Malavai Quinn sat in his quarters several hours after Darth Baras' new apprentice had left. He was attempting to complete his daily work so he would be able to greet her upon her return. He had recently hacked into the Satellite Control Towers security frequencies and had every angle of the of interior surveillance on his screen. If anything happened to Baras' apprentice he would have to contact him immediately to alert him of her fate. At least one hundred resistance droids were stationed throughout the complex and the likely hood of her success was minute to say the least. It would be a shame to lose someone of her potential over such a useless structure as the Satellite Control Tower. Much of the building had already been destroyed during the war and the Empire was in no rush to completely take over the place. Why was this over populated area so important that Baras' would risk his newest apprentice to destroy it?
Darth Baras' had not given him any details of Lord Elaena's true objectives. He was simply told to inform her of he threats she faced within and the means of which to destroy it. Why she was going inside was none of his business. He could simply listen to the holocommunications between them or record them to view later. They were talking inside his quarters and it would be a simple feat for him to accomplish. But the risk of Darth Baras' finding out were much too great. Baras' was the entire reason that he was still apart of the military at all. He owed his career to him. He could not betray his trust to learn such trivial information. As long as he completed his job and Elaena returned safely then he was doing everything that he could for the good of the Empire.
Quinn found himself periodically looking up at the screen far more than he should have been. He had the alarms redirected to his office mainframe so that no reinforcements would be called while Elaena was inside. Once she entered he would know and yet he still kept glancing at the screen. There was a miniscule possibility that he could have written the codes wrong and then he would have no idea unless he happened to check that she was inside the building. Yes, that was obviously why he was behaving this way, he was merely double checking his work. He looked down at the report atop of his desk. Another surveillance team had been killed attempting to gather information on possible Imperial civilians hiding out with resistance forces in caves. He impatiently signed off on the report and glanced up at the screen again. It had been at least eight hours since she had departed. He had alerted many of the commanding officers on the planet that if a female Sith was found injured or dead to contact him immediately. Why was it taking her so long?
An extremely loud beeping noise filled the room as the control panel flashed red. A blue lightsaber flew through the room and impaled one of the more menacing looking droids. Blaster fire filled the speakers as Quinn shut off the emergency alert system. Elaena and a small blue Twi'lek walked through the front door, casually destroying the mass of droids charging at them.
"And here I thought Baras said this place was a death trap. I thought this would be more a challenge." The Twi'lek holstered her weapons as her master charged at a particularly large group of droids and pushed her fist in the ground. They flew backwards and smashed into tiny pieces against the walls.
"I'm rather thankful that they aren't, Vette. We've had a long day." Her lightsaber returned to her outstretched hand on its own and she took a swift look around. Quinn leaned forward slowly and a smile crept on his face. The Satellite Control Tower was a death trap of droids that she destroyed in mere seconds. He understood now why Baras had chosen her as his apprentice. At first glance she hardly seemed qualified. She was small and wore her hair long. Her features were gentle and her voice was kind. She didn't seem anything like the typical Sith he had encountered. However, she was obviously new, she was still innocent to the ways of the Sith and he expected her to change. Or perhaps she was merely changing her true personality to gain his affection. Although it was unnecessary, maybe she believed being kind to him would produce better results than threatening. He was a servant of the Empire and would do everything to aid her in her mission no matter her disposition towards him. However, a small part of him hoped this was her true nature and that she wouldn't change. A foolish dream.
"A bomb! You're been flipping around with a bomb in your pocket this entire time and you didn't tell me!" His eye twitched as the Twi'lek screeched but the Sith was giggling softly.
"Oh come on, it's just a little bomb, nothing to be afraid of." She casually turned the bomb in her hands. The Twi'lek screamed and almost ran out of the room. Quinn shook his head, she obviously had no idea that the bomb would not explode until he pressed the button on the receiver.
"Vette, I'm only kidding! Please don't be scared!" Elaena was smiling innocently out of the door as she placed the explosive on the base of the main computer terminal. Quinn stood up walked over to the holoterminal in the corner of the room and awaited her call.
"My lord, I have detected that the bomb has been placed and I will detonate once you are at a safe distance." He watched as she walked out of the building with her pet Twi'lek. His datapad went off suddenly and he quickly checked the message. Darth Baras wanted to speak with her. "Darth Baras wishes to speak to you. I will step away and leave the line open for the two of you." He switched off his terminal and sat back down at his computer. Quinn began dismantling his surveillance of the Satellite Control Tower as it was about to be turned to rubble. Another message appeared on his data pad.
'Brief my apprentice on Ensign Durmat immediately.' Quinn raised an eyebrow as he pulled up his files on this Ensign. What did this have to do with anything? Had a complication in his plan arisen. He transferred the files to his data pad and read them over as he pulled up Elaena's holofrequency.
