Ingénue, What Will Become of You?

[Elleryn]

He blamed himself for her disappearance.

Almost like he blamed himself for the death of his son.

Emir paced in circles, his comlink laid idle on his top drawer. His wife was awake, discomposed and disheveled; the same look of horror from when they had lost their only son, plastered on her pale face. He wished to comfort her, to take her into his arms and hold her tightly despite the restrictions opposed onto them by law. He wished for her to tell him that he was only dreaming.

Where is my sister?

But as he listened to her soft voice playing through the recording in his comlink, he had already known. It was too late. Elleryn was gone. She tumbled through his thoughts, every memory of her bursting into a million pieces. He assumed the worst, and could only hope that amongst the litter of bodies found in Crevua, none would belong to his dearest little sister.

Tebb, her beloved Voorpak, hopped lazily into his room. Even the animal knew that something was wrong. He could sense Emir’s anxiety from the furthest ends of the palace. He sighed and decided he couldn’t wait any longer. If only he had awoken sooner; perhaps he could’ve rescued her himself.

There was an assembly called in his father’s throne room. Investigations were conducted and a guard was able to walk out scratched, but mostly unharmed. He had told the King everything, from the tan skinned vixen who had kidnapped their beloved doll, to Dalen’s treachery. The woman was identified and a bounty would be put out intergalactically.

They had searched all over the island for her, and luckily, her body was not found. However, neither was Dalen or the mercenary. He assumed his sister was with them, locked up in a stomach-turning dungeon or cage. His heart sank. Elleryn was too delicate; they’d break her easily.

The party that assembled in his father’s throne room were people of close importance to Elleryn: his parents, her fiancé, and himself. However, his father had invited a few high ranking officials from the planet’s military. Instructions were given, information was relayed, though none of this was really helping.

And because of this, Emir Anatrath Drasoleth V, devised a plan. Once the assembly was done, he took his soon-to-be brother-in-law to the side, pulling him into another room. Although his sister had been rather…unkind to her fiancé in the past, Emir knew that at the very least, Uroz was fond of her—or perhaps, he was simply fond of their wealth and power. Typical of Xasurians.

He had no time to waste, however. His parents were old and their ideas were ancient. If he wanted to find his sister, they had to hire foreign help. He had traversed the universe for his studies, despite the lack of support from his parents. Simply, there were just stronger people out there, and seeing the damage done by Dalen’s foreign mercenary merely proved his point even further.

“Councillor, my sister has been abducted.” The words that escaped his lips made him feel as though he had sealed her fate, that she truly was taken from the comforts of their rich planet and into some grimy ship. His voice was trembling, pleading for the councillor's compliance. “I know that you and Elleryn have not been given the chance to truly get to know each other,” Though it has been almost ten years. “But you know her almost as well as I do. She is delicate! She will not survive torture.” He had to appeal to the younger man. He could not do this alone. “You know our military lacks the strength that foreign powers possess. Father will declare a war as soon as he finds Dalen, and I believe that is exactly what Dalen wants!.” He was trying not to get emotional, though Emir had a reputation for his outbursts. He was often seen as weak, though at this moment, it did not matter. “It will be bad for our people, Councillor.”

“Emir, I have a plan to retrieve Elleryn without risking one of our own.” He told him. He could do something about this. After the death of his son, he could not bare the risk of losing his sister.

| [member="Uroz Laa'Sarkin"] |

 

[Uroz Laa'Sarkin]

One of the most essential skills in intragalactic business is the ability to interpret body language for one's informational advantage. "I would actually install a genius sabacc player at the helm of my companies," said his father once, "in the hope that he or she will negotiate our companies into the biggest wallets in the Outer Rim."

Looking pointedly at his young son, the old magnate shifted to a condescending tone before continuing. "I do not know if you will grow up to become a genius sabacc player, but I do know that you have eyes of the sky," referring to an old Xasurian habit of associating people with heterochromic eyes to the dual moons of the planet. Scoffing, he concluded, "At the very least, you can use them to intimidate someone, I suppose."

Uroz Laa'Sarkin took this to heart and made a habit of reading the subtlest of cues and the jerkiest of tics. Millions of credits and hundreds of deals later, he can now easily appraise most organisms and any Xasurian he comes across.

Well, except for a certain missing princess.

