Private An Intangible Guest

[Sylvia Virtos]

The only thing that even resembled body hopping that Sylvia had ever heard of were the rumors she picked up in her empire days. Emperor Carnifex would often and seemingly out of nowhere look much younger and show less signs of decay that came with the dark side between public appearances, sparking the wildest theories on what went on behind his claimed immortality. One of the predominant ones was that he would transfer his soul to clone bodies, which now seemed much more plausible to the spacer.

"Wouldn't want to get the original in trouble for the meat suit's actions," Sylvia joked. It was a big galaxy out there, but it still posed a needless risk if it could easily be avoided.

Suddenly, as though a lightbulb went off in her head, Sylvia looked around the main area, then towards the cockpit. "Spark?" she called out, who beeped inquisitively as it hovered into view. "How much longer?"

Spark beeped again, the answer met by a nod. "Thanks, bud," Sylvia concluded before slouching back into the couch again just slightly. She could have checked herself, but found herself too lazy to get up.

"Forget the headline, though. There probably are people who'd binge an entire holoseries about it."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

A joke, most likely, but Kal's rather serious nod made it clear that it was something he took seriously; he had screwed over hosts before, but only the deserving.

<There are many ethical concerns in assuming mortal form. Rest assured that we have examined them thoroughly.> Would she reach the same conclusions as them? Maybe.

Conversation briefly interrupted by the droid, Kal made a mental note - learn Binary.

<There's an idea!> It was clear that the Shadow found the thought quite amusing, but said amusement quickly transitioned into something more. Into interest. <A preferable idea. If the facts are as strange as fiction, they can be portrayed as such.>

Could they cover their own trail with entertainment? A novel approach.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

A shrug and a chuckle revealed Sylvia's amusement at the fact she had now given Kal two ideas to work with. She was willing to admit she was at least fairly creative, but seeing ideas she thought to be silly at best taken so seriously was definitely a little strange. Of course, they were nothing more than brainwaves. Actually making those things happen was another thing entirely.

Not that Sylvia herself was going to be involved with any of it. She had no experience with hair dye or the holofilm industry.

"I should start charging for ideas," the spacer jested. "Just watch, you'll be getting rich from my dumb ideas. You're welcome, by the way."

At least one of the two people on the ship was getting something out of their conversation, though Sylvia really was not that greedy. Kal had been surprisingly fine company, and that was enough for her. She really did not care much for riches and materialistic gain. The freedom she found herself having now was much more important. Having been deprived of it all of her life until relatively recently made her very aware of just how valuable it was.

Kal ​

​

 

[Kal]

<Sylvia Virtos, brainstormer-on-commission.> Like her, he found the whole thing a bit amusing, but not to the point of dismissing the idea behind it, despite his complete disregard for anything even remotely resembling copyright.

<You know, I value ideas quite highly. The spark of creativity is often just as if not more important than the follow-through - that can always be arranged.> There were plenty of beings well-suited for rote work out there: Droids, Weavers, bureaucrats.

Pausing for a long moment, the Shadow seemed to consider something.

<In fact, if ever you have any novel ideas or projects that require more resources than you have at your disposal...> Alongside the words came a mental image, or rather a string of characters quickly recognisable, he imagined, as contact information.

The unique pattern of digits needed to contact him and his associates over the HoloNet, set up by someone who like Sylvia had an advanced understanding of technology and memorised by Kal, who at least knew how to follow instructions.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal

---

​

Not everybody had to worry about having the means, Sylvia supposed. Ideas were not the hardest part of creation to her in the slightest, in fact. Sometimes the materials needed were simply out of her reach, and on very rare occasions her plans were a little too ambitious. She found herself to be much more successful when toying around with concepts and materials without any specific goal in mind, instead letting the inspiration come to her as she experimented.

Still, the offer was an incredibly tempting one. A little help made turning a concept into reality much easier sometimes.

