Private Settling In

[Kyyrk]

Night had fallen on Ethereia. The chirping of insects and calling of birds resounded across the plateaus. In the last lingering vestiges of light, the small city once abandoned by the Khanate lit up against the darkness. Another hard day's work was drawing to a close. The colonists of Ethereia had little to worry about. No threat would creep from below, and above them two Ascendancy warships hung still and serene. Restoring the compound had proven a relatively easy task, given the simple construction. Many of the structures were wood and stone, taking advantage of the planet's naturally temperate climate. At the heart of the city, the stronghold stood. Built into and around the spire, it was once the palace of the Khan that was to rule this world. Now? It belonged to Kyyrk.

Already, it was beginning to feel like home. Though Kyyrk was content with far less than Alessandra was. He had returned from a long day of negotiation with those tasked to oversee the construction efforts. The compound was far from finished. But by week's end, the housing was hoped to be adequate. Kyyrk paused at the topmost level of the stronghold, a small garden courtyard upon the flat surface of the plateau. He could hear the gentle murmuring of running water, where it bubbled forth from within the rock. The garden had been the first part of the stronghold renovated. Kyyrk had spent many a night in its tranquil paths, the gentle breeze carrying his worries away for another day.

Kyyrk sighed quietly, thinking back on the events of the Black Night. There had been a certain shift in his mood since then. Or rather, he was not as guarded about his true feelings. The last seven years had been hard. For everyone. But in Kyyrk, there had been a distinct change. Behind his eyes there was a certain coldness. A cunning and calculation that did not fit the disposition of a Jedi he so claimed to be. His demeanor was far more...predatory. Much more akin to the man that had once commanded the Knights Obsidian. The man that had sacrificed everything to bind the Unmaker for but four more months in a desperate attempt to buy the Confederacy more time.

Kyyrk stood at the balcony overlooking the makeshift spaceport far below, watching idly as shuttles ferried cargo from waiting ships far above. Part of him dreaded what he was becoming. Or what he was reverting to. The other part of him didn't care. Alessandra understood. And a small part of him believed she preferred him this way. She too was a creature of the dark. Raised a Sith, and quite comfortable living amongst them. Kyyrk had all but abandoned his war against the Unmaker. Now was not the time. The threat of the Khanate was far more pressing. And in the absence of Srina Talon, who better to command the Dominus' forces to victory? But even that demanded respite. A respite that had now been granted, in the form of Ethereia. The Ascendancy's first colony in neutral territory. ​

Alessandra Creed

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Tag: Kyyrk

Ethereia was different.

Alessandra was a woman that had been born with a silver-spoon in her mouth. She was used buildings made of metal. Impenetrable. It was strange to think that the world she now called home was now comprised of mostly wood and stone. Attendants, droids, and colonists came to her with even the smallest question about décor. It reminded of her of an unpleasant time serving with her ex-husband on Illyria. The constant checking in, questions, pestering, about her well-being.

Becoming a Queen on that planet had placed a title on her head, but, without any real power to affect any sort of change. She had been a figure-head. A vessel to bring strong princes into the galaxy. Both the priests and her consort ensured that she knew her place. Not through words, but in act and deed. When the weight of it finally pressed her into a corner and she refused…

She had been replaced.

The olive-skinned woman knew that Kyyrk was not the same. That Ethereia was not the same. But, anxieties still lingered. Delicate fingers slid along a smooth wooden railing while she admired the quiet beauty that evening provided. Despite her preference for modernity, even she, could tell that this world was stunning beyond measure. She walked through clouds. In a star-filled the sky.

How many people could say that?

She felt a subtle force pulling her forward and Alessandra respected her connection to the unknown enough to follow it through. Her feet were covered in delicate black sandals that laced up her calves while a dress of silky, amethyst fabric, draped from her form as if she had been poured into it. Sheer where it needed to be. Solid, when appropriate. Raven hair seemed so dark in the light that smooth curls almost seemed to take on a blue tint. A black comb swept with purple jewels kept her hair half up and half down. It was appropriate, for her station.

Whatever that managed to be these days. She was a Minister, last she knew. But that was subject to change depending on the will of the Vice—Emperor. The will of their Emperor.

That still felt strange.

She walked at an easy pace toward the garden that Kyyrk so cherished. It was on the top-most level. Where he purportedly could always be found if he went missing. Alessandra ascended easily enough but stopped short of announcing her presence. It was easy to take in the shape of him amongst the distant lights. To find the strong lines she had come to admire. To know—Even in the dark.

