Reprising Bad Decisions

[Caid Centurion]

[member="Athena Heron"]

Caid paused just near the cockpit's exit. Reaching a hand up to grasp the overhead casually, he smiled mischievously at Athena. "Intimidating?" A brief shrug accompanied the spread of his smile before he released the overhead, "Not the word that immediately comes to mind." Turning, the Ren entered the corridor and made his way towards the loading ramp. In a matter of moments, they stepped out into the mild environment of Corstris.

For roughly half a minute, Caid was silent, listening to the wildlife as the sounds of nature melted into his ears. Satisfied that nothing was particularly amiss, he swiveled his silver-green gaze in the direction of the path they would need to take. Withdrawing a datapad from his pocket, Caid briefly confirmed their azimuth before stowing it once more.

Minutes drifted by until light began to intensify through the dense foliage. Caid's silver-green gaze focused on the edge of the clearing. In the distance, he could see the outer perimeter of the Corstris Palace. The lack of artificial lighting permitted definitive shadows to fall over most of the landscape. The moon wasn't particularly bright this evening either, ensuring that their approach would be relatively well-masked until they entered the grounds proper.

Still concealing his presence, Caid's eyes swept the area before he emerged from the foliage and motioned Athena to continue on her way. Her job wasn't to sneak up to the residence, merely to stroll as if she belonged, returning home after some errand or another for Lord Centurion. Caid, on the other hand, did his best to mask his movements against what terrain he could.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Caid Centurion"]

She wondered what word came to Caid's mind. She had a guess. But she would never voice her question out loud. She only smiled behind his back.

Eyes darted around, the night air kissing her skin. She took a deep breath, smelling pine, meadows, and perhaps a charge of ozone from the clouds above. She offered Caid a silent nod, fingertips brushing along his upper arm as she continued her forward trek. She didn't look at him as she passed. Her entire focus was on the estate. What little moonlight was there caught strands of black feathers mixed with hair, almost making her sparkle between the shadows.

It wasn't the gardener who spotted her first. Maybe he or she was tending to moon lilies elsewhere on the grounds. It was a guard.

"You. Stop and state you business."

Her shoulders were already squared, head held high. "Athena Heron, student and acolyte to Lord Centurion. I am returning from his bidding. Now move aside." Eyes flecked gold as she went to brush past him, footsteps never wavering.

If worse came to worse, she would just wrench a nightmarish illusion into his mind that would have him unable to eat for days. And he'd never be able to look at dragonflies the same way again. The other guards would find his shivering form eventually.

But hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. For his sake.

 

[Caid Centurion]

From a distance and the concealment of darkness near the edge of the estate, Caid's silver-green eyes gazed out in the direction of Athena. There was little he could physically do to help her at just that moment without undoubtedly raising suspicion. Further more, he was working rather intently to keep his presence in the Force masked.

As soon as she'd stepped past the first sentry, Caid kept his eyes on the man just to be sure he did not elect to create a problem. From what he could see, the sentry had spoken briefly into a communications headset as he watched Athena depart. Within little more than a handful of seconds, however, the guard turned and fixed his gaze back on the main road.

Turning, Caid once again began slipping along the edge of the estate closer to the massive palace in the distance.

Athena would find her path undisturbed until she reached the stone circular drive that pulled up in front of the Corstris Palace. At the doors, two men in black uniforms stood silently. Unlike the sentries that patrolled the perimeter, these men wore black and silver armor and similarly fashioned cloaks over top of them. If Athena elected to investigate their force presence, she would find them to at least be fairly well-trained. "There is no record of one of the pupils being on world. State your name, Acolyte."

[member="Athena Heron"]

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Caid Centurion"]

After passing the first guard, she kept a sigh of relief from escaping in check. Barely. The hardest part was not gawking at the palace? Yes, palace. Of course Lord Centurion would design nothing less. Her face was a mask as well as her emotions as she took long, silent strides up to the door.

A calculating gaze fell to the sentry who had spoken. She probed him with her mind and found defenses. So he was force sensitive? The other one too. She wasn't surprised, having been intimately acquainted with her lord not so long ago. Again she found he was not a man to cross but she would be doing so anyway.

"Athena Heron. Of course there is no record. My Lord would not waste time on such trifle matters. Now move aside." Fingers fell to her hips as she looked them down with an authoritative stare. She angled her hips, so the lightsaber hilt he gave her was in plain sight.

 

[Caid Centurion]

The two sentries at the door remained motionless throughout [member="Athena Heron"]'s response. Once she'd finished speaking, their silence only continued until one of them spoke once more. "Mind your tongue, Acolyte. Athena Heron is not the name of any individuals whom are presently associated with Lord Centurion." The charge of the sentries had been simple - no admittance to those names that had not been seared into their brain by the Sith Lord. Given the extent of time since his last visit of consequence, that was a possibility.

