Wild Space, en route to Asylum, The Gravestone, 5 AEA
"Trandoshani flat cakes. At least if we can get them. I do suppose there are some types of Zakuulan flat cakes, if there aren't any from Trandosha on Asylum? Oh, and chocolate. Coruscati chocolate, if possible, but I suppose I'll take any kind, as long as there is enough sugar in it. No artificial sweetener, though. That's just wrong. And while we're at it, there are these pastries from Dromund Kaas I've always been fond of... HK, are you making notes?"
Raven looked around, to her faithful, albeit bloodthirsty, droid, and noticed Lea. The Jedi was rolling her eyes.
"Best to add some doses of insulin to the list", her sister commented dryly. "Or do you actually plan on adding anything healthy to that 'priority list' of yours?"
"I was coming to that in a second! Besides, I've spend five years without any food at all, and with the stress we've been through these last days, I'd say we've all earned some comfort food. Hey, HK, add cocoa to the list, please. And milk. And ice cream. Do we have some kind of fridge and freezer on this ship? Not carbonite, of course. A regular, standard freezer. If not, add it to the list."
Lea sighed. "I can't deny that with all the action we see on a regular basis, chances are that we'll work off all the calories pretty swiftly, anyway. Just do me the favour and add some tea to that list of yours, will you? I'm almost out of reserves."
Raven just stared at her sister in disbelief. "Almost? When you helped free me from Zakuul, we lost your original shuttle. Are you telling me that you found a conveniently-placed bag of herbal tea bags right under the seat of the Zakuulan replacement shuttle? Or, may the Force help us, ancient tea leaves somewhere here inside the Gravestone?"
They really needed to rechristen the ship. After analysing its terrible powers.
"Never underestimate the ingenuity of Jedi synthweavers, or the endurance of Jedi masters", the Barsen'thor grinned. "I always carry everything of relevance with me, be it replacement lightsaber parts, or an emergency ration of herbal tea."
"Jedi synthweavers? In case you didn't notice, sis, you're wearing a Sith's armour."
"And I am eternally grateful to you for giving it to me on a permanent basis, after our brief trip to Korriban. I know that Ashara wasn't very pleased to part with it. But since I had to have it adapted, anyway, I thought I might as well ask the craftsmen to add some extra pockets."
"What we really need are people. Trustworthy people. Engineers and technicians, and at least one healer. I suppose the former are easier to find than the latter. Koth, you know your way around this part of the galaxy. Are there any contacts of yours around who we might call on?"
Lord Kallig was still thinking about the Gravestone's miracle-doom cannon, and possible sources of its power. Her fantasy was providing increasingly disturbing suggestions regarding its cost, and she couldn't wait to start its analysis in earnest.
The Zakuulan native nodded. "Sure, I know some people. Even better, my crew is eager to join us. Join you. With them, we'll get the best out of this ancient wonder, I promise."
Raven smiled at Koth's good mood. She, too, couldn't help but start feeling slightly optimistic. Simply being able to move again, to be free to choose a direction... It felt good, despite all the shadows of doom that were hanging over them.
"Lana? There is still the issue with communications. We really need a safe, encrypted communication link from the Gravestone to the rest of the galaxy, both to keep in touch with your contacts, find old allies, and make new friends, preferably without Arcann or Vaylin listening in."
The Sith copied Koth, and nodded her agreement. "I've thought about that, too. I think there are some people on Asylum who might be able to help us, for a price."
"As long as they charge credits and not soul pieces or something, that should be fine."
Hopefully. Raven was glad about her own paranoia, which had made her split her former fortune to a multitude of secret accounts, and alternative investments. From what she'd seen, the intergalactic banking sector hadn't collapsed completely, despite everything that had happened, which meant that she stood a good chance of being still quite wealthy. Being a Dark Councillor had had its perks.
Come to think of it – how likely was the outpayment of five year's worth of salary? Being frozen in carbonite by enemy forces should equal being a prisoner of war, and that, in turn, should entitle her to at least fifty percent of her usual official monthly income, even though that law was supposed to take care of any family members...
Raven tried to picture what Empress Acina would say to such a request. As far as she knew, the Sith Empress hadn't reinstalled a new Dark Council, but was ruling the remnants of the old Empire alone. Acina... Lord Kallig knew her from their joint hunt for the Dread Masters' devices of horror, which the rogue Siths' henchmen had stolen from the former leader of the Sphere of Technology. Acina had allowed herself to be tricked, but lived to tell the tale, which meant that she was crafty and arrogant enough. She also had a certain amount of self-assurance, audacity and boldness, from what Raven remembered. Still, Empress Acina was actually good news. She was less crazy than some other candidates, perhaps even reasonable enough to offer support against their common foe on the Eternal Throne, and even if not – Raven had no doubts that she could defeat the current Empress herself, if need be. Right now neither the Empire nor herself would benefit from such a move, but some day, the time to address this issue would come.
"Approaching Asylum."
Lana's comment woke Raven from her contemplations. With hope of safe communications within some short hours, she couldn't afford to ignore one big issue much longer. Confronting one's romance interest... former boyfriend... boyfriend... whatever... after five years would have been bad enough, even if they had previously talked about what exactly they meant to each other, but with that omnipresent ghost inside her own head, things got especially awkward. Theron Shan... Even just thinking about the Republic agent did funny things to her stomach. A strange knot of hope and dread was forming inside her entrails, albeit eased a little by the message that Lana hat conveyed.
Agent Shan says that he remembers, and that he always will...
Raven inconspicuously wiped her eyes on her sleeve and looked out of the front windows, eager for some form of distraction. Preferably one that wasn't shooting at them. And she got her wish. Out of the nebula, artificial structures appeared. A skyport. Asylum.
