Private The Prophet's Song

[Arlo Renard]

THE PROPHET'S SONG​

Calabiyau, Chaldea

Chaldea’s sun was rising, its rays slowly spreading across the grand cathedral door. When Alicio had last visited Calabiyau, the beautiful building had been empty and abandoned. The refugees had fixed it up, but the end result was not a house of worship—it was the seat of authority for the city’s governing body, and the chosen spot where the Senator of Alderaan was due to meet with their leaders.

Shielding his eyes from the sun, Kai saw what looked like an army encampment out in the fields on the other side of the river. They bore the symbol of the Potentium on their banners.

Pointing them out to Alicio, Kai frowned. <We had better hurry. I don’t like where this is going.>

He led the way into the cathedral, pushing open the massive doors. Inside the vaulted ceiling stretched far above their heads, causing each footstep to echo through the cavernous space.

Voices were amplified too, as the various leaders of the community talked and argued amongst themselves. The refugees came from a variety of diverse cultures and planets, mostly displaced from the Unknown Regions by the Maw: Chiss, Shi'ido, Taung, Croke, Yuuzhan Vong, Blood Carvers, Kuarans, Ensos, and Gundanbards, to name just a few.

"Senator Organa!" someone announced. At the mention of the name, the noise gradually died down until the cathedral was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were upon the Senator, many of them glaring, some weeping, others hopeful.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Things were far worse than Alicio had expected.

He had been to the city a few times since his first visit with Ishani Dinn . He wasn't the kind to leave a project half-completed, and with Ishani's disappearance at Tython, Alicio took over much of the day-to-day work remotely, visiting when a more personal touch was required, only stopping once he was sure the refugees would be able to stand on their own two feet. Back then, he'd thought the Potentium's interest in Calabiyau was a blessing.

Only now could he see how wrong he was. Like a mighty warhost, the banners of the Chaldean Potentium flew proud over the river, an encampment prepared, as if they were mustering for a battle. The sight of it simultaneously chilled Alicio to the bone, and boiled his blood. He glared at the sight, a moment longer than his bodyguard did.

<How could I have let this happen?> Alicio directed the question at Kai, though it was meant to be more of an inward dialogue. These refugees were his responsibility. And if the rumors were true, they had been the subject of mistreatment by the government of Chaldea for years. And now, an army had gathered at their gates. How could he have been so blind to it all?

He wasn't wallowing in self-pity. Something sharper, darker, more scalding dominated his mind. It caused him to walk just a little faster, on their way to the cathedral, a datapad tucked under his arm, his newly-replaced cybernetic hand clenching in anger.

It had taken a while to get used to the new appendage. The synthskin-covered replacement was an exact visual match to the hand he'd lost on Zaathru, and he could even feel through complicated nerve-wiring he didn't entirely understand, but something about it did feel different. Colder. Tasteless.

Oh well. Others had lost more for less.

The clacking of boots on the cathedral floor announced Alicio's presence, his black cape hanging heavily down to his calves.

"Senator Organa!"

The Count frowned, striding to the center of the room without a second thought. He turned on a heel, thundercloud eyes lingering on each face staring at him. Noting the fear. The relief. The anger. The hope.

"I need to know what's happening," he said. Despite the quiet, ponderous nature of his words, his voice resonated through the cathedral.

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

<How could I have let this happen?>

Peering at the Count with black brows raised in sympathy, Kai answered, <You didn’t know.>

Had Alicio gotten busy and lost track of his old responsibilities? Maybe. But the Potentium had covered their tracks too, falsifying reports or simply not reporting at all on what they had been doing. But their cover had eventually been blown. Now that Alicio had gone straight to the source, the people of Calabiyau were quick to inform him of all that had happened without his knowledge.

Or at least, they tried to. These people were practically talking over top of each other in their eagerness to be heard by a sympathetic ear.

“The Potentium is committing genocide! They’ve taken children from families, separated the males from the females and sterilized them!” a Chiss blurted out.

“They want us to go back to where we came from. But the worlds we came from have been destroyed. It will take generations to rebuild them,” a Shi’ido shook his head. “This is our home now. We can’t just leave.”

“So what if we grow to outnumber them? If we’re the majority, we should be the ones governing this planet!” One of the warlike Gundanbards spoke. “That is the law of nature! The strongest rule!”

