Private Will be Done

[Simon Meinrad]

C A V A L I E R
TETH | PEROON
Zhea Nox

When the time was right they finally embarked into the slums, two platoons of light infantry Stormtroopers following Simon; one taking point with the Imperial sovereign and the latter bringing up the rear to establish key points and to reinforce if met with heavy resistance.

They maneuvered as best as they could to catch up to Zhea’s position, encountering thugs and mercenaries in firefights which only impeded their movement. They tried their best to not involve innocent bystanders in these engagements, but it was impossible to avoid collateral damage. All they could do was minimize the loss of innocent life as best as they could.

A trail of death and destruction was left behind as they reached closer and closer to Zhea until they reached an entry point to what was a complex system of tunnels.

As they entered the tracking beacon began to lose signal all thanks to the thick duracrete walls that made up the network of tunnels. They hurried their pace, not wanting to lose the signal and be lost in the tunnels. Despite the beacon being obstructed at times it did not lose its signal, thus Simon and his Stormtroopers successfully found themselves to the entrance of a cavern. It answered all of Simon’s questions as to why they were unable to find the root of all the scum lingering on Teth.

The guards did not last, though their last breaths were used to alert their masters of the Imperial invaders. They didn’t have enough explosives to make a hole within the blast door, and even if they did Simon was not going to stand around and wait. Out of instinct he impaled the thick door with his lightsaber and began to cut through it making a hole for him and his men to enter.

Hold on, Zhea…

 

[Zhea Nox]

ECLIPSE
PEROON | TETH
TAG: Simon Meinrad

THE DRAIN​

All hell broke loose within the cavern.

After she dropped the first man, everyone resorted to blasters. Zhea was purely on the defensive now, her blade a blur as she deflected bolts, her free hand diverting some that come through with the Force.

Even with her exceptional defensive skills, she was slowly being driven back toward a cavern wall. A brief thought flashed through her mind - why wasn't the other Jedi in the room not helping? Was he still a Jedi? But the thoughts didn't last. She had to focus on the hailstorm of blasterfire raining down on her from all around. Was this what it was like for Jedi during Order 66 all those centuries ago?

Her body was starting to strain, even with the help of the Force. She wouldn't be able to keep this high intensity defence up for much longer. The few bolts that made their way back to the criminals weren't enough to properly thin the ranks.

Then her back hit the cool duracrete.

She was in trouble now.

Up until now, she had been calm, focused. But being cornered allowed for an entirely new feeling gripped hold of the Jedi Master - fear. Never before had she felt this kind of fear before. It had always been a selfless one - fear of people getting hurt. Never before had it been a selfish one. It was fear that if she didn't stay alive, she'd never see Simon again. That they'll never be able to achieve what they have always dreamed of together.

A bolt found its way into her free shoulder. Her hand curled back against her chest as the burning pain shot through it.
"Ha! Keep it up! She's failing!" came a henchman's cry. Shortly after, the blasterfire intensified more than it already was.
Zhea gritted her teeth. She needed to stay focused. With a painful effort, her hand raised once more to deflect any bolts that made it past the saber.

If only it could be enough.

Another bolt made it past and into her side.

She braced herself against the wall, only her lightsaber keeping her alive still. What she would give for a double blade right now. Or an army of Stormtroopers. She knew that blast door would be a problem.

Her vision started to blur as pain really started to set in. She just had to stay alive long enough for the men to get here.

Please hurry, Simon...

 

[Simon Meinrad]

C A V A L I E R
TETH | PEROON
Zhea Nox

Her fear was also his fear.

He could feel how much in distress Zhea was, hearing the faint sounds of blasters firing without end. As powerful and skilled she was, everyone had their limits. Even whatever nefarious Dark Lord reigning over the Sith was not invincible.

Finally he carved the last inch of durasteel, tall and wide enough to fit only one person at a time. With a powerful blast of the Force he sent the amputated piece of durasteel flying violently towards whoever was unlucky to be in its trajectory. His argent blade was the first to enter and its illumination was enough to attract the attention of the outlaws.

He could see and hear the commotion, all the scum pressuring on Zhea who now on her last leg. Her injuries boiled his blood and made him snap with rage.

