be a problem. The Director told him it was handled.
Things do not seem handled, Venko thinks grimly.
There is a dead girl and a missing girl who is presumed dead, a fact that has not been made public. Venko isn't so sure. Cole was "returned," albeit deceased, four days after she disappeared. No one has seen or heard anything from Price in ten days. Without a body, there is no way to compare victims. Cole was stabbed with a large sharp object prior to death (confirming what Karen saw) then drained of blood and preserved via refrigeration until the killer laid her on the steps of the Senate building in the same dress she wore to the premiere. Interesting fact: the dress had been cleaned. It was pristine. The meticulous nature of the crime is mildly ritualistic and not something any Imperial department had seen in the capital. Murder is murder and happens all the time but it was seldom so elaborate or so public. Given the spectacle, he is more convinced there is a deeper significance to the victims.
"Think about what I said. If you have anything to add, do not hesitate to let me know."
"I will," she says.
Agent Venko nods to McNeal and leaves the residence.
Karen is chewing on her lower lip, mind spinning in all sorts of directions. Skyler closes the distance between them and pulls her against his slender frame. Her head finds his shoulder and she stares through the windows at the vast expanse of the city.
"No one is going to hurt you."
"How do you know?"
"I won't let them."
Smiling, she closes her eyes and believes him.
*
Surface: Glitannai Esplanade
Melanie wanders around in a daze. The pills keep it all quiet and she is able to find mild enjoyment in wanting things displayed in store windows. If she is rationalizing the symbolism correctly, the prophecy is asking something of her.
Something more than she might be ready for.
How do you save people you can't warn?
How many pretty faces have to disappear before it becomes your own?
How did you know it would always end up this way?
Shouting from across the Esplanade brings her back to the present. A crowd has formed. She drifts toward it as if being called. As she nears, Melanie hears the tone of the shouting change, people are angry and calling for action. There are two boys on a makeshift stage and podium, one speaking while the other holds up a sign which she now can read.
Imperial Lies!
Melanie is just outside the crowd, maybe seventy, eighty people, staring up at the boy who is speaking. He is her age, maybe a little older with blond hair, a steely gaze and terrible posture. He is listing off recent mistruths released on the Holo and by Imperial reports but all she can hear is the crowd. Some are cheering with him, others want him to be arrested. There is a pungent mix of outrage and fear. She shutters, shifting her attention back to the boy. As he finishes, he finally notices her. One of these things does not look like the others. Most of the people are well-dressed, given where they are but she is striking.
Melanie blinks, blond hair piled up with "whimsical" tendrils, wide, vacant ocean blue eyes, pouty lips and pale, shapely legs. She wears a white Raga'Ana wrap, white trench coat, bulky silver necklace, and white shiny knee-high heeled boots.
He smiles a crooked smile.
That's when the shooting starts.
Blaster fire erupts from across the Esplanade, Stormtroopers rushing the scene, people screaming as they push and shove their way to safety. The boy with the sign is hit in the throat, flesh charring black, cutting off his cry. Two angry lawyers are gunned down in the back, expensive suits full of blaster holes. A child crushed and trampled in the panic. The hysterical shrieks of a mother. The Stormtroopers have almost made it to the rally area on the Esplanade and Melanie is standing completely still, relaxed, as people scramble and brush by. A hand lands on her arm and pulls her forward. She is running away, down an ally and people are shouting, blaster fire echoing against the shops around them. The pills make her movements sluggish and she suddenly realizes she is standing with a small group of people peering around corners. None of them are from Venko's security team which should have never let her near the crowd. She briefly wonders where they are when the boy speaks to her.
"Are you hurt?"
"No, I don't think so..."
"Good then let's go. We can't stay here."
People start moving away. She frowns.
"Where...are we going?"
He points down.
"Back to the underworld."
She stares at him, uncomprehending.
"What were you doing at the rally? No offense but you don't seem like the politically motivated type."
"I heard you...from the shops across the Esplanade. I was...looking for something and heard you talking and I....wanted to hear what you had to say...."
His confidence soars, bordering on cocky.
"Oh, yeah? What did you think?"
"They do lie. It's all lies."
He extends a hand.
"I'm Castin Donn."
"Melanie," she says softly. "Melanie Masterton."
-TBC
-
"so can I get a window seat
don't want nobody next to me
I just want a ticket outta town
a look around
and a safe touch down
can I get a window seat
don't want nobody next to me
I just want a chance to fly
a chance to cry
and a long bye bye."
- Erykah Badu
Hesperidium
Surface: Imperial Beach
In the shadow of the Bolerathon Tower
Kimber gallops across the frigid sand squealing.
Valerie grabs her breasts, spinning, before beckoning seductively.
Karen poses as a wave breaks at her feet.
Melanie flips her hair and winks. Her smile does not falter throughout the duration of the Raga'Ana photage shoot. It is nearing the end of December and everyone is freezing to death. A new year approaches; so long 2ABY, hello uncertain future. She is not sure what scares her more: the knowledge of what is coming or the fact that she can pretend like it's not? The stolen medication she is now regularly ingesting makes it easier to cope, easier to quiet the voices and the images, easier to keep those lips from parting and telling them all.
It takes enormous effort not to scream out: "RUN!!"
Instead, she chokes back another sob and goes with the flow.
*
Castin takes her down into the Coruscanti underworld. It is a place she has been told never to go. But she goes. There is instantly tension amongst his friends when she says, admits, that she has never been below the surface before. They glare, scoff and snarl until Castin reminds her that where she lives is most certainly not the surface of Coruscant. She is embarrassed, made a fool by her naivete, and reverts to silent spacing. Castin glances at her sideways, curious and attracted. She is a strange girl and he wants to know more.
The trek through the underworld is intense and new and they pass almost six advertisements featuring Melanie and her friends. Several people they encounter along the way stop, stare, point and grin. Castin's group becomes more paranoid every time she is recognized. They quicken their pace, angling through musty tunnels, sketchy ally's, questionable characters, and finally, a dirt floor littered with rubble. Something that was once organic. She glances up, startled to discover they have arrived at a dilapidated squat inside what looks like blaster-riddled ruins.
This must be the hideout.
She follows them deeper into the ruins, trying to get over the fact that her white boots are now completely destroyed and remember she is here for a very specific purpose. Before she can get to that, someone finally speaks up, a triad mostly directed at Castin. They say she can't be here, that she's a name, a face, that would draw unwanted attention. She tries to be offended but realizes she got herself into the model mess. She lamely offers some sympathy toward the Alliance which causes even more backlash, more glaring and scoffing. She has wrongly assumed again. Castin does not immediately come to her rescue but does clarify that they are an independent separatist faction outside of the Rebel Alliance. They hold some of the same ideals but use a much different approach from much closer. They despise the oppressive tactics and seek to release the truth using the Imperial network against them. Castin, as it turns out, is renowned slicer and the other all cop to possessing similarly devious talents in an attempt to undermine the blatant cover-up's and misinformation purposefully leaked to the public. Above all things, they seek to inform. Only with knowledge would they be able to rise up and break of the shackles placed upon them by the Galactic Empire.
After they get done sharing, the group turns on her.
Why is she here? What was she really doing at the rally? What is her purpose? How long has she been opposed? Is she a spy? What kind of company does she keep?
Melanie tells them, virtually deadpan, that she and several others are part of a vast conspiracy linked to a prophecy that has potential to destroy millions when an even darker, more twisted Empire replaces the current one. If she does not find the Jedi and deliver means to counter this threat those millions will probably die.
This is met with stunned silence followed by nervous laughter.
Melanie does not laugh.
They stop laughing.
Castin's heart begins to beat faster.
*
Surface: West Iobatese Beach: Bistro Bibliotheca
The A-Table. Posed with mineral waters. Someone, a shadow, takes photage. They debate over salad options, complaining about how something can be too balsamic, giggling about boys, trading lewd commentary, harshly judging other guests twice their age. When conversation dies down, it's time to check the latest. Everyone spaces out into their com-links or datapads. Messages attached to obligations clog their inboxes.
"Holy fuck," Valerie announces. "We just blew the shit out of a Rebel base on Hoth."
Karen laughs, "Hoth? Could they get any further away?"
"One can only hope."
"Brrr," Kimber says distantly, frowning.
This exchange confirms something for Melanie. It jars her out of one thing and into another. She glances over her friends and considers losing them. Waves of fear crash against a life rendered beige and bland. She wants these precious petty moments to last forever but knows there will come a time when she must leave them behind.
Melanie stares at her reflection in the bottle of mineral water and wants to ask it why.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
3ABY
Post-holiday depression is hitting hard so the students of NCH rally behind their winning Chin-Bret team and pack the Magnus Arena on Friday night to root those Crusaders to victory. They are in the playoffs so expectations are understandably high. The tremendous excitement this generates is enough to distract everyone from the brutal, still-unsolved incidents from last year. They try to shake it off but something foul lingers.
Shock becomes idle gossip becomes unnerving fear.
They do not know it will only get worse.
Melanie maintains a public presence but often retires early, ducking out of sight. The Underworld is the only outlet, the only way to balance her public persona with the prophecy. They will help her find the way. In the throngs of students, it is easier than it should be to ditch Venko's men and meet Castin beneath the stadium. He is waiting in a black speeder with a thick white racing stripe. She does not look back as they dip away from the school, spiraling down.
Back in the Magnus Arena-
Lucas expresses concern about Melanie completely losing interest in him, wondering what he did, what he can do to change it. Kimber is shrugging, Valerie shamelessly sucking face with Reef while Karen and Skyler attempt to be supportive. There isn't much to say, really, as Melanie had always held Lucas at a distance. They know she was fond of him but never completely trustful but that's not something you tell a friend and it's certainly not what Skyler and Karen tell Lucas.
After the game, after they won, at a party somewhere, everyone is bored and drinking and whispering about their latest conquests, another trend, the Dark Queen of Hapes.
The crew remains highly visible away from the crowds. Vex is no longer in the mood to be the star off the field as well and sticks close to Billy and D'Arcy even though they are only sophomore's. This is allowed by The Four due to status as well as circumstance. He still plays a good game, the only thing he's able to actually focus on, but cannot deal with his friends. Tenley is an ever-present blade of mystery that repeatedly stabs those who knew her. Her parents still think he is guilty of something and those who don't treat him differently. There are mere months until graduation and a prime spot secured at the Academy. He's in the door and on the team but with the one person he truly cares for gone, all Vex Sienna has left is the game. Billy and D'Arcy, those he and Tenley were with last at the premiere, seem to help. They don't accuse, don't pity him, don't try to rationalize something no one, not even the Imperial authorities, can explain. Mostly, he likes this crew because their power and proximity keep a vast majority of the student body at bay.
There are rumors.
If Carli was still alive, they would know this too.
*
Valerie goes home with Reef.
It's a small but posh apartment near the Esplanade. He pads off into the kitchen to get them an ale. She always wondered how his parents could swing such a prime location as she thought them to be Mandalorian farmers or something. Farmer or warriors. Whatever. It hardly matters since they are millions of light years away. She finds herself in the typical sixteen year old male room. Unmade bed, clothes strewn about, vaguely musty smell. There are only three pictures in his room. One of his parents, holding their distinctive armored helmets. One of his older brother, a smoldering hunk named Rydan. And one of Valerie glancing over her shoulder suggestively. This touches something in her, knowing he does have emotional connections he cherishes internally. On the outside, he was pure jock. Conversation revolves around speeder parts, the latest model cruiser, Chin-Bret practice and sex. It's all highly attractive and she is lost in the thought of having him inside her again, glancing through open drawers full of half-folded shirts until her eyes wander across a glint of metal.
She pulls the drawer open further, reaching between articles of clothing to find a silver colored datacard holder with the letters A and W etched on the polished surface. Beneath that, two concussion grenades and a small blaster. She considers these items and turns to connect with Reef's fist. She staggers, slamming into the dresser, dropping the case as she grips the wall to steady herself. Reef is standing beside her flushed red with fury, two bottles of ale clenched in one hand.
Valerie touches her throbbing jaw, tasting blood, and glares at him.
He starts to explain, eyes wide, panicked but she raises a hand as she brushes past him. He turns to follow but she is already down the hall, purse in hand, heading for the door. Reef calls after her, shouting, virtually hysterical now. He rushes out of the room, down the hall, grabbing her arm roughly, spinning her around. She struggles but only a little. They grapple with each other, stumbling back against the far wall panting, crying out, a tangle of limbs, thrashing, clawing, falling to the ground.
*
At the Hyperion building, in the Galatea Suite, Kimber writes Nikoli Venko's name in pink highlighter. He's such a stud and so much cooler than any high school boy. She was only kind of hurt when Billy glazed over her the moment D'Arcy appeared because that's how it goes and boys aren't everything. But she's a serial crusher, has been her whole life, and those slightly unattainable guys always fit the bill nicely. There is something different about Venko though. He's not the typical glacial blank slate most Imperial officers tend to be. His dark eyes are filled with ambition and concern.
Someone whispers her name, like a breath forming the word.
Kimber.
She stiffens, turning.
The residence is eerily quiet and she glances toward the door, to the agents she knows are stationed just outside. A tense moment passes as she considers alerting them. She finally relaxes, giggling nervously to herself.
Then it is whispered again, louder.
Kimber.
She stands quickly, taking a few steps back from the barstool she was sitting on.
"Who's there?"
Nothing. More silence.
The air suddenly feels heavier and the light in the foyer winks out. Kimber is planted firmly in terror, clutching the pink highlighter for dear life. The holoprojector in the living room whirs to life, static blaring out of the speakers. She clamps her hands over her ears. Finally, the static is replaced with a solid channel, a local station out of Corellia, and the tan face of a male reporter illuminates the room.
".. CorSec officials declined to comment on the extent of their dealings with the Trade Federation or the increasing droid presence in the capital city of Coronet..."
The projector snaps off, plunging the room into darkness and silence. The foyer light blinks on. The heaviness is gone. The reporters voice, his words, stir something but fear pulls her back into the moment.
Kimber exhales loudly, remembering to breathe.
*
It is almost two in the morning when Karen summons Agent Venko to the Winton Residence. When he arrives, he finds her standing in the middle of the living room in what can only be described as a medium sized men's undershirt and ridiculously high platform fuzzy slippers. He pretends she is not holding what appears to be a bottle of expensive champagne.
"You....called?"
"I've been thinking about what you said."
"And?"
"I think, maybe, that this whole thing might have something to do with someone...else."
Venko is tired and not amused.
"Go on."
"Answer me something first."
A longish pause.
"Why do you care? About me, about us?"
"It's my job."
"No, your job is to protect. I think your interest goes deeper than that."
Venko smiles tightly, gauging both her level of intoxication and sincerity.
"I suppose I'm curious. The Director told me the four of you are special."
"To whom?"
"The Empire."
She sighs like she has heard it a million times.
"The Director - this is your boss?"
"Aye."
"I thought my father was your boss."
He carefully considers phrasing.
"RepulsorCorp, the company your father represents, is an important client of the Empire and it is because of this that he is consulted and kept in the loop. However, since he is not employed by either Imperial Security or Imperial Intelligence, he does not get final say."
"In what?"
"The measures we take to protect you."
"There are measures? What measures? I'm not so sure I am comfortable with measures."
"I think you may need to get used to them."
"Why are you telling me this? St. Claire never told us anything. Ever! That man wouldn't know dialog if it bit him in that beautiful ass."
Venko clears his throat.
"Maybe I think you could stand to be a little more aware of your surroundings. It's a big bad world out there."
"And you think I can't handle it, that I can't hang? Is that it? Is that what's going on here?"
"No, I just don't think you realize how big and bad it actually is."
Karen is too tipsy to be offended and giggles inappropriately.
"You were all up in my business the other day trying to sniff out some hidden connection and I think I found one for you but try not to have a fit. I don't want to freak anyone out if I don't absolutely have to, okay?"
"I'm still listening."
"You mentioned something about common factors and I think there may be someone more common than me. Carli and Tenley are both juniors, a year above the rest of us. The same class as my sister."
Venko frowns sharply.
"What about her?"
Karen attempts to arrange everything that's been running through her mind these last few months into a coherent statement. She takes several deep breathes, pacing in front of him.
"Ironically, Carli is the one who told me about it first. She heard something, a rumor, about my sister getting fresh with a faculty member last year then all of a sudden I'm being told Alexia got expelled which our parents blamed on unruly behavior and social dysfunction. Like, literally five microseconds later, Alexia is sent away and not heard from for a year and a half before showing up on Hesperidium last summer saying things like "you don't get it" and that we're "safer if we stay together." Whatever, the point is I think something is going on there, with her, and telling my friends is, like, so not a good idea right now-"
"Wait, you had contact with Alexia Winton?"
Karen blinks, "Well, yeah. Why?"
His demeanor changes.
"When did this occur?"
"August, maybe. Could have been July. Those summer months just, you know-"
"Karen, please pay attention. What did Alexia say to you? Think carefully."
She shrugs, throwing her arms up.
"Crazy shit! I told you. Nonsense. She implied that she like made this huge sacrifice being trained on Carida so Melanie and I wouldn't have to. I mean, she actually thinks she's destined for Sith-hood."
"I'm glad you brought this to my attention."
"So, will you look into it?"
"Not sure yet."
"Uh, why?"
"Alexia is considered unstable."
"That's....not good? And not what I asked."
"No, it's not. We are supposed to report unauthorized interactions-"
"Don't! At least not yet."
"That would be breaking protocol, your Highness."
"Ew, stop. Please, Venko. If this shit really does have something to do with me or mine then I'm not the only one at risk here. It makes everyone a target; you, our classmates, your team, the girls, Kimber."
His jaw visibly tightens.
"I don't know how this happened to my sister and you know something else is going on. I can see it on your face. If you leverage your position and clearance wisely you can save the day, be the hero. Help me out. It would ease my mind and I know Melanie is really, like, worried about the whole thing."
His obligation as an Imperial agent swear him to duty but the man beneath the uniform thinks something might seriously be wrong here. From what he's seen, these kids really haven't done anything wrong. Almost no laws, he muses while eyeing the champagne bottle she still holds, have been broken. And there is considerable mystery surrounding the other Winton. The girl is not only considered unstable but dangerous as well. There is no information to clarify the decree, just whispers from the team. The Director tells him nothing of Alexia, his mission only to protect Karen but he does not specify from what.
So many games the Empire plays. If it's a test for her, it's a test for you.
"I'll consider it an unsubstantiated lead that requires further investigation."
Venko begins to walk away.
"Start with the school."
He pauses.
Karen takes a swig from the bottle.
"North Coruscant is your connection."
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: North Coruscant High
A frigid wind whips across the posh campus as Agent Venko stands in the shadow of the Legacy Tower.
He had asked that Karen stay as far away from the investigation as possible despite the fact that this new development was her idea. In truth, his department has nothing. They are at a dead end. Cole’s killer is still at large and there is no sign of Price. Karen speaking of her sister brings a chill deeper than the wind lapping at his skin. The mere mention of Alexia Winton makes him uneasy. He knows better than to ask the Director for information he did not willingly volunteer but Karen’s lead finally turned up something as he spent many sleepless nights scouring the Imperial network.
There is one reference, however slight, to an incident at the Legacy Tower with a date stamp coinciding with the timeframe Karen alledged. When he attempts to search any related information, the original file vanished from the network. As he backtracked through the links he had been following, he discovered that they had been disabled before disappearing from the network completely.
A sickening sense of dread washes over him. He tries to reassure himself, knowing that his assignment and access more than cover the inquiries which are all pertinent both to this case and those he is sworn to protect. It deepens his personal curiosity and solidifies Karen’s concern into fear.
Venko squares his shoulders and walks toward the doors of the Legacy Tower.
*
Across the plaza, a boy watches closely before raising a com-link to his mouth.
-TBC
-
Previously, on Socially Acceptable Monsters...
Queen Monica Greyson-Winton gave the stolen Persephonea prophecy to Melanie who is forbidden from warning those it involves. She turns to a curious slicer and Imperial insurgent for help.
Valerie snooped in Reef's room - got punched, got down.
Coruscant
Surface: Underworld
"My heart is broken."
Melanie's eyes are closed as she tells Castin her whole truth.
The others did not question Melanie after her opening statement. They knew she was on their side but there was still the issue of her high profile, a problem for those looking to operate beneath the watchful eye of the Empire. Castin argued that such a thing could be used to their advantage. That is, if Melanie didn't mind helping them achieve their goals in exchange for them helping her do the same. No words, only feelings, establish a trust between them and she agrees.
Castin becomes more infatuated with her as the days pass. She carries out small assignments, mostly delivering information, high above the groups lair in Galactic City. He is burdened by the fact that cannot be linked to her publicly, no romantic gestures, no surprise visits to Five Hundred Republica, nothing. Their interactions are always shrouded in secrecy. One particularly courageous afternoon, he asks her to take a walk so that he might attempt to discover how deep she goes. She accepts, finding safety in his defiant arrogance, like that of a scrappy schoolboy, and finally feels she has found someone she can be completely honest with. She tells Castin about her life, how she came to be on Coruscant, the prophecy and, hesitantly, the horrifying letter written and signed by Queen Greyson-Winton.
Melanie has not been able to bring herself to seriously confront the details until now.
It admits, in so many words, that Monica, Celeste and Henrick have been lied to and manipulated about what the prophecy is and how it would be used. The Queen and Celeste are confined to the Greyson Villa on Naboo while her father, Henrick is relegated to a lab on Bakura. Then the Queen names Alexander Winton as the one responsible. Her best friend's father. Parents who conspire against their children.
This information forces her into a series of seemingly insurmountable dilemmas.
There is no apology for any of it, the tone matter-of-fact, casual. Melanie is torn between flashes of anger and a profound sadness which both find ways of leaking out from beneath her increasing medication haze. The shadow of everything she now knows threatens to consume her soul. She needs to let it out, to hear it spoken out loud so that maybe, just maybe, she can believe it was actually happening. The walls are crumbling down. When she finishes the sordid tale, she finds her hands intertwined with Castin's.
"They knew. That's the most difficult part. Maybe not the whole story, maybe not the truth but they knew..."
Her voice becomes a whisper, face collapsing with emotion.
"...they knew."
As her legs buckle at the knee, Castin eases her down. He holds her close as she sobs into his chest. For several minutes he says nothing. He allows her the time to get it out before facing what she must do. With his head buried in blond curls, near her ear, he makes a promise.
"We will find a way."
*
Galactic City: Maxwell Residence
The door chime echoes through the house around ten-thirty, rousing Lucas from a drunken slumber. He is hurt and angry and confused. After the game, after they won, after the party, he went to see Melanie. She was not at Five Hundred Republica. To blow off some steam, he wandered the Esplanade reeling from rejection and the poor attempt his friends made at consoling him about it. Just when he thought he couldn't feel any lousier, he catches a glimpse of her beyond the reach of the main lights. Melanie gracefully exits what looks like a black racing speeder, the driver some punk commoner. She glances around guiltily before strolling away like it's perfectly normal to be shopping in the middle of the night. What could she see in a commoner, in someone that wasn't one of them? Lucas has everything and more and even held out much longer than Reef and Billy bet him he could. And for what? Nothing. She just walked even further away. Skyler was right. The chimes derail his thoughts and he struggles to get off the couch and cross the room.
Valerie is leaning precariously against the carved frame on the other side of the door.
"Can I come in?"
He is startled but not entirely unhappy to see her.
The Four generally travel in pairs, like a buddy system, if they are not all together. Billy thinks it's creepy, mostly because D'Arcy is excluded, but Lucas, Skyler and Reef insist it's hot and speculate on the things they do when they are alone. He has alcohol-fueled visuals streaming through his consciousness.
"Yeah, yeah, sure, come in."
Valerie strides by wearing a strapless black dress, even though its practically freezing outside. Her industrial-looking black heels are polished to the point of hurting his eyes. He glances away, angling back into the living room.
"Parents home?"
He laughs.
It's an answer.
She shrugs and takes notice of the slew of ale bottles lining the coffee and end tables. He offers her one, she takes it. He staggers, rights himself. It is then she realizes how sad/easy this is going to be. Something that will surely sting worse than a blow to the face. Doesn't really matter who you hurt in the process as long as you win.
That's Valerie's motto.
"You okay?"
"Not really," he mumbles, falling back onto the couch.
"I know why you are upset."
"That's great."
"I can even understand to some degree why you'd be pissed."
"Even better."
"She's just not that into you."
"Thank you, again. I know."
"One question though - Why do you want her?"
Lucas' eyes lose focus for a moment, glazed over with the memory of his and Melanie's first date - the perfect meal, the favorite and rare flower he got her, the way she shouted out his name before someone smashed into his speeder. It would have killed them both but she stopped it. She knew things which makes him wonder if she knew what truly lies in his heart. He's just a spoiled playboy like the rest of them and feared what she could do with her Force powers.
"She's special."
Valerie takes this in, her face a beautiful blank slate.
"You aren't good enough."
He rises too quickly, wobbling.
"That's bullshit. I am kilometers above that other guy!"
Juicy.
"What other guy?"
Lucas attempts a laugh, fails and settles for grimacing.
"Some fucking racer trash. Not our kind, if you know what I mean."
"Alien?" Valerie gasps, beyond horrified. Had Melanie sunk so low?
He scoffs, "Hell no! Human, punk, I think, it was dark. Definitely human though. Well, mostly."
"Don't even joke like that."
He slugs his ale, swaying closer to her.
"I don't joke."
She arches a premeditated brow and puts him on the defensive again.
"Maybe that's your problem. You did play it kind of safe with her."
"What are you talking about?"
Valerie sways casually closer.
"I saw how you whipped yourself into the kind of guy you think she wants. Rich, charming, well-mannered, impossibly idealistic, compassionate, cold as ice but you aren't exactly the white knight our fair Melanie is looking for, are you? I mean, you are some of those things. But not all. Not enough."
Lucas' shocked sneer becomes a sharp frown, brow creasing as it settles in.
"And I think you know it. That's why you're so angry. Not because you lost her but because, in the end, she made the right choice. You don't want to hurt her, hell no one does. Too much, anyway. It's not like any of the boys aside from Reef are getting any-"
"Skyler too."
Juicier.
Valerie pauses, cocking her head. The guy knows some serious gossip and its almost as easy to get it out of him as it is to get out of Kimber.
"I dare say I am impressed."
He laughs, "Tell me about, we all thought Skyler was gay."
"From you."
Lucas stops talking, swigs his beer.
Valerie smiles.
He closes the space between them, staring down into her serene face, everything clouding over.
"Why did you come here, Val? To tear me down? Tell me what I did wrong with Melanie? Throw the past in my face?"
"Maybe."
"Then get it over with so we can get back to the good times."
"Oh just shut the fuck up and relax." Valerie breathes, pushing him down onto the couch roughly. "I am the good time."
Juiciest.
-TBC
-
Previously, on Socially Acceptable Monsters...
Alexia returns to Hesperdium after spending a year and a half at the Academy on Carida to tell her sister to stay put and stick close to The Four.
A mysterious stranger watches Karen from afar.
Korriban
Surface
They arrive in a lone Imperial shuttle that lands at the mouth of the Valley of the Dark Lords. They would walk the remainder of the way. The sands are whipped up by a fierce wind that stings the skin but Dementat feels nothing but peace as he strides down the ramp and beholds the swirling crimson and gray skies. He can hear her screaming and cursing inside the shuttle. With a simple gesture, his left hand opening from a fist, the shackles fall from her wrists and ankles. Moments later, Alexia Winton collapses at the top of the ramp.
Dementat does not turn away from the ashen sky.
"Show me."
Hours later, as they trek past massive statues deteriorating under the elements and ruins of what were once great temples, Alexia leads him to a cave. It does not look unique from the thousands of other caves scoring Korriban's surface but it is a sacred place.
This is where, in a trance-like state, Alexia led a team of Imperial agents to uncover a set of scrolls buried by the ancient Sith Order who once ruled this planet. She was only a child then and did not know what it said but she knew it was important. Her father told her it means great things for her, that she must be mindful of the Emperor's wisdom, that it is her destiny.
They tell her she can find purpose and spare her family if only she serves the Empire.
As a Core-dwelling boy, Dementat had always shown a vast knowledge and control of the Force. One day he is summoned to the Imperial Palace and shown two pictures. Then they ask him to choose. When he chose, they seemed gratified and relieved and pointed to the other and said he was to train her.
They tell him it is written.
First he finds the one he chose and gazes upon her with a strange familiarity.
The day he first lays eyes upon Alexia Winton, she rapidly shifts between lucid and cooperative to unstable and incredibly violent. The stint at the Academy had toughened and taught her how to survive but the power within her continued to boil over. He is told the "blackouts" began after she suffered a trauma almost two years prior. There are no medications that seem to subdue these outbursts although there is much talk of extensive research being conducted on Bakura. He is told she has done some terrible things and he is now charged with evacuating the raging Winton royal off world before she can be linked to anything criminal. The Empire has been using her increasingly unpredictable outbursts for measures unknown but certain parties have become concerned with her terrifying lack of control.
Dementat must hone her madness and departs from Coruscant as instructed.
Alexia is restrained for the duration of the journey with a Imperial Intelligence prototype cerebral dampener to keep her brainwave activity pure. If she were to slip into a "blackout" state, he is told the results could be catastrophic. She remains calm most of the way but as they near a world ripe with dark energy, Alexia becomes agitated and fights the affects of the dampener. By the time they land, she is shrieking in a language he does not understand.
At the cave, Dementat stares into the darkness.
"Go now, your journey begins here."
Alexia nods and vanishes inside.
-TBC
-
Previously, on Socially Acceptable Monsters...
Agent Venko investigates Karen's claim that Alexia may have something to do with the recent murder-kidnappings.
The Four represent Raga'Ana, the premiere Imperial fashion house.
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Agent Venko waits with anticipation.
The Legacy Tower at North Coruscant had been initially fruitless. He was shut down at every turn. No one knows anything aside from what everyone already knows. There was "an incident" supposedly involving "a lab" that "exploded." The tapes had been allegedly "destroyed" during the "incident." Despite his credentials, no school official would provide details. He prepared to leave with nothing which is about all he had on the case to begin with. He prepared to dismiss Karen as a bored and spoiled socialite with too much time on her hands. He prepared to report the case had gone cold. He prepared for the possibility of being terminated but stopped just short of further, less favorable context.
Venko walks to the mag-lev which would take him back to the main platform. As he boards, so does one of the Administrative assistants from the Legacy Tower. She stares at him silently for the duration of the ride. It isn't until they are out in front of the school that she finally speaks quickly and clearly.
Lux Lynus is an alumni of North Coruscant who has worked here for three years with a double-bachelor in teaching and business administration from CU and is nearly done with a masters in Imperial Curriculums. The Legacy Tower got its name from the fact that it is owned and operated by several prestigious alumni after having gone on and done great things they want everyone to know about and remember. The "Legacy" part is a running joke with the student body past and present. Most of them will later go on to scholarships and post-grad opportunities as a result of the various funding these prestigious alumni offer. Lux is one of those former students. Working with the Administration of North Coruscant could score her positions at any number of renowned Academy's scattered throughout the Empire.
