Hoth: Blood and Ice

This time it was Luth there to start, sitting at the same table, poring over a data pad. Her helmet was set to the side, the knuckle of her index finger planted against her lips. The other tapped on the surface between swiping over the screen, moving between files. Some part of the spy had never gone out of her - even if it wasn't relevant to her in particular, she was an information crow: collecting was second nature.

A mug of caf found its way to her lips as she waited for her meeting partner. The second in as many days.

A tall pint of Corellian ale would probably go down better than caf after the day Tethys has had, but she opts for neither (and in any case, whatever fermented or distilled alternative she's sure someone on the two crews has come up with by now is likely to be of questionable appeal). She looks tired but alert, with a smudge of powdery gray dust she apparently hasn't noticed yet decorating one side of her forehead.

She hooks a second chair over to the same table and sets herself down on it. "Luth," she greets the Sith apprentice simply. "Is this a good time?"

Luth looked up at the greeting and smiled. "Hi, Tethys," she greeted in return, setting the data pad aside by now. "Yeah... I hope I'm not taking up too much of your time. I know you're busy."

She gestured on the side of her forehead where the powder was. "You got a little schmutz on you. Busy this afternoon?"

Tethys's brows flick up and she brushes at her forehead with her fingertips, rubbing them together as she examines the dust. "Oh. That must be from the medical bay." One corner of her lips curves up. "I think it can actually be called a medical bay now. Barely." She lifts her hand again and rubs the rest of the dust away more thoroughly.

"But, yes, busy. With about three or four different things." Of which Luth likely only knows one, albeit the most important and troubling of them.

At the moment Tethys is still blissfully unaware of the fact that that the person who was, at the end of that important and troubling task, safely secured in an empty hangar is already on the loose again and getting into trouble, dammit...

"However, as we agreed this afternoon... we need to talk."

"I can think of at least three of them," she agreed, the corner of her lips quirking up. "I'm glad to hear that the medical bay is... Well, at least limping, if not up and running."

She nodded. "Yes. Among other things, I wanted to ask you where you heard so many details about this Empire. I'm collecting everything I can, and I think it's a good idea for everyone we can get to meet up eventually, but that part is... of particular interest to me, I admit."

Tethys nods. "Some of it came from Force visions seen by other Jedi, which they discussed with me. I understand many Sith have been receiving similar dreams and premonitions recently, especially in this mission group, and especially since the ambush in orbit two days ago."

She spreads her hands on the tabletop. "Of course, visions and premonitions from the Force are not entirely reliable. The future is always in motion. The visionary sees only what her own mind can encompass. The Dark Side of the Force can twist perception and show only those aspects of the future, or the past and present, that play on the seer's own fears and desires." Like Layne's fear of being inconsequential, her desire to be a pivotal figure with a destiny no one else can share, hangs unspoken in the air for a few moments as Tethys gathers the rest of her thoughts.

"Two nights ago, though, a powerful presence in the Force touched some of the Jedi here, including me. It was the daughter of this Emperor Valkorian. She..." Tethys frowns, "found what she was looking for. She's very strong. Stronger than anything or anyone I've ever... anyway, from the memory she seized on, I was able to identify my informant, someone who comes from their Empire of Zakuul. That informant confirmed certain details and added others. Proper names, as you probably know, are hard to come by in premonitions."

"Yes," she agreed. "The future is always in motion, and vast. But those with some capacity for foresight haven't complained of being limited, or blocked?"

"I see... Very hard to come by, yes. That's why naming the Empire earlier drove me to ask."

"The daughter, hmm... She would be the shifting light, then."

"Not to me, no." Tethys shakes her head. "But to you they have? Blocked by what?" She regards Luth cautiously. Dark thoughts and emotions can cloud the understanding of even the most experienced and disciplined Jedi seers; she's not sure how much she should trust any Sith's interpretation of what they see when they seek visions through that dark power directly. But her curiosity is piqued.

"Yes, she's unstable. Mercurial, without principles or restraint. At least according to my source. Vaylin is her name."