"Told you we'd make it", Koth said. Lana didn't seem to share his confidence, though.
"We haven't docked yet", she reminded him, and Vortena jerked.
"I should probably figure out how to land this thing...", their pilot mumbled under his breath, and all of a sudden, Raven's concerns were replaced by the very acute and real fear of outrunning the Eternal Fleet, only to get killed in a ship crash on a remote pirate-outlaw outpost. Out of the frying pan and out of the fire, directly into the next lightsaber blade...
"You're sure that place is safe?" Raven asked, since she had a feeling that questioning Koth's flying abilities would do more harm than good. Something about the metallic mass before her gave her an uneasy feeling.
"We need allies as much as safety", Lana returned, and Raven was inclined to agree with her friend. "That shadowport isn't on any chart. It's a haven for refugees fleeing Arcann's forces."
"We'll be among friends", Koth added, and Raven remembered what he'd said about his crew.
The door hissed, and the young Sith felt Senya's approaching presence, just as she heard her steps. Her appearance was also noticed by the others, and Lord Kallig literally felt Koth's mood darken.
"Mostly", he added, in a tone that was pure sarcasm.
Raven wondered whether or not they also had a chance to recruit a psychologist on Asylum. Some sort of group therapy might do wonders for their strange band of 'friends'...
Lana stood up to face Senya. "Tell your associates we've arrived."
That earned her one of the knight's looks. Raven was somehow glad that she wasn't on the receiving end of the blue-grey x-ray stare.
"They knew that days ago", the warrior stated, without offering any more information. Just as Raven wanted to ask about the why and how, Koth seemed to discover his mind-reading abilities.
"You want to explain how?" he asked, no, demanded, with way more venom in his voice than Raven would have used. Predictably, he got another stare as answer, plus a risen eyebrow, and met only silence.
"Figures", he grumbled.
Raven, however, had had enough. Secrets here, bad mood there... They had enough enemies already.
"If we don't all start trusting each other, we're doomed", she stated, putting as much conviction behind her words as she could. Neither of them had the luxury to waste time by acting like miffed school children.
"Trust is a rare commodity these days", Lana commented, and her words hit home. Wasn't she, Raven, any better than Senya? She hadn't shared the truth about Valkorion and his occupation of parts of her mind with Koth or the knight. Granted, Senya was still a new face from her point of view, but Vortena had helped to save her. And somehow, Raven got the feeling that Koth wouldn't be very pleased when he'd finally discover what she'd kept from him.
"Demand: Are. We. There. Yet?"
Good old HK. He always knew how to make Raven smile.
Asylum, Docking Bay of the Gravestone, 5 AEA
Despite Raven's concerns, the landing on Asylum went reasonably well. Two pipes of questionable origin exploded, three crates of what was likely smuggled goods fell to an uncertain fate, and the Gravestone got some new scratches into its ancient hull, but as far as the sensor logs told, there were no injuries or fatalities among either the crew or the people of the spaceport. And when the docking clamps had secured the ship, and Lord Kallig finally stood in the fresh air of the docks, she allowed herself a smile – and a deep breath. Even though there was a slight hint of sewerage to the atmosphere around her.
Movement. That was to be expected, to an extend, since their landing had attracted all kinds of spectators. But one group, a large group, of people closed in. Raven sensed their determination. Somehow the Sith doubted that they simply wanted to welcome them to Asylum. She stepped forward, shielding Koth behind her, and put on her best 'you don't want to cross me' face, as the leader of the group got nearer.
"Mighty fine ship you've got there. We'll be coming aboard."
Yep. No flowers, no songs, no 'Welcome to Asylum' posters... only threats. Sometimes Raven hated being right.
"This doesn't have to come to blows", Raven said, with all the calm she could master. "Stand down."
These guys were no danger. If there was one thing the young Sith was absolutely sure about, this was it. But Lord Kallig didn't want a fight, didn't want more needless bloodshed. She was tired of fighting, tired of violence, and had really hoped to find a little respite from everything here in this shadowy outpost. But the man in charge grinned ominously, and Raven braced for the worst.
"Ha! Captain!"
Before the young Sith could do more than stare stupidly at the laughing leader, Koth interrupted with introductions.
"Outlander... my crew. The best engine-burners in Wild Space."
Raven closed her eyes and tried valiantly to fight another headache. Perhaps she should add some painkillers to her list of things that she needed to purchase.
"You could've introduced them sooner", she stated mildly, and focused on the other items on her list. There was no need to argue with anybody, and she'd have some chocolate soon...
Koth laughed. "This was more fun", he smiled, and Raven had to picture quite a lot of Trandoshani flatcakes to stop herself from shaking him out of sheer frustration.
Fun. Yeah. Ha. Ha.
Momentarily distracted, Raven failed to notice the approach of another of Koth's men, until he stood right before her. Grey eyes looked at her, puzzled, but not unkindly, and something about the human seemed... familiar. The implant, for example... Where had she seen it before? It hadn't been so long ago...
"Do I know you?"
The words were out before Raven could stop them, even though they were a little blunt. But her unidentified new ally didn't seem to mind.
"Name's Ralo", he introduced himself. "I served aboard Darth Marr's destroyer. We thought you died when the ship exploded."
And with these few words, past memories hit Raven with full force. The dizzy, confusing, maddeningly claustrophobic hours on the doomed ship... the invading troops of then-unknown origin... her sister, trying to defend and save what could be saved, and hiding her own fear to not upset the crew further...
Darkness threatened to engulf her, to swallow her whole, and Raven tasted bile. For a moment she again felt the despair, the sheer helplessness, the hopelessness of the whole situation. It had felt like the end had finally come.
