Legacies

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He smiled for a moment, then slowly leaned forward.

Vrak wrapped an arm around Sera's stomach, his hand settling on her hip as he very gently pulled her back. He kissed her neck. "Well, not anymore."

He mused out loud to her, pressing his lips against her skin one more time before slowly moving out from behind her and standing up. His feet touched the cold metal of the Ships deck, his hand reaching to scoop up the clothes he'd earlier discarded. He glanced towards the cockpit, leaning ever so slightly to catch sight of the small clock on one of the dashboards of the ships controls.

"Six minutes." He told her. "Then we'll have to traverse the nebula."

Though that would be something he'd have to do manually. The ion storms within the nebula were incredibly dangerous, and if one didn't take the proper path through them then they would be met with a whole host of unpleasant problems aboard their vessel. Vrak of course had the path, and as he began to put on his own clothes he slowly wandered towards the bridge.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Right. Will it be difficult?"

Sera had never been near this region of space before, never had to manually pilot such a dangerous area, nor had to find a planet that was absent of any navicomputer or starchart. She considered herself a decent pilot, perhaps not an ace as far as fighter pilots went, but a good pilot, one apt enough to transport passengers and cargo, but she was nervous that she could make this journey.

Perhaps that was another reason Vrak had chosen such a place, to make it just as difficult to leave, if the thought would ever cross her mind.

Smart.

"As much as I prefer not to be left on the planet, I'd much rather have the option to leave, rather than us crash and strand ourselves."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"It is easy enough, when you know the path." Just as Vrak sat himself down in the pilots seat the ship lurched gently, the vessel dropping out of hyperspace and back into reality. Almost instantly the massive nebula came into view, obscuring almost the entire sector of space within it's glowing mists. The Sith Lord watched it for a few moments, then leaned over to the nearby console and keyed in several commands.

A moment later a small map of trajectories cycled onto the screen.

"There is only one way through the nebula." He told her. "Stray from it and the ion storms will snare you, render your ship dead in the water."

There was a reason that this place had once been chosen as the sight of a Sith Fortress world. Taking a fleet through the narrow path was near enough impossible, and assaulting the planet with any sort of sustained campaign was difficult at best. Of course the reverse was also true. One couldn't build an armada within the nebula, not if they wanted to leave with it anyway. That was why it would make the perfect home to keep Sera and their child safe.

Besides the storms of course. "We'll be fine."

He assured her with a small smile.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera took careful note of the map trajectories that appeared on the screen, sitting down beside Vrak opposite him. Her eyes then shifted out of the viewport, at the mess of colors and swirling patterns that surrounded them as they began to enter the nebula. It would be necessary for her to remember the exact path and outline of their route if she were ever needing to leave for any multitude of reasons. Thankfully her memory was one of impeccable aptitude, and would need little more than a glimpse at the screen to remember the data and coordinates.

"Normally I would say to lead in with we'll be fine, rather than end with it, if you're going to tell me we might find ourselves stranded in untraveled space."

There was little else for Sera to do in the meantime but watch, and wait. The Twi'lek leaned the chair back slightly, glancing down at her stomach. Even though there was no sign of her pregnancy, she still looked curiously at herself, wondering what would come of everything. Her hand fell, lightly tracing the skin above her waist before snapping her attention back to observing their route.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Afraid?" Amusement floated through his tone.

He knew of course that she already cared for their child. Whether boy or girl Sera didn't really care. Her demands had made it obvious that she already felt something akin to love. Part of him couldn't help but be curious about that. Love was not an emotion that came easily to his kind, some thought them unable to feel the emotion all together. Yet he hadn't lied when he told her it was rare.

There were a few instances of Purebloods loving not only others, but even their own kind. Some were brief flares, some were long lasting marriages. Even now, back on Athiss, there were one or two couples that truly claimed to love one another. Oddly enough however Vrak never thought that love extended to children. Always they were seen as tools, as something to further ones own power or as a threat. It was one of the reasons why there were so few of his kind even now.

His lips thinned as he briefly glanced towards her.