"My lord, Ensign Durmat is being detained at the Republic Crater Outpost awaiting questioning by the mysterious agent that Baras has me tracking. I will alert you if the investigator seems to be heading there. I assume that you wish to get to him before she does."
"That is the plan. How is your tracking going, well I hope?" Quinn kept his face empty as surprise filled him. Was she attempting to gain information from him about Baras' other preoccupations? Or was she simply attempting to have a conversation with him? No, she obviously wanted to know something, why would a Sith attempt communications with an Imperial officer?
"I'm sorry, My Lord. Baras has my duties classified at the present time." Hopefully she would not order him to tell her, power struggles between Master and Apprentice was not something he wanted to be responsible for.
"Oh, I didn't know that your mission was a secret, I apologize." She was... apathetic? No, she was obviously trying to cover her tracks.
"Good luck on your mission, my lord. I will be here if you need anything." He bowed and waited for her to close the link out of courtesy. Baras' new apprentice was becoming increasingly odd by the sentence. He returned to his desk, determined to discover the message between the lines.
–
Elaena and Vette trudged into the Republic bunker late in the evening. She was sure she had ran miles across Balmorra that day, doing odd jobs that Imperial officers had begged from her. She was more than willing to help the Empire in all forms that needed her but on hour sixteen she wasn't starting to fatigue. Vette looked even more worse for wear than she did and she hoped that her mission here would soon be finished if only to grab a few hours of rest. Balmorran days were longer than Korribans and she had been working since dawn. She couldn't wait to board her ship and find a nice empty packet of space to idle in for a long nap.
"Okay, I give... my dad's an Imperial Agent..." Oh boy... Elaena had hoped that this son of the spy she was sent to kill would have at least a vertebrae of a back bone so that she wouldn't have to kill him. Commander Rylon, Baras' spy in the Republic resistance on Balmorra had told his only child who he truly was, and now Baras wanted her to kill the son before going after the man himself. It didn't seem right, killing someone because someone told them a secret. She was hoping that Baras was wrong about the son, that he could get through the interrogation without saying anything and she could let him go in peace. But it seemed that wasn't an option anymore.
"What was that?" A cyborg enhanced man stood up from his desk and walked over to where the son was pacing in his cage. And now she would have to kill the captor as well... this was getting increasingly messy. The young man looked at her as she walked in and terror spread over his face.
"Oh no... no no no no no no. S-s... S-Sith..."
"Take a look behind you, Sith. That's what two squads of the finest Republic soldiers looks like." Four shaky looking men walked up behind her with standard issue blaster rifles pointed at her. They were barely even wearing any armor and their head guards were up. Finest indeed...
"Tell you men to fall back, you don't have to die here." She knew asking them to surrender was hopeless. Five on two would seem like too big an advantage to just lay down quietly. But they always seemed to forget that she was Sith.
"Come on, boys. Let's send this Sith home in a body bag."
"Why do they never learn." Vette placed her palm in her hands and Elaena drew her lightsaber.
"It's a shame they don't." Elaena threw her off-hand lightsaber behind her and charged at the cyborg. The lightsaber decapitated all four men in a matter of seconds as their bodies crashed to the floor and her lightsaber returned to her hand before she landed in front of the man. She had killed the soldiers mercifully, none of them feeling a thing. She stuck her main-hand lightsaber into his stomach and he slid to the floor with a heavy thud.
"Zixx, come on, get up man!" Elaena reached down and looked for a pulse, finding none. "Please... I know why you're here. There's an agent investigating my dad and they're coming to question me about it. But I promise, if you let me live I won't say anything. My dad's secret is save with me! I'm a rock!" Elaena raised her eyebrow at him and he squirmed under her gaze.
"Really? Is that why you told this man who your dad was without any questions at all? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Yes, fine, you're an idiot. If you let me live I'll think whatever you want me to think. Please don't kill me." Elaena's heartstrings pulled gently as she looked upon the startled boy. He was probably in his early twenties and the only crime he was being punished for was being born without a spine. Some people just didn't have courage and would be subservient their whole lives. She couldn't kill him, he hadn't done anything to deserve being murdered. She hoped if she had children someday they would be treated the same way.
"Do you have an alternative solution? How else can we keep you quiet during interrogation?"
"Yes! Um... I was working here in the medical lab you know... moving medical supplies and making deliveries. The doctors there were working on a drug to create amnesia. It wiped the mind totally clean. If you bring me some from the labs down the hall I'll overdose and not know nothin' no more." Elaena pondered the possibility. If this drug did exist then she could let him live but he would forget his entire life. All of his experiences, his memories, his relationships would be gone. Would that be worse than death? Having to start over from scratch halfway through your life? It was his choice she supposed. If he was willing to take it she could go retrieve it for him.
