Wynston didn't bother with a shirt when he was working out on the ship. All the equipment was his and he cleaned up after himself anyway.

So one regularly scheduled morning in the little multipurpose room he configured the exercise machine for the first weight training set. Not long afterwards Kaliyo sauntered in. She watched Wynston in silence for a minute or so. "Something I can do for you?" he said at last, not slowing down.

"You're doing it," she purred. "Times like this remind me why I sleep with you."

"I had rather hoped that sleeping with me reminded you why you sleep with me."

"There's that, too."

He kept moving. She was suspiciously quiet. "What, no scathing commentary this morning?" he said.

"What, just because you're short, skinny, and look like you'd fall over trying to keep it up for more than five minutes at a time?”

He huffed a laugh between repetitions. “Yes, there it is.”

“Hey, under the bland-issue outfit you're a lot better off than you look. Besides, slabs of muscle are a credit a cartload at any cantina we hit. The streamlined thing's good for a little variety."

"You just like someone you have half a chance of beating in a wrestling match."

She laughed low in her throat. "More than half."

"Hm." They were close in size; she always wanted the advantage, and he ceded it most of the time. Working out was supposed to ensure he could take it back when he needed to. "What do you do with everyone else? Handcuff them first?"

"Sometimes. I'll just let you guess what goes on the rest of the time."

"You always give me the best mental images."

She yawned and looked him over, shifting her stance ever so slightly. "So, are you going in for cardio or not?"

"Is that where this is going? You also give the best-camouflaged foreplay."

"Getting bored here."

Wynston adjusted the machine to start working his arms. She'd been testing his limits lately, checking to see whether she'd housebroken him yet. "Well," he said, "don't let me stop you."

She waited for a second for him to respond further. He didn't. She scoffed. "Oh, drop the hard-to-get routine. You're the easiest lay in the galaxy, you know it, I know it. You're not proving anything by saying no."

"Ah. Of course." He cleared his throat. "Oh, Kaliyo, Oh, Kaliyo," he recited in a rapid monotone, "I can't resist your wild charms regardless of the hour or of what more important things I could possibly be doing or because I'm not in the mood. Please, I beg of you, let me drop everything I'm doing and satisfy the hunger that torments me night and day the only way I can, namely, by ravishing you like the untamed goddess you are." He made a quick aside in a more or less normal tone, "Don't get me wrong, there's no one I'd rather be doing than you, but – where was I?" He made a show of looking around the room before letting his eyes alight on the weight bar in front of him. "Right. Rep fifteen."

Kaliyo rolled her eyes and stomped off. He kept working. He knew that little speech would cost him a week or more of petty retribution, and she would have him eating some poorly memorized paraphrase of his words before the month was out…but that was nothing next to the trouble he'd be in if he ever let her believe he was hers.

It takes a certain type of person to draw out sarcastic, spiteful behavior in Wynston, and he needs a reason to deal it out. Kaliyo is a reason. He long ago made the judgment call that treating her with unfailing gentleness and diplomacy wouldn't get results. Consistent and predictable with her gets you screwed, and not in the fun way.

Kaliyo is actually BT1, which I didn't realize until way way into Wynston's headcanon. In my brain she's always 5'8" and reasonably muscular, to Wynston's 5'7" with not a lot in the way of body fat. (Am I weird for thinking out the heights of all my characters? I automatically do it with all characterization.)

This is set near the end of the Act 1/2 break.

The day of the Coruscant Galactic Market Comic Con was near, so Jasin handed out priorities to each crew member. T7-O1 was to confirm the tickets, Rusk was to make sure the ship was locked and the security systems active, Kira was to pack food and other items they'd need during the trip, Doc was in charge of costumes...and Scourge just sulked.

Two hours before the convention, the whole crew sans Kira was gathered in the hangar outside the Defender, prepared to go on their trip. T7 had just enough blue paint slathered on to look like Aurek the Hawk-Droid, sidekick to the heroic Hawkbat Vigilante; Rusk wore a Minimalist Gladiator's armor that made him wince at being so revealed, even if it was just his arms and sides; Doc looked heroic as usual in his white and navy-blue Captain Coruscant jacket; Scourge looked positively uncomfortable in his Cyborg Man costume, and Jasin nearly fell over several times trying to balance the huge shoulder pads of his Shining Jedi armor.

"Really, Doc?" Jasin asked. "Really?"

Doc shrugged. "The Cartel Market was having a...sale?"

Jasin narrowed his eyes and was about to retort when there was an angered shriek from inside the Defender. Jasin gave Doc the you-messed-with-Kira-so-you-die stare, and stepped forward to console his wife about whatever bad costume Doc had bought her...and his jaw dropped nearly to his feet when he saw her.

"Look at me!" Kira exclaimed. "I look like a call-girl!"

Jasin had to admit she was right. She had a scant scrap of fabric that barely concealed any portion of her...assets with metal cups running underneath them to provide support; she wore no gloves or shoes at all, but there were metal rings on her biceps that gave insinuations Jasin didn't want to even think about–and she was his wife!–she had a skullcap on her head that looked uncomfortably tight; and she wore a metal ring around her waist that covered absolutely nothing, but held two more scraps of fabric, which, as she rotated, Jasin confirmed did nothing whatsoever to cover her rear. To top it all off, the whole outfit was in red fabric, accentuating and drawing attention to Kira's light skin. Jasin nearly swallowed his tongue as she turned back to him, placing her hand on her hip and leaning to the side, a scowl on her face.

"Jasin!" she exclaimed. "Look what he did!"

Jasin whirled on Doc. Rusk and Scourge had politely averted their eyes and T7's eye sensor was cast toward the ground, but Doc was just grinning. Jasin stormed up to him, grabbed his collar, and hoisted him in a most un-Jedi-like manner into the air.

"Archiban Frodick Kimble!" he growled. "My wife is not going out in public dressed like that! I am married to her, and I have never even seen her dressed like that!"

Kira's voice sounded amused. "Do you want to?"

"A conversation for another time," Jasin snapped. "Doc, she's not going out dressed like that."

"Come on," Doc said. "That's a genuine comic holo costume. The Amazing Warrior Woman, issue Forty-nine! She was captured by Gundark Grukk, and he dressed her in a slave outfit. It really was an amazing issue; I have the original and collector's editions."

Jasin licked his lips. "But why did you buy that one in particular for my wife?"

Doc swallowed. "Because...they were sold out of everything else, okay? I looked. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, there'll be a thousand women dressed just like that there. Kira won't stand out at all."

"Really? Every other woman there will be red-headed, leggy, fair-skinned, and curvy with the attitude to pull that costume off?"

"Well...no."

"Jasin," Kira said with a sigh, "it's okay. At least I get to keep the costume."

Jasin's eyebrows perked. "Really?"

Kira nodded flirtatiously. "Uh-huh. Now come on. The sooner we get to the convention, the sooner we can come home...to the ship."

Jasin nodded. "All right. Let's go."

@Alaurin: Your story is making me want to punch Jorgen. Now when I play, I'm paranoid that he's totally cool with all the other classes, but still is a jerk to me! Val is scoring points in my book left and right. I looked for a way to incapacitate Risha the first time I had a convo with her that required me to leave the ship, for the exact same reason! Part of me hopes Tia got caught, cause I see this thing starting to mess with her head a bit. Sacrificing soldiers in the name of the mission is tough, especially when they're going to Needles.

@Marissalf: I like your take on the unjoining! The fact that the anguish is psychosomatic makes a lot of sense. And Mel's falling for baby Eckard, awww.

... still think he's evil.

Nice follow up with Kinka too. That viewpoint puts a lot into perspective. Loved it!

@AgentJacen: Hell of a place to have a family reunion! Be interesting to see if, based on their masters and storylines, they'll maintain that Brother/Sister comradery

@Bright: Brilliant. The minute that Kaliyo thinks she's got her hooks in you, she'll use it. Wynston outsmarting her is great, but him doing it because he actually is hers and he wants to keep it that way? Brilliant. Of course, I may be reading that last line wrong, but I like it anyway!

@Yoshi: Ok, dude, I was crying. Of course Doc picks out that costume. And then this:

...I am married to her, and I have never even seen her dressed like that!"

I lost it right there. Then Jasin/Kira's exchange and him being a total guy.

Jasin's eyebrows perked. "Really?"

Priceless.

@Kitar: *sigh*, waiting for more

@alaurin: Thanks, and I hope you'll forgive me , maybe it helps that I felt very bad during writing this story.

And you are writing faster than I am able to comment , I read everything, waiting for the next part, hoping Tia isn't badly wounded.

@bright_ephemera: Thanks.

Ohoh, I was mistaken earlier, this pimpin'-business will make it much harder to decide what to read next

@DarthSillyMonkey: Thanks.

I'll buy Gummibärchen tomorrow to help me through the next parts of your story, during this one I totally forgot my coffee.

@sthrift: I'll buy lots of Gummibärchen!

@kabeone: Thanks.

I really like the picture bright posted! And your other pictures on the art forum too!

@Iryfindel: Thanks.

Telling Jorgan to shut up, that sounds familiar

@Striges: Great post, although it has absolutely no effect on me, because I already am a great fan of Cleaner One.

@marissalf: I think the SW says something like 'image the worst and then double it' about life at the Academy. Ru's life inbetween is probably worse.

Imho your story about the de-joining ist consistent with the glimpses you catch on Alderaan. I am eager to see what happens next.

@AgentJacen: Hopefully blood is really thicker than water.

@bright_ephemera: Love your story! So Kaliyo! And of course you're weird, we all are, ask my mom.

Reading your stories gives me the impression that there are a lot of little details you know about your chars.

@YoshiRaphElan: I like the way Kira starts to like the costume when she sees Jasin's reaction

Hope I didn't forget anyone.

Nikeo awoke in a tangle of limbs. What a party, at least the part he had any recollection of. His brain refused to share details on the rest of the previous night, but he had the feeling that moving would be a very bad idea. He cautiously opened his left eye, to see whose head was resting on his chest. Blond hair, crew cut — Mariella? He carefully skimmed the soft skin of her neck, to assert that he wasn’t dreaming. She purred and snuggled closer up to him. From the other side a hand crept in to feel for his face. He opened his other eye too and turned his head. Kara just raised her head and opened her eyes, to see whose face she was touching. She smiled as she recognized him and shifted into a more comfortable position. She rested her head on his right shoulder, breathed a kiss on his neck and closed her eyes again. Maybe he was dreaming after all.

