Star Wars: Eclipse (TheCorsair and Xana)

[TheCorsair]

"I'll be right back," Quentin said, squeezing Kaydia's hand and jogging off towards the landing platform. Several minutes passed, with the various Masters scrutinizing Kaydia in their own manners. Yoda resembled nithing more than a kindly, faintly amused grandfather watchung the antics of a small child. Mace Windu's features were hard and his eyes sharp, as if he could peel away her flesh and leave only her secrets behind. Luminara was enigmatuc, nearly expressiinless. And Valis was apparently ignoring her completely, intent on making a small obsidian sphere roll and dance on his fingers without calling on the Force.

Mace Windu steadily, pointedly ignored Valis' actions.

Finally, Quentin returned with his large crate. Mace settled back in his chair, lifting an eyebrow at the sight. "And this is Linora Sunfell?"

"It is," Quentin assured him, tapping at the code lock "It's difficult to restrain a Jedi, so I had to get creative." There was a hiss, and the lid opened. The Masgers leaned forward, expectantly.

A moment oassed. Then, blinking and with her long dark hair touseled as if she'd been sleeping, Linora rose and peered about. Seconds passed as she yawned, and then she froze as her surroundings sank in. "Sir Sunfell," Yoda said. "Returned, you have. But if your own free will, we wish it was."

Rage and fear washed out from her like an icy current as the Dark Side lent her speed. Linora blurred, vaulting from the crate and seizing Quentin's lightsaber, pressing the emitter against the base of his skull as she put him in a half-nelson. "Nobody move!" she shrieked. "I walk out, or he dies!"

 

[Xanaphia]

Kaydia hadn’t been sure what to expect when Quentin opened the crate, but she expected aggression. Fear. Emotions Linora had cultivated since turning her back on the Jedi, and the light. Still, the fact that she might try something, while there were four jedi masters in the room, along with the two others who had subdued her, was surprising. But she saw her chance and she took it, threatening Quentin with his own lightsaber. Kaydia froze, wondering briefly if this were a test, to see if she would chose duty over love. While terror rattled in her mind, she felt a strange confidence from Quentin. Not fear, not even acceptance that this might be his end. Just confidence that Linora’s ploy would fail.

“Linora, give it up. You aren’t escaping this. You are outnumbered and out classed,” Kaydia insisted, moving closer.

“Stop! She yelped, taking a half step back. “I will kill him.” Kaydia took another step towards her, trusting Quentin’s thoughts. Linora shook, eyes wide, and it one more step from Kaydia before she flicked the switch of the lightsaber. Kaydia’s heart skipped a beat, as she half expected the hiss of ignition but…nothing. Linora tried it again before coming to the realization it wouldn’t work, tossing it and pushing Quentin between herself and the rest of the room.

Kaydia caught Quentin before reaching out witht eh force to slam the council doors shut. As it was, Linora nearly ran head first into them. Before she could attempt another half baked plan the council upon, working in concert to subdue her with the force. Against the might of three masters, Linora didn’t stand a chance.

“Stubborn, she is,” Yoda noted, some disappointment in his voice, “Embraced the darkness for so long, she has.”

“Miss Voss, Sir Hall and Master Korrin are all excused for now, while the council considers what you have reported on today,” Mace advised, his earlier sternness fading away.

Once they were safely out of the council chambers, Kaydia threw her arms around Quentin’s neck, “Draining the powercells on your own lightsaber. You really do think of everything, don’t you?” She didn’t wait for an answer, instead kissing him. Caught up in the moment, she pulled back as she remembered Master Valis’ presence just beside them, “I apologize, Master Valis.”

The Jedi master’s response was a small amused sound and a shake of his head. “No need to apologize, child. I am not sure the council will ever approve of your relationship, but after that display they cannot deny the benefits of your force bond. I do not think it will take much to convince them it will assist you both in the future.”

 

[TheCorsair]

Quentin shrugged at Master Valis' comments. "I doubt we'll ever convince Master Windu," he observed as he laced his fingers with Kaydia's. "He doesn't approve of the Order of Shadows generally."

"No surprise there," Valis replied. "In ages past, he would have led the Order of Battlemasters. But he understands our utility, even if he dislijes the need. And speaking of need, you will need a Master, Padawan Kaydia Voss. It is required to face the Trials." His head tendrils writhed. "And Quentin, for all his skill, is not yet a Master. So..."

There was a subtle gesture of his webbed hand, and Quentin stepped away. Master Valis stared up at her, suddenly filled with power and authority despite being shorter than her. "Kneel, Padawan Voss," he declared, placing his hands on her shoulders as she did. "The bond between Master and student is an eternal one, a chain linking us back through the ages, Jedi after Jedi and beyond, back to the first living thing to sense the Force and teach her skills to another."

As he spoke a presence joined them, and a second pair of hands could be felt on her shoulders. "Master Ki Adi understood this, Kaydia Voss, and she has never abandoned you. Even when you refused to hear her. And now I will never abandon you."

He stood for a moment longer, looking deep into her eyes and soul, then stepped back a pace. "Rise, my apprentice. A Jedi does not demand obeisance. Rise, and follow me."

Another moment passed, and then he turned and walked towards the skimmer. "Come, we have much to do. Your training must be completed, before you face your Trials."

 

[Xanaphia]

The hardest part of training for her trials was being away from Quentin. His presence in her mind was a comfort, and dreams were spent together, but it paled in comparison to his presence.

There were benefits to facing her trial at her late age. For instance, her previous exploits could be used to signify her completion of different aspects of the trials. Her infiltration of the central bank of Telerath was sufficient to pass the trial of skill, and the subsequent fight with Linora and the Baronet was enough to pass the trial of combat.

