City Hall — Main Entrance, Hallways & Executive Suites

As a tall figure materialized at the Main Entrance to the City Hall building, the men standing guard that night were all astounded. The Firrerreon receptionist even went as far as letting out a small, high-pitched gasp when she recognized the man that had just walked in, the shock in her eyes only surpassed by the momentary change in her skin color to silver. It wasn't long before the man had covered the distance between them, placed a hand on her shoulder and with the most reassuring smile, shaken his head at her a few times. As if to tell her that there was no need for concern, and sure enough even before he was done shaking his head, the color of her skin was returning to its usual gold tone.

Standing up so she could respectfully incline her head in a half-bow, saying, "We are so delighted to see you," Before looking up at him, her lips stretching in a smile that exposed the canines she knew that he enjoyed seeing for some odd reason. "Welcome back, Senator Jade."

Yes, if he had to sum it up, Raan Jade would estimate that he had been gone for nearly three months. To him, it felt like a lifetime ago, but then again it would have felt that way to anyone who had gone through what he had over the last few months.

"Accalia." He uttered her name, giving her shoulder a brief squeeze before letting go of it. Following that up with a brief nod of thanks, he said, "I'm sorry to have kept everyone waiting for all this time."

Shaking her head, Accalia was about to tell the Senator that there was no need for apologies, but even before that, she was more curious about what the Senator was doing here so late into the night. Even she had been getting ready to leave when he appeared. In fact, other than the guards and night crew, everyone else had already gone home. By the time she opened her mouth to utter the question though, Raan had already started walking towards the elevators, waving at her even as he had his back to her. Despite knowing that he wasn't looking at her, Accalia bowed respectfully until the Senator was out of sight. Moments after that, some of the guards would convene at her desk for a detailed conversation mostly consisting of gossip about Umgul's enigmatic Senator finally returning.

Mist Government HQ — Senator's Office

Sitting behind his desk, the man known as Raan Jade leaned in his seat, placed his hands behind his head and looked around his office. He felt like a stranger in this very place, yet, he knew that he needed to get back in touch with the world. While it was true that he had isolated himself when he had learned that his daughter would, in fact, be comatose for a while due to the rough awakening of her abilities, Raan also knew that he could have done a better job of keeping in touch with everyone.
However, he had opted to go completely silent and gone as far as advising those in his household to remain quiet on the matter. Even Mace, who knew the details of Lyra's coma, had been asked to speak very little on it. Susoar and Bliss had been asked to continue their daily activities with the utmost discretion about Lyra Jade's condition as well.

In other words, up until last week when Lyra had finally awoken from the coma, Raan Jade, on top of disappearing from the public's eye, had made sure that no one outside of a tight-knit group from his residence knew anything about Lyra's condition.

Yet now, sitting in his office and looking at the pile of documents and updates that had been made for when he was ready to catch up with the world, he wondered if perhaps he could have trusted a few other people with what was going on in his life. Then again, that had been the issue from the start, even before the incident at his residence, a lack of trust had damaged his relationship with a lot of people.

Straightening up from his seat, Raan hit the switch button and waited for the systems to come online so he could begin catching on what he had missed, that way he could plan on where to start fixing things starting tomorrow. As he waited, he thought of something Mace had said back to him a few months ago and the events that had led to this moment . . .



Well . . . the time had come.

Mist Government HQ — Senator's Office

Shiraya's blackened limbs . . . Cursed Raan in his mind, using the exact words that Noey would have used to describe the situation he was in.

As the absentee Senator of Umgul skimmed through the files at his desk and took in whatever information he could in order to come up to speed with what current events on the planet, Raan just about fell out of his seat when he began to read Horsea's notes on what the Vyridians were going through, particularly Vice-Governor Andros Vyridian.

Raan had been gone for about three months, yet the events that had occurred in his absence should have, by all logic, taken years to unfurl. If he didn't know any better, he would have said that it was as if all the trouble that Andros was encountering somehow coincided with his absence from office; as if someone was plotting all of this. Surely this couldn't all be coincidence, could it?

