Voslic sat on the edge of the fighting hole Elara, Tanno and he had prepared two days prior. He nursed a canteen cup of caf and watched the false dawn lighten the sky. It was almost 0400 local time and almost time for them and the unit they were attached to “stand to.”

It had long been recognized in military circles that a human body needed sleep. The body might go all night on adrenalin, stims or some other form of stimuli, but normally a body wanted to shut down between the hours of 0300 and 0500. Conversely, attacks on prepared fortifications would occur between 0300 and 0500. Most units would spend most nights at either a twenty-five or fifty percent watch. Meaning that one in four or one in two troops would be asleep, the rest on watch. That watch would change somewhere between two and four hours so that each soldier could get the maximum amount of sleep available. At 0400, or there abouts, that would change.

At 0400, units would perform what became known to Marines and sailors alike, as “stand to”. Everyone would be awakened, alert and ready for anything that may come at them. The troops would stay that way until the sun was fully up. Of course a unit relied on its sensors and LP/OP (listening post at night, observation post during hours of daylight), but sensors could be duped and lp/op’s could be taken out silently. So units “stood to.”

Voslic took a sip of the caf and grimaced. He hated the instant stuff that came with the ratpacks (ration packages). There was no way to mask the god’s awful taste. It was part of his morning ritual however, to have a cup first thing in the morning. He had thought about bringing the gear to the field required to make fresh caf in the mornings. He would have to take beans, a grinder and a maker. That would add a couple kilo’s at least to his gear. To a field Marine, that could be extra water, kolto or ammunition. As much as he hated it, he would have to stick with the instant crap in the ratpacks.

Voslic noticed movement further down the perimeter. He recognized the figure as the 124th Ranger Battalion’s first sergeant. He moved about the perimeter at this time every morning waking his troops and getting them ready. He would pause a few minutes at each hole. Voslic knew he was checking on each man as he went, that was just being a good “First Shirt”. Voslic sighed and decided it was time to get his folks up.

He had sitting with his feet dangling into the fighting hole they had dug. They had sighted not far from the command pit, about half way to the perimeter front. They had dug a T-shaped pit with the leg of the T becoming shallow toward the back to make for easier evacuation. The pit itself was large enough to give the three Marines comfortable access to the firing step, deep enough that stepping off the firing step Voslic could stand upright and not be seen, grenade sump (a hole dug at the bottom of the postion at a forty-five degree angle toward the front so an exploding grenade’s fragment’s and blast would concentrate to the back of the fighting hole) and with some creative requisitioning by Vic, a dura-steel overhead. All the positions in the 124th’s perimeter sported the hardened roofs.

Voslic half turned in his sitting position and checked the second canteen cup he had put on the fire. He had figured that Tanno would not miss the five or six grams of detnite he had scrounged out of the Wequay’s pack to cook with. Detnite was a wonderful thing: not only could you blow damned near anything sky with it, but it burned hot without exploding, making it good to cook with. Detnite needed an electrical charge or hard enough impact to set it off, burning would not do it, you just couldn’t try stomping it out.

The water in the canteen cup was hot. Voslic took the cup off the fire and started mixing another cup of caf for Elara. He half smiled at the thought of his wife. She had been around Vosic long enough that some of his habits had rubbed off on her. She now needed that first cup of caf to get going in the morning. She wouldn’t admit it, but she now drank nearly as much as Voslic did.

Voslic was just finishing stirring in the contents of the instant caf when a voice came to him from the other side of the fire. “Caf smells good Skipper. Thanks.”

“This cup aint for you, Tanno.”

“Aww Hell Skipper. And here I thought you cared. Or at least you might want to make up for using my detnite to cook with.”

“The fire is still going, you have a canteen cup and rations pack and there’s a fresh water can right here. Feel free. Besides, Elara is prettier than you.”

Vic started to argue. “But..well yeah you got me on that last point. But not by much.”

Voslic chuckled. “Yeah ok Tanno. Stand to in five.”

“Aye aye, Skipper.”

Voslic eased himself down into the hole and began making his way forward. Behind him he heard Vic shuffling around making his own caf. Voslic stepped down into the fighting hole just as Elara rolled into a sitting position on the firing step where she had been sitting.

“Vic trying to wrangle my caf, is he?”

“Something like that.” Voslic replied as he handed her the cup. She cradled it and took a deep breath inhaling the aroma. “It smells good, but I know it tastes like wet nerf hide.”

Voslic smiled and nodded his head. “That’s about as good a descriptor as I’ve ever heard. Damned close anyway. Stand to in five.”

Elara stretched and nodded her head. “I wonder if we will see Aric and his boy and girls today?”

Aric Jorge and Sgt. Yuun had been assigned to the 3rd RID (Republic Infantry Division (lite)) as observers and advisors. The same role Voslic and the two Marines with him performed for the 124th. Voslic had wanted to bring the units to the field to test the training they had given the two units. The units had been in the field for three days now with no major contact except for some skirmishes amongst the scouts. Voslic was a bit frustrated because so far, the rangers had not been able to find the 3rd RID. He figured that might be a good thing since that might mean Aric didn’t know where they were.

Voslic turned and went back to his original position and sat down. He took another sip of his caf and watched the perimeter. He frowned as he noted a lack of activity outside the perimeter. Ord Mantel was host to a variety of animals. Most were day dwellers that found a hole or some other protection for the night. Some were nocturnal, especially a particular coast dwelling flyer that Voslic had not been able to identify. He only new that they came out heavy at night eating bugs and small rodents. He had noticed them earlier, but they were nowhere to be seen now.

“Skipper.” Voslic turned to see Vic squatting next to the fire stirring his caf. “Over my right shoulder. Saw some odd flashes along that low ridge.”

Voslic cut his eyes up without moving his head. “Jorgen?”

“Don’t think so. Last we knew he was south of us. They could have moved, but we would have heard or seen them on the probes or sensors.”

Voslic was about to respond when he heard three distant thumps. “Oh ****. INCOMING!” Voslic shouted as he dove into the fighting hole. He scrambled down into the fighting hole and grabbed his helmet. Vic came tearing in behind him. Elara had already gotten Voslic’s assault gun on the parapet and was changing the magazine from practice load to a war load.

“I figure you’re gonna be real glad you had me scrounge live ammo one this day is done!” Vic shouted over the explosions as the first round landed on the perimeter.

Voslic tapped Elara on the shoulder to tell her he was there. “See to your own weapon!” He methodically finished replacing the rotary drum in his cannon and loaded a fresh magazine into the mortar launcher.

More rounds were landing on the perimeter now and Voslic could hear launchers in at least three different directions. He also heard screams from some of the holes nearby. Casualties were beginning to mount despite the overhead protection they had been afforded. A cry for a medic came from one of the nearby holes. Elara grabbed her kit and headed out the back. Voslic grabbed her arm. “Where do you think you’re going?!”

She did not respond only to give him “that look” and he knew she was going to aid that wounded trooper whether he liked it or not. He let her go and she flashed him a smile and a wink before pulling her helmet on and darting out the back of the hole. A large explosion rocked the area to their rear.

Voslic looked back toward where the explosion had occurred and shook his head. He turned back toward Vic. “Command bunker took a direct hit.”

Vic spit toward the grenade sump before turning back to face forward on the firing step. “We are so karking humped.”

@marissalf: Oh, I LOVED reading about Kaliyo getting hers!!! She is definitely close behind Skadge on the companions I hate list and having her bested by a 15 year old just warmed the cockles of my heart....I don't care if that makes me a bad person, I hated her!

@alaurin, Your Risha is just the best. So funny. This whole thing was hilarious! I was giggling all the way through, though I did start to feel bad for Aric getting all embarrassed about being different. But then I remembered the mirror and lost it again. So good!

And in the latest Synchronicity, I liked the mirrored last lines for Val and Tia, that they're each thinking of the other.

@Kabeone: I just loved that piece! From Kira's uh....heartfelt goodbye to Scourge to that last line from Remi, I had this grin on my face. It gave me the giggles so much that I had to take a break from updating the Index!

@alaurin First! Thanks for keeping up with the index! Second! I loved the Skadge solution and Gault still trying to find a way to squeeze some credits out of it was perfect.

@LaxKnight: LOL, I'm glad The Nar Shaddaa Spice Incident was good for so many laughs. I felt really bad for poor Elara and had hoped I captured her reactions well. As for Kat, Tia, and Val.....glad you enjoyed their piece. I've had an ongoing saga for them here in SFC and finally moved them to their own thread. This piece goes into the family background a little more if you're interested.

I can also see a conversation between Tia and Jorgan if he finds her dancing outfit from the old days.

@TrystanLaryssa: TeeHee, I think Nakova is going to have a lot of fun getting under Quinn's skin. I remember that was the fun part with the female SW's interactions with Quinn. There's also a conversation with him mentioning Vette being annoying (can't recall the exact wording since its been a while) as well that just made me want to go tell her to keep it up!

@Alaurin- Nice work tying in not just two but three characters on this prompt. I liked not only the broader sense of connection in them all looking to reunite, but the subtle echoes too... the two Cathar Tia and Kat stepping off a shuttle... the way both Kat and Val wrinkled their noses at differing smells... their echoing thoughts of each other.

@Bright: Awwww, poor T5! I hope she isn't too traumatized! I can definitely see Blizz trying to tinker with the little astromech though and I liked how Calline redirected him to 2V. Also, glad you enjoyed the Syncronicity piece for Kat, Tia, and Val....it made a nice starting point for their story thread.

@Yoshi: Ooooo, a Jorgan mission.....you had me from the start with that. Not much use for his Diplomacy bonus in that one! I like how much action you put into just a short bit.....I have such a hard time writing action stuff! Also, glad you liked Kat, Tia, and Val's Synchronicity piece!

@sthrift: I really enjoyed that last part of your Ord series and I have to echo what Striges said......you really do such a nice job of making the military world translate into normal, everyday morning routines. You also transition very well from the domesticity of enjoying a morning cup of coffee with your spouse to the instant readiness for battle at the first sign of trouble. Nicely done and can't wait for more.

@Alaurin: The bit with the mirror as hilarious. I feel bad for both Jorgan and Elara. Both of them are probably the most in-control people. It must have been awful to see themselves regressing to childishness (or kittenishness). Jorgan especially seemed so self conscious about his fur and his behavior. Although, I suppose we now know how cats would react to viewing all those silly cat videos.

 

In the second piece, again, the echoes of how much all your characters care for each other and watch out for their friends.

@SifaSeven: I always thought Kaliyo's 'Dibs on the head' line was really creepy and I never really cared for her that much. I love how you gave a reasoning to that line and some insight to her as a person with feelings (playing a fem IA, I was never certain she really had any). I look forward to reading more of these two. Also, glad you liked Kat, Tia, and Val's piece.....their background is a rough one and stuff is about to get real for all of them as I near the conclusion of their Nar Shaddaa adventures.

@frauzet: I can definitely understand Nik's desire to know why the man he looked up to decided to turn to the enemy. I'm glad Jorgan understood it as well and I've really enjoyed your take on this whole Ord line for Nik, Gix, and Zal/Io. Then you leave us with a cliffhanger in the next part.....GAH! Now I can't wait to find out what happens next!!

@alaurin: This 'syncronicity' story really shows how deeply they are connected. All setting out to achieve a common goal. And it's really nice how the always think of one another, hoping that the others are well.

And gz to the new thread

@icecreampants: A nice job at depicting such a tense situation! Lutra seems to be a very carefull planner and I like her interactions with Temple and Gault. She definitely isn't someone to mess around with! I really can't wait to see where this is going!!

