"Lana, report."

 

Nyx entered the War Room striding briskly, immediately followed by Arcann. They had been training together when the news interrupted them. A message had been intercepted and the Alliance had a lead they could potentially track.

 

"Good, we are all here now," answered a visibly impatient Lana. Theron and Senya were already present and waiting, and all of them gathered around the main terminal where a holo of Zakuul suddenly appeared. "We intercepted and decrypted a coded message that was obviously addressed to our traitor. The bad news is that we were unable to find the recipient on our end but we will continue searching. The good is that we could track it down to a very precise location. On Zakuul." The Sith typed a few commands and zoomed on a specific part of the planet where a precise spot got illuminated, its precise coordinates appearing on top of it.

 

"The southern part of the Endless Swamps," Arcann uttered, reacting immediately, Senya nodding in confirmation.

 

"Any known structures there?"

 

"No Commander. Nothing but inhospitable soggy ground and savage beasts," the former knight added. "Whoever sent that message chose to deliberately send it from the most profound depths of nowhere."

 

"The content of the message does not give us much to chew on. It was heavily encrypted, but our algorithms were able to translate it into something understandable." With a few more manipulations, Lana slightly reduced the size of Zakuul's map and a few words appeared aside from it in front of their eyes.

 

 

"Is this all we got?" Nyx appeared to be clearly frustrated. She had expected them to get more than a few words and a location in an empty swamp. "How comes that we cannot find the recipient?"

 

"They know we are listening," Theron said, stepping in. "The message was simply delivered with the bulk of the communications addressed to the Alliance. The traitor must have known where to get it from and would have erased it afterwards. Lana has probably been quicker than them this time."

 

"Which means as well that they have extended access to the in and out communications of the Alliance." Lana sighed. "And we do not even know to what extent. Dammit!"

 

In other circumstances, it would have been funny to hear Lana use the expression of frustration that was so clearly Theron's signature, but no one even took note of it. The situation was critical. They were realising the level of their blindness to a threat that impacted them all as no one expected the Commander to be the sole target.

 

The awareness that there was a traitor among their ranks was creating trust issues that undermined the core operations of the Alliance. They had quickly realised how hard it was to avoid becoming suspicious as soon as something unusual happened or people were caught having private conversations. They knew so little that there could even be several traitors coordinating on Odessen right under their noses. It all created a climate of tension and it had become less infrequent to see people calling each other names without any real reason for it. The betrayal they were facing might not have concrete consequences so far, the indirect repercussions of it were as undeniable as unsustainable.

 

It might even be the worst aspect of it. Since the incident on Iokath almost one month earlier, nothing visible had happened that could be related to a traitor's attempt to destroy the Alliance. And nothing new could be found. The spontaneous response to that lack of visible activity was that there were necessarily events that were unfolding behind their backs that they were incapable to grasp. For people like Nyx and Lana who praised control, this was infuriating. Theron, for his part, seemed overly resigned while the other core members of the Alliance felt helpless. The situation was taking a toll on all of them.

 

Barely repressing a burst of anger, Nyx inhaled deeply, hitting the table with the palm of her hands. "I am going to Zakuul. Even if the transmission seems to come from the middle of nowhere, there must be a trail we can follow. If it is the only thing we have, we must at least act on it."

 

"I am coming with you," Arcann added immediately, making a few surprised eyebrows rise at his obvious determination. "I know this part of the swamps, it is not that far from the encampment where I was taken care of after Voss."

 

Nyx gave him a startled look, as much due to his unequivocal statement than to the revelation that he had just made, then shook her head. "I do not think that your presence on Zakuul will be particularly welcome."

 

"I do not think that they need to know. We should not announce our arrival if we want to keep the best chances on our side."

 

He had spoken again in a determined voice leaving little opportunity for discussion. The tone of someone used to lead and take decisions, one he had not really dared using until then in the War Room, usually offering advice and suggestions instead. And the gaze that Nyx met when she looked at him was as determined as his voice had been.

 

The corners of her lips curved up in a satisfied smile after a few silent seconds and she straightened up. "Very well. We are leaving in one hour with the Queen to remain anonymous. Lana, ask Andronikos to ready the ship, he will be our pilot."

______________________________________________

 

An hour later, Arcann climbed up the ramp of the Fury-class interceptor that would fly them to Zakuul. The ship - the "Blazing Queen" as he had just learnt it was called - had been moved to the main hangar to get prepared for departure. He had seen the ship, that was distinctively of imperial design, from the outside many times as it was docked on the headland facing the base that he had elected his favourite place in the area. The same place the Commander favoured, but they had not met there for a long time and he suspected that she had not been there alone for a while either.

 

It was the first time that he entered the ship, though, and he felt like a foreigner stepping inside her privacy. She had told him about the history of the ship one time, when they sat in its vicinity at night. It had been the place where she had spent most of her time for years and it was holding many memories. There was little to see of them as the common area appeared to be very neutrally decorated, but the simple fact of knowing that this had been her main home for a long period gave an aura of intimacy to the ship that was rather intimidating. The fact that the two other occupants would, on the contrary, be at ease in a familiar place did not help and he felt a little uncomfortable with the fact that he had no clear idea of the type of relationship they were currently having. For his own sake, he did not really want to experience seeing them intimate in any kind of way.

 

Arcann remembered the pilot's first day on the base and the way he had felt seeing how he behaved with her. From that day, Vette had been an insufferable nightmare. She tried to convince him to move on the Commander and even though he had denied any kind of personal interest, she had not wanted to believe him and had kept insisting that he should do something about it. Within the week that had followed, she had constantly raised the topic again and had even offered her services, which he had of course vehemently declined, instantly horrified by the out-of-control situation that he could easily picture out of it. The twi'lek had apparently taken her self-decided new mission very seriously and had become shamefully nosy. He knew for certain that she had spied on them to discover if they had resumed sleeping together because she had proudly come back to him to certify that they each slept in their own room, and while he had felt secretly relieved by the news, he had begged her to stop sticking her nose into this matter. He did not even want to imagine what would happen if the Commander noticed her little game and made her admit the reason of it. He was definitely not ready for having to confess his feelings to a probably very upset woman convinced that he mandated someone to spy on her.

 

Of course he had hoped to leave for Zakuul with her only. Not that he expected anything to happen but simply because he liked the way they interacted when they were alone, the way they became closer. Travelling the three of them would immediately feel more awkward, at least for him as he knew that in this situation he was the new and somewhat unnatural addition to a team formed long ago. He would try to make sure that his unease remained unnoticed, but he was painfully aware that his social skills were dramatically under-developed and that he would not be at his best, whatever he tried.

 

He was scanning the area and wondering where he was supposed to settle in when the door of what looked like a private cabin from the limited view he had through the door opened, Nyx stepping out of it.

 

"Welcome on board," she said, stretching an arm in the opposite direction of where he stood. He moved forward, following the indicated way and reached what appeared to be the crews quarters. "Just do not take the first one on the right or you might have troubles with Andronikos. It has always been his."

 

Arcann went to put the small bag he had packed on a berth located further at the back of the cabin, half relieved that the pilot would have to sleep in the same quarters even if he was not particularly looking forward to share the place with the man. They had shaken hands when Nyx had introduced them to each other a few days earlier but until then, the pilot had always pulled a face when he crossed his path.

 

Seeing that the Commander had not moved from the doorway, he refrained from sitting on the berth to test it and stepped back towards her, stopping at respectful distance.

 

"I am glad that you are coming," she said, smiling sincerely. "I am looking forward to seeing the results of our training."

 

"Thank you, Commander," he answered, giving her a slight formal nod. He did not want it to show, but he had been glad that she had agreed with his presence so naturally. And for her to, on top of that, looking forward to spending that time with him meant a lot to him, even if it was only for his fighting skills.

 

"Nyx… please," she retorted. "You do not need to stick to the title when we are alone or in trusted company. My friends don't."

 

Her words put a shy smile on his face which was a pale reflection of the joy he was suddenly feeling from hearing her calling him a friend. Biting his lower lip, he snickered and nodded gazing at her. "Nyx… I… I cannot promise that I will lose the habit easily but… I will certainly try."

 

"Hey hey, sorry to interrupt but there's a ship waiting for its pilot!"

 

They were both forced to take a step backward when Andronikos appeared in the common area and forced his way between them to go and throw his bag onto his berth. Turning around, he gave a straight look to Nyx, purposely ignoring Arcann. "So! Are we ready to take-off?"

 

"Ready when you are, Captain," she answered with a smile, amused by his blunt manners. Had he wanted to make sure that he was indeed wrecking a moment of closeness, he would not have acted differently. Addressing a quick apologetic look to Arcann who replied with a resigned shrug, she followed the pilot to the bridge where the three of them took a seat, fastening their harnesses while Andronikos prepared the ship for departure.

 

"Control, Fury-class interceptor code Aurek-Usk-One-One-Nine, requesting permission for take-off."

 

The answer came a few seconds later. "Control to Fury-class interceptor code Aurek-Usk-One-One-Nine, all clear, permission for take-off granted."

 

"Alright, baby. Time to go see the stars," Nik muttered affectionately to the ship, his hands busy on the pilot's commands.

 

The interceptor took off smoothly and left the hangar before heading towards the atmosphere. The sky that they could see from the cockpit quickly became a darker shade of blue then as dark as a night sky with stars flickering before their eyes. Andronikos soon started his countdown to hyperspace and the billiards of tiny dots around became rays of light.

 

"Alright, we're good for a few hours. You planning to stay off the radars?"

 

"Yes, you will activate the mode when we leave hyperspace," Nyx answered, unfastening her belt and leaving her seat. She moved close to the pilot and pointed on the holomap of the planet that he had in front of him. "Target the coordinates that have been entered in the navigation computer, they will give you a safe angle where we will remain unnoticed."

 

Arcann snorted and mumbled. "Now, this is how you did it… How many times have you been on Zakuul without my knowledge?" he asked, raising a quizzical, yet amused, eyebrow.

 

"A few times. But we often ended up being too noisy to remain discrete."

 

Some parts of the swamps were indeed sprinkled with the carcasses of countless Skytroopers that the Alliance had to fight. Lives had been lost as well, but the remains of those who had died had probably already been taken care of by the surrounding wild life. Zakuul's swamps were far from being a hospitable place. Nyx refocused on the pilot to continue her explanations.

 

"When we approach, you will have to find a place with solid ground, otherwise you will have to let us disembark without landing. There may be ruins nearby that you can use as a landing pad."

 

Andronikos frowned, visibly annoyed. "Expecting me to remain on board?"

 

"Yes, in case we must leave in a hurry."

 

He grumbled, crossing his arms on his chest, but did not insist. "You Force users are keeping all the fun."

 

"We will keep all the filth as well and trust me, no one should be looking forward to being covered in Iknayid's mucus."

 

She straightened up, rapidly checking the countdown of the estimated remaining time in hyperspace. "I am going to have some rest. And try to behave," she whispered into the pilot's ear before leaving.

 

The two men watched her go, Arcann refraining himself of following her footsteps too closely even if he did not particularly wanted to remain alone in the presence of the Commander's friend. He initiated a move towards the common room a silent minute later.

 

"Guess I don't need to warn you 'bout harming her…" the pilot said without even turning to face him.

