Serenno

[SithAcolyte]

Darla had never been to Serenno before. On her journey there she had found what she could from the holonet. It seemed a nice enough place, misty jungles and rain forests. She could certainly think of worse places to visit. At first she thought that it would be difficult to find Alora. Darla had expected to struggle we she asked the locals if they'd seen any beautiful Sith women recently.

 

It turned out that it was well known that Alora's beloved Draken was the ruler of the planet. Yet the world remained neutral, not affiliated with the Sith. This made Dara feel a ot more relaxed. She still wasn't sure how her old friend would feel about her dropping by to visit. Also, how would she feel when Darla asked for information about Faust? Darla was beginning to wonder what her true motives behind coming to Serenno were. Of course she wanted to help Skye. But she also wanted to see Alora and to be away from Faust , the Jedi, everything that was going on with them.

 

Even if that meant being away from her kids.

 

She did feel a little guilty. Travelling alone to a beautiful far away world. It was true that should could have brought them along. But Darex would not have been happy about her bringing their children to visit her Sith friends. As much a they had become estranged, she would respect his wishes when it came to the children. Their father was their hero. It seemed that the two of them would follow in his footsteps.

 

Maybe that"s for the best. Where would they end up if they followed in mine?

 

Darla was a little concerned that Alora hadn't responded to her comm. But she really had no idea what was going on in her friend's life. After travelling so far, Darla decided to give Alora some time.

 

Staying aboard her ship, Darla busied herself. Tentatively she began use the Force again. Reaching out with senses that she had neglected. It actually began to felt good. Not the overwhelming and scary experience that she had expected it to.

 

She passed her days with meditation and exercise. It didn't take long before she was begining to feel like her old self. Centered and stronger. Even if she didn't find Alora, it felt good to have the time alone. To breath, to clear her mind, to strengthen herself.

[SithAcolyte]

Serenno was a beautiful place. Not at all what Darla had been expecting. What had she been expecting? A cruel place perhaps, like some of the other Sith planets that she’d visited. No, it had been a place like that, she surely would have been seized and captured. But Alora wasn’t like that. At least, she hadn’t been like that.

 

They had both been trained as Sith together. Darla had perhaps been the darker of the two at the time. So consumed with a rage that burnt inside her. A fractured woman after the cruelties of war, death and rebirth.

 

It has been a long time since Darla had thought about the ’Black Dragon.’ Her alter ego. The truth was that it was a part of her. Like night and day that both pass over the same world, both equal parts of the cycle of the Force.

 

Darla was getting stronger. She was amazed at how quickly her body responded when she began the combat drills that had once been a part of her every day. But she wasn’t readying for war anymore. When her body was exhausted, her mind found peace.

 

While she meditated her thoughts wondered, the past, the present, places far off in time and space. She sensed no danger, only a stillness. Darla focused on taking deep breaths, filling her cells with oxygen. Calling on the Force to strengthen the flow until her body was tingling. Then she would hold her breath and just be.

 

Day by day, she found that she could tech that stillness for longer. Soon Darla could hold her breath for quite some time without breathing. The Force sustaining her. But as always there reached point when her mind could no longer control her physical body and she would have to break her stillness, gasping for air.

 

Darla was in such a trance when she felt a presence in the Force. Her old friend, Alora had returned. For a moment Darla was anxious and worried at how Alora would receive her. Then she felt Alora’s joy.

 

She hurriedly got up from her cross legged pose and rushed to lower the landing ramp. As she did she realised that she was wearing sweaty work out clothes, her hair was tied in a messy bun. Darla was torn between wanted to look her best and just wanting to see her

What does it matter how I look?

 

Darla made up her mind and rushed outside to meet Alora. When she saw her she just stood there and smiled. A stray tear falling down her cheek.

 

“I’m sorry it took me so long to come visit.” Darla wanted to embrace her friend, but nervousness held her still.

 

But she smiled. Alora looked as beautiful as ever. This only made Darla feel more of mess.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla embraced Alora back, a little awkwardly, trying not to disturb the feline that her friend was holding.

 

"She's beautiful." Darla realised that she wasn't sure if the cat was a she or a he as she said it.

 

What's happened to me? Is grief written that plainly on me?

 

*It's a long story I guess." She paused. "It's been a lifetime."

 

It had indeed, the twins were eight now and she was sure it was years before they were born when she last saw Alora. It made sense that Alora had been kept in stasis, she had barely changed since Darla had last seen her.

