Zakuul, The Gravestone, 5 AEA
"Don't be so surprised. Where you go, I go. We are indivisible now."
Raven took a deep breath and tried to relax her muscles, while ignoring the translucent figure before her for a moment. Surprise wasn't really the issue here, but the cold hatred that spread through her chest. Memories of Ziost, of Zakuul... No. The Sith envisioned the dark fire that threatened to engulf her mind, separated it with her mental hands into a thousand little flames, and stuffed its parts out of sight, to be quenched later. Too much was at stake now, a temper tantrum wouldn't help in the slightest. And sticking her lightsaber through Vitiate's face might be slightly therapeutic, but not very lasting.
Pity.
"The Gravestone", the former Emperor continued, calm as ever. "Not entirely what I'd envisioned."
Raven fixated a part of the ceiling and concentrated on deep breaths and memories of safer times. The sounds of birds in the night sky. The smell of Lea's herbal tea that her sister was so fond of. Slowly, the Sith started to feel more like herself again. But what now? She was standing in a foreign ship, with a god-like being of questionable intentions right up her nose, and her stomach was picking just this moment to remind her that it still hadn't forgotten the apple acids.
Well, vomiting was out of the question. Some things were a question of style.
"I thought you were just a dream", the Sith stated, opting for a neutral entry into the conversation. Best to keep Vitiate talking; whatever information he wanted her to hear could be analysed later.
A small smile played around the Eternal Emperor's features.
"I assure you, I am real, as is my intent to see you flourish", he remarked. And Raven listened, while Valkorion spoke, all the while trying to judge his intentions. She didn't bother hiding her impression, though. Whatever else he was, mad with power or simply mad, he couldn't be stupid enough to believe that she'd just trust him.
"I don't buy for a moment that you are on my side", Raven stated calmly. She knew that he knew, but wanted to make it official nonetheless.
Again, this ghostly smile. And Vitiate's tone... far too understanding. Far too patient. For a moment, Raven felt like an insubordinate child, who was gently chided by a wise adult.
"Were the roles reversed, perhaps I would be sceptical as well..."
Lord Kallig's eyes were caught on Vitiate's armour in the twilight, and the spell was broken. Regal, mighty, kingly, yes, he was certainly able to convey a certain image. But it was just that, an image. She had known other people, who truly possessed wisdom, people who she trusted. And none of them had needed such a fancy getup. On the contrary, one of the wisest she'd encountered had worn a slave's rags.
"… would you open your eyes to the truth?"
Raven watched impassively as Vitiate's vision vanished and her mind became her own again. She recognized his manipulation, the attempt at questioning her resolve, the 'what if he is not lying' routine. Now she only had to learn what Vitiate considered 'the truth', and its price. And when she had gathered enough information, she might even even find a way to introduce him to the business end of her saber. And perhaps force-feed him some new bog apples before that.
On this merry note, the ground started to shake.
"Get ready for a fight, people! They found us! Skytroopers breaching the entrance!" Koth exclaimed through the intercom, and Raven felt his unease though the Force. For now, Vitiate and his plans and schemes could wait – she had a ship to defend.
"Hey! Watch the ship!"
Raven dived out of the way as a large canister was shot through the corridor and crashed through two Skytroopers, while three others hit the ceiling.
"Then save your own sorry butt, Vortena", Lea grumbled, eyes still glowing with golden Force energy. Another crash, as gravitation reclaimed the metallic bodies, and Raven acted – with two strikes of her saber, the last intruders fell.
Or, more accurately, the last of the first wave.
"Compliment: Fine dismantling, master!"
The Sith gave HK a small smile. After talking to Vitiate, his cheery, casual ruthlessness was sort of refreshing. At least the droid wasn't playing any mind games.
"The Gravestone will be ready soon", Koth said, but he sounded worried. "I just need..."
Lea and Lana spoke at once.
"Don't say three minutes!" both exclaimed, with such vehemence and a glint in their golden and yellow eyes that Raven had to try hard not to start laughing.
"Come on", she said instead. "Plenty of enemies for all of us. Perhaps we can feed some of them to the spiders."
It didn't take three minutes, but only three seconds after leaving the Gravestone for Raven's good mood to evaporate. Zakuul dropships filled the air, and more Skytroopers closed in. The Sith knew that she could take a number of those with ease, and the same was true for her sister and her friend, but none of them was invulnerable, or immortal. If one single trooper got lucky, if one stray bullet hit its mark...
Best not to think about it, and to trust in the Force – it would help free them from this menace.
Raven drew her blade, and saw Lana's red saber and Lea's green one spring to life as well. Soon, the darkness of the swamp was filled with colourful reflections, small fires, and the sounds of battle.
When one of the huge control droids fell, Lord Kallig used the momentary calm to pant. She'd given much for a shower, a comfortable chair and a nice drink or snack right now, but there were already more troopers approaching their location. The situation was looking grim.
