Space

[Adrian Makaryk]

The padawan was confused. Oh, so very confused. Adrian had no idea or concept of what Adenna meant by 'giving himself over to the Force.' What the kriff was that supposed to mean? While Adenna toyed with the stylus, Adrian recognized only that he had not the slightest kriffin' clue. How was he supposed to place his trust in some ephemeral omnipresence that he had somewhat managed to sense, yet utterly failed to understand? It appeared to the poor padawan that he was doomed, oh so very doomed. Adenna's constant fidgeting with the stylus only seemed to add to his confusion.

 

Defend yourself.

 

Those two words announced that no longer could Adrian afford to wallow in his confusion. It was in this moment, when all hope of comprehension seemed utterly lost, when the Force identified the same strains of bacteria that had been present on the stylus earlier. Immediately, and at last with some simple understanding of what Adenna had meant by "guidance of the Force," the padawan took evasive action, sidestepping the trajectory of Adenna's attack.

 

But without access to the standard Jedi repertoire of speed and coordination-boosting abilities, and without the slightest hint of training therein, even the instinct to dodge came far too late. The attack still grazed his right leg as he dodged to his left--due to the padawan's substantial height, the attack had come too low for him to block effectively with the cushion. Had Adrian possessed the slightest notion of Force speed, or even precognition, the attack could have been evaded--even if barely. But the padawan lacked experience with either, so his trust in the Force had come merely a tenth of a second too late to prevent the blister he now sensed forming in his leg...

[Raynuk Montar]

The sight that greeted Quietus as the door to the cargo bay on the Ogariv II slid open was, in a word, unexpected. What little he had been able to gather from the mood and mind of Vex'aedr had given him far less to go on that the Sith would have liked, and left open far too many possibilities. Had Vex'aedr somehow stumbled upon an intruder on the ship? Had he indeed picked up the scent of Roe'gall from when the older tuk'ata had been aboard earlier? Or was his reaction to spaceflight turning out to be much more severe than Quietus had anticipated? These possibilities, along with countless others had been swirling through his mind in the moments before Quietus opened the door. And just as quickly as the door had opened, all those possibilities instantly vanished, bringing a brand new outcome to the forefront.

 

It took all of Quietus' substantial force of will to not absolutely break down into laughter at what he saw. There, in the middle of the cargo bay, was Vex'aedr. The reason behind the beast's agitation was instantly clear. Somehow or another, the tuk'ata had activated the automated safety system of the cargo bay. The system itself was quite simple in logic, but complex in design. Its purpose was to secure cargo that had somehow broken free of its restraints; be it a container that snapped its binding straps, or a living entity that escaped it's cage. It was a modification on the premise of a tractor beam, only in this case using the same fields to hold its target in place. And that is exactly what the system was doing now. So there was Vex'aedr, in the middle of the cargo bay, absolutely pinned to the floor in a position that was clearly not one of comfort. Vex'aedr managed to barely lift it's head, straining against the pressure of the immobilization field, and look at Quietus with a huff before giving way to the field.

 

Once he had recovered from the initial bout of laughter, Quietus took his first fully analytically view of the situation. It was then that he noted that it was not just one, but all seven of the emitters that were pinning Vex'aedr to the floor of the cargo bay. This marvel was only compounded by the fact that a single emitter was capable of pinning 1500 kilograms worth of innate cargo in place. This meant that at the moment, Vex'aedr was fighting against, and at times overcoming, enough pressure to pin over ten thousand kilograms, more than the weight of the Ogariv II itself, to the ground. If there had been any doubt to Vex'aedr's strength before, it was surely gone now. Another huff from Vex'aedr brought Quietus back to the present, finding that the tuk'ata was still looking at him almost bored.

 

"Right, of course. I suppose you would like to be set free now wouldnt you? Though I would love to know how you managed to activate the cargo safety system in the first place..."

 

Quietus sighed, a mixture of relief that this had turned out to not be one of the other possibilities, as well as of exasperation. He had forgotten just how much trouble a fully grown but mentally juvenile tuk'ata could get into, and he dared not wonder what it would have meant if there had indeed been an unwelcome guest on the ship. Turning back to the cargo door, Quietus instead reached for the control panel just beside it and set about deactivating the emitters one by one. As soon as he had deactivated two, Vex'aedr sensed the change and again attempted to rise from his position, but only succeeding in blowing the power relay to a third emitter as it attempted, in vain, to counteract the loss of the first two. Before it was all said and done, Quietus had managed to deactivate five of the emitters, with Vex'aedr 's impatience causing another of them to fail outright besides the blown relay. By the time that he sorted the whole system out, as well as figuring out that Vex'aedr had been scratching himself against the control panel when he activated the system, the tuk'ata had clearly moved on from its traumatic experience. Just as he turned and was about to reprimand the tuk'ata, he heard the distant but audible alarm that meant that the Ogariv II was nearly to its destination.

 

"It seems your little accident has taken up all of our travel time Vex'aedr. Come then, I suppose I better not leave you in here to get trapped again. I imagine you'll be wanting to spend as much time moving around now after all of that..."

 

Quietus exited the cargo bay with no further words, making his way back to the cockpit and resuming his seat in the pilot's chair. He had deactivated the alarm and was getting ready to bring the ship back to sublight as Vex'aedr wandered in behind him. The Sith gave the tuk'ata only a cursory glance before turning back to the streaking stars ahead of him, and as the computer counted down, brought the Ogariv II out of hyperspace over Kuat.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna recalled the stylus to her hand after it had fulfilled its purpose as a missile. "The Force is not something that can be quantified or analyzed in a lab. It is something that operates with impulses, with feelings and instinct. You must not try to control it or force it to do you will, but rather, let it guide you. At first, just like learning a new skill, it is something that must be consciously worked at. You must force your mind and body to react instead of thinking analytically. In time, you will find that, as with all reactionary habits, you no longer have to think about what you are doing because it happens naturally.

 

"When someone throws something at you such as a small ball, do you have to think to cause your hand to rise up and grab it? Do you have to tell each foot to move forward when you are walking or running? Do you have to tell your hands where each key is on a datapad, or do you just type it? Each of those things is a learned trait, but it is also something done on instinct learned through practice and repetition.

 

"Right now, your skills in foresight are not really present, but you have the potential. You had to learn how to catch, walk, and type, but now it is second nature. How many times did you fall down before learning to walk? How long did it take for you to learn how to type or catch a ball? The same will happen here. We will continue to drill over and over and over until you begin to catch on and your body reacts instead of thinking."

 

She sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. "When I look through the Force, I told you that I see the world in a variety of colors and waves with new, almost indescribable sensations washing over me. It is how I view things and I know others see things differently. I told you that those waves and sensations are not things that can be seen by the physical senses, but rather include emotions, moods, energy, and even time itself.

 

"I envision looking at any situation as though I were looking at a piece of canvas or flimsi. What is happening in the present extends along the X and Y axis and will include physical objects, intents, living creatures, and emotions. By looking at this level of the Force, I can see what is around me to a degree beyond the five physical senses. It can be useful, but that is only telling me what is, not what was or what will be.

 

"To do that, I must take my visions into the third dimension and look along the Z axis. By going one way, I can gain limited insight from what was in the past. Memories, thoughts, and emotions are the easiest to see in the past. It is far easier to come upon a place and know that it has seen horrible pain or great joy because those things leave a sort of imprint that can be traced. It is difficult to describe, but perhaps it is like a scent that lingers long after its originating source has passed. By latching onto that single sensation, I can track it back through time with limited success to glean information.

 

"If I want to go forward, I must look at things differently. Emotions and thoughts do not well traverse the currents of the future because they are constantly being formed. However, what can be easily seen is intent. Please note that intent does not equal what will happen, only what someone or even something intends on happening. It is easiest when a sentient or animal with higher intelligence is the source because they send out ripples of their intent and purpose through all three axises. Those are not the only thing that does that, though. Even something as simple as natural decay can leave an imprint, though it is harder to detect. Gravity, as well, can provide intent enough for you to sense it. In this way, a Jedi has limited capacity to detect threats from non-living creatures such as droids or even nature itself. I will go more into that later, as most of the time, it is the simple generic danger that we sense that allows us to react instead of reading the intent of the droid.

