Raxus Prime - Sith Temple

[saberforce]

Tros kept his focus on Xae and ignored the others for the most part. She was who he wanted to talk to and see, not the others. He really could care less about the jetiise, but since they were a part of who Xae was with, he would tolerate them as long as he had to. They all seemed to be in a hurry. Since there was a mentioned from the only male jetii, a rather attractive one at that, said a ship and Jedi were missing, it would explain much more then he thought. Taking the social cues around him, he nodded his head and spoke rather quickly.

 

"I know your name from Dathomir. The Great Canyon Nightsisters informed me of it since I went looking for clues of Bas’lan. He apparently favored Eri’anya. Bas'lan is my father. From the tale told to me on Dathomir, he is your father as well..."

 

Tros now put his buy'ce back on his head. He wanted to gauge her more, talk and find out more about what see knew of their buir, but he would not push the subject. They seemed to be in a hurry to find their missing burc'ya. He would not stop them from doing so. But he would not offer up his own skills unless they wanted it. He never engaged himself in the affairs of others. It was a code he lived by, and he would continue to live by the code unless Mand'alor makes the call.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Her exasperation wasn't helping things, Jaina thought with no small measure of irritation as they paused to hear out the Mandalorian, but they had good reason to be in a hurry. But if what this armored interloper said was true...

 

"If you are family," she said, the weight of her own circumstances fresh in her mind as Emily stood just behind her, "and you mean us no harm, then come along."

 

She kept her feet in motion, her only thought of reaching the hangar and determining the fate of her daughter. "Where is she?" she asked Tares, her motivated walk turning into a half-jog as they rounded the corner into the open door of the hangar.

 

As she had expected, given Emily's information, the Traitor's Hope was absent. The girl herself couldn't possibly have activated the ship, so whoever had come here had snuck from the Temple back into the hangar without being detected. For that matter, it looked like several of the shuttle bays had been recently vacated. Two new vessels stood in the hangar: Sirvani's Shadow's Shine, which it looked like her daughter had adopted, and another utterly unknown to Jaina. Rushing toward the berth that the Hope had occupied mere minutes before, she began to stretch out her senses to see if she could determine what had happened, but interrupted herself at the sight of a small silver cylinder on the ground.

 

"Sithspit!" she yelled, grabbing up Tirzah's shoto in her hand and turning behind her to look for Emily, her eyes teary. "We have to find her. I can't lose her again."

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Hearing her clan name as well as her mother's made Xae's blood run cold after so many years. Bas'lan...Ardell...my mother...no... Confusion swirled in the Force around her even as she heard Tares and Jaina exchanging ideas on what Xae agreed was the larger issue now that this bounty hunter had claimed no threat against their group. She brought her hand to her face as she worked to process what this man was telling her.

 

She had another brother. Great. Because my relationship with the last one ended so well... Mentally, she rolled her eyes. She should have known better because that was the usual trigger for her inner voice to attempt to reason with her.

 

His curse is what set you on the path to becoming what you are now, an Exorcist of the Jedi order. You know what the Mandalorian says is true.

 

Doesn't mean I have the time or inclination to process it right now, she shot back against her inner voice.

 

He's a hunter. He found you out of all the beings in the galaxy, possibly without Force abilities as well.

 

Unless he's like Joreel...Another thing that ended so well. Mandos and brothers? Seems like a bad combo to me.

Now you're just being stubborn.

 

You've met me, right? Xae mentally snorted at her inner logic.

Ask him for his help. He's a hunter, a tracker. You need to track and find Tirzah. You owe Jaina that much. It's your fault she's gone in the first place. He obviously wants to know you, why else risk coming here? What's the harm?

 

Oh, I don't know...an elaborate ruse by a bounty hunter designed to lure me into his ship so he can take me Force-knows where to collect a sizable amount of credits and I get to...I don't know, get relocated to a moisture farm somewhere to live out the rest of my days away from the rest of the galaxy where my Force abilities can do no harm to the greater galaxy?

 

Little far fetched, don't you think?

 

Timewalking. Your argument is invalid.

 

Jaina's voice cut through Xae's mental distraction enough to make her realize that she was still staring at the Mandalorian, who'd put his helmet back on.

 

"If you are family and you mean us no harm, then come along."

 

So that was it then. Xae sighed, setting aside her personal struggle in favor of the greater good of finding Tirzah and possibly whoever had instigated the raid on the temple. "We could use your skills hunter. You managed to find me somehow amongst all the galaxy, care to test that luck again in helping us find a twelve-year-old girl that was just kidnapped by whoever invaded this temple?"

[Emily]

It was a good thing for everyone that Emily had gotten last into the turbolift, for she was thus the last person out when it slid open in the hanger. If she had been first, the Mandalorian who was standing there when the doors opened would have been quickly decapitated. She was not up for random heavily armed strangers who weren’t with Jaina to be welcomed here, not after the carnage that had been wrought. She would have simply assumed that he was a straggler who had seen her arrive and was attempting to follow, and would have killed him without much thought.

 

But the Force was with him, and it quickly came out that he thought Xae-Lin was his long-lost sister or something. Emily was more interested in how he had bypassed the security grid, and glanced at the terminal she had accessed earlier. The screen was blank again, and then suddenly a little white rectangle appeared in the upper left corner of the screen and blinked a few times. She gave a mental sigh. It looked like the whole system had overloaded in the time it took for her to climb to the library; clearly whatever sabotage the intruders had done had had lasting results. Well, that explained how the Mandalorian was able to land, however, it didn’t explain how he had tracked the Jedi here.

 

It didn’t matter. Emily was more focused on Tirzah. She didn’t know who the person was, but Jaina was clearly desperate to get back to her. Emily was willing to do what she could to help, although now that she was here, she wasn’t ready to leave yet on a wild bantha chase; she still wanted to know what had happened to the noghri, and why. Jaina is my first priority, she reminded herself. She’s family. This place is a tie to family too, but they’re all dead. Jaina is alive, and I owe it to her—and to Raynuk—to stick with her through whatever this is.

 

Mr. Vortex had triangulated the coordinates, and Emily nodded. It actually wasn’t too far away, just a few major systems, although the point itself seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. There were other ships in the hanger, but since they were all going to the same place, Emily figured she might as well offer to take everyone in the Shadow’s Shine, although the bounty hunter would most likely take his own ship if he was coming. She gave a mental shrug.

 

“Alright, everyone who wants to go get this person, you can come with me on the Shadow’s Shine if you like. It won’t take more than two hours to get to the coordinates from here. But first, I want to make sure we don’t return to some more unwanted visitors.”

 

She headed back to the terminal and flipped a latch so that it swung open. The damage was more visible here, but it wasn’t as bad as Emily had feared. The remaining noghri would have it fixed in no time. For a moment, she reached out through the Force to Gabarakh, letting her know she was leaving for a short time but would be back, hopefully, as well as informing her about the system power outage.

 

Then she gave Jaina a small smile. “Come on, let’s go.” With that, she led the way to the Shine and, once boarded, made her way to the cockpit. She heard her aunt come up behind her. “So, who is Tirzah?” she asked as she began the preflight checklist.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Jaina followed her niece up the ramp, her expression fey. Of course Emily wouldn't know about Tirzah. She was just a child when Jaina and Andon's daughter was born. Besides, for what comfort it brought her, Emily seemed to place the same importance on family to that which Jaina herself was committed. If she had known about Tirzah, she would have been there for her cousin. Following along into the cockpit, and slinging her bag across the back of the co-pilot's chair before settling herself down into it, she began poking at the yacht's control panel, running it through its preflight checks alongside John's daughter. It was still slightly disorienting to Jaina that the six-year-old that she had known was now old enough to be flying her mother's ship.

