{{ urbania's void - chapter 33
...return to eternity (day thirty-three / +33)
The dim light of their chambers gave Zekk and chance to rest his eyes, while Alema stood at the mirror, scowling at her reflection.
She was clad in a gaudy white dress that puffed out at the bottom and had layers upon layers of flimsy, itchy material around her shoulders.
"No." She shook her head. "Ooooh no."
"Hmmm?" Zekk called absently in his light daze.
"Zekk."
His green eyes shot open as he stared to her from his spot in the reclining chair. "Yeah?"
"This isn't going to work." Her pale blue fingers found their way to the hooks at the side of the dress, where she hastily began to undo them.
Zekk watched as the tacky dress slid to the ground, leaving a virtually nude Alema Rar standing across the room.
It didn't faze Zekk. It wasn't like he hadn't seen Alema's naked body before.
Nothing fazed him anymore. He had seen everything. He had seen most of it on Myrkr. It was a disgusting mission, a depressing one. He had seen his friends getting taken away, one by one. Alema was almost taken as well. She had received a nasty gash from a voxyn and Zekk went with Tekli to a secluded spot where they removed her harnesses and her jumpsuit. He had stayed beside the twi'lek and let her squeeze his hand as hard and she could manage while Tekli sewed the cut up. Other missions after that had found them and their crews in cramped quarters, sharing beds, sharing showers. Many nights Zekk would find himself with no covers because Alema had stolen them all. He would laugh, grab the edge of the blankets and push her out of the cot.
Zekk and Alema had bonded after the Myrkr mission and became good friends, their common tie being the stint they had both experienced with the Dark Side.
His green gaze locked on the scar still visible down her slender torso. It made him shudder a bit every time he saw it. It seemed to reach out and pull him back to that moment, the moment that he thought another one of his friend's was going to be lost to the vast expanse of death.
Alema and Zekk hadn't had a chance to hang out much since the end of the war, what with her off gallivanting around the galaxy with the Twin Suns. He was lucky that Lowie had taken some time off from the squadron. He was happy to see her again at the celebration on Hapes. Of course, that was cut short by the odd behavior of the Queen Mother and her Commander, which both of them helped figure out.
Even though Zekk knew that they were dealing with the dangerous Lomi Plo and Welk here, he still had a feeling of comfort, a constant wave of relaxation. Just to be in the same room with a good friend...
"Why isn't it going to work?"
"That gown is hideous, man." Alema turned her head to look at Zekk instead of his reflection, her lekku settling around her shoulders. "And I want to do something different. I want to ruffle those Hutt's feathers."
Zekk motioned with his eyes to her naked body, "Then go like that."
With an exceptionally sarcastic laugh, Alema reached to the ground and picked up the ivory gown, chucking it in Zekk's direction. He chuckled and caught it, suddenly scowling at the texture of the fabric.
"This thing is pretty annoying." He dropped the dress to the floor beside the chair he had thrown himself in and snuggled into the plush seat, twisting to the side a bit. He let his right leg rest over the arm of the chair as his left foot settled on the ground, his back pushing itself into the cushions. When he had finished his shuffling, he noticed Alema was already at the lines of clothing, picking through them all.
A sly smile crossed her face.
Zekk recognized that upturn of the lips. It showed up on Alema whenever she had gotten a particularly sneaky idea.
"What're you planning, Rar?"
"Noooothing." She yanked an outfit out of the closet and slammed her fist on the button, causing the closet door to slide shut. Holding it up to her body, she spun around to face Zekk. "Alright, something."
His eyes narrowed.
"How about it, Arkenna? Hm?"
"That's a man's outfit."
"I know. They never said I had to wear a dress."
Zekk shrugged. It was a mild way to annoy, but a good idea. Lomi Plo and Welk didn't seem to be the kind who tolerated anything that didn't go their way. "I say go for it."
The twi'lek grinned.
