Chapter Text
It had been strange for Vowrawn at first, taking orders from Acina rather than collaborating - if such a thing could ever be truly accomplished among the sith. Yet he had come to enjoy his new role in the empire. He was after all one of the few council members who was actually still alive, and he still had influence. When he looked back, he was proud that it was his mere ability to outwit the Hand, that had ensured his survival. His regret was that Lord Wrath had disappeared alongside Darth Marr. He was actually rather fond of Baras’ former apprentice, a woman as deadly as she was charming and as resourceful as she was beautiful. Vowrawn knew for certain that Marr was dead, but he was not so certain about the Wrath. Most had considered her dead - even her own father Lord Shinaron. A half-pureblood sith who had been seated on the council for years. He had gone into a rampage with grief after not just one of his daughters had gone missing, but both - Lord Wrath, Cianne and Janaiya, also known as Cipher nine. He had reached the heart of the Zakuulan empire, but when he returned he had received a fate worse than death. He had been left paralyzed to such an extent that his legs could not be replaced by cyborg technology - his nerves had been annihilated. After that Vowrawn had no clue as to what happened to him - and did not much care to be honest. It seemed that he was alone in his believed that the Wrath was alive. As the years passed he hadn’t given the Wrath much thought. The Empire had plenty of problems and he was forced to bow to a different empire, ruled by two slighted, not to mention deranged, children. So when Empress Acina informed him that not only had both the children of Vitiate - Valkorian - been usurped, but that they had been so by the Empire's Wrath, he was ecstatic! He send his congratulations of course and was looking forward to her return to the Empire. It was only a few months later he found out that it might not be the case.
When he had first come to know of an outlander and an alliance to take down the Eternal Throne he had advised Empress Acina that an alliance might be prudent. Being the intelligent woman she was, the Empress had agreed. So he was more than a little astonished, when Empress Acina had approached him with another matter in regards to this alliance. Iokath, a planet recently discovered, was a potential goldmine of technologies, that could not only help the Empire against the Republic, but be some much needed protection against the Eternal Empire - with their new leader and peacekeeper, Commander Cianne - should their relationship turn sour. Darth Acina argued that with the former Empire’s Wrath having such a strong connection to the light side and a number of former republic military and agents backing her, their alliance might not be as set in stone as Acina had believed. Vowrawn could see the caution and wisdom behind it, but still struck him as utter nonsense. He had seen what Lord Cianne was willing to do for the Empire - yet more than five years had passed. Could she have changed that much during that time? Knowing his previous association with the Wrath, Acina asked him to find a way to make their alliance with - well the Alliance - more stable. That was when Vowrawn had the most entertaining idea.
Quinn looked out the window as the shuttle approached the Dromund Kaas spaceport. It had been more than four years since he had been on the imperial homeworld - and he still got a sickening feeling in his gut when seeing Kaas City. It wasn’t the Empire that inspired these feelings, of course. It was not nearly as glorious as it had once been, but with the Eternal throne now in sympathetic hands - according to the reports he had gotten - there was still hope for the Empire. No, his duty and loyalty to the Empire remained the same. What had changed was his inability to not see her wherever he went. It was part of the reason why he left. He had felt constantly sick living in that large Kaas City apartment, where her clothes and personal belongings were untouched. It had been five years, logically he should have been able to put it at a distance, but he had not. He had to sit down as he remembered the last time he saw her.
“Approaching Darth Marr’s ship now, my lord,” Pierce said over the comm.
Cianne and Quinn were in the briefing room going over the last details of anything to do with Vitiate’s whereabouts - which wasn’t much. It nagged Quinn. It was inadequate and she deserved better.
“Thank you, Pierce,” she replied and then looked at Quinn with a smile, her yellow eyes as kind and comforting as only hers could be, “You are looking worried, Captain,”
“I should have more information for you at this point. I regret that I have been unable to obtain more relevant data,” he apologized, his annoyance obvious.
She walked over to him and let her hand stroke his cheek fondly, before taking a tender hold on his chin.
“You always do excellent work, Malavai. Had there been anymore information, I have no doubt you would have found it. It will be enough,” her voice was soothing.
“Your faith in me is always a great comfort and your instincts have always been keen. I hope you are right,” he replied with a gentle smile.
“I always am you know,” her smile turning into a devious smirk at that, before her face becoming serious again, “Now I just hope that Marr has had better luck on his end,” she went over to the table where she put on her gloves and attached her lightsaber to her belt.
“Do you wish me to accompany you?”
“No, I’d rather have you and the crew here. As soon as I get whatever information Marr has, I want you to analyse it,”
“As you wish, my love,” he kissed her cheek.
