The Palest Of Spectors (k'Vik)

[Dalethria]

Receiving Transmission ... Source - Unknown. Downloading ...

Sub-protocol AZR - Maiden initiated

Text to follow

... and then the datapad lit up with unknown symbols that it hadn't been programmed with. It was not Rebellion nor Imperial code. It was even something that a Slicer wouldn't normally used, home brewed or not. The symbols appeared archaic and simple

[Milivikal k'Vik]

k'Vik was back to her newer habits of pretend smuggling. A new ship had been simple: she cheated at cards for a few days. In truth, she had been searching for a saber crystal the past month. He found Kazaar's former lover's weapon distasteful from a philosophical perspective. Mindful of Imperial entanglements, she flitted from world to world and took money from the foolish.

The only messages she received were from other smugglers and general announcements. These were all things that ImpIntel knew, so they took no notice of it. She knew keenly that they were snooping upon her in various ways. Mili was on her way out the door to play cards.

"You have a new message." The small ship's comm system announced, three times faster than normal.

"Play it back." Milivikal insisted while she pulled her black jacket on.

"Message is encrypted. No know cyphers."

That was unusual. She strode up to the communications station and sat. She pulled the message up onto the screen. Ancient Sith characters! The message was nonsense, unless...

[Dalethria]

Over 24 standard hours later and wracking her brain to make sense of this code, Milivikal was able to decipher the transmission.

Ma'sha'shiel my Kin,

I know you will not disappoint and decipher this text while the Empire scrambles to make sense of this with their inferior Inquisitors. What I offer is simple and curiosity will guide you to me. This I know.

You do not have to suffer the war of others. I offer you a home.

The message was not signed but it ended with two sets of coordinates. One to the Vjun System and the other, the far side of the Bay of Tears near the infamous Château Malreaux.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal adored language, but this puzzle had taken most of her energy. She had only stopped for the needs of the body. She licked her lips, and entered the coordinates.

Vjun. The planet was infamous. First as the home of tragedy, but later as the late Darth Vader's retreat. Who knew the dead language of the Sith and it's cyphers? Who had the audacity to call her kin?

She needed to meet this person. It was too clever, too interesting to resist.

Mili headed for Vjun.

[Dalethria]

The coastal cliffs off the Bay of Tears had been crafted over the years by the River Weeping. It was named as such for the millions that died because experimental choices that should never have been. To incur the wrath of the Force, to harness it strength unnaturally, only ended in severe punishment for such crimes. It was why the populace of Vjun murdered each other in madness with only several of House Malreaux surviving. Even until this day ...

But that was not of interest today as it has been over the years for the one that remained concealed in darkness near one of the caverns entrances. They waited patiently for she to arrive for the instant that her presences had entered the system had aroused them from slumber.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Mili came out of hyperspace far from the planet Vjun. Given Vjun's history, Milivikal expected some defensive system to be guarding the planet. She did not know what sort of protection the planet had, and she surmised it seldom expected visitors. Her HWK-290 was built to run fast and hard. It was decently shielded, but wouldn't stand toe to toe with a ship with real offensive capability.

Her sensors were set to passive, and she crept to the edge of an asteroid field. Hours passed by, and Mili occupied her time with music. She shifted from song to song, from genre to genre. Classics from the past millennium she had missed, and the most cutting edge releases.

The nose of a Carrack class light cruiser splashed across the sensor scope. A Carrack wasn't of great concern. It would be easier to wait instead of fending off the Empire's goons.

More hours crept by, and the cruiser crept back to the other side of the planet. She eased the ship's systems back to full power, and nosed away from the asteroid field. Vjun's atmosphere soon kissed the ship's angular hull. Shielding flickered against the acidic weather. Mili dove down, and then kept low to the surface. She let the Force guide her flight to the coordinates, through Vjun's acid etched canyons. Speed was not her greatest concern, but rather stealth. The ship flew silently until it set down under the cliff's edge at the Bay of Tears.

[Dalethria]

Finally she saw a distant spec of black in the sky appear and it was coming closer at a steady rate. The wind kicked up as the HWK-290 flew past, disturbing the cloak that was worn. Eyes trailed the unseen ship and met it once more as it appeared about 1000 yards away to land. k'Vik was an intelligent woman and made certain to land her ship underneath cover in case the acidic rains of Vjun came down to scorch the lands. The clouds did not threaten, yet, but the rains came without warning more often then not.

I bid you welcome Sansa'rrk.

Came the voice that brushed against k'Vik's mind feeling of the most tender of caresses.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The voice was gentle, but there was steel and danger behind it.

