Worlds Collide

[Lassiter]

The more she heard of the story, the more Sena recognized of herself. Rules to be broken, now Sena wouldn’t lie if chaos broke out at some point she most likely would do all in her might to abuse such a thing. There would be looting, pickpocketing, stabbing, murder, the usual type of deal. Possibly enough to last a lifetime.

Oh but she wouldn’t be experiencing that in a good while. She would, but not in a good while.

To hang with bounty hunters, mercenaries and ‘those types… If only Duchess [member="Velda Nar-Donna"] truly knew what occupation and crowd her sister hung around with. Petty criminals, a small-time gang on Nar Shaddaa that was looking to become major players. People who wouldn’t hesitate to do the wrong thing at the right time.

None of them were really that easy on the eye though. Okay, perhaps one or two, but not in general.

“Corellian, or whatever it is you have. Surprise me.”

Sena waved at the robot away.

“Oh trust me on alleyways, I know them.” A cocky little nod and she was good to go on.

“I still live that life, sort of. It’s got it’s thrills but it can leave you to dry while at the same time also having the chance to give so much. Like a purse on a Corellian duchess. It’s the thrill of the hunt, really. Just, to know that you have someone who is unaware of your existence until it’s too late is… Intoxicating.”

“Make of that... What you wish.” She had her codes yet sometimes knives had a tendency to slip into backs. Though usually said people had it coming.

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

It became readily apparent to Velda, that her sister was cunning and resourceful. Much like Velda herself…perhaps with small differences, but very much from the same cloth

The droid soon hovered back with their drinks, and as Velda sipped of her tea she continued.

“...and yet, I finally encounter you, on this dark planet-wide metropolis world, capital of the One Sith, a group that in many different ways, schemes to eliminate the Jedi from the galaxy...viewing them as evil, misguided, an infection spread across Republic Space, and the galaxy in general...”

Eyes of a green hue, peeked out from behind Velda's chocolate brunette locks, settling on Sena when she asked…

“Just out of curiosity, what is your experience with the Dark Side? Of The Force...of course.”

Not a broad general question of The Force, but a inquiry more along the lines of..its more mystical and mischievous side.

 

[Lassiter]

The droid delivered their drinks. One cup of tea and one glass of… Something. Sena lift it to her nose for a sniff as her sister went on to discuss the jedi. Not that she actually knew they were discussing jedi, again, she was very much focused on the contents of her glass. She raised her eyebrows and nodded as if in agreement to whatever her sister said.

So the sniff said nothing. The smell stung like a bottle of acid but what about the taste? Her lips carefully graced the very tip of the glass and she took a sip.

“-what is your experience with the Dark Side?”

Sena swallowed but not for long. One cough quickly turned into several other coughs. What was that?! Water from the dishwasher or something? The taste was horrible! The burning was very much there but this was… This was something else.

She calmly placed the glass on the table and looked at her sister. Eyes tearing up and throat on fire.

“Not much.” Her voice hissed through the burn. A grimace spreading all over her face. “I know how to do this.”

Sena cleared her throat and got a few loose strands of hair tucked behind her ears again. This would without doubt gather the attention of a few people around them, right? Might as well look good doing it, as always. Always.

Her focus turned to one of the saltshaker on the table next to them. With a hand held out as if to reach for it she furrowed her eyebrows. It had been a very long time since she last practiced this yet with a cling the shaker slowly but steadily began floating towards the two twins. Slowly, slowly, sloooowly it eventually placed itself on their table.

“It’s… Not much. My mentor was arrested before we got any further. Those pesky jedi, right?” Sena turned away in shame. “What about you?”

[member="Velda Nar-Donna"]

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

Right then Velda found herself reminded about why she wasn't too fond of surprises, while she watched her sister cough. Well she liked some surprises, of the pleasant sort.

Velda took in a breath as her finger felt the rim of her glass as her finger sailed it, feeling a bit concerned for her sister, Velda felt confident her sister would live of course but all this reminded her of Corellian drinks of the more alcoholic vintage, one could say and put it mildly.

Or perhaps a little more bluntly, one could say, beyond gorgeous champagne or pleasant to the taste wines or things that were not meant to be alcoholic in nature or mildly alcoholic, most Corellian drinks were...hard. Whether that was a good thing was of course left up to the drinker…

“You um...” Velda shifted her slender petite body a little more forward in her seat and discreetly canted her head toward Sena trying to peek a better look. “You okay?” She asked softly…

It was a spell that lasted only moments while Sena prepared to show some telekinesis, and show she did as Velda noticed the salt shaker floating there way, coming to sit on the table.

