Private My Heart is a Hollow Plain

[Inanna Harth]

Nathema Orbital Complex

In her private quarters, Inanna Hoole was sitting hunched over a desk. Her folded arms screened from view what she was doing—reading schematics on how to built a lightsaber.

She had already constructed a lightwhip… well, more like deconstructed the one she had been given by her master and then re-assembled it as she saw fit. The finished product lay off to the right side of the desk. It was a cat-o’-nine-tails style whip fitted with leather tassels studded with Mandalorian iron. The energy beam it produced was crimson, a fitting color for a Sith apprentice.

The lightsaber she intended to build was going to be silver, almost white.

As she read, she was reminded of a throwaway line in a play she had seen performed many years ago. “The purity of white will cool the flush of your cheek.” Spoken by Dathan, a traitor to his own people, as he tucked a pale lily behind the ear of a mournful, terrified slave girl. Later in the scene, when he threatened to have her lover executed, the slave knelt on the ground before him and promised to do whatever he asked. “Anything, Dathan. Anything.”

Well, that was where she had stolen the line from, anyhow.

Inanna had spent these past few weeks training to fight with the lightwhip. She had dismembered droids, battled beasts, and even danced a few duels with fellow acolytes. Each time she fought a sentient being, she had gone in telling herself that she wouldn’t kill them unless she had to. But so far every occasion had called for her to strike them down in self-defense. Kill or be killed.

Other times Vanessa had called her to study sorcery. Unless it had a basis in telekinesis, Inanna struggled with it. Her managing to call upon Force lightning during her fight with the Dark Trooper had been a fluke, it seemed, for she was never able to do the same trick again. Vanessa still hadn’t given up hope yet, but Inanna doubted she had it in her to become a dark sorceress.

In her spare time between these sessions, she had scavenged parts from the armory, scoured the library for old schematics and instructions from ancient tomes, and set about preparing the way for another weapon, though she hadn't started building it yet.

Sensing her master’s approach, Inanna quickly and discreetly closed the book and tucked it away. The motion triggered the jangling of the obsidian beads dangling from the long sleeves of her robes. Vanessa had designed these robes for her of somber black velvet, stark leather, and polished volcanic glass. Inanna wore them to please her, all the while keenly aware that doing so impeded her ability to skinshift. Just as well, since she was supposed to be focusing on the Force, not her other abilities.

As the door opened behind her, Inanna stood up and faced the visitor. She had adopted the form of a white specter with hair the color of bleached bone piled in braids atop her head. Her cheekbones had sharpened like knives, her lips were flushed black with Shi’ido blood, and her eyebrows were so fair they blended in with her colorless complexion, giving her face the appearance of a skull. There was seemingly nothing left of the waifish child-woman who had first arrived at the station in this new being.

“Master,” she greeted with a slight curtsy, then straightened and stood silent, waiting for Vanessa to speak.

Onrai​

 

[Onrai]

Months had passed since Vanessa had made Inanna her apprentice. From the moment she had first spent with the Shi’ido having to break the woman down in order to assist her in defeating her rampant alcoholism to her more intimate training of Inanna in the darkest arts of Sith sorcery, Vanessa had grown immensely proud of her apprentice. Though she still struggled in some areas, Inanna was becoming exceptionally skilled, a woman that brought joy to Vanessa’s heart as the success she had always hoped and prayed for.

“Inanna, it’s always good to see you.” She smiled, offering her hand to her apprentice. “Breakfast awaits, my apprentice. Today is going to be a very special day.” She would soon lead Inanna to the elevator, where they would soon travel to Vanessa’s conference room where she had brought so many of her guests before. Even the Emperor has come here at a point in time.

As they waited, Vanessa looked at Inanna. “I know, the robes aren’t exactly what you like, but clothes are quite important. And you do truly look beautiful, Inanna. My pride and joy.” The doors would soon open and reveal eggs, bacon, ham, and other breakfast thoroughfare awaiting the duo as they would enter the room, freshly cooked and prepared - and it was no illusion.

