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Like Moths to the Flame


Vesaniae

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The reckoning approaches! :D

 

Iriath - Corellia (1/3)

 

 

Iriath held his daughter and tried not to panic. He had never seen her like this, never. He maneuvered them over to a nearby crate and sat down on top of it, drawing Tessa up onto his lap. She nestled against him and continued to cry.

 

What had happened? He was not sure what could drive his normally cheerful Tessa to such misery. He would do his best to find the answer once she had calmed down. If she calmed down. Stars, he was no good at this sort of thing. All he could do was hold her and try to be comforting.

 

In the back of his mind, he remembered that he had a mission, that he had a place to be, but at that moment it didn't matter. Tessa needed him. His responsibilities could wait.

 

Eventually, her tears subsided. She huddled against him, shaking, as she struggled to catch her breath. Iriath rubbed her back, although she probably couldn't feel it through her armor, and made soothing noises.

 

"I'm sorry," she muttered, grabbing a corner of her cloak and mopping at her eyes.

 

"It's quite all right," he said quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

 

Tessa looked up at him, her pale green eyes wide and bloodshot. "I made a mistake, Daddy. I made a really stupid mistake."

 

And then she explained. Stumbling over her words, choking and nearly crying again when she said a name, she told him.

 

Iriath felt a chill run through him at her words. "And...what is the situation on your ship now?" he asked carefully.

 

"He's locked in the cargo hold," Tessa sniffed. "I told the others not to hurt him. I know I should have let him, but I couldn't—I didn't—"

 

"It's all right," Iriath said. "You don't have to deal with it. Come on." He eased them both to their feet and started towards his ship, keeping an arm around Tessa. She followed without protest or request for explanation.

 

He ushered her aboard and led her straight to his quarters. "Stay here, sweetheart," he told her. "The door is biolocked so only I can access it."

 

Tessa sat down on his bed and stared blankly in front of her.

 

"Where is your ship?" he asked gently.

 

"Docking bay sixteen," she whispered.

 

He hated to leave her like this, but there were things that desperately needed doing.

 

"I'll be back soon," Iriath said, and left, locking the door behind him.

 

Vector, who had been sitting in the common room, approached him as soon as he emerged. "Something is wrong," he said softly. "We feel it."

 

"Very wrong," Iriath agreed. "But I'm going to do my best to take care of it." He started to move down the hall, then paused, turning back to Vector. "If Tessa comes out, please take care of her. Don't let anyone else disturb her."

 

Vector bowed his head. "We will watch," he said, and settled himself back on the couch opposite the door to Iriath's quarters.

 

"Thank you," Iriath said softly, and headed down the hall. Halfway to his intended destination, he encountered the one he sought.

 

"There is a new life-form aboard," SCORPIO observed, her orange optics fixing on him. "Your pulse is accelerated, and your brain activity is spiking in areas that coincide with many mammals' primal urge to defend other members of their social group. Interesting."

 

"You're coming with me," Iriath said grimly.

 

He was not sure how a droid with a fixed expression managed to look inquisitive, but she did it. "The probability of your specifically requesting my presence is approximately three point seven four percent," she said. "You are behaving in a most atypical manner today."

 

"It's an atypical day," Iriath said, shrugging. He turned and walked towards the hatch, every sense on the alert for an attack from behind. He did not trust that thing, but she was useful sometimes.

 

He glanced over his shoulder. SCORPIO had only moved a few steps in his direction. "Come on," he said lightly. "We're going to kill someone very, very slowly, and I know you can't resist the chance to observe the extent of someone's tolerance for pain. Let's get moving."

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:D I'm glad to see you all are enjoying the buildup. Thanks for putting up with my very slow drawing out of this situation. I'll probably have the rest of this up later today, because screw once a day updates, exciting things are happening!

 

Iriath - Corellia (2/3)

 

When he reached Docking Bay 16, it occurred to Iriath that he had just done the very thing he probably should not have done: rushed into a situation without adequate preparation. Even the most novice officer or agent knew that was one of the easier ways to get yourself killed.

 

He had no idea what he would be up against, if Tessa's crew would be hostile, anything. But he was here, so he decided that he might as well keep going. He glanced over at SCORPIO, who padded silently beside him. If it came down to a fight, he knew from experience that the droid was considerably tougher than she looked.

