First Reply The Catalyst Protocol: Strange Company

[Liin Terallo]

I did not plan to shop. However a conversation with Balun Dashiell led me to do so. Between the weapon vendors and spice peddlers was a narrow alley laced with the smell of incense and lit by bright neon lights. Something pulled at me here; not the Force of course. Just my instinct. And that has never failed me so far.

The vendor that caught my eye was hunched behind his table, draped in mismatched rags and surrounded by cages. Not durasteel cages, but ones made from wood and wire. Old-fashioned. How quaint. His voice crackled like static as he spoke. "Looking for companionship, Miss? Something soft for a soul that’s seen too much?”

I almost laughed but did not. Instead I merely gave him a small smile. He had no idea of what I have gone through. But perhaps that could be said about every one.Then I saw it. Curled up in the lowest cage was a Tooka. Small, adorable, absurdly fluffy, and it was watching me. Not like an animal watches a stranger, however. No. This creature did not blink. It's pupils narrowed, adjusted, and then it seemed to read me. I took a step back in surprise.

“She likes you,” the vendor rasped, leaning in closely as though he were telling me a secret.

“I am only browsing,” I said to him, but my voice betrayed me. I was already calculating a few things in mind. Could I keep it hidden within my laboratories? Would it interfere with the research protocols? Would it even be allowed?

The Tooka stood and padded to the edge of the cage. Then it did something that I could not ignore. In a near-perfect imitation of my own voice - faint, glitchy, but mine - it said:
“No one ever listens" My blood went cold. Why did it say that? And in my voice, no less? I do not believe that I had uttered that phrase out loud before, yet have done so only in my thoughts. And here is a little Tooka bringing those thoughts out for others to hear. I find that highly unusual to say the least. And unnerving.

The vendor chuckled. “Some of them pick up phrases. She’s clever, this one. Empathic. Rare type. I call her Whimsy.”

“That is quite fitting.” I leaned down to look closer at the Tooka, for something about it had caught my eye. There was tech under the fluff as evident by a shimmer near the neck. Was it a scar or? No it was not a scar. It was a seam. “I will take her,” I said, against my better judgment.

The Tooka purred loudly and deliberately as the vendor took my credits and unlocked the cage.​

 

[Liin Terallo]

"Excellent choice, Miss. She'll treat you well, that one."

No sooner did he open up the cage that the Tooka quickly stepped out of it. Her head was lowered, yet her eyes were fully upon me as though she was a predator and I was her prey. And then she stopped right at my feet and sat down on her haunches while staring up at me.

For a moment we just stood there staring at eachother. The vendor seemed to have a guess that I had never had a pet before. He just chuckled at me before he spoke again, giving me some instruction. "Well pick her up, Miss! Take her home. She's yours."

I was not quite sure of how to do so, yet the Tooka seemed to have sensed that. As I bent down to pick her up, she sat up on her haunches to help make it easier for me. I lifted her and straightened up. The Tooka then did the unexpected and climbed up onto my shoulders. She perched herself around me like some live furry shawl and then started to purr.

The vendor laughed again, this time louder than before. Not wanting anymore further embarrassment, I turned and left his booth. "No one ever understands me." Once again she speaks in my voice. It was broken, sounding very much like an old recording. But it was my voice nonetheless.

"I do not know if you are speaking for myself or for you, but try not to mimic my voice please. That is all that I ask." I am not even aware of how intelligent Tookas are. Does she even understand me? Either way she keeps quiet. Even her purring had stopped. At first I had thought that it was due to what I had said. But her body stiffened and her gaze remained very still. The Tooka's tail twitched at the tip, moving from side to side as she started to chirp or bark quietly.

Something had caught her attention.

I followed her gaze and caught a quick glimpse of movement up ahead. Someone had seemed to hide from sight. Had I been recognized here? I surely hope not. Without a word I turned on my heel to the right and began to weave my way through the vendor tents. If I am being followed, then this will surely prove it.

Tag: OPEN​

 

[Diarch Rellik]

The market was alive with noise and color, sputtering signs, barked offers, perfume mixed with the grease of too many street kitchens. It was a lovely day, Rellik taking to using discrete outfits and shadows as a youth. Trained to be the assassin as a child before moving to more esoteric forms of force mastery. He moved without his cloak. Without his title.

He had come for a package, a quiet exchange of information tucked into a case of synth-spice cartridges. It was supposed to be quick.

But then he saw her.

