Realignment

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Sorsha was still unconscious, oblivious to the fact that she was strung up in one of the cells like a slab of meat. It wasn't fitting enough for her traitorous Sister but it would suffice for now until she woke up. Then the fun would really begin.

That left ample time for Dalethria to attend to other matters. Sorsha's plan had backfired, leaving a mess. It now fell upon Dalethria to clean it up and make something out of it. The Sister's were a wonderful conception that just needed guidance in the right direction to serve Vicet properly. Just because they were the bringers of Chaos did not mean they needed to be run that way.

She snapped her fingers and one of the Vore began to follow his new Mistress. Dalethria wasn't afraid of them, but she could feel it from them. In her escape from her Sister's clutches, many of them fell before her so they knew to walk a thin line with her. So did the others that helped Sorsha in her capture. Blade was thinking about leaving. For his sake, he'd better. In a way she did commend him for his bravado, but if he wanted to live longer, then the option to tucking his tail between his legs and running was for his own good. She would deal with him later anyway. An old friend had come calling while she was incarcerated and would be arriving within hours to Ch'hodos. No one here had any idea to who it was and that made her giddy.

Then there was Milivikal. Their relationship had been strained since they first laid eyes upon each other. The Siren had destroyed every piece of porcelain and glassware of value inside her home with only one spiteful note. Dalethria had lost much in money and memories because of that. As a result, she had avoided Vicet's chosen as much as possible until she had been ambushed at home by Milivikal.

That should have been enough for Dalethria to kill her but there had become no need once the Siren explained. Aliandra was safe and Dalethria had become surprised by the knowledge that Milivikal was just as frustrated at Sorsha as she was. Dalethria saw potential where Sorsha had seen a tool ... and she needed someone that could talk to these frelling Vore!!!

She stopped and stepped aside so that it could lead, "Take me to where Milivikal is."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal hated Ch'hodos. She had said so several times, but the statement had not been a means to release the feeling. It had instead reinforced it slightly.

Gravitational twists and half illusions were abundant in the keep, a result of the odd planetary and galatic energies that flowed through these rocks. The place was a focal point for dark, twisted energies. Like most anything else Sorsha planned, it lacked a pratical aspect. There were no settlements on the rocky wastes that made up the planet's surface. Supplies would need to be obtained and shipped back regularly. It wasn't sustainable.

Her room was not entirely dissimilar from the one she had at Bast, except larger and possessing an errie red glow. That, and the fact that the entrance was oriented differently from her bed, which was different than the dresser, which was different than the clothset but the same as the vanity, but the sink was ninety degrees off from the rest of it. The water was clean, though, and she rinsed off her face and neck.

Blood had stopped flowing from the torn skin on and beneath her chin. Red had splattered onto her white and red patterend blouse, which she pulled off and threw into the empty closet. The blouse fell up, of course.

The gravitational distortions weren't the most annoying part. What the zone transistions did to sound waves were most unnerving. The place likely granted Sorsha some unique edge. The blonde woman was always truly alive in Chaos. It was alluring in some ways, but Milivikal hated the planet. The Siren always liked an orderly pot to turn over.

There were footsteps... somewhere? Mili's eyes darted about the room, since the sounds were lying. As they grew closer, she could hear the clicking of Vore claws on stone.

She opened the door with the Force, not bothereing to traverse the bizzare properties of her bedroom. Dalethria and a Vore, which had been leading her. k'Vik wasn't very fond of the creatures, but they did have their uses from time to time.

"Fsssfffkknnnnchiiiinnkknnnnkknnnkjfj." The creature screeched in reply, and left. Dalethria glanced back as the Vore skittered away.

Mili looked Dale over, and bit her lip. Something I can never have. Brilliant blue eyes, high cheekbones, long legs and delightful curves. Dalethria was every bit as deadly as she was stunning. Dark, wavy hair graced her shoulders.

Pale crystal blue eyes met with the electric blues.

The Siren shrugged. This place was difficult at best to use her abilities, and Dalethria was easily her better in combat. If Mal Pannis wanted to kill her, she would be dead.

