Four days later Alexis stood outside of a newly arrived transport ship in the middle of the night, dressed in her bounty hunter attire. No one had come with her. Even Carth had opted to stay home and sleep.
Alexis felt sorry for Carth. After their trip to the Restoration Zone, Carth had come down with some sort of cold. He was coughing and sneezing and had the occasional fever. He was even given to tremors when he thought Alexis was not looking. Alexis had attempted to heal him but the best she could do was rid him of the fevers when they cropped up. The Force was no cure for the common cold.
Alexis glanced at this particular ship and sighed, stepping back into the shadows. This ship bore the wrong number. Dustil Onasi was not on board. She watched with disinterested eyes as creatures and equipment disembarked from the ship. Many of those who had just left the ship were half asleep and stumbled their way through the darkened shuttle bay, dragging their belongings behind.
Alexis saw a very small green twi'lek girl standing in the middle of the bay, glancing around fretfully. The small girl had left the ship alone and Alexis hoped that someone was there to pick the girl up. After a few moments of hopeless search, the little girl finally spotted a twi'lek couple hurrying towards her through shuttle bay's doors. She squealed in excitement and threw herself into the arms of a tall man Alexis assumed was her father. Alexis realized suddenly that she was grinning foolishly and wiped the expression from her face. She was supposed to be a bounty hunter, not a sentimental washed-up Jedi girl.
Alexis glanced at a nearby clock and sighed. Dustil wasn't due for another half hour. It wasn't as if he needed her to meet him here, of course. He was a big boy. Twenty-two now, from what Carth said. He'd made the trek to Carth's apartment from here plenty of times. The truth of the matter was, Alexis didn't want to be alone in the apartment with Carth.
Carth was a particularly pathetic patient. It always seemed that the strongest men were the weakest when they were ill. Now, it wouldn't have been so bad that he was sick if he hadn't been so grouchy and so needy. He would just lay there and sniffle and stare up at her with those big, brown eyes, begging for some kind of gentle attention that Jedi were just not trained to give. Alexis had no idea what to do with him.
Alexis was not exactly the type of girl one would see as a caretaker. Heck, she couldn't even cook! She wasn't soft or gentle looking. She was too delicate to look like anyone's mother; in fact, she was often thought to be someone's young daughter. It wasn't that she didn't care about anyone. She had a great deal of compassion for others. It was that she just- didn't know what to do for them. Not the way Kalen did. Kalen healed with her very gaze, or so it seemed to Alexis.
Carth was a different matter, however. Kalen couldn't do a thing for him. She'd tried, but like Alexis, all she'd been able to do was reverse the fever. Kalen had told Alexis just to take care of him while the cold ran its course. Make sure he didn't get dehydrated and the like.
When Kalen had failed to heal what ailed Carth, Alexis had stared at him in dumb shock, trying for the life of her to know what to do with him. She, who could heal broken limbs and bloody gashes without flinching, was terrified of one pilot with a cold.
Alexis was very glad that Dustil was returning with her. Perhaps he would be better at taking care of Carth than Alexis herself was. That was doubtful, of course, but a girl could dream.
She sat down against the wall, one hand resting idly on one of her blaster pistols and the other on her bare stomach. Thinking about Dustil was always a bit of a shock to Alexis. He was Carth's son but he was only seven years her junior. Carth didn't seem old enough to be Dustil's father. He was so vibrant, so full of life, that Alexis often felt that he was younger than herself. His body was that of a much younger man, hardened by years in the military, and he had not a single gray hair on his head. Alexis frowned suddenly. How old was Carth, anyway?
"Waiting for something?"
Alexis was startled. She hadn't even heard the boy coming! Doran Snider, the young TSF officer she'd met that night Kalen and Mira had gotten drunk, was standing over her, smiling.
"Doran. Hello," she said, smiling.
"Lexi," he greeted, offering her his hand. She took it, pulling herself to her feet.
"I thought your patrol was outside of headquarters…"
"They've promoted me. I get to patrol this shuttle bay and one of the nearby residential modules. What about you? What are you doing out here so late?"
"Haven't I mentioned that I'm nocturnal?" Alexis asked, carefully extracting her hand from the young man's grip.
He chuckled lightly. "It starting to seem that way. Are you waiting on someone?"
Alexis nodded. "My… friend. Yes. He should be here shortly."
"Would you mind if I waited with you? I'm on break."
Alexis gave the kid a friendly smile. "Ah, that would be okay."
