Private At the Edge of Tomorrow

[Lucien E. Irridius]

Theme​

Tag: Valencia Hadley

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A spring wind rolled through the hills of Kal'Shebbol, carrying a scent of wet grass over the expanse of flat, open prairie beneath them. A Kal-Hawk screeched overhead as its wings parted the sun and somewhere in the distance the low, electric hum of a speeder carried away the only signs of civilization for miles. Aizaz leaned into the slope of the hill he'd chosen this morning, lekku wrapped carefully about his neck and dark blue fingers dug deep into the clumps of moist grass that prickled his palms. With a long, hearty breath of air the young Twi'lek took in the passing breeze as it rolled over his shoulders - cooling the bare skin left uncovered by his pullover. He exhaled, leaning his head back until his lekku pushed into the soft soil.

The smell of freedom never got old. Even the musk of matted Cholla fur and the fusty unpleasantness of their droppings was enough to bring a smile to his face. Opening his eyes, Aizaz braced a hand against the sun and looked back down the slope to his herd. The mob of twisted knots of black and brown fur had slowly crept their way to the foot of the hill, their flat faces dug into the grass as they ate their way to the bottom. Aziz sighed, scratching the back of his head and reaching for the blaster rifle tucked into the backpack beside him. After unlatching the rifle from the black straps holding it to the bag, the Twi'lek took a quick glance down the scope of the weapon and scanned the horizon. Satisfied to find there was nothing but blue skies and green earth, Aziz braced the stock of the weapon against the ground and hoisted himself to his feet.

He'd spent enough of the morning hours grazing the herd and the work day was early yet. Beside that, the more time he spent here with the animals the less time he got to showoff around that gorgeous human. His face went purple at the thought of her. The mysterious blonde had shown up in the village awhile ago, bleeding and in pain. His parents didn't hesitate to help her, even after she began to recover and was able to go off on her own. They insisted that she stay until she got back on her feet, especially seeing as she had little in the way of money on her. They even offered to help her get to the nearest City State but she had turned the offer down.

Now she was sleeping in the room beside his...

He shook away the thought of having her a room closer and gathered the herd for the trek back home. They passed back over the hills and down into the next valley where it was only a short hours walk back home. He led the Chollas back into their pasture before speedily walking home to get started on the next set of chores with his father...maybe he could even teach the human how to do some of the easier work.

"Ma', Pa'!" he called as the door to the modest hut slid open, "I'm home..."

Aziz's voice trailed off when he saw all three of them gathered around the holo in the living room, their eyes trained on a strange symbol on the screen. It looked like a gear but not like any gear he'd seen before.

"What are you guys watching?"

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​

"Citizens of the Sorbiss Valley" Captain Silvas Flek spoke into the communication array, his voice carrying the distinction Irridius had come to expect from his officers, "I, Captain Flek of the ISD Shadow of Regret, would like to be the first to congratulate you on this most triumphant of days. By decree of Grand Admiral Lucien Eland Irridius - acting commander of The Provisional Sector's Authority of The Galactic Empire - all unaligned regions of Kal'Shebbol have been granted territorial status within The Empire. Effective immediately you are hereby granted the protection of the Sector's Authority and are now subject to the protection of Imperial Law.

As such new Kal'Shebbol territories are to immediately assemble all skilled laborers and military age persons to a central location of your villages within the next four hours. Ambassadors of The Empire will arrive shortly with further direction. Failure to comply with this order will subject you to summary punishment under Directive 256(a) of The Emergency Military Powers Act and Imperial Remandation Order 421BX72.

This Message will repeat. Long Live The Empire."

Settling back into his seat in the command pit the Captain did as he promised and set the transmission on a loop before peering up through the elongated shadow cast over him. Irridius nodded, a grin of satisfaction slithering across his face.

"Very good, Captain." The Grand Admiral mused, his black mirrored boots spinning him like clockwork on heel as he turned and marched in perfect strides to the head viewport, "ensure that our landing parties have each been assigned loyalty and labor officers."

