Orinda loomed in the windshield, a planet much like any other with blue oceans, and green and brown land masses. Unimportant except that it was a hub on the Entralla Route between Ord Mantell and Muunilinst. What wasn't expected was the incoming call as soon as they docked for refueling.
"Do you want some privacy?" asked Ky when she saw whose image appeared.
"No. This won't take long," Scourge answered before directing his attention to the female caller. "What may I do for you, Master Sayonar?"
The lips of the lovely woman puckered into a reproachful moue as she crossed her arms over her chest, mirroring Scourge's posture. "Formality between us is unnecessary, or have you forgotten?"
The silver ring on the spur above his right eye glinted when he shook his head ever so slightly. "I have forgotten nothing."
"Then come home, Scourge. Bring the object. We can hide it, lock it away forever."
"You know I cannot do that. Evil takes many forms and harbors in the hearts of men. The Jedi have proven time and again that they are not exempt. The thirst for power is the most damning of all, and no one would escape the corruption. Even you, Nuyak Saarai, would not be above its influence. I will not subject you to the temptation."
The Jedi straightened her back and shifted her weight on her hips. "You insult me, beloved. I am stronger than that. Have I not faced evil before and prevailed?"
"If only it were that simple." Scourge unfolded his arms and leaned over the table, splaying his hands on the surface and propping himself mere inches from her image. "The Emperor owned you once, I will not see him triumph again, and your love for me could well provide the opening required. Passion is your strength but can also be used against you. Those very things he took from me allows me alone to touch, to study his writings and when I am done, I will destroy it. Trust that I will see this through and return to you when it is finished."
Sayonar dropped her hands to her sides, flexing her fingers nervously. "They are sending me after you, hoping that you will see reason and surrender."
A glum smile lifted the corners of his mouth. "I surrendered to you the day I felt you in my arms, but I see the Jedi still seek to use you to their advantage. Typical. You see who I travel with and know that I will not be found."
The Jedi shifted her gaze and nodded. "Forgive my rudeness. It's good to see you again, Ky."
Ky inclined her head in greeting. "And you, Master Jedi."
Sayonar swung her attention back to Scourge. "I am still searching for answers to our plight in your absence."
"As am I, and this may hold the key."
"It's comforting to know you are not alone in this but also know that I am coming for you nonetheless."
"A wasted effort. I must go now, and will be long gone by the time you arrive. Stay well, Nuyak Nulis."
Scourge stared into the empty space her image had occupied before heaving himself upright, finally settling his gaze on Ky. "We should decide our course from here," he said. "I had originally thought Adumar, but that may be unwise given Sayonar's knowledge of this region. Our best bet would be a shadowport I know of some few hundred parsecs into wild space."
"And after that?"
"The unknown regions."
Corso walked into the room and joined Ky where she leaned on the table, positioning his arm and shoulder in such a way that she could support herself against him if she chose to do so. She dropped her hand to his thigh and squeezed in acknowledgment and thanks.
"How far into the unknown regions are we talking about?" she asked.
"Not far," answered Scourge. "It's just on the other side of the Nulastine Drift."
Ky jumped up from the table, her arms spread, an incredulous mien frozen on her face. "Maker's balls! That place is a graveyard waiting to happen. No drift chart has ever mapped its way through that mess."
"No, but you can."
"I hope your faith in my abilities is not misplaced. And this Tajno likely knows the way to our destination?"
Scourge nodded. "If, he can make it through the drift."
"So it's a race while keeping the hounds off our asses then?"
"In a manner of speaking," admitted the Sith.
"Then we'd best get to it," she said. "Corso, how long until refuel is done?"
"Another hour or so. Did you notice those two D5-Mantis parked in one of the adjoining bays as we landed?" Corso asked.
"I did. We need to do an exterior tracking sweep before we leave. I don't like this."
