"Hello, Outlander…Missed me?"
This playful, excited voice echoed in Cassian's mind moments before he looked into the eyes of the woman in front of him. She wore padawan robes, yet her face was that of the fallen Empress. Images of the past flashed before his mind. The battle aboard the Gravestone, clashing on Odessen, the struggle against the Emperor within the mindscape where they fought side by side against their enemy. A woman who has gone through unspeakable ordeals and agony, thought to be dead and gone for good, was right here before him.
"Vaylin?" He said, unable to process it. "Is that you?"
"Oh, so you do remember…What gave me away? The voice or the smile? Who do we have here? The shocked Outlander, his vengeful Jedi hound by his side, and…Oh, no blondie today. Shame, would've been just like the old times." Vaylin shrugged and ignited her lightsaber.
"Who are you?" Jaesa said with a shaking voice. She must have felt Vaylin's power, too, and such limitless strength would make anyone cower.
"She is a monster…" Jac spoke with hatred in his voice. "Someone who should have become one with the force, but I suppose I shouldn't expect the Emperor's daughter to die easily."
"'Emperor's daughter'? Is that all you can say about me? I'll have you know, I've outgrown that crusty old windbag…He couldn't take over a padawan's body and fell into Satele's trap, but I took one without problem. Guess I finally surpassed him. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Vaylin shrugged playfully. Cassian knew that he should've attacked, yet the moment he laid his eyes on Vaylin, his heart skipped a beat. As if a phantom of the past that had followed him for many months finally took form before him. He should've seen an enemy that he once vanquished, a powerful threat that restored her powers. But he did not feel any of that…Instead, he felt relieved, as absurd as it was. "How are you, Outlander? I heard you were getting very bland and tired…We can't have that, can we? How about we help each other and have some fun?" She pointed her lightsaber at him with a smile.
"Are you with those conspirators? How did you find them?" Cassian asked, making Vaylin demonstratively yawn.
"That's what I'm talking about…No fun at all."
"It doesn't matter," Jac said coldly. "We are returning you to the force here and now!" The Jedi rushed forward, immediately abandoning his calm and composure, exactly what Vaylin must have wanted. He tried to pierce her, but the young woman took a defensive stance and blocked his strikes. Jac fought quickly and ruthlessly, but Vaylin didn't allow her guard down. She giggled while blocking Jac's strikes, preparing to counterattack at any moment. When the opportunity arose, Vaylin pushed Jac's lightsaber back with her immense force, which caused it to pierce his own armor and the Jedi to recoil. During this small window, Vaylin pushed Jac away, making him fly towards some nearby stones.
"You know, it was very dishonorable for a Jedi to strike me from behind…What would your master say?" Before she could continue, the remaining soldiers opened fire. Of course, blasts couldn't damage Vaylin, but they distracted her for a split second, as well as giving Cassian a wake-up call.
"Aid me, Jaesa." The Sith said quietly and saw a quick nod from his apprentice. He then immediately leaped forward and stood between Vaylin and his weakened friend, crossing his lightsabers with the risen Empress.
"Finally, some enthusiasm!" Vaylin encouraged him. "Will you do me a favor and, for once, not hold back?"
"What did those conspirators promise you? Did they take you in for your power?"
"Talk, talk, talk!" Vaylin said furiously and unleashed force lightning from her fingers. Jaesa was quick to create a defensive aura that could shield Cassian from its worst effects, but it still took its toll. Cassian clenched his teeth and fell on his knees for a moment. Her power remained unparalleled even in this new body. "Stop talking about 'conspirators', it's not about them! It's about me avenging my untimely death!"
"They are not your allies, Vaylin. I've seen the methods they use; they have something that weakens the force…They will use it on you the moment you stop being useful to them!" Cassian shouted in a tone of stern plea. Even now, he still tried to reach out to her, to make her see reason despite her resisting at every turn. He shouldn't feel anything but rage at seeing her alive, and yet, Cassian felt his heartbeat increase. It was almost impossible to explain with words, only emotions…
"How sweet of you to care for me!" Vaylin said in a mocking tone. "Too bad you think I'm stupid? Do you think I don't know what they have? Their poison…They can do whatever they want with it."
"Then why do you help them?"
