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Remi the Grey


kabeone

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Love, love, love, and I'm sorry I didn't start reading this earlier. I was pretty happy with the "That's so Kira..." "That's so Doc..." and by the time I got to "That's so Drooga" I was actively giggling.

 

As for the Die Hard theft in part 9: The exchange made me cheer then and it makes me cheer now :)

 

I find your transition thoughts marvelous. "Then she sat back to listen to his tale of how she used to be a hero", “You are the craziest woman I’ve ever met"...delectable.

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Part 22. Making up

 

This whole story is a JK spoiler but this has more specific JK Ch 3 spoilers

 

 

 

Remi drifted into consciousness, she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was not wearing her armor and she was not alone, panic gripped her for a moment then she remembered. Relaxing, she glanced at the man beside her, this time Lord Scourge really was asleep. She borrowed his robe wrapping it around her, smiling to herself at how much of it dragged on the floor. Barefoot and silent she made her way to the bridge. She picked up her helm from where it had fallen, running her finger over the emblem, the Jedi symbol broken and turned. She sat in the captain’s chair curling her legs under her and watched the stars slide past.

 

“I’m still going to kick your a** you know.” Kira said conversationally. She leaned against the doorway her expression warring between anger and amusement. Finally, amusement won out. She looked around locating the one console panel without buttons. Perching on it she leaned forward, “Sooo, Scourge huh.”

 

Remi blushed all the way to her toes but replied instead, “Sooo, Doc huh.”

 

“I always knew there was something between you two.” Kira asserted trying to keep the conversation away from Doc.

 

“You mean back when he felt nothing, nothing, and hatred for Jedi?”

 

“That’s just it,” Kira insisted. “He respected you. He hardly ever did that whole mocking sarcasm thing when you spoke.” Remi smiled a little stroking the sleeve of her borrowed robe but said nothing. “So are you going to tell me?”

 

“Tell you what?”

 

Kira gestured with her hands giving her former master a knowing smile, “How was it?”

 

“Kira!” Remi squeaked then covered her mouth looking around. They both giggled hysterically. When they finally stopped, they stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

 

“We’ll be at Tython tomorrow, are you coming back to the Order?” Kira asked soberly.

 

“Grey is too useful for me to reveal to everyone on Tython. Some of my contacts would be in danger if people found out I was a Jedi. ” Remi answered. “And you know there are leaks.” She added looking troubled, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But yes, give me a few weeks, Grey will go into early retirement and I’ll return as Remi.” She hesitated, “If they’ll have me.”

 

Kira made a rude noise. “They’re blind and clueless but they wouldn’t throw away a weapon.” She looked down at her hands. “It’ll be a relief you know, I never could replace you.”

 

“They should never have made you try.” Remi said. “We’re different forms; you shouldn’t use Ataru in closed spaces or Soresu for aggressive combat.”

 

“Trust you to make a martial forms analogy. You're a better fighter than I ever was.”

 

“You’re a better Jedi than I ever was.” Remi said softly.

 

Kira thought about the past few years her anger welling up again. “That’s only because you quit. ” She let some of her frustration show. “You didn’t even say goodbye to anyone. Did you know T7 kept trying to find you? He stowed away on shuttles so he could go look for you! Jedi = Needs T7 // T7 = Find Jedi.” She turned away biting her tongue on the rest of what she wanted to say. Remi's heart clenched at the mention of her oldest friend.

 

“Kira,” Remi said breaking the silence. “I made a mistake; I thought I was forcing the council to see its faults. I didn’t know then what I know now, I should have found a better way. I’m sorry, I don't know what else to say.”

 

Kira looked at her former master. The years had transformed her memory of Remi into a figure, a perfect hero, someone who marched into the Dark Temple fearlessly and returned victorious and unscathed, that was how all the stories told it. Now, looking down at the very real woman wrapped in an oversized robe, she remembered what it had really been like. How desperate their plan had been, how it had taken not just Remi but the whole crew and the entire Republic fleet, how they scrambled out of the temple before it could collapse on them, and even in victory, how uncertain they were of their success. She could never understand how the perfect hero could just pick up and leave, but that hero never existed, there was only a mortal fallible woman who did what she could with what she had. The anger and resentment ran out of her. She smiled crookedly, “Jedi forgive right?”

 

Remi smiled sadly, “I wouldn’t know. But maybe friends do?”

 

Kira got up and hugged Remi who squeezed her back. “Friends do.” She replied. Then she walked around the captain’s chair and headed back to bed. “And if the council finds out about me and Doc,” Kira called over her shoulder. “I’ll just tell them about you and Scourge.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Love, love, love, and I'm sorry I didn't start reading this earlier. I was pretty happy with the "That's so Kira..." "That's so Doc..." and by the time I got to "That's so Drooga" I was actively giggling.

 

As for the Die Hard theft in part 9: The exchange made me cheer then and it makes me cheer now :)

 

I find your transition thoughts marvelous. "Then she sat back to listen to his tale of how she used to be a hero", “You are the craziest woman I’ve ever met"...delectable.

 

thanks! I love Doc and Kira, they're so great both together and separately. I hope I can write more of them before I finish this.

 

ps. Drooga is my favorite Hutt, I was trying to swing the story so Risha would have to dance with him, but I just couldn't figure out how. Owell maybe another fanficverse

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Part 23. Turning Grey

 

 

 

“Grey Mantis to Tython Orbital Station,” Grey said. “Requesting permission to dock, I am delivering passengers, including one Jedi Knight Kira Carsen.”

 

“You are clear to dock.” The control operator replied. “As an unmarked vessel. You will be met in the airlock by armed guards. Do not be alarmed, it’s just a precaution.”

 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

Remi wore her full armor, she insisted they go back to calling her Grey; she did not want any holocameras picking up her face or anything that might give away her cover. She docked with the station. “Ok, everybody out.” She announced.

 

Doc, Kira, and Lord Scourge were waiting at the ship entrance. “I’m not going with you to the council.” Lord Scourge said.

 

“But, we need to report.” Kira protested.

 

“Yes, and you will do so far more convincingly without me. You may tell them I have gone to look for the Jedi.” They had all agreed that Remi’s current occupation and location should remain a secret. Scourge walked away from the entrance toward the bridge.

 

“Great, I get to face the council alone.” Kira muttered. Remi popped the entrance hatch. As promised, a security team met Kira and Doc at the airlock. Once they were safely in the turbo lift Remi closed the hatch and returned to the bridge. Scourge had taken up his place in the corner.

 

“What makes you think you can stay?” She teased.

 

“This persona of yours is not amusing.” He frowned at her. “Remove your helmet.”

 

She released the dock and steered the ship away from the orbital station. Once she had enough distance she engaged the hyperdrive heading for Nar Shadaa.

 

“Sorry, not on the second date either.” She replied, laughing at his scowl.

 

***

 

Nosc and Remi hopped into a speeder-cab and headed to the spaceport.

 

“What was that back there?” Nosc asked.

 

“What this?” Remi held up Besh’s helmet. “I’m not sure why I…”

 

“Not that.” Nosc interrupted.

 

“The fight? But I had to kill...”

 

“Not that either.” The smuggler crossed her arms growing increasingly annoyed.

 

“You lost me.” Remi said rubbing her chin. She instantly regretted it as her bruises were starting to hurt. She looked down at her forearms. Combined, the bruises would look exactly like a boot print. She could not get armor fast enough.

 

“Your name, you told Drooga your full, real name. Who does that?” Nosc said with disgust tossing her a medpack. “We could have avoided a fight if they didn’t know who you were.” Remi seriously doubted that but she nodded anyway. “Look, I don’t know what you’re going to be doing, and I don’t want to know. But if you want to survive in places like this, it would be better if the real you just disappeared.”

 

Remi nodded applying kolto to her wounds with relief. “I’ll give it some thought. Thank you.”

 

“And that! Stop that.”

 

“Stop what?”

 

“Being so nice and polite, what’s wrong with you? Even the other Jedi I know aren’t as sickening as you.” Nosc sighed, “Look I know you have a little attitude in there somewhere, what you said to Besh, and when you were negotiating with me, but when you negotiate with strangers you go into diplomatic mode, and you need to make a first impression. What happens when diplomacy doesn’t work?”

 

Remi thought about it. “I usually kill everyone.”

 

Nosc froze for a moment; sometimes her friend could be really scary without even trying. “Well maybe if you start with attitude you won’t have to kill so many.”

 

“That is completely counterintuitive.”

 

Nosc rubbed her forehead. “Just trust me ok. You don’t need the Force to talk your way out of a tough spot and sometimes if you show enough brass people won’t put you in a tough spot in the first place.”

 

“Brass.” Remi repeated not comprehending at all.

 

Nosc sighed. “Well if you can’t do rude, maybe you can be the silent type. It gives people a chance to get the wrong impression.”

 

“What about negotiating?”

 

“That’s a tough one, for that just be greedy. Ask for double or triple of everything. Never accept the first offer. If the offer is more than what you were going to ask, ask what the catch is. They’ll never tell you the catch so try to trick them into telling you.” Nosc ran through all the negotiating and con artist tricks she knew. Remi listened attentively committing the advice to memory; it was all good if a bit biased toward a criminal’s way of thinking.

 

They arrived at the spaceport and got out of the speeder, Remi handed the driver his credits. He was a terrified looking Evocii who took the credits with something like surprise. Remi wondered how many of his riders actually paid, she smiled at him reassuringly he gave her a terrified look and sped off.

 

“Oh and stop smiling.” Nosc added as they walked to the hangar where Remi’s new ship waited.

 

“Smiling?”

 

“Yeah around here only politicians and salesmen smile, so don’t smile at anyone or people will think you’re up to something. Unless…” Nosc trailed off.

 

“Unless?” Remi was starting to see how one word could get people to talk as effectively as a whole sentence.

 

“Well,” Nosc raised an eyebrow at her friend. “You’re not Jedi anymore, so let’s just say in this kind of place, don’t smile at a man unless you want him to get ideas.”

 

“Oh,” Remi said touching her face careful of her bruises. She had known this would be difficult but she was starting to understand how fundamentally different her new life would be. “Maybe I can just wear a helmet all the time.” She held up Besh’s helm.

 

“If you’d wear a dead guy’s helm you’re already halfway to the creepy you’ll need to be to survive this.” Nosc said shuddering.

