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"You'll find most Sith embrace their fear, using it to fuel their abilities, their ambitions. The majority of them fear death, but those who gain the most power and become the most infamous, like Palpatine and Vitiate, are also among the most pathetic and pitiful."

"Why?"

"They are abject cowards who think little of their short existence, seeking to make a mark large enough to affect the universe in the event that they should fail. To them, death is ignominious enough; but death in obscurity is infinitely worse. To them, dying unknown is approximate to never existing in the first place."

~ Jedi Guardian Locke Surnahm, Jedi Padawan Keris

"Miles, do you read me? Fuck... it's been 30 minutes and... I thought I felt--"

"I... I'm here," the Miraluka groaned as he shifted in place.

"Miles?! Thank the Force you're alive," Locke exclaimed in relief. "What the hell happened?!"

The ex-soldier grunted, feeling a sharp, pinching pain in his leg. "Hold on." Still slightly disoriented he drew his blaster from his hip and looked behind him, grimacing at the sight of an undead biting into his leg. Regarding the zombie more with disgust than with fear, he took aim and fired, shattering its cranium to pieces. "Fuckin' shambler gnawing on my leg," he groaned, happy that he'd been inoculated against the infection despite the severe pain. With every passing moment, his sight became clearer; and his fear grew sharper. "Wait... Liam?"

He turned his sight to everything around him. Dead lay everywhere, both those who had been infected and those who hadn't. Debris and slag had covered most of the bodies, while small flickers of flames persisted. Nearby two other troops had stirred, looking as if they'd just been roused from unconsciousness as well. But neither of them were Liam.

There was no answer. Trying to steady his nerves he tried to remember what had happened. "We... we were cut off, zombies were everywhere... had the explosives set. Fuckers started climbing in through the ceiling ventilation system... we weren't going to make it out, Locke," he said sadly. "I... I blew the explosives. But... Liam was in my arms, where--"

"Over here," a soft voice said, startling the Miraluka out of his report. A hand shifted out from beneath 3 corpses, prompting Miles to crawl to it, grabbing the arm and pulling the CorpSec officer out from under the bodies. Miles swore worriedly as Liam slid out, trembling and bleeding badly from his left side, looking too weak to move. "H-hey handsome," the blonde-haired human managed to whisper, a trembling smile on his face. "Was worried... that you'd bought the farm there..."

Miles couldn't help but chuckle quietly. "Likewise," he replied, groping around his belt and pulling one of the bacta injectors from it. "I found him, Locke," he said, remembering his friend was still listening in.

"Ah, good," the Guardian answered in relief. "We thought you'd both gotten killed, I couldn't feel your presence in the Force after the explosion."

"It was a little close there," Miles agreed, administering the bacta to his friend and lover while opening his coveralls to expose the wound, wincing as he saw a deep gash that would require medical attention. "Liam's taken a bad hit. He'll make it, but I can't move him."

"Sir?" one of the living troopers said, limping forward and cradling a broken arm. "You won't need to, if we can find the tripods and repulsor-lifts. Keep treating him, we'll look for survivors and equipment."

Miles nodded. "Good, yeah..." He cleared his throat, taking the blindfold he kept over his 'eyes' off and putting it to the injured human's side to staunch the bleeding.

Liam hissed in pain, but smiled. "Wow... you have very attractive not-eyes," the human joked warmly, reaching up and stroking the ex-soldier's face. The act caused Miles to blush furiously, affection for Liam welling up inside.

"Thanks, hon. Locke... where's everybody else?"

There was a moderate pause before the wolf answered, concern for everyone building up with each moment. "Kajex managed to extract the data, but... he and Keris have been captured by Tooem. Talrik and Rook haven't come back yet, our Ranger is adamant on getting our alpha back."

"Brave kid," Miles said proudly. "But why were they captured at all? None of them were inoculated, you'd figure they'd been bitten instead, right?"

"Tooem requires a finale for his ritual to immortality- a heart rich with midichlorians from a Jedi Knight. Keris is not a Jedi Knight, not yet- but Kajex is, and a potentially powerful one like me. As soon as he wakes up... Tooem's going to cut his heart out and devour it."

Miles shuddered. "That's fucking disgusting... we can't let that happen, how can we help?"

"I can see everything you're seeing, Miles," Locke responded sternly. "You're in no shape to fight right now, you have wounded that require assistance. Rook and Talrik may not be Force-sensitive, but they're in better condition to fight than you are, they're going to try to get them out."

"They aren't vaccinated," Miles pointed out. "If they get bit--"

"We won't," Rook said, her voice bursting over the channel, along with the sound of a lightsaber swinging through the air. "We're givin' them hell right now, but I think Tooem's runnin' short on shamblers, the population seems a little thin. Your left, love!" There was a pause followed by the sound of a lightsaber cleaving through flesh. "Locke's right, you guys need to get to safety- we'll give that Sith cocksucker one for you an' Liam, alright?"

Miles grinned. "If you get a shot at his balls, make that one from both of us."

It had been a half-hour since Kajex and Keris had been captured, and Talrik could only categorize their going as "slow". The turbolifts they had used to follow the undead had been the only ones active; perhaps sensing that they were being followed, they'd be deactivated one more, forcing the non-Jedi pair of fighters to find alternative routes through the ship- routes littered with more zombies. But the fighting was far more different than it had been before, and as Talrik's arms burned from wielding his alpha's lightsaber, he thought he knew why.

Imperial academy training had taught him that attacking en masse had two tactical values; the ability to overwhelm an enemy, or force a retreat. But in cramped corridors, those values were much more effective. There had been need to overwhelm the ship when there had been a need to infect more personnel, moreso when there were faint holdouts in medical. But forcing a retreat had worked brilliantly as well, as it had allowed an ambush that incapacitated their Jedi allies and allowed them to be captured, with no chance for Rook or Talrik to follow. To them, running and gunning was all they could do.

Now the hordes had been thinned out, and the halls were dotted with Infection; but at no point did they howl or bring others to bear on the two. They weren't creating a wall to prevent them from advancing- they were being left behind to slow the fox and otter down, forcing them to stop and fight the exceptionally strong shamblers. It would have been more difficult for them had Kajex not tossed the fox his lightsaber, which cut through the skulls and necks of their attackers like a laser-knife through tenderized steak.

It did leave a horrible odor behind, though.

"Fuuuuck... that smell, though," Rook groaned, gagging slightly. "How close are we to the bridge?"

"Not close enough," Talrik sighed, leaning against the wall. Wielding the laser-blade had been difficult, requiring great strength to counteract the gyroscopic effect; though given he had been able to use it without cutting his own head off was something he was a little happy about, even if it did leave him exhausted. "We gotta speed it up."

"Try not to fight the blade," Rook advised, squeezing his shoulder. "Use your torso more when slashing sideways and let gravity work when chopping down- the blade'll take care of the rest for you." She paused and watched as he dropped another via decapitation, the head snapping and snarling for a few moments before the fox thrust through its temple. "I'm surprised you aren't using the repeater."

