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Star Wars: The Crimson Covenant / Re: CC: The Crimson Covenant
« Last post by Syren on May 21, 2024, 07:16:25 PM »“Time ticks into place
And lets you out in your old room
Mind begins to race
I haven’t done what I came to do
Oh, ooh, oh, no.”
-Friko
Hyperspace
Hurling through the milky swirls of the Perlemian Trade Route, they’ve had a bit of time to chat.
Through each interaction, Dahlia grows more convinced of his belief in her. And it feels…good. To have someone believe in her this way. In a way someone hasn’t believed in her since her adopted parents departed these worlds in a rather gruesome fashion and she was once again orphaned. She desperately wants to let go of her doubts, the lingering fears that he may eventually turn on them and doom distant descendants unknowingly waiting in line to be the next targets of the Voss-Ra’s reality-shaping spectacle, but the feeling persists.
She hears Barrett’s voice in the back of her head urging her to be cautious despite Seif’s pledge of loyalty. He chose her over them and she knows this was no small gesture, considering how much of his life had been wrapped up in their plans. That is not lost on her and so she mitigates the feelings of mistrust by conjuring an empathy and understanding that they are both being used and they are each other's only ways out.
Dahlia wants to stop the cycles as well – by winning. No more games.
Seif needs them to stop as the perpetual motion of the prophecy prevents him from ever maintaining any agency and stability.
In this, their goals are aligned and she prepares herself to be the vessel through which the galaxy is fractured by a war neither wants but will inevitably incite. After some stretching, training, and meditation, they retire for the evening to dream of what could be after this is all over.
As they slumber, the nav computer drops them out of hyperspace near Lantilles. A few moments pass as the computer recalculates then jumps again. A short hop before exiting again near a small, icy moon beyond which lay a stunning auburn and azure world not entirely unfamiliar although it has been some time since the world had been visited by a member of this particular family.
Seif is roused after they come out of the first jump and, groggily returning to the main cabin, only realizes what is happening shortly before they arrive at their destination and its potential impact.
The Princess, after a completely oblivious shower and outfit change, joins him and tilts her head at the scene before her, “That’s not…”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then, like, where are we?”
“Contruum,” he says lowly. It does not click with her as quickly as he would like so he adds, “Where your sister Karen was sent after they forced her into the Imperial diploserv program as part of the search for Alexia, where she first displayed a dark and terrifying power the way you did on Hesperidium.”
She swallows hard, “Oh.”
“That got your attention. It got theirs as well and solidified her stance as the Daughter of Darkness in the eyes of the Voss-Ra. She did well, all things considered, and secured Imperial interests on the planet. Not that it lasted.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Empire later...coerced Kimber Patten into a similar diplomatic role under the pretense we would rally forces behind Valerie Gellar’s campaign on Corellia against the Trade Federation. You know your history so you know that did not happen. Those pesky operatives, Max and Xam, had other directives, abducting and experimenting on a Hapan Admiral with an earlier prototype of what eventually became the Imperial Control Serum resulting in a rather bloody battle in which we were the victors."
The nanotech flowing through Quinn and Kinsa Cavanaugh used to turn them into lethal agents when necessary.
The same nanotech Schrag wanted to use to control her.
A shiver runs down the length of her spine as the cyclical nature of everything settles in.
“You sound as though this is not coincidental. Do tell.”
Seif’s half smile is hidden in shadow, “I selected Agent Scott St. Claire to procure Karen’s cooperation. The Voss-Ra requested my perspective and I was on hand to assist if anyone veered too far off script, if you will. Of all the candidates, St. Claire was hardened but not enough to resist forming an attachment to her and play the prophetic role of Unconventional Champion. Someone who would turn on their principles to keep her safe.”
“It only cost his life if I recall.”
“His and so many others. As I told you, the Voss-Ra are willing to go further than you or I could ever imagine in their attempts to fulfill the prophecy and allow the Sith to rise once more.”
“You didn’t stop my father. Or yours. As far as scripts go, I think we can safely say they weren’t reading from the same one as everyone else.”
“Not my call,” he says evenly. “And I believed the Voss-Ra had everything under control.”
“How has that worked out for you?”
“Don’t gloat and focus. I did not set this course. We were brought to Contruum.”
“Concerned but not surprised? I suppose we shouldn’t be by now. Wait, you said this shuttle was prepared for our trip. By who?”
“Those I thought I could trust.”
“Trust can be purchased, darling,” Dahlia murmurs as her emerald eyes are drawn to the world before them. However, it is not the larger planet that calls them nor the icy moon nearby. It is the innermost moon that beckons as if whispering through the stars to an exclusive audience.
