Private Unfinished Business

[Vidalu Na'an]

Kalidan Imperial Palace, Day​

She must have read the announcement ten times in as many minutes. Maybe more. Probably more. It was hard to tell.

It felt like Vidalu Na'an had read it a thousand times, since the news came in from the Kalidan local network an hour ago. The Emperor and Empress, having left the planet unattended, vanished without a trace. Gone--no explanation, no signs of a struggle, no nothing. Just gone.

The sight of the words had woken a horrible sort of restlessness inside her, in those ten minutes. The feeling that if she didn't do something intensely physical right now she'd snap, do something unthinkably stupid, seemed to rattle in her bones, and so with a cursory glance at Leigh she left their quarters, missive in hand.
Leigh didn't try to stop her. She had the records of the Family, of Vyra, and she'd been present for the last year just as much as Na'an had. Although the droid wouldn't be as...affected...although she'd be able to see this news as the boon it was for the Rebellion and its cause, she also knew her human. Her human had...needs.

Oh, gods, did she have needs.

The passages towards the Guard Halls were unusually empty, even for Kalidan. Na'an wondered dimly if the Emperor's Hand--Empress Regent, now--had already put them on state for a symbolic funeral. If she had, nobody had bothered to notify her. Perhaps her position as an 'honorary guard' wouldn't hold the same weight now that....now that--

No. Damn it all, no. Settle the body first, then go back to Leigh to process. That was how it was done.

Na'an's hands shook on the training room console. Which was funny; she hadn't even realized she was headed here until she'd been standing in front of its control center. She swore at her fingers to stop, kneaded one palm with the other, forced them to complete the input of the training program. She'd set the controls to live fire, which was not usually recommended at this difficulty, but hell, her body clearly knew what it wanted. As the chamber on the other side loaded, Na'an stripped off a layer in preparation. The stiff Imperial jacket fell in a heap at the side of the console, followed by the thick heavy boots and socks; she shivered as the icy air raised gooseflesh on her bare shoulders. That part wasn't so bad. She was used to the cold, at this point.

Her hands steadied slightly as she covered them in protective tape. She could focus on the strip winding around her knuckles, between her spindly fingers, across her palm, around her wrist, down her arm. It had been a while since she'd had to wrap for unarmed combat simulations. The Empire didn't make a practice of it after basic training, preferring to drill weapons mastery. That wasn't uncommon, though; the Jedi were much the same. She'd had a laugh about it not too long ago. Back on Elenthaeus, she'd told--

She'd told--

Damn it. Damn it all.

She wrapped the last loop of tape too tight around her wrist to stop the shaking again; her fingers turned pale from more than just the cold.

The console beeped once. The program was ready. Na'an almost crossed to the training room door, but paused, looking down at the heap of clothing at her feet. Suddenly, she snatched at her eye, and the strip of black covering it fluttered down to join the rest.

Damn it. If Vyra had just--if this was really happening, then damn it all, just this once.

The training room door opened. From this angle, Na'an could see three armed battle droids already aiming at her, despite not having entered yet.

It was with a hard and hollow sound in her throat that she crossed the training room threshold, and let it enclose her.

Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Lori! You better come see this!" Arla shouted at her from the cockpit of the Jaster's Sparrow. The Mantis-class vessel drifted in neutral space in an asteroid belt, safely tucked away from prying eyes. The droid was always in sync with the holonet when she was on board, connected to the Sparrow herself. And it was through that connection that she had discovered the latest Imperial broadcast.

Lori was heard shortly thereafter, bounding up the metal steps two at a time. "What is it? Something wrong? Is it Caedyn? My mom?" As always she was full of questions and they tended to just spill out of her like word vomit.

"Just watch."

Arla brought up the broadcast onto the screen as Lori fixated her gaze on it. Even while sitting down in her chair her eyes never deviated from the screen. No emotion was written on her face outside of shock, which was only displayed by her slackened jaw. For the entire duration of the broadcast Lori was silent. And it was only a few minutes after it was finished that she spoke up. "I don't think that they've gone off on some honeymoon. This is a power grab. Not by her but...."

"Agreed. Yet who's pulling the strings?"

"I don't know yet, Arla. But we can't believe what they put out in public. It's not true. It's not real."

"So why this broadcast? To create a panic? To give the Rebels a false sense of security?"

Lori chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought it over. "I don't know yet. Maybe to force communications between the Rebels so that they can find more of us? I haven't given that agent anything yet. But not much has happened either. So it could be a ploy." The memory of Elaena Kessia Miran taking her form still unnerved her. Who else would she be capable of changing into? It was a scary thought.

"What shall we do?"

"Just wait. Just be patient. We can hide out here for a while. Keep an eye on the chatter and see if anything comes up. See if the Rebels reach out. Hopefully they don't do anything too soon. It could be a trap."

"Understood. And what are you going to do while we wait?"

