Ask All That Remains

Jaikus Thorne

Character
Consortium
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First Gentleman

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Altaris
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fa23842ecd05213b09d74ecee65ebc13--sci-fi-city-sci-fi-environment.png

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Truth be told, it had been quite some time since Jaikus had last stepped foot on Axxila, and the multitude of changes over the preceding months were a leading factor in that decision. Between his withdrawal from the Empire, and the new residence on Thyferra purchased with his fiancee, the Axxilan had come to spend increasing amounts of time in ISC space and the Core - far from the glittering spires and unsleeping city where he had been raised. Since the civil war that devastated the planet, one of the few assets that his family retained was the sprawling penthouse on the Upper Levels - the very same that generations of Altaris’ had called home.

With his own absence, Jaikus has de facto handed full control of the estate over to Hatice - allowing her to do with it as she pleased. While the two kept closely in touch since their emotional reunion, Jaikus couldn’t deny that the survival and resurfacing of his youngest sibling was still somewhat surreal - the pair having gone almost a decade of thinking the other was dead.

Despite the growing infrequency of his visits, Jaikus had finally decided to return home after speaking with Hatice - intent to finally address matters that had gone unanswered for far too long.

After hours of travel and texting to confirm his arrival to his sister, the Axxilan’s personal ship finally came to a land outside the penthouse - quickly followed by Jaikus himself strolling down the durasteel ramp that extended to meet the ground. At once, he could feel the familiar heat of twin suns that beat down on the city - already generating the faintest sheen of sweat against his bronze skin. He was dressed in his usual style - sporting a pair of tight-fit dresspants and a grey button-down. His hair was styled neatly into place, while his outfit was further accessorized with a chrono on his left wrist and golden bracelet on his right.

After a brief wait while he was buzzed in, Jaikus stepped through the main entrance of the penthouse - greeted by the same Protocol droid that had been in their family since the Axxilan was a boy, “Thank you, Twelves,” He said with a smile, walking past the droid and into the main reception room of the estate. The familiar smells of sandalwood and jasmine hit his nose at once, a bit of nostalgia washing over him at once, “Hatice?” He called out with an growing smile, peaking around the corner as he waited for the younger Altaris to appear.


@Song
 

Hatice Altaris

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Sith Order
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Champion

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Song
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Loose, dark curls. A midnight-blue frock coat. Thigh high boots. Hatice dressed as she often did—the picture of perfection, of course—as she strode down the hall, heels clicking against the polished, marble floors.

Years ago she’d walked down this same hall, a little girl with a sheaf of papers tucked under her right arm, squeezing by servants and imagining herself as the heiress of the Altaris family fortune. To others, it had been a ridiculous thought. But now? Not so much.

After the deaths of her parents, Hatice had managed to cultivate several criminal operations on Axxila, rebranding herself as Dona Nadya, one of the most powerful bosses in the underground. She had trained as a Sith. She had recovered much of her family’s fortune. She had done about everything she’d ever dreamed as a child, but the work wasn’t done yet. It was only just beginning. There was still a long way to go in rebuilding the Altaris name, and it was going to take more than Hatice on her own.

It was exhausting business. Cutting deals, making bribes, and worst of all—playing politics. Diplomacy was not her strong suit, and if she had to sit through one more meeting with another greedy, overdressed nobleman, someone was going to die. Fortunately, the man waiting for her in the reception room was nothing of the sort. Nothing close.

As she passed two murmuring servants, Hatice came to a pause once she saw him, standing beneath the crystal chandelier, the windows casting him in warm sunlight. She didn’t appear remotely surprised. Rather, she planted both hands on her hips and examined him, looking him up and down, taking note of his close-fitting pants and his silky, buttoned down dress shirt. “Interesting,” she said, then turned and called over her shoulder, “Did someone order an escort?

Cocking an eyebrow, she gave the man another judging glare and an awkward silence settled between them.

It was only a long, agonizing moment of staring before Hatice could no longer hold it in anymore, and she burst into laughter.

