"Then this meeting is complete. You know your tasks; soon, the Meridian Complex will fall into Empire's hands."

Watching Sith politics was a common sight for Arcann and Vaylin to see now that Cassian had become the Empire's ally once again. There was a certain intrigue in seeing the Dark Council reassembled, as broken as it was. The Sith were quick to restore their strength after a seeming downfall, even if this came at a price. Those games made watching Cassian's war much more interesting and even entertaining, allowing the siblings to avoid thinking about their prolonged and draining imprisonment.

"You know, brother, I never asked you about those rumors some funny people on Zakuul would spread." Vaylin looked at him with a playful smile. "The times you visited Dromund Kaas with me for the diplomatic missions…"

"I know what you're going to say," Arcann said with a tired sigh.

"Sure about that? You already failed this test, like, thrice."

"I'll try again, then. Is it about what people said about me and Acina?"

"Alright, you're getting shrewder," Vaylin said with a played-up tone of approval. It was hard to pin down how genuine it was. "So, what's the answer? Did you two make love?"

"Sleeping with the Sith Empress of the sovereign power I just conquered…It was tempting, for sure." Arcann said, trying to keep the mystery and play with Vaylin for a bit. "And you know, I'm a man who seizes his opportunities."

"No way! Really?" Her eyes became wide open as they brimmed with excitement, inevitably making Arcann laugh. "Hey, wha…"

"Bought it?" Arcann said with a chuckle. "No, there wasn't anything between us. You shouldn't pay much attention to what people say about their rulers. You'll find more valuable things trudging through the murkiest part of the endless swamp." Arcann said before his voice grew quieter. "I did not have much time or energy for relationships…Not really. I tried having sex with my advisors sometimes, but it wasn't enjoyable. Not when I was so frustrated at everything, and I didn't know why back then." Arcann said with regret he never got to know the warmth and comfort of a loving relationship, and it was too late for that now.

"Hey, at least you had sex before you died!" Vaylin said with annoyance. "Some of us weren't so lucky."

"You had chances. Pretty sure you even tried…"

"I didn't take them," Vaylin said snappily and crudely. "End of discussion." At least Arcann could be grateful to her for making it incredibly obvious every time she felt uncomfortable. Perhaps this was a sign of positive change, that she was willing to be honest and even blunt with him?

Those were the thoughts that swirled in Arcann's mind as Cassian and his team set out on their mission to prepare for the siege of Corelia. Their first stop was a planet by the name of Onderon, a place ruled by royalty and people with unique cultural customs. Arcann didn't know much about it, only that it was a world of beauty in which nature thrived, largely untouched by technology and progress prevalent on planets like Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa.

"Not the worst planet I've seen," Vaylin commented as they could finally take a look at the lush wilds that lay beyond Royal Hunting Lodge.

"It's beautiful," Arcann said with a regretful, quiet voice. "I wish I had visited more planets like this in my lifetime. Not as a conqueror or a politician, just…As a guest."

"Should've thought about it when you were the Emperor of the entire galaxy." Vaylin giggled, seemingly uncaring.

"Don't you have a place you want to visit? A planet that you want to see with your own eyes?"

"Well…I always wanted to visit Alderaan one day." Vaylin said with some hesitation. "When I was in my…Confinement, I read some books about it. They didn't have any pictures or anything, but they described the planet a lot. You know, the snowy peaks and endless forests…Those kinds of things. I tried to draw it just from those."

"You always had a thing for painting…"

"In my early years on Nathema, at least. I stopped when I reached the point at which my head would always hurt…Hard to draw when you're like this." She said with pity and shame. "I wondered if I should visit Alderaan once I was free but never did."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure…Maybe I was worried to find out that I drew it all wrong."

"Or that it wouldn't live to your expectations," Arcann suggested, making Vaylin raise her eyes and pause for a moment. She was about to say something but got interrupted by a loud and pompous voice from the outside.

"You stand before the king of Onderon! Show some respect!"

"Oh, boy, this is going to be fun…"

…

The beauty of Onderon that struck Arcann as he laid eyes on this planet was quickly shattered by a realization of who their king was. A gullible idiot with an inflated ego who was blind to the conflict that stirred around him. The Sith easily manipulated him into serving their goals, making it seem like assassins, spies, and traitors were all that surrounded him and that the only way to deal with them was to bow before the Empire. It was a clever move, the one that quickly led to preparations to attack Iziz, the capital city of Onderon.

