"Why do you wear makeup?"

Nyrriani, agent Cipher Nine, was getting herself ready for a night on the town with the ladies of her crew, Kaliyo Djannis and Raina Temple, as well as a very welcome surprise visitor, Shara Jenn, aka Keeper, formerly Watcher Two. It was she who had asked the question. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, not to put to fine a point on it, but you're blind. And you're applying eye shadow where you don't have eyes, which is just sort of weird."

Laughter followed that, as all four of them were taking advantage of the rather spacious 'fresher and wardrobe area in the hotel room Kaliyo had managed to scam them here on Nar Shaddaa. It was ladies' bonding night, and they were taking full advantage. "Well, let me ask, why do you all wear makeup?" They all three tried to answer at once, and she shushed them and pointed at each in turn.

Kaliyo: "It helps me get men into bed...and occasionally women."

Raina: "It makes me feel pretty."

Shara: "It helps me look more professional and helps establilsh an air of authority."

The sniper smiled. "Well, there you go. It's a little bit of all three." She moved on to applying blush.

"Well, could you at least do it in the mirror? It looks a bit strange to see you looking at the wall."

"Not like the mirror would do me any good anyway. You owe me fifty, by the way."

"What?!"

"You said I'd never learn your first name."

"Yes, how did you manage that anyway?"

"Oh please. My security clearance is second only to yours when I don't cheat anyway. And you pay me to cheat. Mystery solved?" Laughter was the answer.

The conversation went on like that for some time. Eventually they started picking out clothes.

Kaliyo held up a leather number that was as notable for what it didn't cover as for what it did. "Does this make me look cheap and easy?"

"Yes" answered the other three simultaneously.

"Good." She started to put it on.

Temple picked out a little red dress with just a hint of frill around the neck. "How about this, sir...er...Nyr?"

"I like the shape. What do you think, Kaliyo?"

"It's alright, I guess. It doesn't scream 'I'm loose'."

"I would think that's a relief. It looks lovely, Raina," said Shara. "The red brings out your skin tone."

"Thank you...Shara. That's a lovely number you've got there yourself." The young ensign had remembered just in time not to say "sir".

"Thank you! I've always thought of black as being my color." It was a rather long and elegant dress which nonetheless clung to her in all the right places quite nicely.

"Vamp!"

"Kaliyo!"

"Just sayin'."

"Oh, behave. Now, it's time to dress the woman who can't see colors. I like these two, but tell me what you think." She held them up for inspection: a purple minidress with little beads in places, and a vivid turquoise dress, not as short but with a plunging neckline that really showed some cleavage without sacrificing class.

"The second one," they all said simultaneously.

"Do I sense a conspiracy here?" asked Nyr, mock-suspicious.

Shara piped up and pulled out a small box. "Absolutely. We bought this for you. No metal shades for you tonight." She handed it to Nyrriani.

The Miraluka opened it carefully and pulled out the narrow strip of iridescent fabric and felt something... "Glitter?"

"Yes," Temple put in, taking the eyeribbon and putting it around Nyr's head, tying it loosely. "And it matches your dress perfectly." It also didn't get in the way of the slight updo she'd decided upon for her hair.

The agent adjusted it just slightly and turned to her three friends. "Oh my Force, thank you!" She hugged them each in turn. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful, sir...I mean Nyrriani!" Raina blushed a bit. "Sorry."

"It's okay. At least you don't salute anymore. Kaliyo?"

"You look good enough to eat."

"Like you'll ever get a taste. Shara?"

"Fantastic." She looked at the wall chrono. "We'd better get going so we have some time. My return flight to Dromund Kaas is at 7 in the morning, and that doesn't leave much time for sleep."

Kaliyo piped up. "Oh, you think you're getting any sleep?"

"No rest for the wicked, eh?"

The four hit the town together and had the best time any could remember for quite a while. After all, who knew when they would be able to do this again?

Irish - Oh Rylee is from Nar Shadda, I was so confused for a moment. Also, how terribly kinky. You do like to see your Sith in uniform :3

I ended up missing her mini-romance entirely because I thought it was later in the game. Apparently, the only trigger is on Nar in an instance while I thought she just contacted you later. I was very sad there wasn't more. And then this happened, lol.

<.< >.> The darn Imp uniform is so sexy. I totally didn't spend 900k getting the Clandestine top, new pants, new boots, modding my belt and bracers, and putting aug slots in each. Nope, nope, nope.

I was delighted to see Rylee make it in as something more than an incidental character. If I didn't hate the SI male voice so much, I would play one just so I could romance her (even if not long-term). Maybe I'll play with voices turned off, at least to Nar Shaddaa so I can get jiggy with her.

You hate the male!SI voice? How could you? You monster! Joking aside, I loved Rylee and ended up missing her mini-romance trigger. It's an instance only deal on Nar and I guess I just didn't see the quest marker over her head, which, a booty call being labeled a quest is kinda funny (quest/conquest, get it? I'm weird, I know.).

