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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 18, 2015 11:45:41 GMT -8
Her jaw shuddered as she landed hard on her side, teeth chomping down on the inside of her cheek, and Vala tasted blood. "At least I tried!" she spat in hatred, lips curling in disgust. She rolled quickly over onto her back as she felt her hair slip over her shoulders, eyes tracking Raithe from the floor as he came towards her, every inch the predator. She caught sight of the rest of the room behind him, briefly lamenting being unable to take it in at the moment. There was a certain slick beauty to the décor and architecture, and Vala wondered at the true owner of this vessel, for surely it wasn't this crude monster.
By the time she thought about standing to retain her dignity, he was too close, and though her ego was wounded, her heart was still much too angry to let it end. Vala glared up at him, kicking her feet out towards his knees. His earlier words about her family and their lifestyle hadn't fallen on deaf ears, but the urge to hurt him physically was too overpowering. "Your efforts here are wasted! The Royal Navy knows what happened, a rescue is under way, and you'll be in chains in little more than a day!" she yelled, kicking at him again. A tiny smirk pulled at her mouth. "I think I'll keep you in a cage in my room, on display for all."
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 15, 2015 13:33:37 GMT -8
*Pouts* I wish I had seen this earlier, although it wouldn't have mattered as my fiancé and I are both on vacation for a week starting tomorrow, but it looks oh so very fun... The location sounds fabulously interesting as well; it's a shame that it won't be a persistent RP location beyond this event. All tech failing would throw Stormro off so very badly...xD Ether way, have lots of fun you guys; maybe down the road Nel and I can get in on some of the future shenanigans regarding this whole spontaneous RP idea. If people are interested, extending it could be nice. I know there are quite a few interested parties that are unable to make it this weekend, too.
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 15, 2015 13:31:39 GMT -8
Quick question for clarification before I post again. I know blasters and lightsabers and electronics and all are useless on this world, but would a slugthrower operate at all? Yes, I believe it would.
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 13, 2015 18:34:02 GMT -8
I'll be there! As which character, I'm not sure yet.
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 13, 2015 18:31:57 GMT -8
Vala was right there in his face as he turned back to face her.
She'd made up her mind the moment she'd felt his fingers work at the cuffs behind her back. A foolish, blinded boast it had been, but better to attempt to follow through with your threat, even if you failed, rather than back down entirely.
And this was where the damage of her paranoia and her short-sided, selfish arrogance was painfully obvious: battle.
Vala had never, ever been very good at it, by choice. All Hapan were taught how to defend themselves, basic hand to hand combat, with only the best instructors reserved for the highborn of the royal courts. It was a requirement, not an option, especially for those in power, but Vala hadn't any interest in the art of battle and often hurried through it impatiently without a second thought. In her spoiled mind, that's why she had guards. To do battle for her. After all, there'd never been any situation that she couldn't verbally manipulate her way out of. Besides, what if an instructor saw her birthmark while she was practicing? What if the makeup smeared? That would be no good at all.
Still too angry to feel vulnerable in her nakedness, Vala struck out at Raithe, raking her mind to remember years of ignored tutelage. It was no good. Her strikes were quick, but very sloppy and full of blind rage. Her inexperience showed as she went for his neck and head, completely forgetting to work in a kick or two, and mostly just massively embarrassing herself, but her only concern was keeping her mark covered.
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 12, 2015 22:41:47 GMT -8
The lift moved, thrumming through the doors pressed against her back.
"Do I?"
She should've remained quiet, perhaps played the scared princess (not so hard to do, actually), put on a contrite show to try and stave off that dangerous fire burning in his eyes. But those five little words had scalded her royal ego, and now their meaning blistered furiously in her gut. How dare he. How dare he! That this insignificant cretin thought to lay claim to her!! That ANYONE thought to possess her!! Her pale face flushed with contained rage, nostrils flared, plush lips curled back in a hateful scowl. Vala forgot her situation entirely, forgot the heady rush and sudden but undesirably pleasant plummet of her insides as he'd touched her, forgot that she was prisoner, forgot the paranoia that had sprang into her heart as his fingers neared her hidden birthmark.