"Curtis taught me a new Force trick. So I'm going to be practicing that. And tinkering. Ol' Sparky needs a bit of work." Lori got up from her chair and headed back down to the cargo bay. Her mind was swirling with the information in the broadcast. Her gut told her not to trust it.

But what if her gut was wrong?

Ingrid L'lerim Vidalu Na'an

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

~ The day before the night of the coup attempt ~​

<”Overlord, you have to announce what happened, it's your duty!”> she listened to this sentence for days.

Hours have passed since the announcement, which has already been postponed for days. Ingrid really hoped they would find any clue about the disappearance of the Emperor and the Empress, but that didn’t happen yet. In spite of so much time, she had heard from the STRATCOM’s Overseers from the beginning that she had to announce. The Eternal Empire could not stop, could not fall into chaos. Especially not at such a delicate time.

Many would have been happy with the news that they could become regent, Ingrid was not one of those people. The red-haired woman never longed for power, just for a single moment, also because of Scherezade deWinter 's anger. It was then that she lost the Emperor's trust, which she then managed to regain for months. When this happened, the man inaugurated her in a terrible secret. She had to bear this burden, which she did not want to execute. If she did, she would probably kill everyone in the Galaxy with this, including the two men she loved. Although of the two, AMCO would have been more affected by this, as he was the Force User.

And it did not serve the interests of the Empire at the moment. Ingrid had already made the announcement, but that didn’t change her mood either, she felt cheated and betrayed. Tacitus did not prepare her for this, she had her own affairs, she learned state administration, because she was the heir of the Clan L’lerim, she was a ruler through Tubrok, and once she should have been Lady of Nelvaan, but that never happened. But those were the days before the Eternal Empire. She had never led the state here before, Kainan Wolfe has never entrusted her with this task before.

At first, Bursoll had such duties because the Emperor froze, or who knows why he did not continue the military operations, but nothing before and after. And now she had to prosper without any guidance, so that not even her studies were actually completed. The man disappeared in a very awkward and delicate situation. Ingrid had a bad feeling before the trip and she wanted to go too, but Tacitus wouldn't let her. Now she would have disappeared if the Emperor had let her.

<”Overlord, we are ready for the meeting, we are just waiting for you.”>

The message came from one of the Overseers. He was right, even this time was much more for self-pity than Ingrid could afford. Empire, duty and work were the firsts, her own feelings doesn’t matter, never does. She took a deep breath and suppressed the feelings that would only affect her work. She got up from behind her office desk and headed to the STRATCOM meeting room.

No matter how she felt and did not want this burden, she had to control an empire in the absence of Kainan Wolfe .

​

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

The schedule for the training rooms came in hour-long blocks, the most popular slots sitting squarely in the early afternoon hours. Those slots sat shortly after both the mid-day meal and the shift change of the palace guard. Bored guardsman, looking to work off the weight of food in their bellies, would book the room for sparring in the name of the Emperor and his glorious Empire. Before then, the rooms mostly sat empty, their usual users locked in meetings or duties, the slots left open and undesirable. Even moreso today, as many of the regulars had cancelled their sessions in advance of the Imperial memorial.

That was why, when the off-duty guards for the Palace Armory came in for their weekly match, they were startled by the noises coming from training room B.

"What the--what the kriff is that supposed to be?" The first guard, a shorter, dusky-skinned man, as he cut a wide berth around the back of the control room. The entrance to the training room was closed and auto-locked, per safety protocols, but even the double-walled door didn't mask the sounds at all. It sounded like...well, like a warzone. Gunfire mingled with the occasional crash and screech of metal, along with crunches that sounded like breaking stones...Mixed with it, however, was something more less typical that made him uneasy. "What the hell is roaring in there?"

"Uh..." The other guard, paler and taller than his companion, went for the console; a few taps brought up the room's schedule. "Looks like it's been booked for a live-fire droid sim," he said. "Weird hour for a booking, but that'd explain the blasters."

"Booked? By what, a pack of kath hounds?" The shorter guard almost laughed at his own joke, before the sound of a body slamming into the door sent him skittering back another two steps. "Gods!"

"Uh, no. Only one name here." The tall guard squinted at the monitor, mouthing the name with an expression like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Looks like a Vidalu...Nan? Nahhhn? I don't know how to pronounce this, it's got a damned mark in the middle. Damn foreign names--do you know how to say this?"

"Lemme look." With a roll of his eyes, the shorter man crossed to the console himself, leaning into the screen so that his body almost blocked the tall guard's view. He squinted at the name, lips pursed, for a few seconds. "Wait. That's...." He looked up at his partner, looking confused. "That's the Empress' guard. The girl, you know, the one with the patch. She's got all the scars on her face?"

The tall guard cocked a derisive eyebrow. "The pet?"

"Looks like."

