Ninety Seven Percent

[ragnnerok]

Love it. Saw it coming and still loved it

[Adwynyth]

Absolutely delicious! I love it.

 

And I've changed my mind after this. The new option must now be called [Extract Quinn's entrails and weave into a hat, then eject the remainder out the airlock through a straw].

[irishfino]

Darth Moobs is the baby daddy?! Oh snap.

Seems that way, doesn't it? *whistles innocently*

 

Intense. Delicious.

Why thank you.

 

Love it. Saw it coming and still loved it

Or did you? *continues whistling*

 

Absolutely delicious! I love it.

 

And I've changed my mind after this. The new option must now be called [Extract Quinn's entrails and weave into a hat, then eject the remainder out the airlock through a straw].

Why thank you.

 

*hides Quinn* I need him for this. You can have him when I'm done.

[irishfino]

Teala was waiting in the room she and Quinn had shared his first night planet side. She had waited and had been waiting for the better part of a day for him to return. Once Barnabus played his hand, it was only a matter of time. The door hissed open and she shot to her feet. He never left a loose end.

 

“Hello, Teala,” he said quietly as he stepped into the room.

 

Nothing out of the ordinary so far. That was good. Perhaps Barnabus had a change of heart; perhaps he wasn’t as curious as he had let on.

 

He walked toward her slowly, taking his time, letting his anger slowly slip through the cracks of his mask. Even she would feel it if he let enough loose. When she started shaking, he knew. He knew she felt it. Her death. Sweet, sweet music. When he reached her, he grabbed the back of her neck with one hand and gripped her shoulder with the other. She tried to smile, but it faltered and died quickly. Something in those blue eyes wasn’t right. He flicked his eyes to her neck.

 

“Ah, dear, sweet, innocent Teala,” Quinn said softly, caressing her neck gently. His tone was strangely strained, but the shiver that rippled down her spine had nothing to do with that. “It would be so easy to snap your pretty little neck,” he said calmly.

 

She stiffened in his grip and fought to free herself. His other hand held her shoulder firmly as he continued to stroke her neck as one would a favorite pet. She was his favorite pet. Always there by his side, following him everywhere, bowing to his every whim. She was perfect. She had long since outlived her usefulness.

 

“Why are you doing this?” Teala asked, her voice tainted with fear. He inhaled sharply. Yes. Let her fear him. Her fear would’ve spurred a different reaction, but he was stunted in that regard. He growled low in his throat at the reminder. Teala shuddered and tried again to escape Quinn’s grasp. The hand on her neck flexed in warning.

 

“I find it coincidental that I discover you working as a dancer in the Cantina the same day of my visit,” he said lowly, still gently running his thumb up and down her throat. “Don’t you?”

 

He flicked his eyes to hers and grinned. She squinted then paled. She hadn’t seen that look in years. Those orange eyes pinned her to the spot.

 

“Don’t tell me he didn’t tell you I would be back,” he said mockingly. “The good Captain couldn’t keep me held back forever.”

 

“How’d you get free?” she asked. He was pleased to note the fear deepening. He smirked and tsked at her admonishingly. She still thought him a fool. He would show her. He would show them all.

 

“Persistence,” he said lightly.

 

“Really?” Teala scoffed. “Lah’vay had you sealed up pretty tight by the time he left for Watcher training.”

 

“Malavai, you daft bint,” he said angrily. He flexed his fingers again, tickling the back of her neck with his perfectly clipped nails.

 

“You’ve expanded your vocabulary. Would’ve gone with ‘tart’ myself,” she said mockingly.

 

“You tease and you tease and you tease. You fail to realize that I can kill you with a thought,” he said calmly. His eyes echoed the calm he felt and expressed so easily. He could kill her. He would kill her. The Captain had already promised to leave Barnabus alone unless the man contacted him again, but he had made no such promise to this useless Twi’lek before him.

 

“You mean how you killed your mother?” she spat angrily. The calm in his eyes was replaced by blazing fury. “Barnabus told me everything. Dying man’s guilt, I assume. I had hoped to use it to blackmail you, but things have changed.”

 

“I’m going to enjoy choking the life out of you,” he said happily. He released his hold on her and pushed her backwards. She tripped over the table behind her and fell inelegantly to the floor. “Run,” he hissed. “Run little Twi’lek. I want to enjoy chasing you before I end you.”

 

She ran. She knew it was futile, but she ran as fast as she could. Quinn gave her a four second head start before becoming impatient and stalking after her. His quick measured steps led him to the center of the Cantina where the fool was begging the bouncer to protect her. He nodded his head in Quinn’s direction and she nodded, flailing her arms to accentuate something. She twisted herself to hide behind the bulky human male, but he shifted out of her way and pushed her forward. No protection for someone else’s property.

