Private An Intangible Guest

[Sylvia Virtos]

Ghost Blood
​

As much as Sylvia wanted to stay on Eshan for a few days longer, she had contracts to work. The time she had spent with Quinn Varanin over the course of the week had been an experience she wouldn't soon forget, though. Their dynamic had shifted dramatically and while Sylvia wasn't sure how she was supposed to qualify it, right now she didn't care. One thing was for sure, though. She wouldn't be gone for too long. The echani princess had found her way into Sylvia's thoughts and she was stuck there. Even now she couldn't stop her mind from thinking about her. If Quinn wasn't expecting to get any messages from her, she was going to find that she was dead wrong.

The spacer snapped her fingers as she walked up the boarding ramp of her ship, her home, and the lights responded. In what had become routine, she walked into the main area as she shed her jacket and tossed it onto her workbench. Spark hovered out of the cockpit, making happy beeping noises as it approached her creator. It had been on its own for a while, but thankfully droids weren't capable of being bored. Spark wasn't, at the very least.

"Hey Spark," Sylvia beamed, "sorry for taking so long. Just wait until you hear the stories." She smiled; she hadn't felt this good in a really long time. Her problems simply didn't exist for an entire week and there was no better way to recharge than that. "We probably should get going first, though." Her route this time had five planets in the list of destinations. About the average for her.

"Any messages that require my attention?" Sylvia asked her droid as she walked towards the cockpit, who beeped a few times in response. "Cool. Let's fly, then."

Kal
​

 

[Kal]

There were few more reliable ways to draw a Shadow's long term interest than to form a strange bond with him through a mixture of sloppy sorcery and short-term (by the standards of unageing spirits) imprisonment, as Noelle Varanin had no doubt learned.

Or perhaps not, both he and his Shades were rather subtle by nature.

Soundlessly unseen, he glided after the magenta-haired one, the one who had so captivated the youngest Varanin's time and attention as of late. She was an unknown, a hidden variable, and so he had not been able to resist following along. Like many Shadows, he was gifted with intense curiosity and nothing even remotely resembling respect for privacy. If mortals wanted to be alone they'd surround themselves in ray shields, surely.

Hovering behind her, he observed both her and her machine-thing with interest.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Sylvia ran a hand through her magenta locks as she approached the pilot's seat with a carefree cadence, until something brushed against her senses. She immediately came to a halt to assess the feeling, at which she quickly realized it was the Force that spoke to her. Something was off and that often meant danger. She wouldn't let herself be caught off-guard like that.

She quietly gestured towards Spark, who got itself out of the way as the woman knelt down next to the seat. A hidden compartment opened, revealing a lightsaber hilt she pilfered from a Sith tomb back when she was still a student of the Bastion academy. She grasped it and stood back up. The spacer didn't like using it- bad vibes were essentially engraved into the weapon- but it was the only thing she had in her direct vicinity. Eyes swept around the area, trying to figure out what was going on.

Nothing. Nobody. This didn't make sense.

"Alright, bud," Sylvia called out, seeing no reason to be sneaky about things. "I don't know who you are, but you better show your mug. I'm not a fan of intruders." They were never good, but considering her history it was probably much worse.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

His presence had been noted, unfortunate. It was not the first time, though most of the time he simply... left. It was decent practice, testing the edges of a Force User's senses, but usually not worth making his presence known. Who knew what tricks a Knight or Lord had in their sleeve?

This one, however, seemed less mystically gifted. More down-to-earth, in a spacefaring way.

Manifesting from thin air as the shadowy silhouette of a slender humanoid, its eyes glowing a luminous white in contrast to the greys and black of its tenebrous form, Kal opted to simply eye the unignited lightsaber dubiously. After a moment, he dismissed it as unimportant.

<That's hardly necessary - not the least because it would do nothing to harm me.> As if to illustrate his point, he shoved a hand into a bulkhead, the solid matter offering no resistance. Nevermind the fact that some spirits could be unmade by such weapons. <As for who I am, call me Kal.>

At that, he executed an exaggerated bow, then promptly went back to observing her. This time in plain sight.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Before Sylvia, a spirit manifested. She had dealt with many dangers and oddities, but what she was looking at was something entirely new. Keeping the best Sabacc face she could, the spacer gripped the hilt tighter, expecting it to make a move. It was only a matter of time before the Sith sent something or someone after her who would be able to find her.

