Simple Meetings

[Black Noise]

Nora Kummitus breathed in deeply as she stepped through the Embassy Level on the Chiss ship, The Township. The massive thing served as a headquarters to the Chiss upper echelon and their CAIN operations, and frankly Nora was fascinated by it. However, in equal portions with her fascination, she was curious. Why was she here? For what reason had the Imperator, a woman Nora had only met once, called her to this place?

Nora had no time to think on these things as she was quickly ushered into an Embassy Room by an Immortal Guard. Naturally she had not been allowed to roam the place aimlessly searching for her destination. Rather she had been lead to it by a silent Chiss guard who did not speak to her at any point. After she had stepped into the room, the guard stepped out and closed the door behind here. In the dark room there was a large table with many chairs, obviously for meetings. Nora could not sense anything in the darkened corners of the room, but her senses were not what they used to be. Before her sat a Chiss woman in regard garb, the Imperator.

Bowing slightly, she spoke before taking a seat.
"Good day ma'am, I have arrived. There was something you wished to speak with me about?"

 

[Dmitri]

Chebar're'lurilla, a sergeant aboard the Township, upon the Grand Imperator's orders, allowed a ship called the Transhodan's Bane to land. Continuing on his orders, he escorted the visitor, one Nora Kummitus, to the Grand Imperator's office. He didn't know why they were meeting, and it wasn't his concern about why they were meeting, though he was concerned for the Grand Imperator. Still, Arch'elie'lia was known for being powerful in the Force, so she could probably be able to stop Kummitus if needed. After all, she had been the Director of CAIN before becoming the Grand Imperator, a position her uncle Arch'ao'nuruodo once held.

Chebar're'lurilla brought Nora Kummitus to the Grand Imperator's office. He allowed her inside then stood at the entryway, awaiting orders from Arch'elie'lia. The Grand Imperator noticed Chebar're'lurilla's commitment and informed him he was dismissed. As he shut the door behind him, he contemplated briefly what the meeting was about. However, he shook out such inquiry out of his head. He had a duty. He began barking orders to the guards outside the office to be on guard. He took a position in the center, in front of the doors, his hands behind his back.

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Arch'elie'lia was reading up on Jal Shey literature when Nora Kummitus. Namely, she was reading the Atlas of the Force, written by the late Jal Shey rebel leader Atlas La Rouge, the father of Bellatrix La Rouge. She found the wordplay in the title amusing, but mostly she found the content intriguing. It inquired on whether Bogan was truly evil and Ashla was truly good. For so long, Bogan, the Dark Side, had been used to paint villainous attitudes while Ashla, the Light Side, was the epiphany of calamity. However, Atlas La Rouge urged a change in this perspective. That Bogan did not corrupt people into villainry, but rather shed the veil of personal alteration.

If that is true, then what were the implications? If Ashla forces calamity and unison, a forced calamity, while Bogan sheds away the mask, revealing the true self, what does that say about the heart? Are we all just dark-hearted inside, a conglomerate of sins that seek to quench their desires? Perception, the Atlas of the Force notes, is a key in conceptualizing villainry. The author believed there was no true good or evil, but thinking made it so, especially in the conceptualization of justice. One's justice may be different than another, and such differences could be used to polarize the other, degrade and stereotype. Looking at these concepts, the living beings touched by the Force's grace is the ego. The Force then tempts aspects of the self. Bogan pulls on the id while Ashla lures out the superego. One's self, in this theory, can be affected by the Force, thus why calamity and one's concept of justice is promoted with allegiance to Ashla while Bogan rallies the fulfillment of desires, such as power, fame, greed; passion.

As Arch'elie'lia read the Atlas of the Force, she felt as though the author's points could highlight the Chiss Twins well. Arch'elie'lia, who was greatly aligned with Ashla, the Light Side of the Force, found herself leading and stabilizing peace and justice. Her brother, Arch'aza'cnuruodo, was swimming in the Dark Side of the Force, Bogan, and sought power through the Sith. Both opposites in terms of alignment in the Force and occupational determinants.

However, Heliel did not agree with it entirely. Though Atlas La Rouge preached more of a harmony between Ashla and Bogan, she felt otherwise. She and her brother were more of a symbiotic relationship. They were connected, in unison, but at the same time on polar opposites of the Force. However, it was that relationship that spurred such extremes. As one became stronger in one aspect of the Force, the other became powerful in the other aspect. Even though they were separate people, they could draw on each other's strength, even the other's denomination of the Force. Harmony yet at the same time not harmony. A harmony that bonded them, not no one could understand.