"I mean, I won't say no to that. Hold on, keep the number right there," Sylvia said as she pulled out the holodevice out of her pocket and created a new contact. A swift series of keystrokes later it was saved, and to make sure Kal had the ability to contact her as well she sent a simple message that contained the word 'test' to the number. He did not seem like he had any device on him, but if he was able to be contacted that way, he had to have a way to read it.

"Alright, done. I also sent it a message, so you have my contact details as well. Who knows, it could just be the start of a wonderful partnership!" Her tone was not all too serious, but anything mutually beneficial was always welcome.

"Feel free to hit me up if you need any help from my end. I'm sure I could lend a hand here and there."

 

[Kal]

She seemed receptive enough to the idea of future cooperation; none of this was how he had expected a run-of-the-mill case of privacy-violating observation to go, but the development was not an unwelcome one. As much as he could appreciate watching events unfold from the perspective of an outside observer, actually interacting with people was often more enjoyable - and just as informative.

<Lovely. I am sure it will be relayed to me without issue.> If not, he always had other ways of reaching her. <Just so you know, the initial sequence is generic, with the last three digits serving as my unique identifier. Remove those and you would be reaching out to my associates as a whole.>

He was not sure why she would want to do that, given that she only knew him, but she had the opportunity.

<I'll keep you in mind, if something comes up.> After a moment's consideration, he broadened the offer. <If you would like, I can place you on a list of more or less trusted contractors. My associates and I rarely act directly, you see.> She was already more well-informed than most, if he was being honest, given that she knew his nature and by extension the nature of his kind. Most were hired through indirect channels.​

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal

---

​

Sylvia nodded as she started typing once again, adding an extra note to the contact data. It was doubtful she would ever need to use the generic number, but there was no harm in saving it regardless. In the event it did come in useful, she would have access to it. Not that she knew what the occasion would be, though.

"Feel free. Barring moral objections, my skill sets are always for hire," Sylvia made sure to point out. She had no desire to be involved in anything too egregious, though everything else was fair game. As long as she knew what she was doing, of course. "I work with any kind of tech and specialize in mechu deru, I do cargo runs, and I have little bit of experience with intel gathering. In case you needed a list."

Although her main specialty was tech, Sylvia had found that branching out was good for business. The more one could do, the more clients would approach them and come back after the first time. Flexibility was paramount for a spacer if they wanted a better income.

 

[Kal]

A versatile individual, by most standards, and yet the singular talent that took the focus was her influence over the mechanical. Well, and the applications thereof. He could certainly see how it might help in gathering intelligence, for one.

Kal himself had quite the gift in that area, albeit in a very different way.

<Excellent, I will be sure to do just that. A woman of your talents is quite hireable - my associates and I keep a technomancer on retainer, but she rarely occupies herself with fieldwork. More of an artificer, really - eternally tinkering away.>

Quite willingly, of course, the woman was hardly confined; she preferred theoretical work, for the most part, and Greystone preferred its specialists safe and sound.

On that note, Kal had no intention of marking Sylvia's entry "E" for "Expendable. As far as he was concerned that was best reserved for the kind of mercs whose passing would make the galaxy an altogether better place. Borderline bandits, in many cases.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal

---

​

"I would've been the same way, probably. It's just that the whole..."

Sylvia sighed.

"Needing to learn to fight in order to even survive, that chite changes you," she explained. Her tone was downcast, memories of a dark time resurfacing. "You can't undo it, either. I guess I'm making the best of that knowledge now, but your innocence is just... gone." Taking her first, and to that point only life, even if it had not been her intention, snuffed out the last fragment of it. A kick that had been meant to knock the man out ended up having a much more dire outcome.

"Sometimes I wonder what my life would've been like, had I not been shoved into that Force-forsaken academy. Probably a lot more like her."

No combat skills, no being prepared for war. Perhaps she could've spent all of her time exploring her most natural talents, been even better at handling tech than she was now. She definitely would've been a lot more carefree than she was now. The only good thing to come out of it was meeting Elle, but after ruining their friendship she didn't even have that anymore.

