Jorm had a plan. Not unlike many forces, entities, cylons, or even droids, but his was different. To get to that plan he needed to find Cassie, however neither Ood nor anyone within the Republic knew where she was. Even the OSI was having difficulties locating her, but this had been the case ever since her downfall. Some even said she never returned from Arx when she was brought before the Grand Master. There was one person, however, that might know where she was. And luckily, that proved to be the case. Erinyes, through the use of a Pomojema shard, was able to pinpoint her location. Hearing Jorm’s plan, she shared the location with him under the strict confidence that it continue to be kept a secret.
It was in a place he had not expected, somewhere Taldryan at large did not generally go. The world…of Interitus Cairn. With the location confirmed, he now needed another asset to ensure that he could get the final piece of his puzzle.
Cassie’s wife, Zuza Lottson.
Zuza Lottson.
Jorm remembered hearing her name for the first time, uttered in the same breath as her origin in Clan Arcona and her marriage to Cassandra Oriana.
He’d very nearly went for both of their heads then and there. Not doing so back then would possibly pay off now - another annoying point for the benefits of restraint.
Finding Zuza had not been an issue. When he’d asked the Playground’s manager to keep an ear to the ground, he was told she and that shaggy beast of hers were regulars.
Well, if you insist on making it easy…
The next evening, he made his way from the Playground’s landing pad to the bar area with a big fruit basket and at a reasonable clip, if not to say a dead sprint. Close on his heels, ‘his’ Varactyl Varia followed chittering and wailing, decisively insisting on the morsels he carried.
As he entered the bar from the top of the double stairway framing the main counter, he vaulted off with a sommersault, landed at Zuza’s table, and hung the basket around her Cythraul’s neck.
“Hello there, Little Thing,” he addressed Zuza while eight meters of hollering, greedy reptavian smashed into the woman’s canine and swept both the animal and the relative calm in the bar away, “my name is Jorm.”
Frond yipped in panic at first, rolling and having to regain his feet. He shook his head to loose off the fruit basket before, with a wag of his tail, slammed the floor with his front paws in front of the Varactal and barked.
Zuza glanced over, watching Frond initiate playmode and opting to remain sat. The short woman smiled, “Names Zuza, Big Thing.”
She sipped her drink.
“That was a karking cool entrance, what did I do for that?”
A distant part of Zu mildly worried that she was going to get arrested again. Mildly. Somewhat. This guy was too cool for that surely.
“You married the right gal. Or the wrong one, take your pick.”
He dropped into the other chair and raised his hand, finding a cold bottle thrown into it immediately. He popped the cap with his thumb and raised it towards Zuza before taking a gulp. In the background, Varia decided that Frond stood between her and her food - and that she was four times his size. Their conundrum continued.
“I need to talk to Cass. In the flesh.”
Frond attempted playtime, oblivious to the other creature.
Zuza laughed lightly, “I dunno where she is man. She’s done a hell of a job of making sure folks don’t.” She tapped the table, shaking her head, “If I wasnt worried, I’d swear she was avoiding divorcing me.”
“Oh, I know where she is,” Jorm shrugged, “but her and I aren’t exactly pateesas. Until recently, we were more likely to crash than to chat.”
Zuza blinked, glancing sideways to check on the critters before leaning forward slightly.
“Soooo, im the uh, middle man? Why, if she doesn’t like you then im not sure I’ll help much.”
“Oh, we’re on okay terms as far as I remember. Her memory is the issue. I need something from her brain, but that amnesia of hers? Problem. Enter… you.”
Zuza was more than aware of Cassandra’s amnesia. Shed complained about it, and Anders bothering her about it, enough when she was still recovering on Selen.
“You think you can access her memories?”
“Me? Do I look like a mind reader? Frakk no,” he underscored with another deep gulp from his sweating bottle, “but I hope between you coaxing and me pushing, we can get her to break that block.”
“I dunno what mind readers look like.” Zuza grinned, knocking back the last of her drink.
“I mean. I’d like ta know the frakker who did that to her myself.” She stood up from her seat, barely gaining any height. “When do we go?”
Jorm leaned backwards, holding the bottle between his teeth and downing the remains of its contents, then leaned further until the chair tipped. He caught himself on his hands in a backwards sommersault and landed on his feet.
“Ship’s upstairs. You good to go?”
“I got a ride here, wasnt expecting to drive today. So yea!” She refrained from laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of Jorm hopping around as he was.
“Frond.”
The Cythraul charged past Varia, claws scraping on the floor as he had to halt his charge before bowling Zuza over.
“Works for me. Let’s go.”
He placed the empty bottle on the bar as he passed. “Feed Varia for me, will you?”
A short turbolift ride later, he stepped onto the landing platform followed by both Zuza and her Cythraul. Jorm took the opportunity to look down over the edge, 300 meters above the streets and easily above the neighboring rooftops.
