The Dark Academy on Korriban

Jun-Tsu stood outside the door of Zeno's quarters. She could feel him inside. He could sense his life force as it moved about his chamber. There was hesitation in her as her mind flashed back to their last encounter. Irritation and anger flashed inside of her before she crushed it with her will. Did she truly want this? Was this even wise?

Arrogant ass, she thought with a clenched fist. To zhink he owns me und haz any zay ower vhat I do or vith who.

She shook her head and sighed softly. She wouldn't be ruled by her emotions, she would rule them. Finally she raised her fist and rapped lightly on the door.

He reached out with his mind to see if he could recognize the presence. The fact that there seemed to be two in the same location told him all he needed to know. "It's unlocked Jun-Tsu," he says to the door as he continues packing.

The door opened to reveal the veiled and robed Sith witch, now, like all that remained, a full-fledged Sith, for as much as either of them cared about such external validation. Her hands were folded into her sleeves and with a casual glance she took in the chamber in its totality. Then her eyes fell on Zeno, "I zee vord vas true, Lady Zash iz preparing to leave already. To zome Outer Rim planet no doubt. Zhe vomen of zhe Academy vill zurly mourn your departure....if rumor iz to be beliewed."

"Probably," he replies with a shrug. "But I'm sure they'll make due without. I like to make sure that my intentions are known with the people I associate with. Honesty goes a long way, probably further than you'd expect, when it comes to such things."

She wanted to badly to rise to his baiting, but instead lowered her gaze to the floor and allowed her emotions to pass out of her. "I zee you are ztill upzet. I'd hoped time vould viden your perzpective."

"I'm not upset anymore Jun-Tsu," he says finally looking at her. "I'm just... disappointed."

He goes back to working on his packing. "I told you what I wanted, for myself, for us. I never hid anything from you. Because that's how trust works. You could have asked me for anything and I would have bent over backwards to give you the world. And I know you could feel that growing in me."

"But for now that's at the back of my mind. I've got more pressing concerns in my immediate future than feeling angry at you. I realized that there's a first for everything, and that includes betrayal of trust."

A quipped retort sat at the end of her tongue, but she held it back. No matter what she said Zeno would see himself as the victim. Why, she still couldn't surmise, nor even why the indignation over what she and the Farro understood as a remarkably minor issue.

"I'm sorry you feel zhat vay," was all she could say. "Ve could have been glorious together. But zometimes it iz not meant to be. Ve come from two wery divverent vorlds, not just literally. Perhapz ve vooled ourzelwes into zhinking ve vere more alike zhan ve truly vere."

"I suspect they're more similar than you might believe. How much do you trust your family? With your life? Do they trust you with theirs? Family secrets, faith in purpose, and helping them grow in power? Do they expect loyalty unto death?" he continues packing.

"To a point," she offered. "Secrets are earned, knowledge is earned, but more or less. Und vhat growz zheir powver depends on our aimz. But you are, more or less, correct, yes."

She took in a slow breath.

"The same with my family. Those who have more power and skill are entrusted with more knowledge and understanding of our ways. But we are all loyal to one another. The death of a Deathwright is either celebrated for their self sacrifice, or mourned for our inability to have taken their place. But family, and our trust in it, is paramount."

He turns to face her again and takes a few steps towards her.

"I spoke in anger at that point, but the truth of it is that's what hurt the most. That I opened up to you, that we planned to do great things together, that we both felt that bond. And you kept me shut out still. As though my loyalty and trust meant nothing to you. I wanted to give those to you. I was willing to undergo whatever your rituals your family would have demanded of me even if it meant possible death or madness, the latter being the worse of the two. But your betrayal of my trust in you... that nearly drove me mad."

"Did you conzult me vhen you took Lord Zash az your master? Did you conzult me vhen you headed off into battle, or on zome qvest, or bedded other vomen?" Her tone was calm, conversational. She stayed where she was, but there was a general opening in her demeanor.

"No, of course not. I trust zhat vhat you do you do for powver, or purpose, or loyalty, or maybe ewen just for yourzelf. I don't need to be told or conzidered. Vhy don't I get zimilar faith in mein choices? Vhy are mein scrutinized und suspect und yours are not? It iz not I who have no trust in you, you have no trust in me." Her voice was wounded and perhaps even saddened, if the Sith witch could be said to have such emotions.

"I didn't choose Lord Zash as much as she chose me. Or more appropriately the dark side led me to her," he replied. "And that started before you and I had become us. When it was an interest and not something that grew into more," he replied.

"I had never denied you an answer to anything asked, nor would I have lied to you. My intentions were always given and I was always open to anything. However, I asked you about children and you misled me. That is something I never did to you."

