Zarkun

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Zar'kun Je'and

I hmm thoughtfully. That was not the news I wanted to hear, not since we now knew that Vitiate may or may not have escaped his prison. "Vitiate was defeated, I'm confident we can stop Sucal as well. However, my son, Jerus, he told me something that...weighs heavily on me. Millu'ci'vanda, Jakito's former Padawan, has been made a Joiner of the Killik hive on Alderaan, Oroborro. When he threatened to avenge her loss on them if they didn't free her, they offered him information on four Rakatan weapons, repeated in their words: the battle machine factory known as the Foundry, the terraforming construct known as the Garden, the xenoforming construct known as the Genesis Engine, and the celestial modification construct known as the Tempest Eye."

I shake my head. "The Foundry is as good as inoperable according to SIS, but the Tempest Eye..." I look Sevard in the eye. "That's Jorg Sucal's goal. I could find no records as to what exactly it does, but he is convinced that it's the key to destroying the Force. All they want is Luci to remain with the hive." I shake my head, taking a seat in a nearby chair. "Sevard, she's family, but...this information could save so many lives. But I don't know that I can simply let her go."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Zar'kun Je'and

Opening my eyes, I smile back. "I only wish that we could speak again in less dire times. If you've been watching, you know what I learned from Jorg Sucal's former astromech, that he's become Kreia's apprentice."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Back on Alderaan

Zar'kun Je'and

The trio of escaped ships had arrived in orbit over their destination and would soon begin the descent to land, but I was deeply troubled by the communication that my son had given me during the trip over. The killiks of Oroborro were willing to give them the locations of some of the most powerful weapons in existence, in exchange for a woman who was as much family to myself and my former Padawan as the blood relatives we had.

I knew Jerus well enough to know he would have accepted the offer outright if the decision were exclusively his. He would never admit it, but the sun charm that hung from his belt wasn't just for decoration, it had belonged to someone he'd met long before he married Synclair Twilight, someone who's memory he couldn't shake, and was the greatest reason he had no love for the bug people. Since I'd heard the tale behind his hate of the bugs during the war, I knew anything that had to do with them would be handled coldly and logically by him.

And so I meditated in the crew common area, where Iwan could find me if he needed something, as I reached out to the Force for aid from an old friend and my old master, Sevard Salcar. Rare was the time he would answer, but now, I needed him more than I had before, for a number of reasons.

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

The implications of having the knowledge was massive, and I saw too many tactical reasons to not accept this, but Luci's life..."Let me think on it, speak with some of the others. Get in touch with...the woman who loved her, see what she wants to do. I'll let you know by the time we reach Alderaan."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

At the mention of the Tempest Eye, I bite back my retort. A solid, real location on the Tempest Eye...not to mention two or three others we could secure to keep away from any one else... This was almost too good to be true, but Luci was the price and I wasn't sure it was my place to gamble that away. "And you've not shared that information with anyone else?"

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"What's your investment in keeping Luci bugs? While you're not keen on the idea, you've released them before. Besides, how do I know this isn't a trick?" I lean against the wall behind me, crossing my arms. "Be real easy for you to give me coordinates that would drop me right in the middle of a black hole."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

I narrow my eyes at Luci. "Let's hear it, then I'll decide if those details are worth the life of someone who we care so much about."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"Alright you damned dirty bugs. You're going to let her go, or I'm going to rain fire and death on every one of Oroboro's nests I can find. Remember the damage I inflicted last time just in my own grief? I'm sure that still haunts your collective memories."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

I see what's happening and realize that she's starting to free herself. Having no love for the Kiliks, I push forwards. "She said she missed you, that she wished she could have had one more chance to see you. Luci, we need you. No one else will be able to focus if you don't at least try."

A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

Jerus Je'and

"She was last I saw her, and that was shortly after Hunter's funeral." I facepalm as I remember she hadn't been told. "And there's also that. We...we found out Jorg Sucal is still alive. Hunter tried to go toe to toe with a man who turned out to be a powerful Sith Lord and...he didn't survive the encounter." I left out our suspicions about the mind rod since we didn't know for sure yet.