 

“Nah, this one is flawed.” Remi replied examining it. “It was too easy to blind Besh, I need to find something better.” She ran her finger over the symbol at the top. “I like the emblem though.”

 

 

 

 

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Part 24. Turning Grey (cont.)

 

Oops this part didn't paste heh

IA Spoilers for chapter 2.

 

 

 

Remi returned to the Promenade Cantina very different from the first time. She had a ship thanks to Nosc, an engineer droid courtesy of Risha, more blasters than she knew what to do with thanks to Corso, and she even received some instruction once they realized she never fired a blaster before.

 

To her surprise, Akaavi had found her a set of armor. The mandalorian had always been distant. Apparently risking the wrath of the Council to save her crew had won her over. Single handedly killing an army of mercenaries did not hurt either.

 

“This armor,” the Zabraak explained, “is similar to the set a young warrior would wear when she reaches adulthood.” Akaavi let Remi try the armor on, showing her how it should fit. “It is not beskar but it will serve you well.”

 

“How old are your warriors when they get this kind of armor?” Remi marveled at how well she could move.

 

Akaavi adjusted the fit carefully, Remi nodded when it felt right. “Thirteen.” She answered, “But we rarely have warriors as thin as you.” She frowned. “When was the last time you’ve eaten?” Remi shrugged, it had been a busy day. “I thought this might happen. Here.” She pulled out a warming box.

 

Remi looked into the box, the pungent smell made her eyes water. “Is it a weapon?” she asked.

 

Akaavi showed her teeth, “It is Tiingilar. I do not know much about the Force, but I have heard it sustains you. Now that you no longer have it, you must find other sustenance. Haili cetare.” She said shoving the box into Remi’s hands.

 

Remi smiled at the memory. She may have lost half of her taste buds to the spicy dish but she felt stronger and not as cold. She would remember to eat regularly if only to prevent Akaavi from attacking her with food again.

 

Now armed, armored, and flight ready she met with Ardun Kothe, head of a special division of SIS. He wanted her to join a special task force designed to get the kind of information they would need to win the war. They were sitting at a bar in a private room at the back of the cantina.

 

“When you responded to my message,” Kothe began, “I thought I’d have to walk you through setting up a cover and finding your way around. It seems you’re a few steps ahead of me.” He eyed her with respect, “If you’re willing, I could use you.”

 

“It’s not just a cover.” Remi said, “I need to be independent, there’s some things I need to do.”

 

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with a particular Sith Lord that recently left Republic Space would it?” He asked carefully.

 

Remi snorted, unsurprised that he heard of Lord Scourge or the rumored reasons for her leaving the Order. “Nah, that’s something else.” Kothe only raised an eyebrow. “I’ll tell you about it sometime but for now let’s just say I serve the Republic but I have to do it my way.”

 

Kothe nodded, as a former Jedi himself he understood completely. “So how about a code name. Satellite?”

 

“I suppose it’s better than ‘The Idiot’ but I’d prefer Grey.” *

 

He eyed the crest of the helm that sat next to Remi. She had explained it to him earlier. “As in Gray Jedi, practitioners of both the dark and light side of the Force?” Kothe asked staring intently at Remi.

 

Remi shifted uncomfortably, she remembered the times when the Force was different and those flashes of her past that she could not remember. “Well, more like the kind of Jedi that tells the Council to get spaced.” She returned his stare.

 

Kothe smiled, “I don’t know what you mean. All right, Grey it is. I’ll set up some drop sites for when I need to contact you.” He got up to leave, “See you around Remi.” He said turning to look at her.

 

Grey had put on her helm, the mask stared back at him, “Who’s Remi?” she asked.

 

 

 

*Notes: Centran Sabacc/IA Spoilers for Ch.2

 

 

 

Kothe likes to assign his code names based on Centran Sabacc cards. He calls it the "Deck" in the IA Story line.

The Imperial Agent gets the code name Legate. Chance, Wheel, and Satellite are also Centran cards.

 

'The Idiot' is a face card of a regular Sabacc deck.

 

I don't know if that helps the dialog make more sense.

 

I really hope they add Sabacc in some playable form to SW:TOR.

 

 

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Part 25. War is Profitable

 

 

 

Lord Scourge watched Remi run a systems check. She was ignoring him or perhaps she was waiting for him to start speaking. Thinking back to their early relationship, she never initiated conversations but she always had time to listen. He had hoped staying on the ship would give them a chance to be together no matter the outcome of her return to the Jedi or their next confrontation with the Emperor. When she teased him about staying it had never occurred to him that he would be unwelcome. The sensation felt strange. It had been an age since he had to consider something like emotional pain.

 

He examined her with his senses. She had not fully reconnected with the Force. She was not using it to make herself stronger. It puzzled him why she hesitated. He wondered what the years had been like for her, a small woman alone without the Force. She probably slept in her armor.

 

She had changed in more ways than he initially realized. She was still selfless, kind, and fierce but now there was something hard about her. She was willing to do what was necessary to accomplish her task. She was also more skeptical, she was no longer willing to go along with the plans of others and hope for the best. She did thorough research and created backup plans to outwit her enemies. He had called her a child when they left Nathema, and it was true, despite the horrors she had seen she was still somewhat naïve and innocent. Now, that child was gone. He had had to admit he liked the new Remi, even with the attitude.

 

“Do you know of any interesting places to stash credits? Somewhere I can set up an account not tied to Remi or Grey?” Remi asked breaking his train of thought.

 

“Possibly.” He knew of several brokerage houses and independent banking sources scattered throughout the galaxy. He used them to hide the fortune he had amassed in three centuries.

 

“Good,” she handed him a datapad and pointed at a console. “That terminal is secure. I need to make it look like Grey drained everything she had to make a run for it.”

 

He looked over the accounts, Imperial, Hutt, and Republic, a large number of credits for only a few years of work. “Impressive.” He said glancing at her.

 

She shrugged. “Being greedy was hard at first. But if you’re not, people suspect you’re either incompetent or scheming.”

 

“And why are Sith triple?” he asked remembering their first encounter.

 

She chuckled, “No one wants to pay triple so I never have to work with Sith.” She got up and grabbed another datapad. “There’s something I have to take care of in private.” She said waving it in the air. “Don’t wait up.” She walked down the corridor to her quarters and shut the door.

 

Scourge sat at the terminal accessing brokerage houses, creating account pseudonyms, and carefully recording the access information. He transferred the funds splitting them as if they were used to purchase different things, new identities, new safe houses, a new ship. He remembered accessing one particular account of his not too long ago. He snarled at the memory.

 

 

 

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Part 26. Of Rodents and Sith

 

 

 

 

Lord Scourge had established a place for himself on the planet Hutta in the swamps outside Jiguuna. It was in a remote area, comfortable enough for his purposes, he could research the Force and study the Empire without being bothered. After the local boss Nemro was killed, an inevitable turf war erupted between rivals. None of this concerned Scourge, no one ever came out this far except the rodents.

 

The dwelling had no windows. He had the building constructed to look like a shack from the outside but it was actually a solid bunker. Several floor panels led to two different tunnels if he needed to escape. Scourge looked at his security monitor. The rodents were encroaching again. The Evocii, the original natives of Hutta, tended to set up their residences nearby. It was probably because the dangerous wildlife was thinner here thanks to Scourge’s defenses. He did not mind their presence as long as they kept out of sight. When an encampment set up too close he simply killed a few of the leaders and the rest scattered quickly.

 

Today the rodents were out in force, some of them were even armed. He saw a group of guards attacking the settlement. The guards were a mixture of humans and a few larger aliens, probably Houks. Mildly interested, Scourge flipped on the Holonet. Local news about a new Evocii uprising in Jiguuna streamed to his terminal. Several images showed the spaceport overrun with protesters and the inevitable violence that was used to quiet them. He wondered idly what he would be doing if the Jedi were here. Probably defending rodents. He thought with disgust.

 

His eyes flicked back to the security monitor. The Evocii were falling back towards the camera. He watched amused at the thought that the rodents might actually have a strategy. As the guards pressed their advantage, one of the few Evocii with a blaster dashed behind his dwelling. The guards fired at him and hit one of the walls activating the perimeter defenses. A burst of electricity stunned the front line of guards. The Evocii picked off the guards with their blasters before they could recover. Now the remaining guards were cautious. They eyed the dwelling and withdrew to a safe distance where a sniper began picking off the Evocii with blasters. The rodents had no plan beyond the first one and once they realized the guards were not going to fall for the same trick twice they panicked and fled.

 

Now the guards approached the dwelling again. One of them threw something; the sound of the explosion penetrated the thick walls of the bunker but otherwise did no damage. Scourge sighed, annoyed at the inconvenience. He opened a panel in the floor and descended into the south tunnel drawing his lightsaber for illumination. He had not fought in a few days, he could use the exercise, but the creatures here were hardly that.

 

He emerged from the tunnel exit well behind the guards. The secondary defenses had eliminated half of them; the remaining six were focused on locating the cameras and sensors and disabling them. With all of their attention facing forward, they did not see the Sith Lord coming up behind them. With a long sweeping slash, he cut through two lightly armored guards. He spun dodging a vibroblade cutting off the arm of the wielder. He hardly needed to draw on their pain and fear but it felt good to destroy such miserable scum whose jobs were exterminating vermin. The final Houk put up more of a fight, which is to say he managed to fire a few shots that Scourge deflected back at him. One shot hit him directly in the forehead killing him before Scourge got within saber range.

 

Scourge scanned the swamp to see if the guards called for backup. Everything was silent except for a few terrified Evocii. One of them, a small woman, approached him cautiously. “Thank you for saving us.” She said reaching toward him. Recoiling from her outstretched hand with disgust, he considered killing her for the offense.

 

“Penny, get away from him.” One of the other Evocii called from behind a tree.

 

Scourge turned to face the new voice, for a moment he misheard the name. He sheathed his lightsaber. “Drag the bodies to where the wildlife will deal with them. Do not let me see you here again.” He snarled and stalked back to his bunker.

 

Repairing the perimeter defenses were his first priority. He did not expect any more visitors so he was surprised when he was approached by two men as he was finishing his repairs. A human and a Twilek, he recognized the human as the head of spaceport security. Scourge watched them wade through the swamp, they both radiated fear.

 

“Mmmy llllord, II” the human began. He stuttered so badly that he was incomprehensible. Scourge clenched his fist Force-choking the man. The choke had the effect of making it impossible to stutter. “My lord,” he rasped. “Your ship was stolen.”

