Private For Freedom!

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]​

The sun was rising over Eve and Scherezade was smiling. She had woken up earlier, already gone for her run, made sure her pets were stretched and had fed as well, checked up on her sister, and all this before getting ready to greet her visitor.

With the growing list of successes and deeds by the Agents of Chaos, Eve, the capital city of the space construct called the Scintilla, was filling up as well. No one could guess at this point that a year ago, this did not exist, that there weren't already millions of people about, working and raising families. But now it was. And it kept growing, from day to day, with more spheres being added to the construct, more people coming in.

Some of them came for protection. Scherezade was in charge of a whole new sphere whose entire point would be to house refugees from systems overtaken by the greedy governments she was now sworn to destroy. Others came out of pure interest; they had no roots, so they could live where they wanted to and do as they willed. Still there were more, those who came for the job opportunities. Eve was ripe with open positions that could be filled by both experienced people and those aspiring to be the next great thing in their industry, whether that industry was illegal stuff, legal finances, entertainment, tech, or anything else.

And then there were those that joined for the ideology or because they knew the Agents of Chaos could give them what they wanted. And what nearly everyone wanted – was freedom.

The galaxy was plagued by a handful of large governments that gobbled up planet after planet, lying about liberating it. But some were manipulated by a single event that could've been taken care of, or forced into it without much room for disagreement. And what most people wanted, what most planets wanted, was to be safe, and independent.

The Agents of Chaos would give them that, even if some of them (namely, this girl) did it out of the willingness to just hurt big sprawling governments because she could. Because nothing was holding her back anymore.

Among her duties to the Agents of Chaos, finding those who were willing to join was something she had… Somewhat issues with. Most of those she knew that were willing to join had come with her during the earlier days. But Discordia demanded more. And so, Scherezade had began to search for those she'd met, those who had shown promise.

[member="Curtis Learchin"] was one of them. She had met the man briefly when they had stumbled into each other on Dathomir and he had assured her that he was not a slave. But she knew of his wills to see it free, of the fatigue of seeing Dathomir handed back and forth like a bag of groceries by those who would exert their control over it. The Witches were shamed by the course of the events. And of course there was that whole but about Scherezade being sworn to destroy the planet, but that wasn't for now.

So she'd invited Curtis, and they had set the appointment for now. Not knowing what the size of his ship was, Scherezade stood at the edge of the tunnel that led from the external dockyard to the inside, excited about seeing an old acquaintance of hers.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis arrived on the structure known as Scintilla in an old Sith-Imperial Courier, having acquired one for personal use a few months before. The ship hadn't been used in a while, not since his adventures with [member="Loreena Arenais"] had begun. The two had become close, but he needed to see this person alone. He'd told Lori that he had some personal stuff to deal with relating to his homeworld, and despite her best efforts, he hadn't allowed her to tag along.

"Too dangerous." He said as he left her side for the first time in a while. As much as he wanted her by his side, what he was doing could ruin everything. She still didn't know about his past with the Sith, and after hearing from [member="Scherezade deWinter"], he had decided that it was best for her to stay away for now.

He had marvelled at the structure on his approach, but knew little about those who inhabited it. He'd been given coordinates to a docking bay, but past that he was in the viper's nest. He brung the ship in gently, landing with less grace than he had hoped. Exiting the ship, he carried his lightsaber at his belt, for there was no need to hide who he was here. He could tell that this was a place for misfits, and that certainly applied to him.

The door to the tunnel opened, and there stood his contact. It had been long since they had first met, and even then, their meeting hadn't been very long. He had told her he wasn't a slave, that his tribe had been different to the others. What he would give to see them restored...

"I've come as you asked." He said, straightening his back. His armour glinted slightly from the light, its points casting jagged shadows.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]​

It was not a big ship. Scherezade sighed with relief; she'd always preferred smaller ships herself, something that had boggled the minds of many of her friends and family. It made things more comfortable, at any rate, even if it meant that the Loth Wolf she was raising often felt cramped. It was his own fault though; as a sentient, she'd always given him the choice between remaining somewhere planet-side or coming with her, and he almost always chose to come with her. So, totally not her fault, that one.