Both pairs of eyes turned towards the training room door. From inside it, they could both hear the sound of tearing metal, then another crunch. Whatever it was in there snarled.

The tall guard went very still "What the kriff."

The shorter guard's dark skin had gone almost as pale as his partner's. "Look, I don't know any more than you do," he said shakily, his eyes darting to the console screen. "It's either her or it's not. Either way, the current sim's ending in thirty seconds. We'll find out."

They waited out those thirty seconds in uneasy silence. The noises from the training room, too, seemed to slow, with fewer blasters and more bone-cracking impacts. the last bits of blasterfire happened some fifteen seconds in, and after a short series of wham-wham-wham-wham, everything went...quiet.

The console beeped. The light above the training room went from active red to green.

It was with uneasy looks that the two guards armed themselves with training rifles and flanked the door. A quick round of Janken left the shorter guard to take point, and he found himself palming the door to slide it open.

What was inside looked worse than it sounded.

The room, normally a pristine space, looked like it had been hit by a natural disaster. The pristine white tiles along the walls were cracked, and in some places shattered, with holes showing the dented metal underneath. The floor slots designed for dynamic barrier programming had all been activated, but not all of them seemed to have done so successfully. Some were smoking, the barriers crammed back down into them by force, while others were only half-deployed, with the barriers bent and warped so badly they could neither fully raise or slide back into the floor. Every surface was scored with blaster marks, and one of the lights in the ceiling had been pulled loose, dangling from a single sparking cable and sputtering wildly.

On the ground, between and around and on the barriers, were the remains of what looked to be at least thirty droids. The exact number would be impossible to tell, unless someone bothered gathering up all the parts that were still identifiable and making an official count. Still, to the shorter guard, it felt like an unsettlingly large amount of droid parts. What kind of sim used that many units in a space of this size? How long had the sim been going on before they'd shown up for their session?

And among them--the only thing left standing--

The shorter guard felt his heart stutter.

She was barefoot, hair tied high and dressed only in a sleeveless shirt and breeches. Her back was to them as she stood over a still-twitching battle droid, looking down. Much of her bare skin--what he could see, at least--seemed to be either bruised or smudged in grease or smoke. In one hand, knuckles bloody even under wraps, she held the arm of a different droid entirely. As they watched, she bent over the droid, hooking the fingers of her free hand under the joint connecting the head to the rest of the chassis. With a single sharp jerk, she popped the joint and tore the head loose from its socket. Her body turned slightly as she raised the head level to inspect it, her face in profile.

Her eye--her expression--it was---

One of them must have made a noise then. An inhale, maybe.

The eye that had fixed on the dying droid was fixed on him now. If the guard's heart had stuttered before, it had now fully stopped.

"Close the door."

He didn't even take the time to acknowledge the order; he simply turned, shoved his partner out the door, then palmed it shut. He then crossed to the console and typed in a short command to lock the door without starting a new simulation. If she wanted the door closed, then hell if she didn't get the door closed.
As he worked, the tall guard seemed to just stand there, looking shell-shocked.

"That's the Empress' pet, all right," he said, sounding confused.

"Yep."

"She was unarmed, right? That wasn't just me?"

"Yep."

"And that was...that was a lot of damage."

"Yep."

"We should...we should probably alert someone."

"Yyyyyyyyyyyyep."

Ingrid L'lerim Loreena Arenais-Valhoun​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

The events were as general as possible, nothing really happened in the few corridors until Ingrid arrived at the central courtroom. As soon as she got there, the door opened in front of her. The Overseers were all here and just waiting for Ingrid. As soon as the woman entered the present saluted her, which she also reciprocated.

She knew it was going to be a very, very long day. They had to review a great deal of things, including the scenarios the Emperor had previously developed for such a case of not being able to rule for some reason. Of course, they’ve started reviewing all of this before, but they haven’t got to the end yet.

She had already sent a message home to her husband that it was unlikely that she would be able to go home during the day, nor was it likely at night, so the man wouldn’t even wait. Work has always been a priority for her, even in this situation. And then she didn't even know that she had to face even a coup attempt just half a day later. It will be a very long day.

Luckily, she was able to divide her attention in several directions, so while the Overseer said the reports or argued and talked to each other, her thoughts shifted back to earlier questions. Of course, she also listened to what was in the room and intervened, spoke, and asked questions several times. Her own thoughts may have been important, but the affairs of the Eternal Empire are still far more important than her own worries.

”Did you find any contract or reference to when and how the Emperor entered into an alliance with the NIO?”

​

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Na'an's knuckles were stiff under the double layer of bandages. As she took the walk towards the kitchens, she found herself flexing them unconsciously against her sides, wincing against the fresh wave of pain each time.

She'd overdone it. From the moment she saw the terrified faces of the two soldiers at the door, she knew she'd overdone it. How long had she been in that training room, with the program left on loop? How many droids had she ripped apart, without the Force as a buffer? How much damage had she done, in that state when she'd gone beyond thought?

