Your order will yet turn on itself and you…

[Darth Zilti]

Maja listened and smiled. Having no plan was what she did best. She’d find a cause and be as tenacious as a rancor with a bone, but once on quest was over she would drift until the next presented itself.

And in truth she foolishly expected that once her sister embraced her into the One Sith family, things would fall into place. Of course that relied on one or two big ifs - like her sister agreeing she was worthy for one.

She nodded when the Dark Jedi mentioned access to the Holocron. Of course she expected her to keep her word but was ever pragmatic. She’d got what she wanted from the adventure and anything else was simply a bonus. So she counted the time before she could get changed and as she did, she looked around.

“I think I need to get myself my own ship. Something more substantial. Any suggestions?”

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


"Hmmph. I'm no expert on ships, but Silk Holdings sells good freighters. Durable, reliable and so common across the rim they're solid if you don't want to broadcast being Sith. Both Silk and Sienar/Santhe have very shiny fighters. The Rasillon and the Exalt are powerful elite fighters. If you want to toss in an extreme amount of credits," Sumiko said with a shrug.


Who knew, maybe some day they could raid stygium crystals together! After all, Maramere had been conveniently unoccupied. With a flash the freighter emerged from hyperspace in orbit above Coruscant. Sumiko deactivated the auto-pilot and took the controls herself, guiding the ship through the atmosphere of the city-planet. Traffic was very crowded as usual. One wondered whether the ecumenopolis ever got orbital traffic jams, but they got through well enough and she would guide the freighter towards the spaceport.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja sensed the adventure was drawing to a close - but hoped it was simply the end of a chapter and not the story.

"I'm used to freighters, so that might not be such a bad idea. And a size that'll suit just me. I don't see me in a fighter." She wrinkled her nose. "Nah, not for me."

As Coruscant suddenly appeared she appeared thoughtful - not a trait associated with the red-head. "I suppose I should find a way of making some regular income. My sister gave me a healthy seven digit expense account - but I don't want to be kept forever. But I'm no business-woman and stealing feels too low-rent nowadays."

She smiled. "But I know what I can do. A few times I've had to find people that simply didn't want to be found. My Farsight worked here - at least I presume that's what it was. Darth Zannah had the ability too. If I focus on something for long enough, I get images, and piecing them together gives me enough information to find people. Or things, I guess," clearly she was referring to the Holocron. "Now that's got to be worth something to people?"

"And I'm hoping a lot of something," she grinned at the prospect.

As they threaded their way to the space-port, Maja became more subdued again. "Listen, you've got my number so to speak. If you ever need a second pair of hands, you know how to find me."

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


Back in the day the Inquisition could have found use for someone like Maja. Her Farsight would have been a powerful asset. To ferret out secrets and bring them to light, discover dangerous artefacts and trace rogue force-users who needed hunting down. Of course, she would have required shaping and breaking in.


In the clutches of the Inquisition she would have been resculpted. Just as Sumiko had been. It would have been cruel and beautiful. If the Empire had risen to become the new star in the galactic constellation rather than collapse so ignominously, they could have made a deadly team. But those days were long gone and Sumiko preferred this reality to the past. Perhaps Maja's skills would earn her the patronship of a powerful Darthl or a position within the Imperial secret police.


"Indeed. And you have mine. I'll be sure to call on you when I need your aid. I'll be watching where your path amongst the Sith takes you. May the Force serve you well," she said softly as the freighter swooped down and, after transmitting the proper clearance codes to the spaceport authorities, landed in the designated hangar. The landing ramp would lower so that Maja could depart. Sumiko would see her off, but not linger on the city-planet beyond that. While she obviously had no quarrel with the One Sith, she was not that trusting to spend more time in the centre of their power than was needed. Especially not when she had an artefact of immense power stashed away aboard her ship.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja made the good-byes brief and gathered what little she'd taken on board plus her presents for her sister and headed back to her ship. She didn't look back - she never did. She only ever had eyes on the next event. This time it was her sister's wedding, then hopefully her final piece of training before she returned to see her sister and offered her services to the One Sith.

And she wondered how long before Sumiko noticed the little present she'd left behind - the dozen or so candy bars they'd not eaten between them on the trip. The Dark Jedi would have to be careful. They were dangerously addictive.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Maja Vern"]


The landing ramp closed behind Maja after she had departed and once again the freighter took off into the sky, soon leaving Coruscant behind it. The shimmering blue tunnel of hyperspace opened and swallowed the small ship. As she went to her cabin to rest Sumiko did actually notice the candy bars Maja had so kindly left behind. She cocked her head slightly to the side before she found that, yes, they were dangerously addictive after she took a bite, then found that before she thought about it she had swallowed two. Evil Sith! But then the desire to unearth mysteries won out over the sinful might of candy.


Putting down the HRD's damaged chip on her bed, her hands reverently ran over the holocron before putting it back in its oubliette backpack. What secrets did the ancient artefact that radiated such magnificient dark power possess? She would find out soon enough in due time. Doubtless the gatekeeper would not be the most forthcoming, but she would succeed. Through struggle one gained strength. For now she sought rest as sleep claimed her after the recent adventure.


FIN