OoM9 | "Crystyl Clear...er"

Theme

An even longer time ago, in a galaxy just as far away...

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Sitting in quiet cantina on Voss where the slightest wrong word or even wrong inflection could land you in trouble with the natives was not Kaliyo’s normal idea of fun. Yet on this day she wore one of the biggest smiles she had in her entire life as she looked across her table at Cipher Nine – Crystyl – while the young agent continued to fidget uncomfortably in her seat, "What’s the matter agent – got the brides blues already?" she poked at Crystyl, revelling in the agents discomfort and unable to restrain her need to burst out laughing when Crystyl jolted her head back and looked to Kaliyo with daggers in her eyes, "Yeah yeah, laugh it up baldy! Just remember that the next time our mission requires us to embed into a community; it could be your turn to put on a ring – and I hear Kashykk is becoming a hive of activity lately, so you never know..." Seeing the look on Kaliyo’s face turn instantly to wide-eyed dread was enough to make even the cool headed Crystyl crack and burst out laughing "Crystyl you wouldn’t dare make me... not to a Wookie!" Again Crystyl burst out laughing and soon Kaliyo – with fears of being married off to a Wookie subdued – joined in the laughter.

The joking and relaxed company did work wonders to ease Crystyl’s tension, on the surface at least. But behind those big brown eyes her mind was running wild trying to calculate every possible reaction of her Voss husband to their return, and every possible outcome to each of those reactions. Considerable time had passed since she had undergone the Voss Rite of Ardor with her temporary cohort Phi-Ton in order to access sacred carvings protected by the agents of Fa’athra the Hutt. Whilst both Crystyl and Phi-Ton knew exactly what their marriage was, the young agent could still not shake the feeling of trepidation that loomed over her now; "Agent!" The moment she had been dreading finally fell upon Crystyl as she recognised Phi-Ton’s voice from behind her. Slowly Crystyl turned her head and forced her gaze upwards to meet Phi-Ton’s eyes and finally face whichever of her imagined scenarios came to play out. Crystyl’s concern-wrought face soon turned to a comforted smile as she looked upon Phi-Ton who was as warmed to see her as he was surprised.

Crystyl stood and met Phi-Ton with a gentle embrace that was more friendly than intimate, before sitting back down and gesturing for Phi-Ton to take the seat next to her. Taking his seat Phi-Ton exercised the blunt & direct nature that many had come to associate with the Voss people, "So agent, why exactly are you back here? It was my understanding that you would not be returning to Voss – not this soon at least." Crystyl looked over at the man she should technically call her husband as she cycled through the imagined scenarios in her logical and calculating mind – determining the best response for her to give in order to attain the highest likelihood of success in her mission. All of this calculation had come and gone in the blink of an eye, which on this occasion was accompanied by the carefully calculated crack of a smile feigning more pleasure than she was officially supposed to at seeing her husband once more. She reached across the table and tentatively wrapped her finger tips around his hand, "Phi-Ton, as happy as I am to find myself back in Voss-Ka; I’m afraid it is business rather than pleasure which drives this visit." Allowing her briefly feigned smile to fade as emphasis on her words, Crystyl reached up with her free hand and brushed her hair from her eye as she lifted her head to meet Phi-Ton’s eyeline directly "Do not remorse dear Agent; I never held an illusion that you would return to Voss-Ka under any circumstances other than this, but thank you for indulging my obvious pleasure at seeing you again." Crystyl knew she should be taken aback by the rare occurrence of somebody seeing through her subtle feminine manipulations, but in the short time she had known Phi-Ton she had learned him better than that and told him so with a knowingly sympathetic and understanding smile as she gently squeezed his hand before letting go and sitting more upright in her chair – as though preparing to give a more professional briefing.