“Have I ever told you the story of why I have done so much and put so much effort into building you up? And please... you don’t need to call me master. Soon you will reach a point to where you will no longer need to subordinate yourself in such a way.”

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Accepting Vanessa’s guiding hand, Inanna kept her head bowed as she followed her master, her eyes watching the repeating patterns on the floor. Her mind appeared to be blank, her thoughts empty.

One of the first things Vanessa had endeavored to teach her was to shield her thoughts. Inanna could do so if necessary, but she often forgot about it and wound up projecting her thoughts anyway out of habit. On the other hand, it was very obvious to those who knew her whenever she was trying to hide something… so Inanna’s solution to this problem was to simply not think at all.

She only raised her head upon reaching the conference room. During the elevator ride, she had paid attention to what Vanessa was saying, but avoided processing her words. Even then, her interest was piqued when she heard that today was a special day. She couldn’t help idly wondering what it meant.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard the story, no,” Inanna replied. She took a seat at the table as a droid served her breakfast, only to hear the click of claws across the tile approaching her. A creature covered in fluffy white fur leaped into her lap. Its body was long and similar to a serpent, but with the head and thick mane of a lion and eyes as red as rubies. She had named him Elfangor. The cat-snake curled up amid the folds of fabric lying across her knees, purring as she scratched behind his ears. “What would you prefer I called you?”

Onrai​

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa was surprised at how quiet Inanna was being. While subdued, she had never been so seemingly internally isolated before. “Are you alright?” She asked, at least somewhat worried as to her apprentice’s caved in demeanor. Vanessa had done her absolute best to invest time and effort into Inanna as a student, to help her get ahead in life. She had even gone through the trouble of teaching her a trick she had learned but not mastered - that of using her extreme telekinetic abilities to send a small metal ball hurtling outward at speeds several times the speed of sound. She recalled back when Mikhail Shorn had used such a technique.

As breakfast was served, Vanessa greedily consumed her plate with a passion, trying her best to have a full meal. “My first apprentice was a young woman who became Darth Ayra. She practically worshipped the ground I was on. She unironically killed her family because she thought it would please me. I did everything I could to train her and teach her how to be the best Sith I could at that point in time.” Vanessa took a sip of her caf. “Eventually she became a Sith Lord and we worked together to try and prepare for the collapse of the Sith. A Rule of Two sort of thing. Eventually, she stabbed me in the back and killed me. Then to top it off, eventually she went along with a heretic called Vyrassu and tried to get me to support him. Eventually, I had to be the one responsible for Ending her threat to the Sith.” She said, sighing.

“You are my magnum opus. A redemption arc, in one of your novels. Never have I invested so much effort in building an apprentice up as I have with you.” She said seriously. “I’m sorry that I had to do what I did in order to break you down, deconstruct your weaknesses, but I knew you had the potential to become a powerful Sith Lord like myself, one who could actually be a net benefit instead of a net detriment. And though you haven’t been successful in all I have taught you, I can say without lie that I truly am proud of you and how far you’ve come.” Vanessa smiled.

“As for what you can call me? Just Vanessa will do.”

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Onrai

“Yes,” Inanna replied. “I’m fine. Just… a little groggy, I suppose.”

She took a piece of egg in her hand and presented it to Elfangor, who proceeded to devour it. He was still only a kitten, and his venom wasn’t potent enough to hurt her even if his fangs were to accidentally pierce her skin. The smaller rodents he had caught on the station weren’t so lucky.

Inanna ate sparingly, noticing out of the corner of her eye Vanessa inhaling her meal. She used to have an appetite like that, but as time wore on and she no longer had any reason to shapeshift often, her hunger had dwindled.

“Darth Ayra?” The name was unfamiliar to Inanna. “...she killed you?”

She knew by now that Vanessa had lived in many different bodies, but she had no idea as to the extent of her full lifespan and involvement in galactic history, let alone how many times she had died and come back from the dead. I mean, Inanna had thought it odd that Nimdok was able to pull it off. The somewhat matronly blonde woman, with her fondness for soft blankets, spending days at the spa, and conducting vile experiments with Sith alchemy, was certainly larger than life.

