OOC PSA: Upcoming Content

Hey readers!

I've gotten to the point in Becky's history where related storylines in the twitter feed can start taking place! In the next few weeks, be sure to pay attention to twitter accounts @Elsa_Everon and @AriamVorru. If you're not following them yet, be sure to! They're both going to become increasingly more active as certain plots start developing. These past 20 or so entries on our favorite redhead's past will be referenced plenty in the twitterfeed now. Just something to keep in mind though: the time difference between what you have read here on the blog so far and the current twitter feed is about 8 years. There is still plenty more backstory to come your way soon!!

In the meantime, I've started a new "pages" section to the blog. There's going to be a bar across the top of the screen with links to new content. Right now I'm working on a slightly more detailed biography for certain characters that appear here on the blog and in the twitter feed. Stay turned for more updates!

If you're interested in maybe getting your character(s) involved in the upcoming twitter storyline, feel free to leave a comment here or a Direct Message on @Lady_Everon's twitter page. Only the basic plot points are worked out so there's plenty of time to fill in the details! Or, if you just want some spoilers or to leave suggestions, you can send me a message too. Either way I'd love to hear from you!

Happy reading!
-Becks

XLI: Lost Hope

"Gentlemen, I don't know how much longer I can keep waiting..." Elsa said, sipping her tea. "My Rebecca has been missing for six months now. Do you really think she's alive?"

"Of course!" Ariam bellowed, rising to his feet. "there is nothing to suggest otherwise!"

"Ariam, she hasn't made contact with us all this time. She could be dead for all we know." Fliry said.

"Nonsense, father!" Ariam objected. "Her body was never found with Ulmeran's or anywhere else! She's alive, I know it. Rebecca is here somewhere, and I intend to find her."

Elsa gave the young man a tiring glance. "Really, Ariam. Hasn't this gone on long enough?"

Distraught, Ariam pointed his finger at Elsa. "You may have given up on her, but I haven't. My bride, my future... Kriff, both of our bloodlines are at stake! I refuse to believe she's gone. I love her, and if I have to find her on my own, so be it!" Ariam stormed out of the room.

Fliry shook his head and turned back to Elsa. "Your granddaughter's death is hitting him hard. That is, if we should call it death." He sighed. "I don't want to give up on her either, dear Elsa, but I think it's time to face facts. If she's alive, she hasn't tried contacting us..or anyone for that matter. If she's perished, well... Then her captor did a real good job hiding her from us." he stepped forward and patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "I'll do what I can to talk sense into my son...but I think it's time we declare Rebecca lost and try to move on with our lives. It will be difficult, but spending the rest of our years waiting, wondering..."

Elsa set down her teacup and sighed. She began trembling a little as her worst fears began taking over her. After a few moments and deep breaths, she regained some of her composure and embraced Fliry. "One more week... I'll make a public statement and then go into official mourning."

Fliry held her tight. "I'll keep faith that one day she'll return to us, safe and sound."

XL: First Day Jitters

"It was so nice of Aria to help get me this job." Rebecca smiled as she sat down at the secretary's desk. "but are you sure High command won't mind me working on the same floor as you, Daddy? I mean...um, Admiral?" she corrected herself.

"it's fine, Rebecca. Don't worry." Okins said. "I'll have you know we've gone through over five secretaries in the last month. We know you'll be reliable. And besides, you're not just working for me, but for the other offices on this floor as well. I hope you can multitask."

Rebecca looked around her workspace nervously, "I think we'll soon find out either way. What should I do first?"

Okins pointed to a stack of files at the edge of the desk. "Our previous girl had no sense of organization. I guess you can start out by filing these in the proper place. Cabinets are alphabetical and separated by rank. You'll get the hang of it."

"I'll try my best....sir." she said. Calling her father by rank was going to take some getting used to.

Okins grinned. "I'll be in my office if you need me. Just knock." He patted her shoulder, then returned to his office.

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca pulled the stack over and began sorting through, making separate piles on her desk to put away. The whole activity took just under two hours, and by the time she had finished, some of the other officers had approached her with other small tasks to complete.

Late in the afternoon she leaned back in her chair and smiled. Throughout the day her superiors repeatedly complimented on her efficiency and job well done. She felt at ease now that her first day had been a pleasant one. Before rising from her post to check in with her father, she caught a glimpse of the calendar for the following day. The page was covered in officer appointments from morning to late afternoon. Most of the slots were for junior officers, but some high ranking officials were scheduled in between. Facing many strangers made her a little nervous, and she hoped tomorrow would be quick and painless.