“The Potentiates are gathering an army outside the city as we speak. They told us we must leave, or die.”

Kai followed the discussion, his eyes roving from speaker to speaker, until he caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd. Sister Persis Solusar. What was she doing here? Given the volatile state of the situation, he was surprised she was even able to get in. He turned to Alicio, telepathically drawing the Senator’s attention to her presence… but when he looked back, she had seemingly vanished.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Ignorance was no excuse. Nor was it any comfort to the Count, who continued his silent warpath.

Thankfully, Alicio had grown used to absorbing multiple points of information at once, or he never would have been able to keep up with the yells and pleas around the cathedral. Still, it was all overwhelming, the sounds of despair, of outrage, of loss, crowding in around him.

On top of it all, Kai turned his attention to a person that wasn't there. Another mystery, another anxiety.

Inhaling deeply, Alicio steadied himself. Exhaling deeply, he knew what they had to do.

"Kai." His voice had obtained a hasty clip. "It's time to call the Jedi. They're the only ones who could mobilize in time. Explain the situation as best you can, take the ship into orbit if Chaldea is blocking communications. Tell them... we need evacuation ships." Then, perhaps they could call the defense force, though his hope of them arriving in time was... small.

Then, Alicio turned his gaze onto the people, the leaders, around him, speaking up in an authoritative voice he seldom displayed, over the din of the crowd. "My name is Alicio. Before I was born, my family was forced to flee our home. We wound up in an unfamiliar place, had to scrape a living together to survive. I grew up on the streets. Then a small apartment. Then a modest home."

"This story should sound familiar to you. Because it's yours, too. Each and every one of you." A bit of emotion gripped his throat, but he pressed through it. "I tell you this because I need you to understand that I know the story. That I lived it beside you. That I know how it feels to lose... everything." He focused on the Shi'ido that had spoken up. "I tell you this because I need you to understand that this...!" He gestured to the grand cathedral, "This isn't home."

"Home is your family. Your clan. Your communities. Your people." He looked around the room, a new ferocity in his face. "It isn't some old stone. It isn't beneath you, or above you! It's at your side!"

"I'm going to talk to the Potentium. Try to make them see reason, or at least delay them. We're also contacting the Jedi. Hopefully, they will arrive to bolster us, and provide evac off-world. If you can escape, do it. If your back is against the wall, and you must fight, do it. Whatever happens, forget the houses. Save your homes." He left no room for argument. No time for hesitation. No expectation for applause. Cape whirling, he inclined his head to Kai.

"When you're done, meet me at the river."

It was time to parley.

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Alicio gave a rousing speech to the people. His attitude more than his words reassured them, as he was quick to take charge of the situation. He acted like he had a plan, and the resources and connections to make that plan happen.

Leaving to carry out his liege’s orders, Kai started to walk toward the ship, which was parked a short distance away. As he moved past the cathedral, movement out of the corner of his eye stopped him in his tracks. He turned, muscles tensed for battle, and found himself face to face with Persis once more.

“It was prophesied that you would save Chaldea, Kai,” she said. Her blind eyes seemed to pierce through him. “But from what?”

<You can’t expect me to defend what the Potentium has done,> he shot back. <I won’t do it, and you can’t make me.>

“Do you want to save Chaldea from itself?” she pressed. “Don’t summon the Jedi. Their arrival will be seen as an act of war, and this world cannot survive another conflict with the gods. Do not repeat the mistakes of history.”

Kai had no reason to trust her. She was a Mystic of the Potentium; all signs pointed to her being on their side, working for their interests alone. <The refugees need to be evacuated,> he said. <The only ones we can count on to do it quickly are the Jedi.>

“Remember what is written,” Persis insisted, quoting from the prophecy: “‘You will know they have come when the dragons speak.’ You won’t need to rush the evacuation if you heed the call and embrace your destiny!”

Ignoring her pleas, Kai stalked toward the ship with determination. He ascended the ramp and went straight to the comms. But as he looked over the buttons and panels, he faltered. Sister Persis had been kind to him. He wanted to believe that she wasn’t like the others, that she truly had all their best interests at heart. And while he was loath to submit to any prescribed fate, now that they had reached such a dire point he was afraid of what might happen if he didn’t become the promised savior of his homeworld.

