Nar Shaddaa

(Continuing with the music themes!)

Finally free from the convention halls, Shaisha returned back to the apartement to drop off the loot and a moment of quiet.

After some quiet reflection, she headed to the meditation chamber... the intention was to find her focus. A lot was happening now, very fast too... and she needed to get herself together and take control of these visions now.

As Vowrawn instructed... breathe... focus your mind, allow the darkness to guide you. Let go of your restrictions...

The darkness enveloped her, as familiar as her own shadow, as she tried to push past the veils of the future...

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D5 EE Foresee. What shall I see? Something fun? Something scary?!: 1eF 2 Dark Side

She can see what look like pazzac cards or some kind of game of chance with cards. She flips a card and sees a Monarch, the card is dark and hard to see the features. She flips another card and sees a Shining Knight on one half and a Dark Warrior on the lower half. She flips another card and there is nothing but Black, the void.

Another card and there is a Queen dripping with blood. One hand holds a knife and another a heart.

The Knight flips to the Warrior as it absorbs the Monarch. The card changes into Death and moves toward the Queen as the Void grows larger consuming all.

Then her vision returns to normal.

She rises quickly to her feet as the vision ends, beginning to pace the chamber as her mind begins the work to align it to her other visions. Those that were true visions and not just hauntings of a dead world and a monster.

The future is alway in motion. Always changing. It was different than the first vision that had started it all on Korriban. The vision of her father... Her fists clenches... why did it so often come back to him. Was he the Dark Warrior, corrupting the light of the Shining Knight as in her vision on Korriban? Was it her? Or someone else?

It gave her some resolve that she was doing the right thing in using Niall to approach one of the Jedi Masters of the Council.

Pausing in her pacing, she sighs. It was becoming inevitable that she should reach out to her father. The fate of the galaxy was perhaps not depending on him, but he seemed to have a part to play in it.

Several minutes pass in silence as Shaisha debates if it was the right time or not to come clean. In the end, what choice did she have... and depending on what would happen with Baras, Raven and Sylvain, would she even get the chance again?

In the end, she finds herself making the call to the Emperor's Wrath. He could of course choose not to respond, and she was quite prepared for that possibility.

The Wrath answers and just glares for a moment and then says, "Speak, child."

His face was focused and crimson and perfect. He did not seem surprised at the call though he rarely showed any emotion so that was not all that unsettling.

As always, the the point.

"... I found that world in my visions," she begins, her own expression hardening. "How long have you known? About that place, about what he's going to do."

"Long enough."

He crosses his arms and says, "It is not a place to visit lightly. It leaves scars on anyone that survives the stay."

"I had to go there," she says with decisiveness. "The visions of it only kept growing stronger and more frequent."

She meets his gaze. "... you knew what he had done, what he did to me, and what he's going to do. Yet you still serve him?"

“One does not leave the service of the Emperor easily. He is the inevitable end,” her father replies coldly.

“There can only be one path. I cannot stray from it, nor can you.”

"He made me his puppet and I broke those chains. If I can break free of his control, so can you," Shaisha retorts, her anger beginning to rise slightly.

"And what sort of path have you seen for you? For me?"

The Wrath scowls briefly and says, “No one is beyond the reach of the Emperor, no one can break their chains completely if he seeks to enslave you. Only in death are you truly free and he is nearly beyond death.”

“He knows of the chains you have severed, and you will suffer for it.”

“I have seen an end to the Emperor but that time is not today, and the one has yet to reveal themselves to me. Your future, child, will be one of pain and treachery.”

"If it will be treachery to try to put an end to this before it's too late, then so be it. If it means you come after me on the Emperor's behalf..." she draws a deep breath, "then so be it. I won't back down."

She thinks back to the first vision she experienced, on Korriban. Of Scourge turning to the light. "Even your path is one of treason."

"That is why it is my path."

"If I were to come for you, I would not warn you, it would simply be done," he says calmly.

"Expected as much," she lets out a small sigh. It was inevitable then that the next time they would meet, only one would walk away, it seemed.

"... You knew what he did to me then? And you said nothing..." And did nothing.

“He does many things, he is the Emperor. I do nothing because the time has not yet come to act,” he says in response.

“Be displeased; be angry, it changes nothing. There is no defeating the Emperor with simply sentiment and good will.”

"Geez, you think I don't know that?" she shakes her head, actually wishing he would be angry - it would be a welcome change from his disapproving equilibrium.

"The Force has shown me it is possible - so I have to follow it. With or without you."

He seems unmoved and says, “You will fail.”

"Maybe, I will. But it won't stop me from exploring all options that are there, even if I must find this... this Shining Knight, from my vision. You have seen it too, have you not?"

She looks at the holo defiantly for a silent moment, wondering if he really would be the one to kill her in the Emperor's name someday.

“I have.”

“I have seen the face of the tone that will kill the Emperor, but that one has yet to present themselves to me. For now I bide my time,” he replies.

The Shining Knight then. Convenient to bide your time when you're immortal...

"I've not seen the Shining Knight's face, but... I have seen what will happen from the confrontation. His defeat at the hands of this champion is not going to be the end of it."

"Perhaps not, but it will be a start," her father replies.

"True," she agrees. It did not seem he would let go of the information easily, but that was to be expected of him.

"... There is not much more I can say. So, I guess this is goodbye, father." Shaisha holds on cutting the call, in case he had something he wanted to share.

The Wrath stares at her and then the line ends. There is silence and then her communicator begins to ring with an incoming call.

Shaisha takes a moment as she mulls over the conversation, only to be interrupted by another call.

Oh well, might as well answer since she is here. She just hoped it wasn't terribly bad news.

Vain is on the other line and says, “So you can say no, but I got some takeout… beer and nowhere to go. Feel like eating?”

“Oh and full disclosure I got this number from a Hutt that owed me a favor. Damn good slicer though.”

Shaisha was prepared for a lot of different callers. Vowrawn, Grel or any of the other apprentices, Paz, heck even some of the other creeps who trailed the Emperor's shadow...

She did not expect that guy to call her. On this channel.

"... Are you stalking me?" she asks as she finally manages to change the surprised scowl into something more like a resting bitch-face.