"And the incident?"
She glances back worriedly toward the Tower.
"I was there the day it happened."
She could feel the rumble from her desk and quickly scanned the security vids of surrounding floors. Part of her job was to anticipate any administrative need and relay information as quickly as possible. There was only one channel caught in static. Lux rewound the photage and what she saw she could not comprehend. She ripped a copy to a datacard and the area automatically locked down - security vids, access, everything. But she had the card. Security was dispatched and they were told to remain at their workstations. The Legacy Tower design allowed for each floor to work with others or as a self-contained unit. Evacuations could occur without complication or worry. Hours passed until they were told there was an incident in a faculty science lab. An experiment gone wrong. She assumed local authorities would be notified but no one came. No one took statements or asked questions which was made stranger by the fact that what she saw did not match the Dean's public statement. Although there are labs on that floor, what she saw did not occur in one.
The Administration called closed-door meetings with the entire Legacy staff.
She admitted nothing.
Tensions were running high all around the office. No one would say why. One night before she left, the building empty, she found a board member, someone she has known and respected for years, drinking alone in his office, staring through the darkened windows down into the Magnus Arena. He told her North Coruscant isn't what it used to be, that there used to be a sense of pride about what they do, how it's become such a scandal. She was about to leave when he mentioned the incident, called it bullshit, said that the girl is dangerous. So dangerous that they had to expel her but he doesn't think that will stop her. He said nothing would stop her.
Lux shutters as she finishes and mentions something about maybe talking to her reporter friend, this hotshot Corellian named Carlson. She just wants to do the right thing here.
"No press." Venko says lowly.
She nods.
"Where is the datacard now?"
There is a significant pause.
"You do want to help, don't you?"
Lux crosses her arms and nods again. She gives him an address and a time. He agrees to meet her.
Twisted webs.
As the drama unfolds, there is also a business aspect that must be handled elsewhere in Galactic City.
Maxi Marx calls The Four to the Raga'Ana corporate office on the Esplanade to discuss a recent lucrative request made by a celebrity fan and client.
It's a music video for Imperial pop superstar, Miz Vovo.
She is a galactic success as well as a music and style game changer who often defies Imperial society with her provocative image and wildly explicit bisexual escapades. In an interview where she is wearing parts of an actual forest moon, Miz Vovo nibbles on an organic salad and confesses to having an obsession with Raga'Ana couture. They are always featured in her videos along with many other labels who are more than happy to provide accessories in exchange for free advertising. This would take things to an all new level of marketing.
Miz Vovo; twenty-two, vegetarian, steadfastly single with an aversion to wearing pants. She scored her first hit right out of high school and has since built a unique brand and after asking a personal favor of Maxi Marx, she secures The Four to star in the new video for which they are paid a phenomenal amount of credits. The video does what it supposed to do: pair up the It-people and make the public want a life they can't have. With the Four involved, it is rumored the single will break industry sales records and triple Raga'Ana's quarterly profits. Everybody wins!
The single is aptly titled "Pretty Mess"
The video is shot in an abandoned munitions factory which the set designers transform into an industrial multi-platform club. Candles are lit, glass is broken and thrown everywhere, scantily clad Imperial youth are strategically placed on uneven durasteel platforms. Shirtless hunks wearing Stormtrooper helmets and black hot pants dance together near where Miz Vovo dry humps a decaying throne chair wearing a risqué twist on the Moff uniform. Below, the mass of revelers thrash around and against each other, so much skin, sweat and oil. Somewhere in the crowd is The Four, separated from each other, lost. The objective is to first find each other then find Miz Vovo. To do so they have to wade through hoards of impossibly attractive people and join her beside the throne chair. A grueling days work, for sure.
A voice fades in, whispering, music building behind it.
"I'm a princess. I'm a pretty mess."
"Everything you see you want
I will be your confidante
Everything I am I bought
Dress me up, a debutant.
I'm a royal diplomat
I can be your back doormat
Treat me as your concubine
Everything you have is mine."
The song is blaring as the singers voice, strained and seductive, makes proclamations.
"I'm a princess"
(Karen slowly turning with a look of smug distain)
"I'm a temptress"
(Valerie grinding, hands sliding down her body)
"I'm a pretty mess."
(Melanie spinning in slow-motion, blond curls spilling through the air)
"I'm a mistress."
(Kimber bringing a finger over her lips. giggling)
"I'm a - mess. Mess. Mess. Mess. Mess."
The Four perform an intense synchronized routine as they maneuver through the crowds, reaching the stairs together. They begin to climb, groping and fondling the railings as the music builds, the voice becoming more synth.
"Mess. Mess. Mess. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Mess. Mess. Mess."
When they reach Miz Vovo, she is sitting with her legs crossed singing in the throne chair, arms thrown out as if to protect them. They writhe around before striking the perfect pose, framing the throne and Miz Vovo as the cameras pull back, widening the shot, crowd raging below, solidifying status, creating effect, sending a message -
-TBC
*actual song and lyrics by Erika Jayne (Dave Aude Club) - it just fit my purpose.
-
Coruscant
Surface
Kimber catches Agent Venko by the lifts in Five Hundred Republica. If it were any of the others, he would have simply waved and continued on his way. Not the case with Miss Patten. She is coy, sweet and extremely beautiful which stops him in his tracks.
"Headed out?"
"I've got to meet someone."
"A female someone?" she teases playfully.
"Maybe."
"Oh."
He smiles.
She bites her lower lip.
"It's work-related. Possible lead."
"Work, work, work." she laughs. "Don't you do anything else?"
"Sometimes. I take it you are here on a social call?"
"Melanie and I are working on a project for school."
"So its business then?"
"Mostly."
They stare at each other for a while before Venko clears his throat.
"I should be off."
"Or you could stay."
"I could but..."
"But what?"
"That might be wrong."
"Might be or is?"
Venko chuckles nervously, glancing back toward the lifts then to her.
"That's quite the loaded question."
"Don't let the press fool you. I'm not that retarded."
"I think you don't give yourself enough credit."
"Thanks but you'd be surprised by how little personality factors in."
His face softens as he frowns.
"There are girls twice your age without as much personality or poise...."
She steps slightly closer, enough for his fingers to go numb.
"You don't have to say what we both know. I'm just a girl and you are an agent."
"An agent who is supposed to protect the girl."
"And who is too old for the girl."
"Well, I'm not that old."
"That's best part."
"What part is that?"
She giggles, looking up at him with wide violet eyes.
"The girl doesn't care."
"Unfortunately, the agent has to."
"She knows he does. The girl just wants him to know other things too."
He is trying not to grin madly.
"Consider it noted."
As he turns to leave, she touches his arm.
"I could go with you."
"That's probably not the best idea."
"I can be useful. I've got all sorts of skills."
"It could be dangerous."
"I hear that makes life more interesting."
Venko is about to refuse when something dawns on him. Lux Lynus had seemed so hesitant to help, not wanting to betray her superiors who hold make-or-break recommendations. Perhaps if she saw someone who could be harmed if she didn't do something about it. He does not want to use Kimber in this way but it might just be the one thing that gets Lux to hand over the datacard.
"Alright but I need you to follow my instructions."
She bounds past him into the lifts, "To the letter."
"What about the project for school?"
"It can wait."
*
With a clash of thunder, it begins to rain.
Outside the glitz and show of Galactic City, the towers grow darker in color. Venko eases the speeder into one of the faster light traffic lanes and heads forty-five kilometers across town. As they near the Coruscant University Graduate Campus, he slows the speeder and pulls out of the traffic lane and between several identical towers to land on the fourth in the series.
The building is dingy, unassuming and in need of repairs. It's about what Venko imagined for a graduate student. Kimber hops out of the covered speeder and dashes under the awning. She does not want to ruin the gold fitted trench coat protecting a simple black dress or the strappy black and gold heels. Venko strides slowly toward her, not caring if the black security uniform gets wet.
At the exterior door, he glances her over.
"That's awfully trendy for a school project."
She shrugs, "Part of the contract."
"What? That you have to be uncomfortable and overdressed for everything?"
"No, we're supposed to personify the essence of the brand or something like that. I don't remember but who said anything about being uncomfortable? If you can run in these you can run in anything."
Venko laughs and enters his ISB code to override the building controls. The door hisses open and they step inside. The halls could use a coat of paint and the lighting leaves large pockets of shadows. She stays close. He approaches the apartment door to find it partly open. The control panel is fried and hanging from the wall. Kimber's mouth falls open and she steps back. Venko draws his blaster and grips the door.
"Miss Lynus?"
Nothing.
He pulls open the door and steps inside. Kimber does not want to wait out in that hall and slips in after him. The apartment is drafty and completely trashed. Drawers smashed to bits, clothes torn and strewn across the living room. One couch has a giant slash through it, stuffing spilled out and tossed around. It litters the broken coffee table. The room lights flicker as he steps through the mess. There are large deep scratch marks along the walls in uneven patterns. He traces the grooves with his finger. It was done by a blade and a big one at that. Applied with a lot of force. In one hand he has the blaster and is surprised to find Kimber's hand in the other. He thinks he hears a speeder nearby, noticing the smashed window and origin of the draft. Glass on the miniscule patio is on the outside, thin drapes billowing out into the night.
"Miss Lynus?" he calls again.
So silent, so still, the breeze barely a whisper in the room.
Her voice trembles lightly.
"What...do you think....happened to her?"
"I don't know."
"Well, whatever she knew....it was important."
"Why do you say that?"
"No one makes this much of a mess unless they are looking for something specific. Try losing your favorite lipstick and you'll see what I'm talking about."
"Specific."
That's what he was afraid of. Someone must have seen them talking.
"Yeah, um, Venko? There's, like, blood on this glass."
He moves to the patio and kneels down, careful not to disturb anything. Deep crimson blood clings to several larger shards of glass and with the present state of coagulation it had not been there very long. If someone had seen Venko and Lux exchange words then that same someone might be watching them now. He stands quickly, startling her.
"We've got go. Now."
"Nik, wait, I think we should-"
He is already pulling her away from the patio and through the living room when the Imperial police burst into the apartment, blasters out, lights trained on the two people trying to shield their eyes.
Someone had called it in.
Now an Imperial Security Agent stands at a possible crime scene with an underage model.
Venko shakes his head.
Fuck.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface
Lux Lynus knew she had revealed too much.
From the moment she departs North Coruscant, she begins receiving menacing com-calls, whispers of interference and consequences. One sobering thought stays with her: the Imperial authorities can't help her. The Legacy Tower Alumni have connections that span the entire length of the network. In a panic, she calls Kent Carlson on Corellia. He does not answer. She does not leave a message. Instead, she calls the one person she knew could help her. An old friend of her brother's who dealt in the information business. He meets her without question and she gives him the datacard containing the Legacy Tower security photage and tells him that it must find its way to Agent Nikoli Venko of Imperial Security. He asks her to repeat the name as if he is uncertain he heard correctly. When she does, he agrees. She returns home to find a familiar face waiting there.
*
Days later, far below the glitz and glamour of Galactic City, Castin Donn approaches Melanie Masterton.
"I have a question."
Her serene face is full of light.
"Ask away."
"Who protects you? I mean, up there."
She smiles, "A team of highly trained but unfortunately slow Imperial agents."
"Lead by whom?"
"I told you already, Agent Venko. He's Imperial Security and fairly harmless. He's not like the others. Not like St. Claire. I think he may even be questioning his role in all this. Why do you ask?"
Castin steps forward and hands her a datacard.
"I have not watched it but I think you should."
"Where did you get it?"
He pauses, swallowing hard.
"Castin? It's okay, you can tell me."
He does not want to frighten, upset or burden her more than she has been already but at this point it seems almost unavoidable. Melanie is the one who must handle the information.
"You should watch it because the girl who gave it to me is dead and said it needed to get to an Imperial Security Agent named Nikoli Venko. The same agent who watches over you and your friends."
Melanie's lips part in confusion and curiosity.
"We shall watch it together."
Castin takes her hand and leads her into a room where a salvaged projector sits atop a deeply scratched table. She hands him the datacard which he slips into the consol. He taps several controls, the projector stalling. He bangs his fist against it and the device whirs to life. They focus intently on what appears but Melanie is not prepared for the things she sees.
An unidentified man attempts to sexually assault Alexia Winton in a lavishly decorated office. He has her pinned down to a large desk, skirt hiked up high. As he moves his hands down her body, she reaches around, sliding an arm around his neck, seemingly staring into the camera, eyes going dark, blacked out, smiling. Then she seems to snap out of it, looking around wildly, confused. She pushes him away. He pushes her back onto the desk. She attempts to move around him, heading for the door. He grabs her arm, hauling her back. She crashes into the desk. At first it looks like some sort of game but her movements become more desperate and it becomes clear that she is trying to escape. He blocks the door and reaches for her. Her face relaxes again, transforms into something else. Alexia fights him in some kind of rage, light and energy sparking throughout the room, growing brighter until it fills the screen, blinding before the feed turns to static.
Melanie is gripping Castin's hand, breathing heavily, almost panting.
"Where....is this photage from?"
"What?"
"The location of the photage? Where is it shot?"
"I think she said....the Legacy Tower."
Melanie winces.
"You know what that is, what that means?"
"The Legacy Tower is on the North Coruscant Campus."
"And the girl?"
"Is my best friends sister."
"The crazy chick who got shipped off to Carida?"
"Yes."
"Guess we know why she's crazy."
Last year, Karen told Melanie that Carli Cole told her she heard a rumor. A rumor about Alexia and a faculty member. Not just a professor or teacher's aide but a member of the Administrative staff. They had dismissed it as rubbish. Now Melanie isn't so sure. Could this be proof of that allegation?
"Why would this girl want Venko to have the datacard or this information? Who is this girl?"
Castin had gone back to check up on Lux but found her apartment swarming with agents and disappeared into the night. When he returned to the twilight place, the HoloNet confirmed it. He decided to give the datacard to Melanie.
"A friend of mine has a little sister he told me to look out for while he's off fighting the good fight. She called and asked me for a favor."
Melane ignores the com-link incessantly vibrating in her purse.
"But who is she? What does she do? I need more information to go on."
"Her name is Lux Lynus and she's super smart and got some kind of office job at that fancy school you go to. Mel, I barely see her! I swear. This was all out of the blue."
"Office job?"
"Yeah, an assistant."
"What kind?"
Castin shrugs, "Administrative, I think."
Was Venko looking for something? Maybe he could help them.
Melanie powers down the projector and ejects the card.
"Even if you give it to him, he can't know it was you. An ISB Agent, regardless of how sympathetic, is still an ISB Agent."
"You don't think I should?"
He sighs, pulling her close.
"I don't want to help the Empire by any means but Lux is dead and it sounds like your friends might be in trouble. I only worry your direct involvement with him could bring them down on all of us."
"Don't worry," Melanie says. "I'll be a ghost."
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Karen taps a heel nervously against the polished tiles, gripping the limited-edition com-link as it rings endlessly.
“Dammit, Mel.â€Â
It kicks to voicemail and she scoffs, snapping the device closed. She turns around to find a white transport idling on the nearby platform. It had been called the moment she had been awoken in the middle of the night and told Kimber was down at the precinct and would not be released until her identity was verified. It is the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard, considering a billboard with Kimber’s name and face a hundred stories high is located not even three blocks from the station. Valerie is her in-case-of-emergency contact but no one can rouse her from the Hyperion Building. Furious, Karen is taken over where she pounds on the door for twenty minutes until Valerie finally emerges. Lucas is standing right behind her wearing only boxer shorts and a sleepy expression. Karen gasps but does not have time to get into it. She demands Valerie get dressed and meet her over at the Five Hundred Republica executive platform in a half an hour. When Karen returns, calling Melanie for the hundreth, she finds the white transport.
She motions to a platform attendant, snapping her fingers.
“Um, excuse me? What the fuck is that? My contract says black hoverlimo only!â€Â
The attendant blinks, stunned.
She is not in the mood.
“What? We’re deaf and mute now? Wonderful. How can I put this in a way you will understand? We’re not riding in that.â€Â
“Your Highness-“
“No, no, no excuses! Just pick up that com and make it happen.â€Â
He nods, defeated, and returns to his reception desk. The white transport disappears and is replaced by a black hoverlimo as Valerie strolls onto the platform.
“So, like, what’s the haps?â€Â
“Oh, knock it off, Val. Your nonchalance is unconvincing tonight. Kimber’s at the Galactic City precinct.â€Â
“What? Why?â€Â
“Apparently, she was picked up with Venko at a crime scene near CU.â€Â
“Coruscant University is like, an hour away from here!â€Â
“It’s nice to know you have a firm grasp on geography but that’s not exactly the most relevant part of what I said.â€Â
“Um, bitch much?â€Â
Karen sneers, “You really want to play the name game?â€Â
Valerie purses her lips and smiles.
“Where’s Melanie?â€Â
“I don’t know but it’s a good thing she wasn’t there when you answered your door.â€Â
Karen storms across the platform to the hoverlimo with Valerie trailing behind.
*
Surface: Galactic City Precinct
Kimber has been crying for hours. It’s her fault, after all. She did tag along despite Venko's warnings and now they might all be in serious trouble. Not only had they wandered into Lux Lynus’ trashed apartment but her mangled body was found by the authorities several stories below hanging from one of the patios. When they wheeled her body past them, there was so much blood that nearly the entire sheet was soaked crimson. Kimber did not bother to ask what happened mostly because she was terrified to know.
After what seems like forever, Karen and Valerie appear in the corridor. She leaps out of the chair and throws herself toward them. They embrace in the hall. Karen trades barbs with a detective and verifies it is, indeed, Kimber Patten. She is released shortly after and instructed not to leave Coruscant until they finish the investigation.
“Where’s Venko?â€Â
Kimber looks around worriedly.
“I dunno, they won’t let me see him. I tried to explain but they wouldn’t listen. They said he should never have brought me there in the first place.â€Â
Valerie nods, looping an arm around Kimber’s waist.
“Well, they are right, sweetie. A crime scene isn’t a place for people like us.â€Â
Karen shoots her a look.
Kimber sighs, “That’s just the thing. He never would have taken me there if he knew that was going to be the case. I don’t think it was supposed to be like that. I don’t think she was supposed to be dead.â€Â
“Dead?â€Â
“Serious dead. Like, splatter-movie dead.â€Â
“How awful.â€Â
Kimber nods sadly, near tears again.
“Come on,†Valerie says. “Let’s get you the hell out of here. Venko can take care of himself.â€Â
-TBC
-
Previously, on Socially Acceptable Monsters...
Venko and Kimber are discovered at a murder scene.
Alexander tightens his web of deception.
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City Precinct
Agent Venko sits at a table in a dimly lit interview room. The projector in front of him hums to life and displays the shadowed face of The Director. No distinct features can be made out and to the best of Venko's knowledge, no one has ever actually seen him in person. All instruction, order and missives are usually given through messages. They say it is to protect Imperial interests but it instills fear deep into the hearts of all branches.
The Director's voice is low and distorted.
"You disappoint me, Agent Venko."
"I'm sorry, sir. There seems to be a misunderstanding-"
"Is it? Then explain it to me. Explain how one of the assets you are ordered to protect ended up in a potentially dangerous and life-threatening situation."
Venko clears his throat.
"I was following a lead in the Cole-Price case and believe miss Patten could have helped in obtaining relevant information. The contact needed a...less official face to feel comfortable. At the time, there was no clear and present danger. There was no reason to believe this contact was a target or that the situation could have escalated to the point of criminal activity. I see now this was a mistake and I apologize. It will never happen again."
The Director's imagine glowers, briefly caught in static before correcting.
A tense and excruciatingly long pause ensues.
"I would hope not, for your sake. It would be a shame to waste such a promising agent. Remember your place, Venko. You are Imperial Security not some cheap noir detective. Your primary objective is to protect The Four. Further deviation from this task will not be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?"
Venko nods, "Perfectly, sir."
"Then go."
"That's...all, sir?
"You wish for more?"
"No, no, I just-"
"Tread carefully, Venko and remember I am watching you. Always."
The Director's image disappears and the projector powers down.
Stunned with disbelief, Venko rises quickly from the chair. As he walks through the door he is struck by doubt. Agents guilty of less have been immediately terminated on the spot. Tolerance has forever been in short supply. So why spare him? If he's just a glorified bodyguard then why not replace him? Only one reason he can think of.
They need him for something.
*
Byss
Surface: Emerald Splendor Estates
Alexander Winton pushes the chair back and away from the consol.
Under the auspices of a RepulsorCorp emergency he returns to his personal hideaway. The place he can escape the superficial corporate life he must maintain for the sake of destiny. He had purchased the exclusive residence a few months after the Winton and Masterton family moved to the Core. The girls were still children and their wives still unsuspecting of anything foul. Things are much different now. Measures must be taken to ensure everyone stays in line. There can be minimal interference outside what is absolutely unavoidable and this has taken a significant toll on Monica and Celeste. Henrick is easier to control as he believes he is searching for a cure to Alexia's madness. Wives are always trickier. Women so often fancy themselves clever it sickens him. It makes his life considerably more difficult so he must escape to the glorious darkness of Byss in order to oversee certain activities.
Another summer approaches and the kids of North Coruscant High are busy little things.
The boy-spy has sullied his sway in the group with personal drama. This upsets him greatly but one cannot reasonably expect better from irrational and emotional teenagers. Alexander orders he repair it immediately before all trust is lost.
His beautiful daughter, tenacious and perceptive in all the wrong ways, nearly cost Agent Venko his life. Had he stumbled upon the events at Legacy Tower he would know just how much power his children possess. It may cause conflicts of interest he would just as soon avoid. Venko must continue to view them as assets and nothing more. And he does with all but one.
Patten may be a problem.
Gellar is on the war path. Thankfully, it's in the wrong direction. She finds herself no closer to the truth. May "Jerico Gellar" rest in peace.
"Heh!" Alexander laughs out loud.
Masterton is holding up surprisingly well. She has taken considerable risk following Monica's instruction but has yet to produce a viable link to the both the Jedi and that wretched Alliance. He had taken it upon himself to ease up her personal security detail therefore allowing her the delusion that she's getting away with it all. The traitor. She may be able to see into the future but cannot control or understand it which is why she will never see it coming.
Then there is Alexia. Sweet, sadistic Alexia. He knew it would get ugly but heavens help the Maker. Monica had tried to spoil the fun but it just wasn't time yet. A part of Alexia still believes she is doing this for the right reasons. The once and future Dementat will fail and only through that failure can he succeed with Karen. Even though he knows Alexia is slated to lose, his one and true hope is that she bucks prediction and takes it all.
Alexander walks from the darkened office and down a long black corridor lit only by spiked sconces. The red blast door at the end of the hall slides apart as he approaches. Beyond lies what he likes to call the 'evidence locker,' a room filled with artifacts and priceless wonders including the centerpiece of his life's work. He stops in front of a vaulted transparasteel case which contains the original scrolls recovered from Korriban. He runs his finger along the smooth, clear surface. Such a wonderful, useful and extremely profitable prize.
The Persephonea Prophecy and it's complete translation.
It is not the copy his wife stole from him.
It is not the copy she gave to Masterton.
It is not the copy that will eventually fall into the hands of the Jedi.
It is not the copy they will expect and prepare for.
Alexander smiles at his own reflection.
It is so much worse.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City: North Coruscant High
The days grow as long as they do hot.
As the weeks pass, a fraction of normalcy is restored by the fervor of upcoming finals. There is talk of summer plans and goals for the following year. Excitement ramps up across the campus in everyone but Lucas Maxwell. His affair with Valerie has spiraled out of control. He was hurt that Melanie found someone else and the girlfriend of his best friend was the most self-destructive route available. Reef has been scarce anyway and Valerie mentioned something about him being an asshole. He wasn't really paying attention. There wasn't time. Valerie did all the talking and for a while it was almost nice to have someone take the lead instead of always stepping further away. Then he makes the mistake of sleeping over the night Kimber is arrested and Karen shows up in the middle of the night to blow it all to hell. Lucas has been expecting the wrath for too long because on the surface the group seems fine. They are the dazzling spectacle of youth and it's driving him crazy. Crazy enough to suck it up.
He finds Melanie after school one hazy afternoon by her locker in HOME2.
"Hey Mel."
Her smile puts a serious dent in his bravado.
"Oh, hi Lucas. How's it going?"
He sighs wearily.
"You don't have to pretend anymore."
She taps the locker closed and turns to face him.
"What do you mean?"
"You know."
"I'm afraid I don't."
"Karen didn't tell you?"
"Karen didn't tell me what?"
Lucas swallows hard. She is staring at him with an expression of curiosity that is quickly becoming concern. He has already lost her but feels she deserves to hear it from him. The nature of secondhand information would surely distort the facts. Not that there is any way to soften them.
"I slept with Valerie."
"You did....what?"
"It just happened....I let it happen....I can't say anything other than....I'm sorry."
"I see."
"You don't seem surprised."
She exhales with a clenched jaw.
"With her, I'm not. With you it's a different story. I thought you were better than that. What about Reef?"
"I don't know..."
"He's your best friend."
Lucas glances down, away from her. He wants to call her out, to scream that he saw he with someone else but can't bring himself to point fingers after what he's done.
Melanie crosses her arms.
"He is the one who really deserves your apology. Not me."
"But I am sorry...."
"Then prove it."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Tell Reef the truth."
Lucas finally looks up into her blue eyes.
"What about Valerie?"
Melanie's smile falls.
"Let me worry about Valerie."
*
Hyperion Building: Galatea Suite
The door chime echoes at eight.
Kimber is in her room blasting music and obsessing about why Venko is being distant so Valerie pads through the living room to answer it. She finds Melanie planted on the other side.
Valerie smirks.
"I was wondering when you'd turn up. Come on in."
Melanie takes two steps past her, turns, and slaps her hard. Valerie's head jerks to the right and holds before righting itself. She feels blood but does not touch the side of her lip. The door hisses closed in the seconds of silence that follow.
"Now that's what I've been waiting for. The ever-polite Melanie Masterton with the gloves off."
She scoffs, disgusted.
"For the life of me I can't figure out why you do half the things you do. I try not to judge but you hit below the belt so often it makes it seem like you are intentionally trying to make enemies out of everyone."
"You try not the judge? That's a laugh."
"Don't be so flip."
"All you do is judge! You are judging me right now. You frown down upon those who love to live it up. People make mistakes, Melanie. They mess things up, test the limits before figuring shit out. That's what we're supposed to do. Not everyone can be as perfect as you. At least that's what I used to think before I found out about your secret lover. Guess I'm not the only one with a flair for scandal."
Melanie recoils, "What are you talking about?"
"The commoner Lucas saw you with before he ended up inside me."
Somehow it's always worse when Valerie paraphrases it.
The statement lingers in the air, stifling everything. Her mind is whirling to all the times she had met Castin. They had been so careful to avoid being seen together. There could be no link between her and the underworld.
"I spoke with Lucas earlier and he never mentioned it. As usual, you have no idea what you are talking about."
Valerie is not convinced.
"Don't I? He seemed pretty sure."
Melanie quickly diverts the conversation.
"Why would you do this to Reef? I thought you were together."
"People think a lot of things."
"So cryptic, so deep. I don't even know why I even bother asking."
"You want something, you take it."
"No, Valerie, you don't. Especially when that something isn't yours to take."
"So you've staked some sort of claim on Lucas? Could have fooled me. You've been stringing him along for over a year. How much is a guy supposed to take? You could have just let him down easy. You could have been predictably sweet and honest. You could have broken it off when you found your little sordid side-dish but did you? No. You want him spun like you want us all spun. You want us to believe you are above it all but you aren't, are you?"
"No one is."
"Then stop acting like you're so fucking righteous."
"I suppose that would be like asking you to stop acting like a whore."
Valerie's olive colored eyes flare.
"I am not a whore!"
Melanie smiles tightly.
"Oh I'm sorry, Valerie. A slut then. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a virtue. If you are so envious of my alleged image than maybe you should start by closing your legs."
"Touché but if you had bothered opening yours, Lucas would never have fallen for it in the first place."
"You make sex sound like a weapon."
"It can be if you would only allow yourself to use it as one. That's your problem."
"I don't have a problem."
"Yeah you do. All that sneaking around isn't exactly your style. So it makes me wonder what you have to hide."
Melanie glares at her defiantly.
"I don't have to explain anything to you."
"I guess lying to everyone is easier."
"You would know."
Valerie smiles slyly, stepping past her to open the door.
"Then I guess it's a good thing we have this little defining moment. Consider yourself warned."
Melanie shakes her head, unable to fathom the layers and complexity of Valerie's motives and storms out into the hall.
*
Five Hundred Republica: Masterton Residence
Furious and upset, Melanie returns to find Karen sitting in the living room waiting for her.
The tension causes a spark in the air so loud it crackles and hums.
"Why didn't you tell me about Lucas and Valerie?"
Karen's mouth falls open, "Ohhhhh shit. I totally spaced that."
"How could you forget something like that? That's.....huge! Gigantic even! I mean, really, Karen, surely you would have thought this was worth mentioning even in passing."
"Okay don't hate my face but there has been a lot going on...."
"What? You and Skyler not win couple of the year?"
"Whoa, slow down crazy and stop projecting! I'm trying to apologize here."
Melanie winces, fighting back another wave of tears.
"It seems everyone wants to apologize today. Everyone, that is, except Valerie."
"She certainly has a way with people. Look, I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I didn't know what to think. Kimber was at the station, you were unreachable, and so I finally tracked down Valerie. There he was looking crushed and caught. I thought maybe he would say something since Lucas strikes me as the type to own up to his blunders."
"He did."
"Does that make it any better?"
"No."
"Didn't think so. Are you going to be alright?"
"I won't be speaking to Valerie anytime soon but I'll live. What has you so distracted you failed to share vital information with your best friend?"
Karen's face tightens. She didn't come here tonight to tell Melanie about Lucas' wandering penis. There is something much more important weighing down her thoughts. Venko's investigation turned up nothing. He told her to stop creating drama and focus on the present moment. She tried but an ugly feeling lingers.
"You told me once before that maybe we should be afraid of Alexia. More than just socially, I mean. I think you might be right."
Melanie shivers, fragments of the vision attached to a prophecy hidden far below Galactic City spinning back through her mind.
"How so?"
"There is something I didn't tell you about last summer. It's not that I didn't want to but I had to wrap my own mind around it. Plus I didn't want to freak you out anymore than you already were."
She takes a breath.
"Alexia came to Bolerathon Tower. She said things that may or may not have been a warning. It's not exactly in her nature to be forthcoming but the more I think about it the more I'm sure something terrible is happening."
Melanie's heart is pounding.
"Terrible like how? What did she say?"
Karen frowns sharply.
"Alexia said the reason she was sent to Carida is because someone had to be. We are different than everyone else in a world where connection to the Force is regulated by the Empire. She made it sound like her service, willing or unwilling, allowed for you and I to have this life. I mean think about it. People with similar powers were slaughtered in the past. Hundreds if not thousands of them. And yet here we are, strutting our shit all over the place right in front of the fully aware Emperor without so much as a raised brow? I'm not so sure I want the other shoe to drop. The thing that really gets me, what really makes me wonder is - What if she's right?"
