Chapter 5: A Dark Heart

Voss

The Dark Heart

Varan-Wyn had never approved of the Outsiders on Voss. But the Mystics had allowed it and he had great respect for the Mystics so there had been little he could about it.

Then, six months ago the Elder Mystics, the true three, had foreseen a future that could not be allowed to pass. The Mystics saw. Varan-Wyn acted. The Sith and Republic had refused to heed warnings not to venture into the Nightmare Lands. The Sith Emperor himself had used its power to bring himself.

When the Emperor had been killed some of that power had returned to the Dark heart. Sel-Makor had manifested again but Varan-Wyn and his young Mystics had anticipated it, and been ready for it. Then, they had captured the Sith Lords and Jedi who remained in the ruins, studying Voss knowledge for their own selfish aims. Varan-Wyn and his young Mystics had ripped not only knowledge from their minds but the very force itself and contained it's power in sphere that now levitated over the pit where Sel-Makor was imprisoned.

Knowledge of the Sith Emperors past and how he had had gained immortality had shown Varan-Wyn the way. The waited now only for the anniversary of his destruction of Nathema. Then their ritual would begin in earnest and the force would be destroyed, the Outsiders a threat to the Voss no more.

"Varan-Wyn!" Voss Commando Squad Leader Koth-Tull ran into the room. Varan-Wyn turned from where he stared at the floating sphere to meet the young Commando's gaze.

"Yes?"

"We have found the Outsiders. Our scouts saw them heading into the Gormak lands."

The Gormak were an abomination on Voss soil. Now that the outsiders had been driven off world because of their own primitive, warlike nature, they Voss could concentration on removing the Gormak once and for all.

"Lead your forces to attack. Bring the Outsiders to me alive."

"Yes Varan-Wyn."

The Commando quickly ran off to do his job. Varan-Wyn smiled and looked back at the sphere.

The Bounty Hunter

Voss

Gormak Lands

The easiest way to get to the Gormaks was to get captured by them. I had gotten information on one of their patrols so as soon as we broke out of the Nightmare lands we let them spot us. It was risky, the Gormak might have killed us first, but when we demanded to see Raklann, calming to have news about the Voss he'd mounted an offensive against they'd taken us prisoner and dragged us back to one of their camps.

We got thrown into the cell - big whop at this point. When I demanded to know how long it would be before we got to see Raklaan my response was a nice one to the temple. They left us with a guard and nothing else. I had a feeling time wasn't on our side but there wasn't a whole of a lot we could do about it.

Tana and Vanceto tried to get some rest. I didn't dare close my eyes. Soon as I did, all I saw was Mako. I missed her. I missed her so frakking much I didn't even know how I was functioning. It was like a blaster to my heart that just kept shooting, leaving me alive to deal with the seemingly never ending pain of her loss. She was gone. Gone. And just so some crazy frakking mystic I didn't have any beef with could destroy the force because the Republic and the Empire had picked the wrong planet to try and coerce. In between my anguish, my rage got me so hot I could barely stay inside my own skin. I paced, there was little else I could do.

"Nothing takes away that pain," I heard Kaliyo say quietly.

I glanced over at her. She was sitting with her back to the wall, looking at me. "What do you know about it?" I snapped.

"Nuff to know booze dulls it in sporadic bursts, sex only makes you forget about it until you come down, killing people feels good until you look at the corpses and remember all over again. And time..." Kaliyo smirked. "Time just tortures you until you get hard enough to live with it."

I touched my chest, glancing down at the blaster shot I'd taken that had gone through Mako. I'd always have a scar. A reminder of what I'd failed to do. My brows creased. "She was my wife. I should have protected her."

"Can't protect people, you know that Bounty Hunter. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you just loose."

I knew enough about Kaliyo to know she was a badass. Pretty hard herself. She had a reputation all of her own, and rightly earned. But there was something heavy in her voice I'd never heard before that made me think she knew exactly what I was feeling right now. I looked over at her. "How long?"

She was quiet for a long time before she answered me. "Ten years. Seven months. Five days."

Ten years. The thought of living without Mako that long was a kind of torture I couldn't even begin to deal with. I sunk down the wall and landed in the dirt next to her. "I don't know what to do with myself. I want to remember her, and I want to forget her. And I just... I just want her back."

"That's love for you. You'll survive Bounty Hunter. That's your curse. Do yourself a favor and don't bring guilt into it."

I knew she was right. I also knew it would probably be a lifetime before I forgave myself. Hopefully it would make me stronger, though if I checked out in the next few hours as selfish as the thought was, I can't say I would have been sad about. So long as Tana and Vanceto got off this rock alive, at this point, I really didn't care what my fate was.

"I can tell you shit about your sister to take your mind off of it," Kaliyo interrupted my dark thoughts.

I smirked faintly. "Why not."