Skate ran into the docking bay, followed closely by Tyros. She quickly breathed a sigh of relief. They had gotten there in the nick of time. “Xavier” stood at the base of the boarding ramp, his red lightsaber already activated. Behind him was Zhukov, the leader of the boarding team that had taken over the bridge.

Zhukov did not have a weapon in his hands. Skate could tell from looking into his eyes that he wanted some hand-to-hand combat. He was his weapon. That kind of attitude reminded her a lot of Tyros.

“We’re short on time,” Rick called out to her. “Let’s end this quickly.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

She ignited her saber.

They both charged.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

As Skate and Xavier started their second duel of the day, Tyros and Zhukov locked eyes.

Tyros stepped forward, mentally preparing himself for combat. He had not battled with Andrei Zhukov in years. The last time he had, Zhukov had only survived because Tyros had been merciful. It would not happen again.

They circled each other silently, each waiting for the other to make his first move. No words were spoken. No words needed to be spoken. Neither were much for talk, and they both knew what the other would say, anyway. Words would do nothing but delay the inevitable. There was but one simple truth: by the end of the night, one of them would be alive, one of them would be dead.

Tyros didn’t plan on letting himself become the fatal half of that simple truth.

To that end, he moved in for his first attack.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Skate noticed a definite difference in how Rick dueled with her this time, as opposed to when she and Sky had dueled against him together. A smart move on this part. He changed his style to suit his opponents. Rick was not nearly as stupid or untalented as he used to be.

Or was made out to be, Skate observed to herself.

Still, though, she could tell that he lacked a certain level of confidence. Or, at least, real confidence. When he had still called himself Rick and had been a part of the squadron, he had been known for talking a big game. He had always said he would one day be the greatest Sith Lord there ever was. However, words like that did not show confidence. They showed delusion. False confidence.

Just like now.

Even if Rick really thought that he was still the best, he only thought that on the surface. He was full of false confidence. It was clear that he himself knew that he wasn’t as good as Skate was. She could tell that he himself knew he would eventually be defeated. And it was because of those thoughts that Skate would defeat him.

While “Xavier” was full of false confidence, Skate had the real deal.

She knew she was better.

She knew she would win.

She would not let Rick escape the SSD.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Tyros and Zhukov fought hard.

They knew each and every move that the other possessed. They knew how to counter each move that the other used. They even knew counters to the counters. After all, they had trained together. They had spent years together. They knew each other almost like no other two people knew each other. In many ways, they were the same person. It was like fighting a mirror. Each move was echoed and countered. No one gained ground.

Zhukov was as sharp as he used to be, Tyros noted as he fought on. He was every bit as skilled as he was the last time that Tyros had fought him. There was only one problem with that…

While Zhukov was as good as he was the last time that they fought, Tyros was even better than he had been.

They fought for several minutes, moving slowly through the docking bay. Their fists were flurries of motion. When Zhukov let out an assault of punches, Tyros met him with blocks. When Tyros tried a foot sweep, Zhukov was already blocking and planning his next attack.

This can’t go on forever, Tyros thought. I need to finish this now.

He made his move.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

He’s making his move…

Zhukov knew this was coming. Tyros was going for the kill now. And he would get it. It had become abundantly clear to Zhukov that he simply wasn’t as good as Tyros was anymore. Perhaps he had never been. Tyros had been chosen over him for a spot in the Imperial Guard, after all. That left Zhukov stuck back in the stormtrooper ranks until the day he left the Empire. For the remainder of his service, all he had thought about was how Tyros had ruined his career.

He had planned vengeance. He had planned on getting even someday. He had always figured that one day he would be able to fight Tyros again, and that he would kill him. As it happened, that would not come to pass.

Unless he fled, Tyros would kill him. That was a fact. And he would have to flee now, or else he would be dead in another moment. But Tyros would not simply allow him to run. He would have to distract Tyros long enough to get away. All he needed was a few moments. To get that few moments, he was going to have to play dirty again. And he was going to have to take something of a gamble.

As Tyros grabbed him, Zhukov reached for his belt, snatched a grenade and dropped it right at his and Tyros’s feet. As expected, Tyros immediately let go of Zhukov and dove for cover. Zhukov, knowing that the grenade was a dud, wasted no time in running out of the docking bay. He had no idea where he would go. There was really nowhere on the ship he could go. There was no escape.

He could worry about that later, though.

