Lana Beniko could scarcely believe her fortune. Right when she felt as if there was nothing more she could do, that Jadus and his conspirators had taken away any possibility of acting, her saving grace arrived just in the nick of time. Even though Lana still feared the possibility that enemies could track their communications, Jac didn't just have Kira and Scourge with him. New, unexpected allies stood by his side, and Lana couldn't wait to learn more.
"Are you certain that it's encrypted?" Lana said with caution. "If Jadus learns of it…"
"Don't worry, we wouldn't have called if we weren't sure," Jac reassured her.
"Then let's be quick before someone notices my absence. Start from the beginning…And how did you meet a member of the Dark Council?"
"It's an odd story. We're still piecing the puzzle together." Jac admitted. "But so far, the cooperation has gone remarkably well. Thankfully, after all we've been through, Jedi and Sith are working together, and it isn't a barrier we need to overcome."
"So, what happened on Tython?"
"We searched for the one responsible for the Aloys's murder and discovered that it was one of Satele's students."
"Of their own volition?"
"No, he was brainwashed by a Jedi renegade, Ki Sazen," Jac explained, immediately making Lana's eyes widen.
So Jadus also orchestrated what happened on Tython. No wonder Jac realized the truth soon.
"Sazen is one of Jadus's lieutenants…She's on Odessen now with him and Atiel."
"How is everyone on Odessen? Are they holding you hostage?" Jac said with worry.
"Hold on, let's not get it twisted. Tell me about you, and then I'll tell you about us."
"Alright. We couldn't catch Sazen before she escaped, and we also managed to catch an anonymous message across the galaxy. It said that forces led by Darth Jadus captured Odessen and now use it as their secret power base. Xarion and Seeker came in contact with us later. They share the same goal and want to stop Jadus for different reasons. They helped establish us a connection."
"Are you all there now? Theron, Scourge, Kira?"
"Theron left to gain more allies from the Republic; Kira and Scourge are with me. No, we all work together."
"I can't even express how fortunate you were to leave Odessen before the storm…Otherwise, we might not have had allies. Jadus's forces would have never taken Odessen without their secret weapon, the Voidcaller. They crushed us in a matter of hours."
"How many losses are there?" Jac said in a heavy tone.
"Too many. Countless soldiers, scientists, and operatives fell, Kaliyo, Jaesa Wilsaam…And Fideltin Rusk." Lana took a deep breath.
"No…" He clenched his fist.
"I'm sorry, I know he was your friend."
"We didn't always agree, yet he was a man of principles and honor. He…There is no emotion; there is peace." Jac tried to keep himself together.
"Who was it?" Scourge's raging voice echoed from the holocomm. "Who killed him!?"
"Vette and Malavai Quinn saw it and say Ki Sazen dealt the blow."
"She will pay for that!" Scourge said with fury.
"Hold back," Kira assured him. "We can't afford to lose our cool…"
"Maybe it's true for a Jedi, but I am never going to shy away from emotion. Rusk was a loyal ally and crew member; he must be avenged!" Despite his seething, Jac continued.
"And what of Cassian?"
"He was one of the two people that were lucky enough to escape. Vaylin was the second."
"What?"
"I know, I was shocked to see it, too, but it's not as bad as it sounds. Jadus's lackeys released her, only for Vaylin to turn against them, save Cassian, and help him escape."
"This makes no sense…Why?"
"That's anyone's guess, but if not for her, Cassian would already be dead. Jadus's agents still hadn't caught them, though apparently they discovered them on Zakuul."
"So they're fugitives now?" Kira wondered. "Not the worst fate…Well, would've been if he with someone else than Vaylin."
"At least she doesn't want him dead yet, and by the time she decides to make a move, hopefully, we'll be able to interfere."
"Are you saying Vaylin is now an ally?" Kira said with doubt, only to have Jac interject.
"No, she will never be our ally. She showed her nature when she terrorized the galaxy on Arcann's orders, bombed Voss, and killed Torian…Just because she learned to be more manipulative doesn't erase that, or how much of a monster she is."
"That's not what I was saying…She isn't our primary concern now, right?"
"I guess not, that's Jadus."
"Yeah, that's what I meant, sort of. If she can help us now, why wouldn't we use her?"
"That's not how Cassian sees it…But enough about that. Lana, do you know what Jadus's plan is?"
