SWTOR: The Davire Legacy

[2015] Main Chapters: Part 4

Korriban

"You've got to be kidding me!" Seyje shouted as she slammed another book on the table. "Shhh!" hissed another acolyte from across the room. She glared up at him, easily sensing his fear as he turned back to his own studies. I've looked through every possible record I can find, and all I've got to show for it is nothing. How can the Academy not have information on my ancestry? She picked up the datapad on the bottom of the pile, determined to go through them all again in case she missed something.

"Having trouble, my young Sith?" a familiar voiced murmured from behind her. She must've heard me yelling. Seyje sighed, throwing her hands up. "Veshta, I give up. I have looked through every holorecord I can find, and there's nothing here about my ancestors. Not a scrap."

"Acolyte, you know you must use my title when we are anywhere but my chambers," Veshta scolded. Seyje grinned and said, "Apologies, my lord, but you're more like a mother to me than a Lord of the Sith."

Veshta couldn't help but smile softly at the redhead acolyte, reaching out to stroke Seyje's hair fondly. "You are my greatest triumph on this hellish planet, Seyje." The smile faded from her lips as she pulled her hand away. "But I now fear for your future. Darth Baras was an unexpected disruption here." Seyje raised a brow. "You're kidding, right?" she remarked. "He's my ticket off this dustball. Haven't I been here long enough?" "I'm not trying to offend, acolyte, but we have matters to discuss in private," Veshta said earnestly. "Meet me in my chambers immediately."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lord Veshta's chambers were small, but felt like the largest place in the Academy to Seyje. It was so much easier to breathe without all the other acolytes' and apprentices' eyes on her. This was the one place she allowed herself to relax. In the privacy of the room, they were allowed to speak to each other as equals. Today, however, the atmosphere felt hollow instead of homey.

Veshta walked around her desk to sit down, and motioned for Seyje to come sit in a smaller chair beside her. Her aura felt...different, like there was a strain of misplaced tension there. It made the young redhead nervous. Veshta gingerly held a datapad in her hand, as if she was afraid to even touch it. Seyje didn't recognize it, which could only mean it was the reason for their private meeting.

"Seyje, about your ancestry, I...I don't really know where to start," Veshta murmured, her tone laced with confliction. Her eyes held a worry that sent Seyje's stomach tumbling. "When you first arrived here on Korriban, the Dark Council forbade anyone from researching your past. No one knew why, and anyone who tried to go behind their backs was publicly murdered. Needless to say, meddlers stopped rather quickly."

Seyje nodded at the object in her hand. "I take it that datapad has what they were looking for?" "Patience, acolyte. I will explain that in a moment," Veshta said calmly. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and folding her hands together. Her lips pinched into a thin line as she spoke. "My ability to have children was stolen from me when I was a few years older than you are now. As fate would have it, I ended up finding you. A child no more than four at my doorstep. It was a wonderful blessing, or so I believed." She picked up the datapad, a quiet yet distasteful scoff escaping her throat. "Until the Dark Council gave me this."

A frown crossed Seyje's face at the backhanded comment, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Veshta raised a hand for silence. "Make no mistake, you are a very powerful Force-user, my dear. But the information I was given – in secret, mind you – has been very taxing to keep hidden from your enemies." The fear hiding in her voice was becoming more exposed every minute. "And I fear that this Lord Baras, who has shown an interest in you, has somehow uncovered the information."