Dark Beginnings (Corellia; 544 ABY)

[Ophelia Solaris]

[[ For reference, Ophelia is 18 years old, living at her parents' estate located on the Gold Beaches of Corellia. Her sister, Lana, is still alive. ]]

“Ophelia, I would be honored if you would take my hand in marriage.”

The man knelt to one knee, producing a ring with a modestly sized diamond. Feigning surprise, Ophelia allowed him to slip the ring onto her finger, her lips curving into a soft smile.


“Oh, Corran, you shouldn’t have. I knew you loved me, but I wasn’t expecting this… This ring was your grandmother’s, wasn’t it?” She held up her hand so that the diamond caught the light of the three moons of Corellia. It sparkled in the milky glow, sending flickering rainbows back at her.

They were sitting in a corner of the vast gardens of the Solaris estate, admiring the array of rare plant-life by moonlight. Some species only blossomed at night, and Ophelia thought they were the most beautiful of all her family’s exquisite flora had to offer. She smoothed her hands over the silky material of the backless dress she was wearing, turning her cheek to Corran as he attempted to kiss her. He hesitated but kissed her on the cheek nonetheless.

“I’m so happy,” he said, “that ring goes back into my family for eons. My parents were concerned when they didn’t have a daughter that the ring would end up sitting in a safety deposit box somewhere.”

“They didn’t think you would get married?” Ophelia almost laughed. She didn’t blame them. Corran was as bland as they come, lacking even a whisper of a personality. The only reason why she had thought he was of any interest was due to his high office in the Imperial Army. He blushed.

“Well, they weren’t sure, not until you came around! They will be so thrilled that I am marrying a Solaris! We know how much your family has supported the Emperor through the years.”


“Yes,” she replied, ignoring his excited intonations as she further inspected the ring, “I’d imagine so. But, Corran, let’s not tell everyone the marvelous news just yet. I need some time to tell my family.” She pat him on the cheek, perhaps a little too roughly, and stood, her dress swirling about her ankles.

“Oh… yes. Yes, of course. Ophelia,” he paused, trying to find the words. It was all she could do to not roll her eyes in exasperation. “Ophelia, my darling, I love you.”

She stared at him for a moment before turning on her heel to walk back to the mansion. “I know. The guards will escort you from the property back to your ship.”

Fool. There was not even the slightest chance she would ever marry him—not in a million eons.

[Ophelia Solaris]

Stepping lightly through the gardens, Ophelia did not spare a single glance back. Corran was not the first to ask her hand in marriage—in fact, he was the fourth. It seemed that the moment she was of age to wed, suitors were lining up at the mansion doors, family heirlooms in hand to lay before her feet. They all lusted after her affluent name and association with being supportive, if not a personal benefactor, of the Emperor; but she was sure that was not all they lusted for. She scowled. Men were so predictable and nauseating, especially the ones who claimed love at first sight. Out of all of them, Corran was the worst. Ophelia glanced down at the ring, twisting it off her finger. She sneered at the inferior diamond and threw it into the bushes, thinking it was not even good enough to fertilize her plants.

Lifting the skirt of her gown, she gracefully ascended the stairs to the back door and slid inside. Her parents were lounging in the drawing room, waiting for her.

“Colonel?” Her father, Jasper Solaris, arched a brow and sipped at his strong brandy. Ophelia shrugged and sat on the opposite sofa.

“The poor sod proposed,” she replied, picking at her skirts. “Father, I’m tired of entertaining these jumped up Corellian dirt farmers.”

“Darling, it is part of your civic duty. Eventually, there will be a man who is a strong contributor to the Empire with enough money to support you,” chimed in her mother.

Ophelia groaned. “Mother, I don’t want to marry anyone.”

“Perhaps your mind will change.”

“Sure, when Lana marries the Emperor,” she spat back. Both Jasper and Sera stopped, staring at her coldly. Her mother had gone rigid in her plush seat, muscles tense. Ophelia merely smiled, lying back on the sofa unceremoniously. “I touched a nerve?”