Thanks for reading everyone!

“When was your first time?” Rylee asked quietly. She was rather bold, asking such a question, but Gelt never minded her or her curiosity. He rather liked it, actually. It’s why he kept coming back to her. She was refreshing and sweet, ambitious and smart, but not – well, she was decidedly not Sith. He liked that most of all.

“I was fourteen,” Gelt replied. “Both slaves, obviously, but we managed to sneak away for a bit.”

“What was she like?”

“She was a sweet girl all things considered. She had the most beautiful mind I had ever encountered. I was quite taken with her.”

“You would have to be to lose a game of HoloChess,” she said with a smile. She looked down at the board, made her move and looked back up at him. “Checkmate.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“I was taught by the best.”

“You were,” he said with a grin. “What’s your prize then?”

“Shirt.”

That's right, they're talking about the first time he lost a HoloChess match. They're also playing strip HoloChess. Eeheeheee.

“Gelt, you really shouldn’t,” Rylee giggled.

“I can knock over that Nerf and run back here,” Gelt said, swaying on his feet a little.

Rylee broke into a fit of giggles and flopped onto the couch. They were at his estate on Dromund Kaas, an estate he had rebuilt after the fire, and they were both delightfully plastered on a very blue alcohol. He couldn’t quite recall the name, but it was an import from Csilla and very, very strong.

“That’s not – that’s not a Nerf,” Rylee giggled breathlessly. “That’s the bed!”

“I should toss you on it and we could have a rodeo,” he said seriously, looking at her over his shoulder. She laughed again and clutched her sides.

“Stars, Gelt, I can’t breathe!”

“I better use mouth-to-mouth.”

Rylee’s laughter echoed throughout the estate well into the morning.

They're not really in a bar, but I couldn't find another alcohol prompt so I hope this works.

Sheesh, looks like I will put out that twenty five after all.

fino, the downside of having your cultist as your lover - the power dynamic makes it too easy for eveything to sound like an order. They seem to get along anyway.

 

I see what you did there.

Gelt really likes Rylee and has a healthy respect for women as a whole. It has a lot to do with his time as a slave, not to mention his father being the ultimate gentlemanly officer.

“If I told you I was pregnant, what would you do?” Rylee asked one morning over breakfast.

The question gave Gelt considerable pause.

“I’m – I’m not, I’m just asking because we aren’t always careful and we – we,” she stammered to a stop.

“Have an impressive amount of intercourse. Yes,” he said with a firm nod. “First, I would have you tested. If you were lying, I would kill you.”

“Just like that?”

He snapped his fingers, a spark of lightning igniting between his thumb and middle finger pads. “Just like that. However,” he said as he dropped his hand, “if you were pregnant, I would welcome you into my home on a more permanent basis.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

She smiled. “You’re not like any man I’ve ever known, Sith or not.”

“I am a wholly unique creature.”

“You are and I really – I really like that about you.”

“Good, I’m not changing who I am,” he said with a nod.

“Good,” she replied, “I like who you are as you are now.”

“The man’s a bloody hero!” said a man.

“No Sith Lord’s ever done that before,” said another.

“’E saved lots of lives, ‘e did,” agreed another.

Rylee wasn’t at all surprised at the chatter from the men; she was surprised that there were so many clamoring to watch over their downed Lord while he recovered from the blast. A landmine, she was told, one that should have been caught in the sweep, but slipped through. By all accounts, most of which she had overheard, there was a shockwave before the blast that shoved every man away from the mine. Every man, but Gelt. Consensus was he used the Force to get the men to relative safety before purposely setting off the mine. He had his own defenses, of course, least of which being his shield generator, but no Sith was immune from concussive force.

When she was allowed access to his room, he was still unconscious and hooked up to a few monitors. She didn’t know what the monitors were monitoring exactly, they weren’t labeled, but one displayed a pulsing heart and that was enough for her. She settled into the chair next to the bed and alternated between watching his face and watching his heartbeat on the monitor.

“I’m here, Gelt,” she said quietly. His heart rate increased slightly. With a smile, she grabbed his hand and cupped it between her own. A small leap registered on the monitor. “I overheard from the men what you did. You’re amazing. They’re calling you a hero!” She paused and laughed quietly. “You’ve always been a hero to me. Saving Destris and I from Paladius, saving the cultists from Destris, saving me from Destris. I never did thank you for that. So, I’m not surprised you did something to save the lives of others. I think I’m surprised that others are so surprised, but, then I remember this is the Empire. I – I’m sorry, I’m babbling. I don’t know if you can even hear me.”

A small spark of lightning spiraled over her fingers and up her arm. It settled around her right ear. She laughed softly.

“I’m glad you can hear me. I should get going and let you rest.”

“No,” Gelt said or would have said if his mouth had moved.

“What –” Rylee started, surprised and frightened.

