// Nephilim //
// Orbiting Ord Canfre //
// Objective // Contact
Spencer Varanin
//
Silence filled the space surrounding Errant, his room devoid of entertainment. He stared up at the ceiling, one leg hanging off the bed, kicking aimlessly as if something of interest might take shape randomly. Unfortunately, nothing appeared to take the Imperial Knight's attention. Instead, he maintained eye contact with the slate-gray surface above him, mentally tracing designs out of the durasteel. His mind wandered beyond the nothingness happening around him, images of a battle taking shape within his imagination. Dunes of rolling sand stretched for miles, the grainy particles stained with crimson ichor, marking the site of the ongoing struggle. Banners of all shapes and sizes fluttered in the wind, appearing to dance alongside the crescendo of battle. Piercing light erupted from the crossing of silver and crimson sabers. Imperial Knights clashed with darkly cloaked Sith, striking them down with the cold efficiency instilled in them by their commanding officers. At the tip of the spear stood Errant, one hand holding tight to the uniform saber hilt of his favored weapon, while the other hoisted the New Imperial Order's insignia high.
The day-dream went on a while longer, eventually seeing Errant strike down the Lord in charge of the Sith's dogged defense. The nondescript head rolled away, bouncing like a child's ball as it descended deeper into the dunes, disappearing to the cloud of dust kicked up from the battle. Errant looked back to the men at his charge, all familiar faces, all brothers in arms. Lambert, Dorian, Rurik, and even Zovesa cheered in unison, the Sith defeated, their stalwart champion striking yet another blow against the tides of darkness. He deactivated the saber and returned it to his side. No longer locked in whatever struggle he imagined for himself, Errant allowed his vision to shift away from the glory of victory, panning across the horizon to focus on the silhouette of a lone wanderer. Though time surely would've changed his father, Errant could still vividly recall Ven's face. Angular features denoting his mixed heritage, long silver hair, braided expertly, a callback to the many cultures he studied to perfect his favored style of combat, but most of all, a pair of kind, blue eyes. Like the sky above, Errant remembered how easy it was to lose himself in his father's gaze. Behind that warm kindness, the younger Echani could see the truth of his father's life. Wars fought without end, countless deaths, all weighing on the lost man's shoulders. It appeared endless to Errant, littered with unanswered questions.
Tearing himself away from the memories of his father, Errant sat up almost instantly, his eyes snapping to the holoprojector atop his desk. He hopped up and skittered across the room, hastily tapping away at the device before his bottom made contact with his seat. It didn't take long for the Imperial Knight to plug in the proper information necessary to reach his mother, Spencer Varanin. He hadn't spoken to her in months, maybe longer. A hint of guilt took hold of him, dropping like a heavy stone into the pit of his stomach. It took several long minutes of focused breathing to shake that concern away long enough to activate the holodevice and engage the long-distance capabilities of his communications-link. He waited excitedly for several seconds, those seconds soon stretching into minutes, the mixture of excitement and anxiety a constant up until his mother's form finally took shape before him.
"
Mom!" Errant nearly jumped out of his seat, likely maintaining his composure due to the more rigid expectations aboard his traveling home. "
I know I haven't reached out since leaving, but I wanted to ask you some questions about dad," his shoulders drooped a bit, stoicism falling away to reveal the storm of emotions inside her son. "
But first; how have you been? Are you well? How is the other one?" the final question came out with Errant's typical attitude towards Spencer's absentee-wife, a woman who tried, and failed, to act as a guide and second mother-figure to the former Prince.
