Private 2300

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael listened without interrupting, his expression steady but thoughtful, the curve of his mouth hinting at a smirk only when she threw shade at the Jedi. When she finished, he gave a small nod—slow, deliberate, the kind that said he wasn't just agreeing for the sake of it, but actually taking her words on board.

"Alright," he said quietly. "I hear you. No compass-twisting from the Jedi side of things."

His gaze flicked past her shoulder for a moment, the kind of distant look he got when gears started turning in his head. Then it came back to her, a little brighter now, his smile sharpening into something conspiratorial.

"So… speaking of choices," he said, leaning in slightly, voice dropping to a low murmur, "what if we made one before we even land?"

He tilted his head, gauging her reaction.

"I've been thinking—when we hit Endor, guard zero-zero-one is bound to be on the perimeter. We take him out—quietly—and I pose as him. It gets us in without alarms, gives me a chance to move around the grounds like I belong there. Learn patrol patterns, weak spots… all of it."

One corner of his mouth tugged up into a crooked grin.

"What do you think?"

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade's lips quirked at his conspiratorial grin. It was tempting, the way he spun his ideas, almost the way she did, seemingly random but very much at pace with an inner clock only he could hear.

But she tilted her head, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "You make it sound deliciously simple," she said, her voice low, almost indulgent. "But think about it… We don't know patrol routes, we don't know shifts, we don't even know if zero-zero-one is going to be standing where you imagine him. If you slip into his skin, sure, you'll look the part… but what happens the second someone expects him to know something you don't? One wrong answer and we're burnt before we've even sniffed the perimeter." She paused, "Well, you get burned."

She leaned back, gaze steady, "I'm not saying no. I'm saying we need more than a hunch to gamble everything on." Then her lips curved into a dangerous little smile. "Give me something solid, a sliver of intel, a crack to pry at, and I'll help you turn the whole perimeter inside out."


Kaelon Virex

 

[Kaelon Virex]

“Fair,” he admitted, tilting his head. “You’re right. If I walk in blind, I’m not infiltrating—I’m volunteering for a firing squad.”

He shifted his stance, arms crossing loosely as if to keep his thoughts from spilling too fast. “So here’s the adjustment: we don’t go for him cold. We watch him first. Track his shift, see who he talks to, what doors he’s trusted with, whether anyone salutes him or ignores him.”

Kael’s eyes flickered with that same mischievous spark she’d seen before. “Once we’ve got that sliver of intel, then I move. By then, I won’t just look the part—I’ll know enough to fake it. And if anyone asks something I can’t answer…” He smirked, leaning closer. “…I improvise. You’ve seen me improvise.”

He gave her a small, questioning lift of his brows. “Would that make the gamble worth it?”

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Kaelon Virex

Scherezade listened intently to what Kael had to say. She knew that kind of thought-racing, when words made a huge salad inside your brain and you had to fish out the bits that were actually worth keeping. Before a few moments ago, the two had agreed on more or less everything that had come their way, and now was the first time a disagreement had raised its nose.

And it was very hard for the Sithling not to give in just because it was Kael who was asking for it. On other matters, her mind would still be foolish enough to do so, at least for the moment. But when the thing they were discussing had a fair chance at killing him, there was nothing he could do to convince her to let it.

Though… She had to admit, version 2.0 of his plan made a lot more sense.

With a goofy grin, Scherezade nodded.

"Only one issue," she said, "they want me to get there alone. You might be forcibly be kept away, or in some closed off area or something like that."

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael's grin didn't falter, but his eyes sharpened a little, showing he took her warning seriously.


"Yeah… I figured as much," he said, voice low, thoughtful. "If they only want you, then I'm baggage the second I set foot near their setup."


He tapped a finger lightly against his arm, as though sketching out invisible lines. "But baggage can still be useful—if it's placed right. If they shove me in some holding area, fine. Holding areas have guards. Guards talk. Guards get sloppy. And if nothing else…" he leaned in a little closer, his grin slipping toward roguish, "…I can make noise while you make moves. Split their attention."


A beat passed, and then he added more softly, "But—if you really think me being there makes the whole thing riskier, say the word, and I'll sit this one out. I'll hate it, but I'll do it. Your survival comes first."


Then, as though unable to resist, he quirked a brow and teased: "Just don't expect me not to sneak in anyway."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

It was settled then. There was nothing she could do to keep him from coming, since he'd be sneaking in any way. Well… That wasn't entirely true. She had ways to tie him up, or knock him out, or keep him busy while she was there. But somehow none of those things felt right.

"I think I'm going to be the death of you," she murmured, but her tone was playful and her hands reached out, wanting to touch him again.