Liin Tera Terallo.

Recently his brother Diarch Reign had spoken to him about her requesting aid with a laboratory. Rellik was unsure of the end of that dealing. Hopefully she deemed herself safe, seeing as she was now shopping in the open. Last he knew besides that, he was chasing her through a facility fighting beings of which he had never seen before.

She stood before a vendor, he couldn't hear her words, but her eyes narrowed toward something at the vendor's feet. Rellik stiffened in the dark, just beyond a curtain of hanging beads. Perhaps he should've turned away. Should've left her be. Instead, he lingered like some thief, watching as she lifted the animal. The vendor laughed. The Tooka curled around her neck like a question mark.

As Liin made her way towards where Rellik was he decided to approach. No longer hiding himself in the force as he was doing before. He did not want to scare her but it seemed he made an impression on the Tooka. It reacted, leading Liin to react. Her eyes swept the market. She seemed to still be on high alert.

With a reactionary move he ducked behind a vendor canopy, boots silent on the worn flooring. As he vendor looked at him in shock he simply raised a finger to his lips. Shhhhh

Yet it was to little to late. She had began moving the other way. He began to follow her. Not closely. Not directly. Just far enough to blend in. She weaved through the crowd with more purpose now, and he adjusted his path to match, slipping between groups of travelers, feigning interest in display racks and dried herbs. The Tooka on her shoulder shifted. Its ears perked.

He wasn't here to bring her in. He was here to keep her safe.

Liin Terallo

 

[Liin Terallo]

I think that I am being followed. Or perhaps I am being paranoid. Or both! Either thought had a strong basis in reality. And the newly purchaded/adopted Tooka certainly picked up on that as well.

I tried not to draw anymore attention to myself as I took a rather zig-zagged pathway through the venders. I even double-backed on my route so that I was almost going in circles. Yet I knew that I could not stay in the market forever. So after nearly twenty minutes I exited the market and started walking down the street. Instinctively my left hand went up to scritch the Tooka under it's chin. "Are we still being followed?"

"They are always watching. But I am never seen." The Tooka's voice once again mimicked my own. It is as though she had refused my earlier request. Or she did not care. Instead her tail kept twitching from side to side while her ears swiveled towards every sound.

"Well perhaps it is time that I start watching them instead?" I stopped and did an about-face on my heel, turning myself completely around. One could have guessed that I may have forgotten something and was retracing my steps. But no. I wanted to see who was tailing me and to perhaps give them a piece of my mind!

Tag: Diarch Rellik

​

 

[Diarch Rellik]

-

She was clever about it.

The way she doubled back, changed pace, took sharp turns that made no tactical sense unless one knew how to read a tail. If he hadn't spent a decade doing just that, ghosting through courtyards, warzones, palaces. He might have missed her completely. Liin had always been sharp, even evading NIHIL and Rellik together one time. The Tooka wasn't helping his case either now. It had the instincts of a scout and the attitude of a spy.

The market fell behind them. The noise dulled, replaced by the hum of passing transports and murmured street conversations. Rellik slipped between shadows cast by awnings, pausing now and again to glance at data on a wristband he wasn't reading. His pace was calm. Natural. But the moment she exited the market proper, he felt something in the rhythm shift.

She turned.

Not just a glance. A full about-face. Controlled. Sharp. A move that said: I see you now.

Beside a vendor cart peddling fruit he stood. Not hostile, not defensive. Just there calmy. Hands slowly coming together to clasp behind his back in his consular fashion he usually stood in. Rellik took a slow, deliberate step forward. Not fast enough to be threatening. Not distant enough to vanish. If she wanted to flee again, he would not stop her.

"Hello Liin, I promise I have no intentions of hurting you. Not now, nor the last time I might have broken into one of your facilities. You are an enigmatic person to me. You had mostly dealt with my brother when the Diarchy rose from nothing, in part due to your aid. I simply wished to check up on you and ensure you are okay..." Looking out to both sides there he gestured back to the fruit stand. Fresh food and drinks at the ready.

"Stop and have a little bit of food or drink with me. I will even by your Tooka something." He gave her a warm smile and hoped she would give him the time of day.

Liin Terallo

 

[Liin Terallo]

And there he was. The man that was tailing me. And he was not what I had expected. On the contrary; he was one of the last!

I had seen Lord Rellik only once before; when I was there for a grand ceremony in my former life. The speech that both he and his brother had given were short and to the point. Such things are a blessing for no one wishes to be watch a long monologue. There were more important things to accomplish at such ceremonies.

