OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 629

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Tread Softly Around Sorcerers

A shadow passes over Gina Urathi’s head as she races for her aircar and the predatory shape of a Valrin lands in the path. She pauses, confused.

His stance and presence isn’t hostile, but he’s giving her an odd look. “We need to talk a little.”

“About what? I need to take him home and make sure that...”

“I understand that. And I’m not going to stop you. But I do need to make sure you understand something.”

“What?”

“He’s gone through a lot, his memories are blasted and if you’re looking for a replacement for hte person you’ve lost then it’s just going to make things worse.”

“It... what? What made you think that I’m going to do that?”

“You said ‘I’m not losing you again.’.” Jacob says but he holds his wings, still in a folded state, out to head off any argument. “I’m just here to know if it was a slip of a tongue. Harvey has been through too much and... well. You’ve lost your father and now have a younger version of him. That can’t be easy on you either. I just want to be sure this doesn’t become a problem.”

“Hey. It’s okay.” Harvey says.

“You can say that easily enough, but that’s one of the most common lies around. I... I want to be sure is all.”

“Then why not help Torn and Naird?”

“Because their issue is a lot more straightforward and easily dealt with. If this goes wrong...”

“It won’t.” Gina states. “My father is gone. Whether the boy I hold is my original father turned into a child and it was a clone I had loved and lived beside that I lost, or this is the clone of my father... it doesn’t matter. He is family. He needs family right now. And so do I.”

“In what way?”

“... When I lost my father, all I could think about was all the little ways of how I failed him, how I could have done better in this place or that and how I just wasn’t who they wanted me to be and... It doesn’t matter how you lose someone. One of the biggest parts of grief is regret. Regret for things you’ve done and things you haven’t done. That maybe things would be better if this or that was done or said and... I know he’s not the father I lost. But I don’t want regrets.”

“Alright then. It’d be tough to get better than that in this situation. Sorry for the interruption I...” Jacob begins to say as he moves out of the way. Gina rushes by him and into the aircar.

“Bye Jacob!” Harvey calls out.

“It’s not like visiting is going to be hard!” Jacob calls out and there is a slight chuckle from the tiny Feli Sorcerer. The fancy aircar takes off and soars away into the distance. “Okay, back to it then.”

•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (Personal Chamber Overlooking Gardens, Rella Family Palace, Soben Ryd)•-•-•

He sniffs lightly as he senses a presence at the window. He doesn’t turn to look. He’s been through this before and simply continues in his work. It was intended as a gift for his cousin. But she wouldn’t mind if he tested it out first. Especially as the outer casing wasn’t quite finished yet. But still it would be good to have a test firing of it. Especially if it was as powerful as he assumed.

The last few components are secured in place and he hefts the small laser pistol composed of custom parts and with traceries of Axiom Ride replacing the Khutha. He turns with the weapon which can vanish into a pocket despite being a threat to a full on starship and...

“Oh.” He says as he sees a small, scruffy variant of himself, sitting in his windowsill.

“Who were you expecting?” Naird’Rella the Smaller asks.

“Another suitor with more a sense of the dramatic than sense in general. Or another kidnapping attempt.”

“Another?”

“It only ever happened once, but you never forget. Or perhaps you do. That you are here... either that kidnapping attempt was fully successful and I’ve lived your life... or someone else got something from me.” Naird’Rella the Larger says as he deactivates the immensely overpowered laser pistol and sets it down at his private workbench.

“Something like that.” Naird’Rella the Younger states.

“Something is wrong.” The Larger states and The Smaller nods. “What is it?”

“Do you need rescue?”

“What? It... oh no. She screwed up didn’t she?”

“If by she you mean that raging bitch of a...” The Smaller begins and The Larger sighs.

“Let me guess. She arrived at the same time as a Satha Woman who is basically her reflection?”

“Does this happen a lot?”

“There’s something weird going on between the Rella and Satha families. We were once the Salla family before two prominent sisters earned favour with different queens and split the house. And every generation has The Rivals born. A Rella and Satha who hate each other and can’t stop running into each other.”

“So... are our families rivals?”

“No. We’re not. We’re cousins. I’m making a gift even now to celebrate Dori’Satha’s recent engagement!”

“This is weird then.”

“There is something very odd going on in our families, no matter what happens we mirror each other in the strangest of ways and the The Rivals keep... wait. Was Torn’Satha also?”

“Yes. He was.”

“I really hope this isn’t a second pattern appearing, things are odd enough with The Rivals.”

“So it’s every generation?”

“Yeah and it gets weirder.”

“How?”

“When the newest Rivals are born, the older ones start diverging from each other and calm down, even becoming close friends most times.”

“What?”

“We don’t know the cause of this. But it’s a pattern. Twenty Three Generations long without fail, The Rivals appear every single generation. But only the newest.”

“How and... why?” The Smaller asks and The Larger just shrugs. “Hunh... weird.”

“Yeah, anyways since Hani’Rella screwed up, care for a tour of the estate from me? Or do you have some kind of issue with me?”

“Should I? You got screwed over too and while you got the posh life as the Baroness’ son I got incredible Axiom power. So I think we’re about even.”

“I highly doubt that, but I’ll take it.” The Larger says as he reaches up and slides down a cover over his workstation that makes it look like an ornament than a practical place where he puts together custom laser weaponry. He latches it down and presses his thumb on the lock to seal it before covering it with the little ornamental piece.

“Come on, lets get you reacquainted with the family home.”

“Just like that? No drama?”

“You want drama?”

“Well it could spice things up...”

“I can pay some actress to be the lover you jilted by being cloned and kidnapped if you want drama. Shouldn’t take too long, it’s part of the current storyline in that absolute drag of a show Zedi’s been watching.”

“Zedi?”

“Older sister.”

