Umgul City

Atlantis was the type of person that always needed to do something... The last thing he remembered clearly doing was to clear off the site for the future Academy and now, now it has been completed. He knew that it wouldn't be too long until he might be contacted to inaugurate the new place. Something remained though, he was sure that Raan would be there, and despite Atlantis being a somewhat regular resident of the Senator's residence, he, to tell the truth, never really felt home there, and felt out of place too. At least there was one thing that was currently making him happy, or several things.

One of them, Crystal was slowly and surely getting a hold of the Force but it stopped there, for now. Of course he wouldn't force her to manipulate it, or perfect it because that wasn't him and that was her life. So whatever she decided, which she, he figured, already did then he would abide by it, no questions asked. Second thing was that the Academy was finally fully constructed, he would spent enormous time there, that was a fact.

On the flip side though, it seemed that they had lost some people currently, it was saddening but at the same time perfectly understandable, that too he wouldn't hold it against them. Maybe they would come back, maybe not but again, he abided by their decisions... That was all there was. Well one thing at a time, at least he was still familiar with this place.

Atlantis leaned back against his seat, he was at a café for some coffee while listening to a tune that relaxed him, and yes as surprising as this sounded, upbeat songs relaxed him. He adjusted his earbuds and glanced at his chrono to check the time, before he knew it, he saw his datapad vibrate on the table, grabbing it to read the content of the message that seemed to have been sent by Admiral Varos to himself, Mace and Franz, he got the latest updates on the conditions of the fleet back up in space. He smiled and sent a reply to thank the Admiral for his update and the job he continuously provided to Umgul.

Grabbing his cup, he noticed that it was empty, sighing softly he knew that he would need more coffee intake to embrace this new day, raising his arm, he requested for a refill and just looked back at his surroundings. Nothing much to see since the mists covered the streets but he could hear people bustling to and fro. Thinking about people, he thought about his brother and remembered that last conversations they both had. Something had happened in the Misty Lodge and he had decided to move out of the Senator's residence. He had finally found the reasons why his own doppelganger had destructed itself, and that left Atlantis unsettled to say the least...

Sighing softly, he shook his head at the thought and just took his new cup when it was given to him and knew that he couldn't put himself in the middle, not that way and he somewhat preferred to avoid the crossfire that way but when it concerned his girlfriend, he just didn't know how to react, whether to tell her or not? It wasn't his place but the whole thing that had happened on her birthday really left him unsettled...

If only he could fix that... If only... Atlantis thought as he took a sip of his coffee, before closing his eyes to relax his mind and try to think of something else before he did what he had to do for the day...

"What was so ur- . . . Oh." Said the familiar voice as she poured her gaze upon her cousin standing right there in front of her. They were relatively in a secluded place, if you considered one of the city's darkened alley to be secluded. Ayla Vos was staring at her cousin, she had received a message to meet up with her at this precise location because she needed to talk with her. At first Ayla had thought that something was going to be done about that matter that had been discussed a while ago but she found out through Mace's thoughts that it wasn't the case at all. "Yes, I am quite aware of that . . ." Replied Ayla to that unspoken question that had flashed through Mace's mind. Sighing softly and shaking her head, she just couldn't believe that it had come to this, that is had come to that only because Honoros was so into following the textbook to the letter. "She is not part of our chain of commands so no, I do not condone his decision either." Ayla gave her own decision and her own thoughts about what was going on between Forcias and Lucine.

"He is stubborn like a mule, he won't be swayed easily or at all . . ." Mace sighed and rubbed her temple for a brief moment as she closed her eyes thinking about the several outcomes that may happen . . .

"You really sure you want to do that?" Asked Ayla dubiously, she wasn't questioning her cousin's decision or make her consider that decision but she actually just wanted to make sure she had thought about every possible outcomes. After for the rest, it'd be up to Forcias. Knowing the Major though, if it was to preserve that unity they all had, then he would cut his "relationship" with Lyn. Considering that Kes owed a lot to Honoros, it was what he might, would be compelled to do.

"People should have a choice, everyone should have a choice to decide for themselves. What makes Kes so different from that thought of mine?" Mace asked curiously. She was no totalitarian type of person and she despised when things were imposed on her. Honoros like anyone else should know that. She just couldn't believe that it had come to this, to that, when no damage was being done at all and Honoros had to come to that decision . . .

Speaking of the General himself, there he was walking towards them with Forcias by his side. Mace looked at the two men with a deadpan expression while Ayla just looked on with a placid expression, what could be said about the cousins right about now, they weren't giving anything away, whether it came to their expressions or signature when it came to Ayla, since hers was the only one in the open now.

