Important Note: With this chapter, this version of Afterimages is now caught up to the version I post on the SWTOR fanfic forum. As such, the rate of updates is going to become much slower. Until my schedule changes, I'll probably only have time to update every 2-3 weeks. Apologies.
Thirty-Seven
Alderaan
17 ATC
Snow crunched under A'tro's boots as she made her way through the tall conifers, their deep green boughs frosted with white. It was early spring in Alderaan's northern hemisphere, but this high up in the mountains, winter still held sway. A'tro, who had grown up on Dromund Kaas, found the snowy forest to be a novel and beautiful sight.
Quinn walked beside her, silently surveying their surroundings. There was something nostalgic about the two of them traveling together into unknown territory with only the vaguest idea of what they would encounter when they got there. It had been a long time since they'd gone on a mission like that.
The last time A'tro had been on Alderaan was when she had hunted down Jaesa's family on Darth Baras' orders. She had left Jaesa behind on Dromund Kaas to watch over Saryn, and she had a feeling her apprentice was glad to be able to avoid returning to her homeworld. The past was a tricky thing, and A'tro could understand wanting to distance oneself from it.
It was a darkly amusing thought, given that she was on her way to meet her sister. The reminder soured A'tro's good mood. She drew on that anger, letting it strengthen her. She didn't think it would come to a fight, but if it did, she intended to be prepared.
"My lord," Quinn said quietly.
A'tro wasn't sure why he was using her title; who was going to overhear, the trees? Then again, this was Alderaan, where the noble houses had espionage down to an art form. Perhaps it was best to be cautious.
"What is it?" she asked.
"We are drawing close to the target coordinates. Do you have a plan of action?"
"I don't think we know enough to formulate anything solid. Just follow my lead."
"Always, my lord."
A'tro glanced over at him, a small smile appearing on her lips in spite of herself, but he was looking out into the trees and not at her. She forced the smile to fade and returned her attention to the walk.
The ground slanted sharply uphill for the next several meters, then plateaued as the trees gave way to a large clearing. A small stream, half-choked with slush, ran down one side. Footprints in the snow led from the far edge of the clearing to its center, where a figure in brown hooded robes knelt as still as a statue.
A'tro reached out with the Force, and recognized K'saria's presence. Steeling herself, she walked out of the woods and into the clearing, Quinn following cautiously a few steps behind her.
K'saria raised her head, pushing back her hood. Her black-dyed hair was starting to show red at the roots. She watched as A'tro stopped a few paces away, looking between her and Quinn.
"I'm here," A'tro said flatly. "Talk."
K'saria slowly rose to her feet, bits of snow clinging to her robes. "I would have expected you to come alone."
"You expected wrong."
"So I see." K'saria eyed Quinn with open curiosity. "Who's this, then? A loyal follower, one you clearly trust a great deal. Interesting."
"Concern yourself with me, not him."
"Of course." K'saria looked back at A'tro. "We didn't have much of a chance to talk on Telos."
"I seem to recall you spouting dogma and then trying to kill me."
"You attacked me first."
"You were an enemy combatant in the middle of a battle."
"I'm still your sister."
A'tro scowled.
"Besides," K'saria continued, "if you really didn't care, you wouldn't be here right now."
"You might be surprised," A'tro muttered.
K'saria sighed, her breath emerging as a cloud in the cold air. "Always so hostile. Did you really come all this way just to argue?"
"No, but I doubt you set this up solely for the purpose of a sisterly chat." A'tro shook her head. "The Jedi are hardly known for their support of familial relationships. Their teachings wouldn't lead you to want to reconnect with me. You're here for some other purpose."
"The Jedi and I…haven't always seen eye to eye," K'saria said after a prolonged hesitation. "What I'm doing now is not sanctioned by any stretch of the imagination."
"Your message said as much. So what do you want?"
"I want to know what happened to you after I left. How you ended up like this." K'saria made a sweeping gesture that seemed meant to indicate A'tro and all that she represented.
"An intelligence-gathering mission, then."
"If I wanted intel on you, I would contact the SIS," K'saria said dismissively. "This is a personal matter for me. It's true that the Jedi aren't much for family, but they're not the only people I've spent time with these past years. You're my sister. I just want to have a civil conversation."