Melanie wants to tell her but manages to cling to the greater good.
Lying to everyone is easier.
Consider yourself warned.
So she lies.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface
In the twilight place, Melanie finds Castin at the hideout and throws her arms around him. He holds her tightly without asking questions. Her burden is epic but he has seen her capacity for good which is why it must be her. Finally, she pulls back and stares into his face.
"It's done."
"Can it be traced?"
"No. I made sure."
"Just because you can't tell them doesn't mean you can't show them the way. You are helping them help themselves. If they can escape what is written then we all might stand a chance."
"I know."
"Then why you do look so sad?"
"They know."
"Know what?"
"About you. Lucas saw us together and told Valerie."
"Shit."
Castin knows the risk of association. She is wonderful but her friends are notoriously unpredictable. Their exploits are splashed across the Holo in bold colored print. They are what those of the underworld call untouchables - gorgeous creatures who prance along the thin line between drama and scandal all while blinded by the lights of the media. It's a feat not many can attempt let alone succeed in which is why it is that much more alluring. The public loves a worthy distraction. He finds it all a bit self-obsessive but in these uncertain times it doesn't hurt to have a convincing front. If you can convince everyone you are a certain thing then suspicion will slide down the slick surface. Strangely he is not angry with her. He is not angry with himself. He is in the business of erasing and rewriting information and there is a small part of him that enjoys the fact that her friends now know she has found someone.
"I'm so sorry, Castin. I never meant for this to happen."
"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. Besides, I've got good news."
"You do?"
He kisses her softly and whispers.
"I may have found what you are looking for."
*
High above, within a giant empty apartment in Five Hundred Republica, Karen turns over in bed. Skyler smiles, eyes closed, exposed pale shoulder, tousled curls, one leg draped lazily over the side of the bed. She laughs. Their hands find each other beneath the wrinkled sheets. She leans closer, crimson hair stunning against the white pillows. Skyler opens his eyes and they are blue and endless and seem to understand something and love that something regardless.
"Beautiful boy."
"Beautiful girl."
"Would you say it's fated?"
"Oh, destiny for sure."
"Without the tragic ending."
"Yes, nix the tragedy. Throw in a bunch of cheeky banter. Heavy on the snogging. Maybe some nude painting, a little classical music, the prerequisite passing of time montage..."
"Boo! No one gets away with a montage anymore."
"Some shaky cutaways then? We could go indie here at any moment."
"We certainly have the back story baggage and issues to boot."
"Somehow I think our first world problems won't seem so dire to the smugglers and traders scraping to get by."
She yawns.
"Well, it would certainly be more interesting."
He pulls her hand from beneath the covers and kisses it before sitting up and kissing her neck. She grins and falls back against the sheets. They kiss briefly before she pauses, zoning out, losing focus. Skyler breaks away and proves how well he really knows her.
"It's Alexia, isn't it?"
"Can't stop thinking about her."
"Why do you do this to yourself?"
"She's my sister."
"Who's taken a completely different path than you. It may not seem logical but it's not up to you to decide what's right for her. You can only really worry about yourself. And me, of course."
Karen laughs, sliding a finger gently across his face.
"That's what Melanie said. I thought Alexia was somehow the key to all this weirdness because she was always the key. Anything kooky or crazy usually had something to do with her. But Venko said nothing is up. She's just being trained by the Empire to do Maker only knows what..."
"You sound like you want her to be evil."
Karen glances down.
"If she is then maybe that means I'm the good one."
"You are."
Their eyes meet.
"Says who? I'm part of her, she's part of me. I can't bring myself to believe she volunteered for this out of some sense of loyalty to me or our family which means they chose her for a reason. The Empire knows she's capable of something awful."
Skyler holds her. She is trembling.
"Shh, shh, you are working yourself into a state. I understand why you would search for answers. Carli and Tenley. I know. It's been a strange year for everyone but that doesn't make it Alexia's fault. You are only trying to make sense of senseless tragedy. We all are."
Karen wipes a tear from her cheek.
"And you think that's all it is?"
Skyler smiles his most reassuring smile and squeezes her hand.
"That's all it is."
*
In the Hyperion Building, Reef taps the door chime for the Galatea Suite. Valerie answers in a red bra, black boy shorts and platforms. She glances him over, rolls her eyes and moves away from the door. Reef follows and stops her by speaking up.
"I just had a very interesting conversation with Lucas."
She turns slowly, smile laced with the triumph of calculated audacity.
"Oh yeah? How's he doin?"
Reef laughs hollowly, "Not so good. Your claws are a lot sharper than I gave you credit for. Did a real number on him."
"Hurt is a game two people can play. Looks like you hurt more. I win. Bummer."
"You've got balls."
"Thanks and you certainly have some brass too coming over here thinking you now have some sort of moral high ground. Not even the mighty Melanie has that anymore so you, my friend, haven't got a leg to stand on."
"Look, I fucked up alright? How many more times can I say it?"
Valerie considers this.
"As many as it takes for me to believe you. Get comfortable. It might be a while."
He snorts, squaring his shoulders.
"Don't act like I'm not worth it, bitch. Even you are smarter than that."
"You say that like you care, like you are without blame."
"Blame? Trust me, this isn't my fault and for the record no one knows that you hit me. I didn't even mention it."
"You...didn't?"
"Nope. Your precious rep is still intact. Hell, people may even feel sorry for you now and you will thank me for the sympathy vote later. Want to know why?"
"Actually I do."
Valerie crosses her arms.
"You might be worth it too. I figured if I blabbed it all over school it would turn into this nightmarish social issue that would consume far too much time and energy and probably wind up making me look like some sort of women's rights hero. Then I thought, hey, Reef deserves worse and Melanie could stand to come down a few notches so why not just use Lucas to do both?"
"That's some fucked up shit, Val."
"You think? And while I'm serving up warnings consider this yours. Put your hands on me again in a way that doesn't involve pleasure and so help me I will fucking kill your ass dead. Literally, kill you fucking. You might enjoy it but your never coming back from it. Am I making myself clear?"
Reef adjusts himself and nods.
"Good, now get back down there and make it up to me."
*
The following day, Agent Venko wanders the Esplanade on his lunch break. He had done as instructed and shut Karen down hard. Her wild speculation is hedging into uncomfortable ISB territory. The Director's insistence only makes him more curious. It means she's on to something but she can't know that. Not if she doesn't want to move from asset to target. Then there is Kimber. He can't stay away, no matter how hard he tries. She calls and he finds himself floating forward, unable to stop. Kimber appears out of the crowds, falling into step beside him. She takes his hand and leads him away. In the shadows of an ally, she turns.
"You came."
"I couldn't resist."
"Good to know," she says, giggling. "I quite like you, Nikoli. I do. Even though you tell me I shouldn't, I can't help myself."
"That makes two of us. I like you too. A lot. I just don't want to put you in any more danger..."
"It's a dangerous world but I feel much safer with you in it."
Venko smiles as he grasps both of her hands, "We have to be careful."
"It'll be our little secret."
Kimber leans up on her heels, head tilting to the right as their lips connect. The kiss is intense and passionate. It fills his head with colors that overwhelm his senses. As she pulls away, tugging on his lower lip, she giggles again.
"Don't you have a case to solve?"
"If only there were any viable leads."
"You'll catch a break soon. Promise."
Back at his office, there is a song in his heart. He moves with a purpose that had escaped him before. There is a stack of mail on his desk that he sorts through casually, lost in thought about Kimber's face, her laugh, how her lips taste. Then he comes across an unmarked package among repeated reports from a rather eager Agent Ames citing considerable and alarming lapses in Masterton's timeframe. He pushes them aside, focusing only on the package. It is small, rectangular and contains no markings on either side. He rips off the top and turns the package over.
A datacard drops out.
-TBC
Next, on the series 2 finale of Socially Acceptable Monsters....
Who among them answers to Alexander Winton? What will Alexia face in the cave on Korriban?
-
Now: The Series 2 Finale of Socially Acceptable Monsters.
Korriban
Surface: The Cave
In a darkness so pure it humbles, Alexia Winton kneels before a stone alter in an excavated alcove and weeps. It is where the prophecy scrolls were found when she led an Imperial team to this exact spot. She has flashes, faces of people she knows, when her fingers brush the cool stone. Gasping, she sits back. A ghostly glow is cast over her. An apparition appears faintly, a woman in flowing robes, distinctly Hapan, gazing down at her silently until she whispers with sheer malice...
"You will never be her."
Alexia's face contorts in confusion.
"Who are you?"
"A friend."
"So you know who I am?"
The woman barely smiles.
"I know who you are not."
"Who....aren't I?"
"How long have you been here?"
"I don't know..."
"What's the last thing you do remember?"
Alexia's mind reels, falling against walls without windows. She can see only portions at a time. There are buildings, a skyline that never ends.
"I was on...the capital. On Coruscant."
"What were you doing there?"
Shadows spread until it blots out the sun. Fear grips her tightly by the throat.
"Something..."
"That's not entirely untrue."
"I can't remember."
"You don't want to remember."
"Why...wouldn't I?"
The woman's image flickers, disappears, then materializes again. This time, she is much closer to Alexia.
"You tell me."
Her words become mechanical which become static as the apparition bears down on Alexia. Screams are swallowed up in the light pouring through her mind. The darkness is pulled back as swiftly as a blanket.
"What do you remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember?
The dream inside a dream.
There is a framed scene of her on Carida surrounded by rubble. It once was a field on which they played a game she won. The last one standing. She wants them to take her seriously.
Instructions are given by faceless men in freshly pressed uniforms.
She says nothing, only nods.
- On Coruscant Alexia is standing in the back of a speeder as it sails past the Old Orsic Theater just after midnight. The wind whips crimson hair across a face with eyes blacker than the night sky. She raises the weapon and fires. The rope spins wildly in circles but she extends a hand to steady its course, guiding it down onto an expansive balcony and straight through the chest of Carli Cole. It douses Karen in blood. She can feel it. The warmth, the comfort and it fills her with joy. Alexia wraps the rope around a gloved arm, speeder angling down, dark and out of sight, and pulls the actress from the balcony. She rides off with Karen's scream still hanging in the air as Carli bleeds to death in the back of the speeder. At the warehouse, she strips the actress down. She bleeds her and washes the dress. She puts her gently into a freezer. She takes her time. Days later, she lays Carli on the steps of the once great Senate Hall for the world to see. She wants them to know it can happen to anyone -
- Cut to a birthday party. Sweet Sixteen. The Four shine like a beacon to which all attention is drawn. Alexia watches a table closely as Tenley Price excuses herself and heads toward the bathroom. Tenley is smiling, lost in happy thoughts. She moves gracefully away from the revelers, past the security guards of Venko's misinformed team, and steps out of the dim glow of the white lights twinkling above them. That is when Alexia advances, seeping out of a shadow to snatch her mid-step. There isn't even time to scream. Tenley wakes up bound in the back of a shuttle. Her party dress is ruined and this angers her. She grows more angry when Alexia appears. The realization of what just happened is clearly marked across Tenley's beautifully smudged face. Alexia has gagged her as well to cut down on the useless questions and pleading. She simply flies them out of the Core to the rendezvous point. When they arrive, she meets two mysterious agents who call themselves Max and Xam and hands Tenley over. There is talk of a "project" but Alexia is already in the shuttle, flying away. She wants them to be afraid -
- Then there is shabby apartment near the CU grad school campus. Lux Lynus returns home from a meeting with the insurgent known as Castin Donn. There is no time to get comfortable. Alexia crashes into the foyer after destroying the cheap door controls, wielding two vibro-blades that she slashes along the walls. Lux is terrified and runs in several directions all leading nowhere. Alexia swings the blades, knocking over pictures, a mirror and several vases before slashing up the couch. Lux tries to fight but Alexia tears through her and the apartment with renewed vigor. She hurls Lux through the patio window where she lies wounded and bleeding. Thunder announces the arrival of a storm. It begins to pour. Lux writhes on the ground, backing herself up against the flimsy railing. She coughs, blinking rain and blood out of her eyes, and says she doesn't have it but Alexia can't hear her over the roar of the storm. She slams both blades deep into Lux and lifts her high where she dangles helplessly until Alexia dumps her over the side. There is no sound, only the rain. She can't help herself -
Dementat finds her weeping on the floor of the trashed living room. She is shaking violently, on the verge of convulsions. There are voices out in the hall. Moving quickly, he wraps Alexia in his tunic and carries her out onto the patio and leaps down into his waiting transport. Moments later, Agent Venko and Kimber Patten arrive. Pulling away, rain pouring down, Dementat makes a call.
Then they are on Korriban where Dementat leads her back to the cave.
Alexia gasps, reeling back against the alter. Images and feelings become choppy, splitting apart, falling away as the darkness returns. The apparition vanishes, laughter echoing throughout all corners of the cave.
"Anger and hate," the voice whispers.
Alexia turns and runs.
The voice calls after her.
"It's all you have. It's all you are."
*
Bakura
Surface: Salis D'aar
Alexander Winton lounges in his RepulsorCorp office, lighting one of the finest cigars in the galaxy. His world is at peace if only for the moment. The recent Imperial victory has the Alliance on the run and the Empire singularly consumed. They do not know who Dementat really is or how The Four will shape the future. It is a plot that unfolds seamlessly in the background.
Incoming message.
The boy spy's rectangular face and chiseled shoulders appear.
"I take it all is handled then?"
"Yes," Reef Stratford says. "Everyone is just as distracted as you want them to be."
"You cease to amazing me. Those kids will believe anything."
He glances down, away.
"Yeah, well, there is a lot going on."
Alexander can barely contain his amusement.
"Oh, I know there is. Good work, mister Stratford. Looks like our credits have been well spent. Let me know if there is any change."
He taps off, the boy's image fading.
The names of The Four were not the only names Monica Greyson-Winton whispered in her sleep on those terrifying nights following the vision. Remnants played out in her dreams and as he listened closely, she gives him five other names.
Three are already in the capital. Two must be summoned.
First, Alexander paid a visit to Mandalore. He went to a field and watched the boy play Chin-Bret with more skill than some of the professionals he'd watched on Holo. The boy moved with an aggressive purpose. His parents were humble people and took much pride in the accomplishments of their children. They could not afford the kind of education and environment worthy of such an athlete so Alexander stepped in offering a RepulsorCorp sponsored scholarship. They gratefully accepted and Reef is sent to the Core the summer after middle school to attend the prestigious North Coruscant High. In his first week there, he is summoned to the Imperial Palace to meet with his new benefactor. He does not introduce himself and explains the conditions of the arrangement. Reef would want for nothing as long as he accomplished a very specific task - bringing certain individuals together. He is given a list of names and a revised schedule that would put him in contact with all but one of them. If this was done without question or invested emotional interest, he would have his choice of Academy or Imperial service. Alexander would open all the doors to his wildest dreams. To a boy who comes from nothing, the prospect of wealth and power overwhelmed him. Reef does not plan on caring about anyone but himself.
The following summer, Alexander sends an academic recruiter to Ty Saunders who convinced him that North Coruscant could use a well-rounded and bright student like his daughter. Impressed, Saunders contacts his traveling philanthropist wife and asks that she bring D'Arcy back to Hesperidium so that she could start the following semester. Alexander ensured Reef would be at the spaceport when she arrived. He protests that Skyler McNeal and Billy St. James would be accompanying him but he is ordered to improvise. Later, when asked how it went, Reef tells Alexander he pushed an absent-minded Skyler into D'Arcy and through conversation discover they are all headed to Bolerathon Tower. She is then introduced to the rest of the group.
Never underestimate the young, the cadre of beautiful and blind individuals who can be convinced they belong together. They live in a vicious world so it is only natural to fall into vicious cycles. Round and round they go. Time is running low. They can have the summer, the unabashed decadence, but by year's end they will know terror's true name.
They shall be tempted by The Beast.
Alexander leans back in his chair, kicking his feet up onto the desk. He takes two pulls off the cigar, stares through the window at the bustling city beyond, and smiles.
-TBC
-
[a woman's voice sings softly, almost a whisper, a lullaby]
"Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel. Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel. Like a snowball down a mountain or a carnival balloon. Like a carousel that's turning, running rings around the moon. Like a clock who's hands are sweeping past the minutes of its fate and the world is like an apple whirling silently in space like the circles that you find...
...in the windmills of your mind."
[fade from black]
In a white room at an undisclosed location, a striking young girl sits at one end of smooth rectangular table. A man is bound to a chair at the other. A finely polished blaster sits between them. The Agent known as Xam enters the room and only addresses the girl.
"Can you hear me, Ms Price?"
The girl glances briefly at him and nods.
"Good. The man sitting across from you is part of a Rebel faction operating out of the Imperial capital. He has told us all we need to know about his associates, one of which you happen to know. The man is a traitor to the Empire, Ms. Price and therefore must be eliminated. Do you understand?"
Tenley Price blinks slowly, her face neutral and serene as she nods again.
"I need you to kill this man, Ms. Price."
Her eyes fall to the blaster.
Xam can see the beginnings of where her natural reaction to this directive would normally become problematic. It would conflict with a certain set of morals they have been steadily working to erase. Now she barely flinches and lifts a trembling hand over the table. The man, realizing the direction this particular afternoon is heading, begins to writhe in the chair. He shouts out for help that will never come.
"Kill him," Xam urges in a slightly deeper yet even tone.
Tenley reaches out and grips the blaster, training it across the table at the man now screaming at a level which is nearly intolerable. Obscenities are snarled, a divinity evoked but Tenley's face is a lesson in untarnished tranquility as she tightens her grip and fires two shots into the man's face to silence him forever.
[cut to black]
Socially Acceptable Monsters
Series 3: The Blind and the Beautiful
Summer 3ABY
Hesperidium
D'Arcy emerges from the stark blue waters and walks onto a deserted patch of Imperial Beach. Bolerathon Tower looms above and beyond the glittering white sand. She pads up to a large crimson umbrella under which Karen is draped across a padded chaise lounge wearing sunglasses that consume nearly half her face.
"You know, that kind of defeats the purpose of tanning."
Karen doesn't move.
"Pale is the new tan. It's too hot. Is it hotter than normal?"
D'Arcy towels off.
"It's summer. That's one of the finer points."
"Seldom wrong and right again, D'Arc. This is just what we needed. I am, however, sorry about earlier. That wasn't....part of the plan."
It had been crowded when they arrived. Socialites and officials alike had fled Coruscant early this year. Hesperidium usually stays relatively dead until August when everyone realizes the season is ending and they must get in their summer shares. Karen said her goodbyes to Kimber and Valerie who left a few days after finals. Melanie had been understandably distant since the whole Lucas thing and the boys are seemingly unmotivated to do anything. D'Arcy opined that they must get away and to the beach immediately so Karen arranged for transport off the capital.
Unfortunately, the media caught wind of this and were waiting on the resort moon.
Over the course of the last year, attention had been curiously drawn to the rest of the group. The press now wanted to know about those who knew The Four. Even on their own, reporters would materialize in public - a restaurant, the Esplanade, a holoplex - ready to bombard them with questions about direct proximity to celebrity. What made them special? What was it like? How does it feel? Everyone had been startled and flattered and surprisingly tight-lipped.
It only made them want it more.
The lights were blinding as Karen faced the crowds in the Hesperidium spaceport, clutching D'Arcy's hand as they shouted both of their names. They shouted things about Alexander and RepulsorCorp. They wanted to know about the future of Ty Saunders' investment show. Venko's security detail pushed their way through, allowing the girls to move through the spaceport within a circle of armed men all while photage is taken of the entire event. The ridiculousness of it all amused Karen but she felt kind of bad for subjecting D'Arcy and the others to it. They didn't exactly ask for that kind of scrutiny or attention.
D'Arcy grins and waves a hand through the air.
"Don't worry about it. They will find something else to talk about eventually."
Karen finally sits up, reaching for a glass of iced tea on the white table beside her.
"What if they don't?"
"Don't what?"
"Find something else. What if they talk about us forever?"
D'Arcy rolls her eyes up and sighs as she falls onto the other chaise.
"Then I guess we're screwed."
*
Coruscant
Lucas does not bother pulling on a shirt as he shuffles toward the door. Sunlight streams brightly between the slats of the black window shades that cast a bar pattern across the room. Reef is slouched across the bed, a thin sweat-soaked sheet barely draped across his chiseled waist. He lights a joint from the nightstand and inhales sharply, deeply, before pushing it out to form a swirling white cloud in the center of the room. It hangs there, twisting around itself, expanding. Lucas pauses at the door, turning. There is a distinct smirk on his face.
"Be sure and mention this to Valerie."
"Oh, man." Reef laughs, falling back against a pillow. "Don't worry, I will."
*
Corellia
Major Kyri Patten is not waiting expectantly in the spaceport.
Kimber's eyes scan the crowd wildly, hoping there has been some kind of mistake. Perhaps he got the time wrong? Maybe he is running late? What if there had been some kind of emergency, a situation only CorSec could handle? She runs through all the optimistic possibilities until it slowly dawns on her that he's not coming. The sudden disappointment stings more than it should.
Valerie stops beside her and lights a cigarette Kimber didn't even know she had.
"Looks like we're on our own."
Kimber frowns, face falling.
"You don't have to say it like that. I'm sure there has been a mistake."
"Sure, it's your delusion."
There is not a sea of reporters here and Venko's agents are not permitted to provide security. CorSec is promptly notified when either of them returns to Coronet City and keeps the spaceport and local areas clear of unwanted elements. The Major says that while Coruscant may be all business, Corellia is home.
"I am not delusional, Val. My parents are usually very attentive. You know that."
Kimber whips the com-link out of her purse and calls the Patten Ranch. No one answers. Lilandra Patten's com-link is active but switched off. The Major's has been disconnected. A deep panic courses through Kimber's chest as she considers the possibility that something happened. Something not good and not pretty and not covered in sparkles.
"You were saying?"
"Oh shut up, just shut up...."
"As you wish," Valerie mutters, flicking the smoldering cigarette away from them.
Kimber quickly stamps it out with a heel.
"Can you try not to litter while you are slowly killing yourself? You know, you are really turning into a negative Nelly lately. I'm freaking out and I need you to focus, okay? Just get over yourself for a microsecond and help me figure out what to do."
Her lip is trembling, on the verge of tears.
Valerie softens slightly. Her bitterness is tempered by Kimber's distress.
"What to do? That's easy. We go to my place, hang out and then try your parents again later. Worst case, you spend the night and we go to straight over to the CorSec offices in the morning."
Kimber brightens, "Really?"
"Really."
The Gellar residence has been meticulously cleaned but feels cavernous and empty - like a place filled with expensive furniture, ghosts and loaded questions. Kimber didn't frequent the place due to Valerie's sentimental attachment to it. It brings up memories of her father and takes them to places Kimber does not know how to find her way out of. Valerie moves through the darkened space with a casualty that would be impressive if Kimber did not know her so well.
"Drink?"
"Yes but something light, please. I just need to unwind a little."
Valerie returns minutes later with some kind of rum punch and two pills.
"Done and done. You should probably make any calls before the meds kick in. We don't want you slurring like some kind of lush."
Kimber nods deftly and tosses back both with a slug of the drink while Valerie opens all the windows and flips on the fans. A cool breeze brings with it the sounds of the city.
Kimber tries her mother again.
Nothing.
She clutches the com-link and watches as the last golden rays of the sun slip below the staggered towers, staining the sky purple and blue. The drugs work quickly, rendering Kimber's tight and worried expression into nothing more than a serene stare. Valerie guides her into the guest bedroom, out of the pink frilly dress, the heels, and between the cool, crisp sheets. Kimber sighs happily and settles into the pillow. Valerie waits until she has fallen into a deep slumber before making a call, changing into a mini dress and stiletto's and slipping out into the wild Corellian night.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
The office within The Imperial Palace is dark aside from a singular desk lamp.
It's light shines down on Agent Nikoli Venko hunched over into his hands. His head is throbbing, a dull roar rattling his skull. The contents of the datacard confirm something for him. If Alexia Winton is truly that unpredictable then what is Karen capable of? Or Melanie? And what the hell do the rest of these kids have to do with any of it? Doors in his mind keep sliding open to reveal more questions than he can handle being answered right now. He combs over the photage, unable to shake the feeling of dread consuming him when Alexia stares darkly through the screen.
Then there is the question of its sender.
Kimber had promised him a break in the case just minutes before but how would she come across this information? How would she even know he was looking for it? He had told no one. At the Lynus apartment, Kimber was just along for the ride. He had not filled her in on the details. If she knew anything about Alexia Winton, she would have told Karen by now. If Karen knew, he would know. That girl flips out over everything. He mentally crosses her off as a potential suspect but her face lingers. Still her friends grow more curious and dynamic by the minute.
This brings him to the Ames reports.
The rookie agent had fought hard for this exclusive, ridiculously lucrative, and suspiciously benign assignment. Guarding The Four was cake in comparison to what most Intel and Security agents were subjected to. They had heard horror stories at the Carida Academy, saw the scarred and jaded instructors who had seen and done some pretty terrible shit in the name of the Galactic Empire. Agent Ames took this assignment seriously and had recently documented multiple lapses in Melanie Masterton's whereabouts. Reports that had been sent to and gone seemingly unnoticed by the Director. From what Venko can ascertain, no action was taken by his department. He had heard nothing about it until he got the urgent message from Ames.
Venko closes his eyes, running circular patterns into pulsing temples with his fingers. The whole situation reeks of conspiracy but he was explicitly told to drop it, to lose emotional interest, and it suddenly makes him wonder if that means he is not part of the larger plan.
Venko must find out what Ames knows.
Where is miss Masterton going?
*
The Esplanade is hot and hopping.
Skyler and Billy hit up the holocomics store after a strenuous afternoon of popsicles and video games. This is what summer is truly all about. After months of intensive study the languorous summer days are something everyone looks forward to. Slacking is priority one so they wander aimlessly back and forth along and across the massive shopping platforms and walkways.
"When do you think we should mosey on over to the Hessy?"
"Soon," Skyler says, eyeing a pair of sneakers in a storefront window. "They gotta decompress too, you know."
"I guess it's not easy being pretty all the time."
"Hate the game."
"Not the players. Yeah, got it but I still think the reason you want to lag on the capital is because we can enjoy these rare moments of anonymity. The microsecond the press found out some of the girls were bouncing they took off. I mean, come on. Going on vacation is hardly news. Lots of people do it. Tomorrow we'll be reading the headline: The Four takes shit, story at eleven!"
"That's disgusting, dude."
Billy laughs, pointing out a cap tilted on a mannequins expressionless head.
"True though."
"Maybe."
"Maybe? Whatevs. Our lives are like a reality show circus. I hate reading shit before you guys tell me."
Skyler adjusts his sunglasses and frowns.
"Am I going to break up with Karen because of something she does? No. Do you and D'Arcy plan on ditching out on our friendship because of it?"
"No, man. Of course not! I'm just saying it's getting kind of ridiculous."
"Don't be so melodramatic...."
The sentence hangs there, incomplete, an unfinished foreshadowed thought, as a group of people materialize out of the crowds clutching handheld cams and microphones. Light begin to flash, blinding both boys where they stand. Skyler and Billy throw up arms to shield themselves as the media circle closes in around them. Questions are shouted about Karen - why isn't he with her at the beach? Is there trouble in paradise? Relationship on the rocks? They ask if Billy's jealous about D'Arcy not also pursuing a career in modeling despite being attractive enough.
Billy glares at Skyler.
"What was that?"
Skyler blinks rapidly, finding an out beyond the spotted haze.
"Shut up, dude."
They bolt down the Esplanade and the rabid reporters give chase.
*
Further down the Esplanade, a late afternoon gallery opening commences.
Melanie sweeps into the vast space with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Once the attention of the room is solely on her, she glides forward to approach the artist and after a kiss on each cheek presents him the flowers. She makes a big show of it. The audience relaxes, attention returning to the brightly colored abstracts hanging on the walls in front of them. The artist thanks Melanie and disappears to "put them in some water" which is code to extract the microchips hidden within the bouquet.
The artist is an Republic supporter and financial contributor to Castin's faction thus her presence here becomes much more than what it seems. She was formally invited through her contacts at Raga'Ana as the brand often raises awareness for the contributions of arts and sciences. The faction utilized the opportunity and Melanie is able to satisfy obligations to both parties with one event.
As the opening wears on, conversation bordering on inane, she suddenly feels two familiar presences in distress. She excuses herself and strides toward the massive transparasteel doors. Skyler and Billy appear on the center platform, cutting across a service walkway and jumping down behind an oversized planter in front of the gallery. She steps out and waves them over. Panting and sweating, they dart inside.
The crowd takes notice and whisper when they realize who it is. Skyler's ties to the art world through his renowned impressionist father are not questioned. There is talk his work could rival that of Bastien's which is not something many people would say in mixed company.
"What happened?" Melanie breathes soothingly. "Are you alright?"
Billy nods, glancing nervously outside.
"Paps," Skyler sputters. "They're after us."
Nodding to the artist, Melanie places a hand on each of their arms, calming them both considerably, as she guides them through the party and out of sight. In the back halls, Melanie maneuvers them past wrapped pieces that have already been sold and into the gallery office. She grabs two water bottles from the desk and a bottle of pills from her purse. She hands a water and two pills to each of them.
"Where did you get those?"
She couldn't flinch if she tried.
"My doctor. It's just for nerves."
"Understandable. I'm all shaky right now."
"So, what did they want to know this time?"
Billy sighs, "The usual."
"They came out of nowhere, Mel. It was like a paparazzi ambush but don't worry, we didn't tell them anything. We never do."
"I appreciate that," Melanie says with a smile. "We all do. I am terribly sorry they disrupted your afternoon. Do you want me to talk to Venko about sweeping an area before you arrive?"
"If you don't mind. They manage to mostly keep them away from you guys when you don't want to be bothered."
"But we would have to let them know where we're going all the time!"
"It's either that or get mobbed, man. Which is worse?"
Skyler slugs the water and falls into a chair.
"I guess you're right."
Melanie clasps her hands together and nods. She doesn't have the heart to tell them Imperial Intelligence probably already knows where they go and what they do. That is why she must resort to a public cover and carefully elude Venko's team.
"Then it's settled. I'll see what I can do."
- TBC
-
"Don't meddle with her heart or meddle with her mind, meddle with the things that are inside. You don't know what you'll find. You don't know what she hides."
Korriban
Surface
Alexia staggers out of the cave in a weary daze and collapses into Dementat's arms. She murmurs incoherently about things she has done, about someone named Kennick, and whispers her sisters name like a prayer before passing out.
Dementat carries her across the scorched sand as the last of the sun's rays set the sky on fire.
*
"You don't need a white horse to steer you back onto course. You know what to do and what's expected of you this time....
...you walk the longest line."
Corellia
Surface: Coronet City
Kimber wakes from a magical dream. She briefly panics when she doesn't immediately recognize the room but slowly remembers Valerie taking her home and plying her with booze and pills. Slipping from beneath the cool sheets, Kimber pads out into the hall and bumps into an impressively tan half-dressed boy slinking out of Valerie's bedroom. She waves, he smiles and disappears through the living room. Valerie emerges moments later looking appropriately disheveled.