 

“What?” Scourge asked, outraged he lifted the man off his feet.

 

“In the riots, someone must have gotten into the orbital station. Most of the ssssecurity was diverted to the surface. Sssorry my lord.” Scourge snapped the man’s neck. He turned to the Twilek.

 

“Who can have a new ship delivered for me?”

 

The Twilek eyed the dead human. “The head of security, m-my lord.” He managed, looking down at the dead man again. “Which I g-guess is me now.”

 

Scourge nodded, his eyes narrowed. “I will arrange the funds; you will have a new ship delivered to me.” He finished fixing the last camera. The Twilek stood there staring at him. “Now.” He growled. The new head of spaceport security turned and ran. Scourge entered his bunker; he began packing up his research and belongings. As soon as his new ship arrived, he was leaving this slug and rodent infested planet.

 

 

 

 

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Part 27. Remi

 

 

 

Scourge completed the transfers confirming the credits could not be traced; he set delays on most of the transactions so it would look like they took place over the next several days instead of all at once. He was routing the funds through several disconnected clearinghouses before depositing them into the brokerages he considered most stable and secure. It had taken several hours to complete and Remi still had not emerged. Whatever she was doing, she had expected it to take all night. Scourge shifted uncomfortably at the pain in his chest. It was not the searing or tearing feeling he remembered from long ago. This pain was different and it came and went at random intervals. He put aside his work and returned to his own quarters dressing for sleep.

 

He lay in bed wondering if this was how things were to be. His mind filled with questions. Why did she persist in wearing her helmet? Was she avoiding him? Did she regret revealing herself? Would she accept him if he went to her? He grimaced with self-contempt. The woman had turned him into a lovesick boy. He tried to think of important things, namely what to do now that they knew the Emperor lived, but his thoughts kept drifting to smooth skin and yellow eyes.

 

The door to his quarters opened and Remi stepped in. It was completely dark, he started to rise and ask what was wrong but she surprised him speechless by slipping into the bed with him. She was not wearing her armor, or anything else, and she was very warm. Using his senses, he could feel her connection to the Force. She had opened herself to it completely and it was there as strong as before. Now, she was Remi, powerful and whole. She snuggled against him laying a hand on his chest.

 

“What makes you think you can stay here?” Scourge asked resisting the urge to pull her closer.

 

“Hmm, it’s my ship?” She suggested. She chuckled softly in his ear. “That means I can stay here if I want and I can make you sleep in the corridor.”

 

“You forget,” Scourge said with mock seriousness, “I have all of your credits now.”

 

Her body quivered with suppressed laughter, the effect was quite pleasant for him. “So,” she said, “You’re charging me for this? How much is it per h-” Scourge snarled and pressed his lips to hers to shut her up.

 

 

 

 

 

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Part 28. Data Mining

 

 

 

Jet-black lips pursed together enticingly, the slim ivory-skinned woman sat alone at the bar. Her tattoo-lined eyes scanned the room. The crowd was slow tonight but there were a few promising targets. She caught the eye of a muscular red Zabraak playing Pazaak. Not really her type but his stack of chips was the highest at the table. He was about to motion her over when a curvy Twilek dropped directly into his lap. The Twilek glared angrily at her. The tattooed woman just smiled showing off perfectly white teeth. Inwardly she cursed; maybe stabbing a Twilek would be all the fun she would get tonight.

 

A tall man entered the casino, a soldier by the way he carried himself, probably an officer. He moved straight to the bar without looking at anyone, but she knew he had already seen everything in the room. He sipped his drink staring straight ahead not even glancing in her direction. She narrowed her eyes.

 

“Hey ugly,” she called. “Buy me a drink.”

 

He turned to face her; he eyed her slowly from head to toe and back up again. He approached casually taking his time but did not stop until he towered over her. “I don’t like Rattataki,” he said looking straight into her eyes; he smiled slightly when he saw the anger there. He leaned in closer until his lips almost brushed her ear, she could smell the expensive whisky he drank and his gravelly voice seemed to wrap around her, “Too tame.” He rumbled.

 

His large hand captured her wrist painfully, the point of her vibroknife a hairsbreadth away from his chest. “I know your type,” she sneered. “All you big guys think you like it rough but for you that means fingernails and teeth. When the real claws come out you run away and find yourself a nice little Twilek in a slave girl costume.”

 

He chuckled softly and pulled away until he was looking into her eyes again. “You think I got this scar from fighting in battles? We use kolto after those.” His face was still inches from hers; her knife still dug into the front of his shirt.

 

He raised an eyebrow and suddenly her whole demeanor softened. The knife withdrew and she smiled at him coyly. “So, how about that drink?”

 

***

 

The officer walked back to his ship whistling as he went. It was a shame they could not visit places like this more often. His good mood persisted almost all the way to his quarters where he was confronted by his superior officer.

 

“Lieutenant,” he began. “You had an assignment to find the agent and arrange a meeting. Instead you rented a room for six hours at the Hutt Palace and ran up a ten thousand credit bar tab.”

 

The lieutenant leaned against the wall, he held up a datachip. “Don’t need a meeting anymore. I found a contact and got the information.”

 

“How well do you know this contact?”

 

“Pretty well now.” The lieutenant rubbed his chin, smiling a little at the bruises that were forming.

 

“Well I hope you silenced her. We don’t need her to get curious and try to find you.”

 

The lieutenant’s smile vanished, the remains of his good mood gone. He opened the door to his quarters and walked in without waiting to be dismissed. “You don’t need to kill a woman just because you don’t want to work with her anymore.” He said as he closed the door. “Try to remember that, Captain.”

 

 

 

 

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Part 29. Dark Ally

Spoilers for info about the Emperor gathered from the SW Story line

 

 

 

“Kira, welcome back. I trust your mission was successful?” Grand Master Satele Shan said via her holo-projection.

 

“Yes masters, the Emperor is alive.” Kira said wasting no time. She waited for the news to sink in before continuing. “He uses a construct called the ‘Emperor’s Voice’ it has the power of the Emperor and his consciousness. When the Voice dies, the Emperor’s spirit returns to his real body unharmed and his servants find a new Voice for him. The information we uncovered on Dromund Kaas indicates Master Remi killed the Voice but the Emperor’s spirit was wounded somehow in the process and now he is sleeping. Their records indicate they will be conducting the ritual to transfer him to a new Voice in the near future, we don’t know when but we know the ritual takes some time to perform.”

 

“Thank you Kira, we are analyzing the rest of the data you collected. We will let you know when we have a new plan.”

 

“One more thing,” Master Kavil said raising a finger. “We understand that in order to complete your mission you enlisted the help of Lord Scourge.”

 

“Yes,” Kira answered. “He was the only one with the knowledge of Kaas City we needed to make the mission successful.”

 

“You were instructed to contact the SIS.” Master Kavil said severely. “They have the resources to help you on a mission like this without resorting to,” he paused trying to be diplomatic, “outsiders.”

 

Kira raised her chin and spoke directly to Master Kavil, she knew he was one of the main proponents of banishing Lord Scourge. “I did. They recommended him.”

 

***

 

“You going to wear that helmet all the time? Can’t drink with a helmet on.” Ardun Kothe said holding up his drink and taking a sip.

 

“One more benefit,” Grey answered. “I never drink.”

 

“I see.” He said picking up the drink he had poured for her and drank that too. “So, you’ve established yourself, got a couple jobs done, I have mission for you on Alderaan.”

 

“I hate bugs.”

 

Kothe laughed, “Everyone says that.” He slid a data chip and a credit chip across the bar.

 

“You could have done this over the holo.”

 

He nodded, “There’s something else. I’ve been seeing a lot of activity, someone’s been looking for Remi. I don’t know who, but the queries originate from Tython.”

 

“No one can know, Ardun. It’s better if Remi just disappears.”

 

“What if the Emperor’s alive?”

 

“Then Remi will find her way back.”

 

“What if we need help finding out?” He insisted.

 

She was silent for a moment, “Contact Lord Scourge.”

 

Kothe sighed downing his drink in one gulp. “The Council doesn’t trust him.” Kothe said reluctantly. “The only thing the Sith care about is themselves.”

 

Grey picked up the data chip and examined it. “How long have you worked for the Republic?” She asked.

 

“Including my time as a Jedi? Over fifty years.” Kothe answered grimacing at the number.

 

“What would it take for you to throw that away and give up everything you’ve done to join the Empire?”

 

“Nothing could do that.” Kothe poured another glass.

 

Grey tilted her head. “Even destruction of the galaxy?”

 

Kothe was silent; he stared into golden liquid before taking a sip.

 

Grey nodded. “He served the Emperor loyally for three centuries and with one decision cut ties with everything he knew, gave up all of his influence, and risked his existence, to join a Jedi who serves the Republic. The only reason he would do that is because the entire galaxy is at stake.” Grey stood storing the data chip and credit chip carefully. “And that is the only thing he cares about.” She said as she walked out the door.

 

Kothe thought she sounded a little sad, but he could not be sure.

 

 

 

 

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Part 30. Allies and Revelations

 

 

 

“Agent Kothe said his last known location was here.” Kira said, checking her datapad. They walked down a slope in an area just outside of Voss-Ka. The caves in this area were inhabited by members of the Exchange and other gangs. The Voss did not care who lived there as long as they broke no local laws.

 

Kira activated a light droid. The little droid floated in the air just above them illuminating a small circle around them in green. The color the droid emitted was supposed to be undetectable by most wildlife and sensors. It was barely enough light to navigate the rough cave floor without tripping.

 

They were on Voss looking for the Sith Lord at the recommendation of SIS Agent Ardun Kothe. They needed help infiltrating Kaas City and to their surprise, the agent directed them to Lord Scourge.

 

“Scourge lives in a cave now? Come to think of it, it’s kind of just like him you know? Dark, scary, full of deadly creatures, well maybe not that last part.” Doc said looking around uneasily.

 

“Doc?”

 

“What?”

 

“Shut up.” Despite her irritation, she was glad that Doc was with her and not her Padawan. Padawan Gilles was a good man and strong in the force, but he saw the world in black and white as young people, especially young Jedi do. On this mission that would be fatal. She was already taking a risk that Lord Scourge would not kill her and Doc on sight, and he knew them. He would certainly attack a strange Jedi, especially if that Jedi ran his mouth about the evils of the dark side. She lost track of how many times she wished it, but she wished Remi were here.