“What’s she been watching?”

“Garbage. Pure undiluted garbage.”

“So... who are The Rivals?”

“Bruna’Rella and Warli’Satha. Last generation it was Mori’Rella and Thera’Satha.” The Larger says before shrugging. “This is just one of the strange things that lets us know we still have more to learn about the universe.”

“So... you’re just... what?”

“Buddy, I’m a noble. No matter what I do, someone is judging it somewhere, someone wants something out of me and I only have so much control over my life. I don’t even think I can run. You either go insane, hiding it well or poorly, or you grow used to it.”

“And you?”

“I think I’m used to it, otherwise I’m one of the more subtle kinds of insane.” The Larger says.

“Used to it?”

“I only get so much control over my life, so I enjoy what control I have. I don’t choose who I marry, I don’t choose where I live. I rarely choose what I eat or when. But I can have hobbies, I can have growth. And right now, I can have a little brother with weird powers... who might be able to help me with something.”

“What are you thinking?” The Smaller asks and The Larger grins.

•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (The Streets Outside, Exterior Imperial Palace, Serbow)•-•-•

“Well that worked.” Naird’Rella the Larger notes as he looks clean at the opulent palace.

“Were you doubting?” Naird’Rella the Smaller on his back asks.

“I wasn’t sure how complete the Dark Forest is over the world.”

“It’s kinda all over, just not all consuming.”

“I wonder why.”

“It understands restraint.”

“A literal bark for brains entity understands restraint and members of our own family don’t. Wow. Just. Wow.” The Larger notes. “So I got some serious cash on me. Want to do the tourist thing?”

“Won’t there be trouble?”

“Yes, but guess who’s going to get most of it?”

“... Seems a little mean to Bruna’Rella. I mean... she’s a bitch but from the way you’re saying it she’s kinda forced to be one?”

“Oh she’s getting in trouble anyways. Just because The Rivals keep happening and we don’t know why doesn’t mean that there isn’t consequences for acting like The Rivals. The fact that she basically scared you off means that she’s getting it no matter what. This is just taking us well out of blast range.”

“Still feels mean.”

“Well if you want to go back, you can take me back.”

“Even if you don’t want to go?” The Smaller asks and The Larger shrugs.

“It doesn’t matter that much. I can deal with it.” He says and there is a pulling sensation. The Axiom echoes oddly and he’s suddenly back in his room, many, many lightyears away and he raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Does that ever get old?”

“Hasn’t yet.”

“Very neat.” The Larger notes as he glances to the timepiece in his room. “Minutes. Three minutes to cross an immense distance, including time to mess around. Extraordinary.”

“Yeah... but... until my memories came back. I really didn’t want to do much more than hide.”

“How much do you remember?”

“I know this was my room. That... what happened to that sintered weapon phase?”

“Bad accident nearly killed me. I stayed away from analogue weapons for a while. Took a bit to sort out my head to even feel comfortable around sharper knives for a bit.”

“What happened?”

“Got careless, and ended up with my left arm just off at the shoulder and my left side opened up. The blade only stopped when it hit the foundations after carving me up. Slashing it’s way through some VERY expensive and one of a kind instruments and art pieces, I had to think fast and teleported into the pantry and forced the stasis on myself. I traumatized a couple of cooks. But it was that or die in seconds from blood loss. I stuck to powered weapons with safeties after that.”

“Damn!”

“I know right?”

“If I were anyone else you’d have me beat for awful things happening.” Naird’Rella the Smaller says with a big smile.

“Got near anyone beat. Anyways, want to start the tour with the very pantry I used to save my life?”

“Sure! Let’s grab some snacks while we’re at it!”

“Deal, talking about losing as much weight as I did that day always makes me hungry anyways.”

“For something bloody no doubt.”

“No doubt.”

•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (Private Gym, Satha Family Palace, Soben Ryd)•-•-•

The heavy thumping of feet on the reinforced treadmill and the Apuk at a dead sprint on top doesn’t slow when there is suddenly a child on it. Granted the child has to suddenly avoid a reflexive punch and then jumps away.

“Easy killer easy!”

“This is my time! I am working and... and... oh. Oh no.” The enormously strong Apuk man says as he deactivates the treadmill and stops his workout. He then leans his arms against it as he all but drinks in the cool air to regulate his body heat a little better. “So they got me? Or you? Or... whatever the hell is going on.”

“Afraid so.” Torn’Satha the Smaller says to Torn’Satha the Larger.

“Damn. So that’s what they sent out Warli for.”

“Is Warli the tight, armoured courset and massive skirt wearing witch that looks like she’s contemplating where to put your fingernails?”

“... And she ran into her Rival. Just peachy.”

“Rival?”

“Yeah, we’re cousins to the Rella and there’s some weird curse where every generation we basically have the same person in each family and they just plain hate each other and can’t get away from each other. No one knows how or why, but if we don’t give her things to do or let her out of the house then the problems come to us in short order. So we have to let it happen.”

“What happened the last time they weren’t allowed to run into each other?”

“We had to rebuild the houses.”

“Why?”

“Both rivals got insanely paranoid and began stockpiling weapons and they both eventually got the two halves of a bad shipment that went up and set off the other weapons. There were casualties, lots of them. Including the Rivals. Both families learned their lesson and we let the crazies out on occasion, the only rule is that they’re not allowed to start anything and since both have that rule it usually just means arguments and annoyance rather than blood.”

“... So what’s she like when she’s not about to kill someone?”

“Honestly I don’t know. She’s obsessed over Bruna and always thinking how to get one over on her. No matter what you talk about it always swings back to how much she hates Bruna.”

“... That’s just weird.”

“Yeah.”

“So what were you doing?”

“Working my body helps clear my head... wanna join in?” Torn’Satha the Larger offers.

“Sure.”

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