He could still see Persis through the viewport window, standing between him and the cathedral. He turned on the exterior microphone. <Is there a better way?> he asked her, a note of desperation tinging his telepathy. <Because if there is, you had better tell me right now…>

"The Alliance doesn't understand Chaldea," Persis said. "Nor does your liege, the woman he negotiated with to create this city of refugees, or the previous regime that allowed it to happen. Not even the army across the river or the current leadership know the truth. But you do, Kai. You know that this world was never meant to be civilized. No one can lay a claim to Chaldea but the Bamarri, the living embodiment of this planet's soul. The Potentium was meant to protect your kind, not to rule or tyrannize. We have done too much, tried too hard to preserve ourselves. All that we should be saving is you."

Well, if there was one thing Persis was wrong about, it was her faith in Kai. He didn't understand what she was saying, nor was he certain he should believe her. But it wasn't up to him to decide. <Alicio,> he spoke to the Count. <Sister Persis is here. She's trying to stop me from calling the Jedi. She says that if they come, it will be considered an act of war. What should I do?>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

As he walked through the city streets of Calabiyau, Alicio couldn't help but reminisce about the history hewn into the stone. It had been but a ruin before the refugees had been allowed to build here. It was forgotten, half-sunken into the sea. But with the collaboration of the Alliance, Chaldea, and the people themselves, the city had grown into something unique. Beautiful.

If it hadn't been for the forced sterilizations and kidnappings, Alicio would have mourned it.

A tickle from the future, then a tickle at his mind.

<Alicio. Sister Persis is here. She's trying to stop me from calling the Jedi. She says that if they come, it will be considered an act of war. What should I do?>

The Count's brow furrowed, pausing his walk to stare at the stones ahead. His mental voice was burning with anger. <Genocide is an act of war. We have to help these people escape, or their blood is on my hands!> The connection between their minds revealed the depths of Alicio's rage. He was personally responsible for every person in Calabiyau. If he allowed them to die, after all the harm and hate he'd put them through already...

His decision-making skills were clouded. And he knew it.

<Sorry. I... I'm compromised, Kai. But... I trust your instincts.> Alicio stopped at the gates to the city, old and worn. Just beyond was the river. The army.

<What are they telling you?>

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Alicio gave him an answer. Anger-driven as it was, Kai would’ve accepted it. But then the Count tried to backtrack and shift the weight of the decision from himself onto his bodyguard.

<What are they telling you?>

<They’re telling me nothing, Alicio. The Force is silent. Why are you putting this on me? I’m not the one who can see the future!> Gritting his teeth in frustration, Kai let his cheek rest against the cool metal wall beside him. Like a virus, Alicio's rage had infected him. He hated being put in this position, hated not knowing what was the right thing to do.

He was terrified of making the wrong choice.

<You’re the boss. This is your call. You want the Jedi, I’ll bring the Jedi. Tell me what you want me to do.>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio's silence through their connection was underpinned by a multitude of emotions, too tangled to unbraid them from each other. Fear, guilt, that anger that was so rare for the Organa, conglomerating into something Alicio wasn't proud of.

<I can't, Kai,> he hissed through their connection. <Because right now, all I want to do is call the Jedi to keep these people safe. Even if it guarantees that war. And... that can't be me. I-I'm compromised.> It was so antithetical of him, to eschew the diplomatic solution for an aggressive play, so much so that it scared him. But if it was the only way...

Alicio closed his eyes, bowing his head as if he were praying. Whistling out a shaking breath, the Count tried to think of another option. A better way, to avert all-out war and ensure the safety of the people under his protection. And maybe he had something. It was brash, but perhaps a little safer than throwing all pretense of negotiation to the side.

<Okay. Call the Jedi, Kai. If this goes wrong, I want the Jedi here as soon as possible. But we're going to negotiate with the Potentium. If we can delay them a few days, we can warn off the Order, and deploy the Medical Fleet instead.> He was the one that facilitated the fleet's construction, for this exact kind of scenario. <If we can't make an impossible choice, we let Chaldea choose it's fate.>

<Hurry. Time is not on our side.>

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

<I can't, Kai. Because right now, all I want to do is call the Jedi to keep these people safe. Even if it guarantees that war. And... that can't be me. I-I'm compromised.>

<You think I’m not?> Kai shot back. <The survival of my species is hanging in the balance here. I’m being asked to choose whether to let evil reign, or submit to being the last of my kind!>

The connection went silent for a little while, as Alicio considered their options. When next he spoke, his words brought Kai little relief. Still, what he suggested was more hopeful than war or genocide. He could only hope that the Chaldeans would be willing to compromise.