We shall see. came the reply. Suspicious, but not entirely unfriendly.

k'Vik fondled her her scope-less DH-17 blaster and slid it into a holster on her left hip. Two nanoplast daggers occupied the left boot, a dagger and holdout blaster occupied the right. A six-inch vibroblade occupied a sheath opposite the blaster. Milivikal was curious, not stupid. She pulled a thick grey camouflage cloak around her shoulders and the hood over her head. It was weatherproof to most hazardous conditions. If it started to rain, it would stay intact long enough to find cover.

Mili hugged the cliff face. It was a long walk. She picked her way carefully. If it was liquid on Vjun, it was likely acidic. She could feel the acrid air, and the presence waiting for her in the caves. It was oddly familiar.

[Dalethria]

They were not to have this discussion out in the open. Thus the figure stepped further into the cavern and the resulting darkness upon hearing k'Vik's response. It was suspicious and curious, just as predicted. It was why the woman was armed smartly. The Siren sensed familiarity which heightened her yearning to understand.

Once reaching the entrance of the cavern, k'Vik saw lights dance across the scarred walls that were forcefully molded over time by the acidic waters of the river. With the high tide not coming for hours, it would be safe and give them plenty of time to reach safety deeper into the network.

The light began to fade, retreating further within as did the presence sensed upon arrival.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal followed the retreating light. The tide line was neck level, and being acid dipped was not what she was here for. She did not hear the whirr or hum of machines, nor the rasp of any other breath beyond the one with the lights. Footsteps of a similar length and rhythm to hers echoed in front, and she followed, still wary. Minutes passed as they winded through the tunnels bored through old rock. Mili noted the sound of each, and the lowering tide line as they progressed.

The tide line disappeared, and they stopped soon after.

"Kin?" Milivikal k'Vik asked, the light holder still in front, back turned. Only the silhouette of a figure told anything.

[Dalethria]

k'Vik's curiosity could no longer be abated now that the tide had receded. Her thirst for answers swelled and she could feel all of the questions wanting to burst forth - to be rattled off incoherently.

But all that was said was kin.

In the darkness, a splash of white came in the form of a smile.

"You already know that I am."

The figure began to circle around slowly, torchlight still in hand, k'Vik began to see who was her mysterious summoner. Skin white as her own, blue eyes paled that they appeared crystaline, the Siren saw a face almost mirroring her own, save for small nuances of facial structures.

Black hair spilled over her shoulders that obscured her face as well as the darkness itself.

"Milivikal k'Vik."

Her name was spoken perfectly with the proper accent for the first time in centuries.

"You are as I remember you."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Is it so?" Mili asked, not entirely a question, not entirely a statement. Paranoia pawed at her, yet the resemblance was both uncanny and undeniable.

"Hmmmm." Dalethria felt the sound sweep over her, as if she had been touched by a breeze. She moved closer to Dalethria, eyes wide, face pensive. It was like looking in a dirty, slightly swollen mirror. The same eyes, the same facial set. The nose, a little different, the lips, slightly fuller.

"You know of. I know nothing of you, except interest in some of the same literature. When did you see me? Family interaction is, was" she quickly corrected, "forbidden by Jedi."

[Dalethria]

In response she nodded and stood firm as Milivikal came closer to inspect. She felt the slight whisper of power that came with her kin's unique mastery over sound, which rustled hair gently. There was not much else to see besides Dalethria's face, the rest of her remained hidden within the ripples of the black velvet cloak. Now came time for the questions - to seek the answers to the riddle.

"We have never met until now, though on Telos I've paid my respects."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal smiled slightly, and she nodded.

"That would make you no younger than 500." Milivikal stated. Telos had fallen hard, and even the Jedi abandoned the world. The k'Vik family line wasn't particularly well known as Jedi, although every generation seemed to produce a few. Milivikal was the most infamous, as far as she knew. Dalethria lwas not likely a Jedi. She was something darker, more hidden. Sith? Perhaps.

k'Vik's patience had thinned.

"Well cousin, why now, and why here?" She asked and paced.

[Dalethria]

Patience had begun to run thin. Even as Milivikal asked her question, annoyance was still overshadowed by curious respect. She had what she desired. Her Cousin standing before her as it should be.

"A trap has been weaved. The female Tagge who resides here is now mine to mold as I see fit."

Lips pulled back, a brash smile upon her face.

"Her resources are limitless for us. Yes, us."

With the play of shadows, Dalethria glided across the floor as an ethereal specter towards Milivikal.

"We are kin. We belong to each other and the games this galaxy has thrust upon you has only caused you despair."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Sanya." Milivikal stated. One of Miranda Tarkin's closest allies. She was a childhood friend and a linchpin in her government as the "Minister of Truth and Propaganda." Mili pressed her lips together and came to a halt. This was a tremendous opportunity, but...

