Justice Never Pays

[James Justice]

James was running out of time. Always running out of time. Then again, in someways, he felt everyone was. He was charging through the fields of Qillura, the enemy hot on his heels. Far from his ship, far from his astromech droid Reed, far from his toys, gadgets, army, fleet, far from everything but his legs, his blaster, his leather jacket, and his wits. Just like old times.

What had started out as a basic under the table smuggling negotiation had turned sour fast. Too fast. The crime lord had started shooting, and his men followed in suit, completely guarding James' Lost Angel with more than any wise man would take on. They had chased him out here to the farmlands on a speeder chase. Until the speeder was shot out form under James and he bolted for these woods. Then the foot race had begun. Despite the pain in his leg, James was running as fast as he could. As fast as his legs would carry him. You always ran faster when you were chased by maniacs with weapons, of course, and this was no exception.

Then the forest broke into a clearing, and James could see a small farm with a barn. It was better than dying in some Force-forsaken forest, and he couldn't run much further, his leg was throbbing too hard. Cutting along the field the spacer urged himself further. Further. Faster, your almost there.

At last he dove into the bar, kicking the door shut behind him. The goons came to the clearing, stupid as they were.

"Where he go?"

"I dunno, let's look through the woods some more. Stay around the house in case he is in there."

"Ok."

James clutched his DeathHammer close and waited for the right moment to bolt. He looked down at his leg. A blaster had landed a solid shot on his thigh, but he was grateful it was just a flesh wound. A little bacta and it would be fine, with minor scaring. It just slowed him down. And right now, that was less than good.

The spacer wasn't much of a praying man, but right now, he needed a miracle to get off world.

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

At some point during her aimless wanderings Anara had purchased land on a randomly chosen planet. The reason for such a purchase? She hadn't been sure at the time, but now the small farm she'd created on the land was used as a refuge when she was feeling particularly unstable. The farm wasn't actually a farm, though she had considered renting it out to some of the locals.

It was something to think about, but not in that moment.

Currently she was enjoying another lazy afternoon, the scents and sounds of the surrounding forest easing her tumultuous mind. The voices of those she held within her lithe frame whispered incessantly, but she was growing more accustomed to tuning them out. Unfortunately with their constant whispering came glimpses of things she could make little sense of. Was it her past? Or things conjured up by the warring forces inside her?

She couldn't tell the difference between dream and reality; thus she'd been in hiding for nearly a month as she had no desire to be hunted or locked away for her madness.

Exiting her small farmhouse she had every intention of going to the barn to get a few things from her ship as she had it hidden within, but as she stepped out of her house unfamiliar voices reached her eyes. Sharp amber orbs narrowed as she stepped from her porch, worn boots not making a sound. The late afternoon sun caught in her hair and one of the intruders took notice, raising his voice to his companions. The men approached her as one, the leader offering up what he likely assumed to be a charming smile.

"Sorry for the intrusion miss, but we're hunting a criminal. He's wanted in town. Haven't seen a scruffy man come this way?"

Instead of answering immediately she eyed their collection of weapons and overall appearance. No stranger to the darker side of the universe Anara knew them for what they were almost immediately and she smirked to herself, her predatory eyes meeting those of the lead thug.

"No...and I suggest you find your way off my land...I don't suffer intruders of any sort," she murmured, her voice soft, but far from innocent or friendly.

The lead male frowned, but nodded curtly and motioned for his men to fall back. "Call me if you see him?" He offered up a card, his comm information scrawled upon it. Not even bothering to take the card she moved away, her business with them done unless they decided to push the issue and remain on her land; she was in no mood for visitors. Moving to her barn she paused, allowing her senses to stretch outward. The men were retreating, but she didn't trust that would be the last of them she saw. The voices in her head hissed in desire, but she ignored their words and turned her attention to the presence she felt within her barn.

Her eyes narrowed again as she put a hand to the worn wood, a smile curling her lips.

