Lost in Translation

[Laira Darkhold]

Alderaan​

Sanctuary Gardens, Apalis Coast​

Laira disembarked the shuttle that bore her and her stalwart protector, Dame Dimeria Nykerian of Alderaan. The Princess was just that today, a princess. Normally she hid her identity and traveled as a Ranger of the Free Worlds, which allowed her a great deal of freedom of movement among other things. However Dimeria had grown suspicious, and reported what she had believed to be favoritism from the Ranger Corp to the Prince-Consort quietly.

Now, Dimeria was quiet and rarely spoke. Much less said anything crass or even a stuttered curse. She had received an honorary title from the Queensward of the Knights of the Wolf-Cat, naming her the Protector of the Heir Apparent off the record, and got a nod from the Prince-Consort to continue operating as secretive as Laira deemed appropriate. Beyond that, nothing had changed for the Force-Dead Knight. And yet she had changed a great deal.

Her charge had been her partner, and now she was royalty that Dimeria had sworn to protect and uphold her values and ideals, die for them even. Furthermore she had pledged her life to protect the redhead now. It was not what she had assumed would happen at all. She had thought the Royals had suspected something was amiss and appointed her to keep an eye out for corruption within the Corp only to discover she had been deceived and placed as a protector all along. Her pride was injured even if it should have been uplifted by the trust the Queen and her husband placed in her. That little redheaded tart had been leading her around keeping a secret like that. It wasn't her pride, it was her trust in her partner.

Laira sauntered a bit, down the pathway that stretched from the landing pad and towards the quiet part of the sanctuary to await her guests. Technically this meeting was arranged more for Dimeria's benefit so she could see her Eldorai friend, but it came with the added benefit that Laira could torment Karina some more. A win-win for the redhead. She wore a nice green dress with gold designs and a little golden circlet on her brow to denote her as royalty at the sanctuary on Alderaan. "You know you can relax. I invited your little friend, and requested she bring her cousin with her. You're off duty once they arrive."

"A Knight of the Wolf-Cat takes their vows for life or until released for retirement by the Queen. Our watch is eternal and vigilant." Dimeria responded, magenta eyes starring straight forward, gold armor glinting in the sunlight, her scarlet vestments rustling slightly in the warm spring breeze.

"Yes, but you aren't a Knight of the Wolf-Cat. You are Knight of the Flame, appointed as Protector to the Heir. There's a difference and I'm exploiting it." Laira smirked, finding herself a comfortable spot on a chair to lay across. "So, as soon as they get here you can take a break and spend some time with her. I don't care about the title, we are still just friends as far as I care, and if I have to bend the rules and exploit some of my authority to get you to see it, I will." This was the reason she didn't tell people who she was all the time. It caused rifts between what would otherwise be good friends knowing that one of their social status's was greater than the other.

Dimeria sighed with reluctance, "Of course your highness." The woman paused for a moment, "And thank you Laira."

Laira had been quite dastardly in planning this little surprise, inviting Vaena Cadalthor and her cousin to the Sanctuary Gardens at behest of the Princess of Alderaan as thanks for their assistance on the Queen of the Core. She hadn't told them they had met the princess but had brought up that Dimeria would likewise be invited.

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


A sleek, shiny luxury yacht approached the verdant world of Alderaan. It was roughly comparable to the craft favoured by the royals of Naboo. The difference was that Eldorai nobles were not naive peaceniks who elected children to rule over them. As a matter of fact, Eldorai were as a rule allergic to elections. The same applied to giving peace a chance or peasants rights.


Aboard the ship, Vaena took the moment to check up on her moderately irritating half-sibling. After spending an absurd amount of time in the bathroom, said half-sibling had still not emerged from her quarters. Predictably, a maiden was doing her hair. Vaena suspected that said maiden had also bathed Karina earlier. You could not expect a noblewoman to do that herself.


"I see you finally found the way out of the hot tube. We'll be landing momentarily. Would it terribly inconvenience you to get a move on?"