 

"Your cousin," she said softly, keeping her hands busy on the control panel. Other than that, she wasn't sure where to begin explaining. Jaina felt her niece's eagerness to learn, the frustration of backlogged questions that they shared. Where had she been all of these years? She wore lightsabers on her belt, and felt, unsurprisingly, skilled in the Force. A pilot, the heir of her parents' Sith Empire, likely a Sith herself--and other things NOT to mention to the others, she thought wryly--and old enough now to be Jaina's sister, rather than her niece.

 

Yes, they had much to discuss. But Tirzah was their first priority. "Whoever was here, whoever ransacked the Temple and killed the Noghri--they took her. She must have let them on board the ship."

[Tares Vortex]

Tares had spent the time making some last minute changes while he still had the datapad connected to Atlas. With any luck, he would be able to hook the droid up to a power source while in flight. She would potentially be useful if Jaina's ship had thieves or kidnappers still onboard.

 

The group seemed to be oriented toward going to find Tirzah and the stolen ship. Tares didn't know how much everyone was up to speed on the whole Tirzah situation. Up until a few days ago, Jaina and Tirzah weren't even clued in. Still, it seemed as if everyone was getting on the same page.

 

Looking around at the empty spot the Traitor had occupied, Tares took notice of the other ships in the hanger. Most of them looked to have been sitting idle for quite some time. Emily's ship was big enough to carry them all, but an additional ship would offer a tactical advantage if the thieves had friends. Having the bounty hunter/Xae's unexpected family member in addition to Tares's enroute backup would further tip the odds in their favor.

 

Emily indicated for her passengers to board. Tares took one more glance at the parked ships and motioned, "If it's okay with you, I think I'll borrow one of these parked ships. There's no telling what we might face once we find Jaina's ship. I promise I'll have the ship back with a full tank." He finished with a flash of a smile.

 

As the group boarded Emily's ship, Tares made his way over to an A-wing with several hoses protruding from its hull. The fighter looked to be the most recently serviced. Boarding the fighter in a business suit with Atlas in one hand provided to be a small challenge, but Tares eventually managed to climb up and situate himself in the cockpit.

 

Plugging in Atlas, Tares hastily ran through the preflight checks and quickly keyed the fighter to life. Before long, the fighter was lifting up and out of the hanger, then descending upwards from the temple.

 

Jedi were far from the type to take a joyride, but as a former Jedi, Tares couldn't help but smile at the speed and agility of the fighter as it slid into the vacuum of space, then hyperspace.

[saberforce]

Tros just simply nodded his head at Xae-Lin. He didn't need to do anything else. He understood his role here. He was support if they wanted. So he quietly followed everyone. Now wasn't the time to bring up buir, nor was it his place to inquire more about the girl. It seemed like the attractive man had an idea and a lead. So he would simply follow where he was needed for the moment.

[Emily]

Tirzah is my cousin. Emily finally had a name to put with the image of Jaina holding that little baby. “So then, she’s a grown woman now,” she commented. “Given how long you’ve been gone. What was that reunion like?” The words slipped out before she realized that might be an uncomfortable topic. “Never mind, you don’t have to tell me. I’m eager to meet her.”

 

A moment later the ship was prepped. It felt weird to be leaving Raxus Prime not even an hour after she had landed. She hoped they’d be coming back. Now that she was here, she wanted to make sure everything was in order before she left again for a long time. She owed her parents that much.

 

The ship lifted smoothly off the ground and headed for open space. Emily glanced at her copilot and shook her head. “You know, it’s still strange that we’re the same age. I expected that, but in my mind, you’re still leaping across that hanger with Uncle Andon, pretending the floor is lava.” She chuckled. “I was surprised I still remembered that.” She punched the coordinates into the navicomputer and waited for the results. “I also have a vague memory of him teaching me Force speed—as a game, of course.”

 

The computer beeped. A few more minutes and they’d be ready to go into hyperspace.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Tares' borrowed A-wing winked out into hyperspace as the Shadow's Shine broke atmosphere, and to Jaina, the space between Emily and herself suddenly magnified. She had no idea where to start filling Emily in, and somehow, her niece had managed to touch on all of the most raw subjects in just a few questions. Even though, in her rational mind, Jaina knew that Andon had correctly assumed her death, it didn't sting any less that his final missive was directed to the woman sitting next to her. Overwhelmed, she spun around in the co-pilot's seat and stood. "Andon was always fond of you," she said dully.

 

Quickly and without a word, she made to exit the cockpit, looking for any excuse to avoid the conversation at hand. She wasn't afraid to share the details with Emily, but not here, not now. It would have to be on her own terms. What does it matter? He's dead, she thought despondently.

 

But remembering how Tirzah had intended to flee her attempts to reconcile, Jaina stopped in her tracks in the doorway of the cockpit. The moment of understanding would not have come about had the girl continued to rebuff her, or had Jaina herself not pursued the conversation. As it stood, the possibility of reconciliation with Andon had disappeared beyond all recall. The galaxy was not forgiving when it came to missed opportunity. If she were truly willing to abdicate that chance here, with Emily, she wasn't worth her niece's commitment.

 

"Look, Emily, I'm not good at this," she sighed. "The memories that you've had decades to process, I'm just piecing together now. It's all fresh, it's all painful, and every ounce of effort I've been able to put into righting my wrongs has come to nothing. Andon is dead. Tirzah is gone, and I don't know who took her, or why."

 

The effort the admission cost her sapped her physical strength, and she leaned against the wall for support, her sore and atrophied muscles protesting the constant surges of adrenaline to which they had been subject. "She's just a girl. Barely a teenager, broken-hearted, certain that she will always be let down and unwanted. I have to prove her wrong."

 

She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, and gave her best attempt at a smile, even as tears filled her eyes. "And here you are, with a whole life of your own that I know nothing about. The curious little girl I remember is a confident woman, strong in the Force, and my peer."

 

Her gaze fell to the floor, one hand grasping her opposite arm and tightening as though to hold herself together. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," she whispered.

 

From across the galaxy, she felt her subvocal apology echoed. Forgive me... the sentiment came, startling her. Confusion spread across her features, and she frowned, momentarily distracted as she tried to figure out where the feeling was coming from. Then his mind touched hers. With a startled gasp, she jerked her head up to gaze at Emily. It was no longer the harsh and ominous whispers she had come to associate with Raynuk, but unmistakably, she knew, in some way, somewhere in the galaxy, he was still searching for her.

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae's turquoise eyes lingered on this new brother as she strode up the Shine's ramp, still unsure how she was supposed to feel about all of what he'd just laid before her. I promise I will hear you out once this is done. Thank you for being willing to help, she sent the message through the Force, gently so that he'd only receive it past whatever mental defenses she knew most Mandalorians cultivated, but only when and if he wanted to.

 

The petite Jedi cast a distracted glance toward Emily's large beast, opting to strap in in the cargo hold where she could be alone with her thoughts for the moment.

[Emily]

Emily winced as Jaina started to hurry away and cursed herself for speaking without thinking. But after a moment, Jaina turned back. She seemed overwhelmed and sapped of energy. Emily immediately leapt up from the pilot's seat and crossed over to her aunt. Tentatively, she gently hugged her. "Hey, don't worry about it. Seriously. I don't blame you for not being there when my parents died. I've lived much of my life alone, and that is not your fault."

 

She stepped back. "I do understand how Tirzah must be feeling. I look forward to talking with her when we rescue her." She gave Jaina a small encouraging smile. "Hey, why don't you go in the back and put on a pot of caf? While we're traveling, I can at least fill you in on some of those blanks when it comes to my own life. Let me just get us into hyperspace and I'll join you."

