Private We're Getting Old

[Dax Perl]

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[ D A X...P E R L ]

............The two Forcers sat in Dax's study, relics of all kinds hanging from the walls, or on shelves or desks. It was more than a step up from their old stomping grounds, from a time when they were still enemies of sorts, who would set aside their conflicts only for a few drinks. My, how things had changed. They weren't enemies any more, for one. In fact, they hadn't been enemies in quite a long time, and yet Dax still remembered them trying to stab each other. Additionally, they weren't just some knights or apprentices, or even just masters. They were, of course, still masters of their respective orders, but they were other things too. Regents, leaders of companies and corporations. They'd come a long way since their first meeting.

............The liquid went down smoothly, only the slightest sensation of warmth filling his belly. Dax looked at the amber liquid curiously, before setting the glass down on the table between himself and his companion with a quiet clinking sound. "Is all fancy alcohol like this?" Dax asked aloud. He never really drank this kind of stuff, despite definitely being able to afford. This particular bottle had been a bonus from a smuggling operation he'd ran a while back. There was a whole crate of the stuff on his ship due to that. He might have to start drinking it more often.

Kaalia Pavanos

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

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Originally, Kaalia had set out on her trip for business-related reasons. Her wife Ishana's idea to set up a company had grown into a proper family business with Kaalia's extra pair of hands and there was always more work to be done. This time, Kaalia had travelled to Won Shasot to track down a new strain of plant to add to the collection they had in their growhouse already, but as it so happened she ended up bumping into a familiar face. One she hadn't seen in years, much like the last time they met. And the time before that. It felt like tradition at this point.

"Most of it, yes. I'll admit, sometimes I wish I could still feel the buzz that came with a good drink." Over the years, Kaalia continued pushing the boundaries of her natural, Force-born resistance to toxins. It had developed to the point where she had become immune to the effects of alcohol. At least she could still enjoy the taste. "I'm surprised you've never tried the better stuff before. Surely someone like you could easily get your hands on it," the woman remarked with a curious tone. She rose her own glass to her lips, and took a healthy sip. The burning sensation was still nice.

"Ever thought you'd have a Sith here in your study?" As far back as the two went, it had never been on fully friendly terms. Allegiances technically still made them enemies, but with every day that passed Kaalia became more detached from the empire she once helped build. Things were different now and her priorities had also shifted. Family came before everything else and so she had stepped away from the duties she had once taken upon her. She couldn't be happier now that she was able to solely focus on the most important people in her life.

Perhaps the next time they met, there was nothing left to make them enemies.

"All jokes aside, I hope things have been going well on your end. Quite a lot has happened since last time."

Dax Perl ​

 

[Dax Perl]

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[ D A X...P E R L ]

............Dax chuckled, a smile playing at his lips. "I think that means you're not drinking enough." he told her. Dax shrugged at Kaalia's remark of surprise, "I'm a creature of habit, I guess." He'd always stuck to his cheap whiskey and cigarettes. Dax picked up his own drink and took another sip. He was still surprised at how smoothly the drink went down.

............Smiling again at Kaalia's question, Dax said, "No, Sith, never. Friends?...maybe." Of course, that wasn't just because of his alignment and allegiances. A quick glance around the room at the numerous objects in boxes of nullification resin, and it was obvious why Dax would let very few people in the room.

............"Well..." Dax leaned back in his chair as he thought. She was right, a lot had happened since they'd last seen each other. Both good and bad. But who wanted to dwell on misfortune and mistakes anyways? "I got married." he remarked, "and I have children too. Man, I don't understand how you handled twins!" Dax remembered the endless sleepless nights after Ojo had been born. He'd never had to deal with that with his other children, all of them being adopted. It was a blessing, he was sure.

"A lot's of other things happened, but what about yourself? What brings you here anyways, I doubt it was to visit an old enemy."

Kaalia Pavanos

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Friends. Kaalia smiled at the word. "Fair enough. I'm not much of Sith nowadays, anyway." It was a strange admission, but she felt like she could trust Dax enough to tell him. She still held the title, technically, but she hadn't used it since handing over her other title of Valkyrie matriarch to Vaylin. Her legacy remained as stories of the mighty Darth Avacyn were still told across the empire, but that side of her was slowly turning into nothing but myth and legend. Darth Avacyn served Kaalia Pavanos, and her duty had been served. She could rest, now.

While she smiled before, Kaalia couldn't help but chuckle at what Dax had to say about children. "Congratulations are in order, then. Dax the family man, what a glow-up," she jested as she raised her glass. "To your family's health." She downed the rest of the glass and set it down with a satisfying thud. As all-consuming as it was, raising a family gave Kaalia joy like nothing else.