Look at that. She was unknowingly playing the part of the hero.

A huff of amusement passed her lips as she pushed the barn door open, the darkness within enveloping her as she stepped inside. The door shut of its own accord as the lights flickered on, illuminating her old ship as well as the sparse interior of the barn.

"They're gone for now," she explained, not bothering to seek the man out. "I suggest you do the same."

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

On the run or not, shot or not, trying to survive or not, a few things remained constant for James; he loved ships, he loved cigarettes, he loved alcohol, and he loved women. Well, all of the above were true, and the later the most, he figured his vices would always find him out, but the later would always aid him and crush him.

To say he didn't expect this kind of woman in this backwater world, was an understatement. To say that he had a bane for redheads, was well, an even bigger understatement. Sasha Voss, who had broken his heart, was a redhead. The Zeltrons he loved so much, they too, were red. The Sith Udrusa who he had fallen for, she was very Red, being a Pure Blood, as well as a mal-aligned Force-User. James swallowed as he stood up slowly. He was having a hard time telling if he was in more trouble now with this female or out there being chased by the goons. It was all in how you looked at things, he supposed.

His leg screamed in pain as he took several steps forward. He grimaced with each step, biting back expletives. He stopped at last in view of the half light, leaning on one of the wooden posts. Sweat made his hair loose and fall partially in front of his face. His breath had come under control at last, but his body ached. Could he go much further? He didn't know. But what he did know was it was clear his silver tongue would have to be used to get him out of this mess--or he was beyond royally screwed.

Drawing on his natural charm he let his Zeltron pheromones lose, filling the air like a torrent as his Aura, and its charm oozed around him in the Force. His low-level telepathics stretched out conveying a simple message that was more feeling than thought; calm. Allure. All will be well. No need to fight, lets talk.

He limped forward, giving one of his smiles, "Thank you, Miss, your too generous," he stopped right in front of this stranger, intensifying the vortex of charm as he gave a flirtatious wink, "I wish there was--Something I could do to repay you."

His brown eyes met her dazzling auburn eyes and he violently resisted the urge to reach out and run his fingers through her hair--at least not yet anyway.

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

There was a familiar note to the man's Song and she eyed him critically as he approached, the voices murmuring in displeasure as a whole new level of calm settled on her. The sensation was one she wasn't wholly unfamiliar with, but she didn't fight against it; not yet. A smirk tugged at her lips at his thanks and she huffed lightly, finding him somewhat entertaining.

"I am...and there is. Leave and take your troubles with you. I did not have them leave for your sake," she explained, her eyes sharp and predatory. Moving away from the man she approached her ship, the craft coming to life without her lifting a finger. With a low hum the locks began disengaging as the ramp lowered, kicking up a bit of dust as it finally settled upon the ground.

She moved with a grace that was almost otherworldly, her simple garb of worn pants, dark top, and light vest seeming far more elegant than they actually were. She disappeared aboard she ship and returned a moment later with a book in hand. Again her ship began locking itself down of its own accord as she glanced at the man, her expression bored. Her eyes shifted to his injury and she frowned, her jaw clenching for a moment before she turned away and moved back to the door she'd entered through.

"Come, you're hurt. It would be cruel to let them catch you when you are so," she explained with a quirk of her lips as she exited the barn and made for her home.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

Relief washed over James. At least she wasn't going to shoot him. And she was showing him some kindness. He was--grateful, to say the least. He didn't know if he could make it much further in his state, and he was sure they were not too far away.

She was taking him inside, had grinned half way, and offering medical attention. All in all, he would say things were going pretty well. He had worse circumstances and reactions, after all. Generally not, but he had much worse. He noted her mild response. Very few could resist his charm, especially women. Most would have already been fawning over him, and all but dragging him into the bedroom, but she hadn't and that was---well he didn't know how exactly how to take that.