“Tell Jaesa to give the children a kiss for me, if she calls before I return,” she smiled softly before leaving the ship with Vette.
Quinn felt as if the air was punched from his lungs at the memory. He remembered her voice over the comm telling them to flee. He remembered being left alone with two small children, Cole who was two years old and Layla who was merely six months old. Layla had been especially affected, not wanting formula or a pacifier, and cried inconsolably for what seemed like days. Cole kept calling for his mother and looking in every room in their apartment in Kaas city, while Temperance (Quinn’s niece and adopted daughter) was either crying or angry. All this alongside his own desperation to find Cianne and trying to mount a search for her. It had without a doubt, been the worst time of his life.
“Father?” a small voice drew him from his thoughts and Quinn looked down on his son. A pair of yellow eyes looked at him full of concern. He had his mother’s keen senses, which troubled Quinn a great deal, as he found it hard to shield his little boy from the trouble they had encountered so often.
“I’m merely a little tired. It is nothing to concern yourself with,” Quinn tried to smile and neatly adjusted some of Cole’s black hair. He heard a soft giggle and looked up at Temperance. She was now a young woman, and was ready to take start a career for herself. She had always loved music and had wanted to join the Dromund Kaas Opera House and Institute of art. Instead she was now a cadet in Quinn’s own detail. She had given up her dreams to stay with him and the children. He felt a pang of guilt, but could not deny that he was pleased to have her close by. He smiled softly as he saw why she was giggling. The now six year old Layla was laying on the seat snoring and was anything but graceful. Her clothes were in disarray and her red hair tousled from more than just sleep. Quinn had the toughest time keeping her presentable. His daughter was as wild, passionate and witty as her mother, but with her his own tenacity. Oh, she was more than a handful.
The comm sounded: “We are approaching the spaceport. Please prepare for landing.”
Vowrawn had to chuckle at the sight of Quinn entering the halls of the citadel accompanied by his three charges. They looked like a small detail of imperial soldiers. There was not a hair out of place or a single unpressed piece of clothing. Their appearance was groomed to immaculate detail - even if Quinn was fidgeting over his daughter’s braid, that apparently wasn’t exactly right. Officially the children were adopted by Quinn after the Wrath disappeared, to fill the gap left by his wife’s absence. Vowrawn, however, had the strongest feeling that at least the two youngest were in fact Lord Wrath’s children. He had never said anything, and in fact even confirmed this falsehood to be truth. He knew very well, why Quinn had chosen to conceal it. They would have been a perfect target for any remaining sith hoping to take control of the presumed late Wrath’s power. Quinn saw Lord Vowrawn approach and instructed his three children, who left immediately. When the little girl started running, Vowrawn could see Quin simmering with annoyance all the while looking defeated - and this time Vowrawn had to laugh.
“She is spirited, the little one,”
“That is one word for it,” Quinn sighed and then bowed, “My lord,”
“It has been far too long, Admiral Quinn. Congratulations on the promotions,” he emphasized the plural s.
“Thank you, my lord. It has been an eventful year,” he said humbly and followed Vowrawn.
“So it has. What do you make of this business with the Alliance? You know many imperials have joined them,”
“So far their results have been impressive, and we have enjoyed the fruits of their labour, but so far they have seemed neutral in regards to the conflict between the Republic and the Empire. One wonders what they will do next - and how to prepare for the outcome not being friendly;” Quinn stated with a thoughtful look, that told Vowrawn that the Admiral had already considered a dozen scenarios.
“You haven’t seen the broadcast the Alliance Commander send from Zakuul?” Vowrawn probed, while showing Quinn into an office.
“I was not within signal range at the time. I read a transcript of the transmission, however. It is not hard to see why so many follow the Alliance with such a well spoken leader, but it could lead to trouble for the Empire if we do not secure the alliance Empress Acina formed,” Quinn stated.
“I am glad to hear we are on the same page,” Acina replied in a pleasant voice entering the office from the other room.
Quinn and Vowrawn bowed and the required pleasantries were exchanged, before they gathering around the briefing table.
“I have looked over your dossier. Your accomplishments are quite impressive. I am surprised that you have only just now gotten the rank of Admiral,” Acina stated with a calm attitude.
“Ahh yes,” Quinn began, obviously a little embarrassed, “I was in the service of Darth Barras for many years. It did not provide many chances for advancement in the military ranks, but my own career was unimportant. The success of the Empire was always my greatest concern,” he evaded.
“A commendable attitude. After that you were with the Lord Wrath for five years, but after her disappearance you moved to imperial intelligence - a desk job. Why such a choice, when you could easily have chosen any posting you liked?” Acina questioned.