But before that, there were some menial tasks they had to attend to. King's cousins were valuable targets whose capture or death would make him even more furious at the non-existent conspiracy. Cassian and his Wookiee companion were up to the task, and when they finally reached their targets, they proved to be no better than their relative.

"How dare you!?"

"Our cousin is the King!"

Even Arcann had no patience for such rash actions.

"Threatening a Sith Lord to his face? Those idiots don't deserve to be called royalty." He said dismissively before Cassian responded.

"If you want to live, you will cooperate and do everything I say. Understood?"

"You don't mean you would…"

"If you disobey, I will."

This quickly put them in their place.

"Pathetic." Arcann declared, wondering how merciless he would've been if he ever had the misfortune of encountering this family during his time as an emperor. They could be used as puppets, but even puppets need to have some capabilities; those were nothing more than broken vessels.

"There must be more to family blood than I thought." Vaylin was very amused. "Everyone in our family is a vicious snake; everyone in their family is profoundly retarded…Can't be a coincidence, can it?" Arcann knew better than to challenge her on this. It was easier to play by her rules and focus on the areas they both agreed on.

"Blood isn't everything. We have our father's blood in us, but we outgrew him."

"True." Vaylin smiled. "Mother, too…Yes, she's nothing before us, especially me. I kinda want to see her again, you know."

"Was that just an excuse to rant about Senya again?" Arcann crossed his arms in disapproval.

"Maybe, but can you blame me? I'm just thinking about how it would feel…To make her hurt and shake and beg for forgiveness…We never got to that part last time, pity." If she was looking for an excuse to share her murderous fantasies, Arcann would use this opportunity to bring up a thought that has been on his mind for a long time now.

"Speaking of last time, did you feel that something was…Off about mother?" Arcann wondered.

"When she appeared out of nowhere to make father suffer, you mean?"

"Yes."

"I mean…She felt kinda gross, but no more than usual." Vaylin shrugged.

"That's not what I meant. Her spirit was thinner, weaker than yours, or father's, or Cassian's…You get the point."

"Hm…I suppose she was. Usually, when I felt her, I had the urge to attack her, but not that time…I barely even noticed her. That could've been because I was focused on father, but if even you felt it…What do you think?"

"I'm wondering if she was even real. She shouldn't be able to get within Cassian's mind; she'd have no control over here. And even if she did, how come she just disappeared while we didn't?" Arcann explained. "What if this is just a projection Cassian created himself to toy with Valkorion even more? To make it seem like his entire family turned against him."

"So she didn't even get to see the man who ruined her life die…Hah!" Vaylin laughed. "I almost pity her. Almost." If she felt the same, that means that Arcann wasn't wrong with his theories. "Oh, sorry, that must be bad news for you." Vaylin toned her spite down. "You'd probably want her to be there, right? To give you a hug and call you a good boy?"

"I am not sure if she wants to see me." Arcann sighed. "I left her alone on Voss and never did anything to prove her right. I didn't restore Zakuul, atone, or surrender when Cassian gave me a chance. I am not the man she wanted me to be, and I wasted my chance."

"So you chose to be a bad boy. That's good. I know hurting mother isn't exactly your thing, but at least you stayed true to yourself!" Vaylin sounded unusually chipper as she said her words of encouragement. "You should enjoy it. You broke your chains and did whatever you wanted without anyone restricting you, after all, just like me!"

"And did you enjoy your brief time of freedom? Was attacking Odessen what you truly wanted?"

"I felt good enough. Still could be better, though…Much better."

"How?"

"I…I didn't have enough time to decide." Vaylin said with shame, and it was a sentiment Arcann understood. Both of them came to life-changing realizations far too late.

How ironic it is that only after death did they gain all the time they needed to ponder.

…

The battle of Iziz ended up being swift. All the plans laid out by the Sith worked flawlessly, and Arcann was impressed. One would think that after toppling the Eternal Empire, Cassian would want to take a break, stay away from politics for a while, and bask in the glory of his victory. Perhaps that's what he wanted to do; the echoes of his tired, weary spirit that Arcann sometimes felt would certainly suggest so. Yet he still continued his endless work, be it in the name of Alliance or the Empire. Perhaps he thought of this as a new beginning, yet for some reason, Arcann felt the pain and chaos in Cassian's soul, the same one he felt within his own. The darkness they both fought against still persisted, still remained, the one that reminded them of Valkorion. Was it simply the trauma he left to plague their minds forever, or perhaps something more? They could only hope that one day, they would know the truth of this plague.