It was late when Lorash opened the door to her room, sleepy-eyed but unable to rest peacefully. Her dreams were vivid in their terror. She could calm her heart when she awoke, but after the fourth nightmare about a crimson lightsaber burning through her chest, she was ready to try something other than sleep.

Seia's door stood open, warm light spilling into the hallway. It was probably to help keep things cool. The part of the system that recirculated air connected to the sith's room was still pumping in heat too, despite Yyr's best efforts. They would pick up the part to fix it in the morning, along with several pallets worth of guns to be hidden in shielded compartments under the subflooring and between walls.

Eso claimed not to be a smuggler most of the time, but had said, "It's better to have a few smuggler's holds and not need them than need them and not have them." Given the number of them on the little cruiser, Lorash suspected he was underselling his smuggling experience.

She heard Seia's voice speaking in a strange language, repeating something like a mantra. It was sibilant and dark, suited perfectly to the sith's temperament.

Lorash closed her eyes, the nightmare returning to mind. Was it Seia who killed her? The blow came from behind. It was only pain, fear, and then agony beyond description mingled with the glow of crimson as a saber burst through her chest.

Why wouldn't it be? Seia seemed an intensely pragmatic woman. If Lorash became a liability, the sith would cut her down. Perhaps she would even do it just for cruelty's sake.

And yet, Seia had saved her in the cantina, a gesture that had risked the sith's own hide significantly more than turning a blind eye would have. Surely one less jedi in the world…

"You may come in."

Apparently her presence had been noticed. Lorash stepped in sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't intending to bother you. I know it's late."

Seia sat cross-legged on the floor with her eyes closed, a position not so different from Lorash's favorite way to meditate. Her lightsaber was placed in front of her. "You are not disturbing me."

"You sounded busy."

Those grey eyes flickered open, fixing on her with their usual intensity. "A recitation of the Code in Sith does not constitute preoccupation. It is always there, in my every breath. I do not need to speak it and I may always begin again after you have left."

"The Sith have a code?" Lorash said, surprised. "Master Vori said they rebelled against the ordering of the Force."

"We compile the truth of our way simply enough that every apprentice can internalize it, likely for much the same reasons as the Jedi." Seia motioned for her to sit. "It is anathema to your order's beliefs."

"Do you know much of the Jedi?"

"I was trained to fight them. I tested myself in battle against the Republic and its jedi defenders countless times. So yes, I could tell you much." She gave Lorash a feline smile. "Would you trust the words of a sith, though?"

"I don't know," Lorash admitted readily.

Seia laughed. "As honest as ever. Shall I recite my code for you instead of your own? I am the first and last of your foe that you will likely ever have a chance to study from."

The jedi padawan hesitated. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to hear it."

Seia nodded. "It is a simple thing." She closed her eyes again, perfectly comfortable even as the darkness inside her moved restlessly.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me."

The first line hit Lorash particularly hard, but so did the last. "What is it freeing you from?" She asked quietly.

Seia opened her eyes again. "My father taught me that true victory is not the mere domination of the battlefield, though that is a significant part. Many sith end there, forgetting that there is more. Most important is mastery of the self, the destruction of one's own weakness. All of us walk the galaxy bound by our fears and frailty, enslaved by our doubts. To ascend beyond such things can only happen through the Force."

"And you really think peace is a lie?"

"I know it is," Seia corrected. She seemed to sense Lorash's intent to argue and sighed. "A conversation for another night. You are not in a state where your words will be chosen carefully."

Lorash crossed her arms defensively. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"The shadows around your eyes say that you require sleep. You should have been in bed hours ago. You need that rest in order to train." If the sith's tone wasn't so sharp and cold, Lorash might have taken it as concern.

"I can't sleep," the padawan admitted. "Every time I do, I die." You kill me.

And yet, she felt better here, talking to Seia. It was unnerving when she thought about it, so she tried not to.

Seia raised an eyebrow. "What have you done for nightmares before? I expect the jedi have a way of handling them."

"I told Master Vori about them," Lorash said. "He always knows what to say."

The sith shifted slightly. "You have come to the wrong place for such words."

Lorash hesitated for a moment. "Do you ever have nightmares, Seia?"

The sith laughed. "I am a nightmare to others. Is that not enough?"

"Some part of you is still human," Lorash said more gently. "I don't think the Dark Side is all that you are."

"Then you do not know me well." Seia's words were harsh and dismissive.

It was not enough to deter Lorash. She asked her next question, emboldened by exhaustion. "Why did you save me in the cantina?"

Seia's face hardened. "I have known his kind before. I have a special hatred for those who pretend to power and use it in such a way. He was a pathetic worm. Killing him would have purified the Sith. Yet he lives to make a mockery of all the powers we hold. I hope his master disposes of him appropriately painfully."

The venom in Seia's voice sent a chill down Lorash's spine. "So that's all? Because you hate him?"

Seia frowned, studying Lorash. "What answer are you fishing for, jedi?"

