Consigned to Oblivion

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

Dragon Palace Casino - Antecedent - Private Office​

Chiasa had gone almost straight from Far Pando to Antecedent. She'd given herself a single day there, to recover and grieve. As well as to delete any old messages or the like that might act as a reminder. To change security allowances. In short to make sure as many loose ends as possible were tied up.

And then she called [member="Krius Syonis"]. He was the only Force User she had access to that she thought had enough control over mental matters to pull off what she needed. And while she didn't exactly trust him, at least he held no allegiance to any other group or person that she knew of. She could give him as many credits and resources as he wanted, and there wasn't much else she could think of that could be used to tempt him into betrayal.

In either case, he was all she had at the moment, and speed was of the essence.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The ever intriguing Red Ravens and the equally intriguing [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] was more reason to make the trip to Antecedent. He really had to learn to pilot a ship better, because public transport was a grind, sitting amongst those who had no real direction in their life. He had enough to travel on, credit wise, but the freedom was lacking. Still, he got there but not as fast as he wanted.

But then, he wasn't in a rush for her. Hell, he didn't even KNOW her still, but the call had been made so figured it was only a matter of time.

Krius made his way alone to the Dragon Palace casino. Still active and still full of beings throwing their life away to the luck of the die or a turn of the card. Pathetic. With a few dropped names here and there, Krius was eventually shown to where Chiasa was; her private office, and it was clear she had let security know of his expected arrival. One thing was for sure, she did make sure there were no slip-ups in welcoming him.

With a gentle three knocks, Krius pulled the door open and stepped in. There was nothing alerting him out of the ordinary, and so this was nothing more than another business meeting.

"Miss Chiasa - you called?"


[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

"Krius, I did, thank you for coming."

Was her response with a smile. She was dressed elegantly, if conservatively. At the very least she wasn't in the armour she'd been practically living in for the last month and a bit. Despite her best efforts, there were some small traces of exhaustion that could be found on her face if one looked closely enough. Short of intense scrutiny however, she would seem relaxed, at ease. In control as ever.

Mentally her walls were back in place. Since she was no longer maintaining both force speed and some aspects of healing twenty-four hours a day, she could spend the energy on walls again. All the same, Krius was strong enough that if he chose to reach out that way and explore he would pick up on grief, pain and determination. Her walls were good, they were not impenetrable, particularly when she was feeling things so deeply.

"I have a favour to ask of you."

And by that wording she allowed that if he could and did help, she would be put in his debt.

"Are you able to wipe memories? I've come across mention of memory rub, but it is not something I am familiar with or capable of at this point."

[member="Krius Syonis"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Stepping in the office, gently pacing around surveying the décor, Krius had his hands behind his back and listened. He could pick up a wave of desperation in her aura; something that wasn't there on their last meeting. He guessed as much she was in trouble, and needed someone out of the situation with enough power to sort her out.

This would be a fruitful deal if ever he had been able to make one.

"A memory rub? I know of it and I have used it before, well, tried to. I think I managed the third time. First couple I accidentally left two people brain damaged and in a comatose state!"

With a little grin, he dismissed it as casually as batting away a fly.

"But that was years ago. You get into the subjects mind, you focus on the memory and gently pull it apart and blot it out, so it never existed. Of course it remains there, but you use the Force in a way the person will never know it, and will never have memory of it."

Walking back around to stand in front of her, he smiled and narrowed his eye a little.

"Who's the lucky victim?"

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

"Comatose. Lovely."

Two out of three was.. Well they were abysmal odds quite frankly. That was not a bet she would usually take, but this was the best option that she could see. The safest. Besides, he was stronger and better now than he was then. And his prior victims had not been her. She'd put her own damned brain back together if she had to. She was fairly certain she could. Even if he mucked it up, as long as her body stayed alive, she'd find a way back.

Probably.

"I am."

This was stated flatly, though her mouth crooked up slightly. Lucky victim indeed.

"You would need to know what you were getting rid of then I suppose? There are things I cannot risk having taken from my mind. I'm rather unpopular with quite a few powerful Sith, as you may have gathered. It's not enough that I can't access it. They can't be able to either. I don't care what that entails. Rip it from my mind, replace it, it does not matter. I am strong enough to survive it, as long as you can do it. If they can tell it was altered, fine, but they cannot know what was there."

