Dawnbreaker Episode Split Destiny/Part 14

CHAPTER 40

Meanwhile, Sar'Eel had just returned from a test flight in her new fighter. As the TIE Interceptor settled in for a landing, right next to her Toscan, she could see through the forward viewport a number of pilots and hangar maintenance personnel pointing in her direction.

She smirked to herself.

"Probably still can't get over my 'insanity', in actually wanting to fly combat missions in one of these. That's your problem, guys, not mine... because this thing is literally MADE for a dogfight! A dream to fly and maneuver in. As for shields... don't need them! Not in something as elusive as this... especially in my hands!" - popping the hatch and climbing out, then dropping lightly to the deck.

One of the pilots, this one looking a bit more seasoned then the rest, approached her, measuring her VERY closely...

"Howdy ma'am." the man greeted, tipping his big hat to her in the process, "Some of the boys over thar were tellin' me 'bout you. Name's Gav, Gav Durgen. I'm the commander of Dalton Squadron."

"Sar'Eel." - she replied shortly, her usual manner of introduction, before adding, with a slight smile:

"I'm sure they did... So, what do they say?"

"Aw, just the lowdown of why ya are here and what ya did to help us." Gav drawled, before glancing at the TIE Interceptor and adding: "And that ya also appear to have a very adventurous spirit..."

Her smile turned into a smirk, as she replied:

"In other words, they think I'm crazy, hmm? But, I take it you don't agree with them..."

"Supreme confidence is what I see. Exactly wha' any great pilot needs." Gav replied, "Anyone who would be willing tuh take an unshielded ship like a TIE out into combat truly believes in their own abilities... Or they ah' in fact crazy. But I don't get that impression of ya... I think ya know whatcha doin'."

"Finally... someone else who can appreciate the more important qualities of being a fighter pilot than just relying on shields to keep them alive! Thanks, Gav..." - Sar'Eel exclaimed, locking her violet eyes with him for a second longer than strictly necessary, before she added:

"I wanted a ship that I can actually - really - FLY, not one where every maneuver has to be wrested out of it. Say what you want about the Empire, but they knew how to design a figther where the only limit would be the pilot's own skill, not the reverse - pilots being limited by their fighters. Oh, I admit, my Toscan still has it's uses, as a strike fighter against hardened targets, but for real dogfighting, I'll be flying in this beauty!"

"Of course, ya'll need a carrier to git ya where yer goin'." Gav observed, "Back with the New Republic, all of our fighters had hyperdrives. A required thin' for deep-space missions withou' a capital ship."

"Well, I suppose that's one of the Interceptor's drawbacks... but anyway, I don't like hyper-traveling in a fighter in any case! Once, I had to stay in hyperspace for two days, stuck in a cramped cockpit... not an experience I'd care to repeat any time soon." - Sar'Eel remarked vryly at that.

Gav chuckled slightly.

"Naw, it's not a fun experience..."

He paused a moment, before deciding try to make a move.

"Pe'haps we can find a more... 'comfortable' place to talk?" he suggested.

The Zabrak woman scowled slightly at that, before crossing her arms and replying coldly, in an even more clipped tone than usual:

"Oh, I'm quite comfortable right here, flyboy... I don't know you that well, and I'm not the 'easy' type, if that's what you're thinking." - as she brushed past him, walking to the hangar exit.

"And your move could use some work, too..." - she added over her shoulder, while thinking:

"That kind of blunt pass would probably only work on some Zeltron whore!" - with a slight smirk.

Gav just snapped his fingers in frustration as he watched her leave.

"Too much, too fast." he thought to himself, "Again..."

Four hours later, at the docking umbilical leading to the Strijela...

Tay was just set to leave, when she heard the familiar clipped voice from behind her:

"So, kid... you've taken that Sith woman up on her offer, and are off on your grand adventure, hmm?" - Sar'Eel's voice friendly, before she added:

"Or is it more to it than that? Because I know how it feels like to keep living somewhere where everything reminds you of what you've lost..." - her tone saddening, turning low and introspective.

"A lot of both." Tay replied, "I knew I'd have regrets no matter what I would have decided... but this was perhaps my only chance to leave. Maybe my family's death was fate's way of telling me it was time to go... I don't know."

The Zabrak woman smiled, before stepping close.

"Fate is just a word, Tay... that we use to try to explain or justify our decisions. But there is no fate, except what you make for yourself! Just keep that in mind... and good luck." - offering a hand in farewell.

Tay smiled back and took the offered hand.

"Thanks... for everything."

She turned and walked to the umbilical but stopped just before entering and looked back.

"Uh... keep Kam from getting himself killed okay?" she added with a wink.

"Heh... that would be a full-time job, kid. But I'll do what I can!" - Sar'Eel winked back, before waving, and walking away.

Tay sighed as she walked through the umbilical. There was no turning back now; she'd have to accept whatever was thrown her way. Her excitement was dampened by a nagging feeling of dread.

"Don't worry about anything, Xanara's a friend... she's never given reason not to trust her... right? But what about the other Sith...? I'll just have to find out..." she said to herself.

As she entered the Sith frigate proper, a junior officer approached her.

"Welcome aboard... Initiate Tay. On Acolyte Xanara's initiative, you've been assigned your own guest quarters for the duration of the journey. Deck 12, Section 32 Gamma. I am to escort you there."

Around the access corridor, evidence of the extensive damage sustained in the battle with the pirates vas clear, as a repair crew was hard at work replacing a blown power conduit, pieces of debris still littering the deck, and several lights flickering. The conduit suddenly emitted a shower of sparks.

"Watch your step, by the way... the ship's taken a real beating." - the officer commented at that.

"He's not joking." the girl thought.

"Are there any important rules or stuff that I need to know? I don't wanna get in trouble for doing something or being somewhere I'm not supposed to." Tay asked the officer.

"As an Initiate Acolyte, at least provisionally, you have a free run of all the non-restricted areas on the ship; the living sections, mess halls, recreation facilities, observation lounges, and training chambers, as denoted by the Green and Yellow level clearance color-codes on the walls and doors. However, you're not to enter any area with a Red level clearance threshold, like engineering sections, Systems Control area, armories, troop deployment bays, weapon alcoves and turrets on the hull surface, or the Bridge." - the officer replied officiously, before adding, in a suddenly more personable tone:

"I'm Ensign Hajir, by the way... and if you're interested, we could get together later, in a more private setting." - in a smooth voice, measuring Tay out closely, under the assumption that she would be as liberal in attitude as most of the female crewers aboard.

"What?" Tay replied, rather shocked at the unexpected advance.

"Let's just say I like what I see, beautiful..." - the ensign continued undeterred, not picking up on Tay's surprise, thinking she was just playing hard-to-get, like was his experience many times before with other women, assertively draping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

"What in the--?" Tay thought fleetingly, before shoving herself away from the man.

"Who do you think you are buddy?! I'm not that kind of girl!" she exclaimed angrily.

Now, the ensign's face had taken on a confused frown, before he asked:

"What do you mean?" - in an honestly puzzled tone.

"I'm not one to let a total stranger put his hands on me!" she snapped back, "Do I look like that kind of slut to you?!"

Now the ensign finally understood, as he hastily clasped his hands behind his back.

"Ah... I'm sorry if I gave you that impression... It's just that most of us in the RTSE tend to be very forward vhen it comes to that kind of thing, you know. Heh, heh.. something tells me Xanara didn't point that one out to you, eh? Not that I'm surprised... she's probably the most ravenous woman aboard! Actually, all the Force user types are more intense there, gender notwithstanding... Well, guess that's one of the things you'll realize soon enough, Tay. Anyway, you sure are decisive about what you do or don't want - I get the feeling that attitide will help you at the academy!"

"And then, there are the stories I've heard about Lady Deathstrike's appetites... heh, 'Ravenous' doesn't begin to cover it!" - he added a thought to himself, smiling slightly.

"But I did mean what I say, Tay... I like what I see." - he finished in a friendly, somewhat teasing tone, before adding:

"Shall we go?" - in a more officious one.

"To my quarters, yes." Tay replied in a stern voice.

"I already feel like I've made a mistake..." she thought to herself.