At that time, he just needed to put as much distance as he could between himself and Tyros Dakon.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Tyros swore as he realized he had fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. The grenade was a decoy. It was a dummy. Just like him.

How stupid of me! How unprofessional.

He was going to have to make up for that blunder. He would have to hunt down Zhukov and kill him, no matter what.

Tyros jumped to his feet and ran off in the same direction as Zhukov had run.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Looks like it’s just you and me now, Rick,” Skate said as she swung wildly for his head. He ducked easily and took a step back, gathering his wits. She wouldn’t let him. She needed to keep him off balance, both physically and mentally. “So let me guess…first time you’ve been alone with a woman? Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you…too much.”

That worked.

Rick attacked, swinging madly. There was no real structure to his attack. It seemed as though he was just trying to throw everything he had against the wall in the hope that something would hit it. A poor attack plan. Especially since Skate did have an attack plan.

It basically consisted of her pissing him off so much that he couldn’t think straight. Once that happened, he would be easy prey.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Seven had never fought as hard as he was fighting.

He had never had as much at stake as he did.

Truth be told, he hadn’t been in that many lightsaber duels. Obviously he had trained with everyone in the squadron, but that was different. That was training. In reality, he had only been through two real duels that were life or death situations, and both of them were with Jace Sidrona. When Jace and Narska Plo’kre had taken over the SSD, Jace had taken hold of the bridge…much like Xavier -- Rick -- had. During his first attack on the bridge, Palin had been present. Palin had taken a blaster shot for him, leaving him to fight Jace by himself. Reno’s apprentice had driven him off the bridge, partially because Palin had insisted that he run. When he had returned to the bridge, after he had killed Narska, he had dueled with Jace again. The second time was different. He had changed. That time…he had defeated Jace, and handily. The only reason that Jace still lived was because Palin had convinced Seven not to kill the young man from Tattooine.

But the duel with Xanthis…it was different. The duels with Jace; while he had certainly intended to kill Jace, he frankly hadn’t known if Jace had ever been trying to kill him. Seven knew flat out that Xanthis had every intention of killing him. That made a big difference.

And Xanthis was every bit as good a swordsman as Jace was.

The irony that they were both fighting for the same purpose, though with different intentions, did not escape Seven. They both were fighting for possession of the child. They both wanted the exact same thing. And yet, the reasons behind the intent were vastly different.

“You’ve grown stronger,” Xanthis observed, with almost a hint of praise in his voice. “I can feel it. But you must know that you cannot defeat me.”

Seven parried one of Xanthis’ thrusts. “Jace beat you the last time you guys dueled.”

“What’s your point?” Xanthis grumbled, visibly annoyed at the mention of his recent defeat.

“The last time Jace and I dueled, I beat him. I guess that means I‘m better than both of you.”

Furious, Xanthis swung like a maniac, his saber cutting through walls and machinery as he tried to connect with Seven. Star was going to be really pissed off when she saw what they were doing to her sickbay.

They circled each other silently, neither attacking. As they circled, they inched themselves closer to Palin’s bed.

A sound suddenly broke the silence.

The crying of a baby.

Seven’s son was born.

They both looked over towards the bed. His son was wrapped in a blanket, held tightly in his mother’s arms. Star was standing at her side, ready to defend her patients.

This is it, Seven thought. This is the moment.

Xanthis was going to make his move now. But he wasn’t going to make a move at Seven. He had to know that any duel with Seven would not end soon. He didn’t have the time to defeat Seven. He was going to strike at Palin, who was lying in bed, cradling her baby, defenseless.

“I will kill your woman first,” Xanthis yelled, confirming Seven’s suspicions, “and your child will be mine!”

“You won’t lay a single finger on either of them,” Seven stated. It was a statement of fact.

“Say goodbye to your family, Seven. It’s the last time you’ll ever see either of them.”

Xanthis was going to strike now. Seven would have one chance to defend his family. Xanthis’ strike would be quick. Seven would have to be quicker.

With Force-enhanced speed, Xanthis dashed forward, his lightsaber raised high in his left hand. Seven stepped forward and swung upwards.

Xanthis swung his lightsaber down towards Palin.

Seven’s lightsaber hit its target.

Xanthis’ didn’t.

Seven’s green blade sliced through Xanthis’ left arm about three inches above the wrist. The eyeless Sith Lord yelled in pain as he clutched his cauterized stump. A quick look at the ground and Seven saw Xanthis’ hand, still clutching it’s lightsaber.

