A Break In The Ice

[Lief]

Undisclosed Training Facility​

Colluctari Nebula​

​

A star fell against the perpetually inky sky.

Truthfully it should have gone unnoticed, but change was rare in these parts, and even the slightest alteration was picked up on by the students. Several pressed themselves against the glass which typically gave little more than a view to the icy wastelands, and from across the room Meri could not help but lift her head in curiosity.

Down it streaked, getting closer to their position until there seemed to be a very real threat of it crashing into them. Every muscle in her body tensed to the sight of it and yet... Nobody else seemed concerned.

"Settle down, this instance..."

The sharp voice of their tutor drew the attention of all the youngsters, and without needing to be warned twice they hurried back to their seats and fixed their gaze ahead. Swiveling back in her chair she looked towards the tutor with a small frown. But, if their superiors were not concerned then they had no cause to be, right?

"Turn on your datapads, today's worksheet should be available for you there." After a brief pause, and a frown, the tutor looked directly at Meri and gestured her forth. Though most would not have noticed it, there was a slight shift in the air prior to this, and the young girl knew that the Force was at play. An unseen message, perhaps.

"Return to your room, girl."

'But..."

A sharp glare held her tongue, and she merely nodded her head. Returning to her desk she hastily packed up her things before exiting the classroom without another word. Thankfully the dorms were not so far from where she had been learning this day, so within a few minutes she was safely behind closed doors. A door which, she quickly noticed, had been remotely locked behind her.

She glared at the red light, tested the door and found that it would not budge.

Had she done something wrong?

Meri began to pace, walking back and forth within what limited space there was, settling her backpack beside the desk at some point.

What was the meaning of all this?

 

[Malok]

Scattered, as if ashes on the wind.

Over the decades of his life, there was one reality that Darth Metus had learned to despise: the machinations of his spouse. She, like any blessed with the gift of children, went above and beyond in their defense. However, this often meant creating an astronomical abyss between their offspring and the Sith himself. In particular, whilst attempting to prevent her children from becoming the next cog in the now-Dark Lord's machine, she had scattered them across the Galaxy. Some were abandoned at the doorsteps of orphanages abroad, whilst others found their way into the lives of trusted allies.

But none ever made their way to Mandalore.

None ever made their way to Darth Metus.

Now, as all of their children had matured to adulthood, the time had come for them to begin the cycle anew. And the thought of protecting one's offspring inspired behaviors that the Sith despised. Not this time. Not again. Darth Metus would not be robbed of the opportunity to cultivate his own lineage. He would not settle for his progeny being scattered like ashes on the wind.

And so, he had come. His voyage across the Stars had been one of many weeks. He pried the information out of the minds of his children and burnt bridges to do so. Yet the end result was here: a far-flung world covered in ice. The Ferocity dipped through the atmosphere with relative ease, flying at a vicious pace towards the facility. Communications were relayed to the ship, demanding identification and intentions...

"I am Darth Metus. You have something that is mine."

In but a few moments' time, the towering Sith entered the complex. The pristine halls were a sickening display of perfection - or much more precisely, the pursuit thereof. He was promptly met by an aging man, flanked by a pair of brutish Enforcers. Darth Metus made an offering to the man: a horrendously crinkled picture that had barely stood the test of time. And, once the man inspected it for himself, his dusty vocals sounded a single order.

"Bring her here."

In short order, [member="Meritephia Lothaneos"] would find herself staring up at the twin Enforcers, with no other choice but to obey.

 

[Lief]

She could feel her skin prickling before the sound of heavy boots resonated from the hallway beyond.

Her eyes darted to the door, watching that flickering red light as she paced and paced and paced, chest rising and falling heavily as she fought to remain under control. This wasn't at all like her, typically Meri was very straight-minded, goal oriented, quiet and respectful. Usually she did not have to fight to keep control, she simply had that control...

But this broke formula.

She needed routine. It was all that she had ever known. Rise at 5.30. Shower. Dress. Breakfast in the mess Hall. Classes start at 7. Break for lunch at 12. Classes at 12.30. Personal study time at 4. Training and Exercise at 5.30. Dinner at 7. Shower. Sleep.

