Discalimer: I'm broke. Dinsey's not. Hurray.

Chapter 10: The Acceptance of Duty

Darth Lexxor had seen many things during his time as Judge of the Sith. He had seen Jedi turn to monsters, Sith become saints, the lowest slave become the cruelest tyrant, and a man with nothing show such kindness that a man with everything gave it all away. He had seen friends come back bandaged, bloodied, or not at all. What he would never have expected to see is a friend who had been believed dead up until a week or so ago, walk through the airlock almost glowing, carrying an unconscious woman, followed carefully by one of the things responsible for his MIA status. Even less expected was him to whisper something to the thing and the thing to disconnect the two ships, take the unconscious woman from him with utmost care, and for Talean to walk straight to a gunner's station and blow the other ship to bits. Then as if it was perfectly normal simply took the woman back from the thing, asked if his room was still empty, and upon informing him that it was he simply went straight there ignoring everything else.

Elizabeth is going to kill you.

Yep.

Because that is not ok.

Nope.

That all you have to add to this?

Yep.

To say Talas had taken the news that Talean was alive oddly, would be an understatement. The crew had made it very clear to Talas that they knew full well that he was the reason they lost friends and family that day. As well as one of the few that actually cared about them making it out alive. A lot of the comradery that he had worked towards had evaporated. And this infuriated him. They only treated Lex differently for about a week. So, what if he came out with that fake apology? Not like anyone bought it. The two of them made a command decision. So, what if Talean had objected? They were the captains. They made the call. Not just Talas. Upon finding out that Talean was alive, instead of the celebration that went through most of the ship, he stormed off the bridge. An ensign that saw him on his way to the training area attempted to give him the good news and got a broken jaw for it. Now Talas had to simply stop jaw open at the sight he saw. He watched as Lex floundered for words as Talean simply asked him a question and walked towards his quarters, unconscious woman in his arms, and one of those lizard-things following him like a man servant.

Duwha?

…

You got nothin either?

Nope

Elizabeth is going to kill you…..again.

THE MUTT LIVES?!

Shut up.

Racheal had been a bit more typical in her reaction. She was a soldier she buried her feelings from that day until she made it back to the ship. That damn recording almost broke her, but it was nothing compared to what she found on her desk. It was a hand-written letter that read:

To my dear Captain Dawne

Racheal, I honestly hope you are only seeing this because I'm in the med bay and didn't beat you here, or in the fresher. But you have always been a realist, and so for this letter I will be too. I am likely dead. I tried so very hard to make it back. I want you to know that, after all I wasn't done trying to woo you. Hehe. Sorry, I've been having nightmares about a mission in the swamps. I know what happens there. There was a way to change it but I obviously failed. I should have listened to you and simply told Talas to shove it. I should have made Lex see. But that is the past, if the dream is right we are going to lose people. I saw five myself, and something happens to Lex, but he lives. He lives because I take the fall. I always fall. I hit something on the way down and it saves Lex. I don't know what and honestly force visions are always fifty-fifty. I wanted to make it back never doubt that. And go easy on Lex, he will learn from this.

I want you to know that I do understand now why you always turned me away. Writing this letter has been the hardest thing I will ever have to do. I'm glad knowing you will only have to mourn me as a friend. This is my last request to you: Live. Don't die for a government that doesn't care about you. Live to see the sacrifices you made be worth it. Live for those who can't.

p.s. I don't know what p.s. stands for!

p.p.s I don't know why I must add another p either!

p.p.p.s Watch out for Elizabeth, I know I told Lex to do the same but you're a girl she might tell you things she won't tell him.

p.p.p.p.s and no that's not sexist! Just a fact!

Your foolish hero

Talean Veckarien.

That was the end for the strong soldier image. She wept. She wept for a letter that felt cruel, but she knew wasn't. She wept in anger at an arrogant man who gotten her men killed. And she wept for the man she had turned away to keep her family image. When she emerged from her quarters because of hearing a muffled explosion, she was immediately given an accident report from the ensign Talas had attacked. She confronted him after he had trained to the point of exhaustion. Lex never got a report, and Talas never offered a story, but the entire ship knew what broke his nose. They all knew it was currently wrapped under a captain's glove.

Elizabeth, Elizabeth wept. No illusions, no attempt at saving face, she simply broke on the bridge as she begged over and over for Lex to tell her it was all a joke. That her brother was playing some cruel prank was behind a terminal somewhere. But he couldn't, and the haunted look in his own eyes is what finished her. She just collapsed, and after being rushed to the med bay, was revealed to have simply shut down. Her vitals were fine, and they would monitor her and let the Darth know if anything changed. She stayed there for a day and a half. They brought her food when she awoke, and she ate slowly, tasting nothing, staring at something that none of them could see. They didn't get alarmed however until she would laugh and seemingly have conversations with something that wasn't there. They tried several different medications and therapy; the drugs obviously had some effect, but the conversations were still happening. At therapy she would ignore the therapist and either sit there blankly or continue her normal conversations.

