Virgil stared. "Complete molecule reversal?!" He spluttered. "Are ya insane?"

Janus looked up at him, a wild grin on his face. "Not insane, Vee, inspired." He rubbed his hands together. "With what I can do... and what I know, it's possible. It really is possible, I just need to get the formula right and-"

Virgil took his hands gently. "And then ya'll destroy either yaself or the galaxy." He said softly. Janus' grin faded and he looked away sullenly.

"Jan, I don't mean to step on yar dreams or hurt ya," Virgil said, "but this is dangerous. Don't ya see? If ya don't end up destroyin' yaself physically, the kind of power ya'd need for that is astronomical." He shook his head. "Jan, look at me."

Janus didn't.

"Jan, it's just not possible." Virgil insisted. "Please understand." He pleaded in his head. "Please be the Janus I know."

Janus looked down at their hands. "It's not possible." He repeated, mumbling the words. "Not yet."

"Jan-"

"Vee, listen." Janus said, gripping Virgil's hands tightly. "It is possible. I've been reading any books I can get my hands on and someone managed this. Once."

Worry crept into Virgil's eyes. He didn't like where this was going.

Janus didn't notice. "It's possible." He said. "With the right amount of power and knowledge, I can do anything. I've got the knowledge." He nodded his head towards the Jedi temple just visible on the hill. "And I'm learning to manage the power... I can do this, Vee, really, I can."

Virgil shook his head slightly. Janus' face darkened and he dropped Virgil's hands. He started pacing, rubbing his hands together.

"I can do this." He repeated. "I can!" He snapped, glaring up at Virgil. His eyes widened and he dropped his hands to his sides, blinking. "Vee, really." He said quietly. "If I do this, if I can manage this, then I can change things. Galactic things, laws, rules. I'll be able to bend whole planets - whole universes - to my will."

Virgil crossed his arms. "And how's'that gonna help?" He asked. Janus took his hands gently and Virgil couldn't help but feel something inside him soften slightly. He could never stay mad at Janus. Not for long.

"Vee, if I do this," Janus said, his voice quiet and slow, "we'll be able to do whatever we want. We might even be able to be together. Properly. In the open. No more hiding. That sounds like it would help an awful lot, don't you think?"

Virgil leant his forehead against Janus' and just paused, just to take a second. Just to try and be in the moment completely. Just here, with Janus - the real Janus, not whatever he was becoming - in the moment.

"It might help." He murmured eventually. "But this could hurt ya, Jan. Really hurt ya. And I can't let ya risk that." He took a breath. "Jan, promise me. Promise me ya're not gonna go through with this."

Janus didn't reply.

Virgil shook himself. No, that was impossible.

Janus was dead. He'd been killed. He'd been murdered. By Darth Incus. Janus wasn't here anymore, he was gone.

And with him was all that knowledge he'd worked so hard for. Gone. Poof.

Virgil took a shaky breath and carded a hand through his hair.

"How far are we now, Princey?" He asked.

"Not far." Roman reported. "Trying to get her to land now."

"Ya need to ease her down." Virgil advised. "Oxygen-based planets always have a-"

"Ozone layer, I know." Roman said. "I did live on one, you know."

Virgil blinked. "Right. Yeah. Sorry." He hitched up his belt. "I'll go root around and see what credits I got left. If it ain't much, I can always nick it."

"You mean you're a thief?" Roman asked. Virgil nodded.

"Yeah. Duh." He added. "Where d'ya think half The Osiris came from?"

Wow, I really couldn't leave the flash-backs alone, huh?
Bye,
Blaize