<A cavern complex on a backward world in the backside of beyond>

 

It was very quiet in the small cave. It was also pitch black. No one dared move.

 

“You mean to tell me it all failed?” The soft female voice was incredulous.

 

“Yes, my queen.” A diffident male voice replied. “The queen Majistrona is dead, but her successor is the human girl who was changed, Sarai by name. She is…Not as was expected…”

 

“How so?” The female voice sounded almost punch drunk. “Speak.”

 

“She is not…” The male voice sounded scared now. “She is not weak, or easily led. She nearly sacrificed herself for her retainer by all accounts. She is not motivated by vengeance, but seems to be acting from a sense of justice. She is searching for our agents as we speak. And…” He broke off. It was clear he did not want to continue.

 

“And” The female voice was sharp now. The sound of a blow rang through the room. “Speak!”

 

“There are murmurs… in the swarm… Rumors in the hivemind… They say she is an Alpha. A kind one.” The sound of another blow cracked across the dark room.

 

“Do not speak that heresy ever again.” The female voice was sharp now. “Or I will kill you myself. The Alphas were abominations, monsters better forgotten in our past.”

 

“I report as ordered.” The male voice was soft. “My life is yours, queen.”

 

“Indeed…” A soft sound, almost a clacking was heard over the female voice now. “Remain, drone. I am hungry.”

 

“Do you have to do that?” Another voice spoke softly. A light flared in the darkness and a green skinned wrinkled face appeared. “He did as you ordered, no more, no less.” Vandar Tokare’s voice was sad, but his face was serene.

 

“My swarm, my choice. And I am hungry.” The large black skinned being said nastily. “You do not rule here, Vandar. No matter if we serve the same master. You do not rule me.”

 

“You are going to do what you wish no matter what.” Vandar said with a deep sigh. “But if you keep killing dutiful and efficient subordinates, you will only have dregs left.”

 

“Get out, Jedi!” the huge black queen thundered. “Or you are next on my meal plate!”

 

“Be careful, Sentacakilohas.” Vandar said with a smirk. “They are coming. You know what happened to the last queen of your kind when she faced the two of them.”

 

“We are ready for them this time, are we not, Jedi?” The black skinned queen reached down and with a negligent swing, cut the legs out from under a drone that stood nearby. She pulled the wriggling body up and took a huge bite, but paused as Vandar laughed. “What?”

 

“Ready? To face Will Kalenath or Jina Darkstorm? Both of them together? When they expect a trap no less? Because they will. This is how such beings survive for as long as they have, by planning for traps. Ready… Is that a joke?” Vandar winced as the queen took another bite from her drone, one that did not kill it. She could have ended its suffering with single blow, but she enjoyed its suffering and pointless struggles. “No plan survives contact with the enemy, and when the enemies are members of the Seven, beings that the master wants alive…”

 

“The Seven are mortal.” The queen took another bite and turned her head, showing cold metal where antennae would have been on a normal Sitolon. Not that this one was anything LIKE a normal Sitolon. She had six legs instead of eight, two stumps showed where heavy manipulators had been amputated. Her skin was a deep midnight black. “They make mistakes just like anyone else. They can be overwhelmed just like anyone else. We are ready for them.”

 

“Make no mistake, my dear messy eating queen…” Vandar’s voice was mocking. “Because all it takes is one. You make any mistakes at all and they will bury you and your swarm in a pile of radioactive rubble. If you are lucky. If not… they may leave you alive to face the master’s wrath.” He swept from the room, leaving the queen to sit in place, her meal forgotten. She dropped the still squirming bundle at her feet and then absently crushed the life from it with a clawed foot.

 

“Report on the facility.” The queen demanded. “Is the trap set?” Another drone replied in a stoic voice.

 

“All of the slaves are in the pen, as ordered.” The male did not move as the queen looked at him although he had to be terrified. “None have been touched, as ordered. All the traps have been readied, all we need is your order to activate them.”

 

“And the bait?” The queen fondled a small red crystal that she pulled from her carapace. “What of it?”

 

“The mindwiped human was found by the authorities and taken to the medical facilities.” The drone reported. “We have tracked reports that were sent off to various places, including the clinic of Cranna the Hutt. They will forward the report to Kalenath and Darkstorm.”

 

“And that will bring them here. Good.” The queen had a feral smile in her voice as she picked up the still form at her feet. Waste not, want not. She took a bite and swallowed before speaking again. “Make sure our troops are ready. We want both alive if possible. But I want Darkstorm alive. I want her to suffer as I did. The master needs her for a time, and then she is mine. I will breed her. Turn her into my slave, and then, only after a few decades of breeding for me, will I allow her to die…”

It was boring and they wanted to keep it that way. After so many recent setbacks, many disastrous, the Special Branch of Republic Intelligence had decided that having bases –even secret and well hidden ones- on inhabited worlds was a bad idea. So, they picked out of the way planets, ones that were habitable, but with little or any appeal to the Republic or Empire. Coincidentally, these planets also offered a great place to practice with things that would have drawn a great deal of negative attention even in a backwater like Tattooine. So this lace, which had been surveyed, but was not even on a slate for colonization yet, was perfect. Brintooin. What a muckball. The Shistavanen commander of the light cruiser Defiant thought to herself as her body rose from the command chair and took a step forward. Without her control.

 

Lieutenant Commander Bixa Sivrak, formerly of the Republic Navy, was not a praying being. She had lost whatever religion she had possessed during years of service to the Republic, and then… Then she had been assigned to a ‘highly secret and highly dangerous, but imperative’ project. Part of her had hoped for advancement, or at least to make a difference. She had been sent to a ‘special training center’. But when she had woken, someone else had been in control of her body… She could see, hear and feel, but she was not in control! It had taken every ounce of willpower in her to keep from going mad as her body went about its daily routine despite her commands, her demands, her increasingly shrill cries and screams to stop. All she could do was listen, file things away, try to figure out how to get out of this mess. She had a certain freedom of mind that the rest of her small crew lacked. They all had the same look in their eyes that stared at her from her mirror however. All of them were slaves. What was worse, she had no idea how she was being controlled. There was no technology that she could find, no signals that she could discern the few times that her body was sent to Medical for checkups. Fighting the control did not work. It did nothing at all. She was starting to finally lose her grip on sanity when her sensor operator reports.

 

“Hyperspace trace, Commander. Edge of the system.” Her body walked over to the human sitting there, his posture so erect as to be acutely uncomfortable. Apparently, he was fighting the controls as well, but with as much luck as Sivrak had. The operator jerked and then his hands were flying. She couldn’t feel his pain, but she knew he had just been punished for disobeying orders. Starship crew needed a bit of freedom to handle things, but not much. If any of them went too far, pain happened. Sivrak had tried to rebel, she had tried not to obey, but whatever they had done to her was different. She couldn’t even talk by herself. She snarled as she felt herself reply.

 

“Any word?” Sivrak heard herself say in a quiet but authoritative tone. They were expecting anew shipment of…subjects…for the medics on planet. Not that anything that happened on planet was in any way related to healing. And she had been warned to expect an unfriendly ship as well. Her orders in such a case were clear. Run.

 

“Nothing on sensor, Ma’am.” The operator replied, his face intent on his screen. “No identification code. Ma’am…” Sivrak tired to fight, but it was useless as her body nodded and turned quickly to the engineering section. Sivrak snarled as her body started barking commands.

 

“Send the signal and get us powered up. Fast!” On such a small ship, the engineering was handled by a crew of three. The Bothan who was on watch nodded to her and started working his controls. The Defiant took time to power up to full, but hopefully whoever it was who had just come calling would also take time to get to the planet. Then her head turned back to the screen and Sivrak felt her guts turn to ice. She knew those readings! Imperials? Here? But did whoever was in control of her? She made herself as small as she could, hoping to hide what she recognized, hope flaring through her. But something gripped her mind and yanked the information out. She could not stifle a cry of pain, but it came out as a small sound of alarm.

 

“Imperial battlewagon!” Her voice called. Com?” The com operator turned to her and shook his head. Jammed. Of course they were… Imperials were nothing if not thorough. “Engineering?” They had planned on the possibility of an Imperial patrol finding them, this was Imperial territory now. But they had not expected this. Her body ran back to her command chair, and orders spilled from her lips, bringing weapons and shields on line. Speed was far more important now than stealth. If that Imperial ship launched fighters or bombers… She had a moment to gawk as her screen lit up with light and then she was smiling as bolts of energy and the bright balls of torpedoes sped towards her ship. They had launched fighters from way out, way beyond sensor range, and then micro-jumped in to support them. A good tactic. The control that held her was strong and she felt herself giving orders to roll the ship, to try and spread the damage that was hitting them now out amongst the ship’s shields. But she was laughing inside as the wave of missiles approached, despite what her point defense could do. At least a squadron’s worth of bombers had salvoed their ordnance at once. There was no way a single light cruiser was going to survive that. And even if they did, the Imperial battleship that was now visible despite its ECM and stealth systems was launching another squadron. She was still laughing inside as the torpedo swarm tore her ship apart.

 

***

 

“Report.” The soft voice on the bridge of the Sith battleship Dark Deciever had all of the soldiers listening shiver a bit. They all focused on their jobs, none of them wanted the attention of the black garbed form who stood in the middle of the bridge. The ship’s captain nodded.

 

“Republic light cruiser, C’athag class. As you directed, we destroyed it. We are recovering our fighters.” The captain did not quibble, but his disapproval was clear. “Milord…Standing orders are to capture any trespassers, interrogate them…”

 

“If you had tried to capture that ship, Captain, it would have escaped.” The man showed no sign of irritation, indeed, no emotion at all. “They were ready for that. They were not ready for us to destroy them. We need to find that base and get the information inside it. All other matters are secondary.”

 

“Yes, Milord.” The captain turned and started barking orders to his crew. They were well drilled and efficient. “Troop deployment will begun in ten minutes, sir.”

