"Prisons of the Mind, Part 1"
by Kaysa Zenarr
Zale Tregat
Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 26, 4ABY

***

She didn't know what she was doing there or why she couldn't leave, but she knew this was an important test in the relationship she had with Merrick, the one that was quickly crumbling. Whenever they were together lately, they spoke sparingly and rarely ever touched. The tension was palpable and uncomfortable, normally leading to one or both of them seeking shelter in another room, away from the other's cold stare, or Merrick fleeing for the White Noise and spending the night in solitude there.

That they were only happy when Shiv was in their lives was disheartening and only filled Kaysa with a greater sense of despair and futility. But she'd vowed that she would fight for Merrick, that she wouldn't let him go so easily, and she knew that's why she was sitting there, on the cold, stone stoop waiting for the one person who could either save or utterly destroy her relationship with Merrick.

She'd already waited three hours for him, the last she recalled, and she would wait all night if she had to. She needed to see him in order to find out why her heart no longer burned for Merrick. Of anyone she'd ever known, he'd been the only one besides Merrick and Shiv who could fill her with such passion and who enticed her to near madness. If she truly was dead to the world and not just Merrick, than there was still a glimmer of hope for them and perhaps her relationship wasn't doomed after all.

She pulled her knees up against her as she sat gazing up into the night sky. The stars weren't visible, as usual, and she thought perhaps he could give them to her again, like he had at one time. He'd wooed her almost successfully, and certainly had the capability of charming her, but tonight she hoped his charms wouldn't affect her the way she knew they could. She would rather have her heart completely dead than just dead to Merrick. Kaysa rested her forehead upon her knees with a heavy sigh. She was at a crossroads again and insanely enough, whenever that happened, she ran to him no matter how hard she tried to convince herself he was bad for her. Tonight, though, he might truly be her saviour.

When the hovercab dropped Zale off in front of his apartment, he slotted his credit chip and paid the driver for the ride. He had no new news on whatever happened to Shiv, and that disturbed him. He had people combing the system, turning planets inside out to find the girl. So far, they'd come up empty. He'd given the order to move on to the moons, but wasn't sure how much hope he should hold on to.

He started up toward the building when the figure sitting on the steps brought him up short. He approached slowly, wondering why she was here. After their conversation the other day, he didn't expect to actually see her again until he had found Shiv.

"Kaysa," he said. "Is everything alright?"

His voice lured her from the prison of her dark thoughts and brought her head up towards him. She gazed at him and noted the confusion with which he looked back at her, and considering their final words to eachother, she understood completely where his perplexity stemmed from. She, however, knew precisely why she was there and decided to make it very clear to him as well. Her eyes never left his as her trembling hands went to each of the straps of her dress and pushed them off her shoulders. She whimpered quietly and implored him with her saddened, darkened eyes to give her what she needed, to help her determine her fate with Merrick. Once the top of her dress hung loosely off her breasts, she reached down and slowly pulled up the hem, edging it inch by inch higher until her thighs were completely bared. In a desperate whisper, she pleaded with him. "Zale...please."

Zale stepped forward, his eyes alternating between her nearly exposed breasts and the bare flesh of her thighs. "Why don't we go upstairs," he said. "I don't think you really want me to take you out here on the steps, do you?"

"I don't care," Kaysa said desperately. "Just take me, Zale. I need this, please."

Zale nodded and approached. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he'd go along with it. He unfastened his pants as he sat down next to her. He didn't think she was in the mood for much foreplay, so he eased her onto her back and started kissing her lips and neck. Once he was ready, he reached down and slid her dress up higher so he could enter her. Without preamble, he did.

A spike of pleasure drove itself into Kaysa and arched her back off the stoop. Already she felt her breasts swelling as Zale thrust himself repeatedly into her. That she was aroused by him and increasingly so the longer he writhed against her frightened Kaysa. She couldn't feel this way, not with Zale. Her heart was supposed to be dead and her ability to react to any sort of physical contact with another was to be as well. Why, then, did she feel her body burning at his touch and the throbbing in her cunt rising with each passing moment? "Oh gods..." she whispered fearfully. "Oh gods no."

Zale continued thrusting harder and faster into Kaysa. He pulled the top of her dress down and took one of her nipples into his mouth, suckling like he knew she liked. He heard her whispers, but could not stop himself now. "What is it, Kaysa," he asked. "Oh gods no, what?"

"Nothing," Kaysa whispered. "Nothing, Zale." She moaned at his caresses and the sensation of his lips upon the tender flesh of her breasts raptured her. The other night, Merrick had barely gotten a moan from her, but now, with Zale, even a simple caress was bringing her to near climax. She rested her head back against the cold pavement of the stoop and swallowed down a sob. She'd just proven to herself that she was truly going to lose Merrick, but he was the man she loved, not Zale, yet if that were so, why could she barely look at him without feeling the urge to look away?

Kaysa cried out as the throbbing within her hastened and the climax drew nearer. Zale had no idea that the act he was throwing himself completely into was merely a test and he, merely a tool to facilitate it. She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly as she quickly saw her life with Merrick crumbling before her, and all because she was still powerless to resist Zale.

Zale could feel his climax nearing, and knew that Kaysa was even closer. He didn't know why, but she almost seemed more aroused than she had ever been when they were together. Her scream started with her orgasm, and continued through his. He cried out as he plunged into her one last time and filled her with his seed. He stopped thrusting into her, their breathing the only sound as they clung to each other on the stoop of Zale's apartment building. Slowly, he pulled out of her and looked up into her eyes. "What's going on, Kaysa?"

Kaysa stared distantly at the darkened sky above and only vaguely felt the tears running down the sides of her face. She couldn't look at Merrick after this, knowing they were doomed if Shiv never returned, that they would be no more and all they had been through would be meaningless because of it. She was going to destroy him and in turn, herself, all because her body was unaffected by his touch. Listlessly, she pulled the straps of her dress over her shoulders and tried to slide out from beneath Zale. "Thank you," she said in a dead, even tone. "I know now...I know what has to be done."

Zale put his arms down on either side of Kaysa so she couldn't move. "What the hell are you talking about," he asked. "What was this all about? What do you have to do?"

"Let me go," Kaysa said, but she did so with little force or conviction in her voice. She looked away from Zale and stared dazedly down the street below. "You don't understand," she muttered. "I can't lead him on like this. I...I have to let him go. It's what I have to do."

"Kaysa," Zale said, trying to get her to look into his eyes, "what are you talking about. Please, just talk to me. Tell me what's going on. What's wrong? Let me help you."

Kaysa laughed coldly and turned her gaze finally to Zale. "But you've already helped me, Zale. Don't you see? Merrick and I can't be together anymore. It...it's over. It has to be."

"You're leaving Merrick? I don't...Kaysa...why?" He rolled to the side so she could get up if she wanted. He wouldn't force her like this. If she wanted to tell him anything, he would let her do it on her own.

Kaysa sat up shakily and once again pulled her knees up tightly against her. "I couldn't, Zale," she said quietly. "We tried and we couldn't, not like you and me. I...I can't be near him, I can't touch him... When he touches me, I feel nothing but guilt and pain. Why don't I feel anything, Zale?"

"You do feel something," Zale said. "It's just that your relationship with Merrick is too closely tied to Shiv. The two of you have shared your bed and hearts with him, and he and her with you. I think in a way, his presence is a firm reminder of Shiv's absence. You're able to be with me because you and I have something primal between us. Sex between us has always been passionate and needful. I think even though we keep trying to deny it, we do need each other. We feed each other sexually in ways that we never thought possible. When you and I join, we transcend this life and become sexual energy. I know it's wrong of me to say, but I hope that you and I can always share in that way. I've never had sex with anyone else like when I'm with you. I don't know if it's possible for us to still be together in that way. Come upstairs and I'll make you something to drink. I just received a shipment of tais that's receiving raving reviews. If you want to stay with me, you can. I'll try to help you forget your grief tonight, and tomorrow you can come to my office and observe some of the search for Shiv. We start searching the moons tomorrow."

Kaysa gazed at Zale, wanting desperately to believe everything he'd say, wanting it all to make so much sense that there was no way she could question it. She wanted to believe anything that would raise her hopes about the survival of her relationship with Merrick, so she clung to Zale's words as if they were that final thread of hope that would keep she and Merrick tethered to one another. Bursting into sobs, Kaysa pushed forward and secured her arms around Zale. "Please make me forget, Zale. Make me forget all the pain so I can only focus on the hope. Do that for me...please."

Zale stuffed himself back into his pants and then scooped Kaysa into his arms. "Let's go upstairs," he said, and started into the building.

He carried her the entire way, not putting her back on her own feet until they were inside his apartment. Once she was standing again, he took her into his arms and kissed her. "Would you like anything to drink? Or do you just want to go into the other room and forget?"

"I...I need a drink first to settle my nerves." Kaysa whimpered quietly as she embraced Zale firmly and with arms trembling furiously. "A drink, Zale...I-I think I need something...some brandy or gin or something, Zale."

"But only a little," he said. He moved to the bar and poured her a glass of brandy and one for himself. He brought it back and handed it to her. "If you finish that in one gulp, you get no more."