"There are too many!" Lana exclaimed, and Raven was inclined to agree. She wasn't going to admit it, though.
"We have to keep fighting", she said instead, and tried to remember Yavin 4. She had no hope of fully copying Grandmaster Shan's talent for battle meditation, but every little bit would help, surely. Drawing on her own determination, she filled the gaps of doubt in her mind with warmth and tried to spread the feeling to the rest of her allies.
Lea appeared out of nowhere. The Jedi attempted a smile, but the lines edged into her face spoke another story.
"Nice try", she whispered, "but I think you are giving Lana a headache. Moira..."
The Sith clenched her teeth. "I know. May the Force be with us all."
For a long second, virtually nothing dared to move, as the world itself seemed to hold its breath. Then...
"We have help!"
An explosion shook the ground; Raven had barely time to notice the remnants of the thermal detonator. A new figure had entered the fray, and whoever she was, she knew how to fight. A blur on a speeder, then another lethal detonation, an elegant jump, and a blue blade shone through the darkness.
Lord Kallig was usually not one to be easily distracted, at least not during a battle, but now, she couldn't help but stare at the newcomer's face. Clear blue-grey eyes gazed back at her, out of a face that seemed both old and young at the same time. Strange stones at the woman's temple reflected the light of her blue saber. For one second, Raven was reminded of Satele Shan again, as if her memories of the Jedi Master had somehow merged with their saviour. But the warrior wielded a single blade, not the Grandmaster's trademark double saber, and her aura... her aura was different. Dangerous. Most Jedi felt like a cold light in darkness, bright but calm, distant – the newcomer, instead, was burning with emotion. Determination above all, but also anger. And... something else.
Grief?
Time sped up again – any contemplation would have to wait.
"Lana", the newcomer greeted, without wasting a single word for small talk.
"You are late", the Sith countered, not sounding surprised in the slightest.
Well, then. Ever since waking up from a ton of carbonite, Raven had had more questions than answers; why break a perfect record? Obviously, her allies just telling her anything of use or relevance before a catastrophic situation would be way too easy.
She suppressed a sigh.
"You got one of the Knights to switch sides", Raven commented, as her slight irritation transformed into appreciation. Blue-grey eyes bore into her own, and the young Sith felt... transparent, all of a sudden; as if the Knight could not only read her inner thoughts, but also survey the deepest pits of her soul. Worse, still, Raven got the feeling that the woman was making notes and compiling a thorough report for later.
"Not all of us blindly follow Arcann."
And her voice... Controlled and calm. Deep. Reassuring, in a way. The voice of somebody who had seen much, done more, and would continue to do so. Somebody you'd be glad to have on your side in an impending fight.
Speaking of which...
"More resistance. Knights!"
Raven didn't need Lana's warning; she had woken from her contemplation at the first sound of the approaching Zakuul dropships.
"I do hope you are up to fighting you own, Senya", Beniko remarked, darkly. But her tone was nothing in comparison to that of her new ally.
"My issue isn't with them, but if they're going to stand in my way..."
Lord Kallig's fantasy was far too quick in supplying appropriate pictures. Their predominant colour was red. She coughed.
"I see you've found another pragmatist", Raven said, if only to break the silence. That got her a look in grey-blue that almost made her wince.
"Stow the chatter. Prove you can fight."
"Yep", Lea commented, with her usual sense for timing, "I dare say there will be enough enemies for all of us."
Even with Senya's help, the impending fight turned out to be gruesome. Raven allowed the Force to flow through her, as she used her lightsaber to block attacks, while pushing inattentive Knights into the nearest tree trunks. She had no time for subtlety. Ever now and then, golden Force waves crashed through the scene, and Lana's violet lightning found more than one mark, but still there were more Knights. Always more.
"Knights! Zildrog's Wedge!"
Raven banished inappropriate thoughts of cheese wedges from her mind, as she felt a shift in the Force. Metal seemed to rain from the sky, forming a near-impenetrable wall. Hectically, the Sith assassin looked around, but saw no allies. The Knight's manoeuvre had succeeded in separating them.
Lord Kallig squinted her eyes at the three opponents before her. Three. That was almost an insult. Did they really think that they could take her? The main problem was the other side of the wall, where Lana, Senya and Lea were now facing a severe opposition...
Time froze.
Froze.
Raven's gaze suddenly passed through the solid metal, a switch that made her skin crawl. But worse than how she saw it was what she saw. Lana was facing a Knight in close combat, but her lightsaber was missing. Cold spread through Raven's veins, as she reflexively called on the Force to throw the enemy into oblivion, but found no connection. Like pounding against a glass wall, being able to watch, but not to interfere – a nightmare in the waking world.
And she had an idea on who was responsible.
"You are outmatched. Death is all but certain for your Sith friend..."