Jaikus, it’s good to see you.” She grinned, the kind of smile reserved only for her older, more annoying brother, then waved a hand at his outfit. “You’re dressed sluttier than usual. What’s the special occasion?” She stifled another laugh and nodded down the hall toward the kitchen, beckoning him to follow. Ordinarily, she would have entertained guests in the main reception room, but Jaikus was no guest, and this home was his as much as her own. “You’ve come at a perfect time. My schedule is finally clear and I’ve just had some tea prepared. I hope you like jasmine.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

Character
Consortium
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First Gentleman

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Altaris
Joined
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Just a few minutes passed, and Jaikus allowed his gaze to wander around the lavish reception room - emerald eyes drifting from the embroidered silk curtains, to the horseshoe arches that delicately framed every doorway and window of the estate. Even if he couldn’t see them, the Axxilan could vividly hear the sounds of droids and servants milling about down the hall and going about their daily duties.

The simple truth was, it had been quite a few years - what felt like a lifetime ago - since Jaikus had seen this wing of the penthouse in functional use. It was all signs that Hatice had kept herself busy - bringing a sense of life and vitality back to their familial home.

Much to his delight, Jaikus didn’t have to wait very long for his sister to arrive. The moment she stepped into the room, the Axxilan’s emerald gaze fixed onto the younger Altaris - and he couldn’t quite help the way his lips began to tug upwards and beyond his control. More than any of his siblings, Jaikus had already been exceptionally expressive - and it was reflected in the almost giddy way that he regarded his younger siblings right from the get go. He couldn’t help but imagine the same little girl from all those years ago. The very same who was the other half to the majority of his half-baked, dangerous ideas. The same who used to waltz through the halls with her head held high, an air of authority and regality seemingly inherited from birth.

And now? She looked every bit the Sultana in her own right. Strikingly like the mother they shared.

Jaikus merely tilted his head a bit when Hatice spoke, a dark brow arching in her direction. “I hardly think that is any way to address your elder and flesh and blood, ‘Tice.” He tilted his chin upwards, meeting her judgemental stare unflinchingly for those few, long moments. By the end of it, though, the Axxilan couldn’t help the way that mask shattered away - his lips tugging upwards and into that wide smile she’d seen countless times in the past. A few laughs passed through his lips, his head shaking a bit.

“It’s really good to see you, sis.” He said, his tone undeniably warm with every word. The Axxilan glanced down at his own attire, squinting heavily. “I’ll have you know I always dress like this. Unlike some people, I don’t need a special occasion to look my best.” He grinned towards her. Of course, that was far from the case - this was a special occasion. There were few people beyond his fiancee who could elicit the same kind of smile from Jaikus, but Hatice was certainly one of them.

“Oh? Well, I’m glad you can make time on your very busy schedule, Lady Altaris.” He quipped back at her, coming to walk right alongside the younger Altaris. His smile tugged a bit wider when she mentioned the tea, “You know I do.” He turned his gaze ahead for just a moment - glancing towards one of the many family portraits and generations-old tapestries that hung from the halls. The Altaris family had been avid collectors of Sith relics and artifacts for generations - many of which decorated their halls even now, but it was trumped only by the sheer volume of family members whose faces were hung from every space on the wall and empty mantle.

Without warning, Jaikus stopped just in front of Hatice - turning to face her in the middle of the hallway. He didn’t speak a word before stepping in close, wrapping his arms around his younger sister and squeeze her into an overdramatic, affectionate bear-hug. “I’ve missed you, Hatice.” He said after a moment, finally releasing and smiling down at her. “Have you been well?”


@Song
 

Hatice Altaris

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Sith Order
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Champion

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Song
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Hatice was caught by surprise when her brother spun around and pulled her into a tight embrace. She froze. It had been a very long time since anyone had laid their hands on her, let one hugged her, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do in that moment. Laugh? Cry? Push him away? Elbow him in the gut? All of the above seemed likely, but instead she sank into his shoulder and smiled. She hadn’t felt this warm in years. “I missed you, too, brother.

At his question, she stepped back and nodded. “I’m good,” she answered, “but call me ‘Tice again, and I’ll start addressing you as shitgrubber.” She folded her arms and bit back another smile.

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Now, come on. The tea’s getting cold and I’d rather not do this while the servants are watching.” She glanced over her shoulder to the pair of handmaids she’d passed on her way to the reception room, both of which were teary-eyed, as if they’d been watching a HoloNet soap opera. One glare in their direction and they scattered.

Hatice rolled her eyes. “It’s not that I don’t trust them. All of the servants have just been smitten with you since your last visit. It’s nauseating.

