| abstract
| - Paxo: Pax City - Galactic Spaceport "Welcome to Pax City," a pleasant female voice says overhead. The voice seems to fill the Galactic Spaceport, everywhere and nowhere at once. The greeting is followed by a brief list of orienting directions. "Please follow the lighted pathways towards the Quarantine Zone." "Please leave weapons behind." "Please enjoy your stay." "All major Pax City retailors accept most planetary currency." Ships landing in Pax City are admitted entrance to the settlement proper via an elegant network of transparent tunnels, bubbles, and airlocks. The engineering is such, however, that it likely isn't claustrophobic. On the other hand, a pleasant, jovial atmosphere predominates. The closed atmosphere gives city officials the chance to control temperature, humidity, and even the odor of the place - that of freshly fallen rain. A small Typhoon-class fighter lands and a girl in a black uniform steps out. Her eyes are red-rimmed, but her mouth is a flat line, and she moves with strange fluidity. Draven is positioed near the liquidator, speaking with one of the dock techs about the ship "So you can have it refueled and restocked within the hour?" he finishes. Serenella watches. Effie walks briskly toward Draven. Her black boots clop softly on the transparisteel plate as she approaches, giving a toss of her head so that her hair flutters in a golden wave. "Lord Marshal!" she calls. Her voice, though musical, is oddly flat. Draven spins around as his title is called out. Draven takes one look at Euphemia and begins striding toward her, rudely leaving the dock hand in mid-sentance "What was the emergency?" he inquires carefully. Effie comes to a stop, tucks her hands crisply behind her back. She glances past Draven, blinking at Serenella for a moment. Then she says to Draven, in a tone that is almost cruel in its cold calm: "Rem Dolor was executed with a blaster. We have no further details at this time." Serenella gasps. "What?!" "She was shot and it killed her," Effie declares. "Her captors killed her. Their identities remain undisclosed. We don't know where the corpse is. We do not know whether she was tortured. We do not know what happened. But we will." But her expression does not seem to suggest any hope that Rem's last days were happy ones. "Goodness.", Serenella mutters, even though she knows she isn't even spoken to, "I met her once. What happened to her kids?" Effie takes a step toward Serenella, turning instantly quite calm, even courtly. "The Corellians seized her birth son some months ago," she says. "That makes them suspects. As for her adoptive children, I will take personal responsibility for them. Force willing, they will be raised as if my own." She curtseys. "I am Euphemia. We've met before. You are the celebrated Serenella, I believe." Draven let's out a long sigh...... The Lord Marshal takes quite a long time before nodding. "I see, well then.. we have a few choices that need to be made.." Draven, hearing the female behind him seems to turn almost instantly then, eyeing her. He slowly turns back to the Lady Mediator "I leave this to you... Right here, we have our own. You have the chance to show our compassion, or our wrath.. Execute her and send her remains to her Husband.." he pauses.. adding in a louder tone "I told you I would learn the truth.." remarking to Serenella "Or, send her home as a show that we are not animals." Serenella arches a brow. "Have we? But yes, I am Serenella Jordain.", she confirms, then... stares at Draven. And for once looks lost for words. "We aren't animals," Euphemia says quietly. "Rem always said we would never be like the Republic. I won't celebrate her death by turning into my uncle Palpatine." Her eyes are bright and dry, though still red-rimmed. Her right hand is red, the knuckles bruised. As if she's been hitting a durasteel wall ... "But when I find the 'executioner,' I do not know if I will have it in me to be humane." She adds frostily, "An old legend says that a Bellamy once poured molten vanadium in his enemy's ears, nose, and mouth until he had made an internal statue." Draven nods, "As you wish. Then I humbly submit that we make proper arrangements to have her transported away from here, Wolf will favor the first option." Euphemia says, "I am not entirely sure why you were taken captive. Perhaps you can tell me about it, Ms. Jordain. Have you been treated tolerably well?" Serenella shrugs to that. "I've sitting around here for ages, nobody's telling me WHY I'm here in the first place, I don't get a place to bathe or work out, nor changes of clothes, so... " She juts her chin out, "It is certainly not the kind of treatment I'm used to." Euphemia sighs and shakes her head. "I am quite certain that the Republic will consider any continued detention of your person some sort of criminal violation, my dear, but if you follow me," she says, "you may bathe in my private city. You are short, as I am, so you might even be small enough