Karina glared at her half-sister. "I will leave when I am ready. Unlike you, I understand the need to make myself presentable and present myself the way a Daughter of the Dragon should. If this bothers the monkeighs, they can wait. They should be honoured by our presence," she gave Vaena a critical look, scrutinising her. "Did you really have to put on that cheap robe? It is hideous. And you don't even have proper jewellry."


"It looks to me like you're wearing enough glitter for the both of us." Sometimes Vaena felt like smacking Karina. Or taking all her shinies away. It said quite a bit that, as far as relatives went, her half-sister was one of the more tolerable ones. She was simply a looks-obsessed, pompous snob.


"Hmmph. It is your good fortune that I deigned to accompany you, lest the monkeighs get the idea that House Cadalthor is so impoverished that its Duchess cannot even afford to dress herself properly," Karina preened herself. "I do wonder what this 'Princess of Alderaan' is like. We deserve some recognition for saving two of her minions."


"Yes, I'm sure Her Highness will give you a special award for running away and screaming like a little boy."


Karina brushed those words aside as if they were buzzing insects. "Without my aid, you and that Daemon would have been devoured by that foul abomination. You think we will run into those peasants again?"


"They were awfully good at shutting you up, so I hope so. Would you like to hold Laira's infected arm again? I believe it was fond of you."


Karina grimaced, looking disgusted. She shuddered slightly as she remembered this truly horrible memory. "Do not remind of this humiliating episode," she snapped. "I do hope that the inappropriate soldier girl has gotten herself a new arm. Preferrably not a cybernetic. They're so disgusting."


"Hey, don't knock 'em, Princess. Word is that the latest cybernetic fingers have a vibrate function," Ariawyn Eloris interjected, having peeked into the chamber. Like Vaena, she was a former Angelii. She'd left the corps to assist her friend after Askari had been unexpectedly thrust into the cutthroat arena of Eldorai politics by being named Duchess. Now she was an officer in the Draconian Guard.


"Sister, you should discipline your minion. In the old days, she would have lost her tongue for her inappropriate attitude."


"I assure you, m'Lady, that Her Grace finds my tongue most agreeable."


"I prefer someone with an inappropriate attitude to a fawning airhead. At least with the former I know what they think. With the latter I can never be certain who else they might be fawning over," the young Duchess checked her chronometre. "Now get a move on. Once we've landed, we'll be escorted to the Sanctuary Gardens."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

As the Eldorai vessel landed they were met by a single servant in simple attire. "We are honored by your presence." He said with a slight bow at the waist and dip of his head. He didn't bother checking them for weapons or delaying them with any other pomp and circumstance, just waved his hand as he gestured that they follow him. "I will take you to the Princess, she is already waiting for you." His voice was quite and somber, almost monotone in its delivery.

The Sanctuary Gardens were situated in a remote area of the Apalis Coast, where House Ograna had several estates in the region. The Gardens however we not owned by the Great House, but maintained by House Rist. The gardens themselves were very similar to any other botanical garden, arrays of plants and flowers lining grassy paths. Sub-sonic bug repellers kept the wildlife from becoming a nussance but allowed for species of butterfiles, birds, and colorful creatures by using specific frequencies.

Not far from their landing pad, the pair were brought to a sunny clearing with a parasol and comfortable lounge chair. In the chair sat a redheaded woman facing away from the guests in an emerald and gold dress that left her shoulders bare. Nearby stood the golden armored knight, scarlet vestments hanging from her shoulders and waist, raven hair with dyed purple ends tied up in a top knot with the rest of her head shaved. Dimeria wasn't wearing her mask, revealing her unmarred face and jaw while she stood at attention.

"May I present her Royal Highness, Princess of Alderaan and Aldera, Duchess of Vena, Laira Organa, first of her name." The servant said introducing the princess, bowing as he did so.

The woman stood and turned to greet the Eldorai revealing herself to be the very same Laira Darkhold they had spent time with, smiling roguishly as she held out a hand to the Countess first, and her accompaniment second. "Please forgive my previous deception. When travelling I prefer to use an alias for my own protection. I am so glad you were able to accept my invitation to our world, and I am most pleased to have you."

