#aspasti

[ainyan]

Yet Another Snippet (SWTOR)

When the Aspastis flashed into the Hoth system, she found she wasn’t alone. The sleek silver-sided Chiss battlecruiser went to alert as the duty officer called Aristocra Saganu to the bridge. The Supreme Commander stepped off of the lift and into the carefully controlled chaos just in time to hear the com officer send out his challenge. “Unidentified starship, this is Chiss Expansionary Defense Force Flagship Aspastis. Identify yourself and prepare to be boarded.”

The challenge, issued in Basic rather than the Chiss’s native Cheunh, sounded harsh and guttural to Saganu’s ears and he frowned as he stepped towards the command chair, placing a hand to forestall the duty officer’s rising. He gazed out at the curvy little ship hovering in orbit above the icy planet spinning lazily below them both, the memory of something tantalizingly familiar pricking his senses. There was a long moment of silence, then a voice answered - one that made Saganu stiffen. “Aspastis, this is the Phantom, of the Galactic Alliance. We are not here to interfere with your patrol, but we will not permit boarding.”

There was a spark of murmurs across the bridge as the soft, Imperial-accented voice spoke out in crisp Cheunh, the purring undertones of a Chiss clear beneath the lilting words. Before the com officer could reply, Saganu’s long stride brought him to the station, and he leaned down to depress the toggle. “Commander Miurani’kal’istae,” he replied, and heard the murmurs increase behind him before staggering off, “it is an unexpected pleasure to meet you here. Of course, we would never dream of boarding the vessel of so valued an ally.”

Silence hung heavy - from Saganu, as he waited for Kali’s reply. From the Phantom, as Kali considered her words. And from the bridge, as scarlet eyes turned as one to watch the drama unfold. There were few who served with the Supreme Commander of the Chiss forces who were not aware of his and Miurani’kal’istae’s turbulent history. Finally, the com’s holoprojector sprang to life, a slim Chiss woman standing calmly before them, gazing at Saganu. “Aristocra Saganu,” she said evenly, “it is always a pleasure to see you. I apologize for startling you and your crew - we had business on Hoth and had just been preparing to break orbit when the Aspastis arrived in-system.”

Scarlet eyes gazed into scarlet eyes, and Saganu felt a tingle on his neck, that sixth-sense that had served him so well in Chiss Intelligence and at the negotiating table with the Eternal Empire once more warning him that more was here than apparent. “It is always good to be kept on one’s toes,” he replied dryly, and was rewarded by a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “Are you in a hurry? We will not keep you.”

“Kali,” and Saganu stiffened again at the rich male voice from beyond range of the com’s camera, “aren’t you going to invite your friend over for a drink?”

Even as Kali turned an exasperated look on her husband, Saganu closed his eyes, the hand hovering above the com toggle folding into a fist. “Nikali, I…”

She turned back, and he trailed off at the thoughtful look on her face. “My manners are lacking, as Theron reminds me. Aristocra Saganu, would you care to join Director Shan and myself aboard the Phantom for a drink? It has been too long since I have had the company of family.”

Nothing she could have said could have ensured Saganu’s cooperation - a fact he knew she knew. Eyes narrowing, he gazed at the slim Alliance Commander, who gazed back with apparent unconcern. The moment was long, humming, before he sighed, relaxing his fist. “I would be honored. I regret that Ikasti is not aboard at this time - I know he would enjoy the opportunity to see his aunt Nikali.”

Her expression softened. “And I regret having missed him, but I hope that I will have an opportunity to spend time in his company before much more has passed. Still,” she added, her eyes meeting his, “it will be a pleasure to spend some time with you, Aristocra.”

He exhaled slowly. “Likewise, Commander. If you care to come alongside the Aspastis, we will extend an umbilical and I will join you and Director Shan presently.” After her acknowledgement and sign-off, Saganu straightened, rubbing the back of his neck and gazing at the small, deceptively simple yacht as she darted through space towards them.

“Sir.” Frowning, the Aristocra turned towards Commander Nitaridu, his second-in- command on the Aspastis and the current deck officer. “Is this wise?”

Coal-black eyebrows rose. “I hope you are not suggesting that Commander Miurani’kal’istae - ranking distant of my House, friend and sister to my sister, ally of the Chiss Ascendancy - could mean me any harm. Or her husband,” he added, “another adoptee of my House.”

Nitaridu straightened, lifting his chin as he drolly reminded the Aristocra, “And who once snuck aboard the Aspastis and made it into your wardroom without being noticed by anyone, including yourself.”