Not even a bond between a daughter and father.

Such a bond was powerful, all the same. This was demonstrated in the person before her. Nora Kummitus. She had sought out information on her father, hungry for information, understanding. Interaction, even if only spiritual. She first sought out her father's ship, the same ship she had flown in, the Transhodan's Bane. Heliel provided that.

Heliel was not finished sharing information, however. The Grand Imperator had called Nora Kummitus to the Township to discuss other matters regarding the girl's father.

"Welcome to the Township," said Heliel.

The Grand Imperator stood up. Her dress complimented the white tapestry and white walls of the office. It was intentional. Neutrality, it spoke. A strive for stability and peace. Black murmured was an omen of negativity and grey reminisced of warships. Thus, she had the office redecorated. The same that had been done to her previous office when she held the position of Director of CAIN.

Heliel wondered what white would be seen through Nora Kummitus' eyes. Nora was not stable, neutral. She was a lost lamb, swaying in the currents of change. She had lost her way. It was why her father had become a pillar of importance. It was an anchor to find herself, a key to navigate a map called raison d'etre.

 

[Black Noise]

Nora leaned back in the chair she sat in as the Imperator welcomed her to the vessel, the Township she said it was called. There was something off about everything here in Nora's mind. There wasn't really anything wrong, but Nora's paranoid nature made her feel uneasy. The rooms were white, a color often associated with neutrality and peace. Those were two things the Chiss preached. That is not how Nora saw the color. To her, white reminisced of untold evil veiled by clean sheets of perceived perfection. To the unstable girl, black, the color often associated with darkness, had become sort of a safety blanket, and grey was the color of those who walked on the wrong side of the Force.

The Force, an interesting concept. Some taught that Bogan and Ashla, darkness and light, we're simply two sides of the same coin. Neither could be had without the other, and both should be embraced. Nora once killed a Pureblood that believed that way. Others believed it to be a living, almost sentient being that dictated the lives of everyone in the galaxy in the never ending struggle for a 'balance.' Nora did not see the Force as having a side, nor as a living entity. Rather, it was a tool, a tool that connected all beings. Only a simple weapon to be manipulated and used by the strong for the furtherance of the personal gaining of power.

Where had Nora garnered her ideals? From the holocron of her father. Nearly all her ideals were not her own, but twisted versions of her dead father. Her father, a former Sith Lord that viewed all life as a stepping stone to be used and tossed aside. The being that snuck into enemy territory with the intention of starting a fight for the sole reason of causing terror. The being that made himself appear to be a traitor for the sole reason of getting someone to kill him. Yes, that being.

Nora, under her cheap veil of ideals, had no real reason to exist. But did that matter to her? To Exilis, a reason to exist did not fit into his equation for life. His reason for creating Nora was to make a heir to his knowledge, a being to carry on his lineage. Loving her was an accident that occurred along the way. She was not his reason to live, he never really had one. In accepting that finding reason to exist was futile, Exilis began planning for and arraigning his death. But Nora, she needed a reason to live. Yet still she was but a parasite, clawing at others for life and sustenance.

Crooking her head, Nora pushed her thoughts away and questioned.
"Have you anything you need to speak with me about, ma'am?"

 

[Dmitri]

Heliel picked up the cup of tea, and let its sweet delight fancy her lips. Taking a sip, she set it back down. The woman before hear was a lost lamb, and Heliel decided to herd her around with dialogue.

"Indeed," said Heliel. "But before I speak of it, I was hoping you could satisfy a curiosity. What did your father's holocron say?" She smiled innocently, but the smile spoke words. The holocron had never been mentioned before. However, that did not mean the Chiss hadn't had CAIN operatives inspect the ship. They were well trained, wouldn't even leave a trace on the ship. "Out of respect of your father, I did not turn on the holocron. But I am curious what knowledge he left behind. You don't have to share personal information, if you do not wish to. I don't need you to say anything about it." Though it seemed as if she was allowing Nora her privacy, it whispered of another meaning: that she already knew.

