Drakahn stood leaning on the rail of the balcony of his lavish quarters as the sun broke over the horizon, turning the sky a brilliant red-purple and he looked up at the Rehnenilia star for which Gade had been named. It was the only star in the sector that was still visible after dawn. It had been named for the legendary female Jedi warrior Rehnenilia Tulavin, the last Cefoltek, born in the early days of the Old Republic. She had lead a great army of Jedi against the Sith when they had invaded and occupied Cey'lon. It was written that the day she had been killed in battle, betrayed by her most trusted aid later found to be a double agent planted by the Lakeeta Clan, a bright star had appeared that morning over the battlefield.. a star that never before been recorded. Her disheartened and beleaguered troops said that they had felt her presence among them and that it had helped them turn the tide. Despite heavy loses, the Jedi destroyed the remnants of the Sith occupational force even though they had been vastly outnumbered. They named the star after their fallen leader, and it had watched over the Thalcein and Cey'lon from that day on. Until the Emperor took power he mused.
Drakahn had not gained favour with the Emperor by being stupid. He knew that the discussion he'd had with Rage two days earlier had been meant to test his loyalty. The Emperor was not a trusting man. No one with that much power was, so Drakahn was not insulted. He was completely loyal to the Emperor first, then Vader and he would kill Rehn if he were commanded to. He hoped he wouldn't have to as he had grown quite fond of her. It wasn't love- Drakahn could say with certainty that he was devoid of the emotion, but he could tell that she was now bonding to him as well. She was his for the taking. The thought brought a smile to his face.
He'd received a reply to his last status report, telling him Vader was coming to 'take possession of the prisoner for further training and evaluation', and he prayed Vader would show a little patience with her. She was powerful and talented, but young and highly strung, needing a firm hand to guide her. Drakahn knew that if she showed Vader even an iota of the disrespect she had earlier shown him, Rehn would not live long enough to regret it. Drakahn wished he could complete her training, but knew for her to survive in the Empire's service she had to be loyal to Palpatine, and not him. Her bond with him already made him uneasy. If it appeared that her training was benefiting his designs more than the Emperor's he could be in trouble. He would talk to Rehn and make her understand this.
A familiar, faint stirring in the Force drew him out of his reverie. Barryk. Drakahn's smile became all teeth. He was not without his resources, and he had gotten word that Barryk, normally loyal to a fault, had broken with the rebellion and was now travelling with an unknown partner and headed for Cey'lon to rescue his sister. At one time, he and Barryk had been good friends, while Drakahn had been a deep plant aboard Seph Gade's flag ship the Morning Star. It had been Drakahn who had given the Empire the co-ordinates of the Star and it's battle group. It had been he who had sabotaged the ship, crippling it's defences and engines so that it had been a simple matter for Vader's fleet to capture it. It had been he who had lured Seph, his mate Cyel their daughter Rehn to the hangar deck with the hope of using a shuttle to escape after the ship had been boarded. It had been he who had killed Cyel as Rehn looked on, restrained by stormtroopers and almost to terrified to move. He would never forget the look Barryk had given him when he had come blasting into the hangar to try to help his family. He had looked Drakahn in the eye with his cold grey ones and Drakahn had actually felt a twinge of feared. Barryk, incensed at Drakahn's betrayal, had attacked him, but Drakahn had been too strong and younger Jedi had been forced to break off the battle to save Rehn and escape. "We will finish what was started, Barryk." Drakahn said aloud to himself "And this time, you will not escape."
**********
Rehn inhaled deeply, smelling the cool, sweet afternoon air. The forest clearing was dominated by a small but spectacular waterfall and the roar of the water filled her ears. She was coming to enjoy the new freedoms she was being given, including having been moved to a lavish suite in Drakahn's fortress, right across from the dark Jedi's own quarters. She was no longer under guard, though she was still extremely wary of stormtroopers, acting as though severely allergic to white armour, which is why Drakahn had brought her here. He put his huge arms around her in a gentle embrace, drawing her to him and he rested his chin between her ears. She tensed uneasily. There had not been much physical contact between them since the night she'd attacked him, and the pain of the beating he'd given her was still fresh in her mind. She feared him, but she also cared for him, and the two emotions warred with each other. Drakahn had been kind and affectionate with her after he had 'forgiven' her, confusing her even more. The Messenger had brought her here, away from the walls and troops of the fortress, and all she could do was wonder what other reason he'd had for bringing her here. She pushed the thoughts aside, feeling ungrateful.