"At once, Grand Admiral. Shall I prepare a shuttle for your return to The Rebirh?"

"No - I shall monitor the operation personally. I will not have the recruitment for such vital roles made in my stead." As the captain said his acknowledgments and climbed from the command pit, Irridius preoccupied himself with the endless canvas of stars spinning outside the view port. Imagine how many of those starts represented a system laboring under a pretender government like The First Order or a yet-sprung disaster like the Alliance or the alien riddled Confederacy. The thought of unimperial hands stretching deep into The Core Worlds provoked a burning ire in the man.

If only Tanomas Graf had outlived his uselessness for a time longer...perhaps Irridius would have been able to correct his immense failures and restored the rightful government to power. Alas Tanomas was not the first pretender to sheer away from what had to be done. Nor were The First Order or even The Sith Empire. The galaxy had lacked proper correction for centuries after The Empire fell at Endor and the only man in history who had managed to remotely shift the balance of fate had been Grand Admiral Thrawn.

But even he could not outlive the galaxy's willingness to destroy itself.

And it had only become increasingly apparent what action must be taken now. If Irridius continued to play games with pretenders and imbeciles he would not outlive the destruction any better than Thrawn had. Today was to be the beginning of the first tomorrow since the day Thrawn perished.

The time of inaction had come to an end.

"I will retire to my quarters until the operation commences. Notify me if there are any developments"

 

[Valencia Hadley]

They were coming. She could hear them. The rapid footfalls in the hall that led to the private balcony from which they had chosen to host the gathering. All those around her seemed unbothered, and she took her queues from the much more powerful Sith warriors who stood on all sides - a mouse among men, or something like that.

It wasn't until the young man had rounded the corner, and the shouts began to ring down the hall following him that things began to unravel. The tell-tale sound of lightsabers firing to life, the blazing glow from behind the man... Then the explosions. She was on her back, and the brilliant light of the Geonosian sun beaming down across her face from the massive hole that had been blasted into the roof of the stadium like chamber. The screaming began then, and as the screams turned from panic to pain she allowed herself a glance away from that warm, welcoming light to the balcony once more.

The pale form of the Exarch was wreathed in black, swirling tendrils, a power she had never seen before. The others stood stoic, still and calm, unbothered by the chaos... Unbothered by... Her eyes drifted down to her where her arm lay beside her and she felt a sickening jolt in her stomach.

With a muffled gasp, Valencia sat bolt upright in bed. The clean, rough-hewn sheets pooled around her waist and she was acutely aware that they were soaked in her sweat. Cool, early morning air that came from the modest window in her room danced across her skin and raised gooseflesh whenever it touched. Her eyes slid down to where her hands rested, pooled loosely in her lap, partly obscured by the covers that she'd unsettled with her speedy rising. Bright pink skin, still puckered and a little unseemly wound around the forearm from her left wrist to elbow... Fingers gently flexed as she tested the limb, the phantom ache that had plagued her for months still present with those minute movements. She sighed then.

Using her right hand to grasp the sheets, she peeled them off and stepped out of the bed. Using both hands, despite the ache, the bed was remade in short order, and the blonde made her way across the room to collect the simple bathing implements she'd need, pausing at the door to her room to listen. The house was quiet, though it that wasn't uncommon - Aizaz would likely have left before dawn, and his parents were usually busying themselves out in the yard before the mid-day heat made it unpleasant to do so. Carefully she opened the door and made her way across the hall to the bathroom, and helped herself to a shower.

