Ylesia

[Legacy]

Sweat beaded across sienna skin behind the clothed hides of a training tent as the hum and clash of a synthetically silver blade emitted from within. For passersby, it was a typical sound for those within the Imperial Encampment to hear, especially with the surgence of Imperial Knights. However, within, it's sight was anything but typical as the small figured Miralukian meditated in her movements and strengthened her connection to the Force. For the Imperial Knight within wasn't just any wayward Knight. She was the prodigy of Lady Cassandra. She was Lady Pandora Legatha Maximus, and her existence was as complicated as the will of the Force.

 

Her story began just a few short years ago at the conclusion of the Battle of Dark Sun Station. Unconscious, her mind broken, Pandora was found adrift within one of the Station's escape pods. When the Imperial Remnant located and rescued her, she was found to have no memories of her previous life and all attempts made to recover them threatened to shatter her very existence. This was the first time Lady Cassandra and Pandora met, and during her recovery at Anaxes over the course of the year that followed, the two became bonded. But Cassandra wasn't the only one Pandora bonded with neither. For in her recovery, a young Imperial Marine named Sampson Maximus came into her life. And in him, Pandora found a kinship.

 

The next time that Cassandra and Pandora met, Pandora had followed Sampson into the Imperial Marines and found the girl broken once again. But this time, it was a matter of the heart and not one of the mind. What began as a helping hand and words of encouragement inevitably turned into tutorship and eventually an Apprenticeship. Under Lady Cassandra's guidance, Pandora quickly grew not only as a person, but as an Imperial Citizen and Squire. And by the time that the Battle of Nar Shadaa came, Pandora was ready to be named a full fledged Imperial Knight.

 

But Nar Shadaa came at a price, one that Pandora quickly found steep and despite her attempts at understanding them, found herself instead struggling with them deeply so. And so, we meet Pandora in her struggles to rise above them, to settle her heart and mind in the ancient art of Alchaka. For most Wardens, Meditation is essential. Most find it a reflection not only of themselves, but as a means of centering themselves. And yet, for Pandora, it was much more. It was a moment of release, a moment of silent contemplation and expression, away from the prying eyes of others where she could let go and simply express herself. It was a moment where she could drop the smile and embrace her sadness and grief. A moment of balancing herself.

 

Deactivating her saber and collapsing it's form, Pandora dropped to her knees in exhaustion. Her hair soaked from sweat draped over her face and songsteel veil, she sat there, and sighed. Deep down, she knew there was nothing that could have been done, no other path taken. But she couldn't help but question neither, a constant mental bombardment of what ifs as well as self guilt. Swiping the hair from her face, she reached for the cup of water upon the weapons crate, taking a solemn drink before placing it back and reaching for her robes. Her moment of solitude was fleeting, and her duties would soon call her back into action. It was time to gather herself.

 

When Pandora emerged from within the tent, her hair was braided and her robes straight, a humble smile upon her face as her gaze met those that passed by and her hands clung to the sash that wrapped her waist, a maiden of the Imperial Knights. For this is who Pandora was. Duty before persona, obligation before self. Moments of weakness were understandable, but could not last. This is who Cassandra taught her to be, and in her memory, this is who she would continue to be.

[Legacy]

Her duties usually included what most considered mundane, such as helping around the many mess tents used to feed the Refugees, as well as a few hours tending to and aiding the recovering patients in the medical tents, and on occasion, helping wayward sentients in their displacement. And in her time outside of duty, she could be typically found wandering around the encampments.

 

Seeing through the Force was rarely described and hard to convey. It was more feeling than actually seeing for most, similar to feeling winds swirl around one's self as emotions of intentions of others rolled across one's frame. But for Miralukians, evolution had only intensified it to a stronger degree in a near mimicry of a mixture of Force Sight with a vibration of echolocation. It was as if the Force within them vibrated at a frequency that gifted a more vibrant sight to the point that moments of clarity appeared within their minds. So in her moments of wandering, she tended to walk about the encampments simply to observe.

 

Some mornings brought glimmers of joy and hope as the Alliance began to reforge what the Sith had nearly destroyed. Some refugees found new homes on other worlds, bringing hope of a new life while others chose to stay and begin the colonization of Ylesia. But some days brought sorrow and despair, forged from sicknesses and losses that could not be overcome. One that she could understand on a personal level. And for Pandora, most of all, it was witnessing life that calmed and centered her the most whether it presented its self in sorrow or in joy.

 

But her biggest joy was in catching the small glimpses of the children at play, finding that in any given situation, the youth always seemed to find the better of the worse. And to not only feel their emotions in the Force, but to catch glimpses of it in her mind only strengthened her internal resolve. This was why she had submitted her plans to restore the Imperial Mission to the higher ups. For through the Imperial Mission, moments like Ylesia could be more organized and ready.

 

Having left her duties at Medical Quadrant Delta Six in Sector Alpha near the center of the Encampments, a rolling emotion of hopelessness caught her attention as the vision of @Queen Namaricame across her mind in their passing. Pivoting on her heels, and shifting her blind gaze upon the Queen of Naboo, realizing the person she had encountered and the revelations that weighed upon her young shoulders, Pandora spoke.

 

"What bothers you so, mi'lady?" Pandora's tone was soft and sweet, but carried an undertone of sorrow and understanding. "Nothing is ever hopeless as long as you breath."

[Legacy]

Her words, as much as her presence in the Force, nearly mimicked what Pandora felt, herself, deep within the confines of her own inner peace. Having lost her Master, Lady Cassandra, as well as Lady Raven and so many others at Nar Shadaa, it not only brought sorrow to the heart, but plagued one with self doubt and questioning. But Pandora hid it well on the outside, her expression encroaching a soft smile as she responded.