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


Vaena had acquitted herself well during the fight with the zombies. Especially considering that she'd been caught off-guard without her armour or any gear beyond her Sarix. Never mind the fact that she was out of practice. Having to spend most of her day dealing with the inanity of aristocratic life and bureaucratic idiocy would do that to you.


Still, the skirmish had left scars. Her face was marred by the burns she'd sustained when a monster had spat acidic bile. Moreover, she walked with a limp, clearly favouring one leg over the other. A modestly dressed minion led her to a sunny clearing with a parasol and comfortable lounge chair. There, the Princess and her bodyguard awaited.


The Princess in question happened to be 'Ranger Laira', while her guard was the 'Abomination' Vaena had prevented from committing suicide-by-zombie. The Duchess blinked. Meanwhile, Karina stared at her in open-mouthed shock. The Duchess was quite certain that she looked more dignified than her annoying half-sister. Why had she dragged her along again?


"I congratulate you on a well-maintained cover, Princess," Vaena said dryly. She stretched out and took the proffered hand, having removed her glove first. "Apologies aren't necessary. I know from my own experience that courtly life and the formalities of it can be...restricting. And an illustrious name makes you an easy target." She wondered whether this was the only motivation though. Or even the overriding one.


Her eyes fell upon Dimeria. For the first time, she could behold her face without a mask covering it. She wondered whether the guardswoman had been aware of her charge's true identity. Vaena was no empath, and in any case the fact that the Knight of Flame was without a Sciiac presence meant she could not read her. "It is good to see you again, Dame Dimeria Nykerian."


Meanwhile, Karina was still recovering her bearings. "You're...a Princess?!

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Yes it can be," Laira agreed with a smile, turning her steely grey gaze towards Karina, "And I prefer to know how I would be treated were my noble birth unknown." The Princess fixed her dress, smoothing it out and ensuring that everything was in its place. She more or less ignored Karina's delayed realization, waiting for it to sink in for a moment about how things could develop for the Eldorai going forward.

Dimeria smiled, turning her pinkish colored eyes towards the ground before meeting Askari's eyes. "It is good to see you as well Duchess Cadalthor." She managed with a slight embarrassed smile. "I've been looking forward to seeing you again." The golden armored Knight seemed a little off, as though she was dealing with several difficult internal struggles at the same time and could not make time to work them out, and given her attempted suicide by ghoul, not without reason.

Laira, as much as they had been friends with one another, was not the person to talk to about her deep-seeded depression. Even before her heritage had been made clear to her, Dimeria always found the redhead to be rather happy-go-lucky and thought the princess had difficulty understanding the plights of others. Now knowing she was the Princess of her world, it made sense. It also made sense why her parents would encourage her going out into the galaxy as a commoner in the hopes of wizening her up.

"Yes, she's been gnawing my ear off about how she wanted to see you, and I thought inviting you both would be an excellent excuse to get to know each other better." Laira nodded her head and clasped her hands before her. "Why don't the two of you take some privacy, while Karina and I stay here to," She paused, smiling mischievously, "Discuss her service to House Organa."

The Knight responded quietly to the Princess, her voice low and melodic. "I'd like that, uh, if that is okay with you?"

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


The slow, dawning realisation hit Karina like a brick wall. This occured at the same time as the 'Princess' wished to discuss her service. Whatever was supposed to be. Any irony in that comment was disregarded as Karina's ego puffed up slightly. Laira might be a stripling and a human monkeigh to boot, but she was royalty. Nobility was the sign of quality, of proper blood.


Well, it ought to be. Her half-sister Vaena did not understand that. Probably because she'd been raised in a cloister and then spent her life in filthy barracks with uncouth soldiers. So though Karina would not treat the human as a Princess of the Blood...she was at least worthy discussing matters with. Who knew, maybe she could teach her some culture.


