Private Shadows of the Fallen

[Caelan Valoren]

Too much had happened since the fall of his parents and reclamation of Lazerian IV from the forces of the Obsidian Syndicate. He'd barely had a chance to sit down and breath aside from a brief trip with his now wife to a tropical planet to get away from her father for a short time. The Queen was currently attending school over in Lazeria City, which meant he had, finally, a little bit of free time to actually see about doing something about the host of events regarding his parent's death and the attack on his Lazerian itself. The only problem was, he wasn't really an investigator, and he didn't know where to begin.

He asked around inside of the Order, and while some were willing to help, the majority pointed him towards a woman named Katarine Ryiah, who was a Jedi that specialized in investigation of crimes and similar situations. If anyone was going to be able to help him hunt down the Syndicate and who had put them up to everything, it seemed it was likely her. For that, he needed to get her to come to Lazerian IV and help. So, he crafted her a letter and sent it posthaste.

Dear Ms. Ryiah,

I am writing to request your assistance in a matter of great import to myself and my kingdom. As you may or may not be aware, my parents were, until recently, the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Devit on Lazerian IV. They were subsequently murdered by the organization called the Obsidian Syndicate who then took over my world. The Alliance helped me to take it back, but this in turn left me with numerous questions as to the events that happened.

I also have discovered some things after the previous events that I dare not put in this letter. If you would assist me, please come to the City of Devit and visit me at the Manse located in the park at the center of the city. Please. I will pay any price.

Sincerely,

King Caelan Aereen Valoren

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

I come home in the morning light​

Location: Manse - City of Devit
Objective: Meet with King
Tags: Caelan Valoren

Dear King Valoren,
I would be honored to help the Kingdom of Devit. I will arrive in two days at the manse. I wish you well until I see you.
Sincerely Master Ryiah​

Katarine hated politics and always had so if you were to ask her if an audience with a king was her idea of fun she'd be quick to tell you to kiss a bantha behind. The woman had been born into nobility and had never lost the grace from such but her childhood had been plagued by a dark Jedi cult killing her parents and taking her out of that life. That in part was why she'd taken this assignment. She knew the horrors Caelan had experienced firsthand and she wanted to help.

She had written back to him to let him know of her arrival and now found herself inside a grand palace fit for.. well a king. She felt out of place in the polished halls but tried not to let it show. Instead she waited peacefully while attendants went to announce her arrival. She imagined a king must be very busy so she did not mind waiting. Her long brown hair, now streaked with white thanks to carbonation sickness, fell past her shoulders as her deep green eyes scanned out the windows. She had never been to this planet but found it to be beautiful. The people seemed happy and well cared for and that said a lot about the rulers of the world. Hopefully she would be able to help in this case so the people could continue to thrive.

 

[Caelan Valoren]

While the Queen was away, Caelan made himself busy reviewing the Kingdoms financial situation. Not that they were in any sort of trouble. Between the regular commerce of the region, menial tax, and the input of sales of goods from both Lazerian BioTech and Lazerian Dynamics, there was no need to worry about things. Business was good to the people of Lazerian IV and their position on a prominent hyperlane certainly didn't hurt things. It wasn't hard to keep them in the black, which allowed him to keep tax levels very low and still keep the crown well-funded.

"Your grace?"

Caelan looked up, and so did Fate, who was perched on his desk and studying the reports along with him. "Yes?"

"Master Ryiah is here to speak with you."

"Oh good! Please show her in and then shut the door. I will need no distractions for the rest of the day at least. This is important crown business."

"Understood, your grace."

He hastily worked on cleaning up his desk with Fate's help. The little droid slid papers his way and he put them back into their respective folders before shoving them into a desk. No sense in troubling her with those things. It was far too obvious a thing, money. Plus they hadn't made any attempt to break into the crown's vault, so he knew that wasn't what they'd been after. In fact, he already knew what they were after, or, rather, what their payment was, but it was the person who'd paid them that had him perplexed.