"What is this about, a prep for Horsea's birthday or some surprise?" Asked Honoros, even though he really did not believe that due to the fact that none of them were big on birthdays anyways, he knew that Forcias would have been the one doing things on his own, in his very corner just to annoy Horsea.

"No." Replied Mace quickly, which had gotten her arched eyebrows from Forcias and Honoros. Though Mace's gaze was focused on Honoros' figure right now, and she didn't care if he was that tall and she didn't care if in an official capacity, he was the commanding officer of the Guardians overall. He had told her time and time again that she and Ayla outranked him in every capacity when it came to the Guardians. Today was the day to see how really he meant that, thought Mace.

"Why did you call us here then, Vos and why Horsea isn't here?" Forcias asked curiously. He knew for a fact that whenever Mace would call it would be for something important and part of him was thinking that it concerned that situation that it had to be fixed internally concerning the intel they had gathered a while ago. Due to unforeseen circumstances though, they really didn't get onto that just yet.

"It's not about that, Forcias . . ." Said Ayla quickly picking on his thoughts as she looked on at the Major before looking back at Honoros. "Honoros should know about this." She added on before glancing back at her cousin with a knowing look considering that she knew Mace would want to explain and want to lay every cards on the table, albeit in this dark alley, but still.

"Honoros . . ." Called out Mace as she kept on looking at the General with that same deadpan expression. "You are quite aware that I was with you all this morning." She stated factually before adding on. "And you are quite aware that as much as I want to, I cannot shut down your thoughts even if I wanted to." Lifting her hand to prevent Honoros from interrupting her or just to say something. "I know your intentions concerning Kes here and I just cannot believe that you would give him an ultimatum just because you want things done a certain way." Noticing from the corner of her eyes that Forcias' eyes had widened, the man's attention shifted from Ayla to Honoros for some explanation. He knew he could hear it from Mace and Ayla but he preferred to hear it from Honoros knowing full well that the cousins weren't the kind to say something that wasn't their place to tell.

If there was one thing that Honoros hated, it was to be ambushed and he put on the spot just like that, but he was very aware of what Mace was referring to, he knew that Mace's mind reading ability exceeded Ayla's in that regards, especially since she had been cured by one of the Solaris' brothers. "What do you expect me to do, Vos? Lose all credibility and everything I stand for because one of our trusted ranking officer can't keep that in whenever he is with one of the UDF's ranking officers?" It was a rhetorical statement and he couldn't believe that the Vos cousins would accept all of that and just allow for it to happen. The Guardians were always defined by a certain code and conduct, at least this generation and he made sure that it would be followed by them all.

"Is that the only thing you are worried about, losing your credibility?" Asked Mace with a stern voice before she shook her head at the thought. "General Aestrea, let me remind you something. I have never asked you and any of the Guardians to follow me on this forsaken universe. But you all still did, because of what? I have said it time and time again, that I was a rule bender, that I never did things by the book and that I will never be perfect . . ." Her gaze never left Honoros' as she spoke, there was just determination and facts in there. "You, knowing all of that, you all still followed and asked me to step up and be in charge on executive decisions. I have always said free will was the most important thing and, you, on the verge of going all unilateral on Forcias private life, you are really starting to shake my own belief as well."

Forcias was lost to say the least, he had no idea what was going on and quite honestly, he was not liking it. From the looks of it Mace and Ayla were standing on his side but Honoros wasn't, but about what? "Can someone please tell me what is going on?" Asked Forcias, he didn't like being the subject of a conversation while he was there and he didn't even know what was being discussed.

Honoros heard every single words that Mace had said and he looked at her and Ayla, noticing that Ayla wasn't really saying a thing either, at least not at this time when it clearly was a matter between him, Mace and Forcias. But from memories, he knew that Ayla didn't care at all either as long as Forcias did his job, or what was asked of him. That was it, it stopped there and whoever he saw or did off duty, that was none of their business. Honoros looked at Forcias with an unreadable expression and pursed his lips momentarily. "It's about you and Lyn, Kes."

About him and Lyn . . . He should have known, each time now several of the Guardians were either looking at him in a weird way or just went out of their way to avoid him. He didn't think much of it before but now that it was on the table, that ultimatum Mace mentioned a few moments ago, he finally found out what was going on. He also understood several things, it was creating a problem in the chain of commands right now but also between the rest of the guardians and Honoros. ". . . So what do you want me to do?" Begged Forcias actually wanting to stop all of this nonsense and get back to where they all were.

