Chapter Eight: Korriban's Flame

The space station was small, and docking was easy. Stepping off the ship, Aurelia saw no one in the vicinity - no Sith, no soldiers, no officers. But she could feel a presence - two of them - that she knew well enough. Both were a bit fuzzy at the edges, one more tinged with darkness than the other, but she knew them. Her hand went to one of her lightsabers, and Scourge frowned.

"What is it?" he asked softly. "What do you sense?"

Aurelia reached out in the Force for the darker presence, trying to get a better grasp on it. It was strong and shadowy, yet she could feel just a hint of light. It couldn't be. "I know who's here," she said slowly, "and it's not Sith."

He went still and silent, and Aurelia could vaguely feel him searching for the others here, too. His back straightened and he looked down at her. "Do not let this distract you from our goal," he hissed. "She cannot be saved."

"I was saved."

"You had to be. It is you who will defeat the Emperor."

"Leeha can help," Aurelia murmured. "There's probably so much she could tell us."

"She cannot be redeemed, Jedi. Remember that."

Aurelia sighed and started towards the main hallway of the space station. She knew he was right - he was always right - but, kriff, she couldn't help but feel like it was her fault that Leeha was in this mess in the first place. And she'd always felt a connection to the Nautolan woman - and those droids of hers had been so cute… why did she have to fall? And why did she have to be here? And why did Scourge have to be so cynical all the time?

She tried to expel any thoughts about her old friend as she and Scourge fought through the station's defenses. As usual, between the two of them, it didn't take long and soon they stood just outside a door. Aurelia could feel Leeha's presence - and the other, lighter one - on the opposite side and she was unsure of what to do. On one hand Leeha was too dangerous to be left alive; as a Jedi she'd been one of the Order's most highly-skilled warriors and the Dark Side had the tendency to enhance such abilities. But… if she could be saved… Aurelia had to try. She and Scourge stepped through when the door opened.

Leeha was dressed in Sith garb, her robes dark and spiked. Her light green face was set with a grave smirk as she regarded the newcomers, and beside her the Meedees chirruped. Behind her stood Jomar Chul, worry clear on his tawny-colored face.

"Right on time," Leeha sneered. "You're practically a droid - I knew if I applied the right stimulus you couldn't resist coming here."

Anger began to flare up inside Aurelia and she couldn't help it.

"Something's wrong with Leeha," Jomar said, his voice pleading. "She's not herself. She tricked me."

Leeha ignored him. "Jomar was chasing proof you'd fallen to the dark side, and he fell into my trap like a greedy child. You were just as easy."

Aurelia took a moment to calm herself. She would not be goaded into a fight, especially not by Leeha. "The Emperor is controlling your mind," she said softly. "Resist him."

"Please don't hurt her." Jomar's eyes were sad, solemn. "She doesn't know what she's doing."

"Poor boy." Leeha finally acknowledged him, turning to face him. "You think you love me - but what we shared on Tython was only a shadow of true passion."

They… what? Aurelia frowned, looking between the two of them for a moment. Well, no wonder Jomar seemed so desperate - he was in love with her. Her heart broke for the two of them, then, and she briefly wondered how Doc had handled her being under the Emperor's domination. She didn't want to think about that.

"They indulged their base desires," Scourge noted. "Impressive."

"Will you - " she started to hiss but now was not the time to get on him for being too Sith-y.

"I'll show you true ecstasy, Jomar," Leeha was purring, "but first things first." She turned back to Aurelia, her large black eyes fathomless with nothing but hate and anger and darkness, and they regarded each other for a moment.

Aurelia couldn't believe this was happening, and her body began to tremble slightly in frustration and anger and this isn't fair - stars, not Leeha. Don't make me fight her. "I don't want to hurt you," she said, trying in vain to plead with the fallen Jedi. "And if you care at all about Jomar, you'll surrender. Please."

Beside her Scourge scoffed and folded his arms across his chest, and she wanted to yell at him - I know you want me to kill her but she's my friend. If it was reversed she would let me surrender. I know she would. She wanted to yell in general because none of this was fair. Not what had happened to her, not what had happened to Leeha, to her and Jomar.

"Surrender is for the weak," Leeha hissed, and Aurelia's heart broke. "Jomar had that option. You don't."

No.

"You remember the Meedees?" Leeha was all smirks now. "I gave my little droid friends a few upgrades I think you'll enjoy. Briefly."

It was one of hardest fights Aurelia was ever in. At first she'd held back, desperately not wanting to hurt Leeha. She kept hearing Scourge's words in her head - she cannot be saved - and Kira's - I couldn't have beaten the Emperor without your help - and she felt lost, almost as lost as she had when she'd woken up on the Fortress. And Leeha was remorseless, relentless in her attacks; she hurled herself at Aurelia with such rage and power she was almost overwhelmed. Leeha had always been a fantastic warrior… but maybe there's more power in the dark side.