 

As Emily turned back to the cockpit, the navicomputer beeped. "Finally," she said to herself under her breath. "I've got to get this thing looked at. It's gotten slow." She transferred the coordinates and was about to send the ship into hyperspace when her comm chimed. She downloaded the message before throwing the lever to enter hyperspace. Once the starlines stretched to become the swirling tunnel of hyperspace, she activated the message. Raynuk's voice came softly over her cockpit speakers. She felt an initial rush of pleasure and affection at hearing his voice, but as he spoke, she grew confused, and then perplexed, and then amazed. The Force was still at work in very mysterious ways. First it showed Raia a vision of Tirzah, and now it had pulled them both into some netherworld? What was going on? She was grateful that it had lead them to Tirzah, but perhaps this meant the two girls were linked somehow?

 

Regardless, a worm of pleasure wriggled inside her. He didn't know what to do, so he had called her. She could almost read the subtext: I don't know what to do. Help me. We're better together. It made her glow inside, even if he hadn't actually said those words. As for Raia, she knew he'd be feeling a little guilty that he hadn't protected her better, but she knew he'd have done all he could. This was beyond either of them...but not if they worked together.

 

She shook her head with a small smile. Well, they were on their way anyway. She made an adjustment to the coordinates to bring them right to the Traitor's Hope--and she noted the name of Raynuk's new ship with curiosity--and then tapped out a text-based message to Raynuk in reply, letting him know simply that she was already on the way, and that Jaina was with her. She felt it only fair that she give him fair warning; the challenge would be that she was bringing Jaina with her. She wasn't sure her aunt was ready for her inevitable reunion with Raynuk, but at this point, there wasn't anything that could be done about it. As soon as they came out of hyperspace, they'd sense each others' presences. Emily would have to do her best in the hour or so between now and then to do what she could to lessen the shock and pain Jaina would feel--and she'd have to do it carefully or risk alienating her aunt forever.

 

She headed back to the lounge and found Jaina making that pot of caf. She grabbed some mugs and took a seat as her aunt joined her. Suddenly, she didn't know what to say, and took a scalding sip of steaming hot caf to fill the silence. "So um...where do we start? There's so much..."

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

While Emily’s cathartic embrace soothed the monster of guilt that seethed quietly in the recess of Jaina’s mind, it lacked the power to energize her tired body. As her niece returned to the helm, and Jaina felt the sudden lurch of hyperspace, she started down the hallway. Emily was right: perhaps taking advantage of the quiet moment en route to Tirzah’s last known location to become acquainted with some detail of the other woman’s life was in all probability one of the best ways she could spend the travel time.

 

And pausing for a cup of caf would not hurt, either. A relieved smile crossed her face at the thought.

 

Then she heard it, and the momentary calm evanesced.

 

Carried down the hallway with amplified reverberation, there came a voice. His voice. As commanding as she remembered, and yet softer somehow, it spoke with familiarity. She could barely make out the words, but the overall effect was not lessened because of it. With practiced mechanical steps, she kept moving, unwilling that Emily be privy to her eavesdropping on the message that now emanated from the helm, and yet unwilling to trust her own senses. Prompted by the still-illuminated, wisping touch of his mind on hers, she drew her Force presence close around her. Through the Force, she urged the soundwaves to come just a little farther, retromancy to give her some indication that this was an unwelcome contact.

 

“...we found your aunt’s ship, we found the Traitor’s Hope. It was the ship of Raia’s vision. And we found the girl, unconscious within.”

 

Jaina’s footsteps quickened towards the galley. Emily couldn’t know that she knew. She had to play this right: it wouldn’t do to scream, to run, to rage, to throw this unforgivable betrayal in Emily’s face. The utter foolishness of her actions tasted bitter. How had she been willing to throw her trust at this woman, the adult incarnation of a girlish apparition that existed now only in her memory? Had her time among the Sith taught her nothing of their concept of loyalty? Betrayal was to be expected. It occurred to her that the entire situation on Raxus Prime could very well have been engineered by Emily with a degree of ease. Slaughter a few unfavored servants, time your own arrival carefully, deliver Tirzah and Jaina in turn into Raynuk’s waiting clutches.

 

Well, if that was the way Emily wanted to play the game, Jaina would play it with her. Perhaps the title of Jedi Knight had been conferred upon her, but restricted by the limited teachings of the Order she was not. Expertly, she cloaked her emotions in the blanket of weariness that she felt with utter authenticity, and rattled about the galley preparing the requested pot of caf, sending waves of the Force through her body to calm the adrenaline response that had yet again kicked in. An invisible finger reached out to touch Xae, whose presence could be felt somewhere near the rear of the ship, to bring her to awareness, keep her at ready.

 

Steeling her nerves and her resolve, she entered the lounge where Emily was already sitting, mugs in hand. There was no ill will detectable anywhere in the other woman’s mind, but that proved nothing. Jaina would stay on the defense, rather than the offense, and avoid triggering suspicion until she knew what, exactly, she was facing.

 

Wrapping her long fingers around her mug, she curled up in the seat opposite Emily with a saccharine half-smile. She nodded to the lightsabers on Emily’s belt, projecting warmth with her eyes. “I assume you must have taken on a bit more training since Andon taught you to augment your speed with the Force. Why don’t you tell me a bit about that?”

[Emily]

It was as good an opening as any. Emily grimaced as the caf rolled over her tongue. Suddenly, even the normally welcome smell made her feel oddly queasy. She set the mug down on the table in between the two of them.

 

“Well,” she began, “I suppose it starts when I was 18--about ten years ago.” The latter was clarification in case Jaina hadn’t been quite aware of how much time had passed. “My parents always wanted me to explore the whole Force, not just one side or another. Especially my father. I think his experiences with your husband changed a lot for him, and really opened his eyes. He really didn’t want me to limit myself. But still, both my parents had been Sith, and so I knew that was where I wanted to start.”

 

She ran a hand through her long dark hair. “Upon starting training with the Sith, I knew it was the right decision, for I met several who had known my parents personally.” She paused for a moment. It was impossible to tell her story without mentioning Quietus, and she both didn’t want to avoid him and knew she shouldn’t. But maybe there would be a better way to bring him up? His parting words to her rang in her ears. He didn’t want to see their relationship damaged by bringing him up too early in the conversation.

 

So she didn’t specify who had trained her yet. “It was an interesting apprenticeship. I had a good master, but he was also gone more often than not. Once he even betrayed me.” She shrugged. “It’s the way of the Sith, and I learned it the hard way. Nevertheless, I learned what I needed to know and was granted the rank of Sith Lord after a few years.”

 

She hurried to continue, for Jaina had the look of someone who wanted to interrupt. “From there I was free to study other paths. For a while, I fell in with the Jedi. Master Skye Organa took me under her wing briefly. But I didn’t actually learn that much from the Jedi. Most of them are too focused on denying themselves emotions and attachments that they limit themselves, and it’s really only the Jedi Masters who have achieved some sort of balance--some better than others.”

 

She smiled wryly. “Of course, the Sith are no better. They are so focused on power that they lose themselves to the darkness, and by the time they have the power to achieve what they want, the dark side has corrupted them so much that they don’t even want it anymore.” She grimaced, but soldiered on. It was important to her that Jaina know this. She was keeping herself very open in the Force, just in case Jaina had any doubts about what was being said. “The dark side, too, I know from experience. For a few years of my life, I surrendered to it. I became Darth Eris. It was...the worst few years of my life.” Pain and regret rushed through her. “Finally, through an extremely painful series of events, I was able to pull myself back from the darkness and regain myself.”

 

She shrugged. “Since then, I’ve been on a quest to study as many different Force-sects as possible--their philosophy, their viewpoints, their way of accessing the Force. I’m no longer truly Sith, and I’m no Jedi either. And I’m okay with that.” Her mismatched eyes met Jaina’s own. “From what I understand, my story is not so different from yours. You were a Jedi, then a Sith, and now a Jedi again, right?”

