Chapter 5

Taris Orbit

Myrtenaster

Blake hummed to herself thoughtfully as she slowly walked through the pristine corridor of the ship she had found herself a passenger of through rather curious circumstance. As she did so, the Jedi reflected upon the fact that the Force certainly was an interesting guide in her life.

She'd always been a bit of an outlier from most of her fellow Jedi. Certainly, none could fault her dedication to the betterment of the Republic, nor her mastery over the Force. Her views on such matters as the Jedi Code, however, were cause for some… contention among her peers. Enough so that she found herself relegated to working far from most 'civilized' planets such as Coruscant.

The raven-haired Cathar paused at the threshold of the spacious central community area, a wide, open space with several couches and chairs, not to mention a nice view of the planet they were orbiting, courtesy of several portholes. Her longtime traveling companion, Nora, was locked into an intense game of Dejarik, the high-quality holographic pieces glowing brightly as they advanced across the game board. Her opponent, the blonde Corellian pilot, grimaced slightly as her crimson K'lor'slug was pounced upon by the trooper's long-armed sapphire Savrip. At her prosthetic elbow, a black astromech droid with white markings watched with interest.

"Shavit," Yang grunted irritably. "I know I said I wanted a challenge, but do ya really need to wipe the board with me?"

The orange-haired woman grinned widely, turquoise eyes sparkling with mirth. "Can't keep up, don't step up, blondie," she snarked. Nora was, unusually enough, devoid of her typical pink-accented blast armor, instead wearing a form-fitting grey and pink jumpsuit.

ZW-31 helpfully supplied the chances of his creator's winning based upon the pieces left on the table, earning him a half-hearted, wordless glare in return.

Blake carefully hid her grin at the interactions between the two seemingly very different women. They'd somehow, over the past two days, become fast friends, but she didn't need to push any feelers through the Force to see that there was something more there, a subtle energy underlying their conversations. Idly, she wondered if the pair of them were even cognizant of their mutual attraction.

She smoothly glided into the room, sticking to the perimeter as she took her time crossing the area. The blond Mandalorian, Jaune, was sitting in a corner and working on his helmet, the only piece of armor he'd divested himself of. He looked up and gave her a friendly smile and nod which she returned.

On the other side was her apprentice, Ren. She didn't even need to look in his direction to know he'd noticed her approach, though he was quietly meditating atop the couch situated there. She changed course and sauntered over towards the lanky Mirialan.

"You do remember," she drawled casually to the green-skinned man, "that they set aside a small chamber for us to meditate?"

"I do, Master," he replied evenly, not opening his eyes. "I simply prefer the energy here."

"So be it," she laughed quietly. Her amber eyes scanned the room slowly. "Curious there aren't more here," she mused.

"Ruby is in the engine room," Ren replied calmly. "And Weiss is upon the bridge."

Blake turned back towards him, one elegant eyebrow raised. "And what led you to believe I was looking for either of them in particular?"

At that, Ren finally cracked his eyes open, regarding her levelly without speaking. She chuckled, raising a hand in defeat.

"Fine, so you already know me well enough to read me."

"You could always look for them through the Force, Master."

"Are you the student or the teacher, now?" Blake inquired humorously as she moved past him.

Ren smirked ever so slightly. "You shall always be my master," he intoned quietly. "And I shall forever be your impudent student."

The Cathar snorted softly, shaking her head as she entered the corridor leading towards the bridge. Her apprentice could have done far better than being stuck with her, shipped off towards the shavit-end of the galaxy, but she was always grateful for his calming presence. At times she felt that she was the one relying on him to keep her attuned to what the Force was telling her.

Though she'd never admit to it. A Jedi Master had to maintain a certain decorum, after all, even if it was transparently obvious to master and student alike.

Passing by the hatchways to the small yet well-equipped medical bay and then the pair of rooms where the two Mandalorian women berthed, she could feel the presence of that particular duo through the Force. Soon enough, her sharp hearing began to pick up on their quiet conversation on the bridge.

Unabashedly, she paused and leaned up against the bulkhead, the furry ears atop her head twitching slightly.

"How long do you intend to linger here, ner vod?" she heard the redhead, Pyrrha, murmur.

A sharp exhale preceded Weiss' response. "Haar'chak, I don't know. This whole situation is all sorts of shabla, first our missing contact, and then…"

"The Jetiie."

"Lek. Her."