Zuza glanced across the gap, over the city busted with speeders and ships flying by.
It was a rush.
“Say, did i have a choice in comin’?”
Jorm shrugged. “Dunno. Could ‘nap you, could 'nap Cass and drop her on you in the bathtub. Might distract from the issue though.”
“Yknow we aren’t actually together right?”
Zuza considered the notion and then slowly added on, “Not she wouldn’t be distracting in that situation but- Well- im glad im not being kidnapped.”
“Yeah, about that…” Jorm let the words trail off as he went up Blaze’s ramp and dug a head-sized black bag out of his pocket, “as soon as we leave atmo you’re wearing this.”
“Whhyy?” Zuza asked, taking a side step away from Jorm as they ascended into the ship.
“I only got the location on the condition I don’t share it, and I’m not gonna disappoint this particular source,” Jorm elaborated.
“It’s the hood, or getting locked in the bathroom. At least as far as narcotics stay out of it.”
Zuza raised her hand but lowered it before managing to come up with a retort.
Unforunately, he had a good point.
“I’ll take the bag.”
It was several hours before they finally reached their destination. The place where Jorm sat down was a clearing within a small valley region filled with trees both above on the cliffsides and down below, along with waterfalls down the way. Directly adjacent to Jorm’s ship, was a Kom'rik “Nite Owl” assault ship.
From the location, there was a dirt path going further into the forest towards the waterfalls.
Jorm took a deep breath of the clean air and observed the surroundings.
“Well Zu,” he said to his ruffled travel companion, “if the two of you aren’t actually together, this looks like a good enough place for a honeymoon. No inlaws are gonna find y'all here, and nobody will hear y'all scream.”
“Its definitely a weekend getaway.” Zuza commented, looking over the landscape as she gently worked through the knots in her hair. Stupid bag.
Frond hurried ahead a few meters before getting distracted, tail wagging a mile a dozen as he stopped to sniff at the sides of the trail.
“Come on.” She started walking along the trail, “You can smell the roses on the way dear Jorm!”
“Sure thing, and we’ll stop by the first restaurant that serves Huttese,” Jorm retorted and let his senses wander.
“Huh. There’s people here. And… not few.”
As they continued, the path they were on went past the enclave they had found. After a good twenty minutes of walking, they came across a secluded area where a small house sat next to a waterfall and small lake. The rear of the house itself rested against a cliff wall. Loth-Cat kittens were running around playing, the adults lounging about. Firewood sat next to the house, near a large stump-like splitting wood that had an axe resting in the top of it.
Aside from smoke coming from the cottage chimney, it seemed as if no one was around.
Jorm took the idillic scene in and shrugged.
Cabin in the woods, now there’s a stereotype.
Then he knocked at the front door and raised his voice to a chipper nasal yell. “Hello inside! May I interest you in a subscription to the Hosnian Herald? New Tython Times? Arx Gazette?”
Cabin in the valley woods, though the small clearing where the house was had no trees directly adjacent.
As he knocked, there was no answer.
Zuza wandered through the space.
Frond went to play with the kittens, drawing a smile from the woman as she peered around.
“This is pretty. Cass does have style. Where the kark is anyone though?”
The kittens, never having seen someone of Frond’s stature or type before, hissed playfully at Frond. Their fur raised on end, with the adults now watching defensively to see what Frond’s next move was.
Frond flooped onto his side, wiggling into the ground before using a paw to gently bonk one of the kittens.
His paw was about the size of them.
The one kitten was taken aback, staring at Frond with the expression of witnessing someone who just had slapped its grandmother. The other kittens stared at the one, with one of the adults now sitting up.
It decided to return the favor, and bonked Frond on the nose without claws.
Frond wiggled, borfing gently as his tail thumped against the floor.
He licked the kitten.
Jorm left the animals to their own devices and, in absence of somebody telling him to frakk off, opened the door.
As he opened it, he saw inside the house. It was a quaint little house, with a set of stairs going upstairs on the right end, another door in the rear, a kitchen area on the left with dining area in the middle, and living room where he there stood. On the wall to the left was a large cabinet with glass, filled with dozens and dozens of bottles of unopened Tsiraki, stamped with the logo from Erinyes’ vineyard.
On the stove was a pot that was boiling, the aroma of vegetables and potatoes eminating from it. The firewood underneath it was nearly expired, most of the wood having burned to ash.
“Lunch is ready,” Jorm declared and snatched three wooden bowls and carved spoons, “you want some too?”
“Uh, sure. Not much though, I’m not super hungry.” Zuza called toward the house, taking a few steps toward the door and peering in.
“Wait- Who’s house is this?”
As she peered in, she saw quite a bit. The various rooms, the door in the back, cabinet with the Tsiraki, the stairs, and even some picture frames.
Zuza hesistated before entering, wandering over to the picture frames to look at who’s faces belonged here.