"It vas complicated," she admitted, her eyes still downcast. "I vasn't yet vith child vhen ve first spoke of children, und I still vasn't certain vhether I vished to finish zhe cleansing und conceiwe upon zhe altar of Nudas Min. But I consulted zhe Woid Engine, und zhis vas zhe path I had to valk. It vould have been impossible to complete zhe ritual before ve left for Yawin IV, und Rem knew zhe ritualz of mein family. He had been taught zhem as a close lifelong companion to zhe Farro."

She took another deep breath, "Und he vas already veeks into hiz cleansing. If I vas to conceiwe a proper child und be vith child to make uze of zhe ancient temple on Yawin, it had to be az it vas. I understand you vished to be a part of zhis, but you had your plans to enact before traweling to Yawin und I had mein. Und zhe next time ve spoke after I told you of my condition. It vill newer excuse vhat I've done in your mind. Betrayal iz alvays in zhe heart of zhe betrayed, not in zhe betrayer."

"You never said anything of it to me. Not so much as a text," he replies. "A chat, a call... but nothing. Never even mentioned. True I may have raised concerns or protests, but if I had known the truth of it all I would not have been lied to. I would not have felt betrayal. For me, that is worse than death. It is soul crushing."

"I would have found a way to understand and accept for our future together. I even gave a lot of thought to accepting it after I said I could after our talk in the wilds of Yavin. But every time I thought about it my rage re-surged. I needed to call on someone I can trust to talk sense into me before I walked into that camp and was executed after murdering you and Remmington. That was what I had going through my head at times."

"You likely owe your and your child's life to her as much as I do for her bringing me out of that state."

"How zad," she hung her head. "Zhis perzon must have told you to control your rage."

She shook her head, "You should have tried to kill me, und Rem. You should have allowed zhat rage, zhat great riwer, to carry you vhere it vould. Instead you zuppressed it. Zuch a state iz a rare und beautiful zhing. V'one many a Farro haz zpent yearz perfecting. To enter zhe red trance, und be v'one vith zhe rage of zhe Dark Side."

"It's not sad. It's still there just waiting to be unleashed. But now, instead of being chained and inaccessible it is controlled and available. And it would have been a waste to die over that," he says, shaking his head.

"You may have unlocked it in me... but the way you did so ensured it would never be something that will benefit you." He replies. "If you had only chosen to not be so misleading it could have been part of our power."

"Und I could have been a part of yours," she countered with a melancholy tone. "Zhere iz ztill a great deal you need to be taught. Zhough, Lord Zash iz a vorthy master."

A weak smiled pulled at her lips, "But I do not lament. Zhe Dark Side drew us together zhen pulled uz apart. I have faith in itz vhimz. By itz bidding I vill have centuries, ve vill have centuries. Und zhat iz a wery long time. I have zeen a zhouzand futures, und in zome ve are together again....in time."

"Ve vill zee vhich road ve travel."

"Perhaps in time, the power of the void engine can't be denied. But the problem with seeing infinite timelines is that you'll never know which is the future you'll be living," he says with a shrug. "Right if you looked into it you'd see me striking you down, or killing the child that bears it, or you killing me, or Jedi assaulting the temple and killing everyone here. It's ability to see the future..." He just shrugs at that.

Then he reaches out and pats her on the shoulder. "Good chat. It's too bad things didn't work out. Could have been great together. Just remember that nothing would have stopped you from returning to Korriban in the future. Impatience can be your enemy. I learned that one thanks to you as well."

Her smile dimmed as she nodded, "Ve learn, it makes uz ztronger. Und in zhe end you vill alvays carry a part of me vith you," she pointed to his shoto.

"Remember our deal," her devilish smile returned if only for a passing smirk.

"Well, you say always... but I've been doing some research... think I might go looking for lorrdian gemstones eventually," he says with a shrug as though it wouldn't be a huge loss. "And I wouldn't forget our deal. But I'm pretty sure that fell through. Shame about that. Damn good deal."

She wondered if that was meant to wound her. It didn't matter in the end, she supposed. "Vell....zhen enjoys zhe labors of Farroic zorcery for now. Und I zuppose you need not zhink of me vhen you kill, zhough you may for entirely different reasons now."

"Oh, I'll never be able to get you out of my head Jun-Tsu. You're the first person I ever fell in love with," he says with a smile. "And the first person to ever break my heart. That will never change."

"Of all zhe people in all zhe vorlds in all zhe galaxy it iz a rare, blessed couple who can zay zhat their virst love vas zheir lazt love. Und zhey lead short, passionate liwes. But zuch brevity vas newer for me. Und I pray not for you. You've many more enemies to fell."

"I certainly do. There will be a great many people that stand between me and power. Not something I plan on tolerating," he says, with finality about that subject.

"Going back to Korriz? You take on a master from the council or will you serve your family and great grandmother?"

"I return to Korriz....for now, but I learn from much more zhan mein great-grandmuter. I told you before, I learn directly from zhe Dark Side now. Zpirits und memories rise from itz infinity und teach me. It haz shown me much, zecretz ewen my great-grandmuter haz not revealed to me yet."