Some Planet. Some Where...

[Danger Arceneau]

Outer Rim Territories; Tingel Arm
Orron III
[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The muffled giggle came from Danger's right.

From under the blindfold, the Queen of Trade gave a half smirk. Pearly white teeth flashed, and she canted her head towards the direction that giggle came.

"Oh you think this is funny?" she asked, teasing the little girl that was giggling beside her. They were both blindfolded, and the experience was more exciting than frightening for the little girl. It was a surprise you see, all concocted by the man who was sitting across the way.

They were in a shuttle, destination unknown. At least for the present time. The most Danger knew is that they were in the Tingel Arm somewhere. It was far from the hustle and the bustle of the Core Worlds, a bit more quieter. Discrete.

Just what was Alric planning?

​

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Plans were something of a specialty for him.

He'd had many of them throughout his life.

Some had been good, other's had been bad, there had even been the occasional mix of both. Alric counted this as one of the good plans, and he was quite sure that Danger and Myra would end up agreeing with him once they were actually at their destination. He watched them both from the Acceleration couch opposite them, lounging there with his arms stretched across the back of the sofa and his head sunken into the headrest. There was a calm over him, the kind of calm that could only come when one was feeling at home.

"Worried?" Alric asked his wife, knowing that of course she wasn't.

His last big surprise had been a wonderful thing, something that had nearly caused Danger to collapse. The day of his proposal had been an interesting one, and arguably today's surprise was on the same scale, though perhaps more encompassing. There was a slight bump as the transport entered the atmosphere, the odd pit in his stomach forming as they quickly began to descend from the sky.

"Don't be." He said with a smile. "It's a perfect day."

Or it would be.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

She wasn't worried. She was curious.

Alric and she had similar circumstances in the past when it came to surprises. The first had been when he had brought her to the ice manor he had built for her. Goodness, how time had passed. That had been over a year ago, at the start of Alric's reentry into society. Or more aptly, his return to 'life' from a would be 'death.'

A slight frown drew over Danger's brow, scrunching the fabric that lay over her eyes a bit. It had been a while since they'd visited that particular place. While Danger certainly wasn't keen on the cold, perhaps it would interest Myra. Could that possibly be where they were going? Danger wouldn't put it past Alric.

Taking small vacations and traveling around the galaxy had increased in the recent months. They wanted to expose their daughter to what the 'verse had to offer, to ease her into the many different planets, species, and experiences. Things were gradual, in terms of making sure that the youngling didn't feel overwhelmed and have an episode again. The method seemed to be helping ease the uneasiness the little girl felt. However, it would seem that it would be a while before Myra would be completely able to handle her PTSD.

"Oh I ain't worried." Danger began, feeling a little hand reach over to play with her fingers. "I reckon that at the very least we should get a few hints." her own fingers gave a light tap across the little girl's hand. "Don't you think so Myra?"

The ensuing little giggle and the vigorous up and down shake of her head agreed with Danger in that.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric only smiled. There wasn't much else to say right now, only wait. The ship bucked up once or twice as a heavy wind buffeted the vessel. Though he had purchased a massive expanse of land, the actual place where they were going was buried deep within a large valley. This was for two reasons. The first was privacy, and the second was because the valley caught the sunlight almost perfectly during both winter and summer the valley was permeated almost entirely with the sun, meaning that plants grew well, rivers ran perfectly, and everything within was almost a paradise.

He smiled slightly.

It had all been very expensive, but in truth it was worth it. Money meant very little to them, to him specifically. He ahd grown up rich, and no matter what he did with it...more money always seemed to flow in. That was a small minded, perhaps even ignorant way of looking at it, but Alric's entire life and skill set had been geared towards that one aspect. He knew how to make money, he knew how to do it well, and so it simply came naturally.

It helped that he owned a majority stake in Vanir, a company that was about to take a massive jump in the galactic market.

He smiled to himself as the ship rocked once more. "I think we might be here."

Alric turned around to peer out the viewport, smiling slightly as he saw the expanse of green. He slowly stood from the couch, making sure to keep pressure off of his knee. Then he took slow step towards Danger and Myra, picking up one of each of their hands to pull them up.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Danger felt the rock of the ship, Myra's small fingers tightening upon her own. The two would give another giggle, the brush of Myra's soft hair grazing against her arm.