Vrak watched the gentle trace of her fingers for just a moment before she snapped herself back to attention.

A small frown pulled at his lips, but his eyes too fell back upon their path. He said nothing else to her as they progress through the nebula, though his mind was filled with thoughts of the future. Eventually the clouds of color began to thin and clear, and in the distance a brilliant blue planet fell into view.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Not afraid. I just don't want to be stuck out here."

There was a distinct difference in Sera's mind between being afraid and being weary. She was most certainly weary of this whole adventure, coupled by the fact that the route to the planet was singular and extremely dangerous, compounded by the fact that Vrak had not been to this planet on a regular basis and the flight path into it was narrow and unguided by the navicomputer.

Deep green eyes set on Vrak as she gazed over at the Sith. "So don't screw up."

She flashed a quick, sarcastic smirk his way, then leaned forwards to get a better view of the planet as it slowly came into view. The bright ball of blue indicated that the planet was made up of quite a bit of water. Soft patches of white gave way to frozen poles and arctic mountains, while the bright, lush green marked land and rolling plains.

"So far so good." The woman added.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

A small smile touched his lips.

Vrak was hardly the best pilot in the galaxy, in fact he hardly flew at all, but he could handle a ship well enough to keep them from crashing into the ion storms. Especially considering that he had a map right in front of him. His lips thinned as they passed through the last of the nebula, approaching the planet in just a few heartbeats.

The world mostly consisted of water, though three continents were spread out all over the planet itself. Two of them were large, though one of those was inhabited by strange spider-like creatures that were extremely venomous. The last continent was more of a string of islands, densely forested and spotted with high mountains. It was here that Vrak intended to take Sera, mostly because it was more isolated and further away from the epicenter of most of the planets storms. "You should have more faith in me."

Vrak commented with a smile, pressing the controls down as they quickly passed through the atmosphere.

"I haven't let you down yet." There was amusement in his tone.

Briefly he wondered if the small and snide remarks would ever go away. Perhaps after their child was born.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"I have as much faith as I need to have." She said in a very matter of fact tone.

The Twi'lek watched with a small bit of anticipation as the peaks and valleys of the planet came into better focus, thin lines of bordered horizons and mountain ranges became massive bodies of land with rivers and streams feeding off of the melting ice beneath the sun. Rolling waves from the ocean were visible, the untamed wilderness of the planet became more apparent the closer the ship got to the surface.

Breaking through the bit of turbulence several thousand meters in the air their path quickly evened out, and the woman leaned forward slightly, as far as her harness would allow for, and pointed towards the island chain that Vrak was already en route towards.

"The large one, there, between the other two. Land there." The landscape had caught her eye and from where they were, seemed a decent spot.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He perked an eyebrow.

Generally even between the two of them he was the one giving the orders, when she wanted something Seraphina usually had a habit of presenting her opinion as a suggestion rather than an outright command. He'd never really thought about it before, but as she ordered him to land on the island he couldn't help but feel a slight hint of amusement.

Months ago that feeling would have been irritation, perhaps she'd sedated him somewhat already.

Without pointing out either of his thoughts Vrak turned the vessel and headed towards the island that Seraphina had pointed out. The lush green of it's jungles contrasted starkly with the bright ocean that splayed all around the smaller landmass, it's singular inland mountain rising well above the water line. He circled for only a brief moment, taking a second to see if there were any natural clearings within the thicket of foliage below. Eventually he flew them towards the beach, thinking it better than destroying half the jungle.

A moment later the Shuttle set down, sinking into the white sands of the beach.

"There." He said as he reached up and began to shut down the shuttle, standing and offering her a hand of assistance.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera stepped up, her hand in Vrak's. The location was picturesque, the horizon a beautiful back drop and contrast against the white, sandy beach and vibrant green jungle. The hue of the foliage matching that of her eyes brought a small smile to the woman's face as the two strode out from within the bowels of the trasnport.