The trial of the flesh had her facing her Inertia addiction once more. Only by once more overcoming her addiction was she able to succeed in this trial. She was left with one last trial to complete, the trial of the mind.

Kaydia and Master Valis were alone in the chamber of trials, sitting crossed across from one another. "This is often the most difficult trial, and I believe you will be no exception to this truth. You must look into yourself, and confront your own darkness, my child. Remember the trials you have completed, as you make this journey into the deepest reaches of your psyche.” With that she closed her eyes and focused, sinking into the deepest reaches of her own mind.

What she found was dead bodies. Hundreds of them, in huge piles. Everyone she had killed, deserved or not; their lifeless eyes stared at her. At the center of it all was Master Ki Adi, held aloft by finger fingers choking the life from her. Across from her former master was herself, a darker version of herself. Scarlet, she knew.

The Jedi master crumpled before her, added to the piles of the dead, while Scarlet smiled darkly. “I am your true self. The face at the core of your psyche.”

“No, you are a mask I wore, when I was not strong enough to be myself,” Kaydia insisted, watching the mirrored figure move, keeping her distance. Suddenly, Scarlet struck, lashing purple tendrils of force lightning at her. Rolling to the left, Kaydia dodged just in time.

“You are the weak one, Kaydia,” Scarlet charged, blasting dead bodies away to reach Kaydia. She had to keep moving, keep evading the touch of her darker self. “You were tortured by the Black Sun until you succumbed. Raped by pirates, and Linora’s men. I am the one who freed you from that. Who killed the pirates, who protected you from Linora’s wrath. As long as you keep lying to yourself, as long as you continue to pretend to be Kaydia, you will be weak.”

“I am more than just you, more than just a killer. More than the darkness staining my soul,” Kaydia declared, dashing to find another safe haven away from the reach of the force.

“Abandon me, and you will never have your revenge on Linora. On Baronet Aldane. Remember the pirates! Remember the power of cutting them down, and unleashing your anguish on them! You can have that again. Quentin won’t even blame you.” Kaydia was running out of places to hide, staring down Scarlet straight on. The darker version of herself ignited a red lightsaber, “Nothing will keep me from having my revenge. Not Jedi, not Quentin, not even you!”

Kaydia called her own own green saber to her hand, and flicked the switch. But…nothing. It wouldn’t work. Fear began to grip her, darkening and distorting her vision.

“Remember your trials!” A voice called, some mix of Master Valis and Master Ki Adi, “This is not a test of combat, nor skill. You must face your own darkness, and overcome it.”

“I can’t defeat her!”

“No, you can’t. You cannot defeat yourself. You must rise above.”

Scarlet closed the distance, red lightsaber raised above her head. She couldn’t defeat herself, couldn’t defend herself. She had to riise above her darkness, and she needed to now.

“I forgive you,” Kaydia called, as the blow came down. It passed through her, harmlessly. Scarlet froze, and faded away, along with the mountains of dead. One blink, and another, and she was back in trial chamber, Master Valis smiling warmly across from her.

“Forgiveness is the way of the Jedi. You needed to learn to forgive yourself, before you could learn to forgive others.”

“Wait, do you mean I…?

“Rise, Jedi Shadow Kaydia Voss. We need to mark this occasion,” Valis asserted, touching her shoulder. The tattoo on his own shoulder seamed to glow as he did, and she knew what he intended. She wanted to ask about Quentin, but he intercepted her question, “Yes, he will be there. He has been waiting for you.”

---

Kaydia held Quentin’s hand as the needles worked on her. Not because of the pain. No, she had learned to endure pain by now, and this was not mindless torment. There was a purpose behind this, a goal. A common thread to bind her to Master Valis, and Quentin as well.

She held Quentin’s hand because she had missed his touch, missed him. Six weeks hadn’t been all that long, not compared to previous absences, but he had become a part of her, and living without him was like living without her arm.

“So, how are we going to celebrate my ascension to shadow?” Kaydia asked, while Master Valis put the finishing touches on her tattoo. She half feared he was going to say “with a new mission.” But it din’t matter. Not as long as she was with him.

 

[TheCorsair]

He'd been occupied during most of her Trials, doing the tedious legwork of working with droids to sort throough the mountains og data they'd recovered from Telerath. The tedious, necessary work that formed much of the life of a Shadow. Or, at least, much of his life as a Shadow. All of the disguises and infiltrations were founded on days or even weeks of such work and, when performed properly, meant that there was none of this nonsense of desperate lightsaber duels and last minute escapes.

The last mission, of course, hadn't quite worked out that way. But they so rarely did when dark Force wielders were involved. And he suspected that the involvement of a genuine Sith just made it worse.

He made sure to be present for her final Trial, though. It had different names. The Trial of the Mind. The Trial of the Spirit, or the Heart, or the Soul. Whatever name it took, it was in many ways the most terrible of the Trials. And so he stood, waiting, outside the chamber she sat in with Master Valis, sensing her torment through the Force. "Here for your Trial, are you?"

Master Yoda stood, leaning in his cane, looking up at him intently. "No, Master Yoda. I'm... waiting."

Yoda clearly knew that, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned and peered at the wall as if he could see thriugh it. Perhaps he could? "Aid her, you could."

"What?" Quentin managed, trying to sound puzzled instead of guilty. "He'd considered that very thing.

"Your bond in the Force. Strong, it is. Help her, you could." He closed his eyes and rested one three-fingered hand on the wall. "And difficult to uncover or to prove, it would be." He looked up. "You could help her with her Trial, guarantee that a Jedi she will be."

