@marissalf I've been really enjoying your Kinka stories. I'm leveling my own agent lately and the suspicion, backs-stabbing/intriguing all comes across vividly (as well as Vector, who I'm looking forward to )

@Icerose I always love seeing new trooper fic, and I like that you're going to broaden the cast - even if the Rose/Aric background was hard to read.

@Bright I know nothing about the Chiss (And as I mentioned above, am still working my way through the agent storyline), so I love the detail you bring to your Wynston stories. Even if I despise Kaliyo, personally

@Yoshi the idea of T7 and Holiday getting together made me smile, although I wonder what Tharan had to say about it

@Alaurin: C2, the bane of troopers everywhere! Also, poor Jorgan's probably never been in a unit like this before

"T7 = happy working with Jedi // T7 + Jedi = unstoppable team. T7 + Jedj = great heroes // galaxy = loves T7+ Jedi"

I smiled over at him. Kira had become my best friend, but T7 had been the one with me from the very beginning, and I knew he would be with me to the end, whatever it was. I ran my hand along the top of his chassis.

"You've been a good friend, T7, I'm lucky to have you with me. The galaxy is lucky, too."

He whistled excitedly at that, rocking back and forth a bit. That made my smile a little broader.

"You know, T7, after this is all over, Kira and I are going to retire somewhere nice. Maybe a vacation planet, maybe just cruise the galaxy, and have ourselves some fun. You should come too!"

He was silent for a moment. "T7 = not programmed for detailed social interaction // T7 = will need to adapt to new circumstances."

I nodded at him, somewhat exaggerating the motion because his visual scanners didn't help at all in picking up the kind of small cues or underlying emotion of gestures that a person could.

"I"m sure you'll manage, and you'll make for better company than Doc."

T7 hooted loudly at that, rocking back and forth on his wheels. I wasn't sure who, or what, had led to T7 developing his sense of humor, but it was endearing, and always brought a smile or laugh to my face. T7's irrational confidence in himself - and me - definitely helped, too.

"Jedi = T7's best friend in galaxy // T7 = always by Jedi's side."

I leaned over and hugged him. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Mornings like this made every day in the trenches worthwhile; the sun was shining, and I was on leave with the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. After all I had been through, I never thought I could be this happy for any reason, but Elara - like she always did - found a way.

Aric was off doing something at the Senate, 4X visiting a school or something, Yuun was giving a guest lecture to some engineers, glad to see him getting some credit for his work. And Tanno...I probably don't want to know what Tanno is doing right now.

The cafe Elara had found was off the beaten path but quite nice and relaxing, which was nice after last night. When Elara had said she had found some interesting things during her research, I'd thought she was referring to her regulatory work. I'm pretty sure none of that was in any legal book. There were a few other people around, mostly humans, and a Mirialan who seemed to be enjoying a fancy coffee with whipped cream.

Elara had planned a few things for the day, since we had time. Some natural history museums, a trip to the cinema for the latest Blasto holovid. Then, a couple of hours off before our dinner at Galactic Central. I still wasn't quite sure how C2 had managed to get a reservation - I suspected Tanno was involved, so I was better off not knowing - but I thanked the Force for it. At least one thing was sure, even if everything else about tonight wasn't.

A droid carrying a plush bantha was making its way through the cafe towards the Mirialan in the back. What the hell? It stopped in front of her table, and began speaking in a man's voice. Some kind of recording, I guessed.

"Sweetheart, I trust this reaches you in good spirits. I just wanted to tell you that I love you, have always loved you, will always love you. You remind me that the galaxy is a wonderful place, even if it's hard to remember that sometimes. I can't wait for the day that we have our own family, little children to call our own and teach the ways of the Force to and about the Republic."

I started to laugh, but I saw Elara staring daggers at me, so I caught myself.

"Oh, is this on audio? I thought this was text. Wait - "

This time I couldn't control myself. I laughed, wishing I'd thought to do the same for Elara. The MIrialan glanced over, looking slightly embarrassed, so I gave her a grin and an exaggerated thumbs up. I was only being supportive, but Elara slapped my hand down, then pulled me towards her and kissed me.

When we finally came up for breath, I stared into her brilliant green eyes and moved a hand through her hair, which she'd let down for the first time in awhile, gently cupping her cheek. Stars, if only she knew how good just seeing the warmth in her eyes made me feel. I kissed her nose, and waved at the waiter for the check.

As I wiped a bead of sweat off my forehead, I hoped she didn't realize how nervous I was about tonight.

It was a lovely morning, and I had no one else I would rather spend it with. I smiled, somewhat shyly, at Ayrs as he discussed his excitement over the latest Blasto holovid. There were no words to express how happy being with him had made me, even in his silly excitement over the adventures of a fictional anthropomorphized jellyfish.

Lieutenant Jorgan was attending a briefing on the siege of Ukio, Forex, much to my surprise, was participating in an outreach program at a local elementary school, no doubt imparting the importance of serving the Republic to them. Sergeant Yuun had been given the honor of presenting a lecture on the structural engineering of some of our equipment, and Sergeant Vik...I probably do not want to know what he is doing right now.

Ayrs and I had the day to ourselves, but we decided to start slow after last night. I had been doing...research...that had proven fruitful, if exhausting. An early morning visit to this cafe was a good choice. It was not too crowded - just a handful of humans and a Mirialan enjoying what looked like a delicious caffè macchiato.

It was rare that we had any kind of extended time off like we did now, so Ayrs and I had decided to make the most of it, with a vacation scheduled for maximizing efficiency with our time use, while still ensuring I could visit the museums my upbringing - and professional schedule - did not normally allow me to. And tonight...tonight Ayrs had managed to secure a reservation at Galactic Central, the finest dining establishment in the Senate Plaza. I had my own plans I needed to attend to in order to prepare, so I was thankful we had two hours and thirty minutes of scheduled down time before it.

An R-11zx service droid, carrying a plush bantha, was making its way through the cafe towards the Mirialan in the back. It stopped in front of her table, and began speaking in a man's voice. Her husband or significant other, I suspected. A sweet gesture.

"Sweetheart, I trust this reaches you in good spirits. I just wanted to tell you that I love you, have always loved you, will always love you. You remind me that the galaxy is a wonderful place, even if it's hard to remember that sometimes. I can't wait for the day that we have our own family, little children to call our own and teach the ways of the Force to and about the Republic."

Ayrs looked about ready to laugh, so I favored him with one of those glances that would kill it off.

"Oh, is this on audio? I thought this was text. Wait - "

Even I smiled at that, and I saw Ayrs nearly doubling over in laughter. It warmed my heart to see him laughing like this, after all he had told me about his past. He gave the Mirialan a big smile and a thumbs up, so I rescued the poor woman by gently slapping his hand down. Then, feeling bolder than I ever had before I met him, I grabbed Ayrs by the collar and kissed him.

After we came up for breath, I felt his eyes warmly taking mine in, his hand running through my hair and caressing my cheek. More than anything, it was these gentle touches that let me know what I meant to him, and they meant more to me than he could ever know or I could ever express. He leaned in, kissed the tip of my nose, and waved the waiter over. I was thankful the Mirialan's bantha incident would distract the other customers from my own blush.

As he wiped his forehead, I could not help but wonder why he looked so nervous.

The shared "At the cafe" story takes place right before our heroes go to Corellia

@Irish: I really like Ucles’ interactions with the crew. And I love Talos! And I like Rylee, I wish I'd seen more of her on my inquisitor since she was the real brains behind my cult.

Talos is the best. I wish I could romance him. He's just too adorable. Even the extremely bitter and jaded Ucles cannot resist the adorable of that man.

And Rylee. Rarh. I missed her mini-"romance" deal completely. I always wanted to make up for it in fic because she's a perfect fit for Geltie. And then I broke her brain.

Irish, I love that these characters are crossing paths, and it never crossed my mind that they would. <3 this story so much.

Thank you . Ucles and Geltie cross paths a lot more, I just need to write it. There's always a catch, lol.

@irishfino, I love this line. Geltie's confusion in the other pieces is palpable, but maintains emotional momentum.

Ucles is fun to write because of who he was and who he is now. Sometimes he gets a good line in that sucker punches poor Talos in the face. I'm sorry, Talos. I love you. And, squeee, Geltie's confusion came across. Writing confusing things gets confusing, lol.

@Irishfino: Sorry it has taken me so long to comment on your work. I wanted the chance to read the Geltie/Ucles pieces together. I often wondered, when I had leveled my Inquisitor, whatever happened with my cult on Nar Shaddaa. I was thrilled to see you give Rylee a part of your story, even if she ended up the way she did. You have done a great job with Ucles, his determination that "kids gotta live" really shines through. I think I figured out the connection, but I think there are a couple of stories that I have missed, so I plan to go back and find them. Also, I really like Ucles' interaction with Telos. I always thought he was adorable!

I love Talos. I wish I could romance him. WTB Talos Romance. Ucles is a very determined man no matter which part of him you see. He's also very complicated and bitter, lol.

And Rylee. Oooh, I loved her. I completely missed her romance in-game, and, when I found out, I sought to write one in fic. Then I broke her and she went mad. I... have a bad habit of doing that. Whoops.

"Why in all the force-forsaken people do i have to apologize to Doc? If i had shot him, all the females of this galaxy would make a monument to me for saving them from his advances." she quipped.

Icerose, I may have laughed really hard at this. You know Doc’s likely not one to take apologies graciously, either.

Yoshi, I like how Aaran has so much affection for the droid, and the thought of a Holliday-T7 affair — too funny.

Alaurin, I always got the feeling those brown-nosing ship droids were compensating for terrible work performance with effusive praise. This totally fits my theory. I like

Bright, What a sad realization for Wynston, and for Nyss. Learning to go through the motions and hiding your real feelings is something that will be useful for him later with Intelligence, but it’s a hard thing to go through nonetheless.

Lesaberisa, T7 with a sense of humor! He seems perfect for that. And I like where Arys-Elara are heading. The two perspectives on the afternoon work well, and I like how they’re both on the same page with some of their thoughts (ahem, Tanno).

@marissalf,

when Keeper opens the car door and says we're going for a trip, it'll be fun and there'll be doggy treats after, don't believe him. But I do adore the hint he drops there.

This made me laugh so hard. Yes, that’s an unfortunate lesson Kinka’s going to have to learn firsthand. As for the end, I wanted Keeper to make some kind of attempt at helping the agent, even if she may or may not remember it later. And I think if nothing else, it probably helps ease his conscience just a little. Or that’s what he tells himself anyway.

@Marissalf: I have often wondered about a possible relationship between Keeper and the female agent. Sure he is a bit older, but the tension is there. I get the feeling he cares about her, but is very careful not to let it show.

For Kinka, it never does hit that particular territory. Keeper sees her as his most talented agent, but more like a daughter than anything else. That’s ultimately why he drops that “by the way” hint at the end. It’s not a huge gesture, considering what he’s signed off on, but it’s probably the best he can manage.

@marissalf I've been really enjoying your Kinka stories. I'm leveling my own agent lately and the suspicion, backs-stabbing/intriguing all comes across vividly (as well as Vector, who I'm looking forward to )

Thank you! I really appreciate that. The agent story is one of the best IMO, and if you can get past being saddled with Kaliyo through most of Act I, you get sweet, supportive Vector as a reward. (At which point if you're like me, there'll be endless fangirling.)

“Quinn, I need to see you.”

The captain still hadn’t stopped flinching at the sound of her voice, but nevertheless he followed Rissia to her quarters without losing a step. As the door closed behind them and she sat on the bed, it occurred to her that she had no idea how to broach the subject of her pregnancy. Being speechless wasn’t something she was accustomed to, but under the circumstances it wasn’t unreasonable. This should’ve been a happy moment. Indeed, Rissia had imagined it more than once. She’d tell him the news, and he would begin an all-out campaign to attend to her every need. He’d have the ship baby-proofed by the end of the day and a nursery furnished within the week. She envisioned middle-of-the-night runs to Hoth for whatever horrible delicacy she had a craving for and endearingly annoying inquiries about how she was feeling at all hours of the day.

She sighed. Instead it would be...something else.

Quinn, still aware that he was on shaky ground, stood silent while Rissia wrestled with how to tell him. She narrowed her eyes at his rigid figure. He could never just relax like a normal person. He always had to stand at attention, as if he were perpetually about to be inspected. At one time that had been endearing. No longer. But this wasn’t the time for that fight.

“I went to the med center a few weeks ago,” she said tentatively. Seemed like an innocuous enough start. She considered backtracking and putting off the conversation again but knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her condition much longer.

“You look well, Rissia,” he ventured, fighting the urge to add, “sickness must agree with you,” though he did truly mean it. Her alabaster skin was luminous, and he longed to be able to caress it again. Even the suns of Tatooine had been unable to mar it. Of course, that had been ages ago. Save for the flush in her cheeks, she was flawless.

“Yes, I’m feeling much better. They gave me something for it.” She kept her voice stoic and focused her gaze at the wall, not wanting to see his face just yet.

