Ask Speaking the Unspeakable

[Kalique Baize]

Eiattu VI

As Kalique sat in the transport, her stomach still felt like it was upside down. The thoughts simply didn't stop running as there were countless thoughts on her mind these days. The holonet hadn't really calmed down, even if there were no full unrests yet, the air was thick within and outside of Imperial borders and it left her a little restless. She wanted to talk to Altair, but this had to be in person.

After having messaged the Grand Marshall, she had learned that he wasn't dwelling on Raxus, but avoiding the media on Eiattu - the kingdom he had once conquered before the split had even happened and before the Imperial Southern territories had been lost. She had thus met up with Varyn before the two of them had started their journey to Eiattu.

Varyn seemed just as contemplative as herself, but he, too, wanted to speak to his old friend, so for Kalique there had been no doubts about trying to meet him on Eiattu. She was convinced Altair was being even more torn than the two of them and that he absolutely wasn't thrilled about the developments, yet they needed this urgent talk far away from Raxus it seemed.

She hadn't requested an official meeting, assuming Altair would have tried to talk them out of it, so instead she had relied on Guin and her tech magic to locate the Tiefling. After having made it to the spaceport, they got into a transport that was bringing them to the outskirts of the capital where the Tiefling had been spotted in a mildly busy area.

As they alighted from the speeder cap, Kalique, dressed casually, but her lightsabers stored in her bag, didn't have to look around for long before her emerald gaze settled on a pub across the street. "I have a feeling we might be close" she said to Varyn, jutting her chin towards it. She was absolutely not blaming him for not wanting to deal with this all, but perhaps popping up randomly was necessary.

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn kept to himself. He had always been something of a loner, and the higher he got to the top of the food chain, the more obvious that became. These days he had few friends and Altair was one of them. The fact that his friend was once again being crucified in the media was something that Varyn could do little about, but the questions that had begun to arise in his mind were ones that needed answers. Questions that people weren't supposed to ask.

Varyn, too, had not dawned any sort of armor and kept his sabers stashed away out of sight. He'd never been particularly comfortable in uniforms of any size, and blending in on the streets was much easier when you weren't wearing bright red.

He let out a quiet sigh as he looked across the street at the pub that Altair seemed to have taken refuge in.

Yeah.... You'd think at some point, he could catch a break, he muttered to Kalique. He wasn't wrong. Altair had been through the wringer more than once, and Varyn was a firm believer that he deserved to catch a break. The Force seemed to have different ideas.

He made his way into the bar and slid into a seat next to his old friend. Normally their hang outs were in private and started off with Varyn bringing a six pack for Altair and a box of sodas for himself. Wasn't an option here, so he had to improvise.

Another one for my friend here on me and a leena for me, he said, and then motioned for Kalique to place her own order.

Double livers, right? Makes it hard I've been told, he said. Honestly, he had no idea how many drinks his friend had had, but he was guessing the number was greater than one.

@Sreeya @LadyRen

 

[Altair Din]

The two would learn soon enough that Eiattu VI had towns that were laidback and not as reliant on modern technology. A lot of it reminded Altair of the simple farm he had grown up on, and it was one of the reasons he loved visiting the towns without making it obvious who he was. Since his ascension to the throne, the planet became a popular destination spot for tieflings as it was one of the few planets where they didn’t face discrimination. This allowed Altair to blend in when he needed to, though he still caught curious glances every now and then.

Theme​

Varyn would sense a familiar presence as soon as they entered the pub, which was a full blown tavern bustling with patrons chatting and laughing, along with live musicians. The two Imperial Knights would be inclined to walk towards a back room in the tavern that had a separate dining area. Once they opened the door, they would find Altair chugging down a mug of ale before slamming it down on the table.

“Another!” He called out after a satisfied belch. He had a giant, roasted nuna leg in his left hand and he took a bite of the greasy meat. While he could have a king’s feast back in his halls, nothing beat the food in the seedy districts.

The workers were all too thrilled to serve him, the barmaids bringing him an endless supply of drinks and food. The tiefling didn’t notice his friends at the doorway yet, and he eager got to work on his feasting.

@LadyRen @Phoenix

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique looked up at Varyn when he mentioned the break. Yes, she had talked to Altair about that too, prior to his next campaign. Even back then he had been tired, perhaps even jaded on the inside, but stopping hadn't been an option. His dedication didn't allow for it. Now he in a place that was even worse and Kalique felt incredibly sorry for him, knowing that they'd probably stir up some things he might have tried to forget for a bit right here.