She could sense he was waiting for her to fire back.
Vala was too livid to not take the bait.
"Saying it out loud does not make it so, Killian Raithe! Do you really think that destroying my vessel, storming my ship, and removing my clothes makes me anything you could possibly have? Your male need to assert your delusional dominance through the physical is pathetic!!" Vala sneered at him, nose crinkled in distaste, eyes narrowed in judgement. "You're not even fit to look at me, much less touch me," she spat at him. "Do you think my ancestors spent decades putting your kind in their place without learning how to deal with you? Were my hands not bound, you would be swiftly shown, pirate scum!!" It was a foolish boast, one she definitely could not follow through on, but the Princess was beyond worrying about that.
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 10, 2015 19:40:01 GMT -8
Whatever sympathetic outrage stung Commander Lydin's heart as she watched the stripped Princess walk down the hallway had nothing to do with Valandra herself. From the corner of her eye as she knelt in the corridor next to the rest of her crew, hands bound, she caught glimpses of their expressions, almost identical to her own. Fury, that any woman of Hapes would be treated in such a way, regardless of their station, and a sort of painfully unforgiving, darkly satisfied narrowing of the eyes and curling of the lip. She knew what they were thinking as Valandra moved past them one by one, head held high, eyes vacant, her arctic, merciless beauty on full display. The bindings on her wrists were not there to restrain her, they were simply harsh decorations. She'd not been forced to bare herself, she'd chosen to. She was not ashamed or cowed by the jeering men, they should be bowing down to her in gratitude that she let them view her naked flesh. That was not fear quivering at the corner of her ruby lips, it was just a smirk as she pictured their inevitable death at her hands.
A few of her younger, more inexperienced crew seemed to buy into all of it, gaping in awe at the strength and majesty of their sovereign heir even in the face of such indecency, and Lydin understood their feelings. Valandra wore it well. But she, along with most of the others, knew the Princess too well. Yes, she knew exactly what they were all thinking.
Valandra deserved worse. The bitch deserved much, much worse.
If Lydin had no hope of rescue and a firm guarantee that she'd never see home or any of the Hapan people again, she'd have stood and spit in Valandra's face, and she knew she wasn't alone in that desire. Lydin had been raised military, born and bred for one reason: to serve their sovereigns in whatever capacity allowed. She followed her orders, she recognized the chain of command, she honored her oaths. But she could not, with good conscience, respect this woman, and if she didn't face the death penalty for refusing, she'd certainly never lay her life down for such a malignant, arrogant person. Lydin understood the need for royalty to have some measure of pride and, to an extent, indifference, so they might clearly separate themselves from the common in order to make harder choices for the good of their people. But this one was beyond anything Lydin had encountered in her years of service. The depth of Valandra's cruelty, her selfishness, her contempt, it was unsurpassable. Years of being ground under her heels, treated like a brainless speck of dirt on a painting, and of enduring her brutal condescension had squashed any compassion or reverence for the Princess. Whatever she was about to get, she had earned it.
Being publically cut down and enslaved by a man was considered a huge and instant disgrace. And if anyone in this universe deserved it, it was Valandra Shaa'Ven.
Lydin's gaze followed the Princess all the way down the hall. The commander stared at the doorway even after she'd disappeared, the men's vulgar words and obscene suggestions loud in her ears. The tiniest of gratified sneers twitched on her face.
She fucking hoped he made her suffer.
~--~*~--~
It was cold. So cold. Her feet were numb.
Vala felt her skin prickle and pucker the deeper she moved into the pirate ship, the sensation made worse by the clammy sheen of fearful sweat she'd accumulated. Suppressing another shudder, the princess rounded a corner as she followed Raithe, the disgusting celebratory hooting and lewd commentary from the entrance corridor still ringing in her ears. She still wasn't sure how she made it down that hallway. It was all one long, excruciating blur, muddied by the electric rage she'd thrown over her thoughts. She could feel it, there, under that seething blackness; that shaking, mortified, sobbing girl she wanted to melt into. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Not ever, even when she was alone. Royal heirs didn't break down. They had no emotions. They had no fears. They felt no shame. At least her crew saw her face it all with the backbone of a true leader.