She knew for certain she had a terrible night's sleep coming up. Remembering Elle, knowing she was gone, never ended well.

"You ever had to defend yourself?" The question was quite sudden, but Sylvia wanted to get out of her current train of thought sooner rather than later.

 

[Kal]

It was not an easy thing, reading a bodiless spirit, but it would be clear enough from the light telepathic link Kal maintained with her at the moment that he understood her situation. He had, after all, observed the Academies firsthand.

<That is exactly what they are meant to do, I imagine - force you to struggle to survive, to embrace your fear and anger and allow it to shape you into a weapon. At least in that regard, it failed most spectacularly.> He doubted she was much use to her former instructors, these days, quite the contrary. Assuming they yet lived.

The past few years had not been easy on the Sith Empire.

<I have, yes, with varying success. There are predators in the Netherworld, but those I tend to avoid rather than combat; I did, however, get ensnared by a sorceress once. Spent a few months in a piece of jewellery. I have significant room for improvement.>

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal

---

​

"Helplessly trapped for that long? That better never happen to me," Sylvia remarked with a chuckle. Sadly, there was no wood around to knock on. The academy was pretty much a prison to her, but to be that locked up was another thing entirely. With how badly she reacted to prolonged solitude, it sounded like a nightmare.

"I'd give you advice, but I really wouldn't know how to protect myself against getting trapped inside a piece of jewelry. My self-defense stops at knowing how to handle weapons and a little bit of hand-to-hand." It was nothing compared to Elle's proficiency, but she had always been a natural. Her discipline was incredible, too.

"Tech is easy to understand. The Force itself... is not hopelessly complicated. Sorcery? I tried understanding it, but it's ridiculously complex." For someone who learned by finding patterns and logic, its inconsistent nature made sorcery a tough subject to get a grasp on.

 

[Kal]

<It was more of an inconvenience, really. I got out, after all.> There was a touch of timelessness to his perspective, despite his youth. A result of the certainty that old age would not claim him, perhaps, or simply a little idiosyncracy of his.

<It is something I will have to work out myself - fortunately, in this case, the threat is very real for many of my kind. That sort of thing has a tendency to drive all manner of interesting developments, with sufficient time and resources.>

If there was one thing they were willing to invest resources in, it was their own safety.

<If you ever do take an interest, I would focus on the more secular texts. A lot of the old Sith methodology is tied up in unnecessary pomp and ceremony, likewise with the arts practised by most witches.> Of course, it was not always easy to tell form from function, in these matters; it was a complex field and one often muddied by dogma.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal

---

​

A shrug was all Sylvia would react with. Being stuck in confinement for months on end sounded like anything but an inconvenience, so it was a bit puzzling to hear. If Kal was not bothered by it, then it was fine enough, she supposed. Apparently his kind were already working on a way to combat being trapped in jewelry, or at least the spacer presumed.

It was a line of thought she never expected to have.

"I remember this one Sith, he was one of the most influential ones within the Empire," Sylvia responded. Her story began as though it was unrelated, but as she continued it would begin to make more sense.

"He gave a guest lecture at the academy once. It was on sorcery and he was definitely a lot more methodical. I ended up leaving the Sith altogether not too long after, so I kind of forgot about the whole thing, but maybe someday. If you have any material lying around..."

She pointed at a strange rock placed on a display stand behind Kal. It shifted colors by itself, endlessly so, and if you touched it you would find that it would randomly change temperature. "He made that as an example. I thought it was neat, so I kept it. The man was an evil bastard though, which made the fact he was generally a nice person confusing as chite- Oh, and he's dead, now. Can't remember how, I just read it somewhere after it happened."

 

[Kal]

There was a spark of familiarity, at her description. He had a distinct idea of who this Sith Lord might be, but ultimately the man mattered less than his deeds. Drifting closer, Kal eyed the stone for a long moment, briefly grazing it with a shadowy tendril.