 

He grinned evilly as she stood there, exposed, no one to help her. No one to protect her. She had fed him enough lies throughout the years. He would have his revenge. The fear exuding from her and slowly beginning to take shape in the patrons around them stoked the flames of the dark side within him. He smiled cruelly as he harnessed the power in his hand. He watched her eyes widen and her fight or flight response kick in. Too late. Far, far too late. He raised his hand and bundled the power at his fingertips around her neck. Effortlessly, he raised her into the air. Mutterings of “Sith” and “Imperial” and invocations to some far away god filled his ears. He loved it. He loved every second of it, every ounce of their dread, every instance of silent begging for his attentions to stay as far away from the crowd as possible. He twisted his fist in the air. The satisfying snap echoed in his ears. He shuddered with suppressed joy. It was good to be back.

 

 

Notes:

 

 

Dark Quinn is fun to write... an uninhibited murdering Quinn who skips all the pretentious BS? Yes, please.

 

Edited August 20, 2012 by irishfino

[irishfino]

Jaesa had come to the ship visibly shaken. Even if he hadn’t been decent at reading people, the tears streaming down her face would’ve been a dead giveaway. Vette intercepted her on the way to the medbay and gently guided her to the galley seating. Pierce nodded his acknowledgement and pretended to turn his attentions elsewhere. He busied himself with a drink and tuned his ears to the women next to him.

 

“What happened? Are you okay? Did Quinn upset you?” Vette asked in a rush. “You want your best friend Vette to cap him one?”

 

Jaesa laughed softly and sniffled. “A lot happened. I’m not okay. Quinn did upset me. No, I don’t want you to shoot him.”

 

Pierce’s ear perked up at the mention of Quinn upsetting Jaesa. Should’ve known that bastard would try to pull something to get back at Syla eventually. If you can’t upset the master, get the apprentice. Crude, but effective. Stupid bastard. Stupid smart, scheming bastard. Even Jaesa wouldn’t jump to Quinn’s defense if Pierce just so happened to corner him before the stick-in-the-mud made it to the ship. He tuned out the rest of their conversation as he thought up a plan. Screw a plan, an ambush would do just as well.

 

Pierce excused himself quietly. His rifle was never far from him. He equipped it quickly and headed out. He had a bastard to shoot in the face.

 

***

 

When he saw Quinn marching his way toward the ship as if he had reason to be there, Pierce lost it. He had ducked behind a container to make a quick and easy kill. It would be much, much more enjoyable to get up close and personal and stab the bastard in the neck a few times. His quarry stopped, looked around, then turned and faced the crate Pierce was currently hiding behind. How did he do that!?

 

“Screw this,” Pierce muttered to himself.

 

He stepped from behind the crate and stalked up to Quinn. The Captain waited patiently for the large man to show his hand. He had already felt his intent, of course. The murderous determination the man was radiating was palpable. Quinn smirked and crossed his arms.

 

“I’ll give you five seconds to explain why Jaesa is on the ship crying,” Pierce grunted angrily.

 

“Only five?” Quinn asked lightly.

 

“Five more than you deserve.”

 

“I have no idea why she’s crying. Jedi are soft things. I’m sure if you asked her, she would tell you,” Quinn said dismissively.

 

Pierce lurched forward and wrapped his large hands around Quinn’s neck. The smaller man continued smirking. He would kill him. He would snap his scrawny little neck. Quinn inhaled deeply then exhaled. Some sort of force followed that exhale, sending Pierce tumbling end over end a few meters from Quinn.

 

“Whoops,” Quinn muttered to himself. He calmly walked over to where Pierce lay, flat on his back, staring at the ceiling in disbelief.

 

“The hell just happened?” Pierce muttered absently.

 

“Come now, I didn’t push you that hard,” Quinn said lightly, leaning over Pierce’s prone form. “For a large man, you’re awful easy to blow over.”

 

He had no idea what the hell kind of trick Quinn just pulled, but something wasn’t right with him. Pierce watched the Captain step over him and head to the ship unimpeded. A quick message to Syla would prepare her for… whatever the hell was coming her way.

[Adwynyth]

*hides Quinn* I need him for this. You can have him when I'm done.

*leaves a trail of chocolate "breadcrumbs"*

Heeeere Quinny Quinny Quinny! *hides baseball bat behind back*

[Earthmama]

What? I .... What? I keep going back to see if I missed an entry, but I didn't.....I'm so confused, and what?? Also evil Quinn, is evil...I've been reduces to overused internet memes thanks to this plot twist.

[Reil]

What? I .... What? I keep going back to see if I missed an entry, but I didn't.....I'm so confused, and what?? Also evil Quinn, is evil...I've been reduces to overused internet memes thanks to this plot twist.