She sighed and waved a hand. “It’s like they forget you’re already taken—and to the wealthiest, most handsome man in the Rim. It’s not even a contest.” Hatice continued through the portrait gallery and past old family paintings: of mother, of Baba, of their lost brothers and sisters, all of whom observed the two siblings with soft, warm smiles. She had always wondered if they’d be proud of what they had become. One, a crime boss, and the other, the future husband to a galactic president. “Tell me,” she asked Jaikus, “how goes the love life?

Whatever his answer, Hatice eventually reached a set of double doors at the hall’s end, and with a dramatic push, threw them both open to reveal a large, private kitchen, which connected to a separate dining room, parlor and lounge. The balcony was left open, framed by silk curtains luffed by the breeze, and the room was scented with sweet lavender and jasmine. It was her favorite smell, and the one thing that kept her from having a nervous breakdown every time she entered the room.

Because this was where their family had been killed.

Hatice had most of the penthouse refurbished to the point where it was almost unrecognizable compared to how it was a decade ago, but it was still the same place where she had witnessed her parent’s deaths. Haunted. It never sat well with her, but with each passing day, she got more used to the room—and more used to its emptiness. But it wasn’t empty. Not anymore.

In the kitchen, she grabbed the rose-and-blue teapot of jasmine and set it onto a silver tray, then retrieved a pair of matching teacups and saucers. She didn’t need maids for this. She could serve herself. “Pick a seat,” she told Jai, gesturing between the lounge and balcony, letting him choose. “These walls are soundproof. If there’s something private you want to talk about, no one should be listening but me.”

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

Character
Consortium
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First Gentleman

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Altaris
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As expected, Jaikus was in no rush to break away from that tender embrace - squeezing his younger sister tightly and holding her close to his chest for a few, long moments. It had been far too long since he’d seen Hatice last, and there was little that could be done to make up for all the time that had been lost over the years. Nevertheless, Jaikus couldn’t help but flash the younger Altaris a characteristically shit-eating grin when she spoke next. “Shitgrubber?” He tilted his head a bit, arching a dark brow in her direction. “You’re losing your edge,”

The half-Annfyn exhaled a laugh through his nostrils before jutting his chin towards the hallway, following her towards the tea that she had prepared. It wasn’t until Hatice pointed it out that he glanced over, taking note of the servants that were in the process of wiping away their tears. “I hardly noticed, to be honest,” He grinned, giving a small shrug when she mentioned the staff giving him eyes whenever he came around.

Whether he realized it or not, the smile on Jaikus’ lips faded ever-so-slightly as they passed through the portrait gallery - citrine tinted emeralds flicking up to stare into the painted faces of his family. It had been over close to a decade since their deaths, and it had taken Jaikus quite a while to fully come to mourn and move on from their deaths. The simple fact that one of his siblings had survived that tragedy was a weight off his heart that Jaikus didn’t quite realize was there.

“It’s going well,” He began, the warmth returning to his expression when the topic turned to his fiancee. The Axxilan had always been the most expressive of his siblings, and Hatice would clearly see all of the love and affection that played out on his features just then - an almost far-away look in his eyes. “Better than ever, actually. Hes.." Jaikus paused, staring off with a vacant smile left on his face. "The best thing to happen to me yet,” He didn’t elaborate beyond that, but he certainly didn’t have to for Hatice to know things were going well between the two men.

Jaikus said nothing as they stepped into the room - but the truth was that the Axxilan knew exactly where he was. The penthouse had been his home since birth, and he recognized well enough the room where he had found the bodies of his family. It was not a memory he would soon forget, regardless of how he had come to terms with it all.

“Balcony it is,” He said before stepping in that direction, swiping away one of the billowing curtains as he stepped through the horseshoe arched doorway. It was lavishly decorated, complete with a small table, assortment of couches and a small water fountain that filled the air with an ambience. Particle shielding prevented any unintentional fall over the edge or assassination attempts, but it did nothing to obstruct spectacular view of the Axxilan skyline - endless urban sprawl that stretched out beyond the horizon, where twin suns began to dip low in the sky.

He took his seat just opposite to Hatice, nursing the cup of tea that was passed his way. “I wanted to see you,” He began, swirling the liquid in his hands. “And to talk about our family.” The Axxilan exhaled a breath through his nostrils. “And about the people responsible for what happened to them.” He knew this was a topic that was bound to sour the mood, but it was one they needed to discuss regardless. He had every intention of acting upon the knowledge, and Hatice had as much right to know as he did. As much right to be a part of what was going to happen.

