Calm Your Nerves [Day 5, Late Afternoon]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Her black empty eyes snapped to Sylvain, "Mozt exzellent zhat I hawe had mein greatest dezire taken vrom me. All zhat great darknezz zhat I gawe her und kept none vor meinzelf. I adore mein daughter, but I long for zhe pover she holdz."

The dark veins seemed to pulse and grow as she spoke, her voice rising off the colonnade that surrounded them.

"I am vorced to be zhe wezzel vor zhe darknezz, yet get none of zhe glory vor meinzelf! I am praized und vorzhipped az a hold dark mozher, vhile mein child iz zhe true woice of zhe Umbră-Ușoară! I care nozhing vor invluence und respect, I vizh only vor a maztery of zhe Forze zhat I hawe had to giwe to mein daughter."

Black drops fell from her eyes and down her cheeks, while her teeth seemed to grind in pain.

[Sylvain Torsin]

He moved to his hand to wrap around her opposite shoulder and hold her tightly from the side.

"I know the pain of losing everything you desired... And through merely following the choices you felt would lead you to where you should go. But our fates are not determined in a moment. Our desires are not something that dissipate from setback. That passion that you feel... That drive... That will continue to serve you. It will grant to you strength that will push you to do things not possible. Your story is not over Jun-tsu... It is not in decline. You once showed me the importance of taking what you want by any means necessary. Don't forget that now."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

The inky streaks stained her cheeks and dropped onto her black robes. She felt numb suddenly in a wave of intoxication. Her face changed to reflect her shift, holding a neutral dull expression. "I...hawe juzt little time. Und mein vate iz var vorze zhan I had imagined."

"I had a wizion, maybe a dream," she relfected upon the memory. "I zaw mein dahrling grown. Poverful, ztrong, a new Emprezz for a dark empire vorthy of her. Ve zpoke of her glory, und mein vailingz. How I tried to be tender, yet ztrict. She complimented me az vize und cruel. I appreciated it greatly."

"To zee zhe vuture iz to valk a zhouzand pathz at v'once. Und to valk it v'one muzt not necezzarily know vhere v'one iz going. I azked her only v'one zhing. Iv zhe vaz vith me in zhe end. She said....zhe end vaz not peazeful, vrail in body az I vaz avter zenturiez, but povervul und knowledgeable in zhe Force. She vaz vith me, vith mein zizterz, und she intered me in zhe ancient mozoleum of the eaztern palaze."

New streaks came down her cheeks. "I azked only about mein deazh, not about mein life. But...I vear now mein wizion could ztill come to pass. As joyouz az it vould be. Mein dahrling newer zaid, und I newer azked, but...zhe Emperor iz povervul, und old, und vith knowledge beyond knowledge. I vear....I vill liwe, I vill outliwe zhe Emperor, mein daughter zpoke only zhe truzh. But zhat in zhiz trial to become hiz Woice, I vill become zhe Abyzz. I may inherit hiz burden, und muzt cage it avay. To be a prizon vor itz herezy. Und in zhe end....I vill not vind releaze into zhe Umbră-Ușoară."

She looked down at her lap and the half filled cup, "Perhapz I vill, vith zhe whole of mein live, be zhe vill of zhe Dark Zide...und be vorewer punizhed becauze of it."

[Sylvain Torsin]

He nodded his head as he listened. For Sylvain it was impossible to know the validity of any future visions, but he knew that she had seen them. He could see just how distraught his old friend was and remembered the days that had followed his decisions on Nar Shaddaa.

He rubbed her shoulder gently as she finished. He began to reply in a soft voice, tempered with the understanding that he could not fully comprehend her dilemma, "I cannot fully understand the nature of what you seek... I have never been an overly religious man... When I lost all that I thought I was on Nar Shaddaa... I spent the next few years wandering. I told myself I was in the search of knowledge... power... But in reality I was aimless."

He continued in the same calm voice, "Even now I struggle with maintaining a strong purpose or course. I have come to care for people and for a concept of the Empire I envision... I wish to see them endure. To become greater than I have been... or will be. I grasp frantically to find things that I can hold on to... Things that give me conviction."

His voice changed slightly to be more resolute, "I do not know if your visions will come to fruition or not... But to have a glimpse of your fate... To see the fight that is yours to tackle... That is not... all... bad. It is not a woeful existence to fight an impossible fight. You have all the conviction that you need. Difficult? Certainly. But a vision presupposes the possibility of action to achieve it; and action presupposes a goal which is worth achieving."

He squeezed her shoulder tightly one more time, "You have all that you need. And you have my support should you require any more."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Her face remained blank, staring skyward. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as a smooth breath. The black veins seemed to retreat, and ichorous tears began to dry and flake. "Zhank you, mein Lord. Zo I may become beholden to zhe Emperor, know zhat bevore zhat happenz I vill lay in place the plan for my inwitable release. All, I ask is, from afar, vatch mein daughter. But be cautious. She iz a creature of zhe Dark Zide, und vhile I may accept your moral....perversion, v'one day she vill not."

[Sylvain Torsin]

He smiled and chuckled, "I will watch her career with great interest."

He then patted her on the shoulder once before lowering his arm back to his side, "And will watch out for her when I can."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I vorry lezz about her zaftey. zhere iz little zhat can harm her in zhiz vorld, zhough zhe iz ztill juzt a babe. But more I vorry az she iz raized here, zhat she vill become a pawn to anozher. Newer zhould her vill be tempered, it iz zhe vill of zhe Dark Zide und it muzt remain pure und unpolluted by zhoze who vould uze her az juzt a zimple tool."

[Sylvain Torsin]

He nodded, "I will do what I can my friend."