 

"As long as there is breath within one's lungs, there is freedom." Pandora spoke softly, offering out her hand to encouraged Namari as she placed it upon the Lady's own. "The freedom to accept things as they are, or to change them."

 

Pandora respectfully withdrew her hand and offered the Queen to walk with her, before turning to. Placing her hands upon her robes, the began her trek.

 

"Forgive me for being candid, but while Naboo may not be hospitable, mi'lady, it's people are not." She continued on, her gape barely revealing the steps she took. "This is something I know all too well. Are you familiar with the history of my species?"

 

She gave Namari as chance to respond.

 

"All but a select few of my species do not even remember the name of our former homeworld. And I am, sadly, one of the ignorant." A half hearted chuckle escape her lips at the revelation, albeit, if she held any knowledge before Dark Sun Station, it was long lost. "Being half human only brings resentment from those that do, I have found, despite being visually indifferent to someone full Miralukian."

 

Realizing she had changed course in the conversation, she stopped her stroll abruptly, and turned to the Queen leisurely. 

 

"The important thing is that it matters not where you come from, but where your traditions and values come from. They are what forge the generations that follow you. Find strength in that."

 

While there was a regal and wise presence about Pandora, mostly instilled by her former Master, she was still inexperienced, especially in the art of politics and negotiations. She held a tendency to confused and jumble her words and intended expressions. She only hoped that they were received. But before she could open her mouth and speak to this, Lady Namari's comm chirped and Pandora withdrew her comment. Only the next few moments would express if her words of inspiration had been heard.

[Legacy]

Pandora could only initially sigh at the Queen's response, the aura of the young woman's anger and resentment razed red and a moment of silence enveloping the two. Perhaps in her cander, Pandora misspoke, or implied something that wasn't meant. She could have imposed, but knew that it would only make things worse, and Pandora didn't want to take such a route. Instead, she gripped at her robes, sighed, and let her heart speak its truth.

 

"Forgive my ignorance, mi'lady. I wasn't implying that I could know anything of what you feel or know your plight." Pandora's soft tone carried an embarrassed undertone and her cheeks flushed beneath her veil. "I only wished to give hope using the story of my people and the world of Alpheridies that they now call home."

 

"But the truth is, what is it that I even know of my people? Or who I even was." Her blinded gaze shifts to meet that of Namari's own, hidden behind the veil and yet almost as if her true visage could be glanced in that brief moment. Gripping again at her robes, she continued. "I am an orphan of both heritage and past, a being without a history. The only path I know is forward."

 

A halfhearted smile broke beneath her veil, a semblance that could barely break its thin opaque cloth. Pandora could only hope her words settled Namari's anger. But if not, perhaps the revelation could at least extend a branch of trust. "I'd like to offer my help in the Naboo's path forward, if you would have it."

[Legacy]

There was a brief moment of silence after Lady Namari's words before Pandora's grip upon her robes only intensified before letting loose one hand to place upon Namari's own as a smile graced her face.

 

"Think nothing of it." She replied with wholeheartedness. The two were both young and passionate in their endeavors. Little displays of emotions were commonplace enough during these demanding times that something insignificant to the larger scheme came and went like breaths of air. For Pandora, the larger picture of hope, was her only goal. "We've only just met, and times carry heavy weight upon us all. Our time together should iron out any wrinkles."

 

Removing her hand to motion Namari to take the lead, Pandora awaited her rise before rising from her own seating to begin following. If she could aid just one person and inspire a lifetime of hope, then her Master's death along side her Mistress wouldn't have been in vain. Her smile remaining, she spoke. "Please. Lead the way."

[Legacy]

It had taken weeks for Pandora to locate and find the planet from her visions, but now she stood upon the precipice of Ylesia's soil with intent to understand. Yet, she knew she had to be quick about finding out what this world meant and the players she saw in her dreams stood for. Gazing from behind veiled eyes upon this distraught world and its inhabitants, she casually walked upon the displaced and their exhausted emotions in cloaked form, not as Lady Pandora, but as one of them, under the assumed name of Pretal Miri. She had to be quick though, as she knew House Maximus, and likely the Imperial Remnant would be hot upon her trail.

 

Or so she assumed. But this world was different. The Galaxy was different. And it's confusion only inhibited her thoughts and planning. There seemed to none of the Remnant upon this world, only those whom were called Sovereign. Some even jested that they were of the former, and yet, she knew better. Or at least she thought so, even in her third day within the refugee encampment. Intelligence was never a strong suit of hers, but she knew how to play a part, and so she had spent most of her time describing those from her visions as lost family members and gathering intel of their whereabouts.

 

And at night, she laid awake for most of its hours in reflection, referencing the day's revelations in her mind so that a plan can be hatched as each piece clicked together to form a canvas within her mind. And yet, her mind remained as fractured as ever with the inclusion of the Sovereign and it's unknown role in harboring the refugees she had infiltrated. It had only been a month since she returned home to Andara from service. And yet, so much seemed aloof in the Galaxy she thought she knew. She often questioned this reality and her sanity. 

 

Yet, when Bull showed upon on Ylesia the following day and ousted her cover, the moment to move on came quicker than she had welcomed. After a rather quick duel ensued, both she and Bull were arrested and placed in detention while the Sovereignty was contacted. In was in their detainment, that Bull finally coughed up to the entire scheme and her cloning was revealed, sending Pandora into a catatonic state of mental break down. It wasn't until the next morning that Pandora's ruse had come to fruition and she had once again escaped.