 

“Good. I will join them.” The man in black turned and left the bridge, and a palpable wave of relief swept the bridge. There was something about that man’s eyes that just…felt wrong. Even for Sith. Even the normal Sith horror was bland compared to the madness in that man’s eyes.

 

But the man did not head to the hangar bay, instead he went to life support control. “Report.” He said softly. The young human female who was busy at the controls did not turn. She also did not acknowledge the three bodies at her feet. One still breathed. A rack of canisters were attached to the life supports systems, and none of them looked official.

 

“Gas administered.” The woman’s voice was muffled by the gas mask she wore, but it was clear and unhurried. “Teams Sigma and Tau have secured the armory and Engineering. No alarms. No casualties. The gas should take effect in three minutes, max. Barring any unforeseen occurrences, the ship will be ours in ten minutes.”

 

“Excellent.” The man in black nodded as he dropped his hood and slapped a gas mask over his face. Why take chances? Even with the Force, there were limits. “This ship will make a much better mobile base of operations in Sith space once we get the personnel from below. ”

 

“Were you able to administer the nanites to the captain?” The woman asked softly as she continued to work.

 

“No.” The man in black said as he started going over the bodies at his feet. His hands were unusually gentle for a Sith as he straightened the man who was still breathing. “I could never get him alone. I did get the XO and the chief engineer.” He pulled the still living soldier’s helmet off, and looked him over clinically. Then he produced a hypo from a pouch and injected the trooper at his feet. He watched dispassionately as the man convulsed. “Another recruit.”

 

“Excellent. My medical staff is fully recruited.” The woman stood and turned to face the man. She wore a medical tunic and her rank tabs proclaimed her to be senior medic. Her face was serene, but her eyes… They held horror. “Pity about the captain. But we may still be able to take him alive. He would be useful.”

 

“Indeed.” The man agreed as the man at his feet subsided and his eyes opened, showing the same calm face with horror buried in deep. “Come, let us finish this.” He undid the rough bindings that held the man and the soldier rose on his own. “You will guard this room. You will monitor the gas distribution, and you will notify myself or Chief Medic Brana if anything changes. We need recruits, not more death.” The soldier nodded and silently took the medic’s place at the controls. “Right doctor?” His voice held mild reproof and the medic nodded.

 

“I had no choice. All three were awake and aware.” She shook her head. “Usually, there is at least one who is distracted by something. It was almost as if they were expecting me. Do you sense anything?”

 

“No…” The Sith said after a moment of searching his feelings. “Danger of course. Taking over a Sith battleship is not a safe thing to do, even with all of our advantages. Come, let us rendezvous with team Epsilon and take the auxiliary bridge, then we move on the main one.” He nodded to the soldier as he and the medic left the room.

 

The soldier remained at his post, watching his screens. He couldn’t do anything else and only someone with the Force would have been able to tell he was screaming impotently inside his skull.

It was finally quiet on the bridge, the medic was checking the still forms, looking for any still alive. Not that she was going to be able to find many. If he was anything, it was good with his saber. They had fought hard, but in the end, they had been overmatched. Sidearms and courage versus the Dark Side of the Force and a lightsaber usually did not end well for the courageous side. He shook his head and walked to the com console and keyed it alive. Right on time…

 

“Brakon?” The voice of Jedi Master Tokare Vandar was clipped and sure. “Report.”

 

“The ship is ours.” The Sith nodded as he looked at the corpse of the captain. He had injected the nanites, maybe they would bring the man back. He hoped so anyway. “There are isolated holdouts in three sections, people who managed to get gas masks on in time. But there are less than twenty of them. We have control of all key systems and will have the holdouts reduced shortly. One way or another. We are ready to start receiving your shuttles. Landing bay crews are at half strength, medical staff is ‘recruiting’ the unconscious as quickly as possible. I estimate that the ship’s remaining crew will be implanted within the hour.”

 

“The command crew?” Vandar asked softly.

 

“We have about a third of them alive. They were on alert for some reason.” Brakon shook his head. “The captain attempted to activate the self destruct systems and I was constrained to act.”

 

“Pity. Get him to stasis if possible; the master will be joining us at our next stop.” The Jedi Master’s tone was calm. “We have very little time until the trail that Lohas set will be followed. I still think it was too blatant, Will is going to smell a trap.”

 

“Expecting a trap or not, will he be able to escape?” The man in Sith garb asked quietly. “He is good, as we all know. But…”

 

“I don’t think it is possible to overestimate his ability to do the unexpected.” Vandar said sourly. “No one expected him to show up on Tython when he did, or to threaten the entire Jedi council with a baradium bomb as he did. That ship needs to be long gone before he gets here.”

 

“Agreed.” Brakon Darshiel, former Dark Jedi and now slave to a mass of microscopic machines, nodded soberly. “We will be ready to move.”

 

“Good.” The Jedi replied softly. “I will be on the second shuttle. First shuttle will have more troops and medical personnel.”

 

“Uh…” Brakon could not keep a shiver of fear from rippling through him. “Is Menglan here?” That so called ‘doctor’ could scare Sith lords, with good reason. She was utterly without morals or sanity.

 

“No.” Vandar’s voice was also soft, but held disgust. “She was recalled. Thank the Force, we have enough problems.”

 

“Where do we go after this?” Brakon asked pointedly. ”We can’t just sit here. Sooner or later a full Imperial fleet will arrive to search for their missing ship.”

 

“Ah, but it is not missing.” Vandar replied easily. “We will report a pirate attack that claimed much of the crew and state that we are going to Vanaria to make temporary repairs.”

 

“Vanaria?” Brakon exclaimed. Vanaria was the home of Dargon Darkstorm, a well known and powerful Sith inquisitor. He was also known for being utterly merciless and vicious even for a Sith Inquisitor. As well, his daughter was one of the Seven.“Umm… Vandar, is that wise?”

 

“No, but then again, what is wise about what we just did?” Vandar asked with sardonic humor. “Taking over a Sith battleship is not usually considered wise.”

 

“Dargon is not a pushover. Are we after Jina now?” Brakon said quietly as he watched the medic working on the five survivors of his attack on the bridge. If only the captain hadn’t figured out what had been going on. If only he hadn’t tried to destroy the ship. They would have had so many more potential recruits. Ah well…

 

“You know the plan.” Vandar said tiredly. “Why belabor it?”

 

“Because I really don’t want to face Jina Darkstorm again.” The Dark Jedi shook himself a little, and ran hand across his chest. Even after all this time, the phantom pain of a Jedi’s lightsaber hurt. “My chest still hurts where she got me.”

 

“If all goes well, you won’t have to fight.” Vandar sighed. “Fighting her won’t work. We all know that too well.”

 

“Good.” Brakon did not bother to hide his relief. It wouldn’t work with Vandar anyway. The short green being was far too observant.

 

“One thing, Brakon…” Vandar cautioned. “We are very likely to encounter the Dia’s Gift at some point. If we do, stay away from the com. She can and will ID you.”

 

“And if she does?” Brakon asked with sour humor. “It’s not like she is going to tell the Empire I am still alive, now is she? She is dead too. Sort of anyway…”

 

“She knows you died, cut down by Jina Darkstorm.” Vandar’s voice was cool. “She knows by now that the master can bring back the dead. If she sees you or hears you, she is likely to figure out more than we want her to. She is no moron. You should know, you trained her.”

 

“Yeah.” Brakon was quiet for a moment and then he sighed. “Feels like a million years ago, or another life. She always was a good student, Oreana was. You think we can… um… recruit her?”

 

“I don’t know.” Vandar replied unemotionally. “We can attempt it, but in all things, our plan must be fulfilled. If she gets in the way, we remove her. She is simply too dangerous now to leave in place. Shuttles are lifting, I will be there in ten minutes.”

 

“Understood.” Brakon nodded even though there was no way for Vandar to see him through the com. “I will be ready.” He cut the com and slumped back, his face falling. “Oh Oreana… I am sorry, child. But we have no choice… We never did.” He shook his head as the medic stepped away from the last two convulsing forms she had injected. “Oreana always was better than she had any right to be, and that is what is going to kill her…”

 

“We are ready.” The medic said quietly as she started packing her gear.

 

“Good.” Brakon replied. “Let’s get the ship ready to jump as soon as possible. I do not want a baradium bomb going off in my face any more than Vandar does.”

“Ship approaching.” The sensor operator reported. Brakon stayed out of the way. Starship operation was not his area of expertise. Besides, being on the bridge of this ship gave him the creeps. He could feel the rage, the pain, the madness kept just at bay by the nanites that were coursing through each crewmember. The captain nodded to the sensor operator and turned eyes that held remembered pain and horror to Brakon. The nanites had, as Vandar promised, brought the captain back from the dead. They needed the man. Of course, he was a bit different now. No one who died and was brought back forcibly by machines stayed the same. The rating manning the sensors was calm but his sense in the Force was scared and angry when he spoke. “Imperial transport. Positive for two lifeforms. They are requesting to come aboard. They have the proper codes.”

 

“Milord?” No one simply listening would have been able to tell how close the captain was to losing control of his bodily functions. Brakon could relate actually. When he had woken after Jina had killed him, he had screamed for an entire day. They had been…less than gentle…with the captain as they needed the man at least seeming functional now. “Orders?”

 

“Hmmm…” Brakon mused as he turned to where Vandar sat, buoyed up in midair by the Force. The Jedi was helping the crew to stay calm and under control. The microscopic machines would allow their hosts some freedom, but not much. “Vandar?”

 

“This is…” Vandar’s voice was confused now. “Odd…”

 

“Is it Kalenath?” Brakon asked quietly. “Or someone else?”

 

“I cannot trace any of the Seven.” Vandar said after a moment. “Not through the Force. I have no idea WHERE Will learned that skill, but he apparently taught all the others how to foil detection. I can’t…” He shook his head slowly. “Everything is… murky… Shades of gray…” Then he blanched. “Have Medical readied for a critical patient. Oh, that idiot boy…”

 

“What?” Brakon asked softly as he turned to scrutinize the viewscreen. “Who is it?”