Vala swallowed, mouth dry as the Tatooine desert, and stabbed her gaze into Raithe's back. "Your ship reeks of grease and sour men," she said, somehow managing to pull out her bored, lazy royal tone. "Don't your pirate dogs know how to bathe? Or wash floors, for that matter?"
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 9, 2015 20:13:51 GMT -8
She thought seriously about turning around and going down in flames rather than giving this scum any further delusions of power. The idea of disrobing entirely at HIS request in front of a ship full of unseemly males was, in fact, terrifying. What would people say if they heard of it back in the Cluster? What would her future as Empress look like after such a scandal? If she did this, and it became public news, her rivals would have more than enough ammo to tear her apart, and her family name would be tainted forever.
But if she didn't do it…
Vala slapped his hand from her chin, face a dead mask of royal indifference despite her inner turmoil. "So unoriginal. But, your ship, your obscene rules, Raithe," she said sharply, "but do not touch me. Peh. And the galaxy wonders why we keep your sex on a leash." Her mind raced, turning the situation over and over, trying to find some way she could salvage the whole thing once this was over. Ah, there. She'd found it. There WAS a way she could use this to her advantage back home. Hapes loved the beautiful, but they also loved the dramatic. It was all about point of view and steel of nerve; after all, retaining your composure under fire was something every royal practiced. Vala drew in every bit of contempt, every thread of hatred for the male in front of her, and held onto it under her expression of superiority as she slid the sleeves of her gown down her shoulders and let the outfit slither down her frame to the floor. Off came the undergarments and, regrettably, her crystal wrist band. It was actually a disguised personal shielding unit, and if she could keep it close, it would make things easier for her later. "Here," she snapped, handing him the sparkling cuff. "A souvenir." Vala stood just a regally as she had in her garments, back just a little straighter, snooty little nose just a little higher, perhaps. She met his gaze squarely. Oh, if looks could kill… "Well? Are we going to stand here all day? Lead the way, or get out of mine."
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 9, 2015 20:10:31 GMT -8
Shock hit her, but she reigned it in before it had time to show. Vala raised a single eyebrow. "You must be absolutely out of your mind." She was a confident young woman, and she prided herself on her composure, but walking almost naked through a ship full of pirates was definitely beyond the limits. Her mind whirled, scrambling to come up with another bargaining chip, and she was once again reminded of why her female ancestors did what they did all those years ago. That she was lowering herself to negotiate with this male barbarian at all made her sick, but her image must remain intact. "What could parading a bare royal through your ship possibly prove? I'm sure all your men have seen so much female flesh, the shock value would be nonexistent."
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 9, 2015 20:06:14 GMT -8
The cloak again? Damn that thing… Vala fixed him with a stare usually reserved for slimy bugs that find their way into her clean bed. "You just cannot take the mystery, can you?" She had no desire to follow his request, but the drapings had outlived their usefulness. The point of them had, frankly, backfired a bit, and the princess had no desire to waste more time. So, holding his gaze, she removed the pinnings and flung off the heavy blue shroud without ceremony, folding it over one arm. Vala tried to look bored. "May we proceed, or do you have any further stupid requests?"
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 9, 2015 18:19:58 GMT -8
It wasn't much of a choice. She certainly had no intention of going down with her ship; that was Commander Lydin's duty. Vala's was to survive this unscathed and wait for rescue that was surely coming. The moment they were attacked, the signal to the Hapan Royal Navy had been sent, and they wouldn't stop until they found her.
