Sticks and Stones

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili took technology for granted most of the time. It was simply there and she tended to have her way with it. To think someone was actually inside the walls, raising the portcullis to allow the two girls entrance had struck her as implausible for the same reason that people insisted on resisting arrest. Sure, you could, but what was the point? It would just make things a lot harder on yourself. Much like Mara began to trail off on alchemy, Kaili would trail off on the implausibility of this entire culture.

Where was the comfort? The luxury? Never had she felt more like a spoiled brat.

Mara snapped Kaili out of her thoughts, again. She shook her head for a second and looked at Styr. She nodded at him before noticing the hint of reservation that seemed to be lingering in the air between the two. Kaili smiled at him and nodded once more while at the same time relaying that one message to Mara.

Can I trust this guy? No witch hunts here?

Hey, it had to be asked.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

"Thanks, Styr," said Mara firmly, without answering his question. The big Valkyri grunted and nodded, then took the pulkas to the stable. She had no worries about him losing or mishandling the Wyzen holocron in the saddlebag.

"Styr's an offworlder," she said quietly. "Underground. He fought the Fringe for a good while, and he's not crazy about my aunt. Your family and my aunt and the Fringe were close allies for a long time. But there won't be any problems. Styr's a professional. He's just worried I'm in over my head, associating with Taliths. Oh, those terrible Taliths," she added, deadpan. "If he knew some of the things I've thought about your brother, he'd probably have a stroke."

Whistling a cheerful tune, Mara opened the door and ushered Kaili into the keep of Castle Miriamele. A long entrance hall connected the door to the great dining room. The smells of good local cooking percolated through the gloomy stonework. Coat flaring out behind her, Mara headed to the hall. It had been that kind of a day, and she was after meat.

 

[Kaili Talith]

An offworlder. Kaili had tried to find the Underground when she was considerably younger, she hadn’t succeeded but she had tried. With people like Styr present, perhaps that was a good thing. She didn’t much care for her background in the Moross at all, but evidently that didn’t matter much to others. Luckily the occurrences in which the young Talith met people who actually knew about ‘the Crusade’ were rare enough to have her almost forget about it. Which, admittedly might have been exactly what Kaili wanted.

She never did care much for the Moross.

Unlike Micah.

Who Mara apparently thought of. Enough to cause Styr to have a stroke. Kaili scrunched her nose and furrowed her eyebrows in what she wasn’t sure was surprise or something completely different. Micah and Mara? Her eyes narrowed at Mara as she stepped into the keep. That very special look that she had reserved for whenever someone would actually openly admit that they thought about Micah, of all people, in the way that Mara just insinuated that she did.

Within the keep Kaili found herself at another loss for words. It was very basic (compared to anywhere else) but what it lacked in actual technology it made up for in comfort. Or well, maybe not quite the comfort that Kaili was used to. The girl had lost track of how many times she found herself repeating that that thought at this point.

Mara had discarded her coat, Kaili did not. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she had nowhere to put it. On the floor? Not hygenical, or proper. Mother taught her better than that.

“So, you own a castle and have your own servants.” Kaili stated the obvious. “I feel like I’m missing something here.”

“Like,” Kaili got closer, went quiet. “Why are you here, Mara?”

Spare the small ones, jump straight to the big one. Kaili had never been someone people would praise for their subtlety.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

"Employees," said Mara uncomfortably. "They get dental. You know how hard it is to find dental benefits on Kilia Four?"

She led Kaili into the dining hall and took a place at the high table. People started serving food. She knew their names and faces and families, and empathic senses helped her pin down what they liked and didn't like, and she adapted.

Even so. Servants.

Once the food was...served, Mara mulled over Kaili's question. And once her stomach was on its way to full, she had an answer. More or less. OK, so she felt ready to answer, and that was something else, but close enough.