His frame of mind had evolved. It was no secret. There were certain qualities that she recognized above all others…Certain things, that, made her uneasy. They had come so far since casting little glances across crowded rooms. Since keeping secrets. She could see the chill in his eyes, even, when he smiled. Feel it in his touch. Alessandra understood, clearly, but there were some things he was intensely wrong about.

His path back to the dark brought her little joy. If it was the journey he chose to take? So be it. She merely worried for the toll it would take on him mentally. She worried about how the dark would change him.

She had been married to cunning calculation before. That had not ended well.

The drive to attain greater power meant more than everything. More than her, more, than their family.

The seemingly young woman exhaled slowly moved toward the balcony. Her arms slid around his mid-section from behind and the faint scent of vanilla and sandalwood would herald her arrival.

"Credit for your thoughts?"

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk was silent and unmoving for a moment even after Alessandra embraced him. "Same as it ever is, these days." A surprisingly mundane answer. But the truth. As fleeting and invasive as thoughts of the grander designs of the galaxy may be, his attention was on the present. On his immediate surroundings. And though his simple answer would guide Alessandra in the right direction, he expanded upon his answer. Lifting a robotic limb to gesture to the spaceport below. "Still not satisfied with the progress made on it. Certainly, it deserves to be sturdier than normal buildings, but the metal just seems...garish." A gripe he'd held for some days now. It had been his decision to reinforce the plateau upon which the sole point of entry to their stronghold lie. But he made no secret that he wished it would match the overall architecture of the rest of the stronghold just a little better.

His organic right hand moved to rest upon Alessandra's, a sign of both reassurance and affection. Which he meant by it was largely left to context. In spite of the darker shift to his demeanor, he was always warm to Alessandra. It was hard to describe, but she certainly received a special treatment compared to others. There was a loyalty and affection that no one else was shown. But there was something more. There was a gentleness about Kyyrk's interactions with her that almost seemed uncharacteristic of his usual gruff demeanor.

"It's almost complete. Almost a home." He spoke not just of the stronghold, but of the city as a whole. He sighed quietly, turning to wrap his arm around her. His dress was simple. Calf-high boots, pants and a simple tunic. One with sleeves that ended just below his elbows. The mark upon his right arm glowed in the same hue as his eyes, pulsating in the same beat, as if the two were connected. "Before long I suspect it will be exploited for agriculture to supply the crownlands. But the view makes it worth it. Reminds me of Makeb, in a way." His observation was not incorrect. The plateaus did match that of the homeworld of Isotope 5. Though the deeper one went, the more stark the differences became.

Kyyrk sighed quietly, watching as a pair of starfighters cruised through the sky low against the sea of clouds. "I slept through the night last night." Kyyrk did not need to remind Alessandra what that meant. He still felt guilty that his nightmare had once bled into her own. But sleeping through the night meant that for once, that fell vision had not cursed his mind that night. "Perhaps I was right to seek guardianship of this world. A little peace and tranquility goes a long way..." ​

Alessandra Creed

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Tag: Kyyrk

Her arms lay around him securely, though, her cheek rest gently against his back. She didn't mind the silence. The answer that she received was…Expected, really. Kyyrk seemed to have a singular focus of late. Not that she could blame him. Readying a seemingly abandoned world for colonization was no simple task, nor, was it something that took place overnight. The smallest smile touched her lips when he commented on the rather offensive appearance of the spaceport. Wasn't she supposed to be the one nitpicking design flaws? Arguing over which shade of purple ought to fill their bedroom?

"You worry too much.", she murmured, muffled, from the fabric of his tunic. "Let me look at it tomorrow. I have an idea that might help it blend in better."

At the very least Alessandra planned to make it less of an eyesore. She'd already gotten the costs down for imported lumber with a high-temp resistance and extreme durability. Apokan silver oak was plentiful enough in the galaxy and would easily fit the bill with the proper sealant. Concrete could be molded. Wood, could be used as an accent.

By the time she finished—Kyyrk would not have to be concerned about his view being ruined.

Some part of her that she didn't realize had been coiled, and tense, seemed to unwind when he willingly touched her hand. The fact that he didn't immediately pull away was also reassuring. He had always been kinder in her presence, though, that didn't mean she didn't notice the changes when they were in mixed company. Alessandra held onto that. Hoping, that his decisions didn't change who or what they were. It was a test of patience, of faith, perhaps.

The glow of the relatively new mark on his arm caught her attention, briefly, though she made no comment. She had seen it before. "We've always had a home.", the words were soft, velvety, but ringing with a certain edge of truth. Ever since she'd first invited him over for dinner on Naboo there had always been something reassuring about his presence. The quiet peace she felt when hearing he had returned, safely, from a mission. No building could recreate that. No number of gifts or material things…Not even an entire planet. Her home was wherever he chose to be. "…But it is nice to have somewhere permanent to sleep. Somewhere, something, to call our own."

