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Post by kharivestra on Sept 9, 2011 14:31:14 GMT -5
Flashing him a smile full of pearly whites, she wagged a finger at him mock-chidingly. All good things came to those who waited, that was how the saying went, was it not? In either instance, she intended it to mean that regardless. He'd find out, but first they had to steal a few moments, which shouldn't have been too difficult in an outpost of this size. The imperial transfer point had been the base of operations for the majority of Kuat's defence fleet, the rest being stationed in close proximity around the array, but here was where much of the fire power called home. Used to the military crowd, they couldn't have looked more out of place if they'd been walking around dressed as gundarks, but Khari could bear the odd wayward glance if that was all it was, gawking just got you glared at. That much wasn't beneath her.
"Yes, surprises...and you'll just have to wait." A slight pause descended upon her train of thought, and therefore her speech, "...hmm, I seem to recall you saying that to me not so long ago, told you the tables would turn." She gave him a small nudge with the end of her elbow as they walked out into a large reception area, already busy with traffic going in all different directions, the majority of it pedestrian.
"I can make the call along the way, they already know we have arrived, it's just a matter of time waiting for the return. And my mother of course, but I would be happy to overlook that if you were. Sadly, however, I believe she is required for this kind of thing." She knew Anara was, but that didn't mean she didn't want to leave the woman behind.
"Rufus and Viqtor will have torn that spaceport apart by now, I gave them a credcoin big enough to buy themselves enough sugary sustainence to suffice for a month. I'm trusting they won't have let me down in my assumption about their sweet tooth." Oh yes, that had been completely intentional, it would have kept Anara stressing for almost a couple of hours, which gave them plenty of time to go on ahead of her and prepare for departure, while she...well, she would be left rushing just to get there. A tired Anara was a quiet Anara...job well done, so far as Khari could see.
Scouting around the immediate area, this was one of the few facilities surrounding Kuat and it's system, that she rarely visited, she really had no need, not often anyway. Though she was familiar with the layout of the place, not all turnings lead to places she was going to remember straight off. But if it was downtime they were after, there wouldn't be anything akin to the luxury they could find in the passenger ports or aboard KDY orbital array's public domains.
"I would suggest the officer's mess but I don't think we would find ourselves very alone, and the name leaves a lot to be desired, it doesn't conjure up the best of images." Khari winked at him, then continued looking. "There should be some conference rooms around here somewhere, tactical meetings and theory...that sort of thing. One of them will be vacant."
With that, she picked up her pace a little, they'd have enough time to spend some time one on one before they got the call to leave, why not enjoy what time they had been given? And, after the incident at the spaceport, Tress was, no doubt, suffering from an acute case of irritance and that was putting it nicely. Khari, herself, wasn't feeling much better, having had the minimal ammount of sleep the night before for the obvious reasons, then being called upon to present her case for the crackdown on the Jedi at the council of the Ten, her feet had hardly touched the ground, much less actually had time to celebrate what she and Tress now had together.
Ignoring, completely, the passing words of respect from some that they passed, she virutally disappeared down a corridoor off the main dome, Tress in tow, until she came to an area that seemed all but abandonned for the day. The only noise came from cleaning droids going about their after hours business, and chittering in binary to one another when they noticed the pair of human beings that had walked all over their newly cleaned floor. Faced with an array of doors, Khari tried each one, keying in the simple override that would open each one if there was nothing important held inside. The first one to slide away and reveal the conference room beyond, and she beamed pleasantly.
Turning to Tress, all satisfaction and smugness, she gesticulated into the space beyond, and stepped aside, "Ladies first."
The Senator seemed unaffected by the brashness of Tyber's words, and simply continued to sip at her caf. She'd given up on the two chaos causers at her back some time ago, let them destroy the place so long as it kept them amused and out of her hair for twenty minutes or so. Twenty minutes had soon turned into an hour, she had half expected to see a riot squad turn up to subdue them...now she understood why Rhy always seemed to ridiculously energetic and beoyant, a poorly chosen bloodline.
"You are wasting your time, my dear. I tried that but an hour ago, they'll wear themselves out eventually. Though I regret to inform you, that my plan of finding them new caretakers has somewhat fallen through. Or did Khari explain that too?" Anara asked, a tad prickly at the end there, it hadn't pleased her to know that her daughter would stoop to those levels just to have a problem taken care of, that she had taken the decisions of that...man, as good and rightful ones. She still didn't see what all the fuss was about, and now she was embarrassed to go with it all, brilliant, just wonderful.
When the chaos continued on in the background, Tyber didn't seem discouraged, and be it by the grace of some unseen force, or the fact he simply looked scarier to gaze upon to a child, they did stop exactly what they were doing, and began to pick their way back over towards Anara's table. Noticing the sudden silence, the Senator turned at the waist to slide a look past her shoulder and see both boys as they walked into view, then sat themselves at one of the tables opposite. Both looked equally as covered in goodness knows what, caked in their hair and hands smeared with various colourful food items, Anara was going to leave cleaning them up to her telbun. While she had never thought it at the time, she was suddenly grateful that Khari had never, in all her 30 years, been so outwardly disruptive and embarrassing. And she had never come home covered head to toe in pastries of many different varieties.
Balefully, she glared at the boys in a way that said they were going to get a lifetimes worth of lines to write for this indignity and possibly grounded for the rest of their childhood. Her look only softened to a pained expression, she was getting a tension headache, today just kept getting better and better.
"Most appreciated." She said, regarding Tyber's mental wrangling of the two youngsters, "As for where I was going, Bespin, I believe the first stop was, and then onto Corellia. I intended to tell you after the meeting, but I ran into Rhy and..." Anara flicked a wrist in the direction of the boys again, "...a few interesting developments."
Interesting was the word, she had gone in quite happily, considering, and departed the guardian of two little...far from angels, that was the nicest way she could put it.
"These little darlings, will be staying with me for a while. At least until they put me in an early grave or miraculously mature ahead of their time. I am optimistic about the second one, realism just won't do here."
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Viqtor fixing to slink quietly off of his chair to recover an almost whole miniature cake resting on it's side on the floor nearby, and almost unhumanly quick she whirled round to jab a finger in the boy's direction. "Do not even think about it! Sit still and do as you're told, I understand this might be a strange concept for you both to understand, but I won't brook anymore of this....this...misbehavior. Understood?"
Not waiting for the reply, she turned back to look at Tyber, ignoring any vague amusement he might have been expressing at her situation, and lifted her caf to her lips again, taking a long, soothing sip. (sip! sip!)
"I cannot discuss the full details here, I'm afraid, but I am required to go along, as senator it is my duty, and a better understanding of what has been occuring will aid me when I present my case to the Alliance senate. I had every intention of telling you in person, but circumstances called for haste."
She didn't dare say why, he would have flipped completely, and one embarrassment was enough for one day.
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Post by tress on Sept 10, 2011 2:05:47 GMT -5
The sutble elbow made him grin, but he was back to playing his telbun role so he was all business on the outside. He even donned on the hat which made him look ridiculous. Time to change he thought and soon. "I have no idea what you mean, Mistress." was his comeback. He was going to enjoy this more than she was, this switching back and forward between roles. The roguish charmer to the obedient telbun...or sexual slave as he called it.
"Yes, I know shes needed. It was only the children i was thinking of and their safety. All we need is one of them to get hurt while out with us and Rhy could mess with everything." he told her in low tones so only they heard.
"That and shes irriantefing with her pompous attitude and her high opinion of herself when it comes to things. I can only take so much before i feel the need to push and see her crumble." she could tell he was finding all that funny, but he would still take her warnings to heart.
"Oh, your evil and diabolical....stars, i love you." he had to break down and laugh at that one. The thought of the kids running around and giving Anara a bad time was just to funny not to let it out. He got looks from other people, but he didn't care. "I bow down to your devious tactics.." he would have to watch her more carefully, otherwise he would fall victim to one of her plots, too.
"OK."As they continued walking he saw her looking around, she knew the place better than he, so just content to walk after her. She seemed to be in a hurry, so he wondered back to what she had to tell him. When she picked up the pace he worried more.
"Indeed." he nods and follows her inside, then thinking of something stuck his head out at the corridor and looked around. When he didn't see anyone he slipped back inside hitting the door to lock after him as he approached Khari with a grin.
****
He would be obeyed, just for the fact he was a natural leader. Men, woman...and even children, it seemed followed his commands as he saw the two kids come closer. He kept an eye on them, but his attention was on Anara. She was still a vision, but something was off. He thought it was dealing with the ruckus the boys had been having, but that wouldn't effect her.
"Yes, I know all about the kids. Thats fine we can get them some nanny droids or caretakers." That wan st the problem was it. The one that had her somewhat strange. The rest was something he hadn't expected. "Bespin and Corellia?" this was indeed news to him, "Ok, I am ready now then. When do we leave?" She wouldn't leave without him after last night. They had just...well, got together so to speak.
The boys stared wide eyed at the old lady, no one had ever spoken to them like they had. The youngest Viqtor crossed his arms and pouted, not liking it one bit. Rufus just seemed to be thinking if it was worth retaliating or not. As the seconds past he did nothing but glare sullenly back. (I SAY! ...bet she has her pinkie in the air lol)
"Like i said, Im going along for this trip, so why are we wasting time here? We'll pick some help up for the kids on the way, it will be an adventure for them." he looked sideways at him.
It was Viqtor who spoke up, "Trezz said we stay here." and smiled for being helpful.
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 10, 2011 12:15:28 GMT -5
The switch back to formality actually took her by surprise for once, she had become so used to them just conversing normally, that when he called her that she visibly tossed him a look that showed it too.
"No, of course you don't." She replied, devoid of smugness and almost sounding as mutedly unemotional as he did when he'd said that just like a telbun would do.
On the subject of the Knylenn children, she had agreed completely, where they were going, the last thing they needed was for one of them to slip the proverbial leash and get lost, hurt or worse, killed in some foolish accident. All of which could be avoided by leaving them back on Kuat with someone looking after them...preferrably an army.
"She did have a hand in my upbringing, she's not completely clueless when it comes to taking care of a child. She's just a little...reluctant." No, it didn't matter how Khari put it, she still managed to make Anara come off as a heartless old harpie with no good intentions except when it came to her own comfort and needs. Now that she thought of it, that was exactly what her mother was.
"I agree with you, I do! But she did say they would be dropped off somewhere safe along the way and sent for when we returned. It's more than she did for me, but I guess she learned her lesson when I was reported missing." That was a story within it's self, and hadn't been the most pleasant of excursions for her, and her escape had been even nastier. With people out to blackmail her mother for something she hadn't grown to understand until much later, she was, for lack of a better term, a great target. Or had been at least.
The rest she couldn't argue with, she knew Tress was well within his rights to be angry with Anara, wound up by her scheming and deliberate jabs at him. There was no doubt about it, she would have been able to find the children a place to stay on world, where they would be looked after until they could all return safe and sound. She had only brought them along like that to get back at Tress and grind his gears.
"I know she does, but giving her what she wants isn't going to do either of you any good. Just count yourself lucky she hasn't done more than pinch your rear. At least if she hates you you don't have to concern yourself with her taking more of a shine to you than is appropriate, hmm?" Catching the look in his eyes, slightly bowed under the weight of the ridiculous hat as his head was, she smirked and barely repressed a chuckle, "I've seen it happen before, lost a 'friend' or two in the process, a pity, but I look at it positively, at least she saved me the job of weeding out the unscrupulous ones."
"When you're not blasting me over them you mean?" She quipped humerously, she still hadn't quite forgiven him for that, though what had come later she couldn't have disliked if she'd tried. "That's not an invite to do it again, mind, or i'll have them paint that lovely citadel your family owns on anaxes, pastel pink too. Love you."