Really. Sometimes, talking to his fiancee is more frustrating than trying to negotiate a deal with a damned Hutt. And now this frustrating fiancee of his, who vexed him with her cold shoulders, pressed lips, curt replies, golden hair, and sparkling eyes, is threatening to tip him over the edge of sanity by going off and getting plucked out of the palace. "Elleryn. My Ellie, abducted!" he bemoaned internally, closing his eyes.

"What if they sell her? What if they mar her visage? What if they murder her? What if they dismember her body? What if they cripple parts of her body? Well, at least we can finally have SOMETHING in common. What if she ends up in a den of rogues and they stainherinnocence disillusionher killherspirit killmyElliekill myfuturekill thekidnapperkillthemastermindkillkill so I should get that list that Father hid away theymightbreakher ripherbody apart andIwillneverfully claim her so Ineed to killkillkillkillkillkill!"

Ah.

Something can still be done.

So, despite the throbbing panic that was steadily building up in his chest, the councilor was able to school his facial features and regulate his breathing. It would not do for him to break down here. It would simply not do. Not only did he have a reputation to maintain, this crisis, like all unfortunate events, provided an opportunity for profit, no matter how marginal.

And so, he started calculating as usual.

If he responds in a certain way, he can further elevate himself in the eyes of his future brother-in-law. If he moves in a certain way, he may be able to maneuver a few inches closer to his fiancee's heart. And if he postures in a certain way, the companies might just receive a slight uptick in sales due to being led by the hero who masterminded the audacious rescue of Xasuri's most beloved princess.

But as the sunlight from Yehan glinted off the prince's gem-encrusted glasses, Uroz managed to peer a bit deeper into the depths of the prince's ocean-colored eyes. And therein, swimming beneath the whale-sized eyebags that point to his brotherly desperation, he found a disturbing... creature.

As his mouth opened to let the words, "Your Highness, perhaps I can offer you the privacy of my Inalloa Manor office so that we can discuss the apt solutions?" tumble out, he could not help but let a niggling thought inside his mind at the same time. Somewhere, somehow, deep in the recesses of his psyche, Prince Emir Anatrath Drasoleth V seemed...

...happy?

However, as the councilor turned around to lead his prospective brother-in-law outside the Crevua slums, he could not help but remember that the ocean is but a gargantuan mirror for the sky.

 

[Elleryn]

Perhaps the young councillor did not understand that time wasn’t exactly their friend here. It had taken the the guard roughly two hours to pilot the ship from Crevua all the way Tari. It took a few more minutes to alert another guard on duty; and all that time spent running up and down the stairs repeating, retelling the story of how his dearest sister was kidnapped cost them valuable seconds they could have spent retrieving her.

Emir knew that the councillor was doing the exact same thing. By relocating to have their little chat, they’d be wasting time while little Elleryn was worrying, possibly in panic. Oh Higol, let’s just hope she learns to be silent. The young princess could be a handful, even for their servants. She was gentle, though incredibly cold. Even to their own father and her fiancé she refused to let her guard down.

The guard who escaped was being held for questioning. Dalen’s mansions were empty although they did manage to find the island he had used as his base. All that remained were the bodies of his guards, citizens of Crevua who possibly just wanted to make a few extra credits. He detested them, wanted to burn down that sorry excuse for a city. He calmed himself, told himself he was being emotional.

Giving in to your emotions was weakness. Weakness.

No sign of Dalen, no sign of the mercenary.

No sign of Elleryn.

Her voorpak peered out of his pocket and hissed at the sight of the councillor. Even Tebb dislikes him, he thought, and perhaps this alone was reason for him not to trust Uroz. But what else could he do and who could he turn to? He was the heir to the throne. Conspiring against his father for the sake of his sister would not help his position. However, Uroz was typical, and he was greedy. Did he truly care about Elleryn or was she just another pawn in his game of greed.

“Perhaps that would be best, councillor.” He nodded. Perhaps they were better off relocating after all. He was anxious; dishevelled and dressed in his expensive pyjamas. His wife had gone back to sleep; she didn’t care as much for his darling sister as he did. Hehji was friendly with Elleryn, though he could tell that she could not grow to love her. And of course, he was protective over his little sister. Why, she was just a girl after all.

Time was ticking for the both of them, most especially for her.

| [member="Uroz Laa'Sarkin"] |

 

[Uroz Laa'Sarkin]

Two sets of feet glided across the marble floors of Uroz' Inalloa Manor. The sound produced by their shoes mirrored the stormy weather's flurry of wet kisses against the windows in this particular corridor. In this mansion which had the luminence and silence of a tomb, these were the only signs of life. The falling of rain and the falling of feet.