Then, the spirit spoke. He didn't seem hostile, his actions didn't give Sylvia that impression at the very least, but she didn't stow away the blade just yet. It remained unignited, but ready. There had to be some reason for the spirit to be here, and until she was certain it wasn't anything malicious she wasn't letting down her guard.

"Okay, Kal," Sylvia spoke with a healthy dose of confusion in her voice. "If you need to know, my name is Sylvia. Now, I'm going to need you to tell me what you're doing on my ship." The fact he was just looking at her creeped her out just a little.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

The extent to which the magenta-haired girl had been unnerved amused him; not unusual for the average person at having a spirit show up, mind you, but most Force Users he had met had been more inured to the strangeness of the galaxy. Perhaps she had her own reasons for being more worried than most, or perhaps him showing himself in what might just amount to her home was the determining factor.

<Why, I am merely observing you.> Drifting sideways, his gaze briefly flickered towards her droid before returning to her. He was no technician, they all more or less looked the same to him. <You are an interesting enough character on your own, not to mention one that spends a lot of time with another person of interest.> Quite a bit of it in the bedroom, but that part was fairly uninteresting.

The interpersonal dimension, the social ties that bound the Varanins with the rest of the galaxy, that was worth studying. If only so that he could use said information to seem strangely well-informed when the time eventually came to collect a favour or two from Noelle.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

At first, Sylvia was going to tell Kal she wasn't too fond of stalkers. It wasn't the fact she'd been swayed to let him stay that caused to leave that sentiment unvoiced, but the very thing he mentioned afterwards. Her hand involuntarily gripped the hilt as tightly as it could as alarm bells went off in her mind. He knew. He was aware of where Sylvia had been, somehow. She felt even less safe now, tried to play it cool.

"So you were stalking a princess? Sounds pretty dangerous to me," Sylvia remarked. Her eyes closely followed wherever Kal floated to, though she herself remained exactly where she stood. "Planning to share all of that juicy info with other parties? Looking for more dirt?" She was doubtful she could extract what he knew exactly about her encounter with Quinn, but she also didn't know if she really wanted to hear him talk about it. With suspension of disbelief, she could simply pretend he hadn't seen any of the more intimate moments.

"I do have bad news for you, bud. All I do on this ship is do odds jobs and work on tech. You're going to get real bored real quick." Hopefully he wouldn't stick around too long, because in the privacy of her ship she also had her most vulnerable moments. The last thing the spacer wanted was for some curious ghost to witness something like her nightmares.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Head tilting slightly to the side, Kal's luminous eyes seem to dim then brighten as if imitating blinking. <I believe you may be wildly overestimating the importance of royal love lives.> Did anyone truly care who a princess took to their bed? He had always assumed the Sith were rather liberal about that sort of thing, though he supposed his perspective might have been shifted by his creator's predilections.

<No, I am studying the behavioural patterns of mortals, most prominently Force Users. You were in a Sith Academy, but you left to seek your fortunes elsewhere only to reconnect with other Sith. That makes you an anomaly. An interesting case study, if you will.>

Quite interesting, since oh-so-many Sith defectors ended up killed, whether by Sith agents, vindictive Jedi eager to strike at a lone Sith, or any number of other hazards. Not that being a Sith brought with it that much more promising a life expectancy, in this day and age.

Of course, he was also interested in the woman due to her connection to Quinn, who in turn was connected to Noelle, who he had decided to amass information on the moment she saw fit to bind him. Sure, he was later freed and she was now in her debt, but that was no excuse for carelessness.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

So he knew. He likely had listened in too if he was this curious. Some of her deep vulnerabilities Sylvia had shared in confidence known to an unknown party. Quite simply, she wasn't happy. She couldn't just get angry like that, though. She had to just play it cool. Maybe then he'd think it really wasn't a big deal and forget about it all. It was unlikely, but showing emotion definitely wouldn't help. She left the comment where it was, even if she had some choice words she wanted to say about it.

Instead, Sylvia would raise a brow at what he said next. "So I'm just like a zoo animal to you," she remarked as she knelt back down and placed the lightsaber back where it was stored. She was reasonably certain the ghost had no direct ill intentions now. Standing back up, she gave the compartment a gentle kick to close it back up. "Charming."

The spacer let out an annoyed sigh as she turned back towards Kal. "Alright, bud," she said in a conceding tone as she took a step towards him, "tell you what. I'll answer whatever questions you got for me, you leave me alone. That sound good?"

