Sicaria & Aegon
Collab between @Mega Birb & @MrDidact
Following her unpacking, which really only took a few minutes, Sicaria climbed up into her bunk and sat with her legs hanging over the edge. She brought her left arm around to her front as her omni-tool came to life in its familiar orange, the glow almost like a friend to her at this point. Given the day she was having, she took a moment to simply appreciate the technology she had built into her arm; that almost everyone had built into their arm. It was a marvel, that galactic society had reached such a point, but they had somehow. In a way, things had always come full circle, with no specific start or end. But now that the total extermination of life had been ruled out?
Well, anything was possible.
She sat and stared at the warm, orange light for a few minutes, just thinking about what it really meant to her, before her right hand came up to the side of the hardlight. A few slides here, button presses there, and she had the name of the Kharon's yeoman pulled up. With a shopping list of errands to run on the ship, she started to type as fast as her three fingers would allow.
To: Calixta Oraka
From: Sicaria Velinian
Subject: Meeting w/ Aegon
Message: Sorry for the abruptness, but I'm one of the team Aegon and Anderson brought together and I need to schedule a meeting with the former. Is he free in about 10-15 minutes?
The Turian hit the send button and laid back on her bunk, crossing her legs over each other and intertwining her fingers behind her head, letting various things run through her mind as she waited for a response. In this gap, she heard a Drell enter the barracks and trip on her breastplate, which was tossed up at her a few moments later. She caught it and placed it to the side, then leaned out over the edge. "Sorry about that, still looking for places to keep stuff."
Several moments later, Sicaria got a ping on her omnitool and upon opening it, Calixta appeared on the wrist screen with a smile, "Hey, Velinian. I got your message and you're in luck. The Imperator is actually pretty free. He's just practicing in his quarters right now, but when I asked he said he could squeeze you in. You can head on up to the top deck now if you'd like. Should I tell him you're coming up?"
"Please do," Sicaria began, swinging her legs over the edge of the bunk once again and dropping to the floor, making sure to avoid piledriving Aviza on accident. "Mind if I throw a question at you while I head up? Well, a couple really, but you get the idea." While she spoke, she made her way out of the barracks and started for the elevator in the center of the ship.
Calixta nodded, tapping away at a datapad while video-chatting with the other Turian, "Sure, it's pretty slow right now. What do you want to know?"
The other alien pushed the button to call the elevator, unsurprised it had gotten some use since she had used it to leave the hanger. "Hmm... first, I wanna know why I got picked for this team. I don't have an amazing record and by all rights you should be trying to arrest me right now." She shifted her weight to her left leg.
Calixta pensively screwed her forehead as she replied, obviously a bit trepaditious about answering, "Well, I can't speak to Partinax's exact reasons. But I believe it has to do with your biotic specialty. There aren't many Turian biotics, and most of them are tied up in Cabals. Aegon wants the best, but the Hierarchy would be reluctant to transfer their Cabalists to his command. At least not without huge strings attached. When he heard there was a rogue Cabalist, he probably thought it was a big opportunity. He probably doesn't like the fact that you, uh, deserted. But he's much more lenient about that sort of thing than a lot of COs. A lot of his contacts are underworld types, and a good portion of the security team are former mercs. Aegon is more concerned with utlity than legality when it comes to assets."
"Makes sense. But he knows I was involved with the Suns, that sets me as a risk. Personally, I would've glanced over someone with my record, even if I was the only Cabal he could get his hands on. And I know that isn't the case, he got Tiberius on board." She looked up as the elevator stopped on her floor, prompting her to step into it as the door opened. She leaned to the side and tapped one of the buttons that would lead to Aegon's quarters.
"It's beside the point, I guess." She paused for a second, then tapped her foot and nodded to something that either Calixta couldn't see or wasn't there. "Remind me to go see the doctor... what's his name, Koriandr, right? All my information is gonna be dated by about four years."
Calixta nodded, "Of course. I'll make a note with him. Let's schedule you for an appointment after you talk to the boss. Fair warning though, he's polite but he can be a bit.... stuffy. Is there anything else you'd like?"