Kaysa smiled at Zale and took the glass up in both her hands. She brought the brim to her lips and the whiff of the sweet liquor sent her mind instantly into a frenzy. She'd sworn off alcohol, but she needed it or she would never stop trembling and completely rattle her nerves. Once the liquid touched her lips, she drank ravenously with brandy streaming down the sides of her mouth. She pulled the empty glass away, breathless and yearning for more. She looked up at Zale and handed him the glass with a slow smile. "Are you sure I can't have another? I can handle it, Zale and besides, I'll be with you so what's the worst that could happen?"

"Anything," he growled, and threw the glass against the far wall. It shattered, sending a spray of glass rivulets into the air. He closed the bar and started toward the bedroom. "Come on. It's time to forget."

Kaysa stared at the shards of glass that littered the floor, then turned back in time to see Zale disappearing into his bedroom. She glanced at the bar for a moment, vowing to sneak out once Zale was fast asleep to steal a sip or two of the brandy. Kaysa wiped her mouth clean of the spilled liquor and followed slowly behind Zale into the bedroom.

Once there, she stood a distance away, her eyes watching him as he moved about the room. He was going to help her forget, but she never wanted to forget Merrick; she was already losing him and erasing him from her mind would mean a complete and total loss of the man she loved. She was no longer certain she should have come to Zale, but she knew resisting him now, especially in her vulnerable state was going to be difficult. "So," Kaysa began nervously, "the search for Shiv isn't going well?"

Zale turned and approached, his body moving with catlike grace. "We haven't found her yet, but there still are some places in the system we haven't looked. We'll be searching some of the moons on the outer planets tomorrow. If she's in the system, we'll find her soon enough. And, if she's not, it just means we have more places to look. We won't stop until we find something, Kaysa. I promise you that." When he was close enough, he slowly started pulling the skirt of her dress up, bunching the fabric up around her waist.

Kaysa pressed her back to the wall for support and sighed heavily as Zale's hands travelled along her thighs. She gazed up at Zale whose eyes held a burning lust in them, one that reawakened her own. Desperately, she wanted Merrick to have been the one to do that for her; she wanted Merrick. "Zale...should we..." Kaysa whimpered quietly and gently gripped Zale's wrists in an attempt to pry his hands from her. "Should we be doing this? I mean...Merrick... I-I... Don't I need to fix things with him?"

Zale stopped and looked at her. "Do you think you can? With all that's happened? If you think you can fix things with him, then you should go to him, Kaysa. If you think you can still feel anything at his touch, then you should go try to rekindle what you have with him. Otherwise, I'll help you forget your problems..."

Kaysa furrowed her brow in despair and let out a sharp sigh. "We don't even sleep in the same bed anymore," she said quietly. "He's been sleeping at the White Noise for the past week. He only comes home to change and then...then he leaves again." She closed her eyes and turned her head away from Zale. Nothing would work unless Shiv came back. Only then would she have a chance of reconciling with Merrick.

The chances of bringing Shiv home any time soon looked slim, and in that time, being without Merrick and dwelling on thoughts of her girl, Kaysa knew she'd sink into bitter hopelessness and despair. She didn't look forward to that and it was a fate Zale could keep her from succumbing to. He wanted to help her. He loved her and now he wanted to help her. She hoped his motives were truly selfless and ambivalent, for she was too distressed to see through any charade he may have been playing.

"Zale," she whispered desperately. "I...I don't want to lose him but...I can't be with him right now. He's so dark and...he's dragging me down with him and it scares me."

"Stay with me," Zale said softly. "I'll give you the hope you need. You'll know as soon as I find anything in the search for Shiv, and you'll be there right with me. Stay here with me, and then you can reconcile with Merrick when we find Shiv. I'll keep you afloat, and see that you always have hope to keep you going."

Kaysa's breathing hastened as Zale's words lured her into a false sense of comfort and optimism. She was too desperate to see that he would say anything to have her all to himself and that his sweet words were a selfish attempt to regain what he had lost to Merrick, but she needed something to cling to that would keep her from reverting to a shivering, paranoid mess, and Zale was offering her that salvation.

Kaysa sighed softly as she reached out and smoothed her hands over Zale's chest. She moaned quietly even though Zale's hands were nowhere near her more erogenous zones; it was what he offerred her that was so alluring and elicited such arousal in her. "I'll stay," she said breathlessly. "For tonight, at least. I just...you have to help me clear my head so I can think. You have to help me..."

Zale kissed her, cutting off the plea. He lifted her into his arms and took her with him to the bed. "I will help you," he said as he lay her down below him. "And, I'll help you clear your head. Everything will be alright, Kaysa. I'll help you make everything the way it's supposed to be."

"The...the way it's supposed to be?" Kaysa shook her head slowly in perturbation and closed her eyes. "I don't know how anything is supposed to be anymore. It all seemed so clear before, but now..." She sighed ruefully and reached out for Zale, needing a touch and a caress to keep her anchored to reality and her mind from recessing into the darkness. "I was so wrong, Zale," she said desperately. "I was so wrong when I said we can't be together. I...I need us to be. I can't be alone now, Zale. I need you..."

"I'm all yours," Zale said. He slowly started pulling her dress away. "We'll always have each other, Kaysa. No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you." He kissed her slowly, and then trailed his kisses down to her neck and breasts. "I'll make it all better, my love."

Kaysa moaned and took the liberty of helping Zale with the removal of her dress. She pressed her hips forward against his in a silent, physical plea to keep his promise and truly make it all better. She whimpered and sobbed as the anticipation of being liberated from her despair drew nearer but remained still some distance out of reach. "Zale," she groaned piteously. "I'm so sorry for everything bad I've ever done to you." She whimpered quietly again and shook gently with tears. "Oh gods...I've always been so cruel to you...and all you've ever done was try and help me. Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay, Kaysa," Zale said as he started removing his own clothing. "We'll make it all better now. We'll make everything alright." He kissed her tenderly. "Everything will be better from now on." Once they were both undressed, he entered her for the second time that night and with the skill of a master, started working to help Kaysa forget all her troubles.

Kaysa wept loudly and bitterly despite the pleasure and comfort Zale was building her towards. She'd thought so strongly that she was on the right path with Merrick, that they would last through any trial they were faced with, but he was sleeping alone at the White Noise, and she was in another man's bed seeking solace in his arms. She wasn't certain about anything anymore and even though she felt apprehensions about being with Zale, she didn't have confidence in her ability to judge between what was right and wrong anymore, so she pushed her trepidations aside and offerred herself fully to Zale. That he could reawaken the passion for lovemaking she thought she'd lost with Shiv's departure only further dismissed her hesitations and helped reinforce that she was where she was supposed to be, and that was in Zale's arms.

---

"Prisons of the Mind, Part 2"
by Kaysa Zenarr
Zale Tregat
and Merrick Braston
Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 26, 4ABY

***

The sleep that Zale Tregat found that night with Kaysa in his arms was better than he'd had in a long while. Her body pressed against his, sleep relaxing her face and making her seem almost at peace. She truly was beautiful, and Zale knew as he held her to him that he had to have her in his life no matter the consequences. He and Kaysa were passionate together, more so than anyone he'd ever known. When they touched, the contact burned. Together they were truly amazing, and he would be damned if he ever let that out of his life again.

He kissed the back of her neck slowly. "Kaysa, how would you like to have breakfast in bed again?"

Sleep's hold on her hadn't been firm and when Zale's voice graced her ears, she was immediately roused. Not even exhaustion from their night of lovemaking could give her a peaceful night's rest; her sleeping mind had been filled with such worry and consternation that she was more weary awakening now than she had been those long nights, lying awake pining for Shiv.

Kaysa sighed gently and stared across the room absently. Last night, she'd needed to be in Zale's company, but now she felt cold and hollow again. "I'm not very hungry, Zale. You can have breakfast while I shower if you want."

Zale pressed himself closer and craned his neck to see her better. "I'm not very hungry either. If you want to shower, I can watch...or help. And then when we're ready, we can go get some kaffa, and go to the office. The first strike teams should be landing shortly."

"Uh...why don't you take a shower ahead of me," she suggested distractedly. "I...I should contact Merrick. He'll probably wonder where I've been." She glanced back at Zale with a wan smile. "Don't worry. I won't tell him where I really am. I'm a good liar. I was considered a ruthless, manipulative bitch at one time... I think it's about time I start living up to that reputation."

"That's what makes us so good together," Zale said. "That and our sexual appetites." He slipped out of the bed and headed toward the refresher. "I'll be out soon."

Kaysa waited until the sound of rushing water arose from within the refresher before sitting up in bed. The silk sheets slid easily off her body and Kaysa looked down to examine the physical remnants of her night with Zale. He was tender most of the night, but he'd seemed so possessed with hunger and insatiable lust that at times she wondered if he even realized she was still there writhing beneath him. She ran her fingers over the purple bruises on her breasts where he'd handled them too roughly, and winced as she felt a stinging pain on her back where his fingernails had left a series of welts. He wasn't interested in making love to her; he was interested in conquering her and claiming her as a prize. After all they'd gone through, he finally managed to dominate her completely, and she knew he was relishing that.

She needed a different kind of comforting now, one only a gentle, loving voice could give her. Kaysa glanced languidly towards the nighttable and reached out for her commlink. Merrick probably hadn't noticed she was gone, but a part of her wanted him to know she hadn't abandoned him, even though emotionally, she was dead to him and the world. Taking a deep breath, Kaysa punched in Merrick's comm code and waited nervously. Would he hear the sounds of rushing water in the background and suspect something? Would he be able to detect the lies she was about to tell him just by the sound of her voice? Did he already know where she was and with whom? Whether he did or not, he certainly wouldn't find out from her.