"Because they promised me fun." Vaylin chuckled. "And that's all I care about. Too many people on Zakuul to punish…That and seeing your reactions to me. See why Valkorion was afraid of me now?" She smiled and continued her onslaught.
Cassian could easily block her lightsaber hits. Vaylin's form was rather flawed compared to many other opponents the Sith fought. That's why she chose to focus on force power instead.
Every strike was supported by a force push that stroked Cassian and made his legs shake. It was a common technique that powerful force-users utilized in an attempt to overwhelm their enemies, but Vaylin's powers were extraordinary even among them. As Cassian endured the waves of force and lighting, he was looking for Vaylin's weak spot. He could maintain this battle for long enough, and her physical defenses were quite weak against having multiple opportunities to disarm and attempt to knock her out, just like the battle on Odessen should've ended.
But he wasn't the only one who tried to attack.
Jacques joined the fray, wounded yet still eager to get his hands dirty. He passed Jaesa and attempted to strike Vaylin while she was distracted with Cassian, but she stopped him before he could strike her by raising him into the air and choking him.
"Ever the backstabber…How did you even get this far as a Jedi?" She said in a mocking tone. "Unlike you, I learn from my mistakes and won't allow this to happen ever again!"
"When fighting monsters…Like you…All methods are…Good enough…"
"How rude…I'll have to teach you some manners!"
Before she could do anything, Cassian force-pushed the woman aside, causing her to drop Jac and for two warriors to stand by each other's sides as Vaylin had no choice but to reel and stand up. Cassian could see her eyes slide, and a grimace of disgust emerged on her face.
"What?! What do you mean-retreat? I haven't even begun…Listen here, you promised me fun, and if you don't give it to me, I'm not following your orders anymore!" She said loudly and dismissively, though those words weren't directed at any of her opponents. Someone must have communicated with her at this very moment. "What are you looking at, idiots? Die!" Vaylin screeched and stood up, unleashing another array of pure lightning. The shockwave was so strong that it killed the remaining soldiers, tearing their limbs away from their bodies. Even Jaesa couldn't remain standing; she knelt in pain, forcing her protective aura to be disrupted.
Cassian immediately felt a surge of agonizing pain flowing through him, the all-consuming darkness ravaging his body and mind. Jac must have felt the same, as both of them shivered at Vaylin unleashing her force aura. Just like on Odessen… Though she was weaker this time. Cassian remembered how it was; he could barely walk. Now, despite her I'm ease and strength, Vaylin was clearly reaching her limits; Cassian could feel her power wane with every second.
"Think you can defeat me?!" Vaylin taunted them while still pumping out dark energy from within herself, but Cassian felt her encroaching fear. He could get close and end this…But he wouldn't. Not again.
Jac resisted the clouds, too. He pushed through the energy and made his way towards Vaylin while she couldn't move around. He had his lightsaber ignited and readied himself to pierce Vaylin. He would have no mercy for her; Cassian had no doubt about it. He couldn't blame him for it, not the man who suffered under the tyranny of both Vitiate and his offspring, but he still didn't want it to end like this.
Cassian charged towards Vaylin the moment an opening presented itself, doing his best to be quicker than Jac. Instead of piercing her, Cassian hit her head with a lightsaber hilt. A strong strike made Vaylin whimper in pain and fall to her knees, drastically weakening her aura.
"You…" Vaylin said with spite, but before she could finish, Cassian hit her again. A strike just powerful enough to knock her out but nowhere near close to permanently damaging her head or killing her. This was enough to have her collapse before Jac and Cassian and obliterate her aura in a matter of seconds.
"Yes!" The Jedi said with excitement. "Great job, Cas, it's time to end her!" He raised her lightsaber above Vaylin but never had an opportunity to strike.
"No!" Cassian spoke sternly, causing Jac to pause.
"What are you talking about? If we don't kill her now, she'll wake up and only cause more chaos!"
"She…She is also working with conspirators. Are you suggesting that we just kill her off when she can become our only source of information?"
"She doesn't even care about them."
"Doesn't mean she doesn't know anything about their inner workings." Cassian shook his head. "Besides, killing an unarmed, unconscious woman…Hardly a Jedi way, is it?" He said, seeing distress emerge on Jac's face.
