The Aftermath

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Bridge of the Vagabond

Lyle threw another punch at his wall, his knuckles raw and bloody. He growled after he let out a grunt of pain, not wanting to think. 'How could all this happen? How did I not know?' Everything was messed up, and all he could think about was looking into Anew's eyes, his trigger finger shaking. That image of her desperation in her eyes was stuck in his mind and wouldn't leave. Another punch, another surge of blinding pain. Sure, they were safe on another nearby moon, but that didn't stop all the issues from not going away.

"Kriff…" None of this was helping, and tears streamed down his face as he wished he could see her right now. But Tieria had shut him down. He took a deep breath, and looked at the red stain on the wall, silently swearing at himself. 'I shouldn't be breaking down right now. Ribbons stole everything yet all I can think about is Anew.' He silently moved to the first aid kit in his room and began to clean up and bandage his knuckles.

There was a knock on the door, and Tieria's muffled voice came through, "Lyle, I want to talk." Lyle grunted.

"Come in." The door slid open, and Tieria looked a bit frazzled, but way more put together than him. The clone now looked at their team leader, and crossed his arms, an even look on his face. Lyle didn't even look at the man, "Are you going to say I made a mistake? That I should never have let her onboard?"

Tieria shook his head, "It was our mission to find her and bring her. And in hindsight letting her loose at rebel command would have been disastrous. So, while it sounds surprising from me, what could we have done? You have done?"

Lyle groaned, "We should have been able to tell she could do that. Or Ribbons at the very least."

"How am I the one telling you that you are being an idiot?" He gestured downstairs, "You think any of the Jedi on our team saw that coming? Even they had no idea what Ribbons could do. And frankly I have no idea what else he can do if possession is at his disposal." There was a rumble of anger as that name left his lips.

Lyle grunted in annoyance, still to raw to really be able to think straight, "How did it come to this?" He laughed bitterly, "You are the one making complete sense while I'm the one wallowing."

Tieria offered him a hand, "Because both of us need each other, and if I didn't kick you in the ass, then it wouldn't be fair." Lyle took his hand, and Tieria gave him a slight smile, "I can't say I trust Anew at the moment. But if we can take down Ribbons, then we can save her."

Lyle looked at Tieria, "You want to go against orders and go after an inquisitor? You know headquarters will never let that go."

Tieria just looked him in the eye, vengeance and regret filling his eyes, "Then they can court martial me. I'll even take all of the blame."

Lyle's jaw hung as he heard those words. The words were almost alien, his statement so antithetical to what he said months earlier. Lyle collected himself, trying to imagine what the old Tieria would have said if he heard those words. 'Probably something about reporting him or hanging the man.' The Corellian hummed under his breath, "You don't have to-"

"I do. I want to know why Ribbons treated me that way. I want revenge for your brother. I don't care if you do, but I can't let his death be for nothing." His voice filled with a stern determination, "He hurt us and other innocents. I can't forget the screams and never will." The sounds of women and men who were tortured and killed by that clone rung in his head, the sight of what he did to Neil a constant guest in his nightmares.

Lyle just nodded, "He would chastise you for wanting to get revenge for him, but he's not really here to tell you no is he." A partial half-hearted smirk appeared on his lips, "Well we can hope that backup data is there so we can find him."

"We will. I can feel it."

"You sure that's not the force? Who knows if we have another force user on this ship." Tieria didn't laugh at the joke, and Lyle rolled his eyes. The conversation had distracted him from what had been weighing so heavy on him, but that came back in force, "Is Anew ok?"

Tieria's face was even, "If you mean unharmed, then yes. Only light bruises, but she has been silent ever since we locked her up. She woke up an hour ago, if you wish to know."

Lyle swallowed back fear, "Can I talk to her?"

Tieria gave him a look over, and he could feel a slight pang at the hurt in Lyle's eyes, "Now that you aren't punching the walls, I trust you won't try to break her out." Lyle looked away, guilt eating at him. Tieria glared, "She is a danger to everyone. We can't bring her to headquarters, and if we just drop her off, she'll be killed or worse."

"I know. I know. It's just…" He let out a harsh breath, "I care for her. I'm just a man falling in love." It wasn't love like his parents had, not yet anyways. But there was a spark, and he would be damned if he lost that before it had the chance to grow.

Tieria took several long seconds, his expression stone as he looked at his commanding officer bearing his soul to him. Tieria didn't tear up, but the words at him, and while it wasn't the exact feeling, it was like him and this team. They were his, and he would protect them with his life. He took a deep breath and smiled, "Alright. But don't expect that to work on me again."