XXXIX: Bonding over Wine

Rebecca arrived at Coruscant's Monument Plaza and headed towards one of the many bars located at the mall. She and Aria Brisard were meeting to catch-up over a glass of wine. This was the first time she's seen her friend since leaving Corellia.

When she entered the bar, she spotted Aria sitting at one of the booths towards the corner of the room. Rebecca walked over to her friend and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Aria!It's great to see you!" she said.

"Same here, Becks! It's been a while!" Aria said, hugging Rebecca and then sitting back down. "How is city life treating you?"

Rebecca shrugged and sat down across from her friend. "It's alright, I suppose. I'm still trying to adjust. It's a lot different from living on Nana's estate back on Corellia."

Aria nodded. "The crowds take some getting used to, as well as knowing the good areas to venture to." She smiled. "What do you do during the day?"

"Well Daddy spends most of the day at work, so I've been trying to learn how to cook. Since his culinary skills are dreadful, I feel it's a great way to help contribute."

"That's a good idea. What about on Okins' days off?"

"Oh Aria, those days are few and far between. Though lately he has been taking me to the shooting range. Daddy's been trying to teach me to use a blaster to defend myself...but I can't get comfortable using it....no matter what I try. Between trying to meet his high expectations and the physical weapon in my hands..." she sighs, "I just can't do it."

"Aria pat Rebecca's hand. "It's okay. It takes time, that's all. If you want, I could help you train when I come visit you here...or if you want to come see me on Exactor. We can go at your pace, no pressure."

Rebecca smiled. "I like the sound of that."

"Great! So, what else is going on?"

Rebecca shrugged. "Not much... aside from that I stay around the apartment. It would be nice if there was something else I could do."

Aria tapped her chin, thinking. "Maybe you can find some work?"

"That's what I was thinking. But I've never had a real job before...There's so much here on Coruscant. I'm not even sure what to apply for!"

Aria thought for a moment, then grinned wide. "I think I have the perfect solution. Just leave everything to me!"

For my Dark Lord...

Another year gone by, and what a year it has been...

This has been a rough, but wonderful year for us, Si'hil tha'... We've had our unpleasant arguments, our violent little fits, but we pulled through, didn't we. Most of our time was spent waiting for our tiny Sith prince to be born. Between our excitement, anxiety, and miserable lack of pleasantries, I can clearly say those were some of the bumpiest months of the year. Thank the maker all of that (ok, most of it..) is behind us. Our handsome, healthy baby is the biggest blessing the Force could bring us. 

You've shown me great patience, concern, and rounds of your Sithly humor during my darkest hours, and I continue to thank you for it. Dark as you may be, you're a wonderful husband for me, and an equally wonderful father to our children. I know this hasn't been easy for you, Si'hil tha', my attention divided so much that I haven't tended to you as much as I'd have liked. I want you know that my love for you always remains. Our little family has grown a little bigger, and so has my love for you, with every passing day. 

Happy third Anniversary, 

 Your Si'hari tha'.

(dedicated to @The_Darth_Vader)

XXXVIII: Body Found

A speeder raced towards the Vorru estate. The Dowager Lady Everon sat in the back seat rustling a news article in her fingers stressfully. Events from the last week plagued on the matriarch's mind.

First was the rush meeting She had with Jeref Ulmeran. She recalled the day of the Vorru gala when Ulmeran stopped by her estate, expressing for a second time his desires to take on Rebecca as his bride. At the time she was trying to set Rebecca with Ariam Vorru so she revealed nothing of her devious plans, instead told Ulmeran her precious granddaughter was seeing another man. She did also remember Ulmeran storming out of the estate after being denied his lady prize. That was the last time she saw him alive.

Next was the luxurious gala itself. Much planning went into the guest list and ensuring Ariam Vorru's proposal would go without error. Rebecca's downright refusal shocked her, the Vorru's and everyone in attendance. The invited reporters and paparazzi turned their focus to badgering herself and Ariam about what went wrong instead of questions about the future nuptials. Reports about the failed proposal stopped posting after a few days.

Instead, they've been focusing on a new story, and the mail reason for Elsa's stress. Last week's gala marked the night Rebecca went missing. Coincidentally, Jeref Ulmeran vanished the very same night. Gossip sources claimed the two ran off together, but neither Elsa or Ariam believed a word of it. The Dowager began searches all over the city and countryside where Rebecca grew up, believing her granddaughter simply ran away to a more comfortable, familiar setting. The one mishap in her theory is what happened to Lord Jeref Ulmeran.

However, the news article in her hand answered that question. As soon as her speeder stopped in front of the Vorru estate, she bounded out and inside the home.

"Fliry! Ariam! I have news!" she announced, walking into the parlor. Ariam and Moff Vorru quickly ran from the study and joined her.