Then I'll embrace it.

Aurelia fought back. With a quick, forceful leap she engaged in her Juyo form, returning Leeha's relentlessness with her own. She slashed and struck with her lightsabers, called on the Force for sudden blasts. The blaster wounds from the Meedees only incited her more and she flustered Leeha with a Force kick. The fallen Jedi stumbled back with a snarl.

"You will not win," she hissed.

"I think I will." Aurelia leapt on her again, anger and fear flowing in her veins. There was nothing else except the fight. She caught Leeha off guard with a lightsaber bash to the head. The other woman blocked it but lost her footing, her gasp barely audible. A nimble twist left a lightsaber slash across her abdomen, and another Force blast knocked her to the ground. Her saber skittered on the floor a few feet away. Scourge had taken the Meedees down, his dark healing now coursing through Aurelia's body as she advanced on Leeha.

It's her or me.

Leeha crawled back on her hands, chest heaving. "S-stop!... Stop!" She looked around wildly. "Wh-where are we? Aurelia?"

Aurelia stopped, lightsabers thrumming, a guilty sadness invading her body. What had she done?

Jomar chose that moment to rush forward, kneeling beside his lover. "Leeha, it's me," he murmured. "You'll be all right."

"My poor droids…" She winced, shifting onto her side. "How-how did we get here?"

Aurelia de-ignited her lightsabers, hearing Scourge do the same, and she kept her voice soft as she spoke. "It's been a long time since the Emperor defeated us. Try to remember. Concentrate."

"I… no. I don't want to."

I don't blame you.

"I can feel the Emperor's presence," she whispered. "I… he hates you. The things he made me do…"

This was her fault. This was all Aurelia's fault. Her stomach churned in knots at the thought. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You fought well," Scourge murmured beside her. "Now finish it."

Is he for real? Aurelia looked up at him, not even trying to hide her incredulity. "Are you serious? No. I can't - and I won't."

"She is dangerous, Aurelia."

"She's wounded and defenseless! Not only that, she must know something that can help us."

"There is still a chance he can take control of her again." Scourge's voice almost rose to a yell but Aurelia didn't flinch. She looked into his burning eyes.

"I am not killing her." She spoke each word emphatically, watching him fold his arms across his chest, glowering down at her. "She will heal on Tython and when she is ready she will tell the Council what she has learned. Is that clear?"

His nod would've been imperceptible to anyone else, and Aurelia responded with a curt nod of her own, trying desperately to keep her hands from shaking. Challenging Scourge agitated her stomach even more and she sighed slightly. She turned back to find Jomar holding Leeha around the waist, letting her lean against him.

"I have no right to ask you for anything - "

Especially not after I pissed off the Emperor's Wrath to keep your girlfriend alive.

" - but the Council doesn't need to know about us, Leeha and me," Jomar said softly. "Please keep it to yourself."

What a hypocrite she'd be if she told. "I won't tell a soul. You have my word."

"Thank you." He shifted, his arm sliding around Leeha's shoulders now, and she tilted further against him. "I… I'm sorry for all this. I was wrong about you."

"No you weren't," she grumbled. "I still fell."

"But not because you chose to." He sighed. "In any case, my mission wasn't a total failure - I overheard Leeha delivering orders from the Emperor to a high-ranking Sith. I couldn't hear details but all I know is that someone named Lord Fulminiss went on a secret mission to the planet Voss."

"Lord Fulminiss," Scourge repeated, and she gave him a sideways look, still shaking in her anger towards him. "The Emperor isn't taking any chances with Voss, then."

They'd talk about that later, but Leeha was more important. "Thank you, Jomar," Aurelia murmured. "Get Leeha to Tython, please."

He nodded. "Of course. Thank you for saving her - us."

Aurelia watched the two hobble off and she sighed, rubbing a hand down her tired face. She hadn't slept in two or three days now, and it was catching up with her. Exhaustion riddled her bones and her muscles ached with every movement.

"I assume you are aware the only reason I have yet to kill you is because of my vision," Scourge hissed.

She frowned and put her hands on her hips, facing him. "I can't believe you. Telling me to murder Leeha in front of her face - in front of Jomar's face? You're crazy."