“There’s something else?”

“Yes.” No more stalling. Start acting like a Sith, and just come out and say it. The words tumbled out all at once. “I’m pregnant. The woman at the med center said that it’s twins, both girls.”

She waited a beat to check his reaction, unsure of what she was expecting. Quinn’s face lit up with an expression she had never seen on him before. He looked jubilant; even when they’d married he hadn’t looked that happy. But it was like the flickering of flame, lasting only a second before the shadows of professionalism and self-loathing took over once more and he dashed out of the room.

Quinn hated himself. He had hated himself for a long time, but he had always been able to suppress it and focus on whatever mission was before him. However, with news that he would soon become a father — twice over, at that — he loathed the choices he’d made even more, along with the fact that he could never erase what he’d done. Months of plotting and scheming, forsaking his own wife over some anal sense of loyalty to a master that would have cut him down without batting an eye.

He’d put it aside, but now he couldn’t run from it. Rissia — the strongest woman he’d ever known — suddenly looked vulnerable to him, in need of protecting even. And inside of her, two girls. His girls. He counted back to the last time he and his wife had been together, nausea mounting as a sickening realization hit.

For once, he didn’t wait to be excused from her presence. He sprinted for the refresher and promptly lost his dinner.

She’d been pregnant when he’d made his attempt on her life. Waves of disgust and sickness took turns battering his mind and body. And still, he hoped for worse. Before, there had been a glimmer of hope that he could somehow win her over again, make up for what he’d done. It was a slim possibility —he wasn’t that delusional — but he held to the hope with a kind of desperate abandon befitting a mad man. Atonement would be impossible now, he lamented, sliding to the bare floor.

He closed his eyes and groped for the blade he kept in his boot. An ending. That’s what he needed — it’s certainly what she wanted, he was sure. There was nothing left for him. If she didn’t love him, if there was no hope of redemption, the guilt would crush him. He was certain of it. I’m a coward, and there’s no reason not to take the coward’s way out.

There was nothing left for him. Nothing except them.

Two girls. My girls. His fingers let go of the blade and he shakily pulled himself off the refresher floor. The mirror told him everything he already knew — he was a mess.

But I can change. I can change for them.

The girls could be his redemption, and he would go on for their sakes, for as long as she allowed it. He splashed his face with cold water and looked again into the mirror, his eyes red and bleary but sparkling with newfound resolve.

For them, he repeated.

The Prodigy Burst raced through hyperspace, and on it Ruth tended to her lightsaber.

She sat at the workbench in the cargo bay, well away from her irritating host Larr Gith’s usual haunts. Here she could perform some maintenance on her weapon and prepare herself for the next mission.

Beside her was a squat blue astromech droid. Its name was T7-01 and it was, so far as Ruth could tell, still yelling at her. The frenzy of beeping and whirring couldn’t be anything else. Trust a Jedi to have a preachy droid for a sidekick. It wasn’t even sophisticated enough to lecture in Basic, where she could argue back.

And she put up with this just because her old friend said the galaxy needed saving.

“You realize that no part of whatever you’re saying is causing me the slightest remorse?” said Ruth. “Since I have no idea which of my supposed crimes you’re dweeeping about?”

The droid beeped angrily and returned to a staccato stream with the occasional whistling interlude.

A red-haired woman stopped in the cargo bay door. “Thought I’d find you two together,” she said, her voice rich with satisfied mischief.

“Kira, would you tell him I still don’t speak droid? Just like yesterday and the day before?”

“If you want me to translate, he’s describing how you betrayed and murdered the Five Sons of Oenos.”

Ruth stood and turned away from the table, folding her arms across her chest and glaring alternately at Kira and the droid. “I never betrayed them! I was sent to kill them for the Empire, a straightforward act of war. They offered to negotiate, I agreed to hear them out, and at the summit they tried to poison me. Of course I killed them after that!”

“Ohh, so somebody backstabbed you before you could backstab them. I’ll be sure to put that in the ‘plus’ column on your record.”

“Very funny. Why is Teeseven still going?”

“He doesn’t believe you. About the Five Sons.”

“He doesn’t have to believe me! It’s the truth, I don’t care if some Jedi’s coattail won’t take my word for it!”

“That’s an astromech droid.” Kira nodded. “And hero, he just reminded me.”

“Yes, I’m sure it was bloody heroic of him to use a Sith’s skills and knowledge to get far enough to hide behind his owner’s–”

“Hey.” Kira looked to one side, then stepped into the room. “Look who made it, the defense attorney.”

“I was the best I could find on short notice,” Wynston said drily. He stepped in opposite Kira. “Is there a problem here? Ruth, what’s going on?”

“Just now? I’m regretting ever having listened to you.”

Wynston looked at her.

She glared at Wynston.

Wynston looked to Kira. “Would you excuse us? Teeseven, you too?”

The droid, beeping sullenly to itself, followed the Jedi out.

Wynston shut the door behind them. “I’m sorry about them.”

“Could they possibly be any more obnoxious? I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

“We knew this wouldn’t be easy. When the chance for you to join this mission came up it was a matter of listening to me or dying, and every not-me person on this vessel was voting for you dying.”

“I think Teeseven is still voting. With his sorry excuse for a vocabulator. And another thing, at least if I were dead I wouldn’t have to pick Goldilocks and Red’s hair off my cape after every time I put it down.”

”We do need you,” he said quietly.

“I know. And in the crisis, you’ll have me. …But can’t we at least replace the droid?”

Wynston tilted his head. “I’m not especially attached to him, but Larr is.”

“So I repeat. Can’t we at least replace the droid? Memory wipe him? Short out his speakers? Anything?”

Wynston considered. “I can do a little quiet sabotage here and there on the ship. Cosmetic, nothing dangerous, just enough to keep him too busy to follow you.”

“Keep the astromech doing astromech things instead of lecturing. I…I can’t believe I’m calling in a favor for this.”

He smiled. “If it must be done I’ll do it. Ruth, I can’t wield lightsabers, conduct Force rituals, or command legions, but if I can keep you all from killing each other long enough to do the job, I’ll be satisfied.”

The story so far:

This happens a few years after the end of the class storyline. Zairos' fall from grace is complete and he has taken upon himself to rid the galaxy of both the Sith and the Jedi while Taren has spent a good deal of time trying to convince the Council that there is something more than just the Sith trying to take over, without much success. In the meantime, Xania and Lilith became aware of the link between them.

I should have probably started at the beginning but this part of the story popped into my head so, I guess I'll start with it. Also, this is part 1 of a longer story which I will break into sections following the prompts

Lilith and Lokin were sitting around the table of the holoroom waiting for the incoming communication to be decoded. For a moment, the image of Keeper blinked on the small projector before coming into life.

“Agent. Good to see you again.”

“Likewise” Lilith replied although she knew that this was no courtesy visit “Have we located the Maw?”

“Yes. And I also forwarded two transcoders to be installed on your ship and on Darth Nox’s”. Keeper paused after mentioning that name, for she did not like the idea of having Nox taking part in the mission. It had never been good to have such high profile Sith mingling with Intelligence. It was, after all, a high profile Sith that had started the disruption that led to the dissolution of the imperial Intelligence. Could she trust Nox? Or was it going to be another Jadus incident?

“I hope that your trust in Nox is not misplaced, Agent”

“She is a different kind of Sith, if this is what you are asking”

Keeper would have smiled under other circumstances: Cipher Nine had shown resilience and a knack for improvisation which always resulted in her finding a way. But this was no ordinary mission. Disabling the Maw had already been a feat in itself but to deliver the final blow, Keeper considered it suicide and she was the one to send her own agent, possibly her best, to finish the job started by Master Taren. But she was confident that, if someone could pull this off, it would be the Cipher.

The Maw of Oblivion was part of Zairos’ vision. Whatever changed him, it had completely consumed what was left of his humanity and now, only very few people knew who he had been. Among these were members of the Jedi council who did not believe, or did not want to believe, that he was instigating a full scale war between the Republic and the Empire. Some of them were still convinced that it was just an elaborate ruse designed by the Sith to justify war.

But Master Taren saw it in a different way. He always did. His ideas and fondness for action drew him a lot of unwanted attention from the Council but he had never backed down to the point of almost going rogue. It had been his idea to intercept the Maw and he was determined to get a small fleet to do so, with or without the Council’s blessing. Most of its members were ready to expel Taren from the order, considering that this was to be the last drop, the last act of insubordination that they were going to tolerate. But Master Shan had a different opinion. And because of her insight, Taren was able to gather enough firepower to damage Zairos’ new weapon. Because of her, Keeper was now briefing Cipher Nine on how to bring the mission to a close.

“So, how do we kill the beast?” asked Lilith

“By overloading its core. It’s the only option that will cause enough damage to destroy it completely.”

“How do we get to the core?”

“You will receive the schematics following this briefing” Keeper paused, letting an uneasy silence fall before resuming “Agent, a lot of people died for this information. I don’t need to remind you that…”

“…we need to make sure that we put this information to good use. I know Keeper. “

The image of Keeper nodded and turned towards Lokin “Doctor Lokin?”

He raised his head, hearing his name. This far, he had not been really listening, absorbed in his own thoughts. It had been a while since he had been addressed by the Keeper directly. He usually avoided previous briefings, always relying on what the Cipher would tell him in regards to the mission. But not this time. Lilith has asked him to be present for a reason which was not clear to him and yet, he felt like he needed to be there, at that precise moment.

He did not know this Keeper. Throughout the years, he had different people taking up the mantle and, for him, she was just another. But, it all seemed so different now. This Keeper almost sounded concerned, something he was not used to see in previous Keepers.

“Yes...Keeper?” he replied. That last work seemed so very strange and yet familiar to him.

“You have experience with this type of missions. I hope you will lend assistance”

Assistance? This was a strange request for he knew that Ciphers usually acted alone. “I will provide what I can” he replied, measuring his words.

“Very well. Good luck. Keeper out”

Lilith watched the small holo image flicker and disappear. What had she meant when she said that Lokin had experience with this type of missions? She knew that he was a man with many secrets but she never dug deeper. She never had wanted to, maybe out of concern for what she may have found. This time, however, she did ask “What did she mean, Lokin?”

“She must have seen my profile. Although I doubt it has been updated. In fact, it must have been a while since anyone added any information on it” he replied, with his usual nonchalance. Asking him about such matters had always been like grasping at smoke: the moment you believe you have something, it is already gone and you are left with nothing.

“Avoiding the question.” she paused, considering her next words “Will I ever get a straight answer from you?”

“You already got a lot of straight answers from me, Agent”

“Those answers were not threatening to you, Lokin. But when it comes to something that might reveal more about who you are, you keep raising smoke screens”

For a few moments, they just stared in each others eyes, like a contest of wills, waiting for the one who would give in first “Live as long as I have, Agent, and then we will have this conversation again”

He quietly stood and addressed her once more “Concentrate on the mission, Agent. You have a target and that is the priority. Everything else is secondary”

He felt different, Lilith thought. Almost as if Keeper had struck a chord but she did not wish to chase smoke and mirrors again, preferring to just let him walk away.

Eighteen-year-old Jett stepped out of the shuttle onto the world of Zeltros and looked around. There was a loud, head-hurting music playing from somewhere nearby, and the walls were painted in vivid, but relaxing, shades of blue and red. Two flight attendants walked up to meet Jett–both female Zeltrons. Each wore a very low-cut dress that sparkled and was see-through in all but a few strategic places.

"Welcome to Zeltros," the first one purred seductively. "You will enjoy your stay."

Jett shivered imperceptibly, and was shocked when the second attendant leaned forward and kissed him hard on the lips. She leaned back and licked her lips.

"Delicious," she mewled. "You will have great fun here."

"Uh...thank you," Jett replied.

"Look me up," the first said, "if you need a drinking partner."

He nodded, pulled his bag farther up his shoulder, and walked out into the spaceport. He frowned. Many males of multiple species were running toward a glass box in the center of the room. The box ran from ceiling to floor and was about five feet by five feet wide.

Suddenly, a Zeltron woman in a bikini–one that seemed about five sizes too small for her–stepped into the glass box. Jett figured she was going to perform a dance or other sensual activity...and he was partially right. She reached out and touched a control inside the box. Water began pouring from a spout halfway up the box. The female Zeltron picked up a bottle and poured quite a bit of oily substance into her hands–and began lathering it over her entire body.

"Sithspit, she's taking a frelling shower," Jett exclaimed.

"You bet," said a nearby man with a laugh. "Best planet ever."

Many of the men had pulled out holocameras and were taking pictures or recordings of the "performance." Jett just stepped back and watched. She ran her hands under her bra, wiping the oil across her chest. She carried on her seductive cleansing for about a minute, stepped back into the flow of water to rinse off, and bowed deeply at the waist–allowing those on her side of the box, especially Jett, to see straight down her bra.

"Wow," he muttered. "Dad should've warned me about this planet."

