Alys was glad that Malavai had the decency to let his anger out once they had made it back to the ship. She suggested they speak in the conference room, as it was a neutral space that had a lock on the door. Neither wanted to be interrupted for this heated and delicate discussion. Once the door slid closed and Alys stood at the far end of the table, Malavai lost his composure.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded as his confusion mounted. "Working with the jedi? The Hero of Tython, no less! With her padawan? When you said we were going after traitors, I didn't expect you to be among them."

"I am no traitor, Malavai," she warned.

"Then explain to me what that was. You admitted to working with the Republic, but you haven't mentioned to what end. And then, to add insult to injury, you embarrassed me in front of the enemy," he continued. She opened her mouth, but he shook his head. "Don't you deny it. I saw that grin on your face when you embraced that jedi. It was to get a reaction out of me, and do you think I couldn't hear the laughter after they left?"

"It was supposed to build trust between us," Alys shrugged. They had begun pacing the length of the table, each staying away from the other. Malavai pointed at her across the table.

"There it is. Why would you need to build trust with the enemy? You even allowed her to walk away free," Malavai shouted before he took a deep breath. He had never shouted at her before, and Alys didn't appreciate it. While she wanted him to voice his issues with her and question her command when he deemed necessary, he was going to draw Vette and Pierce's attention.

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "And if you gave me a moment to explain myself, you wouldn't be so wound up."

"Then explain yourself," he suggested, gesturing towards her. Alys debriefed him on the Order of Revan and what they had found in the Manaan laboratory. Malavai seethed, but he listened. She talked about the adventure and how they nearly died at the bottom of the ocean. She mentioned that Darth Arkous was the true traitor for working to strike against the Sith Academy alongside a Republic soldier for some devious purpose. She needed to emphasize the difference between her and Arkous.

"This is a temporary alliance, Malavai," she finished before she sighed. "And I'm sorry I embarrassed you. I was irritated with you when you came in, blaster at the ready. You almost ruined the trust I had created with the jedi."

"You keep saying trust. What trust is there between the jedi and you? For as long as you could remember, the Republic has been the enemy," he reminded. Alys frowned, aware again of their age gap. She shook her head.

"Don't you want this war to end? Trust is the first step to lasting peace."

"What happened to peace is a lie?"

"Peace in the place of passion is a lie. Peace in the place of war is the goal," Alys corrected sternly. "Emotional peace is a trap and a façade. What life is worth living without passionate emotions?"

"Right now, I think I would be a lot more relaxed," he groaned as he put his hand to his brow in defeat. The shouting had given him a headache, and he was losing the argument. Quinn wondered if he was destined to always lose against Alys. She sighed and slumped her shoulders.

"Do you understand, though? Why this was necessary?" she wondered as she started to walk over to him.

"I understand your logic at least, even if I don't completely agree with it," he sighed. She smiled as she stood in front of him. "But take Jaesa with you when you meet with the jedi. Jaesa will serve as an early warning system at most."

"Deal," Alys agreed as she nodded. He watched her for a moment before shaking his head, wondering if his boss wanted to give him a stroke. "I promise that I won't act foolishly."

"Today proved otherwise," he said with a hint of amusement.

"And thank you for speaking your mind, Malavai. It wouldn't have been good for you to bottle it up," Alys whispered into his chest.

"I agree with you there," he sighed before she leaned against the table. She peeked at his feelings, and he was calm but still annoyed. Alys guessed it was his Imperial soldier side of him, and she wondered if she would always see the Republic as the enemy. Even if there was a true peaceful resolution to the war.

Hesitation had crept into his mind as Alys realized that this was their first argument, and Malavai had been to the one to start it. He probably expected her to remember her anger and her rage, or at least call on the emotions she felt during his betrayal. She calmed her heart and exhaled with a hum. She hoped that she could reduce the unease that formed within him. Other sith would have choked him out or thrown him across the room for questioning them, let alone the shouting. Alys wanted to remind him that she wasn't the typical sith. He had even pointed that out to her.

"What happens now?" he whispered. She shrugged.

"What do you mean?" she countered.

"With Darth Arkous on the run with the Republic soldier, what do we do now? Are we at least tracking them?" he clarified. Alys shook her head, wondering if this was going to spark something else.

"They got away, but Agent Beniko and the SIS agent are searching as we speak. They were able to slice their way into their computers," Alys answered. Quinn grabbed her forearms as panic and frustration plagued him. During their discussion, she had neglected to mention Theron.

"An SIS agent?" he whispered. She pursed her lips, realizing her mistake. "That's worse than you working alongside the jedi! The SIS are devious, and they may have put a tracker on you."

"Now you're being paranoid," Alys replied as Quinn started to search her clothes. She raised her arms as she rolled her eyes, suffering his completely professional pat down. He stood back up as she returned her arms to her side. "Satisfied?"

"I didn't mean to be so forward," he coughed. She noted the slight blush to his cheeks, and she steeled her face. Only he would get embarrassed from worrying about her.

"Did you find your tracker?"

"Just because I didn't find one, that doesn't mean that there isn't one on you."

"Would you prefer it if I changed and threw my clothes out the airlock once we've left the planet? These weren't cheap, you know. Armor is expensive these days," Alys mentioned as she admired her clothing. "Besides, Theron didn't get close to me or Jaesa. He seemed to be rather cautious of us."

"At least he had some sense," Quinn groaned. "So, no heading, and no leads. Other than gathering random information, did we gain anything on this world?"

"We met a Wookie smuggler named Jakarro."

"I don't think that's exactly helpful."

"Then, other than taking down a cyborg selkath monster, no. We gained nothing of value to you on this trip."