“Lana Beniko offered me the position so that I might provide a steady environment for my charges. After Minister Beniko resigned, I took on a role as an information broker for the Empire in the hopes that it would lead to weaknesses and opportunities that could be used against Zakuul,” it was not a lie, but not the whole truth either.
“Your last posting being on Hutta of all places,” she raised an eyebrow.
“A lot of people fleeing Zakuul ended up there. It was a good place for acquiring information.” he replied and thankfully Acina just nodded. Vowrawn came to his rescue then.
“As you can see he rejoined the active military shortly after the Alliance was formed. He has lead several successful campaigns in wild space, and ensured minimum casualties during our contribution on Voss. And his actions during Eternal Fleet’s bombardment of Dromund Kaas saved thousands of lives,” Vowrawn offered with his usual charm.
“Yes, I read that report too,” Acina replied a little sternly, but then smiled. “It would seem you make the perfect choice. Not long ago the alliance came upon a planet named Iokath. We know, thanks to our corporation with the Alliance, that it harbours valuable technology. It is in fact the origin of the Eternal Fleet,”
“That technology must not fall into Republic hands. We should recover as much as possible before we miss the opportunity,” Quinn said passionately.
“I quite agree. After the Republic’s attempt on my life - and the life of the Alliance Commander - I’d rather not become complacent. I am sending you and your forces to Iokath,” Acina stated pulling up sensor readings and analasises of the planet.
“As you say, Empress,”
“You have two objectives, Admiral. Acquire as much technology as possible before the republic do. And get me the full support of the Alliance and its Commander. We cannot yet afford another full blown war with the republic. We need that alliance and those weapons to ensure peace,”
“Understood. I will have my men ready to leave within the day,” Quinn bowed his head.
“Very good. Dismissed admiral.”
Quinn bowed to Acina and Vowrawn before leaving. Acina turned to Vowrawn.
“He seems very competent. Let us hope that his former Lord will look favorably on meeting him again,” she stated calmly.
“I take it you did not look at his personal files?” Vowrawn smirked. Acina raised her brow and pulled up the file in question. She had to chuckle, when she read it.
“That poor man. You did not think it relevant to inform him, that it is his missing wife he is going to be negotiating with?” her amusement was obvious, which made Vowrawn chuckle.
“Definitely not. Let the man concentrate on his duties for now and focus on getting the weapon on Iokath. Let it be a pleasant surprise. I think he has earned one of those,”
“Unless she should have taken another lover in the meantime. Then this little game of yours might just blow up in our faces,” Acina gave him a reprimanding look as she left the room.
“Impossible!” Vowrawn denied and when he was alone said to himself,”She wouldn’t…. Would she?”
As promised Quinn had his fleet ready to depart within a day and they set the course for Iokath. The past year he had mainly been patrolling the outer rim and wild space, trying to access and discover possible attacks on imperial worlds. And attempted to keep track of the movements of the Eternal Fleet. He had chosen this assignment specifically so that he could continue to look for his wife, while keeping their children safe. Though vital, it had been relatively safe missions, where he could bring his children along. This time they might enter a war. With the presence of the Alliance, however, he calculated an 87% chance that they would not enter into an armed conflict with the republic in space - the situation on the planet's surface was another matter entirely. Only few admirals had survived the initial conflict with Zakuul, which meant that when Quinn returned to active duty, there was a lot of need for a man with his qualifications. It had resulted in three promotions within a year. He now had more resources than ever to look for his wife and being so close to, where Darth Marr’s ship had been destroyed many years prior, he hoped he would finally discover the fate of his wife.
Within a short time he had create a base of operation on Iokath, and had already had a number of successful campaigns by the time the Alliance Commander decided to approach him. He had taken Empress Acina’s objectives to heart, and had a strategy in place for winning over the Alliance Commander once and for all. He was waiting in the conference room, going over every detail of the meeting, When he heard an Imperial Ensign say : “Admiral may I present....” and then getting cut off by:
“Malavai?”
At the sound of the familiar voice all the planning, preparations and objectives vanished into thin air. When he turned and looked directly into a pair of yellow eyes, he felt as if a rancor had hit him in the gut. He knew words left his mouth and that she said something back, but his mind registered nothing until Cianne jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. He could feel her trembling against him and he was lost. He burrowed his face in her long red hair taking in the scent of her of Naboo roses and Alderanian vanilla. For the first time in almost six years the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach was gone.
When Arcann landed his shuttle on Odessen he felt a simmer of anger in him. Cianne’s husband was IMPOSSIBLE to find. He had gone from hideout to hideout only to find traps, demolished skytroopers and incinerated armour from what he assumed was the horizon guard. The outlander had really rubbed his sister the wrong way for her to put this much effort into killing her husband. He sighed with regret and remorse at the memory of his sister. Sanya met him in the hangar.
