:: Chapter Six ::

"There's room for you aboard the ship." Eliza looked to Ravage "I can have Ceenine follow us in your shuttle, set it to auto pilot."

"Fine." his mood was clearly still rather dour and for good measure he kicked the duffle bag containing Saresh's head when he trudged up the ramp.

'It's gonna be a cold few days in space…' Eliza followed him with her eyes until he vanished from sight and provided her droid Ceenine with clear instructions.

After ensuring the flight plan for the shuttle, she boarded the Vanora herself and instructed Lord Cytharat to plot a course for Tatooine at Praven's request.

"I'd love to meet your family Eliza but I have contacts waiting to hear from me and a few Jedi counting on supplies."

She smiled "It's not a problem. We'll drop you off and arrange something for our special delivery to the Senate while we're there too. Best not to have it traced back to any of us. Now if you're up for decent company there's a spare bed in Lord Cytharat's quarters or otherwise you can take mine and I'll crash wherever."

"I'm good for a roommate," Praven assured her while she gave him a quick tour of her ship "I'd like to know him better, if he does not object to the company. It's been too long since I last found myself in the presence of one of my own."

"You'd be most welcome." Lord Cytharat glanced their way briefly, having overheard the conversation as they passed the helm "I don't imagine there are many Pureblood Jedi?"

"None." Praven took up the co-pilot's seat "Of course there was…" he paused with an eye on Eliza "well Lord Scourge but he never embraced the teachings of the Light side."

"Didn't stop them from trying though." she chuckled recalled the debates between Lord Scourge and Satele most of all.

"You know Eliza has Pureblood genes?" Lord Cytharat pointed out "In fact…" he locked in the ship's controls and spun the pilot's seat around her way "we're related."

"We are?"

Lord Cytharat nodded and excused himself, leaving curiosity to hang in the air until he returned a few minutes later with an aged, leather bound book which he handed over to her.

"My family dates back as far as your grandfather's, the Ignis line, does. For generations Cytharat would wed an Ignis, all to maintain purity and status. I never knew either until I spoke with my mother last week, informing her of my safe stay with you, and she gushed about our family ties. Encouraged me to dig out the family ancestry," he explained and indicated at the book "which I've had in my possession for years but never really studied."

"Wouldn't that eventually lead to some uh… rather incestuous relationships?" Eliza quirked a brow and with Praven began flipping through the pages.

"That matters not in the name of purity." Praven stated "Arranged marriages between powerful families have always been our way. Only in the most recent of years has the practice begun to fade into obscurity along with other ancient traditions."

"Weird… so, how are we related then?"

Lord Cytharat sat back down and folded out the intricate family tree attached to the back cover of the book "We are second cousins, see here? My grandmother was Ilyana Ignis, your grandfather's sister. She married Kato Cytharat and gave birth to my father, Lord Silas Cytharat."

"Oh wow…" Eliza followed along with him and a soft smile fell over her upon seeing her grandparent's names.

"It gets better, or worse…" he smirked and revealed a letter which sat tucked away between the pages "read this."

Tamas,

Blessed is the news that your human son and his human wife are expecting their first child and we pray the Force will return its gift to your family by means of this unborn child. As you know our son Silas and his wife Gianna gave birth to a child of their own this past year—a son named Tallis Cytharat. Should your grandchild be born a Pureblood female gifted with the Force then it is our hope you will consider joining our two houses once more, as is tradition. I assure you my grandson would make for a highly suitable match. Please respond promptly.

Kato Cytharat

Praven watched in amusement as he witnessed the multitude of, and highly animated, expressions play on Eliza's face while she read the letter several times over.

"Human son and his human wife? And only if I'd been born as a Pureblood? Pff. Your grandfather was rather speciesist wasn't he?" she uttered out eventually.

Lord Cytharat laughed "That is the part you take issue with?"

"Well I mean aside from the obvious gross factor." Eliza snorted "They did realize we would be cousins, right?"

