Private "Sommer's END" Pt. 1 of 4

[Arcubis Kornelius]

"And you want to kill her?"

 

[Zori Galea]

"Convert her," Zori said, voice low. "If she survives. I want her begging to know what she could be… if she stops fighting. And now she's brought along someone new."

She swiped across the holotable, revealing an image of Alyssa Kydd.

Zori's nostrils flared, subtly.

"I don't know whether to kill this one outright… or carve her apart and rebuild her into something that obeys. She has that... smuggler's grin. Makes me want to slit her throat or kiss her mouth."

 

[Arcubis Kornelius]

Arcubis chuckled.

"You're feeling threatened."

 

[Zori Galea]

Zori's eyes snapped to his.

"I'm feeling focused."

 

[Arcubis Kornelius]

"Then let's focus together. You open the gate… I'll bring the fire. I've already rerouted my fleet to your coordinates. I'll be in your chambers within hours."

 

[Zori Galea]

"I'll have wine waiting."

She cut the channel.

She walked slowly back to her throne, the dark silks of her robes whispering behind her like serpents.

She sat.

A small altar near the wall began to pulse — the holocron flickering, resonating faintly with Kael's mark across the stars. The girl inside the cradle stirred. And somewhere, in another mindspace, Sommer was starting to remember.

"You'll see, my flame," Zori whispered, resting her head on her fist. "You were never meant to rule alone. You're meant to kneel beside me."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Location: Gilded Veil – Restricted Lower Levels, Sub-Chamber Entrance


The air changed the moment the vault doors unlocked.

Sommer led the way down the spiraling metallic staircase, her heels echoing like clocks ticking. The lighting dimmed the deeper they went — not by power failure, but by design. The Veil's foundation had always been stylishly ancient… but this level wasn't on any architectural blueprint.

Behind her came Kael, coat shrugged off, shoulder holster tightened. His left palm still bore the faint sigil, glowing as if it knew it was returning home.

Alyssa followed with her hand hovering near her blaster, eyes scanning for traps.

Arq descended last, fingers gently tracing the wall — sensing currents through the Force that whispered of forgotten voices.

They reached the main door.

A solid stone arch framed with carved Sith etchings long buried in time. A sigil of flame entwined with shadow hovered above the seam. Kael's palm burned slightly.

 

[Arq*]

"It wants you," Arq said. "Again."

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael held out his hand without speaking.

The sigil lit brighter. A faint clicking could be heard — as if tumblers aligned not through mechanics, but memory.

With a low groan, the ancient door slid open.

Beyond was the sealed chamber.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

[Inside the Vault]

The chamber was circular. A domed ceiling shimmered with a soft star-like light — not artificial, but some kind of living constellation built into the architecture. At the center, a dais with a floating crystalline sphere — cracked slightly. Under it, a cradle-shaped basin pulsed with dormant energy.

The holocron that Kael had found sat beside it, inert… for now.

Alyssa approached cautiously, the hair on her arms rising.

"This is… not spice smuggler-level weird. This is ancient-Force-worship weird."

 

[Arq*]

"This is Sith," Arq said quietly. "But older than the Empire. Older than Exegol's temples. This is pre-fracture Sith… pureblooded magic."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer moved slowly toward the dais.

"Why build it under my club?"

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael answered, stepping beside her.

"Maybe it wasn't built under the Veil. Maybe the Veil was built over it. You inherited the land. Your business, your success — all orbiting something someone wanted you to protect."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa circled the cradle.

"Or activate."

 

[Sommer Dai]

"What does it want?" Sommer asked.

The holocron flickered.

Just once.

A low hum vibrated through the floor.

 

[Arq*]

Arq exhaled. "It wants recognition. The cradle isn't a container. It's a keystone. A binding relic. For something that has a blood tie… to you."

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael looked over.

"We don't have to open it tonight."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer stared at the basin.

"We already did."

From above, the Veil's music could still faintly be heard. But down here…

It was the sound of breathing.

And waiting.

 

[Zori Galea]

Location: Orbit over Varkas Nine — Aboard The Dirge of Mirrors
Moments After the Cradle Activation

Galea's eyes snapped open.

Her fingers curled around the armrest of her throne, silver rings glowing with force-binding runes. A single strand of hair slid across her cheek as her head tilted—just slightly—toward the east quadrant of her private sanctum.

Something had stirred.

The holocron embedded in the altar to her left lit up, red and flickering.

"They opened it," she murmured. "The cradle breathes again."

 

[AZIS/MORAVOKH]

The voice that came next wasn't a droid's.

It was from AZIS — the dark Force entity she had tethered through ancient sorcery. Its voice slid through her mind like oil.

"The circle cracks, Zori. The seal was not yours to protect. It was hers to break."