Private Shadows in Silk

[Arq*]

"So what now?"

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael turned to him, eyes sharp.

"Now we shut this whole chamber down. Reseal it. And we find out what the hell was in that crate. HELL, SHUT THE WHOLE CLUB DOWN."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Location: Juno's Reach Spaceport – Freighter Hangar 9, Pre-Departure

The freighter's ramp hissed open as the two women approached, arms laden with bags from their brief vacation — boots, belts, dresses, and weapon upgrades all crammed into secure duffels.

Sommer adjusted the strap on her shoulder, heels clacking against the metal ramp. She was thinking of the Veil. Of Kael. Of the unread message Andrew had finally sent.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

"We should be back to Nar Shaddaa before nightfall," Alyssa said, pushing the door release.

 

[Sommer Dai]

"If Kael hasn't set the bar on fire," Sommer muttered.

The lights flickered on.

And sitting dead center on the pilot's chair, pinned by a small silver dagger, was a folded slip of parchment — handwritten. Not digital. Not signed.

The ink shimmered faintly, like it had been written in the dust of starlight.

Sommer peeled it open.

Her eyes scanned it quickly, then again, slower. A faint chill wrapped around her spine.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa moved to her side.

"What is it?"

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer passed her the note.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

[The Letter – in Valen Deyne's Handwriting]

"You were never meant to serve kings. Or obey empires. Or be ruled by saviors with silver tongues. The blood in your veins carries something older, darker, freer."

"You are not singular."

"You are duality. Balance. Fire and air. Flesh and spark."

"Sommer Dai. Alyssa Kydd."

"Queen and Queen."

"The stars align not for rulers… but for the two who rise side by side."

"The galaxy is waiting."

"Will you claim it?"

Silence.

The ship seemed quieter than usual. Even the nav systems hadn't started humming yet.

Alyssa blinked, brows lifting. Then frowned.

"Is this… a joke?"

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer exhaled slowly, folding the parchment again. "He means it."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

"Queen and Queen?" Alyssa repeated, the tone somewhere between amused and insulted. "Is this some mystic marriage pitch or galactic power fantasy?"

 

[Sommer Dai]

"Maybe He's not wrong about my bloodline," Sommer murmured. "My mother was tied to something older. Supposedly, something Force-born. And maybe… he's not wrong about you, either."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa stepped back, shaking her head.

"No. No, don't do that. Don't you dare paint me into some prophecy. I left Pamarthe to get away from fate. From war. From being a pawn."

 

[Sommer Dai]

"Then what do you think you've been doing since the Veil? Since me?" Sommer snapped.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

"Being your friend, Sommer! Maybe more. But not your co-ruler in some mythos you don't even believe in until it flatters your ego."

 

[Sommer Dai]

That stung.

Sommer's jaw clenched, fingers tightening around the folded paper.

"It's not about me. It's about what we've already survived. What we've already done together. Valen just sees what's already there."

"He sees what he wants to use. Like everyone else."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa's eyes glinted. Her voice cracked just slightly.

"I came with you because I care about you. Not because I want to sit on a throne while worlds bow."

 

[Sommer Dai]

"And if we could do more?" Sommer whispered. "If we could change something real? Wouldn't we be fools not to?"

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

A heavy pause.

Then Alyssa looked away, voice low.

"All I wanted was to come home with you. Not build an empire."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer stared at her, heart pounding.

Then she dropped the note onto the console.

"Then let's go home."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

The cockpit stayed silent for the first five minutes of takeoff.


Alyssa piloted. Sommer stared out at the stars.


The prophecy floated between them — not just in ink, but in implication. A truth neither of them had asked for. But now, neither could forget.