When they slipped inside the room, she waited until the door was completely closed, took another brief look around the immediate area, then turned back to where Tress was standing, looking a tad worried to go with his usual rogueish grin. Perplexed, but only for a second, she realized what she had intended to tell him when they got a moment alone. Ah yes, that. Now that was an eternal passion killer if ever she had thought of one, and what if he wound up hating her for what she had done? He already didn't like the fact he'd done what he had during the Yuuzhan Vong war, felt that doing that out of necessity was bad, what she had done was out of pure misguided greed and anger. Both things she rarely let herself give into on that scale.
As he approached, she embraced him readily, leaning in to kiss him hungrily - she was tired of waiting, of every little eventuality getting in their way at every turn. Had it not been for his concerned look moments before, she wouldn't have stopped. She still didn't want to. Khari was naturally drawn to him, it showed in her every movement, every touch and every response he elicited from her.
Forehead resting lightly against his, maintaining that contact she whispered the fatal question, breath falling softly against his lips, "What I mentoned earlier, do you want to know now, or after?" It was entirely up to him, either way, she dreaded him knowing. But she wouldn't keep it from him, it wasn't fair if others had some hold over them both because of it.
That he already knew was a shock to her, how had he known? It didn't take her long to figure out the constant in this equation, and her expression suddenly grew grim with anger.
"That underhanded little..." Not wishing to curse in front of the two youngsters, she reined in that piece of foulness just in time, instead turning sharply to point the finger of accusation at Tyber. "Your grandson has a lot to answer for! Did you know he was going to make this happen? Did you?!"
Did it matter now? It was done, and now her retirement would be done for too - these two would run her into an early grave before she saw a second of that comfortable lifestyle. She'd done all this, she didn't want to be a parent again...she hadn't wanted to be one in the first place!
Doing her best to calm the rising temper within, she took a few calming breaths, ignoring the pouts and quiet retorts from the other two completely, they'd find no sympathy in her - the damage to this cafe alone was going to cost her big time. Not that she couldn't afford it of course, the fact of the matter was, she didn't want to have to afford it.
"Leave? You want to come with me? You don't think that would look a tad suspicious? What if you're recognized, there are a hundred face recognition devices in any one small village, a city of the likes we shall be visiting? Possibly millions. This is official business, I'm afraid." His accompanying her put the kybosh on her plans to rendezvous with Rhy at a later date along the way, how could she do that with him breathing down her neck the entire time? That and Khari would be asking far too many questions...even if she had called Tyber here. Which, she thought to herself, was highly underhandedly humiliating.
"I wasn't expecting you to want to come along, thought it might be a tad boring...it's not as if I will have much free time to chat." And then something struck her mind - he might be useful yet. "How are you at dealing with Jedi? Mind trick prevention and the like, I don't wish to fell a Jedi, that would be ridiculous, only deter one from poking around" she paused to tap the side of her skull with one fingertip "up here."
Hearing Viqtor be so helpful, Anara looked at them both, still perfectly straight faced and not budging an inch on that particular subject.
"Well 'Trezz' isn't in charge here. I am, and you will do as I say." The next thing she knew the caf that had been set down in front of her exploded in a dark, bitter splash all over the wall to her right, the cup rolled over the edge of the table as whatever hit it had done so with such force that it smashed into pieces upon the intricately tiled floor. Visibly startled, her surprise didn't last long when she saw a chunk of soggy vewilu nut cake amid the cup's ceramic shards, and heard the destinct giggle from Rufus's side of the table. That was it, she was about to lose her patience.
"Enough!" Anara pointed at each of the boys in turn, "You and you, outside, Now! And don't think I don't mean you too." That last hiss had been directed at Tyber, and she was already up and ushering the two little ones towards the door, she would get in touch with the establishment's owner later to arrange some sort of payment for the damage the two youngsters had inflicted upon his or her property.
Once they were outside, and thankfully out of the limelight a little, she felt she could speak a little more freely. Even if she was having to keep ahold of either of the young Knylenn heirs while she did so, they'd already successfully seen to ruining the clothes she was wearing during their food fight, what was yet another smear of cake here or there?
She was most certainly getting too old for this.
"So we find them someone to look after them for the duration and you still wish to come with me? We don't have much time, I was supposed to be departing with Khari and your grandson. He saw to that though, he should start watching his step. I don't take kindly to much of what he said."
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Post by tress on Sept 10, 2011 15:58:48 GMT -5
To her mother knowing how to raise children or not he never answered back, still thinking it was the telbun work more than anything. He saw her going and coming while possibly seeing Khari ever other day if that.
Something took ahold of his heart when she said she'd been reported missing. "What do you mean missing?" he saw visions of a smaller Khari terrified as they kidnapped her, or her lost somewhere with no help. Scenerios played out in his head.
"As in lost missing or kidnapped missing?" he had the unmistakable urge to find whoever was responsible if she had been kidnapped and make them pay.
"I wouldn't touch that woman in my life depended on it, least not like that I wouldn't." he remembered the pinch with everyone leering at him for walking in as he did, instead of helping they stood around and gawked. Took advantage of certain liberties and thought it OK to pinch someones backside in public.
"Unscrupulous ones?" he glared at her. "I really hope she doesn't label me as one of those misunfortunate fools. " he could be one, well, was one but he wasn't going anywhere. Stuck to Khari's side, he swore in his own way after all to remain at her said in a small intimate ceremony not to long ago. "Besides good luck with seeing that accomplished...." he looked her way and asked truthfully even if he was joking. "....how much would you miss her if she disappeared?"
"Yes, painting my ship among other things was good, but nothing like having the kids full of sweets..." that one bet all only cause it involved Anara and her suffering over dealing with to very energetic children.
He laughed at the second, soft and low, "Understood, wife. Speaking of which, we could drop the kids off at home while stopping by for a quick visit..." they hadnt made plans to visit, though he knew she wanted to at some point. He could see it all now, newly married and coming home to visit with two new kids. His mother would be happy, his father would pull him to the side and demand to know why it had been kept from him. Two children of varying years and out of the blue everyone shows up to visit? It would be fun and he looked forward to it.
He had taken the opportunity to pull her into his arms and kissed her. He'd liked to have been able to do that when he wanted to, but settled for times like these- when it was just the two of them alone. So when she stopped and whispered softly against his lips he stopped. Especially the for the question she just asked.
Not letting her go, just getting comfortable standing as they were he nodded. "Tell me now and we'll work this out."
****
He shrugged not really answering her question or acting as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "What the mess they made? not sure he knew or not. You trying to say he planned them making this chaotic mess?" He was still looking at her seeking answers on why she looked different to him.
"No, I've been to Corellia since then. Had to visit some old friends at CorSec like old times. Not sure if they thought it was me or not, but i left them my calling card once or twice to keep things exciting for me. So to answer your question, that wouldn't stop me from going. It will give us some time to get reacquainted."
"I will spend the time teaching those two a thing or two or keep them occupied with stories of the old days." he answered to her saying it would be boring. In truth, it wasn't as bad as she made it sound like. There were always things to do on trips, and with two kids along for the ride even more so.
"Yes, lots of experience dealing with that sort of problems. The Witches of Dathomir and Urai taught me a few tricks as well as helped me learn quite a bit on thier....skills." the odd Dathomir witch lover and his life long friendship with his avian second had given him a small understanding on the Force. He'd seen things that made him believe where others didn't.
The little one speaking of Tress and him saying they couldn't leave, had him looking at Anara for answers.
Next thing he knew the cup she had just drank from was on the floor, giggles to his side and Anara angry. It was hard not to grin, the boys had the making of terrible scourges on the sanity of his Anara. When she ushered them all outside, he scooted the kids out before him held them there with his hand on each of their heads steering them.
Outside he waited along with them.
He chuckled and nodded. "Agreed we all go and someone to watch over them on the way."
this was going to be fun, a few days to two weeks spent with his family. Things were looking up, in more ways than one....
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 10, 2011 18:05:26 GMT -5
Khari tried to wave off the subject, she didn't want him to get rankled by the tale anymore than she was at this stage in her life. Yes she had been afraid then, what kid wouldn't have been? But she had escaped, and she was a far stronger child for it back then, what didn't kill you made you stronger and that saying held true for her in life. However it was bound to come up at some other point, so she relented in as brief a terms as she could.
"When I was aproximately eight, a member of my immediate family ran into some trouble with a disgruntled crime lord. He attempted to blackmail them and when that attempt was thwarted, he resorted to the next best thing, kidnap and extortion." She told him plainly, not embelishing the details any, "I was as easy a target to get ahold of as any, I believe the intended target was actually my mother, low risk depending where you took her by surprise, but my presence changed all that. I was taken from Coruscant, whilst out on a small excursion with my mother's telbun, then held on a space station in the back of beyond for a number of days. They sent their demands back home where naturally the advice given was not to comply in exactly the way my kidnappers had asked for. Perhaps KSF didn't believe that they were being entirely serious. After all, I was being kept alive and well, they had sent proof of that."
What happened after that event had been the bit he probably wasn't going to like so much, but then neither had she at the time. Ultimately though, it had been her captors underestimation of her that had seen her successfully escape.
"My captors wished to prove that they really weren't messing around with the authorities and for each time they refused to comply, they would take blood, and send it back to them, stating they would continue to do so and, I believe the term they used was 'bleed me dry' unless my family paid up." Waving off anything he could have said again, she continued, "Naturally, they agreed to pay, and he might have had a few moments to enjoy those credits were it not for me escaping the cell they were keeping me in...shoddy design really, that station was ancient...and wreaking havoc with the station's life support systems. I put out a distress call at one point, and who should answer but some Imperials of all sorts! After a brief fracar, I was retrieved and brought back home. Much to the relief of my family. The rest, as they say, is history."
She had left out one or two details there, but he didn't need to know the rest, that was the bare bones of it, the whole ordeal had left her shaken, disturbed and understandably cautious ever since, but she had never truly spoken much of it until now. It was oddly liberating, she supposed, a part of her past but that was where it needed to remain. The crimelord in question had long since been hunted down and disposed of, and that was just fine by her.
That perked up her interest a little, when last they had spoken about visiting Anaxes, he hadn't seemed so keen. So early on in their relationship had it been, that Khari had assumed he had some dirty little secret sequestered away there. Now here he was offering, she didn't quite know if she should be saying yes or not. After the 'hospitality' her family had shown Tress, she was sort of dreading it a little. But they couldn't be anywhere near as bad as Anara, could they?
Thinking it over for a few moments, she kissed him softly again, unable to resist the urge to do so now and then when in such close proximity. She craved him in all kinds of ways, but if they must be sensible for a second or two...
"Anaxes is in the other direction, unless you know of a quicker hyperspace route? I suppose we are not far here, but I wouldn't wish to inflict that kind of mayhem on people I don't know. Goodness knows what those two are doing to that tapcaf as we speak." It would be nice to visit, she thought, but with the Knylenn's in tow? And Anara?! Well, she was sure she could find the older woman something to keep her busy on board the ships rather than going with them. Besides, she'd probably think it was beneath her anyway. Fraternising with heirs to a criminal empire like that.
"On the way back sounds ideal...but we leave my mother here, deal?" She would have to meet them sometime, they would have to learn of her marriage to Tress, if they hadn't already via his grandfather. Not going would seem rude.
Holding her breath for the entire time could only last her so long before she began to feel woozy, and when that came she remembered to breathe, inhaling slowly, calming her nerves and exhaling once, a sigh. She couldn't look him in the eye, not simply because he was out of focus for much of the time but because she knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to do this. So ridiculous, she could address a hall filled with thousands of Kuat's most influential, and yet one simple confession had her tongue tied and unable to speak it. So she nodded slightly, barely noticably, she took comfort in his arms, and sought the right words to speak.
