Follow me into the desert, as thirsty as you are (Gouyen)

[SashaKovalev]

He had not seen Gouyen in quite some time. In fact, it had been too long. This was not her fault, but rather his, for he had been traveling most of the past few months. It wasn’t that he didn’t love being at the castle, but rather he’d had much on his mind, and to try to avoid it, or settle these thoughts, he had taken any assignment that involved being a great distance from anyone that he knew. These assignments had taken him far and wide, and he had enjoyed them.

Now, he was returning to the castle for some time. While he loved traveling, it could get old after a time, and there was really nothing like sleeping in your own bed. And there were several people that he wanted to see. One of these was Gouyen, who was not only a sister in membership to the order, but in his heart as well.

He knew the door to her room well, for he had passed by it often when he used to roam the halls of the castle on sleepless nights, or lazy days. A grin came to his face as he raised a hand to knock lightly upon the heavy oak surface, and then he waited patiently. He could feel her presence within, and hoped that he had caught her at a good time. He had missed her company and was looking forward to spending some time with her – and perhaps even Robi.

[Gouyen Chee]

She was busy assembling the items she would or might need on the upcoming training mission when she heard the knock at her door. Robi's head jerked up from her resting place on her bed and the two gazed at each other wide eyed, a single thought between them -- Sasha.

The door flew open and she enveloped him in a crushing bear hug. "Sasha!" she exclaimed, grinning broadly, "It's been so long." She stepped back and took a good look at him. He still looked like the same young man she remembered, with violet eyes that were sometimes hidden by somewhat unruly brown locks, but there was an air of maturity, of seriousness, about him.

She caught him by the hand. "Come on in," she said, leading him to the small dining table in the corner. She went over to the small galley in the corner and put the kettle on for some tea, then turned back to the table, a box of shortbread cookies in her hand and sat down.

"First, I want to congratulate you on your promotion and second -- I want you to tell me about all the things you've seen and done since I last saw you."

[SashaKovalev]

It was only moment before the door flew open and Gouyen enveloped him in a crushing bear hug.

His expression was serious for a moment before it broke and helaughed as she ushered him inside, congratulating him on his promotion and insisting that he tell her about all the thigns he’d seen and done since they’d last seen each other.

He took the seat that was offered at the dining table only after saying hello to Robi. As he took a seat, he sighed contentedly. Yes, this was home, and it felt good to be back in the castle.

“I’d keep you up all night…” He replied with a grin, “And well into the next few days if I told you everything….” His violet eyes watched as she prepared some tea and set some cookies in front of him. He reached for one, taking a bite and looking about for a moment.

It was then that he noticed that she’d seemed to be in the middle of packing.

“Are you going somewhere?” He asked curiously, his eyes coming back to look at Gouyen.

[Gouyen Chee]

"Yeah," she replied as she poured boiling water into the teapot. "Jeseth Cloak is leading a big training expedition to the Ottethan system and I'm going on it."

She turned and looked at Sasha. "Do you think you could keep Robi company while I'm gone? She's not too happy about being seperated from me like this, but I feel that I have to go this mission alone -- no Robi, no Mantis -- just me and my own strength in the Force. She turned back to the counter and removed the tea bags from the pot, then added sugar and cream.

"This is a traditional spice tea of my homeworld -- I hope you enjoy it," she said, abruptly changing the topic. She poured out two cups and set them down on the table. Robi nudged her leg, and she poured out a small bowl for the canine, then turned and sat down.

"Do you know anything about the Ottethan system?" she asked her well-traveled brother.

[SashaKovalev]

He nodded.

"Yeah, of course I will." He replied. He would be happy to keep Robi company. Perhaps she would even travel a bit with him to keep her mind off being left behind at the castle.

He glanced over at Robi and grinned.

"We'll be fine..." He stated before he turned back to the tea Gouyen was pouring for him.

He waited a moment for it to cool, and preferring no sugar or cream, lifted it to take a small sip. It was hot, and he burned his tongue, but nodded to let Gouyen know that he did, in fact, like it.

"The Ottethan system........." He paused in thought for a moment before he nodded slowly, concern crossing his features.

"Is that where you're going?" He asked, clearly not happy with this piece of information.