Some of the frames were of Cass when she was younger, one a picture of the day she was appointed Supreme Chancellor and shaking Frei-Jar, the Administration Council Chair’s hand, and another…was of their drunken wedding on Nar Shaddaa. She was holding a bottle of alcohol, eyes closed with a giant toothy smile and a tie around her forehead, arm around Zuza who was making a ‘Nyah’ style face with fingers pulling her cheeks to the left and right, and her tongue out. Both were in white wedding dresses, rings on fingers. Another was of her and Marick, her brother.
“Going by the cruiser’s worth of Kasiyan Tsiraki, either Cass or someone who can stomach the loss,” he replied and handed Zuza some stew. His gaze followed hers to the pictures. “Evidence is mounting.”
Marick.
It had never occured to her that the name Tyris being shared between Cassandra and Marick hadn’t been anything other than coincidence. Was she Maricks sister in law?? The implications stunned Zuza, taking the bowl of stew and being surprised a minute later when she realised she was holding it.
“Well I. Guess. I dont feel bad about having some stew. At least.”
Less surprising but still surprising a bit was tbe presence of their wedding night photo. It was a shame neither of them remembered the damn incident, but it was a funny photo.
She still had divorce papers on her ship somewhere. Zuza chuckled softly to herself before eating a bite
“She should come back at some point then.”
It was at that point there was a significantly loud crash outside, not quite enough that it would have disturbed the village twenty minutes away, but decent enough for the two inside to hear it. The Loth Cat kitten in the window that they could see, however, seemed oddly undisturbed by this.
Jorm took a page out of the kittens’ playbook and only briefly interrupted his meal to fill up the third bowl.
Zuza wandered over to the window, peering back out of it to see what happened.
Frond was still playing, taking the kittens lead in not caring about the noise.
Outside, Zuza could see a tree that had been cracked in half; and a Cassandra laying behind the tree with a single white bladed saber ignited in her right hand. Landing in front of the tree with a loud thud…was a massive ASP-19 “One Sith” Battle Droid with a red lightsaber. It charged towards Cassandra with incredible speed, who responded in kind with pure offensive movements. In addition to not just parrying every lightsaber strike of hers, it ducked, swayed, and slid away from others. Nothing Cassandra did seemed to get near the droid.
It’s eyes lit up red as its speed increased even further, this time going on the offensive with incredible frenzy and accuracy of its strikes. Now, she was the one on the defensive. It was clear she was becoming exhausted, and was without her mask.
Jorm followed the hum of lightsabers outside still eating and checked on the animals.
The animals seemed fine, one Loth-Cat even stretching and yawning before going back to sleep.
Spontaneozs duels to the death weren’t a rarity in their walk of life, but the Kiffar had seen enough animals either charging into or fleeing from combat to know this wasn’t one of these times. This was routine.
“Hey Cass,” he yelled out between bites, “do you mind if your wife and I get busy on your bed while you finish up and shower?”
Zuza was mid sip and choked.
“Wh-huh!?” Cassandra stammered, her attention having shifted to the window where Jorm just yelled that. The droid sensed this opening, and its red lightsaber went straight into her chest with a sideways slash.
Except…it didn’t. The blade shortened at the last possible second, the tip just narrowly missing her clothes, as it went past her.
“THREAT LEVEL ASSESSMENT: IDRIS ADENN, FAILED.” the droid spoke as it stood up straight, fully disengaging the lightsaber. “AGAIN, MISTRESS ORIANA?”
With a smile and closed eyes, she patted the droid on the chest. “Not right now, C-HUCK. We’ll pick up again after I eat and kill someone. Reset parameters back to threat level Rhylance, and finish gathering the firewood for later.”
“UNDERSTOOD, MISTRESS ORIANA.” the droid finished as it turned and walked off with thudding steps. She disengaged her own lightsaber and attached it to her side as she walked towards the house. Her expression was one of great surprise, as she had not expected a visitor of any kind…much less Jorm. It made sense though, given what she knew of him, that he would eventually find her.
Given it had been nearly a year, she was fairly surprised it had taken him this long. As she opened the door, she laid the lightsaber down on a small table directly adjacent to it. It was then that she saw Zuza as well, and realized that Jorm literally meant it.
“Jorm, Zuza…” she started in a quiet tone. “It has been a while.”
Almost immediately after, she turned to Zuza with a bright smile. “I’ve missed you.”
Zuza was barely recovering from choking, bowl of stew barely touched set aside as she covered her mouth.
However, she was about there enough to wheeze, “Likewise, though i cant even tell you off for being so far away-” cough “Got no one idea where we are.”
“We’re in an as good a place to choke and die as any, but you’re more fun alive,” Jorm rebuffed the veiled inquiry and passed the third bowl to Cassandra.
“A curious choice for sure, but it has it’s poetic charm for someone of your history, eh?”