“You were unsuccessful then,” she said sadly.
“Yes. She told me he was a resourceful man, but he might just be a genius. I managed to go all the way to a planet called Hutta and found almost no evidence that he had even been there. Just some vague description of an hermit with black hair and an imperial accent,” Arcann shook his head.
“Maybe it is just as well. We are needed. The commander have requested that we join her aboard the Gravestone. Both the Republic and Empire have taken an interest in Iokath, and she is concerned of what they might find there,” Senya explained as he followed her towards the Gravestone.
“I thought it was covered in dangerous gas?”
“It has evaporated it would seem,” Senya stated as they approached Cianne standing in the Gravestone’s hangar. Arcann felt his heart quicken by the sight of her. Her long red hair moved gently in the wind coming through the open door, while her stunning yellow eyes were studying a datapad, while listening to Theron. She was so lovely and yet intimidating in her gold and black heavy armour.
“Arcann, good to see you are here. I assume Senya has brought you up to speed?” She asked, while seeming completely unaffected by his presence.
“Yes. I will follow you wherever you need me Commander,” he replied and was rewarded with a small smile.
“Good let us take off then,” Cianne stated as they walked in.
“Are you sure you want to approach the Empire first, Commander?” Theron asked.
“Yes,” she answered simply.
“But Saresh has been…” Theron was interrupted by Cianne stopping hand holding up a hand as a sign to stop.
“I know how you feel about the Republic, Theron. But I gave Acina my word and she was the one to come to our aid. Surely you do not expect me to break the word of the Alliance,”
“No, Commander,” Theron replied a little defeated.
“We haven’t taken any sides yet, but if we are to maintain stability in the galaxy we have to start thinking of ourselves as part of the entire galaxy, not just the Republic, Empire or Zakuul,” she smiled at Theron, who could not help but return it. Arcann could no longer deny his captivation with her, when he realised how strongly her words affected him as well.
A few days later
Cianne was about to depart on Iokath and gave the crew the last instructions before they left.
“Theron, I want you to see if you can slice into the databases of both the Republic and the Empire. I want to know, who is on those ships and any useful information about them. There are too many Destroyers here for my liking,” Cianne sighed.
“Even the Imperials?” Theron smirked and Cianne rolled her eyes.
“Yes. I refuse to have this end up in a full scale battle - those fools,” she shook her head and turned to Arcann, “If they start firing at each other I want you to take command of the Eternal Fleet and have them come here. If Theron can’t find anything we can use to blackmail them with,” Theron gave a roguish grin, while Cianne continued, ”then we will have to force them into line. But only as a last resort,”
“Understood, commander,” Arcann replied and Cianne left.
Arcann went to one of the terminals next to Theron, who was already slicing through the imperial systems, while Arcann began to access the schematics on the republic and imperial destroyers. It wasn’t long before Theron broke the silence.
“No way! You have got to be kidding me,”
“What have you found, Theron?” Lana asked from across the bridge.
“Admiral Malavai Quinn,” Theron chuckled, while Lana ran to the console. Arcann just stood by silently trying to focus on his task. In the back of his mind the word “atonement” was whispered over and over, while his heart was wistful.
Cianne had finally found Malavai, and then they had spend most of the day running around Iokath. She had loved it in a way. They had fallen into their routine quickly and it felt as if they had never been a part. In the back of her mind, there were so many questions she wanted to ask. She wanted to know what happened to their children and what had happened to him. She wanted to hold and kiss all of them, but the opportunity didn’t present itself. So when evening came she was a strange mixture of frustrated and elated. She was giving a briefing to her people on the Gravestone, and when she closed the holo channel she began to look over the information Theron had gathered.
“You are just as I remember you,” Malavai’s voice sounded from behind her.
She turned her head and saw he was just quietly standing in the middle of the room looking at her as if she was a mirage. For her it had only been a year, but for him it might as well have been an eternity. She left the console and walked over to him, where she stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes tightly as if he was in pain, while relieving a trembled breath and leaning into her touch.
“I am right here, Malavai,” she tried to comfort, and he quickly grabbed her and pulled her close to him.
“I have no words for how much I have missed you, my love,” He breathed against her lips before catching them in a agonizingly slow kiss. Once their lips touched there was no urgency and no roaming of hands and limbs. It was tender, deep and left her breathless as her heart swelled in her chest. It was more passionate and emotional than any other kiss she had ever shared with anyone. When they withdrew from the kiss he rested his brow against hers.