"As your highness requests," she said with a suddenly sweet and eager tone. "I did all that I could to aid you, of course, even before I know your heritage. I had a feeling about you, that you were more than a mere mon...human. Your valour showed me that you were someone special, and I was right! Please, what would you like to discuss, Princess? I believe good relations between both our houses would be to our benefit."


Meanwhile, Vaena rolled her eyes. She had the feeling that Karina's hopes would be disappointed. That was fine with her. "I see my sister has matters well in hand and is very eager to be service," she said. Karina was not paying attention to what the Duchess said, for she was focused on the scarlet-maned human. "I've been meaning to see you again as well, Dame. Please lead the way. Perhaps you can show me around the garden a bit. It is my first time on Alderaan." She could not claim to know the Knight well, but even to her she seemed...off. Perhaps something she could bring up.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Yes, that would suit me." Dimeria answered with a grin, wanting to put some distance between herself and whatever Laira had planned for Karina before it turned into a field day of bitterness. She strode slowly however, attempting to appear liesurely as she lead Vaena across a path with brightly colored flowers on either side of it. Some opened wider as they passed, others a simple brush from her cloak would cause the blooms to close defensively. Butterflies floated on a calm spring breeze and it was peaceful, something the Knight was unused to. "Those are starburst flowers," she said, pointing at a specific cluster of swirling dark purple and blue blossoms with little glowing orbs at the ends of its stigma. "They are my favorites. At night they shine yellow and their petals turn the color of a sun."

"I attempted to look up some information on the Eldorai after our endeavor, however I found Alderaan's records sorely lacking in that regard. I know almost nothing about your people." Dimeria smiled bashfully, "If I'm being honest you sparked my interest in the subject."

~

"Spare me your false tongue. We both know what happened on that ship. I saved you time and time again without so much as a nod of recognition while you did practically nothing, then I got bitten and your first instinct was to have me killed to protect your own skin. If it hadn't have been for your cousin or sister or whatever, I'd be dead on that ship." Laira never quit smiling and her voice remained perfectly level, instead she returned to her seat under the parasol, leaning back against it comfortably, making sure she was relaxed before bothering to continue addressing the Eldorai aristocrat. While acting the royal wasn't her favorite thing to do, she was capable of playing the part.

"The way I see it, you have two choices. Either I send you home to tell your family members that your behavior has made Alderaan doubt its honor and courage," She paused long enough to raise an eyebrow at the woman and see how she was reacting, the redhead's smile becoming much more devious but not exactly malicious. Laira had a solid plan to get her revenge on Karina while being pampered and adored by the woman. The best revenge was the one they would ask for. "Or I send you home with your fantasy about how your actions single-handedly secured the favor of the Royal House. Which would you prefer?"

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

Vaena had the feeling that leaving her half-sister alone with the Princess would turn out to be a bad idea. Hopefully, she would not cause too much of a diplomatic incident. In any case, Dimeria showed her around in the garden. It was quite lovely. Vaena had grown up in an orphange attached to an Ashiran cloister and spent a lot of time tending to the garden there. Those were simpler, more innocent days. "They're very beautiful," she remarked when Dimeria pointed out the starburst flowers, taking a step closer to look at them before her gaze travelled to Dimeria.


"I'm sure the lack of information about my people is no blemish on Alderaan's records. We have only recently come into contact with the rest of the Galaxy and even now prefer to keep to ourselves. The first outsiders who set foot on our homeworld, Kaeshana, were slavers, corsairs and other scum who came to murder, raid and enslave. It was only later that we realised that there are offworlders who don't mean us ill," she thought back to a good number of her relatives. "Well, I suppose some of us will never realise that," she amended. Depending on how much Dimeria had watched the holonews in the past, she might have heard that Kaeshana had been devastated by a huge asteroid - and that the survivors of the cataclysm had been subjugated by the First Order. "So you're welcome to ask away. In return I'd like to hear a bit about you."


xxx

Karina bristled, her sunny and sugar sweet persona fading to be replaced with something much nastier. "So this is how the royals of Alderaan behave, is it? To lie and blackmail to get their way? Well, 'Princess' I will have no part in your deception, and I will not be your whipping girl. I will not be telling my family anything you claim because it is lies, lies and malicious falsehoods. I will not debase myself or compromise my dignity. Your threat is as empty as your honour and decency. Good day, Princess." She turned and made to stalk away.


