Bedtime Stories

[General Dan]

After two servings of ice cream, Dan knew the little one was in no mind to sleep, and it was going to take some work to get her to go to bed. They said goodbye to Sanis, and headed back to the commander's quarters. Opening the door, Dan carried his little girl in.

"So you want to hear about Dama's eye?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Tak nodded happily, and she slid from his arms after the door had closed. She was mindful to take his hand in hers though, as he started for the bedroom. Of course she neglected to tell him that Dama firmly refused to tell her every time that she asked; if she did that, Daddy might not tell it to her!

"Sshe told me about how her daddy branded her, but sshe never told me about what happened to her eye. Sshe said they both hurt lotss though."

She sighed, her face scrunching up. "Dama ssayss sshe won't brand me without assking you firsst though. Sshe ssayss that daddies are ssuppossed to do it."

[General Dan]

"We are?"

Dan averted his eyes, not sure what other crazy native rituals that s'Il had in store for her poor daughter.

"Ok kiddo, you get your PJ's on, and daddy is going to get him a drink."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Letting go of his hand, she skipped away into the bedroom, blissfully unaware of the effect her words had had on him.

She was quick to pull her nightclothes out from the duffel Dama had left, and even quicker to pull them on. She still wasn't tired, but since he was going to tell her about Dama's eye, the little Lupine was quite willing to obey without a word otherwise.

Tak climber up onto the bed in no time at all, making sure to place the pillows just right against the headboard so that she could sit up against them.

"Hurry up!"

[General Dan]

"Alright, I'm coming. You'll have to remember old peoples' legs don't move as fast as yours do."

Dan eventually made it back, having removed his coat and put it away in favor of a more comfortable silk long-sleeve shirt. He rested a glass of wine on the small table next to the chair, which he pulled adjacent to the bed.

"Alright, so we know Dama was a powerful Jedi Knight back in the old days."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Pulling the covers up to her waist, Tak furrowed her brow in thought, then looked up at Daddy.

"How old wass sshe? And you? How come you can't usse the Force? And Ssem, wass he there?"

[General Dan]

"I don't know how old she...

...I don't know why I can't...

..."

Dan paused, arching an eyebrow at the little scamp, too eager for storytime and turning the session into an interrogation.

"Do you want to hear the story?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Well yeah," she looked at him over the tops of wide eyes, hands folded in her lap.

Neither said a word for a brief moment, but as soon as he opened his mouth to continue, she hastily whispered one last question.

"How powerful wass sshe?"

[General Dan]

Dan paused with a deadpan expression.

"Goodnight kiddo."

He stood to leave.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"What? No! You can't leave! You have to tell the sstory!"

Quick as anything, Tak was out of the covers and on her feet. Standing on the bed allowed her enough height to grab a hold of his sleeve with ease, and she matched his expression with her own.

"You have to tell me the sstory or I won't be able to ssleep."

[General Dan]

"So you want me to tell the story, then?"

Dan feigned surprise.

"I was going to tell you a story, but you were asking me questions."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"I'll be quiet now," she let him go and resumed her seat against the headboard, "I promisse."

[General Dan]

He took a few extra seconds to pretend to think about it.

"Oh, alright."

Sneaking a smile in, Dan returned to his seat.

"As I was saying, it was way back then, when Dama was a powerful Jedi Knight. Daddy was doing about what Daddy is doing now, just smaller..."


<center>* * *</center>

The gunfire had quieted down considerably, and Corrash, the Malastare capital, seemed to be returning to normal. The Rebels had fought hard here, and had succeeded in pushing out the Empire. The Imperial garrison had fled to their ships, and had retreated, leaving the planet in the hands of the Alliance.

Dan was tired, and he made his way to an occupied part of town that hadn't been hit too bad. Guards were posted at a fancy hotel, and he nodded to them, thinking nothing more than to find an empty room and take a well-deserved nap.

[s'Il]

The kitchens of the Jade Camel Hotel were fantastically stocked, and as s'Il stood in the doorway, she pulled in a long breath through her nose. Live animals, no doubt for Cizerack customers, could be heard chittering away from inside a back stockroom, unaware of the carnage that had transpired outside of their very temporary 'homes'.

Wasting little time, she hiked up her blaster rifle a bit higher on her shoulder, one hand still grasping the olive-drab strap. She wasn't sure where Zem had found himself, though that was probably for the better considering how she planned to go about gorging herself on her future meal.

Running a tongue over her front teeth, s'Il took her first steps into the large kitchen area.

[General Dan]

Dan shuffled by the kitchen, spotting s'Il and stopping in his tracks, leaning against the door frame as he spoke to her.

"Scouts are back. It's official, the Empire has withdrawn."

[s'Il]

"That's good news," she replied happily while carefully backing her way out of the rear storeroom, "but not as good as this."

From one of the cages in the back room she had pulled a native rabbit, holding it easily by its' rear legs in one hand, and a large glass bowl full of small, squeaking mice balanced in the other.

She turned about to face him and set the bowl on the closest counter, followed by her rifle which was unslung from her shoulder and placed beside the bowl.

"You look tired," she smiled.

[General Dan]

Dan averted his eyes, having a good idea what she planned to do with those hapless creatures.

He was about to book it to a room when she noted how exhausted he was. He paused, and conceded with a nod.

"I don't even remember the last time I've slept."

The sound of a repulsortank barreling down the road could be heard outside.

"You seen Zem?"

[s'Il]

s'Il gave a shake of her head and a small shrug.

"I haven't seen him in a few hours."

[General Dan]

"Eh."

Dan shrugged, leaning against the wall gingerly, easing his exhausted and aching muscles.

"Probably already found a good bed and fell face-first onto it. Smart guy, him."

[s'Il]

""Well, last I saw he was helping with the mop-up on the block over, so who knows."

She placed the rabbit on the countertop beside her rifle, holding it down with a firm hand. Furrowing her brow in thought, the Lupine gave him an odd look.

"If you really need him, I could always call for him."

By now s'Il rather suspected well enough that it was common knowledge; the relationship between the two Jedi.

[General Dan]

"No, no. Just didn't see him here with you."

Dan saw what was about to go down, and excused himself.

"I'm going to go sleep. Wake me in a week."

[s'Il]

One arm went out to indicate the interior of the kitchen and all that was inside, she called out after him with a teasing voice.

"And miss all this?"

[General Dan]

Dan fired her an intentional look.

"That's the idea."

He paused, and added.

"I don't want to know, just try not to make a mess. Other humanoids might want chow down the road."

[s'Il]

Thoroughly proud of herself for no real reason at all, s'Il plucked a sajoi from the bowl and waved it at him for a few seconds.

"I'm a creature of cleanliness, rest assured."

Dropping the poor mouse once more back into the bowl among its' doomed comrades, she reached up to grab a rolling pin that hung from one of the racks over her head. The rabbit was still held down firmly in front of her, and she gave it a scrutinizing eye.

"Not to mention," the pin was raised up, ready for the killing blow, "freshness is a hallmark of quality."

[General Dan]

"Now you're just being tacky."

Dan made a face, and then looked to the side as Zem came into the hotel. He was covered with a fine layer of dust, likely from powdered duracrete that silted down from exploded building edifices. It was a hallmark of urban warfare.

[s'Il]

She gave a small laugh and set the instrument of destruction on the counter. The rabbit, spared for a few more moments, grew still even though she could feel its' heartbeat thumping wildly.

