Duel Respect the Crossroads

[Sycorax Laveaux]

It was the middle of a weekday. The halls of Oridin City Hospital on Fondor were bustling as usual, with doctors and nurses hurriedly moving from room to room.

A blond man dressed in scrubs walked with purpose down the corridor, carrying a tray of syringes. He deftly sidestepped a cleaning droid scrubbing the floor, then dodged a doctor jogging in the opposite direction, the hem of her white lab coat flapping behind her like a cape. They were in the ICU, where patients in critical condition were housed.

The man continued to make his way toward his destination: Room 1212, where the Senator of Dahrtag was being kept. Upon arriving at the door, he hesitated, glancing around him to see if anyone else was watching. Only then did he raise a hand to knock.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Then, a darkly dressed form turned the corner.

Alicio had been to Fondor only sparingly since it began officially hosting the Alliance capital. He'd helped Orso and his other aides get settled into new apartments, prepared his office for how he would want it in his sparse visits. He liked Fondor well enough, and couldn't deny it's strategic importance... but a large part of him considered Coruscant of all places as a home. Being away from it for senate meetings felt off-putting, strange.

Not that he spent much time here. Nearly all of his meetings since the move had been by holo.

But then, he heard of Sycorax, a questionable ally of his, being admitted into intensive care. She was stable enough for visitors, thank the Force, so Alicio decided to offer a meeting, under the pretense of business. Why he chose this day, at this time, of all the days and times, he couldn't say. It just felt... important, to be here now.

"Hello," Alicio said, giving the apparent doctor or nurse a shaded smile. "I think I have an appointment here."

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

The blond man’s eyes darted toward the figure approaching from his left, taking in his dark-clad appearance and youthful face. “I didn’t know the Senator was receiving visitors,” he said.

He didn’t recognize Alicio Organa—not everyone cares about the Alderaanian royal family—but he did take note of the fine clothing the visitor wore and the context of such a visit. This was someone rich and probably important.

Just then, the door opened. Immediately a cloud of earthy scent assailed them, the smell of herbs and spices present where one would expect a more antiseptic odor. A tall, thin bodyguard with white hair cut in a flattop style loomed in the doorway, flanked by two other bodyguards. He took a moment to glance between the two, before he stepped aside to let them in.

The blond man’s gaze was momentarily drawn to the floor, his expression showing the slightest surprise. Of course she had her hospital room blessed. Why hadn't he considered that beforehand?

Once a person crossed the threshold, the spell would take effect. The Force could still be felt inside the room, but it was harder to reach, as though the distance between the physical and the spiritual realms had substantially increased. Calling upon it would require more effort, to say nothing of its effect on Force-imbued objects.

Hesitating, the blond turned to Alicio and plastered on a polite smile. "I don't think she'll want me taking her blood while you're here. You go on in, I'll come back later."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"She is," he said, briefly wondering at the blond's surprise. Was she in worse condition than he'd been led to believe?

The door opened, and had Alicio not kept an eye on the Future, he may have jumped at the sudden movement. Instead, he looked at the bodyguard, and tried for a pleasant nod. The man stood aside, and the scrubbed individual backed off, leaving Alicio another flitting moment of curiosity, but it passed quickly enough. "Thank you. I'll try not to keep you waiting." The former Count peeked a little further into the future, watching as the hospital worker excused himself. Interesting...

With only the briefest of hesitations, Alicio stepped into the room, feeling an immediate blandness in the tastes of the Force, and deciding not to let it get to him. The Future, which was usually as clear to him as the present, became a distant twinkle in his mind. He braved on regardless, scanning the room, and eventually finding Sycorax.

"Senator," he said, giving the Dahrtag representative a curt bow, wherever she happened to be. "Thank you for receiving me."

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

Like some types of spicy food, Dahrtagian voodoo is one of those flavors that takes a moment to hit you. And when it does, it hits hard. Suddenly you are in the jungle, every sense overwhelmed by heat and humidity, color and noise, the constant pulse of life filling your ears, your body, your soul. That was why the Future felt distant—the present was too immediate, too demanding, all-consuming.