 

"How about we have a sit-down and I'll tell you all about it." Darla gestured towards her ship.

 

When they were both inside, Darla made some refreshments and excused herself while she quickly cleaned herself up. She came back wearing a smart black jumpsuit, hair tied neatly back. Darla hadn't wasted any time putting make-up on, she just didn't want to chat in her sweaty clothes.

 

"Well. I got married." Darla took a sip of the tea that she'd prepared. At least the ship was clean and tidy. She'd been keeping herself busy the last week. "I don't know if you ever met Darex. It seems so strange, me marrying a Jedi. It seemed like the perfect fit. He grounded me. We had two children, twins. I guess it all got too much for me. I was terrified that they'd be a target for my enemies, that I wouldn't be able to protect them. So I took them away. As far away as I could. They mostly grew up on this ship in fact."

 

Looking around, Darla was filled with memories of her toddlers rushing around the space yacht, not a care in the world. She smiled to herself.

 

"I just shut myself down from the Force completely. I wanted them to have a normal life. I wanted to have a normal life. I thought that without the Force I could just be a mom. I didn't want them to be Jedi. Darex ended up being the Jedi Grandmaster. I should have been proud. But all I saw was danger. I knew that our paths were drifting. I knew that deep down, our very ideals, what made us who we were, differed so much. Darex was always the twins hero, they couldn't wait for the times when he would visit. I guess I kept them away from him more than I should have. I told myself that it was keep them safe. But maybe I just being selfish.

 

"Then one day, he got himself killed and I felt like all my fears were justified. It was tough. Tough on the kids too. Even though we had drifted, I felt like a piece of me had been torn out. After grieving for him, really grieving, he came back. I don't know what felt worse. Losing him or realising how futile that grief had been. We decided to separate after that. I was mad as a crazed bantha at him. I said some things I shouldn't have. I decided to leave the kids with the Jedi and if that's what they want... I can't stop them. I feel like this is the first time in last decade that I've just been alone. I miss them, but it feels good to just be myself. Be Darla again and not the wife of the Grandmaster. Not be a mother. I opened myself back up to the Force. I've been training again. I guess I'm searching, for who I used to be, for who I'm going to become and that lead me here to you."

 

Darla smiled at Alora, it felt good to say it all out loud.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla had expected Alora to laugh. At first, the sound stung her. She had spoken of her grief and her dear friend was laughing. Darla couldn’t help tensing up.

 

The as Alora apologised and explained herself, Darla began to realise that she wasn’t amused at her grief, it was the absurdity of her marrying a Jedi. Not just a Jedi, the Jedi Grandmaster. Darla laughed at little herself. It was what it was and she knew that she needed to stop being so serious all the time. She was in a safe place with her long lost friend. It was time to relax.

“I know, it’s crazy really.” She shook her head. “You have to remember, after I left the Sith I became a Jedi for a while. He wasn’t the Grandmaster when I met him. Just a Jedi and a dear friend. We grew closer over time. We went through a lot together. When it came down it, I guess I felt torn between the darkness and light. I felt that I needed to make a choice. I had a final showdown with Kakuto. I was ready to kill him or die trying. The truth is, I never could have killed him. Darex came to me, saved me from myself. I thought that it was the right choice.”

Darla took a deep sigh. “Yeah, I left the kids with my good friend Skye. I trust her and I know that they’re safe with her. It means they get to see their father, I know that they miss him. I’m not ready to see him myself. I haven’t figured out if this break is... a break... or a break-up.”

What seemed like many years ago, Darla remembered being invited to Alora’s wedding. She had figured that she had missed it. Not knowing that it would postponed for so long, not knowing that her friend had been held in stasis for so long.

“I guess the Force brought me here for a reason.” Darla smiled at Alora. “I’d love to stay for the wedding. I’d love to explore Serenno. From the flight down it looks like such a beautiful place Also, I still haven’t met your husband to be!”

A little pang of guilt arose in her as she wondered how long she would staying, how long she wold be away from the kids. Darla reminded herself that she’d spent most of their lives right by their sides. Which she knew hadn’t been good for any of them. The twins had any freedom. She had lost herself in trying to protect them. She would stay on Serenno. They were safe and they didn’t need her constantly breathing down their necks.

 

For a moment she remembered her original motive for visiting. Darla didn’t want Alora to think that she had only come to see her to get information to aid the Jedi. As much as she wanted to see Faust defeated, the truth was that right now he wasn’t her problem.