"I came to learn from the Kilian Rangers," she said. "Ancient chivalric Force tradition, big on shields and lances, good at blocking things. I was..." She weighed how much to tell Kaili about Q-27's existence. "I was raised on a pre-technological planet. Different kind of life. Now I'm one of the richest people in the galaxy, and I wanted to...get back to reality. Does that make sense?"

 

[Kaili Talith]

Right, employees. There was no denying that perhaps a small part of being raised by a ‘force god’ had rubbed off on the kid. That was not to say that Kaili held other people below the bar of her own sense of worth or that she by any means considered herself above anyone else, but her vocabulary and the words that she used and the way that she carried the air around her had almost always been one of proper propriety and perhaps even a small token amount of pride. She had on top of it all grown up in a high-class society in a tropical world. To call them servants was merely the first word that came to mind for her and as such she nodded along in a half-hearted apology to the ‘employees.’

Food was placed in front of both Kaili and Mara. Kaili let show a courteous nod at the employee as well as a weak smile was the closest that the young Talith could offer that would have any semblance of a second apology. The utensils stabbed, cut and swept through the food as silence seemed to hang heavy between the two friends. The air around them almost seemed to grow thicker, the panic that perhaps Kaili had done something to disturb or throw her friend off amplified.

But it all lifted as Mara finally spoke. She was here to learn, Mara was still just Mara.

Kaili almost sighed in relief, but held it in. As much as her best friend could most likely sense what was going on in Kaili’s mind, she prefered to not let it show as well. Which perhaps didn’t make sense, if they were friends then there was nothing to hide, but at the same time there had been so much that had changed since the last time that Kaili and Mara had met each other properly.

“I see.” Kaili nodded as if she was trying to understand.”And... Yeah, it does.”

Maybe not the fact that Mara was raised on a pre-technological planet, but the part about wanting to get away from reality. Kaili raised her hand to touch her own cheek, let her hand drag itself across the surface in memoriam. It was just barely noticeable to others since the wounds had healed up, but to Kaili the scar was still a crevice. All she had at this point was the memories, the nightmares and the slightly thinner-than-average waistline. The burn was gone but the pain was not.

“There’s been several times when I wanted to do nothing more but to disappear from the face of the galaxy. To go into hiding and just... Not exist.” Kaili wouldn’t let Mara in on more than that. At least not for the moment. “Don’t worry though, you are still just Mara Merrill to me. That... Weird, insanely awesome friend who taught me how to seal hull breaches with my butt.” Kaili chuckled. “As much as I want to say that is common knowledge, something tells me it’s not.”

“Anyway, how will a technophile such as me survive in a technological wasteland such as this?” Kaili took her a bite from her food and let her mind rest. Technically at least. As far as friends were considered she hadn’t offended Mara yet. Kaili swallowed her food. “Don’t tell me you expect me to go a week, or more, without something that sparks and hurts regular mortals.”

Plan revealed. Kaili wasn’t leaving in a while.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

"Sparks and hurts people? I think I can accommodate you. It's a classic technology." She gestured, and across the room, a pine log levitated itself from a woodpile into a fireplace. Pinewood began to spark and pop. Mara gave Kaili her most innocent smile.

"Kilia Four used to have technology, a couple of thousand years ago, and again -- sort of -- a few centuries ago. You'll occasionally find a buried wreck or facility that's been cut to pieces for salvage, so far as local tools can manage. Nothing on this planet can cut durasteel, after all. The Kilian Rangers, the tradition I've been learning from, used the last few wrist-mounted energy shields and powerless bayonet sporting blasters as their shields and spears. Most of those ran out hundreds of years ago, so Kilian Rangers use a corporeal shield and spear like mine. It's a fascinating tradition. I've really enjoyed learning from them. Here's one now."

A muscular young man came in, wearing a colourful surcoat over mail, with a sword belted at his waist. He met Mara's eyes and bowed deeply. "Welcome to my hall," she said, loudly and amused, and he returned her grin.

"Lady Kaili Talith, may in introduce Sir Germaine Tionc, Kilian Ranger."