Deciding not to waste another minute, Raan looked at the chrono and was able to determine that despite the late hour, there was another ranking member that would be in the office at this hour. With a wave of his hand, the virtual keyboard on his data terminal was activated and he began typing.



Raan did not possess Franz's advanced auditory abilities, however, he did have animal-like instincts which often alerted him. Even before she had knocked on the door, Raan had looked up, knowing exactly who it was that was turning the doorknob. Unfortunately, in that instance, he also unintentionally pressed the Send button on his dataterminal. Sending the incomplete message to Horsea . . .despite not realizing what he had done even then.

As Mace entered the office and their eyes met, her impassive demeanor met his blank expression, and even before she uttered a word, a thought ran through Raan's mind.

Kriff.

The word was not intended for Mace; they had been spending so much time together lately that all it took was one look to gather that bad news was underway.

Even as Mace addressed him and placed a portrait before him, asking if he knew who the individual in it was, Raan's eyes did not leave hers. It wasn't that he was being rude, but rather, he could tell that she wasn't done talking. Again, another byproduct of spending much time together, especially tending to Lyra. Raan, whether due to his instinct again or just reading Mace, sensed dread, but could not account for it yet, save to say that whatever else Mace had to say would be responsible for it.

However, no amount of knowledge on what Mace had to say would have prepared him for her next words. It wasn't even the mention of where Kiffar Guardian Forcias Kes or Umgul Defense Force Lieutenant Lucine Lynn were located that phased him — for that, combined with the fact that they were at the Catacombs of Eleuabad would have only infuriated him if they were attempting to go to a place he knew they had no business going to — but rather, the mention that whoever Mace was asking him about had also been there. His expression changed from blank to completely shocked when Mace went as far as mentioning that the Spirits of the former Heads of House Drake (a member of the Triumvirate Nobility) had been awakened to take action.

What Mace and arguably anyone else other than possibly Virgil Solaris and Lara Drake didn't know was that the Sealed Fortress in Eluabad wasn't only protected by Sando Aqua Monsters, but also the Force along with Ancient Arts warped in mysticism that they were referred to by another name . . . Alchemy. There was no way for anyone to 'accidentally' find the place, and even those who knew what to look for could not find the place. There was only one way in which anyone would find the place, and that was if they went with a member of the Triumvirate Nobility. Otherwise, unless the Fortress, guided by the Force itself, was calling on an individual, there was no other way for anyone to find it. Not necessarily. There is a third possibility. Yes, there was one other method aside from the two that would allow someone to find the Fortress. However, the method in question would have been virtually impossible as it required a member not from the Triumvirate Nobility, but rather . . .

No. It cannot be.

It dawned on Raan, then and there, that there was one more person outside of the members of the Nobility that had the ability to locate the Fortress. It was only then that his eyes left Mace and fell on the portrait she had placed at his desk, and the details of what ensued in the moment that followed would never leave the Senator's Office.



Raan, without skipping a beat, calmly said, "Sit down, Mace." It wasn't a command, just a matter-of-fact statement.

What had occurred was beyond shocking, but to Raan, it had finally placed so many pieces of the puzzle into place. He was shaken on the inside, especially since had recognized the face on the flimsi portrait before it had been obliterated but had no idea why his reaction to it had been so. Not to mention that his wristband had fully come back to life — something that had only happened back when he still used the Force. Then there was the issue of the words uttered, followed by the portrait being vaporized. Raan wasn't even sure that the words came from him, but he knew that it wasn't him that had destroyed the portrait. No. That had been Mace. He also didn't know what triggered that reaction. Looking at Mace now, he knew that if this has been the past, she too would have been shaken, but they had seen enough coincidence, been through way too much unusual phenomena to be as fazed about it anymore. Nowadays, they reacted to this type of thing as if it was an everyday occurrence. In fact, Raan wasn't even going to visit what had just occurred save to address the one thing that Mace may not have recognized, unless whatever had triggered her to obliterate the flimsi portrait also revealed to her the significance behind the fourth symbol.