Inanna once again lapsed into silence as Vanessa praised her. She didn’t feel like she deserved to be called her magnum opus, nor did she believe she had done anything worthy of Vanessa’s pride. As for bringing about a redemption arc for her master, well, given that they were Sith, that was a curious way of looking at it.

“How did you become a Sith, Vanessa?” she asked, continuing to stroke Elfangor’s fur.

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa nodded. "My memory's a bit fuzzy, but we were with the One Sith at that point, and she literally stabbed me in the back with a lightsaber." She said. "I actually survived and stood there for a few seconds before my body lost integrity." She said. "Then I believe that was when Silara Vantai gave me a new body, the one that I have right now. This would make it body number... Five, maybe? Could be six." She said, having lost track. "One day down the line I'll teach you how to do what I've been able to do, so you won't have to worry about any such risks permanently ending your life."

Vanessa sighed as she felt Inanna's disbelief in Vanessa's words. "Come now, have some faith and pride in yourself. You're a superb telekinetic. I haven't seen someone with as natural a gift for it as you have since Mikhail Shorn died. As for how I became a Sith - it's pretty standard. I murdered my then-owner in a fit of Dark Side-empowered rage, and ended up seeking out a cult to train me in the ways of the Dark Side. Eventually after that cult died, I joined the Sith proper, where I have been for decades. Very few have longevity like I - the Emperor is one, who I have given a new body on at least one occasion. Darth Voracitos is another. Taeli Raaf, Lady Arcanix, or whatever the hell she's called nowadays is another contemporary - I remember when she was originally a Sith, before 'turning' to the light side."

She continued to eat, smiling as she watched the cat-snake receive pets. "At least you've started to love fluffy things too."

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Onrai

“Taeli Raaf—she was at my audition, wasn’t she?” Inanna commented. “I didn’t know she turned to the Light Side. Or… are you referring to the betrayal of the Jedi she pulled off during the Sith attack on Coruscant?”

Not long after she posed the question, the door to the conference room slid open, revealing a Zeltron man. Dressed in baggy, frumpy clothes and with his blue-black hair cut in a bland, old-fashioned style, he hesitated in the doorway, peering uncertainly at the occupants. Inanna looked up at him, smiled and quickly said, “Hello Hal. Care to join us for breakfast?”

Despite her outwardly friendly disposition, her mind flickered painfully the moment she saw him, assaulted by the memory of the day Ayreon had returned in the Starburst with a bewildered Hal Yomin in tow.

He had just completed the “assignment” she gave the HRD on her second day of training many months ago. Inanna had been meaning to close the long-defunct office on Dromund Kaas leftover from her time working for Aerarii Tithe, so she dispatched Ayreon to finalize the matter. It turned out Hal had been habitually reporting there for work every day despite no one else being around, so the HRD simply packed him up with the rest of the office supplies and set off for the Nathema Complex.

Stumbling through the airlock, a pair of overstuffed bags dangling from either hand, Hal peered at his employer in disbelief. “Inanna? Is that you? What is this place? What’s going on?”

“It’s okay,” Inanna reassured him. “Don’t worry. I liquidated my old office—this is my new base of operations. For now, anyway.” Taking a step toward him, she reached out to put her hand on his shoulder. “I want you to help me write…”

She trailed off, her hand poised in the air as she hesitated. Her smile flickered, her pulse spiking. Hal’s eyebrows rose as he waited for her to finish her sentence.

“...my novel,” she finally found her voice again. “For real this time. I’m going to get to work on it while I’m here, and I’ll need your skills.”

“My hard labor, you mean.” He rolled his eyes. “That only half-answers one of my questions. Why are you here in the first place?”