to wear my clothes," she adds thoughtfully. "I will give you a change." Serenella nods to the woman and manages a weak smile. "You're the first person with some sense I've met on this planet.", she admits and chuckles, "But then, you are a woman of course." Paxo: Paxville Spire - Second Level Residences The second level residences are fairly unremarkable. Still the theme of light blues and greys is predominant, and the apartment like dwellings are spaced evenly along long hallways. Central to the spire is a recreation area that houses an envirodome complete with trees and a synthetic waterfall. Elevators going up take you to more lush dwellings. Downward leads to the Paxville Spire ground floor. Euphemia pauses on the way through the peaceful, domed halls of the great city of Paxo. Passing an immense series of platforms lined with soldiers, she says, "Do not fear the defenders, they are obedient." Serenella nods and looks around, clearly in awe of what she sees. "This is a neat place.", she admits, "Are you some sort of princess here? I do hope that my husband can buy us a neat place like this some day too... I'm sick of staying at a hotel." "I," Euphemia says quietly, "am the Hegemina of Paxo. And the Lady Mediator of the Imperium. I am not royalty, although the Bellamies trace their descent for over two hundred generations." She says, "Of all the places in the Galaxy, Paxo has peace. I can't say that for any other planet." She strides up onto a lift, which ascends gently. Her golden eyes tilt to the sky, and sadness crosses her face. "But stray from Paxo, and ..." "Hegemina means what?", Serenella wonders, but looks fairly impressed nonetheless. "For a planet at peace you got a lot of armies here though.", she points out while she trails after her. "Hegemina means Little Guide," Effie says without a trace of humor. "I guide my people to have peace, by preparing for war. They have tried to invade us many times, the Republic, but I won't let them destroy my city." She says, "We have almost reached Euphemiopolis." Serenella's brows shoot upwards. "Euphemiopolis? You named a city after yourself? Wow, now that's cool!", she grins, "I'm only just thinking of naming my Club after me, but a whole city...." She looks impressed. Effie laughs. "It's not a very large private city," she says, and for a moment her face softens and her eyes look faraway, but then an expression of bitter sadness begins to creep over her and her face tightens again. She climbs. Serenella whistles softly. "Man, this is real cool.", she remarks quietly while she looks around everywhere. It might just be better for Rylas if Serenella never returns or he'll be pestered for a palace like this for as long as he lives. Effie comes to a halt before a mirror-bright door. She looks at her face desolately for a moment, and her small shoulders give a little shudder, but she immediately stands ramrod-straight and makes an imperious gesture, and the door swings suddenly open. Effie says, "It is very beautiful here ... it is true." Effie says, "But I will always be lonely here, now." Paxo: Euphemiopolis - Main Dome Located on the fourth level, this private city is a quarter deliberately built to be percieved as different and peaceful by outsiders. It branches off somewhat, connected to one of the other envirodomes by an fine silver bridge. The dome itself is elevated slightly above the other domes, although of the same relative size and shape and made of the same exact material. The first room of the dome, seems unfamilar at first since it is by definition a living room, yet seems to hold nothing of the prosaic about it. The walls are an austere white hung with delicate silver tapestries and holographic artwork, they even hang from the domed ceiling high above, while the floors are of aquamarine blue marble. This room is fitted mostly with statues, a young maiden with closed eyes kneeling before a proud angel, who wears a regretful, mournful expression, another angel holding the whole world tight in his arms, as if guarding it from everyone else. (They will not take my world and plunder it while I am on watch!) This angel has on a fiery, fixed expression and lofty looking eyes. Musical Instruments are scattered throughout the room. Serenella hmmms. "You shouldn't be lonely, you know.", she remarks as she follows along, "Get yourself a nice young man for company, throw parties here... I think this is a great place for parties. I could even come back here to sing, if you like." Effie laughs softly, if a little bitterly. The young girl shakes her head and says, "We have observed a shortage of nice young men lately. They tend to be frightening, old, or women." She crosses to a lofty silver dresser, opens a drawer, and pulls out a purple robe, which she offers at arms'-length. "In the bedroom is my heated private pool. You may use it; the servants will supply you with towels and all the necessaries. I must play the harp, or I will become very distressed." She