The fox chuckled. "Once I had it out, I just... decided not to put it away. He tossed it to me, I feel I'd be letting it go to waste if I didn't use it." Taking a deep breath and shaking exhaustion out of his head and body, he started moving forward again. "C'mon, we've got about 50 meters ahead before we reach the next access shaft- and those bastards up ahead aren't going to let us go through easily," he noted, glaring at the abominations that stood in their way. They had noticed the fox and otter battling the rest of the Infection, but aside from growling menacingly they did nothing to engage- they merely existed as an interruption.

Rook drew her blaster, aiming down the corridor. "Y'know, mate, you're really making this fun- if it weren't for the fact that your friends and my paycheck weren't in danger, I'd be enjoying this a lot more," she told him, squeezing off a shot and kneecapping the closest abomination.

"Our friend," Talrik replied, striding forward and sweeping the lightsaber horizontally, slicing open the shambler's skull. "He wouldn't have been intimate with you if he didn't think he could trust you- he likes you."

"Yeah? Well, I'll have to tell him I like him back," she grinned, aiming again and getting a couple more zombies to focus on them. Though the blaster bolts did little more than unbalance them as they struck their chests, it was enough to cause them to sprint forward- only to be ended by the duo striking at melee distance once again. "And Keris too, once we get 'em outta here."

"If we can," Talrik said quietly, downing yet another.

The otter stabbed forward with her glaive, impaling a shambler through the face before reaching out and squeezing his shoulder again, letting the corpse fall with her weapon still stuck in its gob. "Hey- no talkin' like that. We're gonna get our friends out, y'hear? None of this 'if' bullshit, we're gonna go up these repair access tunnels, find this Sith motherfucker and stomp his ass," she promised him, grabbing her polearm and wrenching it back up. "Now, where is it?"

The fox gestured at a hatch in the wall, big enough for them to crawl through. "Here." Using his best friend's lightsaber to cut the normally code-accessed latches, he kicked the hatch open and deactivated the blade, placing it on his belt. "Keep your blaster out and check every junction we go past," he advised, sticking his head into the tunnel warily, holding his heavy repeated at the ready. "Last thing we want is one of those bastards chewing our faces off."

The silence of the corridors was unnerving to Locke, given everything that had happened in the last 2 days. It was a welcome respite in terms of not having to deal with the howling, the snarling, guttural sounds that the Infection made while assaulting the Jedi/Imperial/CorpSec survivors; but at the same time, those same sounds made it clear what was going on, had indicated where things had gone wrong. With the silence he was left in the dark, and with the dark side shrouding his attempts to see further into the vessel (difficult enough without such a shroud) there was no way to know what was going on- save for Talrik's communications and Keris' connection to them through the Force.

Yet he still could not feel his brother. With the Sentinel still knocked out their connection had been disrupted, exacerbated by the pervasiveness of the dark side infused in the very walls of the Omega-Orr. Only the Guardian's lover could settle his nerves with brief updates on Kajex's condition.

"I don't know how close he is yet," she told him telepathically, "but he keeps looking our way, so he must be close. Kajex is still out of it, and I don't think it's a good idea to wake him up too soon."

Locke groaned. Talrik had told them he and Rook had entered the ship's maintenance shaft, which would take them directly to the bridge, but it would take time and they had already hit a couple of crawling abominations shuffling through the cramped space. "Love, you need to do what it takes to draw his attention away. Even if your paws are bound, the Force flows through you- just don't do anything to convince him that he should kill you first."

"I'll think of something," she responded with an aura of uncertainty.

Wishing he could offer her ideas or more effective words of inspiration, Locke sighed and nodded. He had to trust that the vixen would pull through; she was smart, capable and strong, and he did not believe for a moment she would accept their situation without a fight. Approaching a nearby stormtrooper he glanced down the corpse-littered corridor. "Any movement?"

"Nothing, sir," the trooper answered quietly. "Is the other team coming? Can you see them with your Jedi senses?"

Locke half-shrugged. "Through these walls, no- this Inquisitor appears to have performed an impressive feat of the Force by shrouding it in the dark side." He paused, realizing the soldier probably had no clue what he was talking about. "It's like a jamming signal messing up a ship's sensors- a lot of interference to prevent me from seeing what's going on. But I can feel my friend's presence approaching. It doesn't seem like they're being attacked."

"That's good though, right?" the soldier asked, keeping his vision down the hallway.

"Not necessarily. Tooem has what he wants to become immortal- my brother. The longer we stay here, the more I'm convinced he's found some way to control the Infection through the Force. It's the only way them capturing my student and my brother would ever make sense. And if he can do that, there's nothing to prevent him from having what's left of the Infection fortify his position."

"Then he'll have to make a push to the Gold Rush," Syrra chimed in through the communications line. "He may have us backed into a corner, but it's the corner he needs. Technically, he's already lost this battle- even if he kills Kajex and becomes immortal, what then? The Republic will be here soon, the tractor beams are offline on one side of the ship- all that remains is that we leave."

"But are you willing to do that?" Locke asked. "It's my brother in there- and your fiancee. And I think Tooem is aware of that- I think he knows that we'd do anything for them..." He sighed, turning to the stormtrooper. "I'm sorry. I know as a Jedi we shouldn't be so selfish, but--"

"Sir," the trooper cut him off, "you don't gotta explain anything. I had friends, brothers in arms that are dead because of that bastard- if I could've done anything to save them, I would've done it. We're safe now, the door's open for us to leave if we need to; if you want one last shot to save your kin, who are any of us to deny you? You saved our asses- the least we can do is let you take care of you and yours."

"We should be there," Syrra said quietly. Locke could feel the tears on her face, the anguish she was barely keeping contained.

The wolf said nothing, shame filling him as the Trianii's sadness lingered in his thoughts. He would not be here had Kajex not reached out to him, nor would he have lasted so long clinging to the vestiges of the light in him had Keris not been at his side. Memories of the time before she entered his life filtered through his mind; cold nights reliving the atrocities he'd committed in his sleep; the once ever-present malicious eyes of Inquisitor Voyde cowing him; ghosts of the torment he'd suffered in training and in punishment.

And now here he was, doing nothing to save the brother who reached out to him, and the woman who helped him endure; a woman Kajex had convinced him to propose to. His paw drifted to his coat pocket, drawing out a small, glimmering gem of green; an Amaranian Emerald, one he had found what seemed to be ages ago on Corellia. A rush of energy poured through his nerves as he straightened, the sight of the gem emboldening him. He jammed it quickly into his pocket again.

"Syrra?"

"I know. I don't know how much time you have, Locke... but you're immune to the Infection now. Get to Talrik and Rook- help them."

He glanced to his side at the stormtrooper; before he could speak, the soldier nodded. "We'll keep this corridor open as long as we can, sir. Good luck."

Locke smiled. The Trianii was perceptive of his thoughts and feelings, and had faith in his abilities; and through his actions, even the Imperial survivors supported his decision. "Talrik, Rook- I'm on my way. Get as far in as you can, I can at least provide a distraction."