Lyle cracked a laugh, "Try to get mercy from you is like getting water from a stone. I'll take what I can get."

Engine Room of the Vagabond

The voyage had been smooth, and after Feldt obsessed over everything being functional, she fell back in a hammock that she kept here for sleeping. Setsuna had visited her as they took off, but he had been called to the gunner station just in case anything happened. So much was going through her mind, and she needed someone to talk to. But in her heart, she knew it had to be Setsuna.

So when the door slid open and her boyfriend walked in, she practically threw herself at him. His arms went around her on instinct, and he held her close as he breathed her in. Seeing her a little more relaxed settled him a bit, and he smiled, "Are you feeling better?" She nodded, but he didn't need the force to see the hesitation.

"Mostly, but I have two things that I need worked out." Setsuna smiled at how her mind went to engineering mode, but continued to hold her as she continued, "When I looked at Anew, there was a dark red web that connected her to Ribbons. I think that's where his connection to her lies."

"So what does that mean?" He knew he visualized the world differently from her, so hearing another view could be useful.

Feldt cleared her throat, "Well I think maybe I can do something about it. You know how I dug into your memories by accident? I followed one of those strands when we connected. So if I can track that web, I can cut it from her and maybe break or stop that connection."

Setsuna let worry leak out, "What happens if you can't do it? Or you can but he's too strong? Could he attach that link to you? Because you are opening yourself up to that risk."

Feldt just bit her lip and stayed silent for several seconds. She knew the risk before she even said it, and even she wasn't sure. If the bond was strong enough to affect someone like this, then what it could do to her worried her to the core. She leaned up and kissed him, "Setsuna, I have to try. You know I do."

He let out a worried sigh but tapped his fingers on the small of her back, "Ok. But if things go bad, don't hesitate to stop. I need you as much as the crew does. Or Anew." She nodded and had a weak smile as she pressed her forehead against his chest. She just held the embrace before she looked back up at him, "Do you need to practice with me? At least try to do that again?"

She pursed her lips, "Probably. But I have another issue I have to worry about." She could feel Setsuna's concern. 'What a thoughtful man.' She pinched his cheeks as she saw his frown, "You are just the person to resolve it." He raised his eyebrow, and she chuckled, "Tell me how you feel about me."

Setsuna expecting some practical issue, couldn't speak for a few seconds. He had made his feelings clear through the force, but something nagged in his mind. The force worked as it did, and sometimes feelings went through him in the heat of a moment. He shifted through his mind, trying to remember what he felt or sent through their bond, and as he looked at her, that surge went through him again. 'Love.' The warmth filled his heart, and he blushed a deep red.

He rested his forehead against hers, his voice low, "I love you." He wrapped that sensation around her like a blanket, the overwhelming emotion washing through him. Tears streamed down Feldt's face, and Setsuna wiped them, feeling that same response from her. Feldt's emotions were anchored on searching for stability, loss tinging it as her parents dying still lingering in her soul.

Her voice was choked as she responded, "I love you too." No more words needed to be said. Not for either of them. Their lips met in a chaste, loving manner, the privacy of the engine room giving them no worry about anyone interrupting them. Their walls were weakened by the burst of emotion, but neither cared when they could only feel each other. The world had faded as both could feel that bond strengthening.

This was the best sensation either had ever felt. Both had made out plenty, but this was something purer than that. There would always be lust, but this was a connection like no other. Allelujah looked to the room with envy but smiled to himself.

Neither knew how much time had passed, but they broke the kiss, Setsuna and her matching gazes. Both took a breath, then Feldt walked to the door of the engine room, locking it. Her hands were at her side, her posture a bit too stiff as she looked down at the ground. Setsuna could sense the roiling bubble from her, and he gave her a comforting smile. She swallowed, steeling herself, "Can we do…?"

It took him a second, but Setsuna took a decisive step, pressing her against the wall, her hands above her head. That same pit of nerves formed in him, but he kept that down as he wanted to look confident, "Seeing as we'll be alone, I don't see why not." Her lips turned up, some of those nerves disappearing. Her lips met his, and hunger filled them as lust rolled through them, his hands caressing her sides to grasp her waist, toying with the band. Her hands began to unbutton his shirt, and more clothes began to leave them as love and lust took over.

