Odessen Base

6 years later

...

"No, in the end, you are nothing."

The words echoed in Cassian's head almost every hour since the Emperor's defeat. It had only been a few days, yet the Sith already felt like this nagging presence was with him for an entire eternity. No matter how much he tried to distract himself, his thoughts would veer back to the moment of laying Tenebrae low. This time, Cassian felt his demise, complete and undeniable. His worst enemy, a man that once made him rise from the ashes of disgrace and become his wrath, only to eventually become his most fearsome foe.

Cassian fought side by side with those he never expected to stand beside. Jedi, bounty hunters, Rebublic spies, even Vitiate's own children. By the time Zakuul invaded, Cassian's life had become much like Revan's, a mission to destroy the Emperor and his poison that he would use to destroy the galaxy. No method was out of the question, and no sacrifice was too great, but now it was finally over. The war between Republic and the Empire broke out again, this time without Vitiate's influence, and the Alliance took the side of the Empire, though the two factions remained distant in recent times. Everyone seemed to move on, all apart from Cassian.

He found himself in the training room, once again swinging his crimson lightsaber at the practice targets around him, mentally envisioning them as three different forms of the Emperor. Valkorion, Vitiate, Tenebrae…Even thinking of them made the Sith clad in dark armor with an ebon mask clench his teeth in rage. So much that he took from him and the people closest to him. Cassian yearned for revenge ever since Ziost, a desire that only became stronger when Valkorion's soul merged with his body like a parasite. Now he got his revenge, first by ending the Emperor when he claimed the Eternal Throne and then by destroying his only path to reincarnation. There shouldn't have been anything that would force Cassian to think about him again but the urge to recycle that fateful day in his head over and over. Revan, Marr, the Exile, Vitiate's family, the battle with the Emperor…All in his head, again and again, as Cassian continued his fight with non-existent ghosts. It won't be long before rumors would begin to spread in the Alliance; the Sith realized that even if he couldn't force himself to care…In fact, he couldn't force himself to think about the Alliance at all now that Vitiate and his Empire were no more.

When Cassian decided to take a short break, he took off his mask. He would usually keep it on during the training itself so as never to lose his skills relating to battling with his face covered. Breaks, however, we're an opportunity for some fresh air and usually a way to clear his mind. Not today, unfortunately…As he took his mask off, the Chiss, with short black hair and crimson eyes, let out a tired sigh and sat on one of the benches. He shouldn't be wasting his time here, yet he still wanted more…Was it his desire to kill Vitiate, again and again, to continue enacting his revenge? Possibly…Cassian's musings got interrupted by the sound of approaching steps. When the Sith turned around and looked at his visitor, he saw a dark-skinned human woman in a grey uniform. One of the newer recruits to the Alliance, Raina Temple of the Chiss Ascendancy. Not one of the faces Cassian would expect to bother him, but thankfully not of the annoying kind, either.

"My lord, do you have a moment?" She spoke up.

"I believe I was clear on the matter of not interrupting me midday."

"Truly?" Raina sounded surprised and immediately tensed up. "Sorry, I don't recall hearing anything like that…"

"Maybe I should take it up with Lana." Cassian shrugged. "She was supposed to spread the message. But if you didn't know, I won't hold it against you."

"Thank you, my lord."

"And don't call me 'lord,' it hardly suits me at this point."

"Apologies, Commander Cassian, it's a habit retained from my days in the Empire. I hope you understand."

"I do. Anything important?"

"Depends on how you see it; I thought it was worth a report. Remember I mentioned the new recruits from Copero? The volunteers?"

"And?" Cassian decided to show some interest, even though both he and Raina knew this wasn't a subject the Commander liked to discuss.

"They've been performing greatly, exceeding our highest expectations." She said with a proud smile on her face. "Your Alliance with the Empire gathered even more support from them, so much so that they were more than willing to ignore the Ascendancy's official policy in regards to the Alliance…" Now Cassian had no doubt where this was going. Raina wasn't the only one who wondered if the operation on Copero would sow seeds for a stronger tie between Chiss and the Alliance as the leader's homeworld; some even expected Cassian to reclaim his Chiss name and heritage. To their disappointment, none of it came to pass.

"I don't appreciate you tiptoeing around it. Are you trying to sell the idea of bettering our relations with the Ascendancy again?"

"I am showing you the benefits, commander, that is all." Raina sighed. Cassian sensed her wavering confidence.

"If it is about Cipher Nine…"

"No, not at all." Raina shook her head and spoke with enough certainty that Cassian believed her words. "I am not expecting the Ascendancy's help searching for Atiel; that's on Kaliyo and me. It's a shame that I never got to join the Alliance when she was still a part of it, but…Anyway, not something you should concern yourself with."

"Then I suppose the Ascendancy talk is for the classic reason."

"You could say that."

"You know we didn't end on a good note. I spared Zenta, and your superiors weren't in the mood to consider any deals afterward."

"Aristocra Saganu is a reasonable man; that little incident doesn't have to spell an end to any potential agreements later on."

"Even if so, I have no interest in conspiring with them," Cassian spoke in a stern voice of denial, much to Raina's evident disappointment. "And that is final."