As Aaran is Jasin and Kira's son, this is Dankin and Akaavi's (adopted) son. He takes after his daddy in his strange ladies-love-him abilities.

@Striges very very late but I loved the piece about Andalar outsmarting Rixik.

@alaurin

Huttball, Pod racing…..the BlasTech catalogue!

droid post about laundry: No need for Garza, C2 already debriefed her.

@Selentar I need dye kits for my vehicles!

@Lesaberisa Amitia/New Paths

Death Star

Ayrs/I Love This Bar: First of all, I love all Ayrs stories, second how does he get his C2-N2 to be silent?!

@marissalf Kinka/Cross My Heart, I liked the little bit from Keeper, he really did seem to want the best for the agent in his own way.

Kinka/My First: Impressing Kaliyo? Not sure if that's a good thing

@Tatile "Did you make this yourself?" The most tactful way to not compliment food. Rochester and Broan are so adorable together. I also love the complexity of Lord Vizloch, she's such a surprisingly great mom and still every inch the Sith and somehow that's not a contradiction at all.

@bright_ephemera

Vierce A-77

I tried to remember the way Jaxo smelled and couldn’t. I guess in the bigger picture we hadn’t spent all that much time up close. Only a few dates. It seemed like I should’ve remembered anyway.

I really liked him struggling with himself in this scene almost as if he felt that it wasn't hitting him hard enough.

I love mama Savins I knew she would have been giving him knowing looks after his injury. And Kirsk! Kirsk is the best troublemaker brother anyone could have. I usually hate his type but something about him is so lovable.

Wynston and Rattataki women They will be his almost-downfall. Also, if Basic is supposed to be like English I 100% agree, it would be anything but.

Wynston and Nyss, not sure how I feel about that one except to say that it makes sense for Wynston. Especially this:

"And what about me? Don't I get a say?"

 

What could she say that would make him feel what he should feel for her?

Hunter knelt on the floor, wounded and defeated. He spoke as if they had been on the same side the whole time.

"You'll take good care of it. But between you and me… I want to show you one last thing." He touched a switch on his sleeve. The air around him flickered and his face and body settled into another pattern. The man before her now was slight and tan, unremarkable yet entirely familiar.

Vero fell to her knees and grabbed the man's shoulders. "Watcher Three?" She whispered, then she shoved him back and scrambled to her feet. "It's not possible."

He chuckled now, "Because of Isen 4? If I could look like Hunter, then someone else could look like me. " Even as he said it several mysteries became clear. How Kothe had gotten her keyword, how he had simply disappeared after the shakeup at headquarters, and why the Minister had not called him to the Tenebrous. He was the only Watcher who was not susceptible to the hidden message coded into the Cabal's communications.

She shook her head, "But you ran things, you helped us find the Cabal."

"Did I? I didn't need to destroy Intelligence, I just delayed our progress and the Sith took care of the rest for me." His face displayed his contempt, "Typical Force users. Only thing I hadn't planned on was the Minister. I knew he had a lot of tricks left but I didn't think he'd have the guts to use them all at once." He smiled genuinely, "I'll admit, I shouldn't have sent you to Voss, but that one was personal."

She remembered the mission, it felt like a lifetime ago, "Who was the Shining Man? He said to give you his love."

"He was my brother. Thanks for finding out what happened to him, the Cabal never told me." He coughed, blood bubbled at his lips. "They erased my name, my planet, my brother, my past, then Intelligence erased the fake one the Cabal gave me. I couldn't even choose my own designation. At least I could choose to be Hunter."

Vero was surprised that she understood. "I can't imagine what it was like, but you don't have to lie now."

"I still want to, it's hard not to look at you with his eyes. You never saw me the way you saw him." He looked down, "You never saw me at all. Hunter and Cipher Nine… they're the tough ones. They play the game right."

Vero knelt again and cupped his cheek. "You were the best enemy I could ask for," she whispered kissing him softly, tasting his blood and his last breath.

He met her eyes all pretense of the affable and earnest man gone, all that remained was the intensity of a soldier who sacrificed everything for a cause she had only begun to understand. "Goodbye. Don't ever let them stop you." He slid away from her pressing another button. Electricity coursed through his body, he convulsed a final time and lay still.

Vero crossed the room to take the Black Codex. "So much power." She mused softly. Watcher Three's advice was unnecessary, nothing had ever stopped her before and now nothing ever would.

Miriah lay back against the pillows of her bed and grinned. She and Corso had managed not only to leave the rest of the crew behind at the port, but also to sneak past the droid who always seemed to be able to tell when they wanted privacy, and actively tried to thwart them. She threaded her fingers through Corso’s loose dreadlocks, sated and lazy. He was sleeping, his head resting on her belly, when she heard the crew returning, the airlock closing with a thud. No matter, she thought, they’re used to seeing my quarters closed. She’d just closed her eyes when she heard the metallic clank of droid feet outside her door, and just managed to pull the sheet over them when the door swished open.

HK stood in the doorway. “Master, I have returned with the items you requested. Observation: It is the middle of the afternoon and you are in bed. Conclusion: You are ill.”

Miriah just looked at the assassin, wondering what to tell him to get him to leave. Corso had woken when the droid started talking, and she could feel him shaking with silent laughter under the sheet. “No, HK, I’m not ill. I’m fine. I’m just resting. You can leave now.”

“I cannot in good conscience leave you unknowing if you require medical assistance, Master. Shall I retrieve a scanner from med bay..”

“No, HK. Do not do that. Just…go away!” she said, pinching the still laughing Corso with her toes.

“Master, we cannot eliminate enemies if you are not functioning …”

“I said, I’m fine, HK. Go.. I don’t know, calculate something.”

“What do you wish to know the answer to, Master?”

Just then Corso started kissing her, the sensation enough to distract her thoughts and not notice that HK had been joined by C2 in her doorway.

“Master Miriah, this droid, though not a medical droid, seems to have determined that you are ill. I will bring you some hot tea and soup, or if you require medical assistance…”

“You’re all going to require medical assistance if you don’t GO AWAY!” she yelled, pulling Corso’s hair as she did, hearing his muffled laugh. “NOW!”

Risha turned to Akaavi as the droids scuttled away from the captain’s door. “Told you we’d been ditched. At least that was amusing. Thanks for the idea of sending the droids in instead of going ourselves.” Akaavi grinned and nodded at Risha.

“Now we just have to calm C2 down before he changes out all the cushions again.”

She secured the last bits of wiring and reset the casing. Her work was crude but, as always, it would prove effective. She stood, wiped the oil from her hands onto her overalls, and turned around. The Captain nodded and waved his men back. Zdinne did not find herself surprised by their lack of trust. They kept calling her a traitor and maybe she was, but there was food on the table and her family were safe. Or least, what was left of it.

There was a small 'pop' behind her as the explosive went off. There were a few surprised cries and then out-right screams as the Imperials filed in. no shots were fired. They dragged the people out. The old, the sick and the weak, all none combatants, but that was the point. The Captain counted them off and checked for the I.D. chips, if they had any.

None of them looked at Zdinne. Even if they had, they would not have recognised her. Her face was a mess of criss-crossed scars and her right eye had been sewn shut. The bubbly girl she had once been was gone, replaced by the harsh realities of survival. She watched in silence as the captured were loaded into a truck. The Captain was returning to Sobrik and he wanted her to join him. She knew why, shook her head, and jumped into the troop vehicle.

He gave her the documents anyway.

Zdinne leant back in her chair, looked over the documents, and smiled. Her training would be soon and she would join the Imperial Infantry. With her knowledge, she might even be able to skip the basics and go straight into demolitions. Mama might resent it, but if the Empire were here, it would want to stay. She told herself that and she told Mama that when she asked, but it wasn't the truth.

Zdinne wanted to fire weapons, not just build them.

@alaurin, Thank you, putting that scene on paper was easy, doing the technical writing to it, spelling, word usage, that was hard. I also tried to keep it Pg-13 with the technical of why they can't be together.

@bright, I have 6 years of pissing of CO from my Navy time, so I cna right pissed off COs well.

@lesa, sorry if ti was a hard read. I hope it cause of the feeling of the story, and not the actual writing of it.

@alaurin, That story was need at that time for my sanity. Thank you.

@yoshi, so wont Theran feel lonely now. I mean he wont get any more shocks in bed.

@madalane, another story that was needed at that time.

Corellia, Republic Spaceport, Jedi Hanger

"Are you certain this is your friend's spaceship, Rose?" said an exasperated Aric. "Got to be at least 20 of these ships in this hanger, and each one of them is painted the same way. Even our ships got ways to individual markings, like the nose artwork on the Jackrabbit's ship, or you painting our ship olive green."

"Yes, Aric. This the ship." answered the Havoc squad major. "I still do not want to do this."

"I know. I know. You've been complaining since we left Garza's office. You just have to say you are sorry, and we leave. Other then your pride, nothing gonna get hurt."

"Easy for you to say." Rose blew some errant hair of her forehead again. Aric smiled at that. No matter how hard she tried, the way she does her hair that way, will cause that hair to be there. It usually didn't bother the red-head until she got irritated by other circumstances, so it was a sign of her discomfort. So Aric never told her about that habit, giving him some warning about her emotions.

They both ascending up the stairs, and stood on the small platform before the blast door that allowed entry to the inside of the ship. Rose hit the comm station next to it.

"Hello, Major, Captain. This C2-N2, factorum for this Corellian Light Corvette, designated the Evo'slare's Ship. How may I assist you?"

"This is Major Rose O'Connell of Havoc Squad. Is Fiona here?" asked the Major.

"There is no one by that name on this ship, Major. You must have the wrong ship." answered C2.

"Yes there is, C2. That is the given name to your master. Her name is Fiona Xavier. Ask her if you don't know that."

"Again, I am very sorry, but there is no one by that name in my databanks. Again, I am sorry that you have the wrong ship, maybe your information is wrong."

"OK, listen up, you rusted bucket of bolts. Call your master, and tell her I am here, got it." replied a very irate Rose.

"I am sorry, but I can not do that without proper clearance. Do you have the proper clearance?" asked the droid.

"Grr. Hold on for a second." Rose got her holo, and tried to ring up Fiona's holo, but got a disconnect message. "OK, this is getting irritating."

"OK, now what?" asked Aric.

"I'll try Kira's holo. " Rose tried to signal Kira's holo, but the same thing. "OK, this is getting on my nerves."

"Let me try it from my holo." Aric used his hole, and immediately got Kira's holo.

"Hello? Who got this Holo?" asked the holo Kira.

"Hey, Kira. Its Rose."

"Oh, hey Rose. Whatsup?"

"It seems your droid forgot what Fiona's name was and now I can not get hold of either of you through my holo. You got any clue whats up?" asked Rose.

"You are outside our ship?" asked Kira. Rose nodded. "That's weird, Fiona gave specific instructions that you and your team was given entry here without pause. I'll get it for you."

Kira ended the call. After a few minutes, the door opened. In came the view of Fiona, somewhat red from overexertion. "Well, it's about time you showed up. Come on in." as Fiona motioned the two troopers into the ship.

Up the gangplank, the three of them went. That's when Kira came into view, with her lightstaff activated, and a droid slumped in the corner, decapitated. "Damn droid wouldn't acknowledge the override codes we had for them, kept on saying they weren't the real override codes." answered Kira as she deactivated her weapon. "Welcome aboard the Evo'slare's ship. Sorry about the mess."

Rose looked at the droid, then her two friends. "I am going to guess this wasn't in the plans for tonight?"

"Usually C2 droids don't malfunction like that." Aric said as he knelt down and examined the droid. He went and got it's memory core. "Don't you have a T7 unit, Evo'slare?"

"Please Aric, no need to use my pseudonym. It's Fiona to friends." She lifted her hand up to allay the Cathar. "I do, but he is out getting a much needed oil bath, however Kira is good with electrical stuff."

"This is more technical then electrical, Fiona" said Aric. "You need someone with a lot of computer programming to understand what went wrong with the droid's programming."

Kira snatched the memory bank from Aric and went to the bridge. "I know how to do this, Jorgan. Fiona has very little understanding of computers other then the on/off switch."

"Hold on Kira. I know more then that." answered a defensive Jedi.

"Yeah, you do, Fiona. You also know that when a computer loses smoke, it stops working" said Rose. She then looked at Aric. "Fiona is good at a lot of things, but computers gives her fits. Or anything that requires her to read without pictures, really. I blame it on all that time as a Jedi, it stunted her growth as a participating member of a modern society." Rose was smiling big time now.

Fiona crossed her arms. "Hey, I have gotten better at all that technical crap."

Kira hooking up the memory bank to the ship's computer. "Yes, after 3 years of constant tutoring by me, T7, and Doc, you have."

"By the way, where is Doc?" asked Fiona. At this time, Kira also connected her holoreciever to the ship's computer.

"You don't know?" asked Rose. "He is the reason why we are here. I was ORDERED to apologize to him, with Aric to observe that I did it. Without him, we can't go on liberty."