As [member="Curtis Learchin"] made his exit, Scherezade beamed at him with a smile. "I invited you, silly," she said, "you could've said no if you didn't wanna come." It was true. There had been, thus, a single planet that the Agents of Chaos had not given a choice. They had liberated them from their occupiers despite their wishes not to be. It had been a damned bloody battle too. But those that she invited? Those that she handpicked and collected from her many adventures and exploits through the galaxy these past two years? No. They would always have a choice.

Eying his armor, she shrugged. It wasn't like she wasn't wearing hers either.

Motioning for him to join her in the back of a speeder, she waited for him to get in before she hopped on as well. Soon enough, they were inside the tunnel, and a few miles later (and yes, they advanced very quickly), the sights of Eve opened to them; blue skies with the perfect amount of clouds, a lot of greenery and lakes, and in the distance, the city jeweled, almost bedazzling in the sunshine.

"Welcome to Eve," Scherezade grinned, "Our little place in the Unknown Regions. Businesses, entertainment, and sleeping accommodation can be found here. Keep your arms and legs inside the speeder. And this is only one city of those of many that we are building."

Leaning back, she let the sun soak up in her skin for a moment, before turning to look at her maybe-friend. "So what brings you here?" she asked, "why'd you decide to accept the invitation?"

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis nodded and followed [member="Scherezade deWinter"] to the parked speeder, having not expected such a welcome. His hostess hadn't changed from what he remembered, still a powerful women who could easily kill him if he played his cards wrong.

As he clambered into the speeder beside her, he couldn't help but marvel at the sprawling city that lay beneath them. For such a small organisation, they were well funded, this station itself showed that. Her question was one that he'd been asking himself for the entire trip to the station. Simply, he wanted his homeworld freed. But apart from that, he needed to start making things safer if he was going to protect Lori. Maybe he was taking that job too seriously, but his feelings for her in combination with his honour made it a hard thing to lay down.

"I'm here because I want Dathomir to be free," He said, his eyes moving back to his hostess "I know what the Empire does to the worlds they conquer, I don't want to see what happened to my family happen to every clan on the planet." He was filled with an odd sense of patriotism, despite Dathomir not being his true homeworld. He didn't know where he had been born, but being abandoned on a planet made it home in his mind.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]​

Scherezade nodded, remaining silent for a moment. The sights of Eve were more than enough to keep her guest busy for a few seconds more before she began to speak.

"What happened to your family," she said, "is happening not just on your planet. But on many planets."

Slower now, the vehicle moved into the Eve city proper. She knew exactly where she was taking them; there was an invisible road that her speeder's sensors were locked on to, so they'd know exactly where to go and where not to go. To the unknowing eyes, it would seem as though she and Curtis were driving in circles around a very tall skyscraper. And technically, they were. It would take some more minutes before they arrived at the top, from where you could see for miles in every direction.

And all she had to do now was sell the idea to him. It was almost a shame that it was going to be actually her that did it. Her sister was much better suited for such tasks, she had the near religious zeal and the passion. Scherezade? She was here because here, she could be more than just a meat shield. Here, she would not be held back when all she wanted to do was dart forward and kill things.

"Think of how many planets the Sith hold," she said softly, remembering how Madalena spoke of the entire thing, "Every planet is numerous clans. Endless families. So many people, and the Sith believe they have the right of conquest on them just because they conquered their planes by force."

Halfway up. If Curtis looked now, he'd be able to see everything but the slums and the caverns.

"People think it's a Sith thing," Scherezade continued, "but it's not. It's a pleague upon the Galaxy. The Sith. The Confederacy. The Jedi. The Coalition. They all think they have the right to gobble up planets and claim territory. And for what? Why?"

The top.

