#pretine

MANDALORE'S SCANDALOUS SECRET Satine Kryze Exposed!

7956.07.23

In the wake of rampant speculation regarding the parentage of Duchess Satine's "nephew" Korkie, our noble publication found it highly suspicious that for once the royal Public Relations team did not make an attempt to quell rumours of the House Kryze scion being the secret love child of Duchess Satine and renowned Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi. Given the House's long assertion that Korkie is the son of the Duchess' older sibling (whose name was struck from House records due to their involvement in the Clan Wars against Duke Adonai's express wishes [see page 7, "Disgraced Kryze Heir Resurfaces"]), this lack of action was suspect enough to warrant further investigation.

Upon deeper review, the evidence for both House Kryze's claim of Korkie being the Duchess' nephew and the speculation of a secret Jedi love child fall apart. The Clan Wars lasted from '917 to '935 CRC, and Duke Adonai's tragic loss occurred in '933, before which he had disinherited his original heir and named Satine his successor. Duchess Satine was under Jedi protection for the last year of the Wars and some months into the Reconstruction. An inside source confirmed that between '935 and their reunion earlier this year [source], the Duchess and Jedi Kenobi had no contact, even via comms.

Neither of these sets of dates align with the birth of Korkie Kryze in mid- '939. The Duchess' exiled older sibling is unlikely to have sent their child to their father's House on Kalevala, and the Duchess' lack of contact with Kenobi removes the Jedi Master from the equation. Some have speculated that young Kryze is in fact the son of the Duchess' estranged sister, Bo-Katan, but the half-sisters (see page 8, "The Indiscretions of Lady Audette") bear little love for each other and it's unlikely that Lady Bo-Katan, who has not been disowned despite her loyalty to Death Watch, would leave any child of her own behind. Additionally, young Kryze bears far greater resemblance to Duchess Satine than he does to Lady Bo-Katan, although the Kryze red hair (see page 3, "Duchess Satine's Hair Color Secrets") breeds true. It seems clear that Korkie Kryze is the secret love child of the stubbornly unmarried Duchess. But if his father cannot be Jedi Kenobi, who might it have been?

Records from 7938 may provide an answer. Three years after the end of the Clan Wars, after a heated governing rights contention covered by this publication [source], Duchess Satine was invited to the inaugural celebration of one Pre Vizsla as governor of Concordia. While the inauguration itself lasted only a day, the Duchess and her entourage remained on the moon for over a month, ostensibly to review the damages from the war and to advise the new government on its options for reconstruction [source]. An inside source who declined to be named admitted that the Duchess did take a number of advisory trips to visit with Governor Vizsla over the next few months, but then halted their association as quickly as it had begun in early '939, some five months prior to the recorded birthdate of Korkie Kryze. That the Duchess might be drawn to the charismatic governor is no mystery; Satine Kryze has a history of attraction to men who disagree with her ideals (see page 5, "The Contentious Lovers of Duchess Kryze"). The two appear to have at least parted on cordial terms: eyewitness reports from their few meetings since '939 suggest there may still be some warm feelings between them. 

It's no surprise that Duchess Satine would attempt to hide the presence of a love child with Governor Vizsla: the role his father, Tor Vizsla, claimed as the leader of Death Watch and instigator of the Clan Wars is no secret. If the Governor were so inclined, he could assert his rights as the father to gain a role as Duke-Regent of Mandalore until Korkie Kryze's ascension -- a condition the Duchess would never tolerate, given recent revelations that Governor Vizsla has been arming and supplying Death Watch remnants on Concordia for the past twenty-one years. It remains to be seen if Pre Vizsla will follow his father's footsteps and make a play for the Mandalorian throne, or if he will attempt to woo the Duchess back to his side for their son's sake. 

"Whyyyy?" Petya protests.  "He's so nice!"

"He's a pest," Oreno retorts.  "Bo, come on, back me up."

Next to Satine, Bo-Katan hums thoughtfully.  "He's kind of a pest.  But I like his eyes, so... I'd kriff him."

"Traitor," Oreno rolls her eyes.  "OK, my turn.  Umm… oh, hah!  Pre Vizsla."

"Kriff!"  "Kriff in a heartbeat."  "Hell yes,  kriff."

"Murder with prejudice," Satine growls, picking her face up off the tabletop to glare at Oreno, "which you damn well know."

"But he's so pretty," Vera sighs.

"He's a menace," Satine hisses.  "He's a strill-brained, muscle-headed-"

"Marry," Bo cuts in shamelessly, and Satine physically recoils at the idea.  Bo cackles and reels Satine back down to the table.  "OK, not really. But I would absolutely kriff him."

The others all laugh and cheer.  "That's the spirit!" Vera giggles.

"I don't care what he looks like," Satine sniffs.  "He's a baby warmonger and an aspiring terrorist who wants Mandalore to never have peace. No. I have standards."

Everyone stares at Satine judgementally, waiting.  She cracks.

"OK, fine, yes, he looks unfairly perfect.  Kriff then murder."  The girls erupt into enthusiastic squeals and giggles again, while Satine narrows her eyes at the idea.  "Painfully murder."

"Alright, alright," Vera calls them to order.  "My turn, my turn!  Ready?  ...Adonai Vhayc!"

Satine and Bo turn and grimace at each other in unison.  Girls night in their dorm is always... interesting.

~

Three or four years later, at her fifth peace celebration of the week, Satine is exhausted, infuriated, and just slightly tipsy, and when Pre stars-be-damned Vizsla sidles up next to her and starts making sarcastic, pointed political comments couched as polite small-talk, Satine very nearly carries out her long-held dream of murdering the bastard with her own two hands, sworn to pacifism or not.  He's only gotten worse in the last few years, spouting off about culture and tradition as if he gives a damn about the welfare of the sector or anyone but himself.  Satine very desperately wants to punch him on his perfect nose.

She valiantly excuses herself from the conversation and pretends to look for a fresher in her own palace.  Instead, she winds up pacing in the anteroom, hissing angrily every time she thinks of another rebuttal to Pre's latest collection of extremist rhetoric and twisted truth.

So when Pre lets himself into the anteroom and closes the door behind himself, looking smugly pleased and entirely ready to pick a fight, Satine has murder on her mind and passionate fury rising in her blood.  There's really only one thing to do.

Pre opens his pretty, poisonous mouth and gets about three words into another snide political observation before Satine cuts him off.  She grabs the lapel of his evening jacket - catching him completely by surprise if his frozen, wide-eyed shock is anything to go by - and unceremoniously spins him around and shoves him backward until he trips ass-first down onto the settee.

Pre grins up at her.  "Well, if that's what you're after-"

"Shut up," Satine snarls, pushing again until he falls back.  She crawls onto his lap, grabbing two handfuls of his silky, silver-blond hair and yanking.

"Make me," Pre coos, as if she doesn't have her teeth a few handspans from his pale, exposed throat.

"I plan to." Satine slams her mouth down over his, trapping him on his back in the cushions.  She doesn't give him a chance to start talking again.

~

Two months later Satine is curled up on her bathroom floor after puking her guts out, counting the days since her last menstrual cycle and cursing Pre Vizsla to every hell she knows.

"I should have kriffing murdered him when I had the chance," she mumbles to the rug.  It has nothing to offer in response.  If only that karking asshole could be so considerate, maybe she wouldn't have to worry about hiding the horrendous scandal her young, un-partnered pregnancy would surely become.

"Murder," Satine vows, thinking of how much work it will be to keep this out of the gossip rags. "No kriffing, just murder."  Pacifist or no, she's pretty sure she might actually mean it this time.

~