"Thanks, but could you move it back an hour? I have another stop I need to make beforehand... and thanks for the warning." Sicaria looked up from the hologram as the elevator slowed and stopped, the door sliding open a moment later. She stepped out and it closed behind her, taking off downwards as someone else called the lift.
Before her was the door to Aegon Partinax's quarters, the home away from home of a legendary soldier she was lucky enough to be serving under. She wasn't gonna lie, she was terrified and knew he had no reason to like her. 'If I wanna have a normal life after all this, I'll have to do this. Well, here goes...' She knocked on the door with her right hand.
Aegon Partinax, the Drakolix, twirled Sacrifice in his hand before twisting from the hip and slashing the target across it's abdomen before turning and stabbing backwards, impaling the sword through the target's chest. The holographic target, created with specially calibrated mass effect fields and a projector, flickered and virtually died.
He was stripped to the waist and wore only the fabric layer for his leg armor, his snow white endoskeleton taut over rippling muscle. Another target popped up and this time Aegon cut with a savage side-handed sweep, decapitating the artificial head in one move. He heard the knocks on the door and knew Sicaria was there.
Aegon, deactivated the projectors and sheathed the sword, putting on a light robe and grabbing a canteen of water as he turned on his omni-tool and opened the door, "Please come in." Aegon stood straight and crossed his arms, indicating a nearby bottle of Cipritine Gold, "Drink? Been sitting since Relay 314. What brings you here?"
The door opened up at Aegon's command, welcoming Sicaria in as she took a few steps in. She stopped very early and stood straight, snapping off a salute so crisp she could've been mistaken for a cadet reporting to the Primarch himself. She, however, wasn't a cadet reporting to the Primarch, and dropped the gesture a second later. She remained at attention until told otherwise, though.
"No thank you, sir. I need a clear head for now." Her stance waivered for a second as she took a breath, heart racing with a certain level of fear. She cleared her throat unecessarily before speaking again. "I need a favor, sir. You know I'm a criminal... and I need my name cleared. Sir." She stared up at the taller Turian, one mandible twitching slightly from nerves, though she refused to break eye contact.
Aegon didn't deign to return the salute after Sicaria dropped the motion but he nodded, "At ease, Velinian. You're not beholden to the Hierarchy command structure anymore, but I appreciate the gesture. Though I suppose that's why you're here." He maintained eye contact with the other Turian, his face inscrutable as he seemed to take the measure of her for a moment.
Then he nodded to himself, evidently finished with his examination as he drank from the canteen before speaking, "Yes, I've read your file. Impeccable technical and combat scores. Stellar performance in the field. Valued Cabalist with some engineering skill as well. Parents were decorated. You were a real up and comer Sicaria, very promising career. Great asset. And then you deserted."
Aegon placed down the canteen and crossed his arms, regarding her neutrally, "But that's all in the past now. You're on my team now and as long as you're with me the Hierarchy won't touch you. In fact, they probably won't bother even after you move on. So tell me. You seemed to be doing decently outside of the Hierarchy. Why do you want back in?" He stood straight, waiting for an answer.
The female relaxed only slightly, though she had to wonder for a moment. Did she actually want back in, or was she trying to run away again, only without an alias this time. "Truth is, I've been struggling. Little spit shine on a public record and the right connection does wonders." she admitted, looking down at the floor and shaking her head. "And I want back in to fix the mistakes I made. Me leaving did some damage, and I wanna repair that." she finished, pacing idly while her mandible continued to twitch.
Aegon continued to stare at her for a few moments, before finally nodding slightly "I know what you mean. You weren't the only Turian to lose faith after Saren went rogue. And you definitely aren't the only one to desert. But you do want to come back. Regardless of what I might think about your decisions Sicaria, you were a model soldier and an asset. We lost too many good people in the war and the Hierarchy will need as many veterans and experts as it can get its hands on. I'll work on changing your status. I'll talk to my contacts in High Command, see about procuring you an amnesty and a reinstatement."
