Why Hate Me?

[Ivlyn Mecetti]

[SIZE=11pt]It started before Ivlyn was born. Upset with nobles that turned into something far worse. By worse, people describe the most unkillable threat to Tapani in centuries as “a bunch of genocidal extremist freaks who hate rich people for some reason”. That’s probably the most insensitive way of putting it, but for Ivlyn it’s a much closer-to-the-heart “those who killed my mother”. Nobles aren’t always known for their sensitivity in the first place, though, but killing all of them? A bit extreme, considering they’re the foundation of one of the galaxy’s wealthiest civilizations.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Ivlyn is a victim, too. She was there when her mother died. Her brother doesn’t remember much. He was rather young, so that’s good, but she remembers everything. It’s not just because she remembers most things anyways, either. With perfect detail, unchanged by 15 years of living a life, she can recall everything that happened that day. Even the smell of thermal explosives destroying human bodies can be described perfectly, and the feeling of the so-called ‘Warp’ displaying the prowess of the Tapani Federation’s most powerful force user in centuries, before a mistake and being unprepared led to her death.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The victimization didn’t stop there. As a duchess, she has been targeted by the Faceless’ resurgent presence. It’s a stupid, cliched name, but they possess an odd tool that blurs their faces so it works well. Assassination rumors, and a few arrests of people who killed themselves using poison pills hidden in a false tooth, something Ivlyn thinks is unusual even for a covert paramilitary organization of people who kill and torture noble children without remorse, led to Ivlyn being pressured to hire the Vitae Security Forces. They were good at what they did, and Ivlyn hated feeling pressured into doing anything, but good points were made. If her mother, a powerful Force user, couldn’t save herself, how could Ivlyn? Most didn’t know she was a Force user, but when she compared her capacity to her mother’s it was no contest.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]So, here she was sitting in her condominium. Waiting for someone by the name of Vulpesen to arrive so she could depart aboard a Tapani vessel to another world. She was surrounded by Tapani and Vitae officers. Her force presence was concealed. Barely anyone was capable of penetrating it, even true masters. Hopefully she didn’t have a loss of concentration later on.[/SIZE]

 

[Vulpesen]

A fast paced triple knock sounded on the door and quickly one of the Vitae Security guards went over to open the door, revealing a figure in a dark coat. With the hood pulled over his head, the figure's face would be illuminated by a pair of bright glowing golden eyes. Looking at [member="Ivlyn Mecetti"] with a welcoming grin, he walked over and offered a hand. "You must be miss Mecetti, a pleasure to meet you." The zorren's black tail flicked out behind him as he glanced around the area. Despite the danger of his job, and therefore his position, there was a calm about him, a confidence that came from countless times he had looked death in the face and walked away with his life.

 

[Ivlyn Mecetti]

[SIZE=11pt]A knock on the luxurious metal and wooden double doors of her condominium was followed by one of the Vitae guards opening them up for a man with yellow eyes. They were glowing, too. Ivlyn gave a half smile when she saw that, which formed into a more polite one when he approached to shake her hand.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Ivlyn was already standing when the man came closer. She extended her hand, shaking firmly, but not so firmly as to break the other’s. You had to be careful when you had cybernetics after all. The woman gave a nod as another part of the greeting.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]”I am the Duchess, yes. It really is a pleasure meeting you, as well, yellow-eyed boy.” Ivlyn said in a soft voice, admiring the other’s eyes and features. ”You have pretty eyes.” Ivlyn stated simply to @Vulpesen.[/SIZE]

 

[Vulpesen]

Withdrawing his hand, Vulpesen showed a single fang in his lopsided grin, enjoying the compliment. "You've some gorgeous eyes yourself, Duchess." His hands folded in front of him and his one remaining ear flicked around, listening for anything out of the ordinary. "So, shall we head off, or is there something you'd like to take care of before we depart?" Pleasant as the client might be, Vulpesen was here to do a job. And he'd much rather see her on the move in the safety of his men than cooped up in a room where a detonator could wipe out not only her, but his men as well.

[member="Ivlyn Mecetti"]

 

[Ivlyn Mecetti]

Ivlyn gave a thankful chuckle at the compliment returned to her. She looked to her assistant when [member="Vulpesen"] asked if there was anything left to do. Troy shook her head, and then Ivlyn replied. “There is nothing left. I believe that we can disembark to the courier, now.” She said, adjusting her executive ‘armor’ dress. The woman inhaled deeply, hoping that everything would be calm today. Maybe it was a false alarm. Those happened sometimes, right? A random crazy going on about assassinating someone, and being part of a well-known extremist group wasn’t all that uncommon.

 

[Vulpesen]

"Very well." With a wave of his hand, Vulpesen opened the door through the force before walking out. Falling into formation, the six guards he had brought with him formed a diamond around [member="Ivlyn Mecetti"] and her attendants. "So, you haven't found out anything about these men that are trying to kill you?" Vulpesen glanced over his shoulder as he spoke to the duchess, though he remained aware of his surroundings through the force, taking in the presences of any beings that might be nearby.

