I really should be updating Because You Are Here, but I've been reeeally anxious to write out this part of the game. It only gets more interesting from here, considering we've got Starkiller heading toward the light side, and Balthier apparently going to the dark side. Good thing I'm writing two more of these stories. I like this plot.

I declare today as 'happy rave day', The Giant Daifuku! :D Yes, I'm slightly hyper right now. And it's almost four o'clock in the morning. I should probably get to sleep now...

"Poor boy, the Sith always betray one another. But I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough."

Balthier opened his eyes and forced himself to stare at his own reflection after hearing the Jedi's words in his head. Whatever good presence had been on Felucia was now gone, which meant Starkiller had succeeded in killing the Jedi Master Shaak Ti. Her last words were somehow heard by Balthier, and as soon as Juno wasn't looking, he dashed into the shower room and had to cast a minor Sleep spell to calm himself down.

But it was his reflection that made him start to panic. His eyes were no longer vibrant and brown, now more of a golden color with a grayish hue. His normally tawny skin was starting to pale, and he could barely make out the veins from underneath. He couldn't recognize himself, almost, as he peered into the mirror. When he gently touched his own cheek, it felt cold beneath his fingers and he quickly drew away, eyes wide. Yet when he stepped away from the mirror, a hand covering his mouth to stop himself from vomiting, he could just feel his reflection sneering at him.

It was unsettling, knowing that he was changing into something he couldn't recognize. He didn't want to imagine what would happen should he choose to continue down the dark path. In fact, he didn't even know if he could stop himself. What Juno had told him about those who fell to the dark side—they changed.

And he was doing just that.

The uneasiness and worry overwhelmed him, and Balthier barely had the chance to lean over the sink before he coughed up what little food he'd eaten earlier. His throat burned as he leaned against the cold metal faucet, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. Through his deep breaths, he heard someone lightly knock on the door.

"Balthier?" It was Juno. "Balthier, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm gods damned fine!" he snarled, clenching his fists.

She was silent for a while, and he almost wondered if she had left him alone. But her quiet voice returned, as worried as ever. "I thought you would like to know that Starkiller's back, and we're on our way to the Executor. That's Vader's ship, if you didn't already know."

Balthier groaned quietly, running a hand through his already tousled hair, and looked back to his reflection. No—he was only stressed. He wasn't falling to the dark side, or whatever the Jedi called it. His mind continued to soothingly tell him that he was completely fine as he splashed cold water on his face and cleaned himself up. When he returned to the Rogue Shadow's bridge, Starkiller was already there with Juno.

The two were sitting in their respective seats as pilot and co-pilot, though Juno had one of her hands tentatively placed on his shoulder. Her eyes seemed to brighten when he looked at her, and Balthier caught a similar glint in the apprentice's eyes as well. They didn't realize that he was standing there, watching them.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this," Juno whispered, her voice quaking. "Whatever Vader's got planned for you—I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

"By the end of tonight, you'll get that promotion you've been looking forward to," Starkiller assured her, the ghost of a smile upon his lips. "We'll both get what we want."

"At what price?" she hissed. "We're risking so much just by going to his ship. If Vader senses one thing that's out of place, we won't live long enough to see the day we get promoted." She drew away from him, shaking her head. "It's Balthier, Starkiller. He's...He's different. I tried not to notice before, but something doesn't seem right with him. Please tell me I'm just seeing things..."

Starkiller cast his eyes downward, looking toward the end of the hall. Just as he noticed that Balthier had been standing there the whole time, the Rogue Shadow exited lightspeed and approached a much larger space ship: the Executor. Balthier stumbled forward, in awe, and stood between the two seats. Juno seemed frightened by his sudden appearance, but turned off the autopilot and began steering the ship into the docking bay.

As soon as it was docked, Starkiller hustled out of his seat and heading for the boarding ramp. Juno stood up as well, and purposely avoided Balthier as she moved to bid the apprentice farewell.

"Just be careful, all right?" she said to him, touching his arm. Starkiller flinched at the touch, as if he hadn't expected it coming from her. "This still doesn't seem...safe."

"If anything bad happens, though I doubt it, take the ship and get away from here." He made a point of looking to Balthier. "Both of you."

The sky pirate only crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the co-pilot's seat. He nodded once, knowing that Starkiller wouldn't leave without some sort of agreement, and turned toward the pilot. Juno watched Starkiller leave with a small hint of worry before returning to her seat. Balthier sat down beside her, fidgeting uncomfortably with the cuffs of his sleeves.

"Juno," he started to say. "About before..."

For some reason, he couldn't find the means to apologize. It was almost as if he didn't want to. Balthier shut his eyes, grimacing from the sudden head ache, and Juno reached toward him. She tenderly held one of his weakly trembling hands.

"What's wrong?" she asked, using a similar tone of voice she always used when talking with Starkiller. "Balthier, talk to me. There's something bothering you, isn't there?"

Balthier shook his head. "I can't stay here anymore, Juno. I—I have to go back to Ivalice before this place changes me completely."

"We're going to help you, after Starkiller finishes with Vader's orders—"

"That's not good enough!"