"I'm sorry if I'm overstepping the boundaries, but…Why? The Ascendancy holds a considerable influence that you could share with them if you'd be more open to negotiations."

"I did not take you for someone to waste time with pointless talk, Ensign. I am not changing my answer."

"But they are your people…Why are you so averse to aligning with them?"

"Precisely because of that," Cassian said, trying to hold back disgust in his voice.

"Atiel would've approved…"

"Atiel doesn't and will never understand," Cassian spoke up, unable to hide his distaste. This was a conversation they had before, and even though Temple believed she was acting for the benefit of both the Ascendancy and the Alliance, it was far from the truth.

"Cassian!" A high-pitched voice interrupted his conversation, making the Chiss turn around and see a short Twi'Lek woman rushing into the hall. "Oh, I thought you might be here…"

"Vette, of all people around here, I'm pretty sure you should understand when to give me some space…You have a good memory; I know that."

"It's actually important this time!" The Twi'Lek protested. "Lana and Jac returned from their mission, and they discovered something that they want to show you…"

"And that is? I don't appreciate dramatic pauses."

"I have no idea; they just wanted to see you!"

"I suppose there is no getting out of it, is there…" Cassian demonstratively sighed and stood up. "Bring me to them; let's see what they found." The Sith said before turning around towards Raina. "As for you…My decision is final; I don't expect to have to repeat it anytime soon."

…

"I like your markings…Do you like mine?"

Vaylin got everything she wanted out of the day. The last trace of her father finally faded into oblivion. Tenebrae, Vitiate, Valkorion, she didn't care anymore…In fact, she relished seeing him in this form. Inside Satele's corrupted mind, he wasn't even a man; he was a virus that desperately clung to hopes of rebirth, attempting to sow chaos that her real father wanted before he fell. All she wanted since his death on Zakuul was to be free, yet she and Arcann had to remain locked within Outlander's mind even after they ended Valkorion. His last spiteful attempt to ruin their…Afterlives.

When the virus Valkorion left took form, and the Outlander became part of the battle, the siblings got a chance to fight again. The fading passion eventually rose again, one last chance to quench their bloodlust. Texan was there too, as was Mother, though Vaylin didn't pay her much attention. The young woman never thought she would ever say or even think it, but Senya was punished enough…She couldn't say the same for her father. He will never suffer enough, but at least he was gone now…A moment of catharsis, after which Vaylin finally separated herself from Cassian's mind. She could've easily chosen to become one with the force, she sensed Arcann do it, but at the last moment, she decided against it. A young Jedi woman, a Padawan who became the last in the endless list of Valkorion's victims, and her body was left for the taking. In the time between seconds, when Valkorion faded away, and neither Cassian nor Satele restored full control over their minds yet, Vaylin made her leap.

"Syl…You're alive?"

She remembered a young man saying those words as she opened those eyes, the first words she had heard in the realm of the living ever since the arrogant Jedi brat killed her on Odessen.

"Master Satele, look, Syl woke up! She is alive!"

It didn't hurt to try and become another for a few days, at least before Vaylin came up with an idea of what to do next. She remembered feeling very peculiar on that day; so many feelings overwhelmed her and made Vaylin retreat into her own mind despite finally being alive. She would shyly nod and go along with everything Satele and others did, her mental fortitude being enough to control her force and mask her presence inside Syl's body, but no more than that.

Father was dead…Forever. Nobody, no soul, no trace, no weapons, just a legacy that he left for generations to come. If it is ever fully cleansed, none of them will live long enough to see that day. Adding onto that, she was alive. It wasn't the fact of the resurrection itself; Vaylin knew her force potential was above even Valkorion; she could've easily overtaken a dead body. But the fact that in spite of everything that she wanted prior, she still chose life instead of peace at that moment. Why? She wished she could understand. There was nothing worth living for, nothing that sprung to her mind.

She hoped that it would become clear to her after a few days, but the only thing that cleared up was her certainty that she needed to get off this Jedi planet as soon as possible. The prevalence of the light made Vaylin uncomfortable. Satele and some other students began to notice that, too, and though short-term memories Vaylin received when merging with Syl's body were enough to keep up a pretense, this couldn't last for long. Most of the time, she had to find excuses to leave the Temple and 'play' with her own force powers in the woods, forcing herself to relive through nostalgic and bittersweet moments of her past. She didn't get any weaker due to body change; that was good, at least…This was the preparation she needed.

When Vaylin was ready, she left the Temple early in the morning and went towards the Tython spaceport. She would have left as quickly as possible, hopefully not wasting more than one day and revealing her identity to anyone. Vaylin didn't know too much about the grandmaster of the Jedi Order, but it was always good to remain cautious. When she frees herself from this light-side mist, Vaylin will finally be able to have an honest 'conversation' with herself, perhaps even understanding why she decided to live. However, paying for a shuttle wouldn't be enough; too risky to spend her time among so many other people. Vaylin needed her own ship, and to her luck, there were a few available for purchase on Tython. However, when it came to an actual deal, it didn't go as smoothly as Vaylin had hoped.