Before you ask -- yes, another reason I stuck around.

 

[Kaili Talith]

Unamused stare. That was most certainly not the kind of sparks Kaili had in mind. Nonetheless Kaili listened to Mara’s very brief summary of Kilia and their rangers. At least until a man entered. A teenage dream by any other name. A very brief moment passed during which Kaili looked at the man before diverting her attention elsewhere.

CODE RED. CODE RED. Alright Kaili, do not choke on your drink. Do not laugh, do not make a fool out of yourself. Think on what happened the few seconds before the man entered and you should do fine. Fight the temptation, don’t do it. Do not speak.

Kaili let out a hollow stare at the young man as he bowed. He was most certainly a tall, very well-shaped man, and he had the youngest of Taliths staring. Except not in the direction of the man himself, but rather at the wall. It was the easiest way to ensure there was absolutely no eye contact whatsoever, no way for the girl to start giggling like the worst kind of stereotypes; like that lady who giggled at strangers and entered a tryst with said champion simply because, well, she knew who he was or how he looked.

Shallow. That was the word. Kaili could by no means appear as shallow as she felt. Of course, being called a lady had already tripped those alarms. Internal klaxons blared about her rude staring and by the time it was Kaili’s turn to greet the man back she subtly shifted her attention to the man’s nose bridge and fell into her usual stumble for words.

“U-Uh. Ye- She- I-” Kaili stammered before taking a deep breath. Slow inhale, quick exhale. “Hi.”

Damn it!

It was very hot in here. The temperature. The temperature was very hot in here. Nothing else.

“I am, err... Lady Talith. Apparently.” Awkward chuckle ensued. “Nice to meet you, Tionc.”

“No! I-I-Iiii meant it is nice to meet you Germaine Tionc, of the Kilian Rangers. Hi.”

Kaili leaned back in her seat, continued staring at the man’s nose bridge and smiled. It was all about appearing far more calmer than she actually was. Mara would feel the panic, in fact Germaine would most likely feel it as well. No, scratch that, the entire staff that surrounded them most likely could. Scratch that, anyone who could see Kaili in this very moment would feel the panic anxiety wafting off of the kid.

Eyes, jittering.

Heart, pounding.

Air, swallowed.

“We were just talking about the Rangers and... Stuff.” Kaili couldn’t bring up the history lesson Mara had just shared, could she? Or, maybe she could? It was very warm in here. “Mara is a very old friend of mine. Childhood friend. Very, very, very old friend. Close friends. Not too close. Not that close, but we are close and-” Kaili went quiet. She was messing up. Again. Kaili gasped for air before her voice went into a high-pitched whine. “Where are you from?”

Really, Kaili? That’s what you ask him? Really?

Make me stop, Mara. Anytime now, please.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Well, I guess that takes care of introductions,” said Mara, hugely pleased. “Sir Germaine, will you join us?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]He actually clicked his spurs together. “Thank you, but no. I only meant to pay my respects and get a fresh [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]pulka[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]. Father’s called for me through the aether, though I can’t discern the details.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“His father is Lord Adelar Tionc,” Mara explained, “my closest ally. He has a fortress and a town a day’s journey from here by [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]pulka[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px], up in the mountain plateaus.” [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]North of where you landed[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px], she added sotto voce. “Did you get an impression of urgency?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“More impatience and irritation, milady. I doubt it’s anything dangerous.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Knowing your father, I’d imagine he’d face a Sith invasion with impatience and irritation.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Germaine smiled faintly. “I’d imagine so too. May I take my leave?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“And a [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]pulka[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px], yes. And whatever food or drink you’d prefer.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Germaine bowed and clicked his spurs together again. “Thank you, milady.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]And just like that, he was gone again. Mara watched him go, then turned to Kaili. “I had no idea you had such composure in the face of the unexpected,” she said, voice as dry as Tatooine.[/SIZE]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Germaine left and all Kaili could do was slump down in her chair in a posture that would betray her supposed ‘Lady’ status. Her hand covered her face, fingers curling themselves along and across her nose bridge. With her index finger and thumb stroking along her eyebrows Kaili did her utmost to forget what had happened. Because somehow, for some reason, a single man entering a room was enough for the girl to fall into a social panic attack.