 

“Tell Medical we have a patient.” Vandar said as he dropped his feet to the floor. “Ravishaw broke another of his ‘toys’.” The com operator started speaking over the intercom, warning Medical to prepare.

 

“Ravishaw?” Brakon detested the insane Bladeborn, and it was mutual. “What is he doing here? He is supposed to be finding the Stormhawk Enclave.”

 

“No idea.” Vandar said sourly. “We will ask. Come on.” The small form had short legs but he was fast enough that Brakon had to hurry to keep up as the small green Jedi Master led the way to the hangar bay. They arrived just as the battered form of the Imperial transport was landing. It was a mess, marks of laser scoring and explosions dotted the hull. Vandar whistled softly. “I think… Oh, what an idiot boy. We told him to find them, not fight them…”

 

“I didn’t have a choice, short stuff.” A black robed form carrying a still body came down the ramp almost before it had finished lowering. Ravisahw’s blonde hair was mussed and he looked nothing like his usual dapper self. “Maybe I got too close to their enclave? Maybe they were just onto me. I don’t know. I felt a tremor in the Force and started to run. We barely escaped when the Stormhawk appeared.”

 

“You fought the Stormhawk? You are crazy!” Brakon could not keep incredulity out of his voice was he turned with Vandar to follow the newcomer. Ravishaw started off towards Medical. It was a standard Sith design. And the Sith liked their ships standardized. Ravishaw snarled at him and Brakon realized that the red skinned form in Ravishaw’s arms was limp and trailing blood behind…her, yes, definitely a her. Someone had said that Ravishaw had ‘acquired’ a new apprentice, but Brakon hadn’t paid much attention. “Were you followed?” Brakon was torn between running to the bridge to order the ship to flee and finding out what the flarg had happened.

 

“Give me a little credit, Sith boy!” Ravishaw snapped. “No, we didn’t fight them, we turned and ran as soon as they appeared. We managed to avoid their guns while we plotted several jumps, but their fighters caught us before we could get away. Poor Gwenia here took the brunt of an explosion.” His voice oozed fake sympathy now. They reached Medical and Ravishaw deposited the limp Sith on a table where several doctors and nurses came up. He stepped back as they started working and shook his head. “And before you ask, I found you because I contacted the Master for instructions. He wanted me to lie low for a while, just in case the Stormhawk did follow. So… Voila… Here I be.”

 

“You are the last thing we need on this ship.” Brakon did not snarl the words, barely. “You could have led them right to us.”

 

“Well, considering who you are planning to trap…” Ravishaw had no humor in his voice for a moment. “You are going to need all the help you can get. I have never faced Darkstorm, but Kalenath is scary as hell.” Coming from a man who routinely scared Sith, that was saying something. “You got a problem with me? Bring it on, Sith boy!” His hand was on his sword hilt now and Brakon’s was on his lightsaber.

 

“Yeah, you did so well when you faced him, didn’t you? Ran away with your tail between your legs and lost the whole cloning facility.” Brakon’s voice held menace now, but he broke off as Vandar cleared his throat.

 

“Boys…” Vandar said into the quiet that resulted from his interjection. “We have bigger problems that you two figuring out whose ego is bigger.”

 

“True.” Ravishaw snickered at Brakon’s expression. “I am not stupid, Sith boy. I faced Istara for goodness sakes. You have no clue at all…” Suddenly he looked tired, old and tired. “I couldn’t sense her in the Force at all.” He looked at Vandar. “Is that something she learned on Tython?” Vandar shook his head and Ravishaw nodded. “Well… Look on the bright side; we will never know what kills us if the Seven can all do that.” He snickered at Brakon’s expression.

 

“It may be something in their armor.” Vandar said when Brakon looked at him. “I can’t sense even the Forceless ones. The girl named Mira and the woman named Michelle…” He shook his head slowly. “I could sense both before. Now…? They are not there.”

 

“Yeah.” Ravishaw nodded. “”The first I knew of Istara was when she ambushed me. If she hadn’t been alone, I would be dead.”

 

“Bladeborn.” Brakon said with disgust. “You and your stupid honor.”

 

“Bite me, Sith boy.” Ravishaw said with a wide grin for Brakon’s disapproval. Brakon snarled but Vandar stepped in again.

 

“Children…” Vandar sighed and shook his head. “Brakon, get back up to the bridge. We may need to leave quickly.” Brakon nodded and left the room. Behind him he heard Vandar start questioning Ravishaw on where, when and what he had been doing when ambushed. As he walked, he shook his head.

 

“Just what we needed…An insane Bladeborn.” Brakon’s voice was angry now. “At least the entire package is aboard now, just leaving the traps below…” He paused in mid step as the intercom chimed.

 

“Lord Brakon to the bridge, please.”

 

“Oh, what now?” Brakon snarled as he darted for the lift. All of the crew made way for him.

When he reached the bridge, he paused, blinking.

 

“Oh… frak…” He stared at the image of the ship that was on screen and swallowed a little. He hadn’t wanted to face her. “Have they contacted us?”

 

The Dia’s Gift was on an approach vector. The Foray class blockade runner should have been ancient, archaic, outmoded and useless. It wasn’t. He knew all too well just how dangerous the systems inside that shell were. Even without the multiple combat droids that had made the ship a match for almost anything in space, the ship was fast, heavily shielded, and very heavily armed for its size. The battleship he was on had perhaps half of its guns in service at the moment. It would not be a good fight. He didn’t want to fight her, not here, not now…

 

“No sir.” The com operator reported evenly.

 

“When did they get here?” He asked as he strode onto the bridge, mind working overtime. Something was wrong. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something was… He blanched. “Full evade! Jump us, fast!”

 

The bridge crew did not question, indeed, they could not question his orders. They started preparations to jump to lightspeed, but it always took large ships time to prepare. They did not stop and start on a credit after all. He watched, mouth set in a thin line as a pair of small ships left the hangar bay of the Dia’s Gift. Both headed for the battleship. He shook his head. Even if the Deceiver had been fully operational -which it was not- it would not have been a match for Dragon 4 and the battleship-disguised-as-a-freighter that the crazy man flew. But it was the other one… What was that? He blinked and a slow smile crossed his features. It was about time something went right. He walked to a specialized console and stood over the operator, waiting. Sure enough, both ships came about into attack position.

 

“Captain!” Get us out of here!” Brakon commanded. “We cannot fight him! And launching fighters is what he wants. He will slaughter them as they launch.”

 

“Yes, sir! Full shields!” The captain commanded. “Shunt weapon power to shields. And everyone hold on! This is going to hurt!” He said as the Dragon came about on a firing run. Brakon could feel the man’s competence. He had never had much time for military types before he had died. Now? He had a newfound appreciation for being able to watch death coming in slow motion and not being able to do a Force be damned thing about it. “How long to hyper?” He demanded.

 

“One minute to hyperspace, sir.” The engineering rating replied.

 

“Hang on!” Brakon called as the Dragon opened fire. Fire flew from torpedo tubes, and multiple heavy guns. Most people assumed that the stories about Will Kalenath’s personal attack gunship were exaggerated. If anything, Brakon knew they were understated.

 

Fire wreathed the ship Brakon stood on, and the multi-million ton starship actually shuddered in space as coherent energy slammed into it’s shields. Battleships were designed to take punishment as well as give it out, true. But the freighter *** gunship called Dragon was designed to kill battleships. Whatever he was firing, and Brakon did not recognize all of the weapons, they blew the shields down across a large section of the ship as easily as his lightsaber might cut through a mass of steel. Then the torpedoes came. He could not bite back a scream as at least six proton torpedoes impacted, two of them on the bridge tower of the Sith battleship. Three of the bridge crew were tossed from their feet but the captain remained on his feet. Brakon smiled evilly as he saw the second ship start in.

 

“Time?” The captain called. “The second one is going for the engines. They can’t stop us, they can slow us, which is almost as bad. We won’t survive if that monstrosity that looks like a freighter hits us again.” The Dia’s Gift was firing now too, her fire insanely accurate. She was targeting sensor nodes, power distribution points, gun turrets…

 

“Twenty seconds, captain.” The engineer report and Brakon smiled even more evilly.

 

“Captain?” He asked softly so as not to distract the bridge crew. “Can this ship hold a tractor beam into hyperspace?”

 

“Yes.” The captain said softly and then his eyes widened fractionally. The captain nodded. “Tractor beam! Snag that second ship and…” he broke off as Brakon shook his head.

 

“We want her alive. And as undamaged as possible.” Brakon watched as the bridge crew did all the things that soldiers had to do. It was a delicate balancing act. Put controls in place for obedience and many times people would not function at all without higher control. But Sith troops were used to operating in such an environment. If not QUITE as controlled as they were now. He smiled as the second ship came in, torpedoes flaring and lasers firing. The deck rocked under him, but his eyes were on the fighter as it started away, only to pause as something reached out and grabbed it.

 

“Got it, sir!” The tractor operator called.

 

“Ion cannon.” Brakon said softly. “Disable her, before we pull her in.”

 

Blue flared and the small ship went dark. He could almost literally taste the rage from the Dragon as it turned so fast that the pilot had to be puking in his cockpit. Or maybe not. Every time Special Branch thought they had a handle on what Will Kalenath could do, the soldier surprised them. He opened fire at extreme range and every single one of his shots hit.

 

“Damage to forward sections twelve and twenty three. Loss of pressure in sections fifteen through eighteen.” Brakon winced at that. Decompression was one sure way for the nanites not to be able to repair a body. Each and every slave now had an imbedded command to foil any self destruction that way. The master had included that in every single packet of nanites after a doctor had done just that, while foiling a long term plan.