"Before you met me, before I was elected CEO...I did something, something I regret every day. I need you to know this, before I tell you, that I won't blame you for dispising me for this. It will never be more than I dispise myself." This was it, this was the big one, and she'd never felt worse. "I killed someone, Tress. Not in self defence, not because they were a bad person, but because they were in my way. "
Now she did look up at him, finding herself holding her breath again, the worst was yet to come, at least in her opinion. It didn't matter how many times she tried to tell herself that she hadn't known the truth, that she'd been mislead, it didn't change that she'd actually done this.
"Not this mess. Rhy handing over his two little darling brothers to me to begin with!" She raved, obviously unhappy about it, she had wondered why people had given her that look when the decision had been made, now she knew without a shadow of a doubt, she had gotten the raw end of the deal. The only reason she hadn't complained more, meant it was an excuse to forgo Tyber's little annoying rule and use this as a means to meet with Rhy at other times. She would have done so anyway, that was just how she was, but this option had far less drama attached to it....and then again maybe it didn't.
Curse her luck, and damn him for being so aimiable about it too! She really hadn't counted on company, not that she would normally mind but for her private plans. But this did open up a few more opportunities to her, she supposed. Her concerns were in one main area, so she used the most plausible as her defence.
"Don't you think it would look suspicious to your grandson, to my daughter? No, telling them is not an option, before you mention it. I'm not sure this would be a very good idea, I will be away most of the time, it's not as if you could join me." Anara didn't know if that would discourage him, she had to try though, there were still a few things that she had to do without him around. And she hadn't thought about explaining herself to the others quite yet.
And then there was the way he kept looking at her, as if something was wrong. Paranoid by it to say the least, she started to look around, perhaps he'd seen something in the distance that had caught his eye and was simply looking through her? When nothing immediately stuck out at her, she turned her attention to her food stained clothing and then silently fumed inside. That had to be it.
"Don't stare, I am aware of what I look like." She cautioned, looking sullen for more than a moment there.
Great, he had a solution for everything...well it could be worse, she just had to resign herself to the fact it was going to be this way. It frustrated her immensely, especially as it was perfectly reasonable.
"Well, I guess that is settled then. And do keep an eye on them, we don't need chaos of that magnitude aboard a star destroyer." Looking down at both of the boys, she crossed her arms disgruntled and frowning, "That means you two, any trouble and the officers will throw you in the detention cells. And I won't blame them."
As for his seeking answers though, he was about to find himself without any. She wasn't going to divulge the little scene to him, he couldn't have pried that out of her if he'd subjected her to torture,
"No time for that, we need to get moving. And both these two and I could do with new clothes. Come along!" She was already leading the way across the small plaza, whatever questions he had could be forgotten, but if he was here he might as well make himself useful, he seemed to have a knack for scaring the two kids into line, that was ideal.
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Post by tress on Sept 11, 2011 23:30:58 GMT -5
The first thing that came out of his mouth was the only thing on his mind at the moment, "Who..? Who was it?" If they hadn't paid, they would soon enough. Even if it was in the past, the thought of her being so young and...no, retribution and revenge were on his mind. The slow systematic destruction of the organization each one that had anything to do with it or still knew of it.
"If they're still alive..." well, he didn't have to finish the statement, she would no doubt know what he was planning to do once he caught up to them.
He didn't know what to do then, when all he felt like doing was hold her for some reason. As weird as that was to worry about something so far back, when she was fine and here with him now. Still didn't forgive, nor will it stop things to come. It did bring to mind, safety, hers and those closest to him. "We need more security measures set up for the immediate family..."
He thought about that, it was true Anaxes was in the oppisite way from where they were going. "No, there is no short cut quicker. Suppose your right, it will have to be on the way back." He glanced at her and wondered something. "They are going to love you, so if your worried about that...don't." he leaned over and kissed her temple.
"Bespin, Rendilli, Corellia and then Anaxes. Sounds like a vacation to me. Its to bad the kids had to stay behind, but it not safe for them out running around with us..." he didn't know why he mentioned the two Kynlenns for, but he suddenly thought of them on vacation with them. "Khari how do you feel about kids?" he looked at her wondering about it.
Well, he wasn't expecting that from her. To say he knew it was coming was a lie. Ruin people in your way, blackmail them, but to kill them to get ahead? He'd done it once or twice, but given his line of work it was expected. Looking at Khari and you would never suspect or think her capable. That she did or had in this case done something like that raised questions.
"Can I ask why that route?" was all he asked.
****
"That part I knew." he shrugged, but it wasn't like she was going to be doing it alone. Her telbun was there, along with other servants, plus he had planned to spend time with her so he would be around, too.
"So, I'll be around for when your not busy. I'm sure i can amuse myself while your out working, dear." the more he pushed going the more she seemed to steer him away it looked like. He was going out of curiosity now. "Don't worry about me, as long as you spend your non-busy time with me, I'm happy..."
He looked over at the kids, and smiled. "What do you look like?" he turned to look back at her. Did she know he knew? Whatever the case, they were wasting time sitting around. It was time to move or get left behind.
"Come on you two time to leave, we're going on a trip." he stood and watched over them.
Viqtor was the first to look up at the old man with white hair. "I fly us?" something no one had ever let him do, he wondered if he could get away with it with these two.
Ruffus just frowned at Anara and with an almost regal disdain turned and started to walk away.
"Lets go, dearest" he offered her the right away letting her go first before scooping Viqtor in his arms. Though he did whisper to him, "Sure, you can fly we just need to show you how to steal a shuttle...or pay the right person to let you."
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 12, 2011 14:04:53 GMT -5
It hadn't even occurred to her that Tress would wish to do something about this, it had been so long ago that she, herself, had dealt with it as she had dealt with most things: What didn't kill her made her stronger, and she learned from those mistakes she had made in the past, even the ones that were not her own. It had become obvious to Khari early on in her life, that even with the best laid security plans, nobody could be watched all of the time, there would always be a slight chance that something terrible could happen. If she had pondered that thought more thoroughly, she might have gone crazy, it really didn't bare thinking about.
Letting one hand drop to his arm, she lightly ran the back of her hand down it's full length and took ahold of his hand.
"It doesn't matter who, now, he more than paid for his crimes when the imperials showed up. As for where he is now? Dead, most likely, last I heard he was wanted for the death of a high ranking imperial officer, his life was forefeit long before he encountered me. I merely helped the process along a little. "
There was nothing Tress could do now, save for making what little family he might have left suffer for the deeds of one among them. And that wasn't right, however she looked at it.
"There is nothing wrong with the security that I already have in place, it's kept me safe thus far. You're worrying needlessly, my personnel are more than capable of ensuring our safety." Catching the look in his eye she could already see she wasn't going to win this one, and while that rankled her sensibilities, she had gone into this marriage knowing there was such a word as compremise. Unfortunately for Tress, Kuati rarely understood it.
"But...if it makes you feel better, look into it and we can see about that sometime in the near future."
On the return journey, she liked to think she would be able to handle that. It did depend on how the meeting went, but there was little sense in putting off a visit, especially since they had some news that they would want to hear. Khari found it humerous to think that even though her own mother had been invited to the impromptu ceremony, that the woman would have rather have not known. And here they were telling people Tress claimed would have wished to be there. Funny how everything turned about face over the space of a system.
"A vacation? Don't tempt me, but I think we will be seeing our fair share of action outside of the relaxation. Enough to keep us on our toes at least." It was a good thing the Knylenn's had been left behind, not simply because the pair were a handful, but for their safety, as Tress himself had been concerned. She didn't want one of them getting into too much trouble on her watch, that would be disasterous for the child, and for them politically.
"And a pity? I would say it was a blessing..." She joked about the boys coming along with them. While they had seemed somewhat nicer for him, she knew they wouldn't have stayed that way, found some way they could test the boundaries to get their own way.
Tress then managed to catch her off guard, maybe not even that, but it completely threw her to say the least. What did she think about kids? How so? As in they took on the Knylenn youngsters, or they actually had some themselves. Or, she thought, there always seemed to be another 'or' - just what she thought of them in general. The last time this subject had arisen, was the night before the meeting, the same night they had wed. She had been in a hurry to get to the place before time escaped them, and he had taken a jest to mean that she wanted them to try for a child right there and then. That jest had turned into him stating that they shouldn't leave until they had. While he had been all jovial about it, as well she was too, she had thought it was just that, not something that would arise again the day after.
So what did she think, then? Khari wasn't sure, but it was time to be truthful.
"Are we generalzing?" She asked, taking a small step back to get a better look at him, but not slipping his hold completely, she didn't want him to think she was as taken aback as she really was. "Or do you mean: what do I think about you and I having children?"
There was more to come, but she took a moment to digest it all, "In general, I take no issue with them, I wouldn't say I was the overly maternal sort but I have no qualms when it comes to looking after one or two. It's just never something I have really had to do. We have telbuns for that." She didn't mean it as dismissively as it sounded, it was just a fact, it was a part of her culture, the upper classes did have very little to do with the upbringing and tutledge of their children.
But she had owned a telbun once, hadn't she, and that in it's self was a blaringly obvious sign that she was considering extending the family at some point in the near future.
"I toyed with the idea of having my own at some point, but things changed when...well, you know. My priorities were rearranged for me, it was really out of my hands by then." Her confession was pure honesty, she couldn't have even considered raising a child, much less carrying one around the time of her ascent to power. It would have thrown her emotionally and physically and that left her open to attack. With the Kuhlvults breathing down her neck about how she'd managed to come into power to begin with, the climate for bringing up a youngster wasn't a good one. It would have been both damaging to her and the child, and she couldn't have that.
Now though?
"If you mean about us having our own, there would be a lot to consider regarding their protection. People could never know that he or she was ours, mine or yours, yes, but never that they were a product of our union. The scandal alone could ruin me...not to mention such knowledge be used as a means to manipulate either of us, or put that child in direct danger." She was starting to see his point about beefing up security, perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea after all?
Pensively, she peered at him, tucking a lock of errant hair behind one of her ears, "Why do you ask? You are considering it...or something more?" Khari wouldn't take custody of the two Knylenn boys, it was that simple, they had enough immediate family for that, and would probably be better off for it. If Anara relinquished the job that was.
The last subject was far more grim, and had her gut churning all over again.
Where did she begin? Raising a hand to her head she shook it lightly, dislodging that lock of liquid shadow all over again, it still took immense willpower not to be overwhelmed by the subject almost six months on. A sigh of tension left her feeling more deflated than when she'd begun.
"You could say I was cajoled into taking that option, vengence, misguided hatred and pure greed. I was a fool and I make no excuses for my misjudgement. There are no excuses for what I have done." It still didn't really explain why, so she continued, starting from the beginning. "When the inherritance excemption was abolished, following the death of the last heir to the Kuat family, the Ten were in a state of disarray. For years, since this worlds conception to the present day, it was that treaty that upheld all our hierachial traditions, prevented us from seeking to put one of our own on that seat of power and doing so by whatever means necessary."
"Many of us realised that if we sat around wasting too much time in electing a new head of KDY, then the company it's self would fall into ruin and thus, so would all of us with it. So a new director was elected. That duty, natrually fell to one Kateel of Kuhlvult, who had unwittingly been put in the best position to do so after Kuat of Kuat had committed suicide aboard the orbital array. When she fell ill and eventually died some years later, it was thrown to the vote yet again and a one, Adal Kholis was elected, the year I was born, actually. He did the Ten proud, business boomed until the Yuuzhan Vong war threatened to take this sector along with others, and eventually, as you know, they did. The recovery was not a swift one, and Adal had his fair share of problems. Not least of all of them was a long standing argument with my family, namely my mother. But I never knew why until recently." Khari stopped there for a moment, afraid that the well of emotions within her would brim and overflow, but she held her composure perfectly, if a little coldly. It had taken so much just to get to this point, her resolve wouldn't falter now.