"Sleep well?"
"More like passed out. I really needed that. Did my parents call?"
"No but I think we should go see Sergeant Farmer."
**
Frank Farmer receives a surprise call from Valerie Gellar.
It's late and he's pouring over a case file but decides to answer anyway. Morbid curiosity. She tells him to meet her at the Coronet Club in twenty minutes, that there is something she needs to know. Then she hangs up. Typical. The venue is a little stuffy for his tastes but respectably neutral. There is nothing uncommon about Farmer being seen with Gellar. He had known Valerie her whole life. She both attracted and annoyed him with a virtually lethal combination of brash tenacity and blatant sexual menace. Long ago - before her face was plastered across half the galaxy, before she was one of The Four - Valerie was a quiet, cool and calculating girl. She was a tough, toned down version of the exquisitely poised painted persona that he finds leaning precariously against the Coronet Club bar.
He approaches her cautiously and slides onto a polished wooden barstool. The Club lounge is fairly empty given the hour. It's a reason why, he suspects, she chose this particular place. She sips a mineral water a little too casually.
"So, how's work?"
"Good."
"That's all I get?"
Frank orders a whiskey and sighs.
"Got promoted and offered a position at the CorSec Academy. The Empire has strangely lost interest in our dealings and there has been a steady stream of Corellian backlash from a small but noticable Federation presence on the surface."
Valerie smiles wanly.
"Understandable. No one likes droids invading their space."
"And you? How are things on the dreaded Coruscant?"
"Different day, different outfit."
"Now who's being intentionally vague?"
She shoots him a look as if somehow relieved the pleasantries are out of the way and gets right to the point.
"Where the hell are Kyri and Lilandra Patten and why haven't they checked in with Kimber? We've been here for hours and she's worried sick!"
Frank leans back against the stool.
"I see you've arrived with blasters blazing."
"What other way is there to arrive? Stop stalling. Where are they?"
He pauses.
"It's complicated."
"A word I'm never fond of hearing. Break it down for me."
"What makes you so sure I can?"
"Is this a clearance issue? I should be exempt from that shit."
"We all have protocol to follow."
"Not if it were up to me."
Frank laughs.
"Right, I always had you pegged for a tyrant."
Valerie turns to face him, a black cocktail dress hugging every curve.
"Why can't you just be straight with me? Off the record."
"Perhaps I fear what you might do with the information."
Her smiles become something else, something he does not like.
"I doubt the dread is enough to stop you from doing it anyway."
He scoffs at the presumptuous statement but none the less she's right. A part of him has been waiting for her to exact her revenge for Jerico Gellar. He's just not so sure he wants to be the one arming her for it.
Still, if anyone can blow the lid off a situation it's Valerie.
"Fair enough. As you know, the Major has been on a classified assignment for some time now. The details of which far exceed the information I'm given. All I was told is that this mission is of significant and profitable interest to Corellia."
"Not exactly breaking news, Frank. Deep cover often requires prolonged periods of time. What about Lilandra?"
He shifts on the stool and finishes the drink, signaling for another.
"Lilandra has always known what her husband's job entails. Sometimes he has to go away for a while but he always comes back. But....when he failed to return or even check in after six months, she became understandably...upset. No one could tell her anything and things started to spiral from there."
"Spiral? I don't think I like the sound of that."
Frank grows more uncomfortable as he continues.
"She was briefly imprisoned after a protest she staged turned violent. There are groups in the city who believe any business conducted with the Trade Federation would destroy all Corellia stands for. For some reason, she blames them for the disappearance of her husband. She would not divulge how she came to this conclusion. When she marched on the Parliament there was an altercation with her group and CorSec agents. In her hearing, she demanded to know why Corellia would risk its sovereignty by associating with the treacherous Federation. Even under Viceroy Medivh's progressive new leadership, Lilandra remained convinced they wished only to subjugate us. She swore it would be the end of us all."
Valerie's face is twisted in shock. The story sounds nothing like the Patten's she knows. The Major always checks in, no matter what. He finds a way. Lilandra has never had a violent outburst in her life. This all went down and no one even bothered to notify them on Coruscant.
Frank clutches his glass tightly.
"Lilandra was deemed a danger to herself and others and found herself on psychiatric hold at CoroNet General. That was a month ago."
"Wait, she's still there?"
He turns.
"I am sorry, Valerie but Lilandra Patten had to be committed."
**
Valerie takes Kimber to One CorSec Plaza where Sergeant Farmer sees them right away. When he tells Kimber what he told Valerie, she doesn't cry as he expected she would. She sits with her hands folded neatly her in lap, frown tugging down her polished pink lips.
"I need to see my mother right away," Kimber says softly. "I'll need transport to Coronet General then out to the Patten Ranch."
Frank nods gravely.
"Of course, I will arrange it personally. If you need anything else the entire CorSec force is here for you, okay? Per your father's instructions, a security detail will be at your disposal and will provide escort to your destinations."
Kimber is completely stricken, the pain in her violet eyes wounds him deeply.
Valerie wraps an arm around her protectively, glancing at Frank.
"We'll be in touch."
Frank watches them go, curious to see what Valerie would do. He wants the best for both of them. It's the way the Major would want it so he would ensure their protection in his absence. Out in the hall, Kimber slides out from under Valerie's arm and walks quickly away from her. Valerie calls out and begins to follow. She tries to keep up but Kimber has broken into a sprint, heading for the door.
- TBC
-
Hesperidium
Surface
Karen and D'Arcy dance back-to-back in the center of the floor. It's two in the morning inside the packed Club Hex where deep house spills from the surround and keeps everyone moving. Bodies writhe against each other as colored lights blur the scene. It is a rare moment when they both get to cut loose and let go of everything else.
In the music it all just falls away.
They are mobbed by press outside and the reality comes flooding back into focus just as quickly and easily as it had vanished. Karen waves them away by blowing kisses and provocatively proclaiming support for Imperial troops in the ongoing campaign against the Alliance. "Those pesky Rebels need to give it up," she is quoted as saying. The reporters eat it up but soon spot someone much more famous stumbling out of the club. It is so much clearer beyond the cam lights and questions. Linking arms with one another, they wander down to the shore and along Iobatese Beach with waves breaking calmly against the smooth cool sand.
Two of Venko's men trail a ways behind them. Another walks further ahead.
"I'm sorry about that....the reporters...always the reporters."
"You don't have to keep apologizing."
"I feel bad."
"Don't. I know what I signed up for."
"Do you? I mean, seriously. Doesn't the whole spectacle bother you?"
D'Arcy flips dark hair over her shoulder and laughs.
"Truth be told, I have never wanted a high profile life. My father taught me that much. One day when I'm a renowned scholar people will recall all the research I've done or things I've discovered. I want people to know my name not my face."
Karen frowns, a salty breeze stinging her eyes.
"You think we're insane for putting ourselves out there?"
"Not at all. You are doing what you love. That's all anyone can ask for, right?"
"Right."
"We, Billy and I, just don't want to be in your way. The Four are destined for success and just because it's not the same kind of success we envision for ourselves doesn't mean we don't want you to have it."
Karen stops, turning D'Arcy to face her.
"You are not getting in the way of anything."
"But we could be holding you back...."
"Listen to me. Things wouldn't be the same without you. We respect and adore you guys and believe me when I tell you that no one wants either of you to go anywhere."
"You're sure?"
"Friends til the end, remember?"
D'Arcy tears, nods and throws her arms around Karen. They embrace tightly beneath the sliver of moonlight slicing through the sparse fog rolling over the beach.
Back at Bolerathon Tower, Karen returns to the Penthouse floor. The comparative silence is monumental and makes her a little paranoid. She giggles to herself as she nears the door of the Winton Residence when a shadow falls across her. Startled, she glances up to find Reef standing in front of her. His face is puffy and flushed as if he's been crying. There is a mostly empty bottle dangling from between his thick fingers.
Karen raises her eyes to him, lips automatically pulling into a sneer.
Reef attempts a smile.
"We need to talk."
*
Coruscant
The Underground
Melanie must travel in disguise; a designer outfit covered completely by nondescript robes. With her head down, she shuffles through the directions she was given. No one even seems to notice. The faction hideout has changed twice in the past month. One of their associates has disappeared and they fear it means the Empire grows ever closer to discovering them. Melanie meets up with Castin and tells him the information was delivered to the artist. They intend to leave the hideout and spend a quiet evening together alone when her com-link bleeps.
"Don't answer it."
"I have to."
"Why?"
"It's all part of the performance."
Agent Venko is returning her call.
Melanie taps the device open, answering sweetly before explaining what happened with Skyler and Billy on the Esplanade.
"That is a troubling issue."
"I am glad you think so too."
"Tell them not to worry. I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, Agent Venko. I do not wish for our friends to suffer."
"My sentiments exactly. We'll be in touch."
She clicks off and smiles at Castin.
"He is surprisingly compliant."
"For an Imperial agent."
She gives him a look as people converge in the room.
The conversation, short as it may have been, sends resounding fear throughout the rest of the faction. The group gathers around them and accuse Melanie of giving them up. They believe Venko will surely track her here. Castin brashly defends her, citing that she is also taking a considerable risk carting their information and plans through heavily occupied territory. Without her they would be denied access to most of Galactic City where there is the highest concentration of Imperial patrols. The wealthy demand to live free of the unsavory elements that dominate the world just below their feet. They need her just as much as she needs them.
And she does, if she ever hopes to survive what she knows.
*
Galactic City
Agent Nikoli Venko glowers in his office.
His men lost visual contact with Masterton forty-five minutes ago. The reports from Agent Ames assert that she is deliberately trying to elude her security detail. At first, they believed it to be some sort of high school prank, an act of teenage rebellion. They soon started to realize that despite their best efforts, she was still vanishing from the Esplanade. It's an insanely large area to cover and one of the most populated places in all of GC. He would have expected this from someone more rambunctious, someone like Winton or Gellar. Not from the gentile and studious Masterton.
The thought process is interrupted when Venko realizes he is late for lunch with Ames. He had called the agent in after his team reported in on Masterton and used the pretense of an expense account meal to pump him for information. Venko wants to know why Masterton's disappearing act piqued Ames interest. On the way down the lifts, he ponders repercussion of his inquiry. It is his job as head of security to protect The Four. If one of them is putting themselves at risk for potential harm it is his duty to rectify the situation promptly.
The Director only told him to lose interest in the Winton's.
Exterior - Imperial Palace; executive plaza.
Sunlight blinds him momentarily. He always forgets how dark the Palace can be.
Ames appears across the plaza, nodding when he spots Venko before making his way over. A girl passes Ames which causes him to do a double-take. He raises a hand, mouth opening to speak as the girl spins and lifts a concealed blaster. Venko has no time to react. She shoots Ames twice point blank. Chaos erupts, people screaming as they scatter for cover. The girl slips into the fleeing crowds leaving Ames to stagger and claw for his weapon as he goes down. Security agents swarm. Venko bolts across the plaza, weapon in hand and drops beside him.
"Ames. Ames!"
The Agent squints through the brightness, chest and abdomen severely blackened by blaster burns. Venko props him up, staring down into his face.
"Who did this to you? Who was she?!"
Ames croaks through a final grimace.
"It was her..."
-TBC
-
Corellia
Surface: CoroNet City
Kimber visits her mother in the CoroNet General Psych ward. Lilandra Patten sits practically catatonic in the padded room wearing a thin white gown. Her violet eyes widen then close at Kimber’s presence but she does not speak. Kimber is told she is on a variety of medications to control outbursts which have bordered on harmful both to herself and the medical staff, a fact which she has a difficult time believing. Her mother had never been a violent person and always lived through grace, love and diplomacy.
“How did this happen?†Kimber whispers.
Lilandra rocks slowly in place, clutching her exposed knees.
“Mom, can you hear me? It’s Kimber. Your daughter. Remember?â€Â
Silence.
Kimber swallows the burning lump of fear and frustration rising in her throat.
“Where’s dad?â€Â
Lilandra stiffens.
Kimber is suddenly hopeful.
“Do you know where he is? Mom? Did something happen with dad? Is that why you were brought here? Is it because you were angry about something that happened with dad? Mom? Can you answer me? Please?â€Â
Lilandra gurgles and begins to drool.
Kimber deflates, fighting back tears. She rises and kisses her mother on the forehead before rapping lightly on the door. An orderly enters a code which allows the door to hiss open. Kimber steps out into the hall, heels echoing in the deserted and obsessively clean corridor. It’s clear the medication would prevent her from obtaining any answers and there is only one other place she can think of that might shed light on the situation.
*
Patten Ranch
The once meticulously manicured foliage surrounding Kimber's family home have fallen into disarray. She wanders around the darkened cabin, a place that used to be filled with so much love, so much light. Now it just fills her with sadness. Behind the cabin, Kimber moves down into the overgrown gardens. Uneven branches cast ominous shadows in all directions. It signifies a loss of control, something much larger than she can even begin to understand. Tears well up until her eyes can no longer contain them.
"I thought I might find you here."
Valerie emerges from the darkness with a somber expression that, for once, is entirely sincere.
"I'm so sorry, Kimmy."
Kimber collapses into Valerie's arms and sobs into her shoulder. Nothing is said for close to five minutes. Valerie just lets her get it all out. Once the weeping has subsided, Kimber steps back and stares into Valerie's face.
"I don't want to be alone..."
"You are never alone. You've got me, you've got our friends. We will get you through this. Whatever happened, whatever happens, we will help you sort it out. I will help you sort it out."
"You won't leave me?"
"Never."
*
Gellar Residence
Kimber shuffles into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine, a corkscrew, no glass and heads out onto the balcony. This act is not disputed or called into question. Valerie understands completely. She knows what it feels like to have no parents, to have a sense of everything structured fall away into nothingness. It is then she realizes this is something The Four now share. Even living parents are no longer in the picture. The funny thing is that no one knows why. It's as if they all took a step back to leave their children on stage without a script. Parenthood has become nothing more than the faceless shadows beyond the bright lights. Valerie winces, trying to focus on helping Kimber while not drowning in her own emotional baggage.
Everyone's got issues and issues sell.
She peeks out onto the patio. Kimber is curled up on a chaise lounge with the bottle staring vacantly out into the city. Words won't help her right now. She just needs time. Valerie moves back through the kitchen and takes a left at the hall, heading toward her room. Inside, it is dark with a lingering scent of her fruity perfume. She smiles as she taps on the lights and moves toward the vanity. Valerie gazes at herself in the mirror, pulling the pins from her hair to let it spill around her tan shoulders.
Then she sees it, something marked on the wall behind her.
Valerie gasps, whirling around. A single word has been written backwards in her favorite lipstick. Bewildered and furious, she turns back to the mirror but can't make anything out. She takes several steps away from the vanity until the word reflects clear - except it's not a word. It's a name.
Blair.
- TBC
-
Dantooine
Surface
A flicker, a presence in the distance -
Dementat carefully watches the mouth of the cave Alexia Winton disappeared into nearly three hours prior.
The journey had commenced in almost total silence. Since her experience on Korriban she had grown sullen and withdrawn. She would reveal nothing of what she saw but he has instructions and takes her to the next stage of her alleged development.
A test to see if she could practically apply what he has taught her, to see how bad she really wants it.
There was a moment, as she lay shuttering in his arms, that he saw through the monster the Empire was creating. Alexia, as a real person, is vulnerable and insecure. She clutched Dementat's arms, wide-eyed, panicked, pleading and asks,
"Why can't I....be her?"
Almost as quickly as this person appeared, she was taken away before his piercing blue eyes. He watched it pull her under. The darkness returned and a part of him rejoiced in knowing this would not be someone the Empire would ever be able to control. One more thing to slip through their fingers. Alexander Winton, like Palpatine, was dangerously single-minded.
Dementat has much bigger plans.
Star-Destroyers and strike-cruisers streak through his mind in perfect formation.
What is meant to be will be.
Alexia appears at the mouth of the cave, black jumpsuit practically shredded, clutching a kinrath appendage in one hand and a glowing stone in the other. Varying shades of blood cling to exposed flesh. Her face is a mask, eyes pooled, vacant, as she drops to her knees before him. Dark energy permeates the rocky hillside. She offers up both the appendage and crystal as if asking for a forgiveness he has no ability to grant.
"Take me back to Korriban and I will tell you what I have done."
-TBC
-
Hesperidium
Surface: Bolerathon Tower
Karen hesitantly allows Reef into the residence and watches as he stumbles toward the living room where he manages to find and put on music but ends up swaying slowly in place, lost in his own little world. Shaking her head, Karen pushes him backwards. He falls onto the couch. She points sharply at him.
"Stay."
Reef smiles, raising the bottle.
"Want some?"
"I'm fine, thanks."
"Have fun at Hex?"
"How did you know I was there?"
"It's the place to be. I saw you and D'Arcy dancing."
Karen opens the patio doors, allowing the cool ocean breeze to swirl through the penthouse. She flips on a few lights and finally turns around to face him.
"And you didn't come over and say hello? I'm hurt."
"No, you're not. You are like indestructable and shit. Besides, D'Arcy doesn't like me."
"I wonder why."
"You don't like me either."
"I never said that."
Reef laughs hollowly, "Yeah right."
"Aren't you being a little melodramatic for a jock?"
"I don't want to be the drunken asshole, Karen."
"Then I suppose you should stop getting drunk and acting like an asshole."
"You don't hate me?"
"Hate is a strong word."
"I probably deserve it."
"You did sleep with Lucas to get back at Valerie. It's not exactly the nicest thing you could have done."
"It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Karen snickers, grabbing two bottles of water from the kitchen before joining him on the couch. She takes the liquor and sets it on the coffee table then hands him a bottle of water.
"As hip as your progressive thinking is, you still hurt people. Valerie was furious, Skyler didn't think you would take it that far, Billy and D'Arcy agree it was intentionally cruel, Kimber was disgusted by the whole thing, and Melanie was completely devastated."
"And you? What do you think?"
Karen crosses her arms.
"Inventive but unnecessary. You don't have to perpetuate your own stereotype just because everyone expects you to. Why would you even go after Lucas?"
"Lucas came to me. He wanted to hurt Valerie."
"You don't strike me as the type to be used. By anyone."
Reef gazes through her.
"You'd be surprised."
"Oh, I'm surprised alright. Surprised that no one stopped to think about what this would do to Melanie. I mean, what has she done to any of you?"
"Melanie is fine."
"No, she's not. She has been on the capital most of the summer."
"It's not because she's pissed at us. She's busy sneaking around with that other guy."
Karen visibly jerks.
"What other guy?"
Reef arches a brow, smirking.
"You didn't know?"
"Would I be asking if I did? What's the sitch, mister?"
"I shouldn't..."
"Spill!"
"Remember the big game?"
"Um, yeah, sure, the big one."
She gestures wildly with her hands.
He plows forward undeterred.
"Well, afterwards, Lucas told me he saw her getting into a racing speeder with some underworld punk at the stroke of midnight. Some ridiculous romance that only people like Melanie, Kimber and D'Arcy would fall for. Maybe Skyler too. He's all hearts and flowers and shit. Personally, I think she's settling. Melanie could do better."
Karen is feeling a little fuzzy, caught on a particular phrase.
"Underworld punk...?"
"Crazy, yo."
"Does Venko know about this?"
Reef shrugs.
"If he does he's playing it pretty close to the chest."
Then he wonders if the Director knows about it. Surely something would have been done by now. The Director gives him the creeps and strikes him as the kind of guy who could slaughter or save depending on how well it served him. He would bring it to his attention none the less. At the very least it would keep him off his back for a while.
Predictably, Karen is strangled by her self-absorption.
"No, seriously, this is bad. Real bad. She could get in major trouble hanging around with someone....else. Someone not on the security list. My dad craps durasteel over details like that not that he's really been around to notice but whatever. This needs to be kept under wraps."
"What to do, what to do...."
"You are not going to do anything."
"Is that an order?" he laughs.
"It is if you want to get back into the group's good graces."
This sobers him up immensely.
He nods deftly.
Karen leans forward and speaks slowly.
"You are going to keep that whore mouth of yours shut while I talk to Melanie about it and in return I'll clear the way for your return to favor. How does that sound? You do want to be accepted by your peers, don't you?"
In truth, he could give a shit. Reef is not in it for the camaraderie of classmates. He is in it for the girls and the gain. The Director could make it all happen.
"Yeah, Karen. I do."
"Fantastic."
She smiles as if she's won something. He lets her have this stupid victory. She stands and moves past him, heading toward the cavernous hallway.
"I'm off to bed and you are much too drunk to be gallivanting about getting yourself into more trouble. Now pick a room and I'll see you in the morning."
"Any room?"
"Any room but mine."
"You don't know what you're missing."
Karen grins, calling behind her.
"Not much."
- TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Underworld
When Castin Donn finally gets Melanie Masterton alone he makes the most of it. They kiss deeply between seemingly endless rows of blaster scarred walls. It's all so alternative and tragically romantic which is why she feels she must speak up.
"The Faction doesn't trust me and they never will. I can't blame them. After all, I do have future blood on my hands. It's a considerable risk for them as well. Maybe too much of a risk."
"Where is this coming from? What are you saying?"
What is she saying? Melanie stares longingly into his perfectly rugged and appropriately worried face. She must return to Hesperidium for the contractual Raga'Ana shoots not to mention what she can only imagine is a significant amount of damage control. By now her social life should be on the critical list. She's been spending most of her free time with Castin but wonders now if she should walk away. Melanie has her own to worry about yet is crippled by what she knows. Too much information, not enough context. Giving it any kind of serious reflection causes an anguish and panic she does not wish on anyone.
She thinks there may be a reason for that.
"It's just that I might be too dangerous for you right now, too dangerous for The Faction. The Empire is closing in on the Alliance with most of their resources off world scouring and pillaging the galaxy. It's the perfect time to strike from within and that might be safer if I didn't see you..."
He disagrees.
"Safer for who? That's bullshit, Melanie. No one is fucking safe. I take my own risks. I do what I want. So should you."
She shakes her head, keeping her tone melodic and even.
"You can't make that choice for them and I can't continue to fool myself into thinking I won't bring Venko down on you. You always say he's still an Imperial Agent and you are right. He is. And Imperial Agents aren't supportive to the cause."
He flashes a sloppy smile.
"You support my cause. I support yours. That's the beauty of us."
"My cause could get everyone killed, Castin. I need some distance to get a little perspective or else I'm going to go crazy. You have come to mean very much to me in the short we've known each other and I believe what you are doing is right. The Empire must be stopped."
Castin's eyes border on pleading.
"Then let us stop it together."
"To accomplish what? Bring it down only to have it replaced with something worse? Who's to say this Dementat won't put Palpatine to shame?"
"Prophecies are often open-ended, babe. Words can be twisted, meanings can be turned."
"Turned into what?"
Castin sighs.
She nods.
"Exactly. You and The Faction need to worry about the present. I must consider the future."
"What are you going to do? Fight it?"
Melanie pulls the robes up over her designer dress, tucking golden curls into the hood. A cool panic presses against the chemical barrier. She has no clue what she's going to do but if she keeps running around with Castin no one is going to able to stop anything from happening.
"I think I am supposed to.....try."
Then she is gone.
Castin lifts his head to the sky so high above he cannot see it. He knows she is trying to be noble, a respectable quality rarely found in someone so young and privileged but he doesn't want her to carry that burden alone. She shouldn't have to. No one should. He believes she has the potential and power to turn it all around. He only hopes she gets the chance.
A man covered in a tattered brown tunic emerges from behind an outcropping of rubble.
Castin spins around, blaster leveled, "Don't move."
The stranger does not draw, does not attack as he steps into the light. His face is revealed and Castin relaxes, lowering the weapon.
"You."
The stranger speaks.
"She is in more danger than you realize."
*
Surface: Galactic City: Venko Residence
Nikoli hunches forward onto his knees and takes another swig of whiskey.
What exactly are you doing here?
Poor Agent Ames - just one more in a long string of disasters. No matter which direction he moves, Venko is shut down. He can do nothing with the photage of Alexia Winton. Boundaries had been set. Now, he doesn't get a chance to figure out what Ames had on Masterton. Dead end after dead end. His career is swirling awfully close to the implied menace and horror strangely attached to a few spoiled schoolgirls and their snotty friends. He places a desperate call to Agent St. Claire's com unit, searching for insight, but is informed it has been disconnected.
Despair rises up, threatening to consume him.
The com bleeps in his hands, jarring him out the downward spiral. He clears his throat and taps on the device.
"Venko here."
"Hey, it's Kimber."
He finds himself sitting up.
"Miss Patten, so nice to hear from you."
She sounds somber, quiet.
"Are you going to the Hessy?"
"Yes, I leave at the end of the week, why? Where are you?"
"Corellia but I'm headed back that way."
"Are...you okay?"
"No."
"Where is miss Gellar?"
"Oh, you know Val. She's off mishandling the situation."
Venko is thrown by this statement but aims for sympathetic.
"That doesn't sound good. Is there anything I can do?"
Kimber's giggle is not so jovial this time.
"Yeah, you can help me find out what the hell happened to my parents."
- TBC
-
Corellia
Surface: Coronet City
Valerie walks into One CorSec Plaza on a mission.
She wears a tight black ruffled top, short gray micro-skirt, and thick black round-toe heels. Her dark hair is flat-ironed and styled to frame her tan angular face. The entire ensemble gains instant attention when she storms into Agent Frank Farmer’s office despite protests from his homely and fashion-victimized secretary. He nearly jumps out of his chair at her arrival.
“Miss Gellar. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?â€Â
Valerie taps the door closed in the secretary’s face and trains her gaze on Frank.
“We need to talk.â€Â
"Apparenly, it’s important. I’m listening.â€Â
“Does the name Blair mean anything to you?â€Â
Frank considers this with a neutral expression.
“Why do you ask?â€Â
“Answering a question with a question usually means you know something.â€Â
“I am merely trying to gather a frame of reference for your inquiry.â€Â
This response is unacceptable and so Valerie rages.
“For fuck’s sake, Frank! Someone broke into my house and wrote it on my wall. This was not something done inconspicuously. They knew I would find it!â€Â
“Alright, alright, just calm down. On your wall? Where?â€Â
“My bedroom. In lipstick. My favorite lipstick!â€Â
“That’s…terrible. I am more concerned with the breaking and entering portion of that statement. You are certain it was forced entry?â€Â
“I am not certain of anything which is why I am reporting it to you now! I know how fond you are of proper channels. Consider this my effort to appease your unwavering respect for the law.â€Â
He smiles wanly, “I appreciate that.â€Â
“So who is Blair? Male? Female? A droid? Some kind of migrant alien?"
There is a considerable pause.
The Major’s absence has obviously adversely affected Kimber but failed to rouse suspicion in Valerie. She is not frightened by covert ops. She knows the rules and would break them for the greater good. Or personal gain. Whichever one was more favorable at the time. No one has been able to get any information out of Lilandra and he secretly wonders if she has been overly medicated for that specific reason.
“I don’t know who Blair is.â€Â
“But the name is familiar?â€Â
“Yes.â€Â
“How is it familiar?â€Â
He pauses again.
Valerie narrows her eyes, “Frank!â€Â
“I have heard Major Patten utter the name twice since I’ve known him. It was always said in a tone of religious sacriment, as if envoking a deity or spiritual entity. I believed it was a personal expression of his and never questioned it.â€Â
“I suppose there was never a reason to until now.â€Â
“Why would someone break into your residence to deface your room with this name?â€Â
“Duh! Someone who wants me to know what it means.â€Â
“Fair point. Would you like me to dispatch a security detail to investigate?â€Â
“It wouldn’t do any good since I already cleaned it all up.â€Â
His temper flares briefly but he keeps it contained.
“Before you reported it? How long ago did this happen?â€Â
“Nearly a week and don’t give me shit, okay? I didn’t want to freak Kimber out! She’s already on edge as it is.â€Â
“Understandably so.â€Â
Valerie ponders something then says, “When was the last time the Major said this?â€Â
“Right after we discovered….â€Â
She arches a brow.
Frank clenches his jaw tightly. He is not sure how much Major Patten told her about what actually happened to Jerico Gellar. Hell, they still don't know for sure. The parts they found were mutilated and burned nearly beyond recognition. To confirm something now may risk sending her over the edge but there is no way to answer the question without blatantly lying to her.
“…remnants of a body from a crime scene.â€Â
“Who’s body?â€Â
She’s slick. He would give her that.
“Is that relevant?â€Â
“It is if you can’t tell me.â€Â
“I think it might be best to consider what you are really after here."
“Is this information classified?â€Â
“There is a certain level of confidentiality attached to it.â€Â
Valerie’s smoldering dark green eyes burn holes into him.
“Was it my father’s body?â€Â
Frank Farmer is officially backed into a corner.
“Yes.â€Â
Valerie flinches as if she’s been slapped but somehow maintains both control and aggression.
“So my father is really dead?"
Frank chooses his words very carefully. The Major had confided in him and there was simply a line he could and would not cross with Valerie right now. Some things were better left coming from the source.
“Jerico Gellar is dead, yes. I am deeply sorry Val-“
“Save it, Frank.â€Â
“Valerie…â€Â
“The Major wasn't as forthcoming."
“I’m sure he has a reason for withholding information.â€Â
“Really? I’d love to hear it.â€Â
Frank frowns sharply, “I cannot speak for him. I can, however, say that it was not my intention to hurt you or Kimber. I did not wish for any of this to happen and can only tell you what I know. I have no information on this Blair or how they relate to the Major but I can look into it if you feel it will help.â€Â
Valerie waves her arms wildly in the air as she paces the length of his office.
“How is it supposed to help?! Will it bring back my father? No. Will it cure Lilandra? Probably not. Will it send the Major running back to Corellia to answer all these mounting questions? Doubtful. Everything is so fucked right now its not even funny!â€Â
He rises out of his chair and rounds the desk.
“What can I do?â€Â
Valerie nears, brushing up against his starched uniform before wilting into his arms. He holds her tightly for some time, unsure of how he can rectify the situation without making it worse. She is already one step ahead of him in that department. Valerie leans forward, head swerving to the right as she connects her lips to his. He is about to protest when she breaks the kiss and takes a step back. She seems a little too satisfied with herself. He is flustered and aroused in a way that should be very wrong.
“You must do what you think is best, of course.â€Â
With that, Valerie storms back out of the office in the same manner that she entered.
*
Surface: Gellar Residence
Kimber leaps off the couch when Valerie stalks through the door into the living room.
“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting here for over an hour!â€Â
“Sorry."
“Well, does Agent Farmer know anything else?â€Â
“He does but unfortunately not about your parents. And stop calling him Agent Farmer. His name is Frank.â€Â
“He’s nearly twice our age, Valerie. That’s kind of rude.â€Â
“You think? He's not that old.â€Â
“Sure, whatever you want to keep telling yourself. Can we, like, go now?â€Â
"You sure you want to leave? If we stay, maybe we can figure out what the hell is really going on."
Kimber stares at her, completely incredulous.