For shame, Kaili Talith. For shame.

Her eyes darted out from behind the cover of her hand to set on Mara while the shame reeked off of the young Talith like a popsicle in the summer sun. It was official, Mara had just seen Kaili at one of the many lowest of lows.

“I messed up.” Kaili groaned as she withdrew her hand from her face and used it to push herself back into her seat. “Spread the news and tell everyone about the arrival of Lady Kaili Talith from the city of Pa’ree.” The kid played along. “Where the wine and cheese flood the streets much like our insufferable ramblings and weird language.”

“Longue vie à la reine.”

Funtime was over, the make belief crown upon Kaili's head faded away and she sighed. Again.

“Who did you say this Lord Adelar is?” Had Mara told Kaili about her before? She didn’t remember in light of the mess up. “He sounds like my uncle Cameron.”

“Though hopefully, unlike Cameron, you can trust him to not attack you when you least suspect it.”

Kaili gently tapped her finger thrice upon the wooden table.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Mara got the distinct feeling she'd pushed a little too far. Kaili was the sort to take one remark, run with it, and beat herself up about it. With a shrug, Mara went along with the change in subject. "Lord Adelar...my first night in his fortress, I tried to touch him with the Ankarres Sapphire in his sleep, to see if he was a Darksider. That didn't go so well." And she'd never actually verified it by making contact, but his business was his, and she'd never actually sensed him using the Dark Side. Even if he kept his presence muted constantly -- a skill she'd picked up from him. Hiding one's Force presence wasn't within her father's talent set.

"He'd never attacked me," she said at last. "I'm not even sure if he's a Darksider or not. Whereas your uncle..." She'd had quite a shock when she'd found that face in her aunt's files, from back when the Moross Crusade and Lords of the Fringe had been longstanding allies. Her own longstanding relationship with the Taliths had filled in a detail or two along the way. Cameron Centurion, Darth Ashmedai, one of the Crusade's stronger false gods. "I sensed him not long ago, y'know. I was doing a recon run on Tython, and I found a couple of civilians, girls who'd lost their way. Sith and troopers were closing in on them, and I broke cover to get them away. I thought I was done for when I felt your uncle, but all he did was order the troopers to leave, against the other Sith Lords' orders. I thought about that for a while. If it's anything like the whole McYoda's thing, I'd guess he was sick of derp Sith getting lazy and leaving everything to their minions." A sharp smile. "Then I cut off someone's leg and left."

 

[Kaili Talith]

Derp. Kaili wanted to snicker at the mention of the word but considering the topic that felt out of the question. Cameron Centurion, her uncle, had saved Mara’s life and much like always when it came to her uncle Kaili felt that same uncertainty about him at the mere mention of his name. He cared, in his own way. He was her childhood tormentor, yet she felt his appreciation for her, much like he would most likely understand her appreciation for him. Unspoken, unfelt, but still there. As much as she was afraid of the man she couldn’t feel any sort of resentment for him. He was after all family.

“That sounds like Cam-Cam alright.” Pet names, it made the gravity of his name feel less heavy. “One moment he wants to teach you the importance of always being on your guard, the next he is shoveling aperitifs down his throat and being a genuinely...” Could she say it? “Nice man.” Yes she could. “In the end I think he watches out for his own interests more than anything else.”

“To put it in perspective. I think he was well aware of the kind of hell that I would have caused him if I was made aware that he’d been present when something bad happened to you.” Kaili grinned. “I don’t look like much, but I can make one hell of a stink.” Kaili wouldn’t go as far as to cut someone’s leg off, but well, obviously Mara had. The circumstances were different and all that, but Mara had apparently cut someone's leg off. Kaili arched her brows and kept her grin going. It wasn't something she'd hold against her friend, but when it came to it she most certainly would remember Mara herself saying something along the style of "No lightsabers." when Kaili had first taken her first few steps towards becoming a Warden.