 

He froze and sighed, closing his eyes in annoyance. No, he did not need to be warned. And despite the fact that he knew that the subject would come out often, he started to be tired of being warned, verbally or not, nearly every day. Even more than tired, in fact. Sick. Because even though almost everyone still seemed to believe that he remained a potential threat for their Commander, the very idea of her being harmed was starting to make his flesh crawl. But they would not understand and he was certainly not planning to say it.

 

Hearing the pilot's seat turn in his direction, Arcann raised his head and opened his eyes again, swallowing the urge to simply tell him to mind his own business. He was sure that the man considered her as part of the scope of his own business anyway…

 

"Indeed, you don't. I am regularly reminded of the painful consequences that any treacherous action from my part may have," he answered dryly, making efforts to keep a measured voice. "But you may want to check with Lana if there is an official waiting list where people can enrol and buy their turn for reminding me."

 

Nik frowned, taken aback by the second part of his answer, unsure if he had to take it as a mark of frustration or some kind of humour. Or perhaps a bit of both. He finally seemed to choose the latter and smirked.

 

"I'm being too protective?"

 

Arcann huffed and gave him a rather accusing look. "If you want to protect her, start by showing her respect in public. The Commander has enough on her plate already, she does not need to deal with gossip and loss of credibility on top of it." The pilot gave him an annoyed look but did not retaliate, which Arcann was relieved about as he did not really feel in the right mood to pursue the discussion. He yet had another point he wanted to make clear. "Believe it or not but I mean her no harm," he uttered. "At all," he then insisted, even though he thought that it did not really matter how hard he tried to be convincing. "And for the record, I am not intending to let anyone else hurt her either. " He remained silent a few seconds, wondering if he wanted to add something then shook his head, turning his back to the man to leave.

 

"That supposed to be a threat?" he heard in his back.

 

"A statement. As long as we both keep her best interests in mind," he answered, turning around slowly to face the other man again.

 

The two men stared at each other for a few seconds, measuring each other. Andronikos then leant back into his chair, raising his legs one by one to put his feet on the navigation board.

 

"You'd better be good at protecting her out there, 'cause I'll be holding you to your word."

 

"Trust me, I will keep her safe," Arcann guaranteed self-confidently, adding to it a slightly defying look. He then turned on his heels and continued his way to the common room. Walking past the door to the Commander's cabin reminded him about the earlier discussion that the other man had interrupted and the memory made him smile all the way to the crews quarter where he kneeled in front of his berth. Most of the Alliance members might remain suspicious about him, she did not. She had called him a friend and asked him to address her by her name, which he knew not that many people did. That alone made the strain of having to suffer being constantly mistrusted worth it. She did not doubt him, despite the fact that the people around her did not encourage her trust. They had been deadly enemies and now she expected him to shield her in combat. He concentrated on what it meant to him, on the warm feeling it brought inside his chest, and exhaled profoundly, slowly drifting into a meditative state.

______________________________________________

 

When the Blazing Queen left hyperspace a few hours later and offered a view on Zakuul's globe to its occupants, Arcann immediately felt his heart sink. He had seen the planet from space countless times, could almost draw every complex shape outlined by the lights on the surface with his eyes closed and yet he could barely recognise his home world.

 

Substantial portions of the former glistening shapes had disappeared, leaving space to darkness. Power cuts, due either to the damages dealt to the infrastructure by the fleet's blind attack following his sister's death or to the shortages in raw energy material due to the fall of the Eternal Empire which mostly depended on the world that they had been bleeding.

 

The extensive automation of the zakuulian's society which had been his father's pride was now his birthplace's bane and the entire planet depended on external help, from the Alliance mostly. Zakuul was once a place where life was easy. People were provided with the finest foods from the whole galaxy, were tended to by droids down to their most simple needs, and what had once been the most vibrant representation of the Emperor's might had now plunged them into chaos. Zakullian people did not know how to use their hands and the very idea of having to actually work seemed an absurd concept to most. Until Valkorion's death, they had experienced nothing else than a lazy decadent life punctuated by the latest gossips and, very rarely though, unexpected minor incidents. If he had not been trained as a warrior and had learnt from the knights, this would have been his life as well. The useless life of people only raised to praise a seemingly benevolent emperor, carefully maintained in a numb carelessness and convenient ignorance.

 

Now, even those willing to take hold of their lives had everything to learn. They had no idea how to repair, build, create or even solve basic problems. Arcann had kept an eye on the reports issued by the small groups dispatched in the Spire by the Alliance in order to understand his people's needs - his former people's needs, he corrected himself mentally - and had quickly grasped the extend of the issue. They were dying and lacked even the most basic knowledge to reverse the process. They starved and did not know how to grow food, got sick and had no medical knowledge… Izax! They did not even really realise that not making the effort of keeping the city clean, another thing that the droid had always handled for them without even being noticed, was indeed the reason for the pest infestations and diseases they complained about.

 

"We are doing our best, but we cannot put too many efforts on a single planet. It would not make sense, either strategically, or politically."

 

He had not heard the Commander approach and the sound of her quiet voice made him startle slightly. She put a hand on his right upper arm and he had to refrain himself from following an instinctive desire of reaching with his cyberarm and thread his cold fingers with her warm ones. That was not something friends did, did they? So as much as he wanted to do otherwise, he forced himself to ignore the hand and remain still, knowing with a certain relief that it would soon be gone.

 

"I know," he simply stated, turning his head towards her. "Now they have to learn how to take care of themselves and it will take a long time before they really can." He inhaled deeply, trying to let go of the unease that the sight of his planet had awaken in his guts. Too many memories… and above all, too many bad ones, but Zakuul was still his homeland… and it was in ruins.

 

Andronikos began his descent on the planet, following the route that would allow them to remain discrete. The Fury anyway had an embedded stealth module, the pilot had put it in place many years earlier and it was part of the elements which had survived the damages from which the ship had suffered. The journey from space to subatmospheric level should go smoothly and the remaining low-altitude flight would go under the radar anyway.

 

They were soon close enough to the ground to almost brush the top of the highest crooked trees scattered amongst the hundreds of ponds forming most of the Eternal Swamps. They had agreed that Nik would drop off both Force users at the intercepted communication's coordinates and then head for the location of the encampment where the former emperor had spent several weeks of hiding before joining the Alliance. Not much would probably remain of the infrastructure that had been in place, but there was at least enough hard ground suitable for landing from where Andronikos could await instructions.

 

Moments later, the ship, hovering above the ground, lowered its gangplank, letting Nyx and Arcann jump down onto a portion of soft but dry portion of land.

 

"Watch out down there, okay?" uttered a slightly metallic-sounding voice on the comlink while the Fury already moved away. "Seen a few nasty beasts around."

 

"We will manage, Nik," she answered, rolling her eyes slightly before looking around, her nose reacting instinctively to the foul smell of the stagnant water. The surroundings of their landing point seemed quiet, the presence of the ship, and the commotion it had caused, had probably scared off the wild fauna, which would offer them a welcomed window of tranquillity. What was worse, though, was that there was as well nothing else to be seen around even if they were only a few meters away of the transmission's coordinates.

 

Arcann and Nyx looked at each other, both immediately understanding the other's disappointment. He took out his datapad and moved forward, trying to find the exact location that they were looking for.

 

"Here…"

 

"Unsurprisingly useless…" she huffed with frustration. "I doubt that there is anything to be found here. You were right, we are truly in the middle of nowhere."

 

He crouched and began inspecting the ground around, moving weeds aside to examine the soil. "They must have installed a relay antenna, I see marks of where the legs have been. And the vegetation has been trampled on all around. But there is nothing left."

 

"I want to have a look around. See if we can find something."

 

Arcann nodded and straightened up, observing around briefly before moving towards a wider portion of land, screening the ground at his feet as he walked.

 

"There is a visible trail. It must have been more than one person, but not many. Two, three perhaps?"

 

Nyx looked at him, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "I did not expect you to have trailing skills…"

 

He chuckled and gave her a quick glance before crouching again to observe the surroundings. "Just the vital minimum. My siblings and I ran away and spent one entire month in the swamps when we were young. Though I suspect that we were not as alone as we thought and had some invisible help from knights watching us." He frowned and move slightly further, suddenly wincing and gesturing her to come closer.

 

While the smell of the swamps was already far from pleasant, the stench that caught her nostrils instantly gave her nausea. Placing a hand on her mouth and nose, Nyx approached nonetheless to have a look at what Arcann wanted to show.

 

"Carcasses. They are half eaten and have started to rot but look…" he moved one of the shapeless scaly flesh remains with the tip of his foot. "Blaster marks. They were attacked."

 

"And unfortunately for the beasts and us, they apparently won…" she answered in a sigh but suddenly stopped and frowned, her attention caught by something. "Hold on…"

 

She squatted in front of the remains and pulled with her gloved hand on a little shiny part that she had just noticed, uttering a disgusted groan when the piece emerged from the mass with a sucking sound.

 

Not wanting to stay any longer close to the source of the stench, she retreated quickly followed closely by Arcann. They both inhaled raucously as soon as they were sure that the smell would be more bearable.

 

"What have you found?"

 

"Not sure yet," she answered, crouching to clean her finding in the nearby pond then holding the small embossed metal part in front of her at eye level.

 

"A snake?" Straightening up, she held out the piece to her companion. He took it, noticing that her look had slid down to his chest and the golden decorated piece that stood in the middle of his upper body armour.

 

He shook his head negatively. "Mine is Izax but this one is different. It looks more like a representation of Zildrog."

 

"Heralds?"

 

"I do not know. I do not recall them using any kind of symbol to identify themselves."

 

"At least it gives us something…" She activated the comlink located on her left wrist that allowed close range communication with the ship and its pilot. "Nik, do you copy? Send a communication to Odessen. I want Lana and Theron to start digging in their intel using Zildrog as a keyword. Ask them to keep an eye as well on anything else related to a snake of some sort. We will be heading your way soon."

 

"Aye, N… Commander," the altered pilot's voice answered. "Need a lift?"

 

"Not immediately. I will give you coordinates later. Commander out." Nyx turned her gaze to the direction of the animal remains then to Arcann. "The trail goes in the direction to your former encampment. We can try following it for a while before asking for retrieval."

 

They started walking, heading south-west in the rough direction of the camp, zigzaging to remain on dry ground. They progressed slowly and silently, ears and eyes open to any threat coming from the surrounding wild lifeas well as to any sign of the former presence of their mysterious opponents. The trail that they suspected to be theirs was soon lost when they reached a wide area that had probably been used as a temporary landing pad for a small shuttle. They had found no other element allowing them to better understand who they were dealing with, but they at least had one. Seeing that they would not be any more successful, Nyx quickly sent the coordinates to their current location to Andronikos so that he could retrieve them, ETA 5 minutes.

 

"We will have to…" she started, turning her attention back to her companion. She was interrupted by a loud high-pitched hiss resonating all around followed by many other lower ones coming from their back. Both Force users turned around simultaneously, Arcann reaching for his lightsaber and activating it in a single movement.

