"And who will my contact be?' Soarise Grae asked, crossing her long legs elegantly. Bored, she looked at the cuticles on her smooth hands. Darth A'cost clasped his hands on top of his black wood desk.

"You're familiar with him. It's Captain Malavai Quinn,"

Soarise jerked her head up, no longer concerned with her manicure. A'cost's face was smug at her reaction, "I knew you'd recognize him. After the incident on Balmorra, your recommendations got him promoted to captain on Tear Point station. I'm sure he remembers you as well," Soarise took a deep breath to calm the blood rushing to her cheeks.

She'd probably never forget Quinn. It had been months, almost a year now, since she had seen him. Before she left, she had been speaking with him in the base's cantina, the only building still standing after a brutal ambush. He was usually reserved, but as he drank the whiskey, he became much looser. She tried to comfort him from his devastation of the loss of his troops, but her actions must have been misinterpreted by the tipsy officer because without warning, he had kissed her firmly on the mouth. Suddenly sober, he apologized and left flustered. Her lips still tingled at the memory.

A'cost watched her, his keen predator eyes staring her down. The Togruta Sith always seemed to be able to tell watch she was thinking, no matter how hard she tried to conceal her emotions. Soarise braced herself for a scolding or a threat, but he said nothing about it, "You will go there and confer with him. He's been doing a preliminary investigation and will fill you in on the details. Admiral Serv will be your superior, so report whatever findings to him. Your goal is not to solve the mystery, but you are to decide if Desmia is behind it. The station is a strategic point to guarding a planet where a Rakata archaeological site is being excavated, which as we know, is something Desmia is extremely interested in,"

"And should I find her, do I have permission to engage her?"

"The question should be 'are you prepared this time?'" He replied.

She winced at the bluntness of his response. After spending years training and hunting Desmia, Soarise was defeated the first time she found the rogue witch. A'cost was surprisingly merciful by not punishing her, but he warned her that should she fail again, he will not be so kind. She knew he would not kill her or physically maim her because he had spent too much time training her as his personal bodyguard, but she also knew there were countless other ways to torture her.

"So, Soarise, do you think you can handle it this time?"

"Yes, Master," She nodded, standing up, "You will not be disappointed," She turned, leaving his office, but she could feel the heat of his golden eyes boring into the back of her head.

"Don't fail this time," He warned her. A shiver crept up her spine. His voice was dangerous; she could almost hear the sounds of torture in his tone.