"What?"

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Dalethria had come to realize that traveling through the palace without the aid of the Vore was going to become troublesome. In time she would figure out a way to navigate the fields without them, but it would take a lot of communing with the dark energies of this place to even come close to a solution ... but that was when she had time to spare.

The Vore was leading her to a specific door that turned sideways and upside down at least a half a dozen times before they reached it. They weren't unexpected since the door opened of its own accord. Dalethria stepped inside, sighing quietly as the Vore garbled out something before leaving.

She really hated the fact she could not understand them.

Her attention shifted to Milivikal. Her attire, or lack there of, didn't go unnoticed. Seemed that k'Vik was in the middle of cleaning the wound Dalethria had caused, made apparent from her still wet skin. The blood was gone, but the skin remained red from where her fist had broken it opened. The abrasions weren't major enough to cause any permanent damage to her face. It would just sting for awhile to the touch.

Not enough time had passed since the incident on the ship. It was only a couple of hours ago, and Milivikal was still on edge from the encounter. She was expecting a fight, something that the brunette couldn't blame the Siren for. Dalethria would need to address that first before Milivikal would listen to anything she had to say.

"If I wanted you dead by now, the Vore would have had to drag your head and body out of my ship. Not to mention Blade's..." She still was in awe that the the three of them, Blade, Sorsha and Milivikal, stole her ship to get here. The irony had amused her greatly and continued to do so. She could appreciate the boldness of it. The kidnapping of her daughter was not so funny. Currently Arriana was watching over her daughter. The fear seen within the Kalish's eyes was more then enough to convince Dalethria that Aliandra was going to be safe.

Hopefully she was able to dispel some of k'Vik's fears and Dalethria continued, "I'll not apologize for that," She motioned at Milivikal's chin, "but I can make up for it." Dalethria lowered her hand and half-smiled expectantly, "Interested?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal had not stuck around to see what Dalethria was going to do with Sorsha. She almost didn't care, except for curiousity.

What?

Dalethria was plotting at something. Obviously it invovled her to some degree. Mili didn't know much about the Sith Master beyond the fact that the two had never gotten along, probably stemming from the fact that she had destroyed all of her glassware. Most of it had been unreplaceable, and, aside from any money she stole, Mili didn't have any way to replace it. She hadn't appoligized because she wasn't exactly sorry. Sorsha realized what she had awoken and attempted to kill the Siren.

Milivikal never felt particuarly home anywhere. The first year awake was mostly spent adapting and physically recovering from being prone for four thousand years. Shortly thereafter the Black Hand split, and Mili was mostly skittering about the galaxy with no particular connection. No one really seemed to care who you were as long as your credits were good.

So, fate, or whatever it was, had conspired to make Dalethria and Milivikal uneasy allies at best, and enemies at worst. The common thread between them had made a grave error, putting herself at odds with seemingly everyone.

Sorsha had crossed Dalethria's boundry by kidnapping Aliandra, and Mili was simply tired of her Sister's empty-headed plans.

k'Vik crossed her arms beneath her breasts, covered in a white bra. Although Dalethria had said she wasn't going to attack, the Siren was visibly tense.

"Yes." she stated firmly, after a half-minute of silent deliberation.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Milivikal was willing to listen, but she was not entirely convinced that Dalethria wasn't going to harm her. That should change when she was finished saying her piece. "I realize Sorsha wanted to bring me back into the fold and take up residence here with you and the others. Seeing as my Sister was in charge at the time, I know you and Blade were only following orders."

Just thinking about what happened caused her blood to boil. "She got her wish and will be dealt with later. Right now her idiocy left a void to be filled. Perhaps I am partly to blame for how things turned out since I wasn't here to help guide Sorsha. The fact remains that it falls upon my shoulders to fix her mess. So, as of this moment, I'm taking charge."

