Private Arrest? Or understanding?

[Laertia Io]

Wearing: Black Knight Chitin

Armed with: Constant Gardener

Mission: Pay respects to Alyosha Drutin with Darth Themis and Arianna Belasko , demonstrate tech to Cyprian Ichar , offer to teach Light Sith Abilities

Invited: Val Drutin

Expected to encounter: Aayla Shan


Planet: Kara-Sherh


One week after Victory at Malachor.


Darth Xiphos stared at the small, simple monument to Alyosha she had constructed, a simple obelisk of Black Stone bearing his name and his manner of demise. It had been erected in a simple meadow with lots of flowers, far from the dark beginnings of the man it honored.

Darth Themis wasn't far off, staring morbidly. Her only real friend in this era was dead. Arianna Belasko, the False Sith, waited nearby, somewhat dejected herself. She had met Alyosha. She had thought he had massive potential. It was such a dismal end for the boy.

"Did you know?" Xiphos asked, finally working up the courage to ask.

"Did I know he was going to die at Sarka? That's...complicated..." Themis confessed. "I had a vision, yes. But I could not tell him. Because it was an either or scenario for him. In all futures where I told Alyosha, he was certain to die, one hundred percent. In all futures where I said nothing, it was a fifty-fifty shot. Unfortunately...the odds just didn't work to his favor. I'm sorry about that. He was a good friend."

"I wish I'd been there for him. He didn't deserve to die in that tunnel." Xiphos said. "Probably the closest I ever got to having a brother."

Her fist clenched.

"The Bryn'adul will pay for murdering him."

"Isn't his brother on the way?" Arianna asked wistfully, clad in her white diplomatic gown.

"Yes. The Leader of The Belarac has been invited also. I have business with him." Xiphos answered, turning to leave the meadow filled with flowers and bees, unaware that Val and Cyprian were not the only ones she would be interacting with today as she stared at the vast ruins of the De Lifte fortress.

Time had not been kind to the ruined stronghold, half collapsed, craters all around. She hadn't had a good time here the last time. She doubted the sentiment would change.

Xiphos felt the currents of the Force, wondering when her guests would show...

 

[Val Drutin]

Came to Kara-Sherh in: The Stardust
Accompanied by: Theo Vathek and Tamara
Wearing: All black clothing
Armed with: Lightsaber

Val arrived a few minutes later. He stood not far from the others, beneath the shade of a small flowering tree, looking out at the obelisk. The night before, he had tried to cut his own hair. Tamara, his HRD companion, had entered his room to find him sitting with a pair of scissors in his hand, and she had assumed the worst. Once he reassured her, she had taken them from him and finished the job with droid precision, giving him a proper short haircut.

Now she stood beside him, that same hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. On his other side, leaning against the trunk of the tree, was Theo, Alyosha’s pilot and friend. The Wroonian had been trying to hide the fact that he was crying, though it didn’t fool anyone. His eyes were bloodshot and inflamed from weeping.

Val’s eyes held a look that was both haunted and curiously blank. He had already shed all his tears. In a strange way, he felt as if his brother hadn’t really died. Since Sarka he had felt his powers double, his connection to the Force strengthening. It was as if Alyosha’s essence had joined with his. His old master Zana Rukh would have relished this new development, heralding it as an evolution of his power, but Val didn’t think it was worth losing Alyosha over.

Inside he felt hollow. The Force Bond which had stretched between the brothers was severed, leaving him unmoored, drifting, aimless. He found no joy in anything anymore, not even dancing. He avoided other people like the plague. Strangers were too difficult to deal with, and people who knew him always wanted to talk about Yoshi.

Now today was his funeral, which meant everything was all about Yoshi. Alyosha was Val’s first friend, one of his only friends. The rest had all died, disappeared, or gone away...

Laertia Io Cyprian Ichar Aayla Shan​

 

[Cyprian Ichar]

Since their meeting at Yurb, Laertia and Cyprian had gone their separate ways, the latter working on gathering forces from Wild Space. While the Great Powers were consumed with their own issues, the people on the frontier were on the hot seat as the Bryn'adul advanced. It would be a hard fight alone, but he wouldn't stand around and wait for extermination.

Laertia, on the other hand, had been quite the busy bee when it came to intergalactic affairs. Even the techno-barbabian on the fringes of the galaxy had caught wind of her exploits, for better or worse.

It was ballsy to do what she did, but he gave her credit for her conviction, despite her peculiar associations at times.

If there was anyone he wanted to enter the fight with against the Bryn, it was her. So eventually their paths would meet as she invited him to inspect new developments. For a time, the Lord Commander left his outer campaigns to commune with her. He couldn't remain on the fringes forever.

The Balarac commander would eventually arrive at the predetermined location, flanked by a pair of knights. As per usual, he sported his armor, as did his subordinates. Sadly the barbarian's wardrobe options were quite lacking.

In one hand, he cradled a large black cube etched with wavy patterns that seemed to ripple with each step.

"I've seen your face plastered across the holofeeds so much lately, one could mistake you as a holovid idol," he joked.

