Signs and Portents: Mirror On the Wall

[Daria Nytherciria]

“This,” Daria repeated, to herself. She didn't even know what this was, but there was one thing she knew for certain, and that was that when she was around Lianna the Force spoke to her more clearly than it had ever done before. Even now, it willed Daria towards her.

She turned to face Lianna head-on. What was she supposed to do? She felt vulnerable and it showed in the trepidation pattered across her features; eyes softened, lips parted only a moment away from speaking but not knowing what to say.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna's demeanor brightened as Daria grew closer. She waited with breathless anticipation as their conversation continued, but her companion fell short of words. The Knight had thought she had lost her again, but it was only the apprehension that had silenced her. They both knew that the Force had bestowed a gift upon them for surviving all the lonely years behind them. They shared a common bond as students of the old Jedi ways, as fugitives from Imperial rule, and on a calculated whim, allowed the other the chance to listened to the Force within them.

With the last rays of sunlight being swallowed by the incoming night, Lianna could see the traces of hesitation in her face. In truth, Lianna really didn't know what to do. Her movements were involuntary reactions to the needs of Daria. She brought up a hand to smooth out those fears and pressed her lips against her companion's; an action that spoke louder then any words could convey.

The world around Lianna was drowned out by Daria's presence. Inside her mind were her thoughts and all she could sense around her was the Jedi's life force. The act was a pure amalgamation of thought and emotion that was so moving that it broke down the last wall of Lianna's own mental defenses...

[Daria Nytherciria]

It felt like a flood gate had opened inside of Daria, her soul swelling as their energies met. It made her legs weak beneath her and so she steadied herself, her hands resting easy against Lianna's chest.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna brought her free arm underneath Daria's to give the demure Jedi more support, while she herself was fighting the lightheaded sensation that had overcome her. The intimacy shared between the them rippled throughout the Knight's body and she unwillingly broke away from the kiss.

Her heart pounded inside her ears while she breathlessly tried to regain her conscious thoughts. She had not been prepared for a reaction like that, and Lianna's mind was swimming in a mixture of their combined memories and emotions. It was an exhilarating sensation as their souls joined for that brief moment ...

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria's head dipped a little, looking down at some indistinct point. She took a shallow breath and her fingers curled a little into the fabric of Lianna's shirt, tensing for only a moment before releasing. With Lianna holding her, she felt all at once empowered and weakened, speechless at how profoundly affecting a single moment could be. She lifted one timid hand to Lianna's cheek, their eyes meeting once more. Another shallow breath and she spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

“You make me feel so... completely... dismantled, like every part of me has been stripped away and laid bare. ”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna was still finding it difficult to gather her thoughts, but some semblance of control was mustered so she could gain some understanding of her feelings. The seemingly impossible had happened: her mental defenses were gone. This had never happened before ... to either of them

Daria was a bundle of fear, an emotion almost foreign to the Jedi. It was the that fear that gripped her shirt and brought her face around so Daria could find understanding.

She didn't know what to say. The Jedi prided themselves on their sense of control and Lianna had taken that away from Daria. The part of her that was a Jedi wanted to apologize for causing her such confusion, yet it wouldn't be true. Her soul longed for that intimacy once more and wouldn't apologize for following her heart. Master Drin had always taught her to do that. A Jedi's heart could be just as invaluable as their instinct and control.

She leaned into Daria's hand and even if the Jedi could not see the smile, she could easily sense the new found devotion emanating from Lianna. "As you have done to me. But through my fears, I know you complete me Daria."

Lianna knew this to be true and it was a profound realization. It finally made sense, why they had been drawn together since her arrival on Vortex.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Complete? Force, that was a lot of responsibility! To become so dependent on someone, it went against everything that the Jedi had stood for. The great austerity they had shown, and how quickly they had fallen when they had allowed themselves to succumb to their emotions.

And yet...

How they had failed, all of them, the passionate and stoic alike. Both sides had fallen just as easily, but only one had known love, and was that not what they fought so hard to defend and uphold? Truth, beauty, freedom, justice. There was no right or wrong, there was only the Force and the road of destiny which it laid for each of them. If two paths entwined into one, surely it was all the better, that they should both be striving for a common goal.

Whatever the case, Daria felt overwhelmed. She turned towards the balcony and edged a little forwards.

“Can we... sit?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna realized her mistake in speaking so open. Her words had shaken Daria further and the Jedi was still trying to make sense of it all. If what they were doing, what they felt, were right. It was easy to forget that Daria had been trained formally for a time by the old Jedi Order and their beliefs still struck a cord with her.