There would be no survivors out of this skirmish. Whatever survivors there were would be publicly executed without any sort of fair trial.

A hand raised over and suddenly whatever goons were near the front suddenly felt their necks coiled by an invisible rope, losing the ability to breathe profoundly. Little by little their throats were crushed, and finally fell deceased either by the list of oxygen or their windpipes collapsing.

“Push forward!” he barked at his men, a wave of white clad Stormtroopers passing Simon as they advanced and took positions in this firefight. He rushed to where Zhea was with a medical Stormtrooper, and knelt by her side.

“Zhea,” cupping her cheek with one of his hands, the Stormtrooper medic began to examine her wounds.

“How is she?”

“Nothing critical, just a couple of bacta patches to heal her open wounds.”

That was enough to relieve the anxiety building within after seeing her.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go by yourself…”

 

[Zhea Nox]

ECLIPSE
PEROON | TETH
TAG: Simon Meinrad

THE DRAIN​

When a large piece of durasteel came flying past her and into some thugs, she nearly cried.

Her relief at Simon's arrival was short-lived however as most of the blasters that had been trained on her, turned towards where he was, albeit out of her sight. Fear gripped hold of her heart completely knowing full well that his men would still need to follow - he was alone for now.

Then a wave of Darkness swept through the cavern.

It chilled her to the bone as criminals closest to the entrance were all briefly lifted into the air before being choked to death. A new kind of fear gripped hold of her, causing her to disengage her saber. She slid down against the wall, weariness and a bone chilling cold wracking through her. She barely saw the wave of white armour sweep into cavern to secure everything.

Then another white armour was in front of her.
"Ma'am, can you try and sit up for me?" asked the helmet and Zhea registered the Medi kit he was rummaging through. The combat medic - what was his name? The cold fog made it hard to remember, her brow furrowing. Then a jab into her thigh had the fog and cold clearing. "Just a stim, ma'am."
Finally his name registered in her mind as the fog cleared.
"Thank you, Markram." came her raspy reply as she sat up straighter while he rummaged further. Then he was at her shoulder, cleaning it before placing a patch onto it.
"Any time, ma'am." he said as he grabbed another patch from the kit.

Then Simon was there next to her.

“Zhea,”

The fear for his soul was briefly placed on the backburner as his touch soothed the rest of her pain. The relief that he was here, outweighed her worries for the moment. They could discuss it later. A small, tired smile spread on her face as she looked at him.

He and Markram conversed quickly regarding her injuries. Exhaustion had her silent, otherwise she would have said something about them talking as if she wasn't there. But Markram was right - the blaster holes weren't critical. The real damage was emotionally and spiritually. The stim had helped for the worst of the cold and fog, but she still had a slight chill from the Dark wave that had wiped out many of the criminals.

Simon's voice interrupted her thoughts.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go by yourself…”

She smiled at him again. Later. They'll discuss it later.
"I was fine - we just need to replace your watch. I think it's broken." she joked softly. With the adrenaline gone, fatigue had truly set in. She needed to sleep. Everything else can be handled later.

Blue eyes scanned the cavern. The criminals have surrendered. Everyone was being rounded up into the middle of the cavern, hands in the air. Miraculously, her old colleague was still alive. But for how long?

She cleared her throat. "What's going to happen to them?" she asked Simon, motioning toward the corralled syndicate survivors.

 

[Simon Meinrad]

C A V A L I E R
TETH | PEROON
Zhea Nox

"I was fine - we just need to replace your watch. I think it's broken."

He chuckled at her quip with small open grin; she managed to have a positive spirit despite being pushed to the brink of death.

"What's going to happen to them?"

His grin faded away, a rather stoic expression with a hint of anger fell upon his face. He knew she wouldn’t like what he had in mind for the surrendered criminals, but it was the only way to sate his rage after they mercilessly attacked and nearly killed Zhea. Worse should befall on the scum as his way was mercy as opposed to torturing them.

“They will be punished for what they have done to you,” he simply said to his love, standing up to face the cavern with the detained criminals.