 

They neared the end of the cave; a whisper of sound was the only warning that they were not alone. Doc drew his blaster but an unseen force knocked it out of his hand. The sound of a lightsaber igniting and a flash of red and the light droid fell from the air. The lightsaber went out; they could not tell where their assailant was. Kira drew her lightsaber keeping one hand on Doc so she knew where he was.

 

“Scourge,” she called. “It’s Kira and Doc, we’re not here to fight you.” She hoped it was Scourge, if it was someone else they were both dead.

 

A light flicked on, they found themselves in front of a small alcove. A security terminal was built into the rock wall. Standing next to it was Lord Scourge; he had gone back to wearing Sith style clothing similar to what he wore when they all first met. Kira had never liked him nor trusted him. She had seen firsthand how Sith like him were made and she had never wanted anything to do with him. It had been Remi who said to trust him, who fought at his side to foil the Emperors plans. It was Remi who defended him to the Council and even the Senate to allow him his freedom after the Emperor was defeated, though Kira did not think Scourge knew any of that.

 

“What do you want?” He said glaring at them.

 

“We need your help.” Kira said. The Sith Lord crossed his arms, unimpressed that the Republic needed anything. “We have reason to believe the Emperor is still alive, but we need to know for sure.” Kira added quickly. She handed him a datapad that contained some of the evidence they had.

 

He studied the datapad then nodded at them, “We cannot speak here, follow me.” He tapped a code into the security panel and part of the rock wall slid away. The cave turned out to be a tunnel that led to a small clearing surrounded on all sides by the mountain. Built into the mountain was a rectangular building. The scene would have been idyllic if it had not been for the turrets placed at regular intervals.

 

“Claims that the Emperor is sleeping after the attack by the Jedi.” He said quietly as if to himself reviewing the datapad again. “Possible, I did feel something different.”

 

“We know of a security outpost near Kaas City that can confirm the information. We need your help getting in.”

 

“You want my help to infiltrate Dromund Kaas? Madness.”

 

“It’s the only way to truly know, unless we want to wait until he eats the galaxy.” Kira replied sarcastically.

 

Scourge scowled at her. “I supposed the Jedi should be along for this.”

 

“How is Remi, anyway?” Doc asked. He could never understand why Scourge never used Remi’s name, as if to him there was only one Jedi and she was it.

 

Scourge turned to him his eyes narrowed, “What do you mean?”

 

“You mean you haven’t seen her?”

 

Scourge grew very still. “No. Where is she?”

 

“She left the Order soon after you were banished, then she just disappeared, we assumed she followed you.” Kira said, she paled as she realized no one knew where Remi was, her hand shook. Doc reached over and squeezed it.

 

“Don’t worry,” he said, “if the Emperor’s alive Remi will come back.” He glanced at Scourge; the Sith Lord’s jaw was clenched. Finally, he spoke.

 

“We need to find a way to Dromund Kaas, no unidentified ship will be able to get near it, nor can we just land at the Kaas City spaceport.”

 

Kira nodded, still shaken. “We have a lead on a transport our next stop is Tatooine. “

 

***

 

“And where is Lord Scourge now?” Master Kavil asked.

 

“He went to look for Remi.” Kira answered, “We should look for her too.”

 

“I see,” Master Kavil replied waving his hand dismissively. “I do not believe that will be necessary.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I have had a vision,” Master Kavil said. “It is not former Jedi Remi that kills the Emperor, it is you.”

 

 

 

 

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Part 31. Set up for the Set up

Spoiler information about the Emperor from SW story

 

 

 

“Did you know about the Emperor’s Voice?” Remi asked.

 

Scourge looked up from the data he was collating, it seemed he and Remi had similar goals over the past few years. They both had done separate research on the Emperor each of them preparing for the possibility that the Emperor lived. He was combining their results with a copy of the data they obtained from Kaas City. He had collected this kind of information over the course of his service to the Emperor but things had changed since he left and there were holes in his knowledge of the Emperor’s inner circle including some revelations that the Emperor had kept hidden from him.

 

“It was nearly common knowledge among Sith when I first became a Lord.”

 

“Any reason you didn’t tell me?”

 

“I sensed his true presence at the Temple. It is unusual for his true presence to be in the same place as the Voice.”

 

“I see.” Remi said, looking at a message terminal. They had dropped out of hyperspace on the route to Nar Shadaa. She was using the time to check and respond to messages as part of retiring Grey, her bounty hunter persona. “Someone’s trying to contact Grey.” She said. “Using Ghost’s datadrop.”

 

“I have heard you and the SIS Agent mention Ghost before.”

 

“Yeah, former Imperial Intelligence. I’m going to get her on the holo if I can, stay out of sight.” Remi said flipping on the holo-terminal and positioned the holocam away from Scourge.

 

“Hunter Grey,” Vector greeted her. “To what do we owe this call?”

 

“Did Ghost set up a job for me?” She asked in her usual blunt manner.

 

“No,” Ghost replied entering the projection. “Why do you ask?”

 

“Someone used your datadrop to set up a meeting.” Ghost’s lips compressed into a thin line, she walked off-camera. Remi could hear a voice being raised and laughter but she could not make out what was said. An attractive Rattataki appeared.

 

“Grey,” Kaliyo said still laughing. “So I met this guy in a sleazy little casino on Hutta right? Imperial officer, big guy, scar on his face, one of those accents, big hands and he was completely into me. He did this thing with whisky, you wouldn’t believe it. Usually I don’t like those big guy types, too clumsy, they think size is all that matters, but his voice, ugh I bet he could get you to take that helmet off.”

 

“Many have tried.” She replied drily.

 

“Yeah well you can’t just leave it to mystique forever babe. So anyway Officer Big-hands is looking for someone, didn’t want to say who, but he mentioned you might know him. So, I gave him your info. I think you would have a lot in common, you both like killing, and bombs, and killing things with bombs. You can thank me later, after he gets under that armor of yours.”

 

“So, does ‘Officer Big-hands’ have a real name?”

 

“Probably. Don’t know it though. Tell me how it goes, I want all the details.” The image winked out.

 

Remi sighed. Someone had to have good sources if they knew to get her information through Kaliyo.

 

“How many have tried?” Scourge asked. He knew the types of men a bounty hunter would be forced to work with, he scowled at the thought. He scowled harder when all she did was laugh.

 

 

 

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Part 32. Bargaining

SW Spoilers-ish

 

 

 

They were drifting near a strange planet whose rings were made of derelict vessels. The construction must have taken over a century. Remi found this place by accident. She had chased a bounty, a mercenary with over one hundred murders to his name, to the planet a few years ago. It seemed he had expected to get help when he arrived. To his surprise, the entire planet was abandoned. Remi did not trust the technology she had found on the planets rings and most of the consoles had been destroyed or wiped before the inhabitants left. She did discover, that the planet could boost signal range to anywhere in the galaxy and was nearly impossible to trace. She used it to make a very cautious holo-call, she sat in her Captain’s chair making sure the holo-camera could not pick up Scourge. An Imperial Officer answered.

 

“Hunter Grey, I presume?” He said with a cultured Imperial accent. Remi waited in silence, she had a protocol for starting a job. The officer was shoved aside roughly and replaced by another officer wearing combat gear.

 

“Got your information from the Agent’s operative, Kaliyo.” He said. Ahh, Officer Big-hands, Remi thought. He does have a nice voice.

 

She crossed her arms. “What’s the job?”

 

The original officer reappeared. “We need you to find someone. We understand he was a former client of yours.” He transmitted a holo-image. Remi’s heart clenched, it was Lord Scourge.

 

“How do you know he was my client?” She asked making sure her voice did not waiver.

 

“Your methods, equipment, and fighting style are distinctive. Lord Ralinard on Dromund Kaas survived long enough to describe you even though you broke his neck.” Remi was silent, she remembered pushing the Sith Lord away, but she could not remember how she killed him.

 

“Sorry,” she said reaching to turn off the terminal. “I don’t flip on former clients.”

 

“Wait! Please, I just want to talk to him.” A woman’s voice interrupted. She came within view of the holo, a striking woman, lithe and confident; her long hair was drawn up away from her face displaying perfect cheekbones and full lips. She wore a lightsaber at her side. Sith, great. “I am Lord Ninka,” she bowed. “This is Captain Quinn.”

 

Remi saw Scourge hold his hand up indicating she should wait. She sighed and turned back to the holo. “Three million credits.” She said. Captain Quinn sputtered.

 

“That’s absurd! We know your fees are normally a fraction of that.”

 

“Sith are triple.”

 

“That still doesn’t account for the difference.”

 

“How many Sith will I be working with?”

 

“Two,” the Lord Ninka answered.

 

“Got an apprentice?”

 

“Three,” she conceded.

 

“More Sith are exponential, do the math.”

 

“That’s two-point-seven million.” Quinn said crossing his arms.

 

“I round up if I have to work with uptight Imperials.” Remi retorted, she thought she heard laughter coming from the holo.

 

“Done, but I want you to deliver him in person.” Lord Ninka said with amusement.

 

“Anything else I can do to make this trap easier for you to set up?” Remi asked.

 

“A discount would be nice,” she replied, smiling winsomely.

 

Remi snorted. “Transmitting escrow account info.” She said.

 

“Transmitting meeting details.” Quinn said. Remi looked it over, a neutral planet, low population. She nodded.

 

“I get to pick the exact meeting site,” she reminded them. “I’ll get back to you when I have something.” She cut the transmission, sighing explosively. She took off her helmet. She still wore it most of her waking hours.

 

“Well, at least now if people wonder why Grey disappeared, they’ll think she was running from a job she didn’t want to take.” She said after a long silence.

 

“You will take this job.” Lord Scourge said thoughtfully. Remi stared at him, speechless and stunned. “Do you know who that woman was?”

 

“No, I haven’t had time to do any research in the last minute.” Remi said, irritated. Lord Scourge smiled a little at his lover’s unusual lack of calm.

 

“From what I understand, she is the new Emperor’s Wrath.”

 

“Great, so she’s the chief among the people who are supposed to kill you and me.”

 

“Yes, but I sense she wants something else and she is willing to talk first. She works within the Emperor’s inner circle and she has information we need. If I go to this meeting I will have a chance to extract it.”

 

“And then they spring the trap and that information will be useless.”

 

“You are excellent at planning, I am certain you can plan a way for us to escape.”