"Let's review, shall we? Dad, gone. Where? Classified! Mom? Totes crazy and locked up tight without a key. Agent Farmer, I'm sorry, Frank is not at liberty to spill helpful CorSec secrets which might shed a little light on the situation. The shoots begin in a few days, school starts in a couple of weeks and right now, I really just want to be baking on a beach."
Valerie is impressed with this outburst. They can be so similar at times.
It shows potential.
"I see your point."
The trunks have already been loaded into the transport which waits for them on the platform outside. Valerie seems even more agitated than when she left but by now, Kimber knows better than to press her for information in the heat of the moment. She would most likely confess once she’s had a chance to cool off.
“Yeah, let’s blow this joint.â€Â
“Finally!â€Â
Kimber breezes through the door with Valerie trailing behind. She takes one last look around before stepping outside and tapping in the door lock codes that activate the security system. The feeling of violation of her sacred space stays with her all the way to the landing platform.
Twenty minutes later, the transport blasts off from Corellia headed for Hesperidium.
-TBC
-
"Hold me, dear. Don't let go. I am only here for a moment."
Korriban
Surface
Across the sands, evil is restrained by activity.
The blinding daytime heat keeps them indoors where Dementat watches Alexia Winton crudely attempt to construct her own lightsaber. The extraction of the crystal is the easy part compared to the technical intricacies of such a device. She must learn how each part works, how they are pieces of a whole -
Individual parts that function together
- He had forged this shelter during his own journey; a simple setup composed of a small cot and massive workbench that had taken a remarkable amount of patience and time to carve. It is on that bench he constructed his own weapon.
Nighttime is for teaching the fighting styles and Force manipulations that had gotten him by all his life. Some of these come naturally to her while she struggles with others. She is stubborn and bitter. Her attacks are powerfully scattered, unfocused and she tears through the landscape as if it's in her way.
There is much room for growth if he can keep her this lucid.
Later, in front of a spectacular bonfire, they both enjoy the heinous gourmet of an Imperial ration kit and Dementat breaks a seemingly endless silence by engaging Alexia socially for the first time in weeks. He is prompted by her performance on Dantooine and somewhat anxious to know how this girl factors into his destiny.
"You said you have a story to tell me."
Alexia does not look away from the flames and sighs.
"Probably."
He yawns.
"I can't imagine it's very important then."
She is more defiant than appalled.
"You know, I wasn't always this way."
"Somehow I find that hard to believe."
Her emerald eyes finally meet his steely blue stare.
"You don't know me."
"I don't have to know you to train you. I don't have to like you either."
"No, you don't but, for your own personal reference, it hasn't always been this bad. I have potential. Surely you are not blind. My father noticed, the Empire noticed. They think I'm special."
"You are."
Her jaded laugh saddens something in him.
"You find that humorous?"
"My family is a twisted joke. My father roots me on while keeping my mother in an alcoholic haze as means to prevent her from freaking out over my gravitation toward the dark side. As if she could stop what's inevitable. Then there is my sister who wears her superficiality like a coat of armor against having to look inside herself and find out there is nothing there. Just hot air and a pleated skirt."
Dementat is amused by the image of Karen in a pleated skirt.
These thoughts do not betray him as Alexia wades through the past.
"I am the one who wants more than a life without struggle! There was no purpose, no meaning for me in any of the items my family placed so much importance upon. Status means nothing without skill. I craved a challenge and it wasn't until I met with the Emperor and transferred out of that Maker-forsaken North Coruscant that I was finally given a chance to prove myself."
"What was wrong with North Coruscant?"
She seems genuinely surprised.
"Don't you already know?"
"No."
"Guess we're even then."
"What? You don't know? Didn't you ask?"
"My father is the king of cryptic. All I know is it was bad. Bad enough to get me thrown out of school."
"You said you were transferred."
"It was more of an Imperial arrangement. Everyone, including me, felt it would be best."
"Was it?"
"I thought so..."
"Do you not think so anymore?"
"You tell me."
Now, in the raging glow of the flames, she looks suddenly frightened and whispers.
"I don't even know how I got here."
"I brought you here."
"And before that?"
"You were on Coruscant."
"Funny how it seems I can never escape that place no matter how hard I try."
"I did not bring you to the capital."
"I know that now."
"Tell me."
She is staring off into the distance, beyond him, in another world, a lifetime and for a moment she almost sounds like an actual teenager.
"It all started to fall apart after Carida. The Emperor had given me a very rare present, a Roonstone necklace. It was supposedly part of his personal stash. He said my accelerated studies and brisk graduation was most impressive. Only imagine it being said in a much more menacing way. Still the recognition scored me an assignment on a strike-cruiser called The Abyss with several of my graduating classmates. Navris, Kennick-"
"Kennick? You've mentioned him before."
"Have I?"
"Twice."
Alexia allows a miniscule smile.
"He was a good friend at the Academy."
He presses against the edges of a personality he had not fully seen until this moment.
"I'm sure he was."
She clears her throat.
"On the Abyss, we were introduced to the rest of the crew. Captain Reverand commanded the vessel. There was a whiz kid com-officer named Morrison and a man-hating but brilliant new doctor Kensington. It was all so exciting."
"What happened?"
"Me and Kennick..."
"I mean on the Abyss."
"Oh, that's the best part. No one knew. As recruits, we weren't privy to details and did what the Captain ordered. Mostly cleanup and reports, the occasional systems scan. Not exactly glamorous but still cool. That's when we found out the senior staff all belonged to different agencies within the Imperial network. Navy, Intel, Operations. Our missions were not part of any publicized campaign."
"Interesting."
"We all thought so."
"Find anything useful?"
"Never got the chance to look. Things started to go downhill for me around that. The episodes had returned."
He had seen it but will ask anyway.
"Episodes?"
He needs to hear her try to rationalize it.
"I've had them since I was a child. I'd get angry and wake up in a different place than I remember. My parents were scared I would hurt them or myself. They were convinced I would hurt my sister. Doctor Masterton tried to help but there was nothing he could do."
Masterton.
It's a name he's heard before, a name he knows.
1 / 4
Alexia shutters at the memory.
"Medication dulled the roar but turned me into a blathering zombie. I stopped taking it when I started North Coruscant. Bad things started to happen again. The same bad things that started to happen on the Abyss. I was overcome with anger without reason, feelings of aggression toward those I hardly knew. I was having blackouts. I was becoming a liability. There was an episode where I came too and had a significant amount of the crew held hostage. That was kind of the last straw."
"Did they come for you?"
Alexia rises from the ground and shuffles languorously around the fire as she speaks.
"Quicker than I expected they would actually. Imperial operatives pulled me out before a scheduled assignment in the Outer Rim and sent the Abyss on ahead. They brought me back to the capital and asked me to carry out a very specific set of instructions that I could not remember until here, until the cave..."
He stands as she near him. The dark energy of Korriban pulses from below. Their minds go to the same place because they had been shown the same version of a story.
The prophecy.
Draw your own conclusions.
Let the truth set you free.
Dementat's eyes grow a brighter blue.
"Tell me what you saw."
"I saw the lives I have taken."
"You don't sound upset."
"I'm not."
"You shouldn't be."
"Others will have to die too."
"How many?"
"As many as it takes."
"Why must they die?"
Alexia can almost taste it.
"For the future of our Empire."
- TBC
-
"Tonight I'll help you find the baseline."
Hesperidium
Surface
The Four pose on a sparkling white beach, large glaring sun in the center of a cloudless sky that darkens them all into shadows as the photage rolls on. The days no longer seem to burn as bright and a crispness slowly creeps into the evening air. It's all ending and no one is pleased. Only one thing can be done about it.
Death of Summer Party @ Bolerathon Tower.
The Winton Penthouse.
Karen secures all goods and services through a five-star catering company using her parents account. She hasn't heard from either of them in what she thinks is weeks but is actually months and figures they probably don't care. About anything, apparently. They have become the idea of parents. Vague concern infiltrates her mind but the cases of champagne arrive before it can bloom into anything that would require taking action. This enchantment lasts until the help arrives. Her mouth takes a sharp dive as she stands at the door. The droids hired to serve are not here to socialize. In fact, Karen insisted the catering company deactivate speech capabilities because "droids really do make better listeners."
She slides into a beaded green Raga'Ana halter dress and steps into a dazzling pair of black strappy heels. Her crimson hair is twisted into an ornate up-do dotted with gems and glitter. Her emerald eyes are amplified by the a shimmering green shadow and smoky outline. She giggles to herself, taking one long, lasting look at herself in the mirror before turning and striding from the bedroom.
Only the A-List of North Coruscant and the Hessy have been invited but the Four must arrive first for pre-party coverage. They are all dressed in corresponding colors per contractual obligation, faces sun-kissed and smiling. Agent Venko hovers nearby, groaning inwardly. Photage is shot and the girls stand around on the expansive patio looking bored and staring faux-contemplatively toward the deepening blue sky and raging ocean below. Cue the ambient-electronic and candles flickering in the salty breeze as the guests roll in.
Images are projected onto walls behind the young revelers; Star Destroyers advancing silently on an unseen target while a Tie squadron spirals across the twinkling vacuum of space.
It all happens as it is meant to, blurring and streaking toward a seasonal climax.
Reef is surprisingly tight-lipped and sober but Valerie is in one of her moods and decides to take it out on him in a spectacle of rage befitting an angry god. People actually applaud, some cry. Kimber dances beneath the colored lights swirling across the living room as Venko watches from the sidelines with an aching and guilty heart. Vex Sienna shows up to say his goodbyes before heading off to academy. The Chin-Bret legend leaves a legacy waiting to be fought over and filled by either Lucas or Reef. The competition could get ugly. Melanie avoids Lucas like a plague and is pulled away by Karen who confronts her about the secret boyfriend. In a chemical haze complimented by champagne, Melanie finally confesses but is accidentally overheard by Skyler. Karen has heard the name Castin Donn before. Something about ties to terrorist activity. The Holo says he's bad news. Melanie is hurt and wonders if Karen really believes the press.
Most of what is told about The Four is blatantly false. What's to say that's not true of everything else?
In the end, Karen wants Melanie to be happy and agrees to keep the secret. Skyler is distraught with the notion that Karen would willingly help conceal a criminal. Rebuffed and confused, Lucas drowns himself in ale. Kimber and Venko finally find a moment alone together where she cryptically comments about a Corellian catastrophe over the bass of the music. A drunk and angry Valerie tells Reef about her father and he suddenly sees her in a multidimensional light. D'Arcy and Billy keep step, ignoring the petty drama, bodies pressed against each other, twirling slowly around the living room.
Midnight approaches.
Fall is upon them.
Let the games begin.
-TBC
-
"Gambled every bit of sense I had and lost it all to you."
Fall 3ABY
Naboo
Surface: Lake Country: Greyson Compound
A breeze blows gently through the expansive covered terrace and coils around carved and finely polished columns to tousle her dark hair. Queen Monica Greyson-Winton has not left this place in almost seven months. She yawns, sprawling out further on a chaise lounge as it begins to rain.
There were certain repercussions of her trip into the Core, amendments to a deal she never remembers making much less going along with. They say it's all in the details. Information is omitted, replaced and interchanged so often she can barely recall the who had been told what. Truth is relative and no longer has any meaning. Alexander Winton was waiting for her when she returned and despite her best efforts to the contrary, he seemed to know exactly where she had gone and what she had done. In fact, he seemed almost pleased. Monica did not even bother denying it so he did not even bother throwing a fit. Instead they self-destructed into each other's arms, grappling in a tempest of passion, indignation and hatred. As punishment for interfering with Imperial activities he left her here, heavily guarded, to reconsider her position on just how they would like the prophecy to play out.
The afternoon storms light up a sky darkened by towering clouds.
None of the agents assigned to the compound will speak to her nor had Celeste returned from Bakura. All communication was strictly monitored which caused a panic and urgency she had never experienced before. She tried to contact Kyri and Lilandra Patten on Corellia, to warn them somehow but the message never made it past the relay station. As she waited, hoping one day someone would come, she often thought of her children and her failure as a mother to protect them. There are moments when she wondered what they were doing, if they were alright, and if one day they would come looking for her. She had let go of Alexia a long time ago but the terror she now felt for Karen is palpable and consuming. Her youngest could be spared if the information she gave Melanie is delivered into the right hands.
Monica runs a hand slowly across her stomach and escapes into her mind.
*
Bakura
Surface: Salis D'aar
Celeste Masterton sobs quietly into her hands, something she has begun doing fairly regularly as of late. What was once an exciting and promising adventure was now nothing more than a rapidly deteriorating nightmare. Somehow they had gotten ahead of the information. Steps had been missed. Innuendo's, one after the other, slid down the multitude of glaring distractions. Their families had been separated and they had done it to themselves. One fact had become frighteningly clear.
Alexander Winton determined the fate of their children.
They had unknowingly yet willingly moved aside to allow him unlimited access. The sudden and severe Imperial presence surrounding them signified a much deeper connection to the governing body than she or Henrick knew about or felt comfortable with. It all became so clear for her after all this time. Alexander was one of them and now they were at his mercy. Celeste cursed herself for not sensing it sooner. She should have listened to Monica. The fear, the worry, the warnings had been there all along. Monica was terrified but could not pull the pieces of the visions apart to form a coherent danger. Celeste had naively hoped for a brighter future and feared what this betrayal would ultimately do to her husband.
Henrick had always wanted to believe Alexander and returning to Bakura to head up potentially revolutionary medical research was considered the highest of honors. Alexander presented him with a state-of-the-art laboratory and access to RepulsorCorp resources. The objective was not simple - creation of a chemical compound capable of rendering a Force-sensitive neutral. A way to significantly suppress midi-chlorians on the cellular level. In theory, the "potential" would be depowered and invisible to others through the Force. Such research had been banned by the Empire since the purge but exceptions were being made. Alexander told him it could save Alexia and others like her by lessening the pain and allowing them to regain control of their own choices. Henrick had exhausted his medical resources in attempts to aide Alexia Winton as a child. There was no treatment available at the time to counter the blackouts, the extreme rage, and the explosive use of power. When Alexia, Karen and Melanie were taken and tested by the Imperial Health Authority just after their move to the capital, Henrick had been greatly troubled. The Empire was notoriously swift and harsh when it came to others who shared the gifts of the Emperor and his progeny. Karen and Melanie's levels were significantly elevated. Alexia, however, presented an entirely different problem.
One that overshadowed any fear the Emperor might have felt toward the others.
Alexia Winton was the only known Force-possessive. A being with a midi-chlorian level so high it could at times take complete control, the result of which would be catastrophic on a galactic level. That was all the information Alexander relayed to Monica, Henrick and Celeste. It was enough of a threat to keep their questioning in check. His life had become a game of buying time on every front.
Under normal circumstances, Alexia would have been destroyed if Alexander had not already interceded. He had complied with the Emperor's commands and offered his firstborn to do with as the Empire saw fit. Alexia was indeed the leverage keeping Karen and Melanie out from under the Empire's interest and it was a venture that had been highly successful. Alexander was prepared for Alexia to die but it was deemed unnecessary. Where the Emperor saw potential to have yet another weapon at his disposal, Alexander saw opportunity to prepare for the things he knew would come.
So many strings had to be pulled in just the right way.
As Imperial Director, he sent the fleets in all directions to hunt down the Alliance on flimsy leads and hollow tips. They could be occupied for years. The one called Dementat had been located. The Four were together and properly self-absorbed. Reef Stratford was placed securely on the capital watching their every move. Monica and Celeste were coaxed out of range. Major Patten was embroiled in his own morality tale and Lilandra just needed a little push over the edge. Henrick's blind faith had begun to waver and as Alexia became more difficult to control, Alexander sought to handle three pressing issues simultaneously - Justify his actions in the mind of his best friend while moving Dementat off sides and away from the Emperor's suspicion to safeguard Alexia until it was her time.
However skeptical, Dementat came as instructed and absconded with Alexia to Korriban. Grateful and challenged, Henrick assembled a team and went to work on Bakura.
This occupied almost all of his time but after weeks of failure Henrick became frustrated with the lack of progress. Alexander ordered Celeste to leave Naboo and help to refocus her husband. Reluctantly, she left Monica's side. She tried to reason with Henrick, to relay her concerns over Alexander's intentions, to tell him what she and Monica found but he could not believe it. Henrick resumed his research with renewed vigor and when a trial vaccine was finally ready for testing he was presented with Force-sensitive's that had been captured and considered a direct threat to the Empire. While Henrick was hesitant to test so readily on humanoids, Alexander insisted.
Two of the three died relatively quickly. The third survived.
This last potential was tested further using Celeste's talents to try and feel him out as she sat sobbing in a chair biting her left fist. There was nothing. The subject was as tangible as a shadow and as dangerous as a housefly. Henrick and his team were congratulated and thrown an elaborate party. Celeste tried desperately to appear at ease amongst associates and colleagues in their respective fields. She held her tongue and smiled. That is, until Alexander Winton pulled her aside.
The conversation haunted her still.
"Don't look so glum," he said. "This is a big moment for Henrick. You should be happy for him."
"I am happy for him."
"That's not what your smile says."
"I'm tired, Alex. Too tired to play this game right now."
"You sound like this isn't a good thing for all of us. The vaccine has potential to save people's lives. Maybe even Melanie's"
"What does Melanie have to do with this?"
"More than you think."
She clenched her fists, determined.
"Then tell me the truth about the prophecy. I want to know what it says, what it really means for them."
"So did Lilandra Patten but, as it turns out, she couldn't handle the whole truth. There were certain allusions she maintained that needed to be....adjusted. But don't worry, the Major is fully aware of the situation and has complete faith in his daughter. You should have a little more in yours. I'm sure Melanie will make the right choice."
Celeste is completely aghast at his candor.
"How sure?"
"About as sure as I am that they will all survive what's coming."
She choked on a scream and fought back a flood of tears but that did not stop her voice from faltering.
"What's....coming?"
Alexander smiled, stepping back into the crowd as if melting into the social landscape. A hateful and satisfied whisper escaped his lips.
"The Beast."
-TBC
-
"You twisted little girl, showin them what life is all about."
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Images of The Four peer curiously out from between the other flashing advertisements, vibrant and vaguely threatening stares gazing down into the glamorous epicenter of elitist activity.
Fall semester at North Coruscant begins with a rush. Excitement is high after an especially intense summer that separates them from the present and the mysterious tragedies last year. Everyone is anxious for a fresh start. This year is all about standardized testing and extracurricular's. The best University's look for well-rounded individuals. Reef and Lucas resume the jock posturing. Skyler was already in the art club and signs up for yearbook. D'Arcy is elected onto the student council. Billy takes up with the AV geeks but only because they happen to be the best gamers. Alarmed at the notion of being left out, Karen signs the Four up for cheerleading. It's the only thing that requires the least amount of mental involvement and includes a cute outfit. Bonus! Kimber is thrilled. Melanie thinks it's a wonderful way to support their team. Valerie throws the prerequisite fit and pretends to have some kind of principles before dramatically relenting. The best part is they don't even have to try out. The current captain, a senior named Caprial Bronson, practically has a seizure when Karen approaches her about the opportunity. Several spots on Varsity had opened up after graduation and there were not many desirable candidates. Caprial says they would be honored to have The Four cheering on the sidelines and while she seems sincere, Karen suspects she is more interested in the attention their addition to the squad would no doubt bring. A deal is made and the microsecond the information is released every girl in school wants to be a cheerleader. Per Karen's request, Caprial closes out any further applicants and sends the school into a jealous tizzy. The Four have their extracurricular and Caprial Bronson is now the most popular senior at North Coruscant.
Karen is a girl of her word and the remaining members of Carli Cole and Tenley Price's group still have the backing of The Four and their allies. The interconnected cliques now form a large and dangerous social web that dominates the upper class. Every facet of student life has a connection and any problem imaginable now has a solution.
Junior year for the capital kids may come with a higher standing but with it brings much more responsibility. Practices and meetings fracture the once seemingly unlimited amount of time they all spent together. D'Arcy finds student politics surprisingly more petty than her friends and manages the gripes and concerns of the student body accordingly. Chin-Bret season kicks off in the shadow of Vex Sienna's absence. Everyone is looking to stand out this year. During practice, Reef edges ahead in both skill and speed to be recognized as a contender. Tension between him and Lucas continues to grow despite the best efforts of Skyler and Billy running damage control. Fashion week creeps up and The Four spend five straight mornings walking the runways modeling the Raga'Ana fall lines before class begins. The contract demands more of their time during junior and senior year. Marketing Director Maxi Marx lays down the law. Wednesdays and Fridays are now permanently attached to a premiere or event. Socially conscious activity like Melanie and Skyler's involvement in the theater and arts is strongly encouraged. Causes are big this season. Hope in the midst of so much darkness. They are to be a beacon for both the company and the Empire. Somehow they make it all more acceptable to the general populous although no one can quite tell them why.
Three weeks into the semester, the new fragrance ad by Raga'Ana hits the Holo. Valerie stars in the commercial and wears what can loosely be described as a dress but it covers so little of her body that it seems to be more a trick of the light than an actual outfit. Her dark hair falls around her shoulders, tousled with maximum volume. She storms down a dimly lit corridor in frighteningly high black heels, stomping and sashaying to the bass of the latest underground house hit. Red lights pulse from open doorways as she passes until she reaches the end of the hall.
"Don't hate us cuz we're pretty."
She throws her head back and laughs like it would be impossible not to. Then she glares into the cam and sneers suggestively.
"Okay, hate us but in the cool way."
The cam pans out to frame her with lips pushed out, pouting pretentiously as she whispers.
"Cool Karma. Exclusively at Raga'Ana."
Karen, Melanie and Kimber are stunned. The ad is so blatantly sexualized they are surprised Valerie was allowed to participate. Maxi Marx explains that Valerie is the only one without parents who would take issue. This is said casually, like they should understand completely. Kimber secretly wonders if this whole persona is somehow branding Valerie with a reputation she may not want. Or maybe she does. Valerie can go either way. Many ways, actually. Melanie finds it all a little too vulgar and Karen doesn't get what the commercial has to do with karma. Maxi says it's all conceptual and modern and left open to the interpretation of the audience. Performance art is the suddenly the cutting edge.
Back at school, fall deepens toward the inevitable.
Homecoming Weekend.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Homecoming weekend. Friday night. The big game.
As Reef and Lucas dash across the sand with the North Coruscant Crusaders, Karen, Melanie, Kimber and Valerie cheer them on. Skyler captures it all on cam for the yearbook while Billy and D'Arcy hang near the sidelines holding hands.
The Crusaders crush the competition and as the Magnus Arena erupts into cheering, Melanie wanders in the girls locker room alone. She stares into the mirror and cannot believe what is staring back. She sees a girl who has tried valiantly to turn her back on the things she knows. She has tried to resume life as a normal teenager and pushed Castin away to focus solely on her coursework and career. But Melanie is not a normal teenager. She is burdened with a deep connection to the Force, a connection she cannot quite understand, and far too much information. Castin doesn't know what it's like to have to lie to his friends every day. To keep the secret for safety's sake. People they know are going to die but she doesn't want to believe it. She doesn't want to dignify the Queen's frantic plea with an overreaction. To act hastily could cost them all, that much she does know. The internal struggle is constant so she ramps up her self-medication to keep the darkness at bay. If she falters, it might catch her. If she feels nothing, she can't be afraid to lose them. So Melanie stands in front of a mirror and swallows most of a bottle of pills. She splashes her face with water, fixes her hair and touches up her makeup before turning to run into Valerie.
"What are you doing in here? I hope no one is being cliché."
"You don't know me, Valerie."
"By the looks of things, we're not as different as you might think. Let that resonate with you for a moment before the inevitable triad. Everyone has secrets. Boyfriends, habits, backgrounds, reputations. Some things are better left out of the limelight."
"A lecture? From you? Really? You are completely shameless."
"Shame is for the weak. Whatever your problem is you need to let it go."
Melanie adjusts the red and gold uniform skirt and sighs.
"Your presence is like nightmare that never ends."
Valerie laughs, flipping her dark hair over a shoulder.
"I'll bet. Maintaining an allusion of perfection must be exhausting. So are you going to tell me what's going on or should I just ask Karen?"
Melanie's blue eyes flash momentarily, pupils dilated to the size of a laser point.
"Oh, does she doesn't know?"
"She knows....things. Some things."
"But not everything."
"No one knows everything."
"Unless you ask."
"What do you want, Valerie?"
"The same thing everyone wants, Melanie. Answers."
"Well, you aren't getting any from me," Melanie hisses, trying to move past her.
Valerie grabs her arm roughly, spinning her around. As they struggle, a bottle slips from Melanie's purse, hitting the tiled floor with a clatter. The lid pops off to send white pills spraying out in all directions. Panicked, Melanie drops to the floor and tries to scoop them toward her sloppily, a useless gesture.
"What the fuck, Mel? This isn't you."
Melanie glares up hatefully, an expression Valerie has never seen on her before.
"What do you know?"
"A lot more about being bad than you do. No one goes to this much trouble unless they are trying to bury a hurt so deep it humbles. I mean, I get it. The situation sucks. Your parents may be elsewhere but at least they are alive. Your life isn't so terrible, is it? Looks, smarts, wealth, fame, love. You have everything."
"So do you!"
"No, I don't. Credits and friends can't fill that void, I'm afraid. I'm not big on parental involvement but there is something to be said for at least knowing they are out there somewhere."
"I find it hard to believe you mean that."
"You wouldn't if you spent less time judging me."
Melanie drops the pills in her hands and stands, wobbling back against the wall. Valerie reaches out but she slaps her hands away.
"I'm fine, okay? I'm fine!"
"You don't look fine."
"Save this moment away in the smug and ever-expanding arsenal of leverage you have against us. I don't care. Just leave me alone!"
Melanie storms out of the bathroom to rejoin her celebrating friends by the black hoverlimo waiting to take them back to Five Hundred Republica. Valerie shakes her head, rolls her eyes and follows.
Agent Venko waits patiently on the landing platform. Melanie avoids eye contact and manages to fall into the limo. Valerie walks out moments later and smirks as she brushes past him. Karen and Skyler are crushed against the opposite end of the plush interior with Lucas and Reef shouting and swaying in the center of it all. Billy laughs as D'Arcy leans into him. Kimber fiddles with the stereo until rock is suddenly blaring through the limo. Melanie is planted with her arms crossed so Valerie grabs a bottle of champagne from the wet bar. Venko takes it from her as he enters the limo and taps the door closed.
"Let's try and keep it together til you are home safe, alright?"
He signals the pilot and the luxury craft pulls away from the bright lights of the stadium and up over the immaculate campus. A small security speeder leads the way while a much larger and heavily armed skiff pulls up the rear.
Karen likes to think she is putting everyone's tax credits to good use.
The capital kids laugh it up, dancing in their seats to the music until Melanie's eyes sink ever lower and she slumps over into D'Arcy. Valerie watches the whole thing happen but waits for someone else to notice. This can't be good. D'Arcy turns, nudging Melanie, calling her name. Melanie does not respond. D'Arcy looks up and shouts and motions for Karen. By now Kimber has turned down the music and Venko kneels in front of Melanie who slides down into the seat. He tries to shake her awake but she is unresponsive, head rolling forward. Suddenly all eyes turns to Valerie since they were the ones holding up the procession.
Karen crosses her arms, "What happened?"
A choice must be made.
"Nothing. She said she wasn't feeling good."
"When?"
"In the locker room."
"She looked okay during the game," Kimber offers. "Maybe she's just tuckered out. We did cheer pretty hard tonight."
Reef laughs, "You don't pass out from standing on a box and yelling."
"We jump around too."
Lucas nods, "And make those pyramid things."
"Which, by the way, is an accident waiting to happen," Skyler adds.
Billy chimes in, "Yeah! I'm just waiting for one of you to drop someone."
"Imagine all the up-skirt on the way down. Awesome."
"Shut up, Reef!"
D'Arcy holds up a hand and leans forward, motioning for Venko.
"Tangent much? Check her pupils."
Venko tilts her head back and pulls open her eyes They roll around freely, unfocused as she begins to convulse.
He glances back to D'Arcy.
"We just covered this in AP Internal Med and it looks like, I dunno, maybe a head trauma or reaction or something. You have to know all the symptoms. Was she vomiting? Val, did you see her take anything? Did she fall?"
Suddenly everyone is looking at Valerie again. Why do they have to be so studious? Normally, she would gladly take this opportunity to destroy Melanie's saintly reputation but hesitates. Melanie somehow seems like more of a real person with flaws and knowing this satiates something in Valerie.
Maybe it's about more than a boyfriend.
"Like I just said, she looked ill and I asked if she was alright. She said she was fine and then we walked out here. End of story."
The group exchanges uncertain glances with each other. Her credibility has been damaged as of late and mostly by her own doing.
"Hey! What is this? A fucking committee? Why don't we all take our time to weigh in while our friend dies in the back of this limo? Who cares what happened? Just get her to hospital!"
Venko leans back and taps down the heavily tinted partition, "We need to get to the IPMC immediately."
The pilot nods and moves to correct course when a rocket streaks through the sky to strike the security speeder. The explosion cuts off all conversation as the pilot swerves to avoid the wreckage. Kimber clings to Venko as the passengers are jostled and thrown around. Lucas steadies himself and cradles Melanie gently, holding her head against his chest. Karen and Kimber are screaming. Valerie yanks the champagne bottle out of Venko's hands. He protests as the limo is riddled with blaster fire, punching through and hitting the pilot. There is a sudden freefall as wind violently whips through the interior. Glasses, ice and pom-poms all seem to hang in mid-air before they crash into the ceiling or hurtle out into open space. Venko leaps forward, diving into the front seat to grab the controls and pulls the transport up before it plows into the side of a corporate tower. The screech of steel against steel is deafening. Orange sparks spray into the sky to blend with the fresh round of horrified screams.
Several more missiles sail past which he barely avoids. The security skiff returns fire but is hit twice and begins to go down. Venko manages to level out the limo but they are losing power and altitude quickly.
"Brace yourselves!"
He tightens his grip on the controls as the limo begins to fill with smoke. They are near the Esplanade. He scans the area for a reasonably clear section of plaza. Minimizing damage is essential. Venko grinds his teeth and keeps the limo steady as they come down hard. The transport clips a massive planter and careens onto its side before flipping over twice and smashing through a department store window. The epic silence that follows is hardly encouraging. Venko grips his blaster and climbs into the back to find Valerie covered in ash finally drinking from the champagne bottle.
"You are unbelievable."
"So I'm told."
"Are you injured?"
"Physically or emotionally?"
He groans, trying to assess the situation. Damage control mode. He is responsible for these kids. He's got to get them out alive. Skyler and Karen sit completely stunned in the center of the limo, seemingly unharmed. Billy is slumped forward onto what's left of the seat while D'Arcy appears to have been thrown against the back window.
Lucas pushes through the mangled interior, holding Melanie in his arms.
"This is total bullshit, man."
"Get her out outside. Valerie, you need help me with the others."
"You do realize," she says, trying to stand. "That if we're visibly scarred in any way Raga'Ana is going to like, sue your ass, right?"
"What? Don't be ridiculous."
"Our bodies are insured. It's in the contract. Didn't you get a copy?"
"Bloody hell, no. Let 'em try! Imperial counsel outclasses corporate lawyers. Now shut it and help me. Where's Kimber?"