"I'll be right back." She had already cleared out the building before finding the Ensign. A small footlocker containing a glowing green pile of syringes lay collapsed on the floor. "Is this what I'm looking for?" She showed him the chemical from the doorway.
"Yes! That's it!" She handed him the drug through the bars of the cage and he turned his back to her. "Well, here goes nothin' I guess." And he injected himself with the drug. He looked a little worse for wear and he began to fall backwards. She quickly reached through the bars and caught him before he hit his head on the wall and gently sat him down.
"Urgh... where am I?" He looked around slowly and spotted Elaena. "Who are you?" Elaena sat back on the desk and crossed her legs.
"Who I am doesn't really matter. Who are you?" He stared at her with an extremely confused look on his face.
"I don't know... do you know who I am?"
"Don't let anyone tell you who you are. Good bye." She knew she couldn't let him go because he still needed to be questioned by the interrogator. She would just have to leave him in his cell to be extremely confused for the rest of the day.
"Wow... I wish there was more of that drug lying around... I have a few memories I would like to forget." Elaena looked at the wall for moment, a far away look in her eyes. Two bodies covered in blood lie on the floor of the kitchen, smeared hand prints of blood sliding down the walls, a scared red headed child crouching in a cupboard.
"Yeah... don't we all. Let's get going. I think we should go back to the ship and take a break before we go after whoever Baras wants dead."
"First good thing you've said all day."
–
Elaena came trudging through the door at the end of the day. The sun had already set and Quinn was nearly finished with the paperwork that had mounted on his desk just after she cut communications with him earlier in the day. There had to be at least twenty fresh reports of a mysterious Sith who had done everything from replacing grenades with rigged explosives to saving a platoon from certain death in the Okara Droid Factory. The resistance was slowly being pushed back into their base of operations and it was all thanks to this one Sith.
"I must be honest, your success at the Satellite Control Tower and Republic Crater Outpost has... surprised me, my lord. I computed the possibility of success as nearly negligible. In my assessment however, I computed the talents of a typical Sith. You are clearly not a typical Sith. I will adjust future calibrations to account for your unprecedented abilities." She blushed slightly under her extremely exhausted eyes.
"I aim to please." He had expected her to yell at him for thinking so lowly of her. Most Sith Lords didn't think too highly of Imperial officers' opinions of them. But he wanted to let her know that he was happy with the success of the mission even if she didn't care of his opinion. He always felt good work should be rewarded whatever the rank difference.
"Darth Baras is awaiting your contact." She shuffled uncomfortably at the sound of her Masters name.
"I promised Vette we would take a few hours to relax. We've been working all day. Do you think he will be upset if I contact him in an hour or two from my ship? Is the investigator close to our objective?" Quinn raised an eyebrow. Was she asking for his opinion on the matter?
"I suppose a few hours wouldn't hurt. She doesn't seem to have moved around much since you left the Republic Crater Outpost. I could contact Lord Baras for you and alert him that you resting for the upcoming battle. The Balmorran Arms Factory is the resistance headquarters and it will take every ounce of your strength to get yourself in and out." She did absolutely spent and from the reports he had been reading through it seemed she had every right to be. She had done more to break down the resistance in the last 24 hours than the entire Imperial Armed Forces could have in a month. Hopefully, Lord Baras would see reason and allow her a small rest time.
"Then I will retire to my ship, don't hesitate to contact me there if something comes up and I need to move out right away."
"My lord... I'm sorry to say that there was a rather intense arial strike near the spaceport earlier today. Most of the airships, including yours I would assume, were ordered to move out into space until the threat has receded to avoid unnecessary loses. Your ship will not be cleared to land until mid day tomorrow." Elaena's shoulders slumped, that was the last thing that she needed to hear. She had been looking forward to the large comfortable bed located on her ship all day. But it seemed the work of a Sith was never done. She would have to find Vette and go to the Balmorran Arms Factory now. Quinn noticed her sudden displeasure and prepared to say something when the loud Twi'lek burst through the doorway.
"They took our ship!"
"Yes, Quinn just told me. Looks like we'll have to take our break a little later than we originally expected. I'll make it up to you later, I promise." The Twi'lek voiced her obvious displeasure.
"My lord, if I may suggest..." He waited for the Twi'lek's groans to subside before continuing. "You are more than welcome to rest in my quarters for the time being while I attempt to recall your ship. I know it isn't as comfortable as your own living environments but it is the least I can do."
"Wow... didn't know you were that kind of girl, Elaena. Staying over on the first date..." Quinn's mind merely collapsed under those sentences. She dared call her master by her first name with no title? There was such familiarity in the way she talked to the Sith that he was sure he would have to call someone to take care of the body. She merely smiled at the Twi'lek.
