Scourge tried to think of something to say, sensing it, Remi looked up at him and shook her head. Readying a pair of syringes, she injected the Sith who shivered and opened his eyes.

“The Five cannot be killed.” He said.

“The Five?” Remi looked at the other four, “Ok. Where is the ritual taking place?”

He seemed to struggle and choke, finally, he said, “I do not know, we were to take a shuttle to Korriban.”

“When? How long before it happens?”

“Ssssss” the Sith struggled, “Sseven days… from now.”

“What does the ritual do?” Remi grabbed him and held him down.

He began writhing, his hands jerked against his restraints, he panted then choked on the poison gases still in the air. “It will make the Vessel the Emperor.”

“Vessel? Why do you keep calling him a vessel?” Remi asked, now the Sith began convulsing and bucking. Scourge moved forward to help hold him down but lightning started to crackle inside the Sith’s mouth. Remi grabbed his arm and hauled him away from the shuddering Sith. Lightning arced from Sith’s mouth to his four unconscious fellows. They all shuddered and convulsed, then the shuddering ceased, the lightning went out, and they all stopped moving.

Remi moved to check their bodies, “Dead.”

“What was that?” Scourge asked.

“I don’t know, he said they couldn’t be killed.”

“No, why did he answer your questions. He did not try to resist you.” Scourge crossed his arms.

Remi shrugged, “One of the syringes was anti-toxin the other was SLV-X serum. It forced him to answer my questions, obviously there was something else in him that wanted to prevent those answers.”

“Did you give me that serum?” he asked, wanting to know how far her mistrust for him went.

“Wouldn’t have worked on you, that’s what the scan was for. These Sith are genetically engineered.”

“Impossible.” Engineered beings could not control the Force, it had been tried for centuries.

“They’re not clones, they’re modified at birth, they have the same conditioning they give to Imperial Intelligence, or they used to. Now I guess Sith Intelligence uses it on other Sith.”

“How could Sith Intelligence have modified them at birth?”

“According to the scan these men were biologically five or six years old. Forced maturation, mental conditioning, genetic modification, implanted memories, and some kind of hive mind.” She snorted derisively, “Perfectly loyal Sith.”

“Would they,” Scourge’s throat choked on the words, he tried again, “Would they try that on our son?”

Remi’s fists clenched hard enough he could hear her knuckles crack through her armor. “Yes, they would.” She replied, “Luckily it only works on infants, Koa’s too old.”

“Koa?” he asked hesitantly.

She turned away and walked to the bridge. Scourge heard a buzzing sound and the poison gases began venting. When the air cleared, he removed his mask.

“Do they know anything?” she asked pointing at Lord Ninka and her crew.

“We all only learned of the ritual just before the Hand ordered the attack on us.”

“They may still know something; I’m going to question them.” She paused, “Do you want to be shackled so they won’t think you betrayed them?”

He frowned at her, “I do not care what they think.”

She shrugged and walked to the medical bay. A few minutes later Pierce and Vette, both wearing shackles behind their backs, walked into the main room. Remi held her rifle on them and indicated they should kneel. Pierce looked at Lord Ninka then glared up at Remi.

“Grey isn’t it?” he rasped, his voice was still affected by the Force choke, but the anger and hatred were palpable. Lord Scourge was almost impressed. “What did you do to her?”

“Same thing I did to you, I’ll wake her up now.”

“I thought you said no hard feelings,” Vette said shaking her head.

“Trying to arrest me so I can be taken to Dromund Kaas, tortured, tried, then executed is all in a day’s work.” Remi replied almost amiably then her voice turned hard. “Participating in the kidnapping of a child, there aren’t enough credits for that.” Pierce actually flinched though he looked down so it was harder to see.

“We didn’t know anything about that.” Vette protested. “We don’t even know where this stupid ritual is taking place.” Lord Scourge realized this was Remi knew Vette was most likely to talk if she did not think she was being questioned. Pierce realized it too.

“Nice, Vette.” He said shaking his head. He looked up at Lord Scourge, “Guess I was right you couldn’t be trusted.” He turned to the bounty hunter, “Why isn’t he shackled.”

Remi crossed the room to kneel at Lord Ninka’s side. She turned her back on the shackled soldier, Scourge wondered if she was testing him. “As a former client he received the privilege of being interrogated first. He has agreed to join me so he gets to be free.”

Remi injected the lady Wrath with a cocktail of anti-toxin and stims, she began to stir immediately. Looking around she focused on Remi as the only stranger in the room, “I’ll kill you.” She said. Remi pulled her to her knees.

“Kidnapped child, ritual, the Hand, go.”

Lord Ninka was silent, obviously weighing her options. She looked at Lord Scourge who was unshackled and leaning against a wall. “You’re Grey aren’t you?” Remi nodded. “How did you find us?”

“Tracking the child led me to your ship. Do you know where they took him?”

“No, I don’t know anything about the ritual.” She looked at Lord Scourge, “I assume your former employer is joining you. Why do you trust him? He is Sith.”

“I trust that he wants revenge.”

“Does the offer stand for all of us or do you plan to kill us?”

“As long as you have no interest in the child I have no plans to kill you or stop you. I will leave the codes for your shackles on your main computer when I leave, and I’m sure Vette will be free from hers as soon as I’m not looking at her.” Vette had been slowly picking her way through the lock bit her lip.

“Might as well kill us,” Pierce said as Remi began waking up Jaesa. “The Hand will send someone to check on us, we’ll be easy targets since you took out main power and shields. Without shields, can’t make a proper hyperspace jump with that thing sticking out of the hull.” He jerked his head at the boarding pod.

Jaesa began to rouse, she looked around growling, she focused on Remi, “I’ll kill you.” She yelled.

“Is that how Sith say good morning?” Remi asked ignoring her. She sighed, “I could take most of you to the nearest spaceport, if you’re willing to stay shackled. I’m sure you’re resourceful enough to find your way from there.”

“Most of us?” Lord Ninka said looking around. “Where’s Quinn and Broonmark?”

“Broonmark’s fine, he’s just too big to shackle so I locked him in the cargo bay. Captain Quinn is in the kolto tank without it he’ll die and I don’t have one on my ship, he’s the one we can’t move.”

Lord Ninka thought it over, “Take the others, I’ll stay with Quinn.”

“With all due respect, my lord.” Pierce said, “You’ll just die with him.” Lord Scourge could see the man trying to stay calm, the animosity between Pierce and Quinn had been the lone source of amusement for him these past years.

“I won’t leave anyone behind.”

“Then I’m staying too, I’ll try to get repairs going.”

Jaesa had been staring at Lord Scourge, she had not said anything after her initial disorientation. “I should stay with you, master.” She said with difficulty.

“Yeah me too,” Vette said, “I don’t really want to go with Lord Scary and Bomb-girl.”

“You’re going with her?” Jaesa asked Scourge, she stared at Remi, cold hatred in her eyes.

“I have no loyalties or affection for your Captain.” Was all he said.

“That’s enough,” Lord Ninka said before Jaesa could say anything more, “You’re all going, that’s an order.”

“Sorry, my lord,” Pierce said, “either you let me stay or I’ll walk into that medical bay and kill Quinn to solve our problems.” He thought about it for a moment, “Actually, that’s…”

“Pierce.” Lord Ninka said sharply.

Scourge had been studying Remi during their conversation. He felt something from her, aside from the anxiety and growing impatience. When Pierce demanded to stay it intensified, she was impressed with the Wrath’s crew, she wanted to help them. She turned to look at him, and he knew what she was thinking.

“Well,” Remi began.

“I would speak with you,” Lord Scourge interrupted. She hesitated, but nodded and followed him to the conference room.

Remi removed her helmet, “I can heal him.”

“If you do they will know what you are.” They both spoke quietly to make sure the Wrath’s crew could not overhear. “They’ll know Grey’s identity.”

“I only brought Grey back to find Koa, I’ll never be Grey again.” Scourge frowned at the implication but she continued, “I can’t just leave them,” she smiled a little, “They’re Imperials but they don’t deserve to be left here to die. Maybe they’ll be willing to help, Lord Ninka seemed to consider the idea.”

“She did not know you were Jedi. Has being among them again made you foolish?”

“I don’t see any other choice.” She said softly, “I can’t just do the expedient thing anymore; I have to save life when I can.”

“I cannot let you do this. What if you go mad again?”

“I’ll be fine, just weak for a time afterward.” She paused eyeing him speculatively, “Assuming you would guard me, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

His rage built at the insinuation, he shoved her up against the wall and looked into her eyes. “You still do not trust me?”

“Should I?” She asked, putting her hand on his chest plate and pushing him away, a small disk clattered to the floor. It was a lock of red hair preserved in resin. She picked it up, her eyes questioning.

“It was all I had of you,” he whispered looking down at the disk she held in her hand. “I thought I would never see you again. If something happened to you,” he stared into her eyes looking for any trace of the madness that had hidden there. She took his hand in hers and placed the disk on his palm, she closed his finger around it.

“If anything happens to me, I know you will find Koa, because I do trust you.” She spoke so softly he had to lean closer to hear her. She tiptoed to whisper in his ear, “I need you to trust me.” She kissed his cheek, then his lips, but backed away before it could become something more.

He closed his eyes, Sith feed off of fear, he needed to conquer his and use it to make him stronger. When he opened them, he nodded. Now all they needed to do was convince a crew full of Imperials to help the Jedi that had killed their Emperor.

Vette had worked the lock on her cuffs despite it being behind her back, she made short work of Pierce’s cuffs when she was free, but Lord Ninka’s shackles were a completely different story.

“That’s some serious hardware.” Vette said examining the lock.

