One big dysfunctional family (PM First/Invite)

[Cat Van-Derveld]

Onboard the Devourer's Herald​

Orbit above Exocron​

Moross Crusade Space​

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The Ardent-class Fast Frigate, emblazoned with Moross Crusade markings, hung in geostationary high orbit above the Crusade's Capitol. The ships compliment of fighters was out patrolling, awaiting the arrival of their guests. On the Bridge, Cat Van-Derveld, a Morossi Disciple trained in the ways of the Sith, stood silently, gazing out into the darkness of space. His reverie was short lived, however.​

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"Sir, we're picking up a ship that just dropped out of Hyperspace. Fighters are moving to investigate."​

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"No need, Captain. It's them. Tell the fighters to escort them to Hangar bay one."​

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"Of course, sir."​

Cat reached out through the Force, his consciousness brushing against the Dark Signature which occupied the Skipray that made its way toward them.​

​

What took you so long, old man? he sneered, clearly amused.​

​

It had been a long time since Cat had seen his brother, or half brother if you wanted to get technical. The Sith Master had been the one to teach Cat how to harness the latent gifts within him, gifts that he would soon pass on to the young Acolyte that stood beside him. Though her formal training had yet to begin, his would be an interesting scenario to put Auswyn in. He had no doubt she would handle it with finesse, as she had on Nar Shaddaa a week or so earlier, prior to him bringing her into the fold. She held great potential, both as a Acolyte of the Crusade and an Apprentice. He had heard that Ket was bringing a companion or two with him, neither of whom Cat had met, which presented more interesting opportunities.​

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"Come, my dear... Let us go and greet our guests."​

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With that, Cat turned on his heel and made his way to the turbolift that would take them down to the hanger deck, knowing Auswyn would follow.​

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[member="Auswyn Nothrael"]
[member="Ket Van Derveld"]
[member="Curupira Hawk"]
[member="Marek Starchaser"]

​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

The view from the empty cockpit of The Deceased Star was nothing more than streaks of light as it flew through hyperspace, beams of light whipping past as the ship cruised along it's predetermined path. Farther back in the repurposed cargo hold, Ket Van Derveld was buttoning up a sleeveless black leather shirt, lost in thought. The message that had found it's way to him through very unusual means was troublesome. Whilst he thought there was always a chance of his brother showing up out of thin air, it wasn't the brother he'd expected. He'd thought Cat long since dead in aeons past. His own twisted mind almost refused to believe it could be real, the message. Yet, something in the blood urged him on to see if it was true. One arm slid into a long, floor length leather coat, then the other. He adjusted the lapels along with those of the shirt he wore under it, cursing a bit under his breath. He'd long considered shirts an annoyance, and rarely ever wore them. Still, that would be the least of his problems should this be anything other than what it seemed to be. But occurrences like this rarely were as they seemed.

Black leather pants creaked a bit as he made his way to the small armory but a few feet away. He took a pair of identical lightsaber hilts, and slid one up each sleeve of his coat until he heard the familiar *click* of his spring loaded forearm holsters. He then took his slugthrower from the rack, checked the clip, and slid it into the thigh holster, snapping it secure. He then closed his eyes a moment as he could hear the faint whisper slither across the current of the darkside...

What took you so long, old man?​

Whilst it was typical of his his brother spoke, he still reserved his judgement for now. Those like him didn't get this far down the line by being careless. He took everything with a grain of salt. A.C.A.A. His own personal motto. A$$ Covered, All Angles. Calling out to Curupira and Marek, he spoke with a solemn tone that was reserved only for times when seriousness was the only course of action.

"I'd suggest you both get ready, as we are about to dock. Our mysterious host awaits us."

He'd have preferred to come alone, but he knew full well Curupira would disapprove of being left behind, and Marek needed the experience this encounter would provide regardless of it's outcome. He walked with purpose to the cockpit, and sat himself down in the pilot's seat, taking the ship out of hyperspace. A rather standard message blinked out across his monitor, and he took the Star into the Frigate's main docking bay rather slowly...


[member="Auswyn Nothrael"]
[member="Cat Van-Derveld"]
[member="Curupira Hawk"]
[member="Marek Starchaser"]

 

[Corey's OOC]

Speeding about the galaxy with [member="Ket Van Derveld"] and [member="Curupira Hawk"] was nothing short of interesting. Marek was starting to get the hang of it, even if he did miss his own ship. Sure the Dark Tide and Vagrant Wind were larger than the Deceased Star and while the blastboat was sleek, and just anything he would ever need, Marek missed his own ships. Maybe it was the insurance of them existing, and him having the controls. For now, he was going to take the lessons as they came, and be out of the way when they weren’t coming.