Limping after her, he gave a flirtatious wink, "Miss, I would follow ye to the ends of the earths."

He holstered his weapon and crossed the clearing to the house as fast as he could. His eyes roamed for those who were out to catch him. Damn it all, this was the last thing he needed. He had to get his ship back somehow. It had been a long time since a ship under his command had been taken by the enemy. He hated the feeling; it was almost like being stranded on a backwater planet.

Oh, right. He was stranded on a backwater planet. He sighed and shook his head as he followed her inside. It was a quaint and homely place, he had been in worse. He gave a very approving nod, "Nice place, Miss." He grinned, "Ye got a name, Miss? I be James Justice, Captain James Justice."

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Another huff of amusement and molten orbs settled on her injured guest, her smile somewhat predatory. "Not a wise choice," she warned, his continued flirting doing little more than amusing her. A darkness swelled within her, but despite the hissing of thousands of voices Anara remained calm and somewhat amiable thanks to his pheromones. Years spent indulging in base desires had likely dulled her physical senses to some degree, allowing her to resist him, but then again perhaps her resistance was born from the sheer amount of power she could call to her. Few understood what she was or even what she was capable of, Anara included in that number as she no longer remembered who she really was.

Motioning for him to sit at the small table within her kitchen she moved off into another room, only to return a moment later with a dark tin box in hand. Setting the box on the equally dark wooden table she opened it up and began pulling all manner of medical supplies forth, some unnecessary and very old, perhaps even archaic, but oddly familiar to the petite redhead.

At his compliment she shrugged it off, finding the statement to mean little to her. Once she located the necessary medical supplies she offered them up and put the rest away, setting the tin aside. While she was allowing him to mend his wounds Anara had no intention of doing it herself; she wasn't the nurturing sort (not anymore). Taking a seat across from him she studied the man for a moment, her eyes boring into him as though she were peering into his very soul.

"Anara...Valnor..." she murmured after a long stretch of silence, unsure if giving her name served any purpose or not. Did he mean to use it against her somehow?

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James smiled. Ah she was playing hard to get. That was fine. He could work with that; at least she hadn't tried to kill him yet or--or worse.

Worse, he wondered, where did that come from? What was worse than death? He pursed his lips at the answer he came up with. A slow death. He had been tortured twice, once to the point of insanity and once by Thraxis, that time to the point of falling over the edge of what even he would have considered the bright side. And that was saying a lot.

When he was offered the medical supplies, James first grabbed a syringe of Kolto. Priming it he rammed it into the fleshy part of his skin with a grunt and emptied it's contents. Next as his leg throbbed from the experience he grabbed. A bottle of antibiotics and cleaned the wound. No matter how many times he had done it he still couldn't get over the server sting. Rolling what was left of his pant leg up he prepped it for gauze. The spacer had more than a few blaster shots under his belt. Some he had treated on himself, others he had administered treatment to others on bar tops after brawls gone wrong. When he had finished bandaging his wound James rolled his pant down and brushed the throbbing pain out of his mind. He had to ignore it. A cold sweat had broken out over his brow from the pain.

Distract himself. With her.

He gave her a smile as he rolled her name over his tongue like a savory meal, dropping his voice slightly in a gravely low tone, "Anara Valnor. Very exotic. I like it."

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Brows lifted in question at his continued flirting, but she smiled all the same. "To exotic for you, I guarantee," she quipped as she stood suddenly and pulled two glasses from her cupboards. Filling the glasses with simple water she offered one to him before retaking her seat, her eyes critical as she studied him. The familiarity of his Song ate at her slightly, but for the moment she ignored it and instead focused upon the fact that his wound was hurting him. The sweat upon his brow was evidence enough of his discomfort, but she could hear it in his Song as well; he wasn't going to be in any shape to leave.

Kindness seemed something of a waste to her, especially when so few seemed to show it; herself included. So then why was she wasting her time on him? Boredom? Perhaps or maybe she was lonely, even with the souls she held captive.