 

"Surprisingly, I believe that even energy and inanimate objects can present a Jedi with a read of their intent, such as it is. I can block blaster bolts coming from an individual because I know both their intent as well as the 'intent' of the blaster bolts themselves. I can sense the danger that those packets of energy pose as well as where they are going. It is through this method that Jedi can counter the attacks of remotes and droids which have none of the living thoughts that organic beings have. I can also sense on an intuitive level where and how I need to react and move my lightsaber or body to block or avoid the attack. In reading the intent of the individuals or objects, I can avoid or counter them with my own intent, but to do that, I must, on some level, 'read' the future.

 

"In this instance with this specific exercise, you would best be served not by focusing on the stylus itself, but rather on me. Look at the waves of emotion and intent I am giving off. See my aurora through the Force rather than simply through your eyes. Read where my focus is and attempt to determine what my plans are. In combat, we would be moving rapidly and it would be done instinctually just as you can move your feet in rapid coordination while running, but for now, I will let you take your time just as you had when taking your first baby steps. It is possible to shield or obscure your intent, but I will not be employing those methods since I want you to be able to read what I am doing.

 

"I want you to learn where my focus is, be it where you can sense the stylus or in another place. You should be able to sense when my mind sends the command to the stylus and know that is when the attack will begin. You should, in time, begin to extend your senses to cover the stylus itself and its own form of intent when it starts shooting toward you. Even if you can't react in time to block it, if you can begin to sense where it is heading, that will be a step forward.

 

"We will conduct this exercise many times until you begin to pick things up. I will not strike so quickly or harshly, but I will strike at you from many different angles and at different times into the drill. If you have questions, it is better to ask rather than live in ignorance."

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca had little much to offer up Ads in a way that would satisfy his curiosity. With a smile, Kirlocca gave the young man a nod with his head as he spoke.

 

<< No, no bigger mission. But it will require for you to be alert with the Force, but you may end up not using it at all. >>

[Ads-Gop Flif]

<< No, no bigger mission. But it will require for you to be alert with the Force, but you may end up not using it at all. >>

 

"All right. I can do that. Looks like we're almost there." It seemed strange to Ads that they had such a short conversation over the 17 hours flight, but hey, what are you gonna do? He put the thought aside as he prepared the shuttle to exit hyperspace. "Dropping out in three, two, one..."

 

The swirling lights of hyperspace momentarily dissolved into streaks before their resolution into pinpoints of light. Bothawui hung before them, its massive, emerald continents and rich blue seas certainly providing a welcome sight.

[Emily]

The Shadow's Shine slipped smoothly through hyperspace.

 

The biggest problem, however, was the pilot didn't precisely know where she was going. It mattered little at the moment though, for there were a few things she had to do.

 

Her first stop was at a small space station in the Nal Hutta system. It orbited one of the outlying planets and was just as seedy as the rest of the system. Emily wrapped herself in a long dark robe, and took Roe'gall with her as she prowled the station. No one bothered her; in fact, most of them would conveniently get out of her way as she and her hulking tuk'ata made their way through the station. Her goal was to get some new clothes, for Quietus had ruined her best outfit and she hadn't yet found time to buy more.

 

Her trip was quite successful. In the second shop, she saw a model wearing an outfit that she simply fell in love with. She bought the whole thing right off, including the thigh-high black boots and wraps that went under the parted skirt. She also bought two in a slightly different color scheme--black wraps with a gray skirt and a silver-and-black skirt panel. She had the feeling it would soon become her favorite outfit.

 

In the third shop, she found a new black jumpsuit and a few other pieces that would round out her wardrobe. She also bought several other long black hooded cloaks like the one she was wearing.

 

Her purchases finished, she headed back to the ship, Roe'gall continuing to stalk behind her and watch for trouble. The one time that some denizen dared approach and try to accost her, a low growl from the monster sufficed to cause the perpetrator to change his mind and go find someone else to bother. She smiled. He'd have been helpful to have had with me when those slavers attacked the ship.

 

They made it back to the Shadow's Shine and took off. A microjump took them out of the system and into dark space, where Emily reverted the ship. She had set the computer to search for the Ogariv II's registry while she was on the station, and now she perused the records. Sometimes, people took care to hide their registries behind false transponders and the like, but that was usually for people with little power who had something to hide. Quietus was the opposite of that, so she had confidence that the Ogariv II would be running under it's normal transponder.

 

The Force was with her. Quietus was in the Kuat system. His arrival had just been logged at the Kuat Drive Yards. In no time at all, the Shadow's Shine was on her way, the starlines stretching into the tunnel of hyperspace once more. It would take a day and a half to get there from here.

 

Emily rose and made her way back into the living area. She changed into one of her new outfits, and looked at herself in the mirror. She shook her long black hair down. The image that stared back at her was one of a powerful, confident, sexy woman. She liked the way she looked; no longer a girl, but a full woman.

 

She pulled herself away. "C'mon Roe'gall, let's get you something to eat."

[Adrian Makaryk]

Adrian still did not quite understand how to sense the 'intent' of inanimate objects, or even the living. He did, however, get the distinct feeling that learning how to sense such currents would be akin to learning how to walk, talk, and chew gum all over again. The padawan recognized certainly that he had some potential to learn how to sense specific dangers at some point in the future. If he hadn't, with his eyes closed and almost no information coming from his usual five biological senses, Adrian would not have been able to react to the stylus attack at all. However, clearly the doctor could not yet glean enough information from the Force to do what his duties of a Jedi would require him to do. It almost seemed his extrasensory perception was too narrow, but he didn't yet know how to widen it. He didn't know what to look for. For quite a few moments, Adrian remained in quiet reflection, obviously finding it hard to let go of his analytical side.

 

Then again, once upon a time he'd had no idea how to read medical images, either. He'd had to be taught how to read and interpret them--obviously that had involved substantial practice with sample images. But how was his instructor to convey such images, to teach him how to detect things like emotion and intent, when the two of them very clearly saw very different things through the Force? The doctor could tell that the spoken word alone was wholly inadequate to the concept she was trying to convey. She tried to explain by intellect senses that should become instinctual, and it wasn't really working. Whatever Adenna was trying to describe, Adrian could not perceive. But it did give the student an idea.

 

After a long moment of silence, Adrian scritched his head. "Is it possible to share sensations and feelings through the Force? I somehow get the feeling that trying to confine a lesson in the Force to the spoken word isn't working too well. And it might be difficult for me to learn how to interpret something I cannot yet see."

 

Of course, Adrian had yet to learn the slightest thing about such abilities, though an earlier incident between Halo and her previous instructor had given him clues as to the existence of such abilities. Now, he wondered if his current instructor could show him some examples of what he might need to look for, rather than stumble over what words to use in vain attempts to describe it.

[Adenna Alluyen]

"Yes. . ." Adenna said in response. They had been working for well over an hour, but he was making little progress. She hadn't truly expected him to, but it had allowed her to gauge his strengths and progress.

 

"I could share certain things with you, but I will not at this point in your development. Each person views the Force slightly different just as we each view the world around us differently. I would no more link you to my senses than I would attempt to download my life experiences, opinions, and prejudices into a newborn's brain without letting them first develop some on their own. There will come a time when we link our minds and I guide you, but this is not that time. I want you to be able to develop your connection to the Force in a way that is truly yours, not mine.

 

"At this point in your training, I am trying to get you to learn how to recognize the whisper of the Force that is always there, but that you just didn't know how to sense before. I want you to learn how to feel the Force the way that feels most natural to you instead of having you seeing how I do it and struggling to mimic it. I will give you guidance where I can, but I will not do it for you or stunt your development. There are so many things that I could and will show you, but you are not yet ready to see or experience them. First, I want you to develop a bedrock foundation of your ability connect to the Force. Later, when you have that foundation, I will show you complicated things and we will progress together."

 

She was not blind to his frustration and could sympathize with it. "Do not be concerned. You are very young in the Force. You shouldn't expect to master things with ease because, like all things, learning how to use the Force takes time and dedication. We have been working together for all of a couple of hours. That you haven't yet learned how to do everything I asked of you is not something to be concerned with. As I have said, my intent today was to discover where you are in your skills and connection to the Force. In time, we will work directly in expanding your abilities, but not just yet."