 

 

Your confusion is possibly due to the fact the last two chapters are written out of sequence to enhance the plot twist. Both take place between Quinn leaving Barnabus and his entering the Fury to confront the SW. Apparently Dark Quinn was large and in charge when he took his leave of Barnabus.

 

 

My wit remark of the day is:

Certainly a bit different than the repressed, in-game Quinn who is easily flustered when angry and the source outside or seemingly outside his grant of authority. Nice to see that bloodthirsty side that BW hints at come to the fore and air itself out.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Reil

[irishfino]

*leaves a trail of chocolate "breadcrumbs"*

Heeeere Quinny Quinny Quinny! *hides baseball bat behind back*

Chocolaaaaaate!

Young Malavai nooooooooooooooooo!!

 

What? I .... What? I keep going back to see if I missed an entry, but I didn't.....I'm so confused, and what?? Also evil Quinn, is evil...I've been reduces to overused internet memes thanks to this plot twist.

Reil has the answer:

Your confusion is possibly due to the fact the last two chapters are written out of sequence to enhance the plot twist. Both take place between Quinn leaving Barnabus and his entering the Fury to confront the SW. Apparently Dark Quinn was large and in charge when he took his leave of Barnabus.

 

My wit remark of the day is:

Certainly a bit different than the repressed, in-game Quinn who is easily flustered when angry and the source outside or seemingly outside his grant of authority. Nice to see that bloodthirsty side that BW hints at come to the fore and air itself out.

I hope he comes to realize outright murdering everything is totally the answer and to stop repressing the urge. It would make him more fun in-game anyway, lol.

Edited August 20, 2012 by irishfino

[irishfino]

Sweet ma'am-a jam-a, 4000 views! Here's a longer bit that I hope clears up some confusion.

 

When the Captain finally came to he noticed several things. One, his head felt like it was being trampled by a herd of Nerf. Two, he was on the floor of his quarters. Three, there was a pair of boots by his head that looked suspiciously like the Lieutenant’s. He hadn’t woken up like this since he was thirteen and raiding the liquor cabinet when the staff thought he was safely tucked in bed. What a day that had been.

 

Slowly, he brought himself to his hands and knees. When Pierce didn’t beat the ever loving hell out of him, the Captain staggered to his feet. He looked up at the owner of the boots. He was right, it was Pierce and he seemed on edge. Something had happened during his walk from Barnabus’ home to the Cantina. Something bad. He furrowed his brow in thought, but no recent memories surfaced. He could feel himself being blinded by Tatooine’s twin suns then nothing until he woke up on the floor. He swished a bit of spit around his mouth. No, he wasn’t drunk; there wasn’t a drop of alcohol to be found. He swallowed and found his throat a bit sore. Too much sand?

 

“Why are you in my quarters, Lieutenant?” he asked with a rasp. Alright, someone had choked him.

 

Pierce gave him a strange look. “Syla asked me to watch over you. Make sure you didn’t go on another rampage,” he said gruffly.

 

Quinn arched a brow and rubbed at his neck. Yep, definitely strangled at some point. Pierce smirked slightly before resuming his frown.

 

“You killed a Twi’lek in the Cantina in Mos Ila, you sent me flying halfway through the hangar, you sexually assaulted our Lord, and you freaked Jaesa the hell out,” Pierce explained gruffly. “Syla, Jaesa, and Vette are out trying to do damage control. Seriously, mate, the f**k?”

 

“Did you strangle me?” Quinn asked throatily.

 

“A little.”

 

Quinn huffed a bit then pressed his brain for answers. It refused to yield to his inquiry. The memories were actively being blocked from him, which meant one thing: a Force user. He cursed under his breath. That bastard had wrested control from him while his guard was down. He’d have to be more careful in the future now that he was loose. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The only way to get answers was to relax a bit. He hated relaxing. As if a switch had been flipped, the memories of the previous few hours came flooding back to him.

 

“Well, that’s not good,” Quinn muttered to himself.

 

“What’s not good? What’s going on?” Pierce demanded.

 

“I have a Force user that lives inside me,” Quinn explained quietly.

 

“You can use the Force?”

 

“No, I cannot, he can.”

 

“He who? Make some sense before I choke you again.”

 

“It’s rather complicated,” Quinn sighed.

 

“Yeah, like Darth Baras being your father,” Pierce grunted.

 

Quinn blinked once. Twice. Three times. That information wasn’t public knowledge. What Sith would want a Force-blind child. Not just a Force-blind, but a failed experiment as well. He should’ve taken a blaster bolt to the brain when he had the chance. He shook himself of the thought. If he lost himself down that path, there was no telling what the other Quinn would do.

 

“Where’s Jaesa?” Quinn asked.