The Turian stroked his talons across his mandible for a moment in thought, "It likely won't be easy. Primarch Victus might be my father-in-law but don't expect favoritism on this front. Desertion is a tough stain to wash out. They'll most likely approve it but with conditions. They'd probably want to put you in a high-surveillance unit. Lock you in a Cabal that has a fanatic for a Kabalim. But if you want to be transferred into my command, they'll most likely want a favor. A demonstration of loyalty. And it will most certainly be dangerous. Are you sure you want this Sicaria?"
She answered almost instantly, arms crossing and her weight shifting to her right leg. "It'd feel like cheating if I was let back in without issue. So no price is too high for me, sir." She went silent for a moment, glancing around the room in the pause. "Though it might be worth it to wait, so you can keep me without any strings attached, sir." While it wasn't in favor of her personal interests to wait, she felt it would be better to wait for Katabasis' mission to be completed.
Aegon seemed satisfied with her answer and might have even seemed pleased but it was difficult to know for sure. Aegon uncrossed his arms and consulted a datapad, looking over a report as he continued speaking, "No worries on that count. This operation will not be brief. Cerberus is only one piece of a very large puzzle. I have a feeling that our interests and High Command's might intersect. If we play this right, we can pursue our greater objective and reinstate you at the same time."
Aegon put down the datapad, "I'll pass on the request to High Command and I will keep you informed to any developments. Maybe Dessia can help smooth things over as well. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?"
"Hmm..." Sicaria began, eyes drifting over Aegon's form. They locked onto his shoulder where she could see the hilt of a sword on his back, when an idea popped into her head. "Not necessarily discuss, but I do have a question, sir." Her arms uncrossed and her left hand found its way to her hip, while the right one made an idle gesture to his shoulder.
"How often do you have someone to spar with?"
Aegon raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Not very often. Enthusiasts for the old styles aren't as common as they used to be. You're a duelist?" Aegon seemed legitimately curious now, for the first time not completely and absolutely already sure of the situation. He crossed to the weapons rack on one wall, all assembled under an old-fashioned suit of plate armor. Aegon placed Sacrifice back on the mantle and retrieved two less ostentautious mexta longswords.
"Where did you train? What form do you favor? Are you sure you're up for it now? There's no audience watching, no bets for Lyora to organize. Cramped spaces, not much room to manuveur. Not a great place for a duel." Aegon tossed Sicaria one of the mextas, the blade still had an edge but was traditionally forged, rather than being a monomolecular blade. It had been made the old way, by a master of the craft whose family had shaped steel since the Fuedal Age.
Aegon smirked, "And you're facing me."
"I wouldn't call myself a duelist, I'm a little too out of practice to." She took a beat to catch the sword that was flying at her, right hand closing fluidly around the grip of the blade like it was made to fit her hand. She gave the weapon an experimental swing as she listened to the Drakolix ask several questions in rapid succession. "I'm self-taught, actually. Not many places on Aephus or on the Citadel that offer any teachings." she explained, turning the weapon over in her hand. Believe it or not, the balance was just as good as modern blades.
"And truth be told, I never learned the names of any forms. Just really picked what worked and fit it in somehow, and why constrain yourself to one discipline when you have biotics to give yourself an edge?" Her right mandible got pulled back in a smirk as she realized she had just accidently threatened Aegon. "Apologies, sir. I only start warping people when my life's in serious danger."
Aegon laughed, "Don't worry Velinian. No danger here. Just fun." Aegon disrobed, throwing the garment to a nearby couch and drawing the mexta before placing the sheath away. He evidently intended to fight shirtless and armorless. Aegon gave the blade an experimental twirl, twisting the sword in a circle and whirling it around his back in an intricate pattern, a movement borne of years of practice and hard-earned skill.
He held the sword up and bowed to Sicaria before assuming his guard, holding the blade in both hands and turning the blade downwards. Aegon waited, watching Sicaria's movements with his unsettling violet eyes.
In a fashion similar to Aegon, Sicaria tossed her hoodie to the side before giving her sword a simple spin in her hand. Afterwards, she discarded the shirt as well since she had no intention of putting holes in a new piece of clothing.