"Good on ya, mate," Rook said. "We'll save a few fuckers for you!"

Keris wished she had spent more time studying on the Force than she did on lightsaber combat; being able to conjure illusions had been impressive, but draining, and in the midst of her fear she heavily doubted she could perform such a feat, not while Tooem kept glancing in their direction. She could not see the concoction he was brewing, only that it had required the petals of the orchid that he kept stroking, as if he were its lover. Much as the idea seemed laughable, she was certain she could feel the presence of the dark side flowing through the plant- the fact that the Inquisitor had "watered" it with what was almost certainly coagulated blood did not help.

But she had an idea, now. Or at least, she thought she did.

"You've already lost, you know," she said abruptly.

Tooem sighed. "Have I, now? I suppose you think the surprise attack your Jedi friends and the survivors on this ship launched has convinced you that help is coming? Oh yes, I sensed your two non-Jedi companions. It's hard not to, given that they are cutting quite the swath into the Infection. But as long as the Infection can see them, then they are not invisible to me."

"Talrik, Rook- the Inquisitor can see your presence through the Infection." She smirked, glancing briefly at the lightsaber she once used at Tooem's hip- her eyes strayed to the bench, where she noticed one of Kajex's lightsabers still lying. "So can you see them now?"

Tooem stiffened. "... No. But I'm well-aware that they were using the maintenance shafts. They will not ambush us here," he assured her, gesturing to the door, where stood at least two dozen shamblers."

"He can't feel you otherwise- he's nearsighted," she told them telepathically; it had become apparent that the Sith Inquisitor, for all his boasting of his coming immortality and ability to see through the Infection, could not feel the thoughts of others. She realized his limitations after a moment of reflection; so selfish for his chance to cheat death, so interested and assured in his own goals, and with no regard to those he could not control, he could not reach out to others and see what he lacked.

She shook her head. "It's not enough. You've still lost. The jamming system is down, despite your attempts to guard it; so are half the tractor beam emitters on this ship. The Republic has already been notified. Do you really think you and your Infection have a shot at making it off this ship before a Republic warship arrives and blows this fucker to pieces? Because the survivors and my Jedi friends have already fortified that position- and your numbers aren't limitless."

Tooem glared at her. "You think me some simple robed Sith conjurer, whelp? That I'm so short-sighted that my concern is for immortality and nothing else? I have learned much more than you can possibly imagine about death- and how to surpass it."

"As long as nobody kills you," the vixen growled.

"Well, you're hardly in any position to do such a thing, aren't you. Besides, my concerns aren't simply for persisting after death- no doubt you are aware of the 'packages' I sent out to other planets, hmm?" He leered at her. "They've had quite a lot of time to infect the planets they were sent to. It's quite a plan, executed on a grand scale- unleash the horrors of the undead on the unsuspecting New Republic, weakening their forces and strengthening the Infection with every death. It would certainly have made Sorzus Syn proud."

"And yet you can't do it again," Keris responded with a frown, glancing up above her and struggling against the chains. "Saine already told us you were jamming their signal, you couldn't have been transmitting--"

"-- At long range?" Tooem cut her off. "The jamming signal only blocked communications to Republic space- not to the rest of the Circle. They know how to replicate my work, I've given them everything they need to do so, including the means to bend the black orchid to their will."

"So why haven't you called the Remnant for help, then?" Keris asked.

The Inquisitor smirked. "They will come, when everything is done." A groan to Keris' right caught both their attention. Kajex was stirring, a quiet whine emanating from his chest as his eyes opened.

"Wh... what..." The Sentinel groaned again in pain, trying to move from his hanging position. Keris watched as his eyes slowly focused on her. "Keris...? Where are we?"

The vixen winced. "Short version- we were captured by the Inquisitor and taken to the bridge. Now he wants to eat your heart to become immortal."

Kajex stared blankly at her, then glanced at the bald Sith alchemist before sighing. "This has been the most fucked up 2 days I've ever had."

"You'll forgive me for not sympathizing," Tooem responded, approaching him with a bottle of black liquid in his left hand and thin-bladed Sith dagger in his right. "But as you've caused so much trouble for the Circle of Syn, you must be aware that our patience with you ran out months ago. Don't worry, however- your death will be an incredible means of vengeance against Locke."

"I have an idea," she told Kajex silently. The wolf glanced in her direction, looking apprehensive and exhausted- he was still suffering from the effects of being stunned. Knowing she had little time to act, her eyes caught sight of the Sentinel's lightsaber; Tooem had left it wide open. Channeling the Force through her, the hilt stirred, rolling off the table before flying through the air and sailing cleanly into the vixen's paw. With a laugh of victory, she activated the blade, twisting it up against the chain.

They did not break.

The blade crackled against them, causing the vixen to look up. Sure enough, the blade was set against the chains firmly, but despite smoking from where she was cutting at, the lightsaber failed to cut through them. Eyes wide, she twisted her wrist in place, trying to beat the blade against the chains as Tooem laughed.

"You think I was unprepared for such a maneuver?" he cackled cruelly. "The eyes of the Sith see far, and the reach of the Empire is long- long enough that procuring even rare materials is easy enough. Against chains forged from cortosis, no lightsaber will cut through. No... I have you exactly where I want you."

The vixen growled at him, trying to struggle against the chains again- had her feet not also been secured, she would have tried to kick at him, but it was no use. Both she and Kajex watched as Tooem brought the bottle to his lips and imbibed, swallowing every drop of his alchemical creation. Once completely gone, he carelessly tossed the bottle to the side, the flask shattering apart with glass flying in every direction. The wolf growled at him as the Sith Inquisitor raised his dagger.

"It's funny, Sentinel- by cutting out your heart, I'm more or less doing the same thing to your pack, aren't I."

"Stop talking and get it over with, you bastard!" Kajex snarled defiantly.

Keris couldn't watch. Instead, she acted.

In a flash of inspiration, she called out to the shards of glass and yanked them towards the Inquisitor just as he stabbed downward. Kajex howled as the blade missed it's mark and sank beneath his right collarbone- just as Tooem howled and staggered away, his face slashed open by the larger shards of glass. As the Inquisitor roared in pain, holding his face, the glint of Keris' Sith lightsaber came into view. She had forsaken the weapon, ready to be rid of it.

And as her eyes darted towards the bridge viewport, she could envision no finer means of casting it away for good.

The weapon flew from the Inquistor's belt, the curve-hilt lightsaber spinning like a boomerang for a few moments before igniting in midair and sinking into the transparisteel window, gouging a long slash that glowed briefly before the entire pane imploded and flew out into the vacuum, along with the vixen's lightsaber. The resulting alarm was drowned out by the thunderous noise of the air around them being sucked out into the black, as elements of the bridge that were not secured flew through the air and out of the breach. Keris could barely hear Tooem's yell as he was lifted off his feet, saving himself by catching onto a console and clinging to it. A mass hit the vixen from behind and she watched as 4 zombies bumped past her, writhing through the air as they were sucked out of the bridge and into the vacuum.