"I..." he started to raise a hand, then stopped. "I could," he agreed, sensing her pain and terror and wanting - aching - to help. "But, I... this..." His hand dropped, and he swallowed hard. "Some tests,, some trials, must be faced alone."

Yoda looked up at him with satisfaction. "Yes. Yes! Alone, some Trials must be faced. And the most difficult of Trials is to allow that to happen." He peered at the wall. "Natural it is, to wish to aid those we love. Shelter them, we would. Protect them, we want. But grow they will not, if we do this."

Through the Force he felt Kaydia's surge of victory as she faced herself, and passed through. "I... understand, Master Yoda."

"Remember well this lesson," Yida said. "Master Quentin."

---

"We're Jedi, Kaydia," Quentin laughed. "Our reward for achievement is more work!" He hadn't said anything about Yoda's comments, not yer. This was her moment, after all. Her triumph. Even if it was being celebrated by her laying on her stomach as Master Valis etched synmols of her triumphs and achievements into the skin if her shoulder and upper arm with bone needles dipped in red and black ink. "But we can choose where we go next. The Sith had contacts across the galaxy. Alderan, perhaps? Or Correllia? Or..."

Master Valis laughed. "Or you could tell her your own news, boy."

"What?" It slipped out, unintended.

Valis laughed again, tapping another needle in as he did. "Do you think so little of me, to believe I can only train one student at a time?" He extracted the needle, dipped it back in the red ink, and began tapping it into Kaydia's flesh once more. "Or do you think I commonly announce the time and place of the Trial of the Soul to everyone? And that Yoda has time to casually stroll by and observe the one observer who was there?"

"You... that is..." Quentin gaped. "You son of a bitch!"

Valis tapped at a needle again. "That's Master Son of a Bitch to you, boy."

Quentin started laughing. "Then it's Master Boy to you." He squeezed Kaydia's hand, grinning. "So it seems tnat Master Valis..."

"Master Son of a Bitch," Valis corrected, laughing. "I may start using that."

"...decided to use your Trial to good effect."

"Oh, it's been far longer than that," Valis corrected. "Your Trials were longer and more subtle. As they should be. And unlike the Trials a Padawan faces, a Knight should never know what they are until they are complete."

Quentin halted at that, thinking of his experiences and actions over the past three years, suddenly seeing how they served a greater purpose. "I..."

"That's how I reacted as well," Valis said softly. "When I realized. Because, ultimately, they are all Master Son of a Bitch until you see it in the Force."

Shaking his head, Quentin grinned at Kaydia. "But, yeah. You'll be calling me Master Quentin Hall, now."

Silence for a moment, and then Valis tapped at another needle. "Please. Not until I leave the room." His head tendrils writhed in amusement. "Just reading about mammalian reproductive habits is nauseating enough..."

 

[Xanaphia]

It was hard not to laugh at the back and forth between Master Valis and Quentin. That was, Master Quentin, now. But she needed to be still while Master Valis worked on her tattoo, so she could only show her pride to Quentin by squeezing his hand.

“Well, Master Quentin, I’ve never been to Alderaan, but I’ve heard it’s lovely this time of year.”

---

Alderaan 26 BBY​

Kaydia’s favorite thing about her tattoo was how, when Quentin was spooning her, with his back against her chest, they lined up. Not perfectly, since hers was smaller on her slighter frame, but close enough. The alignment of their tattoo just added to the symmetry of their current situation, sleeping in bed together. One of his arms was under her head, and the other wrapped around her waist, as their lungs filled and depleted in unison. That was why she lied there in this arms, watching the clock count down the minutes before they had to leave. It’s wasn’t really enough time to go back to sleep. It might have been enough time to get into a little something, if they got right to it. But that meant she had to move, and interrupt the seamless balance between them.

Another minute passed, and Kaydia found the motivation to move, to slip from Quentin’s arms. Even if his sleepy sigh of complaint nearly sapped her resolve. But she didn’t think he would be complaining for long. Not as she shifted on the bed, and gently ushered him onto his back. He smelled of her, of them and that strengthened her resolve. After all, they would need a shower this morning.

Lips ghosted over his cock, awakening it with misty heat of her breath. Lovingly, she licked his length, sampling the sex that lingered there from the night before. He seemed to stir at the same time as his meat filled with blood. Still, his eyes were still closed as she wrapped wet lips around his head, slathering his with her saliva before taking more of him into her mouth. He blinked a couple times as she bobbed up and down, the pleasure in his mind as intoxicating as it was confusing, first thing in the morning, but she just smiled.

Good Morning, Master Quentin, she whispered into his mind, not stopping her momentum along his shaft, we have time for a nice long shower, if we start soon. Meeting his glance, she fit him fully into her mouth and throat.

 

[TheCorsair]

At first he'd thought it was a dream, a lingering memory of the passion they'd shared. Possibly mixing with the rather interesting dreams they shared through their bind, from time to time. But then he arched, wakefulness crashing down as his hips jerked beneath the wet mouth that engulfed him. She met his eyes, watching his reaction as her invitation flooded his thoughts and her throat swallowed his shaft. Images accomoanied the thoughts, and he gasped aloud as his cock pulsed and he emptied his pleasure down her throat.

Then, smug, she licked her lips.

"Oh no you don't," he growled as soon as he could find his breath. Seizing an arm, he pulled her close and lifted her as he rose. "You promised me a shower, and you don't get out of it that easily!" Needles of hot water lashed their bodies as he carried her into the small sanitation unit, plastering her long crimson hair too her scalp and neck and pinking her skin delightfully.

The shower was cramped when they were both in it, forcing them to rub slick flesh against slick flesh and move together. A casual observer would have sworn that certain acts were impossibke in such close quarters, but that individual lacked the creativity and enthusiasm of the two Jedi.