"It wasn't always that way, I remember, barely, when I was very young, Adal would spent a lot of time at my family's estate just outside Kuat city, I grew up thinking of him as very much a part of it, until one day everything changed. It was late, I remember waking to the sounds of arguing, so, being the naturally inquisitive person I was then, I crept from my room to see what was happening. It was adal and my mother, arguing about goodness knows what, but she was obviously upset, as was he. He kept repeating that she couldn't keep him from telling someone something, or seeing them. It didn't make much sense and made even less when upon leaving, he said he would find a way to undo all that my mother had done to him, and she said that she would see him dead before that happened." An all too brief breath left her in the barest hint of a laugh, but it was devoid of mirth, there was no humour to be found in that. "After that, he never visited anymore. And I was forbidden to talk to him. When I asked why, my mother would go into an outraged rant, tell me simply that he was a bad person and I shouldn't associate with the likes of him. She made it sound so terrible I never questioned it again. Until years later."
There was, as ever, much more to this than met the eye, but at the time Khari had done what she had, she knew very little of it, had acted on the words of others, foolishly believing it to be the truth. Of course there had been much she had done under her own volition, and that was what she couldn't excuse.
"I became heavily involved in the running of KDY, as many members of the Ten ruling households are, and came into contact with Adal quite often. He completely dispelled the myths my mother had instilled in me at an early age, though I was always cautious - after all, why would she lie to me about things like that? He always seemed interested in what was going on in my life and eventually it got so suspicious that I became paranoid enough to ask her what had gone on between them all those years ago. And she told me a lie, told me that he would seek to get to her through me, and that she was fearful of what he might do to ruin us both. That was the start of it all, really. The day he informed me I was in the running to eventually become head of KDY in the event he should pass away, was the day I killed him. I believed I had done my family justice by doing what I did...but I was so wrong." Her voice sounded small to hear ears, choked, as if someone had their hands around her throat, and was slowly constricting around her.
"The biggest lie of all came out when I was having his office and personal quarters cleared of all his effects. One of the staff recovered a holorecording addressed to me, and stated that Kholis had insisted that in the event of his death, I have said recording passed on. So I waited until everyone was gone and viewed it in private....it seems my mother had told me quite the story, and not a truthful one at that. I know you are probably thinking that she couldn't tell the truth if her life depended on it, but you must understand I had no reason to doubt her, she had never lied to me knowingly prior to this. My mother's telbun is not one half of my parentage. She used one as a smokescreen to avoid a scandal. Adal Kholis is my real father, when he found out he wanted to be a part of my life, but she wouldn't let him. Said it was too risky, that people would work it out, it was better if he stayed away. I killed my own father, and I had no idea..."
Anara stood there stunned for a few seconds, but silence was far too much to ask for. Already the colour had returned to her cheeks and she was fuming.
"You knew?! Why didn't you stop him?!! I've been a parent once, I wasn't planning on doing it again, I'm not getting any younger!" She sputtered, and upon hearing the eldest Knylenn child giggle, she spun sharply in their direction, far faster than one might expect someone of her age to move.
"Don't even think about it!" She could just imagine the sort of smart mouthed comment he was considering contributing.
No, she wasn't doing this alone, but she hadn't planned on doing it at all. And she was sure her telbun was looking forward to his retirement as much as she was hers. Oh how that had changed. Now she was going to be run ragged, with absolutely no time for herself, because she'd be running after and apologising for these two little nippers. She needed to speak to Rhy, she should never have let him go like that.
At this rate, she was always going to be busy, when she wasn't sleeping or debating security and judgement with the Jedi, she would be worrying her head off about what else the two boys had done. But why not let Tyber take care of them for a while, at least then he'd see what a handful they were, perhaps see her point of view? That could work in her favour.
"Fine, fine, done...but you're right we need to make a move, we're already late enough. These two can get cleaned up on the way, I don't want them attracting hungry mynocks." And then again, maybe she did?
An evil chuckle eminated from her lips at the thought, at least then Rhy couldn't blame her for their antics. Eaten to death by starving mynocks wasn't really something she could do anything about. But she did have something of a consience, even if most of the time she did her best to trample it. So her original statement stood.
Reaching out with a suprisingly quick reflex, she guided the meandering Knylenn boy in the direction she wanted him to go, not the one he was about to take all by himself, and they made their way across the ferrocrete. The waiting shuttle there, now, had been sent back for them, and had been waiting a considerable time already. She just hoped she had enough time once aboard to get cleaned up herself, the cake in her headwrap was attracting sugar-loving insects, which she swatted at every so often with one hand.
Her saving grace was that nobody from the holonet news seemed to be lurking around to take her picture looking so unsightly.
Viqtors request allowed her to loose a cluck of incredulous laughter, and he was a comedian too, how lucky she was to be looking after such a tallented boy.
"We want to get there in one piece and before the others depart the transfer point." Anara commented offhand, then heard what Tyber was whispering to him and sent him a vibroblade sharp glare.
"Don't fill his head with nonsense," she chided, then to the boy, "He's joking, aren't you?"
When they reached the shuttle, they boarded without further incident, and before long, were on their way too. Hopefully not too late.
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Post by tress on Sept 13, 2011 1:18:59 GMT -5
He wondered if she was force sensitive, or if it was just knowing him so well. Well, it didn't matter if she was or not, the last part was something he had to work on, keep her guessing.
It was true he was going to look for those responsible, but he'd keep it secret and have one of his guys do some investigating. Though she did have a point in it being a long time ago and they were possibly dead and paid. So he let it go.
The security issue he was going to work on, "Good, we can talk on the matter at some point. Your right, your personnel are good at what they do, but adding to it could help in the long run." he didn't know how, it was something she must be closely knowledgeable about after what she went through.
He laughed, "I was hoping for some action. Keeps us young, though nothing serious just yet." made him think of their security problem again. He wanted her safe, well his family safe even that old gundark of her mother, Anara.
"A blessing would be right, better keep them out of this then. Dont want that kind of trouble when we could be spending it in other ways...." he remembered hearing of something on Bespin. "Ever tried free falling ? I hear its something to do on Bespin, wonder how that works. "
He guessed he shocked her out of the blue with the kids question. He just wondered how she felt about it, remembering she had told him awhile back that part of the reason her being on Obrai Skai was to bring about an heir. He could be wrong.
He heard her out, he had meant both ways. In general and their own....down the road sometime. The bringing up of the telbuns role in the kids life had him inwardly frowning for a second. He wasnt to sure about that part of things. Possibly see it as a male nanny if anything.
Thats what might be a problem on some level with him, the not being able to say this was his son or daughter. Though if their safety was on the line, he could for them. The security problem again, which made him smile. "Security is something we need to discuss, dont we?" The rest it came down to those that mattered knowing more than anyone. Her mother, his parents and that was it.
"Not thinking of it right this second, no. Though down the road? " he looked shy for asking or maybe it was hoping. Adopting was another option with unseen consequences or act as if they had. "Something to speak on for the future and up to you. Just wanted to see where you stood on the whole thing."
What he was told in the room was something he never expected. Just stood there and listened while sorting through the possibilities of things in his head. Things he knew and things she added the massing pieces to. What should he say? What could he say?
He felt as if he had been standing there to long and shook himself mentally trying to think of something to say. 'I'm sorry' seemed to shallow to him.
"Was it quick?" to which he hated himself for asking, what if it wasn't and it caused her more anguish over it. "Nevermiind, about that..."
He didn't know why she killed him over him telling her she was in contention to being head of KDY, though. Was the plan set in motion before that and to late to stop. She would still be thinking he was trying to ruin them both, mother and herself. He could see that, but did it make her a monster or any different than him in the wider aspect of things?
"Khari, does you mother know it was you?" if she didnt, then she would never know, but if she did then he could see the hold over her Anara would have. Would it be pride or didnt she care her own daughter had killed her biological father as long as they were at the top? To many questions and most directed Anara's way. Could he have killed Tyber if he was in a similar situation? Not know who he was and want to take over so bad that death would be the answer. Family was sacred to him.
"I cant judge you or see you anything more than my wife, you told me before, we all do things we aren't proud of this one is yours. Made worse by lies that were told to you, so you cant hold yourself to blame. " and he wrapped his arms around her holding her. It was the only thing he could do so he did.
***
He looked over at Ruffus and grinned, but hid it shaking his head in disapproval. "To keep your telbun busy while i took over some of his duties?" he said with just the right about of sex appeal. "Wouldn't want him to think hes out of a job, now would i?"
"Good, stop wasting time sitting there like the lady of the manor holding court. The cake on your person is not inspiring of nobility." he stood himself and dropped some credits on the table to pay for the mess that had been made and held Viqtor's had as Anara steered Rufus forward. "We can take my shuttle, well Tress's, so we can get away if there is time on our own." he told her, it was quicker and they might really need it. "These bantha cubs are sticky so a good clean is what they need...."
"Me no bantha cub, me dashing hero..." Viqtor pulled said in retort.
"Pfft, you mew like a bantha cub and run around causing problems. Besides you keep eating sweats and you will be as round as one." which only caused the brat to giggle.
He caught the look, but chose to ignore it.
Though, when she asked the little one something he answered right back. "Promise. I flying." then he was rushing inside ahead of the rest followed by his other brother.
"Looks like you have your answer, better get inside quick and strap yourselves in..." he ran after him leaving Rufus and Anara standing there. Inside you could hear. "Dont touch that !"
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 13, 2011 16:12:37 GMT -5
Khari nodded simply, "In due course, yes, though not right this instant, I was rather enjoying not being dogged everywhere I go. You can't imagine the trouble I had attempting to sneak off to Obroa Skai without security, while I wasn't exactly alone, I was travelling under an assumed name at the time. Taru though, he had a habit of...sticking out." Reining in her shiver of repressed dislike, she tried not to think of her one time telbun at all these days. To do so was to invite those horrible memories of when he'd decided to turn her own generosity against her. Tress, too, didn't need the reminder, so she left it at that.
She could only smile at his expectancy, the way he seemed to brighten and take a shine to the idea of them having children, at least one day. Which was natural enough, she had wondered how they would go about that, the whole arrange ment, claim that the child was her heir, or that they were Tress' and she was merely another facet of their life? Would that be so different to her own upbringing? Yes, she told herself, of course it would, the lies they told would be to the outside world, prying eyes and those who would seek to cause them harm. It would befor safety's sake if anything.
"We would arrange something, I would want any child of mine to know who the other half of their parentage was. I would want you to be a part of their life, but our public image would have to be a ruse, unless something were to change in the time between now and then to shift opinions." Would he mind that, understand it's necessity? On that much she and Anara would see eye to eye, but never could she forgive her for not telling her, her own daughter, who she really was.
To say she wasn't surprised by his question was a gross understatement. Khari had expected questions, yes, anger, disbelief, all of those things, but to ask something like that? It left her more taken aback than she had been prior. Oddly though, she did answer him, not because he had asked it of her, but because she wanted to, for herself if no one else. It was the second time she had pondered such a thing...the first had been prior to her doing so.
This time, she did not look at him, she simply couldn't, lest it rend her completely and she had shown enough weakness for one lifetime.
