Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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How wonderful life is, now you’re in the world…

‘It’s a little bit funny
This feeling inside
I’m not one of those that can easily hide
I don’t have much money
But girl if I did
I’d buy a big house where
We both could live.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9AFMVMl9qE

Corvus got the message to return to Corellia, so jumped in Raven 2 and got acquanted with Artie the astrodroid and once in hyperspace started to collect her thoughts.

The request to go to her home city came from her family’s lawyers it seemed. She went and sat on her bed and tried to think and not think at the same time.

Her sister was still missing but presumed alive. She’d not encountered her on Prakith but at least she felt her presence when they left. And she no doubt still had Raven and Archie the astrodroid too. And she wondered what was worst? Her sister alive and with the Sith or dead and now joined with the Force? Neither option was palatable and she turned the thoughts over and over in her head, her tears soaking the pillow beneath her face.

Corax the protocol droid was trying to fuss over her and that wasn’t improving her mood. She didn’t blame him for leaving the ship when instructed and actually, the flowers he bought were in a vacuum sealed bag waiting to be placed in the family home. Just like it was in the old days. White lilies and death – they went hand in hand. In fact her mother wouldn’t have them in the house any other time – for fear they might be some portent.

Corvus smiled. Her memories of her mother were simply glimpses, distorted by time. She was pretty, she was sure of that and her father was tall and gruff looking but soft on the inside. He was the one she could wrap around her little finger when she wanted her own way.

She smiled again. Her parents always seemed happy but looking back there was something wrong. As a natural Empath – or rather a Force-sensitive for whom this was a natural gift, she’d had to learn to block emotions out at the Academy once she’d learned to access the Force. But before then, she simply knew what everyone's emotions were. And looking back there was always a sadness about her parents she couldn’t put her finger on.

They loved her and her siblings but it was always as if they were incomplete. Maybe that’s why they had so many children? Corvus even wondered if they’d lost a baby and that would account for it, but these thoughts came to her long after she’d left home and was in no position to ask. And even if she could, how do you bring up that subject?

So she meditated and read until the warning activated to say they’d exited hyperspace and she set a course for Coronet City. As she approached she used the Force to sense for her sister – hoping, no praying she’d be there. The scenario had played in her head every night since they’d met. Melori would be apologetic but stubborn – the way Raaf women tended to be. And Corvus would console her and Melori would admit it was all a mistake and… And then Corvus would remember Melori’s inability to use her saber.
 
Taeli Raaf? The name meant nothing to her. She racked her brains and tried to remember. Had her parents ever mentioned that name?

She'd just left the lawyer's offices. There was some confusion about who was next of kin. In theory it was Corvus but records showed an older sister. But then records also showed an adoption - although details were denied her. The law forbade it apparently.

They'd sympathised and said they'd look into the legalities of the situation - and once resolved, be in a position to settle the estate in favour one way or another. But for now she was free to use the house. They expected the results of their checks to last no more than a few days and asked her to remain on Corellia, should they need to speak to her urgently.

And they gave Corvus a copy of her parent's last will and testament on holodisc and a second one simply addressed to Corvus. So she sat in the cab - for the first time ever, wishing the seconds to speed up. She wanted, no she needed to know what was said on these discs. So she sat there, flowers on her lap, her foot tapping an urgent beat on the floor of the taxi.
 
Corvus checked the last will and testament. There was nothing controversial in it whatsoever. The estate would be split equally between the surviving siblings. Her parents were wealthy - not that it mattered to Corvus - she'd give her share to charity. But Melori's share would be enough for her if, no when she came back.

She checked it twice but no clues as to the identity of this Taeli Raaf came to light. So she did the things she'd been dreading doing. She put in the holodisc with her name on. It actually said Corvus Raaf. Ossus Academy. So it must have been made in the past five years.

With dread she sat back and saw her parent's images flicker and come to life.

parents_edited_1_by_corvusraaf-d8j70en.png


They seemed older than she'd imagine they'd look. But then, when you're four, it's difficult to gauge ages.

They started by saying they were proud of her and how she needed to look after the others. Even in this medium, she could tell they were hiding something. And then the story unravelled.


Her father spoke. "Your mother and I were very much in love. We met at the University here in Coronet City. We were young and foolish and well...very foolish. We realised your mother was pregnant." He put his arm around her and hugged her to him. "We couldn't afford to make ends meet at that time. We were independent of our families and had our careers ahead of us."