Brig of the Vagabond

Anew looked blankly at the wall as she sat on the plain bed. The room was plain, with a simple bathroom, bed and small table. Every second of her possession was seared into her mind. She had to watch herself aim a gun at Feldt, aim a gun at herself. Her former master had distracted them and almost succeeded in causing a lot of damage. And now she was completely compromised. Tears pricked her eyes as she lowered her head. 'I gave Ribbons exactly what he wanted. I should have known escaping him wouldn't be that easy.'

Her mind and body felt empty, and she looked to the side at the door, which was firmly locked. She took a shuddering breath, all her fears sitting outside. She had woken up alone and had no idea what was going on till all the memories came rushing back. No one had talked to her till Tieria slid open a slide, but he hadn't even said anything. His face had been a stone, Anew offput by how unfriendly he was, though she understood why. It still hurt, regardless of if she deserved it.

She took a deep breath. 'Is he watching right now? Seeing how he won?' The fact he could see through her eyes bothered her even more, meaning she never had any privacy. 'How many of the others had the same thing happen to them? Did he do it to my brother? Did he control him to get him killed?' So many questions buzzed around her head, and she tried to call upon her training to calm her mind, but she didn't even trust her own emotions right now.

A few tears streaked down her face, and she tried her best to calm down. Everything was messed up and it was all her fault. 'If I hadn't been here none of this would have happened. No one would have been at risk. I wouldn't have nearly killed Feldt.' She looked back down at the ground, and she looked up to see the eyes she had been longing to see, yet at the same time feared.

She stood up as Lyle's voice entered the cell, "Hey Anew. How are you holding up?" His voice was rough, and that filled her with hope. Even if it was a little, it meant that he might still care for her. 'If he didn't care, he wouldn't be broken up, right?' She moved to the door, and she smiled as best she could. Even now her heartbeat fast, seeing his handsome face.

"I could be doing better." She wiped away her tears, and tried to compose herself, "I'm sorry for all that. I know it looks bad, but I didn't-"

"Anew, you don't need to apologize to me. There are enough people with the force running around this ship that I don't think you were in control. Feldt can scan electronics and Setsuna has super speed. And Allelujah has more than that." Lyle did realize it was something he never would have suspected the force could do, but the force just generally gave him a headache. 'It's very useful, but none of them explain it well enough to get me to understand.'

He wasn't aware trying to explain the force was hard enough as it was, but he shifted away from that. No need to think about what-ifs. Anew's lips trembled, "But because I joined you, everyone was at risk. How could I have screwed up so badly?"

Lyle just pursed his lips, "You can't screw up something you had no idea would happen. That man is a monster and has his claws dug into everywhere. It seems that was you too. But we will get him." His voice softened as he looked into her eyes, "But what scared me most was seeing you look so cold. So heartless. I didn't know it wasn't you Feldt told me."

Anew could feel more tears, "I know. I saw every second of it." She swallowed heavily, trying not to breakdown right now. She placed a hand against the door, and took a deep breath, her discipline failing her. More tears streamed down her face, "I don't want to hurt innocent people. I just wanted to hurt Ribbons. Stop his plan."

Lyle placed his hands on the door over hers, only feeling cold steel. But his voice was soft, "We will. I promise you we will stop him. And then you'll be free of him." He placed his forehead against the glass, Anew resting it on the same spot. The symbolic connection caused both of them to blush, but small smiles sprouted from them. Everything was messed up, but they could at least be at peace in this moment. Anew's tears flowed more freely, and she wished his words were true, hope blooming in her heart.

Gunner Station of the Vagabond

Allelujah sat at the window looking out, meditating as he waited for the signal. It had been hours since, but the arrival wasn't expected for a little while at a minimum. Sand whipped around the ship as they sat in a canyon on the desert of the moon they were on, rubbing against the glass as the wind created a song. He was still in a bit of turmoil, but just knowing Marie would be here soon filled him with some measure of peace. His quiet, steady breath was silent as the door opened, Christina and Lyle entering the room to see the mediating man.

Both took slow steps, and Allelujah didn't even open his eyes, "Hi."

The pair of rebels responded with their own greetings, then Lyle spoke with a modest amount of uncertainty, "We just wanted to see how you are. You were a bit out of it last night."

Christina quickly added in her own contribution, "Not that we are mad at you." Lyle gave her a side eye, "At least not really." Allelujah could sense the still remaining frustration in the man, but he was trying not take it personally. 'It was my fault that Anew almost died.'