Ethereia held all the charm of lands from a youngling's storybook. The stars were so close, so bright, that it looked like they could be stolen from the sky if only they reached far enough. "We can take care to preserve the natural beauty of the world. There are clean options for agriculture and power supply that we can employ. Your word is the law on Ethereia. I've seen that the colonists are headstrong, but, hardworking and reasonable…They will see the wisdom in that. Even if it slows progress for a little while…We need something that can be self-sustaining. We need to be able to rely on ourselves so that if something does happen the infrastructure doesn't collapse when import and exports start to fail."

This was the second time she had built a world from nothing. She slid around him when he moved his arm to wrap it around her. The typically high-spirited woman adjusted so that she stood next to him, nestled into his side, rather than behind. Her head tucked against his shoulder and her hand came to rest against his chest. The admission that he had slept through the night caused a small smile to pull on the edges of her lips. "I noticed..."

The words were touched with a filter of teasing sweetness. Alessandra had gotten used to his nightmares spilling into her dreams a long, long time ago. She knew how he felt about it. The recollection of guilt was just as fresh as the images themselves. The first time had been jarring, beyond measure. The Force had left a broken and fragmented imprint of it in her mind. It wasn't the only time memories that didn't belong to her had crept in…But it was the only time she'd mentioned it.

The only time she'd let it catch her off guard. Unshielded.

"Mmm…If I thought it was wrong, I would have put up more of a fight. We haven't had real peace or tranquility in a very long time."

Peace was a lie, as any good Sith would state.

Sometimes…The lie was needed. Required, even. Lest they all lose their minds. Alessandra slowly unwound from around him and instead let her right-hand wrap around the back of his neck while her left hand raised for him to take. A quiet, wordless, request.

Dance with me?

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk smiled at the woman gently as he took her hand in his. As he stepped forward into a slow, swaying dance, he offered the woman a simple smile. Simple, yet...sad. "True, I suppose. I've....forgotten what home feels like." Such a comment was laced with melancholy and longing. "Thank you for reminding me." He'd not truly felt at home till he met her. Not since he'd been sent into exile eons past. Those lucky enough to escape the scourging of Vylmira. Four thousand years was a long time to not have a home.

"In the beginning...I was so worried about...not being cast aside. About living up to the legend. To all the stories people told about me." Kyyrk had that look in his eyes again. "It's strange...having to discover who you are again." Silence fell as they swayed in the early evening breeze. "Home was never something I had the chance to consider. Not until it was gone." It was no secret to those closest to Kyyrk. He'd spent the last seven years searching. And he'd found but one simple truth. He was the last of the Vylmirans. A lone guardian over a dead planet. Survivor's guilt was certainly a factor in the quiet moments. But Kyyrk knew that his people had given their lives in the defense of their home. And had he been there, he would have given his life too.

"I don't even know if the man I was before could care about home." Kyyrk smiled grimly. If anything, his behavior in mixed company showed he was becoming exactly like the man he was before. But...it revealed a secret truth about him. As different as his demeanor was in private and public, there was never anything to suggest the face he showed in private was anything less than genuine. But rather, it was his predatory persona that was a cover. A personality Kyyrk adopted when it was time for business.

Kyyrk recognized that attachments provided weaknesses. And he covered those weaknesses well. He was not a being of true dark. his fondness for the Light, even as a weapon, was too dear. But it was all too evident from his dealings and practices that he was a Sith through and through. And yet not as blind and close-minded as the traditional Sith. There was an odd compassion to him that was atypical of Sith. Yet he withheld no mercy for the Khanate. An odd combination to be sure. But one that never let the woman in his arms feel like anything short of the most important person in his life. ​

Alessandra Creed

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Tag: Kyyrk

She loved it, when Kyyrk smiled.

It was such a simple response. A reaction to some little thing she had said or done, here and there, that spoke far more than words ever could. Even when it was saddened, like now, it still reverberated in her chest in a way she couldn't explain. It was a window to something truthful. He could hide many things…But not that. Not from her. "It's hard to know what that feels like. A home is…", Alessandra paused, briefly, while they began to sway. It was a familiar movement. "A refuge. It requires an emotional connection…A sense of belonging…"

Alessandra hadn't felt like she belonged, anywhere, in her life before him. She was just the ex-wife of someone their nation used to look up to. She worked in the background. The shiny limelight of an Exarch was never meant for her. She was the one who ensured the country ran smoothly, that the economy remained stable, and that they had plenty set aside. She was invisible. With no child to love…No family…What kind of home had Naboo become?