 

“Flattery will not help you.” She said rubbing her eyes for a long moment. The mission that drove them both forced her to consider it. “Do we really have to do this?” She asked looking at him, her eyes pleading. He got up from his seat and went to her. He cupped her face in his hand, leaning down his kissed her softly, then firmly when he felt her lips tremble.

 

“We will do what we must.” He said as he pulled away. He looked back down at her, her jaw was clenched but she looked determined. She turned to her console to conduct her research and create her plans. She slipped her helmet back on. He watched in fascination as Remi disappeared and Grey took over.

 

 

 

 

 

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Part 33. Blunt Instruments

SW Spoilers

 

 

 

“You have a disturbing number of bombs on this ship.” Lord Scourge commented as he watched Remi select from the crates in the cargo bay.

 

“It turns out,” she said, “that shooting someone accurately with a blaster is really hard, especially if they’re moving. It took years before I could hit anything at a distance that wasn’t standing still. Bombs on the other hand,” she said holding up a cylinder, “easy to understand, powerful, programmable, and versatile. I was told I had an unusual knack for them. I think most people are just scared they’ll blow themselves up, then their hands shake, and then they blow themselves up.” She smiled brightly behind her helm holding up a small disc. “This one can’t be detected by electronic sweeps. You have to find them manually. Tiny but it has a one-hundred meter blast radius.” Lord Scourge backed up a step. “I set them on a thirty second timer. Usually, I can get out of range in time.”

 

“Usually.” He repeated. He watched her pack them into a box. “You need five of them?”

 

“Part of the plan. They won’t find them all, I’ll make sure. Hopefully with a timer it’ll give us a chance to talk our way out.”

 

“Have you located a suitable place to meet?” He asked, changing the subject.

 

“Abandoned industrial complex, multiple exits, and underground tunnels.” She confirmed. “It will take a while for their reinforcements to show up. I should be able to see them coming. After I set up I’ll send them the coordinates.”

 

“Tell me exactly,” he said as she packed more and more bombs onto a hover-sled. “What is your plan?”

 

“Remember our entry to Dromund Kaas?” she asked, he nodded. “It’s worse than that one, you sure you want to know?” He frowned.

 

“Just, assure me that your plan is for both of us to survive.”

 

She paused looking up, “You’ve survived worse.”

 

***

 

Remi watched Lord Ninka and Captain Quinn approach the meeting site. She was hidden in a vent high above the warehouse floor. Lord Scourge did not want to wear an earpiece; she could not talk to him or listen to their conversation. She had not liked it but she trusted him.

 

Her surveillance cameras picked up the rest of Lord Ninka’s team. A small Twilek, Vette, who was already disarming her incendiary bombs. The large officer, Pierce, who was finding and marking her other defenses for the Twilek to disarm. A Sith, former Jedi Jaesa Willsaam, who was probably trying to detect people. Finally, a large thing, a Taalz if Remi remembered correctly, that went around smashing her surveillance devices. She sighed switching to long-range infrared. She saw the shapes of Lord Ninka’s backup arriving, Imperial Guard. She marveled at how many there were, they really were terrified of Lord Scourge.

 

Lord Scourge emerged from the shadows. He bowed to Lord Ninka, an almost courtly gesture. The Captain stood behind and off to the side, he scanned the room for trouble, he even looked directly at her hiding spot but then he moved on. Not as good as you think you are huh Captain Uptight. She studied the two Wraths with surprise; their manner could only be described as friendly. They were both relaxed, their hands never drifted toward their weapons. They leaned in when the other was speaking. Remi’s face flushed. I’m jealous. This is what jealousy feels like. Remi gritted her teeth and focused on the task. She knew Lord Scourge was extracting information; he was an expert at it. She had told them their time was limited, he would use the most expedient approach. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. Lord Scourge took Lord Ninka’s hand for a moment squeezing it. That did not help. Remi noticed the Imperial Guardsman had found their way to the meeting site. It was time for her to put the second phase of her plan into action. She backed her way down the vent. Love is terrible. She thought as she crawled.

 

She found Lieutenant Pierce standing guard at the intersection of two tunnels. She unstealthed next to him, he glanced at her seemingly unsurprised. “Nice job with the defenses.”

 

“Nice job dismantling them.”

 

He laughed a little, he seemed relaxed, and they chatted for a while about bombs and the kinds they liked. Finally, Remi guessed all their units were in place. “You know I was wondering if you would show up or if we’d have to come find you.”

 

“Hard to miss all that backup coming in.”

 

“Could’ve just ran.” He suggested.

 

She shook her head. “Wasn’t expecting Imperial Guard. Figured you want the Sith not me, might as well see what happens.”

 

Pierce nodded, “Well, come along then.” He relieved her of her blaster and a squad of regular soldiers appeared, he must have signaled them, and they escorted her to the meeting site.

 

She walked slowly, slower than the guards wanted, she scanned the defenses she had set up. Lord Ninka’s team was excellent; they had found everything in this zone. They reached the entrance where they were greeted by Captain Quinn, Remi stopped walking suddenly and one of the soldiers shoved her forward. She tripped and ran into the Captain who roughly shoved her to the ground.

 

“That’s not how you treat a lady Quinn,” Pierce said.

 

“Your definition of what constitutes a ‘lady’ is remarkably broad, Lieutenant.” He said looking down his nose at Remi. “This thing is just mercenary scum.” He turned his back on the group and led them to where Lord Scourge and Lord Ninka waited. Lord Scourge had drawn his lightsaber but Lord Ninka had not.

 

Remi stood away from the two Siths. Scourge looked at her, she shrugged. “Did your little friend neglect to warn you that this would be a trap? No, she didn’t want to miss out on her bounty.” Quinn asked, seeing their exchange and misinterpreting it.

 

“That’s enough Quinn,” Lord Ninka said. “I apologize for this; I thank you speaking with me.” She said addressing Lord Scourge. She looked as if she would say more but Remi interrupted.

 

“Hey that’s great, you want him, not me, so can I go now?”

 

“You,” Quinn said before anyone could speak, “are wanted for aiding in the attack on Kaas City and are directly responsible for the death of a Sith Lord. You will be taken to Dromund Kaas to stand trial.”

 

“Trial, sure.” Remi replied tiring of his pompous attitude. “I’ve heard about you Captain Quinn, a brilliant tactician who betrayed one of his masters for the other.” She glanced at Lord Ninka. The rest of Sith Lord’s team looked at each other uneasily.

 

“You would not understand honor, mercenary.” Remi saw Pierce clench his fists.

 

“I may be mercenary scum but even I don’t take two contracts at the same time. Did you really think you could work for two Sith and never have a conflict of interest?” Remi snorted. “I thought you were supposed to be smart.” Remi pulled out her remote. She held it in front of her. The soldiers aimed their weapons.

 

“Enough,” Quinn said slashing the air with his hand. “We know all about you Hunter Grey, we know your love for bombs. I’ll admit they are effective,” he paused, “for brute tactics.” Pierce snorted, looking away. “We’ve located and disarmed them, there will be no escape.”

 

“Are you sure you found all of them?” Remi asked.

 

“North tunnel.” Said Pierce.

 

“Rooftop.” Jaesa volunteered.

 

“Spprrrnnngit.” The Taalz said.

 

“Like forty incendiaries, you have issues you know.” Vette said putting her hands on her hips.

 

“And the entrance to this room,” Quinn said. “We ran a particle sweep and there are no active explosives in this building.” He smiled triumphantly.

 

“Captain’s pocket?” Remi said mildly pushing the button on her remote. The high-pitched whine of tiny disc powering up came from the Captain. Everyone froze. “Thirty seconds, Quinn, keep track will you?”

 

An Imperial Guardsman raised his weapon, “You’re bluffing, you’ll die too,” he said.

 

“My armor can handle the blast, can your,” Remi looked at his red uniform. “dress?”

 

“Twenty seconds.” Quinn said through clenched teeth.

 

“Jaesa is she bluffing?” Lord Ninka asked calmly. Her apprentice bowed her head quickly pressing her hands together.

 

“No, master, she feels conviction and no fear.” Jaesa answered.

 

“Ten seconds.”

 

“Everyone, pull back now,” Lord Ninka ordered. The group hurried out of the room.

 

Remi walked up to Quinn. She gave him credit, he was not shaking or sweating, he seethed with anger not fear. She hit the button on the remote, two seconds left. “That only pauses the countdown, if I hit it again, you will need a new uniform, among other things.” She said. “Now move.”

 

Remi and Lord Scourge guided Quinn down a long tunnel. It opened to a field, a junkyard for old farm equipment and industrial machines. It was the perfect place to hide a small ship, Remi’s Mantis. Remi carefully removed the bomb from the Captain’s pocket and tossed it on the ground. She pushed him up the gangplank and the ship took off. When the ship was out of range, the bomb detonated. The squad of Imperials aiming an Ion Cannon at the Mantis never knew what hit them.

 

 

 

 

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Part 34. R and R and Quinn

SW Spoilers

 

The aftermath is here.

 

 

 

Remi took Quinn to the cargo bay, pushing him to his knees. She considered killing him. It would be easier; they could kill him, dump him, and continue retiring Grey. They did have far more important things to do. His muscles twitched, as hopeless as it was he was ready to fight. She wondered why Lord Ninka had spared him. Making up her mind, she prepared a sedative. Kneeling next to the Captain, she faced him, blue eyes to bounty hunter mask. He glared at her.

 

“I’ll bet you never even apologized for betraying her.” His blank expression betrayed his confusion, it was swiftly replaced with a mask of anger. She injected him with the sedative, “Maybe you’ll get a chance.” she said softly as he collapsed.

 

She restrained his hands and feet, then chained his hands to his feet so he was bent in a backward circle, he would wake up with full body cramps but at least he would eventually wake up. She walked to the bridge and plotted a course for a small planet in Hutt territory.

 

When they arrived, Remi carted the Captain to a rundown smoke house and brothel. The establishment had been one of the first places she had hidden when she started out. The owner was sharp, strange, and honest.

 

“Beautiful Grey!” Morencai greeted. The nautilan had tried to get her to give up bounty hunting to be a dancer. He had never seen her face but insisted she must be beautiful. He would have said more but the sight of Lord Scourge stopped him.

 

“Morencai,” Remi nodded. “My two friends and I want a room to have some fun.” She indicated Quinn who lay on a hover sled still unconscious.

 

“I think that one has already had fun, Beautiful Grey?” He peered at Quinn. Remi had stripped off most of his clothes; she did not want reports of a bounty hunter with an unconscious Imperial Officer.