I raise an inquisitive brow as he spoke of breaking into one of my facilities. I have little doubt that it was one of my decoys. So what was he there for? Surely not to check up on me? Otherwise he could have sent me word. Or he could of sent Varlo just as Diarch Reign had. But I do not know Lord Rellik personally, so I do not know of how he operates.

He invites me to stop and accompany him for a refreshment there. A part of me has no qualms in doing so. However the openness of the area and the fact that I am being hunted gives me pause.

"Thank you for the invitation, Lord Rellik. But it is not safe to do so here. I can already guess at the questions that you will ask of me, yet I am not comfortable at giving answers out in the open. A more private and secure location would be more suitable."

Tag: Diarch Rellik ​

 

[Diarch Rellik]

He turned back to the vendor and offered a handful of credits. Far more than what the modest fruit stand warranted. The vendor blinked, startled, but said nothing as Rellik selected a ripe, dark-orange piece of fruit.

"For the Tooka," he offered simply, a smile on his face. Posture as calm as before, arms now resting at his sides.

"You are not in danger with me," he said, softly but clearly. "I won't press the matter further, nor will I linger where I'm unwelcome. But if it eases your sense of risk… allow me to walk with you. To your ship, or wherever you're going next."

Formally. Respectfully. As one noble might with another. There was a kind of old-world etiquette to his request. He slowly began to approach Liin, offering the fruit to her pet as a sign of peace with the creature.

"I wasn't seeking you," he admitted after a few steps. "The Network flagged a signal burst near where my ship was docked. They believed you might be compromised. I was nearby. I thought it best to investigate personally."

He glanced at her, his tone neither accusing nor apologetic merely factual.

"Seeing you now, I suspect the signal came from a decoy? Either that or you are very good at escaping bad situations."

He gave a slight laugh along with a faint hint of approval ghosted across his face. Then, after a brief pause, he added:
"I'm not here to collect whatever the people of the galaxy are hunting you for, Liin. I remember what you did for the Diarchy. We don't forget people who help us. I simply wished to offer help in return." Now with a deep bow he showed as much reverence as he could in the momeny.

He let the silence hang for a moment letting her set the pace, in every sense.

"I don't require answers. I only require that you make it home safely."

And he meant it.

Liin Terallo

 

[Liin Terallo]

I feel almost like a cornered animal, yet I am not. The danger does not come from Lord Rellik. It comes from elsewhere.

I listen to him quietly while I study his movements. They were calm and precise, much like the manner of which he spoke. It is almost comforting; however I have been living on the edge for quite some time now. It is difficult for me to even contemplate being able to relax or to feel at ease. But I do the very best that I can.

As he holds out the fruit, I take it in kind, with a bow of my head in thanks. I do not even know what Tooka's eat; however Whimsy knows far better than I do for she leans right over to it and takes a rather confident bite.

I keep my own posture straight and poised; yet inside I feel as though I am the opposite. My research has proven to be a lot more troublesome than I had expected it to be. If only the leaks and data breaches did not happen. But I cannot wish for the past to change. I can only press on. And I am not about to give up.

But then he mentions home. I let out a long sigh, which is moreso one created by exhaustion than anything else. "I have no home, Lord Rellik. I must keep moving. It is the only way." I tighten my jaw so as to hold back my emotions. As young Mister Dashiell had pointed out to me not long ago; I am in over my head with this. "But you may accompany me to the ship, if you wish." I turn away from the market once again; yet I move at a pace that will allow him to easily walk along side of me. "And yes, that was a decoy. One of the few that I have put out there in a bid to buy me some time. Your Network has a far reach. Does it extend throughout the Galaxy?"

Tag: Diarch Rellik ​

 

[Diarch Rellik]

He walked beside her in silence at first, matching her pace without crowding her stride. There was tension in her voice - Rellik had heard enough exhaustion in men and women on the edge of breaking to know it when it surfaced. Hers wasn't weakness. It was more just tired of the situation at hand.

He gave a small nod, smiling warmly. "Not all sanctuaries are permanent. But some are enough" He spoke again only once they'd cleared the edge of the street and the market sounds had faded to a soft, harmless murmur. "The Network does reach far," he said, tone now returning to the cordial manner he spoke before, not concerned with people overhearing. "Across the entire galaxy, we've built something vast. But its strength was never in its span. It's in the people who believed in it" His gaze was still forward, posture regal despite the stripped down civilian clothes. "Whatever you're facing I would rather help carry the weight than chase its shadow."

