Jac wasn't too happy about this new Alliance with Xarion and Seeker, but he made peace with its necessity. One way or another, he had to stop Jadus and save his friends, a goal that was worth many sacrifices. Xarion's plan has been to establish contact with Odessen and find allies from within, someone who will relay the information to them and help them get into the base. To do that, however, they needed a way to bypass Jadus's security, something Seeker swore to take care of, but not before repairing a cloaking device on his ship. There were talented engineers on Rishi, which made the affair simple enough, but he still requested Jack to escort him in case of violent outbreaks from the pirates. The Jedi eagerly agreed, realizing that this was an opportunity to learn more about his past.
At the next day's dawn, Jac and the Seeker made their way into Raider's Cove shipyards. The Jedi hoped that they would be able to come to a reasonable agreement without arguments or, worse, bloodshed. Still, the Seeker prepared for the worst when dealing with pirates, having a Jedi master by his side would ensure protection.
"Almost there." Seeker spoke up.
"Wait, where are enough going? The shipyards are that way." Jac raised an eyebrow.
"I told my contact to meet us away from the bustling heart of this place, this way we attract less attention and spare our eardrums."
"I see."
"You're familiar with the layout of Raider's Cove, a peculiar place for a Jedi to spend his time in."
"I've only been there once, but with all that happened…Let's say it left an impression."
"Of course, the Revanite incursion." Seeker said. "I'm lucky that I was able to get myself and an old friend away from this place just before chaos ensued. And you, this is where you first met Atiel, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Working together with Emperor's Wrath was enough of a whiplash, but I couldn't imagine how many people would come here and later to Yavin. Grandmaster Shan, Barsen'thor, Major Zuran, and Theron came from our…From the Republic side. Darth Marr, Cassian, Darth Occlus, Lana, and Atiel spoke for the Empire. Champion of the Great Hunt and Voidhound were also there; for them, it was more of a personal investment." To think that all of them stood together against the hero of the past…Even today, some part of him refused to believe. They formed an alliance, even friendships. A shame that they did not last. Jac and Cassian took the burden of resisting the Eternal Empire. Chris and Milena, better known as Barsen'thor and Darth Occlus, stayed and guarded their respective factions to this day. Major Zuran fell during a valiant attempt to protect the Gravestone when Vaylin launched her final assault on Odessen. Tasara, the Champion of the Hunt, and Colin, the Voidhound, continued to roam the galaxy, free from any restraints and obligations; it's been a long time since Jac heard of them. The same was true for Atiel until recently, and he wished it remained this way. "Come to think of it, today isn't too different from what occurred then. An Alliance between Jedi, Sith, and agents to take down conspirators."
"One of the less surprising events of the last few years." The Seeker said with a light chuckle. "I did not expect to ever face Atiel after our parting in this very town. I underestimated her fanaticism."
"You spoke of her betrayal when she sided with Jadus…Did you see this coming back in the day?"
"I did not, no. I believed I knew her well enough; she had been under my watch ever since she joined Intelligence."
"How was she like?"
"Loyal, practical, pragmatic, and calculating. No different from the Atiel you know, I assume. She always remained that, not even conditioning could break her, at least not what I'm saw. My mistake was assuming she will retain her loyalty to me, I didn't assume that Jadus could give her anything she'd want. I was wrong, and many had to pay the price."
"I was wrong about her too…Lana and I trusted her more than we should've."
"Then we both have mistakes to undo." The Seeker said. "Come on, once my cloaking device is repaired, I will be able to infiltrate a Cabal listening post and secure a connection to Odessen. This is where you and your allies come in. People of Odessen would've never trusted Xarion and me, but you would be able to make a difference…"
"Anything to save my friends." Jac said sternly. "Let's go, I wouldn't want to keep our contacts waiting."
…
"Tasara, a Mandalorian and the Champion of the Great Hunt and the killer of the Supreme Chancellor before Saresh, never leaves a contract unfinished…I met her on Rishi during my search for Shae Vizla; she joined Jac and me, first against Revan and then against Zakuul years later. She was also the wife of Torian Cadera, the man you took hostage and killed. I never expected her to find out, yet her reaction was obvious…She will not stop until she brings us to justice, even if it means helping Jadus."