However, the two sentries did recall Lord Centurion's most recent visitor. A rather irritating girl with glasses that had rather made a mess of things. "Leave the gro-" The sentry's voice faltered as his eyes glazed over briefly. After a few passing moments, both sentries stepped outside and motioned the door open. "Lord Centurion awaits you in the sitting room to the right."

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Silver-green eyes gazed at the monitor on the desk as a soft smile played on the Sith Lord's lips. For the time being, his presence had been completely masked. Cameron's visits to his private home had grown much more common in recent months. There were none that knew of the travel, however, so he was...rather surprised to see a woman he'd known and trained a relatively short time ago sauntering across his land as if she'd belonged.

The Sith Lord was not angry of course. No, he was intrigued. How had she come to know of the location of his homeworld? He had certainly never taken her and the navigational data was rather well locked away in his mind. It had to be given that no navicomputer could merely journey to the system of its own accord without the proper intersection coordinates and variables.

As he watched the sentries grant admittance to the young woman, Cameron came to his feet and shifted his position to a rather comfortable leather chair within the warmly decorated room.

[member="Athena Heron"]

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Ashmedai"]

Yellow flecks already swirled in her eyes. Body tensed as the guards first denied...she paused. CHITchitchitchitCHIT. Face remained masked. "Of course Lord Centurion is here!" She yelled in a growl. She had no idea where Caid was. Or if he heard, or what he heard. Yelling was her best bet. Under normal circumstances, she'd just plop a whispered warning in his mind. Perhaps even tell him to get out.

But he was masking his presence. And that would only light a beacon to where he currently was, so a yell he would get.

Fingers smoothed down her plum-colored dress. A move to mask any nerves. Chin remained high. Her lithe-form stepped up and entered the estate. Booted-feet made no sound on the floor as she approached the sitting room.

CHIT

Eyes remained flecked with gold. Steeling a breath, she entered, gaze falling to her master of not so long ago. Long strides placed her in front of his sitting form. Just out of reach. Even sitting, the man still seemed to tower. They had both...disappeared. And yet, here they were.

"My Lord," she dipped her chin in respect, but never took her eyes off him. "I see time has been kind to you." Eyes unabashedly roved his form. "Of course, I'm speaking about your estate." Pink-lips twitched for only a moment.

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid had heard Athena. It was almost deathly quiet save the somewhat distant sounds of nature. For a moment, the young Ren was almost paralyzed, thinking that if he moved one more muscle, his father would know it. This irrational fear passed rather swiftly, however. Grumbling under his breath, the younger Centurion continued to creep along the edge of the estate until he had a view of the rear of the palace. Slowly, he began stalking through the shadows towards the edifice, carefully avoiding defenses he'd mapped out during his earlier visit.

He just...was not able to sense the more passive measures that were relatively new to the Corstris Palace.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

An all too familiar smile slowly crept across Cameron's lips as his gaze rested on [member="Athena Heron"]'s form. She had certainly never been an unappealing specimen. No, the case was more so just that, appealing or not, the Sith Lord had no desire for the Omwati. No desire for anyone outside of the woman he'd already chosen to be his mate.

As he inhaled steadily, the tattoos running along his exposed chest heaved slightly. "Blue. What an unexpected pleasure." After motioning for Athena to have a seat, Cameron steepled his fingertips just below his bottom lip. "I'm curious as to what I might owe this particular..." Eyes slowly swept her form once more, allowing them to absorb the pleasure the rest of his body would not. "...late-night calling?"

------
No sooner had the words left his lips than two men dressed identically to the two men outside were alerted to the activation of pressure sensors on east lawn. With a simple keystroke, they slaved two infrared cameras to the area. Immediately they were presented with the approaching from of an unidentified individual. The senior of the two men ordered the other to check the voltage level on the inner electric field as he contacted his superior. "Intruder east lawn, sector 2. Looks like they managed to get past all but the new inner defenses."

A pause.

"I understand Commander. The electric field is charged and operational." Now they merely needed to wait.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Caid Centurion"]

She sat, back straight, shoulders back - tall and regal as ever. Feathers ruffled in dark strands of hair as she held the Sith Lord's gaze. Once or twice her eyes drifted down to his chest. She wondered if Caid heard her warning. Part of her hoped that he left because she didn't want to think about what would happen if he was caught. Of course, she had no idea of knowing what he did, where he was, or what could potentially happen next.

Long eyelashes batted at Cameron. "I suppose you wouldn't believe it was the will of the force?" The corners of her pink lips curved upward. Briefly.