Juno's eyes widened the moment Balthier's voice rose and she immediately pulled her hand away from him. He groaned, pressing his hands against his face.

"Oh gods, this isn't a dream," he moaned, shaking his head. "Ashe—why is this happening? What have you done to me?"

An Imperial shuttle docked right beside the Rogue Shadow, and PROXY came running—as much as a droid could—into the bridge. Juno peeled her eyes away from Balthier's rigid form and stood up, facing the droid. She kept a hand close to the sky pirate, knowing that he needed someone to guide him away from where he was heading.

"Captain Eclipse, Emperor Palpatine's shuttle has arrived," PROXY explained in an anxious voice.

"Palpatine?" She suddenly gasped, grabbing Balthier's hand and pulling him up from the seat. She quickly led him to the back room, locking the door behind her and releasing his hand. "Whatever happens, don't say anything about who you are or where you're from," she ordered, looking him in the eyes.

Juno grabbed his hand again just a line of storm troopers exited the shuttle just outside the Rogue Shadow. Moments that felt like eternity passed, and Juno held her breath when the storm troopers returned to the docking bay, rifles in hand.

However, Balthier didn't expect them to board their ship. He didn't think they would arrest Juno, branding her a traitor to the Empire. He didn't think that she would cry and tell him to run away. He didn't expect to be arrested, either. He didn't want understand what they told him as they brought him to Vader.

He didn't want to believe that Starkiller was dead.

Days passed, and Balthier's mind was racing as he continued to paced back and forth in his cell. The storm troopers had told him of Starkiller's death; killed by Vader after the Emperor learned of his existence. Juno had been placed in a separate section of the enormous ship, and PROXY was taken away to have his memory core wiped and re-written. Balthier didn't want to think about what his fate would be.

But Starkiller—he was dead. Gone. Murdered. Vader had planned on using his apprentice to overthrow the Emperor, but the Palpatine ordered Starkiller's death. And so it had been done.

And now there was absolutely no hope of returning to Ivalice.

Two stormtroopers entered the prison cell as the doors slid open, and the dark, looming figure Balthier was afraid to meet followed soon after. Vader stood before him, his mechanical breath echoing around them, and slowly the sky pirate crept backward until he was leaning against the wall. The storm troopers held their rifles toward him, thinking that he would try to make a run for it.

"Why are you here?" Balthier spat. "Haven't you done enough already? You've already killed—"

"Your mind is weaker than the pilot's," Vader's deep voice interrupted. "And your weaknesses will lead you to your death."

"I've starting to think about welcoming death with open arms by now..."

Vader said nothing for a few moments. "Yet you survived when I meant to kill you before. How?"

"I had reasons to continue living." The sky pirate glanced down at the shackles around his wrists. "But now that you've gone off and killed my last hope of returning home, there's no point in surviving."

"Is there? Your hold of the dark side is strong, stronger than it was when I sensed your presence on Coruscant. My master is in need of your particular abilities."

Balthier scoffed, forcing a smirk. "I am no Jedi."

"Not all of his followers are fallen Jedi." Vader waved a gloved hand, and a veiled Sith acolyte entered the prison cell. The acolyte ignited her red lightsaber as she approached the sky pirate. "Submit to your weaknesses, and death will be your fate."

He remembered Juno's words to him before they were arrested. Whatever happens, don't say anything about who you are and where you're from. Vader knew nothing of Ivalice, it appeared. He eyed the glowing blade held toward him and nearly smiled. "I've never been one to believe in fate," he answered, looking toward Vader. "And even if I did believe in it, do you honestly think I would allow myself to be caged by your dark side?"

The acolyte looked to the Sith Lord, and when she received a single nod she raised her arm. Laughing, she unleashed bursts of lightning directed at the sky pirate, ignoring his cries. Balthier fell to his knees, clawing at his own skin and screaming. Vader left the cell, as did the storm troopers, but the acolyte remained where she stood. When the lightning dissipated, she repeatedly slammed her boot into Balthier's gut, cursing at him in another language.

When he pushed himself up from the floor, he vomited a meager amount of blood and moaned, collapsing to the tile once again. The acolyte pressed her foot to his cheek, standing over him with her lips held tight in a scowl. Her lightsaber was inching closer, but he didn't care. He'd lost the will to live long ago.

But if Vader wanted him dead, why hadn't the acolyte stabbed him yet? Balthier forced his tired eyes open, staring at the woman's veiled face. Vader didn't want him dead—that was the only reasonable explanation!

By the time he felt as if all the bones in his body had been broken, the acolyte knelt over his inert form and smiled. Her veil slipped from her face, and through his hazy and distorted vision, he found himself looking into the narrowed eyes of Ashe. He tried to push her away, but he'd lost all feeling in his arms. All he could do was stare at her and wish that she was really there.

"Poor pirate," she purred, tenderly stroking his cheek with a single finger. "Not every leading man gets his happy ending...But I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough."

Her face shifted into the acolyte's actual appearance, and by that time, Balthier had given up and allowed the darkness to take him in.

:o