More Development

[Onrai]

Tund System, Mysterious Shipyard

Since Taeli had left the shipyard, post-development of the Vinithi Fusion Armor, work had continued to proceed on the reliquary that was Rokur Gepta's old base of operations in the Centrality. Much of the old scrap had been hauled away to the breakers', and the shipyard had been returned to a functional state. What mattered now was that Circe and co moved the necessary tooling to produce Emeritus-made ships to the shipyard, making it a useful location to further work on.

Of course, there was a guest that she didn't know about... Her aunt.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Travelling in space was in her blood – quite literally. She never stopped in any one place for more than a few days. She’d met a Sith who’d talked of building a planet for the Vahla to call home and maybe, one day, she’d settle there. But for now the wanderlust was still driving her.

And when travelling there was little to do except practice her few Sith Abilities, research Zannah and also see what her more creative thought processes brought to light.

A few nights ago she’d awoken and rushed to her computer. She’d dreamed of a planet awash with life but that turned to a barren, ashen wasteland as she watched. From the images she’d seen, it was on the outer rim. Entering the facts she could remember; the colour of the planet, its location, a single sun, no moon, its strong Force signature, she applied the parameters into the database and waited.

And so she found it – Tund. Now a desolate planet full of deadly radiation, in some areas it was held in check by force fields. And she knew she didn’t dream of it for no reason, so she set a course and researched as she went. What she found was very interesting. The Sorcerors of Tund were a reclusive sect of Sith magic users. Was this the draw of the planet for her? Yet the records suggested they were wiped out centuries ago. It wouldn’t be the first time Sith hid – and even if they had gone, maybe there was some remnant of learning left? They were skilled in illusions and shapeshifting.

The most obvious place to land was an old and most likely abandoned shipyard. So she set down her ship and decided a little exploring was the order of the day.

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Maja Vern"]

The shipyard, while still somewhat dilapidated from the outside, was becoming more and more functional within. It would likely be noticed by Maja that despite the derelict having sat lifeless for centuries, the hangar bay seemed somewhat free of debris, the rumble of machinery heard within the facility might've indicated that it was a bit more alive than previously expected.

Tooling for the Pluton was being brought in on some of the Tryton-class freighters. This would allow the facility to finally produce larger vessels, ships more competent and capable - and considering how massive the facility was, it would easily be able to produce those massive warships.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja looked around. It was lifeless enough but there was something wrong – it was too…tidy. Yes, that was it. And there was a noise too. Low but discernable – as if machinery were in action.

Of course she had no business being here and – most people would have left there and then, but Maja had never been most people. So she left her ship and headed for where the action was. There was no value in skirting around the fact – if there were people here, they’d spot her soon enough. And anyway, they might know something of use.

Gone were the days when she had only the dirty clothes she stood up in. For a while she’d worn the glistaweb dresses her sister gave her but she’d forsaken them for something far more practical. Her hooded black robe was standard and underneath she wore a tight-fitting one-piece black costume fashioned from Krayt Dragon hide – and around her waist she wore a simple black belt and her died black Sando Aqua Monster hide boots finished the outfit.

In truth she looked more menacing than she was – especially with the facial tattoo – as she’d learned plenty but used those Abilities sparingly. But that mattered little to Maja. She pulled her hood up and set off, her boots echoing as they hit the concrete. Did she have a plan? Did Maja ever have a plan? The answer to both questions was the same – no. Unless you counted making it up on the spot a tactical and strategic decision that is.

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Let's get the tooling delivered," a voice would ring down the hallway, and at the very end, Maja would likely see a pair of droids with a foreman carrying some pieces of tooling for a starship down a hallway. Deeper within the facility, a distinct Dark Side presence could be felt - the presence of Circe herself, overseeing the work on the refurbishments.

"This facility is truly remarkable... With it under my control, we'll be able to produce larger capital ships, as well as repair any vessels coming through the region. This is exactly what Emeritus needs."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja nodded to the droids and the foreman who were clearly carrying something important somewhere equally important.

“I won’t detain you,” she said as she approached them, “Busy, busy, busy. Tooling.” She pointed at what they were carrying. “Needs to be delivered pronto, right?” She smiled, “And I have business…” She pointed in the direction of the Dark-side presence. “You know..business.” She tapped the side of her nose and gave them a conspiratorial wink. “Shoo, shoo,” she added before she strode towards the source of that most Dark of auras.