Tethys tilts her head a little to one side. "Did everything I put together on Baesal's ship this afternoon match your intelligence? Was there anything I left out?" It's a mild, simple question, but Luth probably has a sense by now that if she chooses to answer it, Tethys may well be able to tell if her answer is deceptive or leaves out something important.

"Only two people experienced it that I know of. The other... seemed to think that there might be a will behind it. They're a lot more skilled than I am, and not the type to jump to conclusions, so I'm inclined to trust their judgment," she replied, tappingher fingers on the table. "General visions I saw just fine. The vast number of possibilities that my children might experience. When I tried to go past the general, I was stopped. Another time I didn't get anything at all... just a voice I had never heard before, saying that time is not a river."

"Vaylin... mercurial and without principles, hmm. That matches up. I'm guessing she has a pair of brothers, who are twins, if my interpretation of the information already presented to me is correct. To destroy the Empire and Republic. An entity referring to itself as the Dragon and demanding deference appeared in visions, possessing people as our Emperor once did, associated with an Eternal Throne above an Eternal Empire."

"It might be as you say, and simply the Dark Side playing on our fears by showing similarities. I hope it's that." There was no indication of prevarication on her part, even through the Force. Then again, she had gotten a lot of mileage out of half-truths in the past.

"Two sons, yes. Their Empire apparently considers every other culture in our known galaxy to be uncivilized savages in need of conquest and reformation in their image." Dry as a desert, she adds, "It's not very clear to me what's supposed to qualify them to do that, other than a leader so immensely powerful in the Force that even dissenting thoughts hardly seem to have been able to survive around him."

"Well, your voice has a point. Time isn't a river." She taps a fingertip on the table, considering.

"If the two Emperors are one and the same, well..." she replied, nodding a little. "Dissenting thoughts can't survive around the guy who can possess people - apparently multiple people at once, given how the timelines line up. That sounds about right. Though the fact that he decided that the problem was that the Sith Empire was not autocratic enough is... sure fascinating."

She was silent for a long moment before adding. "either way, I'm hoping to find out, eventually, whether this voice I'm hearing is related to the whole Empire situation or just... something else. Side effect of getting blocked, maybe."

"Possess people?" Tethys leans in a little, alert. "Did the former Sith Emperor have that ability?" If so, either the Jedi weren't aware, or else it must have been too need-to-know for her to, well, know about it.

It's interesting, Tethys notes to herself, that in the course of this conversation Luth has gone from speaking indirectly about visions seen by 'people' in her party to quite directly discussing her own experiences. Tethys, for her part, has never made a practice of seeking the future through the Force; in her studies of the Jedi records, examples of even experienced Jedi being led astray by their fearful or glorious visions made a strong impression, inclining her to seek clarity other ways instead. She knows about premonitions, but doesn't have much direct personal experience.

"You said this was a voice you'd never heard before. Do you think it was another entity? Or just manifestation of your own emotions?" Something else about what Luth had said right before that strikes her, and she cocks her head, arrested. "Oh. You have children?"

"Yes. Among other equally horrifying abilities. He was apparently out to destroy all life. I've heard quite a bit since Ziost and what everyone here has had to say, who are more familiar with him than I am. Someone I knew also saw me as one of his victims of possession, but that's probably a matter of fears of his return."

She tapped her fingers again, then picked up a stylus and put the end in her mouth, letting it just rest there for a moment. Nervous habits, clearly.

"It could be an emotional manifestation, I'm not at all ruling out the possibility. I don't know what it would be manifesting, though. It definitely wasn't vague, generic, or have a specific emotional key it was playing to. It didn't heighten any emotions, aside from confusion. It was the voice of an older-sounding man with a deep voice and a rich timbre. Imperial accent. He tended to use... big vowels, I guess you'd call it, and draw them out. Very distinct."

She did perk up a little bit when her children were brought up, smiling. "Oh, yes. One good thing to come out of everything."

"That does sound rather distinctive, if it doesn't come from your memories. Are you sure it's not someone you knew a long time ago, and only remembered unconsciously? Or it could really be an outside entity." It's an interesting puzzle, but not really answerable, and not the most immediately worrying question on the table right now.