She waited as long as she could before rising from her chair, wishing she could take a few things with her but knowing they'd just be confiscated. Her makeup, for one, to keep her birthmark concealed. The solution she used was waterproof and very difficult to remove once applied, but it would've been nice to reapply when she was feeling self-conscious. And an extra pair of contact lenses, too. Not only were they crucial for her ability to see in dim lighting, they hid her heterochromia. One green eye and one blue eye was not necessarily considered an abomination by her people, but it was seen as a negative oddity. Vala scanned her chambers with a mildly melancholy eye. Her clothes, her jewels, her music, her art… There was nothing here that she didn't already have at home, except perhaps those scrumptious silken bedsheets. The jewels and clothes were easily replaceable, the art on the walls were just copies of originals, the music was universal. Still, it was a shame to see it all go. She did dab a bit of her honeyed vanilla-sage perfume on her wrists, collar bone, and cloak sleeves. The pirate ship was sure to stink to high heaven.
The princess turned, pausing in front of her guards. They snapped to attention, ready for her next command. Vala checked the time quickly. "Stay here. There is nothing on that ship for you except pain and slavery, and I will not willingly hand over more Hapan blood to be used and sold. Death is perhaps the better alternative for those of your station." She watched them under thick lashes, nose in the air, shoulders back, not a drop of feeling in her voice. "Die a hero's death, and your names will be etched on the Wall of the Fallen, and your families will be well compensated for your service." And without a backwards glance, Vala glided out of her chambers, dark cloak billowing around her ankles, scarlet hair flowing behind her like a burning comet's tail.
She made it to the airlock with two minutes to spare, gaze steely, expression cold. Vala didn't bother to look at Raithe as she walked proudly towards him, intending to brush by without a word.
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 9, 2015 0:28:52 GMT -8
Vala glanced uncaring at the body of her loyal guard, crumpled on the floor, eyes wide open. She assumed she had a name, a family, favorite songs and favorite foods and people who loved her. "Is that supposed to frighten me?" She'd wondered when this Killian Raithe would try that tactic. None of the other guards flinched or drew weapons, although a few looked from the corners of their eyes in mild alarm at their Princess. "Mmm. Well, while I do favor the idea of your death, I'm not interested in further destruction of my vessel." She placed her utensils on her plate and sat back a little, never losing her perfect posture but giving the appearance of relaxing, and fixed the pirate with a bored gaze. "It is an honor to die in service of my family, and every one of these women have given themselves over fully and willingly into my service. You just gave her the best death she could have asked for," she said, indicating the dead guard with her wine goblet. "…Besides, guards are inexpensive and replaceable, Killian Raithe. Vessels cost far more to procure," she sniffed imperiously, sipping her drink.
Killian Raithe. The first name had a beautiful, noble ring to it, left a refined taste on her tongue as she said it that didn't at all fit the man across the table, in her opinion. But the last…it was fitting. His insistence that her cloak be removed was not surprising. Males of his type were predictable. The drapery served more than one purpose, but one of those was distraction, giving her time to assess what small personality he had before he lost all sense of clarity. That, and were she honest with herself, Vala felt a little exposed; the outfit underneath was nowhere near appropriate for the situation. She was used to men admiring her, as many of the Hapan females were, but those men were proper noblemen. They idolized her, saw her with hopeful stars in their eyes, and treated her body as an untouchable temple. She had no desire to see how she looked to a boorish pirate.
Vala placed her empty goblet on the table and sighed. "Disarm them yourself, go on, they won't move." Still no acknowledgement of his cloak request. "Please do hurry, your theatrics are wearing on my nerves; and then you'll tell me why you've interrupted my journey home."
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 8, 2015 21:37:00 GMT -8
She ignored him for a good twenty seconds, and when she did finally raise her eyes across the table, they were anything but interested. A frosty indifference laced her expression, and her tone took on a bored but disappointed lilt. "No respect, no manners, not one hint of refinement. How very…typical." The scarlet-haired royal gently set her silverware down, patting the corners of her mouth with her napkin. As she expected, none of the guards moved to relinquish their weapons, of course, waiting for a signal from their Princess should she desire them to do so. No signal came. The male was also waiting, watching her over the small floral arrangement in the center of the table, but no cloaks were removed.