 

She retrieved the stylus and motioned for Adrian to replace the cushion. "I believe this will suffice for working in the Force. If you want something I can show you, then I shall give it to you. All Jedi are required to learn at least the basics of combat. There are many reasons for this, namely the fact that Jedi have often been used to resolve conflicts and are frequently the target of attacks by anti-Jedi organizations and the Sith, but there are other reasons. Combat can be an art and as with much art, it can expand the mind. Not only that, but much of learning of combat involves physical activity which keeps us in shape. When I first arrived on Gala to join the Jedi, I was quite underweight and weak. I learned through a great many months how to strengthen my body and gain muscle through exercise, diet, and combat practice.

 

"I plan on showing you some basic combat moves that will help in self defense. These are simple physical moves that do not need the Force to learn, but will be drastically more effective when you learn how to use it properly in the future. I want you to start preparing physically so when your mental abilities mature, they will be complemented by the physical rather than hindered by it."

[Emily]

During the next day and a half, Emily did some research. First, she found that the Kuat Drive Yards were under CoreSec's jurisdiction. Then a related search led her to a list of bounties and alerts through CoreSec. Raynuk was on the list. She frowned. Knowing him, he would have arrived at KDY in full Sith mode, not bothering to hide who he was. And while the chances of CoreSec's presence in the shipyards being enough to be a threat to him were slim, she didn't think that her showing up and asking to see him would necessarily be a good idea. One Sith with a large price on his head was bad enough; if another Sith showed up too, they were bound to get jumpy.

 

Well, that was fine. She'd play it all close to the chest then. As far as she knew, he wasn't there to stir up trouble, unless he planned on giving the entire shipyards to Furion. She hesitated. What if that was his plan? She really had no way of knowing. For a moment, she smiled. She loved how unpredictable he could be sometimes. But the smile faded. If that really was his plan, her showing up without knowing the details might foul it up.

 

There was nothing for it but to go in undercover. She didn't want to mess up anything that Quietus had going. One way she had benefitted during her time at Spite Station was in receiving the beginnings of assassin training. She hadn't gotten very far, but she had picked up the basics of being just another face in the crowd.

 

She began by changing. She put her hair up in a long straight ponytail and raided the closets on the ship, which were always stocked with a variety of clothing for any occasion. They were made to fit her mother, but they were similar in size enough that Emily could make do. She found a sharp business suit and put on some makeup and high heels.

 

Heading back to the cockpit, she changed the registry of the ship, using one of the expensive false transponders. Her cover story was simple enough. There should be no reason for the CoreSec officials or KDY employees to be suspicious.

 

Taking a deep breath, she touched the lever and reverted to real space.

[Adrian Makaryk]

"Adenna," the doctor answered, his voice much firmer than the unsure, hesitant deference she might have grown accustomed to. "If I am to learn how to sense emotions and intents, perhaps we should, when we get the chance, go to a place where they actually exist. It is desolate here, with little else other than the pilot's probable boredom. While I have had years to develop my senses for medical use, I am little more than a five-year-old in determining where, ahead of time, an attack will strike, along with a host of other things that I am sure Jedi are expected to sense. I can think of several places on Onderon, not the least of which is the shattered hospital where I used to work, but I fear my pre-existing knowledge and experience with the area would introduce bias to what I could sense there. But it will be most difficult for me to figure out how to sense such things on my own, in a place so sparsely populated that there is scarcely any emotion at all."

 

The doctor took a deep breath before restoring the couch cushion to its original position. "Obviously, however, we do not have that luxury right this second, so it makes a bit of sense to move on. Please proceed, Adenna."

 

(OOC: Sorry for the short and curt post. I accidentally clicked the touchpad when typing and closed the tab with a much more developed one--and had no way to recover it.)

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna was glad to see that he was intuitive enough to realize the difficulty in learning to sense life while in hyperspace. "That is one of the reasons why we are so limited in what we can do here. Were circumstances better, we could try many different things, but we must make do with what we have. In time, I promise we will find a better place. I hear that Haruun Kal is a planet full of life and with a strong history in the Force. Surely we will have opportunities there to practice and expand your senses."

 

For the rest of their trip, they alternated between working on his basic Force perception and physical combat. She also accessed the fairly limited database on board the ship to help familiarize him with various weapons and their capacities so that if he were to face danger, he might at least know what his enemies were capable of. It was mostly uneventful due to the limitations of their environment, but it was better than nothing. She was satisfied with what they managed to accomplish, but wished that they had more time and proper facilities with more room to move around in. Alas, the Force did not afford them such luxuries as duty called.

[Emily]

The Ogariv II appeared a few seconds after it had jumped into hyperspace, a microjump away from the Kuat System. A moment later, the Shimmer Scale reverted. "Business before pleasure," Emily said. With several flipped levers and pushed buttons, the two whips initiated docking procedures, and after a moment, there was a thump as the clamps locked the two into place with each other.

 

Emily left the cockpit and headed to the boarding tube. When she got aboard her ship, she was greeted by a very affectionate tuk'ata, who was clearly glad to be reunited with his mistress. She was glad to see him again too, and hugged his massive face affectionately. She then headed straight to the cockpit, where she took a few minutes to slave the ship's systems with those of the Ogariv II, ensuring that where Quietus' ship went, hers would follow. She also removed the false transponder and ID tags, letting the ship become once again the Shadow's Shine.

 

Her work taken care of, she grabbed her small satchel and headed back over to the Ogariv II, Roe'gall in tow. She dumped her bag in the living area and headed back up to the cockpit. Quietus was still there. "All set," she said, taking the copilot's seat. Once he had set their destination and sent the two ships hurtling through hyperspace again, she smiled and rose, moving over to sit on his lap. "I'm not going to tell you anything about the Link's business contracts," she said, her serious expression spoiled by the twinkle in her eye. "So I guess we'll have to skip the interrogation and go right on to the part where you ravish your captive..."

[Raynuk Montar]

Since departing the security station of the Kuat Drive Yards, Quietus had remained silent. speaking not a word from his mouth or in his mind to Emily. He was for all intents, expressionless as the pair had moved through the corridors back towards the Ogariv II. The pair had kept up the charade the entire way, with Quietus' lightsaber only half a meter behind Emily. When the pair had secured themselves aboard the Starviper, The Sith Master deactivated and replaced his lightsaber on his belt, but still remained silent as he moved towards the cockpit to make the microjump with Emily close in tow. Once the Shimmer Scale appeared from its own microjump, Quietus watched Emily depart to settle things on her own ship.

 

For a moment in her absence, Quietus wondered whether she had even noticed his silence. All outward signs had pointed to the fact that she had either purposely ignored the fact, or missed it entirely. In the brief intermission, Vex'aedr wandered into the cockpit, having noticed its Master's unusual silence since their escape. Quietus could feel the beast's concern, a notion of loyalty that gained the tuk'ata a rather vigorous show of affection from Quietus, who gave the beast a thorough scratch and a few pats on the side. As Emily returned, Quietus set a steady hand on the neck of Vex'aedr and spoke to the tuk'ata.

 

All is fine my pet. Go, play and enjoy the company of your brother.

 

Vex'aedr snuffed once, signaling his understanding and acceptance before turning to look at Emily as she entered the cockpit, before padding his way out past her calmly. The moment he passed her though he took off sprinting, intent on finding and tackling his brother. Still maintaining his silence, Quietus set the jump back to hyperspace, taking a brief glance to ensure that the Shimmer Scale had jumped at well. As Emily sat down on his lap, Quietus closed his eyes and sighed, the only outward noise he had made since their escape. He remained there for another few moments, not missing the twinkle in Emily's eye. But so suddenly that it nearly surprised Quietus as well, the Sith stood quickly to his feet, all but dumping Emily to the steel plating before he turned and walked to the back of the cockpit. He reached up, grasping hold of the doorway and leaning against it, his back to an understandable confused Emily.

 

It had been a flash of anger, of frustration that had fueled his sudden movement, and Quietus had to consciously avoid lashing out with those same emotions. Finally he spoke, breaking his standing silence. But these were not the words, nor the tone, that Emily had been expecting moments before. There was pain, anger, and frustration in his voice.

 

"You... decided to stay on Mechis III. For your training you had said. It was a decision that I accepted because I knew how important it was to you. I could have begged you to come with me, but I didnt. And now I find that you rushed off in pursuit of me, making no attempt to inform me of your decision or plans to join me, and pretending to be a Link representative as you snuck around the Drive Yards. And not only that, you then decided to stir the pot by inquiring about me as that persona, and nearly cause me to attempt to kill every last member of that CoreSec detachment to protect the secrets of the Sith and my purpose there..."