"As Praven pointed out, that mattered none."

"Did my grandfather ever respond?"

"No. He passed the day this letter was composed so they never sent it."

Eliza quirked a brow, her head tilted as she observed him closely "Suppose that's a blessing in disguise… You know, Cyara's going to love this—she's been so eager to find more family, especially anyone who's Pureblood as she is."

"It is funny though—grandfather never mentioned any of this when we spoke."

Now both Lord Cytharat and Praven frowned and the former voiced his confusion "And when exactly did you speak with him? Didn't he pass away before you were even born?"

"Well, yes he did but…" Eliza bound the book back together and leaned against the navigation console while she began to explain about her unique ability and the Force-realm in which she'd met with her grandfather in the past.

"So the rumors were true." Lord Cytharat concluded "Have you ever spoken with him again in the recent years?"

"No. I considered it, especially after Cyara was born. There's a lot I don't know yet about our gift, how it's passed on. Whether the gift can exist within two Ignis at the same time or if she'll only inherit it if I die. If she'll inherit it at all."

"But it's too great a risk to seek his advice?" Praven asked.

She nodded "It is, which is why I haven't again."

"Anyways," she pushed herself off the console and smiled "I'm going to make a call home to check in on my babygirl and brief the others on our situation. You two play nice and uh… glad to have you as my family Lord Cytharat." Eliza winked and retreated to her private quarters.

"It's curious to find us on opposite sides," Praven lamented after she'd left "many years ago she brought me into the Jedi Order and now she is Sith herself—a former member of the Dark Council no less."

He found himself marveling at the way their lives had changed and shared the story of how he'd come to meet Eliza in the first place.

"Mm yes, the Force works in mysterious ways…" Lord Cytharat turned his attention to the other Pureblood "Please share, what was it like to join their ranks?"

"Challenging but I grew accustomed to the curious and distrusting looks. I spent much time in the library studying, entering deep meditation. Eventually Master Kiwiiks, another Jedi I'd encountered on Tatooine, took me under her wing—she saw something in me and decided it was the best way for us both to heal from the events on Tatooine."

"Interesting…" Lord Cytharat kept his eyes on Praven "How have you balanced yourself between the Light and Dark?"

"It wasn't quite as difficult as I'd imagined. Even as Sith I practiced much self control, disciplined my emotions and maintained my calm. Serving the Light came rather natural, to my own surprise."

"Now, I would like to hear more about you Lord Cytharat. I have a feeling we have much in common." he said at last.

"Tallis." the other Pureblood offered "My full name is Tallis Cytharat."

"Hrm… meaning 'wise'—it suits you." Praven nodded "How did you end up as Malgus' apprentice?"

"He saw something in me. At the Academy I was mostly invisible, always had my nose buried in my books studying history, strategy. My mind proved sharper than my blade which made me an easy target for other acolytes." it was now Lord Cytharat's turn to share some of his past with his new acquaintance.

"One day I used my wits to avoid an assassination attempt at the Academy and somehow the story reached Darth Malgus. He had me summoned to Dromund Kaas and took me under his wing. Told me my intelligence was a gift—any Sith could swing a lightsaber and fight but few possessed a mind as brilliant as my own, and that it made me unique. For the first time I really felt I belonged."

"Many do not bother with their studies, forever chasing their bloodlust instead." Praven made a fair assessment and recalled his own days at the Sith Academy "It's a shame what's become of our kind. So much potential and yet many resort to the same savagery as our Massassi ancestors."

"But not all." a twinkle played in Lord Cytharat's eyes "You're different. Wish that our paths had crossed sooner."

Praven favored him with a smile "Agreed, but we're here now."

"We are… So, what took you from Jedi Knight to breaking out prisoners on Coruscant?"

"Duty, loyalty. After the Senate signed the treaty with Arcann, Grand Master Shan send all Jedi out into the galaxy. She believed the Republic as we knew it would cease to exist and the Senate may turn on the Order seeking to hold us down, or even turn us over to Arcann should he ever demand it." Praven explained where the Jedi Order had disappeared to.

