Isobel Brandt \\ Persephone (praxidike) wrote in thegalaxy, @ 2016-04-01 08:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | !locale: nar chunna, dee, issan ren, madelena |
the one who will lead us to paradise
Who: Issan, Dee, & Madelena.
What: Issan takes her pupils into hiding after a run in with the First Order; the foundations of a coven are built.
When: Following this.
Where: Nar Chunna.
Rating: G.
Like many of the planets within the Hutt System, Nar Chunna boasted little more than sand and an acrid, dry climate. There was a large, aquamarine ocean that covered the east side of the planet's body, and it was near here that the freighter carrying Dee and Madelena landed.
The small trade city was near the beach, closest to the water for better sustainment. Stretching out over the horizon, one could see little other than desert, but the small town that mainly consisted of marketplace and a few somewhat towering, sand-scoured buildings made up for the lack of city skyline. Issan waited in the docking area, looking impatiently for the ship that she'd sent her pupils away from Naboo on. Every muscle in her body was tense; there was the fear that Kylo Ren had somehow tracked Dee even to this tiny starship, the thought that her mother and aunt already knew she was here, and the worry over what had happened to Glasya held her taut. It seemed when it rained in one area of the galaxy, it poured.
Hopefully that would be something she wouldn't have to worry about in the desert of Nar Chunna.
Finally the ship appeared, descending through the clouds of the atmosphere and almost immediately becoming visible as it descended through the harsh sunshine. Issan kept her hood pulled close and waited until the ship had docked, its gangway lowered to allow cargo and passenger alike to disembark. She hurried forward, a dark blotch against the yellowing background, looking for her students.
Dee’s hands were wrapped tight around the straps of her rucksack. She wended her way down the gangway like one born to it, twisting her body to move around grumbling passengers and heavily-laden droids alike. No-one looked askance at the body-baring deep purple of her dress, or the heavy skulls that clanked around her neck. For the first time since she had been pulled through the rift, she almost seemed to fit in.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, but neither her face nor her body betrayed her; the only sign of her true emotions was the faint, pulsing aura around her, the Force responding to her primal, still very present fear. She pressed an elbow into Madalena’s side, then raised her chin to nod toward their teacher.
Madalena curved willowy fingers around Dee’s arm, just above her elbow. She pressed her fingers reassuringly against Dee, letting go quickly and dropping her hands back to her side. While on Naboo, she’d been surprisingly frugal. She had replaced her refugee bag with a larger rucksack, made some minor additions to her wardrobe, and found a lined box that was just large and secure enough to hold the one crown she’d had one her person when the rift pulled her in.
Today she was glad for the gauzy new linen clothing she wore. She felt, too, like she fit in a little more, and also, somehow, like that might be a good thing. She followed Dee’s gaze to find Issan waiting for them.
The tall, pale lady framed by her dark hood breathed a sigh of relief the moment she saw her two pupils. Issan wended her way through the departing crowd to near them, stopping just short of standing before them.
"Follow me," she said, her gaze making contact with Madalena's. "I'll explain, but in a safer place."
It was already asking much of both Dee and Madalena to bring them here, let alone without an explanation. But Issan knew they would follow her; they were handicapped by the fact that they were both newcomers to this galaxy, this place, these people. As the crowd dispersed, Issan led Dee and Madalena away from the landing area and into town.
The buildings looked as though they had simply risen up from the desert itself, like plants blooming along the edge of a lake. The walls were sand blasted, windows roughened from days and nights of endless winds. The local populace was not as kind to tourism as Naboo had been; small, insect-like beings bumped into Issan as she crossed their path, the former hissing at the latter but one growled word from Issan sent the being scurrying. Strange smells were mixed by the winds, along with smoke and body odor from hairy beasts that looked like they were bred for labor. Everything that had been in the Naboo refugee camp marketplace was here, but was dirtier, rougher, and a touch more menacing.
Issan waved them into a cantina, the noise bubbling out into the street. She steered them toward a table near the door but far away enough from the crowds that they'd be able to have a simple conversation without interruption. She waited for a waitress to come by, a haggard looking human woman who was polite enough compared to other humanoids they'd encountered thus far.
"Water," Issan curtly replied to the woman's question for sustenance. The simple drink would come at a high price, but she needed to keep her wits about her. Once the others had offered up their orders, the woman disappeared into the crowd. Issan looked to Dee and Madelena.
"There is...much to explain," she started, her hands set upon the table top loosely. "I will start with why I removed you from Naboo.
