The uproar of the crowd's cheers still buzzed in my ears like a swarm of angry mynocks, even as we slipped through the shadows. I could almost feel the electric charge of excitement in the air, the collective euphoria over Zenna's victory. But there was no time to bask in the glory. Duty called with an urgency that cwed at my insides.

  "Keep it together, Vex," I muttered under my breath, though the words were lost beneath my force cloak of invisibility that shrouded us. Clutching So's hand and 420's metallic grip, I led them through the myriad of crowds, unseen specters adrift among the living. Our destination loomed ahead: the infirmary, where Ya-ta y vulnerable and unconscious.

  We both wore matte bck mantles and Bck fabric masks to cover our faces god forbid we were seen. We didn't bring our Darth masks on this mission because we couldn't find a pce to easily get to them while walking through the huge crowds of people. Despite that we still have voice modutors on us.

  'In and out, in and out.' I breath.

  I could feel the pulse of the Force thrumming through my veins, a constant reminder of the power at my fingertips and the weight it carried. With each step toward the sterile white door of the infirmary, I felt my heartbeat sync with the rhythm of my footsteps.

  We reached the door, and I flicked my fingers imperceptibly, nudging it open with the gentlest whisper of the Force. The room beyond was bathed in the soft glow of medical equipment, the hum of machinery a stark contrast to the cacophony outside.

  I lift the force cloak on us and wave my hand over the face of the nurse treating Ya-ta. "Go home. You deserve an early night," I whispered through the Force, directing my will toward the nurse who half-startled, her eyes gzed as she nodded absently.

  "Thank you," she murmured, gathering her things without a second thought and shuffling past us out into the corridor.

  'God, I really should just be out here geassing people, shouldn't I?

  With the nurse gone, the room fell into a tense silence. So released my hand, stepping forward to stand beside Ya-ta's prone form. Her smile was enigmatic, just the faintest upturn of lips that hinted at the storm beneath her calm exterior. Her eyes lingered on the unconscious figure before her, the urge to inflict pain a shadow across her refined features.

  But So held back, her restraint a testament to our mission, to gain the ultimate revenge. Far better than hurting an unconscious twilek.

  "Let's get what we came for." Her voice was a melody of controlled strength.

  My gaze lingered on Ya-ta for a moment longer, my mind awash with conflicting emotions. I had to remind myself that this wasn't about easy revenge. It was about complete domination. It was to show the Sith what Darth Relic was capable of. To make a duke yield in terror.

  'I just wish I could chop her head off now, but my pns for her will be so much better…..' A strange thought comes to mind. 'Am I edging my revenge now? Once a gooner, always a gooner, I suppose.' I sigh

  The still air of the infirmary pressed against my skin like a warning as So's fingers hovered above Ya-ta's temple. I could almost hear the hum of her Force energy, a silent storm gathering beneath her touch. Beside me, 420's optical sensors were trained on the scene with acute interest. Her droid form was still, but there was an expectancy in her stance that betrayed her focus.

  'This fucking droid has proven very odd tely.'

  "Come on," I muttered under my breath, the anticipation knotting my insides. It wasn't just about the codes. It was about peeling back the yers of deception and getting one step ahead of our unseen enemies.

  So's hand trembled slightly, then stilled. A faint glow enveloped her fingertips as she delved into the unconscious woman's mind, tendrils of Force energy weaving through Ya-ta's thoughts. My heart pounded a rhythm of impatience and unease.

  "Got it," So whispered triumphantly, a spark of victory lighting her eyes.

  "Where?" I asked, my voice betraying my hidden eagerness that cwed at me.

  "Her pocket," she replied, nodding toward the limp figure on the med bed.

  I shook my head with complete dissatisfaction. "We pnned a full fucking heist to steal from her pocket? Ugh." I sighed

  I turned to 420, who had already extended a slender tool from her digit. With meticulous precision, he reached into Ya-ta's pocket and retrieved a small key fob, holding it up to the light. The device was unassuming and innocuous, yet it held the power to unlock doors we desperately needed to open.

  "Cloning now," 420 stated, a hint of satisfaction in her synthesized voice. She connected the fob to a port on her arm, and a series of beeps and whirs filled the silence as she worked her slicing magic.

  "Easy?" I questioned, 'This was no fucking fun at all.'

