SWTOR
An Old Republic Tale
Off World – Interim
Trooper – Port Raga space station
"Hold up," she told Aric as she backed away from the sparring mat to grab a towel to wipe the sweat off her face. "We're slowing, we must be nearing the station." She picked up her water and downed several mouthfuls. She could feel the cool, goodness flow down her throat and into her stomach, like an icy stream. Pure heaven.
Aric nodded and wrapped a towel around his shoulders. He picked up his water and headed for the door. "You shower; I'll get us docked and take a quick sani-steam after."
She smiled gratefully at him. What more could a girl want in a mate? She caught up with him and kissed his cheek in passing. "I'm a lucky girl."
His hand lifted to touch his cheek as she slipped out of sight. He was still getting used the affection she showered on him. His family hadn't been like that. He had never been like that. But he couldn't deny he liked it.
In quick order, he docked the ship, cleaned up and mounted his armor. He wasn't sure what they would find on the station and he did not want to be caught unable to protect himself or his mate. He turned when the door slid open to the armory and helped his mate on with her armor.
He grabbed his trusty sniper and blaster and blinked in surprise when Wynter bypassed her beloved dainty, dwarf-cannon and snapped her sniper and blaster to her armor. "Change of pace?" he inquired.
She nodded. "Bessy's great in open areas," she explained, giving her small, modified cannon a pat, "but she'd damage too much in an enclosed environment."
His lips twitched over the fact that she'd named her cannon. In fact, he'd never seen her without it if she was armored up. Regardless, it was a practical decision to leave it behind.
Wynter stepped into her mate's space, raised up on her toes and rubbed the side of his face with hers. He returned the gesture before their lips met. The rub had been as much about comfort and affection as it was claiming him by rubbing her scent on him.
When his roughened tongue stroked hers, the hairs along her spine lifted in pleasure. The light rumble from her chest met his deeper rumble as they clung to each other.
"Woman," he growled, rubbing his face against hers again. He was more than grateful her scent was trapped in her armor or he'd likely be peeling it off of her again and taking her on the armory floor. "You can make a man lose all reason."
"Never," she shivered at his desire roughened voice. "You are far too focused to allow that to happen." She scraped her fangs along his neck and then nipped him. She felt his body jolt and he hissed, but she wasn't sure if it was pleasure or pain.
He took a step back from her, but had to force his hands to release her. "The armor is a stern task master," he growled. It was unforgiving against his groin. "And we have a traitor to find."
She sighed, a slow grin lifting her lips. "See? Too focused."
He grunted. It had been the bite of the armor that focused him, not his own control. "Move your ass, lieutenant, so we can finish then…" his voice dropped, "I can have my way with you."
She beamed a smile at him and left the armory, her hips swaying in time to her walk.
"Cut that shit out," he growled, his armor biting into him once more. He didn't think he'd ever seen a woman fill out her armor so well. It was armor, it shouldn't be sexy. It sure as hell was on her and he needed to get his head in the game. He tore his gaze from her backside and focused over her shoulder.
"Master!" C2N2 trilled. "I have found a new recipe for dinner. I hope you like it."
"I'm sure we will," she told the droid. C2N2 fixed both breakfast and dinner, wanting them to have 2 healthy meals a day. He would have fixed them lunch as well, but she'd put her foot down.
"Do stay safe out there," the droid responded before the airlock closed behind them.
A familiar face met them when they exited the docking arm. Sergeant Ava Jaxo of the Trivoris containers. While they'd messaged and talked several times over the holo, she would always associate the human with Trivoris.
"Hey, hey, my favorite number one sister in arms! Good to see you again, Lieutenant." She nodded at Aric as she approached them. "Hope you're ready to crack some skulls, because you've really got your work cut out for you on this one."
Her lips twitched at the lack of salute and informality from the sergeant. She knew the woman would have saluted her if other military personnel were around, but she waws definitely okay with taking the friend approach in private.
Aric frowned at the blatant display of disrespect. "You should salute a commanding officer, sergeant!" he growled.
Wynter put a hand on her mate's arm. "It's okay, Aric. There is no one around to impress. She is a friend and I welcome the informality in private."
Aric grumbled his displeasure, "Yes, sir!"
"Aric…"
Aric cleared his throat, casting a glance in the other sergeant's direction. "Understood." He would go so far as to not refer to her sir or ma'am when around soldiers she deemed friends, but he could not bring himself to be informal. He'd been in the service far too long for that bullshit and he wasn't even sure that was a habit he wanted to break. Chain of command served a purpose and he was a soldier for the Republic first and foremost.
The sergeant's grin widened. "I knew it!" Her finger bounced between the two of them. "I knew there was something big between you two!" She ran her finger over her lips in a zipper motion and winked. "As long as you're happy, Wynter, I honestly don't care."
Wynter ignored her mate's growl of displeasure. "That's what I like to hear," she responded with a nod of her head. She glanced to the left when the scent of humans drifted towards her. Likely Jaxo's support detail. She returned her attention to Ava. "Give me the sitrep."
Ava nodded. "Let's start with the accommodations. Port Raga is privately owned and officially neutral, but Wraith and her pals have taken over behind the scenes. My boys and I managed to tweak the sensors and keep your landing inconspicuous. But as soon as you step out of this hangar, it's party time!"
She didn't consider killing people to be a party, but do or die, she'd light the fireworks. "Do you know where Karsul is being held?"
The sergeant released a harsh breath and nodded. "We do, but there's some bad news on that front. Wraith has Karsul locked up in the hangar at the other side of the station. There's heavy security plus a big bonus: explosives." She shrugged. "Not enough bang to trash the station, of course, but plenty to ruin your day if you're in that hangar when they blow. Play it careful in there – I don't want to see anything happen to you. Either of you," she added quickly
"Appreciate the heads up." She nodded at her mate. "Time to rescue a senator."
They moved deeper through the entry hall to the heavy-duty hangar bay door. With a nod to Jorgan, she pulled her blaster from her magbelt and activated the door. Due to the door's sensitive nature and its ability to be used as an airlock, it did not slide open on its own; it had to be manually activated.
She tossed a scanner under the door the moment it lifted enough for it to slide under. She glanced down at the readings displayed on her holoscreen. "Thirty-one energy signatures. Two synthetics." She beamed her readings to him so that he'd know the locations of all the signatures. She slapped her blaster back onto her magbelt and pulled out a weapon far more suited to being stealthy.
They maneuvered through the ships and cargo containers, taking the enemy down as silently as possible with stun wands and small vibroblades. Going in guns blazing, would not work when the enemy was so spread out and in superior numbers.
Once they'd whittled the enemy down to those covering the door, she put the stun-wand away and grabbed her blaster. There was no cover from this point on and then meant it was time to switch tactics.
She stepped from the shadows and told them to put their weapons down. Of course, they didn't. They almost never do.
Together, they took down the remaining adversaries and she activated another, heavy bulk-head door. She threw another scanner under it, this time sharing the feed with Aric. There were around thirteen, mostly groups in squads of three, that lined the hall. The hall opened to a larger chamber that held about ten more signatures.