Saganu smiled slightly. “And he had ample time then to make a martyr of me if that were his intention. They are Family, Nitaridu, and they simply wish to talk. What about,” he added, smile slipping away, “I’m not certain, but whatever it is, Nikali requires my attention and discretion, and she shall have it.”

The commander bowed. “As my Aristocra decrees.”

Saganu smiled and clapped the man on his arm. “You have the bridge until I return. Place her in orbit and begin to download the feeds from our sensor net.”

As the Commander once again bowed, the Aristocra turned and strode out, his long legs eating up the meters between the bridge and the docking umbilical where the Phantom awaited him. In the long minutes spent on the walk, he turned over likely scenarios in his head as to why Nikali - who steadfastly avoided him as ardently as he avoided her - would go to so much trouble to not only track him down, but make it seem like a chance meeting.

He was no closer to understanding when he reached the docking doors and he hesitated before them before signaling his arrival. He was greeted by the doors sliding open and, beyond the short walkway of the umbilical, the inviting interior of the Phantom.

He’d never been aboard Nikali’s private ship. Despite their long history, they had rarely spent much time together, and almost always in a situation that precluded them sharing anything more personal than a look - or, he supposed, a stolen kiss. Certainly, he’d never had time for a tour of her beloved Phantom, no more than he’d had opportunity to show off his Aspastis.

As he stepped through the doorway, the first thing he noted was comfort; that made sense. The Phantom was modified from a yacht’s design, meant to hide in plain sight, much like many of the operatives who may have flown her had Kali not taken her with when she’d left the Empire.

The second thing he noticed, the thing that consumed his attention before he could do more than begin to identify some of the holotapes in the ship’s library, was the Commander herself. She stood near the holoterminal, holding a glass of dark wine in her hands and a look of determined welcome on her fine-boned face. “Nikali,” he murmured, taking a step towards her before stuttering to a halt, tucking his hands carefully behind his back, beneath his cape.

She was alone; wherever Theron was, it was not at her side, and Saganu felt his suspicion climb. He and the human had come to an uneasy understanding over the years, but he could not imagine that the spy felt comfortable leaving his wife alone with a man for whom she had openly professed her love.

Her scarlet eyes were quiet as she gazed at him, and she offered the wine out to him. “Saganu,” she replied. “Welcome aboard the Phantom, my Aristocra. I am very pleased that you were willing and able to join us.” She spoke in Cheunh, and he raised an eyebrow.

He stepped forward and plucked the wine from her hands, tilting the glass towards him to study the liquid before taking a testing sip. It rolled over his tongue like liquid rubies; a Chiss vintage, infused with the essence of flame-flowers - a favorite of his. He hadn’t known she knew. “It is rare that we have the opportunity to speak as family,” he replied as he gazed down at her. “So often our paths cross only under official circumstances.”

On purpose, she knew, knowing that that was by her design as much as his. Love notwithstanding, being this close to him brought an unexpected pain to her breast, a low yearning that even the knowledge that her husband, who waited with unusual patience in the cockpit, loved her absolutely and completely could not dispel. “No, my lord,” she replied, tucking her hands behind her and wandering around the room. “We do not. It is a shame, but I feel we both know the reason why.” Her scarlet gaze found a viewport in the side of the ship and watched the icy planet below twisting lazily in space. “You already know that we ambushed you here.”

Losing interest in the wine, he set it on the table, studying the dark red liquid rather than look at her. “I know,” he admitted. “You covered it well - I doubt more than a handful of my staff will ever figure it out, but… yes. You were not in the Aspasis’s path by accident.”

She swallowed, feeling fear flutter in her breast. She knew, just as Theron did, that Saganu would never physically hurt her. She also knew that what she had to say would hurt him, perhaps too much for their rocky relationship to survive intact. For all she’d lost him so long ago, she didn’t want to lose what little she had left. But. “No. We were not. It took some time, but Theron managed to work out the pattern of your patrol.”

“Why, Nikali?” he asked bluntly, looking up from the wine and meeting her gaze. “Why was it so important for you to meet with me?” His eyes flickered briefly in the direction of the cockpit - of the absent Theron. “Alone?”

She exhaled slowly. “Because I have something important to tell you, and it was important - vital - to me that you hear it from me.” She hesitated, then took a step towards him. “And Theron respects you too much to force an audience upon you.”