10 seconds passed before the ship finally reacted, sealing the exposed viewport as an automatic shutter clamped into place. The deafening noise was silenced in an instant leaving only the sounds of Kajex wheezing and moaning in pain, the ship hissing as it repressurized the bridge; and the hum of Kajex's lightsaber still in the vixen's paw- through it all, she had not let go of the Sentinel's weapon.

Knowing she had only seconds to act, she levitated the blade upwards, gouging blade into the ceiling where the overhead restraining ring rested. It cut through easily, the chains falling from overhead as the vixen covered herself defensively. Concentration waning from the brief lack of oxygen, the wolf's lightsaber clattered to the floor just as Tooem got to his feet. The sight of their Sith captor approaching pushed her determination to live farther, as she reached out and caught the lightsaber again, this time slashing through the shackles binding her feet, freeing her up just as he ignited his blade.

She had just enough time to roll out of the way as he swept his weapon right where he head had been. Wrists still bound by the chain, her movements were limited as she was forced to defend herself, staggering back as the Inquisitor battered against the golden blade. Backpedaling away to gain some distance she tried to angle the weapon to cut the binders off, to no avail. Her heart sank as she saw what remained of the Infection lumbering towards her, forming a barrier between her and the Inquisitor. A sneer contorted his injured, bleeding face.

"Clever, girl. But you're still outnumbered. Now be a good little bitch and play, while I take care of your friend here." He strode to wear Kajex still hung, the injured Jedi growling defiantly at the Sith- but Keris could see how badly he was bleeding. The flow only worsened as Tooem drew the blade out, causing the Jedi Sentinel to gasp in pain. Preparing to strike once more, Keris found herself reacting against on instinct.

With a creativity she'd never expected from herself, she leaped forward and reached out with the Force, guiding the long chain through the air and snaking it around the Inquisitor's wrist. With a tremendous amount of Force-aided strength, she used both bound wrists to yank the chain and pull the Inquisitor off his feet, using the motion to simultaneously slash her borrowed blade through the closest zombie's skull and scalping it cleanly. Tooem cried out as he was once again unbalanced, falling into one of the bridge's crew-pits.

Taking another moment to decapitate another infected soldier she sprinted to the wolf, grabbing his chain and tossing his lightsaber into the air once again. The golden blade sliced through the top ring and released the injured Jedi Knight, who dropped to his knees with a groan. Leaning him back carefully and catching the weapon again, she paused only for a moment to watch the Sentinel's paw lash out and throw the abominations into the air like rag dolls.

"Good... girl," he wheezed, giving her a weak but proud smile as she slashed apart the binders at his feet.

The vixen whined slightly as she looked over his wound. Even with what limited skill she had in healing, the few lessons she'd attended with Syrra, she could see the injury was bad. "Can you feel anything in your arm, love?" she asked worriedly.

The wolf shook his head, gritting his teeth. "Feels numb... can't move it," he growled in pain. His left paw grabbed her wrist binders. A brief look of concentration flitted across his features, followed by a click as the vixen's shackles fell from her arms, freeing them up. A moment later, a similar click sounded and he threw his off, just as Tooem leapt high into the air and landed on the deck nearby.

Quickly helping Kajex to his feet she stood in front of him, growling as she kept the wolf's lightsaber pointed at the Sith Inquisitor. A thick gash now ran from above his eyebrow across his bald head, bleeding badly as he held and flexed his upper arm. By this point the Infection had closed back in; Kajex attempted to toss them back once more, but the blood loss seemed to have affected his ability to channel the Force and he only succeeded in knocking back two of them. Behind them, down the corridor that would have otherwise led to escape, more abominations sprinted through- it took only seconds for the two Jedi to be surrounded at all sides by no fewer than 50 infected soldiers and officers, each growling and hissing at the two.

"I'm curious," Tooem muttered dangerously, "where exactly did you think you were going to go once you had yourselves freed? A wall of my minions lies between you and your ship- you are half a mile away from your friends. The Force does not favor your circumstances."

Before Keris could answer, the sound of a sphere being dropped into the room behind the Inquisitor could be heard, followed by a series of beeps. The vixen's ears perked up at the sound and she looked to Kajex. Despite his pain and weakness, he managed a grin, prompting her to smile back.

"Maybe not- but our friends favor us."

Tooem's eyes widened just as he looked down, spotting the concussion charge at his feet just as Keris pulled Kajex to the floor and whipped around, covering their heads. A moment later the charge went off, an enormous din that filled the bridge with light and sound. Despite the ringing in her ears she found herself none the worse for wear, looking up to see that the Infection had backpedaled away, their still-functioning neural processes controlled by the virus overloaded by the light and sound. But it wasn't long before her momentary deafness cleared up, just in time to see their saviors crawl out of a nearby vent.

The sight of Talrik and Rook brought a feeling of joy in the vixen's chest. Though she knew the two had been fighting to get to them, that they succeeded was enough to embolden her. With the undead still stunned, she lifted her paw and tossed half the wall away with the thrust of her palm, decayed bodies flying through the air once more; with the path clear, she deactivated the alpha's weapon and grabbed him, dragging him towards the non-Jedi pair of fighters as they open fire on the recovering horde.

"Did he cut his heart out?! Are we too late?!" Talrik shouted in dismay, spotting the wound and copious amount of blood issuing from it.

"No, he's alive!" Keris shouted back. "But he won't last long if we don't get him to the Gold Rush soon!"

Syrra could feel the conflict, even from half a mile away. She had felt her fiancee stir, then awaken; then had felt the pain of injury in his shoulder, which unnerved her- yet she was certain he was not dead. Once Talrik and Rook managed to catch up to Keris and began engaging from where they were, the Trianii could only watch with mounting anxiety. Elsewhere, she could feel Locke battling through the undead, slowly making his way to the bridge with an aura of caution. Though the anti-virus would safeguard him against the Infection, it would do nothing to prevent them from tearing him apart.

Despite her worry, she was perceptive enough to fall out of her trance at the sound of a voice in her ear, shaking her head clear as she looked down at her patient. The soldier was hacking, coughing up blood and spitting it out; yet as alarming as it might have looked to even trained surgeons, Syrra felt comforted, knowing the stormtrooper would make a full recovery.

"Amazing," Saine said softly, her eyes wide at the Trianii's efforts. She had been there the entire half hour, watching as the Padawan used a Healing Crystal to restore the injured man's health. "I'd heard about Jedi healing, but I never knew how powerful it was."

"It's normally not so powerful," Syrra informed her as she let out a breath, taking note of the other soldiers that had watched, their eyes drawn to the once-shining pendant in her paw. "I need to ask that none of you tell anybody what you just saw- the Circle has a vested interest in our crew for many reasons, and this gem is one of them."

Saine nodded, looking as if she wanted to say more; but before she could, a groan issued from the ramp, causing everyone to turn to the newcomers. It was with a joyful cry that Syrra leapt to her feet and ran up to Miles, catching the scratched-up but alert-looking Miraluka in a hug that he readily returned with a relieved sigh.