Still, something was up. They were going to see someone from Ket’s past, or something. That was what he thought he gleaned, from words spoken, and the like. Surviving the on the rim and in the business world taught him to be vigilant. Still, he heard his Master calling out to him.

Making sure he was ready? Right. Marek grabbed his slugthrower pistol, the one built from the lightsaber of an ancient Starchaser, the only family heirloom he had, with the gold crystal in the wooden grip, and slug it to his hip holster. He didn’t grab a rifle, wouldn’t need it here, and instead, hung the orange bladed saber from the hip opposite the pistol. He really needed to make a trip to Yanibar, maybe he could talk his current company into that. It would help him, get a discblade, a weapon from every phase of his learning.

Adjusting his leather jacket over the black shirt he wore, and checking the remainder of his outfit out, dark washed denim pants, and black military boots, he nodded. It’d do. Not that he was here to break hearts. He was hear to learn, and not look like a complete push over.

[member="Auswyn Nothrael"]
[member="Cat Van-Derveld"]

 

[Curupira Hawk]

Curupira glanced up from her seat as Ket passed through the Weapons Compartment. She was already ready, holding one of her two slugthrowers in her hands. Ket called their host mysterious but the redhead was actually a tad bit nervous though she wasn't sure why that was. It wasn't like she'd never met people from any of their pasts. Even her sister-in-law had bared witness to their claiming ceremony.

But since her mate had pointed out they were ready to dock, Curupira adjusted herself in her seat and returned the slugthrower to where she held them behind her chair. She wasn't going to bring either of the two weapons with her.

Remaining seated, the female felt the Skipray Blastboat slowing down and without her realizing, her fingers began to drum against her covered knee, waiting for the ship to come to a full stop.

[member="Ket Van Derveld"] | [member="Marek Starchaser"] | [member="Cat Van-Derveld"] | [member="Auswyn Nothrael"]

 

[Auswyn Nothrael]

Guests? Her curiosity was piqued and she could ask, but the answer would come in its own time, a time that drew steadily closer as she followed along, her softly swaying gait keeping her only a portion of a pace behind him, to the right. Her low-heeled boots tapped a measured cadence on the deck plating, and deep brown eyes fixed on his back for more moments than they did on what was ahead in the passageways. She spent a great deal of time listening to him, whether he spoke or not, watching him whether his attention was on her or otherwise, which she had done from the moment that his presence and the reacquisition of clarity in her mind had intersected - nay, perhaps even before that, blood drawn from him at the very moment of their first meeting, regardless of the how or why and...

...a shudder of mild pleasure caught in her throat, and she breathed it out. Though her mental and physical state sometime a week previous on Nar Shaddaa had been beyond her control which was profoundly unsettling, the way it all played out lessened the disturbance. The fight to regain the ultimately tenuous stability was expected. This strength, the surety of unrelenting faith in his gods that he brought to her, gods she was now aching to comprehend, as if hydration had been denied her for longer than was safe... this was not expected. Never. She had been in the circumstance of clinging to kill after kill for what was at most an intermittent clarity for so long that it had become routine, and that routine would break when the ingrained motions of habitual murder mounted, shrilled, and were not sated.

It seemed to be something he knew would happen. There were many things this one seemed to know, and it was the first time since Father that a man, that any had been able to capture the whole of her attention and devotion so easily. Faith and devotion were the pieces missing from her life, all these years. There was direction, now, there was a place for the avid fixation of zealotry that she wore so well.

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[member="Cat Van-Derveld"] | [member="Curupira Hawk"] | [member="Ket Van Derveld"] | [member="Marek Starchaser"]​

 

[Cat Van-Derveld]

As they arrived in the hangar, just in time to see the Blastboat float slowly to its rest, the Sith Knight looked back at his apprentice. Reaching out and laying a hand upon her shoulder, he gently pulled her forwards so that she stood directly beside him. His bright blue eyes stared deep into hers, the rich brown colour standing out against the paleness of her flesh and making him smile.

"I did not take you from that life to stand in my shadow, Auswyn... remember that. Erebos smiled the day I found you; it would be an insult to him if I did not teach you how to serve him with pride."