“Seven!” Palin yelled.

He looked up just in time to see Xanthis running out of sickbay. The Sith lord didn’t even bother to retrieve his lightsaber, or the hand that still gripped it. It was clear to Seven that Xanthis just wanted to get off of the SSD while he still had his life.

Speaking of life…

He turned around and faced Palin, who was clutching their baby to her chest. She looked up at Seven. Tears filled her eyes. She had been seconds away from losing Seven, her baby, and her own life. But she hadn’t. Seven had been able to save them. Save all of them.

“I should go,” Seven said, his voice strained. The sight of…his son…was breaking him down. “We can still stop Xanthis…from escaping.”

Palin reached out a hand and stopped him. “No…” she said. “Stay here. With me. With your son. Stay with us.”

Seven nodded. He didn’t need any more convincing. That was all he needed to hear. He would never leave her. He would never leave him. He would never leave either of them. They were his family.

A tear escaped him.

His family…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Both Skate and Rick were sweating now. Their duel had been going on for some time. Much longer than Skate had thought it would go on. She would give Rick credit for one thing: he had certainly proved that his talents had been wasted in Sith Squadron. If given the chance, he could have become quite an asset to the squadron. As it was, they had treated him like a nobody.

If nothing else, he had proved today that he was a somebody.

But right now, he was just somebody who was pissing Skate off, though.

She was growing tired of this duel. She was confident of her skills, but the longer they fought, the greater the chances were that she would slip up. It was time to make some kind of bold, daring move that would end the fight.

She had an idea.

She would take a page out of Jace’s book.

During the Narska Plo’kre Incident, Jace had attacked her in an attempt to prevent her from interfering with his plans. During their lightsaber duel, he had used a very interesting move that had surprised Skate. She hadn’t had a counter for it at the time. She doubted “Xavier” did now.

When he came in for an attack, she jumped into a back flip. Halfway through her rotation, her feet connected with the wall behind her. She used the wall as a springboard and leapt over Rick. As she flew past him, twisting in midair, she swung her saber at him, knocking his own weapon out of his hand.

She landed behind him. He was slow to react. Probably stunned at her display of acrobatics. She could kill him…quickly. It wouldn’t even be a challenge. But for some reason, she didn’t. Instead, she quickly deactivated her lightsaber and simply bashed him in the back of his head with the hilt. The strength of the blow knocked him out immediately and he dropped to the docking bay floor like a sack of rocks.

She smiled slightly.

I’ll have to thank Jace later for teaching me that one.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Xanthis stumbled down the darkened corridors on his way to the shuttle. He was in shock. He couldn’t believe it. Not only had he been defeated by Seven…but he had been humiliated! Disfigured! He no longer had a left hand, thanks to Seven.

He found the docking bay and boarded his shuttle. He had to get back to the Scimitar. He had to escape. He could feel it through the Force. This battle was already lost. There would be no victory today for AOL. No victory for Xavier. No victory for Xanthis.

He had no idea where his apprentice was. He did not have the time to locate him, either. Xavier would have to fend for himself. Served him right. Xanthis had felt the ship violently shake several times. No doubt because one of the freighters had rammed the SSD. Operation: Hammer Fall had been put into action. Xanthis hadn’t authorized its implementation. Targ wouldn’t have done it without permission. Xavier had given the order. And since Targ would have told Xavier that Xanthis was aboard the SSD, he could only assume that Xavier had hoped he could escape the ship and that Xanthis would perish aboard it.

If Xavier escapes, I shall commend him for his gumption…and then I shall punish him for his error in judgment.

His shuttle left the docking bay of the SSD and he set a direct course for the Scimitar. The Sith pilots were still too busy trying valiantly to pick off the freighters to bother with a little shuttle. He would get back to his ship safely. He would survive. He would live to fight another day.

And he would make Seven pay for what he did.

Oh yes.

Seven would pay…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“We got it!” Vanicus heard Pax cry out from his computer console.

As he said it, lights came alive on the bridge. Vanicus could only assume that power was returning all over the ship.

“Power is back online! Communications, shields, weapons….everything is up and running!”

Vanicus forced himself to his feet, pushing away the help of the bridge crew. He wanted to give this order. He wanted to finish the battle standing on his own two feet. Most importantly, though…he wanted to give this order.

“Gunners…” he said, his voice strained, but still strong. “Clear the sky of those freighters. Destroy them all.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

It was a beautiful sight.

