The destination had been a pleasant surprise. Quinn had found a neutral planet close to Imperial space that had included a few resort towns. Mon Cala was an oceanic world with very limited land area, which meant that the resorts took over the beaches and the shallow waters. He had booked a couple of rooms for the crew and each of the crew dispersed the moment the ship landed. Everyone but Quinn.
Quinn kept close to Alys, but he acted more like a bodyguard or a security detail. He checked in the rooms and showed her around the resort. Alys had worn a large sunhat with her casual clothing, painfully aware of the other vacationers. However, as the day passed and Quinn continued to show her around, Alys realized that no one recognized her as a Sith Lord or a war hero. Relief and joy filled her as she realized that she could be normal for the first time in years.
Whenever her captain became distracted with what he was doing, Alys would take the time to study him. They had come a long way since his betrayal, but she was surprised how much effort he put in every day towards her trust. She had come into him strongly when they first met, and she thought that they had had a good start to a romantic relationship. Even though she spared and forgave him, Alys had decided that it was best to break up with him. He insisted that he would earn a place at her side, even if it meant just being her captain. She agreed and decided that friendship was good enough for her. She also made a point to make sure he understood that she was not interested in getting back together.
Quinn walked with her along the beach, alert always. Alys nearly begged him to change out of his uniform before they left, which he begrudgingly agreed to. He still wore formal clothing, but nothing that screamed that he worked for the Empire. Instead, as they walked along the beach, he looked like a disgruntled corporate employee forced to enjoy the beach. Alys hoped that he would eventually relax so he didn't look like she had forced him to be on the beach.
Eventually, they found a secluded enough spot away from the resort and the vacationers. Alys immediately sat down on the towel she brought as Quinn did his usual patrol. The sun had started to set, but they still had some time before the light disappeared beneath the water. Alys watched the sunset as she brought her knees to her chest.
It was a strange feeling, being away from the Empire without being on a mission. She almost forgot what it was like to think about something other than being a sith. Sure, she had moments were she could think about other things, but there was always an objective that needed to be taken care of. Now, she could just breathe and watch the sun go down. She noticed that Quinn secured her perimeter, but he never stepped close to where she was watching.
Alys wondered where the rest of her crew went, but she could make some good guesses. Jaesa was probably sticking close to Vette, who either would be gambling or also on the beach. Pierce would also be gambling or telling stories to drunk women in the cantina. Broonmark probably either went into the water to hunt or to patrol the beach. Luckily, Alys trusted Broonmark to dislike people enough where he would avoid the vacationers.
"Alys," Quinn mentioned, startling her as she turned to look up at him. "I think we should start heading back before the sun goes all the way down. It could be dangerous trying to get back in the dark."
"Of course," she replied as she stood. She wished that she had more time to relax, but she had to admit he was right. She wasn't expecting anyone to come out of the blue to attack her, but this planet was sure to have wild animals. Plus, walking along a beach in the dark didn't seem great either.
The trek back was quiet, and when they got back to the resort, Quinn handed her the key to her room. He had bought two rooms, one for her, Jaesa, and Vette, and the other for him, Pierce, and Broonmark. Alys could see that he wasn't thrilled with the arrangement, but he was trying to keep this under the radar for her. He wasn't ever sure where the line was with Alys's informality, so he had to do a lot of guess work. If she was seen entering a room with other people, then people would think that she was an average person at the resort.
The next morning came quicker than Alys had hoped. She had been woken up during the night to a drunk Vette being dragged in by a tired Jaesa. Groggily, Alys had helped put Vette to bed before she fell back onto her own. And just as she fell asleep, morning gave her a rude awakening. Vette had run to the fresher and started vomiting, apparently from having too much fun. Alys groaned as she turned, pulling the covers closer to her.
She almost threw her communicator against the wall when it started to beep. This was supposed to be her vacation, and whoever was on the other side of the communicator was about to get an earful about it. Alys waited a few beeps, hoping the person would give up, but the person seemed to be a persistent one. Sitting up, she clicked it on, expecting to see Quinn or another one of her crew. Not Lana Beniko.
"Lord Wrath?" the human sith questioned, surprised by Alys's lack of decorum. Alys cursed under her breath before trying to smooth out her hair.
"My apologies, Beniko, I thought you were one of my crew members. I would have gotten dressed if I had expected your call so soon," Alys answered carefully, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. Lana bowed in the holo.
"My apologies, Wrath, I didn't mean to intrude. I was able to find out more about the situation you and I spoke about," Lana mentioned as Alys sat up a little straighter. It had been barely a week since she had spoken with the sith about her theory about a conspiracy.
"I see," Alys replied.
"It's not safe to speak here. I will send coordinates to my location. Please meet with me as soon as possible," Lana continued. Alys clenched her jaw, ready to turn down the sith. However, as much as she wished it wasn't, it was more important than her vacation. But, if it was a quick meeting, they could return and continue their time off.
"Understood. I will prep my ship, and I shall be there soon," Alys informed before shutting off the holo. She sighed, letting the communicator fall to her side as she put her hands on her head. It seems that two weeks off seemed too much to ask for.
"Are you alright?" Jaesa asked, carrying a stack of towels towards the fresher.