"Is that right?" Danger would coo out, her lips curving upward. The top of her auburn brows rose above the blindfold. Tipping her head back, she followed the sound of Alric's voice.

"Well how you gonna handle us two now, Mistah Kuhn?" she asked, the little girl wiggling beside her. Mister Tuggles, of course, was never far behind, having sat just by Myra's feet to her right. The thump, thump, thump of his fluffy white tail added to the anticipation of the surprise.

"Can't just take us both without some work." what with his knee and all.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Don't have to go far." Alric said quietly, looking behind him and slowly pulling the two of them forward. The shuttle was relatively tiny, with no real inner space besides the small lounge area that they had been sitting in. They'd taken a larger vessel to this sector of the galaxy, mostly for safety reason, but had then boarded the shuttle in order to make their way towards their actual destination. It was a way to keep things a bit more secret, but also make sure that they were safe.

"Just headed towards the door." This time he was louder, making sure that Danger could hear and follow his voice. "Right...here."

He said as they reached the door.

The Titan's hand let go of Danger's, his fingers slipping towards the door release. He pulled the handle and there was a slight hiss as the atmosphere poured into the vessel. The door ahead of him fell forward, one half splitting into a ramp and the other quickly retracting into the top of the ship. "Alright, you can take off the blindfolds."

The sight that they would find immediately before them was nothing too impressive, at least compared to what they had seen a few weeks ago on The Foundry. Yet the scene held it's own sort of beauty. The view was one of an extensive, almost rolling field. It stretched over a nearby hill and expanded into a forest that crawled for miles and miles. A massive stone road, almost bridge like in it's construction, ran through the field and into the forest.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The blindfolds were easily slipped away from Danger’s and Myra’s faces, but it was the small gasp of surprise and awe from the little girl that really gave Danger a hint at just what they were dealing with. At least, that was the assumption.

The light from the sun was incredibly bright, prompting a slight wince as her eyes became accustomed to the brightness of the location. It took a bit as she blinked rapidly, attempting to clear her vision. A small gust of wind brought up the scent of wildflowers. They were planetside, but where? Not a desert nor an ice world, that was for sure.

Finally, as her vision cleared, the redhead echoed the small gasp of surprise. It was an extensive rolling field, stretching up a nearby hill and expanding towards the verdant treeline of a forest. All Myra had known before were the damp and dark frozen jungles of Dromund Kaas. This particular landscape, this weather, was altogether unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. The little girl gave a giggle, bounding off to Alric to hop along his side. The click, click,click of Mr. Tuggles trot followed shortly after, the thick wag of his white tail thudding along.

A little further out and she could barely see the makings of a massive cobble stone road. Further still was a bridge in construction. If they traveled down the road, they would be able to see the makings of a far more grandiose project. Danger swiveled her head and studied the Tetan.

“Where are we?” she asked. Eyes continually blinking, Danger’s face twisted into an expression of curiosity. Oh it was beautiful, make no doubt about it. But what was this place?

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric could see the wonder in Myra's eyes, and at the same time he could see the suspicion in Danger's. It wasn't a bad kind of suspicion of course, Danger knew that he would never allow her or Myra to come to harm, but there was a certain kind of wondering in her eyes. He only smiled at her, not saying anything and instead beginning to step down the ramp. Almost immediately Myra followed him, not waiting to be prompted or anything of the sort.

The little girl rushed down the ramp, running past Alric and take a big breath of air.

Myra wasn't used to places like this. They'd visited gardens, stations, but never a planet like this. They were on an Agricultural world, a planet that had no massive cities, no factories or refineries, and nearly no pollution to speak of. This world was pristine, untainted and untouched, natural.

The direct opposite of Myra's homeworld.

He smiled and looked back at Danger. "You'll see."

The mystery remained alive.

He took off after Myra, moving slow enough that Danger would keep up but fast enough that Myra wouldn't get too far away. The little girl ran towards the nearby field, letting her feet sink into the soft grass as she ran around in simple circles. The sight was a silly one, Myra simply running about within the grass immediately off the landing pad, ignoring the great stone road.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

The giggles were infectious.