As Blake tilted her head to the side to hear better, she picked up on Pyrrha's soft, enchanting giggle. "Oh, vod, I wasn't just speaking of just her, you know…"

"I… You… K'uur!"

"Elek, dear. You have to admit, though, you've been rather… off. Ever since our little silver-eyed ad'ika came aboard, and now even more so with this Jetii…" Pyrrha paused consideringly. "Are you… Vod?"

"What?" Weiss muttered. Blake laughed to herself softly, even without trying she could feel the embarrassment radiating off of the shorter Mandalorian woman.

The redheaded woman cleared her throat before speaking again, her tone one of gentle bewilderment. "The both of them, vod?"

Blake jumped slightly at the sharp bang that sounded from the bridge, evidently from a gauntleted hand slamming into something unyielding. She glanced around worriedly, but nobody was coming to investigate.

"Careful, Weiss, you might upset our little mechanic if you break something…"

"Haar'chak, vod, I don't know what's wrong with me!" Weiss exclaimed, ignoring her partner's admonition. "I'm like… like a shabuir teen in heat!"

"Well, it has been some time…"

"We agreed not to discuss that," the platinum-haired woman warned gratingly.

"Elek, ner vod…"

Deciding that she'd lurked long enough, Blake pushed away from the wall and started forward, purposefully knocking against a loose terminal interface outside the medical bay. "Permission to enter the bridge, Captain?"

Red-faced and sputtering silently, the alabaster-armored woman turned around to momentarily face out the viewport. "Don't call me 'Captain', Master Belladonna," she mumbled irritably.

"We don't really use rank here," Pyrrha explained gently, as usual covering for her partner's lapse in calm. "Weiss'ika is the owner, nothing more."

"Pyrrha…" the other Mandalorian growled.

"N'eparavu takisit," the redhead grinned unrepentantly, holding both hands up in apology.

Blake tilted her head curiously, one eyebrow quirked. "Please, call me Blake." Left unasked was the curious phrasing each woman had used.

With a sigh, now that she'd turned back around, Weiss proceeded to explain. "Weiss'ika is a… well, affectionate nickname from when we knew each other as teens," she stated, her demeanor once again restored, at least on the surface. "Any name can be used such… Yours would be a bit different due to the syllables, but essentially Blake'a would be 'Little Blake'"

"I see," she replied humorously, taking another tentative step towards the other woman. "And… what was it Pyrrha said?"

"N'eparavu takisit, an apology… Literally, 'I eat my insult'," Weiss responded, swallowing. Her eyes were ever so slightly widened as Blake took another small step towards her. "Was there… something you… needed... Blake?"

Oh, the number of inappropriate responses I could make to that… "Yes, actually," she answered evenly. "May I assume we will be leaving the orbit of Taris soon?"

"Er, yes, I'm fairly certain if my contact were available he would have answered my hails by now…"

"Very well. Might I then have use of a holoterminal to reach the Jedi Council before we leave the range of the satellites here? I would like to apprise them of the situation, and ensure the kidnapping report is closed to everyone's satisfaction."

"Elek, of course," Weiss nodded rapidly. "I can make the one in the conference room available to you immediately. We'll wait until after dinner to head towards our next destination, is that acceptable?"

"Perfectly acceptable," Blake assured her, taking one more step, just about reaching the edge of the platinum-haired woman's personal space. She worked very hard to keep the grin off of her face at the quiet eep that the shorter woman uttered, though, to her credit, she stubbornly refused to take a step back herself. "And where will that be?"

"Er… pardon?"

"Our next destination?"

"Oh! Elek, er, yes, we'll be moving on to Nar Shaddaa once more… there are a few aruetii I can speak with to obtain further jobs…"

"And perhaps inflict violence upon one individual in particular?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow, mimicking Blake's expression. "Shouldn't you be opposed to such actions, Jetii? Particularly in regards to a citizen of the Republic?"

The Cathar woman shrugged gracefully. "I've often been told I'm not a very good Jedi." She inclined her head, leaning over into Weiss' space ever so slightly. "I thank you for your kind consideration, though."

"Of course," Weiss replied breathily. "Er… anytime…"

Blake turned, giving a small grin towards where Pyrrha was leaning up against the navigation console. The redhead's face matched her hair as she muffled her laughter behind both hands. Tears of mirth were streaming down her face.

And she allowed a small chuckle to escape as she exited the bridge while Weiss turned upon her partner in outrage.

