Revival

[Valeria Tur'ilian]

She awoke with a gasp, her warm breath clouding the medical face mask obscuring her mouth and nose. Her first impulse was to start swinging and as the muscles bunched in her arms, preparing for the motion, she found herself brought to heel by the thick belts binding her tattooed arms to a narrow hospital cot. An animal growl gurgled in her throat and rumbled down into her chest cavity, invoking an instantly regrettable pain that drew her jet black stare down along the length of her supine form.

Wiring protruded from a device affixed to her chest, just over her heart, and she just knew from the sharply agonizing, nauseating feeling that those wires continued deep beneath her skin, her ribs, and into the vital organ beyond. That growl that had been gathering in her throat grew into a roar, one that wasn't to be attributed to the frail woman laying bound to the bed but the destructive beast hiding beneath her pale, thin skin. The wall quaking sound dislodged her supply of oxygen and not moments later, a shadowed figure appeared at her side.

A tan hand stretched out, placing the face mask back into place with refined casualness. Frantically, her eyes darted upward and locked upon darkness tainted cherubic features of a human man; blond hair, a smile that might be debonair if not for her predicament, a finely pressed lab coat, and a pair of designer glasses perched upon his too perfect nose. Through the cloudy veil of the mask, she bared her teeth at him.

"Now, now, my dear. There is no need for that. Despite how it may appear at the present time, I am trying to help you." His undeniable Imperial accent was further intensified by his fallen angel voice. His words did little to soothe her instinct to fight, to flee. She strained against the bindings, actually managing to rip one arm free from the thick loops in spite of her drugged, weakened state. The man merely chuckled, reaching his own hand down and pressing her arm firmly to the cot; his strength was incredible and she couldn't begin to resist it. Her eyes widened a measure, still fastened upon his. "Be a good girl and relax. I've almost finished and then... then you'll be free to go."

She felt the icy cold sensation of a tranquilizer slide through the needle of her IV and her eyelids grew heavy. The last thing she glimpsed was the man walking away, a small smile still on his mouth.
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She awoke with a gasp, her entire body jerking as she lurched into an upright position. Memories of the man bled from her brain, becoming nothing more than the clouded details of an elusive dream. Inky strands of the darkest black dripped around her shoulders and pooled at her waist, curling against the stark white linens on the hospital cot. Slowly, she moved her legs along the sheets until they swung down to the floor, her feet impressing upon the cold, wax-sheen tile below. She rose, nearly falling when the cot rolled sideways, but finally managed to establish herself upright. Her feet inched forward cautiously, carrying her toward the only light in the room; a set of computer monitors affixed to the laboratory's wall. Her brows knit together and her hand shook as it rose, her index finger impressing upon a blinking red button on the console before the screens.

There was no imagery, only sound. A familiar voice that plucked teasingly at her mind.

"Good morning, Ms. Tur'ilian. It is a fine thing, seeing you up and about at last." The name he called her did not ring any bells. In fact, there were a great many things she should know that she did not. There was a twinge of pain over her heart and her hands flew to the flimsy hospital gown she wore, peeling it open to look at the offending area. Tattoos covered a majority of her skin but directly over her heart, a copse of gleaming metal rested. "While I was able to save your life, the mechanism you see was a necessary addition to your anatomy. I think it adds a certain flare to the canvas."

"Cut the dren. What is this? Who are you?"

There was a noticeable stretch of silence, followed by a sigh. "I had worried that your prolonged stasis might result in memory loss. Well, it matters little now, considering I have redacted the details of your former life in favor of watching your new one unfold. You'll find identification cards, some credits, and a blaster on the table to your right; along with some clothing I had arranged for you. It isn't much but it is what I leave you with. I have more patients to attend, as we speak."

"Now wait just a damn minute. I want ans-"

"It's been my pleasure, Valeria." And then the communication cut off with a resounding click. She was breathing so heavily now and there was something unholy building within. Eventually, her arm drew back and smashed through the centralized monitor, flecking shards riddling her arm with small cuts. She looked down at the aching appendage and watched, in wonder, as the wounds slowly began to close until her skin was as it had been before.