“It’s none of your business. I brought you here to do a job, so do it and don’t ask questions,” she snapped—then immediately covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry. I… I have to go. Ayreon will show you to your quarters. And Hal… you should really wear more of that anti-pheromone ointment…”

She turned and ran out of the corridor before he could reply. Hiding in the sanctuary of her bedroom, she had paced the floor, her guts churning and heart pounding. Swallowing her pride, she went into the bathroom, took a bottle of rubbing alcohol from the cabinet, knelt in front of the toilet, and did the only thing she could think to do to flush Hal’s faint but potent pheromones out of her system...

The Sith poison was still coursing through her veins now, making her wary of his presence. Her invitation for him to join them was understood to mean just the opposite—you shouldn’t be here, what do you want?

Hal sighed. “Sorry, but I already ate. I came to tell you your author’s copies arrived this morning.” Reaching under his arm, he held up a book. The cover was a picture of a human couple sitting on a cloudy beach, their backs to the camera; emblazoned in white letters above the scene was the title Sand Castles Burning. Inanna Hoole’s name was printed below the title in a slightly smaller font.

This was a moment Inanna had looked forward to from the time she was eleven years old and first dreamed of becoming a published author. It took everything in her not to leap from her chair and snatch the book from him. Instead, she merely sat there, Elfangor fussing with her hand, which had ceased to pet him, and whispered, “Oh. How wonderful.”

 

[Onrai]

"She had a sister - Corvus Raaf. At one point after the Sith Empire had collapsed, she had allegedly turned to the Light Side. Turns out it was all a big plan by the Emperor to brutally sabotage the Jedi from within. Exceptionally cunning, I must say." She replied. The door opening to reveal the Zeltron with the book tucked under his arm, and his interactions with her caused her to simply look intrigued. "Working on making a book this entire time, I take it? Will definitely have to read it at some point."

She immediately looked over at the zeltron. "I am Vanessa Vantai, Triumvir of Power in the Sith Empire. Inanna hasn't exactly introduced us yet... you are?"

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Onrai

Hal shifted his stance from one foot to the other, not easily intimidated by Vanessa’s prestigious title. “I’m Hal Yomin, Secretary of Inanna’s Manuscripts. I’ve been here for months, you just haven’t noticed me—I tend to keep to myself and rarely leave my office.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to write at all if it hadn’t been for Hal,” Inanna elaborated. “He took my dictation when I was too tired to type it myself, edited, and provided feedback. He was very helpful.”

Hal glanced curiously at Inanna and held out the book. “You, uh, want to take a look at this?”

“Just set it on the table over there,” she said softly, gesturing to a small wooden table against the wall that functioned more as decoration than an actual piece of furniture. “I’ll pick it up soon.”

Hal did so. “There are nine more of these—ten author’s copies in total,” he said. “I can have them shipped out to whoever you want to send them to.”

“Right,” she murmured. “Uh, well… I’ll probably want to sign each one. I’ll talk to you about it later.”

Hal shrugged his shoulders and left the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, Inanna picked up Elfangor in one arm, stood and walked over to the book. She ran her fingertips over the cover, feeling the outline of the raised text that announced the title, then opened the book. Gildenleaf, Inc., Adrian Vandiir’s multi-platform entertainment corporation, was the publishing company. He’d gotten her a job with them after she returned from Lao-mon, and from there she was able to meet people in the publishing industry that would later help make this book possible. In a strange way, he had indirectly and unwittingly helped her fulfill her life's dream.

Elfangor curled up across her shoulders, she flicked through the pages, looking for the line she had written half an age ago. She knew exactly where to look. “She had built a sand castle, expecting it to be washed away by the sea. Instead her sand castle had burned down, licked to death by stray flames from the beachgoers bonfire. There really was no predicting such things.”

Turning to Vanessa, she asked, “Would you like a copy? Here, let me sign this one for you—” A pen materialized in her hand, drawn from out of her body, and she leaned forward to scrawl her name and a message on the blank first page…

Her writing was interrupted by a sudden alarm. Startled, she accidentally scraped the tip of the pen off her mark, leaving a stray black line on the page. She straightened, recognizing the sound as meaning that a ship had dropped out of hyperspace near the station unannounced...