@DarthSillyMonkey: Oh, Fenn'rys, whatever are you up to now?! I like your take on that Tatooine story line and what our delightful Agent has in store for it. It makes sense for her to want to discover how it works. I also love her take on Temple's blind devotion as well as her understanding of the destruction loving Kaliyo. Once again, I get the feeling we're in for another great series.....I'll go make some popcorn.

It was over.

The Imperials had broken through the palace's meager defenses, and now even Prince Jasin and Lord Gareb were down. Held prisoner by the Imperial troops, Gareb looked around sadly as he watched them smash the priceless relics in the hallowed halls. It was maddening.

Something swirled inside him, something he'd hidden for years.

When he'd been four years old he'd lifted four protocol droids with his mind for fun. After that, his mother had told him not to do it again. They lived at the edge of the Sith Empire and Force-sensitive kids had been easily reachable by the Sith Academy, even though Gareb's parents were nobles. He'd had to hide it his whole life. Conceal, don't feel, his mother had said. Don't let them see. He'd asked what would happen if they came after him. She had touched the pretty silver cylinder by her side, and said she'd protect him.

It was too late now. Well, they'd find out anyway.

Let it go, Gareb! he told himself. Just let go!

He did. He felt the power building up behind his palms...and he pushed. Half a dozen Imperials went flying across the room, slamming into walls. Gareb grinned. That had felt so good! Why had he ever hidden it? It was time to show them what he could really do...!

He sent a Force blast flying at one of the guards, sending him reeling. Then he lifted another with the Force and slammed him into a wall. Two of them raised their rifles to blast him and he shattered the weapons like toothpicks. Another trooper drew a vibrosword and charged at him. Gareb sidestepped the blow and let out a Force push point-blank. The trooper hurtled away. Gareb clenched his fists, and hurled vases, shattered and otherwise, at the troopers pouring into the room.

They all fell back, beaten and bruised by the thrown objects. Then, quickly grabbing the doors with the Force, Garab slammed them shut. He dropped to his knees, feeling simultaneously exhausted and ecstatic. That kind of power, that...that was a gift! He had to find out how to use it; it was something that could not be hidden.

He realized that Jasin was looking at him in shock. The prince was still kneeling on the floor, his hands bound. He seemed unable to find the words he wanted to speak. Finally, they came forth.

"How did you do that, Gareb?" Jasin asked.

"I have the Force," Gareb replied. He picked up a vibrosword and cut Jasin's bonds. "Come, we need to get out of here. Go to the Republic for help."

"But Methic," Jasin protested. "We have to find him!"

"He's the one who let the Empire in here," Gareb replied. "We can do nothing for him now. Jasin, I sense that you have the Force, too. We cannot let the Empire have our potential. We must go to the Republic, and we must be trained as Jedi."

Jasin gaped. "As Jedi...? Do you think we could?"

"Yes. Both of us." Gareb grabbed Jasin by the shoulders. "We have to, for the memory of our planet."

Jasin nodded. "You're right, cousin. We must."

"Come, the emergency shuttle will not have been discovered yet. But we must hurry."

Jasin nodded and picked up a vibrosword of his own. Together, they ran. Toward the shuttle, toward the Republic, and the Jedi...and their destiny.

Conceal, don't feel, Don't let them see, and Let it go are all lines from a song in the Disney movie Frozen. I love that movie.

@bright_ephemera I love a girl who loves her droid and I will now think of Blizz as "small toolkit." So cute. He needs his own droid to "improve."

@DarthSillyMonkey Fenn'rys is right, Sith and Jedi might both think they could "safely" mess with any device. Good observations about Temple too, I do love a manipulative IA, and Fenn'rys is tops.

@frauzet Awesome conclusion to the sep base. I knew what was coming and it still hurt. I like that Nikeo wanted the confrontation so he could get an answer out of Tavus. As to Zal/Io I can't help but feel like it's all part of the plan. I don't trust them agents, even when they're almost dead.

@icecreampants ooh the plot thickens. I wonder what would have happened if he just tried to kill Lutra instead. Probably the same thing.

@marissalf I loved that twist, as much as I love Kaliyo, she deserved that one.

@SifaSeven Nice backstory on Kaliyo's battle cry. I like your agent, he's very crafty and seems to know how to handle Kaliyo.

@sthrift I love the true military feel of your writing. Though you are terribly cruel with that ending. Argh!

Also this part:

“Besides, Elara is prettier than you.”

 

Vic started to argue. “But..well yeah you got me on that last point. But not by much.”

I'm not sure what it's like for a male trooper but there's a line with a female trooper when she's talking to Vik and he says something complementary and she can say "You coming on to me, Vik?" He replies, "No! You humans are ugly as Hutts." (that's paraphrased it's been a long time). I thought that was particularly funny here, but I don't think Vik would say that about Elara to Voslic's face.

@TrystanLaryssa I loved being able to mess with Quinn in that conversation. I like that last thought from your SW as well.

@YoshiRaphElan Loved the "frozen" piece. I'm only sad that it wasn't in musical format.

@Yoshi, neat to see Jorgan in solo action. And ah, a scene from back when Jasin and family were royals! It's terribly satisfying to think of letting loose on a bunch of Imperial invaders.

@TrystanLaryssa, I can see Quinn as a datapad touch typist...he spends enough time working on them.

The man was good. He could tell he'd somehow just let her down, but seemed completely baffled as to how.

This is so very Quinn. I really like Nakova's take on the whole conversation. Excellent use of (and elaboration on) the existing lines.

@SifaSeven, Kaliyo's battlecry is finally explained! A bad Mando translation she ripped off some guys she knew once sounds just about right.

@frauzet, Nikeo's need to understand why Tavus and co. are doing what they're doing positively aches. The added complication of Nikeo's previous association with an Imperial spy really isn't helping his case I really like that Io was used to draw him away separately from the squad - that's a neater explanation than "um we just felt like sending the junior guy someplace else for a few hours."

@icecreampants, Delgrin getting stung for kindness, ouch. Gault at least is in fine, neatly characteristic form.

@marissalf, ah, what a neat way to dispose of an unwanted menace! I like Mel's “Sorry, Aunt K. Nothing personal.”

@DarthSillyMonkey, ah, pointing out the dangers in...maneuvering...when a rules maniac like Temple is around. And here we go with a Fenn'rys scheme! :there should be a smiley for the kind of terror where you can't look away and it's probably going to be awesome anyway, still, terror:

@sthrift, love the detail work in this. Both in the bare physical stuff (burning detonite for coffee, digging out holes) and the military culture stuff. Good show.

It's been a while and when we last left our heroes, Val, Corso, Jorgan, and Dorne were headed into Shadow Town, Tia had just freed herself, using the only weapon at her disposal, and Kat impersonated a rock star to get her and Mako through the Republic area of the Industrial sector without bloodshed. Jonas had just contacted Kat with Tia's location and she was headed in to rescue her sister and extract vengeance on her family's enemy.

Silent. Still. Crouched. Ready. Tensely listening, waiting. The shield generator from her last kill belted around her waist, a rifle in her hands, Tia was ready to make her enemy pay. Her raging passions cooled a little, making her able to focus better. Despite being in a dress and high heels, she was ready with the element of surprise and eager for Ekaterina to show her face.

She steadied her breath when she heard a door open and shut downstairs. Ekaterina called out, then must have realized something was up and Tia heard footsteps running up the stairs. As soon as Tia saw her yellow furred face cross the threshold, she slammed the butt of her rifle with all her might into the larger woman’s face with a satisfying crack.

A second woman came running in and Tia cursed her hastiness in striking before knowing if her enemy was alone. Jorgan might be right about that rookie crap!

“My sons!” the brown Cathar screamed, raking at Tia with her claws, “You killed my sons!”

“and you’re about to join them,” Tia taunted after being caught across the shoulder with the other woman’s claws, her voice full of deadly promise as she brought up her rifle and made good on her word. A blaster bolt caught her attention and she turned towards Ekaterina, who’d recovered from the initial hit enough to stand and point a blaster at her. Tia’s shield absorbed the blast, however and with a feral smile, she advanced on the woman behind her kidnapping.

“How did you get loose?” Ekaterina cried after seeing shield light up as it absorbed the blaster bolt, knowing she was in deep trouble as the younger female approached, deadly menace radiating from her.

“Because those idiots are every bit as incompetent as you were and still are,” Tia shot back, firing off a shot from her rifle at her still dazed enemy, enjoying the growl of pain that escaped her before Ekaterina fell to the floor, her injured leg unable to support her. Tia circled her prey, taunting, “but don’t worry, you won’t have much longer to wallow in your failures.” She fired another shot, hitting Ekaterina in the shoulder and rendering that blaster in her hand useless. Tia knew what she needed to do…..the ancestors made it very clear what happened to those that betrayed their own kind and she was more than ready to hand out Clan Justice.

“I have failed more than you know, Tiannya,” Ekaterina sighed sadly, defeated, the younger woman circling her like a hunter looking so much like the man she once loved. She was resigned to her fate and knew she deserved it along with the bitter taste of regret that welled up within her.

“Ekaterina of the Shange bloodline, you have betrayed the clans by plotting against, attempting to execute, and kidnapping your own people, a crime punishable by a slow and painful death,” Tia stated, dragging her enemy over to the wall and shackling her arms to a large pipe, “I, Tiannya of the Valeskanovaya bloodline, will dispense clan justice and leave your body as a message to those that would follow you.” She grabbed the vibroblade she’d taken off of Davil’s corpse and sank it into the other woman’s gut.

As Tia stood there, watching her enemy bleeding in pain, flashes of Taris surfaced, of Needles performing his sick experiments on those men and her resolve to make her family’s enemy pay weakened. She shut her eyes, trying to block out Ekaterina’s wimpering as the screams of those tortured men echoed in her mind. Stars, Kat’s right…..I can’t do this. I’m not the monster Needles was.

“Talk to me, Ekaterina…..give me something and I’ll end it now!”

“There’s more of us spread out around the galaxy,” she gritted, thankful for the chance at redemption, “Another littermate….Alexi….that’s his mate, Galina….the one that came in after me, Stefan, Alexi’s remaining son, Prince Shange's two littermates, Dmitry and Ava......Ava is our mother......our father was imprisoned with Shange. There's also Natalya and Annika who are Murghir’s daughters.” Ekaterina paused at that, not quite meeting Tia’s eyes, “Annika was at the ball with Davil….they drugged your drink and followed you and that agent back to your room.”

“Is that it?” Tia narrowed her gaze, not missing that the other woman glanced down with that last part, “There’s more…..keep going or I let you suffer for the last hour or so until that gut wound kills you.”

“Prince Shange’s mate, Nikita is still alive, but we haven’t heard from her or Dmitry in months,” Ekaterina answered, pausing to catch a painful breath, “but there’s something else you need to know. It’s about your uncle…..Mikhail and I were lovers.”

“No!” Tia snapped, her anger rapidly returning with that denial, “He wouldn’t!”

“Yes, Tiannya, we were in love, but we kept it a secret,” Ekaterina argued, “We knew your father’s family would never approve, especially given the stuff happening at the time…..Prince Shange was just starting to speak out against joining the Republic and our clan wasn’t exactly favored by the almighty Valeskanovayas.” That last part came out as a bitter growl.

“So, instead of trying to plead your case, you end up helping your clan murder your lover, my parents, and you tried to off me and Kat……yeah, I can see how devoted you were to my uncle!”

“He disappeared!” Ekaterina cried, “He left me with a…..he left me without saying a word. I waited and waited to hear from him, but nothing! I loved him like a mate and he just threw me away…..or so I thought,” she sighed, tears flowing freely from her orange eyes, “I found out later that he’d been captured while on assignment, escaping a couple of years later……but it was too late. Things were already in motion and he lied to me….I thought he was just a military consultant.”