Which, again, was very circumstancial. For one, Mara had most likely, hopefully, been planetside at the moment.

“So, you cut someone’s leg off, huh? That sounds like a weird thing to do. Was it anyone I know?”

Hopefully not. Last time Kaili had seen Cameron he was all intact.

“It... Wasn’t Cameron, was it?”

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Mara snorted. "Like I could get within ten paces of...Cam-Cam without getting my head torn off. No, it was before I made Master; it was a Sith acolyte who was trying to kill someone helpless on Tython." She sat back, picking her teeth with the tip of a sharp knife. "She was trying all the normal mistakes -- attacking with two blades at the same time, high kicks, even freaking boobplate. So I wrecked her and got the victim away."

She eyed Kaili and decided to poke her again, verbally. "Your family's kind of...terrifying. You realize that, right? My aunt's files are, um, interesting. I'm betting there's still places out by the Kathol Outback where you'd be worshipped. The Cult of Kaili. I hereby dub myself your high priestess."

 

[Kaili Talith]

The kid laughed and quite heartily so. Even Kaili who considered herself a half-hearted pacifist of sorts had somewhere down the line come to understand that while boobplates would without a doubt garner attention of your opponent -- much like any other plate bikini would -- it was also without a doubt one of the most silliest things you could wear to battle. Armor had to be practical and cover all that needed to be covered. Only then, if practicality allowed it; have an eye-pleasing design.

Then she got that look. Kaili couldn’t describe it, but she knew that she wouldn’t like what Mara was about to say.

And she didn’t.

“I do.” Kaili frowned as Mara made mention of her aunt’s files. “I have no illusions that I am the spawn of the kindest people in the world.” There was little else she could say. Her family in particular was a one-off oddity. But an exception wasn’t going to fool the world into thinking this was what the Taliths used to be like. “That’s why I don’t get involved in all the Moross... Stuff. History, anything.” No, Kaili grew restless. She didn’t need this. As much as Mara had her reasons, Kaili did not want to speak of who her ancestors were. Hell, she didn’t even want to speak about who her father used to be. The Moross Crusade to her was a chapter that had never begun; something that the history books would remember for her.

She was not the child of a god. The Moross had never existed.

“False gods, cults, worshippers.” Kaili shook her head. “I don’t want to be revered, I don’t want to be some sort of... God figure, Mara.”

Perhaps it was strange, but Kaili had never really talked about how she felt about the Moross. Who did she actually have that she could talk to about it other than her family? Nobody, and if she would have wanted to speak about it she would also have been forced to provide whoever she spoke to with the history lessons that she didn’t ever want to provide. Mara would find herself in a weird seat to say the least, but only if she for some reason decided to press the issue further.

Kaili hoped she didn’t.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Mara shrugged, empathic senses receiving loud and clear. "Hey, I'm just messing around. Like I can talk, right? I have to figure out how to deal with the fact that I own shares in just about every major shipyard in the 'verse, and a lot of the weapons manufacturing, and not all of it is...nice. Akure Executive Leatherworks? That's a massive company built on the Dark Side. And I'm a shareholder. Iron Crown? Blood money, both in how it came about and in what it makes. I'm a shareholder. Arakyd? Same deal. Silk? Still makes weapons. I'm a shareholder. I've got a stupid amount of money, Kai, and here I am wondering if being part of all this will turn me to the Dark Side. There's a reason there's no serious Lightsider corporate magnates in history. But if I sell it all off, I lose what little pull I have, the little chance I have to change things for those companies. And of course I could start donating things to charity, but how much of that is just to salve my conscience, and how much good would I do as a hobby humanitarian, guessing at causes that seem like fun? This is all a big reason I'm here on Kilia Four, where some Kilian Rangers rule as feudal lords. I'm trying to figure out how they balance the Light Side and...secular power. And if it can be done at all."

