Laid to Rest [Jorus]

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina was not a navigator, she was not especially gifted in using the force to locate anyone, but she'd always been able to find her mother. Perhaps it was their bond, developed through mutual hatred and her burning desire to end her mothers life.

But someone had done that for her.

"No life signs," came the words of the technician. All on the Femme Fatale seemed subdued, uncertain of Calina. uncertain of the news she'd brought to them two days before. They'd all watched her grow up, watched her suffer under Anaya's care so they did not understand the fury that made the vein in her temple pulse. A muscle in her jaw twitched at his words and she turned her eyes from the wide screen to settle upon him.

"Why," she began slowly "Are you looking for life?"

"I..."

"Did you misunderstand me, when I said she was DEAD?!" The word rang echoed off the walls of the now silent bridge. all eyes were upon her as she rose from the chair her mother had occupied. Her very own throne, for her very own Empire. She descended the dais and approached him. His eyes flicked desperately to his colleagues who drew back from him, not wanting to be collateral.

This is not you. This is her.

She stopped, a meter from him. "Get out of my site." she hissed. He ran from the bridge and Calina took his seat, re-calibrating the sensors to sweep for organic matter.

"Mistress..." the Captain began. Her mothers pet, he'd spent the last two days of this search weeping when he though no one was looking. He would have to go. Calina held up a hand to silence him. The sensors blinked affirmative, organic matter located. She focused the sensors, looking for more information. Organic matter confirmed. Species. Twi'lek.

Calina pulled the coordinates up and sent them to the navigator, rising from the technicians chair she moved up the dais. "How far away?"

"Less than a click."

"Deploy a transport, and bring her back."

The Captain gave a strangled cry and collapsed in a heap. Calina's fury got the better of her, she decapitated him.

"Monster's do not get tears."


*******************************

Three Weeks After the Outbreak on Pergitor~
ORC Space~

​

For the first week, Calina's fury had consumed her. Jorus had taken something from her, an opportunity, a chance to settle scores, to prove that she was capable. All the things sith think about when they dream of killing their masters. They'd retrieved Anaya's body and it had taken two days to thaw out, allowing them to prepare her for a funeral. Calina had taken the lightsaber that had been clipped to her belt, knowing it didn't belong. Her mothers were gone, lost somewhere in hyperspace no doubt.

She knew who had been responsible before they'd found her. She knew that Anaya had taken Mara, she'd told Sarge as much. Collating data from the HRD's that returned from Pergitor and visiting the site where Mara had been held, she confirmed it. She'd considered going after him, but reason had always been something she'd prided herself on.

The reminder of the three weeks, she'd spent trying to unravel the mess of Apoleia Inc, of her mothers many insane plans and restructuring the crew on the ship, freeing those who were serving debts and bringing in people who were content to do their job properly for good money. She'd not bothered with another Captain. Her fury abated with the work, but it didn't fade. Jorus's lightsaber she'd kept with her and had become aware that unless she did something now, she was in danger of becoming obsessed.

The Femme Fatale reverted into realspace somewhere within the Kathol Sector and began transmitting a message across all channels:

[member="Jorus Merrill"],​

​

I have something that belongs to you.​

​

Calina Ovmar.​

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

The Scar of Ilum decanted from hyperspace a stone's throw from the Femme Fatale. A tired, pained, but satisfied voice spoke from thin air - no comm channel required.

"Femme Fatale, you've entered Coalition territory. You're a known quantity to the Underground. My name is Captain Merrill, and I'm only one you're gonna meet. Start talking."

To punctuate, an open comm channel started blinking - a hail saved for after the disembodied voice finished.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

A shiver ran through the bridge as the voice echoed throughout the ship. Eyes swung to Calina who, despite it all, maintained a calm expression. She rose to her feet. Waving a hand to indicate for the blinking comm channel to be opened.

"Captain Merrill, my name is Calina Ovmar. You know this ship as being under the control of Anaya Fen so I understand your caution." she paused. "Anaya Fen is dead, by your father's hands. I have his lightsaber and would like to return it. I'm not here to start a fight, I just..."

She just what? Wanted to talk? she'd not really thought through what she wanted to say.

"I'd like to return it in person, if possible."

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

"It's not. That said, congratulations: I took her down as much as he did, and I'm right here. I'd be more than happy to take his saber back. Knock knock, Captain Ovmar."

A metal knuckle knocked twice on the nearest airlock.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina felt the low throb of anger rise to quietly simmering. "She was my mother." she replied flatly, signalling for the line to be cut. "Where is she?"She asked the crew, "Port side airlock." She pushed the heels on her palms into her eyes until she saw stars. If she lost her temper, things would go very bad, very fast. They were deep in ORC territory and she'd set herself off on the wrong foot from the word go. No she had to find some measure of calm.

She dropped her hands blinking away the white spots in her vision and clicked her fingers at the nearest security officer. "You, let her in. The rest of you, get out." They hesitated looking bewildered. "OUT!" she yelled. They did not need telling a third time, filing quietly from the bridge and leaving Calina alone with nothing but the soft chime of machines. The quiet seems to calm her a little and she moved down the dais to stare at the Scar of Ilum through the viewport. The last time she'd seen that ship, she'd been in an aleph fighter...She wondered if Mara remembered her.

Th security would lead Mara to the bridge, where he paused at the door. "See we are not disturbed." The bridge doors slide closed behind him.