"Simply put, the First Order has become aware of Dee's presence. I did not want to further endanger either of you; it was smarter to ensure that they could not find you again so easily."
Dee flushed. She folded her hands in her lap; head bowed, she looked up to her companions, contrite. Issan had said this was not her fault, but now, more keenly than before, she felt that was untrue. “I’ve seen people mention them on the holonet,” she said. “Nothing useful, of course. Nothing I felt I could trust…” She caught herself rambling. She drew her lower lip between her teeth, biting at its black-painted swell. It was a battle to contain the wellspring of fear rising within her.
“Who was he? I’ve…” She started to say never, but she knew that was not true. She had sensed his same darkness in the depths of the void, when she had faced the dark god over whom she still prayed. “I’ve rarely felt that sort of presence.”
Madalena angled her body toward Dee, eyes wide. “What happened? Did he hurt you?” She watched the emotions play across Dee’s face and remembered one of her last days at home. The invitation to a queen’s feast, the hope that she’d finally been accepted, the humiliation of those hopes being dashed. The gift Gareth brought to cheer her up. She wished she could offer up something to Dee that would help, but Madalena just felt very small.
Issan took a breath, weighing how much to reveal. She knew she needed to tread carefully, lest everything she'd worked for thus far fall to pieces.
"His name is Kylo Ren. He's a high ranking member of the Order, a Force user. His one goal is to see Force users join the Order or be killed. There is no other choice." As much as she enjoyed laying the blame at the feet of one of the men she most hated, she knew the truth of the matter would come out eventually. It was better to get ahead of the danger, instead of hoping it would just disappear.
"I do not know why he was on Naboo; he rarely leaves his ship, unless on direct orders from the leader of the Order.
"And I know this...because I am a member of the Order, and Kylo Ren is the leader of my sect." Issan stopped, letting her words sink in. It was in that beat that the waitress returned, providing a welcome pause to the conversation. Issan hoped that Dee and Madalena would use the opportunity to think, rather than merely react. The waitress didn't linger; she put down cups and turned around without so much as asking if they wanted anything more. Issan found the attitude a little refreshing after the constant niceties of Naboo, but then again, these were the people she'd been raised among.
She lifted her cup to her lips, waiting to see where the chips would fall.
Dee’s hands curled tight around her cup. Her throat was dry, but she could not drink. She felt cold to her very core; a chill traced soft fingers down her spine before curling into a fist low in her gut. She could not move, could not meet Issan’s eyes. Silence dragged out between them, heavy and hard.
Madalena’s blood ran cold. She wondered, for a beat, if this was how Gareth felt when he’d learned of her betrayal. If her realization showed on her face, it didn’t stay there long. Instead only anger lay there, coiled under a calm surface like a kraken waiting to devour passing ships. People were watching. Presumably people were looking for them now. They could not afford to cause a scene.
“I barely got away,” she said. Her gaze flicked briefly toward Madalena. Then she was staring at her hands once more, gripping the cup tighter still to keep from shaking. “And now you say he leads you. He spoke with such contempt...” Dee shook her head. She let her hair fall forward, concealing her face. When she looked up again, her mouth was set to a hard, emotionless line. “Be honest. I know you say you brought us here to keep us from him. But truly… are you training us… for him? For the First Order?”
Still, Madalena said nothing. She crossed her arms and set her jaw, waiting for the answer to Dee’s question, praying to whatever god still listened that it would not be the answer she expected to hear.
"No." Issan set the cup down gently. "I never intended for him to find out about you until you were stronger, and even then, you are not meant for the Order. I would never have joined myself, but there are few options in this galaxy, even for those of us born here. Especially for those of us who are attuned with the Force, which has become a rare commodity until the rift opened.
"I intend you for greater things, and I had hoped to tell you of this...later. When we'd had more time to get to know one another. But it seems we are being pushed -- whether by fate or by circumstance I don't know, but I will tell you everything now. You're welcome to make your own choice, but as I said before, you are both alone in this galaxy. Please consider my words carefully."
Issan waited a beat, trying to think of where to begin. Her gaze studied both Dee and Madalena, and she could feel anger radiating from both. She was unsurprised, and continued on in a calm voice.
"I know the Naboo gave you a brief history of their own planet, but it's only one small orb amid hundreds of others." She stopped, considering her words. "I'm not going to give you a lecture on everything that's happened here. Just what's important.
"Before the First Order, there was the Empire. They ruled the galaxy through force, but they gave people much needed structure and security, at the expense of many things. Their ways were not wholly...right, and another group fought against them for independence. Freedom, some would call it, while others would name it chaos. Many peoples were trapped in this conflict, including mine.