"She encouraged us to seek out those in need to help and protect them and so we all scattered into the far reaches of the galaxy. I spent a few years traveling between the Core Worlds and Outer Rim until an old friend informed me of Eliza's endeavors. I recalled what I knew of the prisoners on Coruscant, Jedi and Republic men and women who do not deserve imprisonment and well the rest is history as they say."

Lord Cytharat nodded "We should see if a plan can be devised to free those prisoners... What happened to the Grand Master? I know Eliza's been searching for her but so far it would seem she's just vanished into thin air."

"Not quite. She's out there but that's all I know. Last we spoke she said she had a mission of her own—an old acquaintance who'd reached out seeking help."

"And this 'old friend' who told you of our alliance?" asked Lord Cytharat in a most casual way.

"Another Jedi, Master Timmns? I'll be making my way to Voss soon to join him and Lord… Darius is it?"

"Correct. Darth Vowrawn's nephew. Keep an eye on him, he has a penchant for trouble."

"Must run in the family, though Vowrawn's often far more subtle." Praven smirked.

Their light conversation and gentle laughter brought a smile to Eliza's face when she passed the helm on her way to Ravage's quarters, having finished her private call.

'At least those two are getting along…' she thought to herself and knocked.

"Ravage?" she inched the door open and peered inside to find him sat behind his desk with his back turned on her "Is this a bad time?"

"What do you need?"

"Uhm, I actually just… I wanted to say thanks, and apologize for ignoring your council. I should have been more cautious…"

He turned, pushing his chair back "Go on."

For a second she just stared at him, confused until it clicked and she groaned "Thank you and I am sorry—you were right."

"Accepted." Ravage spun back around to continue working on his datapad "Please inform me when dinner's been prepared." he dismissed her rather bluntly.

A deep sigh escaped Eliza and his behavior reminded her of that of a sulking child "I've said I'm sorry, what more do you want?"

"We never finished our conversation the other day."

"What conversation?"

"About us." once more he turned and this time he got up to face her fully, his arms folded before him "About there being anything good between us."

Eliza gently closed the door and sat herself down on the foot end of his bed "If I recall your advances pushed that conversation in a whole different direction."

"And?"

"And… fine, yes" she began reluctantly "there's been some good. Actually there's…"

Whether it was due to his heroic efforts or if she simply lacked the bite to argue with him today, Eliza wasn't sure but she began sharing a story which had him at the center stage. A moment from years back he didn't know she'd witnessed but it had been the first time she'd seen something other than a monster in him.

"Do you remember the first few weeks after Cyara was born?"


For weeks now Eliza hadn't found a single moment of peace and everything hurt—she was a mere shadow of the woman she used to be. A pale and underweight shadow, her body broken and her soul shattered. Each day she cried and whenever she did, so did her daughter. At night in the moments where sleep should take her she lay awake, tossing and turning instead unable to silence the pain in her heart which was another thing her daughter sought to answer with further crying and screaming.

To her own painful horror she'd begun to resent her child. Blaming baby Cyara for stalling her search for her husband and yet at the same time, her demons told her Cyara was punishing her with this behavior. Because she failed the girl's father, Lord Scourge, and left him behind to die.

Everything had begun to break her down and Eliza wanted to flee. To get away from her child, her overly concerned family and the eyes that always looked at her so expectantly hoping that today would be the day where she'd finally feel better. She never did. In her mind, there wasn't a getting better of anything until one night everything changed.

Eliza was curled up in bed soaking her pillow with the tears she cried so often. She tried to hold them in and waited for the moment where her daughter would inevitably start crying too but this night, Cyara didn't. The quiet almost brought Eliza to a point of finally finding sleep but something held her back—worry and concern for the child, even through her pain. It was unusual for the baby to be this silent and calm and Eliza dressed in her night robe before climbing from her bed.

