Kira Carsen sat on the Defender's floor, next to the galaxy map, and tried to meditate. There is no emotion, there is only peace.
Masters Braga, Sedoru, and Narezz were lost. No-one had heard of them, and even Valiara and Scourge hadn't seen them on the Emperor's space station. That would be enough to excuse Kira's disquiet, but the uncertainty was not what haunted her. No. What bothered her was the moment Valiara had stood before her restraints-
“Kira."
“Master!” Kira snapped out of any remnants of a meditative trance. “Uh, are we going somewhere?"
Valiara Iskali, Jedi Knight, was a beautiful Mirialan who looked impossibly young to have finished up Kira's training. “I could sense your distress. Is everything all right?"
Kira winced. “Sorry about that. It's the Emperor. I really don't like him, okay?"
“It saddens me greatly that our mission failed."
Privately, Kira thought that trying to convince him to be good, actually, had been sure to fail, but Tol Braga was the Master and the Council thought it was a good idea, so she'd kept her mouth shut. “Well, if we kill him, the galaxy will be rid of his evil plans nonetheless. I'm not really seeing a downside."
Valiara frowned. “We should not cheer the death of anyone, even our enemies."
Kira shrugged. “I'm not going to cheer his survival."
There was a moment of silence. Then, abruptly, Valiara sat down next to Kira and gently asked, “Is Scourge causing you unease?"
Kira was surprised. Sure, a dark side presence like Scourge's could offbalance many a Jedi, but that was not what she was worrying about. “No, it's fine."
Valiara gazed at her, impossibly gentle for the uncompromising hand of the Light Kira knew her to be. The golden lamps washed her green skin olive and her dark eyes glittered.
In the end, Kira broke eye contact first. “It's not Scourge.” She sighed. “It's – you know I was one of the Children of the Emperor? Watched friends regularly get mind controlled by the bastard? Well, having that happen to you was a real trip. An unpleasant one."
“Kira.” Valiara hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. “It's all right. It's over now, and we're going to stop the Sith Emperor so it never happens again. To you or anyone else."
“I – ugh! I hate him, and I don't want him anywhere near anyone!"
“Fear is the path to the Dark Side,” Valiara said much more gently than Kira really deserved. She put her arm around Kira's shoulders and pulled her in so Kira's weight was partially resting on her. “Acknowledge the fear and let it go. It brought you away from Korriban, but you do not need it anymore."
“I hate it when you're so reasonable,” Kira sighed, but obediently curled up so she was in half an embrace. “Doesn't it bother you at all?"
“The fact the Emperor mind controlled me was disturbing, but I now know how to break free. Just like you did,” Valiara added. “And we will defeat him so he won't hurt anyone else."
Kira gave in to the urge to roll over and curl up in her former master's arms. She sank her face in the crook of Valiara's neck and felt Valiara wrap her arms around Kira.
“You're a Jedi Knight, Kira. You can follow the path of the light side."
“You know, we're both Knights,” Kira said. It came off as more of a suggestion.
“Are you suggesting we need adult supervision?"
Many people looked at Valiara and only saw the devoted Jedi protector of the Republic. Kira, however, knew that there was a sly sense of humor in there, and snorted at every rare joke. “I think T7 counts as an adult. But no.” She raised her head so her cheek leaned against Valiara's.
“Attachment is forbidden,” Valiara whispered against her ear.
“Guess we'll just have to not get attached, then,” Kira replied.
Valiara was silent for a moment, but the Force already sang with her choice and Kira felt the guilty excitement around her. Then Valiara moved her head back, and Kira knew not to panic, felt the anticipatory whisper in the Force a moment before Valiara's lips found hers.
It started as a simple press of mouth against mouth and didn't really deepen as such. What made it thrilling was the way Kira felt Valiara's emotions, the slight guilt and surprise at how easy this was, and how Kira felt her own emotions, the thrill of the forbidden and the long yearning, echo off Valiara in the Force. Their desires reflected off the other in a feedback loop until they merged into a growing hum of anticipation and snatches of fantasy.
“Let us meditate in my room,” Valiara said, panting against Kira's lips.
The thing was, they might just end meditating together – sharing with each other the inner depths of their souls – regardless of whether they did anything else as well. It would be thrilling in and of itself. But Kira, Kira had always wanted more than she should have, and very loudly thought of Valiara naked on her bed.
Valiara snorted. “Impertinent,” she fondly said, but rose.
“You like it,” Kira shot back as she let Valiara help her up. “Come.” She had a few more thoughts she might share as incentive, but it seemed she'd be getting exactly what she wanted.