If anything—It had been a prison.

She turned his hand in her own and brought his palm to her lips. A delicate kiss pressed to the center, though, there was a subtle warmth that followed. It impressed the feeling she described. How she felt—For him. The sense of being completed. Quiet whispers. That this was enough. That he was enough. He had nothing to fear when it came to stories that built up his reputation. Of the man, he had been.

Alessandra fell in love with who he had become. With the soldier—The man.

She could not ask for more.

The dark-haired beauty let his hand fall from her lips but re-wrapped it in her own while she matched his footsteps. Fingers lacing—She had no issue simply listening. Often, he had veritable lifetimes of things drifting in his mind. If he couldn't share it with her, who then, could bear that for him? Where else could he safely lay his troubles? Being the last Vylmiran was something she worried he would never truly forgive himself for. Simply, for the being the one left standing. "The man you were before…"

"Is not who you are, now. None of us are the same as we once were."

Even Alessandra was changed. The sheer panic she felt watching him float in a bacta-tank after the collapse was something that, years later, still woke her up at night. The overwhelming surge of emotion that struck her like a bolt of lightning when he first breathed on his own was still clear as day. The feeling of his face in her hands, even, when his skin burned her flesh…Those were all the answers she needed. Those were the moments, that told her where, and what home really was.

On some level she understood what was happening. The way his personality seemed to shift given the circumstances, or, the company they kept. It was the shift back toward the darkside that really left her concerned. There was something alluring about it. The way it whispered. Alessandra had learned to live without throughout the years, perhaps, better than most. She had watched it destroy her sister because the pull of the light and dark was always just a little bit too strong. She could only bend so far before she broke. It broke her. More than once.

Until the only thing left—Was death. The only release, was death.

She had watched it pull at the bindings of her ex-husband and make him a creature she no longer recognized. Watched, while it fueled her mother's ambition.

Kyyrk was different.

She couldn't see ambition pulling him over the edge. Not power or religion…She could see loss driving him to break. He had endured far more than any one person should. Enough to fill several lifetimes. He wasn't as numb as he once was. How much more could he take? What would he do, now, if they were threatened? What wouldn't he do?

Alessandra closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly, before letting chocolate orbs fall on the distant skyline. One person could only shoulder so much. "…I think…It's been long enough. Ask her to come home, at least, for a little while. Let her take some of the burden while we ready Ethereia. The Emperor won't call for her until she's ready…But if you asked…"

The "she" that Alessandra spoke of should have been obvious. The Exarch's numbered in three for a reason. Not one. Not two. Without their third there was twice the amount of work for both Locke and Kyyrk to do. She had watched from the sidelines while Talon protected Kyyrk as well as she was able, given, the circumstances. To this day she had never asked for anything in return. "She would return, for you."

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk frowned quietly at the woman's suggestion. Whatever Srina was doing, he was sure it was important. "I don't know that's...wholly necessary." Kyyrk's tone carried a question with it. He wasn't objecting out of some fear that he couldn't handle things. It was a suggestion he was taking seriously, and weighing the pros and cons of. "Things are quiet enough on the home front. She's earned whatever vacation she's seen fit to take." Kyyrk offered Alessandra a knowing smile. "A well organized military can run even when its commander is absent."

Kyyrk glanced away. Of course, Srina would be a great asset to them in the coming days. She'd been absent for the entirety of their venture to Ethereia. She'd not heard what fell beasts Kyyrk had discovered in the depths of the Eternity Vault. The temple that resided deep within the under-lands here on Ethereia. Perhaps she should be called home. "But then, perhaps you're right."

Kyyrk was using that tone again. The one that suggested he knew something that Alessandra didn't. "Something's going to happen soon. Something I suspect we'd need her help in." Ever in motion, the future was. And the possibilities that Kyyrk foresaw concerned him. Nearly the whole expanse worshiped the Unmaker like some fell god. Sooner or later the Unmaker would realize they were here. Would realize that the influences of Medjai were creeping closer and closer to his supposed heart.

"Locke and I can manage the Empire, as well as our own personal ventures. The Confederacy worked just fine on two Exarchs, and so far the Ascendancy is no different." Kyyrk was not arrogant in this statement, merely stating facts. He agreed with Alessandra, but not for the reasons stated. "The Dominus dispatched scouts this morning. We think we've found another lead on the Unmaker. A relic of some sort." Kyyrk squeezed Alessandra's hand tightly for just a moment. Another one of his many reassuring gestures. "Sooner or later, I'd wager we're going in after it. And there are precious few I'd trust at my side for such a task."

