The first meeting went as Cassian expected; there were no surprises in her behavior and refusal to cooperate, yet a part of him still wished for a different outcome. Jac didn't understand and didn't approve of it, but Cassian didn't expect him to. He would rather have Vaylin killed and forget her once and for all. This would be justice for all the people she killed.
There was a time when Cassian didn't care. Vaylin was just a rival to him, another obstacle to remove on his path to striking down Valkorion, the same as Arcann. He knew that both of them were pawns whom the immortal monster molded in his image, but he never truly understood the extent of it. Cassian thought that they could simply deny him and break free from his control like he once did. He used Vaylin's code phrase and humiliated her in front of the entire galaxy. He executed defiant Arcann without care or mercy. Only a few days later, however, he set foot on Nathema and the sanitarium buried in its depths.
He saw a little girl having to go through horrendous torture and rituals, scream, cry, and then laugh when she couldn't take this anymore. All while feeling Nathema's void consume her spirit…He thought back to his own pain, to having his own parents try to chain his natural force potential and burn it out of him. His father never cared for being gentle. Cassian justified all this pain as inevitable. He was a Sith at heart, after all, and each Sith goes through agonizing trials until they eventually break their chains and achieve their true potential. If not for the abuse Cassian suffered, he wouldn't have reached his heights. He tried to be grateful to them in a twisted, ironic way, yet he couldn't bear looking at Vaylin's pain. Some things were beyond cruel, beyond any justification. And this meant that there were limits to the Sith's creed…A point where the pain became too much. He knew how pained Vaylin must have felt as she was caged again, but it was necessary, at least for now.
Cassian knew that he would inevitably ponder on it for days to come, but for now, he needed to prepare the Alliance. He despised lying to them, yet considering that they may still have conspirators among them, this was the safest option for now. When he was ready, the Sith Lord called upon them to make an announcement before all the loyal allies he had gathered so far.
"People of Odessen, members of the Alliance!" Cassian said as he stood on the podium before them. "I have an important announcement to make, but before I do, I must forewarn you that it might be…Unsettling, to say the least. It will not make much sense, and trust me, I was just as perplexed as you are when I found it out. Also, while I know that the news will spread out eventually, I would appreciate it if you keep it quiet for now." Now that he had said his preface, Cassian noticed clear worry and doubt in their eyes. They began to whisper to each other as many theories sprung up. Some wondered whether it had to do with the war and their fragile Alliance with the Sith Empire. Cassian's old crew were among the crowd, too; they were among the few he genuinely trusted and wanted to know the truth, and in time, they would. "One of our outposts was attacked by a mysterious woman with remarkable and unrelenting force power. I fought her along with Jac and Jaesa, and we managed to take her alive…She is here in Odessen. Rest assured, I will make sure that she doesn't harm anyone and will be kept in check. You are to continue as you are. I will handle her personally." He explained before hearing an annoyed woman's voice coming from the crowd.
"I see new prisoners being brought here every couple of days; what's so special about this one that suddenly everyone just has to know?" She crossed her arms.
"Because of her identity. I imagine all of you are familiar with Vaylin, the former Empress of Zakuul…" Cassian took a deep breath. "She is not as dead as we all believed."
"What?!" Kaliyo said with shock, a sentiment that echoed throughout the crowd. "Can't that psycho family just stay dead?"
"That murderer…And she's here?" Major Jorgan spoke in disbelief, and Gault soon followed.
"Well…If I decide to leave before this base goes ka-boom, I'll leave a message."
"Enough," Cassian spoke up. "You have nothing to fear. As I said, I will handle her personally. I wouldn't have brought her here if there was any doubt about our capabilities."
"Something doesn't add up." Major Pierce spoke up. "Sorry, Milord, but why keep the bitch alive at all? She butchered thousands of our men the last time she was here…Should probably send her back where she came from."
"She has…Information."
"What kind of information?"
"You will learn this soon enough. For now…Carry on with your duties. If I need you, I will call you to my side."
Finally, this was out of the way. Now, it was time to focus on matters more pressing.
…
As Jac expected, reactions to Cassian's reveal were mixed, inevitably unveiling a lot of skepticism regarding Vaylin's presence. Even though much time has passed, for many, the war against Zakuul was still a fresh wound. In the last few months of Eternal Empire's galactic conquest, it was led by Vaylin, who managed to take countless lives, slaughter innocents, and destroy their homes, all without care or remorse. She was a monster, an incarnation of human's worst qualities, just like her brother and father. Their tale was supposed to end forever when Cassian destroyed Valkorion on the Eternal Throne, but the force decreed otherwise.