"Quinn is cute but not that cute. Besides, I think I mean more than I one night stand to him, don't you think?"
"Whatever you say. I'd rather not be kept up all night by his girly screams of ecstasy so I'm going to see if the cantina has an empty room. Have fun you two."
"My lord... It was not a sexual pass at you... I was merely." She held up her hand and he immediately ceased talking.
"We were only joking. Or... at least I was, I'm not so sure about Vette sometimes. I really appreciate this. Are you sure I won't be a bother?" She was worried about inconveniencing him?
"Not at all, my lord. I am here to service you in any way that you need. I will try to make my barracks as comfortable as possible for you. Do you have noise or temperature preferences?"
"No, not at all. You're doing so much for me already I couldn't possibly ask for more. Just point me to the cot you make me and I'll try to be out of your way as quickly as possible." She expected to take a small corner of the floor with some blankets or a pillow. He lead her into his room and she couldn't help but look around. Everything was in neat little squares and it seemed as if there wasn't a speck of dust in the place. A pair of bunk beds were built into the eastern wall and she couldn't tell which one he slept in. They both looked completely spotless as if they had just been installed that day.
"You can have your choice of beds, my lord."
"What...? Oh no I can't possibly do that! I was just going to get some blankets and take a nap on the floor."
"Why would I allow you to do that... you are a Lord of the Sith."
"I'm just an apprentice..." Quinn could not understand why she thought that she would be sleeping on the floor. This one was definitely an odd one. "Which bunk do you normally sleep in."
"I generally sleep on the lower bunk, my lord."
"Well then I will sleep on the top bunk. Wouldn't want to take your bed." She looked as if she had something more to say.
"Is there something else I can do for you, my lord?" Elaena blushed and looked at her feet. Her stomach growled on queue as if worried it would not be filled if it didn't make its needs known public ally. Quinn smiled gently, she was nervous about asking for something to eat.
"The cantina nearby supplies us with our rations. Their bantha steaks aren't exactly five star cuisine but hopefully it will suffice..."
"Oh that should be more than enough... do they have any seafood perhaps?" She had a weak spot for fish and wasn't really a red meat person.
"Of course, my lord. Excuse me, please make yourself comfortable." Elaena contacted the cantina to make sure Vette had checked in safely and had 2V, the droid that came with the ship she was given, send her some articles of clothing to sleep in. She quickly changed and sat at the round table in the middle of the room. There was a large stack of papers neatly stacked in the center. She slowly began to tap her fingers against the glass. She didn't realize how tired she was until she had put her comfortable clothes on. Her brain must associate sleep with these garments. She could not believe that Quinn was so kind as to allow her to sleep in his room. If it were her she would have been more reluctant to open up her room to a complete stranger, especially if it were a man. But he was willing to just give up his bed for her. She rested her head on her arms as Quinn stayed stuck in her thoughts. He was so kind and smart and attractive. She would be willing to stay on Balmorra just a little longer.
Quinn walked back to his office with a covered plate of the planets finest deep fried salt fish. He couldn't keep his thoughts off of Darth Baras' new apprentice. She was full of surprises that he just kept stumbling over. He was used to adapting to new superior officers' needs quickly but it was much harder to anticipates someones needs when they didn't make them known. She didn't seem ready to bark orders at him like everyone else. He nearly dropped the plate as he re-entered his quarters. Elaena seemed to be sleeping on his table. Her head was on her folded arms and her long red hair was nearly spilling onto the floor. Quinn placed the food on the table hoping the smell would rouse her if she was merely resting, but she made no movements at all.
"My lord..." He laid his hand gently on her shoulder but she seemed to be dead to the world. He thought it odd that she had fallen asleep so heavily. Well, he assumed she must have felt safe in the middle of an army base. But still it must be off for a Sith lord to be comfortable enough in an area to fall asleep so soundly. After several more minutes of attempting to shake her awake Quinn placed a stool by his bed and picked up the sleeping Sith lord. She didn't stir at all in his arms as he placed her gently atop the upper bunk and covered her in pillows. He brushed the long red locks from her face and stood entranced for a moment. Without the natural barriers she looked much younger than she had just hours before. It was clear to him now that she had been made Sith much sooner than any he had ever witnessed. She was breathtaking in her sleep almost even more so now. He would admit that he found her physically attractive as a female. She seemed to be interested in pursuing a physical relationship with him, perhaps he would take her up on her offer once her work was finished her on Balmorra. For now, he would view her as he should, a Sith lord who was collaborating with him to achieve a goal. In all honesty, he shouldn't be thinking at all of pursuing any outside contact with a Sith Lord. He was an Imperial officer, a Lieutenant even, if she was at all interested in him it would be far beyond Divine Intervention. But something in the back of his mind told him he was wrong. She was no ordinary Sith Lord.