 

“He needs more fun in his life than I can provide.” Remi answered. “I need some help, maybe two?” She tilted her head at the girls who waited in the display room.

 

“Two men and two ladies, Beautiful Grey, you are all grown up!” He enthused; he waved over two Twilek girls. They were here because they were too old to be resold, and not pretty enough to find husbands. Morencai took them in and let them work when they could; they made bead necklaces to sell at the spaceport the rest of the time. Heartbreakingly, both girls were younger than Remi.

 

Morencai showed them to the largest room in the brothel. The bed was large but filthy. Remi hefted Quinn onto the bed and the two Twileks joined him. Scourge stood watching, his expression unreadable. She attached his restrained hands to the place on the bed built specifically for that purpose. There was something to be said for keeping a captive in a brothel.

 

“Ladies,” Remi said capturing their attention. They were quite taken with him; it was rare that a man that handsome or clean would visit a place this cheap. “This man needs rest, lots of it.” She opened a case of sedatives. “Keep him sleeping until his friends come to get him, do not resist, do not fight, do not let him wake up, and do not kill him. Understand?” They nodded with mute assent. “Try not to touch him too much; he’s supposed to be sleeping you know.” She added tossing a datachip on the table, the girls giggled at each other, snuggling up to Quinn. Remi pulled out her datapad and checked the escrow account, she had completed the contract to Hutt standards and the funds had been released. She transferred all three-million credits to Morencai.

 

She passed him on the way out, “When will the men with guns be coming, Beautiful Grey?” He asked.

 

“If they’re smart, less than a day. They shouldn’t harm you though.”

 

“I would like to see them try.” He said showing off a mouthful of sharp teeth. “Take care of yourself Beautiful Grey.”

 

Remi and Scourge boarded her ship and took off. She adjusted the ship’s route, it would take longer to get to Nar Shadaa but she wanted to be sure that no one would follow. Now that they were safe, she started to feel the aftereffects of the mission. Fear at the risk involved, anger at having to walk into a trap, jealousy at Scourge and Ninka. The lady-Wrath seemed genuinely sorry to spring her trap, was it because of Scourge?

 

When she had been Grey, with no connection to the Force she would lie on her side in her bed and let her emotions run their course. Now she could feel the Force coalescing around her. It obeyed some kind of instruction that her volatile feelings created. This is what the masters worry about. She tried to calm herself.

 

“Why did you let him live?” Lord Scourge asked, speaking for the first time since they left the meeting place.

 

Remi felt her emotions surge again. “You’ve got your data from the Wrath, add it to what we already know.” She snapped standing up. Not wanting to look at him, she went to her quarters and shut the door.

 

***

 

“One more,” Pierce said. He found another angle and snapped another holo-shot. The two Twileks in the bed posed for him next to the still unconscious Captain.

 

“Pierce!” Vette said crossing her arms.

 

“Fine, fine, I’ll stop messing with the Captain.”

 

“Not him, you’re exploiting my fellow Twileks!” She said, looking at the girls sympathetically.

 

“No exploit.” Morencai said from the doorway. “Beautiful Grey, she gives generous credits. Three million,” Pierce and Vette exchanged a look. They had traced this place by watching where the money went. “I give to the girls, we split three ways.” The girls smiled, one absently stroked Quinn’s chest.

 

Now Vette was impressed. “Wow, now I want to work for Grey. She probably wants to kill us though.”

 

“It’s too bad; I’d trade her for the Captain.” Pierce loaded Quinn onto the hover sled Grey had thoughtfully left behind. Noticing a datachip on the table, he loaded up the message.

 

He grinned, it said: Pierce, no hard feelings. Grey.

 

 

 

 

 

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Diving off the deep end.

 

I've hesitated to post this part of the story, and really the rest of the story. I'm not a big fanfic reader/writer so I don't know if I'm breaking some kind of fanfic rule but the rest of this story is not merely canon bending it's canon slaughtering. I've tried to stick to canon that made sense up to now. Even my whole "Scourge feels something" I tried to make it a plausible concept based on how he lost his ability to feel in the first place. But now I'm going off the path past Mary Sue territory into the unknown regions of Mary Sue's more annoying half sister named "Yeah that would never f*ing happen"

 

So if that kind of thing bothers you read no further. Though I really hope you read it and if you feel the need to b*tch me out for it, I really appreciate comments no matter what they are :)

 

Also, if you think Remi and Scourge are making out too much all I can say is: 300 years people. 300. Years.

 

Without further ado:

35. Double Vision

 

 

 

Remi stood with her back against the door. She felt a scream trying to tear its way out of her throat. She forced herself to exhale sharply instead. She began a meditation exercise. As she steadied her breathing, she acknowledged her feelings: anger, fear, and jealousy. She let go of the past, she had lived through it, anger and fear had no use now. She considered her jealousy. Ninka was beautiful, more so than she. She was also a Sith, someone Lord Scourge could understand. He knew that she loved him, but he never said the same. Perhaps she was only a balm for the pain he felt, she could not blame him for wanting that.

 

She had not considered that he would seek other women, but Sith were passionate in a way she could not be, and now that he could feel again maybe he needed more. Whether it was her Jedi training or her own unique personality, she had not been able to express to him how she felt, not fully. Some part of her could not let go of control. She covered it with jokes, she mocked him instead, that served for dealing with marks, clients, or even the Jedi Council, not for someone who made her heart ache and her body feverish.

 

She sighed, no longer awash with emotions. She changed into leathers and a plain tunic, and then knelt at the foot of her bed where she kept her meditation mat. She closed her eyes and reached for the Force, it flowed, and she let it flow through her. She sat that way until she lost track of time. Her only movement was slow and steady breathing, she tried to remain open not controlling the force at all, finally she let herself go completely, and suddenly she was no longer on the ship.

 

She knelt before a man his body pinned but he still lived, her eyes glowed white her face serene with concentration. They were in a city, yet they were surrounded by nothing. Her arms reached toward him, his power streamed to her. He spoke and she looked into his eyes, they were black as the void. He laughed at her even as she took the last of his power. He looked to her side. She followed his empty gaze to where Lord Scourge lay dead in the twisted rubble.

 

Then the vision swirled with away and was replaced with a new one.

 

Now her eyes glowed red, her face a mask of anger. The city of nothing crumbled. She ripped the power from the man who laughed at her even as she drained his life to nothing. He looked to her side. She followed his empty gaze to where Lord Scourge stood with his lightsaber poised to strike her down.

 

Her eyes opened, she was on her ship, in her quarters, but the details of the vision had not faded. Lord Scourge lay dead in the twisted rubble. Her heart ached. Love is terrible. She remembered thinking, but that was simple jealousy. She thought of Moracen and Spanios, two Padawan in love, it felt like a lifetime ago. She had been the perfect obedient Padawan when she turned them in, love created volatile emotions they must be stopped. Later as her cynicism grew for the Council and their rigid ways, she rejected the idea that love itself was bad, and she kept Jomar and Leeha’s relationship a secret.

 

She had allowed her feelings for Lord Scourge to grow, even when she thought he could never return them. She knew that he valued cruelty and violence, but his strength, his clarity of purpose, his will to keep the galaxy from destruction, those things she could respect, even if the Council could not. If she followed the path of the light he would die, or she could save him by falling to darkness herself.

 

Is choosing the light the same thing as choosing to kill him? Wouldn’t that be wrong? Then he’ll strike me down. She reminded herself. But what if he doesn’t? She had not seen that. Surely, he still a choice. Rationalizing. Choosing the dark side was not like flipping a switch, it came from anger, hatred, and cruelty. I would die for him. She thought with certainty. Would I fall for him too? She remembered the times when she fought, when she lost track of where she was, times when she returned to herself surrounded by dead enemies. There were worse things than losing her life she feared losing herself.

 

She returned to her meditation eventually she found the calm she needed. Visions are not set in stone, she told herself, the future is always fluid, but she kept seeing Lord Scourge lying dead in the twisted rubble. Love is terrible. She thought.

 

 

 

 

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36. Trials

 

 

 

Lord Scourge watched Remi leave. He sensed her volatile emotions, the fear and anger she held tightly in check. Years ago, when they had first met he would prod at her decisions, mock her values, and belittle her goals to get a rise out of her. He would test her fabled Jedi calm knowing that stirring strong emotions was the first step to the dark side, turning one of the Jedi’s greatest heroes would be highly amusing. It never worked. She would smile, accept his comments and any pain or anger she felt would dissolve into something harmless. Now, something was different. He sensed that her calm was only on the surface, he prodded her decision to save the Imperial. Her anger returned sharp and dangerous, she raised her voice, something else she never did. He returned to making sense of their data.

 

When she emerged from her quarters, she had changed out of her armor. He sensed a deep calm about her, probably from meditation. She did not return to her captain’s chair, instead, she leaned against the console next to where he sat. She looked straight forward not wanting to meet his eyes. When she spoke, he was expecting her to explain her ridiculous reasons for mercy as she always had.

 

“What was I like when the Emperor took over my mind?” she asked.

 

He blinked at the unexpected question. “How do you mean?”

 

“I remember a little about the,” she searched for the right word, “training. I know you were there at the arena when I killed the mercenaries. I killed so many; there was no reason for it.” She said the last part in a whisper.

He remembered the arena well. Overseer Chaskar did not care for the new acolyte and former Jedi; the tests had been designed to kill her. “There were forty-five men in the arena that day.”

 

She nodded looking down at her hands.

 

“And you believe you killed many on that day?”

 

His emphasis gave her pause. She finally looked at him, she asked the question almost against her own will, “How many did I kill?”

 

“Thousands.” He answered. He could not keep the pride from his voice.

 

***

It was a red planet, dusty, full of high plateaus and deep canyons, perfect for outlaws. The small group hiked to a plateau overlooking a large town, almost a small city. The town was surrounded on all sides by high walls guarded by sentries at regular intervals and manned turret guns.

 

“Below you is a town run by the Exchange,” Overseer Chaskar explained. “Their activities here interfere with the desires of our Lord Emperor.” He paced before three acolytes.

 

The first two acolytes, sith purebloods from fine family lines, watched him dutifully. The third, a small human woman with yellow eyes and red hair stood with them but she watched the town instead. He wondered if she was paying attention. He glared at her. His hand drifted to his lightsaber, but a small movement caught his eye. The final member of the group, a towering Sith Lord, part nightmare and part legend among lesser sith, watched him, he shook his head slightly. The Overseer suppressed his shudder turning it into a sneer for the smallest of their group.