 

Of course, Quietus still loomed like an silent spectre between them. Emily didn’t want to hide from Jaina what a huge part of her life he was, and knew it was only a matter of time before he came up. Jaina would mention him as part of her own story, or she’d inquire as to who Emily’s Sith master had been, or she would ask about Emily’s personal life. Emily wasn’t afraid; but she wanted to spare her aunt’s feelings as much as possible, and she felt like easing into the conversation might be for the best. Of course, her judgment wasn’t always the best; she only had to look at the last week to be clear on that.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Not so different from mine, not at all, Jaina thought darkly. Emily’s story was straightforward, and though she supposed it was difficult to convey ten years’ worth of detail into a few minutes of conversation, the fact that her niece had not brought up the voice on the comm seemed to Jaina an indictment against her. But if she refused to bring up Raynuk, while it now seemed quite certain that he was the master she spoke of, Jaina would mirror her choice. Outwardly, she kept her smile, though it was beginning to feel more and more forced as Emily spoke. “Your father would be proud,” Jaina said, deflecting the question in the next few sips of caf. “His library does him credit, he was always obsessed with digging up as much knowledge as he could find.”

 

Testing Emily with her senses, Jaina peered through the haze of steam drifting up from her cup. She found it increasingly difficult to keep accusation out of her tone, but her subtlety or lack thereof might have unforeseen consequences for her captive daughter. “Speaking of the library, do you know who ransacked it?”

 

Emily shook her head. “I wish I did. I do have a suspicion, though it may be unfounded. I've been hunting the cult responsible for bringing you back to life. Recently they found out I was hunting them. This could be an attempt by them to gain more information--about me, and about Force rituals, which seems to be their M.O.”

 

Jaina seemed to be getting edgy. Emily didn't blame her, but that meant that she had to breach the Raynuk topic sooner rather than later. She spoke with the edginess of someone who knew what they were going to say was unpleasant to the listener. “You know they resurrected Darth Quietus, too, right?” There. She had said his name. “You were an accident I think, something they didn't intend.”

 

“Darth Quietus? Never heard of him,” Jaina said coolly, leaning back in her chair. “How would a cult running around practicing ancient rituals for resurrection on dead Sith Lords have anything to do with what's happened to me?”

 

Emily shook her head. “Oh c’mon, you don't need to play coy with me. You want me to spit it out? Fine. He had something of yours buried with him--a whip of Chaos Gods origin he had acquired from some pirates. When the ritual occurred it used objects associated with their owners, items of significance. Which is why it brought you back. I was there by complete coincidence, so I know exactly what happened.”

 

The sudden fire Emily spit was startling, as if a slumbering beast had been awakened, but Jaina was almost relieved to drop the pretense of indifference. She sprang to her feet, the chair clattering to the floor behind her. “And you didn't think, I don't know, that I might be interested in hearing that the person in the galaxy that most wants me dead has my daughter in his possession?” Every muscle in her body tensed and her heart pounded.

 

Suddenly everything became clear. “You eavesdropped,” Emily said flatly. It was a statement, not a question. “And you jumped to conclusions. Were you even interested in hearing my story in the first place?”

 

She immediately wished she hadn't said it. “Sorry, I didn't mean that. I thought you would be very interested in hearing about Tirzah. I was going to tell you. But I thought it'd be kinder to work up to it. Yes, Raynuk has your daughter. He rescued her. The Force led him to exactly the place she was before she ran out of air.” One of things Jaina had said just now registered. “But you're wrong. He doesn't want you dead. Nor Tirzah.”

 

The wary glint returned to Jaina's eye as she regarded her niece, the sting of her allegation still finding its mark. “Before she ran out of air?” The statement did nothing to assuage her worry. “Emily, honestly, you have to know how this looks to me,” she passed a hand over her eyes, the admission both taxing and refreshing. “The last I heard from Raynuk Montar was the day that I died. Tirzah is taken from me, and the next thing I know, you're taking messages from him surreptitiously.”

 

She tilted her head and let the silence hang for a moment before continuing. “I have been desperate to know what has become of you through these years. But trust doesn't come easily to me anymore, and you haven't earned it.” A flicker of apology crossed her face, knowing that her words had the potential to wound Emily, but unwilling to put herself in a compromised position.

 

((Actions co-written and posted with permission.))

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae finished her meal in silence, not quite sure how to respond to Emily, but grateful that she seemed to be making peace with things, for the moment at least. It was so often in these quiet moments that Xae could feel her own heart twist at the memory of a lost future with Joreel. Like it was doing now.

 

The Shine came out of hyperspace above the now vaguely familiar world of Raxus Prime. Joining Emily in the cockpit, Xae actually got to take in the planet from afar this time. The slowly rotating mass of an industrial wasteland grew beneath them as they made their approach, the details of the landscape becoming sharper each second.

 

Emily’s home certainly cut the imposing figure among the morass of the surrounding area. “Sith certainly don’t do anything half-way, do they?” She murmured quietly to herself.

[Emily]

Emily shook her head. "No, they don't. I think it's tied to their egos...but on the other hand, the Jedi make some pretty grand and impressive structures too. The temple on Coruscant was massive."

 

To her, the massive black spire would always bring memories with it. Most of them not particularly happy, but she chose to ignore those and think back farther, to the time when her father and mother lived and loved. I wonder what kept them together in the midst of everything...including my conception? Her mother must have been absolutely furious. At least Emily had not had that particular pain. She suddenly felt a burning desire to talk to her mother. What would Sirvani say in this situation? Would she have any words of comfort to offer? Both of her parents, she was sure, would immediately start hunting down Quietus. They had always been protective of her.

 

She shoved the thoughts away. Her parents were long dead, and there was no point wishing them back. And this temple was her responsibility now, if only to honor their memory. She sent out her codes, and the security system let her through. As she brought the Shine in for a landing, she queried the system and found that no one else had tried to land since they had left a few days ago. Good, she thought. As the ship settled down on her struts, Emily let out a deep breath. Alright, focus. You have something to do other than sit and think and cry now. That was good. She was sick of moping around, even though she knew she had every right to. Keeping busy wouldn't help the pain go away, but it would distract her for a bit, and that was something she really needed right now.

 

The ramp lowered, and Emily and Xae strode down it. The smell of blood was stronger than Emily remembered. Perhaps it was just because Xae had pointed it out; she hadn't noticed last time she was here. Or maybe it was because she now knew that many noghri had recently died. The bodies were gone, and the decking scrubbed clean again, but she could still see them in her mind's eye.

 

"Alright, Xae," she said as they headed toward the turbolift. "We need to liaise with Gabarakh, my old nurse. She'll be able to tell us what the noghri have discovered in our absence. And then we'll want to go through the security footage to see if we can identify who did all this, and if they had a reason other than ransacking my father's library."

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae nodded, following Emily's lead into the temple, happy to be focused on the task at hand. "If you don't mind, I can take the heavy lifting with the security footage while you get the story from the Noghri."

[Emily]

"Sure, go ahead," Emily replied. "I'll set you up with administrator level access in the system." The two women headed for the control center, taking the turbolift up in silence. Once there, Emily logged into the system and set up an account for Xae. As she did so, she couldn't help but notice that Jaina was the last one who had accessed it. Something about that fact nagged at her, and she sent a list of the files her aunt had accessed to her datapad. She'd check through them after she talked with Gabarakh.

 

Once Xae was set up, Emily headed back downstairs. Gabarakh was in the main hall of the servant's quarters, among several others, and Emily strode in, her footsteps announcing her presence. The noghri bowed. "Welcome home again, Mistress," she mewled.

 

"I've come to finally solve this mystery," Emily replied, getting right down to it. "What have you all discovered since I've been gone?"