“I was afraid you had been killed. When I read your message I feared the worst,” she said softly and the look he gave her was pained.
“I’m sorry, my love. It was written in a moment of frustration. I have mostly been on my own, when it came to searching for you. With exception of the children of course,” he stroked her cheek as a comfort as if he could see the sting in her heart.
“How are they?” she asked and wondered if she should also ask who they were.
“They are well. The first months without you were the hardest. They do not you remember you now sadly, but I talked about you every day. Shared whatever I could with them. Cole, is such a thoughtful and wise boy. His senses pick up on everything around him. He is force sensitive, but I kept it secret,” the shame was evident on his face,”I could not bare to send him to the academy while he was still so young. I have been teaching him saber combat with training swords. Though my skills leave much to be desired compared to yours,” he stated and she smiled at him. She remembered having him spar with her for practice before Jaesa had joined them. It was a good opportunity to get closer to him and he had some basic vibrosword training at the academy.
“I am sure you have made an exemplary teacher,”
“I try, my lord. I have done what I could for him, but I can’t help feeling he would have benefitted more from your guidance,”
“Don’t sell yourself short, dear. And the girls?”
Quinn gave something like a huff and a chuckle.
“Temperance is a cadet in the Imperial military. She gave up her music to be closer to me and the children. Layla is tenacious, wild, frivolous and when she begins talking there is no stopping her,” Quin exasperated.
“Sounds like Vette,” Cianne giggled.
“And the irony is not lost on me. In truth she is also kind, caring and very fair minded,” he smiled ruefully.
“She sounds like a good girl,”
“I adore her,” he shook his head, “but she needs you. She has always needed you. I am to rigged and tedious to be what she needs,”
Years of coping on his own was written on his face at that moment and he seemed to age ten years beyond the five they had already spent apart. She had seen that expression before, but never heard him voice so much self doubt. She stepped forward and gentle took his chin to make him look at her.
“I know you, Malavai. You have been a dedicated, loyal and protective father. You have given them stability despite all the challenges thrown at you. You have taken it upon yourself to prepare them for what is to come, to the best of your abilities. Not only have you not failed them or me, you have been exactly the father they needed most,” she was completely serious as she spoke and he took her hand kissing her palm.
“You are always so sure of everything,” he smiled sadly.
“That’s because I have you to guide me,” she stated returning his smile.
“You have been fine all this time without my council,” he huffed.
“From I awoke from carbonite, every advice you have given me followed me. I would not be where I am if not for your insight,” she kissed him softly, “Where are the children?”
“When I saw all the republic ships I deemed it too risky for them to stay with me. I had them rendezvous on an imperial docking station, where Ovech is currently posted. He promised to watch them for a few days, till I could find other arrangements.
“Give him the coordinates to Odessen. We can meet up with them, when we are done here,”
“I will make it so,” he replied and walked behind her, he then ghosted his lips against her neck, “I am going to retire for tonight, care to join me?” the sensation of his breath against her neck made a shiver go down her spine.
“Lead the way,” she smiled.
It wasn’t until two days later the Commander returned to the Gravestone with her husband next to her. She made the introductions and when it came to Arcann, Quinn began to speak.
“He will need no introduction,” Quinn walked right up in front of Arcann and looked at him with a neutral look on his face. Quinn was about the same height as Arcann, but not nearly as muscular. Arcann felt uncomfortable, but then out of nowhere he felt a fist collide with his face and something pushing his legs from out under him. He heard the sounds of gasping and Koth and Theron laughing. Arcann looked up at Quinn who brushed off his glove as if it was dirty, but seemed perfectly serene and collected.
“Malavai!” Cianne scolded.
“Forgive me, my lord,” he said in and bowed to her before he looked down on Arcann for the first time making eye contact with him.
“I hope you understand that few would show you the mercy my lord has shown you. It is one of her best and rarest qualities,” he turned his head to smile fondly at his wife, who seemed to smile despite herself. Quinn then kneeled in front of him and in a deep almost growling voice said.
“Also understand this, my wife might have forgiven you, but that does not mean that I will. Should you ever do anything to harm her I will shoot you dead with a clear conscience,” The man then calmly and slowly rose before leaving the bridge as if nothing had happened. Cianne looked at Arcann to see if he was alright, but he merely gave a small smile and made a gesture for her to follow her husband. Theron walked over to help him up, still chuckling lightly.
“Are you alright?”
“I believe so. It’s nothing I did not deserve,” Arcann grinned and looked after Cianne, who was walking down the corridor with Quinn - probably giving him an earful. Somehow it left Arcann with a feeling that everything would be alright, despite nothing turning out as he had hoped.