Private Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

[Athsheva Rin]

Tagging: Aurelian Sigismund

"The Force is an arbitrary, controlling power which connects each one of us, if we want it or not. Even you. Just because you are completely disconnected, does not mean you are not part of its machinations, exempt from its imperious will."

She found that hard to believe. After all, how could a thing with no control over her have an effect? Perhaps in an indirect way, but she suspected that wasn't what he meant. A low, thoughtful rumble bubbled in her chest as she considered his words.

As the glow of the cave darkened, the kyber becoming more sporadic and spaced apart with each step, Athsheva gradually returned to the man's side. It wasn't that she was afraid, of course. It was merely caution and pragmatism. Information on the natural threats of Ilum had been woefully limited, and a rapidly darkening ice cave could easily prove to be a lurking predator's den. While she wasn't entirely convinced that Aurelian would jump to her aid-- he seemed somewhat detached and distant in that regard-- Athsheva still figured that she would fare better at his side. Safety in numbers, after all.

"And its users are not more benevolent or reasonable, only powerhungry and hypocritical warmongers and religious fanatics."

"Ah. Another thing we agree upon, hm?" Athsheva mused, a wry smile tugging at her lips. "The Jeedai have no shortage of capacity for conflict. It rivals even my own people's."

The pieces were beginning to fall into place. Slowly, but surely. She lifted her clasped hands, resting the points of both index fingers on her lips as she let her thoughts percolate.

"So... A low opinion of the Force, a low opinion of the Jeedai and the Seeth, and an attempt to understand and manipulate it all through scientific means..." The Yuuzhan Vong trailed off, raising an eyebrow.

"... You aim to break it, don't you?"

 

[Aurelian Sigismund]

ILUM | SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS | CONVERSING

"... You aim to break it, don't you?"

Aurelian looked at her. His lithic eyes stared at the Vong, infinitely hard and yet intelligent, there was a lot they had seen and possibly even more they were looking at and forward to. The Zakuulan thought about the benefits and drawbacks it would have to share his mind and interests with this individual. The chance of her being a spy were slim, the possibility of turning on him, as minor or distant it might be, were not as slim but he never disregarded a potential threat and future enemy. Neither a potential ally.

"I believe a trillion lives are more important than a thousand, I believe the will and desires of a trillion are certainly more important than that of one. Doesn't matter how connected or omnipotent and omniscient it appears or wants us to believe it is. The Force is arbitrary. Life is not. Science is not. Force Users are bend and enslaved by an entity they do not understand or have the horizon to understand."

The glow of the cave grew less and less, with only a handful of crystals remaining in sight. It grew less cold and noises died down to literally them talking and walking.

"Yes, I will break it. I will destroy it."

Athsheva Rin​

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[Athsheva Rin]

Tagging: Aurelian Sigismund

She found herself answering his stare with one of her own, her dark brown eyes unwavering. Lesser beings might cower away from the unrelenting gaze of those strange eyes, but Athsheva remained unshaken. Her curiosity had been piqued, and it would not die or shy so easily. What sort of life had led this heretic to such a conclusion? What history had paved the way to this point? Dimly, she noticed that their surroundings were changing. A strange warmth-- or, at least, a lack of Ilum's frigid cold-- was beginning to set in, accompanied by crystals fewer and farther between.

"Yes, I will break it. I will destroy it."

"... I would very much like to see that," she replied, eyes upturned. Athsheva wasn't being sarcastic in the slightest. If there was even the slightest chance that the heretic before her could bring about the end to the Jeedai, and the complete and utter destruction of the sorcery that they relied upon, it was in her best interest-- and a calling from the gods-- to follow that path.

"I think we have much to offer one another, Aurelian."

 

[Aurelian Sigismund]

ILUM | SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS | CONVERSING

"I think we have much to offer one another, Aurelian."

"Do we? Entertain me, afterall, now that you were blessed with knowing a portion of my goals, I need a reason for you to be allowed to leave once this little trip is over."

His gaze did not look at her for a second, nor was any joke, sarcasm or a change in intonation of his voice hearable at all. Was it a joke? Was he serious? Aurelian was as cold as the planet they were on and while not believing in any personal risk in the very situation, there was always more at stake. But he just kept on walking and let the statement freeze the air further.

The Zakuulan was willing to share quite a lot, knowledge was power but he could control the knowledge shared and especially when he could control if it spread or not, he was extremely casual about it. He did not need to read her mind to see she had questions and was equally intrigued and confused, but that was up to her. And it was also up to her if this trip proved to be a chance encounter or a final destination.

Athsheva Rin​

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[Athsheva Rin]

Tagging: Aurelian Sigismund

"Do we? Entertain me, afterall, now that you were blessed with knowing a portion of my goals, I need a reason for you to be allowed to leave once this little trip is over."

He wasn't joking; Athsheva got the sensation that this man's sense of humor, if he had one, was just as bleak as the rest of him. One of the Yuuzhan Vong's eyebrows arced as she interpreted the statement for what it was: a challenge. If her life was on the line, she would meet it as she would any other challenge to her life.

She had not survived two years of exile on the homeworld just to die here, far from home, in this godless place.

"The collective wisdom and knowledge of a thousand generations of Yuuzhan Vong shapers lives inside of me," Athsheva answered. "That kind of knowledge does not come easily or cheaply. It cannot be read in books or discovered through unaided experimentation. You could kill me, yes, and perhaps that would count as a tied-up loose end, in your mind."

Her dark eyes flashed, defiant to the end. "But you would always wonder. You would spend the rest of your days wondering if I held the knowledge to make your dreams a reality. The question would plague you, gnaw you. What if?"

 

[Aurelian Sigismund]

ILUM | SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS | CONVERSING

"But you would always wonder. You would spend the rest of your days wondering if I held the knowledge to make your dreams a reality. The question would plague you, gnaw you. What if?"​

"You are overrating my intrigue. Knowledge is as easily lost as it is gained. While I agree that the biotics and biology of your species are interesting, they are not elementary or necessary for anything, otherwise your kin would be far more dominant and relevant."

"And it would be a tied up loose end." He added a breath later.

There was no difference in his walk or expressions, his muscles were as relaxed as they were a minute ago. He did not consider her a threat at all and made no secret of his confidence. But while it was neither on his schedule nor a necessity for the development of his plans ahead, Vong knowledge was not worthless. While he would not pursue it himself, it was an opportunity which, if worth it, was to be taken, not ignored.

"What is the 'collective wisdom and knowledge of a thousand generations of shapers'?"

Athsheva Rin​

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