Her silence had given way to an uneasiness, which settled upon their dwelling space like an acrid veil, and for those brief few moments, only the sounds of the station beyond could be heard.
"He would have felt no pain, if that is what you mean. Whatever you might think of me now, I didn't wish to see him suffer. Not even after the lies I was told...he was and always had been kind to me." That had been what had almost saved him, made her consider not going ahead with plans at all, turning her back on it all and just striking out on her own. But what good would that have done? What did she know, really? The life she had been groomed to live was all that she had ever known, there was no other option. At the time she had told herself she was doing the right thing, that if Kholis really was the man Anara had said he was, that he even deserved it. Yet there had always been that doubt. It beyond pained her to think of it now, and it showed in the way she spoke every word, tiredly, listless and burdened.
"And this is how I repaid him."
He should hate her now, get as far away from her as possible, or report her for what she'd done. Khari would never have blamed Tress for doing so. Yet when he asked more questions, she seemed almost amazed that he hadn't exploded quite yet. Visibly thrown, she frowned at him for a second before the levity of his question hit. Ah...of course.
"Yes..." was all that came forth, a hoarse, dry whisper, that threatened to reignite the hatred she'd felt when she had seen that holorecording for the first time, had finally, after all these years, made sense of what her mother had been keeping from her. Why Adal had suddenly stopped visiting. But she could not oust her mother for doing what she had. The second she spoke a word Anara could just as soon as see her charged with murder - and the penalty of helping the inherritance situation along a little forcefully, was death in it's self. The most sobering fact of all came next.
"She provided me with the means."
"Yes I can, and I should." She replied in earnest, looking up for the first time in what seemed an eternity, with watery eyes. She wouldn't break, not here in front of him at least, but the cracks ran deeper than even she had realized. Holding this in for this many months had been more than a burden to her, she had vowed to make ammends for this somehow. And then the incident with Taru had happened, was this to be her life now? If someone stood in your way or opposed you, you did away with them?
"He deserved better than that, I should never have listened to that woman in the first place. This is on me, Tress. However you look at it, all people will see is what I did do."
She could never have expected what Tress had given her in terms of reaction. What she had expected had been for him to spurn her outright, be it disgust, horror or a mixture of the two, even those who'd past was steeped in crime had values. She couldn't have imagined him doing likewise, even if he had used assassination as a method of disposing of rivals or threats in the past. Was what she had done so different? It was more tragic than anything else, Khari supposed, looking at this from an outside point of view was difficult. But when he just held her close, she could do little more than to sink into his embrace, hold him too, and wish the galaxy would disappear just for a little while.
"I'm sorry, I never meant to burden anyone with this, I just didn't want you to hear it from her." She murmured, head resting close to his chest, she didn't want to let go, feeling that in doing so it might be the last time she did.
The Kuati Senator couldn't have looked more displeased if she had held up a sign with the word 'displeased' written on it in neon aurebesh writing. This was one of those liberties taken, that just went a klick too far and left her disposition decidedly stormy.
"Out of his job? I don't recall ever agreeing to dismiss him from his duties" She replied pointedly, "Any of them."
Oh he could push and vie for that all he wanted but there were just some issues she was never going to budge on, and the sooner he realized that, the better. What say in this did he have anyway? If anything, the two kids seemed to gravitate more towards the man with the 'scary' scar on his face more than they had her actual telbun...which in it's self made her smirk deviously.
"If you wanted these two aspects of his duties so bad, you need only have asked." Rhy would spit the dummy out over this, but she could scarecely resist that particular dig at him, and if it helped her find a small moment of peace or two here and there, all the better for all involved. The boys had already taken to naming her the mean old woman who never let them have any fun, she didn't see that changing anytime soon.
Anara stood there, ignoring Tyber's comment that was designed to irk her haughty self, and did so without a great deal of the haughtiness she could have shown him. However, seeing Viqtor standing there proclaiming himself the dashing hero did have her laughing inwardly, if he could see what he looked like at this point in 30 years time, she would have loved to have seen his reaction to it. Knowing all too well what a stickler for so much as a hair being out of place their older brother was, it would have made for entertaining viewing...and possibly good blackmail material.
"And me without my holocorder." Was all she said as they converged on the shuttle, she was all too ready to get away from this little spaceport in the middle of nowhere.
That only lasted for as long as it took her to sit down. The two Knylenn's had raced up the landing ramp ahead of both adults and had obviously made a bee line for the cockpit. The shouts and exclaimations of cautioning made her groan inwardly with all the chaos they must be causing up there. It really didn't warrent much thinking about, besides, she had a plan that, were her telbun actually here, would work every time. Unfortunately for Tyber, her telbun wasn't here, so he'd have to do.
When he approached, she already settled comfortably in her seat, she tapped him on the arm as he passed by in the eagerness to reach his seat before they left the ground. And who could blame him? Crash webbing and all.
"Your young charges are harrassing the staff, you might wish to do something about that, before we all end up as a large scrambled mess as we plummet to ground....very unsightly." Tutting she shook her head slowly, the sarcasm bleeding through into her demeanour.
Before he moved to do anything, she was resting her head back on the comfortably padded headrest of her chair, and closed her eyes for a small moment, then opening one, appearing to check if he was still there, which was pointless in it's self, she hadn't let go of his arm yet.
"And do be quiet about it, I didn't get much sleep lastnight, I need to catch up...as the two little darlings keep reminding me, I'm old, I need it."
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Post by tress on Sept 14, 2011 3:57:43 GMT -5
She was right, better to not be wieghed down with security keeping an eye on them at all times of the day. He would wait until they got back from things to sit her down and see if they could work something out between the both of them. Force sensitives needed to be a top priority now, they needed a way to defend and deal with them once caught. Though security all around on the Array, Kuat and other places they owned would need to need new measures.
"Good, I would want to be a part of the child's life..a big part." he told her meaning it. The rest he saw the difficulty of it all. The child's safety would be first and if that meant he or they had to not be publicly linked then so be it. "And I agree with the latter part of things. Still time, just something we never spoke of but now have."
In the room away from prying eyes, there wasn't much to say or do but listen. There wasn't judgments nor blame, just understanding of what she was going through. Well, almost understood.
"Your still the one I love, Khari." he told her truthfully as he held her in his arms. "How am I suppose to think of you?"
"How were you to know how things would end up?" he asked to try to alleviate some of her guilt. Getting fed those lies all those years, played on her thought process. She saw an danger to herself and mother, when it wasn't the case.
So her mother knew and still pushed it, that he wasn't surprised at. Though he knew Khari, a hunch told him should wouldnt have done it if she'd known."Would you have done it knowing the truth?"That was the big question. He had seen her kill once before to save herself from harm and never thought ill of her. She was harsh when it mattered, but not prone to killing just for power.
That response wasn't something he believed in, the blame fell on her mother. "You'll have to live with the part you played in things, but its your mother who holds the majority of the blame. Did she hate him? Was it necessary yo have you do it of all people knowing the truth and knowing what it would mean if and when you found out the truth?" The mother, Anara, this was the woman following them around. Acting as if she was superior to all others. Someone who used her own daughter to kill her biological father.
Was it to hold some sort of power through guilt over Khari? For some other meaning behind it all? Control. Thats what it came down to, she had to much of it and though she could get more. He fell for it, too. Now she was looking to become even more powerful when this deal with CSA came through. Would she kill him if it meant more power for her and her daughter? Holding her he absentmindedly stroked her back trying to sooth her.
"Dont worry about it." He was already planning a contingency plan to get rid of Khari's mother, Anara. If not out right death, then ruination, he would seek to blackmail her into obscurity rather than damage Khari's business and political image. The question was how?
****
The first dig was it? He could play along, too. Though wisdom made him hold off and just smile serenely at her. This was one of the things he had expected. Her to balk and rage at her life style or customs. That was fine with him, but in the end he would get his way. After all they had married,....willingly. One word to the public. What a shame. "We shall see, Love."
He would have asked her what she meant, but quickly understood the reference of it all. No, he wasn't going to take the kids..they were going to. Quiet time at home away from public life. That was the plan from the start, things might have changed since then, but not enough to deviate that much. "Your telbun can handle it, Im sure. It will give us time to become better acquainted."
In the shuttle he let the two boys run ahead, there was no point in running with them and tiring oneself out. The command crew of the shuttle could handle the boys, besides they had blasters to stun threaten them with. That brought grin to his lips, fun times and memories. Tress had done the same once and swore revenge on the pilot for having aimed a weapon at him. He couldn't recall how that one ended, but he had a laugh back them over it.
"Our young charges, our " he told her and sat there beside her, not willing to move from there. He was having fun and along for the ride. "I am sure they can look out for themselves, but since you care enough about them...." he reached for the intercomm and called the cockpit. "Dont let them trouble you, blast them if they cause to much trouble."
When he sat back down he leaned over her to kiss her, "There two problems taken care of ...now to kiss my wife." he said just before he claimed her lips.
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 14, 2011 15:53:48 GMT -5
Disbelief and suspicion both, washed through her mind, he sounded like he meant what he said, it felt like he did, but her suspicion lay in if he assumed that she would do the same to anyone who stood in her way. He'd seen her kill Taru outright, though that Khari still viewed as a just cause. And now here she was confessing to having killed the former CEO, her own biological father. Whatever the circumstances, the facts did not paint her in a good light. It broke her heart to have to wonder that about him, she only hoped that the actions she took from here on out would speak louder than words. Why would she have told him if she only meant to repeat history? Still just holding him, she shook her head slightly, fearful of answering verbally. He was right in some respect, she supposed, and in others she still believed that this was her burden to bear alone.
"I didn't know all the facts, but had I...." Would that have changed anything? He had then asked her the same question. It didn't take her long to come up with the answer, because it had been there ever since she had seen that holo. "...I would never have done this. What I did, I did believing a different version of events. He wasn't who my mother made him out to be, I should have trusted my gut instinct."
Her eyes still closed, Khari thought back to that day, her conversation with Anara and all the events that had lead up to her killing Kholis. She could see it all plain as day, remember what was said word for word and it would probably be etched into her memory for life - there was nothing like blatant clarity to sober one's self up.
"She hated what would have happened when other members of the ruling households found out about their relationship, or rather what it produced. Breaking centuries worth of tradition never went down well in their eyes, or at least producing something from that break." She confirmed, sounding every bit as disdainful as she felt, "She believed that others would work it out, were he to persist in visiting. I imagine that whatever they had shared was long over by the time that I was born, I never recall seeing a single instance of affection between them. She tollerated his presence only for a while. I remember the argument between them, however. It is morbid foreshadowing to learn that she had said she would see him dead before he told me the truth. And she was right, wasn't she?"
The variables didn't matter now, what mattered was that she kept that secret, and therefore her life, for as long as it was within her power to do so. Still that nagging concern had a strangle hold on her gut, twisting it this way and that until she grew cold with worry. Pulling back a margin, so that she could see him clearly, she wanted him to see the truth behind her eyes.
"Believe me, when I tell you I would never do anything like that to you, to anyone I cared for or who was innocent, it's not who I am. I love you too much."
Point in case, she'd had ample opportunity to do something to that Cian Praji over the passing days, and she had left well enough alone. Though she couldn't ever garuntee she would be civil to the woman if they met, had she been the type of person her past crimes made her out to be, she would have just made the opposition pay for their audacity. Now that, Khari thought, Anara would do.
His deadpan tone made her blink, starting, even under the gentleness of his touch. Something about the way he'd said that, the distance in his eyes, she hadn't liked it and could only imagine what his mind was cooking up as they spoke. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea, but taking on her mother, if that was what he was considering, would probably do them more damage than good. For now, Anara was on their side - though it did beg the question, when would that change? Holding her peace, she resolved to discuss it at a later date. Now, when tensions and emotions were high, was not the best time to be discussing much at all.