“Built to hold Force users,” Lord Ninka confirmed, “I can’t sense anything or the Force with these on.” Vette got up to look for some tools to try to unlock the cuffs anyway, “Vette, stay here, I don’t want them to hurt you if they see you freed yourself.”

“Grey knew I would as soon as she stopped watching me,” Vette said defensively but knelt and pretended to be shackled.

“I’ve got a spare gun nearby, I could try to take the bounty hunter hostage, turn things in our favor.” Pierce said quietly.

Lord Ninka shook her head, “Too risky, I don’t want a repeat of the last time, and that time we had the advantage.”

Pierce nodded reluctantly. “We should get started with repairs as soon as they leave, it’s possible we could get moving before the Hand sends someone to look for us.”

They heard a loud thump coming from the conference room.

Pierce raised an eyebrow, “Wonder what that’s about, if they’re fighting the bounty hunter doesn’t stand a chance.”

“I think he’s trying to convince her to help us.” Jaesa said a small smile played over her lips. “He doesn’t want to abandon us.”

Pierce frowned, “He jumped ship as soon as he got a chance.”

“He’s going after the Hand,” Lord Ninka replied. “I would too if we could.”

“We could if you didn’t insist on keeping the Captain about.”

“Pierce,” she said smiling sweetly, “I thought you never leave a man behind.”

The Lieutenant snorted, “For the Captain, I’ll make an exception.” He looked toward the medical bay, “Still love him?” He spoke quietly so only the Wrath could hear.

Lord Ninka frowned, “I wouldn’t abandon any of you.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I’m not sure I have one.” She did not want to think about Quinn right now. She looked over at Jaesa who stared at the conference door.

“Jaesa told me you said you’d never been in love.”

“Truth.” He replied looking into her eyes.

“Well then,” Ninka said smiling with difficulty, “I’m not sure if I should be disappointed or relieved.”

He touched her chin very briefly, “Loves about giving, my lord. I’ve got nothing to give someone like you. Gave my heart to my daughter, my vows to her mother, my body to the military, and my oath to the Empire. You already have my loyalty, but you deserve more.”

“Your loyalty’s more than I’ve gotten from anyone else, Pierce.” She said softly.

“Don’t start talking like we’re going to die.” He said firmly, “We’re not.”

“They’re coming,” Vette whispered.

Lord Scourge and Grey exited the conference room, for the first time she was not wearing her helmet. Pierce studied her face, human, strange eyes, younger looking than he expected but looks could be deceiving.

The bounty hunter regarded them thoughtfully. “You can stop pretending you’re shackled.” Pierce and Vette relaxed their arms and stood. “Did you win a bet?” she asked Pierce.

He was surprised for a second but grinned, “Kaliyo thought chiss, I bet human.”

“Well, I guess Xenophobia does pay.” She said wryly. She walked around Lord Ninka and released her. Lord Scourge stood nearby, watching them closely.

She immediately stood and backed away from the bounty hunter and Scourge.

“You were not like that when I saw you last,” she said.

“No, I had reconnected with the Force, but I didn’t use it.”

Pierce turned to the bounty hunter with surprise. “You’re a Sith?”

“No,” Lord Ninka held out her hand, a lightsaber she always kept hidden near the holo-terminal flew to her grasp. “She’s a Jedi.” Pierce rolled to where he kept the spare gun, he reached for it but Lord Scourge had somehow gotten behind him.

“They need to work this out so they can trust each other.” The Lord Scourge said as he bent the large man’s arm back in an unbreakable hold. “We should not interfere.” Pierce looked for Vette, she was floating in the air, not by her throat, just floating and spinning slowly. Jaesa was fighting her shackles but Lord Scourge gave her a look and she stopped.

Remi kept her lightsaber in a compartment behind her belt, but she did not draw it, instead she simply stood and watched the Sith Lord.

“I am after the boy the Hand took, Lord Scourge believes you can help me find him. This is my proposal,” she said as if the lady Wrath was not ready to pounce on her, “I can heal Quinn, we can all get on my ship and go after the Hand.”

“A Jedi that runs with Lord Scourge,” Lord Ninka said ignoring her words, “I am not a fool, you are the one who killed the Emperor.”

“You know the reason, or you wouldn’t allow Lord Scourge to be here.”

“Sith prerogatives,” Lord Ninka smiled, “Jedi don’t get to claim such things.”

Remi sighed, “Do you really have a better plan?”

“Kill you and take your ship.”

“If you try to take my ship, my droid will jump you to Republic space and turn you over to the Jedi. Those are his instructions.”

“How do I know that you won’t do that anyway?”

“It would have been easier to do while you were all unconscious.”

“Why haven’t you drawn your lightsaber.”

“I’m hoping I don’t have to.” Remi shrugged helplessly, “You’re all as good as dead if you stay, you won’t leave the Captain, I just want to get out of here and find the boy.”

“You’re not in this for money,” Lord Ninka’s eyes narrowed, “Why are you trying to save this child.”

“I’m a Jedi.”

Lord Ninka rolled her eyes. “I very much doubt that’s all there is, but I can’t argue with your logic.” She put away her lightsaber. Scourge released Pierce’s arm. “Very well, I will trust you for now.” She turned to Pierce and Jaesa, “We will work with her.” She eyed Jaesa warningly, her apprentice nodded subserviently.

“I’ll get Quinn.” Pierce said.

Remi waved a hand and Vette floated gently to the floor, the Twilek wobbled a little and hurried away from the Jedi.

“Sorry about that,” Remi called after her.

“It was fun,” Vette said teetering toward the cargo bay. “I’ll get Broonmark.”

Remi removed Jaesa’s restraints. The Sith looked up at Remi sensing the Force in her immediately. She narrowed her eyes, “Are you the former Jedi?”

Remi glanced at Lord Ninka looking confused, “No, I’m the Jedi, Jedi.”

“Oh,” she said her face clearing. “Well, we’ll kill you when we no longer need you.”

“That’s how Sith say nice to meet you,” Pierce said as he carried Quinn to her ship.

“Why is it that when you show up Quinn always ends up naked and unconscious.” Vette asked, setting up a kolto drip.

Remi grinned, “I would think the answer to that is obvious.” Her grin widened when she saw both Lord Ninka and Scourge scowl.

“You didn’t sedate him did you?” Pierce asked as if he realized something.

“No, he didn’t seem to need it.” She replied. “Why do you ask?”

“Nothing, I just think um, he’s allergic to depredine.”

“Hmm,” Remi murmured no longer listening. She touched the middle of Quinn’s chest with her right hand and his forehead with her left. It was not strictly necessary but she had trouble healing without touching her target. She hoped she could get him to the point where he would not need a tank. She closed her eyes and reached for the Force. She asked it for help and let it use her to heal the Captain. She did not know how long she worked, but when she opened her eyes, he was breathing evenly and his color was better.

Remi looked at six pairs of eyes. She blinked not quite remembering who these people were. She turned and walked toward the cargo bay entrance trying to get to her quarters. They had jumped to hyperspace before she began healing Quinn, T7 had locked himself on the bridge. If anyone tried to force their way in, he was to jump the ship to Coruscant and turn them over to the authorities.

Lord Scourge was in front of her, she had missed how he had gotten there. She looked up at him, “I think he was more injured than I thought.” Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted. He caught her and carried her to her quarters.

“How long are we going to need her?” Jaesa asked casually.

“We’ll see,” Lord Ninka replied, both a warning and an acknowledgement.

Scourge removed Remi’s armor and tucked her into bed. He had done this before on numerous occasions in the year following the death of the Emperor. He remembered what she said when she healed him. I think you were more injured than I thought. Then she fainted and she never came back.

The ship was heading to a system near Korriban, it would take a full day to get there, until then they would be in hyperspace. Remi believed it would take only a few hours for her to recover. He hoped she was right. He felt her control as she healed the Imperial, there were none of the wild surges of power from when she was broken, but he could not help but fear what would happen if she did not come back.

He sat next to her and looked around the room. She had softer sheets than he remembered, more than one style of clothing hanging in the closet, and even a few objects that could only be described as ornamental. She had changed since they had last seen each other, and so had he.

When he returned to service as the Wrath, he used it to find a sense of purpose, but life serving the Hand was different now. They were small, almost petty in both their targets and their goals. They were lost without an Emperor. Aiding Lord Ninka’s crew and following their orders, he felt more restricted than he ever had fighting at Remi’s side. Together, they had made a greater difference than the fools he had followed in her absence. The Hand would never have sent them to take down a Sith Lord like their last mission. They claimed they were creating stability, but they only eliminated weaker rivals. The Sith lived to break free of their chains, he had walked into chains because he needed them. He was no longer free as a Sith, but what else could he be?

Now they had a son, and she did not want him to be Sith. They had argued about it, but not resolved anything. He wondered if she would even allow him to be a part of their lives. When he had kissed her, after he first saw her again, she resisted him. Later, even when she kissed him, it had been reassuring, not passionate. He never regretted what he was or what he did; now he wondered if he would. He shifted a little uncomfortably, he had gotten used to the constant presence of pain again, but the thought of losing Remi and a son he had never seen intensified it.

Remi stirred beside him, he opened his senses and felt nothing but calm. Normally the light was sickening to him, like water that had been left to sit for too long, tasteless, tepid, and stale. It was nothing like the smoky richness of the darkside, warm, thick, full of all the flavors of life and passion. Remi’s light was like a river, cool, with subtle textures and movement. He wondered if it was because she had touched darkness herself.

She turned and blinked at him. “Who are you?” she joked.