 

[Black Noise]

Nora did not catch the subtle hints in Heliel's conversation. While priding herself on her intelligence, Nora was never trained the arts of diplomacy nor that of proper intelligence gathering. Frankly, she was too naive and manipulatable too train herself on detecting these subtle hints. Nodding, she answered.
"It is no problem. He left behind a chronology
of his life, his beliefs, and all of his teachings. As for his life, he simply recorded the events that happened according to his eyes. The purpose and faith he found in his friend, a man called Ruthric, for so many years. And how it all crashed down after the man's death. He even went so far as to attempt to bring him back to life. He failed. After that, he described life as empty, worthless. Devoid of all meaning other than the pursuit of power. He determined that, after reaching the rank of Warmaster, that his time to live had run out. Immediately he planned for my creation, and his own death. He described it as an 'accident,' that he even loved me at all. As for his teachings, he believed in his latter life that the only reason one could find to live was to find someone to love. He believed himself too old and too late to love and care for m- anyone. He also included details on all of his powers, his saber forms, and information garnered through various fights. There wasn't much else, other than the organizing of his death. Purposefully leaking information of a legitimate holocron holding information on immortality on Lehon. Planning to engage a high ranking Jedi Council member, as he purposefully leaked the information into circles of people that had direct and constant contact with them. I believe it was one of those council members that received the information that killed him. The holocron, although said to be real, was really a fake made by father. Interestingly, he also included information to create a holocron. I made one, shortly before coming here actually, transferred most of father's holocron's information to it with the Force. I haven't begun my own entries. My holocron is in the hands of a friend, my father's is in the ship."

Shrugging, she finished.
"There wasn't much else."

 

[Dmitri]

Heliel listened. She spoke the truth, for some parts.

"I suspect you're interested in hearing about your father," said Heliel. "Maybe even about his death. While I don't know the details of his death, I can tell you this: a Jedi arrived at Lehon when Darth Exilis was present. It was the Jedi Grandmaster of that time, Garth Dovhann. Though Darth Exilis was slain, there's no accounts of Dovhann. We do not know if he perished in that fight or not."

 

[Black Noise]

Nora leaned forward, hiding her immense interest.
"Really? Do you have any more information about that?
Her father dying at the hands of a former Jedi Grandmaster, and possibly killing him in the process, felt really good to Nora. The goal of his death was to go out in a blaze of glory, that much was clear by what Exilis 'didn't' say. And that had been achieved.

 

[Dmitri]

Nora was indeed delighted by the news, a confirmation to Heliel's hypothesis.

Heliel stood up from her chair. "Indeed. However, one is more suited to say this than I."

The doors to the Grand Imperator's office opened. A dark clad figure strolled in. He was the only one whom Heliel had informed Chebar're'lurilla would have access to go inside. The man shed his hood to reveal himself as Heliel's twin brother, Arch'aza'cnuruodo. Darth Vendis.

The Sith Lord had arrived shortly before Heliel had contacted Nora. He had been to see Geist Weiss, who had informed him of a break-in. Now that Nora was here, he was ready to deal with the traitor. His power had already been charged, hidden through the Force. His sister was linking herself to her twin, allowing them both to become stronger.

"Nora Kummitus, while we're on the topic of question and answer, why don't you tell us about the time you broke into the Grey Temple and stole sensitive files from Geist Weiss?" asked Hazac.

 

[Black Noise]

Nora's heart froze in her chest as Vendis entered. Fear gripped her as he spoke, choking her more than any physical manifestation ever could. This was the man that killed her father, there was no doubt in Nora's mind that he could kill her too. However, even as the fear and panic gripped her, Nora's clearer head prevailed.

Nora forced herself into a state of emotionlessness, just as she had forced herself to as a child. She killed the fear, killed the panic, killed everything till she became just a shell of a being.
"Why not? I broke in, hacked into Geist's console, stretched out to other locations, then downloaded everything I could. I then gave it all to Sigur, Grandmaster of the Jedi order, with every Chiss Virus I could possibly plant on the file packet I sent from my datapad. The viruses weren't in Geist's files, I knew they'd sweep that, they were included in the 'secure' packet from my data. Sigur never bothered to check that, and even if he did it would be possible to miss the viruses yet again. Need you know anything else, Darth Vendis?"

Nora turned around at the last sentence, hoping he didn't kill her.

 

[Dmitri]

Heliel was surprised by the confession. She'd make sure to use the recording to send to the Imperium. Geist Weiss had been an instructor to her and she was not pleased with this betrayal.

"Still, we are not pleased with this, especially the Sith," said Hazac. "Had you done this with their sanction, it would have been fine. Except you risked more than yourself. You risked Geist Weiss and his intel to plant viruses."

Hazac began to slowly press Nora's windpipe together. He wouldn't do it for long, only long enough for her to pass out and be administered with drugs as to transport her to the Imperium.

 

[Black Noise]

Nora leaned forward, and croaked out as she lost consciousness.
"Perhaps that, was- my intentio-"
Motionless, her body slumped down on the table.

Thus it began.