Quentin went to his knees, lifting hef onto his shoukders as he did. Her thighs squeezed his skull as he filled his hands with her slick ass. His mouth, oressed against her mound in this position, opened to taste her. The sounds he madecas he devoured her cunt could be heard over the hissing water, now sucking her clit, now fucking deep with his tongue. I can taste my cum in you, he told her, ketting her taste her own sex through their bond. His tongue speared deep, stretching her walks around the thick, flexible muscle. You always smell so fucking good with my cum in you.

Strong hands squeezed her ass as he fucked her with his mouth, and one finger teased the taut bud of her sphincter. I should fuck you right before we leave the ship. Let you feel my cum in your cunt all day, let everyone smell me in you. His lips found her clit, tugging at the piercing the pirates had left there. She could have had it removed, he knew, butvshe'd left it. A symbol, perhaps? Proof that she had overcome them, maybe?

Let me taste your cum, he told her, letting her feel his cock hardening through their bond. I want to still feel you quaking for me, when I fuck you.

 

[Xanaphia]

It was her turn to be caught off guard, as he carried her into the shower, the hot water already running as he pushed her in. She hadn’t even adjusted to the water before he was beneath her, his expert tongue delving into her. Her grip in his hair slipped as the strands grew slick, as she grew slick against his cheeks and chin. “Fuck, love,” She sighed, licking her lips as the sensation of musky lust entered her mind. Thinking was hard, as hard as she could feel him growing. All she knew was that she wanted everything he was offering. The sharp bite of the piercing, counterpoint to the heat of his tongue and lips, had her gasping. Bracing against the opposite wall, he brought her to edge, her bliss spilling from her mind beyond her control.

“Quentin…” she breathed, catching that same smug smile she gave him on his lips. She kissed it off his face, savoring her climax on his tongue as he lifted her. Legs wrapped around his hips, clinging to him as their wet bodies came together, as her wetness swallowed his hard cock.

“Fuck me,” she groaned, bouncing on him, holding his head against hers. Water dripped down her face as she held his gaze, “Fuck me, Quentin.” She devoured his lips, her sex devoured his meat and fingers twisted in his hair. “Fill..me. Fill me… with you.”

 

[TheCorsair]

Kaydia's soft bidy pressed against him as he pushed her against the wall, supple muscles firm and pliant beneath her soft skin as she met his thrusts with her own. Her hands roamed his back, stroking and scratching as her legs tightened and she pulled his aching shaft deeper into her hungry sex. "Fuck me," he groaned back, kissing her furiously. He met her gorgeous green eyes with his own blue-green ones. "Take me... take all of me..."

The tempo of his thrusts changed. Instead of withdrawing and sliding back in, he kept himself buried as seep as he could and then thrust, pinning her to thecwall with his cock and his weight and his mouth. He pressed forward, feeling her breasts flatten and slip against him as he moved, and nipped frre down her throat as her nails raked pleasantly-stinging line down his back. Then, as he felt both their orgasms approaching, he stopped moving.

"Marry me, Kaydia," he whispered, heart suddenky pounding. "Take everything I have, everything I am. Take me forever. Marry me."

 

[Xanaphia]

Kaydia wouldn't have thought it possible for Quentin to surprise her anymore. As much as they were in each other’s minds, they hardly had to speak anymore. The words formed in his mind at the same as they spilled from his lips, borne of his love and devotion and desire and utter bliss of the moment.

"Marry...?" she gasped, catching her breath from chasing her climax. He was throbbing within her, as close as she was to release. Holding back by sheer will of force. "Marry you?"

No words could answer him. Just smiling, shuddering, clenching and rippling. Just a kiss, with her tongue seeking his. Just an embrace as arms and legs tightened around him. “…yes. Yes! Yes, Quentin, Yes!!!” The ecstatic exclamation echoed in the bathroom, in both of their minds, reverberating with her rapture and his.

Wobbly legs found the floor as they finished, still clinging to one another, still kissing and nuzzling and caressing. Still floating on a cloud of elation and excitement. “I love you, Quentin. I love you so much.”

 

[TheCorsair]

Quentin shuddered as their shared orgasms danced along his nerves, pressing himself into his love with all the strength he could muster. She twined around him, through him, feeling as much a part of himself as his own body. Finally, the ecstatic sensations passed. Body shaking, muscles reduced to gelatin, he sank to his knees and held her in his arms. ""I love you, Kaydia," he whispered, kissing her again. "More than I can say."

He knelt there for what seemed forever, letting the water cascade over them both as he held her in his arms. He'd been positive she'd say yes, but he still clung to her as if he couldn't believe how fortunate he was. The sound of her pulse and breathing was music to his ears, and the contented turmoil of her thoughts echoed his own. But finally, reluctantly, he began to move. They were both Jedi, after all, and they still had a duty to attend to. Besides, his knees were beginning to ache. So, with a last, lingering kiss, he stroked her hair from her face. "I love you," he whispered, helping her stand.

---

The hologram displayed a castle-like assemblage of towers linked by bridges, nestled in a valley. "Qualea Organa," Quentin commented, toweling his hair off. At the moment he was clad only in loose black slacks and a giddy expression and the towel he rubbed over his hair, and he was trying hard to focus on the last details of the mission at hand. Because he was still feeling goofy and happy, and all he really wanted to do at the moment was bend Kaydia over the small table in the Scrapper's galley and celebrate their engagement long and hard. "The estate of Raal Organa, Alderaanian Shadow Finance Minister - meaning he's the opposition party's voice on the Finance Committee - and a member of the Board of Directors of several interesting companies. Sienar Fleet Systems, for instance. And Sienar Advanced Projects Laboratory. Which you already knew, of course, since you've also read all of the documents we recovered."