"I grew up here, on Nar Chunna. But my people are from a planet called Dathomir; they were a people who were one with the Force, and used it to serve the will of their goddess. They were called the Nightsisters, and they came under the scrutiny of the Empire because of their abilities.
"To simplify things, arrangements did not go well, and my people were slaughtered. The only survivors I know of are my mother and my aunt, who still live here on this planet. I've brought you here, hoping they will agree to help hide us, and train you in things that I simply do not have time to do, as much as I would like to. Because of my status within the Order, I have orders to fulfill, and other obligations beyond that.
"But that is not why I selected you from among the other refugees on Naboo. I chose both of you because I intend to rebuild the covens of my people, reclaim our way of life. You are both strong and capable, the kind of women I would want to call my sisters. I want to reclaim my homeworld, and make the Nightsisters the force they were fifty years ago. But I cannot do this alone.
"I know this is asking much; this is why I did not want to rush your training, or our understanding of one another. But events are not wholly under my control. If you wish to part from me now, you may do so without animosity from me. But I cannot promise that the Order won't find you again, and I cannot promise that what you," she looked to Dee, then to Madalena, with a slow, cold gaze, "can do will not come to the attention of other groups here. If you will not aid me, I cannot aid you. It is that simple."
She took another drink. "If you have questions, I will answer them."
Dee’s heart ached. She clasped her head in her hands, her fingers rubbing at her throbbing temples. It was so much to take in, and such a monstrous decision to make. She felt the path of her new life stretching out ahead of her, an unsteady bridge above a yawning chasm. She stared into her cup of water as though an image might appear there, some vision to help her see the right way forward. Her mind was made up, but fear sapped her strength. Her voice, when she spoke, was small.
“Can you really protect us?” she asked. Unshed tears stood in her eyes. “If they can kill everyone, a whole people, can you keep them from doing the same or worse to us?”
Madalena sat quiet, anger seething from her pores even as she worked to control it. She couldn’t very well condemn the Order’s actions, not after the things she’d done from the comfort of a velvet throne. Still, she felt cornered, angry at her own helplessness and shortsightedness.
"I can't promise you that," Issan admitted. "I'm not all powerful. But I can keep you hidden, and if my mother and aunt agree, you can hone your abilities in relative safety until you can protect yourselves.
"The First Order is but a remnant of the Empire. While they are strong, they are not what the Empire was. Because of recent history, they've struck a blow against the Republic, and as of now, the Resistance is merely a thorn in their side. But things are changing, and I intend to keep it that way. We are all in danger. That is something I won't hide from you. But I am offering you a chance to be a part of something bigger, and to have a say in who controls you." She thought of the goddess, and nearly opened her mouth to say that she had a special connection that would offer them greater abilities than anyone could possibly imagine, but then quickly shut her mouth. To say anything of that now would only make her look even more deranged than she did at this moment; she was already asking so much of them. There was no reason to make them question her mental state.
"At the very least, come with me and meet my family. Then you can make your decision to stay or go."
Dee still worried at her lip with small, sharp teeth. She tasted copper on her tongue, and finally ceased her biting. The image of Kylo Ren loomed large in her mind: her skin still pebbled with gooseflesh when she recalled his hand guiding the Force around her throat, his brutal touch augmented by a power she could not yet control. After that, the lonely emptiness of the void had been positively comforting. She would do much to never feel that helplessness again.
“I’ll go,” she whispered. At last she looked up to Issan. There was no judgment in her eyes; only hurt, and a desperation all three women understood. “I believe in this coven of yours, though I disagree with your keeping so much from us until now.”
Madalena seemed like she was going to take much more time to decide. She watched Dee carefully from the edge of her vision, not wanting to appear as worried as she felt. Her focus flicked back to Issan and she scoured her mind for the right words for the moment.
“I will go as well,” she finally said. She felt so torn over the decision that it seemed as if another person entirely were speaking on her behalf. “I disagree with your choice as well, though I cannot presume to cast judgment upon it. I just hope in the future you find it within yourself to be more truthful. It seems only fair; after all, you’ve put us in this position presumably because you trust us and see some potential for the future.”
Issan bit her tongue to swallow back the defenses that rushed forward; she would gain nothing by ceding ground or making excuses. They were listening, and they were open to the idea; she could not attempt for more now.
She finished her water, and left the empty cup on the tabletop. Setting down a few credits, she nodded at her students.
"Then let's be off."