"In the heart of winter, even loyalty can shatter.2

♡

The duel ended not with a bang, but a snap-hiss as Dooku's crimson blade retracted. The Sith Lord vanished into the palace's shadowed depths, his parting words a venomous whisper: "This is not over, creature."

Nephthys stood amidst the scorch marks and molten stone, her chest rising and falling in time with the fading hum of her claws. The air reeked of ionized metal and singed ozone, the battlefield a testament to her ferocity.

"He's... faster than I remember," Anakin panted, deactivating his saber. His robes were singed, his pride bruised, but his grin was intact. "You kept up, though. I'll give you that."

Nephthys shot him a look, golden eyes glinting beneath her mask. "I wasn't keeping up, Skywalker. I was holding back."

Obi-Wan approached, his expression a mix of relief and exasperation. "Next time, perhaps less... theatrics and more focus on the mission."

"Next time," she retorted, peeling off her mask to reveal sweat-streaked features, "you can fight him yourself."

A battered medkit clattered nearby as Kix jogged over, his armor scuffed but his smile bright. "Ma'am," he said, holding out a water bottle like a peace offering. "You're... uh, fast. Like, really fast."

She accepted the bottle, her claws retracting as she twisted the cap. "And you're observant, medic. Like, really observant."

Kix chuckled, rubbing the back of his helmet. "Just saying—if you ever want to give the boys some pointers, we'd be all ears."

Nephthys took a long swig, her gaze drifting to the palace's jagged silhouette. "Tell you what, Kix. Survive this war, and I'll teach you how to outrun a Sith."

The clone's grin widened. "Deal."

As the others regrouped, Nephthys lingered, her fingers tracing the bottle's condensation. The desert winds carried the faintest whisper of Dooku's retreating footsteps, a reminder that storms, no matter how fierce, always leave debris in their wake.

The air still crackled with the aftershocks of Nephthys' electro claws as she tilted her head, her golden eyes narrowing at the ripple in the Force. The clones tensed, blasters raised, but she didn't flinch when Capitano materialized from the shadows—his frost-etched mask glinting like a shard of winter itself, out of place in Geonosis's sweltering wastes.

"Ma'am?" Rex hissed, finger hovering over the trigger. "Hostile?"

"Depends," Nephthys drawled, rising to her feet. "You here to chat... or die, Harbinger?"

Capitano's voice emerged as a glacial rasp, his breath frosting the air even in the desert heat. "The Tsaritsa sends her regards. And a warning."

"How sweet," she mocked, circling him. The clones kept their blasters trained, but Obi-Wan lingered back, hand resting on his saber—observing. "Tell your little ice queen I don't take orders. Or warnings."

He turned, mask reflecting the fractured sunlight. "The Abyss stirs, Cyno. Even storms can drown."

She laughed, sharp and unkind. "You think I fear the dark? I wear it." Her claws ignited, casting violet light across his mask. "Run back to your frozen throne. Next time, I won't stop them from shooting."

For a heartbeat, silence reigned. Then—

"You mistake me for a messenger," Capitano said, his tone colder than the void between stars. "I am the blade that carves warnings."

"And I'm the hand that breaks blades," she countered, stepping so close her breath fogged his mask. "Leave."

The clones held their breath. Even Anakin paused, a rare flicker of wariness in his gaze.

Capitano inclined his head—a predator's nod—and dissolved into shadows, frost blooming where he'd stood before melting under Geonosis's twin suns.

"Friend of yours?" Anakin asked dryly.

Nephthys smirked, retracting her claws. "The kind that leaves daggers under your pillow. Cute, right?"

Rex holstered his blaster, muttering to Cody: "Remind me to never get on her bad side."

"Too late," Cody replied, watching as she strode back toward the ship, the desert itself seeming to part for her.

SCENEBREAK

The temple rose before them, its ancient stone walls glowing softly under the waning light. The air was thick with the earthy scent of dew, clinging to their robes as they finally reached the grand entrance. Cyno stretched her arms overhead, a sigh escaping her lips like steam from a long-boiled kettle. "I could do with a good night's sleep," she admitted, her voice heavy with weariness.

Rex huffed, his grin sharp as ever. "Yeah, we know," he teased, nudging her with the playful ease of someone who'd seen her push past exhaustion one too many times. "Go on. We'll handle your temple pals — let 'em know their fearless leader's down for the count."

Cyno's laugh was soft but genuine, a rare crack in her usual composure. She dipped into a graceful bow, playful yet sincere. "Thanks, Padawan. You're a lifesaver."

Without waiting for another word, she turned on her heel, her boots tapping against the polished stone as she strode toward her quarters. Anakin and Obi-Wan followed at a slower pace, their shadows blending with the dim corridor as they shared a quiet exchange. Then, with an unspoken understanding, they peeled off toward the council chamber, duty tugging them toward yet another meeting.

Cyno's path led her to a heavy door etched with swirling patterns of light and shadow. She pressed her palm against the cool surface, and it slid open with a gentle hiss. Stepping inside, she sealed it behind her, cutting off the world outside.

The room was quiet — blissfully so. The faint hum of temple energy faded into the background as she flopped onto the bed, the mattress yielding beneath her weight. Muscles uncoiled, tension melting away like ice under a midday sun.

With a lazy flick of her wrist, she summoned the Force, and her garments unspooled from her body in shimmering waves, folding neatly onto a nearby chair. The cool air brushed against her skin, a soothing balm after the long day.

Eyes heavy, breath steady, she surrendered to sleep — deep, dreamless, and well-earned.

SCENEBREAK

In the heart of an icy palace, where frost adorned every pillar and the air itself shimmered with biting cold, the Queen of Ioce sat upon her glacial throne. Her cloak, spun from threads of winter itself, draped elegantly across her shoulders, trailing frost wherever it touched. Before her hovered a glowing orb, swirling with shadows and light, revealing distant visions beyond mortal perception.

"Capitano, you fool," she hissed, her breath curling into icy tendrils as it hit the frigid air. The orb pulsed with her frustration.

The heavy thud of armored boots echoed through the vast hall as a knight stepped through the towering frost-encrusted doors. Ice cracked beneath his feet, but he pressed forward, head bowed low. His dark armor gleamed faintly under the eerie glow of the palace lights.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," he said, voice roughened by the cold, "but Cyno is... slipperier than I anticipated." He hesitated, a flicker of guilt shadowing his face. "Then I remembered her."

The Queen's glacial gaze fixed on him, sharp as shards of ice. Her lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.

"Ah," she purred, the sound delicate yet lethal, "her. You'd better not disappoint me again, Capitano."

Frost spread from her fingertips along the edges of the orb, and the swirling image within twisted into something dark and foreboding. The knight bowed deeply, sensing the weight of her command.

"I won't," he promised.

The Queen's smile lingered, cold and unyielding as the endless winter outside her palace walls. "Good. Because if you do, Capitano... even the ice will forget your name."