The turbolaser batteries on the SSD suddenly came to life. The sky was full of colors: laser blasts, explosions. The freighters stood no chance. Nor did the four Corellian CR90 Corvettes that Xanthis had brought with him. The power of the SSD was just too much for them. It was too much for most forces. Even the enemy flagship, the Scimitar, fled.

Mere minutes after the SSD was back online, the battle was over. Two corvettes were obliterated, and two were secured by tractor beams. The Scimitar had made its hasty jump into hyperspace.

Vanicus’ skies were clear.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The room was large but mostly empty, which a cage about three meters by three meters directly in the center of it. The cage was empty of furnishings. The only thing that occupied space in the cell was its one occupant.

Xavier.

He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the cage, deep in meditation when Reno entered. He opened his eyes briefly, but shut them quickly. Reno circled the cage, and Xavier could feel the man’s eyes on him.

“Why don’t you just kill me?” Xavier asked. “I am your enemy.”

“Normally, I would,” Reno responded as he continued to circle the cage, heading towards the door. “But in this case you are far more valuable to me alive.”

“I will die before I tell you anything,” Xavier said sternly.

Reno stopped in the doorway and turned his head.

“You will die,” he said softly. “But not before you’ve told me everything…”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

After the dust was settled, after the damage assessment had been finished, everyone met in sickbay. It looked much more differently than it had earlier in the night. Xanthis and Seven’s duel had left the place a mess. It would take days to clean the place up, and weeks to return it to the way it had been. But thanks to the heroic efforts of Reno’s squadron, time was something they had.

They all stood gathered in a semi-circle as Seven and Palin walked out of the room. Seven noticed that Jace kind of hung back from the rest of the crowd. Seven carried the baby in his arms. Palin couldn’t hold the baby yet, at least not safely, due to her broken arm. Star had put a cast on it and had used some good old fashioned Force healing. It wouldn’t take long for the arm to recover.

Seven approached them, and held out the baby. “Siths…I’d like you to meet Brink, our son.”

“You named him after you?” Thunder asked. “Talk about ego…”

“Wouldn’t that make him Brink, Jr?” Jen asked.

“Nah, Brink the second,” Ryvo put in. “Much cooler.”

“Brink, esquire,” Skate added. “Sounds more noble.”

“Uhh…yeah, how about just Brink, okay?” Seven said.

The Siths all leaned in to get a good look at the baby.

“He looks a lot like you, Seven,” Fox said.

“Hey, don’t be mean to the kid,” Skate joked. “He’s way too cute to look like Seven. Definitely takes after his mother.”

“Well, I hope so,” Seven said. “His mother is an angel. My angel.”

“He does seem to slobber like Seven, though,” Thunder said thoughtfully.

“Bet he cries like Seven, too,” Jen put in.

“So who gets to hold him first?” Skate asked.

Seven looked around at the people in the room. He was looking for someone in particular, but he didn’t seem him.

“Actually…I was going to let Tyros hold him first,” Seven said. “Where is he?”

Skate shook her head. “No idea. He vanished while I was fighting Xavier. Haven‘t seen him since.”

“Has anyone seen him? Heard from him?”

Everyone shook their heads. Jen tried to hide her worry, and failed. It was weird. It wasn’t like Tyros to just vanish like that. Seven hoped he was okay. He wasn’t too worried, though. He had seen Tyros dismantle an entire team by himself. Then he had seen the man take out another team using only his legs and feet. He didn’t think there was anything that the man couldn’t handle.

“Well then, who wants to hold him first?”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Jace Sidrona watched the proceedings from a distance. He knew that Seven would want it that way. Seven still wasn’t comfortable around Jace, and he didn’t want to ruin Seven’s moment. This was the kid’s time to be happy. His time to feel joy. Jace didn’t want to spoil that.

And he should be happy, too. Seven had proved that he was a lot more than most people thought he was. He had not only fought Xanthis and survived, but he had managed to cut off Xanthis’ hand in the process. He had defeated Xanthis. That…took power. It took skill. Seven was not the goofball joker that most people assumed he was. He was someone who should be feared. He was someone who should be respected.

Anyone who could go toe to toe with Xanthis -- no -- anyone who could defeat Xanthis as Seven had was someone that Jace could respect. He was someone that Jace would like to make amends with.