"Did the Sith who took part in installing the new Empress discover any means of defending themselves from his mental possession? Best prepare for similar abilities from this Valkorian of Zakuul, just in case." Tethys looks grim about that. "Whether they're the same man, or perhaps similar beings now freed from the restrictions of a living body." She shakes her head slightly. "Two such entities seems awfully excessive. It's enough to make me hope they really are connected, or facets of the same person. Even though that raises other questions." If Tethys has any sort of nervous tic, it gets out much less easily than Luth's. But twin worry lines between her eyebrows are a sign of concern nonetheless.

One good thing? Thinking of Senya's awful story, it's hard for Tethys to imagine bringing children into the upper echelons of dark side power as a good thing. Something of her surprise might show on her face, so she offers in a carefully neutral tone, by way of explaining this, "Huh. I'd not have guessed that the lifestyle of a Sith Lord leaves much room for children."

"Hmm... I'll have to look into that. I'd think hearing it would jog my memory, but... Well, worst case scenario, it goes nowhere, we learn something," she agreed.

"We should prepare, but I don't know of any protections. It'd probably just be one being if Zakuul's Emperor is anything like that. We just don't know yet. Our only source is known for being fiddly and metaphorical at best."

She tilted her head. "Not as much as I would like, but more than you might think. Besides... it might be for the best if they're not too much like me."

"My Zakuul informant had a low opinion of your Empire and its last Emperor, and didn't seem to believe it was possible their own Empire could have anything in common with yours," Tethys says, dryly. "Or that their Emperor could possibly come to harm or die, like yours did. And yet they also admitted his presence seemed missing from their empire for about that long, and his children seem to be carrying on without him. I think, in short... my source is well-connected, but they're not entirely objective." She half-shrugs. "I'm not sure it's just ideology, either. Speaking with this person--that wall around certain ideas is what made me first begin to think this Emperor Valkorion might have been affecting the minds of people close to him. It would be easy, if his power was anything like his daughter's is."

Tethys had been inclined to let the subject of children drop--too many landmines there, too much if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all--but unfortunately, given the main topic of their conversation, she can't keep her memory from returning again to Senya and Vaylin, to the pain in Senya's voice whenever she spoke of her daughter.

Even young she was so strong... I tried to save them, but they chose him...

I lost my children...

Before she can really think it through, she asks, softly, "How can a Sith Lord raise children to be anything but Sith, in your Empire?"

"I believe some in the Empire also believed that of our Emperor," she mused. "Of course, it's hard to say if he could do anything as straightforward as die when he's killed."

She considered the question and everything she had tried to do up until now. She had no idea what kind of land mine she was stepping into. It wasn't hard to notice the soft voice... and tension in the air. "It's difficult, and it's not as though they can avoid being trained that way once the age to go to Korriban hits. But... I can demonstrate love and patience with them, keeping a level head, how to accept and learn from mistakes rather than beating themselves up over perceived weakness. How to discern the truth." She sighed. "I'm not the best at it, but the least they deserve is my best attempt to give them the tools to make the decision of light or darkness for themselves. To know that there's a way out, if they want. They're their own people. The deserve better than just being someone else's legacy."

She looked toward the door with a frown. "Though... all of this personal discussion, I hope you understand why it's important to me that it stay between us."

Tethys snorts faintly at Luth's evaluation of the Sith Emperor. Praising with faint damns? Like many things she's observed in her short acquaintance with Luth, that both does and doesn't fit what she otherwise knows of Sith Lords.

"Of course. This isn't mission intelligence. At your request, it stays in confidence." Tethys makes a brushing-away gesture and then lays her hands on the table again. "Please pardon the personal intrusion. I nearly forgot this wasn't an ordinary conversation, in more normal circumstances."

Her lips curve in a half-smile. "Or maybe I shouldn't apologize for it after all? Since it seems those might get me into trouble around your party."

"Thank you. That sort of talk can be dangerous with the religious bend going on now," she said, looking to the side.

She couldn't help but chuckle a little at the reference to the argument between Baras and Remmington. "Well, you're not supposed to be a Sith Lord, so I don't think anyone is gonna get on your case about it. Though I don't think there's a need. I wouldn't have responded if it was that much of an intrusion. It seemed like you had something on your mind."

