#a'iofe

After Andronikos convinced the Sith to lay down and take a nap, not that hard to do right now, he headed out of their quarters to think, and talk to the Dashade.

He stopped while his head snapped to the sight in the ship lounge.  There were two empty bottles of Corellian Ale, one glass, and Ashara sitting on the bench with Talos Drellik in her arms, his head cradled on her shoulder, while she stroked his hair and softly sang a lullaby.  She heard the footsteps and looked up to see Andronikos and clutched Talos protectively.

Andronikos gazed at her and slowly nodded, then turned and headed to the rear of the ship, leaving them alone.

If A'iofe honestly wanted to put off this fight for 5 months to have the child, well, he was going to help somehow.  Didn't matter the biology, he hadn't even been sure they could have kids, if the kid was hers that's all the mattered to him. well now that he'd cooled down anyway.  He'd be there, it was really that simple, as long as he wasn't dead he'd be there.

He'd thought about taking off when she'd told him that she would have died for him, that he'd been right.  But he'd made a promise, and he damn sure didn't break them when he almost never made them.  He'd be with her till he died, or she killed him, no backing out.  And this sending him away bullshit, well that was him talking out of the side of his mouth, she'd have to kill him to send him away.  Smiling slowly, he thought that overall she seemed pretty reluctant to kill him,.. most of the time.

A'iofe wasn't thinking straight.  The Dashade didn't know how not to think straight. He could tell him how crazy this idea really was.  He headed to where he knew the Dashade was, walking with more confidence than he felt.  The Dashade didn't like him, hell he was pretty sure he didn't like anyone, maybe A'iofe, but then again maybe not after she shocked him to keep Zash a while back.  She had relied on the Dashade almost exclusively until he came along, that couldn't have helped with how the Dashade felt.

He wasn't even sure, exactly, what he wanted to ask him.  He just knew that the Daahade knew a lot more about this Force stuff than him and his old master, Tulak Horde, had been in a Kaggath. Andronikos walked into Khem Val's room. "Khem? can I ask you a few questions about the Kaggath?'   Khem looked to wake from a meditation, what would you like to know about the Kaggath?  Andronikos swallowed and took a breath.  Could A'iofe send proxies to keep the battles going to lengthen it for a few months and still not forfeit the Kaggath?

"Why is my master not the one asking these questions pirate?"

"She's not thinking too clearly right now.  She has plans that delays the final combat by five months.  I wanted to make sure whether that was going to screw her up for the Kaggath and thought you'd know.  Like I said, she's not thinking clearly."

"Are you so enamored of the thought of an heir that you would let her risk all for that child?"

"No, I've tried to talk her out of it. She's just digging her heels in. . And she says she can feel he is force sensitive.

Khem thought then rumbled, "It could be done.  It would be very dangerous but it could be done.  Allies conducting attacks, disabling as much of the planet as possible, not just Darth Thanaton's strongholds.  The little Jedi properly cloaked could be mistaken for the master if you fought by her side.  You could never get too close to the real target, to Thanaton though or all would be made clear and A'iofe would lose."

Andronikos nodded. " All right. That's what I needed to know.  I'll work some more on trying to talk her out this."

Khem nodded.

Andronikos went to the galley, grabbed the snack he had meant to get earlier and fixed up a hangover concoction that usually worked for his and put it in a glass.

He headed back to their quarters with the snack and stopped on the way in the lounge.

Ashara's head was leaning on Talos' and she looked to be dozing while she still held him tightly in her arms.  Andronikos set the hangover mix in front of Talos and left, heading to the master quarters.

Ashara woke to the sounds of Andronikos' footsteps walking off.  She saw the glass in front of Talos and smelled it and took a tiny taste.  It was pretty awful but she supposed it was a hangover remedy, which Talos would need when he woke.  She gently stroked Talos' hair and spoke softly in his ear.  "Talos? can you wake up and maybe walk a little bit to the crew quarters?  I promise I won't leave."

Talos opened his eyes, pain and confusion in them.  He winced and said quietly, "my head."

Ashara handed him the drink, "Its nasty but it should help with the head."

Talos drank it in a gulp and stood leaning on Ashara together they got him to the crew quarters.  Ashara stripped him down to his smalls and tucked him into his bunk ignoring all his protests along the way.  Talos blushed furiously while Ashara giggled.  "Come on Talos, I've been on the ship long enough to walk in on Andronikos and A'iofe naked in every conceivable spot on the ship, seeing you in your underwear isn't going to scar me for life."

Talos laughed and then clutched his head managing to stammer out "I suppose you are right."

Ashara grabbed one of the chairs from the pazaak table and pulled it next to his bunk. " Now go back to sleep and finish sleeping this off.  I'll be right here." She stroked his hair lightly and started singing a soft lullaby while holding his hand.

Talos looked up and into her eyes, "Thank you Ashara, I've never had a friend like you."

She smiled, "well you do, now, go to sleep".   She resumed singing softly while he drifted back off to sleep clutching her hand.

Andronikos walked back into his quarters planning to tell his crazy Sith that there was only a vague chance her plan would work when he heard her crying in the fresher.  What he saw, standing in the door of the fresher rooted his feet to the floor.

Her body was lined in lightning, not the quiet blue glow that he saw when she was gathering power, more like she was striking lighting on herself. She continued for some time blasting herself and sobbing until a pool of blood started emerging. After a few more minutes of lightning, the pool widening to frightening levels she stopped.  She whispered looking at the pool, I am so very sorry....I'm so sorry my little one. Please understand...

Andronikos snatched her up from the floor and grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped her in it.  He carried her to the med bay and looked for kolto. He gave her kolto and looked around for something, anything to ease her shaking.

He muttered under his breath that "Talos would have been useful about now, but I doubt he is coherent yet."

"Stay here Sith."

She continued to lie there staring at the ceiling with a blank stare, her face bleak. Andronikos wasn't really even sure she could hear him but he supposed she would stay there.  He headed to the crew quarters in vain hope that Talos was awake enough to tell him what stim might help her.

He headed to the crew quarters where Ashara maintained her vigil over Talos holding his hand and softly singing.

"Ashara I need him awake. A'iofe's hurt and I'm not sure what will help her."

At the sound of the words 'Aiofe's hurt'  Talos awoke and sat up with a grimacing face.

"I can come Andronikos, just give me a second to get dressed. "

Andronikos suppressed a laugh while looking pointedly at Ashara.  With a wicked smile he chuckled and pointedly wondered aloud  "How did Talos get undressed anyway?"  This comment prompted a blush from Ashara, who then looked irritated at Andronikos.

Talos headed to the med bay, with practiced hands he pulled out a number of stims and looked over her shaking and shocky form.  Well sedative first, something for the pain, something to slow the bleeding.  That should do for now.

He murmured under his breath, "You know there were a lot easier ways of doing that without half killing yourself."

Her eyes fluttered open briefly, "None that would punish me while accomplishing the end though, other than that. I've never killed anyone I regret killing before. I wanted to make sure I remembered forever what it felt like."

Talos took her hand, his face filling with tears to match hers while they stared into one another's eyes.

Ashara put her arms around Andronikos while he watched Talos and A'iofe.

She quietly whispered "She loves you Andronikos."

"Yeah, I know she does.  She also loved that baby and she won't ever forget. Well nothing to be done about it.  Gotta move on. I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe we should let them be alone.... together for a while."

Ashara took Andronikos' hand.  "I know a nice bar we could go to" she quipped.