Ever the pragmatist. Kyyrk was a tactician, a numbers man, through and through. He didn't care how much a being was liked, he cared about their merit. Another point of pain from his days in the Empire. He didn't speak of his experiences in detail, save for that they happened. The cruelty he suffered at the hands of a xenophobic Empire. It had shaped his mentality in a great many ways. "I'll send her a message in the morning."​

Alessandra Creed

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Tag: Kyyrk

Alessandra bit her tongue at his initial response. She held no love for the white witch. If anything—Exarch Talon left her on edge. Especially, around Kyyrk. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. She did. There was just something about her that the Minister found unsettling. Despite the pearls of wisdom and no-nonsense mask Ale still likened the pale woman to a child. A youngling, that often, seemed to enjoy playing with nuclear ordinance.

"There's no rest for the wicked, Kyyrk."

Her words were patterned with a gentle tease, though, it was partially true. While most assumed that over a decade of service to the Confederacy would have entitled Srina Talon to some sort of break—Alessandra couldn't condone it. There were about a dozen reasons, but mostly, because the ever-logical frozen nightmare provided some sort of balance to the whims of their Dominus.

Force knew that the Domina didn't still him. At all. Ever.

Still. Alessandra made the ask. Not, for her own benefit. For his. There was more coming home than just another leader to shoulder the burdens of state. To fight the monsters. As much as she loathed Exarch Talon, she was indeed a friend to Kyyrk—And that, was impossible to replace. He held acquaintances all over Ethereia. But an acquaintance was not a friend. "…I don't usually vote for calling home my least favorite people without thinking it's the right thing to do."

Another cheeky, half-smile. A tease. Like it didn't bother her at all.

The dark-haired woman knew when there was more happening than Kyyrk was willing to say. Her eyes narrowed just slightly when he admitted that something was coming. She wanted to snip and snipe because she was only now hearing of it, however, she had never been able to act like that toward the man who held to her waist. He was special in that sense. By the time she exhaled…The irritation faded to nothing. "The Confederacy fell when there were only two Exarchs."

Aside from the very beginning, there had always been three. John Locke, Srina Talon, and her Ex-Husband. The Ascendancy was a different beast. Smaller, but in much more imminent danger. The threats were in their backyard every day. Every moment, every second. They didn't have the spy network that they'd once held. Her contacts were fewer. Everything, was smaller.

Smaller did not mean simpler. It just meant that the threats were closer.

Topaz eyes, filled with melting chocolate, hit the floor at the mention of the Unmaker. She stopped swaying. Her hand tightened around his, doubly so, when he tried to reassure her. Alessandra couldn't look at him. "I...heard rumors…", her words halted as she visibly swallowed hard. "But only rumors. It was after the requisitions came through. I'm the Mistress of Contracts…Not the Minister of War…"

The joke fell rather flat.

She almost flinched when Kyyrk mentioned going after it. That feeling was coupled with a mix of relief and read when he acquiesced to reaching out to Exarch Talon. He would have only agreed if it was as serious as it sounded. Alessandra tried to keep her jaw tight. But, she wasn't good at that. Her emotions were explosive and spared none. "Is there anything I could…"

"Say or…Do…that might keep you home?"

Was there anything she could say that would keep him from chasing the Unmaker? She immediately regretted even thinking about it. He would never have to see her floating in a tank of bacta, barely clinging to life, only to be told a few years later that she planned to face the same enemy. The thought made her face feel hot and her head swim. She knew it was foolish. Selfish, to ask. Her chin slipped down and her head hung low. "I know everything you're about to say…I know it all…"

But she still wanted him to stay. Safe. Breathing—In her arms. Where he should be.

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk sighed quietly. WAS there anything she could do to dissuade him from the hunt? Perhaps. His eyes drifted down from Alessandra's gaze. "From what little I have gleaned from the Force, I do not think it to be worth concern yet." He spoke with an assuredness of a man well versed in relics, not as a blind devotee to the Unmaker's demise. "At worst, we think we've discovered a Phobis device. Albeit a prototype." Kyyrk's history with those machines was decidedly different than Alessandra's. The Dominus was a descendant of the Dread Lords, and frequently employed the use of such devices.

Kyyrk had fought the original Dread Lords. When his mind grew quiet enough, he could still smell the stench of burning mud and singed flesh. He could still hear the whispers in his mind. Taste the fear that consumed the entire moon. He'd traveled to Oricon exactly once since the day the Dread War ended. And even then, only to find answers about the Unmaker. Testing a hypothesis that the Dread Lords drew their power from the Unmaker himself. A hypothesis that he thought was incorrect until the relic was discovered.