 

Tessa's ship was a rather nice Fury-class interceptor. Those were all the rage among Sith these days, if the contents of other hangars he'd glanced into were any indication. It appeared to be unguarded, but he approached with caution.

 

"Scan the area," Iriath ordered SCORPIO quietly.

 

"Three life-forms aboard the ship," she replied. "Two concealed outside."

 

"Concealed where, exactly—"

 

Before he could finish the sentence, a young woman in Sith robes sprang out of the shadows under the ship's wings and landed directly in front of him, drawing a double-bladed lightsaber. A moment later, a large man in Imperial trooper armor walked out to stand near her, hefting an assault cannon.

 

And now the tricky part. Iriath lifted his hands into the air. "My intentions are peaceful."

 

The soldier snorted. "Sure they are. Who are you?"

 

"I'm Major James Iriath, formerly Imperial Intelligence operative Cipher Nine, now part of Lord Razer's infantry division," Iriath said quickly.

 

The young woman closed her eyes for a long moment. "He's not lying," she said distantly. "He's—" She opened her eyes and looked at Iriath with a small frown. "You're Tessa's father."

 

"That's correct," he answered. She let her crew call her Tessa?

 

The woman smiled faintly. "I'm Jaesa Willsaam. Tessa's apprentice."

 

Apprentice? Jaesa looked older than Tessa! Then again, who knew how those things worked...

 

"This burly fellow," Jaesa continued, gesturing to the soldier, "is Lieutenant Pierce, who can put his giant cannon away now because we're in no danger."

 

Pierce gave a dark grin and slung the weapon up onto his back. "Who's the shiny job?"

 

"SCORPIO," said SCORPIO, and left it at that.

 

Jaesa blinked. "So what brings you here? I don't suppose you've seen Tessa?"

 

Iriath nodded. "Tessa is on my ship. When she returns is entirely up to her. As for my purpose here, I am looking for someone."

 

Pierce narrowed his eyes. "A Captain Malavai Quinn, perhaps?"

 

Iriath nodded.

 

"Well, you've come to the right place," Pierce said. "The slimy bastard is locked up in the cargo hold, and we're under orders not to touch him. Damn shame."

 

Iriath met Pierce's gaze. "I'm under no such orders," he said softly. "And if he was spying for Baras, he might have useful information."

 

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Jaesa asked, frowning.

 

Pierce started to smirk. "They say you Cipher agents are good at interrogatations."

 

"I know a few tricks," Iriath said pleasantly. "If you'll allow me aboard?"

 

Pierce's smirk widened. "By all means. Sir."

 

"I don't know about this," Jaesa said uneasily. "Tessa's orders—"

 

"Tessa is not thinking clearly right now," Iriath said. "She may be a Sith, but I'm still her father, and I am acting in her best interests. Wouldn't you agree, Lieutenant?"

 

"Definitely," Pierce said. "And I'm more than willing to assist."

 

Jaesa looked back and forth between the two men, and seemed to recognize that her objections were futile. "Fine," she snapped. "I'll be out here, watching the perimeter." She walked away quickly, putting her lightsaber back on her belt as she went.

 

Pierce shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder about her..." He looked at Iriath. "This way, sir," he said, and headed for the ship.

 

 

A note on Iriath's non-Intelligence rank: To the best of my knowledge, agents who are not the Hand of Jadus become lieutenants. However, since Iriath was already a major before being transferred to Intelligence, he got to go right back to what he was since he already had a history in the military. Also because dammit, he will outrank Quinn if it kills me. ;)

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If even Sith!Quinn thinks this Quinn is evil... :eek: That's some serious evil. And now he gets his just desserts.

 

Iriath - Corellia (3/3)

 

 

Quinn sat straight-backed on a crate in the cargo bay and waited for death. He knew it would come for him eventually. He had failed, and so he would die. That was the way life worked in the Empire.

 

The door slid open, and Pierce ushered in a man dressed in a long, black armored jacket that had seen considerable wear and tear. A silver droid with feminine proportions lurked just outside in the hall.

 

The man moved forward, eyeing him warily.

 

"Hello, Quinn," Pierce said, dislike clearly evident in his voice. "This is Major Iriath. That surname ring any bells?"

 

Quinn was no fool. Of course he recognized the name. He recognized the face, too—he'd researched Tessa's background extensively in preparation for his mission. A dead Sith mother, and an Imperial soldier father who'd been transferred to Intelligence.