By the time she'd finished, the sounds of movement were easily heard from outside the door, soft voices talking from what she guessed was likely the kitchen. She hurried to dress and finish in the bathroom since it was the only one in the house - wouldn't do to hog the washroom. Pushing all that damp blonde hair up into a ponytail, she grabbed up her toiletries and pulled the door open to the sounds of laughter from the front of the house. Tossing everything onto the small chair just inside her room, the woman made her way down the hall and into the common living areas, flashing a warm smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Good morning Alema," she did her best to make herself unobtrusive to their mirth, "and good morning, Byt." They exchanged quick pleasantries, asking how she'd slept, asking about her arm and how it was healing. Nothing out of the ordinary - though she had slept in a bit later than usual. With that taken care of, she stepped into the kitchen and politely shooed Alema away from the stove, taking care of what was most likely going to be lunch. The pair of twi'leks seemed all too happy to let her help out, and it was all she seemed to be good for of late. The former councillor was much handier with a datapad and the ability to order in than she would ever be in the kitchen, but the family never asked for anything fancy, and she had managed.

Busying herself with setting the table and serving up enough for the four of them, she'd missed that the chatter had died down, missed that the pair were now huddled around the holo in the centre of the living room. Wiping hands on the dishtowel she had slung across one shoulder, she stepped up beside the pair, one brow quirked as the tiny version of the man dressed in Imperial garb spoke. She didn't bother to look up at Aizaz came in, the expression on her face going from mild curiosity to furrowed worry as the message played on.

When finally the message was finished, promising to play again on repeat, Valencia straightened. A tension was forming between her shoulder blades that had not been there for nearly a year... Fear was sliding along her back and leaving her feeling cold amidst the comfortably warm interior of the living room. They were speaking again, all three of them, but she couldn't seem to focus on them passed the high pitched sound that had begun to ring in her ears. Panic. This was panic.

She had to go. These people were good people - they had been kinder to her than they had any right to be, and her being with them would put them in danger.

Gripping the fabric of the dishtowel, she tossed it effortlessly onto the table where their meal sat, quickly cooling, and instead moved at a trot back towards her room. Her mind raced as she considered the possibilities. If this fractured piece of a by-gone remnant were to somehow have knowledge of who she was, who she had been before everything had gone so terribly wrong... No, these were good people. What had she brought? As she came into her room and grabbed up the pack from beside the bed to toss it atop the neatly made covers, she began to rummage through it, frantic and seemingly beyond caring. Was there anything here beyond her face that would give evidence to what she'd been?

Clothing, some of it much too fine to have belonged in the confines of the modest farmhouse lay across the sheets, silks in colours that she'd never seen in this system, and a few pieces of jewelry that had been a gift, too far from home now to be useful, but still important... No identification, no datapad to be searched... Only these few, sparse things. Could she part with them... Could... Could she hide them? She turned at the sound of her door pushing slowly open, the face of the young twi'lek she'd come to think of as a friend peering in through the door, worry naked on his face.

"Aizaz... I'm so sorry. I need to leave."

Lucien E. Irridius​

 

[Lucien E. Irridius]

Tag: Valencia Hadley

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The room became a chamber of deafening noise and a silent vacuum all at once. Even as the message looped on the holo and his parents began sobbing and screaming between themselves. It was as if Aizaz’s head had suddenly sunk below crashing waves, leaving everything but his own thoughts a garbled, hollow mess. The young Twi’lek sank haphazardly into a stool - barely catching himself after hitting the seat on the edge and almost being poured onto the floor.

Empire? There wasn’t any Empire out here, there couldn’t be...there hadn’t been anything even close to an Empire since the CIS had abandoned the planet when he was a child. That was so long ago he could barely remember what they were like.

Aizaz grabbed his lekku in a trembling hand, his fingers running up the smooth length until finally coming to a rest near his forward. And what did they want with the workers? The military aged people? He fell into both - did that mean he had something twice as terrible waiting for him in the next few hours? He felt his stomach churn.

What were they going to do with him? With his family? Did he have to go?

A pain shot through his skull and only then did he realize how hard he’d been tugging at his own lekku. Then, just as he released his bruising grip on the lekku, he saw a white cloth bisect the holomessage before landing atop the table set with cooling food. Like darts Aizaz’s eyes shot across the room, following the trajectory of the towl until he spotted the vortex of blonde locks speeding down the hallway.

The teen rose without a word, disappearing from the living room without either of his parents seeming to notice their departures.

