ᴅᴀʀᴛʜ ᴀɴᴀᴛʜᴇᴍᴏᴜꜱ
The Masquarade lurched from hyperspace above Vanquo, and Kaila found herself face to face with Mandalorian warships, confirming
Varys Amun
's story."Look Zero, the kid was right... Mandalorians." she spoke to the spherical astromech to her right, who chirped and chimed in excitement, it's narrow "eye" glowing a happy green, knowing that this was a huge moment to it's master.
But she could only stare out the view port.
Her hand hovered over the console, knowing that if she decloaked this ship now, there was no going back. She would have to live with whatever she found down there, comply with whatever orders the fleet gave her so that she might meet the one who'd sold her out to the Empire so many years ago.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and pressed down on the console, having made her decision.
::Masquarade, State your business and identify yourself. Now.:: the fleet responded over the commlink within moments, to which she replied instinctually
"Ner gai cuyir Kaila Solus. Bal ni cuyir olaror yaim."
My name is Kaila Solus. And I am coming home.
She spoke her birthname for the first time she that she could remember, and she spoke it with a steely resolve. She spoke it in crisp Mando'a which she had re-familiarized herself during whilst in hyperspace transit. But it was unnecessary, she knew the language by heart. She just needed to see it written again.
::Morutar yaim, ga'yusr.::
The reply came almost a minute later, sounding both suspicious of she who claimed the name of a dead woman, yet acknowledged the fluency of her Mando'a, whoever she truly was.
From there she was directed to a landing pad under fighter escort, met by numerous armor-clad warriors in the streets of Darasuum Yaim, the streets of this small lakeside city crowded as armored and unarmored figures alike left their homes to see this stranger who'd come to their home. The Armored ones, at least those sent to greet Kaila, wore red armored accented in gold, The warriors of Clan Solus standing proud and ready with advanced weaponry which Kaila had never seen before.
"Nari na gar buy'ce, aruetii." Their leader demanded.
"A kaysh gai cuyir bat nadilyra, bal la jorhaa'ir cuun joha." Another whispered.
"Liser cuyir epiryu a mranehilyr."
Kaila removed her mask, silken hair flowing over her shoulders like fields of golden grain over her silken cloak and armor. Despite those like
Ansisa
who called her "princess" or
Darth Xyrah
who called her "my love", It was obvious what the young darth was, and neither soft nor pleased were words to describe her. Her jaw clenched tensely, her eyes —Golden with the dark side and glowing with fire, glared like the twin suns of Tatooine at the man."Ni cuyir nayc aruetii. Hiibir ner at gar Alor."
The two warriors exchanged glances before the leader jut his chin at one of the taller buildings, the others falling in behind the stranger.
"Pabida nari."
One of them held a hand out, to which she rolled her eyes and surrendered her lightsabers.
Then they escorted her down the street until they reached a building, escorting her down a long hall until she reached a side door. She stopped there, staring at it for a moment. She didn't know
Cynthia Solus
by face, only by reputation. The Mandalorian child she'd spoken to was not necessarily kind in her words, and Kaila was unsure what to expect of the woman with whom she shared a common name. But she wanted answers. She needed answers, and this woman owed her this and so much more. And so, taking a deep breath, she pushed the doors open, and there she beheld this woman for the first time, sitting behind a desk in an oddly small room.
"Solus'alor, I take it?" she spoke in a clipped accent typical of imperials, though her initial pronunciation of the Mando'a was that of a native speaker.
"You are a very hard woman to find..."
Cynthia Solus