She graciously accepted it and moved towards the dining table as she sat the bowl down. With a movement of her wrist, a cooler opened and a bottle of orange liquid lifted out of it and came to the table. As it sat down, she poured some into a glass that had already been sitting there. “I would hate to barely see her just to lose her to something like that.”
Two additional glasses floated over towards the table, sitting down in front of two different chairs.
“Have a seat and eat peacefully if you like, I’m sure it was a long journey.”
“You know the way. It’s horrible,” Jorm deadpanned.
“Saying that, I assume you came through the forest adjacent to the nearby enclave. Tons of rocks, steep hills. Should have turned left at the ships, there’s a more direct way here from the landing area. Unless you landed in the plains and made your way in, in which case you’re just nuts.”
“Sounds fun. Next time.”
“It was the long route.” Zuza supplied helpfully, settling down at the table with her bowl and drink. She sipped, and nommed,
“Soooo, why did you pick here? Wherever here exactly is.”
“You brought Zuza, but didn’t tell her where we are? Such a bad travel companion, Jorm.” Cassandra had started. She sat back in her chair, her drink in her hands as she took a sip. “I picked here because it’s calm, quiet.”
“I didn’t deserve to return to the Republic as well, after all that had happened. I became too focused on the larger picture, to not even notice that what I had dreamt about was coming true. That I really would launch a full-scale assault on the Senate Complex. I nearly descended the Clan into civil war.”
“In a way, though, everything that happened seemed to be for a reason.” she continued as she raised her right hand into the air in front of her, looking at it. “It caused me to study Taldryan’s history more, look back to its roots. And…it’s long-forgotten capabilities.”
A ignition of flame could be heard as fire appeared in her hand. There was no nearby source, no fuel to keep it going. It just..existed. “It was at that point, I chose self-exile here. I could not return to the Loyalists and the Republic, nor could I align myself with the Traditionalists. Both only serve their own purposes, leading to conflict and turmoil. Instead, I would serve the people harmed by that conflict and give them a new start. Somewhere quiet, away from it, if they so desired.”
“Serve the true purpose of what Taldryan used to mean.”
Jorm chuckled. “Lots of words to not tell her where we are either. I promised my source that I wouldn’t tell nobody, but what’s your excuse?”
Her gaze shifted to Jorm. “For not telling anyone where I am? It wouldn’t be much of a self-exile if I did that, now would it? If those within the leadership of either side outside of your source, who helped me get the groundwork here set up, knew I had returned to the Caelus system, it would be a never-ending fight to drag me right back into the fold. It would also put the civilians at risk.”
With a flick of her wrist, the flame was extinguished.
“Or a Base Delta Zero,” Jorm corrected Cass’ optimistic outlook with a smile, “a devious mind could even pass it off as a victimless war game given that this planet is officially totally dead.”
Zuza looked between them, eating bites of food. She ate pretty slowly, taking sips of her drink between every other mouthful or so.
“And unfortunately, it would not surprise me if the ones who worked against me within the Loyalists did try and execute a Base Delta Zero if they learned of this place. Knowing you, however, you took your time getting here and most likely took different paths and long ways around from various destinations.” she said before taking another sip of her drink. “But you’ll keep this quiet, I trust. For all Zuza knows, we could be anywhere in the system. Except Ostara, far too sunny for Ostara.”
“Which that stupid holodrama needs to change its name…cause no, it isnt always sunny on Ostara.”
“Oh he did.” Zuza commented.
She looked between them again and then smiled a little. “Or I think so. But- Cass. Its been a year. How.. long are you planning to stay here?”
With a sigh, she looked down at that comment. There were other questions she wanted to ask, as over the last year things had changed a lot. Her own resolve had crumbled after what had happened, and she longed for other people. She even came to miss Zuza, a lot. Maybe in the right situation, with the right support structure…maybe that would work. But she had already also been hurt plenty over the last year, so asking that question was already a dangerous game as it was. Particularly if it went how she feared it may. Ultimately, she decided to slightly evade a true answer.
“At the least, until I know everyone here can be self-sufficient and safe. And…I’m able to mentally recover from everything. I’ve been so lost, that…I don’t know what I would be doing if I did return now. Though Selen is far from here, I’ll try and at least come a few times here and there.”
“Speaking of loss,” Jorm interjected, “How’s your memory?”
“Still nothing. I remember none of the days prior to the assault, or the time after until waking up in the hospital.”
The Kiffar dipped his finger into the orange liquid in his glass, drew a quick ‘X’ on the table, and pressed down on it with his palm.
“If you truly didn’t remember anything, you and me wouldn’t be this friendly right now. We only got this good hours before you got your ass whooped.”
Zuza paused mid sip.
“I did wonder why you were being so chummy, when we normally disagreed on so much. Honestly, I assumed you were here for something malicious or for your own benefit.” she responded with a slightly deeper tone. “Using my wife, for example, as leverage now that I no longer have the backing of the Summit Guard, the Senate, or the Administration Council.”