"Of course. Here." She pressed a button on the panel and opened the sliding doors. The rush of air was cool against her cheeks. The balcony was walled off by black metal bars that were held together by designer columns between. Two chairs of similar craft surrounded a table and there were two lounge chairs to the other side. It was night now and the sky was full of stars.

She remained silent as Daria collected herself, silently hoping that the distress she had cause would be abated.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria sunk down into one of the lounge chairs, drawing Lianna to sit beside her. After taking a few minutes to gather together her thoughts, in which her hand did not leave her companions, she looked up.

“...I must seem like such a fool,” said said, squeezing Lianna's hand.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna smiled with relief and leaned forward. "Not at all. I am the brazen fool that said too much."

She placed her free hand over Daria's and sighed. "I'm sorry."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“You've nothing to be sorry for, Lianna. You've done nothing wrong.”

She shook her head, smiling somewhat ruefully. It was her instinct, which had been years in development, to simply push away anything that could potentially penetrate the outer walls of her defenses. They had been so thick, so deep, that even a moments lapse had been incredibly powerful. It was almost like regaining a sense, once lost. In that respect, the mental contact she had shared with Lianna was near over-stimulation. It was too much, too soon.

“I've spent my whole life hiding and suppressing everything human in me. I can't just... turn that off in an instant, it's too intense.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna shook her head. "I understand. These things take time..."

Time that we might not have ... Her thoughts turned sad. Tomorrow could bring that time to a halt if one of them did not survive. "... Even I was overwhelmed with what happened."

She reminded herself that things happened for a reason. The feelings they shared was no coincidence. Even if the future resulted with a short time together, at least they had this one moment. No one could ever take that away.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Closing her eyes, Daria rested her head down on Lianna's shoulder. Her mind felt awake, yet her body felt tired and drained still. She needed to rest, otherwise it would be impossible to work at her best on their mission in the morning. At the same time, she desperately wanted to right things with Lianna... but that would have to wait.

With tiredness quickly overcoming her, she laid out on the lounge chair. She didn't want to move, or for that matter to be left alone. During the trip from Vortex, Lianna's presence had been a comfort. Now, she wanted it to feel as it had then. Lacing their fingers together, she opened her eyes and looked up.

“Stay with me...?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna was starting to take her leave of Daria's chair and move to the other, but the soft, needful, grip of her companion froze her still.

“Stay with me...?”

It was a request her heart could not deny.

"Of course," The Jedi whispered. Daria scooted over and freed up half of the lounge chair. With their small statures, it was ample space - far more then half a cockpit.

She slowly lowered herself next to Daria, keeping her companions hand close to her heart. Her fellow Knight rested her head in the nap of Lianna's neck and quickly fell asleep.

Lianna nuzzled the side of her cheek against Daria's hair as she gazed out into the night sky. She had said that she would find no rest tonight because of what lay ahead tomorrow. But it was only a few minutes after Daria had drifted off to sleep that Lianna would soon follow ...

[Miranda Tarkin]

The Next Morning - Moff Tarkin's Office
Doldur City - Doldur

Moff Miranda Tarkin had unwillingly found herself drowning in paperwork. Her appointments on Coruscant had delayed her return to Doldur by almost one standard week. The meeting on Imperial Center with all available Moffs had been delayed due to Inquisitor Valten's interference. He had wished a secret audience with Moff Tarkin to discuss her future as Empress of the Galactic Empire. She knew he was unsure of such a possibility until their meeting, but Miranda had won him over with her ruthlessness and undying loyalty to the people and principles of the Empire. Now with Chancellor Anar at her side, their plan to remove the weak Imperials from places of power had begun.

Unfortunately, until they went public, Miranda had to remain dutiful of her current assignment and that required her to catch up on issues that had fallen by the wayside because of her delayed return. She had ordered Amanda Sinclair, her aide, to cancel all of her appointment today and take messages that would be returned tomorrow.

Madame Governor?

The voice belong to Amanda and Miranda was perplexed as she looked over at her chronometer. It was two standard hours until noon. "Amanda. I told you and Wren to not disturb me until it was time for lunch."

I know and apologize for the intrusion, but I received a coded transmission that an Adia Issoris and her entourage are to meet with you in less then ten minutes. Here. I will patch it through to you and you'll see why I couldn't send her away.

Knowing that Amanda was a capable woman, Miranda held her tongue and would withhold judgment until she saw the information. What flashed before the screen made her narrow her eyes.

...////coded frequency alpha-3573-gamma///...

Request meeting with Moff Miranda Tarkin. Highest priority. My staff will be arriving in 10 standard minutes

Agent Issoris

Security level Zeta-90

...///end transmission///...