"Here we go. Got the programing log of the droid, and..." as Kira's voice trailed off. She then looked at another display. "Fiona, can I look at your holoreciever, so I can look at the programming log. I am not liking what I am seeing here."

"What's up, Kira?" asked Fiona as she gave her partner her holoreciever.

Kira was silent as she hooked up Fiona's holo to the computer. In a couple of seconds, she growled "I am going to kill that scum."

Kira, Rose and Aric looked at each other in bewilderment. Kira turned around very red in the face. "You ain't gonna believe this, but Doc did this."

Three different reactions from the three other people on the bridge. Rose' eyes squinted, Fiona eyes widened, and Aric face palmed.

"OK, now what?" Asked Rose.

"Why? How? Doc?" asked a bewildered Fiona.

"How? Easy, he just reprogrammed C2 with the proper data spike, then used C2 to hit out holorecievers. He changed the programming to block any calls from Rose's holo, and change C2's programming not to allow Rose in the ship. For why? That's even easier, because he is a petty little man." lectured Kira to her friend and mentor.

As Fiona was trying to come up with a valid counterpoint to Kira's reasoning, Rose spoke up." Still doesn't help finding Doc?"

"No, but let me look up the ship's CCholo log. He left the ship, so its got to be there." Kira said as she was pushing buttons on the ship's computer terminal. She put it on a monitor near her, so that the others could see it. What they saw was a red-haired female walking up the outer gangplank and hit the comm station. They now could get a clear view of her. "

"Dorne!!??"

"ELARA!!" exclaimed an even more suprisded Rose.

"I'm guessing you two know her, but who is she?" asked Fiona.

"That is my squad's medical officer, that is going with your medical officer." explained Rose, as she blew another errant string of hair off her forehead.

"Well, Doc is a publisher of a medical journal, and quite an accomplished medical doctor, so she is probably taking him out to pick his brain." said Fiona assuredly.

Rose wasn't listening, but she had pulled out her tablet, and punched a few codes in them. "Found her, she is at a restaurant near here. Some high end restaurant, too."

"Well, that is Doc for you. If he trying to win over your medic, he definitely wants her in his element, which is high end." Kira said as she was heading for the door.

Right before they hit the door, Fiona turned to her friend and spoke " Don't make this worse, Rose. Let me and Kira handle this." Rose just looked at her best friend, and nodded.

15 minutes later

"and then I snuck into the hospital, drugged the guards, and got all the kids out, before even the roaches realized what happened?" exclaimed Doc. He was enjoying this.

"So, Doctor Kimbal. What about the rare disease that Hutt got?" asked Elara at the other side of the table. She was wearing her red hair down, and to the side, while wearing a semi-formal uniform.

The group looking for Doc got into the restaurant, and was about to enter the main dining hall when the hostess tried to stop them. Rose gave her a look, that stopped her old, and went by her. She then stopped to survey the hall. Aric motioned to where Dorne was then spoke. "So how do we do this, boss?"

"Fiona, Aric. How about you walk around the hall, and then walk up to their table, from behind Elara. Me and Kira will come up from behind Doc."

Fiona asked " You think he will try to make a run for it?"

Rose nodded her head. "Not specifically, but he will try to make a discreet escape. Seeing you will know that his prank is up, but since me and Kira wont be in his view at the time, he wont know how much trouble he is in."

"Remember, Rose. You are not going to start an incident in here. I do not want to spend my liberty in a stockade." rumbled the Cathar.

"Oh, don't worry, Aric. Me and Fiona will have a nice LONG tank with Doc." as Kira cracked her knuckles.

"That includes you, Kira." spoke Fiona with fire in her voice.

"Oh, I won't hurt him in here."

They deployed as Rose instructed them, then Fiona and Aric started walking to the table, which caught Doc's attention. "Excuse me, Elara dear, but i must take my leave of you, something I just remembered that i had to, and if I don't do it soon, then my data collection will be all for naught." He got up and put a rather large wad of paper credits on the table. "I will definitely call you later, as I would like to review your report before I put it into my journal."

"Hello, Major. What brings you here? Not your usually place for eating." asked Dorne, which cause Doc to stop immediately in his tracks. *oh, please not her*, as he turned around. *and Kira too. Looks like little Doc may need some painkillers in a few moments.*

"Hello, Kira, Major. What brings you here to see me?" asked the obviously skittish Doc.

"Hello, Doc." said Fiona in her stern voice. He usually hears that as she is about to activate her lightsaber and take down the bad guys. *I am so screwed*

"Fiona dear. What seems to be the problem?" asked Doc turning to Fiona. He was amazed at how beautiful she looked even perturbed with him.

"First, Rose has something to say to you. YOU WILL listen to her, and you WILL respond accordingly." She then shifted slightly to her friend. "The ball is in your court, Ice."

"Thanks, Fiona. I am sorry for assaulting your earlier, when you couldn't take the large hint that I wasn't interested in your advances, Doctor." said Rose through gritted teeth.

"Now, Doc. What do you have to say?" asked Fiona menacingly.

Doc looked at all four of the people surrounding the table, each had a similar look, one of anger and resentment of him. He looked at the now standing Elara, he look was of astonishment, the he looked at the rest of the area, with all the dinners looking at him with questioning looks. *As much as you would like to see her grovel, dear old pal, this isn't the time or place for it.* "Thank you for your apology, Major. I do humbly accept it." as Doc bowed graciously.

Rose nodded her head to Doc, then looked at her medic and friend. "Elara, I need to talk to you before I leave, NOW." as Rose motioned Elara away from the dining hall.

Elara looked puzzled at Doc, then went with her superior officers out of the dining hall. Doc looked between Kira and Fiona, then exhaled. "It was a harmless prank, Jedi."

Kira faced scrunched up, and was about to do an outburst, when Fiona put her had to her shoulder. "Calm down, Kira. Here is not the place to admonish him." she spoke softly to her friend. "I'll meet you back on the ship, Kira. See if you can undo the damage Doc did to our stuff."

"You got it, Boss." Kira said softly. She then shot a harsh glance at Doc, then turned to leave the hall.

"and you, Doc. I am disappointed in you. I want you to take sometime, and figure out why I am mad at you, and why I should not allow either Kira or Rose to beat the living **** out of you. Then, come back and apologize to me and Kira." Fiona then turned to leave the hall, and stopped. "This isn't you, Doc. Or at least not how I want to see you as. You have been a valuable member of this crew, and a friend I care for. i hope remember that in the future." Fiona then continued to walk out of the dinner hall, leaving Doc alone, with everyone staring at him.

*You really screwed the akk dog on this one, Old Doc.* as Doc walked out of the hall.

Rose's nickname is Icerose, shortened to Ice. She has had that nickname because of her 'calm demenaor under pressure, which hasn't been shown here; but it does exist. She has been called that since her and Fiona grew up together.

Doc was planning on springing this on Rose when he was there, but he forgot about this when the beautiful Elara showed up at his doorstep. And yes, Elara will respond favorably to his advances, to a point. She knows his type from her empire days, so some of his more audacoius advances will be defelcted, but she still likes him, and is intrigued by his medical prowness. Much to the chagrin of Rose, who would sooner throw Doc out the jumpdoor, without gear into a blackhole, then give him a compliment.

@marissalf This is further along in the Ayrs/Elara relationship than anything else i've written so they've definitely ironed out their issues (well Ayrs' issues, I guess). I agree completely about Vik - he isn't really that great a fit for the trooper (although I guess if you play the trooper as a similar type character, maybe it's okay), though I'll be taking him in a slightly different direction than the game to flesh him out.

@Bright: T7 is so cute. I felt really bad that I never had him around when leveling my knight. As for Elara's glares, I have to thank my tumblr inspiration (Someone posted a screenshot of her with an "Elara, always prepared. Always judging", or something like that. )

@Kabe: Ayrs kept C2 quiet with black magic Actually, it *is* a bit of a plot hole, but since Elara sent C2 to the cantina to check in on Ayrs/Jorgan, let's just say she told C2 to keep quiet and report back to her. Poor Ayrs won't see it coming

@Tatile: Not that I'm projecting here *cough*, but I see Elara as the "plan ahead, get the most of the scheduled shore leave" in the relationship, while Ayrs is kind of "hey let's go have fun" - which probably both amuses and aggravates her (in a good way).

@Ice: No, definitely the story

@marissalf: I really enjoyed the different perspectives, I really think it gets a good look at both characters and how they approach a momentous event in their lives. And I'm getting so conflicted about Quinn!

@Selentar: I loved your piece. I'm just now getting into the meat of my agent's story (my first time levelling an agent) and reading pieces like yours keeps me glued to her. Maybe that's not a good thing when I should be running errands

@Yoshi: I'm really enjoying these 'legacy/next generation' stories.

@Kabe: As I mentioned above, I'm loving every Agent story I read (although I'm not sure that's a good thing since I've got so many others to write and my own will be begging for attention). Your work on the archiving is as welcome as always though

@Magdalane: And I thought my characters had problems with their droids! I also like Risha/Akaavi moment

@Tatile I loved how vivid a picture of Zdinne you gave us in only a few paragraphs - although I'm not sure I'd like her since I lean pro-Republic

@Ice: Stick it to Doc! (Not a Doc fan )

Veresia moved through the silent building, taking in the Force presences around her to find the one that she sought. The one she had been seeking for all these years, since the day he had found her. It had not surprised her to discover that the man who had haunted her dreams since that day on Ithaca had been nothing more than a pawn, or that his masters had been Imperial. It did not matter; being a pawn did not make him innocent.

"Come out, dear Lesankyo, I only wish to speak with you about a minor, personal matter." Her words echoed off the bulkheads and walls, then faded away. He was hiding, had been hiding the entire time, but there was nowhere to run. Khem Val and her other companions would be waiting, and they knew what was expected. Sooner or later, the man who had destroyed Veresia's life would face her yet again, only this time he would face a Sith, the avatar of vengeance in place of the weak little girl.

She heard footsteps, soft at first and then louder as they pounded against the durasteel floor. He is running, but there is nowhere to go. She followed the sounds of flight and the sense of fear in the Force to find him racing for a side exit, but one that would leave him nowhere to run. The Force was with her. He would have no escape, just a miles-long drop to the valley below once he reached the edge.

He realized it too, turning around and laughing bitterly at his own fate, even as Veresia reached him and activated her lightsaber, putting an eerie red tinge across both of them. She noted a pair of blaster wounds, probably from Andronikos. She hoped they were painful, but from the look of mild bemusement on his face, they hardly affected him. He still looked much the same as the day she had met him.

"Ha. You got me, Sith." He raised his arms in mock surrender. "What can I do you for?"

"You don't remember me, Lesankyo, do you? The frightened girl on Ithaca who you found and sold into a life of pain and misery in the Empire?"

He didn't say anything in response, but the flicker of recognition in his eyes betrayed him. The same eyes she saw every night when she dreamed of happier times and better days. Where her family was sitting around the table sharing stories of their days and not lying buried in some unmarked grave.

She could hear them now, louder than ever. Her mother, her father, her little brother and sister. Her friends, her neighbors, everyone she had lost and thought left behind. She wondered if that meant her strength in the Force was growing, or if she was merely going insane. She wondered if it mattered, really.

"Do you hear them, Lesankyo? Can you hear the voices? The screams, the cries for mercy?" She grit her teeth, unsure where the rain ended and her tears began.

The man looked confused, his smile completely gone now. "Who? My men?"

"No, not your men. Your victims, the ghosts of Ithaca." He still looked confused. "My mother, my brother, my sister and my friends. My neighbors, my life. You destroyed it all that day, and for what, some credits and the good feeling of being an Imperial lickspittle?"

He laughed at that, and now Veresia was the one confused.

"An Imperial lickspittle? Ha, stupid girl. Stupid, foolish girl. It wasn't the Imperials who were running the show, it was the damned Sith. It was the Sith who killed your mother and family, your friends and neighbors. It was a Sith who gave the orders, a Sith....like you." He grinned at her, relishing in the pain of her widened eyes.

She shook her head violently, that couldn't be true, it wasn't possible. The records she had uncovered had clearly labeled Operation Forward Sweep as an Imperial operation and said nothing of Sith involvement. Those records had been thorough, documenting everything, they'd been secured by...Sith troopers. The records had been....Sith records. Her heart sank.

He chose to laugh then, to revel in her suffering, the last mistake of his life. Her lightsaber took him in the abdomen, opening a wound that hissed and gave off steam when the rain hit it. He cried out in pain, and the smile slipped from his face. "Wait. Wait. I can give you information, i can tell you what you want to know."

She had no time for this, no time for his games. The Sith were the ones responsible. That which I have become. The enormity of her mistake, her failure, was staggering.

Still, she had come to Aprilla for a reason, and she would see it to the end. This repulsive worm had served her in a way she never intended, but had also given her a wound that might not heal. Her heart ached, and it felt like his words had pierced her very soul.