Seven didn’t trust Jace, though. He probably never would. There probably wasn’t anything that could ever change that. But Jace would try. And he knew exactly how he could do it. In fact, he would kill two womprats with one stone while doing it.

He would have to protect the child.

At any and all costs.

Jace knew that Seven would want to train the boy. And why not? It was his son. It was his and Palin’s right to train their own child. But Jace also knew that Reno would not allow it. Jace could feel the power emanating from the boy, and he had no doubt that Reno could, as well. He may have even felt it before the child’s birth. This boy could potentially be stronger than Jace…maybe even stronger than Reno. Someone that strong Reno would want to train himself. In fact, he would probably discard Jace as his primary apprentice in favor of Brink. Reno would want to take the boy and train him from when he was very young. He would shape him, mold him…he would create the boy in his image.

Jace couldn’t allow that.

Reno had destroyed Jace’s life by doing that same thing. Hell, he had even destroyed Xanthis’s life by doing that. Jace would not let another innocent child be harmed by Reno in such a manner. He would not allow Reno to have such an influence over the child.

Jace would protect the boy.

He didn’t know how he would do that yet, but he would. That was a promise. An unspoken promise. He owed it to Seven, to make up for sins past. He would make amends with Seven via his son. He would save the boy from Reno. Jace had failed to save himself from Reno, but he wouldn’t fail Brink.

I’ll keep you safe, Brink, he called out to the child. I won’t let Reno hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’ll be your protector, your guard, your sentinel. As long as I live, I won’t allow anything to happen to you…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Reno watched as his squadron took turns holding the child. He kept his distance from the affair, much like his apprentice. Eventually, they decided to let the baby get some rest and returned him to his room in sickbay. Star sent Palin back to her own bed to get some sleep, as well. The rest of the group stayed in the waiting room, chatting back and forth, recalling stories and adventures that had happened during the night. It seemed as though everyone had some kind of story to tell.

When they were all engaged in talk, Reno quietly slipped into the baby’s room and approached the crib. The room was dark. There was no one else there. They were alone. The child looked so small, so fragile. Reno could hardly believe that at one time, he was as this baby was. Small, fragile, innocent. Now, he was none of those things. His path had taken a wrong turn very early in life. At a very young age, with the murder of his uncle, he had ceased to be innocent. After that, it had been an avalanche of bodies and a river of blood. He had failed as a Jedi.

But then, as Zarin had forced him to realize during his imprisonment, I have failed as a Sith, as well. Everything that I have I got through sheer luck. Nothing I have I truly earned. Nothing is as it truly should be. Even my squadron…I have failed in them, too. None of them were trained as they should’ve been. They are strong, yes…but not as strong as they should be.

He had failed in his initial training of Xanthis and Jace. He had failed in his training of the squadron. He had failed himself. But…that would all change now.

You are my redemption, child. The rest of them are lost causes. I have failed them all. But you…I will get it right with you. Under my tutelage, you will become the greatest warrior this galaxy has ever seen. You will be the greatest terror to ever enter anyone’s nightmares. You are my redemption. You are my salvation. You are my last chance…

Ironic that his redemption should come along thanks to Seven. Of all the people who could bring him a vessel for salvation, it was Seven. Who would have ever thought that Seven would have a child? And with Palin, for that matter. Talk about unexpected. And yet, since they had known for more than half a year of the pregnancy, totally expected…

Reno froze.

He remembered something.

Something that until now he had completely ignored and thrown away.

Why had he chosen that phrase? Expected, but unexpected. That was the same thing that the hologram of Odium had told him on Rhen Var. While on his way back to the Rhen Var complex, he had seen what had to have been a hologram of his former Master Odium, created by Zarin -- though Zarin denied it, and seemed totally confused by Reno mentioning a hologram of Odium. Odium had given him a chance to prevent his fate. He had given him a prophecy, a list of three people that he needed to kill in order to survive.

“You must kill the one who is expected and not expected, or that person could be your end. You must kill the one who you know best and least, or that person could be your end. You must kill the one-winged angel, or that person could be your end. One of these people will kill you, though precisely who is yet to be determined. If you are to live, you must destroy them all. There is no way around that. Leave even one alive, and you will die.”

“Odium” had told him that his prophecy was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because Reno now had an idea of how to cheat death. A curse because he would spend the rest of his life examining every person he met, trying to decide if maybe this was the person who would kill him. Odium said it would make him paranoid.