 

"Oh Hell…" Nyx sighed, less than happy with the sight of what was moving towards them. Dozens of iknayids of various sizes were slowly circling them and drawing closer. And from the louder hiss that they had just heard, they were led by a bigger one that still remained unseen but was certainly not very far. These disgusting arachnids were among the most dangerous beasts that could be found in the swamps, their long legs making them perfectly adapted to their environment and capable of running and jumping easily, not at all hindered by the stagnant water and spongy grounds. While the smaller ones could be defeated easily one by one, their number could make them deadly, especially as they seemed to be somehow able to carry out organised attacks. She had already had to fight many of them right after her extraction from Arcann's 'private collection' and while she was in much better shape now, she knew that the fight may remain a difficult one as they could easily become overwhelmed.

 

"It looks like a good moment to verify if training together paid off…" she said in a low voice, voluntarily leaving her lightsaber hilt hooked to her left hip.

 

Arcann did not answer but gave her a small nod, tightening his grip on the hilt of his weapon. A good moment for that indeed, and for proving his will and ability to protect her as well. The simple fact that she had not drawn her saber at all was a message on its own: she expected him to keep the beasts far enough for her to use only her Force powers and no physical weapon.

 

The loud shrill sounded again, this time in front of them and they could see the gigantic beast come out of the surrounding mist. The smaller iknayids answered it and, as if it had been a signal to start fighting, began rushing towards them.

 

The first ones coming on their right were not given any chance, Arcann's blade easily sliced three of them in a single blow while Nyx shocked a few more from behind him. He then swiftly jumped to the left and eliminated the closest ones while she sucked the life away from further ones. The fighters quickly found a pace and a way to work together, alternating sides, lightsaber moving quickly and crashing into closer enemies and Force powers reaching farther into groups of incoming beasts. The giant one had not moved yet, but its screams rang regularly, covering the noises of the fight, always closely followed by new waves of arachnids thrusting upon them. It was leading the attack of the troops but not getting involved, using the smaller beasts to tire them as a commanding officer would have used grunts, but its turn would come and it would take the confrontation to another level.

 

"Too many!" Arcann shouted. He eliminated the iknayids by two or three with each blow and kept moving and cutting continuously but he could see the endless flow approaching. Nyx's unfurling waves of lightning and swirling dark smoke defeated many others but increasing numbers were getting closer.

 

"Move back!" he heard and he reacted immediately, turning around and leaping to her side. From the corner of his eye, he could see the purple electric arcs rippling around her as she drew more and more from the Force, concentrating it inside her. When she stretched her arms out, following the move with her whole body, he could feel the blast of the powerful wave that she released in front of them, knocking the arachnids down in an impressive surge of power. He heard her inhale deeply as she straightened up again and extended her arms to her sides, generating a storm of lightning covering the entire ground in front of them. This discharge of power left her panting but they both knew that she only had bought them time for him to recover a bit. He could already see the beasts get back to their numerous feet. Much to his surprise, though, they began backing off but his feeling of relief was immediately forgotten when an angry hiss resonated again and the giant iknayid started moving.

 

The monster reared and fell back on its front legs with another loud shriek, making the ground shake under the impact. It then started to gallop and was on them in a split second. Both dodged the first attack of its razor-sharp legs and a second one forced Arcann to roll on the side. When he got back to his feet, he saw with horror that Nyx had been less lucky. She was standing too but held her side, wincing from the pain and he could see an ugly bruise darken rapidly on the side of her neck, but the quick glance she gave him contained a silent order not to bother. She would be fine and it was not the time to doubt about it.

 

He rushed to join her nonetheless, determined not to fail his promise to keep her safe. She managed to make the beast keep its distance but her powers seemed to bother it more than it was hurting it. "Their weak point is at the back of their skull!" he shouted when he reached her side. "One of us needs to get there."

 

She fixed the beast narrowing her eyes then gave a quick glance to her companion. "Jump. I help."

 

He nodded and braced himself, switching off his lightsaber. As the monster roared again, stretching its head forward, he ran and leapt in its direction, instantly feeling an extra-push upward coming from the Commander. Their joint efforts allowed him to land on the back of the monster's skull. In a single move he changed his grip on the hilt of his weapon to hold it downward, turned it back on and plunged its blade in the tender spot located at the back of the arachnid's head. The agonising shrill that the giant ikayid let out made their ears ring and Arcann had to hastily jump down from its neck, landing in a splash in the nearby pond, but the monstrosity eventually fell in a groundshaking crash.

 

"Drawing close! What the hell are you two doing down there?" a voice on the comlink said at last.

 

"It is about time! Hover above us and get the gangplank down!" Nyx answered. The giant beast was down, but she could see the swarm of smaller one getting closer again and had no intention to remain one more minute around.

 

The Fury finally reached their position a few seconds later and they were able to avoid another fight and climb aboard the ship. Manoeuvring to take some more distance with the ground, Nik got a better view on the area and let out a curse: "Bloody kriffing stars! You really thought that it was a good time for a hunt?"

 

"Well, we were more on the preys' side here. Get us to the camp, we are not going home today," she ordered, leaning with a sigh against the wall at the back of the bridge. Seeing the astonished look that Arcann, that had just passed the doorstep, gave her, Nyx then added: "I want to go to the Spire, see what we can find there about this snake."

 

He nodded and lent back against the facing wall, closing his eyes to let the tension wear away. They were both tired but she was safe and he had kept his promise and now, with the danger gone and adrenaline still flowing in his veins, he felt strangely joyful. Noticing that they had both fell silent, he raised his eyes and met her gaze. She was looking at him with a small smile painted on her face and when his eyes locked with hers, her smile grew brighter and he felt a matching one blossom on his own lips. She ended up uttering a happy laugh which made his own joy reach new heights.

 

"Not bad for a first real fight as a pair. I liked it," she confessed in a low voice, her eyes lit with excitement.

 

"I liked it as well," he answered smiling, his eyes still fixed on hers. He did not want this moment to stop, her eyes to move away from him. He knew that they would so he made sure to savour every second of this connection they had right at that moment and that was only theirs. It probably looked awkward from an external point of view, he was almost sure that they looked silly, grinning at each other without a word. But he could not care less. Even though in a very strange way, he had just made her happy and this small victory was the only thing that counted.

______________________________________________

 

A long howl broke the silence of the night that had fell on the swamps, answered by other ones in the distance. The beasts were not close to their location that had been anyway secured by an energy dome generated by the ship.

 

As expected, not much remained from the encampment where Arcann had spent time recovering after his escape from Voss. Not much more than a few remaining tents and some crates containing basic material, tools and armour pieces had been left behind and if the durasteel had protected the crates' content from the curiosity of the surrounding wild life, they could not say the same about the tents. It was still a rather good place to spend the night on the planet. The Fury would provide them the necessary accommodation for a good night sleep and Arcann had been able to convince his companions that grilled sleen meat would make a rather good evening meal, getting the benediction from the pilot as long as he was the one to go hunting for it. As much as he was frustrated by not having been part of the action, Andronikos did not particularly want to discover the zakuulian wild life and environment.

 

A delicious smell of roasted meat filled the air when Nyx went out of the ship after a well-deserved shower and a change of clothes. While Arcann was gone hunting, she had spent her time exchanging with Lana and Theron about the potential clue they had found and informed them of her intention to meet with the current zakuulian officials to try and find out more. On their side, they had already begun skimming through their intel in the hope to find hints leading them to the traitor. Without any luck so far.

 

"Smells good… It reminds me of a few other times when we hunted just for fun," she said to the man taking care of their meal in front of the fire.

 

"Yeah, just handling it while today's hunter's refreshing himself. But I remember. Good times indeed," Nik answered while turning the meat on its other side. "Done for the day?"

 

"Yes. I sent a message to the Spire informing them of our arrival tomorrow early morning. They should not suspect that we are actually here already. Not that it does really matter after all as long as they do not know that Arcann is with us."

 

"Going to hide him?"

 

"I am not sure yet, but I think that we should be able to handle it," she answered, getting down to sit cross-egged on the ground by the fire, across from Andronikos.

 

The hearth had been carefully organised to allow cooking on embers on one side while still providing them with fire on the other one and small blazing particles danced in the air above the flames in a mesmerising ballet. It was a quiet moment, one of the very few that Nyx had had an opportunity to live within the last months. Letting her mind wander, she wondered how long it had been since the last time she had felt truly satisfied by a fight, or anything in general. Ages. It had been ages and it all went back to that time when she was not even part of the Dark Council, when she, Nik and the small crew of the Blazing Queen were roaming the galaxy.

 

From the day when Lana had rescued her from carbonite, events had followed each other at a high pace. Even during the long period that they needed to build the Alliance's infrastructure on Odessen, she had been constantly solicited to convince more and more allies, help find solutions for getting supplies, keep watch on the Eternal Empire's moves. Her duties as Commander of the Alliance had swallowed her entire time and while she had voluntarily plunged herself in the role when her friend had offered it to her, she had to admit that it was taking a toll on her. Ambition had driven her and she was now the head of one of the three main factions in the galaxy. And potentially the most powerful at that very moment. Reigning on such a power had been an unexpected turn of events.

 

Facing the Emperor and thwarting his plans to absorb all life in the galaxy had been at first purely necessary. She had no intention to die and had acted accordingly. Even though the events of Yavin 4 had been taken as a proof that a collaboration between the Empire and the Republic could be sometimes achieved, she had been there mostly for herself after all, just making sure that what everybody feared about would not happen. There was no way to get better chances to remain alive.

 

Serving the Empire had always been a mean, not an end, even though it was the side she felt the closest to anyway, the side which at least did not hide their dirty manoeuvres behind beautiful ideals of freedom and peace. Both the Empire and the Republic had the ambition to be the greatest power in the galaxy, but at least one of them was honest about it. And that was an ambition that she considered to be perfectly valid and respectable, which is why the war initiated by the Eternal Empire was not something she had ever considered out of place. Arcann and his siblings had no less right than any other to try claiming the galaxy for their own after all. If they had the power to make their claim real, then there was no reason why they should not have victory. Deaths, even by millions, were only a consequence of war, and not a new one in any case.

 

The fact that they had considered her as their main enemy had made things personal and motivated her to take the lead of the Alliance that Lana had initiated. But her own survival, and that of the people who had put their trust in her and pledge their allegiance to her, had always been one of the main reasons for her to go ahead. Not an idealistic altruistic wish to protect the galaxy from harm, even though she gladly let people conveniently think that she was this hero that saved them all. If they only knew…

 

Now that the Eternal Empire had been taken down, things had changed and the Alliance had mostly worked on keeping and increasing the power it had acquired. Like any other faction would, after all, in a time of relative peace. Even though she was not bearing the title, that made her the perfect equivalent to Empress Acina or the new Republic's Chancellor. A position she had certainly wished for countless times. She was respected and feared and, with the Eternal Fleet and the Gravestone at hand, held a power that the other rulers of the galaxy did not have… And yet, she realised that it was this kind of quiet simple moments that she had been craving for and that had become so scarce. Moments she could simply try enjoying without thinking ahead about the next move that had to be done.

 

Oh, there was a next move, and then plenty of others. She could not allow herself to set the issue of the traitor aside more than for a brief period of time, but that fight against the iknayids had been rather satisfying… She felt contented in a way that she had not experienced for a long time. And to add to the odd situation, it was the man who had strongly contributed in keeping her away from simpler enjoyments that had today offered her such a fulfilling moment.

 

"Now, that's a smile I hadn't seen for a long time. Credit for your thoughts?"

