Author's Note

A piece for my Sith Legacy series, exploring the next generation of my original stories. These stories explore what happens to my characters after their stories from Star Wars, The Old Republic and the tales of their children.

Buyahk'a stared dispassionately at the human he was tracking. The man's thick black hair had heavy streaks of white and shadows of pain darkened his blue eyes as he moved like one shoulder was misshapen. His uniform was of the Chiss Ascendency's House Nuruoda, where one of Buck's uncles worked, but there was a small Imperial insignia on his collar. The Chiss Cipher had spent many days stalking his quarry, learning his habits and routine. Now as the man was running one of his usual errands for Buck's uncle it took no effort at all to pull him off the icy street of Csaplar, the capitol city of the Chiss home world, and into the dim alley.

"The more noise you make the more painful this will be," Buck growled, making sure the man felt the thin vibroblade pressed to his ribs. The man nodded and slumped in his arms, seeming to accept his fate. Buck turned him around, surprised at frail he seemed, but wanting the man to see the face of who was going to do him in. Recognition lit up the man's eyes and he nodded grimly.

"Doing this for her aren't you?" he asked and fury only worthy of the son of Wrath stormed through him. He snatched the man by the front of his uniform.

"The fact that you even think of her sickens me, you cur!" he snarled, "Now you've got me wondering how long I can drag this out." He pushed the man to the wall of the alley, using his forearm to cut off his air while keeping the blade pressed to his flesh. He pushed in slightly, letting it part fabric and graze skin but not do any real damage… yet. The man's eyes widened, but his hands only twitched uselessly at his sides.

"Should… been… mine…" he wheezed as sorrow flooded his eyes. The words confused Buck enough that he eased the pressure on the man's throat.

"What was that cur?" he snapped watching the man's face start to return to its normal palor.

"That's who you are isn't it?" the man asked, "Her boy, the son that should been mine?" This time Buck was shocked enough to let the man fall, but still angry enough to give him a kick to the ribs.

"You'd better start explaining, before I see how many ribs I can break with my next kick," he growled and this time the man seemed confused.

"Just what do you know, boy?" he asked and Buck grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pinned him back to the wall.

"I know that you scared my sister for the last time. I'm doing this for Asan'a, the girl you terrified. Who do you think I'm doing it for?" Buck ground out, "If there are others that think you deserve this then I'm just doing Csilla a favor by erasing you." Sad acceptance resonated in the man's ayes and he nodded again.

"It makes sense that they wouldn't tell you," he stated, "So you don't know who I am or why I'm here?"

Buck had recalled the firm set to his Tisci's mouth when Buck had first asked him about the lone human working for his uncle, the man who'd always seemed to be skulking about. Tisci had said it was best to leave some corpses buried, even though the hatred that passed between the men was thick and icy. He'd also warned Buck to not bring up the man to his Csen'ai or he'd give him the worst thrashing imaginable. Buck's Tisci was former Imperial Black Ops and looked like a hulking brute of a human but had never raised a hand to his children or even threatened to; for him to do it now made Buck take his words to heart.

However, there was something haunted in the man's eyes when he looked at Buck and his sisters. It hadn't bothered him until recently, now that the twins had grown into startling beauties. With long black hair, rich blue skin and glowing red eyes, they were carbon copies of their lovely mother. The way the man looked at them disturbed Buck more and more, but the last straw was when Asan'a had come to him weeping. He and the twins had a special bond so it was natural for her to seek him out instead of their parents when she was distraught.

"You should have seen him, Buck" his sweet Force sensitive sister had cried, "He looked at me and fell to his knees. He pleaded with me, told me he regrets what he did for Baras, to just let him die. When I said I didn't know what he was talking about he threw himself at my feet. His eyes…." She trailed off as if haunted by the memory, "They were crazed, all I could do was run. Please Buyahk'a, just make him go away."

Being a Cipher for the Empire didn't allow for softness, but he'd always maintained a tender place in his heart for his family and his sister's sobs had torn at it. Now he forced himself to remember those sobs as he looked into the eyes of the pinned man who'd caused them. They spoke of profound remorse, but something unsettling burned deep in the blue depths.

"I know your name is Quinn, but not why you're here. Why don't you enlighten me? Not that it will save you, but I'm willing to listen for now," Buck growled, "Pick your words well, they'll probably be your last."

"The girl you spoke of, your sister," the man sighed, "She looked like someone I knew long ago, someone I… " He took as deep of a breath as Buck would let him, "I made a horrible mistake and chose ambition over her, betraying her. Your mother, boy, that's who I thought had sent you to finally kill me." Buck wondered if the man was truly unbalanced, he wasn't making sense.

"Why did you say I should have been your son?" he asked and the man sighed again.

"Like your father, I was in love with your mother," a dim smile played on the man's lips, "We'd even discussed getting married. You and your sisters could have been my children if it weren't for my own selfishness." The smile left and his eyes grew cold, "Instead of accepting my apology though, your mother went to that crude lout… acckk!" His words were cut off as Buck pressed his arm back to the man's throat.

"Now you've gone too far," Buck muttered, as he pushed his blade slowly into the man's side and felt the hot blood on his hand from the deep but non-lethal wound, "That 'lout' is my Tisci and a far better one than you would have been it looks like. Csen'ai loves him as do my sisters and I. I should filet you right now for speaking ill of him as well as scaring Sis." Resignation filled the man's eyes again.

"Please do," he croaked, "You're only doing me favor. This is hell that she's exiled me to, a single human in a society that distrusts me completely. Going from a proud military career to being little more than an errand boy. Knowing that my bloodline ends with me, while the man I hate sees his flourish with the woman who should have been mine." He slumped against Buck's arm, "Just kill me, it would be a mercy."

In that moment Buck saw the logic of why his Csen'ai had let this man live. He had betrayed her trust, now he was with people who would never trust him. His ambition had damned him so now he could never strive for a better position in life. Finally, for giving up his love he was forced to see her in love and happy with someone else. Well done Csen'ai, Buck silently applauded her, he'd always known she was a strategic genius and here was excellent proof. He let the man fall to the ground and gave him another kick to the side.

"That was for Asan'a. If I ever see or hear about you looking at her or Nueron'a again there'll be more where that came from." The man wheezed but looked up at Buck shocked.

"You won't kill me?" he gasped and Buck shook his head as he kneeled to the man's ear.

"If Csen'ai and Tisci haven't had you killed yet, who am I to go against their wishes?" he said, "But know this, Quinn. Today you've created one more demon, ready to hunt you to the ends of the galaxy if you cross my family again. And if Csen'ai ever decides to let you die, Tisci will have to fight me for the honor of killing you." Buck wiped his hands on the man's dark uniform before standing, tempted to give him one more kick but decided to just walk away. He had gone about four paces when he heard the click of a blaster.

"You're just like your father, boy," the Captain sneered, "He couldn't kill me when he had the chance either." Buck turned to see him still lying on the ground leveling a blaster at him, then whipped out his own and shot the man in the hand.

"You're right, I am just like my Tisci," Buck replied coolly, as he continued walking from the alley and Quinn's howl of pain, "We're both crack shots."

Footnote

Hi there, thanks for reading! Just reminders (or new info for anyone that hasn't read my other Sith Legacy pieces)

Csen'ai = Chuenh for mother, in Buck's case Talon, the Emperor's Wrath

Tisci = Chuenh for father, in Buck's case Lt. Pierce

Thank you again!