Scourge smiled a little. No matter how insane she was, she had always known him. It was the one reason he had been able to help her, she would have destroyed anyone else, but she always let him near. “How do you feel?”

“Tired, but it will pass.” She said, staring at a spot on the blanket. He studied her face, he could see her color returning as the Force replenished her strength. He wondered if she no longer wanted him now that she was a Jedi again.

He thought of their argument he did not want to leave it unresolved, “It never occurred to me.” He said.

“Hmm?” She focused her eyes and looked at him.

“That I could be anything other than Sith, it never occurred to me.”

She sighed, “I shouldn’t have said that. Truthfully, they probably would have arrested you. They really only took Praven because I spoke for him.” She got out of bed and stretched, walking to the closet. She chose to put on a robe rather than her armor. He found that interesting. He was also disappointed she was getting ready to leave; she had barely glanced at him, a sharp pain lanced through his chest.

“Why did you speak for him?” he asked trying to ignore the pain.

She shrugged, turning away as she got dressed, “He had a code of honor, things he would not do. It would have been wrong to let him kill himself when there was another option. He accepted.” She paused, “I thought it was very brave of him.”

Scourge scowled and swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Remi had gone silent, she had the faraway look she got when she was planning. He looked at the robe she had chosen, not the Jedi standard. It was a softer fabric, more like a dress, there were cuts in the sleeves where he could see her shoulders.

“When did you start wearing such things?” he asked curiously. She had never cared about clothing, she had a dozen of the same outfit and only changed if the climate called for it.

She smiled still looking in the distance, “A part of my healing process was finding out what I liked. Apparently people are supposed to like things.”

“So you like that?” He wished he did not have to drag every sentence out of her. Speaking was becoming difficult for him.

She looked at him blankly. “Oh, this? It was a gift from Kira, Killik silk she got on Alderaan.” She walked over to him and held out a sleeve, “I like how soft it is,” she shrugged, “even if the robe is weird looking.” He touched the sleeve, an excuse to touch her. She was staring into space again.

He sighed, “So tell me what else you discovered.” It was wrong, he knew, he should be helping her focus on their task, but he needed her, even if she no longer wanted him.

“Chocolate pastries, soft music, Corellian brandy.” She smiled as if remembering something.

“You’re saying you drink now?”

“Well not really, but of all the ones I tried with Kira the brandy tasted least bad.”

“I see,” he ran out of questions and stared up at her. Whether it was time away from her or the changes she had made in herself, he had never seen her look so beautiful. She was also staring into space again. He gave up and decided to let her go, pain shot through his gut, he suppressed a wince.

She must have sensed something because now she focused on him. “What’s wrong?” She reached out to touch his face. He held her hand against his cheek not realizing she was using her newfound healing abilities to read him. Her eyes widened when she realized what he felt. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her eyes softened, her face showing nothing but concern.

He grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her hand away; he did not want her like this. “I will not accept pity, even from you.”

Now guilt crept into her eyes. He stared straight ahead not wanting her to see him struggle with his pain. He let her wrist go and she sat next to him. “I thought about you every day,” she said softly. “Initially it was all I thought about, I was going to get on the next transport to look for you.”

“But you did not.”

“They wouldn’t let me use the holo or com devices for the first year.”

“I doubt that would have stopped you.”

She shook her head, “It wouldn’t, but apparently I was still crazy. I would see things and people that weren’t there. It was difficult to tell for a long time if I was truly better. Then Kira showed me the destruction I caused. ” She shook her head at the memory, “She convinced me to become a Jedi again, to reconnect with the Force. She believed that was the only way for me to truly be healed.”

“She said if you became a Jedi, I would never see you again.” He said bitterly, the day was branded in his memory.

“She would have been right.” Remi replied, “I really had committed to being a real Jedi again. I was going to teach, until then T7 was helping me reorganize the Archives.”

Scourge snorted derisively glancing at her, “A colossal waste of your talents, typical of the Council.”

“They saved me.” She said simply. She touched his arm, “You saved me too. I never thanked you for taking care of me. I never thought about how hard it must have been for you.”

“Caring for you is not hard,” he replied.

“It was wrong not to think about you, you always seem so indestructible, I’m sorry.” She rose to her knees beside him and kissed him softly on the cheek.

“I told you I do not want your pity.” She ignored his words and kissed the corner of his mouth then his lips. He grabbed her arms and held her away so that she would look at him. “I need you.” He said, clenching his jaw at the admission, cursing himself for being weak and for allowing her to see it. She had thought him indestructible, now she would see he was pathetic. He continued as the pain in his chest ravaged him making his voice grow hoarse, “But I will not have you stay with me because you are like a drug that gives me relief from my curse.” The surge of pain had caused him to grip her arms harder than he had intended, he wondered if he left bruises. He cursed himself again as he released her.

“Is that what you think this is?” She stared at him angrily he wondered what she was thinking. She kissed him again, not the restrained kiss he had stolen from her, or the reassuring kiss she had given him. She let him feel her need, her desire for him, the feeling she had locked away so that she could focus on her mission. Her hands began dismantling his armor. For a moment, he was shocked and could not move.

She pulled away slightly her lips grazing his as she spoke. “If you’re not interested anymore I can always go find Jaesa.”

He overcame his shock and helped her with his armor. His mind filled with nothing but her, driving out the pain he had felt only moments earlier until it was nothing more than a dull memory. He chuckled darkly, the apprentice’s infatuation had not escaped her notice. “You would share me?” he murmured his voice still rough, “Had I known, I would have taken advantage of it long ago.” She slid out of her robe letting it drop to the floor. He had tried not to look at her when he first tucked her into bed, now his eyes devoured her hungrily.

She blinked at him contriving to look innocent, “Who said anything about you?” He mock snarled and pulled her to him, touching her in a ways that made her gasp. It would be quite some time before she could speak again.

“Didn’t the Jedi say she would only need to recover for a few hours?” Jaesa asked. They had all taken the time in Hyperspace to rest. She had been waiting for Lord Scourge since she awoke. It was apparent he intended to guard the Jedi while she recovered. She wondered how he could stand being around someone who absolutely reeked of the light side.

Pierce, Broonmark, and Vette looked up from where they were playing Pazaak. The Jedi left her F1-M8 droid to see to their needs, it brought out the cards when Vette asked it for something to make Pierce stop pacing.

The small cargo bay had been made as comfortable as possible to accommodate them. There were only two sleeping quarters available besides the Jedi’s. Vette and Jaesa were given one and Lord Ninka received the other. The men slept in the cargo bay. It was fortunate that neither Pierce nor Broonmark had a problem with sleeping next to crates of bombs and Quinn was still unconscious. If they go, Pierce had said eyeing all of the bombs with both approval and a shrug, Sleeping in another room won’t help us. They had to transfer half of the explosives to Lord Ninka’s ship just to make room.

Pierce exchanged a look with Vette, “Give her time eh. She said the Captain was more injured than she thought, probably will take longer to recover.”

“We should consider what we will do if she never recovers.” Jaesa said folding her arms staring at the door. “I have no intention of returning to Republic space.” She tapped her foot fidgeting. “I’m going to knock.”

“I think we should discuss what we intend to do after this.” Lord Ninka said partly because it was true, partly because she wanted to distract the impatient Sith.

Jaesa frowned then sat next to her master obediently. The other three put down their cards and paid attention.

“The members of the Hand are very powerful Sith. Fighting them will not be easy, they know rituals and sorcery most cannot imagine. The Hand is also the reason that I am the Wrath, I no longer have that status now that they want me dead. I have made many enemies Sith, Imperial, and Republic, our lives will be even more dangerous.” She looked around the room, meeting each of their eyes individually.

“I’m with you master, no one can defeat us.”

Pierce shrugged, “I follow you, not the Hand, makes no difference to me, my lord.” He stroked his chin, “Wouldn’t mind getting a shot at some of those enemies we’ve made in the past now that you mention it.”

Broonmark squorked, “Sith clan is still powerful clan, there will be no betrayal.”

“Yeah well, I’m going to scrape together whatever credits I can and head to Nar Shaddaa.” Vette smiled at the group, they stared at her in silence, “Kidding! Of course I’ll stay with my crazy on the run from everyone family. It beats crawling around in dusty haunted tombs anyway, maybe.”

“We should ask Lord Scourge to join us.” Jaesa said confidently, “He’s powerful and the members of the Dark Council still fear him.”

“Jaesa,” Ninka said carefully, “I think Lord Scourge will go his own way after this. He was only with us at the behest of the Hand.”

Jaesa’s face transformed through a range of emotions, surprise, confusion, contemplation, jealousy, and finally anger. “It’s the Jedi isn’t it? She’s the one who convinced him to go over to the Republic. She’ll betray us when this is done, she’ll turn us all in after she has what she wants.”

At first Pierce was surprised that Jaesa finally saw the connection between the Jedi and Scourge then he realized she still did not see it. She did bring up a good point, the Jedi gave them no guaranty that they would go free after they helped her recover the child. He shrugged, “We’ll ask her when she wakes up.”

“Master, I should use my powers on her, I’ll be able to see her intent.”

The Sith Lord considered the idea. “Didn’t you test her before?”

“She wasn’t using the Force back then, and she was not deceptive.” She frowned, “But that could have changed.”

“We will wait until she wakes up. If she is not awake by the time we leave hyperspace then we will have to make other plans.”

“She should be awake by now, it’s been over eight hours.”

“Maybe she is.” Ninka suggested, but then realized her mistake when Pierce shook his head at her.

“Then what could they be doing in there?”

Vette fell off the crate she had been sitting on. She giggled, hiding her face in her hands. She got back up biting her lip and concentrated on her cards.