The captain the soldiers had called seemed to think it was quite a lot. She'd sat in the rubble until he arrived, sat through his tirade about indiscipline and wasted resources and wild behavior for what felt like an hour. The first two soldiers had stayed to back him up--firmly from outside the door, she noticed; every time she looked towards the short one he visibly flinched.

She couldn't remember ever having made someone flinch with a look like that.

The captain had eventually run out of steam and had marched her to the nearest medical office, where the nurse seemed to agree with him. Na'an had had to sit through yet another round of scolding as she'd been stripped, inspected, and treated. Most of the damage she'd done to herself, she hadn't even felt in the heat of the moment; each new cut the nurse's prodding fingers found elicited another yelp of surprise and pain, and another smack for 'being such a child about it'.

As Na'an dressed, the two of them had discussed punishments for her. For a moment, the same old anger had flared up, and she'd almost retorted that none of them had the right to punish her. She wasn't an Imperial soldier, she wasn't someone they could order around, another pawn of the Emperor like the rest of them. She didn't work for the Emperor, she worked for--

For--

Damn it all.

And all the fight had gone out of her, just like that. When the captain and the nurse decided to put her to work, Na'an didn't bother arguing. She just made her way to the kitchens, flexing her fingers and feeling the pain. Her orders were to take the nightly meal to Wulfngard, on her own and without bacta to dull the ache. The new Empress Regent and her advisors would be pulling an all-nighter, and would need to be fed well.

Presumably, having the former Empress' pet serve the meal would be a special seasoning.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Ingrid L'lerim​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

For Ingrid, this day was pretty unanimous, there was really nothing worth mentioning in her. After all, it is fortunate that if nothing worthwhile happens, when the STRATCOM holds a meeting on state affairs all day. Since the woman used to be immersed in work quite often anyway and often doesn’t even notice that she doesn’t eat for days or drink only minimally, she didn’t really realize the passage of time now.

Because she did so, the men with her didn’t really dare to show anything like that, they were hungry or thirsty. Ingrid was in no hurry, they had plenty of time, everyone was counting on the night job anyway. It was then that she looked up and began to realize what time it was when one of the men indicated his hunger by his stomach. Then she checked the clock as well, it was already dark outside and they really didn't eat anything all day, they almost didn't even go out to the bathroom. That’s why she ordered a half-hour break then for everyone to take care of their stuff.

Meanwhile, they said from the logistics that dinner will also arrive here soon, to this place. Until that happened, Ingrid gathered herself and took care of things outside of work as well. When she returned to the room, she was still alone, so she sat back behind her datapad. If all is true, the door soon opened, and the woman was already glad the STRATOM leaders had returned, but she had to be disappointed.

Only dinner had arrived, which is why she only took one look at the woman arriving. At first she didn't know her because she didn't pay so much attention, but then she did. One of the countesses of the Empress. She didn't really know who had done it that way, but the Overlord didn't find that specifically funny. However, as time slowly passed, on the one hand the woman was late and on the other hand something was missing.

<”Just put them on the table, bring a poison detector and you can leave.”>

She said in her usual cold voice, she hadn't asked the poison detector for herself, she probably wouldn't eat anything, for the others who didn't have the Force and couldn't do anything about the poisons.

​

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

"A detector? No one mentioned..."

At this point, Na'an didn't have much in her left to bristle at the dismissive wave of the Empress Regent's hand. The arrogance of the gesture only seemed to register in the back of her mind, as her eye went from the gesture to the tray in her own hands. When the captain and the nurse had sent her to the kitchens, they hadn't mentioned anything about a poison detector--only saying that it would be her job to ensure that the Empire's new leader actually ate something.

The realization that dawned on her came as slowly and surely as the beginning of a migraine in the back of her skull.

Of course. Of course they wouldn't have said anything. This was a punishment duty, after all. To the soldiers of Kalidan, Vidalu Na'an and her droid had been a curiosity at best since the moment they had arrived. The Emperor had tolerated her, let her do her 'job' without objection, but no effort to endear her to his own men had ever been made on either side. Now, however, with the Empress gone? After the mess she'd made of the training rooms, and the scare she'd put into those guards? She was just an abandoned pet. A dog that, without its master, had still decided to shit on the metaphorical rug. Of course this would be part of the punishment too.

Fine, then. Damn it all. It wasn't like she'd ever had much dignity to lose.

The tray in her arms held two or three large sandwiches, and a thermos of what smelled like some kind of soup. Na'an crossed to the desk with a boldness she would have never risked in front of its former owner, placing the tray down before picking up the topmost sandwich. With one twist of her fingers, she tore a chunk loose and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing as she dropped the other half back on the tray. Her hands free, she twisted open the thermos and poured three fingers of steaming red liquid into one of the available cups. The soup was creamy, heavy on the salt and thick enough to coat the tongue. It was also hot enough to burn the back of her throat as Na'an downed the cup and washed the last of the bread down.