"Hah. Am I not marking myself out as weak and untrustworthy? Well, perhaps not, if this conversation is unofficial." Tethys smiles wryly.

"Would talking like this have been any safer before the regime change?" Tethys can't imagine so, really. But then again, she's not the one who's spent the last several years actually living in the Empire. "Either way... please believe that I could never knowingly endanger a child, whoever their parents might be. Or put children in even greater danger, I suppose, in this case." The thought is an uncomfortable one. "You may have heard that relatively few Jedi have biological children of our own, but we consider all children who come into the Order as our family. I have a young apprentice of my own at the moment, my second--fourteen standard years old next month." She frowns, worry lines appearing between her brows again. "There hasn't been a day since the crash that I'm not glad she didn't come on this mission. I miss her, but she can't be safer than on Alderaan."

"Korriban hardly sounds like a place where a young sensitive can choose their own path freely, though. Even for the few children sent there who we know to have escaped, the scars are... deep. Permanent. Well, one such person is Master Layne, so." She shrugs grimly. "The other is Master Baesal, who may seem less marked by that time, to you. But just because it's not obvious, doesn't mean it isn't there." In recent years--before today--Tethys might even have estimated Layne as the more reliable one of the pair. Disturbing thought, that.

"You're already Jedi, you can't really go lower in some Sith's estimation," she shrugged. "The rest is just... more of the same, I suppose. I can't think of a good metaphor right now."

"It wouldn't have. Just different dangers. I'm glad to hear your apprentice is safe, though."

"It's not. I know what Korriban is like. I did my time there just like everyone else," she replied. "Korriban is non-negotiable for force sensitives in the Empire. I am trying to give them the best chance I can with what I have to work with. If you have an alternative proposal, I am all ears."

Tethys's brows climb upward. She simply hadn't been expecting such a direct, seemingly honest answer. Is it a trap? It doesn't seem like a trap. More to the point, do the risks of returning that honesty, borne by herself, outweigh the potential benefits--however remote--to some children she's never met somewhere far away in the Sith Empire?

Nope.

"Your friend Zeno Thul, on Alderaan," she says, quick and decisive, after a slight hesitation to rally her scattered thoughts. "His wife's house, the Duchy of Thul, has ties to your Empire. They also have a corps of house guards who claim to have revived an old indigenous Force tradition, not beholden to the Jedi. They call themselves the Blackguards, if you can believe it." She makes a faint sound somewhere between a hmph and a sardonic snort, and Luth might get the sense that a more emotive Jedi would have rolled her eyes at that name. "One of them is traveling with him now, I believe. His bodyguard, or apprentice, something like that."

She leans in a little. "I won't tell you to send your children to the Jedi, because I don't know that we could get them out safely that way. Or that you would trust us with them even if we could. But if you sent them to Alderaan," her eyes are piercingly intent, "your friend and his children are there, an Imperial connection is still there, and they would have choices. The Blackguards, the Paladins, even the Jedi... no one would force them to choose one single path, or else face suffering."

Zeno is emphatically not the person whom Tethys would recommend the average parent in the Republic to entrust with their Force-sensitive children. Absolutely the hell not. But Luth is not the average Republic parent.

She frowned tapping her fingers against the table again, one after another, then all together. "That's... a possibility. An explainable one, even. Studies with others learning similarly in a different context, training... Even access to texts that aren't available elsewhere. It's even true," she mused. "It could work. A few hitches, but maybe..."

Her eyes darted around the room briefly, as though she was expecting to be listened to. "... I only visited there once, but it was beautiful. I think they'd like it."

"It is a beautiful planet." Tethys says. Believe me, trust me, is urgent as electricity under her skin. "It's not a perfect place. It has its troubles,its conflicts, like any place. But it is very lovely. And... humane."

Weak, she's pretty sure certain Sith would retort. But Tethys knows better.

"I once visited Niall's summer home there," she admitted, finally breaking the silence on the people she had once known.

After a moment, she finally said. "... I have a pretty free hand with them. I think it could work. I should talk to Zeno when it gets closer to finally getting off this ice cube. See if his girls would like some companions for a while."