Across the city, seated alone in the dressing room he'd been given at the White Noise, Merrick Braston opened his eyes at the chirping sound coming from his comlink. He picked it up from the table next to him and pressed the receive button. "This is Merrick Braston," he said. As sleep slowly left him, he noticed who was on the other end and sat up. "Kaysa? How--how are you?"

Kaysa cradled the commlink in her hands as if it were Merrick's face. Everyday without him, she realized how much she missed him, but when they were together, the wounds reopened and she only yearned for distance again. "Merrick?" she said hesitantly. "I'm...I'm fine, Merrick. Are you okay? I mean...how are you?"

"I'm doing alright," Merrick said. "Things are slow. Chrik's had an alternate act on the last week. I get out there and think I can do it, but it doesn't happen. It's difficult."

"I think I understand that." Kaysa swallowed back the knot rising from her stomach into her throat before attempting to speak again. "I just...I commed you to see how you were doing and...just to let you know I was safe... I'm...I don't think I'll be home tonight. I've been working late at the office and...I really need to stay late again just to keep things running smoothly."

"I understand," Merrick said. "I don't think I've seen the apartment since I left. I'll probably just sit in the audience and watch tonight. How are things going at the office?"

"As good as can be expected." Kaysa laughed softly. "Not very well actually." She gazed fixedly at the commlink, wishing she could see through it and find Merrick's face staring back at her, but she knew the anguish she would see in it was something she was reluctant to observe. With a gentle sigh, Kaysa spoke softly into the device. "Merrick, I--" She chewed on her lip and silenced the sob that was willing its way out. "I love you, Merrick," she said in a barely audible whisper.

"I love you too," he said, his voice strained with barely contained emotions. "We'll get through this somehow. I've got a meeting with Weibran this afternoon. Hopefully he has good news. I'll let you know."

"I'll be here." Kaysa couldn't bear to hear the emotion in Merrick's voice before her own became too overpowering to contain, so with a quick goodbye, she severed the connection. The commlink slipped from her hands, which she quickly placed over her face and wept into quietly. "What am I doing?" she asked herself. "Oh gods...help me."

"Is everything alright," Zale asked as he emerged from the refresher. "Did things not go well with Merrick?" He moved over next to her and sat down wearing only a towel.

"They went fine," Kaysa said shakily. "I just...I hate hurting him like that, but I have no choice. It would hurt him more if he saw that I couldn't physically be with him." She wiped the stinging tears from her eyes and looked up at Zale. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. You'll make things all better, I'm sure, just like last night..."

"I'll make everything better," Zale said as he folded her into an embrace. "And, when this is all over and Shiv comes back to you, I'm sure he'll be very understanding."

"Very understanding about what?" Kaysa asked as she lay limply in Zale's arms. "Understanding about the fact that I was screwing you while he was sleeping alone in his dressing room, wondering why I couldn't even bear to be near him?"

"He'll be understanding about the time you spent apart," Zale said. "I wouldn't think that you'd be telling him about us. But even so, I imagine a man of Merrick's character would be understanding about your need to be with me. I think that Merrick is very understanding of your needs, more than you give him credit for."

Kaysa pushed Zale away and shot him an angry glare. "Are you saying I don't appreciate Merrick? And for your information, there is no way in hell I'm telling him about what's happening here. I'd rather lose him because of our inability to be intimate than to lose him because I couldn't keep my legs closed."

"Kaysa," Zale said, his features softening, "I think you appreciate Merrick very much. I think that you and Merrick belong together. And, I'm certain whatever happens here is completely secret. I'm not suggesting that you say anything to him, just that even if he did find out I think he'd be understanding. I was just trying to say that when this is all over, and you can go back to him, that he will be understanding of the time you needed to be alone. He loves you too much to let something like a week's separation affect his love for you. The way his eyes light up when he sees you...it'll all be alright, Kaysa."

Kaysa sighed and nodded her head slowly. She was here to forget her troubles, yet Zale seemed to be unable to find anything else to talk about but Merrick and it was beginning to make her agitated. "I'm gonna go take a shower," she said coolly. She slid off the bed past Zale and headed for the refresher. Once in the doorway, she turned back to Zale and said in an even tone, "Tonight, do you think you could be a little gentler? I've got bruises and scratches everywhere." Without another word, Kaysa slipped into the refresher, hoping and praying she would have some freak accident and split her head open in the shower.

"I'll be out here," Zale called. He wasn't doing so well at wooing her now. Though wooing a woman who couldn't decide what to care about was a difficult task. Hopefully watching in on the search for Shiv would lighten her mood and make her more amenable to his presence. He slid from the bed and moved out into the other room. Kaysa may not have been hungry, but he was going to make something for them anyway. A steaming mug of kaffa would be good right about now.

***

Kaysa stepped out of the refresher with her hair still dripping wet and a towel wrapped around her. Last night, she'd been certain Zale could free her of all her troubles and that he would do so out of selfless concern for her. The skeptical aspect of her psyche was warning her that Zale's motives were most likely less than altruistic and that he was scheming, as usual.

Kaysa moved to the closet where some of her clothes were still hanging and began rifling through them. She couldn't afford to be suspicious and paranoid now, especially not when Zale was the only one keeping her from delving into the insanity that always seemed to linger so close to her in times of trouble. She didn't want her mind to drown in the darkness; it was frightening and she knew on top of everything else going on in her life, that would only compound her struggles. He was the only one left and she refused to drive him away. He was the only hope for Shiv, and the only one who could keep her grounded.

Slipping into her outfit, Kaysa moved from the bedroom in search of Zale. The aroma of freshly brewed kaffa wafted through the air, and Kaysa followed it until she was in the doorway of the kitchen, smiling at Zale. "I guess we're staying in for kaffa then."

"Either staying, or we can take it with us," he said. "We can observe the progress of the team from my office. I just checked and they're conducting a search on one of the moons now. Signs indicate a lot of activity there recently. If it's pirates, that could be where she's at."

"What if it's not pirates, Zale? I mean, what if it was some slave trader or something. We could be looking for the wrong people." Kaysa moved slowly into the kitchen and approached Zale. "I really don't think it's pirates, Zale." She slipped between him and the counter and looked up at him with a knowing gaze. "I think... I think it was Vrax, Zale. He's the reason she left in the first place. He was after her and he was after Merrick... I told her to get the hell off the planet and I'm thinking that maybe he followed her or found out where she was going and had her tracked down."

Zale's eyes narrowed. "Vrax," he said. "I'll let my teams know immediately. Moril will get another team going around New Plouton to try to track him down. We'll find him, and we'll make him pay for what he did. We had an easy enough time tracking him down before. He's not very subtle."

"Neither were his threats. The things he said he was gonna do were...they were so vile, Zale. I had to get her away. I would have had no way to protect her if she'd stayed." Kaysa looked down and whispered, "If you hadn't done those things to her, I could have come to you..."

"We still have a chance to get her back," Zale said. "And, I'm not giving up until she's back with you. I'm sorry for the way things happened, and I'm doing what I can to make amends. I promise you, Kaysa, I'll never do anything like that again."

"I don't know, Zale," she said gently. "You're an emotionally driven being, like me. We don't often think rationally when we're angry or upset." Her eyes slowly made their way back up to his and she smiled almost apologetically. "I think you could do it again. You're capable of it, Zale. You like dealing it out rough, just like with me last night. It's just your way of getting a rush of power. You'll do it again, Zale. I know it."

"Not like that I won't," he said. "And, definitely not if you can keep your jealousy in check." He looked at her and sighed. "We can make this work Kaysa, and when we find Shiv everything will go back to normal. Or something different than normal, but you'll have your life back again. And, you can be happy. Maybe you can bring your son."

"No," Kaysa groaned. She covered her mouth with her hand as a churning in her stomach made her suddenly sick. She turned her back to Zale and rested her hands on the counter as she leaned forward over the sink. "I can't have him here, not when I'm like this. He's better off where he is. Just...just leave it, Zale."

"Very well," Zale said with a nod. "Consider it left." He picked up his mug of kaffa and took a sip. He didn't know how long he could hold on to her anymore. It seemed as if there was nothing he could say that didn't infuriate or disgust her. He'd have to bide his time and be careful. Though, even through that he saw no chance of ever winning her heart.

***

After a ten minute ride in near silence, Kaysa was relieved when the hovercab stopped before Zale's office building and she was able to slip out onto the less confining streets. The sunlight sent a throbbing pain through her tired eyes and even on her skin it felt uncomfortable. She turned to the cab and waited impatiently for Zale to pay the driver then escort her into the building. "Come on. I...I need a drink," she called out to him.

Zale pulled his credit chip back from the driver and turned back toward the building. With Kaysa keeping pace next to him, they took the lift up to where his office awaited them. As they entered, Moril handed Zale a datapad with the important news bits for him today. When they entered the office, Zale immediately went to the bar and pulled out a bottled fruit juice for Kaysa. "I'll see if there's any news on the search."

Kaysa strolled towards Zale's desk and glanced over his shoulder as he sifted through the bar. "Don't you have anything besides juice? I meant a real drink, Zale." Kaysa sighed and moved to Zale's chair before sitting down in it heavily. "So...the search?" Kaysa prompted.