"My apologies," she said when she'd caught her breath. "I wasn't told to get a tester, just that I was not to leave until you ate. Feel free to wait as long as you want until you're sure I'm not gonna drop dead."

Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

”It’s not your fault, considering I don’t even understand why you’re here. This is not the job of Miss Na’an. It’s much more for those who didn’t take care of their own work.”

Ingrid really didn't understand why the other one was here. This is not the job of a handmaiden, they had the right droids, possibly kitchen staff, for this task. At home personally, both Ingrid and Tubrok used droids for such a task, not live crews. Ingrid was really surprised when she put the trays down right where she sat at the big table. So, then these were just for her and not for the whole staff.

She was about to say that she didn't have to stay anymore because she wouldn't eat anyway. No, it wasn’t the woman’s fault, she just wasn’t hungry and work was more important than eating. But at that moment, Na’an bit into one of the sandwiches and even ate it into the soup. This method was no stranger to the woman because she had seen food tastings like that, but it was a punishment. Proper scanners have been used for hundreds or thousands of years. She raised an eyebrow. Would she have been so desperate that the Empress had disappeared? She didn't know because she didn't know the woman.

”Maybe it would have been better if you went for a scanner. You shouldn't have bothered with that.”

She wanted to ask if Tubrok had sent these, but since she didn’t have her favourite foods here and there wasn’t a big pile of sweets among them, she doubted. Then, on the other hand, only the simple kitchen staff who had previously supervised the meals of the Imperial couple.

”You can leave, I'm not going to eat and the meeting will resume in a few minutes. But tell me one thing before you leave, why are you here? Why they sent you?”

​

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Na'an found herself looking sullenly away, rubbing at a a bruise on her arm with her bandaged hand. She didn't want to have to explain herself to this woman, not now. Not when she barely understood what she was doing herself. She was already being shamed for her indiscretion by being forced to do a job that didn't even exist anymore. Must 'damn it all' really keep pushing her forward into more indignities?

No wonder Vyra had barely bothered with her, even until the end. At this point, she didn't even act like a proper person; maybe that was why she'd never been treated like one.

The thought, sharp and unbidden, pushed Na'an right back into "damn it all."

"I've...made some trouble for the Palace personnel," she said finally. "Made a mess of one of the training rooms. Had a bit of a fit in there. I guess I scared a few people. Caused some damage. Ma'am."

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Ingrid L'lerim ​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

Ingrid raised her eyebrows almost again as she turned away from her. She had heard rumours before that, especially in the Empress's circles, there was quite a lot to cast on discipline and the behaviour of those there was not worthy of the Empire at all. Well, it seemed that the rumours were not unfounded, but true. She wasn't really happy about that, because she didn't want to reach into the court like this, because it wasn't her job, and she was waiting for the Imperial couple to come back, but it was intolerable.

And what followed was really already pushing the line that was unacceptable. And again Ma’am, they don’t even know decency. Let’s just say it was a degree better than when she was called “my Lady”. It was at least a military one, but neither was the sequel specifically one that would have won the red-haired woman’s favour. She guessed that her next move would not be explicitly popular within the Empress’s people, but she didn’t care. Anyway, it was disturbing that the Empress held very different views than the rest of the empire, and yet the Emperor was involved in state affairs, formally placing her above the STRATCOM and the Overlord.

Sure, the one thing is that the emperor probably fell in love with the woman, but that shouldn’t listen to his emotion. Work and private life are two separate things, and if one is involved, it can have unpredictable consequences. Like when during the invasion against the Sith, the Emperor entrusted the empire to the Empress and not to the STRATCOM. She could have made this decision because he is the Emperor, but it was not very ethical. In light of this, he could have ruled arbitrarily and abolished the established legal system.

”You're fired!” she said finally in a cold voice. ” Along with those who allowed you to damage the equipment, along with those who sent you here, and also those in whom you were able to instill fear. The Empress' court is, to put it mildly, a disgrace to the Imperial Court by its inability to conform to the Eternal Imperial standard. Not to even try. In addition, you will be compensated for the material damage you have caused, and depending on the extent of the damage, you will also be involved in public work for a few weeks to a few months for which you will not be paid. I will personally communicate the changes to the Empress when she returns, as well as the reasons.”

​

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Na'an took the dressing-down with a stonefaced indifference that, in another mood, she would have been impressed with herself in maintaining. The Empress Regent's displeasure was probably something the lower-downs were banking on, as being part of her punishment; she was far from the shining military standard these people saw as the only worthy attitude of holding. Leigh's efforts with the Rebellion would make the financial issue not hard to solve, if earning her yet another scolding this time from someone who deserved it.
"With all due respect, Ma'am," she found herself saying, "The Empress probably would not have objected to your decision even if she is alive. As long as I remained useful to her in the way she desired, what happened to me in the course of my time in her service was irrelevant.