"Nothing at all." Said Ayla as she looked at Forcias before looking back at Honoros this time with a deadly glare. "And if me or Mace find out that you are forced to do something against your own will at the risk of being sent away back to Kiffex, then we are going to have a very serious talk with the General."

Honoros guessed that he had received his answer concerning Ayla's official stance. The cousins just did not understand at all. That was what he thought, they both didn't understand when the two of them were clearly no longer that much in touch with the rest of the Kiffars while he was running the day to day operations.

"Au contraire, I perfectly understand Honoros. Your leadership is being questioned by them. You know what? At this point I don't care if you ego is taking a blow with the rest of the guardians or if they are starting to question your authority. They can leave if they want, I have never placed them under an oath, they are under yours." Mace said indifferently, it was the truth, in this case, she exactly knew what she wanted and exactly knew what she needed. Right about now, she needed what was already on this planet and there was no way she was going to jeopardize. "So whatever you do, you do it but this is me in an official capacity saying that Major Forcias Kes stays here and he does whatever he wants, sees whomever he wants when he deems fit."

Mace was quite aware that she had just created a breach that maybe would be unrepairable but like she had told Horsea earlier, she didn't care at this point and right now either they all start acting like adults and start amending that textbook or whatever or they just leaved. That was it, period. "Think about it." Mace said one last time concerning this subject, she walked forward to leave this place but stopped next to Forcias. "Elikapeka and Lucine are back, I am sure you are already quite aware of that, they are earlier than expected so why don't you check on Lyn to see if she is unharmed or something?"

With those finals words, Mace and Ayla walked away from that dark alley, good thing that no one was really around and if there was, then that wasn't a big deal at all. Seriously at this point, she stopped caring due to the fact that she had other things to think about . . .

"Is this seat taken?"

Franz had just spoken as he placed his hand on the back of the seat that was situated next to Atlantis'. Everything seemed to have changed about him, his voice was graver and less joking. His cloth was different, it was no longer white but black. It was over his face, that much was given and when he removed it, his hair was longer and he had grown a stubble.

A lot of things had changed and a lot of things had been done. It went from Arhiana leaving to Lara and Keith leaving as well. All in all now, he was sans apprentice and quite honestly, it was better that way, he wasn't ready yet, he wasn't prepared to be exact. All he knew was that during those last few months, he had trained his mind and body perfecting his skills that he already knew.

He had been wearing somber clothes and he also had played with the idea to leave momentarily and finish a few things back in the unknown regions but he knew that he simply could not walk away from his family, he wasn't going to do the same thing he had done before. No, Franz wasn't grieving at all, he was just exhausted with the training he had undergone perfecting his skills.

He focused his attention on his cousin and narrowed his eyes slightly, he knew when Atlantis was being thoughtful or when he would lose himself in his thoughts. It was clearly written on his features. Deciding not to question that, because Atlantis was Atlantis and the man had a lot of things in his mind, Franz looked at the droid waiter and requested for a cup of stim caf before sitting down on the seat.

"How is she?" Franz asked quite aware that Elika had come back and mainly he had reclused himself but still he was getting the updates from his cousin whenever Atlantis would visit him up in the mountains. Franz leaned back against his seat and focused his attention onto his cousin. He felt so disconnected with everything but at the same time, he had been glad to have spent that moment on his own and recenter himself, so to speak. If he had been asked, it had nothing to do with the departure of someone, she had gone and there was nothing he could do about that, and no he did not grieve, and he certainly felt no sadness at all. He knew better. He just needed to prepare himself for something apparently and that was what he had done exactly.

"Anything eventful, that I may have missed, Atlantis?" He arched his eyebrow dubiously before receiving his caf to which he paid for and he focused his attention back onto Atlantis.

Kneeling a few feet from the sprawled, lifeless bodies of a Trandoshan and a Weequay, Helaine listens for any sound that indicates her activities have been overheard and then, hearing none, carefully scans the area from beneath the shadow of her hood, reading the story the scene in the alley will tell to ensure that the tale told is precisely as she wants it to be read: a simple robbery, perhaps, or possibly an outburst in a turf war between rival criminal outfits. The kill zone, in the type of lower class area that drug dealers typically ply their trade, was scouted beforehand, chosen due to the lack of any surveillance cameras nearby. Helaine has the credits and the different varieties of spice the pair had on them to sell to their clients to further enhance the appearance of a robbery, and though she would so like to have taken the time to play with them before killing them, Helaine dispatched them with the blaster taken from the Trandoshan after gaining from him the name she sought. A name that will bring her one step closer to her true quarry.