"Nar'sheb, Pyrrha! Not a single word!"

"I didn't say a thing, vod…" she wheezed in reply.

"Nar'sheb!" Weiss repeated, the fierce scowl evident just in her voice.

"Oh, yes," Blake murmured to herself as she re-entered the common area. "This will be a very interesting journey indeed."

"It usually is with you, Master."

Blake graced her apprentice with a smirk as she glided past him. "Nar'sheb, Ren."

"Yes, Master."

Just on the other side of the common area, before the aft bunk rooms was a rather well-equipped conference room. It had a long, elegant table with a dozen comfortable chairs ringing it. A holoterminal was inset into the middle of the table, the lights glowing softly in standby.

She gracefully lowered herself into a chair in the middle of the table with her back to the doorway, leaning over slightly to tap in a code long since memorized. After only a handful of seconds, testament to the powerful hyperspace relays the Republic had put into place orbiting Taris, a translucent figure came to life, about a quarter of normal height and hovering over the table.

"Well, well," Ozpin murmured, resting his hands on the cane in front of him. "If it isn't Master Belladonna."

"Master Ozpin," she replied levelly with a slight incline of her head. "So good of you to answer my call immediately."

"Well, unlike some of my wayward former apprentices, I do tend to have a modicum of manners."

"I've heard it helpful to treat such unruly apprentices with a firm hand," Blake mentioned glibly. "Of course, if you were referring to me, you would already know I was a lost cause. Not to mention a special case."

"But of course," the grey-haired Jedi answered with a faint smirk. "I do happen to have news for you, but I would like for you to make your report first, please."

Nodding agreeably, Blake settled back in her seat and folded her hands inside the sleeves of her robe. "I arrived at the planet Taris where my sources advised me the target would be. After a short but unfortunate space battle, my cruiser was rendered a floating inoperable wreck. I and my associates were subsequently picked up by this Mandalorian crew, ascertained that the kidnapping report was, in fact, false, and are now flying with said crew for an indeterminable amount of time."

Ozpin stood motionless for the space of a good minute after the raven-haired woman's recitation finished before reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose. She was once again successful in suppressing a grin at the familiar exasperated expression on the old Jedi's face.

"Blake…" he began softly, before stopping himself and shaking his head ruefully. "Not a dull parsec is traveled by you, my padawan."

"I have not been a padawan for some time, Master Ozpin," she reminded him archly.

"Sometimes I wonder if you ever grew out of the phase… Very well." He sighed and straightened his posture. "So the Gambol Shroud was a total loss?"

"For one, I am impressed you remembered the name of my ship," she replied with a slow grin. "Secondly, however, you do recall what a piece of shavit that ship was, to begin with, do you not?"

He gave her a half-hearted glare at her casual profanity. "Master Goodwich personally selected your ship-"

"Which is all the verification I needed that the woman detests me," Blake interrupted smugly.

"The Jedi do not… detest," Ozpin rebuked mildly.

"As you say, Master. Obviously, I am mistaken and Master Goodwich gave me such a derelict museum piece out of a desire to better my survival and engineering skills."

"Blake…" he sighed gently again, looking off to the side before shaking his head and returning his gaze to her once more. "If you would just take me up on my offer…"

"Tempting as it is to become the Jedi Order's first Spymaster," Blake deadpanned, "even if only to relish in the howling protests of my peers, I have the feeling there are a number of Council members vehemently opposed to the idea. Shall I name them for you?"

"No, Blake," he replied heavily. "It is just that this peace we have is such a tenuous thing. I can feel the echoes in the Force, war will revisit us all too soon. Your numerous sources would be of enormous assistance."

"When that time comes," she stated, her tone once more gentle, "I shall serve as I always have, from the shadows where I belong. Now, what was your news, Master?"

"Very well. The source of the kidnapping report, a certain Hei Xiong, was found butchered in his place of employment by Jedi resources when they went to follow-up. All of his immediate associates were found in a similar condition."

Blake unfolded her arms to bring one hand up, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Method of dismemberment?" she asked probingly.

Ozpin lowered his head slightly. "The wounds were consistent with those of a lightsaber."

"So, the Sith have intervened." The Cathar frowned slightly. "Coincidence?"

"I am unsure whether it was or not… but watch your back, Blake."

"I always do," Blake grinned. "May I ask one more question of my own before we end this call?"

"Of course."