 

He finally turned to face her, to address her to her face. And behind his eyes were fire; not fire of anger, or passion, but fire of determination.

 

"I very nearly got myself and Vex'aedr killed for your foolishness, and my contract there along with it. What were you THINKING?"

 

There was definite rage within his voice, but the source and the target of that rage was equally aimed at Quietus as it was Emily. And so there the Sith stood for a few more moments, watching and wondering. Watching her reactions, and wondering what could possibly have lead her to do what she had done. But as the moments passed, Quietus own resolve broke. He was the one who had fallen for the ruse; he was the one who had reacted so viciously. And so, Quietus sighed, now fully annoyed with himself more than anything as he sunk back to lean against the bulkhead behind him. He shot a glance out of the cockpit window, having fallen silent once more. But just as quickly, spoke again, the subject having changed.

 

"And for the record, I never said anything about ravishing my captive... I believe you came up with that part yourself my dear. I merely said I might be able to have some fun with her. As you should know, fun can mean a variety of things to a Sith."

 

He turned back to face her again, the faintest of grins peaking through his otherwise stone facade.

[Emily]

She had noticed his silence, but hadn't been able to place the reason behind it until he burst out in frustration once they were in hyperspace. Then she listened with growing disbelief. "I was trying to help you!" she replied hotly. "I wasn't just going to go bursting in to a place that was overseen by a group who had a price on your head and announce that I was with you. Who knows how they would have responded? We both know that if they had decided to attack, you wouldn't have left the shipyards alive. I had no idea that your project was such a kriffing secret until it was too late, and then I had to do everything I could to do damage control."

 

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "As for Mechis III, yes, I decided to stay. I stayed. I talked with Aryian. I learned what I needed to learn, and then I could tell that it was time for me to move on. Was my time there shorter than I expected? Yes. But don't accuse me of abandoning my training."

 

Her anger cooled and she sighed, uncrossing her arms. "Look, Raynuk," she said, using the name she rarely used. "I'm sorry. I can't help feeling we got off KDY by the skin of our teeth, and I know that's largely my fault. I was foolish, I know. Looking back, I shouldn't have even landed. But what's done is done. I can't change it now."

 

She softened a little more when he changed the subject, addressing her earlier comment. "Well, fighting with you is not fun," she said, biting her lip. She sighed again. "I need some caf." She headed out of the cockpit in the direction of the galley, but as she passed him, she gently caressed his cheek with the back of her hand.

 

While the caf was brewing, she changed out of the business suit she had been wearing and into one of her new outfits, leaving off the arm and leg wraps. Once the caf was made, she sat down on one of the couches in the living space, her skirt cozy against her legs, and her hands wrapped around a steaming cup, sipping it while watching Roe'gall and Vex'aedr running playfully in and out of the room. The hot liquid was soothing; Quietus kept his ship a little on the cold side for her liking. 

[Raynuk Montar]

Quietus watched Emily leave the cockpit, having fallen into silence again. His gaze had returned to the countless stars and planetary systems that were wizzing past as they traveled through hyperspace. Feeling her hand brush across his cheek elicited only the faintest of responses as his eyes closed for the duration of the passing moment. And then she was gone from the cockpit. Quietus gave her a few minutes head start before he finally pushed off the bulkhead, returning himself to his full height once more. It had occured to him that, in his emotional state of the past hour or so, he really had absolutely no idea where he had set the hyperdrive destination to. At the very least, It would certainly be a good idea to ensure that the ship wasnt set to collide with anything, and at the best, it would help to know where they were going to end up. Moving once more to the pilot's chair, Quietus did a quick scan and found that they were currently hurling through space towards Coruscant itself. Deciding that it was an acceptable destination for now, Quietus made his way out of the cockpit to pursue Emily.

 

By the time that he found her - not that she could really hide on his ship - she had already settled down on one of the couches in the living quarters, curled up with a mug of caf and being entertained by the pair of tuk'atas running around with enough speed and exuberance to betray their size. He paused at the doorway, taking his own turn watching Roe'gall and Vex'aedr as they playfully jumped and chased each other before turning to Emily as the tuk'atas ran off towards the cargo bay, leaving the two Sith alone for the moment.

 

"Sith... do not apologize, and they NEVER say that they are sorry."

 

His words were firm, seeming to serve both as a declaration that he would not be apologizing, as well as a lesson in itself to Emily. The truth of the matter however, was much more of Quietus' style. As he spoke, he entered and crossed the room towards her, his arms crossed in front of him. He stopped and stood there for a moment in silence before he continued.

 

"We do however, pay for the mistakes we make against other Sith. Sometimes the payments can be... creative in means. Perhaps we can each come up with some creative ideas for reparations... "

 

There was another evil grin from Quietus as he sat down next to Emily, reaching out to take one of her hands from her mug, capturing it between both of his own hands. He then brought it up and planted a kiss on the back of her hand, removing one hand only long enough to perform the action before engulfing her hand once more as if it were about to fly away. Quietus could feel that her reaction to the display of affection was instant and more importantly, genuine. He grinned again at that fact, finally taking the time to look her over from head to toe once more.

 

"Interesting outfit... I like it. Very feminine yet powerful... THough I must say that business suit wasnt exactly a detracting look on you either."

[Emily]

She had a few minutes to herself, but soon enough Quietus came in, his arms crossed. Well, I'm not really a Sith, she thought at Quietus' words. But she didn't speak. She knew that him telling her that Sith don't apologize was his way of apologizing, and she smiled inwardly. She didn't know what he was not apologizing for, but the fact that he was not apologizing touched her. As he sat down beside her and kissed her hand, she let the small smile reach her lips.

 

His comment about her appearance pleased her. "You just like that it shows cleavage," she replied, teasing him. "If you like this, you should take me out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, and I'll wear my evening gown." She set down her cup of caf on the coffee table (caf table? ) and pulled her legs up. Tucking them underneath her, she turned and leaned back against Quietus' chest. It felt good just to be here with him. She sat quietly, drinking in their closeness and the masculine smell of him, savoring the fact that they could just relax together. Times like this were always few and far between in a galaxy constantly on the move.

 

After a few moments, she craned her head around and met his eyes. "I missed you," she said honestly. "It's hard to believe it was only a week, Mechis-time."

 

((Sorry this is short...at work))

[Raynuk Montar]

Quietus had to visibly suppress the urge to snicker at her comment about her outfits. They had both clearly moved past the argument over what happened at the Kuat Drive Yards, and Emily at least seemed to revel in the chance to spend some relatively quiet time in his immediate presence. And for the moment he was equally content to give her that attention, wrapping both of his arms around midsection as she settled in leaning back against him. There they sat in the relative silence until she stirred, turning to him to speak. He knew the truth of her words, taking them as they were given; as honest.

 

"Then I'd hate to see what crazy things you would do if I ever went off on my own for a month or more. No wait, I think I might actually enjoy seeing you tear through something to get to me..."

 

He smiled delicately, poking her slightly in the ribs to show that he was just as capable of teasing her as she was able to do it to him. The smile faded though, as Quietus' mind drifted briefly to periods of time longer than just a month. What would a year do to her? And possibly worst of all, what would having Quietus die again do to her now? Quietus was old enough and smart enough to know the answer, but in that moment refused to even consider it. And that refusal told him much more about himself than Quietus had expected from such a quiet moment with Emily. For perhaps the first time, he came to fully disagree with the decision that had been made oh so long ago on the Dreadfully Unpleasant and Very Unholy Chariot of Unwarranted Suffering. A decision that he had been shackled by duty from speaking or acting against. They had seen her, this young woman who practically thrived on Quietus' presence, as being a weakness to the potential of Quietus. But they had been wrong. She was as he had come to determine, a strength to be had.

 

It was true that he had considered her lack of total commitment to the Sith as potentially problematic and frustrating at times, but perhaps the Force had a higher purpose for Emily. She was not fully Sith, and in that regard she was considerably more grounded and more rational at times than Quietus was. She would be his anchor to what little remained of his humanity. She had, most assuredly without knowing it, given Quietus an even stronger desire and drive to live, survive, and persevere; he had someone who, to a point, relied and depended on him.

