Futures alone, we can never go home.

[Ereza]

I know what you have called me for and I am here now to say that you will not like what is to come.

For several years now I have watched our futures through the lense of the Force. I have witnessed our pasts, so much farther back than you imagined I could. I know what it is you have done across the many faces and lives you lead. I know of the souls you've claimed over countless planets and your reign of infamy from one shadow to the next. I have seen the children you bore and the sacrifices you have made. I have known your joy and your love and I have seen the fear that we all doubt ever existed.


I have seen miracles. I have seen futures of we that I could once have only dreamed, and some that would only exist in my darkest of nightmares. Strange to think you've orchestrated them all, at some point, every future decided by the choices you've made for yourself and your family, for your friends and loved ones. There is a future where I have a son, his name is Caedyrn Relek, after the Uncle who would do no harm. You named him, and in this tradition you also claimed him for your own devices.

What you do to me--oh yes, this too I have seen--is something I have come to terms with for it exists in every instance shown to me. I understand now that I was not, never could have been, meant for anything but your own master plan. This knowledge is my burden to bear and I will do so with pride and love and I will take the time given to me until that day and I will do everything I can to see it stopped.

What you do to my son, however, is unforgivable. I will not allow it and I have the power to make it so.

So, my beloved mother, it is with a heavy heart that I now make the move to see your plans begin to fray. To instill back into you the humanity taken at such a young age. To remind you of your mortal self. To deny you this important cog to your machinations.

I hereby abdicate my claim to the throne of Kuat and all inheritance henceforth.

The unraveling has begun and there is only one future for you that is not bleak, if only you could let it be.


Deepest regrets,
Esmae

 

[Quietus]

The day has finally come that I stand before the might of my children, a weakened gust of the storm I once used to be. The ages of hiding behind this crown has weathered me more than I know or care to admit. My affinity to the Force wanes and my ability to dictate its flow slips away more every year. I am not accustomed to failing or frailty, nor am I prepared to face these things behind the mask of a mere mortal.

My weariness of these games will force me to move on from this front of power. To reassess my withered adaptability.

I only hope you can forgive me for the things that I might do out of desperation.

I miss you.

Yours,
Lore

[member="Ayden Cater"]

 

[Dissero]

Borleias
Talith Manor
2:17AM

Not often that Dissero visited, less so unannounced, and rarer yet that he would not be greeted by the four smiling faces of the Talith youth. His arrival was abrupt - unintended and wrapped in an onus of persistent Darkside aura. There was no ship, no forward call. The man had simply appeared in the low tide, keeled over and losing his last meal in the waves. When Sol met him out along the beach the Archivist's face was pale and sickly, the stench of stomach bile fresh.

"Sorry, Devin, I didn't have much choice, or warning for that matter," pallid blue eyes glanced up, "Oma."

As if that one word could answer all questions.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

Soliael looked at his brother, though technically it was his great Uncle.

He couldn't help but raise his eyebrow, his bright orange eyes settling on the disheveled form of Dissero. It was early in the morning, Kira was asleep and the kids had gone back to their homes in the Alliance, except for Maleah of course who was off exploring somewhere in the Kashyyyk sector. The house was mostly empty, so when the knock had come at their door...well, the options of who it could've been had been slim. Dissero had been a surprise though, he didn't visit often.

"It's alright." Soliael said finally. "I understand."

When Silencia wanted something, she got it. It was simply the way of their family. "What is it?"

Soliael would do almost anything for his family, that had been proven over these last few weeks with what Kira had gone through. From the looks of Dissero, things were not all that different for him, though he wondered what could bring his brother here so early in the morning and in such a state.

 

[Dissero]

"Amber Card," Dissero explained as he moved into the house and immediately made for the kitchen sink to wash up, "I had no fething clue she had this place targeted. Did you?"