Vitiate's voice wormed it's way past her fear, his considerate, controlled voice docking directly at her nerves, offering a desperately-needed out.
"I could save her. I only require the briefest moment of control."
Control. Right. That was his price. And, at the same time, her greatest fear.
"Accept my help or watch her die. Choose quickly: time has not stopped."
Raven didn't spare a single glance at the ghostly figure beside her; her eyes were focused on the figure of the blonde Sith and the bronze-clad Knight before her.
"I'll never give in to you."
The words flowed from somewhere deep inside her soul, where fear held no power. The dead sky of Ziost, dark nightmare visions and a burned Imperial banner... Raven nodded, confirming her choice while blinking away the moisture in her eyes. It wasn't really a choice, after all.
"Very well", Vitiate said, and time sped up again. Raven stretched out her hand, channelling whatever Force power she could reach, trying to reach past the wall, but too late – a scream pierced the night. The young Sith clenched her teeth as she fought a sudden nausea; she still felt her friend's presence through the Force, but also her pain. Wishing that she had spent more time practising with her sister, Lord Kallig focused her mind and concentrated on just being there, on the other side, right to the point where the world cowed before her determination and her physical body phased through the solid obstacle.
The Sith assassin staggered. She hated the sensation of phase walking.
"We can do this! Keep fighting!"
Koth's voice was among the most beautiful things Raven had ever heard, tied with the sounds of dual blaster fire and HK's mechanical buzzing.
"They haven't killed you yet, come on!" the Zakuulan renegade continued. But the Sith's attention was focused on the other voice, the one she had feared to never hear again.
"Koth. Thank you..." Lana whispered, as both of them ducked out of harm's way. As it turned out, this was a wise decision – just a split second later, mayhem erupted all around them. Stones, logs, waves of swampy ground, the whole bog itself seemed to awaken, and intent on crushing their enemies. Raven jumped, as a number of boulders simply flattened her chosen opponents. She directed her Force lightning elsewhere, to one of the remaining targets, but soon, all Zakuulan troops were either dead or running for their lives.
Raven looked around, and drew a deep breath.
Or tried to, at least. It was more difficult as expected, with her back abruptly pressed against one of the metallic boards, and more than 170 pounds of armoured Jedi at her throat. She looked up and saw golden eyes, filled with both fear and fury.
"I felt his presence. Did he hurt you?" Lea asked, and Raven couldn't help but think that if Vitiate wasn't at least slightly afraid of the Barsen'thor now, he'd be before long. Rightfully. The thought was a little unsettling.
"He's gone now. He tried to tempt me into accepting his power, but to no avail", the Sith hurried to explain. "Please, Lea, calm down."
Raven would have bet anything that it was her tone more than her words which made the Jedi back off. But she sensed peace again, replacing the chaos of emotions she had felt just seconds before, both in her sister and herself. Still, before long, they'd need to talk, about Vitiate, the future, and everything.
The Sith would have rather faced all of the Knights alone instead, if possible. But for now, she could still stall for time.
"Is the Gravestone ready for takeoff?" Raven asked. She suspected that Koth wouldn't have left the ship otherwise, and was relieved to see him nodding.
"Far as I can tell", he replied. "Looks like we've got everyone. Let's go."
But Lana shook her head.
"No, wait", she interjected. "Where is Senya?"
Raven wondered the same thing. With her worry for Lana and then Lea, she'd lost track of the mysterious Knight.
"Excuse me? Where's who?"
Koth didn't have to wait long for an answer, as the person in question stepped into sight.
"Here I am. Let's move out."
Relief flowed through Raven, but that sentiment obviously wasn't shared by everybody in the group.
"Whoa, wait a minute. Hang on. She's your help?" Koth's voice dripped of into a slightly hysteric tone. "If you think I'm letting that piece of work on my ship, you're out of your..."
There was something about his remark that gave Raven pause.
Refusing an ally, or at least somebody who had fought and bled at their side?
His ship?
"Interjection: Many more hostiles are approaching! Permission to defend with extreme prejudice?"
At least HK had his priorities in check. And not for the first time. In moments like these, Raven found it easy to understand why Lea's and her mother had surrounded herself with a small army of elite stealth infiltration droids.
Lana shook her head. "No more fighting. We must leave Zakuul."
Luckily, Koth wasn't immune to reason.
"I'll prep the engines", he agreed. "Come on, Lana."
But the Sith Lord declined his suggestion, just as Raven wondered on how in the galaxy the engines were supposed to lift that heavy weight out of the dirt.
"I'm needed out here", she explained, "the ship will never pull itself up from the muck. We'll have to give it a push. We can do this."
"If not, all the work on the engines was for nothing, and we can't let that happen – Koth's music was just too awful", Lea quipped, her usual irony and resilience resurfacing after the moment of insecurity in the swamps.