This was the explanation Cassian gave to Vaylin as they returned to Kaia's home. His companion was unusually silent after their chaotic encounter with the Mandalorian; she simply followed along and listened to everything Cassian told them of their new enemy, all while co-summed by her thoughts. The fact that Tasara didn't take them was an incredible stroke of luck, but it was relieving to see that he still had a code of honor. She had no wish to traumatize an innocent child by tormenting or taking away her only protectors, but this did not mean she abandoned the hunt. Tasara was patient and, no doubt was waiting for another moment to strike, a moment when Kaia would be safe and far away from the battle. Then, she wouldn't hold back, and with the Voidcaller in her possession, Tasara was practically unbeatable.
"So…" Vaylin spoke quietly. "She wants to hunt me down and kill me because I killed the person she loved the most…"
"Yes, as anyone would in her situation."
"Sure…Anyone." Vaylin sighed as she looked at the girl walking ahead of them. Kaia was so happy that she managed to help Cassian and Vaylin in time, but she did not know the whole truth. Cassian wasn't intent on betraying Vaylin and telling Kaia about her mother, but he wondered if a part of her wanted to do it herself.
By the time the trio returned to Kaia's house, they finally could allow themselves to relax. Thankfully, neither nekghouls nor Tasara tried to attack the girl. She was only woken up by monsters who tried to strike Vaylin at the door. This attack left a wound, which Kaia now eagerly patched.
"Okay, take a deep breath; this might hurt a little."
"Aaargh…That's fine. I've been through far worse." Vaylin said as she clenched her teeth. Cassian stood beside her, pondering on what to do next. They might have gotten some relative rest, but both Doran and Tasara were still hunting them, and staying with Kaia would only endanger them all. They needed to strike back in a way that the enemy wouldn't expect. Element of surprise was their main weapon against the Voidcaller, taking out their enemies before they could even take a shot. Fortunately, once again, they did not have to wait long for the answer as Cassian heard a knock on the door.
"I'll check it." He told Vaylin and Kaia before moving towards the entrance. It was Koth again, alone, just like yesterday. The Sith sighed at the prospect of having to deal with his antics again, but at least he could trust him. Cassian opened the door.
"Already missing us?" He couldn't hold back the snark as he looked into Koth's concerned eyes.
"I'd rather spend a night at an Iknayid's nest than with you and especially Vaylin."
"Then why are you here?"
"Iknayids won't help me get to the truth." Koth sighed. "Can I come in."
"As long as you have something important to say."
"I do." He announced proudly and Cassian stood aside, opening him the way. Koth paused for a moment and looked at Vaylin, but she avoided eye contact and remained silent. "Eh…Is she ill or something? She should be spitting out insults by now."
"Koth, get to the point," Cassian spoke up.
"Yeah, sure…I've done a little investigation, or at least tried to do."
"And?"
"I hate to admit that you're right, but…Something changed. Doran is giving the most elite of his scouts and soldiers this Voidcaller thing. He never talks about it to most others, me included, but it can't be anything else with the purple color and how important it suddenly became. He is also focused on finding you and Vaylin."
"We knew all that, do you have anything concrete on him and what his connection to Jadus is?"
"No, but I know where we find something. There is an archive section on the lower level of Doran's spire, which is well guarded, and barely anyone is allowed into the room itself."
"Hm…There could be something about the Voidcaller, maybe even Jadus's plans."
"My thoughts exactly. I can guide you and distract the guards. The only problem is that the archive can be encrypted…"
"I can help with that!" Kaia interjected. "I have all the dad's equipment here, and if it's not something out of the ordinary, I'll slice into it."
"Didn't you have problems slicing into spaceport security?"
"Hey, it's harder to focus when you have people shouting and saying how they'll hit me! I can help, I promise! You and Vaylin saved me, I owe you."
"Yes, of course…" Cassian said quietly, thinking of what Vaylin told him at night. "So, Koth, how about this, then? You bring us to the archive, Kaia slices it, you get your proof, and we get more information, and then we take the fight to Doran."
"I'll have to ask you one thing. I get that Doran is hiding secrets, but his men at the spire…They're innocent! I knew some of them, but they genuinely want to free Zakuul and have no idea what's going on."
"You said the same about Doran."
"Look, they know as much as I do."
"So what do you want us to do, spare them because they're your friends?"
"I know you can knock them out without killing. It's not too hard for a force-wielder. I'll try to stun most of them with my own weapons, but I can't be sure that it'll be everyone, so…Just give them a chance, alright?"