 

"Very little, Mistress," said another noghri who came striding up. Emily recognized the livery of one of the guards, but this wasn't the captain she remembered. He must have been killed in the attack. "The attackers wore no symbols of any kind, their ships left before we could trace their origin, and they had no particular fighting style that pointed to a planet of origin or group. They were well trained and some were Force users. That is all we've been able to find out."

 

Emily sighed. "Very well."

 

He bowed. "We have failed you, mistress."

 

She shook her head. "No, no, you did your best. It would have been nice to tie this attack to the cult that is hunting me, but if there's no proof then there's no proof. I'll see what Xae-Lin has found, but if you didn't find anything on close examination of the bodies, then I don't expect she'll find anything." She glanced at another noghri. "Kalakhaim, how many of the clan is left?"

 

The black noghri shook his head. "All but three warrior-guards are dead. Many support staff are gone. We are operating at 40% efficiency."

 

Emily grimaced. "In that case, I'll see what I can do about replenishing the numbers here. You all can't run this place on your own anymore. Gabarakh, can you see to it that someone puts a meal together for the Jedi and I? It doesn't have to be anything fancy."

 

Gabarakh nodded. "It will be done."

 

Without another word, the Gray Master turned and headed back upstairs, suddenly weary. She settled on a couch in a small common area, knowing Xae could find her if she looked, and pulled out her datapad. Idly, she accessed Jaina's records. Mostly it seemed her aunt had been trying to figure out what had happened here, just as she was. Then her aunt had accessed recent transmissions. There was one from the inbound shuttle. Emily sat up, suddenly excited, but then flopped back against the cushions when she saw that it was corrupted. She imagined Jaina had done much of the same. But then there was one more communication that Jaina had accessed...

 

A quiet voice suddenly issued out of the speaker. "This is the last testament of the Jedi known as Andon Colos, left to Emily Skywalker, my only remaining family in the known universe.”

 

Shock blasted through her. She rose in a hurry and darted over to a holoterminal, calling up the message so she could have the visual as well. And there was her uncle Andon, eyes haunted, voice ragged yet firm, much as she had last seen him. Her breath caught in her throat. Andon...the one family member she had left that she hadn't ruined her relationship with...and he was dead. She bit her lip and played the message.

 

“I am farther into the stars than I have ever dreamed to travel. So far out, in fact, I can barely detect any other beings through the Force. There is such an emptiness on the fringe, there is so little here that is actually alive.” He paused, as if to gather the resolve to form his next sentence.

 

“I cannot feel the flicker of your future, I do not even know if you are alive, but I choose to believe that somewhere you are safe and loved. I have no possession of worth to leave you with, but what I have is a tale. It is the tale of how I came to witness the fabric of eternity unravel and mold before my hand.” Andon’s eyes glass over for the briefest of moments, as if he is seeing something familiar, but cannot quite place remembering what it means to know it. “My story is not an easy gift to receive, but it is mine to give and I will gladly share it with the little girl I remember, whose eyes were too smart for her own good. And like all good stories, my Emily, it all starts with a girl…”

 

The message fizzled out then. Perhaps her uncle had finally passed beyond the reaches of the galaxy before his message had completed. And he had left behind a niece who now stood in front of the terminal with tears dripping off her cheeks, wishing with all her might that he could return to her to finish that last story.

 

All things end, Emily Skywalker, a voice seemed to whisper to her. She suddenly remembered so clearly the last time she had seen her uncle. He hadn't even remembered Jaina, had barely remembered Emily. Had he known about Tirzah? That distracted man whose eyes spoke of unknowable things...He had been so much like her father. Whatever the details of what had happened to them, it had ended up affecting them the same way. The pursuits they dedicated their lives to cost them everything, and left behind only Emily to grieve them.

 

She sat back down heavily. That wasn't true; Jaina must certainly grieve him. Or did she? Emily didn't know. Jaina hadn't seemed to welcome Raynuk's advances, but she hadn't shunned them either. Emily had to take Jaina's words of caution and mistrust of Raynuk as the truth of what her aunt really thought. She shook her head. That didn't matter. What mattered was that Andon was indeed dead...and suddenly, Emily realized that it was all her fault.

 

He had told her what he was going to do, didn't he? He was going to hunt down whoever had killed Jaina and erased her from his memory and make them pay. And she had been eager to help, seeing that he had needed someone to steady him, to keep him going on the right path. It had been not only her duty, but her pleasure. And in return he was going to teach her all the mysteries he had learned.

 

But then Quietus had returned and called to her through the Force. And like a puppy, she had abandoned her uncle and gone running back to her master. She put her head in her hands. If only she hadn't abandoned him...perhaps he would still be alive. Together, they could have found out the truth. And Emily knew that now she would never stop owing Jaina everything, for it had been her inaction and flightiness that had robbed Jaina of her husband. Guilt and shame poured through her, mixed with sorrow and regret. I failed you, Andon...I'm so sorry.

 

She wept for a few minutes, but eventually, her tears dried. And in the quietness that followed, two thoughts occurred. One was that a person never knew when their last conversation with someone they cared about would be. That made her determined that there were a few last things she wanted to say to Quietus before she could keep attempting to move on. The second was like a powerful beacon of hope, strong enough to give her the energy to rise to her feet and refocus.

 

The Cult of Morthos was still out there, and they still had the ritual that could bring back the dead. Emily had wanted to learn that ritual from the moment she first saw it work, and now, she knew the first person she would use it on. When she succeeded in learning the ritual, Andon would return.

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Pinching her thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose, Xae slumped back in the chair at the auxillary security station one of the Noghri had shown her. The main station had missing records and had the console smashed in, obvious though not subtle attempts to cover the invader's tracks. For the last few hours, she'd been going painstakingly through the backup recordings looking for something, going frame by frame at times, anything that would shed even the slightest bit of light on who they'd been and why they'd come.

 

Beyond raiding the library, Xae thought sourly in frustration. Queuing up the library cameras one last time, Xae advanced it to remove a few stills that showed the artifacts and books as it was before the attack and after the attack. Someone would have to do an inventory of what had been taken, it was likely the only way to figure out who these people were and what their motives were.

 

Syncing the stills to the datapad Emily had given her, Xae began the long climb (still not quite trusting the turbolifts) to the common area Emily had shown her on the map while setting up her accesses to the temple's systems.

"Well...I found the backup recordings they forgot to nab, but they weren't really all that helpful," Xae began without preamble as she entered the lounge area and sat opposite Emily. "Black non-descript military uniforms. No markings. Could be these cultists of yours, could be Black Sun, could be the GA or new Imperial Remnant for all I know." She threw up her hands, not really sure why she was allowing this to bother her. Xae couldn't deny that it did give her something to latch on to for a sense of purpose, something she'd been sorely lacking since Il-Andon had decided to kick her out of whatever Force time-space pocket she'd been training in.

 

Sure the Monolith had been a good reason and cleansing Gala had been worth it but after that...

 

Relic hunting seemed like a good path and here was just as good a place as any to continue that directive. So it was that she made her offer. "You don't know the full extent of what was taken, I'm guessing, so I'd like to volunteer to catalog and index the library and cross-reference against any lists your father might have kept on hand. The sooner we can pin down what was taken, the faster we might be able to pin down a lead to pursue."

[Emily]

As Xae came in and showed her the info--or lack thereof--that she had found, Emily sighed. "Not surprising. They covered their tracks well."

 

The Jedi then suggested making an inventory of the library to see what was taken, causing the Grey Master to grimace. "That will take weeks. This library is huge, and who knows how much or how little they took?" She thought it through. "You're right though--that's the only way we're going to make any headway at this point." She looked at Xae appraisingly "You're really willing to take the time to do that? Don't you have like, Jedi things to do?"