Raven closed her eyes and felt the Force, both in herself and the three women beside her. Lana's cold dark flame, Lea's warm golden light – and now also Senya, sharp, determined, hard to read. She wondered for a moment what the others might see and feel when she called on the Force herself. Crazy Sith Lord with an unhealthy dark-light mix, perhaps?
"Open your minds to the Force and to each other. If we stand alone, we'll fail. But together we will succeed."
Raven wasn't sure if she'd heard Lea snickering at her little motivation speech, but didn't pay attention any more, as the mental strain became taxing. Their efforts were not without effect, though. Slowly, majestically, the ancient star ship rose.
It would have been an even more regal sight, if its rise hadn't been accompanied by the release of a giant bubble of fermenting swamp gas. The whole area promptly smelled like a giant sewer on Kaas City's outskirts, on an especially warm day.
Raven had once hunted bomb-distributing dissidents through one of those sewers. The money she'd made was soon spent on yet another set of robes, because her old ones weren't reusable after that particular endeavour. But, as they said, virtue was its own reward.
On second thought, whoever 'they' were, 'they' had clearly never lived on a budget.
"Now get in here so that we can finally get moving!"
Koth's voice stirred her from her memories. Raven didn't need another invitation, but joined the others in running towards the mysterious ship.
"How about that? My Gravestone can move!"
His ship again. Interesting. And, somehow, worrying. But that was paranoia, likely. Raven shook her head; the last night had been long and trying. Not to mention sleepless. It was only natural for a mechanic to feel pride for his work.
"Considering now we found it, I'd say you've outdone yourself", she praised Vortena, and earned a smile in return.
"Team effort", Koth corrected modestly. "I'd say everybody outdid themselves."
Red lights and the sound of sirens cut through the general mood of relief.
"Incoming! Dropping out of hyperspace! It's..." Koth hesitated to give the terror a name.
Raven shut her eyes, as the scene before her eyes merged with one of her worst memories.
Not again. Please not again.
"It's a lot", Vortena finally finished. It was an understatement.
Senya had less problems with acknowledging the reality around them.
"The Eternal Fleet", she stated, defiant, but with a hint of defeat.
For some seconds, Raven just stared at the angular ships that filled the whole sector before them. Whoever commanded them, and she had an idea who it was, was either posing, or giving them extra time to contemplate their impending doom.
She'd really like to push both Arcann and Vaylin into the swampy, murky, muddy, stinky hole that their ship had recently vacated. Raven concentrated on that picture, imagined brown strains of dirt on their pristine black and white clothes, and bog spiders in Vaylin's hair. The image helped against her rising panic.
Fire. Outside, and inside. The fleet had started its attack.
"… and we need a gunner!" Koth exclaimed.
Right. Best to die fighting. Raven clenched her teeth. Death before surrender...
"I'll take care of it", she said, and hurried towards the guns, all the while pretending that the situation didn't scare the living Force out of her. The omnicannon's controls sprang to life under her searching fingers, and red circles appeared around her target of choice.
There is no death, only the Force. And it shall free us. With that thought in mind, Raven pushed the button.
Energy. Strange, foreign energy. The assassin felt it, under her fingers, around her, in her. A weird kind of music seemed to reverberate through her, just at her threshold of hearing. What was happening?
The young Sith looked out of the windows in time to see a massive beam of energy, coloured in ghostly-green, which jumped from their ship towards the capital ship that she had chosen for what was likely their last statement of defiance. The stream of energy hit the Eternal Fleet ship's shields – and went right through. Raven stumbled back as the Gravestone was hit by more fire, but kept her eyes on the impossible scene before her – there was an explosion, naturally, but then, the sickly green light spread.
And destroyed everything that it touched.
"Wait... five targets... ten... I can't keep up!"
Koth's voice was filled with wonder, and excitement.
What was happening? What had they unleashed?
"It's real. We could take the whole fleet", Vortena stated, with a level of satisfaction that was completely antipodal to the horror Raven felt.
"Statement: The hyperdrive now meets minimum functionality requirements."
Away. Just away from it all. This, for once, sounded like a very, very good idea. Raven stumbled again, as a different wave hit her, this time through the Force. It was an echo, far away, of purest rage.
Wild Space, The Gravestone, 5 AEA
"No no no!"
Raven had taken some seconds to regain her composure in the main battery, but when she reached the bridge, Koth was about to lose his own.
"The hyperdrive worked. One time. Omnicannon's fried, too. What a mess..." he lamented.
From a neutral point of view, these news were really bad. Raven could acknowledge that. But some small part of her was almost glad that the cannon was down. It just felt wrong.
Which was a majorly hypocritical thought, of course. Without that cannon, they'd be space dust, or worse.
"Should be able to make it to Asylum, but let's not hold our breath", Vortena continued.
"Who's being committed?" Raven asked. Headache or not, panic or not, morality qualms or not, some reflexes were too deeply engrained to ignore them.
