Private An Awkward Lunch?

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Grjótharður, Vengard, Kalidan
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag(s): Inanna Harth

[ Just Inside My Head ] ​

Ingrid wasn't bothered by the cold environment at all, but she wasn't sure Inanna wasn't cold. So she quickened her steps and soon arrived at one of the entrances. After arriving at the palace, they reached a hall of enormous dimensions. On the one hand, it was very long and very tall. Surprisingly, however, they wanted nothing to compensate for this; rare case.

There were also countless soldiers and personnel inside, apparently everyone was busy. What was striking was that the crew members all looked human, but they were droids, and countless sithspawn were visible. Inanna could see similar ones with Adrian or at the Tower Vandiir.

One of the droids, a prettier woman with blond hair, walked over to them but didn't speak. Ingid turned to Inanna.

"The droid will accompany you to one of the guest rooms, if you still need a doctor or anything, let me know. There is an AI in the house, so it is enough to say out loud what you want, MANIAC will arrange or answer your questions. But if you want, we also have a tsudakyr, so you can speak to him telepathically. Please place your lunch order as well and we will be able to have lunch in an hour. In the meantime, they’ll bring you some appetizer to not feel bad. I hope these suit you, Miss Hoole."

If so, the droid will accompany the woman to a huge suite, where countless new clothes, fruits and drinks awaited her. The woman's requests will be met and an hour later lunch will be ready.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Catching a proper glimpse of Grjótharður up close, Inanna couldn’t help but draw a comparison between the palace and Tower Vandiir. Adrian’s lair had laid in the heart of a metropolis, at the top of a sleek skyscraper, while Ingrid chose to make her abode in a palatial estate slightly removed from the city. She didn’t exactly live out in the country, but it did highlight the differences between the two people. There were other conclusions she might have drawn from the unusual architecture of Grjótharður, seemingly caught between two different styles, two different identities—maybe Ingrid lived a double life, or was caught up in a double consciousness—but Inanna didn’t know enough about Ingrid to feel comfortable doing so. For now, she was content to assume it was meant to be symbolic, or perhaps the Empress was just a little eccentric in her tastes.

Inanna followed Ingrid inside, glad to be out of the cold. A blonde woman approached them and stood silently, awaiting orders. Inanna could tell she was an HRD; the “woman” gave off no Force signature the way a living breathing organic would. Ingrid explained how the servants and AI worked.

“I don’t need a doctor, thank you,” Inanna replied. She was a little bit overwhelmed by the grandness of the palace and the presence of so many servants, but not because it was unfamiliar to her. Quite the contrary. It brought back old memories that she would rather not remember. Her past as a prostitute had led her to grand estates like this when she catered to ultra-wealthy clientele.

As she trailed along behind the blonde HRD, she felt a presence probing at the edges of her unprotected mind. She slowed to a stop, paralyzed with fear, before remembering that Ingrid had mentioned a Tsudakyr—some sort of creature that could communicate via telepathy. This must be it. Cais ned'jin, it felt like Adrian back from the dead. Had he created it? Most likely, she figured. That was what Sith scientists did in their free time...

“Are you all right, Miss Hoole?” the HRD asked.

“Y-yes, sorry,” Inanna stammered. “I was lost in thought. Please continue. And, er…” She started to add that she was no longer Miss Hoole, but Mrs. Yomin, but decided against it. She would keep the existence of her family a secret. “... never mind.”

The HRD nodded and resumed walking. When they reached the guest room, she turned around and said, “Here is the refresher. You may have your pick of the clothing in this room. If you wish, I can also bring you food and drink.”

“Er, just water.” Inanna had already picked up a fruit and started eating it, eager to fill her empty stomach. “Oh, I have to order lunch too, don’t I?... You wouldn’t happen to have anything from Erakhis, would you?” The grand bedchamber, with its extravagant display of wealth and abundance, only made her feel more homesick than ever. But she didn’t want to seem ungrateful to her host.

“We could prepare some Erakhian-style sushi?” the HRD suggested after a moment of searching.