They ducked under the door, the moment they had room to clear it, their blasters already drawn spraying bolts in the direction the scan had pinpointed the targets. No one came rushing towards them. The plasma and energy bolts used by most weapons were not very loud unless they hit something combustible. Still, the clatter of armor could not have gone unheard.
Aric covered Wynter's six, glad that imps didn't break formation, even though they knew they were no longer alone. It could have become precarious if they'd been swarmed.
They cleared out the custom's hall and took a moment to breath before they entered into another cargo bay. The rear of the cargo bay had an opened bulkhead door, showing the hangar bag beyond it. As the scanner showed, there were ten men in the room, one of which was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room.
The imps holding their guns on him turned in unison at their approach, their weapons settling on new targets. They dove in separate directions to find cover.
Jorko grimaced when he noticed his squadmates were dropping fast. He darted to the senator's side and placed the muzzle of his blaster to the senator's head. "This is over," he told them. "I'm sure you do not wish to see your precious senator die…prematurely."
"Don't do anything stupid!" the senator growled. Those two were going to get him killed yet.
"Shut up!" Jorko warned, digging the blaster into the cathar's furry head.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aric pull his sniper from his back. With a grin, she rose and made a big show of putting her gun down and sliding it away from her with the toe of her boot. Her hands lifted in surrender. "You are right. I don't want to see the senator harmed." Though, that was a debatable point. "What can we do to work things out?" she asked calmly, stepping forward and the right.
The imperial's eyes darted around the room. "Where's the other one?" he demanded. He saw her hand slide down to her belt and he swung his arm wide. Before he could pull the trigger, darkness stole his vision and sucked him under.
Aric snapped the sniper to his back and joined Wynter. He hadn't liked that she'd baited the imp, made herself vulnerable, but it had given him the chance to line up the shot.
Krasul pursed his lips into a sour expression. Which was just how he felt about his supposed rescuers. "I should have known Garza would try to keep all of this inside her twisted little family. Well, don't just stand there! You know how to defuse bombs, don't you?" The Republic's finest had better. They were good for little else anymore. "Wraith said they'll explode if I leave the room. She has a remote detonator, too, so be quick."
"Of course, senator. We are our here to rescue you… after all."
"Ha! Rescuer!" he shook his head. "You aren't out here out of the goodness of your heart, you're here because Garza sent you here. Through gritted teeth, I imagine." He snorted his displeasure. "That traitor was going to force me to go on record saying the Senate officially abandoned Havoc Squad on Ando Prime!"
"Did you?" she asked quietly.
"What? No! Havoc abandoned us! They invaded Ando Prime and incited a massive, armed response from the Empire. We didn't send them there! They took it upon themselves and damned near started a war!" He rubbed his forehead with the back of his gloved hand. "Do you realize what will happen if this situation goes public? The Senate would be a firestorm – all of our judgements publicly called into question. And General Garza and SpecForce Division would be the first to burn."
"We won't let that happen."
The senator nodded. "A wise decision. Though, I'll admit I'd like to see the look on that traitor's face when all her bombs suddenly shut down – to watch that coward scurry away into the shadows when she realizes that her plans have failed would be priceless!"
"That it would. Give me a moment senator, and you will be free to go," she told him.
She scanned the bomb. The scan showed it was armed with redundant triggering mechanisms, including weight sensors on the senator's chair, an antenna for remote destination and a heated gas switch. Anything she did would set the bomb off. The triggers were tamper-proofed and linked. She had to hand it to Wraith, the woman knew what she was doing. Fine, then. She would think outside the box. And that left her only one choice. She would have to locate a console and create a brief atmospheric vacuum that would cause the gas switch to fail.
She found a terminal interface on the other side of the bay. "I know what needs to be done. Sergeant, I need you to go close the bulkhead door."
She ran through the sub-menus at the terminal and nodded. This would do. She set everything up, her finger poised over the activation protocol. When the door sealed tight, she turned to the men. "I want you both to take a deep breath and hold it on the count of three. One… Two… Three…" She inhaled and activated the protocol.
There was a deep humming, followed by a hiss. She felt the pressure build up in the room to an uncomfortable level before her ears popped, try to adjust. There was a snap, followed by another hiss and she slammed her finger down to reactivate the pressure.
"Get the pressure sensor while I disable to antenna!" she told Aric as she darted back over to the senator to disconnect the remote detonator. She sighed in relief, as she stood up with a small stretch that she'd hoped had gone unnoticed.
"Done, sir," Aric informed her.
She nodded. "We're are good to go, senator."
"Then get on with it, Lieutenant. We've still got to get out of this disgusting place!" Krasul grabbed a rifle off one of the dead men and fell into place behind the LT. The sergeant taking up rear position.
More imperials tried to block their escape, but their numbers were few. They met up with Jaxo and her team as the re-entered the man hangar bay.
Jaxo grinned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, look what we've got here, boys. Welcome to safety, Senator."
"Who the blazes are you? Mercenaries?" he scoffed at the absurdity of itall. "This is ridiculous!"
"Oh, yeah," Jaxo nodded. "General Garza hires mercs to rescue Republic Senators all the time."
"Sergeant!" Wynter shot her a hard look. "Senator… these people are SpecForce troops in disguise, sir."
The senator rolled his eyes. "Just great. Fantastic. Now I almost wish they were mercenaries."
"Good job rescuing our charming friend here, LT. Any luck tracking down the Wraith?"
Wynter shook her head and frowned over the choice she'd had to make. She could only hope the senator's life was worth more than whatever mischief Wraith would get into before they caught up to her. "That would be a no. She fled the scene before I could confront her."
Sergeant Jaxo tsked and shook her head. "Wraith must be even better than they say. We were watching over every inch of this place – nobody saw her leave."
The senator tapped the toe of his boot impatiently. "Is anyone going to get me on a ship to Coruscant anytime soon?"
"Oh, don't you worry, your Honorable Eminent Senatorness." Jaxo responded with a grin. "You're catching a ride with us."
"Thank you for taking care of…" she gave the slightest nod in the senator's direction, "everything, sergeant."
"No problem at all. In fact, we're going to have a fun time together, aren't we, senator?" Jaxo beamed a smile at the grouchy cathar.
"Yes," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Delightful."
"We'll catch up soon, sergeant."
Jaxo motioned the senator towards her men. "Looking forward to it, LT. Take care of yourself, will you?"
Wynter winked at Ava. "You know it!"
She thought for sure the moment everyone was out of sight Aric would call her out on baiting the imp. Instead, he caught her by surprise when he pulled her into his arms and kissed the breath out of her.
"I wanted to be angry with you for pulling that stunt," he growled softly, "but without the distraction, I may not have been able to line up the shot."
She rubbed the side of her face against his. "I knew I what I was doing and I knew he'd have a bolt in his head before I had to defend myself. Because you, Aric, are a great shot."