She knew her parents were aware of her sister’s involvement in protest groups against the Empire. That freak was a disgrace to the Solaris name. Ever since they were children, there was something… off-putting about the girl. Lana unnerved their parents to the point that they would no longer stand to be in the same room as her. Excuses were made during public affairs—Lana was sick, Lana was on holiday, Lana had prior engagements to attend to—it was all just so they would not have the shame of having her seen by other Empire supporters. Sera had once even confided in Ophelia that Lana had been born merely a day after her, by some strange phenomena. Yet, they constantly referred to her as being a year younger than Ophelia.

She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Alright, I know, I know. I’m sorry." She stood, offering a slight, if not mocking, curtsy. “I will retire to my room now. Mother, Father. Goodnight.”

[Ophelia Solaris]

She took the turbolift to the third level, remarking how even the mention of her sister’s name ruined everything. When they were children, Lana never cried—not once. Ophelia would pinch her, at times so hard she left bruises, but Lana would only stare at her with that defiant look in her eyes. She even remembered ripping out a handful of the girl’s mousey brown hair when they were twelve and all Lana did was respond with, “Are you finished for today, Ophelia?”

When the door slid open, Ophelia stepped out and began walking down the hall, becoming angrier with each step. As she closed the distance to her bedroom, something itched within her and she could tell something was amiss. She found herself running, throwing herself against the door as she palmed the scanner to get in.

And there she was. There was Lana, sitting on her bed, body bent over something she held in her hands. When she slowly looked up, Ophelia realized it was her own datapad; Lana was reading her diary.

“You murglak!” In three bounds, she leapt over the bed and tackled Lana, pinning her beneath as she twisted her arm off to one side by the wrist with one hand, her other grasping her throat. “What did you read?” When she did not respond, Ophelia squeezed her neck tighter, hitting Lana’s head against the floor with each word for emphasis. “What. Did. You. Read!”
“You get angry so easily…”
“Shut your mouth.”
“I thought you wanted me to tell you what I read in your diary.”
“I want you to stay out of my room!”
“Corren proposed, didn’t he?”
“That’s none of your damn concern.”
“You live such a glamorous life, Ophelia. Men fall before your feet. What’s it like?”
“Stay out of my life. I don’t want you watching me, you vrelt.”
Lana fell silent for a moment, staring up at her with pitying eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that.” She twisted Lana’s arm to a painful angle. “Don’t look at me!”
“I’m sorry you have to resort to violence. It’s such a shame because you’re so beautiful. You take after Mom.”
“She’s not your mother.”
“Evidently, she is. We’re sisters, whether you like it or not.”
Leaning down, Ophelia clenched her teeth, hissing in Lana’s ear. “You are not a part of this family and you never will be. Chaos knows where the kriff you came from. We would rather you were dead.” She squeezed her neck and let go, pushing herself off of the girl and rising to her feet.
“Such poisonous words.” Lana remained where she was on the floor, her throat striped with red where Ophelia’s hand had been. Tomorrow, it would be a bruise. Ophelia stared at her, shaking her head in exasperation.
“Why do you stay here? Why haven’t you just left us?”
Lana sat up, considering this, and shrugged. “I can learn a lot more about the evils of the Empire if I stay right here.”
“If you stay… I will kill you.”
“Why don’t you do it now?”
“Because death is too good for a karking trollop like you. Now get out.”

Lana slowly stood, her eyes following Ophelia’s face before she turned to walk out. She paused at the door. “You know, I feel sorry for you.”
“Kark you.”
“I love you too, sister.”

[Ophelia Solaris]

Ophelia stood, fuming as the door snapped closed behind Lana. After a moment, she drew a deep breath and made her way to the fresher where she slipped out of her extravagant gown, leaving it crumpled on the floor. The water was steaming hot, but she did not care. She felt as though it was washing away all traces of her sister and Corran and left her feeling spotless. She dressed herself in a satin robe, brushing out her long hair so that it hung in wet strands around her shoulders.