“Sound is a set of vibrations perceived by the ear. The lightning around your ear is my conduit,” he explained.

“But you’re unconscious.”

“I can still sense you and it doesn’t take much to control so little energy.”

“You should rest,” she said quietly.

“I am, but it’s boring.”

She laughed softly. “I’ll stay, but only to keep you company.”

“Tell me a story.”

She laughed again. “What sort of story?”

“One of those happily ever after ones, you know, the ones that don’t exist.”

“They do exist, Gelt.”

“Sure,” he said. She could feel him rolling his eyes. “Now shut up and tell me a story.”

She laughed again. “Very well. There once was a handsome Sith Lord…”

Quinn was on the bridge of the Fury...or rather, the S.A.B.E.R. Helicarrier, by its owner's fiat...sifting through the navicomputer interface to verify that his memorized knowledge of the vehicle matched reality. He saw a few clumsy modifications to the system that would have to be cleaned up or optimized away; nothing he couldn't handle.

He didn't notice his new commander Nalenne until she stepped between him and the console. "Captain," she said, leaning in too close for comfort. "Report."

"My lord?" he said, edging backwards. "All ship readings are nominal, there's nothing of interest to report."

The Pureblood studied him with her corrupt yellow eyes. "Hm," she said, and spun, and walked out again.

She walked back in two minutes later, once again inviting herself into his personal space. This time she glared into his eyes silently, then turned and left.

Quinn turned to the console and started a frantic effort to optimize the ship's comms network. If his new master would not be satisfied by mere adequacy, then excellence would be–

Nalenne walked in. Her gait was different somehow, her legs – not longer, he realized, just supported by high heels.

"My lord," he tried, "I have–"

She walked up close, turned her face up to his, set her hands on her hips, scowled at him, and walked out again.

When she returned she was on spikes that had left "sexy" behind two inches ago and plunged headlong into "painful". She did well enough walking on them until she was inches away from him, when she stumbled hard. He danced to one side and caught her by the arm, withdrawing even that contact as soon as she had her balance. "My lord?"

Nalenne drew herself to her full-plus-stilettos height and looked up at him. "Hmph," she said. "I'm just coming to terms with the fact that I'm no longer the tallest person on the crew."

"I...see, my lord. Please be assured that I will continue to defer to you regardless of your stature."

"You'd better."

He returned to the computer and counted himself lucky that she didn't seem the type to modify her crew to taste. Behind him he heard a heavy staggering series of clacks; he kept his back turned, pretending that everything was perfectly normal here.

Whatever 'perfectly normal' was with her.

By the time Pierce and Broonmark came along Nalenne was pretty well resigned to being the short one. The "at least I'm still taller than Vette" one.

The first and last parts take place immediately following Fashion (which is after Act III, timeline-wise). The flashback part late in Act III, between Voss and Corellia.

As Kinka gazed at the long-forgotten formal gown that had been languishing in the back of the wardrobe, her thoughts turned to the night Vector proposed. It was her most cherished memory, the one bright spot in three long years of thankless missions to save an empire that would likely crumble under the weight of battling Sith egos before she reached middle age. And what do I have to show for it? A bum knee, a cynical sense of paranoia, nightmares that are getting more and more frequent and a rootless existence, Kinka thought. But she could have something more. Something that would dull the hurt of all those tough years. The possibility brought a smile to her face.

The night Vector proposed had been preceded by an uneventful afternoon — training with Temple, signing off on requisitions, scanning the holonet. He had been away at a meeting with some of his contacts in the diplomatic service on Alderaan, and Kaliyo had joined him on the premise of ruffling a few royal feathers at House Thul. Eventually the rest of the crew ventured off on their own, and Kinka found herself in an empty ship. The solitude wasn’t a comfort. While the events of her time under SIS control had long since passed, the phantoms refused to leave. And though she tried to shut him out, Watcher X’s voice still whispered in the dark every once in a while. Being alone offered too much time to think about those things.

Kinka wandered about the ship looking for a distraction. Even 2V’s incessant chatter would have been a comfort, but he was nowhere to be found. That’s odd, Kinka thought. He’s never left the ship before. She went from room to room, making sure he wasn’t just hiding from SCORPIO. She had been known to terrorize the only other sentient machine on the ship, which meant he spent as much time away from her perch in the engine room as possible. Each of the crew had his or her special place they liked to relax, and Kinka frowned as she passed the empty rooms. Walking by and not finding them where they should be felt like something was missing. The emptiness was temporary — she kept repeating it to herself — but one day it wouldn’t be. Kinka paused just outside the bridge, the chittering of a few killik fingerlings drawing her attention.

“At least I have you little guys to keep me company. It’s a shame you can’t talk back, though. If I ever end up truly alone, people will probably call me the crazy lady that talks to bugs. Better than talking to ghosts, though.”