She even got another smile out of Vortena. And a frown from Lana.
"Not that kind of asylum", the blonde Sith corrected, without offering additional information. But Senya filled the void.
"Asylum is a skyport", the Knight explained calmly. "A safe haven from Arcann's patrols."
Raven was grateful for the explanation, but Senya's words seemed to have reminded Koth that she was, in fact, still on board. He rose, and Lord Kallig braced herself for the worst.
"Was she really necessary?"
Predictably, Lana tried to defuse the situation.
"She helped us raise the Gravestone. She fought at our side", the Sith said, very calmly, and directed at Koth. But it seemed that she only added fuel to the flames.
"She also hunted me like an animal for years. She was Arcann's loyal Knight!"
Pointing fingers. Rising voices. Not good.
"I thought I was in service to Zakuul. You had abandoned your responsibilities!"
Senya's voice rose as well, her indignation clearly audible.
Time to play fire-extinguisher, before both of them burned down the whole ship.
"It sounds like you're both on the same side now. Whatever history you have, it's best to let it go", Raven said, with all the calm and conviction she could master. Koth stared at her, and Senya gave her another of her looks. Well, on the upside, both had stopped growling at each other. Instead, though, they were now mad at her. Great, just great. That was not quite what she had intended.
"You don't know what she's capable of. You weren't there."
"Do they know what you're capable of, Vortena?"
Raven took a deep breath and readied herself for a shouting contest, but Senya got a hold on herself before the situation escalated any further.
"If anybody needs me, I'll be... somewhere", the Knight said, with a hint of a growl still audible, and left. Koth, however, wasn't mollified by this.
"You could have at least consulted with me first", he complained to Lana, which was just the last straw to send even the pragmatic Sith over the edge.
"Yes, I wonder how that might have gone", she hissed, and turned away herself. Raven caught Lea's eyes and winked inconspicuously, jumping at the chance to get out as well.
Koth remained on the bridge, fuming.
"Absolutely! I'd be glad to fix the Gravestone by myself!"
Raven just shook her head as the door closed behind them. Whatever else the universe might have in store for her, she'd face it – but only after some hours of sleep.
The next morning didn't start with any explosions, gunfire, unexplainable feelings of certain doom, or other indicators of an impending catastrophe. Instead, there was a faint smell of baked carbs and fat in the air. Raven considered this a good sign.
She met HK on the way to breakfast and was pleased to hear that he was exploring and examining the Gravestone. If there were any traps or surprises on board, she'd rather know sooner than later, preferably still soon enough to avoid the worst backlash.
When Raven reached the galley, there were people inside it. The Sith was relieved to see that only the Zakuulan refugees were present, though. She needed to talk to the others, especially after the dispute from yesterday, but wasn't about to face either of them on an empty stomach if she could help it. So she spent a pleasant half hour eating and making small talk, getting to know the exiles, and reminding herself on what it felt to be human, without the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders.
Finally out of excuses for stalling any further, Lord Kallig steeled herself and approached the room her sister had chosen as quarters. Space, at least, wasn't an issue on their ship. The Barsen'thor was meditating, her features relaxed, golden Force energy flowing around her. Raven cleared her throat.
"Hey, sis", she greeted, and sat down next to Lea. The Jedi opened her eyes, and gave her a long, searching look.
"Moira", she answered, and sighed. "You've been avoiding me."
No point in denying this.
"I did", Raven nodded. "And so did you, didn't you? Besides, you have now addressed me by my given name twice within less than ten hours, which means that we've reached a level of worry and trouble that simply has to be reduced. Are you game to try?"
The hint of a smile played around Lea's mouth.
"Well, I can't guarantee anything. I could try cheating, though. Let's just see", she answered, but turned serious in a second. "I need you to promise me something, Moira."
Three times, now. This was not only a bad, but a very bad sign. But Raven knew what would come, had known it all along. She hadn't avoided Lea out of random, after all.
"I can't", she stated flatly.
"You don't even know what I was asking!"
"Don't I? I have seen your face in the swamps. You wondered the same thing as I did, when Vitiate tried to tempt me into accepting his power. What would have happened if he had chosen the target of his plot a little wiser? I like Lana, I'd given much to save her, or to spare her pain, but she's not you. As long as I still draw breath, I'll do anything to save you."
Golden eyes bore into blue, but for once, the steel in their gazes was evenly matched.
"You can't sacrifice a piece of your soul to this monster. Not for me, nor for anyone else. Should the time come, you'll have to let me die."
Raven clenched her teeth, and felt a certain soreness in her muscles. She was doing this far too often, lately.
"I can't", she repeated. "I just can't. And before you argue any further, just try to imagine being in my situation for a second. Could you give me the promise that you just asked of me?"
The silence told her all she needed to know.