"Jac barely convinced me to let you live, and now you demand something?"
"I…I'm not demanding. I'm asking! What's with you, Sith, always exaggerating?! We work together, whether we like it or not, we have to help each other. Can you do this one thing, or will you stay petty?"
"I'll try to avoid casualties…But it's on you to make sure that no one forces our hand."
"I'll do my best for their sake…Thank you." Koth said.
"Then we have a plan."
"Yes, I'll most likely send you the coordinates and the meeting time during the night."
"Good, I'll wait for a message."
Soon after Koth left, the house was consumed by endless silence once again. They had another task ahead of them, but this wasn't because of the task.
"Why are you two so quiet?" Kaia raised an eyebrow.
"Listen…" Vaylin took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's dangerous even for us, and especially a child."
"Come on, let me prove myself! I would've gotten myself killed if I didn't know how to get by. And I worked for Doran's people, I know what kind of codes they use and…"
"No, that's not what I mean!" Vaylin spoke up. "We know that you're capable and can absolutely do it."
"But didn't you just say that it's dangerous for a child?"
"That's not what I meant…Not exactly."
"Then what did you mean?" The girl began to grow agitated. "You saved my life from those evil monsters, I…I owe you."
"No, you don't!" Vaylin suddenly shouted, making Kaia recoil. "You don't owe anyone anything, especially not me! You don't know how much I've done, how many people I killed, so don't pretend to!"
"I-I…" Tears began to swell in Kaia's eyes, though the girl held them back. "I know you killed many people. Everyone does! Do you think I'm stupid and don't know?! You hurt others, even our people!" Her voice trembled. "I know all that, but I still want to help you! And you allowed me to help yesterday; why shouldn't I help you now?"
"Because I murdered your mother!" Vaylin suddenly shouted, making both Cassian and Kaia freeze for a moment.
"W-what?" The girl said in a quiet tone of disbelief.
"What you heard! Your mother didn't die in battle. She came to Zakuul after Darvannis fell. And I killed her…Pushed her to the bottom of the spire-like some sack of trash, understand!? I killed her…I killed her! Do you know why? Because I found it fucking amusing! Because I liked killing weaker people because I liked hearing them beg for mercy and fall on their knees! It was so…So…Ahaha…Ha…It…"
By this point, Kaia couldn't hold back the tears that streamed down her eyes to no end. She shook and trembled as she watched a deranged smile emerge on Vaylin's face as she looked down upon her with sadistic, uncontrollable glee. An episode that was soon over, yet not its impact. Vaylin took a deep breath as the trio stood in silence for a few moments.
"I…" Vaylin paused. "F-fuck…" She reached out to Kaia, but it was too late; the girl had already run in horror at the loud sounds of her despairing weeping. "No, I…AARGH!" Vaylin shouted in rage and stomped her foot. "I didn't mean to, I…I wanted to tell her but not like…NOT LIKE THIS!" Vaylin's voice trembled as she grabbed her head with her shaking hands.
"You've done the hard part…"
"It…IT SHOULD'VE BEEN DIFFERENT! You should've stopped me, you…I need to talk to her; she didn't understand; she…"
"Give her time…And it's better if I talk to her."
"I wanted to say that I…I'm sorry…I…Why couldn't I say it!?" Vaylin screamed in fury as she unleashed yet another force wave, pushing all the furniture around her to the walls.
"Hey, it's alright. You did what you had to, and at least there are no more secrets between…"
"You aren't helping! Just…Just leave me alone!" She said before rushing to her own room. Cassian chose not to follow. Kaia wasn't the only one who needed some time alone.
…
When Cassian found Kaia outside of the spire, she was still crying, but this time in a quieter way. The weeping stopped and turned into weak, reoccurring sobs as the girl buried her face in her hands, still occasionally shaking. Cassian wasn't sure whether he wanted to approach her or whether he could make it any easier. He knew many people who faced loss and grief, yet he was never able to properly comfort them. When Vette lost her mother, all Cassian could suggest was to seek revenge for her passing, and this didn't bring her peace. Only time could.
But he could not allow himself to simply stand aside and ignore her, either. The girl helped them by shielding them from Tasara, Cassian owed her. Vaylin did, too, but nothing could ever repay her debt; nothing could heal the reopened wound. Eventually, Cassian took a deep breath and slowly approached her.