But it hadn't. Neither for herself, nor for her sister, despite all odds. And obviously not for Ralo, either. Raven clung to that thought like a lifeline, and let it pull her from the deep gloom of her memories. They had survived, despite everything, and because of that, there was still hope. Hope to change the galaxy for the better, hope to make everything right again.
"I may as well have", Raven answered Ralo's unspoken question, but there was no bitterness in her comment.
"Without you, none of us would've gotten off that ship", the former Republic corporal said, and Raven heard the deep emotions in his voice. "Never thought I'd get to say thanks."
So there had been other survivors. Her order to abandon the ship hadn't been for nought. Warmth filled Raven's body, flowed through her, took some of the terrible cold away that her memories had brought with them. What had been a mass of tightly locked-up darkness in her own mind now became interwoven with lighter strands. Perhaps in time, even this wound might heal.
"Glad you made it out", the young Sith answered, and had to struggle with the words. "Nice to see a familiar face."
Her words didn't even cover half of what she wanted to say, but Ralo seemed to understand, anyway.
Asylum, The Gravestone, 5 AEA
Exhausted, but satisfied, Raven dropped down on a chair, and opened one of the packages she had brought with her. Ten wonderful minutes later, the whole galaxy was looking considerably brighter, and something like deep contentment spread from her stomach to all her limbs. What a difference a favourite meal could make...
The last hours had been quite busy, for all of them. Koth and his crew, or her new crew, had started to work immediately on the Gravestone. Lana had ventured out into the spaceport, to make contact with her network. Senya had vanished as well to find her own allies, Lea was on her way to rescue Koth's top engineer and teach some criminals why it was unwise to cross a Jedi Master, and HK was busy ensuring the Jedi's safety. Lord Kallig had discovered that most of her fortune was still at her disposal, and she'd made the most of it. The Gravestone was now full to the brim with everything they might or might not need, including Kolto tanks, provisions and ammunition to last for at least a year, and enough high-tech underworld stuff to outfit a small Imperial Intelligence Post.
And there was herbal tea, and chocolate. Masses of both. After a cup from the former, and two bars from the latter, Raven felt ready to fight Arcann in person, if need be.
She was glad about it, because for what was to come, she needed every moral booster available to her. Before her stood the high-security communications terminal which had been installed just an our ago, and the small data pad, where Lana had left her all the data she'd need to contact one specific ally. Depending on the current location of Agent Shan, direct decoded face-to-face talk was likely impossible, but they'd at least be able to speak.
With her nerves suddenly frayed like crazy, Raven had to remind herself forcefully that, yes, it was a good thing to be finally able to talk to Theron.
No point in stalling. She was Lord Kallig, Darth Imperius, and had survived far worse. Through passion, strength...
Raven activated the encryption protocols and watched while her image on the screen became a distorted mess of interferences. Then, she waited. Every second suddenly felt like aeons, in which stars could be born and die, and whole civilizations could rise and fall.
Luckily, she didn't have to wait long. Another image appeared, distorted like her own, and a voice sounded over the infinite dimensions of space. Naturally the terminal had an audio scrambling algorithm as well, for security reasons, but still, there was something familiar in it.
"Cockatoo to Duckling, please confirm."
Duckling. Raven had chuckled when she had seen that peculiar fluffy one of Lana's code names.
"Confirmation: Hope remains", the young Sith read from her notes. "Secure on my end."
The figure on the screen seemed to relax a little.
"Half-secure on mine, best to keep the encryption and leave out details. But it's good to hear from you, Duckling. Everything going well with the mission? And what about Golden Eagle? Were you able to stop her from doing something stupid, like forcing her way to her goal with just a toothbrush as a weapon?"
Raven swallowed.
"Mission's fine, and Golden Eagle is currently enjoying herself – saving innocents and beating up bad guys", she murmured, not trusting herself to speak louder for fear of fully breaking down. "But this is not Duckling. Black Eagle here. I'm with Duckling and Golden Eagle."
Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and then the shadowy form on the screen moved frantically, as if to shake the camera, or to jump directly into it.
"Black Eagle?"
Theron's next words were of a sort which made Raven wonder where he'd learned them. Surely not while he was raised as a Jedi, but some of them were even a bit strong for the SIS. From the looks of it, his nose was now directly pressed to the camera.
"Er, forget this. Black Eagle? Are you alright?"
Raven swallowed again. And again. How to answer that question?
"Yes. No. Hells, both and neither", she whispered. "But better than before, if that's what you mean."
The figure on the small computer nodded so fiercely that Raven wondered whether Theron would suffer a whiplash for it.
"Sorry I couldn't be there to tha... you know. Get you out", he answered, and somehow Raven sensed his regret, even through the distance. She smiled, despite what she'd have to tell him in a second.
"Cockatoo? I've missed you", she admitted, and heard a chuckle over the comm.
"I didn't want to presume... We never really declared what this – you and me – is... was... Er, have I mentioned I'm bad at relationships? And right now, I likely have a small shock. Anyway, the feeling is mutual."
Speaking of shock...
"There has been a complication", Raven croaked, and hoped that her voice wouldn't break. "Before you say anything else, you have to know. Remember Golden Eagle and Mother Eagle? The ghost stories?"
The Sith knew that Theron had talked with her sister about that peculiar condition, where the young Lea Kell had carried the spirit of Darth Ignus through nearly twenty years of her life, before the ghost of the older Sith had slowly started to fade away. The spirit of their mother hadn't always been present, far from it, but Lea had told her that Ignus had always answered when she had needed her.
"Yes...", the puzzled answer came. Raven took a deep breath.