"What did you find of value?" he wondered with a mix of exasperation and curiosity in his voice. She hid her smirk when she answered.

"We gained allies in the hunt for the Order of Revan, and maybe allies to help end this ridiculous war," she replied. Quinn clenched his jaw, but he nodded. "If we work with Master Vao again, I am going to insist you come with me. I want you to form your own opinion on the jedi before you judge her so harshly."

"I hardly think that's necessary. Jaesa used to be a jedi. She would be much more suited for such interactions."

"That wasn't a suggestion, Malavai. I consider it an order. I will show you that there is absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Then I will pray we don't work with the jedi again so soon," he groaned. Alys rolled her eyes again before she sighed. "And if I didn't know any better, I would have guessed you have a thing for irritating blue twi'leks."

"You only find Master Vao irritating because she's a jedi," Alys chuckled as he smiled back at her. "Besides, if she's anything like Vette, then we are in superb hands."

"I wouldn't go that far," he murmured.

"Go prep the ship for departure. Pick a heading, I have no place to be," she instructed as she walked toward the door. He turned and stood at attention as she left.

"Understood," he replied.

Alys walked from the conference room back to her quarters and shut the door behind her. She threw her weapons on her side table before flopping on the bed, leaving on her boots and armor. She never wanted to admit it or show it, but she was exhausted. The stressful situation made the fighting more energy sucking than it usually did. Even with the Force sustaining her, Alys found that she was in desperate need of a nap.

When she woke up, she felt like she had been hit by an asteroid. She had slept in her armor and on her stomach. Aly slowly turned onto her back as she groaned. With the Force, she grabbed her clock and saw that four hours had passed. She peeled herself out of her armor and placed her boots at the foot of her bed. She changed into something more relaxing for the rest of the day. She wore a simple grey tunic with dark leggings. Barefoot, she walked out of her room and padded over to the little kitchenette.

She made a hot cup of tea and sat down at the booth. As she stared at the table, she allowed herself to wake up a little bit more. She could feel the engine's humming through the floor, and she suspected they were cruising in space. Where they were, she had no idea. Once she was more aware, she could see where they were heading.

Alys heard footsteps behind her leaving the cockpit, and she paid them no mind until they stopped after a small scuffing. She had startled her poor captain. She didn't often dress so casually outside of her quarters or during working hours. She smirked for a moment before she put her cup of tea down. She turned in her seat and lifted her arm to rest on the top of the booth.

"Something the matter, captain?" she asked as she looked up at Quinn.

"Would you like my honest opinion?" he wondered. Alys stared at him before scrunching up her nose.

"Am I dressed improperly?" she teased.

"I was just surprised to see you so casually dressed."

"I can only wear that armor for so long before it hurts my back. Have you seen some of my pauldrons? They are massive and heavy," Alys remarked before taking a sip of her tea. "I know your uniform isn't easy to put on either, but at least it's just cloth."

"I never took into account the weight of your armor," Quinn mentioned as he started to relax. Alys nodded as she stared at the wall in front of her. "Does your back hurt often?"

"Sometimes if I wear it for too long, it starts to hurt. Why do you think I disappear into my quarters every time we come back from a battle?"

"I always assumed you were doing something regarding sith business, I suppose."

"Nah, I'm in there wrestling with the damned armor and then laying prone until my muscles relax. Maybe I should look into some more standard armor. I could wear soldier armor instead. I could blend in rather well," Alys mentioned, lost on a train of thought. "Now there's an idea. I put on a helmet, and people would just think I'm your bodyguard or something."

"You always talk about blending in or hiding your true self," Quinn mentioned as he walked around the booth. Her eyes followed him as he sat next to her. "You are one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. Why would you want to hide that?"

"Ever since I stepped foot on Korriban, I have been revered and feared. Everyone knew who I was there, and my exploits with Darth Baras only made me more well known. None of this Empire's Wrath business was my idea. I simply wanted to become someone better when I went to the Sith Academy. I had no intention of becoming the most powerful being in the galaxy. I just wanted to be me," Alys explained as she turned her gaze to her cooling tea. A moment of silence passed before she chuckled. "I don't think I've ever told anyone that. You must think I'm ridiculous. A sith, who is supposed to be obsessed with power, wants nothing to do with it."

"Well, your actions have always been different than a typical sith, as we've discussed. And I don't think you are ridiculous. Well, sometimes your decisions allude me," he paused as she shook her head. "But I believe that it's better that you want something different. And I'm glad you entrusted me with this information. While I might not understand it, I can respect it."

"Thank you, Malavai," she grinned, lifting her head to face him.

"Is that why you told the crew to stop using your titles?"

"That's it exactly. I can truly be myself with you and the crew, and I would like it if you all treated me like an equal. At least when we don't have to make appearances," Alys continued.

"So, you would want me to call you Alys when we're on the ship and in private?" Quinn clarified.

"Yes, and I won't settle for anything else," she whispered with a smile.

"Then I won't call you anything else, Alys," he replied, testing out her name. Alys grinned wider before chuckling.

"It's nice to hear it. Thank you, Malavai," she replied before taking a sip of tea. "I knew it wouldn't kill you."

"You always think you're so funny," he sighed, shaking his head and laughing under his breath.

"That's because I am funny, my good sir. It's not my fault that you don't have a sense of humor," she teased.

"Or, perhaps I'm the butt of each one of your jokes," he theorized before standing. "I should get on with it. I needed to speak with Vette about an engine calibration she put in. The ship keeps veering to the left just slightly."

"Try not to fight with her," Alys suggested as he disappeared down the hallway. She exhaled, enjoying her tea in silence.