 

“Security to Hangar bay two!” The captain called as the ship shuddered a little. Then the tension on the bridge dialed down a notch as the stars outside the viewport tuned into lines and then into the blue tunnel of hyperspace.

 

“I need to greet our guest, captain.” Brakon said softly. “How long till Vanaria?”

 

“Eighteen hours at this speed, sir.” The captain said to Brakon’s retreating back. The black clad man decided to ignore the hate that flowed at him from the captain. It was unsurprising. The man was a slave now, just like Brakon.

 

It was a short trip to the hangar bay and there be found the security forces roughly searching the pilot of the fighter. She was not resisting. Indeed, she was hardly breathing. One wrenched off her helmet and yes, it was who he had expected.

 

“Gently, soldiers…”Brakon said as he walked up and squatted down beside the shivering form. She did not react to his presence or his gentle touch. “It’s okay, Michelle. It’s okay. It will be okay…” A gentle touch to her head and she collapsed unconscious. “Ah…it is the armor… Nice…Some kind of Force cloak…” He ran hand along the silver flightsuit and smiled. “Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life, Michelle…” He scooped the sleeping woman up in his arms and started off. “I will get her to Detention. Have Vandar and Lohas meet me… We were just handed an opportunity here. Be a shame to waste it.”

“Do you have one of the red crystals?” Brakon asked as the huge black bulk of Lohas the queen pushed her way through the door. She snarled at him.

 

“Stupid human manufacture. Always so tight…” She paused as she took in the scene ahead of her. The slumbering form of Michelle, Sixth of the Seven, was laid out on a restraint frame. He hadn’t activated any of the interrogation machinery, he had other plans for her. “Humans, always rutting.” She made a snide comment. “She doesn’t have to be unclothed...”

 

“I didn’t undress her.” Brakon replied evenly. It was not productive to get angry with the sole remaining Sitolon high ranker on their side. “Her suit dissolved on the way here. Do you have a red crystal? We can use her, if we can wipe her mind.”

 

“No…I am growing another, but it will take time.” Lohas mused softly. “Ravishaw lost his. Idiot. I warned you all about that.”

 

“Well…” Brakon shook his head. “We don’t know where the master is currently, and we don’t have a lot of time. Can you do anything?”

 

“Hmmm…” Lohas studied the human female who was totally restrained and then an evil smile crept into her voice. “I think I can… It will not be quick. But it will be fun.” She stepped towards the table the unconscious woman was on, but paused as another voice spoke.

 

“What can you do, Lohas?” Vandar asked sourly as he arrived with Ravishaw in tow. Ravishaw stared at the woman and then at Brakon. Vandar’s voice turned severe. “You know the master’s orders concerning the Seven.”

 

“I can make her a breeder.” Lohas replied evenly. “She would likely survive it. And once she is breeder, she will do whatever I tell her.”

 

“Looks like someone else has been breeding… Or something.” Ravishaw snickered. “I never thought you had it in you, Sith boy.” The insane Bladeborn giggled. “Well done, boy. Was it fun? You just had to get her alone and tied up first? No biggie…”

 

“You…!” Brakon went for his saber and Ravishaw had his sword out.

 

“Enough!” Vandar thundered as he somehow got between the two of them, and everything stopped as his green lightsaber ignited. “Both of you, back off! Lohas…” He turned his head to glare at the insect being reaching for the sleeping woman. “That includes you!” His voice turned cold and the bug recoiled. “The captain informed me that we snatched her. The traps on planet?”

 

“Triggered to no gain.” The bug replied sadly. “The swarm there was sacrificial, but you might have told me that when you set it up. It was feeling like home. She is one of them…” Her voice held lust now. “She is strong… I want her…”

 

“No.” Vandar’s voice was quiet but held command now. “I will handle her. None of you besides Brakon could possibly hold yourselves in check long enough. You have the four slaves that you chose as breeders. They are more than enough. The area you have been given is being revamped to your specifications. Go.” His quiet word was another command and the huge black queen left, muttering. “Ravishaw, go to your apprentice and stay there.”

 

“Spoilsport.” Ravishaw said as he left, obviously pouting. Vandar looked at Brakon for a moment and then made a hand gesture.

 

“Cameras are not recording for the moment. Are you out of your mind?” Vandar’s voice was soft and worried as he checked the woman over professionally.

 

“Look, we needed her.” Brakon said softly as he scrubbed his face. “It was the only chance we were going to get, you know that the Sitolon would have scrubbed Helen before the nanites could make her remember your message.”

 

“I know.” Vandar shook his head. “And you brought Lohas here to set the stage so she won't try and come back without orders or send a drone to grab this… prize…” His voice was dubious. “A very dangerous prize.”

 

“Yes.” Brakon said softly. “He will track her. I could feel her feelings for him when I touched her. She was controlling them, but she does love him.”

 

“I was afraid of that.” Vandar admitted. “You are going to have to be front man on this. She doesn’t know you.”

 

“I know.” Brakon said softly as he sat beside the restraint frame. “I hate this, master. I have hated this ever since you sent me to infiltrate the Empire…” He shook his head. “I did not want to be like this… I did not want to teach Oreana or…kill her mother.”

 

“I know.” Vandar said gently. “For what it is worth, I am sorry.” He sighed again. “One more regret? What is one more regret in a life full of them?” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small brown crystal.

 

“Master…” Brakon said softly as Vandar approached the restraint frame. “Is that wise?”

 

“No.” Vandar said with force. “But it is her only chance.” He touched the crystal to her forehead and then stiffened as her eyes shot open and she screamed. “Hold her!” Brakon reached out and took her head in gentle hands. The woman was crying as Vandar continued with what he did and then, her body convulsed and she fell into a deep sleep. Vandar’s small hand caressed her brow. “Poor woman. She will be very confused when she wakes. She will need to be retrained and we have very little time before the Master catches up to us. Get her to a stateroom, get her clothed and fed. Treat her gently and keep her safe.”

 

“I will.” Brakon sat beside the woman whose mind was now trapped in the small crystal and sighed as Vandar left. The woman was a blank slate now, and she did not have the Force to figure out what had happened. She would be a perfect tool for Vandar and Firdlump to use. Life had seemed so easy when he had been a Jedi. Then Vandar, and then Special Branch, then Oreana, then Firdlump and now… this… He shook his head and started unstrapping Michelle. “I will…” His hands were gentle as he picked her up to carry her to her new life. “I will…”

“Have you lost your mind?” The dubious words coming from the man in black were a shock. “You want me to do what??” Ravishaw asked Brakon, his edge of humor fading as he looked form the Dark Jedi to the sleeping woman who now wore an Imperial uniform.

 

“I don’t know how you managed to get your nanites all messed up. Neither does the master.” Brakon was holding onto his temper by his fingernails as Vandar spoke. He hated Ravishaw. “But you are the best we have at mental overlays.” Ravishaw looked at the small green form and then at the still form on the bed. When he spoke, it was serious.

 

“Look, I cannot even guarantee it will work. Half of my… um…subjects… don’t wake up.” Ravishaw moved to the side of the bed and an oddly gentle hand traced the sleeping woman’s cheek. “Hmmm…This is…weird…”

 

“She shares Will’s ability.” Ravishaw turned startled eyes to the green form and Vandar nodded. The Jedi spoke softly. “We can’t let the master have her. Please tell me you can do something…”

 

Ravishaw stood for a long moment and then he reached out and slowly touched the sleeping woman on the head. She shivered once and then relaxed back into sleep. Then he retracted his hand and shook his head.

 

“There is nothing there to work with. It’s almost as if… Oh...” He snickered, a form of his humor returning. “You sneaky Jedi.” He waved a finger at Vandar. “Does the master know you just imprisoned the mind of one of the Seven?”

 

“No.” Vandar replied. “And if we can manage it, I want him not to know.”

 

“Vandar…” Ravishaw’s voice turned professional. “I cannot work with nothing there. I need a template to start from.” He held out a hand and Vandar reluctantly pulled a small brown crystal out of a pocket and it flew into Ravishaw’s hand. “And this works better without an audience.” There was no humor or any other emotion in his voice now.

 

Vandar and Brakon shared a glance and then hastily left the room. Ravishaw looked at the crystal and then sighed. A quick check showed the security monitors in the room had been disabled. “And they call me crazy… You are crazy, woman…” He said as he laid a hand on the crystal and on the sleeping woman’s forehead. He paused as the woman’s mouth opened

 

“Stick to the plan, Morey.” Michelle’s voice was soft and gentle.

 

“I can’t do this to you…” Ravishaw was nearly in tears. “I... I can’t…I will put you back in and we will break out.”

 

“Morey…” Her voice turned stern. “Stick to the plan. Michelle Stele. Do it.” This last was an order.

 

“I…” The man known to the Bladeborn and the Seven as Morey and the rest of the galaxy as Ravishaw bowed his head. “Yes, Ma’am. I will be as gentle as I can.”

 

“It cannot hurt worse than being broken and poured into an Islanian STORM Phantom.” Michelle’s voice was sarcastic now. “Just do it. Then get your apprentice and get the flarg out of here.”

 

Ravishaw nodded and put the crystal in a pocket. He put both hands on her head, cradling it as he sat on the side of the bed. Power flared from his hands. A scream tore from Michelle’s lips as the power flowed through her, seeking, burning, twisting. For a long, long time, maybe a minute, the power burned through Michelle’s body and she screamed, but here eyes never opened and she never moved anything but her mouth. Finally, he removed his hand and spoke softly, gently.

 

“Lieutenant Stele?” He smiled as her eyes shot open and she looked at him.

 

“Milord Ravishaw…” The woman looked at him oddly. “What happened?”

 

“Your ship was hit while you were connected to the links.” Ravishaw’s hands were gentle as he helped her sit up. “You took neutral damage. It is healed now.” He checked but the mental overlays were holding strongly.

 

“Thank you, milord.” The woman who was now Michelle Stele, Imperial Navy, shook her head slowly as she sat up. “Did I…?” She looked anywhere but him.