“I found them. Here, on Axxila. Living on the upper levels.”


@Song
 

Hatice Altaris

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Sith Order
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Champion

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Song
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I know, that’s what happens when I’m gone too long from the criminal underworld. All this lavish living has made me lazy and weak.” She nudged an elbow into his side. “Like you—jumping all over the Rim with your rich fiancee. How many yachts does he own? Eight?” She released a small laugh, then sized him up from head to toe. “You don’t look out of shape, but the second our aunts see you again, all they’re going to talk about is how fat you’re getting. I’m dead serious, too. I lost five pounds last week and today, they thought I gained ten just because I ate some baklava for breakfast. It doesn’t remotely make sense.

Hatice smiled and sighed, “I’m talking too much, aren’t I?

She was. At least, in her opinion. It had just been so long since Jai last visited, and it wasn’t like she had very many friends to talk to, not when she was busy living as a widely feared crime boss and spice lord. She was a Sith as well, although she hadn’t trained or taken on new missions in months—not after the last one had ended in utter disaster. She and her brother were like that in most regards. Both of them had loyalties that ran deeper than the Sith. Oh, and they were both rich and unsociable elitists.

On the balcony, Hatice took a seat across from him, settling into the satin cushions and blowing softly into her cup of steaming tea. It was warmer than usual outside, but so high up, the breeze made sure to keep her cool, running playful fingers through her hair as she looked out to the cityscape. She loved this view. For years, she had stayed underground in the lower levels, scraping and scrounging, feeding on what little light and credits that trickled in from the top. It had taught her much, and it was an experience she was ready to put behind her.

Some things, however, could not be left behind.

What Jaikus said next made her spine shiver. She trembled, then set her tea back onto the table with a clink, staring at him in frozen shock. The mention of their family’s murderers brought on a wave of memories she’d long buried away, and it frightened her, images flashing in her mind. Baba, half his face blown off. Mom, shot in the stomach. Nadia and Aiyla, her older sisters, dead on the carpet. She didn’t want to think about it. Not because she was afraid, but because that fear quickly gave into anger, and even with training, that anger was impossibly hard to control.

Her jaw clenched. So did her hands, balled into fists. “Where are they?” she asked. Perhaps a better question would have been who were they, but it made no difference, since she was going to tear out their throats regardless.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

Character
Consortium
Rank
First Gentleman

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Altaris
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Jaikus couldn’t help but tilt his head back and groan, a look of dread flashing across his features when Hatice mentioned their multiple aunts. It had been quite some time since the Axxilan had last met with his extended family - the only family either of them had left - but he already knew that Hatice was painfully accurate on how that exchange would go. “Yes, it could be worse.” He grinned towards her. “‘Still aren’t married yet, Hatice?’” The Axxilan said, taking on a mocked voice and accent of one of their fat aunts. “‘You know, you aren’t getting any younger..’” The Axxilan couldn't hold back the laughter, just a few of those characteristic snorts filling the air.

“Not possible,” He said with a smile, nudging his younger sister back. If there was one trait that all members of his family shared, it was their loud and long-winded tendencies - and it was something he missed hearing for far too long. The Axxilan’s deeper loyalties to the Sith were questionable at best, and recent months had seen Jaikus all but disassociate himself entirely. More than ever, he was committed to himself and those that mattered most, and those few alone.

Despite the spectacular view - a view that Jaikus had grown up looking out over - he couldn’t bring himself to look anywhere but directly at Hatice’s face. There was no avoiding the pain associated with the topic, and he clearly saw it play out across his sister’s face - just as he knew it would. Just as it had played out over his own. Jaikus knew that those same thoughts - the raw pain, followed by that desire for vengeance - would follow.

He took in a breath, allowing Hatice’s question to hang in the air for a long moment before he spoke once more, “Living not even a few miles from where we are sitting now,” He said smoothly, drumming his fingers against the table. “Not the men themselves - they’re either long-dead or long-gone from Axxila,” There was billions of people living on Axxila amongst thousands of levels, and finding a handful of nameless murderers would’ve been an impossible task, even for either of them with their connections. “But the people who armed them.. Helped them slip past our security, and right into our home.” His voice grew sharp, an uncharacteristic edge slipping into the Axxilan’s normally smooth and upbeat tone.