“That would be wonderful.” Inanna waited for the HRD to leave the room before she stripped off her clothes and bathed. Technically speaking, a Shi’ido didn’t have to wash regularly, though most did it as a simple luxury. Her time in the Netherworld didn’t seem to have left any strange supernatural residue on her, but she scrubbed her skin vigorously just to be sure. Venturing back into the bedroom as the water drained from the tub afterwards, she rifled through the clothes in the closet, looking for something to wear. Most of it was gildenweave, as was to be expected, but she did manage to find some polyweave. The shapeshifting fabric molded over her body, taking on the appearance of blue silk robes.

The hour had nearly passed by the time she was ready. The blonde HRD returned to take her to lunch.

Ingrid L'lerim​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Grjótharður, Vengard, Kalidan
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag(s): Inanna Harth

[ Just Inside My Head ] ​

In Ingrid's case, it was Tubrok who chose this place to build the palace rather than the woman; they also lived in the city before. The first husband, somehow, felt this was more appropriate, and the woman did not argue with him. It didn't matter to her whether she lived in a place like Tower Vandiir - which was now hers - or out here, away from the city, really loved both.

The droid wasn’t really HRD, just a droid that looks human, it wouldn’t have been able to trick any technology. But it could have been deceptive to the eyes.

The red-haired woman even nodded after Inanna said she didn't need a doctor. Then she went to her business too so they could start lunch in an hour. The woman didn’t really have to eat solid food anymore, but sometimes she did. That is, ate regularly until Adrian’s death, not really since. But she will have to now. For this reason she ordered roast venison with forest fruit sauce and baked potatoes. Her favourite and add chocolate dessert to the list.

Ingrid had also been in the Nether for a long time, not to mention she loved taking a shower for hours. After bathing, she put on her usual uniform; she also liked to wear it at home. Of course, she also loved pretty and elegant clothes as well, but she kept them mostly for Adrian and Tubrok. She even looked at the kids and then went to the dining room.

Where the droid also led Inanna. The place was not very large, about twenty metres long, the walls were decorated with ancient northern wood motifs and countless wooden decorations, vaults, in perfect harmony with the metal parts. The floor is wood-like stone. In the middle is a table that could accommodate about twenty people; it is also made of wood, as are the chairs.

By the time the ladies arrived, the appetizer had already been served by droids that also looked human.

"Do you feel better? Please take a seat! Now that we have some time and we are in a quiet place, could you tell me why Onrai visited you again? I heard that your breakup was not very nice… she tried to get to Lord Vandiir through me after the events."

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna looked around the dining room briefly before taking a seat. Ingrid was already at the table, dressed in uniform even though she was at home. Her question and remarks about Vanessa Vantai made Inanna wonder if she was taking an interest in her as a matter of imperial security. As well she should, given what Vanessa had been doing.

“I’ll feel a whole lot better once I’ve had a proper meal,” Inanna replied, tasting the appetizers. They were good, but that was to be expected. Ingrid probably had some of the finest chefs in the galaxy making her meals. Eating also gave Inanna a few moments to collect her thoughts. She didn’t like remembering her time as Vanessa’s apprentice and usually avoided speaking about those days.

“‘Onrai’ didn’t visit me,” she said, her tone one of obvious contempt for her former master. “In fact, she didn’t even know I was there. She came to Erakhis to take advantage of the planet’s Force Nexus, using it to enhance her power. I was sent in to try and stop her, but I failed. She used the nexus to open a portal to somewhere… Otherspace? She called it ‘the laboratory of the gods’.” Inanna shrugged. “The reason why I wound up in the Netherworld is because the portal was unstable. I have no idea where Vane—I mean, Onrai is now.”

She hoped the woman was lost forever on some other plane, never to return. Or dead. Dead would probably be best. That way, she couldn’t bother anyone in any universe.

Inanna pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers. “To be honest, it’s kind of a funny story,” she began, smirking wanly. “I wasn’t with her for very long, thank the Force. She hyped me up to be the best apprentice she ever had. I was… serviceable, at best. It was all about power with her—she kept me prisoner, watched my every move, and was even in my head, reading my thoughts constantly. On my first day of training she tortured me, poisoned me, and then tried to gaslight me into thinking it was all okay.” She shook her head. “But that isn’t the funny part, it's how I finally got out of there. You say she tried to get to Lord Vandiir through you—did she tell you everything? About my friends masquerading as Vandiir and his entourage, even stealing a ship that was the same type he used for traveling?" Her smirk grew into a genuine smile, though she tried to hide it behind her hand. "Did she tell you that we fooled her so badly, she still doesn’t understand quite what happened?...”