The agent scooped up the tiny insects to return them to the cargo bay. Kaliyo and Temple weren’t keen on the curious passengers and hated when the fingerlings ventured out into the rest of the ship, but they knew better than to make a fuss over it. Well, Temple knew better anyway.

“Here you go little guys. Safe and—” Kinka stopped abruptly at the sight of Vector’s trim figure across the room. He looked lovely in the dim light of the cargo bay, his angular features striking and his glossy back eyes shining back at her.

“Vector, I didn’t hear you come back. I was just returning the fingerlings so Kaliyo wouldn’t try to squish them again. You know how she gets.” She sat them down on one of the crates and turned back to Vector. Something was different. He wore an expression she couldn’t readily place; he was nervous. She’d never once seen his calm slip, even in the most dire predicaments. This was somewhat troubling.

“Is everything alright?”

His smile was reassuring, and he took a couple confident strides toward her. “Now that you’re here, we are content. We are more than content, actually.” He paused to reach for something in his pocket. “We spent time with some of our old contacts today. They were helping us find a gift for you. We wanted to give you something special.”

The agent was taken aback. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d received a gift. “Vector, that’s so sweet. But you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“We did,” he said gently, taking her hand and presenting a brilliant stone. “You see, it’s customary to present a gift during a marriage proposal, which is what this is. We hope we’re doing it correctly.”

“Vector...” Kinka was breathless, completely caught off guard.

“We have been with you through some of your most trying days, and we would like to be with you for your happiest as well. And if you would let us, we’d even like to be responsible for some of those good days. Agent, would you marry us?”

The agent’s eyes glistened. “Yes, Vector, I will marry you.”

Kinka reached up on tip toes to wrap her arms around him. He held onto her tightly, meeting her lips with a kiss that could have melted a third of Hoth. His lips were soft but firm against hers. Kinka had always enjoyed that about him. For a sensitive man, he kissed with utter abandon, as if every time might be the last that their lips would touch. And there were so many times it could have been.

“We should move this to my quarters,” Kinka murmured. “The others will be back—”

“Not until tomorrow. We persuaded them to leave us the ship for the night.”

“How—,” “did you—,” “manage that?” she asked between kisses. Vector swept the agent into his arms and started for the bedroom.

“We have our charms,” he said with a conspiratorial grin. “We also had to give Kaliyo two-months’ pay, but it was worth it.”

Kinka and Vector spent most of the night holding each other in the dark, blissfully enjoying the silence and reveling in the new layer to their relationship. Vector had never imagined his life would take him here when he met the spunky agent on Alderaan. He had recognized her as being attractive, but she was only another human then, a contact, someone who might help the hive. But the more damaged she became, the more he had to be there for her, the more he had to find himself amid all the voices of the Song. She had no one else to hold the pieces together. Even now, he knew she wasn’t completely well. Her nightmares were a regular occurrence, and she had internal scars that would likely never heal. He kissed her forehead and held her tightly, hoping it might be enough to keep the ghosts at bay.

“Thank you, Vector,” Kinka whispered. “This has been one of the best days of my life.”

“And ours as well,” he said softly. “We know that with your job our marriage can’t be official, but this is real to us. We will be with you always.”

She nestled in closer beside him and he felt her body relax. “I like the sound of that,” she whispered, just before drifting into sleep.

###

“You wanted to see us?”

The memory of Vector’s proposal faded away as he called her name, and Kinka jerked up from the bed, the silky gown she’d been admiring slipping from her hands. His presence shouldn’t have been surprising, after all, she’d called for him. But being unnecessarily jumpy wasn’t unusual these days.

“Yes,” she said, her heart rate slowing to a normal rhythm, “I wanted to run something by you. You see, I’ve got this dress, and I’ve always wanted to wear it, but I never had an occasion to. But something Kaliyo said earlier today gave me an idea.”

Vector looked confused. “We're not sure we understand.”

“I’m rambling, I know. It’s just that I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the night you proposed. And I wanted to talk to you about our arrangement.”

“You haven’t changed your mind, have you? Taken a liking to someone else?”

“Oh, no, of course not. I—”

“Gotten married to another Voss?” Vector’s sly smile gave away his teasing. Bemused wasn’t an expression he wore often, but it was one Kinka found irresistible.

She stuck out her dark lips in a short-lived pout. “And you’re teasing me now. You know what that does to me.”

“We do like to joke from time to time, Kinka. But you were wanting to talk to us about our commitment?”

“I want to get married,” she blurted out. “I- I know when you first asked me we said it wouldn’t ever be possible to have a real wedding because of my job, but I really want to do this. I want to wear a fancy dress and recite vows and have all of those silly things. I deserve them. I’m tired of putting my life on hold, and I’m not going to put you through that either. We’ve been through hell, and we deserve something good to show for it.”

Kinka hadn’t realized she was crying until she looked up at Vector. The worry was etched on his face, as if he knew just how much she’d cracked. She felt as though she might fall, but Vector drew her close and let her cry against his chest.

