36: Visions.

A vision of genuine beauty, Lord Scourge decided as he quietly observed Arielle while she sat entranced within the guest-room now functioning as a meditation room instead. Her long, red and wavy hair cascaded down her back and shoulders. Her eyes closed while a peaceful smile lingered on her face and he could see the darkness swirling around her.

The traditional and pure white Jedi robes she'd worn in the past had now been replaced by a black ensemble instead and though Lord Scourge couldn't fully see its cut, he approved nonetheless and smirked when his gaze fell upon the amount of skin she showed now, no longer hiding herself under endless layers of clothing.

"You can join me if you'd like." Arielle mused sensing his presence.

He glanced at the unlit candle before her as he approached and knelt down at her side "Any luck yet?"

"Mmm no."

Lord Scourge took her hand, lending her his strength "Focus inwards and picture the candle in your mind, imagine a tiny spark floating towards the wick."

Arielle inhaled deeply and drew upon the Force surrounding her as she followed his instructions. A blurred image of the candle appeared in her mind before fully taking shape and as she concentrated on the idea of lighting it, she suddenly saw endless amounts of ember particles dancing all around her. She beamed as she felt their warmth and focused on one of the sparks, slowly nudging it towards the long white wick. It swayed and swerved before her eyes as though it tried to defy her orders but then slowly began falling forward and Arielle could hear a small hiss as the stubborn tiny spark reached the candle and transformed into a perfectly shaped flame.

"I did it?" she breathed out slowly but didn't dare actually look.

"Sort of, mostly…"

A hint of amusement sounded in Lord Scourge's voice tickling her curiosity and Arielle opened her eyes.

The candle before them shone brightly which put a smile to her face but in the corner of the room one of the brand new Tchuspera plants she'd bought burned just as fiercely as the flames soared up towards the white drapes that graced one of the windows.

"Oh kriff!"

Lord Scourge laughed as he rushed to get the extinguisher and he put the fire out before it could spread any further "At least you managed some control this time and you didn't pass out."

Arielle shook her head while she got up and opened the window to let the smoke out "It needs more precision and direction…"

"It's a start." Lord Scourge snaked his arms around her and kissed her lips "Small steps, remember?"

"Right."

"How did it feel?" he asked taking her hand and he led her into the living area to sit down.

"Better than it ever has… now that I've made a choice and accepted things as they are, I feel far more stable and in control. I'm not overwhelmed or panicked."

"And the loss of your friends no longer burdens you?"

She rolled her shoulders in a small shrug and looked away as he touched on the one subject which had left a scar on her heart.

"There's no point in missing them."

A small sigh escaped his lips and he pulled her into his arms "Yes there is. Missing them means treasuring the good memories and giving your emotions a place in your heart."

"Not missing them, or pretending not to, is just you hiding your feelings yet again. You've got to stop doing that."

Arielle slowly turned her head around to him and quirked a brow before her frown faded into a smile instead. She softly kissed his cheek and wrapped herself fully into his arms.

"What was that for?"

"Because I love you and sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you, and your counsel, my Lord."

A peculiar but pleasant shiver ran across his spine and he smirked "My Lord?"

"Isn't that what Sith apprentices and acolytes call their superiors? I may as well start practicing my manners and you're perfect."

Lord Scourge wasn't sure if she was just playing coy or meant it but he couldn't deny the fact those two words coming from her stirred something inside of him "Very well, and what do I call you then?"

"Eliza."

"Oh?"

"Yeah" Arielle idly drew small circles across the back of his hand as she thought about her old name "Arielle just feels like a hollow shell now you know? It's my Jedi name and the name of an orphan who was shaped into the ideal soldier by Satele. I'm not her anymore."

"Eliza is who I am and always have been underneath and it's the name my mother gave me."

"Malavai will be thrilled."

"I hope so… I should give them a call later and check in."

She turned herself around in his arms and climbed onto his lap effectively straddling him "Right now though…"

"Mm yes?" Lord Scourge grinned and pretended not to read her intentions.

Arielle reached behind her neck for the fastenings of her halter cut out dress and let the top sink down revealing her bare chest "I think it's time for Master and apprentice to get some further… training in, wouldn't you say my Lord?"

—

"Hey you're back" Me'ghan smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek as he walked through the front door and sat the heavy bag he carried down "What did they say when you told them?"