"He keeps us all under constant surveillance, and with those 'void collars' on, there is not much room for resistance. I know that he's taken over our operations on Iokath and forced Oggurobb to develop another version of Voidcaller for him, the kind that can cut someone from the force permanently."
"Is that even possible?"
"I don't know…He has a lot of resources and talented minds at his disposal, can't put it past them."
"Anything else?"
"Afraid not," Lana said before another voice and image emerged, this time of a devious Sith Lord.
"It's about time we talked, spymaster Beniko."
"Darth Xarion," Lana said, remembering a man who once stood beside her as a fellow acolyte. "You've changed much since Korriban…I suppose I did, too."
"We can reminisce later. First, we need to kill Jadus, and you can help us with it."
"Do you have any plans?"
"Jadus won't stand against the combined mind of the most talented Jedi in the galaxy, his Palawan, and the former Emperor's Wrath. Your friends agreed to take him down."
"Easier said than done. You will need to get to Odessen or lure Jadus away somehow…And even if you do that, there's still the matter of the Voidcaller."
"I'll provide them with suitable protection against the weapon. As for infiltration process, I already begun arranging that, your inside knowledge will help."
"Very well…I'm listening."
She wouldn't waste another chance.
…
An unexpected proposal from Vaylin quickly turned into the most delightful time Cassian had in a long while; for a moment, he even allowed himself to forget about the conspiracy and their mission on Alderaan. He always found Vaylin very attractive, but he never expected to have a chance to share a bed with her. Asking for it wouldn't be appropriate considering their situation and the state of her psyche, but she wanted it herself and was very enthusiastic. After tasting the joys of sex, Vaylin ended up far more excited than Cassian could've expected.
Perhaps a bit too excited. Even as their ship landed in the Thul spaceport, Vaylin's mind was in the wrong place.
"So, how about this evening?" Her playful voice echoed in Cassian's ears as he gathered his lightsaber and other necessary equipment. "We are going to stay in a hotel or something, right?"
"At some point, probably, but we'll just use it to sleep; no time to waste on anything else."
"Come on, I'm sure that half an hour won't ruin the galaxy…" She smiled and put her hand on Cassian's shoulder.
"You'd be surprised how big of a difference it can make. We focus on important things." He said sternly, making Vaylin pout.
"But I want to have sex!"
"And you can't. Not without my consent." Cassian crossed his arms.
"Come on, are you saying you don't want to? I literally finished clearing all of your 'Hornycaller' from me just ten minutes ago!"
"I'll get boring."
"How can THIS get boring?"
"The more you do it, the more you'll understand."
"If you do something every day, it becomes boring; you can say it about everything."
"Do you get tired of drinking?"
"That's not…" Cassian took a deep breath.
"Or eating?"
"No point in arguing, I guess."
"Yep." She chuckled.
"Let's just go…" The Chiss sighed and opened their shop door.
Cassian and Vaylin descended into an Aldersanian spaceport, both wearing hooded robes and trying to cover their faces. There weren't too many people in the spaceport, mostly the security team that continued on their routine patrol, which was fortunate for them. It wasn't likely that anyone would suspect strangers to be well-known fugitives, especially giving it any deep thought.
"Now, where do we go…" Cassian realized that, during all the fun he had with Vaylin, he had forgotten to make any concrete plans. "We don't know where Westwind estate is, only that it's most likely owned by someone from the house Panteer. "I'm not sure what the situation here is, but I think Thuls might give us a lead. Their house must keep close ties with Panteers. There's an inter-house diplomacy bureau nearby." Cassian said as the duo made their way towards the exit.
"Are we going to rent a room already?"
"Vaylin…" Cassian groaned.
"Oh, I get so excited when you're angry!" Vaylin teased him, but before Cassian could retort, the two of them finally reached the spaceport's exit.
"W-wow…" Vaylin's voice grew much quieter as she stood and watched the clear azure sky unveil before them. The rays of light pierced the few pale clouds. Allowing the trio to feel a sense of sudden warmth and safety as they were under the heat of the sun amidst a remote world, even Vaylin paused and opened her eyes wide. "It's…" She hesitated and reached forth with one of her hands, staring towards the sun as if she were trying to take it and hold it in the palm of her hand. "It's really Alderaan, it's so beautiful! It's…" Cassian heard her voice quivering and her body beginning to shake.
"Hey…" He gently put his hand on Vaylin's shoulder, helping her relax a little. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yes…Let's go."