There is something out there.
Down on that moon.
Calling.
Waiting.
For them.
-TBC
And lets you out in your old room
Mind begins to race
I haven’t done what I came to do
Oh, ooh, oh, no.”
-Friko
Hyperspace
Hurling through the milky swirls of the Perlemian Trade Route, they’ve had a bit of time to chat.
Through each interaction, Dahlia grows more convinced of his belief in her. And it feels…good. To have someone believe in her this way. In a way someone hasn’t believed in her since her adopted parents departed these worlds in a rather gruesome fashion and she was once again orphaned. She desperately wants to let go of her doubts, the lingering fears that he may eventually turn on them and doom distant descendants unknowingly waiting in line to be the next targets of the Voss-Ra’s reality-shaping spectacle, but the feeling persists.
She hears Barrett’s voice in the back of her head urging her to be cautious despite Seif’s pledge of loyalty. He chose her over them and she knows this was no small gesture, considering how much of his life had been wrapped up in their plans. That is not lost on her and so she mitigates the feelings of mistrust by conjuring an empathy and understanding that they are both being used and they are each other's only ways out.
Dahlia wants to stop the cycles as well – by winning. No more games.
Seif needs them to stop as the perpetual motion of the prophecy prevents him from ever maintaining any agency and stability.
In this, their goals are aligned and she prepares herself to be the vessel through which the galaxy is fractured by a war neither wants but will inevitably incite. After some stretching, training, and meditation, they retire for the evening to dream of what could be after this is all over.
As they slumber, the nav computer drops them out of hyperspace near Lantilles. A few moments pass as the computer recalculates then jumps again. A short hop before exiting again near a small, icy moon beyond which lay a stunning auburn and azure world not entirely unfamiliar although it has been some time since the world had been visited by a member of this particular family.
Seif is roused after they come out of the first jump and, groggily returning to the main cabin, only realizes what is happening shortly before they arrive at their destination and its potential impact.
The Princess, after a completely oblivious shower and outfit change, joins him and tilts her head at the scene before her, “That’s not…”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then, like, where are we?”
“Contruum,” he says lowly. It does not click with her as quickly as he would like so he adds, “Where your sister Karen was sent after they forced her into the Imperial diploserv program as part of the search for Alexia, where she first displayed a dark and terrifying power the way you did on Hesperidium.”
She swallows hard, “Oh.”
“That got your attention. It got theirs as well and solidified her stance as the Daughter of Darkness in the eyes of the Voss-Ra. She did well, all things considered, and secured Imperial interests on the planet. Not that it lasted.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Empire later...coerced Kimber Patten into a similar diplomatic role under the pretense we would rally forces behind Valerie Gellar’s campaign on Corellia against the Trade Federation. You know your history so you know that did not happen. Those pesky operatives, Max and Xam, had other directives, abducting and experimenting on a Hapan Admiral with an earlier prototype of what eventually became the Imperial Control Serum resulting in a rather bloody battle in which we were the victors."
The nanotech flowing through Quinn and Kinsa Cavanaugh used to turn them into lethal agents when necessary.
The same nanotech Schrag wanted to use to control her.
A shiver runs down the length of her spine as the cyclical nature of everything settles in.
“You sound as though this is not coincidental. Do tell.”
Seif’s half smile is hidden in shadow, “I selected Agent Scott St. Claire to procure Karen’s cooperation. The Voss-Ra requested my perspective and I was on hand to assist if anyone veered too far off script, if you will. Of all the candidates, St. Claire was hardened but not enough to resist forming an attachment to her and play the prophetic role of Unconventional Champion. Someone who would turn on their principles to keep her safe.”
“It only cost his life if I recall.”
“His and so many others. As I told you, the Voss-Ra are willing to go further than you or I could ever imagine in their attempts to fulfill the prophecy and allow the Sith to rise once more.”
“You didn’t stop my father. Or yours. As far as scripts go, I think we can safely say they weren’t reading from the same one as everyone else.”
“Not my call,” he says evenly. “And I believed the Voss-Ra had everything under control.”
“How has that worked out for you?”
“Don’t gloat and focus. I did not set this course. We were brought to Contruum.”
“Concerned but not surprised? I suppose we shouldn’t be by now. Wait, you said this shuttle was prepared for our trip. By who?”
“Those I thought I could trust.”
“Trust can be purchased, darling,” Dahlia murmurs as her emerald eyes are drawn to the world before them. However, it is not the larger planet that calls them nor the icy moon nearby. It is the innermost moon that beckons as if whispering through the stars to an exclusive audience.
There is something out there.
Down on that moon.
Calling.
Waiting.
For them.
-TBC