"I'm here!" she calls weakly.
Venko crawls through the haze to find Reef lifting most of the wet bar off of Kimber.
"Oh no, my uniform is ruined! We're going to be in so much trouble!"
"We'll wash it," Reef says in a surprisingly soothing way. Then he lowers his voice and leans toward Venko, "You got any other weapons?"
"Yeah, why?"
The low hum is distinctively ominous yet unfamiliar.
"There's something out there."
Venko scrambles to the front, pressing his fingers against the pilot's throat. Dead. Cursing, he reaches down to unclip the concealed blaster attached to his belt. He hands it to Reef then checks his com to call for backup. The smashed device falls apart in his hands. Valerie grins, pulling a sleek mini-blaster from a ruined sequined clutch.
"You're armed? Why doesn't that surprise me?"
She shrugs, "Nothing should surprise you about me. Besides, you are going to need some cover if whoever did this is lurking about waiting to finish the job."
"True enough. Eyes open, kids. I need you to work with me here."
Coughing, Karen slips out of the limo. She turns to grab Billy's legs as Skyler slowly lowers him down. D'Arcy is dazed and barely conscious when Kimber helps her out into the smashed store. Reef is near the gaping hole where the window display used to be, gripping a blaster and peering out onto the eerily silent Esplanade. At this hour, kids their age would be teaming through the shops and holoplexes. By now a crowd should have formed. Reef doesn't trust it and waits as the rest of the group catches up with him. As they stare out into the night, the low hum returns, closer this time. Whatever's out there, it's airborne.
The outlines of their bodies fill the space.
Venko nods to Reef and Valerie.
"Let's move."
- TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City: Glitannai Esplanade
Blaster raised, Agent Nikoli Venko eases out of the smashed storefront. Reef and Valerie keep him covered. The hum returns from further out on the main plaza. There is no telling when backup would arrive and they could not stay here. The only holdout with adequate coverage is the maglev station across the plaza. They would have to cross a wide section of open space littered with the aftermath of their crash landing. He glances back, pointing to the station. Reef and Valerie nod and split off in opposite directions as the others creep out of the storefront. Venko peers out into the plaza, scouting for the source of the noise.
He finally catches sight of it as it swoops in low - an aerial drone usually reserved for military operations. Something amateurs could not get their hands on. It opens fire the microsecond they appear. Everyone dives for cover as the plaza is sprayed with blaster fire. The wreckage provides plenty of places to hide. Skyler and Karen drag Billy behind half of the massive planter they hit on the way in, laying him gently on the spilled soil. Kimber drops D'Arcy off beside him and runs screaming into the night. Valerie returns fire at the drone and bolts after her. Reef and Venko are firing furiously but failing to find their target. The drone is quick and avoids their fire a little too well. Venko suspects its controller is nearby, the same someone who may have fired the missiles at their convoy.
The drone makes several passes, pounding them with fire to keep them from escaping. They have mere moments between waves leaving Venko scrambling for a plan. Lucas hefts Melanie and retreats back into the ally, using the darkened storefront as cover. He glances around, looking for a way around the plaza. He needs to get her the med center and quickly. There is no telling how long she has but by the bluish tint and shallow breathing, he's guessing not long. A shadow emerges from behind him, causing Lucas to spin around. With Melanie in his arms he doesn't have any leverage. The figure holds up his hands and steps forward.
The racer trash he saw Melanie with that night on the Esplanade now stands before him.
"What do you want?"
"I'm not here to hurt you. I can get her out of here."
"Like hell you will. I'm not just going to hand her over to you."
"She'll die."
"You don't know that."
"Are you willing to take the chance? I'm not."
"You aren't the only one who cares for her."
"I don't doubt that but you need to trust me if you want her to survive. She's too important."
Lucas glances down at Melanie's beautifully still face, long blond curls spilling over his arm, caught in the breeze. He doesn't trust the commoner but knows better than to risk her life being proud.
"We go together."
He nods and dashes down the ally. Lucas throws a glance behind him at his friends under attack and makes his choice. Without a weapon, he would be useless and Melanie would probably die. He follows the commoner.
Back on the Esplanade, things are rapidly deteriorating.
Valerie drags a sobbing Kimber out of the fray. Karen tries to console her as Valerie raises her blaster and fires. She manages to clip the wing but it does little to stop the drone. The planter is taking too much damage and would not provide protection for long. Venko and Reef lay down some cover fire as they begin to advance across the plaza. D'Arcy is struggling with Billy and Kimber is a total mess. Karen hauls her up and gets ready to move on Venko's signal. As if sensing their plan of action, the drone fires two smaller missiles. Venko's bark is crisp.
"MOVE!"
The first missile sail's over them to demolish the patio of a trendy bistro. The second slams into the side of the planter, throwing all of them tumbling in every direction. Venko is on his back, ears ringing, flaming tiles strewn about. He can see a motionless Skyler a few meters away. Kimber's unmistakable screams slice through the scene like a hot vibroblade through flesh. The next thing he sees is a swath of colors, red and gold, as a figure boldly strides through the center of it all. The figure moves with a fluidity and fearlessness not their own. The air around him begins to crackle and snap as the hum of the drone circling back around ramps up the tension. Then the figure comes into focus, and he realizes he's staring at Karen with her arms outstretched as if beckoning the attack. He calls out but his voice is hoarse, barely a whisper.
Flecks of orange and red energy flash in a sphere that seems to surround her and Venko does not know what to make of it. She inhales, drawing her arms close as the drone opens fire, blaster bolts tearing up two parallel lines heading directly toward her. She turns briefly to reveal her eyes completely pooled in blackness. He has seen the look only once before, a face staring out at him from a security vid he is not supposed to have.
Venko gasps.
Karen glances back toward the advancing drone, thrusting out her arms to push the sphere of energy with it. Everything around them begins to quake. The sky ignites into a brilliant white and a deafening roar consumes the Esplanade.
Then there is only blackness.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City: Imperial Premiere Medical Center
Breaking news! Attack on The Four! Civilians injured, Imperial agents dead! All their faces are splashed across the Holo. Investigation pending. Theories run rampant and ratings for the news channels breaks records.
Pretty people in peril. Again! Story at eleven.
The medical center is locked down tightly with the victims on a secure floor. In one of the private rooms, Karen opens her eyes slowly. She winces at the brightness glaring through the windows and realizes there is someone standing near them, staring out into the city.
"Dad?"
Agent Scott St. Claire comes into focus.
"I'm afraid not, princess."
She scoffs in disgust.
"Ew! What are you doing here? I thought you swore me off for good."
He smiles slyly.
"If only. I hear you've been acting out, doing things of interest."
"Of interest to whom?"
"To the government that allows you to get away with being who you are."
"I know you missed me so you can lay off the cryptic today."
"You may want to reconsider that flippant attitude given what's happened."
"What happened?"
He seems genuinely surprised.
"You don't remember?"
Karen reaches into the darkness of her memory.
"I may have fallen down and hit my head....on the ground. Things are a little fuzzy."
St. Claire has already spoken with those coherent enough to do so. They were much too shaken up to given accurate statements but pieces of their stories all match. They remember being attacked and going down but the events on the Esplanade become less certain. They were shot at by what most of them say was a craft of some kind. This fire was returned by those with weapons. Several were injured, mostly minor burns, bumps and abrasions, one confirmed overdose of the Masterton girl, and then a pulse that ended the attack and damaged a significant amount of surrounding property. Witnesses further down the plaza also confirm the pulse and a bright light. The vids pulled from the security cams were pure static. The pulse had taken out everything electronic within a kilometer radius and now no one would know exactly what happened.
St Claire thinks he knows. It's what they have been waiting for. Now if he could only get her to confirm it.
"You can do better than that."
"You try walking in these heels!"
He rubs the bridge of his nose, sighing.
"That's not what I meant."
Karen sits upright in the hospital bed, looking more like a normal girl than he's ever seen. There is a humanizing quality in her vulnerability, something he hopes to exploit for Imperial purposes.
"Where are my friends? Are they alright? Where's Melanie?"
"They are fine. Or at least they will be in time. What I need from you right now is a conclusive story of the events that happened after the crash."
"Why are you even here? Where's Venko?"
He offers more than he usually would, hoping the glimmer of interest and caring would lull her into talking.
"Venko is recovering down the hall. As for me, there was a break in my assignment and I needed to handle some business in the Core. When I was informed of what happened, I came right over. I wanted to see if you were alright."
"No you didn't! You want something."
"Yes, information. I need to know what happened to you out there...."
Karen glares at him hatefully.
"....so we can find whoever did this and put them away."
She softens at that last bit but does not appear entirely convinced.
"What do you want from me? We were on our way home and then, boom! We're like, crashing on the Esplanade. Friends could have been killed! My boyfriend got hurt!"
"Who saved them?"
"I don't know. Venko, Reef and Valerie were blasting away, like, Stormtrooper style. They must have hit whatever was attacking us."
"I'm not so sure."
"Well, if you have a better theory why the hell are you asking me questions?"
"Everyone has a different side of the story."
"That's so nice, really insightful. Where's my father?"
St. Claire can see she is as feisty and stubborn as ever.
"He's away on business."
She gasps, gesturing wildly with her arms.
"What's new, right? I could have like, died! Doesn't child endangerment trump corporate affairs?"
"Depends on the affair."
"Well, as usual, you are like no fucking help at all. Why did you really come here? I mean, really, St. Claire. Can you at least tell me that?"
He regards her curiously before nodding.
"I thought you might surprise me. I thought there might be hope for you."
"And?"
"Nope. Not yet anyway."
"Oh, well, thanks for coming. Eat shit and die!"
He takes a step toward the bed, reaching out the grab the IV dangling beside her.
Karen freaks out, slapping at his arms.
"What are you doing? Don't touch that! You're not a doctor! You're a quack! A fraud!"
Smiling, Scott cranks up her meds. It's like watching someone douse a fire with water. Karen falls back against the pillow, voice dropping several octaves as her face glazes over.
"...a real jerk, St. Claire. You...know that?"
He brushes a strand of crimson hair away from her cheek and leans close to whisper.
"It's what you don't know that matters the most."
*
In another room, Melanie bolts upright. Her heart is racing. She is panting for breath, brow splashed with a thin layer of sweat. She glances around wildly, unsure of where she is.
"Mel?"
She turns, spotting Valerie sitting beside the hospital bed looking worried. On the opposite wall, a screen displays photage of a plume of smoke snaking across a flaming portion of the Esplanade. Valerie taps it off and crosses her arms. The room begins to fill with silence.
"Uh, welcome back!"
"Where am I?"
"You're in the IMPC. We took you here after...well, after you passed out in the limo."
"I passed out?"
"Big time."
"Wait, what are you doing here?"
Valerie shrugs like it's uncomfortable to talk about.
"Actually you kind of scared me. Don't worry, I didn't tell them anything but the docs ran tests and had to pump your stomach. It was pretty bad. They found a lethal dose of a very popular painkiller in your system. I asked them to keep that one on the down low but I'm almost certain this was discussed with the investigating agents."
Melanie blinks rapidly, pieces of the game and the locker room flashing through her mind. She recalls how mortified she was and how quickly it was replaced by anger after talking to Valerie. She doesn't even remember really being in the limo. The whole memory blurs out of focus.
"And everyone else?"
Valerie tries to put it as delicately as possible.
"Listen, something..happened. We were attacked and the limo went down. We don't know who is responsible yet. People got pretty banged up but everyone is going to be okay."
"Did you bring me here?"
"No, we came later. Lucas brought you in."
"By himself?"
"Not...exactly. He had help from someone named Castin. Ring any bells?"
Melanie almost chokes, clutching the safety railing on each side of the bed.
Valerie sits back and smiles, immensely satisfied.
"I take that as a yes. Relax, he wasn't seen and Lucas only told me because I grilled his ass about where he went during our Esplanade escapades. I swore him to secrecy. Apparently, Castin popped up to lend a hand and got you out. Without his help, we wouldn't be having this conversation and while that is awfully nice of him, it still borders on stalking. Just my opinion. Anyway, the media is foaming at the mouth about the attack, angered by the lack of access to any of us. Maxi Marx is currently working with public relations to put the best possible spin on the whole thing and I've been personally assured by our security detail that we would not be questioned by anyone outside the department."
Recovering slightly, Melanie redirects.
"I guess that is mildly comforting."
Valerie stands, moving around the bed.
"I thought so. Get some rest, I'll be around."
"Valerie..."
She turns, "Yeah?"
"Castin was my boyfriend. We broke up."
"I know."
"You did? Then why didn't you-"
"Because I've done enough damage lately. But I will say this, no boy is worth dying over. No matter how fated it seems or how much it hurts afterwards, you deserve better than that. So knock it off with the angsty emo bullshit or I'll be forced to tell Karen and we all know how that's going to end."
Melanie nods, knowing that she must allow Valerie to think this was all because of Castin to protect what she knows.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Rest now. I'm going to check on the others."
Valerie strides out into the hall and almost collides with a female agent. She excuses herself and catches sight of St. Claire stepping out of Karen's room. He glances toward her and calls out.
"Agent Fayr!"
The female agent stops and turns around, heading back past Valerie to join him. Valerie watches them closely but cannot make out what either of them says. What's he doing here? She thought they had seen the last of that asshole. Venko is so much less intrusive. St. Claire's presence must mean something is really wrong. The whole attack seemed a little too premeditated for a random act of terrorism. She moves to enter Kimber's room when the agents call out to her.
"What?"
St. Claire smiles like an idiot and motions to the female, "This is Agent Lena Fayr, an Intelligence agent working with the investigation. Agent Fayr, this is Valerie Gellar."
Valerie looks over her. Relatively attractive with mousy brown hair, no make-up, and a crisp Intel uniform. It's all business. The woman couldn't throw a little product in her hair? Not even a touch of lip-gloss? The stylists at Raga'Ana would have their work cut out for them.
Agent Fayr smiles, "It's nice to meet you, Valerie. Truly I am sorry about what happened tonight. Would you mind if we spoke for a few moments to take your official statement?"
"Yes, I would mind."
This does not deter her as much as Valerie hoped it would. St. Claire smirks.
"When would be a better time for you?"
"How about never?"
"I don't believe that's possible. Intel needs any and all leads in regards to this case."
The girl is trying but Valerie is unrelenting. She allows her Corellian blood to boil over. This whole thing reeks of inside job. Even Venko must see that.
"That's because you are so busy investigating all branches of Imperial operations that you probably weren't paying much attention. Tell me, how does an unscheduled heavily armed convoy with a confidential route get targeted and shot down? Lose many friends in this case of gross negligence? Tough breaks."
Agent Fayr's face goes slack and she glances at St. Claire.
"Miss Gellar, it would be in everyone's best interest if you cooperated with us."
"Is that really your answer?"
Fayr clears her throat, "We are working on that."
"Sounds to me like someone dropped the ball. That's also where you start. Find out who leaked the information and they will most likely lead you to the attacker. Till then, get a grip and let me take care of my friends."
Both agents are left gaping at her.
Valerie pushes open the door to Kimber's room.
"And the next time you want a teenager solving your cases, I charge by the minute."
-TBC
-
Bakura
Surface: Salis D'aar: RepulsorCorp Headquarters
The reports are streaming in from the Core, some of which sound promising. The Empire thrives on the carnage it creates for itself and mixing in a few models, attractive adolescents and a security agent will certainly get things going.
Alexander Winton's secure personal com unit bleeps at him.
"Yes?"
"St. Claire here, sir."
"Ah, the wayward agent. How does it feel to be back on the capital?"
"Not entirely unpleasant."
"Worry not, the project will continue as scheduled. You will be back there soon enough. I don't think I have to tell you what a great service you are doing for the Empire. The Federation is not to be trusted. Viceroy Medivh, as shrewd a businessman as he may be, maintains certain disturbing allusions about a droids place in a humanoid universe. Yet his brilliance cannot be denied. Nor can the depth of Major Patten's interest. Your technical skills will be invaluable should this project get out of hand. Do you understand, Agent St. Claire?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. What have you discovered about the attack on the Glitannai Esplanade?"
"Reports of an armed aerial drone, sir."
"Do they know it was Imperial issue?"
"Unclear, sir."
"Then make it clear. Has there been headway regarding the occurrence?"
"Most of the victims do not remember the flash. Witnesses further down the Esplanade claim to have seen it but we have yet to find any digital proof. All cams and devices were disabled."
"Have you spoken with Agent Venko?"
"His statement matches that of the other victims but we believe he was knocked unconscious by a projectile from the aerial prior to the flash."
"And Winton?"
"Similar story with even less detail and she was typically hostile during questioning. She claims to remember nothing after the attack began."
Alexander cannot help but smile, "I imagine so. Do you believe her?"
"No."
"You seem worried. Tell me what troubles you."
St. Claire's face tightens, "Permission to speak freely?"
"Of course."
"It just seems that if Winton retains no memory of these actions much the same way her sister doesn't, is it not possible we could be heading toward the same problem?"
"There is no indication of that. I have my bases covered but I appreciate your concern. Anything else?"
"Yes, sir. Valerie Gellar."
"What about her?"
"She seems to think she knows what is going on."
"Does she?"
"In regards to the attack, yes. She was able to make connections Agent Venko did not."
"Impressive but consider something for a moment. Is this sudden suspicion of Gellar something you truly believe is a security risk or simply a byproduct of the project? Given its subject I am not surprised she is on your mind."
"I suppose it could be both, sir. Gellar is more tactically aware than the others."
"Which is why she was chosen."
"What would you have me do?"
"Stamp out any doubt she may have and ensure Venko isn't withholding information. If she recognized something, it is likely he did as well. I don't want him getting any ideas or developing an adlibbed sympathy. When you have concluded the investigation, return to the Wheel and await further instruction."
St. Claire nods, "As you wish, sir."
The image fades and Alexander leans back into his office chair. The thought of Karen badgering St. Claire amuses him. The notion that Gellar may be onto something or that Venko may be hiding it does not. The Masterton overdose was the real kicker. Whatever his wife said to her must have really pushed her over the edge. There were even reports that Stratford fought for them valiantly. He and Gellar assisted Venko in defense of the group. Perhaps a little too well. Now they know who the real fighters are. More disturbing is the fact that the insurgent made contact with Maxwell. With the timetable set and chronometer counting down, paths continue to cross effortlessly as if following the script.
Life is trivial.
Reaction is priceless.
The com bleeps again. Groaning, he glances down to catch the incoming caller. Speak of the devil.
"Mr. Stratford, so nice to hear from you again."
Reef's face is bandaged and bruised, "What the hell is going on?"
"With what?"
"Come on, the attack? Was this one of your stunts? You could have gotten us all killed! Then where would your master plan be?"
"The master plan is not up for debate or any of your concern. As I've previously stated, your role is very specific. You keep them all together. Nothing more. You were never in any real harm, I assure you."
"It felt real."
"Reality is what you make it. Do not get attached to them. After all, they are only means to your end. The ticket to a better life for you and your family. All you have to do is keep them together. As long as they are together, they can survive anything."
Reef nods quickly, apologizing for disturbing him. Alexander understands completely. It's amazing where people go with only some of the information. There are so many assumed truths. Reef thinks he means together as in all of them.
Alexander is only talking about The Four.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
The sky is hazy and tinged with violet.
Maxi Marx spins her brilliant lies to turn the attack on the Esplanade to Raga'Ana's advantage. The circumstances serve only to deepen their mystery and appeal. Offers abound and the press beg for more. She never fathomed The Four would generate the kind of attention advertisers and investors dream of without much provocation. Maxi ensures brand recognition is attached to their every enigmatic move. Shares skyrocket, merchandise moves faster than they can stock it, and business, as they say, is good.
The capital kids are less enthusiastic about their growing roles as fabulous targets. They were sought after before but now the public's interest borders on fanatical. Reporters stake out the IMPC as Karen waits by Skyler's bedside until he is well enough to be taken home. He kind of likes that fact that she dotes on him but tries to make her understand this wasn't her fault. She wonders if that's true.
Agent Scott St. Claire calls them into the Galactic City precinct. His initial report sites evidence that links the attack back to a separatist faction operating out of the capital called La Révolte. They are shown photage of known associates and Melanie watches with dread washing over her as he points out one of the faction leaders.
Castin Donn.
Valerie, Lucas, Skyler and Karen manage to conceal their awareness and horror while Reef, Billy, D'Arcy and Kimber stare blankly at faces that simply do not register. St. Claire informs them that Agent Venko and his team would be actively pursuing these members for questioning in association with the Esplanade attack. Security details would be tightened during the investigation. There would be no exceptions.
Reactions are mixed in the face of the truth being offered them.
Karen is vaguely flattered.
Billy, Kimber and D'Arcy want to know why this group would bother with them at all.
Lucas and Skyler suddenly wonder what kind of people Melanie and Karen would associate with.
Melanie does not believe it. The faction is against the innocent lives lost to the Empire. Despite their doubts about her, they are not the type to strike so directly. The Faction deals mostly in information. Their network of sources and slicers provides them access to lesser known truths. She feels a compulsion to warn Castin but considers that may be exactly what they are expecting.
Valerie is on to them as well. She knows St. Claire is only throwing Melanie's boy toy under the speeder as means to scare them in the wrong direction. This has nothing to do with the separatists or naysayers and everything to do with an Imperial agenda. Could there be forces conspiring against their Force-friendly cohorts?
Reef is starting to have a bad feeling about the whole thing.
Satisfied, St. Claire bids them farewell and walks back out of their lives as quickly as he had reappeared leaving the capital kids confounded and more than a little paranoid.
At North Coruscant, gossip runs rampant. Lines between fear, adoration and jealousy become less clear. Everyone wants to know what happened but most are too afraid to ask. They put on a good front and act as though all is well but the looks and whispers cause them to withdraw further from their classmates and turn to each other.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
In a miniscule yet immaculate apartment, Agent Nikoli Venko changes the dressing on his arm and considers the facts. Thankfully, he and the others had escaped with only minor injuries. Not that there was a lack of trying to cause more harm. Many had died that day, fourteen in total including their driver. The attack had been swift and precise, something coordinated and planned. The security speeders had been targeted and hit without incident and the fact that the hoverlimo survived raises all sorts of alarms in his head. They should have been destroyed just as easily yet somehow the transport remained intact.
Valerie had riled all sorts of people up the command chain in acusing ISB of intentionally allowing harm to befall them. She would be out of line if she and the rest of The Four did not generate a significant amount of revenue for the private sector. They are valuable in more ways than one. Gellar is starting to realize it. Considering what he knows, this line of thought had not escaped him but he had yet to voice concern. St. Claire came down hard on Venko, stressing the need for compliance by all Imperial assets. He seemed particularly interested in the Esplanade attack and pushed Venko to remember details he could not recall. His memory has been filled with darkness upon waking in the IMPC.
Now, in his own residence, he struggles to remember what happened after the crash.
The destroyed storefront, spotting the drone, a wave of consistent fire – these are all things he can picture clearly. He remembers spotting the mag-lev station and rationalizing it would provide the best coverage. The trick was to get across the plaza without being leveled by drone fire. The drone itself was odd, something completely out of place, but stranger still was how it seemed to know to keep them pinned down in that specific area. He remembers Kimber screaming and wanting nothing more than to protect her but his mind was focused on the group as a whole. His only thought was to ensure they all got out of there alive. The missile strike is where his memory begins to falter. He can see the bistro patio explode and recall trying to get them away from the planter as it was hit but once on the ground surrounded by flames things fall away. There was something else, aside from the dull roar in his head or the searing pain on his arm that he can’t place. He pushes himself, trying to see what he saw on the ground after the explosion. He saw bodies, heard screaming, and then there was blackness. No, not blackness. There was a light, bright and shining, before everything faded to black. Its source is unknown and the next thing he can remember is waking up in a hospital bed.
Venko sighs, falling into the office chair.
His mind wanders back to Kimber and the things she said at a party last season. He scolds himself for thinking in such terms. Exposure to the capital kids has had some lingering affects. He pictures her perfect face, the button nose and adorable grin that fell as she whispered about a catastrophy on Corellia. Tapping on the desk consol, he pulls up the top stories coming out of the Corellian Sector over the last several months. Nothing in them relates to Kimber or Valerie. Then he remembers she said something about her parents – an ill mother and missing father. Venko does not have access to the CorSec database but stumbles across a name he recognizes: Frank Farmer. He makes a note to follow up at a later date but would first confer with Kimber about what exactly she would like him to do.
Padding into the kitchen, he gets a glass of water and ponders the investigation. He is not certain how St. Claire made the connection to La Révolte, a well known separatist faction who deals mostly in information. ISB is insistent that the attack was their next step in undermining Imperial operations. It would be logical if Karen and Melanie’s Force-ability had been made public. They would be prime targets for a lot of people. But this information is kept tightly under wraps per the Emperor’s wishes. It would make an attack against a group of priviledged students inconsistent with La Révolte’s goals.
The faction would have no use for them.
Suddenly, something about the attack strikes him. He returns to his desk and pulls up a list of names of the lives lost. He opens a secondary window which lists the names of those attached to security details. The groups are broken down by person. All but the hoverlimo driver match one specific group. Everyone who died the night of the attack had been part of Agent Ames’ security detail guarding Melanie Masterton. Those with any information in regards to her potential whereabouts during the time of Ames’ inquiry are now dead.
Venko’s heart pounds in his chest.
What exactly was she doing that they would need to cover it up? And what does La Révolte have to do with any of it?
Despite previous warningsfrom the Director, something tells him to dig.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Winter 3ABY
Professional and academic duties are tempered with parties and school functions but none more important than the North Coruscant Winter Formal. The event is a cotillion of sorts where the young ladies of the junior and senior classes are introduced and the young gentlemen treat them to a dance in the presence of esteemed alumni. This tradition has been held annually since North Coruscant's construction during the Old Republic and falls just before the seventeenth birthday's of The Four.
The Old Orsic Theater is chosen as this year's venue. The style is a take on holoplex noir, a classic elegance from a different time. Agent Venko shutters at the memory of Carli Cole's grisly murder at the Maranski premiere, his first real glimpse into the twisted lives of the rich and beautiful. There would not be a sequel to that night and he pulls several of his men off the faction investigation and has them scour every corner of the theater. Every staff member is screened and security tightened. No mistakes and no lives lost. If La Révolte truly wants the capital kids harmed, Venko would never let it happen.
Kimber drops by the theater after practice one afternoon as he and the team are finalizing preparations. Her smile can brighten even the worst day and he cannot help but stare as she saunters up casually in her cheerleading uniform. He excuses himself and leads her to into one of the grand cinema halls where crimson drapes lined with gold hang all around them. She runs her fingers along the soft fabric and giggles.
"I thought I might find you here."
"There is much to be done."
"All work and no play?"
"Sadly, yes. I am still trying to find out who attacked us and why."
"That sounds exhausting. You deserve a time-out."
"Imperial agents seldom get those but I'll entertain the idea. What did you have in mind?"
Kimber's wide violet eyes blink expectantly.
"Come to the formal with me. As, like, my date."
Venko's pulse quickens.
"I'm flattered, truly I am, but I simply cannot do that."
"Is this like, an age thing? You're only twenty-two! Right? And I'll be seventeen in a little over a week. That's not even that bad. Besides, I like you."
He touches the side of her arm but rethinks it, dropping his hands.
"You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that and I will be at the formal. I just can't accompany you in the same capacity. It's not an age thing. Well, it is but that's not all. There is more at stake here than you realize."
"Like what? Your job?"
He grins madly.
"For starters."
She tilts her head and gazes as him quizzically, "Don't you like me, Nik?"
In that moment he realizes he doesn't.
"No."
It's so much more than that even though it can't be. She is everything he has ever wanted but can't have.
Kimber flinches, face falling.
"Oh."
There is an awkward silence. She turns to leave but he grabs her hand, halting her. He pulls her toward him until she is staring up into his face. Emotion overpowers every sense. Venko kisses her softly and lingers before breaking away. Kimber's eyes flutter open and she takes a step back, reaching out to steady herself. She giggles again but this time it's in confirmation of something.
"Tease. I'll see you there."
Venko smiles.
Kimber turns and walks out of the theater on a cloud. She may not have a date but she still got what she came for.
**
Valerie shows up at the Masterton suite. She waits at the door while casually considering how to best phrase what she has to say. Melanie is moderately stunned to find her standing there and reluctantly invites her inside.
"I think you know why I came."
Melanie sighs, moving further into the living room.
"Actually, I don't but if you are here for social blackmail I'm not interested."
"Not a bad guess but still off the mark. I'm here about the reports St. Claire showed up."
She turns quickly.
"What about them?"
"You know as well as I do they are complete bullshit. The Empire knew about your relationship with Castin."
"What? How?"
"Perhaps you weren't as careful as you thought. Lucas saw you sneaking around with him. What's to say they didn't see you too?"
Melanie is swimming in thought. Her stomach sinks.
"Why didn't they stop it? Why are they only bringing it up now?"
Valerie closes the distance between them.
"Because they are pinning this on his little faction to cover the fact that there might be something else at play here. Something or someone else responsible for the attack."
Melanie's hands are trembling.
"Is there something else?"
Her blue eyes shimmer in the light.
"Isn't there always?"
"Well, at the very least it's good to know everyone is capable of scandal."
"You make it sound so lurid."
"So you didn't sleep with him then? Forgive me if I don't drop dead of shock."
Melanie bristles.
"Contrary to popular belief, closeness isn't always measured in the physical."
"If you say so. Speaking of levels of intimacy, does Castin know about your Force shit?"
"Why does it matter?"
Valerie strikes a pose and breaks it down.
"It matters because the faction has powerful and potentially dangerous contacts. That information would be worth something to a lot of people and that's how they are going to play it. They are going to use your relationship with a known insurgent as the leak for sensitive Imperial intelligence. Castin and his associates will be taken out so they can continue to fuck with us and blame it on the dearly departed dealers of information."
Melanie is completely floored, mouth hanging open in shock.
"Where do you come up with this stuff?"
Valerie shrugs.
"Corellian blood. CorSec ties. Morbid curiosity. Repressed anger. It's not all that unbelievable, Mel. Our whole world is based on appearances. People believe things because it looks a certain way. The Empire has done much worse in its day."
"So, since it looks like the faction leaked this information it gives every enemy a motive?"
"And it gives them grounds to suffocate us with security under the pretense of protection. We are just means to an end."
"What end?"
Valerie arches a brow.
"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same question."
"What makes you think I have an answer?"
"Because of what you can do. You feel things, sense them and while you may claim otherwise, I think you know more than you let on. You're relationship with Castin, the overdose. That's some heavy shit for an honor student and begs the question of who's side you are really on. If you know anything that could quell the massive freak out now would be the time to speak up."
Melanie shutters, trying to keep a lid on the rising dread that is no longer held securely in place by medication. A part of her wants to confess, to spill everything and let others shoulder some of the burden. The other part knows what might happen if she does. It takes all she has to keep the sickness at bay and face completely neutral.
"I appreciate you coming to me with this but I don't know what to tell you. Right now, you seem to know more than I do."
"I don't think that's true but if you want to keep it all on the sly I can't fault you for that."