It wasn’t just the protection ward. The Senator of Dahrtag had converted her sterile hospital room into a shrine to the old ways of her homeworld. The walls were completely covered in ancient religious iconography, and every available surface seemed to hold a little statue or symbol representing the loa, surrounded by offerings.

Sycorax was sitting on the bed, looking pale and shrunken but not yet vanquished. Her hair and face were made up in their usual bold, dark manner, and she wore an elegant black dress which, while stylish, only made her wasted body all the more apparent, delicate bones poking through the lace covering her shoulders.

“Hello, Alicio.” Her greeting was deliberately casual and friendly. She seemed to take some small pleasure in offsetting his curtness. After all, she genuinely liked him almost as much as he disliked her. “It’s nice to see you. How have you been?”

---

“Alicio Organa is there. Kill him too.”

The blond man grimaced, pushing aside a mop that had fallen on him. He was hiding inside a storage closet, clutching a handheld holoprojector in his palm. The hooded figure on the projector flickered, the connection poor but safely encrypted.

“Is it really wise to assassinate the King of Alderaan?” he asked.

The hologram shook its head. “It isn't his royal blood that concerns my master. It's his power and influence in the Senate. That thranta-humper is no friend of ours. It would be better if he were gone.”

Sighing, the blond glanced at the half-formed doll he had made. A small sample of Sycorax’s blood would have completed it, and he could’ve finished this job from the comfort of his yacht, plunging a needle through the doll's heart or head. But of course things couldn’t be that simple. "I expect double the pay for two targets. No, triple. He's royalty, after all."

"You'll be richly rewarded." The hologram held up a finger. "Be careful with him. I hear he's a Jedi in all but name."

"He's also currently inside a priest's protection ward."

"Then make sure he never leaves it. I would hate to have to clean up your mess. Byron out."

The hologram disappeared, and the projector began to smoke, a self-destruct mechanism frying its internal components. Tossing what was left of it aside, the blond cracked his knuckles. "Time to do this the old fashioned way..."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

“Hello, Alicio. It’s nice to see you. How have you been?”

There was a beat of silence from the Alderaanian king, as he observed a pale, skeletal Sycorax with shrouded eyes. It was difficult to focus- the pounding of the Force in his ears, the explosion of flavors on his tongue after that initial drain, was proving to be quite the distraction. Not to mention a nagging, persistent worry at the woman's condition.

"I'm fine." He stepped back, leaning on a hip, failing to match Senator Laveaux's casual energy. He didn't often feel fine, but he didn't exactly have grounds to complain. Not while his conversation partner was in the ICU. "The children enjoy Alderaan well enough. They keep pestering our new chefs about making nuna nuggets." A glimmer of a smile appeared and faded, just as quickly. "When we first moved from Coruscant, I'd been thankful the kids would finally grow up somewhere with fresh air. Now... I have more reason to be thankful for our departure."

Under normal circumstances, he would've eagerly returned the question. But not this time. Instead, he looked around, noting the decorations, the religious iconography. He turned to a small statuette, observing it with a curious eye. He didn't reach out, not with his hand, not with the Force.

"What are they?"

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

In response to her question, Alicio regaled her with the minutiae of his private life. Sycorax smiled and nodded as he blathered on about his children and the Organas’ recent move from Coruscant to Alderaan, though she could not relate in the slightest to the domestic tranquility he described.

Afterwards, he didn’t bother to extend the same courtesy and ask her how she was doing. Not that her sorry state wasn’t already apparent—and who actually wants to discuss one’s ailments? But she supposed he meant it as an insult. It was as close as Alicio Organa could get to insulting someone, anyway.

"What are they?"

Her carefully penciled eyebrows rose. It was rare that anyone cared enough to ask about her faith, and if she brought it up, well… “The loa are certain powerful spirits, likened to gods or saints. They can enter our world to ride—er, possess the living, and through them offer advice, admonishments, and healing."