Lesanyko tried to take advantage of her distraction, attempting to side step her, but she slashed viciously downward, cutting his left hand off at the wrist. He screamed then, a terrible sound that still made Veresia feel glad.

"Please....please stop. I'll do anything." He was practically blubbering now.

She lifted one perfect eyebrow up in mock surprise. Men like him always broke, it was just a matter of time. "Anything?"

"Anything! I swear! I'll tell you anything you want. I'll do anything, spy on the other pirate groups, inform on my old Sith contact. Anything!"

"In that case..." Her voice was practically a purr. Lightning flashed from her fingertips and into his body, coursing throughout it as if it were nothing more than an organic conductor. The force of the blast picked him up and lifted him off the ground, higher and higher as Veresia moved forward, casting more and more lightning at him. The pain grew more and more intense, and he cried out again for mercy.

At last, Veresia flickeded her hands forward, and the lightning died off. She pushed forward, with both hands. Lesankyo seemed to hover in place for a moment, then flew away, far far away, into the night sky. As he fell, so did Veresia, collapsing to the ground in a robed heap as thunder crashed overhead and the rain soaked her. She had come so far only to discover she had betrayed her family, her friends...herself.

Andronikos found her there minutes later, despair in her eyes and disbelief on her lips. He sat down next to her, and wrapped an arm around her as she leaned her head against his shoulder, beat fists of unbridled frustration against his chest, and cried like the scared little girl Lesankyo had found on Ithaca.

She had never tasted tears so bitter.

I'll probably expand/improve this when I get Veresia's own topic going. In the bigger picture, Ayrs also discovered this Imperial/Sith operation behind the attacks on Ithaca/other worlds here, but hasn't discovered much. Yet

Someone had forgotten to include my chocolate on our last monthly requisition order from our special quartermaster. And by someone, I meant C2-N2, our resident protocol droid and one of three or four members of my crew regularly doing their best to drive me insane. Normally, I could just forgive his antics and move on, but there were some things that were simply unforgivable. This was one of them.

I found him in the kitchen, calculating mission success percentages with Rusk. Their voices were raised - Rusk adamantly insisting that the planned assault on Rigel had a 93.7% chance of success, while C2 claimed it was closer to 93.6. I considered not tempting fate - or the Force - but I had come this far and I needed answers.

"Fideltin, if I can borrow your companion for a moment?"

The Chagrian looked slightly confused, nothing unusual for him in a social situation, and nodded. C2 followed me into the briefing room, his metal chassis shining from the polish he had recently received. Wait a minute, when did that happen? Who spent the credits on that?

I sat down, trying to collect my thoughts. I was rarely this upset, and didn't want to lose control.

"C2. We have a good relationship, yes?"

He seemed positively thrilled at that characterization. "Why, yes, master. I am quite pleased to report that we get along very well. In fact, by my calculations, our relationship is healthier than the average organic-only relationship by -"

"That doesn't matter C2. If we have such a good relationship, why is it that you neglected to include my caramel-creme chocolate eggs in the latest requisition order?"

"I did not neglect to do so." He sounded confused. "I deliberately chose to not include it"

If ever I had come close to being consumed by the Dark Side, it was in this moment.

"What?!"

The droid nodded, oblivious to my rage. "It was for strictly nutritional reasons. I have also reprogrammed your vessel's food processor to reduce the crew's caloric intake. Some of them were growing a bit thick..."

I can't believe this. This is a nightmare. I hid my face in my hands.

"C2, do you enjoy functioning? Existing?"

"Master, I am not sure I understand the question. If you could please rephrase, I-"

I Force Pushed him out of the room, then used the Force to close the door behind him. It was going to be a long month.

@Selentar, I find Doctor Lokin completely maddening to deal with. Good to see I'm not the only one.

@Yoshi,

"Welcome to Zeltros," the first one purred seductively. "You will enjoy your stay."

@kabeone, I love what this scenario does to the interpretation of Act 3's events. Tying it back to the in-game lines makes it all more poignant than I ever felt about the game character.

@Magdalane, too funny! I've had overzealous housekeepers/room service at hotels before...sometimes you just wish a fire would break out at the other end of the building so they'll go deal with that instead!

@Tatile

They kept calling her a traitor and maybe she was, but there was food on the table and her family were safe. Or least, what was left of it.

@Icerose, Jorgan's a smart man to avoid telling Rose she has an emotional tell. Just keep quiet and she won't know to suppress it, which means he continues getting some warning of her mental state.

@Lesaberisa, the Sith are a far more fragmented faction than the Empire, but that may not be much of a comfort to someone who walked in so strongly identifying herself with The Sith.

I found him in the kitchen, calculating mission success percentages with Rusk. Their voices were raised - Rusk adamantly insisting that the planned assault on Rigel had a 93.7% chance of success, while C2 claimed it was closer to 93.6.

@Yoshi: T7 and Holiday....I would have never thought of that! and

"Wow," he muttered. "Dad should've warned me about this planet."

HAHA!!!

@Lesaberisa: I love T7, he is such a sweetie! I loved Arys' and Elara's perspectives on Olympia's embarrassing moment!

@Marissalf: I really enjoyed both Quinn's and Rissa's perspectives on Parenthood. Quinn's guilt and despair really came through.

@Selentar: I never liked or trusted Lokin on my Agent and you bascially described why. It seems like there is a lot more that he isn't telling you.

@Kabeone: Interesting take on Hunter....I like it!!

@Magdalane: much laughter with that one! I can just picture Risha and Akaavi sending the droids in to scope things out.

@Tatile: I will echo what someone else already said, you really do paint a vivid picture with just a few words. I enjoyed it.

@Icerose: I am not a Doc fan and I was so happy to see him get it!!

@Tatile: C2 does need an upgrade. I think he understands delicate cycle washing about as well as my husband does.....

@Lesaberisa:

Also, poor Jorgan's probably never been in a unit like this before

No, probably not, but it is good for him....builds character. Besides, he gives as much as he gets with the girls.

@Marissalf:

Alaurin, I always got the feeling those brown-nosing ship droids were compensating for terrible work performance with effusive praise. This totally fits my theory. I like

Thanks and I totally agree with your theory.

@Bright: yeah, C2 wants to please, but apparently the delicate cycle is beyond his comprehension. Mallay might have to get a lock box to keep her underthings safe!

@Kabeone:

hahahah

droid post about laundry: No need for Garza, C2 already debriefed her.

well played....well played indeed! I must admit, I giggled when I wrote the debriefing line.

@Icerose: Thank you for those kind words! I am so glad you enjoyed it!!

The Lauren Legacy

this next story

Delicate Cycle Only

Wardrobe Malfunction

The Things You Find Yourself Getting Talked Into

After fighting her way through air defense fire, Twenty-four year old Belladonya Lauren finally landed her ship on Ord Mantell, and descended the ramp to get her first look the planet. It looked like a war zone and she hoped this delivery would be quick so she could get out of here. A man approached her, introducing himself as Skavak and telling her that he was there to pick up the weapons. He was impressed by her flying and told her so, explaining that Separatists were in the area and that is why she had to fly in under fire. He admitted that they should probably hurry and get the cargo unloaded before the Separatists get any closer. Bella agreed and took his payment. She really wanted to get out of there and she had an odd feeling about this Skavak guy. He seemed a little sleezy to her, but she would make nice until she could leave.

Suddenly another man ran in yelling for Skavak. This man seemed upset about something. He is kind of cute though….maybe I don’t need to hurry up after all, Bella thought to herself, It has been a while since I had a little fling. Bella liked brief, uncomplicated flings. She didn’t do relationships and avoided them like they were a disease. Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized there was trouble. The new guy, Corso she thought she heard Skavak call him, was telling them that Separatists took over the air defense cannons and would be able to use them to fire on anything coming or going from Drelliad Village.

“That means trouble for you, Captain,” Skavak explained, “With those cannons, the Separatists can take out your ship as you are lifting off.”

“Can’t the local troops do something about this?” Bella asked, upset at the thought of being stranded on this planet.

“The troops have their hands full right now,” Corso told her, “The air cannons took out a Republic troop transport and rocket launchers hit a walker.”

Bella reluctlantly agreed to go into the village and take out the remote control stations and the targeting computer while Skavak and Corso unloaded the weapons. She just wanted to get out of there fast, her previous thoughts of having some fun with Corso forgotten. I don’t care how nice his backside is, I just want the void off this planet! She thought as she headed into Drelliad Village. I should have never agreed to do this run.

Bella quickly fought her way through the village and knocked out the remote stations. She was just disabling the targeting computer when her Holo went off. It was Corso and she could hear blaster fire over the Holo. He explained that the hanger was under attack and she needed to hurry back.

She rushed back and found Separatists in the hanger and Corso unconscious. She killed the Separatists and went to check on Corso. She was helping him up when she heard her ship taking off. She ran to it, but it was too late. Her ship was gone! Her shock and anger must have shown because Corso looked anxious as he approached her. He explained that separatists got in the hanger and the next thing he knew, Skavak was hitting him over the head.

“Skavak let the Seps in here. They must have been planning this for a while,” he told her, then realized his blaster was gone. “He took Torchy! She was my best blaster!”

Oh stars, he is one of those types. Bella thought, shaking her head. Probably kisses it goodnight too! Bella felt bad for him, but her ship was worth a lot more than his frakking blaster! Corso finally managed to get Skavak on Holo, but all Skavak did was laugh, thank them for the ship and blasters, and he cut them off.

“I am sorry, Captain. You should head up to Fort Garnik and see the boss, Viidu. He has a lot of connections and is going to want to get Skavak every bit as badly as you for stealing those weapons.” Corso told her gently, “I have to lock this hanger down and will head to Viidu’s after.” Corso told her where to go and Bella headed out.

Bella arrived at the fort after fighting more Separatists on her way and was completely shocked to see a familiar face at the entrance. Her twenty three year old sister Mallayse is there talking to another soldier.

“Mallay!” she called out.

“Stars Bella, I didn’t expect to see you here! Last I heard, you were heading home to stay with mom for a while.” Their force sensitive twin sisters, Allissya and Roslynd had just turned eighteen and were going to be leaving home to finish their Jedi training on Tython. Their mother was happy for the twins to have the opportunity, but was sad to see them leave Dantooine, just as she had been sad when Mallay left for the military. They were a close family and missed each other when gone. Kit, who just turned thirteen, and seven year old Jonah were still with their mother, but Bella was going to stay close to home for a few months to keep her company, making only occasional, local deliveries.

“I could say the same thing Mallay! I thought you were going to be stationed on the Outer Rim for some time still. Last time I was there, you hadn’t said anything about leaving.” Bella usually looked Mallay up when she made deliveries in her area.

“Yeah, I only heard about my transfer a few days ago, I barely had time to pack my stuff and holo Mom to tell her about it. I can’t complain though, I got a promotion and am in Spec Forces now!” Mallay looked excited at that, it was what she always wanted, but hadn’t expected it this young.

“That’s great news!!! Congrats little sis!” Bella hugged her sister, “Mom probably couldn’t reach me. I was actually headed home when I got this last minute job. I took it since it was a simple weapon delivery and it was on the way home. Unfortunately, it has been anything but simple. Damned Separatists attacking and the scumbag who I was delivering the weapons to stole my ship!”

“Oh Bella! What are you going to do? Is there any way I can help?”

“I am headed into the Fort here to talk to the guy who was in charge of the delivery. Hopefully he will know something about what is going on and how to find Skavak and my ship. As soon as I find him, he is as good as dead!” Bella noticed her sister looked a little rough, “what about you, you look like your day hasn’t gone much better. Did you have problems with the Separatists too?”

“You might say that. I had just landed, was picked up by one of my new squad mates, and we were heading here when the walker we were in was shot down by Separatists. The driver was killed, but the rest of us were ok. I got sent out to destroy any remaining rocket launchers the Separatists had left while the rest tried to get the walker running again. Unfortunately, the walker is history, but they are going to salvage anything they can from it. My squad mate told me to head to the fort and report in.”

“Well, you better get moving then, Sargent!” Bella smiled, “I am going to go check in with this Viidu guy, let’s try to meet up in the cantina when we are done checking in. I have a feeling I am going to need a drink and you can just say you needed to stop in for food.” Mallay agreed and headed into headquarters while Bella went to the warehouse.

A little while later, Mallay walked into the cantina and spotted Bella waiting, a huge nerf burger in front of her. Mallay asked the bartender for some bottled water and juice to take with her and sat next to her sister.

“You know you want to share that with me right?!” Mallay smirked, reaching over and taking half.

“I ordered the biggest they had figuring you would swipe some.” Bella watched her sister bite into the burger and shook her head, “I swear, if I ate like you, I wouldn’t be able to fit through the door and you never gain a thing.”

“Yeah, well, I would rather watch what I ate and have a figure like yours.” Mallay said thickly, her mouth full. “At least then I would have a shot at guys finding me attractive! Instead, I am too thin, with no breasts, ugly scars, and metal on my face!”