On second thought if this was a dream, they probably wouldn’t all still be dressed, more or less at least. Kark! He sighed. Still not a bad way to wake up, provided you were able to ignore your headache.

From somewhere in the apartment — Mariella’s? — he heard a noise. A short while later the smell of caf wafted through the apartment. He disentangled himself from the girls and searched for the refresher. After his visit there he followed the smell of caf to the kitchen. Leaning against the door frame in his T-shirt and shorts he surveyed the battlefield. Among a mixed assortment of empty bottles — mystery of headache and partial amnesia solved — sat Ragan drinking caf and quietly talking to Lish.

The Twi’lek male looked up and greeted him with a grin. “Hey, you look worse than I am feeling!”

“Mornin’, Nik.” Lish said. The Zabrak got up, to fetch him a cup of coffee. Standing she easily dominated the small kitchen, being half a foot taller than he was.

“Mornin’.” He greeted them. “What happened to the rest of the boys?”

“Don’t know.” Ragan replied with a broad grin. “At some point of the party, we decided to sneak away with the girls. So they’ll probably be pissed.”

“You sure I was in the state of mind to make any decisions?”

Lish laughed. “You certainly were not. Blame everything on me. I kidnapped both of you. You are no match for me when your are sober!”

She handed him a cup of caf with a wink.

“And she had backing!” Mariella wriggled under his arm and purloined his cup of caf.

“It might have been a bit unfair how Nik piled on the agony.” Ragan stated. “But hey, it worked on you and Kara.”

Nikeo had no clue what Ragan was talking about.

Mariella smiled up at him. “Don’t listen to him. And I like the tattoo, absolutely worth to endure the pain!”

“Tattoo?” Bits of memory surfaced. He hurried to the refresher. Part of the face that greeted him in the mirror was coated with dried flakes of colto. He scrubbed them off and there it was. A tattoo. Big. Blue. Unmissable. Encircling his right eye and the scar that remained from an accident with Ragan.

“Next time somebody aims for your eye, they will have a much better mark.” The Twi’lek shouted from the kitchen and laughed.

Nikeo decided he would never ever again drink alcohol.

I think we all know the half life of those decisions.

http://abload.de/img/galerie6bsyq.jpg

Prudii and the rest of his squad moved through the Galactic Market Convention Center and Prudii took it all in with a mixture of awe and confusion. He'd never been to a convention before, but Tanno Vik had insisted they visit during their vacation, so Prudii had reluctantly agreed.

His mistake, however, was putting Elara in charge of costumes; she had gone all historic on them. Prudii was wearing an imitation of Cassus Fett's armor; Jorgan had on an orange flak jacket that was similar to Carth Onasi's; Vik wore a Sith Triumvirate armor set; Yuun was dressed as Jedi Knight Jolee Bindo; and Elara was dressed in a white Handmaiden's outfit. Forex had blatantly refused to allow any paint to mar his chassis.

Prudii sighed. "One would think we were at a history convention."

Vik grinned and flexed, letting his silver armor catch the light. "I don't know," he said as two scantily-clad Twi'lek women tittered and waved at him, "I kind of like it."

Prudii rolled his eyes and put his arm around Elara's shoulder. "It's okay, cyar'ika. I like my Cassus armor."

Elara beamed. "Thank you, sir."

"Hey; we're off-duty. And we're married. Drop the sir; it's Prudii."

She nodded. "Of course, Prudii."

They moved through the convention center. Once, Vik stopped to buy an Incredible Houk action figure, which he shoved in his backpack with a childish grin, but the rest of the time they just took in the sights.

"They're doing an interview with the writer of the Imagination Comics in fifteen minutes," Jorgan said. "The man's a genius. Captain Coruscant was my idol as a kid."

Prudii nodded. "All right; lead the way, Jorgan."

Outside the interview room, Havoc Squad got in line and waited patiently. A group of people walked up behind them and Prudii recognized Jasin and his crew. Doc was jumping up and down like a kid–easy to see why; he was wearing a Captain Coruscant costume, so he must've been as excited about this as Jorgan was. Or more. Jasin, Scourge, Rusk, and even T7-O1 were in costume as well, but Kira was bundled up in a brown robe, for some reason squatting and trying to hold the robe together at the knees. Even as she did, a pair of male Zeltrons in Ultra-Man costumes walked by and leered at her.

"Hey, guys," Prudii said.

"Major," Jasin greeted. "Good to see you."

Prudii glanced at Kira. "Doc bought your costume?"

Kira nodded miserably. "Yeah."

Doc shrugged innocently. "What?"

"The door's opening!" Jorgan called.

Prudii turned and began to enter the room along with hundreds of other fans. He took a seat near the back, letting military instincts take over just in case. The interview ended with no problems–not that Prudii had really expected any–and the squad left.

"How's lunch sound?" Vik asked.

Prudii nodded. "Sure." He waved at Jasin and crew. "See you guys later."

Jasin and the others waved goodbye and were lost in a crowd of costumers. As Prudii walked away, he thought he could hear Kira smash her fist into a gawking male's chin.

"I'm married, sleemo!"

@alaurin, Val’s dirty kick method of dealing with the bad guys is hilarious, especially the second time after that talk with Jorgan and Corso. It might be cringe-worthy for them, but they can’t deny the fact that it gets results! Eek — things aren’t looking good for Tia!

Also, oh, my.....poor Mel and Kinka!!! I think you did a great job with the Joiner process and what it entails both physically and mentally. I'm still not so sure about Ellis though......I guess it's his creepy father that makes me suspicious.

@AgentJacen: welcome back! Korriban was never one of my favorite places, but maybe it would be better with a sibling, even an estranged one......well, maybe not better, it's Korriban after all.....maybe less dangerous.

@alaurin, I am quite enjoying this alternate take on the trooper storyline!

Also, I am loving those Comic Con pieces!!!! Kira and Jasin's reactions just kept me grinning!!

@alaurin, I always found Risha's recruitment jarring to say the least...at least with Valaya she talks a good game and gets a decent dose of mistrust to start with

@alaurin Waiting for a Sign is a real heart-in-the-throat piece. Even before you hit the end

Also, well played Wynston. I can't imagine that dealing with Kaliyo is ever easy, especially for a man. Definitely a good idea to keep her from gaining the upper hand.

@ Alaurin: Needles always seemed the worst of the bunch, but I never thought of him as Dr. Moreau. Until your story. You know he's doing experimentation, but still. Something about being trapped on Taris with Needles instead of riding in to shut him down, maybe. And I love (sort of) finding out what happened to the disappeared soldiers in the Trooper story.

@Alaurin: Your story is making me want to punch Jorgen. Now when I play, I'm paranoid that he's totally cool with all the other classes, but still is a jerk to me! Val is scoring points in my book left and right. I looked for a way to incapacitate Risha the first time I had a convo with her that required me to leave the ship, for the exact same reason! Part of me hopes Tia got caught, cause I see this thing starting to mess with her head a bit. Sacrificing soldiers in the name of the mission is tough, especially when they're going to Needles.

@frauzet: I'm glad you're enjoying everything and I'm certainly looking forward to the next part of Ru's story!!! As for Tia....I can't give anything away, but you'll find out soon, I promise!

Also, that was one hell of a party!!! Brought me back to my college days......the ones I can remember anyways! I love the pics as well....thanks for posting them!

Val brought her ship out of hyperspace to see Jorgan was already there and Port Raga in the distance. A moment later, her Holo rang and seeing it was Aric, she immediately answered it and headed for the ship’s Holo.

“I spotted you arrive and I’m getting ready to contact Garza,” Aric told her as she plugged her Holo into the ship’s just as Corso came out of the crew quarters dressed in his under armor.

“We’re ready,” Val told him and a moment later, General Garza’s image appeared.

“Captain Jorgan, Captain Tarenz, I’m glad you made it so quickly,” Garza began, “Sergeant Jaxo is inside with a small team. I’m sending you the location of a set of airlocks for the two of you to dock at. Jaxo’s team has taken measures to ensure your docking should go unnoticed. She’ll be waiting for you inside. Good luck, Wraith’s no easy target. Garza out.”

“You guys ready?” Aric asked.

“We’re ready,” Val assured him, “I’ll follow your lead.”

They signed off and Val went back to the cockpit while Corso began putting his plating on. Val waited for Jorgan to approach Port Raga and followed him. A few minutes later, they were docking and Val nearly ran into Risha on her way to the exit.

“Look, Captain,” Risha told her, “I know we have some trust issues, but I get the feeling there could be trouble here and I don’t want to be stuck unconscious and helpless on the ship if things go south.”

“I told you back on Coruscant, I won’t tranq you again,” Val assured her, “I programmed some extra security into the ship’s controls so no one can take off without putting in my codes first.”

“What if you get killed?” Risha retorted, “I’m still stuck here with no way to leave!”

“I don’t intend to die here, Risha,” Val snapped, “We’re going in with Republic Spec Forces and Corso and I have seen a lot of combat recently. If things start to take a turn for the worse, I’ll contact you so you can get out of here.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to sound heartless,” Risha sighed, “but you’re not the only one with trust issues. Just be careful…..I really don’t want anything to happen to you, or that good looking farm boy.”

Corso blushed and Val glared at Risha as they exited the ship. Risha chuckled on her way back to the cargo hold, looks like the Captain has a thing for the farm boy.

Val and Corso spotted Aric ahead of them in the corridor and Sergeant Jaxo in the distance. Jaxo must have made good on her word because there were no alarms going off yet and the station seemed calm.

“Captain Jorgan, Captain Tarenz, Mister Riggs,” Jaxo greeted them, “Good to see you all again.”

“Likewise,” Aric nodded, “So, what do we have here?”

“I have my team dispersed throughout the station,” Jaxo explained, “Wraith has Krazul held up in one of the cargo holds in back of the station. We know she has explosives rigged in the hold, but not enough to blow the place, just decimate whatever’s inside the hold. My people are keeping an eye out, but neither one has been spotted, so we’re working on the assumption both are still inside the hold.”