"And do you remember our oldest... 'friend'? The one who had very much fun with my second home?"
The image jerked.
"Yes." Theron's voice had now a definite hint of worry in it.
"Well", Raven whispered, "if we ever meet again, things might get a little awkward, at least if you repeat that goodbye scene from our little moon-adventure with your ancestor. Privacy is a thing that's unfortunately no option any more."
Silence. Then, the figure before her slowly shook its head.
"You can't possibly have meant what I just understood", Theron said, with more than just a hint of despair. Raven clenched her teeth.
"If you feel the need to curse fate, curse him, or scream a little, then I'm afraid it's very likely that you got the message", she answered, and braced herself for the worst.
"Don't. Lose. Hope."
With the conviction suddenly radiating from him, Raven wondered whether Theron had inherited more from his Force-powerful mother than he'd thought. Of course it wasn't battle meditation, but she still felt... strengthened.
"You can do this. We can do this. We'll sort this out", Theron stated, fiercely. But then, he laughed. Laughed. Was it the stress? Had he finally snapped under the strain?
"But you are wrong about one thing, Black Eagle", Shan continued, having rediscovered his sense for irony. "I'd repeat exactly what we did during our last moments on that beautiful little moon of horrors, with your permission, no matter how many senile, doddery old lords of darkness might watch. Blast it, when you said 'complication', I thought you'd meant something serious, like you falling for that mask-wearing, robot-arm guy you had business with lately."
Raven couldn't help but smile herself.
"Hey, I wasn't in a position to do anything of that sort during the last years. But what about you? I half-expected to hear some lukewarm excuse from you, and a declaration that you found the woman of your life six months after our last goodbye, and promptly fathered at least one child with her."
Of course she only imagined it, but Raven could have sworn that Theron was rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, that's me. Very likely. You do remember I'm a workaholic, right? And the reasons? I mentioned that I am bad at relationships just seconds ago!"
"Or, you know, that you suffer from some terminal illness, and that you have to live your last days in a fancy hospital or something", Raven continued. Sometimes it was really unhealthy to have a fertile imagination.
"Uh-uh. Yeah. I feel like I've got a small cold or something, but surely it is something far worse, yes."
"Or you could shout at me for surely having cooperated with the enemy", the young Sith fabulated. "I mean, I was with the enemy for years, how shall you know that I am not a traitor?"
"Ra... Black Eagle, where in the galaxy do you get all these crazy ideas from? Nobody in their right mind would come up with even one of them!"
Raven shook her head. Obviously, she needn't have worried.
"Well, I read too much", she offered. But another smile started to form on her features. Theron couldn't see it, of course, but it was likely that he heard her relieved tone and reacted accordingly.
"You read the wrong stories", he insisted. "What about the one where an old friend comes back during a time of great need, has transformed into a total badass, helps the heroine to overcome all her enemies, and finally admits his lo... er... tells her something he should have told her a long time ago? Or what about the other story, where a young, rash would-be-knight is mentored by a young-but-wise heroine, finds his way in life thanks to her, becomes a hero himself and both save the world from dragons, mad gods and regular villains before getting ma... er... finally doing whatever they both want?"
There was something wrong with Raven's throat. And whatever it was, it was slowly spreading – her eyes were starting to feel funny, too.
"Is that so?" she asked, while fighting to get the words out. "Sounds... tolerable, I'd say. As long as this old friend or the hero-knight both have a sense of humour, of course. But it's better, way better, than what I've imagined, I give you that."
Both stared at each other's distorted image for some time, and Raven cursed the fact that they couldn't properly see each other. Finally, Theron cleared his throat.
"I have another story ready, if you've got the time, but stop me if I start to ramble", the agent stated, a bit haltingly, and continued, as Raven nodded. "You know, it's an old fairy tale. See, once upon a time, and in a galaxy far, far away, there was a young princess, who lived in a dark kingdom. But this was not your usual damsel-in-distress fairy-tale princess. Oh, she was beautiful, more beautiful than all the other people, and she also had some fine clothes that one could certainly admire, but she was also a fierce warrior, an unrelenting defender of her people. She was no fanatic, though, but a diplomat. A wise diplomat, who would have turned the dark kingdom to the light, if given enough time. But I am getting ahead of myself. The dark kingdom, the princess' home, was at war, with another powerful kingdom. In addition to that, there was another threat, more obscure, more hidden."
"A dark kingdom, and a light kingdom, and some strange threat?" Raven repeated, not knowing whether she should laugh, or start crying in earnest.
"Yes, exactly. So, the powerful warrior princess collected some of her friends, and faced the hidden threat, because she always did what she could to defend her emp... her kingdom. And during that endeavour, the princess met a guy from the light kingdom. Now, that guy was a kind of a puzzle. First, he was a bit of a failure, since he had been meant to become a knight in shiny armour, but hadn't succeeded in his trials. In fact, he'd failed spectacularly."
"Shiny armour is way overrated", Raven murmured. "And knights... Don't they usually come with horses? Horses are quite impractical."
"Maybe. It's a moot point, anyway. Second, the guy always said something wrong, and put his foot into his own mouth. Some might even say he did it on purpose, because he was so consequent in doing so, but perhaps he was just simply socially awkward. Whatever. So, with a lot of luck on his end, this guy managed to help the brave princess on her adventure, and when they finally met in person, he was thunderstruck. Not only because of her beauty, because he already knew how she looked like, and not only because of her strength and power, because he already knew all about it, too. No, he was astonished, and positively awed, about her inner beauty, about her inner strength, because he finally found that she also had the most gentle soul you can imagine. And the best sense of humour."
"Um, now you are certainly exaggerating", Raven interrupted, and blushed. "Nobody can possibly be that perfect."