“They’ve known each other for a long time,” Lord Ninka said touching Jaesa’s arm. “From what I understand they fought together for years. They probably have some catching up to do.” She heard Broonmark make a snorting sound. Pierce looked steadfastly at a wall.

“I’m going to knock.” Jaesa said stubbornly.

“Jaesa,” Vette called as the Sith got up, “It’s your turn to watch Quinn.” Jaesa stamped her foot but walked over to the Captain and checked his kolto patches.

Lord Ninka glanced gratefully at the Twilek who winked in response.

“My lord, if you would follow me, I have something that may be of interest to you.” Quinn said diffidently.

Lord Ninka raised an eyebrow looking around. “Where is everyone?”

“The crew is officially on R and R.”

“Why aren’t you?”

“I do not need relaxation, my lord.” He replied stiffly.

“I beg to differ, Captain.”

“I will go if you command it, but first if you please.” He gestured toward the mess. She inclined her head and followed him. Upon entering she found a table had been neatly set up, complete with table cloth, placemats, and fine dinner ware. He pulled out a chair for her.

“What’s all this?” she asked refusing to sit. He held the chair out, a small smile hinting at the corners of his mouth. He nodded at the chair indicating he would not speak until she sat. She noticed that there was only a placement for one. She smiled bemusedly and sat. “Am I to dine alone?”

“As you know, my lord,” he said ignoring her question, “not very much escapes my notice and you have changed. It was gradual at first, but I noticed you no longer enjoy the foods you once did, among other things.”

“When did you notice this?” Lord Ninka asked with amusement, she had been having this problem for the past several years.

“Quite a while, my lord. I did not think it was my place to mention it, but I overheard you speaking to the former Wrath during your meeting.” His face shadowed with the memory of the aftermath of the meeting then cleared. “It made me realize you were looking for a solution.” He made the statement a question.

“Not anymore,” she smiled a little sadly, “I realize the Emperor gave me many advantages, and was far less harsh than what he did to the original Wrath. I should be honored with his gift.”

The Captain studied Lord Ninka’s face. Since becoming Wrath, she had been focused, determined, and devoted to Emperor and Empire. In addition, she was completely rational, she made decisions based on tactical assessment, she never counted on instincts alone, and she was utterly ruthless when logic dictated the correct course of action. Coldly calculating and deadly, in short, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. He brought his attention back to Lord Ninka who looked at him expectantly.

“So you have lost your sense of taste, while there is no cure, there are alternatives.” He uncovered a tray with a selection of foods. “These foods were selected based on texture in addition to being flavored with spices that perhaps, you will still be able to sense.”

She smiled delightedly as he served her a portion from each selection, she could not name most of the things on her plate. She tried the first selection, it was crunchy and cool tasting, and the aftertaste was refreshing, the spices making her tongue tingle. It was not the same as taste, but it was enticing and the first time she had enjoyed eating anything in over a year. “This is wonderful.” She enthused trying the second selection.

Quinn sat across from her watching her eat, he made silent note of the ones she enjoyed best. He would add it to his requisitions list as part of the regular resupply for the ship.

“Besides taste, what other senses have been bothering you?” He asked after letting her enjoy herself for a while.

She said nothing, looking away.

“As your Executive Officer and medic, I should know the things that affect your health. I will keep your secret from the rest of the crew, if that is what you wish. ”

She hesitated “Pierce knows.”

Quinn knit his brows at the mention of the Lieutenant. The man was intolerable, sloppy, and arrogant. She had brought Pierce to the transponder station, he thought he had won her trust completely, apparently, he had been wrong. Now he thought he had earned it back, perhaps he was wrong again. “Is there a reason you told him and not me?” He asked, they had never spoken about the incident, he had avoided saying anything that might bring it up. Now he wanted to know if she would ever truly trust him again, because he wanted more than her trust, they had been together once and he wanted that again. He was in love with her.

She smiled, “He figured it out on his own.”

“And he just came out and asked about it?” Quinn asked, offended that the man would take such liberties.

“No, he attacked me until I almost killed him.”

“He what?”

“It was to get me to acknowledge I have a problem,” she waved at his outraged expression. “I feed off the pain and anguish of others now. When we’re idle for too long it weakens me. It’s why Pierce and I have such vigorous training bouts.”

“You should have told me,” Quinn protested, “I could have arranged our schedule to avoid the need to waste our Kolto tank on the Lieutenant’s masochism.”

She smiled again, the animosity between her two officers was always amusing. His expression cleared, “I must admit, it is satisfying to see him put in his place every few months.” He said almost to himself.

The admission startled a laugh out of the Sith Lord. The first time she had laughed in what felt like an age. She also seemed surprised.

“It has been a long time since I have heard that, my lord.” He said softly. “I missed it.” He hesitated, “I never had the words to express what I felt for you.”

“No words necessary, Quinn.” She interrupted then paused. “I’m also not certain I can have strong feelings.”

He caught her eyes with his, “Have your emotions also been affected?”

She stared back, “Yes, emotions, color, and touch, I haven’t exactly lost everything. It’s just duller, as if I sense something far away.”

He reached out to touch her hand, he caressed her fingertips, “Can you feel this?” She nodded mutely still locked in his gaze. He touched her cheek, her chin, then her throat, continuing lower stopping just above her heart, he could feel it pounding beneath his questing fingertips. He leaned across the table his eyes never leaving hers. With his lips only inches away he spoke, “I would like to explore how much you can feel, would you allow me?” Her kiss was the only answer he needed.

He was glad he had sent the entire crew away for the day, their clothing was strewn from the mess to his quarters. It seemed gentle caresses had little effect, she needed something more forceful, and he was pleased to accommodate her. He pushed her against the wall pinning both arms above her head with one hand. He kissed her fiercely crushing her body with his. She bit him then smiled as she sensed his pain and consumed it. He picked her up and tossed her onto his bed. Her eyes raked over his body as she waited for him.

Then the Emperor died.

Every true Sith felt it when the Emperor was finally defeated. Little did they know, his dark presence was everywhere, deep within their hearts. They all knew when he passed, knew something of his defeat, his Wrath most of all. The ritual the Hand had cast while she lay unconscious in the tunnels of Quesh was tied to his power. It took her ability to feel, see color, smell, and taste, and in return it granted her immortality, now that he was gone all the sights, sounds, and emotions she had missed in the past few years came back, all at once.

Lord Ninka screamed as she was bombarded with too many sensations. She felt hands holding her down as she writhed in agony, the hands seared her, the sheets of the bed felt like shards of glass, slicing into her skin. Every nerve was on fire, sensitive to the slightest touch. Tears streamed down her cheeks as even the low lights of the room lanced into her skull, the tears themselves felt like molten metal leaving furrows of pain on her face. Her emotions returned she relived every moment since she became the Wrath, her battles, her losses, her betrayal by her master, then her most trusted ally.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of agony the pain receded, though her body still burned, and her eyes stung. She tried to get her bearings, she had been lost in the pain and had forgotten where she was, she opened her eyes. She saw him standing over her with a medical scanner trying to determine what was wrong. Captain Malavai Quinn, the traitor. She had loved him, she thought he loved her, but he chose to honor his obligations. Chronology was the deciding factor to sentence her to death, he swore his oath to Baras first. She had done nothing to deserve the betrayal, she had served Baras faithfully until the day his true apprentice tried to kill her. She had helped Quinn in his goals both professional and personal. He knew who the betrayer was, he knew Baras was running a long con on the Dark Council, and he knew Baras betrayed the Emperor himself. He chose Baras for saving his pathetic career, as if one man’s career could buy treason.

She had not been able to feel the rage that had built for years, now it all came back and focused on one person. She surged to her feet throwing the Captain across the room. She held him against the wall, the sharp spikes of pain she still felt added to her strength.

“How dare you touch me?” She pulled him forward then slammed him back against the wall. “A nice dinner and all is forgiven?” she laughed, a sound that made him shiver with fear. She examined him, “To think I almost trusted you again. How do you do it?” She stepped closer peering into his face she caught his eyes. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered, “I think it’s your eyes, Captain. Something about them makes me weak.” She almost sounded sad. He opened his mouth to reply, she silenced him with a look. “We will fix that.” She concluded her voice low and deadly with no trace of sadness. She grabbed an ornamental dagger off the desk in his room and without another word sliced him from brow to lip. She slammed his head against the wall once more and released him. He fell to the floor clutching his face. She stepped over him. “I will leave you to save yourself or not.” She said coldly, leaving him sobbing on the floor.

Lord Ninka stalked into the main room on her way to her own quarters, she was still naked, her clothes strewn everywhere.

“Master,” 2V-R8 said, “might I say you are looking fit and deadly today.”

“Clean up this mess.” She snarled at the droid. “And do not help the Captain.”

Quinn had lost consciousness after Lord Ninka let him go. He woke up in the medical bay, a kolto patch over what remained of his eye. He did not know how he got there. Whether he had treated himself somehow or someone had found him, it was too late to save his eye or prevent scarring. He returned to his duties quietly, taking some time to get a cybernetic replacement. It was not pretty, the black bulb stuck out horribly, but he rather liked the ability to do medical scans without requiring a device.

The galaxy was abuzz with news of the Emperor’s death at the hands of the Jedi and Lord Ninka was able to feel again. She was more volatile now, and everyone was careful around her as she readjusted to her emotions. Quinn filed for a transfer and waited for the right moment, feeling she would never find her balance while he was there. He often caught her staring at him, the anger and hatred still raw in her eyes.

“My lord,” he said as quietly as possible while still making himself heard. “May I have a word with you?”

“Speak, Captain.”