 

They continued to talk a bit, but eventually, they decided to go with Xae's suggestion. The noghri brought up a tray of sandwiches, and the women ate as they began the process of accessing the previous backups and setting up a framework for Xae to use to track everything. Once that was set up, Emily headed back down to her ship and retrieved all the data she had taken from Furion's library. "Might as well add it to the collection here," she said as she brought it up and deposited it in the library.

 

Night was falling by the time they felt like everything was in place. There had been a database backup three years ago, and as Emily hadn't added anything to John's library since then, it would provide a baseline for Xae's cataloging. Weary, Emily leaned back and rubbed her face with her hands. "Ugh, this stuff makes me want to work out for three hours to clear all the cobwebs away." She rose. "Alright, since this will be your home for the next month or so, we'd better get you settled. C'mon, I'll show you to your room."

 

She led Xae through the hallways and corridors to the guest wing and gave her the suite. "If you're staying here, you might as well have the nicest room," she said by way of explanation. "The noghri will provide any services you need, as well as prepare your meals." She frowned. "And don't get uptight about them. This is their home as much as mine, even if they are slaves in name. My father rescued them from destruction in a clan war back on their planet, and they volunteered to serve him. Since their numbers were decimated, I'm going to order a swarm of droids to take over much of the cleaning, but the remains of the clan here will serve you faithfully."

 

Suddenly, a wave of fatigue swept over her. "Well, if you need anything, just ask," she finished. "I'm wiped. Goodnight."

 

She headed to her room, her feet dragging. As she prepared for bed, she kept noticing Roe'gall's absence. It gnawed at her. It felt as if she was being tossed about in a sea, and had lost the life jacket she had been clinging to. Curling up in bed, she shed only a few tears before falling into a deep sleep.

 

---

 

It was the middle of the night when Emily suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. There was someone at her door, she was sure of it. Rising, she crossed over to it and pushed the button. It slid open, and she gasped. There he stood, in a simple black outfit, his white hair mussed as if he had been tossing and turning all night. But it was his face--that face that she knew so well--that drew her attention. He didn't speak, but his face spoke of his anguish, and his eyes were full of apology. That was enough for Emily. She threw her arms around him, and he pulled her face up to his and kissed her. The door slid shut as they stumbled backwards into her room, locked in a passionate embrace, his kisses growing deeper, wilder, and more passionate. She didn't care what had happened between them; what mattered is that he was here now, and that together, they would continue to fight for love.

 

Emily woke with a start to find her hand reaching out to embrace thin air. The room was empty and dark. She bit her lip. It was only a dream. He's moving on, and you need to, too. She felt tears coursing down her cheeks, and she leaned back against the headboard, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them, wrestling her emotions under control. In the silence and stillness that followed, she thought back over all he had said. Part of her wondered if his avoidance of her direct questions had been because he did still love her. But then, why had he pushed her away? Love wasn't easy, but it was worth fighting for; she knew that, and she thought he did too. Xae thought he was just protecting her, but that didn't make any sense either. Why would he think that hurting her like this was protecting her? No, the only thing that made sense was that he had given up, and as much as she wanted with every pore in her body to fight against that, she wasn't the type to fight a losing battle. It had to be both of them or none; together or not at all.

 

Her earlier thought of sending him a message resurfaced, and after wrestling with the thoughts in her mind for a while, she rose and crossed over to the computer terminal. After a few more long minutes, she keyed it to audio-only, took a deep breath, and spoke.

 

“Hi. I don’t know if you’ll open this message, but I hope you do. And I hope that it helps more than it hurts.

 

“I…I want to apologize for my words to you when we last spoke. I overreacted a lot. I was upset that I couldn’t do anything to help you with Raia and Tirzah, and then when you came out holding Jaina’s hand…jealousy got the better of me. And I’m sorry I took it out on you." Her tone was sincere.

 

“But that’s only part of what I wanted to say. I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said, at the end, and I feel like I need to set the record straight. For your sake and mine.

 

“You said that all you’ve brought me is pain.” She gave a quick haunted chuckle. “We both know that’s not true. You…you brought me more happiness than I knew what to do with. You showed me this whole other side of living. Instead of always thinking about myself, I found myself thinking about you, about how to make you happy. And the more I did, the more I wanted to.

 

“And sure, there’s been pain in the past, but most of it was not your fault. So I don’t want you thinking that my life with you was worse than life on my own. You said I was better off without you…and that has never, ever been true. We were better together…and I think we both know that. Remember what you said right after Korriban? You said you felt redemption on the horizon, a chance to make up for the pain you have caused me and others. I...I don't know what caused you to stop fighting for that. I would have fought for that until the stars turned cold. But instead, our story continues in the same never ending cycle."

 

She sighed and was silent for a long moment before continuing. “The other day you also said that if you were out of my life, then I could be the person my parents wanted me to be. I don’t know where you got that idea. I already was. I already am. And you know it. Being that person had very little do to with you. But I think you never really trusted me in that. I think you always thought that being around you made me still the apprentice, having to act like a Sith because I was around you.” Her tone grew firm, if pained. “Nothing could be farther from the truth. Please don’t let that thought take hold.

 

"You told Raia that I wanted you to be chained to me and me alone. That’s both true and an absolute falsehood. I love that you care for Raia, for Jaina. It means the world to me. It’s so human, and so beautiful. It's the man I always knew was inside you, the man I fell in love with. But in another sense, yes, I want your whole heart. I want all of you, Raynuk. Nothing less with satisfy. I want to be the first in your life. I need to be the only one whom you love with romantic love. And not as a second choice, or an afterthought, a backup plan, or a habit. If that were true, I would never stop fighting for us to be together." She hesitated. "But...I don't think it is. Maybe someday you'll learn to love like that.

 

“In light of that, I also wanted to say that you shouldn’t feel that…that you’re not worth loving. That you have too many flaws, that being a Sith means you don’t deserve happiness. You said you wanted me to be free to move on with my life…and…I want that for you too. Know that I loved you despite your flaws—that I actually loved you more because of them. Maybe one day you’ll believe that of someone again.”

 

There was a long pause, long enough that he might have thought the transmission was over. But then she spoke again, her voice quieter and her tone deeper. “I don’t want you to think I expect anything from you after this message. I just wish—" she broke off quickly. “Nevermind. Just…I miss you. Kriff, I told myself I wouldn’t say that.” She sighed. “But I guess since I already did…know that I still love you, and…I think I probably always will. You’ll always be a part of me. I...I'm beginning to think that maybe this was for the best. But I don't regret a minute I spent at your side, and I never will."

 

There was another pause. “You won’t hear from me again, I don’t think,” she finished. “I…goodbye, Raynuk.”

 

Clicking the terminal off, Emily felt a small sense of relief. It was good to get those words off her chest. It felt like...closure. Maybe now, she could regain some peace. Maybe now, she could move on.

 

She eventually fell asleep again, and this time, there were no dreams to haunt her.

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't prepared to put in the time. And my last orders from Master Kirlocca were to remain in the galaxy at large and keep doing what I was doing. Jaina and I were coming here to secure what relics we could from outsiders. This task is merely an extension of that same work." Xae-Lin wasn't sure Emily would feel about the mission she'd been given, but if the two of them were have any trust between them, she felt being open about her reasons for staying were wise.

 

If Emily had minded much, she didn’t indicate it as the two of them got set up and began their work. It was several hours and they were both tiring, when Emily stretched and lamented, "Ugh, this stuff makes me want to work out for three hours to clear all the cobwebs away." She rose and helped Xae to her own feet. "Alright, since this will be your home for the next month or so, we'd better get you settled. C'mon, I'll show you to your room."