" have you found Rebecca? Oh please tell me you have." Ariam said, sinking into a chair.

"no, I haven't." Elsa answered, clearly troubled. "this was in today's post." she nervously handed the article to Ariam. Moff Vorru moved behind his son so he could read it as well.

" Jeref Ulmeran found dead." Ariam Vorru read aloud. "his body was discovered early this morning mangled and dumped in the woods just outside the city..."

"dear Maker..." Moff Vorru said, rubbing his chin.

"keep going... There's more." Elsa replied.

"... Although the autopsy has not been completed, preliminary reports indicate he had been severely beaten, tortured and disfigured. Details on cause of death will be released later."

"who could have done that?" Vorru asked.

"well Jeref had plenty of enemies..." Ariam answered.

"Don't you see?? Ulmeran and Rebecca disappeared at the same time! What if they were together when this happened?? Is my granddaughter dumped in the forest too? Dear Maker...her virtue is still at stake!" Elsa panicked.

Moff Vorru came over to her and patted her shoulder. "Calm down, Elsa. I'm sure Jeref had nothing to do with Rebecca's disappearance. She might just be lying low until this whole matter blows over. I have a feeling she's still on Corellia."

"father is right, Elsa."Ariam said. " We'll find sweet Rebecca before too long, and then we'll stick back to our plan."

"oh Ariam...for her sake I hope you're right..."

XXXVII: Range Day

"Daddy, I'm not so sure about all of this..." Rebecca said as she tagged along behind her father. The two had just finished lunch and were heading to the shooting range.

"Trust me, it's for your own good." Okins replied.

"I don't even know which one I should get." she said. "I don't know anything about blasters or weaponry."

"That's what I'm here for." He said.

As they entered the establishment, Rebecca couldn't help but feel incredibly uncomfortable. The walls were covered in different sized pistols, rifles, canons, and other various weapons she couldn't quite identify. While her father spoke to the employee behind the desk, she walked over to one of the display cases and and looked at the different rifles. The longer she looked at them, the more she wanted to run out of the establishment and head for home.

"Rebecca, c'mon." Okins said, waving her over as the clerk led them to the shooting area. It was a narrow aisle way with a chair and table in the center of the shooting area. Several meters away there was a body-shaped target hanging on the back wall. The clerk set a box of various blasters down on the table and returned to the front.

"Ready?"

"No..." Rebecca said. She stepped forward and peered into the box. There were two smaller pistols and one large rifle. She picked up the smallest of the three and examined it. The weapon was a bit chunky and she wasn't surprised when it felt uncomfortable to hold.

Okins picked up one of the larger weapons so he could demonstrate how to use it. "Here, hold it like this, wrapping your finger around the trigger. Then, you just lift, aim, and shoot." He raised his arm towards the target across the room and fired. "Simple."

Rebecca had jumped, startled from the blaster's discharge. "Daddy I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can. Here, I'll help you." He placed his hands over her own and positioned them on the blaster properly. "Now, aim, and fire." He guided her arm upwards and helped her press the trigger. The discharge made her jumpy again. "Now it's your turn," he said, removing his hands.

Rebecca swallowed. "Okay..." she took a deep breath and took aim. Her hand wouldn't stop shaking from nerves. The longer she stood there, the more the shaking continued. Finally she fired. The shot missed the target completely. She sighed and dejectedly lowered her weapon to her side. While doing so, she heard a loud bang and promptly dropped the gun as her father fell and braced the chair for support.

In her attempt to lower the weapon, she ended up squeezing the trigger and shooting a bolt right into her father's foot.

XXXVI: Blaster Talk

"Rebecca, time to eat." Okins called from the kitchen as he took  a tray out of the oven and set it on the table. Rebecca came in and sat down. She peered over at small paper bags sitting beside the table settings.

"Um, Daddy? What are those for?" She asked, pointing to the bags.

Okins dished out the meal. "Those are 'emergency meal removal bags' in case things go sour."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "So they're barf bags."

"No no no....you make it sound so gross when you say it like that."

"Because it is?" She asked, eyeing the meal in front of her. "Do you really not trust yourself with food?"

"My skills are a little rusty." He replied and sat down. "C'mon, try it."

Rebecca hesitantly scooped up some food onto her fork and put it in her mouth. She chewed it slowly, trying to keep her facial expression pretty neutral. After a few more chews, she finally swallowed it and leaned back in her seat.

"Well?"

"It was...oh kriff..." she said, then quickly downed most of her beverage.

"That bad, huh." He asked. She nodded. Okins threw his napkin onto the table. "Well  there's the diner down the next block. Let's just go out."

