Legacies

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"I can be gentle." The words were serious, though given their past they might make Seraphina laugh.

Vrak had never treated her gently, not really anyway, but then again she'd never complained. A small smile touched his lips, her question clearly amusing to him. Seraphina truly didn't know much of Sith culture, his culture. It was a good and a bad thing, though it also meant he would have to explain.

"The gender doesn't matter." He stated plainly. "Never has with my people."

Purebloods didn't care if their children were male or female, what mattered was strength. As long as his child was strong there was no problem, no matter if they were a boy or a girl. He knew in other cultures it mattered, that females were seen as weaker or less important, but Sith had long ago learned that women could be just as powerful as men. In a society that was constantly vying for dominance, one couldn't rule out an entire class of people simply because of Gender.

"Our child will be strong, stronger than you, than me." He told her, his words clearly denoting that was the only thing he cared about.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Uh huh." She remarked, tone filled with sarcasm. "Gentle is not a word in Sith culture."

Since when were they gentle with anything? Nothing she knew of the Sith ever came to be synonymous with gentle.

"Very well." The woman wasn't quite sure whether or not he was being entirely sincere, or just looking to appease her. According to him he didn't care whether or not the child was male or female, and she would leave it at that until proven otherwise. "For my own sake my only hope hope is that it is more tame than you. I'm not sure I can handle two of you."

One Vrak Nashar was enough for the galaxy. Two? Chaos.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He let out an amused chuckle.

Children were not something he'd ever really thought about. Vrak had always planned for his legacy to be something else. An Empire, a world, something that marked the galaxy with it's brilliance. Now however it seemed his legacy would be born into his off-spring. His line would be carried on, and his name would be dependent upon his son or daughter. It was a worrying prospect, but also oddly enticing.

"So you think you're handling me?." His hand slowly and gently dragged down her stomach.

He gave her an amused smile.

Their relationship was hardly ordinary, he and Seraphina slid between extremes. Neither of them had true control of the other, as much as they might like to deny it, and this child was being born into a world of complexity that would be hard to ever truly understand. In truth, Vrak himself was still somewhat puzzled why Seraphina even chose to stay, particularly given that just a few days ago she had denied her own feelings for him.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." He said as his hand slid across her stomach. "You've yet to let me down."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Despite your thoughts otherwise, yes, I do handle you." She smirked. "And you're quite a handful." Her eyes shifted from Vrak's own to her stomach, lingering for a few quiet moments and then returning to him. "Hopefully its' manners at least come from me." Vrak was more than a bit forceful with his desires. Very direct and brash, whereas she was more subtle and wielded finesse.

"Yet? You think after this there is still room left for letting you down?" The woman bent her left leg, digging her toes into the Sith's rib cage. "What more can I give to you that you do not already have, hmm?"

Short of delivering him the galaxy, he now had just about everything she could give to him.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

A grimace crossed his features. Ever since his time within those cells on Naboo his ribs had become far more sensitive, a fact that Seraphina well knew.

His free hand reached over and grasped her ankle, gently peeling away her foot so the pain didn't shoot up his side. He ground his teeth for a moment, and then let his smile return to his face. His gaze set upon her eyes. "I have manners."

Vrak stated simply, though it was true that he had a rather...dominant nature.

"According to you." He pointed out, a smirk touching his lips. "You heart."

There was no serious hurt to his tone of course, but he was simply pointing out what she had told him days ago.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Raising her hand towards her face she bit down at the edge of the tip on her thumb, For a moment she remained quiet, looking quizzically towards Vrak. She was thoroughly convinced that her affection was not something he was interested in gaining. He had everything he could have wanted from her, with none of the intricate strings to those things attached.

"And that is something you want from me?"

Why?

A part of her felt as though it was simply for control. Feelings of love and attachment and need were easy to manipulate. They were things that were easy to exploit and they were things that were more often than not the very reasons people found themselves in rather awful situations at some point. He had never given her reason to believe that he had even the smallest bit of attachment for her.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Perhaps." In truth, Vrak wasn't entirely sure himself.

Feelings, love, attachment, they were not exactly things common within his culture. The Sith valued strength, power, they wanted no vulnerabilities and sought nothing that could weaken them. Yet there had been instances, rare glimpses where Sith had become stronger not weaker because of their mates. It was rare, and in truth had only occurred when the two lovers had both been powerful force users.

The reason it was so rare? Pureblood ego.

In the minds of his species there was no room for someone else. There was only one Dark Lord of the Sith, there was only one that could hold supreme power. It was why Vrak had never really cared to find a spouse or anything of the sort, it was too dangerous. But Seraphina didn't want power. She didn't want to be the Dark Lord, she didn't even want to be Sith.

It was different, and she was already strong.

He had no true idea of what love really was, but he could already admit of being fond of her. Otherwise she would have been dead many times over. "What if I did?"