"There is no death, only the Force", Lea quoted after some seconds. "Promise me this, then. If Vitiate tempts you again, don't let fear blind you. Lana didn't die, but was saved by Koth. Even if he hadn't appeared in time, you'd have reached them, too, and I was close behind. Either of us would still have had a chance to crush the Knight. The Emperor wants you to accept his power, to give control to him, and therefore his assessment of a situation will be anything but objective when he speaks to you or when he shows you things. To be blunt: He might or may not lie to you directly, but he will do his best to trick you, and he has centuries worth of experience in doing so."
The Jedi drew a deep breath.
"Besides", she continued, "you might have noticed it by now, but I am not exactly helpless. Even when it might look like somebody is getting the better of me, I'll guarantee you that it's only a ruse. No need to invite world-eating ghosts deeper into your brain for that."
"Ha!"
"I assure you, I'm immortal."
Lea smirked that trademark I-know-I'm-talking-nonsense smile of hers, and Raven was tempted to believe her.
"I promise", the Sith said, finally. "At least the second thing. But you better make sure that you're true to your word, right? No dying."
"Sure, sis. Anything for you."
Both of them sat in silence for some seconds. It was comfortable, but there was still something else on Raven's mind.
"I have to ask something from you, too, Lea", she said, and felt the cold seeping into the room. The Jedi, who was at least as sensitive to emotions as Raven herself, jerked.
"No. Not even when Athra's deeps freeze over", the Barsen'thor hissed, and the Sith rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Lea, you know I tend to confuse the hot and the cold Chandrilan hells with each other, anyway. But that's not the point. Should Vitiate possess me, you'll have to kill me. You're likely the only one that has a chance. And I'll prefer checking whether your Jedi code is right about its last line, rather than being a prisoner in my own skull and watching the former chief Sith devour the whole universe."
Golden eyes versus blue eyes, second round. Raven frowned.
"And don't bother repeating my lines from five minutes ago, because you know I'm right", she said, but her insides didn't feel well at all. Lea shook her head.
"This reminds me of something I learned years ago, when I was still a Padawan", she finally said. "If there is a situation, and you face a choice, and both option A and B are equally bad, you can either despair and grieve, and choose one of them, or you can take a step back, and check whether there is an option C."
She grasped Raven's hands and pressed them, once.
"I'll remain watchful, and if Vitiate should try to posses you, we'll combine our not inconsiderable Force powers and our tendency for bad humour, and burn the pouting phantom out of your mind. We are the children of Darth Ignus after all, and she got the nickname 'Korriban's Flame' for a reason. And when the former Emperor meddles with time and space again, and pretends that I am in danger, then call him some names, and transfer some of your Force power to me. Just to be on the safe side."
Raven felt warmth spread through her, replacing the cold from before. She knew that her sister felt it, too. The Jedi smiled.
"See? Unity. Nothing can really harm us, as long as we stand together."
Lea cleared her throat. "But I'm telling you, I'm looking forward to mop the floor with any and all idiots who try to do so. Was there something else on your mind, Sith-sis, or have we exhausted the doom topics for today?"
Raven scratched her head. "Depends on your definition of 'doom', I'd guess. I just ate the last of those violet swamp pears that you liked so much for breakfast; do you mind? Just kidding! Just kidding..."
"Why can't there be a maintenance manual... Hey, can you cut the power? Right over there."
Raven shrugged and complied, hoping that Koth had some minutes to spare for talking. Luckily, the interfaces of the Gravestone were pretty straight-forward to use.
"Thanks. Wouldn't want to electrocute myself on top of everything else."
With a loud beep, the power went out. Raven hoped that she'd be equally successful in preventing other kinds of explosions. She coughed.
"I wasn't sure you'd take time to eat with the Gravestone still in need of repairs, so I brought you something from the kitchen. Fried fillets of flabby fruits, and swamp salad a la surprise."
"Hey, thanks! This smells delicious."
Raven watched Koth devour the meal with a smile. Never risk arguments on an empty stomach...
"She's really something, this ship", Koth remarked, when he had finished his breakfast. "But no one's been taking care of her."
The Sith wasn't sure if she should be worried – or amused.
"You've grown attached rather quickly", she answered, which kind of reflected both emotions.
Koth activated the power switch again.
"No offence, but it's the Gravestone that will save the galaxy from Arcann", he said with a passion. "Not you, not me... definitely not Senya."
The last words were delivered with a growl again. Well, it had been highly unlikely that some hours of rest had just miraculously resolved all conflicts, after all. But Raven was curious.
"What did Senya do to earn this grudge?" she asked, hoping that talking about it wouldn't set Koth off further. Vortena frowned, but remained calm. Relatively speaking.
"She was ruthless", he explained. "After we deserted, she hunted us for months. Everyone on my crew bled more than once on account of her."
He pinched a sequence into the console, but slightly harder than necessary.
