Private Farewell, fair cruelty

[Lunafreya Solidor]

L O C A T I O N | Aboard the Arrogante
T A G S | Telis Taharin-Zambrano
T H E M E | Here.​

The wind swayed the leaves in synchronized perfection. A mere artificial act caused by controllers in their seats by the command bridge, as if they were trying to gain dominance under nature through mere buttons on their panels, but in his view there were few natural things about maintaining a greenhouse of that size inside a battlecruiser. amid the emptiness of space. That place was just a symbol of her vanity, a place to make her more familiar with her homeland and the homesickness she left in her heart. The elzeri missed the woods of Kaikielius, and even JanFathal lacked the sweetness of its flowers due to the density of its deep woods.

There she kept only what had been most important to her. Smelling flowers, fruit trees, some smaller animals and easy training, many birds that have adapted better to the space but still she felt the falsity of that environment. Not just because she knew it was a fake but because of little things like the cold wind lacking moisture, or the earth having that absence of being fresh.

Still, it was a good place to meditate, even more so to make decisions like that. The princess had joined the New Imperial Order as she had grown tired of serving in an immutable court in her homeland and was looking for grandeur and power, now that she retained the coveted title of the imperials, Lunafreya felt only a bitter taste in her mouth. . The betrayal in Bastion had been done with cunning and perfection, but it had been costly to her mind and even more to her personal convictions and left her full of doubts. Was helping the Sith a mistake? Or did that put her at a certain level with them? The imperials had betrayed their trust. Dogs like Halketh, Bralor and Dooku licked Tavlar's boots without remembering how mundane his mortality made him, and the only comfort Kyber Dark had given her was knowing that creatures like Avernus were dead.

"Ignorance is the blessing of the Gods.", She murmured to herself as she sat in a luxurious chair in the middle of her small greenhouse's gazebo. In front of him hung a table with an elegant teapot and some sweet snacks, with another chair, identical in every detail, but empty.

 

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Location: Aboard the Arrogante
Tags: Lunafreya Solidor

For all that he had in grandeur and presence… Telis looked surprisingly small. Hunched over with his arms crossed over his stomach, and his eyes set on the ground between his feet, his expression was as inscrutable as the helmeted faces of the legion that had followed him in the flight from the purge of Bastion. Bastion now laid far, far behind them, but it still took up a great measure of his thought, the sight of the burning planet in the wake of the vileness of the New Imperial Order and their treachery of their own side, the indiscriminate butchering that made the Sith’s actions look pale and meek in comparison to the cold, inhumane acumen that they took to their tasks. It reaffirmed Telis’s fear that zealots were the most dangerous people to exist - so blinded by any cause would be willing to do anything, no matter what, to see it done.

Allyson-0237 the commander who sat across him, had been told the casualties a dozen times now, the number larger and larger as the sounds of the New Imperial celebrations tallied the names destroyed by Khyber Dark like a gruesome battalion of carnage. To her it seemed more a statistic than anything else, but she had refrained from updating the numbers each time they were highlighted - Telis could handle it, she knew, but he was sharp. Once was enough for him to understand the true number that it would be when all was said and done. Once was enough for Telis to understand that the New Imperial Order was no longer the enemy they thought they knew. Once was enough for Telis to see that they had become the monsters they had sought to destroy, and that, statistics or otherwise, was a dangerous prospect.

Taking in a deep breath and sighing, Telis looked up towards the commander, her face as always hidden by the helmet she wore, her posture however relaxed as she leaned against the wall, peering at her hands covered in scorch marks from handling the experimental gun that she had created. When she finally noticed that his gaze had shifted, she would turn her focus to the Sith, letting her hands lower to her sides, after grabbing what remained of the heat-cracked gauntlets she had worn during the battle for Bastion. Not standing at attention, as others may, she met the gaze of the Sith with the same defiance that she had when he first found her to bring into his legion, when he stripped her of name and rank and reduced her to simply ‘0237.’

”How many casualties of the Legion?” His voice was as even and tempered as it always seemed to be outside of the heat of battle or debate.

”Around sixty-seven percent of the Legion was accounted for during the retreat. Sixty-six percent made it to this ship, approximately 3,300, somewhere in the ballpark.” She responded in turn, swift and sure as she was trained to be.

”And the acolytes?”

”All accounted for aside from twelve. The acolytes who joined us at the front are all in critical condition… but they’ll survive. Minor wounds on the others that made with us in the retreat.” Telis nodded as he heard the statistics, nodding, looking to his hands as he thought deeply on the matter, seeing the withered, blackened tips of his fingers where color had not yet returned, scars around his eyes from when the water in his blood had frozen and expanded, ripping the skin. They had largely healed, as they always do, and his hand would hopefully heal in time as well… but it begged the question, yet once more.

”Commander, how much had we sacrificed all for a defeat?”