 

Nik's voice brought her back to the present and she chuckled lightly. "I was thinking about today's fight. It felt surprisingly good and I enjoyed it more than I have enjoyed any other in a rather long time."

 

"Yeah. 'm still pissed that you had fun without me. Apparently you two had a bloody good time… If we turn a blind eye to the fact that you would have been shred to pieces had I arrived a few minutes later," he answered scornfully.

 

His apparent frustration made her laugh out loud. "Then I should not forget to humbly thank our wonderful pilot for his timely arrival which saved us from a horrible death," she declaimed mockingly, adding an elaborated bow to her words.

 

While her little taunt made him grumble, Andronikos could not help smiling at the sight of her being more joyful than she had been lately. "Alright, alright. Can concede that you've done a pretty good job out there. And he stuck to his word too."

 

Nyx gave him a quizzical look. "His word? What word?"

 

"Keeping you safe," he mumbled. "Yeah, I know, I know, Big Bad Sith does not need protection," he continued as soon as he saw her open her mouth to retort. "But I shouldn't be discouraging him to ensure it if he's willing, huh? Besides, I'll have to file a complaint for that bruise on your neck."

 

The sound of footsteps on the gangplank interrupted their discussion when Arcann came out of the ship, clean and wearing a new set of clothes. He too seemed relaxed and bore a small smile on his face. He joined them near the fire, circumventing it to position himself on Nyx's left side, crouching in front of the fire and looking around.

 

"It almost feels like I was here years ago. But it has only been a few months," he said in a low voice, only loud enough for her to hear.

 

"I know. I barely had time to breathe as well," she answered in the same tone. "So this is where you decided to join us."

 

He snickered sheepishly and nodded. "It was the only path that seemed to potentially lead somewhere. We had the same enemies, I had finally understood it. And the fact that you would deserve the throne more than I did." He chuckled in a slightly sad way. "And I could not see myself running away, I had to try, even though it ended up in a quick death by your hand. But I can now admit that it has probably been the hardest decision that I have ever made. Deciding to pledge myself to you and leave my fate in your hands… I had faced potential death many times before, but never without fighting."

 

"'I choose my own fate,'" Nyx whispered, turning her head to look at him. "I remember you saying that, yes."

 

"That was the best choice I ever made," he forced himself to confess, voluntarily not leaving time to his head to instruct him to back down. It took even more strength to continue sustaining her gaze after his words. But he did, feeling his pulse accelerate and cursing himself once again internally for seeking approval from her in a way that painfully reminded him of the countless times he had hoped for the same from his father. But she was different, he kept telling himself. Different. And she did not turn her back on him. Or had not yet, at least.

 

"I do not regret mine either."

 

He did not know if it was the way she had said those words or the reflexion of his own aspirations but at that very moment, all he could suddenly think about was leaning closer and kissing her. He wanted her to know how he felt. He had to, could not keep it for himself any longer. It was not the first time he had been taking chances after all, what did he risk? Rejection. Oh Scyva, she could reject him, laugh at him, push him away and he would have to suffer it helplessly. But… perhaps she would not, and in that case…

 

"Weeeeeeell I rather like campfire discussions, but usually everyone is allowed to participate. I don't know what you two are mumbling about but it would be nice to share if you don't mind."

 

Suddenly pulled away from the thoughts that had been churning around wildly in his head, Arcann went back to reality in a split second. Izax! The pilot! Andronikos had been there the entire time! Barely containing a gasp, he turned his gaze back to the fire, feeling a cold wave flow down his chest at the realisation that his intentions might have been visible. Certain that his sudden discomfort was as bright as day, he immediately went back to his feet and decided to take care of the meat. He could not even imagine looking at her immediately, he was too worried about what he could see on her face had she noticed anything.

 

Luckily for him, the meat was ready and gave him a good opportunity to draw the attention on something else than his recent awkward behaviour. It took a while before he was able not to avoid eye contact with her, but the meal helped and tensions eased as both his companions seemed to act normally. He was incapable of knowing if any of them had perceived anything, but decided that they probably had not, which was definitely for the best... At least until he had a moment to think straight again.

 

When, after the meal, the Commander reminded her intentions to head for the Spire the next morning, he expressed his doubts that he would be welcome there but quickly noticed that she had thought it through already and had a solution to provide. A rather odd one, but it would work.

 

Note: Damn! Writing fights in another language is hard! I hope that I was able to make if good enough to convey what I wanted. Comments are welcome as always. Just saying hello is fine too.

Edited December 20, 2018 by Iheaca

Sorry I am so late in responding. I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

 

 

Sorry I am so late in responding. I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

 

I enjoyed this one. Looking forward to how you are going to handle the traitor.

The conversation between Arcaan and Andronikos, I was originally going to call it a pissing contest, though I realized that wasn't really correct. It became two people trying to make the other understand how important Nyx is to each of them. I am curious how the relationship between then men is going to progress.

I thought your fighting scene came across well. The more you write them, in general, the better they are going to get.

Looking forward to the next bit and how they are going to sneak Arcaan in.

Hey there. Oh I was betting that you were very busy, no issue with that. I hope that you are enjoying your time as well.

 

 

 

The morning was still young when Nyx got out of the ship and went straight to the remains of the tent where she knew that she would find Arcann. At dawn, the three of them had shared a quick and simple breakfast and had discussed the details of their visit to Zakuul's current officials. Andronikos had agreed to go his own way and hit a few cantinas so long as they would be staying in the Spire. He was relatively skilled at eavesdropping and was planning to chase the latest rumours in the places where people tend speak more easily. While he might not have been trained as a spy, his days as a pirate had taught him how to make people talk, with a glass or two and sometimes a few more charming skills involved. Arcann would however remain by Nyx's side, but he could not do it as his own self.

 

The political situation of Zakuul was currently unstable. A government was supposed to be elected within the next months but the process took some time and the people in place were for the moment only temporary. They had been chosen among some of the former advisors who had been in place during Arcann and Vaylin's time, mostly based on their knowledge of the city and its people more than on real political competences as they were meant, first and foremost, to be the main local contacts of the Alliance during the transitional initial period of reconstruction. Their choice had actually been one of the first decision Arcann had participated to regarding Zakuul. Even though his opinion had only been taken as one among many others and treated with the suspicion reserved to a former enemy, he had been requested to provide his analysis of each candidate's adequacy with the considerable task that would be theirs.

 

Most of these people knew him and Nyx was very well aware of the mixed feelings of the zakuulans for their former emperor. Most of the chosen officials would tolerate his presence thanks to the help he had provided in saving the city from the fleet's blind attack or simply because they had never been personally impacted by his most controversial decisions, but a lot of citizens gave him full accountability for many of their current woes nonetheless. Him, but her as well, as she had refused to hand him over to them for judgment and was as well still held responsible for the death of their beloved emperor Valkorion. Beloved… She could not help chuckling cynically at the idea of it, but understood that in their narrow perspective he had been that benevolent ruler for them, a highly praised benefactor. She did not really care changing that image so far anyway, narrow-minded people were a waste of her time, except when it was possible to manipulate them for a greater purpose, but the Alliance had already access to most of the valuable assets Zakuul possessed.

 

Until now, she had considered that the help provided by the Alliance for the reconstruction was enough to nip popular discontent in the bud or at least any tangible manifestation of it. But it looked like she might have been wrong and something was going on. Some people were ready to bite the hand that was feeding them even if the cost of it might be high. It still did not add up, though. Except for forces as powerful as the Republic or the Sith Empire, it was currently almost suicidal to attempt anything against the Alliance. A guerrilla would of course damage them and constrain them to fight one more threat and dilute their forces a bit more, but resistance would lose on the long term. Unless they had a more important plan that she did not grasp yet... What did their opponents have that made them confident that they could win against them and their fleet? Could the traitor be well positioned enough to damage them substantially from the inside? The simple idea of it was sending waves of concern and anger through her veins. She had warned all of her allies of the fate she reserved to anyone betraying her… Whoever they were, traitors would be punished by death. And a painful one.

 

Nyx reached the right side of the open infrastructure. She could see Arcann inside, his back turned to her and visibly lost in his own thoughts. Taking advantage of not having been noticed yet, she stopped and started observing him shamelessly, admiring his stature. He was already clad in half an armour, up to his waist, and was browsing through the chest pieces to find one that would fit on him. The undershirt that he was wearing covered his chest and arms and rose up to the middle of his neck but its fit did not leave so much to her imagination. His right arm and shoulder were those of one who had spent years training and fighting and she could note the attention that had been given to his artificial arm which perfectly mimicked his real one in shape. She could see the muscles of his back move under the thin stretch fabric and fleetingly caught herself wishing that she could have a peek at his chest as well. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she found him rather attractive. Despite the scars and the cyberarm. Or even thanks to them, perhaps, as they were only acknowledging his past as a warrior who had had to prove his valour in battle.

 

She had always despised nobles, and all the people who always made the comfortable choice of hiding behind others and using them to achieve their goals without ever facing danger themselves. Oh, using people was not an issue per se. Every leader - or anyone aspiring to be one - had to know how to cleverly use the people around them, openly or not. But to her it was not sufficient. She did not see value in those who were not strong enough to face their destiny alone if they had to. That disdain included several of her former peers in the Empire and was the reason why she had always felt more connected to Darth Marr who had never hesitated to get more closely involved in conflicts. For what concerned Arcann, he had been a prince and an emperor but first and foremost a fighter and a commander on the battlefield. That was where she thought that his strength mainly resided, where he was the most at ease, and probably an aspect that made him more appealing to her the more he came to terms with who he now was.

 

Appealing, yes. At the very least, she had to concede that she liked his presence by her side and the imprint that he had in the Force. Strong. And getting stronger again. It was far from comparable to the outpouring of hatred she had been confronted to during their last encounter as enemies, more serene, controlled, a quiet statement of his presence that had nothing to do with the raging expression of his former self. Confidence. That was it. And it was that confidence that had convinced her in an instant in the War Room to have him on this mission, she had not even hesitated one split second. On the contrary, she had liked seeing him impose his presence. A little more than she should have, perhaps. There were not many people that she considered an equal. He was one of them and that alone made him attractive to her…

 

Suddenly realising the direction in which her thoughts were wandering and the way her body resonated with them, she forced herself back to reality. Warning signs had lit up everywhere in her mind. Complications. Many of them. Regarding who she now was. And who he was. She had to focus on solving their traitor issue and that was the reason why they were there on Zakuul. A pang of anger at the idea of being betrayed helped sobering her up and she decided to make her presence known. He was almost done with the armour anyway and they had planned to leave as soon as possible. This was not a time for lingering in inappropriate thoughts.

 

"Have you found everything you need?"

 

He straightened his back and turned around slowly, the helmet he had just chosen in his hands. "Oh… I had not heard you come…"

 

"You seemed deeply focused indeed."

 

He chuckled lightly. "I was rehearsing my role, trying to bring back memories of the way they acted and talked in official situations. I figured that it might be useful." He winced a little and continued. "I would rather remain totally silent, though. It may be risky if I speak."

 

Nyx nodded in agreement. "They may recognise your voice. We will try to avoid the situation. If you are ready, then we should head to the Spire," she added before turning on her heels. Her recent thoughts were still bugging her enough for her to want to cut the discussion short, she did not feel comfortable in his presence at this very moment and did not want to take any risk of it becoming visible.