 

[Ivlyn Mecetti]

[SIZE=11pt]Force users were occasionally actually decent in combat. That was probably why it was one of the advertised factors. There were those that might be adverse, but the Force-sensitive were a clan that deserved recognition for their capabilities, instead of the fear, paranoia, and loathing that the two most… famous factions cause. Why can’t everyone just relax? Ivlyn herself wasn’t immune. Combat was a beautiful thing. To fight is to let your heart beat is to live.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]”They’ve been plaguing the Tapani Federation for a while now.” Ivlyn started, ”they killed my mother.” There was no hesitation when she said it. It was casual, for a good reason. She didn’t like to dwell too much on those feelings, and would rather reminisce during meditation.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]”Their goal is to eradicate the nobility in the Federation. They believe themselves to be righteous revolutionaries. Others believe them to be ethnocidal extremists.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Vulpesen"][/SIZE]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen walked calmly through the streets as he listened to her words, his ear flicking occasionally to some sort of stimuli of his environment. "Sounds to me like small form genocide." At the last word, his men perked up a bit. "We Vitae have three crimes punishable by death. Genocide just happens to be one of them. I assure you, should they attack, they will certainly regret it." Vulpesen's tail swished a bit as he started to move around the market place, doing his best to avoid the main crowds on the path to the ship landing.
[member="Ivlyn Mecetti"]

 

[Ivlyn Mecetti]

[SIZE=11pt]”We have been attempting to contain them for decades now. So far, they haven’t made their presence known in Ark’ghou province in quite some time. I don’t believe they would try anything here. It would be a suicide mission.” Ivlyn said, tilting her head at a passing janitor pushing a cart. She seemed to give him a quick look, but a skill eye would notice her pupils moving over every portion of him, the cart, and even some of its internals. Her position was only subtly different than before, but was poised to thrust away to achieve a “miraculous” save. Ivlyn would constantly be on the lookout, to insure that she survived and that she could keep her cover at the same time. She just hoped her concentration wasn’t broken. Vulpesen didn’t seem to be your usual force user in security work. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Vulpesen"][/SIZE]

 

[Vulpesen]

"They're fanatical ethnocidal maniacs. By what you've told me, I don't think they're above suicide missions." Vulpesen's eyes flicked over the cart pusher and everyone else in the vicinity. His working ear seemed to be on a swivel, moving side to side as it searched for any abnormal sounds, from the click of a blaster to the unsheathing of a knife. "Any idea why they've gone on this ill advised crusade?"

[member="Ivlyn Mecetti"]

 

[Ivlyn Mecetti]

[SIZE=11pt]”There are many reasons. Some less logical than others. The group has been around for a long time, and has only become more extreme in some ways. I believe that it originated in a small province on another planet, as a result of the harsh ways of the nobles leading said province. Then it expanded. When things are at their worst, even small grievances can cause an attack.” Ivlyn said. She shook her head.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]”It’s ridiculous. They attack us, and expect us to do nothing. To sit back, and die. Yet when we do nothing, we are not doing our jobs, somehow. They blame us for everything that goes wrong. They are extremists. The Tapani Federation’s government is composed primarily of the nobility, but the Tapani Federation is one of the galaxy’s oldest societies. It has always been that way, since days predating the rise of the likes of Palpatine and Vader by millennia. The Federation will endure, even if its form must change a little, but the nobility will never be ousted, I think.” Ivlyn said, hoping she was conveying her meaning.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]”Whether it be ideological differences or pure jealousy, they all think that they have a reason. It has made things difficult. Negotiations are impossible, and eradication of the threat is the only route we can take, I believe.” Ivlyn explained. She didn’t seem happy about that, as a frown formed on her lips. ”The illogic and disorder of the entire ordeal is unsettling, to say the least.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Vulpesen"][/SIZE]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Thus the reason we in the Vitae have always tried to ensure that life goes well for even those who were away from our capitol. Funny how a spark turns into a fire." Vulpesen's tail flicked behind him as he listened to the duchess' words, each one shedding more and more light on her situation. "Perhaps it may be a good idea to include the common folk in your leadership once all this has ended. It seems your people are crying out for change and these extremist may just be a symptom of another problem."

His working ear flicked off towards the crowd and his footsteps stopped. "But that doesn't mean the symptoms should be ignored." His men stopped moving and hefted their rifles a bit. Their stance shifted into something more ready and alert, their training having caused them to pick up on their leader's cues. "Keep your head down. Something's not right." His eyes peered out over the crowd. There was an unusual stillness to it, a quiet compared to the area around them where people were speaking and laughing about good times and trading stories of their pasts with friends and family. But now, it seemed such conversations had quieted and now, those around them seemed to focus only on the group that walked towards the shipyard.

[member="Ivlyn Mecetti"]

 

[Ivlyn Mecetti]

"The Tapani Federation has been attempting to be more open-minded, but there are issues in achieving our goal. We have representation for the Free Worlds, but they hold little de facto power. De jure, yes, but they can easily be blocked by law. I am not influential enough to push the issue. My mother may have been, but I am not her." Ivlyn said, honestly. She didn't think so much of herself when she looked at her mother and then in the mirror. Her mother was an incredibly powerful Force-sensitive with the skills of a seasoned politician. She had been unbeatable in Ivlyn's mind before her death.

Ivlyn pressed a finger to her sleeve, and opened up the palm of her right hand. She was prepared to raise it. Ivlyn was carrying a sleeve gun in her clothing. How could she leave herself defenseless? She was in the cover of hiding her Force-sensitivity from the greater populace at the moment. If she tried to use her lightfoils, it would be a bit obvious to the fox what she was. Who she was. What she was capable of.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Then perhaps you should build your influence. When I first met the Vitae, i had nothing but the Torrevaso name. It wasn't my name that gave me power, but the actions I did under it." Vulpesen's ear flicked out towards the crowd and his hand reached into his coat. For a second, there was silence, then there was the shot of a blaster, and a red bolt racing through the air. Flaring his coat, the Valde caught the projectile on the phrik dusted coat.

In a rush, Vulpesen let out a string of commands in zorren, using the natural fluid nature of the tongue to get his words in quickly through the chaos. In an instant, his men closed around [member="Ivlyn Mecetti"] and prepared themselves for the coming assault. While they went on the defense, their leader made his purpose clear with the distinctive snap-hiss of a saber, now allowing himself the luxury of deflecting the bolts until he could find and cut down their source.