Seeing Dan's attention diverted by someone else entering the hotel, she smiled. She didn't need to see him to know that it was Zem.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I paused just short of the door, giving my head a shake to knock loose some of the dust, and stepped inside. The guards posted at the door gave a salute, which I replied to with a casual wave. I didn't much like the attention they gave me, as if I were a military officer.

I walked past Dan, giving him a bare nod before heading directly into the kitchen to turn on a tap, and stick my head under it.

[s'Il]

Leaning forward on the counter, s'Il watched with amusement as Zem very nearly barreled through the kitchen doorway, intent on... something.

By the look of him though, the Lupine had a fairly good guess about what he intended to do.

A squeak from the bowl was enough to divert her attention however, and she deftly plucked up another sajoi. Without hesitation she tilted her head back, dropping the little creature into her mouth. A single bite to break its' neck, and the Lupine swallowed it whole.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"You've really got to find another nasty habit."

I wet my hair down, giving it a quick toss before angling my mouth below the stream of water, and drinking eagerly.

[s'Il]

" 'Nasty habit'? You both need to learn to be a little more accepting of cultural diversity."

She would have waggled a finger at them, but instead settled for lifting the rabbit up by the scruff of its' neck and shaking it first at Dan and then Zem.

"Or would you rather I follow after the two of you and eat the dead clones you leave behind?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

I groaned at the bad joke, and continued to drink. Dan excused himself, ostensibly to go pass out in a room. I didn't have to be a Jedi to know he was exhausted. I was nearly there myself.

After a minute or so, I had gotten my fill, and turned off the tap, standing back up to stare blankly and let a few drops of water run down my chin.

[s'Il]

Left alone with Zem, s'Il eased the rabbit back down to the counter, and after a moment of quiet contemplation, let it go. The plump creature huddled for only a few minutes, then was off like a shot, leaping down to the tiled floor. It was out the door only scant seconds later.

Even the bowl of sajoi was pushed gently to the side, and she rested more of her weight on the countertop while staring at him. His beard was nowhere near as full as it once was, and his hair had also been trimmed shorter. Her own mane however had filled out once more to fall well past her shoulders.

He'd still not said a word, and so the Lupine cleared her throat.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Sorry, I haven't said much."

I reached up, pressing the moisture from my hair and beard.

"I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Everything today seemed easy. I mean, I've been up seemingly forever, but I didn't expect us to get along this far."

[s'Il]

Biting her lip, s'Il pushed herself back from her partial perch and started for him.

"Be that as it may, I think it best not to worry too much."

She stopped in front of him, one hand going up to trace fingertips through his wet hair and her other snaking around his middle.

"We were lucky on this planet," the Lupine gave him an easy smile. "Let's not think too hard about what could have happened and be thankful for what did."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I put my hand over hers, gently giving her pause.

"And you? Any more visions?"

[s'Il]

Her eyes left his, falling to the floortiles at the thought of what he was asking.

"A few," she finally conceded, "... though none so bad as the first."

[Zem-El Vymes]

That was a relief. For a moment, it seemed like I was watching her die. What I felt coming from her was horrible.

"Any clue as to who it is that is causing this?"

[s'Il]

"We both know who it's coming from."

The Lupine made a face, pulling away from him to retrieve her rifle. Slinging it over her shoulder she left the bowl of sajoi where she'd left it.

"He just watches though. I catch glimpses of him every now and then, but there's no confrontation involved."

Holding out her hand for him to take, she began heading for the doorway.

"But I couldn't tell you where he is."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I took her hand in mine, letting her lead me on.

"He's going to make a mistake eventually, and when he does, I intend to end this."

We couldn't spend our time fighting the Empire and expecting our mysterious attacker at the same time.

"The only thing I can make of it is that I don't feel that our attacker and the Empire are connected. If so, you would think we would have been facing more force on Hoth."

[s'Il]

Without ceremony they left the kitchen, and s'Il headed in the direction of the main body of the hotel, paying little mind to the guards posted as they entered the main stretch of hallway leading from the front lobby.

Whichever room they decided upon meant little, though something at least a bit removed from the front of the hotel would have been nice; at least then the sounds of hovertanks lumbering down the roadways would be somewhat muffled.

"Do you not see him in your dreams?"

It was a question she'd wanted to ask for a while now, and opening the door to one of the rooms the Lupine waited for him to enter first.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I entered the room as she gestured for me, and shook my head at her question.

"No. Not once."

What that meant, I didn't know. Why was he singling her out?

[s'Il]

A frown, and she closed the door behind them. Carefully leaning her firearm on the wall beside the door, s'Il let her shoulders slump ever so slightly. If the Sith was only showing himself to her, invading her dreams... the thought alone was enough to make her clench her jaw.

Slowly the Lupine peeled off her jacket. Her lightsabre followed next, and with a small amount of hesitation she pulled the serpent hilt from the second clip along her belt. That she hid away in an empty dresser along the far wall.

She was careful to close the drawer quietly, and for a moment she stood looking down at it before placing her hands on the dresser's top surface to rest her weight forward.

Another few moments passed in silence, and she turned to face Zem.

"I'm... a little scared," she whispered finally.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I looked at her, my mind swirling in mixed thought as I clenched and unclenched my jaw.

"Everything you are, everything you train to be, is larger than your fear."

I walked to the dresser, pulling open the drawer.

"He has no power until he contronts us, and when he does, we will be ready for him."

[s'Il]

A sigh.

"I know."

She watched with uninterested eyes as he opened the drawer once more. His original assessment of its' beauty wa still true, but the memory it instilled, the face that she thought of when looking upon it, did well enough to destroy such beauty.

s'Il turned her head to the side. Were these nightmares that sometimes plagued her because she chose to carry it?

Another moment passed, and she gave Zem a sidelong look while grabbing his sleeve.

"Let's not think too much on it; we should rest."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Let me put your mind at ease."

I smiled sweetly at her, taking the evil lightsaber in my hands, and deftly giving the case a twist. True to form, the weapon began to unthread, and I removed the delicately-ornate superstructure, and set to the task of dismantling it in more detail.

[s'Il]

Speechless, the Lupine watched in near fascination as he began taking apart the hilt. It was something that she had considered doing herself, but each time she'd started, she'd grown fearful of some form of instant retribution.

And that fear was quick to return as she continued to watch him.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she blurted out suddenly, her hand on his sleeve going quickly to still his hands.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I gave her a look that would remind her to examine how ridiculous her concern was. If that wasn't enough, I tossed the ornate serpent head to her.

"De-fanged. The only teeth it has are the teeth you give it."

[s'Il]

Letting go of him, she slightly fumbled with both hands at the head that he'd tossed. She opened her mouth to object, but closed it quickly at the look he gave her.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I carefully dislodged the ruby red crystal from the half dozen forked prongs which held it fast to the emitter housing.

"I wonder if the dreams are a two way road. I have an idea that may help us put this nuissance away."

[s'Il]

s'Il set the ornate head on the dresser, still watching as Zem carefully pulled the crystal from its' housing. She gave him an odd look as he spoke.

"... an idea."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I know enough about this guy to know that he operates on hubris. He probably doesn't anticipate that you would use his dream invasion as a way to track him."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

* * *

"Thiss iss boooring."

Tak gave her Daddy a critical eye. It was plain to see that he didn't have much practice telling bedtime stories.

The little girl crossed her arms then, still staring at him with an unbelieving look.

"And bessidess, how do you know what Dama and Ssem were doing alone? You were in another room assleep."

[General Dan]

Dan paused, making a face.

"Well, your Dama tells me stories sometimes too."