As silence descended upon the room again, she was content just to stand there with him, thankful beyond words, that he hadn't outright spurned her. Small mercies went far in a big way. A small bleeping eminated from Khari's comlink, and she delved into one pocket to pull the device out and look at it's small indicator screen.
"Speak of the rancor...she's on her way, and she has guests." Slowly, the Kuati turned the screen so that Tress could take a look at the message himself.
"Looks like it's going to be a family outing all round."
At least with Tress' grandfather there, he could keep Anara preoccupied with catching up on the way things used to be, rather than have the older woman pestering the two of them - or to put it more plainly, heckling Tress for being...well, Tress.
Knowing the mood had well and truly been quashed, she now felt twice as bad. They hadn't exactly had the time lately to celebrate, moreover they'd possibly just gone through their first trying time as newly weds and she was starting to feel the 'stresses' of that every bit as much as he was. Sighing, she seemed to sag a little on her own frame, then attempting to inject a small measure of mirth into things, as unhappy a situation as the subject had been. "Remind me to save the revelations until after, next time."
Thumbing off her comlink once the message had been sent, Anara had gone back to ignoring the protests from the cockpit area - protests that had soon turned into some very loud lectures on why you shouldn't hit that button at this particular time, it all merged into the background noise. A trait she had learned being a parent the first time around, though Khari hadn't been anywhere near as much of a handful as these two. Suddenly she was thankful she hadn't ever had twins.
A broad smile played across her lips, while that sounded infinitely better than listening to the dulcet tones of Knylenns younger and elder, the reality might prove something else. Their shrill tones had a nasty habit of carrying and her telbun was going to have his hands full trying to get either of the boys to attend to their studies. Off hand, she wondered if Rhy should pay them a visit to remind either of them of their responsibilities - then she realized, such a visit probably wouldn't leave him with much time to inspire either of his younger brothers, if he was too busy tangled up with her.
"He is unwell at the moment, but I am sure we can find a suitable replacement. How many staff need to attend to their duties aboard those ships at any one time after all, there will be someone who can spare the little whelps a moment or two." Anara informed him uncaringly, seeing the children as more of a burden than a blessing. At least with her own, she'd felt some maternal pull, but this? No, she was holding the fort, little more.
"I considered paying their brother a visit, dropping them off for the duration of our trip, he would understand."
Hearing what he'd said over the intercomm left her a little stunned for words. Oh certainly, she would have suggested it, perhaps even taken one of the crews blasters and stunned the little brats herself, but coming from him? He who seemed to be every bit the psuedo father figure, despite the big scary scar that split his visage in two. The boys had certainly learned to get over that fear, perhaps deeming the old man more fun than she was - which was just fine by her.
"Ours is just one letter away from yours, don't you forget it either." She commented with a hint of humour - she had always liked that banter with him, mostly because he couldn't fault her logic at times like these.
His kiss had put pay to all the protests she had at what he'd just called her, and he wasn't one to give up lightly, it was a case of going with it and enjoying this for what it was, or outright rebuking him, and she might have hated letting him win, but this was one way she could live with, if only to remind him later that the title he'd given her wasn't right on many levels. She might have surprised him right back by reciprocating, demandingly so, but as with everything 'Anara' she was out to make a point and she intended to make it well. So as she drew him into that kiss, depening it, coaxing him into getting oh so into it, when she did pull back, it was with a wicked glint in her eyes.
"Now what did I tell you about calling me that?"
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Post by tress on Sept 14, 2011 17:23:36 GMT -5
He leaned back and lifted her chin so she could look at him. "That right there is all that matters. Your not a bad person, nor to blame. Like Taru you did it to protect yourself and those you loved." she would still have to live with it, he couldn't help her with that other than to be there for her. Him justifying things would only added to her guilt or force her to see things his way. She would have to come to terms with this on her own.
"So lie to her only daughter make her believe one thing that was false and then have her seek to have her have a hand in killing her own blood. How is that alright?" That's what he didn't get. He still thought it was about controlling Khari through guilt. Hold it over her. What type of person would do that to her child?
Seems like she was only concerned about her station in life, not what it would mean to Khari...as if she was no concern. He could see her saying it was for their betterment, that Kholis would have destroyed them all over claiming just a small part in his daughters life. "Its seeming more and more like she used you. What bothers me and condemning her in my eyes is using you to do it of all people. Knowing the connection between you and him, as if she wanted it to hurt more sending you to do it. The ultimate betrayal or deed, having your only child kill you. That's what i see in her now...."
He kissed her softly, "I never doubted that nor questioned you would. I know you deep inside, Khari. I know your protective of those you love. What happened before wasn't on you, you went with what had been told to you for years. If you had know you wouldn't have gone through with it, I know that and i feel that." he hoped that would settle her fears over this topic. He had never questioned her or felt anything but love from her, a little disapproval over some stuff, yes, but it was laced with love. Just like he returned those feelings.
Muttering under his breathe he held her closer, not wanting to let go for the moment. The real world was closing in on them and all he wanted was to be alone somewhere with her.
He would still plan for the worst and be prepared for that possibility, but he wouldn't be working with Anara anymore on anything. "I love you, but under the circumstances. I don't trust your mother enough to work with her. All we need is a slip and everything is ruined. She deals with Kuati stuff only, the rest isn't her concern nor will she be connected to anything that happens with the CSA deal." he wouldn't jeopardize things with someone like that.
"Lets go met them and talk over things, sending the kids to Anaxes. Not discussing anymore more until that is agreed to, and those to coming with them will be taking them...." he kissed her one last time and sighed ready to leave. "Come on..."
****
"I am sure your right about the staff, though we could keep them in a state room or drug them for the duration." he added pleasantly. Things where going to get interesting when they got to the transfer point. Tress was going to have a rant at the kids coming along.
"No, Rhy will be to busy and preoccupied with his new position to do it..." he added with a glance her way. He would make it a point to tell Tress to send further orders to Rhy to make it so in any case.
He clapped then, surprising her no doubt. "Im so proud of you and your quick wit. They say the first thing to go is the mind, but yours seems well suited for the job still." while he was there looking at her he added, "Maybe we could add a few to the nest so to speak. Your still young..ish." then moved closer and kissed her. Testing her mood for some adult time, if you know what i mean.
"uh, only in private?" he looked around. "Dont know how long that will last but there is the cargo hold if your game. " he gave her a daring smirk
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 15, 2011 8:55:58 GMT -5
Hearing it all laid out like that, it certainly seemed obvious, and looking back it was, but those moments that had lead up to what she had done, she was near blinkered to everything. For one who prided herself on being near impervious to manipulation, she'd certainly been played there! That made her angry beyond all reconning, she had confronted Anara over it in the past, but their shared blame meant a shared conviction - she could have told the authorities everything she knew but at the end of the day it would implicate herself.
"Always adding insult to injury, that's my mother for you. She is and always has been spiteful when it comes to making a point. I could recount numerous times she has been so, and each one more damning than the last. The problem is, she is clever with it, to damn her would damn me along with her...it was probably always her intention." It was now that he would see what she had meant by her warnings not to goad the woman anymore than he had. Now she feared he might do that tenfold. He was right not to trust her, Khari had always kept her at arms length whenever she could. Anara had her uses, though, and so long as she was kept in good stead then she seemed to cooperate well enough, after all, the success of her daughter would only make her look better. But there had been that small inkling at the back of Khari's mind, that made her wonder if her mother was resentful of her in some ways.
She languished in that kiss, one of many true signs of confirmation that she had been correct in believing what he said. Only sad that they never seemed to have more than the barest moment alone together. She might have to do something to change that, surprise him one way or another and minus the bad news this time.
"Thank you, I wanted to tell you sooner, but then all that stuff with the array happened and...well you know the rest." There was nothing more she could have said, so better to let him mull it over and she to be there if he had anymore questions.
Huddled close to him, she really didn't want to move either, but she was in full agreement with the statement of her mother no longer, if she had been at all, involved in this debacle of theirs. It had never been Khari's intention to include her anyway, resting her head against his chest she didn't need to take anything into consideration, just listen to the steady beat of his heart and let her breathing settle into a quiet dialogue with it's rythem.
"She was never a part of this to begin with, but so long as we keep her on side, she can be useful in dealing with the majority of the political aspects at the Kuat end of things. Business and politics have always been closely linked there and I am no politician." She sighed and loosed a brief laugh, "And yet half of the things I have contended with thus far have been political, oh how ironic."
When he drew away, she could only look at him somewhat wistfully, he was resigned as she was, there was little spare time left to them, but they both had a hope. There was an entire journey ahead of them, that would at least yeild some time to them.
"Alright, let us go see if the ships are as ready as they should be."
That was convenient, Anara thought when the words hit her ears, Rhy too busy to do anything usually meant he didn't want to, but she suspected that after her last encounter with him, this wasn't the case. Tyber was lying...so did he know? And, for that matter, did it matter if he knew? No but it would save her a lot of drama if he didn't.
"What a pity, I was looking forward to five moments peace, and were there no laws against drugging your youngsters I might consider that an option. A lucky crew member is going to be very busy for the duration of the trip." She enthused, and she wasn't lying on that one, or underestimating it either.
Anara's eyes narrowed dangerously, there he went again, just like his grandson, reminding her of her age - she wasn't past it yet.
"Mind your manners, you're not exactly on the right side of middle age yourself, and if my memory serves me correctly, you're older than I." She said with just a hint of her earlier mirth, the day had already taken it out of her, she didn't want to be arguing all the way to the transfer point.
The rest though...
"Another few to the nest?" the senator balked, blinking before her eyebrows shot up "One is quite enough, thankyou very much! I have taken every measure to avoid it in the future, well, almost every measure, abstainence has never been an option." She seemed quite proud of that last bit, and why shouldn't she be? Anara had worked hard to be where she was, so far as she saw it anyway, and if she wished to enjoy a few of lifes little, and large, pleasures, why shouldn't she do so? Tyber was hinting at her, she knew, but she remained happily aloof just to make him suffer a little. That hadn't lasted as long as she thought it would too, because like most people from Anaxes, they just came out and said it. Not too unlike Corellians, she reflected, and they had that to look forward to yet.
Now he was just trying to rile her up - not at all, would have been the answer, had she given one verbally, but the glare she issued his way was more than enough to get her point across. That marriage was a sham, a random spur of the moment thing and he knew it, he was just milking it for all it was worth, perhaps to see if she'd go along with it for a while. How it had happened was to blame, what had he wanted her to say, no? She wasn't sure she'd be sitting here now, probably still back there suffering as a result, had she said no.
"The cargo hold? What do you think I am, luggage? And when we have a perfectly usable passenger compartment too...there's a lock on the cockpit door, you might want to tell them to use it. We don't want to scar the young one's minds for life. " The sounds of complaints from the pilot and laughter from the two Knylenn boys carried on in the background, all punctuated by a yelled warning from the copilot. Anara's expression grew immediately pensive. "On second thoughts the cargo hold is fine."
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Post by tress on Sept 16, 2011 17:19:26 GMT -5
What to do with this knowledge? He wouldn't use it against anyone, especially if it meant hurting Khari in the process. The only concern he had was what her mother would do. With the telling of this, he knew she was capable of even using her own daughter to get what she wanted. What did that mean for their plans? Would she see him as a threat and force Khari's had on things? Would she come to him threatening blackmail telling him to leave quietly or do as she said with the possibility of ruining Khari?
He didn't know any of that and it bothered him deep down that she was privy to their plans at all knowing the lengths she was willing to take to get what she wanted. Well he could do that, too. Something to counter before anything happened to cover all his bases.