[Gouyen Chee]

"Yes," she replied, noting his tone of concern. "Is there something the matter?" she asked, wondering if he knew something about the system that she didn't, not that she knew that much.

From what she had research on the Ottethan system, she found that the planet they were going to was a world of extremes -- extremes in temperature and in climate, prone to raging dust storms that could strip a rancor carcass to the bare bones then etch the bones into dust. She had been studying an ancient text on weather control, which lay open on her desk, and was learning how to control the winds. She wasn't very good at it, but she was good enough to keep herself from being sandblasted into oblivion.

She had been assembling her kit when Sasha knocked, and it was spread out on her bed, awaiting final assessment. Food capsules and sealed packs of drinking water lay next to a basic first aid kit, several knives of varying sizes, a coil of strong but light cord and her lightsabers and heavy blaster. She turned to look at it appraisingly, then turned back to Sasha.

"Is there something I should know about the place that you can tell me?"

[SashaKovalev]

Is there something I should know about the place that you can tell me?

“It’s going to be a long trip there…” He replied instantly.

And then his violet eyes flickered away from her,.

“Its on the far perimeter…” He began and took a good drink of the tea she had given him before he stood and walked over to Robi to scratch behind her ears as he spoke with Gouyen.

He shrugged.

“Theres all kinds of stories about the warlord that used to rule that system and supposedly eleven others. But he’s long since dead – killed by a jedi, I guess, who gave in to the dark side.” At this he allowed a small smile of amusement before his expression turned serious once again.

He sighed and took a seat on the couch, leaning back and tapping his fingers on the arm of it.

“The forests there….” He paused and sighed.

“Are expansive and rather dense. They're easy to get lost in."

"And they’re the home to a colony of wild rancors. Its my understanding that they are quite…protective of their territory.”

[Gouyen Chee]

"Dense woods and wild rancors, eh?" she said, musing over her cup of tea. "It figures that the masters wouldn't send us on something easy...."

She turned back to her bed and studied her kit again in the light of the new knowldege she had just obtained. Sand, rancors -- that blaster was begining to look mighty important right about now and she got up and went over to her dresser. Opening the bottom drawer, she pulled out a small field maintainence kit for the blaster and set on the bed with the rest of her stuff. She also pulled out a pair of polarized goggles and added them to the kit. She stared at it for a while, comparing it to her mental checklist, then turned and sat back down.

"I think I have everything," she said, taking a swig of her tea. "I'm trying to keep things lightweight and flexible -- the climate there sounds like it's going to be hell on equipment, so I want to have something to fall back on. Of course I have the Force, but it helps to have weapons too." She turned and smiled at her brother -- for that is what he was to her now -- a dearly beloved brother. "I'll come back from this, Sasha. I'll come back from this stronger than anyone could ever have imagined."

[SashaKovalev]

He watched as she made a few last minute changes to the things she was going to bring.

With her final words, he stared at Gouyen for a moment, and then a smile broke and slowly, he nodded.

“Yes, I believe you will.” He replied , finally feeling the disettling feeling begin to disappear just a bit. And then he looked to Robi.

“We’ll just have to sit here bored to tears and waiting while she has all the fun, huh?” He teased lightly.

[Robi]

Robi had greeted him enthusiastically when he came in but quickly gave ground to Gouyen. Humans to humans, she thought to herself, and beasts to beasts, and she wondered why she never caught sight of Lady Vader's sand panther, Iesis. Scent -- yes, of course she smelled the great cat's musky scent, but she never laid eyes on her. She mused on the whereabouts of her feline counterpart while her mistress made tea.

Don't forget me too, she asked Gouyen and nudged her leg. In return, the canine recieved a bowl of steaming milk tea which she blew on to cool it. She liked Sasha and was pleased that her mistress was leaving her with him so she wouldn't feel so alone. And she was especially excited by his promise of travel -- that would definitely take her mind off Gouyen's absence. She listened carefully to their discussion and remembered her own ordeal with her on Cybernia.

Mistress, she asked, do you remember the trials on Cybernia? The ones where you almost lost your feet to frostbite? The canine looked solemly at her, her eyes mournful and serious. You came through that -- no -- WE came through that stronger.