 

“In Mos Ila. Said something about visiting some guy named Barnabus,” Pierce replied.

 

Color drained from Quinn’s face. Barnabus would tell Jaesa everything. Everything.

 

“I have to go,” he said quickly.

 

“I’m coming with you,” Pierce said gruffly.

 

Quinn knew he couldn’t brush the Lieutenant off. Not this time. “Very well,” he said shortly. Quinn was quick out the door and down the ramp. Pierce trotted after him, falling in line behind him like a dutiful subordinate. One wrong move and the explosive he had planted in the Captain’s uni would take care of everyone’s problem. Boom. Pierce grinned at the thought.

 

Quinn’s quick pace brought them to Barnabus’ home in no time, but it felt different than it had during his last visit. Something tingled in the air. He signaled for the Lieutenant to stop. That tingle in the air was an indicator of the Force being used nearby. He closed his eyes and focused his thoughts. The living room. He placed a steady hand on his blaster and stepped into the tiny home. Barnabus was sitting on the couch with Jaesa kneeling in front of him. She was channeling the Force around him. If she hadn’t been so focused on whatever task she was attempting to complete, she would have sensed their approach. As it was, Barnabus was the first to react.

 

“I didn’t contact you or her!” the old man squeaked, staring with wide eyes at the two in his doorway.

 

“I don’t remember asking you anything,” Quinn hissed coldly. “Jaesa, what are you doing?”

 

The woman in question ignored him and continued channeling the Force.

 

“What did you do to her?” Quinn asked angrily.

 

“Nothing,” Barnabus said quietly. At Quinn’s glare he piped up again. “I swear I’ve done nothing. I’ve said nothing. She’s trying to… heal me, or something. I don’t know,” he said sadly.

 

“Jaesa, stop this nonsense,” Quinn demanded.

 

He stalked to her. She was quickly out of her trance, on her feet, holding her lightsaber blade at his throat. He gasped and took a hasty step back. He shuddered at the firmness in her stare. She was deadly calm.

 

“Please put that away,” Quinn said quietly.

 

“No,” Jaesa said firmly. She stepped toward him. He took two quick steps back.

 

“P-please put that away.”

 

“No,” she repeated.

 

“Jaesa,” Barnabus said gently, “that’s not him. That’s the Captain.”

 

She stared at Quinn for a long moment. He was staring at her with wide eyes, his fear unmasked and raw. There was a slight shake in his stance. He was focusing on the yellow blade of her saber when she noticed the glow made his eyes appear a strange shade of green. That meant he was back to his normal blue. It really was him. Relief flooded her. She deactivated her lightsaber and grasped Quinn in a fierce hug. The Captain froze in shock. She hugged his rigid form for a few moments before letting him go. He turned his eyes to the floor and rubbed his chest stiffly. As if his shifting personality wasn’t enough to deal with, now he had to be on his guard around Jaesa. Maybe they could set up a code word or something so he wouldn’t get stabbed before she realized who he was. Jaesa hooked her saber back to her belt, then fixed Quinn with a hard stare. Wonderful.

 

“You left him to die alone,” she said angrily. “What is wrong with you?”

 

“Think that’s my cue to leave,” Pierce muttered. He excused himself quietly and headed for the Cantina where Vette Syla were busy doing damage control. A drink or two wouldn’t hurt.

 

“It’s better than he deserves,” Quinn said angrily.

 

“He’s your grandfather!”

 

“He’s the reason that thing lives inside me!”

 

“What are you talking about?” Jaesa queried.

 

“I was born with light Force sensitivity, nothing trainable, but it was there. I underwent a series of experiments to draw out the power and make it stronger. All I needed was a donor,” Quinn explained stiffly.

 

“To donate what?”

 

“Some of their Force power. Darth Baras caught wind of the experiment and was all too eager to transfer some of his power to me. However, I was incredibly unstable. My body began rejecting Baras’ Force presence as a foreign object that needed to be removed. We couldn’t remove it, so we locked it away in my head. That’s who you encountered on your visit there.”

 

“So Darth Baras…” She let the sentence hang in the air unfinished.

 

“Not mine, but his,” Quinn said quietly. “Slowly, as he was locked away, he became a part of me. I’ve had him under control until,” Quinn flashed Barnabus a sour look. “The ‘data’ he supplied me with unlocked memories that had long been sealed. My mind has already been ravaged by the side effects of my… condition… it was only a matter of time.”

 

“This is a lot to digest,” Jaesa said quietly.

 

“You don’t know the half of it,” Quinn said bitterly. “Come, we need to get back to the ship. I am scheduled to call Major Ovech in forty-five minutes.”

 

“I’m not leaving him here,” Jaesa said firmly, waving her arm toward Barnabus.