"I learned long ago never to call anything a milk run. Something will always go wrong. And it's always better to be prepared." Kyyrk snorted in brief amusement. "But I don't think there's any reason to be worried about this one. Nothing the Khanate won't already throw at us." But Kyyrk's mind was elsewhere. He still lingered upon the question. Was there anything Alessandra could do to dissuade him? It was plainly written upon his face. He was thinking about something. Alessandra knew him well enough after seven years to know when there was something on his mind. And this thing clearly bothered him.

"I can promise you that I will not blindly throw my life away in the pursuit of revenge. From that, I have learned my lesson. But...I don't know if I can walk away from this." Kyyrk paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say next. He didn't speak from obsession. From some sense that he was passing up an opportunity for glory. No, he spoke as if it was his destiny. "I...I don't know. I've been at war with myself ever since..." He trailed off. He was well aware that continuing the fight was a classic case of sunk cost fallacy. But he had to make it all mean something. His gaze turned back to Alessandra as he forced himself to look at her.

"Talon had me reviewing old records to remember who I was." This, Alessandra knew full well. "And I found...something that made me think that I've been doing this my whole life." Doing this. Fighting the Unmaker. "Vylmira was imprisoned by Sith Cultists. Declared a dead zone. Every attempt was made to erase it from existence. That's why it was discovered so late into the Confederacy's life cycle." Kyyrk closed his eyes momentarily, remembering the scene that had imbedded itself within his mind. "It had fallen under attack. Not by Sith. But by those creatures. A cataclysm." Kyyrk was quiet for a moment. His eyes opened, and looked down at where his hand clutched Alessandra's. He didn't want to leave. But he was scared of what would happen if he didn't. "What if the Force chose me to champion this fight?" ​

Alessandra Creed

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Tag: Kyyrk

Alessandra wanted to believe that Kyyrk was correct. That there wasn't much to worry about, yet. But that was a form of complacency that she couldn't afford. Not when the Dominus was sending out scouting parties and her lover held that "look" of otherness. She had seen it in a fair few individuals in the past but it only ever occurred when there was something rolling silently beneath the surface. It was a sixth sense of sorts that let them feel, see, and know things they shouldn't.

It wouldn't be the first time that Kyyrk had looked that way.

Likely, it wouldn't be the last.

The discovery of a Phobis Device, prototype or otherwise, was nothing to gloss over. There were immediate and imminent dangers that the Ascendancy would need to figure out how to face. Not all of them had the resistance that the upper echelon of their society did. Many of them—In the face of such manipulative and deceptive darkness would simply be ripped to shreds. The best-case scenario left them little more than squalling children drooling and eating archaic waxy writing utensils in a corner.

Worst case…

Alessandra squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head once to clear it. She hated these conversations. Perhaps, that was one of the reasons Kyyrk kept it to himself until he had no choice. He thought there wasn't any reason to be concerned but the Creed woman was always worried. There was always a chance that he wouldn't return. She couldn't help him the way others could. She didn't have some astronomical grasp on the force that moved mountains and cracked moons.

All she could do was try and keep a positive mindset and wait.

Wait.

The quiet sway of her body started again while his mind began to spin over intricacies of the Force that she could only hope to try and understand. She threaded their fingers, showing, that she wasn't actually angry with him. Merely, the situation. Had he not endured enough trauma to sustain several lifetimes? Hadn't they been through enough? Alessandra remained steadfastly silent while he worked it through. Sometimes, it was better that way. He needed to get his thoughts out. Finish them.

The olive-skinned woman lifted her free hand and let it rest against his cheek so that she could draw his eyes down to her own. He watched their hands. Not her.

"Not to play devil's advocate…But what if it didn't?"

Alessandra kept his cheek in her palm and let her thumb slowly massage the strong line of his jaw. Her touch was tender, achingly so, while love transmitted freely and without cost. She never asked him for anything when it came to affairs of state. Only, that he come home. If anyone had told her a decade ago that she would have been entwined with any version of Lord Commander Voph she would have laughed them out of town. Laughed long, and hard. Now? She couldn't imagine waking up in a galaxy where he didn't exist. It was selfish, perhaps.

But it was the truth.

"Once upon a time…I wonder if a similar conversation was held about Anakin Skywalker."

Everyone, knew. The fatherless boy who was force-born and slated to bring balance to a supposedly unbalanced universe. "Some argue that Darth Vader brought balance by destroying the Jedi. For millennia their numbers outweighed the Sith. Others say that balance occurred when he threw Palpatine into the pit…Or by letting himself die. Ending the Sith. The Jedi At least temporarily, while, the galaxy survived the effects of having the reset switch flipped."