Allyson was unable to respond to the question. Bastion’s academy now laid in ashes, the information and most of the acolytes that had stayed behind were with them, it wasn’t a defeat of their goals, but still Bastion had fallen. There was a brief silence in the room, as slowly, gathering what strength he had, he stood, his hood and shawl once more rippling like darkness, as he fixed his clothes, and pulled the hood back to better see. There was nothing left to hide, and if House Solidor had gone out of their way to save him, then he might as well be in the best company he could get during this time. The commander nodded as he began to step towards the door, taking a position behind him, and following from the room.

Telis briefly reached out through the Force, scanning through the ship’s machines until he found where Lunafreya had taken her sanctuary within the quiet grove, equal parts a blind spot and a strange waypoint to his senses, natural but more uniquely artificial than anything else in the ship. Without a word, he moved forward, Allyson-0237 behind him, not a threat but a constant ghost of a presence nonetheless. Telis moved swiftly through the walls, lacking the authority he would walk with were this ship his own, hardly making a sound as he moved to find Lunafreya, taking her own sense of refuge after the course of the battle.

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

T A G S | Telis Taharin-Zambrano ​

Aboard the Arrogante

As she sat there on that comfortable chair in the middle of that artificial grove, tea was poured in front of her. The spicy smell of the gwethh beverage that was spilled from the well-adorned golden teapot filled her nostrils causing her face to twist in an expression of dribblet making Gentiana to smile gently as she leaned over the mug. Not a word was spoken by the android, her programming was too strict regarding such impertinent actions towards her mistress and Lunafreya found amusing how originally unique Gentiana was, she wasn’t bound by simple coding fashioned by the greasy fingers of coders in the company she was built, Lunafreya resented that, she believed what was taught by the Church that machines were all much more complex and worthy of respect than organic life. After pouring the tea, Gentiana bowed to her mistress and meticulously walked away five steps away from where she sat.

On Lunafreya's lap, Nithral snuggled with admirable indolence and his owner's free hand crawled around the body to scratch the creature on the back of his neck, covered by perfectly aligned small scales, making a striking sound of caress at the touch of the elzeri's sharp nail. Her thin lips twisted into a smile, her eyes focused on the creature for a long moment until they lifted up to the woods around them, watching their nighthunters roam the woods in search of easy prey. Her thinking focused on the job ahead, she needed an army, a safe place to work and prosper, so that she could create a force capable of hiding in darkness and influencing events across the galaxy for prosperity and fortune. The small group of marauders that had been suggested by Argentum could do, but she still had a lot to work on that matter.

‘Intruder.’, the little dragonlike animal snarled into the depths of her thoughts, abusing the shared bond between them and making use of it when it served him. Nithral showed his sharp teeth when he raised his head and from the woods the two Maalraas heard his call and started to turn in the same direction. She had stopped smiling immediately, her face took on the mask of hardness and coldness that it had always been, there was an inch of resentment inside her heart screaming against her for not having noticed it before, she was distracted. She understood a lot about the Force and could feel things as she had been taught, but the sweetness to achieve a feeling so delicate to her was directed at animals around her.

“Would you care to join me for some refreshment? Or lurking in the shadows is satisfying enough for your lordship?” there was a mixture of scorn, amusement and honesty in her voice when she directed it to her rival. His pace was very silent, even for her sensitive hearing was something very impressive to admit how quiet he was, almost enough to give her goosebumps.

 

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Location: Aboard the Arrogante
Tags: Lunafreya Solidor

Standing in the quiet shade of the greenery, Telis would chortle at the response of Lunafreya’s animal companions, hearing the defensive cacophony directed at him and letting his hands drift together behind his back, taking a brief moment to look around before somewhat rolling his eyes, bringing his attention back to Lunafreya as she addressed him. The man in the black armor could briefly feel the silent tension at his appearance in the room, and behind him Allyson-0237 took a step back, leaving a bit of space for the Sith Lord as he thought on the offer, eventually sighing.

”I feel that you have already done much in my favor, at least far more than I would have expected to be given by one I recently tried to kill. Under the threat of being clawed to pieces by your dragon for seeming disrespectful, however… I won’t respectfully decline but rather ‘begrudgingly accept’ your charity once again, if only to simply talk.” Walking out of the shade with a precise, even stride, Telis would eventually end up a few meters away from Lunafreya, standing more visibly in the light as he slowly gestured towards the ground.

”Would you mind if I sat? The shock of all that’s happened still resonates through my core.” After he asked, Telis let his eyes wander around the small garden, a gentle smile on his face at the conversion of nature into precision, a beautiful place beautifully kept. It was a secret that Telis didn’t so much as keep but rather simply hadn’t ever truly brought up to others aside from a select few that gardens were perhaps his favorite locations to go, a passing moment of quiet serenity in a sea of chaos.

