It was a lovely autumn day in Estle City, the sort of day where the air was crisp and the humidity was tolerable. A gentle breeze blew in, carrying with it the salty tang of the nearby ocean and dispelling the midday heat. After a sultry summer of suffocating humidity, the beautiful weather was a welcome change. It was enough to drive the people who worked in the Citadel out of their offices to enjoy the day. Even the Shadow Lady was not immune to the impulse.
Lucine Vasano sat perched upon the low wall that surrounded the fountain, listening to the quiet burble of water as she studied the reports that flashed across the interface of her datapad. She would have loved to have been able to take a break, but her work had only piled up during the recent ill-fated clan-wide vacation. Now that she was back, her schedule was packed with meetings and social engagements, beginning early in the morning and lasting until late at night.
“Captain!”
She frowned slightly at the sound of someone shouting from across the courtyard, but did not bother to look up. Her butler, Tabriss, stood ever vigilant nearby, and the sharpshooters that patrolled the walls were also present. As such, she felt comfortable enough to ignore the shouting to focus on her work.
“Captain!”
A frown crossed her lips as the shouting drew closer. After a moment, she realized that she recognized the voice, and glanced up to see a familiar Human waving as he approached her. She fought down a wave of irritation at the interruption as she set her datapad aside. “Malfrost, darling,” she said by way of greeting with a pleasant smile.
“Hey there, Captain,” Malfrost replied. “Nice day, isn’t it?”
“It is indeed,” Lucine replied as she felt another pinprick of irritation. Malfrost had first started calling her that when she had served as Captain of the Voidbreaker, a posting that she had only held briefly during her rise in the ranks of leadership. “I know you have only recently returned from your studies, I am the Shadow Lady now.”
The Journeyman paused at her words, a look of confusion briefly crossing his features. “Oh. Oh, right! Shadow Lady! I thought I heard something about that. Congratulations, Captain!” He sketched a bow that would have gotten him laughed out of the Senate, but was passably good for this part of the Outer Rim.
Lucine suppressed a sigh, not terribly surprised. Malfrost was first and foremost an academic. He could recite by heart the histories of numerous ancient civilizations, but was hard-pressed to pay attention to current events. “What can I do for you, darling?”
“I just heard about the discovery of the Temple of Alla’su,” Malfrost said. “I was wondering if you would give me permission to study the site.”
The redhead raised her eyebrows at his request. “Why would you want that?”
“Because it’s the archaeological find of the century!” Malfrost said. His eyes sparked with anticipation as he spoke. “A temple that’s been sealed for at least two hundred years? Can you imagine what we could learn about Selenian culture by studying it’s contents?”
“I suspect that much of what was in there was broken when the Dajorra Defense Force assaulted it. Or did you forget that there were a significant number of creatures holed up in there?” Lucine said dryly
“Hmm. Yes, that was unfortunate,” Malfrost added quickly. “But they’re gone now, right?”
“They are,” Lucine confirmed. “And it is my understanding that Rhylance already dispatched a team to study the temple. Perhaps you should talk to him about it?”
“I did,” Malfrost said as his frown deepened. “He said I ‘lacked the qualifications’. Apparently, my background as a historian and researcher wasn’t sufficient.”
Lucine raised her eyebrows. She knew that Malfrost and Rhylance had met recently, and they seemed to have gotten along well at the time. It seemed that they were no longer getting along quite so well. “I see. Well, I suppose that is not terribly surprising. Rhylance does have a strong opinions regarding what he considers to be the ‘soft sciences’.”
“That’s an understatement. He’s a condescending bantha’s ass who wouldn’t know good science if it bit him on the nose,” Malfrost grumbled. Seeing his irritation, Lucine stifled a quiet chuckle. It was adorable watching nerds with different scientific backgrounds fight.
Unaware of Lucine’s amusement, Malfrost continued. “He sent a bunch of biochemists and geneticists. They aren’t going to appreciate the cultural or historical relevance. By the time they’re done, they’ll probably have destroyed any noteworthy artifacts! Please, Captain, you have to help me get in there! The longer I have to wait, the less likely there’ll be anything in there to salvage!”