“Is there a monitoring station here?” Val asked, nodding at one of the overhead cameras.

“There is,” Jaxo answered, “unfortunately, the locks and alarms are very sophisticated and my team didn’t want to risk slicing in.”

“I’ll take a look at it,” Val nodded, “I’m really good at getting into secured places.”

“Great,” Jaxo replied, “That’ll make it easier to spot Wraith. Garza really wants her brought in alive if at all possible. Now, getting to the cargo hold isn’t going to be easy. We’ve managed to keep your docking a secret, but Wraith isn’t working alone. She has backup here and I get the feeling once you pass through the main hanger to the cargo hold, you’re going to encounter resistance.”

“And that’ll probably alert Wraith,” Corso spoke up.

“I’m sure of it, so we’ll need to work fast,” Aric agreed, “Corso, do you mind coming with me to get the Senator?”

“Not at all,” Corso replied.

“Good, then Jaxo can keep an eye out with the rest of her people while Val gets into that monitoring station,” Aric told them.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jaxo agreed, “I’ll take Captain Tarenz to the monitoring station, then start patrolling. Contact me when you have the Senator and I’ll have my team get the hanger secure and bring my ship around.”

Aric and Corso headed for the main hanger while Jaxo took Val to the monitoring station. Val immediately got to work on the sophisticated controls. It took some time, but she eventually managed to slice in without triggering any alarms. When the door opened, Val saw a very shocked man and quickly hit him with a tranq dart before he could raise any alarms. She shoved him off the chair and took his place in front of the panel of monitor screens. She spotted Aric and Corso fighting some of Wraith’s soldiers in a corridor. She saw the cargo hold and was shocked to see a huge Cathar in Senator’s robes sitting in a chair that was covered in explosives. She also noted the soldiers guarding him and the absence of Wraith. She saw that Aric and Corso had finished off the group they’d been fighting and quickly contacted them, letting them know what she saw. Then she began looking for Wraith on the monitors.

A little while later, Aric and Corso had the cargo hold secure and were contemplating how to deal with the explosives. Krazul was unharmed and told them Wraith split when she heard the fighting in the hanger, but he had no idea where. Aric explained that they had people looking for her throughout the station as well as on the security cameras. Between the two of them, Corso and Aric figured out a way to trick one of the triggers and freed Krazul. The three men fought their way back to the hanger, Corso giving the Senator a rifle off of one of the Imperial corpses. They got to the hanger to find Jaxo’s team had secured it and were waiting for them.

“I see you got our friend out safely,” Jaxo smiled, “My ship is ready to get him out of here.”

“Where’s Val?” Corso asked, not seeing his captain anywhere.

“She’s still in the monitoring station watching for Wr…..”

Jaxo was cut off by an explosion coming from the corridor where the monitoring station was located.

“Get the Senator out of here,” Aric barked as he and Corso ran toward the explosion.

Val had been watching the monitors carefully after seeing Wraith wasn’t in the cargo hold with the Senator. Where is that little traitor, she wondered, she must have her ship docked away from the main hanger like we did. She began narrowing her search to just the monitors that showed the airlock corridors. She spotted her in a nearby corridor just as Corso and Aric freed the Senator, aha…gotcha!

With Jaxo’s team securing the hanger and Corso and Aric on the opposite end of the station with the Senator, Val knew it was up to her to stop Wraith. She activated her stealth generator, grabbed her dart gun and blaster, and carefully made her way along the corridor. Wraith was in the distance, about to open her airlock when she suddenly looked right at Val, dammit, she senses me! Val managed to shoot Wraith with a sleep dart just as the other woman lobbed a grenade in her direction. Val dove for cover, but the explosion still caught her and threw her to the wall, her stealth breaking as she fell to the ground. Val looked up to see Wraith inject herself with a stim and stagger into her airlock, then lost consciousness.

Aric and Corso ran past their ships’ airlocks and rounded the corner to see a small figure lying on the ground. They heard a ship take off as they ran to the prone figure they both recognized as Val.

Corso knelt down and carefully rolled her over, “She’s breathing,” he told Aric, “I don’t see any blood, so hopefully the blast just knocked her out.”

“We should probably scan her before you try to move her too much,” Aric told Corso as he tried to recall what he learned in the basic med course all soldiers had to take at the military academy. He found Val’s backpack, dug out the scanner, and handed it to Corso.

Corso carefully took Val’s leather vest off, then unbuttoned her shirt, blushing a little as he felt his body begin to react to him undressing his lovely Captain. Val wore a form fitting tank top underneath her shirt and Corso could see her turquoise bra through the thin white fabric, “Uh….do you think the scanner will work through her tank top?”

Aric bit back a smile, noticing the younger man blushing and realized Corso was having a hard time controlling his reaction to the young woman he was smitten with, “You can try. I know it’ll beep if something’s broken or if it can’t get a reading. If it can’t get a reading, you’ll have to at least lift her top and run it along her skin because we don’t want to move her too much if she has broken ribs.”

Corso took the scanner, ran it over Val’s ribcage, and sighed in frustration when it beeped, “didn’t work….I guess I have to….”

“Do you want me to do it?” Aric teased, laughing at the glare Corso gave him.

“I’ll do it,” Corso muttered, embarrassed at his reaction as he slid the tank top up to her bra, exposing her tiny waist. Just think of something other than that soft emerald skin, Corso told himself as he carefully ran the scanner again over her bare ribcage, Uh….BlasTech…..that’s it……the new catalogue just came out.

“Want me to leave the two of you alone?” Aric snickered.

“That’s not funny, man,” Corso muttered, even more embarrassed realizing that Aric knew how affected he was, “Looks like nothing’s broken…..she’s got some bruising though.”

“Run it along her spine if you can,” Aric told him, “If that’s okay, then it should be safe to carry her back to the ship.”

Val groaned as she came to, then her eyes shot open as she felt warm hands on her bare skin. She saw Corso’s blushing face just above hers, worry in his brown eyes, “What’s going on?!”

“Easy, Captain,” Aric chuckled, “When we got here, you were lying unconscious on the ground. We didn’t want to move you until we knew there wasn’t anything broken.”

“I’m….uh….I’m sorry, Captain,” Corso stammered, taking his hands off her, “I didn’t mean….I just…I tried….I…ummm…it didn’t….”

“What Corso’s getting at is that he tried to scan you through your tank top, but it didn’t work. So he had to lift it a little,” Aric grinned, “I assure you, he wasn’t taking advantage.”

“It’s alright,” Val blushed, “It’s just….I’ve never had a guy……uh….have his hands on…..you know…”

“You mean you’re a….” Aric asked, eyes wide in surprise.

“Yes,” Val admitted glaring at the bemused Cathar, “Is that really such a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” Corso assured her, feeling a little nervous and excited at her revelation, “Think you can stand?”

“Yeah, gimmie a minute,” she grunted as she sat up, “I feel like I just got plowed over by a speeder.”

“What happened?” Aric asked as Corso helped her up.

“I spotted Wraith on one of the monitors near the station,” Val explained, “The rest of you were too far away, and I didn’t have enough time to get a message out. So I used my stealth generator to sneak up on her, but like me, she must have some degree of force sensitivity and sensed me. I managed to hit her with a tranq dart just as she lobbed a grenade in my direction. I dove, but must have gotten caught in the blast. The last thing I saw was Wraith injecting herself with a stim and going into her airlock….then I passed out. I’m sorry…..it’s my fault she got away.”

“It’s not your fault, Val,” Aric assured her as Corso helped her walk back to their airlocks, “There’s no way we could have gotten here fast enough to stop her and you did the best you could. She must’ve been prepared for an attempt to bring her in alive and had a stim to counteract your tranq dart.”

Val suddenly stopped, realizing something, “Stars, Aric! Do you think she recognized me? You guys saw me through Tia’s armor cam back on Ord.”

“No,” Aric shook his head, “It was mostly me keeping an eye out. I think Fuse and maybe Needles were the only ones who ever saw you. Wraith was never really around much.”

They were just getting to the airlocks when Val’s datapad chimed, she immediately dug it out of her backpack and saw a message, “It’s Tia! Let’s check it on your ship, Aric. I have Risha on board and don’t really trust her yet…..certainly not enough with what we have going on.”

Aric agreed and the three of them boarded his ship. Aric contacted General Garza while Val made sure his ship’s Holo was secure.

The general answered immediately, “Captain Tarenz, are you alright? Sergeant Jaxo told me you might have been caught in an explosion. She contacted me when she left Port Raga with the Senator and said she spotted Wraith flying off.”

“I’m fine, General Garza,” Val assured her as she began decrypting Tia’s message, “Just really sore. I hit her with a tranq dart as she lobbed a grenade at me. She must’ve had something to counteract the dart though, because I saw her inject herself with something, then enter an airlock before I passed out.”

I was afraid of that,” Garza sighed, “She’s a tough one and always prepared for any contingency. I’m glad you’re alright.”

Val finished decrypting the message and played it on the ship’s Holo. Tia’s image appeared,

“I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to get a message to you, but I’ve had no opportunity before now. I hope you’re able to view this right away because you need to get to Taris fast! Needles has been very busy here and it’s bad……really bad. He’s been working on a serum to create Rakghoul soldiers! As soon as we landed, he had me hunting rakghouls for DNA samples and that little psycho is brilliant. Within a couple of days, he had created a serum and was ready for test subjects…..live, Human test subjects! I went from hunting raks to hunting scavengers.”

Tia paused, taking a deep breath, and began pacing, running her hands through her jet black hair, visibly shaken, “I actually felt sorry for those scavengers after what Needles did to them and it made me physically sick that first day. Then the scavengers got wind of what was happening and approached us wanting to make a deal. If Needles would stop hunting them, they’d provide him with Republic soldiers. Of course that little freak went along with it, so now he’s performing his horrifying experiments on kidnapped Republic soldiers! I don’t know how much longer I can stand by and let him torture our men….I have no idea how those undercover SIS spooks can keep their cool in this type of situation! I want nothing more than to get my rifle and drop that twisted little bastard!”