"He, it's my fairy tale. I do know the story, and believe me, if anything, then I have understated the facts. So, that guy I told you about? That guy was also a fighter, and so they joined forces to combat the threat. They even managed to convince some of the other officials from both kingdoms to help them. And finally, with lots of luck and thanks to the incredible strength of the princess, they managed to find their shadowy foe, and to put him down. I think it was some kind of zombie overlord, for he should have been dead a long time ago. Anyway, things were looking both bright and grim, for the danger was gone, but the kingdoms were still at war – so what kind of a future could there be for two people who should have been enemies, but had started to mean more to each other? Much more?"
"When the guy you are talking about was really so inept, the princess must have suffered some kind of brain damage in between, right?" Raven teased, unable to stop herself.
Theron coughed. "That's entirely possible. But, again, it's a moot point to speculate, because then disaster struck. A real, terrible disaster. A big and ugly dragon appeared, out of the deepest and unexplored mountains behind both of the kingdoms, and ravaged the lands, ate quite a lot of people, and then abducted the princess. And that guy I told you about? The only thing that kept him going was the knowledge that the princess was out there, and that it was still possible to rescue her. So he said goodbye to his light kingdom, for it had changed, and he didn't really feel at home there any more. The whole realm seemed to have lost its mind. And so he went out, on his own adventure, to free the princess."
"Oh?" Raven interrupted. "You mean, she was asleep in the dragon's lair, and he ventured out to wake her up again? By following the traditional protocol?"
"Well, the guy wouldn't have been adverse to the idea, I can tell you that much. Luckily, or unluckily as the case may be, the guy also had some allies on his quest, and while he was out fighting a minor lindworm, his allies succeeded in freeing the princess from right under the dragon's nose. And the guy didn't know whether he should curse fate for being too slow to be there himself, or to thank all deities of all pantheons he could imagine that the princess was free and mostly unharmed."
"And what happened then?" Raven asked, with more than just a hint of curiosity.
"That guy I spoke of had to wrap up some things and scale the lindworm, of course, but then he hurried like crazy to come back to the princess, and to see whether she would forgive him for being away when she'd needed him."
"I'd say she might just do so", the young Sith murmured, "at least if he brought some lindworm scales with him. Aren't princesses usually impressed by things like that?"
"Well, as I said, this princess was anything but a normal princess. But, yes, I certainly hope that you are right."
Raven looked up. "You said it was an old fairy tale", she reminded the agent. "So surely you know what happened in the end. Did the princess and the fighter destroy the dragon? Did they save their kingdoms? And did they finally succeed in bringing peace to the realm?"
Theron nodded heavily. That much was clear even with the encryption protocols online.
"In the end, they were able to stop the war, and made a new treaty", he said, and again radiated a conviction that rivalled Force voice manipulation. "But I don't think that they destroyed the dragon. Knowing the princess, and her impressive talent for diplomacy, I believe that she beat the dragon, then talked it down, tamed it, and made it into a stalwart defender of both their kingdoms."
Raven breathed deeply. "Possible", she admitted, "but the princess should better check how much and what dragons eat. Could be a costly endeavour, to feed such a beast."
She coughed. "Cockatoo?"
"Yes?"
"You better hurry and get your feathery butt here really soon. Otherwise I'll have to kiss that blasted monitor."
Asylum, Back Alley, 5 AEA
"Observation: That dark and foreboding alley is where we are supposed to meet Senya, master."
Raven smiled at HK's comment. After finishing her talk with Theron, the young Sith had checked on the others. Lea was back from her rescue mission, with the engineer, Tora, in tow, and Senya had sent word that Raven was supposed to meet her and her allies. So Lord Kallig had taken HK with her and ventured out, eager to see the knight's associates for herself.
And there, in the semi-dark of the alley, stood indeed the former Zakuulan Knight. Senya seemed calm, like most times, and her eyes pierced the shadows. For a moment, there was something vaguely uncanny about her, a strange resemblance. But to whom, Raven couldn't say. Somewhere in her memory, an observation stirred, though it was too weak to fully reach her consciousness. Raven was just sure that it wasn't Satele Shan the knight reminded her of right now, but somebody else. Somebody dangerous.
"Right on time", Senya stated, calm and composed like the clear night sky. "My friends have been looking forward to this."
Raven shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was still feeling a little... worried, but tried to mask it.
"I hope our meeting goes well", the young Sith answered, and was glad about the familiar weight of her lightsaber at her side.
About ten seconds later, Raven was even more glad about having her favourite weapon right at her disposal. Two steps after passing the doorway herself, HK crashed into an energetic force field and fell to the ground with a loud thud. The Sith focused on Senya, who didn't seem surprised in the slightest.
"You better have a good explanation", Lord Kallig said, and made sure to force all hints of threats out of her voice. For now.
"Your droid is not a part of what must happen here", the warrior answered, and her eyes shone in the darkness again.
Must happen here? Raven felt the small hairs on her arms rise. She couldn't stand the concept of fate. Her patience was getting a little stretched.
"I spent five years stuck in one trap", she reminded the former Zakuul Knight, and a little piece of the emotions she was feeling crept into her voice. "I won't fall into another."
They reached a round room, with an expensive-looking rug, some decorations, and even some decorative bushes in the background. Senya, in turn, smiled at her remark.
"You are free to leave whenever you like", she said, and there was again the strange feeling of... familiarity with somebody else that Raven couldn't quite place. "But if you want the help of my allies, you'll stay."
"We have come this far. Let us see where it leads."
The young Sith Lord nearly jumped at Valkorion's voice directly behind her. Her first impulse was to turn and go right that very moment, and be it just to spite the ghostly world-eater. But she had a certain responsibility, and couldn't just walk away and alienate potential allies, even if she might want to. The stakes were, unfortunately, far too high for that.
