Viscera woke up in a bed and touched the soreness between her legs. Her ponytail had come undone in the night, brunette hair spreading messily about her head and sticking to the chilled sweat on her neck and chest. There was a black sheet over her which she pulled closer to her chest while sitting up. She could see Jarrik's muscled back as he lay face down next to her. The transport ship drummed idly around her while she kept one hand around her torso and struck Jarrik in the back of the head with the other. He groaned looked up at Viscera with a brow raised.
"The crystals," she demanded forcefully despite having just woken up.
Only a grunt came from Jarrik in response. He pointed through the dim light to a card among other items sitting atop a round container. Viscera pulled the sheet with her as she stood and picked up the key. A thin veil of black draped around her as she examined the slim, metallic rectangle. Just when she was going to ask where the shipment was, Jarrik grumbled something about the cargo room. Viscera stepped backward then skipped from the room, heading first to the central area where a pile of armor and weapons was stacked around the table from earlier. She picked through to separate her gear from Jarrik's then removed the sheet to dress herself.
Minutes later she fastened her belt and jogged to find the cargo hold. The door slid automatically and her eyes immediately fixed on the large, plastoid chest towards the back. Viscera stepped over metal boxes and kneeled in front the chest, swiping the card and watching the lid click open. A collection of large Lignan crystals glittered within the container. Viscera scanned the contents carefully, decided this was what Tyraal wanted, then called to a droid in the room.
"Carry this and follow me," Viscera instructed and then stood to exit.
She returned to the center room to see Jarrik at the gear table. His lower half was dressed while the emerald skin of his naked chest and arms glowed under grated light. He turned to see Viscera press the button on the inner wall which operated the boarding ramp. Their eyes met for an instant until Viscera tore away.
"I am taking your hauling droid," she announced while finally pulling the lengthy mess of hair behind her head. Jarrik just looked and watched her walk off of his transport. Cool dawn air washed over her and the horizon brimmed with the promise of morning, in which time, Viscera would be long gone. She jogged toward her fighter, through the dimness of a barely risen sun, through the smuggler's camp with the droid rolling quickly behind her.
Luckily, her vehicle had not been stolen in the few hours she had been with Jarrik. Since she had not deployed the landing struts, the fighter lay flat on the ground with a trail dug into the dirt behind it. Viscera was beside it in the next minute and opened the small trunk compartment before waiting for the droid, which was not as mobile as she was. It rolled to her feet and she grunted while heaving the chest up to her shoulders. She dumped the plastoid container into the cargo space then slid the compartment closed. Once the chest was secure, Viscera opened the hatch to her fighter.
Jarrik jogged after her. "Hey!" he called out with his mask on and his voice-modulator in full effect.
"I'm leaving," Viscera announced while raising a leg onto the wing and stepping up.
"I'm going with you," the mercenary declared as he walked closer. "The Republic is still out there."
"I do not need your protection," she snapped reflexively, her scarce appreciation of his concern buried by disgust. Her dark hair fluttered as she stood on her fighter and looked down on Jarrik.
Viscera turned atop her craft, preparing to depart. Jarrik called after her, "At least tell me your name!"
"I don't have one." Viscera lowered into her fighter and the cockpit sealed around her soon after.
The craft powered up and Viscera saw Jarrik reclaim his droid before running back to his transport. Viscera looked upward and steered her fighter for the sky. She was perfectly vertical in a few seconds and was still dangerously close to the surface when she activated her primary booster. A shockwave tore over her compact ship and the atmosphere above streaked away. The blackness of space flooded her viewport and she witnessed what she had seen in her vision. Two cruisers surrounded by a field of explosions. One of them belonged to the Republic, stark white with reddish broadsides. The other belonged to her master, the Iscillus, aflame and even more damaged than before.
Viscera was stricken, both with worry and with a stray bolt as she neared the frantic battle. The droid fighters of the Iscillus tangled with the clone forces in a storm of ships and laserlight. Debris drifted in between the cruisers and Viscera piloted around it, taking hits while on a speedy course for the hangar of her master's warship. Her fighter rocked when a wing was blasted and reduced to shreds of scrap. She lost control and spun into the hangar, her fighter sparking and scraping across the floor. It crashed into the far wall and Viscera jolted in her restraints, which she undid after a moment of recovery. Because of the damage to the craft, she had to push open the cockpit manually and climb out.
She straightened herself and flexed to shake off the crash landing while looking around the hangar. Self-piloting fighters launched at regular intervals and ACUs scurried about while fires blazed throughout the hangar. Beside the Hrasskis resource frigates was the Republic dropship that had attacked the smuggler's camp, which she recognized through the pluming smoke by the blood smeared on the hull. The commandos came here after leaving the camp. The thought made her stomach twist and she turned on her heels to leave the hangar. The halls were dark and dim like always and Viscera ran through them while grasping at the Force. She extended her senses, so she would find the commandos before they found her. She sensed the clone rifleman around the corner and used both hands to blast him with the Force.