"Lana has uncovered more information about the cantina discussion we had. I need to go to investigate," Alys explained. "Although, with Vette's state, I think that you and Quinn will accompany me while Pierce looks after her."
"What about Broonmark?"
"I don't have time to go searching for him. I'll send him a message to be ready for when we return. If he's on the ship by the time we leave, then he can come," Alys sighed as she stood up. Jaesa nodded before continuing to the fresher.
Alys sent a message to the rest of the crew about her decision. Quinn was quick to respond, rather glad it was going to just be the three of them for the small trip. Pierce came up to their room and spoke with Jaesa about Vette's condition. The lieutenant had grown close to the other two crewmembers, especially Vette. Those two generally would either avoid Quinn like the plague or play little pranks to get the captain riled up.
Vette was disappointed that she couldn't join in the little adventure, but her complaints were cut short as she threw up again. Alys told her that it would be a quick trip, and they would only be gone for a day or two at most. Pierce said that he would look after Vette, and Alys left with Jaesa for the ship.
Quinn had already arrived, prepping the ship to leave by the time the two sith arrived. Alys went straight to the helm as Jaesa went to the engine room. Vette had shown her a few things in case something happened. Quinn glanced up at Alys before he started the preflight checklist.
"Ready to go?" he asked as Alys sat in the navigational chair.
"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this quick so we can come back and relax a little longer before we're called out again," she grumbled, leaning back in the chair.
Quinn heeded her words, and they entered hyperspace before she knew it. She watched as the blue swirl enveloped them, stretching out through infinity. Quinn leaned back before doing his usual check of each instrument as he always did. Alys stayed in the chair, wondering what Lana could have uncovered so quickly.
The trip to Manaan was quicker than she had expected. Quinn mentioned that Manaan was close to the core worlds of the republic, but it was a straight shot from Mon Cala. It was through mostly neutral space as well, so they didn't have to worry about getting into any skirmishes. She hummed her approval as the ocean world came into view as they left hyperspace.
Once Alys and Jaesa got through customs and were able to descend planet side, Alys got another set of coordinates from an anonymous source. Lana had sent their meeting place, and it was close to where they had landed. She motioned for her apprentice to follow her, wondering if leaving Quinn on the ship was her best plan.
Alys led Jaesa through a large building before coming to what she could describe as a large conference room. It had a large desk and plenty of presentation monitors. Alys walked in, wondering if she needed to call out to her ally, but Lana turned the corner and smiled.
"You made it," she breathed.
"You did say it was important. What did you find?" Alys asked before a second person turned the corner. It was a taller man with brown hair, implants, and a flashy red jacket. She took a step back, deciding that he definitely did not look imperial. She stood in front of Jaesa and grabbed her sabers.
"This is going well," the man groaned as he held up his hands. Alys could hear the mocking tone in her voice.
"He's with me," Lana began as Alys raised an eyebrow at her. "What I found is that someone in the Republic was working with Arkous. The SIS also caught wind, and we bumped into each other."
"So now we're working with the Republic?" Alys asked, holding her stance.
"No, only with an ally," Lana explained before the man lowered his hands.
"I'm Theron, by the way. And Lana is only partly right. Accusing a colonel of treason is a hefty accusation, and I needed proof to back up my claim. The SIS is not involved," Theron explained before sighing. "I promise I'm only here in the spirit of cooperation."
"I see," Alys whispered before she sheathed her weapons. "Fine, I can handle one Republic ally, I suppose."
"How gracious of you," Theron mocked before he sighed.
"I'm sorry you're stuck with three sith," Aly countered before he scoffed.
"I actually have my own team coming in as well, and I'm hoping that you won't immediately decapitate them. I only bumped into Lana after I called them here," he continued.
"How many are we talking?"
"Just two. I've given instructions to them that they should come down with only two of their crew. I would have welcomed all the crew on this, but I didn't want to overwhelm our new allies," Theron explained, gesturing towards Alys and Jaesa. "I'm hoping we can work together on this."
"As long as your people are willing to work with two sith, then it should go fine. I give you my word that I will not attack your people, but I will defend myself if they attack," Alys amended.
"Very candid of you. I appreciate it," Theron nodded.
"So, what are we up against?" Aly asked as she folded her arms.
"I think that it might be best to wait until Theron's team arrives. I would be best if we gave the information once so nothing slips through the cracks," Lana suggested. Alys resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she exhaled.
"Fine, I guess we'll wait then," she replied with a huff.
"They should be touching down on the surface soon," Theron insisted.
Alys went to say something when she heard the doors open. Apparently, Theron's team had arrived, and Alys froze as she felt the sudden Force presence of one of the team. She turned to see a pale blue twi'lek reaching for her saber with a ginger woman doing the same behind her.
Alys could have sworn the galaxy stopped moving as she met the twi'lek's gaze. Jaesa ran up to whisper in her ear that this jedi was the Hero of Tython. Not that Alys needed any introduction. This woman was the same jedi from her vision of the Oasis. The chances of this meeting were astronomical, which Alys assumed meant that this was the Force's will. The jedi froze as well, realizing that Alys had recognized her as well. There was a connection between them before the twi'lek turned to Theron to start her own interrogation.