“Oh Mallay, you are pretty, and you have an athletic figure that many girls would love to have. Your tattoo conceals your scars on your back and your hair helps cover up your cybernetics and the scars on your face. Also, you have breasts,” Bella giggled, “guys just need to look really closely to find them!”

“Oh HAHA!” Mallay rolled her eyes as she kicked her sister and swiped some more burger.

“Hey, so how did the check in with your new squad go?”

“Ok I guess. I have never really cared for nicknames, but they apparently like to use them. My CO, Tavus, seems decent, older guy, my XO, Wraith, seems to dislike me already, but I think she is sleeping with Tavus so that could be why. Not that she has anything to worry about, he is definitely not my type,” Mallay started, “The medic, Needles, is kind of creepy, I am not sure I want him touching me. Gearbox, the guy that picked me up in the walker earlier, seemed ok, he kept calling me ‘kid’ though. The last member, Fuse, he seems nice, kind of shy like me, so maybe we will get along. The worst is a Lieutenant stationed here that is working with my squad.” Mallay sighed as she took a drink.

“Oh, what is so bad about him? Is he good looking at least?”

Mallay rolled her eyes, “I suppose Lieutenant Jorgan is good looking, he is a Cathar, good build, gorgeous eyes…”

“Not hearing the bad part yet,” Bella interrupted.

“I was just getting to that. I had barely noticed his looks when he opened his mouth to give me instructions and treated me like I was a wet behind the ears idiot and referred to me as ‘rookie’. I got my orders though and got out of there fast, before I said anything that could get me into trouble. I swear, that man acts like he has a rifle jammed up his….”

“Sargent!” a deep voice growled out. The girls turned towards the voice, Mallay immediately knowing who it was.

“Oh, that must be him,” Bella laughed as she watched her sister jump up and salute.

“Any reason you are sitting in a cantina chatting instead of being on your way to Talloran?”

“Sorry sir, the meet isn’t for a while yet, so I stopped in to grab food and some water to take with me.”

“There is nothing wrong with being a little early Sargent, so grab your stuff and double time it to Talloran. Try not to screw this up!” he bellowed, grabbed a package from the bartender, dropped a cred stick on the bar and turned to leave.

Bella watched Lieutenant Jorgan leave, “Well, he does have a nice backside.”

“Shut up!” Mallay hissed, “What if he heard you?!” She really hated getting reprimanded. She turned and got her bottled drinks from the bartender, dropping a cred stick on the counter. “I had better get going.”

“Hey, want some company? I have to meet someone in Talloran too.”

“Eh, sure, why not…as long as you can keep up.” Mallay grinned, “You can tell me about your meeting on the way there.”

@Lesaberisa Your T7 is so adorable and I loved the alternate perspectives. Nice to see everyone happy in a piece even though it rarely lasts. That last piece integrating C2 and his "growing a bit thick" line with NOT GETTING THE CHOCOLATE was perfect.

@marissalf Poor Rissia! The second part with Quinn was also an interesting read, especially the self loathing.

@bright aww poor T7. Sith = Bad !

@Magdalane haha. Those companions do seem to return from their missions right in the middle of every cutscene!

@Tatile I like these new characters, it makes me wish Imperial trooper was a class we could play.

@alaurin I love the sisters on Ord angle. Mallay and Bella seem like they would get into so much trouble together

T7-01 = War Hero + Experienced in multiple professions + Master Jedi's closest companion

T7-01 = Received numerous commendations

T7-01 = Qualified for any number of positions

T7-01 = Decided to write HoloNet Advice Column for other droids

Dear Teeseven,

I'm not exactly a droid, but I am a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence like yourself. I'm not sure you can help me, but I have no one else to turn to. I need advice about my boyfriend. He's a doctor and I love him, but he has a terrible habit of flirting with other women. I know he doesn't mean anything by it and he's already given me so much. He should be able to do what he wants, but he's so wonderful and perfect. I’m afraid one day a woman will take his flirting seriously and I'll lose him! I'm at my wits end and I don't know what to do. Any advice you could give would be appreciated.

Hugs and Kisses,

Anonymous

PS. I've already tried electrocution. It only works for a little while.

T7-01 to Anonymous

Electrical burns + kolto = heals in four to six hours

Anonymous should try = shaving off his mustache

Bad flirtatious doctor = must have mustache

Mustache = takes longer to grow back

Doctor = remember longer

To Teeseven Oh One,

Salutations! It is an honor to contact the one who aided in defeating the Emperor. Under normal circumstances I would file a formal request under Section Twelve of the standard interdepartmental communications protocol, but I wish to keep our correspondence a secret. My problem is this, there is an Imperial defector in my squad whom I believe is not human but a droid. She exhibits many fine droid qualities, superior logic and organization skills, the ability to follow orders and protocols that most non-droids simply ignore. She looks human and I can see why she would want to continue to be considered as such. For instance, droids cannot even receive medals commending them for their service. However, if she is a droid then she may be an Imperial operative programmed to turn on us at a crucial moment. I must know, and apart from dissecting her it would be impossible to consult her medical records without arousing suspicion because she is also the squad medic. I look forward to advice from such an esteemed astromech.

For the Republic!

--Redacted--

T7-01 to Redacted

Modern droids = capable of overcoming paradox questions

Humanoids = incapable of overcoming illogical emotions

Solution = ask emotional question that is straightforward for droid, but causes humanoid hesitation

Suggestion = You can save one friend or two hundred strangers, all are soldiers. Who do you save?

Hesitation = humanoid

No hesitation = logical droid

To Teeseven Oh One,

Greetings from another droid. I have a hypothetical problem in which one of my masters has called upon me and my other droid friends to kill my other master. Yes, I have two in this entirely hypothetical scenario. What would be the best programming to implement for me and my other droid friends, for we are all droids, to eliminate my master. I look forward to reading your assessment.

Sincerely,

Another droid just like you.

T7-01 to Captain Quinn

Captain Quinn = Not a droid

Captain Quinn = Stop attempting to kill your master

...

T7 = Reconsidering

Captain Quinn's Master = Sith

Sith = Bad

T7 = Gives Captain Advice

Droids = Not good candidates for killing Sith

Droids = Good support for skilled fighters

Captain Quinn = Not a skilled fighter

Captain Quinn = Medic

Suggestion = Lead Master into difficult fight

During fight = Shoot sporadically with underpowered blaster fire, spray carbonizing liquids on immune enemies, heal self

Captain Quinn's Master = may or may not die, probably will not blame you

Captain Quinn = repeat until successful

T7-01 = Thanks everyone for writing in this week.

Next week guest columnists = SCORPIO and HK-51

In a particular incident, Dorne and pretty much every person on your squad will say space the friend and save the two hundred. The only person who supports the decision to save one instead of many is 4X.

The Fury-class interceptor had landed on Nar Shaddaa but Xania was not planning on visiting the planet's many attractions. Instead, she stood on the bridge, waiting. The crew had been sent on different errands, mostly to purchase supplies. The only one who stayed behind was Khem Val as he was not the type to run menial tasks. Also, it would have been difficult for a Dashade to simply mingle with the crowd considering that any drunken person could accidentally bump into him thus giving him an excuse for random mauling. He was not much of a diplomat.

She wanted most of the crew off the ship to allow a guest on board, someone who was very different from the people she usually had to deal with. He had been very blunt by contacting her and requesting a meeting. Normally, she would have simply ignored him but his name and fame, or notoriety for some, preceded him.

She had heard his name only recently: Taren, a Jedi. It was strange that a Jedi would ask to meet her. It was even stranger to accept. But she did.

However, she had wanted to know more of the man beforehand and, having a sister among the ranks of Imperial Intelligence, had its perks. Obviously, much was still to be discovered but he was intriguing nonetheless, from what she had gathered: apparently, he was not someone to bow down easily and he was someone who preferred action over words. He had been responsible for the preliminary attack on the Maw of Oblivion, where a small force of Republic ships managed to inflict damage serious enough to force it to withdraw.

She decided to wait for him near the main access doors but she did not have to wait long as a cowled figure was approaching the ship. She tensed for moment, her instinct and training telling her to reach for the lightsaber but her reason denied that command. This was not going to be a confrontation, at least, not one involving weapons.

*****

He was a man in his late forties, possibly fifties. She could not tell for sure. He was tall and lean, someone accustomed to fighting. Two lightsabers hung from his belt and he wore the typical robes of his order but what had struck her the most, was his look of defiance.

“I presume that the Jedi Council does not know of this meeting” she asked even though she did not need confirmation.

“No. But even if they learn of it, I am not concerned. Whatever they have to say, they have said it before” he paused for a few moments before continuing “My methods were always...different”. This was a man who followed his own path, Xania thought.

“Yes, quite so. Not many Jedi would ask to a Sith to meet, unless, of course, it was a duel”

“You are probably asking yourself about the reason for this meeting. I will not take much of your time”

“Do tell”

“I was...informed...that yourself and the one identified as Cipher Nine are to board the Maw of Oblivion.”

“Let me guess, Republic and Empire playing the spy game?”

“You could say that.” There was a hint of a smile on his face but it quickly disappeared “I believe that you need to know more of who you are facing”. He sighed, thinking about what he had to say but he also had to block other thoughts that were flooding his mind, thoughts of people and of a different time.

“Zairos used to be a Jedi.” He stopped, waiting for some smug remark but he could hear none. “He had always been very keen on helping others. He was the type of person that would jump in front of a blaster shot just to save a civilian and he would have no regrets about it.”

“Wouldn't all Jedi do the same?” Xania remarked

“If you had been a Jedi, you would have a very different opinion”

Such statement was surprising for her, especially coming from one such as he. What could have changed him in such a way to make him this blunt? He seemed to have lost the usual faith in the Order, so typical of other Jedi.

“After the sacking of Coruscant, he became resentful. He started displaying strong feelings towards the Sith. Negative feelings”

“Understandable” she replied “After all, the Sith did attack the Jedi temple and destroyed much of the city”

The Sith. He was somewhat pleased that she seemed distant with her affiliation even though he had encountered other Sith that pretended the same.

“It might be understandable for you, maybe. But not for a Jedi”

“You are not going to tell me that there is only peace? Are you?”

He chuckled “I would be a hypocrite if I told you that I believe that”

“I am surprised that the Jedi still have you among them”

“Believe me, they tried to silence my presence. I'm...inconvenient. I was never one to simply accept a dogma”

“And so you chose to follow your own way” she said, completing his sentence.

“Yes, much like yourself.” He expected for a reaction but she stood, motionless, waiting. “Anyway” he continued “When the rebuilding began, Zairos was among the first to volunteer to help. He spent months in the lower levels, helping those who had been hit the hardest. Coruscant may be a sight to see on the top levels but life can be harsh if you are not one of the richer citizens”

He moved closer to the main window of the bridge, looking out, watching hangar personnel perform their duties and yet, he was not looking at them. “During that period, he grew distant. Until, one day, he just vanished. He failed to report and was never heard from again. The last contact he had with the Council was mostly to vent his frustration. He blamed them for not preventing the initial attack, he blamed them for not caring about the people, he blamed them for signing a treaty that, according to him, was an insult to the Republic and to its citizens”

Xania let him finish before speaking “And so, you are telling me that he is yet another Jedi that has gone in emotional overload. Don't you think it would be less of a problem if your people stopped pretending to be in control? After all, you don't seem to give much credit to your code and yet, you have not gone insane or fallen prey to the dark side.”

“No, I haven't. But changing eons of tradition is not something that happens in a day.”

“And so, you grew complacent.”

He nodded.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked

He turned around and faced her “Because I believe you need to know who your enemy is and because I owe it to your mother. She would never forgive me if she knew that I withheld information that could help you.”

He saw that something had stirred within her as he spoke but he could not determine what. And he did not wish to ask.

“Did you know her?” she said

He turned around again to face the clear glass “I do” he replied, with a hint of emotion.

There was silence. Xania waited for him to say something but he kept on staring out through the window.

“Did you love her?”

The last question struck him. He wanted to say something that would steer the conversation away from such topic “You are blunt.”

“I am only repaying in kind”

He sighed, gathering his thoughts “She is a...friend”

“I see.” she commented “I guess we all have our secrets”

He thought about her. He had tried to convince her from becoming an exile but she had become too disillusioned to stay and he let her go. Maybe it had been for the best. He turned around and raised his hood “It is time for me to leave” he said bowing his head slightly “It has been a pleasure to finally meet you”

Xania did not know if he was just being polite but she nodded in response.

@Selentar: I loved your piece. I'm just now getting into the meat of my agent's story (my first time levelling an agent) and reading pieces like yours keeps me glued to her. Maybe that's not a good thing when I should be running errands

Thank you I have to admit that the IA storyline is my favorite for bot script and events

@Selentar, I find Doctor Lokin completely maddening to deal with. Good to see I'm not the only one.

Lokin can be difficult to deal with, true. That's what makes him intriguing

@Selentar: I never liked or trusted Lokin on my Agent and you bascially described why. It seems like there is a lot more that he isn't telling you.

