Private Shadows in Silk

[Kaelon Virex]

[Gilded Veil – Rear Entrance]

The sleek LTI transport hissed to a stop just outside the Veil's loading bay.

Kael stepped out first — his coat still scorched from the facility's blast, his boots caked in dried carbon dust. His hair was a mess, eyes bloodshot, and he looked like hell.

The neon glow of the Veil's signage pulsed faintly in the distance. The heartbeat of Nar Shaddaa's underground royalty.

He exhaled.​

 

[C.E.R.A.]

Behind him, C.E.R.A. lowered its frame into guard mode, scanning the surroundings with cold precision.

"Asset delivered," it stated.
"Operations relay fully integrated. Awaiting Veil command protocols."

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael waved it off. "Hold perimeter until instructed. Minimal presence. I don't want you freaking out the dancers."

He headed inside.

The hallway lights flickered like the place could feel what had just happened. And maybe it could.

The Gilded Veil didn't forget trauma.

And neither did he.

 

[Sommer Dai]

[Sommer's Penthouse]
​

Glass walls. Silk robes. Half-drunk whiskey.

Sommer sank into the oversized couch, her limbs aching, soul still echoing with the illusion's lies. The city lights below glowed like a promise she didn't believe in anymore.

 

[Arq*]

Arq moved through her kitchen barefoot, tossing a datapad onto the table beside a fresh caf.

"We need real shielding," he said flatly. "Whatever that red-witch freakshow did to your mind, I guarantee it wasn't a one-time deal. We need neural warding. Anti-splice fields. Maybe a few of those LonekTech drones..."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer didn't respond. Her fingers were scrolling through her holocontacts list slowly. Thoughtfully.

Old names.

Some crossed out.

Some dead.

Some... distant.

Arden — "That smuggler with the yacht."
Nyx & Javi — "Always down for trouble. Too much, sometimes."
Kethra — "Didn't she move to Spira?"

 

[Arq*]

"Who're you calling?" Arq asked.

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer sighed. "No one yet."

 

[Arq*]

Arq sat down across from her, hair still wet from the sonic rinse. He studied her face, his voice softer now.

"You think taking a vacation's selfish right now."

He leaned in. "Then let me remind you: you just survived a full-force psychic hijack from a Force-wielding body-snatcher. You earned a getaway."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer finally allowed herself a tired smirk. "Just didn't think I'd be back to square one. Again."

 

[Arq*]

Arq took a sip of her drink without asking. "You're not. You're above it."

He stood up. "I'll call Andrew. You hate the idea, but if anyone can lock this place down tighter than Zori's legs—"

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer glared.
"—emotionally, I mean—emotionally tight—it's him."

Sommer chuckled despite herself, leaning back into the cushions. She stared out the glass, the city buzzing in neon.

"Call him. Just… not yet."

She went back to her contacts, hovering over one name.

One she hadn't spoken to in a long time.

Someone who once knew the girl she used to be.

Her finger tapped "Pending…"

 

[Sommer Dai]

The rain on the glass made the city feel like it was underwater.

Sommer stood at her window in a loose black robe, one hand curled around a warm cup of caffa, the other holding a slim comm device. Her thumb hovered just above the call button — over the name:

Kydd, Alyssa.

She hadn't seen her in a few years.

The last time had been Zeltros, at a diplomatic party they'd both snuck out of early. Alyssa was the only person who didn't judge Sommer for spiking her own drink with Corellian heat-wine and sneaking up to the roof for air.

Alyssa just laughed, joined her, and pointed out all the wrong constellations.

She always had a story. Always had a way of making things feel less heavy than they were.

And right now… Sommer needed light.

She tapped the button.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

The holoscreen fizzed and blinked.

"Well look who finally remembered the girl who saved her from a spice bust on Gamorr," came Alyssa's voice.

The screen finished calibrating.

There she was — Alyssa Kydd, helmet tucked under her arm, a few grease stains on her cheek, leaning against the side of a stripped-down starhopper with mismatched paneling. She looked exactly the same: tired eyes, smug grin, jacket open just enough to show her old Core pilot tags.

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer smiled for real.

"Didn't forget," she said. "Just took me this long to convince myself you wouldn't charge me by the minute."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Please. You think I keep a timer on my friends?"

 

[Sommer Dai]

"Depends on the friend."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa raised her brow. "You sound rough."

Her voice then softened. "What do you need?"

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer sipped her drink. "A ship, maybe. A place to land that isn't covered in corporate vultures or Sith cults. I need stars. I need space. I need…"

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa nodded. "Yeah. I get it."