 

Quinn fixed her with a hard stare. She had no idea what he had been put through thanks to that man. All his memories, his entire life, it was all a lie. Then he realized, she had no idea what he had been through. Maybe it would help to have someone on the ship with knowledge of his newest set of issues. He nodded brusquely and pulled his datapad from his back pocket. It beeped with a message.

 

He nodded again to Jaesa. “Very well.”

 

“Will you help me get him packed?” she asked quietly.

 

“No,” he said stiffly. “Lieutenant Pierce is on his way with Lord Syla and Vette. I trust you to handle this matter.” Then he turned on his heel and was gone. Barnabus sighed quietly with relief, then dread. He was going to be trapped on a small ship with that man. Wonderful.

Edited August 22, 2012 by irishfino

[bright_ephemera]

"Seriously, mate, the f**k?"

 

Pierce, you always know just what to say.

Edited August 20, 2012 by bright_ephemera

[IShinmenI]

Ok...seriously. I have been checking my email constantly for updates.....I am hooked. You absolutely need a "Kick-Starter" program and write a book.

 

What you have written is fantastic, but it isn't just the story, it is your ability to tell a story.

 

Please keep it coming and please consider my suggestion and seriously write a book . I would definitely donate to a "Kick-Starter".

[Reil]

I tried but I could never connect with Pierce. It is too complicated to explain and entirely BW's fault that Quinn and Pierce are missing that "thing" that bind's military people together, even when they are adversaries. Quinn is almost on the right track but Pierce lacks the resonance entirely. I want to make him work the grinder, do push-ups and grease Fury's landing gear fittings until he does.

[Vesaniae]

I just read through the entire thread and...wow. This is really intense, can't wait to read more!

[irishfino]

Pierce, you always know just what to say.

Also, explosives.

 

Ok...seriously. I have been checking my email constantly for updates.....I am hooked. You absolutely need a "Kick-Starter" program and write a book.

 

What you have written is fantastic, but it isn't just the story, it is your ability to tell a story.

 

Please keep it coming and please consider my suggestion and seriously write a book . I would definitely donate to a "Kick-Starter".

I'm glad my writing has both hooked you and made you think of me as a future novel author. I do have a book I've been working on (but, honestly, who doesn't). I took a writing class one year and it got great reviews all around. I haven't worked on it in a few years, but every now and again I sit and write down some ideas for it. Fanfiction is my way of getting back into the writing groove and it seems to be working well enough. Hmm, a kick-starter to publish a book. That's a... novel idea. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

I tried but I could never connect with Pierce. It is too complicated to explain and entirely BW's fault that Quinn and Pierce are missing that "thing" that bind's military people together, even when they are adversaries. Quinn is almost on the right track but Pierce lacks the resonance entirely. I want to make him work the grinder, do push-ups and grease Fury's landing gear fittings until he does.

Pierce takes a bit to get used to, but he's harmless. In fact, when the Voss were all like

you gonna get betrayed, sucka

my first thought was Pierce. He was new enough to my crew that I hadn't bonded with him much.

 

I just read through the entire thread and...wow. This is really intense, can't wait to read more!

You're in luck, I'm about to post more. Good timing, lol.

 

 

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

[irishfino]

Be sure to read my note at the end. Important stuff in there.

 

Quinn needed answers. Desperately. Was this reality? It had to be, he hadn’t remembered falling asleep. Everything was coming apart. Everything he had worked to suppress was coming to the surface with swift brutality. And these new memories that coincided with the old. He shook trying to relieve the spike of pain that shot through his skull at the thought. He knew one place in the desert that might be able to unlock the things in his mind and present them to him in an examinable fashion. One that didn’t create splitting headaches. He rented a speeder and was off to the vision pond he and Syla had visited on their search for the mysterious Padawan those years ago. Ah, what a simpler time.

 

Quinn left the speeder and dug in his pockets for a brief moment. There was that strange weight that had pressed against his leg during the journey. Pierce loved his little explosives a little too much. Quinn busied himself with disabling it while he walked toward the pond. It was simple enough and kept his mind focused on something else for the briefest of moments. Just as soon as he had finished with it, he was at the edge of the pond. He skipped the small explosive across the pond with ease. He watched quietly at it skipped, skipped, skipped, then exploded in an angry fireball. He jumped at that. Well, perhaps Pierce was good enough at what he did. He wouldn’t mention this to him. Ever. Now to unlock the pond. He bent over and poked it with a gloved finger. Nothing happened. Not that he thought it would, but it was worth a try. With a huff, he stared at the pond, willing it to do something. It refused. He began pacing, his chin in his hands.