“He was an SIS agent……most of the ones that go undercover regularly don’t advertise that fact!” Tia snorted, “So you just gave up……not only a failure but a coward as well. You make me sick, you and your whole rotten clan.”

“No! I knew we had no future……there was too much between us after he came back and he and your father were responsible for Shange’s death. We found out he was still alive a few years later and began making plans to free him. My loyality to my family was too strong to resist and Murghir was there for me when I was…..after Mikhail had left. So I went along with the plot against your family. I was tasked with taking care of you and Katrynka, but I failed. I hesitated when it was time to kill you.” Ekaterina looked Tia in the eye, “You resemble your uncle, Tiannya……and I couldn’t kill you anymore than I could him. Your sister came in and I didn’t fight her......please, I beg you……have mercy. If not for me, than for Mikhail……just end my life now. I’ve told you everything I know.”

Tia’s anger exploded at the mention of her uncle, “You want mercy?!” she spat, coldly, ranting as she paces, “Kat and I were thirteen years old! Thirteen! Your family took our parents and Jakob! You tried to kill me and Kat and we were thirteen! We barely made it out of the building before it blew! Kat had to drag me because I was drugged. Thirteen you b*tch! We were f*cking thirteen years old and on the run on Nar Shaddaa! Do you have any idea what we went through?! What that was like?! Kat was hustling people on the streets……me finding legit work because I couldn’t bring myself to become a criminal. We had no time to mourn because we were trying to survive.”

“B-b-but you did….”

“Yes, you piece of sh*t, we did,” Tia snapped, “We forged our way through these past ten years, finding another family of sorts, only to have one taken from us. Our once proud, happy family was reduced to me and Kat, but yeah, we survived. We grew up hard and fast. We both made a life of sorts, but then it was shattered again when our friend was taken. We were dealing with that loss though, and moving on until recently when you and your f*cking sister had to dredge things back up and try to kill us! You should’ve just left us alone…..that life was long gone for us. We didn’t care about our bloodlines…….it’s hard to care about that sh*t when you’re dancing and stripping for men’s pleasure in a Nar Shaddaa cantina! Yeah, Ekaterina……that’s what I was doing before the Republic tossed me in the military when I busted stealing medical supplies for my injured sister…..I was a f*cking stripper at the age of seventeen!”

“You did well in the end,” Ekaterina whispered, face reflecting her remorse and agony, “You were in the military and quite successful from what I read….”

“Yeah, I was….still am in a way, but now……now that you started this feud back up, you can bet your a*s Kat and I will hunt each and every one of you down. I won’t rest until your whole disgusting, traitorous family is dead!” Tia stopped pacing and turned to the pathetic dying woman, “So tell me……was it worth it?” she demanded, “Was killing my parents worth it? My uncle who you claim to have been in love with……was it worth killing him? All for Shange? Was coming after me and Kat ten years later worth it? Was it worth losing your sister and her mate? What about your brother’s mate over there….was it worth her dying? Was it worth the three men I killed before you came back….nephews of yours I’m assuming? We’d moved on….no idea why our parents were killed that day. We were just two young women, no longer part of the great Valeskanovaya bloodline. Was it worth it? Was it worth all that pain and death? Was it worth the suffering you’re going through now? Tell me dammit…..was it worth it?!” That last part came out as a raging shout.

“I’m kind of curious about that myself,” Kat mused, leaning against the doorframe, “Answer her, Ekaterina.”

Startled, Tia turned toward the door, surprised and relieved to see her sister, “You got here fast, sis,” Tia called out, her voice a little hoarse from her rant and the tirade of emotions washing over her, “I was expecting Val and not this quickly.”

“Eh…..it’s a long story,” Kat shrugged, coming into the room, Mako behind her, “I’ll fill you in after we deal with this.”

“Well?” Tia turned back to Ekaterina, disgust written all over her face.

“No, it wasn’t worth it……not to me anyways….not now,” she answered, her voice weaker, “but back then, I was driven by the bond of my littermate, my family, my clan. I’d already done things I wasn’t proud of and it was too late to turn back. I just hope someday I can be forgiven by the ancestors and maybe my spirit can find peace.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Kat told her, charging up a blaster as her sister readied her rifle, “but we can at least let your suffering end now.”

“Before you do…..there’s one more thing,” Ekaterina whispered, her strength fading with her life, “It’s Annika……she’s not who she thinks she is. She’s not Murghir’s daughter, she’s mine. Murghir was also expecting and given the circumstances, our family thought it best to pass my kit off as hers.”

“No….don’t you dare!” Tia growled in denial, having a sick feeling about what was next.

“Let her finish, Tia,” Kat snapped, thinking the same as Tia and needing confirmation, “What circumstances…….who’s the father Ekaterina?”

“Your uncle…..Mikhail,” she whispered, tears in her eyes as Tia raged.

“You’re lying…..you twisted b*tch,” Tia screamed as Kat just glared in disgust at the dying female.

Together they raised their weapons and emptied them into Ekaterina’s chest. They stood there in silence for a moment, then Tia turned to her littermate, “How much did you hear?”

“I was coming up the stairs when I heard her say she loved Uncle Mikhail like a mate,” Kat answered, “You believe what she said about Annika?”

“I don’t know, Kat,” Tia sighed, the rollercoaster of emotions starting to take their toll as she sank into the chair she'd been shackled to earlier, “I don’t think she’d lie about something like that though……she knows we wouldn’t just take her word, but dammit, the thought of having blood ties with that family, even if it is just a distant cousin…..”

“Yeah,” Kat nodded, feeling the same as she and Mako started tending to Tia’s wounds.

“This isn’t over, Kat,” Tia shook her head, then went on to tell her sister about the members of Shange’s clan that were still out there according to Ekaterina.

“And you can bet each and every one of them knows we’re alive by now,” Kat deduced after Tia finished.

“I’m sure of it,” Tia agreed, then glanced up at her sister as she put some kolto on a blaster burn, “How’d you get here so quickly anyways?”

“Hey, Mako, why don’t you go into the office we passed and start transmitting all the datafiles and video feeds to our ship’s computer,” Kat suggested, a smirk curving her lips, “Tia’s about to blow another gasket and you might not want to be around for that……and I want that all the information we can get out of this place before we destroy it.”

“Sure thing, Kat,” Mako nodded, smiling at Tia, “Good luck…”

“Ok, so what’s that all about,” Tia demanded, wincing as Kat cleaned out the wound Galina made with her claws.

“Well, let’s just say that your date with Jonas wasn’t really going to happen,” Kat snickered, “You were supposed to be kidnapped this evening……unfortunately, the wrong men took you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tia rolled her eyes, “Let me guess, Captain Pissy Pants decided to extract me by force after all…..”

“Yup,” Kat grinned, “actually, the kidnapping idea was Balkar’s, but it was Jorgan’s call.” She went on to explain how Aric and Corso got on her guest list and went to the suite with Balkar to find her gone. How she, Val, and Elara set up a distraction, how they were able to track down the Imperials staying at the casino with her, the info the guys got from the Imperials before they all met at Val’s ship. Then Val setting up a laptop to watch for her bracelet’s tracker signal, them all setting out while Risha babysat the computer, and Jonas calling her once they got her location.

“I can’t believe you went along with that stupid plan,” Tia shook her head.

“Hey, I didn’t like it, but Garza made it Jorgan’s call and he insisted, despite my many arguments against it, that you were coming out now….”

“What an a*shole!” Tia snapped, riled up once again, “Gods, I’m so sick of his attitude and superiority complex. I may not be the most intelligent being out there, but I am not an incompetent idiot either! I swear, I’m going to kick both their a*ses the next time I see them!”

“Go easy on him, Tia,” Kat told her sister, “It was a stupid plan but his heart was in the right place….”

“Are you kidding me?” Tia snapped, “He has absolutely no respect for me whatsoever!! Since that first day back on Ord….”

“Tia, you’re my sister and I love you,” Kat sighed, “but you are just so damned rigid and stubborn sometimes, not to mention your temper. One of these days, those things are really going to bite you in the a*s. You need to learn to stop taking things so personally and let stuff go. Zyra’s kidnapping wasn’t your fault……you were sixteen and unarmed for Gods’ sake! You did your best to stop those men, and considering you managed to snatch Foster’s wallet, that’s pretty damned good!” she held up her hand when Tia was going to protest, “So Jorgan was an overbearing jerk back on Ord and from what I hear from Val, you gave it right back to him. I’m sure you weren’t the first he treated that way and I’m sure he wasn’t the first to treat you like a rookie. You ever think he might regret that now?”

“Oh, Kat,” Tia sighed, her anger deflating a little, “I can’t help it…..he irritates me and I don’t know why. His attitude on Ord was nothing new, but for some reason it really bothered me and Val’s right….I was a snot to him several times when I thought I could get away with it. I just can’t seem to let it go now.”

“Because you like him,” Kat prodded, “Maybe if you can let go of your stubborn pride, you might just see that underneath that grouchy exterior is a good male that really does care.”

“I don’t know, Kat,” Tia shook her head, “I feel so confused around him lately and this whole mess I’m in isn’t helping. At first I was teasing him to get even and this undercover thing let me treat him like an enemy, and stars, did I ever enjoy kicking his a*s back on Taris. I figured that would get him out of my system, but it didn’t and I found myself thinking of him more….and it annoys me because of how he treated me. When I was dress shopping the day I got here, and the saleswoman asked me who I was dressing up for and I found myself describing Jorgan before I realized it…..not Balkar, the man I was supposed to be targeting, but Jorgan. I don’t want to think of him like that! It’s not fair…..I’m supposed to get in his head and instead…..”

“Instead he’s in yours and you don’t know what to do about that,” Kat finished, smiling at her littermate.

“Yeah,” Tia wrinkled her nose in irritation, “and I want him to think about me…..to be on his mind……drive him crazy. Ugh, why can’t I just get him out of my head……the galaxy is full of available men. Why do I have to be attracted to that one?!”

“I can’t blame you, sis……he’s a bit too uptight for my tastes, but he’s definitely attractive,” Kat nodded, “Not to mention that voice…..”

“Tell me about it,” Tia replied, recalling some of those fantasies from earlier, “but if I survive this mess, he’ll be my CO.”

“Are you telling me you’ve never slept with a superior officer?” Kat narrowed those honey eyes at her sister.

“Oh, I’ve done that,” Tia admitted, “but none of them were my CO……that’s a little different and definitely frowned upon.”

“So, get transferred to another unit…..problem solved. I know for a fact that Balkar wants you for SIS, and you’ve definitely inherited Dad and Uncle Mikhail’s talent for undercover work.”

“Honestly Kat,” Tia shook her head, “I’m not sure I want to do this kind of stuff ever again. I feel out of my league…..I’m a soldier and I like that. I hated being stuck on Taris with Needles, seeing him experiment on those people, torture them and not able to do anything to stop it. Those men’s deaths will haunt me forever. No, Kat…..I want to be in Spec Forces…”

“With him,” Kat concluded.

“Yes, but even if you’re right and he feels bad about Ord and even if I can get past that,” Tia told her, “I’m not sure he’s willing to have a relationship with someone under his command, not to mention Dorne. She definitely seems like the proper little rule abiding trooper.”

“I’d think as long as there was no favoritism being shown, there shouldn’t be an issue…..”