"And I'm even better when you are on the line." He stepped back and motioned her towards the exit. "We have a general waiting."
As soon as they boarded their ship, they stopped at the armory and removed their armor and weapons, took a quick sani-steam and pulled on civvies before they opened the holo to speak with Garza.
"Ah, Lieutenant, I was just speaking with Sergeant Jaxo. Congratulations," Garza told her with a nod. "Saving Senator Krasul will certainly help our affairs with the Senate. We needed someone to owe us a favor – well done."
Yeah, because that's why she'd saved him. Politics were so frustratingly irritating. And now she felt dirty all over again. "I just did my job."
"You did more than that," Garza responded. "You've accomplished something very important – something beyond even your assignment to hunt down Tavis and the other traitors. You're in the field, Lieutenant… you see how far the Empire is reaching. A full attack isn't far off, now."
The general's words did not sit well with her. She couldn't deny tension was building, but how much did Havoc play into that war? How much was she playing into it? She was little more than a pawn on a chessboard. But who was pulling the strings? Garza? Higher up? If Garza was right, which side was trying to reignite the war? Were both sides trying to push the other into breaking the treaty so that they would have justification to go to war? Hadn't the galaxy had enough of war?
"To keep the Empire's forces at bay, we need the Senate's support. We need allies. And thanks to you, we have one. One thing, Lieutenant, I was disappointed to learn of Wraith's escape. She's capable of causing great turmoil."
"Agreed, General. I made a choice to save the senator, we could not have done both. I chose to save a life. Time will tell if that was the correct choice," Wynter admitted. "But she'll learn soon enough that she can't run far enough to escape us."
Garza nodded. "That's what I like to hear. And… I have a bit of good news to pass along. Our technicians have decoded the first of the sets of data from the Coruscant relay. Your first target is on Taris. I have little more to tell you at the moment. I will give you a fuller briefing when you arrive at the location. Good luck, lieutenant, sergeant. Garza out."
"Taris…" she sighed. "Never thought I'd visit that planet. Never wanted to." She slipped past her mate, slapped his ass soundly and took off with a wide grin on her face. His growl spurred her on. She knew she'd triggered his prey drive and she knew she was going to love it when he caught her. He always caught her.
Jedi knight – Ord Mantell
As Cole cleared them for takeoff and T7 was in engineering overlooking the ship's technical processes, he met up with Kira in the training room. He sparred with her through the various lightsaber techniques to better understand her strengths and weaknesses.
Once the ship cleared the spaceport, Cole set in coordinates for Ord Mantell and then put the ship on auto-pilot. As pilot, his role was pretty redundant. He technically wasn't needed to fly the ship, the auto-pilot could maneuver through almost any issue, but he enjoyed being able to pilot her when he wanted. Right now, he wanted to spend more time with the jedi. They fascinated him. They were not bogeymen Imperials were led to believe. In fact, the more time he'd spent with them, it was getting harder to see them as jedi. Maybe he'd just lucked out with this pair.
He searched the ship and found them in the training room. He sat down on the mat and leaned back against the wall to watch them spar. The way they moved… it was like they flowed around each other, lightsabers flashing, but never landing. With a grin he jumped up and dashed out of the room, heading straight for the crew quarters he took bunk in.
Most of his stuff he kept in the armory. But the first blaster he'd been given by his father before he died and the sith lightsaber Cas had given him were in his personal locker near his bunk. He was no stranger to swordplay. Hell, he'd grown up on it. His uncle was a longsword and rapier master. He'd learned martial arts and swordplay since he was waist high to his uncle.
He wasn't a jedi, but he hoped they'd be willing to teach him what they could. He hurried back to the training room and bowed when he caught their attention. Their lightsabers flicked off and they gave him their attention. "Though I'm not a force user, I am a swordsman." He pulled the hilt from his magbelt and spun it in his hand. "Are either of you willing to teach me the art of wielding this blade?"
Kira gasped and looked up at Cas. Any other jedi would have demanded the lightsaber and refuse to allow the former imp access to such a weapon. She wondered was Cast would do. She hadn't quite figured him out yet. He could be as stuffy as any other jedi, spouting fortune cookie platitudes, but he could also be funny and teasing. But would he be open enough to teach a civilian something the jedi held sacred? Would she? A grin tugged at her lips. Hell, yes, she would. If only to tweak stuffy jedi noses.
Cas studied Cole. He had the stance of a warrior who knew what to do with a blade. He'd given the ex-imp the lightsaber to go with the armored robes he'd given him so that the man could pass for a jedi. He hadn't even thought along the lines of teaching him how to use it. Few in the galaxy knew swordplay anymore. As a fighting style, it had fallen centuries ago. Bringing a sword to a blaster fight was a death sentence. A lightsaber, however, could null a blaster, if the wielder knew how to use it properly. Unfortunately, it would take the force if confronted with several blasters. "You understand you will have limitations if you use a lightsaber in battle? You don't have the force to guide your movements, meaning you won't be able to use it as a defensive weapon against blaster bolts, especially if there is more than one blaster firing at you."
Cole inclined his head. "That I am well aware of. You needn't worry that I will come to think that I am more than I am. I know my limitations. I am bloody well good with a sword, but I would very much like to learn how to counter a sith, to my best ability, should I not be able to use a blaster."
Cas nodded to Kira. "I will leave him in your very capable hands, padawan. Once he has learned what he can from you, then I will work with you both on the more advanced techniques."
Kira beamed a smile at her new master. "Of course, master. I was hoping you would approve his training." But she'd never thought he would have entrusted her to see to his training. She was only a padawan. The fact that he had confidence in her boosted her own self-conception.
With a small smile, Cas nodded to the pair and exited the room. While he'd really wanted to stay to watch them, he did not want Kira to think that he was staying because he wasn't confident in her ability to teach Cole. No, he'd wanted to stay to see what Cole knew. But he would find out in due time. He was not so blind as to think there was nothing Cole could teach him. Whatever training Cole possessed, he wanted to learn it. It could be an unexpected advantage against the sith or fallen jedi. But for now, he would find serenity in meditation.
Every couple of days, he spent time with Lor on the holo. The rest of his time was spent getting to know his two new companions. He'd spar with them daily, testing the training Cole was receiving as well as Kira's own training. Once he discovered that Kira was also teaching Cole how to meditate, he found himself joining in their meditation attempts. Perhaps teaching Cole how to meditate would aid Kira in her own attempts.
Kira watched Cas across the dinner table. "Why don't you have tattoos all over your face?" She watched his brows lift in surprise and she wondered if she were the only person to have ever asked him that. "I mean, every other mirialan that I've seen have had tattoos. You don't." She shrugged. "That makes you a curiosity." Her eyes blinked. "I mean it makes you different and that made me curious," she amended quickly, her cheeks flushing over her stupid mouth.
"Seriously, Kira?" Cole asked, his nose wrinkling at her crass words. "So, does that mean that every human woman should be the same? They should all have ponytails hanging off the top of their heads like…" he cleared his throat, "male anatomy flopping about?"