“I have applied for a transfer, I require your approval.” He handed her a datapad.

She reviewed it, “It says here you lost your eye in a training accident.”

“I thought it best to leave out the details of what happened.”

“Falsifying your records is wrong Quinn.” There was a dangerous edge to her voice.

“I was only trying to protect you, my lord.” He protested. “I will correct the record immediately.”

“You will, and you will say that it was punishment for obeying the orders of a secret master to betray and assassinate your current master.” He paled at the implication. Everything in Imperial records were referenced and cross-referenced until finding the truth would take knowing what actually happened in advance to reconstruct it. No one would trust him in a new command if the circumstances were stated so baldly.

She nodded, seeing that he understood. She moved nearer until she spoke directly in his ear, “You are mine Quinn, your life will be far worse if you ever leave. I will make certain of that.”

He focused on her, his cybernetic eye telling him things he would not have known before. The way she flushed when she was near him, how her anger was at the surface but her heat patterns indicated something else.

“I am yours,” he agreed. “But you cannot continue like this.” He did not fear her, she could kill him if she wished, she was Sith, he understood that was always a possibility.

“What do you mean?” she leveled a glare at him.

“Your emotions have come back, you are volatile, and yes you are Sith, but your strength was always in your ability to focus your anger. Now you are wild and uncontrolled, much like your apprentice.” The Wrath flinched, she recognized Jaesa’s weaknesses were now her own. “I thought leaving would give you a chance to find your balance. Since you won’t allow that, you will have to find some other way.” He studied her face, she was flushed, embarrassment, shame. He bowed to her. “Thank you for your time, my lord.”

She stared at him, her eyes narrowed, but she nodded curtly and walked away.

It would be months before she was anything like herself again. The Hand sent them to quell uprisings among lesser Sith and conquered worlds that saw a chance for independence in the wake of the Emperor’s death. Perhaps it was having a focus, or the wholesale slaughter of hundreds, or simply time passing but eventually the Wrath found her balance. She returned to an amicable relationship with her crew, and they no longer needed to walk on eggshells around her.

A year after the death of the Emperor, Quinn found a small box on the desk in his quarters. There was no note, but inside was a cybernetic eye that exactly matched his real one. It must have cost a fortune. He swapped it out immediately and saw his own face in the mirror for the first time in a year. When he walked onto the bridge, the Wrath was already answering messages from the Hand. She looked up at him but said nothing turning back to her work. Quinn silently took his station with his back turned to the Sith Lord. They both smiled slightly, no words necessary.

It was the same dream. Quinn watched himself program the console. His dream-self looked satisfied. Arrogant prig. Quinn said aloud, but his dream-self paid no attention.

He watched himself use the refresher to shave again, You must look pretty now. Don’t miss a spot, she must see how handsome you are.

He followed himself through a dozen shortcuts through the corridors of the ship. What a coincidence, you know this ship like the back of your hand.

He entered the room where the transponder was supposed to be and flipped on the emergency lights. Oh, we must have good lighting to illuminate your face perfectly. Did you choose your uniform colors to show up most strikingly with the red light? I think so.

His dream-self programmed another console then monitored the progress of two figures through the station. His dream-self made a face as he identified the second figure. Oh my, how could she possibly trust him and not you? He is such an oaf! He’s not nearly as trustworthy as you are.

His dream-self stood at parade rest with his back to the door. Oh yes, turning around makes it so much more dramatic.

He stood next to himself and yelled, RUN! RUN AWAY! DON’T RUIN EVERYTHING! He kicked at his dream-self, but dream-Quinn stood comfortably until Lord Ninka and Pierce arrived.

He sat now, defeated again and watched the conversation. She said that she thought he loved her. I did. He whispered I still do. He heard himself say he enjoyed her company. You idiot, you couldn’t even do that part right. Then he disabled Pierce, even seeing the big man collapse was no consolation for what he would do next. The two large droids appeared.

He stood to fight at her side against himself, he did no damage but he did not need to. She was so beautiful when she fought, the living embodiment of war. She disabled the droids and his dream-self in less than a minute. He took some satisfaction seeing his dream-self kneeling in his own blood. She ignored him and went to check on Pierce. A surge of jealousy rose in both versions of himself. The big man stood, his eyes spoke of murder. His dream-self made a speech about her mercy he rolled his eyes. You’re an idiot.

His dream-self and Pierce walked down the corridor, the big man had his rifle at his head the whole time. Sometimes Pierce walked faster so he could jab the back of his dream-self’s head with the barrel. Hit him harder.

They got in the turbolift and the dream changed.

The Wrath was kissing him, they would be together again, she had forgiven him. Idiot. He said to himself but did not mind this particular part. Then he watched himself throw Ninka on his bed. He put his head down and covered his eyes, but his mind could still see it. Please stop.

“Wow,” Remi said. “What’s all this?”

Quinn’s head snapped up the scene froze. A woman wearing armor stood in the middle of the room. She had red hair and golden eyes. He had perfect recall, he knew he had never seen her before. “What, who are you? This is a dream, this is MY dream, you’re not supposed to be here.”

The woman looked around at the frozen scene raising an eyebrow. “Is that Lord Ninka? She’s really gorgeous. Wow, I mean, her body is perfect.” She peered at the Sith Lord.

“Stop looking at her!” He moved to stand in front of the stranger.

“Sorry, sorry, I’ve never ended up in a dream before. I read about it but, it’s never happened.”

“Who are you?” His eyes narrowed. “I remember someone your size who wore armor similar to yours. That bounty hunter, but I never saw her face, so why do I see yours.”

“Got it in one Captain, I was Grey but the name’s actually Remi,” she bowed, “I’m a Jedi, and I’m healing you right now, I think your trachea was crushed so I was trying to heal that. I’m new to the healing thing so I ended up in your head instead.”

“Why am I being healed by an incompetent Jedi who once was an intolerable bounty hunter.”

“Long story, let’s just say if I didn’t heal you, your whole crew would probably have died.”

Quinn studied the woman who was politely looking at him and not Lord Ninka. “So go on and heal my trachea and get out of my head.”

She made a face, “I can’t, I’m better at killing things. If I don’t heal whatever needs healing here, I can’t move on. So let’s get to it.” She said clapping her hands, she spun around to the part of the room she had not seen yet where he stood naked preparing to approach the Sith Lord. “Is that you?” She blinked with surprise, and burst into giggles.

Quinn covered his face but he could still see the Jedi laughing, “Are you going to remember this when you’re done?”

“No, I never remember anything but golden glowing light. It’s a shame really.” She grinned at him.

The name stuck in his mind, even asleep he could access the information. “A Jedi named Remi, you’re the Jedi that fought alongside Lord Scourge and killed the Emperor.”

“Twice.” She confirmed.

“This is your fault you know.” He said crossing his arms.

“What is?” Remi asked, “Because I don’t see anything wrong right now.” She pointed her thumb behind her shoulder.

Quinn frowned and tried to let the scene continue, he pointed. The Jedi turned in time to see Lord Ninka scream. They watched as he frantically held her down to keep her from clawing at herself then he grabbed his medkit and began scanning her.

“The Emperor took my lords emotions among other things when she became the Wrath. When he died, all her senses came back at once.”

They watched her throw him against the wall then slice open his face.

“I thought she forgave me,” Quinn said to himself, “but really she just couldn’t feel anything. It was like a delayed punishment. After this she was emotional and volatile, she killed people on a whim, yelled at the crew over the tiniest infraction. It took her a year to be anything near normal again.”

She watched him sob on the floor until the room went dark, when the lights came back on they were watching him shave. “I’m sorry.” She said soberly.

“What?” he asked affronted that she would apologize for his attempt to put the blame on her. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting me to take responsibility for my actions or something?”

She shrugged, “Like I said, I’m better at killing things. All the dream stuff I read said I should just talk to you, so that’s what I’m doing.” She gave him a crooked grin, “I knew that when I killed the Emperor there would be repercussions everywhere. The power vacuum alone killed millions. I know he was going to destroy the galaxy, but until he did, he was an important piece of the power structure. I don’t apologize for killing him, but I am sorry you were hurt.”

He snorted as they followed his dream-self through a series of corridors, “Typical Jedi. You shouldn’t apologize, she never would have attacked me if I hadn’t tried to kill her.” He paused, “Is this some kind of odd psychological trick to get me to admit my faults?”

“I’m incompetent remember?” She smiled.

“Ah, quite correct you are.” She smiled even wider. He rolled his eyes.

“So what are we looking at now?”

“The incident where I tried to kill her, after this we’ll end up back in my quarters again.”

“And how often does that repeat?”

“Until I wake up.”

“How often does this happen?”

“Whenever I’m asleep.”

She raised both eyebrows, “Wow, no wonder you’re so surly.” He frowned as they followed his dream-self to the large room where his ambush awaited. She watched with her arms crossed, “You’re really a jerk.” She said pointing at his dream-self.

“At the time,” he said stiffly, “I believed my honor would be better served by staying loyal to my first master.”

“You were confused weren’t you?” she said as she listened to his dream-self give Lord Ninka the reasons for his betrayal.

“What do you mean?” he asked suspiciously.

“Your logic makes no sense. From what I understand, you supported Baras because the Emperor was an absentee ruler, but the Emperor was an absentee ruler because Baras trapped him on Voss. You say Baras would lead the Empire to glory but we both know he was squandering resources on Corellia for his own purposes. Then you go on to say Baras saved your career, but really he kept you down until he needed you, he allowed the man who demoted you to stay in power wasting resources and allowing hundreds to die. I mean the only good reason to support Baras was that the Emperor was trying to eat the galaxy and you didn’t even know that part.”