 

The thought process had taken all but a few heartbeats, and as Quietus' conscious mind snapped back to reality, so too did the smile that had faded. He found her still looking at him, just the faintest glimmer of wonder behind those eyes. Perhaps she had picked up on the faded smile, perhaps she had other topics on her mind. Either way, Quietus responded with another playful and teasing poke to her stomach followed closely by a squeeze of his arms.

 

"And for the record, its more than just the upper portion -" he trailed off slightly, having found his eyes drawn to the cleavage that her current outfit afforded her to which she had pointed out, before he caught himself and continued. "Uhm, of your outfit that I enjoy. I am quite a fan of skirts on females as well. Like I said, very feminine, and yet powerful, and also quite elegant if I might add."

 

He smiled again, taking a moment to ruffle and play with the fabric of her skirt before returning his hand to where it had found itself in the initial embrace.

 

"As I left the cockpit I noticed that I had, quite unconsciously, set our destination for Coruscant. I have a few errands I could run there, and I suppose it would be possible for me to afford you with a chance to wear that evening gown to which you seem so intent upon wearing. But other than that, I have no other plans to fill the next few days, if there is something else or somewhere else you wish to go. I do intend upon returning to Kuat to check on the progress of my, 'contract', in about two weeks however."

[Emily]

She smiled as he mentioned what she might do if they were forced apart longer, but it faded as her thoughts, unbeknownst to her, took the same turn that his did at that moment. She couldn't help but think about the times where things had been going well, and then something happened to take those she cared about away from her. It felt like getting close to Quietus was just tempting fate, in a way, and logically, it didn't make much sense. If everyone close to her was ripped away regularly, it would make sense to harden herself and not allow anyone to get close.

 

But she had decided she couldn't live like that. It would be almost a greater crime to do so, cause more suffering to her. She wouldn't trade the times she had spent with Quietus for anything. She didn't think a time would come when she would honestly regret them. If what she most dreaded came to pass, there would be moments when she would wish that he had never come back, but overall, she couldn't imagine truly desiring that. The good would eventually outweigh the bad.

 

Or so she hoped. She didn't have to look far to find an example of it not working out that way. Her mother had become a shell of herself after John's death. While she had tried to move on, Emily knew that she never really had. In the end, her mother had decided that there was no point in living anymore, and had killed herself from the pain. For a long time, Emily had blamed her mother's selfishness for the hard upbringing she had had. But now she wondered. She was starting to be able to see Sirvani's point of view.

 

She felt Quietus silently sigh beneath her, and turned a wondering gaze up at him. As he renewed his teasing, her dark thoughts were pushed back into the shadows and corners of her mind. "Coruscant would be nice," she agreed. "You'll have to take me to the fanciest, most expensive restaurant were we can laugh at all the rich snobs who are patronizing it." She thought about his offer to take her wherever she wanted. "Actually, I wouldn't mind going home to Raxus Prime. There are a few things I could take care of that are more difficult to do from a distance." She had done her best to keep the temple there running. Mostly it involved communicating with the Nohgri overseer and sending credits for things that needed repair. But she hadn't gone back personally since she had left it 7 years ago. There had been little to draw her back, and frankly, she knew it would bring back a lot of memories, good and bad. She hadn't wanted to deal with that on her own.

 

But with Quietus with her, she could get some business done, as well as get some closure. She had left as a girl bitter and eager to start her training; she would be returning as a confident woman who no longer feared the past.

 

She smiled and rolled over, so that her frame was resting on top of him. "Mostly, though," she said, propping herself up on her forearms, her hair cascading down onto his chest, "I just want to go wherever you go. It doesn't much matter where. Did you have a place in mind?"

[Raynuk Montar]

Despite being a powerful Sith Master, Quietus was finding it increasingly difficult to not crack a smile at some of the things that Emily said. The thought of the two of them snickering away in the middle of a supremely-high class restaurant filled with only the wealthiest of the wealthy was entertainment enough to satisfy both of them, and brought Quietus an extended amount of amusement. Even more so when he attempted to consider how much trepidation they would all feel at the knowledge that a Sith Master was dining among them.

 

The turn of conversation towards a return to Raxus Prime interested Quietus, for he knew what kind of demons might still be there for Emily. From the way she spoke of it however, it appeared that like the tomb of her parents on Korriban, Emily really had no desire to return there; it was a sense of responsibility that was pulling her back to a place that she had left with such strong negative emotions that he could feel them reverberating even now from her memories. In a way, it reminded Quietus of the trip that he himself had taken so many years ago, shortly after he had first become a Master. That trip, one of discovery and seeking the knowledge within himself, had lead Quietus to some of the most important places of his life, and eventually had lead him back to Roon amid similar negative emotions and demons. His journey however, had met a subsequently negative end, one that he would do everything in his power to ensure did not happen Emily as well. As she rolled over in his embrace, he greeted her gaze with a wink and another squeeze as she continued.

 

"Raxus Prime... It has been some time for you hasnt it? Even longer for me... Although, it served a bigger role to you than it did to me. Yes, I dont see why we cant swing by Raxus Prime. Im sure it will be quite the experience for me to be following you around for a change. As for me, I have no other immediate plans besides what I told you."

[Emily]

The pull of her thoughts was strong. She couldn't help but think about what it would be like to go home again. Raxus Prime was hers. It felt like it belonged to her. It was strange, because logically she knew she didn't own the entire planet, and even legally she wondered if the plot of land the temple was on actually belonged to her. But nevertheless, she felt a strange sense of ownership. It wasn't completely unwelcome; she kind of liked the idea of having a responsibility to some place. It gave her some roots. But at the same time, her personal experiences there had been mostly negative.

 

She wasn't quite sure what she would think or feel, so she pushed the thoughts away again. What would come, would come. Worrying about it wouldn't change anything. She was glad that Quietus had agreed to go with her though. Having him with her would help. And she smiled at his comment about following her around. "Yes, I'll be a woman with a Sith Master and two giant tuk'ata on her heels. Not something you see every day, even in our circles."

 

Her gray and hazel eyes met his muddy brown ones, and she was suddenly taken with how handsome he was. Perhaps he wasn't quite what she had always considered her type, but he was very good-looking in a serious, Sithly kind of way. She stifled a laugh when she remembered how in awe of him she had been when she had first been apprenticed to him. She had barely had the nerve to ask him any questions. How things have changed...

 

A wry, sneaky smile suddenly blossomed on her face. "You mean, you have no other immediate plans besides me," she corrected. She leaned down and gently brushed her lips over his cheek. "And I'm not going anywhere."

[Raynuk Montar]

Quietus quirked an eyebrow inquisitively as she corrected him, keeping his face otherwise emotionless. It would seem that she had come up with her own plans to fill the time until they arrived at Coruscant. And Quietus did so enjoy playing these sorts of mind games, particularly with Emily. When she had finished her tease of him he merely looked at her, acting completely nonchallant, acting as if he had no clue what she was referring to. But then he spoke, and the game was a foot.

 

"Ah yes... That's right. I have a suspected Link representative to interrogate. Oh but I forgot, you were hoping I would skip the interrogation and skip to the.. how did you put it?"

 

He leaned his head back, looking up in contemplative thought for a few seconds before his eyes lit up with the sudden thought and he looked back down, meeting the wry and sneaky look on her face, one of equal amusement on his.

 

"Ah yes! That's right. Skip right to the part where I 'ravish my captive' I believe is how you phrased it. An interesting choice of words if I do say so myself, especially considering your affection for that new outfit of yours; ravage is such a strong word. Although, if I am to perform a proper interrogation, I will of course have to restrain my captive and perform such terrible terrible acts upon her. In fact, I think I have a pair of binders around here somewhere...."

 

He broke his gaze from her and turned, attempting to look around the room for the pair of binders, focusing on the table in the middle of the room and making quite the show of it, craning his neck around to look all over the place. He was practically ignoring her, appearing to be fully absorbed in the visual search for the binders that he had spoken of. But then he sighed and turned back to her, only his eyes giving any indication of his ruse.

 

"Of course... Seeing as how my captive is a suposid Link representative, there should be nothing preventing me from restraining her with the Force, dont you agree?"

 

He refused to allow her to answer the last question however, letting it hang in the air instead. For before she could even form the basis of a witty response, he pulled the same trick on her that he had done so long ago; the same dirty mean trick that had started this entire path that brought the two of them to be so close. The only difference from then to now was that this time, Quietus had to actually work his way through her mental barriers to get into her mind. Once inside however, the trick was the same. With very real and yet sneaky intentions, he poked and prodded her mind to no end, particularly the areas of her brain that were responsible for extreme pleasure and feelings of euphoria.