He paused, and grinned.

"I'll skip all that boring mess for you."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Good."

Tak gave him a grin that matched his own, but in the next instant she held a hand up for him to wait before continuing with the story.

"Have you sseen the Ssith?

"And what iss a Ssith anyway?"

[General Dan]

Dan thought a moment, and explained.

"A Sith has powers like Dama has. But instead of good powers, they are bad powers. They are bad people."

He then went on to her other question.

"I've never seen the Sith. I don't think I'd last very long against one. Dama and Zem are the only ones I know who have seen one."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She mouthed an 'oh', and her eyes tracked away from Dan and to the far wall of the bedroom.

Dama had never told her about Sith; all she'd ever told Tak about were the Jedi, and even the stories that had Jedi in them weren't very many. Most of what Dama told her were Lupine stories, or funny stories that happened before she'd been born.

It was hard to imagine a bad person like what he was talking about.

She looked to Daddy again.

"Ok you can start again now."

[General Dan]

Dan patted her hair lightly, and continued again.

"Zem and Dama were going to wait for the bad Sith to cause another dream, so they prepared to go to sleep..."

[s'Il]

* * *




Two days passed without much incident, and s'Il and Zem worked diligently to help the cleanup operations. Those who had been displaced by the fighting were helped to either relocate or theiir original residences were repaired.

And each night the two Jedi retired peacefully to the hotel. Their activities had done well to distract s'Il, and so by the time night fell on Malastare, the memory of what Zem had instructed was forgotten.

Their third night after the Empire's withdrawel was like the others, with the Lupine and Zem retiring to the bedroom that they'd claimed. A quick shower later to wash away the day's dirt, and s'Il was ready to sleep. How long they were to stay she wasn't sure, and already their daily routines had become firmly entrenched in her mind.

She slowly crawled into the bed, thankful for the soft sheets and warm covers. She'd been mindful to dry her hair as much as possible, but it was still damp. Burrowing herself beneath the comforter, the Lupine watched with half-closed eyes as Zem went about his own nightly routine and waited for him to join her.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I climbed into bed alongside s'Il, and was still thumbing through a datapad of various briefings and after-action reports that comprised the tail end of another busy day. Fortunately, the embrace of a warm bed and my companion were encouraging my urge to sleep, and after a few minutes, I could feel my lids getting heavy.

[s'Il]

She continued to watch him. He was so intent on his reading that s'Il found herself squinting at him. Of course he didn't notice; whatever he was reading seemed to be interesting. Though however interesting those reports and business writings could be, she felt no need to guess.

It was easy to tell though that fatigue was settling itself over him, which was good. It made taking away the datapad that much easier.

Without ceremony she reached an arm out from beneath the comforter and grabbed the 'pad deliberately in a delicate, two-fingered grip. She let it rest in both of their grips for only a moment, then gently began to pull it from his hand. Another flick of the wrist, and the datapad bounced twice on the carpetted floor beside the bed.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Yeah..." I conceded, which was interrupted by a yawn. "...I'm turning in."

I lay back against the pillow, looking sideways at her. She had a calming effect on me, and I watched her, transfixed by good feelings as sleep began to overtake me. I distantly hoped that she would have pleasant dreams, but was prepared for the anticipated contingency if it was needed.

[s'Il]

She gave a light smile, her eyes closing as she made herself comfortable. Nestling beside him, the Lupine was quick to doze, and in no time at all s'Il was fast asleep.

The events of the previous day were all but forgotten, as well as the Sith. Now was the time for rest yet again; tomorrow would most likely be more of the same. How long they would be on Malastare she didn't know, but for now she was happy to at least have a proper bed.



_ _


Disorientation.

It felt almost the same as a jump to lightspeed, when the stomach slightly turns on itself. But the feeling passed quickly and faded, leaving her alone in a bare, empty room. A single mirror hung on a side wall, and the Lupine furrowed her brow as she started slowly towards it. She could see the reflection of the empty room in it, and coming around to stand before it s'Il stared at herself.

What she saw was perplexing. Instead of her youth, she found herself staring at an older woman, drawn with age and haggard almost from hard years. Her breath quickened, and she reached a hand up to lightly trace the etched crow's feet on the outer corners of her eyes.

[Zem-El Vymes]

As I drifted into sleep, I could feel a stirring. Not necessarily a physical stir, but something distant and muted. Was it her? Was it a dream? I was cognisant of the direction of my subconcious thought, and as I began to sleep, I dreamed a shadow of her dream.

[s'Il]

s'Il was transfixed by her own image, and took it in with mixed emotions. Sadness, worry, confusion... the Lupine that looked back at her appeared as though she'd given up on life. Her shoulders slumped like they carried a great weight, and there was an overall air about her of having been broken.

Something caught her eye though, and reaching up, she closed her hand around an ornate metal serpent head. It hung from her neck on a thin leather cord. What was it doing there??

Almost instantly she remembered the first nightmare, and of how the Sith's weapon in its' entirety had been a part of her. Now that it'd been dismantled, would she find other pieces of that horrid weapon on her person elsewhere?

Turning away from the mirror, s'Il closed her eyes. The sight of herself advanced in years wasn't one that she wished to look upon. The lines of age, the grey streaks slowly overtaking her normal dark blonde; for the Lupine it was just a little too much. But it was her eyes that had been most disturbing.

Instead of their normal blue, they had become muddled and mixed with another color that made them appear almost black. They were bloodshot, and without life.

And so she backed away, towards the side. The less that she saw of her own reflection the better, but she still kept her hold on the serpent head around her neck, her fingers running absently over its' intricate etching.

Her progress suddenly halted, s'Il felt herself back into another body. A sharp intake of breath told her well enough who it was, and her grip on the metal head tightened. Eyes still closed, she refused to turn around lest she see the look in his own diseased eyes.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I stirred in my deep sleep, suddenly troubled by the feeling of a presence that was neither mine, nor s'Il's. I could feel her next to me...but something else behind me.

[s'Il]

Still unwiling to turn around and face the Sith, s'Il inhaled deeply, hoping that the action would calm her nerves.

The closeness to him made her feel small, and she ground her teeth.

"You've no right to be here."

[Darth Decepis]

Mocking laughter was her reply.

"Your heart of darkness let me in. I have come by your invitation!"

[s'Il]

This made her scowl, and the Lupine squared her shoulders back before finally turning on her heel. So close, he was taller than she'd anticipated. She craned her neck up to lock eyes with him.

"Who are you."

[Darth Decepis]

An ethereal hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"I am your master now."

[s'Il]

Repulsed by his touch, the Lupine shrugged his hand away while taking a step back. The words he spoke troubled her to such an extent that s'Il unconsciously shook her head. Just the very notion of it went against her teaching.

"No."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I could see her dream world appearing before my eyes. The bare room, the mirror, and then her and the dark apparition behind her.

I turned around, facing the ghastly intruder.

[s'Il]

Something pricked at her senses; a familiar feeling that cause her to turn around, her back to the Sith.

[Darth Decepis]

Decepis recoiled from s'Il, his attention fixed at the intruder.

"YOU!?"

Suddenly aware that this was a trick, the Sith apparition began to withdraw.

[s'Il]

The shout was enough to make her jump, and the Lupine snapped her head to look at the retreating Sith.

Emboldened by Zem's presence s'Il was quick to lash out with a hand, grabbing a handful of his dark robes. She planted her feet solidly and her muscles grew taut as she held him back.

"Do stay," she growled in a low voice, "I invite you."