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Then I think you would have another secret to keep from your council."

She smiled, the lekku still hanging freely over the edge of the couch curled somewhat, before falling back into a gentle sway once again.

"What benefit would you receive from that?"

In part she knew, her unwavering loyalty. In loose terms, control over her that was far more difficult to break than their current arrangement. At any given moment she could decide to abandon Vrak, something he may have found internally unsettling, now that she had something of rather stark importance to him. If she were tied to him in a more intimate manner, it would be far more difficult for her to willfully leave.

"And what would you make of me then? If I were to agree to what it is you want?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"One more won't hurt among a dozen." Keeping secrets was what he had done for the last half century of his entire life. There were thousands that wanted him dead, and maneuvering around them was something he did in his sleep. Plus, it wasn't like he had to protect Sera, not really anyway. She was more than capable of defending herself against most threats. If the Council ever learned of her, what she truly was or could be, then he would already have fallen far.

The Sith mused for a moment on her second question.

"You." His hands slowly began to sail up her body. The question was an easy one to answer, especially since he could see that she already knew the answer. The danger of her had always been that she was unpredictable, that she could decide on a dozen different things. If she loved him, if he had her heart, then it would be harder. "Completely and totally. Your loyalty. Your trust. Everything"

His fingers slowly stroked across her skin.

There was no lie to his tone, there didn't need to be. A small chuckle passed through his lips. "I've never made anything of you that you haven't wanted to be."

She'd always readily agreed to their deals, always controlled her image in his eyes.

"What would you want me to make you?" He mused out loud to her. "My lover? My Paramore?"

Vrak smiled. "My wife?"

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

His words echoed her exact thoughts. She would be his. All control essentially forfeit. He would have nothing to fear of her, knowing he now had every piece of her beneath his thumb. Whether or not that would noticeably change anything she wasn't sure, but it was leverage, leverage he could use at a whim if he ever felt so inclined.

Sera would not only be giving herself away, but would also be subjecting herself to a permanent residency within Sith culture. Keeping things like that under wraps was difficult enough if it were just the two of them, but with the addition of a child that would undoubtedly bear resemblance to both Vrak and Sera, it would be infinitely more difficult.

"No? Never? You don't recall making me into a living bomb?"

That was something she still hadn't quite forgotten. The small scar on her back from the incision still lingered too.

"I thought Sith did not take wives, or spouses."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He couldn't help but smile thinly for just a moment, though his expression grew stern for a few seconds.

"It brought us together, did it not?" There was almost a hint of amusement in his tone, though he wasn't trying to tease her. The situation of course had been rather complex, and the bomb had been a simple piece of leverage to get her to do as he needed to. It wasn't something they had discussed in quite a while, but of course she would bring it up now when it was to her advantage.

The Sith Lord let his hands continue roam.

"Generally." He admitted. "But there's a reason for it."

That of course being Sith themselves. It was a mark of his culture, something Sera had undoubtedly already guessed at. She had no love for his people, nor for their ways. "Another Pureblood is competition, someone to watch out for. Sith vie for power. It is what we do, even among those closest to us."

That was simply how it worked. Wives would kill husbands, fathers would kill sons, and apprentices their masters. That was how it had always been, a constant competition to ensure that only the strongest survived and ruled.

"But you're not Sith." He stated in simple explanation as he gently kissed her stomach. "Though, that's not an to answer the question. Is it?"

His gaze fell on her eyes.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"I suppose not."

She wasn't quite sure how to respond to the question. She didn't know what she wanted. It was hardly something she had much considered in the past, before the recent revelation. Now that she knew and had spent time thinking about it? Now she was torn between the natural desire of wanting and the fear of knowing what Vrak was, and what his life was, and what that would entail by allowing herself to become an extension of that.

"But maybe all this time I've been secretly planning to overthrow you, the council, and become the new Dark Lord of the Sith."

Her eyes flared a fiery gaze towards him, though she remained expressionless. "What then?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Amusement played across his face, a small chuckle escaping his throat.

"Then you probably deserve it." Not an easy thing for him to say, but the truth. Vrak thought of himself as intelligent, a master at his craft. If Seraphina had been manipulating him this whole time just to become the Dark Lord of the Sith...well then she was clearly more deserving than him. He'd worked for half a century to reach his current position, and he would have had to work even harder to claim the title of Dark Lord.

He glanced towards the holo-projector in the center of the room for a moment, then looked back towards Seraphina. "You have no designs on the Empire. On the Sith."

The Pureblood was confident in that at least.

"But perhaps you have some regarding me." He wouldn't doubt it anyway. "So I'll ask again. What is it you want?"

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Maybe you are just the beginning. I never said this wasn't part of the plan, did I?"