 

And now the latter was standing before him. According to the file, he was only four years Quinn's senior, though he looked older. His hair was completely gray, and he had a number of small scars on his face that hadn't been present in the image on record. There was also a subtle air of weariness to him that no image could properly convey. He had jade-green eyes that were exactly the same color as Tessa's, but there was a venom in those eyes that she could never have mustered.

 

He had no doubt that this man was here to kill him. Tessa must have told him everything.

 

"On your feet, Captain," Iriath ordered.

 

Quinn silently slid down from the crate and stood at attention. He was a few inches taller than the soldier-turned-agent.

 

"Do you know who I am?" Iriath asked.

 

"According to Imperial military records, you are Lord Vrintessia's father," Quinn replied, meeting his eyes calmly.

 

"That's right," Iriath said softly. "She told me everything, Quinn. She told me what you did to her."

 

"I have no regrets," Quinn said blithely. "I acted in the best interests of the Empire." There was no point in resisting. Better to get it over with.

 

"So this was all just a mission?"

 

"I should think that you of all people would understand that," Quinn murmured. "You are an Intelligence agent, after all."

 

"Yes," Iriath said quietly after a moment, startling him. "I do understand. That's the strangest part of all of this. That when it all comes down to it, you and I are not so different after all. We're patriots. Soldiers. We do what we're told and we don't question the morality of it, lest we go mad from the futility of it all.

 

"What's the difference between what you've done and what I've done? Not much, really, except that your actions have affected someone that I love very much. It's personal. We soldiers, we're not supposed to let things be personal. We're supposed to let the rules and regulations do the thinking for us.

 

"It's easier to divide the galaxy into black and white, us and them, and believe in the rightneousness of our cause even when we know in our hearts that we and the enemy are no different. Do you truly believe that this was the right thing to do, Quinn?"

 

He hesitated for a long moment before answering. "I followed my orders to the letter," he said slowly. "That, I believe, is right. I did not care for this assignment, but as you said, it's not my place to question."

 

"Perhaps you should have."

 

"And defy the will of a Sith? That would go against everything that our Empire stands for."

 

Iriath shrugged. "Defy one Sith and save another. Perhaps it would have been worth it."

 

"Your daughter is not much of a Sith," Quinn said flatly.

 

Iriath's face remained expressionless. "Not much of a Sith," he repeated. "And yet she killed Darth Vengean."

 

"With the help of one of Vengean's apprentices, another agent of Baras."

 

"The point stands."

 

Quinn shook his head. "She is not fit to be the Wrath."

 

"So you think the Emperor made a mistake."

 

"The Emperor," Quinn snapped, "is an absentee landlord. Better management is needed."

 

"And you believed that Darth Baras would provide this 'better management'?" Iriath asked, shaking his head.

 

"It was my duty to serve him."

 

Iriath smiled thinly. "And to think that if it weren't for me, Darth Jadus could be sitting on the Emperor's throne even as we speak. But that's another matter entirely. The question now is, what am I going to do with you?"

 

"I attempted to murder a Sith Lord," Quinn said tonelessly. "The punishment for that crime is execution."

 

"As far as the rest of the Empire is concerned, that Sith was a fugitive."

 

"I failed my master."

 

"So you did," Iriath mused. He regarded Quinn with a detached air. "The curious thing about justice is that it's very easy to talk about in the abstract, but when it becomes personal, well... It's an entirely different matter. We really aren't so different, you and I. Perhaps I'm fortunate that my wife was killed before I found myself receiving similar orders to the ones you acted upon. On a purely logical level, you are not responsible for this. You were given your orders and you had no choice but to carry them out. I cannot fault you for that.

 

"However," he continued, his eyes turning as cold as dead stars, "You hurt my daughter. The one person in the galaxy who could be considered my weakness. The problem with men like me, though, is that when those weak points are attacked, they don't falter. They strike back. They seek vengeance."

 

Iriath turned away and looked to Pierce and the strange silver droid who both stood in the doorway. "I'll take him out to the city," he said briskly. "Best to get this done in a secluded spot, where it won't seem strange to find an officer's body."

 

And then they dragged him away.

 

 

*****

 

 

It was the first time that Iriath had made use of his interrogation training, but he remembered it all quite clearly. The results suggested that he'd done things correctly.