"Fruit juice and water is all I have for you," Zale said. "And, it'll take a moment for the data to come in." He returned to his desk after draining a fruit juice of his own. He tapped out a few commands on the terminal and an image soon encompassed the screen. "There's the moon they're searching."

He zoomed in on the activity, and it appeared that there was a firefight happening. His men were pinned down by some other men in combat armour with heavy blaster rifles. Lances of red and green filled the air as each side tried to destroy the other. His forces were losing quickly until explosions rocked the opposition, throwing bodies in every direction. Above in the air, one of Zale's transports, outfitted with some fairly extensive weaponry, roared past.

Zale smiled. "Hopefully there'll be at least one left alive to question." He turned to Kaysa. "I'll let you have one brandy if you make it last more than five minutes."

She ran her fingers up his arm and smiled sweetly at him. "I promise to try. Maybe you should bring the whole bottle so in case I fail, I can keep trying until I get it right."

Zale moved to the bar and poured Kaysa a glass of brandy and then brought it to her. "Drink up," he said and turned his attention back to the display.

Kaysa took the drink greedily and brought it quickly to her lips, but she reminded herself to go slowly and merely took a small sip. She smiled at Zale coyly, then laughed as she spun the display towards her. He seemed so intrigued by what was happening on the screen and her curiousity demanded that she have a peek too. "What the hell's going on here?" She watched the laser fire flash across the screen and mesmerized by it, she brought the glass to her lips again and began draining the liquid from it.

Zale watched as Kaysa started pouring the contents of the glass down her throat and quickly snatched the glass away. He tossed back what was left, swallowed, and tossed the glass back behind him where Kaysa wouldn't be able to reach it. "My men are killing those other men," he said, patience growing thin.

Kaysa watched her glass roll to a stop on the carpeted floor, then turned back towards Zale with a grimace. She sighed deeply and shook her head slowly as she returned her gaze to the screen. "Well, Mr. Tregat, would you mind telling me why your men are killing those other men? Are they just victims upon which to take out your aggressions?"

"Once I get the report, I'll let you know for sure," Zale said. "Though, my best guess at this point is that my men were poking around there looking for Shiv, and those other men didn't like them doing that. So they shot at my men, and my men responded in kind."

"Do you really think they have her? What the hell would anyone want with a lowly pilot? It just all seems so unlikely, Zale. I say you track down Vrax and you'll find Shiv. I just know it."

"What if Vrax is working with these people," Zale asked. "He couldn't do something like this on his own. He doesn't even have a ship. He has people he's working with, and these may be them."

"But all this for Shiv? It doesn't make sense, Zale. It just doesn't seem worth it." Kaysa pushed the screen away from her and rose from the chair with a sharp sigh. "Gods, Zale, there's millions of planets out there! You don't expect to scour all of them, do you? It's going to be impossible to find her."

"I'll search every damn one of them if I have to," Zale snapped. "Do you want me to give up? Should we just give up all hope because it's going to be difficult? Is that what you want?"

Before she could answer, the comm chirped. "Mr. Tregat?"

Zale slipped into the chair and turned the screen back to face him. "I'm here."

"We've taken some prisoners, sir," Rodrel, the commander of the strike team said. "We took some casualties, but they lost more than us. According to the information, they know the girl, and have had contact with her recently. One of them claims that she's some sort of pleasure slave that's sent to them every couple days. We're on the right trail."

"What?" Kaysa asked in a devastated whisper. She looked towards Zale, struggling to comprehend what the man's statement implied, but already knowing exactly what he meant. "What does he mean, Zale? A slave?" Kaysa moved painfully slow as she moved to the guest chair across from Zale's desk and sank into it. "My girl...my poor girl." She looked up at Zale with eyes already glazing over with tears. "Could it be her? We have to save her, Zale! They'll destroy her, don't you see that!"

Zale looked over at Kaysa, and gave her a sympathetic look. "We'll get her, Kaysa," he said. "My men are good. They'll get her out of there. It's just a little--"

A sudden commotion outside the office, broke his train of thought. Zale was about to comm Moril to find out what was happening when the door burst open, spilling white-armoured bodies into the office. They all held weapons ready, and pointed at Kaysa and Zale.

A man in an Imperial military uniform strode forward. "Kaysa Zenarr and Zale Tregat, you are hereby placed under arrest. We have authorization to fire, so...try moving."

"Go ahead," Kaysa said in utter defeat. "Shoot, you bastards. What does it matter anymore?" She shifted in her chair and turned away from the scene before her. Thinking about Shiv, her poor girl, defenseless and at the hands of men using her as nothing more than a sex slave, Kaysa felt completely hopeless and unwilling to go on. She couldn't live knowing Shiv was alive and suffering, not when it was because of her. "Nothing matters anymore," she whispered. "Nothing..."

Zale leaned forward. "If you give up hope," he rasped, "then Shiv has absolutely no chance. If you give up now, then you'll never get her back. And, when I do rescue her, she'll be left with nothing. Do you want to leave her with that? After that, she's going to need you more than ever. You better not fucking give up on her now, woman!"

"It's not her I've given up on, Zale, it's everything." Kaysa slowly turned her eyes to Zale and smiled at him despondently. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She raised her arms carefully in the air so as not to startle the Imps, then rose from her seat. "I'm ready," she called back, still keeping her rueful gaze on Zale. "Let's get this over with."

Zale cursed under his breath and mimicked Kaysa's moves so as to not startle the stormtroopers. They were quickly placed in binders and hustled toward the door. On the way down the hallway, Zale exchanged a glance with Moril, who only nodded. They were stuffed into a lift with four stormtroopers and the officer and were quickly whisked down toward the lower floors.

"New evidence has come forward," the officer said. "When we reach the station, you will be arrested and charged. I hope you didn't have any pressing engagements you'll need to cancel now."

Kaysa emitted a wry laugh and shook her head slowly. "Zale and I were thinking of having a quick screw on the desk before you barged in, but I'm sure if you lock us up in one cell, we can take care of that later."

"You'll be locked in separate cells," the officer said.

"Thank you," Zale said, though he didn't sound as relieved as the words were intended to be.

The sharp tone in Zale's voice cut through Kaysa's dejection and she looked at him with a scowl. Once again, her usefulness seemed to have been outlived, and Zale had grown weary of her. She wondered, this time, what his intentions for using her and manipulating her had been. "Fine," she said in a cold whisper. "You might as well go ahead and put us in separate speeders too."

The officer looked between Zale and Kaysa, and nodded to his guards who responded by raising their weapons. "No tricks," the man said. "You can't play your games against us. My men are trained well, and this petty little argument will not be the distraction you're hoping it will be."

Kaysa raised her eyebrows at the Imp, then broke loose with a mocking laugh. "You really are paranoid fools, you know that? Can't two lovers have a quarrel without raising your suspicions?" Her smile turned feral as she looked to Zale. "That's right...we're not lovers. That would require us to feel some sort of affection for eachother which isn't quite the case here, is it, Zale?"

"No," Zale said with a frown. "That would require you to care about anything other than self-pity, and I just can't see that happening anymore. I may love you, but I'm not deluded enough to believe you could feel anything for me anymore. I've never cared for anyone more than--"

Before he could finish, at a nod from the officer, one of the troopers raised the butt of his rifle and cracked it across the side of Zale's head. The words died in the crimelord's mouth, and his body crumpled to the floor in a boneless heap. The trooper stepped back into line, and the rest waited until the lift reached the bottom before picking Zale up and hauling him along with them as they moved to the speeder.

Kaysa watched the entire incident with little interest or concern for Zale. She refused to allow anything to affect her emotionally anymore, not since Shiv left, not since she'd lost all hope of ever seeing her again. If Shiv did return, Kaysa knew she wouldn't be able to deal with the guilt of being responsible for all the girl had suffered. She rather preferred to revert to an emotionally aloof and distant state; it was easier to get through the day when she didn't have to feel anything.

But last night, Zale had reawakened her emotions, and the pain and guilt had returned. Now, only resentment towards him filled her. He was wrong to make her feel, to reinvigorate a sense of hope in Shiv's return. He deserved to be lying in that crumpled mass, to suffer as he had made her. As they dragged his unconscious body alongside her, she swiftly sent her foot into his side, and loosed a volley of spit upon him. "Serves you right, bastard," she hissed.

A few of the troops laughed at Kaysa's actions. They shoved Zale into the hovercar and pushed him all the way to the side. One of them motioned for Kaysa to get in, and then closed the door once she was inside.

---

"Prisons of the Mind, Part 3"
by Kaysa Zenarr
Zale Tregat
and Merrick Braston
Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 26, 4ABY

***

The trip to the lockup was quick, and they tossed Zale into the same cell as Kaysa. The Imps left them there, returning back to their other duties. The officer that had done the arresting turned to Kaysa. "I will return soon," he said. "Your hearing date has been set for the end of the week. Until that time, you will be relocated to the Throntas penal facility. A shuttle will take you there this evening for processing."

"Penal facility?" The officer stepped out without another word and shut the heavy door of the cell behind him. Kaysa moved to the barred door, standing a distance away from the humming forcefield that had engaged itself before it, and called out again to the Imp. "I...I need to make a comm!" She looked back towards Zale as he groaned softly with the first signs of returning consciousness. She moved closer to the door and hollered out again. "You can't leave me in here with him! Let me out!"