The grin that broke out on Doran's face was positively ecstatic. Alexis almost found it frightening. This time, when someone approached, Alexis felt it. She turned and Dustil took her arm possessively, a feral grin on his handsome young face. She felt him skim her thoughts quickly and take all of the information he needed to carry on her ruse. He was sharp; she'd give him that.
"Well, it won't be a long wait, will it Lexi?" he asked, turning on the TSF agent across from them. Doran looked taken aback. Alexis couldn't blame him. Dustil had grown his hair out until it reached past his shoulders. He had an earring in one ear that appeared to be some sort of dragon tooth. His clothing was snug fitting and black. He had grown, too. He was taller and broader than she remembered, though still not as large as his father. He towered over Doran, and the slightly younger man shrank back.
Alexis was unfazed by Dustil's arrival, however. She'd known there was the chance that he'd be there early. She was also unconcerned about his behavior. He was simply going to extract her from the situation. He was only adding to her disguise, after all. "Hey…" Alexis said, curling her arm around Dustil's waist. He glanced down at her and winked quickly. She could sense the tight control is was taking for him to keep from laughing.
"You're looking good, baby," he practically cooed. His words dripped with suggestion. She had to turn and hug him to cover her snort of laughter. She'd never known Dustil was quite like this. Of course, they hadn't known one another for long.
"Er- well, I guess I'd better be going," Doran said uncertainly.
"Oh wait, Doran, let me introduce the two of you. Dustil, this is Doran. Doran, this is my friend, Dustil," Alexis said, turning back to Doran but not relinquishing her hold on Dustil. She had a feeling she needed to keep this budding actor under control.
"Friend?" Dustil asked, laughing.
"Well, it's uh- nice to meet you," Doran said weakly.
"The pleasure is all mine," Dustil responded.
Alexis had to resist the urge to laugh again. Dustil sounded so menacing. It was too bad that the sparkle in his brown eyes ruined the effect. Doran seemed not to have noticed. "Are you a bounty hunter as well?" Doran asked.
"No. Mercenary," Dustil said shortly.
"Yes, and he eats children for breakfast," Alexis said, rolling her eyes upwards. Doran relaxed a little bit.
"Are you making fun of me?" Dustil asked, sounding offended.
"No dear. Not at all." Doran laughed as Alexis batted her eyelashes innocently up at Dustil.
"You two have a nice evening then…" Doran said, sliding away as quickly as she was able.
Alexis watched him disappear before turning back to Dustil. "Nice outfit."
"Yours is better," Dustil replied, grinning down at her.
"At least mine is just a costume. You seem to have changed a bit since I last saw you."
"Not really. I ate children for breakfast then, too. Just like all of the other Sith."
"Ha, ha."
"So, why did you come by to meet me? I could have made it to the apartment by myself. I do know where it is."
"I was bored."
"So why didn't dear old Dad come with you?"
"He has a cold."
Dustil laughed heartily. "Now I know why you're here. You're trying to get away from him. He's a royal pain in the ass when he's sick, isn't he?"
"And I don't exactly have great bedside manner…" Alexis responded with a grimace. Alexis wondered idly if Carth had had an earring when he was younger. She'd have to make a point to ask.
"Anyway, I don't normally dress like this, either. I do wear my hair long, obviously, but the earring is borrowed off of a friend. I usually wear an earring, too, bit it's a bit less ostentatious. I was going to head to a cantina before I came by the apartment. It's not that late and I didn't want to see Dad until morning," Dustil said, fingering the huge monstrosity dangling from his ear.
"Hold on… I think I may know where there are some friends in a cantina tonight… They said they might go," Alexis said. Atton, Mira, Disciple, and Bao-Dur had mentioned that they might go out for the night. They were bored, it seemed.
: Atton? : Alexis sent out gently, in case he was actually asleep.
: Yeah? : he responded immediately.
: Where are you? :
: Local cantina, sitting at a pazaak table. Why? :
: You mind if a friend and I swing by? :
: Who's the friend? You aren't bringing Carth, are you? : he actually sounded disapproving.
: No : Alexis replied, laughing lightly.
: Good. Head on over. I think I'll be here for a while. :
: Who else is there? :
: Mira, Disciple, and Bao-Dur. :
: Which one are you in? :
: Mira's favorite. The pazaak isn't bad here, so I don't mind. :
: See you shortly. :
Atton didn't bother to reply. Alexis turned to Dustil, who was smiling faintly. "Did you catch any of that?"
"No. Whoever's head you were in has some powerful shields. He was counting something, wasn't he?" Dustil asked.
Alexis chuckled. "I can't even hear him doing it anymore. Yes. He was probably counting cards or something."
"I gather he's got something to hide?"