”I must also take a moment and say that I admire how you crafted this thicket, within the heart of a metal shell. The machinery, the hidden electronics… it's more impressive than others could ever understand. I must also pay homage to the fact that you built this place in the first place, when so many others are more prone to having more elaborately vain displays of sanctums. Yours is one of the favorites I’ve been in so far.” Telis let the compliment hang in the air as he took a moment to just observe the greenery all around him, Allyson having melded into the shade, a vigilant bulwark to watch over and protect the Sith.

Turning finally back to Lunafreya once again, Telis would politely, congenially smile, waiting for Lunafreya’s approval or denial of his request, and hoping that the comment he offered showed his meek gratitude, even if it was something that had been assisted by another’s hand. Though Telis was heartless, and he reveled in such an idea, he wasn’t without the humanity and humility that got him where he was standing now, and he hoped that Lunafreya, even if it was only for a passing moment, that he had the message he meant in what was hidden beneath what he said.

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

L O C A T I O N | Aboard the Arrogante.
T A G S | Telis Taharin-Zambrano
T H E M E | Here.​

Gently her hand was raised in the air, swinging her bony fingers towards the pets lurking around the table. The hounds snarled before leaving, as did Nithral after jumping from her lap back to the floor, deciding to chase some butterflies he saw in a bush somewhere. The elzerish female gestured with the same hand to the chair in front of her, allowing a calm smile to take over her expression to the Sith Lord.

“By all means, please join me.”, her voice was calmer than usual as her two violet eyes focused on the lean figure of the taller male in front of the chair on the other side of the table, an exact copy of the one she was currently occupying, it was a memento from the summer estate she used to visit in her youth, brought from her home planet. Her sharp violet eyes turned to analyze that ordinary human’s face he had as she pondered on her own actions and measured his words very carefully. Lunafreya checked his background, she read all the information that the HoloNet could provide regarding his most accomplished deeds in the past and all pointed out the same conclusion: industrious. “My darkest secret is just that: I’m very fond of gardening.” Wasn’t a lie, alongside her gualamas she had a natural talent for that and grew the most beautiful flowers in the Core. Animals were always her favorite choice, any wounded creature that she could or exotic animal to keep and train as her own, some she simply left to their own devices after she acquired them, free as she would never hope to be. She politely smiled at her former rival as an appreciation to his compliment.

“This garden is a living proof that even in the emptiness of space life can find a way which is a little more than most of us can hope for.”, her violet eyes fell down to her cup, the hot tea still steaming, choosing a wintry approach filled with honeyed-words bathed by her crystal voice as she returned her gaze to him. Ever violet and ever sharp. “Many things once said may be used to perfectly give a description of myself and charity is not one of them. Destiny is relentless, my dear. Our meeting was no mere occasion, much like the losses the Empire is facing against Tavlar’s brats.”

The mention of the later seemed to change the expression on her face as if the memory of something sad came to her mind. The shadow of Bastion roamed throughout the stars, its deaths served as a wound in the Force, for never in this age they lived such a massacre of force users occurred in such a way and her own actions were now weighing on her soul. Lunafreya leaned over the table, changing the expression to something solemn and more difficult to understand as that fluid gesture of herself seemed sluggish and calm, entwining her hands in front of her face.

“I was trained in the ways of what you call Force, centuries ago, by a master who said he was giving me the universe. He taught me everything he knew and everything he believed. He plotted to murder my father, the Archduke of our planet and establish himself as monarch... But, in time, he grew old and cruel and mad. And I was bound to him.” A sharp smile showed itself in the corner of her red lips. “That was when I decided to take back my fate. I ripped the heart out of his chest and tossed at my father’s feet, he smiled at me and tapped me on the shoulder as he whispered ‘Good, my daughter... Now go on and kill his children.’, I did as I was told and did it so with a smile on my face because it was expected of me. Played by his rules and served his purposes. Everything I have I earned it by myself, I built my strength by myself, bid my time and waited until I heard the rumors of something called the New Order and Vaulkhar Zambrano offered me a honored position to witness what he called the ‘Fall of an Empire’ and to bring back order to this chaotic pit that the galaxy finds itself. I gladly accepted his offer, I was bored and I was eager to see that, I served them well and built my might in the forsaken planet of JanFathal... Until Bastion.”, her hands slid back to her lap.

“Listening to that human speaking reminded me of master Aerys... That moment I decided I wasn’t going to be dictated by mad old men anymore. They say the Sith are monsters, they commit genocide, worship death and enslave those they deemed unfit... But, there is wisdom in a genocide, as for each population you massacre another ten are spared due to the power of fear, but to butcher your own soldiers in the streets like rats? That is not wisdom... It's just paranoia and insanity. Never again.” Her lips sealed themselves as the resolution of her arrogance and pride took over her expression, Lunafreya spoke her mind genuinely, with more truth said to a former enemy than to her own brother when she saw him the day before. The crushing weight of that morose fell on the table and it was much as they said on her planet when a play was over on their famous theaters ‘the rest is silence’ and Lunafreya Solidor waited for him to reply.