She began by pulling the puffy white shirt over her head, sliding her arms into the long silky sleeves. She hooked the cuffs, then pulled on the stormy gray pants and finally she threw the high-collared, sleeveless jacket over it all. The bottom hit the ground, brushing the floor with a dark gray sweep. After straightening out the sleeves of the shirt, so they settled under the jackets shoulders, Alema glanced up to Zekk for approval.
"I like it." Zekk nodded, his eyebrows rising in a small shock at how professional and exceptionally conniving she looked.
Alema slid the flat boots over her stocking covered feet, breathing a sigh of relief. It felt so good to be in casual boots for once and not a pair of Carithma's dancing shoes or a pair of armored boots.
The outfit Zekk wore was almost identical to hers, except the shirt was an off-white and the jacket and pants took on a crimson hue. Zekk tugged at the high collar, trying to stretch it out and make it a tad looser, but that was virtually impossible. He sighed.
The twi'lek was glancing at her now more satisfying reflection, when there was a knock at the door.
Both sets of eyes went to each other, then the door, which slid open a few moments later.
"Are the Quadripdici ready?"
"All ready, darling." Welk replied, straightening out his belt. "We already sent them to get our guests."
"Are they dressed?"
"They look absolutely gorgeous," Raynar seethed, as a sharp-toothed grin overpowered his features.
"Guess it's time for dinner..." Zekk vaulted himself out of the chair and meandered to the door, his eyes locked on who had opened it. Alema stared them down as well.
Two beings, both wearing identical cloaks that covered every inch of their bodies, except for their faces, which were shielded by gold masks. The masks were set over the whole face, giving the impression that the wearers couldn't even see through them. The expressions on them were the most haunting and disturbing part --- it was one of suffering and anguish. The eyes appeared hollow and the creases in certain places suggested pain.
Serious pain.
Alema, stepping up behind Zekk, clutched his arm as her eyes studied the gold visages. Nothing frightened Alema, but these were a tad unnerving.
One stood to the side of the chamber door as the other motioned with a covered hand to come along. The latter took the lead as Alema and Zekk warily followed, with the other bringing up the rear.
Through winding corridors, under steel walkways stacked over one another in grand halls, they walked at a steady pace, until the group arrived at a set of immense double doors. The whole way there, Zekk tried to pretend that those burning, empty orbs of molten weren't trained on his back... but he could feel them, those eyes...
His gaze traveled up the length of the wooden doors as a shudder racked his body. The doors looked out of place in the Mircas Tower's immeasurable maze of durasteel.
The being in the lead took the ornate handles in its iron grasp and pushed, stepping aside to let Zekk and Alema into the chamber.
All eyes fell on the pair as they padded into the room, side-by-side.
It was a stunning room. The ceiling towered far overhead, obfuscated spotlights trained on the empty space, all different shades, moving ever so slowly. Billowing tapestries depicting famous events in the galaxy's history hung down the length of the walls, almost reaching the ground. The chamber was a basic rectangular shape. The floor, a smooth onyx, a set of stairs leading up to a dais at the opposite end of the room that they entered on.
A lengthy table sat in the middle, carved mahogany wood. On the dais behind it stood Lomi Plo and Welk, all smirks and giggles. Lomi Plo seemed to be whispering something to the man beside her, the only word audible being 'outfit' ...
Zekk let his eyes roam around the table.
Kyp, Jag, Gadell, Tahiri, Jaina, Lowie, Tesar, Telki...
He was about to speak out when Welk cut in, "Sit."
Throwing a sideways glance to Alema, Zekk began to step towards the left side of the table, where two seats remained. He noticed two other empty seats across from them as Alema followed and sat herself beside him. The beings that had brought them to the dining hall followed as well, standing roughly ten feet behind their chairs.
Everyone around the table had a masked, cloaked being behind them.
"We're waiting on two," Welk murmured to the female standing beside him, "then we can start."
Lomi Plo nodded quickly, her eyes locked on the wooden doors.