When he had finally caught up to Val she stood, arms buried deep into the single bag she had arrived with - the tongues of her pretty silk shirts hanging from the opening. His face sank before his heart realized it had broken. For a moment he prayed with all his heart that she wasn’t going to tell him what he already knew she was going to.

“Aizaz...I’m so sorry. I need to leave.”

Lightning shot through his chest. The door creaked open as wide as it could and he slumped through the doorway - bracing his shoulder against the doorway as he entered.

“What? But why? Are they here to hurt you?” he pleaded for an answer as he crossed the short distance between them, “please don’t go, Ms. Val - I can help hide you if that’s what it is. Pa and Ma will too! The valley has tons of old caves, you could stay there just a little while until things calm down”

What had been meant to sound like a convincing plan had been foiled by the croak in the back of Aizaz’s throat. The Sorbis Valley had never been kind to him in the way that Val had been. His family was swell and the village looked out for its own but no one ever truly seemed to listen about what he wanted for his future like she had. Even if it was all for kindness she had listened. No one here had done that, not even his family.

Sorbis Valley they would tell him is a simple place suited for a simple life. A good life. Be happy you have it.

He had not grown up a slave on Ryloth like his family had and so it was expected that he simply accept what he was and be thankful he had anything at all. Val may have never showered him with praise and inspiration, but she had never told him to settle either. Without her he’d be doomed to a life of settling he was sure of it.

And all at once he had forgotten about what this “Empire” wanted from him. He was only afraid of losing the one person who spoke to him like he had a say in his destiny.

“Please...please don’t go…”

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Boots were the first to be removed. Always carefully and with gloves still pulled tight. Slotted away for cleaning by a janitorial droid. Next a BD-3000 - one custom designed to take the appearance of a female naval officer and not of the usual embarrassment that was the standard fair - would assist him in the clean and swift removal of his uniform shirt, slacks and gloves. Folded neatly and set aside before Lucien retired to the refresher to remove his undergarments.

His sanitation regiment came next. Step one was a brief cleansing spray that misted his skin with an antiviral/antimicrobial cocktail to ensure any lingering disease was promptly eradicated. The shower was then primed at an optimal 112 degrees to ensure that molecules of dirt and lingering bacteria were cleansed.

While showering he would subject his skin to yet another cocktail of cleansers to flush bile from his pores and rejuvenate the skin before using two custom designed electric skin scrubbers peel away dead skin and remove the last traces of bacteria that may still be there.

By the time he stepped out of the shower he would be met by his third change of uniform for the day - the seams perfect, the folds precise and the press crisp. First, however, he would apply a layer of bacta across his body to seal it against bacteria and viruses while also speeding the recovery of the skin the scrubbers regularly turned a raw pink.

Then another slather of skin rejuvenation and at last he could continue the day with the knowledge he was truly clean. At least for now.

Carefully he climbed into the fresh museum-piece uniform with the help of his droid staff before exiting back into the quarters proper. There he found himself greeted by his usual lunch of Elroodian Jasmine Tea served in a transparisteel thermajug alongside a mixed fruit salad - prepared for by the staffing droids alongside a datapad downloaded with the latest reports.

Irridius rested himself into his sleek, blocky, neo-militaristic chair and began scrolling through the datapad provided to him beside his meal.

The Rebirth’s recent agricultural reports were the continuous disappointment they had been since his fleet managed to restore the hydroponics of the station. Though the soil they had excavated and imported was bearing fruit it was nothing as it should have been. If it weren’t for the reserves of food aboard his Star Destroyers his men would be slowly starving by now. Fortunately he had made the wise decision to not recuperate the losses he endured while resting First Fleet from Tanomas.

A skeleton crew had no room for error but it had saved him a great deal of rations - as per usual the pretenders were better service in death than in life.

Now he faced a much more peculiar drawback. Soldiers were not farmers. Those among his men who had any expertise in the field were too few in number to make a noticeable difference. The undesirable fact was that the fleet was in dire need now - a dire need he could no longer afford to ignore.