[member="Laira Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Oh?" Laira smiled. "Well, I must apologize. You misunderstand." The princess was still grinning, a little sad her victim was willing to attempt to call her bluff. It largely was a bluff, more an attempt to torment the Eldorai noble for her actions and treatment of the princess during their escapades on the Queen of the Core. Likely Vaena would dismiss the conversation as a prank or consider it funny so long as nothing too debasing was done. "You aren't the Duchess, you aren't in charge. The duchess was there, and she knows how you acted and what you said." The redhead absent-mindedly waved a hand off towards the direct Dimeria and Vaena had made there way. "Do you think that she will appreciate those actions and behavior being responsible for a break down in talks between our two families?"

Fire flickered in her hand, words forming from the flames. They read 'RESPECT' in an deep orange color from the fire emitting from her fingertips. Finally the Princess's expression changed into a serene, aggressive glare. "Also, you had best show me some damn respect. On this world, such words are what we call fighting words. Honor duels have been demanded for less." Indeed such a glaring accusation would have resulted in immediate animosity from the Knights had they been present, but luckily they were not.

~

Dimeria listened carefully, paying attention to the woman and watching her mouth as she spoke with a pinkish hue in her eyes. They changed color with her mood due to her Yuuzhan Vong inherited traits, one of several mutations she had gained from their biological experiments. "Well, I know that your family seems to consider us lesser beings, but you haven't been like that. Why?" It was a hard question for certain, but one that troubled her greatly. Given her youth having been filled with slavery and experimentation, she was used to such treatment but not pleased with it in the least. "Or rather, do you think I'm a lesser creature and just hide it well."

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


Perhaps surprisingly, Karina did not back down. Rightly or wrongly, far as she was concerned, the human had invited her for no other reason than to humiliate her. "Then demand a duel if your 'honour' demands it. I have no need to fight you or your minions. I aided you because the Duchess bade me and survival required it, but I will not tolerate this insult." With that she turned and stormed off to her ship. Well, that went well.


Laira could of course push matters, probably escalating things. Karina knew that Vaena strongly disliked her, but the Duchess would be unable to tolerate a slight to her family. Especially from a human. Should she do so, one of her more unscrupulous relatives could use it as an excuse to topple and murder the unloved family head.


xxx


"I used to," Vaena admitted frankly. "The only humans - or aliens in general - I encountered in my younger days where rapacious villains who wished us ill. Things changed when I was exposed more to the Galaxy. Like it or not, my people would have been wiped out when an asteroid devastated our homeworld, had foreigners not helped our exodus," she sighed slightly.


"My family is a product of their environment. It is an unpleasant, cutthroat one filled with resentment. They live in a past they do not understand. I was fortunate by not being born in the purple. I spent most of my life fighting on various battlefields for the Eldorai Matriarchy, instead of growing up in luxury and indolence."


She gazed into those exotic eyes. "I don't think of you as a lesser creature. But you are...different. In ways I have difficulty comprehending." She wondered whether there was a polite way to ask 'why don't you have a soul?'

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Wait Karina," Laira said standing and walking to follow her just a little, "Let me put it this way. On the one hand at best your status will remain the same, at worst it will be tarnished. On the other, you will have to do something for me, which you don't even know, and your status will improve." The princess's voice softened a great deal in the process. If intimidation didn't get her what she wanted, perhaps promise of reward and some flattery would. She made her eyes big and soft, doing her best attempt at puppy eyes towards Karina. "I promise I won't ask for anything so crass or debasing, and I apologize it came off as such. All I really want is some affection, you've just been so cold to me in the past and I'm not used to people being able to just write me off."