He had a feeling they would not be, but at least then… at least…

Kai shut his eyes against the pain welling up inside him. When next he opened them, Persis Solusar had disappeared again. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he activated the comms and called the Jedi. Then he went out to meet Alicio at the river...

Alicio Organa​

 

[Jogerda of Chaldea]

The Maid of the Plains knelt down by the river, her eyes closed in prayer. Her horse was tied to a nearby willow tree, his head stooped to graze. Sunlight gleamed on the surface of her songsteel armor, reflective and clear.

Behind her eyelids, she saw dragons. They soared together across the sky, migrating en masse, as they had every seven years since the beginning of time. Always she expected to hear them speak, but they had yet to utter a sound...

Abruptly the dragons vanished, replaced by an image of a pale man, dressed all in black. With him was a white-haired figure wearing some trinket designed to confuse her sight. But Jogerda was not fooled. He must be Kai, the only Bamarri currently known to exist. The promised savior, according to Sister Persis.

Jogerda opened her eyes, and saw the two of them about to cross the river, just as they had in her vision. Hastily she got to her feet, mounted her horse, and rode out to meet them. She stopped on the other side of the bridge, sitting astride her white stallion. The camp was within shouting distance behind her. She was alone.

“Who are you?” she asked as they approached. “State your business.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

The air was heavy over Alicio as he glided across the rough stone pathways of Calabiyau, a grim look on his face. He was unable to look at the man astride him. They were caught between a rock and a hard place- they both knew it- and while there was the smallest of chances they could wriggle free, neither was optimistic. As a senator of the Galactic Alliance, Alicio had been required to make a few impossible choices during his tenure, but that didn't make them any easier.

Nor would the experience keep him from wondering if there was a magically perfect situation he wasn't smart enough to see.

“Who are you? State your business.”

The two of them stopped at the mouth of the bridge, Alicio looking across it to examine the owner of the voice. A girl, dressed in full plate, riding a white beast. Her face was youthful, but held a steadiness that was unexpected of a teenager. The Count found her eyes, gripping the datapad a little tighter.

"My name is Alicio Organa, Senator of Alderaan," he offered. "I've come to sue for time on behalf of Calabiyau." He took a step onto the bridge, expecting the warrior to lead him to the leader of the camp. Perhaps Persis, or another member of the Mystic elite.

- Jogerda of Chaldea -

 

[Jogerda of Chaldea]

Jogerda regarded Alicio coolly. “You are the man who brought the heathens to Chaldea,” she said. “You and the old Senator convinced the past regime to let them in as an act of charity. But now the old guard is gone, the war is over, the heathens are still here—and the people have come to their senses.” Her gaze shifted to Kai. “And you are—”

“His bodyguard,” he interrupted curtly. “Take us to your leader.”

Her horse flicked its tail and snorted as she leaned forward slightly in her saddle. “I am Jogerda the Maid. I am in command of this army. I have come to drive the heathen out of Chaldea. They were told to leave more than a year ago. Some went, but most stayed, believing your Alliance would defend them. But I will not wait and give you time to gather forces against us.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

The young woman seemed to know exactly who he was. Alicio nodded, not letting her cold evaluation break his calm. "One and the same."

Alicio frowned as she brought up Kai. The less she knew about him, the better, considering what parts of the prophecy he'd told Alicio.

The news that the armored girl was the leader of the army caused Alicio's brow to shoot up in surprise. She seemed young, too young to lead an army. He hadn't even been out of university when Queen Faith had entrusted Sanctuary to him, but Jogerda appeared to be a teenager. What had happened in her life to allow her the chance to command an army?

"These people are under the protection of the Galactic Alliance. We will defend them," Alicio corrected, his feet now still. His face appeared calm, but to Kai, who had known him for so long, whom he had shared his mind with, it was obvious to tell that the Count was livid. "Or avenge them."

"Jogerda the Maid. You have chosen perhaps the worst time to start a war. Do you know why?"

