literature

SW: Kaira, A Darker Future

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As Commandant Aira-ty Nokta walked into the Imperial Ballroom with Captain Jesp on her arm she felt a smug satisfaction as dozens of eyes turned to her with looks of desire. Just as many malicious glares were shot at Jesp for standing as her escort. She couldn't help the smugness, she hated these events, however as Commandant of the Storm Commandos she was required to attend these balls or risk the ire of the Imperial elite. She didn't need anyone else breathing down her neck, so she attended. That didn't mean she wasn't going to make these slaggers squirm though. The scandalously revealing red dress she was wearing was geared towards exactly that. They could look all they wanted, Emperor help them if they so much as thought of touching though.
“I hate these things.” she muttered under her breath as she and Jesp mingled with the crowd.
“Yes Commandant,” Jesp replied diffidently as he stood besides her in his dress uniform. “But this is also a duty.”
She glanced at him for a moment, wondering what he was thinking but not prying further as they continued moving through the crowd. She spied the Emperor's entourage, it was not hard to see, people flocked to him like scavengers to carrion. It was a fitting analogy. Then one of the figures milling about the Emperor turned and her heart jumped into her throat.
What was he doing here? He was supposed to be in the Outer Rim! Her face heated slightly as she realized that he'd seen her. Seen her dressed like this no less! Perhaps she could lose herself in the crowd.
Aira-ty.
She stopped dead in her tracks as his voice echoed through her mind. Crap.
“Commandant?” Jesp asked worriedly. “Are you alright?”
She nodded and sighed. Stang, he'd noticed her, no escaping now...not that she could have hidden very well. Long green hair, golden eyes, pointy ears and this stupid dress? Yep, great camouflage.
Turning, she found herself looking up at the Grand Inquisitor in his black robes. Taking a deep breath, Aira-ty examined him for a moment. It had been over a year since she'd last seen him and she always took the time to see if he'd changed any further. The eyes were the same piercing deep blue they always were, crackling with barely contained power just beneath the surface. His hair, which she'd always preferred black, went to his shoulders and had long ago been bleached white by the energies coursing through him. It was still the same gentle face, it was deceptive however, and anyone that had known him from before could see the difference. The hardness that had settled over those features was set in stone across his face.
“Grand Inquisitor,” she said curtly. “I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were suppressing dissidents in the Outer Rim.”
“I was, they have been silenced.”
She shivered at his words, knowing exactly what he meant by 'silenced'. She'd seen what that meant first hand and she pitied the poor souls he'd caught up with. Standing besides Skywalker and a few others, the Grand Inquisitor was one of the most terrifying people in the Empire.
“Is that why you tried to hide from me?” he inquired.
She glared at him, he was inside of her head again, she hated when he did that.
He turned to look at Jesp. “Captain, would you excuse us?”
Jesp looked ready to fight but Aira-ty held up her hand.
“Jesp, go get drunk, find a girl, and have some fun.”
The clone Captain froze for a moment, she could hear him grinding his teeth but after that brief freeze he nodded obediently and left them.
“That was wise of him.” the Grand Inquisitor said. “I would hate to hurt him, especially here.”
She glared daggers at him, afraid or not, no one threatened her men.
“You touch him and I'll kill you myself.” she hissed under her breath.
The Grand Inquisitor chuckled. “I wouldn't doubt it, may I have this next dance Commandant?”
Her glare intensified. “I don't dance.”
“No, but I do.” he held out his hand. “I will guide you through the motions.”
She looked at that gloved hand as if it were a viper about to sink its fangs into her skin, but took it nevertheless, allowing him to guide her out onto the dance floor. The same wanton stares followed her, but they were more guarded now that she was walking with the Grand Inquisitor. If she was afraid of him, they were terrified. The Emperor or any of his other dark side flunkies would simply kill them, they'd be lucky if the Grand Inquisitor was so kind.
Is that what you think of me? his mind inquired idly.
Her grip on his hand tightened painfully and he backed out of her head at the warning. At least he still had some courtesy!
As they stepped out onto the ballroom floor, looks of shock permeated the room. No one ever expected the infamously reserved Grand Inquisitor to take to the dance floor.
You forgot to add 'with a beautiful woman'. his mind admonished her.
Now she glared at him again. “Stop that.” she snapped beneath her breath.