“So tell me about this cult of Mortis, was it?” Darla had never heard anything about them. “Why did they capture you, why did they put you in stasis?”

[SithAcolyte]

Darla wasn't really sure what Alora meant when she said that she wouldn't mind meeting Darex... She was smiling, strangely. Darex was a handsome man, was it something to do with that? Darla blushed a little. As much as she was mad at her husband, she couldn't forget how hard she had fallen for him and why. It wasn't just that he was tall, handsome and strong, there was a light within him. Too much light maybe... But she had really believed that that light would banish all of her darkness. For a while, it had. Darla shook the thoughts away.

 

Then there was Kakuto... Where would she be now if she had joined him? Would she be a mother to his children, Sith children... Or would she have just wound up dead? It didn't bear thinking about. The past was the past and it was so many years ago that it seemed like another lifetime entirely. Even Alora still seemed to have soft spot for Kakuto. Darla had the feeling that the two of them may have been closer than she thought as she heard Alora's words. There was a small spark of jealousy. Being a Sith, Alora had been much more free than Darla to pursue her passions. But that spark quickly diminished. Darla had made her choice, for better or worse. It was impossible to turn back time and even if she had the chance, she wouldn't change anything. She couldn't imagine not having the twins and they were as much a part of Darex as they were of her. There was one thing that she would have changed if she could though; she wouldn't have spent so many years in hiding.

 

I'm here now, that's the important thing. There's no point dwelling on the past. With a steadying breath, she drew the Force to herself and a feeling of serenity washed over her, with that she smiled at Alora.

 

"I.. Didn't know that Kakuto had pheromones implanted into your body." Darla raised an eyebrow at that. She could imagine what they were used for. It was strange, Alora was one of her closest friends, yet Darla was realising after so many years away, just how little she knew about Alora's life,

 

Come to think of it, Skye and Alora were pretty much her only real friends in the galaxy. The two were like night and day. The only two people who actually seemed to give damn about her. Was she really that difficult? Or was it just because she distanced herself from everyone else so much that no one else, except for her husband really knew her at all. There had been friends amongst the Jedi, Padawan's of Skye and Darex, but that had all gone their own ways.

 

"I'd like you to meet the kids too. I don't know why I didn't bring them..." As she spoke she realised that she did know why. "Well, no offence... But I wasn't if Serenno was a safe place for them and if I'm really honest I just needed some time away. They've been glued to my side for the last 8 years. I spent so much time just being 'Mom' that I forgot who 'Darla' was. Besides, they're getting to that age where I just feel like I'm cramping their style. Paranoid, overprotective mom with a blaster pistol isn't a good look for anyone. They look a lot like Darex, it's the fair hair I guess. But I was blonde as a kid too. My hair got darker as I got older, so who knows. Looks aside... They are like him a lot... He's their hero, they look up to him and I'm pretty sure that they're both ready to start training as Jedi. I wanted to stop them, but I know it's not right. They have to make their own choices. I guess me leaving them behind is really letting them go. They won't be mine anymore when they're Jedi. I mean, they'll always be my babies, no matter how old they are, but they'll be out there on their own, choosing their own paths. Iknow that's the right thing to do. I can't keep them hidden forever and it would be wrong of me to try to influence their choices."

 

As she spoke the words aloud, it dawned on Darla that this may be it. When she saw them again, they may be Padawans. Training, exploring... It would never be the three of them hiding out in their space yacht on the fringes of the galaxy again. That was alright. It felt right. It was almost as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. It would mean that they could spend more time with their father, she knew now that it had been wrong to keep them so far away from him. Darex would make sure that no harm came to them, she was sure of that and Skye, the would both protect them for as long as they could. That was all Darla could really hope for.

 

"Thank you..." Darla replied when Alora offered her support, knowing what her words meant. "I don't know if me and Darex can ever really fix what's been broken... I don't know if I really want to. I haven't seen him yet... since he came back that is. It just seemed too hard after all that grief. I guess I'll have to see him at some point and when I do, I'll know. But for now, I'm happy..." Yes, that was the right word, there was some truth to it. "Happy to just be by myself."

 

Darla got quite excited by the idea of having a dress made for the wedding. It had been so long since she had worn a dress, she couldn't even remember. It would be nice to dress up, feel beautiful. She'd gotten so used to wearing flight suits and jackets, practical boots, tying her hair back for practically rather than fashion. She smiled at Alora. "Well, it is your wedding after all. I give you permission to dress me up however you like."