Healing...the thought found its way to her mind rather suddenly and caused her to look away, brows knit in thought. Healing was beyond her, was it not? Were she to try such a feat something told her that he would have to pay a price; a price no one would wish upon their worst enemy.

You've paid it...Remember?

She frowned, eyes darting about as though she'd heard something, but after a moment she settled and turned her amber orbs back to James. "Why are they hunting you?" she asked instead, ignoring the sudden chorus of voices vying for her individual attention. Awaiting his answer she pulled the tin to her again and pulled a small packet from it. The packet was unlabeled, but somehow she knew it held pain relief medication strong enough to at least give him some temporary relief. "Take these, they'll help..." she insisted.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

He chuckled at her comment, "I assure ye, I am quite used to exotic," he let his eyes flicker before saying her name with a little too much relish, "Anara."

He took the pain killers and delicately opened the package. She could easily have this to drug him. And he was counting on it partially. But he had a strong imunity to most all drugs. Besides he doubted she would let him bandage himself then poison him. If she was that kinda sicko--well then he was ok with sticking around.

He downed the water in a few thirsty gulps, letting it wash the pain killer down. He was terribly thirsty from the running for a few hours. Honestly with his cigarette addiction and the massive alcohol problem he had, it was a wonder his body had been able to do that. But he was about that lucky when it came to things like this. If he wasn't such a skeptic of those sort of things he would almost believe that Ryn and them saber jockeys were right about the force and stuff. But come on, did he look like some kinda fool?

Why were they chasing him? Well that was a story to tell.

He leaned on the table and gave a charming smile. "Well, I'm sure ye know of the local crime lords that run the places," he shrugged. Best place to start after all. "I came to negotiate a venture with 'em. They dun't take too kindly to my view of their population rights."

He gave a forced smile. That was an overly simplified way of saying he had stopped a rape by blowing four holes in the chief of security's body. Sure someone else would have negotiated. Or looked the other way. But James was not that type of guy. Enough of that. He waved it away.

"So tell me, what brings an exotic flower like ye to the back water types like this?" he asked with the ease of tons of practice.

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

She gave him a skeptical look as a mischievous smile curled her lips; so he thought he was that suave huh? Relaxed in her seat she shifted to sit forward, elbows resting upon dark wood as her palms held her chin. She appeared to be enticing him closer, but as she held his gaze the Darkness in her swelled once more, but this time she didn't tamp it down or attempt to reign it in. Anara let her power billow outward in a rush, making the air in the room seem thick as her eyes began to be consumed by obsidian tendrils. Her skin grew paler, almost translucent, and her veins darkened so that her blood appeared to be black as it slid through her veins.

"Not my sort of exotic though," she murmured, her voice a cacophony of different voices; some deep and masculine, while others were similar to her own, and yet others were young or incredibly old. The air grew heavier still and the room seemed to darken as her shadow seemed to grow, consuming everything in the room. Then, as quickly as it had started Anara reigned her power back in. The voices within her head shrieked, but she made them bend to her will. Color returned to her skin, the dark veins fading from view, and the black receded from her eyes until they shone bright and clear once more. Smiling she relaxed back into her seat, a soft laugh escaping her.

"I know enough to keep clear of them," she commented, accepting his explanation and reading what she could from between the lines. He struck her as the sort to play the part of a hero were he given the chance. A noble thing, perhaps, but foolish all the same and clearly it would one day be the death of him.

Smirking she sipped at his water, glancing toward one of her windows to see that the sky was beginning to darken. Molten orbs shifted back to James with raised brows, a soft laugh passing her lips at his continued efforts to earn her affections. What a strange man. Did he have no sense of self preservation?