Scherezade parked the vehicle and jumped up. The part of the roof where they'd arrived at had railings, and there was no fear of falling down. They were now at the top of The Tower, the tallest building on Eve. And from the inside of the sphere, everything had been calculated and built so that it felt like they were on an actual planet and not inside a space station.

"We're going to liberate Dathomir," she smiled, "but not just Dathomir. That is small thinking. Tiny thinking. We're going to topple all those large governments and organizations down. Let every planet rule itself – and down with the oppressors."

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis for a moment felt selfish, having only thought of Dathomir. [member="Scherezade deWinter"] was right, many more worlds were being subjected to similar conditions. But he was not a hero, and he was not a crusader. No, he wanted his home to be safe, to right the wrongs that had happened there because of him.

Looking out over the station, he had to remind himself that this was no natural planet. If these agents were able to create such a place, then why bother freeing other worlds? Why not carve a portion of the galaxy up and take it for themselves? He wouldn't ask his guide yet, but it was something that he would have to ponder.

"What you are planning would take hundreds of thousands of men, ships and weapons. How do I know that I'm not joining a suicide mission?" It was a genuine question, Curtis had no want to die young. But if his involvement meant his own sacrifice, then he couldn't guarantee anything.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]​

"Because we're not going right now," Scherezade answered with simplicity. No, she knew that what they were all working on, what she had offered Curtis himself, was not something that could be done short term. Their mission was one that would take years to achieve. "Look at the city," she offered him, motioning around.

Millions inhabited Eve. Millions more would live there given enough time for the population to swell.

"You're seeing people that are tired of empires, tired of large organizations that gobble their planets up," she said with a little smile, "They want to wake up, go to work, come home, and spend time with their families. They're tired of first being owned by Jedi and then by Sith, they're tired of a Confederacy coming in to help with a problem and then claiming it as their territory. They just want normal, comfortable lives. And they are willing to work for it. Most of them go to their day to day jobs here, mundane jobs, normal jobs. And some of them join us because they want to fight. Because they see how good their families have it here, and they want other families to have it just as good."

Letting the wind blow her hair wildly around her face, Scherezade smiled. There was a freedom on Eve that she didn't experience anywhere else. Not as an adult, anyway.

"It's not a suicide mission because this mission isn't happening now, but we build towards it," she assured him, "Get people now. Grow in numbers. Test ourselves and our abilities in small scale all around the galaxy, gradually increasing it. We are not the Sith Empire, who will throw away the lives of their slaves over nothing. When we go out to liberate Dathomir, to liberate Mandalore, to liberate the rest of the planets… We will do it when we have the chance of doing so without destroying ourselves in the process. Brains, over brawns."

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis pondered on her words, there was truth in what she said. All these people were just making their ways through life, free from the death and destruction that seemed to always ravage the galaxy. He wanted somewhere safe, for him and for those he cared for.

"You care a great deal for this goal, don't you?" He said, a half question to fill the silent void. "I cannot stay here with you and your people, as much as I'd like to I have someone I need to care for... But when you launch your attacks, I'll be there." He couldn't abandon the life he had started to create, even for a cause he supported. He wanted his home freed, and he would fight the faction he served if it meant freeing his people.

The city seemed too good to be true, he had seen nothing like it before.

"See me as a sleeper agent, your mole in the Empire."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]​

Did she care a great deal for this goal? Scherezade didn't answer. She didn't not care. She had cared about her previous government's goal as well, until she did not. She cared for this as well, in more ways than one, but at the bottom line she was here for many other reasons as well. Thoe who were truly passionate about the goal… Well, Curtis had not yet met her sister, the Dark Paladin of Chaos. She talkd about it like it was some sort of a gospel.

Scherezade smiled.

"If your loved one ever needs a safe place to hide, this place is open to her, as well s you," she said with a nod. Already they were working on a sphere that would include refugees. People around the Galaxy screamed to be freed from various tyrant overlords and while Eve could hold a gigantic population, it could not hold everybody. More than that, not everyone wanted to actually move there. There were many groups that needed a safe refuge until others were removed from their planets. So, a refuge center. A giant refuge center.