Here her control, her calm veneer strained slightly and yellow eyes burned with an intensity that would ensure he knew she meant it.

[member="Krius Syonis"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Standing and rubbing his chin gently with his thumb and finger, making small circles, the veil of seriousness dropped between them. He knew he could help her, and she knew he could.

"Ok that makes sense."

It seemed there were more parties involved in this, and while Krius held no allegiance to Jedi or Sith, anything to show one they were not invincible was too good to miss. He started to walk around, just getting a feel for her aura, her state of mind, and building up a mental picture of the Twi'lek before him.

"Can you tell me what I have to find, or are you going to trust I can find them myself. I don't want to wipe anything I shouldn't, I don't dislike you enough to do that."

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

Here the Twi'lek looked down and away, jaw and shoulder muscles tightening. This hurt to speak of, more than she'd anticipated.

"I can show you."

She answered, looking up again. With some effort on her part, she dropped her mental walls, though she tried to keep her emotions in check, not to project too much. It was easy to bring up the memories, gods alone knew she'd been dwelling on them enough, touching the things that would soon be lost to her.

If he chose to take the invitation, he would find memories of Emberli Garett, some apropriate for polite company, others most decidedly not, and recent and heart-wrenchingly painful memories of a child that she'd held for only a few hours before sending away to ensure it had the chance to live, to grow up, free of fear. Tied to this, if he dug deeper, since her walls were down, was how she'd hidden the pregnancy, staying in armour once she started to show, used the force to speed the pregnancy up so she could deny it. Sent the child away so it would be safe. She had a seventy million credit bounty on her head. She'd paid an assassin to kill another woman's child. Hers would be in danger every moment of it's life if it's existence was ever known.

"Both of them."

This was barely more than a whisper.

[member="Krius Syonis"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Looking at her, waiting for more, Krius got little in response and shrugged. Either she was luring him for something bigger, or she really had no defences up no.

"Ok, if you'll excuse me."

Stepping forward, avoiding eye contact, Krius placed a gentle hand on the nape of her bare neck just where the brainstem would be, the treasure trove of the mind itself; a place that could be infected with a minuscule drop of poison via the Force that would break a person for as long as they lived. He looked at her brow, as if reading something, and his hand rested close on her warm skin.

He saw plenty. Lots of blood on her hands, lots of danger, death and daring. The memories most haunting and most emotive through the Force were located in an instant, and it was nothing that warranted any urgency to Krius, let alone demanding they be wiped from her. If she was stupid enough to open her legs and then regret a child after, that wasn't his problem. Children could be so crucial in the making of people, sometimes, as he had learnt, if they were removed altogether the subject would eventually become stronger.

Looking down at her eyes now, Krius nodded, still holding onto her neck with his palm. The tension could be felt, and it would probably be unclear which way this could go to someone as vulnerable as Chiasa right now.

"So you want me to remove traces of your carelessness, is that it? Why the demand to rid these memories? You're basing the fact you could be broken if the Sith got wind of that child, aren't you. Your one failure is now your biggest weakness, am I right?"

His voice was almost goading - not threatening, but he felt the swell of urgency in her, and how important he was to her. It felt good to be almost wanted again.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

There was the usual slight unease when he stepped into her personal space and put his hand upon one of the spots where her body was most vulnerable, but she had come to him, so she stood and accepted his touch. Submission because what choice was there? She needed him. Needed him to do this. Where when he began she'd arched her neck slightly under his hand, eyes dropping again to the floor, when he spoke she looked up and met his eyes.

Shame.

Not that she necessarily regretted the.. dalliance? Almost relationship? But she regretted that she had not thought it through. Had not taken the precautions she should have. Usually she thought not simply in steps ahead, but in entire games, and here she had fallen woefully short. Made the same idiotic mistake millions, likely billions of females had made in the past. There was even a part of her that was glad there was a child of her loins in the universe now, something that might last and go on when she was dead. But she could not tolerate either endangering it or it endangering her. For both their sakes, the connection had to be severed.

"Yes. I cannot afford the weakness. The connection. It is one thing to forge a bond with a being that can defend itself but this? Krius, please."

He goaded and she.. almost begged. She knew very well she did not have the power in this situation.

[member="Krius Syonis"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

There came her beg; the desperation in her voice that signalled Krius as the one whom she needed more than anyone else right now. Gently rubbing his thumb along the skin of her neck, he nodded gently.