"Damn!" She slammed a fist against the reflective black desk. "Just what I need."

It was a coded ultraviolet priority transmission that belong to the highest members of Imperial Security. She would have had warning if another Inquisitor was coming, so this made her mystery guests Imptel more then likely.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she set aside the mountain of datapads and attempted to make her desk look presentable. "All right Amanda. As soon as they arrive, don't keep them waiting. Send them in right away."

As you wish.

The cynical part of her wondered is this were a ruse. With Anar smoothing things over on Imperial Center, others might want to get an audience with her, and if they are able to pull strings, this was one way to get her attention. The other possibility was an assassination attempt, but Sorsha said that front was quiet thus far. It just seemed too coincidental that someone with this level of security wanted a meeting with her.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Guards."

The two guards behind her desk snapped to attention. They were dressed in regular Inquisitor uniforms that displayed no rank. "Make yourself scarce. Just in case."

The bowed deeply and slipped into the hidden compartments found in the walls on either side of the room. The silver mirrored walls were actually a one way mirror. Those that were present inside her office had no idea that two Imperial Crimson Guards would be able to watch everything and interfere at a moments notice ...

[Adia Issoris]

The transport Adia had secured was much larger than the Y-Wing. With Miranda's presence, Druckenwell and Doldur had greatly increased Imperial activity. Although Druckenwell had no official garrison, one of the larger commercial ports was requisitioned for the use of the Empire. As such, requisitioning a well armed and shielded Delta Class shuttle was not too difficult, especially given her rank and her COMPNOR/Intel ID. She figured she may as well get milage out of it. Audible gasps sounded as Lianna passed by the Commander in charge of port operations. His tone changed from annoyed to nearly reverent as he called in the pilot of the shuttle.

Adia merely held a finger to her lips and smiled slightly. The playful look in her eyes was more terrifying than anything else. Her identification confirmation was bad, but those green eyes would haunt him for the week. We have a secret.

The morning had been without adventure until then. Well, finding Daria and Lianna on the balcony together had been unexpected. She woke them when the sun began to rise, and instructed them to keep their heads down. Adia had not slept overlong, and found time to greet the pair with tea. The only real wait was for the Daria and Lianna to use the fresher. She was only a little surprised at the turn of events. She had caught Lianna eyeing Daria in a rather un-Jedi fashion once. Adia still found Daria and Serena a little uncomfortable. Their manners were so stiff and seemingly emotionless, a far cry from Lianna, Morgan and Rhianna, who were vibrant and full of life, and seemed to radiate energy. Adia had met a Jedi like that once, who had the same radiance, but tempered with patience and calm. Adia was glad it had not been her hand that felled him.

The jump from Vortex to Druckenwell had felt like a journey, the jump from Druckenwell to Doldur felt abrupt, and only really served to build tension. It lasted a mere 45 minutes. With no announced flight path filed, and Miranda Tarkin on planet, the defense force was higher strung than a Dreadan during negotiations, and the comm was accosted with identification demands in roughly 30 seconds. The comm grew very quiet after Adia had submitted her clearance. A landing pad had been suggested. Adia noted the tractor beam emitters on the outer corners of the triangular pad, and one on a slight cant off the connecting bridge. The former Hand was very glad she had selected the more heavily armed Delta class instead of a run-of-the mill Lambda.

Dressed in the dark grey uniform of the Imperial Marines, her rank of Captain exposed. It was rare that a Marine be awarded the rank of Captain, but doubly so that a woman succeed that far. According to service records, Adia was one of eight, although much of her service record was Top Secret.

She strode forward to Miranda's office with Lianna and Daria in tow, her steps more smooth than the typical Captain seeing a Moff. Amanda rose from her desk.

"Identification, please." She stated firmly. Some of these military types had an overinflated sense of self-importance. Adia produced her ID and merely raised an eyebrow.

"The Moff will see you right away." Amanda said, and buzzed the trio in.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Amanda had to take a moments pause because she swore her eyes were playing tricks upon her. She had personally met some of the Moff's body doubles, most recently during Tarkin's visit to Coruscant, yet this one looked like the Moff exactly. She was a perfect replication right down to Miranda's height, bone structure, and hair. The only piece missing was the grey uniformed suit depicting a Moffs status. But the air of superiority surrounding her told Amanda that she definitely knew how to behave like one.

This made little sense to her and while she buzzed the trio in, Amanda cautiously typed in a message to Miranda when the inhuman looking redhead was facing away. Hopefully the Moff hadn't moved from her desk yet and would receive the message before seeing that woman...