Skilled labor was needed aboard The Rebirth and his ranks needed to be filled. The humans of the Sorbis Valley would do well among his rank and file.

The aliens? Well - their kind always fared better in the dirt anyway.

 

[Valencia Hadley]

The look on his face was one she'd seen before. How many men had looked at her like that? Aizaz stood, framed in the doorway, his shoulder leaning heavily where the door met the sturdy walls, and looking for the world like an injured puppy. Perhaps it had been quite some time since anyone had given here this particular look, but it wasn't one she cherished having fill his eyes. It seemed beyond her power to protect the hearts of all the young men she met.

"What? But why?"

Things she wouldn't answer - couldn't answer. Her face turned back to her bag as she began to trace fingers along the heavy cloth at the bottom. Good. Nothing hiding down there that would present them with a challenge she could not attempt to anticipate. She reached for the rainbow fabrics and began to shove them into the bag once more, pushing them down deep and zipping the bag tightly. The jewelry still glittered brilliantly against the dim, natural fabrics that covered the bed, but she'd deal with those shortly.

Lifting the bag with one hand she hefted it and strode the short distance from the bed and to Aizaz. Giving him smile that was kind, if not more than a little sad, she offered him the bag. "The caves aren't a bad plan, Aizaz - but if the Imps mean to make this planet a more permanent addition, then no cave will keep us safe." Gently she pushed the bag into his hands and released it, turning to glance over her shoulder at the bed. "A better plan may be for you to try and keep your head down - convince them that you'd make a better herder than a solider and stay here to keep your family safe."

She turned then, moving to the bed and collecting up the delicate looking pieces, each decorated with expertly cut sapphires that blazed blue as the light caught them. Gingerly she slid them into her pocket, each of them making a muffled clinking sound as they settled, the loose cut of the pants barely showing them at all. Good.

Turning back to him, that look of pain had turned instead to one of naked agony. It made something tighten in her chest to see it. Aizaz was a good kid, and some day, if the Empire didn't grind him to ash under a primly polished heel, he'd make a good man. She hadn't done anything to deserve that look from him, but there was precious little time to try and heal it now.

"Please... Please don't go."

It was a child's plea. What could she do to stop it? About as much as he could, truthfully. Which was to say, they could not.

When she moved towards the door again, she did so in a manner that the young twi'lek had not seen before. A fluid grace, one that seemed to suffuse each gesture, though couldn't manifest itself where the angry scars still lay fresh along her arm, was present in every movement. She lifted her right hand to gently lay it against his cheek, fingers very lightly brushing the skin as she gave him one of her very best smiles, something else that felt alien on her face. Far from the plain, if pretty, woman who had come knocking at their door all those months ago, here stood the formal council to a leader of one of the largest political factions in the galaxy... Here stood a woman who would not broker a no from him.

"Take the bag, hide it in one of the caves. You and I need to leave soon if we're going to make it to town before they arrive - and we do not want to be late. If there's one thing any Imp loathes, it's a lack of punctuality." Carefully she lifted her injured hand to shoo him from her door and followed him out into the hallway. "I'm going with you, and your parents will remain here."

Stepping out into the living room she relaxed back into her less polished stance, giving tired eyes to the two older twi'leks who seemed close to panic. One hand rose to gently lay against Aizaz's shoulder and she nodded to them. "Go, Aizaz. I'll speak to your parents and meet you outside." With a gentle push she sent him to the door and remained to discuss a plan with the people who stood to lose everything... Their home, their planet, their son.

When he returned, he found her standing in the modest dirt road that lead up to what had been their shared home for months, and his parents huddled near the door. The panic seemed to have left them, but grim would have been a polite way to categorize the way they appeared. Before Aizaz could speak with them, the blonde motioned to him and began trekking down the road.

There would be time to explain it on the walk.

