Guilty til Proven Innocent: A Prelude

[Eliessa Corta]

The stars were endless.

Though not always visible - the brilliance from the manufactured lighting of the Coruscant city skyline together with the heavy atmosphere often masked them. But they were there. Sure and steady.

Eliessa could see them clearly tonight. There must be an easterly wind, she thought, as she stood gazing through the floor to ceiling window that spanned the living room of her apartment. Such a breeze would often clear the air and open up the panorama of lights for all to see.

In the kitchen, the sound of cups rustling and cupboards being opened and shut brought her thought back to another aspect of her life that was sure and steady.

Her stepson.

She had not seen him in some years, though they had kept in touch through correspondence. And for Eliessa, that had been enough - more than she could have hoped, in fact. A son by marriage, not by blood - he was closer to her than any of her own offspring. His visit to her tonight had been long looked forward to.

He stepped now into the living room, and Eliessa turned to watch the young man whom she was so proud of, settle the tray of tea and cups on the small table.

A soft smile touched her eyes. She wondered if he knew how much she loved him.

[Kelt Simoson]

He never had called her 'mother', always Elie as he had been brought up to. His father never allowed him to call her mother because he still loved Maigraith (Kelts blood mother) even after her death and his moving on to find Elie. Maigraith had always been Kelts real mother and Elie had been his step mother but always title, not by name.

' Here you go, Elie...' He said placing down the tray on the small coffee table between himself and his step mother. He then moved across to the balconey windows, closed the double doors and drew the curtains too. It was cold this time of year and even though the two were dressed reasonably warmly it was still a struggle to keep out the cold.

He took a seat from across her.

' Well, how is father?...' He asked pouring the tea into the mugs while keeping on eye on his ste mother.

[Eliessa Corta]

"He sends you this"

Eliessa crossed the room to a cabinet, opening a drawer and retrieving a mid-sized item wrapped in a rich green velvet.

"He felt it is time now that it be in your possession."

She handed it to Kelt, and watched as he unwrapped a brass sheild emblazoned with the Simosan family crest.

"Your choice to join the Jedi Order has made him very happy"

[Kelt Simoson]

' Are the goverment still searching for me?...' Kelt asked placing down the crest idly. It was impressive but he did not deserve his name upon it and certainly not with honor. He had in so many shadowed ways caused embrassement to the Simoson family.

He wrapped the crest back in its cloth and placed it on a shelf beside his seat where he would pick it up later on and hide it somwhere in his apartment where dust would collect. He hated some parts of his past, and the fact his blood mother and father had been so high within the order troubled him.

He had been forced into the order while he would have been comfortable just being a Man at Arms within the Aarchim Army or a simple scout. He had been thrown into something he so dearly did not wish to be within. But if he parents had not then the jedi Knight would not be where he was now,or have friends like he had, though his friends,Sejah being one of them, were prooving to have secret pasts of their own.

' I hear from old Joshua my bounty has been risen from 6000 drakes to 10.000 semtems...' He spoke looking towards her and placing cup and saucer into her hand.

[Eliessa Corta]

She watched on as Kelt put aside the sheild, his action speaking of his detachment almost as much as his lack of comment on its being put in his possession.

"Cant you let this go?"

She referred to his difficult past, and his answering glower told her he could not.

She sighed audibly. And got back to the slightly less unpleasant topic of the bounty instead.

"Yes...the price for you has risen. Memories are long among a mans enemies"

She sipped the tea.

"I hope you are being careful"

[Kelt Simoson]

' Aye, Elie im being quite careful...' He spoke a little more confident now. He had been careful to avoid those that were wrongfuly searching for him, except the time where Moriarci had found him here but Morgan had defended him along with Jacali and Miss Ryla.

Moriarci was forced by his own gaurd to keep Kelts where-abouts a secret mianly by the Aarchim Illusionist Boni Carkeen. Alarming enough most of the gaurd has trusted in Kelt. That day was one of kelts worst here in the Order, Kelt had suffered much grief and mind pain of the course of that day and had been suffering with a "Tatriarch" spell in his head that had only left months after of concentrating.