“Execute the subordinates! Detain the bosses, so that they can be publicly executed,” and at once his Stormtroopers singled out the pawns from their masters, lining them up before killing the low life thugs with their superiors watching with fear.

 

[Zhea Nox]

ECLIPSE
PEROON | TETH
TAG: Simon Meinrad

THE DRAIN​

“They will be punished for what they have done to you,”

Zhea sighed. She knew she'd have to move mountains to convince him otherwise and she had no energy to do it now. A small part of her also didn't want to stop the execution. Stuffing them all into a jail would be a logistical nightmare. She understood the necessity of it.

When he gave his order, however, she thought of another thing.
"Wait!" she called to Simon, struggling to her feet with the help from Markram. Even the firing squad hesitated. She was tired, but she could at least do this. "Can we at least find out which of them have dependent families before executing them all?" she asked him more softly. "They at least have to be notified. If we can, can we give them a care package that would last them a while until they can make other arrangements? They're also victims in this." Hopefully he'd at least see sense in that. She wouldn't stop him from doing what he wanted right now, but she could at least try and temper it with mercy for innocent people that would be affected by his actions.

She looked at the separated bosses for a moment. Her eyes fell on the one she thought she knew. He kept glancing at her as well, face alternating between fear and relief. It might have been the exhaustion that influenced it, but the lines on her face hardened as she looked at him, making her really look like the thug she had been pretending to be. She was a creature of the Light through and through, but in that moment she didn't know if she would stop Simon from publicly executing him.

"Simon." she said quietly, keeping her eyes on the man. "There is one of those bosses I want to detain and question back at the base - the one with the green shirt." She looked at Simon then. "I'll tell you everything. I just need him separated from the other bosses for now. I don't want him executed just yet." She was still chilled and that chill bled into her voice as she spoke. The way she felt now, she had no idea how the questioning would end and she was glad that there was no Padawan to witness it. Her ever-present calm, warm nature had been disrupted. It had only happened once before many years ago.

Her jaw clenched but an exhausted sigh left her body nonetheless.

"Can we get out of here now, please? The stim's effects are wearing off."

 

[Simon Meinrad]

C A V A L I E R
TETH | PEROON
Zhea Nox

"Wait!"

There was a moment of silence when she spoke up, even the firing squad of Stormtroopers turned their attention at the Kiffar. They recognized her part of Simon’s hierarchy, having an influence of power over them; however, they were still trained to follow Simon’s final say. They waited to hear if their sovereign reversed his decision by her words or not.

The man did consider her words, not recognizing the families of the thugs were also victims from their actions. For a moment he pondered until he glanced at Zhea’s wounds again, angering him to see her scarred in such a manner.

He could only hope she’d forgive and understand him at least the former.

At least he’d fulfill her wishes to question one of the bosses she singled out.

“Very well…but my previous command still stands,” and nodded to one of his officers, and the cavern illuminated with blaster bolts reflected off by the rock, finally coming to an end when the execution was finished.

“Move out, we’re returning to base,” the bosses detained in cuffs and a couple of Stormtroopers went to aid Zhea, making sure the walk back to the garrison wouldn’t afflict any further.

There was a hint of regret not abiding Zhea’s wishes; he didn’t care at all about the execution or the death of the thugs, but not listening to the Jedi did move him.

They had returned back to their garrison, every wounded soldier was relieved by their post to attend their wounds and all the bosses were compiled in group cells save for the one Zhea spoke about.

Another teapot of tea with its porcelain cups was carried in his hands, this time making sure the herbs would soothe Zhea.

“It’s me,” knocking at the door of her quarters. “May I come in?”

 

[Zhea Nox]

ECLIPSE
PEROON | TETH
TAG: Simon Meinrad

EVERYTHING WE LOST IN THE FIRE​

A spike of anger flashed within her at his disregard for affected people in this mess.

It was an emotion that normally had no foothold within her. Today was not normal - none of it. Understanding was something that took a backseat today.

She didn't hang around when the triggers were pulled. She didn't wait for the order to move out. She was already through the sliced open blast door, hand holding her hurting side, by the time some Troopers caught up with her to flank her. Even that annoyed her.

She clenched her jaw as they walked.