She focused on the specific statue he was looking at. It depicted a kindly old man with a long beard, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and balancing a bindle against one shoulder. “That is Legba. 'The old man who guards the crossroads.' He controls the crossing over from one world to the next, and can be called upon for protection.” Evidently Legba was the point from which the protection ward originated. Or the little statuette was, at least, the carved wood noticeably imbued with the Force.

Sycorax grew somber. “If something happens to me, Alicio, you must be wary of my replacement. She'll be everything I'm not—a sweet talker, with honeyed words and pleasant smiles, easy to get along with. She'll seem like a better person than I am, willing to do all the nice, charitable things I vetoed. But it will all be lies and hidden agendas. You must not fall under her sway." Her eyes narrowed. "Because if you let her undo all of my hard work, I'll haunt your ass."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio could taste the Force in the little statuette. It caused him to pucker his lips, so potent was the flavor. He knew Sycorax was... weary of the Force. It was a little ironic that her way of dampening it required the Force. He knew of other traditions that held similar beliefs. His mood soured at the memory.

Still, the story of the Loa struck a chord with him. It reminded him a little of Alderaan's own religious traditions. Great spirits of myth, able to protect their people with magic. He'd never put much stock in Grimtaash the Molator, but he understood the power of belief, of... shared purpose. The meaning that it gave.

The way Sycorax spoke about her successor... it caused Alicio's eyes to sharpen with thought. "My wife is one of the best healers in the galaxy. And I'm passable, as well." Alicio let a wry smirk through, expecting an abrasive, or perhaps a cheeky reply. He had to offer, regardless. "I would like if you'd let me try to help you."

"...Do you expect to meet him soon, Laveaux?"

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

"My wife is one of the best healers in the galaxy. And I'm passable, as well. I would like if you'd let me try to help you."

“I know how Jedi healing works,” she said. “You’d have to know what’s causing the problem in order to fix it.”

It is impossible to convey in words the anguish of having an illness that confounds the experts, rendering you unable to know what is happening to your own body. Sycorax sounded numb to it all, her tone flat. “The doctors can’t figure it out. Their tests are inconclusive. They say it’s like chasing a moving target.” She spread her hands. Absent the bandages she usually covered them with, their gruesome deformity was on full display. She was missing fingers; the skin of her palms was warped and scarred where it had melted under intense heat. Even her fingerprints had been burned away in the inferno.

“Even if you or your wife could help me, I’d have to leave the protection of the loa for you to do so. That is a risk I can’t afford to take.”

"...Do you expect to meet him soon, Laveaux?"

For several moments, Sycorax said nothing. Then, she gestured to another statuette which occupied its own corner of the room. “There is Erzuli. She is many things, but one of her spheres is good health. Another is hope.” She smiled faintly. “I’ve never had the honor of being possessed by a loa, but if it did happen, I’ve always hoped it would be her.”

There was a knock on the door. Sycorax heaved a sigh, then nodded to her bodyguards. "See who it is."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

The Force could also be used to sense the problem. But Alicio didn't fight her tooth and nail on the point, especially since it was made moot by her second. He didn't understand her insistence to be around the loa, whether it was for religious, or protective reasons. But if there was a chance to even discover the underlying issue... of course, Alicio wanted to take it.

Instead, he allowed his attention to be drawn to another statuette. This one, a being embodying hope. Alicio allowed his faint smile to mimic Sycorax's, though he couldn't quite banish a growing sorrow in his heart. "I... hope you get that chance, too." He didn't understand entirely what getting possessed by the loa meant, but if it were to happen, Alicio figured being possessed by hope wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Not paying much mind to the knock at the door, Alicio continued his questions, stepping a little closer to her bedside, unperturbed by the nasty, melting burns on her arms. "Why is it risky, to be without them?"

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

Erzuli was depicted as a beautiful woman, mid-dance, with long hair and a flowing, feminine dress. There was evidently more to her than just health and hope, but her role in the room was protective, like Legba.

