Wake Up

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

A kiss would press sweetly upon Soliael's lips, Kira's hand coming to rest upon the curve of her beloved's jaw.

"We learn from the past so that we can mind the future." there wasn't much that was spared between them. Kira knew where and what Soliael had done to get him to where he was today. While there were terribly dark chapters, there were also incredibly joyful ones. The former false god named Neth was every bit a part of Soliael's past, but the man that stood before her had tempered into the one she had seen bloom back on Exocron.

He had already made his choice and decision on how to live his life. The protective nature he had felt for the many Moross citizens was plenty of evidence at that.

"That is the will of the Force." her thumb would caress his cheek anew, the soft bristle of his beard brushing the pad of her thumb. "As for happier things," she added, her lips curving as she drew back to move towards the cockpit of the Freya.

"I spoke to Nohei and she seems a lot happier." she spoke of their youngest again. "The business is going well, and expanding a little bit." as she stepped away, her hand went tracing down his shoulder and his arm before letting go. It was as if lamenting the break of touch.

"I heard you helped her join the Bazaar."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Oh, you did that too, well paid for it at least." Soliael offered her a grin. He of course kept no secrets from his wife, and that meant finances as well. He was a vastly wealthy man, even before he had become a god of Moross, and when Kira had married him she had taken all of that wealth as well. Before that she had never really dealt with money, at least not on such a grand scale. Soliael however had always felt that it was important Kira knew just how much money they had, that she could use it whenever and for whatever she wanted, and that she was secure.

He shared everything with his wife.

Money included.

"I'm glad she's doing better." Soliael said with genuine earnest. "She's the favorite after all."

Soliael joked of course, he didn't have a favorite, but Nohei was really the only one of his children that followed in the tradition of his own force techniques. Sure Micah would have jumped at the chance to learn to blink and Aela had taken lessons form him, but Nohei had been the only one truly interested in his passion, the manipulations of technology.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Uh huh, I guess those cooking lessons beside you paid off," she'd tease. Nohei took on more of her father than the other three. Each were all an amalgam of both Kira and Sol, with tidbits here and there. Micah took on his father's ambition and drive, scattered with his mother's light-heartedness and a their humor. Khayri was more of a product of Soliael's mother's side and Esmae bloomed with her father's love of books and keen intellect. Nohei by all appearances appeared to be a younger version of her mother, all save the height and her father's orange eyes. Where she'd taken the bulk of the physical from her mother, in her interests they lay more with her father.

Be it Technomancy and mechu deru, even cooking if they were honest, Nohei was certainly her father's child in manner and drive. Such a curious thing to see oneself reflected within another's face and manner. Where Kira could bake, Sol's skills lay in cooking. A trait that their youngest also excelled at.

"So how is your mother and everyone else doing?" she asked him, crossing the threshold into the cockpit. It was a vast area, with a few droids set here and there. The entire ship was fully automated, so it was strange and familiar. Even after all this time, Kira and Nohei were the only ones who could truly pilot a ship.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He lead Kira towards one of the chairs that sat in the center of the Bridge. The vessel wasn't massive, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it did reach nearly two hundred meters and was more than enough for Kira and himself. The chairs upon the bridge were simple things, padded and build to military specs. They had never bothered replacing them with something more comfortable, why bother? They were rich beyond all belief but that didn't mean they had to spend money left and right, especially on things that they didn't really need.

Soliael smiled slightly, then waved a hand at the captains chair. "My lady."

Kira gave him a small grin, then plopped herself down.

"Mother is fine." He answered her. "A bit less grouchy then usual. Oma is doing well, and Amorella I think has found something to occupy herself. Everyone is doing good I think, we'll see in the coming months how they do without us around."

The former false god offered her a wink. His family wasn't the most connected bunch, not really anyway. They loved each other dearly of course and would go to the ends of the galaxy in order to protect one another, but in general they kept their lives separate. At times this was necessary, but lately it had really only been because of their nature, independence was bred strongly throughout his family. Oddly enough, that was not a trait that had found its way into his children.

Perhaps that was Kira's doing.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Oh? What is Amorella doing now?" Kira greatly admired and respected the former false goddess. Inari the Reviver. Her healing abilities were beyond compare, and it was she who had come to Kira's aid when she had first fallen to the side effects of her missing womb, and the delivery of the children after.