 

“Kill them all.” He said stopping in front of the human.

 

She finally looked up at him. “Is this to be a competition to see who can kill the most?” she seemed amused. His anger flared.

 

“No,” he said changing his plans. “You will do this alone.” He shoved a beacon into her hands. “Activate this when you have killed the Exchange. Do not bother if you fail.”

 

“And what of the slaves?”

 

“If you wish to show your weakness with your mercy that is your choice.” He spat, she bowed properly but her eyes mocked him. He motioned for the other acolytes to follow and boarded the shuttle. They left her alone on the plateau against a city of over one thousand hardened criminals with no supplies except her lightsaber. He smiled to himself settling into his seat, one less problem to deal with.

 

 

 

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37. Metal Gear Remi

 

 

The acolyte studied the town. Supplies, weapons, sleeping quarters, slaves, she made a mental note of where supplies were being taken and where weapons were likely to be kept. She scanned the walls, turret, man, turret, man. There was nothing here for miles, were they as vigilant as they should be? She concentrated on a small rock on the ground, pushing it with her mind she sent it flying against the wall. The closest sentry scratched his head the other yawned, she smiled, she would wait for nightfall.

 

The sun went down and small lights turned on. The lights did a better job at illuminating the sentries than highlighting trespassers on the ground. She ran around the base of the wall until she found a stack of crates waiting for disposal, they stank of rotting food and corpses. She jumped, one foot landing lightly on a crate then leaped using her new height to spring to a corner sentry who had fallen asleep. He died soundlessly, his neck broken. She slipped around the perimeter, running and killing sentries with hardly a sound. She had not drawn her lightsaber, the Force was all she needed.

 

She reached a turret gunner, “You will not fire on the sith, you will kill any Exchange members that fire a weapon.” She whispered in his ear pushing her commands into his head.

 

“I will not fire on the sith, I will kill any Exchange members that fire a weapon.” He repeated turning his turret to face inward.

 

On she ran circling the town; the sun would rise soon, at the first light of dawn she reached her starting point. The dead sentry with a broken neck was cold and stiff. She pulled a grenade from his belt circling the walls to find the highest concentration of gangsters, their sleeping quarters. She lobbed the grenade through an open window. The explosion shook the building, armed men poured out of the now burning building looking around wildly. She drew her lightsaber and leaped, cutting down three men where she landed. The gangsters were experienced, after their initial confusion they focused on the small figure with the lightsaber. They fired in short controlled bursts. They aimed low so as not to hit each other. They could not have foreseen that their own turrets would fire on them.

 

From there it was easy. It took a few nights to kill the holdouts that barricaded themselves in the vaults, a few more to find those hiding among the slaves, finally the turret gunners shot each other. She had managed to spare most of the slaves, they did not try to attack or resist, and the supplies were mostly undamaged. They would either survive or be captured again. She walked back to the plateau and activated her beacon.

 

 

 

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38. Preferences

 

 

 

The Overseer and acolytes arrived in the same shuttle along with the other sith that watched her constantly. They surveyed the town. The bonfire of dead bodies still burned, the slaves still carted their former masters to the pyre.

 

“You left the slaves alive?” Overseer Chaskar said with disgust. “What reason could you have for this mercy?”

 

“She is weak, Overseer.” One of the other acolytes answered. He was the taller one and the favored to survive this group. He walked up to the human, he towered over her trying to intimidate. He lowered his face within inches of hers, his manner hostile and aggressive. “I will show you what it means to be a sith.” The woman did not move an inch, she did not even blink, she simply stared into his eyes until he turned away.

 

He drew his lightsaber and started down the trail. The gates to the city were wide open as the slaves continued to cart bodies. He was a dozen meters from the wall when three turrets aimed at him and fired. Unprepared, he only blocked a few shots before he was riddled with blaster bolts.

 

Overseer Chaskar ran to the edge of the plateau and looked down, “What happened?” he demanded of the woman. “You were to kill all of the Exchange.” He drew his saber failure would not be tolerated.

 

The woman frowned, she put a finger to her lips tapping them in contemplation, “Did I forget to mention I armed the slaves? Also, I may have told them any sith who approached would try to kill them.” She looked disdainfully at the smoking corpse of the acolyte.

 

“You!” Chaskar sputtered taking a step toward her.

 

“Come now, Overseer. He should have been prepared for that, he was unworthy.” She said mildly. “Are we done here?”

 

He had to admit she was right; the acolyte had made an elementary mistake. He sheathed his lightsaber a glint of respect in his eye, both for her ability to defeat the Exchange and eliminate a rival.

 

“We are.” He said turning away. The group boarded the shuttle and left, a pyre of over a thousand mercenaries and one acolyte remained.

 

***

 

Remi listened with horrified fascination. Then she nodded, processing that she had done those things under the control of someone else. “Did you like me that way?” She asked.

 

“At the time I felt nothing,” he reminded her. “But I am Sith and you were power, strength, and death.”

 

“Do you want that now?” The question did not surprise him.

 

“I am Sith.” He answered, as if that should tell her everything. She looked at her hands, he could not read her expression, but she almost looked thoughtful as if she were considering it. He stood but she still would not look at him. “There is something else.” he said leaning forward to catch her eyes. “You were also insatiable.”

 

She looked up sharply, her expression shocked. Her mouth opened but no sound emerged. Finally she was able to stutter, “Did I-,“ she stopped not knowing how to phrase the question.

 

“After a lifetime of repressing your emotions your hungers were natural.” He raised an eyebrow, “I can empathize with this.” She flushed. “Because of this, I also know that you have not truly shown me your passionate side and I would want that.” She blushed, and paled alternately, she tried to speak but he put a finger on her lips to quiet her. “I am a patient man, I can wait.” He traced his finger over her lower lip.

 

She struggled with her thoughts and emotions, not knowing what to say.

 

“I confess,” he said amused at the changes in her skin. “I goaded you on purpose with my question about the Imperial.”

 

The shock of his admission allowed her to regain her composure, as he knew it would. Her eyes narrowed, her lips twisted into a familiar wry smile, “That didn’t sound like an apology.”

 

“It wasn’t one.”

 

She made a face, “Well now you owe me two.”

 

Scourge chuckled a little at her obsession with apologies. “Perhaps later, until then…” He trailed off taking her hand he drew her toward her quarters. She smiled a little and followed him without resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

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39. How Convenient

 

 

 

Remi bowed her head meditating. They would arrive at Nar Shaddaa today, where she would say goodbye to Grey, perhaps forever. She wanted to tell Scourge about her vision, but she knew he would want her to choose the path to darkness, and she could not bring herself to tell him the last part for either vision. Neither of them wanted to do much planning, they both seemed desperate to get their fill of each other, uncertain what the future would hold for them.

 

Certainly, Scourge must think their relationship would end when she rejoined the Jedi. She was no longer so sure she would, but she wanted to speak with Kira first. She would not abandon her friend again.

 

She also needed to interpret the rest of the vision. She focused on the city, it seemed familiar, but how could they have been in a city yet be surrounded by nothing? She hated mystical interpretations. She thought of all the visions before. Scourge said he took the Emperor’s crown and she held his power in her hands, well that did not happen. The Masters saw “coming darkness” and “Remi would shape the fate of the galaxy.” Vague useless Force visions, she sighed again these were hardly meditative thoughts.

 

She should be able to go to the Council and ask them. She should be able to ask Scourge or Kira but both of them would probably fight over which path she should choose. She was so tired of having to work to outmaneuver the people who were supposed to be working together. Grey’s life had been simpler, but even she had to make plans upon plans, never fully trusting anyone. She closed her eyes, not meditating, not reaching for the Force, just trying to relax for a moment and not think.

 

“Hello old friend,” a familiar voice said. Remi’s eyes popped open; she turned to see the ghostly shape of her former Master.

 

“Master Orgus?” she asked.

 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve sensed you in the Force.” He said. “Welcome back.”

 

Remi knew these visions never lasted very long but she could not help herself. “I was wondering if you’d ever show up again to say something cryptic.” She smiled feeling like her old self again before the weight of the galaxy had been dropped on her.

 

“Hey, have some respect for your elders. I have a feeling you need to talk to someone, so get to it while I’m still here.” He listened while she explained her visions.

 

“I know what you’re thinking. You can’t just use the dark side while staying true to the light, it doesn’t work that way. To defeat the Emperor you’ll have to commit completely.” She nodded, she had expected as much. “To me it’s not much of a choice, but I know how you feel about him.” He paused, looking at his troubled student. Years ago, he had explained how strong ties of any kind could make a person do terrible things, but he figured a lecture was not what she needed. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. He’s a better man than the Council gives him credit for.”

 

Remi looked up at him with surprise.

 

“Well you know, for a Sith.” He said shrugging. She smiled wanly. “One last thing before I go. That city?” She nodded. “You’ve already been there. It’s the one place that the Emperor fears.” She opened her mouth to ask what he meant but he had already started to fade. “Good bye old friend, may the Force be with you.”

 

 

 

 

 

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40. Vampire

 

 

 

Remi piloted the Mantis into Grey’s private hangar on Nar Shaddaa. When she put on her armor that morning, she realized how much she was going to miss being Grey. The years had been terrifying, but she had learned skills to survive, she made contacts and allies if not friends, she proved to herself and everyone else she was smart and capable all alone without the Force. She shut down the engines.

 

They exited the ship. She looked back at her astromech droids. She did not have the heart to shut them down. She instructed them to guard the ship and solve impossible decryption algorithms while she was gone. They entered a small office; Remi’s clothes and ID were in a wall safe. She changed into her street clothes behind a screen, Scourge often commented about how body shy she was but she could not help herself. When she emerged she wore simple black leather pants, knee high leather boots, and a sleeveless gray tunic. She no longer wore a lightsaber but she carried several knives on her belt and boots.

 

She packed her armor into a crate with the helmet on top; she had paid her rent on the place for a long time. If she ever needed Grey again she could come back. She touched the emblem at the top of her helm whispering to it as if it were a person. “Thank you,” she told the persona that offered her safety and courage over the past few years. “Good bye.” She closed crate.

 

Scourge had politely ignored her display of sentimentality. “You’re going to miss it, aren’t you?”