“I just wasn’t going to say it until I knew which direction you were going.”
Jorm answered with his cold-eyed shark grin.
“Oh, I am here for something malicious and benefitting myself - but you’re not it.”
“Except, you dragged Zuza here from Arcona. You ascertained my location, known only to two others whom swore to keep it a secret. So obviously I’m a key component in whatever scheme it is you’re doing. So, technically, I’m partially it.” she finished before she stood up. “Zuza can stay for a while, but it’s time you left Na'trej. I will not be part of whatever it is you’re cooking up against Ood, Erinyes, or whomever this time. The people come first, before any of these political machinations.”
She used his last name. She only ever did that when she was deadly serious, or as a hint that their conversation on political terms was done.
“Taldryan, actually.” Zuza piped up rather quietly.
She glanced at Zuza, a little confused at the addition. Was she correcting her in that the people of Taldryan came first? Or was Jorm doing this for the benefit of Taldryan? The latter seemed far more less likely, but if she was adding something in, she was 1000% trustworthy.
“Taldryan?”
Jorm scoffed and remained seated. “She’s one of us, but you can kiss and catch up later, Cass. I’m here on the direct, if quiet, sanction of Ood,” he capitalized on Zuza’s words.
“Our lovely leafy Overlord has apparently come to the conclusion that the person who bloody bodied you in the Senate is too much of a threat to the Republic to be left alone. Enter: me.”
Wait. Zuza was one of us? She was a Taldryanite now? What? When? Why? All of this raced through her mind, but the latter part of what he said stuck out a little more at the moment. She had never told Ood where she was, it was only two others she explicitly trusted. As far as the tree knew, she wasn’t even in the system.
“If I knew who it was… I would have already handled it. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been training as hard as I have been, mastering my abilities as a duelist. Three months alone were under Dacien. Firstly, so I never fail again. Secondly, to protect Taldryan from whomever it is.”
She reached down and touched the left side of her abdomen, her hand on the pink fabric of her top. “Whomever it is…I do agree with Ood, they truly are a threat to not just the Republic but Taldryan at large. Before the incident, I proudly considered myself one of the top duelists in the Clan. That pride, I feel, might have led to what happened.”
“But, not tooting my own horn, there is no one within the Taldryanite ranks that we know of who has the speed or the capabilities to keep up with myself in a straight fight except Rian, but his alibi for the time frame is rock solid.”
“And from the medical reports, I was bested through and through based on my injuries. Given his sudden disappearance, I did consider Zxyl. But if he were to fight me like that, I would be in the ground. He isn’t known for being merciful.”
Jorm scoffed once more. “Believe in your superiority if you want, I’m not putting stock in it. That’s your pride talking again. Your guesses aren’t even in the ballpark either.”
“As much as you’d enjoy me gloating, it isn’t. Someone externally ran the numbers and direct profile comparisons on everyone internally that would have access to the Council chambers. I’ll admit, pride came in a bit when that report revealed in a straight duel none of those people would be able to do the level of damage that was done. I’m sure if that extended outward to those who didn’t, you’d be on the list of those that could. I read the report on what you did to Smasher, you aren’t someone I would enjoy fighting.”
She leaned on the table and took in a breath before exhaling. “What’s your thought process on this? Someone from the Dark Council? Scholae Palatinae spy? Tenexir Revenant plant? Dalicron leader?”
“ Or it’s someone that just didn’t come into your calculations.” Zuza frowned.
“Or they played dirty and did something that your calculations can’t predict happening.”
“Possibly, yeah. My own research has hit numerous dead ends, even using the OSI reports and the battle comparison reports on those who had access. The key variable I’ve never understood is why I was left alive, and what their goal was. Since nothing seems different outside of Ood being in power, and the military having direct control over the senate grounds and their own affairs again separate from the Council.”
“I gave up and focused on improving after that, just keeping my ear to the ground in case whomever it was decides to resurface.”
“Let’s cut the speculation. I know exactly who. I want details on the how.”
“You do?!”
This seemed to surprise Cassandra as well. But honestly, not really, given what Jorm was capable of. Of course he would be the one to solve the mystery that even Anders and the OSI couldn’t after spending nearly eight months analyzing every minute detail of the chamber, the corrupted camera feeds, all of it.
“You have my attention.”
Jorm smiled at Zuza. “It’s often forgotten public knowledge because I don’t have the face tats, Little Thing. I’m a Kiffar. And I share the gift of psychometry.”
He held out his hand, palm upwards. “Do you have something of your wedding night? Are you curious what happened?”
“Who is it?” Cassandra interjected, wanting to get to the point.
Jorm turned back towards the Epicanthix and conjured the battered, bloody flask from his pocket.
“Have a sip. You’ll need it.”