The trooper was thrown hard into the wall and Viscera saw him collapse before the sniper of the squad came out of transparent camouflage. She ducked under a ray from the clone's longrifle then swung a high slash. The sniper's head jerked backward and the sniper rifle clattered to the floor. The commando reached for his side arm as the arcsaber sawed into his helmet. Viscera clenched her teeth and tossed his pistol away with the Force. The vibroblade buzzed and Viscera pushed harder until eventually the blade sawed through the soldier's head. Red mist and the stink of seared flesh spread throughout the hallway. Suddenly, a barrage of blaster fire streamed toward her and Viscera angled her sword in defense.
The rapid volley flooded her vision with harsh cyan flashes. Viscera took a step backward, nearly blinded in the dark. She heard footsteps charging toward her. The stock of a blaster rifle crashed into the side of her head and pain cracked through her skull. Viscera cried out and fell, her strength completely abandoning her. A click of the rifle was barely heard over the pulsing in her ears. Her eyes wandered the ceiling, aimless and out of focus. She strained to remain conscious and thought she heard two shrill whines.
A flurry of bolts streaked above her. They burst into sparks and caused the rifleman commando to reel backward, with glowing holes in his armor. Viscera struggled to sit up and felt a hand under her arm. She looked up through the dark smoke to a sinister mask peering down on her. Jarrik helped her up and then looked at the clone solider who recovered and resumed fire.
Viscera stumbled forward and raised her sword to protect both herself and her mysterious ally. Bolts exploded away from her weapon as she deflected the shots. Jarrik leaned from behind Viscera and fired back - several bursts from both pistols. The commando clutched the burning holes in his chest and Jarrik wrapped an arm around Viscera's waist so she wouldn't fall over.
Viscera hung in Jarrik's arm and glared at the trooper. Anger burned in her and the Force quaked, urgency strengthening her will. She wouldn't let this clone be the end of her. Her sword dropped and she pulled away from Jarrik to throw a wave of Force at the trooper. As the commando reeled into the far wall, she trudged forward and grabbed at his insides with her thriving powers. The soldier writhed as if he were possessed, organs shredding and blood spilling through his armor. Viscera's face rent with rage as she clawed at the air, miming the effect she desired from the Force.
Finally the trooper lay dead in a mess of crimson and Viscera felt Jarrik grab her again. He held her firm enough so she wouldn't fall but loose enough so she could continue through the dim halls. The pair was silent while explosions and blasters sounded just outside the Iscillus. The ship rocked occasionally and Viscera stumbled, still off balance and half-dazed from the blow to her head. She limped and her thoughts were divided between Jarrik and her master. Why had Jarrik followed her? Would he be a problem to her master? Was her master still alive?
Viscera shook her head. She would be able to tell through the Force if Tyraal had died; at least, that is what she told herself while walking on powerless legs. The doors to the bridge slid open and flashing red light spilled forth. A dark figure stood atop the far platform with blinking emergency holograms filling the wall in front of him. Jarrik kept Viscera on her feet and they lugged along the catwalk as quickly as the injured Chiss woman could manage. Beyond Darth Tyraal and the erratic alarm displays, the Republic destroyer could be seen out of the large viewport, drifting slowly and blasting away at the Iscillus.
"Master!" she screamed over the sounds of war but Darth Tyraal didn't react.
"How nice of you to join me," the Sith Lord droned plainly.
"Master, the ship is under attack!"
The deep sleeves of his robe raised as Darth Tyraal slowly angled his hand toward the viewport, which flashed starkly from the Republic onslaught. His hand hovered and his ship shook with explosion after explosion. The Force shivered throughout the bridge as the burning Iscillus was showered with lasers.
"Master!" Viscera screamed hoarseness into her throat. Through watery eyes she saw the Republic warship hovering outside the viewport, relentlessly firing and deploying fighters. Viscera could feel the ship burning around her as her master idled in front of the window. Smoke threatened to choke her and the floor of the Iscillus trembled as if it were about to fall out of space to the planet below.
Tyraal's hand twitched.
Fiery whiteness flooded the bridge and a hellish shockwave caused the Iscillus to quake violently. Jarrik and Viscera fell backward on the deck and a deafening blast rushed all around them. A hundred thousand lives ceased simultaneously. The Force wailed.
"Iscillus." Viscera heard the cool voice of her master beneath the storm of noise and strained to sit up on her hands. Gradually the white faded, her vision returned, and her mouth gaped at the sight she saw in front of her. The black of space, the planet below, the Republic ship, all of it had disappeared within a gulfing swell of fire and wreckage. Blinding red and orange burned in the large windows in front of Darth Tyraal. It looked like the Iscillus had entered a star.