 

"Nyx?"

 

She froze. It was the first time that he called her by her name except the day before when he had simply repeated it in the ship. By the sound of it, he had visibly been forcing himself not to use her title instead to meet her request but had a hard time changing his habits. It felt strange to her too, like bearing a feeling of unexpected closeness. She turned around and looked back at him quizzically, making sure that her face remained imperturbable.

 

He grabbed a long cylinder that was placed on a nearby crate and quickly strode towards her. "Here… Take this," he said in a low and almost solemn voice, handing it to her.

 

She looked down to the object that he was presenting her then gave him a surprised look. "Your lightsaber?"

 

He nodded, placing it in the hand that she had almost instinctively stretched out. "It could be another giveaway of who I am. Some people know it. It is safer if you keep it." One corner of his lips went up in an amused smile. "A trophy taken from a defeated enemy?"

 

Nyx chuckled lightly. He was voluntarily turning it into a joke but what he had just done was not a trivial choice for any fighter. Even though she barely used it, she still considered her own lightsaber as an extension of her own arm and her own will. She had crafted it and would only give it to someone else very reluctantly. While she had no clue of the process he went through to create his, she doubted that he considered it any differently. Yet he entrusted her with it instead of trying to find a way to hide it on him…

 

Slightly troubled, she had a second look at the weapon. It was substantially larger than hers and of a simpler design, made of a deep black material that looked like it almost absorbed light, encased in silvery parts that shone as if they had just been thoroughly polished. These were enhanced by curved abstract patterns that had been so lightly engraved that they remained unnoticed to the unmindful eye. The weight of it was as well substantially different from what she was used to. Heavier. A weapon requiring strength but which, by its conception, would increase the impact of each blow even more. It felt odd to have it in her hand. It was so deeply personal…

 

"You may want to give it back if we enter a serious fight. I am not really used to wielding spears anymore." His words broke the silence that had fallen upon them but he had spoken them in an incredibly soft tone, as if he had felt her unease and been making his best to nudge her gently out of her thoughts without startling her. Deliberately avoiding looking at him, she took a deep breath in and nodded, clipping the hilt to her belt, right behind her own.

 

"Fine. Shall we?" she uttered, taking a step back and finally daring to have a look at him. Turning on her heels, she just had time to see him nod and extend his arm to grab a nearby spear before heading back to the ship. She was relieved to go…

______________________________________________

 

The footsteps of the Commander and her armoured bodyguard resonated on the gangplank as they went out of their ship. Roughly fifty meters ahead, on the other side of the bridge reaching the landing pad, three silhouettes were silently waiting for them. Two of them were clad in the distinctive golden armour of the zakulaan knights, mirroring the one Arcann was wearing, the third one, a civilian, was wearing simple but visibly tailored garments proving that he belonged to the higher society.

 

"Commander. I hope that you had a good trip. I apologise for the lack of official welcoming party but your visit is rather unexpected," he proclaimed, bowing formally. "I see that you chose one of our natives to accompany you," he added, nodding to her companion. "Lieutenant…"

 

"I am more interested in answers than in unnecessarily formalities, I assure you," Nyx answered in a firm but affable way. "I have a few sensitive questions that need answers," she added, making sure that they kept on moving towards the building where they usually had meetings. Two hours before, the Blazing Queen had taken off from the Endless Swamp and followed the same corridor to leave plant than to land of it the day before, making therefore sure that the ship remained unnoticed once again. They had joined chosen coordinates that may have corresponded to a plausible hyperjump exit and had made their arrival known to the traffic controllers. The real identities of both Andronikos and Nyx had been provided while Arcann had been announced as Lieutenant Dralin Vale, an actual Knight who had joined the Alliance at the same time as him.

 

They followed their host, Arslan Uhdea, one of Arcann's former intendants when he was on the throne, to the new administration centre of the Spire. The building that had been home to Valkorion and his family and the symbol of their reign over the Eternal Empire has voluntarily been closed and left unused as the new politicians in place wanted to draw a line between themselves and the former power in place. Instead, they were now using a smaller building that had been once mostly used for entertainment purpose. The Alliance still had a direct access to the throne room, far above the atmosphere, but had agreed, in sign of good faith, to not wander in any other part of the main building without prior notification.

 

Even though the walkways on this level seemed to have been preserved by the Eternal Fleet's attach and be relatively well maintained, the difference with their state before the fall of Zakuul was unmistakable. None of the former ever busy droids, whether they were for security, cleaning or deliveries, could be seen around and the few citizens passing by had lost their lustre and the wanton thoughtlessness that they displayed in the past. The few glances given to their group were grim and resigned, the looks of people having to adapt to a reality that was not their own. Mentally, Nyx noted that they had now more in common with the population of the major metropolises of the galaxy, but for them who had never known anything else than their carefree life, it had to be a difficult change.

 

"How is the situation progressing?"

 

"We still rely mainly on food and other basic necessities delivered by the Alliance and try to establish trade agreements with nearby planets. But of course it is difficult to conduct cordial negotiations with worlds our former rulers plundered for centuries, and we do not have much to offer either."

 

Waking up from Valkorion's dream had indeed been hard for the zakuulian citizens and their representatives did not have an easy situation at hand. Most of them knew that the Alliance was at the origin of the emptiness of their treasury and even though Arcann had been able to gather new wealth before the end of his reign, they had not last long and had mostly been engulfed in his sister's destruction madness. Zakuul was left with nothing more than deficient infrastructures and missing funds.

 

The state of the planet had been in the centre of extensive discussions on Odessen, most of them purposely held without the presence of anyone having ties with Zakuul (neither Senya nor Arcann had been invited) in order to leave emotional considerations out of the scope. The former core of the Eternal Empire was not uninteresting. The technologies used to maintain the zakuulan society were advanced, and while they were as well available in other places of the galaxy, their access was not always easy, it was therefore tempting for the Alliance to simply take what they could as their defeated opponent was in no position to object. Dr Oggurobb was rather keen to apply that solution as everything left on place was a waste of resources that may end up in unwanted hands. And he was right, they could all easily imagine the interest that not only the Empire and the Republic but as well the Hutt Cartel or other organisations could take in such an easily available tech. As much as they were concerned, the zakuulans might be glad to sell whatever they had to the highest bidder as long as it helped them feed their population and since Nyx had chosen not to declare herself an Empress - a decision that she sometimes partly regretted - she could not claim the resources of the Eternal Empire as legitimately hers. The best solution that they had found was to claim part of the technology and help the planet survive and rebuild with the remainder, counting on the fact that they would remain in the Alliance and might someday constitute a valuable asset. Only time would tell if they were right, however the fact that communications with the traitor were coming from here was not a good sign.

 

"You must put efforts in producing goods locally, first and foremost. Are there enough trainees learning from our engineers?"

 

"Yes, we found many volunteers and entertain high hopes on this side. But learning takes time and it has only been a few months, now."

 

The distance to the representative's office gave opportunity for a few other common subjects that could be openly discussed. When they arrived at their destination, the Knights remained out of the meeting room but Nyx insisted to have her own companion joining inside, a request resulting in a surprised and rather offended look from her interlocutor as he sat behind his desk after having showed her a seat.

 

"I believe that logistics details is not the reason why you are paying us an unexpected visit, Commander. What brings you here today?"

 

"You are right," she answered calmly, choosing her words carefully. "We have heard of dissident voices in your population that may soon endanger the peaceful process of our collaboration. I thought that we would both benefit of making sure such a thing does not happen."

 

Uhdea raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Dissidents? Well, as you are aware, a substantial portion of the population does see the Alliance as the main cause of their current misery. This should not be a surprise to you."

 

"It is not. And it cannot be avoided. However, if these unhappy voices get organised and become a proper opposition force, it becomes a concern for you as much as for us," she continued. "Have you heard or seen any sign of gatherings that could be related to a rebellion?"

 

He shook his head. "No gathering, but it does not mean that they do not exist. We regularly see messages hastily painted on walls inciting people to unite and fight the oppressor. Some of the food distribution sites have to be more protected as well as they are regularly targeted by individuals wanting people to stop being dependant from the Alliance. However we do not have any proof of the existence of an organisation behind these events."

 

Addressing him a perplex nod, she took the small metal plate that they had discovered in the swamps the day before out of her belt pocket and placed it on the desk in from of him. "Does this sign mean anything to you?"

 

The human politician took the piece carefully between his fingers and started observing it. Like Arcann, he quickly concluded that it had to be a representation of Zildrog but could not say more. "I will require a few investigations on this," he said, pushing it back towards Nyx. "But the fact that you did not deliver our former Emperor to justice does most probably not elude you. By your actions, you are yourself fuelling anger and resentment."

 

"I already stated that this part was not negotiable. He surrendered to the Alliance and swore to serve it, it is therefore my right to use him as I see fit. He is powerful, and more useful to me as fighting soldier of the Alliance than rotting in a cell." she answered calmly, but her tone had grown colder, making it clear that the subject was not debatable. The man in front of her shook his head with a disappointed face.

 

"You may be forcing the odds dangerously too far, Commander. It is easy for people who only see this fact and the state of our current city to conclude that you adhere to the same murderous principles than our former ruler. Many families had members among the Scions, the Knights or the hunted citizens that were forced to exile for having dared expressing their doubts."

 

Nyx smiled casually, counterbalancing the growing harshness of the official with an equal detachment. "Is it your case, Counsellor? It may have been relevant to mention your personal grudges when the position was offered to you."

 

Uhdea answered bitterly, leaning over the desk to look her in the eye. "My family was luckily spared by such tragedy, but unlike others, I am rather sensitive to my people's concerns."

 

"You may then be glad to know that your former emperor is sensitive to that aspect too and is doing more for Zakuul that you may expect. He will not be turned in," she stated peremptorily.

 

"You are being a fool, Commander. And it may one day turn against you. It is a shame that neither our former Eternal Emperor's children nor you were able to show the same wisdom he had."

 

"You do not know what you are talking about," she answered sharply, hiding a sudden pang of anger behind a cynical chuckle.

 

Silent dropped upon them They remained silent for a while, Nyx standing her ground and refusing to be the first to break eye contact, her usual half-smile lingering on her lips. The zakuulan surrendered first and inhaled deeply, leaning against the back of his office chair and taking sudden interest in the Knight behind her.

 

"And you, Lieutenant. What do you think of the situation? As a former citizen of Zakuul, you must have an opinion about it."

 

She heard Arcann stiffen and gasp before answering in a voice that he had visibly tried to modulate. The sound of it, that very low and slightly raspy tone, was indeed distinctive… and known by anyone on the planet. And even if his former mask changed it substantially compared to how he sounded now, there still remained something recognisable. "I… trust the Commander's judgment… Sir."

 

The official frowned and tilted his head on the side, observing him. "Your name does not tell me anything. But your voice… Would you mind removing your helmet for me, Lieutenant?"

 

"I would rather stop diverting from our initial discussion, Counsellor. I do not believe that my bodyguard's face is relevant to the subject."

 

The Commander had tried to intervene but the man in front of her did not get distracted and stood up from his chair slowly, continuously looking at the armoured man in front of him. "That will take only a few seconds. May you please remove this helmet, Lieutenant?" he repeated.