So her mentor found himself arrested by Jedi, very unfortunate indeed. However also not surprising, Velda knew to keep her own force usage exploits secret, even while Corellia found itself in Omega Protectorate space in the past.

Then when Sena asked the same, Velda gathered and felt the darkside within her, allowing the darkside to shroud her heart just a little more, as she gathered her emotions from her vital center, as her cup of tea lifted off the table and with a little wobble and yet not spilling a drop the cup perched itself in front of Sena.

“...You can have it.” Velda said, offering her the fruity and floral cup of tea.

“...my mentor being...disembodied suffered progressive psychosis as the few times I had with him. Eventually it became a stumbling block and too dangerous, so I had to stop...”

 

[Lassiter]

Sena did indeed grab the tea. A sip would have the tea prove itself a much better alternative than the dishwater or whatever it was that Sena had gotten. The smell was nicer too. Then again, tea usually did smell good. Why was it that Sena hadn’t purchased more tea? Right, she’d have to steal a cooking pot or similar for it.

She put it to a mental note and sipped away at what had now become her tea.

“So what does that mean?” Sena leaned on the table in a whisper. “Is there anything you could show me?”

A bell rang and Sena turned around to look for the source of it. Her head quickly shied away into a hunch. It was the authorities. One of the officers talked to the hostess as the other scanned the room with squinting eyes.

They weren’t looking for her but instinct was instinct. Before long they were gone again.

She could sigh in relief. “They’re gone, that’s… Good.”

“Anyway, what was I talking about?” Sena’s hand reached for her chin. Truth be told she forgot what it was. “Right, life stories. So, you mentioned a world of court intrigues? Want to tell me more about that?”

[member="Velda Nar-Donna"]

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

“Court intrigues?? That is a rather elegant way to put it...” She observed.

“The life of a noble has its perks and drawbacks, everything is mostly about presentation. Proper posture, proper sitting, movements have to be smooth, thoughtful, you show respect to your mother and father, look at other family as equals...and everyone else...”

She gave a thoughtful pause before continuing.

“Everyone else is lost in the sea of the great unwashed...” She said luscious lips pursing into a smirk.

“Presentations can be anything, then you have to socialize with politicians, ceo's, actors other noble families, media connections. Anyone that qualifies as the super high class elite...”

“I eventually, was to be groomed to marry into another royal family. Mother passed away however, and I, well, I had other plans. Despite the very eager suitor I was destined to marry...”

She became silent with her thoughts shaded in bitterness.

“You asked me to show you something? You mean of the lessons? Most of it are concepts to grasp...some maybe too advanced for some Sith Lords...”

“Mostly he would go into these psychotic rambling lectures. Stating that the Jedi were wrong that everything was light, even the darkside and the darkness itself was light. He said that...the darkside was the pure form of the force. And that the lightside and what the living perceive as light, is actually light in a state of radiation, which also amounts to decay. He said that...that the darkside was the side of the Force that was actually in harmony, and that it represented life through emotion...”

And then I would pretend not to believe him and that he was crazy, and he of course was, until he showed me things like this….

Velda raised her hands, delicate petal soft palms facing each other...between them a very light form of Force Lightening came to life, popping and fizzling right in front of Velda and Sena.

Patrons in the cafe noticed...again and this time, had enough...and ran out of the cafe, Velda paid no heed though.

“I came to The One Sith to expand on these elegant skills…”

 

[Lassiter]

It was indeed an elegant way to put it. Sena may be a rather uneducated, backstabbing, pocket picking, robbing, jaywalking, seductive, manipulating -- at times, murderous little kleptomaniac but if there was one thing she had learned from her time with gangs it was that nothing covered those things up like clever words.

Velda told the story of what court life was like. A game of looks, it would seem. You had to be seen with the right people, the right clothes and the right everything. It was perfect. To have all that attention, all the people looking to you and most of all being envious of you. Oh yes, now that was the life Sena could settle for, but only if she had made herself deserving of it. That was the rules. If she couldn’t get it herself then it clearly wasn’t made for her to have. Sort of like other people’s wallets. If she could take them, to have them, then clearly it was meant to be hers but if she was caught? Well, then it clearly wasn’t.

Then they moved on to the practical demonstration. Using the force to produce lightning. Now that felt like a whole other realm as to the one Sena had been introduced to. Her face scrunched up as she looked at her sister. It wasn’t envy was it? Only a little.