There were only two things that Saganu could think of that would merit that serious expression in her scarlet eyes, that faint tremble of her lower lip, that flex of muscle in her shoulders that spoke of fingers twisting where they clasped against her spine, out of sight. He searched her face, her eyes - but there was no sign of illness, of impending disaster. If anything, she glowed - not just those luminous scarlet eyes, but her sapphire skin, and even her midnight-blue hair.

She glowed. 

“So,” he said hoarsely after a long, breathless moment, and reached out to cup her cheek gently in his large hand. “Are you with child, my Nikali? Do you carry Theron’s child beneath your heart?”

Tears trickled out of her eyes, diffusing their glow and spilling silver against his cobalt fingers. “Yes,” she replied, her voice barely more than a whisper, and coughed once. “Yes,” she tried again, her voice breathy but stronger. “Against everything we believed true, Theron and I have conceived a child together. How did you - how could you..?”

It hurt; it was a knife in his heart, twisting and tugging until he thought he might collapse from it. And none of it showed in his eyes, on his face - through the most supreme force of will, he showed her only that spark of joy that flickered ever so faintly. “You glow,” he whispered. “You shine in a way I have not seen since I bound you and Theron forever in marriage.”

“My Saganu,” she murmured, and he closed his eyes against the sudden stab, “I am sorry…”

He reached up as his eyes flashed open so that he cupped her face in both of his hands. “No, my Nikali,” he replied fiercely, “I will not hear one word of apology. You have engendered a miracle, you and your husband - conceived with one you love a child of Miurani, another son or daughter of my House to bring honor and glory to our name. You will give Ikasti the cousin he deserves, Tilanu the niece or nephew she has so craved. And I,” he added, his voice dropping almost too low for her to hear, “I, too, will be its uncle.”

She met his eyes, tears continuing to spill down her cheeks in a silver web. “Yes,” she whispered hoarsely. “You are family - you will always be family - and my child will know, will honor, will love you as family. Thank you,” she choked out.

He was dying by inches, and showed her only pleasure. “Thank you,” he replied, his thumbs skimming along her cheekbones as he gazed down into her scarlet eyes. “Thank you for trusting me with this news - now I see why you are holding a celebration on Odessen in a week.” At her faint smile, he felt his heart lift. “Thank you for telling me. But most of all, thank you for allowing me - and Miurani - to be a part of your child’s life.”

“She - or he,” Kali murmured, one hand cupping tenderly over her stomach, “will be Miurani. It is their heritage, thanks to you.”

He dropped his gaze, then reached down to cover her hand with his own. He heard her breath draw in, felt her fingers flex beneath his before curving to fit against his palm. “You are Miurani because you deserve to be; you earned your place among our family, first for your efforts on Hoth, then for your trials against Revan and the Emperor Reborn. And finally,” he added, his voice almost a whisper, “because you have become Family.”

She drew her hand out from under his, then covered his hand before he could withdraw it, pressing it lightly against her midriff as she gazed up into his eyes. “We are family, my Saganu, now and always.”

His hand still on her cheek gave her damp skin one final caress before he pulled gently away. “Forever, my Nikali. You will always be Miurani.” He drew in a deep breath. “Please give my regards and apologies to Theron. I can’t… I don’t think I can stay any longer.” He didn’t explain, and she didn’t need him to. “I - wish you and your family nothing but the best, my Nikali.”

Simply, “I love you, Saganu.”

He exhaled raggedly. “I love you too, Nikali.” There was nothing more for them to say - only one last, long look to be shared between them before he turned away in a swirl of white fabric, leaving the ship with a stride just a touch too fast to be casual. She watched him go - made herself watch him go - until she heard the door slide shut behind him.

Then she turned and met Theron’s compassionate eyes. “That went better than I thought,” she admitted, smiling briefly before her face crumpled and she strode blindly into his waiting arms to weep against his shoulder, feeling him enfold her in his supportive embrace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On the Aspastis, Saganu didn’t bother with the bridge. He strode quickly to his wardroom, barely acknowledging the officers and soldiers who darted out of his way with looks of startlement at their commander’s unusual agitation. Still, he held his emotions in check until the moment that the wardroom door slid shut behind him.

He stood stock still for one terrible moment, then two - then let loose a vicious, gutteral snarl, reaching for the first thing to come to hand. The abstract vase - a gift from some politician or another - shattered against the bulkhead. It was followed by a second piece of artwork, then a datapad that hopefully had not contained anything particularly irreplaceable. The next thing he laid hands on, however, stayed within tightly clenched fingers - a holodisk that he stared at, breath heaving in his chest, before thumbing on.

