Private The Return

[Talohn Atar]

Two years. Two years of silence was all that had come thusfar from searching for the missing cathar. The last he had been heard from was in he and Zlova's evening check in call. He'd just entered the unknown regions at the time. After that, any call made had gotten no response.

It'd be what previously seemed to be another lonely evening in the void of space when the holocom on Zlova's ship lit up. Someone with a passcode that allowed access to a private frequency that had long remained dormant had tuned into the signal, the message coming through unhindered by any security precautions or waits as a result. The voice that rung through her ship was undeniably that of Talohn Atar, even with the static.

"Is...is it...Oh YES. FINALLY. IT'S WORKING! IT'S ACTUALLY...it's actually...." He pauses for a moment, clearing his throat as he holds back tears of relief, the choking up evident in his voice even on the other end of the call. After a deep breath, he continues. "The signal is still too iffy. I probably won't be able to hear you. This is probably only getting through because I used an old comm antenna from- Ugh, nevermind. It doesn't matter, this thing is about to fry itself with the overcharge I'm giving it." Judging by the odd crisping noises joining in the static, he's not wrong. Another shaky breath is heard. "Red. If you're still out there, and if you're still waiting for me...I...I've been desperately trying to get back to you. I'm finally out of that hellhole. There's an old run down space station...it's a few quadrants away from Kammia. That's as far as the rig I'm running now can make it. Please...still be out there...and if you are. Meet me there." With a final click of static, the signal would end.

Talohn himself arrived at the space station about an hour or so after. It was a functional place, but barely so. Ran off of eternally cut low funds from a nearby government. Talohn didn't particularly care which one. As his jury rigged ship landed in the hangar, the engine proceeded to instantly die, scraping along the floor a little as it landed. The cathar leaned back in his seat, an old repurposed metal chair, panting a bit. The lid of the cockpit had been welded on, as he had no other way to make an airtight seal. Thus, after gaining his breath, he took a hammer he had sealed in the cockpit with him and brought it straight against the viewport. The sound of shattering glass echoed across the space station, the cathar himself crawling out and vaulting off of the ship afterwards.

He looked up to find himself face to face with one of the employees. No words are traded as Talohn handed him one of the few things he had made absolutely sure to keep. His identification card. After it was scanned, the man gave a polite greeting despite the odd situation, and hurried off. Talohn was an odd sight currently, after all. He was a blue furball dressed in pants and moccasins both made from hides with no shirt and a tattered old cloak about his shoulders. A rusty metal spear and a bow were also slung over his shoulder, with a quiver on his hip.

With that exchange done, the cathar made his way out of the hangar and into the main plaza of the station. Though Plaza was too extravagant a word. It felt more like walking into a shady alley that took the form of a large room. Some paperwork kiosks, some vending machines, and a gritty looking noodle restaurant that was more than likely a money laundering front for a criminal organization.

The cathar slumped on the nearest bench he found, head leaning back as he stared at the ceiling. There were actually other living sentients around him. Just processing that fact was odd.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

A wide-winged fighter roared into the system. A generic request for permission to dock was transmitted to the station. As soon as it slid into the hanger bay, and the stairs descended under the cockpit, it became clear just how much those had been trivial formalities. A tall, ruby-skinned Twi'lek's knee-high boots clicked slowly down each step. Her golden eyes slid over the interior and all the living organism that occupied it. While she didn't wear a lot of clothing and would ordinarily be called 'eye candy,' it was the lowered chin, toned muscles in her arms, and the way those bright eyes shone out from the shadows cast over her eyes that held a person's gaze.

She crossed the hanger without a word. The clerk stammered that she needed to settle the paperwork for docking, and its fee. Zlova stopped at the same time her hand rose to seize the man's throat using the Force. Their feet lifted from the deck plating and soon their body floated slowly closer to their guest. "Do you need something from me?" a raspy voice hissed.

Wet chokes sounded as they fought to say something intelligible. Their hands clawed at the invisible hold about their neck.

Suddenly the pressure and threat of their neck snapping from their own weight vanished, and the clerk crumbled to the floor gasping and coughing.

Zlova didn't wait for them to recover before her boots resumed their march. "Anyone that touches my ship dies." Simple instructions for simple people.