“We would love to marry you,” he whispered once her cries quieted, “if you think it’s safe enough now.”

“There are some things that are worth the risk.” she replied softly. “So, what do you say?”

“Our life bound to yours? There’s nothing we’d like more.”

"Watcher Two here. Secure connection established. Is there a problem, Cipher?"

"In fact there is." Wynston stood before the big holo to make his report. "The navicomputer is acting up, I can't seem to chart a course to any place remotely resembling friendly territory. I’m not sure I trust what it’s telling me the rest of the time."

"Is there some planet within sublight range?"

"Planet? Yes. Population? No. So I thought I'd call you. I seem to recall that once while you were asserting your superiority in that enchanting way you have you mentioned being able to plot hyperspace routes in your head. Any chance you could stop by and show a man how it's done? I guarantee I'll make it worth your time."

"Something tells me the currency you're offering isn't on the authorized trade list."

He shrugged. "Ah, well. I had to try."

She was busy typing at an invisible console. She arched an eyebrow as she worked. "Do you really memorize my every dismissal? I can in fact plot hyperspace routes, I'm just somewhat surprised you were paying attention when it was mentioned."

"Of course I was paying attention, Watcher; nobody shoots me down quite the way you do, I'd hate to miss a word of it. So, the navicomputer. I can’t do a thing with it as it is and this is unfortunately one of the items I would class as too high-risk to improvise with. Could you send a Fixer or someone along?"

"Will do. ETA..." she straightened away from her console..."eighteen hours. Now if there's anything else?"

"Oh, nothing you would agree to. Thanks for the assist. I'll call you when I have something good to report."

A little smile broke through her exasperation. "I’ll try to have an appropriate response lined up. Watcher Two out."

Watcher Two/Wynston in a nutshell. Incorrigible teasing, invulnerable stonewalling, then they get the job done. Of the women who shape Wynston’s life, Watcher Two is probably the most steadying influence (competing with the likes of Kaliyo, SPOILER, and here-again-gone-again Ruth).

Dankin stepped out of the spaceport into the sunny, beautiful city of Imbraani on the agricultural world of Qiilura. Qiilura was a useless planet. Utterly useless. Except for its exports, such as the sought-after foods like barq. It was awesome when baked as a bread, or when used as a seasoning atop meat. Dankin could attest to this, as whenever he had extra credits he bought some and stocked it in the ship.

Imbraani was not a big city, maybe the size of Jiguuna on Hutta, but it was much cleaner. The people were total hillbillies, worse than Corso. In fact, as Dankin glanced back, he saw Corso standing at the threshold of the spaceport, frozen with mouth agape.

"Okay," he said. "I love this place."

"Corso," he said, "don't get any ideas. We're not staying any longer than it takes me to pick up that crate of merlies."

Merlies were local animals, medium-sized and according to the locals, "distressingly intelligent." Dankin never would have taken the crate of the animals, but it had been a special request from an old friend on Dantooine who was starting a farm and needed animals, so he had complied.

"Stay here," Dankin said. "Watch for trouble."

He hopped on his speeder, an Ubrikkian Crimson Skull model, and shot off. He'd bought the speeder in a brief fit of madness when Guss had bet him he couldn't find anything more farmboy-ish than Corso's old rifle, a hodge-podge wooden weapon Corso had nicknamed Sgt. Boom-Boom. Dankin had responded by buying three things from the Hutt Cartel market: a wide-brimmed hat, a toothpick (Guss still wondered why Dankin always kept it in his mouth, but that thing had been expensive), and the Crimson Skull, complete with a krayt dragon skull mag-clamped to the front.

Dankin had won the bet.

As he reminisced on these things, he failed to see the holo announcing: SCHOOL IN SESSION, SPEED LIMIT 30 KPH. Too late, Dankin started to slow down–

And there was the shrill whine of a police speeder. Dankin rolled his eyes, sighed, and pulled over. He hopped off the speeder, pulled the toothpick from his mouth, and glanced long-sufferingly at the officer.

"License and registration," the officer said.

He'd been a smuggler for years and never been caught, and he was going to get written up for speeding. Unbelievable. He sighed and pulled out his speeder license. He handed it to the officer.

"I'm gonna let you off with a warnin'," said the officer, "since yer an offworlder. But ya don't come speedin' round here n' more, ya got it?"

"Yes, off'cer," Dankin replied, putting a sarcastic drawl in his voice. "An'thin' you says, sir."

He spent the next four hours in jail.

D'aww, Geltie.

He's such a dear. When he's not killing everyone. He does still do that. A lot. >.>

@ Irish: I liked what you've done expanding on the Rylee romance. Makes me wish you could have picked up one or the other cultist as a companion/love interest in the game instead of just fic.

Thank you. I liked Rylee and was rather upset that I missed out on her romance in-game, but it works so much better in fic I might just accept it, lol.

