Satellite

[Darth Imperia]

Satellite​

---

Melanah didn't often feel vulnerable. She had her wits and she had determination, and that had been enough to get her through most everything life had ever thrown at her. But standing there in the streets of Bastion, she felt like an idiot. What the feth did she think she was going to do, just bump into a Sith Lord at the local Caf shop and impress him so much that he took her as an Apprentice? 'Well, I know I'm an impossibly powerful creature with control over the mystical energy field that connects all things together, but you know what, this scrawny little street rat is well worth my time.'

For a brief moment, Melanah considered running back to Lianna. It wasn’t a happy life, not at all – but it was one of certainty. She could survive there. She could provide for her family. She could…she could what? Live the rest of her life in the slums? Be content in her poverty, like so many others beat down by the system? Memories rose to the surface – holding her mother’s hand as the life drained from her eyes. Going hungry for days, weeks, so that the little ones didn’t have to. Doubt fizzled and faded, stamped out by the heavy boot of rage. No, no. Melanah wasn’t going back. Her family wasn’t going back. They all deserved better than that. She didn’t know what to do, that much was true – but she could certainly find out. She just needed to find a place where people were at ease, where they felt comfortable, and most importantly, where people talked.

Bastion had to have bars, right?

---

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Darth Avacyn, Sith Lady of Defiance, member of the Ascendant Circle, Valkyrie Elder. Title upon title stacked on top of each other painted the picture of a being so powerful and important they would never do simple things such as getting a nice cup of caf at night after a day of work herself, because they would probably have a whole army of servants ready to do it for her. It was lightyears away from the truth, however. Not that it wasn't possible for her to live that kind of lifestyle, that was most certainly possible, but she simply didn't want to. Sitting in a lazy chair snapping a finger to call somebody over to fetch whatever she desired was frankly boring- Taking a nice walk to a local caf shop, enjoying the sights and sounds, interacting with people, those little things were much more enjoyable than having everything done for you. Credits had stopped being a concern a long time ago, which definitely made her a bit more carefree about her spending, but she definitely didn't need a fancy mansion or castle with an entire staff of people to look after her her every whim. A simple life was simply much more enjoyable to her.

Besides, Ishana would probably get lost in their own home if they had anything larger than an apartment. Pairs of socks wouldn't last a week before disappearing without a trace never to return, and that was in their current home already. Her wife would probably have gone insane.

With her Valkyrie armor swapped out for a casual outfit, her lightsabers stored away in her ship, which would soon be taking off towards home and Ishana, and her mindset switched from Darth Avacyn to just Kaalia Voldar- Kaalia Pavanos, the woman strolled through the streets of Bastion, her destination being her favorite local caf shop. She had been at the Sith Temple as a guest instructor today, which doubled as an assessment for potential new Valkyries, but now her mind was on nothing but a steaming cup to enjoy. Taking a sharp left into a narrow street she arrived at the caf shop and made her way inside, immediately walking towards the counter while contemplating what to get.

[member="Melanah Madine"]

 

[Darth Imperia]

Okay, so this wasn’t an actual bar. But after getting kicked out of one (it wasn’t her fault this time), Melanah had decided that, perhaps, drunks were not the most reliable sources of information regarding mysterious, high ranking government officials. She had to remember that the Sith were not criminals here (no more than civil servants typically were, at any rate) – they were important members of the Empire’s hierarchy, and information on them was the purview of intellectuals and academics.

Now, Melanah didn’t know where intellectuals and academics congregated, but she did know where to find the sort of people who fancied themselves as such. They were places seething with pretension, full of odd odors, and littered with foreign terminology for the sole purpose of giving the locales an artificial air of authenticity.

She was, of course, referring to cafés.

---

The café hadn’t turned up any leads either, which came as no surprise to Mel – it was a stretch to begin with, inspired more by a stupid joke she’d told herself and a need to clear the alcohol-induced buzz from her head than any actual conviction that she’d find what she was looking for. It was a dumb fething idea, and she knew that from the beginning – but hey, at least she got some caf out of i-

A shiver went down the street rat’s spine, cutting her train of thought short. Something had entered the building, and Melanah had felt it before she saw it. Whatever it was, it burned in a way that Mel couldn’t explain, like a fire that ignored flesh and bone and scorched the soul itself. Now, she’d never been in the presence of a Sith before, but if she had to guess...this is what it felt like. Overpowering. Dangerous.

Intoxicating.

Slowly, cautiously, Melanah turned in her chair, and came face to face with the flame.

---

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"Keep the change," Kaalia said as she took the cup and gave the man behind the counter a smile. Taking a step to the right to let the next customer get in her order she took a quick glance around for a place to sit and enjoy her caf, but when she did she couldn't help but notice someone was watching her from one of the seats, something she had not noticed before. At moments like this she paid less attention to her surroundings except for the small edge of danger sense, although that was a subconcious thing that took little to no effort to keep up. It was not entirely uncommon to be recognized within Empire, such a thing simply came with carrying the title of Sith Lady, so she did not pay it much mind. The woman in question seemed to be a young adult, looked like she could've done with a good meal, and definitely did not come from around these parts. Kaalia had seen things that were much stranger however, giving her no reason to be alert from the outside.