The color drained from her face. "I – it does?" She reached back and tore the bands from her hair, letting it fall back into place. She quickly pulled her hair back into a short braid and tied it off. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me?" she hissed. "I don't have eyes in the back of my head." She turned in her seat to show them the back of her head. "Is that better?"
Cas grinned and winked at Cole. "I never said anything because I assumed you liked the style. But it looks much better."
She sighed and turned back around in her seat. "Thank you for telling me, Cole. I mean it. I didn't know it looked like that. I was trying to grow it out, but I hate it in my face. The band at the bottom of the pony tail helped to keep it from bouncing so much." She scrubbed her face with her hands. "I can't believe no one ever told me," she muttered before glance up at Cas. "Forget I asked anything. Not my business." No matter how much she really wanted to know.
Cas raised his hand to shush her. "It's fine, Kira. I actually do have some life markings." He lifted his bangs so she could see the golden markings beneath them. "I was taken when I was quite young, so nothing more was ever written."
She leaned forward and brushed over one of the intricate markings with her finger. She settled her hand back onto the table when he abruptly pulled back at her touch. Note to self – don't do that again. "No wonder I never noticed it. It's the same coloring as your hair. It's very beautiful."
He rubbed absently at the markings. "It is a familial color. I am lighter than many of my kin, so it is not a vividly displayed." He gave the markings a light flick and lowered his hand to grab his drink and take a swallow. "And before you ask – I'm not exactly sure what the markings mean. My people are taken from their families very young, to be raised in academies to learn about our people and to train our minds and bodies to kill if negotiation fails. This," he said, pointing to his forehead, "was given to me at the academy before I left with a jedi."
Kira shook her head. "Sounds like your life hasn't changed all that much."
His brows rose and he chuckled. "No, I suppose it hasn't. But… you are right. I moved from one academy to another, still learning about history, negotiating and fighting. Only the scope has changed. I'm fighting for the galaxy instead of my homeworld."
Cole leaned back in his chair and released a slow breath. "I can't imagine that kind of childhood. I grew up in a very close-knit family. After my parents' accident, my aunt and uncle took me in. Most of my family never moved far from home, we were always getting together. I have so many precious memories."
If he had such a good life, then why did he choose to leave it all behind? If she'd had that type of childhood, she'd have done anything to hang onto it. "Why did you join the military?"
His gaze settled on hers. "Because my parents were murdered by pirates. I'm sure I'll never find the men who did that." He grunted. "They're probably not even alive. But I wanted to do whatever it took to make it safer for people to travel. No child should go through such senseless misery."
Cass ran his larger fingertip along the edge of his glass. "Once you joined you found out what the empire is really like," he stated quietly.
"I did," Cole acknowledged with a nod. "Being a soldier was not what I thought it would be. On more than one occasion, I'd been told to kill families…babies. The Empire takes what it wants. It doesn't ask and it doesn't show mercy. There are some good men serving with me. They felt as I do. But one by one they disappeared. I want to think they found a way out. But, honestly, I'm not sure I'm that optimistic. And damned if the slaves my family owns are living far better lives than most of the people ignorant people under the Empire's reign."
The legs of Kira's chair hit the deck with a loud thwak. "You own slaves?" she growled.
He rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I haven't exactly been living a lifestyle that warrants a slave."
"But your family does! Slavery is wrong, Cole! Everyone deserves to be free!" And here she was starting to like the man. What more could she expect from an imp? She should have known better.
"Even if being free meant a man had to watch his wife and children die of starvation and illness? Is he to lay his pride in the mud and beg for charity? You do not know of what you speak, Kira. Not with my family. Not every noble buys their slaves in a slave market, keeping them filthy and in chains, beating them for the slightest infraction or a bad hair day. Don't you dare judge my family! We provide for those that cannot provide for themselves and their families. We make sure their children are fed, clothed and educated so that they can go on to live productive lives. Our slaves want for nothing – not even your vaunted freedom."
His words stilled her tongue. For a moment. Somehow, he'd made slavery sound appealing. She shook her head. Ridiculous. "Slaves have no rights. They have to do as their told, even if it goes against their morals or self-worth. Everyone has a right to be free. Can't you just pay them as servants?"
He grunted. "Perhaps you should let our slaves know that they should be doing as they are told." He smiled remembering the wrinkled cook. "Ol' Maude would box my ears if I ever said such a thing to her. And why would we pay them when they want for nothing? At any time, they can choose to buy their freedom back. All they would owe was whatever we had to pay for them or their debts. At such a time, they would go into an indentured servant contract and when their debt is paid, they'd be free. Though, they could always stay on as paid servants, should they choose."
"Oh." That had certainly surprised her. "How many slaves have gone free?"
He grinned. "Nary a one. Why would they? Being a paid servant would mean they would be responsible for their own incurred debts and expenses."
She frowned, but she couldn't refute his logic. "You have to know that is not what slavery is like for most slaves."
"Maybe not," he conceded. "But it is where I grew up."
"Right." She sighed. "Then I apologize for judging you without all the facts. Slavery is a sore spot for me and I have little tolerance for it."
"Friends?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.
She pried her gaze from teal eyes, that threatened to suck her in, to glance down at his offered olive branch. What was it with the men on this ship? Jedi or not, what woman wouldn't go sexually crazy being around all this handsome testosterone? She slipped her hand across the table and took his. "What more could a girl want?" Her smile widened. "But don't think that means I'm going to go easy on you."
Did she just flirt with him? No. He had to be mistaken. She had a thing for the mountain man. And if she kept it up, she would get hurt. Maybe he should run interference - try to take her mind off the man she could never have. Not that he intended to be a consolation prize. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Cas, ever the one to seek out learning, spent off time down in engineering with T7. The droid was a wiz at keeping the ships systems in top performance and he was learning a lot from the little guy. He would likely never put what he was learning to use, but the library aboard ship mainly consisted of information he'd already read about. Besides, he enjoyed spending time with the droid. The droid had seen a lot over the last one hundred and fifty years since his last memory wipe. T7 had amazing stories to tell and he was eager to hear them. They made a great team. If Lor could be here with them, then everything would be perfect.
Cole clicked the intercom. "We are approaching the Ord Mantell orbital station."
"Thank you, Cole. I need to check in with the General. Please let the others know," Cas told him.
He clicked the intercom again. "Kira and T7, Cas would like you to join him at the holo."
"Waited for us?" Kira asked as she hurried towards Cas. She noticed T7 was already there. "Who knew you could move so fast?"
"T7 = excited!" he beeped.
Cas grinned and activated the General's frequency. In a moment, static formed the mon calamari.
"General, we've arrived at Ord Mantell."
Var Suthra acknowledged the late comer with a nod in Cole's direction. "Perfect timing. I've just finished coordinating things with my man on the ground there. SIS Agent Attau followed the enemy transmission to a specific location planetside. He'll give you the full details. Your T7 unit can interface with Darth Angral's hyperspace data transceiver and download his communications.
