After heading back into the base, Keiran had contacted the Dark Council to give them her report. As she expected, they had whined about how the enemy had escaped, and how they had managed to do so much damage before having escaped. She’d swiftly dismissed their complaints, reminding them that the other bases that had been attacked had suffered far worse fates, and even if the enemy had escaped, that didn’t mean the day had been lost. Now, what felt like an eternity later, she was still speaking with them.<br/><br/>“Fine. Were you at least able to get some information on the enemy?” a female Sith on the council asked. “You can use Shatter Point, yes? Did you identify anything?” a male Sith added. Keiran pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed softly. “Of course, I did,” she replied, answering both questions at once. “Naturally, I have already set a plan in motion,” she replied with a slight smirk. “Not to worry. When the time comes, you will be made aware of the details,” she assured them with a dismissive wave of her hand, to stave off any questions they might think to ask regarding her mysterious plan.<br/><br/>She could hear some grumbling, but in the end, no one tried to press the matter, having learned from past experience that it would do little good. “Fine. Do as you wish, as long as you succeed and bring this war closer to its end,” said a male Sith’s voice. “Of course,” she replied with a slight nod and an enigmatic smile.<br/><br/>“Well, anyways. We still need to finish our previous discussion,” came another voice. “We would like to send you to the planet Balmorra. The people there are putting up a strong resistance, and seeking aid from the Republic, although the Republic has been unable to provide such. We need you to go there and crush their resistance. Show the people the might of the Empire,” the Sith spoke proudly, his voice cold, with no regard for the lives that he was asking her to extinguish. “And if by some miracle the Republic tries to send aid, you are to block it. They must learn the futility of their efforts to stand against us.”<br/><br/>“As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted…” Keiran replied with a light voice and a hint of a playful smile. “That sort of action is precisely why we are in this situation,” she repeated. “The people resist because they are struggling. The harder we squeeze them, the harder they will fight,” she spoke bluntly, although her tone remained light. “People seek the aid of the Republic because they believe that their lives will be better with them. Your ridiculous strategy will only serve as proof that they are right. It will drive them right into the arms of the Republic,” she continued, not holding back her opinions, or bothering to try to sugar coat them.<br/><br/>“So, with that said… I refuse,” she replied with a smile that seemed inappropriate for the present situation. “I will go to Balmorra, if it is what the Council requires of me, but I will do things my way,” she continued with a smile and light tone that seemingly disregarded the gravity of the situation. “If you want a grunt to go along with your plan without question and jump in swinging a lightsaber, you picked the wrong girl. Find someone else,” she continued, her words a bit more pointed this time. “If you want someone to actually get the job done… well, you know where to find me, and you know my conditions. I make my own plans; I don’t follow the plans of others, especially when they’re stupid,” she spoke bluntly once more, adding a smile at the end as if that would soften the blow somewhat.<br/><br/>“You arrogant…” the Sith woman began before someone cut her off. “She may be arrogant, not to mention defiant, with no regard for authority…” another male Sith, a human who appeared at least middle age said, looking at the holo-comm pointedly as he spoke, only to receive a casual shrug from Keiran, as if she couldn’t, or at least wouldn’t bother trying to argue with the statement. “But regardless, there is no denying her skill, or her results,” he pointed out. “She is the best person for the job, not because of her talent for destruction, but because of her talent for strategy. It would be a shame not to use her to her full potential, yes?” he asked, looking around the room and getting no arguments from anyone.<br/><br/>“Very well. You will go to Balmorra and use whatever methods you see fit to bring an end to this rebellion,” the Sith Lord commanded. “As you wish. It will be done,” Keiran replied with a bow, smiling slightly to herself, the smile vanishing before she lifted her head to return her attention to the holo-comm. “If there is nothing else, I’ll be on my way,” she said, waiting for a moment for an answer. “Go, show them the power of the Dark Side,” the Sith replied before the communication ended.<br/><br/>“Sure,” Keiran replied with an indiscernible expression before she turned and left the room with a flourish of her dark cloak. After ensuring that her ship was both intact and fully resupplied, she promptly left the planet, and soon the entire system behind. Once she’d made the jump to hyperspace, she put the ship on autopilot and stretched. She had time before she would reach the system, so she might as well use that time to rest. Of course, she didn’t think she could sleep now, so she chose instead to simply relax in her chair, watch the stars go by, and try to work through the many things on her mind.<br/><br/>So much had happened today that she hadn’t expected, and there was a lot to process, yet she’d had no time to do so thus far. Now was as good a time as any to do so, she guessed. So, as she sat there, she replayed the events in her head, frowning slightly as she recalled the things he’d said. Had everything really been a waste? Had her sacrifice truly been in vain? No, that wasn’t true, at least not completely. Then again, it wasn’t completely wrong, either. Despite what she’d said to him, seeing him like that, feeling such anger, even darkness within him, it weighed heavily on her.<br/><br/>She had wanted to save his life, but she’d also wished to preserve the person that he was, the light he had been for her. In that way, he was right. Even if she had saved his life, what she had done had changed him. He wasn’t that same boy anymore. But then, if he had become a Sith, she wondered how much more darkness might have been within him? How much blood might stain his hands? She had plenty of blood on her own hands, but she could live with that. She had plenty of darkness within her, but that was nothing new.<br/><br/>Sighing, she shook her head. There was no point in dwelling on that. She tried not to linger too much on any of the things he had said, but one thing she couldn’t erase. He really thought that this life agreed with her, did he? Did she really seem that at home in the darkness? Then again, was that really surprising? Perhaps not.<br/><br/>Regardless of everything, she was glad, in some way, to have seen him again, to have gotten to see the man he’d grown up to be, even if it wasn’t the one she’d hoped he would be. She regretted that their meeting had done the way it had, but it couldn’t be helped. The Force had brought them together this way for a reason, even if the reason wasn’t clear yet. She couldn’t help but wonder, though… Would their paths continue to cross in the future? If so… When would they meet again? Would they fight again next time they met? Were they destined to always be on opposing sides? Or was there was a chance that someday, they might lay down their weapons and be friends again?