His gaze turned back to the Blastboat, just in time to see their guests emerge from within the vessel.

"Legend says my brother killed a planet once. Sat on the surface of its moon for months and slowed its rotation until it stopped dead... and tore itself apart," Cat said quietly, his voice tinged with amusement, "Though whether or not the legend is true, I never determined. He is strong with the Dark Side of the Force, favored by the Aesir whether he knows and believes it or not. It was him who taught me the ways of the Force, just as I shall teach you. One day, you will surpass us both, but let us not dwell on the future at the expense of the present. Come, my dear."

Walking forward with slow, deliberate steps, Cat came to stand in front of his brother and his companions, his signature smirk present on his face. As he moved, the long black coat he wore shifted, revealing the hilt of his lightsaber and wicked looking dagger hanging from each hip.

"By the Gods, the years have not been kind to you, have they, Brother?" He teased, before dropping into a low bow, "It is good to see you again. It has been far too long. Let me introduce my new Apprentice, Auswyn Nothrael. A devoted servant to the Moross Crusade, to our Gods and to me. Auswyn, this is my older half-brother, Ket Van-Derveld, also known as Darth Ahroun, and his companions who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting."

[member="Auswyn Nothrael"] [member="Curupira Hawk"] [member="Marek Starchaser"] [member="Ket Van Derveld"]

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

Heavy footfalls echoed within the rather small hangar as thick-soled boots thudded across the now lowered entry ramp of the Star. Making his way down to the deck, Ket's sapphire eyes went wide a moment as he looked upon the man standing before him.

"By the Gods, the years have not been kind to you, have they, Brother?"

Even as his brother spoke, that overwhelming sense of disbelief had him tight within it's grasp, choking the life out of him. It had been how long since he'd seen his younger brother? Years? Decades? Months? Centuries? He could not even fathom that his brother was still drawing breath after all this time, yet there he was, in the flesh. Ket made his way closer as Cat bowed to him, introducing his apprentice. In this particular moment, Ket saw only Cat and a blur of nothing. Yet, he could somehow feel it in his very core. This was Cat, his baby brother, the only person he never raised his hand to in his entire life. Slowly, his stone cold demeanor lifted as his lips formed into a genuine smile. Not the menacing kind of grin he was known for, but one of genuine happiness. Reaching out, he grasped Cat by the shoulders, and spoke in what could be considered a normal voice, at least for Ket, anyhow.

"By the Force, Cat... It's really you. I'd thought you long dead by now..." He said, closing his eyes, shaking his head lightly with a content chuckle. Looking back up, he furrowed his brow a bit. "If you ever go letting me think you died again, I'll kill you." Ket winked, and looked to Cat's apprentice. His face almost instantly snapped back into that mad devil-may-care grin. "It's a pleasure to meet me, I'm sure."

Realizing he was not alone once more, he motioned to the stunning redhead standing to his right. "This is my mate, Curupira D'arr Hawk. My wife, if you will. The rather confused looking scoundrel there is Marek Starchaser, my apprentice. Ruu, Marek... This is Cat. Cat Van Derveld, my baby brother."



[member="Auswyn Nothrael"] [member="Curupira Hawk"] [member="Marek Starchaser"] [member="Cat Van-Derveld"]

 

[Corey's OOC]

Right, family reunions. Marek Starchaser tried to avoid those as best he could. His family had a long history with the Imperial military, so much so that he knew it could be traced back to working alongside Palpatine and Grand Admiral Thrawn. Yes, that long. And dark side? That was their side. He was working for the Confederacy, but he was still working for a greater goal. It wasn’t like he could just avoid getting involved in galactic conflict, like he preferred to do.

But still, he was doing his best to learn from this new Master, [member="Ket Van Derveld"], trying to focus his Force powers and learn more. From the Sith, of course. When he and [member="Curupira Hawk"] were introduced, he nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, both.” He said, indicating [member="Cat Van-Derveld"] and [member="Auswyn Nothrael"].

This was so not his place.

Business meetings were one thing, but here? How was he supposed to act? Challenge the other apprentice?

 

[Curupira Hawk]

As soon as the Deceased Star was all settled in and [member="Ket Van Derveld"] was on his way out, Curupira was chipper on her feet, following right after. She would have asked her mate about this meeting but the new voice made her focus on the face that came with it, her lips remaining perfectly still.