T7 rocked back and forth. "T7 = oiled + charged + ready for action!"
"Hmph," Kira grumbled. "Looks like Cole and I will be playing dejarik while you two have all the fun."
Cas waved her off. "Any further information, General?"
"Take a shuttle to the surface and meet Agent Ottau. Good hunting. Var Suthra out."
The holo flickered out. Cas slid his gaze to Kira wondering if there would be another outburst before he could say anything.
Kira crossed her arms under her breasts. "I've visited my share of seedy ports, but this one is the seediest. Just as well I'm staying behind. I'll make sure nobody steals our landing thrusters."
"Thank you for volunteering," Cas nodded. He turned to look at Cole. "That means you are with me." He returned his attention to his padawan to see her mouth gaping open. He grinned. Perhaps this will help teach her patience. "I want you to check out the spaceport while you are protecting the ship. If this place is as bad as you say, Darth Angral may have a presence here.
When would she learn to stop flapping her lips? If she'd just remained silent instead of pouting like a child, he might have taken her instead of Cole. She shook her head. It was done and she had a role to play. Might as well make the most of it. "Wouldn't surprise me. I'll poke around and see if anything crawls out from under the durasteel. Have fun down there!" With a sigh, she watched the men head towards the armory.
Cas motioned to the lightsaber at Cole's hip. "If you are going to wear the lightsaber, then look the part and wear the armored robe I gave you, otherwise you'd draw too much attention."
"A jedi with a blaster won't draw attention?"
"Not so much, no," Cas told him. "Jedi who are not as strong in the force will sometimes carry a blaster for a backup weapon. But no. Blasters don't draw attention. Lightsabers do."
They departed the airlock and took a lift to the orbital station's main hub. There were people scuttling about, though most appeared to be in a hurry. He felt a few eyes on them, but no one approached. Cas preferred it that way. No risk of anyone getting hurt.
They took a shuttle planetside. The spaceport was very basic. Metal platforms were used across the ground to keep the red dust at bay, but there were too few of them to cover the dirt adequately and a slight haze of red filled the air. The hum of the air-scrubbers could be heard like a constant drone in the background. He could only imagine how clogged they would get on a daily basis.
He pulled up the spy's coordinates and sent them to Cole, in the event they had to separate.
When they located the agent, he snapped his locator device back onto his magbelt. "Ottau?"
Ottau nodded. "Hope you enjoy war zones, Master Jedi. Er – Masters. This planet is full of them."
Cas' brows lifted. "Would a day at the beach have been too much to hope for?"
The agent chuckled. "You and me both. But right now, there is a civil war between the Republic loyalists and the separatist movement ben on Ord Mantell's independence. That's the official story. The unofficial one is that the separatists are funded and supplied by the Empire."
"It is unfortunate that I do not have more time to rid this planet of its imp infestation. Time permitting, perhaps we shall return in the future."
"Then I hope time is more permitting in the future. General Var Suthra had me send a probe droid to the hyperspace data transceiver's location. I learned two things. First, its on an island. Second, they don't like visitors there. My droid wound up disintegrated." His gaze dropped to the droid. "Make sure that doesn't happen to you, eh?
"T7 + jedi = safe," he warbled.
Well, he hoped so. "I'm sending you the coordinates now. When you find the hyperspace data transceiver, plug in your T7 unit and download everything from the logs. With any luck, we'll learn what Darth Angral's been up to. I suggest taking speeders," he said, motioning to the nearby landing pad. "Be seeing you," he told the trio before he turned to face the distant waters.
And so, they were dismissed. No matter, they had a job to do. He verified the coordinates on his micro-terminal and nodded to Cole. "Ready?"
Cole returned the nod. "And eager."
"Are you sure you are going to be okay with fighting imperials – you may know some of them…" he hedged.
Cole inhaled a deep breath. He'd expected to be asked that at some point. "Now or later…it's going to happen. Eventually, I'll run into someone I know. Maybe they will walk away and not engage, maybe they won't. If they don't, my loyalty is with you." He patted the top of the droid's head. "T7 here is a crafty little guy, yeah? He's inserted me in the Republic database as a legitimate freighter captain whose ship was destroyed. The Star Runner, she was a fine ship. Thanks to a few altered records, I'm officially: Cole Draek, Republic citizen."
He tilted his head. "Won't your surname pull up your Imperial citizenship?"
"Not at all," Cole explained. "My surname was Cavill. Colton Ramell Cavill. Draek was my grandmother's maiden name. A name long forgotten. I intend to give it life again."
Cas paid for the four-seat speeder vehicle rental. "That is a noble gift." Even if it was born of an ignoble need.
They opened the door to allow T7 to boost himself in and then they headed out to the coordinates.
Cas pursed his lips. It was difficult not to reach out to those that were clearly struggling on the war-torn planet. Collapsed buildings. Burning debris and smoke were common sights as were soot covered beings, their shoulders bent under the weight of war. If his mission wasn't time critical, he'd stay and help to right the wrongs. The grim look on Cole's face likely mirrored his own expression. There was little they could do, no matter what his heart wanted.
Past some rocky hills and across a shallow mouth of water, they landed the speeder. His scanner picked up too many imps and he did not want to risk damage to their ride home. The craft was left on a slab of rock before the trail bottlenecked. For here, they would be on foot.
He nodded to Cole and they both snapped their lightsabers on. He held up his hand and sent a powerful burst of energy into a group of nearby imps at the top of the trail. They tumbled backwards as the wave hit them. He and Cole rushed in, slicing at weapons and armor. In between strikes, his blade swung to send rifle bolts back towards the shooters. He grinned when Cole successfully batted away some bolts of his own. The man may not have the force, but he was remarkably astute to what was happening around him.
Together they cleared out what was left of the imperial troopers and dashed into the compound.
"Feels like were entering the bowels of this rock," Cole remarked when the elevator seemed to descend quite some distance. Being under tons of stone did not appeal to him in the slightest. When T7 started to warble the depth, he held up his hand. "I'd rather not know, T7."
Cas motioned to the gear box they needed to destroy to force the door open. "Take it out."
Cole slammed his lightsaber directly into the metal gearbox, sparks and bits of metal bounced off his armor and he grinned. "That was far more satisfying than a blaster bolt!" The alarm that started blaring, not so much.
They dodged to the sides of the now open door when bolts flew through the entryway. Cas jumped to the closest enemy and sent a wave of energy that sent the other two flying backwards. Cole could have easily switched to his blaster rifle, but it was good practice to fight targets that were firing back.
T7 used bolts of his own to distract the enemy and give the men opportunities to get in close. As a team, they worked together until the Imperial nest was all but cleared out.
Cas turned to see if Cole or T7 needed assistance, but the man Cole was fight fell to one knee in surrender. That is what he liked to see. He would prefer not to kill, if given the chance.
Marcovic gripped his blaster tighter, indecision eating at him. He turned when he saw a movement from the side of his eye and frowned. The second jedi was alive too. With a soft growl, he slid his blaster as far away as he could. "Name: Marcovic. Rank: Lieutenant. That's all you're getting from me, jedi scum." His pride was seriously damaged. Two jedi took out his entire installation.
