Last time: Cien took off on her own to follow the coordinates. Sasha tried to stop her.

Now: Oppie and Viran go to check on Sasha.

Chapter 2- Can We Trust Her?

Oppie and Viran were talking with Scamp around the situation table, starting to go over the rough details of what the plan was when a junior officer came over to report to Scamp.

"Sir, we just had reports that the Colonel's wife and sister had some kind of altercation on the flight deck, and her ship just took off without clearance."

"Oh jeeze." Oppie muttered under his breath.

"Did they both leave?" Scamp asked, practically reading Viran's mind as Viran was just about to ask that.

"No, the wife left, the sister is unconscious on the deck. Commander Hassen just called for medics." The officer reported, listening to an earpiece.

"Kriff," Viran cursed. "Tell them we are on our way. Op, let's go." He said as he made his way to the door.

Oppie followed behind him, worried what they might walk into down there, and hoping that Sasha was okay. There was a part of him that remembered Cien from her earlier days, the version of her that she had moved so far beyond, but he was worried Sasha had just encountered her.

"Sensors report she just jumped to Hyperspace." The officer informed Scamp.

Scamp nodded. "Alright, I need to go inform the Admiral," he said as he made his way to the other room to where his wife was.

Viran and Oppie hustled down to the hangar that the Spirit had resided in. Once they reached the hangar, they saw a couple of medics kneeling down beside someone on the deck. Hassen and Bubbles hovering nearby, watching. Viran and Oppie approached them. As they got closer, they noticed that it was Sasha the medics were kneeling beside, checking her vitals. Viran froze in place for a second before rushing over to them.

"Is she okay?" Viran asked worriedly.

"Yeah," one of the medics said, recognizing Viran, "nothing seems to be wrong, she just seems like she is in a really deep REM sleep cycle."

Hassen spoke up, "We don't know what happened. We walked out of a briefing and Cien seemed a little, uh…" He trailed off.

"She was pissed!" Bubbles squeaked. "Then Sasha got her calmed down, they hugged, and then she just laid Sasha down on the floor like she was a limp ragdoll." Bubbles said, her eyes wide.

Viran looked to Oppie before cursing under his breath. "What the hell do you think happened? Did she go after Kyr?" He asked Oppie, his voice a mix of frustration and worry.

"Yeah." Oppie said worriedly.

Before Viran could say anything else, a groan came from Sasha. Slowly, she came to on the deck. After a moment her eyes fluttered open and she looked around in confusion.

"What…" Sasha started to ask, trying to get her bearings.

"Lay still, is anything hurt?" The medic asked, reaching for his penlight.

Sasha was quiet for a moment as she tried to figure out if anything actually hurt. She then shook her head. "No, I feel fine," she answered the medic. "Just a little tired is all."

"What happened?" Oppie asked as the medic backed away, having nothing to treat.

Sasha sat up and looked up at him. "Cien rushed off to deal with Selina and save Kyr on her own," she started before looking down at her lap. "I tried to stop her. But she wouldn't listen. I tried to convince her to let me come with her and I thought it had worked. She hugged me and used the Force to put me to sleep." She closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists in frustration. "Damn it. I should have seen that coming." She punched the floor as she felt her emotions swell. "I should have just gone with her and not tried to negotiate. Kriff." She punched the deck again.

Viran ran a hand over his mouth as he sighed. "I'm just glad you are okay," he said simply.

Hassen and Bubbles looked between them. "She's going to take on an entire Lucrehulk by herself?" Hassen finally asked incredulously.

"Yes," Sasha said, opening her eyes and glancing at him. "And she's incredibly reckless for doing so. I know she can handle herself, but she could get hurt or worse. Especially with her current emotional state." She punched the deck again. This one made a loud thud. "Kriff."

"Pretty awesome though." Bubbles pipped up.

Hassen threw a look at her. Then at his squadron mates standing there. "Valiant flight form up, sounds like we might have a rescue or two to take part in." He said as he started heading back to their ready room to figure out some contingency plans. The A-Wing guys also did the same.

Viran watched them go before moving to kneel in front of Sasha, who was rubbing her face with her hands. Her left hand a little red from punching the deck. "Are you okay?" He asked gently.

"No," Sasha barked as she dropped her hands, her face etched with frustration. She then dropped the face and her chin. "I don't know."

"Should we go back to the bridge?" Oppie suggested grimly, "whatever's going to happen is going to happen up there."

"I think we should," Viran said with a nod. He then looked to Sasha. He offered her a hand to stand. "Do you want to come with or do you want a moment first?" He asked her quietly.

"We can go," she answered him after a moment. She took his offered hand and mumbled a thanks once she was standing before dusting herself off.

They made their way back up to the bridge where Admiral Sulam and Scamp were at the situation table. At their entrance both looked up.

"You okay hun?" The Admiral asked, looking at Sasha.

"I'm fine," Sasha said quietly, not meeting her gaze.

The Admiral looked between the three of them for a moment. "Mind if we go talk for a bit?" She ordered Sasha.