Gouyen nodded and the Cybernian snuggled up to Sasha. "We'll just have to sit here bored to tears and waiting while she has all the fun, huh?" he asked teasingly. Robi looked up at him and opened her mouth in a wolfish grin. I guess so, she answered telepathically. I'm sure we'll come up with something to keep us entertained, and she gave Sasha a wink.

[SashaKovalev]

He grinned at Robi. They would keep themselves well entertained. This, he promised.

And then he turned back to Gouyen.

“So when you get back….” He began.

“I was hoping maybe you and Robi would come with me on a …well…a sort of quest.” He was planning on visiting the planet where his father, who was no longer living, had once been a member of a cult – the Templis cult. The planet where he had been born.

The story of his father he had told to no one. He had only recently learned of it, and in time, would share it with the few people he trusted completely. Gouyen and Robi being among those few.

[Gouyen Chee]

"Of course I'll go with you," she replied with a smile. "It just depends on how many pieces I'm in when I get back. The first training mission I was on, a Jedi pumped my leg full of lead slugs and I was limping for over a week afterwards. And this mission promises to be even more difficult."

Her expression sobered as she sipped at her tea. "I think it would be a good thing to accompany you on your quest," she said, musing. "It would give me a chance to solidify my training and confirm my rank as a knight." She paused in silent thought, then continued. "Manny," she began, refering to her ship's cyborg intelligence, "is no doubt spoiling for some action right about now, and Robi and I haven't really worked as pair for some time. So, yes, we'll go on your quest."

[SashaKovalev]

Of course I'll go with you…It just depends on how many pieces I'm in when I get back. The first training mission I was on, a Jedi pumped my leg full of lead slugs and I was limping for over a week afterwards. And this mission promises to be even more difficult.

At this, he chuckled. Gouyen would make it back just fine. She had to.

He watched as he expression sobered.

I think it would be a good thing to accompany you on your quest. It would give me a chance to solidify my training and confirm my rank as a knight. Manny is no doubt spoiling for some action right about now, and Robi and I haven't really worked as pair for some time. So, yes, we'll go on your quest.

He grinned.

“Good. Well then, you have no choice but to make it back in one piece – you just promised me you’d help me take out a whole army of cult members…” He replied with a devilish grin.

Of course, the cult members, so far as he knew were all dead – but if there were any left alive, they would not be for long. Not if he got his hands on them.

[Gouyen Chee]

"I -- what?!? she gasped, eyes widening so that the whites showed. Then she laughed and her face resumed a more normal expression. "I'd take on the legions of the Empire as long as you and Robi were by my side. But seriously," and her expression sobered a bit. "Cult members aren't that hard to take on -- you have to play on their beliefs and they become like putty in your hands." Her eyes glazed over with a far away look as she remembered one of her training missions back when she was a na-tendi, or apprentice in the Assazi order. A cult was threatening to tear apart the government of Ondus IV and she and her master, Lozen Begay, had been sent to quell the rebellion. They succeeded and Gouyen had learned much from that mission. Perhaps she could put it to use on this quest.

[SashaKovalev]

He laughed easily at her surprised response, and then together they shared in the amusement of the thought.

He too, would have taken on anything with Gouyen and Robi at his side. No matter where he traveled, no matter where his life took him, he knew that Gouyen and Robi would always be there to count on.

He considered her suggestion about cult members being easy to take on. To a degree...the order was a sort of cult itself. And he would be careful now of others trying to exploit these beliefs.

He shrugged lightly.

"I dont think they're even living anymore...." He confided, "But I dont want to go alone..."

Before she had a chance to reply, he began to explain why.

"My father...used to be a member of the cult. I was born there..." He explained.

"And I want to go back because I dont remember life there at all....I dont remember my father at all, and I was hoping that going back that maybe I would...And I'd like to be with a friend in case I do."

His violet eyes met hers, his expresison set.

"And if any are living, I want revenge for my fathers death." His uncle had told him that those who were responsible for his father's death no longer lived, but he wanted to see for himself.

[Gouyen Chee]

"So you've discovered who your father was," she said levely. "And his past is returning to haunt you in a way."