"Well Phi-Ton, I come in search of information again. Information that would help me track down a rogue Sith who’s destructive presence has already rippled across many worlds – including Voss." At hearing the mention of Voss, Phi-Ton tilted his head in curiosity; offworlders were still a fairly rare sight to many of the Voss people and his position had led him to dealings with most of them. Yet he did not open his mouth to ask the eagerly awaited question, rather allowing Crystyl to continue what he knew to be a concisely prepared dialect, "Phi-Ton I trust that you are aware of recent events here on Voss involving the Gormak – moreso the intervention of an outsider leading your mystics to the revelation that Gormak and Voss are one people?" Phi-ton sat bolt upright at the mere mention of this news – it was the biggest single revelation to hit the Voss people in recorded history. Now he knew who Crystyl was seeking and he found himself troubled at connecting that Sith with the description Crystyl gave. "Agent I believe I know of whom you speak, though I must confess a certain reluctance at revealing the dreamwalker’s whereabouts given your clear intent." Crystyl was clearly taken aback by Phi-Ton’s words; she could not fathom why he would be so willing to openly defy her in defence of this Sith – one scenario she had not calculated a response to.

"Fear not Phi-Ton" she opened, gently placing a reassuring hand on his once more, "I do not intend this person harm, my description was merely that which I had been given. I apologise for the misunderstanding; for you see, whilst it is true that I have been despatched to track down this Sith – I hold no trust in those who made this request of me." "Then why, agent, did you agree to this?" even with his exceptional level of understanding when it comes to offworlders and their strange ways, Phi-Ton could not always see the logic of their actions, Crystyl smiled back at him "I did so in order to learn more of this person, and despite my distrust in those who put me on this trail – there was mention of the possibility of serving a greater purpose in doing this; one which I could not afford to reject." Phi-Ton appeared satisfied with Crystyl’s explanation and whilst he may still not have fully understood the complexities of Sith politics; he knew that his dear Crystyl would only act in the greater good and so ultimately placed his trust in her, "Very well Crystyl; this Sith that you are pursuing – the dreamwalker – was here until quite recently but has now moved on to Ilum to rendezvous with Republic allies." Crystyl absorbed the information and took is as confirmation that this Sith truly was in cohorts with the Republic. She knew that she must move quickly if she was to act on this information whilst it remained valid; bowing her head in respect, Crystyl stood up from their table and waved Kaliyo ahead to prepare their ship for launch, leaving Crystyl the freedom of saying goodbye to Phi-Ton in private.

Cipher Nine’s X-70B Phantom counted amongst the fastest ships in the galaxy, and its crew were putting that claim to test as they hurtled through hyperspace beyond the outer rim and towards the borders of uncharted territory – towards Ilum. Standing at the central command position of the bridge, Crystyl watched ahead whilst listening to Ensign Temple’s audio commentary on the ships status. Despite having no hard evidence to support her theory; Cipher Nine – Crystyl – could not shake the feeling that every second counted in this search and that if she did not reach Ilum soon enough then her chance would be forever lost. The entire ship began to shudder and shake while the bulkheads started creaking and groaning under the pressure once they burst into Ilum’s solar system.

"5... 4..." Ensign Temple counted down to the exit of their hyperspace corridor which Scorpio – the resident psychotic AI now residing in a droid body – had plotted to bring them directly into a low orbit of the planet thus avoiding any detection grids for the brief few seconds between them exiting hyperspace and entering stealth. "...3 ...2 ...1..." Temple finished her countdown and perfectly on cue the Phantom dropped out of hyperspace and immediately ceased its creaking and groaning, the engines breathing a sigh of relief as they gently cooled down. Crystyl ran her hand over the brushed plasteel finish on the corner of her central console "at a girl" she whispered to the Phantom. Looking ahead, Crystyl’s view was filled with the very close planetscape of Ilum. Opening the internal communications she called back to Scorpio in the engine room, "Nice work Scorpio – any closer and we’d be brushing snow off the hull!" A moment’s pause intervened while Scorpio considered the agents humour, "I will ensure that next time you are greeted with a mountain view agent." Crystyl smiled with pride at Scorpio’s progress in the understanding of - and participation in - human niceties such as humour, while Ensign Temple raced over the controls on her console and called across "Stealth field generators online, sir." The Phantom rippled into stealth as it arced majestically towards the planet; Crystyl – satisfied with their optimum arrival – turned to head back towards the central chamber of the Phantom, only to find Kaliyo standing in the doorway to bridge – leaning against the wall with her arms folded, "So Agent... perhaps now you want to tell us who this Sith is?" Ensign Temple looked up from her workstation as eager to hear Crystyl’s response as Kaliyo herself was, Crystyl looked between her two colleagues and smiled a knowing smile..