"A sweep will be useless," said Scourge. "It is the reliquary and its contents that are being tracked. The lockbox is made of a force-dampening material which dulled the signatures for a time to throw anyone off except the intended recipient. You thwarted that plan on Belsavis, and now Tajno, as well as Kira, follow this trail. The Emperor's mark is undeniable."
"Then put it back in the box, buy us some time," argued Ky.
"The seal has been broken. We have no recourse but to run."
"This just keeps getting better," said Ky.
"Or worse," added Corso.
Scourge keyed the coordinates for the last known position of the shadowport known as 'Far Cry' into the nav computer and set it to standby while Corso did preflight checks and prepared for departure.
"Smooth take off, babe, well done," said Ky, leaning over the chair to plant a kiss on Corso's cheek.
"Uh, those two Mantis are right behind us," stated Corso as they gained distance from the spaceport. "Engaging shields."
"Get your sweet ass out of my chair," barked Ky, "and both of you buckle up."
"Let's see what they're up to," she said to no one in particular.
The ship lurched as a plasma bolt hit the shields when she tried to change course and again when she tried to adjust to a vertical climb.
"We're being herded," said Scourge.
"I know," said Ky.
"That's a Gage Class transport," said Corso, noting the silhouette of the ship hanging ominously in their path. "Not Imperial either."
"Can't you make the jump?" asked Scourge.
"You want a replay of Lumsten III?" Ky snapped. "We're still in the gravity well."
"We're being hailed," said Scourge.
"Don't answer," she said. "Now, both of you shut the fuck up and let me do what I do best."
She engaged the sublights, heading toward the cruiser stationed in orbit, in her way.
Everything slowed around her, and her senses sharpened to hyperacute receptors for stimuli. Her breathing echoed hollowly in her ears, her heart beat with a steady thud and her eyes focused, unblinking, on everything at once. Blasts of particle bolts fired from the Gage's forward batteries were caught in her vision as soon as they left the barrels and green lines dissected the space between her ship and theirs. Trajectory trails hung in her sky, luminescent markers drawn leisurely and easily avoided.
"There you are," her words dragged and staggered from her lips as she saw the white flash of an ion burst. She adjusted pitch, and yaw and rolled around the energy bolt, creating an eye for the blast to thread through. The controls of the ship synced with her acuity answering almost before she made the command, swerving and dodging, ignoring the jolts when plasma blasts bounced along the shield from the two escort vessels.
She accelerated before cutting the ship's sublights, letting inertia carry them as she led the pursuing Mantis toward the Gage's hull. She dropped the shield. Heat and energy surged along her nerves from the friction and static buildup under her feet when metal skimmed metal and her ship danced along the skin of the larger vessel. The bridge loomed ahead, drawing ever nearer, the Mantis had stopped firing when a dodged bolt hit the mother ship, but she had no such compunction. She opened fire, hoping for structural damage at the least, before pulling back on the control wheel and engaging the sublights again. Her body jerked as the engines thrust against the solid structure catapulting them into a vertical climb up the wall of the control tower and bridge finally breaking into open space. She slammed the jump lever forward and the windshield filled with alabaster streaks of freedom.
"Bitch is gonna need a cigarette after that kiss," Ky said as she slumped bonelessly against the back of the seat. The impact of her senses catching up to real-time hit with the force of a turbohammer, replete with a throbbing head and shaking hands. Her whole body jangled like a third-rate Jatz band on a Tuesday night and, stars, she needed a drink.
"Extraordinary," remarked Scourge as he unfastened his seatbelt and closed the distance to unhook hers as well and scoop her into his arms.
"Hey, I was about to do that," blurted Corso.
Scourge cast a critical glance in his direction. "Grow up, young man. She is the concern, not your fragile ego."
Corso clamped his mouth shut with an audible click and sullenly fell in step, stopping by the galley to pour a glass of whiskey before continuing to their room.
