Chapter 13: Homecoming II

One whole month had passed ever since Sigil and Revan had rejoined the family. Rona was on Coruscant for senatorial duty. All it took was one month for some members to get jealous enough to pull such an act. The entire family had gathered around Vaorios' bed. The old man seemingly was about to meet his end and everybody knew there was going to be an internal conflict that would take place immediately. Many of the relatives were nagging him for the will which disgusted Sigil and Revan while deeply saddening Vaorios himself but he didn't speak. He was the glue that held the falling household together. Without him the system collapses and with Rona off world, it gives others the chance to take as much for themselves as they want. Finally after a long and painful wait for some and a painful wait and eagerness for others, his head finally went numb and he was declared dead. Many of the members didn't bother crying; some even had a wicked grin on their blasted faces. While Revan and Sigil held it in deep for a more private place to avoid accusations. Revan wasn't that old when they fled but Sigil remembered him very clearly and looked up to his grandfather Vaorios as his role model. Aspiring to achieve the same heights as the now deceased Vaorios. The family doctor took the body back to Theed to be put in refrigeration while a funeral was prepared. heading back to their quarters, they were accompanied by Orlean. Before Revan could go to her quarters to mourn, Orlean signaled for her to follow along with them. Following them back to Sigil's quarters, they stepped inside while Orlean stayed out and let them mourn silently for a while.

