Private Rebellious

[Kyyrk]

Kata'asaqua. The first of the Ascendant Colonies. Founded not long after the Ascendancy had arrived in the Expanse, and successful enough that the Ascendancy had given the green light to several other colonization initiatives. Some whispered that it was because of its leader, Melina Verd . Others argued that it was by sole fact of who Melina was related to. To some, it was a boon. To others, a hazard. To Kyyrk? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that the Ascendant Princess was in danger of facing rebellion. Kyyrk mused to himself quietly. Was her official title Princess? Would she respond to such a claim? Or was she the kind of child to live on her own merits?

Kyyrk could sort all that out once he hit landfall. He'd only met the girl in passing a few times in the past. Each of them as an apprentice of Srina Talon . Now that he was a Primarch himself, his reputation and the rumors around him grew exponentially. A man with no history, no accolades, and only a couple years of training, and he was named as yet another right hand of Darth Metus . Kyyrk was sure that fact would raise some eyebrows in the halls of Kata'asaqua. But then, Kyyrk knew that Metus didn't have the closest relationship with all his children. Such was not a pressing concern to him now. All that mattered was lending his aid in quelling the rebellion.

Kyyrk's shuttle sank into the atmosphere, heralding the arrival of the Primarch. He did not travel with a large battlegroup, but he did not need to. Wherever Kyyrk was, the Star Legion was never far behind. It was a silent threat to some. But a silent promise to others. Kyyrk placed the datapad he'd been reading on the seat beside him, standing as the shuttle began its final approach. Kyyrk was clad in his usual black battlesuit, but he had chosen to forgo his helmet this time. It hung from his belt, beneath the two large lightsabers that adorned his back. As the boarding ramp extended, Kyyrk stooped to exit the shuttle, eyes squinting against the harsh light of the sun. Now that he'd arrived, his work could begin. And with any luck, he wouldn't have to get involved. Not directly, anyway... ​

Melina Verd

 

[Melina Verd]

Melina expected a normal day, or as normal as it could get with the unrest dwelling quite literally at her doorstep. The public address she had given a few days prior satisfied the populace for now, but they had become less like a slumbering silkat and more like a resting marr-lion. Neither was especially a good thing to be, but at least a silkat could be domesticated.

Even so, she felt that she could handle this on her own. She had known these people for almost seven years, been through everything with them. It was her who lifted them out of the turmoil that she found them in and it was her who would lift them out of their unease. She wouldn't need the help of anyone else, least of all her father or any of his minions he called Primarchs.

She turned in her chair to face the balcony window, absorbing the midday sun and how its light refracted through the translucent glass. She could almost make out the mountains from here, which confused her as the mountains were never visible from here. No, those weren't mountains. They were moving. She stood from her chair and opened the doorway set into the glass.

Are you kidding me? As she walked out to the balcony extending from her office, she saw the shuttle landing in the courtyard. It bore the insignia of the Ascendancy, no doubt someone sent to oversee a "solution" to her problem.

"Watch the primroses!" She exclaimed, but it was too late. The ship had already crushed the life out of them. She fell to her knees, leaning against the marble balcony railing. She could almost hear the violins playing the concerto for their demise.

Gathering herself, she stormed downstairs and out the rear doors into the courtyard. As Kyyrk walked out of the shuttle, she ran toward him as quickly as she could on heels. "How dare you!" She started throwing slaps and punches at the man who seemed entirely unphased by them, but she continued nonetheless. "Those primroses cost more than your shuttle on this planet! You'd better replant them yourself!"

Kyyrk

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk paused in visible confusion. Primroses? Then it dawned on him. He turned back to his ship slowly, eyes narrowing as he glared at the pilot. Why in the name of every deity known to the galaxy had he landed in a courtyard? Was the landing pad full? Too busy? Kyyrk's pilot glanced out, and noticed the death glare. The kind of glare that made the pilot realize that perhaps piloting wasn't for him after all. Kyyrk turned his attention back to the young princess who was currently assailing him for his pilot's lack of discretion. Certainly the least impressive of Metus's children so far.

"Magni Verd." Kyyrk distinctly chose not to use a title associated with her family. But rather the chosen title of those ruling the crownlands. "It warms my heart to hear that you are focused upon the important things." His biting sarcasm was quite telling of his mood. He knew that he wouldn't be welcomed with open arms, but being attacked over a flowerbed? His opinion of the young ruler was already QUITE colored. "I trust your handling of the unrest rivals that of your flowerbed?" Kyyrk turned his head slightly as a small owl settled onto his shoulder, beak clacking quietly. Melina didn't know what it meant, but Kyyrk did.

Were he human, Horace would be rolling on the ground laughing. Kyyrk wished he could find the situation as amusing, but alas, he was in no mood for such jest. "I am here to render aid in whatever means necessary. Though if your tone does not improve, Magni, I may see fit to take liberties I would not otherwise." Or in layman's terms, he was willing to play the game her way. But if this was what he was expected to work with, he'd do things his way. Rank be damned, princess or not. "Now, with that out of the way, and assuming your hospitality is not due an improvement, perhaps we had best get to work so that I can get on with the rest of my agenda?" ​

Melina Verd

 

[Melina Verd]

Was that a threat or a warning? It didn't matter. She collected herself either way. "I saved up for those primroses. A lot. That's all." She began walking, gesturing for him to follow. "I apologize for my behavior, the primroses...they remind me of an old friend."