She sighed, leaning back again and folding her hands on top of the table in front of her. "One of my new traveling companions," she began softly, "is a Corellian girl, a girl with… silver eyes…"

"Did you say 'silver eyes'?"

Blake regarded him sharply. They'd known each other for many years, long enough even for the Cathar to perceive his tells. "Yes, I recognized something in her, something that the Force recognized, at least… You know, don't you?"

Ozpin nodded wearily. "By any chance, is her last name Rose?"

"Ruby Rose, that is correct."

"I knew her mother," he murmured, a far-off look in his eyes. "She was a brilliant, powerful Jedi, could have risen to become the best of us all, so much potential…"

Blake licked her lips. "What happened?" she murmured.

"She forsook her oaths to start a family," Ozpin finally finished abruptly. "She fell in love with a Corellian man and disappeared without a trace some time ago."

"I see. And her name?"

"Summer Rose."

The Cathar Jedi nodded slowly. "Thank you for this information, Master. Am I allowed to disseminate any of it, regarding either Xiong or the former Jedi Rose?"

"Feel free," he stated dismissively. "Was there anything else?"

"No, Master Ozpin. Be safe, and may the Force be with you."

"And with you as well, Master Belladonna. Do let me know if you run into any more trouble."

She grinned tightly as she leaned over to disconnect the call. "I always do… eventually…"

With that, the image blinked out and she sat back once more, a thoughtful look on her face.

The crew of this ship, the Myrtenaster, was certainly both varied and fascinating. Additionally, she was rather intrigued with her own immediate response to both the platinum-haired Mandalorian and the brunette Corellian. With the first, the attraction was undeniably physical, though she'd never been with an Echani before she'd certainly met a few in her travels. Proud, combative, and undeniably physical, Weiss was precisely the type of being she'd be attracted to.

With Ruby, however, there was something altogether different. Something tugging at her, an almost physical sensation that went beyond her admitted cuteness.

And speaking of which…

"You know," she drawled quietly. "Most beings consider it rude to lurk."

She grinned to herself at the startled yelp from behind her in the doorway to the conference room. The raven-haired woman also did an admirable job of ignoring her own actions mere moments before outside the bridge.

"S- Sorry!" Ruby stammered as she came into view, holding her hands behind her back bashfully and followed by P3-NY. "I didn't mean to stare- I mean, uhhh…"

"It's quite alright, Ruby," she chuckled, waving her to a chair across the table from her. "Was there something I might assist you with?"

"Umm…" The brunette sat down with a flop, her little tan astromech droid circling her briefly before wheeling back outside the room once more. She shifted nervously, adjusting the sleeves of her black jumpsuit that were tied around her waist.

Blake gave her a soft, reassuring smile. "Go ahead, Ruby. Take your time."

"Oh, well, I don't want to, y'know… bother you or anything… I just…" Inhaling sharply, the diminutive mechanic finally blurted out, "I wanna know about Jedi!"

"Er… Anything in particular…?"

"Well…" Ruby sighed, lacing her fingers in front of her to keep them from fidgeting. "I think… Okay, so, I'm pretty sure… that my mom was one…once... I mean, from the stories my dad used to tell me after she… left…"

"Mmm." Blake regarded her closely. "I was actually just speaking with my old Master regarding this."

"You were?"

"Mmhmm." She briefly explained what little she'd found out from Ozpin, leaving the other girl grinning widely and her silver eyes shining brightly.

"I knew it! Wait till I tell Yang!"

"So, you said your mother… left…?" the raven-haired Cathar prompted gently.

"Oh, yeah." Just like that, and much to her disappointment, the brunette's good mood evaporated. "So, some time ago, back when we were… well, I was about twelve, I guess… Anyways, she went out to the Rim to look for something, or someone, I think… But she never came back. And then, when Yang was eighteen and I was sixteen, dad finally took off looking for her… He kinda changed after she disappeared, sadder, y'know? Always said he'd track her down." Ruby shrugged morosely. "Never seen either one since. Me an' Yang, when I hit eighteen, we sold everything off on Corellia and scrounged up enough credits to buy the Ember Celica."

"That was your old ship? The one that crashed?"

Ruby nodded with a small smile, confirming the tale of her past before the sisters boarded the Myrtenaster. "Yep, that's the one. Don't really have anything now, though…" Her eyes flickered up to the top of the other woman's head before settling resolutely on her face.