<An interesting creation; quite different from the methods most Sith seem to favour.>

As someone who had spent some time observing the Acolytes and their teachers in an Academy, Kal knew all too well how many of their lessons centred around violence.

<I will keep you in mind if I come across a suitably introductory text.> He was bound to stumble upon something appropriate eventually, given his habits. It was not the first time such a work would have come in handy, either. Something to consider.

<You have an interest in the more esoteric arts, then?> Seeming thoughtful, his gaze drifted across the tech she had lying around. <I could see a combination with Alchemy proving quite useful, come to think of it.>

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal

---

​

"I'd appreciate it. Can't hurt to see what it's about, right?"

Not that the same was true with everything concerning the Force, but Sylvia was pretty sure here. Dipping back into the darker arts was something she had no intention of doing, so she was steering clear of techniques that required it. The more neutral approach to things seemed much more appealing to the woman. The light and dark were widely accepted sides of the Force, but the more she explored outside of the traditional concepts the more she saw that it really wasn't that black and white. Staying grounded to her own person left neither extreme capable of claiming her.

"You could say that, yeah. The Force can do some wild chite," she responded with a tinge of amusement. "Alchemy I'm not so sure of, though. Dark stuff was never my favorite, and now that I can avoid it, well..."

As a Sith, using the dark side was the only path available. Now that she had a choice, Sylvia wanted to stay away from it. To her, it felt like she had shaken off a bad habit. There was no desire to indulge again.

"At least sorcery doesn't have to be that dark. Makes it a lot more appealing."

She assumed as much, anyway. If there was no clear way to keep the dark side contained within it, she would have to find another way or simply move on.

 

[Kal]

Her interest in the subject matter noted, Kal was ready to move on, but her thoughts on the Dark made him pause. It was not all that odd, given her origins, but some illusions (from his perspective) were best dispelled.

<I would not say inherently Dark, or inherently Evil, though some practices could certainly be rightly categorised as such. Most knowledge is merely what you do with it, however.> Waving a shadowy hand, he paused for a few moments. <There are far more balanced methods out there, ones that involve far less murder and involuntary transformation.>

An argument could be made that more ruthless means meant faster growth, but Kal did not attribute it much weight. Shortcuts to power and success were tempting, for the short-lived, but often inelegant and imprecise.

Not to mention morally reprehensible, but that would not deter your average Sith.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal

---

​

A look in Sylvia's eyes that betrayed intrigue set in. All she knew on the topics of sorcery and alchemy were firmly rooted in the Dark side, but if there truly were other methods out there, it was good to at least see if those claims held up. Knowledge itself was valuable enough, even if the woman ended up deciding to not pursue either art further.

"If there are, I would definitely be interested in at least seeing it for myself," Sylvia responded. The possibility that there was an entirely different aspect to the Force that she had no idea of tempted her to learn more about it. "Don't get me wrong, I'm no Light-side purist or anything. Just... After so many years of being forced deeper down into the Dark, I'm keenly aware that it's not what I want."

Even when those who surrounded her were often sympathetic to the Sith, or even carried that title. It was something Sylvia still tried to reconcile with, but it was difficult.

 

[Kal]

Kal was not the easiest to read, given his disembodied nature, but an insightful observer might notice the tinge of glum recognition in the pinpricks of colourless light through which he perceived the world.

<Quite. The insidious nature of the Dark is well-documented, as is its place in Sith indoctrination practices. A healthy degree of scepticism is more than understandable.> As far as Kal was concerned, it was a great cosmic balancing act. Excessive adherence to any one fragment of the eternal whole that was the Force was... undesirable.

Some practices more so than others. Particularly those who relished in destruction.

<I find that a careful approach goes a long way towards alleviating such risk. From my admittedly biased perspective, straying too close to any one extreme is a poor choice.> After a short pause, he seemed to arrive at a decision. <I will make sure to relay relevant material to you, should I come across it. For you to do with as you will, of course.>

She did not seem like the mystical type, but appearances could be deceptive.

Sylvia Virtos​