Legacies

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Convenient.

That was an excuse really. He could see it in the lines of her face. Something troubled her beyond the illness, and for now he assumed that it was his own words. The Sith Lord thought that perhaps he had struck another nerve, that she had realized that perhaps she'd not stayed just because of his forceful hand, but because she liked it. That was certainly what he'd thought, and as soon as he felt her foot press against him his hand moved.

Fingers wrapped around her ankle, hand quickly tugging down.

In one smooth and swift motion Vrak suddenly pulling Seraphina down from her sitting position. He dragged her low and across the bed, pulling her so that her torso ended up right at his side. Then before she could object he leaned over her, his hands clasping around her wrists.

"I don't." He stated as his fingers wrapped tight.

His lips pressing against hers a moment later. "I don't need to own you. Not when you've given me everything I want willingly."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

She flinched when he pulled her, but she did not fight back, nor when he pinned her beneath him. Green eyes stared upwards at him, piercing far beyond the pupils that looked back at her, into the depths of his very being. Perhaps she was searching for something, an answer to the questions she had within herself, for a confirmation of sorts to base her own actions off of.

"And yet, you want for more." She whispered to him ever so quietly. "Always. More."

The woman leaned upwards, teeth lightly biting into his lip, a respite from the oceanic feeling allowing her to seize the moment.

"You want a legacy. One beyond simple material. But you have nothing else."

She smirked, "Except me."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He hissed slightly as her teeth sunk into his lip. Pained jolted through him, but instead of immediately responding he silenced her with a fierce kiss.

His finger pressed tighter, pinning her.

”And how, my Little Pet.” The words were practically a bite in it of themselves. He was not seeking to insult her, but simply make his mood known. Vrak tightened his grip one more time, his lips pressing against hers and his tongue flicking forward for just a moment. ”Do you suppose you’ll further my legacy?”

It was a question that she of course already had an answer to.

Vrak had never considered the possibility of course, he’d never even thought of the idea that her current illness could even happen between the two of them. It had been a million to one odds in the first place

Yet the force had seen to it.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'leks eyes widened. Immediately she felt her nerves react, her body tense, that knot in her throat return. She knew well and good what he was looking for in the moment, given his first choice of words, that wasn't what put her on the edge. What set her off was the latter. It meant one of two things, either he knew all along, and was just playing some elaborate game, or he had in fact, desired the very thing thought to be near impossible.

She hadn't realized it, but her mouth had been partway open the whole time she was having this inner struggle with herself, a stupid, blank stare looking back at Vrak for what was likely a minute or two. No expression, no emotion, just a vacant stare looking upwards.

Not even a single blink of her eyes until she came to.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak said nothing.

The Sith Lord did not know of course, not for sure, but he was no fool. He believed she could be Ill, he believed that she could even have told the entire truth, but something was else was wrong. He could tell from her demeanor, from the way she looked and the words she had spoken. Vrak wasn't the type to let his suspicions stew, he wanted answers.

He stared at her, bright red eyes fixed on emerald green.

Vrak didn't see Sera as a little doll that he could toss around. She wasn't just another one of a dozen slaves or tools. She was near his equal, he wouldn't torture or strike her, but his cold stare told of a single demand.

He wanted an answer.

The fear in her eyes was evident, the look on her face was a mix of surprise, temporary stupidity, and perhaps even guilt. Vrak didn't care about that however, he didn't care how she was feeling, he only wanted the truth.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

She bit the inside of her cheek, nearly drawing blood from the intense pressure from her teeth. Green eyes studied Vrak for a moment, but it seemed he was still in the dark as to what her ailment was. Perhaps he would come to the conclusion on his own, had he not already the inclination.

"The flimsy is in my pants pocket."

She nodded towards the edge of the bed. "Read it for yourself."

If he didn't know already, any suspicion would be confirmed rather shortly. His reaction of course was what frightened her more than anything. Time to think, to consider what to do was what she had wanted. Neither of which she was granted.

"You'll get your answer."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He frowned for just a few seconds, an odd sort of expression forming on his features.

Then slowly the Pureblood began to draw back and away from Seraphina. He didn't quite stand, rather pulled himself towards the edge of the bed and tore her pants away from where they were hanging. The cloth made a sort of snapping noise as he pulled it close, his hand digging into her pocket. For a moment he frowned, then looked into the other pocket. A moment later he removed the small piece of flimsy from it's place, unfolding it and glancing at Sera one last time before reading it.