"Lendaria?!" After standing and staring at the person in front of her for what felt like an eternity of disbelief, Major Storrm was finally able to open her mouth. "Hello Mother" the Sith repeated just now with a more friendly and welcoming smile. Major Storrm’s eyes narrowed as she focused on Lendaria and slowly raised her hand still holding the blaster, "No daughter of mine will serve the Empire. My daughter died many years ago... You... You are not my daughter." Lendaria’s face dropped at hearing Storrm disown her – so distracted by this feeling of remorse was the young Sith that she failed to notice the blaster raising and taking aim at her. Standing at the rear of the temple chamber, Dee-Anne had been silently observing the exchange between Major Storrm and the Sith who bore a remarkable resemblance to the Major when seen in the light. That was until she saw the Major displaying unusually tense and aggressive body language whilst raising her weapon against an unarmed prisoner.

Sensing what was coming as she saw the Sith’s face turn to a look of pure dread, Dee-Anne called upon the Force to speed her across the chamber; In a flash she appeared standing in between the two Mirialan - taking a defensive stance in front of Lendaria as Major Storrm’s weapon came to bear. Not quick enough to react to Dee-Anne’s sudden interception, Storrm’s finger continued to pull down on the trigger and the blaster in her shaking hand fired a single bolt towards Dee-Anne. But before the bolt could hit, Dee-Anne continued to draw on her Force-enhanced reflexes as she threw her hands up over her head facing the palms directly up towards the ceiling of the chamber as she hunkered down slightly under the weight of the energy she was channelling. Doing this called down a bubble of Force energy which enveloped Dee-Anne and Lendaria just in time to deflect the blaster bolt up in the roof of the temple while Storrm could merely watch in disbelief.

"Are you alright?" Dee-Anne asked the Sith as she turned to face her. She couldn’t help but observe how beautiful she was – admiring the teardrop formation of her racial tattoos on her cheeks and the bright shine in her eyes that complemented the green hue of her skin. Turning her attention towards the trigger happy Major, Dee-Anne’s brow furrowed, "Major how could you? I would expect such behaviour from Imperial Troops – but you’re the Republic’s finest! What got into you?" Major Storrm lowered her head in shame momentarily before looking up into the now judgemental eyes of Dee-Anne, "This..." she began, gesturing towards Lendaria. "This... is my daughter – Lendaria." Dee-Anne’s eyes widened at the revelation and her mind suddenly became awash with images of family feuds and betrayals; now she knew why the Major acted so - but more importantly, she now knew why her Master had insisted that she use Havoc Squad as escort and once again marvelled at their wisdom. "I know." she stated flatly as she looked back to Lendaria with a smile before continuing, "Lendaria and I have the same Masters; we have been working together in secret from both sides of the war to find a peaceful resolution that would bring all parties beyond the ancient feuds that currently fuel the conflict – and that is what brought us both here, to this temple.

