Private Crucibles Wherein All Things Burn

[Naniti]

So the story about the Tusken Raider that caught a freighter was true.

Invade Coruscant. Harass the Empire. Show the galaxy what the Covenant was made of. Well they showed them. They were still showing them.

Thing about an Empire -- even if somehow the government fell or some lynch pin figure got lost in the shuffle -- was... well, it was big. Unlike a planet you blockaded and starved until they acquiesced and you feigned control immediately, an Empire was multiple planets. Many planets. Spread out over a very large area. With a great deal of logistics involved to keep all those planets fed and happy.

So, naturally, when you somehow managed to catch the freighter and it's rocketing into orbit, being the Tusken Raider that you are, your only choice is to grab on and push buttons until you got somewhere. Or you exploded. That's about where Naniti put the Covenant at that particular moment. A relatively small, but close knit of Sith Lords managed to cause just enough instability that they set multiple sectors onto a collision course.

And for some reason everyone expected those Sith Lords to take responsibility and do something about it.

They didn't do anything about lack of running water at the Academy on Desevro, so all those happy little Imperial worlds were in for one hell of a rude awakening. Also, the Sith would have plenty of party favors to play with as there was undoubtedly multiple Admirals or Captains or whatever planning to become their own regional Warlord to rebuild the Empire from the ashes or whatever.

But this was all the humble musing of a young, violet Togruta sitting atop a crate with a skewer of meat slowly being gnawed on. Her blue eyes looked out over the expanse of Coruscant -- the world they'd deliberately thrown into turmoil -- from one of countless platforms. No one was running around tearing down Imperial banners yet. Probably still too shell shocked and wandering whether the Empire had been shaken or if it was just massing for a colossal counter assault. A good question, but not one Naniti had to worry about personally. After all, she was just a plain, simple Acolyte.

Good news was at least the planet hadn't run out of food overnight. Probably lost a ton of iced cream though from Riffraff going bonkers taking out the power everywhere without a disconnected generator. Unsurprisingly, your common street vendor didn't have one of those.

"I should steal a ship," Naniti suddenly said aloud. "Maybe a fancy one. They'll have tons of them in some locked hanger bay some looter can't get in to." She retrieved the cleaned stick from between her lips. "They've got to have some kind of Archive down there too. Somewhere they keep Force Artifacts and holocrons. A vault. Now that's something we should find quickly. Whoever owns it has got to be trying to move that stuff off-world fast."

Sure, an Imperial patrol could still be operational and looking for a fight. True, some muckity muck Imperial Lord could show up. Coruscant was a big world. Outrageously big. Naniti felt like the Force would scream at her before one of those bigwigs appeared. Now, grunts... well, a little exercise wouldn't kill her. No promises about the minions. The 'risk' was well worth it though. After having been trapped below decks in the pitch dark, Naniti really wanted some sunlight. View was considerably better up here.

Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Naniti
​

They were rarely on the same planet for very long anymore. That was the thought that surfaced first. His weight shifted onto one hip, gazing out to the city below. In only a few months, they zipped through more systems side by side than he'd explored in previous years combined. Not that he was complaining, of course. There was something captivating about it all. A more quirky kind of charm.. something mischievous. Delightfully dark. Thrilling in a Sith-esque kind of way? Could’ve even just been Lysander’s excuse for sticking close to the Togruta a little longer.

The Covenant’s dominion stretched far beyond what many imagined. Worlds folding one after another.. like pages in a tome. But this dominance did not ignite pride in him or inflate the ego. Not in a way he'd once assumed it might. Past those illusions, he was already contemplating the less glamorous work of keeping what had been seized from collapsing. Internal trials were inevitable and would come first. The blonde found himself committed to prevent fractures that were produced under strain.

Between the ISB HQ and the palace, he had traversed a great expanse today. Streets were littered with bodies., and he found himself detached from the scene.

Obsidian armor clung to his frame, plates streaked with dried blood. Strands of hair had slipped free from their braids at some point.. brushing against his jaw and cheek. Lysander probably looked as exhausted as he was beginning to feel. The adrenaline was gone. Inevitably, he wouldn't dare speak any of this into existence, and risk inviting it even closer.

Resting against a crate, his gaze roamed over the skyline next. Smoke was curling upward.

Before his boots ever hit the ground, he did find himself wondering how Naniti was holding up. Not because he doubted her strength; she was just as strong as any other Sith. That was why, in this little moment of calm, it comforted him to know she was safe. A weakness, mayhaps.. but he wasn't bothered.

Then, he stole a quick look at both her and the skewer too. They'd savored countless meals together, but this time his own hands were empty. Hunger was absent, and the void of their little ritual was noted.

A subtle smile touched his lips when she spoke. That kind of audacity was magnetic to Lysander. Nothing wrong with dreaming aloud. But he would remain silent, mapping out consequences.. not that he imagined there would be many at this point. Empires misplaced things all the time, no?

“You know, Naniti,” spoken quietly, “I think you should just take whatever you want.”

Through their adventures, she’d always been supportive; he wouldn’t dare cage her thoughts now.

“If something calls to you. I won’t be the one to hold you back from reaching out and claiming it.”

A vault. Naturally. The galaxy loved putting its worst ideas behind doors. Don’t forget the passcode that no one could remember under stress.

“Well, that’s comforting. Somewhere below us, a group of very serious people are most likely panicking and telling themselves they’re still in control.”

Lysander lounged effortlessly with an air of indifference as if none of it truly captivated him. She might've witnessed him in a bad headspace back on Korriban, but since then, he was unmistakably himself again.

