Storms of the Eye - A WolfWren fiction

Chapter 1: The chore.

There was a constant humming in the Eye of Sion that would just get on your nerves over time. It still had that fresh and oily smell of an uninhabited brand-new ship, and the satisfying melody of newly greased parts clicking and rattling in a muffled harmony. But the frail skeleton of the Eye, designed with no buffering comfort, was relentlessly shaking in a maddening buzz, in its bumpy ride between galaxies. Two days of pointless wandering in the reduced habitable part of the ship made that faint buzz as loud as a room full of angry Jawas.

Whoever designed the Eye went right to the point: tape seven Super Star Destroyer hyperdrive engines together on a big durasteel ring, slap a cheap corvette on it and call it a day. And in due time, I'll find that cost-efficient genius, tie him to its creation, and plot him a scenic tour of the nearest black hole, swore Shin to herself. Sure, Master Skoll might get kinda pissed about it for a minute, but I would argue I'm bringing peace and justice to our forthcoming new Empire, by ridding us of such terrorists.

"You do know I can feel that, right ?" Asked Baylan Skoll, absently, as he sat across her from the table.

Shin managed both the feat of not jumping at the remark, and slowly bringing up a sole eye up in that broody scowl of her. Her lips pursed imperceptibly, but she kept quiet, calling her master's bluff. A futile attempt, of course. Baylan did not even look up from his datapad as he went on, in his calm factual tone.

"Your boiling impatience. I've trained you long enough to know how much you hate that kind of inaction. But surely there are more constructive pursuits to be had here than aimless raging thoughts."

Shin threw herself back on her chair, broodily blowing a string of her hair encumbering her sight in a poorly concealed sigh.

"Sorry Master. I didn't mean for it to show. Although if you'd like to suggest any productive way of spending our time here, I'd surely welcome it." Shin said. Though she immediately froze inside at the realization of her mistake. This tone might just have been a tad over the line. And Master Skoll wasn't in the habit of letting her tantrums go unanswered, as tame as they came.

"Well since you're asking," Baylan said with an innocent smirk, "I do worry about our little prisoner friend of yours. Two days of isolated care with Lady Elsbeth's guards for sole company must have her craving for conversation. I think you could tend to that."

The look Shin gave him was so flat, that turbolasers would have slid on it. But she was, for once, at a loss for words, gaping at him. She expected a punitive chore for her cheekiness, but nothing so outrageously stupid. She waited for some joke's punchline to end her disarray, but her Master met her silence with more of his own, sustaining her glance.

"I... fail to see the productivity in such endeavor ?" Volunteered Shin, raising her eyebrows in a cringed expression.

"Well," replied Baylan with irritating lightness, "She did come willingly to find that Ezra friend of hers. I gather he was a fellow apprentice of sorts. One skilled enough to have made the journey to Peridea in a hostile and fully crewed Super Star Destroyer, and forced none other than Admiral Thrawn into it. Wouldn't you agree it's worth knowing more about such an enemy before we encounter him ?"

This time, Shin rolled her eyes in exasperation, no longer preoccupied to veil it.

"Master, you can't possibly think that the Jedi survived the trip. That dumb Mandalorian girl might delude herself otherwise, but not even her Master seemed to share her naivete." Shin said. "I'm sorry I'm restless, but surely I might expiate it in a different way than fetching intel about some Jedi cadaver ?"

"Well if you're so convinced it's leading nowhere, then it's a perfect exercise for you, my young apprentice." Said Baylan, cheerfully. "We don't have to worry about you failing, should this prove to be above your skills".