“You’re familiar with the Najjar family,” It was a rhetorical question. Jaikus knew that his sister would recognize the name of one of Axxila’s premiere princely families, especially one that had traditionally been in conflict with their own. It was an open secret that the noble families of Axxilan were heavily involved with the planet’s organized crime, and it had been the cause of intense feuds over the generations.

“They are the ones responsible.”
Jaikus said, his fingers curling towards a fist. “And in both of our absences, they’ve stepped in to claim what once belonged to our family.” Properties, control over aspects of the underworld, priceless artifacts once held in their gallery, bank accounts that had since been bled dry.. All of it pieces of their fallen legacy. A legacy that Jaikus himself had little desire to claim heirdom to.

But he knew that Hatice would.
 

Hatice Altaris

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Sith Order
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Champion

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Song
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Hatice restrained a groan. Mimicking even the sound of her aunts was grating to her ears, and worse given how accurate Jai was with their words. She hadn’t gone a week without at least one text, one lecture, about why she needed to find a wife or husband to settle down with. A rich one, preferably, armed with good looks, a winning smile, and a wallet so fat it had financial cholesterol. They had ridiculous standards. Expectations she had no desire to meet. She was perfectly content to live and work alone, and there was no room for love when all she wanted in the world was revenge.

She tightened her grip around the silk-cushioned armrest. She knew most, if not all, the men directly responsible for their family’s murders were gone. Hatice had personally seen to it. From what faces she’d remembered and with her resources as a growing crime lord, she had tracked down, tortured, and brutally killed at least a dozen men who had been present that day. But they were puppets. What she’d failed to learn from them was who had been pulling their strings.

The Najjars,” she repeated. “I know them. I shook hands with one of them during last week’s charity ball.” She gazed down at her palm, suddenly filled with the urge to douse it in bleach. “All this time, they had been right in front of me. Using the foundation our family had built. Standing where our father once stood. All this time.” She pressed a fist to her mouth, fighting back a scream. It was unthinkable. For so long, they had been playing her like a fool, and now that she knew the truth, she wanted nothing more than to march to their lavish estate, lock them inside, and raze the whole building to the ground.

I’m going to wipe their name from the face of the planet—from galactic history,” she threatened, rising from her seat. She left from the balcony and returned inside.

She took her porcelain cup of tea and shattered it against the wall. She ripped the curtains from the sliding doors and tore them in half. She unleashed her rage, smashing every window in the room, shards raining around her in a ring of glass.

She did none of those things.

Hatice was too practiced of a crime boss to let her anger show. Instead, she strode past the kitchen and pushed open the doors into the hall. The same pair of maidservants from before, now waiting by the marble pillars of the reception room, rushed to attend to her needs. But if her previous glare hadn’t scattered them, the raw fury in her eyes did. The girls retreated to the servant quarters like scuttled rats. She doubted they would return to their duties until tomorrow, which she was fine by as long as they stayed out of her way.

Don’t bother asking what I’m doing,” she said, expecting Jai was following closely behind. Up a flight of carpeted stairs, and Hatice halted at another set of doors. The Apricot Suite. Her bedroom now, and the one place where she kept her arsenal of armor and weapons. “I’m just going to get ready.

@Altaris
 

Jaikus Thorne

Character
Consortium
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First Gentleman

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Altaris
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As moments ticked by, Jaikus took in a sharp exhale through his nostrils. Even at the utterance of what he already knew, the Axxilan felt that familiar flurry of emotions that washed over him. It was the pangs of agony and nausea that he believed long-since put to rest. It was the gnawing desire for revenge - the type which could only ever be sated by exacting blood from those responsible. It was all the emotions he had experienced upon making his discovery in the first place - and Jaikus watched as each and every one played out across Hatice’s presence.

It was evident in the way she gripped her armrest, and the smallest twitches in the musculature of her face. The venom that laced her voice and the threat - the promise, rather - that radiated both from her words within the Force itself. Without a single word, Jaikus allowed his hand to shift across the table - gently laying over the top of Hatice’s. He said nothing about it and didn’t attempt to stop her as she rose from her seat - but it was a small gesture of empathy and a reminder that he was there for her. Her family was there.

The Axxilan didn’t bother with the rest of his tea before rising up from his seat, following after Hatice as she stormed through the penthouse. He made no attempted to slow her warpath or question what she was doing. Even as he walked alongside her, through the Force, the younger Altaris would be able to feel the rage that radiated off of her brother - simmering beneath the surface like molten rivers that pumped through every vein. His jaw was set into a firm line, hints of gold swirling within the pools of emerald green that each of them shared.