 

“The ability works.” Ravishaw smiled at her. “We will install the implants. Anything the Republic can do, the Empire can do better.”

 

“For the Empire, Milord.” She looked as if she wanted to salute, but her body sagged. “I…”

 

“You are not weak, Lieutenant Stele.” Ravishaw smiled gently at her. “You will heal quickly now.”

 

“When do I return to duty?” She asked, conscious of him sitting on the bed beside her. “I still think I should report this… This ability…Milord…” Her voice was soft and worried now. “It might win the war for the Empire.”

 

“Or some Sith with delusions of godhood will dissect you to see how it works.” Ravishaw said with a scowl. “Your orders are clear, Lieutenant. This ability of yours… We need to keep it secret.”

 

“Yes sir.” Her voice held resignation. “When do I report to medical to get the implants installed?” Not that she HAD implants, yet, or needed them. But as a cover? It would be an excellent one.

 

“As soon as Vandar has cleared you. You took a bunch of hits.” He shook his head and slapped her face. It was a heavy slap, but she did not react. “That was brave, pilot. Brave but foolish. Do NOT risk yourself again, that is an order.” He had implanted a memory that she had engaged overwhelming Republic forces to protect her capital ship while it withdrew, barely escaping with her life. Totally in character for this new woman. “We need you. The Empire needs you.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Michele Stele said as she sat up straighter. “For the Empire.” She stiffened as the door hissed open and two black garbed forms entered. “Master Vandar, Master Darshiel…” She nodded to both.

 

“How is our prodigy?” Vandar asked with multiple levels to that simple question. Michelle looked at him and he shrugged. “You were hurt. We need you.”

 

“Lieutenant Stele will be fine.” Ravishaw manfully did not smile or laugh at Brakon’s expression. “She has asked when she can return to fighter pilot territory.”

 

“Lieutenant…” Vandar sighed. “You are not a normal pilot anymore. We will work with you, and we will get you into Medical as soon as it is cleared. We took some hits in that battle.”

 

“Yes sir.” Michelle looked as if she wanted to salute. She started to wilt, but caught herself. “I am fit to fly sir.”

 

“We will be the judge of that.” Vandar said quietly as Ravishaw surreptitiously laid a hand on the back of Michelle’s head. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed. “Any problems?” He asked as Ravishaw laid the sleeping woman back down.

 

“No.” Ravishaw said softly as he arranged the woman so she would not be uncomfortable when she woke. “As far as she knows, her name is Michele Stele. She was an orphan on Korriban, and joined the Imperial Navy at age seventeen. She is twenty now and shares Will’s ability. An ability that she has worked very hard to keep secret as an advantage. We found out and recruited her for a special Imperial project, one that involves lots of flying. She is bright, we will need to fill in a bunch of gaps.”

 

“No problem.” Vandar said as he motioned Brakon forward. The man made his way to the bedside, avoiding Ravishaw. “The crystal?” Ravishaw held out the brown crystal, but Vandar shook his head, getting stunned look from Ravishaw. “No… No, she is safer with you actually than anyone else right now.”

 

“Vandar…” Ravishaw still held out the crystal. “I am not going to face the master with this in my pocket…”

 

“No.” Vandar said quietly. “You are going to hide that somewhere. We need some kind of bargaining chip with the Seven, and that is likely our best bet. Do not hurt her.” Ravishaw shrugged.

 

“She doesn’t have the Force, her pain isn’t sweet.” His face was sorrowful now as he pocketed the crystal. “You never let me eat enough…”

 

“You should be keeping a low profile.” Vandar said severely as Brakon scowled. “…and find the Enclave.”

 

“Yes, master…” Ravishaw said in a parody of a mad scientist’s assistant. “Anything you say master. Igor go find this Enclave thing like a good little slave, master…”

 

“Get out of here, Ravishaw.” Vandar said softly but with command. “Get your apprentice and get off this ship when we get to Vanaria. The master is meeting us there.”

 

“Oh…” Ravishaw nodded and left. “Give him my love, Sith boy…” He said as a parting shot. Then he was gone.

 

“He does that just to make you mad.” Vandar said as Brakon bristled. “He has his uses…” He scrutinized the sleeping form and sighed.

 

“You know what Menglan is going to do to her.” Brakon said with horror etching every pore now. “Master…”

 

“I know…” Vandar said softly as he slumped. “I know.”

“Pity about her mind being wiped.” The malign intelligence that called itself Donal Firdlump said quietly as he watched the surgical team work through the observation port. “But that is what happens when you are connected to a ship that is hit by an ion cannon. Nice job that Ravishaw did. I had hoped for a report.” His tone held mild reproof.

 

“His apprentice was out of danger. He returned to his hunt.” Jedi master Vandar said softly from where he sat. He refused to watch while Menglan and her cronies did their evil work. “You know what the rest of the Seven will do.” It wasn’t a question.

 

“Four now. Idjit and Nia are both in the hands of the Empire.” Firdlump corrected him absentmindedly. “Will, Jina, Istara, Mira. Will and Jina are the likeliest threats. Lohas reports from her final agents state that Mira is not likely to be allowed out of the Sitolon ship. They know she is the most vulnerable. Istara is…off stymieing that idiot Darmuk’s plan for galactic conquest and chaos. So… Will and Jina…” He scratched his chin. It was uncanny how human he acted. “Ah well, maybe we will get lucky when we strike the Darkstorm compound.”

 

“Lucky how?” Vandar asked softly. “You know they will be ready for us.”

 

“Ready for us, yes.” Firdlump smiled evilly. “Ready for Lieutenant Stele and her special war droid?”

 

“It’s ready then?” Vandar said softly. “Last I heard it still had issues with the interface. The last thing we want is for it to go berserk like the one we put Nia Korr in did.”

 

“Vandar…” Firdlump sighed deeply. “I wasn’t in control of that. I will be in total control of this.”

 

“So you say.” Vandar shrugged. “I just want to be very far away when you turn her on.”

 

“Pity.” Firdlump responded snarkily. “Because I need an onsite controller for the droid and you are it.”

 

“Master…” Vandar protested half heartedly. “This is a bad idea…”

 

“Hey.” Firdlump smiled at the Jedi Master. “It’s not as if you are going to be strapped into it. And even Lieutenant Stele will be in a cockpit as opposed to being permanently fused to the droid. That idiot Jarrel and his pet were just a little too clever and it bit them.”

 

“Yes it did.” Vandar agreed softly. Having a droid first run amok, and then be captured and it’s interred pilot removed had been incredibly embarrassing to Special Branch. What was worse was how the two surgeons from the base on Alderaan had fared. The Jedi who had been instrumental in getting the implants small enough to fit inside human skulls had been…well… Vandar had seen Jarrel Strum’s remains strapped to the front of the Stormhawk where he had been placed after someone had taken a great deal of time making him hurt. He devoutly hoped that his student had been dead before that, but… He doubted it. The Twilek surgeon also had been lost to them. No one was going to try and ‘recover’ the surgeon. The security around the being was unobtrusive, but incredible. All of their medical staff who had been stolen were the same way. Their enemies were not about to let Special Branch have them back. But at least Cranna hadn’t done to them what she had done to another operative… Vandar actually still had occasional nightmares about what had happened to Meliee Jok. Poor girl… He shook his head. “So… Now what?”

 

“There is a repair team coming within five hours.” Firldump replied evenly. “We will need to see if we can subvert them. If so, they will join the crew and we will have to remain mobile. If not, we will just have t keep them sequestered. Things are proceeding well. I need to get to the hangar and make sure the droid is ready for it’s pilot. Stay with her.”

 

“Yes, milord.” Vandar bit out the words with no respect as Firdlump turned and left the room. Only when the mass of machines that mimicked a human was gone did Vandar slump a bit. “I knew he was going to do it sooner or later. I had just hoped later…” A masked and gowned being came to the door and beckoned him and, with a sigh, he started for the surgical suite. Resisting was pointless; three hundred years of trying had taught him that at the very least. He had even tried dying on several occasions. It didn’t work. And he had to find a way to fix the mess he had helped create. He started undressing as the masked and gowned being waited, putting his lightsaber and robes in a convenient cupboard. He shook his head and pulled on the surgical garb that the surgeon handed him and followed into the surgical suite. He watched as Menglan finished up. “Report.” He said softly when Menglan turned to him.

 

“All implants are in and functioning.” Menglan’s madness rode deep in her voice, but it was suppressed for the moment by her professionalism. “She will go into kolto shortly, and once that is done, we can hook her into the suit.” Vandar nodded. The pilots/slaves who ran the droids all wore specialized white flightsuits that were both life support and control devices. Menglan shook her head. “This is no fun. I am going to go do some research.” Vandar did not wince although it took some doing. Menglan’s idea of research usually involved people screaming. Her methods were less scientific and more twisted.

 

“Do not tamper with any of the command crew, doctor.” Vandar said softly as she started for the door. She flipped him an obscene gesture but paused as Vandar spoke again, this time cold. “Master’s orders, doctor. Leave the command crew alone.” She snorted, but he sensed her acquiescence. She wouldn’t cross the master. He watched impassively as they team of doctors moved the still form into a kolto tank, not speaking until they were done. “How long until she wakes?” He asked one of the gowned forms. The female human nodded to him.

 

“The lieutenant will wake in approximately thirty minutes, milord.” The woman would not meet his eyes and he could feel her fear and horror at being under someone else’s control. Vandar sighed and spoke for all their ears.