 

"Impressive," SCORPIO murmured as he strode towards the mouth of the alleyway, and the street beyond.

 

"What is?" Iriath inquired.

 

"Such endurance in one of your species. It's almost unprecedented."

 

Iriath glanced behind him at the crumpled form that lay in the shadows. It stirred very faintly. Still alive, for a few moments longer.

 

"We humans are a durable lot," he told SCORPIO. "You'd be surprised what we can put up with."

 

"I was," she admitted, sounding almost wry. "I have adjusted my algorithms accordingly."

 

"Good for you," Iriath said, stepping out onto the street and making his way back towards the spaceport.

 

Several Imperial soldiers gave him odd looks as he passed. Glancing down at himself, he saw that there was a great deal more blood on him than the alley's dim lightning had suggested. He should have worn his uniform; it would have been less suspicious. Too late now, however.

 

"You enjoyed that," SCORPIO commented a few moments later.

 

"Probably as much as you enjoy commenting on my brain activity," he retorted.

 

She did not respond for several more minutes, then spoke as if continuing her previous statement without regard for the passage of time. "Not as much as I thought you would."

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On behalf of all of us Quinns, I must lodge an official protest.

Oh shut up.

I didn't say I enjoy filing the protest. Although I do. I love the Form 342/B. So symmetrical.

So you agreed with this Quinn? Liked him even?

Oh heavens no. He was horrible. I'm glad he's gone.

Then why are you filing a protest?

But...the Form 342/B. Look at it! The perfection!

*sigh* Wait, there's a form to protest the execution of a character in a work of fan fiction?

The Empire has a form for everything.

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Sorry about the delays in updating... I've been playing the game rather than writing about it. :rolleyes: Anyway, I'm pleased to see that you have all been enjoying the latest developments, and I hope this story continues to be fun!

 

Iriath and Tessa - Corellia

 

Aboard X-70B Phantom-class starship

11 ATC

 

 

When Iriath returned to his ship, he found that nothing seemed to have changed during his absence. The door to his quarters was still shut, and Vector was still seated on the couch on the opposite side of the room.

 

"We take it your mission was successful," Vector said as Iriath walked past.

 

"Very," he replied. He glanced at the door, then back to Vector. "Has she—"

 

Vector shook his head.

 

Iriath sighed softly, then unlocked the door and slipped inside.

 

Tessa was sitting on his bed, her holocom in her hand and activated. He recognized the blue image as being that of the young woman he'd met earlier, Jaesa Willsaam.

 

"You're absolutely sure?" Jaesa was saying.

 

Tessa met Iriath's gaze for a moment, then returned her attention to the hologram. "I'm sure, Jaesa."

 

"I do understand, I guess," Jaesa said. "I just—will you be all right?"

 

Tessa nodded. "What about you?"

 

"I'll figure something out," Jaesa said determinedly. "Will I be hearing from you again?"

 

"Probably not," Tessa said softly.

 

Iriath frowned. What was going on?

 

"Then goodbye, and may the Force be with you," Jaesa told her.

 

"And with you," Tessa murmured, and closed the channel.

 

"What was that about?" Iriath inquired, walking over to the bed.

 

"Tsk!" Tessa snapped as he started to sit down. "You're covered in blood. Take the jacket off first. You'll ruin the sheets."

 

That sounded much more like the old Tessa, but she didn't smile like she normally would have when she said the words. Still, if it meant that she was feeling better, he'd take what he could get.

 

"It's my bed, I'll get blood on it if I want to," Iriath said wryly, removing his jacket anyway and tossing it to one side.

 

She shook her head. "I thought they beat untidiness out of cadets their first week at the Academy."

 

"Quite true. Cipher agents, however, can throw their clothes on the floor if they please."

 

Tessa gave a small smile. It looked like it took some effort, but she still did it. It was a welcome sight. "I always had a feeling our apartment only ever stayed neat because of me."

 

"It probably did," he conceded. He paused for a moment, then said cautiously, "You seem more like yourself."

 

"I feel a little better," she said quietly. "I've made a decision that helped a lot, I think."

 

Iriath raised an eyebrow. "Does this have to do with whatever it was you were discussing when I walked in?"

 

"Mm," she said. Her smiled widened slightly. "I'm staying."

 

"What do you mean?" he asked warily.