Danger couldn't help her own soft chuckle, the woman turning her head to study the distinct profile of her husband. He had a rather smug look about him; pleased, but content. Certainly, one that said he was looking forward to the fruition of this little escapade.

"Building anticipation, are we Mistah Kuhn?" her honeyed voice went sailing over to the Tetan, catching the faint upward twitch of his mouth along the neatly trimmed beard. Silver glinted among the black, matching the strands that had thickened to white along his temples. It did not deter a single iota of his striking looks. Alric was more than merely handsome; he stood apart. From the slight crook of an often too broken nose to the pale pink lines of scars that decorated a cheek, over a brow, and along the underside of his eye.

"Just what have you've been planning?" Danger would ask, curling her arm around his, his side pressing against hers. As they ambled along, the trio could hear the distant songs of birds, their wings fluttering as they flew to the call of never ending summer. That was the boon of an agriworld; the ability to grow crops all year round.

Mister Tuggles decided it was the perfect time to go bounding ahead. His big pink tongue lolling just out of his mouth, massive paws digging into the ground. He jumped, then bounced back to Myra, who found it delightful enough to laugh, spinning in place as the Tuggle circled around her.

"She's laughing more." she whispered, her voice softening along with her expression. It was progress.

Progress for their little girl.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Yes." He smiled slightly. "She is."

That was enough.

Wasn't it?

That was enough to call this place home, enough to bring her here more often, enough to stay here? He frowned slightly, wondering if Danger would say yes, wondering if she'd find the idea ridiculous or perhaps simply out of place. The station they lived on was perfect for who they were. Titans of Business, corporate King and Queen. They needed to be in the middle of it all, negotiate trade, move around, shift things to perfection. This place...this place wasn't anywhere.

He frowned for a moment and then began to move forward, cutting the thoughts away. "Come guys."

Alric waved to Myra and the Tuggle, looking back towards Danger to urge her along as well.

"There's still a lot to see." He said with a confident smirk. "Wouldn't want to stop here."

That was certainly true. This was after all only a tiny portion of what Alric had created here. Their home, The Farm, lay just over the small hill. It would take them a few moments to get there, bu the cobblestone road would make it easy enough. The road would eventually lead into a bridge and that bridge would take them directly to where they were going.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

More to see?

Now this was getting more curious by the second. A narrowing of Danger's eyes with amused curiosity would linger for a moment. If he didn't want to stop here... that meant that the Tetan had something greater in mind.

"How long have you been plannin' this?" Danger inquired, her honeyed voice edged with growing anticipation. If anything, Alric never did things by half measures. A faint breeze sent stray tendrils of her hair aloft, brushing her cheek. A hand came up to tuck the wayward strands behind her ear.

The cobblestone was an engaging surface to walk upon, and Myra found it entertaining as much as a six-year-old would. She was used to the clean lines and floors of Elysium and space stations, not to the curious gray speckled stones under her feet. The youngling would skip ahead, Mister Tuggles at her heels.

The walk to the bridge was rather relaxing. Different from the forest dome at the top of Elysium station. As they neared the hill, Myra came to a sudden stop. Mister Tuggles bumped against her leg, and they stumbled for a bit. Catching herself before she fell, Myra gave a little gasp. Her eyes went wide.

Oh, that was so pretty!

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He smiled, it was a sly, almost smirking smile. The truth was that this hadn't been his plan for along, mere weeks actually. That almost seemed impossible, given how large the structure before them now was and just how much had been changed here, but there were ways to accomplish these things. It helped that he was one of the richest men in the galaxy.

Helped a lot.

"Wouldn't you like to know." He taunted Danger with a smirk, moving forward and quickly scooping up Myra.

The little girl went sailing up into his arms, a slight strain being put on his knee, though that was something he ignored. He hefted the little girl up and then onto his shoulders, Myra giggling and half screaming as he did so. The unexpected motion was met with fright by Mr. Tuggles, who jumped back slightly and growled before realizing that it was simply Alric taking action. Even then the Tuggle seemed to eye him wearily, growing far more concerned with Myra.

"Do you see that Castle, Myra?" There was really no other word for it, perhaps palace, but Myra wouldn't understand the difference. "That's ours."

This statement was met with a very large widening of her eyes.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

That's ours.