He had suspected something else. He had thought that maybe her sickness was something more serious, that she had been baiting him into an eventual revealing of a terminal illness. The Pureblood had assumed that Sera was trying to gain more, his attention, his wealth, perhaps even his love. He had thought she was simply maneuvering her way through his thoughts, attempting to once again gain an advantage that she had lost upon his ascension to power.

Yet he had been wrong.

As he read the piece of paper The Purebloods expression became a mixture of confusion, anger, and perhaps even an inkling of pride. A whole wave of emotion swelled over him, but Vrak said nothing. He simply sat upon the edge of the bed, staring at the small piece of flimsy.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"It could maybe be wrong."

It was the only thing she could think to say as his features shifted between emotions, of which the most notable was anger. Sera slid back towards the wall, sitting on her hands. Looking at him in that moment was difficult, but she feared averting her eyes away from him far more than anything else. She felt guilty of something, but of what she didn't know. It was as if she had done something wrong without knowing it.

"There's...Options."

Even Seraphina didn't quite know what she meant by that. But if there was anything to subdue the coming outburst she had to try. All she wanted now was to be inside his head, to hear his thoughts and know what it was he was thinking. And while she could try and force her way in, she knew that would be a terrible mistake. Instead she sat, green eyes resting on his back to her, unsure of what more to say.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak was stunned beyond measure, in utter disbelief. He had never even truly considered this an option. He had of course known that Sith could reproduce with Humans and he'd known twi'leks could as well, but for some reason he'd never once considered the idea that a Twi'lek and a Pureblood could create viable off-spring. There was nothing of the sort on the records, and as far as he could tell no such child had never existed, though of course there had never really been a reason to record something like that in history.

His people had all but been extinct for the last five millenia. They did not study their own genetics half as well as they should have and the idea of off-spring with other species was generally discounted anyhow. His people didn't really accept bastard children until they proved themselves worth something. That was how it had been, always been. It was how the blood had been sullied in the first place, when Humanity first came to Korriban.

The Sith Lord scowled.

He didn't understand.

This wasn't something that he had planned for, it wasn't something that he had even thought possible but in light of things...perhaps it wasn't something to just be tossed away. He glanced at her for a brief moment as she spoke of 'options' distaste flashing across his lips as she said the words. "I did not think this was possible."

That was his only answer for the moment, though it was clear that Vrak himself was still processing what he had just learned.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Silence enveloped the room between the two. A long, painfully awkward silence. With nowhere else to look Sera practically burned a hole through Vrak with her persistent staring, unblinking eyes. The expression on his face made it difficult to look away. Yet there was little else she could do. If she got up, or tried to leave, she feared he would react harshly. If she asked what he was thinking she might not want to hear the answer. She couldn't apologize, that much she knew. She hadn't done anything wrong, and even if she had, she was not one to apologize for things that happened.

"It's yours." In case he had any doubts of her promiscuity.

Answering the question of 'what now' was a little difficult given Vrak's lack of communication in the moment. What exactly she could do was lost on her. Dozens more questions still needed answering, but without knowing what his true feelings were on the matter she was trapped in this awkward situation of being unsure of herself.

"Should I leave you alone?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"No." Vrak stated simply, his voice firm.

He had never had any doubts about her promiscuity, nor had he any doubts that she would never attempt to trick him with something like this. Even from the brief glance he had he could see the mix of emotions on her face. He could feel the fear thrumming off her, the confusion, all the other range of emotion that both of them were probably feeling. The Pureblood scowled for a moment, unsure of exactly what to say.

It wasn't that he feared her response, or that he thought she would threaten him or leave, but this was not something he had accounted for.

Without a word Vrak stood, his fingers crushing the small piece of flimsy into a tiny ball as he rolled his hand into a fist. He began to pace beside the bed, thinking. Children were inevitably a weakpoint, they were something that could be targeted, something that could be hunted and killed. Vrak had no idea how he would feel towards his own child, no idea what they would bring. He had nev-

Suddenly the Pureblood came to a stop, his eyes locking on her.

He took a few steps forward, moving towards the bed. "Come here."

There was a question in all of this of course, something that he'd taunted her with, something that a moment ago he had asked and she had turned on him. It was what really mattered in the end, what would influence the decisions they were about to make.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Twin head tails curled inwards, head shifting ever so slowly as Vrak began pacing around the room, locked away within his own thoughts. Every few seconds she caught his eye, to which he immediately turned away to continue whatever internal monologue he was having with himself. Sera on the other hand was left to sit, devoid of all thought, left to linger while Vrak contemplated whatever storm was brewing in his mind. She was at a disadvantage here, being that there was little she could think about without knowing Vrak's thoughts. Sure she could speculate various avenues for her own future, and the future of whatever child she, or they might have, but it was entirely in vain to contemplate thousands of scenarios when she had no clear path forwards.