"I don't have many eyes in the Empire," she admitted, "Would you be willing to send me tidbits of information?"

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis paused for a moment, thinking the question over. He wasn't directly in Sith space anymore, but he still could access the network. He could get intel, and being an apprentice to [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] definitely had its benefits.

"I'll see what I can get a hold of" He replied, nodding his head softly. As to the offer of refuge... Lori had family in the Silver Jedi, so they were now spoiled for choice. The upside of coming here was his dark side nature wouldn't be as troublesome, he could imagine that the Jedi would be less than happy if he went to them.

"I may take you up on the offer, but for now" He extended his hand to [member="Scherezade deWinter"]. "You will have what information I can gather, and my saber when you take back my home."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Curtis Learchin"]​

It was a shame that Curtis did not mention the Silvers and that he had a loved one there. Scherezade was in a similar situation, with her best friend and his son being among them. The matter went unspoken though. They, and many others who were already part of the Agents of Chaos or would be in the future, had emotional investments outside of the little corner in the Unknown Regions. It was but part of why many of them wanted to liberate the others.

"So since we're in agreement and this was a relatively easy sell," she said with a smile as she turned to look at him, "are you hungry? Wanna go sightseeing around Eve? Wanna tell me why you want to free a planet that will always see you as a slave?"

Her voice was light, almost playful. But that was Scherezade for you; when it didn't relate to her directly, she could talk lightly about the worst of traumas almost as if it was just a light conversation of catching up.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

"I should really get going..." Curtis started, looking back over the cityscape. It truly was beautiful, in a weird, technological way. His gaze reached Scherezade deWinter again, and he gave a reluctant sigh.

"I suppose I can stay for a drink, though not too long. I need to get back to Lori." He hadn't meant to say her name, but he got the feeling that deWinter could find out who he was travelling with without much trouble. Besides, he did want to see more of the station, if only so he had some idea of the place he may end up staying in.

"Do you have somewhere in mind?"

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Curtis Learchin​

Of course she had somewhere in mind. Grinning, the Sithling motioned for him to follow her. While Eve was still a new place, it lacked noting when it came to entertainment and fine dining. Unsure of what Curtis would prefer though, Scherezade had chosen to go for what was usually the safest of bets – a meat place.

It was a short walk to the establishment, during which the two of them passed busy streets full of people who seemed… Mostly content. Certainly, a few were twitchy, and Scherezade already knew which of the more nervous people were Tech Town workers out for a java break, and which were mostly just trying to get somewhere else. It was almost a shame they were so deep in the city; only a block or two away and they would've seen playgrounds with children on swings.

"Is Lori your… owner?" she asked casually as the two walked, "Your lady love?" she made another guess, "The Matriarch of your clan?" That last one was definitely not it. No one referred to the matriarchs anywhere by their first name alone.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis followed just behind his guide, looking at the sights the city had to offer. Her question was one he'd expected, maybe bringing up Lori had been a bad idea after all. But right now, she wasn't asking anything too specific.

"She's... my girlfriend" He said with slight hesitation. They hadn't really given their relationship a name yet, but he felt confident calling it that. "Do you have anyone? Someone to protect?" Maybe his question was too much, but he felt he had a right to know at least one thing about her.

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Curtis Learchin​

Girlfriend. Oh. Of all the wild guesses Scherezade could've continued to give, a girlfriend would certainly not have been one of them. That annotated much more than just lady love, but she wasn't about to pry, especially not if Curtis himself didn't want to volunteer anymore information up.

"No," she answered his own question, her tone taking a sharp turn. There was no point in hasing it over. In talking about how the man she'd loved and the woman that had called her sister had gone behind her back and betrayed her, promising themselves to each other next to her near-corpse while in full knowledge that she knew none of anything, and then had told her it the moment she woke up from the coma that had ensued after a Jedi had either killed her or almost killed her. They had broken her and tossed away the pieces.

There would be no love written for Scherezade among the stars. She'd learned the bitter lesson, the hard truth. She could not be loved. All that was left for her was to be what she was. A blade. A weapon. A destroyer.

