Alys sat back in her chair in Darth Arkous's office with her arms crossed with Jaesa standing next to her. To say she was livid would be a detrimental understatement, but she trained her eyes on Darth Arkous. He had just explained everything with Tython and Korriban, saying that they had taken back their academy with Tython lost to the Republic. Alys couldn't see anything other than a complete failure on the Empire's part. Arkous said that it was a momentous day as the Republic retreated to their own core worlds. Neither government won and both had lost.

The sith kept her attention fixed on Arkous, but she watched Lana in her peripherals. The quiet advisor hadn't said much, as was her custom, but Alys couldn't say it was a surprise. It was why she had brought her apprentice. She wanted Jaesa to see their true hearts and report back to her when they left. Alys had all but tuned Arkous out when he stepped towards her.

"And I will make sure that you are credited with your magnificent find," he informed, gesturing towards the large crate in the middle of the room. Alys turned to the artifact and fought to keep her face neutral. She had asked about its purpose a dozen times over, and she hadn't been given a satisfactory response. It was a weapon to turn the tide of the war. It was a priceless find. It will bring glory to the Empire. Arkous never specified what it was designed for.

"Wonderful," Alys replied with a grin towards him. "Now that Korriban is back in our hands, what's the plan now?"

"I have nothing planned as of yet, but I'm sure I will have something soon. Once we know what course of action to take, I will notify you immediately," he answered as he gestured for her to stand. Reluctantly, she did as he showed her out the door. "Until then, strike terror into the Republic, as you always do."

"Farewell, Arkous," she replied before glancing at Lana. Alys noticed that Lana only bowed her head and then kept her gaze on Alys's. She nodded as well, realizing that the doubt she felt in Lana was truly present. Jaesa bowed deeply to each of the sith individually before following her teacher out the door.

Alys stalked back to the elevator and directed it to the main floor. Jaesa stood beside her in silence, waiting to give her assessment. Alys had warned her of too many wandering eyes and listening ears, as most, if not all, sith were devious and waiting for a sign of weakness. It would be better if they could speak privately aboard the ship. However, when they stepped off the elevator to head towards the hangar, Alys heard her holo go off. When she answered, she saw Lana standing before her.

"Lana," Alys greeted casually. The holo sith bowed.

"Wrath," she replied before straightening. "There is a matter I would like to discuss with you. Privately."

"Location?" was Alys's only response. It seemed to catch the sith off guard, but she nodded.

"Cantina. I will find you," Lana informed before the holo shut off. Alys returned the device to her pocket and turned to Jaesa.

"Whatever she can say to me she can say to you," Alys informed before her apprentice had an opportunity to speak. Jaesa smiled before her teacher turned back to the elevator.

The cantina was lively, as usual, when the two women walked down the stairs to the bar floor. Alys found a small table near the stairs, almost hidden in the shadow. She sat down with Jaesa next to her, and they waited. It wasn't long before the blonde sith found her way towards them. Lana and Alys watched each other carefully as the advisor sat across from them.

"Care for a drink?" Alys offered, gesturing towards the bar.

"No time for that," Lana replied, shaking her head. "I need to discuss Darth Arkous."

"I'm listening."

"I think that you both know that something isn't right," Lana began, glancing at Jaesa. "It's too coincidental that both our forces and the Republic were able to attack Tython and Korriban nearly simultaneously. I had a feeling that something was wrong when you were sent to Kashyyyk, but I had assumed that it was the Shadowlands. Shortly after you left, Arkous told me the plans for Tython. I thought it was strange that he didn't have you lead the strike. You would have inspired thousands of imperial troops."

"I did think it was strange that I was sent for a retrieval mission. I hadn't searched for an artifact myself since I was an apprentice," Alys replied, leaning forward on the table.

"I think Arkous is up to something, but I'm not sure what it is," Lana sighed. "I want to look deeper into this and find the truth."

"Darth Arkous did seem to be hiding something," Jaesa added as Alys nodded, giving a silent approval.

"I just need someone to help me find the truth if I am right," Lana finished, glancing between the two of them. "This is bigger than just a few attacks on academy worlds. I feel that the entire Empire is in danger."

"How do you know?" Alys wondered as the blonde sith shrugged.

"Something in the Force is tugging at my mind, as if I'm supposed to turn around and see something," Lana explained before shaking her head again. "I think it's tied to Darth Arkous, but I'm not sure."

"You need to be sure, Lana," Alys whispered as Jaesa nodded.

"I promise to investigate further. Will you help me if I'm right?" Lana asked softly, afraid someone would eavesdrop. Alys nodded and leaned back.

"The second you discover anything, let me know. I'll inform my crew to forward you to me, no matter the time," Alys promised, holding her hand over her heart. Lana gave a relieved smile before she stood.