"Are you serious?" The moody Zabrak, who looked like this salesman's job, ate his entire soul away, said with genuine disbelief when he looked at the number of credits the redhead woman offered him.

"Are you just going to stand there and look at me like I'm shoving you a Hutt's spawn?" Vaylin crossed her hands and raised an eyebrow. Just because she had to pretend to be someone else didn't mean she had to pretend to be patient with people. "Or maybe you'll finally explain your problem."

"Seriously?" The man chuckled. "Those credits will be enough to get you a shuttle or two, not an entire bloody spaceship! Even children know something like that. From what kind of black hole did you even fall out of?"

"Well, you could say it's quite far…" Vaylin tried to look at the irony in a positive light, even though she felt like a fool. Lack of credits has never been a problem in her life, so she naturally assumed that whatever Syl had would at least get her off this plane. "Doesn't matter, really. Too bad, that's all the credits I have."

"Too bad, huh? Well, I'm not taking it. You want to earn enough for a spaceship; go get a job and do something productive." Zabrak was about to turn around but soon saw a lightsaber on Vaylin's belt, causing him to slow down. "You're with the Jedi, aren't you? Should go ask them. I heard they try and get some kind of ship for their youth, even if it's some rusty junk."

"That's not an option, I'm afraid, but now that I think about it…" This scum was getting on her nerves, and it was not like anyone could stop Vaylin if she just decided to take the ship. The woman reached out for her lightsaber, only a few slivers of self-restraint keeping her from decapitating him here and now. It would be funny to see his head rolling on the floor, especially if Vaylin cuts it quickly enough and he still keeps that disgruntled frown. But then, on the other hand, if she gets a ship illegally, she can easily be tracked…Vaylin knew that there were strong measures in place to prevent those types of incidents. For a moment, the woman mused on her course of action, eventually concluding that it was safer to buy the spaceship without breaking any laws…Laws directly associated with it, of course. "Think about getting a job, of course. Any advice on how to earn credits quickly?"

"Why the hell would I care?" The salesman chuckled. "Go and help your Jedi clean their training grounds, I don't know."

"I said 'quickly'." Vaylin reiterated. "And if you're not keen on clues, that means I need a job offered by someone wealthy and willing to pay a good amount."

"Damn, I knew you had a temper the moment you opened your mouth, but this is just rich!"

"Yes, 'rich' is exactly what I need now."

"You're bloody hilarious. Your best bet would've been working for Aloys, I guess, being a handmaid or something, but they aren't taking new ones, from what I heard…And definitely not a feisty one."

"Aloys?" Vaylin wondered.

"Yeah, some stuck-up wealthy family that lives in a manor not far from here, recent settlers. Haven't you heard about them?"

"And where…Exactly is their manor?"

"To the East of here, shouldn't be more than an hour away…You aren't seriously going to try it, are you? You'll only make yourself look like an idiot."

"I appreciate this incredibly insightful advice, but I know what I'm doing," Vaylin said with a snark; this one quickly became boring, but at least he gave her a very intriguing lead.

By the time the Aloy family's corpses are discovered, Vaylin will be far away from this planet with all their credits in her hands.

…

Yet wherever the young Jedi went, a pair of curious eyes would follow her every single time. A tall figure hiding in the shadows, merging with the crowds of Tython, making sure not to attract any attention. The huntress was impeccable at becoming invisible without using any tech, a skill she was rather proud of.

Her mission here had little to do with the Padawan. Initially, it was a simple task of evaluating the opponent's forces and analyzing the consequences their latest struggle wrought them. However, the huntress's discovery was something far more curious. She discovered that Satele Shan led the fight against the remnant of the former Sith Emperor himself, standing side by side with Cassian and countless spirits for whom force allowed one last moment of retribution against the man who forever tarnished their fates. But even more than that, there was a curious inconsistency. As the huntress peered into Jedi communications, she discovered that one of Satele's disciples, a woman by the name of Syl, died during this endeavor but then miraculously came back to life. At first, the huntress didn't care too much about it, as she knew force worked in mysterious ways sometimes, but she decided to keep an eye on Syl nonetheless.

What she discovered was that a once-loyal Padawan grew distant from her master and fellow Jedi. In fact, it didn't take long for her to separate from those in the Temple altogether without even contacting them. The rumors were quick to spread, and this was when the huntress's interest peaked. She wondered if Syl was planning to return or if she had something else in mind. Trying to follow her showed the huntress that this woman possessed an impressive amount of force and power; it was obvious even to someone like her. A power she tried to train and withhold away from others…But not from the huntress. It was too much power for a simple Padawan, and the more the huntress watched Syl, the more she would be adamant in her belief that Syl's powers and motives had changed since the incident, but why? With a place with so many vengeful ghosts, there could only be one reason, though the huntress didn't care for theorizing. She preferred to simply watch and learn.

As Syl left the port, a figure with a black mask covering her face watched her target continue her journey, and by that point, the huntress already made her decision. Wherever Syl would go, she would follow. The huntress took out her comlink.

"Ninth Siren to First Archon. I found someone that you'll be interested in."