Quinn crossed his arms looking confused. “My logic felt so certain at the time.”

“Do you think Baras messed with your head?”

“No, though I would like to have that excuse,” he turned to the Jedi, “I swore my first oath to Baras, no matter how flawed my logic was after that, I had to keep my oath to him. I would not have chosen differently.”

She shook her head, “But you swore an oath to her too and you loved her.”

He frowned, “What do you know about love, Jedi give up love because of their oaths all the time. Would you give up being a Jedi for love?”

“You’re asking the wrong person, I already have.” She shrugged, “You gave up your love to preserve your principles. I gave up my principles to save my love.”

“We are nothing without honor.” He could not believe he had to say that to a Jedi, “Do you really think you made the better choice?”

“Sure. I only hurt myself.”

He opened his mouth then closed it.

The dream started to fade and did not change back to Quinn’s quarters, instead the room turned gold.

“Hey whatever I needed to do for you here got done,” she grinned looking around.

“What did you do?”

She shrugged and pointed at herself, “Incompetent remember?” He snorted and looked down his nose at her fading image. “One last question, Captain, did you really think you could kill her with droids?” He scowled at her as she laughed and faded. Then there was nothing but gold.

He floated in gold healing, neither dreaming nor waking. Finally the gold faded and he slept, true dreamless sleep.

Scourge cradled Remi in his arms. He traced the line of her jaw, the curve of her neck, the arch of her back. She sighed in her sleep. He savored this respite, remembering each quiet gasp. They were not the screams he would prefer to evoke, but she did not want everyone to hear what they were doing. He hoped that later they would have time for screams. His body reacted to his thoughts, he kissed her lips, her eyes fluttered open and she smiled, sleepy and content.

“We should get up soon or they’ll start to think something’s wrong.” She said softly.

“They probably know what we are doing.” He tightened his arms around her and pressed closer.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Insatiable Sith.”

He considered his pain, how could it vanish when he was with her. He began to wonder if it was all in his mind. Perhaps the pain was not cured by her presence but caused by her absence. It felt exactly like the pain of centuries ago, but his mind had conquered it. Using the Force was an inborn ability but it was also about knowledge, will, and focus, all things controlled by the mind. Perhaps his pain was too. He would consider it later, for now he needed her. The thought angered him. She sensed it and looked up at his face, questions in her eyes.

“You must think I’m pathetic,” he could not keep the bitterness from his voice.

“Yeah, kind of,” she replied tracing the ridges on his chest. She felt his body stiffen, offended, she smiled. “After all we’ve been through together, you still can’t admit that we need each other. Pathetic.”

He cupped her face and kissed her hard, her words had hurt but she was right. “I thought you would not want me anymore because of what I’ve done.”

She sighed. “Would you really kill Kira?”

“If she were fighting against me? Yes.”

“But you would regret it.”

“I would regret the pain her death would cause you.”

She clenched her jaw, she expected those answers but she hoped she would be wrong. “Why do you care for me? What makes me different from the rest of the Jedi?”

“For one thing, you’re a terrible Jedi.” She made a face, his words had hurt but he was right. “You do not let someone else tell you what is right, you determine that for yourself. In that you are what I believe a Sith should be. You also have strength, and not just in the Force but your will, you defeated more foes as a Force-blind bounty hunter than most Sith could ever dream.” He paused, “But you are far too trusting and compassionate.” He had meant it in jest but she looked at him soberly.

“You will always be Sith.” She said staring far away. He did not answer. She disentangled herself from him and moved to the where he had stacked her armor, she pulled out a small device, and returned to his arms. He tightened them around her, he had not wanted to let her go just yet. She turned on the device, a tiny projection of a small child displayed, a Sith pureblood. “He has my eyes, but otherwise he’s just like you.”

“Sith.” He said softly unable to look away from the image.

“Does he have to be?”

“You may train him to be a Jedi, but his heart will always be drawn to the dark side. If he chooses another path it will be a constant battle for him.” He may have felt something like regret, but he was not certain. “I’m sorry.”

She looked up at him sharply and held his chin between her thumb and her index finger, “I do not regret anything about our son.” She softened. “But if I teach him anything, it will be that he has a choice. He will not say it never occurred to him that he had other options.” She turned back to the image resting her head against his chest.

Scourge silently studied his son’s image. Finally, he nodded. “He will have a choice.” He felt Remi’s surprise.

She searched his face; he looked back at her trying to show he had meant what he said. She turned off the projection and put it aside then pulled him down to her, kissing him passionately. He flipped her onto her back making her gasp again, he was still Sith, he always tried for screams.

The Wrath’s crew turned at the sound of a door opening.

“Fourteen hours.” Pierce muttered softly, “I don’t know whether to be impressed or annoyed.”

“I know which one I am.” Vette said hiding a smile behind her cards. Broonmark wheezed a chuckle. Of all of them, he was the least affected by the close quarters. He explained the Talz often burrowed underground during blizzards. They could spend up to a week where they were encased almost entirely in snow.

Jaesa turned, she looked expectantly at the doorway, her face lighting up, it quickly fell when the Jedi walked in.

She actually looked like a Jedi now, though she wore odd-looking robes. She met Lord Ninka’s eyes first, as a sign of respect then she looked over at the Captain, she had come to check on him.

“May I?” she asked Lord Ninka gesturing at Quinn.

“Of course,” the Sith said politely.

The Jedi placed a hand just above Quinn’s sternum and closed her eyes. She smiled at what she found. “He’s doing well,” she said meeting Ninka’s eyes, “he’ll wake up soon, probably before we exit hyperspace.” She smiled at the relief on the Sith Lord’s face then more widely when she tried to hide it. She looked around, “Sorry about the conditions, has F1 been able to accommodate you? Have you eaten?”

“We are fine,” Ninka said a bit stiffly, she did not want to like this Jedi. She preferred Jedi to be self-righteous and arrogant. It made it easier to knock them down a peg.

“Vette ate all the pastries.” Pierce said glaring at the Twilek.

“You’re the one who wanted to bet with pastries.”

The Jedi grinned and unlocked a crate, apparently not everything in the cargo bay had bombs in it. She pulled out another tray of pastries, offering it to the Ninka and Jaesa first then placed it next to Vette. The card players made a grab for the tray.

“You lock up your pastries?” Vette asked around a mouthful of flakey crust and some kind of fruit preserve filling.

“It saves me from eating them all at once.” She wagged her eyebrows at the Twilek.

“Lord Scourge,” Jaesa said, the Sith Lord had come in while they had been speaking. Scourge crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. He looked different, not exactly happy, but less pained. It was a subtle difference but it was there and the Wrath’s crew noticed it. Jaesa looked sharply at the Jedi.

“You’re looking well, my lord.” Pierce said blandly, Ninka shot him a look. Lord Scourge surprised them with a feral grin. The Jedi flushed as she busied herself restocking their supplies from locked crates. “So, Jedi,” Pierce said noting her change in color, “Why were you a bounty hunter?”

She looked up at the Lieutenant, “It’s Remi,” she put her hand over her heart bowing a little, “or Grey if you prefer, and sometimes bombs get the job done better.” She shrugged and he almost grinned then he stopped himself. He did not want to like her either. She smiled to herself and restocked the kolto bandages next to Quinn.

Ninka was beginning to grow annoyed at the Jedi’s nonchalance at being surrounded by people who should be her enemies. She did not enjoy being taken lightly. “Do you find us amusing, Jedi?” she asked a slight edge to her voice, not exactly a threat but sharp enough to be felt.

Remi was about to answer when Jaesa interrupted.

“Lord Scourge,” Jaesa repeated, ignoring everyone else. “What are your plans after we exact our revenge on the Hand?” The Sith’s attention was centered solely on Scourge, she did not see the Jedi grinning at him from across the room.

He turned a mild gaze in the Jedi’s direction then looked down at Jaesa to answer, “I do not know what will happen after our encounter with the Hand. I have agreed to help Remi recover the boy they took for the ritual. I will determine my path when that task is complete.”

Lord Ninka turned to the Jedi who was still prepping medical supplies carefully. “What do you intend to do with us when you’ve recovered the child?”

“Assuming this ship isn’t destroyed and I’m not dead I can drop you off wherever you want.” She said shrugging. “You must have the resources to get by once you get to somewhere you know. Neutral planets only please,” she grinned, “I’m not taking you to Dromund Kaas.”

Lord Ninka regarded the Jedi thoughtfully, “Would you really just let us go?”

“Anything I wanted to do against your will, I would have done it while you were all unconscious.” She replied.

“Not when you could use our help.” Jaesa said, “It will be harder for you to take on the Hand alone.” She turned to Ninka, “Master, can we really trust her? I think I should test her.”

“Test me?” Remi switched her golden gaze between the two Sith women. “You mean with your special ability?”

“Yes, like she did when you threatened to kill us all with that bomb.” Ninka replied. “She can see what is in your heart, your nature, and your intents. She’ll know if you’re lying.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the Jedi hesitated, “I’m not sure what she’ll see.”

Jaesa’s eyes blazed, “You see! She doesn’t want us to know she’s nothing but Jedi lies. She plans to turn us in to the Republic.” She bowed her head invoking her powers, Remi’s eyes widened.

“Jaesa,” Remi said urgently, “Wait. Please, let me explain, I really don’t know what you’ll find if you do that, you could hurt yourself.” The Wrath and her crew made no move to intervene, they all wanted to know the outcome of Jaesa’s analysis. Lord Scourge moved forward but Jaesa was already speaking.