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

"So I'm just like a zoo animal to you,"

Making no effort to refute her statement, Kal continued to study her actions, seemingly content by her lessening aggression. At least overt aggression, he more than got the impression she would very much like him off her ship; fair enough, given the circumstances.

<That sounds reasonable.> He had intended to observe her for a while, but there were certainly advantages to getting information from the source. He would have to compensate for her own bias, of course, especially since calling her a willing participant was likely stretching the definition a bit. Adopting a speculative pose, one finger stroking a not-quite-corporeal chin and occasionally passing through it, he eyed her for another moment.

<What made you abandon the path of the Sith...> Scrutiny deepening, he seemed to be studying something not visible to mundane senses. <... and, if I am not mistaken, the Dark as a whole?> That was the root of her fear, he assumed, fleeing a regime not exactly known for its forgiving nature.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

"Good, good. Let's get this over with, then." Sylvia wasn't particularly thrilled to share details about her life to a stranger, but it was the easiest way to get Kal off her back. If this got her killed by virtue of the information leaking, it would've happened by him stalking her regardless. The spacer didn't see much harm in answering a few questions anyway.

Until he got to the point. He knew of her past. Sylvia was a little creeped out by that. She wondered what else he knew, and for how long he'd been watching her until today. Upon the realization that there wasn't any real point in keeping things from the ghost, she took a deep breath and blew out through her mouth. "We're going there, huh?" The Sith wasn't her favorite subject, to say the least. Sylvia walked from the cockpit into the main area of the ship, making a beeline for the booze cabinet. "I'm gonna need a drink."

After opening it up, the spacer took out a bottle and a glass. The bourbon was of an expensive kind, something the likes of her wasn't supposed to be able to get her hands on. "I was basically being groomed to become a Sith as a child. I was impressionable. Believed the dark was the only true way to power, and that power was everything. The standard banthachit they spew," she explained as she made her way over to a table, at which a couch was placed. She set down the glass, then plopped down with the bottle still in hand.

"But none of it really ever, you know, how do I say it..." Sylvia unscrewed the cap and poured the amber liquid into the glass. "I'd offer, but I don't think you can drink. Anyway," she said as she raised her glass to him and took a good sip. The burning sensation put her at ease a little again. "While my peers took to that life easily, I just didn't... connect with the Dark side that well. I guess. I wasn't as ruthless as the rest, or as, I don't know, dedicated. I only cared about... never mind." Talking about Ellie was where she drew the line.

"I kept trying though. Until things just became unbearable. Even though I finally made friends after years and years, I still felt trapped. So when the opportunity presented itself, I hopped onto a ship and left. I didn't tell anyone, fearing I'd get caught." And yet, somehow, she'd managed to reconnect with the friends she did have there. Keeping contact was a risk to all parties involved, but somehow it was worth it for them.

"And without the pressure to draw purely from the Dark side, well, I kind of just drifted away from it." The story didn't contain any lies, but certain parts had been omitted. Everything that had happened between herself and Ellie had been the catalyst for Sylvia's defection from the empire, but that was too touchy of a subject to bring up.

Now she recalled her face again. Another sip to push it away.

Kal
​

 

[Kal]

His chosen topic made her quite uncomfortable, which was a shame, albeit not to the point of staving off his curiosity; she would just have to deal with her emotions. Besides, he had always been of the opinion that more information was better than less information. This was that broadly applied.

Better to deal with one's issues upfront than to wallow in silent misery. Or whatever it was mortals did when they were sad.

Eerily silent during her explanation, Kal hovered unmovingly near her; were it not for the unblinking focus in the luminous orbs that served as his eyes, she might very well have assumed him too bored to pay attention. Stirring as she finished, he performed something resembling a nod.

<I see. That path was chosen for you, not by you. All it took was a push to see you stray.> Which push and when was an interesting question, but he got the distinct feeling that line of questioning might push past her limits. No, better not antagonise her too much.

<Have you been able to find alternate sources of knowledge, in the absence of Sith instructors, or have you simply improvised?>

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal's observation elicited a shrug from Sylvia. She had never bothered to really look back at the bigger picture that was her defection, so it hadn't been something she had put much thought into. "You could put it like that, I guess, yeah. I sure as chit wouldn't have knocked on the Sith's door to ask to join them."

Where that push came from would indeed not be touched upon by the woman. Would the ghost ask her, he'd find the line Sylvia wasn't going to cross. She wasn't going to open that wound up right in front of a stranger.