 

But this was not the Quietus of old, where the reason was to see how far he could push her while in public, surrounded by other Sith and members of the Black Sun. It was just the two of them now, not counting the two massive tuk'atas that were somewhere in the ship wrestling. And so this time, there needed to be more to his trick, more to his toying and teasing Emily. The stakes needed to be risen, and so they would be.

 

He would not stop there. Not in the slightest. She would learn just how far Quietus could go in this manner.

[Emily]

She had thought she knew what to expect when his words turned suggestive and she began to feel physical changes to his body beneath her. But when he turned the Force on her and assaulted her mind, her jaw dropped. "That's...that's..." she gasped, "just...not fair." She forced herself to resist, playing a little game with him and testing her own limits. But it wasn't a perfect test, because she wanted him just as badly as he apparently wanted her. And Emily was not one who was used to self-denial.

 

So after a moment of struggle, her face flushed and her breast heaving, she gave in. A moment later, her shirt lay crumpled on the floor, and she was kissing him with a renewed vigor and passion. There was nothing in the galaxy like the feel of being in his arms, of sharing this level of intimacy with someone she respected and cared about. And while they had their differences philosophically, they were united in this, in the connection that transcended the physical and touched on the spiritual.

 

Their disagreements were forgotten in light of their connection, and while Emily got enormous pleasure from the physical feel of his body against hers, it was the deeper connection that she valued more. It was a reminder that she wasn't alone, that someone found her valuable and attractive and desirable, and that she was someone worthwhile. Everything that was right about the galaxy, she found here, being in Quietus' arms.

 

And that was something she knew she'd carry with her always.

[Raynuk Montar]

The response from Emily was much more urgent and primal than Quietus had anticipated from her. The sudden oral assault from her, as well as the newly created pile of crumpled cloth occured sooner and with more intensity than Quietus had foreseen. And so for a few moments, Emily got what she desired; a vigorous and passion filled kiss, giving both of them a taste of what was to come. However, Quietus was not fully thrown off his game, and after those few moments spent locked in the kiss, Quietus pulled back, breaking the kiss, and with it the course that Emily had attempted to set for them.

 

"I am Sith my love, and the Sith are by no terms... fair."

 

The last word was barely out of his mouth before Emily was suddenly moved; pushed backwards off and away from Quietus, as well as up a meter into the air off of the couch with the slightest flick of Quietus' wrist, a minor gesture that carried the weight of the Force with it. She was suspended there, held in place, all the while Quietus continued his mental stimulation. He would, in the same breath, deprive her of what she was seeking as well as bring her to the very edge of pleasure. If she had been frustrated before with his sudden effect on her, the situation now must have been beyond comprehension or description.

 

He stood then from the couch, moving her with the Force to give him the room that he required to do so. While she was a mess of desire and passion, Quietus held his own emotions in check, appearing as stoic as possible as he looked upon her. She was, after all, his 'captive'. And it was a role that Quietus planned to play out fully and entirely. His hand rose from his side, twisting slightly, and with the move so did Emily twist and turn to return her to a vertical base. He continued to hold her in check, as if she were caged by invisible walls that prevented her from getting any closer to the Sith that he allowed. He inched closer to her, standing with his lips barely inches away from hers as he gazed into her mismatched eyes.

 

"You should know this by now my dear... I am quite far from fair. You are, after all, my little Link captive, now arent you? Discovered during your mission to spy on the Sith and my contract with Kuat, and now you will be punished; a punishment that only I can deliver to one such as you. You have been a very, very disapointing conquest little one. I shall have to consider deeply how best to make you feel what is to come. But first, a little measure of security."

 

With Emily quite literally floating in the middle of the room, mere inches away from having her feet touch the floor plating, Quietus could have done anything he wished. Whatever she may have expected, the look of shock and confusion that had appeared when he restricted her movements was almost enough to cause Quietus to laugh with sadistic glee. It was a glee that was only further intensified as out of seemingly nowhere, two pairs of binders came flying across the room. It would become apparent to her, only then, that his visual search had been little more than a ruse; Quietus had known exactly where they were the entire time. But now the Sith was on a roll; having surprised Emily at every possible turn, there was no way for her to fathom guessing the course of action. He was throwing her off every chance he got, not to mention his continued mental stimulation. And true to form, he changed the game once more.

 

Another flick of his wrist, and Emily's arms were suddenly pulled behind her back, being pinned there for the briefest of seconds by the Force before the first set of binders slapped onto her wrists and closed, effectively tying her arms behind her back. The pull of her arms in such a fashion had a rather encouraging side effect on her however; forcing her to arch her back ever so slightly, pulling her already fit stomach tighter and enhancing the curves of her chest in the general direction of Quietus. He took in the sight set before him for a few moments in silence, his head tipping ever so slightly to the side as another devilish smirk spread across his lips.

 

He imagined that she must have thought him incredibly cruel to do such things to her in his manner, and at the moment when she had all but given in to the emotions of passion and love. There would have to be reparations made for such actions, payments made for what he was putting her through. But Quietus was merciful, to a point; he proved it then by using the Force to return her to the couch, setting her down gently onto the cushions as she glared daggers at him that were equal parts desire and anger. But once again the circumstances beckoned to be changed, and Quietus obliged the unseen hand guiding the encounter as the second pair of binders flew across the room to shackle her ankles together.

 

Only then did Quietus relinquish his physical hold on her through the Force, now fully grinning from ear to ear with devilish charm as he moved towards her at a snail's pace that was quite deliberate. He would extend all aspects of this encounter to their limits, threatening to break more that one aspect before it was all over. While he no longer caged her with the Force, his stimulating hold on her mind showed no relenting.

 

"There, that's better... Dont you think? Nice and comfortable on a couch."

[Emily]

He was driving her to the edge of her sanity, and he knew it. He tormented her, teasing her with a kiss here, a nudge there, and his continuous mental onslaught. Then he demonstrated once again his mastery of the Force, lifting her bodily in the air and holding her there, twisting and turning her, examining her from every angle with a determinedly stoic look on his face. She was shocked and frustrated, but everything he did was carefully designed to make her want him more, and it was working exceedingly well. She tried glaring daggers at him, but she was so amused by the whole thing that it wasn't really working.

 

As he brought up their little roleplay, she bit her lip to keep the smile from her face. There was something extremely sexy about the fact that he had her suspended in the air, completely at his mercy. Of course, had Emily wanted, an application of the Force from her would have set her feet back on the decking. But it was fun to play at the illusion.

 

What he did next, however, she had to admit she completely didn't see coming. When the binders clasped her hands behind her back, she raised her eyebrows at him. I didn't expect him to take it so literally, she thought. But then, she never could predict what he was going to do next, and that had always been one thing she had appreciated about their relationship. He was creative, and he was constantly thinking up new ways to keep their relationship exciting.

 

He lowered her to the couch, but then called another pair of binders from across the room and bound her ankles. For a moment, she felt the exhilarating rush that he had expected to induce in her. But a heartbeat later, everything had changed. She looked up at him, looming over her with a devilish grin on his face, and saw not the face of her lover, but the face of the slavers that had captured her.

 

She lay on the cold decking of a ship, bound with her wrists behind her back and her ankles together. Two men, hulking and scarred, stood over her, leering down at her form. "Well now, little Sith," one spat. "You're not so deadly now are you?"

 

She reacted immediately, lashing out with her anger, but found...nothing. The Force was gone. That one fact brought a moment of true panic with it. Clearly, they either had ysalamiri on board, or, more likely, they had drugged her. She was completely helpless, and they knew it. Rough hands descended on her. "You're going to pay for our friends that you killed," the other one said. "And I think I know just the way you can start..."

 

They quickly stripped off her clothing. She tried to fight them, but every move caused the binders to stun her. A moment of relief came when she realized they weren't planning on doing anything to her right now; they roughly forced her into a metal bikini, the likes of which were worn by slave women across the galaxy. But they took their time, handling her as much as they could. Her face was red with mortification and anger and panic. She had to get away. She knew that they wouldn't be satisfied with humiliating her; they would want to do what they could to break her.

 

"Ah, much better, don't you think?" one of them asked the other.

