SPOILER WARNING: If you have not finished the Sith Warrior story and do not wish to know what happens, stop reading and find something else to read.
This one-shot is inspired in part by the famous quote from the play "The Mourning Bride" by William Congreve and in part by the final dialogue between Sir Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth, from a wonderful movie Elizabeth.
Of course the characters belong to Bioware but this is the version of the story as how I imagined it happened. Read, enjoy and please leave reviews.
"Heaven has no rage, like love to hatred turned,
Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorned."
- William Congreve
"Malavai." The name escaped Serena's lips as they curved into a faint smile.
She stepped off the ramp leading to her interceptor to find herself greeted by the captain's familiar uniform. His presence aboard the cargo ship was a pleasant surprise but then again the captain - her captain - had been full of surprises.
When they first met on Balmorra he was nothing but a perfect gentleman and an exemplary embodiment of an imperial officer's professionalism. She didn't know it back then but in time she would learn to appreciate not only his brilliant tactician's mind but the private moments they shared between the missions that Darth Baras and later the Emperor's Hand had sent them on. It was innocent at first - secluded conversations of past transgressions and future hopes. She wasn't sure of the exact moment she had fallen in love with the captain but when he confessed his feelings for her, she found herself reciprocating back.
And underneath that collected officer's demeanor she discovered a wellspring of passion and it had sustained her through all the torment Darth Baras put her through. The burden of responsibility that came with the honor of being the Emperor's Wrath had begun to take a great toll on her and seeing her lover again brought a certain measure of relief to her.
They had been apart for two months as she had sent him away to gather intel on Baras's plans. It was only a few days ago that she got pinged by Malavai. He contacted her alerting her to a blockade directive that Darth Baras implemented over Corellia that would shoot down any ship that would try to enter the atmosphere without the right landing codes. She was on the cargo ship now to retrieve the codes that would allow her safe passage.
She took a step toward him and as he looked at her with an expression of uncertainty, something told her that all was not right. He finally averted his eyes from hers, his posture stiffened.
"No matter what happens, I want you to know that I have no regrets about loving you. I only regret what I'm about to do." He used the same clipped tone when he spoke formally and Serena detected a hint of nervousness.
He reached for his wrist and punched in a code in the slicing computer strapped to his hand. Two panels slid open on the far side of the hangar, revealing hidden compartments that housed a pair of war droids.
The machines came to life with the sound of whirring motors and ambled out into the hangar, flanking Serena, blaster cannons trained on her.
"What is the meaning of this, Malavai?"
"You're on a warpath that you cannot win, Serena. Give up this crusade and I promise you I will do everything in my power to convince Lord Baras to grant you clemency." He implored.
His face twisted in a pleading grimace, she had never seen such a pained expression on him. It made her sick. And in a sudden spell of clarity she realized that the captain wasn't here to guide her to victory. There was never any blockade, all this was a trap and she was lured here by the person she trusted most.
The realization was like a kick in the gut, she felt the blood drain from her face as an intense feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. She felt weakness in her knees and her hands felt clammy. Her world began to tilt and she felt herself falling into a pit of despair as darkness encroached on the periphery of her vision. She was dangerously close to defeat and if she didn't do something this very moment - all would be lost.
She balled her hands into fists until her nails dug into the palms of her hands sending a jolt of pain through her body to get her out of the initial shock. She grabbed on to the feeling of dread and let its putrid waters mix with the fire of agony and churn into a maelstrom of white hot rage. She felt the force surge through her as she became a conduit of energies. The air around her crackled with the discharge of electricity and the hair on her head rose to the current of the primal energy that coursed through her.
She lifted a shipping container with just a thought and sent it crashing into one of the droids, temporarily disabling it. The other droid reacted with a volley of blaster fire directed at her but she let out a scream so powerful that it became her shield as it deflected the bolts. She charged at the droid, impaling her lightsaber into its core and frying its circuits. It dropped in a heap of lifeless metal in front of her.
She turned on the other droid but she saw that Jaesa had hacked off its cannons, disarming it and then she heard a single shot from Lieutenant Pierce's rifle and she saw its core shatter in a spectacular display of sparks and it too dropped lifelessly to the floor.
The battle was over before it even began.
She looked at the captain and she saw him standing with the barrel of his own blaster trained on her. He stared at her with conviction his eyes and then he frowned deeply as he pressed the trigger of his sidearm.
She easily deflected the bolt with her lightsaber. And then on reflex she shot out her free arm and sent him flying into the hangar wall with the power of a force push. She was upon him with a few quick strides and then she lifted him off his feet with a force choke without giving it another thought. She watched him struggle against it. His feet dangling helplessly, barely scuffing the surface of the hangar floor, and his hands clawing at the ghost hand that strung him up.
"By the void, just kill me." He managed to sputter out.
She realized then that killing his traitorous hide was too merciful. No, she wished to make him suffer for what he has done, she wished for his guilt to eat away at his conscience. She released her grip on him, letting him drop at her feet.
"No, I think I'd rather let you live." She was surprised at how sad she sounded.
"Is that wise my lord? Captain Quinn has betrayed you, he should be made an example of." She heard her apprentice say.
"And I will make an example of him!" She spat out at Jaesa to shut her up and to dispel any notion that she was showing weakness.
She spun around to glare at the stupid girl. Jaesa had walked up to her and was standing at her side now, her double-bladed lightsaber expectantly trained on Malavai. Of all the times the girl expressed her opinion this was not the time for her to second guess her master's wishes. Jaesa chose wisely to avert her gaze and take a step back with her head bowed in submission.
She turned to look back at the traitor, he stopped gasping for air and was staring at her defiantly again, that blue-eyed gaze boring into her soul and searing the gaping wound he had left when he stabbed her in the back. She crouched down so her face could be level with his and she grabbed him by the chin so he could look her directly in the eyes and see the void that he had created.
"He shall remain alive to always remind me of how close my enemies really are." She let her voice carry across the hangar loud and clear so as to dispel any further budding rebellions in her crew. She made it clear that she was still in charge.
She stood up again and took a few steps back.
"Lieutenant Pierce."
"Yes, my lord."
"Take him to the brig; I shall decide his further fate once I've dealt with Baras."
The lieutenant held no love for the captain and it showed as he unceremoniously brought the traitor up to his feet, slapped a pair of cuffs around his wrists and shoved him along the ramp that led aboard her starship.
She dismissed the rest of her crew and for the moment was left alone with her thoughts. She stood in the middle of the hangar, the remnants of recent battle scattered around her. She took a deep breath and as she let it out, a low guttural sob escaped her lips. Tears she did not know she was holding back ran down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them off before anyone would suspect her of such weakness. She was foolish to think that love was the purest form of loyalty and Malavai's betrayal hurt so much because she never suspected it. Love had blinded her.
She meditated on that thought for a moment, letting the raw emotion it elicited in her power her resolve. Darth Baras had gone too far in his quest for glory and she was determined to put a stop to his mad grab for power - now more than ever.
She spun around on her heel and quickly boarded the Fury. It was time to set course for Corellia and find the true Emperor's Voice.