Tia shrugged, “I’m not sure what the actual regs are, and I really don’t want to deal with this crap right now to tell you the truth….I have enough going on between playing spy and this whole mess with Shange's clan. I just want to focus on my mission so I can get back to the Republic. Besides, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about him….besides the obvious attraction, and honestly, it’s pretty difficult to imagine that he thinks me anything more than some stupid rookie after Ord……yeah, yeah, I know……I need to move past that.”

Kat knew full well that Aric had feelings for her sister, but it wasn’t her place to tell Tia that, “Well, just keep an open mind…..you never know.” Then Kat looked around at the carnage, “So, how in the hell did you manage to free yourself anyways? I’m assuming they had you tied up and not wandering around.”

“You remember Oona?”

“Yeah…..Twi’lek girl….a dancer,” Kat nodded, “She got you the job at the cantina. In fact, she’s the one who talked you into dancing to bring in more creds.”

“That’s right……you remember what she used to do to bring in extra tips?”

“Oh, Tia……you didn’t!” Kat laughed, “I thought I smelled a stronger scent on you!”

“I did…..and it worked,” Tia grinned, “Davil came in and thought I was starting my cycle. He offered to help me out with that and first chance I got, he went down.”

“Tell me you didn’t……”

“Jeez, Kat…..no!” Tia snorted, “Believe it or not, it is possible to control yourself on your cycle and put off mating……”

“Yeah right,” Kat shook her head, “What’s the longest you’ve gone before caving in?”

“Four days,” Tia admitted, “but I’m not actually on my cycle right now….”

“Just really h*rny….”

“That I am, sis and stars, I hope it wears off soon.”

“Maybe Jorgan can help you with that,” Kat smirked, unaffected by the glare her littermate gave her, “So, how did you manage to get yourself in that condition……weren’t you tied up?”

“I have a really active imagination.”

“HA! Fifty credits says I know who was starring in those fantasies!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tia lied.

“Uh-huh,” Kat teased, rolling her eyes, “I’m sure you weren’t thinking of all the naughty things you’d like to do to a certain tawny Cathar who’s gotten under your skin.....and I’m the next Miss Galaxy!”

Kat’s Holo going off interrupted Tia’s reply and Jonas’ image appeared, “Haven’t heard from you and…..oh hey, I see you found her.”

“Yes, Jonas,” Tia replied acidly, “I’ve been found…..and guess what, I heard our date was a sham!”

“I’m really sorry about that and I’d be happy to take you to the Opera another night, my dear,” Jonas insisted, “anything you’d like……”

“Not going to happen, Balkar,” Tia shook her head, “I don’t date men that want to kidnap me.”

“Hey, Jorgan’s the one who wanted you extracted,” Jonas defended himself, “I just came up with the idea.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I plan to make sure he regrets that decision,” Tia promised, “So, where is my CO anyways?”

“That’s why I called Kat,” Jonas explained to them both, “I let him and Val know that your tracker was active and that Kat was on her way to your location. That was about forty minutes ago and I haven’t heard from either since. They were almost to the charging station when I’d called them.”

“Dammit,” Tia swore, getting up, “I’m on my way. Keep trying to contact Jorgan, there’s a way to subdue Forex even at full charge. If he’s still connected to or nearby the charging pad, you can send an ion pulse through it and it will temporarily disrupt his shields. I discovered it yesterday and was going to pass on that info on our date since there were too many people around for me to get a message out. I told one of the engineers who I knew would ignore me, but I made sure Forex heard. That is one pissed off droid by the way, after Jorgan tipped him off that he was working for traitors, he was livid….going around calling us traitorous scum. Unfortunately Tavus programmed him to only obey his orders or orders from his people. I’m able to give the command to stop him, but that would definitely tip my hand.”

“You might have to,” Jonas warned, “Otherwise Jorgan and Dorne could be in serious in trouble……along with Val and Corso.”

“They were going in too?” Kat asked.

“I think they intended to assist once Val was finished with her business.”

“I’ll get there as fast as I can,” Tia called out as she strapped a blaster to her thigh, “Hopefully Forex remembered what I told that engineer….”

“You’re going into Shadow Town dressed like that?!” Jonas choked.

“Hey, I like this dress!”

“I do too, sis,” Kat nodded, “Nice color choice…..and cute sandles.”

“It’s quite lovely,” Jonas conceded, “but not exactly blaster proof.”

“I dropped that first guy about an hour ago dressed as I am now with my hands bound…..don’t underestimate what I can do. Besides, I know a back way in and they think I’m Imperial anyways, so I shouldn’t run into trouble,” Tia shrugged, grabbing her pilfered rifle and turning on the shield generator before heading for the door, “I promise, I’ll be careful……just keep trying to make contact.”

“Watch it getting out of here, sis,” Kat called out, “I cleared out the building and we’re not too far from the taxi station, but there are some Exchange members around.

“Thanks, sis,” Tia nodded, “Let me know what you find out from the files.”

“Good luck!”

“You’d do better saying that to Jorgan,” Tia retorted as she left.

Kat turned back to Jonas, “Just so you know, I have Mako gathering all the data and video feeds from this warehouse. Once she’s done transmitting it to my ship, I’m blowing the security office and main computer station. The building will remain intact and it shouldn't draw too much attention, but I wanted you to be aware.”

“Send it to me when you get the chance and I’ll look into it as well,” Jonas told her, “and try to get a safe distance away this time.”

“You bet I will,” Kat rolled her eyes.

“So, Tia seems a little pissed about that whole plan to extract her,” Jonas raised a brow, “What do you think she’s going to do to Jorgan after they deal with Forex?”

“Hard to tell,” Kat replied, a grin spreading across her face as she recalled the condition her sister was in, “but it’ll definitely be interesting.”

For those that are new to the forums, Tia is a Trooper that went along with Tavus and is working behind enemy lines to bring the Havoc traitors down. You can read about that here.

The Cathar Mating Cycle is something I made up. I introduced and explained it in this story.

I've decided to give Kat, Tia, Val and company their own story thread which can be found here. They will still appear here but it will be more prompt related and I will continue the story here at least until I get them through Nar Shaddaa or get their story thread up to their current point.....whichever happens first.

@YoshiRaphElan I like Overthrowing the Tyrants. I wish companion missions were really like this. I can imagine Jorgan dressed as a smuggler here. In Let It Go, I don’t know why but I sense Gareb turning to the dark side. He seemed to enjoy smashing those troopers a little too much. I’m not sure if Gareb and Jasin show up later in your writing but I’m interested to see how they turned out.

@TrystanLaryssa It was a nice bit of back and forth between Nakova and Quinn. How she plays him like a fiddle! That is not going to help his OCD.

@SifaSeven I never really listened to what the companions say too often so now I need to play my sniper again and listen for it. That is a great explanation of how she picked it up. Of course she got it from Mandalorians.

@frauzet Your characters must really hate Ord Mantell. I loved how in part XVI you used most of the dialogue in the game for the actual dialogue but you translated his emotions really well. The grief afterward in part XVII and trying to piece together why was great. The purpose of Io was well explored and I hope she doesn’t die, I don’t know why but I hope she doesn’t.

@icecreampants Karma came on swift wings for Delgrin and Temple. I knew that Lutra was out to get them I just didn’t know she was the BH. The banter between the companions was enjoyable. I just wonder how Delgrin is going to get out of this.

@marissalf I’m not a very big Kaliyo fan either so reading Mel’s story brought a smile to my face.

“Sorry, Aunt K. Nothing personal.”

@DarthSillyMonkey I love this line:

Sith have a bad tendency to believe they can force their control on all they touch, just as the Jedi would believe they could study it without consequence. Between them, they would doom us all, each believing they could be its master. It would, in fact, be quite the opposite.

It is so true. This is why lots of bad things happen in the Star Wars universe. Some Force Sensitive finds something shiny and next thing you know the galaxy is upside down because they want to take it over. Quest for knowledge is a dangerous one. This is very well written and a great read.

@sthrift Apparently lots of people hate Ord Mantel. This piece brought me back. Sitting in fighting holes and juggling what I want to carry in pack for want versus need. They should just be happy it’s not raining. THAT would be a bad day. I sense there is another piece in store. If there is I can’t wait for it.

@alaurin I began reading Hell Hath No Fury and I quickly realized I should have followed those links to know what happened before this. I felt like I was watching a soap opera or Shakespeare (in a good way). It was really dramatic. I can feel Tia’s anger rising as she held Ekaterina at gunpoint. Then referencing back to the dancing days, that made me smile. I’m just surprised it took her that long not to shoot her. Poor Tia. So many emotions, so overwhelming. I feel sorry for her. Now I need to go back and read those stories.

The Lucky Coin. A popular club on Nar Shaddaa, it featured two stories where the rich and famous lounged on the top though the less classy patrons still managed to enjoy the excellent service of the staff. Such staff included sexy waitresses, scantily clad dancers, talented bartenders, and an army of bouncers and security. This was also the main stage of the famous D and J, the cyborg musicians. With a heap ton of credits, the owner managed to open hole through the second floor and roof to offer and unaltered, unmolested, clear view of the sky and space above them.

Today the planet the Smuggler’s Moon orbited, Nal Hutta, was in the sky. Homeworld of the Hutts, it is every bit as disgusting as them but in the sky it was green glorious jewel in the sky, like its name in Huttese suggests. Though it wasn’t at its fullest the club was still vibrant with energy. The multicolored lights danced with those on the club floor for the Disc Jockeys played a particularly rhythmic tune. The noise was sufficient enough so that private business, most of it illegal, can be conducted away from prying eyes and inquisitive ears.

A stranger walked into the club and took a seat at the bar. The bartender looked to the stranger only to see that their face was hidden by the shadow of their hood. “Can I get you anything?” he asked.

With a gloved hand they dismissed him so he can conduct other business. The mysterious stranger simply sat to themselves, waiting for something but unsure as to what yet. Pale blue eyes under the hood peered around the bar. Though there were all sorts of interesting being to be seen in the club, one caught their attention. In a lit corner was a girl. She sat all by herself, eyes closed, two fingers waving around as if she were conducting music. What caught mysterious stranger’s attention were two things. One, the girl was a cyborg, evident from the metal showing around her eye sockets going down in front of her ears and a little along her jaw line. She also had possessed a metal antenna next to her right ear. The second curious thing about the girl was that she was pretty young to be in a club like this. She couldn’t be more than 18 years old. How did she get in here?

A frown appeared on the girl’s face as if she realized something unexpected. Her hands weaved a little bit slower as she seemed to be coming to some sort of conclusion then when she seemed to have reached it she had a big smile and opened her eyes. They were staring right back at the stranger. The stranger looked away as casually as they can. The mysterious stranger was used to being a ghost. While the being excelled at concealing most everything, including their emotions, they couldn’t help but feel unnerved. Then out of the corner of their eye the stranger saw movement. The cyborg was coming toward them. They displayed no reaction as the movement stop.

“Excuse me,” a melodic voice said on her right, “I have a question for you.”

The hood turned so it faced the cyborg. Now closer they could see her in more detail. She was a skinny girl clad in a chocolate brown jumpsuit. Her pockets seemed to have several interesting tools and parts placed in them. On her right hip was a modified heavy blaster pistol. No one in Hutt Space wanted to be without a weapon after all. Her bleach blonde hair was held back with a ponytail though a few strands managed to escape it. Her pleasant but slightly off-putting smile was overshadowed by her inquisitive light grey eyes.

“What is it you want to know?” the feminine voice of the mysterious stranger replied back.

“Why were you staring at me?” the cyborg asked, “I usually get strange glances and the like but you stared at me for 3.7 seconds longer than most cared to. Why?”

This question caught the stranger off guard. “Well, to be honest, I was wondering why a young girl was doing in a club like this, miss…,” she said, letting the statement hang to be answered.