Irishfino, I’m liking these stories with Geltie and Rylee. She gets to be an actual fleshed out character as opposed to merely a Sith groupie, which was the in-game impression I had of her. Also, strip chess, niiiice.

Thank you. I liked Rylee a lot in the game and could tell she was more in awe of the power of the Sith than actually interested. After that bit died down, I thought, perhaps, she would actually try to get to know the Sith as a person rather than a magnificent leader with magic powers. I'm glad it comes out well.

And strip chess has to be the longest way to get someone naked ever invented.

Irish - Really like your Rylee, confident, a bit mischievous, not afraid to speak her mind and very caring. And, bless, the little story! Those two do seem to be rather infatuated

Thank you . I liked Rylee and figured a girl who was helping run a cult couldn't be too... silly, I suppose. And she really seemed to offer ideas on how to help people rather than beat them up like Destris did.

For all his oddity (and his past yet to be revealed in fic) he really does care for Rylee and Rylee got over her initial infatuation long enough to desire to get to know him as a person. Let's just hope my brain doesn't try to tear them apart... it does that out of spite sometimes, lol.

Thanks for reading everyone!

When Rylee first laid her eyes on the freckle faced kid who was supposed to save them from Paladius, she nearly rolled her eyes and threw him out. Zash had promised a warrior apprentice, not a boy. Zash was mocking them, she had to be. And, yet, the more he did the more he proved himself as something more. He was powerful, well spoken, controlling without being domineering, and oddly calm for a Sith. Despite his youthful appearance he was amazingly mature. She found herself seeking a private audience with him. He might have sensed it, she wasn’t sure, but he never approached her and he was very adept at avoiding speaking with her. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the moments she had gathered enough courage to approach him he suddenly was nowhere to be seen. Even that giant Deshade of his disappeared.

She was very disappointed when his time on Nar Shaddaa came to an end. It was all the more distressing when Destris started acting out. It took months, but it escalated to violence and threats of death if people wouldn’t join. She hated it and she hated him. She compared him to Paladius, that damnable Pureblood who had become obsessed with the power he had over his cult. That shut Destris up and, for a time, it was quiet.

Gelt, as he preferred to be called, returned every few months to check up on things. A simple holo call would have satisfied any other Lord, but him. He insisted on it. The more he visited, the more active he was with the cult and its effects on Nar Shaddaa the more she found herself interested. The fact that that interest was more than plain sexual desire confused her. She knew of her crush and he knew of it too, but she wanted to actually get to know him as a person. She wanted to get to know a Sith Lord as a person. It was so very strange.

He was open to her seeking him out for conversation and, as he aged, he avoided her sexual advances less. She hadn’t realized at the time of their meeting he was only sixteen years old. She knew he was young, but not quite that young. It was rather strange, however, to hear about his sexual conquests. He never hid the fact that he was very active and very desirable to many an appraising woman. She wondered why she was so different.

She didn’t have to wait for very long to find the answer to her question. He had invited her to his estate on Dromund Kaas, even sent for her to be picked up. Things were coming to a head with Thanaton, he told her, and he might not get another chance to see her again. She reassured him of her confidence in him, but he smiled that strangely calm smile of his and told her to come. She did. He took her on a short tour after she arrived and let her get comfortable while he cooked dinner. It was all very romantic to her: being invited to his home, being picked up and hand delivered to his doorstep, him cooking for her while she roamed the building.

After dinner they adjourned to the balcony attached to the main bedroom. It was raining as was normal on Dromund Kaas. He stood there, silent and thinking, as the warm rain soaked every inch of him. She was unsoaked, having been offered a rain shield.

He braced his palms on the railing and looked into the jungles. She mimicked his pose and waited for him to speak. Minutes passed without a word.

“I might die soon,” he said quietly.

She had been waiting for him to speak, but the sound of his voice still made her jump. He chuckled quietly and looked at her sidelong.

“Thanaton is powerful and learned,” he said, turning his eyes back toward the jungle. “I am easily twenty years his junior and he is a Dark Council member. The odds are not in my favor.”

“You’ve beaten the odds so far, haven’t you?” Rylee asked quietly. She sidled closer to him until her elbow nearly touched his. He smiled. “You have a history of living despite the things thrown at you. At least, from what you’ve told me.”

“Yes,” he agreed, “I am quite stubborn. Something I inherited from my father.”

“Then Thanaton is nothing in the face of you. I have faith in you.”

“I will take it to my grave.”

“You will live as you always have. You will rise and become even more than you are now. I know hope and faith aren’t in the Sith teachings, but… I have faith in you. I have hope that you will return to me.”

He turned to the side, braced his hip against the railing, and crossed his arms. “Return to you?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. She didn’t move to face him, but the challenge was there. It was up to him to make his move if he so desired. She desired it to be so. And it was.