The officer smiled: "Don't worry... you've made it clear you're not interested. Too bad... Oh, forgot to add, Xanara wil be visiting you in one hour, to give more details on what to expect on Korriban."

"Good." Tay muttered, "Let's go then."

The two made their way to one of the still-working turbolifts on that deck, carefully avoiding the continously-sparking conduit. On the way down to Deck 12, a ship-wide intercom suddenly blared, laced with static, since the internal communications have also taken severe damage, in Vedran's voice:

"All hands, stand by for departure. We will be entering hyperspace in eleven standard minutes. All crewmen are advised to stay clear of Sectors 4, 5, and 6, as the hull breaches have not been sealed there, and the entire area is exposed to vacuum. Captain out."

"That's right, forgot to add... your cabin's not too far away from the blast doors to Sector 4, Tay. They've been locked down and secured, to isolate the breaches there... don't try to open them, since it'll set off a security alarm, and the autoturret in the ceiling before the doors will fry you on the spot." - Hayir said.

"Okay." Tay acknowledged softly, "I'll ask Xanara to show me around later perhaps..."

Minutes later, they arrived to Tay's quarters, that corridor also showing clear signs of damage. However, once the ensign punched in the three-digit code for the doors, which Tay saw and memorized, the room was cozy, and clean, with no sign of any damage there. While not nearly as large as Xanara's, it was decently-sized, and had a side door, leading to a refresher.

"Pays to have friends in high places, foxy... this is one of the few rooms on this part of Deck 12 not mangled up!" - he said with a grin, before pointing:

"A desk with a computer terminal that lets you access the ship's database, and all the info there, excluding classified information, of course. Afraid the linkup to the ship's main computer datacore is also damaged, so don't expect a full access right now... or the searching to be fast. There's the bed, and a closet to store your stuff in. Here you have a refresher, with a toilet and shower, and there are controls for the room's life support unit, allowing you to adjust the temperature and humidity as you choose." - he finished, before adding:

"Still, I wouldn't recomment playing with anything too much right now, with the ship as damaged as it is at the moment."

"Thanks." Tay said in a slightly more friendly voice, her face was blushed from the man's comments about her.

She walked into the room and set her bag on the floor in the center, glancing around at the bed and furnishings.

"This won't be so bad. Just so the lock on the door works..." she thought.

The ensign noticed her blush, and thought to himself:

"Mmm... I could still be in the game! Just have to take it slower..." - carefully suppressing a lustful grin, before he added:

"No problem... anyway, you can also use the terminal to switch your door code it you want - of course, the new code will be known by the captain, who will give it to Xanara when she drops in. See you around, foxy!" - with a smile, walking out.

As soon as the man was gone, Tay made certain to shut and lock the door. With that done, she went and flopped on the bed, exhausted from both the physical and emotional drain. It didn't take her long to fall asleep... only to be awakened less than an hour later, with a door chime. She jolted upright, giving herself a slight head-ache in the process, then ran over and opened the door.

Xanara was standing there, the Acolyte woman calm, yet intensely focused, as usual. When she saw Tay, she offered a slight smile, noting the girl's seeming hurry.

"Relax, Tay... nothing is on fire. Well, not anymore, in any case..." - she said, referring to the massive damage the ship had sustained, but the effects of which were mostly under control by now, before she added a question:

"So, have you settled in?"

"I was just testing the bed." Tay joked, "Haven't started pulling anything out of my bag yet, but I'll do that in a little bit."

The Sith woman nodded.

"Yes, do that... we won't be arriving at our destination - Serenno repair yards - for three and a half days, given that the ship's damage prevents us from exceeding Point Three hyperdrive factor. Plenty of time for you to get comfortable here, and learn more about the RTSE. Once there, you'll be taking a shuttle directly to Korriban, where you will have your selection of three different Academies to enroll in. They're not all the same, and the training focus is different for each one."

"I wont be accompanying you, because I'm assigned to this ship, and the Strijela will be staying at the repair yards, before being assigned to a new battlegroup, and heading back out to fight the New Republic. Don't worry... I promise to stay in contact via Holonet communications from time to time, my dear." - she reassured the girl.

Tay felt a bit disappointed that Xanara wouldn't be with her, since she was the only Sith she knew and felt she could trust.

"So... what makes the three academies different?" she asked.

"Would you like to join me for a snack at the mess hall?" - Xanara asked first, while also adding a Force message:

"Even if I were to accompany you, I wouldn't be allowed to have anything to do with your training at the Academy... Initiates are supposed to cope with the hardships on their own, with no familiar presence to rely on, especially the first week."

"Sure." Tay replied, "And uh... you think we could just do everything through talking? It still kinda creeps me out a little when you send messages into my head."

"Will I be trained to be able to block people from reading my thoughts?" the teen inquired.

The Sith woman chuckled slightly at that, before replying:

"That is part of the training, of course... but how effective you will be at it depends on the direction you choose, and the corresponding Academy. If you choose to focus on the mental aspects of the Force like me, you will be VERY effective at it... as well as breaking past most other Acolytes' mental barriers in that regard."

"What are the other two options?"

"Of more mundane variety..." was Xanara's reply.

"First one is what most of my male counterparts usually select - focusing on martial prowess, at the expense of advanced Force connection. You would learn more than the basic lightsaber form, the Shii-Cho, and be trained in Teras Kasi... an ancient Sith martial art. But you would hav limited Force powers, and no ability to affect your enemies mentally through the Force at all. Hovewer, wit Force Push/Pull, and Lightning, you will have considerable direct offensive and defensive abilities."

"The second iz a little mor exotic, and only something the Master introduced relatively recently at hiz apprentice, Deathstrike's suggestion - focusing on infiltration and surprise tactics, essentially a Force-capable assassin. The biggest difference iz that you don't use a lightsaber at all... you use a pair of twin-bladed light-daggers attached to your wrists... very effective at deflecting blaster fire, and attacking normal enemies, but difficult to use against a traditional lightsaber in battle. You will receive basic Teras Kasi training, as well. Your Force ability is a mix of physical and mental powers, including Force Persuasion - a lesser form of my Force Domination. You won't learn Push/Pull, or Lightning, instead having Speed/Jump, to increase your mobility." she finished.

"Neither of those sound particularly appealing..." Tay admitted.

"My thoughts exactly, my dear..." Sith woman nodded in clear approval.

The first one requires you to become very conditioned physically, and is by far the most painful to endure in training. No offense... but just by looking at you, I can tell that you would be hard-pressed to reach the level of conditioning needed to be effective in it. But, if you like a challenge..." she didn't finish.

"The second is interesting, from a purely tactical standpoint, and not quite as physically demanding - and it would make you more versatile. But you wouldn't be too effective against real Jedi, who use lightsabers.

"And sneaking around killing people in the dark doesn't sound like a ton of fun to me." Tay added, drawing on the stereotype of assassins.

"Oh, you would be surprised how much fun killing can be, Tay..." was Xanara's thought, with a brief flash of her reddish eyes.

Not saying that out-loud for obvious reasons, she continued: "And then ther's my direction - becoming a warrior of the mind! You will become wery strong in the Force, with particular emphasis on advanced mental powers, affecting and subverting your enemies from inside-out, like what you saw me demonstrate during the battle - and that's not all I can do, either! Howevr, the level of mental focus needed to actually apply them safely is enormous, as well. I have to spend each day several hours in deep meditation, to maintain my equilibrium. And it's also the hardest direction in the terms of resisting the temptations of the Dark Side, to abuse your power. Not to mention, with all the power in the Force you have, your ability to actually rely on it for extended time is hindered, like you also saw - I was literally drained there, and helpless after my mental exertions."

"And, your direct-battle abilities are minimal. I have none of the kinetic Force Powers at my command. Neither Push/Pull, or Speed/Jump. I can barely block blaster shots with a saber, and even that not too well. In a direct saber-to-saber fight, I don't stand much chance against almost any Force user, since I'm only treined in the basics of Shii-Cho. And in a hand-to-hand figt... I just hope I never have to do that!"

Engrossed in conversation, they arrived to the mess-hall.

"Do you get free time at all?" Tay asked.

Xanara smiled at that...