Out of options and scared out of his mind Lex took her to see Jayna. Jayna originally told him that she was busy and could not just leave to go visit a Darth and an Imperial allied contractor, until he told her what had happened. With control only a Jedi had he watched as she took the information and sealed the feelings away, telling him she would be there. What she found was worse than she had expected. Elizabeth had stopped eating completely and would no longer stop talking unless sedated. After sedating her and looking into her mind for over an hour, she emerged with a diagnosis. Elizabeth wasn't going crazy, she had never left her mind. Her body was simply reliving old memories with her brother. So gently Jayna pulled Elizabeth out of the loop and filled her in on things like the date and what had happened. Lex was out getting food for them but when he returned he saw Elizabeth simply holding Jayna as she wept. So, he simply turned and walked out sitting outside on the ground and looking nowhere in particular. After all, who was he to interrupt one of the only times he would ever see a Jedi cry?

The news that her brother was alive royally pissed Elizabeth off. She was going to beat him half to death, and if she didn't like his reason for not letting her know sooner, she might just finish it. Then she saw him. A smirk on his muzzle that was so fake she would be amazed if even Lex didn't believe him. Three scars barely missing his left eye. A stride that showed he was hiding how much simply carrying, whoever that was, hurt him. And then how quickly he turned from Lex after asking him something. Her brother had obviously been through all nine Corellian hells and was just starting to see the way out.

Beating can wait.

Really?

For him. I still have two Sith lords to deal with.

HEHEHEHHEHEHEHE!

What followed in the next week would go down as the second most uncomfortable thing Talean thought he had ever had to do. Explain to his sister, why he hadn't called, what happened to him, and then the fact he had gone and gotten married without her!

"Look Liz-"

"Save it. Ok. I'm glad you're alive, but you went and got married and unless the mail screwed up again, I. Wasn't. Invited!"

"Look, I'm sorry, ok? Please stop yelling, she is going to be up any minute and you yelling is going to cause a panic attack."

"And why do you care? It's bad enough she did…..what she did. You don't marry someone because they are your last choice."

"Don't you ever say that again."

She was going to press the issue, until she saw his eyes. They had been calm and slightly pained before while explain how they got here. But while defending this woman they had switched to a fury that scared her. "Ok, I won't I promise."

"Ah dangit, I didn't mean to get so worked up. I'm sorry Liz. It's just, she was left alone on ship being raised by an AI that hated her. This AI has given her so many issues it's amazing she is still sane for the most part."

"They make medications for that kind of issue you know. You could have brought her-"

"We tried medication. The ships care unit had been preparing a treatment plan. They all hurt her. That witch twisted our biology up so much it's lucky I'm rarely sick. The medicines alone almost killed her. I can talk her out of most of it though."

"*sigh* I missed you Tal, and I'm sorry. I hope you two can make each other happy I just worry about things getting tough and her leaving you. Don't get indignant, you would follow most people you like to the end of the galaxy. Other people will abuse that."

"How can I? How can things get any tougher than what we went through?"

At the new voice the siblings turned with a start. Talean reaching a hand to her which she took."Hey Mys, sorry for waking you."

With a sigh she sat up on the bed and laid her head on his shoulder "You didn't, thank you for sedating me though. Is the ship..?"

"It's gone, I blew it up myself."

"I won't miss it."

"Ok I enjoy being forgotten I'm in the room as much as the next person, but what do you mean we went through?"

"You didn't tell her?"

"No. I was working my way there."

"Working your way whe-" Then she stopped and noticed Mysery's hand unconsciously rubbing her belly. "Talean you have about three seconds to explain before I go back to my plan of beating you to death."

"I thought it was only half?"

"One"

"Fine. After…Mysery…did… what she did….I panicked and ran. She went to find me a day or so later and her smell was different. She didn't stay so I assumed it was just because of…. what we did. Our creator would later reveal that Mysery was pregnant to get me to act. It worked, the witch had sent the remaining hybrids from the Taris mission and Rarsk, newly freed from their conditioning to kill Mysery and my child. I killed them all. The leader was a waste of space named Urshyk and I killed him with my…. ability. Mysery panicked and passed out and Rarsk took her to her quarters. When I finished grappling with the reality of what I had done I went looking for Mys."

"That's when I panicked and almost killed him."

"Wait…what?!"

"She only threw me through a couple of walls. I was fine thanks to what I did to Urshyk, anyway the ship care unit took me to the med bay and had to go check something."

"So, you snooped."

"Of course."

"So, what did you find? The pregnancy was fake? It was Rarsk's baby? Come on spit it out!"

"Our cre- no that wit- no I'm going to be honest. That bitch who made us poisoned Mys."

"No…..No…I'm…I didn't mean..I-"

"You didn't know. I didn't want to just be pity forgiven. I was going to tell you later, but I think it's better this way."

Tears in her eyes, Elizabeth stood and wiped them away, put on a horribly fake smile and said "I'm just glad you back." Hugged them both and left the room. She didn't get near far enough before crying for her brother not to hear her pain.

"I know you just got up, there's a view screen over there, and a datapad with a ton of books on it somewhere. I know you just got up, but I need a nap."

"Where you go I go remember? And I think I need an hour or two more myself." She said as they both climbed under the covers, snuggled together, and fell fast asleep.