"Good idea." She agreed. Together they quickly cleaned up from the failed dinner attempt and left the apartment for the landing strip where they grabbed a speeder to the restaurant.

"I was thinking..." Okins began.

"Uh oh..."

"I think it's time you learned to defend yourself."

Rebecca blinked, inquisitive. "You mean...self defense class or something?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of weaponry. It's time you got yourself a blaster."

"...a....blaster??" Rebecca asked, unsure of how she feels about owning a weapon. "This has "Aria Brisard" written all over it, doesn't it..."

"Oh no, she had nothing to do with this. I want you to have a blaster. It's a good weapon and handy to have when you're alone."

"Daddy, I don't like weapons. What good is having one when I probably will be afraid to even touch it, even fire it?"

"We'll have to build up your confidence, that's all." Okins said. "Just think, in time you'll be just as comfortable wielding a weapon as I am." He grinned at his daughter until he saw the unimpressed look on her face. "Okay, maybe not that much. The point is you'll be able to protect yourself. What happened on Corellia will never occur again."

"Do I have to have one?"

"Yes. We'll pick one out after we eat." He said as he landed the speeder. "Tomorrow you and I will head to the range to start practice."

Rebecca sighed and followed after her father, now with little enthusiasm. "Joy."

XXXV: New Home

"I uh...hope you don't mind the mess." Okins said as he switched the light on in the spare bedroom of his Coruscant apartment. "I know it's not the fancy, frilly, princess-y paradise you've been stuck in for the last few years, but..."

"It's fine, Daddy." Rebecca said. She walked inside and placed her bags on the bed. "I think it'll be a nice change."

Okins nodded. "I'll start moving my junk out over the next few days. I've been needing to go through this stuff anyway. But for now, I'll let you start to settle in."

Later that night Rebecca tossed and turned in bed. Events from the last several days kept tolling on her mind. Finally she propped herself on her elbows and looked at the chrono sitting on her nightstand. 0100 hours. She sighed and threw the covers off of her. Deciding that a drink of water might calm herself down, she crept out of her bedroom to the kitchen.  On her way there, she passed by her father sitting on the couch working late. He looked up as she went by.

"I thought you went to bed hours ago. Are you alright?"

"I can't sleep." she replied as she poured herself some water.

"Is it not comfortable in there? He asked, setting his work down.

"No, it's fine...I'm just a bit restless, I guess." Rebecca walked over and sat down on the couch beside him. "Can I stay with you for a while? I don't want to be alone..."

"Sure, sweetheart." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'm afraid what I'm doing isn't very interesting though."

"That's okay." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't mind..."

Okins held her closer and returned to his work. "You're going to be alright, Rebecca. Just give it some time." He said, reaching for another stack of reports. "And if you--" He paused and glanced at her when she didn't respond to him before to find she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Okins kissed her forehead. "Goodnight Rebecca."

XXXIV: Reunion

Deroh Okins turned the corner to return to Rebecca's room when he was met in the corridor by Aria Brisard. She immediately stopped him in his tracks.

"Satisfied?"

Okins shrugged. "I did what had to be done." 

"Playing judge, jury and executioner? I think you did it a bit too well. We could hear your victim's howling all the way down here."

Okins gave a dark smirk. "That means I did it right."

Aria shuddered. "You're lucky Becky didn't hear it. I think she's been through enough for one night."

"Kriffing..." he sighed. "Is she awake?"

Aria nodded. "Just a few moments ago. Luckily for you, she was spared the trauma. The medical officer is with her now."

"Good." He tried to push his way past her but she held her own. "Brisard..."

"You can't go in there dressed like that! Are you crazy?" she said. "Look at yourself!"

Okins glanced down at his bloodied uniform and sighed. He unfastened his uniform tunic and tossed it aside revealing his black undershirt. "Better?"

"I guess so." She examined him. "There's still some splotches on your pants."

"Kark it. If she asks, it's a drink." He pushed Aria aside and opened the door. Rebecca was sitting up with her back to the door. The medical officer was completing his examination so she didn't hear Aria and her father enter the room. Okins and Brisard stood off to the side and waited for the officer to complete his check up. The man soon finished and saluted to them on his way out.

Okins watched Rebecca for a few moments. Even though her back was to him, he could still tell she was distraught. A few sniffles were audible and she kept rubbing her eyes. He stepped forward to the bed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Becky..."

She whirled around to see her father standing beside her. "Daddy...?"

Okins nodded and opened his arms to her. She then quickly jumped off the bed and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest and crying.

"Shh..." he said, consoling her. "It's alright, I'm here. You're safe now, and I promise now that I'm here no one will harm you again."