She stared at it, then back at Jorm. “Drink from a flask that has dried blood on it? I’d rather have a glass of blue milk than my lips touch that thing.”
“Blue milk isnt bad!” Zuza defended with a slight smile, still eating her stew.
Jorm waved Zuza off.
“Don’t fuss now, Cass. It’s your blood.”
She dimmed her eyes once more, trying to figure out what Jorm is getting at with this. She prayed she wasn’t about to regret this as she popped open the flask and took a sip of the contents. It was bitter. If she were a man, it tasted like it would make her chest hair grow significantly. She was thankful she wasn’t.
There it was. The shudder. Jorm leaned in, bit his tongue, and hissed the words he’d known for days, and as he did so, he sent the image of a particular Gungan’s face straight into Cassandra’s brain.
“Yousa can call meesa…Darth Binks.”
“W-What?” she stammered as she dropped the flask and stood with a step backwards that caused the chair to tumble. “The Vice-Chair? That’s impossible. He-”
Before she could continue, a bright flash of light streaked across her mind along with a screeching sound. She began to have small visions of things she did not remember. Striking down and murdering senate guards. breathing in ashen smoke and choking, the feeling of extreme blood loss. She fell to her knees, holding her head tightly as additional visions came in.
Screams of mercy that she ignored, her seeing the Administration Chair and the feelings of claiming it for herself, her lightsaber slowly turning from its icy blue to a deep crimson red. Her orders to kill the senators and guards that were present. Frei-Jar narrowly escaping the room during the firefight. The banners catching flame after her guards ignite them, signaling the Republic’s end.
Zxyl, Ood, Narman, and others arrived shortly after to face her. Completely lost at what she had done. And she engaged them head on. That explains why she was so defeated.
No. No. NO.
It wasn’t Frei-Jar that did this. It was her.
As the memories flooded her mind, she screamed and started to lose control. “Why would I do that!?”
Her newly acquired abilities in pyrokinesis started to manifest as flames started to pop up on her body, starting to scorch the edges of her clothes. Similarly with her telekinesis, objects began to shake in the house as did the floors and walls. She was on the verge of a mental break.
Cassandra shot her arm outward and called her lightsaber to herself, tears rolling from her eyes as she prepared to ignite it on herself. If she had indeed done this, she couldn’t live with that fact. She wouldn’t.
Jorm got on his feet in a flash and mentally reached for a large jug with water. The vessel shattered under his incorporeal caress, and the cool liquid surged across the room in a thin sheet to sweep the flames into steamy oblivion.
As Cassandra’s lightsaber flew by he snatched it by reflex, let the Lady Second’s power pull him into a pirouette. With his free hand, he grabbed Zuza by the collar and powered by adrenaline, he threw the squealing girl into her wife’s outstretched hand.
Guess what? You’re right, he thought and dug the talons of his will into the very fabric of the Force around Cassandra, tearing and slashing and gnawing at the strands that coursed through her, you won’t enjoy fighting me.
As he did and mentally got inside, among the blue and green fabric of the force within her, there were numerous red stands deep inside woven together, binding a large area. They almost appeared to be tightening, as if to choke out a specific area.
Allright, let’s hit Reset, Jorm figured and physically shoved Zuza upwards and closer, collapsing Cass’ arm in the process and forcing the girl’s chest into the taller woman’s face - a surefire way to distract most men, and at least a good chance to work on Cassandra - and focused his malice on the red strands, eating into them one by one. “Zu! Kiss her or something!”
Zuza had been on her feet already when Jorm shoved her into Cassandra. If he hadn’t have caught the lightsaber, the short Human would’ve intercepted it before it reached its destination.
And then Cassandra into her chest. Not that… there was much there. Or that Cassandra had ever BEEN there before. Panic flooded through her. Zuza wrapped her arms around Cass, shifting slightly into a less inappropriate positioning and worked on getting her fingers beneath Cass’.
“Hey, hey focus on me. Can you feel my fingers? My shirt? Listen to my voice Cassandra, you’re not done yet. You’re not allowed to be, you haven’t seen Frond properly since he got bigger. Evelyn and Anders are totally still dating too, they won’t admit it but they like each other. And I uh-”
She could feel Jorm judging her and shot him a look. And then opted for pure chaos.
“I think ood might be pregnant.”
That embrace would prove to be a critical mistake. The instability in Cassandra’s force caused a bleed over into Zuza just as much as Jorm, who was busy trying to get to the red threads. Cass was so distraught and close to a break that her comment on Ood had zero effect.
They were far more resilient than he had expected, clearly placed by someone extremely powerful in the force. Each one he tore though, he saw the dark memories they were feeding. Was this the Cass he knew?
Zuza, on the other hand, was but a spectre in the scenes of what was happening. Watching from nearby as Cass committed the acts of atrocity which plagued her psyche even now. The murder, the enjoyment, the ascension of power where the Taldrya tried to stop her.