Taking a turn, she was pleased to see the dhabba full of people. There were still a few empty tables, and she grabbed one, motioning or Curtis to just grab a seat. The menu was written on the wall – various kinds of meats, meat parts, and smoothies that were meat and blood based. Most of the clientele, Curtis would notice if he looked around, wasn't even remotely human.

"They server really good bantha wings," she grinned from ear to ear, trying to stomp the emotions that had coursed through her seconds ago down as violently as she could.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Although her answer was blunt, Curtis sensed that there was a story behind it. He wasn't going to pry, she didn't strike him as the type to just give information to anyone and everyone who asked. Maybe the two of them were more alike than either of them first thought, only time would tell.

The mention of food reminded him just how hungry he really was, it had been a while since he'd had proper food, or at least proper food that he hadn't cooked himself. He strangely missed cooking for Lori, but he'd make it up to her once he returned to her side.

"They sound good" Curtis answered with a smile, letting his guide take the lead.

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Curtis Learchin​

Seating the both of the down at one of the very few empty tables that the dhabba had to offer, Scherezade waved her hands at the wall. There were no servers here to fetch them their food or tell them what the specials were. There was a list of meals and you hoped they served most of them. Sometimes, she knew, they added stuff from animals they didn't even know, since they found wild game in the Unknown Regions and then checked on their innocent clients whether or not they were edible. On worlds with more regulation, this place would've been a nightmare, and probably shut down before the business day was over. Here, it thrived. Though, if Scherezade were to be honest, part of it was because she'd insisted on making sure no one dared revoke their restaurant license. She liked places like that, and having a few of them outside of the slums meant others could enjoy hem as well without putting themselves in danger.

Reading the list several times over, deciding that she and Curtis were going to get a gigantic load of bantha wings, she wanted something more.

"I'm thinking about and scrambled Avka eggs and maybe a Garagon steak," she murmured out loud before turning to Curtis, "what are you in the mood for?"

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis' eyes peered round the dhabba, its patrons moving and mingling. Since he'd left Dathomir, he had been to only a few urban centres, and every one of them amazed him. Something about places like this enticed him, like a moth to a flame. It was so different to him, and he could never get enough of them. Looking up at the meals, he looked for something that seemed somewhat familiar, but to no avail.

"Those bantha wings you mentioned sounded pretty good, might go for them" He answered, his eyes still on the menu, This whole place was completely surreal to him, and some part of him didn't want to leave at all. But he had to, Lori was going to start missing him eventually. He hoped.

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Curtis Learchin​

Looking up from the menu, Scherezade grinned as he saw the expression on Curtis' face. She guessed that she had been correct in her estimation, that he would feel more comfortable and relaxed here than in that top notch place that only a select few could enter. People were too posh there. But she and Curtis weren't of that sort of posh type.

"Good choice," she smiled, "but really, order whatever you'd like. This is the time to be… Adventurous."

Leaning back, she motioned for the droid standing by the cash register, moving her fingers this way and that. The droid nodded back and a holo appeared in the center of their table, repeating in text the dishes that had been ordered. Scherezade gave the droid a thumb up, and then leaned back in her chair.

"So how's Dathomir under Sith rule?" she asked.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis ran his hand through his hair briefly, moving a few loose strands from his line of sight. He was still somewhat in wonderment at where they had found themselves, but in a good way. When Scherezade deWinter asked about Dathomir, he gave a faint smile. It was a facade though, fore his blood ran cold at the thought.

"I haven't heard much, but I imagine it's as bad as it seems" Curtis paused for a second, motioned a droid over, and ordered a drink. "The planet has some military value, as I'm sure you know, but my guess is that they're dissecting it for any secrets still hidden by the Nightsisters..." That was the sad truth of it really. As terrible a planet as Dathomir was, it was also a conduit for the Dark Side, and a potent one at that.

"When we met there, what was your purpose?" The question was simple, but probably had a more complicated answer.