The Eye Of The Storm (Month1, 21BBY)

As Kaia meditated across from Eeth she began to feel pain and sadness...death. It began to grow as if there were weeds all around her that sprouted up from nothing and pushed in on her. Jedi, some she knew, she she didn't know and some that had been her friends died. Eeth felt it as well and he opened his eyes and gasped. There were tears in his eyes and he felt at his head. Kaia noticed she too had tears in her eyes and the pain was still there inside of her. She was nearly 34 months pregnant now and her belly swelled with the new life that grew inside of her. She already knew her unborn babe was a girl and that she was force sensitive. Very much so infact. The baby kicked at Kaia's palm as she rested in on her belly as she tried to get control of her emotions. And then her feelings went somewhere else...

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Amara, watched as Tarian was killed by two Jedi and a republic trooper. She could not get to him as she was fighting two Jedi herselt. The Sith had been betrayed and she knew by whom now. Tarian fell and she was thankful her son, Kevan wasn't nearby to watch. Kevan had loved his father deeply.

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Tarian her father...fell and the anguish she felt from her mother was so strong that Kaia felt it as well. The purge was happening and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Eeth nodded to her. "Yes...you feel it to," he said. "I will not go to them...I will remain here until the babe is born, as I promised," Eeth said as he stood and left the room. Ranik had left 8 and half months ago and she had no idea where he was or if he were even alive.

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Ranik rolled off of Asena and she pulled the sheet up to cover up her nakedness. She was breathing hard after what Ranik had just done to her. He was like a drug she could never get enough of. Ranik's chest heaved as well as he struggled to get his breath back. He was covered in sweat from the recent activity of making love to Asena. Something he did most every night and every morning like this morning. These past weeks had been wonderful but he knew he'd have to leave eventually. Would she let him this time? He knew she was having him watched. It wouldn't be so easy to get away now.

"

Kaia missed Ranik so much that her heart ached daily for him. She regretted not telling him she loved him. She regretted their last conversation. She wanted him here with her to experience the birth of their daughter. Would he ever know she existed?

Kaia had six weeks left in her pregnancy. Thankfully, Eeth knew a midwife and she continued to check on Kaia and soon would be moving into Eeth’s house to ensure she was there when Kaia went into labor. Through the Force, Kaia knew two things about her unborn child. First, she was a girl, and second, she was strong with the Force. Kaia had already named her Reyna. She thought Ranik would like that name.

That afternoon she sat with Eeth meditating when there was a tremor in the Force. There was pain...so much pain. In her mind’s eye she could see Jedi being cut down...there were so many. But then, there was another tremor through the Force...her father.... She knew he was dead. A feeling of sadness washed over her. She had only met him once, and he was a Sith, but he had been her father.

She wiped a few tears from her eyes and felt Reyna kick in her belly as she felt what Kaia was feeling. She was quiet a moment before speaking. “My father is dead.”

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Asena was happy now that Ranik was back in her life. He had moved in with her and they made love almost every night and morning. That night he had been particularly passionate and it took her a moment to catch her breath before she looked over at him.

“I think it’s time you met my father. He will find a place for you in the family business.”

Ranik’s breath caught when he heard what Asena said. “Oh I don’t think so, I’m good,” Ranik said dismissively. “I’m here for you. I’m not interested in the family business. I can fly for my eats. If it bothers you that I’m here, living off of your money, I’ll go back to work,” Ranik said as he looked up at the ceiling. He wondered what Kaia was doing. Was she alright? Was she alive? Was she hatinig him? The thought made his stomach churn. He knew he didn’t love Asena. He liked her, he liked her alot but love? When comparing what he felt for her to what he felt to Kaia. There was no real love there. But he didn’t think she really knew what love meant anyway.

Asena was starting to get fed up with Ranik's attitude. She sat up and looked at him, her happily contended mood fading quickly. Her eyes narrowed at him. "You're not getting away from me this time Ranik. I want commitment from you. I want you to be mine...and only mine. Why won't you just do what you need to do to be with me?"

"If it was just you, I'd take you Asena. We get along just fine without bring up your father and you trying to get me into the business. You could do whatever you wanted. Your a smart, beautiful woman. You could go anywhere, do anything if you wanted to," he told her as he sat up and looked over at her. "this life you lead...its going to all crash down someday Asena. Just...come with me?" he said and turned to lay halfway on top of her. Their faces were really close now and he smiled as he looked into her big, dark eyes.

"There is a whole galaxy out there Asena...we could explore it together," he said then kissed her lips.