Danger gave a double take, sharply turning her head to stare at the Tetan. Alric had a tendency to enjoy giving grand surprises, but a castle was not quite what she was expecting.

No... wait, she paused, blinking rapidly to clear her vision in the event she was merely imagining. The grand arches and the immense towers were still there. Crafted from enormous stone blocks, rounded the roofs akin to the architecture of Naboo. It was nestled right alongside a massive mountain, with portions extending as smaller galleries alongside the bedrock.

Further back one could see the fall of a small waterfall that fed into a river. It curved around the chateau, where up to five bridges connected the estate to the various roads that led away from it.

Danger's jaw fell. She was stunned. It took a moment before her mouth shut. Then the questions came.

"You bought a castle?!" she exclaimed, turning back to take in the rolling plains and fields that separated them from the road that would lead to the castle itself.

"I..." this was unexpected. Where Danger would be shocked, Myra was excited. She kept gesturing out towards the building, fingers making grabby hands as if to say, let's go see!

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Don't be silly, Honey. I built it." Alric said to his wife with a smile.

Well...he hadn't...but he'd ordered it built.

"Plus, look around you." He gestured towards the land. It was beautiful, spacious, and when one looked into the distance it was clear that it was being worked. There were field of grain, barley, half a dozen other crops that seemed to shift and change the color of each field. He smiled and looked up at Myra on his shoulders, then slowly back towards Danger. "It's a farm."

That was accurate enough.

Danger would likely recall the conversation that they'd had on The Foundry, his exact words. She was always good at remembering these sorts of things, always had been. It was one of the reason that he endeared her so, one of the reason she was good at her job. With another handsome and charming smile, Alric began to walk down the path towards the massive palace in the distance, looking back at Danger once or twice to make sure she wasn't too star struck.

They had a lot to see after all.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]


Danger did recall the reference. That had been when they had discussed how things were getting more and more hectic in the Core Worlds. Alric had suggested that they simply leave it be and just focus on their family. When probed by Danger, he had suggested in passing to perhaps move to a farm. She should have known that nothing was ever said lightly for the Tetan when a seed took root in his mind.


"This is a farm?" the exclamation shot from behind the Tetan as Danger picked up her pace to catch up. The Queen of Trade had seen her fair share of farms. Salucami, Ukio, and Chandrilla. With the PharmaTech Project Danger was heading at the Foundry with Vanir Technologies, Arceneau Trade had been at the forefront of building bio-domes that would attempt to enhance and perhaps bring back endangered or extinct botanical plants. Those were farms.

This.. this was something altogether different.

"You built it?" she was starting to sound much like a parroting Kowakian Lizard Monkey. Myra didn't even pay any attention, she was too busy admiring what was up ahead. Mr. Tuggles kept up alongside them, never far from Alric just in case he would set the youngling down.

"This is a bit more than just a farm." she'd add, still taking it all in. Oh, it would be a walk before they would even reach the smaller bridges that would lead them into the castle. Even then, the closer they got the larger it appeared to grow.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"No it's not." Alric insisted as he waved at all the fields. The walk would take quite some time, this place was huge after all. In truth Danger was actually right, it wasn't just a farm. This entire place could qualify as a whole lot of farms, probably twenty or thirty, but that hardly mattered. Alric Kuhn always did things in a grandiose manner. He wouldn't have been himself if he didn't. Besides, he rather liked the reactions that he was getting out of his wife.

They were...entertaining.

"Look." He pointed to the right. "Wheat. See? Clearly a farm?"

Myra giggled on top of his shoulders. Alric moved with a confident stride, and if he was in any pain from the additional weight he was carrying there was absolutely no sign of it. Perhaps the joy of being here with one of his daughters, with his wife was enough to make it all slip away. Either way Alric strode confidently across the cobblestone path, moving with a smile on his face as the Castle came closer and closer. "Did you know, Myra, that you're royalty?"

She was in a way. He had made sure of it.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

He was being facetious.

"Oh you think you're soo clever." she tossed out at him, hips swaying in a pert saunter to catch up with him. A shake of her head, a lift of her chin, and she came alongside him, Myra giggling as she clapped her hands along her cheeks.

The little girl had never seen a farm before. Dromund Kaas had been a post-apocalyptic landscape with pockets of hardy jungle that had managed to survive the asteroid collision. Very few natives of the planet had survived the ordeal, becoming little more than refugees.