A fanged grin slowly dragged across her features, head tails curling around her neck before falling again. "Maybe it's just another cog in the wheel." Playing these sort of mind games were entertaining to her, if nothing else, and stood to leave her some bit of leverage, even when there seemed to be so little of it in Vrak's eyes for her to take.

"So, what do I want?"

Her tongue jutted against her lower lip, pushing from left to right as she thought on the words for a moment.

"I want your solemn vow to never bring harm of any kind to this child, and I will become whatever it is you want me to become."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak watched her for a moment, his expression growing just a little bit cold. The vow itself wasn't truly an issue. He wasn't some sort of barbarian, he rarely tortured or beat someone unless he had to, but there was one problem.

"Our teachings can be harsh." He stated simply.

Vrak had endured all manner of pain under the tutelage of his father. Force lightning, burns, cuts, everything that one could imagine he had felt. Broken bones had been a regular thing within his household. His siblings had endured the same, though he had always gotten the worst of it. His teachings weren't, wouldn't be the same as his fathers, but the vow was restricting.

Still, if this was what she wanted, if it was the only thing she asked, then he would give it to her. Perhaps it was a small whim, a almost inflexible need to at least give her something in return for bearing his legacy. It was an uncommon kindness from the Sith Lord, buried deep beneath whatever drove him, perhaps as a simple result of how he'd been treated as a child, or perhaps a need to keep Sera happy.

"But." He grimaced. "I will not harm our child."

He would have to find other ways to do as he needed to, to ensure his legacy would be strong.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

She nodded, knowing that giving her the answer she wanted was going to be difficult. It was however, the only thing she truly wanted, to see that her child was not treated in the same way that the Sith treated their own. It was cruel and excessive, needless even, in her eyes. A person could be strong without such barbaric practices. And the thought of killing what you gave life was abhorrent.

Even for an assassin.

"Then I will commit to be whatever you would desire."

She knew that essentially meant giving herself to him, but for the safety of what she carried it was worth any price.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

His hand slipped up her body, slowly floating over her skin.

The decision was made for the both of them, and though there would be difficulty, Vrak had no doubt that in the end it would work. His legacy, their child would be strong. The force would flow through them and Vrak would ensure they knew the old ways as well as he did. His touch would be lighter than that of his father, more guiding that those of his ancestors. It would be a challenge, but he'd always liked to do things in non-traditional ways.

Their relationship wouldn't change, not really. What they had always worked, though of course there was now the conscious fact of her safety. His vow to not hurt their child meant Seraphina wouldn't be just his assassin anymore. She wouldn't join him in battle as often, if at all, and even some of her freedom would disappear. Yet she knew this.

Vrak's fingers slowly wrapped around Seraphina's throat, his grip tight as he slowly began to pull her up and towards himself. "Loyal."

Something she had always been, but now always would be.

"Amorous." He pulled her to the point that his lips were nearly pressed against his. "Passionate, and acquiescent."

His voice was stern."That is all I want you to be."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

She felt her jaw instinctively clench as he tightened his fingers around her throat, the muscles in her neck flaring against his grip to prevent her airway from being cut off. Her hands pushed herself up from the laying position, even as he dragged her up to him. Her head tilted back in a slight angle, teeth bared in a scowl the longer he held onto her.

Still, she nodded in agreement to his three demands.

The latter was the more difficult of the three to stomach. She had always done as she pleased, whenever she pleased. That was being stripped away. And even if Vrak allowed her some measure of freedom outside of his eye, there was always going to be that chain now invisibly attached to her. He still needed some work on the whole gentle bit though, clearly.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

His grip continued, only stopping when she was half sitting up on the couch.

Vrak knew that he now had what he wanted. He had her loyalty. He had her will, everything else he could have asked for. A part of him still questioned why, he wondered if one day he would awake to find her gone, or if she had truly accepted her fate. Perhaps he would never know, though for now at least he would ensure that Sera was content.

"Good." He stated simply.

He had taken her freedom, but in a way she had far more power now than before. She carried his legacy, his child. He had promised no harm would come to them, and by extension that saved her. Always there had been that underlying threat, the thought of death. Now that was gone. Even if he didn't love her, even if he couldn't, Vrak needed her.

Perhaps she hadn't realized it yet, but she'd gained an advantage, even if she'd lost others.

"Now, my Little Pink Pet." The touch at her throat slipped away. "Come here."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera pulled her arms through the sleeves, adjusting the shirt by her stomach so that it properly fit once more. Her head turned to the side to look at Vrak, a small smile of satisfaction on her face. The headtails typically behind her shoulders rested against the front of her chest, and her head shook with a bite of her lip. "How much longer until we arrive, do you think?" While she wasn't eager to get started living there, she was curious to at least see this place. It was after all the reason they were going.

"You're not planning to kick me off the ship and maroon me there, right?"

She didn't think he was quite that terrible of a person, but it was at least worth seeing his reaction to the question.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]