How many people would she need to pummel? How many doors broken down? It didn't matter how many had to suffer or die. She didn't even know where she was going any more, only that she couldn't stop. The concerns of others had meant little to her before, they certainly meant nothing to her now. And the Force... it could sustain a person, but not in the same way as a well rested body was sustained. The world was just a dark blur full of obstacles that needed removed. Sometimes those obstacles spoke. They rarely said anything worth remembering though.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

Talohn had been more in tune with the force ever since it became necessary in order to keep himself sane on that planet. He could vaguely pick up upon Zlova's presence before with the abilities he had, but they were much more acute now. So acute that her arrival within the hangar caused him to instantly sit up, brows raising in alert. It was a familiar sensation. One that only one other person he knew could produce. But it was stronger. Along with his own sensing abilities being more potent, Zlova's aura now came with more...weight to it. The weight of a force aura wrought by emotional turmoil.

By the time she emerged from the hangar, Talohn would be standing on the other side of the door as it opened. Though clean, his fur was all scruffy from the years of not getting a proper shampooing. His hair was slightly messy and had gone down to his neck. His fingernails were a tad overgrown. He was covered in various scrapes and cuts that came from daily jungle life, all of which were evident with his lack of shirt. He looked like a tribal fresh from the wild. But it was indeed him. Talohn Atar in the flesh.

He stood there, mouth agape and eyes wide as he was frozen in place. He had spent two years dreaming of this day. The weight of the fact that it was finally here locked him in place for a moment. He looked her up and down before locking eyes with her. Overcoming his shock, he closed the gap between them, hands reaching out to rest on her upper arms. He pats them repeatedly, moving up to her shoulders as he does so. As if checking if she were real. That this wasn't a dream.

When finally secure in the fact that it wasn't, his hands moved up to frame her cheeks, taking her head in his hands. A slight laugh of pure joy rumbles in his throat as a smile spreads across his features. He wanted to hug her, kiss her, but for the moment he simply kept his eyes on hers while his hands rested on her cheeks. Simply marveling in the fact that she truly existed before him. He was beyond words.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

The red Twi'lek stood in the doorway as Talohn patted her arms and then held her face in his hands. Golden eyes peered down at him ringed with a deep darkness about them. Her breathing was even, but often -- not a pant, but faster than normal as though strained.

She could tell a blue Cathar stood before her. They barred her way. Ordinarily she would have removed such an obstacle, but that appearance so rare in the galaxy, and so near that of Talohn a part of Zlova couldn't bring herself to do it. Progress halted for an extended period, the Dark that enveloped her caused the metal frame of the doorway to suddenly twist. The metal screeched in complaint as it bent and warped by an invisible hand.

Why was she there? Something had drawn her here. A voice? Her hands reached up to lay atop Talohn's before she slowly pulled them away from her face. "Where is Talohn?" she asked as she stared through him. Just any blue Cathar male wouldn't do. It had to be Talohn. She'd recognize Talohn. It'd only been... well, she couldn't recall how long it had been. Couldn't recall the name of the system she was in. Had to keep moving. Even now, why wasn't she moving?

She'd find him soon. All her thoughts were consumed with that drive. It was the one thing that kept her on her feet. The Force would escape her and she'd collapse from exhaustion if her focused wavered. Talohn was waiting for her. Zlova would find him. Just a little longer now.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

Talohn's initial excitement quickly faded, his features shifting to a frown of deep concern as he saw the darkness in her eyes. Zlova had always been somewhat of a dark presence, but this was a different situation completely. Zlova typically carried the dark side around with her. This time, it was the one carrying her around. His eyes lift from hers to peer at the door frame as it began warping. He exhales sharply.

Then, she asked that question while shifting his hands away from her face. He meets her eyes once more, his brow creasing with building concern as he takes in her features. With the initial excitement having worn off, he could see it now. How utterly rugged and exhausted she was. He wanted to embrace her, but the situation was currently delicate. He could tell that much from the warping door frame, at least.

His hands gently rest on her shoulders now as he finally speaks, keeping a forearm's length between them for the moment so she can get a proper look at his face. "I...Zlova. Right here. In front of you..." He lets out a slight nervous chuckle. "Do...do I need to find a suit and a mandalorian helmet? It's me, my Pizezrera, I'm right here." The catharese accent became more pronounced as he spoke a word in his native tongue that she would find familiar. One he often affectionately referred to her with. The catharese word for huntress.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Red hands slowly rose along Talohn's sides until they seized his shoulders. With the same painstaking slow speed, she began to draw the Cathar toward her despite resistance by his own arms if any was offered. She'd stop when their foreheads pressed together and her golden eyes ringed in orange bore into his own.

"I need you, Talohn," she said with a softly spoken voice heavy from a long journey. "I'll tear the galaxy apart one world at a time to find you. Who took you. I promised not to stop until I found you. No matter how long it took." Despite the strength in her fingers, the Lethan's eyes were unfocused as she stared at the Cathar.