Scherezade's fingers curled around the front of his shirt, the warm fabric sending happy shivers down her spine. With a grin, she pulled him closer to her and planted a warm kiss right on his lips.

"How about for now…" she said with a sultry voice, "you make the moves and I make the noise?"

After all… They had enough time until they got to Endor. No one said they couldn't have a round of horizontal mambo before they went back to focusing on other things.

Kaelon Virex

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael's laugh rumbled low in his chest as she tugged him close, her kiss still lingering on his lips when he pulled back just far enough to speak.

"You're going to be the death of me?" he said, eyes alight with mischief. "If that's the case, sweetheart, I want front row seats."

Instead of letting her fingers cling to his shirt, he slid his hand down to lace them with his and began tugging her along the corridor toward the ship's living quarters. He walked backwards at first, gaze locked on hers, grin cocky as ever.

When they reached the threshold, Kael wasted no time. He stripped in one fluid, practiced sequence, tossing each piece of clothing aside with a flourish like he was laying down winning cards. Within moments, he was standing bare before her, proud grin spreading wide.

But before she could get a word in, Kael lunged with sudden playfulness, fingers darting at her sides in an experimental tickle. "Come on," he teased, his tone daring, "even a Sith has to have a weakness somewhere." His grin widened as he tried again, brushing just under her ribs as though he might discover a secret vulnerability.

When she reacted—whether with a squirm, a glare, or a suppressed laugh—Kael only leaned closer, lowering his voice to that roguish murmur of his. "See? Told you. All I have to do is find it."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Kaelon Virex

It was a glare all right, but one that quickly turned into a happy and joyous laughter. Kael had certainly found an it, even if it wasn't what he was hoping to find, if one were to base the assumption on his words. Still, she never wanted him to stop touching her and she leaned fully into it, letting him continue until her patience broke, and the next moment the lights went out.

It was some time later that Scherezade, being spooned by Kael, purred like a kitten before carefully prying herself out of his grasp. The parts of her skin that were no longer in contact with him cried in disappointment, the sudden coldness threatening to become more than momentary. Her feet padded against the cold floors as she left the room, a blanket wrapped around her to mimic a strapless dress.

Her brain was a happy sludge of good vibes, and she was glad she didn't have to provide intellectual stimulation for a little bit of time. But still, now that any notion of sleep had left her body, her hands needed something to do, to keep busy, even if just to maintain that ethereal bliss that she was experiencing.

Quickly enough, she started to hum a folksong tune while her hands reached for some of her knives all on their own, creating a small stack of about thirty blades, all balanced carefully on top of each other. In her hands was a sharpening stone.

And as she hummed and worked, she might as well have been spinning straw into gold like a happy princess in some strange fairy tale.

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael drifted in the warmth of slumber, the kind of deep sleep he rarely allowed himself. In his dream, he was weightless, wrapped in Scherezade's laughter, her touch. They stood in a meadow of light, grass stretching for miles under a sky that shifted through impossible colors. Every breath felt like victory, every heartbeat a celebration.

Then the light cracked.

The meadow bled into ruin. Grass blackened to ash under his boots, and the sky collapsed into a storm of crimson and void. Out of that storm walked a figure he knew too well — Baird Throne. The name was enough to curdle Kael's blood, but the man's presence here, in his dream, felt worse than reality.

"Look at you," Baird sneered, circling like a predator, blade already in hand. "Wrapped around her finger. Pretending that desire makes you strong." His voice echoed and warped as though the dream itself bent to him.

Kael's instincts kicked in — a weapon appeared in his grip as if the dream wanted him armed. They clashed, steel screaming against steel. For a moment, Kael believed he could hold his own; sparks flew, his muscles burned, his heart roared. But every strike Baird delivered sank deeper, not into flesh but into Kael's spirit, draining him.

"You are powerless unless you become power," Baird hissed, shoving Kael down into the ashen dirt. His foot pressed against Kael's chest like a mountain. "This is your truth. Weakness. Unless you surrender it."

Kael struggled, growled, refused—yet the blade in his hand melted to smoke. His body wouldn't move.

Baird leaned low, his words seeping like poison into Kael's ear.
"I offer you absolution. No more scraping for scraps of worth. No more fear of loss. Eternity. Forever at her side. All you have to do… is surrender to me. Accept the gift of life, and Scherezade will never leave you."

The words rang like a commandment. They clung to him even as the dream shattered—

Kael jolted awake, chest heaving, sweat slick across his skin. The room was dim, still heavy with the warmth of Scherezade's absence. He reached for her instinctively, found nothing but the cooling sheets. His gaze darted to the doorway, and he realized she'd slipped out.