He recalled the brief incident:

“If this is true,” he had asked, “then how are you cursing me? I know what to look for now. I know who to kill in order to survive.”

“Yes, you do,” Odium had replied. “But that will only make you more paranoid than you already are. You will see things where there are none. See enemies where none exist. Make enemies where none before were. It will drive you insane before the end.”

“I don’t believe you,” he had grumbled. “You can’t trick me again, Zarin. I won’t fall for it. I won’t believe you.”

“Believe me or not, it is your choice,” Odium had said. “But understand your choices. If you ignore my warning, you will gain everything you never knew you wanted, yet die. And if you heed my warning, then you lose everything you never had, yet live. The choice, is yours.”

Reno looked down at Brink.

What if…

What if this child was a part of Odium’s prophecy?

It was a fact that the boy was both “expected and unexpected.” Expected in the way that every child is expected after nine months of pregnancy…unexpected in the way that no one expected Seven and Palin to have a child. Brink was both expected and unexpected.

Reno didn’t know what to do.

If Odium’s prophecy was correct, then one day one of three people would kill him. There was a good chance…a very good chance…that this child was a part of the prophecy. There was a good chance that one day this boy would destroy him.

Could Reno take him as an apprentice, knowing this? No, absolutely not. He would not instruct one who might be destined to destroy him. However…that was another issue to take into account. This boy might be destined to destroy him. He could just as easily not be the one.

Odium had been right.

Knowing this prophecy ahead of time was making him paranoid, suspicious.

He was seeing new enemies where none existed before, jumping at shadows.

Or was he? Perhaps this boy was to be his enemy. Perhaps this boy would grow up one day and destroy everything that Reno had worked so hard to create. Perhaps…

And perhaps that “prophecy” was a load of crap, a part of Reno’s mind countered. He certainly couldn’t discount that. Zarin had programmed the hologram to confuse him. Zarin must have known that if Reno were to somehow escape, this “prophecy” would haunt him for years. It was simply a means to administer to Reno more torture for years to come. Reno wasn’t going to fall for another one of Zarin’s schemes.

But…how could Zarin have known about the child? He was dead well over a month before the baby had even been conceived. He couldn’t have known…

Unless the “expected/unexpected” one was someone else entirely! Maybe it wasn’t the child at all. Maybe it was someone else. An old friend or enemy that was believed to be dead…or anyone else. Anyone.

He just didn’t want to think that this child was possibly the one who was destined to kill him.

But can I take that chance?

My life, my dreams depend upon this decision. If I let this boy live and I am wrong…I will have perpetuated my own downfall. However, if kill this child, regardless of my reasons, then I will have murdered a child. And the child of two members of my squadron, at that.

They would not understand the decision, if he were to go through with it. They could not. They would be blinded by hatred and rage. They would attack him. He would make enemies where before there were none. Just as Odium had predicted.

Damn you, Odium. Damn you and your prophecy.

Could he even do it, though? If he needed to, could he kill an newborn infant? The only person on the ship was who truly innocent? He had killed many people in his time, but nothing would compare to…this. This would be cold-blooded murder of the worst kind.

No, what was he talking about…what was he thinking? He couldn’t kill a child in this manner. He couldn’t. Even for someone like Reno, it was wrong. Morally. Ethically.

It isn’t wrong! another part of his mind screamed at him. It’s survival! If you let that boy live, he will destroy you! Odium has predicted it! Don’t ignore the prophecy! Heed its advice! Use it! Survive! You can kill them all and live forever!

And that is ultimately what it boiled down to.

Life.

Survival.

Not Brink’s, but his own.

If it came down to it…if it came down to a choice between his life or Brink‘s…he knew how he was going to choose. He knew how he had to choose.

He made his decision.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Something was wrong.

Again.

For the second time that day, Seven felt a strong warning hit him through the Force. The last time he felt it, Xanthis had been threatening Palin and his unborn son. Seven had always possessed a very strong “danger sense,” stronger than anyone else in the squadron. His feelings and hunches when it came to exterior threats were far more acute than anyone else’s. If he sensed that something was wrong, then something was wrong.

He stood up and glanced into the room where Palin had been taken. She was lying on her bed, fast asleep. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, quietly. Nothing wrong there. He reached out with the Force. Where was this sense of distress coming from? He felt the powerful feeling again, this time even harder. He knew where it was coming from. He knew who it involved.

It came from the next room over.

Where Brink was.