Surprise filled her eyes when he ordered her to him. Unsure of quite what to expect she slowly slid her way from the head of the bed to the foot, feet just barely touching the floor. Her hands rested atop her legs, lekku shifting to drape behind her shoulders. Emerald eyes gazed upwards to Vrak, standing a foot or so away from her.

"Yes?"

Thus far their words had been incredibly brief towards one another. It was evident that she was more than a little afraid of what he might be considering. His frantic pacing, coupled with his short words, and furious expression alarmed her. The words he had spoken gave her no amount of confidence that he was pleased with the situation, and that made her all the more nervous.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

It was a question of loyalty. That was the end point. Seraphina had never moved to harm him, at least not since their initial meeting point months ago. They had never really fought with one another, and although she could have she had never made another attempt of his life. In fact she had been one of the more trustworthy people that surrounded him. He had told her that, and himself many times over. She was useful because he could allow her a measure of trust.

That meant something, but how far did that trust really go? If she had this child she had power over him in a way. Lineage, legacy was important. More than that this child would be of his blood, and even if Seraphina might not have realized it, that held a large about of significance within his culture. Not only that, but with the right spell of Sith Sorcery, it could undo him. He would never say that out loud or give her any ideas, in that regard, but he needed to understand her wants, her needs.

He took one step forward, coming to loom over her.

His fingers slowly placed at the base of her neck, drawing up her throat and slowly stopping just below her chin. He gently nudged her head up, his eyes meeting her own. "Do you love me?"

Vrak's voice was neutral, even, stern. The word perhaps was a bit strong, and not quite fitting in their situation, but the point he was asking about would be more than clear. This was not a question about true love that bound through Galaxies and the force. It was a question of whether or not Seraphina was truly tied to him.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Answering that question for either yes or no was dangerous for more ways than one. One the one hand, if she said yes, that would mean that she had lost all leverage and power over him. It meant that she had given herself entirely. It would mean that Vrak could settle on the very idea that he had never anything to fear of her, and that his word was hers. But on the other hand, should she answer no, the outcome was unpredictable. He could see her as something of a danger to himself, that she might challenge him somehow, to take the empire that he built despite her assurances that she wanted nothing to do with the Sith or their culture.

Sera had been around Vrak long enough to understand at least a part of his way of thinking. If he feared that she might try to hold leverage over him in some way, something as drastic as a child, he might see that as the time to actually see her gone. No matter what she said she was damning herself one way or the other.

"No. But this is our child. It is just as much you as it is me. And it will have your blood, just as it has mine."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

If he seemed displeased by the answer there was no way to tell. His face remained impassive, his gaze settled on her.

She was right of course, the child was theirs, but it could do far more damage to him than it could do to her. Seraphina had no stake in the Empire, she had no reputation to uphold, she had nothing to lose. Of course, on the other hand Sera wasn't Sith. She wasn't brought up the way he had been, and to her a child was not something that might deem as legacy or a tool. A child was something to love, cherish.

He scowled finally.

It wasn't her answer that upset him, it was his lack of clarity. He had lost so much over the last few days, his path to true power was gone. His ancestors had betrayed him, and now something had been thrown into his lap that he simply had never expected or thought possible. There was no way to end this in some clean manner, there was no way to wrap this up in a pretty little bow.

He could kill Sera, but then lose a valuable tool. They could get rid of the child...but then miss out on an opportunity. They could raise the kid, but then...it would perhaps be used against him, or even worse turn on him when of age. The Sith Lord frowned, his eyes finally closing. The fingers on her chin remained, his thoughts whirling around in his head. In the end he needed the solution that most benfitted him, the thing that would lead him to what he most wanted.

Legacy.

"Is this what you meant?" His eyes opened, his voice just a bit softer now. "Carrying my legacy?"

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The air between the two was immensely tense. More so than seemingly ever before. And while at first Vrak seemed passive, uncaring, his expression soured and he seemed bothered by her initial response. One of the scenarios she had played in her mind was that he would be displeased with the news, and either cast her aside or outright kill her for one reason or another. The reasons why were numerous, while the reasons not to were far less so. And while she had hoped that he would be more pleased to learn the news, Sera knew that it was wishful thinking.

By having this child, she would inevitably find herself entangled in Sith politics one way or another. She knew little of their culture, but what little she did know, concerned her for the safety of not only the child, but herself as well. Both would be seen as vulnerabilities to Vrak whether he acknowledged it or not. The Sith were not a people that placed the same value on children or bonds that other races in the galaxy did. The differences between the Twi'lek and Sith were nearly night and day.