If anything, Amore was a a second mother to their children. It made things interesting when one would place Cameron, her husband, into the mix. Things were still a bit tense when it came to Kira and Cameron, but Amore and Soliael placed their trust in him, and Kira trusted their judgement. However, there were many a training sessions that were not fully disclosed to the Lorrdian, and for the known reasons that Kira had a tendency to worry.

"I know she was feeling a bit idle lately." with the children gone most of the time now, there wasn't much to do. The children would visit when able, Nohemi more than others, but otherwise, the time for the older generation to enjoy their free time had come. Amore was of the sort that enjoyed being able to keep herself busy. To feel productive.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael watched Kira around in the captains chair for a moment as she made herself more comfortable. He smiled slightly then leaned over to press a kiss against her forehead. "She's working with some charity, The Eve Foundation."

He shrugged.

"It's funded by Miss Arceneau and her husband." The former false god explained. "They do projects around the galaxy, building wells, humanitarian aid, that sort of thing."

Soliael, for once, didn't sound cynical about something. Even he found it difficult to criticize the work of a charity. Normally he would have said something about how it was all futile and how things should be more geared towards defeating the Sith, but this wasn't the Jedi. The Eve Foundation, as Soliael understood it, was not meant to fight, it was simply meant to relieve. He couldn't fault it for that, and of course it was something that kept his sister busy.

That was nice as well. "It's keeping her busy."

The ship below them began to rumble the reactor quickly beginning to push power to the engines.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Kira and Soliael spent many years doing this. Talking and having a conversation. Those large blue eyes would follow her husband, watching him move from one corner to the next. It was funny, she mused, her head canting to the right in slight contemplation. I can never get enough of simply watching him.

It was true. Regardless of the date or time, even the situation, Kira found herself drawn to her husband. By his stature and presence. By his kind heart and his generosity. By the way the sun would glint off his skin and how he would walk with that predatory grace. Honestly, there were time where she just couldn't help herself. Thank the Force for locks and small cubby holes. Otherwise it would have been quite a tale to explain it through.

"Well... as long as she is happy, then I will be glad to support in any means she requires," Kira told her husband, dropping her gaze but for a brief moment as she inputted their destination. Hmm...

"It may take us a bit longer to reach Rishi." They were going from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim. Those on slower ships could very well take a week for it. Not for Sol and Kira. No, this ship was built for speed.

However, that didn't mean they couldn't have fun spending time together in the mean time.

"But I brought my deck of Sabaac cards." she'd say a bit slyly.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Did you now?" Soliael said simply, looking around the bridge as the ship began to shake its way through the atmosphere.

There was no doubt that the two of them would have plenty to do with one another, especially since they had spent the past two decades doing just that. All that time they had been together, shared together, they had never argued, not truly, never fought, never even really disagreed a great amount. They spent nearly every waking moment together, living their lives in tandem. It was proof of just how much they loved one another, how they saw each other.

Pure perfection. "I suppose you'll plan on cheating again."

Soliael accused.

Kira was a sly one, those slippery Lorrdian hands had to be watched at all times.

Of course he never really minded such things, it was a game after all, nothing serious. He smirked at her, leaning down and hovering over the captains chair as the viewscreen behind him slowly began to change. The bright blue atmosphere of Borleias shifted, stretching and becoming speckled with bright spots of stars.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Kira's tongue would skim across the surface of her teeth, slightly lifting her lip as she granted Soliael a faint smirk. " I do not cheat." she told him plainly, bringing one knee up against her chest as she made herself comfortable. Oh her slight of hand was good enough after all these years to show that she still had it in her. Her youth as a pickpocket had to be thanked for that.

"I merely am taking advantage of how easily distracted you get when I start taking off clothes." oh the sass that spread across her face held enough snark to fill the ship.

"I win fair and square." she piped, her finger reaching over to gently boop the tip of her husband's nose.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He perked an eyebrow.

"Well." The False God said as the stars finally began to appear fully, twinkling slightly and growing brighter and more full. The Freya had breached the ethos of space, pressing forward and reaching towards the stars as it attempted to exit Borleias' Gravity Well. For a moment Soliael wanted to look back, felt like he had to wander to the end of the ship and simply stare out the window. They weren't leaving forever of course, they would return, but there was something about going away from this place, even if only for a time, that made Soliael Nostalgic.

"Perhaps I'll just have to tie you up." His voice was stern, though a smile spread on his face. "Prevent any advantages you might have."