Raven remembered the chocolate. She could play nice for a little while longer, even if the whole scene was getting on her nerves.
"Very well", she commented, and Senya seemed to take it as an invitation.
"Before Arcann's betrayal, Zakuul was protected by two orders: the Knights, and Scions who see visions of the past and future", she explained. "Scions no longer serve Arcann. Whether they serve you will be determined now."
Force-sensitive vision-seeing cultists? Raven only hoped that these guys would be a bit more rational than some of the Voss mystics she'd met. But then she felt a presence, and heard a voice, and got the feeling that she wouldn't get her wish fulfilled.
"Fate is a tale whispered to us by the Force. But the voices are silent about you. We must know why."
Must know? Oh dear. But Raven again remembered the chocolate. And those guys were Senya's allies, weren't they? It was best to be diplomatic.
Yeah, diplomacy. Even though she definitely wasn't a princess.
"Perhaps together we can reveal the future", she stated, and hoped that she'd hit the right tone.
Something like approval coloured the unseen speaker's answer.
"If we are to aid your rebellion, we must understand what role you play in Arcann's defeat. We will test you physically and spiritually to pierce the veil and see the truth."
Uh uh. Good thing that this didn't sound ominous. Why did everybody always want to fight her, no matter if here, in the old Empire, the Republic, or some random planet in the middle of nowhere? Seriously, was it her hair, her scars, or something in her smell, for the stars' sake?
Memories of chocolate weren't enough to calm Raven down.
"It sounds like you're planning to attack", she commented. "That is a mistake."
The answer came promptly. "We do what must be done."
Fatalists? Fanatics? Both? Or just crazy guys? Raven wasn't sure, but didn't like it either way. Senya interrupted her thoughts, though.
"I tie my fate to yours", the knight stated. "I join you in these trials, come what may."
There was a thud, then another, and all around them, weirdly-costumed people dropped down from above. At least now the crazy guys, or Scions, had faces.
"The Heart of Scyva is heavy with loss", one of them all but chanted. "In her pain, we lash out."
Raven breathed deeply. If this whole trial continued down this path, the greatest challenge would lie in controlling her emotions, and stopping herself from shaking these guys out of sheer frustration. And to make things even better, her ghostly mind-stealing nemesis decided to make an appearance again.
"I do miss the old ways of Zakuul", he simply commented. "Such mythology, and pageantry."
"Please, defend yourself", a female Scion asked, in a tone that seemed to bypass Raven's brain and appealed to the darker parts of her subconsciousness to just grab her and toss some mud into her neatly rouged face. And when all Scions around them drew their lightsabers, and Raven noticed that their blades were uniformly pink, she really had to work hard to stop herself from screaming.
She should have drunk more of that herbal tea.
Asylum, Scion Enclave, 5 AEA
"If there is another test, let's continue."
The fighting had done nothing to calm Raven's mood, and she half-wished that she was ruthless enough just to turn and go. But besides upsetting Senya, this would have accomplished nothing; she still needed allies, and those Scions might be useful. Or, at least, some of them. She wasn't so sure about this Heskal person, who seemed to lead them. Raven had always thought that she herself was crazy, but this guy made herself look like an amateur in this discipline. It was best to be cautious, she decided, and pulled at the Force bond that tied her to her sister. Raven wasn't calling for help, not now, but she let Lea know where she was, and that the situation was a little complicated. If this whole thing took to long, it was likely deteriorating, and in this case, the Jedi's help would be very welcome.
"Hunger. Overconfidence. You were more tolerant when you landed, despite the fools you suffered."
Yeah. Because they were only fools, and nice ones at that, not crazy maniacs. But Lord Kallig didn't speak these words out loud. Instead, she just shook her head, as something dawned on her.
"You were watching me."
Good thing that this wasn't creepy at all. Oh, wait...
"We're always watching. Arcann took away years of your life, but he stole far more from the rest of us. Do you feel anything for those who suffered while you slept?"
Heskal was slowly, but steadily finding ways to annoy Raven thoroughly. What was this? A whining contest? An insult party?
Diplomacy. Diplomacy. Diplomacy.
"Why else would I be here?" Lord Kallig asked, and tried to appeal to reason. If there was indeed any in this room. "I want to end the suffering."
Heskal looked away from her, and glared at her ally. Literally. Raven had never seen such weird torch eyes before. Of course it was a Force trick, but the effect was a little unnerving.
"And you, Senya? What do you feel?"
The warrior looked down, pain on her face. Something inside Raven hurt at that sight, and the young inquisitor again had to remind herself that attacking Heskal to teach him some manners was probably a bad idea.
"Shame."
Something in Senya's answer struck Raven. Shame? She couldn't quite place the knight's expression. But she was missing something. Raven suddenly was sure of it. Why was Senya here at all, tying her fate to hers, as she had put it? Why shame?
"Because you failed to protect our Immortal Emperor?" Heskal asked. But the young Sith knew, just knew, that of all possible reasons, this was certainly not the point.
Anger replaced whatever emotion Senya might have felt. "I was in no position to do that", she growled, and her voice sounded way more familiar, now that the strange vulnerability was gone again. But Heskal pressed on.
"What of the Scions who were slaughtered by your fellow Knights because Arcann demanded it? Do you feel responsible for them?"
"Enough!" Raven interrupted, but Senya answered, anyway.
"When I joined the Knights, they were shields protecting our home world", she countered, her fury clearly audible. "Now they are weapons wielded by an insane child."
There was something there, in her voice, in her whole posture. But Raven couldn't quite get to the bottom of all this. There was something else there, though, something worth asking.