 

[Onrai]

“A pleasure to meet you, Hal.” So that was why Inanna had been so distant. She was waiting for the preproduction copies of her novel to be created. Vanessa watched as the happiness of the Shi’ido grew more visible even after Hal had left the room. She seemed so proud of her work, and Vanessa too was proud her apprentice was not only a competent telekinetic but a literary artisan as well.

“I certainly would.” It would go to her vaults after she had read through the novel, a preserved relic of the one apprentice who had gotten her hopes up for the first time since her failure with Ayra. The ring of the klaxon disrupted such an activity, and Vanessa immediately moved to the nearest console in the room. She said nothing, but did type out orders that were swiftly followed- an immediate hailing call to the vessel, followed by an order to tractor beam the ship into the hangar and have a full squad of crimson-armored bloodtroopers waiting to take whoever or whatever was on board into custody. Vanessa looked at Inanna.

“We’ll get the book signed later. Promise. Right now something interesting has come up - let’s go see who’s decided to penetrate secure space today.” Her fingers were cracked as they headed to the elevator that would take them down to the hangar deck.

Inanna Harth

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Onrai

The ship that blasted out of hyperspace was a Mirror-class Star Yacht, a piece of space engineering so sleek and elegant only the obscenely rich could afford it. This one had a Dark Council-authenticated transponder code, specifically that belonging to the Truesilver, a vessel owned by none other than Adrian Vandiir.

Aboard the vessel, the pilot turned in her seat. “They’re hailing us.”

Lounging in the captain’s chair, Adrian Vandiir hummed in acknowledgment and waved his hand dismissively. “Hail them back, of course. Wouldn’t want them getting the wrong idea.”

While she pressed buttons and flicked switches, Vandiir heaved a sigh and turned to look at the eight year old girl seated to his right. “Now Miri, you’ll stay here and be captain while I’m gone, yes?”

The girl nodded and grinned, one hand crinkling a bag of popcorn in her lap while a tiny mouselike droid scurried around the floor at her feet, sucking up any crumbs that spilled out.

Clearing his throat, Vandiir checked the sound of his own voice for a final time. “Once more the Sith will ruuuuuuuuule the galaxy!... and we shall have peace.” He punctuated the sentence by leaning over and giving the girl a peck on the cheek, grinning like a fool. Giggling, she held out a piece of popcorn as a reward for the performance. “Oh, thank you,” he said, popping it into his mouth.

To anyone who was familiar with what the real Truesilver’s interiors looked like, it would be obvious that this was a different star yacht altogether. For instance, his vessel was normally controlled by a Tsudakyr, a living brain which the Sith scientist had whipped up in a lab a few years back, whereas this ship was manned by a small crew. The Triumvir of Power didn’t know that, however, having never been aboard Adrian’s yacht, and while the interiors of such ships could be customized as the buyer saw fit, all of them were manufactured to look identical from the outside.

Compared to getting the transponder codes, committing grand theft starship of a vessel with such heavy security was a walk in the park. It had taken a team of expert slicers days to get into the proper systems, steal the codes, and get out without being noticed. The operation had cost nearly as much as simply buying one of these yachts, which justified the theft—er, borrowing—of this one from an exceedingly prosperous corporate head all the more.

Most difficult of all had been obtaining a means of disguising Nimdok's aura. Everything hinged on whether or not such a thing was possible, and so it was the first problem the band of would-be impostors had sought to solve. The solution had come in the form of a Taozin amulet hanging from a chain around the impostor’s neck; Vandiir was apparently quite well-known for wearing such objects, so it wouldn't stand out too much. The resulting effect hid Nimdok's Force aura so well that the treachery was virtually undetectable, so long as the talisman remained on the impostor’s person.

But anyway, back to the present.

“They’ve activated their tractor beam,” the pilot said, her tone mildly annoyed and only faintly alarmed. “I think we have a shroud, though. Should we fight it?”