He had nothing else to say to things, he trusted and loved her more now if it was possible for telling him. As far as he was concerned it was Anara holding the blame and would one day be punished for everything.
Holding her for a while longer he wanted to show her comfort and this was his way of doing that. Though he told her how things would be with her mother now. There was even less trust now between them.
"Agreed." he could deal with that, barely if anything. Though he wouldn't allowed Anara to come between them or seek to ruin what they had going. "Im tired and its only just begun. " they would need to set up some sort of governing system to do with everything that would leave them time for themselves. A new senator for the CSA, possibly Kuat and Anaxes, it was the political aspect that took work. Companies pretty much ran themselves if they had good officers in major departments.
"Ok, lets get going then." he told her as he snuck in one last kiss. "To keep me over." he said in way of explanation.
****
"As long as they get entertained and leave us to....ourselves. I don't see the problem. The ship, I am assuming, will be big enough to keep them entertained for weeks." which was what he was hoping, flight simulators would keep them occupied if anything.
"So true. I wont deny it. I have had a nice full life and seeking to enjoy the rest of it with someone that got away." he said nostalgically. He wondered if she still thought of those times like he did. It might have been under false pretenses but they were memorable trysts at the very least to him.
It had been a hint on his part, though not the actual end result more of the getting there he had in mind. Practice made perfect after all. He saw lots of opportunities on this trip to get things right. Only thing he saw for the right now is the lack of places to get lost in, the shuttle itself was just a small one compared to others. The cockpit, passenger cabin and cargo hold for supplies or luggage.
The smirk he gave her said it all, "After you Lady Vestra." the title was a pointed jab at her class. What would other think of the great Senator of Kuat in the cargo hold with a known criminal bumping boots, going ten toes...well, that might be giving things away. They were after all just going to check the status of their belongings.
He followed her closely....
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 17, 2011 10:51:33 GMT -5
She certainly shared his sentiment, their feet had hardly touched the ground in the last fortyeight hours and it didn't show any signs of changing either. Khari, at least, hoped that would change for long enough during the journey, that they could spend some time alone together in any capacity. That did mean Anara free.
What was palpable, was Tress' unease when it came to her mother's involvement in this. This was all fair and well, she understood it, and in most cases returned that feeling, completely. However, until they worked out what her MO was, there was no sense in rocking the boat - Kuati family life and political damnation was closely linked, whereas many in this galaxy thought blood was thicker than water, that did not apply here, anyone could be your enemy, it just took the right conditions.
Returning her new husband's kiss, Khari rearranged the fall of her hair, and then strode out into the corridor beyond the room they had occupied, an air of confidence conveying her down the hallway to where they needed to be.
"The sooner we arrive, the sooner we can ensure we are not on the same ship as my mother. I don't think wild gundarks could endure her company for long."
A short time later, and they had crossed the docking arm that lead to their ship of choice, and were busy getting the formalities out of the way with the senior crew and Admiral who would be taking charge of the small fleet of vessels for the duration. Pleasantly enough, Khari was delighted to see that Admiral Seinheild would be joining them again for this one, though she did drop the occasional joke that hopefully they could avoid some interesting imperial entanglements this time around. While he had taken something of a backseat when she had sent out that communicative pulse to the ships Dooku had been using to attack the array, he had been responsible for keeping the eclipse in one nice, tidy piece....in fact, she didn't have a scratch on her, much to Khari's relief.
"I understand this isn't usually your line of duty, Admiral, but your time and attention here is greatly appreciated." She was saying, cordial for someone who barely three hours ago had been about ready to tear the arm off the woman who had birthed her.
Seinheild shook his head, offering up a untroubled hand gesture, "Think nothing of it, Lady Vestra, while I am unused to diplomatic missions, it is a welcome change of pace after the recent weeks events." The staunch looking man responded, drawing himself up proudly. Just so, thought Khari, nodding once in acknowledgement.
"We will depart in two standard timeparts."
Now that was music to her ears, Anara would just make it, visitor in tow. How they were going to keep that one underwraps, she wasn't really sure. But her mother wasn't a stupid individual, nor was she careless when it came to things like keeping secret one's identity. That and Khari highly doubted that Tress' grandfather was either - he had just convinced an entire galaxy that he was dead for a numerous ammount of years now.
"Excelent, I will leave things in your capable hands for the time being then." She responded cheerily, then slid a glance sidelong at the ever present shadow following her. Tress didn't look too happy where he was, not that she could blame him under all that stifiling cloth, the overhead glow panels were kicking out some considerable heat and it must have felt like his own personal hell. But it was slightly better than the alternative. People would have stared at him garbed in his usual clothes, but stark naked tended to draw the attention of security, and people like Anara.
"I will have one of the men show you both to your quarters."
That, at least, sounded most agreeable.
One eyebrow quirked at that sentence, she had heard it before but yet this never ceased to draw her attention - the whole idea of settling down. It wasn't her, and it definitely wasn't typical of her kind. Perhaps that was why, then, she had taken such a dim view of what Khari had done, but she was young, she had years with which to fix her mistake before it was too late. At least, Anara hoped that she did. It would be a shame to see her work her way into ruin because of some ridiculous notion like 'love'
What was this then? Were they both kidding themselves? Anara suspected not. Tyber knew, just as she did, where this would go. It was easy to get nostalgic, and at the time she was a bit like Khari herself - that was only natural. Tyber had set the bar ridiculously high, perhaps that was why she adhered to the unwritten code of conduct so many Kuati women did? Once could go crazy trying to work it all out, and she wasn't a psychologist.
"Truly? And who's the lucky lady?" She teased, not willing to admit something even to herself. Her mind was tired, ridiculously so, she just wanted to avoid the topic until she could think clearly.
That had earned him a razor sharp glare, though it wasn't without it's amusement. There he was, earlier, talking about her sharp witt and he stood here now attempting to wind her up with some of his own. She had recieved that put down quip earlier than that too, when she had cited that should Tress have really gotten her daughter pregnant, he was on a fast track to losing his tressticles in a nasty accident with a plasma cutter. Now she couldn't resist the chance to laugh at that inner monologue with herself, though Tyber wouldn't know what she was remembering, he might even think she was just laughing at what he'd done here.
Elegantly, she rose, and then lead the way back through the shuttle's small passenger compartment, to the hatch in the deck plating that slid aside to reveal a small staircase. The shuttle it's self only had a smallish space for belongings, certainly wasn't designed for people to spend extensive ammounts of time in it, but there was enough room for a few if anyone was ever stupid enough to call a meeting here. A meeting of eight at the most.
When the hatch slide aside with a metallic groan, Anara peered down into the darkness, waiting for the glowpanel sensors to realize the hatch had been opened and flicker to life. What lay beyond were all the things they had brought with them, but it still left room enough for their antics - which were completely innocent of course.
Tossing a few words over her shoulder, she checked to see where Tyber was...and then she straightened suddenly, having followed his line of sight.
"I see your mind!" She cautioned humerously for once, though it wasn't without it's edge, "And I would rather you acted instead of thinking...after you."
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Post by tress on Sept 17, 2011 13:18:42 GMT -5
He liked that about her, the ability to switch to confidant woman again. It bled from her, even amongst bad situations. She knew her limitations and skills, and didn't push any further. He fed off it, not that he needed it. Being dressed as a telbun for him aside, it was his choice of disguise that gave him confidence. The mockery of the whole thing gave him back something.
"Yes, we should be getting our own ship to ride in. Its always best to separate family members as a precaution..." he hinted at. Partly cause it was true, though he just was using it as an excuse to be separated from her mother. "We are going into the unknown, its a safety plan. That way there is always one person alive."
Walking beside her still as they arrived he was in a predicament meeting Admiral Seinheild in his telbun garb. The only thing he could do was grin and offer his hand. "Good to meet you again, Admiral. Sorry for my outfit, unplanned accident and this was the only thing available to me." it was a likely excuse on the quick.
He liked the military man from before, was good on his feet at unexpected situations. He could think of no better man to lead their little fleet of ship. Under his command they would be well cared for.
There was something on his mind, but held it. Wondering if the Admiral would keep them all together or not. Well, hopefully not in this case. He would hint at it strongly if he must. He wanted time alone with Khari for however short it would be in between work and discussions of other things.
"Separate ships I hope, Admiral." he had to hint there for his own benefit. "The Lady Anara Vestra will be coming with a guest and two new charges. Best if they keep safe on another ship in case things get dangerous out there." Yes, he was pushing this hard, but for his own peace of mind it was better this way. He'd be damned if that woman would ruin small chances at being alone with his new wife.
"I'm sure you'll understand, Admiral...." besides they would be traveling on his flag ship so to speak, it would benefit him and his ship if Anara was somewhere else.
"Don't you think, Khari?" he looked at her pointedly with a small wink added for fun when no one could see.
***
He shrugged nonchalantly as if not knowing the answer. He wouldn't be repeating himself for she knew full well it was herself he had been speaking of. He knew it wouldn't last, not with everything that had happened between them. Though he was going to have what fun he could in the meantime with her. Shared memories and pleasure to go along with the ones from before.
Suspicious wasn't she? The trip to the cargo hold was short, he used every opportunity to stop her and pull her against him to kiss. Always different from short sweet lingering ones to short deep passionate ones. There was a method to his madness so he hoped, by the time they reach their destination he wondered what she would do.
Leading her inside he turned and grinned. "Now that we are here, what shall we do....?" he could think of several things just off his...head.
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 17, 2011 14:51:49 GMT -5
The admiral had been surprised when Khari's telbun of all people spoke up, even more so when he recognized him as the Senator from Anaxes that had been aboard the eclipse with Vestra last time they had encountered eachother. His job wasn't to ask questions of her, but it did raise a few in his mind. Still, when Tress dispelled any aspersions he might already have, he supposed it was as logical an explaination as he could get, believable or not.
His eagerness to ensure that the older Lady Vestra wasn't on the same ship as them raised a few more than the usual suspicions in the back of his mind. He had encountered her a handful of times and only ever officially. In that sense, at the very least, he could understand the other man's unease, they either gravitated to the woman or they did not...there didn't seem to be any middle ground. And while he placed himself in the did category, his wife placed him firmly in the did not.
"I will do everything in my power to insure that those measures are taken...for safety's sake, of course." He said with a curt and precise nod.
Khari had caught that look in plain sight, and simply shook her head plaintively. Tress needn't have been so pointed about the whole thing, she didn't want her here anymore than he did, though there would come a time sooner, rather than later, where they needed to cross paths again. For the time being, Tyber should provide her with a welcome distraction. Poor man, thought Khari idly. Then spoke up.
"I am in complete agreement with the Senator here. Senator Vestra could probably use the peace and quiet, those meetings of the Ten take it out of a person...especially at her age." How she had said that with as straight a face as possible, even she would never know! It took all of her willpower not to burst out laughing. But if they got the job done there was nothing to be sniffed at.
A brief moments pause while Seinheild commed for someone to attend and show them to their quarters, saw Khari taking things into her own capable hands once again. She, it appeared, had ideas of her very own. But it was hardly surprising, if by some mishap Anara did manage to make it aboard this ship, she didn't want to be easily located.
"On second thoughts, we have spent so long getting here in that cramped little shuttle, the walk should do us some good, we can find out own way there if you send the information to my personal datapad. I'd like the opportunity to show the Senator around, if that does not inconvenience you?" As for the reason, the faux one at least, that was forthcoming, "He is considering purchasing the same model of ship, I might as well share with him the finer details. We will try to stay out of your crews way wherever possible."