He inclined his head in apology and offered her his hands. She took them and let him place her hand on his shoulder as he placed his on her hip. As the music started, they began slowly, mostly she following his movements with a fighter's grace. Close combat was her specialty, dance was merely another form of such though a far less interesting one in her mind. Still, she was a quick learner and soon she was no longer in need of his guidance as they sailed through the other dancers gracefully. Despite herself, she was smiling as she spied the hint of a smile on his feature as well. For a brief time as they stepped and twirled about one another to the music they both forgot who they were and remembered a time when they had been very different people. It was the first time in a long time that Aira-ty could say she truly enjoyed herself.
She stepped out from him and he brought her back in a spin that ended up with her leg up against his hip. As his fingers touched her bared thigh she shivered, looking up into those deep blue eyes as he gazed down at her with a look she could only describe as purposeful. He carried her across the dance floor as the music came to a close and she lowered her leg, letting him dip her first to one side and then the other. When the music finished, she found herself standing close to him, her forehead pressed against his chest as she closed her eyes and tried to forget everything around them.
“Shall we go somewhere we may speak privately?” he asked as the guests clapped politely.
She nodded mutely and again let him guide her through the crowd of staring faces. There would be much gossip now she knew. The Commandant of the Storm Commandos and the Grand Inquisitor dancing together at the Emperor's Ball, scandalous! Part of her drew mirth from that, even as it frightened her as to what it could mean for her later on. He led her out onto one of the many balconies that overlooked the Coruscant's—Imperial Center's she reminded herself—cityscape and took a small device out of his robes. As he placed it on the railing and allowed the jammer to scan and activate, Aira-ty took the moment to look out at the nightlights of the massive world spanning city. There had been many happier times spent here, now lost a lifetime ago.
“We may speak freely.” he stated.
Aira-ty let out her breath and turned to look at him.
“What do you want Kahan?”
“To speak with you.” he replied. “I thought that was obvious.”
“Doesn't the Grand Inquisitor have better things to do than dally with the lowly Commandant of the Storm Commandos?” she asked caustically, rubbing her arms against the evening chill.
He swept his cloak from his shoulders and wrapped her in it, fastening it at her front. It was far too large for her, but she pulled it close around herself gratefully though she cast a rueful smirk at him.
“Careful, you'll lose your terrifying reputation if you're seen being chivalrous.”
“Would you like something to drink?”
She nodded and he turned, reentering the ballroom and leaving her alone with her thoughts for a brief time.
What was she doing? He wasn't who he used to be anymore, and neither was she. They'd both changed. They'd done things that neither was proud of to survive in this new order. So what were either of them hoping to accomplish by spreading rumors of their supposed intimacy?
“Your drink.”
She jumped and turned to glower at him. “You snuck up on me.”
“I am no Storm Commando, but I can move quietly when I choose.” he said simply as he handed her the tall tumbler.
She sniffed the dark amber liquid appraisingly and smiled despite herself.
“You remembered.”
He nodded as he toasted her with his own glass.
“Hard liquor only, nothing fruity or sweet.”
She snorted and touched her glass to his with a soft clink before taking a long haul on her drink. They stood in silence for a time, facing one another, each waiting for the other to speak.
He broke the stalemate first. “There is a schism forming in the Emperor's following. Skywalker plans to move against Darth Tyranus and supplant him at the Emperor's side.”
Aira-ty swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry as she looked at him in surprise.
“Can he do it?”
Kahan shrugged. “Enough people seem to think so. Sides are being chosen.”
Aira-ty thought about the ramifications of such a major power play and shuddered despite Kahan's cloak around her shoulders. Tyranus was loyal to the Emperor beyond a doubt and would not dream of betraying him. Skywalker however was power mad and dangerous at the best of times. There was no small supply of rumors that said he coveted the Emperor's throne.
She looked at Kahan dubiously. “Whose side are you on?”
He chuckled, the sound perhaps more threatening than it should have been.
“I am one of the most influential and feared men in the Empire and you think I need to choose sides in palace politics?”
She glared at him. “I'm being serious, this isn't some backroom palace deal. You're talking about a major shift in power.”