"We thought we'd lost you, my friend," the Trianii purred, snuggling into him.

The ex-soldier gave her an exhausted but appreciative grin. "I tried my best not to follow through, ma'am," he responded with a chuckle. "Where's Locke? I thought he'd be with the blockade, but we didn't see him there."

"He went to help Rook and Talrik," the feline informed him, taking a moment to check up on her packmates. "Kajex is hurt and they're cut off- Locke went to clear a path for them, but until they can take out the Inquisitor they're stuck where they are."

"And the Republic?"

"15 minutes out, at the least." She sighed, frowning. "I don't get it- the Gold Rush is the only way off this ship. Why isn't this Inquisitor trying to take it over? The moment we're all safe this ship's going to get blown apart."

"We'll have to worry about that later," Saine interjected as a hover-stretcher carrying Liam was pushed in. "As long as we have a moment of peace now, we should attempt to treat the wounded. Can that pendant of yours provide more healing?"

Syrra held it up, frowning at the dimmed gem- it was low on energy and would need time to regenerate. "No, but I can still help treat the wounded without it. Get Liam into the life-support unit in the armory; bring a bacta canister back here, then resume fortifying our position," Syrra ordered. The soldiers complied quickly and rolled the injured human away. "Saine, I'll need some help with triage, worst cases first- we have extra bacta dispensers in the armory if you need them. And I'll need someone to keep an ear out on communications and an eye on long-range scanners; I want to know the moment the Republic arrives!"

"I'm on it," Miles said stoutly, starting to make his way to the cockpit before pausing abruptly to regard her with admiration. "Hey, Syrra?"

"Yeah?"

He smiled. "I'm proud of you. You may be lacking a right arm, but you've still got both your hands on the reins."

Keris was very concerned about their situation.

Rook and Talrik were stalwart fighters as they engaged the undead with a combination of ranged firepower and close-quarters combat, but despite the mounting body count the horde showed no signs of slowing down. The best that could be said was that their efforts had been enough to buy the vixen enough time to grab one of the few bacta injectors they had left and administer it to the badly-bleeding wolf, who could to little more than aim Rook's pistol and take a few clear shots at the oncoming Infection- but he was in no condition to wield a lightsaber. Instead, both male and female Amaran were wielding the Sentinel's weapons, cleaving through the undead.

What confused her the most was why Tooem was not attacking. Rather than ignite his own lightsaber and join the fray, he instead stood back and allowed his minions to fight in his stead. Nevertheless, he had his weapon in hand, ready to ignite at a moment's notice.

But it wasn't long until she started to understand why. Despite holding fast against the Infection, destroying each abomination that approached, she could see Talrik slowing down, panting heavily; Rook had a look of frustrated exhaustion on her features; and even the vixen, who had taken a stun shot and still hadn't completely recovered, could feel the burn in her body as fatigue started to set in. And as the seconds wore on, she could see an evil grin spreading across the bald human's face.

The attack stopped abruptly.

Talrik staggered back, worn out from the action. "W... wha--"

Before he could finish speaking, the Ranger, Rook, and Kajex were tossed away by an invisible torrent of energy, the two non-Jedi sliding across the floor before hitting the opposite wall hard, while Kajex yelped and remained face down, the blaster he'd been using clattering away. Only Keris remained upright, having sensed the offensive Force ability with just enough time to shield herself.

Anger coursed through her body as she watched her packmates stirring weakly. Energy borne from aggression removed all exhaustion as she charged forward towards the horde, leaping at the last second and sailing over their heads near where Tooem stood, the Sith Inquisitor immediately assuming a combat stance as she landed and held her saber upright.

"That's enough, bastard!" she snarled. "You think controlling the minds of the mindless is an impressive feat? Why don't you show me that you have actual substance for a change, instead of hiding behind your puppets like a fucking coward!?"

Tooem laughed. "My 'substance' is in the realm of alchemy- and as you see, I'm very adept at what I do," he added, gesturing the the abominations that had turned around to face her. "You gaze upon a master of Sith alchemy, my concoctions are second only to Sorzus Syn herself!"

"Yeah? Then why'd the Circle put you out here?" she hissed. "Couldn't get the support you needed from them, so you struck out on your own and hijacked a ship just to prove you weren't fucking worthless?" A feeling of dark satisfaction filled her as she saw his smile disappear instantly, replaced with a scowl. "Hit a nerve, huh? No surprise- why else would a self-proclaimed 'master of Sith alchemy' be sent away from a cult named after your precious Sith Lord? You couldn't hack it as a combatant or a planner- they wanted you out of the way."

"Enough!" Tooem bellowed angrily, raising his lightsaber. Immediately the undead stopped in their tracks, turning away from Keris and resuming their attack on the rest of the group, who had only just started fighting again. "You tire me with your words, whelp- if I cannot have the Sentinel's heart, then yours will have to suffice!"

But as he charged at her, she bore a grin on her face- her tactic had worked.

The opening strikes of their duel were fast and hard, sparks flying from their energy blades as the battle between Jedi Padawan and Sith Inquisitor started. A practiced student of Djem So, the vixen's blows were hard and thorough; but not enough to breach the Inquisitor's defenses as he employed the same style, her arms rattling from the powerful counterblows. Nevertheless her grip on the Sentinel's weapon remained steadfast, the feel of her packmate's weapon feeling surprisingly comfortable in her paw as it worked in tandem with her efforts, better than her previous Sith-given weapon. Even having battled scores of undead, sore from the fatigue of fighting and injury, she did not back down.

Despite putting intense focus into the fight, she did not fail to notice the shift in the battle, in their favor. Tooem's anger and shifting focus towards ending the Amaran Jedi's life had robbed him of controlling his minions effectively. At the same time, she could feel a subtle shift in her confidence, morale building within her. Before, her fatigue was replaced with energy derived from darker impulses, her anger and fear for her packmates; now it was replaced with a shining light, a warmth in her chest that bloomed as she dueled against the darkness.

"You've got this, kit, with or without my help. Unbalance him; he surrounds himself in the mindless masses, with nobody to inspire doubt- that's his weakness!"

The wolf's thoughts bolstered her courage as she met the Inquisitor's next strike and pushed against him in a saberlock. With a defiant glare, she growled at the Sith; despite being several heads taller than her, she did not fear him.

"Your numbers aren't endless. You're running dry, Inquisitor- the only thing left for you is to give up. Even if you kill us, the Republic will be here in moments to blow this ship apart." She glared at him. "Since I'm new to being a Jedi, I'll give you one chance to stop- drop the weapon now."

"You think I fear dying, you little bitch!?" he snarled, breaking the saber lock and slashing at her head- she ducked easily and caught his backswing easily.

"You don't fear dying," she replied coldly. "You fear death. Pain is fleeting; death is permanent. Why else are you trying to cheat it?" With incredible reflexes she leaned back and dodged his next wild swing, backpedaling smoothly and stepping over the cortosis chains she'd been shackled to as he slashed through the air before catching him in another block. "And in the end, even if you succeed, it won't matter; all you'll have is an unending life of obscurity. The self-proclaimed 'master of Sith alchemy'... reduced to a footnote in his own sad, lonely history."