No…

He quickly ran towards the door, but before he could open it, the door opened by itself. Standing in the doorway was Reno. Seven hadn’t even realized that Reno had entered the room. How long had he been in there? On his face, Reno wore what Seven could only describe as a surreal look. It was as if Reno was standing next to Seven…yet was somehow a million klicks away. Or maybe not even in this galaxy.

He looked down at Seven and smiled. The sight of Reno’s surreal smile was almost terrifying.

“You have such a lovely child, Seven,” he said softly.

Seven would have pushed Reno out of the way if the Sith lord hadn’t chosen that time to step out of the doorframe to leave sickbay. Seven dashed into the room as quickly as he could, though it felt like his feet were made out of duracrete. Everything seemed like it was moving in slow motion. Brink’s crib seemed like it was both three meters and three klicks away at the same time.

When he reached the crib, he looked in, almost hesitantly. There he saw…

Brink.

Alive.

Okay.

His son was asleep, but obviously okay.

Seven breathed a heavy sigh of relief. What the hell was that all about? Why had he felt such a strong sense of immediate danger? Brink was fine. Nothing was wrong…

Or maybe nothing was wrong only because the squadron had been right outside of the door. What if…what if they hadn’t been. Would everything still be okay?

He was avoiding the real question in his mind.

Was the danger he picked up through the Force because of Reno? It almost had to have been. No one else was present in the room, and this was definitely where he had sensed the trouble. Did Reno have intentions of trying to hurt his child? No…no, that didn’t make any sense. Reno would want to train the boy, though Seven had no intentions of letting that happen. Reno wouldn’t hurt him…

Unless he thought the child strong enough to be a threat. If he had wanted to kill Brink, he certainly couldn’t have done it now. The entire squadron was outside the door. If he had, they all would have turned on him immediately. It would have been a bloodbath. He couldn’t make a move against Brink yet…

No, this is ridiculous, Seven decided. He was just being paranoid. Overly cautious. He was a new father. That was to be expected. He was jumping at shadows. There was nothing wrong.

And yet, as he left the room and returned to the group, he couldn’t get Reno’s strange facial expression out of his mind, nor the lingering feeling that something was terribly, terribly wrong…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Reno stalked though the corridors of the SSD.

He had a purpose. He had a destination. He had a mission.

He was sure of himself. Back in sickbay, he had made the decision to kill the baby. He had realized that he couldn’t take the chance that the prophecy was wrong. He couldn’t take the chance and assume that this wasn’t one of the people who could kill him one day. If the child was a possible threat then he needed to eliminate it. There would be no better chance than when it couldn’t fight back.

But he couldn’t have done anything at the time. The entirety of Sith Squadron had been just outside the door, including the child’s parents. Had anything happened to the baby, they would have felt it. They would have turned on Reno, and he would have been forced to kill them. All of them.

As it was, Seven had almost caught him. The young man had been on his way to the room when they had nearly bumped into each other. Reno could tell that Seven knew something was wrong. He had read it on his face. Seven had probably sensed Reno’s intentions. The young man always had possessed a very strong danger sense. It was his gift.

Right now, it was Reno’s curse.

It wasn’t the only curse Reno had been saddled with lately.

He blamed Odium for what he was about to do. If Odium had not told him of the prophecy, then he would not have to take the course of action that he was being forced to take.

Reno could not imagine the repercussions that this would create. It was very possible that his squadron could be torn apart by this act. But it was necessary. None of them could kill Reno. None of them were a part of the prophecy. Only Brink was. Only Brink had to die.

And he would.

Tonight.

Right now.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Seven’s sleep was restless.

Eventually Star had told them all to leave sickbay. Everyone had been sent to their quarters, including Seven. Star had Palin remained in sickbay, although their baby was kept in a different section. He had wanted to remain with Palin and Brink, but Star had eventually convinced him that if he stayed with them that he wouldn’t get any rest, and that after all he had gone through that day, he needed a little sleep.

But he couldn’t sleep.

And it wasn’t because he wasn’t tired. He was. It wasn’t because he was so excited about being a father, although he certainly was. No…he couldn’t sleep for a different reason. Something else entirely.

There was still something that was wrong…

He lie in his bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. He wasn’t where he should have been. He shouldn’t have been in bed. He shouldn’t have been in his quarters. He needed to be with his son. Something bad was going to happen. Something very bad.

He had to go.

Before it was too late.

* * * * * * * * * * * *