Rising, satisfied that she has left nothing that will lead to her, Helaine drops the blaster from her gloved hand and walks calmly from the alley, the omnipresent mists enshrouding the city streets swirling and parting briefly to admit her before gathering behind her almost immediately.

Lyov is standing on the deck overlooking the city when he hears Helaine sliding the door open behind him, not turning as he asks, “A good hunt?"

Wrapping her arms around Lyov’s waist, Helaine leans against him as she answers, “Productive, but unsatisfying. Far too easy, and over too quickly.”

Lyov, familiar enough with Helaine’s methods that he need not ask whether she is sure that there is no threat of an investigation leading to her, addresses her frustration with the simplicity of the deed, “The goal is not to amuse yourself.” Turning to face the Zeltron, Lyov holds her chin in his hand, lifting her face to look into her eyes to emphasize his words as he says, “Find your entertainment elsewhere.”

Helaine, who has never had any trouble finding ways to indulge in the games she enjoys, smiles as though unconcerned about the threat implicit in Lyov’s tone, tilting her head to stroke her cheek with his hand as she assures him, “Of course.” Stepping back from him, Helaine drops into a chair as she asks, “Speaking of entertainment, are we not hosting one of your little charity dinners here tomorrow? Is there anyone you would like me to pay special attention to?”

Lyov seats himself in the chair across from Helaine’s and tells her which of the guests that will be attending the dinner, a benefit for homeless children that will further the image of a generous, civic minded philanthropist that he has been cultivating, singling out a police commissioner, a district board of education member, and the owner of a large shipping concern for her to begin gaining influence over.

Lucy, who seldom plans anything in her personal life as meticulously as she plans when she is on the job, had not gotten any further with her thoughts on how to spend her unanticipated leave than purchasing a bottle of wine, comming Forcias, and seeing where things led from there. Hopping from her M-31 airspeeder after setting it down on her apartment building's rooftop landing pad, a bottle of Cerean Naiana wine in hand, Lucy frees her hair from its ponytail as she all but skips down the steps to her apartment, having added a bath to her plans.

Stopping when she spots Forcias sitting in front of her apartment, the left corner of Lucy's lips curl up in a smile as she thinks her day just keeps getting better and better. The smile lasts until she is near enough to see Forcias' expression clearly enough to determine that he seems preoccupied, and Lucy's steps slow as she finds herself unexpectedly torn between what she would normally do in the situation - selfishly ignore his obvious mood and endeavor to make him forget all about it by distracting him by making it clear what she had in mind - and what she feels like doing now instead - set what she wanted aside in order to find out what is troubling him and what she can do about it, which will probably entail some degree of SERIOUS CONVERSATION.

Sitting beside Forcias, Lucy leans against him without saying anything for a moment even though silence is something she typically abhors. Lucy would not be Lucy if she were able to act as though she is taking things seriously even when she is doing so, and so her first words, accompanied by a playfully aggrieved sigh, are, "I guess it's really about time I gave you the keys to my apartment, huh? Putting her arm around Forcias' shoulders rather than punching him in it instead as she would typically do, Lucy rests her head against his and, her tone concerned now, surprising herself with just how important it feels to her that she finds out what has caused him to look so forlorn, asks, You alright? Unable to resist her inclination to tease, she adds lightly, I was gone seven weeks, I hope you weren't sitting out here waiting for me the whole time. Wincing slightly, clearly regretting the surrender to levity, Lucy says softly, Sorry, rubbing his back as she gently asks him, Really, is something wrong?"

When Forcias pulls away Lucy barely has time to catch her breath before his search for the keys takes it away again, and her body is screaming GO as the door opens behind them, obliterating all thoughts of her earlier plans for the evening. Unbelievably, Lucy finds that her body's GO is actually warring with her mind's imperative that she finds out what the frak is going on that has brought on the urgency and desperation that is emanating from Foricas' actions and words, and when she steps back into her apartment, she puts her hands on his chest and pushes him back gently as she hoarsely says, "Wait," and then steps back from him, running her hands through her hair while she forces herself to keep her body from winning out over her concern for Forcias even though she knows that there would be some comfort and reprieve to be had for him if she lost the struggle and that surrender would also keep her firmly in familiar territory rather than the unaccustomed intentional foray into SERIOUS CONVERSATION she finds herself courting.