"To learn new stuff? Honestly, I've just been experimenting with mechu deru like I always have. I never had proper instruction on that, even with the Sith." She had already mastered the basics before her defection, and nothing else grabbed her attention beyond the skill she was fascinated by most. Perhaps one day someone would teach her more, but for now she was content where she was.

"Like, sure, new tricks would be cool, but I'm not going to run to the Jedi for that." As much as she disliked the Sith, the Jedi really weren't much better in her eyes. Perhaps some individual Jedi were decent people, but the Orders were all equally rotten as far as Sylvia was concerned.

"Trial and error, and curiosity have taught me quite a bit, though."

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Mechu-Deru? Quite the unusual aptitude and not one he could lay claim to, but he could see the appeal. Every facet of modern society was inundated with technology, all but ensuring that it would always find its niche, whether in wartime, civilian life, or strange spacer adventures.​

The Netherworld was a notable exception, being more spiritual than mechanical, but he doubted she had much interest in visiting.​

"Interesting - and I can understand that reluctance." For all their talk of high morals and integrity, the Jedi had plenty of flaws of their own. Particularly when one moved past the individual into the realm of Orders, doubly so when one considered the more militaristic sects.​

"Your rather unusual talent, has it always been something you found intuitive or did it require a foundation of information, say, from the Sith archives?" It seemed quite central to her repertoire, and by extension what made her stand out from her peers. Worth a closer look, certainly.​

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

With the topic shifting, Sylvia felt much more at ease about answering Kal's question. The sensitive questions brought back many painful memories, but talking about mechu deru was something she had much less trouble doing. Not many well all too curious about it, but she'd take any excuse to nerd out over it. To the spacer, it was the most fascinating thing in the galaxy. Though, a certain echani was quickly rivalling that.

"It uh, kind of just came to me naturally. I didn't even know it was called mechu deru when I first used it, funnily enough. Back then it was simple things, like turning off the lights after getting into bed and realizing they were still on. I wasn't even ten at the time," she explained. Sylvia's natural curiosity pushed her to develop the skill over the years. Her lack of formal teaching was more than made up for by her sheer persistence and time spent.

"The Sith archives had a few books on it, but nothing too interesting. I had already figured out the basics by then. And with the overseer hating my guts, there was no way I'd ever get a teacher for it either." With a shrug, she took the glass off the table and took another sip. "I did have a master for a short time, and she was downright brilliant with mechu deru. I picked up a few tricks from her. She disappeared, though. I hope she's doing okay." Something told her Allyson was still out there, somewhere. Perhaps one day she'd run into her again.

Kal
​

 

[Kal]

A rare, prodigious aptitude for an unconventional but highly useful skill; it bordered on the absurd that she had failed to receive the proper tuition, but then the Sith were always a bit stuck in their ways. Too obsessed with conventional strength and recently loyalty to value more fringe talents.​

A shame. Any good organisation needed all manner of members, not just the usual homicidal grunts.​

<I see. It should be possible to track anyone down, but I can see why that particular skillset might complicate matters.> There were still ways, of course, but without technological assistance, it quickly transitioned into the mystical. Not something he imagined her to be all that interested in.​

<What made you opt for a life among the stars over the more stable arrangements favoured by most of your kind?> Quite different from his earlier queries, but important nonetheless. There was no lack of opportunity for those lucky two gifted with sensitivity to the Force's invisible currents, doubly so those with her talents. He had no doubt she could have slipped into a niche on some Ecumenopolis easily enough.​

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Kal's remark elicited a defeated scoff. "You have no idea..." Sylvia replied as she took another sip of her drink. The glass was emptying out; she'd have to ration the last bit she still had left. Drinking too much and spilling her guts in front of a stranger didn't seem like it belonged on the list of best ideas she'd ever had.

The fact Sylvia still didn't know what happened to Allyson when she disappeared wasn't due to a lack of trying. The spacer simply couldn't get the question out of her mind, but more importantly she wanted to know if she was alright. Allyson had probably already forgotten about the magenta-haired, obnoxious Sith failure, but the same most definitely wasn't true vice versa. Unfortunately all of the precious few potential leads she had found had quickly led to a dead end, and they had run out fast. The last one had been nearly a year ago by now.

As weird as it was, being able to talk about her life was helping Sylvia. Ever since leaving the empire she had lived day to day, never really thinking about yesterday or tomorrow. This little conversation was putting a lot into perspective. Kal was still a rude ghost for being so nosey, but at least Sylvia was making the most of it.