"Shut up!" Tooem howled, bringing down a heavy blow that she blocked once more.

"And the worst part? I don't even know his name," she lied.

With an animalistic roar the Inquisitor shouldered into the vixen, catching her briefly off-guard. It was a mark of her training with Locke that she was able to defend the next blow well enough to prevent injury, but the increase in Tooem's strength ripped the Sentinel's lightsaber out of her grip, the weapon spinning through the air well out of reach as she stumbled backwards. Now weaponless and exposed, the Inquisitor moved in for the kill, aiming his crimson blade's point at her chest and stabbing, leaving her with the only option she had left to live.

She fell.

Allowing the Force to guide her movements and putting her full trust into it, she allowed herself to fall on her back ungracefully, Tooem's attack missing completely. In an attempt to soften the landing, her paw caught on a cold length of metal. Without stopping to think about it she grabbed the length and swung it up just as he bore down on her. The blade sang and crackled as the sturdy cortosis chain deflected the blow, bending around the shaft of light and striking Tooem across the face- the force was enough that he pulled back with a cry of pain, his already-bloody face having suffered yet another open wound across his eyebrow.

A kick to his midsection knocked him back a few feet, giving the vixen an opportunity to flip up to her feet with the chain in her paws. She had been an erotic dancer long ago, even before she'd become a slave; she knew the weight and utility of her shackles, had attempted to use them against her captors defensively. As Tooem approached, preparing to end her life, she realized how to end his.

He slashed at her neck once more and she defended, holding the chain at an angle and snagging it around the blade. She knew cortosis, had been taught of it's value and dangers by Locke as a Sith apprentice. Alloys laced with it would not deactivate a lightsaber blade- not unless she crushed it. Summoning as much strength as possible she pulled both ends of the chain hard, snarling loudly as her muscles tensed and tightened, squeezing the chain around the Inquisitor's lightsaber blade. A high-pitched whine emanated from the weapon, followed by a blinding flash and crash as the blade seemed to shatter, the red energy blade flaking away into ash while the rest receded into the Sith Inquisitor's hilt.

There was a moment of silence between the two, where the only sounds left were Talrik, Rook and Kajex fighting off the remnants of Tooem's undead minions; the Inquisitor himself looked livid, throwing the now-useless lightsaber at her and causing her to duck, just as he drew the thin Sith dagger from his robes and swept it at her neck.

She gasped as the blade missed its mark, cutting through her coveralls across her chest and leaving an excruciating burn, making her wheeze and stagger back in pain. Yet the injury did not slow her down- more than anything, the pain made her feel more alive. Adrenaline filled her veins as she raised her head just in time to see Tooem stride forward with the dagger raised and ready to plunge into her chest.

With a surge of fresh energy she lashed out with her right fist, uppercutting the Inquisitor. The blow unbalanced him enough that he let go of the dagger as she snagged the chains around the arm, wrenching it over her shoulder and channeling the Force into her muscles with a feral snarl. A sharp, sickening crunch issued from Tooem's upper arm and he howled in pain. She did not have to turn around to know she had broken his arm badly, and used the pain to pull him down to his knees.

Reduced to wailing in pain, she saw a chance to finish him. With her strength slowly waning, she vaulted over his shoulder and landed behind him, wrapping her fist in the chain and striking him across the head, silencing his screams and dazing him. Unable to defend himself, nothing prevented the vixen from wrapping the chain around his neck, pushing her knee against his back and forcing him to the floor as she strangled him, channeling as much of her waning Force energy as she could into her musculature. Her body ached from the injuries and the massive exhaustion she was feeling, she did not relent; even as Tooem writhed and gurgled beneath her violently, hands clawing at the chains; even as he reached out with the Force to try to knock her off; even as she felt her mind assaulted by illusions and phantoms of pain from the dying Sith Inquisitor.

It only ended when she could no longer feel him.

Exhaustion on a level the vixen had never known in her life had forced her to quit.

Panting softly as she lay on the deck next to Tooem, she felt a weak chuckle escape her muzzle. Against all odds, with a combination of Sith/Jedi training, luck and ingenuity, she had pulled it off. Everything hurt- but she was alive, and so was everyone else, except maybe Miles. And once the sounds of the nearby battle ended, she smiled wide- it was pretty much over.

"Where's Keris?! Keris?!" Kajex shouted worriedly. Had she enough strength to shout she would have let them know where she was, surrounded by corpses. It quickly became unnecessary.

"Over here!" Rook shouted in relief, the otter's face coming into view. "She's hurt, get an injector over here!"

Keris smiled. "Hey cutie. Good to see you again," she muttered weakly. "I was hoping you wouldn't leave us behind." She turned her head slightly, spotting Talrik approaching as he supported Kajex. The two males looked over at Tooem's unmoving body before kneeling beside her, the male Amaran pulling another bacta injector from his belt.

"To be honest, I would have rather you guys had gone to the Gold Rush," Kajex said, though his muzzle bore a smile. "None of us were inoculated, we were all at risk of infection. But... I'm glad you guys came anyway," he finished appreciatively, ruffling Talrik's hair with affection.

"Hey, you're our Alpha," Talrik replied with a smile, setting the needle of the injector into Keris' neck and applying the shot to her. "Even Rook's."

"Hey, ain't nobody my Al--"

"I'm your boss," Kajex cut her off with a chuckle. "And I had a turn with you last night. I admit it, pup- I like you. You're as much a part of the pack as Talrik- you definitely showed your stuff."

There was an awkward pause that lingered for a few seconds, before she blushed and smiled, looking away. "… Guess you're right... Alpha." She cleared her throat, positioning herself behind Keris and helping her upright. "Let's get you to the wall- get this Sith piece of shit the fuck away from us," she suggested with a glare at the body, pulling Keris away from the scene as Talrik and Kajex followed, the former handing the latter's lightsaber back.

"Brought it back to you, Kaj- I wasn't sure if you'd need it," the fox informed him.

Keris watched as the Sentinel peered at the weapon with interest, a smile on his face. "You really put it through it's paces, kid. I feel like there's been a very positive change in it." He looked up at him. "Did it serve you well?"

"It was tricky to handle for a bit, but... I didn't kill myself with it, so that's something," he offered sheepishly.

"That's good- I think it likes you," the wolf chuckled.

"You're talking like that thing is alive," Rook stated in confusion.

"I just mean to say that the Force seems to favor our Antarian Ranger," Kajex explained. "That, and I can feel that it did a lot of good today. Thanks for bringing it back to me- I'm gonna need it now." With that he began unscrewing the weapon, sliding back part of the hilt and exposing the crystal chamber. "The bacta will get you back on your feet eventually, but I'd like it better if we could speed things up."

"Can you heal her?" Talrik asked. "I remember you saying that you suck at healing through the Force."

"I do," the wolf admitted. "But that doesn't mean I can't do it. I can purge poisons and alcohol decently enough, and the crystal helps with moderate injury- though you're gonna be sore either way," he added apologetically to the vixen.