Those who knew him would call him a man without fear. But Lex viewed himself as the biggest coward in the galaxy right now. He didn't flinch when the attached his robotic forearm to the nerves in his upper arm. But the idea of seeing Talean right now filed him with dread. He found Elizabeth crying outside her door. Unable to punch the numbers in through blurry eyes, he had helped her in. And as she calmed down, she told him the basics of what she had learned, and he felt his very soul crumbling. But he held up a strong front for her before heading to his chambers and collapsing. When he finally could move again he assigned an ensign, he couldn't remember which one, to inform him when Talean moved. What he didn't say was that he used that information to avoid him for the next four days. Until Talean showed up inside his room and there was nowhere for Lex to run.

"Talean."

"Darth." It hurt to hear him be so formal to him.

"Did you need something?" That's right, keep it professional like he is, that's how we-

"Matter of fact I do. I'm looking for something."

"And what would that be?" Other than revenge. Which I deserve.

"My friend."

"duwha?!" That was very Captainly.

"Look Lex" So he does remember my name. "Get out of your head and talk to me."

"I'm so-"

"If you apologize I'm going to leave…I know you blame yourself."

"I should I-"

"Please. Let me finish, this is hard enough. I know you blame yourself, and yes you should. You're the Darth, you and Talas are responsible for everyone on this ship and this crusade of yours. If you did not blame yourself, you would be negligent. This blame keeps leaders on their toes. It's why I never wanted to lead. You ignored advice that would have saved nine lives-"

"Ten."

"I'm still here. And you helped me save someone important to me, even if I can't remember anything other than what I've been told. But this has got to stop, I never blamed you for not listening. You're the commander, I was the bodyguard, I can advise but you decide what has to happen. So, stop moping and apply what you've learned. Listen to the next person who comes to you with a gut feeling if you trust them. And then take everything they said and run it against your plan and see what you can do to make yours safer. You can't listen to every bad feeling or you'll never get anything done. Just know that to me you never stopped being a friend because you didn't agree."

"…..Thank you….It's more than I deserve."

"No it's-"

"Let me finish now. I don't deserve forgiveness or acceptance or whatever it is your offering. But I'll take it because I need it. Thank you."

"Always, brother."

Seeing the startled look on Lex's face Talean just smiled and said "Allit ori'shya tal'din: Family is more than blood, and you will always be a brother. Just keep taking care of my sister and we will be just fine."

Lex's face fell "You say that like you're leaving."

"I…. have to….I made a promise to a dangerous man. And I won't endanger my wife just to make my injustice flag go down."

"I guess time really does change people."

"No trust me, the only thing to change a man this much is a woman."

Laughing the two shook hands. "I wish you both much happiness, wherever you go. If you ever want to live the Imperial life, I think you'd be a good fit."

"Yeah till I went to the supermarket, then I'd be stoned. But thank you. May the force be with you My Lord."

"Pretty sure it's an insult to give a Jedi farewell to a Darth…."

"That's why I did it."

"And may the force be with both of you Talean, you've earned it."

Talean's next stop was to see Talas but he ran into him, quite literally in the hall way outside Lex's chambers. Talas was indignant until he saw who was helping him up. "Crazy running into you here."

"Out of my way mutt."

"No."

"You think your all that with your new scars and a little bit-"

He didn't even see him move. But he felt the fist crash into his jaw, and he felt the impact of where he landed. His jaw still worked, the punch was a warning. He didn't give warnings though. Rushing the taller hybrid he felt the satisfaction of his punches and kicks landing while evading the swipes of the mad dog. "Aww not so good without a sucker punch, are you?" Landing a few more blows he smirked "Who knows, maybe your squeeze is in heat? I might just pay the little bi-" He grabbed the hybrid's arm when a punch left him overextended, and pressed him into the wall. "Really mutt. You thought I would let you touch me and get your stupid cheat off?"

"They didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"I don't need to touch you. That's just faster." Talas released him and tried to get away only to collapse.

Stupid vampirism. The weak always need a trump card though.

"Relax Talas. I got my fill of killing on the hell ship I just came from. Plus, I just patched things up with Lex, and having to replace a co-captain would probably put us back on rocky soil. Since you can't talk nice, I'll do the talking. I wanted to simply start over with you, but since you have made very clear your view regarding me and my family, you can politely go space yourself."

With that he dropped him. Tallas hit the ground with a cold metallic thud, struggling to get air in and to stay conscious when he felt a boot press his head into the metal panel beneath him. He started to fight but he was still too weak. "If you come near my wife I will kill you Talas Vail."

And then the pressure was gone, Tallas rose to his feet shakily, and retired to his quarters.

I am not Lex, one does not idly threaten me.

That was not an idle threat.

Please mister-

That was a killer making a promise.

Really?

My job is instinct, we shouldn't challenge him.

But-

Let me be clear. This body will not go anywhere near Mysery Veckarien.

Fine.

You want to deal with Lex your way that's fine. But that man will kill you.

That evening would see the 'ruthless killer' curled around his wife, a small smile tugging at his lips with every happy little murmur she made….