“Not necessarily.” Adrian flicked a switch on his chair, turning on his comm—and turning on Vandiir's mixed accent, educated vocabulary, and arrogant attitude. “Nathema Orbital, this is Councilor Adrian Vandiir of the Truesilver. Is there a problem, or is someone merely feeling exceptionally lucky today?”

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa raised an eyebrow as the ship was tractors into the hangar bay of the orbital complex. The message she received from the ostensible Adrian Vandiir raised her eyebrow as her eyes immediately widened. “There is, yes. I have strict agreements with the Emperor Relating to arrangements as to who is authorized to come to this facility at any given point in time.” She replied. “I would highly recommend that next time a meeting be prearranged to prevent the... excessive need for security.” She briefly muted the audio feed, then looked at Inanna.

“What is he here for? Did you message him?” She asked. “Could have at least let me know.”

The audio feed would reactivate. “Please wait in the hangar bay. I will be down momentarily.” She sighed, before returning to Inanna. “Well... let’s get this over with. If there is any sort of confrontation, Inanna, please let me handle it. And if he attempts to do anything to you, I will ensure he does not attempt to do so again.”

Only the Emperor could arrive at her domain unannounced and receive a warm welcome.

Inanna Harth Jacen Nimdok

 

[Inanna Harth]

Onrai

Inanna stared at the viewing screen over Vanessa’s shoulder, her eyebrows raised even higher than her master’s. “No, I… I didn’t message him,” she replied. Then, remembering something, she quickly added, “Well, actually—I did thank him. He helped me publish my book, you see… but I didn’t invite him here.”

A complete sweep of her mind would reveal that she was telling the truth. She had no idea why he was here. That said, her reaction to the news and the sight of him on the viewing screen was, shall we say, quite positive.

“I’m sure he’s here for a good reason,” she said, immediately rushing to his defense. “Perhaps there was no time to call in ahead…”

She followed Vanessa to the hangar bay, where the yacht had already docked. The loading ramp descended noiselessly, and out strolled Adrian Vandiir.

Inanna, who had heard rumors of his transformation into a Doppelganger, wasn’t sure what to expect. But his appearance seemingly had not changed much since they last met in person. He wasn’t dressed like an evil art critic this time, at least, but was wearing dark robes of the same luxurious gildenweave fabric. What’s more, he was flanked by a pair of bodyguards.

“I apologize for my unexpected arrival, Triumvir,” he said, addressing Vanessa. “The decision to come here was made on rather short notice...” Noticing Inanna, his piercing gaze lingered on her. “But I happened to be passing through, and simply couldn’t miss the opportunity to congratulate Ms. Hoole in person.”

Inanna blinked. She couldn't believe... but could it be... what?

“Has she told you yet?” he said, still addressing Vanessa even as he approached Inanna and lightly caressed her chin. The gesture mirrored his grabbing her in Tower Vandiir when he realized she had helped a traitor escape, but here his touch was gentle, almost tender. “Her lifelong aspiration was to become a published author. Now she has accomplished that dream through one of my business endeavors.”

There was an avaricious edge to his words that indicated he was less congratulating her and more himself for having used her to net a profit. Inanna shivered slightly, but didn’t flinch away from his touch.

“Some would say that is a rather foolish excuse to show up at a secret Sith facility unannounced, certainly,” Adrian continued, letting his hand drop as he once again faced Vanessa. “But I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you that your apprentice has admirers in high places who are willing to take such risks to see her.”

 

[Onrai]

“Curious.” Such was Vanessa’s only reply to Inanna as they traveled downwards to the hangar bay, to meet Adrian himself. Vanessa sensed he was not the only Force user here, but the sensation was... wrong. It reminded her of what she had done to the abomination that was once her close partner, Ven’Rain Sekairo, all those years ago - artificial imbuement of the Force. Perhaps an experiment of his.