Wherever she has gone with the Emperor, she likely has not thought of me once."

Na'an swallowed against the bitter taste of the words--a bitterness that she'd been forced to say out loud more than once, more times than she was ready to. She fought, too, the hot angry prickles at the corners of her eyes. She would not cry for Lady Ingrid L'lerim: a woman after the Imperial couple's own heart, The Emperor's brutal right hand. Instead, she forced herself to keep talking, to keep her eye on Ingrid's hands rather than her eyes, to note the new callouses where none had likely been before. The new Empress Regent, it was well known, was now the face of the Empire in the absence of its Emperor, and the rumors had already abounded. The Lady L'lerim had not slept since the disappearance. She Lady L'lerim had been locked in her office for days. The Lady L'lerim was working nonstop to ensure the continuity of her rule into the future.

"As it were," her mouth continued, completely of its own volition. "I hope you understand if I stay close--outside the door, perhaps--until I can verify that you have at least eaten something. Your people have prepared this meal out of concern for your health during this...transition. I do not wish to incur punishment on top of punishment by neglecting it."

Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

Ingrid looked at the woman with a stern look when she said, “even if she is alive”. Just a few hours ago, the STRATCOM announced that the ruling couple had disappeared, and here, in inner circles, she hears that they were dead. The Overlord knew there would be many who would suspect her that the couple was missing and she could do it, even though she had nothing to do with it. If she had had to kill them, she would have done it in the imperial bedroom and not like that. Otherwise, there was no evidence that they were not alive.

"They are alive and we will find them! I don’t want to hear anything more about what happened what if they died."

She continued to speak coldly, militarily. It’s possible that most people would have left it at that and never looked for them, but Ingrid did. Partly because of this, she didn’t sleep either, because she was constantly waiting for the news, coordinating the search. At this moment, she could not allow herself to go out into space to look for the emperor and his ship, but she had done everything in recent days. She wanted to bring Kainan Wolfe home. Even if most people didn’t believe it. Ingrid waited the minute they found them and they came home and she did not have to be a regent anymore. But, for her, the first was the Empire.

The red-haired woman didn't know what to say to the other woman, she was never emotional with strangers, she instinctively closed herself to strangers and raised a wall around her. Of course, she could have played a role, but she was tired of it. She found plenty enough to tell her that the missing couple was not dead. She felt it was true. Sighed a little, had no appetite, was too stressed to do so, but she would have liked something.

"If you want me to eat something, then bring a cake or chocolate, please. The Overseer will surely be happy with the sandwiches as well."

​

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

"You'll crash in an hour on a meal like that."

Oh, Leigh was going to have her head when she returned to their quarters. And if Adelle were here, she'd be apoplectic at the thought of Na'an speaking so boldly to Ingrid Gorram L'lerim. But Na'an was far beyond that, at least for now. She merely stood ramrod-straight, her hands behind her back, watching Ingrid's shifting expression with surprising coolness. The throbbing in her knuckles seemed to sharpen the edges of her eyesight, giving the moment an odd feeling of unreality.

"What I've brought has protein, carbohydrates, and the nutrients needed to keep your body running," she said, in a clipped tone rather more like the Imperial cadence than Na'an's own natural tongue. "If there weren't already rumors that you were neither sleeping nor eating, they would know it just looking at you. That is probably why they sent this rather than something rather more suiting to your tastes. Will you really disrespect those who wish to support you by dismissing their efforts?"

Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

She looked at the woman with an emotionless face as the woman objected to her order. Just raised her eyebrows for a moment. Ingrid knew herself, knowing exactly that there would be nothing wrong with eating like that. If needed, she could eat a few pills to help her health, especially in these stressful days. Adrian gave her quite a bit of advice on this. Especially when she complained to the Sith Lord she would be happy to eat more sweets and cakes, but she couldn’t because she had to take care of her physique and weight.

So she really can’t get in trouble if she eats cake. Her acquaintances knew very well that the woman preferred regular meals to pills, but if she had to, she ate the nutrients she needed in that form. And moments later, the woman began to list exactly what Ingrid would need, and in what she brought. Not even her own mother talked to her like that to eat something. This woman reminded her more of her training officers, especially “Uncle” Joe.

There was still no emotion on her face, she just reached down to the desk drawer without looking at it and then put a bottle full of medicine on the table. After that, she looked at the woman again, her face still emotionless.

”I have all the nutrients I need. And if they want to eat regular food, it will be a cake.” she said in an emotionless voice. ” If it is not considered appropriate, I would like a fried whale with the garnish attached to it. Or roast venison with forest fruit sauce and oven-baked potatoes. With one whose top is chopped in several places and seasoned that way.” she listed them as if she had just read some report.

