Darth Decimus got a message and stopped what he was doing to listen. As the man spoke, Darth Decimus' face creaked into a smile and he was finally roaring with laughter.

He placed an immediate call to Darth Oculus.

He bowed in greeting and kept his smile to a minimum, although he allowed her to feel his extreme pleasure.

"Darth Oculus, I have just received word that Darth Ravage and his son were killed. It looks to be a fight that went wrong and two mortal wounds were struck. The Council will be meeting in the next few days, but I was hoping to see you before that."

Liri merely arched an eyebrow at him in response to the news and said "Oh? How tragic. I'll meet you in your office tomorrow." She bowed in return and flashed him a grin that was cut off as she ended the call.

Darth Decimus sat back in his chair, very pleased. She was proving to be more resourceful than he had anticipated and instead of that alarming him, he was pleased. She'd let him see her desires and she was far less ambitious than he had thought. They agreed on allowing slaves and aliens access to Sith training. In fact, the two of them could build up an army of loyal Sith simply because so many of the others wouldn't dream of having an apprentice with a "bad pedigree." He grinned and chuckled. She was a strong ally. Thanaton was just the beginning.

That night brought Andronikos nightmares and he woke sweating. He pulled on pants and an old shirt and walked out onto the nearly empty bridge.

He'd seen the way Ravage's son had looked at Liri and knew he'd slept with her. He knew too, that it had meant nothing to her, but he was desperate for some sort of contact. Contact he knew she wouldn't be able to give him until things were done being shaken up in the Council.

He left the bridge and started to wander the hallways. This wasn't abnormal behavior for him and the crew members that were awake nodded or talked to him briefly as he walked.

Someone fell into step beside him, a new crewmember, a pale pink Twi'lek who had been an old crewmate of someone's; isn't her name is Verel'ioe or maybe Vel'ioe?

"Evening, Andronikos." she murmured, matching his paces.

"Evening."

"I was wondering if this was just a stroll before bedtime or if you had some time."

"I'm not sure yet."

She was quiet, not looking at him.

He glanced at her, "Did you want something?"

"Several things, but I was hoping you could spar with me a little bit. I've heard you're the best with blasters on the ship."

He nodded, "Alright, I have time for a round or two. It's Vel'ioe?"

"Vel is fine."

They headed silently off to the section on the ship used for training. She didn't seem to feel the need to speak and he was fine with that.

He retrieved two stun blasters and checked what she was grabbing. Huh, a vibroblade type of girl. "That's not going to work unless you can get close to me."

"That won't be a problem."

He shrugged and took up position behind a box. "Whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready," she said, launching herself at him, blade in hand. He rolled to the side and fired as he moved, catching her in the shoulder. He came up firing, catching her in the foot and then the chest once as she jumped over boxes to get to him. She took the hits and kept coming, the blade spinning in her hand. He fired again and her feet went out from under her a few feet from him. He fired a shot into her back and then another.

"You are," she panted, "Good."

"Yes, I am."

She sprang at him quickly, knocking him to the ground, but he fired directly into her chest and she collapsed on top of him. He shifted her to the side and made sure both hands were free. In the middle of moving her, she brought the blade up to his neck as he fired a blast into her head.

She went limp and he moved away from her, put the blasters on the ground and waited for her to come around. She woke slowly and lay there panting.

"Need some water?" he asked.

"Wouldn't mind it," she coughed.

He walked over to the door they'd come in and had just a second to react as she launched herself at him again. He slammed her head into a wall as she got close and the blades slipped from her grasp.

"You're not very good," he informed her.

The wind knocked out of her, she lay panting against the wall.

"How are you so quick?"

"My wife and I used to go rounds. Nothing'll teach you quicker than fighting a Sith."

"Do you think she'd teach me?"

He paused and looked back, "She might. Depends on her mood."

"What's she like?"

"Brutal, but calm. Oddly calm for a Sith. Her anger is so quiet. She's beautiful and clever. She has this heart to her that will someday get her killed if she stays in Sith politics." He gazed out into the room, not looking at her. "She's the most deadly thing I've seen though and power radiates off of her that you wouldn't believe." His voice got quieter, "She's distant sometimes and she does what she thinks is best for people without considering what they want or need. She's terrible at taking care of herself. She uses passion as a weapon, even if it hurts her."

"You miss her."

He snarled, "You go too far."

"You're hurting," she said quietly. "Just talk to me."

"I don't know you."

"Doesn't that make it easier?"

He almost smiled, still looking away from her.

"A bit." He sighed, shaking his head. "C'mon, we should get your head looked at."

"Probably. You didn't hold back."

"Why would I have?"

"Some men do, when they fight women."

Andronikos laughed, "If I thought that way, Liri'd run ragged over me until there was nothing left."

He walked down out and back down the hallway to the medical bay. She ran to catch up with him, holding her head with one hand and feeling dizzy, slumped against the wall briefly.

Andronikos sighed and then helped her down the hallway. The doors slid open and Andronikos got her up onto a bed. He made a call to get the medic down there. Vel watched him carefully he noticed uncomfortably. She didn't say anything more and once the medic arrived, he excused himself and went back to his quarters.

He sat there in the dark for another hour, bottle in hand, wondering if Liri was thinking of him. It was easier, now. He knew she was at least missing him.