When the Jedi Master entered, he stood and smiled at her.

"Welcome, Master Ryiah. Thank you for coming. I wish it were under better circumstances that we meet, but these are trying times. Before we start, would you like anything to drink? I have Icebrew available if you'd like. Non-alcoholic, I'm afraid. I'm not one to imbibe."

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

my mother says when you gonna live your life right​

Tags: Caelan Valoren

Katarine was shown to the kings office quickly. She thanked the attendant and then let her deep green eyes fall on Caelan. She knew he was a Jedi of the New Jedi Order, and she even knew he was a padawan but he looked so much younger than what she had been expecting. All of this must have been shoved on him suddenly and that made her heart ache for him.

“It’s nice to meet you King Valoren. Please call me Katarine.” She declined his offer for a drink and the pair of them had a seat, so the meeting could start.

“You said in your message you needed an investigator? I must admit I am not up to speed on the happenings of your kingdom but I did read that you recently joined the Alliance. How may I be of service to you?”

 

[Caelan Valoren]

"If you want me to call you Katerine, I insisted you only call me Caelan," he said in response.

He didn't like getting referred to as your grace, or your highness or anything of that nature as it was, but people liked formality and so he put up with it because he didn't want to offend the people that worked for him. They were all really nice, the ones that hadn't been traitors in disguise, infiltrators sent by the Obsidian Syndicate to make their attack easier. He liked the people who helped him and kept the place functioning, so he felt it best to do as they wished and allow them to refer to him by title.

When she declined his offer of a drink, he waited for her to sit, and then sat himself. Fate pranced over and peered at the Jedi Master, assessing her as he did everyone.

"That's Fate. He has a lot of bearing on everything so I figure you two should meet. He's recorded some of what I think might be important for you to see."

Fate beeped in acknowledgement of what Caelan said. He focused on the investigator, the Jedi Master, sitting across from him.

"Have you ever heard of the Obsidian Syndicate?"

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones​

Tags: Caelan Valoren

Katarine smiled at Fate as the droid inspected her. "It's a pleasure to meet you Fate." The droid seemed to have quit a personality and Katarine enjoyed droids like that. She wasn't the best with the technology of this day and age, but she was getting better and knowing what droids were capable of.

"Have you ever heard of the Obsidian Syndicate?"

This question caught her attention and she frowned. That was a name she hadn't learned in a long long time. She thought back, trying to remember the remarks she'd heard during her days in the underworld. Katarine spent so much time undercover around criminals that she did tend to pick things up.

"I have, but nothing good I"m afraid. If memory serves they were described as child kidnappers."

 

[Caelan Valoren]

The news of them being child nappers was news to him. He didn't know anything of that nature about them. But then, he really didn't know much about them at all, which was the entire purpose of having brought in someone with investigative experience and skills. He needed someone to investigate them and find out more information about them and who was behind what they'd done on Lazerian IV.

"I didn't know that about them," he admitted, frowning. "But that would explain why they might have wanted the empeth crystals."

He cleared his throat and sat back in his chair.

"Sorry, getting ahead of myself. The Obsidian Syndicate embedded itself into various aspects of our worlds government and armed forces and orchestrated an attack which resulted in the murder of my parents, my being forced to flee the world, and the disappearance of my twin sister, Kita. It took some time, but I was able to get the Alliance to help me return and reclaim the planet from them. It's worth noting they really only attacked the three continents controlled by the Kingdom of Devit. Doxeti was left alone. Other than terrorizing the populace, all they did was harvest the mature empeth crystals in the crystal valley. Those crystals allow people to detect individuals with Force sensitivity. I believe someone put them up to this and I'd like to find out who and why."

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

and girls they want to have fun​

Tags: Caelan Valoren

Katarine listened as he described what had happened to his home and his family. She felt grief for him and all that he must have suffered. She had been a baby when she lost her own family so did not really remember her parents, but she knew what it was like to lose a sibling. Instinctively she reached for the dyad connection she held with her twin, but it was empty and barren as it had been since she thawed from carbonite.