Vala took a long sip of her sweet wine, deciding it was best to overlook his current feet-on-table position and his treatment of females. Clearly, the male was some form of minor idiot. Most non-nobles were, in her experience. But, it wasn't their fault they were born lesser, it's just how they were as a sex, and those that had taken steps to rise above their inherent mental disabilities were to be commended and rewarded. This specimen, however, obviously had not. He was rough, dirty, and wildly uncouth. Thus, minor idiot. She did, however, see something dangerous in his face under all the predictable over-confident peacocking. She kept that at the front of her mind. It would never do to underestimate him. "I assume you did not destroy my Novas and cripple my flagship just for the chance to sit at my table." Vala pursed her lips and turned her focus back to her plate, plucking a few grapes from the fruit bowls in front of her, and busied herself with choosing the ripest sugarfruit. "Is there a reasonably-inclined high-ranking female among your crew I might settle business with? Fetch them. Your efforts here are wasted."
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 8, 2015 18:53:03 GMT -8
The fine china under her knife and fork shuddered. Alarms shrieked from every corner of the ship as her music was cut off abruptly. The lights flickered, dimmed, quickly replaced by powerful emergency lighting.
They were under attack.
Vala dropped the piece of fruit she'd been eating and shot to her feet as the doors to her chambers shut automatically, safely sealing her inside. The widespread paranoia of the Hapan people, while detrimental to bonds and relationships, served them well in moments of crisis. Paranoid people are always prepared, always thinking ahead, always ready for chaos to strike. And when it did, they handled it with the cool, collected calm of someone who has rehearsed the scene many times already. As she moved on automatic pilot, half a dozen carefully planned escape routes and battle scenarios rushing through her mind, the princess hurried into her bedroom, snatching things up. A long, thick, dark blue cloak. A pair of oddly-shaped grey slippers. A tiny, thin piece of semi-moldable metal. A sparkling crystal cuff-shaped bracelet.
"Commander?" Static hissed at her as she bent over the comms at her desk. "Commander Lydin, do you read?"
It took a moment, but the comms burst into sound. Blaring consoles and women barking orders, the sound of sputtering wires and damaged systems whining in alarm. Connection seemed shaky at best. "Princess! Are you alright?" Commander Lydin's voice, usually bright and musical, was sharp and stressed.
"What's happening?" Vala slid her feet into the slippers and clipped the crystal cuff to her right wrist.
"Pirates, we believe. Out of the blue. Both Novas are gone, our systems are a mess--" Lydin paused as another explosion shook the Battle Dragon. "—they're not aiming for critical systems so they're not here to kill. My guess is they'll board once th—" Static. "-but our priority is you, my lady. If they learn who you are…"
Pirates. That left her with very few choices. Suddenly, she felt a little like one of the characters in her history books, back when no one could even go near the Cluster without being attacked. Piracy was less common now that the Hapan Royal Navy was so powerful, but it did happen occasionally further from the Cluster. "They already know, what other reason is there to attack?"
"I'm sending a squad to your door, we'll seal off your level and barricade th-"
"No." Vala shrugged into the cloak and draped it elegantly around her body. It covered her from neck to toe. "Send your men and women, but leave the entrance to my deck open. No barricade, no resistance. Clear out all other personnel. Let them come."
"But—"
"When they board, tell their leader where to find me. I'll be waiting. Am I clear, Commander?"
There was a long pause. When Lydin spoke, it was with restraint. "Clear, my lady. I'll make su—"
The ship lurched, quaking. Comms squealed mechanically, erupting in pops and clicks and wild tones as it and other electronic systems were assaulted by the ion burst. Vala ran from her desk into her dining room, pressed her hand to the security panel, and the main doors to her chambers sprang open just as everything failed. She had the response to her situation narrowed down. She knew how to approach this. Everything hinged on how she handled the next few hours.
The squad of guardians was already waiting outside her door. The young woman ushered all twelve of them inside, arranged them in a wide semi-circle at the back of the room, and instructed them to keep their weapons holstered. Then, every bit the poised princess, Vala sat primly back in her chair, arranged her napkin on her lap, expression unconcerned, and picked up her utensils. The doors to her floor were open, the entrance to her chambers clear. Her ship was dying all around her. She placed the thin, flexible bit of metal in her mouth and tucked it under her gums, and smoothed out her cloak.