Eyes hardened. "No. You know me...Lord. I have a lust for knowledge and I've always known you to be in possession of much of it. Did you really think you could keep the location of your estate a secret from one of your...old students?"

Half truths. Half lies. A shouldering of responsibility and a treading of dangerous ground. She just hoped it bought Caid some time. And she couldn't explain why she suddenly cared so much.

 

[Caid Centurion]

He sensed it...perhaps a half second to late. The Force swelled within him and he saw his body encased in a torrent of energy. It was not the natural energy of the Force but rather that produced by a man-made device. The instant he attempted to reverse his course, tendrils of blue-white raced up the sides of his body. There was an almost unbearable heat as Caid attempted to fight back, erecting a protective barrier around his body. For a brief moment it seemed to be working as his lower extremities began to move...not quickly, but they moved.

Then...his world went black.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

There was but a brief silence following Athena's retort. His home had remained a secret from much of the galaxy for almost longer than he could remember. The Omwati was talented, but she was not so connected as to have the information to this world, his estate specifically. There were precious few that had ever visited and been granted access to the navigational routes which were mostly stored in his mind. Still...the late night visit was a pleasant fantasy.

Just as Cameron was about to open his mouth to respond, his communicator began beeping softly. "Excuse me for a moment, Blue." Standing, the large Sith Lord casually made his way to the desk and retrieved the communicator. With his gaze focused intently on Athena, he listened to the report from the Commander. His facial expression turned from neutral to pleasantly amused. "I see. Thank you, Commander."

Placing the communicator back on the desk, Cameron laughed softly. "Yes," he responded to her question. "I most certainly do believe it to be the will of the Force...as are most things in life. However, I've found through my years that said will is often hard to properly interpret. In fact, I've given up almost entirely. The tendencies of a living thing can never truly be understood so innately."

Stepping around the desk, Cameron made his way over to Athena, taking a seat directly beside her as he draped an arm firmly but non-threateningly over her shoulder. "Now let me ask my own question. For what purpose did you travel here with my son." Caid Centurion may have thought his father hated him or had been ignoring him his entire life. In truth, Cameron had kept rather close tabs on the boy and his mother. After all, of all his former flames, the Cavataio women held a special place in his heart. Unfortunately for Kristin, her older sister [member="Lauda Cavataio"] was the Sith Lord's favorite. Which, naturally, made Gemma his favorite of his Cavataio children.

If ever there were one that got away outside of Alia Ravyns...

[member="Athena Heron"]

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Caid Centurion"] and his troll face father

The moment Cameron's communicator beeped, she knew something was wrong. A tingle of uneasiness through the force. The feeling started right before the comm beep and it only grew with intensity. Muscles tensed as he plopped down next to her, a massive arm securing itself around her shoulders.

He could crush her if he wanted to. Only a slight widening of her eyes betrayed her surprise. Caid. Was he okay?

Shifting against the Sith Lord's side so she could look into his face and as much as his grip along her shoulders allowed, she half turned into him. "I didn't lie to you when I spoke of knowledge, my Lord. But it is not my own I seek. It is his. Nor is it my place to betray his....trust. You'll have to ask him yourself."

Full lips pursed.

She didn't know the relationship between father and son. The way Caid described it, it was tenuous at best. Muscles remained taught. Blue-fingertips twitched near the lightsaber hilt at her side.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Cameron's silver-green eyes burned with amusement and intrigue. "Nor is it your place to betray his trust?" Cameron wanted to laugh, but he was honestly too shocked into near-disbelief. The [member="Athena Heron"] he'd known had, almost as a rule, kept everyone had a distance. Sure, she was open to the typical emotions of all sentient beings, and he judged her to be very much in touch with her passions and desires. However, he'd never really seen her as the type to make a connection to the point where she even much cared about maintaining an individual's trust outside of those that she viewed as being deserving of her loyalty.

He rather wondered what his hatred-fueled son had done to spark that level of commitment. "Well now. Careful, the men in my family have a rather bad habit of disappointing where the emotional-commitment spectrum is concerned." Ashmedai winked playfully for a moment as he came to his feet. "Let's go and have a chat with Caid then, shall we?"

Cameron did not wait for a reply as long strides began carrying him out of the sitting room and into the main corridor towards the rear of the estate.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Caid Centurion"] and his troll face father

And like that, he was up. She scrambled to follow. Long hair was flipped over her partially exposed shoulder. "Excuse me, Lord. Your son and I....we're not....we're friends." Voice trailed off.

The problem here was...he was right. There was a connection but she didn't know what it was. She felt a connection to Lord Centurion as well. A very different one. She would always have it because he was the one who plucked her from the monotony of Tython's Sith academy. In a way, he was the one who was responsible for her connection with Caid.