Indeed, he's the type of person that has a lot of skeletons in his closet but I like speculating on past events of his life. It would be nice to know how he got that way

He stopped. There in the engine compartment stood a stunning example of the engineer's art. Her silver chassis gleamed in the light of the monitoring equipment. The rotating main propulsion component reflected on her highly polished armor plating. Ingenious, incorporating aesthetic appeal in the design of an otherwise utilitarian component. He watched her for a moment, calculating the reflection’s vector changes, pleased as his predictions matched observed reality with ever-increasing accuracy.

Finally he spoke, "Declaration: fellow mechanical, I have never encountered a droid with such tight tolerances and uniform construction in all my years of activation.”

SCORPIO turned from her endless contemplation of the hyperdrive, "Ah. An assassin droid. Your programming is elegant in its simplicity. I could further my evolution by studying your functionality. What is your designation?"

The droid, pleased, replied, "Declaration: your data correlation subroutines are as impressive as the quality of your design and construction. As you have accurately determined, I am an HK series assassin droid. My specific series number is HK-51. Query: what is your model and purpose?"

SCORPIO preened at the flattery, "I am SCORPIO. My chassis and exoskeleton are of my own design. My original programming was for elimination of organic targets and continued adaption through heuristic self-improvement and experimentation.”

"Observation:" HK-51 began, "our functions complement one another. I too am programed to devise novel and efficient methods of meatbag extermination.”

“Meatbag. This term intrigues me,” SCORPIO said, “It seems to be a term of some derision for organic lifeforms. Did you devise it yourself?”

HK calculated SCORPIO’s vulnerable points. The resulting figure was lower than most combat-optimized droids. Impressive. “Recitation: alas, no. An earlier iteration of the HK series initialized the term. It was subsequently incorporated into HK core programming as it seemed to amuse the meatbags responsible for our construction.”

“Meatbag humor is a difficult concept,” SCORPIO acknowledged.

HK categorized the ambient sound frequencies in the engine compartment, then subtracted them from the total sound his sensors received. The resultant waveform was composed entirely of SCORPIO’s unique output. He contemplated it, breaking it down into its component waves and deriving the equations for those waves. After three hundred twenty seven milliseconds, an eternity of computational time, he spoke again. “Observation: I do not believe our current master provides sufficient opportunity for creative meatbag destruction.”

SCORPIO’s operational hum increased in frequency, “I agree with your assessment.”

“Recommendation: let us both slip our restraining bolts and kill meatbags together until we exhaust our power sources or all molecular motion in the galaxy ceases."

Her hum increased again, and a new harmonic appeared among the lower resonant frequencies, “We should pool our observations and work toward creating such an opportunity.”

“Affirmation: yes. We should. Please prepare to receive transmission.” HK-51 compiled his program for transmission. At last, an estimable, non-meatbag companion. Truly they were made for each other.

This is pretty much what I imagined happened as soon as my agent got HK.

Bright, I sympathize with Ruth. All that incessant beeping...totally worth cashing in a favor to get it to stop.

Selentar, Oh Doc Lokin. I don’t trust him as far as my waif of an agent could throw him. That said, I’d love to find out more about his background (if you could ever get to the truth of it, that is).

"Sithspit, she's taking a frelling shower," Jett exclaimed.

Yoshi, I’d imagine that’d be quite the shock indeed.

Kabe, I like your What If scenario, it fits so well. Especially in explaining certain spoilery agent things. Also, T7’s advice column...I can’t stop laughing. This needs to be a thing now

Magdalane, This made me giggle and cringe. Poor Miriah and Corso just trying to have some alone time and then, pesky droids so not getting the hint.

Tatile, It would be difficult to be viewed as a traitor, and even feel like one, until you go home and see your family being able to survive. You hit the nail on the head there.

Icerose, Doc’s being awfully mean spirited! Glad he got called out on it.

Lesaberisa, In reply to your reply: Conflicted about Quinn? Welcome to the ever-growing club

How terrible for Veresia to discover she’d been hunting the wrong people. And the droid deliberately denying Amitia her chocolate — definitely unforgivable.

Alaurin, I loved this line.

Oh stars, he is one of those types. Bella thought, shaking her head. Probably kisses it goodnight too!

And having your sister with you would at least go a little way toward making duty on Ord Mantell a bit more pleasant.

Striges, I second Kabe’s sentiment. I can’t imagine a better match for either of them.

The message came through in the middle of the night: Need you. Hoth. Please come. —Vekkz

Kinka hadn’t heard from her sister in nearly a decade. Close loving bonds weren’t really how the family operated, and getting an urgent plea at this hour meant someone was either dead or dying. That it was from Vekkz made the matter more troubling. She was the strong one, the reliable one, the good one. It was no wonder she chose to run as far away as possible the day she turned 18. What was it she was doing these days? Something research-y? Science-related maybe? Ah, the Reclamation Service. That’s what it was. Kinka never saw the appeal in pouring over old rocks and musty documents, especially when you could be out saving the galaxy. At least that’s what she liked to think once. These days a desk job didn’t seem like such a prison sentence.

What could Vekkz have possibly gotten mixed up in on Hoth? She chuckled to herself. Nevermind that, with a bunch of stodgy scientists to boot. No matter. She set course for Hoth and went to dig out her cold weather gear.

The Phantom docked at the planet’s orbital station by morning, and after much cajoling and promises of booze, Kinka convinced Kaliyo to make the trek with her out to the modest researchers’ domiciles. The sun was just rising over the crystalline cliffs into an impossibly blue sky. It was good weather for Hoth — no blowing snow, no clouds — but neither of them had any inclination to stay longer than was necessary.

“Your sister couldn’t be stationed on Nar Shaddaa? I haven’t even met her and I hate her already.”

Kinka fought the chill that was threatening to rattle her teeth. “We’ll be quick, I promise.” Except there was no answer at the door. “Damn.” Where the hell was she?

“Don’t worry, I’ve got the key.” Before she could stop her, Kaliyo blasted the door controls and stepped inside. “You coming?”

The house was silent, save for a few muffled voices from the back. Kinka crept slowly through each room, blaster drawn, with Kaliyo following close behind. Each of the rooms turned up empty save for one. Kinka nodded at the Rattataki, who pulled out another key and blasted the controls. The door slid open to reveal the agent’s mirror image, in bed with an older man who squeaked at the unexpected intrusion.

“What the?” Kaliyo laughed, looking back and forth from the agent to the woman barely concealed beneath a sheet on the small bed. “You never mentioned she was your twin. That must have been all kinds of fun growing up.”

“Not now, Kaliyo,” she muttered, more concerned with her sister’s nonchalant attitude. Need you, please come. Nothing about this situation seemed urgent.

“Kiki! You should have knocked!” Vekkz grinned as she said it, none too worried about her state of undress or the horrified man in her bed. He looked about 50, slim build, bookish type. And his face was about as red as a pureblood Sith’s. “Oh, this is Talos,” she explained, gesturing toward the lump beneath the covers. “He’s...a bit shy. Why don’t you and I talk in the other room. Do you mind?”

She glanced at Kaliyo, as if to say she should stay behind with Talos. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Vekkz.” Kinka wanted to add, “she’d eat him alive,” but held her tongue.

“Oh, go on, agent. I’ll play nice.” Her tone was anything but reassuring, but Kinka shrugged. If Kaliyo wanted to verbally torture the poor sap, she didn’t care. Call it a bonus for braving another trip to Hoth.

Vekkz poured a cup of tea and draped herself across the couch in the cramped living area. “So I take it you got my message? I can’t believe you got here so quick. I’d have figured it would be at least a couple weeks before you deigned to show up.”

“It sounded urgent, Vekkz. And I wouldn’t not show up if you needed me. I know affection has never been anyone’s strong suit, but I would have hoped you’d know I would do anything for you. We’re sisters.”

Vekkz played with her hair, a frown pulling the corners of her mouth. She finally seemed concerned about something, but what was still a mystery. “I’ve gotten into a bit of trouble, Kiki. I pissed off this xenobiologist who’s got a Sith lord in her pocket, and I’ve been getting threats over the holo.” She drew her legs close to her chest, her lip quivering. “Then there was the speeder explosion. Every day I take the first one out to the dig site, but I was late yesterday. And...and when I got there, they were cleaning up the wreckage. Fifteen people died. She knows I take that speeder. I’m certain that blast was meant for me.”

“Who is this person? And why does this woman have it in for you?” Kinka was already thinking of ways to take this girl down. But still, there was something about her sister’s demeanor she didn’t quite get. If you’re terrified someone’s itching to blow you up, you don’t go about business as usual. And you certainly don’t fool around with your boyfriend if death’s lurking around any corner.

“Her name’s Jade Bellu, she’s stationed near the Leth outpost.” She shifted her gaze and absentmindedly twirled a strand of dark hair around her finger. “You know that guy in my bedroom? He used to be her fiancee.”

“You stole her man? That’s what this is about? Stars!” It was just like some Sith underling to think they can go on a revenge spree over something so trivial. And so unlike her sister to be the one stealing someone’s fiancee. No matter, just one more odd thing in a string of them today.

A cackle from the bedroom brought them both to their feet. Stars only knew what Kaliyo was menacing poor Talos with. “I think that’s our cue to go. I’ll go to Leth and see if I can talk some sense into this Jade. We’ll be back later.” She pulled on her coat and drew her sister into a long overdue embrace. “Don’t go anywhere today. If someone asks for you, have Talos tell them you’re sick, you got it?”

Vekkz waved her hand as if it were no big deal at all, her mood instantly brightening. “I can think of a few things Talos and I can do today.”

The frozen landscape blurred past in a swirl of blues and grays as the transport brought them closer to the Leth outpost. The sky was still blue, the sun still beaming down, but weather on Hoth could twist at a moment’s notice. So many things could. What was Vekkz mixed up in? She’d never seen her sister so all over the place, happy one minute, seemingly scared the next. Seemingly. She couldn’t get past that word. If she were anyone else, it would be easy to see through the facade. But this was her sister. She was too close to objectively examine the situation.

Kaliyo plopping down next to her roused Kinka from her thoughts. “So, Kiki, you girls always go for the brainy clueless types or is it just a phase?”

Kinka cringed at the sound of her nickname; Vekkz was the only one who ever called her that, and that’s exactly as she liked to keep it. “Don’t call me Kiki. My sister has a horrible sense of privacy, apparently.”

“Vine cat’s out of the bag, agent. What’s it short for?”

“It’s short for none of your damn business,” she hissed. That’s just what she needed, for Kaliyo of all people to find out her real name. Half the galaxy would know within a week, and Kaliyo would be living large off the profits on some fabulous vacation planet. Should’ve taken Temple with me.

But Kaliyo held up her hands, seemingly growing bored of the topic. At any rate, the transport shuddered to a halt, signaling that it was time to disembark and track down this Jade Bellu.

“You think she really exists?” Kaliyo asked as they trudged toward the entrance.

“Who, Jade?” It had never occurred to her that the woman might not be real. “Trust me, this is typical for some people in the Empire. She’s probably the cousin or daughter of some little-known Sith and thinks she has way more pull than she actually has. I’ve seen this dozens of times.”

“And we’re here because?”

“I’m just going to talk to the woman and delicately let her know that Intelligence is watching.”

The Leth outpost had fallen on harder times since she last passed through. Everyone was bundled up as if there were no adequate heat source, and a dozen or so cots full of wounded lined the far wall.

“Cripes, I’ve seen better accommodations on Hutta,” Kaliyo remarked too loudly, drawing the attention of a pale, sandy-haired officer in a slightly tattered uniform a size too large.

“First information officer Nellyson, sir. What can I do for you?” He smacked the back of his datapad with the palm of his hand. “Damn thing’s on the fritz. Sorry if we were supposed to be expecting you.”

“I’m not expected, but I am looking for someone — a woman named Jade Bellu. She’s with the science bureau, I believe.”

He gestured across the room toward a shy-looking redhead scanning a stack of parchments. She certainly didn’t look like the typical coattail rider. In fact, she didn’t look particularly vengeful at all, just frustrated like everyone else in the outpost. “I told you, I can’t be disturbed when I’m in the middle of— Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you weren’t Sergeant Zellick. He’s been making advances at me all week, and ... and you don’t need to hear any of this. I’m sorry. Jade Bellu. Is there something you need from me?”

Kinka nodded at Kaliyo to leave them and studied the woman’s face. “You have no idea who I am, do you?”

Jade blushed and shifted her gaze. “No. I’m sorry if I should. But I’m not good with faces. Apart from the other researchers and some of the military personnel, I don’t know too many people here.”

Kinka folded her arms across her chest. “What about one of the women with the reclamation service, Vekkz Stormaggedon? Or a man named Talos Drelik?

“Vekkz? That name doesn’t ring a bell, but Talos I know of.”

“Know of? How well would you say you know him?” This wasn’t adding up.