"Why is it risky, to be without them?"

Sycorax’s smile was thin. “You saw for yourself the sort of enemies I’ve made. Werdegast may not have the Force, but he employs those who do. Do you remember the young man who stood next to him in the mausoleum, the one with the colorful cloaks?”

Werdegast got the attention of one of his enforcers. "If he tries to follow through on his idiotic threat, take care of him. But don't kill him outright. He smells delicious, and I'm calling dibs."

“His name is Byron Devorak. He’s a bocor, a sorcerer. They have powers that even the Sith wouldn’t dare to dream of.”

Her bodyguard opened the door. Outside stood the same blond from earlier, still sheepishly holding his tray. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “The doctor is insisting you have bloodwork done as soon as possible.”

Sycorax heaved a sigh. She had been poked and prodded so much as of late, you would think the doctors would've had enough samples of her to last a lifetime. "Very well. Let's get this over with."

The blond entered and the bodyguard slid the door shut behind him. Another one of the bodyguards, an aquatic alien, watched him as he crossed the room. Round fish eyes suddenly widened. "Gun!" he hissed, reaching for the blaster at his hip.

Too late. The blond drew his concealed weapon first, firing a spray of silenced bolts at the guards.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio found a grim frown. So, Sycorax's home had it's own dark Force traditions. He crossed his arms, conceding defeat, and none the happier for it. "I remember him. I... understand."

The doctor from before was allowed inside, and again, Alicio paid him little mind, save for a small, acknowledging nod. Alicio turned back to Laveaux, a quiet discomfort in his eyes. "Regardless, I find it difficult to accept-"

There was a subtle taste in the air, past the spices and distractions. Quiet, but there- if he weren't so specialized in his precognition, he would have never felt it. Danger.

Alicio wheeled around, just in time to watch the blond man spray the guards. Not waiting to see the result, the king of Alderaan hefted the first thing he could get his hands on- a non-attuned, metal statue- and threw it dead center at the would-be assassin. The area was bathed in dark blue as Introspect was lit, and Alicio positioned himself in front of his fellow senator's bed, taking up a defensive pose.

Would he be able to deflect blaster bolts in this room? He wasn't sure, but he was more than willing to try.

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

The beginnings of a smirk were already curling Sycorax’s mouth, a coy response prepped and ready to leave her lips. But then she saw by the look on Alicio’s face that something was wrong, and her little smile faded.

Before she could ask what, Gill cried out that the phlebotomist who was there to draw her blood actually had a gun. One of the blond's automatic blaster bolts hit the fishman in the arm, sparing his life but preventing him from firing his gun in defense of his boss. The other two guards hit the floor to escape the spray.

Both reached for their weapons, but the one over by the door, Karl, was faster. He drew his pistol and fired at the assassin, who used the metal tray full of syringes he had been carrying as a shield. The shot blackened the surface of the tray, but failed to penetrate the metal.

At the same time Alicio grabbed the metal statuette and chucked it at the blond, the second guard tried his shot. The assassin moved out of the way to avoid the former, and wound up dodging the latter as well. He fired again, his aim more precise, hitting both of the formerly uninjured guards. Then he turned toward Sycorax.

Alicio stood in the way, his lightsaber ignited. The assassin’s eyes widened as he realized that if the Alderaanian were smart—if he did not hesitate—he could dispatch him before he even had a chance to take a shot. His finger pumped the trigger of his overheated blaster, hoping to complete this job before he lost an arm. Or a head.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio no longer hesitated.

He'd had the instinct beaten out of him, long ago.

Seeing the chance to neutralize the target, Alicio took it, pushing off Sycorax's bed to get in close with the assassin. One hand, his left, grasped the barrel of the smoking blaster. He felt the pain of the overheating metal scorching his hand, blistering the skin off his fingers, but paid it no mind, forcing it up and away. Then, came the slash with his lightsaber, a blazingly fast arc of somber blue and cold black.