Blake tilted her head, regarding the sweet brunette girl with a smile of her own. "Yet, you seem to have found a place here on board this ship."

"I guess." She shrugged again. "But for how long?"

The Cathar Jedi's smile turned a bit mysterious. "Well, you never know. It is always a good idea to make the best of whatever opportunity you are given. Who knows, you might just get more out of the situation that you anticipate."

"Yeah…" Ruby nodded slowly, her eyes drifting upward again, but this time they seemed to rest upon her furry ears, somewhat entranced.

Now Blake grinned as she gave her feline ears a flick which made the brunette jerk slightly. "Was there anything else?"

Ruby blushed and jumped out of her seat as she realized she'd been caught staring. "N- Nope, I'm good, um, thanks!" With that, she turned and fled from the chamber.

Or she would have, had she not tripped over something and landed on her face with a resounding crash. The brunette immediately leapt back to her feet with a nervous smile and unabating blush, giving the Jedi a sloppy salute. "I'm good!" she repeated, before racing out and towards the engine room.

Laughing softly, Blake peered around the side of her chair at the squawking tan and black droid now tilted on its side. She flickered her fingers, using the Force to right an indignant P3-NY on her wheels once more.

"Do not mind your maker, little one," she smiled. "She's a bit… well, buggy, at the moment."

P3-NY beeped sagely, having seen her master in such a state numerous times before. Somehow always tied to another organic of the female type and of supposedly pleasing physicality. The little astromech didn't quite understand it, but she'd go check on Ruby in any case.

"You do that, then," Blake laughed, turning back and shaking her head as P3-NY departed.

"Yes, indeed," she finally murmured to herself. "This will be a most interesting journey."

Myrtenaster Conference Room

With the increasing number of persons aboard her ship, Weiss decreed that the conference room would now be used to take meals as a group, prepared in the nearby galley. Blake noted the surprised looks that both Jaune and Pyrrha gave her, obviously more used to eating when and where they pleased.

There was plenty of room around the spacious table, in any case, allowing Yang to prop her artificial right arm up and to the side as she tinkered with some setting with a tiny hydrospanner in her grip and a look of concentration on her face. Her sister entered the room, a plate of steaming nerf meat with purple vegetables in each hand. As she set one dish in front of the blonde, she frowned briefly.

"Is that my tool?" Ruby asked querulously.

"Mayyybeee," her sister drawled, unconcerned.

"How many times I gotta tell ya, Yang, those tools are for guns only!"

"Yup," she grinned in response, setting the tool aside and flexing both arms over her head. "An' these are the best guns of all." She gave each bicep a kiss, grinning at the groan and eye roll it elicited from the brunette. Blake, though, smiled at the brash Corellian's ridiculousness, while Nora openly chortled as she shoveled food into her mouth.

"Hey, blondie," the trooper eventually began once she swallowed her mouthful. "How'd you get that, anyway?"

"What, the arm?"

"Yeah, I mean, if you don't mind talkin' about it…"

"Nah, not at all." Yang settled back and took a sip from her mug of Lomin ale. "So, me an' Rubes, we've been to some pretty crazy planets in our time, pickin' up cargo from all sorts of unsavory characters…"

"We might have met the type," Weiss interjected dryly. "Once or twice."

"I imagine so," Yang chuckled, unperturbed as to the interruption. "So, this one planet we touched down on, got swampland covering a good half of the place. Of course, the client wanted us to put down in the middle of one. And, of course, he was late to the meet.

"So there we are, two Corellians and a pair of droids, sittin' in the dank swamp when I figure we should at least check the perimeter of the landing area, right?"

"A sensible precaution," Pyrrha murmured around her own mug, emerald eyes twinkling.

"I'm trudging through the muck and all, when I got jumped, right outta the blue." Yang leaned over, her lilac eyes skimming over the rapt audience. "A Gundark."

"No," Nora breathed, wide-eyed, at the mention of the large, fearsome predatory animal.

"Yup. So I draw my sidearm, aimed it right at his ugly face when he chomps down." Yang made a sharp snapping sound with her teeth, causing both Nora and Jaune to jump slightly. "Took my whole kriffing arm off, blaster and all."

Nora smacked a hand over her mouth in horror before dropping it once more. "What did you do?" she breathed, awestruck.

"Well, I was in no condition to fight any, but he was happy enough with his snack and let me crawl away."

"And did you ever track him down again?"