Calina turned to face her guest. "Hello Mara."

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

"Never told you my first name, but there aren't many female Captains Merrill running around. You're just lucky you didn't run into my mom."

The armored space suit had taken its share of hard knocks in boarding actions against Mandalorians. If Calina knew who Mara was, she certainly knew that Mara had no love for bucketheads, Sith, or the First Order, but didn't stick too close to the Jedi ideals.

"So, Calina Ovmar. Daughter of Anaya Fen and, I'm assuming, Jared Ovmar of the Fringe? You take after him, I guess?"

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina pointed at The Scar of Ilum, "The ships a bit of a giveaway." she replied with a tight smile. "Not the first time I've seen her either."

The smile vanished at the mention of Jared and she pursed her lips. "I share the majority of my biology with Jared Ovmar, but I don't take after him or Anaya." she tilted her head "At least, I try not to. Neither are exactly class A citizens of the galaxy. One thrived on creating pain and chaos the other one..." she shrugged, "my contact with him has been limited my whole life, but I'm confident enough to categorise him under the title 'bastard'."

She dropped her gaze for a moment looking at her hands. She need to do something with them, drink maybe? No. She took a deep beneath and let them hang by her sides.. "I contemplated hunting your father. Seemed the most irrational thing I could do considering what he'd taken from me, I'm sure there's some code somewhere that would demand it. Don't misunderstand me, I never loved Anaya, never cared for her the way I suspect you care for yours. I dreamed, day and night, of the day that I would be finally strong enough to kill her myself..."

Something tightened in her chest. She turned her back on Mara, staring instead at her ship. "Imagine that...everything you've dreamed of, everything you've worked towards...snatched away from you just like that. No warning...no gift of foresight, just...gone." she was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. "But, you did what you had to do to survive. To protect family and I respect that...perhaps even envy it."

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

"I don't have to imagine." Mara smiled faintly behind the helmet's faceplate. "I've lost things I valued too: ideals, goals, my sense of self. It hurts, but it's always an opportunity to take stock of who I am and what I want to be. Those answers change every time. So now that killing your mother's off the table, what comes next?"

One armored hand extended, palm open.

"Other than giving me the lightsaber, I mean."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina blinked and looked down at Mara's extended hand, turning to fa her full she unhooked Jorus's saber from her belt, turning it for a moment in her hands. What was next? She shook her head, and set the saber into Mara's palm and looked up, vision blurred by tears. She blinked rapidly against them. Not here and not now.

"I've no idea." she whispered in response.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

Mara spun the saber hilt through her fingers and shrugged.

"In your shoes, I'd start by building assets and defining my - eh, screw it. I'll buy Anaya's ship, if you're interested. Hundred million creds in wupiupi - Huttese cash, untraceable - plus a ship in trade, same general capabilities. Pathfinder-class elite transport, maybe. Modular frigate, hits hard, mobile home, moves like a light freighter, and you can pretty much fly it alone.

"So that's one option. Another one is you come work for me. I remember your name now, see. I've taken down some Mando ships and commanders, and if I remember right they had you locked up for months on some hellhole. I'm betting you hate Mandos. I hate'em too, and I do something about it. Thoughts?"

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina glanced around the bridge...sell the ship? This had been her home for eleven years, ever since she'd come out of the tank. It was full of memories, none of them good. "I'd rather salvage what I can from the ship and destroy it." The fewer reminders she had, the better. Wipe away the past as violently and colourfully as she could. Maybe that would ease some of her anger.

"They're aren't many people I've met that I don't hate, but yes, the bucket heads are high up on that list." she paused thoughtful. "The last report I had said they were at war...seems like a good opportunity to hit them." she spoke slowly, uncertain. She still had business to conduct, assets to sell, money to collect to support her own life free from anything that tied her to Anaya.

"Feth it." she said suddenly with a shrug. "I've nothing better on the table. I'm in."

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

Pity. About the ship, anyway: a good flow-walker or psychometrist could have gleaned all sorts of information about Anaya and her Sith associates. But so be it.

"The arrangement I've got in mind is simple enough. Every buy'ce - Mandalorian helmet - you send me is a million credits. If it belongs to a known commander, fifty million. Every Mandalorian ship you destroy or capture - well, we can work something out on a sliding scale if and when it happens. Let's call it double the ship's market value just as a general benchmark. You make a real mark and I'll start throwing in tech you can't get anywhere else.

"And yeah, that'll add up pretty quick, and yeah, I'm good for it. Ground rules: no killing civilians or kids, and no torture. Any Mando raider ship, merc, supercommando, Protector, anything is fair game, long as they aren't living and operating in the Outer Rim Coalition.

"Sound like a fair deal?"

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Calina's mind worked furiously. She'd need to build a new ship, something stealthy that punched hard. Armour wouldn't be a bad idea either, Mandalorian's hit hard and if she was in a situation where she'd need to take them head on, then she'd need all the extra help she could get. The idea steamrolled onto something she could grasp. A job a focus and something that would not only put cash in her pocket for Lina Industries, but also hone her skills.

Whatever emotion had manifested itself on her face earlier had vanished, replaced with a steely focus. "It does. I'll throw in an extra piece for you too, any information I get on larger targets that would provide a decent payload, helmets aside, I'll send your way."

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

"Then we're in business, Captain Ovmar. I'll see you around."