She watched his reaction, then went on. "The Assazi have a concept called wyrd, which is usually translated as "fate" or "destinity," but neither word quite contains its real meaning. Fate and destinity tend to mean that one's future is pre-determined by an outside force that you have little control over. Wyrd, on the other hand, is shaped by your actions -- you actually have some control over it. But it also has control over you -- as you shape your wyrd, your wyrd shapes you."

She took a sip of tea to wet her whistle and to give Sasha a little time to absorb what she had been saying, and then went on.

"Sometimes the wyrd of one individual gets entangled with that of another -- this happens a lot in families, particularly when there's treason involved." At the word "treason," an involuntary shudder of darkness passed over her, a feeling that something would go terribly wrong in her future, but it soon passed and she shrugged it off.

"Yeah, treason," she mumbled, trying to get back on the subject. "Well, it seems that your father's wyrd was left unfinished and became intertwined with your own. So, in playing out your own wyrd, you will complete the wyrd of your father, and his spirit shall rest in peace. I can help you along for much of the way, but the burden of revenge lies only on you."

She got up and began pacing nervously. That shudder at the mention of treason had managed to cling to her in an invisible, noxious film, like stepping in an oily puddle. She stopped in front of Sasha and announced, "I need to go for a walk -- care to join me?"

[SashaKovalev]

He listened with great interest to her explanation of the Assazi concept of wyrd,

At the mention of treason, he flinched only slightly. To hear his father called a traitor, and to remember the particular situation in which he and Gouyen had met – his own particular act of treason, was slightly uncomfortable. And as she continued with the explanation, the possibility of his and his father’s lives being intertwined, it made sense. Particularly since they seemed to be leading almost parallel lives.

The topic, it seemed, had made Gouen uncomfortable as well, for she had suddenly stopped in front of him and declared the need to go for a walk.

He stood up from his rather comfortable seat and nodded.

“Yeah, sure.” He replied.

“You want to walk in the gardens? I don’t think Shenraun will mind…”

[Gouyen Chee]

"No," she replied. "I was thinking of taking a walk to the hangar and checking in on the Mantis. I want to make sure she's ready in case I might need her."

She could not shake that feeling that something terrible was going to happen on this mission, and she wanted to be as over-prepared as possible. With Robi by her side and Sasha following, she made her way to the Mantis' hangar.

"Behold the Assazi scout ship Mantis," she announced. Somewhat larger than a Corellian freighter (e.g. the Millenium Falcon), her flat black exterior was a collection of bizarre angles designed to escape detection by all but the most sensitive of sensors, and even those would recieve a misleading image. Her rear-facing boarding ramp lowered, as if in anticipation of their coming, and the trio strode aboard.

"Hello Manny," Gouyen said to the interior of the ship. "I've got someone I'd like you to m
eet -- my brother, Sasha Kovalev."

The ship's sensors took in every aspect of Sasha's body, then a faintly metallic feminine voice replied, "Nice to meet you, Sasha. Feel free to have a look around -- and if you need any help, just call for me -- I have sensors all over the place. In the meantime, Lady Gouyen and I have some important matters to discuss, so if you'll just excuse us for a minute...."

Gouyen moved forward to the cockpit with Robi accompanying her, leaving Sasha on his own. She knew she wasn't being a partucularly good hostess by leaving her guest to his own devices, but this nagging doubt about the mission compelled her into doing just that.

OOC: Here are some pictures of the F-117 fighter that the Mantis is based on:

F-117 pictures (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-117-pics.htm)

[SashaKovalev]

Having learned to fly only shortly after joining the order, he was quite fond of ships, and was capable of entertaining himself with looking about the ship.

“Thanks…” He replied to the metallic voice, and gave Gouyen and encouraging grin to let her know he would be fine while she took care of business.

As he waited for her, he took in the various aspects of it, admiring it, and thinking that perhaps one day he would have a ship to rightly call his own. He was working on it, that was for sure.

He could feel, even from the distance in the ship, a sudden tension that had come upon Gouyen. Though it bothered him to feel it, he was glad to know he was in tune with her enough to know these things. Absently, he thought of his first encounter with her, an amused smile coming to his lips as he did so.