[Zem-El Vymes]

With Decepis held fast, I took a running leap at him, barreling him over in a tight embrace. We all three disappeared into mist, hurtling across the ether of time and space. The dream state became a kaleidoscope of swirling imagery as we followed our enemy down the rabbit hole.

[s'Il]

Images of all the places that they had been since fleeing Coruscant flashed by in a blur. The grand marble pillars and statues that littered the Temple registered in her mind, and were followed by the driving rains and empty house that they'd taken refuge in after battling the squad of clonetroopers. Even the crumbling remains of the estate belonging to House Aulflendte faded into and out of existence. The halls and outer courtyard's of House Richter's stronghold, the earthen hut, the cave on Rumigaar, the sanctuary that had been hers and Zem's home for a year, even the murky and dank surroundings of Urga the Hutt's compound on Tattooine. The white snows of Hoth and its' bitter cold chilled her, but even that was soon replaced by first Talay.

The entire chase had seemed like a revisiting of their travels since the Purge began, and finally the crumbling streets of Corrash grew up from what could be seen of the Rebel base on Talay.

The pitted roads they were on grew more familiar with each twist and turn, until s'Il saw the Jade Camel take shape in the mist. Her stride lengthened then, and she strained forward to overtake the Sith who, despite his appearence, seemed to always stay one step ahead.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I strained with my senses to keep fast on our quarry, and it took all of my energy to keep up. It seemed that he could not break free from our hold, and that we would, at some length, at last find the hole in which the snake had crawled into.

We are close was all I could impart to s'Il, who I could feel in tandem with me through this dreamscape pursuit.

[s'Il]

She clenched her jaw as the hotel grew larger in her field of vision. If the Sith had somehow found refuge in there, then none of them were safe; the Rebels, Dan, none of them.

Too close to home, was her silent reply.

[Zem-El Vymes]

She was right.

I stirred in my sleep in discomfort. The trail was leading us to an enemy that was nearly on top of us. In this very building, even. The ethereal scent traced from the lobby, up the lift, to the fifth story...and then was gone.

I sat upright in an instant, a sheen of sweat on my forehead.

[s'Il]

s'Il bolted up in the next moment, her eyes still closed as she breathed in a deep lungful of air through her nose. She coughed, a retching sound that made it seem as though she was choking. The Sith's scent was strong; far stronger than it should have been, and she threw the covers to the side as she scrambled from the bed.

"He was here."

She could see the faint red aura, a tell-tale sign that someone using the Force had come through. Another few coughs as she made her way to the dresser, and she pulled open the drawer that held the pieces of the dismantle lightsabre.

Had held.

"It's gone... "

Her hand raked across the bottom of the drawer almost franticly.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I threw the covers back, immediately slipping on my clothes in the process. The last thing I did was to snatch my lightsaber from the bedside.

"Then he's close. I'm going to find him."

I wasn't waiting on her to catch up. Time was critical. I ran from the room in an instant.

[s'Il]

"No wait... !"

It did no good, as Zem was already out the door before she could stop him. A mild curse, and she too hastily pulled on a pair of wellworn trousers. It would take too much time to properly dress herself, and so the Lupine merely slipped on a sleeveless, open-backed leather top. Her boots were left where she'd dropped them, a cumbersome and uneccesary article of clothing in her mind.

Her own sabre was plucked from the nightstand on her side of the bed, and s'Il was out of the room at a run, following after Zem.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I stretched out with my feelings, finding a trail that was hard to follow and broken. I turned a corner, kicking a door open and startling a Rebel trooper. I scowled, peered inside, and backed off.

"Sorry, looking for somebody."

Before I could hear a protest, I was off again. I strained against the fading trail, prolonging the inevitable.

[s'Il]

Her senses remained attuned to both the physical and mental as she loped along at a gentle pace, sabre clutched in hand. It was easy enough to follow Zem's trail, but the Lupine could tell that he was starting to falter some; and for good reason.

The reddish aura was broken in places. Thankfully that rotten scent was still ever-present. She knew that it was something only she could smell, and catching up to Zem s'Il grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him along with her down a long stretch of hallway.

"This way," she huffed, "I can smell him."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I whirled about, looking at her a bit wild-eyed, and suddenly remembering that she had that added edge.

"Lead on!"

[s'Il]

Progress would have been easier on four legs rather than two, but s'Il knew that now was not the time for her other form to be used.

They reached the end of the hall and the Lupine slowed to a stop, lifting her nose to the air. It was plain to see that whatever it was she scented was far beyond pleasant. Snapping her head to the left, s'Il set off once more towards a door leading to a utility stairwell.

By now she had released her hold on Zem, and taken the lead in their chase, barreling into the crashbar and throwing the door open.

[General Dan]

"Aah!"

Dan was knocked back by the Lupine as she barreled through the door, and fell on his backside.

[s'Il]

Not exactly expecting anyone to be behind the door, s'Il danced to the side to avoid stepping on Dan. It wasn't a hard thing to do, and she came to a stop on the fourth step up.

A few calming breaths, and she stared down at him.

"What are you doing here."

[General Dan]

"There's an intruder alert scrambled. Somebody has breached our perimeter."

Dan looked at her face, and at Zem's.

"I take it none of this comes as a surprise then?"

[s'Il]

Snorting a breath from her nose, s'Il lowered her head, her shoulders squaring back.

His question was disregarded.

"Everyone. Get them out of here."

[General Dan]

Dan looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

He slowly rose to his feet, not sure why she was considering evacuation.

[s'Il]

She blinked at his question.

"Just do it. It isn't safe here; for you or any of your men."

Another test of the air, and she whirled about to continue on up the winding flight of stairs.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I followed her up, understanding her concern but as confused as Dan was.

"We've got a barracks full of troops here, maybe we could use them?"

[s'Il]

s'Il took the steps two at a time, a strange thing to see given her diminutive height. Stopping on the landing to the seventh floor, the Lupine tested the air again.

"It's not safe," she repeated, though this time it was more of a mumble.

The scent trail went no further up, and she squared herself up with the door before swinging it open forcefully. She stalked through it.

"This floor. This is the one."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I didn't press it further. She was able to decide that every bit as much as I. Dan was reluctant, but decided to comply.

We paused at the seventh floor, and I ignited my lightsaber.

"I don't feel anything. You can sense him?"

[s'Il]

Her own sabre gripped firmly in hand, s'Il held herself in check, deciding to wait before activating it.

"I can smell him," she answered. There was a gutteral undertone to her voice; the sign of a more feral side coming out from beneath her well-guarded shell.

"He reeks of death. It's in the air."

For the most part, this floor was deserted. Few if any rooms had been used by the rebels, and those that might have been were already empty. s'Il started forward slowly, her eyes closed as she placed one bare foot in front of the other.

Halfway down the corridor she stopped. A hand went out to a pair of wide double doors to their right, and she turned fully to face them. The scent went no further than the doors, she was sure of it, and moving up to them she pressed herself almost flat against the smooth wooden paneling. A finger traced the thin crack where they met, and she pulled in one last breath through her nose.

"It stops here."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Stand back."

I drew myself back into a deep stance, with my saber in my weak hand. Extending my other hand, I inhaled deeply before pressing forward suddenly, smashing the door apart and sending it into the room.

[s'Il]

Standing to the side, s'Il waited obediantly as he pushed the doors inward, and the sound they made as they crashed into the room caused her ears to tick back just a small bit.

And before Zem could step through, the Lupine stepped in front of him and rushed inside.