Sol would be quite familiar with this - the very same deck of cards handcrafted by Silencia herself utilizing ancient and arcane powers to do things quite unfathomable. In his youth, traveling by Amber Trail had been common-place, for his youth had been during the Gulag era when fuel and technology was as unreliable as it was scant. He knew that being party and passenger to the Amber Trail was likely one of the most unenjoyable experiences one could imagine, but at least he had been through it enough to be somewhat learned and practiced for the side effects.

Dissero on the other hand ... was not.

"The...Alethiometer-feth," up came the rest of his last meal. Luckily he managed to keep it contained in the sink, "....do...you still have it?"

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

He remembered those cards, and he remembered just how unpleasant traveling through their means was. The memory made him want to wretch slightly, though he had found his own means of travel that was far more...well pleasant on the stomach at the very least. Soliael followed Dissero inside, thanking his past self that he had constructed the Kitchens far away from the bedroom where Kira now slept.

He turned away for half a moment as Dissero made a retching noise. "Of course."

Soliael was hardly one to throw things away, particularly things like that.

Unfortunately, the device wasn't located on Borleias. Soliael had long ago deemed the planet rather unsafe. The world was in close proximity to the One Sith, and although the island had a cloaking device as well as many other defenses, Soliael had never quite felt secure with keeping certain things here. Most precious items had long ago been moved to Atoa, the Talith's winter home buried deep within neutral space and a rather tumultuous nebula.

 

[Dissero]

"Oh gods..."

Elbows on the counter, Dissero ran the water in the sink to rinse away the mess, "I'm retiring and moving to Spira and sitting on a beach and drinking rum all day..." he was muttering to himself, splashing water on his face, "fething sea turtles everywhere."

Two large glasses of sugar water later [travel by Amber Trail had a penchant for dehydrating the traveler and sapping their blood glucose levels] he slumped down into a chair at the kitchen table, one hand holding his head and pushing the damp hair from his face, "ohhh...ok. Good, so you have it? May I see it? I need it."

A few seconds went by as he waited for a response, pallid blues drifting upwards to lock on those orange pin-pricks, "It's not here is it."

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

"Not as such, no." Soliael admitted, though by his features it was obvious that it wasn't such a big deal.

"I moved it to Atoa some time ago." The Fortress there was no secret from the rest of his family, though most of them had decided never to visit. As it turned out ice planets weren't as attractive as tropical paradise islands. He had never blamed them. "With the One Sith looming so close and the Republic losing worlds by the handful, I figure it was prudent."

Safety first after all.

One couldn't fault him for the argument really. The Island was secure enough with it's defenses, but if Kira and Soliael decided to abandon the planet if it should fall to the Sith...well the less they had to move the better. Of course he had never really thought Dissero would come knocking at his door at 2am, so the whole point was rather moot.

 

[Dissero]

"Valid point," Dissero nodded, drawing his hand down along his face and ringing his fingers through his now wet beard, "well, suppose that means we're off to Atoa."

Another sidelong glance, "Yes, I'm calling in that favor you owe me. I've been sent on a mission to retrieve the soul of your grandmother from the Netherworld and I need her Alethiometer and you to come with me. Apologies would be in order, but I didn't get any warning either. Pulled me right out of a training session with Ve."

A sigh, he rubbed at his neck, "Mother always had impeccable timing."

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

"I see." Soliael said with some interest.

His grandmother had always been a point of interest for him. In a way, she had taught him much. Her Holocron had been a grand tool of learning and he had walked the same path as she had on Myrkyr. It was an interesting idea, though returning her from the Netherworld was not a concept that Soliael was overly fond of. Not due the idea of bringing her back, but because of what it would take. A walk through Chaos was not an idle path, and returning someone from there?

It reminded him of his father.

"One second." Soliael said slowly as he turned away from Merovign and headed towards the other side of the house. He moved through the doorway and leaned over the bed, whispering something to the half awake figure laying beneath the covers. Eleanin was still about the house so Kira would be alright if he left, a small nod form her confirmed that his departure was noted and understood. A few more minutes passed and Soliael strode back into the Kitchen, this time wearing clothing befitting of a journey.

Chaos would not be pleasant. Soliael had ventured there once before, though he had been a different man then. Things had changed.