 

"Much," he replied with a leer. "Now miss Sith, you're going to the boss, and then we'll come back and...play."

 

"No!" she suddenly said, snapping back to the present. The binders flew off with a touch of the Force, and she was on her feet, her back turned to Quietus, trembling. She wrapped her arms around herself, fixing the bra strap that had slipped off her shoulder back into place. She forced herself to take some deep breaths. Her reaction had been instant and intense. She was startled by it; she had never had that kind of reaction to anything. Especially something that she had thought was behind her, something she hadn’t thought about for a long while.

 

She was frankly angry that it had surfaced. She had been having fun, enjoying the teasing that Quietus was so good at, relishing in the emotions he brought to the surface. She put her face in her hands, took a deep breath, and released it, then slowly drew her hands down her face. She turned and met Quietus’ understandably puzzled look. Given the particular connection that their minds had been experiencing, she didn’t doubt that he had seen the entire memory play back over through her mind. She didn’t know what to say, but the playful mood of before was gone. “I thought I had gotten over that when I killed them.” It was the only thing she could think of to explain what was going on in her mind. She took another deep breath and she had regained control of herself. “I don’t know where that came from.”

[Raynuk Montar]

All it took was one singular moment, one aspect that was too similar for Emily's liking, and the entire experience imploded in on itself. Like a twig that suddenly snapped, it came without warning and was violent in its reaction, leaving what had been an increasingly intimate moment completely shattered in every sense of the word. Quietus watched with a mix of curiosity and concern. Her response had been violent, and given how close he was to her mentally and emotionally, he picked up on her feelings of panic, fear, and shame easily. But the emotions were foreign to him, and so he was able to remain focused through her flashback.

 

When it had ended, Quietus found himself at a crossroads with his reaction. He remained where he was, studying her in silence. In the course of a few seconds, Emily had gone from a confident, strong, and passionate woman to little more than a scared, trembling shell. He had seen what she had seen, although it was from a distanced perspective. He had felt her emotions, but they were muted and faded to him. Even so, he could see how much the memory had messed with her, possibly even more than the actual event had. His empirical analysis of the whole thing was cut short however, as she turned to face him, still looking quite vulnerable as she attempted to rationalize what had happened.

 

The problem was however, that it wasn't working. He sighed, finding that the fear and panic were still visible in her eyes. I am not really a Sith she had said; And she was right. She did not have the complete control over her emotions, whether they were new or came from flashes like the one she just experienced. Finally he spoke, taking a few steps towards her before stopping, leery of causing further distress.

 

"Perhaps I know. Perhaps you really did think you got over it, but something like that tends to stay with you. Most likely you put up barriers, defenses against ever feeling that again. But with me doing so much to barrage your mind for our own pleasure, those defenses were broken as you tried to resist me and my, devious touch..."

 

He held one hand up, wiggling his fingers dramatically as he cracked a grin. It was in the end, an attempt to comfort Emily from a far, as he was cautious about how to proceed. he did not want to evoke further distress on one he cared about so much.

 

"It seems however, that my zealous nature in playing my part was a bit too realistic."

[Emily]

She couldn't believe his words. Two apologies in one evening? Who is this man and what did he do with Darth Quietus? It was just the thought that needed to come to her, for it washed away the lingering feelings connected with the memory. His words also reminded her to regain control; she was frankly ashamed at having lost it. Control of one's emotions was something that every Force-user in the galaxy, whether light or dark, strove for, and the fact that she had lost that was a failure in her opinion. She was glad he didn't call her on it, though, for she could do a good enough job beating herself up over it for the both of them.

 

She could tell he was hesitant to approach her, not sure what to do with himself. It was endearing, and it reminded her once again that he truly did care about her. But she had nothing to fear from him, and nothing to fear from an old memory. So she approached him and put her arms around his neck. "I'm not going to let past demons prevent me from living my life in there here and now," she said, her tone laced with determination. Emily was back on her stride. She smiled. "I suppose you were a bit...zealous. But it was good." Her eyes twinkled, letting him know that she was absolutely recovered from her episode. "Maybe we can pick up from where we left off? Just without the binders this time."

 

Why that memory had chosen to surface now, she would never really know for sure. She understood the trigger, but it was very unlike her to let memories get to her. She was generally of an easy-going disposition, content to follow her heart and do what she felt was best. If she had been otherwise, she might have been concerned that this specific episode was a symptom of some deeper psychological issue. But as it was, she dismissed it easily enough as a one-time occurrence.

 

She craned her neck up and kissed him, glad to have someone that while so different from her in many respects, was someone who no matter what happened, would always care.

[Raynuk Montar]

He returned her kiss tenderly, a fair amount of his devious and evil intentions missing from his actions as his mind continued to evaluate what had just occurred. It seemed for Quietus, that there were times when he thought too much, falling into his own mind's processes and essentially tuning out the galaxy for moments. But then there were also times when he did not think enough, usually in the midst of conflict. The two seemed to balance out in the end, but this was definitely one of those 'think too much' moments. This was now the second time since his return to life that someone had reacted to his actions, their minds being flooded with visions that brought pain, fear, and panic. First Rose had had a violent reaction to Quietus' touch during their talk on Mechis III, to the point where the young woman almost took a nosedive off the cliff. For her, the vision had been muddied and hidden, a mixture of both the past and the future. And now Emily had experienced a similar event, a memory long since forgotten and assumed conquered resurfacing with the powerful emotions. It troubled Quietus to a point, making him wonder if this return to life had brought with it unforeseen consequences.

 

But once again Quietus found that he had spaced out from the present as his mind churned. He was here, in the now, with Emily, and any personal debate on unforeseen consequences could wait for another time. She was looking up at him with her arms around his neck, practically hanging from him, waiting for him to make the next move that would return both of them to where they had been before the memory surged forth. His hands found their way to rest on her arms near his neck, pausing for only a heartbeat before they began running up and down her arms, gently caressing them. His wry smile returned to his face in that moment, but he did not speak. The caresses only lasted a few seconds before the pattern changed. He then ran his hands down the full length of her arms, ending at her shoulders, and continued on. His hands rolled over her shoulders and carefully and deliberately ran down her sides at an almost snail's pace, spending as much time touching her bare skin as they could, hoping to send chills down her spine. When he could go no further down (mostly due to their difference in height), Quietus' hands stopped, just above her waist, his grip tightened slightly, intending to stay there.

 

As you wish...

 

Those three words were the only warning that Emily was afforded, barely more than a whisper in her mind, before Quietus resumed his now well practiced act of stimulating her mind with pleasure. Whether she had learned to anticipate his teasing her in this way or not he did not know, but as the onslaught began, the positioning of his hands became apparent. He felt her legs begin to weaken, threatening to buckle from under her, but the gentle yet firm grip he held on her waist wouldnt allow her to fall from him.

 

Of course, knowing Emily as well as he did, especially what she desired to do in these situations, Quietus had planned for that as well. In all instances so far, Emily had tried in fervor to mash her lips against his in an attempt to get some relief from what he was doing to her. But as she would find out the moment she attempted to do the same thing, Quietus' hands also served to hold her down, preventing her. She was in essence, stuck just a few centimeters below him. But Quietus also knew how creative she could be, and silently wondered for just a heartbeat or two, what she would try next.

[Emily]

He seemed lost in thought at first, which was so unlike him that Emily knew that despite his outward actions, her episode had affected him more than he had let on. It touched her, but she didn't want him to be concerned. So she tried to draw him out, to bring his focus gently back to the present, by rubbing a thumb on the side of his neck, wishing she could reach his face. He looked down at her then, back in the moment, and began to caress her arms and back. His touch was warm and gentle, and her mismatched eyes grew smoky with pleasure.

 

His whispered words echoed in her mind for the briefest moment, and she suddenly believed that when he was saying 'As you wish', what he meant was those three little words every woman loved to hear. She couldn't be sure, but it was enough for right here and right now.

 

His playful teasing returned, taking pleasure out of frustrating her and pushing her to the limit through the Force. Fine, she thought with a little evil grin of her own. Her hands left his neck and went to his waist, snaking up his shirt so that she could feel his bare skin. At the same time, she reached out with the Force and, weaving through his defenses, stimulated his own mind the way he was doing to her. She had only used the trick he liked so much once before, but she thought it only right to push him the way he was pushing her. It would become a battle of the wills. To the outward eye, it would appear they were just standing there, their arms wrapped around each other's waists.