He gestured and the hologram changed, displaying the image of a young-looking, blonde man in a formal white suit. "That's Raal himself. I did some research on him, and he's got your standard sort of 'I'm wealthy and can get away with things' history, but nothing that points him out as being a Seperatist or dangerous terrorist sympathizer. So I'm thinking his involvement with our Sith Lord is as much family as anything else." He made a face. "Baronet Aldane ha-Florindel Sergovia Organa-Nahal, assuming that's his real name, has some sort of family connection with the Organas. And the Nahals are a cadet branch of the Haal family that rules Mandovar, and a Nahal did marry an Organa a generation or so back, so it's not unlikely."

He stared at the image, trying to concentrate on it instead of Kaydia. "But family won't protect him from the Sith. And will you please stop doing that, love? You make it incredibly difficult to concentrate..."

 

[Xanaphia]

Kaydia was picking out her outfit for the mission as Quentin explained the connection between the latest target and Sith. The problem was that the top she wanted was hanging in the corner, high up, so her only choice was to stand on her tip toes to reach it. And as she was, clad in only a towel that hardly covered her, reaching and stretching caused the towel to ride up just enough for her ass to be exposed to him.

“So sorry, Master Hall. Let me fix that for you,” She insisted, letting the towel drop to expose herself completely to him, before getting back to her task at hand. She finally managed to grab the jacket, and started dressing, meeting his exasperated expression with a flirty smirk. Spending the day fucking her fiancé seemed a much better use of her time than engaging with a spoiled rich brat. Never the less, she dressed in a tight fitting black uniform, playing the role of Lorsha the chauffeur to Quentin’s Harlan, the republic auditor.

“Are you sure you want to meet up with him alone? I mean, of course I know you can handle yourself. And I’ll be barely a heartbeat away if something does happened. I just…Honestly, I just plain don’t want to leave your side. Not after this morning.” She confessed, drawing close and pulling him into a quick kiss. Which lead to another kiss, and another, before they had to actually push each other away, or risk missing the meeting that had been set up.

Harlan Kwan-Don wasn’t an identity he could use for an extended time, but it was still valid enough to get him a meeting with Raal, which was all he need. Just put some force pressure on the man, find out if he knows anything of value. And while Quentin took this meeting, Kaydia was to study the floor plans, and devise a means of breaking in, just in case Raal was not so cooperative. There were still scores of people to interrogate, so they hoped to be off planet this time tomorrow, if they hoped to make any progress towards discovering the puppet master behind it all.

 

[TheCorsair]

Generally speaking, Quentin didn't like using the same identity more than once. He lived ghem fully while he was them, but once he s,discarded the role he didn't step back in. Too much risk if connecting the identity to events onother wirlds, and from there to an allegedly dead, allegedly renegade Jedi Knight named Quentin Hall. But they were on a time limit, as Kaydia pointed out, and this version of Harlan Kwan-Don was hardly the same man.

"Auditor Harlan," Rael's secretary said, rising. He was an Ithorian, modulating his hindkungs to better approximate human speech. "Minister Organa extends his apologies for not meeting yo in person. An emergency business call occupies him, but he invites you to attend him in his chambers."

"Of course, of course. Thank you." Quentin could have managed a rough approximation of the statement in the Ithorian language, but there was no reason fof Auditor Harlan to have the same skill. So he stepped into the elevator and rode up to the 32nd floor after just a few pleasantries in Galactic Basic. Thoughts of Kaydia occupied his mind, right until the door slid open.

A faint, charnel sensation lingered in the Force like a hint if mikdew and rot, tainting the air.

Quentin went on guard immediately, testing the weight of his saber in its quick release sheath on his wrist. It might be nothing, just engrained ordinary evil and corruption, but he didn't think so. This sensation was too much like the auea if evil the Sith Lord wore likd a cloak.

"Minister Rael?" He called, gliding through the empty suite. "Are you here?"

He was.

Quentin had seen death in many forms in his career, but this... He felt his gorge rise at the sight. The Finance Mimister had been neatly disassembled, murdered precisely and - from the expression on the head that sat atop a huge desk - slowly. Fuck, he called through tbe Force, dropping bhis saber into his hand as he felt the darkness surge and reach out. Aldane. He's gotten here first, and...

A door exploded open, and he ignited his blade and began deflecting blaster bolts by sheer reflex. "Guards!" a voice bellowed. "You are required to surrender, in the name of the King!"

Quentin deflected more blasts, backing towards the elevator he'd used. It slid open before he could reach it, and a crossfire of stun bolts overwhelmed his defenses. The last thing be felt as darkness swept over him was a foot kicking his saber from his hand.

 

[Xanaphia]

For anyone who may be looking, Lorsha was just a bored chauffeur, passing time on her data pad while her employer attended a meeting. A closer inspection revealed that she was actually looking through a security grid, examining points of entry, and the corresponding security measures put in place there. Of course, if anyone did get close enough to begin to see her data pad, she switched over to browsing wedding dresses and honeymoon destinations. It didn’t seem likely she’d be able to get to enjoy a ceremony or honeymoon, but it was fun to pretend in the meantime. Naboo had lovely lakeside country, but Corellia had a bustling nightlife, and even Alderaan had its charms, with both natural beauty and a rich culture. But hell, even a week confined to the Scrapper sounded perfectly fine, as long as Quentin was there too.