Cyara's room, adjacent to her own and separated only by a set of sliding doors, was dark save for a small reading light lit up near her crib. It took a few seconds for Eliza's eyes to adjust to the scene before her and then her jaw dropped at the mere sight.

Sat within the large wingback near her daughter's crib was Ravage holding Cyara in his arms. The infant cooed quietly and suckled on his pinkie finger while he balanced a storybook in his other hand and read it to her.

"... and then Lord Adam at last revealed his surprise to Lady Bella. Gilded double doors flew open at his command and granted access to the largest library she'd ever seen."

Cyara's eyes twinkled and for the first time since she'd been born, she smiled. Gentle chortles escaped the infant and she gripped Ravage's pinkie tighter as he chuckled.

"I know, I know" he whispered and rocked her gently "one day you'll have your own library too and it'll be even bigger than Lady Bella's huh?"

As though she'd heard and understood him, Cyara giggled with delight and Eliza couldn't believe what she witnessed. She kept herself hidden behind the doors peering through the narrowest opening.

Ravage sat the book aside and teased a tiny, raven black curly lock from Cyara's forehead "And like Lord Adam, I will always protect you and your mother from the bad people. From those losers calling themselves the Eternal Empire. I promise." he smiled down into her sparkling amber eyes.

Cyara took his thumb in her tiny fist while still holding onto his pinkie too and began blowing raspberries against his palm.

"I had a daughter once too you know? A beautiful baby girl named Callista…" he began sharing one of his biggest secrets with Cyara "Her hair auburn like mine, her eyes sapphire blue like her mother's and a smile that you'd give your life for if only you could see it one more time."

"She was just a few weeks old, as you are now, when we lost her. The sickness which would take her mother in the years to come ran through Callista's blood as well. She was too small and too fragile to fight it."

In the other room, Eliza gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth. She knew Ravage had lost his wife to a rare bone disease years ago but no one had ever made mention of a daughter.

"But you," Ravage braved his emotions and leaned forward pressing his lips to Cyara's tiny fist "you're going to live a long and good life little one, and grow up to become such a strong and powerful woman. Just like your mother."

"You may not believe it now and I know you feel her pain, her grief and it upsets you, it hurts, but she's tough you know? She'll survive this too."

His words revealed something to Eliza that she hadn't thought of before. Cyara wasn't trying to punish her by screaming and crying through day and night, she was sharing in her mother's pain, reacting to it. She and her daughter were connected by more than just their blood and suddenly Eliza realized that the calm Cyara seemed to experience right now was within her too. For the first time in weeks she felt like she could breathe again, relax and rest.

It was the catalyst moment that broke Eliza out of her growing depression and at last brought both mother and daughter the peace they needed, brought them closer once more.


Ravage stared at her wide-eyed once Eliza finished sharing the memory with him.

"The thing that made it so special is… you had no idea I was there. You didn't do it to impress me, it was genuine and real and without knowing it you helped me so much that night."

"You weren't meant to…" he sighed and felt completely disarmed—this wasn't what he'd expected to discuss.

"I know. That moment was for you and her which is why I never told you I overheard all of it."

"But you did and still you think there's nothing good?"

"Not nothing…" she admitted and smiled his way "There's some good. I also recall the many times you helped bathe her, put her to sleep, read her stories. Defied the trade blockade and had Starflowers flown in from Alderaan just to brighten my room. Massaged my feet when I became too fat to even see them."

"I'm grateful for those things." she told him truthfully.

"Then why do you continue to reject my advances?"

"Because some good isn't enough and it doesn't change the man you are during every other moment. You're rude, arrogant, manipulative and almost always have a foul temper. You are self serving in the worst of ways never caring who you hurt as long as you get what you—"

"Self serving?!" Ravage snapped suddenly, incensed by having the worst of his own qualities thrown in his face "That's rich coming from you! Coming from the woman who's made it her life's purpose to spurn my advances at every turn, reject me repeatedly until you have an itch to scratch and I suddenly find you between my sheets!"