Rinse and repeat.

Never had anyone been pulled from a class without the need for medical assistance, or something of the sort.

Never had someone been sent back to their room in the middle of the day unless they were in severe trouble.

But Meri could not recall doing anything even remotely wrong. She hadn't even joined the others in pressing her nose against the window to look at the falling star. A slight grunt of frustration left her, before the blinking light turned green.

A moment later the doorway opened.

She turned to find two enforcers stood there, and her eyes traveled along their form. They were not unfamiliar to her, they lingered in every hallway, out in the yard, sometimes even at the back of classrooms. The Enforcers were stern-faced, unwavering, she had wondered on numerous occasions if they were people at all, were there droids underneath their armour? Droids covered in synthflesh, perhaps?

That made her frown.

Without a word they gestured for her to follow, and well... Who was she to defy them? Their blaster rifles were scary.

Falling into step behind them she wandered through the Halls, and became distinctly aware of the fact that they were nearing a no-go zone. The entrance of the facility, the true entrance, where people were admitted and very rarely did they go again. Meri had only heard of one individual leaving in all her years, but then again most were her age or younger.

Turning one last corner, she was met by the sight of the Director and a man she did not recognize. They seemed to be having some sort of stand off, like some of the children would have in the indoor yard when they were frustrated with one another. A battle of wits, who would buckle first?

Shaking her head ever so slightly her curls were tousled. The stranger seemed a little off to her, though perhaps that was because she hadn't seen a new face in what could easily have been years at this point.

"Ah, Miss Lothaneos..."

Her attention was drawn from the stranger back to the Director. She couldn't recall ever actually speaking to him directly before. Stepping from under the shadow of the Enforcers, she bowed her head in a short yet sharp motion, before looking up at him.

"Sir?"

She had to force herself not to look back at the stranger, instead she held the Director's gaze and waited to see what was happening.

[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Malok]

Lothaneos?

A wrinkle of flesh appeared upon the bridge of the Sith Lord's nose. Fury, silent as the grave, boiled just underneath the surface of his skin. It was so like her to do such a thing - to rob his line of their very name. Ah, but the justifications would be countless he presumed. It was done to protect them. She'd say. They'd find her if otherwise. She'd say. Bah. At least the little one would have a clue of what flowed hot through her veins. Not just the ilk of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

But the stock of House Verd. The blood of the Undying.

No matter. What he had come for had arrived.

For a moment, Darth Metus leveled his gaze upon the young girl. The sulfur of his sight took in every detail. The curls...although a generation removed, they were but a looser version of his own. A hassle to team. A beauty when tamed. Her complexion was pale, vastly so. It seemed as though Umbaran trumped Korun further down the line, much to the Sith's surprise. A glance at the two would lead few to believe that the little one was actually of his own flesh and blood. But, none would be foolish enough to challenge it.

Without taking his eyes off of her, the Sith breathed.

"Does she know?"

"Only what we were told."

"And that is?"

The Director waved his hand, beckoning the young woman to come closer. "See for yourself. Miss Lothaneous...would you be so kind as to introduce yourself to our guest? Tell him about yourself."

For a child so isolated, the question was surely a simple one.

[member="Meritephia Lothaneos"]

 

[Lief]

With the Force as her ally, Meri could sense the disgust wash over the stranger.

Was it directed at her? Or her superior? Or perhaps something else all together? She did not know, she was not stupid enough as to pry for the details, she knew better than to do such by now though were she just a few years younger she may have. He was angry, she knew, even if she hadn't been blessed with the gifts which flowed through her it was evident by the wrinkling of his nose, something she noticed from the corner of her eye.

Not once did she look away from the Director, however, not even when the stranger began to speak.

Truth be told the conversation was bewildering to her. The men spoke cryptically, around her presence, clearly keeping something from her for the time being. Naturally Meri was missing much of the context, and so she kept her gaze level and remained silent. Silent, that was, until the conversation rounded back to her.

"Of course, Sir," she stated, before finally turning to face the stranger. Every little movement she made seemed more precise than it ought to have given her age, like a little soldier rather than a child.