A disquieting disturbance distracted her from her fantasy, discomfort flowing from Quentin’s mind to hers. Fuck, Aldane. He's gotten here first, and...She patted her boot, feeling her saber in there as she prepared to move. Before she could, however, several law enforcement vehicles converged on the palace. Quentin’s mind went from the surging adrenaline of fight and escape to a numb quiet in a matter of a couple minutes. Shit, what happened? A few moments later she saw an unconscious Quentin carried out and loaded into a police transport skimmer.

Tapping into the nearby surfaces thoughts, Kaydia was able to put together a picture of what happened. Raal Organa, their target, had been killed by a man wielding a lightsaber. The suspected killer had been found in the office with the body, murder weapon in hand. Open and shut case.

Quentin wouldn’t have much trouble escaping custody, once he came to. Only trouble there is that he would be a wanted man for the rest of his days, unlikely to find amnesty for this crime, and nearly impossible to prove he didn’t actually do it. But, perhaps there was another way…

---

“Can I help you?”

“Jedi Knight Kaydia Voss,” She announced to the booking officer at the maximum security facility where Quentin was being held. She presented a holochron that proved her identity , but she doubted she needed to. Not while she was dressed as a typical Jedi once more, with her desert robe and lightsaber at her hip. But it cemented her authority, especially since this next request could get a bit dicey. “I have been tracking a rogue Jedi, Quentin Hall and your people arrested him earlier, on murder charges. I am here to take him into custody.” She sent over a data file containing the crimes he had been accused of over a decade ago, along with a handful of others she made up.

“A Quentin Hall…?” the officer asked, reviewing his records, “I don’t have an arrest report for a Quentin Hall.”

“He was using the alias Harlan Kwon Don here. And I do believe he was captured with his lightsaber in hand.”

“Ah…yes. We do have a Harlan Kwon Don in custody, but I am afraid I cannot turn him over to you at this time, Ms. Voss.

“Sir Voss,” Kaydia corrected, trying to keep her emotions in check, “And why not?”

“Well Sir Voss, Mr Kwon Don is charged with killing a high ranking government official and relative of our king. He needs to be tried in our courts, and have justice served here.”

“Quentin Hall is a dangerous separatist terrorist, making this a Republic matter. This killing is just the latest in a string of crimes against the Galactic Republic.”

“The Galactic Republic is welcome to bring forth it’s charges and evidence, so that he may tried here for everything.”

“And you have facilities that are capable of keeping a Jedi trained renegade?” Kaydia challenged, finding that the bureaucratic red tape as formidable an opponent as any she faced. The officer started speaking up but Kaydia cut them off, “Because otherwise he will be out, and his body count will increase by every officer here. You could have asked Simort Ysevl of Yavin 4, where they tried to hold him two years ago. At least, you could have, before he was cut into pieces. Not unlike your Raal Organa.” The booking officer looked briefly terrifying, before coughing to clear the fear.

“And you can contain him?”

“Yes, with these,” Kaydia pulled out a pair of binders. “These are equipped with neural interceptors that disrupt an individual’s ability to call on the force.” They weren’t, such technology wasn’t even developed yet. But she spoke with conviction, and she see the booking officer nodding.
“Alright, I will begin the transfer paperwork, and will have an officer to escort you to the holding cell, so you can restrain him before he regains consciousness.”

“And I will need all the possessions he had when he was brought in. As evidence, of course.”

“Of course, Sir Voss.”

 

[TheCorsair]

Well. This was hardly optimal.

Quentin sat in a narrow cell, a featureless slab of molecularly bonded metal. With the door closed and activated it was a single cube of seamless white, with sanitary facilities integrated. There were no immediate avenues if escape, since the Force didn't grant him the power to change size or walk through walls. And while he could sense the minds beyond, he was certain that an anaesthetic gas would fill the cell if he tried to influence any of them. Because that very thing had happened, two hours ago.

No, it was going to come down to speed and brute force, once he had the opportunity. And that bothered him, because none of the guards were evil men. So he'd have to be careful, and that increased the risk of failure.

Air displaced as the metal of the cell opened. A half-dozen men in riot armor aimed blasters at him. One tossed something, and a pair of binders bounced across the floor again. "Put those on," a voice ordered. "Now."

He didn't hesitate. If he did, he knew, he'd just get stunned reoeatedly and cuffed anyway. As they clicked into place, an iffucer dragged him to his feet. "Read your rap sheet, Quentin Hall," athe officer sneered. "You're going away fir a long, long time. Maybe taking the final jump, even."

They knew his real name. That was bad. That was very bad. Unless... He managed to hide his relief as he saw the Jedi that waited fir him, choosing instead to put up a display of struggling. A blaster butt caught him in the back of the head, staggering him and sending him to his knees. "Sir Voss," he spat. "How lovely to see you again."

 

[Xanaphia]

“It didn’t have to be this way, Quentin,” She said with soft patience, “You could have turned yourself in at any time. Perhaps the Jedi Council will show you the mercy you have shown your victims.” Her face was an icy mask of difference, hiding her relief that this plan was actually working.

There were forms to fill out before they could leave, and every minute it took, Kaydia feared they would change their mind. Throw her in lock up for aiding and abetting a dangerous criminal. Instead they handed her a box that contain his lightsaber, among other things, and escorted them to her skimmer.

They flew in silence for a few moments, until Kaydia was quite sure no one was following them, turning to head for The Scrapper. “Looks like we won’t be able to come here again anytime soon. There goes my plans for a honeymoon.” She teased as she finally relaxed into the fact they had gotten away with this. Not that they could relax, not really. All this proved was that The Baronet was a step ahead of them, and they would have to work fast if they were to save the next person from his wrath.

