No picture could do it justice.
All those years, Vaylin was afraid of setting foot on Alderaan in fear of destroying her preconceptions. Every time the name of this planet ever passed by her ears, she would think of those few pictures she had of Nathema. They were the only light in the cold, horrific nightmare of her paddled cell. She had much time to imagine its lush forests and plains, ancient trees, and majestic mountains…To think of herself walking among them, far away from people who hurt her, completely relaxed and serene. Vaylin feared that seeing those places with her orb eyes would tarnish their magic, but all the worries were unfounded.
This planet was a jewel of the galaxy, even more so in real life. Vaylin couldn't wait to finally make her dream come true and walk among nature herself. Out of all the planets she had ever seen, this one was the prettiest by far. But before she could truly explore it, she and Cassian were en route to a diplomatic bureau. A simple strategy. They didn't even have a proper cover apart from masks in their pockets. Either way, Vaylin decided to leave the planning to Cassian.
"Here it is." The Chiss pointed at the medium-sized silver building before them. "This one is commonly used for representatives from all the houses meeting. More for casual talks and discussions before they move on to serious business in their secluded chambers."
"And how do you know all that? You aren't even Alderaanian." Vaylin raised an eyebrow.
"One of my closest friends was an Alderaanian."
"Really? They should've taught you to be more posh, those stuck-up nobles should be really good at it!" Vaylin laughed for a moment before noticing Cassian's face become more grim. "Oh, wait, you don't mean that your friend was…"
"My apprentice, Jaesa."
"Oh…Sorry, didn't know." Vaylin said awkwardly, unsure how to show her sympathy. "We're going to find Jadus together and then you'll tear out his heart for that!"
"Yes…Yes, I will."
It was better not to continue this conversation. Cassian and Vaylin walked into a building and had a look around. Interiors were as lavish as some Zakuulan buildings, though the style and coloring was different, more on the brighter side. Vaylin wondered if some of the furniture would be a good fit for her own estate, it looked rather comfy. Some Alderaanian citizens were here too, maybe to speak of their concerns and suggestions in the presence of their nobility.
"…We need to choose a side in the war; otherwise, we'll get crushed!"
"…Is House Thul doing something about Killiks? Without ambassador Hyllus, many went rogue!"
"…We should continue negotiations between Houses Organa and Thul; this feud went on for too long."
Eventually, the two of them passed by a man who caught Cassian's eye. A noble with bright skin, graying black hair, and tired brown eyes talking to a younger man.
"Very well, my family will consider it."
"And what do you make of our offer?"
"Our resources are strained, but we can grant you some. Should try, at least. House Panteer has been a loyal ally to us for a long time and we owe you. I'm still not sure why you need the extra weaponry, to be honest. Your estate is pretty far from Kilik hives, and who else could you use it against?"
"I wish I knew, but I'm mostly carrying out the orders my uncle gives me." The man sighed. "He arranged some trade agreement with another nobleman. That's as much as I know, really."
"I see…My family sometimes keeps secrets from me as well, as unfortunate as it is." The man sighed. "It was nice to have a chat, good luck."
"And to you."
After the two separated, Vaylin looked at Cassian.
"Panteer…Those are the guys we're looking for, right?"
"Yes. And unless I got my memory skewed, I met this man."
"Enemy or not?"
"You could say he owes me." Cassian chucked and stepped forward, looking at the man. "Stanel Thul…Who would've known."
"Do you know me?" Stanel turned around, and the moment he noticed the Chiss, the lord took a step back. "A Chiss on Alderaan?"
"Don't you remember my voice?"
"Should I?"
"Your daughter was taken and brainwashed by the Kilik hordes," Cassian said, making Stanel's expression freeze. "A Chiss Sith rescued her back then."
"Wait, that…That was you?" Thul spoke with quiver and shock. "But that means you are the leader of the Eternal Alliance! And if the rumors are true, then this woman is…"
"Calm yourself; we aren't going to hurt you," Cassian said.
"Unless you do something stupid, like begin to shout," Vaylin added.
"Do you have any idea what people would think if they realized who you are!?" He spoke in a stern tone, desperately trying to stay calm, but before he could say anything else, another, younger feminine voice rang from behind.
"I couldn't have imagined new Ulgo ambassadors would be such lovely people. You should see them when you have a minute, dad." A woman with black hair and pale skin rushed to her father, this must have been the one Cassian mentioned. "Dad? Are you alright?" She asked with concern as she noticed her father's distress. "And who are your guests?"
"Cassian Narok, at your service." The Chiss introduced himself.
"And his significantly more fun friend," Vaylin added.
"You sound familiar, but…" She wondered, soon having Stanel interrupt the friend
"Daria, dear…This is the man who rescued you from the Kiliks almost ten years ago."
"R-really?" Daria looked up and opened her eyes wide, pausing for a moment before realization finally hit her. "Ah, yes, I remember, of course! You made me leave their nest and come back to Father…Sorry, my memories of being a joiner are very blurry, but I think I understand."