“That’s, uh, cool.” She let the silly face go. “I’ve only met with a few members of the organization. For example, a mentalist named Darth Carach, made me a bit… Cautious. Like you, I thought you were a mental image at first.”

“And I must say, you still look good by the way. Self-love certainly intended.”

[member="Velda Nar-Donna"]

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

Emerald green eyes draped behind flowing locks of cinnamon studied Sena. of course the small light show was just a small electric splash of what the darkside's unnatural power could dispose upon the darkside's most loyal and fervent followers of this mysterious shade of the Force. The light aroma of ozone teased Velda's sense of smell abruptly afterward.

“A mentalist?? That would be quiet useful to learn...” Especially if such a case he had her second guessing Velda's presence.

I assure you though, I am very real…”

“As if there was any doubt, gorgeous..” her tone, thoughtful, smooth, confident…

Out of humored curiosity one could say Velda grabbed Sena's earlier drink, the Corellian dishwater, and she decided to have a taste, just a sip.

Ack!?!...reaction came quickly, surprised at how terrible this drink was, she fidgeted in her seat fleetingly then she sat the drink down, she leaned forward resting her gorgeous facial features in her hand, and giving Sena her unwavering attention while her other hand stretched out...pushing the drink as far away as possible with a smooth elegance. Beaming Sena a sublime smile so wide it was almost comical.

“So this Sith Darth Carach I believe...is he your mentor?”

 

[Lassiter]

[member="Velda Nar-Donna"]

“Yeah, you are certainly real.” Sena smiled as she let Velda indulge upon the the praise.

The smile turned into a smirk and a grin as her sister put on a funny face after taking a sip of what had previously been Sena’s drink. To say the least it looked to be about as appreciated by the new owner as it’s previous owner.

“No, no, but to learn of people with such powers… The things they can do... It messes with you. For example an image of myself, holding something I would without doubt want such as a purse that big… I could have been tricked into getting caught again, couldn't I? I don't truly know this man he could be trying anything!” She had to calm herself down. A big breath to prepare herself for the shameful reveal would be enough.

“I’m a petty criminal, in case you hadn’t taken note of that yet and lately I’ve started to get caught a lot more often than usual. I don’t know what it is, or why, but I just really enjoy doing it.” Shame that had only really bubbled up these last few moments. Sena hardly shared the same background as her sister. “I’ve already been caught twice this month here on Coruscant. Had you reported me it would have been a third. My mentor has tried to beat it out of me but it just doesn’t stick.”

“Her name is Darth Nephthys. She terrifies me.”

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

Velda listened as Sena spoke of the illusions and trickery such Sith could bestow upon people. Speaking of Velda's purse.

Then the nagging feeling within the depths of Velda's mind, something unfamiliar, it was a hint of concern something the young Duchess had never felt for anybody other ten herself for what seemed like ages.

“You are my sister Sena, and not just some random petty criminal. A Corellian noble by blood, and luckily you share my genes so you are quit gorgeous.”

She continued listening to her sister and then she said.

“No, I would not have turned you int the authorities...I tend to have a lack of respect for authority figures that lack presence really. Actually any authority figures…”

Despite being a Duchess and a royal, it seemed Velda shared Sena's trait of being a bit of a problem child.

When the conversation turned to Darth Nephthys, Velda's brow elegantly furrowed.

“Beat it out of you?” Velda knew such approaches lacked refinement, but perhaps Velda had already been seeing some progress with such uncivilized behavior Sena seemed petrified with the idea of getting caught again. Training with the Sith was a physically demanding and mentally demanding ordeal...that much she knew from her earlier sessions.

“You are about to find out who you really are...you are not a small time thief, and I will help you in any way I can...”

 

[Lassiter]

A courteous smile and nod at the compliment. She hadn’t actually thought on that. Sena was nobility. The idea seemed ridiculous at first. In her mind she was nothing more than a criminal, it was easier to look at things that way. A very gorgeous thief with perhaps a bit too much of a need for attention and people to validate her?

Actually nah, no such thing.

To know that she didn’t have to worry about the authorities lifted a surprisingly big rock off of her shoulder. She usually didn’t take people by their word but this wasn’t just any person. It was [member="Velda Nar-Donna"] -- Duchess of Corellia, Sena’s sister. It had a surprisingly nice ring to it. Though what title would that confer on Sena? Princess of Awesome? Pretty Woman of the People?

Oh, maybe both!

“No, no. It’s more… I…” Her head tilted and her brows furrowed. “I can’t seem to… It’s really, really exhausting.”