‘I really do have business here,’ she thought as she carried on, until the voice of the woman carried to her, although she couldn’t make out the words.

Maja knew that if she could sense this woman, her own presence would be known by now. So stealth was pointless. Instead she entered the room she was sure the voice was coming from and spoke confidently and with a cheery lilt in her voice. “I’d ask you to take me to your leader but I figure you’re it.”

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Mmm..." The voice coming from the shrouded chair would smile, looking over the intruder - not an unwanted one, curiously enough. "So tell me, my dear, what are you doing all the way out here on this floating derelict? They're such dangerous locations, after all, and no one would want to see you get hurt." She chuckled a bit. "I certainly wouldn't."

Leaning forward a bit, her blondeness became more visible, she paused, smiling. "The name's Vanessa. Vanessa Vantai. To what do I have the honor of having you here at my personal project, Miss...?"

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja looked at the chair - the occupant still obscured from her. But her voice was audible. “Maybe my reason for being here is the same as yours? Personal gain? Is there any other reason?” She smiled. Clearly this woman was used to playing games - and Maja was as keen to participate as the next Sith. This could be fun.

The woman leant forward - she was clearly blonde - but little else was visible. But the name? “Vantai?” Maja’s brain went into overdrive. It wasn’t a common name but given where she was and the dark aura and a sixth sense that said two and two on this occasion added up to four…well, the cockiness left her voice instantly. “Vantai?” She repeated the name. Her brow wrinkled. “My…my name is Maja. Maja Vern.” If her own name meant nothing, she had overreacted. But if not, things could get very interesting, very quickly.

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Personal gain in a way. More business than anything else, to be honest." She nodded, then noticed the woman's response to her name. Maja... Where had she heard that name before... "You're my mother's sister, right?" That seemed the best response - sans the facial tattoo, she looked very similar to Silara herself, "And that makes you..." She froze, somewhat confused.

"...my aunt?"

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was known for one thing above all others – she never shut up. Even at the most inappropriate places she was able to talk forever.

Today…this very moment…was possibly a first. She was speechless. In all the conversations she’d had with Silara, the subject of other family hadn’t really come up. Maja blushed but it was dark, the wom-…her niece probably wouldn’t notice. Maja was…well she was an attention-seeker. Since the moment her sister had contacted her, the flow of information had been one way. All Maja wanted to talk about was Maja. She’d never thought to ask about Silara and had she talked, Maja invariably switched off.

Her first response was to deny it – but there was no point. She felt it to be true. She reflected on shared memories and emotions. She knew it to be true. And she also sensed a second daughter. Another niece?

“Aunty Maja?” Maja tried to laugh but it couldn’t be forced. “I’m your Aunt. Sorry I missed your birthday. I mean, you know…I was thinking of you. Kind of. Vanessa eh? What…do…you...know about me?”

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"You didn't know I existed, I know. No need to cover your tracks... Aunty Maja." She smirked, scooting forward before focusing the Force on a switch across the room, the light slowly flickering on. "Well, now that you're here, maybe you can help a family member out. I recently took charge of this immense derelict shipyard and have been working on bringing it back to operational status."

She smiled. "Well, whaddaya say, Aunty Maja?"

 

[Darth Zilti]

At last there was genuine humour – albeit a small chuckle. “I’m not sure I can get used to the whole Aunty thing. It feels too..old for me. Maja is better.”

She appreciated the light. “And you’re right, I didn’t know about you or…you have a sister, right? I just sense it. I could be wrong but I doubt it. The feeling is too strong to be wrong. In fact…”

She closed her eyes and stood still for a few seconds subconsciously accessing the Life Bond she shared with her sister, “I sense a third. But…I don’t know, I can’t explain it. Yes, a third.” 'Or maybe a fourth?' Her eyes snapped open and she nodded, “But that’s kind of irrelevant, yes?”

She looked back at Vanessa. “So, you need a hand? I have two, so can help out – but I warn you, I never stay in one place very long. A couple of days are my limit. It’s a need to travel – maybe it’s in my blood? I get land-sick if I’m stuck in one place for too long.”