“Yes, from your past history together, I suppose it makes sense.” She thought for a moment - what would the rationale be for Adrian to come to Vanessa’s domain, where she wielded absolute power and military superiority, and seek out Inanna? Considering the way he had rather intimated harsh consequences would befall her if she had not stopped Pygar’s theft of his important data, per her recollection of Inanna’s memories, it seemed unlikely he would bring her here - unless now he intended to try and make her repay whatever debt he believed he held her in.

“She’s told me.” Vanessa replied. “And I’m incredibly proud of my apprentice.” She smiled. “It’s important, after all, for us to have other means of income and skills. Take it from someone who was here during the last cycle of Empires - such comes in rather handy to say the least, particularly during a downturn in our collective fortunes.” Had she not been an astute starship designer and businesswoman, it was unlikely her fortunes would have remained as positive as they had despite the repeated setbacks that arose over time.

The final statements of the Sith Lord somewhat confused Vanessa. That his antagonism could immediately swing to what appeared to be at least the superficial connection that was physical attraction was unusual. Arguably out of character, but her interactions with Adrian had for the most part been very much just passing.

Still, there was doubt over his motivations.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Onrai

“Agreed.” Adrian smirked. “It is much better when we build upon each other, rather than stab our fellow Sith in the back.”

“Did you really come here just for me?” Inanna asked, as confused and suspicious as her master by this sudden turn of events.

“Why not?” His fingers brushed the obsidian beads dangling from her sleeve, clinking the volcanic glass together softly. “You’re not only a published author, but I hear you’ve become quite the skilled telekinetic. You have all the makings of a dark sorceress.” He leaned toward her. “Though you’re still as open-minded as ever, I see.”

Inanna stiffened… but she couldn’t feel Adrian’s presence slithering around in her head the way she had with Vanessa. She stared at him, her brow furrowed, searching his expression for signs of trickery. He simply looked at her with a knowing smile. Well, more of a smirk. But still.

“It must be difficult, living day to day with everyone around you privy to your innermost thoughts and feelings,” Adrian continued with the same cool, untouchable air, though he seemed to have forgotten all about Vanessa in favor of focusing wholly on her apprentice. “Certainly such a hindrance would impede your progress from acolyte to knight. After all, if one isn’t entitled to their own thoughts, how can they hope to become a free and independent agent?”

Hanging onto his every word—his voice sounded so much richer and more pleasing to her ears compared to last time—Inanna didn’t realize Adrian had moved behind her until he spoke again.

“I trust you are receiving training in the area of mental shielding?”

 

[Onrai]

This was particularly surprising. For such a vain and self-centered individual, Vanessa was surprised that he seemed to have a similar vision to her own. As a scheming individual, it made no sense for him to showcase even such a facade of a persona - certainly others like Lirka Ka had never shown such. This was not the only unusual thing about him - his Force presence was not as outreaching as well. No exertion was felt by her under the implication he was attempting to read her mind, and such a psychological ploy seemed... atypical.

She raised an eyebrow, looking at Inanna. "I'm going to be right back." She looked at a pair of her crimson-armored bloodtroopers, a certain worry on her face. "Please ensure Lord Vandiir is appropriately taken care of for now." She headed to the elevator and would return to the conference room briefly, headed over to the console.

"Comms, connect me to AMCO ."

A bit paranoid, as she had already been, she felt it was worth confirming this was even the same person that had scared Inanna to death sending agents to her home.

Inanna Harth

 

[AMCO]

As it turned out, Comms could not, in fact, connect Onrai with Adrian Vandiir, for the list of people with his personal contact information was short indeed. "You have reached the office of the Dark Councillor of Scientific Advancement, please state your business."

Should she inquire as to Prospero's current whereabouts, the Tsudakyr operator would prove to be politely if unrelentingly uncooperative, its perfectly logical mind being completely unwilling to diverge from its given orders - which was to keep its lord and creator's location confidential; once the Sith Lord emerged from his lab a few hours hence, he would likely be greatly annoyed to learn that his identity had been stolen...

... and more annoyed still once he learned of the parody-like performance of the would-be impersonator.