Drakahn smiled as he felt Rehn finally let go of the last of her suspicions, finally coming to accept her fate completely, her will to fight him now completely crushed. Gade leaned back against him, reaching up to nuzzle his throat and jaw as though in need of reassurance. He smiled and rubbed his face against her cheek and felt her reach out with her slowly growing power, using it to gage his mood. Rehn turned in his arms and looked at him, troubled.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Drakahn smiled slightly and used a finger to move her long black forelock out of her eyes.
"Your time as my student is nearing it's end, my love. You're powers are growing, and my Master has ordered that Lord Vader take over your training." He wanted her to understand that it was not his idea. Rehn's expression turned from questioning to almost terror-struck and her heart hammered in her chest. He reached down and stroked her cheek, trying to calm her. "You must not displease Lord Vader, Rehn. He will not be as forgiving as I have been. He will tolerate no disrespect or defiance. Fear and respect him as you would the Emperor, for he has much to teach you."
"Why can't you finish my training?" she sounded deeply afraid and almost clung to him. Drakahn held her shoulders and looked down at her sternly.
"This is why, Rehn." he replied "Your loyalty must be to the Empire, not just to me. If Lord Vader believes that your loyalty is to me alone, we will both be in jeopardy." He did some mental gymnastics and weighed the risk of tell her what the future would bring should she embrace the dark side and complete her training. Her self esteem and self worth had taken a severe beating, as had her body, and he decided to push her a little. His posture and tone turned more aggressive and dominant.
Rehn wanted to shrink away from his hard emerald eyes as his hands gripped her arms almost painfully. She lowered her head submissively and nodded. He suppressed a smile at her reaction to his change in behaviour. His demeanour softened somewhat as she reacted in exactly the manner he wanted, and he put his arms around her once more. "We will be reunited after your training is complete." He could feel her rising apprehension and pulled her with him as he sat in the tall grass. She did not meet his eyes and he reached out, pulling her chin up. He leaned in, kissing her deeply and while not forceful, it turned demanding when she was slow to reciprocated. The uncertain filly finally closed her eyes as he lowered her onto her back. The grass was still cool and moist from the morning dew, and it was provided a pleasant contrast to humidity in the air. He looked down at her and she did not meet his eyes.
"I know you're afraid my love. Be mindful of what I have taught you. Lord Vader is hard man, but he has much to teach you so that you can serve the Empire." His big hand stroked her belly and he felt the hard muscles under the fabric of her shirt ripple. He leaned closer to her, his lips traced her cheek before sliding to her ear. "Your heart belongs to me, but your loyalty must be to the Emperor." His voice dropped to a seductive purr and his hot breath on her year made her tremble, though it wasn't in fear. "And when we are reunited, I will treat you like the princess you are." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him.
"But how can we serve the same regime that nearly caused our race's extinction?" the question slipped out before she could stop in, her voice low and almost timid. Drakahn pulled back, his eyes narrowing. He released her and got to his feet, looking down at her balefully.
"The Empire should be commended for doing it. The viral agent released on our people only weeded out the weak and inferior. The lower class were producing inferior offspring. It is by Adune's own law that the only the strong should survive." his voice turned hard "Only the those who survived are worthy to continue their bloodline. Do you not understand this simple concept?" Rehn could feel his anger and her gut turned cold in fear.
"Yes, m'Lord. I understand." she replied quickly, trying placate him. She feared his anger and the punishment it would bring. The answer did not satisfy him.
"You've spent too much time among the mewling hordes of the rebellion, child." His tone was disdainful, and more than just irritated. "Your time in the rebellion has made you soft. You had better learn to be strong quickly, or you will find your time with Lord Vader unpleasant." His voice was taking on a nasty tone and he stood over her, his shadow blocking out the sun and leaving her in a pool of cold darkness. Rehn got to her feet slowly, not looking him in the eye. She approached him cautiously and reached up, nuzzling his chin, wordlessly asking for forgiveness and to show him she knew her place. He gave a disgusted snort and turned away, though smiled when his back was turned. She would work hard to gain his favour again, and be more aggressive in her training. Females are so easy to manipulate emotionally he thought this is almost too easy.
*********
Barryk and Kren sat at the holo projector and felt that what they were seeing was almost too good to be true. Brecono's Comet would pass through the Cey'lon sector the day after they were scheduled to arrive on the outskirts of the system. An was an enormous chunk of frozen nitrogen, iron, iridium and rock, it passed thought the sector once every twenty years, trailing a tail millions of kilometres long composed of gases, dust and 'particles' the size of a small ship. All the debris it trailed cause havoc with system communications sometimes creating complete com blackouts between fleets for hours on end.