Asena was not like Kaia. She didn't dream of adventure and enjoy traveling the galaxy. She lived in this world her father created and she was quite content there. She pushed him off of her and looked at him. "Why the hell would I want to leave when my father gave me my own casino to run? I'm making an huge amount of money and I have power here. Why would I give that up?"

"For love," Ranik said. "Or is that even important to you?" Ranik asked. If he had to say it to get to her than he would. "Asena, I lo..." he was about to say but she heard the door burst open outside of her room. Her apartment door and Hessani was arguing with someone. Ranik was up out of bed in an instant but even before he managed to get his pants on the door to Asena's room was flung open.

A Robot and and Thrandosian moved up to Ranik in an eyeblink and the robot hit him in the stomach, hard. Ranik's knees buckled as the wind was knocked out of him. And then Dryden Vos strode in. He looked at Ranik, shook his head then looked right at Asena. "I figured I'd find you here. I hope you've had our 'fun' with Mr. Zane. Apparently he's a very important man," Dryden said. He had short, red hair and hazel eyes. He had a ruddy complexion and he had cybernetics on his cheek and above his left eye. "Take him," He told his henchmen and then began to bind Ranik's wrists.

Asena jumped as the door to her room was flung open. She had grabbed the sheet and pulled it up around her body as a robot and Thrandosian moved up to Ranik and the robot hit him hard in the stomach. Then, her father walked in. She didn't understand why Ranik was being taken. "Father, what's going on? Why are they taking him?"

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Kaia stood outside as she held Reyna in her arms. She couldn't believe that she was already three months old. Time was already moving too quickly. Reyna's birth had been long but completely worth it when she held her for the first time. Kaia had cried when she saw her hair. It was unusual, both red and dark brown at the same time...a perfect combination of Ranik and herself. She was beautiful. Kaia had never missed Ranik as much as she had in that moment. Kaia could feel how strong the Force was with her, but there was no longer a Jedi Temple that she could send her to. She looked up at the stars and wondered where Ranik was at that moment.

Ranik was put into a shuttle and the shuttle took off toward Dryden’s office complex. Dryden told Asena to put some clothes on and when she was ready to leave they also got into a shuttle and followed where the first had gone.

“Even I answer to someone Asena. Consider this your first lesson in survival. When the man that allows you to exist tells you to do something...you do it yes?” He said. It wasn’t a very long ride to Dryden’s offices but as they went inside they went straight to the elevator. When they got inside Dryden used his keycard and pushed the button for the sub basement. Asena had never been down there before. “Now, you listen and don’t talk unless spoken to,” her father said. The door opened.

Soldiers in dark armor were all over the room and this area didn’t look anything like the offices above. The walls were dark gray and the ceiling and floor were white tiles. The soldiers all carried blaster rifles and shifted back to let Dryden and Asena by them. There were hallways beyond the entrance room and Dryden led Asena down the left one. There were a series of doors on both sides of the hall and as they passed some of them Asena looked into the small window each of them had. People were in those rooms. Aliens of various races and people...humans she had never seen before. None of them looked very healthy and it came to her that this was some kind of prison. At the end of the hall there was a control room and Dryden took her through a door that was on one side of the control room. Inside that door was a room with several tables, machines and apparatus that Asena never saw before. They were hooking Ranik up to a chair and in front of him was some kind of apparatus with needles and other things and it became clear what was happening. The chair Ranik was in looked like it shifted forward. Behind the men preparing Ranik was Darth Maul all dressed in black.

“I appreciate your efforts Dryden. I’ve been looking for this man for some time. Well, not im exactly but he will bring me who I want soon enough,” Maul said calmly then he looked at the two operatives. “Let me know when he’s ready,” Maul said and left the room.

Asena didn't understand what was going on, but she quickly dressed and followed her father to the shuttle. Asena was shocked to learn that her father answered to someone else. He had never even hinted to her that this was the case. In that moment her entire world was rattled. They rode in the shuttle to her father's offices and as soon as they walked in they walked straight to the elevator. Her father took them down to the sub-basement. She had never been down here before and now she understood why. This area was clearly being run by someone else. There were soldiers dressed in dark uniforms everywhere and as they walked down a hallway Asena saw that the hallway was lined with small rooms. She glanced into the small windows each of them had and saw prisoners of various alien races. Some were also human.

Her father led her into another room beside a control room. The room was filled with several tables and various machines. Ranik was being hooked up to a chair and Asena was terrified to see needles and various other objects of torture in front of him. Asena then looked over and saw a man with a red and black face behind Ranik. He was dressed in all black and something about him terrified her. After he left the room, Asena looked at her father.

"What is happening?"