She wondered where her sister could have possibly come from. Lana looked nothing like the rest of them: her hair was a grayish brown that was in a constant array of tangles, she was stick thin, and her eyes were a much darker blue than Ophelia’s or their parents’—sometimes so dark, they looked black. Ophelia gazed into the floor-length mirror, turning her face to the left and right to see if there was any resemblance to that Kath Hound; but she found none. She pursed her lips together and turned away.

Making her way back into her bedroom, she picked up the datapad from the floor, scrolling through the information that had been most recently viewed. In the most recent entry, a note had been posted. When she selected it, a hologram of the Alliance Starbird leapt from the screen with a bright and cheery fanfare. With a yelp, Ophelia began tapping the screen and pressing buttons, attempting to remove the heinous symbol from the device, but to no avail. Lana had coded it into the system. She sighed, allowing the datapad to drop to the floor as she fell back onto her bed, the muffled music still playing into the carpet.

Somehow Lana always got the final say, but that would soon change...

[Ophelia Solaris]

One month later…

Ophelia wandered the ballroom, constantly stalked by an entourage consisting of weak-kneed Imperial officers, unattractive Lords past their prime, and petty girls who wanted nothing more in the galaxies than to be her best friend. It was exhausting work, trying to get them all away from her person, and she probably would have consorted to physical abuse had she not a reputation to uphold. So she feigned a charming smile, accepted one or two offers to dance, forced a laugh over Lord Greylin’s awful jokes, gossiped with girls from other affluent families, and drank champagne. She hated it all; she hated them all. Had this soirée not been in honor of her father, she would have made up some excuse or another to not attend, but the Governor’s Ball was one of the “duties” her mother so impressed upon her.

Once she was free of her counterparts who, giddy with cider and champagne, pranced off to find dance partners, Ophelia glided to the side of the room where she watched them all with contempt. She pulled at her elbow-length gloves in boredom, almost envying Lana for her absence.

“My darling, I have not seen you all night. Have you been avoiding me?”

Knowing the voice, she stifled a groan and turned towards him. “Why, Corran, what a surprise, seeing you here.”

“I was sent an invitation,” his brow wrinkled and he laughed hesitantly. She smiled and plucked a champagne flute from a passing attendant, raising it as though to toast him before completely emptying the glass of its contents.

“Imagine that.” She could have sworn she told the estate security to never allow him on the property again. She'd have to fire the head of security for his incompetence.

Corran was looking down at her hand as though trying to discern whether she was wearing the ring. She shrugged and grabbed him by the chin, shaking his head from side to side.


“I must apologize, but I could never marry you.”

His jaw dropped and he stuttered trying to find the words. “B-but I thought…”


“Yes, you thought. You and everyone else seem to believe you think a lot, but really, you’re a bunch of laserbrained barves.” She poked him on the nose. “By the way, I have no idea what happened to your precious grandmommy—she looks like a Hutt, by the way—'s ring. You may want to check the planters.”

She spun around to walk away thinking, So that went well… before a hand fell upon her shoulder, grabbing tightly.

“Now wait a minute…”

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz was only at the party because it was, in fact, mandatory. Or at least close enough so that anybody who was anybody was only going to remain anybody so long as they made an appearance. Ryld and Hallistra had informed he and Serene, his cousin and his mother's padawan, that since their public unveiling as part of the family they had to attend to. It was being treated as a soft run on their ability to hide themselves as no Sith were expected to attend such a routine gathering of petty, powerless, half-nobility anyway.

Serene excelled at tittering her way through these occasions, disappearing for little more effort than merely never expressing an opinion. She was pretty and could appear thoughtless, the perfect disguise. Kaz, on the other hand, had a habit of letting the Force guide him into situations he'd have been best suited avoiding entirely. No matter what happened, though, Kaz would answer the pull whenever he felt it even if it led him halfway across the planet. It always ended up being something that needed doing and his parents had long since given up on warning him off the tendency.