One pair could be described as having a rapid tempo. It spoke of great anxiety, of how a child would feel in the darkest pockets of Crevua, or how a sheltered princess would feel megalights away from home. The other pair was moving at a more leisurely pace; and as the men progressed towards the end of the hallway, became even slower. There was a large doorway made out of homogoni waiting for them, exuding an air of opulence and foreboding.

Six meters away.

Five meters away.

Four meters.

Three.

Tw...

"Councilor," one of the men bit out, "I do understand that you might have had a long day. However, I must beg your pardon when I say that it seems you fail to understand the urgency of our situation."

Looking at the man who had now walked slightly ahead of him, Uroz spoke with a tone that had a strange quality of detachment to it. Almost reverence. "Ah. ...Ah, no it is I that must beg your pardon, Your Highness. I fear that it is simply force of habit. When I approach this particular room, I tend to act like a giddy child. Not unlike how one would hesistate and anticipate opening a gift at the same time, or how one would pursue and withdraw from a beautiful lady simultaneously while courting her." Now moving forward to take hold of the amber-covered handles, the councilor cracked the doorway open.

The prince was rendered speechless.

Thousands. There had to be at least thousands of them.

There was a photograph of Elleryn taking voice instruction from Lestria of Teman. There was a photograph of her as a child watching Higel Lagoon in Autumn at the Queen's Theatre. There was a photograph of her holding Tebb in her hands, with himself behind his sister, holding her shoulders. The entire left side of the room is a collage of the claiming ceremony. At least half of the surface area of the room stared back into the depths of his soul - close-ups of his beloved sister's face.

One image in particular arrested his gaze. It was a hologram instead of the antiquated recording medium that dominated the entire enclave, and was located behind a wide desk, also made out of homogoni, that occupied a significant portion of the relatively small room. And unlike all the other records, it portrayed his sister with a smile.

Ah.

It seems like this was surreptitiously encoded when he gave Tebb to her, specifically, the exact moment when she named the voorpak. Narrowing his eyes, he wrenched his gaze away and stared at the man who was now sitting behind the desk. It took the entirety of his soul, and calling upon his venerable ancestors to rein in his emotions, although most probably, his eyes contained a swirling cocktail of fear, pity and disgust that he could not fully conceal.

"This room is called the Shrine. It is a personal pet project of mine."

"Your Highness, in here, we can discuss our options... with... the proper perspective."

 

[Elleryn]

He was baffled.

The photographs loomed over him like the plague. There were literally thousands of stills, and how the councillor could have possibly captured them all bemused him! There were pictures of Elleryn eating, drinking, sleeping. There were pictures of her as a little girl, pictures of her at her coming of age party. There were even moments Emir himself thought of as incredibly private that Uroz had captured and framed in his little monumental room dedicated to his darling sister.

And in the middle of all this was the hologram. It was perhaps the happiest moment of Elleryn’s life and the best gift she had ever received despite all their riches. It was a smile that he would never forget, and though he was thankful that Uroz had captured, Emir knew that it was for his own personal collection.

His hands curled into tight fists. It dawned on him that he had now seen Uroz at a different light. His sister did not like him, and perhaps now he knew the reasons why. Uroz was obsessed! It disgusted him greatly. Why, if it weren’t for the councillor willing to help him with his plans to rescue his sister, he would have rammed his fists into the man’s face. He had a blue eye and a green eye; why not give him a black one?

He cleared his throat, deciding that this was not a good time for that. His priority was to find his beloved sister first, and then worry about giving her away to this…vile creature. He called this room the Shrine for Gods’ sake! And how he managed to get all this footage of her… He felt as though Uroz defiled his beloved sister.

He turned for a moment, his fingers massaging the space between his eyes. His head raised after a few seconds of thinking, of calming himself. Elleryn needs me. Elleryn needs me to be calm.

“Our options…yes.” He hesitated to speak, though he finally did. He need not waste any more seconds feeling apprehensive over Uroz. “I shall be forward with you. I believe we need to hire someone from the outside. Another mercenary, perhaps.”

| [member="Uroz Laa'Sarkin"] |

 

[Maffoo]

"Our options, your Highness? And to think that you would recommend hiring a sell-sword...", said the councillor with an even tone. "At this point, I suppose you would have already discussed sending in the Higle Division...", he paused, "but seeing as there aren't any new heads on stakes in the vicinity of the sacred lagoon, I presume that their services were not called upon."