"You will be a soldier of the True Sith, Tay... you would have as much free time as you want, barring any missions you're assigned to, or called on to serve aboard one of the RTSE warships, like I do. Of course, excuding battle, I have as much free time here as I want, as well."

With that, they arrived at the dispenser station. Xanara selected a Bantha steak with fried potatoes for herself. Taking the compressed package, she inserted it in a microwave resekuencer nearby, where it was transformed into a meal.

At a bar, she picked out a bottle of some type of exotic fruit juice.

Tay grabbed some ground meat from an animal she had never heard of, along with some processed side-dish. For a drink she got Blue Milk, her personal favorite.

"So could one experiment with other force powers in their free time?" Tay inquired as the two sat down.

The Acolyte woman shook her head at that.

"It isn't quite as simple as that, Tay... learning any Force power takes a great deal of time and effort. And one must develop sufficient connection with the Force, over a long period of time, to be able to learn a lot of them. Unfortunately, that is one of the differences of us Acolytes, compared to those Force users who train from childhood, like Lord Darkon himself, or his apprentice. We almost always begin as adults, with only a few years of training, at most, trying to learn as much as possible in as short a time as possible. That inevitably leads to - how do I put it - overcongestion. Your Force affinity becomes overtaxed, and you actually begin to lose proficiency in the Force. That's why Acolytes focus only on very specific powers, most useful for the direction we choose." - she stated.

Then she added, trying to make it more clear:

"In short - you COULD try to experiment, and learn other powers, Tay... but your existing ones, and your Force connection at large, will be severely weakened as a result. To reaffirm your Force connection, and bring them back to former proficiency, along with any new ones you choose to pursue, would probably take over a decade, or more, as your Force affinity slowly firms up. And the more powers you pursue, the more lengthy will the 'affirming' process be."

"Lord Darkon, for instance, is fully proficient in eight different Force powers, some of them very impressive, and all of them are very powerful and highly affirmed. However, he had trained intensely almost literally his entire life, over two and a half decades. Deathstrike, on the other hand, is significantly weaker in her Force strength - weaker than myself, in fact, though she knows six powers, two more than I, or any Acolyte, does. However, none of them are more than moderately powerful and affirmed, as she put far more effort into combat training than developing her Force connenction, and the fact that her training time is only slightly over half that of the Master - approximately a decade and a half. Of course, even as such, she can rely continuously on the Force far longer than me, or any Acolyte, can. Frankly, that is also the reason why my ability to apply the Force long-term is even more hampered compared to my peers who focus on different directions - my mental powers are very advanced, and my Force affinity is insufficient to properly support them. And the reason that, despite the inherent potency of my advanced mental powers, none of them would be effective at all against either the Master, or Deathstrike... or any highly experienced Jedi, for that matter. I don't have enough Force 'support' to make them effective against someone with a far deeper Force affinity than myself. On Force users approximately my level, they will work, at reduced effectiveness. Only on non-Force users are they fully effective. That, to a lesser or greater degree, is actually true of almost all Force powers, but ESPECIALLY those that deal with mental manipulation. Their effectiveness on different people is directly related to yours, and theirs', Force affinity, NOT taking into account their inherent mental focus, of course. Which is also why most Acolytes choose the direction of physical conditioning and combat training... it will more easily allow them to be effective against Force users who may be more affirmed in the Force than they are, but weaker in direct battle. My success against other Force users only depends on how well my mental powers can affect them. On the other hand, I am far more effective than most Acolytes against non-Force users, of course!" - she finally finished, taking a long sip of her juice before adding with a rueful smile:

"I wish it were as simple as you think, my dear... if that were so, we Acolytes would be on the level of the Master in only a few years! However... it's not. Power must always be paid for, and worked for, one way or another, and the Force maintains a balance that cannot be denied. There is a reason why one cannot call themselves a proper Sith Lord, or Jedi Master, for that matter, without literally decades of hard, intense training in the Force."

"I think I understand." Tay remarked, "So your saying that it'd interfere in my focus powers if I started practicing with other ones... even if I was just doing it in spare time and not on regular training time?"

"Tay... you don't understand. There is no such thing as 'spare time' when it comes to honing your Force capabilities. Honing and maintaning your Force powers is something you have to do ALL the time, at least periodically, unless you want them to slowly diminish. Nor is there such a thing as 'regular training time', either. Your trainers at the Academy will only teach you how to channel and focus your Force affinity; the actual channeling of it is something you will have to do yourself, all the time, for it to develop and advance." - Xanara stated, her voice now taking on a slight undertone of strained patience.

Seeing - and sensing - that the girl still didn't grasp it, she tried an analogy:

"It is no different then what athletes do, to hone and increase their stamina, endurance, or muscle mass. Practice and training. If they simply built up their bodily abilities to the desired level, and then stopped training, without maintaining them all the time afterwards, those abilities would slowly diminish."

This time the girl nodded in understanding, at which the Sith woman moved on to the second issue.

"To your second question - basically, yes. Your Force affinity would be overtaxed if you tried practicing too many powers too early, and as a result, ALL of your powers would start to diminish. Like I said... the more powers your Force affinity has to support, the more strained it becomes. That is why all Acolytes never move beyond four powers, because that is the established, shall I say... support limit... given our relatively short training time and limited Force affinity as a result. And in my case, that is already a strain, because two of my Force powers are very advanced ones." - she explained.

"I see." Tay said softly.

There was an awkward silence for several moments, before Tay nervously brought up something that had been bothering her.

"Uh... is it common for the men to be making sudden advances on women they don't know?" she questioned.

Xanara chuckled playfully at that.

"Ah... I suppose you have already had a first-hand experience regarding our free-spirited attitudes in that regard? Something I deliberately omitted before, my dear..."

Tay's face hardened.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Because it was more fun this way." - Xanara replied in a bantering tone, crossing her arm, goading the girl to lose her temper, as she thought:

"Let's see how much fire you have in you, Tay... and how well you cope with the unexpected..."

"More fun? What?" Tay responded, trying not to sound angry or childish, "The first thing that happens when I get on board is some punk officer starts groping me and you think that's funny?"

Xanara'z voice got more serious, but not much: "Not really... I think it's funny you're so upset over it! You see, we in the RTSE are not tied in those pointless arcaic morality rules when it comes to making advances on someone we find ourselves attracted to. We simply act, make a direct, unambiguous move! So you caught that officer's eye, inflamed his desire, and he made sure to make you aware of it instantly? Good for you... personally, I think you could use some... recreation... in that regard, to make you less nervous about being here than you are now."

Then she added with a sly grin: "Anyway, I guarantee you, he won't be the last, Tay! I have at last two-three eksperiences like that per day - whether I'm the resipient, or the actual instigator, when I am in the mood for some intimate action, and don't want to wait for it... which is rather often, and more so when I'm tense, and need some serious relaxing, like I was after the battle at your station."

"But it's also important to say no, applying it az forcefully as necessarry, given that some may not instantly get the message, and mean it, if and when you're not interested. That's also a sign of strength, and you'll only be respected - mmm, and sought-after - more for it. Of course, something tells me you won't have a problem in that regard..." sensing Tay's earlier rejection of the ensign.

Then she turned completely serious: "And that is critical. Because if you get a reputation for being hesitant or weak in rejection, accepting advances even when it's obvious you don't want them - and that iz easy to notice, of course, you'll lose respect, as the rumours about you spread, and possibly even encourage actual assaultz and harassment, culminated by rape, of course. We are Sith, and we are quick to single-out anyone showing weakness in our ranks... any kind of weakness."

"Here aboard ship, thet isn't even that pronounced, actually... most of the crev aboard are not Force-users, and our affinity to the Force amplifies our instincts and urges. But when you get to the Academy, you'll see what I mean..." with a devious smile.

"I... uh... thanks for the warning." Tay stammered, getting to her feet, "I think I need some time alone to think if that's alright."

"What... aren't you going to finish your meal?" Xanara asked, surprised.

Tay just stood in an awkward silence for a moment, the Sith woman could easily sense a lot of fear and uncertainty in her. Finally Tay sat back down.

"I'm sorry... I just don't know if I'm ready for this." she muttered, "We almost never talked about this kind of stuff at home."