“I do like the idea of getting there before someone makes a mess of it. Not because we need everything locked inside. Just because I hate sloppy stewardship. And because whoever thinks that vault is theirs probably hasn’t imagined anyone walking in without asking. Besides.. if something down there is already trying to leave… it’s polite to answer the call in person, right?”

Unconsciously, his hand reached for Nightstar where on another crate, index and middle digits pulling the weapon closer.

​

"We hit the vault, steal you something fancy to fly, and then we grab dinner. What do you think?"

 

[Naniti]

"Right?" Naniti nodded with Lysander saying she should steal a ship.

The Togruta rolled her head around to look over at Lysander with a smile. "I could probably scare one of the planetary governors into thinking I was put in charge of them while I'm at it." A joke, of course. Well, it was true, she could do it, but one of those In Charge would figure that one out relatively quickly. Hopefully. If they bothered to care. Running a planet would be too much work in any case.

"No?" Blue eyes looked over at Lysander with slightly raised brows. "'Need' is relative. Usually a good idea to horde what you can. If not for the future, then to keep it out of the hands of your enemies. Better than destroying it." Not that she worried about historical or cultural significance. A thing was just more useful intact than broken. "And it'll make sure they aren't planning to unleash some ancient evil in the bowels of the planet."

Naniti extended a hand out toward Lysander. "I think that sounds like a plan. How'd everything go, by the way? I was trapped in the dark the entire time. Not the most stimulation I've ever had." He seemed to be doing alright, but looks could be deceiving.

Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Naniti​

Understanding flickered across his tired visage as Naniti's joke landed; of course, with that, a sharper awareness of what she'd really meant. Lysander's foot traced a path along the crate. A single lift of his brow might've suggested amusement at her assertion. It was always easy to give a nod to her daring spirit. The last echoes of adrenaline and an ember of warmth stirred as his gaze followed the sweep of her lekku.

“Try not to crown yourself before you’ve got a ship.. we’ll need an escape route once you start collecting taxes.”

One shoulder lifted in a ghost of a shrug. “Need, power, danger.. it’s all the same currency in different hands. Clever ones know when to spend, when to stash, and when to let it burn someone else.”

Nothing wrong with accounting for the fallout most would never see. And it wasn’t so bad, watching someone else do the thinking he’d normally have to.

His hand stretched toward hers, even if the clasp was unusually light. Nightstar no longer commanded Lysanders focus, so his fingers drifted back away from the hilt to rest loosely at his side.

“They didn’t put up more of a fight than expected, I suppose.. at the ISB’s headquarters. We managed to pull every bit of intel they’d been hoarding. Every fragment of information they tried to keep under wraps is ours now.”

The skyline stretched beneath Lysander’s eyes for a moment before he turned back to Naniti.

“Afterwards Mercy saw fit to knight me.”

He didn’t bother to elaborate. He’d been fighting his way up the ladder since leaving the Mid Rim, and somewhere along the way he’d learned the journey was more rewarding than the destination. Perhaps that was what made it feel hollow now.

“I caught a few pieces over the comms.. but that was it.”

Another smile was pressed back onto his lips. His focus drifted downward to rest on her hand. Though his body was present, part of him was still processing the war.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in what she thought.

"Tell me about it, Naniti.. what the dark felt like down there."

 

[Naniti]

Naniti wondered what was locked away in those dark reaches. Probably something useful. Something powerful. She didn't believe herself to be the strongest in the galaxy yet, so some kind of device that would enable her to take action would be welcome. After all, while she might not intend to rule the galaxy so was committed to saving it. Even if everyone else was content with the Planeshift being 'over.' As if it could only ever happen once.

The Togruta met Lysander's eyes as she took his hand. Why was his grasp at that moment so fragile anyway?

More of a fight? Well, she wouldn't be shocked to learn there hadn't been strong plans on the Covenant's part, but Naniti expected the Empire to be a hair's breadth away from ordering the bombardment of their own planet. Which hadn't happened. It actually raised a host of questions, but a woman had to know what to pester people about. Seeing how the Imperial forces were scattered, Naniti wasn't going to spend her time doing what those in charge were supposed to be doing. She had other things to do. Like trying to get hold of a particular classified report.

Now there was a thought. The Empire would have a copy, wouldn't they? In all the confusion... Yes, perhaps Naniti could find out what they knew of it.

Then Lysander casually dropped that he'd been promoted. Well, technically, so had Naniti with the whole Acolyte and Apprentice distinction. Nothing had changed but the title though. Naniti had already been Apprentice level when she arrived at Desevro. At least it 'allowed' her to leave the Academy grounds officially.

"Guess she wants to keep you close." Every reward was a punishment. Naniti didn't question his lack of enthusiasm.

As for the festivities... Naniti stared in silence for just a few seconds. "Relaxing. Not a shed of light to be found. Still too loud, but quieter with everyone curled up somewhere 'safe.' Like closing your eyes, but without even the faint, radiant glow leaking through." She gave his hand a little squeeze. "I see things different than most. Someone else might have found it a religious experience being swaddled up in endless, unwavering darkness. It just gave me a tactic advantage." Others walked around like the shambling dead with their arms out in front of them, not her. Wasn't a pretty though, but the lack of overwhelming visual stimulating had been... pleasant. "I hear the low levels of the planet can kill. I wonder how many dark spirits are trapped down there?"

"So, you're in cahrge of the ISB Headquarters?" she asked, curious what could be found there. Lysander probably didn't want to talk about how she literally saw things, after all.

Lysander von Ascania