Lucien E. Irridius​

 

[Lucien E. Irridius]

Tag: Valencia Hadley

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Aizaz tucked his chin into the plush wool of his coat collar, eyes closed and elbows braced against himself. The wind was blowing stronger now than it had been this morning. Dirt danced across the simple, unpaved roads of the village and the gusts were enough to rattle the metal roofs of the equally mundane homes. The young Twi'lek held Ms. Valencia's bag close to his chest - just as much for warmth as to protect it. Quietly he whimpered into it, pausing only to take short, sugar filled breaths of air laced with the lingering essence of Val's perfume.

How had everything become so...chaotic? What was he even doing? He and Pa should have been picking which Chola to take to market while Ma and Ms. Valencia harvested the fruits from the garden. He shouldn't be standing here doing...whatever it was he was about to do.

Why did either of them need to go anywhere for this 'Empire'. What were they going to do? If they were so powerful than surely they didn't have time to worry about two nobodies from the Sorbis Valley.

The door opened behind him in mid-thought and when he turned he found Val trotting towards him - his parents holding each other at the door. He made a movement to speak but Val simply motioned him forward, coaxing him down the road. He followed, but not silently.

"Miss Valencia, why are we doing this? Why would they come looking for us anyway? We are just two people and The Sorbis Valley is massive" he held her bag a little looser, his eyes grow distant

"We could just stay here. Let things be like they have been." He would grow silent as Val responded.

Suddenly the wind began to pick up again and Aizaz braced himself against the bag. It must have been stronger than it felt because he could hear metallic screeching. Looking up, Aizaz peered through the veil of dirt, eyes tracing from rooftop to rooftop. There must have been a loose roof grinding against its house somewhere because the screeching was growing louder now.

Violently the wind surged through the streets, ripping Aizaz from his porch and tossing Val's bag into the street. A black shadow swooped through the village, sending herds of Chola's charging in all directions. Aizaz scampered through the dirt, his hands finding Ms. Valencia's bag and clutching it for dear life. Thats when he saw it.

Carrying the wind was a four sets of blocky wings attached by thin bridges of metal to a round ball. The balls glowed like burning white suns against the blue sky as they quickly faded into black dots on the horizon.

"Miss Val!?" Aizaz looked around the street, eyes darting until he found where she ended up, "Miss Val are you okay?" He asked, shooting to his feet.

------

"The first wave of troopers is bound for the surface, Grand Admiral" Captain Flek reported, his voice wavering slightly despite his ridged stance on the holo.

"What else, Captian? Do not let your nerves waste valuable time"

The Captain bowed his head, "my apologies, Grand Admiral...sir some of our fighters have reported taking small arms fire. Nothing dire - mostly hunting rifles - and most of it was centered around the outskirts of the valley"

The Captain cleared his throat before continuing, "and the City States closest to Sorbis Valley have begun sending demands. They wish to know what we mean by our presence here."

Irridius smirked, gloved hands folding atop the datapad he'd reviewed over lunch. "Then they shall receive our answer. All of them."

Sitting straighter in his seat and crossing left leg over right, Lucien laid out his thoughts, "firstly the villagers. It must be made clear that hostility against Imperial forces is intolerable - but we cannot be so direct as to insight rebellion.

Target their fields and their herds, a single flyby for each village who fired upon our vessels. A show of our resolve and our ability to make war."

The Captain bowed his head in acknowledgement, "at once, Grand Admiral...and what of the city states?"

Ah yes. The City States of Kal'Shabal - they were important trading hubs for not just the planet but the sector. The villages of the Sorbis Valley could be dealt with much like any Imperial citizenry could. The City States were another matter. They held sway in this region of space and were economically stable enough to afford true defenses.

He could destroy them from orbit and lose their valuable resources. He could send his troopers in and grind down the cities in months of costly urban combat. Or he could play a longer game.

"Notify the City States of our intention to restore imperial law to the Sorbis Valley. Tell them that The Sector's Authority intends to restore stable trade in the region and that I will personally meet with them to negotiate an alliance."

Negotiations were a troublesome matter although they were a necessary one. Killing a few herds and burning a few fields was a statement - pulverized a city was a manifesto.

No. Irridius was not here to make the City States fear him.

He was here to convince them that he would make them feared.