Alexis turned and gave him a rueful smile that spoke volumes. "Don't we all?"
The sound of blaster fire echoed from the cantina when they were just outside of the door. Heedless of the danger, Alexis ran ahead into the dark interior, worried about the safety of her friends. Dustil was hot on her heels, his own blaster in his hand.
Alexis had to shove her way through the crowd. Everyone was gathered in a circle around the shooter. A few people were chuckling softly, which Alexis found strange. When she finally got to the center of the circle, she was shocked to see Atton Rand loosely holding a blaster pistol, toeing at the body of an enormous blonde body that looked exactly like…
"Mical!" Alexis said in a strangled tone, going down on her knees at the man's side to check him for injuries. Seeing none, she glanced back up at Atton, who smiled at her sheepishly. "What did you do?" she asked crossly.
"Well… he challenged me, and pulled his lightsaber. I didn't want to have a lightsaber duel right here in the middle of the cantina, so I set my blaster to stun and shot him in the chest. He didn't stand a chance."
Alexis frowned. "Why did he challenge you?"
"Because," Mical gasped, turning over against her knees, "he refused to apologize for a comment he made about the exile…"
Alexis was suddenly on the verge of grinning. She could see Dustil out of the corner of her eye. He looked puzzled. "And what did you say, Atton?"
Atton looked down at the table in front of him, then back over at Alexis. He wouldn't answer. Alexis glanced down at Mical, who was rubbing his chest and moaning. "What did he say?"
Mical turned his honey brown eyes on her. "I dare not repeat it. It was so foul, so unnecessary, so filthy…" he trailed off.
Mira sauntered over, grinning down at Alexis. "He said that she was trying to kill him. When I asked how, he said 'With a body like that, it's not hard to imagine. But I'd die a happy man.' That was about all. He did insinuate that she was working him to exhaustion. I'm not sure I want to know how."
"The General will not be pleased," Bao-Dur said quietly from his position at the edge of the circle. No, Kalen wouldn't like her friends fighting over her.
Mical looked a little pale, but otherwise all right. He was still glaring at Atton, although Alexis could hardly blame him. She still wanted to smile. She could see that Dustil was, even though he couldn't know the specifics of the situation. "You challenged him for that?" Alexis asked.
"He refused to take it back," the Disciple said with dignity. Alexis sighed and stood up.
"You two are such children," finally, she gave in and started to laugh. Mira joined her, as did Dustil, and soon the entire bar was chuckling uneasily at the spectacle before them. Alexis only hoped no one in the crowd had recognized her. It would have been better if she had not taken control of the situation so quickly.
Atton turned to look at her, grinning slightly. "So, who's your new boyfriend?"
Alexis glanced over her shoulder back at Dustil, who was hovering protectively over her much as Carth might have. It was rather cute, especially in one so young. "This is Dustil. Dustil, this is Atton, and that is Mical, there on the floor, and standing behind him, that's Bao-Dur. And the red-head, that's Mira."
Mira was looking at Dustil speculatively, a bright, predatory glint in her eyes. Dustil turned away from her quickly, blushing. "Nice to meet you," he said vaguely.
"Dustil. Are you the Admiral's son?" Atton asked.
"That's me," Dustil responded easily.
"We're practically brothers then," Atton said, offering Dustil his hand.
Dustil took his hand. "How's that?" he asked.
"Well," he replied, gesturing towards Alexis, "she's my mummy."
Dustil burst out laughing. "I guess we are, at that."
The bar returned to normal just as quickly as it had been disrupted. Mical had taken a chair at the bar and he was nursing a drink there, alone. Dustil and Atton, who had become fast friends, were playing pazaak Republic Senate rules. Apparently they were both out of credits. Mira was standing next to Alexis, sipping a drink and silently staring at Dustil. Bao-Dur was nowhere to be seen.
"You say that's Carth's kid?" she asked quietly.
Alexis nodded slowly. "They look a lot alike, don't they?"
"Not to me," Mira whispered back.
Alexis glanced up into Mira's face. "I gather you like him?"
"Fresh meat," Mira said, grinning at her.
"I've heard some funny things about what you think Kalen should do to Atton…"
"Do they involve a bothan stunner, stun cuffs, and starvation?" Mira asked, laughing slightly.
"Actually, I think it was something like that. It sounds, well, vicious. "
"Hasn't Kalen told you? I love my targets," Mira was looking at Dustil again, her expression hungry.
"Don't hurt him too badly. He still has his uses."