"You didn't need to tell us that much," Cas told him. "We're not here for you." He nodded to T7.
Marcovic stood up quickly. "What' that droid doing? Hey! Get away from there!" He took a step towards the droid, intent on stopping it, when he heard the hiss-hum of an infighting lightsaber. He stilled immediately. Bloody damnation.
T7 jacked into the terminal. "Hyperspace data transceiver = operational / T7 = scanning transmission logs / T7 = found Planet Prison designs + Tarnis communications to Darth Angral / T7 = located design files code-named "desolator" / Darth Angral = creating work-killer weapon using Republic technology / t7 = downloading all data."
No! No! This just wouldn't do. If they walked away with that information, he would be killed…horribly. Painfully. He knew he'd wasn't going to survive the next few minutes, but it was better than the alternative. Marcovic pulled a blaster that he'd had hidden in his boot. "You won't live long enough to kill anyone!" he sneered. His body was falling, his vision dimming…and he hadn't even gotten a single blaster shot off.
Cas' lips thinned and he nodded. "I would have let him live."
T7 rocked back and forth as he finished his download. "Imperial organics = not logical."
With the download complete, T7 spun around. "Desolator files = downloaded / T7 electromagnetic pulse + hyperspace data transceiver = permanent file erasure."
They would have let the man live. "Good thinking, little buddy. We've got what we came for, we need to get back to Agent Ottau."
There was no one left to intercept them on the ride back to the landing pad, though the journey was not pleasant. How could it be? Suffering was found everywhere and he could do nothing to help. Not when entire worlds were in jeopardy.
Ottau's brows rose when he saw the jedi approach him. "Back already? That was quick."
Was it? Why didn't it feel like it? No matter. Not important. "Darth Angral's base is destroyed, but my mission wasn't completely successful – though T7 downloaded what he could find."
Still, that was more than Ottau had expected. "Right now, we'll take any success we can get. At least the Empire has one less hidey-hole. I'll put together a team and see if we can secure that island for our side. Take care, Masters jedi."
Cole inclined his head. "You as well, agent."
They chose to walk to the spaceport. "You did well, no one suspected you weren't a jedi. That may come in handy in the future. Just leave the sith to me."
"Right on, yeah? I'm not the fool. At least not about most things."
They took the shuttle back up to the orbital station where their ship was berthed. Before they reached the docking bay, Cas held his hand up. "There are other ahead. Be mindful. I sense a sith presence. I will engage him if necessary."
"Understood," Cole replied, his hands fell towards his weapons as he followed the jedi towards whatever confrontation there might be.
Cas' step almost stuttered when he saw Kira surrounded by sith and imperials. He continued forward, confident and serene.
Ferav could feel the power emanating from the mirialan that approached him and his men. His gaze slid to the padawan next to him. Lies. But he couldn't help but respect how she'd managed to deceive them all. "Well-played, padawan. Your lies convinced even Darth Angral."
Cas came to a stop and ignited his lightsaber. "Drop your weapon," he growled. "And step away from my padawan."
Ferav looked up at the green alien and then to the smaller jedi standing next to him. He did not like the odds – at least not when power just rolled off one of them. Instead of showing his fear, he channeled it. Failing Darth Angral was not a choice. "Spare me your pathetic demands. I hold the power her – not you." He saw the big jedi's brows rise and a smirk pulled at his green lips.
"Imperial Intelligence noticed this girl wandering the station and alerted my master. Darth Angral came from twenty parsecs away for a personal interrogation. Unfortunately, we were led to believe you weren't here."
Kira smiled. "Told them you were on Corellia. Suckers."
Ferav sneered at the human's snide remark. It irritated him that he hadn't been able to kill her. "No matter. We have you now. Surrender – unless you want your padawan to die."
A small laugh escaped Kira's lips. "He's lying. He can't kill me. Angral's orders."
"Very interesting," Cas replied. "No – I don't believe I'll be surrendering. Though, if you do not walk away…this will not end well with you."
Ferave had to stand firm, even if he really wanted to walk away. He would not survive Angral's displeasure. Confidence Rikter, he chided himself. He shook his head. "I'll never understand what drives you jedi to throw away your lives. You risk certain death to free this girl. Why? Some misguided sense of duty?"
Cas tsked the sith's question. "Duty? No. Jedi accept responsibility for others. Sith care only about themselves and cannot see past their own arrogance. I ask you one more time to walk away. If you do not – you will not survive this encounter."
Ferave rolled his eyes. "You are as dull as you are pointless. Goodbye jedi." His saber swung, but it never made contact. He was struck hard by something and slammed against the wall, his lightsaber rebounded from the force and sliced through the neck of one of his acolytes. All three jedi descended on him and his men like a pack of ravenous wolves. He had failed his master.
Bodies strewed around them on the dock. It was unfortunate, but Kira was safe.
Kira snapped her lightsaber to her magbelt and glanced quickly at her wrists. She wasn't sure how cas had sliced off the bindings without damaging her wrists, but she was glad she could help with the battle. "Don't take this wrong, but I've never been happier to see anyone my whole life." Her cheeks heated. "You too Cole. You are both a sight for sore eyes."
Cole sent her a soft smile. "You are a beautiful sight to behold, Kira. I am more than glad that you are unharmed."
Did he just? Did he flirt with her? Her gaze locked onto his. He was remarkable handsome. Why hadn't she really noticed that before? Her cheeks heated again. "That's…um…interesting to hear."
Cas shot Cole a questioning glance, but the man had eyes for only Kira. Interesting. "What happened, Kira?"
Kira rubbed her forehead and shook her head. "Honestly? I don't know. One second, I'm watching smugglers haggle over spice, next thing I know the sith have me. Angral wanted to know everything about you. Threatened to kill me if I didn't answer all his questions. Obviously, he didn't go through with it. Angral left with an Imperial admiral to refit the battle cruiser. Sounds like they have some new weapon."
T7 rocked back and forth. "T7 = scanned Tarnis + Angral design schematics / Desolator world-killer weapon = attaches to battle cruiser."
"Desolator?" Kira asked in surprise. We should warn the general about this right away." Without another look, she turned and hurried to the airlock.
He nudged Cole as he followed Kira towards the airlock. "Are you interested in Kira?" He was certainly not one to cast stones when it came to jedi relationships. But he didn't want either of them getting hurt either.
Cole rubbed his chin. "That one would lead me an uphill chase. I do not know if her heart has room for two."
"What do you mean?" Cas asked curiously. He hadn't known Kira had anyone else.
"You truly are oblivious, my friend," Cole snorted with a wry shake of his head. "You are the man holding her interest, not I… more's the pity."
Cas lifted a brow. "She looked pretty interested in you to me." He said no more, since they'd caught up to Kira in the airlock.
Decontamination was quick and the door opened to allow them entry. They all went directly to the holo-communicator. The general appeared; hands clasped behind his back.
