You always take me to the nicest places

[Chevu Visz]

Two Bit, Chevu’s BB-8 unit held a simple message in its databanks from the day that Coren Starchaser left Sullust: “Coren has a plan.” When Chevu retrieved the message, sent by Starchaser’s astromech to hers, she couldn’t help but grin. When did he not have some kind of plan in that stubborn head of his?

In a few days, the Mirialan plotted a course to Lipsec in her light freighter, the Mirage, the one Starchaser himself designed for her. First Order space. It was risky world for light siders, but at least she knew they wouldn’t be followed. When they shimmered out of hyperspace, Two Bit was beside himself with excitement.

“I know, Two Bit. I miss him, too.” She knew Two Bit was talking about Starchaser's droid, Porter. But she had someone else in mind.

The Mirialan Jedi Marshal landed in the Lipsec spaceport and took a speeder taxi to a place called Lethro’s. Lethro’s was a cheap motel in the worst part of the captial city, a sector that ran rampant with spicers, slavers and thugs. Chevu was sure that at the end of her stay, she’d be batting away space fleas and coming down from a contact high, but no one would ever look for a Jedi Marshal and former GADF Commander at a place like Lethro’s. Once tucked in her room, privacy screens drawn, she had Two Bit send Coren the coordinates, along with a simple message, just like his:

“Let’s do this.”

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Coren had been working out of a local facility, one that he found on the world of Lorta. One that involved several Dreadguard, and others who were sick of the way the Jedi always seemed to muck up the works. He had a few pieces of equipment there, mostly lost X-Wings, a Nebulon B9, Strike-Class Corvette, and other small vessels. He wasn’t ever operating out of the world as Coren Starchaser but any number of aliases. For what he was planning, he didn’t want it coming down on his family, nor the Alliance.

Tachyon Rising wasn’t on the world of Lipsec, instead it was ShortFin, Coren’s other vessel, the stealth one, the one that was hard to track. Porter had made sure to much up its signature enough that it’d be hard to track it, even if they found the ShortFin on their radar. Starchaser was under an assumed name, but Chevu knew how to find him.

Sitting in the capital, waiting for the call, Porter started acting up and Coren nodded. “That must be it.”

He nodded for his astromech to lead the way, grabbing his gunbelt from the chair next to him. Stepping from the cantina, he made his way towards the target location, following Porter. Should be nice, but there were concepts Coren needed to talk about.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

The two of them were a sight, the Mirialan Knight pacing around the room like a caged animal as the BB-8 unit did figure eights around her ankles. She knew Coren was waiting for the message, but would he show? Trying to predict what Starchaser would do was a bit like trying to predict the wind. Maybe that's what she liked about him.

What in the galaxy is that stain from?

Then she saw it, The mini bar. She needed to calm her nerves. Two Bit chirped a few warning beeps at her and butted her leg.

"I know it's early," she muttered sheepishly, but poured the glass anyway, avoiding the metal gaze of the astromech.

The day he left Sullust was still swimming in her head. What would Omai Rhen say if he knew she was here?

Chevu had finished the entire drink in one gulp, as the door hissed open.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

He was going to show, of course he was going to show. Coren was not quite on the run, but he was doing his best to stay low. There were a few people he would trust, Chevu, Rook, Spark, Rekha. He knew they were out to help balance the galaxy, regardless of what happened in the Alliance. But with Omai Rhen putting ‘Gabriel’ in the position of a Marshal.

Whatever, Coren would find a way to focus the GADF and rally the cause again. But right now? He was following up on the promise to Chevu, contact her when he got clear and set up a location for them to meet, and to discuss.

He had a few ideas, and he needed her to help bring them to fruition. Porter had found the room and Coren followed the droid. Open the door, he stepped inside. “Thanks for meeting.” Was all that verbally came out, but the way he looked at her? That spoke volumes.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

As she locked eyes with Coren, her raw emotions from his sudden departure came flooding back to her. Coren had gone and uprooted everything they knew, everything they toiled over and tirelessly trained for. Two Bit caught wind of the flash of white hot anger in her eyes, and rolled under the bed, bleeping something about Coren being in the doghouse.

Chevu let out an impatient sigh, and slammed the glass down on the nightstand.

"I didn't come all the way out here for the room service," she said in a no nonsense tone. "Let's hear this plan Starchaser."