 

“I am.” She replied honestly, as they took a lift to another level. “I had more freedom as Grey than I’ve ever experienced as Remi.”

 

“You could be free as Remi.” He said quietly. “We did not discuss what would happen when you return to your Jedi Order. Perhaps we should now that you are back.”

 

They exited the lift to what looked like an abandoned office. It was a front owned by another of Grey’s aliases.

Remi nodded, “Now or somewhere else?”

 

He looked around, frowning. “I have a safe house here where we may speak privately.” She nodded assent as they left the office through the front entrance in the Lower Industrial Sector. They caught a speeder to a sector of the city she had never been before. Everything was still awash in neon but somehow newer and cleaner. The speeder stopped on the roof of private high-rise. The entrance was guarded by a pair of heavily armed humans. The speeder door opened and a tall Twilek wearing a suit extended his hand to help her out.

 

Remi raised an eyebrow but gave the man her hand anyway. He ran around the car to open the door for Lord Scourge. He bowed deeply accepting an ID chip. He ran the ID through a reader.

 

“My Lord,” he said bowing again. He nodded to the guards who opened the entrance doors revealing a stately interior without a trace of the tacky neon Remi associated with Nar Shaddaa.

 

They entered the building and the guards shut the door behind them. All the familiar city sounds were cut off completely. If Remi had not known where she was, she would guess she was in one of the palaces on Alderaan. A few attendants at a reception and information desk watched them walk to a private elevator. Remi scanned the room picking up surveillance cameras and other defenses.

 

“Try not to look like you just got off the ship from an agrarian planet.” Lord Scourge muttered under his breath.

 

“Am I embarrassing you, my lord?” Remi whispered back. She felt uneasy about this place, it was too well armed and they did not control the defenses, it was like walking into someone else’s vault, you were protected from the outside but it was too easy to become trapped. The elevator stopped on a level with only one door. The door opened as they approached and another Twilek in a suit stepped out to greet them. He bowed to Lord Scourge.

 

“Will you be dining tonight, my lord?” he asked. He behaved as if Lord Scourge used this suite every day.

 

“No, and you are excused until you are recalled.” The Twilek bowed but then made the mistake of glancing at Remi in a slightly disdainful way. Lord Scourge caught the look and clenched his fist choking the Twilek with the Force. He held him suspended in the air. Remi was shocked but only for a second.

 

She turned to Scourge, “Put him down.” She demanded angrily. Scourge looked at her for a moment then released him. The Twilek bowed apology and thanks to Remi then fled to the elevator.

 

When he was gone, Scourge turned to Remi before she could say anything, “I only did what would be expected of me in this place.” She frowned at him but nodded. They continued to the suite that turned out to take up an entire floor. It was an open design with a nearly 360-degree view of the city.

 

“So this is yours?” She asked he nodded. “You call this a safe house?” she turned in a slow circle taking in the ridiculous opulence of the palatial flat.

 

“There is no rule that dictates a safe house must be a cesspit of vice or a rusty box beset on all sides by criminals.” He replied thinking of the places that belonged to Grey. “You had resources to live far more comfortably, it was your choice not to. I would have to wonder why you chose to punish yourself.”

 

“Bombs are expensive,” she said grinning. “I’d rather buy a more comfortable suit of armor than a more comfortable bed. Still, this place goes beyond comfort. How did you even get it?” She looked around more openly now that she knew the place was his.

 

He watched her locate his security measures and false walls. He was a little disappointed in her attitude. He had to admit that he brought her here to show her what he could offer if she chose not to go back to the Jedi Order. Instead, she seemed to think he was ridiculous.

 

He leaned against a wall watching her scan the room. “A little over two centuries ago, I subverted a Hutt for my own purposes. He was young, even by human standards.” He remembered what it took to break the will of the creature and the lengths he went through to keep the other Hutts from discovering it. “He owns this building.” Remi stopped in the middle of her sweep and stared at him.

 

“You own a Hutt?” Remi asked dumbly.

 

“A crude summary, but not wrong.” Lord Scourge agreed.

 

She giggled a bit hysterically at the idea. He scowled. He still hated it when she laughed at him. She walked to him putting her arms around his neck. “Now that impresses me.” She said looking into his eyes.

 

“We were supposed to talk.” He reminded her but put his arms around her anyway. The decisions would be hers to make, and there was too much at stake for him to seek his own personal gain. But Sith did not know self-sacrifice and the powerlessness he felt made him want to kill something.

 

She sighed, thinking of what to say. “I don’t know if I will return to the Order and become a Jedi again.” She began, she felt him hold his breath. “I refuse to let them come up with some poorly thought out plan trusting to chance to get it right. Even with visions, the future is fluid.” She thought about her own vision. “But, I would sacrifice everything I have, and everything I am, to defeat him.” She said fiercely.

 

Scourge looked down at her, Sith may not believe in self-sacrifice but this tiny woman certainly did. Her whole body was tense with conviction. “As would I.” He said, and it was true. Self-sacrifice did not matter when everything in the galaxy would be annihilated himself included.

 

She stared at him a moment longer before saying with equal conviction, “Whatever I have left, I would give it to you.” The impact of her words hit him. As he leaned down to kiss her, he thought for a moment her eyes glowed red, but it could have just been the light.

 

 

 

 

 

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41. A Changed Man

 

 

 

The door opened slightly, an elderly woman peered out. She smiled a little curiously at the strange man. He reminded her of her son Elan. He was dressed casually in leathers and a worker’s shirt but he stood like a soldier.

 

“Hello, ma’am,” the Chagrian said. “My name is Fideltin Rusk, I used to work with your son Elan.” She nodded slowly opening the door wider. A small girl about seven years old was wrapped around her leg. She shooed the girl inside.

 

“Please Mr. Rusk,” she said. “Come in.”

 

They sat around a low table, they sipped tea, the home was small and cozy. The very peace of the place thumbed its nose at the war that raged not three kilometers down the road.

 

“Private Elan was a good soldier. He was strong and brave.” Rusk began as he always did. The woman nodded as they always did. She turned to watch the little girl twirl in a circle.

 

“That Nella, Elan’s daughter.” She said smiling a little.

 

“Where is her mother?” Rusk asked.

 

“Oh she died in the attack on Correllia. It’s just the two of us now.” Her soft voice held a little sadness.

 

“Your son died doing…” Rusk started to say but the woman interrupted him.

 

“May I show you something, Mr. Rusk?”

 

“Of course, ma’am.”

 

She went to a small table and pulled a datapad out of the drawer. She tapped it until she found a message. She looked at it, her hand covering her mouth for a moment. She smiled again, and handed him the datapad.

 

Dear Mother,

 

Hoth is exactly what you would expect, cold. But so far the supply ships have been running and the gear they’ve given us works pretty well. I haven’t even lost any toes yet.

 

Only problem is, I met my new CO today, Sgt. Rusk. I’ve heard of him. He’s one of those super-soldiers who runs impossible missions and manages to get them done anyway. Sounds good for the Republic, but I heard most of his men end up badly wounded or dead. I’m on his squad now because he lost every single man he had except one on his last mission, and that guy’s never going to hold a blaster again!

 

Between Hoth and the CO I don’t think I’m going to be coming home. I hope I’m just being crazy, I hope the stories are wrong, but just in case I wanted you to know I was fighting the good fight so you and Nella could live in a better galaxy.

 

Tell Nella I love her and take care of yourself too.

 

Love you,

Elan

 

Rusk looked up from the datapad. The woman’s face had changed. She stood with her fists clenched, tears streamed down her face, her body shook with rage.

 

“He knew he was dead.” She pointed at him her body tense. “You killed him, you sent your men to be killed.” Her voice got louder, the little girl froze, she had never seen her grandmother so angry. “You want to tell me he died doing the right thing? For the Republic? He was a hero? He died because you threw his life away! That’s what you do! You’ve done that to all of your men and what good did you do? We’re still at war, no one is safe, and now his daughter will never know her own father. How many medals did my son’s life buy you Mr. Rusk?”

 

Rusk could not answer the question. He had won countless awards for finishing his missions. He knew now that they were not worth the lives spent to earn them, but he could never tell her that. He let her run out of angry things to say. “Ma’am, I am very sorry for your loss.”

 

“And now you will leave, Mr. Rusk.” She said. Rusk stood, he bowed to the small woman and let himself out, the home was still small and cozy but the peace it held was shattered.

***

 

“Major?” Dr. Marsilla Atilan, Chief Engineer and head of droid production, broke his reverie. He had just returned from another trip to another soldier’s home. He was going down the list of all the soldiers he had lost over the years.

 

“Sorry, daydreaming.” Major Rusk replied. He was not used to being called Major. He had spent so many years as a Sergeant he expected to retire or die that rank. Instead, when he left the Remi’s crew he was promoted so fast it caused quite a few raised eyebrows. Occasionally someone would protest to one of his superiors. That person would be taken aside, someone would explain that Rusk was on the team that took down the Emperor, with his exemplary duty and years of service, he was just being promoted to where he should have been all along. Then they would tell that person very privately that he was being promoted ‘Out of harm’s way.’ There would be some sidelong glances and laughter. Rusk had gotten used to it.

 

When he returned to regular duty, they put him in charge of a squad of combat droids. From that point forward all his missions were run with robotic units, he was the only living person on his squad. His last promotion made him military liaison to combat droid production in Balmorra, because of his ‘experience.’ Everyone knew the assignment was because he could not be trusted with living soldiers.

 

“Why do you keep going to see those people?” She asked. She was concerned about him. He always returned worn out and beaten, and he used his leave time to make those visits so he never got any rest.

 

“A Jedi told me it would open my eyes.”

 

“Well the Jedi are full of themselves.” She said crossing her arms.

 

“Not this one.” He said, “She taught me everything I know about tactics and keeping men alive.”

 

“A Jedi who knows tactics, I thought they used the Force.” Marsilla said sticking to a lighter subject. She knew Rusk’s past record was a sore topic and the reason he tortured himself regularly with his trips.

 

“She always said, she’d take good intel and tactics over the Force any day.”

 

“I see, so this Jedi was special to you?” She asked carefully.

 

Rusk smiled despite himself, he pulled her into an embrace. She was a civilian so technically their relationship was not against regulations. “Not to me, to the Republic.”

 

“Where is she now?”

 

“I don’t know. If she’s alive she’s fighting the good fight.”

 

“Do you think I’ll ever meet her?”

 

“If the Force is willing.”

 

 

 

 

 

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