A'tro thought it over, trying to get a sense of her intentions through the Force. She couldn't detect any lies or hostility, but that did little to reassure her. K'saria had always been good at hiding things.
She could be making these overtures as a lead-up to discussing that potential treaty, A'tro reminded herself. It could be to everyone's benefit if I cooperate for the time being.
She'd made greater sacrifices for the Empire. She would do what she had to.
"Very well," A'tro said. "I suppose you deserve that much. I'm not revealing any sensitive information, however."
K'saria looked at Quinn. "I had hoped we might talk alone."
"Fine." A'tro turned towards Quinn. "Wait for me out of earshot. This shouldn't take long."
He bowed silently and walked back the way they came, disappearing into the trees.
A'tro returned her attention to K'saria. "Now, then."
"Such remarkable devotion," K'saria remarked. "I've rarely sensed anything like it."
A'tro said nothing.
"I somehow doubt my curiosity on that subject will be assuaged any time soon." K'saria shrugged. "It's not important. What happened after I left?"
"I swore I'd kill you if I ever saw you again."
K'saria sighed quietly.
A'tro ignored her reaction and continued. "After that, I continued with my apprenticeship to Darth Evendre until I discovered that she wasn't really a 'fallen' Jedi at all, and had been reporting to the Republic the entire time."
K'saria's eyes went wide. "Evendre…was a Jedi?"
"Indeed. I discovered some rather damning evidence. Unfortunately, she caught me in the act of taking it. When I refused to join her in her treachery, we fought." For a moment, A'tro was very aware of the scar angling across her right eye. "I narrowly escaped. It was my word against a Darth's, so I went into hiding, and delivered the evidence to someone better placed to see it utilized: our aunt Ravinia."
"Wait. Evendre wanted you to join her? She tried to turn you to the light?" K'saria's veneer of serenity gave way to a frown.
"Yes. She thought I had potential in that regard." A'tro grimaced faintly. "If she wanted a Jedi apprentice, she picked the wrong twin."
"So it would seem," K'saria murmured, her frown deepening. "You didn't even consider it?"
"Why would I?" A'tro sneered. "I serve the Empire. That has always been my calling, and nothing short of death itself will lead me to abandon it."
"Of course you say that," K'saria said bitterly. "You were always the gifted one, apprenticed to a Darth straight out of the Academy. You've never had to struggle, to see the ugly truths that lie beneath the Empire's proud exterior."
"You sound angry. What happened to your Jedi calm?"
"I am notangry." K'saria took a deep breath. "I am disappointed in your lack of vision."
"You think I've never known hardship? I faked my own death, changed my name, spent a year traveling from border outpost to border outpost, always afraid that someone would find me and take me back to be convicted of treason alongside my master. I know what fear feels like. But in the end, my power freed me." A'tro shook her head. "If the system failed you, K'saria, it was because you let it."
"I never had a choice!" K'saria snapped. "I am no weaker or less worthy than you, but you overshadowed me. The Republic accepted me, valued me, gave me a purpose. I've changed for the better. But I can see now with certainty that you have not."
The Force began to resonate with foreboding. "Is that why you asked me here? To see whether I was past redemption?"
"Yes."
In the blink of an eye, K'saria's lightsaber was in her hand, a blade bluer than Alderaan's sky blossoming to life at her side. A'tro had just enough time to draw her own weapons before K'saria closed the distance between them.
"You didn't try very hard," A'tro noted, keeping her tone casual even as she deflected K'saria's surprisingly ferocious attacks. "I think you came here determined to kill me no matter what I said. You hate me more than you realize."
K'saria's jaw clenched. "You are a threat to the Republic that needs to be removed. This isn't personal."
"Even you can't lie well enough for me to believe that." A'tro countered her attacks and riposted, going on the offensive. "What would the Jedi Council say if they knew about this? I doubt they'd approve."
"The Council lacks the resolve to do what's necessary."
"Oh, K'saria," A'tro said mockingly, "you're still such a Sith, even now. We have more in common than you think."
"I am nothing like you."
"Perhaps you ought to reconsider." A'tro crashed her blades against K'saria's, locking them together. "Think about it. My Empire isn't the same as when you left. You might like it."
K'saria disengaged and leaped backwards, landing gracefully with her lightsaber outstretched. "No. Never again. I know where I stand now, and I have no regrets."