"Oh, and it's not just the twins anymore. We ended up having two more and very recently adopted a fifth. At least she's an adult already," Kaalia explained, a slight air of relief in her voice. "I told Ishana number three was the last one. One unread manual later, we were having number four anyway." The shock had been short-lived, though. Gideon was a treasure.

"And when Ishana met my apprentice, the first thing she said was how much she looked like our daughter Azarin," she continued as she took the bottle off the table to refill her glass. "And then she decided to adopt her. I didn't have much of a choice in the matter." She was more than okay with it, though. Aradia deserved a home.

"This is what happens when you bring up family," the woman joked as she put the bottle back down. It was the most important thing in her life, after all. She wouldn't apologize for the long story. "To answer your question, though, I came here for business reasons. I'm looking for a particular plant which apparently grows here. Ishana and I started a growhouse. Perhaps you could help me track it down."

Dax Perl
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[Dax Perl]

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............Dax raised his own glass to the toast, saying "And to yours." It really was strange to think that someone he'd vehemently tried to kill the first couple of times they'd met had actually become one of his better and longest friends since then. The Force truly worked in mysterious ways.

............It was pleasant to sit back, gently sipping on whiskey, and listen to Kaalia ramble on about her family, surprising as it was to hear she'd had and adopted even more children. He'd never have guessed that she was a family woman in the past. Then again, he never would have pegged himself as a family man. It must be true what they said about children. Light of their lives, blah blah blah. But, truthfully, Dax's entire world was his family, and he'd go to any lengths for them. Any at all.

............"A plant?" Dax wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly the first time. It wasn't until Kaalia had started to explain that he began to understand. "So what kind of plant are you looking for exactly?" he asked curiously.

Kaalia Pavanos

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"Apparently it's called elderthorn. The source I found it in was nearly ancient, though."

When it came to the more obscure flora used for medicinal uses, literature was difficult to come by. With the sheer size of the galaxy and the vast number of species that inhabited it, some were incredibly difficult to track down. At least Kaalia found the hunt more interesting that way. It certainly led to frustration from time to time, though.

"It said elderthorn was native to Won Shasot and that it was fairly rare. It has a calming effect and when used before sleep, it is said to reduce nightmares," Kaalia explained, though if Dax knew of it he'd likely already know. "I was looking to collect a sample to grow back home." It would also serve as an extra strain to attempt cross-breeding with, though Ishana and herself were quite careful about that. They had some potent strains already, there was no reason to produce anything dangerous

"For all I know the entire book was bogus, but it was worth coming down to Won Shasot for," the woman added as she shrugged. "At least it wasn't completely for nothing, though." She smiled; Dax was one of the few people she could discuss the simple things with. She was grateful for that. "We really shouldn't forget to exchange contact info this time."

Kaalia picked up her glass again, taking a good sip before turning her attention back to Dax. "I wasn't joking earlier, by the way. I could down an entire bottle and feel nothing."

Dax Perl ​

 

[Dax Perl]

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............"Elderthorn..." Dax repeated the name quietly as he thought, finger tapping the crystal glass in his hand. He took another sip before speaking, "It sounds familiar, but I'm not quite sure. Why don't we go see my first mate, Brill. She's...brilliant, to say the least. I don't think I'd get anything done if it weren't for her. Oh, and she can ensure I have your info stored on all my ships..."

............Dax polished his glass and stood. At Kaalia's comment about downing an entire bottle, he raised an eyebrow and gestured towards her, as if to say, "go on, do it then." He had plenty more bottles lying around somewhere.

............"To be honest, I wasn't aware any literature on Won Shasot existed," Dax said as the pair of Forcers exited the study. "I'd love to see this text one day, if you still have it." Dax had known that, at one point in their history, the Shasoti had developed rather impressive space faring technologies. Their more experimental vessels might've even surpassed what existed today. His Sparrow was one such vessel. He supposed it was pretty reasonable that some writings had made it out into the larger galaxy before the Sith arrived.

............Dax lead the way as they traversed the pyramid's perimeter. The massive building, was made up of several tiers, all layered upon each other, one after the other. Naturally, the living quarters and other similar functioning spaces were placed up near the top most tiers. So as the pair traveled downward, via newly installed lifts and ancient staircases, they'd pass a variety of rooms with other functions. Warrooms, training areas, communcations centers, armories, even strangely ritualistic rooms with wide basins in the center. Won Shasot was truly centered around this building.