 

Tessa took a deep breath. "I'm not going back," she said firmly. "I'm not going back to my crew. I called Jaesa and explained things to her; they'll disperse, go into hiding so that Baras doesn't go after them. As for me, I would like to stay here, help you with whatever it is you're doing."

 

"But why?" Iriath asked, shaking his head. "Being Sith is who you are, Tessa. Surely you can't just walk away."

 

"He was right, you know," she said distantly. "I'm a terrible Sith."

 

"You shouldn't take what that bastard said seriously—"

 

"I just want to help people," she insisted. "And that's—that's not what Sith do. So I've decided that I'm not going to be a Sith anymore."

 

"Tessa," Iriath said, then paused, struggling for words. He should probably tell her to reconsider, tell her to go back, but at the same time, the prospect of having her with him was a very appealing one. He had missed her a great deal over the past few years, and having a trustworthy, trained Force-sensitive would be useful. "Stars, Tessa, are you absolutely sure about this?"

 

"I am."

 

"Then..." He hesitated again, then leaned over and hugged her tightly. "If this is truly what you want, then there's no one I'd rather have on my crew."

 

 

 

And so we deviate from the game... :D

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Indeed we do. An interesting development! :D I like it!

Liking is good! :D

So who kills Baras?! D;

We shall see. ;)

 

 

Quinn - Corellia

 

They dragged him, bleeding, out of the gutter.

 

Draahg's voice. "You are still useful."

 

 

 

Iriath didn't stay to make sure he was dead...bad Iriath.

<.<

>.>

*hides*

Edited by Vesaniae
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Ah, well, if you're going to be upfront about it I'll stop sitting on my hands. :D

 

Loving the idea of just scuttling the Warrior line. I can't help but wonder who the Servants are going to try to pick up at the unemployment office next. I can't help but think the first few candidates would all be a terrible idea.

 

And Iriath has made himself terribly, terribly likeable. Which is odd, since most of what he's done so far is bloody revenge. His conversation with Tessa is adorable.

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Ah, well, if you're going to be upfront about it I'll stop sitting on my hands. :D

 

Loving the idea of just scuttling the Warrior line. I can't help but wonder who the Servants are going to try to pick up at the unemployment office next. I can't help but think the first few candidates would all be a terrible idea.

 

And Iriath has made himself terribly, terribly likeable. Which is odd, since most of what he's done so far is bloody revenge. His conversation with Tessa is adorable.

Heh, you have a point about Iriath. Now that he's crossed off "avenge wife" and "avenge daughter" from his schedule, there's still the little matter of "spoiler" and then he should be nice and revenge-free. :D

 

As for who the Servants find to pick up the slack...that shall be sort of addressed momentarily. ;)

Noooooo Draahg!

 

 

Go die in a fire!!

 

I see what you did there. :p

 

Looks like he was...

 

:cool:

 

Draagh'd away.

...you are a terrible person and that was hilarious. And true.

 

 

Servants - Corellia

Corellia

11 ATC

 

 

Two dark-robed figures stood on the rooftop of a Coronet City skyscraper, silhouetted against a sunset that sent scarlet streaks across the sky, as though mirroring the violence on the planet.

 

"The Wrath fades," Servant Two whispered.

 

Servant One shrugged. "As expected. This was a contingency measure, nothing more."

 

"The false Voice still speaks," Servant Two quavered. "The Hand cannot slash the throat without a blade."

 

"You worry too much," Servant One said dismissively. "Five and Eleven are on their way to Hoth as we speak. All according to plan."

 

Servant Two stepped closer to the edge of the roof, spreading his arms as if to fly. "Do the embers smolder still?" he mused. "Can the fire burn hot after so long?"

 

"Are you questioning the Emperor?"

 

"The darkness is beyond right and wrong."

 

Servant One shook his head. "This will work. Our master has foreseen it."

 

"He sees all things," Servant Two agreed. "Star-rivers awash in blood. Will we live to see the flaying?"

 

"We will be there in spirit, if not in body," Servant One said firmly. "That is our place."

 

"And now the first stone falls from the crumbling mountain," Servant Two murmured, stepping back from the edge.

 

"We'll have our Wrath, and this will be finished," Servant One agreed.

 

"An old blade," Servant Two said. "Perhaps...will need to be re-sharpened."

 

Servant One snorted. "Don't tell him that."

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