"In a situation like this an investigator would usually start one of two places. We would either try to track down the crystals, because those are the physical evidence we have, or we would go to the last known location this syndicate was known to operate and start sniffing around there. I know the Alliance ran the syndicate out of this system. Do you have any reports of dealings on other systems?"

 

[Caelan Valoren]

"I have my suspicions of where to start looking, yes," he said, nodding.

That was part of the reason he was glad to be doing this when he knew his wife wasn't there. He didn't want to hurt her, but he honestly believed her father, and possibly the entire family, were somehow involved with the organization. Maybe not in the sense that they were members of it, but possibly in another way. He still strongly suspected that his arranged marriage to Anavi was orchestrated as another attempt to control him by the hooded figure that he had met in that room beneath the manse.

"I need to show you one more thing before I divulge where I think you should begin looking, though. It's something that happened to me a few months ago. A few months ago when I was only fourteen." He let that sink in for a moment. "I need you to know this information cannot leave this room or it will cause a lot of fallout. There are a few people in the order who know, two Council members and my master." He looked to his droid. "Fate, play the recording you made."

"Bwee-dwoop beep. Bwoo-dweet dwooo-beep!"

Fate played a recording he made of the events in question for her to view and digest.

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

The phone rings in the middle of the night​

Tags: Caelan Valoren

A few months ago when I was only fourteen."

Katarine raised her eyebrow at this, curious about his words. He had to be at least eighteen, nineteen, maybe even twenty now. What happened to make him age so quickly? She felt her heart break a little more for him. She knew what it was like to grow up too fast, and in his case that was literal. He'd already been through so much.

"Here I thought I had the secret to aging weirdly." She smirked at him, her sarcasm not mocking him but her own attempt to lighten the mood with humor. When Kat was anxious she often used humor or sarcasm or flirty wit to dim a situation.

Fate started to play the recording and she let it wash over her senses. First she noted the vault that was damaged and her inquisitive mind questioned what was inside it. Was that what the thieves were after? The robed figure spoke and Katarine narrowed her deep green eyes slightly. She watched until the end, her lips pursed in a thin line as she contemplated what she saw.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Caelan. Your commitment to the Jedi path is honorable given what you have already been through." These were words spoken by a master of the Order, not an investigator. Katarine didn't often spend time in this role these days but it was important to encourage the future generation of the Jedi when possible.

"I assume you want help finding the robed figure? They knew an awful lot about your past so it might be someone close to you. But you said you had an idea where to start?"

 

[Caelan Valoren]

He smiled, just a little bit, at her quip about aging weirdly, but then was silent as she reviewed the recording. His eyes watched it again as well, looking for anything he hadn't picked up on when he'd been there, and the first time he'd reviewed the recording. Nothing stood out as new, though. Just the same as before. A hologram of a man in a cloak, the real Caelan attacking him, him killing him, and the death of all but one of the other clones. It was a morbid scene to watch and he hated to view it.

When it was over, Fate turned off the projector and went back to watching the Jedi Master with curiosity. Perhaps he was gauging her response to what she had just been shown the same as Caelan was. Her response caused him to shrug just slightly.

"In this galaxy there are strange things that happen to people all the time," he said, his hands fidgeting slightly in his lap despite his calm facade. "Everything for me has been odd since my parents were killed. I've learned to make do with it. Besides, having four years to spend alone with nothing but my thoughts kind of helped me come to grips with everything. I don't like it, but it is the way things are, and I must continue to be what my people and the galaxy need me to be."

He tapped Fate on the head and the droid looked at him quizzically.

"Show the planet."

Fate complied and put up a hologram of the planet Kashir.