The Jedi's voice was calm, if a bit unemotional, "No, it's my fault. I don't expect you guys to not be mad at me. I lost control. A Jedi should never lose control of their emotions." Christina frowned at not being able to sense anything from him.

She took a few steps forward, and tried to smile, "Allelujah, it's ok. It was high stress and Ribbons pushed your buttons. You don't need to feel guilty." Her words were feeble, knowing enough about him to understand that he had a lot to work through. 'But I want to say something. Anything.' She took a deep breath, and looked at Lyle, silently nudging him.

He sighed and spoke in a low voice, "I don't know what happened with you, but I forgive you. You couldn't have known what Anew was going to do. She was a wild card last night." She took a deep breath, "You should talk to Anew and clear the air. She's beating herself much more about this than anything you could have done. Maybe it could help." Allelujah didn't say anything, but the words clearly him.

They weren't wrong about the guilt sitting in his chest, but not for the reasons that they thought. He had let his emotions take over, giving Hallelujah more influence on his actions. His master had been right. His emotions granted him strength, but letting them rule you was dangerous, especially when so caught up in the past. But the words of the ancient Je'daii master also filled his mind, "Control is important to using your emotions. They grant you strength but can be overpowering if one is not trained. And it appears you were not trained."

Nearly two decades of isolation and separation from the order had beat some hard lessons into him, but one lesson he had always tried to hold onto was pushing down ones emotions. It has served him well, but Hallelujah had been grating against him more and more, and even he could feel his control slipping at times. Marie coming back into his life, two other force users on the ship, Ribbons tied to almost every member of the crew. He had hurt them, and that anger and guilt sat in his gut.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, still looking away from them, "Once I get everything under control, I will." He could feel Hallelujah tearing at his cage, wanting to keep going after Anew. Christina smiled.

"Can either of us help you?"

The Jedi shook his head, "No, I think I can handle it. It is something I need to deal with on my own." Lyle smiled as he looked out the window. There was wavering in his voice, but he knew he wasn't exactly in the best state to help someone else right now.

"Just come to any of us if need help." Allelujah smiled, but a chirp from the sensor suite drew all of their attention. After several seconds, it beeped again, and the non-Jedi pair walked towards the console, and Christina's eyes went wide. Lyle looked over her shoulder, his expression matching hers, "Imperials! We need to get moving!" On sensors was one imperial shuttle, which meant nothing good for them, "Allelujah, get on the guns." He leaped over a console, rushing towards the pilot seat, when Allelujah's voice cut through the chaos.

"No, stop! It's a friend!" Christina turned to look at Allelujah, confusion plastered on her face. Lyle raised an eyebrow at him, hand on his seat, "It's Marie. That imperial agent we keep running into. She's wanted now as apparently the imperials realized that she was actually a Jedi." He hung his head in embarrassment, "She contacted me and told me everything, so I told her where we were."

Lyle gave him a hard look, "So you told an imperial agent where we were, trusting that she wasn't lying or using you." His face twisted a bit, and he let out a harsh breath, "You could have put all of us in danger. And who is this Marie?"

Allelujah looked between the two rebels, and a sigh left him, "A girl, now woman, who was my best friend when we were at the Jedi temple." His voice strained, and Christina's hand went to her mouth. He could see the question in their eyes and explained a shortened version of events that had transpired on their missions. Sympathy filled Lyle's eyes, and Allelujah couldn't ignore they now had a similarity with their choice in women.

As he finished, Lyle whistled, "Well if she was as good a fighter as we saw before, then I can see how she managed to escape." As much as he hated the Empire, he couldn't ignore how good some of their intelligence agents were. 'If they were more focused on rebels rather than their own petty squabbles, then we would be in big trouble.'

Christina was nearly crying, and she sniffled, wiping away something from her eyes, "It's so romantic. And sad!" Her passions were stirred, and she sometimes wished she had a romance like that. 'Though the actually downtime of it would be awful.' Allelujah gave her a chuckle, a light filling his heart. He had been so in his head that he hadn't been thinking about the others.

"I should have told you as soon as I told her our location. It was wrong of me, and I'll take whatever punishment you think that is worth."

Lyle shook his head, "As of right now, things are so messed up that we don't have time for it. And it seems you feel guilty about it. But next time you feel this need, tell me beforehand so we plan for it."