In a way, she understood why this was happening. Not only did Omai Rhen make Gabriel a Jedi Marshal, a decision that she herself supported, but Kinsey Starchaser and Kana Truden were both in holding cells on Sullust awaiting their fates, most likely rehabilitation. Those three events resulted in riling up the conspiracy-prone Commander. But was his leaving really the answer?

The Mirialan had some plans of her own, but she wanted to hear what he had in mind first.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Coren was a bit wary of what he’d get told from his partner. Chevu was understanding, she knew what he was after in this mixed up galaxy, and he trusted her, but he didn’t need guilt tripping. There were a few things the ex-Commander was doing that he needed the space from the Alliance to pull off. The first was setting up the base that he and Chevu had worked on. Currently Stinger and Tyrene were declared ‘missing in action,’ the crews volunteer only, and heading out to the Lorta system, a small moon that would be far off the radar.

Of course with two ships, it was going to be something that could be found, so Tyrene was continuing patrols, as the Tiburon base, and the Stinger had landed, and was being used as an impromptu base.

But he needed everything to feel right, and the use of the Wrath was a great move. The Jedi wouldn’t see this coming.

“I figured as much. Got eyes on, back at Sullust?” People would look to Chevu, and hopefully Voidstalker, but not to the Wrath. At least that would help prove the Alliance was what he was looking for. Was Nemo Ven being crazy? Not if you asked Coren.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

"Yeah, I got eyes on Sullust," she said, trying to hide her annoyance with him. Chevu was slowly growing into her Marshal role, and she had a few agents in the GADF that she'd come to trust. Peyton Steele was one of them. Brandon Horn, as enigmatic as he was, was her go-to slicer. Of course, he wasn't as good as... Yeah. Fat chance that Spark would partner with the homewrecking Mirialan. Not that she blamed her.

"There are some people willing to get behind me on something. An internal affairs unit, operating out of the shadows. Some Jedi. Some agents and slicers. We keep our eye on Master Rhen, Nemo Ven, and the Chief of State, and of course the Marshals and Commanders. Make sure everything's on the up-and up."

Two Bit peeked out from under the bed, and confident that the coast was clear, rolled happily up to Porter with a litany of beeps. Chevu poured another drink and then one for Coren, handing it to him with a tight-lipped smile. Her aura felt calmer, but there was still a deep crease in her brow.

"It's going to prove you wrong about all of this," Chevu challenged with a sharp laugh.

If it didn't? Well, she'd gladly eat her words.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

He wasn’t afraid. He was preparing. And he couldn’t prepare at the place where they were bringing Sith. Nemo Ven needed to do something about that. Maybe set up a waystation where they dropped the Sith into a giant hole. Or a prison set to self-destruct and locked all the Sith up until they could be cataloged and then vented to space. Yeah, maybe he was a bit extreme, but bringing public enemy group number one home? Not the smartest move.

Looking to his apprentice, at the next thing she said, he grinned. She had learned something from him, apparently. That was good. “It might, it might not. Can you trust the team you’ve got working for you?” He was more worried about anyone with ties to the Sith. They played the long con, and anyone who greeted the so happily could already be under their influence.

Time with Chevu found his confidence in her restored, at least.

“And if it does, at least we have something in place to watch. Word was they brought more Sith to Sullust.”

He didn’t trust it. Still, the pilot took the drink as Porter and Two Bit went on to have one of the most heavily censored conversations in the galaxy.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

There it was. That grin that always made her come undone, no matter how karked off she was at the guy. Despite herself, the Mirialan gave Starchaser a half smile and shrugged one shoulder.

"I don't know who I can really trust, but they're all I've got right now."

Starting up the group could get her jailed or exiled, perhaps even worse, depending on who you asked. It wasn't something that she undertook lightly. It probably would have made Master Oomomo roll over in his grave to know that she was about to spy on her own.

"There's another former Sith Lord in custody. Kana Truden. I'm hazy on how we got her. She was a Jedi healer in the Republic before she was Sith. Master Rhen feels like she's an excellent candidate for rehabilitation."

She pulled out a cylinder from the pocket of her leather jacket. His lightsaber hilt.

"Want this back?" A grin came. "If not, finders keepers."

Chevu raised a brow at the two reunited astromechs, babbling away at each other, then looked back at Coren accusingly.

"Oh, my droid did not talk like that before he met Porter."

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

It was one of those things, he supposed, the way the pair worked. Sure, student-master, and now… whatever they called one another now. He was always glad to see her, and even more glad to see that she was doing the good work. Maybe her former Master was a little upset, but had he come to visit her in a dream? No? Maybe it was where she should be. Starchaser didn’t know the Sullustan, but keeping the knowledge of everyone out in the open, and just in case there was some sort of thing to try to take over the galaxy with bible thumpingForce religions. It was just as bad as the Sith.