But underneath that was more. Where within everybody else around there was nothing but a still lake, the Force flowed through this woman like a coursing river. She was most definitely strong in it, if unrefined, but there was potential. Guiding those who carried that potential and watching them grow was something that had fallen upon the Sith Lady after driving a lightsaber through the chest of her former master [member='Krest'], and the satisfaction it brought had been very much unexpected. Many times had the woman wondered if that was the reason the zabrak had taught so many students in his life, but it would remain a mystery to her. Dead men told no tales, and she was in no particular rush to find out if he had managed to preserve his spirit in any way.

What this woman wanted from Kaalia exactly however, she did not know. If it was that important to her she would most definitely show that in one way or another and as such she did nothing of note herself, electing to simply sit down at an empty seat and taking a sip of her caf before setting it down onto the table next to her. Looking out of the window she watched the crowd of people walk past, enjoying the music that played in the background. Somewhere in her mind she kept a piece of her attention focussed on the one who had eyed her however, knowing it was only a matter of time before she would look to get her attention in some way. The notion entertained her, forcing her to suppress a smirk. I'm right here. What are you waiting for? The words were left unsaid, simply making rounds in her mind as she picked up her cup once more, taking another sip.

[member="Melanah Madine"]

 

[Darth Imperia]

Alright, so a Sith had shown up.

In a Caf Shop.

Melanah took a moment to reevaluate everything she knew about the Galaxy.

There was a Sith sitting a few meters away, sipping casually on her caf. She knew Melanah (who assumed that if she could sense something, then it could sense her) was there, and was presumably waiting for said street rat to make her move. The ball was back in her court, then.

Chit.

Melanah had been hoping for a day or two to think about what she was going to say. In hindsight, she probably should’ve been doing that on the trip to Bastion itself, but you live and learn. Hopefully. There was a slim chance that if she karked this up, she’d be killed, which she had to admit wasn’t exactly a great outcome – but she’d come this far, and damned if she was going to let a little thing like ‘mortal peril’ stop her now.

It was rage and hope that had given Melanah the strength to escape Lianna, but what kept her going now was sheer momentum – after getting this far, giving up or backing down now made everything else seem pointless.

So she didn’t. She got up, dusted the crumbs of a bagel from her jacket, and approached the resting place of a creature far more powerful and dangerous than she could ever imagine.

A hand slammed down on the table, and brown eyes flecked with sulfur rose to meet the Sith’s gaze.

“I want more.”

–

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

There was a fire in this girl's heart, and the moment she got up from where she sat it roared. It was like a spark that ignited a mighty flame, and Kaalia could do nothing but relish in it. This is where her heart was tested, a simple assessment to see what she was made of. So far, it had been exactly what the redhead had hoped for. She wasn't there yet, far from it, but if she was looking to impress the first step had been taken. A step not many would successfully follow up on, but something told her this time would be different. Patiently she waited for the girl to show her true colors, something that would not take very long. To say this meeting was going to be unconventional was very much an understatement, but it only made it more fitting.

The hand slammed down on the table she was sitting on.

Kaalia's mindset seamlessly slipped back into that of Darth Avacyn, the Sith who was undoubtedly the one the girl had wished to speak to.

She wanted more.

With the woman's eyes still affixed to the datapad that laid on the table and the cup of caf still in her hand she answered, seemingly unimpressed by the spectacle at first. "You..." It was like she processed the remaining two words for a moment, deciphered even. "Want, more." A slightly amused tone coated Avacyn's words as she slowly set set her cup down. There was so much about this stranger she was itching to see, all because of those three words. "Well," her answer sounded, now sounding much more direct as she calmly tilted her head upwards, meeting the somewhat corrupted eyes of the girl with the fully red and sulphur orbs of her own and almost piercing them through sight alone, signifying it was most definitely Darth Avacyn that spoke while Kaalia went back into her slumber. "That makes you different from absolutely nobody." Her presence in the Force unfolded as she grasped it tightly, something that went unnoticed by all who did not sense the Force as she and the stranger did. Without breaking off her gaze, she continued. "Everybody always wants more. Some try to suppress it, but it will always be there. Most do not dare to take it, however."

The slightest of grins settled onto her face as Avacyn studied the one standing at her table, carefully taking her in. "You've got guts. You know what I am, yet you didn't let fear stop you." But do you truly dare to take what you want? She had shown defiance, but now it was time to see if she would follow up on it. "If you are truly sure you are willing to seize what you want, no matter the risk, then I invite you to take a walk with me." The datapad was shut off and put into the pocket of her coat as the Sith Lady stood up, walking past the girl without batting an eye. The empty cup was disposed of at the entrace and she walked out, not waiting on the one she had invited to join her.

Show me your guts is real.

[member="Melanah Madine"]​