She paused again in an attempt to collect herself, “I’m sorry….it’s just…..it’s awful…..what he’s doing to those people….it’s torture and I’m….I’m just letting it happen!!!! What kind of monster does that make me?!!”

Tia stopped pacing and took several deep breaths, wiping tears from her eyes, “Anyways, there are three targets here you need to take out. I know I’m not calling the shots, but I strongly suggest you find that scavenger base and end their kidnapping operation first. That’ll halt Needles’ progress. Unfortunately, I’m not sure where they’re keeping the kidnapped soldiers since they have several camps in the area. Next, there’s an Imperial research bunker in the Brell settlement, a Colonal Thorus is in charge. Needles’ lab isn’t there, but they have some of his data backed up on their computers, along with troops. Take that bunker out and that takes care of the backup data as well as Needles’ support troops. You’ll have to work fast though, because I’m sure once you hit that bunker, Needles will know about it. As for Needles’ lab, it’s in an old transport station. It’s a large facility, but there are very few people here, so you should be able to infiltrate it easily once that bunker’s down. I’ll do whatever I can to assist, but I can’t risk getting caught. Keep in mind, there are eyes everywhere, so I’ll have to put up a fight and make it look good. I’ve attached the coordinates for the Imperial bunker and Needles’ lab. Work quickly, I think he’s close to a winner with that nasty crap he’s developing and I’d hate to have to waste him and blow my cover so soon. Oh, and to whoever’s coming for that disgusting little cyborg freak…..do me a solid and kill him slowly and very painfully if at all possible. I’d be grateful!”

They were all quiet for a moment after the message stopped, then Val spoke, “Whatever that Needles guy is doing, it must be really bad,” she told them, shaking her head, “Tia’s a rock…..I’ve never seen her shaken like that…..and we saw some pretty awful stuff living on the streets of Nar Shaddaa! We need to shut this guy down fast!”

“Head to Taris as soon as you can, Captain Jorgan,” Garza ordered, “I’ll brief you when you land.”

“Yes, sir” Aric saluted, signing off.

“We’re heading there as well,” Corso told him, horrified at the thought of what that young woman was going through on Taris, “We’re working with Risha on a business deal and part of it is on Taris. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Thanks, man,” Aric nodded, shaken as well, “I never liked that guy back on Ord. He’s definitely the type that would torture people for ‘experimentation’ purposes.”

“I’d be happy to return the favor,” Val replied, a hard look coming over her pretty face.

“Oh, he’s gonna burn alright,” Aric promised her, his voice a harsh growl, “Needles won’t leave Taris alive!”

@Frauzet: lol, the fallout from those parties tends to be more trouble than it was worth, especially when you get to the "I. Did. WHAT?!?!" part! And thanks for the pics. Now I've got faces to put with stories. Ru, for some reason, looked like the Miralian Corso in my head!

@Yoshi: Ok, Vik being the comic-con guy. Somehow, it seems so right! As a collector of all things Hulk, I laughed my a*s off at the Incredible Houk. Very nicely done, sir! And that everyone knows Doc bought the costume is also cracking me up.

@Alaurin:

What kind of monster does that make me?!!”

I had a feeling she'd be feeling like this. I know it's kind of evil, but I always wished you had the option of almost killing Needles and then conversing with him. Then you could get all self righteous and off him after he knows he's beaten. I'd totally take dark side points for that.

I couldn’t say that I was sorry to leave Nar Shaddaa behind – the planet was a horrifying mix of almost every possible crime against life that was possible, hidden behind the glittering façade of urban decadence. The things Kira and I had seen…were something worse than awful, especially with the final fate of the Power Guard project. There was sure to be trouble waiting on the ship as well – T7 had mentioned there was a message waiting for us.

Kira and I decided to blow off some steam first, heading to gym in one of the dormitories for personnel in the Republic district. Technically speaking, Jedi weren’t granted the same access as diplomatic, military or other personnel, but that rarely stopped us. Especially when the guard out front seemed to have a weakness for redheads, something Kira was more than happy to take full advantage of. We shrugged off our robes, wearing the traditional jumpsuits Jedi wore for physical training.

The gym was fairly well equipped, though mostly with second-rate models of equipment you’d find at a private facility. Still, it did the job well enough, especially compared to the limited opportunities we had at our temples for working on our physical fitness. Too often it seemed as though the Order focused too much attention in combat training to the Force. Yes, it provided us with a unique edge against our opponents, but it wasn’t solely our advantage – the Sith, among others, had it too – and there was much to be gained from maintaining a physical edge as well.

As Kira often said – all the Force power in the world means little if you’re out of breath the moment you draw your lightsaber.

We were in there for about an hour and a half when I noticed a brown-haired guy in a standard-issue Diplomatic Corps jumpsuit eyeing me from across the room. Judging from his wardrobe, I guessed he was actually SIS, possibly Special Forces. Either would work for me. I nudged Kira in the ribs with my elbow and nodded in his direction, she whistled in approval. He caught sight of us, realized his cover was blown, and blushed. I sensed a good target.

Kira and I walked over to him, slowly and deliberately to draw out the tension and increase his nervousness. He’s cute when he’s nervous, no matter how hard he tries to hide it. When we reached him, I noticed that his sweat wasn’t just from working out, though the way his shirt fit over his body revealed he spent more than his fair share of time in the gym. He tried to play things cool, continuing to lift the dumbbell he had been using during his non-gawking moments, but his efforts were futile.

“Hey there, I’m Amitia.” I flashed a winning smile. Kira merely smirked.

He let the dumbbell rest on its stand, then sat up. Sweat was dripping off of just about everywhere. He still looked good despite it. “I’m Jonas Balkar, Diplomatic Corps, at your service.” He tossed me a jaunty salute.

I snorted in response. “SIS or Special Forces?”

His frown was so precious I wished I could box it up and store it away as a keepsake. “That obvious, huh?”

I smiled innocently. “Pretty much. That, and I had a SpecOps lieutenant I worked with on Taris that taught me the obvious giveaway of you sneaky types – you all try too hard to not be obvious. You can thank Ayrs Martell for blowing your cover.”

Balkar grimaced slightly and wiped away some sweat that was putting his eyes in peril. “Martell, huh? He was around these parts not too long ago, didn’t realize you were…friends.” His voice was neutral, but the smugly satisfied part of me noted how his eyes flickered. “He’s an interesting guy, though he does seem to think he’s the hero of every story he’s in.”

Kira giggled, but I kept my face expressionless. “Maybe. He’s pretty cute, though, especially when his face scrunches up after another one of his jokes falls flat.” I unconsciously grabbed Balkar’s arm. “Actually, Kira and I decided to not laugh regardless of how funny his joke is. Really great to see him squirm.”

“Uh huh.” Balkar’s mouth was working about as if he was trying to find the exact right thing to say. “But, why waste time talking about him, when we could be talking about someone more impressive. Like you.” He winked, gaining confidence with every word.

I shrugged slightly, putting the slightest hint of innocence in my voice. “I dunno, he’s pretty impressive. You should have seen him working out on Taris, he had…” - I looked over at the weights he was lifting – “At least twice as many weights as that. It was…glorious.” I fluttered my eyes to exaggerate the effect of what I was saying.

“Uh, well, I’m sure he was just showing off.” The SIS man rubbed his chin ruefully. “And I’m pretty sure he’s spoken for, anyway, even if he doesn’t realize it anyway.” His roguish charm was gone, shattered along with his previously unbreakable confidence. I almost felt guilty.

“That’s too bad.” I twisted my mouth into a pout. “Well, I better be going. Things to do, Sith to kill, Jedi mumbo jumbo to spout.” I smiled at him again. “You know how it is.”

“Yup.” He nodded glumly.

As we left the room, I turned over my shoulder and saw Balkar furiously adding more weights onto his machine and then straining to his utmost limit to lift them.

Kira leaned in, whispering conspiratorially. “We never saw Ayrs working out, where did that come from?” I offered only a slightly smirk. “You’re leading this guy on.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and steered her toward our ship. “Kira, he’s a handsome man, but sometimes you need some humility to go with your handsomeness.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m pretty sure they give dark side points for that sort of thing.”

I rolled my eyes. Whatever.

I browsed through the "Sith Hierarchy" section of HoloHarmony for several hours now, seeking a mating partner appropriate for my station as Darth Baras' primary apprentice. The work was difficult, far more challenging than any of the torturing techniques I had learned, even the one that caused permanent mental damage without a single physical trace of distress.

Apparently, the proprietor of the service had decided that my previous profile 'violated' site protocol. I was unsure that was due the graphic description of my daily activities or the precise recitation of my physical expectations of the man I was seeking, but it mattered not. Frankly, I was unsure if any of my efforts were worth the time I was spending - the last applicant had proven utterly worthless, vomiting several times simply because I decapitated a slave that came perilously close to breathing on me.

I sighed again. Why must the galaxy make things so difficult?

I was distracted by encoding my latest message to Quorian when General Orlov burst into my office, breathing heavily. He had to cough loudly several times and then clear his throat to attract my attention, but it was hard to feel bad for a man that made Darth Baras look slim and Malicineve kind.

"What can I do for you, General? I trust you did not travel all the way to my office simply to breathe heavily on my plants?" I eyed my Balmorran rose, still as vibrant as always, and more precious to me than almost anything in the galaxy.

"My Lord, Darth Imperius. Erm, My Lady." He was as confused as he was stupid, which said a lot. "The reports on the Imperial military that you requested." The general leaned towards my desk, keeping as much distance between it and him as possible. Or, perhaps, as much distance between me and him as possible. He deposited a data pad, carefully, then resumed throwing the planet off its orbital axis by shuffling his feet.

I looked through the report quickly, and grew both more puzzled and secretly glad as I got through it. "I see that shoulder injuries are 411% more common?"

"Ye...yes, my Lord. My Lady. My Darth. Th-the new armor specifications call for large shoulder flaps, the soldiers will adjust."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "And back injuries are up 914% due to excessive...soldier tipping?"

The general was practically crying now. "Ye-yes my Dark Lord. The manufacturer installed larger radio antenna and backpacks on every piece of trooper armor. They leave the soldiers slightly off balance, but they will adjust."