Ingrid L'lerim​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Grjótharður, Vengard, Kalidan
Equipment: Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag(s): Inanna Harth

[ Just Inside My Head ] ​

"Enjoy your meal, Miss Hoole!"

She didn't mind Inanna wanting to eat first, they had plenty of time after all. Looked at the appetizer, if she had a real stomach, it might have turned upside down. Though she loved to eat, to keep her shape, she ate very few times as much as she would have liked. And even then, she always trained a lot to stay in shape. She could have eaten now, but she had no appetite because of grief and depression. Ingrid had a hard time eating a few bites of the appetizer and looked up when Inanna spoke.

Erakhis, in the northern region, was to the best of her knowledge. If she looked at it from the perspective of conquests, it was very far away; otherwise close enough. So a Nexus; she shook her head wearily. Will this woman never give up? Apparently not, and that's worrying. Wasn’t even able to open a stable gateway with Sunstar? Did the woman almost lose her strength, or yet she didn’t have enough strength and knowledge to be able to do it?

"Otherspace, yes. I was there when she killed, I mean several of us killed a Force Entity and Onrai drained all their strength. She has since considered herself a god, but no gods exist, at most powerful Force Users, possibly Force Entities. She didn't want to understand and accept this. We… I last saw her at the First Order coronation ceremony, where she boasted that she was a goddess because she had created a messenger or herald to herself…"

She paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"It’s unbelievable that even after all this time she is unable to open a stable gateway, even though she has a powerful relic…"

The next story was not very pleasant and was not fun. Vanessa told this quite differently; not very surprisingly.

"Most Sith are only interested in power, they cannot accept it if someone is not interested in power. She tried to “seduce” me too, she didn’t succeed. Not just because of Lord Vandiir. Not everyone is for the Sith. Don't get me wrong, I'm not referring to your merits. I'm not a Sith either. I never was, in vain all three of my teachers and instructors were a Sith. And yes, she told everything. She brought the remains of Ayreon to the Tower, as did the amulet and a fake ash. I’m not believe her when she told me she killed the shape-shifter. The amulet… I have to say it was a pretty lousy imitation, anyone who had ever met Darth Prospero immediately knew it was a fake."

She nodded seriously to the rest, then allowed herself a predatory smile for a moment.

"The Tower Vandiir’s tsudakyr did not answer her, and with every word she proved only her own incompetence. When we looked back at the recordings, Lord Vandiir and I had a great time with what I talked to Onrai…"

As she realized what she was saying, the pain penetrated her soul again, the smile disappeared from her face and she looked at her lunch emotionlessly.

"But I think I know what Onrai wants, and if so, she must be stopped…"

 

[Inanna Harth]

The coronation ball. Inanna hadn't even noticed Vanessa was there. She had been too busy with Messala. Messala... he was imprisoned now at last.

“... anyone who had ever met Darth Prospero immediately knew it was a fake."

Inanna shoved food into her mouth to hide the brief flash of embarrassment that came over her at Ingrid's words. She had met Darth Prospero twice before, yet she had been completely fooled by the amulet. Granted, she wasn’t exactly in the best state of mind then… and Ingrid clearly knew him far better. Inanna had no doubt that Nimdok’s disguise wouldn't have fooled the Empress for a second.

"Well, that's... my friend's lousy alchemist connections for you," she murmured. "Whoever he hired to make the amulet must not have done a very good job."

She blanched a little at the mention of Ingrid watching the recordings with Vandiir. If they had Ayreon’s memory, did that mean they had seen Nimdok’s little charade as well? Oh my. She wished she could’ve seen Vandiir’s reaction. She hoped he at least found it annoying, if not mortifying, to see someone else pretending to be him in order to save her.

"Vanessa let us go," Inanna explained. "All of us who survived, anyway. I even got to take Ayreon's memory core with me and put it in a newer, better body. I'd like to think that she was just so flabbergasted and fed up with dealing with our shenanigans, she just wanted to be rid of us. After all, killing us might mean we would come back to haunt her."