"No, it's not, but…You should know it better than anyone. She is tainted by Tenebrae's energy, but she embraces it! After all, she did, this monster is too dangerous to be left alive."
"I am not going to argue with you over this. I am the commander…And I say we take her to maximum security prison on Odessen and go decide from there."
"That is unwise…"
"It's my order."
Before they could continue, Cassian noticed someone running towards them from the outpost. Upon closer look, he realized that it was Raina Temple herself.
"Lieutenant? Why aren't you at the outpost?"
"My infiltration…Didn't go as planned. By the time we got inside, most had already evacuated; they had deleted all the data with no trace at all! I am the only survivor. She killed all others, she…"
"Who?"
"Atiel." She said, causing Cassian and Jac to freeze in shock.
"Are you…Are you sure?" The Jedi asked with caution.
"Yes. She was one of their commanders and tried to get me to join; it's hard to believe, but…Wait, who's that?" She looked at unconscious Vaylin beside them. "She looks familiar, but…"
"I suppose we owe each other an explanation," Cassian said. "But not before we raid the outpost. If there is as much as a single soul remaining, we will root them out. Onward!"
…
As shocking as their discovery was, Jac and his allies could not forget their mission. They scoured the outpost for any remaining conspirators, information, or resources but found nothing. Everyone was gone; there was not a single trace of the violet substance remaining. This must have been Vaylin's purpose all along, to hold them back while Atiel finished the evacuation. Vaylin's sudden exchange in the middle of their battle made perfect sense; she chose the thrill of battle instead of retreating to safety with others, which is typical of her.
At least they had her with them, which was their only consolation. Vaylin must have known something about Atiel and others, though Jac had his doubts about how much she could tell. She was a primitive mind, only yearning for cheap thrills, satisfaction, and violence. It wasn't hard to get her on board with whatever plan the conspirators had. Alas, his commander believed she was useful, so it was worth taking her to Odessen.
For now, the truth remains hidden from everyone but himself, Cassian, Raina, and Jaesa. The four of them informed Saganu that their mission was over for now and gave the Ascendancy some leads on where to search for potential conspirators so they could still help them in the future.
Other than that, there was nothing to do but return to Odessen. Jaesa stayed with Vaylin, using her sedative force powers to prolong her sleep, but she couldn't do it for too long. Once they're back, Vaylin would be put in a prison that restricts the force, only reserved for the most dangerous prisoners.
Cassian was close to Jaesa, guarding her in case Vaylin woke. He hasn't spoken much since their fight and was clearly consumed by his brooding thoughts. Jac knew better than to interrupt him during those moments, but they brought some unfortunate implications that Jac didn't want to think about just yet.
He was left alone with Raina in the central part of the shuttle; both of them had some time to think about what happened to them.
"Still can't believe Atiel was behind it…" Raina said quietly. "Maybe I should've. She must have had reasons for her sudden disappearance…And here they are."
"You talked with her, right? Did she tell anything about the conspiracy's goals or anyone else who's involved?"
"She was careful not to give any names, probably in case I escaped. It doesn't seem like she is the leader, however."
"Perhaps a Sith Lord? From what I know, Atiel remained loyal to them."
"Doesn't seem like it. She talked about freeing the galaxy from the yoke of those that control it…Force-sensitives. Jedi, Sith, Voss, Zakuul knights, everyone. This sounds a lot like Star Cabal, an organization Atiel brought low…It honestly doesn't make much sense, not yet."
"Is it possible she was lying about their goals?"
"Maybe, though I don't see why she would think this would help get me on board…If that was her goal at all.."
"I never trusted Atiel, even when she was on our side, Cassian didn't either."
"She is dedicated and reliable…Or was five years ago. I don't know how much she changed."
Before they could continue, Jac heard an incoming holocall from Odessen, and once he responded, an image of Lana Beniko appeared.
"Ah, I've been wondering when you'd call. Got our message?"
"Yes, and it sounded urgent. I see you're on your way back. Did you find something notable?"
"More like…Someone." Jac took a deep breath. "It will sound surreal, but I'll explain when we arrive. Prepare the maximum security holding cell. We have Vaylin with us."
"You have…Who?!"