And give himself some in the process.

 

[Kira Talith]

@Solieal Devin Talith

“You’ll have to have quick hands there bud,” Kira would quip right back, her chin lifting in the face of his stern words. That such a tiny thing would face off against the former False God, regardless of their lighthearted banter, was a sight to see.

Despite the decades, the Lorrdian was still very prone to jovial scenes and occasional pranks. Sol and the kids were often the subject of her dastardly, but good humor plots. If the Fate was to limit her in height, she would ensure it didn’t in her personality.

Grinning from ear to ear, her hands came up to cup her husband’s cheeks. A light dribble of her thumbs would smooth over his cheekbones, followed by a facetious drone, “I’m smaller and quicker than you.” Her brows would wag in challenge.

Yet it was then she felt the slight pang of his heart. Nostalgia. The Lorrdian would understand it. They were leaving their home behind, and while they had traveled back and forth between Borleias and Arda, it still would strike a chord.

“And so, we are off to our own adventure!”

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Their own little adventure. It had been a long time since they'd done that, since they'd gone out on their own and just done whatever they felt like. They were parents, both of them had obligations, and neither of them had ever really been too keen on leaving the other to enjoy themselves. This was the first time in over two decades that they would be doing something for just themselves, the first time that the two of them could be a little selfish.

That was nice.

Soliael leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead. "Rishi first."

That was where they were headed, and from there they would break into the Maze and begin to set their path. Soliael didn't care how long it lasted, didn't care how far they went, didn't even care what they would find out there, all he cared about was being with his wife. This would be the second greatest adventure of their life, he wanted it to teach them, to show them, to give them a new found understanding of what the galaxy was.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

R I S H I

A pinpoint in the black velvet of space suddenly warped, the Freya pouring out of hyperspace into the Rishi System. Their ship blended into the black of space, soaring closer to the planet that was the gateway to the famed Rishi Maze. Excitement ran up and down Kira’s spine, and the tiny Jedi Master snuggled close to her husband.

“We are herrree!!” she exclaimed, unable to help the slight bounce to her step. Blonde hair whispered around her cheeks, her grin wide and blue eyes bright as Borleias seas.

“Okay, will we be going down in a shuttle or are we going to try and find a spot to land?” They weren’t too familiar with the area, so neither really knew what to expect. A few of the Crusaders had been contacted to meet them if they so desired, so that only heightened the joy that the Jedi Master felt.

The area was actually still pretty neutral. There wasn’t much overwatch from the Techno Union here, and with good reason. Dangers still lurked, as did the scattered shadowports for smugglers, blockade runners, and pirates. Who knew what they would expect!

Kira had opted for a muted look. Well, more of a smuggler Captain vibe if she was honest, what with the brown pants, calf high tanned boots, and the leather vest over a beige blouse. She was half tempted to wear a bukar to cover her hair and face, but then she wondered just how humid it might get.
Giddy with delight, she wrapped her arms around Soliael’s waist. “What should we do first?!”

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"We'll take the ship down." Soliael said simply. "There's plenty of islands to land on and we have half a dozen speeders in the hangar bay that Oma put there before the ship left, we may as well put them to good use and see if we can't do some exploring of the wilds before anything else."

That was a simple solution to both of her questions.

Rishi wasn't exactly populace, at least not compared to worlds in the core. There were a few towns and villages, some natives that lived on different islands, but by and large RIshi tended to be a lot more slow going then the rest of the galaxy. That wasn't really a bad thing, not at all actually, but it did mean that it attracted a certain element of the galaxy, and once they made their way onto the planets surface and towards the more populated areas of the planet that fact would become entirely clear.

It was for that reason, and at the encouragement of his wife, that Soliael had dressed for a different sort of part.

Taking a step back from his usual more stately appearance Soliael had instead dressed as half spacer, half pirate. He wore a thick bantha leather jacket, his beard was neatly trimmed back, his hair cropped slightly closer then it had been and on his nose sat a pair of black sunglasses. For all intense and purposes Soliael appeared the typical Galactic miscreant.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“Exploring of the wilds, hmm?” there was a distinct familiar heat and impish devilry in Kira’s eyes. The appreciation in her eyes would not be missed, as she boldly admired Sol’s form. The thought alone would remind her of what they’d often would wander off during the beginning of their relationship. That had been fun.