The haunting glow of the hologram behind him cast a blanket of severity over the little room. Sparse, but impactful. In actuality, while the facade, antechamber and corridors of his mansions were furnished to an appropriate degree of elegance (he was a noble after all), most rooms and all intimately personal areas could be as deeply functional. The bedroom was for sleeping, so only a bed was there. The baths were for cleansing so there was a receptacle for dispensing water, and a shelf for soap. The dining hall only had a table, the wardrobe only had clothing, and so on.

And this room.

Tapping his right index finger on the desk, Uroz noted, "While sending in the army would be too public of an exercise, and I assume that was one of the reasons your Highness had considered, at the very least, we can be assured of command and control. Further, the more people we have offworld, the faster we can find the perpetrator." Now leaning back so that Elleryn's holographic visage was right above him, he continued, "But if we are going to hire an outsider, may I offer my assistance, your Highness? My father left me a list of all his contacts and associates before he passed on. On this list are various bounty hunters and brigands that he had... done business with in the past. As a result, I would be more confident about their competence and capacity for following orders."

"Your Highness, an option does not end with itself. It is also a universe of possibilities."

"Let's stack the deck in our favor. For [member="Elleryn"]'s sake."

 

[Uroz Laa'Sarkin]

"Our options, your Highness? And to think that you would recommend hiring a sell-sword...", said the councillor with an even tone. "At this point, I suppose you would have already discussed sending in the Higle Division...", he paused, "but seeing as there aren't any new heads on stakes in the vicinity of the sacred lagoon, I presume that their services were not called upon."

The haunting glow of the hologram behind him cast a blanket of severity over the little room. Sparse, but impactful. In actuality, while the facade, antechamber and corridors of his mansions were furnished to an appropriate degree of elegance (he was a noble after all), most rooms and all intimately personal areas could be as deeply functional. The bedroom was for sleeping, so only a bed was there. The baths were for cleansing so there was a receptacle for dispensing water, and a shelf for soap. The dining hall only had a table, the wardrobe only had clothing, and so on.

And this room.

Tapping his right index finger on the desk, Uroz noted, "While sending in the army would be too public of an exercise, and I assume that was one of the reasons your Highness had considered, at the very least, we can be assured of command and control. Further, the more people we have offworld, the faster we can find the perpetrator." Now leaning back so that Elleryn's holographic visage was right above him, he continued, "But if we are going to hire an outsider, may I offer my assistance, your Highness? My father left me a list of all his contacts and associates before he passed on. On this list are various bounty hunters and brigands that he had... done business with in the past. As a result, I would be more confident about their competence and capacity for following orders."

"Your Highness, an option does not end with itself. It is also a universe of possibilities."

"Let's stack the deck in our favor. For [member="Elleryn"]'s sake."

 

[Elleryn]

There was something unwelcoming about this room. A few seconds ago, Emir had thought that it was creepy. Perhaps a place the young Councillor had practised his rituals of self pleasure. However, upon closure inspection of the room that consisted of nothing but his sister, he realized that this vicinity was a reflection of Uroz’s mind itself.

It was Uroz who made him feel unwelcome.

Through the hologram, he stared at the man with multicoloured eyes. Eyes of the gods, he understood that perhaps Uroz was a gift to the planet from the two moons themselves. He tried to stray away from the odd beliefs of Higletism once he was on his travels, though every time he found himself home he couldn’t quite shake it off. Perhaps the gods have cursed him for his insolence by taking his beloved sister.

Perhaps the gods had cursed Elleryn by giving her this obsessive man.

“A list, you say?” Now what would Uroz’s father be doing with a list of outsiders. That collection of names could either bring Elleryn to her salvation or bring her to her death. They had to get to Dalen first, she was probably with him. He had heard of princesses who were sold off to hutts. They became slaves who spent their lives living off the commands of others when they were made for greater things.

“We have already put up a bounty for the woman who took Elleryn.” He informed the councillor. “Make sure your list does not include her. However, if she is one of your contacts it should be make things easier with identifying her.”

“Dalen could not have gotten far, and though my father’s preparing a war against him, Elleryn could be in any one of his ships. That is why we need an outsider, someone he will not recognize — a person who does things unconventionally. Dalen will never see it coming.” He gritted his teeth and his hands curled into fists.

“Perhaps we must find someone we can trust. Is anyone on that list from the Republic? I hear those people are more trustworthy than others.”

| [member="Uroz Laa'Sarkin"] |