So close to a decisive victory, only to be forced to flee in shame and despair.

This was a single thought that circled in Lana's mind no matter how much she tried to distract herself. There was more than enough work to be done in Xarion and Seeker's HQ on Rishi, but none of it was enough. She tried to trace signals from Odessen and other sources, anything that would help them to resist Jadus. After losing Scourge and Kira, they were in a desperate search.

This was a direct shot, and Jadus won. The realization of this sting, but what's more, Jadus didn't outplay them in a game of wits or even a contest of strength. If it wasn't for the Voidcaller, he would've fallen to the trio before long. He simply used tools made by his scientists and weapons found on Iokath, something that Jac and his group tried to counter without success. Lana saw how the battle concluded and how close Scourge was to dealing with the final blow, only to be undercut at the very last moment. This is the shame they would never go away, even if they defeated Jadus.

But no one suffered more because of this than Jacques Elias. Lana was shaken, but she quickly took hold of herself and began to work along with Xarion and Seeker, but the same couldn't be said for Jac. He was inconsolable, locked himself off in his bedroom, and barely spoke, even hearing occasional moans and weeps coming from his room. Lana never discussed it with Xarion and the Seeker; it would only take their attention off their work. However, after spending so much time fighting by Jacques's side, seeing him in such a state made Lana's heartache. When there was an opportunity, she would always try to talk to him, but nothing could bring him peace. Some of Lana's attempts were engraved in her memory, and it made her feel even less powerful.

"I failed them…"

"Jac, I told you, you did your best. Most people wouldn't be able to wound Jadus, and you almost killed him."

"Almost doesn't count. If I judged myself by normal people's standards, I would've never gotten this far."

"Point is, we can't waste our energy on mourning…I'm sorry, I know it's incredibly hard for you now, but…"

"Do you really? It would've been me…Not them."

"Jac, you need to continue the fight…"

"I failed them. I saw Kira die, and I…I couldn't save her. I left Scourge behind!"

"We will do everything to free him; I can promise you that. Think about what he would want; he'd want you to escape and continue the fight, not sacrifice yourself for him.

"I understand, but still…"

"You still have a lot to fight for, Jac. Scourge would've understood and supported you."

"I know…I know. I'd rather be alone for now, Lana."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She could only hope that, in time, he would recover. This hope, along with her work, was the only thing that distracted her from thinking of their failure, of countless Alliance members that remained trapped on Odessen, and worse, whatever Jadus had in store for the galaxy. Everything was about to unravel, and Lana couldn't deny that the prospect worried her.

However, there was always hope remaining. Lana remembered that when she detected a signal.

"Xarion, I've found something." The woman called her ally and began to analyze the signal. "It's coming from Copero…Estate of the Casd clan? That's interesting; why would Cassian's parents…No, that's not them. Is this Zakuulan encryption? Someone's sending it across the galaxy, but…Wait, I know that code! The Harvester's Crown, that's a codeword that…Xarion, tell Jac about this immediately! We found Cassian."

At long last, a new hope emerged.

…

Ever since Cassian's parents died, it felt as if the time around him stopped. He sent a signal from the stronghold, left this accursed place along with Vaylin, and returned to the ship to relax after a day of 'hard work,' but something still felt wrong. Cassian sat in his cabin completely alone, trying to make sense of the whirlwind of his emotions. He felt satisfaction when Dezuno and Demawre died, but he still thought of their last moments and deaths. Going over their pain and cries over and over again. Was it regret or joy? Shame that it had to end in a pool of blood or the overwhelming catharsis of seeing his parents get what they deserve? The line between the two has become terribly thin.

Perhaps it was because Vaylin stole his kill? But in the end, she was right…Cassian wanted Demawre to die, but he didn't have it in him to deal the blow. Every time he would try and convince himself, this disgusting, beautiful song she sang to him emerged in his mind, the loop of sound that he desperately wanted to forget and let go of, but not the one that would ever allow for that. He will always remember, even as years would pass. A part of him would always regret that this was how it ended, that he never had a chance to live with loving parents, and that he was thrown into the world to fend for himself so early. All of this could've been different if only they truly cared…

"Mind if I come in?" He hears Vaylin's voice from behind the door, sounding unusually sweet and compassionate. Cassian wasn't sure whether he wanted her company right now, but this tone convinced him.