"We hitch a ride on the tail of that bad boy," Kren said, pointing at the image of the comet "and when it passes by the planet, we break off and make for Cey'lon at full throttle. The friction from the atmosphere will light us up like a candle and hopefully, the Arcapus look like just another piece of space junk burning up in the atmosphere. "
"The Arcapus is a piece of space junk." Barryk snorted and Kren gave him a mock threatening look before he looked around him apologetically.
"Don't worry baby, he didn't mean it, he's just a little cranky this morning." Kren said lovingly, patting a nearby bulkhead as though he were reassuring the ship.
"Anyway..." Barry continued "I don't think this piece of.." Kren held up a finger threateningly "..antiquated but strikingly lovely equipment can take the kind of punishment you're talking about. We're going to get pulverized in the tail of that comet." Kren smiled conspiratorially and Barryk looked at him questioningly.
"Don't worry about the ship." Draven said with a sly grin "This baby is packin' military grade shields, armour and power, that's why the hyperdrive blew. They had just finished upgrading when I borrowed her.. The systems hadn't been calibrated yet." he gestured about him at the beat up and grimy interior "You don' t think I chose her just because of her stylish good looks do you? Besides.. You can do the voodoo that you do so well and fly us through it." Barryk nodded. It would take all his skill and concentration with his recently renewed connection with the Force to keep them from becoming space debris. "Once we get through the atmosphere, we can use the mountain terrain to mask our signal, and we'll run on necessary power only. The Carthpak mountain range is just west of the garrison, maybe a hundred klicks. With all the flight training we both did there when we were in Basic, we know those mountains like the back of our hands." the topographical map of the planet moved, showing the terrain in question. "You go after Rehn, I'll keep the garrison busy." He made it sound so simple. He wasn't stupid and he knew the odds they faced, but he had faith in Barryk and confidence in his own formidable abilities as an infiltrator and commando. Two more day until arrival.. normally not considered a long increment of time, but every minute was starting to work against them. Another 2 days for Rehn's hatred and fear to be twisted to Drakahn's dark designs, if she wasn't already too far gone.
**********
Barryk sat at the holotable, the lounge light turned down for the ship's 'night' cycle. Kren had gone to his cabin to get some much needed rest, leaving Barryk alone to meditate. Gade reached into the pocket of his fatigue pants, and palmed the small holo image keeper, setting it on the table and looking at it for a long moment before touching the activation switch. A small, detailed 3D image sprang to life and he sat back on the couch, looking at it in silence. It showed a smiling Seph Gade in Jedi robes, his arms around his regal looking mate Cyel. A teenage Barryk stood in front of his parents with the slightly younger Kren standing at his left side. The image had been taken shortly after Kren's adoption, and the pain off loss was still visible in the colt's eyes, perfectly preserved in the twenty year old holo. Kren's offbeat sense of humour had been his way of coping with trauma that resulted in the loss of both his biological family and his adopted one. Barryk looked at the record disk and used the Force to shut it off, putting it back in his pocket. When he got Rehn back, he would try to make things right between them. She was the only family he had left besides Kren, and her future was tied to that of their people. If she were to be lost… Barryk's jaw set and he wiped a hand over his eyes and calmed his thoughts, using a Jedi breathing exercise his father had taught him, and the Force began to flow more easily as he opened himself to it.
He could feel Rehn's strong presence though he stayed well away from it. Gade could sense the feelings of betrayal she held against him for what he had done, though thankfully Drakahn had not yet been able to twist it into hatred… yet. Her fear of the dark Jedi was still very much evident, but there was something else there as well, and when Barryk realised what it was he felt sick. She cared for Drakahn. No.. more than that. She loved him... loved the one responsible for her misery. The young stallion's teeth ground, but he kept his anger and hate for his enemy at bay. Drakahn El'Tarktaht would pay dearly for what he had done to the Gade family, and the Thalcein people. The final meeting between Barryk and Drakahn was not going to be a case of seeking revenge, It was a quest for justice. but semantics aside, what in reality, was the difference? Was semantics all that separated the dark from the light? Barryk fervently hoped not. He stood and rubbed his tired eyes, walking down the companionway to his small quarters. Hold on just a little longer, Rehn… please…