"T7 = transmitting files now."
"Looks like Tarnis was combing all your weapons projects to create something code-named "Desolator". We believe Angral's arming his battle cruiser with it," Cas informed the mon calamari.
"Then it's no coincidence I've lost contact with Agent Galen. The enemy is raiding our weapon research facilities to build that device."
"That is what the data shows. Agent Galen walked into a trap."
"I need your help stopping him, Master jedi. Right now, I need for you to go to Taris. You will find the key to all of this there. But I can't tell you anymore until you arrive. Contact me when you reach Taris."
The holo went dark. "Cole, if you could get our destination set in, then we settle in for the night and start training again in the morning." Cas heard their groans and smiled as he headed towards his room for a quick sani-steam.
Imp Agent – Korriban
Not long after they left Dromund Kaas, the VI notified him of a message lift on holo for him. He preferred an actual comm line to a message. There were no room for questions with a message. As he approached the holoterminal, he noticed the flashing light and faint chime coming from the unit. With a sigh, he flipped it on. "Download and begin playback," he told the VI. He motioned for Annor to join him, when he saw her approaching.
Keeper appeared on the holo. "Cipher Nine. Intelligence is finalizing your target list, but in the meantime, there's a formality we need to address. With Darth Jadus' demise, his seat on the Dark Council has opened. It will be filled by his daughter and sole apprentice: Darth Zhorrid. Lord Zhorrid demands to meet with you. Proceed to Korriban at once. She has authorized your presence at the Sith Academy.
The holo flickered and died.
"What did the big cheese want?" Kaliyo asked. "He really sending us to the viper's nest? You realize, vipers eat their own?"
That was actually pretty damned accurate according to what he'd heard of the sith. "We're going to Korriban." His lips twitched. "Might want to brush up on your ass-kissing if you want to survive the encounter," he warned.
"Whatever," she grouched. "Later…"
He watched her go and winked at Annora. "Her mouth is going to go over like a ton of duracrete. Hope she plays it smart."
"Free will can be as dangerous as it is needed," Annora replied with a shrug. Korriban was one of the last places she wanted to be. While her ability in the force wasn't strong, a powerful sith or jedi would probably detect it…if they gave her the time of day. She tried to go unnoticed around them. Maybe she would wait this one out in the ship. That thought didn't sit well. "I've got some reports I'm working on; I'll see you for dinner."
Three people in the ship and he was alone. He grunted and laughed. Things could change at any time. Might as well enjoy the solitude while he had it. Time to catch up with family. He headed to his own quarters for privacy.
A few days later, Kaliyo leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the desk. Being in close quarters with the love birds, Kaliyo thought she'd go insane being exposed to all that lovey-dovey shit. But she was caught by surprise when their attitude towards each other changed once onboard the ship. They stopped hanging all over each other and saying cringe-worthy syrupy words that constantly made her ears bleed.
Whenever she had nothing better to do, she watched them – trying to learn what she could about them. From what she'd seen aboard ship, the pair weren't a couple at all, merely close friends with a hell of a lot of benefits. But they kept that shit to the CO's cabin, whenever they needed to blow off a little steam. And when the chiss wanted her space, she slept in her own cabin. Smart girl.
One thing she did know – Imperial agents were ultimate liars. And she knew liars. Hell, she, herself, was a damned good liar by trade. Knowing what she knew made traveling with them easier. She understood liars. Nothing they said could be trusted. That was fine. She'd keep her guard up. She was good at that. She was in this for the money – not to make friends. Though, that wouldn't stop her from trying to use them if the opportunity arose. Just as they would use her. It was the way life worked. She'd learned that almost before she could walk.
What she didn't understand was why the pair kept inviting her to do things with them, even if it was just playing a game of dejarik or some shit. People who tried to be your friend just wanted something from you. Problem was…she just hadn't figured out what they wanted yet. She didn't like not knowing what game they were playing. Because if you don't know the game, you can't predict the rules. Fine. She preferred no rules, anyway – it left the gameplay wide open. She bit into the jerked-taun and pulled off a hunk of the dried meat. The savory flavor burst across her tongue. This…this was why she'd wanted to go with the agent to get supplies. She'd stocked up on the treat…with the Empire's credits, of course.
The intercom chime sounded in the crew quarters; the VI letting her know they'd arrived. Korriban. Hoo-fucking-ray. Not a place she wanted to be, but the pay was excellent, so she'd suck it up. She wrapped up her snack and slid it into a pocket for later. Let's see what kind of trouble I can get into, she thought as she grabbed her weapons and left the crew quarters.
Annora smiled at Kaliyo as she joined them. Yes, she was going to do this. She'd hid her force presence before, she could do it now. She could hardly know what was going on from the ship. She was surprised of the silence as everyone left the airlock. No one spoke even as the left the space station. She supposed they were all deep in their thoughts about being on a planet that was training ground of the sith.
Kaliyo could feel the dust coating her when they left the shuttle. Even the planet's desertscape was as red as Empire's colors. She spit out the foul taste of the dust. It even tasted like old, dead bones. "This place gives me the creeps."
"I will endeavor not to stay too long and wear out our welcome," he told her.
"I'll hold you to that, Neo. I'm not being paid enough to die here."
"Noted." Neronu responded.
He rented a taxi to take them to the Sith Academy. He had no desire to wear the planet on his clothing. When they reached the academy, a security guard pointed the way to Darth Zhorrid. Once they reached the second floor, they took the lift up to the next floor. Again, the silence was deafening, like it was a tangible unease. They gave a silent look to each other before Neronu led the way into her chambers.
A scarred woman stood behind a desk and three robed guards? Sith? He wasn't sure stood to either side of her desk.
Zhorrid smiled as the large chiss strolled up to her desk as if he hadn't a worry in the world. She would soon disabuse him of that notion. The two that followed him were of no concern. It was his will that drew her attention. "Look who made it all the way to Korriban! Such a beautiful visitor we have!"
Jakker bowed, trying not to let his unease show. There some something off about Lord Zhorrid. "Yes, my lord."
Her gaze shifted to her commander. "Commander – I want to be informal with my bodyguards."
He bowed again. "Ah – yes, Lady Zhorrid.
She beamed the leader a smile and turned to face her visitor once more. "Delightful! You – my pretty alien…don't you find my body guards delightful?"
Neronu smiled and bowed. "Most delightful, my lord." It was all a game and he knew how to play it.
She clapped her hands. "Excellent! Delightful bodyguard," she said with a glowing smile. "I have a request."
"Yes, my lady?" Jakkar asked quickly, the unease building within him. It wasn't just the creepy scars, as if someone had tried to make her mouth grin from ear to ear, that made the woman frightening. It was as if insanity bubbled just under the surface. And it took all of his self-control to appear indifferent when he was around her.
"Kill our visitors, please," she told him sweetly.