~

Dimeria's conversation was going much better for the dark-haired knight however. She listened, going so far as to inch closer to Vaena so that she was at a rather intimate distance. "I understand. My world was vong formed before I was born. Millions were enslaved by the sith and their vong servants. My mother was among them and when I was born, I joined her in slavery. It was a difficult time in my life, one I swore never to go back to."

She laughed a little, giggling softly at Vaena's final question. "Honey, there are a lot of things different between you and I, but probably not as many as you think."

"I struggled, spent my entire life as a slave or as a servant in the knighthood. I trained, I killed, I did everything possible to improve myself, and now I stand on the percipice of gaining the highest honor available to my kind." It was a difficult subject for the young knight to discuss, her voice cracking and breaking as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes.

"And some days I would rather be dead." Dimeria shook her head, putting her golden plated fingers to her brow, "I'm sorry. Thats not what you meant. I'm dead to the Force. Something I inherited from the Vong spawn virus my mother was infected with. I was born this way, hell, conceived this way. They tell me that's why I'm depressed and some of the Order takes pills, some cope, but it's not uncommon."

She sighed a little, shaking away the break in her voice in an attempt to keep from breaking down. "Laira helps me, she does. Even before I knew she was royalty she's always been good to me, tries to help when she can, but I'm still all alone. Now that I know she's a royal i can't even talk to her about it anymore. I have nothing and no one and when I die, I will be nothing."

After a long, shuddered sob, Dimeria stopped. "Sorry I rambled a bit. I hope that doesn't scare you off."

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


Karina turned to look upon the Princess. "There is nothing you can offer me which I cannot acquire without you," she spoke in her haughtiest tone. Man, that was an unpleasant way to get shot down. Her heels clicked on the pristine floor when she left the area. Ok, that had not gone well.


xxx


For a moment, Vaena did not know what to say. She was not used to offering comfort. Furthermore, nothing could have prepared her for a situation such as this. Dimeria was dead to the Force. Even before she was born and breathed air for the first time, she had been infested with the foul Vongspawn virus.


The Vong were not just savage barbarians, they were demons made flesh. If there was still spawn of the Dread Goddess Illyria that traversed the stars, mocking and defiling Ashira's Creation, then the Vong could be chief among them. They were not supposed to exist. They were unnatural. Did this make Dimeria a monster, too?


"So...you have no Sciia," Vaena said quietly, more to herself than to Dimeria. Uncertainty crossed her features. Sciia was not just the Eldorai word for the Force, though outsiders often thought of it as that. But it was also their term for soul. Dimeria was not part of Her Creation. Ergo she had no soul. But she felt emotion the way any human - or Eldorai - would. She was brave, forthright, funny and clearly tormented by her existence. A monster would not be pained by that. There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent, she remembered the old Ashiran parable. Could this mean that Ashira would rejoice more over one soulless being who nonetheless tried to do good, over ninety-nine soulful persons who had never needed to defy


At this point in time, Vaena realised that Dimeria might end up misinterpreting her silence and general passivity. "No, no, it is alright. You have not scared me away, I assure you." A bit awkwardly, she raised her hand to touch the Force Dead Knight's cheek. "You were born without Sciia through no fault of your own...but you are not a monster. A monster does not feel like you do. And you are not nothing."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Dimeria looked at her with bewilderment through red teary eyes. "Sciia?" She said questioning the meaning of the word. She had never heard the term, or didn't remember it if she had, and had no idea what it translated to. The Force perhaps, in context it made sense but given Vaena's ability to speak fluent common it seemed odd not to interpret only one word a sentence.

"Of course I'm not a monster." She said with a smile, laughing a little. She knew Vaena was attempting to comfort her and reassure her, and the lines of translation and emotion had been crossed. Something was always a little off and Dimeria was used to struggling with communication. She had struggled to communicate her whole existence, and now the flood gates were suddenly open for the first time in years.