[Darth Decepis]

A crimson shaft of fire swung fiercely through the darkness, at the precise height to sever s'Il's head from her neck.

[s'Il]

She saw the blade swing around on a level arc that would bring it through her neck. Eyes going wide, s'Il dropped to her knees and rolled the rest of the way into the darkened room.

She silently rebuked herself for having rushed so headlong into the unknown; she'd very nearly paid the price with her life.

Levering herself up, the Lupine brought her own sabre to bear, the amethyst blade coming alive.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Now with a foe marked out, I drove into the fray, my blue blade shimmering in a wide loop around me, intended to ensnare the Sith's blade as he made contact. True to form, it did, and I leapt over the point of contact, kicking the fiend across his hooded face.

[s'Il]

She was on her feet in the next moment, her blade angled down as she came around from the side. The tip left a blackened score along the carpet, and her feet made no noise.

In an upwards crosscut, s'Il aimed for the Sith's sabre arm, hoping to sever it at the elbow.

[Darth Decepis]

Decepis had already seen her lead-in attack enough times to recognize the strategy, so that even as he recovered from Zem's kick, he had enough sense to pivot across s'Il's centerline, moving on her exposed side, and rendering her broad strike relatively powerless. He pressed in on her, meeting the exhausted swing at the tip of the blade with his own. With leverage against the Lupine, and now positioned with her body between himself and Zem, Decepis drew his saber down the length of her own, content to take her hands at the wrist, or whatever prize might be at stake.

[s'Il]

For a split second she smiled; a thin, yet unmistakeable grin that vanished just as quickly.

His blade came down the length of hers while at the same time her stance shifted, her body lowering only slightly and center itself. Free hand coming around then, s'Il opened herself to the Force and channeling it back out and delivering a brutal shove that sent her attacker on an unexpected course for the nearest wall.

[Zem-El Vymes]

We worked as one.

I whirled about and hurled my saber at the airborne Sith, sending it streaking toward him like a spear. Not waiting to even see the result, I leapt back into a backflip, planting my feet only to swing my arms forward and propel the splintered remains of the door ahead as further missiles.

[s'Il]

Crouched low as both Zem's sabre and the splintered remains of the door shot over her head, s'Il was back up on her feet without losing any of her own momentum.

A snarl, and the Lupine surged forward, her blade arcing around in a powerful, two-handed slash that would immediately follow Zem's own assault.

[Darth Decepis]

The thrown lightsaber grazed the Sith in the side, and he let out a shriek, but recovered quickly to angrily reverse the splintery shower in s'Il's direction as he fell to the ground.

[s'Il]

So close behind the splinters, she ducked her head low and threw her free arm up. Wooden shards sliced easily through her exposed skin, and with a yelp the Lupine faltered.

In mid-swing s'Il unexpectedly released her sabre, which lanced off to the side to clatter harmlessly across the floor, and both hands now free she dropped to her knees clutching her neck. Two splinter had found their way in; one having lodged itself deeply beneath her collarbone, and the other into the side of her neck.

Momentum took her forward, and the Lupine pulled in a shocked breath, staring wide-eyed at the carpetted floor.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"s'Il!"

I saw her falter, and ran to her aid, stopped only when a slicing red saber intersected my path. I stood against Decepis, now unarmed.

[s'Il]

Trembling fingers probed at the splinter fragments, but soon she simply settled for holding a hand over her throat to stem the thin river of blood that leaked from her wounds. This was not supposed to happen; nothing like this was supposed to happen.

Staggering up to her feet and turning around, s'Il stumbled
into the Sith's back, swinging an arm up to try and shove him to the side and away from Zem.

[Darth Decepis]

Decepis held his own, knocking s'Il back, and adding insult to injury by raking the edge of his blade along the side of her face as she fell.

[s'Il]

Her world was filled with red, and then a blinding white as she felt the blade score up along the side of her face, leaving a blackened and cauterized trail behind.

The Lupine went down, pitching forward with her head in her hands. Her hair fell forward to obscure her face, but the damage had been done for now. A hissed breath escaped her lips, and she threw her head back to open her mouth in a silent cry of agony.

Only one other thing had hurt like this - when she'd recieved her brand. She could feel the inner fluid of her eye boiling over, the seared flesh; the acrid smell of burned skin overpowered her olfactory senses.

She knew that it would heal, but right now, at this very moment, the pain was nearly unbearable.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I drew my own saber back, but Decepis still had impetus, and as I brought my blade to bear, he was already in the middle of a heavy strike. I was off balance, and the clash of blades sent me to the ground as I struggled to recover leverage. Decepis pressed on with a furious barrage of strikes, wearing me down. I couldn't maneuver, couldn't strike back, and was fighting on his terms.

[s'Il]

s'Il ground her teeth, hot tears cutting down her cheeks.

Desperate, she rose shakily to her feet and stepped in close to the Sith, pushing her body against his. Her hand clamped over his own in the attempt to halt his strikes, or at least slow them and lessen their power.

[Darth Decepis]

Decepis glared back at her with his awful yellow eyes as blue lightning snaked through the arm she held, and into her body.

[s'Il]

Another cry as electricity fired through her, singing her already overworked nerves. The Lupine gritted her teeth, refusing to relent even as she lost her footing. Her grip on him remained, and she pulled her free hand back, slicked with her own blood before weakly pounding his chest with her fist.

Remembering what she'd done on Hoth, s'Il steeled herself and called the Force into her, drawing inward the lightning lancing across her body. And with each weak pound of her fist into his chest, she released the Sith's horrid energy back into his own body.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Decepis's furious lightning continued, and I intervened, driving my saber into the dancing blue arc to sever the circuit. Every so often, a tangent of built up energy exploded from my blade, smashing into the ceiling or wall and causing a small fire.

[s'Il]

The lightning shifted away by Zem's actions, and s'Il closed her eyes against the stink of burning ozone that came from her own body. It was a terrible smell for the Lupine's sensitive nose.

Using the opening however, she was quick to pull away from Decepis as once more she lifted a hand to her neck and the splinters that had cut into her.

[Darth Decepis]

Now free to fight a war on a single front, Decepis cleaved the lightsaber from Zem's grasp, unleashing the full fury of his lightning into the Jedi Knight. Zem contorted and twisted on the ground, energy peeling through his every extremity and crackling through his bones. The scream was indescribable.

[s'Il]

As much as the mixed smells assaulting her, the sound of Zem's voice in pain was horrendous, and spurred her into action once more.

She could feel already as her metabolism went to work; her skin had become warm and the blood from the punctures in her neck had slowed to a lazy, nearly congealed drip.

Her body stayed low to the ground as she surged forward at the Sith, and calling upon the Force, she barrelled into him with enough power behind her to send the both of the back and out the doorway into the hallway.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Suddenly the current ceased. Zem writhed about on the floor in the throes of the aftermath. His clothes smoldered, and residual arcs of dark power snapped across him every so often. Every part of his body screamed in pain, and he fought against his protesting nervous system to wrench some kind of control of himself.

[s'Il]

She was like a beast, driving the Sith into the opposite wall with surprising force. Very near to uncontrollable, s'Il rammed her shoulder into his gut as she delivered a series of sharp jabs to the sabre graze along his side.

"My eye will come back," she rasped out betwen hits.

That she was unarmed meant little, and even the sound of his own blade went unheeded.

She repeated her words like a mantra, a beat to accompany her strikes.

[Darth Decepis]

Decepis staggered back, slinging lightning at every possible opportunity but still losing ground.

"When it does...you will see only a world of darkness with it!"