"To escape," she answered honestly, seeing no point in lying to him. "Sometimes the peace and quiet of this place affords me the time I need to calm my mind so I don't lose control...Civilized folks don't take kindly to senseless bloodshed," she explained with a simple shrug.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James pursed lips slightly. That was new. He had never seen anything like that before except by a few of those saber jockey sorcerers and sorceresses. A lesser man would have thought she was one of them. But those saber jockeys wore snuggies and tunics. She wasn't wearing those weird things so he made the logical choice; the pain killers were messing with his head.

Maybe she had drugged him, he thought. But, then again, he had a feeling it couldn't have been that. He wasn't so nieve to believe that everyone in the galaxy was good. He had slotted way too many bad people to feel otherwise. Beings were what they chose to be, he felt.

He blinked to try and clear his head. Getting away. She had made a point there. He had to find a way to get out of here. Somehow, something. His mind went over the options. Seduction hadn't worked this far. He had a feeling if he touched she wouldn't exactly respond well. Especially after the thing about bloodshed. His pheremones hadn't been working right. Perhaps he was too tired or had used them all up for the day already.

He could offer to pay. Everyone had a price. He prefered to give people the chance to make the right choice on their own before making it worth their while.

He chose the third option. Bide his time.

"Loose control?" he asked raising an eyebrow amused as he smirked. "I dun't buy that. I've slaughtered hundreds. Thousands even on 'civilized planets' I've seen more die on 'em. And I've butchered the ones who caused their deaths personally," he left out the part about broadcasting the deaths on the holonet. He shook his head. "I have seen darker savagry on 'civilized planets' than on the back water ones."

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

"I don't doubt that, but those that cause such things end up hunted or worse...I will not be among those numbers...Running is so...tiresome," she murmured, her voice taking on a distant quality as if she was speaking from experience. Nostalgia swept over her, but it was misplaced (or so she assumed) and so she shrugged it off.

"How are you feeling?" she asked suddenly, eyes moving to his bandaged leg. She moved to refill his water despite his glass not being empty. Returning with refilled glasses she next produced a bowl of fruit, tossing one of the ripe berries into her mouth as she sat once more. Again her eyes turned to the steadily darkening sky and with little effort she let her senses stretch beyond her modest cabin. Reaching outward across her land she looked for any unwelcome guests, but found none. Her gut told her that James' luck wouldn't hold, the men after him would be back and Anara wasn't entirely sure what she would do when they returned.

James would just have to wait and see she supposed.

Dark amber orbs met his gaze again as she took a few more berries, eating them lazily. "I have a spare room should you care to stay...unless you'd rather try your luck with the locals once more," she taunted, smirking.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

"It is exhausting," James agreed with a grimace. He'd run more than this time. And from worse than thugs. The Prosecutor had hunted James for years now and the spacer knew the cyborg was always one step behind him.

James felt his face darken. Once the Prosecutor had tried to kill his daughter. And tortured him. And beat him. There were dozens if not thousands who had died in the process.

"Aye, running. It's hell," he said in a much more bitter tone. He would kill find a way to beat the shadowy pursuer--somehow.

He smirked at her question, "I feel like I got chased across four miles of forestry, shot in the leg and rescued by a hella sexy." The spacer helped himself to a handful of fruit, grinning as he munched. "All in all; average day."

His leg was burning, throbbing and aching. If he pushed himself the spacer knew he could feasibly go on. However he knew it wouldn't be far. And besides, he knew he couldn't do this solo. How he would convince her to help him--well he would improvise that part. For now, he had to get some rest. He drained his glass once more.

"Ye are as gracious as ye are beautiful," he said in thanks. "Can ye put these clothes though the wash? I'd hate to stink up ye sheets and all."

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

"Hella sexy?" she laughed, truly laughed, for the first time in quite some time as she stood, a smirk tugging her lips upward. "I don't think I've heard that one before...then again I'm missing a good bit so I could be wrong," she tapped her temple, but didn't bother to explain what she meant as she left the room. She disappeared into her own bedroom and moved to the closet, pulling an old box down from the top shelf. The box held a few odds and ends she'd found upon her ship after waking up from wiping her memory. The contents of the box didn't tell her a thing about her past, but still she held onto them.