The cyborg took the seat next to the stranger at the bar, elbow on the table, before she said, “As for your first question, which will lead into your second question, I don’t really have anywhere to go. I have heard and seen that cantinas and clubs were popular places to get a job which I need. Or a friend. I could also use a friend too. Or both, a job where I can make friends. That would be nice. Getting in was the easy part. The only rules on Nar Shaddaa is the one the owners make. Otherwise they don’t care. Especially if you somehow managed to make it on the VIP list.”

She said the last part with a winning smile and a wink. Then her face became much more serious. “As for the answer for the second question, that depends on several things. I can’t identify you. This is a big deal because I can at least get a name, birthday, species, and gender on everyone in this cantina right now except you. Plus you just give off the vibe of not wanting to be known and an overall mysterious stranger. This makes me think that you aren’t here for pleasure but for work and who you work for is an intelligence organization, most likely Empire or Republic but third parties do exist. Now my question for you is this,” the cyborg said, “Are you looking for me? Because I’m not going to some lab to be experimented on. I’m more trouble than it’s worth. I’m not even aware of the limits of my abilities. So answer the question. Are you looking for me?”

The mysterious stranger was stunned. They cyborg spoke with incredible speed and she can tell that she liked to talk a lot. It was hard to follow the first part of her speech but when the cyborg became serious things were made perfectly clear. Her question was slightly confusing. Was she some sort of escaped lab experiment? Was someone looking for her? She mentioned she was more trouble than she was worth so did that mean someone tried already? The stranger had to answer the question to get more answers. “Not specifically,” she said, “I’m looking for individuals, qualified individuals, to work for me.”

“A job you say?” the girl said, the lights on her eye socket implants glowing a little brighter with her excitement, “What kind of job? Fixing things? Flying? Spying? Advent…”

“It’s not just ‘a’ job,” the stranger interrupted, “It’s an employment, with a contract. The work is dangerous but the pay is good. You will meet new people, some strange, some familiar, others questionable, but all are good people and willing to get the job done.”

The cyborg had her chin placed on her hand and her brow furrowed as she listened to the stranger’s offer. “Are you tricking me into slavery?” she asked.

“No slavery, not indentured servitude either,” the stranger assured, “There is a contract but that is mainly to deal with pay and so that you understand what you are getting into. We can negotiate the pay but you must understand that the jobs you will be sent on are extremely dangerous. You will get hurt, you may even die.”

The stranger can see that the girl was thinking about it. She could almost hear gears turning in her head. Her eyes were defocused as if she were looking at something right in front of her. Her metallic grey eyes then refocused on the indigo cloaked stranger as she made up her mind. “What is your name?” she asked.

“My name is…Krystal,” the stranger answered with some hesitance.

“Well Krystal, from what I gather you aren’t trying to take me away to slavery or be experimented on more than I already have been. I have heard of a woman name Krystal hiring individuals so I know that your offer is genuine. I am extremely interested in your job but I feel I need to share a few things before we continue,” she took a deep breath before she continued, “I don’t actually know my name. Or where I’m from. The first thing I remember is waking up here on Nar Shaddaa. Everyone calls me Walkie Talkie because of my antenna and I have been told that I talk. A lot. Most people find it annoying. I am one of the best slicers you will ever meet. Ever. If you want references or proof, getting in on the VIP list is one of them. I am also a very proficient pilot, completing all 39 missions I flew in with minimal damage to spacecraft. I have piloted freighters and fighters. I am also a very good mechan…”

“I don’t need a whole list of achievements,” Krystal cut her off, “I want to know if you are willing to work with complete strangers to see the mission through and make sure everyone gets out alive. Can they count on you? Can I count on you?”

The young girl known as Walkie Talkie took less than a minute before she said, “You can count on me but I want three things. One, credits obviously. Everyone needs money. Two, a place to stay. I currently have nowhere to go. Three and last, I want a friend. I have worked with others before but…no one ever wants to be my friend. I talk too much and it tends to annoy people. Can you make that happen?”

A smug smile was hidden under the shadow of the indigo hood. “I can arrange that,” Krystal said.

Ketturah’s eyes snapped open. Above her, she could just catch a glimpse of Nar Shaddaa’s smog-laden sky. That, and the haggard face of an Evocci standing over her. “What’s this?” it said in Huttese.

Ketturah swung her blaster pistol up to point at its face. “Just leave quietly,” she said in the same language. The Evocci wasted no time, scrambling backward and practically running out of the alley. Ketturah sat up, lowering the pistol as she did so. The Evocci hadn’t looked like it meant any harm, but she was smart enough to know that that didn’t mean a bloody thing.

Brushing aside the sheets of flimsiplast and assorted junk she had covered herself with, she looked around. The alley was small and filled with litter, like most in the district, but it had been the best place to crash last night.

Her stomach groweled. Shoving her blaster back into its holster- at least Ronin had given her something besides a criminal record- she fished in her belt pouch for the dried fruit she had stolen last night. She chewed meditatively as she stretched her cold-stiffened muscles.

It was probably time to move on. The store owners and such would start to recognize her soon. Well, guess she knew what she was doing today. Taxi fare was expensive, but Nar Shaddaa was big enough that she could keep hopping to different districts indefinitely.

Shaking out her ponytail, she combed a few of the tangles with her fingers and tied it back again. She zipped up her jacket, pulled on her small backpack, and headed off in search of some money.

Mallena resolutely shoved another pin into her bun and winced as two more strands of pale blond hair tumbled around her face. Military regulations dictated that all her hair had to be out of the way, but she would hear it from the non-com if she was late for patrol. She tucked the rogue locks behind her ears and hopped no one would notice.

Outside, Dantooine was overcast, but not particularly cold. A slight breeze rippled across the grass as she hurried to meet her patrolmates. They waited next to the gate. Today, she patrolled with Isatiel, a Zabrak sergeant with killer aim and a fowl mouth, and Tor, another private whose easygoing nature was appreciated in the barracks even more than his strength was in training exercises.

It felt like longer than three months, Mallena reflected as she nodded her hello and followed the other two out the gate. Certainly it had been longer than that since she had signed the papers, said goodbye to her family, and climbed onto the shuttle as a Rebublic Army recruit? Now basic training was behind her, and she was at her first posting.

Despite having lived on or near military bases for most of her life, she had underestimated how hard the life of a soldier would be. Still, she thought she was starting to get her feet under her. And she was better off than a lot of girls her age: at eighteen she had a steady job, earning decent wages, with valuable life skills and the possibility for advancement.

They passed the last guard line and Mallena shoved her analysis away. It was time to be alert now.

Ketturah walked down the street. It was normal working hours for most beings in this district, so the streets were pretty empty. Those who were around looked either too poor to be worth stealing from or too well-armed or watchful to try. Besides, outright robbery was further than she was willing to go unless she was desperate, and she knew from experience that she didn’t have the subtlety or light fingers of a pickpocket.

A public holonet terminal caught her eye and she wandered over to it, more to pass the time anything else. She pulled up a news site and scrolled through a few pages of articles. It looked like there had been a break in at the Exchange base in the next distract over. Well, she would have to avoid that one. The place would be crawling with

thugs.

She clicked to the next article and nearly cried out in shock. Staring back at her from the screen was a picture of the Evocci who had startled her awake this morning. Apparently he had stolen 10,000 credits from a local gang lord, and he was offering half of that to get them back.

Wheels started turning in Ketturah’s head. She could certainly use 5,000 credits. She didn’t think she had actually had that much money at one time in her life before. And she was probably the last person to see the Evocci, whose name was apparently Meruki. He hadn’t seemed like much of a threat.

Signing off the terminal, she began retracing her steps towards the alley she had slept in the night before.

Isatiel led them along at a brisk clip. Though this part of Dantooine was usually peaceful, pirates or raiders did occasionally cause problems. Therefore, the commander of the outpost sent out regular manned patrols in addition to the regular droid surveillance.

Apart from occasional comments, the party kept quiet. Mellena focused on avoiding getting lulled by the landscape. It was easy to do, but she knew that it could spell death if dangerous creatures or other marauders were around.

A wisp of smoke caught her eye as they rounded a corner. “What’s that?” she said aloud, pointing.

“Something’s burning,” said Tor.

“Fierfek,” said Isatieal. “That looks like one of the farms over by the river.” She pulled out her com. “Base, we’re seeing a suspicious column of smoke, north-northwest of our present location. Want us to check it out?” She paused for a response, then hooked the com back on her belt. “Let’s go.”

The patrol took off at a jog. Mallena thought it was likely to be just a small brushfire or the like, but it was always best to be certain. Even if no hostile forces were involved, fire could still spread fast on the dry prairies. She hoped no one was hurt.

@kabeone, I briefly considered saying something like "Gareb felt like breaking into song." I decided against it.

@bright_ephemera, thanks, glad you enjoyed the pieces.

@alaurin, thanks and you need to see Frozen ASAP. Interesting turn...they have a cousin. Can't wait to see how things turn out with M1-4X.

@LaxKnight, I have only written about three other short pieces with Gareb, but Jasin has lots and lots if you want to check the Index in alaurin's signature. Gareb's not on the dark side; he wasn't happy about killing the Imperials but about using a power he'd had to bundle up since he was a child.

@Mirdthestrill, fire on dry prairies, oh no!

@Marrisalf: HA! SUCK IT KALIYO! Ok, so, I could totally see Mel and the smug look on her face. That was awesome. I also love the use of 'Mom' in this story. As always, loving me some Mel stuffs!

@Frauzet: Man, poor Nik. He got used (maybe, I get the feeling there's more than meets the eye), but he still has a thing for her... I think. Loved how he was analyzing stuff there to get to his conclusion. His mind going a mile a minute after the gut punch he took at the hideout. Gimme more Nik/Thorns!

@Sthrift: MRE COFFEE! WHOO HOO!! Delicious... if you're a roach. The description of the coffee reminded me of the deserts you'd get out of those things. Those dried out brownies that tasted like raw cocoa flavored cardboard. Only good thing was one of our guys got a pkg of Halloween M&M's in his. It's the stuff like that, that you put in your stories, which really make them "pop" for me. You can really just feel the "joy" of the last watch, and everyone rising just before stand to because they were tuned to it. Great stuff

@Yoshi: Early Jasin! Loved the use of those lyrics. Very Jedi like. Haven't seen Frozen, but I like it already. Jasin's excitement at the prospect of being a Jedi reminded me of the first time I saw Star Wars as a kid, and how awesome it would've been to be a Jedi.

@Alaurin: Nice battle scene there! And that little heart to heart between sisters was a nice touch. Dare I hope that she punches Jorgan in the nose again?

@LaxKnight: I like Walkie, she presents an interesting character. One who has more ability and smarts than wisdom, and manages to run into trouble more often than not. Those make for great companion characters to drive a story. I look forward to seeing who else Krystal picks up, and how they all mesh with Walkie.

@Mirdthestrill: Something tells me that that Evoci may be a bit more than he seems. I do love me a good BH story, and this is a good set up! The Trooper's have me interested as well. Burning Farms on patrol usually mean something more than the cow kicking over the lantern.

@Kabeone Nice turning of the prompt. You answered the question nicely for both Kira and Scourge.

@YoshiRalphElan In all honesty, I haven't heard very good things about Jorgan, but your bit with him delivering goods to the rebels is making me want to meet him.

@Marissalf: I'm not familiar with your characters and their relationship, but the lines "We had a deal!" "She had a better one" made me grin.

Frauzet: "Hating Ord Mantell XVI". Ow. Nikeo's self-recrimination is really painful, but I can understand his need to know WHY. And nice that Giz and Corso gave him some backup. Outvoted, two to one.