"I’ll do my best. Come."

Letting his hand drop, he guided her to the chair behind her desk, the outside world casting a dreamy glow into the room itself as the Twi’lek sat. Krius stood behind Chiasa and placed his hands on her shoulders, getting a feel for her aura and her mental wall.

"Relax, and don’t fight. If you fight me, this could leave you mentally lobotomized and I’ll just have to take over your little flock of ravens, ok? I’m sure you don’t want that."

He exhaled silently. Placing a hand on the nape of her back and another on her brow, around her lekku, Krius started to radiate nothing but calm, and serenity, and peace through the Force to reach her aura.

"I don’t think this will hurt at all, and so if you feel the urge to sleep, just go with it. I’ll be here when you come around."

And then with that he closed his eyes and pushed into her mind like a warm knife through hot butter. There was resistance, but it soon stemmed, as he continued to rub her neck gently with his thumb. The walls came down, and Krius moved in. Pulling on the Force around them, and channelling it with both their strong connections, he saw events in his mind taken from the memory of Chiasa, and he didn’t even feel the subconscious smile on his lips.

He felt power, and strength, and was tempted to rip through her mind and leave her in a vegetative state just because he could. He had done it before, and it was exhilarating. But, why spoil a perfect opportunity such as this.

Hand pushing a little harder on her brow, his head lowered as he saw memories. Betrayals, deaths, sadness, joy. The murky world of a criminal empire twined with the dark presence of the Sith and Jedi constantly sticking their noses in.

And he found the memories soon after the darkness – light. A child; it brought her peace and hope, and finding that amongst the throbbing wave of corruption and deception Chiasa felt she had to live for was easy. For a Sith, it would be a walk in the park to find the one bright light in her head. Krius brought forth all the Force manipulation he could and slowly, but surely, started to pick apart the memory and spliced it with other subconscious images – travels, other faces, parties, murders – all little fabrications that would amass to cover and erase the memories that were brightest.

Krius exhaled again and opened his eyes, looking through the flesh and bone of Chiasa into her soul and pulled the memory of her child apart, bringing the Force together in her head that would effectively cause it to become nothing but a black hole in her head that would leave her confused, uncertain of something…so sure of something, but would never remember what.

To her the child wasn’t even a thing anymore.

Krius pulled away his hand from her brow, the sweat evident on his palm. Chiasa was slumped forward, and he stepped back and flexed his fingers, and rubbed the back of his head a little. Best to make sure she wasn’t dead, because she needed to hear now what he knew.

"Chiasa…Chiasa...?"


[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

The movement of his thumb, overly familiar though it might be under other circumstances was answer enough, even before he spoke. The implication that he might take her Unkindness from her was almost enough to raise her walls again, even if it was likely spoken in jest. Perhaps now more than ever with the willing loss of her own child, of the family that could not be, the Ravens were all she had. Now more than ever she would burn the galaxy for them. Of course a small, tired, cynical part of her also wished him the best if he tried it. It was not particularly fun most of the time quite frankly.

She made a faint noise of acknowledgment as he gave further instructions.

Relax he says, only a a 67 percent chance you'll wind up brain-dead..

But this would not be. She had asked for this. She was strong enough. She would rewire her own mind if she had to. Exhaling, dropping her walls each time they threatened to rise, letting him in. And oh it was hard. This was an act of trust extended out of necessity rather than true trust to someone who was perhaps even more of a manipulator and schemer than she was, but she needed him. He was the only one she had who could do this. The only one strong enough, not tied to one of the groups who might hunt her child.

Back and back she withdrew, further into herself. Not retreating precisely, because she left all her memories, her hopes and dreams, there for him to do what he needed, left even her capabilities and power within the force there for him to control and direct. Only herself, the bright and burning essence of who she was was pulled ever deeper downward. It did not need to be altered, and she could not stand to have it touched.

How long she stayed there, unaware, wrapped in her own core as he altered memories, destroyed connections, she did not know. There was no time there. There was nothing but existence. In the office, yellow eyes had closed, and though she stayed sitting upright, she slumped forward slightly, usually precise awareness of posture and appearance gone.

Eyes moved beneath lids as he called her name. Deep within her mind she stirred from the darkness she'd retreated to. The place of nothingness. A sea of emptiness where she simply was and nothing more.

We could stay here.