“Okay,” she would clap her hands. “Oh! I brought a holocamera too!” there was a rather dirty thought that came along with it, but the Lorrdian also brought it so that she could send holo videos and pictures to the kids. They’d enjoy seeing what their parents were up to, and as the years passed, Kira had become a rather avid holographter. It all started with the kids, wanting to record as much as she possibly could.

“Come here,” she said, patting the chair for him to sit down. A waggle of her brows and a bright sunny grin beamed at Soliael.

“Let’s take our first one!”

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael leaned down and caught himself on the edge of the chair, pulling Kira aside slightly so that he could make more space for himself. His wife had many virtues, the fact that she was tiny enough to fit on a quarter of a chair had always been one of them. They had never really wanted for space when sitting together because of that, though when they were sleeping in the same bed there was a different story entirely. Kira liked to take up as much room as physically possible when she was sleeping.

"Alright." The former False God said as he pulled Kira into his lap.

"Take your picture." Soliael pressed his lips against her cheek.

He had never really been one for photographs, not because of some silly superstition or anything of the sort but simply because he felt the time was better spent. It was nice to have something to trigger the memory of the event, but Soliael had always found it more simple to simply sit and remember. Perhaps he was odd in that way, but he liked preserving the memories in his head.

That being said, over the past twenty years Kira hadn't given him much of a choice.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Snuggling close, Kira pressed her cheek against his. A wide smile split her face in two, bright blue eyes filled with joy. She held up the small holo-camera, letting it zoom in automatically and focus.

“Smile!” she would remind him, just before her forefinger pressed the shutter button. Instead of a single picture, it began to record a series of five -- which Kira took advantage of by turning her head and pressing a kiss against his cheek.

Then came the goofy grin, the silly face, and finally the crossing of her eyes.

Such a silly thing.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He smiled at the antics of his wife, letting ehr take as many pictures as she pleased until finally he roused himself into action once more. He pulled himself up to his feet, lifting Kira right alongside him until the both of them stood in front of the command chair. The ship had dipped into the atmosphere by now, the transition smooth and seamless. They skimmed over the top of the ocean, heading towards a large cluster of islands within the southern hemisphere.

"Set us down on the smallest island we can fit on." Soliael told one of the droid pilots.

"I want to see if we can hide the ship a bit." He said to Kira. "There's a few known pirate bands running around here and I'd rather not have the first leg of our trip be me hunting down a pirate gang."

As much fun as that might have sounded like it could wait until they were actually in the Maze.

Pirates were an annoyance really, nothing more. Soliael hardly feared anything, least of all a disorganized bunch of pirates, but he was here to have fun with his wife and enjoy his time out on a tropical world, not to hunt down a band of miscreants.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Pirates?" only would Kira have the spark of curiosity and intrigue flash in her eyes at the mention of those miscreants. "What gangs?" she'd inquire eagerly, following her husband as the Freya soared past pale pink clouds. Condensation would collect upon the viewport. It wasn't a storm as much as a summer rain.

Excitement would lick through her veins, and she couldn't help but bounce on her feet. The petite Jedi Master was already known for being unable to stay still, despite her tendency towards clumsiness. The Rishi sun would bloom and illuminate the viewport, and just before Sol could answer, the most beautiful hues of orange, pink, and scarlet painted across the sky made her gasp.

Out beyond, tiny islands covered in jungle green ferns seemed to appear from the mist.

"Oh that is so beautiful." while tropical like Borleias, Rishi had its own distinct, untarnished beauty.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"No idea." Soliael said honestly. "They probably change six times a year. I don't think the galaxy really has any stable pirate gangs anymore. There were the blazing chains a long time ago, the White Maws when I was a kid, but none of them really have all that much activity anymore. I think most of them are scared. The One Sith, The Techno Union, even the Republic can utterly decimate most pirate groups now, why bother banding together when they can be destroyed so easily?"

The former False God shrugged.

He had once thought about being a pirate, nearly a century ago.

The profession, if it could be called that, had its own sort of allure. It offered a freedom that was almost unparalleled, the capability to do anything you wanted at almost any point in time. It would have been easy to take up, though more difficult to actually maintain. That was why ultimately Soliael had never done it, and he suspected that was why there weren't any major pirate factions roaming the galaxy now. "Why? Want to join em'?"

Soliael gently nudged Kira's side, a grin on his face.