"I put all my trust in Lana, and she goes to Senya for help. She does not know what she's getting us into!"
There it was, Raven thought. It wasn't just anger at Senya, but also feeling left out by Lana. Disregarded, even. She should have brought more food.
"You really care about Lana, don't you?" she asked instead. Diversionary tactics sometimes had their uses.
Koth shook his head.
"It's not like you're thinking. We've worked together for years, and she's saved my life more times than I can count. So, I do what I can to return the favour. If that means storming into the Spire to pull some Outlander out of carbonite, well... that's what I'll do."
Even if it took more than three more minutes... Raven didn't suppress her smile.
"I'd be a frozen carcass if you hadn't", she nodded, and fought the urge to hug Vortena. Some inner voice told her that it might be best to avoid any and all ambiguous signals with regards to her personal preferences and interests. They already had enough drama on board, no need to risk... misunderstandings.
As soon as they reached Asylum, she needed a mailbox. No, a secure comm link. Both. What in all hells, Chandrilan or otherwise, was Theron doing right now? Lana had said that he had said that he remembered, which probably meant that he hadn't given up on her during the last five years. A grin tried to creep up on the Sith, and she swallowed it with difficulty. There were some advantages in sort of dating an awkward, socially inept computer tech nerd spy, after all.
Not that she was any better, all things considered. Their first dialogues had been close to a blushing contest.
"I have a good feeling, you know. We'll get Arcann", Koth said, and for once, Raven fully agreed with the Zakuulan renegade.
When Raven approached the next target on her list, she heard the tell-tale sound of crackling Force energy before even opening the door. Worried that some spiders, or worse, might have survived their scrutiny, the Sith hurried into the room, but calmed down again when she saw Lana roasting a re-purposed Skytrooper training dummy. Still, this didn't look very promising. For a moment, Raven wished that the blonde Sith also had a power switch, just like Koth's console.
"Damn."
Beniko stopped shooting her target with the Force and cursed, checking her injured arm. Raven had seen her sister heal the worst part of it, but neither the Jedi nor anyone else on board was a fully trained healer; using the last of their Kolto and ordering some rest had been the best they could do afterwards. Raven made a mental note to search for Talos Drellik as soon as she could. Aside from being a true friend and a person with a remarkably positive outlook, the archaeologist was one of the best healers that she knew.
And with all of them completely unable to fix something as simple as a straight cut through armour, they should probably also think about recruiting a talented armour-mechanic as well. Preferably somebody who also liked sewing. Starship mechanics would also be a priority; they needed to analyze the blasted cannon of horrors as soon as possible. For all Raven knew, this thing could have been just the instrument of doom that split the Rakata from their Force connection, or an equally powerful doomsday weapon that devoured the life of all people around...
"You should have Lea look at that again", the assassin advised, as she felt her friend's pain through the Force. Yellow eyes pierced the darkness, and Raven knew that it had been the wrong thing to say, or the wrong time for that suggestion. Likely both.
"I'll heal", Beniko said, with an undertone that stopped Raven from raising the issue again.
More lightning hit the dummy, until its helmet flew into the distance, and Lana turned towards her.
"I was right to reach out to Senya", she stated. "I hope you see that."
Raven didn't need much time to think about her answer; she had made up her mind on that particular issue before they even left Zakuul.
"She's a good fighter, she helped us raise the Gravestone... I'd say she's an asset", she said. The Knight's help had been invaluable during their escape. With the amount of fire they'd faced, Senya's presence may even have saved their lives. Her quarrel with Koth was nothing against that.
Lana nodded.
"And she doesn't give up, either. That was clear the first time I encountered her", she added. "We met shortly after I arrived in Wild Space. Senya was hunting Koth. I was hoping to learn your fate..."
The Sith paused for a second, and Raven knew that her friend was caught in her memories. Pain echoed across the room, and the young Sith winced; she'd have given much to just erase what had happened in the last years, and try again. Granted, this time with a larger fleet.
"We exchanged what information we could. This was all before I really knew Koth, of course. Years ago", Lana continued, and Raven couldn't hide her emotion.
"You were looking for me all that time?" she asked, without it really being a question. Her eyes, insufferable traitors that they were, started to feel funny again. Out of the corners of her eyes she saw that Lana dropped her gaze as well.
"We might not always agree, but you're my ally. I would even venture to call you my friend", she said, and, dark side corruption or not, radiated such an amount of pure caring that Raven had to fight her tears in earnest.
"Always was, always will be", she mumbled, and hugged Lana, while being careful to not put pressure on her injuries. Raven wasn't sure if friendship really was a passion, but she knew that for her, at least, it was a source of strength. And through strength, power. Through power, victory.
They would find a way to beat Zakuul, its master, and his impossible fleet. Plus any and all ill-meaning half-dead creepy Force ghosts with a penchant for lies, deception and mass murder.