Studying the orbs that were back to being lifeless on his wristband, Raan touched them gently as he spoke to Mace. "The answer to your question is No." He said, his blank expression having returned. "No, I do not know the man, but I do know of him." Resting his elbows on the desk, Raan intertwined his fingers together before shifting them to support his chin as his eyes met Mace's. "A long time ago on Coruscant, I walked past him and recognized him for who he was. You see, back then his hair was much longer, reaching all the way to his back, and his features were less . . .defined. However, there is no mistaking who he is, although I am glad he didn't see me then."

Raan cracked the joints in his fingers before continuing, "Although I do not know his name, the man you saw in that portrait is a member of the Royal House and elder brother to Her Majesty the Crowned Princess of Coruscant." Raan gave the words a moment to sink in, thinking back to the Princess with such reverence and something else . . .something much deeper.

It was true that Mace could read minds and her telepathic abilities, whether because she was Kiffar or because of her deep connection to the Force, were one of the best that Raan had ever seen. However, whether it was due to having a Force sensitive daughter who still didn't know how to control her abilities, especially mind-reading abilities, or perhaps just a force of habit given his past, there were parts of Raan's mind that were sealed off to a point where even the best telepaths would have to strain hard to even get a glimpse of his thoughts. It wasn't that he was hiding his thoughts from Mace, he simply had them closed off. Especially where the Crowned Princess was concerned.

"That man," Said Raan, his gaze turning distant as he continued, "Is also known as the shame of Royal House — he or his name are taboo — and for this very reason, this name has been forgotten or erased, depending on how you want to view it." The distant gaze was soon replaced by a more serious one, "Just as the Crowned Princess was known as the Lost Princess, for running away from home to start her own life, that man is better known as the Bastard of Coruscant for he is the byproduct of a careless indiscretion. . . from what I've come to learn."

It had taken Raan a very long time, and too many a life threatening situation, to research and find anything about the Royal House of Coruscant, and to this day, he was the only member of the Nobility to have actually met the Crowned Princess — thus being the first to have seen a member of the Royal Family in centuries. Raan had come to love and admire the Princess, even though she hadn't thought that he knew who she was until it was too late. She had a pure heart the likes of which he had never seen before, something lacked by the man from the portrait. The thoughts of the Princess and now this man made Raan close his eyes for a moment, momentarily struggling to remain objective. However, the moment had passed. Now was neither the time to linger in past, nor was this the moment to think about the beloved Princess.

"I've come to believe, Mace, that the Bastard Prince is responsible for the murder of the Crowned Princess," He said, opening his eyes to reveal calm but malicious intent, "and, that he had a hand in the deaths of Elikapeka's parents." This last revelation would most likely come as a shock to anyone else but Mace.

Yes, in the wake of the Hekekias' passing, Raan had gone to Naboo not just to support Elika during the tragedy, but to investigate the root cause of their untimely demise despite what the local authorities were reporting. It was for this reason that he had not been there for Elika as much as everyone else, even though he had observed from a distance.

"I don't have any evidence to support either one of my claims, of course. Or, in the case of the Hekekias, I did not have enough evidence to point fingers." He said, convinced now more than ever that he now knew what to look for. "His reasons, though, those I might be able to guess, assuming he is after all members of the Nobility."

"Anyway, there you have it." Raan got up from his desk and walked towards the window where he looked out and saw nothing but the mists dancing in what little light was being provided by the moon that night. "You should now be able to surmise which House the fourth crest that was on the back of your hand earlier belongs to."

Stretching himself to his full six-and-six height, he asked, "Can you tell me what name this man goes by? I'm certain you ran this by DDI Horsea first." Locking his hands behind his back, his voice deepened to an ominous tone. "It may also be wise to warn Lara Drake that her brother will soon be in danger, if he isn't already." He did not elaborate on how he knew at this time.

"I told you once, that what is meant to happen will come to pass." As he continued to look outside, with his back to her, Raan sensed a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. "This was not coincidence, but rather, the wheels of fate turning. There is a lot that's about to happen, especially now more than ever. Can you feel it? What do you see with those eyes, Mace?"