Viran looked at Sasha as she raised her gaze to the Admiral. Sasha hesitated for a second before nodding.

The Admiral left the bridge and entered a small conference room. There was a Captain and a Lieutenant discussing something who looked up, and seeing the Admiral they got up and left as the Admiral nodded to them. She sat down on the long table, and spoke, "take a seat if you want, this isn't a formal inquiry." She said.

Sasha had followed her and sat down without a word, her gaze to the floor.

"So our girls got a flair for the dramatic, I guess. What just happened?" The Admiral asked tiredly.

Sasha sighed. "Cien took off to go rescue Kyr on her own, using the coordinates that Tac had sent. I tried to stop her. I even tried to go with her, but she wouldn't listen to reason," she explained. "She put me to sleep with the Force before she left."

"Any idea why?" Sulam asked, rubbing her eyes.

"She said she was tired of waiting. And she was upset that we would have to wait for approval from the New Republic. She decided to take matters into her own hands," Sasha answered as she ran a hand over her face.

The Admiral drummed her fingers on the table. "She's been military, basically, her whole life, she should know things like this can't just happen on a whim." She said more to herself, and then she snorted, "but, she spent the last ten years or so as an Empress, and the years before that as pretty much the top dog to whoever that Dracul guy was. So she's also used to having her orders obeyed once they are given." She mused. "Think I'm wrong?" She asked Sasha.

"No, you're not," Sasha said with a shake of her head. "But she's not thinking clearly. And her emotions… they are all over the place."

"I can understand that, but kriff." The Admiral said under her breath. "If she attacked you can we even trust her?" She asked.

That caused Sasha's head to shoot up. "What? Of course we can. She didn't attack me. She did what she did to stop me from following her, to protect me," she explained. "She's confused and upset and frustrated. I'm not losing trust in her for doing what she thought was right even if it wasn't. I'd lose trust in her if she betrayed us all. If she destroyed the fleet and left us all for dead. But she didn't do that. She just wants her husband back and she is acting recklessly. That's it." She defended Cien.

The Admiral considered her for a moment. "I didn't mean to insult your friend, but I'm responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of people in this fleet. I need to ask the hard questions sometimes just so I can get a straight answer. So are you just saying that because she's your friend, hun, or are you saying that because it's the genuine truth?" She asked, looking Sasha in the eye.

"It's the truth," Sasha said, meeting her gaze. "And because she is my friend. My family." She felt tears brimming. "And because I have to believe that to be the case."

The Admiral considered for a time. "Okay, that was my take as well, just needed to be sure hun." She said as she went to go sit in the seat that was next to Sasha's. "I like her. I know why Kyr likes her, and I know why she did that. But if she's going to act that way it's dangerous to her, it's dangerous to all of us, and most of all it's dangerous to Kyr." She said quietly. "An hour we spend doing things the right way can end up saving us and him down the road even if it seems like a delay. And I'm really hoping that she didn't cost us that." The Admiral admitted. "But damned if I haven't been in her boots and wanted to just jump in a ship and wreck havoc against someone like this Selina character. I get the impression she could do it too, considering the report I just read about damages to the lighting system across three of my sparring rooms from an incident this afternoon." She mused.

Sasha nodded. "I understand," she said kind of distantly.

"Are you okay?" The Admiral asked softly. "I'm not asking physically, sweetie, I'm asking if you are okay."

"I don't know," Sasha admitted after a moment as she lowered her chin to her chest. "I'm upset, but not at Cien. At myself."

"What for, hun?" She asked softly, leaning forward.

"I should have been able to stop her," Sasha started, her voice cracking slightly. "I should have gone with her. I let my walls fall. I let her stop me. And now… Now she is alone out there and could get herself killed." She paused. "Damn it," she cursed again as she wrapped her arms around her head, trying to control her emotions.

"Sasha." The Admiral began, "it wasn't your responsibility to hold her back. She left on her own, and it sounds like you did what you could to try to reason with her. But you yourself said she kept you from going with her to protect you. If you and Kyr are the two people she depends on, I would bet a lot that she wouldn't have ever let you come, any more than she would have let you stop her. This isn't on you, sweetheart." She said putting a comforting hand on Sasha's knee.

Sasha didn't respond. She just sat there as her body started to silently tremble as she felt her emotions reach a breaking point. She tried to keep the tears in as she tried not to cry in front of the Admiral. "Okay," Was all she could muster.

"Oh sweetie just let it out." She said softly with a smile as got up and gave her a comforting hug across the shoulders. "Hell, even Kyr cried in front of me that one time." She said softly.

At that, Sasha sobbed as tears broke free and all of her own emotions flowed out. She leaned forward as she cried. It had been a long while since she cried. She had been strong for Cien for so long and now her own emotions were finally out. And even though she felt miserable, it did feel good to finally get it all out.

"We're going to get them back sweetie, don't worry." The Admiral said comfortingly.