Xanara sighed, knowingly, before replying:

"I can sense your trepidation... and I'm not surprised. Since I was very much like you when I first joined the Sith, very ignorant of such things, being a native of Naboo, and raised to an aristocratic, conservative family. Among other things..." - her voice suddenly darkened, with many bad memories of her teenage years.

This piqued Tay's curiousity, however...

"What other things?" she asked.

The Sith woman's reddish gaze refocused on Tay, as she took another bite of her steak, followed by a sip of the juice.

"You wish to know my life story? Very well... since you're my friend." - she said, her voice still darkly introspective, before suddenly lightening up slightly, and adding with a quick smile:

"But only if you tell me yours afterwards!"

"There's not much to tell, but sure." Tay agreed.

"I was the only child to a wealthy and influential baron on Naboo." - she began.

"My mother died giving birth to me... or at least, that is what my father always told me, when I was old enough to ask... and since my earliest years, I was literally a prisoner in my home. Father hired the finest tutors and governesses to teach me, and 'build my character' - as that miserable overbearing slave-holder liked to brag to his political partners!" - her voice turning hateful, before she took another sip of her juice.

"Sexuality and knowledge of it were considered taboos of the highest order, and not something a 'properly brought up lady should concern herself with' - the way my chief governess put it. Add to that the fact that she was a hybrid of Human, and some telepathic species I have never heard of before, and you can imagine that she could even monitor my thoughts on the matter. Deep down, she hated me, and always found the most sadistically imaginative ways to punish me for the slightest infraction of her rigidly strangling rules. And my father supported that, with those same infuriating claims how such treatment is supposed to 'build my character'."

"Even then, when I was just over twelve years old, they were close to breaking my spirit completely..." - Xanara added darkly, sipping some more of her juice, and gazing off to the side for a few moments, silent and brooding.

"Did you run away?" Tay asked, sensing something along those lines would be what happened next.

Focusing back on her, Xanara continued...

"I wish I had the strength to do that even as early as then... but I was still a child mostly. Not that I had even received any kind of opportunity to escape, trust me! The only factor that had actually kept me above complete breakdown was our household's gardener - an elderly, hard-bitten, rough, but friendly Devaronian called Sakkel. I often found ways to sneak out to the servant quarters at night, and listen to his many stories of his experiences during his younger smuggler and mercenary days. He did his best to keep my spirits up, even when I was at my worst." - before adding:

"Father never caught me sneaking off to him - not that he actually even cared enough to check upon me at night, ever - but the governess, as a telepath, found out about my little excursions from my mind, several years later, despite my best efforts to keep it hidden, and informed father. Since he valued Sakkel's service, father didn't dismiss him, instead punishing me, for 'behaving in an obscene manner'. That was the first, and last time he had actually beaten me - but I never forgot, or forgave him for it. Worse, he moved me to a different wing of the manor, and assigned a guard to stand at my room doors at night."

"And then, at sixteen years of age, just as I thought matters could not possibly get any worse, sinking into complete despair, the worst thing happened." - Xanara added, the tone of her dark voice now crossing into the realm of hatred.

Tay was quiet, listening very closely to the story.

"One day, father called me down to his study, and told me in no uncertain terms how I was to be 'given' in an arranged marriage to one of his political partners. The name is unimportant, but I had met the man once before, during a formal reception my father organized a year ago... and that one encounter was enough for me to see what kind of a pompous, domineering, abusive animal he was. Before I had even a chance to try and protest, the governess, who was also present, cut me off by adding something along the lines of me finally going to be put in my proper place in civilized society." - the Sith woman continued, reddish eyes blazing.

"I was promptly sent out, but that frigid witch didn't close the doors fully, only pushing them to a crack, as father and she continued their earlier conversation. Since I was summoned in a spur-of-the moment, and the guard wasn't with me to take me back, I had a chance to listen in... and what I heard next literally made my world collapse in ruins around me." - her tone turning viciously murderous, as she made a conscious effort to draw on the Force for calm, taking a deep, shuddering breath, and closing her eyes for a moment.

"What did they say?" Tay questioned softly, the girl wide-eyed now.

Xanara had to take a few moments to rein in her deeply buried rage and sorrow, teeth clenched tightly together, before she could continue... quietly.

"My father... he began telling of my mother. How 'soft', 'naive', and 'foolishly idealistic' she was, and how she wanted me to have a very different kind of life then what his idea was for me. How she wanted me to find my own way, and not be a slave to societal expectations. How they had many violent arguments over those issues, and how he had to 'discipline' her - his exact word - many times for her 'idiocy'. All the while, the governess did nothing but affirm him, praising him for his 'ironclad grip on a potentially deteriorating situation'." - she paused for a moment.

"And then, in an utterly cold, calculating voice, he said he had her poisoned, to prevent her 'further degenerative influence on his child'. He stated the exact date - my fourth birthday - as the day he had her killed." - the Sith woman finished, voice deathly composed, which was in its own way, more chilling than her earlier anger.

"That's... that's... what an evil man." Tay managed to say, trying to fight back a tear, the mere thought of it all was horrifying.

"I at least had a loving family throughout my childhood."

Xanara's mouth twitched, before she added another sentence, in that same dead voice:

"That is when something broke inside me. That is when I decided to kill my father... kill them both." - looking at Tay, but not really seeing her, her gaze focused on some imaginary spot on the far bulkhead.

"I just can't imagine a father being that low..." Tay said, "But... I guess I probably wouldn't be any different if I were in the same position."

Xanara shook her head at that: "Not true, Tay. Had I not joined the Sith, I wuld have never moved beyond my past, and I would still be as I was in the days after I ran away... after both my father and the governess were dead. Conflicted, mad with rage and grief, and self-destructive. How I killed them isn't something you would want to know, trust me... except to say thet my mother wasn't the only one poisoned in that cursed house."

"I guess that ends that then." Tay observed, "I'm so sorry for you; that's gotta be the saddest childhood story I've ever heard."

"What makes you think the story is over? And I did not tell you this because I desire yor pity; I told you because I tried to get you to see thet there are far worse things then a open-minded attitude tovards sexuality." was Xanara's slightly annoyed reply.

Tay didn't say anything; she didn't know what to say. She just picked at what was left her food.

Forcing herself out of the abyss of her memories, Xanara offered Tay a smile, then prompted:

"Anyway, I think I'll save what happend with me after my escape for another time. Your turn, my dear... as was our agreement!"

"Like I said, there's not much to tell..." Tay began, "I was born on Dantooine, which is a rural farming planet. Nothing very interesting there. My father was a service worker while mom stayed at home with my sister and I..."

She started to choke up for a moment before regaining control of herself.

"I lived there until I was 12, then we moved to the Kalrich Station, because of dad's work. He did welding, climate control repair, and various other maintenance jobs. Nothing was particularly exciting until the parents let me join Echo Squadron, which was a small group of teenage pilots the company hired for reserve escort duty. Of course, we never saw any action... not 'till those damned pirates showed up."

Tay's last sentence carried a trace of hatred, but she quickly resumed a calm tone.

"Those kids in Echo Squadron were my first real friends... and now pretty much all of them but Kam and Yenni are dead. And I always had a little trouble getting along with Yenni... so really Kam was the only one left I cared about..."

She seemed to go distant for a moment, then snapped back into reality and concluded:

"I guess that's really all there was to it. If you have any questions I'll try to answer them."

Xanara nodded: "Yes, I could sense that trace of rivalry between Yenni and yourself for Kam's attention."

"And I understand why... he is certainly an intriguing one. Outspoken, decisive... and handsome. You know... if I had stayed on your station longer, I would have probably stolen him from both of you before too long, for a time at least - and shown him the way a Sith woman KNOWS how to please!" in a sultry voice of slight implied challenge, trying to appeal to Tay's long-suppressed and buried instincts... and get her feminine vanity to rear it's head a little.

"Not to mention yor chief of security... mmm, a Mandalorian fortress thet needs to be breached hard! If only I had more time for it..." she mused softly, her desire evident.