Ready for the coming combat, she bowed to her opponent and pointed her left side towards him. Her sword, for all intents, was out of the way, though she was bouncing on her toes lightly. Almost like art in motion, she sprung into an attack, an upward swing coming in for the male's chest.
Aegon was ready. Instead of blocking or parrying, he dodged, quickly hopping to the side of his opponent and delivering a sweeping two-handed cut at Sicaria's side twisting at the hip as he swung before landing in a guard.
A little late on the reaction but nonetheless there, Sicaria deflected the blow by laying the flat of the blade against her forearm to be used as a shield. This allowed her the unconventional attack of trying to bash at the collar with the fuller rather than slice with the edge.
Aegon ducked under the blow, lashing out with a cut at Sicaria's legs, either impeding her mobility or forcing her back.
Quick on the recovery, she hopped over the swing and landed on her toes, pommel of her weapon coming down in an attempt to strike Aegon's head.
Aegon, seeing Sicaria hop over the blade and the descending pommel, rushed forward to avoid the strike and directing a shoulder charge at Sicaria before performing a pirouette followed by a two-handed diagonal cut.
The charge caught Sicaria off guard and sent her stumbling out of range of the swing, though she regained her balance a short moment later and swapped her stance. Her weight shifted forward and her left arm was raised slightly, sword pointed down at the floor in a tight grip. "It's all coming back to me now." she laughed, a smile coming to her face.
Aegon twirled back into a high guard and he grinned back at the other Turian "Good. I haven't had this much fun in ages." Aegon set his legs apart, both arms gripping the mexta as he twisted the blade towards Sicaria and started slowly moving in a circle towards her left side, his eyes never leaving her.
She snicked slightly and kept an eye on him, weight shifting to her back leg again. "Not even with your wife, sir?" At the end of this comment, about when Aegon got completely around to her left side, she spun on her right foot and made a backhand slice at his shoulder.
She wasn't in range, though. As she followed through with her whiff, she repeated the previous action, except she launched for her opponent by kicking off the floor with her left foot. The distance between them was closed in an instant as she spun for him, hilt now gripped with both hands.
Aegon, watching Sicaria intently hadn't been fazed by the comment or her slashing feint, the blade passing by in front of him as he knew it would. Watching his opponent tense, he wondered what she could be planning. She leaped at him, sword flashing in a whirling slice and if Aegon hadn't been a master duelist and the recipient of extensive gene modifications, he would most likely have been struck. As it was, his enhanced and honed reflexes just barely averted the blow. In a flash, Aegon's sword intersected between himself and Sicaria and there was a clarion ring as the steel clashed.
Aegon hadn't expected Sicaria to be quite so aggresive, but he adjusted. Not giving Sicaria a chance to recover, Aegon delivered a staccato series of slashes and cuts, focusing on speed over strength. His sword whistled through the air as he unleashed a barrage of strikes, his violet eyes intent on Sicaria as he moved unaturally fast.
She was able to keep pace at first, though as the strikes kept coming, she found herself making more and more desperate parries and blocks. He was turning the fight in his favor, and she was quickly falling behind his pace, so that gave her few options to try and gain an upper hand. Before she knew it, there was a swing coming for her she simply couldn't manuver her sword in to block, so she was left only with a slim chance at a stupid plan.
The female dropped her center of balance and brought her left hand to meet with her attacker's sword hand and simultaniously swung up at the Drakolix with her weapon.
Aegon calmly kept up the offense, sure that Sicaria would soon buckle. Indeed she did and Aegon thought a quick victory was likely imminent. But another part of him reminded that part that Sicaria was unconventional and determined. He couldn't predict what she would do, but she would likely try something.
She raised her hand to block his sword hand and Aegon was somewhat thrown off by the desperation move. Then he saw the sword flashing toward him and understood. Aegon abandoned the next strike and rolled back, coming into a guard and putting distance between himself and his opponent.
Aegon was visibly impressed, "Interesting strategy. Risky. But rewarding. Aegon was cautious now, knew that Sicaria was resourceful and cunning. He had all the physical advantages but he could not discount her. But she was starting to look a but worn down.