"She needs rest," said Scourge who vacated his spot on the bed where he'd been sitting after propping her against the stack of pillows at her back. He moved aside for Corso and looked down at her pale features before crossing one arm across his chest, bowing slightly, fist over his heart. "You'd have made a formidable Sith."
Life in space creates a rhythm of its own, beating out time to the routines established to accommodate ship's needs and personal preference. Downtime is best filled with activity, or idle thoughts weigh heavy on the mind.
Corso followed his routine of weapons checks and cleaning and sat on a crate in front of a foldup table he'd found to serve his needs. He was fine-tuning the laser sight of Ky's SSK heavy blaster when the Sith strolled by the open door.
"Lord Scourge," Corso called out to the armor-clad man.
"Yes?" Scourge said, stepping over the threshold into the cargo hold.
"Look, I know you don't care much for me and I'm trying to get along for her sake or at least stay out of your way. But, I gotta ask how did you know it was her on Tatooine? What exactly is your interest in Ky?"
"Whether or not we like each other is a moot point and tolerance is likely all we will ever achieve. However, I will answer your inquiry. As I flew over the compound I sensed Ky in distress and in danger, and was compelled by my regard for her to assist. There is a connection between your Captain and myself, one of very few I've experienced over the years. It is not the sort you need worry about, but one of mutual respect, and trust or even kinship. A rare thing between a Sith and the force-blind."
"I see," said Corso.
"I doubt it," Scourge rumbled and turned to leave but thought better of it and closed the door to the room instead.
The Sith pinned Corso with his eyes. "There is a darkness in you young one. You cannot leash it nor can you succumb. Integrate it, or it will devour you and everything you hold most dear."
"You don't know me well enough to presume anything," said Corso, laying the blaster on the table and meeting the Sith's gaze with a frown.
"And you should not presume to tell me what I do or do not know." Scourge locked his hands behind his back, unrelenting in his scrutiny of the man sitting before him. "The darkness has been my companion for centuries, I know its face intimately, and it grins from behind your eyes. Your bravery or devotion is not in question, but your woman needs that darkness that dwells in you and the more you try to hide it from her, the more distant she will become."
"You don't understand." Corso's rebuttal slipped out more feeble than he'd intended.
Scourge sighed, softening his tone. "Above all else, she seeks to protect and preserve the gentleness in you and will do so to the point of great pain and terrible loss. You must prove yourself equal to the challenges of her life and only the darkness can give you the balance to do so."
Corso stood, wiping his hands on his trousers, crossing his arms in defiance or denial, he didn't know which. "I fight at her side, doctor her wounds, care for her, love her. You don't know what you're asking of me."
"It will not be contained forever, you've already seen this. Trust me when I tell you that safety lies in embracing rather than maintaining its status as an enemy. That is a battle you will ultimately lose."
"It will make me a monster. What of the cost to her?"
"She already pays the cost," Scourge spat back at him. "You cannot always follow in her shadow but must let her shelter in yours, there can be no restful shade without the dark. She reminds me of my Jedi, never counting the risk, taking on too much, never sharing the burden. That fop of a doctor Sayonar almost married would never satisfy her needs, no more than the gentle side of you will fully satisfy your Captain. She needs a partner, not a lackey. I suggest you start making amends and create an ally. You will find none stronger except love."
"Odd coming from a Sith. I'd assumed you would say hate. That is the driving force, isn't it?"
"Hate satiates and consumes, gives and takes in equal measure leaving nothing in its wake but bleak emptiness once the object of your hatred is no more. Love nourishes, it sacrifices and heals."
"And if love is lost?"
"The sorrow will kill your soul."
"Any other pearls of wisdom?" Corso's attempt at sarcastic bravado fell flat.
Scourge's eyes narrowed. "The mask of the gentle buffoon sits ill upon your face. Discard it before regret becomes the replacement. Find the balance before you both topple."
'I have planted the seed' thought Scourge as he exited and proceeded down the corridor. 'It remains to be seen if he has the wisdom or the courage to let it grow.'