As Varyn has nailed it, she only replied with a sighted 'mhm' while she followed him inside. The air in the pub was much thicker and warmed than outside, but the mood was more than jolly. They couldn't make out Altair at first, but when they did move further inside before they'd end up in a separate back room, filled with an even better mood and a whole feast on the board.

Altair chucked down a fresh mug of what appeared to be Ale and with the greasy leg in his other hand, she was immediately reminded on their time on Varc - it was different, as so far the scenery was much less bizarre and Altair was already the rightful ruler here, but Kalique immediately noticed that Altair was so busy with his feast that he noticed neither of the two standing perhaps a little dumbfounded in the doorway.

For once, he did at least seem happy, totally unbothered about all the shit that was currently going on, but then again she doubted this had been his first Ale of the day. Still, Kalique suddenly regretted having shown up to interrupted everything that was going on here right now. "Oh boy" she muttered quietly, only for Varyn to her before she looked up at him, one brow raised in question before she decided to squeeze forwards.

A barmaiden with an empty tray bumped against her and quickly muttered an apology before she continued onwards. As she wasn't thrilled to destroy the scene, she only approached him from behind, gently placing a hand on his shoulder and said, "Surprise visit for the King" while she threw him a faked smile. Well, it didn't seem like he was in a mood to discuss politics right now, but Kalique doubted Varyn and her would get infected with Altair's mood for now either.

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Well at least it wasn't all dreariness and sulking depression, which Varyn decided to count as a positive. If it were anything else, Varyn might have been worried, but this was Altair they were talking about. He'd always managed to find himself as the center of attention even when he didn't want to be.

Even with the seriousness hanging in the back of his mind, the atmosphere and music was almost enough to make him forget about it. Almost.

Kalique made the opening statement to draw Altair's attention, and Varyn just give a little awkward half-wave and pair of raised eyebrows that was just entirely Varyn. He preferred to be a wallflower even now, and would take a quiet room drinking with a friend over an uproar like this any day.

But he was still here.

@Sreeya @LadyRen

 

[Altair Din]

Altair finally spotted Kalique and Varyn and thought they were hallucinations at first. He was mid-chew when he paused, frozen like a statue as his eyes narrowed. After a moment, he awkwardly realized the two were actually standing there. The tiefling finished eating, wiped off his mouth and gestured for them to enter and sit down with him. Now that they got closer, they would see the sadness in his eyes. Clearly the turmoil happening was weighing heavily on him. He was never a man that ran from things, but he had long since lost the same resolve he had years back.

“Aren’t you both supposed to be on patrol?” He asked them as he gestured for the barmaids to bring them all drinks and then leave the room. Altair didn’t know why both of them came all this way, but he doubted it was just to hang out and drink with him.

“Come to arrest me?” He asked bitterly, “This planet isn’t under Imperial jurisdiction,” He reminded them. The Emperor had given him quite a bit of grief about not bringing his own planet over under Imperial banner. The latest Holonet debacle reminded Altair of why staying independent was smarter in the long run.

@LadyRen @Phoenix

 

[Kalique Baize]

Once Altair had spotted them, his demeanor immediately changed so as if everything catched up with him at once. Kalique now saw that the apperent high-spirits had been nothing but superficial and the pit of her stomach ached. This would be hard...

She took a seat next to him, so that Varyn could sit down to face her and they'd be in a triangle around the table. Biting her lip, she waited for the barmaiden to fetch them a drink before they all disappeared, leaving just the three of them. "Shifts can be shifted...this here couldn't wait that long" she explained, throwing Varyn an awkward gaze, somehow getting the feeling she'd have to start this conversation.

"No, of course not" the Emperor couldn't have been to fond of his independent kingdom, but Kalique understood why Altair kept it this way. "How many ales have you had?", even if he wasn't sluring his sentences, Kalique needed to know for a full assessment of the situation: how hard was it to cope right now and how was the situation here?

Kalique ensured that they were truly alone before she let out a little sigh, meeting Altair's gaze more seriously. "Have you chosen to sit this out entirely?" she asked, not provocatively, even though the question was rather direct. She was certain he knew what she was implying.

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn could see the sadness in his friend's eye, and he also guessed that Kalique was better at consolation than he was. He had never had the gift of a silver tongue unless it came in the form of pretending to be someone he wasn't, and he refused to pretend or lie with his friend.