"I can deal with 'sore', it's better than 'dead'. Where's Locke?" Keris whimpered, still in a lot of pain despite the positive change in circumstances.

"He's on his way," Kajex told her soothingly as he plucked the Healing Crystal focusing gem from the weapon. "He wanted to help us out, I've been feeling his approach for a few minutes now. He's just got a lot of undead on his plate, but he'll be fine."

"And Miles... did... is he alright?" she asked apprehensively.

Talrik grinned and nodded as Kajex started focusing. "Yeah, he finally turned up a while back. They lost some of their group, but Liam made it out too."

"Good, that's... good," Keris replied, relaxing as she felt warmth return to the wound, breathing in sharply as she felt her body respond to the crystal's energy. "Fuck... second mission with you guys and it's the second time I nearly bought it. I feel like a fucking failure."

"Hey, we ain't havin' none of that," Rook responded sternly, tapping the vixen's nose with a finger. "Last time that Sith fuck got lucky; and this time, you ended the entire thing. You nailed a more skilled, more experienced target even while you were bleedin'; that's textbook bad-assery, right there," she encouraged her with a grin. Before she could continue, a tinny voice buzzed through her and Talrik's headsets, and she nodded. "Gotcha. Syrra says the Republic just arrived- it's the Inspired."

Keris arched an eyebrow, breathing a little easier as Kajex remained in a focused trance and healed her wound. "So Master Moarn and the Black Tomb pack are here, then?"

"Master Moarn insisted he come- he was the one who intercepted our transmission, he had a premonition something significant would happen," Syrra informed her through the Force, having apparently heard her query through their headsets. "Also, I'm glad you're okay, love- I felt your injuries, you had me worried for a moment there."

Feeling Syrra speaking to her only brought on a deeper calm as she sighed, glad things were winding down. As Talrik got up to check the viewport for the Republic Dreadnaught, Keris' eyes followed him, exhaustion setting in- it had been a hell of a day, with so much happening in the last few hours, that it was impossible not to have a lot of things on her mind to be a little worried about. She wondered what would happen to the Omega-Orr and the bodies of the undead; if the ship would be incinerated or investigated further; if they would be inoculated with the Blackwing anti-virus just to be safe; if it was supposed to be normal that Tooem's body was now stirring, rising to its feet.

Her eyes widened at the sight, muscles tensing as straightened, too shocked to say anything vocally. But nothing could prevent her from telepathically screaming her next words to everyone nearby.

"BEHIND YOU!"

In the space of an instant, Rook had acted on the vixen's warning without thinking and tackled the meditating and thus unaware Sentinel to the side, rolling with him out of the way as he yelped. Despite the wolf's surprise the act had almost certainly saved his life, as Tooem's reanimated corpse groped exactly where his head had been moments before. But with nobody else in the way, Rook and Kajex untangling themselves from each other while Talrik was on the other side of the bridge, too far to help, Keris was left defenseless as Tooem grabbed her upper arms and pulled her up, snarling in her face.

She had poured all her strength into ending the Inquisitor's life, such that Kajex's meager skill in healing others had not restored her endurance. Despite pushing against the corpse's chest to keep his snapping jaws away, her energy was quickly ebbing away, the vixen whining frantically and yelping as Tooem's grip twisted her arms; he possessed the same tremendous strength as every other shambler.

"Please," she moaned, "just die for good..." He dipped down, maw open and nose-to-nose with the human, his eyes vacant and lifeless as he gurgled, preparing to sink his teeth into her face.

The Sith suck, she decided to herself.

The sound of energy sheathing into flesh seemed to freeze the scene, as Tooem's corpse stopped moving and gurgling. Focused as she was on the undead Sith Knight's teeth, she did not immediately notice the silver-blue energy blade jutting out from his forehead, mere inches away from penetrating her own. When she did, it was only half a second before the Infection's grip slackened and released her, making her fall back against the wall as the lightsaber that had ended the corpse deactivated. She watched as a white paw grabbed the completely destroyed zombie's shoulder and threw him aside, her eyes burning at the corners as the sight of a white knight appeared before her, kneeling beside her quickly.

"Keris! Are you alright?!" Locke asked as he tossed his polearm aside, a look of pure fear on his features.

Hot tears rolled down her face as she shook. "… Cutting it a little close there, you bastard!" she choked out, grabbing the wolf and hugging him as tightly as her weary arms would allow and sobbing. "I... I killed him, b-but he wouldn't fucking stay dead!"

"I'm so sorry!" Locke apologized, sounding close to tears himself. "I would have arrived sooner, but there were so many of them back there, I couldn't rush through them! Please, forgive m--"

"Shut up," the vixen snuffled, nuzzling into him with a tremulous smile. "You incredible, brave son of a bitch... don't you dare apologize for that, you came exactly when I needed you to. Thank you so much, love..."

She did not wish to let go of them, even as Talrik, Rook and Kajex approached them; being able to see Locke again after so much conflict and close shaves had shattered her tough and confident shell, compelling her to cling tight to the Guardian. Nevertheless, she eventually allowed Locke to draw away from her briefly, so he could stand and embrace his brother tightly. "And you... by the Force, you're a mess, Kajex," the white wolf said, wincing at the sight of his gray-furred twin covered in blood, right arm still slack from his injury. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm feelin' great- could be alot worse," the Sentinel responded with a tired grin. "Can't feel my arm, but at least my ticker's still where it should be. I got Keris to thank for that, she really did great." He turned to Tooem's corpse, shuddering. "What happened to him, though? He never got bit, he was in total control over the Infection- I don't understand."

Locke glanced back at the dead Sith Inquisitor, grimacing. "The ritual requires consuming an elixir derived from the Murakami black orchid, the same ingredient that creates the virus, but he needed to consume your heart as well to complete the ritual. Without it, he would have eventually decayed and expired, then revived once the virus took control of him." He turned to vixen. "When you killed him, Keris, the virus took hold early and turned him- it was going to happen either way."

"I should have just split his skull open," she said with a shudder.

"That would have been ideal, yeah," Kajex told her, "but you didn't know. I heard you give him a chance to surrender, I know you weren't aiming to end him violently; and all things considered you gave him a cleaner death than he deserved. You should be proud, Keris, you really showed your stuff."

The vixen smiled. "Thanks, hon. Means a lot coming from you." She turned to the two non-Jedi. "And thanks to you guys, too, it took a lot of balls to risk your lives just for us."

Rook shuffled uncomfortably. "Well, you're... our friends," she emphasized, glancing at the Ranger with a smile. "You and Kajex both. And if it were me in your position I'd trust you guys to help me out too, Force powers or no."

"So what happens now? We gonna wait for the Republic to come up here?" Keris asked.

"We take a brief break and keep our eyes out before we start making our way back to the Gold Rush," Kajex answer. "From here we can at least access turbolift controls to help get us to the hangar quicker. I just wish I were better at healing so we could get you back on your feet," the wolf said apologetically.

"I can heal her," Locke offered.