"Will you regret your death at my hands?" A'tro inquired, slowly advancing.
"There is no death. Only—"
"The Force, yes, yes." A'tro darted forward into melee range and swung. "Such hollow comfort that must bring."
"A Jedi does not need comfort," K'saria said, parrying. "Only the Sith fear death."
"Wrong." A'tro batted aside her counterattack. "I am not afraid to die for the Empire. I never have been."
"We'll see." K'saria raised her voice. "Now!"
Half a dozen Republic commandos charged out of the trees. A'tro cursed silently; they must have hung back, out of range of her Force senses, and waited until she was distracted to approach. Normally, they would not have posed much challenge, but with K'saria engaging her at the same time, the fight became trickier.
The commandos quickly flanked her and opened fire. A'tro rolled away from K'saria, dodging the initial volley and getting back on her feet in time to deflect the second. She directed the bolts towards K'saria, who blocked them easily.
"I won't waste my breath asking you to surrender," K'saria said. "Besides, it's better this way."
"Shut up," A'tro snapped. "You haven't won yet."
As if on cue, blasterfire rang out from the trees behind her, and one of the commandos fell to the ground, the snow turning red beneath him. A'tro glanced over her shoulder and saw Quinn direct several more shots at the startled Republic troops, then take cover behind the bole of a large pine as they returned fire.
That glance nearly cost her, as K'saria sprang forward like a vine cat spotting prey. A'tro blocked her attack at the last moment. With Quinn occupying the commandos' attention, she was able to retaliate with full force, driving K'saria several steps backward.
"Your servant is brave, but foolish," K'saria said. She was starting to sound slightly out of breath. "It's five against one. Will he die for you?"
"He won't have to."
Though her response was confident, A'tro knew full well that while Quinn had many talents, close combat was not among them. She had only a few moments to kill K'saria or injure her enough that she could take out the commandos before Quinn was overwhelmed.
Doubt filled her, fear trailing close behind it. She shouldn't have let him come with her. Never mind that he was the more expendable of the two of them by a considerable degree; she would much rather fight alone and outnumbered than be forced to watch him die—
Stop it! she told herself. This isn't the first difficult fight we've faced together. We'll both survive this. We have to.
Detachment was out of reach. With nothing else left, A'tro fell back on her earliest teachings. Fear turned to anger in an instant, and she looked past the red and blue whirl of lightsabers at the face identical to her own. For the first time in years, she surrendered to hatred.
Peace is a lie.
She attacked with newfound ferocity, each blow sending K'saria staggering. She was no longer aware of the cold, of the commandos advancing steadily on Quinn's position. She no longer cared. There was only K'saria, standing before her like a distorted mirror showing the wrong reflection. A mirror that would soon be broken.
A'tro took a step forward, then another, and K'saria retreated. She caught every strike of A'tro's twin blades, but each successive parry was clearly starting to cost her. The white clouds of her breath came faster and faster, her assured demeanor beginning to crack.
Her defense wavered for just a moment. A'tro started to move to take advantage of the opening, but the Force whispered a sudden warning and she twisted away at the last second, bringing her blades up just in time to deflect a series of blaster bolts.
The impact jarred her out of her blind fury. The commandos were attacking her again. She backed away from K'saria, trying to keep them from circling her, and realized that they were now focused entirely on her rather than Quinn's position. There was no sign of him.
A chill ran down her spine. No. He couldn't have— I would have felt it if he—
She sensed a new presence in the Force an instant before a dark-clad figure launched itself into the glade, sending snow flying as it hit the ground hard.
"Hello there," said Elaedrin Myn.
A bright green lightsaber lit in her hand, and she cut down the nearest commando before he had time to react.
"Traitor!" K'saria hissed.
For a moment, it looked as if she might break off her attack and engage Elaedrin, but A'tro gave her no opportunity to do so, redoubling her efforts to break down her defense. Elaedrin waded into the middle of the commandos and began taking them down one by one.
"It doesn't matter how many of you there are," K'saria said resolutely. "I will prevail."
"No, you won't," Elaedrin retorted, finishing off the last commando. "Look at you. Luring an enemy into a trap so you could kill them." She twirled her lightsaber, making no move to interfere in the duel. "Satele would be disappointed. Setia Aru would be disappointed, and it took a lot to disappoint her."