"I don't know if any of that was what the Force intended. I don't know if it was his destiny to endure a life of pain and suffering—I don't think anyone knows, for certain. But discussions of fate…"

"Of destiny…It always reminds me of one thing. The small, hopeful child, that the Jedi lifted from Tatooine. What about that boy? What about the youngling that wanted nothing more than to prove himself in the eyes of his betters? Who was failed, at every turn, by his mentors? Is the Force sentient enough to willingly sentence this child to such hellish and unrealistic circumstances? I think—", she breathed, gently, while letting her hand slip a little higher to find his hair. Ever gentle, ever kind. "—I think that we make our own fate."

"I think this fight is your destiny if you make it so."

That was her truth. Alessandra didn't believe in good and evil in the traditional sense, nor, did she believe that fate was their ultimate puppeteer pulling their strings. The Minister did not believe that they were helpless to its whims. That didn't mean that she would forsake him, however, depending on his decision. She leaned forward and pressed a singular kiss to his chin. He did have one thing that Anakin didn't have. Her. "And if you decide that this is your way… I'll be right here."

"Always."

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk was silent for a long moment as he looked back out over the growing city below, thinking on Alessandra's words. It was only his destiny if he willed it to be. He sighed quietly, his shoulders drooping ever so slightly. "I'm just....so tired." This revelation was hardly news, yet it was the first time he'd spoken it aloud. The first time he'd admitted it. The more Alessandra was around him, the more she began to see through the mask. The charade he put on for the galaxy around him. It was subtle at first. She would catch him sitting in his chair at the office looking completely exhausted, sometimes drowsy. But as time went on, he did less and less to hide it from her.

It was more than his duties as an Exarch. His exhaustion came from the soul. It had been there since long before Alessandra. Kyyrk turned back to Alessandra. "Four thousand years takes its toll on you. One way or another." Kyyrk sighed quietly, looking for the words to properly express how he felt. "I...wish I could just hang it all up. Wash my hands of it all. But deep down there's a voice telling me I can't stop." Kyyrk turned his attention back to the city below. "What if something comes for them, and no one is there to stop it?" He had the ability to do good. Thus he had the responsibility to do good. Or so he felt. He fell silent for a moment, before wrapping his arms around Alessandra and pulling her close.

"Ever since I lost my home...I've dreamed of a chance to...start over. And I thought I had found it. That day on Nar Shadda I learned I was a father..." He sighed quietly, resting his cheek upon Alessandra's head. "But even that was little more than smoke and mirrors..." He was silent for a while, holding Alessandra close. "I think that's what scares me most. Is knowing that it could be within my grasp...so close I could taste it... But could just as easily be whisked away..." ​

Alessandra Creed

 

[Alessandra Creed]

Tag: Kyyrk

“I know.”

It didn’t take a genius or some force-related hoodoo to comprehend that her partner had been tired for a very, very long time. His history was a burden, a weight, that most men wouldn’t be able to bear without completely losing themselves and their minds in the process. Kyyrk had his demons. Some days, she suspected that Voph was one of them. He’d managed, though. Impressively. Even after being remade in the Nether, he’d managed to find a way back. “Kyyrk…You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

Once again—the Minister fell silent while the dark-eyed man continued to ruminate. His arms fell around her while he watched cityscape and she responded by curling against the wall of his chest. Her head nestled close and her arms tucked between them. As if he could hide her from the faint chill of the evening air, truly, almost hiding in him.

He had so many worries. So many concerns, devastating, and cryptic.

It was a wonder he didn’t have an ulcer.

“It’s all right to be afraid.”

Everyone expected the governing body to be an impenetrable fortress without fear or weakness. The common man needed that unshakeable faith in their leaders. Alessandra wasn’t a citizen. She wasn’t a constituent. She was his… Something. Partner, lover, perhaps something they’d forgotten to name along the way but she didn’t expect him to be emotionless and without flaw. When it felt appropriate the dark-haired woman wriggled just enough so that she could free her arms. Instinctively, they wrapped around his middle. Holding him as much as he held her. “…If you were ready to put down your saber, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation. I wish there was something I could do to bring you to that point—But I know better. You have to want it on your own.”

She would never be a woman that manipulated the people she loved. Even, for the best reason. Kyyrk was more than deserving of every ounce of compassion and understanding. Often, she made it sound simple. They both knew it wasn’t. “Just…Try not to forget—You’re not alone.”

“The fate of the people in the Expanse doesn’t just rest on your shoulders. Will there be tragic events? Yes. Will you be able to stop all of them? No. There are times when bad things just happen and there’s nothing anyone can do. You’re powerful…But you can’t be everything, everywhere, all at once.”

