Operation Arrakis/Brimstone: Music in the Night by Syl and Becki --- Sylvana slowly wandered through the castle, Fate at her heels, - a bit miffed at her Sabaac loss, but otherwise quite well. Life was relatively quiet nowadays... at least compared to how her first few weeks with Terra Group had been. She'd seen things, gone places she had heard of but never really saw herself to set foot. Life was so far different than she'd imagined it would be. Life as a country doctor was barely preparation for life as an agent... a soldier. To put it shortly, it was rather daunting, a bit frightening, and a lot... lonely. She had made friends, sure - though perhaps they were were better thought of as acquaintances. Other things she had learned, done - caused her to put a well-crafted mask in place. Most saw her as a mostly happy woman, a joker, someone who could find something simple and make jokes about it. She was a dreamer, though she'd stopped speaking of them now - keeping her dreams to herself. There were things she'd learned, since joining this world defense team, that she couldn't decide whether she liked. Some days, she wished she had never agreed to go with the Major to meet with Luke Skywalker - a daunting thing in itself to be sure. Days when she wished she'd never told him she wasn't afraid, that she wanted him to unlock the secrets that had been boxed and sealed within her mind. There were days when she hated Skywalker, for his seemingly innocent act of restoring her memory. Causing the remembrance of hate, torture, death. Though, now, it seemed to be one of the more constant ways of life she'd been tossed into. But, there were other days when she was grateful to him. Grateful that now she could remember her grandparents, her cousins. Remember the hidden island of her mother's people - people she'd previously believed to only belong within dreams of fancy. Remember... how to heal, or at least begin healing upon hopeless cases, people who would have had no chance. She rubbed at her head as she slowly made her way down the halls. That was one thing that continued to bother her. She couldn't be sure if the headache started when Skywalker had probed within her mind - or if it was before. All she knew was that it had to be one of the worst headaches she'd ever had. No matter what she did - she couldn't rid herself of it. She'd tried even several heavier pain medications to no avail. They may sometimes take the edge off, but never did the headache disappear, even for short bits of time. She'd even gone so far as to use the medical labs, and get a tech to secretly scan her brain. Nothing, no sign of even a tumor - which caused this problem to be even more perplexing, and downright annoying, than it had at first. Syl blinked as she put her hand on a door, it opening to her touch. Curious, she peeked in, then smiled. "A music room...." She stepped carefully inside, letting her gaze wander about the room. It was a veritable symphony of instruments, woodwind, strings... percussion. It was like a treasure trove - an apt description, seeing as she was within a palace founded by pirates. With a smile on her lips, she moved further into the room, touching gently each instrument she passed. Bass... Cello... Violin. There were several of these, but she felt drawn to touch each. As she went to move along, she felt she should go back. A viola, a darker colour than the rest, hidden among the violins, seemed to feel warm under her touch. And she felt a song begin its way in her mind, one she couldn't consciously recall, but seemed familiar all the same. Looking about like a guilty child, Syl picked up the viola, moving to sit in a corner chair, her skirts falling down over her feet to pool on the floor. Closing her eyes, she lifted the instrument and began to play. It was all at once joy and sorrow, hello and goodbye - a lilting melody in minor key. --- There were a million and one things to do, and Becki didn't care to listen to the helpful souls who insisted on planning it for her. She would rather not just sit by while her wedding took shape. Next on today's checklist was the orchestra. It had taken the year-and- change that Thayer had reigned as Dictator to even restock the country with the musicians to replace those who'd been lost in Eugor's purges. Now, just in time for the wedding, they'd finally found a conductor to direct the whole thing. Dr. Eidolem Klangfarben would arrive in the morning, so Becki wanted to have a look tonight at the music room he would inherit. The door was open; that was odd. And there was a faint melody drifting out the door, something bittersweet. Violin? No... viola. Had somebody left a recording on? Good grace, she hoped the Aussies hadn't left those Ewoks running free on this floor again. It had taken months to get all the instruments back in working order, after the last time. Thinking dark thoughts of Ewoks, she was startled when she stepped in the door to see that the viola was in fact being played by a more familiar face. Agent Doctor Lorrdain bowed the instrument, her eyes closed, a tear running down one cheek and an unreadable look on her face. Becki hastily backed up, but in doing so she stumbled into the doorframe with a faint clunk. The agent's eyes opened, alarmed. "I'm sorry," Becki hurried. "Excuse me - I didn't realize there was anyone down here." "My apologies, Ma'am," Sylvana stood, "I was only... I was just..." she chewed on her lower lip, obviously discomfited by the thought of having broken some rule or other. "You don't have to stop," Becki smiled. "I didn't know you could play. Hard enough on this island to find anyone who can. Eugor was apparently not much of a music lover, y'know. You know about Eugor?" she thought to ask. "I don't know how much of a briefing you'll have got on that mission." Syl, having gotten over her momentary startlement, put on a bright face once more. "Let's see...Pancakes, intergalactic hoo-hah, an attack on Coruscant, lightfight in Jerusalem, intergalactic loony bin. Nope. No Eugor on that list." Becki giggled at the listing. "Sci's slipping. You're going to live here, you ought to know the history. Make Thayer tell you sometime." Her brow wrinkled in a frown. "Or maybe not. He still doesn't like to talk much about Eugor." "Well, at least now I know he didn't