"Online." A robotic voice sounded above Viscera and Jarrik as they lay on the catwalk. Viscera looked at Jarrik to see that he was still looking at the viewport. When the blazing blanket of fire cleared, nothing remained of the Republic destroyer. In its place was a pulverized wake of gnarled metal and bodies, scattered and smoldering from the intensity of its cataclysmic destruction.
"Jump to the Tungra sector," Darth Tyraal spoke to his ship while lowering his hand gradually. Awe overflowed within Viscera and she looked back to make sure Jarrik was still beside her. He was, resting on his elbows and turning his masked face to Viscera, then to the viewport as the Iscillus sluggishly repositioned.
"Calculating…" the ship's artificial intelligence announced as the warship angled clear of both Ord Mantell and the Republic wreck. "Prepare for hyperspeed." The bridge rumbled for a few seconds and Viscera watched stars streak past the viewport until the jump, at which point she saw nothing at all.
Her vision returned in an instant but her other senses lagged, causing her to be numb and sluggish in the following moment. Once she was able, she moved cautiously to sit up. Her head throbbed and her limbs wobbled but she managed to stand just as Jarrik got to his feet as well. The displays stopped flashing and the alarms finally fell silent, allowing Viscera a moment to think. A completely different set of planets now showed outside of the viewport. Darth Tyraal stood motionless and stared out at the Tungra system while the ship droned dully.
"You have gathered a companion," the Sith Lord spoke with shadow raking throughout the bridge. The destruction of the Republic cruiser apparently had not fazed him in the slightest.
"Someone I met on Ord Mantell. I told him not to follow me." Viscera kept her voice steady and spoke an almost pleading tone.
"Do not resist your urges, apprentice." Darth Tyraal didn't react to the Mirialan like Viscera thought he would. "Indulge, and you will know power." He also seemed to know more than he was letting on.
"Yes, Master." She stood just inches away from Jarrik and tried not to fall over from the throbbing in her head.
"In fact, I have use for someone like him," Tyraal spoke then waited for the response. He must have sensed it.
"Sorry, 'my Lord', you aren't my employer." Jarrik shrugged and managed sarcasm through the filters of his mask.
"You will serve me, or I will be your end." The Lord looked to the side and his threat snaked in the dark.
"We'll see about that-" Jarrik began and a hand flew for his blaster. Viscera hurriedly grabbed his arm and positioned herself slightly in front of Jarrik.
"What would you have of us, Master?" she asked, overriding Jarrik's outburst and making sure her master would not have reason to act on his threat.
"Land on Sontor. Infiltrate Otair Hollow, where Saedan'iisa has sought guidance." The details of the location listed out on a console along the wall. It appeared to be a grand temple except for the fact it was upside down. "Capture her; bring her to me." Darth Tyraal gave his order and Viscera scanned the display to read the elevation data. The temple was underground.
"At once, Master," Viscera agreed readily. She waited and stood limply and her master was silent. After a long quietness she turned around and tugged on Jarrik who followed her down the catwalk and out of the bridge. The door slid closed behind them and Jarrik quickly looked to Viscera.
"What do you mean 'us'?" Jarrik's voice was made droid-like by his mask.
"My master wants you to go on a mission with me." Viscera parted from following the masked spacer and jogged over to the mangled remains of her fighter. Once she was close she found that the chest of crystals was gone, likely gathered by the droids who were now repairing her damaged craft. She looked around the hangar while walking over to Jarrik's vehicle and noticed that the three resource frigates were gone also.
"Last night was great, but I do business alone." The Mirialan activated the ramp to his ship as Viscera approached.
"So do I, usually; but if I hadn't said what I did, you would now be a smoldering corpse." The Sith apprentice was still heavy on her legs from her wounds and tiredness.
"Cover for someone else, sweetie." Jarrik stopped and glanced at the Chiss woman while the ramp to his Mauve-4 touched the hangar floor. "I'll take my chances."
Afterward Jarrik turned and stepped onto his transport, followed by Viscera who held onto the railing while boarding. She felt shaken by the injuries she had collected recently and was grateful for the softness of the lighting throughout the interior.
"Do you have bacta?" Viscera's breath was labored and her vision still blurred somewhat.
"Medkits are in that closet." The modulation faded mid-sentence as Jarrik removed his mask, then gestured to the tall cabinet beside the ramp which closed with a hiss. Viscera was near the closet already and only needed turn around to find the medical supplies. She picked up a medkit and opened it to find gel, wraps, various syringes and other things. While looking through the supplies, she felt a hand wrap around her side.
"Want me to treat you?" Jarrik asked, carroty hair complimenting his emerald skin. Viscera looked into his darkly yellow eyes but was torn from them by the dreadfully dashing scar that crawled down the side of his bold face. Her heart fluttered.
"No. I wish to be alone." Viscera put a hand on his chestplate and pushed him away. "Get us to Sontor," she demanded in a more pleasant tone than usual. Viscera walked to one of the rooms and could tell Jarrik was watching, until the door slid shut behind her. Soon after, she felt the Mauve-4 lift off and leave the Iscillus.