Talyc and Knarf sat in the Kandera bunker. Talyc had given Knarf a datapad with codes and information.
            ‘You’re going to need to learn some of that by heart,’ said Talyc. ‘I’ll have you visit some of the places mentioned here, and I’ll give you the access codes you need to enter the Mandalorian secret bunker. The rest, you’ll need to slice and code yourself so that only you recognise where to find the information.’
            Knarf looked up from the datapad. ‘We didn’t come here just for clan business, did we, though?’
            Talyc looked flushed and he glanced down. He reached for his helmet. Knarf put a hand on it.
            ‘You don’t need to hide your feelings from me,’ he said. ‘I won’t judge you.’
            ‘I needed to get away,’ Talyc said, his hand still on the helmet. ‘Away from Fane, the reminder of the happiness I am about to lose; away from Vax, the temptation to forget the fear I feel every time I look at Fane.’
            ‘You don’t know that he’s going to die,’ said Knarf. ‘Same way you don’t know that I’m going to live.’
            ‘Bes’laar, don’t. I can’t lose you too.’
            ‘You haven’t lost Fane, you barve!’ Knarf felt for his friend, and he sympathised. ‘But I know that if Shadie or I had done what you did with Vax, even just one kiss…’ He shook his head. ‘We made a commitment, and we defined that commitment. You need to do the same with Fane. You need to decide what you’re willing to give up for your relationship, aside from the drink, and what you need from him. There will be compromises, there will be sacrifices, and those will be different from circumstance to circumstance, situation to situation, but if you define the foundation of your relationship, then nothing will ever get in the way of your love.’
            ‘Easy for you to say, you’re both Force-sensitive and Force-users,’ said Talyc. ‘That barrier of me not being Force-sensitive will always get in the way. I’m just planning ahead for the inevitable.’
            ‘You’re planning for a doom you don’t even know will happen. And if Relsor does succeed, what then? The rest of the galaxy will follow suit in Fane’s death, so think about that too.’ Knarf sighed. ‘Oh, Talyc, I’m sorry; I’m not trying to be harsh. I just don’t understand.’
            ‘You don’t understand my stupidity?’ said Talyc. ‘For so long I would indulge in pleasures and forget how I felt, forget my fears.’
            ‘I know, you did the same when you fell in love with Fane, probably indulged more than you wanted to.’
            ‘Not really, sort of but…I found excuses not to because I didn’t feel like it,’ Talyc admitted.
            ‘And when you thought Fane had chosen the Jedi Order over you, you went and got drunk, and where did that lead you?’
            ‘Right in Relsor’s trap,’ said Talyc. He shook his head. ‘I am a barve, aren’t I?’
            ‘We all are barves,’ said Knarf, putting a hand on Talyc’s shoulder. ‘You need to decide what you will and will not sacrifice for Fane and what you need from him.’
            ‘Everything!’
            Talyc’s reply had been quick, but Knarf couldn’t quite make out which part of his statement Talyc was referring to. In any case, his answer was said and he seemed resolute.
            ‘Then you’re going to have to tell him before he meets his destiny,’ said Knarf.
            ‘You know, Vax said the same thing, not in the same words, but pretty much,’ said Talyc.
            ‘Well, there you go.’ Knarf took a beat. ‘Do you know what you want?’
            Talyc nodded. ‘I’m just so scared.’
            Knarf sighed. ‘You and me both. If Fane dies, chances are, so will Shadie, and perhaps the rest of us who have the power of the Crypt. And even if I don’t, I fear for my wife, especially since Relsor is trying to kill her, and the dark side is the only thing sustaining her, more than the light side right now. I fear she might be tempted to turn to the dark side again. But I trust her, and I trust that she would share any thoughts about it with me. I just hope she and I have the future before us we’ve always wanted. A lifetime is not long enough. I will love her eternally, as I know she will love me eternally.’
            ‘I feel the same about Fane,’ said Talyc. ‘If there is anything that seeing Vax again and reconciling our past has done, is it helped me realise how intense my love for Fane is. I know my logic is backwards, but that’s precisely why I tried to throw it all away, because it might be gone soon. He might be gone.’
            ‘Then we need to make sure that he’s not,’ said Knarf.

Continue Reading Chapter Nine

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