XVII: Nik's day just gets better and better, doesn't it?

IceCream Pants: Cliffhanger! Interesting to see Lutrin and Delgrin trying to doublecross one another. And ouch, poor Temple. Gault being Gault, though: “Okay, I get it, not a fan of my excellent situational comedy. See if I invite you to see me perform when I make it big." Ha. Can't wait to see how this ends up.

marisalf: Mako/Gault banter, LOL. Aw...the crew calls Kinka 'Mom' because Mel does. Honestly, I think Kaliyo had that coming. Being humiliated by a 15-year-old...“Sorry, Aunt K. Nothing personal." I have a love/hate relationship with Kaliyo, so...

DarthSillyMonkey: Nice reasoning on Fen'rys not wanting other people involved. I can see Talos mucking around with it and getting himself into heaploads of trouble (and it doesn't surprise me that Lokin knows him. I <3 Talos). Temple's blind devotion can be as much of a liability as it is a strength. And SCORPIO creeps me out more than Kaliyo does...psychopathic droid.

sthrift: Coming from a military family (and nearly got into the military myself...except I blew my knee out in ROTC and that ended that), I appreciate the realistic touches in your descriptions. 'Ratpacks', 'stand to' and 'First Shirt'. And I love Vos's convo with Vic Tanno. "Elara is prettier than you." LOL. Elara is a medic first and foremost...nice unspoken argument between hubs and wife, there. And that last sentence sums up their situation quite nicely. Awesome story.

Yoshi: Frozen! My kids love that movie! Great glimpse of Jasin and Gareb before the class stories (and Methic, though he isn't really in this scene). Becoming Jedi, for the memory of their fallen planet...

alaurin: I agree with Kat about Jorgan's voice (*swoon*) and her teasing her littermate about him was hilarious. Poor Tia. Seriously, Dorne and Jorgan are in big trouble with Forex...hope Kat gets that droid straightened out.

LaxKnight: Walkie-Talkie...yeah the nickname fits her! I can't wait to see where this is going.

Mirdthestrill: Love the mirroring between the two characters. And yeah...brushfire on a dry prairie is not. good.

Yeah, Kezz is pretty sneaky about how he handles Kailyo. He sees her as an asset, but also as a live bomb that needs careful handling. I have two IAs in the same legacy. Kezz (Chiss) is the operative and Kymma (Human) is the sniper. Kezz gets along with Kaliyo pretty well, but Kymma doesn't, especially after the cr*p Kaliyo tried to pull on Nar Shadaa with her Twi'lek friend.

Kezz's story follows the IA story line (pretty much). Kymma's is changed a little. In this universe, Kaliyo first met Kymma on Hutta, bailed when it was obvious they didn't get along, then met up and joined Kezz. Kaliyo DOESN'T yet know that the two agents even know each other, much less their connection. So Kaliyo is in for a rude surprise sometime int the near future!

"I understand Corso, take your time." The newly minted Catharette watched the long time crew member disappear toward the airlock. Her blue eyes watching as the man she'd known since that time on Ord Mantell, went to determine his path, and the future of her heart.

Corso exited the ship and wandered toward the spaceside air shield and gazed to the stars beyond. There were times he thought he knew what he wanted, areas of life he trusted to be stable, issues that he thought would be stable. But his wife just decided to change that on him, everything he had known before now seemed moot. To him species was something you couldn't change, and yet, it was proven to him that if one desired to, a change of species was within the realm of possibility now. He was a bit of a xenophobe admittedly, even after all the time he'd spent with the Captain, being around others for the most part he hid it very well. This time though it was too much, His wife had after all taken the calamari with her most of the time since Hoth, and he felt slighted by the lack of consultation before Xynri had went with her seemingly whimsical idea. A change from practically human to a cat-based humanoid was pushing his tolerance sensors a bit far. He was a country man at heart, and things generally stayed the same when born; but now since he came to the more civilized and modern life, technology had exceeded the bounds of the standards of his galactic view, and things were so complex now as to threaten to impede upon his standards. The Mantellian got up and wandered toward the station's target practice range, still thinking about his situation.

Xynri's tail belied her thoughts, curling and un curling as she sat thinking to herself, frowning slightly, she had no idea what to do or where to go from here. She looked up at the nearby female members of her crew, "I think I need some exercise." She needed to do something, not just sit around and mope.

Risha nodded decisively and elbowed the Mandolorian beside her, "Captain, we should go on an outing, don't you agree Spar?" The princess was not too enamored with the Zabrakian warrior, but she respected the alien's strength.

The latter female of the crew tilted her head to look at the ship's engineer and thought on the spoken words. "Yes, an outing would do some good." The stoic woman admitted rather icily.

"Then let's go."

Corso returned to the ship his mind made up. Quietly, he crept aboard, glad that C2 was not in his usual place at the airlock so he could move to his bunk space and sorted his stuff so that he only took with him what was necessary to get back home. He never noticed that Spar came into the bunk room, pausing to briefly look at him, but saying nothing as she quietly left the room with Corso unaware.

A while later, having sorted out and leaving most of his personal armory to the Captain and stowing as much as he was able to carry in his one knapsack. The Mantellian native took a last look back at the ship he'd been on for years and took a deep breath before stepping out of the hangar alone and on his own. He took out his datapad and started a message to the captain. "Hey Captain, I've decided to leave your service... And divorce you..."

Xynri stood still in her quarters, listening to the playback of Corso's message. "...I just can't handle your species' change Captain, I'm sorry. This is goodbye, you have a fine crew to help you and its been fun." The words became background noise as Xynri squeezed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to stem the tears that were starting to spill out.

A while later, the tears subsided, but the emptiness remained. The catharette looked at the ring left on the desk in her room and frowned. Foricing herself to walk out the door, but with a near mechanical motion she made the short journey to the bridge, not daring to look at the now vacant spot where Corso had always kept watch for her. "Fleet Control, this is Captain Hawklyn of the ship Black Horizon, Blue Verticon requesting clearance to leave station."

"Black Horizon, Blue Verticon, you are free to go."

With near instinctual practice, Xynri eased the ship out of the docking bay and once she was clear of the station, plotted a course for Makeb. Mindful of the questions her crew had about leaving Corso behind, she intercommed the ship. "No, Corso isn't on board, and nor will he be back again." She tersely cut off the mic as emotions threatened to overcome her countenance again, knowing that at Makeb, she would have to explain the situation.

Having arrived at the orbital station orbiting Makeb, she summarized the situation for the crew and then looked at the assassin droid she'd acquired from Belsavus, "HK, you will accompany me on Makeb. There are," she paused, licking her fangs before finishing the statement, "Meatbags needing to be exonerated."

"At once, Master."

"Bowie, keep the ship prepped for flybys. HK and I are going surface-side."

The Catharette and droid team reigned carnage accross the surface, in one of the moments where they'd stopped to recharge, Xynri recieved a startling observation from HK.

"Master, I am not wired for emotion, however I am compelled to state that you have an edge in total damage output over me." The assassin droid stated as Xynri chugged down some water...

"Hey! what ar-AH!" A fireball exploded in the midst of mercenaries.

"Duty isn't all baby rattles and churchbells you know!" The Catharette snarled to the dead and burning corpses as she took all the items of worth from them that she could find.

"Nor is just standing around and looking pretty!" A heavily fortified enemy replied as he charged the duo, having overheard the captain's outburst. A few well placed shots and life reducers brought the living fortification to the ground in short order.

Soon it was night time, and fires raged in the Regulator camps on this particular mesa. It was reflected in the Captain's blue eyes as she looked over the landscape that burned. Yet all the carnage that Xynri caused could not asuage the pain in her heart, finding out the Corso was xenophobic and then losing him. It was excruciatingly difficult to let it out, even as violence.

@LaxKnight: What a fun, quirky character you've taken on.....and I love the name! As for Tia and Kat, yes, their lives have taken a dramatic turn since arriving on Nar Shaddaa and Tia has so much going on that she's rapidly reaching breaking point. It was really a difficult piece for me to write since there were so many emotions I was trying to get across......I'm glad you liked it!

@Mirdthestrill: I'm really liking these two characters and how you're showing their lives progressing in that parallel format. I look forward to seeing more!

@Yoshi: I'll probably have to wait to see Frozen until DVD.....my daughter isn't ready to handle a movie theater yet. I'm glad you liked their surprise cousin and I have some interesting plans for M1-FX down the road.

@striges: Thanks! I'm glad you like the details and family stuff. I should take a picture of the family trees I have sketched in my notebook....I tend to be fanatical with those kinds of details.

@DarthSillyMonkey: Glad you liked the action stuff. I really get nervous writing action scenes because I just don't think I'm good at them and it's good to hear that I'm doing ok. As for Jorgan getting punched.......let's just say their confrontation is going to be very interesting.....

@SifaSeven: Yeah, that voice is so very nice......it gets a little confusing when I watch Psych episodes though. As for Dorne, Jorgan, and Forex......well, let's just say that Jorgan should be more concerned about what's going to happen when Tia gets ahold of him.

@Zethrodek: That was a rough situation for both Xynri and Corso. It's really sad that he just left her like that, but I can feel his pain as well and I can't imagine what it would be like to have your spouse make such a life altering decision without a word or thought.

He entered the foyer to the ballroom, his brown eyes spotting her almost immediately, a vision in dual shades of green. Her back was to him, a delicate hand peeking out of a long sleeve, resting on the curve of her slender hip, but he’d know her anywhere. Ever since their first kiss on Belsavis, he could easily sense her presence in any crowd. As Felix approached, he saw that her beautiful gown wasn’t as conservative as he’d initially thought. He swallowed hard, realizing that paler shade was really her golden brown skin showing through a silky sheer material dotted with brocade lace that made up a good portion of the floor length gown molded to her lithe body. In fact, the only opaque material was the solid brocade strip that ran along her back, just wide enough to prevent anything scandalous from showing through, and the train that fanned out just below her waist to trail behind her. The stoic soldier adjusted his uncomfortable collar, wondering how he was going to make it through the evening dancing with the stunning young woman, guiding her around as she mingled, without giving into the sudden, strong urge he had to carry her back to his room.

Felix wasn’t thrilled about going to this ball, but couldn’t refuse when Lissa asked him to escort her. A man of action, he preferred being on the battlefield than mingling at a society function. At least I’ll be in good company, he thought, Aric looked even more uncomfortable than I did. Lissa’s older sister, Mallay would also be attending with her husband. Apparently General Garza felt the military should be represented at the function and as the CO of Havoc, Mallay was a good choice. He found himself a lot more keen on attending now, however, he hoped they didn’t have to stay for the whole evening.

Lissa didn’t like attending large society affairs like the one she was at this evening, but Grand Master Shan thought it was important for the Jedi to be represented at the ball celebrating the Republic’s victory over the Empire and who better than the Barsen’thor of the Order. So instead of spending time with her family on Dantooine, the quiet Jedi found herself in the capital of the Republic, waiting to enter a ballroom filled with people, wishing it was her twin here instead. Ros loved parties and people…..at least she used to. Sadly, her twin had changed after the Emperor held her mind captive for weeks. Her exuberant twin was more subdued now. She still was the same loving, caring sister, but some of that spark had gone out and her once fun loving, prank pulling twin was now quieter, more serious, but maybe not much longer. Lissa smiled as she recalled the Life Day celebration back at her mother’s house last month, Sergeant Rusk managed to find a way to bring some of that spark back to Ros.