He blinked and bowed. "As you wish – they are as good as dead." Even a giant chiss could be felled with blaster bolts. But the giant was faster than he had a right to be. The other two aliens were also quick on the draw and his men were dropping like flies. It wasn't long before all their firepower focused on him. He all but sobbed when his shield went down. His blaster jammed. He threw the offending weapon to the side and charged the giant. It was all he had left, though he knew it was futile. He saw pity in the giant's eyes a moment before his world went dark.
What was this sith's malfunction? Not that sith were trustworthy. But she'd had no reason to kill them. He'd never even seen the woman before. This was all a bloody waste! He returned his weapon to his magbelt and turned to face the crazy sith as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, wonderful. My poor bodyguards," horrid tittered as she stepped out from behind her desk to join her visitors. She looked over each, the blue female drawing her attention for a moment longer before she looked up at the blue giant alien.
Laliyo frowned. "I'm starting to get a little peeved. And a little creeped out." She caught Annora's hard stare and shrugged.
The darth ignored the insignificant rat. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Darth Zhorrid, Lord of the Dark Council and successor to Darth Jadus. I hear you're investigating my father's assassination. I wanted to see if you were worthy."
So, the needless death was some kind of test. He doubted a sith would ever be capable of having regard for life. Except there was one…Vrok, that they'd escaped Grathen's compound with, who hadn't tried to kill them. In fact, he'd been a jolly good fellow. The only sith he'd ever met that he could say that about. "All this," he motioned to the dead on the floor. "Was a test," he stated matter of fact. Her creepy, scarred smile widened.
"I could sense your feelings during the fight." In truth, she had not. Somehow two of the aliens had managed to thwart her attempts to read them, but they didn't need to know that. "I think you'll do nicely, tracking these terrorists. But are you really sure it was this "Eagle" that killed the mighty Darth Jadus?"
Interesting that she'd asked him that. Could she have been behind the death of her father? Possible. It was certainly a sithy thing to do. He wanted to ask her point blank if she'd been responsible just to see her reaction. But he held off. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I thought you might know more than your superiors." She wondered if he knew more than he let on. She could force the truth from him, but then she'd burn a bridge she wasn't ready to burn just yet. He was still her best option going forward. She would use him first and then discard him. "Jadus believed in spreading fear and anger to every planet and species in the Empire. Even creatures like you. Though, I doubt you'd scare so easy," she murmured as an afterthought. "Perhaps his ambitions drew too much attention; any one of his rivals on the Dark Council might have killed him or maybe it a sneaky slave. Right now, chase after your terrorists. Save the lives of your Imperial friends. But if you learn who's really responsible, come to me," she said as she motioned her thumb to her chest. Her shoulders squared. "I've earned my place in the Dark Council – and I won't share my father's fate! Dismissed!"
They were quick to leave the academy. They kept their heads down and did not look around any more than necessary. No one wanted to catch the eye of another sith. They grabbed another taxi and returned to the shuttle.
They said little until they returned to the safety of their ship. It was all to likely the taxi and the shuttle were bugged. The Imperials were a paranoid lot. Odd that he'd thought of himself in third person. He did not have time to internally debate that at the present. As soon as they boarded the Phantom, he went directly to the holoterminal to check in with Intelligence. "Cipher Nine to headquarters. Do you have my target list?" Watcher Two popped up on the holo.
"Watcher Two here. I've finished preliminary mapping of the Eagle's network. Your first designated targets are terror cells on Balmorra, near the Republic border; and on Nar Shaddaa, in hut space."
He nodded. "I'll contact you when we arrive at Balmorra. Cipher Nine out." He shut down the connection and hurried to his room to get into something more comfortable. His stomach rumbled, letting him know he'd skipped lunch.
After a quick change, he grabbed his datapad and joined the other two in the galley. Might as well see what he can find out about Balmorra before they arrived. Not like he didn't have a few days, but he was curious.
He dropped the pad on the table in the galley and grabbed quickly prepared some food before joining the women. His hopes on reading up on Balmorra were dashed with the two immediately started talking.
"I've plotted our destination with the auto-pilot. I heard the tail-end of your correspondence," Annora explained. It would seem you made a friend of Zhorrid, in as much as that is possible."
"A friend," Kaliyo scoffed. "You do know what a friend is, don't you? That viper wouldn't know a friend if it bit her in the ass. That's what a friend is to a sith…someone to use and then bite in the ass when they are through with you. Don't ever think you can be friends with a sith," she warned. Kaliyo wasn't blind, she treated so-called friends in a similar manner, but unlike sith, she left her marks hearts or their wallets broke – sometimes both, but she rarely needed to kill them. The sith, however, death after use and abuse was a given. They didn't know any other way to play the game. She was bad, she would admit – but they were evil. End of story.
He was actually surprised by the rattataki's words. "Thank you for the warning, Kaliyo. That was considerate of you. I will play the role of her friend as that is what is required for the moment. But that sith is clearly unstable. I will keep my eyes wide open when dealing with her. Rest assured about that."
Kaliyo wasn't sure why his words had a calming effect. They shouldn't have. She didn't trust him. Hell, she didn't trust anyone. He was getting her out of her comfort zone and she wasn't going to let that happen. "And don't think you can trust that red devil we met at Grathan's. He's just like all the others. He played nice to deceive you. Mark my words, he'll call on you someday and use you like disposable trash. He's sith. We're expendable in his eyes. I'm not falling for his shit, cause, baby, I'm not expendable. I'm not dying for anyone!"
Annora and Neronu watched her storm off in the direction of the crew quarters.
"Well, that was interesting," Annora sighed. "I wonder what flipped her switch." She patted his hand. "For what it's worth, I don't think Vrok was lying or trying to deceive us in any way. I'm pretty good at reading minute cues. I can tell when someone isn't being honest."
He gently squeezed her fingers. "I'm not worried about Vrok. Maybe I should be, but I'm not. I'm worried about Kaliyo."
"She'll come around, Neo. She just needs more time. She a lone wolf and lone wolves are skittish." She drew her hand back and wrapped it around her still warm cup of caf. "We just need to keep doing what we're doing and trust she'll come around."
He wasn't sure what a wolf was, but he understood the meaning. "Are we sure we want her as part of the team?" his voice little more than a whisper.
"If we become a true team, she will be less likely to betray our trust and more likely to actually have our backs. Which do you prefer? Her to cover our backs or bury a knife in them?"
He chuckled. "Point well made." He turned his head to stare out the doorway in the direction Kaliyo had gone. "Let's just hope you are right, Ann. I don't like the idea of having an enemy at my back."
Kaliyo paced back and forth in the crew quarters, angry with herself and her moment of weakness. This was why she didn't do "team" shit. She didn't want to like anyone. She was better off alone. Take on a mark, get what she wanted and leave. Clean. Simple. No strings. No attachments. No Pain.
This team shit sucked. It was dangerous – but the imps were paying her so well. How could she turn her back on that? She couldn't. it would be stupid to leave such a lucrative gig. She needed to milk the bantha for all she could get before leaving. She just had to stay strong.
With a new resolution, she sat down at the desk she'd chosen and began cleaning her blaster.