 

Lord Syla had some sort of vision that pointed them to the old Jedi hermit Yonlach. He didn’t know the secret to unlocking a vision. Was it strictly Force sensitive? Could the Sandpeople use it at will? He sighed and kicked a bit of sand into the pond. The small ripple is created quickly spread across the lake with a force it shouldn’t have. His eyes tracked the waves until they stopped in the center under a small pair of feet.

 

“Hello, Captain!” young Malavai said happily.

 

Quinn balked. Whatever he had hoped to see here, it definitely wasn’t his younger self.

 

“Why are you out here, young Malavai?” he asked stiffly.

 

“Because you’re a liar.”

 

“I didn’t lie to you.”

 

“Yeah you did. You made me believe Yennis was my father, but he’s not. That guy who got fatter every time he visited is my father,” young Malavai said plainly.

 

“Baras supplied genetic material, nothing more,” Quinn said, crossing his arms. “He’s no more your father than a pile of Bantha dung.”

 

“Pretty sure ‘genetic material’ is what counts in the Empire,” the boy said smartly.

 

“Yes, so much so that at the slightest sign of being a Force-blind we are abandoned to our fate. Genetics matter little in that regard,” Quinn huffed angrily. “You didn’t answer my question: why are you out here?”

 

“I did answer it, you just didn’t like the answer. Not liking the answer doesn’t make it invalid.”

 

“It should,” Quinn muttered to himself.

 

“Well it doesn’t,” the little boy huffed, putting his hands on his hips. “One more thing.” At that, young Malavai raised his fist into the air and grabbed the Captain’s neck in a Force choke. “I’ve been through that memory of mother’s death a thousand times. Every time her neck snapped, I felt it. Every time her eyes went dull, I felt it. It was a lie. A false memory. But my pain is real. I want you to feel that pain, Captain.”

 

Quinn struggled for breath at the hands of his angry younger self. The tips of his boots dug into the sand as he tried to find the ground. He’d been choked like this before on the Transponder Station, but the anger he felt slowly choking him to death was different. It was raw, uncontrolled, and unfocused. It only wanted revenge. It only wanted him to feel pain.

 

Tears pr*ckled at the corners of his eyes as he dug his fingers into his neck trying to pry off the invisible grip. He knew he couldn’t do it unless he called the other, but he would sooner die. And he would.

 

“Stop being so stubborn about this,” the dark Quinn said, materializing next to young Malavai. The boy continued choking as if nothing had happened. “You’ve tried keeping us separate for years, Captain, but we are the same person.”

 

“No,” Quinn garbled around the hold on his throat.

 

“We are and the sooner you accept that, the better things will get for you. Accept the things you cannot change or you will die,” the dark Quinn said firmly. “Then again, I could be free of you entirely. That Jaesa,” he paused and whistled, “I could do so many things to her.”

 

Anger flared brilliantly in Quinn’s mind. He held fast to his anger and made a final effort to be free of his younger self’s hold. It broke. He collapsed to his hands and knees gasping and coughing.

 

“Accept that we are one,” young Malavai and dark Quinn said in unison.

 

Quinn considered the sand for a long moment. Every grain, together, made a complete desert. Separated, they were an annoyance at best, slipping into boots and mechanical parts. Separated, they were alone, unfulfilled. Separated, they were incomplete.

 

The Captain struggled to his feet, but at last stood in defiance. Baras would not get the last laugh. He would no longer be broken.

 

“Yes,” he said firmly. “We are one.”

 

The two Quinns across the lake walked to him then in to him. The remaining Quinn gasped and shook as the other two melded with him. Fire licked at every nerve ending. Ice filled his veins. The conflicting intensities swirled around him until his brain could take no more. He fell backwards into the sand and closed his eyes. He felt strangely at peace.

 

 

Note:

 

I start my night classes tonight. I do most of my writing during the day, but one of my classes is going to be paper heavy so my updates may be reduced to once or twice a week. We'll see how the semester progresses, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for reading!

 

Edited August 24, 2012 by irishfino

[Reil]

Note:

 

I start my night classes tonight. I do most of my writing during the day, but one of my classes is going to be paper heavy so my updates may be reduced to once or twice a week. We'll see how the semester progresses, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for reading!

 

Oh travesty! <throws stuff around>

 

But really, good luck with the classes.

[YukiMatsuda]

There are very few words I can use to describe just how freaking awesome this thread is.

 

I squeal whenever I get an email update for this thread. <333

[Reil]

At work building art assets for Unity and Unreal. I take my morning ritual through here despite knowing there would be no update. Now having withdrawals.

[bright_ephemera]

Yup. Thinking about it, I am just completely delighted with your breakdown of Captain Malavai Quinn. The Captain, trying to make his job description a whole and wholly concealing identity; Malavai, young, as yet undamaged, bright, human, open, hidden away from almost any observer's ability to find; and Quinn, the...thing he inherited from those who came before him, as befits a family name. Love, lovety love love, that way of splitting things up, especially with what you've added to the story premise.