She kept walking in silence for a moment, unsure of if she should elaborate or not. "At any rate, welcome to Kata'asaqua; the Ascendant Prosperity. Here we respect the flow of money." She waited for a moment as they came around the corner of the palace, revealing the view of the city at the foot of the hill it was situated atop of. "I know what you may be thinking: that I posture with talk about the flow of money yet take it from my citizens and spend it on luxury."

She turned to face him. "I can assure you, the only money I see from taxes is spent on my entourage. The rest comes from my enterprise." She turned back toward the path and kept walking. As they crossed the side of the palace and came around to the front, the Triarii stationed at the gates nodded in their direction. She nodded back. "The Triarii, my entourage. They respect me and I respect them." She stopped at the palace doors, turning back around to look down the stairs at Kyyrk , who was positioned beneath her.

"You would do well to take your leave after you enjoy my hospitality." She turned back to the doors and opened them, holding them for him. "I can handle the situation on my own."

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk walked in silence alongside the young monarch. Kata'asaqua. Where they respected the flow of money. He'd seen that before. Images flashed through his mind. The dark Nar Shaddaa nights. The Casino. The Hutts. The Shootout. The one fight that had changed his life. As they walked, Kyyrk's hands clasped at the small of his back, and he looked around at everything...and nothing.

Especially the nothing.

It was as if he could see things that weren't really there. But what he saw? He did not say. His host was speaking, and it would be rude to interrupt her. He listened quietly as she justified her means of living, in spite of him not asking. Curious. When they arrived to the front of the palace, she suggested that his stay be short, and his business quick.

"All due respect, Magni, but my time here is not for me to decide." Kyyrk walked up the stairs after a brief inspection of the Triarii. Though the young monarch held the door for him, he instead took the door from her, gesturing that she should lead the way. "I will remain here until the situation is resolved. Or until more pressing matters arise." He waited until the doors closed behind them, then said into the silence, "I'm not here because of him, you understand."

Kyyrk glanced around the interior, floating by the Magni's shoulder. "Yours is not the first planet to rebel against your father's rule, or your father's governors." Kyyrk glanced at Melina. "I'm not here to solve your problem for you. I'm here to help you solve it. And if that means I take matters into my own hands, then so be it." Kyyrk fell silent for a moment, then turned his attention back to the palace, admiring the grand interior. "I've read the reports, of course, but I never trust second hand information. Bring me up to speed on what's going on." He paused, turning back to Melina. "With any luck, your father will never know I was here." ​

Melina Verd

 

[Melina Verd]

"With any luck, you will let me handle this in peace." She stared daggers at him as she walked past brusquely, headed for the large staircase that flanked either side of the lobby. "Whether my father sent you or not," once again she stopped on the staircase, looking down upon him, "I don't intend to get help, nor do I intend to let you arrest control of my planet for even a moment."

Turning back up the stairs, she kept walking. "I understand why you're here of course. I know you intend to offer your aid and leave as soon as possible, but you might find that this will take longer than a few days. You will also find that, despite my best efforts, my father has eyes and ears everywhere on this planet. In fact, he may already know that you're here." She cringed at the thought. "I also know, in spite of your lack of formal introduction, that you're Kyyrk , one of my father's Primarchs." Was it a difficult deduction to make? No, by no means. But it was basic proof of her competency in these matters, which she hoped would reach him.

As she reached the top of the staircase, she stopped at the railing peering over the lobby. She let out a sigh and returned her gaze to him. "Hopefully you agree that your other matters are more important than a simple matter of unrest?" She would at least offer him her hospitality of course; after all, if he left so quickly, her father might be suspicious.

 

[Kyyrk]

"Unfortunately for you, it's a quiet night in the Ascendancy." Kyyrk walked up the stairs after her, his pace still slow and measured. "I wouldn't take it personal, though." Kyyrk smiled to himself as he glanced back at Melina. "Even I have spies here. Just how we operate. Though I can assure you mine aren't here for you." Kyyrk glanced out a nearby window. "With the Khanate at our doorstep, you can't be too careful."

Ever the general. Ever the warrior. Kyyrk sighed quietly, and turned back to Melina. "Kata'asaqua is a beautiful world. In its own way. And it's clear to me you take pride in it." Kyyrk continued to float at he right shoulder, wherever she may decide to lead next. "But it's concerning to me that you see it as an independent entity from Verun." Kyyrk clasped his hands at the small of his back as they walked.

"There is no shame in relying on one's brothers and sisters for aid. I will say this and no more: Anything you can use to the advantage of your people should be exploited to the fullest extent." It was a suggestion, his tone made that clear enough. He was not there to lecture Melina. But he spoke with an authority that only someone who'd governed a planet himself could speak with. "If you well and truly wish that I would watch from the sidelines, then I can do so." Kyyrk's gaze shifted to look ahead, towards their destination. "If you have something to prove, then by all means, prove it." ​

Melina Verd