 

Xae-Lin nodded, wondering at the odd series of events that had led to her being offered residence within a Sith Temple that didn’t include her being tortured or imprisoned. As they walked the tower, she was only half-listening to Emily as she talked about the Noghri and the assistance they could provide. Once Emily explained the service that her father had performed for them, their supplicant nature seemed to make a bit more sense to the Jedi. She sensed they were a warrior culture and felt they collectively owed a life-debt to Emily’s family.

“Thank you Emily,” she said, taking in the largest room she’d ever slept in, “Hopefully things will be a bit clearer in the morning. Sleep well, sleep peacefully.”

 

She watched the other woman retreat to what she guessed were her own quarters before sitting down to meditate as best she could before going to bed herself.

 

---------

 

 

The next morning she awoke to the wonderful smell of cooked cured meats and bread that rousted her from her slumber. Jolting awake as she realized it was coming from the table in her room, she wondered at how stealthily these creatures must have been able to move. Normally she’d have been able to sense anyone approaching her room, let alone bring her breakfast.

 

“This is going to take some getting used to…” She remarked to the empty room.

[Emily]

Emily rose early and went for a long run outside. She was used to the fumes of the planet, and knew what parts to avoid and which parts were less toxic. Then she came back and took a long shower in the sanisteam, letting the hot water work through the kinks in her shoulders. Toweling off, she took in her figure in the mirror with a critical eye. She pursed her lips. She looked great, actually. Her skin in particular seemed smooth and firm. Normally she liked the way she looked, and it gave her pleasure to see her hard work paying off in a toned figure. But now that she was alone again, it seemed kind of pointless. For one fleeting moment, the thought crossed her mind that one of the reasons Raynuk was gone was that he didn't approve of the way she looked...but she clamped down on that thought. She knew their problems went deeper, and she didn't want to think about it anyway. He was in the past, and she needed to move on.

 

Dressing, she headed over to the guest room. She knocked on the door and stepped in when Xae invited her. "Ooh, that smells great!" She sat down in a chair next to a currently-dormant fireplace. Reaching out with the Force, she found Gabarakh's signature and let her know to send more breakfast. "How did you sleep?"

 

She herself was trying to put last night out of her mind. Thankfully, she didn't remember having any further dreams after she had messaged Raynuk. All of a sudden, she felt a jab of pain coming from the vague direction of her liver. She started. The sensation vanished immediately, and she could tell clearly that she wasn't feeling her own pain, but someone else's. His face hovered in the back of her mind. The bond they shared--one of not just two lovers, but of a master and apprentice--pulsed, and she knew that he was seriously injured. Worry shot through her before she could tell herself she had no business worrying about him anymore. But her heart wouldn't listen. He can take care of himself, she told herself more firmly. Besides, Draken and Alora are with him.

 

She had been silent for a while, and wondered if Xae had noticed. A tray of food had arrived, delivered by a silent noghri. Picking up a piece of meat and picking a topic of conversation, she spoke again. "So you said something yesterday about coming here to retrieve relics? I was going to ask you about that. You mean Jedi relics? Or were you planning on...plundering my father's library too?" She tried not to sound confrontational, but she did feel a little defensive.

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

"Well enough," the Jedi mused as she took in the room's decor in the morning light. Emily's pause brought with it a question that Xae had wondered when she'd get around to asking. "Since the retreat and hiding of Force Users, certain...opportunitists have decided to take it upon themselves to pilfer various temples and archives belonging to the Jedi, and likely what they could get away with from the Sith as well..." She winced slightly recalling it was that exact situation that she now found herself in. She sighed and shook her head.

 

"Jedi Relics were what I believe Master Kirlocca and Tobias Vos had in mind when they each sent me, well Jaina and I, on the mission. However, relics of either side could be dangerous in untrained hands or on the black market no matter if they are Sith, Jedi, or some mix in between, don't you agree?" The Jedi was dancing around the actual question Emily likely wanted answers to the most, and both women knew it.

 

"As for what was planned here, I honestly didn't know what to expect. Jaina had been the one to suggest coming here and it was as good a place as any since I was wanting to avoid Jedi worlds, like Lehon, for," she hesitated, "other reasons at the time. I don't think there was much of a plan outside of find what we could and make sure that no one else could get to it. I don't make a habit of plundering others' homes if that's what you're wanting to know."

[Emily]

Emily wasn't quite sure what she was hearing. "So...I was right. You did come here take relics back to your Order." She frowned. "I wonder why Jaina felt she had the authority to take things from here."

 

Finally, she shook her head. "I suppose Jaina thought this place would be empty, abandoned after my parents' deaths. I guess to find out the truth I'd have to ask her, and that's not going to happen right now. Anyway, I suppose I don't blame you, Xae-Lin. It just seems a little underhanded for a Jedi." She frowned again. "Wait, did you say Tobias Vos? Isn't he a Sith Lord? I feel like I remember hearing his name a few years back."

 

She finished her breakfast, sucking down a glass of nityna juice then replacing the glass on the tray. "Would you be interested in sparring?" she asked Xae, rising to her feet. "There's a training room right down the hall."

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae shook her head, smiling politely as she did, "Sorry, no. I make it a point not to fight with my host. Besides," she rose, "I'd like to get back to work quickly so we can find out what is missing that much quicker."

[Emily]

“That’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Emily rose. “You go ahead. I’ll join you in a bit.”

 

Knowing that her guest was occupied, the Grey Master headed out of the room. She turned her feet towards one of her favorite practice rooms. Once there, she stretched and began a simple rhythmic exercise, starting small and then going through the lightsaber practice forms. She had begun most of her days on Rish’navin in this manner, and the habitual movement helped her center herself.

 

As she moved, her mind cleared. For the first time in the past few days, she was able to just be blank, not thinking anything, not feeling anything. It was peaceful.

 

She was halfway through the basics of Form III when she got the strangest sensation, as if she was being watched. She stretched out with the Force, thinking Xae or one of the noghri had entered without her noticing, but she found no one nearby. Nevertheless, the feeling persisted.

 

She moved into Form IV, but found it difficult to recapture her sense of calm serenity. Now that she had noticed the sensation, it was impossible to ignore, like an itch somewhere deep in her mind. She missed a step, then shut off her practice saber in exasperation. Reaching out with the Force, she probed all around her.

 

After a moment, she was able to recognize the sensation as definitely belonging to a presence, although it was warped in a strange way, almost like it was only partly there. She frowned. And the presence was close. In fact…

 

Emily gasped. Her Force senses turned inward and sought out a confirmation of her suspicions. And there it was. A brilliant white star in the Force, growing inside her.

 

Pregnant?!? I’m pregnant?

 

She fell to her knees, both hands going to her mouth. Her shock was immense, but it didn’t last long. In a way, it wasn’t a surprise. Deep down, she had known. Her body had already been giving her signs, signs that she had unconsciously been ignoring. There had been too much else going on, too much else to think of. But now…now she couldn’t escape the facts.

 

What did surprise her though was the sheer joy the knowledge brought her. It crashed over her, fierce and primal and powerful. This baby was the most precious gift. It was a fresh start. It was a new purpose in her life—a life that had, recently, been thrown into disorder. Now she had direction. She was going to be a mother. The thought blew her away. A mother? That was never something she had ever dreamed would happen. She would have family again. No matter what happened, that bond would never break. She would always be this child’s mother, through thick and thin. It was a precious, priceless thought. In a way, it was all she had ever wanted.

 

And more than that, it was a second chance. The specter of her first pregnancy rose up before her, but now she could look that ghost child in the eye and know that she would not make that mistake again. This child would transform her life, and that frightened her deep down, but she knew without a doubt that she would do everything she could to protect this new life inside her. Nothing would harm this child, not while she lived.

 

She rubbed her face with her hands, then drew them down to cover her mouth and let out a long breath, a small smile lighting her features. Maybe…did she dare believe it? Maybe redemption was possible. Maybe forgiveness was right where you fell. Maybe the Force actually did not hold grudges.

