Seeing - Chapter 2

This is probably going to be worst day of my life. Walking up to the doors of this bar I came to this realization. Nothing good can come of anything after I walk through these doors. She is not salvation anymore, she means trouble.

Up until now the reigning worst day was about a year ago when at the urging of Dustil I went on that date with the doctor from the research deck. It was after that date I that finally accepted what those around me had known to be true for years. She wasn't coming back. Sad thing was that it wasn't even a good date, much to the Jenny's palpable disappointment. Going through the motions though brought me out of a place I had been hiding inside for a long time. That night when I got back to my quarters I got shit faced drunk threw things and dissolved into some serious self-loathing. But then an amazing thing happened, I started getting over it. It stopped hurting as much every single day to just exist. I recognized that I should probably not be dating for a couple more months, but that sometime in the future I could see myself being happy again with someone. It's a hazy faceless someone, but it was no longer her or nothing. Sure I am different person now. Mission says I'm sharper then I used to be. Or "less rounded edges" she usually corrects me when I complain about it.

Then that god damn call came in last night. I thought it was just Dustil since it was late and coming through on my personal channel. It was blocking video though when I answered it and only allowing audio.

"Onasi here."

"Carth?"

It couldn't be. There was no way.

"Please don't hang up I need your help."

That voice. I had never heard that voice from her before, she was afraid. Really afraid.

"Where are you? What's goi-"

"Stop Carth just listen for once. I don't have a lot of time and they are probably tracing this since they know I would want to contact you. I need everything the Republic knows about a group called the Gar'un. Meet me at the cantina on O Deck tomorrow night. 11:00"

While she had been talking I had started tracing her call just as she probably knew I would. It was coming from a public port down in maintenance a couple decks even below O which were basically the slums of the station. One of the few benefits of being a station commander, I quickly entered my access code and over rode the camera nearest the access point. I could see her. After five long years I could finally see her. She was under a hood and I could only really make out her hands as she manipulated the controls of her screen.

"I need you to explain exactly what is the Hell is going on Cassie"

In the view screen, I saw her draw back the terminal and pull one hand to her face.

"Thats not who I am any more. My name is Lark, not Cassie."

I couldn't help the hard edge of my voice as I asked "Not Revan?"

There was a pause on the screen. I started trying to feed directly into the access point camera. I needed to see her face.

"…No not Revan either."

While I was looking for that other view point there was a burst of static and a loud bang from her line. My gut clenched, my reaction to her being in danger was never going to change it seemed.

"Shit, I have to start running again now"

"If you are in danger let me help you! Come to the top of the station we will figure this out!"

"Want to help me? Get me information; I am flying blind on these assassins after me."

I finally accessed the view screen. My camera activated as I did but I didn't care. Her washed out blue silluete was staring at the entrance to the hangar she was in, concern written on her features. She saw me when she glanced back and there was a look of consternation to her features I had never seen before. She obviously hadn't wanted me to see her.

"I will be there."

Her shoulders slumped in relief. Why would she have ever thought I wouldn't help her? What wasn't she telling me?

"I… Just… Thank you Carth."

The relief in her voice was palpable, but she seemed like she had been about to say something else. Why would she think I wouldn't help her? Wouldn't even be willing to meet or listen to her?

Another, louder bang, came through the audio. She surveyed the door and turned back to the view screen and to me and gave me that half smile I used to do anything for. But there was something different about it. About her. There was no sweetness in this smile. Just mischief, humor and something hard behind it. A darkness. It had become the smile of a predator.

"Promise I won't damage your station too much in the meantime. I mean it still needs to be intact for our first date tomorrow night. These assholes are good but they are cockier then Canderous."

Then she winked at me. The damn woman winked at me after being gone for five years. What was more surprising was when she took out a grenade patiently cooked it for three seconds at the station, set it down on the console, and then did a marvelous acting job at pretending to only just now see the three cloaked figures approaching her and took off running as fast as she could. With almost preternatural timing the grenade went off just as I saw the first robed figure pull even with the camera viewer. It was perfect.

"Transmission ended"

I laughed at that. The computer had a way of understating the situation. I would have a hell of a mess to clean up in about fifteen minutes when the information crawling up the chain of command finally alerted me there had been an accident on station. Then I realized what she had said before she blew up the view screen. "Our first date." What did that mean? This wouldn't be a date! She was in trouble this was me helping her. Besides our first date had been… It was… Taris? No you can't really call hiding in a slum and running through a ghoul infested sub-sewer system any type of date environment. It hit me, we had never been on an actual date. How had I never thought about that?

I was still thinking about it when I was trying to figure out what to wear that night which was ridicules. I almost called Dustil to ask his opinion. I almost wore that stupid orange jacket she told me so long ago that she liked. The only reason I kept it was because of her. Maybe that was not as good thing as I once thought it was. The long brown coat I wore when I wanted to be anonymous on the station would have to due.

Some date this was going to be in this dive though. The music was terrible. I checked for alternative exits before I looked for her, old habits die hard. But then I saw her from across the bar behind a massive Twi'lek. This was really her. There was nothing between us but a few yards. Why wasn't I running to her? Why hadn't I already started shouting at her for getting herself into trouble. For leaving five years. Something in the way she just stared back as if she was expecting it made me want to do the opposite. I was in a contrary mood after doing research for her for the past 24 hours. Calling in all sorts of favors I could have used to the Republics advantage. I motioned to a table that was a bit more secure then all the others and went to sit down.

She didn't immediately follow. She stared at me and threw back her drink. I didn't think I had ever seen her drink before, but there was no doubt she was a pro. Then I was extremely glad I was already sitting down as she came around the bar. When we were on the ship I had gotten so used to seeing her in her formless jedi robes. Even though I knew she had a gorgeous body, I had felt every curve and loved the sounds she made as I played my hands over everything that had once been hidden away. No one could fight like her and not be in shape, but you kinda stopped focusing on it in her fighting gear. I was always drawn to her eyes, her mousy brown hair in that pixie cut, the way she blushed when I flirted with her.

When this woman came around the corner all rational thought left my mind. She was in a sleeveless skin tight dark brown canvas armored body suit with some kind of metal harness that wrapped around her shoulders and her waist. She had a blaster strapped to one leg, and either a large vibro knife or a small sword on her other hip. She had a dark green short half cloak around her neck but as she took the hood down I could see her hair. Her blood red hair, her extremely long red hair. To top it off were the gloves and the knee high ass kicking combat boots. No curve was left up to the imagination. It was jaw dropping. She used to be cute, even beautiful, and those things that made her so were still there, but with these small changes the difference was astounding.

She looked deadly. She looked dead sexy. It wasn't just the clothes though. Her walk, as she stalked toward him, was the walk of a hellcat. No one would be able to save him if she decided he was her prey. The danger that was exuding off of her just made her inherent beauty all the more alluring. He was a moth drawn to a flame and there was nothing he could do. Then he saw her eyes as she drew closer. Those blue blue eyes that reminded him of the ocean every time he looked into them. Those beautiful eyes.

She knew I just indulged in an extremely long look and there was that smile again. There was not any hint of a blush on her skin and there was a lot showing. She liked the attention and I was intrigued by that. Problem was just seeing her, especially like this just made old memories boil to the surface. Memories of softness of her lips and her hands brushing through my hair. My body was responding to her nearness like a drug. I wanted her. Right now. My mind interrupted the wave of desire with a healthy dose of weariness that had kept me alive during the wars.

This was not Cassie. The woman sitting across from me looks the same but she is different. But just who the hell was she?