Even if she stayed, left things as they were, the differences between she and Vrak alone were monumental.

"Yes." Would that disappoint him further? That it was not a Pureblood?

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

His expression remained neutral once more, his thoughts racing ahead. Plots began to form within his mind, a dozen different steps he would have to take, thousands of things that could happen. He tried to weigh everything and anything he could, the options that they had and eventually what would happen when the child was born.

The Sith Lord frowned, then slowly leaned down. He pressed his lips against Sera's.

The idea of a child had never come into his thoughts. He had intended for his Legacy to be not of flesh, not of blood, but remnants of what he himself left behind. Vrak had never intended to carve out a lineage, he had never wanted to. His plan had always been to conduct something so grand that throughout the eons he would never be forgotten. Now however he saw this as something else. Perhaps it was supposed to have been this way. Perhaps it had been Sera's plan.

Perhaps not.

It didn't matter. Vrak kissed her, pushing her back onto the bed.

"The child will be Sith." He told her as he slowly pressed her into the mattress, half climbing on top of her. "Trained and brought up in our ways."

Vrak kissed her neck, teeth sinking into her skin.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Falling back she at first returned the gesture, hands placed on either side of his face until he had situated himself atop her. It wasn't until he declared how the child was to be raised that she felt another sudden rush of alarm wash over her. Her eyes widened again, and her hands moved towards his chest to push back, even as he threatened to break the flesh on her neck with his teeth.

A single cry escaped her lips as she pushed back. "No!" Her protest was more of a plea than a shout. She was afraid of raising a child as a Sith. She knew enough about his people to know that every single day it would be in danger. That it would be taught violence and greed and power over everything else. It would be taught that killing was the norm.

She didn't want that life for a child. Vrak's way of life was harsh, far more so than anything she had ever known.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

His hands tightened, his muscles flexed, and suddenly he found himself clutching her.

The idea that Sera wouldn't want to raise their child as Sith hadn't ever really occurred to him, and the confusion on his face showed that much at the very least. She had spoken of carrying his Legacy, and that was what his Legacy was. Vrak was a Sith, he came from Sith and there was nothing else to him. Perhaps it was different for her, perhaps she saw another life, but he did not.

The Sith Lord didn't force his point however, not yet.

"I am Sith." He said simply. "No matter what you do. No matter what you want. My child will be Sith."

It wasn't a declaration of defiance against her will, it was a statement of fact. "My blood, what I am, cannot be changed. There is no running from it, no hiding from it. The Darkside will call my child just as it calls me."

What he said wasn't entirely true. There had been rare occurrences in history where Purebloods had been born without the ability to touch the force. Such things were rare, one in a billion, though he found such a thing unlikely given that both he and Seraphina were already powerful force users.

"They must be raised to understand." His fingers tightened on her body. "Otherwise they will end as little more than a beast."

Sera might have thought Vrak's way of life harsh, but even she had to admit that he was better than most of his kin. He saw everything as little more than a means to an end, he killed without thought, but he was not one to fall to mindless slaughter. The Darkside however was tempting, and to those that did not properly understand it, dangerous. This child was to be his Legacy, and he would not have it be a butcher.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

A grimace flooded her expression, in part due to the pressure of his hold on her, and the other due to his words. A tremble in her lips formed. To Sera, there were two aspects of Sith, one being the nature of being Sith, and the other, being a Sith by blood. In her mind they were separate entities. One was certainly less favorable to her than the other. The child being Sith by birth was not the same as being raised to become Sith.

That was what she was afraid of.

"It's the way of life. The culture. The upbringing." There was a clear look of pain in her eyes as she spoke softly. "I don't want it to live in constant fear for its' own life. That's not how a child should live." There was also the split heritage aspect that she was certain it would face ridicule for. "It will be treated differently. There's no denying that. I know I'm not a welcome sight among your people. It too, will not be." Seraphina was not the warmest of personalities, but she knew that a child needed love, nurturing, and care. The Twi'lek could handle the rumors and looks, but she would not want that for her child.

"It will be Sith, but you cannot deny that it will also be me. It will be Twi'lek, at least in some measure."

What this child would look like she hadn't the slightest of ideas. It mattered very little to her, she knew that she would love it and care for it regardless. It would be the one and only thing she could ever truly love beyond all comparison. She knew of Vrak's history, how he had killed his peers, those closest to him, those who had been labeled as his betters, even one he had loved, or at least had some feelings for.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]