He rubbed his face, forcing his breath into steady rhythm. "Just a dream," he muttered under his breath, though the sting of it lingered. The echo of Baird's voice gnawed at him like a hook in his ribs. But Kael said nothing. Didn't call for her.

Instead, he lay back, eyes tracing the shadows on the ceiling, trying to shrug off the vivid nightmare.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade often said that she couldn't meditate, that she didn't know how to. Because every time she tried, it would just throw her into the angry part of herself, the part that had to be always on the move, bouncing the knee, itching to make choices she would later regret.

But here now, in the silence of the little space that was so over-littered with scrolls and toys, one could easily make the argument that what she was doing was meditation indeed. Her body was still, her gaze looking into an unknown distance. The humming she had started earlier was still being hummed, a melody of ancient times that she would never remember where she'd heard it. And her hands… Her hands kept sharpening the knives, an unknown force somehow guiding her, letting her know when to drop a blade and collect another.

And her mind… Her mind was everywhere and nowhere at once. It was a strange sensation. Scherezade was often everywhere at once, but the combination now wrapped around her like a snuggie, giving her an inner silence that was oh so rare for the Sithling.

Until it stopped, quickly, abruptly.

Scherezade blinked in confusion, looking down, seeming to almost realize just now that she had a blade in one hand and a stone in the other. She paused, taking a conscious breath, and then heard Kaelon Virex 's voice from the other room. It was too low for her to make the words out, but it sounded like something he'd mumbled to himself.

Mumbled… No, he generally didn't do that. In the next moment, the blade and stone clanged against cold floors, and Scherezade moved so fast that it almost seemed like she reappeared in the bedroom's entrance.

"Kael?" she asked softly, almost as if she was expecting him to have fallen back asleep. But he was looking at the ceiling. She couldn't read his thoughts, but his emotions were bare.

Without another word, Scherezade slid back into the bed, her arms wrapping around him to be the big spoon, and her lips came to rest against the back of his shoulder. She didn't feel a need to say anything. But if he wanted to, she was there for him.

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael turned his head just slightly as her warmth pressed against his back, her arms curling around him like an anchor. For a heartbeat he thought about brushing it off entirely, but the way her lips rested against his shoulder made him soften. His hand slid back to find her, fingers threading through her hair in slow strokes, the gesture as much for him as it was for her.

"It was nothing," he murmured, voice low and almost rough from sleep. "Just a dream. One of those too-good ones you don't want to wake from. You and me, having everything… but above all—peace." His thumb lingered against her hairline as if that word needed the grounding.

A silence followed, not heavy, but thoughtful. Kael stared at the ceiling a moment longer, then tilted his head toward her presence, the question slipping out as naturally as breath.

"Tell me, Scherezade… have you given any more thought to what Ecks' power really is?"

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

When he stroked her hair, Scherezade let herself melt into it, her nerve endings practically purring at his touch. She moved her face ever so slightly to maximize the sensation of the touch to just let herself fall into it and enjoy it as if the rest of the galaxy didn't exist. Only when he spoke did she fall into focus, trying to both listen and enjoy the touch some more.

He spoke about having a good dream, but she sincerely doubted that statement. She had read his emotions when he woke up, and knew that if the dream had included that, it also had included other things. But perhaps Kaelon Virex wasn't ready to discuss what else he saw. That was perfectly fine. She didn't want to push him or yank it forcefully out of his mind. Even if he mentioned…

Well, peace. Scherezade had looked for many things in her life, but peace had never been among those things. To her, peace usually was another word for boring. But when the syllables came from between his lips, something about it felt different. Like he knew of a type of peace that she couldn't even conjure in her wild and almost infinite imagination.

"No," she answered the question before even processing it, and then paused to think. The answer had no reason to change. "It doesn't matter to me. Either I kill him or I die trying to. My life's been pretty binary in that sense so far."

 

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael gave a little shrug beneath her arms, his shoulders rising and falling with casual ease. "Fair enough," he said, his tone carrying that smooth, devil-may-care lilt he always seemed to slip into when he wanted to lighten something. His fingers kept combing lazily through her hair, keeping the rhythm slow, steady—like he could lull her into forgetting the weight of her words.

"Me?" he added after a pause, a crooked grin tugging at his lips though she couldn't see it from where she lay. "I'm just living in the moment. Not losing sleep over Ecks, or whatever twisted little game he thinks he's cooked up for you." He gave a soft laugh, low and dismissive. "Doesn't matter. Not tonight."

But underneath that grin, beneath the easy charm in his voice, Kael knew he was lying. The dream still clung to him like cold sweat, and the shadow of Ecks wasn't one he could just laugh away. Still, he'd rather her believe he wasn't worried. At least for now.