"H-huh?" Kaia looked as she heard his steps and recoiled in fear, watching Cassian with her red, wet eyes.
"It's alright; I want to hurt you," Cassian reassured her, and despite his genuine intent, his words came off drier than he had hoped. Drier when they sounded every time he tried to comfort Vaylin. "Can I sit beside you?"
"Y-yeah…" The girl said before a sniff. "But what do you want from me?"
"To check up on you, I suppose…" No, that wasn't right. As callous as Vaylin's behavior was, at least she was honest. "And to talk about our plan."
"That's what you care about…" Kaia looked away and buried her face again. It was low of him, but it was the truth.
"I'm sorry, Kaia. I wish I could make it any easier, but…I can't."
"Did you know that she…That she killed…My mom?" Her lips quivered as tears flowed once again.
"Not until she told me tonight…And she didn't realize it straight away, either. She wanted to tell you."
"She…" Kaia shook and wiped her another tear. "She called her a…A sack of trash! She said it was funny! My mum loved me and protected me. She…She was always loyal to Vaylin! She did her best and never disobeyed her orders, I knot that! She didn't deserve it, she did everything she could, she…Vaylin killed her…She killed her! It's not fair, it's just, I…I HATE HER!" Her voice grew angrier yet again; a child who was so close to her mother's murderer, a woman she admired only a few hours ago, the woman who destroyed her life, and Kaia could do nothing about it. "Why…Why did she do this…How can someone be so…So cruel?!"
Cassian could give no satisfying answer, just like he couldn't give one to Tasara or Jac. Vaylin was far beyond redemption; both she and Cassian knew that very well. He wondered what would be hurtful for Kaia to hear, any attempts to portray Vaylin in a sympathetic light or simply admitting to the truth that Cassian cared too much for her and could easily overlook her actions. Those weren't his relatives and friends. Even expressing simple sympathy didn't feel right; if he truly cared, he would kill Vaylin here and now to grant Kaia vengeance.
"I wish I could say something that would mean anything at all…" Perhaps there was something he could say still, something that would not be a lie. "Your anger is justified, Kaia," Cassian said sternly, making her look up with curiosity. "Vaylin killed your mother for a petty reason; there's no justification and forgiveness after that. It's fine. If…If you tried to kill Vaylin to avenge your mother, I would not blame you. You won't succeed, but you deserve to try if you choose."
"I'm…I'm not stupid; I don't want to die. Maybe you could if you tried…"
"Maybe, but I won't try, and you know it."
"Why are you friends with her?" Kaia sniffed again and spoke in a tone of shock and bitter misunderstanding.
"Friends, huh…I'm not sure if I know the answer." Cassian sighed. "But I care about her in some way, it's true. More than any of the people she killed." He said, watching Kaia wipe away her last tears as she looked at the spire before her in silence.
"Thank you…"
"You've got nothing to thank me for."
"For being honest, at least. You wanted something from me…Right?"
"I wanted to ask if you will still help us to slice into Doran's archive."
"If I say no, will you force me to?"
"What? No, of course not. I have to admit that without you, it will become a much more complicated situation for us, so I'll have to ask a favor."
"Do you really…Want me to help her? After what she did?"
"Yes, but I'm not asking you to do it for her or even for me. There is a conspiracy emerging in the galaxy, and it spans Zakuul as well. Its leader is trying to hunt Vaylin and me, and we want to stop him. I don't know what exactly he wants to accomplish, but he has agents here in Zakuul, as you've heard. If you help us get into the spire and learn more about his plans, then we can stop him. After that…I promise I will give you the aid you need. With Alliance's resources at my disposal, it will not be a problem. And while we're working on it, I know just the man who will take care of you. I know he'll agree. What did you think of our guest?"
"Koth? He seems good…"
"He's an honorable man who spent years fighting for Zakuul and its people, and he will help you. I promise."
"And Vaylin? What will happen to her."
"I don't know yet…But I won't kill her. Or let anyone else do it. I hope you understand."
"Alright." Kaia took a deep breath. "Is it fine if I talk to you from now on? I don't want to talk with her, it's too…"
"That's fine, it should be more than enough."
"Thank you…Thank you."
Perhaps honesty couldn't heal the girl's wounds, but at least it allowed her to feel respected, Cassian had no intention to lie or sugarcoat reality. It was time to get on with their work.