Again the Admiral gestured almost placatingly, perhaps fearing some sort of highly strung strop, would he have denied her the right to do so, but he need not have concerned himself with that. She wasn't in the mood for throwing her weight around just now.
"Of course, I will inform them to leave you to your task."
Farewells came in the form of polite nods, and soon enough, She was guiding Tress down the nearest corridor towards the turbolift that would take them up a few decks towards the area the crew and guest quarters were located in. It would be a simple layout, these were military vessels after all, no luxuries, not on the magnitude she was accustomed to, but so long as it sufficed, she would grin and bear it. He might think her spoiled and maybe she was, but you were used to what you were used to. There was no getting around it.
"I hope you don't mind, I couldn't bear another round of smalltalk, spent long enough there with the pleasantries...but did you see his face when he saw who you really were?" A small chuckle eminated from her direction, "That, was a little risky, but I consider him old enough and wise enough not to repeat what he saw. So that leaves us with the question....where in the ship shall we go and what shall we do with the time we have given to us."
Each of those last words were punctuated by a pause, wherein she was walking past the doors to various officers rooms, before stopping as she spoke the fate ful 'us' outside one such door, then spun on her heel to face him, flashing him a smile that was devilish. Almost nonchalantly, she rapped her knuckles against the durasteel and waited for an answer. There was none.
Beckoning him over with the single crook of one finger come-hitherly, her fingertips flew over the lock's keypad, fast enough that it betrayed a familiarity with the series of commands. That was when the door slid aside to reveal an empty room, save for the belongings and simple furnishings beyond.
"Shall we?" She asked mock official like, gesturing for him to enter with her.
He enjoyed playing the fool, didn't he? Anara thought, choosing whether or not to ignore his foolery and just drag him in there herself. No, she could always turn it about? Again no. If it was plaintive he wanted then...
"Get in and i'll tell you, you will forgive me for being cautious, it's just that last time I turned my back on you, you lost your patience and well...incapacitated me. " Choice words, but they were true enough, and unless she walked down there backwards - during which she could forsee herself tripping and landing head over heels on her own backside - she was going to have to chance things again.
Or better yet...
Meandering her way over with a visible sashay to her gait, she paused under an inch away from him, though not once did she make physical contact with him, that was half the point. Slowly, deliberate about her every action, she looked up into those dark eyes of his and searched them but for a moment, rising up on her tip toes so she didn't have to pull him into line, her lips paused beside his ear. And into that ear she whispered everything she thought they should do down there, her breath falling gently, teasingly against his skin.
When she was done, she drew back on her heels slightly, and just looked at him, the picture of innocence, as if she hadn't a clue about what she'd just said.
To say it looked wrong on her was an understatement, there wasn't a time when she could remember herself being innocent much less anyone she knew.
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Post by tress on Sept 17, 2011 16:18:17 GMT -5
A serene smile played on his lips, though he did want to thank the Admiral with a hug at the very least for his help. It was well played out, even though he had been pushy if anything. "Thank you, Admiral." was all he said with a tilt of the head in thanks.
That took care of one problem, almost. The other was when the old gundark heard she would no doubt put up a fight. Either way, this was best.
He had to chuckle at her comment about her mothers age. He wouldn't comment on it, let things lay for that one. Even though he wanted to add his thoughts on the matter.
Yes, the walk would do them good. Give them time to talk and relax after all the day had thrown their way. They needed to be alone anyway. There wasn't enough time in the day for him to spend with her so any time alone just them together was great. Alone with her now after the goodbyes with the Admiral he looked her way.
Just a few hours was all he asked of uninterrupted time with her. That wasn't so hard, was it? There was things to do and plan, but sometimes priority of being greedy enough to want to spend time with your wife came first.
"I don't mind at all, really." he meant it, she had read his mind or had been thinking the same thing. One of the reasons they worked so well together.
So when they left the Admiral, they had time alone again. "I did, though my good manners wouldn't allow me to laugh our right." he joked with her. "I'm sorry if that complicated things for us. Though he did know me or might have remembered me, so better come up with a likely excuse up front." he shrugged and laughed again wondering at what she was doing.
Each room got a pause, but the last one got a knock to which there was no answer. The look along with the 'shall we?' had him grinning ear to ear. "I was just thinking i needed to get out of this robes...so yes." he slipped inside the room already pulling off the robes....
****
"I don't blame you for being cautious, never know what i will do next. " he teased, though she had made a nice preemptive move there. While he wouldn't have..'incompacitated' her on this occasion he would definitely have taken advantage by letting his hands roam where they may.
Standing inside the cargo hold, he was looking around when she moved closer. It was slow and deliberately done to entice him, make him look until she got to close. Then the whispered torment in his ear of things she could have been doing. He had the urge to tell her not to fight them but she moved away, but he stepped closer backing her up against the bulkhead.
"Tell you what. Choose one of the many things you said to me and I shall make it come true.....but, hurry. There isn't much time..." He teased. He had no intention of following through just, yet.
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Post by kharivestra on Sept 18, 2011 14:40:22 GMT -5
That he had chosen to give away his identity to the Admiral mattered little, people like him knew better than to talk, but she suspected that he would have seen through the ruse of a story Tress had given him. It was plausible, logical perhaps, but unlikely. Any idle chit chat that perused it's way around the ship would be dismissed as just that, idle and therefore probably untrue. These things had a shelf life, and by the time they returned it would be old news.
"He would have recognized you eventually, I have known him for a while, never misses a detail. It's of no consequence, don't concern yourself with it." What he'd said about his good manners made her smile ruefully though, he had been the one, all the way from Obroa Skai to Kuat, who teased and taunted her about her own very Kuati sense of manners and proper protocol, the way she would aim to do pretty much everything by the book, rarely going below her means, sometimes over.
"Good ploy on your part, but really? You think I couldn't find you something better to wear?" It was then that Khari recalled their night in that hotel suite aboard the KDY array..."Not a word or I get devious again."
It was a little late for that, she'd already just let herself into someone elses quarters with the intentions of using them to their full. Thereabouts. And she could tell just by that lop sided grin he'd returned that Tress knew exactly what was playing on her mind, just how it should be. They meshed together well, though on the outset, neither of them would see it, nor would someone looking in from the outside, but the vast differences complimented the other quite nicely. She was in this for keeps, come all nine hells or the high waters of Dac.
Grabbing Tress by the arm, she tugged on his sleeve until he stepped over the threshold, by which time he was already shrugging off those heavy robes. Managing to tear her eyes away as shrug by shrug he revealed more of his tempting self, she realized his faux pas a tad too late for him.
Open wide was the doorway, the one that lead out into the corridor beyond, there was even a beautifully cool breeze wafting in from the air recycling outlets in the ceiling. All would have gone without event had it not been for a single officer making his way down the said corridor at a brisk pace, comfortably lost in his own thoughts and tasks, that was until he passed by the open door and executed a textbook double take.
Keen to save Tress his blushes, and possibly the officer's heart, Khari stepped around Tress, placing herself in the doorway and obscuring as much of him from view as she could. Hand feeling around for the touch panel to depress, she did the first thing that came to mind which was to smile politely at the man - still wide eyed at this point - and say "The dust in the recyclers..." The officer still looked confused, "...get's everywhere on these ships."
Thankfully, her palm swiftly landed on the touch panel a second later, and the door slid closed, leaving Khari relieved, somewhat, and the officer wondering what he'd just been subjected to.
He would recover, and it was already forgotten by her. The next time she looked at him, it couldn't have been with more ardor, and while her gaze might have taken a while just looking at him, her words were forthcoming, concurrent with the change in her attitude at that very moment.
"Finally...here's to no more interruptions." She reached into her pocket, pulled out the comlink therin, and turned it off completely. Setting it aside on a nearby desk, she walked back to where Tress was standing, and into his waiting arms, sliding the flats of her palms up and over his chest as she embraced him back, kissing him deeply as she did so. He was certainly warm, but she doubted that had anything to do with the robes this time.
Wasn't that the truth? She thought knowingly, she'd witnessed his unpredictablity in both the best and worst possible ways. The best more recently, but the worst was a tad hard to forget. It was written in just about every record of history in this galaxy, and definitely all the data records concerning the core and the now deceased Empire.
While he made his move, she retorted,
"I don't think stealing this shuttle will be anywhere near your usual standards, you have yourself to blame for raising that bar far too high." The Eclipse this shuttle was not, but he didn't need her to point that out, he knew what she was getting at. But when it failed to get a small rise from him, she pouted disappointedly with deliberance.
He did step inside the cargo hold though, so she followed him down the inset steps and closed the hatch behind them. There was a quick release on their side of the door, so they wouldn't get stuck so long as it engaged. And wouldn't that be amusing? Anara thought with about as much amusement as she had displayed back at the tap caf moments earlier.
Persistence always paid off, that was what she believed and here it was, paying off again, but in quite a different way entirely. While she may have gotten her own way of making him react first, it was how he reacted entirely that had her somewhat taken off guard. Tyber stepped forth far enough to cause her to back up, but she didn't look away nor even surprised when her heels bumped against the bulkhead, no - she wasn't that easily intimidated, much less overcome. If he'd hoped to rend her with that, he had another thing coming.
"Just the one? And there was I, lastnight, thinking age had been kind to you." That, had been for his earlier dig at her own age, he'd had that one coming to him, but her minor triumph didn't grace her lips in anything more than a faint smile among the deviation going on behind her eyes. She would be the first one to make contact this time around, capturing his chin between thumb and forefinger and tilting his wandering gaze back up to her face. Tutting softly, she shook her head like a mother who was disappointed with her own child. But Anara was far from disappointed.
"Make it the first and the third, and you have yourself a deal." before he had a chance to respond, she shrugged nonchalantly, jabbing a finger at the deck above their heads, "The second was far too noisy."
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Post by tress on Sept 18, 2011 16:17:38 GMT -5
Lifting his hands in surrender all he did was smirk, yes, she would have remembered that time. Those clothes she had picked out where horrendous if anything could be said about them. To much flash not enough substance. He liked workable functionality.
The other part was true enough, military officers were known to have eyes for details. Better to dispel things now, then have them wonder. This way he would stop rumors or talk if he heard them from his men. It was no ones business but their own anyway. Things were still getting down, no problems as of yet. Profits on the rise, so alittle shady business on the side would be over looked. He hoped.
The room he had been stepping into while removing the heavy hot robes was a pleasure for him. If only to get out of the garment and find release...from the heat.
He turned hearing her speak out, the zipper on the robes being stuck he was taking it off the old fashioned way, over his head. So he wasn't exactly hearing her very well with the robes around his head. When he took it off it was to someone standing outside the doorway in that corridor and Khari talking to them. An excuse by the sound of it, he was covered by her standing in front of him. Something to which he was thankful for being having forgone under clothes that morning and was completely naked underneath as a result.
Peering over her shoulder he grinned and ducked down behind her to hide. When the door closed he was chuckling at what had happened, though that changed as she moved into his arms. What ever she did he did nothing to stop, he was quite enjoying himself.
While his lips brushed over hers his hands kept her close, "We need to get away more often, Khari."
****
"Thought had crossed my mind, no better time to steal you away than now that i have you gift wrapped and eager." he told her seriously, just to see what she'd do or say. Had it crossed his mind, yes. Would he do it? Most diffinantly.
"Dont have all day back here." he told her stepping closer. "Eventually they will come looking for us when we land ...or before." He had visions of playing out every little thing she had mentioned in her seductively teasing whisper. Later he promised himself he would surprise her if he was in the mood.
He was getting closer and closer, if she backed up he would trap her against the bulkhead behind her. Though he was thinking of what she had said and liked the way her mind worked. "Thats very doable, just like you..." then he made his move.
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