 

[Dissero]

"We'll have to make a pitstop at one of my safehouses," Dissero remarked as he followed Sol from the house to where the man kept his ship, "I'm not keen on going back to that place in a t-shirt and jogging pants. These are my favorite ones."

~~~

Some time later, after the pitstop and departure for Atoa, the Archivist joined Soliael in a strange silent solidarity within the bridge, watching the stars streak past as they sailed through hyperspace.

"Esmae abdicated the Kuati throne," he began quietly, having sunk as deeply into his seat in some stray attempt to find tangible comfort in what was otherwise a very unsettling, discomforting mission, "said something about a future of hers where she had a son. Upset her enough to give up her birthright ... everything she'd ever wanted. Said mother would sink to drastic measures, hm-" he cleared his throat, lifting a hand to rub at his neck. This mission wasn't drastic - it was desperate. It was feasible that they might both die in this endeavor if Dissero's prior experience of escaping Netherworld with Verie was any indication.

He'd barely made it out alive the first time.

"Ve's pregnant."

There, he said it. He told someone.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

Soliael raised his eyebrows.

That was surprising. Verie was pregnant, and if he was still going...Oma had likely been very insistent on the fact that. With the new of Esmae abdicating it all made sense really, Kuat was in need of a ruler and if his sister would not do it...there had to be someone. Soliael's lips thinned for a moment, then he looked to Merovign. It was hard to see what was going through the mans mind, difficult to tell if he felt any resentment for the situation that he had been put in. No matter what, however, Soliael knew there was a hint of pride in him.

Came with having a child, he supposed. "Congratulations."

A genuine smile grew across his face.

"The first of many, I hope." At least that way he would have someone else that would know his suffering. "Maybe go for three instead of four."

Soliael smacked Merovign on his back, breaking out in a laugh.

 

[Dissero]

The words stuck in his throat. He was still caught in shock from the news himself - she'd only told him this morning.

His eyes went wide at the slap on the back but he smiled dolefully regardless, "Yeah....one step at a time right?" Force, he really had no idea what he was in for. Dissero already felt in over his head, but in a good way? He was sure it was a good way. Truly the amalgamation of emotions coursing through him were not something he'd experienced before. Equal parts anxious, excited, and lost all in one.

"Feth...what a day," he dropped his head into his hand, staring off at the floor as though it might drop out from beneath him any second, "I don't know what I'm doing."

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

Soliael smiled down at his brother.

"I think that's common." His hand settled on Merovigns shoulders. "At least you're not alone."

A gentle squeeze. "You have me, you have Amore, Kira. We'll be there to help when you need it."

A smile pulled at his lips still, telling of confidence. Having a child was not an easy matter. He remembered when Aela was born. She had been an easy child, to be sure, but a horror in her own little way. Micah and Maleah had been absolute terrors from the start, and Kaili...well after the twins Kaili had been a piece of cake. He could tell Merovign stories about raising his children, but it wasn't what he needed or wanted. Instead he just reassured him.

"For the first few weeks you'll feel like you're doing everything wrong." He was honest. "But after a bit...you'll start to realize you're doing just fine."

 

[Dissero]

"Yeah..." Dissero rubbed at his neck, blue eyes casting out through the nearby viewport to watch the stars whisk by, "yeah. Thanks."

Truth be told he was absolutely horrified of what was to come, but in an anxiously excited way. He'd known for a long time now that being a father was one of those impossible things he wanted to do, and here it was. Or, well, would be...

Soon.

"I have to find a new place for me and Verie. Can't keep her cooped up where we are now. Doesn't seem ...like a proper place to raise a child," he glanced back to Sol, "I'll pass on Borleias though, pre-emptively, heh," a grin, "I'd like to stay away from the Republic so long as I can help it. Maybe Spira. Buy an island or two with those auction funds..."

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

The offer would have come, he supposed he was predictable that way.

He understood the reasoning of course, there was no insult in Merovign's words. The Republic was...overbearing. Yes, perhaps that was the best word for it. They meant well, but...they didn't exactly have everything together. Besides that Borleias was dangerously close to the One Sith and while the Shamalains feared no such thing, eventually the planet itself would see war. That was a headache that none of them really wanted to deal with.