 

Arcann did not comply but his increased nervousness was visible. Nyx raised from her seat slowly, placing herself voluntarily in Uhdea's line of sight to catch his attention and starting to speak as soon as she had it.

 

"Listen to me carefully. You just saw my companion's face and concluded that you were wrong. You do not know him and realise how absurd your request was. Now, you will gladly agree to my next request. After all, you must start working on your investigation immediately to make sure that you provide results."

 

She had pronounced every syllable slowly and very distinctly in a neutral but firm tone. Uhdea did not even blink once and looked as if he was drinking every word, mesmerised. As soon as she was done, she sat down again and he seemed to wake up from a brief moment of absence, his eyes drifting back to Arcann.

 

"Oh… I apologise for my request, Lieutenant. I was mistaken. Now, where were we?" he uttered, sitting down again behind his desk.

 

"I would not want to take too much of your time and delay your investigation. May I ask you a last favour before we leave? I would like to visit your former emperor's private apartments. When he froze me in carbonite seven years ago, he took from me something that I valued substantially and that I would like to retrieve. Something of no interest for Zakuul, of course. It appears from the information I recently got that it was hidden there and probably still is. But as you may want to have us escorted, which I perfectly understand, I would be grateful if you could call Indo Zal for that purpose."

 

The request of accessing Arcann's private apartements had emanated from him. He had hesitated long before asking on their way to the Spire and agreed that Nyx would only enquire it if the circumstances allowed it. He was the one who had something to retrieve. He had been rather elusive about it and she had made clear that it was rather unlikely that the possibility arose, but against all odds, it had eventually materialised.

 

The man seemed suddenly relieved and particularly keen to accept. Reaching towards his holocommunicator, he immediately complied. "Of course Commander. I will call him immediately."

______________________________________________

 

Zal knocked at the door a few moments later to take them to the apartments that were once the emperor's. He seemed glad to meet the Commander again as they had had no opportunity to meet after the grandiose festival that he had insisted on organising to celebrate the end of the Vaylin's reign over Zakuul and a strongly hoped for new era of peace. The former Magistrate of Revelry did obviously not keep his position after the end of the Eternal Empire, but had volunteered to put his organisational skills to good use and was now coordinating a substantial portion of the reconstruction operations.

 

He had been a decisive element in the Alliance's fight against Vaylin. Even though the operation that he had helped putting in place had been a failure, he had proven to be a valuable asset, which had been confirmed in his involvement in their takeover of the Eternal Throne to stop the fleet's destruction madness.

 

Nyx tended to appreciate him and respect his impressive adaptation skills. They had spent a rather considerable time talking during the celebrations following the Alliance's victory and, getting to know him better, she saw interesting similarities between his path of life and hers. Indo Zal had mastered the art of being the right person at the right place. He had perfected an opportunistic way of acting that made his always charming and affable behaviour a perfect display of what people needed him to be, more than of who he really was. A beautiful and well-polished mask that she was not dupe about. Wasn't it after all very similar to the game she played with many? She was conscious that he was as capable as she was of maintaining appearances if his loyalties to the Alliance were to change. The zakuulan was a man who needed to be kept under close watch. She knew it. And he knew that she did. But for now, she currently considered him as her most trustworthy contact on Zakuul.

 

They spent most of the way to the royal building discussing casually, followed by Arcann's silent armoured shape. Zal, used to focus on the "important" people, had not even really paid attention to the Commander's companion and Nyx wondered how her improvised bodyguard was dealing with all the things he heard without being able to react to them. Even though he had always known better than trying to make her change her mind and turn Arcann in for the sake of revenge, their escort did not mince his words about the damages that their former emperor and his sister had done to Zakuul and their people. His grudge was deeply personal and even though he had achieved one part of his plans of revenge when Vaylin had died, the man who had ordered the slaughter of the Scions, and consequently the death of his beloved sister, was still alive. And actually walking less than two meters behind him, without him knowing.

 

"I may want to apologise for the state in which you will find the former emperor's apartments, Commander," he stated in the lift that gave a direct access to the entire floor that had once been Arcann's private place. "Our late empress came here after having seen her brother pledge himself to you on the Holonet on her festival day. She sort of… calmed her nerves on his belongings. Most of the valuable objects that remained intact have been now used for trading purpose since the Alliance did not seem interested, but otherwise the place has remained in the same state she left it. Whatever you are looking for, I doubt that you can still find it there."

 

"We will know it very soon, won't we?"

 

The doors opened on a wide area that looked like it had been hit by a storm. The place, that had probably been lavishly decorated once, now only resembled a pricey battleground. Lumps of broken furniture were scattered everywhere, mixed with half burnt expensive rugs and curtains, and shards of what had obviously been rare and costly artefacts glimmered in the light cast by the remaining lighting sources. A lot of appliances had visibly been hit by electrical discharges and now only provided a flickering glow.

 

Nyx stepped inside the room and turned around to address their escort as soon as the lift closed its doors behind them. "Would you consider this place safe with the three of us inside it at this very moment, Indo?" she asked abruptly.

 

"As long as you trust your bodyguard, I would answer in the affirmative, Commander. If the former inhabitant had not put in place a surveillance system that I do not know about, of course," Zal answered, confirming with these words that he would keep whatever he would witness for himself.

 

"I valued my privacy," uttered the Knight stepping around the young man to move further into the room and removing his helmet.

 

An expression of shock and disbelief immediately started to show on Indo's face as soon as he recognised the face of the armoured man who had been walking with them all along. "Your… your Majesty. I did not know…" he managed to stammer out after a while, his gaze fixed on Arcann's face.

 

"There is no majesty here," the former emperor replied, putting down his helmet on a chest of drawers that seemed miraculously spared from Vaylin's wrath. Ignoring the other man's startled glance, he slowly looked around him, appraising the state of the place he once lived in. "My sister destructive impulses in all their splendour, even if it is in no way comparable to what she did to the city and other planets."

 

"Or to people," Nyx added in a falsely casual tone. "You may be interested in knowing that Indo's sister, who raised him in the absence of their late parents, was a Scion."

 

Arcann froze then slowly turned to face her. Behind him, she could hear Zal gasp at the mention of his sister but the man did not move. Her companion frowned, seeming undecided about how to deal with the information and she repressed a satisfied smile. That was exactly what she was interested in discovering: what he would do with the reminder of one of his questionable past decisions in front of someone who had suffered from it. She had no precise expectations but was certain that his behaviour would say a lot about him.

 

He exhaled deeply and turned around slowly in the other man's direction and this time she did not stop the smile that raised one corner of her mouth. In the second that his movement had taken, Arcann had straightened up and stood now in a confident stance in front of the other zakuulan, looking at him with determination.

 

"It will never be enough and will not make your sister come back, but you have my true apologies," he said in a firm but soft and deeply sincere tone that almost surprised her.

 

Zal swallowed, clutching his jaw to repress a sob and blinked a few times, visibly trying to hold back tears. After a moment sustaining the gaze of the one who had ordered his sister's death only because he did not believe in fate managed to speak in a shaky and accusing voice. "You are right. It will never be enough." He breathed in and out deeply and added. "Even though it is already more than expected."

 

Joining Arcann's side, Nyx decided to step in at that point to defuse the tension that had built around them. "Arcann has been very sensitive to the interest of Zakuul since he joined the Alliance. It will obviously not change the past, but I believe that you can consider it as a good sign that things have changed."

 

The zakuulan nodded gravely, briefly looking at her before turning his gaze back again towards his former ruler. "I thank you for the apologies… I guess," he said in a formal and edgy tone. "I prefer remaining here while you have a look around," he added, taking a few steps backward towards the lift and breaking eye contact with who he now knew was far from being only a nameless knight.

 

As she saw her companion turn around and start moving to another part of the floor, the Commander followed him, curious to see what he wanted to retrieve from there. He had mentioned a gift for his mother, but considering the current state of the place, she doubted that he would find what he was looking for. She followed his steps to what had probably been a bedroom from the massive bed that stood there. The imposing piece of furniture still remained intact but everything that could be destroyed had been shred to pieces.

 

The most striking fact was how empty the room looked. Apart from the bed and the door to something that looked like a refresher with an adjoining dressing room, a chest of drawers, a seat and a side table, there was nothing. No mirror, no artefact of any kind and above all, absolutely nothing that could have been considered personal belongings.

 

"Not much remaining…"

 

Arcann shook his head negatively. "To the exception of a few trophies that were displayed on the wall, nothing is missing. I emptied this room years ago, when I started feeling nothing other than hatred. You do not need much for yourself when you cannot feel attached to anything."

 

"Then why are we here?"

 

He addressed her a rather sad smile and moved towards the bed. "There was one exception. Something I could not bear looking at but could not cast away." He sat on the bed and put the palm or his right hand against the headboard, pushing gently, activating a mechanism that revealed a cache that had been so finely crafted that it remained otherwise invisible. Inserting his hands in the confined space, he cautiously took out a cylindric object wrapped in a piece of red silky fabric and put it on his knees, manipulating it slowly with apparent respect. The fabric soon revealed a black and silver hilt that Nyx immediately recognised to be similar to the one that now hung from her belt, aside to hers. She took a few steps closer to see it better.

 

"A spare one?"

 

He shook his head and raised his eyes, meeting her gaze. "My brother's."

 

"For Senya."

 

He nodded, turning his gaze back to the lightsaber and slowly wrapping it back into the shimmering cloth, handling it with infinite care. Nyx turned to look out of the window to give him a semblance of privacy, understanding that he was forcing himself to face memories that were probably his most painful ones. She absorbed herself in the contemplation of the incredible view. The apartments were high above the planet's atmosphere and offered the soothing sight of distant stars and nearby ships glimmering in the darkened sky and she chuckled ironically at the striking contrast between the spacious and brightly lit apartments and the confined quarters he was now allowed to live in. "Living on Odessen must be quite a change for you compared to a place like this."

 

"It is. But I would know better than to complain about it to someone I kept frozen in carbonite for five long years," he answered, putting the bundle on the damaged bed and joining her by the window.

 

"Oh I had a lot of space in my own haunted dreams. The major issue was of having to share them with your lovely father. He made a point of keeping me entertained but I did not find him very amiable."

 

As she did not even turn her look to him while speaking these words, Arcann absorbed himself in the contemplation of the stars as well. "I do not think that I would had ever borne the presence of my father in my own head," he muttered. "I can only imagine how awful it must have been to have him come and go and talk to you as he pleased."

 

"I heard and saw a lot of things I did not want to…" she answered, turning her head to face him. "But the worst part of it was to know that whatever thought I had, there was another being in my head that was aware of it. One I did not want to share with, but who I could not get rid of. I had experienced that before, but was not planning to repeat the experience unwillingly. I swear that my mind is now remaining my own, and my own alone. Believe me. Whatever happens, I am definitely done sharing."

 

He sighed, looking out of the window once more. He was not responsible for the fact that Valkorion had used her as a vessel, but he had definitely contributed to making it last. "I am still surprised that you could forgive me after all I did," he uttered, his voice bearing an obvious tint of shame.

 

"Forgive?" Surprised, Nyx turned to face him this time, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "I thought that you had understood by now that there was nothing I had to forgive. As unpleasant as it has been, I can only fully understand why you did it. In one single move you got rid of your father and the closest threat to your throne. Strategically, it would have been unwise to miss the opportunity. Do you think that I would have spared you in that situation?"