The air was crisp and dry, rather than oppressively humid, though they had yet to enter the dense jungle. Perhaps that feeling would change once the sun was obscured from the heavy branches and leaves of the towering treetops. But there, on the beach, the gentle breeze rolling off the salted ocean filled her lungs with fresh air and a bit of appreciation for the world's obscurity.

"This is nice, even if it's to be a prison of sorts."

It wasn't exactly a prison, but Vrak would understand her intent.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He glanced at her, the small snipe not going unnoticed.

Vrak could well acknowledge that this situation did not please her, but it was the best way of ensuring that she was kept safe. Even if the Empire were to fall, even if somehow everything came crashing down, there would still be dangers. The Pureblood had made enemies all over the galaxy, and if someone were to find his child, his legacy?

It would not do. "Come."

He told her, deciding not to acknowledge the comment and instead pulling her along the beach. There was no use in arguing with her, he knew that well by now, and even if she took more sniped Vrak knew that at the very least she would come to accept staying here.

At least for a while.

"A home on the beach isn't too bad." He told her. "Or would you rather be in the jungles?"

It seemed odd to him, asking such a question, even humiliating, but there was a reason for it.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Further in." She said simply. "If there's terrible storms, the beach is too dangerous."

In fact, closer to the mountains would be the safest, ideally. The massive peak would at least partially shield some of the destruction if one were to hit nearby.

"Less likely to flood. Water running off the peak will continue downhill, whereas the beach will erode inland."

Yes, the further in the better, even if she personally enjoyed the scenery of the beach a bit more. The further along she became during this pregnancy the less mobile she would become, hardly the lithe acrobat she was at present. It was obvious that given the denseness of the jungle, the temperature and foliage that winter was not something she needed to worry about. The temperature on the planet, or at least in this area seemed to remain a constant, yet the pressure systems that pushed through were the likely cause of such violent storms.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He nodded, then slowly turned towards the jungles. The dense foliage made up an almost impassible wall, hanging over the side of the beach and standing thick enough to choke out oxygen. For a moment Vrak looked at it, the saberstaff drawn from his belt and the weapon igniting in a loud snap-hiss.

"The mountain?" He queried, slicing across the foliage to create the beginnings of a path.

Building further in on the island would present some minor problems, but nothing that they couldn't overcome. If they created a large enough clearing they could easily land their ship inland, and from there construction could begin quickly via droids and other automatons.

Though of course, Seraphina would have to select the place first. "There is a plateau just east of us."

Perhaps that would be to her liking.

"The storms most often come from the south and the west." He told her. "Born over the oceans."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Seraphina allowed Vrak to cut a pathway through the jungle as they walked, carefully examining their surroundings for creatures, poisonous or otherwise predatory. It would do well to identify any potential threats sooner rather than later, once construction had begun, to avoid any complications or unnecessary delays. Already the heat was getting to her, small beads of sweat littered her forehead and neck, threatening to run down the sides of her face and back. The air was thick and heavy beneath the canopy of the jungle around them, and the humidity only made things that much worse.

"Let's have a look."

She let out another heavy breath, then paused, leaning against a massive tree, it's base nearly four times her size."Hold up." Her face was now slick with sweat. With one hand she braced against the tough bark, leaning off to the side as she felt her stomach turning. "I need to stop for--" The sentence would have to wait as the Twi'lek quickly keeled forward, a repugnant groan preceding the expelling of bile onto the jungle floor.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak watched her in silence for a few moments.

There was nothing he could really do or say, in all of his fifty years of living he'd never quite encountered a situation like this. Nor had he expected to. So as Seraphina emptied her stomach Vrak just stood there in silence, watching her until eventually he took a step closer.

In comfort, he offered her a gentle pat on the back. "I'm told this sort of thing will pass."

Sera would very likely find absolutely no consolation in the words, but it was really about all that Vrak had to offer. It probably would have been best to keep her buried at home back on Athiss or Dromund Kaas, but The Pureblood had a feeling she would have objected to that just as much as coming here.