Major Storrm turned her attention towards Lendaria. They looked into each other’s eyes briefly as if reading the missing years from one another. Dee-Anne observed this exchange with a curious fascination as she saw the expression on both Mirialan women’s faces turn further and further towards regret, remorse and finally to hope as the tears fought their way to the surface for both of them before they each caved and embraced tightly. This prolonged reunion was soon cut short however when the ground began to quake as it had when they were at the temples surface entrance. Dee-Anne, Lendaria & Havoc Squad all braced themselves and dove for cover as sections of the temple ceiling began plummeting to the floor all around them. Dee-Anne looked between Major Storrm and Lendaria, "I think that’s our cue to leave.", "Affirmative" Major Storrm had already foreseen Dee-Anne’s suggestion and was in midst of signalling the rest of Havoc Squad to move out by the time she replied. Lendaria nodded in agreement as they began moving towards the exit, but quickly paused and cursing under her breath she broke formation and ran back to the altar. With Havoc Squad still moving ahead, Storrm and Dee-Anne paused and looked back to Lendaria in confusion "Come on Lendaria, we have to get out of here... now!" Dee-Anne’s desperation carried across the entire chamber in her voice. Lendaria reached the altar and managed to secure the artifact she had been in the process of retrieving when the others first arrived – quickly wrapping it in some rags she placed it safely in her pack before catching up to the others. Lendaria neared Storrm and Dee-Anne at the chamber entrance – ducking and weaving through the falling debris – however doing so drew all of her concentration and she did not notice as the large statue of the Emperor which adorned the entrance began to crumble at its base. Both Storrm and Dee-Anne felt the distinct rumble through the ground as the footing of the statue gave way and they looked up in unison to see the distant head of the statue rapidly close on them as Lendaria approached. Seeing what was about to happen, Storrm leapt forwards towards Lendaria with a new found agility. Dee-Anne reached out to stop her but Storrm was already beyond her grasp, she could only watch in horror as the Major intercepted Lendaria and thew her clear of the collapsing statue before the body of it crashed down on top of her. "Mother - No!" Lendaria could not believe her eyes but in her heart she knew it was real. Tears streaked down Lendaria’s cheeks as Dee-Anne grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her back to her feet. Knowing there was nothing to be done, she fell into pace with Dee-Anne as they fled down the corridor and away from the collapsing chamber. Eventually reaching the temple exterior amidst a cloud of dust, the two women emerged coughing and spluttering but otherwise unharmed. As each regained their composure they stood straight and looked around the fear stricken faces of Havoc Squad, neither one of them knowing how to break the news to the Republic troopers. Elara Dorne eventually stepped forwards offering a supportive hand to Dee-Anne as she braved the question all others were too afraid to ask, "Dee-Anee, where is the Major?" Dee-Anne looked up into Elara’s waiting eyes and still could not find the words – but her eyes said everything for her as she watched Elara’s face drop at the unsaid confirmation of their worst fears "She’s... dead isn’t she." Elara eventually managed to speak the dreaded words. While Dee-Anne was still unable to reply Lendaria felt the courage swell within her to step forward and address the troopers, "She gave her life saving me from the collapse. Your Major... my mother, died in the highest honour a trooper could ever hope for. As much as I regret her loss so soon after our reunion, I am proud of her for living by her strong beliefs right up to the end. I will mourn her in my own time, but for now... I simply salute her." With those words Lendaria stood to attention and saluted proudly to the air in front of her. Elara followed suit in a show of respect for her lost commanding officer, soon followed by all the remaining members of Havoc Squad and then finally Dee-Anne also stood and saluted the Major’s memory. Elara knew that she was now officially the commanding officer of Havoc Squad and could no longer afford to live in fear of stepping into Major Storrm’s boots. After allowing the group a moments silence to honour Major Storrm’s memory, Elara drew a deep breath as she mustered the courage to speak her first order as commanding officer, "Havoc Squad, move out." She deeply regretted that it was such a solemn one but maintained her composure as she assisted her squad mates in packing up their gear before moving out. The entire trek back to base was etched in ghostly silence since none of the group could find any words for one another. It was not until they reached the Thunderclap that anyone spoke, and even then it was simply to discuss their next course. Everyone felt the same unwelcome chill from this world now and they were all equally keen to leave Ilum – and its ghosts – behind.