She sighed as she gathered her strength and focus, not looking forward to this evening. It wasn’t that Lissa didn’t like people, she valued all life, but she was a private person, preferring simple, quiet celebrations with her family and friends over large affairs like this. Large crowds meant many different emotions coming at her from every direction and being a strong empath, she would have to spend a lot of energy shielding herself from the onslaught when she’d rather save that energy for other things.

She felt her body heat up a little at the direction her thoughts were taking and a feint blush kissed her cheeks when she wondered what her date would think of the dress Bella and Risha helped her pick out. If it was anything like Aric’s reaction to Mallay’s gown, she was in for a very pleasant evening once her and Felix left the ball. A shy smile crossed her full lips as she felt his presence approaching, oh my, she mused, catching his thoughts, I think I’d liked to be carried off like that. She slowly turned to him, his comforting presence a welcome distraction from the various emotions trickling through the shield she’d put up in her mind. Since their first kiss, she found herself naturally searching the Force for his presence, seeking out his quiet strength. Their minds tuned to each other and Lissa was thankful he was here with her, even if the passion radiating from him was going to prove hard to resist, not that she wanted to, but Lissa was certain that Grand Master Shan wouldn’t be happy if her Jedi representative was caught making out in the coat closet with her escort.

“We’ll just have to be discrete,” Felix whispered in her ear, a broad smile crossing his handsome face as he caught that last thought, “maybe instead of heading for the coat closet, we can take a moonlit stroll in the gardens.”

“I like that idea,” Lissa replied softly, her silver eyes molten with the thoughts of kissing him under the stars.

“So, where’s your sister and Aric?” Felix asked, noticing their absence.

“Apparently the sight of Mallay in a backless gown proved too much for Aric to resist,” Lissa smiled, “So they’re going to be fashionably late……by quite a bit.”

“I see,” he replied, understanding how the Cathar felt as he held out his arm for her to take, “Ready?”

“I am now that you’re here.”

Jasin paced up and down the corridors of the Defender, troubled. He pulled his lightsaber from his belt, troubled, and spun the hilt through his fingers absently. He didn't know what was bothering him, but...it was something big. He sensed that much.

The ship was abandoned; Doc was off at some medical convention, T7 was getting an upgrade, Rusk was on vacation, and Kira was having a girls' night with Nadia. That left only Scourge. Jasin didn't particularly want to confide in the Sith Warrior, but he really didn't have much of a choice at this point. He went to the training room, where Scourge stood on the mat, going through his lightsaber drills.

He must've sensed Jasin enter, because he put his saber away. "You wish to speak with me, Jedi?"

"Something's wrong, Scourge," Jasin said. "I sense it. A pall hangs over this ship, like...like a dark cloud."

Scourge nodded. "I sense it too." He gritted his teeth. "Something important is about to happen. And its aftereffects will be felt heavily on this ship."

Jasin pursed his lips and hissed, "I don't think we're alone here."

* * *

He awoke.

He groaned in pain. Awakening was like a fresh wave of pain. Odd, because it was the first time he'd felt pain in his life. He wasn't even sure who he was. He stood off his bed and looked around the dark room. Sitting on a side table near the bed was a gleaming silver cylinder. He picked it up and instinctively found the button three-fourths of the way up the cylinder. He pressed the button, and a red beam cast across the room.

"Who am I?" he wondered. He swept the blade side to side. "Where am I? Why do I exist...?"

* * *

Jasin gasped as something fiery ignited in his head. He dropped to his knees; Scourge was at his side in an instant, pulling him into a standing position. Jasin's lightsaber slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor, and the blade somehow ignited, cyan light filling the room.

"What's wrong?" Scourge asked.

"It's...aware," he managed. "The...dark presence has become aware of itself..."

"What is it, then? Where is it?"

"I don't know...but I think we need to find it." He looked around. "Because somehow, it's tied to us."

Blast doors blocked access to the bridge. Varrel concentrated and pushed. Heavy motors growled in protest but were no match for the Force. Not with so many recent dead keening a lament only he and Jaesa could hear. The hatch parted for him, revealing the ship’s nerve center. Imperial marines, the officers’ last line of defense, trained their weapons on the intruders. Anxiety scented the air, a different perfume from the Republic invaders Varrel carved through on his way here.

These were not his goal, nor his enemies. Lightsaber still humming, he made himself relax to neutral position. He’d not lower his guard entirely, not yet. “Your ship is secure,” Varrel said, “I believe your marines can handle the rest of the cleanup.”

A figure at the head of the vast space turned from the viewscreens to the new arrivals at the rear. “Oh, bravo, bravo. I’m so pleased you were here to rescue us.”

His uniform and insignia made him a Moff. Moff Masken. Quinn and his voluminous reports. Masken’s words were polite but the emotions rolling off him were anything but. “Where is Admiral Monk?” Varrel asked.

“Admiral Monk?” Moff Masken marched down the steps to the main floor. A handful of officers fell in behind him, the rest of the bridge crew remained at their stations, “Admiral Monk departed for Quesh in a shuttle. You only just missed him. Pity that.”

Varrel shifted his feet, no longer quite neutral. This was not the situation he expected to find. “Have a care, Moff Masken.”

Masken advanced closer, “You know my name. I’m flattered,” he said. Hostility spiked, “You think I don’t know what’s going on? Who you are? You’re Darth Baras’ apprentice.”

“That’s hardly a secret,” Varrel countered.

“No, it isn’t,” Masken snapped. He glared at Varrel, “but this mission was. No one knew. This is Darth Vengean’s flagship! Our mission was secret! But I drop out of hyper into an ambush! Your Admiral Monk was waiting for me!” He crossed his arms over his chest, “And then you conveniently show up to rescue me. Oh, I know what’s going on here. I know exactly what’s going on here.”

Warning pr*ckled all along Varrel’s spine. He knew where Masken headed with his conclusions. “Moff--” he began.

But Masken would not be deterred, “This is another Sith power play. Everyone knows your master and Darth Vengean are rivals. Darth Baras would stop at nothing to discredit him.”

True enough. But this was neither the time nor place and especially not the audience in which to discuss it. Varrel spun his right saber, letting its buzzing hum serve as threat, “Remember your place, Moff Masken,” he said.

“My place? My place is to defend the Empire!” Masken objected. He closed the distance to Varrel but remained safely behind his marines, “From all her enemies! And who are they, hmm? Darth Vengean tasked us with Admiral Monk’s destruction. Baras gave our position to the enemy so as to discredit Vengean while sending his own apprentice to rescue us from the very situation he created!”

Varrel went to guard without thinking, “You will stand silent,” he ordered. He would not. Varrel knew he would not. His flashes of insight were erratic but always true. Masken’s hatred, years of frustration, flared bright. Pure clear alcohol flame. Varrel felt the heat catching banked embers alight. Fuel to the fire. Events burned to their inevitable fiery conclusion.

One one level, he relished it.

Just once, he wished he were wrong.

Masken flushed with fury, “Time and again, you Sith sacrifice military lives--our lives--for your own petty games. I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of Sith interfering in military operations. I’ve especially had enough of being yanked about and toyed with for your amusement and personal gain--”

Varrel’s right saber flashed. Described an arc across the space before returning to his hand. Moff Masken fell behind the corpses of two marines. No blood. These sabers burned clean. Their spirits joined the pleurant chorus. To remain or move on as they chose.

The rest of the crew stood stunned. Maintain order. Varrel fixed a younger man with a stare, “Admiral Siar, you will destroy what remains of the Republic force before returning to the Imperial Fleet to await further orders,” he said.

His target blinked at the field promotion, “Adm...Y-yes, my lord,” he swallowed once, “And Admiral Monk?”

“I will pursue him,” Varrel said, “he is no longer your concern.”

“Yes, my lord,” the newly-minted Admiral Siar said with a salute.

Varrel turned on his heel and retreated to the lift. Jaesa fluttered in behind him. Shouted orders echoed in their wake. The doors slid shut, blocking out the cacophony. Alone, she gushed, “Such a show of force--” her voice cut off with a strangled cry. Her pale hands flew to her throat.

“Moff Masken was a more than competent officer. He deserved his command and executed it well,” Varrel stared at the closed lift doors, ignoring his gasping apprentice, “Moreover, he spoke the truth. He expressed valid concerns. Had he chosen a private venue to articulate them I might have made him an ally.” Varrel released Jaesa from his grip.

She staggered back against the bulkhead. Coughing, she asked, “Then why didn’t you?”

Only then did Varrel turn to her, “Order...must be maintained,” he growled. He returned to contemplating the featureless durasteel, “If you can't figure out why I'll end you now and save myself the trouble later.”

I leveled my Agent and Warrior almost simultaneously. It was interesting to be on the military side of this problem, then turn around and be Sith. On the one hand, you wonder why the heck the Sith are being so stupid. On the other, as Sith, you have things to consider that the military doesn't understand.

I felt bad for the Moff in this quest. Masken is a little less overt in the actual event, but I try not to get in the way when characters are talking to me. Varrel really would have let him live if not for such gross public insubordination.

The Jedi Knight's lightsaber glowed blue in the dark bridge of Darth's Angral's warship orbiting Tython. The mighty Sith Lord looked down on the Jedi Knight, and gloated, for victory was surely at hand, and what could one young man do against a Sith Lord who had killed far greater than he? Angral gave the Knight's apprentice a chance to join him, but she refused.

The Jedi Knight and his Padawan fought the Sith Lord, determined to stop him from destroying Tython, or die trying. Angral was a mighty warrior, and it seemed certain that he would come out for the better. But just when it seemed all hope was lost, the Jedi Knight seemed to glow with the Force, and he fought as the Padawan had never seen him fight before.

The Jedi Knight and the Sith Lord, two mighty beings unparalleled in power, fought a battle like a thunderstorm. To anyone without Jedi reflexes, the battle would've looked like nothing more than a blur of red and blue. But the Padawan saw it all. And in the end, the Jedi Knight struck down the Sith Lord, and the victory was won.

Twelve-year-old Aaran's eyes glittered. "That's amazing!"

His sister, ten-year-old Cadi, nodded eagerly. "The Jedi Knight is cool! No one can beat him!"

Their mother, Kira Carsen, laughed. "You're right, he's the best. In his time, no one could stop him. He was the best fighter in the galaxy, bar none."

"I want to be just like him," Aaran said determinedly.

"I'm sure you will," Kira said with a fond smile.

"But who was he?" Cadi asked.

Their conversation was interrupted when the door to the small bedroom slid open and Jasin walked in, clad in tan, nondescript clothes with a brown scarf wrapped around his neck and chest. At his side, his lightsaber poked out from under the brown wrappings over his belt.

"Hi, Daddy," Cadi said lovingly, kissing him on the cheek. "Mommy was telling us about the Jedi Knight who stopped Darth Angral."

Jasin's eyes darted to Kira, glittering. "Was she, now? Well, I bet she didn't tell you that the Knight wouldn't have gotten very far without his Padawan." He kissed Kira. "Not far at all." He leaned down and hugged his children good night. "I love you both. See you in the morning."

"Okay, Dad," Aaran replied.

"All right, Daddy."

He walked out. Kira smiled and sat down beside Cadi on the bed. She tucked her efficiently under the covers and kissed her on the forehead. Aaran had already pulled the covers around him; Kira walked over and kissed his cheek. He leaned up and hugged her.

"You never told us," Cadi said urgently. "Who was the Jedi Knight?"

Kira stopped at the door. "Your father," she said. "Your father, Jasin, was that Jedi Knight. And I was the Padawan."

She walked out, shutting the door behind her. When she was gone, Aaran and Cadi stared at the spot she'd vacated, disbelieving. Aaran felt a sudden pride blossom in his chest, and he knew with a sudden, very grown-up certainty, that he'd spend his whole life trying to be like his father.