Was it an illusion? It must be. She could feel the fur under the tips of her fingers. Hear his voice. She shouldn't spend time indulging in a fantasy. Talohn was waiting for her. Or captive. Wearing a suit. The last thought drew a flicker in her eyes before it faded. Odd thought. Why would he wear a suit if he were captive or hurt?

"Everyone's waiting for you. I need-- I will find you." Zlova started to pull her forehead back in prelude to break away from the illusion. No time to indulge. Too comforting. She could get lost in it and then what would become of her Love? A soft sigh escaped her lips, "I was supposed to go first..."

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

The cathar seems initially relieved, smiling somewhat as she pulls him in so their foreheads are pressed together. The concern returns as she begins speaking, his brow furrowing. That mere statement got him a glimpse at how bad things truly were. Zlova was a prideful being. When it came down to it, did she know she needed him just as much as he needed her? Sure. But for her to say it aloud was a different matter completely.

Those orange colored eyes return her gaze, peering into those unfocused orbs that, while focused on him, weren't looking at him at all. His lips purse as he attempts to think of a way to shake her out of her stupor. His mouth twitches, opening occasionally as if about to speak, but any words failed him as her own words reached him. Though he does notice it. That faint flicker in her eye. His presence. It was doing something. The force had enshrouded her in an eternal waking dream of her own making.

He had come to understand the force more in his time on Kammia. It wasn't like he had anyone else to talk to, after all. Both his presence in the force, and his ability to sense the force, had increased in the two years of isolation. He'd communicated with the force during his 'meditation'. Which primarily consisted of sitting on a mountain and watching the sunset. But communing with the force aura of another sentient being? That was new territory. But it was a fair bet.

His eyes shut, hands remaining on her shoulders and his forehead still pressed to hers as he focused. "Go first? You're not going anywhere. Neither of us are, Red." He wills his own presence and energy in the force outwards like a gentle cloud in order to make it meet with Zlova's. Zlova's current presence in the force was born of a desire to find him. His hope was to awaken her by showing her aura his own, to show that he wasn't an illusion by proving his existence in a realm greater than reality. To assure her that his existence in this moment was undoubtable even by the force.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova didn't move as Talohn sought to reassure the Twi'lek in his grasp. His effort, however, had an effect.

It started small. A light fixture popped down one corridor. Then a screen blew out down the other. The Cathar would feel it though; dark energy radiated outward from the red woman. It poured out of her. The cork on the bottle had been removed and the lightning within had begun to escape. It lashed out at anything and everything. The frequency of explosions, distortions, and implosions accelerated until it was a symphony in every direction but the hanger from when Zlova had come.

It last only a minute, but to some it had felt like a lifetime as they had fled or cowered in the wake of the inexplicable torrent of destruction.

Clarity returned to the golden rings that stared at the Cathar. She reached up to cup his face in her hands just a second before she turned her head aside to kiss Talohn. "There you are," she breathed affectionately even as exhaustion caused micro-stutters and an ache to her voice.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

Talohn, by sheer reflex alone, would periodically break eye contact to get a glimpse of the chaos that was beginning to unfold within his peripheral vision. But aside from that, he kept his gaze on hers. He takes a deep breath, bracing himself against that energy as it leaves her like a powerful ocean current. At one point, those felinoid senses of his kick in, ears picking up the creaking of one of the light fixtures above their heads. He steps forward, hands on Zlova's shoulders so she takes a step back as he does so. Glass shatters across the floor as the fixture falls to the ground a mere inch or two behind him, yet his focus remains fully on her. Even as the various staff and spaces in the station are skittering about, panicking in the chaos.

He broke into a smile of relief as the last of the storm passed, the clarity now visible in her eyes. He'd made it past the barrier. Before he can even speak, he feels her hands cup his face, fingers pulling his lips in to meet hers. One of his hands goes about her waist to pull her close, the other gently cradling the back of her head as his eyes shut. The smile is visible on his lips even as the kiss continues, his happiness barely containable as the corners of his eyes water. It wasn't a dream. She was here in his arms again. Finally.

The kiss would only end when Zlova pulled away or when Talohn absolutely had to break off for air. Whichever came first. As she leans back to meet his gaze once more, he keeps his arm about her waist to support her, the hand that had been on the back of her head moving to rest between her shoulderblades. He could feel it. The weakness in her muscles. The exhaustion. It caused a faint crease of concern in his brow that could be discerned despite him smiling ear to ear. "Yep." He chuckles warmly. "You found me." He leans down to kiss her forehead.