Two steps brought her away from the Enforcers, and closer to the pair of men.

"My name is Meritephia Lothaneos. I am ten years old, human, and top of my class."

Human... Truth be told Meri had always had her doubts about that one piece of information. She had never questioned anything else, nor this snippet openly, but deep down she knew there was more in her than simply human blood. The way she saw things, for example... That wasn't natural, nor was it Force-based.

"I have been here for all of my life..." What more was there to say? Her interests? She didn't have many of those. She mostly kept to herself, even when it came to recreational time - of which there was very little - she didn't have any family, she had only one friend...

Meri resisted the urge to fidget, and instead looked across to the Director, to see if there was anything else he expected her to answer. Questions lingered on her tongue, but she did not speak them.

She knew her place.

[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Malok]

My name is Meritephia…

It was not right. It did not matter if it was done for her own “wellbeing.” It did not matter how vicious or how cruel the Zambrano patriarch happened to be. This was not how his grandchild should ever be. Where the Director may have interpreted her greeting as flawless - as practiced grace - the Sith Lord found himself disgusted. What he saw before him was a young girl who had been robbed of being a young girl. What he saw was an obedient, droid like entity whose blood just so happened to be the same as his.

But it was not too late for her. She was young, yes, very young. And no amount of exposure to his House and his Ways would ever break her of the molding of this facility. But the young woman would have a chance to live. She would be safe under his protection - and she would be able to introduce herself as more than just Human and top of her class.

”It is...a pleasure to meet you, Meritephia.”

Darth Metus did his best to swallow the thoughts which threatened to bleed into his tone. It was not the young one’s fault - she was the victim. A victim of her blood. A victim of Her warped sense of protection. A centering breath was sucked through his nostrils and his rampaging thoughts were laid low. What mattered now was securing this child and bringing her back to where she belonged.

”Truth be told, it would be very rude of me to ask you to introduce yourself without doing the same in return.” he said. A simple step was taken whilst his dominant hand rested flat upon his chest. ”I am Darth Metus. I am...directly responsible for many things in your life. I am where the curls in your hair originate. I am where the brown of your eyes come from. I am Human, like you...But we are more alike than that.”

He offered a smile. A light curve of his lips.

”I am your grandfather. And I have come to take you from this place.”

With that, he extended his hand.

”Will you come with me?”

[member="Meritephia Lothaneos"]

 

[Lief]

His hesitation, the tightening of muscles in his face and shoulders, the slow breath, everything pointed toward the mans thoughts conflicting with how he chose to present himself. A brief spike of what easily could have been rage.

Was he dissatisfied with her answer?

Truthfully Meri did not know what else she could possibly say. What else mattered outside of the information already given?

The more he spoke, however, the calmer he seemed. Apprehensive, perhaps, but definitely in control of himself. She could see the Director from the corner of her eye, it looked as though he was boiling over and she half expected to see smoke coming from his ears.

She realized why that was with the mans final three statements.

Time seemed to stand still in that moment. Waves of uncertainty and anxiety and disbelief washed over her, vision and hearing turned foggy and tunneled, and her heart began to beat at a significantly faster rate. Was this some sort of joke? Her eyes narrowed toward him, seeking something within his face that might reveal the truth of the matter. But in the end it was the way in which the Director scoffed and stepped toward her with a hand reaching to grasp at her upper arm that led her to show signs of not only belief, but trust, hope...

Was there really a way out of all of this?

The hand which enclosed around her arm was rough, pinning her in place before she could step forward and even consider taking the offered hand.

"This is highly inappropriate," the Director informed him, bristling, "I did not bring her here so that you could remove her from the facility. The terms of our arrangement with Miss Verd were very clear. She is to remain in our possession until she is of legal age, for our facility to do with as we please. She belongs to us by law."

Meri looked from one to the other. It was true then... This was his admission of guilt. For years now she had been informed that she had no family, that she had been discovered not sent to the facility. That they had done her some great service by taking her in and raising her when no one else would. Had it all been lies? Her breathing became significantly more shallow as she struggled to process it all, head shaking as she tried to pull her arm away from the Director's grasp.

[member="Darth Metus"]