Inside were a few scraps of paper, several pictures of faces she didn't know, and a few articles of men's clothing. Nothing matched, but there was a pair of old sweat pants and a tank top she assumed might fit her guest; the pants might be just a tad short on him. Pausing she sniffed the clothes, making sure they weren't musty, then replaced the box in its dark corner before returning to the kitchen.

With the clothes in her arms she motioned for James to follow her and patiently waited for him to do so. Once he was on his feet and moving slowly after her Anara showed him to his room, as well as pointing out the connected bath between the two rooms. She'd never had a guest within her home before, but trusted that James wasn't going to cause her any issues aside from the intruders he'd brought with him. "Here...leave your clothes in the bathroom and I'll see to them," she murmured as she handed the fresh clothes over to him.

"What I am doing is rare...do not give me cause to regret it," she warned before leaving him to bathe and rest, as she assumed he wouldn't seek to spend more time with her.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James rose unsteadily and limped after her, leaning on the walls and door posts as he followed. Inside he was patting himself on the back. He had made an impression; that was good. He made a note of it and would use it later, go in that direction more later. As usual, all he needed to do was find his first angle, his first foothold and work from there. He accepted the set of clothes and nodded, grateful, "Thanks, Sexy. I won't give ye any problems," he winked, "Not unless ye ask for em."

She left and closed both doors to the bathroom, limping along weakly as he did so. He let the shower start to warm up the hot water, turning it on full blast before he stripped his clothes off. He delicately unwrapped the gauze and folded it on the counter. Leaning on the counter for stability, he looked into the fogging mirror. The last remants of adrenaline wore off. He was safe, and for a split second he allowed himself to let his guard down.

His body began to shake in sobs. Emotions he had been trying to quiet roared out like a lion; death, fear, anger, rage, horror, all of it came welling out. His cries were covered by the sound of the shower, his tears splattered into the sink. He was trapped. He was trapped he was hopeless, he had to let all of these things out now, while he was secure or he wouldn't make it. All of it, every bit, he wrung the emotions out like his heart was a rag and left not a drop.

At last he shook himself and climbed in the shower. He scrubbed his body vigorously, being ginger on his burn. It felt so good to wash the last of this off. At last he climbed out and dried off before dressing and re-bandaging his wounds. He sighed content, limping into the room again, opening both doors. He was careful to fish his cigarettes, lighter, blaster, sonic blaster, and holsters out of the mess of clothes. He hung his leather jacket on the corner of the bed before colapsing into it, surrendering to blissful sleep.

Getting home, to his daughters would be solved tomorrow......

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

As she picked up in the kitchen Anara not only felt, but heard the turmoil within his Song. James was sensitive to the Force, but as of yet she wasn't sure if he knew that or not. Most likely not given the fact he hadn't yet called her a monster; he seemed rather intent upon getting closer to her. It struck her as odd, but then who was she to judge as she often felt the call of such base desires. Regardless he was in no position and she still couldn't be certain she even liked him or not.

His Song was a cacophony of chaos and for a moment she basked in it, listening with rapt attention to the way his Melody shifted with every beat of his heart. Clearly there was more to the man than she had originally thought and that only served to better his chances of survival while in her presence. Smirking to herself she put his Song from her mind, allowing him a bit of privacy though he had no way of knowing what she could hear.

With her cleaning done she moved to her own room, checking the bathroom to find his dirtied clothes as she requested. Placing them in the wash and closing the door that connected her room to the shared bathroom Anara prepared for bed, half expecting the thugs to attack. However, an attack in the middle of the night never came and as she drifted off to sleep she didn't sense any intruders upon her property. The night would be peaceful, thankfully.