But as Jorm gnawed away, distortions within her memory began to rise to the surface. The scenes were slowly changing, albeit at a slow pace. Where it was Cassandra fighting Zxyl at a disadvantage, the figure seemed to be a shadow that Zuza was unable to discern.
And Jorm wasn’t done yet either. Although he caught only brief details of Cassandra’s internal struggles, their stupefying magnitude was as unmistakable as their shifting balance.
When in doubt, double down!
“Yousa gonna regret dat, Chancewwa,” he screamed more memories of Gunganese gibberish into her face and pressed the implanted strands with every grain of willpower he had, ”YOUSA GONNA SCREAM FOR MEESA!“
The red threads only continued to tighten, the blue and green ones entwined beginning to show signs of fracture and fraying under its pressure.
Overall, Jorm’s tactic was only making things worse with the screaming. In the battle, Sithandra was beginning to tire and Zxyl was overwhelming her with Ood assisting. But, as he continued to shatter the red ones, he did gain ground.
The battleground before them gradually began to shift to an entirely different one.
The start of the fight was the intrusion of Cassandra and the Summit Guard into the Senate Administration Building. The only difference now in that portion, was reluctance and remorse in Cass’ actions. All the way to the Council chambers, where she didn’t want to do what she was doing…but had to for the sake of Taldryan.
“Cass look at the armor!” Zuza yelled it out. To Jorm, her gaze was blankly staring at nothing but-
“That’s not Zxyl. That’s not his armor. You weren’t fighting him.”
It seemed to catch her off guard slightly, but the onslaught of Zxyl felt far too real…and it’s intensity all but increasing.
Suddenly, Jorm had broken through one of the critical threads and the arena changed. Memories flooded through Jorm and Zuza, showing what really happened that day.
Cassandra glanced to her left and right, feeling remorse for killing those she personally knew and had worked with, going as far as considering many of them friends. Pushing the doors open, more blaster bolts rang out towards her but with a simple twitch of her finger they were going in every other possible direction than towards her. There were only seven more guards, the councilors private guard unit, all people she was very intimately familiar with having worked with them almost daily. One after the other they fell, until only Frei-Jar was left. She ripped the blaster from his own shaking hand and threw it across the chamber.
Vocal exchanges could be slightly heard, but more-so when she started yelling at him.
Everything that’s happened…” She spoke solemnly as she continued stepping toward him, frustration and anger in her eyes. “All that has been, is because of you.”
“Yousa stay back, please!” he pleaded, legitimate tears starting to run down his face. “Meesa sorry!”
“Sorry?” she asked as her hand tightened around the hilt of her ignited saber, her voice now all yelling, “After all that’s happened, all you can say is you’re sorry!? Hundreds of innocents have died because of you. The Republic, on the brink of civil war thanks to you. No matter what I did to try and calm things down and restore order, you secretly countered me at every turn. I trusted you, Frei-Jar! Why!?”
To Jorm and Zuza, something began to rise. Something dark, but not enough to pinpoint it’s location.
“Cassandwa, meesa sorry!” Frei-Jar pleaded as she now raised her saber into the air behind her head, her breathing having greatly intensified as her mental intentions became as clear as day. One of her guards stepped forward and called out to her, having sensed and realized this.
“Lady Second! You mustn’t!” the summit guardsman yelled out, her tone clearly aware of the fact she was breaking protocol by even speaking to Cassandra without being spoken to, “He must stand trial!”
The muscles in her face twitched as the anger began welling up inside of her. He had nearly destroyed Taldryan, destroyed that which she loved and swore to protect. His influence, his power was far too wide reaching. If she lost this opportunity she may never have it again, and Frei-Jar may be out of her reach.
“Lady Second!” the guardsman yelled out once more, this time with conviction as Frei-Jar cowered in a ball, his eyes the only thing looking at her as a tear fell down his face.
She had started to make a downward motion, but brought herself to a standstill just after starting. Her arm shook in anger, she had every right to do this. Every fiber of her being told her to do it. While not knowing the end of her nightmare, she had all but lived it entirely to this point. It was the finale. But…it was not her. The her from the nightmare, had fallen to a Sith. At this point, she had not yet fallen.
Slowly she lowered her lightsaber and disengaged it, taking a deep breath as she began to balance herself. She would not fall to the darkness she had foreseen. She was a Taldrya, first and foremost. And, she was a Jedi. Neither of those allowed her to follow through with this. Instead she would forge her own path forward.
Suddenly and abruptly without warning, she felt a sharp burning pain in her lower left abdomen. Cassandra cried out in pain as she looked down, seeing a red lightsaber protruding through her. Frei-Jar spoke, but where his frightened scared voice once was now stood a far more sinister sounding one. “Yousa Pathetic.”
That was all it took, the blue and green threads overwhelming the remainder of the red and shattering them on their own.
