Star Wars: Dissention of the Sith

Chapter 8

A few days later...

Cognus paced back and forth in the shuttle, her frustration growing with each step. She had been stranded on Korriban for weeks now, waiting for Captain Kael to fully heal in the bacta tank. Even though she had the holocron of Darth Phobos in her possession and had dismissed the spirit controlling of the skeletal Sith acolytes, they still made occasional attacks on the shuttle. She couldn't help but feel that Phobos was trying to annoy her even in death.

"Why did we have to get stuck on this godforsaken planet?" Cognus muttered to herself. "And why is Kael taking so long to heal? He's not even fully trained in the force, what use is he to me? Surely flying a shuttle can't be that hard, right?"

She knew she needed to be patient, but the wait was becoming unbearable. She wanted to leave Korriban and put Phobos's knowledge to use, to continue her ascension in the Sith order. But she was stuck, waiting for Kael to recover.

Cognus let out a sigh, knowing that she needed to focus on the present and not let her frustrations consume her. She knew that the holocron held valuable knowledge that she could use to become even more powerful. She just needed to be patient and wait for the right moment to strike.

As she was trying to calm herself, she was approached by Zax who sat opposite of her, offering her a beverage from their dwindling supply. "Here, this might help take the edge off," he said, holding out a cup of water.

Cognus took the cup and sipped at it, feeling the cool liquid wash down her throat. "Thank you," she said, setting the cup down beside her. "I just can't believe we're stuck here waiting for Kael to heal. We should have returned to Haruun Kal by now, to Millennial. This is the longest he's been without me".

Zax nodded in agreement. "I understand your frustration, but Kael is our only pilot and we need him if we want to leave this planet. Plus, the bacta tank will heal him faster than any other method. We'd have been out of here sooner if those kriffing skeletons hadn't took their toll during the first attack. We just have to be patient".

Cognus sighed, knowing he was right. "I know, it's just hard to be patient when I feel like we're wasting time".

Zax put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "We'll get you back to Haruun Kal, and your son? Assistant? Whatever he is. But for now, we have to play the waiting game".

Cognus nodded, taking another sip of her water. She knew that Zax was right and that they had to be patient. But it didn't make the waiting any easier.

"I am not a mother" she said breaking the moment of silence. "Millennial is important to me, is all. I don't wish to discuss the matter further".

"Hey you could have fooled me, I've seen all sorts of things in this galaxy" he replied, laughing slightly.

Cognus and Zax sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Cognus couldn't help but feel restless, trapped on Korriban and at the mercy of the skeletal Sith acolytes that still lurked in the shadows. As she sipped her beverage, she turned to Zax, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"What did you do to be exiled from your Mandalorian clan?" she asked, her voice low and measured.

Zax took a sip of his own drink before answering. "I refused to follow their traditional code of honour," he said. "I saw things differently, and they saw that as a threat".

Cognus raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"I killed a fellow Mandalorian who had broken the code," Zax replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "He had killed innocent civilians and I saw it as my duty to bring him to justice. But my clan saw it as me breaking the code of brotherhood".