Vala finished eating her fruit.
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Post by Valandra Shaa'Ven on Aug 8, 2015 0:01:28 GMT -8
Thumbprint identified. Security lockdown activated.
There was a series of heavy clinks, followed by a sharp hiss as the door to her chambers quickly sealed itself shut. With a quiet sigh, Valandra slipped off her heels and headed straight for the crimson chaise lounge against the opposite wall as her security system finished its routine scan of the room and adjacent chambers. She sat gracefully, perched on the edge of the lounge, back straight, hands folded on her knees, and surveyed the floor in front of her until she heard the falling musical notes from the lockdown speakers indicating she was as safe as she could be. No hidden cameras or new observatory bugs, no intruders or hidden traps waiting, no wired explosives, no tampering. Her posture drooped the tiniest bit in relaxation. Vala frowned in thought at the plush carpeting under her feet, slightly flexing her toes back and forth as she deliberated with herself. Well, they did just receive a new crew member, an alien at that, and sources claimed he'd been quietly asking questions about her since his arrival. And that one underling with the grey eyes had been giving her the evil eye for days now. Yes. Better safe than sorry.
Vala rose, moved to the doorway, and ran the scanning program again, this time with extra settings. Just to be sure.
The orange imaging lasers washed like waves over the walls and floors, covering every inch, but once again found nothing. Vala blew out the breath she'd been holding, letting go some of the tension she carried around almost constantly. With shoulders a little looser, back a little less rigid, the Hapan princess unpinned the silken drapery around her shoulders and headed for her vanity, pausing to touch a few glowing symbols on her sound system. The beautiful, delicate melody of one of her favorite pieces flowed like ribbons in a gentle wind through the room, and the lights shifted with the tune, bathing her chambers in peaceful shades. After a good four minutes of routinely scrutinizing her appearance in the mirror for flaws (she found only her usual critiques, of course), she swept her long, ruby lengths into a perfect bun at the back of her neck, twisted a little to check the makeup covering the back of her neck, shoulders, and upper back, and finished undressing. The green satin official robes were stylish enough for business meetings, but inappropriate to wear more than once on the same journey, and definitely unsuitable for a relaxing dinner alone. She hung them in her closet and rifled through the hundreds of other colorful outfits she'd brought, finally settling on a floor-length silk chiffon gown of the lightest shade of yellow. It came up around the back of the neck in a half collar and plunged down her front in a wide, open v-neck, with a thin, iridescent tie at her waist and a skirt that fluttered around her ankles with every slight move. Vala slipped it on. It was light and unrestricted, perfect for unwinding after a terrible day.
Because it had been a terrible day.
Vala checked her contact lenses, blinked a few times to set them, and threw a glance at the time. They'd be setting up in her dining room shortly. She tapped her nails on her vanity surface and stared at herself, turning this way and that, examining angles. With a sour, disgusted expression, she patted and poked at the back of her neck, smearing here and there to fully cover the dark-pink birthmark that marred her porcelain skin. It spiraled, thin and unbroken and disgusting like a snake from the nape of her neck straight down her spine to just under her shoulder blades, and she and her parents went to great lengths to make sure no one knew it was there. To be Hapan and live with such an obscene blemish was a great disgrace, but to be royal Hapan and be flawed? It was, as the whispered saying goes, a fate 'worse that death'. Vala knew what would happen if the Cluster learned of her multiple deformities. She knew the treatment deformed individuals were given, no matter how small the 'blemish', no matter how noble the birth. She herself had turned down many suitors and shunned many companions for their physical imperfections. The marred had no place in her world, and no place in the Hapes Cluster! Therefore, she must never let her guard down with her appearance. She grew so good at hiding her defects that she often forgot they were there until she was alone.
