Still angry with the clones for having taken his ship apart, Fes was in no mood to mince words when he confronted his cousin's clone. "I need a spaceport transponder code, so I can slip into Terra without Terra Group caring about it."
"Uh, yeah, sure thing," Faace looked at the man curiously. "Any reason why?"
"Yeah, I think it'd be better not to have to rely on transport through here right now," he shook his head. "Besides, after your fellow clones decided to take apart Raven's Omen, I figure it'd be best not to leave her up here."
Faace chuckled, "Yeah, I guess not. I take it that's why you're so angry?"
Fes nodded curtly. "Something like that. A few other reasons as well, can I use your holocomm to make a few contacts?"
"Go right ahead, I'm sure you have good reason. I'll be in and out, if you don't mind."
"I don't."
Faace shrugged, and wandered off to find some more information to fill a Rent-A-Rogue order.
Fes moved to sit before the holocomm to place the first of his calls. He was glad when his actual cousin decided to answer. "Hey Rikki - need a favour."
"Uh, depends on what kind of favour."
"Well, see I'm stuck at Alison's spaceport, and I'm losing time in getting to Terra. I was wondering if you knew of any, uhm, hush-hush spaceroutes I could take to get back more quickly?"
"I'm sure there is one, I'll see what I can find," he typed a few things into a computer, "Anything else, Fes?"
He thought for a moment, "Yeah. Uhm... did you get a chance to talk to Sylvana?"
Face sighed, taking in the obviously miffed look in his younger cousin's eyes. "Uh... no. Cracken sidetracked me, and by the time I got away she was gone." He winced at the withering look he received, "I'm sorry!"
Fes simply growled in frustration. "Well, it's not your fault, Rikki. Besides, maybe it's best she doesn't know yet."
Face sighed, then his computer pinged. He looked at it, then back at Fes, "Well, if it's good news, I've found the information on an Intel-Only route. Want it?"
"What do you think?" Fes chuckled.
"Alright, I'm transmitting it through the comm now. You'll have to sidetrack some to pick it up, but it'll get you there in about thirty hours."
"That," the young man sighed, and grinned, "Is the best news I've had all day. Thanks a ton."
"Anytime, Fes. Keep in touch, got it?"
"Will do. Later."
The screen blinked off. With a sigh, he typed in the next set of comm codes.
The Holocomm unit in Alison's quarters rang for attention. Blinking along the bottom of the display was an identifying code. The incoming call was from the Jedi Child Spaceport. Alison looked at the code and growled, "Bob. Get the holo. Tell whoever it is that I'm sleeping, or something." She stormed off into her room, leaving the confused Human Replica Droid to walk to the holo-comm. "Hello, Mistress Sky-Fel's. She's away right now, can I take a message?"
"Bob?" Fes sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The green was almost completely gone now, leaving only a hinting cast to his usually flame-coloured mane. "Please don't tell me she's avoiding folks again...."
"You know my mistress almost as well as I do," Bob stated. "Can I take a message and give it to her for you?"
Fes lowered his voice and looked conspiratorially at the droid, "is she in earshot?"
Bob looked over his shoulder at the open bedroom door, "You can try...."
"Thanks." He sighed again and raised his voice, knowing she had a good range on hearing. "Milady, it's Fes!"
The bedroom door slammed shut.
He winced, "She's that angry?"
Bob mimicked his best version of a human shrug, "She's had a bad few weeks."
Running a hand through his hair again, he sighed, "Well, I'll try back again in about half an hour... could you maybe try to get her to listen then? Uh, I kind of wanted to apologise, and..." his voice trailed off as his words failed.
"I can, but from the way she's been, I can guarantee she still won't talk..." the door of the bedroom opened and Alison walked out, her hair wound up along her head as she plopped down on her livingroom couch.
"You have five minutes, bub, then I'm going to hang up," she stated simply.
"I-" he looked up and saw her. The woman he loved... with a bright over-angry scar crossing her face. "Oh mein Gott, was geschah!" (1) He shook his head to clear it, "What... what happened?"
"Knife fight," she took out her holdout vibroblade and twirled it in her hand. "You should see the other guy," she lied.
Fes caught it, "He'd better be dead," Fes growled. "If he isn't, he'll wish he was." His brows drew together angrily.
"Don't worry about it. I have plans and one day I'll become the haunting wraith after him." She looked at the chrono, "Three minutes."
"I guess I'd better get to the reason I called. You're not going to say any more, are you?" he looked worried.
She twirled her vibroblade and raised her eyebrow in response.
He sighed, bringing a hand up to scratch at the back of his head. "Well, uhm... first thing is some good news. I found out my birth family still lives," he smiled.
The corners of her lips lifted into a half smile. "That's great news," she sad in her normal serious tone. "Congrats."
"Thanks. Yeah, I remember you talking about your friend Sylvana Lorrdain?"
"How could I forget that Psycho?" she chuckled. "How's she doing?"
"Twin's taken over your place in Terra Group," he chuckled at the nickname she'd given his sister - how WELL he knew it fit. "She really likes helping people."
Alison blinked. "Twin? You mean...."
He noded, his grin widening. "I didn't tell you... anyone. But yeah, I had a twin sister. I thought she was dead, that they all were. But they're not, she's not."
Alison blinked again as it set in, then shook her head in amusement. "Oddly, it all makes sense now." She looked down at her watch, "One minute."
Dangit, and here I thought we were getting somewhere.... He sighed, his face falling somewhat as he raised his hand to his neck again. "I want, also, to apologise."
"For what?"
"For why you're angry at me?" he laughed nervously then smoothed his features to seriousness. "For stealing those kisses from you..." he paused, but went on quickly, "No. Not for kissing you, but for how I went about doing so. I should have asked, and for that I am apologising." He took a deep breath and looked away from her, down to the comm board in front of him. "I understand if you don't forgive me - but please... may we at least remain friends?" When he looked up again, there was visible pain and pleading in his gold eyes.
She sighed at his expression, much like a little boy who'd lost his puppy. "You're forgiven, but next time you want to tell me something, actually say it and don't dance around the subject."
"Sometimes you can't say what you wish to, because it would be wrong to do so. Like... telling someone who's attatched to another man that you love her," there. He said it. But, it didn't matter now, anyhow.
"That's where you're wrong, Fes. I'm not attatched to anybody. I'm my own person and I don't belong to anyone."
"You accepted his ring," he said dumbly. "That put you off limits," he said quietly.
She held up her empty hand to him, "You see a ring now?"
He blinked, "What happened?"
She could hear the complete concern for her in his voice, "Let's just say that things aren't always what they seem." She looked at her watch, "Well, time's up!"
Not hearing her last comment, he growled to himself. "Well, that explains why he didn't look out for you."
"Goodnight, Fes," she stood up and walked to the keyboard.
He raised a hand as though to touch the scar on her face through the vid-screen. He sighed, "I'm sorry that happened to you, and that you won't let me take vengeance." Another sigh, "How'd Wes react when he saw this?"
She growled, "Goodnight Fes!" she shouted as she stabbed her vibroblade down into the disconnect key. The Holocomm sparked and a plume of smoke rose from it. Alison walked away while Bob surveyed the damage.
"Oh dear."
Fes blinked as he saw the vibroblade come down, and turned to look at his cousin's clone - who'd been loitering elsewhere in the office, somewhat unobtrusively. "Was it something I said?"
(1) Oh my God, what happened?