Benefits of being... close to the top, he said, though he felt like those benefits were few and far between these days. He knew he never should have left his job as a field officer. Sometimes he wished he spent more time on patrol, but whinging wasn't going to change anything now.

The question Altair posed about coming to arrest him hurt. Varyn had considered it before in the silence of his own mind. If he was asked to go after Altair to save the Empire, would he do it? He'd betrayed everything he knew for the Empire once, and now look at where it was. Barely any better than it had ever been under the Sith. No, not like this.

Quite the opposite, he said. No, Varyn wasn't here to side against Altair in whatever was to come. The Empire now stood on the edge of a knife; stray but a little and it would fail to the ruin of all.

I want to know where your head is at. We've been through the ringer before, but this is different, he admitted. They were treading on new ground that was as dangerous as the insurgent-filled snow banks of Telos.

@Sreeya @LadyRen

 

[Altair Din]

Altair wasn’t expecting to be cornered and this all made things very awkward. However, now that he was faced with people coming all this way to seek him out, he couldn’t keep up the facade. His face fell and his tail drooped, “You know just talking to me like this could be treason, right?” He asked as he looked at them both. Neither of them led the charge to break the Sith Empire in half. They couldn’t know the burden of it all and having the entire galaxy laser focus on him.

“Why aren’t you at the Emperor’s door instead?” Altair asked as he reached for his drink again. It was obvious he was bitter about all this, but he was also not jumping up to do something. There had been a fire in him the first time around when he booted the Sith, when he blew up the Empress, when he led the coup with thousands backing him. That Altair had suffered nothing but loneliness since and years of second guessing.

“What would you have me do?” He finally asked, his amethyst gaze rising to look at them both.

@Phoenix @LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

You know just talking to me like this could be treason, right? The words kept echoing through her mind. Yes...she knew. And yet she was torn. Kalique, who had always been loyal do the Empire, who had always followed the commands she had been given, Kalique who had always been so dedicated to the Empire for almost a decade by now....

Was it treason? No. Perhaps not. At heart, she was still undoubtedly loyal to the Empire, dedicated to defend and protect it, to do whatever she could to ensure the Empire was safe and stable, but that was exactly why she was here. She didn't comment on it for now, but held his gaze. Maybe he knew it, too.

The second question he posed, she interpreted as a rhetorical one anyway, thus she left it unanswered as well. Varyn and Kalique could have gone there, but what would have happened? The Imperial Knights walked such a thin line, critique coming from their ranks wouldn't get them anywhere and who'd listen to them? Altair would, because Kalique knew he was conflicted as well.

The Emperor had made a mistake and the spark he had caused was already growing into a fire that spread further each moment. They couldn't afford a civil war or anything like that...Kalique literally wondered how it was even possible for the newly formed Empire to be thrown in such a crisis just years after its reformation already, apperently because there were some hidden conflicts that were in desperate need of resolve.

"You're not alone, Altair", she finally said, her voice serious before a sigh escaped her. She had told him the exact same words not long ago, but the context was different. This was potentially changing everything. "You don't have to do anything alone again. But together we might stop this catastrophe from happening". It was literally just a question of time before open conflicts would be fought. In the senate, a storm had also started to brew, because the foreign political leaders weren't too happy with their absent leader.

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

And yet, this is where we are, Varyn responded without missing a beat. It killed him to see the tell-tail (ha, puns) signs of how hard this was hitting Altair, and he wished he could do something, but he knew there was only so much to be done. The Tiefling had had the galaxy's eyes on him for years now, and he could only imagine the pressure that put him under.

At the end of the day, Varyn had come here, to this planet outside the Empire, to this bar with his eyes wide open. He was no stranger to making choices that would change his life, and he wasn't above making them again. Little of value ever came out of the comforts of life.

For a moment, Varyn was silent as Kalique spoke. They had all known each other long enough to know that the wheels in his mind were turning.

It's wrong, he finally said after a moment. Varyn had done things in his life that were inexcusable. He'd joined the Sith, killed in war in the most violent fashions, and crossed lines that no Jedi could, should, or ever would cross. But at his soul, somewhere deep down, he still yearned to fight for what was right. He had spent years now believing the Empire was that "right" and maybe it was, but this was not.

Screw politics, galactic impressions, and whatever else. What's happening to you isn't right. You'd be right to go against it... he said, and paused. He could see the weight on Altair, and whether this was right or wrong, Varyn knew that one person could only be stretched so far ...but it's your call. Whatever you do, I have your back.

@LadyRen @Sreeya