​

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

Whatever Na'an had been expecting from Lady Ingrid L'lerim, it wasn't this. This....this was the most childish thing she'd heard since she arrived on Kalidan.

Na'an had to bite down on her lip hard to keep from snorting out loud. She'd already crossed several lines today, but this one seemed like it'd be the one that would get her killed on the spot. One simply had to know when to quit when talking to a spoiled brat with too much power, and the kind of woman who demanded cake, then an intensely specific, overly luxurious menu right down to how the potatoes were cut, rather than eat a meal like a normal human being and be grateful for the effort, definitely fit that category. Fried whale? Forest fruit sauce, on a planet with no fruit? Ye gods, she even said it with the blank face of someone who thought she was the one being reasonable!

Had the Emperor indulged such entitlement from his right hand, for it to come such second nature? Or was this what all these people were, under the military veneer? Tacitus had, after all, spared no expense on ensuring his desk was made with imported mahogany. Maybe this was part of what had let Vyra slip so easily into the role of his silent Empress--the ridiculousness of it all. Of having every luxury denied to your people at your fingertips, while pretending you were too good for such things. Of being able to justify whatever you wanted, while claiming it was your only choice. Of using the people who loved you, only to leave them worse off then when they met you, and still consider them your friends.

And, oddly enough, that thought was manageable. That thought was bitter, and only the gods would know if it was fair, but it wasn't one Na'an had to dismiss before it turned toxic inside her and turned her mind into fire.

It was something she could consider. It would let her mourn Vyra Salicaire, once and for all. and then...

"Understood, Ma'am."

Na'an half-bowed, not bothering to keep the rush of gratitude in her chest from warming her voice, then retrieved the tray. "I'll alert the kitchen of your decisions," she continued. "I'm sure they'll find something more deserving of your tastes once they're done with me."

Once dismissed, she took the short walk to the door, then the longer walk towards the tram back to the main complex. With every step, she found herself laughing more freely. The giggles were interrupted with the occasional sob, and there was no way to tell which sound could claim the tears streaming down her cheeks, but they were giggles nonetheless.

It was well past time. For a lot of things.

She hoped Leigh agreed enough to make the necessary plans.

Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

Actually, Ingrid did it because she was already bored of the whole thing, her job was much more important than eating. The Overlord really was able to dissolve it with pills if needed. Others eat it for months or years. For the woman, work was always a priority, not herself important. As a matter of fact, there was raw material for making all this in her home in Vengard, because Tubrok also loved them very much. The man especially loved whale meat.

However, now, fortunately, the woman did not argue, which, however, did not improve the situation. She had already been fired by Ingrid anyway, so she could have said no. The Overlord sighed a little and shook her head.

”You didn't think I mean it, did you? It would take hours for them to do it properly, or days because they don’t have the ingredients. They made the sandwiches for a reason. Say in the kitchen that I ate and let’s stay that way. They don’t have to know I didn’t touch them.” she said this time with a hint of fatigue in her voice.

For a moment Na’an could even see the fatigue on her, she just wanted to finish the job. More like coffee or just caffeine tablets. Ingrid never used the property of the Empire for luxury items or things that went beyond the imperial standard. She had a very ancient family, with a huge consortium behind them. They were the foundation on which Tacitus built the Eternal Empire. They were the bank of the Eternal Empire! The woman and her family spend a lot of money in the Empire. Grants, tenders, construction projects. None came from public money, but from their own.

”Just tell them I ate, please! Thank you!” She said even more wearily to her, then turned back to the papers to continue working with them.

​

 

[Vidalu Na'an]

The tram back to the Kalidan palace complex was a long one. By the time Na'an returned, it was already long past dark, and the rumors about her being persona non grata had already spread. None of the guards so much as looked in her direction as she passed through its halls, although the kitchen personnel had the smuggest possible look when she dropped off the tray with only a single bite eaten.

A nasty bunch, to be sure, to set someone up for failure just to watch them flail. A pity Na'an couldn't bring herself to be mad at them anymore. An Empire could only be as good as those who led them, after all.

She was right about Leigh being upset, at least. By the time she had returned to their quarters, word of the wreck she'd made of the training room had already made its way to the computer system, along with its price tag. Their investments could more than cover it, should they actually decide to pay, but it was the principle of the thing, the droid had said furiously. They had worked so hard to remain innocuous, to the point of Na'an hiding her own presence in the Force at almost all times despite the strain, and in the space of a day she'd made a fool of herself in front of the new Empress. This place was hard, yes, brutally so, but acting so recklessly was a violation of every promise they had ever made to each other. It was suicide just waiting to happen--practically begging for enough attention to get them caught.

But then Na'an had pointed out that that was only a matter of time, too. That they weren't Imperially trained, that they didn't fit into the culture, that without Vyra their presence there no longer meant anything, had no justification, and that in an Empire that only prized itself and those it deemed useful they would soon be purged, if only for efficiency's sake. She'd argued the point so sharply and with such passion that Leigh had to agree.