A powerful telekinetic push shoved them both away from her, objects falling all throughout the house as she gasped for air, breathing hard.
Jorm had caught himself with a backwards roll ending in a crouch, wound up like a spring, and now just barely resisted the urge to ignite the foreign saber in his hand.
“Yousa back with us, Cassy?”
“I’m gonna chuck a bowl at you Jorm.”
“Yes please, I wanted seconds anyway.”
As her breathing returned to normal she slowly rose to her feet. “C-HUCK!” She called out with a raised voice. “Prepare the ship, twenty minute departure.”
Loud thuds could be hears outside as the droid took off. Cass started to pack a few things, glancing around at the wrecked house to see what else she would need. Two bottles of Tsiraki also made it into her bag.
“All this time. It was him. He was one of the first the OSI cleared given his tenure back through Appius, and his lack of any combat coordination.”
She continued packing. “I listened to my guards and let him live, because deep down I agreed he needed to stand trial. But something nagged at me, nagged at me that he was too powerful to be left alive. I won’t make that mistake twice.”
As she continued packing, she slightly stumbled but caught herself on the table. The stress and strain on her of what had happened was beginning to rear it’s head, the adrenaline starting to wear off.
“No you won’t,” Jorm stated flatly. “What you will do is tell me exactly how he fights, and then sit in this quaint little hut and practice your somber face for his funeral.”
“The better we know how he works, before he knows we know, the better.” Zuza nodded, agreeing. “And you won’t do it alone this time.”
Jorm shook his head. “She won’t be doing it, period.”
“His style…it morphed. His first one I didn’t recognize at all, its speed and agility at the start were almost like lightning but with enjoyment behind it, then suddenly it was power and mocking to try and anger me and use counters, before shifting to what felt like my own style with augmented speed and incredible strength.”
She looked over at Zuza and then Jorm, though she continued packing. She was starting to regain control over her emotions gradually, her typical Jedi ways coming back to the forefront. “It’s going to take at least two, if not three of us. Even if you simply have me contact him as a distraction, if you think I’m not at a combat-ready level currently. From what I practiced on in the battle sims, however, replications of your fight with Smasher…the sudden rush of memories with Frei-Jar, he’s on an entirely different level. I do worry, though, that he wasn’t even showing his full capabilities and his cockiness is what caused the stalemate. I don’t know if you could take him on alone, or even with your own decimator fleet at your back.”
“I do wonder, however…” she pondered for a minute, flexing her hand as she felt the tiredness of what had happened setting in more, “…if Ood instituting military control and removing the senate guard is what is keeping him in the shadows. Taking advantage of me having amnesia would have been the best opportunity to seize more control, yet he didn’t. How was it you solved he was the culprit?”
“That last question was asked and answered in this very room, not five minutes ago,” Jorm shook his head. While Cassandra described the fight, he had focused on her thoughts, seeing her recalled memories before his own eyes.
“And if you want to know why Ood is behaving, ask him yourself. But you will not interfere with my hunt,” he emphasized with his pointer on the table.
“Your head is not on the level in any way, shape or form, and if he even catches word of you being anything but disappeared, he’ll be more alert.”
The Kiffar Warlord turned to the door and righted the small side table that had been bowled over.
“Do not interfere. Continue whatever you’re doing here. Enjoy your belated honeymoon. But stay put! This shitshow does not call for a broken Jedi.”
He tilted his head backwards, the citrine in his eyes shiftingvto orange for a moment.
“ It calls for a murderer. Thanks for the stew.”
He put Cass’ saber down on the table and left.
She knew he was avoiding the answer, and rightly so given his own intelligence networks. He knew before what happened, as he stated what Frei-Jar had said with the Darth Binks comment. Regarding her he was right though and she knew it, she wasn’t in a capable condition to even begin to take him on. But for Jorm to take on a sith of that caliber, she didn’t want to lose him.
That thought surprised her. A lot of the arterial memories were just returning, and she had disliked him so much. But in the weeks and days leading to the event…they had become close. And it was for certainty, she didn’t want to lose him.
She turned to Zuza with a light smile. “Thank you, Zu. Though that probably was not very pleasant for you…I do appreciate your help in it. It brings a signficant amount of closure.”
“Hey wa-”
Jorm exited
Zuza blinked. Well, that was… inconvenient.
“No shit, they had your memories all karked up.” She looked back to Cass with a smile, “Im glad i could help.”
“So, with Jorm gone. Did you want to hang around a while, explore, or did you need to get back? I can take you on my ship and transport you via the Drake in orbit overhead.”
“I can leave in the morning or whenever. I can let the people whod worry know. You get kidnapped once…” Zuza laughed slightly, a little nerves breaking through.
“But, you probably need updating on things before you come back. A lot has changed.”
“Given I’ve kept myself in the dark outside of local affairs here…I assume a lot has.”