"This stone is spent," Kajex said, holding up the one he'd been using- the flames within had gone still, the gem dulled to a faint light.

The Guardian turned, looking around. "Where's your other lightsaber? We can use the other stone to--"

"Hey, hold on," Kajex cut him off with a stern look, grabbing his twin by the shoulder firmly. "I'll find the other lightsaber and hand you the stone- after you do what you said you were gonna do! You promised you would!"

Keris blinked, cocking her head as Locke's face fell, looking extremely uncomfortable. "What? Kaj, I'm kinda hurtin' here, if you haven't noticed," she said in confusion- she had no reason to believe Kajex would maliciously keep her from medical treatment, but the reasons for doing so now were beyond her.

"I-I... here?" Locke asked weakly. "But... all these dead bodies, it's hardly the best moment to--"

"Locke, listen to me," Kajex cut him off in a clear voice. "We came within a hair's breadth of losing our lives today- this could have gone very wrong if it hadn't been for everybody pulling together and going out on a limb for the people we care about." At this, he smiled warmly at Talrik and Rook, the two grinning back. "You saved Keris right after she showed her heroism and skill- give her less than a year, I guarantee she'll make an incredible Jedi Knight. Right now, everyone is safe. If you don't do it now, when you know how much she means to you and how proud you should be of her, then when will the best moment be?"

Locke stared at him for a few seconds before looking away, taking a deep breath as he slid a paw into his pocket, kneeling beside Keris once again. The vixen frowned. "What is it you need to do, hon?" she asked, concerned for him.

The wolf hesitated before pulling his paw back out, clenched in a fist. Keris had never seen his eyes look as intense as they did now, not in a non-combat situation; it seemed like he was bolstering himself, preparing for a great struggle. From the corner of her eyes, she could see his tail wagging anxiously as he started to speak. "What I need to do is stop being a coward; and stop thinking that I'm not worth being with. I need to have enough self-confidence to accept that if I wasn't worth reaching out to, Kajex wouldn't have saved me and you wouldn't have fallen in love with me."

The vixen cocked her head. "Well... yeah, Locke. I love you, and I do anything for you if it were in my power- because I know you'd do the same for me." She glanced at the gray-furred twin quizzically. "But I'm kinda lost here. We all feel that way about you, why does that matter right now?"

Locke breathed in, holding out his fist and opening his paw. "Because... you're the only one I'm asking to marry me."

The vixen blinked, staring into his silver-blue eyes in disbelief as he gazed at her hopefully. After a few moments, she looked down into his paw, recognizing the stone in his palm; an emerald stone, with nine veins of lighter green branching through its depths in a pattern similar to a summer tree leaf. Though she knew less about her culture than those from her home-planet, she knew the gem very well.

An Amaranian Emerald.

"Oh no... oh shit... oh f-fuck, I'm gonna cry again," Keris said, eyes watering as she struggled to hold back her tearful giggles. "N-no, seriously, wait... Locke, i-is this for real?"

"It's real," the wolf assured her with a warm smile. "You put up with three years of darkness with me, making every moment I spent with you the light I needed to find myself. I would've been lost to the dark side, always feeling doomed to be alone, if you hadn't accepted me. And now that we both have a chance to live in the light, I want us to spend every day of that life by your side. Kajex was right, I've been a fool to wait this long; so I'm asking you now... will you accept me as your mate?"

Giddy from the question, tears streaking down her face, still bloody and numb from her injuries but with all sense of pain and exhaustion gone, the vixen found enough strength to lunge forward and tackle the Jedi Guardian with a happy yelp, her tail swishing excitedly as she kissed him.

"You're goddamn right I will!" she cried out, laughing as Locke, looking like the happiest man in the universe, held her close and slid the gem into her paw, before kissing her deeply.

Kajex's happiness that his brother had finally popped the question to Keris and been accepted was a happy enough event that for a few minutes he'd forgotten they were still in an Infection-ridden Imperial vessel- at least until the group had recovered enough to the point where they could walk past (or more accurately, wade through) the dozens of bodies Locke had left behind trying to get to them. The news that they had lost six soldiers during their assault had been sobering, but at least everyone on the Gold Rush was relieved to see them return finally.

But despite knowing that his fiancee had lost her right forearm for a full day, he was still not prepared to see her so injured. A part of him regretted ever having split up from her; yet a stronger and larger part of him was proud that despite the injury, she had persevered and comported herself with bravery and skill- the way a Jedi should. Still, no amount of bravery and skill would grant either of them the means to pilot the Gold Rush into the Inspired, and so it was that Locke and Miles took control of the vessel while Syrra looked over his injury in the armory; for Kajex was still unable to feel or move his right paw, while Syrra still lacked a replacement for hers.

"Direct stab into the brachial plexus," the Trianii sighed, wincing. "Massive nerve damage, paralysis throughout the entire arm and part of your chest. You should be happy the blade didn't stray a quarter-inch higher, it would have severed your axillary artery completely and you'd have bled to death. Luckily, your physiology is remarkably close to a Trianii's," she noted with a smile as she peered into his wound and disinfected it with one paw.

"You can thank Keris for botching Tooem's attempt at heart surgery," Kajex replied with a smile as he leaned back in his seat to let Syrra get a better look. "Least she kept my heart from being cut out- I don't think Tooem was a qualified surgeon. What about you, though? You... well, you lost a lot yesterday, and I'm not convinced that it didn't affect you."

The Jedi Padawan didn't speak for a moment, continuing to clean out his wound. But once she set aside the swab and grabbed a bacta patch, she sighed. "I'm still trying to come to grips with it. I know I can get a replacement, and I will, but..." A tired smile formed on her muzzle. "As much I feel like it'd be a bad idea for us to ask for another break when we had one just a week ago, I feel like losing an arm is more than a good enough argument to have another. I'm just worried about the extensive downtime, especially since we're Team #1 against the Circle of Syn."

"If it helps, the Jedi of the Old Order had extended periods of down time, too," Kajex informed her. "You can't do your duty as a Jedi if you aren't able to take the time to meditate and unwind- for something like what we just went through, the old Jedi Order's council would have given you a week to reflect and meditate. Besides, your education is vital; being prepared for shit like this through study and training is just as important as going out on Jedi operations." He paused, ears flattening slightly. "Although... it's fair to say nobody could have been prepared for this bullshit. That alone merits a break. And with Locke and Keris being engaged now, they're gonna want some R&R too."

"You'll hear no argument from me," Syrra agreed, just as the sound of approaching boots got their attention. A moment later, Rook appeared at the armory hatch.

"We're about to land, Locke says Master Moarn is waiting for you guys- and so's your kin," she added. "They heard we were in trouble and wanted to help. How's your arm, boss?"

"Kaj is going to need at least a day of bedrest with a direct bacta IV," Syrra said quickly before the wolf could answer. The announcement made the wolf cringe slightly.

"Aww, c'mon hon, I wanna catch up with Kentoh and everyone else- we both just agreed we need a little R&R."

Syrra smirked. "Yes, I did. Rest first- relaxation later."