"I suppose I could be a succubus, but other than them, I'm far to pretty to be a demon." Dimeria joked as best as she could. "I'm just alone. My sisters put on the same stoic face I do. We ridicule those not strong enough to keep it going, I know, I've done it to others. Laira is my Princess and my responsibility, she can never doubt my ability to protect her. Everyone on Alderaan looks to the Knights to be symbols of courage." There was a saying that nothing was worse than being surrounded by people and still feeling completely alone in the world. Dimeria felt this weight on her shoulders, and her recent revelations had only exacerbated her depression, and her embarrassment over her actions on the Queen of the Core.

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


Vaena chuckled slightly. "Yes, the average daemon is far less attractive and lacks your exotic eyes," she commented. "I will not claim that your predicament is the same as the one I've experienced...but I believe there are some analogies," she paused. She did not want to make this about herself, but hoped it could be a way for Dimeria to realise she might not be entirely alone. At least a little bit.


"I grew up in a cloister run by the Priestesses of the Goddess Ashira. I was raised in the faith, taught to be devout and hard-working. When my powers manifested, my path was set for me. So I joined the Angelii, my people's elite corps of knights," she spoke.


"Sworn to fight for the motherland and protect the Queen. My battle sisters are expected to be devout, loyal and made of iron. Unbending. Sadly, my people are often our own worst enemies. I learned many years later that I was the bastard of a noblewoman. I wanted nothing to do with a nest of scheming vipers. But after my house launched a coup and my cousin was executed for her treason, the Queen called upon me to lead it. I hesitated, sought Her counsel, but then agreed. Many of my sisters disagreed with my choice. But I have a duty I cannot shirk, even if means putting up with ungrateful fools with fancy titles."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I can understand that to a degree. Often politics are dens for the most foul and most corrupt." Dimeria looked around the garden, "We are lucky here. Very rarely are we exposed to such things openly. The queen is quite benevolent and thoughtful, if there are such games and scheming, it is done well away from her and her husband's eyes." The Force-Dead Knight smiled about that. There was much she didn't have to put up with that others did, but it didn't alleviate her problems however. It just made her mindful that overall life wasn't so bad, even if she had no desire to live beyond duty.

"We are not so different. You and I were both raised to be warriors and both thrust into positions of authority we never thought we would be in." Dimeria placed an armored hand upon Vaena's, the sunlight glint off the gold plated metal. Indeed the Knights of the Eternal Flame of Alderaan were not an inconspicuous group, and in her current appearance light shone off of her body.

"So, tell me what Sciia means?"

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


“The Sciia…it is your soul, your spirit. Humans so often wrongly equate it with ‘the Force’, but it is more than that, it is the very essence that makes you who you are. Everyone has a Sciia.” She glanced at Dimeria a shade apologetically. “Even if it cannot be sensed.”


“When the Goddess created the Eldorai and our little sisters, she imbued her chosen people with the Sciia of life. This spirit is what fills all of us, and what makes us a special people, for the Goddess has filled us with her energy and her power. Those of us whose Sciia burns brightest can tap into gifts which most cannot, it lets us connect our spirits to the very elemental essences of the Goddess. The four fundamental elemental gifts are an Eldorai speciality, gifts from Ashira, and products of our Sciia.”


“The old doctrines would tell us that only Eldorai have a Sciia, and those in the outside galaxy are demons with parodies and mockeries of spirits. I do not believe this. I believe that everyone has a Sciia, and that though the Goddess did not fashion the other races, you are still creatures of light who can do as great good and evil as the Eldorai.” She looked at Dimeria again. “What was done to you was terrible, the product of demons of Illyria, but that does not make you evil. You have made the choice to fight evil, and though I might not be able to sense it, you have a Sciia deep down inside which shows you the right action.”

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Dimeria listened and then responded rather bluntly to the Eldorai she was a little sweet on. "I don't have a soul."

The words cut her like a knife, down to where a soul might have been, but it was true. "I don't, because you see, The afterlife, its part of the Force." Dimeria didn't know how rigid her companion was to her faith or how well this information would be received. It was what Dimeria believed, through all her dealing with Jedi and Alderaanian philosophers who were happy to divulge their beliefs on the Force, had convinced her. She was soulless and at the end, where for others paradise would be waiting, for her and her sisters there was nothing. Void.