I sighed, wishing the man would spontaneously combust. "And camouflage integrity is down 225% since last year?"

He nodded briskly. "The manufacturer determined that bright gold was a more appropriate armor color than gray."

"Why...why does the Empire purchase such armor with so many flaws? Why does the manufacturer continue to produce inferior goods?"

Somehow, from somewhere, General Orlov found a backbone, puffing his substantial chest out so that it almost matched his stomach. "If you wish to challenge the Cartel Marketing team, that is your perogative, my Lady." And, with that, he turned and left my office, huffing and puffing the whole way.

Madness.

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A very serious story that started out as an exploration into what would happen to Quinn if he suffered from PTSD. Quinn sets off on a journey to become whole again. Jaesa tags along and his weird grandfather, Barnabus, helps them out.

Hindsight picks up on the life of a young man named Geltie and a Bounty Hunter named Ucles. Geltie goes through the motions of being a Darth, a former slave, and a human being who happens to be Sith. Ucles and Geltie cross paths amicably until a secret past is revealed and all hell breaks loose.

A very silly story I started as a break from the seriousness that was NSP. A good chunk of the start came from silly bits that didn't quite fit with NSP.

It's a vignette story with plenty of Quinn being teased by his wife and crew. A plot appears later on because, well, characters do what they want.

Ald is ditched in the jungle when he's young by parents who cannot handle a destructive Force-sensitive child. Ald is snagged as an apprentice then goes on to be the Wrath. Naturally, he meets Quinn. They have conference table sex.

Silly warrior meets stiff Quinn meets some serious moments meets comedy meets "oh no she di'n't." A good time for all.

A very short lived spin off from NSP. Just silly silliness involving Quinn and his child self.

Another short lived thread. Responses a character would say to the silly things our companions say to us.

An alternate universe in which Vette is the one to help Quinn instead of Jaesa. So far, it's deviated quite nicely from the main NSP storyline.

"Don't move! Identify yourself!"

Prudii raised his hands, not in surrender but placation, as he stepped forward. Sergeant Trila was obviously on a hair-trigger and he didn't need to provoke her. He glanced over at Kira, Gareb, and Dankin, who were moving up behind him. He made sure to place himself in front of them carefully.

"The Supreme Chancellor sent us," Prudii said calmly. "We're on a rescue mission."

You see salvation, when in reality, an enemy comes...

Your eyes lie. Fire. Kill.

Prudii twitched a little at the voices; he recognized them as the Dread Masters. He made sure to keep his hand safely away from his weapons, just in case Trila listened. Kira and Gareb took a cautious step forward and Prudii held out a hand.

"Shut up!" Trila exclaimed. "Dee-Ex, I need confirmation!"

"Identifty confirmed," the droid beside her said. "Their Republic security clearances supersede my own."

"It's a blasted start. Sergeant Trila," she introduced herself. "I'm the highest ranking person on Oricon who's not dead, insane, or in a trance."

"We got the last message from your fleet," Prudii said. "What happened since then?"

"When we hit the ground, Master Ogan-Dei...he and the other Jedi are trying to shield us from the Dread Masters. I was on Belsavis when they escaped. The visions, the voices...they were never this bad before."

"Warlord module update," interrupted Dee-Ex, "We will be overrun by the Dread Guard within eighty-nine minutes."

Prudii immediately snapped his rifle from its bandolier. There was no time to waste then. With a hand gesture, he motioned for Kira and Gareb to move out toward the field. Then he nodded for Dankin to come with him. Trila finished cussing out Dee-Ex and turned back to Prudii.

"Are you all they sent?"

"There's no one else coming. Are there other survivors?"

"We think so, but they're lost in the kill zone. You find them, maybe–maybe–we can regroup, plan a counterattack."

"All right," Prudii said. "I want you to keep this place and these people safe. We're going to look for your comrades."

"Transmitting crash locations," Dee-Ex said.

"Watch your back out there," Trila said. "I don't know how much is real, but...those things we're fighting are bad."

Prudii nodded. "Thanks. But watching my back is Dankin's job." He put a hand to his helmet comms. "Jorgan, keep the ship in atmosphere–and a safe distance from the Dread Forces' anti-air cannons–but see if you can land here and pick up some of these injured."

"Understood, sir," came Jorgan's rough voice. "On our way."

Prudii moved to the edge of camp, where Gareb and Kira were waiting. Prudii leveled his rifle, inhaled, and nodded to his three allies.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go kill fear."

* * *

Jasin set foot on Oricon for the first time as his escape pod landed on the cliff face below the Republic outpost. Wincing, he reached up, grabbed a branch above him, and pulled himself out. Scourge followed a moment later. Together, the two of them climbed up to the Republic outpost. Jasin walked up to the highest-ranking soldier he saw, a woman in orange-striped armor standing next to a combat droid.

"Halt!" the woman said. "State your business!"

"I'm a Jedi Master," he said.

She looked cautiously at Scourge. "He's a Sith!"

"He's with me," Jasin said calmly. He knew the Dread Masters' powers were affecting her. "We're here to help, I promise."

The woman nodded. "Fine. But first sign of betrayal and I put a bolt between your shoulder blades. I'm Sergeant Trila. We've got teams out rescuing the crash victims...you and your Sith buddy there can head out and fight off the Dread Forces out there to give them room to get back here."

Jasin nodded. "Roger that. Come on, Scourge."

* * *

Prudii panted as he returned to camp, wiping grime off his armor. He slung his rifle and exhaled disgustedly. The crash victims they'd managed to rescue had gathered around Trila, some of them screaming, some of them comatose, and some just whimpering. Only one or two looked combat-ready.

"Jorgan, get back down here," Prudii said. "And tell Elara to prep the medbay. We're going to need it." He turned to Trila. "Whoever it was that cleared the way for us...thanks."

* * *

After getting their next assignment, Prudii and the others moved back out into the forests. Ten minutes later, Jasin and Scourge returned to the camp by a different route. Trila gave them another assignment and they headed north to cut off another Dread Force advance.

When they returned to camp, Jasin thought he saw a familiar, red-haired female across the camp, but she was lost in a mass of orange-armored bodies. Shrugging it off, he took his next assignment from Trila and headed back out.

For those of you wondering, Jasin isn't with the rest of them due to the events of my story, Rise of Black Sun. This story takes place immediately before my next story, tentatively titled "Return of the Gree" but now changed to "Maze of the Mind", where Jasin will rejoin his allies.

@DarthSillyMonkey: I think some dialogue after Needles is beaten, but before killing him would be fantastic. I would love to just let that disgusting little creep know how pathetic he really is.....it'd be worth any DS points.

@frauzet: I have never chosen the option to go after Wraith instead of freeing Krazul and have often wondered what happens when you make that choice instead. I really wish there was some sort of interaction with her when you make the LS choice to free the senator. I can't believe that she just happens to get away without anyone knowing, which is why I had Val spot her.

@Lesaberisa: TeeHee, I loved Amitia setting up Balkar like that!! I can only imagine what Malicineve's HoloHarmony ad looked like......yikes!! I really like Veresia putting that idiot in his place.....well done! Also, yay pics!!!! One of these days, I should actually post some......

@Irishfino: Yay for more Pimpin'!!!

@Yoshi: I really like how you bring everyone together, but not quite......that GAH....so close feeling!

Val awoke when she felt the ship slow down as it readied to come out of hyperspace. She carefully got out of bed, her body still sore from being thrown in the explosion yesterday morning. The petite Mirialan donned on a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie over the t-shirt and shorts she slept in. Normally she didn’t mind walking around in her pajamas, but that’s when it was just her and C2 on board. Now she had actual people staying on board and that made a loner like Val feel easily exposed. More so because she was beginning to have feelings for one of those people and that really made her nervous.

Val was getting used to being around Corso and so far, Risha pretty much kept to herself, but she still missed her solitude. Val trudged into the galley and got the caffa started. She began searching the cupboards for breakfast, glad she’d insisted on stopping at Carrick Station for supplies on their way to Taris. She grabbed her favorite cereal, Coco Stars, and poured herself a generous bowl. She quickly added the milk and carefully made her way to the cockpit with her near overflowing bowl of cereal.

Val had just finished her breakfast when it was time to bring the ship out of hyperspace. After doing that, she could see Taris in the distance. She put the ship on autopilot so she could put her bowl away, grab some caffa, and get dressed. On her way out of the galley, she nearly plowed into Corso, spilling caffa down the front of her hoodie.

“Sorry, Captain,” Corso smiled as he steadied her, “Almost to Taris?”

“Uh….yeah, I’m just going to….uh….get dressed,” Val stuttererd, blushing as the memory of what those hands of his felt like on her bare skin, “I’ll be bringing us in for a landing shortly.”

Corso was also having memories of his hands on Val’s bare skin and felt his body heat up a little as he watched her disappear into her quarters. He went into the galley to grab a mug of caffa wondering what to do about the feelings he had for his Captain.

A little while later, Val landed on Taris and after getting the rundown from Risha, her and Corso were meeting Aric at the Spaceport entrance.

“What took so long?” Aric asked, then noticed Val didn’t appear to be too happy, “did something happen?”

“Some idiot planetary customs officer stopped me as I left my ship,” Val snorted, “Kept rambling on about people smuggling goods off of ‘his’ planet. Guy must be a moron…..I’d clearly just landed on Taris. He should’ve waited until I was leaving…….not that I’m smuggling anything, mind you.”

“Of course not, Captain,” Aric snickered as Val shot him a rude gesture.

“Wow,” Corso grimaced as they walked out of the spaceport, “That smell’s worse than a wet bantha!”

“Try being a species with an enhanced sense of smell,” Aric retorted, making a face as the unpleasant odor filled his nostrils.

It was roughly mid-morning on Taris and they decided to go directly to the Republic military headquarters to meet with the contact General Garza had arranged, Colonel Gaff. As soon as they walked in, they could tell they weren’t exactly welcome.

“So, I see the Spec Forces have arrived,” Colonel Gaff sneered, “I’m Colonel Gaff and I’m in charge here. General Garza informed me yesterday that she was sending Spec Forces here on some secret mission and that you’d be bringing a couple of mercs with you.”