"You're welcome to stay at Atoa for a while." He said with a shrug.

The planet was controlled by no government and the house itself was neatly tucked away within the mountains. It was private, cozy, and most importantly away from anyone who would try to peak into peoples private lives.

"Spira is nice." He and Kira had once gone there for vacation, though they had found it much like Borleias. "Ylesia is good too, though I think the Hutts control that now."

 

[Dissero]

"Atoa...might take you up on that, least until we figure things out," he nodded, "think I'll skip on Ylesia. Ve's not a big fan of the Hutts. Can't figure out why, I always thought they were such a merry bunch."

ATOA

"So I heard a story about you swallowing a Darkside Sun..." Dissero commented as he followed Soliael up the pathway leading to the mountain home on Atoa. This... this was a place that could grow on him, he thought. The views were nothing short of breathtaking and he was certain Verie would love being able to see something other than fog outside every window. Their home on the moon of Vassek was not conducive to a warm atmosphere and he hoped that a change of scenery might do them some good.

Perhaps bringing a little more light into their lives would help him on his path to redemption, too.

A grin followed his words, "I at a Ghost Pepper on a dare once and I cried like a baby."

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

Soliael chuckled.

The house of Atoa was nothing less than a skii resort, or thats what many would have called it. Most of the building was composed of an above ground manor that stretched onto the mountain side. It had huge slopped roofs and odd balconies hanging from the second floor. The exterior appeared to be a rich wood, though it was probably only an outer layer hiding thicker durasteel construction within. As they wandered towards the door it became apparent that the building was designed to be homely, while maintaining a defensible position only slightly short of a fortress.

"Heard about that did you?" He remembered doing that, still got phantom pains from it in fact. Absorbing that much energy had been costly, not to mention painful, but when some idiot creates a star in the middle of a battlefield there was only so much that you could do. "It gave me terrible indigestion."

The humor flooded from him as they reached the main doors, the thick wood was carved with imagery of odd lion like creatures. Soliael placed a key into one of the locks, pressing one of the doors open to allow them inside. "I'm sure it wasn't half as bad as a...Ghost Pepper you said?"

The inside of the house was much as the outside, homely, open, and designed mostly for comfort. There was a large fireplace directly in the lobby, pathways to several portions of the house, and a massive open hall that stretched all the way to the ceiling.

 

[Dissero]

"I'll get you one and you can let me know," a wry snipe back, Dissero looked around as he followed Soliael into the homestead. He expected nothing short of a bunker disguised as a manor and he was not disappointed. No one, but no one, of the Shamalain family line lived in poverty. Luxury was part and parcel for their kind, in all its many forms.

"Impressive," he said, hands in his coat pockets, droll smile passing from left to right. His voice echoed off into the empty halls, "hadn't a clue you were out here on Atoa. Would have come here sooner if I had known, I think. So where is the Alethiometer?"

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Dissero"]

"Not all the time." Soliael explained as he wandered into the house and motioned for Dissero to follow. He moved through the grand hall quickly, taking a quick left into a large living room area with yet another fireplace and a massive sofa that seemed to ring around the entire center of the room. "We built it when the kids were still young, well, relatively anyway. We were worried about how the war between the One Sith and the Republic was going."

He shrugged as they took another turn, this time into a kitchen area. He wandered into the center of the room then stopped.

His foot pressed hard against one of the tiles. "Turns out, they never cared much about Borleias."

The tile that Soliael had stepped on suddenly fell away. Beneath the panel was revealed a small scanner. Soliael leaned down and pressed his palm against it, waiting for a moment until a loud noise of affirmation resounded throughout the Kitchen. Suddenly the part of the kitchen to the left of him began to shift, the tiles falling in on themselves to reveal a long winding staircase into the mountainside below.