Yang grinned widely. "How d'ya think I got my nice leather coat?"

The entire dinner table went quiet at the declaration as Yang graced them all with a beaming smile.

"You are so full of shavit," Ruby finally snorted into her mug of blue milk.

"What?" the blonde retorted in mock outrage. "How could you insult me so, sister of mine?"

"'Cause you're full of shavit. 'Sides, Gundarks are only found on Vanqor, everyone knows that, and there's no swamps on Vanqor."

"Brat."

"Nerf-herder."

Simultaneously, the two siblings stuck their tongues out at each other before dissolving into giggles. Most of the crew laughed along with them, though their antics caused a wistful expression to appear on the face of the platinum-haired ship's owner.

"Weiss?" Blake prompted gently once the laughter had died down somewhat. "Do you have any siblings?"

"I do, yes," she admitted, pale blue eyes downcast. "We're not… close."

"Why not?" Ruby piped up in concern.

Weiss offered the brunette a small smile before returning her attention to her plate. "Our household growing up was a bit… cold. Distant. Both my older sister and my younger brother entered Imperial service eventually, from what I hear, though I ran away from home at an early age."

"Smuggled herself onto a transport heading for Mandalore," Pyrrha interjected with a fond smile. "We first met at the spaceport, the both of us tired and hungry… yet so desperate to prove ourselves."

"They were good times," Weiss chuckled. "And hard ones."

"So, really," Yang interjected next, "you could consider Pyrrha, here, your sister."

"I already do," the smaller Mandalorian replied, perplexed. "Aliit ori'shya tal'din."

"Family is more than blood," Pyrrha nodded. "It's a Mandalorian phrase that ties us all together as brothers and sisters, vode an. To be a Mandalorian is to have a very large family indeed."

"I don't miss my blood relations much," Weiss murmured. "Not terribly often, anyway."

"What about you, Blake?" the brunette Corellian broke in. "Um, do you know anything about your, y'know… parents?"

"Ruby!" her sister admonished quietly.

"No, I didn't mean… Oh, well, yeah, I guess as a Jedi you wouldn't know about that." Ruby hung her head dejectedly. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright… ad'ika." Blake glanced over towards the Mandalorians. "I said that right, yes?"

"You did," Pyrrha smiled, though Weiss seemed to bury her face back in her plate again to cover up her grumbling, intent on finishing her food.

"In any case, while I do not know the precise identities of my parents, I do recall for certain that my mother was Cathar and my father Human. Hence my mixed heritage."

"Noticed your fur was a lot lighter on your face," Nora commented. "Never thought to mention it, though. Knew a Cathar based on Ord Mantell, he was covered in orange fur, head to toe."

"Oh really?" Yang smirked.

"Really," Nora smirked back.

Ruby groaned and put her head down. "Ugh, do we have to go there at the dinner table, guys?"

Blake smiled to herself as she watched Weiss once again slide her gaze over towards the brunette when she was distracted, only to snap forward when Ruby would look her own way. For her part, the diminutive mechanic would flicker her eyes back and forth, never lingering long anywhere but inevitably making their way back to observe the equally short Mandalorian.

And then the Jedi picked up on the smug amusement from across the table, where Yang was silently chuckling to herself. So I'm not the only one who has noticed the two of them...

The perceptive raven-haired woman gleaned another source of longing, though, one centered around the redheaded Mandalorian. Her emerald gaze would sometimes linger on her blond compatriot, though she'd never give him undue consideration. Pyrrha hid her nervousness well, but through the Force, it screamed like a beacon.

So many currents, so many possibilities… Were I an opportunistic woman, I might take advantage of that.

Or perhaps just allow the Force to guide me as it always has…

Blake glanced around the table as the assembled crew ate their meals, occasional joking barbs tossed about as if they'd been flying together for many parsecs.

Maybe the Force could use a little nudge every so often, she finally decided smugly.

Dromund Kaas

In her darkened chambers, Lady Cinder sat with uncharacteristic calm upon her throne-like chair. It was a perfect replica of her Master's, right down to the stitching on the fabric, save that it was reduced in scale by several millimeters. It was also a perfect representation of her outward subservience yet underlying impudence and lust for power.

She was Sith, after all, and the only advancement opportunities to be found were over the bodies of her superiors.

The staccato of her nails against the armrest was the only sound to be heard over the dull hum of machinery. A monitor across the room flashed reports from her agents across the galaxy, some within the Sith Empire, some within the Galactic Republic itself, but many more on worlds either neutral to the conflict or contested by both parties.