"Senya, could we reason with the Knights? Bring them over to our side?"
It was worth a try, if there was even the slightest chance to accomplish it. But naturally, Heskal felt the need to interrupt. Raven disliked him more and more.
"The blood on their hands cannot be washed away with reason!" he nearly screamed, and sounded even more demented than before. Raven ignored him, but her hopes sank as she looked to Senya.
"The Knights should have rebelled against Arcann. Instead, we have lost our honour", the older woman answered. Raven took that as a 'no'.
And when more Scions appeared, all wielding pink lightsabers, and more of them babbled mystical references and allusions to fate, and when finally Vitiate's ghost himself gave more unwanted and unneeded comments and translations of the mystical allusions, Raven really wondered whether or not the whole trial was worth it.
One thing was very sure, though – when this was over, she really needed to buy more herbal tea.
Asylum, Scion Enclave, 5 AEA
Another room. Also fancy, but without bushes or trees. And there was no rug this time. Fitting, Raven thought. She was pretty sure that there was more fighting ahead, and blood strains were sometimes hard to remove.
A large holo image of Arcann stood in the centre of the room. The image did nothing to brighten Raven's mood, though she liked Vaylin even less. Arcann, in his own way, was still sort of rational, and after this crazy tour-de-fate-talk, anything remotely rational was welcome. Sort of.
"You seek to remove Arcann from the Eternal Throne. As well you should."
Raven was tempted to declare that no, she was about to propose marriage to Arcann, and rule a combined Empire together, but she wasn't sure if the Scions would recognize irony even if it beat them onto their combined heads. Plus, it might have upset Senya. But it was too late, anyway, since Heskal droned on.
"His destiny is to fall. We have foreseen that much. But his final fate remains unclear. When he is at your mercy, what will you do?"
Tame the dragon, of course. Reason with him. Use him to defend the borders of the light and the dark kingdom, while hoping that he wouldn't eat too much cattle per week. Still, Raven got the feeling that there was a better course of action than simply answering herself.
"I want Senya to answer first", she said, and waited curiously for the answer. It came swiftly.
"Arcann will not escape justice for the lives he's taken", the knight stated gravely. Did this mean that Senya would just slit Arcann's throat when she got the chance? Raven resolved to speak with the warrior in private, when she got the chance. Sure, she wanted to beat Arcann, but despite everything, she didn't seek his death. At least when she could avoid it.
"A thousand Scions lie dead because of him. Blood calls out for blood. Do you agree?"
The silence in the room got very heavy.
"Answer us!"
But Raven's patience was finally at an end. She felt Senya's unease, no, suffering, and she definitely didn't like Heskal's tone. And least of all, she liked Vitiate's ghostly voice, which had again started to whisper unwanted advice into her ears.
"They question her commitment to them..."
Lord Kallig ignored him, and drew her lightsaber, while pulling at the Force bond again. This time, it was really a request for help.
"I'm starting to second guess whether or not we need you", she said, and felt that unconsciously, she had changed her stance. Head lifted, back straightened, it was what her sister had once called 'Darth Imperius awakens'. Raven felt the familiar power of the Force flow through her and around her. She didn't believe in destiny, but in her lightsaber. And soon, the Scions who were foolish enough to oppose her would believe in it, too.
"You act as if you have a choice", Heskal hissed. "We know our part. It's yours that must be revealed."
Before Raven could act, he had again dropped from lofty heights. Only this time, he had succeeded in surprising Senya, and knocked her ally out.
"I will know your fate, even if I must tear you open to see it."
Cold fear reached Raven's heart, not for herself, but for her ally. Determined to protect Senya, she reached out with the Force, and unceremoniously threw most of the approaching Scions into the next wall. All of them were behaving like they needed a good, long, healthy nap, anyway. Only Heskal remained, raving, lunatic Heskal, about whom Raven could say just one definitely positive thing: His lightsaber was red, not pink. But that wouldn't save him from becoming a part of the floor's mosaic, if he insisted to fight her to the end.
Time froze. Again. Raven had given up on counting how often Vitiate had interrupted her by now.
"His argument with you is pointless and destructive. I can end this without any more bloodshed if you accept the gift of my power."
Uh oh. Had she really become so angry that the former Sith Emperor truly believed she could be caught by such a transpicuous move?
"You must be joking", Raven answered, and it wasn't even a taunt, just her honest opinion.
"Then stop wasting time", the ghostly voice countered, but its owner seemed slightly annoyed. Like most times, really, when she dismissed his suggestions or refused his power. "Reveal his fate."
The fight didn't take long. Raven had faced few opponents that were more crazy than the chief Scion, but quite a few that had been more powerful. Zash, Thanaton, the Dread Masters, a whole bunch of unnamed monstrosities, beasts or otherwise, and even a number of spirits, not to mention Revan himself. In comparison to most of those, Heskal was nothing. He soon lay on the ground, metres away from his lightsaber, and panting, so Raven used the chance to help Senya up, who had just awakened.
The knight, for once, was in a more cooperative mood than herself. Lord Kallig supposed that there was a first time for everything.
"Do not judge him harshly", Senya asked. "This trial was necessary for all of us. We need the Scions."
Something fell into place in Raven's head, and she made her decision. Or, more accurately, she finally acknowledged the decision she'd made what felt like hours before.
"We need friends", she stressed. "Not necessarily Scions."
The rest of the Scions understood her sentence for what it was, and drew their weapons.
"The blood of Tyth flows through you, Outlander. Please do not force us to spill it", one of them proclaimed.