“I see, light, it flows, I don’t remember it flowing that way, it never did that for me.” She said as if she were far away, she sounded almost regretful. “It’s a wall? No, it’s…” her voice hardened with anger and satisfaction, “It’s a façade, I see darkness, a void, there are things inside, and… no… NO… ST-” the Sith’s cut off her own words with an ear shattering scream. It only lasted a second then it was cut off as Jaesa slumped to the floor. Remi held a tranquilizer gun in her hand, a dart sprouted from Jaesa’s chest. She picked up a medical scanner and walked over to the fallen Sith.

Lord Ninka drew her lightsaber, Pierce, Vette and Broonmark stood with their hands on their weapons. “What did you do to her?” the horrified Sith Lord demanded. “How did you know that would happen?”

Remi busied herself setting up a palette for Jaesa, ignoring the Wrath. Lord Scourge had drawn his lightsaber and held it to Lord Ninka, he was the reason the Wrath’s crew had not drawn their weapons. He watched Lord Ninka for any sign of movement, but she was focused on the Jedi and her apprentice.

The slight Jedi picked up Jaesa easily and put her on the palette. She checked the dart and removed it murmuring to herself, “Eight hours.” When she was finished, she looked up. “Please put those away,” she sighed rubbing her head with frustration. “I told her not to look.”

Lord Ninka sensed the Jedi’s pain and genuine remorse. She put away her lightsaber and motioned for the others to sit, sitting down herself as an example. Remi nodded at Scourge and he put away his lightsaber.

“I didn’t know that would happen,” Remi said when they were all sitting again, “When I fought the Emperor, I was exposed to his thoughts, his power, everything that lived inside him. What’s more, I took it from him and channeled it out to the galaxy. It was an endless void, but it was also endless horror. It was the pain, death, and nightmares of the billions of lives he consumed. It’s still inside me,” she pointed at her head, “The Jedi taught me how to put the nightmares aside. They no longer affect me, but I can still see them and hear them if I choose to. I wasn’t sure if she would see it, the Jedi never got a chance to understand how her power worked.”

She leveled a sober gaze on the Wrath. For the first time, Lord Ninka could see those eyes held power beyond what sane men sought to grasp. The Jedi smiled without humor, the twist of her lips hinted at madness, Lord Ninka found it terrifying, and she shuddered. “As to your previous question," the Jedi continued, "When you’ve personally experienced the deaths of a billion people there isn’t much that can intimidate you. So yes, my lord, I find you all very amusing.”

Remi bowed to Lord Ninka and walked past Scourge heading to the bridge.

The squad entered the Wrath’s ship cautiously. Main power was down the emergency lights flickered. Another boarding pod already jutted out of the hull, an unexpected complication. They checked the escape pods none had been used. They tested the air; there was a hint of a toxin, but not high enough in concentration to do any harm. The ship felt empty.

“We should contact the Hand.” The man on point said through his mask.

“Find the others first.” The tallest said.

They moved quickly as a single unit, checking each room covering each other, ready for any surprises.

They found five bodies laid out in the conference room. The room was shielded against spying; it was why they had not been able to detect The Five’s bodies at a distance.

The men took off their helmets, all five members of the squad were Sith pureblood, they could have been brothers.

“The Five cannot be killed.” The man on point said.

“Our informant misjudged their strength.” The tallest replied.

They walked to the bridge each taking a terminal and begin slicing the encryption to download the logs. The protocol droid 2V-R8 tottered onto the bridge.

“Hail to the Emperor, and Hail to you Masters.” The droid said cheerfully. “Do you require anything, masters? A hot meal, perhaps? Conversation? Foot massage? How ‘bout some explosives?”

The last part sounded different, as if someone had recorded over that part of the droids speech. The Five looked at each other. It was all they had time for.

The Wrath’s ship exploded taking the nearby ship the squad had arrived in with it. Pierce had not wanted Grey’s extra bombs to go to waste.

Lord Ninka stared in mute fascination. The buzz saw sound grew louder then it fell off again. The sound came back, each time growing louder, finally a small cough emerged, Jaesa shifted in place then began snoring again.

“That’s why I volunteered to take the first shift to watch Quinn and insisted she take the shift after me.” Vette said.

Ninka checked Quinn’s bandages replacing one of them. “And here I thought you were growing fond of the Captain.” She paused considering, “Were you the one who saved him when I took his eye? I don’t remember much about what happened after my emotions came back.”

“Uhh no.” Vette shook her head vigorously, her lekku almost hitting Pierce. “He’s too heavy to get to the medical bay, and he told me if I even went near his room I’d be fitted with another shock collar.”

Broonmark squorked, “It was not me. Sith clan is better off cleansed.” Lord Ninka frowned at him.

Pierce ate his pastry silently, the group turned to look at him, he shrugged, “He must have got himself to the medical bay.”

Pierce was back early, he whistled on the way to his quarters. He always whistled when he was relaxed and in a good mood. Pretty girls, good food, something for my lord. It was almost a song that ran through his head. He found some super spicy crisps he wanted the Wrath to try. Maybe she can taste these.

Thump, thump, thump.

He heard a series of noises and the Wrath yelling rather unintelligibly. He looked into the corridor to see 2V-R8 picking up clothes and folding them, both the Captain’s and the Wrath’s.

Pierce rolled his eyes, Guess she and the captain are back together, wonder how long that will last before it ends in attempted murder. He headed to the mess to store the spicy crisps. He heard a lighstaber igniting. That didn’t take long. He continued to his quarters, then he noticed the Wrath’s room was empty and the noise was coming from the training room. He frowned; I’m going to regret this. He walked over to the room and entered his code to open the door.

The Wrath was naked and alone, destroying a practice droid.

Pierce raised an eyebrow, “My lord?”

She whirled seeing a new target. She leaped at him to strike him down, he did not move. She halted her execution inches away from his face.

“Why is it you never fear me, Pierce?” She looked into his eyes, but did not withdraw her saber.

“Running won’t save me from you if you want me dead, my lord.” He replied.

She held the saber near the scar on his face, the heat singed his skin turning the scar a little pink, his eye nearest the saber squinted a little but otherwise he held still. She turned off her saber.

“I let him touch me,” she ranted in his face, her body shook with anger, “I almost trusted him again. I wanted to. I wanted him. Even though I couldn’t feel, I still felt something for him. I loved him before, and now that I can feel again I feel rage and hate. I should have killed him before. I should kill him now.”

“You, got your feelings back?” Pierce asked, ignoring the rest of what she said.

She fell to her knees, hiding her face behind clenched fists. Blood trickled down her wrists as her nails bit into her flesh. Pierce moved toward her slowly, his large hands grasped her shoulder as he helped her to her feet. “Let’s get you to bed, my lord.” He said putting his arm around her, “We’ll work on dealing with this tomorrow.”

She leaned on him still shaking, then the tension in her body changed. “You smell nice,” she said burying her nose in his neck just under his ear.

He chuckled at her lightning change of mood. He realized she had not had a mood in years she was probably having all of them at once.

“I haven’t smelled anything as nice as you in years.” She breathed.

“Nice of you to say, my lord,” he urged her forward, she moved but pressed her lips against his throat, “You’re not quite yourself though.”

She stopped and looked him in the eyes, “I order you to kiss me.”

He looked down at her, “At your command, my lord.” He drew her against him with his left hand and pressed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck. His right hand moved from her shoulder slowly down her back. When the kiss ended, she opened her eyes, tears slid down her cheeks.

“I should have chosen you, Pierce.” She whispered

“Yes, you should have, my lord.”

She closed her eyes to kiss him again then went limp in his arms. The precise blow to her head knocked her out cold. Pierce put his dagger away, picked her up and carried her to her quarters. He tucked her into bed giving her a small shot of kolto so she would not wake up with a headache.

He walked to Quinn’s quarters the door was still open and the man lay naked and unconscious in a pool of blood.

Pierce frowned, and checked his pulse. Still alive, bastard.

He grabbed a blanked from Quinn’s bed and threw it over him, rolled him in it and hefted him onto a shoulder. He dumped the captain in the medical bay checking his vitals. He had lost a lot of blood but he would survive without the tank. He looked at Quinn’s eye, no way to save it, not that he wanted to. He grabbed a kolto pack and slapped it on the wound to prevent infection and further blood loss.

“It’s more than you deserve,” he told the sleeping Captain, “but she’d never recover if you died.”

Pierce left the ship to go back into town. He would need more pretty girls and good food to forget about this.

Quinn’s eyes opened, usually the other injured lid opened more slowly due to the scarring, but right now, both operated the same. He looked up into the eyes of Lord Ninka.

She looked down on him, the Jedi’s healing had reduced the scarring around his eye, she was not sure if that was intentional, but she was sure Quinn would be pleased.

“Where are we?” he asked, looking around as much as he could. Lord Ninka restrained him from getting up.

“It’s a long story, Quinn,” she said, “but we had to evacuate the ship.”

His perfect memory recognized the cargo bay, “This is that bounty hunter’s ship.” His face looked sour the last thing he remembered in this room, was the woman saying he never apologized. She was right, but he never saw a reason to, then as if remembering something from a dream, he realized he did want to apologize.

“My lord,” he began, his voice still rough from his injury, “I realize I never apologized to you for trying to take your life on behalf of Lord Baras.”

“Quinn,” she said surprised and taken aback, they never spoke that bluntly about the incident. She was not sure what to say.

“I never knew how to apologize, because I could see no way for me to choose differently and I still don’t.”

She frowned at him, “You are very bad at apologizing, Captain. But I’ll just blame that on your injuries.” She got up to leave. He held her hand.

“I am bad at apologizing, but please let me finish.” He thought about what he wanted to say. “I’m sorry I hurt you, I have regretted it every day.”