Dryden did not care a whit who Asena ‘played’ with, she always had a man or three she kept company. But Maul was dangerous and he doubted Asena would care but obviously he was wrong about that. He looked at her.

“Asena, there are alot of other men that you know. Let this one alone...this ‘device’ I’ve seen what it does. He might not survive,” he said as he looked at her And then he smiled and put his arm around  her.

“Look, I will make this up to you,” he said when he saw her concerned look. He was acting as fi Ranik was indeed a toy that was broken and he couldn’t replace. As if Ranik was already gone to her.

Ranik was dazed and blood ran down his forehead. Dryden’s 2 henchmen had been rough with him obviously.

Asena's mind was racing at what was happening. She felt overwhelmed and unsure about everything in that moment. She heard her father's words, but she was looking at Ranik and not him. His words seemed far away and distant in her ears. She ignored what her father said and looked sharply at him.

"Why the hell are they doing this? What has he done?"

Dryden turned to face her and he tried to make his eyes concerned but it was not easy. He could care less about this man. “Nothing that I know of...Look Asena, Darth Maul is a Sith and I’ve learned to not concern myself with...what they are doing. I’ve stayed at the top because of this daughter, now come I’ll buy you breakfast,” he said and gestured toward the door.

Asena's shock was slowly giving way to pure anger at what her father was doing and his attitude towards Ranik and what was happening to him. She shrugged off his hand when he tried to lead her towards the door. Her gaze narrowed at him.

"Ranik wants me to leave this place and go with him. I tried to convince him to stay here with me...for him to work for you, but he refused. He said he would never want to work for someone like you. I defended you to him, but now...now I'm starting to see why Ranik would never want to remain here. Perhaps I should take him up on his offer and leave and never come back."

Dryden’s temper burst and he harshly grabbed hold of her arm and gritted his teeth. “I think that is enough from you Asena!” Dryden said angrily just as Ranik seemed to come to. “Asena? What’s happening...what are you doing!?” he asked as he saw the machine in front of him. He had never seen it before but it wasn’t difficult to know what it was. Dryden forced her through the door as Ranik’s chair tilted into the machine. He winced and braced himself for what was to come.

As the door closed Ranik’s howls of pain were so loud they could be heard from the control room as sparks and needles and chemicals to cause pain were injected into his body. Two soldiers moved to guard the door.

Asena struggled against her father's grip, but it didn't budge. She looked over at Ranik as she was pulled out of the room. She began to yell when she heard Ranik's sudden howls of pain.

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"Ranik!" Across the galaxy, Kaia suddenly awoke with a gasp. Her eyes shot open and she began gasping for breath. Tears came to her eyes. The pain was terrible and she knew it was happening to Ranik. Their bond through the Force was that strong. She had to go to him. The Force would tell her where to go, she just needed to go...now.

Eeth had heard Kaia yell out and he rushed into her room. She explained to him that something was happening to Ranik and she needed to find him. He offered to let her use his ship again and he summoned the midwife who had delivered Reyna. The midwife was caring for another new mother who could nurse Reyna as well. Kaia hated leaving her three month old daughter, but she knew she needed to get to Ranik. She said goodbye to Reyna and then packed a small bag.

With R2 in tow, she made her way to Eeth's ship and boarded. Through the Force she knew what coordinates to enter. She quickly performed the pre-flight checks and then got the ship into the air.

"I'm coming Ranik."

Tarian fell and with him nearly all of the Sith. Those that Amara had known anyway. The Sith fought alongside the separatist armies. What they had been told, was now confirmed as a lie. That and Count Dooku was a traitor. But Amara did not think he would have been able to do all of this alone. Darth Sidious was behind this. She knew that now. Why he would do this she could not know. Kevan slept while she sat alone in the cockpit. Well, not alone, R4 was right there recharging. She reached up and wiped a few tears away as she thought about Tarian. She had loved him so much. Even thinking about living without him made her stomach toss and churn and bile rise up into her throat. Her family was breaking apart.

The ship was in hyperspace but she honestly had no idea what to do. Were Kevan and herself all that remained of the Sith? She did not see Darth Maul. She also saw several Jedi die. She and Kevan had killed several themselves. Was Kaia alive? She didn’t know, she didn’t know anything. Where should she go? What should she do? Kevan was in love with a Nightsister. If she went into hiding she wasn’t certain he’d want to come with her. Could she handle being alone? She wanted to hunt down and kill Dooku for what he’s done. She wanted to tear it all down but what then? They were headed to Dathomir. Her hand hovered over the navigational controls as she contemplated changing course but then she pulled them back again. No, Kevan wanted to go back and so they would.