Private What Sun and Sand Can Do | Oleksandr Palerma

[Veronika Palerma]

L O C A T I O N | Dubrillion
T A G | Oleksandr Palerma

There were very few things in which Veronika did not trust her brother implicitly. They had laid down their lives for each other on numerous battlefields, both of sword and of word. Trust, when considered carefully, was far too lacklustre a word to describe it. If he had told her that morning that the sky was green, she would have accepted it without question. If he had asked her to walk blindfolded through a cage of hungry rancor, she would have done so without hesitation.

However, when Oleksandr had explained the purpose of their trip to Dubrillion, Veronika had not believed him. Not for a second.

He had become rather invested in Imperial Order as of late, and she imagined that dedication extended beyond normal working hours. Veronika firmly believed the whole thing to be a clever rouse. A mission disguised as a vacation to keep her happy. Perhaps he would slip off halfway to discuss business with a stern-faced gentleman. Or perhaps he would spend the day with his nose buried in paperwork. Some of that disbelief melted a little once they arrived at the expensive resort, but it quickly returned when she saw a personal datapad and comm device packed neatly beneath his shirts.

Sneaky.

Veronika stood alone, leaning against the glass railing surrounding the balcony.

A cool early morning sun kissed the edges of the ocean with orange light as it stretched across the horizon. They had arrived late last night, and after packing, had slept as soundly as they had in a long while. Dubrillion was truly as beautiful as Olek had said it would be, and now that she had the datapad clutched in her hand and the comm device in the other, the vacation would be too. As her strikingly blue gaze drank in the sights, she placed the small devices on the top of the rounded handrail. They balanced precariously, teetering one way and then the next, but she never allowed them to slip.

Pale golden sand stretched as far as the eye could see, bordered with a vibrant green canopy of trees. Even the air was scented with a heady floral perfume. Veronika inhaled it deeply. The sweet scent of partial freedom. For the next week, they had nothing but time ahead of them. For the next week, there wouldn’t be any need to pretend. Or at least, almost no reason.

The tip of her finger was the catalyst for the devices. They rocked just an inch too far forward and slipped soundlessly over the edge of the balcony. A distant sound that was like music to her ears echoed from the floors below, shattering the peaceful atmosphere for a moment or two. Veronika, on tiptoes, peered over the railing. Just a little beyond her view a pile of jagged black outlines lay on the polished stone below. Her gaze trailed to the right where she could see the aggressive blue shirts of the resort custodians completing their morning routines.

“Olek?” She called sweetly into the room. The sound of the refresher was her response. By the time he was out, the cleaners will have swept away the evidence.

Now it really would be a vacation.

 

[Oleksandr Palerma]

The worst thing about working remotely was how easily he got distracted. The Imperium sent Knights out to satellite locations for various reasons, including shoring up defenses, bolstering communications, enforcing legal measures... but he'd found something that would allow Veronika, at the very least, to have a break. She wasn't like Olek, obsessed with ambition and devoting every waking hour to seeing it actualized. The younger sibling of the pair was true to heart heart more than anything.

Oleksandr wanted to give her everything, but he knew that he was not yet equal to such a task. Instead, he gave what he could. "Where in the Force did I put them?" he asked absently as he tore through his luggage. His sister stood on the balcony, admiring the beauty of Dubrillion. This was one of the precious few opportunities he had to act without her knowledge.

The Knights wanted to establish a supply chain of information outside the parameters of the ISB. While the Security Bureau provisioned necessary Intel, the depths of Dubrillion Investor's pockets rivaled the taxes accrued by the Imperium itself. Their networking also extended to the darker parts of the Galaxy. Sending an Aristocratic envoy was diligent.

Or so they thought.

Instead of relaying the intentions of Fel to the bourgeoisie, Oleksandr dumbly fumbled through his belongings. Then, the trilling voice of his sister broke through the anxiety. It would have soothed him to hear her call his name, but for the implications of his actions in that moment.

Instead, his gaze shot up and he called back to her. "Yes, Nika?" he asked after voiding the refresher to cover up his clandestine actions. He stepped out onto the balcony and joined her in the beauty of morning, shirt unbuttoned and wafting in the breeze.

"Are you enjoying Dubrillion?" he asked, not too quickly. Of the two, Veronika had always been quicker and more cunning. It was her careful planning and discretion that kept them afloat in the turbulence of the Galaxy.

Still, Olek thought he'd picked up just enough of her subtlety to mask the real reason they were here. She seemed to have bought it entirely. She was even smiling.