"It's just a suspicion, but my wife is a princess from the world of Kashir. Her father, Tor-Mak, is the King and arranged for me to marry her. He was extremely insistent even though he honestly didn't get anything from marrying her to me. I'm suspicious this is another attempt at controlling me by the hooded figure. The leadership of Kashir is known to have connections to criminal syndicates, and I'm wondering of the Obsidian Syndicate is one of them. Seems a likely place to start an investigation."

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Tags: Katarine Ryiah

Katarine looked at the planet being shown and nodded as he explained. She had heard of Kashir but had never visited. The planet had a reputation for being full of thieves and pick pockets, which she supposed had more to do with the ties to criminal syndicates than than the actual average citizen.

"I agree that Kashir seems the place to start. I am certain the king may not be happy to see you but he seems like our best lead."

She smiled at Fate, noticing the little droid was still examining her. Katarine had seen a lot of gruesome things in her day so unfortunately she was fazed by very little, but she still wanted to help Caelan.

 

[Caelan Valoren]

"I think it best that I don't go to Kashir with you," he said, sitting back in his seat. "I am too recognizable there and it will hinder your investigation. Tor-Mak and I don't get along well, either, so he'd be agitated if we were to meet with him."

He didn't want anything to interfere with her ability to research the issue at hand. While he certainly did want to be involved, going to Kashir would be fun, he didn't want to show up and draw attention. She'd never be able to get anything done if he was with her. Though he could see how he could be used as a distraction, he also was certain this group was smart enough not to let him or anyone that traveled with him out of their sight. She'd never be able to get anything done with him there.

"I won't be far, though, if you need assistance. I'll take our personal transport and we'll sit outside of the system in case you need assistance."

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Tags: Caelan Valoren

Katarine considered the young king for a moment and then nodded at his decision. He knew the landscape better than she did. perhaps, with his absence, the investigation would proceed more smoothly, allowing her the freedom to focus on the task at hand. Besides Katarine hated politics and the less of it she had to engage in the better.

"I will travel to Kashir then and report back."

After the conversation ended Katarine strode purposefully toward the docking bay, her robes flowing silently with each step. As she reached the ramp of the ship, she gave a brief nod to the captain, who was awaiting her command. "Captain, set a course for Kashir," she said, her voice calm yet firm, betraying the urgency that had been building within her since receiving the mission. The captain, accustomed to her steady demeanor, met her gaze with a sharp nod. "Course set, Master Ryiah," he replied, his hands already moving to execute her orders. Katarine paused for a moment, her gaze drifting to the stars beyond the viewport. There was much to be uncovered on Kashir. As the ship's engines hummed to life, she felt the familiar weight of duty settle upon her shoulders, ready to face whatever challenges awaited them.

 

[Caelan Valoren]

He nodded at what she said and watched as she left, and then sat back in his chair. It was a good feeling, having someone finally looking into the situation behind his marriage to his wife, but mainly behind any potential connection to the people who had killed his parents and tried to kill him. That was the second most important task to him behind finding his sister. Knowing that the people responsible for the deaths of his parents and nearly his own were still out there made it difficult for him to govern effectively.

After she departed, he did the same. The royal transport would take him to deep space not too far away from Kashir. He'd promised her that he wouldn't be far away if she needed his help and he intended to keep his promises. A contingent of fighters would make sure that he was well protected, and they would be ready to head in if she ended up needing them for any reason. He could always call for other support to if they needed it.

She was going alone, but she wasn't truly alone.

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Tags: Caelan Valoren

The ride to Kashir wasn't long at all. She was surprised how close these two planets were, though she supposed that made sense given they were now aligned by marriage. She sat in the ship as the captain requested permission to land. When he identified himself as part of the Galactic Alliance there was a pause on the other end. Katarine raised an eyebrow and listened to the overly polite response and smirked. The Galactic Alliance was not welcomed here it seemed. That was interesting.

"Master Ryiah , King Tor Mak has requested an audience. He wants to know our purpose in visiting Kashir." Her pilot was reading from the comm unit.

"Just visiting gets us an audience with the King? Very well."

She folded her arms and frowned. She doubted the King met all his visitors personally.