Ingrid seemed to sober up. Inanna hesitated before speaking. “Well, uh… aside from wanting to become a 'goddess', what exactly does Onrai want? Galactic domination? A cult devoted to worshiping her? The ability to create extra comfy blankets? And what's the deal with this herald or messenger of hers?”

Ingrid L'lerim​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Grjótharður, Vengard, Kalidan
Equipment: Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag(s): Inanna Harth

[ Just Inside My Head ] ​

Yes, Ingrid had always been very attuned to the man's aura, even before their relationship had deepened. But even then, it was enough for her to be close to a planet to feel exactly where Adrian was on the surface. She wasn't very trained in the Force at the time, But Adrian’s aura and presence in the Force at the moment of their first encounter was already overwhelming for the woman. Maybe that's why he couldn't fool her. And because it was her job as an assassin to be able to follow others.

"In fact, your friend may not have done a bad job; I am not the benchmark in this matter. Darth Prospero loves to play sports out of it, trying to trick me and play with his aura to see if I realize he’s real or not. He thinks if he can beat me, he can fool anyone."

She smiled lovingly for a moment, not even noticing that she was using the present time again when she talked about Adrian, as if the man was still alive. And in the next, Ingrid became unknowingly misunderstood; she was thinking of the conversation she was talking to with Vanessa, not the memories of Ayreon. They had never seen it, but Vanessa’s struggle and suffering was also quite fun, even looking again.

"I’m glad Ayreon stayed functional, seemed like a loyal and helpful droid on Zeltros."

She said honestly, but didn’t call him human or anything because she grew up in a society where it was a weakness to endow a droid with human values. Even if the droid in question looks completely human. She nodded at her words.

"I never understood why she let you go. Although I am not a Sith, I have been among them enough to know this is a weakness. She revealed that she loved you as a disciple, maybe as if you were her daughter, she didn’t say that in words, but I felt it. Maybe that's why… you broke her heart."

She thought about what Inanna had said.

"She wants power, yes. Impressing Darth Carnifex , for me it turned out when she talked about it. And to travel to other dimensions, maybe she wants to kill the Celestials? I don’t know, but if she can’t open a stable portal with Sunstar after all this time, she can’t be too in danger yet. But I will pay attention to it. She and the Herald? I haven’t seen them since, but the Herald’s aura was very familiar, yet strange. Quite weird."

 

[Inanna Harth]

Ingrid spoke, seemingly by accident, about Adrian Vandiir as though the man were still alive. Despite her… low opinion of Vandiir, Inanna wasn’t insensitive to the widow's grief. She said nothing, letting the woman have her moment until it passed and the subject was changed.

“Yes, Ayreon is a good… companion.” She had nearly said friend. “He was the one who masterminded the rescue. Vanessa never found out that I had asked him to help me escape, because I added a clause to keep him from remembering that I had given the order. He believed he had decided it for himself.”

It was the first time she had ever admitted that little tidbit out loud before. She’d had to bury it so deeply in her mind that not even Vanessa, with her slithering about Inanna’s thoughts, could find it. “I know you had no idea what was going on until that droid of yours senselessly went into ‘save my owner’ routines,” Vanessa had said. “Your droid acted of its own volition in an attempt to save you from a danger that does not exist.” It was one of the few triumphs of Inanna the Fool, that she had kept her actual duplicity hidden. Layers upon layers of deception so thick that no one but her could ever know the complete truth.

She laughed when Ingrid said that she had broken Vanessa’s heart.

“She has no heart. People are just toys to her, to be played with until they break.” Inanna leaned back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap and staring down at her entwined fingers. “She told me stories of the things she had done. There was a Twi’lek woman named Domino whom she used as a host for Sithspawn abominations—reducing her to nothing but a womb for her creations. Once, she threatened to do the same to my mother—and another time, she tried to convince me to volunteer. She thought my Shi’ido physiology would make it less dangerous. I still occasionally have nightmares about it. That's not even going into the details of what she did do to me while I was her apprentice—I was subjected to Sith poison in the name of 'curing' me of my vices. Vanessa Vantai... Onrai... either way, the woman is insane. I don't mean the cutesy sort of madness that's in vogue among the Sith these days, I mean criminally insane. She has more in common psychologically with a serial killer than a conqueror.”