She needed a moment by herself. She needed to find her center again before she talked to anyone. Where she was now emotionally, it would not end well. She could not help anyone with the mood she was in now.

So she never said a word on the way to the base.

Tired as she was, she was on the floor again in the center of her room, meditating.

It took a lot of breathing before a sliver of balance could be felt. Her mind kept wanting to go to a dark place as she replayed the day's events in her minds eye to try and find a different angle to see things.

She was exhausted by the time she felt calmer. But just as she was about to take a nap, one more disruption happened. A knock on her door.

“It’s me. May I come in?”

Zhea hesitated.

To say that she was disappointed in him, would be an understatement. He hurt her in a way that a blaster bolt couldn't. She trusted him to do the right thing and he broke it.

But they needed to talk about it. All of it.

She sighed and headed to the door. Opening it, her eyes fell on the tray in his hands. She sighed again before stepping aside.
"I can't exactly turn you away now, can I?" she asked rhetorically as she motioned for him to come in. The anger and the cold had subsided, but that made room for the true emotions that caused the anger in the first place - disappointment and hurt.

She closed the door behind him before sitting down on her bed. She was looking down at her hands to just find her calm before finally looking toward him.

"Why am I here, Simon?"

 

[Simon Meinrad]

C A V A L I E R
TETH | PEROON
Zhea Nox

It brought chills to his skin to hear her voice. It was obvious that she was angry and disappointed in him, and he knew why. The price of his stubbornness to see his way was catching up to him. Even if she was far away from the Council the beliefs of holding life sacred remained as a core tenet in her being.

While he did not seek to destroy life nor enjoyed doing so, he would do anything to make sure peace, justice, and order was achieved.

"Why am I here, Simon?"

Her question deserved more than just one answer. She agreed to come and be with him, but she could’ve left at any given moment as Simon did not have her under house arrest nor monitored. Meaning she enjoyed herself here. Then there was the relationship between the two, enjoying and not wanting to separate from each other’s company.

“I suppose because you like to be here, Zhea. I know we made a deal, but you are content being here and making progress with all we’ve done.”

“I know you are displeased with what happened, but I did what I had to do. Those men deserved to die for their crimes and I could not let them have another minute’s of life after what they did to you. I could have…I could have lost you. I felt your fear when you were attacked and mine was tenfold of that.”

 

[Zhea Nox]

ECLIPSE
PEROON | TETH
TAG: Simon Meinrad

HATE AND LOVE​

She was starting to feel sick to her stomach.

She really needed to get a handle on her emotions. She was precariously close to losing it. His words had caused another whirlwind of emotions that left her head spinning.

Her head was between her hands as she was taking deep breaths to try and calm herself all over again so as not to let him understand how angry she was at him just then. He didn't deal with this side of her the last time she went through this imbalance - he'd been the cause of it that time as well when he left like a thief in the night. He didn't see it then, so it would be so confusing for him now.

She took another deep breath before finally lifting her head to look at him.
"Do you mean to say that you just condemned a bunch of innocent families purely because of the fact that you misunderstood me?" she asked him she asked him softly. "I never asked you to spare the criminals. I asked you to find out who of them had family dependent on them that we could notify and help until they could make other arrangements." She got to her feet. "You claim to want to bring peace and justice to places like this, but you did the exact opposite today, Simon. So I ask again - why am I here? Do you even value my input? Do you even care about other people? Or is all of this just a power grab and selfish gain?" Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides to stop them from shaking.

She didn't want to believe any of it, but his reasons for his actions were wrong. The Darkness that had swept through that cavern had given her a different kind of fear. She drew in another breath and sighed.
"Simon, what we have...you need to start looking at it differently." she told him much more calmly, even though her voice was shaking slightly. "You can't keep me in a glass case for the rest of our lives. What you did today the moment you entered through that door...I...do you realise what you used?" she asked him, the corners of her eyes burning as she tried to stem the tears from welling up. She could deal with everything else, could make peace with it and do damage control. But him losing control like he did shattered her heart into a million pieces. She needed him to not lash out like that at the thought of losing her. Dead or alive, she wouldn't forgive herself for being the cause of his ultimate Fall.