It was that tendency that had drawn him upstairs minutes after arriving. He'd followed the pull around the balcony that overlooked the ballroom until it had ended him up in a spot that overlooked the vast majority of the room with little effort. Kaz had watched the room for several long minutes, waiting for the purpose to strike him, but had found nothing even by his well trained eye. Just as he was thinking it was his inexperience that was defeated him he had caught sight of something that begged further attention. A young woman making her rounds to mingle with those who were important, a wake of hangers on creating an odd visual effect behind her from the high angle he was watching, but it wasn't that that made him realize she was why he'd arrived in that spot. It was the miasma of anger and hate that she wore like a diaphanous veil, that trailed her in the Force like the smoke from a steam driven machine.

For a moment he had thought perhaps she was one of the Sith, someone he needed to warn his family about, but after a few moments of watching her it became obvious she was not. Kaz had seen Sith from a distance, learned to look at them through the Force without giving himself away under the expert tutelage of his father and Master, Ryld. For all their chaos and flashes of emotion, the Sith had to have control of themselves in order to use any of the power that resulted in any remotely useful way. Sure, any fool could lash out with lightning if possessed of a strong enough connection to the Force and angry but it took skill, training, and focus to strike the target rather than to simply spam an entire room with the ability.

The girl had none. She was a pretty package, very pretty, over a seething ball of dark emotions and a Force connection she was likely to burn out if ever truly tipped over the edge without guidance. How somebody that good looking could ever spend so much time feeling such dark things... but that was the trap of such emotions. They didn't leave a reliable mark upon the outside of a being, only on the inside. The only conclusion Kaz could come to was that the young woman he was watching was eating herself up from the inside to no real end.

And yet, the flow of the Force said that wasn't what he'd needed to know. He wasn't there to observe, he was there to act and not just to run to warn his family of the girl's presence. In fact, with her lack of control he was certain that his father and mother had already sensed her. No... it wasn't her exactly, she was just connected. What could it be then, he thought. That was when he sensed the intent. Somebody was focused on the woman even more sharply than all of her little followers, they were attached socially not emotionally, but the focused one was very, very much in... love?

Kaz had only follow that razor thin ling of focus with his eyes until he spotted the source, a young man who looked on with open interest at her. There was no malice in his eyes, merely hope. And the Force unfolded for Kaz, showing him that hope would be crushed and violence would ensue. But for who? There was no time to find out as the woman's followers began to drift off while she took a moment for herself, a moment that young man (relative, as Kaz was only thirteen standard years himself, and thus younger than the subject) intended to interject on.

Kaz turned and ran for the steps nearest to that location, using the relative sparsity of guests on the second level to his advantage in closing part of the distance between him and the female's chosen resting spot. If the other guy did something foolish and pushed her over the edge, causing her to lash out with the Force, there would definitely be Sith investigating for Force sensitives then and that was bad news for the Halcyons hidden behind the Horn crest. On a gentle nudge from the Force, Kaz snatched up an unattended cane with a silver capped top, it's black roshir wood matching Kaz's own outfit perfectly, as he ran by a few knots of people.

Down the stairs, out and to the left, he lunged and made it just in time to slow to a more sedate pace, step into the situation and lift the other young man's hand from the girl's shoulder just a split second after it landed. Kaz was large for his age, having already reached what the doctors were saying was going to be his maximum height of six feet. Even taller than his father who had stopped at 5'10" at about the same age. So he wasn't at a size disadvantage in the situation, merely an age one as he figured both of the other people were at the least four or five years his elder. "Oh no no no. That's not the appropriate way to approach a lady. Lets say we take a couple of deep breaths and try again, friend?"