"I haven't told them yet" he frowned "a part of me still worries Eliza may disappear from our lives again and I couldn't bear having to break my mother's heart a second time."

"Then how did you convince them to let you take all this stuff out of the family vault?"

Malavai smiled "I may have used my loving wife as an excuse."

"I explained to Richard that I'd told you about my sister and niece, of the heirlooms left in our care and that you being Sith yourself felt intrigued by the story and wished to see the objects up close."

"Well," Me'ghan eyed the bag curiously "that's not a complete lie. I can sense something calling out to me… what's in there exactly?"

"A few of my sister's keepsakes, some old books including the one I used to read to Eliza when she was little… figured she might appreciate having that again now that she remembers." Malavai explained.

"Mm good idea."

"There's also a large chest in there which used to belong to Darth Pyralis. I'm not sure what's in it, the locking mechanism does nothing but perhaps she can figure out a way to open it up."

"It could be sealed off with a Blo—"

Malavai caught Me'ghan just in time as an unknown force seemed to nearly knock her off her feet and she reached for her dizzying head. Her mind filled with images, none which she recognized or understood. An unfamiliar star system flashed before her eyes, a planet that seemed to burn up entirely while a city with structures similar to those in Kaas City was littered with the corpses of Imperials including her own.

"My love? What's wrong?" Malavai worried as he sat her down.

Me'ghan rubbed her forehead and blinked a few times "I had a vision…"

"There was a galaxy neighboring our own and then, nothing. Every star went dim, both in that galaxy and our own. The end of everything."

"Was it brought on by what I'm keeping in the bag, Darth Pyralis' belongings?"

"No this was something else entirely… something sinister, a warning perhaps."

A chill ran along Me'ghan's spine as she recalled her conversation with Lord Scourge. As she remembered what he'd told her of the Emperor's intentions and how what she'd just witnessed looked an awful lot like such an event.

"Call Eliza."

—

While the man she loved more than anything slept on the couch, completely spent after their extracurricular activities, Arielle gently slipped from his arms making sure not to wake him. She picked her dress and undergarment off the floor and covered herself up before stepping outside onto the balcony.

Across the way in the far distance she watched as a long line formed for one of the nightclubs on Nar Shaddaa and colorful party lights brightened up the sky. It reminded her of times long ago when she and her then still complete crew had paid a visit to a brand new club on Coruscant, paid for in full by Supreme Chancellor Saresh to celebrate their victory over the Sith Emperor.

Kira had carelessly and eagerly hit on any man she'd laid her eyes on and at the end of the night even brought one of them home. An SIS Agent, Arielle recalled, with black hair, blue eyes and a brown leather jacket.

"What is it with those Agents and their leather jackets?" Arielle mused to herself and for a moment her mind landed on Theron.

In a strange way, she feared telling him about her decision more than she'd feared telling Kira and Doc. Theron was new in her life but in many ways she felt a connection to him, one that no doubt stemmed from their shared miserable experiences with his mother and despite the little they knew of each other otherwise, Arielle struggled with the idea of losing him too.

She considered their mission and found herself wondering where he was right now when out of nowhere, visions of a strange galaxy flashed before her eyes. She saw people chatting away, an island surrounded by lush waters though far more occupied and crowded than Rakata Prime had been and then she saw his face—Revan.

Arielle rushed back into the apartment to wake Lord Scourge but he already stood with her comm device in his hand "It's Meg, she had a vision."

"So did I…" Arielle took her comm "What did you see?"

"The end of everything. A nearby galaxy, a burning planet, everyone was dead…"

"I saw a planet too but far away and remote, in a different galaxy from our own. An island city and then I saw, Revan."

Arielle watched Quinn pace behind Me'ghan before he took over the call "An island city? Could the galaxy you saw have been a dwarf galaxy?"

"A dwarf galaxy sounds right… what do you know?"

"There is such a galaxy off the Outer Rim, known as the Rishi Maze."

"I've been to Rishi." Lord Scourge noted "A pirate resort and a real dive. Perfect for those looking to disappear and fall under the radar."

"Well I guess we're off to Rishi then." Me'ghan suggested from the background.

"Yeah about that…" Arielle smiled "Think you could come pick us up first? I no longer have my ship."