"Since when?"
"Since I discovered you weren't - and I mean this in the best way possible - an uptight self-righteous bitch with an ice queen complex. I like you better as a coconspirator."
"I'm not-"
Valerie holds up a hand, "Don't. Just remember the faction isn't the only one with allies."
-TBC
-
Bakura
Surface: Salis D'aar
The RepulsorCorp offices are dark except for one.
Alexander Winton is working late. He glances through the reports forwarded over by Agent St. Claire and wonders how the fabricated connection to La Revolte would affect the capital kids. He suspects predictability on their parts and a paranoia stemming from the reactions of their peers. With any luck, the situation will solidify their bonds to each other just in time for the bloody spectacle that awaits them.
St. Claire has made contact from The Wheel. Administer Vital Ezee will be returning him to Viceroy Medivh where he will serve as head of his personal security detail during the final stages of the project. The information he gathers will be essential if what has been alleged comes to pass. If anyone can accomplish such a unique and dangerous merger, it's Medivh. Time will tell. And if success is on the horizon then the futures of both Gellar and Patten will be set in durasteel.
Alexander leans back in the chair and sighs.
Images of his wife's gorgeous and tear streaked face flicker through his mind. She was once so carefree, so unattached to any kind of government machine that the current circumstances are almost laughable. Monica and their closest friends are in so deep there is no way for them to dig out. He knows Monica and Celeste think they have it all figured out but Henrick remains steadfastly loyal. Soon it would all become clear but it will be much too late.
Communication out of Korriban, scarce as it may be, is highly encouraging. The dark energy of the Sith world has clouded Dementat's mind to the truth about Alexia. He only trains her so that she might be unleashed into the Core. When he discovers her true purpose, he will be compelled to intervene. Alexander is convinced he can be swayed with the reality of his involvement. If Dementat wishes to be Emperor after the fall of Palpatine, he must act swiftly and return for Karen only when she is ready.
The door chime sounds, rousing him from thought.
"Enter."
A strikingly beautiful young woman steps into the office followed by a tall angular man.
Alexander smiles, rising from behind the desk.
"Miss Price, so lovely to see you again. Nice work on the capital."
Tenley, now a blond, offers a simple nod. She was a brunette for the Ames assignment. There were so many questions following that afternoon but not anymore. The weekly sessions with Max and Xam have done wonders. It appears as though their tech actually works. The implant is holding steady and the subject is in full compliance.
Her handler, Marius Guile, is a covert operative of an undisclosed branch of Imperial Operations. He is loyal only to the Director and carries out plans set forth to help maintain Alexander's double life. Marius has been a great many people over the years and remained close to the assets without ever being identified. He confirms the assignment went well and that Tenley performed to expectations.
Marius crosses his arms, "The team assigned to the Strike-Cruiser Abyss are all in place per your instruction. St. Claire will join them once the Federation project is complete."
"Excellent," Alexander says. "I have high hopes for them when the time is right."
He dismisses Tenley and Marius and sends them back into the Core for observation and one last assignment before the school year concludes. Loose ends make marvelous examples and would promote a fear and isolation that will set the stage for Alexia's grand entrance.
*
Coruscant
Surface: Underworld
The shadowy depths of the twilight place. An abandoned warehouse shot up by Stormtroopers months before. Castin receives an urgent call from Melanie as the stranger meditates in the corner. The call comes from the cloned com device he had given her when they first met. She is breathless, frantic and issues a warning.
The Empire knows. They are coming.
Most of the faction had moved on the night he entered the glitz and glamour of Galactic City and led Lucas Maxwell to the IMPC. He had intervened in Melanie's world after she walked away to spare him the inevitable repercussions of their involvement. This choice finally gained Melanie the respect of the faction but they could not understand why he couldn't leave it alone. Why he couldn't leave her alone. The stranger only tells him what his heart already knows.
Without her, no one stands a chance.
- TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Tonight's the night.
Karen gazes at herself in the mirror as she fastens a chandelier earring. Thankfully the bruise healing on her cheek is defused by makeup. She doesn't want anything getting in the way of them having a good time. After all the excitement and horror and questions, they deserve a lovely night amongst their peers. Skyler appears in the mirror behind her wearing a fitted tuxedo. He looks so dapper that she can feel her heart expanding with love.
"Well, look at you. So debonair."
He laughs, moving closer.
"You are rather stunning yourself."
"Thanks. The stylists do work wonders. Is the limo here?"
"Not yet but I must say I'm surprised you are so willing to get back in one of those."
"It's just a transport and we're going to a formal event. You don't expect me to take public transit now do you? It's practically required we arrive in style."
"You bounce back remarkably quick."
Karen purses her lips, blots and turns around.
"The public wants to see us fumble in the face of tragedy. I am not going to give them the satisfaction."
"You are skilled at covering."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugs, "You handled the whole ISB situation pretty well considering you know exactly who they are talking about."
"Who do I know?"
"Castin Donn."
"I don't know him."
"But you know of him."
"Are you alluding to something?"
"I would prefer if you would just tell me."
Karen laughs, "There's nothing to tell!"
"Oh? Not even the fact that Melanie has been secretly dating this guy for who knows how long and you seem more than happy to keep that to yourself despite the warnings of Imperial Security? The guy's a criminal, Karen. I believe they even used the word insurgent. Now he's being blamed for the attack and still you say nothing?"
"Spying is so not your style."
"Not spying. Overheard."
"Tactful phrasing, babe. Who exactly did you share this juicy bit of information with?"
"I'm sharing it with you now."
"So I should be like, glad or something?"
"No, be serious with me for a moment. If you know this guy has a rep, why let your best friend go out with him?"
"It's not like I can forbid her from seeing him, Sky. Melanie has always had a thing for the righteous types. The guys who want to save worlds. Sure, he's kind of Rebel and that's so not okay with me but he's really not. La Revolte doesn't associate with the Alliance. They just...make a similar kind of noise."
He gasps, "ISB says they almost killed us."
"Oh, really, do you actually believe that?"
"Don't you?"
"I'm not sure but if it wasn't them then it would have been some deranged fan or an animal rights activist. We're popular! The capital is a crazy place. That's why we love it, right? Anything can happen."
"No offense, my love but I think you might be in serious denial."
"You would say something like that."
"Are you actually trying to convince me you don't sometimes see and hear what you want to?"
She grins, grabbing her purse, "Selective reality is a viable option."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really! Don't you want to stay in the bubble with me forever?"
He leans forward and kisses her softly, "I most certainly do."
*
"You think our parents would let us change schools if we told them the truth?"
D'Arcy struggles to slip into her heels, "What?"
"The truth," Billy says. "You know, that our friends are actually Force sensitive celebrities who constantly put us in danger? That truth."
"They told us that in confidence and applies to only two of them. You know how much trouble they could be in if that gets out. Frankly, I'm surprised the Empire has been so relaxed about their abilities but seeing as neither has pursued this I don't think it's an issue. That is, unless you have one. You are being kind of ridiculous and more than a little judgmental."
He pulls on his jacket, "Am I? Sometimes I don't think I'm being ridiculous enough."
"Bill, NCH is the best school in the Core. Almost all of their graduates go on to first-rate Universities or Imperial Academies-"
"And that's all its about, right? Good school, good university, good life. A little violence justifies our superior education?"
She softens, turning to face him.
"Of course it's not everything. There is more to life than academics."
"Yet you are willing to risk that life on a daily basis to associate with them?"
"That's harsh and you are generalizing. They care about us. I know you care about them too. You know how difficult it is to find good friends let alone ones who will stand by you no matter what? It's not common in our bourgeois world. They don't judge or think less of us. They've supported us in everything we've done. That's got to count for something. Karen told me things wouldn't be the same without us."
"And you believe her?"
"Yes, I believe her. I have faith in my friends."
"You aren't jealous? Just a little bit?"
"Jealousy is petty. We get enough attention without all the binding clothing. The whole glam life has never been my thing and you know that. I'm happy being who I am and being with you. Doors are opened for us. We can grow up and be whatever we want. Doesn't that excite you?"
"The perks of association are starting to rival the negatives."
She frowns, "What about Skyler? Reef? Lucas? These are your best friends. Would you really walk away from them out of some underlying fear of the unknown?"
"I don't want to die, D."
She touches the side of his face.
"Neither do I."
"Then why do I feel like our friends are going to end up costing us everything?"
*
Reef watches Valerie pad casually across her bedroom nude, completely blown away by how beautiful she actually is. He can hear Kimber giggling with the Raga'Ana stylists in the living room over the steady electro beats. The tux he has on is freshly pressed and tailored to his frame. He looks good and he knows it. There is a flicker of worry as he ponders his role in the plot he's been keeping from everyone and how it would affect his relationship with Valerie.
Despite her brashness and his temper, something about them works. They are both aggressive and passionate, favoring to live in the moment as opposed to questioning every move they make.
"Val..."
She pauses, barely. "Yes?"
"What if I wasn't who you thought I was?"
"No one is."
"And you're cool with that?"
Valerie pulls a shimmering black slip dress over her curves slowly and methodically, making sure he catches every moment. She adjusts her breasts accordingly for maximum spillage.
"I'm cold as ice, baby. Lighten up."
The words are lodged in the back of his throat but he stops himself. There are others at stake here as well. His boys mean a lot to him. More so than he would ever admit. They make him feel less alone in the Core, far from his family on Mandalore. He thought he could skate this without getting attached. Without caring for any of them. He's not sure he can say that with absolute certainty anymore. Almost losing them in the attack struck deeper than he wishes to acknowledge but there it is.
His assignment is to keep them together. Suddenly he wonders what happens if he does.
- TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Lucas arrives at the Galatea Suite uncertain but hopeful. He taps the door controls and waits patiently. The evening had not started out quite as planned but there is still time to turn it around. His parents had insisted he attend the cotillion despite the circumstances. The door hisses open to reveal a stunning Kimber. She dons a flowing pink gown and a perplexed expression.
"Lucas, hi! Like, what's up? I thought we were meeting you there."
"Can I come in?"
She steps aside, "Of course."
The suite is warm and filled with a mild yet intoxicating floral scent. He walks into the living room. She has followed him and looks just as confused.
"Do you have a date tonight?"
"Uh, no. Mine...couldn't make it."
"Same here."
"I thought you were going with Melanie?"
"Yes but she's not feeling well and canceled."
"Canceled? But this is like, super important!"
"I know. I'm worried."
Kimber moves toward the table consol, presumably to place a call but Lucas stops her.
"Did I mention how amazing you look?"
"No but feel free."
Lucas smiles, "You are gorgeous. A vision. Venko is a fool. Care to be my date?"
"Wait, what?"
"Come on, Kim. Everyone knows about your crush."
"That's not the part I need clarification on."
"Oh, right. Unless you want to go alone?"
She sighs, "I really don't and it's not like I can just take anyone. The boys in our class are so...icky."
"Then go with me. Look it doesn't have to mean anything. We would just be going as friends. Friends doing a favor for each other."
"And they say romance is dead."
"Play the part for tonight. It's not like this is outside your range or anything. Like you said, it's important. Athletics is only part of my application process. I can't rely on it though. My parents stressed the need for a strong social presence since so many Academy recruiters are alumni."
"I wish my parents made such a fuss about it but they do have a point. We're being judged tonight."
"So you'll go?"
"Yes, I'll go with you...."
"But?"
"I still think what you did with Valerie and Reef is detestable."
The moment the words leave her lips, Valerie and Reef appear in the hall. Kimber and Lucas turn around and flash unconvincing smiles. There is an awkwardness that permeates everything.
"So," Valerie says slyly. "What are we discussing?"
"Lucas asked me to the formal."
Reef nods, "Right on."
"What about Melanie?"
"Yeah, what about Melanie?"
Lucas frowns, "She's not feeling well."
"Oh really?"
"That's...what she said. Why?"
"No reason."
Valerie storms back down the hall into her bedroom and closes the door. Reef shrugs, adjusting his tux. Lucas retrains his gaze on Kimber and lowers his voice.
"You are completely entitled to your opinion but I'm asking that you forgo the distain for one evening. Please?"
"I already said yes."
"Thank you."
Reef groans, fishing the flask out of his suit jacket.
"Enough with the cutesy bullshit you two. It's time to shine."
*
Valerie is stomping around her bedroom with Melanie on speaker.
"Do we have to have the talk? You remember what I said? I'll tell Karen and have her so far up your ass you won't be able to think straight!"
"I'm not on drugs!" Melanie screams. "And it's because I stopped taking the pills that I can't be out in public tonight. I look horrible and can't keep anything down. There is no way I can perform in front of high society like this!"
"Withdraw is a bitch. Say no more. I'm just..."
"Concerned? I'm touched. Just go to the formal and cover for me. I'll be fine soon."
She smirks, "Good cuz you are just getting interesting."
*
Karen struts across the platform with Skyler in tow. The hoverlimo is idling, ready to go. When she slides inside, she takes a cursory look around the interior and immediately notices what seems to be missing. Before she can say anything, Valerie clutches her wrist.
"We don't have time for a fit."
Karen nods and takes Skyler's hand as the door latches and the limo begins to ascend. It pulls away from the platform and slips across the skyline of Galactic City.
- TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Old Orsic Theater
Spotlights sway across the stark night sky.
Throngs of press clamor to capture photage of the prestigious alumni. Grand Moffs, Academy Dean's and high ranking Imperial officials are all in attendance. This spectacle is softened by the bright-eyed student body walking the red carpets in pairs toward the theater. As soon as Karen steps out of the hoverlimo the media goes absolutely ballistic. Flashes explode from the cams. The Esplanade attack is still fresh in their minds and no one has gotten the exclusive. No one has talked. To anyone. Their names are shouted out followed by questions that are impossibly complex. The public demands a statement but Karen will give them no such thing. She smiles broadly and waves before being ushered through the polished double doors. Caprial Bronson falls into step beside her, clutching the arm of Crusader Chin-Bret forward Blake Tyderian. They exchange excited compliments as they move toward the security checkpoint.
Inside, Agent Venko is waiting for them. He nods professionally until he catches sight of Kimber on the arm of Lucas Maxwell. While his face remains a mask, his stomach clenches into knots. She briefly makes eye contact as they pass into the grand banquet hall and for a moment he wishes he had accepted her invitation.
Strains of music pour through the lavishly decorated room as the young couples greet and bow before extending a hand to have the first dance. The alumni applauds from the sidelines and watch closely as the Imperial youth twirl around the room in a carefully coordinated routine passed down through the generations.
Billy makes a face and D'Arcy tries not to laugh. He is beginning to loosen up and she is grateful. Reef's hand slides over the curves of Valerie's ass. She glares seductively at him which only causes further tightness in his pants. Karen spins outward before being pulled back against Skyler and dipped low. She is determined to present well while he ponders what greater danger lies beyond the beautiful surface. Lucas and Kimber admit truths to themselves. He would rather be here with Melanie and she with Venko. He whispers that if they are patient, perhaps both their dreams will come true.
As they change partners for the second dance, Valerie stops in front of Lucas and extends a hand. They step slowly across the floor in continuous patterns. She leans close and tells him Melanie is meant for another. This runs deeper than his infatuation. He wants to know how she has come to this conclusion. Valerie tells him she doesn't need the Force to have a feeling.
The evening climaxes in the arrival of Emperor Palpatine who sits at the head of the room as the ladies are introduced. Escorted by their dates, the names are announced and they bow before the Emperor. It's all pomp and circumstance but tradition none the less. Vader stands silently beside his master, Karen's crimson hair reflected in the slick surface of the mask as her name is read aloud. They spend much more time gazing at her than any of the others. The moments seem to drag on for an eternity. Skyler tries not to shiver as he struggles to maintain composure. Karen is radiant and oblivious but perfectly presentable. They move away unobstructed but Skyler cannot shake the lingering feelings of dread. He does not want to know what those looks mean or what possible role his girlfriend, the only girl he's ever loved, has to play in their increasingly twisted games.
In the cotillions conclusion, several key alumni make speeches about the importance of youth as the future of the Empire before presenting both classes in their entirety. The hall erupts into thunderous applause. Key figures have taken mental notes that shall be discussed for weeks. Bidding will begin for coveted spots in specialized programs. Recommendations for higher education hinge on this evenings performances. For some, this was their last chance. Others get to do it all again the following year.
Either way, the pressure is on.
Agent Venko and his team whisk the capital kids away. He allows himself a small smile in the face of such a perfectly executed evening. Not a single hitch. What would comfort some only make Venko more suspicious. If La Revolte or any associates really wished them harm, they would have seized such a spectacular opportunity. Another attack, this time in the presence of the Emperor himself, would have made a powerful point. Yet it all unfolded so seamlessly.
Who really lurks in the doorways of decadence?
*
Surface: Five Hundred Republica
In the low-lit Masterton suite, Melanie is in the throes of withdraw.
Stomach cramping, she lies curled up on the cool tiled floor of the bathroom. A thin layer of sweat lines her brow as she begins to writhe and shake. Pulling herself up, she manages to make it to the toilet to vomit. Her fingers slip from the basin and she falls to the floor, golden curls matted and tangled. She gasps for air and wonders how she got here.
Visions of darkness, swirling around the corners of her mind, reveal nine friends illuminated by overhead lights. Soulful shrieks fade into choir music as the bass of a familiar beat rises up. Something stirs in the pulsing blackness. It pulls away five and leaves The Four. A mechanical arm snatches Valerie by the throat, dragging her into the darkness. Kimber jumps, startled, before scampering off. The chiseled frame of a uniformed man flashes through the sliver of light before it winks out. The darkness closes in as Melanie stares across at an eerily calm Karen.
"It's just you and me, best friend."
"We can't let this happen."
A gloved hand reaches around to clamp over Karen's mouth and wrench her head back. Alexia's face appears just over her left shoulder.
"It can. It will. And there is nothing you can do."
Melanie shutters, balling her hands into fists.
"Yes there is..."
"What?"
"I can stop you."
"You don't have the guts, blondie."
"You don't know me."
"Neither do they. Not really."
Alexia's smile is nothing short of sinister.
"Playing for the other team will cost you everything."
"I don't believe you."
"Wait and see."
"No..."
"Oh, yes. Soon. And the beauty of it all is that you can only save one of them."
Her eyes widen as Alexia steps back and pulls Karen into the darkness with her. She is left alone illuminated in the light with nothing left to do but scream.
Melanie thrashes out, slamming into the bathroom walls. She sobs uncontrollably, clinging to the memory of Castin as means to calm herself down. Fear is joined by the crushing guilt that she has turned her back on the awesome responsibility entrusted to her by the Queen. The reality is she has the power to stop it.
The question is, will she?
-TBC
-
"Oh, there's a hellhound on the loose. Better put on your dancin shoes. Yeah, she's comin down after you. Better put on your dancin shoes."
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
The consecutive seventeenth birthdays of The Four arrive to mixed reactions. Everyone is feeling a little exposed given the increased media attention following the attack. The pressure of their peers combined with the paranoia that they are being hunted by an unseen enemy continues to plague them. Instead of a blowout party, they opt for a quiet dinner with the crew at Flux. The fusion restaurant opened last week to rave reviews. Once they expressed interest, the public relations reps get on the com to make arrangements. They do not need to ask for the A-table.
It is offered without question.
Dressed to the nine's in the very latest Raga'Ana couture, Karen, Melanie, Kimber and Valerie stand in a line outside the restaurant as the prerequisite photage is taken. Most of the restaurant stares at them through the walls of transparasteel. D'Arcy, Billy, Skyler, Lucas and Reef hang back patiently knowing this is all part of the package. There is only mild annoyance now. No statements are issued as the group saunters into a packed dining room filled with onlookers who seem to be waiting for something terrible to happen.
Melanie feels it instantly as conversation around them falls into hushed whispers. She missteps and almost takes a tumble but Valerie is there to steady her. A part of Melanie feels grateful that some of the walls between her and Valerie have come to down. The other knows damn well there is always something in it for her. Valerie can be motivated by extremely superficial things. The continued gawking draws her back into the moment and she maintains a focus on sitting upright at the massive circular table they now surround. Two of Venko's men stand on either side of the booth with steely gazes powerful enough to drive the diners back to their own lives and meals.
Karen is determined to keep the good times rolling. The outrageous fun had by all at the cotillion gives her hope everyone will ditch the stigma attached to their near-death experience and move on. Although Lucas is sitting beside Melanie, his eyes find their way to Kimber who giggles at the joke Billy just finished telling.
What do Star Destroyers wear to parties? A bow TIE!
Reef groans, leaning into a smirking Valerie. Skyler shakes his head. D'Arcy taps a spoon against her glass as she raises it to the table. A toast to friends. To each other. May they always be there for each other. Everyone joins in, smiling and laughing, as they revel in their camaraderie.
Pause. Cut. Print.
*
Later, riding high on the moment and champagne someone convinced the wait staff to bring them, Karen finds a message from her father on the central com. Alexander warmly wishes her a happy birthday as if everything is as it should be. There is no apology or explanation for missing the event nor any indication if her mother shares this sentiment. She taps the com on and keys up his channel. It goes straight to voicemail. Scoffing angrily, she deletes the message and wanders around the inside of the cavernous and empty residence.
*
A similar message awaits Melanie.
Celeste sounds clipped and strained but trying desperately to be cheerful. This unsettles her even more. The words of the Queen echo in her head as she confessed that her husband had been playing them all along. She is racked with shivers. The room is suddenly freezing and she hugs herself tightly. Pieces of the information contained within the holocron are sinking in. Without the pills keeping things loose, she is bombarded with waves of truth.
Overwhelmed, Melanie rushes through the residence into the master bathroom where she digs through a cabinet to retrieve her emergency stash. Valerie had come over after they were released from the hospital to ensure Melanie flushed everything. The afternoon was filled with surprise and shouting. She even took away her mother's prescription datacards. The hypocrisy alone was enough to choke on. But she did not take this last bottle. Can't take what you can't find. The last of the numbing agents to take the pain away. She fumbles with the bottle, roughly snapping the top off. Dumping several out into her trembling hand, she stands and moves to the sink. There is a pause as she glances up at herself - the wide and shimmering blue eyes, the quivering lip, golden curls swirling around her perfectly oval face.
The tortured soul.
Some Imperial she turned out to be.
It's in that moment she realizes this isn't what she wants. None of it. Some she must deal with purely out of contractual obligation. The rest can be set aside for the sake of the greater good. Screaming, Melanie hurls the pills against the wall and storms out of the bathroom. Tears well up in her eyes but she doesn't even bother containing them. The vision of Alexia stings deep and she grinds her teeth at the accusation, real or imagined.
You don't have the guts, blondie.
Her sobs morph into kind of a cackling as she finds the purple shoe box in her closet. She pulls off the lid to reveal the off the grid com unit she's not supposed to have. A relief washes her.
One of the pretty faces of the Empire no longer wants to play.
Melanie remembers to breathe as the line connects.
"I need to see you."
*
Valerie pulls the smoldering pipe away from her polished lips and smiles. A thin trail of smoke snakes its way up into the humid room. Reef licks the liquid candy they just ruined five thousand credit sheets with off the underside of her chin. She leans forward to kiss him, passing the hit between them. He is still cuffed to the bed but doesn't struggle. Arching her back, Valerie sets the pipe on the nightstand with the lightest touch before she demands he fuck her again.
*
Slipping the security detail after they dropped her off at the Hyperion building, Kimber pulls on a red hooded cape and boldly ventures out into the night. She arrives at Venko's apartment with purpose. The door is slightly ajar and porch light smashed out which instantly dents the mood. The passion is replace by a low-level fear she is about to walk into a holoplex slasher.
Hesitantly, she steps through the door and into the apartment.
Agent Venko is hunched down over the ground holding the remnants of a monitor. The entire residence is torn apart, pictures smashed, clothes strewn about, drawers pulled out, the works. The reports Ames had on Masterton, information on the Linus slaying, the datacard containing the vid of Alexia Winton's NCH indiscretion, possible leads in the Price cold case, articles on the Cole murder, alleged information tying the Esplanade attack to La Revolte - gone.
All of it.
Something becomes very clear to him. He stands, turning to find her there.
"Kimber..."
"Nik, what happened?"
"I found it like this. Someone broke in."
"Did they, uh, take anything?"
"Yes."
"We should like, call someone. The authorities maybe."
He stares through her momentarily.
"I am the authority."
She frowns sharply.
"Then who do you call?"
"The Director."
"Sounds serious."
"I may have been compromised."
"What...does that even mean?"
"We have to get out of here right now."
Kimber starts shaking her head and backing away. He closes the distance between them and kisses her fiercely. This calms her down and keeps her firmly in place. He holds the side of her face as he breaks away.
"It's going to be alright."
She clutches at a button on his shirt, glancing around the room.
"Is it?"
He takes her hand and leads her back through the door.
"It is now."
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Underworld
Dressed in all white at the stroke of midnight, Melanie Masterton returns to Castin Donn. She weaves her way through the depths of the twilight place to find him, pulled by strings no one can see. He is waiting anxiously when she appears. They run to each other. A feeling passes between them, one that alleviates and absolves. All that matters is that they are together now. She clings tightly to him.
"I can be part of this Empire no longer."
He whispers softly in her ear.
"Then come with me."
Castin leads her through a set of decaying tunnels until they arrive as his current safe house. If one could even call it that. He has had to change locations several times over the last few weeks. The members of his faction are being hunted down by Imperial death squads. Thanks to Melanie's warning, most were able to get out in time. Still he must remain and fight to get the truth out. The public needs to know what kind of people govern their every move. His love for her is more than worth the risk. He brings her here so that she might also find her calling. Her true purpose.
A destiny realized.
Inside, the stranger awaits. He stands calmly in the center of the room wearing brown and tan robes. Melanie glances over him, trying to get a reading but there is nothing but a warm neutral haze. It's like he's not even there.
"Who are you?"
He unfolds his arms, robes parting to reveal a thick brown belt to which a telling accessory is clipped.
"They call me Master Corrin."
Melanie gasps.
"Jedi? We were told there were none left."
"The Empire lies but I think you know that now. "
"How are you here? Surely the Emperor-"
"Palpatine is blind to many things but his singular focus can work to our advantage. They do not fear you or your friends yet. Not the way they should."
"How do you know?"
"If they did you would be dead. They can't see past their own power, past the Alliance trying to take that power from them. This mistake will be our opportunity."
Corrin pulls the holocron Castin had kept hidden for her from a bag, holding it out.
"Your mother first showed this to me when I met her on Naboo. A rather twisted tale, isn't it? One that holds potential for darkness the likes of which we have never seen. Your father provided the scientific means through which I am able to move about so freely."
"You saw...my parents?"
"Only your mother. You look just like her. She and the Queen are deeply concerned about choices they have made. Choices they cannot take back. To right these wrongs they must place hope in one. They place it in you."
Melanie sinks slowly to her knees, tears spilling down her flushed cheeks.
"What if I can't? What if I am not worthy?"
"They have faith in you as I have faith. The Jedi scattered throughout the galaxy have been working on a way to extract you when the time is right. We wish to train you so that your light can shine brightly throughout the galaxy. You are more than worthy."
She glances at Castin. He flashes a reassuring smile.
"You were never an Imperial. It's not in your heart."
"You believed in me..."
"I believe in you now. I knew you would return. You just needed time."
"But I almost-"
"I know."
"I'm so sorry. For everything."
"Don't be. I'm not."
Master Corrin kneels before her, taking her hands in his.
"You must let go of the past and focus on the moment. The present is where it will all take place. There are dark times ahead and you will need to be aware of what surrounds you. Keep watch for the signs, you will know what to do when you see them."
Her eyes burn, lip trembling.
"Will they die?"
"More will if you turn away."
"My visions say-"
Corrin grips her hands firmly.
"So much of this is subject to interpretation. Prophecy is seldom clear but the Jedi are working hard to pull meaning from these passages. The only central unifying theme is that you must remain close to those who are named. You and three others."
"What will you have me do?"
"Return to your friends, your life, as if nothing has changed. They and the Empire must suspect nothing if any of you are to survive what is coming. Heed the signs, let your mind be your guide and protect them as best you can. We will be waiting on the other side."
Castin swallows hard when he realizes what he is asking her to do. The Jedi are sending her back in. They have to. She is only one who can move about with her Force signature exposed. The Empire already knows about it. They aren't looking for her and would not expect it. Not with the fleets chasing rebels across the galaxy. Melanie gazes at the Jedi Master, everything suddenly rendered calm and certain. She feels all roads have lead here and allows acceptance to wash over her. The warmth of the light fights back the fear. Her heart pounds in anticipation.
"I will do my part but I need something from you."
He tilts his head.
"Get my parents out of there."
"It has already been arranged. We wait on the Queen's signal."
Corrin freezes, hand automatically going to his belt. Castin draws his weapon. Melanie turns.
"What is it?"
"They are here."
- TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
The light of morning produces shades of gray.
Valerie wanders into the living room of the Galatea Suite to find Agent Venko slumbering peacefully on the couch with Kimber curled up next to him. For a moment she's overcome with pride until Kimber opens her eyes, smiles, realizes where she is and bolts upright.
"This isn't what it looks like."
"Oh?" Valerie says with a smirk. "What does it look like?"
"His place got robbed."
"And he just had to stay here?"
Kimber carefully extracts herself and talks in a frantic whisper.
"Well, it was an option. The safest option! I was scared someone was coming after us again by trying to get to him. I felt better knowing he was nearby."
"Clearly."
Reef pads out completely naked with binders dangling from one wrist. He freezes, assessing the situation and grabs a pillow to cover his junk.
"I was just, uh, you know, getting some water. Who's thirsty?"
Kimber crosses her arms, "I suppose there's a reason for him too."
"We're...complicated."
Reef laughs, "That's how we like it."
"I'm so glad. Now, let's try not to make a scene-"
Venko rouses, blinking rapidly at the movement and conversation. He sits up, smiles at Kimber, nods to Reef and then glares at Valerie.
"This isn't what it looks like."
"So we hear. Having security issues with your residence? I thought you'd at least have someone posted outside. You are the head of our security detail, are you not?"
"Resources have been allocated elsewhere. Your safety is top priority."
"I'm flattered."
"No, you are snide and completely out of line. Again."
"Says the agent in bed with a minor."
"We weren't-"
Kimber steps in front of them, "Hey! That's enough, Val. Nothing happened. And if you want to blame someone blame me. I asked him to stay. He works really hard to keep us safe. You think you'd be able to cavort with Reef, Lucas, and Maker knows who else if it wasn't for him? Not a chance."
"Ooo," Reef says lowly. "She's on fire today."
"Point made, Kimmy. Calm down."
"Calm down? Calm down?! You dish and awful lot of shit despite everything that's happened."
"Did you just hear that?"
Reef nods, "Kim cursing. I never thought I'd live to see the day."
"Stop treating me like you do Melanie."
"Trust me, I'm not."
Kimber makes a face, "That was hardly convincing."
"I can do better. Want me to try again?"
"No, I want you to consider the situation before you start pointing fingers. Not everything has to be a dramatic free-for-all. Some things are plain and simple."