"We considered ending the pregnancy but decided against it. So we gave the baby up for adoption." They both looked down now but Corvus could see the tears in her mother's eyes. "You have an older sister Corvus. Taeli. That's all we can tell you. The agency agreed that she would keep her given name - it was out only stipulation. She went off-world, we know that. There's a letter in our safe. It says a little. Her new parents sent it to us to let us know how she was doing."

"Llord." Her mother spoke for the first time. "She was on Llord. It's located in the Kanz sector." Her voice was unsteady and full of remorse.

"Quite," her father said. "The important thing is, we need you to do something. Please find her and tell her, you know...that we loved her and one day we planned to go and find her, but then you were born and we couldn't very well seek her out with trying to raise you. And then your brothers and sisters came along and...You know. " He sighed audibly. "Please tell her that we always hoped one day we'd come find her."

Corvus sat in stunned silence for a good hour. Then she played the recording again. And again. And again. And only then did the tears flow...
 
Corvus stared at the lilies for ages and then, picking up the vase, threw it against a nearby wall. Allowing full access to her emotions was having some significant repercussions. Water and glass were everywhere, but she ignored the mess.

Then she wandered around and stared at the family photos dotted around the house. Making a decision, she collected them all and arranged them on the kitchen table. She self-same table she’d eaten at as a child.

And she organised the images into groups. Aunts, uncles and grandparents together. Her siblings and then her parents. One picture came to the front. Her mother as she remembered her.


phoebe_by_corvusraaf-d8jbhka.jpg

Of all of the siblings she was the only one to inherit her violet eyes. The others were all blue like their father’s. And like her mother, she had dark hair – a little lighter, but not blonde like the rest of her brothers and sisters.

Finally she grabbed a cup of stimcaf from the machine and walked upstairs. She’d been putting it off since she returned. She headed to her father’s study and put the mug down on a coaster on the desk. She pulled back a painting of the Gold Beaches that she had drawn for her father just before she left for the Academy. He’d framed it apparently. She ran her hands over the colours of the sand and the sea. They’d spent so many happy hours playing and swimming there.

She turned her attention back to the safe that was now exposed. She placed her finger on a pad that was illuminated.

“DNA scan complete. Please enter the access code now. Speak slowly after the beep. B-E-E-P.”

Corvus hadn’t thought this far ahead. But considering the holodisc and the picture, she had a hunch and stated her date of birth. With a soft click, the safe swung open to reveal a few papers and nothing else of value. Scooping them out, she sat heavily in the two-seater leather sofa that was next to her father’s desk. There were the usual things. Insurance documents, ID cards...and a letter. She almost tore the envelope as she opened it to reveal the contents.


Mr and Mrs Raaf

Thank you for your recent letter and the locket. We shall keep it safe and give it to Taeli when the time is right.

She is settling in well and is such a beautiful child. The people at the adoption agency said she inherited her wonderful violet eyes from her mother – and seeing your likeness, the similarities are uncanny. She also has your pale skin and dark hair.

And if she chooses to contact you in the future, then we will of course help her however we can. We can’t thank you enough for the gift you have given us. With our best intentions we trust that one days she’ll grow up to be a young woman that we can all be proud of. We enclose a recent photo.

Melarna and Jakon Rae


And that was it. No forwarding address, no further correspondence and no picture. Corvus didn’t know why she did it, but she got up ran her hand around the inside of the safe and her fingers touched something. Almost frantically she grabbed at it and held it up. A picture with a date on the back and a single word…Taeli.

baby_by_corvusraaf-d8jbjwr.jpg
She stared at the image for what felt like hours. She traced the lines of the baby's face and its eyes, so like hers and their mothers.
 
Corvus knew what to do. She left everything as it was. The mug of cold coffee on the desk, the documents, letter and photo on the leather sofa, the smashed vase and flowers in the sitting room, the photos on the kitchen table.

She wasn’t even sure she’d closed the door behind her when she headed off to hail a cab and get back to the hangar.

She punched in the coordinates for the planet Lorrd and immediately went to searching the galactic database for information. Her Jedi credentials allowed access to more than just the standard public files. She had three forenames and the likelihood of finding duplicates on one planet were remote.

She hit paydirt and committed the address to memory. Now came the hard part – how to occupy her mind. She was delighted to finally be meeting a sibling she didn’t even know existed. But then that exact scenario had just played out and it could not have gone any worse. What if she was blamed for not contacting her sister sooner, when her – no their – parents were alive? And then she was sad. How do you break news like this to someone. What if her sister was ambivalent to the fact they were sisters? Would that be worse? Better?

She tried to sleep but her mind was too active. She tried to Meditate but for the first time ever, couldn’t relax enough. What was happening to her? The Invasion of Prakith was still a fresh memory – its passing could still be measured in hours.