"The spacer life? I kind of just, rolled into it. You know?" Sylvia shrugged, looking at her glass and resisting the instinctive urge to take another sip. Noticing she had slowly slumped further and further into the comfort of the couch, she went to sit up straight again. She really had to work on her posture.

"I left the Sith with basically nothing to my name, so I took any job I could get my hands on. And my skillset lent itself well to the work befitting a spacer. I can't say I'm not enjoying it, though. The freedom is nice." The woman was pretty sure she'd be sticking around Eshan more often than not for the foreseeable future, though. Kal was already aware of what the reason was, even if she would've liked if he hadn't known.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

She seemed more comfortable than before, but that was quite a low bar, given that she'd noticed him spying on her and promptly drawn a lightsaber; which was, to be fair, not an unreasonable reaction, given the circumstances. Humans were oh-so-protective of their privacy.​

<The freedom,> Kal said in his strangely unspoken way, as if to emphasise the point. <That is important to you, is it not? Moreso than for most.>​

It was an understandable thing to value, especially given her origins. He himself valued his freedom highly and would go to great lengths to protect it, a stance only strengthened by his temporary imprisonment by a certain Echani. The desire to exercise that freedom in wandering the galaxy was quite relatable to him too - not all that different from his own journeys, though he was hardly available for odd jobs. Well, not conventional ones.​

<Why do the work of any other spacer with your unique talents? Surely you could drain a bank account or ten, perhaps mob-affiliated ones?> He was all but admitting his own moneymaking schemes there, but no matter. He had little fear of common criminals, even well-armed ones.​

Even if they knew his name and nature, which they did not, they could do nothing to touch him. Gunmen would not last a minute against Shrouds.​

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

"Let's put it this way," Sylvia promptly answered, pointing a finger at Kal for no particular reason. "I know what it's like to live with and without it. One of those lives is two steps away from a karking netherscape, the other life can be filled in however you want. I'd pick the latter just about a hundred times out of a hundred." There was no harm meant, there. She had no idea where Kal came from.

Quite frankly, Sylvia couldn't understand anyone who was willing to subject themselves to standing in a hierarchy. The ones on top had it all, while everyone else slaved away for them with the empty promise that if they worked hard enough, they'd be able to join that elite. It was all a lie. Those in charge of the Sith Empire saw everyone beneath them as tools to be used.

Without thinking, the spacer downed the remainder of her glass. The memories of that oppression made her angry, though she kept it contained. She still regretted never punching her overseer in the nose.

Next question. The woman didn't like being angry. Kal remained more interested in her life as a spacer, and so she'd oblige. That last question did make her raise an eyebrow, though.

"How did I never think of that?" It would've hardly been the first time she'd taken something from some obscenely rich person who wouldn't miss it. She had nothing against her more 'honest' work, but they rarely paid her enough to be able to live. Stealing from bad guys didn't seem like too bad of an idea, though.

"To answer your question, though... connections. They are everything, and I started from the bottom. No connections, no work. The more exciting contracts are slowly beginning to trickle in, though. The stuff where I can flex my mechu deru muscles." The one thing she knew she was good at.

Kal ​

 

[Kal]

Some glimmer of amusement might shine through at her comments, but Kal offered no immediate response. Chances were knowing he was from the Netherworld would do nothing but freak her out, so he desisted from pointing it out - to him, it was home, but to mortals it was death.​

He could understand some level of fear and mistrust, especially so soon after the so-called Netherworld Crisis. ​

<The desire to live for yourself, not some ideology or another? Sensible enough,> Kal said, though in truth it was an understatement. He had not yet succeeded in understanding what drove so many mortals to defy their self-preservation and throw their lives away for lofty ideals that oh-so-often were mere tools for the powerful. Herd instinct was his current assumption, that and starting the indoctrination early.​

The glory of the Empire this, the core ideals of the Republic that. They all seemed to want someone to die for them.​

<Understandable.> Tilting his head to the side, the Shadow gave her a thoughtful look, of sorts. <You know, if you need to be put in touch with some people who may be interested in making use of your talents, I know a few...> Projecting the telepathic equivalent of a wicked chuckle, he followed up on his earlier suggestion. <... and as for draining the accounts of criminals, I recommend Nar Shaddaa. Awful place, awful people, no one's in control.>​

Sylvia Virtos​