Kaz smiled at the other guy, all friendly and non-threatening even as he used the cane to move the hand aside and let it drop, the cane's bottom point going to the floor to become part of Kaz's relaxed yet ready stance. The trick was to make the young man see his error without embarrasing him, a little verbal Teräs Käsi to keep the guy from doing something foolish that they'd both regret. "Maybe a text based message tomorrow when you've had time to think about it."

[Ophelia Solaris]

At feeling the hand on her shoulder, an overwhelming sense of rage filled Ophelia that she could not understand, bubbling up until she thought it would burst from her body in an explosion of emotion and energy. But when she turned, someone else stood in the Corran’s place; someone she had to physically look up to as he dwarfed her by almost an entire foot. The tightening sensation in her chest released and her body visibly relaxed to its normal, apathetic stature as her lips twisted into a sarcastic smile.

“Well, if it isn’t my knight in shining armor.” She gave a flourishing curtsey, her eyes then flicking over to where Corran was standing, a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and sheepishness on his face. He stared at her sullenly for a moment, regarding the stranger’s words before giving a stiff half-bow and hastily walking away. Ophelia watched as he disappeared from the ballroom into the foyer, sickly satisfied that she could almost see tears running down his cheeks as he turned away. Indeed, that went better than she could have hoped, for there were more than a few guests that had witnessed him grabbing hold of her, who were now tittering amongst themselves behind their hands, eyes focused on her and the stranger who still stood beside her. Remembering him, she turned and glanced up, a bit chagrined that someone would intervene.

“Thanks, but I could have handled him myself, er…” she trailed off, looking to him to give his name, although she really could not have cared less. All of these people were snobbish, fake, and infuriatingly irritating and she did not want to spend much time talking to him. Yet, there was something that tugged at the pit of her stomach, similar in nature to the frothing anger she felt earlier towards Corran yet… Soothing? She tapped a finger to her bottom lip, mistaking this feeling for familiarity as she tried to figure out who he was before he answered.

“...Do I know you from somewhere?”

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz ignored the comment, it was aimed at hurting the poor guy in front of him rather than aggrandizing his own actions. It wasn't needed, the other guy had chosen flight over fight as soon as the outside world had been brought back into focus and Kaz had the misfortune of being front row center to sense the Corran's heart breaking as he fled the ballroom. The feeling of satisfaction behind him just turned his stomach more at the sight. He would have to remember to find out who that other guy was and stop by to speak to him at the earliest opportunity, convenient or not. He'd need somebody to put it into perspective for him.

The piercing emerald eyes that turned on Ophelia had the quality of a storm tossed cove in the green waters of the Coronet coast. The look was slow, measured, and no longer had a smile under it to take away the edge of his sharp features. His spiked hair was wild, which matched his eyes perfectly, but the rest of his person was well put away and perfected. He was no lazy entitled brat of a noble. "But then you might have mussed your pretty dress... and I'm afraid that would have ruined the party for everybody." It was a dubious return at best without an overt expression to give it context.

"You do not." He suddenly swept a bow, the cane in one hand and an imaginary hat flourished off his head with the other. "Kaziki Horn, son of Ryld Horn the Baron of Coronet City." When he came back up the bow ended with the replacement of the imaginary hat complete with straightening of the imaginary brim right out of one of the old holo movies about space pirates. Introducing himself wasn't exactly keeping a low profile but it would have been more odd if he hadn't after intervening in such a way. Maybe she would just take it at face value and let him slip away. "Well, since you're well I guess I'll be on about my business. Might go slay a dragon or something."

[Ophelia Solaris]

Ophelia’s eyes narrowed as she regarded him, noticing that he did not go out of his way to curry favor with her. He was tall, but she was certain that he was quite a bit younger, despite his well-manners and maturity. At the mention of her dress, she could not help but sneer, amused with the jape. There was something in the way he said it that implied he was mocking her, which only further entertained her.