Lucine’s smile faded as Malfrost arrived upon the point of his visit. “So, let me see if I understand the situation. You did not get what you wanted by following the appropriate channels, so you came to me, hoping to pull some strings in order to achieve your goal. Does that sum things up?”
“Well, yeah,” Malfrost replied. “I know you two are friends, so I was hoping you’d put in a good word for me.”
“Hmm,” the redhead said as she studied him intently. “I do not know, darling. I do not like involving myself in other peoples’ disagreements, and I would hate to jeopardize my working relationship with Rhylance.” She let the words hang there for a moment, before smiling slyly. “Not unless it is of some sort of benefit to me, that is. And I know exactly what it is you can do for me to make it worth my while.”
As Malfrost stared at her, Lucine waved a hand to her butler. “Be a dear and bring us some practice lightsabers, please.”
As Tabriss hastened off, Malfrost tried to process the sudden turn in the conversation. “What?”
Lucine tapped her datapad’s screen, before holding it up to show him. “Well, darling, my schedule is absolutely packed for the foreseeable future. And would you believe it? Someone actually scheduled three banquets this week. Three! And with so little time to see to my fitness regimen, at this rate I will not be able to fit into my dresses! And so, I must find time for exercise and entertainment where I can.”
Malfrost looked from her face to her datapad as he tried to divine where she was going with this. “So you want me to, what, talk to someone about not scheduling so many banquets?” he asked blankly.
“Not quite, darling!” Lucine gave him a sweet smile. “Here is what I propose. If you can best me in a serious sparring session, then I will put in a good word for you with Rhylance.”
“You want me to fight you?” Malfrost said blankly. “Are you sure? You’re not going to get angry if I accidentally cause you to break a nail or something, are you?”
“Of course not!” Lucine replied with an airy wave of her hand. “Sparring is my second favorite cardio activity. Can you guess what my favorite is?” She punctuated her question with a lascivious wink.
Malfrost smirked at the redhead’s bit of flirtation. “I think I can,” he replied. “But this seems a little… I don’t know, contrived.”
The redhead shrugged. “As far as I am concerned, it is a win-win. I get a break and some much needed exercise, and you get a chance to gain entry into the temple ruins.”
At last, Tabriss replied with the practice sabers. Lucine accepted hers and activated it, before taking a few experimental swings. Across from her, the Sorcerer was doing the same thing. FInally, each settled into their stances as they squared off against one another.
“Ladies first,” Malfrost said as he made another pale attempt at a courtly bow.
“Oh, darling, you are too kind,” Lucine replied as she considered him thoughtfully. She drew upon the Force and offered him a smirk. “Ready or not, here I come.”
She lunged forward, closing the distance between them unnaturally quickly with her Force-enhanced muscles. Malfrost’s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed her technique, before turning to the side at the last moment. He lashed out with his borrowed lightsaber to bat her weapon upward, before bringing his weapon around to aim a quick cut to the back of her leg. It was her augmented speed that saved her, as she managed to twist out of the way.
“So, we’re using Force powers for this duel?” he asked as he fell back into his fighting stance, allowing the redhead a moment to regain her balance.
“I think it will make things more interesting,” Lucine replied. If she was bothered by the lack of success in her previous attack, she did not show it. Instead, she tossed her hair and gave him a confident smile as she settled into a sideways stance, with her blade held out toward him in a
loose grip.
“That works for me,” he said. He stepped forward, bringing his weapon to bear in a quick slashing attack that she easily deflected. His second attack was easily pushed aside as well, as was the third. He drew back slightly and shifted his weight, clearly projecting that he was going to attack again.
He lunged at her, with his face set in a look of intense concentration. Abruptly, she felt her connection to the Force weaken. Though she could still sense its presence, it took significantly more concentration to maintain her augmented speed. The sudden change shocked her so much that she almost didn’t notice Malfrost’s follow-up attack. She stumbled back and managed to deflect his blow at the very last moment.
She glared up at him, allowing him a momentary glimpse of annoyance. However, it quickly vanished, replaced with her usual self-confidence. “Oh, well played, darling!”
“Well, I wouldn’t want you to be bored,” Malfrost replied with a smirk.