He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to him. With a tug of her arm she was in his. His embrace was gentle and unsure, his face open and hopeful. She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting him down, urging him to press their lips together. He was nervous. As such, his control slipped enough to short out her rain shield generator. He apologized profusely, embarrassed that he still had issues with controlling his powers, but it didn’t matter much to her. The sting from the shield shorting out was nothing compared to the feel of his lips against hers. It was made all the more electric by him letting go, just a little, to ignite the air around them with a static charge. It was dangerous for him to do such a thing with so much lightning in the air, but it heightened her senses. When he pulled away she was bereft at the loss of contact. He smiled down at her with that calm, assured smile of his.

“Hope, hm?” he murmured quietly.

“Yes,” she replied. “Hope.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

She smiled, her face positively glowing with happiness. His smile persisted as he led her back into his home and closed the balcony doors. Their time together was to be enjoyed in private. And it was.

Ruth

Well, this beast is certainly…large. I’d prefer a transport with a heated interior, but if this is what it takes, it’ll do. It’s something new to try, anyway. I’d better make sure the others can deal with this; if any of them needs to stay back where it’s warm I won’t blame them.

Ruth climbed onto the saddle and looked around for confirmation from her crew before covering her face and urging the tauntaun into motion. Time for the search to begin.

Wynston

An ice planet. With animals. That I am expected to deal with. If I weren’t here under duress I would…be here to do the job anyway. Sod everything.

Wynston nodded at the animal’s handler and swung up, trusting his trained balance to deal with the uncertainties of a living thing. Better hurry; a lot of work stood between him and civilization, and he desperately wanted it over with.

Vierce

Huh, I do not envy the guys in charge of herding these. That goes beyond “outdoor work.” Still, the animals are pretty impressive. …Is somebody my size going to be a problem?

I set a hand on the creature’s neck as a sort of hello; he snorted and stamped in reply. “You sure I won’t hurt this guy?” I asked the handler.

“Big Vek’s the strongest fella we’ve got,” he said. “He’ll let you know if he starts to struggle, but you should be fine.”

I hope so. Now I guess it’s time to hit the road. Ice. Whatever it is out there.

Nalenne

Wheeeeeeee!

Discussions

Xenobiology

Spoilers

Fury class interceptor, Purandokht

Beginning of chapter 2nd chapter, Sith Warrior.

"We are in orbit around Dromund Kass, mi'lord." chimed Quinn.

"Quinn, you do know my first name. You do have permission to use it." said the Miraluka warrior.

"That would not be proper protocol, mi'lord."

"Face it, K'saren. The only time you get him to say that is in private." quipped Vette.

This caused a momentary blush to come to the captain, which quickly went to a neutral color. "Why did you ask we go into orbit, mi'lord?" inquired Quinn.

"Because I need an honest assessment of Jaesa's new attire, and considering I have a problem seeing stuff like clothing, I'll need you two to judge it."

"Mi'lord, how can I do that?"

"Be yourself." Both Vette and K'saren said.

"Ok, Jaesa, you can come out now." Yelled Vette.

Out came Jaesa, not wearing the Jedi robes she came with from her recruitment on Outta, but a different look. Wearing a jumpsuit wear the top was tied to her waist, wearing a harness around her shoulders, with a red bra to cover her ample chest assess, she looked far more sexy then her former robes let on.

When K'Saren looked at Quinn for his reaction, he was visibly aroused by this show.

"I think Quinn approves, Jaesa, judging by his feelings." Said the Sith warrior lightheartedly.

"I am not..."

K'Saren tapped on her visor, "You forget that i can sense variations in the force, Malavai. Your surface feeling I can determine by sensing your aura."

"That is also why she found out you were interested in her back on Balmorra, Quinn." answered Vette. "I think the Black and Red look great, Jaesa. Definitely fit in with the dark apprentice look."

"Thank you, Vette, Captian. So you can sense other people's feeling, K'saren?" questioned Jaesa.

"Only to a point, Jaesa. Considering my people lost their eyesight eons ago, we had to adapt. Our sense of hearing, touch and hearing are more tuned then normal humans. Another way for us to cope, was to devolop Force sight. As you all know, the force permeates all in the galaxy. Everything in it can affect it, in various ways. I can sense the walls of this ship, i can see even the features of the universe, similarly to you can with your own sight. But unless i concentrate, or you are very close to me, I can not really make out fine details. And since emotions can influence the force, this manifest itself more readily to me. " as K'saren leaned back against a chair.

"You can tell someone isn't telling the truth? like me?" a relieved Jaesa asked.

"Not like you. You can sense it deep in one's soul, i can only sense it when it as a surface feature. When we first meet anyone, we only know really strong emotions in this sight of people. The longer we know a person, the more we know thier personal aura, the more glean from it. Also, if someone doesn't know the information is a lie, then i won't know it either. My people, cause of our Force sight and how emotion can be affected by it, are very forthright with one another. That doesn't mean that we can't be fooled by it, for if someone knows how to control their own feeling, and that person isn't in our sightlines, they can lie to us. " contined K'saren's lecture .