Valerie purses her lips, "Maybe to you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
A huffy standoff commences. Reef backs out of the room slowly, slinking down the hall. Venko's com is bleeping loudly from the table. He grabs at it, noting the twelve messages and all the calls he missed. Grumbling, he lumbers up off the couch and motions to the girls.
"I'll...just be a minute."
Valerie sneers, "Take your time, lover boy."
Kimber snaps, screaming up an adorable storm. Outside, Venko listens to the reports from his agents in the field. Masterton was not in her residence come morning. They are actively but discreetly searching for her now. There are many apologies but no explanation as to how she eluded an entirely new detail. He is angry but hardly shocked. The break-in crosses his mind but he dismisses Masterton as a suspect just as quickly. It doesn't fit her profile.
The latest message is from The Director demanding he make contact immediately.
Moments later, Venko is being connected. The Director is none too pleased.
"Where have you been?"
Something tells him to spin it.
"My apologies, sir. Break-in at my personal residence. I had to ensure the protection of Imperial assets as this could have been another attempt by La Revolte. Imperial agents have been their targets before and I could not risk it. Security was tightened and I came in to personally oversee their safety."
The Director seems calmer now, as if something had been confirmed.
"We concluded the same but uncovered a larger connection. We believe La Revolte sold information about the assets to the Hapan Consortium."
Venko is caught off guard with the development. Hapes is a twist he didn't see coming. The Dark Queen's malevolence and power had been widely discussed through various channels that bordered on superstitious gossip. There was never any real indication that her minions would leave the Cluster or that she would be concerned with the happenings of nine schoolchildren.
"Sir, is the information viable?"
"I do not appreciate your lack of faith but yes, Intel picked up signals from Consortium spies within Galactic City and when ISB moved in to apprehend they had fled leaving only surveillance behind."
"That's very troubling."
"There's more. The surveillance photage had a focus."
"Do we know the target?"
"We believe their target is Winton."
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City: Five Hundred Republica
Karen stares dreamily through the massive windows of the Winton residence at the slate gray Imperial sky. Her life couldn't be going better. Well, okay, so it's not entirely perfect. There are always setbacks, minor as they may be. Strange and macabre occurrences, an astounding lack of parental involvement, the occasional attempt on her life. The typical Coruscanti teen! Fame and credits really do make it more tolerable. There is only the allusion of an invasion of their privacy. The media doesn't know everything. Most of their moves are carefully coordinated. They have weekly meetings with an image consultant. No one says anything they aren't told to say. To the press, at least. The brilliant system has kept their biggest secrets safe and the public crying out for more.
Life is so much easier to live with a publicist, stylist and soundtrack.
Still, there is much more bubbling beneath the slick veneer. Those issues she is hesitant to address. She often wonders what her parents are doing. They always seem happy to hear her voice although they seldom call and never answer their com units. They could be traveling the worlds while one daughter is used as an instrument of pure evil and the other shops herself into a coma. She wonders if it even matters. Maybe everyone is getting what they want. Alexia gets go nuts, courtesy of the taxpayer. The parental units have rendered themselves obsolete in most ways. Karen can buy whatever she wants whenever she wants it and has a fleet of personnel at her disposal. The executives at Raga'Ana sign her permission slips and excuse her absences. Maxi Marx attends parent-teacher conferences. Venko's security detail transport her everywhere. Her friends are always available for advice since they seem to come from parents with equally askew priorities. Throw in a loving boyfriend, impeccable style, social status, the adoration of millions and the scales slip back into a sick little balance. Can there really be a loser in a game with so many prizes?
Karen tries to remember the last time she heard the word 'no.'
The front door unlocks and hisses open. Someone stumbles into the foyer, crashing against the wall. Karen lunges from the couch, ready to do some serious damage or at the very least scream bloody murder. Blonde curls spill over the figures hunched shoulders.
"Mel?"
Melanie is panting, out of breath. The white outfit she's wearing is wrinkled and singed. She holds her right arm tenderly. The door closes behind her, the foyer filling up with silence. Karen moves toward her instinctively. Melanie shutters violently and nods as the tears spills down her cheeks.
"They got out."
"Who? Who got out?"
That's when Karen notices the sleeve is ripped beneath the smudged fingers that cover it. The flesh is rigid, burned. Karen breathes in a gasp and rushes to her friend.
"Oh shit, you're wounded. Melanie, what happened?"
"I was shot."
"Shot? Holy Maker mother of the universe! How the hell did you get shot? I thought you went shopping?!"
"I bought shoes."
"What color?"
"Purple."
Karen tilts her head, frowning.
"But what will you wear with them?"
Melanie shrugs helplessly, crying harder.
"I don't....know."
Karen eases Melanie down into the living room and helps her onto the couch. She turns and taps on the desk consol to order a medi-droid on the downlow.
"Let me see."
Melanie removes her hand. The skin is seared and blacked across her upper arm.
"How did this happen?"
"You can't tell anyone!"
Karen holds up a hand, "I swear."
"I was with Castin."
"Castin shot you?! What an asshole! I'll kill him!!"
"Castin didn't shoot me. I was just with him when I got shot."
"Wait, I thought you guys broke up?"
"It's a long story, Kar and beside the point. I went to see him and that's when the death squad showed up. You know, those dark troopers. They have been hunting his faction for weeks now."
"Oh my, St. Claire's report..."
"Exactly. I don't even know who they take orders from but all they are meant to do is exterminate. The blaster fire was deafening. Castin got me out."
"You said 'they.' Who else was there?"
Melanie tenses, "No one."
"You're sure?"
Flashes of the troopers bursting through the door of the safehouse. The green glow of Master Corrin's saber as it twirled through the air, finding their targets easily. Castin grabbed her hand. Corrin deflected most of the enemy blasts and shouted for Castin to get her to safety. As they ran, more came. The streets were filled with dark troopers. They almost cornered them in an ally but Castin had a shortcut. A stray blast bounced off a crashed speeder and took Melanie down. She screamed as Castin kept firing.
"Positive. We were alone."
Karen cringes at the sight of her arm, "And what happened to Castin?"
"I don't know. He got me back to the Esplanade and I couldn't find him in the crowds. I managed to get back here without being spotted."
"How did you do that? Venko's team has this place covered."
"There are ways. Sometimes I think it's too easy..."
Karen looks confused.
Melanie shakes her head.
"Never mind. You can't say anything. They are only going to ask me questions I don't want to answer."
"I get it, I get it. No questions. No problem."
The medical droid shows up and lumbers rigidly toward the couch. Before it can ask, Karen clamps her hand over the rectangular opening where its mouth should be.
"This is how it's going to go. You are going to fix her up as best you can and there will be no questions. Understood?"
The droid nods. She lets go of the metallic face she didn't realize she had been squeezing. Melanie holds out her arm for the droid to scan. It pumps her full of painkillers, both Karen and the droid unaware of her recovery, and sterilizes the wound. She slumps against the couch, wincing, but the pain begins to subside into a familiar haze.
"I'm afraid she will need further treatment at the hospital. The wound is not critical but would require bacta treatments to restore the flesh."
"I can't go to IMPC!"
"But you'll never be able to go sleeveless again!"
"The hospital is going to want to know how it happened!"
"We'll make something up."
"Like what?"
"You could have been accidentally hit when a blaster went off on the Esplanade. That place is totes crazy! Never underestimate a desperate shopper at a one day sale."
"Karen, there are cams everywhere. If shots were fired there are going to be reports. It's too heavily patrolled for an incident like that to go unnoticed."
"No one came running when we crashed and burned all over it."
Melanie attempts a laugh, "Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?"
The door chime sounds. Everyone freezes and glances toward the foyer. The medical droid is about to speak when Karen kicks it over and pounces on top of it. She reaches around the back of its neck to switch it off. The droid goes slack in her arms.
Melanie is freaking out, "What do we do?"
"Hide in my room! I'll ditch the droid. And don't worry about the hospital. I'll get Maxi on it right away. She's the best person to know if you want to cover something up. We'll have you good as new before the next photage shoot."
Karen strains as she drags the medical droid across the tiled floor and Melanie staggers down the hall. She is going to have to think of something and quick. The door chime sounds twice in a row. Someone is impatient. She drops the metallic body behind the couch and rushes back into the foyer.
Agent Venko waits on the other side of the door, strumming his fingers on the frame.
"Venko! What a lovely surprise."
"Good day, your Highness. May I come in?"
She looms in the doorway, trying to take up as much space as possible.
FAIL.
"I'm in the middle of something."
He notices she is flushed, sweating.
"I can see that. May I ask what?"
"Exercise because....fitness benefits everyone."
She is wearing a pleated miniskirt, a fuzzy button up sweater and heels. His brow furrows in suspicion, voice dropping several octaves.
"Really?"
"Yes, really! Oh, the heels? I've got to practice my balance. No one wants to face plant on the runway."
"I see. Have you heard from miss Masterton today?"
"No, why?"
It was too quick, almost rehearsed.
"I'm curious as to where she has been all day. She did not return home last night."
Karen tugs on a strand of crimson hair, pulling at it.
"That's sooo weird. Should I have her call you if I see her?"
Venko narrows his eyes and smiles.
"That would be most helpful, thank you. There were reports of a girl matching her description involved in an incident early this morning."
"An...incident?"
"Yes, involving La Revolte. You do know who they are, don't you?"
Karen smirks, "I sat through the lecture."
"They are very dangerous, your Highness. Not because of who they are but because of what they know. Information is more powerful than you might think."
"What do they know exactly?"
"Possibly things about you."
"Well, it's not like it's a crime to be well-dressed and popular! I doubt anyone will even care. I mean, aside from those that already do."
"It is, however, a crime to possess certain abilities," Venko says sharply, arching a brow. "Abilities which have been deemed illegal by Imperial law. In the past those with said abilities have been...handled."
Karen's eyes widen.
"And if someone were allowed to possess such abilities without consequence then that information might be worth something to someone. Worth enough to kill for."
She is gripping the doorway tightly, mouth open.
"Well, I'll let you get back to your routine. Do let me know if miss Masterton turns up. Good day, your Highness."
Agent Venko turns and strides down the hall, leaving the princess stunned and speechless. A semi-sinister smile creeps onto his face. It should shake her into a state of awareness he had hoped would come a lot sooner than this. She is lost in the delusion of it all, completely oblivious to the real and true threats swirling around all of them. There is a premeditation in the direction this is heading.
Cole. Price. Linus. Ames. La Revolte. The Consortium.
Nikoli Venko gets the distinct feeling they are all being led astray.
-TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Maxi Marx handles everything. She pays off a private bacta clinic and orchestrates the healing of Melanie Masterton's wounds without so much as an errant whisper. She covers it all up. Maxi turns and clasps her hands together, large chunky bracelets sliding off her thin wrists.
"I want to thank you for coming to me with this, Karen. It's important that you do. I can keep you all safe."
Karen is staring at Melanie's form floating in the glowing pink liquid.
"That's what Venko says."
"And does he?"
Karen smiles slyly, "We're not dead yet."
"Yet you're not entirely safe either."
"As safe as we'll ever be in a world like this with a life like ours. There is always a level of acceptable risk."
Maxi laughs, "True enough. Popularity has its price."
"We can afford it."
"But can you handle it? The load isn't light."
"We're tougher than we look."
"Oh, I'm well aware of that. Resourceful and profitable too. If you continue dominating sales, the four of you will own the Core."
They lock eyes.
"Plan on it."
Karen is grateful for the fashion director's praises but the whole moment is oppressed by the baggage Venko dumped on her and rendered surreal by Melanie's brush with the death squads. Things are getting weird again. What the hell did Venko mean? Their powers are supposedly confidential. The Emperor preferred it and her father insisted. The crew signed notarized agreements. No one gives the press anything anyway. They know how to work it, how to play to game. Karen suddenly wonders just how much Melanie told this Castin Donn person. More importantly, who did Castin tell?
At school the following Monday, everything seems right as rain. People keep their usual distance with the flow of wonderment and jealousy uninterrupted. Melanie resumes the pretense of a normal life just as she was instructed to do by Master Corrin. The crew is none the wiser. Karen considers confronting her about the whole Le Revolte thing but their first world problems are derailed by the arrival of standardized testing. If it wasn't so damn important she would just skip it and cause a scene but alas, she isn't completely devoid of priorities. The crew is totally freaking out. People forgo the nightlife for study groups and personal tutors. Credits can only buy you so much in this world. After all, everyone who attends North Coruscant is wealthy. There has to be something more. Distinction is everything. Something to set them apart from the crowd. Athletic, artistic, academic or musical ability take those who possess such skills quite far. Others have to get creative. A solid exam score coupled with, say, Varsity Cheer squad and a lucrative modeling contract with a staple that has a reputation for generous charitable donations would be just the thing an academy dean is looking for. Karen hits the material with Skyler, Kimber and Lucas. D'Arcy presides over the other study group with Melanie, Valerie, Reef and Billy. They felt it was best to split up based on area of expertise. Skyler retains a surprising amount of historical facts for an artist and D'Arcy excels in math and science. The group rotates every other day in hopes everything will stick.
The week of exams, a fevered hush falls over the campus. If one listens close enough they can almost hear the synapses firing. A faint burning scent lingers as the junior class exhausts all mental efforts.
Thus why Karen pre-planned a celebration at the Winton Suite for the coming Friday. The invitations have already gone out, giving everyone something to look forward to. The crew could really use a chance to unwind. After the final exam, Reef and Lucas head over to the Magnus Arena to blow off some steam in the gym. There are several hours to kill before the party and the girls need about as much time to get ready.
A tall, broad shouldered man in a pressed fleet uniform is waiting for them in the main lobby. He looks as though he has been carved from stone, flesh pulled over a statue. His nod stops them both in their tracks.
"Good afternoon, mister Stratford. Mister Maxwell."
They exchange glances.
Reef smirks, "Uh, hey."
"Hello."
"Congratulations on a great season. Both of you have taken the Crusaders far this year."
"Thanks and no offense but, who are you? I take it you aren't from the Administrative offices?"
"Not exactly," he says, extending a beefy hand. "I'm Agent Tanner Graves of Imperial Security Commission of Operations and I was wondering if you could spare a moment of your time."
*
In a posh sparsely furnished hotel room, Marius Guile reviews the belongings his protégé had confiscated from Agent Venko's apartment. There are pieces of the pattern in the young agent's analysis but not enough of it to uncover the true purposes of the assets. The vid of Alexia Winton is the real find. It also poses the biggest problem. Venko was never supposed to witness such a display of power. What's even more amusing is that he failed to see a similar spectacle out of the other Winton sister the night of the Esplanade attack. The devil is in the details and exactly the reason Agent Venko is still left wondering. Still, he hedges closer to an area he was explicitly told to stay away from.
The Director is displeased but still has them in a holding pattern. The objective is to continue observation as the web of deceptions is woven tighter around the capital kids and those who dare to associate with them. The time of the Beast is nigh.
Tenley sits with her hands folded in her lap, staring at a large freshly polished blade.
"Not yet," Marius warns.
She smiles innocently as she stretches out across the couch, "Pretty please?"
"Soon."
-TBC
-
Bakura
Surface: Salis Da'ar
Alexander Winton is greatly disappointed in Venko's sympathy for the assets. He is, however, amused by an attraction to Patten that borders on the indecent. He orders Agent Guile to continue observation in hopes to disprove the theory that those caught in their web are helpless to resist. Surely Venko could not be converted. There is business he must attend to elsewhere but the shrill cries of his wife from Naboo force him into acquiescence. She has suffered in solitude long enough. He takes the lifts down into the labs where Henrick Masterton wrestles with his own internal struggle over whether or not to mass produce his Force vaccine. There is a morality issue somewhere that Alexander simply cannot understand. He would leave his friend to debate this without certain influences. Choices must be made and he is anxious to see which side his friend will eventually fall on. Celeste is exiting the labs through an ante room and when she catches sight of Alexander, her face morphs into a mask of sheer disgust.
"What do you want?"
"It's so nice to see you too, Cel. I need you to go to Naboo."
"Is it Monica? What's wrong?"
"She's lonely and you have served your purpose here. You will go and calm her while I return to the Core."
She cannot hide her rising alarm.
"What are you going to do in the Core?"
He shrugs, voice even.
"Nothing that concerns you."
"You won't let us see our children!!" Celeste bites out. "That concerns me!"
"Oh, you'd only get in the way. Things are going well. The kids just finished testing and I'm sure Melanie did great. Her grades are back on track after that mild slip a few weeks back. Surely you've had a chance to glance over her latest progress report."
"Reports cannot replace them, Alex. Is this so difficult to understand, even for someone such as yourself?"
"I understand more than you think."
"There isn't a bone in my body that doesn't hate the fact that we ever trusted you."
"What are you going to do about it?"
Celeste's face falls, hands curling into fists.
Alexander smirks.
"That's right, nothing. Now go to Naboo. I'm sure you both have a lot of catching up to do."
Celeste storms from the ante room.
Henrick watches this exchange through the large rectangular lab windows. Alexander turns and spots him, waving as he walks away. Henrick smiles but an unsettling feeling has become more pervasive since the completion of the vaccine. Celeste is convinced Alexander has always been manipulating them and is deliberately keeping them away from their children. Henrick had never wanted to believe this. Deep down, he knew his friend and could not comprehend a reason Alexander would want to hurt any of them. Their children had active and interesting lives. Yet Alexander has dissuaded any and all attempts at returning to Coruscant with one excuse after another. Until now, Henrick's work had consumed his time and thought. He knows Melanie and Karen are highly capable young women under the best protection and care available but Alexander's continued reluctance to allow visitation has his mind creeping into frightening territory.
Does his wife's worry have merit? He would find out once and for all.
Once the building is cleared, Henrick leaves the labs and ascends to the executive offices of the main RepulsorCorp tower. His master card provides unlimited access which he took as a sign of trust. He would violate that trust under the pretense of clearing Alexander's name. Henrick would put to rest these outlandish accusations of their better halves. Entering Alexander's office, Henrick absently rifles through the large executive desk, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He tells himself this is ridiculous. Someone supposedly hiding something so sinister would not simply leave clues lying around an office.
That's what a blinking light catches his eye. Message waiting on the desk consol.
Henrick pauses, carefully considering this violation. He had known Alexander a long time but the similarity and frequency of Celeste and Monica's warnings have grown unbearably valid. He taps on the device. The consol lights up to display a small projection of a familiar boy's face, square jaw and narrowed eyes. He speaks low with attempted menace.
"You told me not to call here and I wouldn't if you answered your damn com once in a while. It's important. Some hotshot agent showed up at school today talking about Imperial service after graduation. One of yours? I thought we had a deal! I keep 'em together and get to go where ever the hell I want on your credit. If something has changed, I want to know why I wasn't told-"
The message ends abruptly, plunging the room back into silence.
The boy is Reef Stratford, a student at North Coruscant and friend to both his daughter and Alexander's. They had met briefly freshman year. Someone had mentioned athletics, a transfer for scholarship that had been a huge coup for the prestigious school. It didn't surprise Henrick. He'd known the type in his own youth but why was this boy leaving messages for Alexander? And what kind of deal did they make?
Think back. You know more than you think you do.
Henrick remembers walking in on the tail end of a conversation over a year ago. Alexander was sternly speaking to a projection of a boy far too young to be a colleague. Henrick had dismissed it then but now this detail seems increasingly relevant. Alexander and Reef have been communicating. But for how long? And about what? Perhaps he was keeping tabs on Karen through a friend but why not disclose this information to them? They had always had an open door policy with each other. Sadly, the good doctor wonders if that had just been one-sided.
In the message, Reef implies a ringleader role. Keeping them together. The purpose of this or to whom it extends is beyond him. He tries to remember how long it's been since Celeste returned from Naboo the last time. Weeks? Months? It was just before testing of the vaccine began. In fact, Celeste had reluctantly encouraged the project upon her return to Bakura. Now he questions if her support was orchestrated. When's the last time they even heard from Monica? The Queen had been in self-induced isolation. Who told him that? Alexander did. Now Celeste is on her way back to Naboo after a heated conversation earlier that afternoon.
How well can you know anyone if a relationship is founded upon lies?
The ramblings of a Queen.
Warnings from his wife.
Signs that have been present all along.
He had to speak to Monica. The Queen may have remembered more from her visions. They had meant nothing to him before, bits and pieces of delusion that made her seem paranoid and unstable. Celeste had always indulged her but never took much stock in their meaning. Now he fears these fragments of memory may hold the key to another version of this story.
The Prophecy.
Everything he has ever believed is suddenly called into question. He must act now. Henrick returns to the lab, packing up what data he can. On the way back through, he lingers as if forgetting something. Ah yes, a contingency plan. He steals several vials of his own vaccine and rushes to his shuttle. As he pulls away from the skylines of Salis Da'ar, Henrick realizes Alexander has fallen to the dark side. Seduced by the Imperial machine. All the things they prided themselves on teaching their children, the promises they swore to each other when they moved to the capital - was it all performance? For show? What does it really say about their children's futures? Does the darkness blot out the light?
*
Alexander watches the shuttle ascend with a tightened jaw. Stratford's message was the bait and the good doctor took it. The surprise gives way to anger. He thought their bond stronger than that. Henrick could always see the big picture. Not big enough, it seems. The betrayal stings.
This would make it easier.
- TBC
-
Coruscant
Surface: Galactic City
Long after the party at 500 Republica dies down, the ridiculous drama predictably played out in front of all the right people, Melanie Masterton pulls the white hood over her head and disappears into the night. She stays in the shadows along the Esplanade, careful to avoid the cams mounted on the bright street lights. She rounds a corner, gliding silently down an ally before descending into the twilight place.
Agent Nikoli Venko watches with narrowed eyes and follows.
-TBC
-
(In light of the fact that Med and I are in the final stages of bringing our collective epic storylines to a spectacular climax, I've decided to summarize the remainder of SAM to complete the story and framework.)
Socially Acceptable Monsters
( second half of Series 3 )
On Coruscant - Agent Venko follows Melanie Masterton to the Twilight Place and discovers she is associated with La Revolte and in a relationship with Castin Donn. He is, at first, intent upon bringing them in but Melanie tells him it was she who sent him the vid of Alexia Winton's episode at North Coruscant. She tells him that Alexia Winton is capable of much larger destruction and that the Emperor is fully aware of these facts. His life, as well as those in his care, are in extreme danger. This information, combined with his feelings for Kimber Patten, turn him against the Empire and he vows to keep them safe.
On Naboo - Celeste Masterton returns to find the Greyson Estate a graveyard. All of the security agents are dead. She discovers Queen Monica Greyson-Winton in the early stages of labor with Master Corrin of the Jedi. She reveals a secret pregnancy, one she hid from Alexander Winton in fear he would make the child suffer as he did their other daughters. When her water broke, she channeled her immense connection to the Force outward, sending a deadly kinetic shockwave through the estate which killed those keeping her prisoner. Doctor Henrick Masterton arrives shortly thereafter and is reunited with his wife and their dear friend. Master Corrin tells him everything the Jedi knows with Monica apologizing to Henrick for their misplaced trust in Alexander. Henrick delivers the baby, a girl, whom Monica names Dahlia. The warm moment is short-lived as Monica and Corrin can feel Alexander coming. She pleads with Celeste to flee with the child and confesses she had made arrangements with Rutherford Gellar in the Corporate Sector. Gellar had vowed revenge against Winton when he aided Major Kyri Patten in blackmailing Rutherford in order to steal his daughter Blair's child, Valerie. The Jedi had reached out to him and offered sympathy and an opportunity for justice which Gellar accepted. The Jedi were to provide safety for her and the child. Henrick, heartbroken and distraught, agrees and injects Master Corrin, his wife and the child with the stolen Force vaccine to shield them from the Emperor's forces. Master Corrin flees Naboo with Celeste Masterton, the infant Dahlia Winton and samples of the vaccine.
Alexander arrives to find his treacherous wife and best friend ready for a showdown. They confront him and argue about the true nature of the prophecy. Alexander admits the prophecy is merely a tool and nothing more. He accuses them of being naive and short-sighted, that they never understood the scope and magnitude of his vision and plans. He first stabs and kills Henrick before turning the blade on his wife.
It is murder in the coldest blood.
He buries Henrick and loads Monica's body into his shuttle. On the trip back to Bakura, he forwards a message to Alexia that Monica tried to send the previous year after returning from delivering the altered and incomplete prophecy to Melanie.
On Bakura - Alexander returns and with the assistance of his loyal servant, Agent Marius Guile, stages a spectacular speeder crash in Salis Da'ar. The headlines are splashed with the news, Alexander Winton and Queen Monica Greyson-Winton dead! Both bodies are practically incinerated but identified by the Imperial Health Authority. This cover allows Alexander Winton to forcefully resign from his duties as RepulsorCorp Vice President (while maintaining stock options) and focus solely on acting as Imperial Director, in itself a cover for a larger galactic plot.
On Corellia - Frank Farmer discovers massive financial inconsistencies in Jerico Gellar's records but no trace of the name Blair associated with Major Kyri Patten. He delivers the news to Valerie Gellar as promised, allowing her to draw her own conclusions.
On Coruscant - Caprial Bronson, captain of the NCH Varsity Cheer team is murdered on school grounds, causing a widespread investigation and public relations disaster. Karen Winton learns of her parents death and grieves in the company of trusted friends. Skyler McNeal is her grounded emotional center. Valerie Gellar agonizes over the information she received from Corellia and wonders if her father was actually a CorSec Agent at all. She confesses these fears to Melanie but continues to spiral into alcohol and men. Lucas Maxwell admits he has feelings for Kimber Patten which she does not reciprocate. Agent Venko investigates the Bronson murder. Reef Stratford continues his twisted relationship with Valerie. Billy St James and D'Arcy Saunders are approached by a tabloid looking to get an inside scoop of their lives which Billy considers but D'Arcy talks him out of when she discovers they only want dirt on The Four. Kimber's feelings for Agent Venko boil over and they agree to meet each other one evening after the last day of their junior year. Tenley Price, the mind-controlled former classmate turned Imperial agent, approaches Venko as he is waiting for Kimber and brutally stabs him. Kimber arrives to find Venko dead. The group rallies but remain unaware that this was only the beginning.
On Korriban - Alexia Winton receives a strange message from her mother, warning her of her father's intentions and that the prophecy, the destiny she hopes to fulfill, is meant for her sister, Karen. This revelation causes a psychic break, the darkness of the Sith energy on Korriban swallowing her soul entirely. She rages, turning on Dementat and engaging him in battle. He is wounded and she and strands him on Korriban, sights set on the Imperial capital.
*
( SAM - Series 4 )
On Hesperidium - During summer break, a fragile Kimber socially withdraws but finds comfort in having Lucas around. Melanie continues to see Castin in secret and grieves in silence as she believes her parents also dead. Karen joins Valerie in a summer stupor filled with parties much to Skyler's disappointment. Reef wonders about the Director and his deal after a long period of silence strangely coinciding with the death of the Winton's. D'Arcy and Billy plan to escape the circus after high school by attending university offworld. Valerie discovers Reef is dealing with someone in secret and uses the information to blackmail him into submission.
Elsewhere - Alexander Winton oversees the drama while working to further his own goals.
Senior Year at North Coruscant.
What follows will collectively come to be known as - The Event @ 500 Republica.
Five will die...
D'Arcy Saunders: following the first day of school, D'Arcy kisses her boyfriend Billy St. James goodbye and boards her new shuttle. Inside is a present which she assumes is from Billy. Upon taking off the top of the box, she discovers a bomb which explodes to destroy the shuttle as Billy watches from the landing platform.
Billy St. James: weeks after D'Arcy's death and despite consoling from his close friends, he falls into despair. Alexia infiltrates his dreams every night, pushing him toward a resolution that will bring him peace. One morning he walks onto his parents' bedroom with a blaster rifle and shoots himself in the head.
Reef Stratford and Lucas Maxwell: devastated over the loss of two friends and the constant terror of Alexia Winton, the friends drown in alcohol and illicit drugs. During a particularly heavy afternoon, Alexia enters their clouded minds and forces them into a vicious and blood-soaked vibroblade duel. Reef and Lucas effectively eviscerate each other and die as a result of their self-inflicted wounds.
Skyler McNeal: with most of the year dominated by menace and terror, Skyler clings to the hope he can save Karen. She gravely fears she will wind up like Alexia to be taken over by the Force. He vows to keep that from happening. Upon getting a message claiming she is in danger, Skyler rushes to the rooftop of 500 Republica only to find Alexia Winton waiting for him. Karen, having received a similar message, rushes to the rooftop in hopes she can save her lover. Alexia taunts Karen, blaming her for taking away the destiny which is rightfully hers and hurls Skyler over the side. He plummets to his death as Karen watches helplessly.
The Four survive.
With graduation approaching, The Four turn to each other for support. Their classmates, propelled by the media spin and sick fascination, drive their popularity up and off the charts. They are beautiful, dangerous, legendary and the bump in the press is something Maxi Marx uses to her full advantage with the next Raga'Ana campaign.
Their mortal struggle is sexy and sells. ? ?
The ceremony itself is bittersweet and they attend the after party out of obligation. Later in the evening, news breaks on the destruction of the second Death Star over Endor. The party falls into a rioting frenzy which The Four barely manage to escape. On the Esplanade, explosives planted by Alexia Winton in the Raga'Ana corporate offices detonate as she flees the capital, killing Maxi Marx.
Alexia disappears. ? ?
*
(Epilogue of Socially Acceptable Monsters, prologue to The Reluctant Redhead & Corellian Rebirth.)
On Hesperidium - Defeated and traumatized, The Four return to the resort world for a much needed distraction. Karen begins a brief affair (grief sex) with Vex Sienna, a former classmate who recently completed his first year at the Imperial Naval Academy. The returning cadets bring much needed cheer to The Four but with them, they are always an outfit change away from another disaster. Explosives planted by agents of the Dark Queen of Hapes are detonated on Coruscant, destroying the entire northern hemisphere of the capital world and sending a wave of ash and fire searing around its entirety. Everyone inhabiting Coruscant perishes save for those on Hesperidium and elsewhere in the galaxy. The Empire is in the throes of a crisis, searching everywhere for someone to blame. They discover La Revolte operating out of West Iobatese Beach and storm their hideout. Many are killed, Melanie is arrested, and Castin escapes. Castin goes to Karen for help and she, with a bitter Valerie and despondent Kimber, spring Melanie from her holding cell. Kimber and Valerie pack Melanie's belongings into Karen's Naboo Royal Cruiser. Karen insists Melanie and Castin flee with the ship, that there is no other way. After a tearful goodbye, Castin and Melanie leave Hesperidium.
The summer descends into madness.
Kimber and Valerie leave for fall semester at the CorSec Academy on Corellia. Karen wakes up after their goodbye party (in a green dress that still sells out to this day) to find Agent Scott St. Claire in her penthouse. He demands she accompany him on the strike-cruiser Abyss.
They need her help.
*
(Continued in The Reluctant Redhead & Corellian Rebirth (SWSF: LotF - AE))
(Concluded in Vogue Empire, Alive & Corellia Shines (SWSF: Freestyle))
*
You know how it began. You saw how it unfolded. Find out how it ends.
Only in the Freestyle.
Weeknights on the Holo.