Kaalia Pavanos

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Dax Perl

He didn't believe her. The eyebrow was met by a grin, Kaalia would show him the moment she got the chance, though it seemed now was not the moment. Simply drinking the whole bottle still took time to do. For now, though, the conversation shifted towards the hunt for elderthorn. It seemed like it wasn't a complete shot in the dark, but somehow Kaalia didn't think they'd just run into some at random.

"Any help would be more than welcome. Remind me to send you and Brill some samples of our products, as thanks," Kaalia remarked as they got moving. The business was quickly expanding its collection of strains, so they'd be receiving a wide variety of product.

"I can send you a digitized version, but it's just a book on botany. the planet's only mentioned in a page or two, describing a few unique species. Nothing too special, sadly." Hopefully Dax hadn't got his hopes up. There wasn't anything else mentioned about Won Shasot. None of the named planets got that luxury, in fact.

The two make their way around the pyramid that housed Dax' study, a most impressive building. Kaalia preferred the simple life on the Pavanos family estate, but definitely wasn't above marvelling at architectural feats.

"What's it like, running a planet?" Her time on the Dark Council of the Sith Empire had given her a good idea of what leadership looked like, but she assumed his station to be quite a bit different regardless.

 

[Dax Perl]

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............"What exactly is your product?" Dax asked as the two rounded another corner, "Medicine? Sithspawn, custom made?" The last one was made in jest. As far as Dax knew, Kaalia had never dabbled in Sith alchemy, although he didn't really think he'd be surprised if she had. Nor did he think she dealt in medicine, either. It just didn't seem like her style.

............Just a page or two. "Well, I'd love to take a look regardless. Thanks," Even a page or two was impressive. As far as he'd known, Won Shasot was a galactic mystery until he and Nate had stumbled upon it. It made him wonder what other ancient Shasoti secrets had drifted out into the greater galaxy...perhaps another expedition was in order...

............"It's fething awful," the King said dryly, "If someone ever asks you to rule them, get in your starship and punch it. It's a pain in the ass no one needs." Clearly the man had some strong opinions on ruling. "The Shasoti warred with each other for more than ten millennia before Nate and I had found them. Ten fething millennia. I don't even know what sparked the conflict to begin with, and it seems that they don't either. It took the annihilation of a second clan to end the conflict and unite them." Dax's face grew grim as he though back to that day. The thunder, the rain. The death of another loved one and his swift revenge.

............"You'd think after drawing blood for that long, they'd be glad to have some peace finally. But no, the clans are always looking for another excuse to start killing each other again. Not only that, but the Kotski, and the Haski will take any shot they can at dethroning me. Not that I'd mind, if I'm going to be entirely honest. The only clan really backing me one hundred percent are the Ashans..." Dax began to rub his temples. The topic was giving him a headache. "Ki is lucky. At least her people rallied behind her, with a common goal." And then Dax remembered something, "Oh yeah, you served on the Dark Council for a time, didn't you? I imagine it was a lot like that."

Kaalia Pavanos

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Dax Perl

"Herbal remedies. Nothing so crass as Sithspawn," Kaalia replied, her voice dipped into an amused tone. "It was Ishana's idea, and I help where I can. Gives me something to do outside of family matters." As much as she loved her family, having something else to focus on every once in a while was a welcome thing. "I'll send it your way the moment I get home."

Won Shasot didn't look like the most idyllic place in the galaxy, but with the context Dax gave her Kaalia began to wonder why he even tried ruling this place. It really did seem like a gargantuan commitment while receiving little in return. Keeping a planet like this from devolving back into chaos likely took more than enough of his time. Ultimately, though, it was his own decision to make that investment.

"It was never that bad, trust me," the woman told Dax as they approached another staircase. "People actually listened to me when I was in charge. Other matters were a waste of time to address, and that frustrated me, but I didn't need to unify warring clans." She certainly didn't miss that time, but she didn't regret it either. She had done all she could to steer the empire she helped into what she believed to be the right direction. Ever since her departure the empire was going downhill quickly, though. Still, it wasn't her responsibility anymore and she didn't need the empire either.

The most challenging thing to deal with during that time was her growing realization she was slowly but surely changing. She still held the title of Sith today, but she had never felt this disconnected from it. Perhaps it was time to leave it behind.

 

[Dax Perl]

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............Dax listened to the little Kaalia had to share about her time on the Council. How funny it was that they'd both grown so much together, in spite of the galaxy's expectation one have killed the other by now. While he wouldn't go so far to say as they'd reached the heights they had to spite such expectations, he wondered if there was some cosmic irony in it.

............There was a little bit of silence, as Dax glanced over at his companion. "What's on your mind, Kaalia?" He asked. She clearly seemed to be deep in though. On what though, the man could not be sure. In fact, he was beginning to think that she was one of the very few people in the galaxy that he could never figure out what was going on in her head.