He was aiming for the killer's hand. But if he struck the arm, or shoulder, or clean through the upper torso...

He would mourn the man's loss. But he would not regret it.

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

When Alicio grabbed the overheated barrel of the gun, an energy shield appeared over the blond’s body in response to the physical contact—only to sputter and crackle. The generator hidden at his waist was malfunctioning at the worst possible time. Probably forgot to charge the batteries.

The lightsaber cut through flesh and bone. Howling in pain as his severed arm fell to the floor, the blond lunged forward, headbutting the Alderaanian. He still had one working arm, the gun still in his hand, if he could just get away from Alicio—

The sound of a shot rang out. The blond jolted, taking a half step backwards before collapsing, a hole burned through his middle. Sycorax was still sitting on the bed, smoke rising from the barrel of a holdout blaster clutched in her mangled hand.

“At least we’re in a hospital,” she muttered, pressing the call button. When no one came at the summons, not even a medical droid, she frowned. “Surely the entire staff isn’t in on it?” Now that she mentioned it, everything seemed to have gone eerily quiet.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

There was a flash of alarm as an energy shield encased the assassin- if he had full access to his sight, he could've accounted for it. But a lucky break caused his fist to close around the barrel of the gun, and the slash of his saber was able to puncture it, cleaving his arm off.

Alicio assumed that would be the end of it, but the man kept fighting. Alicio felt his nose snap against the man's forehead, and blood immediately sprang from his face. Thankfully, Sycorax was quick to put an end to the encounter.

Ignoring the splitting pain in the middle of his face, Alicio peeled back the synth-skin of his mechanical hand, revealing a hidden comm device within. He spoke a single word in Shi'idese. Two blips of sound accompanied his call. He frowned, seemingly having forgotten his split nose. Miraculously, perhaps annoyingly, Alicio's voice was unaffected by his broken schnoz. "Only my shuttle guards are responding. I had two in the building with me."

Alicio examined the hospital bed, then Sycorax herself. "We should move. I doubt he was working alone."

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

"Only my shuttle guards are responding. I had two in the building with me."

"Then your comms aren't being jammed." Something was very wrong here.

Sycorax hauled herself out of bed, treading carefully around the body of the dead blond. She didn’t recognize him, but she could guess who he was working for. “I didn’t plan to drag you into another run-in with Werdegast's people,” she remarked to Alicio. “My apologies.” Offering him a box of tissues, she added, “Thanks for the help.”

"We should move. I doubt he was working alone."

Sycorax agreed, of course, but there was a problem. Of her three guards, two had been severely injured. Gill was in immense pain, clutching his burnt arm, while Karl had been shot in the leg and couldn't stand up, let alone walk. "Leave me," Karl groaned. "I'll only slow you down."

"And lose my best sniper?" She shook her head. There was a hoverchair by the bed meant for her use. Sycorax and Erik, who had received only a grazing wound to his shoulder, helped Karl into it.

Before leaving, she grabbed the statuette of Legba and held it under her arm—one last safeguard against whatever awaited them. "Will you be going to your shuttle?" she asked Alicio. She did not expect him to bring her and her men along.

---

Byron Devorak scowled as he sensed the failure of his assassin. As soon as he learned of Alicio’s presence, he had a feeling this mission was fubar. But he still had faith in his student. Misplaced faith, it would seem.

Byron would have killed Sycorax himself, but the idea of finishing her off while she lay wasting away in the ICU filled him with chagrin. After all these years, it wasn’t one of his poisons or spells that was killing her. No, it was some mysterious illness that the doctors couldn't figure out, a random act of cruel fate. Had she been healthy, he would have considered her a worthy opponent. But now…

It did not matter now. The man he had sent to dispatch her was dead; he would have to take matters into his own hands. Though he was miles away, teleporting to the hospital was the matter of a moment. One second he was aboard his ship; then, with the telltale snap of his cloak, he was standing in the middle of a sterile white hallway. A passing nurse shrieked at the sight of him emerging amid a puff of dark smoke like some macabre magician. He raised a hand to silence her. “You work too hard,” he intoned. “All work and no play makes the galaxy a dull place. You must stop to dance every now and then.”