“But having said that – what do you want me to do?”

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"I do... Lisette, her name is, if I recall. I don't know of a third sister, unless..." She froze, considering the only possibility of what this could mean. "I'd rather not think about that." She listened to her aunt talk about her inability to hunker down and stay in one place for more than a couple days. "Good thing you can't get land-sick here in space, then."

"As for what I need you to do..." She paused. "Wanna help me set up tooling?"

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja took it all in. "Lisette...is she younger or older? And more siblings? I could be wrong, so don't sue me, right? And I promise to stick around for as long as I can, but don't tell Silara right? Things have been, well, difficult between us. All her fault of course..but let's just keep this between us."

"In fact, I haven't seen her in years...too long." Was that a tear in her eye? "Anyway," she added, rubbing her eye with the heel of her hand, "Happy to help, just point me in the right direction. Just one question - what's tooling?"

@Enigma

 

[Onrai]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Older by a bit. I'm not sure how much older, though." She shrugged. "Third sibling, if they exist, must be younger than me, which would admittedly be surprising. As for you sticking around: I'll keep whatever dirty little secrets you have." She smiled wide. After all, it was something she'd proven more than good at.

"Follow me." As the two would walk down the hallway, she would explain what tooling was. "It's basically the necessary molds and design specifics to allow us to construct a wide variety of different starships. Much of what Emeritus uses is made using giant molds that molten duranium is poured into, in order to decrease the cost while still providing the necessary structural support. The cast parts are then welded together, and that's basically that. We don't use rivets or other fasteners on our ships."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja wrinkled her nose. “None of my secrets are dirty…at least none that I’d care to share. In truth, I can’t keep a secret from Silara – it’s just not possible. But that doesn’t mean to say I want to share everything with her. Not yet.” There was a faraway look in her eyes – she was clearly bottling something up.

So she followed her niece down the hallway, listening attentively. In truth she drifted off half-way through. It didn’t sound like fun and her attention span rarely extended to listening to anything that wasn’t Maja-centric.

She waved a hand dismissively. “Tooling, giant moulds, no rivets – got it.” Well…she’d got most of it. She fished into her bag and pulled out two candy bars. “Fancy one?” she offered, ripping the cover of one off with her teeth and then taking a big bite. “Vweilu butter covered in chocolate. You can’t beat it – but it can get stuck to the roof of your mouth, so I always carry a drink with me.”

“Are there any hot guys working here? You know…just curious. I like all sorts of candy.”

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

Circe nodded, going ahead and taking the candy bar offered to her, a quick bite from it proving to be... surprisingly tasteful. She had hardly expected such a delicious morsel, especially from her aunt. "This is great... Thanks, Maja." Then came the woman's latter comment, and she smiled - she hardly knew that Circe was like her in such a manner. "I like both types of the candy you seem to enjoy... Almost makes me wonder if you have the same feelings." She grinned. "Hot guys and beautiful women. What more can you ask for?"

The answer was technically Zeltrons.

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

“I have an addictive personality apparently. Candy bars, Darth Zannah, my sister’s approval, travel and yes, other forms of pleasure. Sometimes I use my…assets to enable me to achieve things and it can be pleasurable but since I’ve found my new lease of life, I’ve found precious little time to…indulge. I’m normally in the middle of a forest, or deep inside a Sith Lord’s tomb. It gives little room for shall we say dalliances - plus the types I tend to meet are either undead, or trying to kill me. Or both.”

“So, let’s get to work..”

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"If it doesn't turn into an all-you-can-kark buffet, you aren't doing it right." She grinned. "Then again, who says you have to be prim and proper to enjoy that sort of thing?" A smile crossed her lips as she eyed over Maja. "What level of telekinetic abilities are you capable of using? You might have an easier time moving some of these carts around than the men I'm currently using."

After all, they could then be redirected to other, more important things.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja smiled at Enigma's directness. "I have a grasp of the basics. Time seems so...fluid that sometimes I'm never quite sure what I can achieve and when. But Telekinesis is one I can safely say is within me. I can't pull a ship out of the sky, but I can manage a couple of tons without too much bother."

"Just point me in the right direction."

[member="Enigma"]