Her eyes softened, she leaned over and kissed his scarred eyelid. “I forgive you Quinn, now go back to sleep, that’s an order.”

“I think I will,” he said, the exertions of apologizing had taken the last of his energy. His eyes shut and his breathing evened, indicating he was fast asleep.

Pierce rolled his eyes at the scene he just witnessed.

“Ever wonder why everyone lets him live?” Vette asked.

“Every day, Vette. Every day.” Pierce rumbled. “It’s your turn to deal.”

“Captain Isen, has the recovery team reported yet?” Servant One asked.

“Yes, my lord. The wreckage indicates there were no survivors.”

“No escape pods?”

“None in the vicinity, while it is possible they were picked up by another ship we have received no reports or contact.”

“Send out notifications.”

Isen, Captain of the Imperial Guard regimen assigned to the Hand, bowed himself out.

Servant One turned to Servant Six, “What of the components for the ritual?”

“The boy is strong in the Force, he is an excellent Vessel,” he hesitated, Servant One never reacted well to bad news.

“Continue,” Servant One prompted with an edge to his voice.

“We do not have enough channels for the ritual, so far only one channel has been obtained two were lost, we need more.”

“Faith, Servant Six, we have our man bringing at least three others, and,” he paused significantly, “we always have ourselves. The ritual must succeed.”

Servant Six’s eyes widened, “Of course, the ritual must succeed.”

“Shh, Ami,” Roston whispered hugging the young woman’s shoulders. They sat on the floor, she hugged her knees and hid her face in her arms trying to sob quietly. “It’ll be alright.”

They were huddled together with a mix of nobles and diplomats. Assassins from House Rist had invaded an important meeting involving representatives of the Republic, Empire and all the major Houses.

The assault began with poison gas rendering everyone unconscious. When the remaining diplomats awoke, it was obvious a fight had taken place. The Sith and Jedi present had not immediately succumbed to the gas, they could hold their breath for long periods, but they were hampered by it. The assassins also counted on the Sith and Jedi not trusting each other, and they had not, one Jedi lay dead, lightsaber wounds in his chest. Six had died in the battle, four assassins, one Jedi, and one Imperial from the diplomatic core. The other Jedi and Sith were missing.

Amilla Pierce wept now that she no longer had to keep the semblance of professionalism. Her superior, Ambassador Trenton was dead, and Roston would hardly look down on her for crying he just did not understand why. She did not cry for the Ambassador, she was not afraid of the assassins, she cried because just before the meeting her mother had sent her a message. Her father was dead.

“So what do we know?” Remi said rubbing her eyes. She had spent the last twelve hours with T7, Scourge, and Lord Ninka analyzing the Wrath’s ship logs trying to determine where the ritual would be held. They had exited hyperspace and now orbited a gas planet in an uninhabited system.

Jaesa was sedated after waking up briefly when her tranquilizers wore off. She seemed normal at first then she began insisting they kill Remi before she ate them all. The Captain was in and out of consciousness as his wounds healed.

“We know the Hand transmitted from the same place for the past thirty days, we know it’s on a hidden station or ship orbiting Korriban, we also know it’s not Imperial. Though what it could be is a mystery.”

T7 beeped

Signal Type = Unknown //

Technology closest match = Technology that predates Empire and Republic

“That’s ominous.” Lord Ninka sighed.

“If we were near Korriban could we detect the station?”

Chance for detection = 100% //

Chance for detection before Imperials detect us = 50%

Remi shook her head. “I don’t want to take that risk unless we have to.” She leaned against the console next to Scourge, she had given her seat to Lord Ninka.

Ninka stood and stretched, “We’ve been at this for hours. Why don’t we take a break to eat and,” she paused looking at the two of them significantly, “rest.” Remi’s mouth quirked but she bowed agreement. The Sith lord left the bridge and headed to the cargo bay to check on her crew.

T7 beeped, he had been waiting for Lord Ninka to leave, he closed the door to the bridge so they would not be overheard.

T7 = Discovered encrypted files in Lord Ninka’s ship logs.

“I thought she gave you the key to decrypt all of that?” Remi looked at the droid curiously.

Files = Different Key + Stronger Encryption

Remi looked at Scourge, he knew the Wrath’s crew better than she did. “We will ask Quinn the next time he is awake.” He said answering her unspoken question.

“Who told the Hand about Koa?” she mused to herself. “Only Kira, Doc, and the Council knew I had a child.”

“Could it be coincidence? Perhaps one of the ones who took care of him felt his strength. It is more likely the infiltrator is a lowly caretaker who reported a powerful Sith pureblood child.”

“That is possible,” she agreed slowly, “and why do they keep calling him a vessel? Vessels are meant to hold something, what is he meant to hold?”

“Power? The title Emperor?” Scourge shrugged, “I do not believe you can translate Servant Two literally.”

“The Five died when I asked about the vessel and what the ritual actually did. It’s more than a message to all Sith.” Remi squeezed her eyes shut trying to block out her fears, her instincts told her she had to stop the ritual.

“You are tired, you need rest.”

Remi smiled, she reached out and touched his cheek. “How are you feeling?”

He scowled knowing she was checking him for pain, “I do not need to be coddled.” He said but let her keep her hand in place.

“Maybe I’m practicing.” She chuckled softly.

He pondered the idea of caring for a child, “What will we do when he is ours?”

“I don’t know,” she felt her control slipping, she bit her lip hard so she could finish the sentence. “And I haven’t wanted to think about it until then.” She blinked back tears. He put his hands on her shoulders.

“Come, rest.”

“I want to meditate.” She said hesitantly, “I’m feeling a little frayed from all this, I don’t think rest is going to fix it.” He held her gaze for a long moment before nodding. He left but returned shortly and handed her a ration bar. She raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe I’m practicing,” he said. He leaned close scowling fiercely, “Eat your dinner.”

Remi let out a startled laugh, she had never heard him make a deliberate joke. She ate her ration bar, he stood over her until she finished. Then he left her alone on the bridge, she locked the door so she could meditate safely.

She had rigidly contained her emotions up until this point. Even when she was alone with Scourge, she only allowed some feelings through. Inside she was terrified she would be too late to save her son. Kneeling on the floor, she closed her eyes.

Scourge woke up alone he walked to the bridge, entered his access code and quietly opened the door. Remi knelt on the cold metal floor, still meditating.

He could sense her connection to the Force, he wondered if even she knew how powerful she was and she still held the dark memories that had driven her mad. He remembered how touching those memories for an instant had driven him to his knees, a second for Jaesa had made her scream in terror, and longer exposure had made Servant Two speak in riddles. Remi had absorbed it all, healed, and come out stronger. If that was the power of the light, it was formidable.

He pondered the idea of a Jedi pureblood. Until he met Remi, the idea was absurd. He scorned Lord Praven, the Sith she had turned to the light. Now it was possible his son would do the same. In three hundred years, he had learned much but his goals and beliefs remained fundamentally unaltered, he wondered how else he would have to change. He had not planned for his life past defeating the Emperor, he had not truly expected to survive.

Remi shifted a little, coming out of her meditative trance. She stood slowly, she stretched and turned. She seemed unsurprised to see him there.

“Could you sense me here?” He asked as she walked up to him. He did not know how Jedi meditation worked.

“I sensed a dark scary presence.” She smiled tilting her head back to look up at him. She seemed perfectly calm now, the tension she had carried since she interrogated him on the Wrath's ship was gone. She was still worried, he could see it in her eyes, but it no longer consumed her.

“But there are several dark scary presences here.” He kissed her, her upturned face and smile seemed to demand it.

“I would know you anywhere.” She whispered when she could speak again. She led him back to their quarters, the fact that they shared it was tacit acknowledgement of their relationship but they saw no reason to deny what everyone knew.

Jaesa leaned against the door to her quarters. She had seen them kiss and they were sharing the Jedi’s bed. The false Jedi, her core was filled with nothing but darkness and evil. It was not the strength of the Sith, but something sick and corrupted. She had put Lord Scourge under her thrall and seduced him, with that much power at her command it would be easy.

She returned to her bed. She had tried to convince the others of the danger the false Jedi represented. They told her she was in still in shock. The door to her chamber opened, Lord Ninka entered and sat beside her.

“How are you feeling?” Lord Ninka asked.

“Master, I know it sounds crazy but the Jedi cannot be allowed to live. What she holds inside is an abomination.”

“She holds the memories of the Emperor,” Lord Ninka explained, “but they are not hers.”

“They are now, what if she tries to do what he did? Why do you think she’s trying to get to this ritual so badly. She wants to be the Emperor!”

Lord Ninka looked down at her apprentice. They had been together for years but her grasp of her power was still wild and unfocused. When she had broken the young woman’s mind it was a pleasure to see the light go out and the darkness invade. Now, she wondered if she had gone too far.

“Lord Scourge once told me he encountered the Emperor’s memories.” She said trying to distract Jaesa from her theories.

“What happened?”

“It drove him to his knees. It’s remarkable that you’re doing so well after being exposed to it.”

“He’s so strong.” She whispered with longing then her face twisted into a mask of hatred. “She’s corrupted him, he was mine until she came along.”

Lord Ninka did not know what to say though she was glad Jaesa finally knew, she should have guessed she would come to that conclusion. Ninka considered telling her the truth, but she was afraid it would send her over the edge. “You’re overwrought Jaesa, maybe you should get more rest.” She injected a sedative into her arm.

“Yes, Master.” Jaesa agreed dutifully. Her eyes blinked slowly as the sedative took effect. She held on to consciousness as long as she could. As she drifted into sleep, she could only think of one thing. I have to save him.