~ ~ ~

Late into the night the quiet of Anara's cabin was shattered by an ungodly scream that belonged to thousands of voices. As one the souls within her petite frame cried out, reliving the day their lives were cut short. Souls ripped from bodies, an entire planet made lifeless all so one man could return to the physical world. Anara hadn't meant for any of it to happen, but she'd been the conduit and paid the price ten times over for her part in their deaths.

As the chorus of voices died, a new voice rose up; Anara's voice. She was babbling and thrashing about, her blankets becoming tangled about her lithe form. Hands, hundreds of thousands of ghostly hands reached for her, tearing the very Song of the Force from her soul. The music she had heard all her life, felt within her very bones, was suddenly gone and she wailed to be so deafened.

Her dream shifted violently and as she found herself within the slave pens once more, forced to fight in the pits in order to survive, Anara came to. Viciously she returned to the waking world, her saber flying to her hand and igniting as wild amber orbs darted about. Her blade illuminated the room in a cheery pink color, but the ferocity and fear within her gaze seemed to dampen the glow. Her weapon hummed close to her ear, her breath ragged and painful, but with each breath the dream began to fade. Slowly she relaxed, deactivating her weapon and carelessly casting it aside to land heavily upon the floor with a dull thud. It wasn't until she'd collapsed back upon her bed, exhaustion and a thundering headache eating away at her fragile sanity, that Anara realized she wasn't alone.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James was in the world of dreams once more. He wasn't on some Force-forsaken back-water planet named Qiilura. He was far from danger, back in the world of joy and bliss. Before he had been successful. Back when he was poor, back when alcohol and tobacco were more of friends then they were his commanders.

In his dreams, once more he was on Chroma Zed. With Leighlah Chase. It was their honeymoon once more, he was chasing her across the beach, her gorgeous brown hair fluttering in the wind, whipping around her.

"Your going to have to do better than that to catch me, Captain!" she bantered, looking back to him with one of her teasing purple eyes.

"No matter where you run, I will always catch you!" he shouted back playfully before pouncing and wrapping her in his arms.

Lifting the woman high into the air he spun her around, she gave a squeal of delight, "James!"

He showered his beloved with kisses, she kissed him back, pulling back to see into his eyes, "I will always be with you, James. Always."

He held her close, taking in the scent of her hair. Sweet and loving crimson flowers, "I will never leave you either, Leighlah. I love you."

"Its time for you to wake up now, James," she said giving his face a loving stroke. "Make me proud, Captain. Rescue her."

James blinked twice, the horror of being taken from his dead wife once more tearing through him, "Please, no, I need--"

His love's gentle face contorted into Anara's, her hair turned into flying, wild scarlet strands. Her mouth opened, to reveal line of razor sharp teeth, an unearthly shreik flooded his ears.

James jolted to consciousness, his DeathHammer in his hand, looking for who would be his next victim. But the scream hadn't come from in here. It was in the other room. And he could hear the familiar sound of a lightsaber humming through the air.

"Damn saber jockeys," he muttered, moving to rescue his hostess.

His mind had changed into kill mode. He was ready for anything as he crept through the bathroom, blaster at the ready. Or at least he thought he was.

[member="Anara Valnor"] was waving one of those damn lightsabers around. And it was red. James didn't have to be an expert in the Force cults to know what that meant; she was one of the Sith.

"Damn it," he mouthed.

There was only one way he knew out of this. Summoning his pheramones, and unknowingly the Force, he cast out a net of sweet smelling and calming feelings. Through his low level telepathics he sent out a feeling as well as a thought: calm. Its alright. You are safe now. When she collapsed on the bed he made his way to its side queitly, limping. Everything was setting in now. His heart longed for Leighlah once more and being sober didn't help an ounce. But she had told him to make her proud, so he would.

Leaning on the wall, he offered some of the only consolation he had, "I get the night terrors too," he looked out at the midnight sky before continuing, "Ye wanna talk about it?"