Aegon said, "If you need a break, we can take a few minutes Vellinian. Let you catch your breath." He kept up his guard and waited to see if she would make a move.
With another smile creeping onto her face, she fell off her toes and lowered her sword. "I'll take you up on that offer, sir." She set the weapon down a few feet from the bottle of Cipritine Gold from earlier before leaning on the surface, legs crossing. "Been a long time since I've held a sword. It feels good to again." She started breathing through her mouth, filling her lungs with as much oxygen as possible.
Aegon smiled and sheathed the sword, leaning the weapon against a couch as he sat next to her. His adrenaline was up and he was breathing a bit quicker than usual, but he wasn't as exerted as her. He trained almost every day and it would have taken a much longer duel for fatigue to have started to settle in.
"It's been a long time since I've had a proper sparring partner. Visenya is more of a knife enthusiast and father is getting a bit old for the game. But you have natural talent Sicaria. A little rusty perhaps, but good instincts. Proper training and you'd be solid duelist material." Aegon retrieved a canteen of water, offering it to Sicaria while he pointed towards a wall that held several accolades, trophies, and medals, focusing in on a small silver piece, "That's from my first tournament. I was fourteen and I came in second out of all the other students. Of course that wasn't good enough for me. Rhaenys Coronati, my cousin, was the one who beat me. And I thank her for it. Without that, I don't think I would have trained so hard. Day and night, constantly." He indicated a long row of other tournament trophies, all gold.
Aegon looked at Sicaria, "Any time you feel like honing your skills, you can try and see if I'm available. I can start to teach you some traditional styles, increase your skill base. How's that sound?"
While he spoke, Sicaria was looking through his trophy cabinet. Everything was incredibly impressive, statues and medals making him out to be a truthful and legal variation of a Jay Gatsby. "Swordfighting lessons from the legendary Aegon Partinax? You'd have to kill me to make me say no. Question is, is there anything I can offer in return?" She tore her eyes away from the accolades and turned to face the taller Turian. "And don't say my loyalty, you already have that, sir."
Aegon smiled, "Then it's settled. Any time we're both free, we can set out an hour or two to for training. But fair warning, Vellinian, walking the path of the sword is no easy feat. It'll be like boot camp all over again. Except with less profanity and more injuries. It won't be anything you can't handle though." He was a bit taken aback by her declaration of loyalty, unused to such proclamations. His face was difficult to read. He could have been embarassed. Confused. Or even thankful.
All he could do was nod, looking down at Sicaria and staring right into her eyes, "Thank you Sicaria. It's an honor to have you on the team." Aegon was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say, "I can't ask anything further from you Sicaria. You're willing to give your life the cause, even though the cause thinks of you as a traitor. That kind of dedication is as precious as anything. But... if you don't have any engagements, perhaps you'd like to stay for a bit? No dueling. Just the two of us."
"I'd be glad to, sir. Though I have a meeting with Koriandr in..." she paused to check her omni-tool, navigating through a few things until she found a clock. "...about forty-five minutes. Gotta get all my medical information updated." Her elbows found their ways onto the counter as she slipped a little lower, looking around the room and taking everything in for the first actual time.
"If you have any questions for me, now's the time, sir."
Aegon indicated the couch, "Here, we can get more comfortable. Ha, do I look like a human? Full of personal inquiries and probing questions? Hmm. How have you found life outside of the Hierarchy? Is it any better than life within it?" Aegon finally seemed to relax somewhat, sitting on the couch and not being quite so rigid. He still didn't put on a shirt either.
Sicaria, on the other hand, went to recover her shirt. She slipped back into it as she answered. "There's certainly a lot more freedom outside, but I wouldn't call it a worthy trade. Omega's a hellhole, and the ends of the Wards aren't much better." She paused as she sat down on the opposite end of the sofa, legs crossing neatly. "But it changes something in everyone that stays there for long enough. Breaks them down and rebuilds them differently, you could say."
Aegon poured himself a glass. Not wine, though. A fruit juice. Real tupo berry juice straight from the Kilika highlands. He offered some to Sicaria as he said. "Like boot camp in a way. You should have seen me before I started basic. But how did Omega change you?"