After that, he gets lost in her eyes for another few moments, simply staring into them. Part of him was still waiting to wake up alone in his shack of rusted metal. To have this beautiful vision cruelly snatched away from him once again. He exhaled deeply, pressing his forehead to hers, feeling her warmth just to get confirmation that this was reality. That he was really off that planet. That Zlova was truly in his arms. "You've come a long way. You're tired, I can feel it. I can carry you, if you want. Hell, I'd love to if you'd let me."


Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova smiled up at Talohn in the wake of the kiss. "I knew you were out here. Somewhere," she breathed with relief. "No one else could be trusted to search for you. You'll tell me what happened later, won't you? How you came back." It wasn't just a story. The Twi'lek had been tearing places apart trying to squeeze information out of people even if they genuinely knew nothing at all. Innocence wasn't an excuse to a Sith Lord.

She slowly caressed the sides of Talohn's face as they stood there gazing at one another.

A chuckle accompanied his invitation. "Carry me where? Do you know where my ship is?" A faint recollection seemed to be somewhere in the reaches of her thoughts. "Well, we should go. I wasn't the only one waiting for your return, Talohn. But I couldn't let them all wander out here with me. Some of them still needed proper education." A Sith was hardly the best teacher for someone that wasn't an aspiring Dark Side acolyte.

With a grunt, she leaned up against his body. "You're not going to run away just as soon as we get back again, are you? Pick up where you left off?" Would it hurt to spend some time alone before all the responsibilities and moral weights returned? Zlova cared not for any of it, but Talohn did. Nothing was so important he couldn't just spend some time with family for a while. Make up for some of the lost time.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

BANTHA BURGERS

Taloh chuckles as Zlova caresses his face, his expression a mixture of joy and sorrow in equal measure as he realizes she'd been searching for him the whole time. With the state he had just found her in, there was a slight concern at the implications of what she had done during that time she was searching. But he decided now wasn't the time to linger on it. He embraces her once again, holding her so that her cheek is to her chest. He knew Zlova loved him. But to search 2 years without even an inch of give no matter how hopeless it got? It conveyed a love she had never expressed to him with words. "How I got back is a long story. I'll go more indepth on it after you get some sleep. But the short version is that I was trapped on Kammia. The atmosphere has some issues that kept me from sending out a distress signal. I..." He exhales. "There are some days I wondered if I'd ever get off that rock..." He sniffles slightly, almost overcome with the sheer emotion he was feeling from both being free of Kammia and seeing Zlova.

Putting one arm around her upper back, his other one reaches down to scoop under her knees, picking her up in a bridal carry. He arches a brow. "I'd assume your ship's in the hangar. Or...whatever ship you came here in at least." He looks behind them at the ruined hall of the space station as Zlova states they should leave. "I second that. I don't think they want us here anymore anyways." He looks back to her with a warm grin. "I assume Madlad has done a good job of keeping Monari safe, then? When did you last hear from them?"

He begins carrying her towards the hangar, eyes peeled for the ship Zlova arrived on. He'd recognize it provided it was the same old ship she had when they met all those years ago. He pauses to give her a peck on the nose. "Run away? No. I am sticking to you like glue for...fuck, a month at least. You'll be tired of me by the end of it, I guarantee. In terms of immediate plans though? We are going to the nearest inhabited planet, a seedy one if we can wing that. Hell, I'd even be down for a longer journey to get to Nar Shadaa. I'm going to get some credits from my bank account. Then I am going to get us a decent hotel room and a bunch of bantha burgers from the most hole in the wall looking place I can find." He grins. "Sound good to you?"

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova snorted softly, but began to feel quite comfortable and lethargic as she leaned against the Cathar. Kammia, he said. Didn't sound familiar. Good. Hadn't 'just' missed him. That had always been a fear; being close enough to help, but blind that he was there. Especially when she'd been more or less on auto-pilot. Every day had been a sensory overload with images and sounds only vaguely recalled.

"Cat..!" Zlova hissed when he swept her off her feet. Golden eyes narrowed up at him for a moment. "Sith Lords are not carried." Not in public anyway. Though she really hadn't felt like moving either. It might be the right choice, but since when did that prevent a Sith from being outraged? Not that she was about to punish Talohn for this 'egregious' transgression.

"Monari..." There was a brief pause as the Twi'lek appeared in thought. "I don't remember the last time. She was fine when I set out. Made sure she had enough and your murderbot could manage without ending up spaced. We spoke often, but I don't remember the last time." Was it recent? Long ago? Maybe she'd remember after getting some sleep; but Talohn could find out even faster just by checking the comm log.