 

[Anara Valnor]

Dressed in a camisole and shorts Anara wasn't bothered by the fact that James was hovering over her; she was to wrapped up in her own thoughts to care. Shifting upon the bed she draped an arm over her eyes, the pressure easing a bit of the pain her nightmare had brought about.

"They make no sense," she murmured, the need to be secretive seeming like a waste of time to her. What was the point of attempting to hide who and what she was? Anara didn't even fully know herself, but that's what happens when a person has their memories wiped.

"I dream of things I have no knowledge of..." she explained, sighing heavily as she sat up. Propping herself against her headboard Anara massaged her temples, growling softly at the low murmurings of the voices within. "At least...they are things I no longer have knowledge of, but seemed to posses at one time..." she added, her lips cast down in a frown. Her head was killing her and the whispering of so many voices only served to irritate her further.

There was a nagging sense of curiosity buried deep within her, desperate to understand her dreams, but for years now she'd ignored it. Unfortunately waking in the middle of the night with terror in her heart was becoming more and more common; she couldn't ignore her dreams for much longer and wiping her mind again was to dangerous (she'd already looked into it and unless she wanted to risk being a vegetable there was nothing that could be done).

"I killed a planet...for love," she scoffed.


[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James nodded as she spoke. Nightmares, or night terrors he couldn't tell. Although he wasn't one who was too knowledgeable about the human pysch, he knew that wasn't healthy. He didn't know if the dream was a literal memory, or a symbol of something. He was no psychologist, but he figured she probably needed. Though what he thought she needed more was something he could be; a friend.

He noticed her headache and limped into the bathroom and began to rummage in the medicine cabinet before returning with a bottle of pain killers. He gingerly sat on the bed, minding his battered leg before unscrewing the bottle. He popped one down to dull the aching. The first round from earlier had worn off. All this activity was making it hurt worse again, especially now that the excitement had worn off. He offered her the bottle and gave her a moment to medicate herself before he continued.

The man leaned back on the bed backboard, his blaster rested on his good thigh. James was man things; a spacer, a charmer, a criminal, a smuggler, a kingpin of a crimelord, the Lord of Dal'Bor, a pilot without rival, a vigilante, a widower, and a mercenary. But all of that stemmed from his driving compassion. He couldn't watch someone suffer and whether he made a difference or not, he had to try. Dangerous as it was, he let his guard down in this rare moment.

"We all done things we regret," he said in his low, gravelly voice, looking out the window to the night sky. "Nothing good ever been done without someone getting hurt. I dun't think ye are a bad person, I think ye were misguided. I think ye tried to do ye best to do the right thing. And I think that's why ye ain't rammed that saber through me gullet yet and turned me over for some reward. Or for the fun of it. I think that's really why ye are here on this slum. Cause ye dun't wanna hurt people. I seen a lot of bad people. I slotted their arses without hesitation. But I dun't think ye are one of them. And if ye want," he said turning his head to look at her, "I can help ye find ye way again."

[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Taking the offered bottle she took several pills before shifting upon the bed to provide him with more room to sit. Her gaze grew distant as her mind wandered, the Song of the Force soothing her in a way it hadn't in many years. For the first time in what felt like ages the voices quieted and all Anara could hear was the Song, its melody soft and soothing. It brought a soft smile to her lips and with a soft sigh her mind returned to the present, her gaze shifting to James.

"I think...it has been a very long time since someone has told me that," she admitted. She felt odd, like she wasn't herself and that she was all at once. It was somewhat unsettling, but she accept the strangeness over the constant murmuring of the voices within her. Who were they? She hadn't really ever given it much thought; she'd simply accepted them as being a part of her. Something else to add to her steadily growing list of things to puzzle out.

"How?" she asked softly, clearly amused. "You don't even know what you are capable of...You have no training..." she commented, her demeanor perhaps the friendliest and most relaxed it had been since allowing James to take refuge in her home.

[member="James Justice"]