"I will inform you immediately," she agreed before she leaned her head forward. "Thank you for meeting with me, Wrath."

"May the Force serve you well," Alys replied before Lana retreated out of sight. Without another word, Alys and Jaesa went back to the hangar towards the ship.

Once they were on the ship, Alys found her captain reading with his feet up on the dash. He was rigid, as if he had forced himself to sit and read, and he immediately turned towards her when she entered. Quinn went to stand, but then thought better of it. She nodded towards him before she input new coordinates into the navicomputer. He watched her carefully as she felt his worry and fear spike. She did her best not to sigh as she turned towards him.

"I'm glad to see you enjoying your time off," she smiled before patting his shoulder. Quinn put his feet down and stared at her while she left. "When you finish that chapter, you can start the engines!"

Aly laughed to herself once she was back in her own quarters. She hung up her cape and armor, leaving her tunic and pants in place. She had picked a small planet near the outer rim to relax. She had investigated it shortly after Baras had been defeated before Malgus had decided to kick up a fuss. It was an ocean world with beautiful resorts, perfect for vacation. She knew that Arkous and Lana would prefer that she reignite the imperial pride or at least help rebuild the sith academy. Instead, she decided to do something for the good of her crew as only Jaesa and Quinn would be remotely interested in clean-up duty. Alys frowned at the idea of bringing her apprentice to a planet so filled with the dark side.

She chased the thought away with the ideas of warm sand and bright beaches. Alys thought of Vette and Jaesa playing in the water while she and Quinn had drinks in their hands while they lounged in the sand. She couldn't care less about what Pierce and Broonmark would be doing, but she would imagine that they would also have a nice time in the sun. They had earned a moment for themselves.

Alys's pleasant daydreams were interrupted when there was a knock on her door. She closed her wardrobe and slid the door open. Quinn stood there and he looked rather conflicted. She could tell that he was irritated but knew better than to start a conversation by lecturing.

"Is this about the coordinates?" she asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Yes."

"You're going to be the death of me, Quinn," she groaned. His jaw clenched and she sighed. "I mentioned taking a vacation."

"You did."

"And you disapprove of the location?"

"I do."

"Alright," Alys sighed before she beckoned him into her quarters. He paused, unsure of himself, before he entered. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it. She waited a moment before she rolled her eyes. "If I have to give you permission to speak freely, I'll-"

"Lord Willsaam explained what Advisor Beniko had said," Quinn quickly explained as Alys nodded. She didn't think her apprentice would talk about the meeting with Quinn, but she was glad that she trusted him enough with the information. "Going to a world on the outer rim is not going to help the given situation. There is a potential traitor among us, and we are going to a tiny world far away. We need to deal with this."

"If you recall, Lana said that she was going to investigate it. If I start snooping around, then Arkous will get suspicious. If he is the traitor, then I want to catch him off guard. We can't let him slip away," Alys explained calmly. "If we leave for vacation, news will spread and Arkous will relax. Maybe even get sloppy. He's on the Dark Council, and without the Wrath lurking around the corner, Lana will find her information."

"You trust this Beniko a lot," he commented, unable to hide the malice in his tone.

"I trust her enough to do her job," she countered evenly. Quinn flinched at her words and looked away. "I know that things are starting to get out of hand, but I think the time away will be good for everyone."

"To be clear, I am not arguing against taking time off," he replied, bringing his gaze back to her. "I am just saying that maybe we should be a little closer than across the galaxy."

"Where did you have in mind?" Alys asked, humoring her captain.

"I hear Ziost is nice this time of year."

"Isn't that where the imperial military academy is?" she remembered before she shook her head. "Let's go somewhere at least a little more remote. I want to go somewhere where I won't have to be the Wrath."

"That is your title."

"And titles get old. I would love just to walk around and be Alys Renata. No Lord. No Darth. No Wrath. Just Alys Renata," she explained, trying to get through to him. For the first time in a while, Quinn looked surprised. She sighed and waved her hand. "Forget about it. Just choose a place that you'd like."

"Does having a title bother you?" he asked candidly. Alys blinked up at him with her mouth slightly opened. Panic struck her veins as she realized that she had been too open with him too soon. Silence filled the room before she found her voice again. There wasn't much use in lying to the captain.

"Sometimes," she answered quietly. She cleared her throat and shrugged, trying to brush it off. "It gets old after a while."

"How badly does it bother you?" Quinn wondered. Alys stared at him as she felt the panic fade away. He was genuinely curious, and she could feel his compassion for her through his words.

"I hate it when the crew uses it," she responded, facing him. She hoped that he could hear the hidden words in her statement. She hated it when he used it. Alys didn't dare say that, not sure that she was ready to take it a step further.