This thought wasn't actually developed. It was more of an idea. That she could ignore the call on the edge of her perception. Stay where it was peaceful. Where it was silent. Where nothing could intrude upon her.

We cannot, we are needed.

By who?

Uncertainty, wavering.

By our.. by our su'si ercio. The Unkindness of course.

Yes.

This was correct. The Ravens. With a surge her essence rose from where she'd hidden it away, rising and rising through the layers of her mind. Part of it did not feel quite right. Felt off, but there was no current attack, nothing that needed to be dealt with, only the voice of an ally summoning her.

Yellow eyes snapped open and the Twi'lek sat upright. Again, the momentary confusion, not entirely certain of what was and had happened, and the immediate decision to focus on what she did know, on what was certain.

"Krius."

Acknowledgement of his calling, and subtle confirmation to herself. Not mad. She knew very well where she was and who she was with. If she'd lost some time.. Well perhaps he'd been teaching her force tricks and she'd failed, stumbled. This could be so. It fit.

[member="Krius Syonis"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With her coming back to reality, after murmuring in her mild-sleep, Kris clapped his hands and walked around her, perching himself on her desk. He looked down and started toying with a bunch of pens, rolling his fingers around them and tapping them on the hard surface.

"Chiasa my darling. You’re holding something rather delicate in that brain of yours. Can you tell me what it is you wanted me to help remove?"

He glanced over and smiled, a tiny nod of the head for her to explain what he wanted to hear, and what hopefully she wouldn’t be able to tell him. That way, he’d have done things right. If not, well never mind, it wasn’t always going to be perfect.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

She opened her mouth and the closed it, brow furrowing for a moment. Not learning new force abilities then. What would she possibly want him to remove? What could motivate her to let Krius who she was only just starting to properly know and understand into her mind to muck about with it on purpose. She was almost inclined not to believe him, but it was a ridiculous thing to lie about, and she could see no reason why he would.

She very nearly demanded to know what he'd taken, but stopped herself. If she had wanted to forget something, if she had taken a step as desperate as this, there must have been a very good reason.

She turned her attention inward, searching through her memories. Something.. Nar Shaddaa and pain.. and Far Pando? She couldn't connect the dots. There was no substance, no meaning to these thoughts, these places, these not-memories. The feral part of her raged within her own mind. Aware of loss. Wanting back what had been taken. The rational part interpreted this solely as discomfort caused by the missing memories.

"No.."

Tentative at first, uncertain. Brow smoothed, features evened. This was apparently part of her plan, and it had been successful. Good.

"No, I can not."

[member="Krius Syonis"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Picking up a pencil as he listened, Krius nodded at her realisation the memory was lost forever.

"Good."

He still had it, and it still proved to be the best weapon to have – to look around the only place a person could truly bare their failures, fears, hopes and dreams. The mind. Looking at the Twi’lek, her familiar aura of calm and resilience building back up, Krius held the pencil in his hand, resting under two thumbs and snapped it in half with a nice splinter of small debris fluttering to the ground.

"Consider that your mind, my dear."

Discarding the two pencil halves on her desk he rubbed his hands and folded them, still sat on the desk.

"Now the good bit – I know what memories you want to hide, and I know exactly what connects the dots to them," he refrained from hinting at the subject of said memory, “and so this means I can now sell your secret out to the Sith and have them create all sorts of carnage with you."

Krius rolled his tongue around his top lip, as if surveying a menu.

"Question is what do I mean to you now so I don’t let these secrets out?"

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

She considered him in silence for a few moments. Part of her wished she knew what she'd had him take so she knew how much of a risk she was running. Still, even if parts were missing, she knew herself. It would have had to be something crippling. This was a fairly predictable move, though he was blunter than she may have expected, more straight forward.

How to reply though? He did not ask for anything. Not directly. So what answer did he want precisely? She studied the nails of one hand, a single brow rising slightly as she answered.

"I suppose that makes you a threat. Perhaps the only real threat to me. I suppose that means I ought to see you dead."

Her voice was sharp, but matter of fact. She was not just anyone to be blackmailed. She wasn't even just a crime lord. She was The current Crime Lord, for all that that could change. Yellow eyes flicked up to meet brown, and the Twi'lek rose, moving closer.

"But then.. Apparently you were the only one who could do this. Apparently I needed you. What if I need you again? So I suppose the answer is the same as it's always been."