Some were even her Master's, yet secretly working for her.

Among all of her resources, two stood out prominently. Brash, coldly ruthless and efficient, Mercury would be the perfect Sith were it not for a lingering resentment of authority. He bent to her will easily enough, through earned respect and a sense of obligation, but ever since she'd taken him on as an apprentice she had to be very careful of who she allowed the boy to interact with within the Imperial Capital. His actions reflected upon her, after all.

Eventually, as was sometimes the case, his indiscretion might outweigh his usefulness, but that time was a long ways off.

And then, of course, there was the hotly loyal and fierce Twi'lek girl, Emerald. Taken out of slavery and raised to heights of undreamed-of power, the poor girl deluded herself with feelings of love towards her new Master. Cinder smiled cruelly at the thought, it made her so very malleable in her hands. Yet, with her skill and guile, she was often her most promising hound once set upon a trail.

At this moment, she waited for word from one or the other of her apprentices. They often were at each other's throats, competing for her approval. It was the Sith way, feeding the tension between the pair until it boiled over, causing the victor to be all the stronger for it. The Dark Side was a harsh crucible, but one that certainly returned undeniable success.

Her musings were interrupted by a blinking light on the holoterminal before her. The smile on her face grew into a pleased grin as she saw who it was calling her.

After a moment, she flicked a finger towards the control, using the Force to depress the button in order to answer the call.

"Emerald," she purred at the small, wavering holographic figure before her. "What news do you have for me, my sweet?"

"Master," the green-skinned Twi'lek breathed, adoration etched into her face. "I have found some success. The report from your agent on Nar Shaddaa was correct, the gangster did indeed have dealings with a silver-eyed girl."

Cinder sat back as her apprentice related all she had discovered, including a name, but frowned slightly when it was revealed who would likely be in possession of her target at that point in time.

"Ruby Rose…" she drew out once Emerald was finished as if savoring the taste of the name upon her tongue. "You have done well, my apprentice."

"Where shall I go now, Master?" she inquired, lekku twitching in anticipation. "The trail from here is cold, and with both the Jedi and Mandalorians involved…"

"Yes, the situation has become somewhat trickier." Cinder pondered the situation briefly, a slow smile growing on her face. "Well, the solution, for now, is an easy one. The best way to track a Mando… is to send a Mando."

She sat upright, regarding the Twi'lek woman fondly. "You have done well. Return to Dromund Kaas for now and stand ready while I report to Lady Salem."

The transmission ended as the figure dipped into a low bow, the raven-haired Sith Lord reclining back in her seat once more.

"I almost have you now..." she purred darkly. "...Ruby Rose…"

A/N: The plot thickens… as does the shipping…

Dramatis Personae (in order of appearance):

Yang Xiao Long - Human female from Corellia. Smuggler, talented pilot, and droid tinkerer.

ZW-31 - Yang's custom astromech droid.

Ruby Rose - Human female from Corellia. Smuggler, skilled mechanic, and gun nut.

P3-NY - Ruby's astromech droid.

Lady Salem - Rattataki female. Sith Lord and advisor to the Emperor.

Lady Cinder Fall - Human female. Sith Lord Inquisitor.

Darth Hazel - Sith Pureblood male. Sith Lord Warrior.

Darth Tyrian - Zabrak male. Sith Lord Inquisitor.

Emerald Sustrai - Twi'lek female. Sith Marauder.

Mercury Black - Human male. Sith Warrior.

Weiss Schnee - Echani female from Eshan. Mandalorian bounty hunter.

Pyrrha Nikos - Human female from Alderaan. Mandalorian bounty hunter.

Jaune Arc - Human male from Mandalore. Mandalorian bounty hunter trainee.

Hei "Junior" Xiong - Human male from Tatooine. Gangster and information broker.

Melanie Malachite - Devaronian female exiled from Devaron. Bodyguard and assassin.

Miltia Malachite - Devaronian female exiled from Devaron. Bodyguard and assassin.

Blake Belladonna - Half-Cathar female from Cathar. Jedi Master.

Lie Ren - Mirialan male from Makeb. Jedi Apprentice to Master Belladonna.

Master Ozpin - Human male from Coruscant. Jedi Master and Council Member.

Nora Valkyrie - Human female from Ord Mantell. Republic Commando.

Stay shiny!