She accepted the drink and set it down on the end table beside her, smirking lightly at the thought of Aegon being a rambunctious young Turian with a gun. "It brought me to my lowest, put me against odds nearly as impossible as us against the Reapers." She stopped to sip her drink, right hand settling into her lap. "Though I did find out that a lot of other races like us just as much as the Asari, in terms of physicallity." The female chuckled to herself briefly, looking down at the floor.
"If I may ask, what were you like before basic?"
Aegon smirked at the comment before gazing up at the ceiling, his mind drifting back to his youth, "Truth be told? I was a complete hothead. No regard for the rules. No respect. No sense of limitations. I was too smart for my own good and my mouth was as quick as my sword hand is now. I can't even tell you how many times I made my parents nearly go crazy. I got into a fight with a group of older boys once. Completely avoidable, but I ended up with a black eye and more bruises than I could count. One of them lost a tooth. And I had absolutely no regrets. They were picking on a Nardaki kid, calling him a servant. And I faced them down without a second thought. I marched to the beat of my own drum. Boot straighted me out a little.
Aegon smiled, remembering his impeteous younger self, "What about you?"
She sipped her drink again, smiling at the story. Even when he was young, Aegon seemed a paragon in his own right. "I would've done the same thing. But me? I was a lost kid before boot camp, troubled past and everything. But I survived, and came out tougher for it." She sighed lightly, turning the glass slightly and watching the juice move around. "My uncle was a deadbeat, a burnout that peaked during his service that did nothing but hire prostitutes and drink all day. So, basic saved me, really. Anything's better than stepping over beer cans to get to your room." She looked up and splayed both mandibles in a shrug.
"It jaded me to almost everything, though. So it worked out."
Aegon listened attentively, but knowing not to belittle Sicaria by showing pity. Aegon had grown up privileged, with everything he could have needed. He sometimes forgot that not all Turians grew up that way. He raised a glass in acknowledgement, "But not to the Hierarchy. You still believe in Sacrifice. Duty. Loyalty. Brotherhood. If you ask me, you're a romantic."
He swilled everything in his glass a little, "How did things work out with your girlfriend? Is she alright with you serving again?
Sicaria swallowed hard at this question, sitting silent for a long moment. While she had been flattered by Aegon seconds before, she was now in an awkward position. She responded in a low, weak voice. "She had her worries, but... we broke up this morning. I'll spare you the details." Her glass was returned to the end table and she readjusted herself to face the male a little more.
Aegon frowned, putting the glass down, "I'm sorry Sicaria, I didn't know. I won't press you for details. How do you feel?" Aegon felt a bit uncomfortable. This kind of heart to heart was just not his forte. But he felt somehow obligated to try, "I know how hard it can be to balance the soldier's life with a love life."
She sighed before responding, looking up at him with dull eyes. "I lied when I said Omega brought me to my lowest. You're seeing me at it right now..." She let herself slump down in the seat a bit before continuing. "Though looking back, it became almost nothing but meaningless sex after the first year. Maybe it was a good thing we parted, and Alria's helping me work through it. She's a saint, I swear, just trying everything she can to make everyone's day better." There was almost a visible longing in her eyes now, like the mere mention of the girl had brightened her up again.
Aegon said nothing, listening and letting Sicaria talk. He didn't know the words to help her, but he thought an ear would still be something. After a moment of intense internal debate, wherein Aegon contended with both a sense of awkwardness and regulations against fraternization, Aegon leaned over towards Sicaria and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You're back with the Hierarchy now. You're in my team. That means you're one of us and always will be. And that I'll be here to help in any way I can." Aegon had said those words before. He always meant them. And he almost always failed them. Would this time be any different? He didn't know, but he had to try.
These words brought a light smile to her face, looking up at the fellow Turian. "Thank you, sir." She pulled him into a fleeting hug before letting go and standing up.
"I should be on my way, just drop me a message if you need me for anything. Or get Talos to yell at me, whichever you feel is appropriate." With this, she retrieved her hoodie and slipped it on before heading for the door, leaving to attend to other less significant matters.
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