like music much," Syl smiled slightly, chuckling. "Other than that..." she shrugged as she shook her head. "Thayer's uncle. Killed his brother and usurped the throne, tyrannized the country for a while 'til we joined forces with Thayer and turned the tables." She shrugged. Sylvana raised an eyebrow, gesturing with the bow. "So... you're marrying the Melancholy Dane?" Becki grinned. "I think I've had this discussion before. So, what were you playing?" "Actually," Syl flushed looking down at the instrument in her hands, "I don't really know." "Cool." Becki wandered toward the shelf with the flutes. "Sounded good for anonymity." "I honestly don't know where it came from!" Syl seemed a bit worried about that. Perhaps, it was because she did know... but didn't want to admit. "It just... I dunno, I kind of remember it from somewhere?" Becki nodded. "One of those things you can't put a name to." "Something like that," Syl nodded, half smiling. "I like it. Play it again?" "Only if you call me Sam," Syl said in a serious tone. "Play it again, Sam," Becki deadpanned in a horrid imitation. Syl shrugged, then chuckled. "That's the ticket," she said, sitting back down and putting the viola to her chin and closing her eyes. She paused a moment, trying to remember the remnants of the music as she could, then followed them mere moments behind notes resounding in her mind. Suddenly there was another note in the melody, a quiet clear woodwind sound blending in with Syl's strings. At first she thought the melody in her memory had expanded, but when her playing faltered a moment in her confusion, the other note went on. Syl opened her eyes to see that Becki had taken up a flute, adding a simple harmony to Syl's melody. The flutist flushed and stopped when she saw Syl watching. "No... go on. It sounds right," Syl encouraged. Becki grinned and resumed. As the music swirled into the room, Syl joined back in, woodwind and strings melting around each other. She closed her eyes, listening to how Becki's soft tones wove around and through her own sad and sweet song, and the memory of the music became fuller. Faces, she saw now. Faces of different races, Elenari... and Human. Together playing, a scattering of each on the two instruments, but yet only were they two. The music went on for some time, until the little light from a window high on the wall died, dimming the light to only that which was electric within the lower reaches of the castle. --- The green and silver R7 unit sped through the castle halls. This was... this was SOMETHING! The music those two biologicals were making was great, someone had to hear! Then, he knew. And so he was off to get Dis, he would SO appreciate this! So, as he was on his way to find the other droid, Fate tweetled manically as he sped down the halls. "Ow, hey!" Thayer hopped back just as Fate rolled over one of his feet. "Where'd you come from, droid!?" Fate rolled back, tweetling loudly, a datascreen coming forth from one of his panels to translate. -Oooh! You'd wanna see too! I'll bring you then I'll find Dis, c'mon!- The droid edged back and forth as though to draw him on. "Droids... they're worse than cats," Thayer sighed. Fate tweetled indignantly, -Are you coming or not!!!!- He shrugged, then followed, the droid tweetling happily as he led him down through the levels. As he got toward the symphony's storage room, a haunting melody echoed from the chamber, and along to where he strode down the halls. Fate bumped into him, showing the panel, -shhhhhh-. Rolling his eyes and stepping around the hyperactive droid, Thayer crept toward the partially open door to peek in, wanting to know who was creating this haunting music. Greeting his sight was his bride to be, playing the flute that so hauntingly wrapped its notes about the soft humming tones emitting from the viola that the Lorrdain sister held, her eyes closed as she seemed to be feeling the music, the usual smirk gone from the taller woman's face as she sat, replaced by a very sad, longing look. He looked back to his love, who winked at him, smirking as she played. He nodded, acknowledging that she'd caught his eye, and leaned back against the doorjamb, listening as the music echoed in the chamber. After quite some time, the notes Sylvana played began to lengthen, as though drawing to a close. Becki expertly followed her lead, and the last C sharp rang low through the chamber like a lost spirit's moan. "Thank you for playing with me," Syl said, putting the viola and bow to her lap and looking up to see Becki standing near.... Syl bowed her head. "Lord Thayer, forgive me for not acknowledging your presence, I wasn't aware you'd come down here." Thayer nodded graciously in return. "I wasn't aware you played, Sylvana." "Just a little... I lost my pan flute on Coruscant," she gave him a small smile and stood, bowing slightly once more respectfully before placing the instrument back into its holding. "I'll leave now." She made to do so, chagrined. "Don't go!" Becki insisted, touching Sylvana's arm as she made to pass. "You're not in trouble, I told you that already." "I, but well I... kgg ddtch kggt chh... hideaway?" Syl seemed at a loss for words, something that was generally uncommon, as she gestured toward the door hopefully. "Actually, we've need of musicians," Thayer told her matter-of-factly. "Would you be willing, should the Major spare you occasionally from your other duties, to play with the Mendellian Symphony? Not that we're trying to take away what free time you have, of course." Sylvana blinked, "So... I'm not in trouble?" she asked, seemingly a bit behind in the conversation. Thayer laughed, "No - weren't you listening?" "Besides, you can't do any more damage than the Ewoks," Becki put in with a giggle. Sylvana smiled slightly, "May I take time to think about this?" "Of course," Thayer chuckled. "Thank you sire - I shall put that thought as a high priority then," she replied. "Y'know, it's about time for dinner," Becki piped up. "Then you ought to go down... I'm not very hungry," Syl admitted. Thayer nodded, stepping aside so she could pass, "If you find you are, I'm sure the kitchens will accomodate you, Sylvana." "Yes, thank you." she nodded politely as she slowly passed, making her careful way back up toward her room, one hand pressed to her aching brow.