"I don't know," Lorash said, pushing her own confusion down. "I should go back to bed."

"Your nightmare, what is it?" Seia's question was abrupt, startling Lorash.

"A red lightsaber burning through my chest from behind," Lorash said.

"If Inquisitor Zul is significantly powerful, he may send such a thing as a menace," Seia said after a moment of deliberation. "Sleep here and I will see if I can detect another presence through the Force."

Lorash had no idea what to make of the gesture. "I am not throwing you out of your bed because I had a bad dream."

"I am serious. Such influence would be very dangerous."

The jedi hesitated. "And where will you sleep?"

Seia looked at her like she was an idiot. "The floor."

Lorash frowned. The floor was hard, cold metal. Even with a blanket or two, there was no way it could be comfortable for Seia. "No. I'm going back to my room."

"Dreams through the Force are not to be ignored, Lorash," Seia said firmly. "We cannot risk not knowing if Zul is threatening or trying to control you. I have slept in worse conditions, including in a hermetically sealed chamber in stasis, standing on my feet, for a very long time. I am not so weak that laying on the floor will trouble me."

"We don't know that it's anything other than a normal nightmare," Lorash said, rising to her feet. She turned and walked out the door, fully aware that Seia had risen to her feet like a wraith and was following.

The sith closed the distance between them, pinning Lorash to the walkway railing that separated the upper level from the cargo bay below, designed to stop people from falling. "You know little of the Force, Lorash," the sith said in a low, dark tone. "You know even less of the Dark Side. Believe me in this."

"You're asking me to trust you?" Lorash stilled, fighting her urge to struggle away from the scarred hands trapping her own to the walkway's railing.

"You trust me to train you," Seia said harshly. "You trust that I won't merely kill you. I am not trying to harm you for the moment. I only wish to ensure that this inquisitor is not a threat to myself or you."

Lorash pulled in a deep breath. There was logic to Seia's statements, however much she disliked it. After all, she had agreed to learn combat from Seia and the sith had yet to actually try to kill her. "Why are you doing this?"

Seia glared at her. "I just told you."

"No, why are you helping me at all?"

The sith let go of her and stepped back. "You are more useful to me alive," she said indifferently. "I do not know the galaxy as it is and a second pair of eyes has its uses. Jedi are not known to betray their allies."

"And that's all," Lorash said, frustrated. Parts of her wanted to like Seia, but at every turn, the sith spat out thorns that made it impossible. Master Vori had told her to always watch for the good in people, but in Seia all she saw was a self-serving creature of rage and scorn. "Because I'm useful."

"Correct."

Lorash stepped into her room and closed the door in Seia's face, locking it. She might get hell for it in the morning, provided Seia didn't just cut through it now with her lightsaber, but she didn't care. She was tired of dealing with the sith for the evening and needed time to herself to ease her stinging emotions.

By the time she fell asleep, she had returned to her usual calm. For the rest of the night, she slept soundly.

Morning came and Lorash reluctantly headed out to the kitchen. Eso was brewing a cup of tea and Yyr was gnawing his way through a roast piece of something, but there was no sign of Seia.

"Good, you're awake," Eso said. He seemed in a good, if focused, mood. "My contacts are, uh, delivering the shipment this morning. We should all be ready, in case there's, uh, trouble."

"Where's Seia?" Lorash asked.

"Her room? I haven't seen her all, uh, morning."

Lorash shook her head. "Her door was open. I didn't see her."

Yyr swallowed a chunk of his roast and growled.

Eso frowned. "Yyr saw her, uh, leave the ship. She'd better be back by the time of the deal. We, uh, may need the muscle."

The sound of the airlock door opening announced someone's arrival. Lorash hurried to the balcony over the cargo bay.

Seia stepped in, a bag tucked under one arm and another slung over her shoulder. She was wearing the street clothes that Eso had bought for her. Instead of coming up the stairs to the kitchen, she took the other stairs and headed immediately to her room.

Eso studied Lorash intently. "Something, uh, happen?"

Lorash sighed, combing her fingers through her hair. "I don't know. I should talk to her."

A soft ping alerted Eso to his comm. He checked the message and then rubbed his hands together. "All hands on deck, they're almost here." He leaned over the balcony. "Seia, we are in need of your expertise! They're almost here."

Seia emerged from her room with her mercenary armor instead of whatever she'd picked up and then joined them in the kitchen. "Were they followed?"

Eso rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "My contact mentioned that they thought a security officer was paying, uh, a little too close of attention. We may have the port authorities coming. I, uh, arranged for a secondary cargo, some spices bound for Naboo. Once we have the weapons offloaded on Alderaan, we'll have enough cash to bribe our way through any trouble."

Seia started buckling on her armor. She'd spent enough time taking it on and off that it was a surprisingly quick process. "Lorash should stay on the ship. If the port authority or Imperial military show up, she would be most easily recognizable."

"How am I supposed to help then?" Lorash asked with a frown.

Their pilot nodded his agreement with Seia's plan. "Sorry, Lorash. Sitting this one out is, uh, probably for the best. The less attention we draw, the better."