“It won’t be that easy,” He finally spoke, his voice devoid of its usual warm and cheeriness. For all of the Axxilan’s fiery temperament and tantrums - something that Hatice would have seen countless times in the past - none of that surfaced in that moment. Raw fury pulsed through the Axxilan’s veins, and it manifested as cold and calculated with each and every step - lingering until they had finally achieved their objective, regardless of how long it took them.

“You know better than anyone the political standing on Axxila,” He began, emerald eyes fixing onto Hatice as they stood outside the Apricote Suite. “We won’t have an opportunity to use brute force.” Not that brute-forced, break-in assassinations were uncommon on Axxila - but simply not logical here. For years, the Najjars had stepped forward to fill that void caused by the fall of their family - collecting both wealth and influence built by generations before Jaikus or Hatice. And for all the power between them - two fully trained Sith and any underworld connections that Hatice maintained - they wouldn’t be able to go in guns blazing.

He took in a breath, drumming the four fingers of his hand against his thigh. “There will be a fundraising event within the next few days, at the Najjar estate. High profile and wealthy attendees, and more importantly, vast swathes of their family.” Jaikus tilted his head towards her. “That is where we make our entrance. And if we play our cards right.. We will secure every asset we lost before a single life is taken. And then, we will erase from from Galactic history.” He didn’t elaborate quite yet, but the strategy was already piecing together in his mind. For all of Jaikus time as a Sith, the Axxilan had never been the soldier on the front lines. His every operation has been conducted in the background and shadows, and it had imparted a method of approach into most of his ventures.

This would be no different.


@Song
 

Hatice Altaris

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Sith Order
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Champion

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Song
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Hatice paused before her suite, a hand resting on the glass doorknob, sharp and cold to the touch. There was no reason to stop at her brother’s command. She was a Dona, a family heir, and a Sith Champion, same as him—so, why now?

I don’t care,” she answered bluntly, which was foolish, because she knew what he was saying. She understood. There were a hundred factors to consider in a confrontation with the Najjars. The risks, for one. They were a powerful noble house with wealth and resources across the Empire. For all she knew, they had an army in their employ and enough advanced security defenses around their estate to repulse a planetary invasion. They had influence, connections, and political backing. If the Altaris family massacred them without warning, she’d be on the social pyre next, and the other highborns would retaliate in turn.

Hatice would ruin their family name forever and for good.

For the sake of her mother, for Baba, for her sisters and brothers and grandparents, she couldn’t. She had to be smart about this. Wise, like she was taught. She had dove headfirst into her fair share of missions and secret operations, and none of them had boded well in her favor, not without proper planning and help. If she ever dreamed of taking down the Najjars, she would have to do it Jai’s way, no matter how vague or ridiculous it sounded. She had to calm down. She had to listen.

Hatice expelled a bitter sigh. “Goddammit.

She stepped away from the door. She ran both hands through her hair, dark curls cascading back over her shoulders, and she rubbed her temples as if she could massage her headache away. She couldn’t. Just the reminder of what happened to her family made her feel sick. It was the main reason why she drank jasmine tea so often nowadays, soothing her nerves and frequent bouts of insomnia, instead of the bubbling spotchka she was used to while living in the under-city. Being in this penthouse, it hurt a lot. More than it should have.

It’s just…” she said, pushing her back up against the wall, “I’m so tired, Jai. I’ve been living with this for years. Waiting, hoping, for the day I could put our family to rest and move on. But I can’t move on. I can’t stop thinking about how they died.” She shut her eyes. She felt pinpricks of memories, sounds and images flashing through her mind. “I want revenge. I want to make things right again. And every second I don’t spend doing just that, every moment I stay here, knowing they haven’t received the justice they deserve yet… it hurts, okay?

Hatice glared down into her palms, hands opening and closing into fists. “Sometimes, I wish you were there that day. It’s selfish to admit, but I hoped maybe together, we could have fought and saved our family.” She shrugged. “But I know that it would probably have ended the same way. One of us dead, the other gone. Maybe all of us. I’m just glad you’re here now, with me.” Hatice reached out, wherever he was, and took his hand. “Even if you are a righteous pain in my ass, I’m glad I won’t have to do this alone.

@Altaris
 
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