So she showered and put on a fresh set of robes. They were identical to the ones she’d taken off but psychologically she needed to refresh herself. As soon as she landed, she hailed a cab. She felt she was going at a hundred miles an hour – but that it wasn’t fast enough. She gave the address to the driver and willed it to hurry up.
 
Corvus bound up the path to the house. Whatever the news was going to be, she wanted to know sooner or later. She knocked on the door and waited. A neighbour opened a door. “There’s nobody in. Saw the bodies taken away earlier. And the daughter left and hasn’t come back.”

Corvus thanked the woman, who sounded like she’d dine out on that story for a very long time. Bodies? Something serious must have happened? Corvus wondered if bounty hunters had been here too? So once the door was closed - and before the neighbour could rush to the window, Corvus headed around the back of the house. Breaking and entering was not part of the Jedi Code - but she was able to effectively ‘stun’ a lock and when it became inoperative she opened the back-door and dived inside.

The house was eerily quiet. As she moved around the house, all she could see was damage. Cracks were evident all along the walls and ceiling. Holo pictures, screens, appliances were all in pieces, slivers of them embedded in the walls, floor, and ceiling. The stairs were smashed, but could still be used with care. Manoeuvring up them, she checked out the first bedroom. The door was torn from its hinges, and the inside of the room was a mess, but there was nothing here besides some clothes. The next room looked like the master bedroom. A jewelry box was lying on its side, half destroyed with some of the pieces having been pulverized. But a small compartment had been revealed, and a letter was lying beside it.

Picking it up, she recognised the handwriting. Her father’s. It was to Taeli, explaining pretty much what they’d told her in the holovid. But why was it in the parent’s bedroom and not the daughters? As she re-read it, the tears started to fall again.

It was then that she heard the phone ring. Wiping her face with the hem of her robes, she rushed to it and then stopped. Why should she pick it up? It wasn’t as if anyone was expecting her. But the phone kept ringing - begging her, imploring her to to pick it up. So she did…

“Uh, hello?”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]
 
Corvus felt the gap between her unhelpful answer and the person speaking again was eternal. Her heart raced and she wiped her face again with the cuff of her robes.

‘Uh, hi.’ Two innocuous words yet they felt like the most powerful known to humanity. Those simple syllables lifted her heart and brought the broadest smile to her face. They spoke of hope and conciliation and of sisterhood.

She almost missed the rest of the sentence but composing herself she said simply, “Yes.” More long moments passed. “I did. I got…your…name from a letter and just, well, kind of…came here. I needed to speak to you. To tell you what my…I mean our parents asked me to say to you. To tell you that you had, erm…have a family. It’s complicated and I don’t usually do complicated. And your house here and…” She drew a deep breath.

“I’m rambling, I tend to do that. Can we, I mean…no I mean I want to meet you. Would you do that for me? I can head back to Coronet straight away?”

She knew her voice was pleading but she didn’t care. Better to be rejected now than face pain later. After Melori’s revelations, she couldn’t face any more heartache – but she knew she had to take that risk. Perhaps her sister would blame her as Melori did? It was one thing to explain you were given away and adopted. Quite another to admit you were the person responsible – albeit inadvertently – for their deaths.

“Please say yes…”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]
 
Corvus was so delighted that her sister had agreed to meet that a lot of what she said was parked into the part of the brain marked irrelevant until she was back on her ship.

She’d sneaked out the back door and hailed a cab to take her back to her ship. If the journey here was slow, the one back felt like running through treacle. Renowned for her patience, she was exhibiting no signs of that virtue now. She’d dashed onto her ship, virtually demanded Archie get them into space and back to Coronet before the adrenaline faded and she was left a physical and emotional wreck. She’d allowed her natural Empathy free reign for some while now and it was threatening to overwhelm her – but she wanted to savour the emotion – to taste the joy and despair of love. Melori was lost. She hoped temporarily – but for now at least she had to accept that she was not part of her life.

But fate had given her a second bit of the sibling apple and she intended to take it with both hands. So she showered (again) and lay on her bed thinking.

‘Oh simple thing
Where have you gone?
I’m getting old and I need someone to rely on
So tell me when you’re gonna let me in
I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mer6X7nOY_o

It was only then she pulled those thoughts back into her mind and reviewed them. They hated me for what I’ve become…and I…lost control.’

The Force told her something was wrong. It insisted something was wrong – and she always, always trusted the Force. Implicitly. But she chose to ignore it and counted down the seconds until she arrived.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]
 

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