She rubbed her face. "Really makes me start to understand why Mom and Dad walked away from Silk."

 

[Kaili Talith]

A nervous smile tugged and tore at Kaili’s lips and a small ‘tsk’-like sigh briefly forced them apart. With a gentle push she got up and out of her seat only to lean herself on the table once more. Perhaps as a way to indicate that dinner was over or a means to reassure herself of that she was a nobody. Not that a nobody would make such a big deal out of a discussion about their past. Kaili was far from a nobody, but internally she would really refuse to acknowledge that she was anything but Kaili Talith: Designer of droids.

“Maybe this is why we get along.” Kaili snickered once more with a certain gravity that seemed to linger in her every word. She turned her attention from the table to achieve eye contact with her friend. “It's as if we’re in the same boat you and I, except in two very different seats.” The kid looked to the table again for a moment before she slowly shook her head and closed her eyes. “I fear it too.” She whispered and opened her eyes once more. “Somewhere in the Unknown Regions there are people that worship me. My family. I know it is silly, but I am not terrified of the 'godhood' as much as I am terrified of what would happen if I did... Turn. Because lately I've just been feeling more and more lost for each day that passes as if the whole galaxy was trying to swallow me whole.”

The crash, the dead bodies around the crash site and the impact it had on Kaili. Deep down she wasn't sure if the Moross Crusade became a scapegoat or not for the things that had happend. That if she truly was some sort of god, why couldn't she have prevented the loss of so many lives? She had tried, but the curse still held. She couldn't change the past, but she could change the future, and right now that was all that mattered. Her father had taught her that and he was a was a good man, her mother twice so. There was little doubt that her ancestors had been horrible, yet Kaili couldn't truly despise them either. Her fears were not related to her heritage directly, but she still feared what they had left her with. The pressure that made her uncertain if she would live up to the name or stay her path. Though that fear in particular was something nobody would ever hear of. Kaili had grown used to suppressing them long ago.

With two rapid blinks and a quick hand running up and down her face Kaili struggled to attain a calmer mood. She swallowed even more air as if it would help and looked over at her friend. Now wasn’t the time for Kaili to be looking at her own problems, Mara was in a much more difficult seat and if there was one thing that Kaili knew it was that her friend was always going to be an absolute priority when it came to matters such as these.

Even if it was the first time they actually had a discussion such as this.

“But we are not talking about me.” The kid started. “We are talking about you and that if you walk away from Silk, Iron Crown, Akure and Arakyd you would walk away from a substantial amount of money.” Kaili repeated the obvious with a grave nod as if it was something that needed to be said. “Yet if you don't, you feel like there is something you could change.”

“What is it that you want to change, Mara? Can you even change it? Would it be worth it?”

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Pretty clearly, they were done eating. Mara thanked the servers -- servants? -- and washed her fingertips in a bowl of rosewater. As she mulled over Kaili's confession, she led her friend out of the great hall and up a narrow spiral staircase. It had the narrow dimensions of a fortress stair, and rose clockwise so a right-handed attacker's blade would run into the central pillar. Even so, and despite the castle's decrepitude, the place was more ornate than bare stone. A fairy-tale castle.

"Iron Crown and Akure have made some barbaric things. I might be able to make sure they're the last, or close enough. Better animal treatment standards for Akure. More sensitive first contact practices for Iron Crown. Finish the Blood Trail -- a hyperlane through the Unknown Regions. If I'm dreaming, maybe turn Akure to the Light, with products to match -- I have my aunt's notes and I know she'd be amenable. Um, interested. Went business mode there for a second." She opened a wooden door and left the spiral stair. The door put them on a balcony overlooking the castle and the lake, all covered by night. She leaned on the stone balustrade.