 

She dropped her hands and climbed to her feet as the full reality sank in. There was another side to this. And that side was Darth Quietus. A pang of regret dulled her initial happiness. She had finally felt like she could start to move on from him. Like it was possible for her to fall out of love with him. And now…there would always be this child to tie them together. It was bittersweet to the extreme. Getting over him now would be immensely more difficult, especially if he wanted to be a part of the child’s life. On the other hand, though, there was no one else whose baby she would rather have. It was, in a way, almost a privilege to carry his child.

 

“I was trying to move on,” she half-moaned to the Force, pacing the room. Part of him would always be with her now. And she both loved and hated that. It brought her frustration, and yet, oddly, a sense of comfort. “Is that simply not meant to be? Are our destinies truly bound together forever?”

 

She took another deep breath. I’m not going to make the same mistakes again. I’m going to tell him, and I need to do it right away. Part of her was undeniably wary, though. She had no idea how he’d take the news. She instinctually wanted to protect this child, and having a father who had a history of abandonment and self-destructive tendencies wouldn’t be the best influence on him or her.

 

She shook her head. No. No child deserves to be raised without their father. Besides, Raynuk had many other good qualities that would make him an excellent one, if only he was courageous enough to let those shine through. She hoped he would try. Oh, she hoped it desperately. But if he couldn’t face it, she’d understand. She would raise this child alone if she had to. The thought didn’t frighten her.

 

The thought that did, however, was that nothing was certain. There were so many things she couldn’t control. And, if she was honest with herself, she had a terrible habit of pushing or driving people away. What if this baby grew up to hate her? The idea almost undid her resolve. But she quickly regained her self-control. She had learned that there was no sense in fearing the future. It would come and there was nothing she could do but her best. She’d love this child with everything in her, and even if that wasn’t enough, she would still always be its mother.

 

How am I going to tell him? That was the question that now gnawed at her. She searched her heart, but no matter how much she searched, she always came to the same conclusion—she thought she knew Raynuk well, but in this, she had absolutely no clue how he’d react, especially given their breakup. And it was one thing to tell herself that she could do this alone; it’d be another to face him and hear him say that he wanted nothing to do with their child.

 

For a long few minutes, she wrestled with the task, continuing to pace the room, coming up with and rejecting multiple ways of breaking the news. But suddenly, an idea struck her, and she stopped midstride. Jaina. If there was anyone in the galaxy who knew Raynuk better than Emily, it was Jaina. Maybe her aunt could give her some advice. She bit her lip. That would mean reaching out to her, and Emily still wasn’t sure she wanted to make the effort to heal that breach. She didn’t know if she was ready to forgive her aunt.

 

But the renewed thought of the baby growing inside her caused her to square her shoulders. If she was going to be a mother, she was going to have to start being courageous and putting this baby before her own wants and feelings. She owed it to this child to give him or her the best chance to know their father. And that meant taking the first step and talking to her aunt.

 

Heading over the comm station, she sent a message to Jaina, keying it to audio only.

 

“Hey Aunt Jaina...I know you probably don’t want to hear from me. But...something’s happened and I don’t have anyone else to turn to.” She paused. This was harder than she thought. “I...I’m pregnant. I don’t know what to do. And I don’t know how to tell Raynuk.” Her voice wavered for a moment. “I’m terrified of what he might say or think, especially after everything that’s happened between us recently. I...I need your help. You know him better than anyone. And...I can’t do this alone. Please. Help me.” There was a pause. “If you’re willing...meet me on Coruscant, at Induran Habithae Memorial Hospital, in two days. I’m going to get checked out.” She paused. “I hope you come...but I understand if you don’t. Please don’t tell him. I need to be the one to do it, and it needs to be face to face.”

 

After hitting send, Emily took another deep breath. Everything had changed now. A new life was beginning. Emily only hoped that she’d be up for the challenge.

[Wookiee Jedi]

A comm came in for Xae-Lin.

 

 

<< Xae, I have a need for you on Ossus. No rush is needed, but I would urge some speed.>>

 

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae nodded as Emily left, turning to her comm once it beeped with a message from Kirlocca. Through her conversations with Jaina, Emily, and even Quietus, there were bits and pieces that were beginning to fall into place surrounding a threat larger than simply having a band of black market entrepreneurs raiding the temples, or even errant Sith behind the raids on the seemingly abandoned Jedi temples across the galaxy.

 

With a sigh, she entered the library and queued up a response to Kirlocca.

[Emily]

Once the message was sent, Emily gave herself a few moments to just breathe and try to take everything in. It was challenging. The past week had been overwhelming enough, and while Emily felt she had dealt with everything as well as could be expected—especially as she now had a hormonal explanation for how much she had been overreacting to things--this was a nuclear bomb in comparison with surface-to-air missiles. She had to make sure that she was okay, emotionally as well as physically.

 

So she took stock of herself. Overall, she was surprisingly okay. But one thing hadn’t changed—she still ached for Quietus. To know that he was beside her, supporting her in this, would be endless comfort. But she couldn’t allow herself to hope. Whatever they were, whatever they would be now, didn’t matter overall. She had to face reality as it was. And that reality was that she was alone. Not even Roe’gall was here for her to lean on.

 

She took a deep breath and tucked her black hair behind her ears. That was okay. She was a strong, independent woman, a Master of the Force. She could do this. She headed up to her quarters and grabbed a quick sanisteam. She grabbed some clean clothes and dressed—I guess I’ll probably need to go shopping for maternity clothes eventually, she thought with a shock—and then grabbed a satchel containing a few outfits, her armor, her comlink, datapad, and her weapons.

 

On the way down to the hangar, she made two stops. The first was to Xae, where she informed the petite Jedi that she was leaving. “Something big has come up, and I need to go to Coruscant right away. Sorry I won’t be able to help with the start of your cataloging, but you’re free to stay here as long as you need to get the job done.” She handed the Jedi a datacard containing her personal comm number. “Call if you have any questions or problems, or if you figure out what they took.”

 

The second stop was to the noghri. She informed the staff that she was leaving and that Xae was staying, as well as the fact that she had ordered a compliment of droids to assist in running the temple. “One last thing,” she added, pausing on the threshold. “Change the odor dispersers, will you? I don’t think Xae appreciates the smell of blood everywhere. Just pick something that covers up the garbage smell of this planet.”

 

She finally made it down to the Shadow’s Shine. Once onboard, she wasted no time firing up the engines, dropping the satchel in the copilot’s chair. Fifteen minutes later, she was in space, and throwing the lever to send the ship hurtling directly towards Coruscant and the core.

[Skye Organa]

Comm to Xae-Lin Ardel from Skye Organa.

 

 

Xae-Lin, I hope this finds you well. I recently made a report to Master Kirlocca regarding what has been happening on Corellia and he mentioned the incident on Raxus Prime. I was hoping that you might be able to tell me what you know about this cult that took out the library at Raxus Prime. I was on Corellia when there was an attack there on Coresec HQ. The attack was carried out by a ‘Gavo Malako’ but there was something familiar about the way he fought.

 

I have attached footage of the attack along with some old footage comparing the fighting styles of the attacker and of Vladmir Faust. As you will see, the fighting style of Gavo Malako is almost identical to Faust’s. It is quite clear that he was being controlled. Just before this attack I felt a painful spike through the Force. I am also wondering if you know anything about this Morthos that was mentioned? Any information will be welcome. Thank you.

 

May the Force be With You.

Skye

 

+++

 

( http://forums.jedirp.net/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=8054&p=1235462#p1235462 )

 

Along with the footage sent are some crime scene images taken from Gavo Malako’s home, the message on the wall clearly seen.

 

The end will come again as have I. Let Morthos or some other Dark power complete my work. Follow the steps of Vaklu to his master and then to me.