Through the door, the officer smiled. "You will receive your comm when I return," he said. "And, shortly after that you will be taken, along with Mr. Tregat to the Throntas location." He ran his fingers back and forth over the bars of the door, and then smiled again. "I am certain leaving you in there with him will be far more punishment than our interrogation techniques, or time in Throntas could ever give you. I will return soon."

Kaysa huffed angrily and stormed over to the opposite side of the small cell, as far from Zale as she could get. She watched him as he stirred and hoped he would stay asleep a while longer. She wanted to be alone with her self-pity and grief; she didn't need to be pulled back from the looming darkness by Zale. He would only instill false hope in her again, and considering the situation she now found herself in, she knew hope was merely an illusion meant to distract her long enough for him to take hold of her again. She wouldn't allow herself to be deceived this time, not when she truly knew Zale's motives.

Zale groaned and rolled onto his side, which only brought out another groan. His eyes opened slowly and he started to sit up, but quickly slumped back to the ground. He looked up at Kaysa and opened his mouth to speak. No sound came out, despite the effort. Finally he managed again. "What are they doing with us?"

Kaysa stubbornly avoided Zale's gaze and began pacing the room hastily. "A penal facility - Throntas, to be exact. They'll be here soon to get us ready for transport."

Zale nodded slowly which touched off a series of chain reactions he was certain was his head exploding. He groaned again and forced himself to sit up. "Moril will have a plan in place," he said. "We'll be out soon."

"I don't want to be a part of your plans, Zale," she said viciously. "I'm through with your help. I'm through with you... Truly, this time!" Kaysa spun around and faced Zale, smiling at the obvious pain wracking his body. "You don't look so good, Zale." She crouched down before him and tilted her head to the side as she searched his eyes. "In pain? Oh, I wouldn't worry; we'll be suffering much more when we arrive at that penal facility. Have you heard much about Throntas?" Kaysa laughed. "I have. I expect you'll be recruited into one of the many gangs, and myself, I'm more than certain I'll become someone's knew sex toy. But what do I care really; I let you use me for sex, didn't I?"

Without a thought, Zale backhanded Kaysa, a spike of pain lancing from his temple all the way down his body. "Fine," he snapped. "We're through. No more of this shit. You can find your fucking bitch on your own. You don't want my help, fine!"

Kaysa shook her head to dissipate the dizziness setting the room swirling, and groaned as she tried to pick herself off the ground. She only managed to sit upright then ran her hand across her bloodied lip. "Fine, Zale," she whispered. She sucked on her lower lip while staring at him with a hard implacability. "I knew this wasn't about Shiv. I knew the only reason you wanted to look for her was so you could portray yourself as some valiant hero who shows up at just the right time to set things right in my life. You only did it so you could get me back where you wanted me. That's what last night was about...that's what all the nights were about. You're disgusting."

"I wasn't lying when I told you I loved you," Zale said. "But, what chance did I ever have with you once Merrick was back with you? And, then after everything else... I do love you, Kaysa. It's just that I know that you're never going to be mine. I hoped that I could capitalize on the situation with Merrick, play the true crimelord. But it's worthless because you'll never love me back. So I guess it's just best that you hate me, that you never want to see me again. And, I've certainly done a fine job of pushing you away this time. And, if you don't make things work out between you and Shiv and Merrick, then I'm going to have Moril hunt you down and beat the shit out of you himself. You don't deserve someone like me, no matter what sort of passion we share. You need to be with people you can love, and who can love you."

"I don't understand you," Kaysa said wearily. "I don't understand any of this." She pulled her knees up and rested her head upon them with a sob. "Why the hell do you want my love, Zale? Was it so important to you that you would get yourself caught up in this Rennor mess because of it? We're going to prison, Zale," she said as she looked up at him again. "I'm going to lose Merrick, I've lost Shiv, and now both of us are going to a prison where I'll most likely be raped every time I'm caught alone, and where you'll be targeted by the gangs because you've infringed on their territory. Was it all worth it, Zale?"

"Ask me again when we get out of this," Zale said. "I do love you, Kaysa. And, I do want to see you safe. And, if anyone touches you...as long as you don't mind me protecting you...I'll kindly let them know that you're spoken for. We'll make it through this, I promise. And, you will get Merrick back, and Shiv. Moril won't give up on finding her. He can hardly ever stop talking about her. He told me I should have been the one to hire her because having her smile around the office would have surely cheered up the place."

Kaysa's frown was consumed by a large smile, but it was filled with sadness and melancholy, as all things related to Shiv seemed to fill her with lately. "She loved absolutely everyone she met. I don't know how she did it... I mean, I'm so frightened to love, but she does it so easily and it fills her with such joy to do so. Look at me... Here you are declaring your love for me and all I can do is shun you." She sighed ruefully and with a gentle sob, she crawled along the cold floor of the cell and curled up against Zale's side. "I haven't changed one bit, have I? I've tried so hard to be different, but nothing seems to work."

Zale slipped an arm around Kaysa. "I think you have," he said. "It's just that you've had a lot happen lately, and it's hard to make the kinds of changes you're making with so much stress. And, I know that I haven't made it easy for you. From now on I'll try to be one of the sources trying to help you eliminate your stress, not adding to it. I'll keep whatever distance you want me to keep." He kissed the side of her head. "We can make it through this together, Kaysa. We can do it."

"Zale...how--" Kaysa cut herself off with a sigh and looked up at Zale with eyes clearly displaying her uncertainty and trepidations. "How do I know you're not trying to hurt me? Everything you've ever done has been a tactic in some grand scheme to draw me closer so you could claim me as your own. I don't know if I should trust you, but I find myself unable to resist you even so. Should I trust you, Zale? Do you even trust yourself?"

"If I push you like I've been pushing you," Zale said, "I'll lose you completely. I've been stupid, and manipulative...and it's very wrong. I do love you, Kaysa. And, I know I've hurt you. I hate what I did to you, and I hate myself for it. I was scared of losing you, so I tried to control. I don't know if you'll ever love me, but I know now that it'd never happen that way." He looked away, so she couldn't see the pain in his eyes. "I was greedy, and stupid. I know this is all my fault, and I'll do whatever I can to get us out. I never meant to hurt you, Kaysa. I never meant to hurt, Shiv." He could feel the sting of tears as the guilt over his actions threatened to consume him. He took a breath and let it out. "Right now, I trust myself. Right now, I'm being honest with you. I don't want to lose you, Kaysa, but I know I have to. I knew it before, but now I have to accept it."

Kaysa sat upright and cradled Zale's face in her hands. She brought his head towards her so she could look into his eyes and know for certain whether he spoke sincerely, although his words alone had convinced her of that already. "Zale...are you saying you're letting me go? I care for you, Zale, and I don't want you out of my life. I need you as much as I need Merrick and Shiv. I wouldn't keep coming back to you if I didn't need you. I've been with hundreds of men in my life and I've not kept one of them around for more than an hour and that's because they were nothing to me, Zale."

Kaysa brought her lips gently to Zale's and hoped her kiss would assuage all his inner turmoil and guilt. He couldn't be blamed for his ruthless actions, for she too was capable of them. They were passionate creatures and unfortunately impulsiveness and guile was a curse that came with that. Kaysa pulled her lips away slowly and ran her hand gently along his cheek. "You mean something to me, Zale. You're a part of my life now and I plan on keeping you a part of it. I just don't know in what capacity yet, but I know you have to be there."

Zale gazed into Kaysa's eyes and then smiled. "Thank you," he said softly. He kissed her again, before she could say another word. "I promise you, if we ever do make love again, it will be the exact opposite of last night. I'll use everything my shac'tae training has taught me, and I'll let you know the transcendent bliss of a shac'tae union. I know it isn't much, but I hope it can make up for some of what I've put you through. And, of anyone out there, I think you're one of the very few people who could have any appreciation for it."

"Well, I didn't really mind the rough sex...it's just not what I needed last night." Kaysa sighed deeply and gently ran her fingers over the wound on the side of his head. "I wish I could make up for that," Kaysa said softly. "It was partially my fault, but I don't think now's the time for that sort of making up. They're coming to haul us away soon. We did murder Rennor, after all," she said sardonically.

"I just wish I could remember how we did it," Zale said. "Though, it sounds like we committed the perfect crime. Except for the getting caught part." Zale pulled Kaysa into his arms and kissed her again. "Maybe at the prison we'll be able to find some time to be together and we can make up for all of this." He kissed her. "No one will be able to rape you there if we're together, especially if I'm the one inside you."

"Then I guess you'll have to be inside me a lot while we're there. I mean, we do have to try and make our stay there somewhat enjoyable." Kaysa laughed, a very liberating feeling after a week of nothing but crying and depression. She kissed Zale deeply, in gratitude for his part in giving her tired, tortured soul some joy, and also because he was still irresistible to her. "You fiend," she whispered playfully. "You know how Kaysa Zenarr works now. That could be very bad."

Zale grinned. "Don't worry," he whispered back, "I won't take advantage of it...too much." With that, he kissed her. He couldn't express how grateful and thankful he was that they had managed to mend the sudden chasm-sized rift that formed between them. Before he'd wanted Kaysa solely for himself, hoping to drive Merrick and Shiv away, or pull Kaysa from them. But now, just for the chance to have any of Kaysa at all, he was willing to share whatever part of herself she gave him.

Kaysa pulled back suddenly and looked at Zale with distress. "Merrick... I have to contact him somehow. Those bastards wouldn't even grant me a comm. Zale, I have to let him know what's happening. I don't want him to think I've cut all communication with him."