Brother? Her gaze widen at the sound of a familiar word so rarely used in her presence again, the face of the young woman much as it was in her childhood at the sound of planned adventures. The word had made her heart joyfully skip a beat but her golden eyes merely kept watching the man that had spoken it, studying his face. Ket had a brother. And she was meeting him. As the man kept talking, no mention of his own name... which was okay for the time being, he introduced a female at his side. @Auswyn Nothreal, his Apprentice. Moross member and devoted to their gods and him... Gods? What gods? She let the thought linger in her mind, curious. Her people had gods, though they weren't really gods per say and yet they were. It was confusing. Curupira never quite understood it.

Cat! His name was Cat! Curupira smiled, finally learning what she could call her newly found brother-in-law. Ket. Cat. She could get used to the short similar form of names that so far ran in the family.

The redhead grew a tad bit impatient while Ket spoke to the other female, waiting quietly... something she was not all that accustomed to doing. When finally her mate remembered to finish up introductions, she saw him motion towards her, introducing her. Ket kept talking, introducing Marek as well while Curupira bit her corner of her lower lip, still waiting. Then finally it came, he introduced his baby brother to them.

"Hi! Please call me Ruu, Cat! So nice to finally meet you!" Okay, yeah, so she'd never heard of the other Van Dervelds though she did assume they were out there or were... Ket did not just appear out of nowhere (even though it seemed he kind of did...) so he had to have parents and he probably a siblings or two that were not her sister-in-law. And now she was finally meeting one. And her voice did not hide at all just how excited she was right now. She didn't however forget the other presence as well, her golden gaze shifting to the female to whom she smiled. "Hello! You can call me Ruu too."

[member="Cat Van-Derveld"] | [member="Marek Starchaser"]

 

[Auswyn Nothrael]

She could say that she could learn just as much from him, about him, by watching the rear of him. Watching his rear was otherwise perverse entertainment that she simply could not help but indulge in. The life she had led, the life he had lifted her up out of, lent itself to this kind of watching, among others. The other part was, yes, that. The deference, never equal, yet always faithful. This man was not her father. The dots connected, this said certain things about her past and that particular relationship.

A smile cracked on her face, almost matching his own, her eyes making tiny dartings, searching the ones that stared back at her. This Cat. This tether, that he was.

"Of... of course. Yes," she breathed, just above a whisper, the fanaticism heavily woven into her voice as fingers of hers slid over the forearm at her shoulder for but a moment, slipping off and away after the short contact, "anything less would be... unfortunate."

He turned, she turned, and they watched the blastboat divulge its occupants - her silent, as the tether, the one she was permitted to call master spoke with a sort of reverence, of a brother, of the favour of the Aesir, of the future, and what might be. There was nothing so important as the present, in conclusion, and she came along at his insistence.

My dear. My dear. My dear.

She watched mannerisms, interpersonal relations, the way they conversed, and listened to the particulars of their words. A study, always at study, gathering information, examining, dissecting - until spoken of, and spoken to. She broke from her fixative gatherings, to smile, and roll her eyes as one would expect, at the kind of words that tended to draw out that very response -

"It's a pleasure to meet me, I'm sure."

- it was an attitude, a demeanor she had encountered more than once... but Cat. But Cat, what he said of this one? She couldn't 'touch'. She wouldn't 'touch'. This brother felt like to her as if it would be unwise to consider.

“A pleasure to meet you, both.”

Guests, yes. They were guests. Not at all for consideration. How long would it take... or would it ever be that she would stop reducing every new face presented to her down to whether she could succeed in freeing them of their mortal shackles. Whether she could sufficiently feel their blood on her skin in the process. Would it ever stop? Did she want it to? She tipped her head, in polite response, to the one called 'Marek'.

Nice to look at. Hm.

Her dark-haired head canted to one side, taking a momentary interest in the other apprentice, until once again, she was spoken to, her dark eyes pulled away to the only other woman in the vicinity.

"Hello! You can call me Ruu too."

Red hair, very pretty... but she had never had any use for the same sex. But she was nice to look at, too, for what it was worth, and she took in the face, and connected it to 'Marek', and 'Ket'.

Wife, apprentice, brother. Brother, wife, apprentice.

"Hello, Ruu," she said, finally.

Was this what siblings were? She... she thought. No, there had never been any for her. She was certain.

[member="Cat Van-Derveld"] | [member="Curupira Hawk"] | [member="Ket Van Derveld"] | [member="Marek Starchaser"]​