She stepped forward and took his hand in both of hers and held on tightly.
"Promise me - and I mean it - promise me you won't lose control like that again." Her eyes pleaded with him. "We can get through the rest, get angry and make up, but you losing it like you did..." The tears did fall then as she let go of his hand and stepped closer to wrap her arms around his waist and burying her face against his chest.

"My heart won't be able to bear it again, knowing I could have stopped it."

 

[Simon Meinrad]

C A V A L I E R
TETH | PEROON
Zhea Nox

He was afraid and concerned for Zhea’s state as she did everything within her power to not burst out in anger. It was the first time he’d seen her like this and it troubled Simon, trying to figure out what to say or do to ease her. He couldn’t find any solution, and all he could do was listen to her. It really hit him to see that his actions afflicted her in some manner. He felt shame and guilt, never intending for this to happen.

Things got worse when tears started to form and then released when Zhea embraced him and her head buried into his chest, he too wrapping his arms around her. He preferred this than any other outcome such as her leaving his side or not wanting to see him again.

“I promise,” he said with honesty, his voice soft and kissed the top her head with her silver hair in the way. “I promise I’ll do better, Zhea. I honestly didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I was just so…angry and I allowed it to dictate my actions.” Both in using an ounce of the Dark Side and slaughtering the subordinates.

"You claim to want to bring peace and justice to places like this, but you did the exact opposite today, Simon. So I ask again - why am I here? Do you even value my input? Do you even care about other people? Or is all of this just a power grab and selfish gain?"

“You mean a whole lot to me, Zhea. You and your counsel. I was just so…so foolish to lose myself like that,” going back to her previous questions. “I only use the power I have to do good as I’ve always done. I have never cared about titles or senseless things like that. All that matter to me are you and the ideals I’ve always fought for,” hugging her tighter.

“I hope you can forgive me, Zhea. For today and for any other time I troubled you.”

 

[Zhea Nox]

ECLIPSE
PEROON | TETH
TAG: Simon Meinrad

HATE AND LOVE​

She wanted to stay right there.

When his arms wrapped around her, all the hurt and anger and confusion soaked into his shirt with her tears. She held onto him, her lifeline and the only person that could cause the whirlwind of emotions, relieved that she could still steer him away from that precipice. All the emotions that had swept through her, boiled down to only two - love and fear.

“I promise.”

The sincerity in his words had her heart clenching. She hugged him tighter, calming down even more. If she knew that her balance could be achieved so much faster when upset, she would have gone with him all those years ago.

She wanted to remain in the healing circle of his arms and never let go again.

“I hope you can forgive me, Zhea. For today and for any other time I troubled you.”

She sniffled before loosening her arms slightly to look up at him.
"Of course I can, Simon." she said softly, giving him a small smile. "You can be infuriating at times, but I could never shun you. I was just so scared for your soul." she said, hugging him close again and resting her head against his chest. "Just don't go where I can't follow, Simon. Not again." She was selfless in most parts of the word - until it came to him. He was both her strength and her weakness. She had always felt empty in a way in the years they were separated.

She was much calmer now that she had gotten everything off her chest and he giving his word to avoid that precipice in future. Now that amends were made, Zhea knew that reality really wasn't far off. The outside world still needed them and she had a score to settle with someone. She sighed heavily at the thought. She didn't have the strength for it after the day they had.

"Do we have to return to work tonight?"

 

[Simon Meinrad]

C A V A L I E R
TETH | PEROON
Zhea Nox

It was soothing and calming to be in that moment, even if heartache happened because of Simon. It was more for the fact to be within her arms and being forgiven, not wanting to retreat from their circle.

"Do we have to return to work tonight?"

The thought of leaving this serene moment to continue their duties soured him only to wash it away with joy. “No,” he said firmly to Zhea, looking down at her with his knuckles wiping away remaining tears from her cheek. They had earn their time away from their duties, especially with Zhea’s injuries from her mission. The crime lords were captured and soon Peroon would be free from any criminal activity after their success.

They could afford to be selfish for once.

“We’ve earned our time to ourselves. The rest can wait later as I want to be here with you and not think of anything else other than you.”