The Karvaile Chronicles

A Haunting Memory

    Ti stood on the walkway. The walkway where Majest's murder had taken place. He didn't want to have to do this, but he had convinced himself that it was the only way. Taking a deep breath, he opened himself up to the Force, putting himself in a deep meditative state.

    The world shifted, a ghostly version of the present taking its place. He sensed three figures, Majest, her daughter, and the past version of himself. Through deep meditation, he had forced himself to relive the memories of that night, things he didn't want to let himself remember. But it must be done. He searched for any sign of the assassin.

    A structure crashed down around them, knocking them to the ground. A dark shape swooped through the night, and Majest vanished.

    Ti frantically probed the area for any sign of the assassin.

    He heard the same scream, the very scream he had heard the first time, made even more terrifying by the dream like vision.

    Where was she?

    He heard the laugh, the horribly happy laugh.

    The man was above them, standing on the building. Ti tried to follow him, leaping up on the building in his dream state. If only he could get a better look.

    The man threw a knife at the Princess, and Ti sensed his past self deflect it.

    He saw the man's white face, behind the dark cloak.

    He continued throwing the daggers, and past Ti kept deflecting them. He shrugged, offensively nonchalant.

    Then, the man flipped off the building, just as it exploded. The rubble crashed down around the two women and the Jedi.

    Ti sensed only one heartbeat now, though he knew his past self was still alive, if barely.

    That heartbeat had a body. That body was bleached. And that body had a voice. A voice that spoke, in a terrifyingly gleeful voice.

    "So. Much. Fun."

    He was jarred out of the vision, his memory ending.

    So much guilt. But Ti's training meant he knew guilt could not save him. Only anger could keep him alive for revenge. And it did.

     "I have to report this to the Grand- right, I am the Grand Master. I'll tell the council then."

     Ti stood up shakily, still haunted by the scene he had just witnesses, and drew his cloak tight around himself as he stood to leave. He would get to the bottom of this, no matter what it took. It was his fault the Queen had been killed. He was supposed to protect her. The least he could do to redeem himself was to find this person who had commited this atrocity.

***
Bri eased the ship into the docking plaform. Flora walked out first, and everyone swarmed to her, eager to ensure she was all right. As Abrianna walked out, the guards immediately pulled their blasters on her
  
    "Yeah, kinda figured this would happen," Bri said, lifting her hands in the air.

    "No, she rescued me, she's fine!" Flora exclaimed in an attempt to stop the guards from arresting her.

    "Flora! I'm so glad you're back! Who is this?" it was Firdun ron, cutting through the pack of guards and rushing to Flora's side.

    "I'll tell you once the guards drop their rifles from my face," Bri replied calmly.

    "This is Abrianna Kinley. She rescued me from the bounty hunter and brought me back here," Flora cut in.

    "Or she could do it, works either way," commented Bri.

    "We're very grateful, Ms. Kinley. You'll be handsomely rewarded," Firdun assured her.

    "The guards are just being careful, I don't blame them," Flora said to Bri.

    "I don't need the credits," Bri said with a shake of her head. "But Flora has a deal she made with me, and I want her to honor it."

    "Let's go inside, tell us about it. Captain Anyan, tell your guards to stand down." Consté was standing off to the side, face obscured by her usual helmet. At Firdun's instruction, she signaled the guards, who lowered their weapons away from Abrianna.

    "Fair enough," Bri said with a shrug, and they all went inside, escorted by the guards.

    "Ms Kinley has requested to be my personal bodyguard, Firdun. I told her she could speak to Consté about it," Flora informed him.

    "That sounds like a good idea. Consté has other duties to attend to, and I certainly wouldn't complain about a little extra security. We'll need to do background checks, of course," he added.

    "That's to be expected. I'll send you my file once we've sorted everything out," she assured him.

    "That sounds excellent. Was there anything more to this arrangement?" he inquired. Flora smiled a bit. Firdun seemed to know everything, those instincts of his.

     "She also gave me information, in exchange for my allowing her onto the staff." Flora held out a datapad to Firdun Ron, and he took it from her, examining it.

    "Indeed. I'm also offering to provide additional info once my network expands. We need to find out why Flora was a target in the first place, and why."

    "We know it was the First Order, I see you must have been able to intercept the bounty hunter that took her."

    "I was. He wouldn't talk about his employer due... a few personal reasons. Do we have any other leads stemming from what we know? Or should I send my informants to start digging around the First Order's place?"

   "All we know is the First Order wanted her grace as leverage for surrender, which means there's a chance that they plan to invade soon. I know this because they holomessaged me as soon as she was taken," he explained.

    Bri leaned back in her chair, contemplating. "Hmmm. Can we play the holomessage?" There's a possibility I'll recognize the person's voice, Bri thought to herself.

    "Alright." Firdun reached into a pocket and pulled out a handheld holocomm, and switched it on. The same spinning symbol appeared, and the same accented voice spat out. Bri listened carefully, analyzing every word, but whoever recorded it had used a voice modulator. No chance of recognition.

     "Come, Ms. Kinley," announced a voice at the door. Consté Anyan. "I want to interview you to make sure you're fit to protect the Duchess."

    "Told you," Flora whispered to Abrianna.

    "I'll gladly face any kind of test you have for me," Bri said, standing up.

    "Good," Consté said tersely, and led the blonde girl out of the room.

     "Now your grace, you must go rest yourself after the ordeal you've been through," Firdun said upon the guard captain and Bri's departure from the room.

    Despite the fact that she wasn't tired at all, having had a full night's sleep, Flora curtesied and left to her room. She had preparations to make.