Inanna paused as servants entered the dining room with the next course of the meal. A plate of scrumptious-looking Erakhian style sushi along with a set of chopsticks was laid in front of her, but she didn’t touch it. Talking about Vanessa's psychosis had put a dampener on her appetite.

“Oh yeah, real weird,” she remarked after Ingrid explained Vanessa’s desire for power and prestige. “She claimed that she and Carnifex had once been lovers. I’d say it sounds like they’re made for each other, but he’s probably too good for the likes of her. As for killing the Celestials…” Inanna couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes. “I keep hoping she’ll become trapped in one of these alternate dimensions she wants to visit so badly, but that’s unlikely to happen. No, probably the best thing we can all do is to just completely ignore her. Stop engaging with her. Pretend she doesn’t exist.” Having said that, Inanna picked up the chopsticks and started eating her sushi, her appetite renewed.

Ingrid L'lerim​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Grjótharður, Vengard, Kalidan
Equipment: Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag(s): Inanna Harth

[ Just Inside My Head ] ​

She learned an interesting thing about Ayreon; yes with droids it was much easier in this respect than with a living person. Although this kind of “brainwashing” could be done with them, as Ingrid did with Kalic Daws . True, a HRD or a droid was very different, especially in the eyes of the red-haired woman.

"It was a smart and bold solution, if someone isn’t trained in that sort of thing, it can turn out soon. You were lucky that Miss Vantai does not have a congenital telepathy, and she only use it through the Force."

Ingrid learned how to hide her true thoughts under several other thoughts. Even Adrian had a hard time influencing the woman's mind. And on the PL, she easily pushed the Sith Lord out of her mind. Yet she didn't even learn anything from her later husband then, it only started after that. The Empress listened intently to Inanna's words. The other side was much more interesting than what Vanessa had said before. The name was familiar to her; what Vanessa wanted was no surprise, nor was it that Inanna thought the other was crazy.

"Domino? She also works for the Eternal Empire nowadays. And yes, you are not wrong, although I would rather just call her a sociopath. Although I consider her a coward in part because she doesn’t dare take what she wants. Based on your words, I conclude this. Not to mention her inability to learn or adapt anything and not to mention her minority complex."

It was like, for example, she did not learn good manners for decades, Ingrid experienced this first hand.

"Lord Carnifex sleeps with everything and everyone that moves just a little bit or just arouses his interest. Be it teenage boys or older women. So the fact that they were lovers is not so surprising. I think he could have taken advantage of Vantai's hunger for power. Until she does not threaten the Eternal Empire again, I will not care. If she does, I can’t ignore it. I have a duty to my people, and she has already caused us trouble. If she comes here again, I'll have to stop her."

Tasting the food deposited in front of her, the taste is the same as always, yet it did not cause happiness or joy…

"As for the Sith poison… did you manage to find a solution to it?"

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Yeah, that’s a better word for what she is,” Inanna said. “A sociopath.” It certainly felt good to say it out loud.

Inanna ate her lunch with relish, failing to notice Ingrid’s lack of enjoyment. After all, she hadn’t eaten in several days, and the food was delicious.

“She caused trouble for you all the way over in the Eternal Empire?” Technically they were in the EE right now, but Inanna hadn’t quite gotten used to the idea. She was still thinking of other planets and their placement relative to her in the galaxy as if she were home on Erakhis, which was almost on the other side of the map from Kalidan.

“Yes, I was able to find a cure—er, well, my friend found one for me.” Holding up her hand, she opened her fingers, revealing a small blue gemstone with a white star pattern sitting at the center of her palm. “This was used to purify my body of the poison, although I’ve been told since then that other Force Users notice something seems a little bit off about me, so I guess that’s not all it did. But at least now I can drink absinthe and love a Zeltron without any more problems.”

Whoops. So much for not mentioning her husband, though the allusion was vague enough that Ingrid might not make anything of it. Still, damn Inanna, what’s next? Are you going to slip up and tell the Empress all about the kids, too?

The kids. Inanna abruptly felt an intense wave of longing to see her children again which threatened to bring tears to her eyes. She reached for her drink, trying to hide her emotions, and wound up knocking it over, spilling ice water across the table. “Oh—” she exclaimed, grabbing a napkin to clean it up. “Sorry. That was clumsy of me...”