"All those spirits of people return to the Force, and I have nothing where I should have something. I'm not evil, I'm just a black streak across nature. I might not be a demon or a monster, but I am unnatural. And I have devoted my entire existence, for this is the only one that I have, to helping and protecting others not because a spirit directs me to, but because I choose to. Because I want to. Because in the end, when this shell is dust and there is nothing left of me, there will be those whose lives have been made better for it. That is the legacy I will leave. No offerings of reward, no blessed paradise await me, and yet I choose that path like all my sisters." The warrior woman smiled, tears in her eyes. She could choose to be a tyrant, crushing others beneath her sabatons with a grin, whipping slaves like dogs if she wanted and there would be no punishment awaiting her when she died. But she wouldn't.

"But sometimes I like to think that the ones I've touched might have memories of me in their paradise."

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]

Vaena listened to Dimeria with sadness in her heart and knew it to be true, though she would have wished it to be otherwise.
“I fear you may be right,” she said softly. “I know not what happens to humans who pass beyond the mortal veil. Whether you have some deity who will judge you, but I know that the Great Goddess will judge me. I welcome that day, though I still hope it is long delayed, for it will give me the chance to one day sit by Ashira’s side and reunite with my fallen battle sisters once more."


“For us, when we pass from the mortal veil all Eldorai, from lowliest person to the Star Queen herself are all judged in one mind and with one voice by the Goddess. Has she left the world a better place? Has she followed the commandments of the Goddess? Has she lived a life of truth and justice? In that moment all falsehoods and lies fall away to reveal the truth, and judgement is set upon those who fail this standard.”
Presumably males too could reach paradise, but knowing the Eldorai it was likely a slightly less idyllic place than their female counterparts had.


“Those who pass this most crowning of trials are welcomed into the arms of Ashira, our mortal lives being but preludes to the greatest and noblest of callings as a handmaiden of the Goddess. To those who fail the divine judgement are cast down to Illyria’s realm where she plots against her mother and aims ever to depose her as Queen of Stars. But always the unworthy will fail.”


She looked to Dimeria, a few tears springing to her eyes. Earnestly, she took her hands in hers.
“Know this, Dimeria, when that moment comes when we are separated by the shadow of the passing, and when I go to meet my Goddess and Queen, I will think ever of you, for you have begun to transcend the curse you had no part in. I will keep the tally of those you save and I will not allow such a deed be forgotten even until the ending of the stars. You may not...have soul, but do good in spite of it. You comport yourself more as a soulful being than those who have been endowed with Sciia from birth, and grow haughty because they consider themselves inherently blessed."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Dimeria listened and heard the words Vaena spoke, how her kind tranfered to the afterlife and how their goddess blessed them if they were righteous and followed by the tenants of their faith. Part of the raven haired warrior wished she would see the same when she passed, but that was not in her future. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The golden Force-Dead sister believed that while she would end, that perhaps her memory would live on in others when they passed, that maybe Vaena would arrive before her goddess and hope to see her there. Vaena's words, how she would keep track of her deeds and present them, how she would hope beyond reason to save her despite neither of the having spent much time together, it moved the depressed warrior. "Maybe, I," She started, leaning closer to Vaena as she stopped and pulled the Eldorai to face her, "maybe if I had someone to talk to regularly, I wouldn't feel so alone." She stammered, that wasn't all she wanted.

In a final moment of decision Dimeria clutched her hands around Vaena's face gin ferry and softly before planting a deep kiss on her elven lips.

[member="Vaena Askari"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


"Well, I'm sure we...," Anything else Vaena might have wanted to say was abruptly cut off. Dimeria's strong, callused hands suddenly clutched her pale face, and the Force Dead knight kissed her. The duchess was stunned, but only for a very short moment. Then she kissed her back. In a fluid motion, she pressed her lips to Dimeria's. Her eager tongue aggressively pressed against the taller woman's lips, before slipping into her mouth. Reaching for the paladin's head, she threaded her fingers through her hair.