"You would know." K'saria's gaze darted between Elaedrin and A'tro even as she continued to fend off the latter's attacks. "You stood by and watched her die."
"Oh, I did more than that," Elaedrin said coolly. "The unexpected number of Imperial troops, the presence of a Dark Council member…all arranged by me. I was in contact with the Empire for weeks before I finally left you weak fools behind."
K'saria flinched. "You—no. No, I would have known. I would have realized."
Her guard faltered for a moment.
A'tro was on her in a heartbeat, knocking aside her blade as she started to raise it in an instinctive defense, and drove her right lightsaber to the hilt through her chest.
Golden eyes met.
"I failed," K'saria whispered. "K'hera…"
"You were wrong about me," A'tro said grimly. "Goodbye, sister."
Then she stabbed her with her other blade.
K'saria's lips moved, but no sound emerged. A'tro extinguished her lightsabers and let her crumble into the snow. She waited for some sense of loss in her mind; they were twins, after all, and Force-sensitive twins shared a bond like no other. But hatred had come between them too early in life, and all she felt was the usual brief resonance as K'saria's Force presence flickered, then faded away into nothingness.
Elaedrin stowed her lightsaber on her belt. "I never did like her. So hypocritical."
She wandered off into the trees for a moment, then re-emerged into the clearing supporting Quinn. He looked paler than usual, and he had one hand pressed against his side, mostly concealing a dark stain on his gray uniform.
He was alive. He was injured, but he was alive. A'tro breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she started walking towards them.
"Elaedrin, what are you doing here?" she asked. "I didn't expect to find any Imperials in this area."
"I was running an errand for my master." Elaedrin looked askance at Quinn as he pushed himself away from her to stand somewhat unsteadily on his own, then shrugged. "I happened to slice into local Republic communications, and I caught a mention of some sort of ambush for a high-ranking Sith Lord. Thought I'd stop by and help."
"Your assistance is appreciated," A'tro said stiffly.
"It was no trouble. As I said, I never liked K'saria. She deserved what she got."
A'tro nodded, then looked at Quinn. "You're injured."
"I'm fine, my lord," Quinn said. "I regret I couldn't be of more use in the fight."
"You're most useful to me alive." A'tro struggled to maintain her usual composure. "On that note, we should get you medical attention."
"Feel free to take my speeder," Elaedrin said. "I can walk back."
A'tro frowned suspiciously. "I'm going to owe your master for this, aren't I?"
"Not at all. Lord Ravage doesn't need to know every detail of my activities here. I'm just happy to assist the Emperor's Wrath however I can." Elaedrin smiled pleasantly.
"I see. I will remember your part in this nonetheless."
"That's very kind of you, my lord," Elaedrin murmured. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab a comlink from one of the bodies. Sending an all-clear signal will delay Republic discovery of what happened here."
She bowed politely and walked away. A'tro turned and headed in the opposite direction, Quinn following close behind her.
As soon as they were out of the glade and concealed by the trees, A'tro darted to Quinn and put an arm around him. He exhaled sharply, shifting to lean heavily against her. She had no difficulty supporting his weight; she could have easily carried him if necessary.
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked, not bothering to keep concern out of her voice.
"I'll be fine," Quinn said tightly. "Lord Myn's arrival gave me an opportunity to use my emergency medkit. I can make it back to the ship."
A'tro was not reassured. "This is my fault. I should have anticipated that K'saria would set a trap for me."
"Despite her efforts, you are alive, and she is not. This is a victory, for certain."
"You could have been killed!" A'tro protested. "I don't know what I would have done."
"I expect you would have carried on perfectly well without me."
"Malavai…"
"Lord Myn's speeder is right over there," Quinn said, lightly pushing A'tro in the appropriate direction. "I believe she offered us its use."
A'tro had nearly forgotten. It was a small, sleek model, designed for a single passenger, but she managed to get herself positioned with Quinn sitting behind her. The vehicle had been left in standby mode, and she was able to start it up without difficulty.
"It seems I owe Elaedrin quite the debt," she mused as she drove, going as fast as she thought she could manage while weaving between the trees. "Remind me to settle that as soon as possible."
Quinn's only response was a soft affirmative noise.
He's going to be fine, A'tro told herself, but she still drove faster.