“Horn… Ah, yes.” A look of recognition sparked in her features and, for a moment, she appeared to be a genuinely congenial young woman. “Naturally, I have heard of your family. Yet,” a darker look crossed her expression, “Of all the affluential people I have met, I had never met a Horn until now. Isn’t that interesting?”

She ignored his teasing bow and play of an imaginary hat, her fingertips still pressed to her lips as she openly stared at him, eyes icier than the planet Hoth; though her gaze was curious, not accusing. He certainly was an interesting fellow, more interesting than the other guests at the ball, but there was something about him that she could not quite place her finger on. As she peered up at him, she imagined being able to pierce his mind and read his thoughts. But that, of course, was a silly whim and she soon discarded it.

Childishly, she realized that he rather reminded her of one of the heroes in the bedtime stories her nurse used to tell her: Wrenga Jixton. Extending a gloved hand with the same quality of dramatics he had displayed, Ophelia implored in a dulcet yet goading manner, “Oh, don’t leave so soon, gentle Jix. What if he returns with fiendish intentions?”

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz didn't seem the slightest bit affected by her reproach on having never met a Horn before, no glimmer of ego or disappointment, no guilt or suspicion. "Ah, yes... well... we tend to spend more time being affluent than rubbing elbows with other affluent people talking about how affluent we are and who might be the most affluent of us all. After all, what's the point of having such a commodity if one never gets around to using it?" She could draw what conclusions she liked from it, but his family tended to work hard at keeping things relatively fair on Corellia rather than let it devolve into the decadent Sith Imperial playground that Coruscant had become.

As she stared at him he felt the Force reach out from her to caress his mind, to which it found only a steeled wall of defense. By the lack of reaction in the girl he felt safe in presuming that had been instinctual rather than an actual attempt, and his training in the ancient arts of Force Illusions was likely to be more than enough to defend him if it came to such things. She still seemed completely untrained, the probe had been a whim, a clumsy probe, nothing like a real assault.

He blinked and scratched his head, not recognizing the reference. The young noble was wise enough not to present the weakness of not knowing to Ophelia, however, and presented correction as more of a preference. "Kaz, actually. And I imagine he would return to find his fiend pale in comparison." It sounded like he was comparing Corran to himself but he left it open ended on purpose, as Kaz truly meant Ophelia. There was nothing pleasant he could sense about the girl beyond her appearance. Kaz had already come to the realization that he liked predatory mindsets but the female before him wasn't predatory, she was a glutton. Given a grand enough weapon she would lay about herself without thought, reveling in the pain and destruction, until she grew bored enough to set it aside and seek amusement elsewhere. Her beauty and position, for the time being, seemed to be that weapon.

[Ophelia Solaris]

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that was a slight toward my family.”

Her mien changed then, pleasantries cast aside as she glared up at him, gaze growing colder by the second. “As I said before, I have never met a Horn in my life, so I’m not exactly sure, Sir, what your father is doing in Coronet; such a poor excuse for a capitol as it is. Rampant crime against the Empire must be your idea of utilizing affluence.”

The more she spoke with Kaz, the more she disliked him. Everything he said seemed to be a derisive comment to insult her. At first it was cute in a bold sort of way, but now it was really starting to anger her. If she had half a mind, she would guess that he whole heartedly meant what he said. He may mistake her for a brainless floozy, but he was deathly wrong. She did not let this show, however, and a sweet smile began to creep onto her lips—one that anyone who had opposed her knew to be extremely dangerous. Ophelia coyly reached out to offer her hand, much as a Lady would do, her grasp firm as he took it.

“I truly don’t think you realize who you are speaking to, Kaziki Horn. I’m Ophelia Solaris, daughter of Jasper Solaris Governor of Corellia. So very pleased to make your acquaintance. Now, if you will excuse me, there are affluential people I must rub elbows with as you so aptly put it.”