“And I don’t know what you mean by that, but I thank you nonetheless.” She repeated the smile and nod. “There is one thing actually that had me thinking before.”

Sena raised her eyebrow. “Lightfoils? I mean, I don’t know how to use them, but I certainly want to learn.”

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

Velda smiled in a slow thoughtful manner about their lightfoils, as she glanced outside, seeing the top of the One Sith Temple, on the horizon, beyond the haze and passing speeders.

“Lightfoils are a refined design, they are a smaller design at the handle, and have good a balance, very good for...I believe the Jedi call it Makashi…of Form II I suppose...”

She looked back at Sena…

“And as I said earlier, you sill have one waiting patiently for you on Corellia. When we return perhaps you both can finally become acquainted...”

But then Sena said a moment earlier that it was exhausting, Velda only imagined, for a fleeting moment what Sena meant by that but the conversation quickly changed...

“What I meant is exactly as I said, you are no mere street urchin, or gorgeous thief.”

The darkside, it seems to always have mysterious designs.

 

[Lassiter]

Makashi? What was that? Sounded like some sort of delicacy from Atrisia or something. Like that one thing they had that she kept forgetting the name of. The names were similar though. Raw fish on -- or in -- rice. A rare luxury that Sena really wished she could indulge in a lot more often.

In any case the question as to who Sena was would find itself dodged, much to her great annoyance. Her eyebrows furrowed. It was that one question that always had to be asked, wasn’t it? Who the hell was Sena Lassiter? That hint of internal conflict always wondering, always asking for an identity.

She found the most comfort in the thief personality, but at the same time that small murderous one felt great. That twisted joy in holding someone’s hands in your life, watch and feel it slowly drain out into nothing.

Still, Velda did not answer who Sena was.

“THEN. WHO. AM. I?!” The muted shout-whispers of a woman experiencing a resurgence of emotion. Anger, envy, grief, a mood swing if you will. “Velda, I’ve spent this entire time of freedom trying to figure out exactly who I am. I’ve tried to be a good guy, but it just doesn’t work. I’ve tried to be a truly bad man, but it just doesn’t work.”

“I only feel happy when I screw someone over yet I can’t bring myself to do the truly horrible things in this galaxy. I steal and I murder if it benefits me without little regret and then I look at all the people still in this restaurant and I feel envious. Why do they have the right to that stability and not me?.”

“I just- I-...” Tears poured up again. “Why is this happening now? Why not before? Where was everyone, my family, when I truly needed them the most?”

[member="Velda Nar-Donna"]

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

In these moments Velda always seemed to find herself delighting in others being in anguish, yet with her sister she found this to not actually be the case. Sena was asking a question that only Sena herself could answer. Still she would answer.

“You are my sister Sena.”

She shifted forward, in a effort to give her sister consolation and earn her attention. It was a genuine effort, for Velda at least. Although, she privately held back a smile and laughter laced with poisonous glee that Sena found happiness at screwing people over. That was a pleasing admission to be sure, but for now her sister was emotionally distraught and under a storm cloud, well with every black cloud there is a silver lining, of course.

“All I am saying is that changes are coming, changes are coming for myself as well.”

Velda poked her finger out the window, to the Sith Temple, scraping the metropolitan horizon of Coruscant.

“In that building there...that is where we will find our future answers.”

She paused for a moment before her voice in a silky feminine tone cooed.

“Then the question becomes...if you desire power...at any cost...”

Velda, of course did.

 

[Lassiter]

Mood swings aplenty. Sad one moment, top of the world the other, then bitter and angry and then happy again. Had she acted on it all then maybe she could have done that cool electric thing Velda had done. Sena looked over at the sith temple on the horizon. A beauty in it’s own right except she was considerably more familiar with the Temple of Vahl. After all, that was where her master resided.

She swallowed the sadness and shook her head. “You’re right. We’re both standing at the precipice of wherever fate lead us, right? What are the odds we’d just accidentally bump into each other like this, right?”

She didn’t really like to think of the force as what drove the universe onwards, but this meeting felt little short of it. “The past is not important, you’re right. What matters is the steps we take in the coming days, or some equally cheesy historic quote.”

Sena chuckled. “Well, what are you looking for with the force? I mean, I don’t trust them, but I need them. My time at with the Sith is an alliance of convenience at best. At least for now, maybe someday they will earn a small spark of trust but that will not be in a long while.”

[member="Velda Nar-Donna"]

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

Velda, sighed just what was it that she was looking for? In a way she felt almost like dodging the question. Velda it would seem has everything she ever, wanted, or needed, every material want was taken care of, yet something is missing.

