Trylia followed Relsor and Perce onto the flagship at a reluctant pace, feeling saddened.  Relsor urged her along as they marched to Relsor’s multi-purpose viewport room. It had really become his main command centre, more efficient than his bridge, well hidden from typical target areas, and thus she knew that any enemy shooting at the flagship would not easily kill its commanding Sith Lord.  Even if the bridge were destroyed, Relsor could still have the ship do anything the bridge would have commanded it to do, and he could deploy his shuttle from nearby as well. Trylia took note, just in case.
            It felt strange to be back on his ship.  She looked around, walking slowly.  She expected it would take a few hours before the others found her.
            ‘You’re going to have to be more pleasant company,’ said Perce.
            ‘And why is that?’ asked Trylia, affronted.
            ‘Because we have to tolerate your presence.’
            ‘Perhaps you must tolerate her presence,’ said Relsor, ‘whereas I relish in it.’
            ‘It figures you’d say that,’ said Perce, voicing Trylia’s exact thoughts. ‘Make no mistake, though,’ Perce went on, getting right in her face, ‘that if you lie, if you deceive us in any way, we will know, and I will kill you, even if he kills me for it.’  Trylia glared at him.  Perce chuckled.  ‘Of course, he won’t kill me, because I can’t die.’
            Relsor looked at Perce.  ‘You can regenerate.  There is a difference.’
            ‘Tisk, tisk, Relsor. Don’t be such a spoilsport.’  Perce looked back at Trylia.  ‘Just mark my words.’
            ‘Are you going to let him talk to me like this?’ she said looking at Relsor.
            ‘You can’t walk in here, as our prisoner,’ said Perce, ‘and expect to be treated as the perfect little Jedi you think you are.  Oh, but you’re not perfect, because the Jedi don’t allow attachments.  Yet, you and Shadie, and all your friends, make the exception.’  His voice took a menacing tone.  ‘If I have to endure your prissy little whining voice–’
            ‘Then what?’ Relsor demanded.  ‘There’s nothing you can do about it, Perce.’
            Perce turned his head towards Relsor. ‘You are testing my endurance.’ He turned back to Trylia.  ‘There’s just something about you I don’t like and can’t stand.’
            ‘Then it’s a good thing you won’t have to stand me for much longer,’ Trylia shot back, mimicking his tone.
            Both Relsor and Perce looked at each other.  Trylia suddenly realised her mistake and cursed herself for having been goaded into revealing her secrets so readily.  She felt her face turn hot.
            ‘You know,’ said Relsor, ‘there is something quite appealing to me when I see your Togruta face blush.  The thing is, I would prefer it to be for different reasons.  Now, tell me what you meant by that comment, and,’ he looked at Perce, ‘do not lie, or I just might let him kill you.’
            Trylia gulped.  She looked at Relsor.  ‘There is a tracking device on the hull of your ship.’ She looked down, closing her eyes in shame.
            ‘Well, well, how interesting,’ said Perce, sneering with pride.  ‘This is why you were so willing to sacrifice yourself for poor old Brenum.’
            ‘Enough!’  Relsor looked at Trylia.  He cupped his hand on her chin and lifted it.  ‘Is that the only thing on my hull?’
            ‘As far as I know, yes.’
            Relsor backed away.  He tapped his comlink.  ‘Awgro, command room, now!’  They waited a few moments before the Sith apprentice arrived.  ‘Tell me, Awgro, how is it a tracking beacon has made its way onto the hull of my ship and I didn’t hear anything about it?’
            ‘I was not aware there was any such device on the hull,’ replied Awgro slickly. ‘A Republic envoy flew by the ship, it was a quick flyby and then they were back in hyperspace before I could shoot them down. You were briefed on this.’ He paused. Relsor kept staring at him. ‘Nothing showed up on the scans.’
            ‘Then I know exactly where it is.’  Relsor stood taller.  ‘Awgro, arrange that meeting with the Dark Council.  Perce, the ship is yours.  Trylia, you and I are going for a walk…on the ship’s hull.’
            ‘Me?’
            ‘Yes. Your Republic, your responsibility to help me find the tracking device.’
            ‘But you said you knew where it was!’
            ‘I did. And you’re going to assist me.’ Relsor turned and began at a quick pace.  ‘Come on, we’ve no time to waste.’

Continue Reading Chapter Three

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Shadie story series.

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