[s'Il]

Each return hit she took seemed to wear her down bit by bit, yet still she pressed in. An arc of electricity struck her shoulder, her leg, an arm, and still she pressed through each blow; though it was easy to see that the adreniline fueled attack she'd begun would not last for much longer.

[Darth Decepis]

To send his point home without quite delivering the coup de grace, Decepis drove the silver-plated pommel of his saber across the laceration he had caused earlier.

[s'Il]

She was stopped in her tracks, her assault coming to an abrupt end as she stared at him in the beginnings of shocked horror. A spllit second later the burning began, and the Lupine threw her hands up to her face.

Dropping to her knees at his feet, s'Il hunched her body inward on itself. The blackened score that traveled through her eye reacted violently, blistering up as if being eaten, and s'Il let a scream escape her lips. In the throes of such pain she threw an arm out to rake across one of the Sith's boots.

Her attack had been cut short, ended in a way that she could've never foreseen.

[Darth Decepis]

"Your valiant resistance is utterly insignificant."

Decepis spat, kicking her grasping hand away.

"By now you must know that you live only because I will you to live. I see a future for you far greater than this lie. Let that mark remind you of what you owe yourself."

[s'Il]

Rocking back to look up at him, the Lupine made no move to rise to her feet. The burning she felt now was far worse than the simple sabre score that it had once been, and unless cut away, it would scar permanently.

"Cut it off," she pleaded, "... please."

[Darth Decepis]

Decepis laughed a low, terrible laugh.

"Become my apprentice, and you will have the relief you seek!"

[s'Il]

What he asked of her she refused to give, and her answer was plain to see in her remaining, undamaged eye.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Get away from her!"

I leapt with screaming muscles, finding a renewed burst of spirit as I cleaved at the Sith in a massive arc. My saber bit through a solid stone wall, exploding in a maelstrom of sparks, dust, and broken stone bits. I could already sense it...I'd missed him.

But now where was he?

[s'Il]

Saved from any further pressure from the Sith, s'Il leaned forward into herself, cradling her injury with both hands as her hair fell forward to obscure her face.

How had she not noticed before that the pommel had been constructed from silver? She'd handled it many times before with bare hands, with no adverse effects. Had he made a silver replacement and switched the two?

Fingers traced gingerly along the contours of the silver burn, and she could feel her body still reacting to it.

[Zem-El Vymes]

Our foe seemingly vanished as suddenly as he appeared, I deactivated my saber and gingerly helped her to her feet.

"Lok, Lok, we can't stay here. Come on."

[s'Il]

She let him pull her up, and once she was on her feet the Lupine looked up to him finally, locks of her dark blonde hair falling back to reveal the ugly, blistering burn that cut through her right eye, now a deadened black orb.

Staring at him, s'Il gave a sob.

"He took my eye... "

[Zem-El Vymes]

I shared in her pain, enveloping in an embrace that took care not to hurt her. I let her sob against me, and stood there with her to console her in this dark time. What could words say? Nothing that my actions weren't telling her. I wasn't going anywhere. I loved her, no matter what cruel happenstance either of us endured.

[s'Il]

She clutched him as if he were a lifeline, as though by holding him she could lessen the pain of both her wound and the finality of its' permanence. By the time either one of the could find a suitably sharp knife, it would be long past the point of cutting away.

She had lost an eye and gained a scar that would be with her for the rest of her days; it was as simple as that.

As well, the Sith had escaped; vanishing as easily as he'd appeared.

For how long they stood she couldn't tell. Nor did it seem that she particularly cared. Her shoulders sagged finally however, and the Lupine cast her broken gaze upwards to his face before running a hand up his chest and over the side of his cheek. A thin sheen of sweat had built up on his brow, and she tenderly wiped it away.

Concern for his own well-being flooded her thoughts then, her eye traveling over his features carefully.

"You're unhurt... ?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

Every part of my body screamed in agony, but I kept a lid on it. She was the one who needed tending to. Once that was done, I'd let the medic give me an overhaul.

"I'm alright."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

* * *


Tak knew that silver was something not to be touched; enough warnings from Dama and even an accidental brush with a silver necklace in Joffa had done well to teach her that the metal was bad. Wide-eyed, she stared at Daddy with her mouth slightly agape.

"Where were you? And what did you do when you saw Dama?"

The thought of Dama crying was still strange, even if she'd seen it once.

"Did she cry for a long time?" Tak would have, if she lost an eye like Dama did. "I've only seen her cry once, and that was when Ssem came back."

[General Dan]

"I was getting the other rebels out of the building, like Dama asked me to. When I saw your Dama, I was very sad. She is still beautiful, but she was always a little sad after that. I always wish I had been there for her."

Dan was introspective about the event, taking a moment to reflect to himself.

"If she cried much, I didn't see her do it. I saw her the next day, and she looked very tired."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She looked down at her hands that had been gripping the edge of the covers tightly.

"I would've cried alot, if that happened to me.

"How long did it take to heal?"

[General Dan]

"Took her a long time, well, for Dama. All told, it was about two weeks before she could take the bandage off. We were all there for her when she did."

Dan took a sip of his drink, leaning his head back as he remembered.

[s'Il]

* * *


Learning to function with only a single eye had proved a challenge, but one that the Lupine was determined to overcome. For the first few days she had become frustrated with her new lack of depth perception, which led to the desire to be left alone for hours on end with only Zem as company.

Initially she had refused to eat, wasting away as her metabolism ate her from within in order to repair the wounds she'd sustained, but Zem had quickly put a stop to that after the fifth day. And so she ate, her meals easily more than that of two men combined as her metabolism required such large amounts to feed its' healing processes.

After the second week she was ready to remove the bandage that the medics insisted she wear. It was an annoyance, and the Lupine knew that whatever damage could be healed, had already been. What was left behind would be that which was permanently etched by the silver pommel of the Sith's sabre hilt. Not exactly a comforting thought.

In her own bunk aboard the Cizerack yacht (which strangely enough was still without a name), she stood before a tall mirror, staring at herself.

A sad eye stared back, and reaching both hands up, the Lupine peeled away the patch that covered half of her face.

What she saw was still a shock, despite how much she had tried to prepare herself. She knew that she would never have two eyes again, but the finality of it, the truth that she saw looking back at her, still fell upon her heavily.

The scar blazed a vertical trail; from the middle of her forehead, through her right eye, and ended at her jawline. Not quite the black that it had once been, her sightless eye was now a muddled grey. She suspected that in time it would return to white.

She stared another moment longer, taking in the face that she would wear until the day she died.

Blinking, s'Il let out a sigh, leaned forward to rest her forehead against the mirror.

[General Dan]

"How's it feel?"

Dan puttered around outside her quarters, not quite working up the nerve to go in.

[s'Il]

Motionless for a few more seconds, s'Il finally pushed herself away from the mirror. She was conscious of Dan's presence from outside the open door of her quarters.

"You can come in you know," she replied, angling her head to afford him the undamaged side of her face. His behaviour confused her, but she said nothing of it.

s'Il turned back to stare blankly at her reflection.

"It feels... " How did it feel?

"... it doesn't hurt, if that's what you're asking."

[General Dan]

"Well that's a relief. I was just about to suggest how to get your mind off the pain, but since you're fine, that's more pain medication for me."

A metal flask swooshed at his belt, obviously full of 'medicine'.

[s'Il]

The sound caused a ghost of a smile to tick at the corners of her lips, and s'Il gave a bare laugh as she turned about to regard him fully.