Just as Tay'z annoyance was starting to show, alongside a trace of jealousy, the Sith woman added wit a ingratiating smile, cutting off any reply Tay was about to make: "So, how would you like to accompany me to one of the gymnasiums, where I'll try and teach you the basics on how to feel the Force? It will give you a slight advantage when you are at the Academy, and start yor training proper."

Both of them had finished their meals in the meantime.

"Uh... yah sure." Tay replied, "Let's do that."

CHAPTER 41

Ten minutes later, the two had arrived at the gymnasium... one of the only two aboard that were still usable, due to heavy damage sustained. Another pair of Acolytes were there, a warrior and an assassin, engaged in a sparring match. Upon their entrance, the two stopped, turning to face them.

"Xanara... I take it this is the girl you've been talking about yesterday?" - the warrior asked, as he approached closer.

"Indeed... in time, she will become one of us! Tay, this is Baator, the highest ranking Acolyte aboard... not that there are many of us here, anyway." - Xanara introduced him.

"Even so, I'm the best here, girl! Nice to meet you... I wonder if you've got what it takes to last five days at any one of the Academies..." - Baator said, with a slight air of contempt, taking in Tay's relatively frail figure.

"Hmmph... warriors! They only equate power with physical ability..." - Xanara thought, rolling her eyes at that.

Meanwhile, the assassin one remained silent, gazing at Tay with an unreadable expression on her face, almost as if evaluating a potential prey. Unlike Xanara's, her hair was black as night, and elaborately braided into half-dozen thin braids. Even more so than Xanara's, the assassin's outfit was leaving very little to imagination.

Tay glanced at the assassin nervously, but turned back toward Baator quickly, as the cold expression of the other acolyte sent chills down her spine.

"Clearly a killer." she though fleetingly.

"It's uh, nice to meet you too." Tay replied to Baator, "And don't let appearances fool you; I can take care of myself!"

Baator smiled wider at that.

"Care to prove that, fresh meat?" - at the same time as he sent a Force message to Xanara:

"You think she can handle some lightsaber moves right now?"

"I believe so... but DON'T press it too hard! She is my friend, and is under my protection for now. I would not want her to be maimed before even reaching Korriban." - Xanara replied warningly.

Baator nodded with a slight smile.

"Don't worry, X... I'll go easy on her. Besides, I can tell you brought her here to pick up some basics in feeling the Force. What better way to do that then during a fight?"

"That's true..." - Xanara nodded, before turning to Tay:

"It seems to me you have just been challenged, Tay... there is only one way a True Sith would respond to a challenge!"

"Let's do it." Tay replied eagerly, wanting to prove to Baator that she wasn't some helpless baby.

"Take your pick..." - Baator motioned to a nearby lightsaber hardstand, with three identical training saber hilts there.

The assassin Acolyte woman still hadn't spoken, or moved at all, her dark gaze steady on Tay, as the girl went to the stand, and picked out one of the hilts. Pressing the activator button, the blade coalesced itself... and Tay noted with some surprise that this blade wasn't crimson, but orange in color.

"A training saber, Tay... only established Sith gain the privilege of wielding crimson blades." - Xanara put in, answering Tay's unspoken question, before adding:

"Just handle it with care... a lightsaber can be more dangerous to the wielder than the enemy in unskilled hands."

"Don't overextend, and don't try any fancy moves with it for now... you're just as likely as not to cut one of your limbs off!" - Baator injected, igniting his saber again, as he took a ready stance in the center of the chamber, motioning for Tay to approach.

Tay very slowly swung the saber around a bit, trying to get a handle of its dynamics, as she walked over to Baator. She took her own ready stance, although it was clearly something she just made up, rather than any particular form.

"Attack or defend... they'd want me to attack." Tay thought, "I'll just try something simple."

"You ready?" she asked out loud, immediately feeling like a fool for posing the question.

"That's not something you should ever ask your opponent in a fight - training or otherwise. Just attack!" - Baator snapped impatiently at that.

The assassin woman's facial expression twitched briefly into a smirk at Tay's superfluous question...

"Damnit." Tay thought fleetingly, as she quickly stepped to the right and made a short swing at Baator's side.

Though he could have easily parried the clumsy swing, leaving Tay wide-open, or even simply plucked the saber out of Tay's grip with a lock-break move, Baator only blocked it, before reciprocating, with a simple overhead attack at Tay. As she brought her saber up to block, and the impact of Baator's saber almost broke through her flimsy guard, a Force message from Xanara came to her mind:

"Stretch out with your feelings... don't try to predict the attack logically. KNOW where the enemy will strike next... instinctively! The Force is basically an extension of one's instinct, when it comes to a fight."

Baator simply slid his saber blade sideways, along Tay's, before suddenly half-crouching, shifting direction of the slide, after the blade was clear of Tay's, and bringing it back toward her midsection, in a move that was literally impossible to predict.

However, Xanara's admonition was already having an effect, and Tay could 'sense' the motion an instant before it was made, and was already in the process of taking a rapid step back...

...and simultaneously bringing her saber down on Baator's, a move that didn't do much more than force his saber downward a bit. But ultimately she managed to avoid the attack. Deciding that attacking without knowing any proper swordsmanship techniques wasn't going to work, Tay decided to adopt a defensive strategy and see if she could find a chance to attack an opening.

"Excellent, Tay..." - Xanara's next Force message came.

Baator followed through with three diagonal slashes at Tay in quick succession, each one relatively simple, and easy to block, holding back, as Tay blocked each one, but taking a step back every time at the force of each impact, since even while being simple, the attacks were quite powerful, with Baator's physical strength being over twice her own.

Suddenly, the assassin Acolyte woman's Force message came to Tay, practically the first attempt at communication from the so-far silent and watchful killer.

"You can't match him strength-for-strength... so don't even try! You will exhaust yourself and make it even easier for him. Loosen your form, try and dodge some of his attacks instead of blocking them, try to lure him into overextending, then make a quick strike when he's not expecting it!"

"Anticipate and dodge... okay..." Tay said to herself, waiting for Baator's next move.

Naturally, Baator could easily pick up on all these Force admonitions to Tay...

"Well, I'll play along... she IS a rookie! Lucky for her..." - making a dual-combo attack.

The first move was an upper-vertical slash at Tay's midsection, next to impossible to actually block, even for an experienced swordsman, but making it slower than normal, to give Tay slightly more time to anticipate, which she took advantage of and dodged.

The second attack was a simple, but extremely powerful horisontal slash at her ribs, which would have broken through Tay's guard easily if she tried to block it. However, the overly wide-swept inward move, deliberately overpredictable, for Tay's benefit, left a quarter-second extra time for her to anticipate, and room for her to duck down under it, and lunge forward...

...in an attempt to stab directly at his chest.

And, it would have worked... if Tay were faster, more trained, and less predictable in her lunge. As it was, Baator twisted aside a good 2/3rd-second in advance, anticipating, bringing his saber down to intersect with hers, to prevent a sideways slash, then applying a lock-break move, ripping it out of Tay's grip and sending the hilt clattering to the side of the gymnasium, depowering in midair to lie there.

"Nice try... that move could've taken me, if it were more refined, girl!" - he grinned, as Tay rubbed her wrist, jarred by the lock-break.

Tay smiled sheepishly, half embarrassed at losing the saber, half proud from the comment.

"Well, that'll come in time." she stated.

"Adequate performance." - the assassin woman remarked out loud, her voice silky soft and unsettling, yet with a trace of amicability, nontheless.

"Even if lightsabers are such... crude... tools for efficient killing!" - she reflected, glancing at her depowered wristblade emitters on both wrists.

Tay gave the woman a slight smile.

"Thank you." she said simply, before looking back at Xanara.

"Could you 'sense' it, Tay... that vague premonition of incoming attacks? Could you feel... almost as if you acted without even thinking in that instance when you stepped back to evade Baator's slash?" - Xanara asked in a conspiratorial tone, smiling at Tay.

"Yah... it was like I kinda knew what he was gunna do before he did it." Tay replied, "But faintly."

"That was the Force, Tay... you have began to channel it through you. And the duress of the fight only helped to open you to it." - Xanara replied with a smile.

"Some fight..." - the assassin Acolyte woman muttered under her breath, before finally introducing herself to Tay, approaching at a measured pace and extending a hand:

"My name is Viina, newbie." - trying to inject at least a pretense of friendliness in her tone.