"Daria…" Stanel spoke up. "Do you understand who they are? He is the commander of the Alliance, and if the rumors are true, he escaped Odessen along with one other person."
"Former Empress Vaylin," Daria said with worry.
"Hiya." Vaylin waved playfully.
"How is that…How is that even possible?"
"Do you think I'm in the mood to answer all those boring questions?
"Alright…Let's all stay calm." Daria urged. "Dad, did they threaten you?"
"Not really, they said they aren't going to hurt me as long as I don't give them out. Not much point in doing that anyway, those two will crush the whole bureau in a matter of minutes."
"So maybe we can settle this peacefully?" Daria suggested and looked at Cassian as if expecting him to tell more. Luckily, he got the cue.
"We are here to investigate a lead, and considering how much I helped you two back in the day, I thought that this might be a good time to collect a debt." Cassian explained. "We won't harm you, I promise, just wondering if you can help."
"Why would you come to us of all people?" Stanel said with suspicion.
"You know more about Alderaanian nobility than we do."
"Hm…Maybe we can help." Daria suggested. "What are you looking for?"
"A place called Westwind Estate." The Sith said, making Stanel raise an eyebrow.
"That's a familiar name…And why do you need it?"
"We have a reliable source telling us that our enemies use it to conspire."
"That's impossible," Stanel said decisively. "That estate belongs to house Panther; it has nothing to do with whoever attacked Odessen."
"Our enemies are very good at forming alliances everywhere in the galaxy. Panteers can be among them."
"They are our allies! Do you just want me to turn against them?"
"Hold on, dad, there might be another way." Daria spoke up. "Panteer representatives will be here for another day, maybe I can see what they know. I can talk to them."
"They won't tell you the truth," Cassian said.
"Probably not, but I'll at least hear their reaction and have them accidentally spill something."
"Perhaps you could mask it as a security concern?" Stanel suggested. "Westwind Estate is exactly the place they were getting all of those new weapons for…I assume that's not a coincidence."
"Yes, this can help! And if I carry a listening device, Cassian can hear us talk and judge for himself. Does that sound good?"
"As hood of a place to start as any." The Chiss agreed to this proposal.
…
Finally, hearing Lana's voice after days of not knowing whether she was even alive was an absolute delight for Jac. He feared for the worst, so knowing that most of his friends in Odessen still lived was a huge relief, motivating him to move forward and continue his noble fight. Nevertheless, he still mourned the loss of his comrades, especially Rusk. All of them died defending Odessen from an overwhelming force and paid with their lives. Now, it was on Jac to ensure that those losses were not in vain.
Lana was prepared to help, she told them all she knew about the situation on Odessen as well as gave a lead to Zakuul, describing a man which Xarion identified as Doran Mart, the paragon of the people and the symbol of resistance against Exchange, he had multiple outposts in there which they could only assume were affiliated with Jadus.
Now, the group stuck to the safehouse, planning their next move. Jac had another chance to realize how helpful of an ally like Xarion could be, he already had something in mind for their coming battle, and Seeker was quick to explain it.
"As we know, Jadus and many of his followers are armed with Voidcaller-infused weaponry, which makes your mission significantly more dangerous. Despite this, however. It is a dangerous substance but not all-powerful. It cannot pierce all armor, and we made sure that you're sufficiently prepared." He claimed, allowing Xarion to continue.
"We prepared three sets of Mandalorian-inspired armor; it will minimize the chance of the Voidcaller coming into contact with your skin."
"But will it restrict our movement?" Jac wondered.
"It will be additional weight, but you will still be able to fight as effectively as before. I also installed filters into the mask. Even if you breathe, the Voidcaller won't reach your lungs. The only way it could get into you is via small openings I left to maximize your versatility. Now, after you've done some training…"
"We can't waste any time." Scourge interjected. "Jadus gets more strength and comes closer to fulfilling his plan every single day, whether it's now or never."
"Hold on." Kira shook her head. "How about we find Cassian and Vaylin first? If the two of them join us, Jadus stands no chance. We'll annihilate his entire army, especially with Xarion's armor." She suggested, prompting Jac to respond.
"We can't take that risk. Vaylin is dangerous. Cassian might have gotten her to trust him, but it wasn't simple. If she sees any of us, she'll attack."
"You don't know that."
"Either way, we can't divert from our mission."
"We can do both at the same time." Xarion spoke. "After all, both lead to the same world, Zakuul. We know Jadus's allies have outpost and that they exchanged resources. Taking one of their ships will get you an authorization to land on Odessen. They'll realize the truth quickly, but you will already be on your former base. As for Cassian and Vaylin…"
"I'll take care of them." Seeker reassured the others. "They've been seen in the same area, and if they are still there, Doran's contacts will know."
"And Lana will prepare a meeting party on Odessen…Perfect, seems that it's settled." Xarion said. "Let's begin."