It wouldn't be hard to find the ship. If Talohn asked the Dockmaster would probably happily be rid of her.

A muffled grunt followed Talohn threatening a trip to Nar Shadaa. It wasn't a bad experience she'd had, but Zlova had spent enough time in self-exile there. Place was only enjoyable when you were a visitor. Living there was another thing entirely and robbed it of what little excitement or mystery it held.

Bantha burgers too? "Alright, Talohn, but if you start putting on the pounds I'm working them off the hard way." Two years and the first thing he wants was a burger. Ordinarily she'd probably object -- even at a low level -- but she was so tired and pleased with his return that Zlova would agree to almost anything.

Almost.

She still wouldn't be caught wearing traditional armor every day.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

Tired Red

Talohn can't help but snicker slightly when Zlova hisses at his course of action. He knew what she was going to say even as she began speaking. Thus, he saw fit to interrupt her words with another kiss that was almost as long as the last one. "Precious life partners are carried, of which you are mine. So I'm afraid this sith lord will just have to get comfy." He gives that smug, sharp toothed grin that she wouldn't have seen in so long. The one that was just as annoying as it was loveable. Though it was just maybe on the more loveable side, given the circumstances.

Talohn would then proceed with carrying her as he made his way out of the hall and into the hangar proper. He nods in response to the info relayed about Monari. "I'll get in contact soon. I've got ways to track Madlad, and he's sticking to her like glue. That grumpy bastard will always chalk it up to programming if you ask, but he cares. Though the fact that you left Monari with him makes me think you trust him a lot more than you used to."

He arches a brow at her grunt. "What? Not a good pick? You can pick if you want. I just want to go to a city planet. I've been roughing it for two years. I can't believe I'm saying it, but I actually miss the smell of oil and slightly rusty metal." He snickers. "Doesn't even have to be bantha burgers. Just...some form of takeout." He scoffs as she makes a statement about the danger of weight gain, shaking his head. "You know neither me nor my metabolism will let that happen."

He whistles as he comes to stand before the ship. It wasn't the same one she used to have, but he could tell it was hers. It had her design preferences written all over it. "This is a new one. Spiffy too. What's your money makin method these days? Also, what's my clan up to? If you've kept up with that at all." Talohn had in fact disappeared before the Mandalorian empire started, so that was info he wasn't privy to. Once the cockpit of the ship opened due to Zlova's proximity, or Zlova clicked her key to open it, or however it functioned, Talohn would position his left arm to be under Zlova's thighs, letting her frame lean against him as he frees his right arm to climb up into the ship. She'd find herself laying across his lap once again as he sat down, orange eyes scanning all of the buttons as he lets out a long sigh. "A real, working ship. This is...." He takes another breath, his shoulders slumping somewhat. "I miss the Crimson Wolf."

 

[Zlova Rue]

"I don't trust him that much," Zlova scoffed. "They might not live with Monari, but I did have a few others check in on them from time to time." Madlad had many screws loose. It sometimes appeared reasonable and understood the assignment; but just as likely a wild idea could strike and something absurd occur. Didn't hurt to make sure none of those ideas put the little one in danger.

"No, Nar Shaddaa is fine," Zlova replied evenly. Wasn't like she couldn't handle the den of corruption. Certainly had plenty of venues to check out. And slavery. Talohn had better not be itching to get into a scrap over enslaved people because he'd been away for two years.

"Single-handedly shake down entire planets." The Twi'lek looked up at him with her golden eyes. "Please, what practically-falling-apart world in this galaxy can't make use of a Sith Lord? I didn't do anything that objectionable." With a roll of the eyes and a slight shrug she added, "Doesn't mean I followed all local laws either." She hadn't enslaved people. No genocide. Murder... well, only specific people that'd deserved it.

A soft snort followed. "If I knew what they were up to, I would remember when I last spoke to Monari." A rueful shake of her head followed. "Last I remember, they were making some large preparations. They were on the move. Gearing up to clash with the Crusaders, perhaps?" Or join them, but that didn't seem likely. "That can be the second or third place we go after food and family are taken care of."

With patient suffering, the Lethan in his arms waited as Talohn sought to carry her into the cockpit. Didn't want to let her go did he? Well... that was fine, it was rather comfortable in his arms and being off her feet. It was actually taking a lot of effort to stay awake now. "Yeah," she breathed, thoughts starting to drift. "We'll get another. Just don't... fly into any warzones." She lay her head atop Talohn's shoulder with a lekku hanging over it.

Talohn Atar