However, there was a hidden intent in her stance as she approached, which Baator, a Tier 5 Teras Kasi adept, readily picked on... and gave a deadpan mental wink to Xanara. Tay, not having any experience in martial arts, missed any hidden nuances in the assassin's stride completely.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Tay said, though she really wasn't.

Even if nothing about the way she moved appeared suspicious, Tay felt a strange foreboding feeling as the assassin moved closer.

Tay only slightly reluctantly gripped Viina's extended hand... at which point, the assassin woman applied leverage, twisting Tay's wrist at a painful angle, while sweeping her off her feet to the floor with a low-sweep kick.

As Tay yelped in pain, cradling her stressed wrist, though it wasn't dislocated, or even sprained, the leverage being relatively basic in technique, and at just the right measure not to cause any real damage, the assassin woman hissed:

"Time to give you a crash course in how to take care of yourself without a weapon, newbie! And NOT to trust anyone implicitly..."

Tay scrambled to her feet and backed away slightly, flexing her wrist but also assuming a semblence of a ready stance.

"Blast it... I know nothing about hand-to-hand combat." she thought, shaking off the pain and clinching both her fists.

"Don't worry, girl... she's not exactly an expert either!" - Baator intoned to Tay through the Force, knowing that Viina was only a Tier 3 Learner, like most Assassin Acolytes.

"Let's see what you know, prey..." - Viina added to Tay in a cold voice, taking a pair of rapid steps toward her, but with a Force message to Xanara:

"I will not cause permanent damage..." - before she struck at Tay's nose in an open-palm direct.

Not nearly to the level of a true, snap-attack direct of high-level fighters, more 'driven', and considerably slower, the attack only drew some blood from Tay's nose, not even cracking it, before the assassin woman swung out her right leg in a relatively simple hook-kick at Tay's ribs, as the girl staggered back. Even if the assassin was not particularily skilled in Teras Kasi, she was still flexible and very agile...

Tay moaned as she reached for her nose, eyes watering slightly as a result. The kick connected a second later, sending her off her feet. Although she just wanted to just stay on the floor, Tay realized she'd look even weaker if she did. Scrambling back to her feet, she brought her hands up in a defensive gesture, and crept cautiously closer to the assassin.

"She's hopeless..." - Viina thought with a soft sigh, taking in Tay's over-rigid, tense stance, that would deprive her of any chance to anticipate anything, or make any kind of effective attack, before speaking:

"Okay, newbie... first off, RELAX! Your body is so rigid and tense, you couldn't make use of even a fraction of your current capability at this point! Not that your current capability is much, of course... but it is enough, applied properly."

Tay tried to relax, although she failed to see how that was going to help. She lowered her arms slightly and loosed her overall posture, half-expecting this to be another trick.

Which it wasn't, as Viina continued...

"Better. Now, don't lower your guard - just relax your muscles. There's a difference." - pointing at Tay's lowered arms.

As Tay assumed her previous stance again, except that she was more relaxed now, her reaction time closer to optimal as a result, the assassin continued:

"Don't look at my hands or legs, look into my eyes... that's the best indication to sense exactly when your opponent's going to attack! And with experience, where they will attack, too. And when you're tense, it's a lot harder to counter in time, whether by evasion, or blocking. The trick is to ONLY tense up when the attack is actually in progress, and you want to resist it. If your reaction is evasive, you shouldn't tense, since it'll slow you down."

Pausing for a moment, she added:

"And don't over-tense when you launch an attack yourself... it'll weaken the actual momentum of the attack. You need to be tense when attacking, but NOT overdo it, because that'll have the opposite effect."

Not adding anything else, Viina attacked again... with a direct-kick to Tay's stomach. Relaxed, and looking into her opponent's eyes as she was told, Tay instinctively tensed up, tightening her abdomenal muscles, as the kick connected, almost completely resisted. The assassin followed-through with an uppercut below Tay's chin, but again, the girl could instinctively sense the intent, this time relaxing and anticipating by taking a half-step back... and avoiding the strike. Not sure exactly how to attack, she stepped foward and made a short punch directly at the assassin's middle torso.

The punch connected, coincidentally directly to the solar plexus, as Viina was still in the process of ending her uppercut, and could not deflect in time, even if it did no more than slightly push the assassin woman back, barely out of breath, not fast or powerful enough to compress the diaphragm much.

"Good choice of spot, newbie! Much harder, and I would've really felt it..." - the assassin remarked with a quick grin.

Then she spun around in a backspin-kick at Tay's left cheekbone, just below the temple, not wanting to cause potentially debilitating damage. Again, the move was quite basic, with a clear shift in stance before it began, and without much speed or power in it, something an experienced unarmed fighter would have easily anticipated, ducked, and took advantage of, given how exposed it made her. However, Tay hesitated briefly, never seeing anything like that before.

Pretty much the only reaction the teen had was her eyes started to widen, just before getting wacked across the face and nearly knocked to the ground. She barely managed to stay on her feet as she staggered back.

Now, anger beginning to take hold, Tay reciprocated with a kick of her own... a very basic, clumsily driven, direct-kick to Viina's nose. The assassin ducked, anticipating, but Tay was already taking a step forward and launching a follow-up strike, a right hook, as the woman straightened again.

The hook connected with Viina's jaw, and was quite powerful, as Tay used all her strength to swing, sending the assassin to the deck with a brief yelp.

The girl took a couple steps back, surprised more than anyone at what she had just done.

"Yes, Tay... anger is a source of power! It gave you courage, and made you stronger... can you feel it?" - Xanara remarked, also sensing the Dark Side of the Force flowing slightly more strongly in Tay as a result.

Viina, barely dazed, hopped back to her feet, smiling, more amicably than ever:

"Well, newbie, maybe I was wrong... you've got some fire, after all!"

Still breathing a bit heavily, Tay smirked slightly at the other acolytes.

"I feel it!" she declared, "And it feels good..."

"Doesn't it, girl? That's what those Jedi fools deny themselves, actually... the pleasure that comes with power!" - Baator intoned, with a wicked smile.

"Why would anyone want to be a Jedi?" she wondered aloud.

Although she felt empowered, almost on a high, something in the back of Tay's head kept gnawing at her, as if something was still amiss... but she it wasn't strong enough at the moment to overshadow what she was feeling.

"Misperception mostly, Tay... and a mistaken belief that calmness and serenity is the ultimate spiritual achievement!" - Xanara replied with clear contempt.

"That sounds... boring." Tay said, making an honest teenage observation.

"That's because it IS, newbie..." - Viina remarked in a hiss, then added a question, throwing an insolent glare at Xanara, and a pitying one at Baator, as well:

"So, where do you see yourself most, huh? Scrambling heads like a wimp, going face-to-face like a dummy, or... mmm... learning how to strike where it hurts the MOST, and to use the light-daggers, like me?"

Xanara gave her a venomous glare, while Baator only rolled his eyes.

Tay hesitated, not wanting to directly answer the question. Even if the assassin may have been an impressive killer, Tay just couldn't see herself silently stalking and murdering people in the dark.

"I... uh... I was going to... I was going to join the mentalist academy..." she stammered before looking back at Xanara, almost begging her to say something.

Viina smirked at that, sensing the girl's hidden fear and uncertainty through the Force.

"Oh, look... the little girl needs someone to take care of her!" - in a contemptuous tone, eyes blazing with murderous desire.

Baator lost his smile, re-evaluating his opinion of Tay, but remaining silent, as he thought, also adding a Force message to Xanara:

"Weakling... And THIS is supposed to be Acolyte material?! She shows this kind of uncertainty and softie attitude at any of the Academies, she's dead meat! The Initiates will rip her to pieces in the first day, after taking their time with her! Better to just put her out right now, and save her a lot of pain..." - his hand moving toward the lightsaber at his belt.

Though she was anything but pleased with Tay's blatant show of weakness, Xanara decided to cover for the girl, as she locked hard gazes with both other Acolytes, while adding a Force message to Tay, carefully shielding it from detection by the other two:

"Sorry for this, Tay..." - before suddenly striking her hard across the face with the pommel of her lightsaber, sending the girl with a scream to the floor, blood streaming from her face, skin split on the cheek, one tooth blasted out.