“Captain Jorgan, sir,” Aric saluted, “and this is Captain Tarenz and Corso Riggs.”

“At ease, Captain,” Gaff waved him off, “Do you care to fill me in on what you’re doing on my planet seeing as General Garza didn’t find it necessary to include that information?”

“I’m afraid that’s classified, sir,” Aric told him, really not liking Gaff's attitude.

“Well, that’s just great,” Gaff retorted, “I get to drop everything and assist some hotshot Spec Forces officer and his punk companions. Well, Captain, you aren’t going to find anything here of interest to you, there’s been no unusual activity and I run a tight ship here.”

“With all due respect, sir,” a young blond Human stepped forward, “That’s not true, we’ve had several patrol units disappear over the past few days.”

“Put a lid on it, Dorne,” Gaff ordered, “Disappearing patrols aren’t exactly unusual around here. Taris isn’t a vacation spot.”

Val was finished listening to this jerk treat them like something nasty he’d stepped on and marched up to Gaff, glaring at him, “Do you just have a giant stick up your ***,” she asked him, “or is this how you normally are?”

“How dare you…..”

“Yes, how dare I point out your obvious flaws,” Val interrupted, “terrible of me, I know. Seriously, how does a piece of crap like you get to be an officer…..did you call in a favor or something? Oh, wait, I get it…..you got shoved on this little stink hole because no one else wanted you!”

“Get this filthy little….”

“Watch it bud,” Val retorted, “judging from the smell coming from your direction, I’m much cleaner than you are, thank you very much.”

“It’s like she has no filter,” Aric whispered to Corso, shaking his head, “She’ll say anything that pops into that head of hers…”

“I know,” Corso sighed, debating on whether he should intervene, “she’s kinda right about this guy though.”

“That’s why I’m not stopping her,” Aric chuckled, “Uh-oh, he must have pissed her off…..I think she’s going for his….”

Corso quickly grabbed Val before she could add injury to insult and guided her to the door, “I think we’ll go meet our contact now,” he called to Aric on his way out, “meet us at the warehouse.”

“Look, Captain,” a very pissed off Colonel Gaff snapped, “If you and that riff-raff want to go poking around, that’s your business. Just don’t muck anything up and don’t expect me to help.” Then he left the room, his officers following him except for the young woman.

“Sorry about that, sir,” she told Aric, “Colonel Gaff is a little….uh….territorial and I think Captain Tarenz hit a nerve. At any rate, I’m Sergeant Elara Dorne, sir, and despite what the colonel said, those disappearing patrols are unusual.”

“How so?”

“Well, people do disappear,” she explained, “Taris isn’t a safe place to be stationed. There are rakghouls, pirates, and various wildlife that have killed people. However, these particular patrols just vanished….disappeared without a trace, no calls for help, no warning flares, and there were no signs of pirate or rakghoul activity in the areas where they last reported in. If you’re looking for unusual activity, you might want to start with where those patrols were last heard from, sir.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Aric told her, having a good idea what happened to those men, “I appreciate your help and I’ll check out those spots right away.”

“I’m glad to be of assistance, sir and I’ll send you the coordinates for their last known locations,” Dorne saluted, then smiled, “and please, thank Captain Tarenz for me. I rather enjoyed watching her put Colonel Gaff in his place.”

Aric grinned, “It was amusing to see, wasn’t it?! I’ll be sure to pass on your thanks.”

Aric left the military headquarters and walked over to the warehouse to wait for Val and Corso. He checked his datapad and found that Sergeant Dorne had already sent those coordinates along with a very long, detailed report. Stars, she must be one of those meticulous, uptight, paper pusher types, he thought as he saw all of the different forms attached to the report, but at least she’s willing to help.

****

Corso and a still annoyed Val entered the warehouse and found a young woman talking to a protocol droid on the upper level.

“Beryl Thorne?” Val asked.

“Ah, you must be Risha’s new partner,” Beryl replied, “and I see that she was smart enough to stay behind.”

“She mentioned that you two had……history,” Val nodded, “which is really none of my business. I’m just here for the vault location.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,” Beryl warned, “I had some jobs I was working on here when I agreed to help. However, my partner was killed a couple of days ago, along with his cargo. So, here’s the deal…..we’re going to help each other.”

“I wasn’t told anything about making a deal,” Val replied, crossing her arms and fixing Beryl with an annoyed glare.

“Well, let’s put it this way,” Beryl shot back, not fazed by Val’s obvious irritation, “You can help me make my deliveries so I can work on getting that vault location for you or you can wander around Taris in hopes that you can find that vault on your own……your choice.”

“Dammit,” Val sighed, “fine, just tell me what you need done and make it fast……I’ve got other things I need to take care of on Taris.”

Beryl explained that the first delivery was simple enough, just some equipment that was to be delivered to a Dr. Vernan who was conducting field research in the resettlement zone. Corso packed the sensors in his backpack and Beryl sent the coordinates for Dr. Vernan’s location to Val’s datapad. Just as they turned to head downstairs, they saw Officer Soganti come in.

“Looks like you have company,” Val warned, hoping Beryl wasn’t in trouble. She needed Beryl’s help to get those astrogation charts and she felt kinda bad for the freelancer who’d lost her partner. Val certainly wouldn’t want to be stuck working alone on this planet.

“Oh, it’s just Officer Soganti,” Beryl rolled her eyes, “He comes in here on a near daily basis……between you and me, I think he’s just a really lonely man. I’ll be fine…..he’s got nothing on me.”

“Alright,” Val replied as her and Corso left the room, “I’ll contact you when I make that delivery.”

They passed Officer Soganti, who glared at Val, as they went down the stairs, “Stars, that man could use a kick to the…..”

“Please don’t say it,” Corso pleaded as they left the warehouse.

They found Aric waiting for them outside, “So, how’d it go after we left?” Corso asked.

“Not bad actually,” Aric admitted, “Once Gaff finished spouting off and left anyways. Sergeant Dorne had some helpful information to get us started.”

“Stars, Aric, that Gaff guy made you look like Prince Charming,” Val smirked.

“Hey now, I’m not so bad now…..” Aric defended himself.

“Maybe not now,” Val admitted as they got on their speeders, “but you were a real tool back on Ord!”

Val and Corso accompanied Aric to last known locations of the missing patrols on the way to their delivery. They contacted Dorne at each one, and she had them look around, recording the images through Jorgan’s armor cam. She told them she’d analyze the info better, but was certain it wasn’t rakghouls or pirates that got to the soldiers seeing as there were no corpses left behind. Something else got those soldiers and Val, Corso, and Aric had a very good idea who. Unfortunately, they couldn’t share that information with Sergeant Dorne nor were they any closer to where the soldiers were being taken. They moved on, hoping the final location would have more information for them.

Dr. Vernan’s camp was on the way to the last location and Aric waited while Val and Corso took the sensors to him. Val agreed, for a small fee, to hook the sensors up to the data stations for Dr. Vernan since they were near that last patrol location. Being good with tech, Val was able to get the sensors set up quickly and she, Corso, and Aric approached that last patrol location.

The last location was a small abandoned camp and the three of them began to search for anything that might tell them what happened there and where those soldiers were taken. Val and Aric both sensed something was off, but it was too late and Aric growled in pain as he dropped after taking a shot to the leg. There were six scavengers that had been lying in wait to ambush the next patrol. Val hit the closest scavenger with a tranq dart and she and Corso began immediately fighting the remaining men. Aric managed to stand enough to fire off his cannon and within minutes the scavengers were dead except for the one Val hit with the dart. Corso helped Aric sit as his holo went off.

“Are you alright, sir?” Sergeant Dorne asked. Aric assured her Val had some medical training and he’d be fine, so Dorne continued, “Sir, scavengers haven’t been hostile before this. I’ll make sure command knows they are now. However, because they haven’t been seen as a threat before now, we don’t know much about their camp locations or their numbers.”

“We’re about to find out,” Val spoke up, a hardness in her tone that neither Corso nor Aric had heard before, “I’ll warn you, this won’t be pretty.”

Aric began removing his leg plates as he and Corso watched Val take out a stim injector and walk over to the unconscious man lying a few feet away. Val relieved the man of his weapons then injected him with the stim. A few seconds later, he began to wake.

“Who are you?” he demanded, trying to get up. He screamed as Val shot him in both legs.

“I’ll be the one asking you the questions,” she replied, “I’d like to know where you’ve taken the Republic soldiers those supplies belong to.”

“I’m not telling you anything,” he spat.

“Look pal, the choice is yours,” Val shot back as she brought out a vibro knife, “You’re going to die…..whether it’s a quick death or a slow and very painful one is completely up to you. I want answers and you’re going to give them to me.”

“I….I….don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied.

“Wrong answer,” Val told him just before she stabbed him in the gut with the vibroknife, leaving it in, “Now, this is a fatal wound, however, it’ll take a long time for you to bleed out enough to die. I’ve never actually had a wound like this before, but I hear it’s very painful.”

The man screamed in agony, then Val pulled out her blaster and put the barrel to his head, “Tell me what I want to know and I end your pain right now.”

“Th-th-they t-t-took s-s-soldiers t-t-to m-m-main b-b-base……F-f-fallonspire h-h-hold,” he stuttered.

“You know where that’s at, Sergeant Dorne?” Val called out.

“Yes, Captain, it’s deep in the next zone,” Dorne replied.

“P-p-please…..” the scavenger pleaded with Val.

“I’m sorry I had to do that to you,” Val told the man, then shot him in the head. Aric and Corso could see the guilt and shame written on her face as she dug medical supplies out of her backpack.

Val knelt down and began to tend to Aric’s leg, “I didn’t like doing that you know,” she whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears.

“We know, Val,” Corso assured her, “and you didn’t let him suffer long.”

“It doesn’t make it right,” she sniffed, “but we got what we needed….so….”

“That man has been helping his people kidnap Republic soldiers,” Aric grunted as Val stitched the wound on his leg, “don’t let it bother you too much. I would’ve likely beat the information out of him…..that’s no better, really. He was an enemy that was withholding information we needed…..you did what you had to.”

“Sir,” Dorne called from Aric’s holo, “It’s getting late. I don’t think you’ll be able to get to Fallenspire and fight your way in before nightfall and Taris is a hundred times more dangerous at night.”

