Objective: Drink to forget, but try not to do anything that winds up becoming awkward upon regaining consciousness....
Still at the bar, Seku seemed determined to drink herself into a state of total oblivion, when a persistent beeping interrupted her. Looking around for the source of the sound, Seku soon realized her holocommunicator was going off. KARK IT, she thought she'd turned the damned thing off. before deciding to come to the party....
"This better be good," she grumbled, as the visage of one of the anonymous SIA intel nerds who worked the night away inside a room full of secure comms and data banks, slowly came into focus.
"Hey, Blue, finally got a lead on that Jedi of yours...."
"And?...."
"The news is not good...."
"What do you mean NOT GOOD....I hate when people in our line of work tell me something's NOT GOOD."
"You been drinking?..." The intel nerd asked, noticing the nearly empty glass next to Seku.
"If you must know...I'm at a Life Day Gala."
"Oh...um...well....Just...don't do anything like the last time you were at a Life Day party, the guys here STILL talk about that one...."
"How the hell did you find out about that party in the first place?!..."
"Newsflash....We're SIA...it's our job to know things...."
"Ok...forget that...you said you had a lead on Alex..."
"You'd better sit down. As I said...the news is not good...."
Retrieving her glass, Seku found an empty table nearby.
"Alright...spill it," she said, taking a seat.
"Ok...starting from the beginning. Alex StormWolf, Knight Of The Jedi Order, last known whereabouts..Osseriton after receiving Priority One coded message from Jedi Counsel."
"I knew that already from a mutual friend on Tatooine. That was a dead-end...."
"Strap yourself in Blue, this is where it starts getting ugly."
Swallowing hard against the sudden knot of fear that crept up into her throat, Seku nodded.
"Go on..."
"Locals on Osseriton recounted details of an infestation of quote...monsters. Jedi Knight matching Alex's description seen engaging a canine creature of some sort, only to be severely bitten. From there, accounts of Jedi Knight matching Alex's description surfaced in space ports over a several month interval, on a direct course leading to Yanibar."
"Yanibar was Alex's homeworld...."
"The trail leading to Yanibar ends abruptly. However, other sources indicate that two Sith Lords were allegedly spotted near the ruins of an old estate, reputed to be the haunted site of a massacre that occurred more than 30 years ago..."
"Alex's childhood home," Seku said, suddenly feeling as if the floor under her was about to give way.
"Moving on...Previously unknown Sith Lord has recently been seen in the presence of a.....hang on here.....Lady Venge..."
"NO! It can't be....IT CAN'T BE!...."
"Afraid so, Blue...My conclusion is that your Jedi's gone way beyond rogue...."
An image of the Sith Lord, Lady Venge, came into focus above Seku's holocommunicator. Standing beside Venge, was a Sith wearing a helmet that fully concealed his features, and head to toe armor a bit reminiscent of something Alex would have worn, only far more darker. Lady Venge, the woman who had haunted Alex day and night for over 30 years, had apparently succeeded in breaking his will once more.
Unable to bear hearing even one detail more, Seku abruptly shut off her holocommunicator. She wasn't sure who she hated the most at the moment. The Jedi for abandoning Alex, Venge for succeeding in corrupting him once more, or herself for not being there when Alex needed her the most.
Life Day was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but Seku felt as if her heart was suddenly about to shatter into a million pieces. Intoxicated, heartbroken, and alone was no way to spend the holiday....
"Damn it...why do I do this to myself.....why?...."
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