- Jogerda of Chaldea -

 

[Jogerda of Chaldea]

“We are not afraid to die for our faith, Senator,” Jogerda replied, unmoved by the not-so-veiled threat in Alicio’s words. “Part of what has kept our people safe over the centuries is our absolute refusal to have anything to do with Force Users. For generations, we have kept Chaldea pure and untouched. That is what you and Threepwood’s daughter did not understand—or in her case, perhaps she did this on purpose to sabotage us. She hated and resented our religion and culture. Did you know that when you decided to work with her, Senator?”

"Jogerda the Maid. You have chosen perhaps the worst time to start a war. Do you know why?"

“Because you are in peacetime, and can send all your troops here to put down our revolt?” She shrugged. “But time is on our side. We have given our ultimatum. It will not matter that your soldiers come to avenge them. The threat will be eliminated. Chaldea will be safe again.”

“The Alliance won’t just retaliate against your troops,” Kai said, unable to stay silent. “They will wage war against Chaldea itself!”

“Are you certain of that?”

“Sister Persis has seen it in her visions!” Where was Persis, anyway?

“I, too, am a seeress,” Jogerda replied. “My visions have shown me another future. One where Chaldea survives. Without the taint of the heathens and their flagrant use of the Force. I intend to make that future happen.”

And she would need Kai to do it, though she was certain he would resist. No matter. They were all tools of the Force's Will in the end. He would do as was required of him, whether he wanted to or not.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Jogerda's responses made one thing incredibly clear to Alicio; she would not change her mind.

The young girl was entirely too prepared to lay down her life, and self-assured by purpose. The only thing that separated her mindset and his was belief. Belief, and an unrepentant attitude towards killing the innocent.

"You cannot enforce your will on Fate if you are not alive to see it done," Alicio cautioned, unflinchingly still. "Your warriors have waited a year to move against the innocent people of Calabiyau. If you and your army will wait only a week, all this can be avoided." Would she do it? No, there was no chance.

But he had to offer the way out regardless.

"I am a seer as well." Alicio frowned severely. "Visions are rarely clear, and never a manual. Are you certain you haven't been blinded by your own conviction, finding what you want, rather than what will be?"

The only way to crack her stubborn defense was to introduce doubt.

- Jogerda of Chaldea -

 

[Jogerda of Chaldea]

“You would call them innocent,” Jogerda remarked. “I would not. As for delaying our attack to avoid bloodshed… I have no reason to believe you will keep your word. More likely you will report back to Coruscant what you have seen here, and then your Force User Chancellor and her Jedi generals will seek to punish us for our rebellion. There will be bloodshed no matter what, do not delude yourself into thinking otherwise. It is better for us to go down fighting freely than to live in submission to our foes.”

In other words, they were already in too deep. There was no turning back now.

When Alicio revealed that he was a seer, Jogerda laughed. “Yes, it seems there are many of us here today.” Her smile vanished and her tone darkened. “I could turn your own words against you, Alicio Organa. Perhaps it is you who are blinded by power, like all others who use the Force to command and control life. They think themselves masters over fate—but without the Force, what are they?”

She raised a gauntleted hand, the plates of metal clinking as she spread her fingers, palm facing Alicio, and suppressed his connection.

“Without the Force, what are you?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

It was like talking to an unsympathetic, stubborn statue. She was unmoving in her convictions. Still, he continued to try, if not for her sake, then for Kai's. He would exhaust every option before the nuclear one. "I am not a liar. The actions already taken by Chaldea's government will not go unpunished, but there are more options here than digging the hole deeper, and dooming the people of Chaldea along with you."

“I could turn your own words against you, Alicio Organa. Perhaps it is you who are blinded by power, like all others who use the Force to command and control life. They think themselves masters over fate—but without the Force, what are they? Without the Force, what are you?"

Alicio was thankful for his brief conversations with the Mystics of Chaldea, and with Ishani Dinn , all those years ago. He knew that there were those in the Potentiate that could cut others off from the Force. He'd mentally prepared for what it might feel like, understood that it was a possibility. But having it actually happen to him was more disorienting than he could've imagined.

The Count had gotten used to having various times to pay attention to, as if his perception was stretched forward a few seconds, existing in a few whens at once. And suddenly, that was gone, squished into only the now, the vibrancy of tastes around him growing muted and stale. Alicio blinked, wrapping a hand around his mouth for a moment, as he fought to adjust. When he finally got his bearings again, Alicio opened his eyes, squinting a little harder.