Now, they took the risk of keeping Vaylin on Odessen…And something told Jac they would inevitably deal with the consequences. A few hours after the initial announcement, the Jedi decided to wall around the base and gather some opinions. Cassian was too focused on the coming interrogation and didn't concern himself with what others thought. As much as the Jedi disapproved of this selfish streak, he didn't mind dividing their responsibilities.
It didn't take him long to spot an unveiling argument that caught his attention. Lana and Vette talked outside the war room, with the latter sounding particularly passionate.
"Are you seriously telling me that she just suddenly showed up out of nowhere and went nuts on our people?" Vette spoke up.
"I told you already…About a dozen times." Lana said with a disappointed tone. "This situation is a mystery to us, as well, but we are looking into it. Cassian believes he can get her to cooperate."
"Seriously? I mean, I trust Cas's judgment and all, but…Reason with her?! After all that psycho did to us? Especially now when you have all those conspiracies running around with those shady Chiss…What's going on here?"
"Pestering me or anyone else about the situation certainly won't make it easier." Lana shook her head. "And remember, you aren't the only one with questions."
"Anything wrong?" Jac spoke, making Lana and Vette turn towards him.
"Oh, hi there, Jac." The twi'lek's voice brimmed with enthusiasm.
"No, don't…" Lana began, but it was too late to stop her.
"I couldn't help but overhear some of your talk; sorry about that." The Jedi explained. "I take it this is about Vaylin."
"Yeah." Vette nodded. "You know people aren't happy about this, right? Me included."
"It's not something I like, either…But there is some information she possesses that might lead us towards the origins of her return. There must be a reason for it, and whatever or whoever is behind this, it must be stopped."
"What if she just came back? Isn't she supposed to be super powerful by your force standards?" Vette crossed her hands and raised an eyebrow. "I just…I don't think I'll be able to sleep with that psycho here."
"Please, Vette, we are doing our best…"
"Did you forget what she did to us the last time she was here? She and her army killed everyone in their way? I was literally stepping on corpses on my way back to the base…" Vette's voice became faint and pained. "You two and Cas saved me, and I'm grateful, but…Torian died. Cas told me how it happened. She just…Just snapped his neck and…" Her hands shook slightly. "I just imagine myself being in his place, and I…"
"Your anger is justified," Jac reassured her. "Her crimes will never be forgiven and forgotten; we are simply using the only opportunity we have. The moment she stops being useful, I will send her back to the force personally if I have to. Torian's murder won't go without punishment."
"You know…Something tells me Cas might not agree." Vette said with suspicion. "I remember how he was after that battle and taking the throne; he was brooding for almost a month, and I don't think it was about Torian…" She didn't know the details, yet she was right. Jac and Lana looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Vette.
"I…Had some concerns about him at the time." Jac admitted. "He closed off from others and lost his appetite for life and any activities he liked before. I felt the same when my master died…He was mourning. And it wasn't for any of our fallen."
"That's what I was getting at…He ordered for Vaylin to be buried properly and with respect, for crying out loud!"
"And he visited her grave many times…" Jac sighed. "He saw something in her that others didn't, but I never asked him directly. I thought it would be best to give him time to figure himself out, and after Iokath happened, we had our hands full anyway." As Jac explained this, he turned to Lana. He should've asked her a long time ago, but his reluctance to discuss a touchy subject got the better of him. "Lana, sorry for putting you on the spot, but I'm sure it has to do with Nathema." He said, noticing a change in her expression, a crack in her usual stoicism and confidence. "You were there with him. I never learned the details except that the planet was dead like Ziost and that there was a torture facility where Vitiate experimented on Vaylin and countless Jedi and Sith."
"Jeez…" Vette said with discomfort. "I can see why you never told others about that kind of mission."
"I don't doubt that Vitiate would not show any kindness to his children, but why would Cassian care?" Jac wondered. "We both know him. He always saw such pain as an instrument, something every person should endure to become stronger. A twisted Sith philosophy…But it was his outlook."
"It's…Complicated. I don't understand it completely myself, but I can guess…" Lana sighed. "It was a grim place; even being there made me feel as if some hungering void was about to consume any moment…Some planets are naturally attuned to the force; like Odessen, this was the complete opposite. A hungering emptiness that tore into the essence of everyone who was there…And the sanitarium made it worse. It had horrendous conditions, both for Vaylin and all other victims."
"So…" Vette interrupted. "Papa Emperor drove his daughter mad with some crazy experiments? I guess that explains a lot…Doesn't change the fact that she'll break our necks if she's free."
"Cassian made some irrational decisions there." Lana continued. "Killed the head scientist instead of allowing him to guide us to safety, freed an ancient Sith Lord who could've helped us against Valkorion, but even my advice couldn't change his mind. At first, I thought he was just overwhelmed; I was, too…But I got over it in a few days. He didn't. I think he saw something in what Vaylin experienced, something that spoke to him in a very personal way. You remember how he acted during our confrontation."