"I don't need to know what you're working on," he added. "But if you ever feel the urge to stop running, I am sure my brother and I could protect you. I promise at the least, we would avenge you."

His last words were not said with his normal jovial demeanor. It was a promise, one that it was evident he would keep by the passion of his words.

Liin Terallo

 

[Liin Terallo]

Our paces match comfortably and for a brief moment I feel almost as though I was walking in the footsteps of my old life; within the world of politics. But that feeling is fleeting. I had no voice outside of New Cov. And even now those that hunt me are doing so only for my research. I am but a bystander in that regard; and a means for them to get their hands on it. And once they do have it, I am no longer needed.

I listen to him quietly as he explains about the Network and it gives me cause to wonder if I was ever a target within it. Not in the bad way in that I am a target for others now, but to be watched over. It would make some sense, however the only one that I know of that is keeping watch over me is Mister Usher and his Hive mind.

Lord Rellik offers me sanctuary and aid. However his last remark gives me pause. For him and Lord Reign to avenge me; I would have to die. And sadly that is something that I am certain will happen in the coming years. The attention on this project ensures that. And I have accepted it. For this reason I am glad that I had never gotten the chance to fall in love, get married and have children like I was expected to. For they would all only of become targets themselves.

"I appreciate the offers, yet I do not know if I could handle the guilt if anything bad was to happen to your worlds or your people because of me. I do not wish for anyone's blood to be on my hands but my own. Remaining alone is the safest option for everyone. And there are far more important matters to deal with than a little wayward scientist that has gotten herself into a bit of a bind. This should be temporary. They cannot hunt me forever."

Tag: Diarch Rellik ​

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik's gaze remained forward, but his voice was steady.

"I understand the instinct to remove yourself. To carry it alone so no one else bleeds for what you chose to pursue."

He let out a slow breath, not heavy with frustration, but layered with conviction.

"You are not just a bystander, Liin. If they're hunting you for your work, then your life is part of that work now. You may not have chosen that weight, but that's what we do when we build something that matters. We carry it even when it gets heavy enough to break us. You might not have been around to see the Diarchy grow to what it has become but the purpose is that we all rely on each other. We bleed, fight, and struggle so that as many people as possible do not need to. Reign and I are not absolute rulers. We have been given the honor by those who know we would lay down our lives for them."

Turning his head he gave Liin a big smile. One you could practically think belong to a dorkish child.

"I don't offer sanctuary as pity. And I don't mention vengeance as a threat. I offer both because you are part of us. Not as a liability, or a footnote, but as someone who believed in this cause before the galaxy saw anything worth believing in. You say there are more important matters than one wayward scientist… but I've spent my life at war, Liin. And I have learned this truth: the whole is made of lives like yours. Not just soldiers and banners, but thinkers. Builders. Believers. Every time we protect one life, we protect the whole. That is why we fight together.""

One of Relliks negative traits one could say, would be the fact that when he spoke of the Diarchy he began to appear as a lunatic reading off a manifesto. He did not merely say these words, he believed it with his very being. He loved life, peace, and all of the friends and family he had made.

He looked ahead again, letting the words settle in the air between them.

"So I will walk beside you for as long as you would have me. Not because you need me. But because no one who carries hope should have to walk alone and I believe you have high hopes for your work. Since you are fighting so hard for it."

Liin Terallo

 

[Liin Terallo]

As expected, Lord Rellik spends the time trying to convince me that there would be no blame on his part for anything bad to happen if I choose to have his protection. But that would not stop my own guilt.

He speaks if me not being there to watch the Diarchy grow, yet that is of no fault of mine. Our worlds were far apart and neutrality for the Covie is what I had done my very best to maintain. Yet now I have lost that too. It is a very strange thing to have so much change and so very quickly. One would expect that they were in an alternate universe. But I do not believe that I am.

The Tooka on my shoulder just purrs away, observing everything with half closed eyes. My guess is that she is content. That in and of itself puts me a bit more at ease.

"I need time," I began. "I need to finish my decoys, reroute the datafeeds in order to help get the bounty hunters to go off on some wild nerf chase. Once I feel secure enough to settle in one place and stop running; then I will take your offer into consideration. There are some that might find my research hopeful as I do. Yet there are some that see it as an enormous mistake. Even my old bodyguards are against it. So that puts me in an uncomfortable situation."