Dalethria wanted to move around the room while she spoke in order to relieve some of the tension between them, but the blasted shifts in gravity prevented her from doing so. She was forced to remain still. "I need someone that has a direct connection to Vicet, for I have none. I've returned to serving her willingly, but I do not have the visions to help me. Sorsha has always been at my side in these matters, but her right to that has been forfeited."

She was having a hard time reading what k'Vik thought of all this so the brunette got right to the point. "I ask you to take her place and be my second. I need your talents, and Vicet needs us to make a mark in the galaxy. There is a lot of work that needs to be done and I am willing to put aside what has happened in the past so we can make this work."

What happened next rested upon the Siren's shoulders. Dalethria clasped her hands behind her back and waited for Milivikal to mull over her proposal.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal walked to her bed, a proccess in which she had to re-orient herself three times. She sat, staring at Dalethria, who was ninety degrees off. A few blinks, and she lay down, staring at the glow of the rocks pulse slowly.

"Vicet does not tell me everything. She never will. Sorsha hears more than I. They are both wild. Neither understand what a little discipline does. Sorsha will charge at pots with reckless abandon. She will knock them over, yes, and get scalded now and again. An oven mitt, however..." Mili rubbed the back of her head in a way that seemed absentminded.

"The chitters understand not. Every minute, it should be a blood dance." She sat up and grinned at Dalethria. One of her hands had slipped into her pants, as if it had a mind of it's own.

"They like raw energy. The physical extremes of pain and AHHhhaahhhh..." Milivikal's voice rang out crystaline clear. She removed her hand. "...pleasure." k'Vik finished her sentence with a sigh. Dalethria's heart and breath had sped up slightly, but it was impossible to tell why.

Milivikal's eyes rolled back.

The Siren intoned, almost chanted, "Sssshhhpp pp parts of Sorsha are waking up."

Pale blue eyes rolled down again, affixing them on Dalethria.

"Unnacceptable. Your terms are unnacceptable. I want to be an Equal."

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Dalethria's brow furrowed, confused as to why Milivikal stopped her explanation suddenly. She sighed, understanding after what was spoken next.

"The chitters understand not. Every minute, it should be a blood dance."

Damnable centipede was taking some control away from k'Vik, wanting to be heard as well. A possible event foreseen. Its best interests were involved as well.

Then things shifted unexpectedly. She felt her eye involuntarily twitch as Milivikal slid a hand into her pants. The moan of pleasure and sigh that followed illicit a response within Dalethria that hadn't been felt in years. She couldn't remember the last time she was touched like ...

What was she doing? There were important things that needed to be done that didn't involve daydreaming about ... Mili?

She felt the Siren's eyes staring at her, and the indignation of what she said made her laugh. "Unacceptable???" It was absurd that Milivikal, or the centipede, or whatever, was even making demands. "I was being quite generous considering what you've put me through, Milivikal."

Dalethria had begun to move closer towards the Siren, compensating her steps when needed. She stared back at her with cold eyes and stated flatly. "You are not my equal." It was the truth and both of them knew it. Milivikal would have a most difficult time proving it to Dalethria otherwise.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

It was true, but it still stung. Milivikal's entire body seemed to droop. She looked up at Dalethria through kicked puppy eyes, and snarled.

"Shut up, chitters. Vicet likes the terms not, or at least her little thread says."

"I agree." She tried to whisper, but the sound did not carry. Dalethria's eyes narrowed, trying to make out what the Siren had said. Milivikal looked at Dalethria expectantly.

"Pardon?" Dalethria said.
It took the better part of a minute for Milivikal to realize what happend. Twisted by unnatural gravities, her sound control had failed.

"rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRAAAAHGGHHGHHHH I HATE THIS PLACE!" She leapt up, still screeching, lifted the bed and flung it at the far wall. The wood frame cracked, letting matress slide up.

Dejected, k'Vik dropped to the ground, her legs straight.

"I agree, but I want to leave this wretched, stupid place."

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Milivikal's outburst had taken Dalethria by surprise because it was unclear as to what caused it. It did not appear to be related by what she had said. Yes, k'Vik hated Ch'hodos but there was more to that hatred that Dalethria was failing to see.