Farms had not been a common sight on the former Sith planet at all.

While Danger watched Alric surprise Myra with that little royalty revelation, she mulled over what exactly did this 'farm' mean. They hadn't had a real chance to continue that previous conversation, minding Myra and all their other duties had taken precedence in that. Was this Alric's way of suggesting that they remain here? Ignore the rest of the 'Verse?

Certainly, bode some consideration.

When Myra's face contorted in a silly confused expression at Alric's whispered murmur, Danger couldn't help but a small laugh. The little girl was smart, but that didn't mean she completely comprehended what it all meant. She knew of Lily, she knew that the young woman had a fancy dress and a shiny crown, but wealth and everything else that came along with it for someone who was so used to having so little hadn't quite clicked yet.

And to be honest, Danger knew by what series of nav points the old Tetan was getting that idea from. Alric had been born to nobility. By all accounts a Duke. Which made Danger...

Well the grimace answered that.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Mhmm." He said in confirmation. "The daughter of a Duke."

It was true.

Myra wasn't technically royalty, not yet, but she would inherit his title and lands when he died. Normally it would have gone to Lily first, but she was Empress and thus would get neither title nor lands unless she took them, then ti would go to Rose, but she had given away her right to both. The decision had come after her travels in the outer rim, with his younger twin saying that she simply no longer felt comfortable upon Empress Teta or truly any city world.

So it would fall to Myra.

In truth, Alric liked it that way.

From that simply inheritance Myra stood to gain quite a bit. A place to be, a home. It might not have been either Alric and Danger's first choice, but at the very least it was a fallback for her to return to in case anything ever happened. The title and lands could not be taken away, could not be stolen from her, and could not be argued with unless someone challenged a thousand year familial claim.

Which quite simply, was not done. "One day, a Duchess yourself!"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]


But would Myra even want to?

It wasn't to say that Alric would ever force such a thing on Myra; he hadn't with Lily or Rose. Truth be told, the Tetan had said time and again that he he'd never been too attached to his ancestral home or the title. That had been a desire his father had attempted to ingrain in him. That relationship had never been the best, and considering that Alric could not quite follow in the Krath's footsteps, didn't leave any love lost between.

The entire affair with the title and lands honestly didn't sit right with Danger. She understood building a legacy and passing it down; Arceneau Trade was hers. The Queen of Trade had set out decades ago to make her family's trade company a household name; had made it into the grand conglomerate is was now. However, Danger had worked and struggled through every single step it took for her to get here.

She didn't want for Myra to simply receive an inheritance and a fancy title without understanding how hard work and dedication allowed that.

"We'll see," Danger added, prompting Myra to turn her head quizzingly in her direction. Likely confused the child, but really, Alric shouldn't be feeding her such things so young? A subtle sense of uncomfortableness hung over Danger, one that Alric would be able to pick up.

"Alright, Mistah Kuhn... how about you give us the tour of the farm while we are at it?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He could see it almost immediately, or rather he could hear it in her tone of voice. He understood it of course. No one understood Danger better then he did, no one. He knew what she thought of Queen's and Kings, what she thought of titles and inheritance. He would explain his reason behind it later, but for now...for now it didn't matter.

Today was a happy day.

There would be no time for arguments, no time for disagreements. He wanted to bring Myra and Danger here for one reason, to make them fall in love with this place. It was a castle, yes, but it was a castle made for all of them. Every inch, every detail had been perfectly planned out. He knew that Myra would love it, and he knew that once she went inside Danger would too. That was his plan, that was why he had done all of this and why he had brought them here today. "I suppose I can do that."

Alric said as he slowly lifted Myra from his shoulders and put her on the ground.

They were going to head up hill now, and despite the joy he was feeling he doubted that he could carry the little girl all the way.

"Up the bridge, across the water." He said it with a smile, watching Myra give him a big grin before quickly turning around and rushing up the cobblestone road. There was no question of losing sight of her, not here, and they would be at the castle quick enough. Alric waited a moment more for Danger to catch up to him, and then he wrapped his arm around her. He planted his lips on hers, silencing any objection she might have had, any words she might have said to him.

Not today. No arguments. No discussions.