Laertia Io Val Drutin

 

[Aayla Shan]

She hadn't come there for Laertia Lo, but also wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. Something had told her to run away, and call for him in this regard; but she wasn't a big fan of running away from threats like this. As much as she hated the Bryn'Adul, a traitor was a traitor. A Sith was a Sith. She had maintained her Force Concealment a good way, and now that she was close enough could verify that who she thought she had glimpsed was indeed who stood there now, in tow of at least two other (presumed) Sith. She should not have engaged them by herself, but her feet carried her forward none-the-less.

"Laertia Lo!"

The lone Jedi called from across the field, boots crunching down the dried grass on the way to the group. She would stop and regard each with a dull glare, fists clenching and unclenching in turn. Five people total it seemed, it should have been good odds for any Jedi, though this particular pairing was highly dangerous, and she knew it. Yet still, she had engaged them.

For those that hadn't noticed her, she would've seemed to have come from nowhere, but she had recognized the ship earlier, having been training here as a part of her pilgrimage of the galaxy. To think that she would run into such a prolific individual however... What did she even do now? She knew would she should have done, but also remembered other things the other had done...

Such as the video she had put on the holo-net a few months prior. A twisted, dark collection of bodies, and destruction post Bryn'Adul... In a sense, she understood that aspect, but had just one burning question... Why? Why did Laertia kill her sis-... NO. Not Aayla's... They were THEIR sisters, and brothers. She wanted to hear that woman say it; and whatever came after would come.

For now she simply stood there, not necessarily a beacon of light yet, but certainly it enveloped her, and burned brightly; in a sense she was a great bonfire of the light, hot with passion that burned just under the surface.
Laertia Io Cyprian Ichar Val Drutin

 

[Laertia Io]

Xiphos walked to the front of the courtyard, remembering the time she had journeyed here with Bella Rimini.

She was a long way from the angry woman constantly humiliated by her speech impediment, pining for the Lie that was Ursula Sandraven.

The place pulsed with an ancient light. She felt the traces of the slaughter that had occured here, the De Lifte Jedi cut down by Darth Phyre. Model 1's guarded her ship, inspired by the ancient design of a Fury Class Interceptor, but miniaturized to the size of an XS Freighter. Cyprian had been expected, so the Model 1's did nothing.

She spotted Cyprian Ichar and his Knight's in their bio armor, which fascinated Xiphos.

"Master Ichar..." Xiphos said, approaching him respectfully.

"It's been a long time. I'm glad you came. I have much to discuss. Much to share."

He commented how her face seemed to be everywhere. She had once dreamed of fame as a Magician. This... wasn't what she had in mind back then.

Everybody seemed to know who she was nowadays. Some, to her shock, actually hero-worshipped her for fighting the Bryn'adul as savagely as she did of for slaughtering the NIO and helping break their grip on Ziost and Generis Others feared and hated her for killing their loved ones. The Sarkan Refugees she had rescued followed her without question, wanting to avenge their homes and families callously slaughtered by the Draelvasir.

She had only a few points of stability in these troubled times.

She called out to the Model 1's guarding the ship, and they brought out stasis cannisters. One contained a shield pearl used by the Bryn'adul. Another contained samples of their shield defying oil. Yet more contained samples of Verikast and Malabast.

"Many people lost their life obtaining these..."

"Laertia Lo!"

Xiphos snapped to attention as Aayla Shan marched out to face her. Arianna Belasko lingered in the background, having followed Xiphos down, hand going to her Lightsaber.

The Model 1's instantly focused on her, mounted concussive rifles pointed at her skull.

Xiphos's hand went up, a silent gesture for them to take no action. Their rifles lowered.

"You come all this way, yet you can't be bothered to pronounce my last name correctly as you face me down...it's not Lo. It's Io. Laertia Io."

(Clip of Bond Theme Plays)

"It's pronounced 'Eye-Oh'..." Xiphos said patiently.

"Why have you come?" She asked as a still mourning Darth Themis came down to investigate the new presence, though she waited for Val Drutin , as there was still much to discuss between them about Alyosha.

"Did you come alone?" Xiphos asked, not drawing her blade yet, waiting to see what the Jedi wanted.

 

[Val Drutin]

Ignoring what was going on between Laertia, her guest, and the unexpected visitor—it wasn’t really any of his business—Val turned to Themis. He walked toward her, accompanied by Tamara and Theo, the latter of which just wanted to avoid any trouble.

“Darth Themis,” Val greeted her with a graceful bow of his swanlike neck. He gestured to the others walking with him. “This is Tamara, my friend. And this is Theo Vathek, Alyosha’s friend.”

Both of them gave Themis polite nods, though neither spoke. Val’s hands dropped to his sides.

“I… should thank you for being here, and for teaching my brother, even if it was only for a short time. I admit I didn’t like you all that much at first, and I was suspicious of your methods, but now… I understand. You were a good teacher to Alyosha.”

He glanced back at Xiphos, raising his voice so that she could hear. “Laertia, you were a good friend to Alyosha. He loved you, more than he was able to express. I could sense it through our bond. He went to Sarka for your sake, because he knew how much of a struggle it was, and how much it meant to you. I don’t think he minded so much, losing his life while helping you fight. It's what he wanted to do.”

Aayla Shan Laertia Io Cyprian Ichar​