"He's a hero," he said solemnly.

Cadi nodded, amazed. "Yeah. Daddy's a hero."

@sthrift: great details, as always, entertaining and educational. Can't wait for the follow-up

@YoshiRaphElan: always nice to see some more background of chars.

Your 'Synchronicity'-piece is very mysterious. Leaves me with a lot of questions.

And nice to see that there are happier times after the war.

@alaurin: Good to see Kat and Tia united. The truth about their cousin must have hit hard. Wondering how they'll deal with it, and how their cousin will react to this news if they tell her. And of course I can't wait to see what happens when Tia and Jorgan meet.

Having admires kabeone's picture I can certainly see, why Felix opts for the moonlit stroll.

@LaxKnight:

“It’s not just ‘a’ job,” the stranger interrupted, “It’s an employment, with a contract.

@Mirdthestrill: I like the detail about Mellena's hair. How she's worried about some strands poking out. That's quite a contrast to how Ketturah starts her day.

@Zethrodek: That's a messed up situation. But I guess she should have talked to Corso before she changed. It will be intersting to see where this goes.

@Striges: I love the way your Sith speaks and thinks, and the way you manage to describe what he senses in the Force.

When Nikeo entered the cantina he was greeted by the barkeeper, who told him that Giz had been there earlier. He handed him the bottle of whiskey he had kept for them and relayed that Giz asked to be excused. Apparently he and Corso had already left Ord Mantell in a hurry. Nikeo took the bottle and left the cantina wondering what had happened at Viidu’s. He tried to contact Giz, but the smuggler wasn’t on call.

On his way to the barracks he met Mirru, the Twi’lek who had provided the information about the planned bombing of the convoy. He asked him to say sorry for him to the other refugees. He had promised to visit them again, but now he had to leave Ord Mantell.

Once he arrived in his quarter, he packed his belongings swiftly. The shuttle would be leaving in thirty minutes. General Vander hadn’t left them with much time. Nikeo still felt kind of dizzy. A promotion had been the last thing he had been expecting. Commander of Havoc Squad. Well, what was left of it. Him and Jorgan. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the whole mess. He had told Vander that he was honored. Relieved, that was what he had been at first. Command obviously thought that he was loyal. Of course he was loyal. But Jorgan was innocent, too, and what did that do for him? This was all so wrong.

He had to be like the youngest SpecForce commander of all times, and if not, he still was the karking most inexperienced. Yesterday Jorgan had been calling him a rookie and today he was Jorgan’s CO. He had not the slightest idea how they were going to make this work. The whole conversation with the general had been a farce. Nikeo had half expected Jorgan to strangle him, after he had said, that he’d be glad to have Jorgan in the unit. They had one thing in common though, they both wanted to hunt the traitors down. They were going to find out if that was enough.

Nikeo grabbed his bag and left his quarter. He considered to head straight for the shuttle, but decided against it. He would be thinking of her anyway, so he could just as well pay Io a visit. She was still in a holding cell, as every medical facility was needed for the wounded from the attack on the seps’ stronghold. Agent Kerin had been expecting him and had left orders that allowed him to see Io.

She had been moved to the next cell and was lying on a clean bunk. He had been told, that she had woken up briefly, but she was fast asleep now. Her body was strapped to the bunk so she wouldn’t accidentally fall off. He stood for some time in front of the force field, watching her breathe. He had been told that the poison didn’t do permanent damage. She’d be moved off-planet as soon as she was fit for transport. He would probably never see her again.

Jorgan was already waiting when Nikeo arrived at the shuttle pad. He could tell that the Cathar was still angry. They both nodded in greeting but remained silent otherwise. The flight to Carrik Station was going to be a long one. Still he couldn’t wait to get off this planet.

***

They had found a quiet booth in Carrick Station’s cantina. Ord Mantell lay behind them, almost.

“You still sulking?” Giz eyed Corso out of the corner of his eye.

“I am not sulking!”

“K!” Giz shrugged.

“You think I’m a hick!” Corso accused Giz.

“You are a hick!” Giz countered grinning.

“Because I treat women with respect?”

Giz’ face grew serious. “Everybody should treat women respectfully, whether they are a hick or not—or not at all if the woman prefers to be left alone. But if a woman chooses to act like scum, I will respect that too and treat her accordingly, the same as I would any man. Being a woman doesn’t earn you a carte blanche in my book.”

Corso shook his head slowly. “It’s just that I can’t understand how you could shoot Syreena just like that.”

“Just like that? You got to be kidding!” Giz ticked off the points on his fingers. “She was in league with Skavak and the separatists. She warned Skavak that we were heading to the stronghold, reckoning that Skavak would kill us. She murdered Viidu, because he caught her. Instead of showing some regret she tried to barter information to get off cheaply. If you call that ‘just like that’, then I’d like to know what you call what you did to the sep back in the stronghold.”

Corso only stared at him, speechless.

“Thought so.” After a moment Giz sighed. “That wasn’t fair, I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not. And I get your point, I think. The rules of home don’t necessarily apply to the rest of the galaxy. Just don’t expect me to change overnight.”

“I don’t expect you to change at all, kid. We’ll get along. Don’t know what I’d end up with if you changed.” He winked at Corso. “First we find Skavak and my ship. We take it from there.”

***

Her knees felt still a little wobbly when she walked to the shuttle pad at sunrise. Her wrists were adorned with stun cuffs. She doubted she’d be able to run far without them. From the hubbub in Fort Garnik Iolith gathered that the reps had won some major victory. She didn’t ask, they wouldn’t tell her anyway. She didn’t even know where they were headed. It didn’t matter. She didn’t want to die on Ord Mantell.

I did it. That was the last part of 'Hating Ord Mantell'. Now I'll have to make some progress with my other chars, but we will see these three again, promised.

@Frauzet: Very cool stories. First, that scene at the end of Mantell always seems like it would be awkward for the new guy who jumps in with both feet... I like how you underlined the fact that he had always looked up to Havoc as the exeptional team, and to look forward to joining them and then see the reality? A thought-provoking experience... and it was interesting seeing those thoughts. Your second story was good too... always frustrating when plans go awry and little things get overlooked. I love the bit at the end: "She had told him, and he had dismissed it." Very subtle. And the last... honestly, I lost it right in the middle... "You think I’m a hick!" "You are a hick!" OMG I died laughing... as much as I love Corso... yeah. This.

@IceCreamPants: I'm liking Delgrin. He really seems to have that natural conflict that comes with Agent paranoia... do you remain a decent person, or do you remain alive? It's not just his sense of decency that's an issue either it seems... his concern for Raina is a huge liability. Seems that everybody really is out to get him, poor guy!

@Marissalf: What a twist! While I like the back-and-forth my Agent has with Kaliyo, I always wondered about the decision to take her on... I see you found a way to handle that. Also, interesting having two characters in the same class between generations recognizing their companions as the same person... I've seen some really creative takes on that issue in these stories and yours worked.

@DarthSillyMonkey: A very nice little look at how various companions would handle a specific problem in very different ways. I like how you used the focus of the artifact to make commentary on not only them, but on the Sith and Jedi as well.

@Sthrift: I like the realism and grit. Simple, basic, day-to-day stuff like having to deal with awful rations and early hours are the things we tend to forget when the action hits. A nice viewpoint, and a cool jump to the action at the end.

@YoshiRaphElan: In your first piece... Having to hide Force sensitivity from groups like the Empire and superstitious cultures has always been an intriguing theme for me. I like how you decided to handle this. Interesting though that he decides to finally use his abilities in a moment of outrage, when the feeling becomes too much. It'll be neat if we get to see more of how he deals with Jedi training and control. As for the short second piece... well it'll be intriguing to see where THAT goes too! The third... afraid I must give it a pass for now... JK is as of yet unspoiled.

@Alaurin: First story- Your clan structure is extremely rich and complicated. I had the feeling as soon as Ekaterina confessed her feelings there was going to be a reveal soon about somebody's parentage! Interesting how it all intertwines. The second story was just fun! I liked the smiliar internal dialogue, and the picture of the dress is very cool!

@LaxKnight: I like her! "Walkie Talkie" is blunt, practical, and completely endearing. It'll be interesting to see where her story goes. And nicely handled... hers is an introduction best handled from the point of view of another character, so that the mystery is still intact.

@Mirdthestrill: Interesting look at how two separate lives can be difficult in different ways. Nice contrast between the feel of the military life and running around on the streets of Nar Shaddaa.

@Zethrodek: That was a very different look at Corso, not to mention a rather sudden change on Xynri's part! As much as I feel Corso is kind of old-fashioned, I can feel for him here... one would think that such a large change would be important enough to talk to a trusted partner about before going forward. Hard not to feel for her too, though, if that was what she truly wanted. Intriguing to me on... many levels.

@Striges: I'm not sure how much I can say on this as I feel the urge to clarify a few things, but can't... a lot of the SW story has already been spoiled for me, but I haven't actually seen or played this scene yet... only seen its aftermath. (My leveling partner off and on was a SW.) However, I have always found the disparity between Sith interests and Imperial Military interests to be very inspiring. With my Agent being the offspring of my Warrior, I can only imagine how bizarre this scene will be from two sides! (Then again, most of my Sith tend to sympathize with the military rather than engage in the power plays anyway.)

@frauzet, Leaving Ord Mantel! It feels like a good wrapup for that chapter, and I’m glad you revisited Iolith there at the end. I still have hopes she and Nik will get to meet again somewhere along the way.

@Yoshi,

Cadi nodded, amazed. "Yeah. Daddy's a hero."

Oh, this story is so sweet. The kids learning about Dad’s pretty impressive legacy, and still at the age that they’d be impressed by their parents!

He did. He felt the power building up behind his palms...and he pushed. Half a dozen Imperials went flying across the room, slamming into walls. Gareb grinned. That had felt so good! Why had he ever hidden it? It was time to show them what he could really do...!

Ah, Frozen reference! Loved it. Very fitting for the Force-sensitive trying to keep it hidden.

@Striges, You said it best, you do feel for Masken there. How frustrating to see the inanity of Sith politics constantly interfering with the bigger picture. But insubordination is difficult for Sith to just let slide.

@alaurin, Very nice story to accompany the drawing! Love the description of the dress. Even if I hadn’t already seen it, I’d be able to picture it beautifully.

“Not going to happen, Balkar,” Tia shook her head, “I don’t date men that want to kidnap me.”

This made me giggle. And I like that there was more to Ekaterina’s betrayal than they even imagined. Definitely a ‘whoa’ moment.

@Zethrodek, Oooh, that’s terrible for Xynri. I can imagine having your spouse up and change their species without even talking about it would be difficult to accept, but it still seems pretty rash on Corso’s part. Ouch.

@Mirdthestrill, Two different characters in two very different settings. I like the little details about the characters that help form parallels between the two. Interesting to see where things go for them from here.

@LaxKnight, I like Walkie Talkie already. That sense of someone talking 90 miles a minute really comes through well. Learning more about her background should be interesting.

@sthrift, Love the explanation of the “stand to” procedure, as well as Elara’s ‘I’m going out there whether you like it or not’ look.

@DSM, 700 words? 700? Are you ill? Should we send a Doc? Kidding aside, this short piece was packed with goodies. Fenn’rys schemes? Check. Astute observations about Sith/Jedi shortcomings? Check. And then there’s the whole lying to Temple to keep her from wrecking the whole thing. Good stuff.

Also,

Are there plans to face the Jedi’s crew again? I desire to study that program more… in depth.”

When I first read this sentence, I thought Lokin was saying it, and I had this moment of ewwww! I’m glad I reread it and cleared that up, lol.