The Diarchy could be against my research as well. And so in regards to that; how could they protect something that they might not agree with? That would only put them in a bad spot. It would be unfair to me to put them in that kind of situation.

Tag: Diarch Rellik ​

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik gave a slow, understanding nod as she spoke.

She needed time. Of course she did.

"Then take it," he said softly. "Time is not something I would ever try to steal from someone who's fought so hard to keep their future intact."

His eyes tracked a pair of youths darting between the stone pillars of an old shrine tucked into the corner of the street. One of them trailed a fluttering ribbon behind them, red as flame. Carefree. Rellik smiled faintly, then looked back to Liin.

"I won't pretend to know the full nature of your work. That's yours to carry or to share, if and when you choose. The Diarchy doesn't protect only what it agrees with though. We protect possibility. The freedom to question. To experiment. To challenge old limits. We have followers of the Dark and Light of the force work together constantly. Our purpose in that effort is to show that hindering ourselves to others ideas does nothing but harm the whole of us all. I am a bit of a scientist myself if you ever require additional aid in that regard. Yet, with how much you seem to be on the run, I would assume you are already close to your goal either way."

Rellik's smile returned, faint but fond.

"Besides… your Tooka already seems to think I'm tolerable company."

And with that, he let the silence return. No more persuading. No more pressure. Just a quiet walk shared, for however long she allowed it.

Liin Terallo

 

[Liin Terallo]

​

"I do not know how long of a future that I may have," I say beneath my breath. For it is true; I do not know. With all of this attention on my research, I would not be surprised if I was killed for it. Not only that but experimenting on myself could also go badly if something were to go wrong. "I am not exactly expecting to surpass middle age. Not with everything that has been going on lately."

I let out a small sigh as he refers to just Force Wizards. For far, far too long I have been overshadowed and overlooked by them because I lacked their magic. That in and of itself is what had motivated me into this research in the first place. And it is all so that those like me are not overlooked or made to be inferior. It is all so that those like me will have a chance amongst a Galaxy full of Force Wizards that rule over it.

"No one ever sees me..." the Tooka once more copies my voice. Most might find it entertaining, yet I find it to be a little spooky and annoying.

"I am sorry. I am just tired, overwhelmed, anxious and paranoid. And it seems as though the Tooka has picked up on that. You may be tolerable company, Lord Rellik, but I am not." My rented ship is not far from us. I can already see it in the distance. "I will not keep you from any pressing matters. But I will be in touch."

Tag: Diarch Rellik ​

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik did not interrupt her when she spoke, nor when the Tooka mimicked her voice again. He merely listened.

"I hear you," he said, at last, quietly, but clearly. "Even if it feels like no one else does."

His gaze flicked toward the Tooka with a faint, weary smile. "When you have been in shadows for so long it becomes easy to believe we've vanished. But you haven't."

His hands folded behind his back once more in that signature, consular posture. As the ship came into view, he slowed his pace slightly, giving her control over the moment. Letting her decide who she wants to be and why.

"I'll let you go. But when you're ready… reach out. Just say the word."

Then, with the faintest incline of his head, he took a single step back and bowed.

"And for what it's worth," he added softly, "We were always wishing and wanting the best for you friend. We were always ready to see you."

Liin Terallo

 

[Liin Terallo]

He slows down as we approach my ship. And so do I. I can see that the Tooka's eyes are closed now, yet the purring persists. Hopefully she does not use her voice very often. Or rather my voice.

Lord Rellik insists that I am not invisible. A part of me wants to believe him, yet I am too overwhelmed at the moment. If not for my research; I believe that I truly would be someone that would of just fallen through the cracks.

Yet his final words broke partway through my protective barrier. My eyebrows lifted in surprise. Such a phrase is common around the Covie and for a brief moment I felt as though I was back home. It was simply nice.

I dipped my head respectfully in kind. "Thank you. I appreciate it, honestly. Once everything is in place I will reach out. Until then, please be well." I cannot ptetend to know what wars or conflicts are going on elsewhere in the Galaxy for I have been completely cut off from that. But I hope that there is nothing going on that would cause him harm.

I leave him behind as I continue the rest of the short distance to my ship. This little respite turned out quite differently than I had imagined. It helped to rekindle some hope in me, and that alone is priceless.

Tag: Diarch Rellik ​