[ragnnerok]

Note:

 

I start my night classes tonight. I do most of my writing during the day, but one of my classes is going to be paper heavy so my updates may be reduced to once or twice a week. We'll see how the semester progresses, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for reading!

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! About the less posting. But good lluck with your classes:DNow back to yelling in sadness NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *fades into uncounciousness from the pure rage and sadness running through him*

[irishfino]

Oh travesty! <throws stuff around>

 

But really, good luck with the classes.

Thanks for the luck. Good luck with cleaning up that mess, lol.

 

There are very few words I can use to describe just how freaking awesome this thread is.

 

I squeal whenever I get an email update for this thread. <333

We write in the same color... This is awkward. Glad you're enjoying!

 

At work building art assets for Unity and Unreal. I take my morning ritual through here despite knowing there would be no update. Now having withdrawals.

Once I get into the swing of things, I should be able to fulfill your need for more, lol.

 

Yup. Thinking about it, I am just completely delighted with your breakdown of Captain Malavai Quinn. The Captain, trying to make his job description a whole and wholly concealing identity; Malavai, young, as yet undamaged, bright, human, open, hidden away from almost any observer's ability to find; and Quinn, the...thing he inherited from those who came before him, as befits a family name. Love, lovety love love, that way of splitting things up, especially with what you've added to the story premise.

Glad you picked up on that. Quinn, to me, seems to be a person who would compartmentalize everything he can in order to process the smaller bits the way he wants to. It's why his memories are broken down into rooms with some being under heavy protection. Things he revisits often would be easy to access and things he doesn't want to deal with would provide enough resistance that he would, eventually, leave them alone.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! About the less posting. But good lluck with your classes:DNow back to yelling in sadness NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *fades into uncounciousness from the pure rage and sadness running through him*

O_O oh dear...

[irishfino]

For the first time in a long time, Quinn felt at peace. A little hot under the collar, but peaceful nonetheless. It wouldn’t last. It never did, but, for now, he was able to indulge. He lay still for a time, alone, in the sand. It was warm. Almost as warm as the Force when Jaesa manipulated it for him in an attempt to calm his mind. That warmth was always short lived, but he treasured the moments while they lasted. He listened to the silence of the desert and let his mind drift away.

 

His short lived distraction was interrupted by the sound of someone crunching sand under their feet in approach. He moved slightly, palming a concealed blade, but otherwise remained still. A dainty foot poked at his shoulder as someone leaned down and blocked the sun from his face. He slowly opened his eyes and focused on the person leaning over his head.

 

“Jaesa?” he asked blearily. A subtle flick of his wrist sheathed his knife.

 

The fuzzy figure kneeled next to his head and placed a gentle hand on his forehead. A caressing warmth tickled at his skin. He smiled and closed his eyes.

 

“You can’t sleep here, Captain,” the person kneeling next to him said.

 

His eyes popped open and his smile vanished at the sound of her voice. A shiver ran down his spine. He wanted to get up, to move, to do something other than stare.

 

Let me out for a while.

 

You assaulted her last time. He blinked.

 

I won’t do it again. Promise.

 

The Captain closed his eyes and released a breath. When they opened again, they were orange and focused immediately on the Sith Lord next to him. He sat up and rubbed his hair vigorously. He hated being dirty.

 

“Captain?” Syla hedged.

 

“Just Quinn, thank you,” he responded lightly.

 

Syla eyed him wearily as he rose to his feet and began batting at the sand on his backside. His nice, firm backside. She quickly shook the thought from her mind. She watched him take off his uniform coat next and shake it out, muttering about the clinging sand and dust. This Quinn’s movements weren’t as precise as the Captain’s, but he still maintained a confident air about him. She both hated and loved that about him.

 

“How did you find me?” he asked calmly as he got his jacket in order.

 

“The speeders have tracking units in them,” she said plainly.

 

“Ah, anti-theft.”

 

“We haven’t talked much since you rejoined the crew.”

 

“Of course not. The Captain can barely be in the same room as you,” he said evenly.

 

“Speaking of yourself in the third person?” Syla asked, arching a brow.

 

“Yes and no. Yes and no,” he said blithely.

 

“Make some sense,” she said impatiently.

 

He shrugged at her then put his jacket on. When he deemed himself presentable he turned toward her. She hated the way he filled his uniform so nicely.

 

“I am your Captain. At the same time, I am not your Captain. Schrödinger’s Sith as it were,” he said lightly.

 

Syla blinked slowly at him. He rolled his eyes and walked toward her. She drew her saber, but hesitated to ignite the blade. He seemed calm enough and she could feel no intent from him. The possibility that he was able to hide it was not lost on her.