Outside the Vagabind

Marie let out a breath as she lowered the ramp leading out of the shuttle. She was wearing a set of fatigues, with a light-colored windbreaker. The sand wasn't whipping through the air like it had been before, but the desert was still harsh. The shadows loomed over both ships, her shuttle only dozens of meters away from the rebel freighter. She intentionally did not arm herself, wanting to present a non-threatening presence.

Thankfully she had been able to shut down the shuttle's tracking system, so the Empire wouldn't track her. She took careful, deliberate steps down the ramp, and walked across the cool sand. The rock canyon was perfect to shelter at, and she admitted she never would have found them here, especially with the camouflage tarp over the ship.

Across from her stood nearly the entire crew of the ship. The only one she didn't see was Anew, but she supposed the woman could be on the guns incase Marie tried anything. Her heartbeat fast seeing the man she loved, her regrets surging back up a bit. 'Relax, you can connect later.'

Most of the group looked at her with curiosity, the exception being Tieria whose had was on his hip over his gun. She walked towards the group, stopping at a safe distance away, "Thank you for not shooting me down." Feldt and Setsuna were lightly probing at her through the force, Marie weakening her walls to try to show her willingness to cooperate. The two didn't press very much, the imperial criminal guessing they wanted to see if she was lying.

Lyle just hummed under his breath, "Well I don't think any of us expected the woman who has been hunting us was actually a Jedi. So why are you running to us?" Lyle's expression was even, a bit hard to read, though she could tell he was just tired. Tieria's hand tightened on his gun, the glare not leaving his face.

"I don't like this. We shouldn't be letting another imperial agent on our ship."

Lyle just looked him in the eyes, "I know, but this is for Allelujah." A scowl crossed Tieria's face, but he shut up. His eyes followed her every motion, but he didn't do anything more. Lyle shook his head, "We are under a lot of stress recently. I need you to explain why we should allow you to join us."

Marie looked to Allelujah and could sense there were two other force sensitives among the crew, her eyes glancing over at Feldt and Sestuna. But she refocused herself, and let out some of her vulnerability, "I know I hunted you and chased you, but I need your help. I don't expect you to care for my issues, but if you can help me, I'm sure the rebellion could benefit from what I can offer."

Lyle nodded to continue. That carrot raised an eyebrow, and she spoke more confidently, "Admiral Sergei Smirnov has been arrested due to housing me. He is likely in a facility in this sector, and if you help me recover him, I can convince him to join the rebellion." There was a silent please at the end of her speech, a slight hitch in her voice.

Lyle looked at the group, and the offer was something that the rebellion couldn't take lightly. Sergei Smirnov was a skilled admiral, and the rebellion could use skilled officers. Yet he also had to consider the risk of bringing Marie onboard, hoping she wasn't lying. Tieria loosened his grip a bit, the offer a lot more than he was expecting. 'I expected her to try to use morality to convince us.' But he kept his serious look, and all eyes were either on Lyle or Marie.

A few beads of sweat slid down his back as the only sounds around them were the desert winds. Marie had a hopeful and determined look, and Lyle was scanning her one more time to see if she was lying. But after several seconds, he nodded, "Alright, you can come onboard. It would be better to discuss this out of this hot sun." He then looked over at Allelujah, "But you can talk to him first if you want." He gave her a smile then began to walk back, everyone else but Allelujah heading back inside. Though Christina had to be dragged by Setsuna at first.

The couple's eyes met, and both smiled the brightest they had in recent memory. They at first walked, each step echoing through the sand, before they ran to each other, wrapping their arms tight around each other. Marie buried her face into his shoulder, tears streaming down her face. All of the recent events hit her all at once, and she began try to stifle her crying, before she couldn't hold back. Everything had gone bad for her, her entire motivation for supporting the empire collapsing. All of her sins weighed on her, and she sobbed.

Allelujah's arms around her broke any emotional dam, and he just joined her in crying, though it was quiet tears. He entangled them in the force, hoping it would grant her a measure of calm and acceptance. That weight on her was obvious, and he didn't know if he could help her right now. Just her being here brought a measure of peace in him, Hallelujah recoiling from this pure affection. They held each other for several minutes, till Marie's sobs stopped, "I'm sorry."

Allelujah shook his head, "It's alright. We have time to talk." He kissed her softly, Marie growing a small smile as she kissed back, "We have a bed for you. But I promise we'll save him." The pair walked back into the Vagabond, ready to face whatever happened next.

Author Note

Welcome back! Marie is now with our crew, and we have a new option for our crew. Will they save Sergei? Can they save him? We'll see next time, but for now please enjoy, and comment or leave a review!