 

It was quite chilling when Darla heard about the cult of Morthos. She gave her friend a squeeze on the shoulder. "I'm glad that's all over and I'm so glad that you're back. Then Alora mentioned meeting Draken and Darla became a little nervous. "Is it going to be a problem for him that I have such strong ties to the Jedi?" She had to ask, after all, he was a Sith Lord.

[SithAcolyte]

The view from the hover-cab was breathtaking. Alora had asked for the scenic route and that was surely what they had gotten. Darla couldn't remember the last time she had been on such a beautiful planet, she'd gotten so used to living on a ship, the constellations of stars seen from her viewport had become her landscape. This place felt so alive. Wity her Force senses properly open for the first time in years, she could feel everything around her. The planet seemed to sing to her. Tiny vibrations of energy that followed through everything, connecting all like webs of silvery notes played by some master musician.

No, there is no musician. Only the Force.

It was hard to think that all that beauty had formed by itself, without direction. Yet at the same time, it was hard to fathom what kind of entity could create such beauty. Darla listened to the song of the Force, closing her eyes and seeing beyond what her eyes could show her. Leaves beginning to fall, turning red, then yellow, the brown. Crumbling away into the ground. Death, decay. No, reabsorption. Everything returned to the Force and everything was reborn. There was a slight chill in the air. Even though the hover-cab kept the cold at bay, Darla could feel it through the Force. Birds beginning to fly away to warmer climates.

Winter was upon them.

Darla suddenly imagined just how beautiful the place would look covered by a veil of snow. Was Alora going to have a winter wedding? An image of a dazzling white gown, more splendid than the snow came to her mind.

All of this happened in an instant, then Darla came back to herself. Smiling at Alora.

"I can't wait to see your dress either," Darla responded to her friend.

Alora showed Darla around the guest suite that she would be staying in. Darla thought that she was dreaming, the whole place was so splendid. She did feel a little out of place in her flight suit, hastily tied back hair and bare face. Darla got the feeling that the people of Serenno would dress just as beautifully as the surroundings that they lived in.

Before their afternoon tea could arrive, Alora's comm chimed.

"It's Draken." Alora smiled and asked Darla if she would like to meet him as well as their ward Raia.

It seemed as good a time as any to. Alora led them into a beautiful rose garden and Darla really wished that she had dressed a little smarter. he took a deep calming breath and let the Force flow through her, drawing on the beauty of the of the trees and flowers.

[SithAcolyte]

"Thank you, Count." Darla bowed her head in greeting, she hadn't been called 'Lady Darla' for a long time. "I feel very honoured to be allowed into your home."

 

Dressed as she was in her flight suit, she felt very out of place amongst all the beauty around her. She didn't feel very much like a 'Lady', at least in the sense that she didn't feel elegant or regal.

 

“You were a Jedi once and a Sith.” Those words put her on edge. Had Alora already spoken of Darla and her past, or could the Count somehow tell? Then as he chuckled her tension eased.

 

"I was, once a long time ago. But I'm neither now." Darla smiled, trying her best to hide the fading unease that she felt. "I hope that's not going to be a problem. I can assure you that I don't have allegiance to either, I choose my friends where I will."

 

For a brief moment, Darla wondered about how Skye would feel if she knew where she was. If she knew that her friend had pretty much abandoned the mission that had sent her to Serenno.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was a little surprised by Draken’ words. Was he seeing into her very soul? Of perhaps Alora had mentioned Darla’s time away from the Force? He saw right though. Her experience he both tempered and weakened her. She tried her best not to let her unease show.

 

It became easier when the beautiful wine arrived. Darla was impressed. Draken was apparently a man of many skills. The feeling of relaxtion returned and it felt like a vacation once more.

 

Their ward soon arrived. The young woman seemed a little shy around them and didn't say much before leaving. Darla was polite and friendly to Raia while at the same time wondering what the girl’s story was.

 

...

 

Several days passed, Darla just spent most of her time relaxing, swimming, meditating and generally clearing her mind. It had only been a short stay so far, big she already felt rejuvenated beyond what she had expected. It felt nice to just let go and not worry.

 

She felt Alora’s touch on her mind. Saw the image of the two of them running together past a breathtaking waterfall. Yes, that would be perfect.

 

By the time Alora arrived Darla dressed in her gym clothes.

 

”Let’s go.” Darla smiled at her friend.