' I must forget my past, its gone...' He took a sip of his tea also. ' How is your family? are you still not in coresspondant as you were planning on doing?' A touchy subject but still one to be adressed.

[Eliessa Corta]

Her family...her family had exploded years ago. Eliessa's leaving had been the catalyst and her first husband, now long since dead, and a daughter as good as.

"No - Ive had no luck with my daughter. I met up with a Mr. Prent who was very helpful in trying to locate her, but we were waylayed by a Cizerack. An old aquaintance of Mr. Prents.."

Eliessa trailed off.."That whole story was one even I never knew completely, but suffice to say - Cizeracks aren't ones to be trifled with, especially by young handsome scoundrels as Mr. Prent."

Eliessa looked with the hopeful eyes only a longsuffering mother could manage.

"I still hope to bring about a reconcilliation with her"

[Kelt Simoson]

' I have a step sister i've never seen...its so sadning...' Kelt said idly. He had thought about her on a number of occasions, what she was like, what she was doing, how she was. Had he passed her on the streets without knowing or spoken to her?

' It would be best for you and the family if you could...to reunight us as a whole family would be a excellent feat to be sure...' The Knight said a glimps of a smile showing.

[Eliessa Corta]

"Yes, it would be a feat, indeed."

Eliessa shook her head doubtfully.

"But I think that is something short of impossible - if all that I have heard about my daughter is true."

She looked very tired suddenly to Kelt.

"She is not nearly the sweet child I left behind on Kwaylon"

[Kelt Simoson]

' Tell me what you have been told about her?...' Kelt said thoughtfully, his face now searching the one of his step mothers.

[Eliessa Corta]

Sad eyes met Kelts' enquiring ones.
"I hear she has embraced the teachings of the Sith. Has become a Master of their ways, even. According to Mr. Prent - Sanis, do you know him? - According to Mr. Prent, she is a smuggler, a pirate. Basically everything opposite that I could wish her to be.

Even her father would not be proud of her."

Eliessa sighed. "No, Kelt. I begin to doubt I would even recognise Hera if I saw her. She was such a loving daughter.."

[Kelt Simoson]

' Why did she turn to the Sith?' Kelt asked sadly

[DarthHERA]

"And that"

the body slumped lifeless to the floor

"is why I became a Sith"

Hera looked at the crumpled form at her feet and her face lit in a smile.

"So I never have to suffer such fools as you, Theodul"

The blockade runner had failed her for the last time. Actually, he had failed her for the first time, but for Hera it was the same thing. She was not one to tolerate ineptitude nor substandard performance by those in her employ. Theodul had lost his cargo to a NR patrol in the northern tip of the Isor corridor. It was a freakish run of bad luck that had led the hapless smuggler being intercepted, but if he'd had half a brain, he would not have returned to tell the Faene Mistress of his misfortune.

Oh well, live and learn.

Or in this case, not.

Hera pressed a slender finger on the intercom button.

"Cleanup crew, my office."

The command was becoming more frequent of late, and was not lost on the staff that trotted in to obey, keeping their eyes down cast.

Hera crossed to the back of her office to pour herself some rum.

She would take a drink before dealing with the next order of business. Some intelligence had been received from one of Faene's reliable informants and Hera was to receive a breifing.

Downing the dark liquor in one gulp, Hera then took her chair and waited for her officer to come on in. Just another day in the life.

[Remkah]

Standing to one side of the doorway, Remkah allowed the crew and their burden to pass.

Once gone, he allowed the office door to slide closed behind him and then approached Hera's desk, and took his seat perched on its edge.

"Glad to see Ive caught you in a good mood" he said languidly.

Everything Remkah did seemed to be in a slow, even drawl. It was as if his movements, his speech, his mannerisms, were all just a continuation of his layback, laconic personality. It was a stark contrast to the style of the Sith seated in the plush black leather chair looking across at him. And was probably why they worked so well together. He was his ying to her yang, his calm to her storm.