"I would imagine that it looks worse, however."

[General Dan]

"Fortunately it's a cure all. I'll just drink till you have two eyes again."

Dan clasped a hand on her shoulder, eager to let cathartic humor pull her from her morose spiral.

"Despite it all, it's a rather clean line. You could've done a lot worse getting nicked. And the most important thing about scars is being able to tell a tall tale at the bar."

[s'Il]

He was right, in his own way. An eye for her life, and that of Zem's, was a relatively small enough price to pay for being able to still stand after the battle with the Sith.

She reached out then, taking the flask from his belt and unscrewed the cap before waggling it at gently him.

The Lupine gave him a good-natured hurff.

"I think I'll let you tell the story for me."

[General Dan]

"You sure that's wise? You've giving an awful amount of creative lisence to a guy who wasn't there. Could be the tragic end to a date with a Gungan gone wrong, once I've given it my treatment."

Dan gestured at that.

"Careful with that. I have it on authority from the commandos that they distilled that in a concussion mortar tube."

[s'Il]

A sweet smile, as she turned away from him to sit on the bed. Sniffing at the open lid, s'Il pulled an odd face. It was certainly more pungent than the Lupine spirits that she and Zem shared on occasion.

Running a finger along the inside of the neck, she brought it to her mouth, testing it.

"It tastes like starship fuel," she frowned.

[General Dan]

"Like mom used to make."

Dan took the bottle, taking a gulp, and making a bitter face.

"Being this is my first war, I'm learning that you fight only sometimes and get bored most of the time, and bored guys who know how to fight will get drunk off of their own urine if they have to."

[s'Il]

s'Il blinked at that, quickly declining the flask as he offered it back to her.

She'd become so used to Zem's particular sense of humor that trying to decipher others' was still a hard thing. She gave Dan a puzzled look.

"I hope that you're joking... "

[General Dan]

"The question is, are you horrified enough to stop, or curious enough to keep going?"

Dan winked, and took another big gulp, gagging himself as he did.

[s'Il]

"Horrified, without a doubt."

Leaning over to open a small drawer in the utility shelf that she used as a nightstand, s'Il pulled out an aged bottle. It was half-empty, and the liquid inside sloshed a bit as she held it out to Dan.

"Please, take this. Watching you make those faces is painful."

What she held out for him was the last of the Lupine alcohol that she'd brought with her, but s'Il found herself more than happy to give him the rest. It was true that she'd developed a taste for it, and that it didn't burn her throat quite like it used to, but in offering it to Dan she found a sort of contentment.

Whenever Zem was not able to be with her during the last two weeks, it was Dan who had gracefully stayed beside her. It was something that s'Il was thankful for, and she hoped that her small gift would say as much.

"I want you to have it."

[General Dan]

Dan paused, regarding the bottle.

"Only if you split it with me."

He smiled appreciatively, since it looked like real, legitimate liquor. He hadn't had any of that in a long time.

[s'Il]

His stipulation was unexpected, but she gave him a nod. Her hands folded to rest in her lap as she sat almost motionless. So used to drinking with only Zem, the notion of sharing such kind of social time with anyone else had become one that she'd never considered.

In fact, in the last two weeks she'd had more exposure to Dan than normal, and while she might have still seemed distant to him, the Lupine was finding it easier to relate to the man.

"If that's what you want."

[General Dan]

Dan veered off into the galley, bringing back a pair of small glasses. He passed one off to s'Il and filled each halfway with the dark amber drink. Taking a first gulp, he seemed to completely unwind, letting it roll on his tongue a bit.

"Now I've done it. I'll never be able to go back to that gunnery hooch."

[s'Il]

She gave an amused hmph while sipping at her own drink. His reaction was interesting, to say the least.

"I'm afraid that I've given you the last of what I have."

[General Dan]

A sobering thought. Quickly, Dan fled sobriety.

"I'm sure we'll move on to bigger and better. Maybe we'll liberate cultured locals who will serve us warm chow and booze from aged, charred wooden casks, and so forth. There are enough planets, it's bound to happen somewhere in this galaxy."

[s'Il]

Still sitting on her bed, s'Il leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees while swirling the contents of her cup.

She looked up at him from over the tops of her eyes.

"I can give you the directions on how to make it, you know. And more than just this particular kind, also."

She took another drink.

"Though, you'd have to get the ingredients from the planet that Zem and I took you and your own people to... after the freighter."

[General Dan]

"Maybe we'll get enough breathing room in the future to make it back one day."

Dan swirled his drink about.

"Would make for an educational trip, at the very least."

[s'Il]

An itch nagged at the edge of her scar, and s'Il reached a hand up to delicately scratch it.

"Educational?"

[General Dan]

"It's the cradle of ancient Lupine civilization, but you already knew that much."

[s'Il]

Frozen for a split second in the act of alleviating the itch, s'Il gave a forced cough to cover up her surprise. But it had been there, small and sudden though it may have been.

"Fairy tales and bedtime stories," she scoffed.

She'd never told him about the Lupines; not once. Perhaps she had occasionally let go of a few kernals of information regarding the habits of her people, but never their name.

[General Dan]

"It's no coincidence that you were on that planet. If you want it to remain a secret, it stops with me. That's fine."

Dan refilled his drink, setting the bottle aside as he expected her response.

[s'Il]

There was a lull in the conversation as she thought, and finally the Lupine lifted her cup to her lips. Instead of the normal sips she had previously taken, s'Il finished the rest of her drink in one swallow.

Dan had pushed her hasty words aside; it was obvious by the tone of his voice and body language. She knew that Zem would never have said anything, so how he knew of the Lupines was a bit perplexing.

Her next words were most certainly not a question.

"How do you know."

[General Dan]

"You never asked me what I taught as a schoolteacher."

She wore the question on her sleeve, and Dan smiled as the burden grew too much to bear.

"Galactic anthropology and mythology."

[s'Il]

"Well," she grumped while taking up the bottle that he'd set down, "... that explains that."

Giving herself a refill, s'Il replaced the bottle on the nightstand. Galactic Anthropology and Mythology; of all the subjects for him to teach. It was true, that she'd figured him to simply teach math or language arts, not a course that was more obscure and fine-tuned to just the sort of study into past species such as her own.

"You must feel like a Shaak in dren then, I suppose."

Taking another rather large swallow, s'Il found her gaze settling on a small leatherbound book that rested on her pillow. She'd taken it from House Aulflendte, finding the short poems and mental wanderings of the author to be somewhat helpful during the last fortnight.

"I would imagine that you have a few questions."

[General Dan]

Dan's eyes sparkled at the invitation.

"Naturally the first would be, where are the rest of them? Originally, the prevailing theory was that they had been enslaved wholesale by the Mandalorians, but I've always had my doubts."

[s'Il]

At that, s'Il very nearly burst out laughing. Enslaved?! The very notion of a Lupine being a slave to anyone was laughable. Instead, she simply gave him a wry look.

"Well, for the sake of your history books and to save them further revisions, I'll just say that's what happened."

Another drink.

"But no, there was no such enslavement. There simply aren't any more; I'm the last."

[General Dan]

"What happened, then? Where are the rest of them?"'

Dan tilted down another drink, intrigued to hear the story.

[s'Il]

She could see the expectant look in his eyes, and dutifully obliged his obvious curiosity. She explained the onset of her peoples' troubles with reproducing, and of how over time sterility became the death of the Lupines. She explained the circumstances leading up to the Migration, and the Jedi that had been sent by the council to help mediate between the two bloodines.