 

He chuckled and shook his head negatively. "Probably not... But my old self would have made you pay for it."

 

"And the new one?" she asked with an amused smile, crossing her arms on her chest. "If you were in my position, what would you have done if I had come to pledge myself to you?"

 

"I…"

 

His bewildered expression made her chuckle, which disconcerted him even more. But after a while thinking about it silently, he had to resign himself to confessing that he did not know.

 

"Well then, that may be something you want to know," she answered. "Who are you? What defines you? I know what defines me, and I may be closer than you think to who Emperor Arcann was. Or even not that far from who your father was."

 

He snorted and shook his head negatively. "No. There may be similarities sometimes in the way you think. But you have values that he did not have."

 

"Do I?" she asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow and addressing him an amused half-smile.

 

"Yes! You…" He frowned, trying to find the best arguments and started pacing inside the room. The fact that she dared comparing herself to Valkorion seemed to distress him as if this was a parallel that he could not accept considering. "You care about people. My father did not care. I did not care. You do."

 

Nyx shrugged. "I care about my people. Not so much about the others. I do not feel compassion for the weak or for people I do not know. That may be a difference with your father, yes. I have not lived long enough to consider only my own self in the equation. And compared to who you were… There are choices you made that I would not have made myself. But not because they were cruel, only because I did not find them clever enough. I never hid it from you. And I am not ashamed of myself. The question is, are you?"

 

Arcann stopped pacing and looked in the direction of the door, remembering about the other man who had escorted them and was still waiting for them in the other room. He gave her a look that was all together amused and incredulous. "Zal was a test, wasn't he? You put me to the test…"

 

She answered with a rather witty grin. "I did. I was curious how you would react. I have been curious from the beginning."

 

He snickered ironically. "Did I pass?"

 

She chuckled again and started making her way back to the entrance. "This is a question you must answer. Tell me when you know."

_____________________________________________

 

They had left Zakuul an hour before. Their ship was now heading its way towards Odessen and Arcann had taken the opportunity to isolate himself, pretending a slight headache. Lying on his berth, eyes closed, he felt the need to reflect quietly about these two days spent on Zakuul. Their expedition in the swamps, the fight, the appointment with Uhdea and the conversations that were held in his former apartments… even that moment around the fire that he had made so many efforts to keep out of his head until then.

 

Their most recent discussion came to his mind first - her persistent questions, her way of shaking his grounds to test their stability. She had been doing it since their first real discussions on Odessen and he was convinced that she was not done with it yet. Every time he took a step ahead, she pushed further and left him with more questions.

 

He was not used to questioning himself. All his life before the Alliance had been a series of certitudes. He had been raised as a prince and as a warrior, with codes, rules, conventions, techniques he simply had to learn and know. He had been taught to succeed, deliver, meet expectations, not challenge them. Challenging was not something people dared in the shadow of the Eternal Emperor Valkorion, and being one of his children did not change a thing, they were all there to serve, not ask.

 

His brother had coped with it, he had found his life enjoyable enough to set aside the downside of not having the freedom to choose his own fate. But he, Arcann, the unruly child, and later the more and more frustrated man, had never been able to. He had always wanted that freedom that was out of his reach, and that was the reason why his life has suddenly collapsed into chaos.

 

Killing his father had brought him the freedom he had longed for, but with it new burdens dragging him down. The pain of being his own brother's murderer, isolation, the need of proving that he could be a greater emperor than Valkorion had been and with every failure, every frustration, the anger taking a better hold on his heart. He had concluded years before that freedom was only a lie, a ghost that he had been meaninglessly pursuing.

 

Killing the Scions had been the desperate action of a fool struggling to get control on his own life. And he had of course miserably failed. Again. The Scions did not weave fate, they only saw it, but it had been so much easier to make them responsible for his pains.

 

It had been the same with the Outlander. Designating her as the latest excuse for his own failures had been so convenient. It had fuelled his hate, given him reasons to dig even deeper in the darkness and not face his own demons. Until he had been forced to do so…

 

Waking up had been hard. Realising how much he had remained a pawn of something greater than him had been harsh. How many times he had sat, staring blankly, wondering what he was supposed to do with all of that. How many times he had hesitated between fighting back or crawling into a space where he could be forgotten when she had forced him to face who he had been. He had never surrendered to his urges to hide, but he could not pretend he never wanted to. And she kept pushing him and never gave answers, never gave guidance, no rule, no code, no convention to be followed, only open questions, questions he was supposed to find answers to. But now he plainly realised that every single slap in the face he had received from her had not been meant to push him down like his father did. They had made him step further and make choices. Choices he was allowed to make freely, for once. She was not telling him how appraise his past but forcing him to do so. Nor was she directing his path towards the future but pushing him to think ahead.

 

It was overwhelming, confusing, suffocating and yet so thrilling, so intoxicating…

 

"I wish you were here, Thexan…" he whispered, touching the hilt lying by his side with his fingertips. "You would have deserved this so much too." He breathed profoundly, the memories of that evening by the fire coming back into his mind and sending flickers in his guts. "And I am sure that, unlike me, you would know what to do with her."

 

What to do… How he felt was not even a question anymore. He knew. But that was not enough… He had to find a way to tell her that being with her was one thing that he was intimately convinced that he wanted. But he was not sure that he was prepared to potentially face rejection. Or not even how to face acceptance and not screw up immediately. This was not a battle he knew how to win, not even one he knew how to get ready for.

 

It had felt so good to fight by her side. It had been even better to hear her say that she had liked it as well. In these moments he felt like she could consider him, but she was so slippery that he could not be sure. And this was something he had to be sure about. He could not fail. He did not want to fail. Not at that. Not with her. He did not know if he could endure it if she turned her back on him.

 

Arcann uttered a frustrated sigh, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling and shaking his head. He remembered that very last fight on his flagship when he had told her that fear had been beaten out of him before he could walk. How wrong he was… He simply had not yet met something that had been meaningful enough to scare him. Now he had…

 

Note: If you are reading this, say hi?

Edited January 28, 2019 by Iheaca

 

"Are you sure that you three will be enough?"

 

"Are you doubting our skills, Arcann?" she retorted with an amused smile.

 

It was late. The last details of the next operation had just been set and Nyx and Arcann were walking together back to their respective quarters for a short night sleep. The traitor's trail was leading them to the shadow world of Umbara and they were determined not to let them escape. While Nyx, Theron and Lana would chase them aboard the high speed train that was supposed to serve as a meeting place for their foes, another group would be deployed to prevent the Republic to get hold of the precious crystals that constituted the only interest that the planet had for foreigners. These crystals were used in lightsabers but worrisome rumours mentioned that scientists had found a way to use their properties in the development of super weapons. In a time were the biggest forces in the galaxy still suffered from their losses against the Eternal Empire and the strict arms limitations that had been imposed on them later on, being the first to get hold of such weapons was the Sith Empire's and the Republic's main goal, a goal that the Alliance had to prevent from happening.

 

So far, chasing the traitor had led to nothing. Whoever was betraying them unquestionably knew how to cover their tracks. Umbara were their first sound lead and a welcomed one.

 

"No… Of course not," he retorted, slightly regretting how his question had come out. He would know better than doubting the firepower that the three of them could deploy together, but he could not help hating the idea of being in a totally different location.

 

"I need you to lead the other group. Lana could have done it, but with the energy that she put in finding the traitor, it is her right to be there when we get hold of them."

 

"I know… I will do according to your instructions, Commander," he answered, nodding formally. Consciously or not, he had started mimicking Lana's way of interacting with Nyx since their return from Zakuul, making a clear distinction between the moments when she held her position as the Commander of the Alliance and times when their interactions were less formal when he called her by her name. It had been a couple of weeks already and each time he pronounced her name still seemed hesitant, as if he was still uncertain of the appropriate way to behave in these moments.

 

They had slowed down and stopped in front of her quarters, Arcann's being located further down a nearby passage. Reaching out to the door's access panel, she turned around to face him and addressed him a warm smile. "Have a good night sleep. We will need to be fit tomorrow."

 

Arcann opened his mouth to bid her good night in return but his answer did not come out. The corridor was empty and the shroud of quietness that had fallen onto the base gave the place an aura of intimacy. He was familiar with the particular atmosphere of that time of the day as it was the one he favoured for working on the armour he was forging, but while it had usually a soothing effect on him he did not find the same peace in her presence. He felt painfully drawn by forces pushing him forward and others holding him back. Boldness and restraint. Want and doubt.

 

He inhaled profoundly and mustered his courage, knowing that he might not find another appropriate moment to speak to her before a while. This one was not worse than another, they were alone and the night was as peaceful as it could be prior to an operation, so…

 

"Nyx… Before we part, I would like to talk to you about something private," he uttered in a single breath before he could think otherwise.

 

Nyx raised a quizzical gaze upon him and tilted her head on the side slightly, pondering about his request, then seemed to reach a decision. "Come in, we can talk here." She turned around and reached to open the door of her private quarters, Arcann bracing himself in her back for the confession he wanted to make.

 

Bracing himself or at least desperately trying to. This was no usual battle, not one he could step into with his lightsaber in hand and use all his might to win. Winning had nothing to do with overpowering an opponent, defeating a foe. Neither his fighting nor negotiation skills would be of use. He could not leverage them in a situation where the only thing he could do was uncovering what he had kept hidden in the depths of his heart and helplessly hope for acceptation. Holding his breath unconsciously, he prepared to follow her into the room when the door opened when she suddenly froze.

 

"Theron?"

 

How the spy had gotten into to the room without crossing their path was a mystery. Of course, they had not rushed to her quarters after the latest Alliance meeting, but Theron must have headed there immediately after its end. The reason why he was now waiting there, sitting at the table that she sometimes used for a quick late dinner alone, was even more mysterious. He had seemed rather concerned in the War Room and looked even gloomier when he raised his eyes to meet the Commander's.

 

It only took Nyx a few seconds to turn a questioning gaze to Arcann but his decision had already been instinctively taken.

 

"I… It can wait for your return," he managed to mutter, his gaze fixed on the other man.

 

"Are you sure?"

 

His confusion must have been visible and a concerned frown was now painted on the woman's face but he shook his head vigorously, trying as much to convince her than himself.

 

"Yes," he confirmed hastily, already taking a step backward. "Yes, it's… not that important. We can talk when you come back. Good luck Commander."

 

Arcann had backed off and started to make his way to his quarters before Nyx could decide otherwise, leaving her puzzled. She watched him disappear around the corner wondering how she had to interpret what had just happened. While she had noticed that he had tended to avoid intruding in other people's interactions within his first weeks on the base and had therefore retreated from such situations more than once, that first period seemed to be over. Furthermore, he had never reacted in such a way with her until then, yet he had just fled before she was even able to suggest meeting later and simply did not look like the man she thought she started to know… Whatever he wanted to speak about, it had to be sensitive enough to make him hesitate more than usual…

 

The fact that she would not know anything about it before leaving for Umbara bothered her and she gave an accusing look to Theron while entering her quarters.

 

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked in a falsely innocent manner. "I don't remember you making your quarters a secondary meeting room open to anyone wanting to speak to you, I believe."