A servant came to the rescue, soaking up the spilled liquid with a towel. Inanna leaned back in her chair to give them room, feeling quite awkward. At the same time, some well of tension seemed to have broken in her. Still a little cautious, she dared to ask, "How have you been, Lady Vandiir? I mean, since... uh, since Lord Vandiir's passing?" Her guess was not very good, given that Ingrid was still talking about Adrian as if he was still alive, but the question was intended as an expression of courtesy and sympathy more than anything else.

Ingrid L'lerim​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Grjótharður, Vengard, Kalidan
Equipment: Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag(s): Inanna Harth

[ Just Inside My Head ] ​

"Yes, when she got the object with which she wanted to open your portal. She got it here on Endor, I mean… I let her take it. She called me to the Endor to talk to me about something. She wanted to kill an imprisoned deity with me. More precisely, a Force Entity because there are no gods. I wanted to seek the help of Lord Vandiir, as this is his area of expertise. I didn’t have a chance, the imprisoned entity broke free and tried to occupy my body. It was hard, but I managed to survive and defeat the Night Spirit, I killed her… the sister of the Sith’s god. Awkward! Needless to say, how angry Lord Vandiir was after that."

She skipped the part that Night Spirit changed her and made a semi-Force Entity out of it. This part was a secret she told only a very few people. After Inanna's words, she reached out to the Force and really felt the little weirdness she mentioned. It may have had interesting side effects… as she looked at the crystal. The red-haired woman smiled very faintly for a moment when the other woman mentioned Zeltron. For a moment she remembered Zaavik Perl how much he looked like Adrian in his face and he was also a Zeltron.

She would have been ready to say something about it when she felt the other emotions from the woman's direction and the strongest thought. Kids? It was probably because of this that she disappeared from everywhere after she escaped from Vantai. Understandable. Ingrid nodded at the other woman's apology.

"Why didn't you call them? Your thoughts and feelings betrayed you. You don’t have to be afraid of me, I won’t take revenge on you for stealing from Lord Vandiir. He never asked me to investigate you or take action. This will not happen later."

At least until she starts doing something against Ingrid as well. How did Ingrid feel? She didn't know if the question was honest, or just courtesy like she'd heard so much about. Although there were those who weren't even polite. The red-haired woman did not like to answer this question, mainly because even though Tubrok was there, the woman was dead inside.

"I have to survive, I have to stay strong, the Empire needs a strong leader. I'm working to solve how I can bring him back. I hope he can meet your son one day…" it was well known that she had a son from Adrian and another from Tubrok. "Your children? How many and how old are they?"

 

[Inanna Harth]

"Why didn't you call them?”

Inanna blinked, taken aback. It took her a moment to realize Ingrid had read her mind. “I figured I would have a chance to call once I was on my way home.” She was loath to admit it, but she was concerned about Ingrid tracing or monitoring any communications she made on her property, even if it would be within the Empress’ rights to do so.

“Your thoughts and feelings betrayed you. You don’t have to be afraid of me, I won’t take revenge on you for stealing from Lord Vandiir. He never asked me to investigate you or take action. This will not happen later."

Inanna was tempted to protest, arguing that she had never stolen from Vandiir—that had been Pygar's doing, and Pygar had taken advantage of Inanna's help to smuggle the data offworld—but she held her tongue. None of it mattered anymore. The data had been destroyed, and Vandiir was dead anyway.

Then, Ingrid answered Inanna’s question. Her words might have revealed vulnerability coming from anyone else, but the Empress was too iron-willed to show any weakness. Inanna bit her lower lip as Ingrid said she was trying to bring Vandiir back from the dead; it sounded like a pipe dream. It might be common knowledge, but she hadn’t known that Adrian and Ingrid had a son. Vandiir didn’t seem like the type to want to be a father—or at least, he was nothing like the men she knew who were proud, loving fathers to their children. A memory of Nimdok, still disguised as Adrian Vandiir, holding his daughter Miri in his lap and singing to her flashed across Inanna’s mind. He’d done it as a joke, laughing as he bounced her on his knee, forcing Vandiir’s voice to sing high and low notes well outside the dead man’s vocal range. But now, in the context of learning Vandiir really was a father, even if only in death, the image was more haunting than humorous.