Reaching behind her, she uncoiled her hair and let the fiery waves spill down her back, covering her shoulders and brushing just above her tailbone. She closed her eyes against her reflection, let the beautiful music caress her ears… An insistent chime at her work desk broke through the harmony. Vala set her jaw in annoyance at the interruption, and did her best to ignore it for as long as she could. After a minute, she gave up, and charged over to her desk. "What?" she snapped, slamming her palm onto the blinking comm light. "I gave strict orders not to be disturbed unless it was of dire importance!"
The anxiety of the male comms officer on the other end was palpable. "Princess? I apologize for the interruption, usually calls are filtered to you through the proper channels, but I…have been ordered to remind you that you have multiple files awaiting your inspection, and that-.." He faltered.
Vala hurried him along in no gentle tone. "Yes, and? You'll finish quickly if you don't want to lose your station."
"-..well, that…and I quote directly, Princess, these are not my words, erm…" She could almost see him sweating. The heir smirked a little. "…that your final decision is expected within the month, and "not to dilly-dally, or you will be old and dry by the time you're in need of an heir"."
The smirk fell from her lips. "How dare you."
"Forgive me, Princess, I was ordered to! I was under orders! I was ordered! I- it was not-..I-"
"Who?"
"Who…? I'm sorry, I don't unders-"
"WHO ordered you?!"
The comms officer gulped. "…your mother, Princess. The Empress."
Vala ended the comms call without another word, and sat down heavily in the ergonomic desk chair. Her mother. Of course. It had started the moment she'd turned eighteen, and hadn't stopped since. Vala knew her mother was right. It was high time she chose a mate or two, but she was picky, hard to impress, and far too paranoid to settle on any of them. That her mother kept interfering time and again, even after Vala had made it clear that she'd find a mate on her own terms, was infuriating. Her bright blue eyes darkened, expression crisp with anger as she pulled up her main screen. The delivered files flashed across it, spilling images and dossiers of the finest men from every corner of the Hapes Cluster before her narrowed eyes. Valandra ground her teeth and sat back, glaring at the shining portraits with venom. Some of them she'd seen before. Some of them were new. None of them were interesting right now in the slightest, and she was far too sour to consider any 'mate-scrolling'. With a sharp swipe of her hand, she sent them all back in their file and keyed the screen off.
The music had stopped, the peace had been spoiled, and her mood had taken a dive. Her gaze fell on her invitation, a small, exquisitely-cut disk of crystal, to the exclusive art auction she'd attended earlier that day at the Royal Palace of Iziz on Onderon. Vala leaned forward, picking it up. Such a beautiful invitation, so carefully created. The bright lights in her room caught the edges, sending multicolor flares of light sparkling outwards. Sad, then, that it wasn't anything more in her eyes than a reminder of what she'd lost in the bidding. That sculpture was, truthfully, the only reason she'd gone: to reclaim a lost Shaa'Ven legacy artifact that had been stolen decades ago. It was of great importance to her family, for many reasons. She'd gone in with a careful plan, prepared to bid whatever it took, but inexplicably, somehow, she'd been unable to procure the relic. And just thinking of her family's reaction when she made it home to give the news…
Vala rose, dropping the disk on the desk, not caring if it broke. It didn't. Under her feet, even through the thick carpeting, the Battle Dragon Evolet hummed steadily, confident in her massive majesty, flanked by her two Nova-class Battle Cruisers. Valandra still had a long journey ahead of her. There was time enough to formulate the right wording to her mother. For now, it was almost time for dinner, and it was never good for your stomach to eat while distressed. Vala played with the music settings, choosing another piece, and checked the cameras in her dining room through her security monitor. Everything was set. The food and drink had been laid out in an appealing manner, and all staff had vacated the room. A quick two or three sensor sweeps revealed no hidden danger and no poisons were detected. Good. Very good.
Valandra composed herself out of habit, shoulders back, head held high, posture perfect, expression aloof. She opened her bedroom door, glided out, and regally sat herself at the head of the small table. The princess cut her meat. She drank her sweet wine. She tasted her soup, dabbed delicately at her lips with her napkin.
Beautiful music swelled around her.
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