The people should lead, the way the Alliance was going, it was going to happen, but he didn’t trust the New Jedi Order. Not with the way they greeted Sith.

“Dunno them. I tried to keep Sith on a not-first-name-basis. If they survived a fight? That was a failure on my part. Did she just turn herself in?” He wasn’t going to trust that any more than he’d trust someone getting turned over. They could want to be captured.

Very possibly. Then he saw his lightsaber. The pilot grinned as he reached for it. “So, did anyone see you take it?” He was interested in just who was watching. As long as the right people were, then it was down the right channels. His hand found hers as he pulled her close.

“Sure he did, just not to you.” Coren looked at Porter and nodded. The droids would share a bit of information, and possibly a bit of a virus for the Alliance mainframe. A simple thing.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

Chevu grinned at Porter and Two Bit. It was nice to see the droids enjoying themselves, so she wasn't going to be a killjoy about the language.

A green hand gestured to his lightsaber pommel.

"No one saw me take it as far as I know. If someone did, well, then my Force sense is getting rusty."

He took that green hand and used it to pull her in close to him. At first the Mirialan dug her heels in, resisting his arms in an attempting to keep up her crumbling defense. Her pride wanted her to stay mad at him, but she never could stay mad at him for too long. Fighting it was hopeless, so she yielded to his body, needing his hands on her.

Tugging on his jacket, she pulled him down onto the paper thin mattress and climbed on top of him, straddling him underneath her.

"The Darkmeld," she said. "That's what I'm calling it."

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Well, maybe he was getting less dramatic. But there were a dozen or so officers who had seen him give Nemo Ven the resignation and storming off muttering something about no good Jedi. Something about how the deal was getting worse and worse. But what he was doing was being theatrical. Still, the words were right, the issue with Rhen and the Wrath and the Sith? Yeah, that was true.

Regardless, Coren had his lightsaber and tossed it on the night stand. Smiling at his student, he nodded. “Someone was bound to catch it, and word does spread of what I did.”

He felt his body moved and hit the mattress with a strained ‘oof.’ The droids didn’t calm their chatter, going on and on. Apparently Porter had a few things to say about the new situation Coren had set up, moving pilots out of Alliance space into free-space. Mentioning a few other groups, people Coren was calling favors from.

“Darkmeld, huh? Where’d you get that one?”

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

"Word is spreading. Some people say you've gone crazy. Others are calling the leadership into question. I'm probably going to be raked over the coals." The Mirialan rolled her onyx eyes. "Again."

Chevu shook her head, remembering that day she'd first met Coren. She kept calling him Master, and he kept laughing, insisting, "It's just Coren." What would have happened if she hadn't gone to Taris. If she hadn't...

Gabriel. He was a victim. He'd fought Sage Bane to a stalemate in the Suarbi system and now that he killed Darth Vornskr, he had his targets set on the other Voices and Hands. What did he have to karking do to prove his innocence to Coren? Who else did he have to fight and kill? Sadly, nothing and no one. A conspiracy theory could stay enflamed, running on the fuel of confirmation bias and communal reinforcement. Coren was going to believe what he wanted, even if Gabe showed up at the landing ramp of the Rising with the Wrath's head hanging from his fist.

Realizing she'd gone silent, she spoke, raising her voice enough to be heard above the droids' racket.

"The name? I'll tell you later. There's something else I need first."

Grinning down at him, she began to unbutton his shirt.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Coren looked at her. Well, at least people were paying attention. Going crazy though? They were keeping Sith, or former Sith, or whatever, people who have proven then can go dark, sitting around the capital. Hell, they even garbed one such with the title of Marshal. Not the group he joined, not the people he thought the Alliance was. Smarter than that, was what he thought.

Keep the Sith in the center of a sun, where they belong.

“You won’t get raked across the coals. Just let it be known who is making the choices, and let them know what the others have done and let them decide.” Could people come back? Sure, maybe. Could they ever be trusted again? Absolutely not.

Not one bit.

Coren would, most likely, never believe the Wrath was reformed. Sure, he kept saying he wasn’t, well… provide a head, and show that the body was incinerated, and perhaps, perhaps Coren could turn. Probably not, but it was the best bet. Hunting the other Voices and Hands and Left Testes of the Dark Lord was just a good thing in his favor, but the Sith were known to body hop. Stop that kind of bantha chit from happening, and well, maybe Coren wouldn’t debate about carpet bombing Sulon.