Visibly she winced when the bed hit the wall and again when the crack was heard, which didn't help relieve her ears that stung from the Siren's screeching. Dalethria watched as the matress slid out of the frame and fold upwards. It was quite bizarre.

"I know you hate this place. I'm not fond of it either." Her eyes settled upon Milivikal again, who was now pouting on the floor. It was almost cute and reminded her of Sorsha in a way. "Unfortunately, Vicet had Sorsha lead us here for a reason."

She continued to slowly make her way towards Milivikal, confident that nothing was going to happen now. "Which means that we have to attempt to make this place functional and figure out why Vicet chose this place. When Sorsha wakes up, I'm going to find out why personally, along with anything else I can wring out of her." Dalethria moved down on one knee in front of k'Vik. "This does not mean you have to stay here all the time." She shrugged and looked around the room absently, "I'm not. I've been cooped up for far too long."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Oh, I know why Vicet chose Ch'hodos. Tis a convergence point, like Yavin or Byss. Ch'hodos was harnessed and bent far before my birth, so you have this." She stood and walked to a gravity shift line. Her body was horizontal, juxtaposed between two opposite zones. A quarter of her hair went up, a quarter down, and the half between was a graident.

"Vicet knew of this place, and the strength it could bring us. This energy has soaked into these rocks for many millenia. Idle hands at play." Mili whipped her hair through a few times, the long black strands obeying the gradient.

"That, I hate that. It does it to everything. Even to a whisper." Despite their agreement, Milivikal was still distraught at her surroundings. She looked at Dalethria a moment, and wondered where Sorsha was.

"Where is our Sister?" The Siren was suddenly very fearful.

"She wakes soon. Where?" She asked again before the Master could respond, and clutched Dalethria's shoulders.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Dalethria watched in fascination, almost childlike, with her wide blue eyes following the erratic pattern of Milivikal's hair dancing about. She was beginning to understand the reasoning behind coming here, but it would take time to mold this power to suit them properly.

As she stood up, she finally understood k'Vik's real problem with Ch'hodos. It distorted her ability to control sound waves. Her primary ability was not rendered useless, it became just as random as the gravity shifts. She was distraught at not being in control.

She felt a shift in emotion from Milvikal, displeasure turning into fear. Fear of what would happen when Sorsha woke up and found out what Dalethria, and now her, were plotting. Normally, it would be a realistic concern but Dalethria had taken care of her Sister.

"No need to fret." She placed a hand on both of Milivikal's to ease the grip on her shoulders. "Sorsha isn't going anywhere, nor has any ability to use the Force." A wicked grin spread across her face and her eyes lit up in glee, "I made certain that Sorsha's quite comfortable in one of the cells. She's completely at my mercy." It was a wondrous thought. After all the years of abuse she had been put through by her dear Sister in the name of love... Dalethria was going to return such thoughtfulness ten fold by making her thanks known in the most excruciating and most painful way possible.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal looked shocked for a moment. Her eyes went wide. No ability to use the Force? The Siren's skin crawled.

"N...no Force?" k'Vik's voice quivered like a palm leaf in the wind.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

"Yes. No Force." She had pried Milivikal's fingers from out of her shoulders ... again. Dalethria had brought them down between them, releasing one hand in order to poke at the Siren's nose. "Ysalamiri are marvelous creatures. They have a natural ability that extends around them, creating a null zone where we cannot access the Force. That is what keeps Sorsha powerless."

Being so close to Milivikal, Dalethria had noticed that the wound under her chin had reopened, probably a result from her earlier tantrum. A thin trail of blood had reached halfway down k'Vik's neck, but her eyes had a mind of their own and traveled further down, admiring Milivikal's body. Her mind wandered, causing her breath to quicken.

Gods it's been too long...

Reluctantly, she released Milivikal's hand, "You'd better finish taking care of your face. Tomorrow we start working on your sabre issues again. I go to check on Sorsha."

A Vore was summoned and Dalethria quickly left the room so she would be there in time to watch her Sister wake up.