"Should I stop using your title?" he asked carefully. Alys wanted to burst into laughter, but she just smiled instead.

"Only on the ship or in more secluded areas," she amended. His nervousness returned as he realized he was entering a new territory. "Unfortunately, I still need to keep up appearances as the Wrath, and I'm not sure how many would take me seriously if I had everyone stop using my title. It's still a token of power."

"Indeed," he agreed with a nod. "It will take some getting used to, but I will endeavor to do my best."

"You always do," Alys added before she opened her door. "And I was serious about choosing the place. I don't want to pick a place only to hear you bitch and moan about it."

"I certainly do not bitch and moan," Quinn replied, rather offended.

"Go choose a planet," she repeated as he walked out of the room. "And choose a good one. You know my preferences."

"Yes, my l-" he began before starting over. "Renata."

Alys closed the door once he turned around and she held her head against it. So close and yet so far. It wasn't long before she heard the engines engaged, and they were leaving the station. She walked over to her bed and laid down, turning her attention to her datapad. Neither Lana nor Arkous had sent her any additional debriefs or reports, irritating her once again.

She left her room and went to the main area to grab something to eat from the synthesizer. She sat near the holoterminal and picked at her food. Thoughts of Korriban entered her mind and she wondered if she should have gone back to help with the reconstruction. She didn't have fond memories of that place, but she did owe her life to it. Although, as much as she was conflicted, Alys found that she didn't want to go back. There was also a good chance that they would move the Dark Council off world after an attack like that.

"Hey, Alys," Vette greeted with a grin as she sat next to the sith. Alys smiled back. "How are you holding up? I didn't get a chance to touch base after we found out about Korriban."

"I'm fine," Alys replied with a shrug. "The damned place could use a little humiliation."

"That place didn't make for good memories," Vette agreed. "Did you get any more details?"

"Other than the Republic retreated and we didn't hold Tython for much longer than they held Korriban? No, not really," Alys huffed before going into a few more details. "We think there might be a traitor among the sith, but we're not sure. There's an agent looking into it."

"That's good to hear at least. It's strange that Arkous wouldn't put you in the front lines, though," she remarked as she rested her head against the chair. "No rest for the wicked, eh?"

"Har har," Alys teased, crossing her arms. "I actually thought we should have a few days to ourselves. I'm not sure how excited you'll be, but I had Quinn choose the planet."

"That man has never taken a vacation in his life. Why did you entrust this to him?"

"I had to compromise somehow."

"I think you're the only sith in history to know the word."

"You're probably right about that," Alys chuckled, starting to pick at her food again.

"Where did he choose anyway?"

"No idea, I haven't made my way up to the bridge yet," she shrugged as Vette groaned.

"He's going to take us to Kaas City or Ziost."

"I already forbade Ziost."

"At least you haven't completely lost your mind," Vette sighed, resting her head on Alys's shoulder. "I get to pick the next place, though. We'll go somewhere actually fun."

"I'll hold you to that," Alys grinned, leaning her head on top of Vette's. "We'll make more time for relaxation."

"With a war on the horizon? I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"I'm the Emperor's Wrath. I can go where I please," she reminded.

"Touché," Vette commented. They sat there for a few moments before the engine made a strange noise. With an exhale and a complaint, Vette stood up and wandered back towards the commotion.

Alys cleaned up her meal after Vette left and she wandered toward the bridge. However, Quinn saw her coming and stood in front of the doorway, blocking her path. Before she could question, the doors shut behind him and she stared up at him.

"You alright?" she asked, surprised by his behavior. He nodded and cleared his throat.

"I thought it might be more sporting if I kept the location a secret," he replied. Her eyes widened and he held up his hands. "Unless I was wrong, then by all means."

"And ruin the surprise? Not on your life," Alys chuckled as she beamed. Quinn exhaled in relief before she took a step back. "I never would have thought you could be playful."

"I have surprised you before," he replied. He was back in uncharted territory again.

"But this will be a pleasant surprise, I'm sure," Alys reassured before she looked at him through her lashes. "Unless you mean to do me or the crew harm."

"Never again, my, uh, Renata" he quickly corrected. Alys bit her lip, playing down her grin.

"Your Renata, huh?" she repeated. His cheeks turned pink as he started stuttering.

"I don't appreciate being teased," he groaned after she laughed for a moment. "I am trying."

"I know, and I appreciate your attempts."

"Attempts?"

"You really think that I would complain about titles so you could use my surname?" she asked. Quinn held her gaze, not giving any semblance of whether he knew what she was asking or not. She sighed again and patted his cheek. "Let me know when we land."

"I will," he nodded before she turned away, needing a few moments of meditation.