pauses, then asks deliberately, "Did you know Rem?" Serenella smiles and takes the robe. "Thank you, Miss Bellamy, I really appreciate it. I've been in these clothes for days now." She begins to wander towards the door, but turns when she hears the question. "I met her briefly, on Alderaan.", she explains, "She had her kids with her, I had my daughter with me. We agreed to meet up again soon, get the kids to play with each other... Tara has few friends of her own age.", she admits, looking sad. Euphemia sighs, walking to the harp and almost falling into the silver filigree seat. Her hands hesitate over the strings, then wring a few sad, plangent chords out of the rich strings. She starts, for a moment, to laugh shrilly, then stops short. She takes a deep breath. She says, "I will return you to Corulag, or, if you would prefer, you can take a shuttle from Alderaan to Coruscant. I am sure your daughter is worried, and your husband as well." Her face brightens for a moment at some trifle she sees out of the corner of her eye, a little bauble discarded on the floor, and she points; a servant brings her a small silver chain with an ornament on it that looks suspiciously like a schoolgirl's charm, and she takes it, looking at it with a small smile. She says, "Lvyssa and Kvala and several other attendants will wait upon you. Return when you are ready to go home." Serenella smiles. "That's very nice of you, Miss Bellamy, your male companions just couldn't understand how much it means for a woman to be with her daughter..." She watches the girl for a bit, then turns to the bedroom. "Well, I'll take a bath then and be ready for the trip to Corulag." Euphemia laughs a little. "We have many orphans among us, and few parents. They mean less harm than you may have gathered. But I am not the only one in grief. To some of us, she was like ... a small mother. Or a sister. Few don't owe her their lives." Serenella nods slowly. "I'm sorry for your loss. She seemed like a nice person.", she says softly and walks over towards the girl to hold out her arms, offering a hug. Effie closes her eyes tightly, as if trying to shut something inside her eyelids, but seems not inclined to resist comfort. She breathes heavily. She says, "I am very sorry you were seized. The war -- makes a mess of everything." Serenella hugs the girl against her bosom. Being a Mommy has done odd things to her psyche it seems, hugging girls to her chest instead of men all of a sudden. "It's okay.", she smiles, "Those guys were quite rude, but I got to see an interesting new planet and met you." Euphemia laughs a little now. "You are clearly an optimist," she accuses, still trying, and now, it seems, succeeding, not to sob. Serenella pats her shoulder and nods. "Yea I am.", she confirms and smiles sheepishly, "Look, one year ago I was a single Mom with a little baby and a no-good loser for a husband who had run off. I had gained ten pounds and thought my career was at a dead end. Now I've got my own club, a decent new husband and a wonderful little daughter. So... even when things seem like crap for a while, there's always a tomorrow." Effie laughs a little. "I have an empire," she says. "It owns me." She laughs a little more, wryly but with decision. "But that is why I am here." A deep breath. She tries gently to extricate her face from Serenella's bosom, laughing a little again and meeting her eye. "I will miss Rem very much," she says quietly. "Thank you for your sympathy. It is impressive to see such civilized instincts in someone whom my allies seem to have kidnaped." Serenella lets her go and shrugs a little. "Those guys are idiots, but you seem to be nice.", she admits and adds: "Besides, you said you'll let me go home to my daughter." She pauses for a moment and smirks. "I also think, girls should stick together." "I do too," Effie says, looking again at the little chain she is holding. "I do." She says, by way of explanation, "There is no purpose in holding you here. Your discomfort won't bring Rem back to us, and it certainly won't solve anything. You have nothing to do with her disappearance, I imagine--and she and I both worked to restrain our allies from less noble deeds. Always. Nor is it the way of Paxo to detain prisoners, or of my family to hold hostages. You have been taken to Paxo, and therefore, you are my guest for as long as you remain. Feel free to return, as well." Serenella smiles. "Thank you, Miss Bellamy. I'd be happy to do a concert here for your people as well. See it as some sort of apology for what some idiots did to your friend. Trust me, I totally don't like this and I'm going to kick some butts about it on Coruscant.", she promises and looks around., "Well, I'm ready to go!" "Your husband seems committed to peace too," Effie remarks, as she rises and leads Serenella back down to the great Spaceport. "He came to Alderaan to ask me whether I sought it. I convinced him that I do."
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)