* * *

Lianna decided that the less she spoke, the better. Her mere presence was enough for the Imperials around her to fall in line. Minus the uniform, the people thought she was Miranda Tarkin - Their Governor. Adia did the rest of the talking, her cold eyes twinkled with unshared knowledge that kept everyone on edge, which made the trip to the capitol building occur without any incidence.

Since leaving the hotel, Lianna kept her interactions with Daria minimal in order to remain focused. But there were times when she let her guard down briefly to sense for her presence through the Force. It continued to lend her strength and settle her fears of what lay behind those double doors before her.

"The Moff will see you right away." Amanda said, and buzzed the trio in.

Lianna sensed a sharp twinge of confusion surrounding the secretary, an emotion that wasn't uncommon from most in the building here who knew Miranda was in her office. It was probably just more pronounced from her because she worked directly with her sister.

The Jedi felt her heart jump as the doors slid open, but her exterior visage remained cool and collected. She didn't realize it, but Lianna remained behind Adia as much as she could to allow the chance to see her sister for the first time outside of the vids and to stave off the inevitable recognition that would occur.

I am doing what is right. I am here because of the Force. I need to put my feelings aside and protect Miranda. She reached out with her senses to get a feel for this office and to remain watchful for the ghastly Dark Sider that had invaded her dreams. As much as talking with Miranda was a desire, saving her sister from her dark fate was the priority ...

[Daria Nytherciria]

They were stood inside Miranda Tarkin's office. Even with Adia's help, Daria had not fully believed that they would get this far, but there they were. Daria stood to the left of the Emperor's Hand, looking like a slightly less menacing version of Issoris herself.

To the casual eye, nothing seemed particularly unusual about Miranda's office – but with Daria's unique perception of the world, secrets otherwise hidden were revealed. She saw beyond the walls that concealed Governor Tarkin's private guards, though made sure she maintained the appearance that she had no knowledge of them by focusing her attention on the Moff herself.

With Adia naturally taking the lead, the trio stepped forwards, to begin their meeting with Miranda Tarkin.

[Miranda Tarkin]

Miranda had made certain that her collar was impeccably perfect and tugged the bottom of the suit jacket as the doors began to open. Any indication that she had been taken aback by this unscheduled meeting had dissipated, leaving a cool and collective presence.

A momentary flash of blue from her desk caught her attention, and indicator of a 'read only' message. Hitting to accept, her brow raised at the brief message Amanda had sent her.

Body double looks exactly like you.

Was that so?

She had been using body doubles since her rise to fame within COMPNOR. As a highly public private citizen now working for the Ministry of Propaganda, the Empire grew cautious that Miranda would be kidnapped or killed by the Rebellion. So this wasn't unheard of, but this is the first time that someone had warned her that the body double was too good.

Miranda deleted the message and remained standing behind her desk. Her stance was stiff, but polite, as she offered a smile in greeting. While the trio approached, Miranda recognized Adia instantly. She was pleasantly surprised at this turn of events since Adia and her mother, Lise Tarkin, were good friends. Her features softened as Adia was addressed. "Captain Issoris!"

While she spoke, the Moff took notice of the smaller redhead next to Issoris. She wore a well-fitted suit that designated her status as a member of COMPNOR, part of the ISB (Imperial Security Branch). "I would like to say it's good to see you, but since this is official business ..."

But then her attention drifted to an uncanny pair of eyes that copied her own. There was a lengthy, uncharacteristic, pause by the Moff as the figure behind Adia finally stepped into full view. If you took away their suits and this woman let down their hair, they would have been perfect reflections of one other.

Her tone turned from pleasantly accommodating to suspicion. "... perhaps we should cut right to the chase ..."

Amanda was right. This body double did look exactly like her. To such a frightening degree that it demanded an explanation. Miranda felt a strange sense of vulnerability under this woman's scrutinizing gaze. She abhorred such weakness, but Miranda also couldn't tear herself away.

"What is this?!" She snapped, directing the question towards Adia.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia's mouth tightened a little. Miranda had been mentally quick her entire life, and she'd become even more suspecting and intense the higher she had risen in the ranks of the Empire. Miranda's wit and intellect had been honed to a razor's edge. Adia sincerely doubted the young woman even knew what face value was. Miranda had never been much of an innocent, though. She had thrown herself into the political arena, eager to follow in her grandfather's footsteps. The former Hand wondered what Miranda would have been like with Lianna's moderating influence.

"Rather uncanny, isn't it?" Adia asked rhetorically. Miranda's face twisted a little. Being hit with the blindingly obvious was offensive.

"It's not important. Someone is going to try to kill you today."