Sasha nodded as the sobs continued to wrack her body. After a few moments of crying, Sasha finally felt calmer and better. She slowly sat up, wiping her face. "Then what should we do?" Sasha asked as she continued to wipe away her tears.

"We should have already made the jump to lightspeed to follow, we should arrive there a few minutes after she does. After that we just make it up and fly by the seat of our pants. That's how the 19th has always done it." The Admiral said with a smirk. "I didn't get my orders yet, so Admiral's prerogative is to reposition the fleet and handle any hostile forces we encounter."

"Okay," Sasha said, nodding. "Thank you for everything." She added after a minute.

"No problem sweetheart." She said.

Sasha lay on the bunk in her shared quarters with Viran, staring up at the ceiling. After the meeting with Admiral Sulam and her break down in the Admiral's office, Sasha was free to go rest while the Admiral talked with Oppie and Viran privately for a while. They were about a half hour into their journey following Cien and the coordinates Tac had sent to them, and they still had another hour to go before they would arrive.

As she laid there, the scene in the hangar played through her head again. Even though what happened was not her fault, she still felt like a fool for falling so easily for Cien's trick. She should have seen it coming. She should have noticed the signs that Cien wasn't going to let her come with, no matter what. But she didn't. She didn't see any of that as she was too focused on comforting and consoling her friend at that moment.

The door to the room slid open and Viran entered. He gave her a small smile as he came over and sat on the edge of her bed.

"You doing okay?" He asked her.

Sasha sighed. "Yeah, better than I was," she admitted.

"You seemed pretty upset by what happened," Viran observed. "What did the Admiral say to you exactly?" He asked.

"She just…" She sighed again as she sat up and leaned against the wall of the bunk. "She wanted to make sure we could still trust Cien after what happened in the hangar. And if I was okay."

"And can we still trust Cien?" Viran asked genuinely.

Sasha gawked at him before smacking his arm lightly. "Viran! Are you serious right now? Of course I still trust her. She didn't maliciously attack me or beat me. She put me to sleep. And according to Hassen and Bubbles, gently laid me down. She didn't just drop me like a sack of potatoes." She exasperated.

Viran put his hands up defensively. "I just wanted to be sure," he said simply.

"Do you think we shouldn't trust her? She did 'attack me' in the hangar," Sasha asked him, her voice lined with sass, sarcasm, and anger.

Viran frowned at her and grabbed her hand. "I know, but you are okay. You weren't hurt. And I do trust Cien. For a long time now, I have trusted her," he explained. "Am I upset at her for her behavior and the way she acted? Yes. But that's not grounds to be pissed at her. To not trust her." He looked away. "When you were taken a little over a year ago, I was worried sick. And I wanted to rip Cien in half. Hell, I nearly punched her in the face when she randomly showed up in the middle of our search for you. I was so angry at her, I could have easily lost myself to my hate. To the darkside, but I didn't because I had Oppie and Kyr there, and because I wanted to see you again as your husband, not a monster. But after what she did for you and Lana on the Bloodstorm. The fact she jumped in the line of that blast to protect you two, I owe her big time for that. And she earned my trust after that. It would literally take her doing something drastic like betraying us or killing someone we care about for me to not trust her again. But she is married to Kyr, she is your best friend, and she is now a part of the family, our family. So I trust her."

He paused for a long moment. Viran then looked back at Sasha. "Besides, I understand what Cien is going through right now. More than anyone in our family. I understand the fear she is feeling of not seeing her spouse again. I understand the anger she is feeling towards Selina as she wants to blame her for everything and tear her apart. Everything she is feeling and going through, I get it. One hundred percent, I get it. I was in her shoes a year ago. And when we catch up with her, she is going to need us to support her, not doubt her," Viran finished.

Sasha smiled at him and leaned forward towards him. She placed a hand on his cheek and placed a soothing kiss on his lips. They held the kiss for a long and tender moment before Sasha pulled away and rested her forward against his.

"You should talk to Cien about that when she gets back or whenever you can get the chance," Sasha said. "I think she needs to hear what you just told me. Especially from you as you were her biggest doubter for so long. If she heard all of that from you, I'm sure she will finally open up to you. And I'm sure it would be really comforting to hear that there is someone else who sympathizes with her."

"I will," Viran nodded. "I'll talk with her the first chance I get."

She nodded. There was then a silence between them.

"So how exactly are you planning to get her back onto the Defiant?" Viran asked her curiously. "I mean I'm sure she isn't just going to come willingly. Of course that's if she wasn't able to find Kyr." He added that last part with a sadder tone.

"I was going to reach out to her with the mindspace," Sasha said. "It's the only way I can speak privately to her and not have wandering ears listening in over the commline. It also allows me to get an idea of what is going on on her end. But I'm going to wait for the right moment."

"And when is the right moment?" Viran asked.

"Hopefully, before she boards that ship," Sasha admitted.

Viran nodded and wrapped an arm around his wife. The two sat in silence for a while as the low hum of the ship traveled through hyperspace.

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