Then she addressed the other two.

"Agreed. But I was the one to recruit her, and she is MY responsibility while here, and under my protection. If there is sanctioning to be done, I will do it! Not either of you. If you try, I will fight you to the death, if necessary. Rest assured, she will NEVER show this kind of weakness again." - in a steely-hard voice, preparing herself through the Force, knowing that if it comes to a fight, it would be her last.

She activated the lightsaber, bringing it to guard stance, while readying her mental Force powers.

"Stay down, Tay..." - she added softly to the moaning girl, not taking her eyes of the two Acolytes, whose faces went still, gazes locked back on Xanara.

Tay didn't know what to think of Xanara's actions. One thing she knew for sure now was that these Sith didn't show sympathy, nor did they like indirect answers. The pain from her cheek and tooth, plus the bruises from the earlier skirmishes, caused her anger flair up her anger again, as she sat up, but didn't get fully back to her feet.

After engaging in a glaring contest for a dozen seconds, Viina scowled in disgust, before speaking:

"Fine, have it your way, X... not like she's worth our time anyway!"

Baator nodded, before adding: "Right... whether she dies here, or at the Academy, doesn't make much difference. She's yours..." then he turned to Viina, pulling her close with one hand around the vaist and another sliding across her exposed skin, from the neck down... akros her breasts... all the way to the waist.

"Shall we spend some quality time together now, huh? See if I can make it up for those bruises I gave you in our match, sexy?" he asked, aroused.

The assassin woman grinned lustfully, before giving him a hard knee-strike to the crotch, then hissing as he grunted briefly:

"You're on... but I'll be the one doing the bruising this time, bad boy!" - following that up by bringing her right arm under his chin - along with the light-blade emitter on her wrist there... bifore activating it.

Sensing the intent, Baator tvwsted his head aside, with the twin blades protruding where his chin was a half-second before, as he trapped her arm in a lock, and tvisted hard, making her bend sideways...

"Aahhh!" Viina yelped, with Baator growling in her ear, twisting close to dislocation point:

"A-a-a... be nice, bad girl!" - to which she only grinned seductively, replying in a strained tone:

"Mmm... let's go, handsome!"

Not giving Tay a second glance, both left the gymnasium.

"What have I gotten myself into...?" Tay asked herself under her breath, as she stood up.

The girl tried to look as though the pain wasn't bothering her, standing up as straight as she could and trying not to look down.

"It is our way, Tay..." - Xanara muttered, briefly glancing after the departing duo.

Once they were out of earshot - and sensing range, as her own Force sense told her, she turned to Tay, looking the girl intently in the eye:

"Tay... that was EXTREMELY foolish, showing weakness like that, backing down, and looking indecisive and hesitant in front of them! They would have killed you, had I not interceded on your behalf. And I did it because I am your friend."

Then she briefly touched the girl's bleeding cheek, and added, gently but very firmly:

"I'm sorry I had to do that, but if I had not, it would have seemed that I condone your weakness! In which case, both of us would be dead by now. And of course, I do NOT condone it in the least, in any case." - beginning to apply Force Heal on Tay's injuries.. except the blasted-out tooth, which would need to be replaced at the medical bay later.

"I won't do that again." Tay said coldly.

CHAPTER 42

CORUSCANT, NEW REPUBLIC SENATE CHAMBER - EMERGENCY SESSION

In the wake of Lord Darkon's controversial and inflammatory speech, which had found considerable root among the more discontent and impoverished masses on many New Republic worlds, Chancellor Mon Mothma was compelled to call a full Senate session, instead of just her intended high-level meeting, regarding military rebuilding efforts. The vast Senate chamber was filled to overflowing, with Senators from all the NR member worlds arguing the merits, morality, and perceived hidden agendas of Darkon's statements. Already polarized on the issue, a small group of Senators had already crystalized as supporters of the kind of reforms the RTSE would introduce. Another group, the moderate majority, were trying to keep things in perspective, and focus on the more immediate matters, like reinforcing the NR border defenses and trying to stop the RTSE's inexorable push. And then there were the New Republic hard-liners, who were pushing for an immediate all-out attack against the RTSE, regardless of cost, inscensed by Darkon's speech.

As the insults, challenges, veiled threats, and accusations flew across the chamber, primarily between the hard-liners and supporters of Darkon's reforms, in many human and alien languages, Mon Mothma's calls for order were utterly drowned out, as she thought in despair:

"And here we are, the noble Senate of the New Republic, proving that Sith Lord's point... fragmenting, unable to accomplish anything!" - before trying once more:

"Please, respected Senators... WE MUST TRY AND REMAIN FOCUSED ON THE MAIN ISSUE!!!" - at the top of her lungs, into the senate-wide audio amplifier.

However, even with the amplification, her voice could barely be registered amidst the white noise of a hundred other voices, shouting and screaming at each other. As she closed her eyes, contemplating simply to end the session right there, a soft voice suddenly intoned behind her:

"Let those idiots scream their heads off at each other, if they want, Chancellor... what matters is that things ARE getting done, whether by official channels or not."

Mon Mothma nodded to herself, before turning to the person standing in the shadows behind her in the booth - a red-haired, rather athletic looking Jedi woman in her thirties, who would have been attractive, if not for a nasty lightsaber burn scar across her entire face, which she received half a year ago, losing a duel with Deathstrike and barely escaping with her life.

"You're right, of course, Mara... and with Garm spearheading that, the shipbuilding efforts and military production will be increased, without the Senate even knowing about it. But I still wish they could stop arguing this propaganda nonsense that Sith animal has been peddling, and realize it's just a ploy, to plant a seed of discord and doubt in our ranks." - she muttered tiredly.

Mara Jade smiled at that, but with definite air of contempt.

"Why do you think I can't stand politicians? Present company excluded, of course... they're the same, no matter what species they are, and which government they serve! At least during the Empire, and my time as the Emperor's Hand, I had the authority from Palpatine himself to override and ignore them whenever something had to be done in the - how to put it - off-channel sector."

"Well... I suppose efficiency is a price we must pay, if we wish to stay a democratic society, Mara... but I admit, right now, it doesn't serve us particularily well." - Mon Mothma replied with a rueful grin, as they both walked out of the booth, and the Senate chamber as a whole, leaving the delegates to their arguing.

As they walked, she noticed Mara Jade's slight limp, the left leg moving with a slight, but visible drag, also a consequence of her encounter with Deathstrike.

"Is it still bothering you?" - she asked the other woman quietly.

"Always... when I don't apply the Force to keep it under control. After all the bacta tank sessions, and Force Healing, the nerves in my knee never fully recovered. Hapan doctors told me that it could be corrected with a full neuro-reconstructive surgery, but that means being pinned to some bed in a hospital for at least a month! I can't just drop off for that long... I have apprentices who need me, not to mention the Jedi Order as a whole." - Jade replied irritably, before adding:

"Besides, you know how much I like being out of action, right?" - in a mock-menacing tone, before she applied a slight Force touch, and the limp abruptly vanished.

Before Mon Mothma could reply, a roughish, cocky male voice intoned from behind a corner they were approaching:

"About as much as I like it, kid..." - before Han Solo appeared, grinning.

"Solo? How come you're back already... I thought you and the Falcon were still at Iridonia, helping the sector fleet there fight off a Sith assault?" - Mara asked, in clear surprise.

"Oh, we sent those Sith bastards packing there... actually, only one of their ships got away! So, with things relatively quiet there, I thought to stop by here..." - Han began, but not finishing the sentence.

Mara finished for him, in a low, compassionate tone:

"Leia?"

"Leia..." - he nodded quietly.

"Captain Solo, I cannot begin to imagine your loss... if there was any way whatsoever for Palace Security forces to have reached her in time, that RTSE assassin would not have succeeded! Once again, please accept my most sincere sym--" - Mon Mothma began, before he cut her off:

"Skip it, Chancellor... I've been listening to apologies since it happened, and I'm sick of hearing 'em anymore! The simple fact is, they screwed up, and my wife died because of that!" - voice bitter and hard.