"I am Alicio Organa, Senator of Alderaan," he repeated, stepping forward again. "And I speak for the people of Calabiyau."

"It is you, Jogerda the Maid, who uses your gift to cheat fate, and control me. Without the Force, what are you?" His tone wasn't diplomatic. It was accusatory, haughty. He was calling her a hypocrite, which his negotiation instructors at New Aldera would have scoffed at. But his other techniques hadn't worked. He was running out of options, and he was beginning to lose faith that any would work.

- Jogerda of Chaldea -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Calling someone a hypocrite is counterproductive, mainly because it is a critique that can be applied to everyone who has ever lived. Jogerda seemed to take the remark in stride, as if she were used to hearing it from people whom she knew either did not and could not possibly understand, or were throwing stones from inside glass houses. “I am a Chaldean Mystic,” she replied. “And someday I too will be free of the Force. When that day comes, there will be much rejoicing. Perhaps today will be the day.”

Kai stared at her, crushed beneath the realization that this was it. She wasn’t going to change her mind. The attack would not be called off. Diplomacy wasn’t working. His home, his species, their future—it was all hanging over the edge of a cliff, about to fall.

“What I did to you is temporary,” Jogerda went on. “I could sever your connection permanently, blind you to the Force forever. But we believe that such things should be done by choice, not forced. Perhaps this taste of enlightenment will allow you to finally understand us.”

“I’m going to knock you off your high horse.”

Her gaze flicked toward Kai. The Sithspawn stepped forward, glaring at her. “You’re wrong," he said. “You’re selfish. You’re evil—and what’s worse is that you think you’re righteous.”

“Your bodyguard has a lot to say,” she muttered.

He shook his head. “I’m not just his bodyguard. I am the last Bamarri. This world is my home. It belongs to me.” He swallowed thickly, making a choice. “I’ve died three times, and been reborn; my flesh has changed, but my soul is the same. I’ve worn many faces, and parts of all.” He touched to his face, the collection of features he had gathered from the visages of those he had loved. “I have Tania Bayern’s sword. I am the promised savior of Chaldea, and if I have to kill you to save it, I will.”

For a few moments, all was eerily silent and still. Then, Jogerda’s lips curled upward in a faint smile. “I’ve no doubt about it,” she said. Then, with a flick of her reins, she turned and rode back to the camp.

Kai watched her go, before he turned and seized Alicio by the shoulders, practically lifting the shorter man off his feet. <We’re fethed,> he said, eyes wide. <We have to go back to the city and defend those people. Let’s go!>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

I'll gladly help free you from the Force, Alicio didn't say. If he were any weaker a man, he would've spat far worse curses at the Maid. Here was someone unapologetic about the genocide of thousands of refugees, who had the audacity to say that he was the oppressor...

Thankfully, what he couldn't say, Kai was all too happy to let her know, and more.

Looking over at the Bamarri with a hint of concern as he revealed himself, Alicio eventually let his face even out. Kai's approach was undiplomatic, but this had never really been a negotiation to begin with, had it? Only a meeting of two immovable idealisms, and the inevitable clash between them.

Alicio glared after Jogerda as she galloped away on her horse, a hard, conflicted expression on his face. It was only when Kai practically lifted him up by the shoulders that the Count released his grip on the holdout pistol in his cape. "Right," he said, a little disoriented. "Just... one moment."

The Count flexed his fingers, trying to summon his Gift. Frowning, he dug deep, headed straight to the source of his strength. There were people behind that wall that were relying on them. Mothers, fathers, children, innocents that had already seen enough of hell. Their roads were already so cruel- if the Potentium's fate for them promised only more cruelty, Alicio would simply break it.

The Force came surging back to him, energy like electricity surging through his body. The Count knelt at the bridge's edge, letting his cybernetic hand graze the ancient stone beneath. And he focused on those strong emotions, his fierce care, his need to rise above. The bite of Winter.

Alicio exhaled, condensation blooming from his mouth like a white mist.

Crackling with cold, the bridge froze beneath his touch, the synthskin on his hand crumbling away from the chill. A subtle push through the Force, and the structure fractured from their side, sending the whole thing tumbling into the river beneath. Alicio stood, shaking out his arm, which had also begun to sprout rime up the sleeve, and turned to follow Kai back to the city.

It was time to rally the people, evacuate who they could, and prepare Calabiyau for war.

- Arlo Renard -