Or the same as it had always been as far as she could remember. There was no trace of the man she'd been committed to in her mind. Nothing restraining her. All her assets, all her abilities could be put to use in getting what she wanted. A hand on his waist, her hips pressing against his. The Twi'lek looked up at the man who towered above her, both physically and mentally stronger. Her voice dropped to a purr.

"What do you want to be to me?"

[member="Krius Syonis"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Covert threats didn’t wash with a man who had nothing to lose – he wasn’t afraid of death, but he himself would decide when death would take him, no one else. Krius smiled knowingly as Chiasa used her charm and leverage as a female and a criminal to wrap him around her little finger. He looked down at her body and ran a hand up her side.

"Try and have me killed and it’ll be the last think you ever do, and that will be such a waste of this," he pulled her in gently.

"I want you to be an anchor for me in this galaxy; if you and those Ravens go on a little expedition to take apart the Jedi or Sith, then make sure I’m involved. Let me spread some of the fear I’ve spread inside your head on a larger scale, and you can keep your body warm for the next time you need it to manipulate someone."

Krius pulled away and kept a calm face.

"You’re a little reckless and a little dumb, but not everyone knows that because you play the game perfectly – you’ve got potential to really shake things up, I just want to make sure I’m around when you do because I could really use a shake up after recent years."

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

There were parts of what he said that made her want to snarl, to lash out in one way or another, but she did not. For several reasons. Firstly because when she didn't remember what it was that he'd erased, it was hard to argue that she was not stupid. Secondly what point in stressing that strong as he was she could arrange to have him killed? In both cases, better that he underestimate her, he was strong after all, though not quite as cunning as he thought. In her own estimation he was stronger but she trickier. His comment about fear concerned her slightly, but attention turned momentarily inward reassured her that there was no fear there, no hidden surprises just.. memories that didn't mesh quite right, and a feeling that she was missing something important that drew her attention the way the pit of a missing tooth drew a tongue.

The idea that he was now offering his body as part of the services he could provide assuming she met his terms was a little bit.. Ridiculous. Still, there was no denying that there was some attraction there. Why not? He was strong and useful, and not hard on the eyes either. She'd not be averse to having him in her bed now and again. It was just.. Odd. A position swap that she wasn't sure she was comfortable with.

"Done. You already offered yourself as my weapon. I will put you to use, and the galaxy will take notice. Have no fear of that Kairnvoe. I will make your life as interesting as you could wish."

Yellow eyes flashed in amusement at this. In some cultures 'May you live in interesting times' was a curse. For her it was simply a fact of life.

"You will not like all the methods I will use, but they will be effective."

[member="Krius Syonis"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a gentle smile, Krius stepped back and gave her a small nod.

"That’s all I ask. I can read you like an open book and you’ve got my intentions confused with other red-blooded males you keep company with. I’m not the same as them, don’t worry."

He tapped his temple.

"Your greatest weapon is up there, not under a dress. Remember that. I won’t go rooting around there again, I assure you. I’ve already seen everything I need to."

With a clasp of his hands, the warrior nodded and looked around once more at the office which he certainly was warming to.

"I’ve already taken up too much of your time, Miss Kritivaas, so please don’t let me delay you any further. I will be around a little longer, and then I will come find you when I feel I can of service to you and your flock of Ravens, and then we can really shake the galaxy up a little just for the hell of it."

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

"As you say, and I will remember."

She agreed dropping her head slightly, as though penitent. Internally however, she was smug and amused. For someone who had apparently been inside her head he did not understand her very well and this suited her just fine. Had that been intentional on her part? Had she hidden away the parts of her that mattered? Maybe. She didn't know. Didn't remember. What was important was that he believed he understood her, and through that understanding that he could control or influence her. Which reduced the level of threat he posed. Good.

She knew her body was not her best weapon, though it was a weapon. Why break out the big guns when a tip of the hips would do? Still, it was good to know now it was not in fact a life or death situation that he was harder to manipulate than the average man. He was an interesting beast, with his intimate touches, gentle smiles and stroking caresses. Offering her companionship and then blowing off her own advances.

She wasn't entirely sure what to think of that. Perhaps that was the point. To keep her off balance, or to make her chase what was being denied to her instead of being offered up as was usually the case. Either way, a large enough ego fixed addressed the issue.

"We will. Because we can."

And we can because I want to, and I want to because I was told I couldn't. This is a good joke.

[member="Krius Syonis"]