He fell prey to one too many attacks from Sith in the past, he wasn’t going to be trusting them as far as he could throw them.

His hands found her hips as the pilot looked up at the former slave. “Oh yeah?”

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

Later...

That was one very good way to make the most of their time.

Chevu flopped backwards on the bed, wiping away a few beads of sweat from her green-skinned brow. Two Bit and Porter seemed to have gone quiet. Were they in the room the whole time Coren and Chevu were...? Never mind, don't think about that. The Mirialan turned to Coren and smiled, letting out a long exhalation. There were no breathless declarations of love, or tender affirmations on how nice it was. It was just back to Alliance business.

"Chazwa," she began, averting her gaze from his knowing blue eyes to the ceiling fan. "I know I got in over my head," A sharp laugh came. "Again."

She didn't know how it happened, but it seemed like everytime she was in battle, she got swarmed. Was she too much of a rash lone wolf out on the field? Did she plunge in without thinking? Someday Coren or Jacen wouldn't be there to bail her out. Chevu sheepishly continued, her brown eyes regarding her Master hopefully.

"But I got some valuable intel. At least I hope it is. It's about that Dark Jedi who fought us on Hypori."

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

He turned his neck hard to the side, letting his spine pop. Always felt good to get his body realigned after he got his head released, and the rest of the tension pulled from his body. It always made him feel better, regardless of how not relaxed and non-vanilla it was. He looked over at his partner, his lover and smiled.

Then she started talking about shop.

That was fine for Coren, if it was fine for her. He smiled and tipped his head and nodded. “Maybe a little, but you won’t learn what to avoid until you get caught.” And he didn’t doubt that Chevu would survive. She had learned what she could from him. When she started to get a bit more serious though, he nodded. “You found what?”

Was that the same Dark Jedi they fought at the Union? How did people find them when they were on Hypori, anyway? He didn’t know.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

"The Dark Jedi's name is Draco, and he was fighting alongside the Sith. A Sith Knight I've encountered before, Darth Rapax revealed his comrade's name as they cornered me."

Chevu remembered that day very distinctly, down to the minute details, like the Mandalorian armor that the Dark Jedi wore. Mandos fighting alongside the Sith? It was a preposterous notion, the two groups were hated enemies. Perhaps it was worth running through a database of known criminals or mercenaries to see if a dossier cropped up. Images of the burning capital city played out in her mind, and she pressed her fingers to her temples, cleansing herself of the memories.

Eyeing the pilot, Chevu suddenly realized that there was a very naked Coren Starchaser lying right next to her, and she bit her bottom lip. She reached out a hand and guided it down the middle of his chest, her green fingers making lazy circles on his skin. Sometimes she liked to stretch out the quiet times such as these. With their courses set for relentless war with the Sith, she never knew for sure if they'd get a moment like it again.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

A Dark Jedi named Draco how so… archaic. Coren hitched his arm under his head, propping himself up to look at Chevu. “Any other information on this Dark Jedi? Was he… with the Sith?” He knew there was a Mando out there pinning Chevu down. Coren was really good at identifying things from space. “We can try to figure out more about him later.”

He had a naked Chevu. He was going to make the most of it. His hand found her arm as he looked up at her and gave a grin. “We can do that a lot later.” His hand ventured up her arm to her shoulder and onto her back, pulling her in for a kiss.

How long did they go between seeing each other?

Too long.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

The Mirialan nodded her head, an affirmative.

"This Draco person was with their Dark Lord's payroll alright. He was clearly fighting alongside Darth Rapax, a known Sith Knight. He was up to his usual tricks. Told me he would surrender to him if I talked to him. Or something. I was trying my best to force him out of my head, so I didn't quite catch everything he was on about."

Chevu shook her head. Lethro's seemed like a paradise in comparison to the bloody streets of the Chazwa capital. Coren wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. The Mirialan returned it, reluctantly releasing with a soft tug on his bottom lip.

Sullust didn't feel like home. Master Oomomo was gone. She wasn't welcome on Sulon any longer. Things felt fractured. There was a moment where Chevu wanted to tell Coren that she changed her mind. That she'd turn in her Marshal rank and leave Sullust, gather up Two Bit and fly the Mirage to...where ever the frell he was out there.

She didn't say it; she simply kissed him again.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]