“We’d better wait until morning then,” Corso replied, hating the thought of making those soldiers wait another day to be freed, but knowing that they had little choice.

“Agreed,” Aric nodded, his thoughts mirroring Corso’s.

“I can put a unit together to follow you in if that’s agreeable, sir,” Dorne volunteered.

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Aric replied, “I have the feeling we’re going to need all the help we can get. We’ll head back to base shortly and I’ll check in with you in the morning.”

By the time Val, Corso, and Aric made it back to Olaris Spaceport, the sun was setting. Val insisted that Aric stay with them that night so she could dress his leg wound better and dose him with an antibiotic. Aric agreed, wanting to be at his strongest when they secured that hold and figuring it would be nice to have some company. He returned to his ship, checked in with Garza, packed a bag, and boarded Val’s ship as night fell over Taris.

“Stars, Captain,” Risha called out, eying a limping Aric over as he came on board, “I really did trade up well when I partnered with you. I get to look at that bronze bodied Farm Boy and now you added this dangerously delicious looking Cathar into the mix.”

“They’re not for you, Risha,” Val rolled her eyes as Corso blushed and Aric grinned.

“Can’t stop me from looking, Captain,” Risha retorted.

“No, but a sleep dart can,” Val shot back, a wicked grin on her face.

“Party pooper,” Risha smirked, “It’s nice to see you have a sense of humor inside that introvert personality of yours though. How about some cards then?”

They spent the next couple of hours unwinding while they played cards, then Val took Aric into the med bay as Corso and Risha headed for the crew quarters. Val changed Aric’s bandage, added a liberal amount of kolto to it, injected him with an antibiotic, and sent him off to bed. Val slowly made her way to her own quarters and dressed for bed. As she lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, she couldn’t help but think of her friend who was somewhere on Taris in the company of a mad man.

“We’re coming, Tia,” Val whispered into the darkness, “Just hold out a little longer!”

I really hated Colonel Gaff......so glad I had Val knock him down a peg!

Kouhun awoke, and didn’t know where he was.

He took a moment to stabilize the insane jumble of thoughts that occurred in the mind upon becoming conscious after continuous periods of unconsciousness.

He opened his eyes and saw a blank metal ceiling. Not a good sign. In Kouhun’s experience, blank metal ceilings were not usually places of great comfort. The next thing he noticed was that all the blaster burns, cuts, and bruises he had collected were in various states of assisted healing. Kolto and bandages nearly covered his muscular body, and Kouhun slowly recalled the events that had earned him these injuries.

He had been at the cantina with Rizantos. The Exchange had come in to collect protection money from the bartender. The Wookiee had not taken kindly to that. A fight broke out, and Kouhun and Rizz were the only two defenders after the bartender fled. He remembered winning…but where was Rizz?

Kouhun summoned all of his strength, sat up, and surveyed the area. He was lying in a cot in a small spartan room with one likely locked door. All in all, not very friendly accommodations.

His contemplations were interrupted by the door slamming open with a sound like teeth on metal. A small, slight human man took one step into the room and stopped, evidently afraid that Kouhun might try something even in his injured state.

“Come with me.” The man ordered. A small but lethal blaster pistol materialized in his right hand and swerved towards Kouhun’s laying form. Kouhun complied without protest.

They proceeded down a narrow hallway with Kouhun in front and the man behind him holding the blaster pistol uncomfortably close to Kouhun’s back. Even with the man walking fast and the blaster pistol being a constant threat, Kouhun was able to make several observations as they progressed. The first was that he had been captured by the Exchange. The informality of the whole thing would have been enough to prove it, but the crates of spice he had noted in his peripheral vision as they passed the door of an open room confirmed it fairly well. This discovery didn’t cheer him up much considering how many people here probably had friends he had killed in the cantina.

Kouhun was jarred out of the realm of thought when he felt the barrel of the blaster pistol held at his back jab painfully into his kidneys. “Next door to the right.” The man commanded.

The room they entered was larger than his room had been, and also had a big desk and chairs in it instead of a cot. Sitting in the chair behind the desk was an alien like none Kouhun had ever seen. It had red skin, ridged eyebrows and tentacles coming out of its face, like some grotesque parody of a beard. Kouhun was not particularly xenophobic, but some look of revulsion must have crossed his face as he sat down, for the being behind the desk smirked.

“Never seen a Sith Pureblood before, Rattataki?” the being asked, his words dripping with malice. He dismissed Kouhun's escort with a wave of his finger, and the man silently left.

“I have not,” Kouhun replied, “nor did I care to.” The Sith ruled the Empire that had taken his wife away from him; this destroyed any curiosity he ever might have had about the red-skinned tyrants.

The Sith Pureblood replied with a bitter laugh. “I do not represent the Empire, foolish man. My kind has no place for those born without the Force, and I was one of those unworthy few. Beings like you and I have to work for our power. We are not born with some magic ability that grants us automatic membership to the special clubs of Sith and Jedi; we are just the ones that have to survive their petty wars.”

Kouhun had no patience at the moment for philosophical discussions. “What are you going to do with me?” he asked.

The pureblood replied, “I am Rejeci, leader of Exchange operations in this sector of Tatooine. You have caused quite a bit of trouble for us. Forty one of my men are smoldering in a mass grave outside Anchorhead. They were idiots, but even idiots can make credits. Credits that can now not be made because of you.”

No reply came from Kouhun. He had nothing to say in his defense, even if he had wanted to make one. He killed those men and would do it again. It was who he was now.

Rejeci raised a pointy red eyebrow at this lack of rebuttal and continued speaking. “Despite all the trouble you have caused me, I would still be willing to overlook it if you were to do something for me. I believe it would be in both of our interests.”

At this Kouhun’s eyes adopted a cold indifference. “I would sooner die then do the work of the evil, Sith. Kill me now before you expect me to harm even a single womp rat in your name.”

Rejeci rose from his chair and slammed his fists on the table in anger. “Do you not listen, Rattataki? I want you to do something that will help both of us reach our goals!” he barked.

This emotional outburst revealed much to the observant Kouhun. Rejeci would undoubtedly be replaced and possibly killed when his superiors found out what had happened in Anchorhead. This job he wanted Kouhun to do had to be important enough to warrant the deaths of nearly half a hundred men and the release of the one who had killed the majority of them.

“What do you want me to do?” Kouhun asked. Rejeci smiled, reclined in his chair, and said something that was becoming quite popular to say in recent days.

“I want you to find Rizantos Terso.”

*

An odd humming sound filled Rizantos Terso’s ears as he blinked himself awake. He spent a few seconds waking up his sleepy mind and instantly regretted it when the memories of his last conscious hour flooded in. A hesitant glance down the right side of his prone body confirmed that it had not, in fact, been a nightmare.

“No…no…no…” he muttered in sad denial as morbid thoughts filled his mind. When sleep returned to offer him escape once again, he embraced it with open arms and fell into comfortable oblivion.

@frauzet, I feel like Kaliyo would have been right at home at a party like that. Love the line about the tattoo creating a bigger target to aim at. And pics, yay!

@Yoshi, Ah, love the comic con stuff! I smiled all throughout those stories.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go kill fear."

Oooh, I like this line. Appropriately bad*ss

@Bright, Sassy, sarcastic Wynston. I love him. Staying one (or five) steps ahead of Kaliyo probably gives him a pretty good mental workout as well.

@AgentJacen, That has to be such an emotional reunion for the siblings.

The former Jedi and slave struggled not to just kill Harkun.

I can competely agree with this. That’s all I wanted to do every time I saw that guy! He doesn’t quite inspire Thana Vesh-level hatred, but he comes close.

@alaurin, I’ve only played through that Port Raga mission once, and I took the LS option, so I wonder what the alternative is as well. I like that you had Val spot Wraith. It’s a bit anticlimactic to chase after her and then not even see her get away. Really liked the latest story as well. I'd imagine doing what she had to do was harder for Val than she lets on.

@Irishfino, Eee! So many threads! Quick Quinn Quotes is one of my favorites; always good for a giggle.

@Lesaberisa, I almost felt bad for the SIS guy, but Amitia does have a point. It wouldn’t kill the guy to get a little dose of humility to match those good looks. This probably makes me terrible, but I am zero percent ashamed to admit that Malicineve’s oblivious evil just cracks me up.

Mina, my neglected agent, wondering if Kaliyo is plotting something

The answer is always yes.

@Mrtwo, Terrifying prospect for Rizz. When he does finally wake up and deal with all that happened it’s going to be rough. Looking forward to the next one.

@Bright,

@marissalf, okay, I'm now halfway convinced Ellis isn't just Eckard in disguise...so far so good...not taking my paranoia glasses off.

Ha! I admit, that did briefly cross my mind, but I’ll go ahead and say right out that in the Kinka!verse, the elder Lokin is really and truly dead.

@Striges,

The undestanding that the Killiks don't see things the same way as Humans. Not monsters, not evil, just alien. But it doesn't change the facts for her or Melodai, and that still hurts.

Thanks! I think that point, that the killiks aren’t evil but merely alien, is going to be the hardest to get across to Mel. Kinka has the benefit of having been part of the hive mind, but trying to get an outsider to understand that will be a struggle.

@DSM, frauzet & alaurin, Thank ya! Glad y’all thought the de-joining stuff made sense. I always worry about expanding on things like that, even if there isn’t a huge amount of info out there.

Nemro’s palace wasn’t nearly as opulent as Kinka expected. Far from palatial, the loud, dingy hall appeared to be little more than a showcase for all the vice and villainy that Hutta had to offer. The tall brunette drew a few curious looks as she navigated the crowded cantina, and Kinka made sure to meet them with a well-rehearsed scowl-and-glare combo. Word would spread soon enough that she was the infamous Red Blade. Best to get the role correct from the very start.

The Hutt’s advisors were waiting when she made her way into the private reception area. One of them, a petite bald woman holding a datapad, looked her up and down as she approached. Her expression was somewhere between a glare and a leer. Before Kinka could determine which, the Rattataki was already gone.