She curtsied and turned her back to him, feeling that the whole encounter had been a bit strange. No one had really spoken to her like that before, nonetheless meant it. One would think that in attending the Governors’s Ball, they would know who his daughter was by sight. She thought back to previous social functions, confirming that she had never seen the boy before.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"Thank goodness you know better, then. I've never met your family and those that know me know I'd never insult anybody I hadn't at least introduced myself to."

Kaz's gaze was a placid ripple-less pool that merely reflected the chill gaze she gave him back at her. He was unruffled and at peace even as she attempted to insult his family's work. Not that they put too much effort into squashing anti-Imperial sentiment, at least not when such efforts could be better used pointing out that if the Imperials would be less.... themselves, there would be less anti-Imperial outbursts. How odd it was that beings at the top thought those at the bottom were obligated to tolerate them. "Imagine how much worse it would be if we weren't there to do what we do, seeing as so few understand what it is."

She introduced herself, putting emphasis on what she considered important to the situation. "Oh, you mean the governor who's planetary capital is rampant with crime against the empire despite the best efforts of his office and my father's? Yes, your reputation for outward beauty has preceded you though I fear it fails to do you justice. May everyone you rub elbows with this evening honor you and he so much as you both deserve. Good evening." He kissed her hand as polite, twirled his new cane, and was off in the opposite direction as she. Kaz had been possessed of little doubt about who the older girl was, and her full reputation had proven itself.

[Ophelia Solaris]

As she slipped back into the crowd, Ophelia thought less and less of the boy until he was completely expelled from her mind. Noticing that she was still holding an empty champagne flute, she set it on a passing waiter’s tray and picked up a new one so guests would be less inclined to ask her to dance. That was when she sensed that something was amiss. Her eyes widened and she stood on the tips of her toes, as much as her heels would allow, frantically looking this way and that. She could somehow feel that she was here, but where was she?

She passed off her glass to a random guest as she shoved by, grabbing the voluminous skirts of her dress so she would not fall as she made her way through the ballroom, the feeling inside growing until she laid eyes on her. Lana was standing in the middle of the room, wearing work pants and a beat-up tank top, looking for all her life like a grease monkey. Ophelia rushed over as gracefully as possible, her voice lowering to a hiss.

“What are you doing here?!”

Lana shrugged, plucking a glass of cider from a roaming tray. “Didn’t want to miss Dad’s party.”

Ophelia promptly grabbed the glass out of her hand. “Don’t.”

“Or what, Oph? Will you really cause a scene with this many people here? Do it. It will only help me in showing how evil the Empire is; starting with this family.” She ignored Ophelia’s stunned expression and continued, her voice beginning to rise. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. We all know how much you all despise me, but I don’t care. I’m going to reveal what the Emperor is really doing.”

She pulled out a datapad, holding it up. Ophelia immediately recognized it and slowly shook her head. “Where did you find Father’s datapad? You don’t know what you’re doing; stop.”

She then reached out and grabbed her by the arm, in an attempt to pull her from the room.

[Ophelia Solaris]

Lana struggled against her grip, flinging her free arm around and slapping Ophelia in the face. It was as though all time had stopped. The glass of cider fell to the floor, smashing into a million pieces as Ophelia released her hold on the girl, pushing her away. Unbalanced, Lana fell back and let go of the datapad, sending it sliding across the pristine marble to be lost among the crowd. She then rose to her feet, yelling out to get everyone’s attention. It was clear what she was about to do, so Ophelia grabbed her once more, fingernails digging into her arm as she plastered a smile on her face, beaming at the bemused guests who looked on in concerned confusion.



“She’s not well, she’s not well,” Ophelia found herself repeating, frantic. How dare she pull this kind of stunt at such a public affair! How dare she make the Solaris name a mockery?

Like a shadow, Jasper was suddenly behind Lana, his expression grim as he placed a hand onto her bare shoulder. With a shudder, her eyes rolled back and her body went limp, collapsing to the floor. He lifted a hand, summoning one of the bodyguards who stood by the entrance with a single wave, before turning to the guests that had gathered around with a smile.