"Hmmm." Some disappointment in the tone. It was an obvious call to power. And an interesting route. She stared at her cousin, a slightly distorted reflection of her own features. Dalethria was beautiful in the same ways, but haunting in different ones. Dalethria wielded dark powers Milivikal had only glimpsed at, but understood. She'd only touched those dark magics out desperation. Her way was different. It was not the damning, abyssal Dark Side of the Force, nor the servitude of the Light. Both paths required submission. And yet, perhaps this was an opportunity to be hidden by the Empire's own shield, to hide in Dalethria's shadow.

"My survival to this era was an accident. Yours was not." Kin or not, Dalethria's offer was suspect.

"I must offer something you need or want..." she trailed off at the implication.

[Dalethria]

She nodded as Milivikal put the pieces together and when the wheels began to turn, suspicions grew. Her Cousin was clever, intelligent. She questioned Dalethria's motivations, rightfully so.

"I've been alone for too long. I yearn for the company of family. Especially family that deserves far more then what she has received thus far."

Choosing her words carefully to explain, Dalethria wanted to ensure that her Cousin was not the object of deception or malicious intent. That was best saved for the Galactic Empire, who had tried to murder her on Palpatine's orders. Unawares of how duplicitous Sidious' motivations were, she had not foreseen her services rendered as obsolete so soon after his declaration as Emperor.

"So from you, Milivikal, I want nothing. I only need what I professed. But I do offer unlimited possibilities that have already been churning away within your mind."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

There was a certain... No. There was a deep, full flavored appeal of using the Empire's own instruments against it.

"It lies, it takes. It should be turned upon itself, forced to choke on its own foul fumes, to bear the blows of its own instruments. The manipulation of the most loyal fabricator..." Mili shivered in almost sexual pleasure of using Tagge against the Empire, against the Empress, against Esalis. Especially against Esalis. She bit her lower lip.

"I want to watch the awful artifice pull its own gallows lever." She nodded. Her voice was ragged, like gusts from an oncoming storm. Two ghostly apparitions would play the left hand against the right, and she grinned.

[Dalethria]

Each word spoken by her Cousin had brought Dalethria closer. They were less then an arms length away when her cloak parted, an arm extending up and over Milivikal's shoulder to squeeze.

"As do I, Sansa'rrk." Her voice was tired and spiteful. "As do I. The Empire. It's just a child that needs to relearn its place. It will go unpunished no longer and they will all pay for what they have done to you."

Sad eyes swelled with compassion as Dalethria cupped her Cousin's face within her hand.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Do not play on my emotions." She said gently. Dalethria was a natural manipulator, whether she intended it or not. This act of sympathy was too much from someone she did not trust fully. Milivikal calmly pulled Dalethria's hand away.

"The task is enough."

[Dalethria]

"Of course."

She did not take her Cousin's reaction as a slight. Her own needs had perpetuated the tenderness that was far too soon.

"These caverns lead to both Bast Castle and the château. I will teach you how to navigate them and the changing tides. Come."

The darkness receded from the torchlight as Dalethria beckoned her kin.

"Your travels have been long and questions have been sated for now. You require nourishment and rest."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

It would be unwise to turn down courtesy of a meal and rest, especially from someone as versed in Sith teachings as Dalethria. Milivikal was curious as to what fare her cousin had to offer. She hadn't come unprepared, of course, with some ration bars in empty ammunition pouches.

Milivikal simply nodded and followed. The caverns were vast and winding. Knowing them would be a boon. Mili carefully noted every turn and every sound of each cavern they passed through, although the sound might change with the height of the tides.

[Dalethria]

The hike was met with silence for most of the excursion, save for when Dalethria required to point out certain markers for her cousin, who's own perception was able to map out the route that they took. If Milivikal's direction sense was impeccable, she would realize that they were heading in the way of Château Malreaux.

Along one of the farthest stretches of cavern walls, she stopped amidst a grouping of stalagmites several feet before a pool of what should have been inevitably acid.

"Do not fret," she replied, allowing droplets from the stalactites above to drizzle upon her without fear. "A source of pure water. Rare on this planet that an underground spring remained untouched by the decay above."

Stepping on top of natural steps, her hand idly hugged a well concealed trigger that blended well with the natural formation of the wall. It was just but one of many bumps and knots created throughout the centuries. Upon pushing it inwards, there was a metallic reverberation heard before the old mechanical device pushed a sizable piece of stone slab in one foot and sliding it away to reveal a secret passage.

"The female Tagge is unawares of all of the château's secrets. Please," she beckoned Milivikal with an inviting hand to enter.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal carefully observed Dalethria's steps and motions. The button press, the movement of machinery, all were carefully etched into memory. They entered the hidden passage. Increasing evidence of the hands of sentient beings appeared as they moved upward. The rock was increasingly carved by man instead of water until the passage was clearly assembled and poured.

Their footfalls were silent as they wound upward through the secret passage. Mili wondered what her cousin would reveal.