 

Inside, however, she was a whirlwind of pleasure and frustration, desire and satisfaction, and she wanted him to be the same. So they stood there, the Force swirling around them and through them, pushing each other ever harder, waiting to see who would break first. Emily, a wicked smile on her face, was determined that it wouldn't be her.

[Raynuk Montar]

Quietus had known for some time that this was bound to happen. With all of the subtle and not so subtle manipulation of her mind's pleasure zones that he had perfected so, it was only a matter of time that Emily would attempt to turn the same trick back upon him. He felt her coming before she reached the most substancial of his mental barriers, and felt it only fair that she achieve some measure of success and satisfaction, and so he let her. She reached her goal, and Quietus got to see just how much she had learned in that regard. An old saying passed through his mind then, "Just because I taught you everything you know, doesnt mean I taught you everything I know". He found the saying to be quite fitting, allowing a smile to cross his face. Other than the smile though, the only outward change that was noticable as Emily stimulated his mind, was a quick and slight narrowing of his eyes.

 

The problem was, that Emily had not fully thought the whole thing through. As her tramatic memory had proven, she was not able to fully control and contain her emotions, for she was not fully Sith; Quietus however, was. It was a fundamental difference that Emily would soon learn the folly of. Not only was he a Sith Master, but he was the only Sith Master of the Path of the Warrior. He had been trained as such, and he had continued to expand upon the method, carving the way that many had followed behind him along the Path of the Warrior. He had become a machine of war; he reveled in it, and he fed off of it. It was in the midst of battle that Quietus was at his most dangerous, and most powerful. His training to become a Sith Master had taught him to be in control of his emotions and anger, to dominate the feelings. But the Path of the Warrior had taught him to feed off of them. Anger, fear, hatred, suffering, pain, love, lust; All were sources of power and strength.

 

So by turning the trick of mental pleasure back on Quietus, Emily might as well have hooked him up to a generator. He tilted his head to the side slightly, looking down at her and feeling the stimulation she was pressing upon him, as a very wide smile crept onto his face. By now Emily would most likely recognize it as a smile of knowing much more than he let on; a smile that might, to a point, concern her. But he was not about to let her consider the implications. He allowed two seconds more, before he looked up to the ceiling and pulling back slightly on his own assault.

 

To Emily, it might have looked as though she had broken through and won. But a moment later, his head snapped back down, locking his eyes on hers. And then she would know. She would know by the fire behind his eyes...

 

But more importantly, she would know by the overwhelming assault upon her mind that had nearly quadrupled in intensity and strength.

 

Before this day is out, I will have you Darth Eris... You will lay exhausted of all your energy and strength, completely stripped of everything. Before the end, you will cry out, you will beg for the end, and find yourself gasping for air before it overtakes you. And only then will you feel the extent of your domination at my hands...

 

The words pounded into her mind, practically dripping of veiled intent. Clearly she had forgotten, or at the very least, underestimated who she was dealing with. Her mind would be flooded in those moments with some of the most depraved and erotic things that Emily could think of, things that she didnt even know she desired that were to be found from the darkest corners of her mind. What she saw Quietus did not know; all he did was give the thoughts the path to consciousness. If his earlier mental caressing had been like fireworks going off, this newest assault would be compared to a nuclear explosion.

 

Whether the young Sith had realized it or not, Quietus was using her own efforts and feeding off of them to magnify his own back at her. She would be the instrument in her own downfall. He did however, grant her one opening, one reprieve from the onslaught; he loosened his grip on her waist ever so slightly, his hands quickly darting to her backside. There they stayed, in a perfect position to support her weight when her knees and legs eventually gave out from under her with a solid grip.

[Emily]

At first, it was just the passion and lust of a man and a woman. The like of it was happening in many places around the galaxy, in a variety of situations and with a variety of hopes and fears attached to it. But in this corner of nowhere, on a ship hurtling through the blue mottled tunnel of hyperspace, something much more significant and unique was about to occur.

 

Up until now, Emily had felt as if Raynuk was pulling her to the edge of a chasm. She had walked with him willingly up to the edge, and had enjoyed the thrill of looking over the edge and not being able to see the bottom. There was a deliciousness about feeling the urge to jump, the curiosity about what would happen if she did, but the knowledge that she never would. It grew stronger and stronger as he pulled at her, and she felt like she was playing the daredevil, dipping her toes over the edge again and again, pretending to jump but keeping one foot planted, shifting her weight more and more forward until she felt like she was almost going to fall.

 

But then his eyes lit up like she had connected him to a live feed, and for those two fleeting seconds, she wondered what she had just done as the fire in his eyes warned her that something was coming. And then the push came, and she was falling, falling over the cliff into the unlimited chasm. The brief fleeting thrill that came with falling vanished as she plummeted on and on. She was lost in her own mind, and the darkness around her was like a physical, tangible presence. She thought she heard Quietus speaking, but it was as if he was shouting from a long way off, his voice echoing on the canyon walls and bouncing around and getting lost in the rush.

 

As she fell, her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and she suddenly saw something at the heart of the canyon, at the bottom of the ravine. It was the Vortex. She recognized it immediately. She had seen it before many times. It was power, sheer and utter and absolute. Power so intense that your mind would be stripped away from you in a heartbeat and you’d be utterly helpless in the face of it.

 

Before, she had always forced herself to stay away from it. She had toed closer at times, opened herself to more of this all-encompassing power, but only a tiny bit here, a tiny bit there. She hadn’t wanted to risk what might happen if she someday went too far, if the Vortex sucked her in and took control. But now, she was hurtling towards it at near lightspeed, dragged down into a hole of her own making.

 

As she fell, she became aware of three more things. The darkness was not empty. She saw images flash before her mind’s eye, dark, erotic, and strange; images of a promise the darkness held out to her. The second thing she saw was that the chasm was narrowing, funneling her down towards the endless Vortex. The third thing she saw was that as the chasm narrowed, she could see tree branches and ropes and pathways cut in the sides of the rock.

 

And here it was that it all boiled down to a choice. If she wanted, she could angle herself towards one of the walls, grab a rope, and pull herself to the side. She could work her way back up to the top of the cliff, away from the Vortex and out of the darkness. It would be difficult, but that was never something she had shied away from. Her other option would be to plummet into the heart of the Vortex and take her chances. Either way would cost her.

 

As she realized that, it was almost if she began to fall faster. A voice whispered louder and more intense, promising her everything if she just continued to fall. Just do it. Give in. Find everything you’ve ever wanted. Power. Control. Endless passion. All this and more. Anything you desire will be yours for the taking. Come on. Just a little further. You don’t want to do all that work to climb back to the top of this chasm. Just give in. Someone as strong as you would never lose herself in the Vortex. What is it you truly want, Emily Zsahra-Skywalker? What do you want in your heart of hearts? You can have it. Just stretch out your hand. It was as if the voice was one with her, and yet outside of her. It saw everything she was in a heartbeat. I can give you the power to stop people from dying...You'll never have to be alone again.

 

And in that one fateful moment, she made her choice, and plummeted into the heart of Darkness. The Vortex swirled around her, offering her more power than she had even dreamed possible and more. It’s winds battered her, tore at her. She was in no place to fully realize what was going on, but she would come to realize later that what she had most feared about embracing it was coming true. It was stripping away parts of her and remaking them, changing her at a fundamental level. If she had still been completely herself, she might have regretted it, or been terrified, but she was long past that.

 

All of this was happening in another realm. To an outsider, the raven-haired woman would have long since collapsed but for Quietus holding her up. Her eyes, which were wide open, had turned solid black, with no whites showing, and small sparks of electricity were manifesting at her fingertips.

 

The Tempest engulfed her, and for a long agonizing moment, she lost sight of who she was. And then it faded. It didn’t die down; not at all. But it…merged with her. Moved inside her, and then took on her shape. The canyon faded. She felt Quietus’ hands on her flesh once more. She closed her eyes and then opened them again, and they were back to normal, although Quietus of all people would recognize the feral, haunted look that they contained. It was the same one he often saw when he looked in the mirror.

 

“Have your way with me, Darth Quietus,” Darth Eris growled softly, her voice husky. “The Force has freed me, and nothing now shall hold me back.”

 

((A few minor edits made in the wording))