What seemed like an eternity of silence passed through the hall. The only thing remotely moving at all were the soft lights above, as well as everyone's eyes, which all shifted about nervously. They all moved as one to the doors when they were swung open once more.
A gold-faced being entered in front of two humans, whose arms were interlocked between them. They both wore the same shade of green, a deep forest tint, the outfits accented by black wire.
The male's around his neck and the female's in a barbed, spiny tiara atop her wavy mass of copper hair.
"Ah," Lomi Plo clasped her hands in front of her. "General Jacen Solo and Queen Mother Tenel Ka Chume Djo. How kind of you to join us."
Jacen eyed the only two empty seats remaining nearest them and he shifted his left arm lightly, pressing it against Tenel Ka's right, in a motion to follow him. They both moved together to the tall chairs and Jacen slid his arm away from hers, pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit down, before seating himself. She nodded her thank you and tried to stay as stern as possible, but Jacen could see the sparkle in her eyes. The sparkle that was meant for him.
Gadell, as well as some of the others, couldn't help but feel a tad lighter after this display between Jacen and Tenel Ka.
They just needed time. They just needed time alone, to talk things out, the Admiral thought to himself, extremely relieved that they seemed to be alright with each other again.
"We didn't interrupt anything, did we?" Welk inquired, a sarcastic, smarmy kind of tone seeping in and out of his words.
Lomi Plo narrowed her eyes at the two as Welk asked the simple question. She could see the scene playing out in her head again. Jacen leaning down and planting his lips on the Queen Mother's shoulders... her gown slowly slipping...
She waited for an answer.
Tenel Ka, after she had seated herself, had stayed completely still, her granite gaze locked on an empty spot on the table in front of her. After Welk's inquiry, her head finally turned a bit towards the front of the room, where her eyes landed on the two darksiders.
"Your mere existence interrupts things." The Queen Mother replied.
"Oh now now..." Lomi Plo suddenly had a sarcastic sneer on her face. "Don't be mad just because I ruined you and Solo's little moment. Force knows you needed it after all you've both been through here."
"How would you know what we've been through?!" Jacen snapped, suddenly jumping out of his usually calm veneer.
"We know everything." Welk hissed.
Excited and angry chatter roared from the table as everyone argued against Lomi Plo and Welk and it all died a fast death as the wooden doors creaked open. Eyes were drawn back to that end of the hall.
"Can we please stop the bickering?! I'm hungry!"
Raynar Thul bounded into the room, skipping merrily, slapping heads and smacking shoulders of the guests as he bounced by; hair messy, eyes sunken. He was dressed in black leathers and a cloak of the same color. His cheeks were pale and his lips formed a thin, sick line but his eyes were as bright as supernovas.
"Where are your guests, Raynar?" Lomi Plo asked between deranged little giggles.
"Girls!" Raynar shouted to the back of the room. "Dinner!"
The eyes went back to the door... and stray gasps erupted.
Lusa. Eryl. Anja.
Lusa, the centaur, strode up the right side of the table. Anja Gallandro and Eryl Besa traipsed up the left. All three seemed to hang on Raynar as they mounted the large dais, the Alderaanian man grinning from ear to ear as hands ran through his hair and arms were thrown around him.
Jaina Solo tried to murmur under her breath so only Lowie, who was seated beside her, could hear. "Lusa's dead. So is Eryl."
Tenel Ka felt her fingers tighten around a bunch of fabric in the lap of her gown as anger planted itself in her mind. Why did Anja join them?
"What are we waiting for?" Raynar exclaimed, enjoying the looks of fear and disbelief he was receiving from the guests. "Let's eat!"
He snapped his fingers and the gold-faces filed out of a hidden door in the back of the room, to go retrieve the food.
Jacen could feel his heart sink. "We're only going to dinner," he had told Tenel Ka.
He only felt a bit of solace when he reached over and rested his hand on Tenel Ka's left knee, the warmth of her skin under the gown feeding life and energy into him.
I have a bad feeling about this.
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