But nothing could be done in the thirty minutes it was going to take to reach the Scrapper, and the data stored there. Well, nothing work related, that was. “Now it seems I need to interrogate a dangerous separatist terrorist,” she suggested, throwing the Skimmer into autopilot, and straddling the still bound Quentin. “Tell me what you know…” She groaned, unzipping his pants and stroking his cock to hardness.

 

[TheCorsair]

"Maybe I could have, Sir Voss," Quentin laughed. "But you know me. I've never been inclined to come quietly."

Someone hit him again, and he suppressed the urge to throttle the guard. None of them knew he was a Jedi, after all. No e of thgem needed to know. 'Traitor to the Order and the Republic' was another mask with advantages. So he allowed them to bind his manacles to the floor, and settled in to wait.

In retrospect, it was obvious how the Baronet had played them. No doubt he knew all of the names they were now investigating, and would be cleaning up loose ends. With the family connection, it was an obvious conclusion that Rael would be the first investigated. And a Sith Lord would have an intelligence network, watching for clues. Like an unscheduled Republic audit.

They may as well have hung a sign on him.

Eventially, he was released into Kaydia's custody. Playing the part of the sullen prisoner, he allowed himself to be led to a skimmer, where his wrists were locked to the ceiling - a crude but effective way of preventing escape. For her own part, Kaydia chatted amiably as they flew - right until she straddled him and took his hardening meat in her hands.

"I've still got rights, Sir Voss!" Quentin declared, thrusting into her grip. "You can't force a confession out of me, and there's nothing you can do to make me talk! Nothing!"

 

[Xanaphia]

“Rights, huh?” She purred, fingers tightening just under the head of his cock, feeling the blood swell him rigid, “You got the right to sit there and writhe under my touch. You got the right to beg me for permission to cum. You got the right to go mad with lust.” She waited until he was visibly pulsing in her hand, until his orgasm was so close it was painful, before stopping.

“But hey, maybe you are right. There is nothing I can do to you to make you talk. So maybe I will just doing something to myself instead,” she decided, leaning her body against the dash. Uncinching her belt, she opened her russet robe, revealing naught but rather revealing undergarments. One hand cupped a generous breast, pulling it out just enough he could see the perky pink nipple hardening, throbbing in time with his cock. The other glided down between her thighs, pulling her panties to one side to expose her moist lips to his senses. Her grin was dark and hungry as she met his gape, until lips parted to let out a low long moan. She fingered herself before him, sending the sensation of her slippery slit sucking in the slender digits. Let him feel how wet she was, everywhere except around his dick.

“I don’t have much time, terrorist. You better get to talking before I cum, if you want this pussy to swallow your cock and cum,” She tempted, pushing another finger into her velvet folds.

 

[TheCorsair]

"Those," Quentin observed dryly, "are not regulation undergarments for a Jedi." He throbbed as he felt her fingers sliding between silk and skin, then slipping into her soft pussy. "I might... might almost think," he gasped and swallowed as he felt her press a thitd finger between her folds, "that you were... abusing your... your authority..."

Fuck, but he wanted to touch her. Wanted to fill his hands with her flesh, feel her move and respond as he stroked and tasted her. He tugged at the binders, irritated to find them still securely anchored to the ceiling. "Well, I'm not one you can... can push around..." He gasped as he felt her thumb circle her clit, and let her feel his own aching erection in return. "You... might have me... at your... your mercy... but yiu... can't... make me... talk..."

His eyes were rivited to the sight of her breasts, bare and framed by the cloth of her robes. Riveted to the sight of her fingers, thrusting in and out of her slit. "Do what you want..." he groaned, tugging at the cuffs. "I... can't stop you. But... you won't... make me... talk..."

 

[Xanaphia]

“Oh, believe me, terrorist, I am doing what I want,” Kaydia rasped, as her fingers moved harder and faster within her, inspired by the needy throbbing of his cock, “But if you want me to do what you want, You need to beg. Beg for me, and I’ll let you feel this cunt cream all over your cock. I let you feel me, bouncing and bucking and bunching on you.”

On the edge of her orgasm, she slipped her fingers out, dipping one between her lips. She slurped loudly, moaning at her own taste. Two more slick fingers came over to tease him, fingers just tracing his lips. Inviting him to open his mouth, but pulling back before he could get a taste. Instead she brought those lust coated digits to her breast, pinching and twisting the nipple until it was now covering in her taste as well.

Cupping the breast with both hands, she offered it to him, her hard nipple brushing against his cheek. She flicked it against his mouth a couple times, before releasing one hand to grip his hair. She forced him to suckle her, not breaking eye contact all the while. Squirming on his lap, she let soaking folds rub and grand against his meat, careful not to let him push inside.

“Are you ready to beg me?” She growled, pulling his hair to dragging his lips to hers. Her kiss was harsh, needy, feeling the strain of their impending orgasm weighing on her. “Beg…”

 

[TheCorsair]

Quentin lapped and bit greedily at her musky-flavored nipple, craving the taste of her pleasure. The binder jangled as he pulled at the restraints, trying to reach her. Wanting to tear her robes away, drive his aching meat into the slippery sex that rubbed against him. Wanting to hear her scream his name as he used her body to satisfy the desperate need for release that throbbed and pulsed in his nerves.

Her response was a hungry growl and a hungrier kiss. "Beg..." she demanded.

"Fucking Jedi," he growled back, trying to keep up the game of being a prisoner. "Can't stop you, can I? Fuck me, then! Go ahead, fuck me!" He was pretty sure he sounded more hungry than hostile, but so what? "But... I'll get escape. And when I do, you're mine. You hear me? I'll find you, and you will never get away..."

