Private SOMMER'S END PT.2 -4

[Sommer Dai]

"Where Worry Lives"


Location: Gilded Veil, Sommer's Office – Upper Levels, Just After the Cradle's First Vision

The office door hissed shut behind them.

Sommer exhaled slowly and pulled off her jacket, tossing it over the back of her chair. Her fingers trembled slightly, but she masked it with a soft stretch, rolling her neck.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa stood near the window wall, gazing out at the skyline of Nar Shaddaa. The neon lights seemed... duller. The city was somehow quieter after what they'd just seen.

"It's a lot," Alyssa finally said, not turning around.

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer didn't answer right away. She watched the red light from the window trace Alyssa's silhouette. Her friend—no, something more than a friend—looked strong, but something in her shoulders was pulled too tight.

"You don't have to stay in this," Sommer said gently.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa turned, eyes sharp. "Don't do that."

 

[Sommer Dai]

"Do what?"

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

"Push me out before I choose to walk."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer offered a half-smile, then moved toward the cabinet and poured them both a drink. She handed Alyssa a glass, and for a moment, they didn't say anything. Just the faint hum of the club's power generators beneath them.

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

"I'm worried about you," Alyssa said finally, voice low.

 

[Sommer Dai]

"I know."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

"You saw what I saw down there, right? That vision wasn't a dream. It was... us. Or someone like us. That cradle doesn't just echo memories, it projects what could be. You're connected to it. You're not just some girl from the streets anymore, Som."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer looked down into her drink, then out the window.

"I've never stopped being that girl."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

"No," Alyssa replied. "But now you're that girl with a galactic prophecy hanging over her head."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer sat on the edge of her desk, one boot resting on the crossbar.

"We've both run spice. We've both had to lie to survive. I've kissed death more times than I've kissed anyone who meant it."

She looked up at Alyssa.

"But you mean it. And that's terrifying."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa moved closer.

"You don't have to pretend you're not scared. And so the question is...what are you??"

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer took a breath.

"Focused. Because if I let myself break right now, I won't get back up."

A beat.

Then a softer voice.

"I'm glad you're here, Alyssa."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

"Then let me stay. Let me help you carry this."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Sommer leaned her forehead gently against Alyssa's. Just for a second. The tension between them eased like a knot slowly unwinding.

"Everything's going to be okay," Sommer said. "I've walked through hell. And I've walked out with my heels still on."

 

[Alyssa Kydd]

Alyssa smirked, though her eyes glistened.

"Damn right you did."

 

[Kaelon Virex]

"The Devil's Signature"


Location: Gilded Veil – Kael's Security Terminal, Private Office

The terminal beeped.
Three times.
Then… once more. Off-pattern. Custom-coded.

Kael furrowed his brow. No one used that ping code anymore. Not since Drexan Val.

He keyed the interface. No sender. No official frequency. Just a file name:

"For the Pretty Boy."

Typical Drexan.

Kael muttered under his breath, "What do you want now, you sleemo…"

He opened it.

The screen flickered to a distorted hologram — half static, half snide grin. Drexan's voice came through clear, though. Always did. That smooth spice-runner charm, laced with venom.

"Heard you were playin' babysitter again, Kael. Always did have a weakness for bossy blondes and suicide plans. But this time, you're dancing on a landmine."

The image shifted slightly, showing grainy footage of Zori's Dirge-class ship… hovering in high orbit.


Then — a flash of Arcubis leading a detachment through Nar Shaddaa's market under disguise.

Kael stiffened.

"These aren't Veil dancers or local crooks sniffing for a payout," Drexan continued. "This is old blood. Ancient teeth. They're not just watching the club — they're watching you. Something under your feet woke up. And the galaxy's oldest nightmares know it."

"My advice? Don't wait for the sabacc cards to flip. Because by the time she plays hers…"

The screen flickered, then Drexan's voice turned grave.

"…you'll already be dead, cousin."

The message cut.
A crimson sigil remained, briefly flashing before the screen went black:

V

Kael leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

"Son of a—

Kael stood, tapping his comm.

"Arq. We've got company. And I think they've been here longer than we thought."

 

[Arq*]

The hum in the walls wasn't electrical.

It was pressure — the kind that builds before a storm, before a trap springs, before a blade drops.

Arq stood in the lower operations room, running his fingers across the security terminal. His mind stretched beyond the circuits and wiring — into the subtle energy veins woven through the Veil like veins through a living body.

And something had clotted.

He tapped his commlink.

"Kael. I felt it. You were right. Something's watching us."