Kaalia Pavanos

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Dax Perl

He'd noticed. Kaalia sighed as she tried to return the topic back to the back of her mind. It was no use, though; there was serious inner conflict present within the woman's thoughts. She'd have asked Dax for advice, but she knew what he'd say already. This was a decision she had to make herself. She just needed more time to do so. There was no point in telling him anything, but on the other hand it wouldn't hurt either. She trusted him to keep it to himself, whether that was justified or not.

"Everything, and I mean everything," Kaalia began, placing heavy emphasis on the last word, "stays between us. I trust you can keep your mouth shut about this." It wasn't a big ask, either.

"I've become... how do I put it, disillusioned with the empire. The Sith, specifically." Kaalia wasn't one to open up about her troubles to anyone but those closest to her. From the way she spoke, it was clear this was a big thing for her. "Things just... aren't how they used to be. That sense of brotherhood has been lost over the years. Like they are going through the motions without thinking of why." The Sith that replaced the old didn't know the same struggle they did.

"It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't seen it all from the inside. I just... I feel disconnected from it all, now. The empire I helped build isn't there anymore."

 

[Dax Perl]

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............"I'm not even sure who I would tell, but of course. I'll take it with me to the grave," Dax promised. Whatever it was that Kaalia had to share, he had no reason to share it with others. Her business was hers alone, he just happened to be a pesky interloper who knew to keep his mouth shut. And on the off chance it was related to galactic politics, he'd left that scene behind years ago, and he was quite content never re-entering it.

............The man nodded slowly as he listened to Kaalia's words. She was right that he couldn't quite understand what she'd meant. He'd left the Jedi of his own accord, and the Judges, though tight-knit, like a family, were also very independent from each other. The sense of brotherhood and camaraderie was certainly different from what he imagined existing within the ranks of the Sith. Dax couldn't even claim to understand what it was like to watch something you build and bled for crumble beneath your feet. He'd been spared the pain of watching the OPA dissolve, thankfully.

............"Whatever happens, whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll make the right one." There was no point in giving the whole spiel about having to make your own choices, become your own person and grab life by the balls, blah blah blah. She probably heard it all before. Besides, it sounded like she knew that already, and she was just looking for her way out.

............The two Forcers rounded one last corner, and entered a room that was the most peculiar mix of laboratory, war room, and logistics center all wrapped into one. At the far end of the room, rows of computers and communication equipment, and on the side closest to the entrance, test tubes, microscopes, biological and inorganic samples, and papers strewn about, but simultaneously neatly organized. In the center of it all, was a large holotable, with chairs situated around it. For the moment, it projected what appeared to be an errant signal of some sort, which illuminated the room. And standing at the table, with her arms crossed crossed was a brunette woman with piercing green eyes and a saber on her hip.

"Brill," Dax addressed her as the pair entered the room, "We have a guest. Kaalia Pavanos, this is Sienna Brill. Brill, Kaalia."

"Pleasure to meet you," the woman said with a cool smile extending her hand.

"Ms. Pavanos here is looking for a plant native to Won Shasot, Elderthorn, I think you said it was?" Dax said turning to Kaalia.

"Wow, miss? The Marshall must really respect you, I don't think I've ever heard him call anyone Miss or Mister before." Brill remarked in surprise.

"Brill, I don't pay you to spread rumors."

"You don't pay me at all, sir. That'd be Marshal Sar'andor now."

"Yes, and Force help us all..."

Kaalia Pavanos

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Dax Perl

The right choice, Dax said. Kaalia wasn't even sure if there was a right or wrong choice to make. What mattered more to her was whether she was choosing her path based on her own desires, rather than those of others. If she asked another Sith, they'd tell her to stay, but those outside of the circle would tell her otherwise. She herself was split right down the middle; as much as she believed in the core tenets of the Sith, she had never seen them executed in the way she felt was proper. Perhaps she had been the one who was wrong all along.

It was something to be contemplated some other time, though. Right now, Kaalia had a plant to track down and people who could help her find it. The woman silently followed Dax into the room and looked around for just a moment until the other two people started speaking. Dax introduced her and Brill to each other, smiles were exchanged and Kaalia shook Brill's hand.

"Well met," Kaalia replied before Dax continued, which led to an exchange between him and Brill that left the redhead chuckling. "We go quite some ways back," she explained, "but Kaalia will do just fine." She had never been fond of formalities, even during her time in high government positions. Only when necessary did she demand formal titles, beyond that she made sure people talked to her on a first name basis.

"But, yes. I am looking for elderthorn to harvest, so my wife and I can grow it back home."