 

“Don’t worry,” he said as he walked past her, “I got what I wanted from you.”

 

She grabbed his sleeve just as he stepped out of reach.

 

“I want to talk to the Captain,” she said firmly.

 

Quinn stared at her sidelong. The Captain would just as soon piss his pants as he would talk to her. Or faint. He was good at fainting, too.

 

“He’s not in right now,” Quinn said with a toothy grin. “I’ll let him know you called.”

 

Syla growled and shoved Quinn away from her. They turned to face each other at the same time, a mere meter separating them. He held his hands up in surrender as her blade hissed to life.

 

“What’s a bit of harmless joking between Sith?” he asked mockingly.

 

“Where is the Captain?” she asked insistently.

 

“Currently hiding.”

 

“Hiding where?”

 

Quinn tapped his head with a gloved finger and smiled. “He really doesn’t want to speak with you. You’re the one person he fears more than me. Congratulations!”

 

“Why would he fear me?” she asked evenly.

 

“Well, you did nearly murder him,” he said calmly. “Tends to make one skittish.”

 

“He tried to kill me first!” she said angrily.

 

“Oh, yes, that,” he said offhandedly.

 

“He was working for Baras the entire time.”

 

“Yes and no. Yes and no.”

 

Syla narrowed her eyes at him. He definitely pressed her buttons more than the Captain ever had. She used to be able to disarm the Captain with a few flirtatious words, but this Quinn, as he preferred to be called, was an entirely different entity. He was calm, confident if not arrogant, and just as smart as the real thing. The air around him held something the Captain often repressed. Something she had picked up before in him. There was just something about this part of him that drew her undivided attention.

 

“He liked you, you know,” Quinn said lightly.

 

“Trying to kill me is an odd way of showing it,” she said calmly.

 

“I thought Sith loved being stabbed in the back. A weird turn-on if you ask me, but whatever,” he said with a shrug. “You know, to have such a violent reaction you must have liked him. Passion begetting strength and all.”

 

She bristled at his accusation. Her reaction was perfectly normal, lenient even. Most Sith would’ve strangled him the moment he said someone else was his master. Instead, she let him finish his monologuing and tried to convince him to abandon his plans. He wouldn’t, of course; once his mind was set on something he never turned back, but it was worth a try. Then she beat the ever loving hell out of him, put a curse on him to prevent future romantic opportunities, and dumped his a*s on Balmorra. A rather light punishment in her mind.

 

“Don’t dwell on it too much,” Quinn said evenly. “Without you, I couldn’t have made my escape. I must thank you.” He grinned at her before heading toward the parked speeder. Syla growled low in her throat. Arrogant b*stard. She flicked her saber off and followed Quinn quietly. Why she followed him, she wasn’t entirely sure. There was something about him that commanded respect. She blinked slowly as she mounted her speeder. Quinn was there, waiting for her on his own speeder. He slipped a pair of protective goggles over his eyes and grinned at her. Damn him.

 

 

Notes:

 

I'm not completely satisfied with how this turned out. First, Vette was going to find him, then Jaesa, then Syla. I went back and forth more times than I can count.

 

Edited August 23, 2012 by irishfino

[Reil]

Notes:

 

I'm not completely satisfied with how this turned out. First, Vette was going to find him, then Jaesa, then Syla. I went back and forth more times than I can count.

 

If I were your editor or merely commenting artist to artist I would say that you chose wisely. It was the right time. Consider also that if I were in this position I wouldn't be sitting back wondering why Quinn had gone off deck without completing the weekly field-day roster or his 30 minutes of intense parade rest. I'd want answers.

 

 

You did conjure up a very bizarre image for me of Quinn putting aside his latest issue of "Popular Quantum Mechanics" and stepping into a nearby closet or shipping container. He stays a moment to revel in the paradox he's just created. Take that, Universe.

 

Someone walks by and hears a muffled guffaw.

 

[irishfino]

If I were your editor or merely commenting artist to artist I would say that you chose wisely. It was the right time. Consider also that if I were in this position I wouldn't be sitting back wondering why Quinn had gone off deck without completing the weekly field-day roster or his 30 minutes of intense parade rest. I'd want answers.

 

 

You did conjure up a very bizarre image for me of Quinn putting aside his latest issue of "Popular Quantum Mechanics" and stepping into a nearby closet or shipping container. He stays a moment to revel in the paradox he's just created. Take that, Universe.

 

Someone walks by and hears a muffled guffaw.

 

That makes me feel better.

 

 

I could totally see him going into a closet while he lets someone else run his life for a bit. Closets are awesome. They hold coats, and Christmas presents, and... other stuff. They're good for hide and seek too! Alright... I'm done... lol