 

“I can’t help you.” He said softly, but clearly. “I want to. But I can’t. They did the same thing to me that they did to you. I can and will make it as easy as possible. Do not fight. It can hurt worse.” The medical staff were all looking at him now. Maybe it was his tone, sadness, anger and regret all mixed in one tired voice. “I have been ordered to stay with the lieutenant. I will not get in your way. Please…” He was begging now. “Do not give the master cause to give you to Menglan. Please…”

 

The medical staff all looked at him and then, in unison, nodded. Now that was beyond creepy. Vandar moved to sit beside the kolto tank and his heart was heavy. He could feel Firdlump’s scrutiny, but even now, the master let him have some lead. Just enough to hang him from if he transgressed, but he was a useful slave. Maybe he could help Michelle, somehow. But for now, he just watched the slow rise and fall of her chest in the tank, trying not to look at the mechanical devices that now sprouted from her shaven head. Something was wrong. Vandar could feel something was very wrong, beyond what had happened to this woman. But when he focused, he could not put his finger on it. Ah well, whatever it was, he would find out soon enough.

 

The ancient Jedi Master shook his head and started a meditation. It helped, sometimes, to at least try to free his mind from the suffocating grip that held it tight. It never worked for long, but it was really his only way of resisting. The master would eventually find out what Vandar had done with Michelle, but he hoped that Ravishaw would have the sense to hide the crystal before then. But that wasn’t what was bothering him, was it? Why had Will allowed this woman, who loved him, to follow him into an attack? Maybe she was as good as Will. Maybe she had just followed at her own whim…? It didn’t make sense. Why would one of the Seven put herself in such a position? It really made no sense at all. He started and blinked as he worked to still his mind. Why would she put herself in such a precarious…position…?

 

“Oh… Dear…” A small smile crept across his face as he looked at the still form inside the tank. “You crazy woman…” He buried his feelings, surmises and other things behind a wall of apathy. It worked sometimes to keep the master from the deepest recesses of his mind. And right now, the last thing that he wanted was for Firdlump to realize that the Seventh of the Seven had put herself in this position deliberately. But he had a small smile on his face now. He didn’t know what they had planned. But he knew his master would not like it. And that was fine by him…

Vandar was on edge. Something was wrong. The master had left with Menglan, thank the Force. Lieutenant Stele was sleeping. He shook his head as he watched the monitors in the security station off the medical ward. He had to give the Sith credit, they were incredibly efficient. Most of the damage had already been repaired by the repair team that had come.

 

They had been right on time. Even in the Empire, such punctuality was notable. The three humans and Twi’lek were very well trained. They had the ship’s damage fully documented and under repair by the large team of droids they had brought within thirty minutes of arriving. All of them exuded quiet professionalism. Unfortunately, all of them worked as a close team. None of them had been separated from the others long enough to be ‘recruited’. They had asked about the droid, who wouldn’t? It was sitting right out in plain sight near where they had landed, but the cover story seemed to be holding. One of them, a younger human female, had actually looked very closely at it, as if fascinated. But she had jumped when the Twi’lek had called to her. What had the Twi’lek called her? Olandas? Then they had gotten to work and their work was impressive to say the least.

 

Vandar sighed. He liked working with professionals. The he paused and blanched as he saw one of them get thrown across a corridor by electrical energy... He hit a general alarm and spoke into his com.

 

“Alert! Medical emergency in section Twelve Sigma. Power conduit explosion.” He watched as the repair team congregated around the human who had taken the brunt of the blast from a damaged power conduit. He had been working on it and it had discharged. If the man was still alive, he was incredibly lucky. Vandar shook his head. If he didn’t know better, he would have said that the tech who had been caught in the explosion was a soldier, not a tech. But all kinds wound up in the Imperial Navy. There was one human crewman aboard who could bench press almost as four hundred kilos. That guy was a freak of nature. He watched as the medical team arrived and then smiled as they sat the guy up. He was talking, so he was alive. Vandar’s eyes narrowed. Maybe… He keyed the intercom to Medical. “Doctor Brana, you will have a new patient shortly.”

 

“Milord?” The voice of the ship’s head medical was professional. “What happened?”

 

“The repair team was working in section Twelve.” Vandar pulled up the security footage. For once he was blessing the Sith’s overarching paranoia. “Looks like the big one hit something. Maybe… No…” He paused. He had missed that part, looking at the whole team. “The small human was working on a console and she apparently did not notice that the power conduit was rupturing. Her companion did and shoved her away. The man stood between his team and the conduit, he took some nasty burns.”

 

“That is…odd…for Sith…” The medic mused softly. “Sounds more like something a Rep idiot would do.”

 

“Maybe he is in love with her.” Vandar said softly as he watched the man being carted away on the monitors. Then he winced as the Twi’lek who was obviously in charge slapped the human woman across the face hard enough to knock the smaller female onto her rear end. For once, Vandar was very glad that he couldn’t hear in that section. He was fairly sure he was lipreading properly and if so, he did not want to hear what the Twi’lek was calling the quivering female. He shook his head, just looking at the Twi’lek, he could see she enjoyed causing pain. Lots of people like that in the Sith Navy…“But that means we may have an opportunity.”

 

“Hmmm…” The woman replied, thinking hard. “If he is that badly hurt, the nanites may be the only way to save his life. We will see.” Vandar watched on the monitors as the repair team went back to work. Wait a sec… Where was the human female going? She was favoring her arm. He replayed the segment and shook his head. Tough woman. She had landed on her arm. At the very least it was hurt, maybe broken from how she was holding it.

 

“You have another patient, doc.” Vandar shook his head slowly. “If she makes it all the way. She is weaving quite a bit.”

 

“Should I send a team?” The doctor queried.

 

“No…” Vandar mused. “I will send Brakon…”

 

***

 

He could feel her pain from two corridors away. Brakon shook his head slowly as he walked into the main corridor and saw her. She was seriously tough, no question. Other than a slight wobble in her step, she exhibited no sigh of the agony she was in as she kept up her pace towards Medical. She paused, as if sensing him somehow, and turned. Her eyes went wide as they took in the black robe and she saluted, with her bad arm! Her pain went through the roof, but none of it showed on her face.

 

“Milord…” Her face was still, and he could tell she was close to passing out, Somehow she managed to stay on her feet. “May I help you?”

 

“I was wondering if I could help you actually.” Brakon said softly as he stepped closer. She recoiled little.

 

“No…I am fine.” She bit her lip on the lie. She was actually very good at it. If he hadn’t had the Force, he might have believed that she was really in no pain. As it was, it was all he could do not to knock her out and carry her to Medical, just to stop the agony he could feel. “I just took a tumble. I need…” She broke off as he approached.

 

“You need to get your arm set.” Brakon said softly. “Do not lie to me, tech...” His sentence was a question as he stepped closer.

 

“I…” She broke off and bowed her head in submission. “Senior tech lieutenant Olandas, milord. I…” She winced as he took her arm in gentle fingers and turned it. She gave a soft cry and collapsed as he twisted it one way. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she fell unconscious. He hadn’t planned on that reaction? A quick check showed not one, but two fractures in her arm. He shook his head as he picked her up, but paused as an irate voice sounded.

 

“Olandas? Drat you, lazy girl! Where are you?” An irate blue skinned Twi’lek came around the corner only to pause as she saw the man holding the tech. “Oh…” She froze. “Milord…” Did he know her from somewhere? She seemed familiar somehow. He focused on her words. “What did that lazy good for nothing shutta do now?” She asked in a sour tone.

 

“She broke her arm when she hit the wall her teammate threw her into.” Brakon replied. The Twi’lek’s eyes went wide at that, but Brakon was not finished. “She is a good subordinate. Strong, capable and intelligent. Why do you call her lazy?” His tone was mild curiosity.

 

“Um…” He had never known blue Twi’lek skin could turn that shade of embarrassed. “It’s a game, milord. One we both play. She is not lazy. I was concerned, she is my best tech.”

 

“A game?” Brakon asked incredulously and then he blinked as a wave of lust came from the Twi’lek who was staring at the female in his arms now. “Oh… I see…” He said with bemused humor. Well, it took all kinds, didn’t it?

 

“Please don’t report us, milord.” The Twi’lek asked in an earnest voice. “It doesn’t get in the way. If anything it helps with efficiency and productivity. We are both very relaxed and we work better when… Um…” Brakon grinned. Potential blackmail information there, but it seemed mostly harmless.

 

“For now, your secret is safe, tech… um…Ti’la.” Brakon read off her uniform. That felt…wrong somehow. He shook his head but his movement jarred Olandas’ arm and the woman in his arms made a noise of pain in her sleep. He shrugged. A mystery for later. “Go back to work, I will take care of this one. She is tough. Good subordinates are hard to find. I insist.”

 

“Yes, milord. Thank you.” The Twi’lek bowed to him. “They are.” She turned and left, but Brakon could feel her relief that she was not in trouble and that the tech was, well, not fine, but hadn’t caused any problems. So why was he uneasy? He was missing something. He shook his head. Later. He started off, careful not to jar the broken arm.

 

***

 

“We have a major problem.”

 

“This is the day for it. Vandar is aboard. He is sitting in the main security office off of Medical watching everything.”

 

“Brakon Darshiel is alive.”

 

“What? Is that who that is? Couldn’t get an ID. Wait a sec… He is one of the ones who…um... Chaine dyou int that mine... Are you okay?”

 

“I am fine. I don’t think he remembered me. I hope not. But we can’t assume he won’t figure it out. My face may have changed, but my mind? You know how hard that is to change. The drugs helped I think… We need to move it up.”

 

“We can’t. If we change the schedule, everything goes out of whack.”

 

“And if we don’t… We may all die.”

 

“Good point…Very well, I will see what can be done. Stay out of his way. I know you want him dead, but stay out of his way.”

 

“Actually... He was nice to me. He was even kind to me, boss. He didn’t need to be. If I have to kill him, I will, but… I would rather not if possible.”

 

“It may not be possible. Mi’Ta… You know what we are facing… Don’t use this channel again. Vandar is already on guard. Not sure why.”

 

“He has the Force, boss. It doesn’t make him invincible, just much harder to fool.”

 

“True. Get back to work. I will check on Gev and Olandas. And maybe I can get close enough to that special experiment to talk to her.”