Tilanu gazed back; his tall, stately sister with her wide scarlet eyes and fine-boned features, the only person in this world and any other who understood the frustration he’d lived with since he’d realized how his hubris had let Nikali get away. His fingers relaxed and he held her holodisc on his palm, feeling his anger ease.

He wasn’t even certain what he was angry at. Not Nikali, not even Theron. Certainly not their unborn child, already precious to him as another link in the long chain of Miurani’s legacy. The universe, perhaps, for denying him the only thing he’d wanted and been unable to grasp. The Empire, for squandering a woman who would have shone brightly within the Ascendancy. The Alliance, for stealing her away when she might have come home.

No, he thought as he gazed down at Hoth below - where it had all begun. No, the only blame in this lays solely upon my shoulders. It was my hubris - my arrogant belief that she would wait for me - that prevented me from pursuing things when I should have. I have only myself to blame.

And as Hoth gazed up from below, unconcerned by the Aristocra’s pain, Saganu wept for what might have been, one last time.

[giulianuma]

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[ainyan]

Snippet

Aristocra Saganu sat at his desk aboard the Chiss Dreadnaught Aspastis in his shirt-sleeves, reading through the latest reports from the Outer Rim units of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force. At the moment, the galaxy remained in an uneasy peace - the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic were forever taking pot-shots at each other, but no major conflicts had sprung up of late. Fleets reported movement of supply ships from the Eternal Alliance to many of the rim worlds - small colonies and outposts otherwise ignored by their titular galactic overlords. Analysts suspected that this goodwill was causing many of these smaller planets to quietly shift their allegiances.

As always, mention of the Alliance brought to mind the Alliance’s commander, tightening the muscles across his shoulders. Even weeks after the last time he’d seen her - left her weeping in the hangar on Odessen - just the thought of her left his stomach a roiling morass of anger and guilt. He flexed his fingers, engaging in a meditation technique designed to banish her from his mind. Again.

The com on his desk chimed, and he opened his eyes to glare at it before reaching out to toggle it on. “Sir, this is Lieutenant Niason on Deck 25. I’ve found something suspicious - I believe there may be an intruder on board.”

At that moment, he felt the air shift, sigh out a new breath. Without a word, he eased back in his chair, his glowing red eyes sweeping the room. “Congratulations, Lieutenant,” the Aristocra replied, “you’re the first person to find one of the signs.”

There was a pregnant pause. “Sir? Are you performing an exercise?”

“That is correct, Lieutenant, Go about your duties.” The still-confused sounding officer sounded his affirmative and closed the connection. “Come out,” Saganu ordered, his voice hardening as he reached beneath his desk, drawing out a blaster.

“I’d rather you didn’t use that until you hear me out.” The voice was most definitely not Chiss; it lacked the underlying purr native to the species, and his Basic held the stark, staccato accents of the Republic, rather than the rich rounded vowels of the Empire. Even as Saganu watched, a man stepped forward out of shadows he would have sworn weren’t deep enough to hide anyone from Chiss eyes, much less a pale-skinned human. His hands were empty, raised in that universal sign that showed he was unarmed.

Saganu held his blaster steady, studying the bold creature who’d broken onto the flagship of the Supreme Commander of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force, hiding his surprise. He took in the man’s short brown hair, tilted hazel eyes, and pale skin - but it was the cranial implants curving around his eyebrow that told him everything he needed to know. Eyes blazing, he shot to his feet, keeping the blaster trained on the intruder. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

Theron Shan grimaced. “Oh good,” he muttered, “you recognize me. Look. Aristocra. I’m not here to fight. I just needed to talk to you, one on one.”

Saganu stared incredulously at the human for a long, silent moment, then placed his blaster down on the desk, angling it carefully away from the center of the room. As he moved around the desk, he unhooked his cuffs, rolling up his sleeves. It didn’t hurt to see the flicker of nervousness in Theron’s eyes even as the human lowered his hands, flexing his fingers at his sides. “Talk?” Saganu asked mildly, striding deliberately towards the human. “What could we possibly have to talk about?”

Theron knew what was coming; one didn’t have to be a Jedi to sense Saganu’s mood, or see the future. His hazel eyes met Saganu’s red and he clenched his jaw, then deliberately relaxed it, lifting his chin. He caught a hint of surprised approval in the Chiss’s gaze, a split second before the other man’s fist lashed out, catching him on the jaw. The human staggered backwards, his hand automatically going up to cup his jaw as he wiggled it experimentally. “Nice right hook, sir. Now can we talk?”