"So what do you see now, mi'lord?"

"Well with you, I see some lust or love at me, a little apprehension, mostly an understanding. Vette is more amused and somewhat proud. Jaesa is more perplexed. She's trying to process what was said." said K'saren.

"So do you actually see our faces?" said Jaesa.

"Only when I am really close, usually 3 feet of a person. That's the only time i can tell what you all look like. While i can tell you are clothed, and by what type of material, i can't tell color, or design what it is. I can tell if it heavy battle armor, more clothes suits or if its more flimsy, farther away, but unless i fell it or hear it, i can't get more specific of what it is." K'saren continued to tell her crew.

"So you can't see our physical proportions, mi'lord."

"Are you worried that I know your size already?" smiled the Miraluka. "With my force sight, its only that you aren't like Jaesa or Vette. I can tell you are male, and they are female. Unless I can feel it, i won't know more then that."

"I love it when you torment Quinn, mi'lord." a bemused Vette replied.

"So can you see thru walls?" Jeasa asked quizzically.

"Normally no. Only if i am close to said person, and he/she is under a lot of emotional stress i can sense someone is behind a wall with my force sight. Its usually more audio clues for me then anything else. Also smelling clues. Another thing, If it is solid, we know its solid, but we can't see beyond it. So for sensing a glass of water, or a bottle of gin, we can't see if there is actaully water or gin in it. Liquids are similar in that they do block our sight. That is another reason our hearing, smell and touch senses are superior to baseline humans. To compensate for that. "

"So that is why there are more audio signal in the cockpit then usual, and why your seat has all those sensors to it. It's all starting to make sense know."

"You forgot to say mi'lord, Quinn." chirped Vette.

"About time, I wonder when he would stop that. Makes me feel old." said an amused K'saren. "Anyway, with electronic devices, I have to concentrate real hard to read them. That's why all the audio and vibration clues on the bridge. That is why i have a lot of paper books in my room. They are printed in such a way that we have an entire alphabet made up of bumps in them. Thankfully, the Empire adopted that alphabet for thier own use with the sightless they have."

" So you didn't see that anger in Master Karr, until it manifested itself." asked Jaesa.

"See it, not till I actually met him on Hutta. But I can hear it in his voice. When a person uses the holo to call me, I don't see alot. We do sense that someone is on the other line, but if they arent talking, like using sign language, we can't understand what is happening. Remember this above all else, Jaesa. the Jedi are wrong in trying to get rid of emotions, fro we can't. We are all wired to have emotions, and to not acknowledge them will bring about fall of them. But we Sith are just as blind with our emotions, believing that they will set us free all the time. Emotions can be manipulated, used against you by those who know how. However, if one can learn from this, they can be all powerful. Just like Revan."

"But doesn't power corrupt, K'saren?" asked Jaesa.

"And absolute power corrupts absolutely. Looks that way, doesn't it." She sighed. "That's why I trust each one of you. In hope that all of you, in each your own way , keep me from going that far." K'saren stood up. "I don't want to look like Baras."

That caused a hearty laugh from all the females on the ship. Even Quinn broke a smile on that one.

"I saw that, Quinn." Replied K'saren. "And your aura is so delicious when it mixed up like that."

"But you are more then capable in combat, mi'Lord. I have seen you destory your enemies without breaking a sweat." Quinn commented as her scratched his chin.

"Think of it as echolocation, Quinn. Or Sensor sweeps, just that we dont transmitt the power to see, but that the force powers the sight." chimed, K'saren.

"Or better yet, seeing black and white." said Vette. " or old cheap picture reel from one of my prior antiquities location projects. I show it to you both, when you want. Its funny, but it will also give a clue to what i think K'saren 'sees' with her force sight."

"I couldn't see it, Vette." said somewhat downcast K'saren.

"It's loud too, and uses alot more hearing cues then normal Holorecording do now." exclaimed Vette.

"That would be facinating, mi'Lord. However, we are expected to be orbiting Taris soon. Not a good idea to make Darth Baras wait." as Quinn striaghtened his jacket.

"You are correct, Captain. Xenobiology class is over for now, but next time we meet you might be quizzed on it." smirked K'saren.

As many you could tell, this is inspired by Adw's and others stories about Miraluka's sight. I do want to point out, this is in more of my view of that sight, the advantages and limitaions of it. K'saren is a lightsided Sith, but she isn't a saint. She has killed numerous sith, almost all of them when they challenge her. She even killed Noman Karr, after his disgrace. Still Jaesa is lightsided. If you want an idea of K'saren looks, think of a body 2 version of Mako, with the choice 1 blinders, the that only cover the eye socket, that could look like glasses. I do have a few more stories in the pipe, of both K'saren and Rose/Fiona, however, they have some technical question that an expert is looking into for me. the expert's life is far more complicated then mine right now, so I will wait for a reply,