Oh, damn, that smile...

Veronika Palerma

 

[Veronika Palerma]

The tiny ant cleaners moved slowly up the path, their brooms sweeping in a rhythmic motion mercilessly across the polished stone. Before they left Serenno, Veronika recalled a lesson her mother had tried her best to teach her. A business was like a clock. Every single employee was a cog, and without all the cogs, the clock couldn’t tick. There were some pieces that had a more important aura than others, like the hands that told the time or the bell that sang on the hour, but you needed all parts to make it work. All parts should be shown equal appreciation. Veronika had promised she would appreciate every cog.

As she watched the cleaners gathering up the demolished carcases of Oleksandr’s devices, she certainly appreciated them. At the sound of the debris being thrown into a bin, Veronika smiled. A radiant smile like that likely could have rivalled the early morning sunrise.

Olek’s footsteps rang in her ears. Soft yet somehow confident against the sanded wooden boards that held the balcony up. “You were taking far too long in the refresher.” She teased in a sugary tone, though her gaze remained on the myriad of colours along the horizon. Silently, she shuffled along the edge of the balcony, until she was just close enough to feel heat radiating from his body in waves. At his next question, she turned to him, flashing the smile that her successful plan had brought on a few moments ago. “Yes.” She replied eagerly. “Or at least, I am very much enjoying the view.”

Her ocean-blue eyes were rather scrupulous in the way they drew Oleksandr in. A cool and gentle breeze licked softly at the edges of his shirt. Veronika sunk her teeth into her lower lip. In truth, nothing at all could have torn her from this particular view, but she did eventually flick her gaze back up to Oleksandr’s face. A handful of shocking snow-white hair tumbled down her shoulder as she titled her head to the side slightly. She wanted to ask him again if it was a real holiday like he had promised, but that would run the risk of him telling the truth. Maybe even asking her if she’d seen the devices he brought along.

Instead, she remained quiet for a moment as she slipped her arm into his to rest her head against his shoulder. “It’s been so long since we’ve had leave like this.” She commented, glancing up at him through thick black lashes. “What are we going to do first?”

Oleksandr Palerma ​

 

[Oleksandr Palerma]

They joined the Imperium with the promise that Serenno would be liberated from Sith rule. With that in mind, Olek was among the first in line for Moff status should the New Imperial Order seize command of the world. Because of this, they expected results. Any failure on his part jeopardized his chances at leadership. In short, if he could not perform in the duties he had been given, there would be complications down the line.

This was not an eventuality he wanted to prepare for. His golden gaze rested the most beautiful woman in all the Galaxy. If not for his literal obsession with his family history and his own renown, he would have forgotten everything else. He was vexed.

Still, he managed to let himself relax into that gentle embrace. He felt her hair against his chest and buried his face in it. She smelled clean, but more than that, sweet, floral. She'd elected a product that utilized the botanicals she knew that he loved.

His heart skipped a beat.

She was so excited for the freedom ahead of them, and he had only made it so that she was free. He hardly had the heart to tell her so. When she asked what they would do first in that moment, tied in her embrace he wanted to say we can just stay here.

In the next instant, when he pulled his head back and his judgment returned he knew that those words were unwise. "I was thinking we might visit the aquarium," he told her. It was true, to an extent. The Aquarium lay close to the Corporate sector. It was close enough that he could make direct contact, since his communications devices had gone missing. "Perhaps enjoy a meal at one of the finer restaurants in the area. I do know how you enjoy local cuisine."

He reached up absently and stroked her cheek with his hand. Gods, what foul fortune they'd been born under the stars they had. If she were anyone else, he might have lost his mind right there.

Instead, he brushed the hair from her forehead. Her eyes locked with his. He felt his lips curl into an unbidden smile. "But what would you like to do, sweet sister?"

Veronika Palerma

 

[Veronika Palerma]

Veronika did look at him, but her eyes narrowed openly toward the horizon. She had managed to see a map of the city when they were checking in. If she recalled correctly the aquarium was exceedingly close to the corporate sector. For the meanwhile, she said nothing. It was sneaky of him to try and encourage her in that direction with an aquarium. “Hmm…” Clever of him to try and distract her with foreign fauna and delicious food. Two of her favourite things.

She said nothing further and instead chose to relish in the soft touch of his hand against her cheek.