He stared her in the eyes, trying for a playful defiance and just managing hungry. "So fuck me already."

 

[Xanaphia]

“Yours, huh?” Kaydia smirked, gripping his pulsing shaft enough to hold him still. He was slippery with her juices, and it was a challenge. Fingers tightened around his meat, painfully tight, just until she could bury him between her thighs. “So you admit, you would do the same to me, if the tables were turned?”

Fuck. He was so thick, and throbbing, and they both were so close. Running a hand through her hair to get it out of her face, she began moving, hips swaying back and forth on him. “You want this…You want me…” Moans and sighs interrupted her words, her train of thought, the point she was making with all this. Instead she gave into lust, driving herself down his length, “Get fucked!” Fingers came down to toy with her clit, tugging the piercing in time with her thrusts. Letting him feel the stinging bliss of teasing herself this way.

“If you had…caught me…You be doing…the same thing…” She gasped, back arching, forcing her yielding breasts into his chest. “I…you..we’re…FUCK!” Her release could no longer be contained, squeezing and streaming against and around him, her legs holding him down; preventing him from fucking up into her while she came.

 

[TheCorsair]

"If the tables were turned," Quentin gasped, trying to thrustdeeper into her as she engulfed his cock, "I woukdn't have waited... I'd... have had you... rught in front... of the Guard." Fuck, she was tight. Her walls were like a slick, soft vice on him, and she was using her weight and leverage to hold him still.

"You want this," she moaned. "You want me..."

"Wouldn't... have waited..." he repeated, leaning forward to try and kiss her. She moved with him,ocking herself on his aching meat. "Had you... there. Let the Guard watch... while I used you..." His hips rocked more and more, straining against the grip that held him fast. "Let them... wish they coukd... could get some... Jedi cunt..."

She went wild at that, fingering herself and playing with her piercing as she fucked herself with wild hunger in his thick cock. "YES!" he roared in response to her words, straining against the binders. "I'd be balls deep in you, fucking... fucking..." Her orgasm hit him, triggering or triggered by his own, and he arched into her with enough firce to lift knees her from the seat. The sensation if his cock pulsing, emptying his cum into her throbbing cunt was painful in its intensity, a pain thst made him scream her name and hope it never ended.

Finally, spent and still twitching, he sagged back against the seat. "So," he gasped, "did you get what you want?"

 

[Xanaphia]

“When I’m with you I always get what I want,” She smirked following him back in indulge in one last passionate kiss before it was time to get back to business. Her robe was belted back on and she released his binders, moving over to the pilot seat to land the skimmer by The Scrapper. It wasn’t long before Quentin was initiating the launch sequence, and she was reviewing the data for some clue of who the Baronet’s next target might be. With so many names, Kaydia began to fear it might be a fruitless search, until she came across one that the Baronet could not possibly resist.

“You are never going to believe who is on here…”

---

Zeltros​

Slender scarlet fingers tapped on a holo keyboard. Sheila Goib worked furiously to finish the business plan for her newest salon, because she really wanted to be at the Revels of the Twin Moons. It wasn’t everyday that both of Zelthros’ moon were full at the same time. Such miraculous events only happened, two, maybe three times a year.

“You work too hard, Mistress,” Mith’ras purred, strong hands kneading at her shoulders as she typed. She stopped for just a moment, humming her pleasure into her closed mouth as she leaned into his touch. There was the briefest hints of claws as he worked at her tense muscles.

“I do, but if I don’t finish this proposal, I won’t be able to really enjoy myself out there tonight,” Sheila reasoned, trying to convince herself as much as her assistant.

“You’re worried you are going to miss out on the festivities,” he conferred, knuckles kneading her lower back now, before thumbs pushed in, and moved in a circular motion. “But there is nothing to fear. I will ensure you receive all the pleasure you are due, my mistress. Even if I have to attend to you myself. Especially if I have to attend to you myself.”

 

[TheCorsair]

Golb GMbH had started life as Golb Fashions, wholesaler of exotic fashions. Well, exotic by the standards of the greater galaxy - Sheila Golb had old nothing more than stylishly casual and business clothing designed for Zeltron tastes. She'd expanded into design and retail, and then diversified. Golb GMbH was still best known for Golb Fashions ("Get the Golb Standard!"), but owned significant stakes in consumer electronics, communications, pharmaceuticals, and mining.

It was the last that had brought the corporation to the Baronet's attention. Arketh Minerals and Mining, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Golb GMbH, had developed a new method of refining stygium from melanite ore, allowing them to produce the rare metallocrystal in greater quantities than had been historically possible. Nit sufficient for industrial production, of course. But enough tomeet the needs of Sienar Systems and a unique protitypd they were constructing.

And now the Baronet was back...

---

"I am here to see Director Golb."

The receptionist started, expression guilty. With less than an hour until theend of his shift, his thoughts had been miles away. Looking up, he found himself confronting an offworlder. Lean, with bloodless skin and pale hair, dressed in crimson and lace and gold. Not handsome, he decided. But striking. "My apologies," he said, greeting the newcomer with a warm smile. "May I ask your name?"

"I've given you my name. I have an appointment. I am expected."

The receptionist blinked, shivering slightly. For an instant, it seemed that a chill wind had blown acriss him. "Of course, yes." He started to reach for the intercom. "I'll just inform the Director."

"You already have." The pale man stared at him, and the receptionist shivered a little. "Go home, and enjoy the festival. You do not remember my visit."

The man strode away, and the receptionist stared into space for a moment. Then he shook his head. Director Golb had let him leave early, to make his flight! Why was he still here? Logging out of his terminal, he grabbed his day bag. As he did, he wondered why it sounded like the turbolift was in operation.