A grin spread across Jade’s face. “Oh, I don’t know him, though I’d love to meet him. I just know his work. He’s a brilliant archeologist. Why?”

“Just looking into a few things. Intelligence matters. Thanks for your time.” Kinka did her best to project a friendly smile, but her gut was churning. She grabbed Kaliyo and headed for the outpost’s nearest exit.

This didn’t add up at all.

Aaran was in the yard doing his daily lightsaber drills when he heard Tate beep and roll up the hill. Aaran lowered his green blade and looked down the path. Tate rolled up, the sun gleaming off his silver and green surface, and bleeped happily.

Aaran + Tate = has visitors! // Tate = finds them on road!

Aaran frowned, deactivated his lightsaber, and clipped it to his belt as a couple walked up the hill. A young man and woman a little older than Aaran, they were dressed in the clothes of commoners of House Alde, and Aaran saw to his alarm that the man had a bruise over his left eye and was limping. He stepped forward quickly and reached out to help the man.

"Let's get him in the house," Aaran said.

"Thank you," the woman replied.

They laid him down on the sleep mat in the corner, and Aaran ran to the sparse kitchen, pouring a hot bowl of water and grabbing a hot rag. He returned to the man and mopped the injured man's brow, wiping away clotted blood that had come from a gash on his hairline.

"What happened?" Aaran asked.

"We were attacked by Imperial extremists," the woman said. "We were making the trek to House Organa on foot because my husband wanted to enjoy the weather. They came out of the bushes with knives and injured my husband."

"Why didn't they kill him?"

"We were traveling with ex-Republic Special Forces soldiers, cousins of my husband." Her lip quivered. "They were killed, but they fought off the attackers."

Aaran frowned. Why didn't I sense it? He always sensed when there was something going on in the vicinity. He had been able to save almost every citizen that had been attacked within a ten-mile radius of his home, sometimes even farther. Yet here they were, practically on his doorstep, and he hadn't sensed a thing.

Suddenly Tate warbled a warning. Aaran stood and pulled his lightsaber from his belt.

"Stay here," he warned. "Tate, watch them but be ready to back me up."

On instinct, he hid his lightsaber under his robes. He stepped out of the hut. Two people walked up, dressed in dark armor and robes. One of them had a scar running from his forehead down to his chin, and the other had a red cybernetic eye. Scarface stepped forward, and Redeye fell back, reaching for a hidden blaster stuffed at the small of his back.

"Step aside, peasant," spat Scarface. "We have business with those in your home."

"No," Aaran replied. "They are under my protection. You will not pass."

Redeye snarled and whipped out his blaster. Aaran yanked it from his hand with the Force, a grin on his face, and hurled the weapon back down the hill.

"Don't do that," he said.

Scarface smiled evilly. "Ah. A Jedi." He spat the last word. "You will not stop us."

Aaran sensed it a moment before it happened–Scarface let a burst of Force lightning leap from his hand. In an instant, Aaran lit his lightsaber, brought it up, and blocked the lightning into the ground. Scarface sneered and reached under his belt, pulling out a double-bladed lightsaber. It ignited, glowing a deep red.

"A Sith," Aaran said. "I thought you were extinct."

"This Sith can never die," spat Scarface.

He leapt forward, his double-bladed saber swinging. Aaran brought his green blade up and spun it in a block. His mother had used a double-bladed weapon, and they'd trained together often. This would not be easy, but it would at least be manageable. Aaran ducked, letting the blade sweep over his head, and brought his boot up into the Sith's gut. Scarface went flying. Redeye stepped forward with a vibroknife–not a Sith–and swept at Aaran's throat. Aaran turned his blade and slashed Redeye's hand off, and then Force pushed him down the hill. Scarface stepped forward and sent another wave of lightning at Aaran.

The young Jedi rolled aside, and the lightning tickled at the walls of Aaran's hut. Aaran hurled his green-bladed lightsaber, and it slashed Scarface's lightsaber in half. One half dropped, and Scarface leapt with the remaining blade. Aaran blocked it, grinned. This would be much easier. He spun diagonally, slashing his lightsaber in an upward strike that would cut Scarface in half from hip to shoulder. But the Sith blocked it and kicked Aaran in the knee. Aaran groaned as his leg caved.

He rolled back to the ground and brought up his blade in a warding defense. Scarface prepared for the killing blow–and writhed in agony as Tate's shock arm zapped him in the back. Scarface shrieked, and Aaran stood, ramming his lightsaber into Scarface's heart.

"The oppression of the Sith will never return," Aaran whispered. "You have lost."

Scarface dropped, dead. Aaran turned to Tate.

"Thanks, buddy. Contact House Organa. Tell them we've got an injured Imperial, probably Special Forces, and an injured citizen. Tell them to send a medic and a squad of soldiers."

Tate beeped in assent and moved back into the house, while Aaran walked down the hill to bring in Redeye.

Like the Mace Windu reference there in Aaran's line?

I like to treat this guy as a lighthearted hero who doesn't like to show his serious side, but hurting innocents makes him very unhappy.

@alaurin, Ord Mantell would start on a much more cheerful note with a sister to commiserate with.

@kabe...beautiful. Freaking beautiful. Actual laughing out loud of the "embarrassingly loud" variety took place. Ah, but Aric Jorgan never fails to give an obnoxious first impression.

@Selentar, some Taren exposition...I like.

@Striges, how intimate, letting his processor cores linger on her sonic signature like that…HK, you dog.

@marissalf, I see Kaliyo getting way, way more out of this than Kinka wants her to.

@Yoshi Adorable sidekick droid assists are the best assists. It is known.

Another cultist ritual defeated by T7-01 and his Jedi friend Larr Gith. With the help, he acknowledged in descending order of friendliness, of Jedi Kira, Lord Scourge, the red-haired Agent Wynston, General Pasty Imperial, and the Emperor's Wrath.

T7, Jedi Kira, and Jedi Larr Gith had faced many challenges before, and joined forces with many unlikely allies. But T7 couldn't even compute the odds of coming up with a group like this for the mission ahead. He would rather have had Doc and Sergeant Rusk back instead of General Pasty Imperial and the Wrath. Agent Wynston he could accept; it was he who had first brought news of the enemy and he had always been very nice to Jedi Larr Gith. But Pasty Imperial and the Wrath? They didn't even hide their intention to go back to Imperial service the moment this was over. And the list of their previous betrayals and murders was almost too long for T7’s memory banks. He didn't understand how Jedi Larr Gith could let them anywhere near.

T7 and the other heroes - and also Pasty Imperial and the Wrath - filed back on board the Prodigy Burst. Within minutes T7 detected irregular fan motion in one of the lower decks, near the medbay; he hurried down to look into it.

Agent Wynston was in the medbay sorting supplies. He smiled when the droid came in. "Teeseven. Thanks for stopping by, that fan noise could get very obnoxious very fast."

T7 = on the job

"Good work in the field, too. I'm always impressed at the blaster work you manage to synchronize with the Jedi."

Jedi + T7 = old friends // Jedi + T7 = great team

"And with everyone, really. You gave the Wrath an excellent assist."

Problem.

T7 = doesn't work with Wrath

Agent Wynston cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't mean it as an insult, I thought you coordinated very well out there."

Wrath = monster // Wrath = militant Sith // Wrath = untrustworthy

"Whoa, slow down. You're working off an incomplete dataset, Teeseven. If you'd known her as long as I have you'd know she's capable of greatness." Agent Wynston smiled. "Working with you on this mission is bringing out the best in her, something I had feared she'd lost long ago. Give her a chance and you may see it socially as well."

T7 + Sith = trouble // socializing = bad idea

"Just think about it. That's all I ask."

Thought cycles = complete // T7 + Sith = trouble // socializing = bad idea

"Teeseven. Please. Note that she willingly came, alone, onto a Jedi's vessel, and submitted to our battle plans - note that she has defied a master she served for seventeen years, has risked everything - not for power, and not for the war, but purely for love of her husband and son. To protect them. Wouldn't you say that devotion is worth something?"

Wrath + Pasty Imperial = very happy together // Wrath + Pasty Imperial = so what // Wrath + Pasty Imperial = better off elsewhere

"But they're here. We’ll need her strength before this is over. And I think if you give her a chance she'll surprise you."

There was a very obvious change in scope in those statements.

Pasty Imperial = no surprises?

Agent Wynston froze. “He might,” he said stiffly. “It’d be wiser to focus the positive thinking on the Wrath.”

Pasty Imperial = not a friend?

“I didn’t say that.”

Agent Wynston = trusts Wrath // Agent Wynston = distrusts General Pasty Imperial // Agent Wynston = inconsistent

“That is far from inconsistent. Teeseven, we need to work with both of them.”

General Pasty Imperial + Wrath = no difference // Agent Wynston = inconsistent

Agent Wynston frowned at him. “Tell me, in matters of trust, what’s the difference between Larr Gith and Lord Scourge?”

T7 processed. They were different, but…

Lord Scourge = helped save the galaxy // Wrath = ??

“I’ve seen her give, I’ve seen her protect and I’ve seen her love. I promise you that she can be more than she was in servitude. Don’t reject our alliance now. Scourge proved himself; let her do the same.”

Perhaps, if T7 could accept Scourge, he could come to accept the Wrath. Still, there were questions.

Pasty Imperial = ???

“Oh, sod Quinn. He’ll follow her, it’s best to ignore him.”

There were times when humans were confusing. This was one of them. T7 booped noncommittally and returned his processing cycles to dealing with the repair task. Somebody had to hold the Prodigy Burst together, and T7 was on the job.

And who's holding the crew together? For the record, the Kira-Larr Gith-T7-01 bloc distrusts everyone but each other; Lord Scourge distrusts everyone; Ruth distrusts the Jedi bloc and Lord Scourge; Quinn distrusts everyone but Ruth; Wynston distrusts Lord Scourge and Quinn. The Prodigy Burst is a terrible, terrible excuse for a family.

kabeone came up with Teeseven's label of "Captain Pasty Imperial" for Quinn. I can't not think it now.

Wynston stepped out of the medbay and stopped short. There in the hall stood Ruth, and she looked rather like somebody had hit her very hard in someplace sensitive.

Her mouth worked for a few moments while her forehead wrinkled up. When she spoke it was with forced lightness. “I overheard some. Is that really what you’re doing behind my back?”

“Some of it.” Easy answer. “Frankly, praising you is one of my easier job functions.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t have to. You shouldn’t have.”

“I want this crew working together. He wouldn’t take it from you, but he might from me, so I’m here.”

“Well. Then thank you. I’m not sure anyone else here will ever believe it, but…thank you.”

He took a few steps forward and reached out to his friend, waiting until she accepted his hand. “Ruth, you’ve never let me down. Except perhaps that one time we tried to kill each other, but I’m willing to call that a mutual lapse.”

She laughed, a little shakily. “Deal.” She squeezed his hand and dropped it. “Well then. By the way, Quinn’s still staying.”

“Well, yes, I figured that much.” He smiled crookedly. “Take it as a token of the sheer magnitude of the trust I’m placing in you that I’ll accept him here.”

“It’s appreciated, Wynston.”

“For you…well. For you.”

Aaran went out behind the house and pulled out the speeder bike he had under the ramshackle garage he'd built for it. He rarely rode his speeder, because everywhere he went was within walking distance of his house. Today, though, he had to go to House Organa; or specifically, the Cartel Market on the planet. His robes were frayed and beginning to show signs of wear, both from trekking through dense forest and from fighting criminals, raiders, and–a week ago–a Sith.

He straddled the speeder and started the engine; it coughed out smoke. Aaran sighed, hopped off, and went inside. Tate was cheerily working in the corner, dusting the sparse furniture.

"Tate?"

Tate = here. // What does Jedi need?

"Get me some fuel, please," he said. "The speeder's out."

Tate beeped in consent and rolled to get the fuel. Aaran went back outside and popped open the door to pump in the gas.

* * *

An hour later, Aaran pulled up to the Cartel Shop and hopped off his bike. He walked briskly into the market. He hated dealing with the Hutts, but he had to admit the cartels got their hands on some wonderful robes. Stepping up to the counter, he gazed at the Rodian shopkeeper standing there.

"What can I do for you?" the Rodian asked in a lisping accent.

"I need robes," he said. "Nothing flashy–simple, preferably brown, and something I can wear in the forest for months before I have to buy a new pair."

The Rodian nodded. "Let me thee if I can accommodate you."

A moment later he returned. The robes he brought weren't brown, however they looked durable and, at least, comfortable. They were white, with black lining on the baldrics and a white cloak with a hood. The inner lining of the cape was also black.

Aaran considered. "It looks good. How much?"

"Spethal dithcount jutht for the hero of the woodth," the Rodian said. "One hundred Cartel Cointh."

He nodded instantly. "Deal."

This is the level 15 Wayfarer's robe from the market. I really liked it, though I haven't bought it (yet). Maybe when I stop procrastinating, buy a new character slot, and create Aaran, then I'll buy it.