"And then there's what I could do with the money and the influence. Make search and rescue services all over the galaxy. Fix the air quality and food shortages on Trevel'ka. Fund the entire Jedi Order if it could get its act in gear. With my fething pocket change."

 

[Kaili Talith]

Step for step Kaili followed Mara up the stairs. She listened, she thought on what was being said and tried her hardest to set herself in the role that Mara had been placed in. She didn’t envy her friend in the slightest, and although she had no idea what it was that Akure and Iron Crown had done, Kaili couldn’t help noticing that Mara had chosen to only bring those two particular companies into their discussion.

Leaning on the balustrade next to her friend Kaili made the mistake of peeking straight down towards the base of the tower. A mild sense of panic coursed through her entire body before she managed to settle her nerves. After all, it wasn’t the height that killed. It was the fall. Which naturally meant that she simply had to be a little more careful around the edges of the fancy balcony.

“What about the other two?” Kaili asked and perked her brow. “Arakyd and Silk, what would you change with those, if you could?”

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

"I don't know anything about Arakyd, frankly. A friend of the family left me some stock, and I don't even know who runs Arakyd. I know it makes weapons and has dabbled in alchemy. That's about it. Silk...Silk is the family business. First contact, exploration, search and rescue, building hyperlanes, seeding the galaxy with space trains. It's a beautiful thing. It still makes weapons, and it's still a degree of power that I just...I'm not sure it's fully compatible with how I want to live. I feel like the corporate life might get in the way of being a Lightsider eventually. Maybe other people can resist that; I'm not sure I can.

"It's not like Akure and Iron Crown are evil, either. Akure does environmental reclamation and keeps some serious evil locked up. Iron Crown owns...probably two-thirds of the galaxy's major shipyards. Civilian, not just military. Those two companies are the Unknown Regions' gateway to the galaxy, for trade and everything else. There's more room to make change, more good things to be done, than I know what to do with. And if it's not me sitting in that chair, who's it going to be?"

 

[Kaili Talith]

As far as concerns went, the question was a valid one. If it wasn’t Mara who had the seat of those particular companies, who would? Either Mara would be worrying about the things she herself was doing or she would be worrying about what others would be doing that she could have stopped. It was a weird hypothetical mess in which the only valid question and answer was a pit filled with what-ifs. Kaili could think of a few, but in the end the list would just grow far too big for each what-if that she pondered that she quite simply decided not to think of it in order to prevent herself from getting wrapped up in a loop.

In the end, perhaps the answer that Kaili wanted to provide was far more simpler than she was trying to make it.

“You know what?” Kaili stepped away from the balustrade and gave Mara the most serious look that she could muster. “Hire me.” There was no laughter, no smirks or smiles meant to lighten the mood and make Mara think Kaili was trying to play a fool again. Just the simple request for a friend to look out for another. “If you aren’t certain you can resist that temptation, then let me help you with it.”

“I am not saying I have to be by your side at all times, but if there is ever a moment when you start questioning yourself and your beliefs then I want to be within arm’s reach to set you straight.” Kaili threw a quick glance at the landscapes of Kilia before letting her eyes revert back to Mara. “You are the only friend I have and if you think I am going to let business and wealth take that away from me then you’ve got another thing coming, Mara.”

“Hire me.”

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Mara blinked and blinked again. "Sure. How much you want? A hundred thousand a year? A million? Ten million? See how awkward that gets? And when we've just been talking about servers and servants and-"

She cut herself off as a realization took form.

"That's what you're talking about," she said quietly. "Using how I treat you as a barometer for whether it's all getting to me. And an incentive to not let it." She whistled. "That's brilliant, and terrifying. That's a serious gamble, Kai. Not seal-the-vac-breach-with-your-butt serious, but just about." She let out a slow breath. "All right. I've got a small staff -- Eiarra and some others, mostly lawyers -- apart from the actual companies. That way there's no talk about patronage appointments or whatever. I'll sign you on as a salaried consultant. Job duties? Talk with me when I've got something to work through."