"We'll get a message to him," Zale said. "If they don't give us comm access before getting out of here, I'll get a message to Moril. I'll have him contact Merrick and let him know that the Empire has trumped up charges against us and is holding us without allowing us any sort of representation or communication." He grinned at the thought of Merrick using his music to put pressure on the Empire. Just as long as he keeps himself safe, he thought.

Kaysa nodded slowly, then rested her head upon Zale's shoulder. Merrick would be devastated and with no one to comfort him, he would be inconsolable. Her worst fears now were that he would do something rash and only get himself hurt or killed. She'd lost Shiv and losing Merrick would destroy her. "Zale...what if we can't get out of this? I mean the evidence... Who's doing this to us?"

Zale looked at her and frowned. "Who do you think would want to see us both hurt, would go out of his way to hurt us?"

She should have known all along, but only now, after everything that had happened, did it truly become clear who had perpetrated the crime. "Vrax..." Kaysa looked away from Zale with a sigh. For the first time in her life, she knew what betrayal felt like. "The bastard set us up. How could I not have seen it before?"

Zale shook his head. "I didn't see it either," he said. "But it all fits. I imagine that the new evidence is holo-recordings of us talking about how we'll get rid of him. Possibly some authentic, most not. When he's found...which piece do you want?"

"All of him," Kaysa replied in a malevolent whisper. "I want to tear his limbs off myself. I'm sure Shiv will want a piece of him too when we find her and we might as well let Merrick in on it too." She pulled herself from Zale's arms and struggled to her feet. The anger sent tremors through her body and the hunger in seeing Vrax punished burned like acid in her stomach. "The bastard dies, Zale. Preferably a slow and painful death."

Zale pushed himself up to a standing position with much effort. "We'll get him, Kaysa," he said. "I'll let Moril know what's happening, and he'll hire a legion of bounty hunters to track him down and hold him ready for us. I'll put a price on his head so high that no one would turn away from grabbing him for the fortune he'd provide them. The meek equadi-clad women cowering in the shadows of the men on this planet will turn into bounty hunters over this!"

"I don't care how, I just want it done." Kaysa's resolve faltered and she quickly sought Zale's embrace. She'd set into motion everything that was now happening; she helped nurture Vrax's ruthless, violent tendencies and now he had turned on her like the vicious, untamed beast he was. It was what she deserved, but it still seemed so unjust, especially when others were suffering along with her.

"It will be done," Zale growled. "Vrax will receive no mercy. It will be a long, painful death. I'll teach him the true meaning of suffering. He'll pay for all of this, Kaysa. I promise you that. And, we'll get through this. Me and you, together."

"Together, Zale...if we can get out of this unscathed. The evidence... Do we at least get to speak on our own behalf? It's as if they're ready to charge us guilty without a hearing. I hate Imps..."

"I know what you mean," he said. "I don't know if they'll let us speak, or if they're even interested in listening to us. We're scum in their eyes. I've had an investigator working on this since the first arrest. If we can elevate ourselves in their eyes, then we should be able to get out of this. All we need is something to prove our innocence. My people are working on it, Kaysa. They'll get what we need to get out of here."

Kaysa gazed up at Zale, then tightened her embrace and kissed him tenderly. "I'm so glad I have you, Zale. If I had to go through this alone, I know I wouldn't be able to make it. I know I've never appreciated you or the help you've given me thus far, but I really am grateful for it."

"Maybe when we're locked up, you can show me some of your appreciation," he said with a sly grin. "From what I hear of Throntas, we should have plenty of time together there." He kissed her again, wishing they could do more. Any thoughts of more were quickly dashed when the heavy thumping of booted feet pulled his attention to the door.

Outside their cell, the officer from earlier and four stormtroopers stood. The officer sneered at them, and then nodded for the door to be opened. Once the forcefield was dropped, he swung the door open and stepped inside. "You are to now be taken to the prison. First you will be allowed one comm call. This call will be monitored, and any information gained can be used against you at your trial. After the call, you will both be thoroughly cleansed, and dressed in appropriate clothing, and then taken by shuttle to the Throntas penal facility. The guards will escort you to the comm station."

Kaysa involuntarily shielded herself partially behind Zale and watched with wariness the approaching troopers. "Don't let them separate us, Zale," she whispered to him quickly. "Don't leave me."

Zale slipped a protective arm back and around Kaysa. The stormtroopers came forward and formed a ring around them. The officer ordered them to move, and the guards pushed them forward. It wasn't far before they were led into another room. Around the edge were small banks of comm units set up. Kaysa was led to one, and Zale to the other.

The officer, from the middle of the room, looked at them both, and sneered again. "You have five minutes."

Kaysa was about to raise a protest and demand more time, but what little time she did have was quickly dwindling. Without a snarky comment or a disapproving glare, Kaysa quickly punched in Merrick's comm code and mentally rehearsed the gentlest way to break the news to Merrick. "Oh gods...it's gonna destroy him..."

It was only a moment later when Merrick answered. "This is Merrick Braston," he said.

She paused for a moment, almost losing her nerve and severing the comm, but she couldn't leave him wondering after days of not hearing from her, where she was or if she was even alive. She couldn't do that to the man she loved. "Merrick...Merrick, it's me. I don't have much time but there's something I need to tell you. Are you alone?"

"I'm alone," Merrick said. "It's just me here in the dressing room. Is everything alright? Why are you calling from a New Plouton police office?"

"That's what I needed to talk to you about, Merrick." Kaysa sighed deeply and tried desperately to keep her voice from giving out. "I'm down here with Zale, Merrick. We've been charged with... They think we murdered Rennor, Merrick, and we've been arrested."

"They what!? How could they even think--? What the hell are they--? What evidence do they have? You wouldn't do something like that! You couldn't. Not even a man like Rennor. I'll call my lawyer. He'll start working on this, Kaysa. He'll get you out of there. The damn Empire may be the authority around here, but they can't just push people around like that."

"Merrick, please calm down. Zale's already working on a way to get us out of this. I need you to be calm, Merrick. You're upset as it is right now with everything that's happened. I don't want you doing something stupid. It'll be alright, Merrick. Don't worry."

Merrick took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay," he said. It was obvious he was breathing deeply to calm himself. "I'll stay calm. I won't go out and do anything. How are you, Kaysa? They haven't hurt you? Oh gods, Kaysa. I wish I could be there with you now...to hold you. Just don't let Zale steal you away from me. But, if you need comfort there, Kaysa, I'll understand."

"He's been helping me alot, Merrick, but I would give anything to be in your arms again." Kaysa covered her mouth with her hand to muffle the sudden sob rising from her throat. "Gods, I love you, Merrick," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I was such an idiot. I abandoned you when you needed me the most...I'm so sorry. I need you now more than ever, Merrick... I wish I could have been with you one last time. But we'll be together again soon. I promise."

"I'll be here when the bastards...when they come to their senses and realize you couldn't have done anything like that. Stay safe, Kaysa. Tell Zale if he lets anything happen to you...I'll kill him." He was silent for a moment, then continued, "I started writing a song today. I'll play it for you when you come home to me. 'Stars in Her Eyes.' I love you, Kaysa."

Unable to restrain her emotions any longer, Kaysa wept quietly. "Merrick...I'm so lucky to have you. I don't deserve you... I love you, Merrick. Being able to see your face again is all the incentive I need to come through this alright. Be safe, Merrick. I'll be home sooner than you think."

"I'll be counting the minutes, my love," he said. "If they let you contact me...I don't know if they will though. But if they do..." The distinctive sound of a sob filtered through the comm. "I'll see you soon, Kaysa. I love you."

"Be strong, my love. I need you to be strong for both of us. Don't lose hope, Merrick. Ever." The guard at the centre of the room bellowed a warning that their time was almost up, and impulsively, Kaysa pressed her lips to the comm device and kissed it, picturing Merrick's lips in her mind. "You're my life, Merrick. You'll have my heart for always. Don't forget that."

"And, you, mine," Merrick said quickly. "We'll get out of this, and we'll all be together again, Kaysa. It'll all work out." On impulse, he started singing their song, "Whispers After Midnight." It summed them up so completely, and filled his heart with the hope that it would all be alright. It would all turn out the way they were hoping.

Kaysa rested her elbows on the small table and lay her head upon her hands. With a contented smile, she closed her eyes and listened to Merrick's voice singing the sweet melody that had captured her heart, just as Merrick had. The guard shouted another warning, but Kaysa ignored it and ran her fingers lightly along the comm device as if touching the curves of Merrick's face. "I love you, Merrick," she whispered. "Always."

The song continued as Merrick professed his love to Kaysa through the comm...until it was cut off. The guard stepped away from the control unit and back into the center of the room as the officer who'd been assigned as their tormentor returned. "Step away from your comm terminals. We will now proceed to the cleansing room. Once there, you will strip off your clothes, and enter the room to the left. You will then be given ten minutes in which to clean yourselves. Now move."

---

"Prisons of the Mind, Part 4"
by Kaysa Zenarr
Zale Tregat
Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 26, 4ABY

***

Kaysa moved solemnly to Zale's side and gently wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. She forced a smile for Zale as they headed out of the room. "At least they're letting us bathe all by ourselves. Do you think they'd let us share a room?"