Afterward, she made short work of taking up the clothing and items the mysterious voice had left for her. The facility she was housed in was empty, as if it had at one time been very busy and everyone had just up and left at once. She moved along the catacomb of hallways cautiously and eventually stumbled into the foyer, her arms folded defensive across her chest. The front door opened automatically, admitting her onto a bustling city street. She looked up, observing the gravity controlled city expanse that curled along the rounded interior of the space station she found herself on.

No memories. No motive. Just the unsettling thrum of the mechanism at her chest.

[Alastair Kade]

A day left. That was the estimate the pilot had given for their hyperspace jaunt to Krayiss II. It had already been a moderately lengthy trip, so the ship carrying their entourage had docked with the space station to resupply and give any that wished the opportunity to get out and stretch their legs. Alastair had been to Circa Station before, at a time when he wasn’t wrapped up in the Dark Side dealings that had drastically changed his way of life. While the architecture and buildings remained the same, the people did not.


He had yet to see a familiar face wherever her went, from the hangar bay to the nearest cantina to it, and now he wandered down one of the parallel offshoots of the main promenade. At one time, he’d performed a smuggling run for a business operated out of one of the storage facilities. At this point, with still time to go before their departure again, he just wanted to wander and collect himself for another twenty four hours of ship travel.


The area was mostly dilapidated, the buildings showing a moisture damage on most of their exterior walls from the humidity of the recirculated air. It was what made the station feel cool, aside from the fact it was a space station that maybe didn’t have the best of insulation versus some of the premier facilities. Just ahead he watched a woman depart the main foyer of a building, one he’d never been within, but from his distance diagonally across the main path it didn’t look as if it was primarily in use. Likely a squatter, he imagined. Then just to the side, a few younger males of varying species were gathered, one giving a back handed smack to his friends arm to draw his attention the direction of the woman.


They began to cross the way towards her, and for a moment he contemplated letting her take care of herself. He knew though that security was not what it once was, and so he decided he would do his good deed for the day, even if it wasn’t something he should have been doing as a Sith. “There you are. Been looking all over for you.” He wasn’t sure if she would play along or not, but he knew he could improvise himself if needed.

[Valeria Tur'ilian]

The clothing she had been provided had been specifically tailored to the personality the heavily inked canvas of her skin invoked; leather leggings with asymmetrical slits along the outer thigh, studded combat boots, a cut-off t-shirt with some unrecognized band logo, and a scuffed leather jacket that zipped at a slant. She was currently in the process of fighting with the stubborn zipper, in an attempt to conceal the blaster holstered against her ribcage, when a voice directed at her but wholly unfamiliar dislodged her from her struggles. Valeria, the name she had been given and one she intended to use for the time being, looked up and caught sight of the man swaggering in her direction. An inky strand of incredibly dark hair slanted in front of her violet eyes and she blew it aside with an agitated breath. Two seconds on the street and already she was being harassed?

Her eyes darted past him to the mid-motion junkies this guy was casually trying to save her from encountering. Without missing another beat, Valeria aimed her very most stunning smile at blondie and dropped her hands away from her jacket. She approached him with a definite sway to her hips and a mischievous glint to her eyes; all the while wondering if this overwhelming urge to misbehave was a newfound thing or if it had just been so prominent a part of her former personality that it came naturally. She came toe-to-toe with her hero, sliding her tattoo laden fingers along his ribs and then down his backside, right into his pant's pockets. He was taller than her so she had to crane her head back to keep eye contact, her fingers slyly coiling around whatever valuables might be stored within. Their proximity diminished, her chest pressing flush against his own as her lips parted to further play the part he'd picked for her.

"Hey, babe. You found me." She said playfully, dropping her gaze away from his to take in the gaggle of drenheads across the street. She gave them a wink before pulling away from her savior; tugging his wallet out his pants pocket and sliding it subtly up her sleeve as she did so. "Let's go to your place. Mine is... messy." She added, canting her head in the direction she had previously determined she'd stroll in before he'd happened on the scene.