  "Indeed," 420 confirmed, detaching the fob and handing it back to me. "Codes cloned."

  "Good job," I said, pocketing the fob. I felt a flicker of relief, though it did little to ease the tension coiled within me. Easy or not, this was only one piece of the puzzle. And in this gaxy, every move came with its own set of risks.

  I stared at Ya-ta's fwless skin as I put her key back in her pocket. 'Is it really fair for her to be scar-free?'

  "So take this and go to our room, I will meet you there in a few minutes." My voice low and ced with a venom that felt all too natural. I took the fob back out and handed it to her. "I have unfinished business."

  Her eyes, sharp and calcuting, caught mine for a moment, but she nodded in understanding, the corner of her mouth twitching upward ever so slightly. With one st gnce at Ya-ta's nearly lifeless form, she turned on her heel, her bck cloak swirling behind her as she exited the infirmary, 420 trailing close. The cloned codes secure within So's grip.

  Alone now, I stepped closer to Ya-ta, towering over her still figure. Anger churned within me, a dark tide rising against the walls I'd built to contain it. She'd hurt me Twice now, and the wound was deeper than flesh. It was pride that festered and demanded restitution. I wanted her to bear the mark of her betrayal, a scar that would scream the folly of crossing Vex Eras.

  From beneath my cloak, I retrieved a compact burner, its metallic surface gleaming dully in the sterile light of the infirmary. My fingers, steady despite the tumult in my chest, activated the device, and a small blue fme sputtered to life, casting a sinister glow upon my face.

  "Let's see how you like being marked," I muttered with a crazy smile, the heat from the fme reflecting the fury smoldering within me.

  But fate, it seemed, had other pns. The door hissed open abruptly, and I froze, burner in hand, as Zenna strode into the room. Her gaze, fierce and unyielding, locked onto mine.

  'What the fuck?'

  "Darth Relic?" Her voice held a trace of confusion, but there was something else, hunger, a need that I recognized all too well. In another life, perhaps, we could've been lovers. But here, now, with the burner's fme flickering between us, I understood that, while our paths were irrevocably entwined in a dance far more dangerous than either of us had anticipated, she is my sister.

  'Why the fuck is Zenna here?'

  For a heartbeat, neither of us moved, the tension in the room coiling tighter, waiting for the spark that would ignite it. Then, with a surge of panic that threatened to overwhelm my carefully constructed composure, I faced a choice that would seal both our fates.

  You did come for me, didn't you?" Zenna's voice trembled with a cocktail of hope and yearning that cwed at my throat.

  "Zenna, you've got it all wrong," I rasped through the voice changer, each word ced with an urgency to defuse the explosive situation. The mask hid my face, but I couldn't mask the truth that surged within me.

  'I really fucking hate how bad she has it for me.'

  She was relentless, stepping closer, her presence as commanding as ever. "No need to deny it, Relic. I can feel your intentions, your passion." Her gaze darted hungrily over the cloak, she looked at me like i was a piece of meat.

  ‘No, no, no, no, no.’

  "You don't understand I'm not in love….." Zenna cut me off.

  "Your love, your seed! I demand them!" Her decration hit me like a freighter at lightspeed, a Holdo maneuver. The raw intensity of her words smmed against my every defense.

  "Zenna, listen—" I began again, but this time, I had different pns. I desperately bolted out the still-opened door. The room became a blur as I sprinted, her startled gasp echoing behind me. Down the durasteel hall, I ran, my boots pounding a staccato rhythm that matched the frantic drumming of my heart.

  I could almost sense her right on my heels, her determination was as sharp and unbreakable as a diamond, with no room for hesitation or doubt, reflecting the same unwavering strength as the precious gem, until she turned the corner.

  In one fluid motion, I summoned the Force around me, wrapping myself in a shroud of invisibility. My breaths came hard and fast, fogging the air as Zenna strode past, her searching eyes mere inches from where I stood, unseen.

  "Relic? Where are you?" Her voice, den with confusion and a hint of betrayal, cut through the silence.

  I held still, a statue carved from fear and relief as she passed by, her footsteps fading into the distance as she continued running and searching down other various hallways.

  "Close one," I whispered to the empty corridor, my breath finally slowing, the invisible cloak of the Force my only soce in a gaxy that refused to let me hide.