"Not likely," Zale said softly. "But we can hope. I've heard that security within Throntas is fairly light. Getting out is supposed to be impossible, especially into the middle of the desert. So, maybe we can share a room whether they want us to or not."

"Well, at least that's a small comfort." Kaysa shifted closer to Zale and said in hushed tones, "What did Moril say?"

"He's got people moving," Zale said. "They're searching for Vrax, and should have information soon. Basically everything is being mobilized. He's also got a team moving in to try to get Shiv back. He assured me that we wouldn't be spending much time in the prison."

"Good. I don't think I should be away from Merrick for very long. He didn't handle the news very well." A hand wrapped itself around Kaysa's arm and tugged her free of Zale's hold. "What are you doing?"

"Separate cleansing rooms. Come with me," the guard replied stolidly.

Kaysa jerked and wriggled in an attempt to break free, but struggling would only cause a commotion, so she desisted and allowed herself to be pulled away from Zale. "Zale... Be a good boy while I'm gone."

As Zale was pushed away, he grumbled. "It's okay," he called back to Kaysa. "Don't be jealous of these girls, my love. You're the only woman in my heart!" The comment earned him a punch into the small of the back, but it was worth it.

Despite the entire situation, Kaysa laughed and blew Zale a kiss as she was dragged into the cleansing room. The door slid closed behind and the light mood suddenly became tense again. She was shoved into the centre of the small room and was ordered to disrobe. The walls were gleaming white and reflected the harsh, neon lights in the ceiling panels into her eyes. The entire room was cold and sterile with the distinct smell of antiseptic, which gave Kaysa the uncomfortable feeling of being in an examination room. Water dripped from the nozzle fixed to the wall in a rhythmic pattern, and echoed throughout the small room, only unnerving her more. She was ordered to shed her clothing again, but there was no way she was going to shower in front of the two guards watching her closely. "Would you mind stepping outside? I'm a bit modest..."

One of the guards with Kaysa stepped out of the room, but the other remained in place. He made no sound, and only stared straight ahead. When she didn't move to take of her clothes, he moved a hand to the blaster slung in a holster at his side.

Kaysa raised her hands in the air to stay the guard from brandishing his weapon. "Alright, I'll do it. I just didn't realize you were so intent upon seeing me naked." She grumbled irritably and turned away from the guard as she began undoing her clothing. "Could you at least avert your eyes while I bathe?"

The guard shifted to the side so he was no longer facing her. He kept his orders and made no sound to her. Strict orders about associating with these prisoners had been given, and he knew what the penalty for disobeying orders was.

Kaysa glanced over her shoulder at the guard, and with a smile, she slipped off her shirt, then let her pants drop to the floor. She stepped out of them, leaving her shoes behind and started for the water controls. Once she'd adjusted the temperature settings, she turned on the water flow and let it cascade from the nozzle onto her bare chest. With a gentle laugh, she turned around to face the now seemingly modest and bashful guard, displaying all her endowments. "So...do you like your job? Well, how could you possibly? I mean, I bet you don't get alot of women around here. Probably gets really boring staring at men all day..."

The guard turned back toward her, but continued his silence. Since she seemed to be inviting him to look now, he made certain to face her. He knew she couldn't see his face beneath his helmet, but with his head pointed in her general direction she'd get the idea.

Kaysa laughed again and blindly reached for the washcloth and soap resting in a small recess in the wall. She lathered the soap onto the washcloth, replaced it into the recess, then began passing the cloth slowly over her chest. "I bet you volunteered for this position. Did you guys draw lots to see who would get to watch me bathe?" She brushed the cloth lightly over her breasts, leaving a trail of white soapsuds behind. "Are you enjoying the show?"

The guard took a step back and tapped on the door. A moment later, it opened and the other guard peeked in. He exchanged a glance with the other guard and then stepped into the room as both settled down to watch Kaysa bathe.

"Two of you, eh?" Kaysa raised an eyebrow at her two fans and with a feigned gasp, she let her cloth fall to the ground. "Oh dear," she said with a sly grin. "I seemed to have dropped my washcloth. I guess I'd better just pick that up..." Her smile grew mischievous as she slowly turned her back to the guards and bent over. She glanced between her legs at the guards and gave a wry laugh as they cocked their heads to the side to better their view. "Enjoying yourselves?"

One of the guards mimed clapping while the other shook with silent laughter. The one who had just entered stepped outside and called out to someone. A moment later, four more white-clad troopers stepped into the room and closed the door. The one who had been in the room from the start motioned that Kaysa should proceed.

Kaysa gawked from between her legs at all the onlookers that had filed into the room. She was about to be hauled off to the harshest prison in all of Tae'Karada, yet she was entertaining her captors with a strip show. "Kaysa Zenarr, you really are something," she muttered. Seeing as it would be the only light moment she'd be having for a very long while, Kaysa dismissed her apprehension and straightened up quickly. She tossed her head back and sent water spraying from her soaking hair onto her audience. With a laugh, she spun around and grabbed the bar of soap from the recess. She quickly worked up a lather in her hands and let the soap slip from her fingers. "Ok, boys. It's your call. What would you like to see me clean first?"

"Why don't you clean my--"

"Tsst!"

One of the troopers crossed his arms over his chest, while another brushed a hand over his groin. By the way their heads were tilted, they all appeared as if they were enjoying Kaysa's little show quite a bit. Though the helmets they wore hid any expression they might be making.

Finally, one of them said, "Why don't you choose what to wash, and make it good."

Kaysa laughed throatily and brought her hands up to her chest. She cradled a breast in each of her hands and began kneading them sensuously. "You know, I used to really hate Imps, but you guys don't seem so bad." One hand snaked its way between her breasts and down to her stomach where it lingered precariously close to her mound. "I mean, I bet after this, you'll all be begging your superiors to let me go. Won't you, boys?"

A couple of the stormtroopers shifted uncomfortably as they watched Kaysa's lewd display. A couple of them were conferring in low tones, and then one of the pair stepped forward.

"How badly do you want to be let go?"

Kaysa dropped her hands slowly to her sides and peered up at the Imp inquisitively. "Pretty badly. Why do you ask? Interested in hiring me as your own personal showgirl?"

The trooper dropped a hand to his side and popped a hidden catch. He pulled the armour piece covering his groin away showing only the black undergarment he wore beneath the armour. "Again, how bad do you want out of here?"

Kaysa gazed down at the apparent key to her release...and the Imp's, ironically so. The fun was suddenly over, for her at least, and what normally would have been an easy decision now became a quandary. She could get on her knees and pleasure her way to freedom, where she would rejoin Merrick and once again be in his arms. The other choice was to forfeit the game now and suffer worse hardships at Throntas than having to entertain six Imps and their throbbing members.

Kaysa slinked over to the Imp with a sultry smile. She ran her soapy hand over his white breastplate and let it slide down to the black fabric covering his groin. Her hand weaved its way into the fabric and pulled out the Imp's large, hardened cock. With her eyes on his, she slowly dropped to her knees and levelled his cock near her mouth.

Her silky smile turned cold and malevolent as her grip on his cock tightened and she said, "I don't want outta here that badly." Before the Imp could react, Kaysa placed her mouth around the tip of his cock and clamped down hard. The proceeding cry of pain filled Kaysa with wild glee, but it was obvious the Imp wasn't sharing in that. There was no way she would give up her self respect to have her freedom handed to her; she would fight for it and she didn't care how arduous the struggle was going to be.

As the rest of the troopers saw their comrade in trouble, they moved quickly into action. The fun with the prisoner was definitely over. One of them quickly pulled his blaster out and flipped the setting to stun. His first shot hit Kaysa in the back, knocking her into immediate unconsciousness. The next shot was for the now-bleeding trooper she'd assaulted. He went down as the others acted quickly to staunch the flow of blood.

He looked back at one of the other troopers and nodded. "Clean her, and make it good. Dress her in standards and get her into bay three."

The rest of the Imps went to work quickly.

***

When Kaysa finally regained consciousness, she was being held close by Zale. "Welcome back," he said softly, and kissed her forehead. "From what I hear, you had some excitement in your shower."

She groaned softly and gripped the fabric of Zale's shirt as a spear of pain wracked her body. The light of the room amplified the sudden pounding in her head, but despite the momentary pain-induced disorientation, memories of the shower began filtering through her mind. A smile slowly curled her lips and she sighed contentedly. "It was wonderful," she mumbled. "I would do it again if it didn't hurt so much."

"Remind me never to stick my dick in your mouth when you're upset," Zale said with a grin. "If you want to get the taste of that Imp out of your mouth, you can sample me. We still have a half hour before our transport leaves." He kissed the top of her head again and grinned. "And, if you do me, I'll do you. It's only fair."

Kaysa laughed and shook her head slowly. "Not now, I'm afraid. I can barely feel anything below my neck right now. Give me a few minutes and I think the feeling will return." She moaned gently as she attempted to sit herself up, but she grunted as her arms went limp beneath her and she fell into Zale. "I hate Imps," she muttered sourly. "It's their fault. Thinking I was some sort of slut who would suck their cocks for a chance at freedom. Nerfs..."

Zale laughed. "Well, you did the right thing," he said. "Next time make sure to leave him with nothing but a stump. Though I hear he's going to have to stick his dick in a bacta jar for about three days. I'm sure he won't be stuffing himself in anyone's mouth anymore." Zale helped Kaysa sit up further, using his body for her to prop herself against. "I think they respect you more after that. Even though we're still scum."