 

She felt her patience immediately grow thin and answered coldly. "Yes you are. And whatever it was, it is certainly none of your business, Theron. What are you doing here?"

 

"I too need to talk to you before we leave…"

 

While his voice was serious, his posture was particularly nonchalant, which was a good indication for those who knew him well that he was not feeling particularly at ease. Nyx sighed and pulled the chair on his right to sit down.

 

"What is the matter?"

 

Theron raised his eyes to meet her gaze again. He looked tired and worn. The dark circles under his eyes had grown worse than ever and Nyx wondered how he could still walk straight. He had been working day and night for so much time now, and nothing of what could be said to him seemed to convince him to slow down. Luckily the hunt would soon be over and hopefully they could all get more rest.

 

"We may finally find out tomorrow who the traitor is…"

 

"Yes," she answered. "But you do not look relieved. Isn't it what you have been working on for a while, now?"

 

He sighed deeply, as if he was letting go of a weight held far too long and crossed his arms on his chest. "Yeah, I have." The former spy remained silent for a while with a frown, like buried in his thoughts, then uttered his concern: "I was wondering… What if you find out that it was someone you trusted? What if you discover that it was… I don't know… Lana, or Arcann… or even me?"

 

Nyx huffed and shook her head in disbelief. "Would any of you three be dumb enough to do such a thing? I doubt it."

 

"Answer the question."

 

"Whoever it is, I already stated my rules," she retorted dryly, mimicking his posture. "The traitor dies and I will make no exception."

 

"Mh… I thought so, yeah. No second chance this time, hu?" he asked, raising an interrogative eyebrow but already knowing the answer.

 

"Not after remaining silent when being offered an opportunity for forgiveness already once."

 

Nyx was referring to the opportunity that she had given to anyone in the Alliance to make amend and confess their implication in any kind of treachery. Her terms had been clear, whoever did not step forward that day and was caught later on threatening the Alliance would not be given mercy. Once the conditions had been stated, all who were close to her knew that there was no turning back. She would not risk losing credibility by changing them afterwards or making granting special treatments. Whoever it would be, and whatever the cost, the rule would prevail. She might even deal with treacherous friends with more anger than she would with anyone else.

 

Theron had stood up and started pacing, nodding silently. Nyx turned around to observe him with curiosity and a bit of concern. He was definitely more nervous than his usual, as if the idea of finding the traitor was a source of distress rather than relief, which was barely explicable. But they were all tired, and the idea of potentially missing their target was probably what was bothering him so much.

 

"Yeah. Makes sense… After all, you're still a Sith," he finally uttered, nodding again.

 

His statement put a mocking smile on her face. "I do not recall you having a problem with it."

 

"I didn't… I mean, I don't. Didn't was referring to… well, you know." The spy had blushed a little and cleared his throat nervously, scratching the spot behind the left hear that was a typical sign of his embarrassment. But quickly regaining composure, he continued. "Anyway, I guess that the traitor should better be smart or else they are living their last hours."

 

"I am confident that we will be smarter than them," she answered with conviction. After all, Theron and Lana were unique in their ability to track down people and get the most sensitive information. The traitor had been skilful so far, but Nyx was certain that they would catch them on Umbara.

 

Theron did not seem to share the conviction. He winced a little and came closer to the table again to grab the back of a chair, leaning forward towards her. "Unless it is someone who already knows about our plans…" he said in a low secretive voice.

 

She frowned, asking circumspectly: "What are you trying to draw my attention to, Theron? You would not come in here to point willingly at yourself, that would be utterly ridiculous. So who is it? Who are you trying to accuse?"

 

He shook his head vehemently, letting go of the chair to make a few steps backward, looking at her. "No one. I'm just telling that you should count on yourself only, just in case. You may have been a little overconfident lately. Like… easily trusting that people will not go behind your back. Dammit, I cannot believe that I am telling you to remain careful."

 

She remained motionless, silently gazing at him but felt that anger slowly was spreading its wings inside her chest. If there was something that she did not tolerate, it was such kind of comments, especially when they were coming from someone who may not be the perfect example to follow either. And of course Theron, with his trust issues and tendency to work on his own was definitely not one she wanted to be lectured by.

 

"You know, you are not exactly blameless yourself, if we speak about going behind someone's back…" she answered sourly.

 

"Yeah, fine, I know. Well, shall I remind you Lana's numerous little tricks too, then?"

 

Her patience was growing thin again. And the more she felt it, the colder she was getting. Theron usually knew where to stop to avoid crossing the line, but his usual restrain seemed forgotten this time. "Am I supposed to give you both marks and see who wins?"

 

"Damn, Nyx! Just stop a minute and look at who you trust the most!" Theron had begun pacing again accompanied his words with sharp and angry movements. "A former Republic spy, a Sith with countless secret contacts and a deadly former enemy who became an ally not so long ago. Wouldn't it be common sense to remain a little cautious?"

 

She huffed and stood up as well, stepping towards the desk where a bottle of Corellian Whisky stood to pour herself a drink. "Of course. The picture would not be complete if you had not added Arcann to it. Are we done yet or are there any other people you want to talk about?"

 

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that there's absolutely no issue in entrusting a man who tried to kill you countless times with the most sensitive information about the Alliance as if he had been by your side for years. And with your life as well, now that you chose him to be your new fighting partner."

 

Nyx put the bottle down and slowly turned around, sipping from her glass and licking her lips before answering. She felt definitely angry now, even though she still contained her wrath. Her nostrils flaring, she addressed him a condescending smile. "Are you jealous, Theron Shan? Shall I remind you that we are not sharing a bed anymore?"

 

"Well, thanks for reminding me of our relationship. And for summarising it to having shared a bed. I will always be impressed by your sensitiveness. But I guess that, unlike others, I am not worth your consideration. You bloody Force users cannot even acknowledge that we, inferior beings, might have feelings."

 

"Don't you even dare projecting your mother issues upon me! You shagged with a Sith, not an all-loving, benevolent and sugar-coated Jedi, deal with it!"

 

Her last words and the furious way she barked them at him, smashing her glass down against the desk, made him freeze totally. Staring blankly into space, he blinked several times as if trying to wake up from a bad dream then shook his head, raising an aghast gaze upon her.

 

"You know what? I'm done with this. All I wanted was to… Oh stars! Don't ever tell me I didn't try…"

 

Theron quickly reached the door and stopped, his back turned on her. Eyes closed he sighed deeply and pushed on the command panel to open. As he stepped outside into the dimly lit hallway, leaving a panting Nyx alone inside the room, he shook his head once more and mumbled inaudibly.

 

"Maybe it's better this way…"

______________________________________________

 

Arcann had not gone to his quarters after he had left Nyx with Theron. His feet had moved him forward then right, but instead of stopping at the door leading to the area he still shared with his mother, they had lead him further down the hallway. He did not really remember the whole way down to the woods. He had obviously taken a lift and walked without even paying attention. And now, there he was, panting, standing in the middle of the place they usually used for their training sessions, surrounded by the golden yellow glow of his lightsaber lit in his hand and an agonising shade stalker shuddering in front of his feet and three more behind it.

 

He had not come there to fight, but when the beasts had attacked, he had released all his frustration into the most violent blows he could deliver. The monsters had not last long and he almost regretted it. There was still so much anger, so much pain that he had to get out of his heart…

 

Stepping around the closest animal, he moved to a spot left untouched by his former fight and forced himself to breathe profoundly before taking a defence stance. Slowly, he began to move in a complex succession of movements that he could let flow one after the other without even thinking. He knew the sequence by heart for he had done it countless times from the moment he had learnt it to keep anger, frustration or sadness at bay, and so often a mix of them all.

 

He was still a young child when his knight teacher had surprised him at night crushing utility droids with a wooden stick with as much strength as his little arms could provide. He had expected to be beaten for it, like so many times when he had done something that was forbidden or simply not to the tastes of his instructors, and remembered that the idea itself had not even bothered him. The day had been an awful one. He had trained hard and got hurt more than his little body should have suffered, but he had remained courageous and continued, again and again, drying his cheeks stained with dirt, sweat, blood and tears as many times as needed. But again, the man who overlooked their training, his father, had turned his back on them, refusing to give even the slightest glimpse of acknowledgement of the efforts that were done. Getting beaten once more at night did not change a thing, every single one of his limbs was already so painful that a little more would not make a difference.

 

But as a matter of fact, the knight had not beaten him as expected. Instead, he had brought him back to the training grounds and showed him how to let his emotions flow through his body to reach the stick and expel them with every move. They had kept it a secret, but night after night, he had learnt. Night after night… until his trainer had gotten caught and their encounters reported to his father. The knight had been taken away and Arcann had never seen him again, but he had continued alone, both because it helped him bear every passing day and in pure defiance.

 

He had not trained this way in his darkest years. He did not see the point in expelling his feelings anymore when they could fuel him instead. He had started cherishing pain too much to want it to go away. Pain was all he got after all, side by side with anger. But that day when he had followed her meditative routine with her had made it all come back and he had taken time in the silence of the night to find once more the sequence he had been taught.

 

It had helped soothing him down several times already, but tonight, it could not make him forget how much he hated himself for not being able to tell her about his feelings, for having backed off when he should not have. But what was he supposed to do? Insist that his matter was more important than Theron's? Wait for their discussion to end and try once more to talk to her afterwards? No. No need to find any kind of excuses, he had been a coward, and he hated himself for it. For fearing her answer so much that he could not even bravely seek it. For being scared of feeling something inside him die if she rejected him. Oh of course, it was utterly ridiculous, his life did not depend on her answer, he would not die of hearing her decline his attentions, but wasn't it even worse?

 

Arcann slashed in the air once again in a blow filled with rage and suffering. Why did he have to feel that way? Why couldn't he simply step forward or let go. He had been an Emperor, claimed planets, annihilated countless lives, taken a lot of them with his own hands and yet he had retreated when all he had to do was claiming her. He was a warrior after all, he had always fought whatever it had costed him, whatever the pain, surrendering had never been an option. But tonight, he felt stripped of any weapon he knew, powerless. Brute force was worth nothing in this fight, intimidation useless, fighting skills meaningless…

 

He slowed down and stopped after the last stance, letting go of his lightsaber and turning the palm of his hands upwards, both flesh and durasteel, to look at them. That was exactly how he felt… empty-handed. What could he give her that she could not get anywhere else after all? He had no Empire left, no wealth, no title, no power. All he could offer as a warrior was already pledged to her. He would not leave if she rejected him, he would remain loyal despite the pain.

 

All that remained to be given was himself, a broken man trying to rebuild himself and find a new path of life. There was only him, him and nothing else than promises of standing by her side and cherishing her whatever happened. But he was not even sure that he would know how to do that… Would he?

 

Alone in the woods of Odessen, in the middle of the night, Arcann allowed something to happen, something that had not happened for what seemed like an eternity. Raising his face to look at the stars, he let tears of helplessness run down his cheeks unrestrained.

 

Note: And sorry for the wait... I've been distracted lately.

Just caught up on this.... seriously breathtaking the way you paint them.. cant wait for the next one!!

Just caught up on this.... seriously breathtaking the way you paint them.. cant wait for the next one!!

Hey, nice to see you here.

 

Thank you. I am a slow writer and do not have many chapters written in advance like Kitar did so you may have to wait I little, but I am glad that you like the story.