"Excuse me?! I'm pretty sure that's a two way street!" Eliza bit back "You never seemed to have a problem with it, knowing fine well what it was and still taking what you could get rather than having nothing at all!"

She got up and shook her head "Hell Ravage you spent years trying to lure me to your bed in the first place, you're no victim."

"No I'm not but if you want to talk about being self serving you're hardly innocent yourself!"

"Don't you think I know that?! Trust me I'm fully aware of…" she let out an exasperated groan and strode for the door "Forget it!"

"Fully aware of what?!" he demanded and blocked her exit.

"The fact I don't love you, I never will and that's why we can't do this anymore! I've been using you and I hate myself for it! "

"You… hate yourself?" Ravage's voice dropped and he stared at her in such a way he appeared genuinely hurt and surprised.

For a moment silence filled the small distance between them but then he quickly regained his composure. He yanked the door open and stepped aside "Fine. Then go."

"Ravage…"

"Get. Out. Now!"

Without saying another word, Eliza rushed off with her heart racing in her chest. Guilt threatened to wash over her—she did care about him and he mattered to her. In a way she even felt a semblance of affection towards him but it just wasn't love, it never had been or ever would be and she'd always been convinced he knew this. Now though she suddenly wasn't as sure and felt forced to ask herself if she'd blindly and selfishly led him on.

Behind her, the door slammed and Ravage let out a growl of pure frustration. He smashed the mirror with his fist and blood seeped down his balled fist. He looked at the holograph on his nightstand next where Eliza and Cyara smiled back at him until he shattered the frame and turned away.

None of this was working out as he'd hoped. He'd always imagined given time she would come to see there was more to him but maybe he was wrong. Perhaps he'd been delusional about the man he thought to be and she was right. He'd never been able to control his darker impulses, his self serving behavior and his temper. Every good intention was forever overshadowed, drowned out by the worst parts of himself. He was the sole maker of his own misery but perhaps that could still change and Ravage flipped over to his inbox to check his latest correspondence.

For the next few days, the two ignored each other's existence for as much as they could, getting on with daily business while Lord Cytharat and Praven grew much closer. They arrived on Tatooine and while Ravage remained behind in his quarters too preoccupied with his own dilemmas, the other three ran a few errands and at last said their goodbyes.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to come home with us?" Eliza hugged Praven tight.

For a second, from the corner of his eye he glanced Lord Cytharat's way and appeared to doubt but he shook his head and smiled "I'm sure but trust me… I will visit, soon."

"You'd better." she lingered in his embrace a second longer but then stepped aside in favor of Lord Cytharat.

"You have my frequency?" Lord Cytharat wanted to be certain.

Praven nodded "And you have mine. I'll be in touch."

"We had scouts looking for a safer location but the planet I had in mind is once more unstable." Lord Cytharat dug his hands into his pockets, unsure and a little shy about saying goodbye without really knowing what else to say "But Beniko believes she's found an alternative location and one closer to Zakuul. We should know more soon."

"Mm good, yes. I don't believe we should linger on Voss for too long."

The two men stood awkwardly and Eliza rolled her eyes, chuckling to herself while she pretended not to notice them and browsed one of the market stalls just outside the spaceport.

After a few more seconds which seemed to last a lifetime, Praven was the one to make a move and he drew Lord Cytharat closer, taking his hands "I will call you the minute I leave this planet behind and I am so pleased to have met you, Tallis."

"The feeling is mutual, Sevas." Lord Cytharat gently traced the back of Praven's hand with his index finger.

Neither men were big on public displays but just the simple touch of their hands was enough to tell each other those things they could not yet say or show otherwise. They said goodbye at last and while Praven disappeared to secure himself a ship, Eliza fell in at Lord Cytharat's side and linked arms with him.

"You'll see him again." she winked and together they turned back towards the spaceport.