[Alastair Kade]

She fell flawlessly into the role, perhaps too much so. Her hands invasively swept back down into his rear pants pockets, and her body moved flush against his own. He felt the handle of the blaster bump against his ribs, more so than the hands that didn’t just sit in place but rummaged within his pockets. Seeing her lips part, he’d half expected her to make more of a move than she already had, but words came in lieu of the action he briefly suspected. She withdrew, and his hands grasped the bottom hem of her jacket. He turned, which prompted her to angle with him. It gave him the vantage to see the trio lose their interest.


Resolving she would have no need of the blaster beneath her jacket that he had been preparing to draw, he took up the zipper and set it into place, drawing it diagonally up across her frame to both hide her weapon and keep it from being easy access to use against him. “Yeah we can do that.” He was still under the impression she had come from her ‘place’, and that she had been squatting in what he assumed was an abandoned location. His ‘place’ was a temporary residence off the shuttle, but in extremely close proximity to it. After spending days cooped up, they had all been too eager to get off and explore.


He turned into her side, letting his arm slide in behind her jacket into the curve of her lower back. “Alastair.” He spoke in a casual tone, not as worried for being overheard as they crossed away from the three. “Anywhere you really need to head? We round the corner up ahead, and I can let you be on your way, just need to know which way to turn.”

[Valeria Tur'ilian]

Valeria grinned up at her hero, holding still as his fingers busied themselves with her zipper; successfully sealing away her blaster and dislodging the jam she had been dealing with earlier. As he pivoted and swept his arm around her lower back, she snuggled in against him and slid her own arm into place along his bottom; stealing a quick, final glance at the thugs that had previously been heading her way. Well, thank the heavens for small favors; or, incredibly tall, handsome, and rugged favors as the case may be. As they walked, he introduced himself and her cat-like incisors flashed at him again in a charmed smile. "Valeria." She replied smoothly, her violet eyes trailing along the street to the then mentioned corner where they would part ways.

"I've no heading, actually. So, I think I'll just follow you for a while." She informed him with a jovial twang to her voice, her prehensile tail curling around his thigh loosely. Hell, if this was the kind of guy who rescued damsels, kittens from trees, and otherwise distressed loners like herself; maybe she could trust him with her woes. "Listen, Alastair, you seem like a nice, cute kinda guy. I'm going to be honest here and let you know that I literally just woke up in that building with dren for memories and I have no idea what to do. So if I'm bothering you, I'll take a hike but I figure following you is a good a plan as any. Where are you headed?"

[Alastair Kade]

Her sidelong glance drew his attention back down to her, where he saw her sharpened incisors for the first time and received the first indication that she was near-human. Questions arose at the fact that she had no destination, and she was too well dressed, armed, and smelled too favorably to be some vagrant in spite of the building she had departed. That had been his initial thought, and in this nearer proximity it was quickly dismissed.

It was only a few steps into their walk that he noticed the tail about his leg, a feature he hadn't noticed before, and an intimate sort of gesture he would have assumed. It made him feel a touch uncomfortable, but only in the unexpected fashion, and less in the displeased sort of way. He rounded the corner back to where the ship he had arrived on was docked, taking her at least that direction for the time being. It was at that time that she revealed the bit of baggage that explained why she had come from that building, and seemed to have no direction.

"That must be some bender." He suggested she'd had some sort of wild night, but also knew that was likely not the case. "Least you didn't wake up naked, that would have made wandering the station a bit complicated." He diverted a quick slant of his eyes to the side, then back ahead. "Well, I was going to head back to my ship, we're supposed to leave tomorrow." He wasn't certain what the others would think of Valeria, or if it was the kind of life he should tout her around to. "Maybe we should hold off on that, the rest of the crew is a bit picky about who they get close to." That was likely putting it mildly. He paused their walk at a crossroads, peering down each direction. "Not sure where to take you then, but you are welcome to stay close for now. Anywhere you want to go?"