By the time she had finished her abridged retelling, her cup was empty.

"I'm afraid it's not quite so exciting as being taken captive by Mandalorians."

Standing, the Lupine started for the door, intent on returning her glass to the galley.

"Our end was a quiet one, without excitement or fanfare. We have simply died away. I am the last, and when I die there will be no more."

[General Dan]

"The truth is often less dramatic than fiction, but generally more unusual at the same time."

He paused, considering things.

"You seem resigned to inevitability about it all."

[s'Il]

Pausing at the door, s'Il turned to give him a puzzled look.

"I cannot change the past, nor can I change my future. I wouldn't call it resignation; rather, more along the lines of realism."

She canted her head to the side then, affording him a more direct look with her undamaged eye.

"Does that bother you... ?"

[General Dan]

"I suppose not."

Dan looked into the distance for a moment, and continued.

"It's just not what I would expect. I've always been the type of person to believe that things happen for a reason, and there's no such thing as blind happenstance."

[s'Il]

"I see no 'blind happenstance' in this matter. Infertility is an unfortunate occurrence, but one that is dealt with as best as possible."

She continued on her way, disappearing out the doorway and heading for the galley.

"It's not like I have many other options," she called over her shoulder.

[General Dan]

"Giveth and taketh away."

Dan spoke, mainly to himself.

"I do know that paleobiologists never discovered a link in Lupine evolutionary morphology. I won't bore you with the science, but for most species there is generally a trend that can be traced that goes from primordial slime, to tadpoles, to something, and then to what we are now. That's every bit as unlikely as a sudden sterilization."

Realizing that she probably was weary of this line of talk, Dan changed the subject.

"You're right, that's not any of your concern. You can only live your one life."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

* * *


A wide grin.

"And then you kissed her, right?"

[General Dan]

"Not...exactly."

Dan smiled at the thought.

"Dama and I were just getting to be friends. I think she would have slugged me in the mouth if I was that forward. If not Dama, then Zem for sure."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Not quite the answer she'd been expecting, the puzzled look on her features said well enough.

"Oh."

Thinking back to what he'd told her, Tak scratched an itch behind her ear.

"I bet Dama is happy now that she's not the last Lupine."

[General Dan]

"I know she is."

Dan gave her a squeeze on her little knee.

"You made her happy for many more reasons than just that."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Another wide grin.

Far from the little girl who'd initially been scared of him, Tak looked upon her Daddy with bright eyes. He really wasn't so bad! And Dama was right, he was good and caring and 'attentive' - she'd still not figured out what Dama meant by that word, but her vocabulary was growing larger by the day, and it wouldn't be long before she knew that word too!

"Dama says that you make her happy too." Her brow knit in thought, and she leaned back against the headboard.

"... and that she wishes we were a real family, and not split up."

[General Dan]

"We'll be together again, really soon."

We sat together in pleasant silence for a while. I could tell that her eyes were getting heavy.

"Sleepy so soon?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Eyes snapping open wide, she shook her head vigorously. Tak gave him a look that said he should know better.

"Nooo."

She asked another question to stall the inevitable.

"How soon?"

[General Dan]

"You'll have to ask Dama when she's ready to come back. She's been very busy. When she's ready, we'll all go off together."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

They'd go off together? Pursing her lips, Tak gave him a narrow gaze. She wasn't so sure she wanted to go very far away from Sanis and Cirr and Daani.

"Where would we go?"

[General Dan]

"Wherever adventure takes us."

Dan's smile widened.

"See the whole galaxy if we have time to. We can go from star to star, and live off room service wherever we land."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Dama says that when I got old enough, she'd take me home."

Home being, of course, Schwartzweld. The little Lupine had heard more than enough stories from her mother about the world, and was keen on seeing it with her own eyes. Especially the ruined estates of their House, the Losstarot.

"Could we go there?"

[General Dan]

"We can live there, if you like. Renovate one of the old houses, and spend all of our days in the courtyards and libraries, doing whatever we please."

Dan could almost see the little wheels turning in her head.

"For the first time in a long time, there is hope in the galaxy. We can beat the Empire, push them back, and I think we'll see peace in your lifetime."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Talk of the Empire and the Rebellion matter little to her. In her mind it didn't affect her comings and goings; She was happy to run alongside Dama, fix Layla with Sanis and Cirr, and get into trouble with Daani. And Ssem! He had quickly become a rather interesting character to her, especially given what Dama used to tell her about him.

She looked away to the other side of the room, already imagining spending afternoons outside with Daddy and storytime with Dama.

<"I bet it would be fun,"> she said after a few minutes, unconsciously lapsing back into the more familiar dialect of Bast'yr.

[General Dan]

"Well, go to sleep and you can dream about our adventures. Once the war is over, we'll have them all the time. Together, the three of us."

Dan replied to her in the second-hand Bast'yr he'd picked up from s'Il after many years.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She'd put it off as best as she could, but it seemed that Daddy was ending his story time right now, and even though she wasn't tired, Tak nodded. She wasn't surprised that he'd answered her in the Lupine language; Dama did say that he knew it, after all.

She scootched under the covers, and gave him a sweet smile. His bed was huuuuge, and she smiled at the thought of having it all to herself.

With a fake yawn, the little Lupine looked sidelong at him.

<"I'm gonna ask Dama as soon as she gets back.">

[General Dan]

"You do that. I'm sure she'll stay if you ask her."

Dan dutifully stood, and tucked the covers in all around her, ensuring she was snug and comfortable. Then leaned down, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Goodnight my little adventurer."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She knew well enough that Daddy was easier to trick than Dama - after all, Dama had had time to figure out her daughter's underhanded little tactics.

She closed her eyes and gave a tired looking smile.

<"Little Lupine,"> she corrected, her voice soft.

[General Dan]

"Little Lupine it is, then."

Dan moved toward the light switch, bidding his daughter a last smile.

"Sweet dreams, little Tak."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

For half an hour she lay in bed, remembering all of what Daddy had told her about Dama's eye and the Sith. Why would the Sith do something like that? It certainly didn't seem to be a very nice thing to do, and especially since Dama had been so young; or least, that's what the she suspected.

And what if the Sith came for her eye, like he did Dama's?! What if he decided to get into her dreams too? It was a scary thought, and soon enough Tak knew why Dama had always insisted on telling that story later, when she was older.

Without a sound the little girl slid from bed, and padding quietly to the door, she opened it a crack.

Daddy was still up, sitting in a chair with his back to her, and in an instant she was out the door, just as quietly as ever. Careful not to disturb Dan, Tak crept up behind him to stand demurely at his side.

"I can't sleep," she whispered suddenly, "or the Sith is gonna come get me."

[General Dan]

Dan made a funny face, just out of sight, and turned to face his daughter.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you that story. You want Daddy to stay with you and sleep, to keep the bad man away?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"I guess, but... "

Now it was time for her mother's eating habits to shine, "I'm also hungry again."

[General Dan]

Dan paused. "...oh."

Like any dad wanting to appease his little girl, he asked the obvious.

"What do you want?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Her eyes lit up at such an open door. By now, Dama would have sent her back to bed! It was sure a good thing that she was on Corsant, or whatever planet it was she said she was going to.

"Bantha burgers and Rodian fries," the little Lupine grinned, "... with bacon!"

[General Dan]

"You're lucky you are on a ship with a kitchen that doesn't close."

Dan waggled his finger at her, and stood up.

"Wait right here."

He went to the comm unit, and put in the request for her. At least it wasn't sugary junk that would keep her up all night.