 

“Be careful.”

 

“Hey… It’s me…”

 

“That is what I afraid of, Vorren. I don’t want to explain to your wife why you got killed. Lorna would skin me slowly with seashells, and I am not even going to go into what your kids would do.”

 

“What a wimpy excuse for a Twi’lek… Get back to work.”

 

“Yes sir.”

She didn’t hurt. They had promised her that it wouldn’t hurt. But it was so hard to focus. She had always had to be focused, ever since… Her mind fuzzed again. She opened her eyes, and gazed incuriously about. She was still wearing only a patient gown, but when she ran a slow hand over her shaved head, she could feel bandages. Were they done? She was still in the main ward of the medical bay aboard the Deceiver, her new home. She looked over at the two new arrivals. The man was covered in bandages and burn dressings, obviously he was not going to move. The female though, she was sitting quietly examining the flexi cast on her arm. Lieutenant Stele nodded to her.

 

“What happened to you?” She barely recognized her own voice. It was emotionless. The woman with the cast jumped.

 

“I… I didn’t know you were awake, Lieutenant Stele…” The woman tried to salute, but her saluting arm was the one in the cast and it only came up halfway. “I apologize…”

 

“No need.” Stele smiled softly. This woman was kind of cute, in a naïve sort of way. How had she managed to stay that way in the Imperial Navy? They usually burned that kind of thing out during basic training. “What happened?”

 

“I was working on a power conduit.” The woman said with a sigh. “I didn’t realize it was unstable. My companion did…” She glanced at where the man lay, drugged into a stupor. Stele was glad for that; she had seen way too many burn victims in her life. “He is always trying to protect me. I think it’s cute…” She admitted quietly.

 

“That is a weakness.” Stele said quietly. “Depending on others is a weakness. Not watching out for yourself is just stupid.” She blinked as the tech bristled.

 

“And how long with you last in a dogfight without a wingman?” She clasped her good hand over her mouth and gave a squeak. “Um…”

 

“No offense taken, tech… What is your name?” Stele asked when the tech relaxed a bit.

 

“Um… Olandas, Senior tech lieutenant Olandas, Ma’am…” She was obviously NOT expecting Stele to laugh.

 

“I think I should be calling you Ma’am, senior lieutenant.” Stele said with a wicked grin. She LIKED this girl. “You outrank me.”

 

“Uh… No ma’am…” Olandas replied. “I am just a tech…”

 

“Just a tech?” Stele asked in a baffled voice. “Who the hell have you been talking to? Oh…” She snarled softly. “Have the pilots been bothering you?”

 

“Um…” It was clear that Olandas did not want to say, but Stele glared at her and she nodded. “Yes, Ma’am. They want their stuff fixed and now, but we only have five people to cover a bunch of droids and with two of us laid up…”

 

“I see.” Stele’s voice was felt now and then she smiled thinly. “Well, let me make this perfectly clear, Senior lieutenant…” She put a great deal of emphasis on the word ‘senior’. “Pilots have to be supremely confident and highly aggressive, it comes with the territory. But pilots, by their very nature, cannot, not do not, but cannot understand every single thing about their ships in complete detail. Oh they study, they read, they understand most things at a basic level. Some of us actually get our hands dirty on occasion…” Stele smiled, thinking of her own flight crew. What had happened to them during the battle? No one had said. She had to check on that. “…but none of us have the time to understand every single little thing about the ship. We also have to study tactics, plans, briefings, all that kind of thing. Tell me to take a starfighter scale sublight drive apart and put it back together? No problem with the right tools, a manual and some lifting assistance. Ask me how the flarg a sublight drive actually works? Um… Not so much. I don’t have the math skills.”

 

“But…” Olandas froze as a female in a medical tunic came in.

 

“Ah, you are awake, tech Olandas.” The chief medical officer of the ship smiled at Olandas who smiled back. “Your boss is getting antsy.”

 

“Yeah, she is a pain in the shebs.” Olandas said as she threw her legs off the bed. “I need to…” She paused as the doc shook her head. “Doc…I have to get back. Am I clear for duty?”

 

“No.” The doc said, but her voice was kind as she stepped to Olandas’ bed and moved the woman’s legs back up onto it. “You and your team have been pushing yourselves too hard. Sleep.” A hypo hissed and the tech slumped into the bed. Another hypo hissed and Stele’s eyes went wide as Olandas started to convulse.

 

“Doc?” Her voice held worry but the doctor came to her bedside and smiled gently at her.

 

“It’s okay, Lieutenant Stele. Sleep.” Waves of lassitude pulled her under before she could phrase a coherent question.

 

When Lieutenant Michelle Stele woke, she could tell she had not been out for long. But this time, when she woke, she slitted her eyes and feigned sleep as the doc worked on Olandas, removing the cast. Something was… off… something was wrong. What did she hear? Or did she hear it? Was it in her ears or in her mind? A screaming as if from far, far away?

 

“There we are, young lady. Better?” The doctor asked kindly as she eased the tech up into a sitting position. “Your friend survived his own dosage. His burns will heal by the end of the day. Who do you serve?”

 

“I serve the master.” Olandas said in an emotionless tone.

 

What was Stele sensing? It was as if she could feel Olandas’ mind. She could feel the horror, the rage, the pain, the fear. And not for Olandas herself but for the Empire? What the…? She froze in place and then her face hardened as things started to click together. She couldn’t remember a lot of things. She couldn’t recall the faces of her ground crew, people she had cared a great deal for. She could not remember her wingmen’s faces. She knew their names of course, but not their faces. She was drugged, yes, but… The doctor was speaking aloud again.

 

“Good girl.” The doctor patted the formerly broken arm. “Now... Why were you here?” The doctor asked as she helped Olandas into her uniform.

 

“To find out why this ship vanished.” Olandas said in the same wooden tone as she did as she closed her uniform back up. “There were many questions and we were close.”

 

“For who?” The doctor asked softly, cautiously. “You are not Navy, are you? Who did you serve before you were recruited?”

 

“Imperial Intelligence.” Olandas replied soullessly, but those words sent a shockwave through Stele. Imperial Intelligence? Why would Imperial Intelligence be investigating a secret operation OF Imperial Intelligence? Then various things clicked and it made sense. Rage flew through Stele, burning the last of the sedatives away.

 

“You do not serve the Empire.” Stele said as she sat up, her face a mask of hate. “Traitor!” She jumped up to run. The doctor spun, a blaster in hand, but she did not shoot. Of course not, they wanted her alive for something! She would not help them! She would not! She looked around for a weapon, anything she could use as one. But the bay was clear. She started for the door and paused.

 

“Neither do you, now…” The green form of Vandar appeared in the doorway, blocking her path. “Just relax child. It will be okay.”

 

“I serve the Empire…” She paused. What was that she sensed from Vandar? A word? ‘Sleep’? What the hell? “Not…” Her knees buckled and she found herself on her hands and knees. She tried to rise, but couldn’t. “Traitors… I… Will… Not…” She managed to grate out and then she knew no more.

 

***

 

“Crap.” Vandar’s soft exclamation was the only sound in the medical ward. “Report.” The doctor came up and checked Stele where she lay before replying.

 

“I administered the nanites as directed to both of our new patients. Stele was awake.” The doctor sighed as she lifted the unconscious form and laid her on a convenient bed. “She was going to ask questions I had no answers for so I sedated her. She woke far too soon from the sedatives. Her implants must have filtered them.”

 

“Probably…” Vandar mused. “So… Imperial Intelligence. They moved faster than expected, but no matter.” He keyed his com. “Lohas, we have uninvited guests. Two male humans and a female Twi’lek. I want them alive!” He barked at the queen’s exultation. “We need answers and if we can recruit them all, they will be a powerful addition to our crew.”

 

“I have one answer.” Brakon said as he came into the bay. “The Twi’lek’s name is Melita Ranol.”

 

“Ranol?” Vandar exclaimed. “Wasn’t she the operative that…” He broke off as Brakon grimaced.

 

“Yeah, the one the master made me chain in a flooding mine shaft.” Brakon’s face was sick now. “Of all the stupid ways to kill someone… I guess Imperial Intelligence found her and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”

 

“Probably.” Vandar agreed. “We will catch them and ask. Doctor. Is Stele ready for the final steps?”

 

“Yes, sir.” The doctor said softly. “The initial implantations are all done. We are ready to begin her programming. Her suit is done and all we need is for her to be properly set up for insertion into her droid.”

 

“Good.” Vandar said softly. “Use our newest recruit to help you get Stele into the sensory deprivation tank and then we can get her started on implantation. At least the nanites will help with the healing as they have with the pilots. Brakon, find the other two human males, and subdue them gently. We want them alive.”

 

“Yes, Master Vandar.” Brakon said as he turned and left.

 

“Doctor.” Vandar said as he turned to watch the doctor and tech Olandas preparing the slumbering Stele for a dip in a very special tank. “How long?”

 

“Not long.” The doctor assured him. “The primary implants are in place already and she has healed somewhat. With her mind as blank as it was, it will be no problem to speed up the programming.”

 

“Good.” Vandar said softly as he turned to go. “We will need her.”

The woman known as Michelle Stele floated, feeling nothing. It was oddly relaxing, and at the same time, it was not. Something was wrong. Very wrong. But she could not put her mind to it. Then her entire being went stiff as a voice sounded in her head. It was not her own!

 

Lieutenant Stele? The voice was male, older and worried. Can you hear me?

 

She tried to respond by speaking and could not. She tried to respond the same way he had and to her delight, it worked.

 

Yes I can hear you. Who are you? She tried to remember what had happened. It was all fuzzy. Where am I?

 

Lieutenant, we do not have a lot of time. The voice said quietly. I won’t be able to hide for too much longer or they will get suspicious.

 

What? Stele asked. That makes no sense at all…

 

Look, lieutenant… May I call you Michelle? The voice was sad now. We have a major problem, and you are at the core of it. You do not remember me, but I know you.