Dark-gaze flitted nervously around their surroundings, doing what she usually did. Assessing for weaknesses, points of strength, and escape routes. Long, silent strides caught up to the shirtless Sith Lord.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Cameron didn't respond to Athena as he swept out the rear of the estate. Jumping over the railing and on to the manicured lawn, Cameron strode directly towards two of his cloaked guards standing over a completely unconscious form. Drawing to a halt a couple feet from the body of his son, the Sith Lord smiled thinly. "Thank you, gentlemen. I will handle my son from here."

The guards bowed respectfully before hastening their departure back into the darkness.

Silver-green eyes focused on the body of Cameron's son. The young man had grown rather considerably since Cameron had last seen him in person. Since then, it was all based on reports provided by various sources as the young man struggled to find his way in the galaxy. With a subtle smirk, Cameron turned his head to Athena. "Do you want to see if you can wake him up with a kiss?"

[member="Athena Heron"]

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Caid Centurion"] and his troll face father

She jogged lightly to keep up. Worry tinged the depths of her gaze as she saw Caid's unmoving form on the lawn, surrounded by guards. Pink-lips thinned as Cameron winked. The Omwati tried to mask her worry.

Flipping her feathered-hair over her shoulder, she brushed passed the Sith Lord. "Maybe I will. Just don't get too jealous, my Lord." She offered a smirk in return, the bravado faltering just a tad on her lips as she tucked her legs beneath herself on the lawn. The prickly grass itched against her exposed skin but she ignored it as she gently pulled Caid's head into her lap.

Fingertips lightly brushed his cheeks as her gaze roved his form, looking for injury. There was a slight burning that pricked the tip of her nose. Face hovered over his, long hair falling to shield her lips as she murmured close to Caid's ear. Too quiet for Cameron to hear, hopefully.

"Caid. Wake up. I haven't told your father what knowledge you seek but he's here and he wants to know. Can you hear me, Caid? Are you with me?" Thumbs continued to lightly stroke his cheeks.

 

[Cameron Centurion]

At this range and with hearing aided by the Force, any words actually spoken were rarely to quiet for the Sith Lord to hear. No sooner had Athena finished her touching display than a deep, rumbling laughter emanated from Cameron's direction. "He seeks the heart of the Empire commanded by his ancestors." Stepping forward, Ashmedai knelt down beside Athena, smiling thinly. "You see, Athena, what he failed to tell you was that he is in possession of a holocron. A holocron which he stole from my old apartment on Coruscant. This device was created by my great-grandfather. First born son of the Warrior King Maximus in the days of the first Sith Lords. Through that device and some information that I purposefully had slipped to his pitiful first master, Keishi Miahr, he came to know of his full heritage. Now...the curiosity, the thirst for knowledge and the potential power of his ancestors drives him."

Standing once more, Cameron laughed heartily. "He has yet much to learn, but I trust in time he will come to understand one simple truth. He has never been free of my influence. If you complete this journey with him, your fates will forever be entwined...one way or another." With a wave of his hand, the Sith Lord sent an electric shock through Caid's system before disappearing in a blinding flash of blue-white light.

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid coughed twice violently as his mind and body surged back to life. Bolting upright, he nearly struck his head against Athena's as his body heaved and clawed for fresh air. Slowly, Caid gained his composure as silver-green eyes took in the dark surroundings. When his gaze fell on Athena, he forced himself to appear as unaffected as possible. "Athena. What... Why are you out here?"

An object in the grass caught Caid's attention, and his gaze immediately shifted in its direction. "What is that." The young Centurion inclined his head in the direction of the datapad. A datapad that had not been there prior to the disappearance of his father. A presence that he still was not even aware had been on the grounds. "Is that what I think it is?" Immediately, Caid reached over and grabbed the device, activating it. "How did you get this?"

A look of incredulity was turned in Athena's direction before some weird element of understanding descended upon his mind. "He was here, wasn't he?"

[member="Athena Heron"]

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Caid Centurion"] only because his troll face father left

She proffered a glare at the sith lord as he eavesdropped. Did Caid tell her about the holocron? Dark-brows knit together. No, he did not. Lips parted to ask a question but her eyes squeezed closed from a sudden and blinding hot light. Eyes snapped opened and blinked away the streak of light left in her vision.

Was Lord Centurion just swallowed by a bolt of lighting? Sith Lords these days. Dark-eyes rolled.

Attention pulled back to Caid as he awoke and grasped something she too, just saw on the lawn. If he was still resting partially on her lap, he would find that his body was suddenly tossed unceremoniously to the damp earth as she stood. "Caid Centurion," she adjusted her dress back down from its hiked position. "Yes he was here," she snapped. "I tried to warn you at the house. What's this about a holocron that you failed to mention to me?!"

Dark eyes flecked gold as her anger grew.