They had been dealt a cruel hand in life in many regards. The very fact that he went no further than tucking her hair behind her ear was at the top of an exceedingly long list. When his gaze came to rest on hers, followed by soft words, Veronika’s face fell. Her lower lip jutted out gently in his direction and her ocean blue eyes turned hard.

“Don’t call me that.” She spoke, swatting his bare chest lightly with the flat of her hand. He knew she hated it when they were alone. When there was no reason to hide. Slender arms folded themselves defensively around her chest. “Not here.”

Turning away from the balcony, Veronika returned to the room, but continued to speak. “The aquarium sounds nice.” Her tone was rather stiff. Olek was going to find a way to work while they were here regardless. Begrudgingly, she would allow it, but only for today. “Don’t assume I’m blind to what you’re trying to do though, Olek. Whatever business you have in the corporate sector can wait until after.”

Throwing off her nightgown to replace it with a towel, she headed toward the refresher with a sour expression on her face. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

Oleksandr Palerma​

 

[Oleksandr Palerma]

He knew what he'd said, and he did it as a reminder. No matter how close they were, he dare not cross the line. There were too many things that could, and would, go wrong. Where Veronika did not necessarily care about the consequences, Oleksandr was terrified of them. Social ostracism would be catastrophic to all the effort he'd put in. All of that burned to the ground... just to satisfy a baser need.

But he dared not say that to Nika. To Nika, the emotions they felt were more powerful than any titles or all the power in the Galaxy. Even the Imperium couldn't truly give her what she wanted. Only Olek could.

And he wouldn't.

Because for Oleksandr, there was a bright future for Nika. There was more than him, there was happiness, with or without him. He just had to make sure that regardless, he paved the road for her to walk. Even if it wasn't with him.

When she said that she knew about what business he had, the dots connected in his mind. She most likely had something to do with the disappearance of his tools. His eyes narrowed a bit. That explained a great deal.

"Ten minutes," he said. "Can I have my gear back, now?" Olek held out his hand toward her, even as she headed toward the refresher.

Veronika Palerma

 

[Veronika Palerma]

T A G | Oleksandr Palerma

Their life on Serenno had made Veronika a rather spoiled creature by nature. She was accustomed to getting what she wanted when she wanted it. Without delay. Since their departure life had been far less accommodating. Or rather, Olek had. He cared far too much about the opinion of others. About what they would say if she was given what she truly desired. Appearances mattered far more to him than happiness.

Veronika, on the other hand, was far more indulgent. In herself, in him, and in the various little pleasures that life saw fit to offer them. It irked her to no end that he did not think the same way. Before Olek could reach the open door, Veronika slammed it shut. The sound of the refresher drowned out the end of his question. Not that she needed to hear it to know what it was.

“Uhmmm…” She responded to the tune of the waterfall of warmth that streamed out of the shower. “I'm not sure what you're talking about Olek.” Her voice had a soft, sweet lilt that begged innocence. Fortunately, her face was concealed by a door and a mountain of thick white steam. Otherwise he would have known for sure what happened to them.

She was silent after that.

True to her word, ten minutes later Veronika emerged from the refresher. Wearing a fresh, wispy white dress that fluttered with the slightest of breezes. The only thing that had not been washed away in the hot stream of water was her sour expression. She threw her damp towel on her bed and snapped her gaze to Olek. Despite the look on her face, it was clear she was still a little excited for the day’s events.

“Let’s go.”

 

[Oleksandr Palerma]

He frowned.

Regrettably, Nika had always been the better liar. He almost couldn't discern whether she truly knew or was simply feigning innocence, but he had to assume that she was not so unaware as she seemed because his comm was gone. When she returned from the 'fresher, he watched her approach quietly. Her sour expression matched his own. It was evident that neither of them was quite so pleased as they hoped.

At least, not thus far.

The way her dress fluttered in the breeze, he had to fight to keep his gaze on her own. It simply would not do for him to get too distracted to see through the day's plans. Likely that was he plan all along, scheming as she did.

"I have prepared a transport," he told her as he led the way out of the room and locked the door behind them. "We'll be leaving from the terminal at the end of the hall in five minutes, so we'll just make our way there and they should be ready for us."

As they walked, his mind raced. Word had it that the Imperium planned to act on Serenno, though with almost no influence of his own he couldn't confirm anything. He was preoccupied with such thoughts. They were so very close to the Liberation of their world, and possibly even the Lordship he was desperate to reclaim for his House.

"Soon," he muttered. "Soon, we'll be able to go home."

Veronika Palerma