After talking to Lea, Koth, and Lana, Raven felt drained to a point where she just wanted to go to bed and sleep some more. She really considered doing so, for the last days had shown her that it was wise to take any chance for rest that she got. There was still the mysterious Knight on her list of people she needed to speak with, though. And the strange chamber, with its weird obelisk-like structure, where Vitiate had addressed her... That room also warranted another look.
The Sith checked her datapad and noticed that she was in luck – Senya, too, was moving towards the dark chamber. The warrior chuckled slightly as she noticed the Sith's approach.
"I know. I couldn't help but take this place in, either", she said, and the difference in her voice and demeanour were like day and night when compared to before.
"Reminds me of a song I wrote", Senya added, and Raven nearly tripped. Just when she thought that nothing would surprise her any more...
"I'd like to hear that", she said, and tried to gauge the Knight's reaction. "Just a few bars?"
Senya shook her head, but seemed amused more than anything.
"Without accompaniment? I'm not that brave", she countered, with a smile playing around her lips. Until now, Raven hadn't been sure that the Zakuul Knight knew how to do so.
"You seem nothing at all like the person I met in the swamp", the Sith mused, while looking again at the woman before her. The shadows in the room hid some of the lines in her face, making her appear nearly ageless. And her eyes... her eyes glittered in the darkness, their grey-blue scrutiny still reaching deep into Raven's soul. Searching. For what?
"Being a Knight means everything, but I don't let it define me", Senya answered calmly. "When it's time to go to work, I'm who I need to be. The rest of the time, I'm just myself. You don't strike me as all that different."
Raven tilted her head. Was she different? She wasn't so sure all of a sudden. Her own 'work' wasn't as clearly defined as the tasks of a Knight, she'd bet, and with her determination to follow the light path, even among her dark brethren, things only got more complicated.
"I live by a code", she finally answered, "but I don't follow it to the letter."
Senya's mouth twitched.
"So I've heard", the Knight answered. "I do get the impression that it's not really the Sith code that you are following, though. Not really the Jedi code, either, but closer, at least. I've heard it recited. It's interesting."
Raven wasn't really sure if she should feel insulted, or intrigued.
"Wouldn't work for me, I don't think", the older woman continued. "Definitely wouldn't work for Arcann. He's more in line with the Sith code. Victory from passion... It's a powerful notion. Very much like how he operates."
Whenever Senya mentioned the name of their enemy, her voice dropped into the darker tones Raven had heard in the swamps. She wondered whether the Knight was aware of this.
"I know why I oppose him. What's your reason?" Lord Kallig asked, curios to find out more about her new ally. Trust needed some form of basis, after all.
"Years after the death of our Immortal Emperor, most are still so afflicted with remorse that they don't see what's happening", Senya answered, and the same remorse she spoke of coloured her voice as well. Or sorrow? Raven remembered that she had felt grief, even when she'd first encountered the Knight.
"Arcann has become oppressive and cruel", the Knight continued. "He'll crush anyone who doesn't share his plan for the galaxy."
She shook her head, and her mask fell back into place. Raven knew that she'd have to wait for another time to learn more about Senya's motivations.
"So that's me. What about you?"
Raven looked up, as the words just poured from her tongue.
"Arcann wants to lay waste to everything I've fought for and accomplished", she said. "I won't let him. I can't."
Senya bowed her head slightly, all traces of amusement gone. Her grey-blue eyes shone again in the darkness.
"Neither will I", she stated, and it was not an empty promise. "I may not know much of the worlds you've inhabited, but I do know what he's doing to them."
She shook her head, as if to clear it from the unsettling pictures she'd evoked.
"You're not what I expected. Not sure if that's good or bad yet, but I do know I'll have an easier time with you than Koth."
Koth. Yes. Right on cue, because Raven wanted to talk about that issue, anyway.
"I hope you'll try to get along", the Sith said, glad that at least Senya seemed peaceful enough now to not electrocute anything. "The more we work together, the better off we'll be."
The Knight frowned, and Raven wondered whether she'd have to correct her assessment.
"Just because he betrayed our enemy doesn't change the fact that he was a traitor", the former Zakuul elite warrior all but growled. "You need to be cautious."
Raven watched Senya, and wondered whether she might have a point. But she also remembered that Koth had rescued her, and that he had been nothing but supportive since.
Bad cases of mood swings and some anger issues notwithstanding.
Raven was ready to trust Koth, and, to a lesser extend, Senya, if only because she had known her for very little time. And Lana... Lana seemed to trust both of them as well. With a little bit of luck, both might learn to overcome their issues when working together.
The Sith remembered thinking of Satele Shan when she had first encountered Senya. Now that she'd had the chance to spend more time with the Knight, their differences were striking, but not absolute. She couldn't help but wonder what had become of the Jedi Grandmaster.