"I am only ensuring we tie up loose en - "

"Leeha is not a loose end! She is a living, breathing being that the Emperor used to do stars know what!" Aurelia shook her head, pieces of her black locks falling from their bun, and she was almost trembling with rage and frustration. "And it's my fault. I wasn't strong enough to defeat him. I… he took them all down like they were nothing," she breathed, her eyes falling to the floor. She hadn't talked about what happened yet, not with Kira, not with Doc… not with anyone. And the pain and insecurity and guilt and pure violation she felt had been building up and building up. It was hard to breathe all of a sudden. "He took them all down in a matter of seconds. I couldn't stop him - how-how can I stop him?"

Scourge was silent for a few moments - nothing more than she'd expected. And she kept rambling, panic settling in her stomach.

"What if I can't do it? What if I fail again? I can't… I can't fail again. I can't. The entire gal-galaxy is depending on me. My friends, the Council, the Republic, the Empire… trillions and trillions of lives depending on me. I…" Breath was not even coming now; she gasped for it, and her stomach churned and tears burned her eyes and I can't breathe. A voice in her head kept telling her to just take a breath and relax but she couldn't.

You're so stupid. Stop crying, idiot. You're such a child.

"Take a breath."

She'd almost forgotten Scourge was there and the self-loathing her anxiety made her feel only grew worse because she was acting like this in front of him. Even when she was a child she never, ever let anyone see her in a panic attack, and as she grew older and had so much more stress placed on her and the attacks got worse, she kept it to herself more. Not Kira, not even Doc knew. But now Scourge knew - and he probably thinks you're ridiculous. Stop crying.

"Aurelia, breathe."

His voice was firm and she nodded, trying so hard to breathe. And then she jumped slightly when he reached out and grasped her shoulders. She could feel the warmth and strength of his hands through their armor and she focused on it, even as her breathing only quickened.

"Slowly," he hissed. "Blast it, Aurelia."

"I'm sor - "

"Don't. You have nothing to apologize for. Panic attacks are panic attacks - you just need to breathe."

Concentrating on his words and his voice and the gentle warmth of his hands was helping and she breathed in ... and out... in ... and out. And Scourge stayed silent as she calmed down, but she couldn't look him in the eyes; she was too embarrassed.

"How long have you experienced those?" he asked quietly.

"Since the Sith Academy," she responded in a timid, shaking voice. "The first time they sent me into the tombs on Korriban I saw the piles of bones of former acolytes, kids no older than me... and I freaked out."

"Hmm."

"What?" She peeked up at him, half-expecting him to call her weak.

"You were so confident and proud when we met on Quesh."

"Let me guess - you think I'm weak."

"Not at all."

She met his gaze full-on, those red eyes searing into her.

"I would expect you to be afraid to face the Emperor; it means you take this seriously. Which you should."

"Yeah but... what if I can't do it?"

He didn't answer her question, which didn't help her anxiety, but she continued to breathe. Instead, he said, "Your Council places too much pressure on you."

"The Council? You put too much pressure on me. Kira puts too much pressure on me. Doc, Rusk, Teeseven…" She took a deep breath again and again, swiping at the few stray tears on her cheeks. "All anyone can talk about is how fantastic I am - I'm the Hero of Tython." It sounded mocking in her voice. "And yeah, I am pretty great, but what if I'm not as great as everyone says? And why does it have to be me? I got lucky when I killed Darth Angral. I - luck doesn't work against the Emperor. It-it doesn't." The panic started again, in her head and heart, and she started shaking.

"Relax, Aurelia. What is it your Code says?"

"There is no emotion, there is peace," she half-grumbled.

"Now is perhaps the only time I would advise following your Code."

Aurelia sort of smiled but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "I can't fail, Scourge."

"And you won't. Do not doubt your skills - you are an exceptional warrior. You were simply unprepared for your first encounter with the Emperor. But you will not be for the second. You know more of what to expect and I shall teach you the rest."

She looked up at him. "Yeah?"

He nodded and took his hands from her shoulders, and she wasn't sure about the immediate disappointment she felt. "We need to return to the ship and set course for Voss."

As he turned and started to walk, she asked softly, "Did you mean that? That if it wasn't for your vision you'd kill me?"

Scourge sighed but he didn't turn around. "I would never lie to you, Jedi, especially not to spare your feelings, and I mean what I say."

"I know."

"However…" He seemed to hesitate, and another sigh escaped his lips. "I may have said those words in my momentary anger at you."

Aurelia knew that was as close to an apology as she was going to get and she fought a smile.

"And - perhaps it is not my place but you should not keep your emotions bottled up so tightly. I am certain the Jedi girl - "

"Kira."

His sigh was almost inaudible. " - or the doctor would listen."

"Are you worried about me? Oh wait, only for the sake of the galaxy, right?"

"Right. We cannot have your mental health slipping in such dire times."

Aurelia watched him walk away for a moment, and it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. As she trailed behind she couldn't help but marvel at how warm his hands had been on her, and how nice it felt.