Convenient. Now that she had the upper hand, the Scion's visions suddenly didn't demand that she was to be cut open to reveal her fate? Raven had always had a problem with people who believed in fate, and visions, and this was a typical symptom why.
"Stand. Down. Now."
"Or don't, and face the consequences, but I'll guarantee you that we'll have more fun than you in that case."
Lana. And Lea. And a whole bunch of Koth's crew, himself included. And HK. Raven breathed in relief at the sight of her trusty droid. She had wondered what had happened to him, after she had taken the route to crazy country. The remaining Scions drew their lightsabers, but Raven knew that they had no chance. Even better, she knew that they knew.
"You don't need the Force to see what happens next", she insisted, and made a final attempt at diplomacy. "Put down your weapons."
And, to her surprise, Heskal nodded, and on his signal, the Scions deactivated their blades.
"Every moment since you entered, even this one, was predestined. Everyone here played the role fate assigned them."
Raven was pretty sure that she heard her sister snort.
"I ask you a final question", Heskal continued. "What future do you see for the galaxy when Arcann and his Eternal Fleet are gone?"
An easy question? Raven wondered whether it was the sight of her allies that made Heskal more agreeable. She should have reached out to Lea sooner.
"One person shouldn't decide the fate of the galaxy", she stated with conviction, and thought of Vitiate the Mad. "When the time comes, we can work together."
"He will not live to do that", the former Emperor interrupted, as if on clue. Well, she probably should have expected that.
Heskal jerked. This couldn't be a good sign. And his torch eyes were active again.
"You have nothing further to reveal", the Scion hissed. "I now know what blinded us to the future. Our Immortal Emperor lives... inside your mind."
Great. And that five minutes after Koth and everybody else had entered. If Heskal had had this epiphany just a little sooner, she'd only have had to deal with Senya's reaction.
"It couldn't stay secret forever", Lana commented, and sounded way calmer than Raven felt. Whatever shock Koth might have felt was overridden with anger at this statement.
"You knew about this, and didn't tell me?" he asked, incredulous. Oh yes, Raven had been right in her assessment. Koth wasn't happy about being left in the dark.
Diplomacy, diplomacy...
"We thought you'd panic if I said 'Hey, Emperor Valkorion's living inside my head'".
It wasn't the full truth, at least not in Koth's case, for Raven had also started to fear that the Zakuulan would start to obsess about Vitiate. But it was close enough.
"Analysis: Scan reveals no evidence you possess a secondary personality matrix, master. It is possible your brain is simply malfunctioning."
Raven really liked HK. After every talk with the former Emperor, and especially after this crazy round of trials, his distinctive kind of assessing a situation was like a bucket of water in the heat of a large desert. But Heskal continued like there had been no interruption at all.
"Our duel gave me a glimpse of what's to come. You will destroy the Eternal Throne... but many will suffer before that victory."
Visions. Fate. Raven clenched her fists.
"Let me guess", she drawled sarcastically. "Your visions didn't specify who suffers... or how long defeating Arcann will take."
This time, Lea's snort was more audible. But then Koth spoke, and his tone was light. Way too light for somebody who had just been angry.
"Doesn't matter. We win", he beamed. "If Emperor Valkorion lives because of this Outlander, there's hope for Zakuul."
Raven blinked and hoped that Heskal had succeeded in hitting her head during their duel. Surely she was hallucinating things?
"Your beloved Immortal Emperor is a threat to all life, everywhere. We must find a way to separate you from him", Lana retorted, and Raven jerked. Okay, Lana hadn't been hit by anybody, right? That meant that Koth had really just said that heap of nonsense?
They were going to have larger problems than she'd thought. Raven would have much preferred him being angry.
"No one wants Valkorion out of my head more than I do", she answered, "but removing him won't be easy."
"We have a lot to discuss", Lana sighed, and Raven couldn't help but agree.
"Not here", she insisted, though. Lord Kallig had had enough of this place, of the Scions, and everything. She turned to Heskal again.
"I passed your test", she all but growled, and finally didn't keep the anger out of her voice any more. "Join us, or don't. Either way, we're done."
It felt extremely freeing to just say this. Raven turned, and started to go, but was stopped by Senya, who had said nothing during the last minutes.
"There is one truth left to reveal. I withheld the true reason I followed you through the trials", the knight said, and there it was again, the sense of foreboding. The feeling that there was something more, the impression that Raven had missed something of importance. The weird impression of resemblance... the grief she'd sensed, even when she had met the warrior for the first time...
Shame...
Wielded by an insane child...
"To understand the Outlander who will destroy Arcann, and Vaylin..." Senya continued, and her face finally told Raven everything she needed to know.
Literally.
"Your son and daughter", the young Sith whispered, shocked, just as the knight confirmed it, and she realized where she had seen features similar to the warrior's before. The dark side corruption had made it somewhat difficult to see, but Vaylin did show a noticeable family resemblance to her mother.
Somewhere inside her mind, Vitiate started to laugh, but Raven did what she had to do. Ignoring both the spectral visitor and the real people around her, she grasped Senya's hands. Gone were the anger and frustration she'd felt, her fury at the Scions was forgotten. There was only a strange kind of emptiness inside her, as she realized how much the proud warrior before her had lost, and what it all implied.
"I'm so sorry", she said, quietly, but deeply moved, and tried to convey without words that nevertheless, some form of hope remained, that death wasn't necessarily the answer, and that there could be other forms of atonement. She didn't know if her message reached Senya, but blue-grey eyes met hers, and there was some form of understanding in them. Raven felt the warrior squeeze her hands slightly, even as a hint of moisture started to fill her x-ray eyes.
Author's note: With KotET only days away, I do hope that the new content will contain more scenes with Theron than the first nine chapters of KotFE. Seriously.