“Power...not financial, I am not interested in that. I want the power to bend the knees of this fragile galaxy to get what I want. Credits are of know issue, you know that. I've bent the will and the hearts of men like shattered glass, and now I am looking for something, a little more fulfilling, but I am also looking for something else...”

She grew silent to take a breath, the words she spoke sang out like venom, but then her explanation shifted to something a little more heartfelt.

“Its hard dealing with loss of family, I want to know what happened to father, and now that I have reunited with you..”

Many things needed to be atoned for.

“In my experiences with the Jedi, I must confess that I trust them even less...”

 

[Lassiter]

Power to bend the will of others. To have them obey your every whim. No, that wasn’t even remotely what Sena wanted. Men of worth would follow by example and choice, not servitude. It sounded a lot like a woman wanting men to toil for her, beg for her attention and be treated with nothing in return. It sounded like slavery but Sena gave the benefit of a doubt. Surely her sister had no such plans, right?

“I want to learn how to protect myself and the select few I care of from everyone else. To control the flow of the force and come down hard on those that oppose me. I want to protect, but I do not wish to serve anyone.”

“Also, you’re right, we’ll go find out whatever it was that happened to him together. It’s the least I can do.”

The rest of her sister’s ramblings fell upon deaf ears, somewhat. “Trust isn’t something to just hand out. People have a tendency to sell you out or worse when you do. A sith is as keen to sell you out for power as a jedi is to ‘do the right thing’. So yeah, jedi can’t be trusted with their ‘do good’ attitude.”

[member="Velda Nar-Donna"]

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

No it wasn't so much subjugation of the inhabitants of the galaxy to be slaves, such wants would be inherently futile. And something the Jedi already do in the Republic, what right did the Jedi have to impose their morals over the Republics vast expanse?

Every individual should have the right to pursue their free will, the galaxy at its very nature seemed to have an elegant way of ridding the weak, similar to an ever changing sabaac game in a smoke filled backroom where a pirate could pull a blaster on a suspected cheat and snuff out just one more flame of life.

Life is hard enough with the Jedi's silly rules and antics, purity of the force for whom? The Jedi Council or the punks in the lower levels of Coruscant shrouding themselves in the shadows from 20 meter long sewer monsters?

Purity of the Force for nobles? One could say for Corellian nobility...no. The last thing a Corellian noble worries of is “balance” in the force, if there is such a thing...unlikely.

No, the power Velda craves is the kind that warps space and time...the unnatural. Even the ability to cheat death...that is the power.

And yet she thought back to their father.

“I miss him, we lost him in Republic Space...on one of the major trade routes...”

| [member="Sena Lassiter"] |

 

[Lassiter]

“Then we have a good start.” Sena leaned onto their table. “If I use my contacts we should be able to get a hold of a ship with Republic credentials.”

Not that her network of contacts was particularly big yet but to call it ‘a guy who knows a guy’ didn’t really have the same ring to it when you were talking to royalty. It’d be like bringing paper napkins instead of cloth napkins to a fancy party or replacing silver with tin. Sure, you could but it wasn’t really something you did.

“If you don’t have the co-ordinates I can try to run by a few, uh, ‘transporters’ to see what I can dig up and we’ll see where it goes from there. That is, if you want me to. It’s the least I could do, really.”

It still felt odd to her that the didn’t seem to feel anything about this ‘father’ of hers, or maybe that’s just what she told herself to cope with it. The frustration of having a father ripped from her not once, but twice.

Who was she kidding? She wanted the peace of mind as well. To be present by her true father one way or the other again. Just this one final moment for Velda to rest easier, if such things even existed for Sith.
[member="Velda Nar-Donna"]

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

The Duchess's brow rose behind chestnut locks in thought—privately musing over just what contacts her sister had in the Republic. Allowing the thought to linger in her mind, she answered Sena, answering it with a wave of her hand.

“The coordinates are rather difficult to come across, the only thing I know of he was lost on the Hydian Way, somewhere around Mindor...”

And what of her sister's contacts, Velda still would not pry but appreciated her sister's offer to help. And yet at the same time Sena seemed almost ambivalent in the issue.

“And what if I said no? Would you respect such wishes or would curiosity and a need to know behoove you to do so anyway?”

Velda already offered Sena a basic idea of where to look, she could set such a search in motion if Sena took such a fancy. It wasn't as if Velda could stop her, or perhaps Velda did not even wish to.

Looking for him after all was the right thing to do, for both sister's afterall.

| [member="Sena Lassiter"] |