“You must be the infamous Blade. Karrels Javis.” Nem’ro’s other lackey was a stout man with cybernetic enhancements and a head that appeared too small for his body. His height kept him from spinning too comically out of proportion, but all the same, Kinka hoped they never crossed paths on less than friendly terms.

The hulking advisor jerked a thumb behind him and motioned for Kinka to follow. “Here’s how this goes down. When Nem’ro comes in, you wait in the back until you’re called. At all times you will stay at least five meters back, unless you’d like to become a pile of ash.”

Kinka put on her sweetest smile. “You scared I’m gonna cause trouble?”

“Just going over the rules. You’ve got a reputation, and we don’t want any problems.”

The Hutt motioned for her to approach, and Javis introduced the crime king while trying not to pass out from the heat. That was the other thing about Hutta. As if the grime and haze weren’t bad enough, the whole damned planet had to be a steamer pot, too. No wonder the Hutt throne room stunk like a Nar Shaddaa sewer.

“So this is the famous pirate I’ve heard about," the Hutt chuckled. "I didn’t expect you to be so soft. Few pirates possess charms like yours.”

Kinka wasn’t keen on the Hutt assessing her "charms," but she bit her tongue. “It’s an honor, great Nem’ro,” she said with a polite bow.

“What is it you’ve brought me, pirate?”

Better than you deserve, she thought. The truth was, aside from the implanted listening devices, Kinka had no idea what gifts she was giving the Hutt. Hunting them down after her contact’s carelessness took most of the afternoon, and there was no time to check out the goods before the meeting. It seemed safer to underplay the tribute than oversell it.

“Mere trinkets, great Hutt.”

The worm grumbled. “I don’t waste my time on trinkets.”

“Hold on. These aren’t bad,” Jarvis marveled. “This is real aurodium. And the cloth looks like—”

“I see, Karrels, I see.” The Hutt finally seemed pleased. “You are an impressive creature. Conduct your business on Hutta with my approval. Enjoy all the opulence my palace has to offer.” Nem'ro licked his lips and gazed hungrily at the scantily-dressed harem chained in the corner. Males and females of half a dozen species did their best to appear sufficiently alluring, all while jockeying to stay as far from the Hutt's reach as possible. Most had been there long enough to master the dead-eyed numbness necessarily to live as a Hutt’s plaything. The new ones were easy to spot with their nervous, terrified expressions that wordlessly pleaded for help. These people had no hope of survival at all.

Kinka turned her gaze back to Nem’ro, unable to contain her disgust. “You couldn’t pay me to touch your slaves.”

She’d expected him to be insulted. Internally, she worried about perhaps having gone too far. Hutts were known for being temperamental. Stories from the Academy recounted terrible tales of those who displeased them. But instead, he roared with laughter. “Don’t be so quick to judge, Blade. Everyone has a price.”

**

Kinka stripped off her sweaty clothes and tossed them on the floor as soon as she returned to her room in the palace. Twelve hours on Hutta. Already she wished for the end of this mission. The longer she stayed, the more likely some of the stench would stick around permanently. Beyond the punishing heat and unmistakable rot of vice, there weren’t enough showers to wash away the gut-churning memory of her meeting with Nem’ro. People were nothing to him. Just playthings to collect and trade as his whims dictated.

Seeing people treated poorly wasn’t something she was unaccustomed to. Growing up on Dromund Kaas provided no shortage of cruelty to witness. But that discrimination was mostly geared to the aliens. And even the Sith had the decency to mistreat their slaves behind closed doors, for the most part. Nem’ro was unabashed in his debauchery. It was too much for a decent person to stomach.

Kinka was about to unclasp her bra and toss it away with the rest of the clothes when she heard a rustling coming from the bedroom. Dammit. She should have known better than to think her room would actually be private. Kinka grabbed her blaster from the nearby table and quietly switched off the safety. She turned the corner, weapon drawn, and came face-to-face with a young Chiss wearing nothing but a short bit of silk cloth.

Sweat glistened with a silvery shimmer on his pale azure skin. A shock of deep blue hair fell over his forehead, and his eyes glowed red with emotions she couldn’t decipher. He stood stock still in front of the bed, and it was only a few seconds later that Kinka noticed the collar around his neck. One of Nem’ro’s slaves sent to tempt her. He really didn’t waste any time.

The Chiss bowed at the waist. “My master wishes to offer my services to—”

“Knock it off, alright. I’m not interested.” She lowered the blaster and plopped onto the bed. “It’s too hot for sex, and I’m too tired for anything but the back of my eyelids.”

He hadn’t moved from his spot except to turn and face her while she spoke. What was he waiting for, an engraved invitation? “That means get outta here. You understand Basic?”

“Of course.” He started to move, but hesitated. “It’s just, he will be angry if he thinks I displeased you. And if I return so soon...”

“He’ll... yeah. I get it.” Displeased Hutts were good things to avoid. She looked at the beautiful blue creature in front of her. Too good for this life. But if he ended up on Hutta, he was probably a spice head that got in too deep and couldn’t pay his bills. Half the patrons in the cantina were probably days away from similar fates. The Chiss’ pretty face saved him. The other junkies, the ones that looked like spice hounds, wouldn’t fare so well.

Junkie or not, she felt sorry for him. Nobody deserved to spend their life as a Hutt plaything. “What’s your name?”

“Seay’al.”

“Sit, Seay’al.” She patted the spot beside her. “We’ll talk for a while, and you can go back to your master and regale him with all kinds of sordid stories. Make them as dirty as you want, I don’t care. Sound good?”

He nodded. Something in the gesture was more polished than she expected from a slave. He sat stiffly on the bed, as if he were either afraid to get too close or muss the pristine bedding.

“So, Seay, why’d they send you? I assume you’ve heard who I am?”

He seemed taken aback by the question. “I- I’m not sure,” he stammered. “The Twi’lek came, looked us over and pointed at me. Then I was led here and told to do whatever you wanted. That you were a famous pirate, and you needed to experience the best of Hutt hospitality.”

Hutt hospitality — a revolting notion. Kinka wasn’t sure she believed him, but it was possible that he was telling the truth. More likely, Toth’lazhen wanted to spy on the Blade and chose this poor soul. There was something about him, though, that read true. Most slaves would be much too obvious in such a mission. Subtle, they weren’t. Seay’al seemed different. He had the hardened expression of someone who’d seen too much, but the way he carried himself was more akin to someone who hadn’t yet lost all memories of civility.

“How’d you end up here, Seay’al? I’d imagine there aren’t too many Chiss on Hutta.”

“You’d be correct in that assumption. My parents were big gamblers. Made bets they lost with credits they didn’t have. I was enough of a novelty that their debt was paid.”

“They bartered you?” Kinka had only thought she’d witnessed the bottom rung of depravity earlier that day. Being sold by your own parents. Even in her most angst-fueled teenage tantrum, Kinka couldn’t imagine her parents doing that. It was hard to believe someone could be so cold to their own child. “How long have you been here?”

“It’s been eight years, if I remember correctly. Of course, after the first three, you start to lose track.” He was quiet, remembering. Those red eyes didn’t change one bit, but Kinka could tell he was somewhere else. Someplace awful. Someplace he’d never escape. “I don’t want to bore you with my life,” he said finally.

Kinka smiled at him. It wasn’t the sly or the fake kind she’d plastered on all day. No, he got the real thing. “I find you fascinating. I’ve almost forgotten how tired I was.”

“Of course.” He rose from the bed and started to remove the only bit of clothing they’d let him wear.

“What in the void are you doing?”

Seay’al froze and stared back at her, his expression unreadable. “I thought—”

“What, that I only asked about you as some sort of intellectual foreplay?” Her instinct was to be angry with him. But she realized that he’d probably been through this all before. And it only ever ended one way. She shuddered. “No, Seay’al. I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in that from you. I meant it when I said I only wanted to talk.”

Kinka glanced at the chrono on the wall. “It’s been long enough. You can probably go now. Tell them whatever you like. I’ll vouch for you.”

He dressed quickly, a violet blush coloring his skin as he did so. Before returning to his corner of hell, he paused at the door. “Thank you,” he said simply.

Kinka laid back on the bed and closed her eyes. Yet sleep, which had sounded so wonderful just an hour earlier, was elusive. She couldn’t stop thinking of Seay’al, wondering what horrors he'd had to endure. He was strong. He could survive. It wasn’t her business to worry over one Chiss slave when bigger things were at stake. But what good was serving the Empire if she were impotent in helping one of its citizens? Certainly Keeper would yank her out of the mission in a blink if he knew what she were thinking. But then, Keeper didn’t need to know any of that.

**

The next afternoon, Kinka found herself in front of Nem’ro again. She didn’t want to be there, and had hoped to deal solely with Javis or the Twi’lek, but the Hutt was eager to check in on his distinguished guest.

“I hear you found something of mine to enjoy,” he chuckled.

She hated the way he said it, as if she’d borrowed a speeder or something. But she swallowed her disgust and plastered on a sly smile. “Yes, well it turns out you found just the right thing for me. Your little blue friend is quite the charmer. I wouldn’t mind seeing him again, if you’d allow it, of course.”

“That can be arranged for the Blade.” The Hutt stuffed some poor squirming creature into his mouth, swallowing it whole. “For a price.”

“Naturally,” she said. It was a struggle to keep her voice even as she watched the wretch chew and salivate, frequently at the same time. “I’m sure we could come to some arrangement that would keep me entertained during my stay.”

“Good, good.” He’d gotten a promise of credits and had grown bored of the conversation already. “Talk to Toth’lazhen about the fee. The blue one will be delivered to your quarters later. A pleasure doing business with you, Blade.”

I was always struck by the two slaves sitting by Nem'ro during the Agent's conversation with him. Dead-eyed is exactly the way to describe them. It's icky if you put any thought at all into it

If you take the DS option with Senator Krasul, as my Summary Execution Trooper did, you do indeed chase down Wraith and kill her right then. Oh, also the bombs go off, the Senator dies, and Garza lets you know there'll be hell to pay. It remains to be seen how future Senate hearings go without one converted friendly face in the crowd - Summary Execution Trooper is only on Nar Shaddaa. What I don't remember is where you face Wraith again if you take the LS option and let her get away. I can't seem to find the second confrontation in Vierce's files.