She did as he commanded. In fact, everyone in the hospital stopped what they were doing and started to dance uncontrollably, caught up in Byron’s spell. It would last only half an hour, but that was plenty of time to do what needed to be done.

Smirking to himself, he swept down the hall. Up ahead, he could sense the protections laid by the Master of Cerements in Sycorax's room. Bloody priests were always getting in his way. But he was stronger than the lot of them, and cleverer too. Channeling the Force, he sought to undo the wards.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

“My apologies.” Offering him a box of tissues, she added, “Thanks for the help.”

There was a beat of confusion, before Alicio seemed to realize his nose was flooding with blood. The former Count took the box, clearing his nose as much as he could. "I'm glad I'm here to help." As the guards busied themselves with putting one of their own in the hoverchair, he finished up tending to himself, frowning briefly at the odd buzzing pain that flared whenever he touched his face, now.

"Will you be going to your shuttle?"

"We will." The nobleman sent the Senator from Dahrtag an imperious stare. They would all be coming with him. No room for discussion.

Stepping out into the hallway first, Introspect deactivated in his hand, Alicio was suddenly mugged by the Future once more. The malaise of Dahrtagian magick faded, and the world was once again clear to him. And that meant... "Your protections have unraveled. We need to hurry."

Alicio ushered everyone out of the room as best he could, spying into the Future with urgency. He felt immense danger. He would need to be prepared for wherever it came from. The beginnings of a plan was forming in his head, but it would take more time to formulate.

- Sycorax Laveaux -

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

Sycorax still clung to the statue even though its power had been nullified. Blind to the Force, she was none the wiser. She believed in the power of the loa.

Pushing Karl along, they opened the door and crept out into the abandoned hallway. “Lead the way,” Sycorax whispered to Alicio, falling into step behind him with her guards flanking her.

---

The slightest sound could startle this group. Byron followed them, his cloak hiding him from their sight. Like a sadistic poltergeist, he gleefully made noises that seemed to come from all directions. A fallen syringe here, a shattered bottle there. Alicio might sense the next one coming, but he couldn’t feel the bocor’s presence. The cloak obscured him in the Force as well.

“What the feth?” he heard Gill’s agitated hiss as the group’s progress was ground to a halt. Byron suppressed a laugh as the fishman’s webbed fingers twitched over the handle of his blaster, itching to pull the trigger on whatever was causing the commotion.

"It's Byron," Sycorax whispered gravely. "He's toying with us."

Oh, come on. She had ruined the surprise. It was just as well. Byron was just starting to grow bored. He advanced upon the five, soundless feet closing in. Killing Alicio first was his best bet. Get the Force User while you have the drop on him. Byron drew his dagger. No one saw as he walked past, invisible, a faint gust of displaced air making goosebumps rise on their skin before his knife came down…

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

That was Alicio's advantage, over the average Force-wielder.

Some just sensed danger, but not it's source. Some read their opponent's intentions, and that was how they kept up in preternatural battles. But Alicio didn't need to sense his opponent. He just knew what would happen, and planned accordingly. He saw the knife-wound in the future, though only just.

It was time for one of Alicio's favorite maneuvers. Getting stabbed on purpose.

Turning on a dime, Alicio's hand came out, palm out. The knife sank into the synthflesh, cutting through electronics and his hidden communicator. With calculated precision, Alicio twisted his hand to lurch the dagger from it's hidden hand, his other hand coming up in a swooping motion.

He tried to sweep the invisible man up in a wave of telekinetic energy, and force him into the ceiling, holding the magician in place. "There!" Alicio shouted, as Byron's body (hopefully) made an indent on the soft tiling, the perfect target blaster bolts.

Alicio's lightsaber ignited then, preparing for the Future. It was unlikely this plan would work. But it might buy him some time.

- Sycorax Laveaux -