"And if something goes wrong?"

Eso flashed her a quick smile. "We retreat into the ship and fly out of here. Now that we have Yyr on the crew, we, uh, have a gunner if things get really rough. He'll be up here with you to use some of the ship's weapons if any fight in the hangar bay gets, uh, out of hand."

"I don't like the idea of sitting on my hands," Lorash admitted. "Particularly if that means only you two are taking all the risk."

"Well, you can always hop down into the, uh, lower turret and keep an eye on things," Eso offered. "We'll keep comms open so you hear what's being said." His comm pinged again and the pilot gave Seia a nod. "They're here."

Lorash sighed. "May the Force be with you, both of you." Without waiting for an answer, she headed to the lower turret. It poked out of the underside of the ship. She wasn't much of a gunner, but being able to at least see what was going on offered her the opportunity to warn Eso and Seia of any additional trouble. She switched on the ship comm, to play in the turret, and tucked herself into the seat, hands resting on the controls.

She heard the main door of the cargo bay open, but thankfully it only blocked her shot up to her left. The meet was happening directly ahead.

The squeaking language she heard told her exactly who Eso and Seia were meeting with: ugnaughts. "We need to hurry, Eso," one said. "This is for the Republic."

"Don't worry, we're taking everything exactly where it's due," Eso promised, voice crackling over the comm. "Just start getting it loaded."

Another ugnaught spoke, voice slightly deeper and more masculine. "We may have been suspected."

Eso stayed calm. "It'll take them a bit to get people down here. The faster we work, the more of the cargo that gets on the ship."

The sound of a powered forklift kicked on and they started to pile crates in as fast as they could. Anything small enough, Seia and Eso hauled back and forth with the help of a half-dozen ugnaughts.

Lorash caught sight of an approaching problem, blood freezing in her veins. She reminded herself to stay calm and then hit the button to broadcast over their comm system. "Eso, Seia, you have about a dozen stormtroopers coming with rifles out. I see one with a small rocket of some kind."

Eso cursed. "If he hits munitions with a rocket, he could blow a hole in the ship. Then we're not going anywhere."

"I will hold him in place." Seia stepped out of the cargo bay, taking cover behind a crate that was just blaster rifles. "Yyr, if he is immobile, could you take him out?"

The ugnaughts squealed in terror and scattered at the sight of the storm troopers. Eso scrambled over to grab the controls for the autoloader. "I'll get as much in as I can. Seia, you're going to have to do the rest!"

A hail of blaster fire hit Seia's position, with a few stray shots going at Eso. He was inside the loader's exoskeleton now, however, so the laser fire had limited effect as he hurried to load crates.

One of the ship's ion cannons flared to life, firing straight at the stormtrooper with the rocket before he could finish taking aim. He was blown backwards and the rocket spun as it was launched, hitting the floor and rebounding up at the ceiling of the hangar. It exploded, destroying half the lights. There was still plenty of illumination streaming through the open hangar doors, but a trooper went to sprint for the controls to close off escape.

"Seia, on your right!" Lorash shouted.

The sith turned behind her cover and saw the trooper running. She launched herself after him, charging as fast as she could, but it was all across open ground. Blaster fire struck the sith as she moved, but it didn't seem to slow her down and most of it just missed with how fast she was moving. She hit the trooper from behind in a tackle, taking them both to the ground where they would be harder to hit.

Lorash sucked in a deep breath. Without suppressing fire, Seia would have to take barrage after barrage, and eventually that would get through her durasteel armor. As much as the jedi didn't want to hurt anyone, inaction here would likely cause two deaths: Seia's, but also Eso's. She let the gatling laser whir up to speed and then covered the matched triggers with both index fingers, one hand on each control.

I'm sorry.

A roar of green light filled the cargo bay, spraying across the ranks of the stormtroopers. Some were hit, many were able to dive for cover. Lorash was no expert, but she trusted that just forcing them to keep their heads down would help. She did a three-second burst, then took a deep breath and centered herself again. She would only fire when they started to try and maneuver out from behind their cover, that way the hangar walls and assorted debris would take the brunt of the assault.

Eso kept working as Lorash applied pressure, adding the next few crates despite stray blaster fire and the untidy pile of cargo he was making.

Eventually the stormtroopers stopped advancing, taking the occasional shot at Seia as she moved over to take cover behind the truck that had brought in the crates.

"I think we're going to be good," Eso panted over the comm.

A sudden burst of crimson light from the direction of the stormtroopers sent a surge of fear through Lorash's veins. The dark silhouette of a hooded figure bearing a lightsaber approached without hesitation. "Seia!" Lorash shouted to warn their sith. She fired a shot at the approaching menace.

The lightsaber flicked, reflecting the bolt straight for the ship's ion cannon. Lorash winced at the sound of an explosion followed by the frustrated howl of a wookie.

"What do you mean the ion cannon's down?" Eso jerked his head around to look towards the stormtroopers and cursed. "Run!"