"You know you'll have to let go sometime, Han... like I had to, when Luke was killed." - Mara said, approaching and putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe..." - Solo conceded, before adding:

"Did you ever really let go, though?"

At this, Mara Jade gazed off for a few moments, before replying with soft menace:

"No... and that's why I won't stop figthing those Sith scum, until every last one of them is dead!"

"You and me both, kid..." - Han agreed, voice equally vengeful.

Deciding to change the subject before the mood became even more grim, Mon Mothma inquired:

"In any case, Mara, I'm certain Grandmaster Katarn didn't send you here simply to save me from a deteriorating Senate session... what is the Jedi Order's official stance toward the RTSE's implied challenge? I take it inaction and conteplation are no longer viable options?"

Mara nodded at that, fire in her eyes.

"Not a chance... Kyle's decided to take the fight to the Sith on all fronts! We'll be coming out of the Mists in full force, working with the Hapan fleet, while you keep them busy on the main front! And I admit, the Sith were right about one thing... we've let ourselves adopt a siege mentality for too long, instead of figting them directly. That's going to change very soon, Chancellor."

"About time..." - Solo injected at that, before adding in a thoughtful tone:

"But, I've been hearing rumours from some of my smuggler contacts that there's more going on in the RTSE than meets the eye... they got wind of some kind of secret meeting between Darkon and someone connected to those Ekatra characters that set up shop at Sernpidal."

Jade nodded.

"Yes... the Jedi have also been sensing a disturbance in the Force. We still don't know what to make of these Ekatra, or what their connection to the Sith is, but we know for a fact, from Hapan intelligence, that there was some kind of secret mission dispatched by the RTSE, to somewhere outside this galaxy, with that kriffin' Nightsister schutta directly attached to it."

"I take it you refer to Deathstrike?" - Mothma asked.

"Who else?!" - Mara growled through clenched teeth.

Solo smiled slightly, before remarking:

"Yeah, I've heard stories that the two of you crossed paths, right?"

"That's an understatement, Solo... she gave me this..." - pointing to her face, and the massive burn-scar across it - "...among other things."

"What do you mean?" - he asked.

"Just... just drop it, okay?!" - she replied harshly, not wanting to reveal the actual cause of her nerve damage in the knee... or another, far more terrible consequence of that encounter, related to another deep lightsaber scar she had, across her lower abdomen.

"I'll fight you again, killer Sith animal... and make you pay for what you did to me! What you robbed me of... I SWEAR IT!!!" - she thought, with barely suppressed rage.

Han Solo shrugged, before nodding.

"Sure... sorry for bringing it up. Anyway, I've got to go... I want to stop by Leia's grave before heading back out."

"May we join you, Captain Solo?" - Mon Mothma asked quietly.

He simply nodded, as the three of them walked toward the turbolift.

RTSE BEKRIJA - THE BRIDGE

Just over a day away from catching up with Fleet Admiral Rajko's strike force, the ship's captain had just made subspace contact with Rajko...

Finished with reading the message on the communications officers' terminal, captain Bakov straightened in satisfaction.

"Excellent... we're ahead of schedule. I'm certain the Lady will be pleased." - he remarked to his first officer, as they walked back out of the starboard crew pit.

"Less so with the progress of the investigation she requested, however..." - the commander remarked with a scowl, before adding:

"Particularily since we've made literally NO progress in discovering Keirn's accomplice! Whoever it might be, they're good... no records of any type of tampering were found in the computer datafiles. Probably one of the engineers... but since there are well over two hundred engineers aboard, with the needed expertise to carry something like that out, and not get caught, that still doesn't give us anything!"

"Patience... our culprit will get complacent before too long... and then, he or she will make a mistake, at which point we'll have them." - Bakov replied with confidence.

"I suppose so... still, patience isn't one of the Lady's virtues, Captain - she will want results, and fast." - the first officer muttered.

"Wanting something, and getting it, are often two different things... something she'll simply have to accept in this case." - Bakov remarked with finality, before opening a commlink with Deathstrike:

"Lady, we've just made contact with Fleet Admiral Rajko's force... we are ahead of schedule, and should be catching up with them in approximately 26.2 hours."

In one of the ship's observation galleries...

"Acknowledged... but I guessed as much myself." - Deathstrike replied.

"Now to the more important issue, captain... what is the progress of the investigation I requested?" - she inquired.

There was a noticable pause from the link, before Bakov came back, in a slightly hesitant voice.

"I regret to inform you that very little progress has been made so far, milady. Whoever this accomplice might be, they haven't yet done anything to incriminate themselves. However, that kind of vigilance won't last, I'm convinced of it."

"Oh, I see... you are convinced of it. How very reassuring, captain! You'll forgive me if I don't share that kind of optimism, as it has already been a day since the incident." - Deathstrike retorted, with more than a touch of annoyed sarcasm in her voice.

"We are doing everything we can to find the culprit, Lady... they won't be able to keep a low profile much longer, with the kind of psychological pressure they must be under." - Bakov answered.

"I hope so, Captain..." - she replied, in a more ominous voice than intended, closing the link, as she thought:

"Well... I suppose it would be too much to expect results as quickly as this, but I can't help it! I WANT that collaborator found, and punished! Still... with all the Acolytes directed to be on the lookout for any incriminating thoughts among the crew, I don't expect I shall have to wait much longer." - with a devious smile.

Meanwhile, Ty Havox was talking with a pair of seasoned RTSE troopers, down in the firing range, the three of them sharing their experiences, and stories of all the combat deployments they participated in.

"So, Havox... the story around the ship is that you used to work for the Empire once, before becoming a merc. Is that true?" - one trooper asked.

"I wonder how that story ever surfaced again... but yes it's true. Seems like so long ago... I was just a kid when I signed up to become a Stormtrooper. The Imperial Academy never would've accepted me at my age, but out in the remote regions of the Outer-Rim, the standards for recruitment were a bit more lax." Havox replied, memories of times long gone flooding back to him, "I still had to lie a bit about how old I was, but they couldn't find out the truth anyway, since I was homeless and had no records."

The other trooper hesitated a bit, before speaking:

"You were a Stormie? No offense, but you sure don't shoot like one of those losers! I've heard stories that those guys can't shoot straight if their lives depended on it... back a few years, when the RTSE still had occassional skirmishes with the Remnant, those guys hardly ever stood a chance against one of us one-on-one."

"They used to be elite, or so I'm told... but they were already in the process of degenerating by the time I joined up. Part of the problem can be blamed on those blasted E-11s of course. I still can't understand why they didn't move on to something else sooner, considering the Empire had all the resources they could ask for." the former merc responded.

"Maybe because they viewed all their troops as cannon fodder? Am I glad I'm not serving with them!" - the first soldier injected contemptuously.

"They certainly didn't value us much..." Ty agreed, dark memories of the slaughters on Cean flashing through his head.

"Anyway, what do you think of our weapons, merc? Our ZR carbines are a lot more effective then those stupid E11 things the Imperials used." - the second troop asked.

"Far superior." Havox acknowledged, "I only wish we had stuff like this back then. I suppose they cost quite a bit more though."

"Probably... not like I'd know. Anyway, the only thing with them is the recoil - but I guess that comes with added firepower. And trust me, I've seen a ZR blast through light Mandalorian armour, you know!" - the soldier replied.

The second one then changed the subject...

"So what's the story with you and Pain-Freak?" - he asked, the tone of the question making it abundantly clear he didn't like Deathstrike very much.

"Deathstrike? Heh heh..." Ty smirked, "I was working for the Shadow Empire back during the Battle of Akates. I led a boarding force to try and take over the Blood Sanctum, but wasn't successful at capturing it. During that battle I fought with her on the bridge."

"And lived to tell about it? Impressive, merc!" - the first trooper exclaimed in awe, while the other just scowled, and ground out.

"Hmmph... schutta..."

"What IS your problem with her anyway?!" - the first soldier asked him, with obvious annoyance.

"You mean BESIDES her attitude? Let's just say I'm used to women being very different than that, where I come from." - the soldier replied scornfully.

"You obviously have never lived on Nar Shaddaa." Havox chuckled in response to the soldier's comment.