"Oh, when I'm done with him, he'll do anything we ask," Mira dropped her glass onto the counter and sauntered away, stopping right beside Dustil and leaning over the table where he and Atton were playing pazaak, as if to see the game. Atton looked up at her suspiciously.
: Watch out for that one…:Alexis told him quickly. Atton looked down to smother a laugh. When she saw the look of fascinated horror in Dustil's eyes as Mira pulled up a chair next to him, Alexis had to do the same.
She stood still for a moment, surveying the cantina while feeling guilty about leaving Carth at home alone. Hopefully he was sleeping and it wouldn't matter that she wasn't there anyway.
Mical caught Alexis's eye and she made her way over to his side. He was staring dejectedly at the bar. "I didn't know you drank," Alexis said softly.
The Disciple glanced over at her. "I don't. It's non-alcoholic."
Alexis shrugged at him. "Me either."
"Can I get you one, then?" Mical offered.
Alexis nodded and the Disciple motioned for the bartender to get him another. "You seem troubled," Alexis began slowly. Their conversation was quiet, to keep all others in the cantina from hearing.
"My dear lady, I was taken down by one shot from the blaster of a scoundrel today in the midst of many people. Trust me when I say today has not been my day," Mical replied. His voice was still soft and articulate, but his words sounded bitter.
Alexis gently rested her hand on his. Her drink arrived and he pulled his hand away and passed it to her. She sipped it cautiously. "This… this is very good," she said, smiling at him encouragingly.
He nodded. "I've always enjoyed them."
Alexis didn't know what to say. This man was much gentler than most. He was nothing like many of the others that she had dealt with. His personality reminded her painfully of Malak's before the wars; sweet and caring with a touch of naïveté.
"I'd like to ask you something, if I may," He said hesitantly, looking at her from beneath thick blonde eyelashes.
"Go ahead," Alexis replied with a shrug. He wouldn't ask her anything that would hurt her. He was too much of a gentleman for that.
"I've noticed that you seem to meditate much more than Kalen, or any of the other Jedi I have met. You are like me in that respect. I do not know why I am so drawn to meditation. Perhaps you know why that you are?"
Alexis gave him the gentlest smile she could muster. "Ah, Mical, your reasons for periodic meditation will be much different from mine, I fear."
"And why is that?" the Disciple asked her slowly.
"My reason for meditating so often is this: I must constantly examine myself and my motivations. I have to take care, to keep the darkness at bay." Alexis watched Mical's eyes soften.
"I had no idea," he whispered compassionately.
"And what is your reason? Or, what do you suspect it to be?"
Mical sighed broodingly and glanced back down at his drink, avoiding her eyes. "I am… emotional. I have to keep myself under control, much as you do, although for different reasons."
Alexis nodded. So, Kalen was the root of his troubles. Alexis waited until he looked up, and then carefully leveled her gaze on his own. She stared into his eyes for several seconds. His breath caught and he tried to look away, but he couldn't. He just stared at her, shock and little bit of fear playing across his features.
Alexis broke the connection and dropped her gaze to the table. She had been wrong. Dreadfully wrong. Mical's love for Kalen was not only hero worship. It would never fade, never die. He was truly in love with her. Alexis felt her heart breaking for him.
Mical, gathering his wits about him again, reached for her hand. He took it, grasping it tightly within his own. "Don't tell her, my lady. I can't let her know. I don't want her to pity me."
Alexis nodded slowly. He was a strong man, despite what he seemed to think was the worst sort of weakness. "Know, Mical, that I do not pity you either," she said softly.
His smile was warm and he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Atton ambled over just then, grinning insolently at them. "My, my, Lexi," he said, once again using the name of her bounty hunter persona, "you do seem to draw quite a large number of men."
Alexis raised her chin haughtily, but Mical beat her to the reply. "Leave her be, scoundrel. She has no need of your ridicule."
Alexis turned her eyes slowly to Atton and shook her head. He gave her a small, wicked smile. Alexis turned back to Mical. "It's okay. I can deal with him myself."
The Disciple nodded slowly and turned back to his drink. He was once again withdrawing into himself. Alexis sighed. He would never be whole again.
"So, Atton," Alexis asked conversationally, "Did you lose your opponent?" Glancing across the bar, Alexis could see that Dustil was deep in conversation with Mira. That, Alexis thought with an inner laugh, could prove to be interesting indeed.
"Yeah," Atton said a bit sourly.
"Whip out your cards. I'll play with you," Alexis said. She motioned towards Dustil. "I guess you weren't any competition for a pretty lady?"
Atton laughed. "If I weren't, I wouldn't play you and Kalen at cards." Alexis blushed delicately as Atton dealt.