"Im always in a good mood" Hera replied dryly, "Didn't you get the memo?"

"Thats what that was? That will teach me to make oragami swans from those notes instead of reading them"

Hera poured her Base Captain a drink.

"So....whats all the hubbub about?"

Remkah took the glass, and lifted it to his lips.

"You're not going to like it"

He drank the whole thing before continuing.

[Eliessa Corta]

Eliessa spoke in a distant voice, her eyes seeing beyond the walls of the apartment, beyond the vastness of the stars that illiminated the night sky against the window.

"One day, I hope to ask her exactly that question, myself"

[Kelt Simoson]

' I cant quite imagine having family that are even remotely connected with the darkside, i simply cannot fathom it. It must be incredibly hard for you to take that kinda of news in, Elie'

He looked towards he with a sad smile, he could simply not imagine what it must be like for her to not see her down daughter and on top of that, she was a Sith.

' I'm sorry...' He said softly.

[Remkah]

Hera's hands gripped the edge of the desk and Remkah noted, belatedly, that sitting where he was perhaps was not quite prudent. So he stood.

"When?"

She choked out the question and Remkah replied <color=green>"some months back"</color>

News had slowly filtered back through the grapevine of Sanis Prent and some woman (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26297&highlight=Eliessa) who had been seeking the whereabouts of ShadowFaene.

It came from the Cizerack Aileenda, apparently one of Prent's former amorous preoccupations. He certainly was fond of those felinoids. And they him. But, as Prent seemed unable to avoid try as he may, he would never be free of their everlasting affections and manipulations. Aileenda had been voicing her complaints against the rapscallion over a card game, giving up information that he had been traipsing the galaxy with some old forrder twice his age looking for SFF. The name Eliessa Corta had been mentioned. A no-name to practically everyone. When the word finally trickled down to Remkah, again over a card game, he immediately acted and sought out clarification of the who and the what.

And it was this news he brought with him today.

Hera seethed, her anger boiling like a cauldron set on an open fire.

Her mother had resurfaced. Was seeking her out.

Remkah looked at her steadily.

<color=green>"Thats not all - Did you know you have a step-brother?"</color>

[Kelt Simoson]

' Anyway... Kelt started and got up from his chair leaving the mug half full, he had been late when he arrived here for a council meeting and was even more late after half a cup of brew. ' I must take my leave. Eli, i hope you will forgive me? we can meet tommrow for lunch?'

Kelt smiled and nodded to his step mother in a formal manor and began tom exit the apartment.

[DarthHERA]

Hera stared incredulous at the data screen Remkah had opened before her and at the face of young man staring back at her.

The vein in her temple pulsated hotly against her skin. It was safe to say the Faene Mistress was somewhat perturbed.

"He's my step brother?" she spat out.

Perhaps perturbed didn't quite cover it.

"A Jedi?"

With a sweep of her arm, the datapad was sent careening off the desk to land on the floor with a crash and a sizzle.

Though Hera glared at Remkah, the Base Captain knew the hatred was not directed at him.

Kelt Simoson...whoever he was...was about to get an education on what family could mean in a galaxy such as this.

[Remkah]

"Your mother remarried a force user not long after she left - er - Kwaylon. This is his son. Law makes him your brother."


Remkah took care just to state the facts and not antagonise the Sith further.


"He is a part of the Greater Jedi Order. A Knight, I believe. Eliessa blew into town some months back. She originally tried to track you down, and when she had no real luck, settled in an apartment on Coruscant."

He lit a cigarette.

"Should be easy enough to find.."

[Eliessa Corta]

Getting up from the couch, Eliessa followed Kelt to the door.

"Lunch sounds great."

As he turned to leave, she took hold of his hand, disolving some of the distance that absence had brought between them.

"Its so good to see you again Kelt. Thank you for finding time for me"

[Kelt Simoson]

Continued Here: The Fall Of Kelt (http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=660592#post660592)