"Your children? How many and how old are they?"

Ingrid’s voice broke Inanna out of her thoughts. “Two,” she replied. “For now. Ophelia is three years old, and Galahad is just over a year old. They’re adopted—war orphans whose families were killed. My husband and I can’t have children, at least not naturally.” She couldn’t justify spending an exorbitant amount of money to create a hybrid child artificially, not when there were billions of kids in the galaxy without families. “I'll call them after lunch, once I’ve got my bearings.”

She felt a spike of guilt like a thorn in her heel for not calling her family immediately, even though she was still somewhat wary of Ingrid. Since her return from the Nether, Inanna had focused on satisfying her immediate needs—bathing, eating, and soon, sleeping. It made her seem selfish, or at the very least inconsiderate. No doubt her husband was worried sick about her...

Ingrid L'lerim​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Grjótharður, Vengard, Kalidan
Equipment: Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag(s): Inanna Harth

[ Just Inside My Head ] ​

In her home, Ingrid never used to suppress her telepathy to know what was happening to the kids or Tubrok. It was for this reason that she perceived the highest and strongest thoughts, but she did not go deeper and it was completely instinctive on her part, unintentional. She knew no details, only fragments she sensed from the strongest thoughts.

"If you want, I can take you to your planet right away through the Netherworld, you don't have to travel for days to get there." offered.

For her, it would be a great practice, she didn’t have to open a portal many times or go there with others. Ingrid, like the Shadows or Valkyrja, found the smallest rifts and drove through them. There were benefits to being part of the Netherworld. It was the reward of tearing her soul apart and leaving some of it with Adrian.

Inanna seemed to be in a similar situation to Ingrid, in their case Adrian was infertile since he was a sithspawn, and Ingrid wasn’t human and didn’t want to give birth to an abomination, she didn’t know what Shadow-born hybrids would be like. Fortunately, there were frozen samples that could be used. They never talked to Adrian about having a child together, they wanted a lot with Tubrok, but she knew her other husband so much that she knew he wouldn’t have said no because the Sith Lord knew it was a pleasure for the woman.

"With Lord Tubrok, we have been planning the same thing for a very long time, and then when Adrian and Eyjolf get older, we will adopt war orphans. Until then, we only support orphanages. It was a very selfless act, I think not many would have done so."

Said honestly and respectfully. She hadn't held much of the other woman before, but now Inanna had grown a lot in her eyes. Children have always been a very sensitive area for Ingrid.

"If you want to call them now, I'll go out as long as you talk to them so I don't bother you. I know what it’s like when someone can’t see the ones they love. I don't want to keep you away from your family." she offered again.

 

[Inanna Harth]

After everything she had experienced there, Inanna was repulsed by the idea of going back into the Netherworld. But if it did cut the travel time down… no. Better to be safe than sorry.

“That’s a kind offer, but I’ll have to decline. Too many risks involved compared to simply traveling by starship, even if it does take longer.”

Ingrid’s opinion of her seemed to improve considerably after she revealed her children were adopted. Inanna nodded along as Ingrid said she and her remaining husband planned to adopt children themselves, but didn’t comment.

“I’ll… step out myself,” she said, rising from her chair. “That way you can continue to enjoy your meal, Lady Vandiir.”

With that, Inanna left the dining room. She walked a few paces outside and down the hall, then stopped, taking out her comlink. It was a simple matter to hook up her device to the manor’s wireless access, then make the call. She only had to wait a few seconds before she heard Hal Yomin’s voice.

“Inanna? Is that you?”

For a moment she couldn’t speak, too overwhelmed with emotion. “Yes,” she said at last. “Yes, it’s me. I’m all right. Are you safe?”

“We’re fine. What happened? Where have you been?”

“It’s a long story,” she murmured, sinking into a chair. With the comlink in her ear, she wrapped her arms around herself. “I was trapped in the Netherworld for almost two weeks before I found some people who could help me get out. I… well, right now I’m at her house on Kalidan.”

“Kalidan? Isn’t that in Eternal Empire space?”

“I think it’s their capital. But it’s okay. I’m not being held prisoner or anything like that.”