“I'm being just as serious Aira-ty. Tyranus won't move against me, and Skywalker can't.”
“You're awfully confident for someone standing in a nest of vipers.” she remarked dryly.
“I know where they've hidden all their skeletons, if I die, their precious little secrets come to the Emperor's attention.” he smiled darkly. “They'll leave me alone simply for fear of what I might do to them otherwise.”
She turned to look out at the cityscape once more, watching the rivers of light that were the omnipresent traffic patterns glided past before she finally spoke again.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because I don't want you and your Storm Commandos caught up in it.” he said simply.
She snorted. “I didn't know you cared.”
“There are a few things I still value in this galaxy.” he replied cryptically.
She turned on him, her voice venomous.
“Do you know how much I hate what I've become? What you've become?” she swept her hand out to encompass the world-city beyond the Imperial Palace. “How much I hate all of us for what we've become? I would welcome death if I didn't know for a fact that someone else would take my place and get my men killed!”
He said nothing, looking out at the nightlights thoughtfully for a time before speaking in a quiet tone.
“The galaxy would be a much dimmer place without your light in it.”
She hit him. Not a slap or some love tap. No, she full on punched the Grand Inquisitor squarely in the jaw. He staggered and dropped his glass, it shattered on the stone floor as he looked at her in shock as she spat at him hatefully.
“You don't get to say things like that anymore! You lost that right!”
He touched his jaw thoughtfully for a moment, saying nothing. She finished her drink and stormed past him. He caught her elbow and yanked her back against the railing, tilting her head upwards and pressing his lips to hers. She didn't struggle, not really, though she did let out an indignant squawk. If she'd truly fought she could have hurled him over the railing and that would have been the end of that. However she let him push her back against the rail and when he kissed her she returned in vehemently, their teeth clicking together with the force of their passion. Their kiss lasted until they both came up for air breathlessly.
“Not here.” she panted as she leaned against him.
He nodded and reached for the jammer, slipping it back into his robes.
Aira-ty hit the comlink on her wrist.
“Jesp.”
“Here Commandant.”
She looked up at Kahan for a moment before speaking further.
“I'll be gone for the rest of the evening, enjoy yourself, I will see you back at the ship.”
Jesp did not sound happy as he confirmed her order but Aira-ty didn't have the chance to worry about him as Kahan placed his hands on her shoulders. There was a popping sound, as if the pressure had suddenly changed, and then it sounded like she was in a rain storm as she and Kahan both dissolved. A moment later they reformed in a lavishly decorated apartment.
She looked up at him as he released her and stepped back.
“I remember when doing that used to exhaust you.”
He snorted. “I'm not that weak anymore. My stamina is greatly improved.”
Her features took on a playful facade as she stepped back and leaned into the bed, wagging her finger at him.
“Prove it.”
The slinky red dress proved as easy to remove as it was scandalous and Kahan's stamina was more than adequate. Of course Aira-ty was not about to let herself be caught sleeping with the Grand Inquisitor. So once he had fallen asleep finally, she slipped from his chambers and made her way to her ship without a sound. She was off planet long before sunrise, carrying with her a secret that she knew could never be revealed to anyone. She was bearing the Grand Inquisitor's child. She'd felt the spark of life at the moment of conception. It was a feeling she'd felt once before, a lifetime ago.
So, Darth Tyranus is still alive, Skywalker is a power hungry disciple, Aira-ty is in charge of the Storm Commandos, and Kahan is the Grand Inquisitor. Something really bad happened somewhere in the universe apparently.

I was really worried about posting this, but :iconrayn44: and :iconvizu: gave me the ideas so I figured I would share and see what everyone thinks.

Aira-ty's dress and Jesp's uniform can be seen here: rayn44.deviantart.com/art/It-s…

Rayn also did a piece on the dance: rayn44.deviantart.com/art/True…

And this was the dance sequence I was thinking of: www.youtube.com/watch?v=me_rvT…

Hope you enjoy it, and again I'm not entirely sure what happened here.
Comments22
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BrET13's avatar
... Oh boy, I'm totally speechless... What did you do, really... I'm stunned and don't really know what to say or think.
Kahan's new personality is absolutely my fetish, my face was all red while reading... o////o And it didn't need to involve my character to gain that reaction haha... X'D
* hurry back to read the other chapters*