"Well, I did initiate the whole fiasco. I was just trying to make the whole showering experience pleasurable for all." Kaysa rested her head upon Zale's chest with a heavy sigh. "It was going so well until he invited all his friends inside. If you'd been there, we really could have given them a show."

Zale's grin turned sly. "Well," he said. "Perhaps once you've got more feeling in your body, we can give whoever's watching us now a show. You were saying something earlier about appreciation?"

Kaysa laughed silkily and wrapped her arms around Zale's neck. "You know, this prison thing might not be so bad, especially not with you around. It could be a sort of vacation for us...although the desert would have been last on my places to visit."

Zale pulled Kaysa up onto his lap and kissed her. "Well, wherever we are, as long as we're together," he said. "By the end of a week, I think we could be running the place." He let his hands slip up to her breasts and massaged them gently. "So, how's that feeling going? Any better?"

"Better," Kaysa said softly. "Much better. In fact, I think I may be fully recovered." She glanced up at Zale with a large grin and ran her hands along his chest. "How much time did you say we had?"

"Thirty minutes," Zale said with a grin. "Won't be able to do one of my specials, but we can at least relieve some tension."

They'd both been dressed in a coverall, and the nice thing, at least from Zale's perspective, was the single zip that ran down the front. With remarkable dexterity, he had Kaysa's coverall unzipped in a flash and grinned up into her eyes. He bent to kiss her breasts and then took a moment to slip the garment back off her shoulders.

Zale grinned. "I like the clothing they've given us. Very easy to get out of when you want."

"Do you think they designed them specifically for that purpose?" Kaysa reached for Zale's zipper and hastily pulled it down. Once his chest was bared, her lips spread kisses along it while she pulled his arms out of the sleeves of his coverall. "It's too bad it's scorching hot in the desert, or we could forgo the coveralls altogether."

"Well," Zale said with a smile. "There is the indoor part of the prison. And, if we don't spend much time outside..." He lifted himself off the bench slightly and pushed the coverall down to his ankles and then helped Kaysa with hers. "Come here and appreciate me," he said with a wild grin.

The residual lethargy from her encounter with Imp blaster fire quickly diminished. She was completely invigorated by Zale's desire and mischievous smile, and her own passions were quickly inspired. She pressed one hand to his chest and wrapped her other around his shaft to steady it. With her eyes on his and a gentle smile on her face, she straddled his legs and slowly eased down into his lap. She sighed softly as he slid easily inside of her and the rhythmic sways of their bodies quickly ensued.

Kaysa kissed him tenderly on the lips, sensuously and deeply to show her true appreciation. "We're gonna be alright," she whispered as their lips parted. "If I had to go through this alone, I know the darkness would consume me. You always manage to pull me out, though. That's why I need you like I do."

"I'll never be the cause of darkness again," Zale said. "We're too good when we're not fighting, and deadly when we are. I'll save deadly for my competition, not the woman I love." After the torment earlier, Kaysa's body against his was pure bliss. They were beautiful together, and when they joined it was transcendent. He mentally berated himself for coming close to screwing that up, for pushing her away and trying to use her like he had. He cursed himself for playing crimelord to her. To her, he always had to be Zale, and she always had to be Kaysa. Otherwise, it wouldn't work. But they were Zale and Kaysa now, and they moved as one as they rushed toward climax. He gazed up into her eyes as she rode against his body. "We're going to make it, Kaysa."

"For certain this time?" Kaysa gripped Zale's shoulders firmly and moaned at the sensations being gently elicited by the tender act. She enjoyed sex somewhat aggressive and rough, but she was slowly being awakened to the pleasures of the more emotionally transcendent union she found with Zale. Being the two passionate, driven beings they were, every sensation seemed heightened. This was why she couldn't resist him and why she always came back to him despite telling herself she shouldn't. Everything was far too fulfilling when she was with him, and that's what she needed to fill the void created by too many heartbreaks and struggles in her life.

Kaysa cried out shrilly and embraced Zale tightly. Their motions hastened as their climax came perilously close, but the act remained tender instead of a desperate struggle to reach that delicous culmination. "I think we are gonna make it, Zale," she forced out breathlessly. "We have to."

"For good this time," Zale said. He pressed his lips to hers and quickened his pace, and easily drove them both over the edge. He threw his head back and cried out his ecstasy as his climax hit with what felt like enough force to knock them both across the room. They would make it. He could feel it this time, and it felt amazing.

She spread kisses along his shoulders and neck while trying to regain her breath. Despite how cold the cell was, Kaysa felt completely flushed with warmth, especially with her body pressed to Zale's. "It's funny," she said breathlessly. "I no longer feel like I was knocked unconscious by blaster fire." She laughed and looked up at Zale. "You know, aside from my relationship with Merrick and Shiv, the one I have with you has got to be the strangest one I've ever had."

Zale laughed. "Not many women have a boyfriend, a girlfriend, and a secret lover on the side," he said. "And, I hope our little bit of exercise there has pepped you up some. We'll have to have another go once we get to the prison." He kissed her, and as his hands slipped down to caress her breasts, the locks in the door sounded, signalling the impending entrance of one of their tormentors.

Kaysa took no measures to tear herself from Zale's embrace and simply continued covering his chest with kisses. She looked up at Zale with a wicked smile, then bit down on his nipple rather roughly, just enough to elicit a cry with which to greet their approaching captor.

Zale managed to keep himself from laughing at the unfortunate predicament they were placing their jailors in. The two stormtroopers and the officer leading stopped and looked them over. The stormtroopers' responses were hidden behind their helmets, but the disdain was clear on the officer's face. "Make yourself decent," he said, his voice dripping with scorn. "You will be loaded onto the shuttle in five minutes, with or without your clothing."

Kaysa sighed airily for effect, then slowly pulled away from Zale. "The no clothing thing is tempting," she said to him with a smile. "We could probably have another go before we even arrive at the prison."

Zale nodded. "That's true," he said with a smile. "We could probably make it last from here until we got there. I bet our cries of pleasure would distract the pilots though. I definitely think our friendly officer here, uh, Officer Nebre, wouldn't appreciate that. He is already quite flustered having to look at the two of us. I imagine his companions are equally frustrated. Those suits of armour aren't exactly built with an erection in mind."

"And I doubt with me around, they'd dare free their cocks from confinement." Kaysa laughed silkily and glanced back towards the officers. "I'm still a bit hungry," she said mischievously. With a laugh that seemed to startle the officers, Kaysa reached to the floor and pulled up her coveralls. She turned towards them while still pulling her arms through her sleeves and leaving her chest bared. "So, who's riding in back with me, boys? I'm really very nice once you get to know me. And I'll even behave this time."

Neither of the guards said anything, but the officer stepped forward until he was nearly standing on top of Kaysa. He reached down and took the zipper. Keeping his eyes on hers, he slowly drew it back up until she was fully covered.

With a defiant grin, Zale stood up with his prick still hanging free of his coveralls. "Zip me up too," he asked with a wink.

One of the guards stepped forward, and even though Zale was backing away, he still managed to crack an armored fist across his jaw.

From the ground where he'd fallen, Zale gave a strained laugh. "It's okay," he said. "I'll zip myself up."

Kaysa clicked her tongue in a series of tsks as she strolled over to Zale and crouched before him. "Poor Zale. All you've ever wanted was a little loving. It's too bad you have a weakness for men in uniform; they're so hard to love. Here, I'll zip you up."

Zale smiled as she looked at him and worked the zipper. "Maybe I should give up on the men in uniform," he said. "You've got a nicer touch than they ever could."

She laughed and shook her head while she helped pull Zale to his feet. "Come on you big flirt. We have a prison to take over."

"I say it's ours within a week," Zale said as he moved over to where the guards waited for them. "I don't think they'll be able to stop us when we join forces with our minds set on something like that." He glanced at Officer Nebre and smiled. "After you. Our palace awaits us." He slipped his hand into Kaysa's as they were led toward the shuttle. "I just hope they'll let us sleep in a bed together."

"We'll own the place, Zale," Kaysa replied with a gentle squeeze of his hand. "We can do whatever the hell we want."

The guards herded them into the transport, taking them to their impending confinement, and it was then, as the door closed behind them and a chilling darkness descended upon them, that the reality of the situation processed in Kaysa's mind. Taunting the Imps and jesting with them was a vain attempt to shield herself from the true severity of the predicament. Now, sitting close to Zale in the back of a roaring transport that would soon deliver them to the oppressive desert, Kaysa's fears returned and she felt the darkness surrounding them begin to seep into her like a thick sludge. It threatened to drown her and filled her throat with the bitter taste of hopelessness and self-pity she was far too familiar with.

Kaysa buried her face into Zale's arm and shuddered. She refused to return to the darkness from which she'd emerged and which she so fervently yearned to escape fully. It was the most expedient route to her downfall and to return to that would mean the demons would triumph and all would be lost to her - Merrick, Shiv, Zale...her own sanity. She knew she wouldn't so readily let herself plunge into the hands of those demons that offerred abandon and easy solutions to her problems, but she also knew the price of that salvation was in the form of possession, seizure of precisely that freedom she sought from them.

They were a prison in their own right, one whose walls were far more impenetrable than those of Throntas and one where escape was nearly impossible without sacrificing a part of oneself to them. Kaysa was through with sacrificing, for as she'd told Zale, she'd nothing left to give, but not even that would stop them from trying to take.

---