“Who is helping you?”

Inanna hesitated, wondering how to break the news, and broke into a nervous laugh. “You’re not gonna believe it, but Empress Ingrid L’lerim-Vandiir is the one who got me out.”

“Oh.” Hal whispered. “Oh.”

“She doesn’t hold a grudge. At least, not on behalf of her late husband. I suppose if he were alive, things might be different…” she trailed off. “How are the kids?”

“They ask about you every day. It’s late here, and I finally put them to bed, or else I’d let you talk to them. When will you get home?”

“I plan to leave as soon as possible. I’ve got to find the fastest ship out of here.” She gazed out a window at the chilly world beyond. Erakhis would be warm and sunny at this time of year. “I miss you. I miss you so much.”

“Inanna, I…” he trailed off.

She frowned, detecting something worrisome in his tone. “What is it?”

“I’ll tell you when you get here. It can wait until then.”

“I’m going to shake the paint off your walls when I get home,” she said. It sounded like she was abruptly trying to lighten the mood, but that wasn’t the case. She was speaking in code. If Ingrid’s Tsudakyr or MANIAC were listening in on their conversation, they’d get nothing but an earful of cheesy dirty talk. The phrase she had used was a question: trouble at home?

“Oh?” Hal replied. She was getting warm, but wasn’t quite there yet.

“You’re not going to be able to walk afterwards.” The kids?

“I think it’s supposed to be the other way around, for both of those phrases,” Hal replied, laughing. He managed to not make it sound forced. “That’s what I would say to you.”

The other way around? Another home… the parents?

Inanna suddenly remembered the vision she’d had in the ruins of Arctrius, of her parents begging her to come home. “No fair. Guys get all the best one liners. What do we girls get? ‘I wanna ride you into the sunset like a pony at the county fair’?” Are you talking about Lao-mon?

“‘My mind is a canvas upon which the only color painted is red.’”

“... What does that mean?” she asked, genuinely confused. It wasn’t one of their agreed-upon code phrases.

“Exactly.”

“Sounds… pretty bad.”

“Yeah. But you need to brush up on your lines, babe.” Look it up, do some research. “In the meantime, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Just be there when I get back.”

“You got it. I love you.”

“I love you too. Bye.”

Having completed the call, she rose and headed back to the dining room. Her thoughts were distracted, and she had more or less lost her appetite. Rather than sit down again, she stood between the door and the table and spoke to Ingrid.

“It was nice talking to you, Lady Vandiir. Thank you for lunch, and for helping me get out of there, but I’m afraid I really must be going now.”

Ingrid L'lerim​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Grjótharður, Vengard, Kalidan
Equipment: Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tag(s): Inanna Harth

[ Just Inside My Head ] ​

"All right! Maniac, leave all the discretion to the lady, don't record the conversation."

Ingrid added when Inanna left. All this as a sign of good intentions. She didn't think she could talk about anything that would hurt the Eternal Empire or Ingrid's family. Until Inanna wasn't here, she watched her own lunch only monotonously and speechlessly. Poked the meat or garnish a few times, but she couldn't eat it. Looked up when she felt the other woman approach and nodded at Inanna's words.

"As you wish, please follow me!"

She did not ask what had changed, why the other woman had decided so. She headed for the hangar, which was here inside the building.

"I can give you a small ship where you will be alone with a droid, or without a droid, or a larger one will take you home on board. It's up to you which one you want."

Still in a cold voice, and depending on the woman's response, she said the orders as to what kind of ship or shuttle to prepare. After a few minutes walking, they arrived at the hangar, where the requested ship or shuttle was already waiting for Inanna.

"Have a good trip, Miss Hoole. If Miss Vantai shows up again at any time, please let me know. I know you don’t want to deal with her, but I can’t afford this luxury. Have a nice trip!" she finally held out her hand for a handshake.

 

[Inanna Harth]

“A larger one that will take me home,” Inanna replied. She didn’t want to have to deal with sending the ship back to Kalidan. Even if Ingrid had vessels to spare, Inanna didn’t have the space at home to keep a starship in. “And thank you again, Lady Vandiir.”

She shook Ingrid’s hand, bid her farewell, and went on her way.

Ingrid L'lerim​