There would be no winning over the next few months.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The woman's arm snapped back, shoving him away from her with a forceful thrust. If there was one thing she hated, it was being seen as some sort of helpless being that needed consoling. Sera lingered against the tree for another brief moment, before pushing herself back to an upright position. Her eyes set on Vrak, irritated and impatient. "I'm fine." She adamantly declared. Wiping her face against her shoulder she stepped past the tree and continued up towards the plateau without another word. It was a rather steep climb, one that continued to leave that nauseated feeling in her gut throughout the entire walk.

Perhaps the combination of the heat and humidity was rendering her ill. Maybe at the ridge there would be some reprieve.

"We'll have to find some way up." Looking up, the two would need to climb a near ninety degree sheet of rock, or circle around to the other side and hope there was a more angled path on the other side of the plateau. Neither option was ideal in her eyes. One meant she would have to exert far more energy, the other would mean taking longer, and remaining beneath the canopy of the jungle longer.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

She didn't enjoy feeling helpless, but she was in a certain way.

Sera was now carrying their child, that alone sapped her strength in a way. She had to be concerned for not one, but two beings. There was also the fact of exerting oneself during pregnancy, moving too much, especially climbing and straining the body was bad. Vrak might not ever have expected a child, but he wasn't foolish enough to not research it a little bit.

This was important to him after all. "I'll climb first."

The tone of his voice said it was not negotiable.

"I'll then use the force to lift you." Not a difficult task, though it would require her to trust him. "Just wait here."

Without another word Vrak began to strip off his robes. They were heavy and cumbersome. Usually the heat didn't bother him, but he knew that if he was going to climb this wall they would only hinder his progress. He folded the black cloth and set it down on a nearby stump, stretching for just a moment before he approached the sheer wall.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The woman rolled her eyes, shaking her head with irritation. "Fine. Go."

Sera wasn't in the mood to argue all the reasons she was fine enough to climb up to the plateau. Not in the heat and humidity of the oppressive jungle, not with her stomach turning cycles, and not when there was still much left in the day to do. If he wanted to do all of the work, scale the cliff side, lift her with the Force and feel useful, then so be it she thought.

That didn't mean she was helpless.

"Just do it quickly before the heat down here kills us both."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He let out a scoff. "You're not melting."

Vrak assured her before he turned towards the cliff-face. His ascent would be a quick one. On a good day he held more strength than even the most athletic human, and with the force a climb like this was easy enough to traverse. He moved swiftly, bounding from place holder to place holder and scaling the side of the cliff in mere minutes. Half-way up a breeze began to scratch at his back, the wind picking up as he scaled higher on the plateau.

With a final push he managed to pull himself up onto the flat rock, his gaze drifting down. Several hundred feet below he could see Seraphina standing, the expression on her face unclear but Vrak was more than certain she was still displeased.

"Hold still." He yelled down. "I'd hate to drop you."

The force flooded into him in an instant, power drawing all around him.

Then, gently, he grasped her. The touch of the force would bind, and then slowly begin to lift her towards him.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Seraphina scoffed right back as he began his ascent. "I would die long before I melted, imbecile." The Twi'lek crossed her arms, neck craning as she watched the Sith climb foothold after foothold until his figure grew much smaller in perspective than he had minutes before. When he finally reached the top and leaned over she felt a slight hold take her, lifting slowly at first. Her feet lifted up, then were free of the earth beneath her. Lazily her body floated upwards, eyes glancing all around at the surroundings to busy herself over the next half minute.

Deep emerald eyes lifted to look at Vrak as she drew closer to the top. "The only reason you'd hate to drop me is because of what I have of yours. Let's not pretend you are some chivalrous Jedi, or I might fracture a rib from the laughter."

When Vrak set her down on the soil beside him she took a slow walk around, there were still quite a fair number of trees that would need clearing, but overall it seemed the right spot. Shaded by the peak of the mountain, yet open enough to the sun to remain pleasantly warm. It was also high enough out that the woman could see for miles outward in three directions. With the plateau cleared, it would make a fine location for a home and a landing pad.

"This will do." She said without even a modicum of enthusiasm.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]