"Sure," Cassian responded calmly, and Vaylin opened the door. He expected her to be asleep by now, yet it seemed that the young woman was also affected by today's experience. She walked up to the Chiss and sat beside him on the bed. It was strange to see her so concerned and cautious, yet it wasn't the first time. One day, Cassian would get used to this.

"How are you holding up?" She wondered.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I came here to kill those bastards; now they're dead. This should be a cause to celebrate!" Cassian tried to act up and hide the uncertainty and shame in his voice.

"They were still your parents; surely it can't ever be easy."

"Do you know how strange these sounds are coming from you?"

"I'm just saying it like I see it. You hesitated when trying to kill your mother…I didn't think much at the moment and decided to make it easier for you and kill her myself, you know…So you wouldn't have to suffer any longer. But now that I think about it, I didn't even ask you; that was a rush and…A little rude, I suppose." Vaylin sighed. "Sorry if you wanted to do it yourself, I…I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's alright," Cassian reassured her, feeling at ease now. "It was harder than I expected, yes, and I still don't know why. I tried to focus on the task, tried to swing my lightsaber just once, and then…"

"You had some childhood memory popping up at the most unfortunate time?" Vaylin suggested.

"How did you…"

"I've been through it." Vaylin sighed. "After Mother escaped with Arcann, I used all of my resources to hunt her down. Before Voss, there was one other time I came close on Ord Mantell. I fought with Mother back there, and when we were about to get caught in an explosion, I…I protected myself first and foremost, but her, too." She confessed, genuinely surprising Cassian.

"You hated your mother so much…And you still couldn't help but save her?"

"I tried to think that it was because I wanted to kill her myself, but…Burning alive would've been a pretty painful death, and besides, that wasn't how I was thinking at the moment. I was afraid that she would die, and I didn't want her to die…I thought about our times together. Back when I was still a little girl, she was everything to me. I wished…" Tears began to emerge in her eyes, and Cassian could not hold his own back, either. "A part of me still hoped that we could…Forget this all and…I was weak back then, but I was sure that I wouldn't repeat this mistake the next time we met. I didn't want to love her, even a little…Not after what she did! But, oh well, you took that chance from me, and I'll never know. Maybe it's for the better, and I would've hesitated again, just like you did. Sorry, I'm rambling, just…I wanted to help you, alright?"

"Thank you, Vaylin…Thank you." Cassian looked at her and smiled through his tears. Seeing him in such a vulnerable state, Vaylin came closer and cuddled him gently, rubbing Cassian's back and allowing him to relax. Her touch was so soft and gentle, not something one would expect of a cruel galactic empress, yet here they were. Together, they share their loss and triumph, their sorrow and hope, carrying one burden and fighting a shared battle.

"No, thank you. After all the kindness you've shown me, that was the least I could do." Vaylin smiled and reassured him. "I'm glad if I could make it even a little easier."

"I am not sure I would've been able to do it without you, but I had to…I couldn't just turn around and leave. Not after how much we went through to get here. But together…"

"We did it. We avenged you."

"Yes…We did it." Cassian wiped away his tears and allowed a smile of pride to emerge on his face. Perhaps this was a perfect time to spend another night together, but before he could suggest it, he heard the holocomm's sound.

"What's that?" Vaylin raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Someone must have traced our signal." Cassian stood up and rushed to the terminal. "If I did everything right, this has to be an ally." He promptly wiped his tears before checking the terminal. "I recognize this encryption, it's…It has to be Lana or Theron!" He allowed the transmission to emerge and saw a familiar hologram.

"Cassian, is that…Is that really you?!" Lana's voice felt like a spark of much-anticipated relief, as did seeing her face.

"Yes…That's me. Are you calling from Odessen? What happened? Are Jadus's forces still there."

"They are, but I managed to escape and…Hey, is that…"

"Hello." Vaylin showed herself and playfully waved to Lana.

"I…I'm afraid I will need an explanation." The Sith woman said.

"And so do we."

They told each other their stories in great detail, all coming to a single conclusion.

The next stage of their battle began now, and it was long past the time they met on Rishi to discuss it in detail.