 

[Onrai]

“I am Vanessa Vantai, Triumvir of Power. Your master, or someone claiming to be your master, is currently standing in my hangar bay having made an unscheduled arrival at my location. The vessel he flew in on has transponder codes that are evidently his.” She transmitted a copy of the codes to the brain in a jar, as well as scans of the yacht in question. “I need confirmation that this is the actual Adrian Vandiir and not a fake.” She said. “Is your master or some puppet of his on my station? Is your master’s ship located here at my station? And if not, then get your master on the line so I can deal with this potential doppelgänger in an appropriate manner. I would hate to have to go to the Emperor and let him know that an imposter was able to falsely claim themselves a Dark Councilor and the legitimate article did nothing to stop it.”

The brain was bringing her to the point of having an aneurysm. If she got nothing from it in the way of evidence for or against the being in her hangar being the genuine article, she would make sure to travel to his facility and crush the gray matter of the incompetent construct to a pulp with her bare hands.

Fething tech support...

Inanna Harth AMCO

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Onrai AMCO

Inanna kept her eyes facing forward even as Adrian stood behind her, but her stammering response revealed her nervousness at the vulnerable position. “No, I… I haven’t. Not yet—er, I tried, but I couldn’t…”

Adrian’s perpetual smirk wavered as he watched Vanessa leave the hangar, her suspicion and disapproval obvious. Once she was gone, however, he saw no reason to hold back, the bloodtroopers surrounding them be damned.

“Naturally. Vanessa Vantai may be an old soul, but with all her years she is hardly proficient in matters of the mind. How could she teach such a skill properly, especially to a struggling student?” He circled around Inanna, placing her between himself and the door through which Vanessa had disappeared. “Or is she perhaps the worst kind of mentor—choosing students weaker than herself and taking advantage of their ignorance in order to establish power over them? Regardless—I think you know that you could do better than what she has to offer.” He leaned in close, purring in her ear. “Much, much better.”

Inanna visibly cringed. “Leave me alone,” she pleaded, hugging her arms to her chest. “I wouldn’t be here in the first place if it hadn’t been for you!”

“Yes, that’s… that’s true,” Adrian murmured. He had meant for it to sound haughty and indifferent, but instead it came out as uncharacteristically reflective. But the break in character was brief; he was back to being frustratingly unassailable a moment later. “I may be able to make it all worth your while.”

“I owe you enough debts as it is,” she snapped—though her curiosity was obvious. “No doubt you’re already charging interest on the ones I have, too.”

“Heh, this isn’t another debt.” Moving in front of her, he clasped his hands behind his back and leaned toward her, going in for the kill. “Despite what you may think, I haven’t read a single one of your thoughts since I arrived,” he said in a low, semi-conspiratorial voice. “Everything I know about what has transpired here came from another source—a concerned friend of yours. I won’t require you to disclose anything, of course—what exactly has been happening around here is your own affair. But if what I heard from them is true, you have a problem on your hands.”

She looked at him with wide eyes. He rubbed her shoulders reassuringly for emphasis. “So here is my offer: come with me now, and I will make you my apprentice. Leave all this behind, and I’ll help you overcome your biggest, most glaring, thrice-cursed weakness.”

She stared at him, her jaw clenched. “Why?”

Adrian shrugged. “I don’t like waste. Especially wasted potential.” He raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow. “And if what your friend told me is true, I must say I find the Triumvir of Power’s training methods most inelegant.”

 

[AMCO]

There was a long pause after the Triumvir's rant, but eventually the artificial voice replied in the same politely neutral tone as before. "My apologies Ms. Vantai, I am at this time unable to confirm the location of the Dark Councillor without being instructed otherwise by himself or his representatives and he is not currently taking calls except from a curated list of individuals."

Belying its purposefully opaque mannerism, the being had, of course, immediately alerted Adrian's own intelligence network of a potential imposter... but as the Triumvir of Power was not politically aligned with him, tracking the security breach was considered of a higher priority than mending any faults in her own identification protocols, and so a secret investigation promptly commenced.

Onrai​