"Do you think this was planned?" Revan asking with a shaking voice. She always wanted to act tough in front of others even her own brother. But she had some people who she would mourn; one of them her grandfather. Although too young to remember much it was still saddening for her. "I have not a single doubt." He replied, with a sigh while giving her a hug. "I'm thankful and saddened that you don't have many memories with him." He sighed again. "Why?" She questioned with confusion. "I still need you to be strong in this period of time. So it is a blessing you didn't know him as well yet it's a shame you didn't get to know him better." He said while reminiscing. After they finished, Revan knocked on the door to signal Orlean to come in. Doing so ceremonially, Orlean stepped in. He walked over and sat across from them before speaking "Your grandfather entrusted me with his will." He began. "In it he stated that he knew that he would be poisoned any time soon. He told me to tell you that your entire family is made up of slimy individuals who care for nothing but their own and own family's fortune. It break- broke his heart what they became but couldn't bring himself to get rid of them; in particular he told me to keep a very keen eye on your mother." He began.  "Wider unity among the wider family is non-existent. His will is to be red in front of everybody following the funeral but you will get it early to prepare the ceremony. He made a second one to distract the rest. Also since he was an aristocrat, a state funeral involving other houses and their heads is expected; this includes the emperor as a guest seeing as he is the head of house Palpatine." Orlean continued saying. "While everyone is at the funeral, you must seize the opportunity to flee. It all but belongs to you two. Divided equally with the exception of the house which will be left alone." Added. "Why us and only us?" Revan asked suspiciously while crossing her arms over her chest. "You see." Orlean sighed. "He planned for you to flee." Orlean dropped the bombshell. "He what!" Sigik shouted. "He didn't want greedy, selfish and lustful individuals to take over what he worked so hard to prop up." He explained. "Why trust you?" Revan asked even more suspiciously. "I was his assistant and adviser before becoming a guard after he noticed my skills in combat with a bonus. I couldn't pass." He said, defending himself. "Doesn't seem to be lying." Sigil said mentally. "You're right." She agreed. "So to sum it all up, we have to attend the funeral and attend a fake will reading while a heist is conducted on the estate?" Sigil asked. "Yes." Orlean nodded. "By the way here is the real will." He said handing the will over. "He also wants you to represent House Trial and made it very clear to the rest before you arrived; seeing as you are quite charismatic and what your House needs is a strong voice delivered by an equally strong figure to snuff out rumors of infighting." He said. "Couldn't you have said that earlier?" He asked; his head began spinning as this new weight was placed upon his shoulders. Reading through it, they realized they had to take the money from the vault discreetly. "5cn!" Revan called. "Yes?" The droid said, walking over. "On the day of the funeral, i want you to break in the house while everybody is away and take the vault's contents." He ordered. "But that is theft." 5cn said. "It is the will." Sigil shrugged. "The only way to take it is via heist bolt bucket." Orlean said. "You have no authority to say that." 5cn said, shifting his body plates to reveal a blaster and pointing it at Orlean. "Fine. I'm sorry." He apologized reluctantly. Satisfied, 5cn reshifted his plates and concealed his blaster again. "If he is to take it, he needs an escape pilot however." Revan spoke up, addressing a big issue within the plan. "Hey, I remember an R-5 unit I used to own. What happened to it?" Revan said, answering her own question. "Oh that one! It is in the storage locker here." He reminisced. Walking over to the closet, Sigil opened it and indeed found an R-5 series astromech laying there. Reaching over, he took it out of the storage room and set it in the middle of the room. "Welp you were right. It is here." Sigil commented. "Although it will need some maintenance." He added. "How long will it take?" Revan asked. "Depends on how badly it was damaged. Maybe until the sun rises a few hours from now." He estimated. "Well, let's go to my workshop. Nobody visits that place." He ordered. 5cn picked up the R-5 unit and carried him behind the trio as they walked through the empty halls of the estate and into his workshop. "Alright while you three plan out the heist, i will get going." He said moving over and picking up a pair of noise blocking earphones. Disecting the R-5 unit, he looked through and inspected everyone of the internal components before laying them on the table. Finaling stripping the droid down, he put the power cell in the charger before doing a second inspection; Sigil saw that it needed major cleaning due to being left in a closet for nearly a decade. Dusting off the silk webs, dust and debris that had accumilated on the small astromech, he began peicing him together again. He was in a flow state. His hands, brain and eyes working toghter like the machine they were. He wasn't foucesed on the outside almost like meditation. He, his thoughts and the force were all there was. Removing rust and adding oil into the gears was hardly the challenge. Bolting in the final access panel, he pressed the activation switch. The droid beeped again after along time. Taking in his surroundings, Orlean's face was the only one it recognized. "Beep beep boop beep? Beep beep, beep? Bop bop beep?" It asked. "Why look at me? Translate droid." Orlean ordered of 5cn. Sigil facepalmed. "Orlean, he drew a blaster on you. He isn't a protocol droid. That's a disguise." He explained. "Then who's gonna translate?" He questioned. "He says: How long have have i been shutdown for? Why are you so old? Who are these?" He translated. "You know binary?!" Orlean looked at him. "Yes. Since i fled. It was useful to say the least." He answered. "Yeah he said he will teach me but i'm still waiting." Revan chimmed in. Sigil rolled his eyes "You said that it's boring and i don't want to anymore." He mocked. "Fine maybe i changed my mind." She argued. "So did i." He said with a cheeky grin. She rolled her eyes at him. "Let us not veer off topic." Orlean cut in. "Well you have been turned off for 9 years." He began explaining. "This here," He said pointing to Revan. "She is your owner Revan. And that," He said pointing to Sigil; "Is her brother Sigil. You will remeber if your memory banks are intact." He finished. The droid beeped in confirmation. "Wait droids don't forget." Revan spoke up. "They still need to decypt their memory banks." Sigil reminded. She noded in reponse.

"So what is your plan?" Sigil asked. "Well your droid can act as a protocol droid which won't be weird here. Going to the vault using blueprints I gave him, he can silently blast the guards at the door and sneak the contents out in crates, this time as a service droid." Orlean explained. "Carry that much?!" Sigil said. "It's mainly passwords and paper checks. Your late grandfathers, has the largest vault door by far." He explained. Sigil nodded in confirmation. "Fortune favors the brav-mmmm." Revan wanted to shout before Sigil placed his hand over her head in a panic. "Don't get ahead of yourself. We still to get through this." He reminded. "Do you have a plan for distracting the family as long as possible?" Orlean asked. Sigil looked over at him, "I always have a plan."

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