Pointing at her sofa, winning the fight for the moment to go through with talking through whatever has Forcias so visibly upset, Lucy says, "Sit, then taps the side of the wine bottle as she says, I'll be right back, before turning to walk to her kitchen. Tossing her flight jacket on the kitchen island, then removing her holstered DC-15s and dropping it on top of her flight jacket, Lucy rubs the back of her neck as she sighs up at the ceiling. Fanning the front of her black short sleeved t-shirt, Lucy walks over to her cabinets and finds two wine glasses, telling herself to try and be girly about things rather than blunt since she knows she has a tendency to prefer the uncomplicated to the complicated, which won't do anyone any good in an emotional situation like the one she assumes has Forcias acting so differently. Pouring the wine, Lucy smiles, accepting what she has probably realized for some time now and wondering whether Forcias realizes what she is revealing by not having given in to the temptation to use the physical aspect of their relationship to avoid needing to delve into what might lay beyond it. Picking up the wine glasses, Lucy walks back into the living room, handing one to Forcias and then sitting on the couch facing him.

"Right, Lucy says, forgetting the being girly-girl about things part momentarily, so, what's up? Waving her free hand, wincing as she realizes that she sounds abrupt, Lucy sips her wine and thinks to herself, Hells, I suck at this crap. Sorry, Lucy says, then tries again, her concern evident in her tone if not her choice of words, Look, I'm not complaining about the sudden . . . intensity, she smiles, At all. But something must have happened to bring it on. Remembering his words from before, Lucy repeats them now, No matter what I hear or what happens? What might I hear, Forcias? Leaning forward and putting the palm of her free hand against his cheek tenderly, Lucy says, Talk to me. What's going on?"

Knowing precisely what Forcias means by 'here' when asking if she remembers their meeting in the intelligence department, Lucy answers with a nod accompanied by a smile that is equal parts amused, touched and slightly scared by the fact that they are both all but openly admitting that their relationship has gone far past casual; something that she herself has avoided in the past and had thought she would never allow to happen. Breaking her personal rules, however, is not paramount in her mind; the fact that something is troubling Forcias is what her focus is on, and so she sets her own fears and sense of imbalance aside to give him her full attention.

Turning to face Forcias when he stands, remaining seated since she is bound and determined not to resort to physicality to deal with whatever it is that is going on, Lucy tucks her feet beneath her and listens without interrupting, even when she feels a flare of confusion and anger when he reveals that he had been ordered to break it off with her sometime ago. Her expression, openly displaying her anger and confusion since she does not typically make concealing her feelings a priority when not on the job, softens visibly when Forcias goes on to say that he couldn't follow the order, and then explains why, and then goes back to confused and annoyed when he says that he worries for her - since, in her mind, worry translates to thinking she's incapable of handling herself - and then to incredulous when he concludes by saying that he would break it off if she were to confess she does not feel the same way about him as he does about her.

Despite the fact she can see that laying himself so bare before her has left him feeling vulnerable, Lucy cannot keep herself from asking, "Are you frakking kidding me? Girly, Lucy reminds herself silently, have to try and be girly. Standing up, setting her wine glass on her coffee table, Lucy walks over towards Forcias, saying, Look, that came out wrong. I'm not really great at this kind of sh . . .thing, so if you really mean all that you've said, you're just going to have to accept me, rough edges and all. Putting her hands on either side of Forcias' face, Lucy smiles at him and explains, In case that wasn't clear, you dope, I'm not asking you stand down. Putting her arms around his neck and resting her head against her chest so that she doesn't have to look at him while letting herself be vulnerable in return for what he has given her, Lucy, to tell him that she feels the same way as he does without actually having to spell it out for him, says softly, I don't want you to stand down."

Taking a moment to simply enjoy the feel of Forcias, his smell and the sound of their breathing, Lucy doesn't say anything else until, lifting her head and looking up into his eyes, she grins and, forgetting once more to be girly and savor the moment, allows her anger at a certain situation to get the better of her and so says, "Now that we have that out of the way, she slides her hands slowly down the sides of his arms, taking his hands in hers and pulling him back towards the couch, Let's get a few other things straight. Pushing Foricas down on one side of the sofa, Lucy drops onto the other side, turning to face him as she holds up a finger and says in an amused tone that is only part teasing, I am no one's frakking damsel in distress, so don't worry about me, alright? It pisses me off. Nodding as though taking it for granted that Forcias will agree, Lucy says, Ok, it was only one thing, with a laugh when she realizes that it was only one thing she needed to clarify. But, she holds up a hand, tucking her feet back beneath her after leaning forward to hand his wine to him and then get hers, I am going to need you to lay out this whole ordering you to break it off thing. Her expression far from amused, closer again to irked, Lucy asks, What am I missing? Why would you be ordered to break it off? Is this some Guardian thing I don't know about?"