"I do…And now that she's alive again, he might want to talk about it. Whatever it means."
"I think only he would know it. Him and Vaylin, perhaps." Lana said.
"That's not very reassuring," Vette said. "I always trusted Cas with my life, and I want to trust him now, too; I just…I'm not sure."
"Neither are we," Jac admitted.
"Can you just promise that you'll keep an eye on him?" Vette said. "I know he can act on his emotions sometimes. We're similar in that. And that you won't allow another mass slaughter to happen?"
"Of course." The Jedi swore. "That was always the plan. I won't let a single innocent life perish because of Vaylin's madness."
That was always his goal: to protect the innocents.
And he would never stop fighting for their safety.
…
Atiel was the last one to join her crew. It was her duty to make sure that everyone got away from the outpost. Nothing could be left behind, especially not their Voidcaller resources. Luckily, Vaylin's interference helped Atiel to finish the evacuation without complications. By the time Cassian and his allies would get inside, they would find absolutely nothing of use.
Still, the report she had to give to Lord Jadus on his space station was far from perfect. She knelt before him, preparing to speak of her failure.
"Our evacuation effort proceeded as planned…We left no trace of Voidcaller or any incriminating information. As per my agents' reports, all our soldiers on the outpost are either evacuated or dead. Vaylin, however…"
"She did not return," Jadus said coldly before looking at Atiel with his yellow, empty eye.
"No, she didn't. She held Cassian and others back so I could evacuate our men, but she didn't follow me when I told her. All for the sake of 'having her fun.' I couldn't risk rescuing her…Now the Alliance has her in their custody, and they will try to learn as much as possible from her." Atiel said as her lips quivered from shame. "I'm sorry, my lord…I've left a trace."
"Don't waste your energy." Jadus shook his head. "No need to blame yourself for something you couldn't control. You did exactly what I asked of you. Vaylin was never your concern."
"You expected her to disobey orders?"
"Yes. I'm disappointed but not surprised. I don't expect her to tell them anything too quickly…She enjoyed pretending she has an indomitable spirit." Jadus said with a chuckle. "We both saw how easy it is to manipulate her, however. A shame I never got acquainted with the founders of the Eternal Alliance in person, but you did. How long will it take for them to break her?"
"Hm…Cassian Narok and Jacques Elias aren't forgiving of crimes of her magnitude; in any other situation, I would expect them to simply kill her. They want to know everything she does, however. I can easily see someone like Lana Benito resorting to torture, but that probably wouldn't work on Vaylin. Their only way is to give her something that she wants in return but to be honest, I don't see what it could be." Atiel shared her opinion, to which Jadus remained silent for a few moments, clearly pondering on something.
"I do." He said in a grim tone. "That would be unfortunate…We will have to hurry and move on to the next phase." Was this worry in Jadus's voice? Atiel would sooner believe she was having hallucinations.
"With all due respect…Perhaps we should've killed Vaylin ourselves? She is a loose cannon and can prove a liability. I understand she is powerful, but…"
"There is more to her than that." Jadus undercut her. "Strength is just a bonus; this wasn't why I took an interest."
"Why, then?"
"She is a near-perfect specimen. A person who was chained since her childhood and went through pain that no other being in the galaxy can truly grasp."
"Not even you?"
"Not even me." Jadus shook his head. "I would explore her mindset in-depth at the first opportunity, perhaps even win her loyalty once she knows what I can truly give her." The Sith Lord said with intrigue and anticipation.
"Do you think her mind is in a condition to understand?"
"We will know soon enough…" Jadus was about to say something else, but he quickly paused. The man closed his eyes. "I sense another presence…Dr. Lokin is at the door. Come in!"
Atiel turned around and saw her old ally walk into Jadus's chamber.
"Greetings, Lord Jadus, I hope I'm not interrupting? Would be rather awkward otherwise."
"That depends. Do you have anything important to tell?"
"Believe me, my lord, I have marvelous news! I resumed my experiments now that we're all away from danger, this time focusing on Voidcaller's more…Permanent effects. The test subjects didn't survive the ordeal, however, even if their midichlorians died before the rest of the body. The last step is to figure out a way to preserve the rest of their body…I will need more test subjects for that. Can the Second Voice provide them?"
"I'll discuss new arrangements as soon as possible."
"Thank you!" Lokin said with delight. He might have joined them out of sheer gratitude for Atiel saving him, yet it was clear that the Voidcaller project intrigued him on a deeper level.
"Once that is done, I expect you to work at an increased rate. Don't waste a single second." Jadus said. "The time for action is nigh, and we must be ready."