Ironic. Considering, he was everything to her.

The modicum of peace and happiness they had managed to carve out in all the madness felt delicate. She understood the fear of getting so close to what almost felt perfect, what felt like a life, only to consistently fear some invisible glaive swinging overhead. Alessandra had felt that acutely when learning of Kyyrk’s plans for Ethereia. It was so incredibly adjacent to what she had endured before that it was impossible not to draw parallels. But, Kyyrk was not Adron.

Not even close.

With that in mind she allowed him to press forward without complaint. She wanted a quiet place. A safe place where they could build a life, a world, all their own. “As much as I love you…You’re just a man—”

“Mine. But, a man. The galaxy will keep spinning with or without us. We’ve already begun starting over. Rebuilding. Mentally, emotionally, physically… It’s been happening for years. It’s true. Some cataclysm could drop down on our heads in ten minutes and ruin everything but…”, she sighed, briefly, trying to find the words to express what she felt. Alessandra wasn’t shy about her feelings. The only hurdle between them had been when he’d been a Knight and she a Minister…But even then…She’d never hid. “I wouldn’t change anything. If all we have is here and now…”

“I don’t plan to waste it worrying about what might be. I’m focused on what is...So I don't miss out on a very good thing, in the present”

 

[Kyyrk]

Kyyrk snorted quietly. Just a man. A man that would one day be forgotten. "Yes...yes it will." The galaxy would indeed keep on spinning without him. "One of the unique perspectives that I've been given. For all I did, and all I sacrificed for, there's nothing to show for it. Nothing but an empty tomb on a derelict rock in the heart of Sith Space." Korriban. He'd mentioned once that there was a family tomb there. From the old days. But he did not speak of it as some great honor. Never one to share details, it was easy to infer that the tomb belonged to the wife that had wronged him. That he'd been honored there out of obligation moreso than a need to revere the dead.

She'd been the first to learn of his recent visit. To find naught but an empty tomb, picked clean of everything remotely valuable. The lone shred of evidence that the man had even existed those thousands of years ago. "For so long I was the man that didn't exist. It...had its benefits. But I don't know if I could do it again." He looked down at Alessandra and patted her on the shoulder. "We should probably head inside. Get some food before it grows much later." He bent forward just enough to offer her a kiss before he pulled away to walk inside the nearby room. The stronghold was all their domain, but Kyyrk had intentionally designed it to be the throne of an Exarch. A cold and menacing place. Their inner chambers, however, were more welcoming. Homely. Soft woods and smooth stone implied a home in the mountains. The comfort of a quiet cottage. But still elegant enough to meet Alessandra's tastes.

As they walked inside, Kyyrk waved a hand to shut down the holoprojector that filled the room. He'd been tinkering again. Even if she didn't understand it, Alessandra could at least recognize the schematic that had filled the space. Kyyrk's all distinctive armor. He'd been comparing it to older iterations again. He never stressed about the composition of the Armor. There was no need to fix something to ease Alessandra's mind. No, it was simply a union of busy mind and idle hands. Kyyrk did, however, stop at the terminal and queue up a message. Though he said he'd send it in the morning, he recorded a message for his fellow Exarch, Srina Talon, then and there.

"Talon." He only ever called her that when things were serious. Srina meant he was speaking as a friend. Exarch meant he was speaking as her comrade in arms. Talon meant code red. "I don't know if the Dominus has recalled you or not, but...something's come up." Kyyrk glanced towards Alessandra for a brief moment. "We need you back here. We've found something tied to the Unmaker. Much as I'd hate to cut your vacation short..." Kyyrk had no idea what she was doing out there, nor did he care to ask. If she wanted him to know, she'd tell him. Though he suspected it was something to do with Maliphant. Either way, the irony in calling it a vacation was easily evident in his tone. "I need another pair of eyes on this one. After last time, I don't trust myself. Any aid you can offer would be...welcomed."

Last time. Kyyrk grimaced to himself as he remembered the feeling of being ripped apart, cell by cell. When he'd sealed the Unmaker away for but a few weeks more. Kyyrk pressed the command to cease the recording and send the message. He sighed quietly, thinking to himself for a moment. "Oh, that desk you ordered arrived today." Kyyrk turned back to Alessandra and offered her a small smile. "I had it put in your office, we can place it how you like it later." He walked towards the small kitchen area that sat along the side of the small common area. "And that new long range transmitter should be up and running tomorrow, so no more spotty connection. Told the techs to work on it through the night to make sure it's functional for you on schedule." ​

Alessandra Creed