That, or she'd seen that the strain of being here was finally causing the human too much stress to bear. Which, Na'an had to admit, was probably right. First, Kalidan had been a prison locked by someone who'd claimed to love them; now it was a graveyard, haunted by yet another unhappy ghost.

They had to leave. Tonight.

And in the end, leaving hadn't actually been all that difficult. They'd packed up Leigh's servers and a pair of bags they'd kept ready on a trolley, joking all the while. Oddly, the pressure of the place seemed to lift from them both the second the decision had been made. Leigh told Na'an about the rumors that had spread regarding the training room, which had escalated wildly in the few hours since she had been at Wulfngard. Na'an told Leigh about the Empress' ridiculous appetites, and the way she'd tried to walk them back the minute she'd said them as if that made it better. And, for the first and last time, their tiny quarters on Kalidan heard the sounds of their laughter.

It was Kalidan's witching hour, the stillest, most silent part of the night, when they made their move. Leigh slipped the trolley onto the trams between guard shifts and lied her way onto a shuttle by claiming weapons system maintenance was needed before its scheduled early-morning launch. Easy enough to do, when you were able to falsify maintenance requests from the back of your head. From there, she'd prepped the shuttle, securing the bags and hiding her equipment in a little-used storage compartment, and waited for Na'an.

For Na'an, her lightsaber at her belt and bandoliers of detonators hidden by a cloak, had a stop to make first . A stop down in the bestiary. A stop that, she'd promised the droid, would provide decent cover for their escape.

She had a favor to repay, after all.

Repaying it, however, took a while. Na'an only made it back to the shuttle bay just before the scheduled launch, to collapse into the seat next to Leigh with an exhausted, sleepless grin. She let the droid start the take off sequence, ease them out of the shuttle bay, and even start the approach to the lightspeed hub before she let her cloak fall open to reveal that the bandoliers she'd strapped to herself were now empty. Then Na'an told her droid what she'd done.
By the time they hit the hub, the detonators would start going off; first on each of the chains strapping down a certain black Tyrant dragon, then on every wall between him and the outside. From there, it would be up to him to take the freedom he had earned, but Na'an didn't have any doubt that he would. For Na'an knew him, that wily monster. She'd rode on his back and in his mind and in his power. She knew his hunger for blood only matched his hunger to spread his wings in open sky--and that the droids who would arrive to care for the captive animal wouldn't be much of a hindrance.

She hoped, she told Leigh as they slipped into hyperspace, that he would leave at least one droid to relay the message she'd left. It wasn't much of a message, maybe--only a symbol, daubed clumsily on one of the bestiary walls--but it would be impossible to misintrepret. The double-winged sigil of the Eclipse rebellion, encircled in a distinctive blue only one Rebel ever used.

If they were going AWOL, The Empire might as well know where all their intel leaks had come from. And wouldn't it stick in their craw to have the entire Unknown Regions know that the Voice of Abbaji had been under their late Emperor's roof the entire time? And that the incoming Empress had lost her?

...Na'an should have known that Leigh would only get really angry once she realized what Na'an meant by "her'.

::END::

Ingrid L'lerim | Loreena Arenais-Valhoun​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim-Ragal
Empress Regent of the Eternal Empire, Overlord of the Eternal Empire, the Emperor's hand
The Red Witch; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Wulfngard, Kalidan
Equipment: 2x Sigra vibroblade | 2x Striith vibrosword | 2x red blade lightsaber shoto | Gildenweave Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Vidalu Na'an

She left and Ingrid was finally left alone. She still didn’t touch the food, she wasn’t hungry and there were countless jobs waiting for her before they could finish the meeting. It really was more important than anything else. She drank to drink, and it was unnecessary to eat, until she collapsed. But there were really pills that she could eat. At that time she didn't even know that they would be attacked in just a few hours; how many soldiers and Warden there were in the empire who disagreed with what had become of Tacitus, where he was leading the Empire.

Tacitus was a Sith, even if he did not want to confess or refuse to do so. Was anyone wondering that some of his Warden had chosen the same path and did not want to lose their own power? Perhaps the impending coup attempt could have been prevented if Ingrid had not spent most of her time in the Sith Empire as a double agent. But the past could no longer be changed and the future was written, no matter how painful it was.

Ingrid looked up as the Overseer came back to the courtroom and took a seat. She motioned for one of the droids to take out the tray she had left here. Before that, of course, she told her men that if they wanted to, they would eat, but everyone said they had already eaten. After all, the break was long enough for them to be able to do that. And for that reason, there was no reason to delay any further.

The STRATCOM continued the discussions, which was next disrupted by a young officer in the middle of the night, with news that the Eternal Truth had begun the coup attempt, and “The Night of Truth” has begun…


Last post.

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