“Do not worry, esteemed guests! My dear daughter has not been well as of late, but she is making an effort to recover soon. Let’s have a round of applause for her effort to be here.”

He started the applause by clapping himself as the bodyguard picked up Lana and carried her away, out of sight. Tentatively more applause followed until it thundered throughout the ballroom. Ophelia looked around, sure that most did not know what they were clapping for, but they joined in anyway in an attempt to not be left out. She then looked to her father, not knowing what to say. How did you make Lana faint like that? was what she wanted to ask, but she remained silent, smiling softly to those around her.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz was making his way as smoothly through the crowd as he was able, hoping to give his father warning before the harp... er, young woman sent her father after his because Kaz hadn't fawned over the girl. The crowd suddenly shifted, the seemingly random crossfire of emotions flying across the room suddenly turning to focus in mostly one direction. It caused the shifting bodies to begin to come to a stop hindering the young Jedi apprentice's progress significantly. As trained, Kaz first took stock of his immediate surroundings both visually and through the Force. He sensed no immediate threat to himself, no dagger point of focus that preceded an act of violence toward his purpose or unfocused malice of less immediate but still important threats.

Everyone around him was shifting to focus on a disturbance that was just then reaching Kaz's ears. It took a half step to turn him in the right direction, his eyes turning in the same direction though he had little interest in the actual situation nor hope of seeing it considering some of the head dresses between him and whatever was going on. It was about that moment something smacked into the toe of his left dress boot, causing Kaz to look down. There, on the floor at his feet, was a extremely high end and expensive datapad. It's screen displayed a handful of open files.

There was a shout but it's source was apparently being interrupted as nothing more was forthcoming, however it had everybody's attention allowing Kaz to simply lean down and pick the datapad from the marble floor. He looked at the screen and, slowly, his eyes began to widen as the information he was holding in his hands began to sink in and make sense. "And here I thought I was going to have nothing but bad news for the folks." Kaz's signature smile in place he began making his way toward his father again, jostling people if he had to. It was too important to wait for things to return to normal in the room. His father would have all the leverage he would ever need to protect the family with that pad.

[Ophelia Solaris]

[[ Another drunk post. Whatever. ]]


As Lana was carried from the room, Jasper looked to his daughter with a slight nod and turned to exit the room from another door. Ophelia understood and followed, trailing him until they were in his private study, the airlocked door firmly closed behind them. Before she could even open her mouth, he raised a hand.

“I’m sure you have plenty of questions, Ophelia. However, it is only important that you know I did not harm her.” He lifted his other hand, palm up so she could see the tiny needle affixed to his ring. “This ring contains concentrated knockout gas. Very effective, as you can see.”

Here, she interrupted him. “But your datapad, she—”

“I know. In an hour, it will contain nothing of importance. Just a few notes here and there, nothing harmful.”

She slouched forward. “So you knew the entire time?”

Jasper nodded solemnly and spread his hands apart. “Would I be foolish enough to leave impertinent information unencrypted? You underestimate me. One day, you will hold a high office—you’re a Solaris—and you will understand how to manipulate the peoples of the galaxies.”

He placed a hand around her shoulders, pulling her close. “One day, she will no longer exist and you will be acknowledged for your loyalty. Remember that.”

Smiling, he kissed her on the forehead and slipped from the room, probably to return to his guests. Ophelia slumped down in one of his arm chairs, her face in her hands. How could she ever be as calm and assured as her father?

[Ophelia Solaris]

[[ Alright, so I’m going to start posting again. I want to get to the zenith of this damn flashback, so I’m going to concentrate on this for a little while before I continue real time. ]]

[[ Kaz - As far as the data pad is concerned, I don’t really know what you want to do with that. Apparently in my last post I specified that the information would be gone in an hour. However, that could still mean that Kaz and his parents read some of the information on there—they just might not have had time to download it for physical evidence. Perhaps they could glean something of importance from it though. Do with it what you will, if anything at all. ]]