 

Who are you? She asked carefully. I don’t know you, do I?

 

Yes you do, but you don’t remember me. The man said quietly. My name is Musano Vorren, and I am an agent of Imperial Intelligence. Memory came back to her and she stiffened further. Relax Stele… It is all right…

 

No it’s not! She protested. They are going to use me to attack the Empire.

 

No. Vorren’s voice turned fierce now. They are going to try. I don’t have long before they find this hideaway, so you have to remember this… They are not the Empire. Remember this, Lieutenant Michelle Stele, they are not the Empire.

 

But… She asked but only heard a resounding silence. Agent Vorren? Agent Vorren, please answer me! Then darkness took her again.

 

When Michelle woke again, she could not move. She tried and nothing worked. For a moment she panicked and then she calmed herself as she had been taught. Panic did not help anything. She was not floating anymore. Now she was lying on… No… IN something. She managed with some effort to open her eyes and when she did, she screamed. Er, she tried to. Before her were readouts, controls and a head’s up display that seemed to be projected onto a visor in front of her face. She could not see herself, but she was sitting in some kind of control chair. She heard a voice.

 

“Here we go.” Vandar? What the…? Suddenly she was both more and less than she had been. She was larger, much larger. She could see in spectrums she had no names for, and hear every single whine from the air conditioning. Her head did not turn, but her viewpoint swiveled a little and she could see Vandar standing there, with a satisfied look on his face. The doctor stood beside him with Tech Olandas standing like a mannequin behind her. “Welcome to your new home, Lieutenant Stele. Or as I should call you, Unit 105.” Stele tried to snarl at the small green being but her voice when it spoke was emotionless.

 

“Unit 105 standing by. All systems nominal.” Was that her voice? Stele tried to scream, to shake her head, to do anything. Vandar shook his head.

 

“Easy Lieutenant. It is all right. You will have lots of time to get used to this.” The being nodded to her and spoke again. “Now to introduce you to the rest of your squadron mates…” He waved and her gaze was drawn to the side where a rank of war droids was assembled all were red in color and all stood at the ready. Twenty three of them. Twenty four counting whatever she was in. Vandar’s voice was subdued now. “Unit 105, there is an enemy of the Empire hiding on the planet below. You will find Emily Darkstorm and bring her the Emperor’s justice. If you can take her alive, do so. We may gain information from her. If not, then so be it. Any and all who get in your way are to be eliminated.” Stele heard her voice reply.

 

“Unit 105 acknowledges.” She could only scream inside her head as whatever she was in started to move and the deck trembled under her steps. The ranks of war droids turned to follow her as she entered what was obviously a hangar bay. Ahead was a spacescape and the inviting vista of a planet ahead of her. She was fighting, trying to stop herself as the war droid she was in threw itself into space and towards the target she had been assigned.

If she hadn’t been so angry, sick and scared, she likely would have enjoyed the ride. Michelle Stele rode the wings of a fireball into the atmosphere of the planet called Vanaria with almost two dozen similar fireballs following her. At some predetermined distance from the planet’s surface, she felt the droid deploy something, probably airbrakes of some kind, maybe wings or vanes. She couldn’t tell. Fire came up to meet the descending droids. It WAS an Imperial planet after all, and the Empire never left anything undefended. But the fire moved so slowly to her senses. She could see and react so fast that it seemed she was dancing in the air. Her wing droids likewise were all over the sky, avoiding the fire as easily as she did. Then they were in position, and the squadrons broke apart, each heading for a different location in the compound they had come to savage. Her droid and three others hit at almost precisely the same instant, although she did not even feel a bump. She felt the droid start for the main doors into the academy that had been built here and a burst of fire from its appendages tore them off. She was trying to fight, trying to struggle, to do ANYTHING as the droid clomped into the first room and then paused. Michele could understand why, the scene that met her eyes was impossible to say the least.

 

An old human woman with gray hair that might have once been brown was sitting at a table, knitting. She paid no attention to the droids that had entered. She didn’t even look up! A command filtered through her mind. ‘Identify.’

 

She heard her voice speak in that same emotionless tone. “Identify yourself.” The woman ignored her. The droid took a step and spoke again. “Identify yourself or face termination.” The woman made a great sigh and put her knitting away. Then, somehow she was standing and… Michelle tensed. She knew this woman from somewhere. A holo popped up in her field of view showing the woman’s face and an Imperial ID saying she was Emily Darkstorm, slave to Dargon Darkstorm.

 

“Hello, Michelle.” Emily said gently. “There is no need for fear.” She said as the droid raised it’s appendages. “I know you are scared, Michelle. But it’s okay. It will be okay.”

 

A command came through her link to the ship and her controllers. ‘Terminate.’ Michelle was trying to cry, trying to scream as the droid’s four appendages came all the way up and the weapons contained within cycled up to full power.

 

“It’s okay, Michelle.” Emily’s voice and face were serene. “I will always be with you.”

 

The droid fired and the woman’s body… vanished. What the…? Michelle stared in shock as the woman’s robes fell to the floor, empty. She had just murdered someone who had not fought back. Citizens of the Empire were used to casual brutality but… Not like this…

 

It wasn’t you Michelle. Easy, girl… A gentle touch wafted across her mind and a voice sounded inside her head. It’s okay. If she had been able to, she would have exclaimed in shock. It was Emily’s voice! Shh... Girl, it’s okay.

 

What the…? No… Michelle was fighting the controls with everything she was worth, trying to at least cry. But the implants would not let her. What have I done?

 

It wasn’t you. Emily Darkstorm’s voice was gentle and kind. Something took her in a soft embrace, shielding her from her horror and fear. It’s okay, girl… Oh… Emily’s voice turned sad as another droid fired in the distance. Pain arced through the link, pain that was almost physical. Dargon… Another droid fired and Emily’s voice broke for a moment. Niun… I…

 

Michele was moved to help somehow, any way she could. She tried to embrace the feelings, trying to send her own love and care back to the sense that was in pain now. These were not Sith feelings, she wasn’t sure where they had come from. But they felt right.

 

I am sorry… Michelle’s voice was small. I am so sorry…

 

It wasn’t you, child. You have to believe that. It wasn’t you. We all knew this was going to happen, sooner or later. Emily’s voice focused on Michelle now. That gentle touch buoyed her up again. Firdlump could not leave us to meddle. The rest of my family is safe, hidden in places that even Firdlump and Vandar cannot find. But now, we need to help you.

 

You can’t. Michelle said softly as the droid exited the house and started preparing to return to orbit, its mission accomplished. She heard the other droids start firing flamethrowers. There would be no evidence of their attack. I can’t stop it. I can’t do anything.

 

Yes, you can. And you will. Emily’s kind voice was with her as the droid blasted off. They will remove you from the droid when you get back. They will want to run tests, check over their systems. But they have one hell of a surprise coming. This is very important Michelle. do not resist when they take you out. When you get control of your body back, do not fight them. You will know when to fight.

 

But… Michelle protested. They are traitors. They have the whole ship.

 

Yes they do. Emily replied evenly. And they think they have won a victory here. It is going to bite them, badly. They are going to be attacked, and they will defend themselves. When that happens, you will be captured by the ship that is attacking the Deceiver. Do not struggle, Michelle. She can help you.

 

But what do I do? Michelle asked plaintively. Impossibly, Emily’s feelings turned even sadder.

 

You need to die…

 

***

 

Michelle was feeling rather drained by the time her droid returned to it’s base. She had talked with whatever that had been in her head for some time, and now, she understood a lot more. She did not even try to resist as the droid clamped into place and uniformed forms started unhooking her from it. She could feel their rage, pain and fear. It echoed in her, even with the memory of something warm holding her, it resonated in her deeply. Finally, she was unhooked and she stepped out of the droid at an unheard command. She stood, motionless while medics and tech worked around her, and then stepped forward at another unheard command. All the while, she was sampling the odd feelings that surrounded her. If she wanted to, she could see each and every being who were connected by the nanites inside their bodies. She could see through their eyes, hear through their ears, feel their pain and fear. She waited while her body took a deep breath and then focused her mind on what she had to do.

 

“Mission accomplished.” A hated voice sounded. She did not look to see where Vandar was standing. Indeed, she still couldn’t move a muscle. “Status report?”

 

“This body requires sustenance and rest.” She heard her voice say. “No damage.”

 

“Hmmm.” She felt fingers on her arm and she would heave recoiled in fear if she had been able. “Easy, girl, I am not going to hurt you. Just relax… Ah girl…” She couldn’t control the rage and fear that flew through her. “Ah… I can’t get through this… Take her to see Lohas. She can calm Michelle down and figure out what this odd pattern in the girl’s Force sense is.”

 

“Yes master.” Michelle quailed as tech Olandas’ voice sounded nearby and gentle hands took her other arm. Vandar’s voice spoke gently now.

 

“You like the tech. She can be your chief minder.” Olandas’ grip was gentle but insistent and Michelle felt her feet start to move. “Lohas won’t kill you, it may hurt, but she will not kill you. Go see her and then go rest, girl. You have earned it.”

 

Emily… Michelle was crying in her mind now. Help me… Please help me… There was no reply.

Michelle’s first thought on entering the darkened room was surprise. Was it supposed to be this dark? Then she felt horror as part of the darkness came alive and looked at her. She could not contain her revulsion at seeing the huge black form, its six eyes boring into her.

 

“Well…” The voice of the huge bug was soft and almost silky. “I wanted to hurt you, to hurt Darkstorm and Kalenath for killing my mother, but… You just hurt Darkstorm worse than I ever could. So… Maybe I won’t eat you today.” A long appendage poked Olandas who did not move. “This tasty looking morsel... hmmm…” The human did not move as the huge bug leaned close. “No…” The queen mused. “She wouldn’t struggle. I much prefer it when they struggle.” Sentacakilohas sat down near the two women and looked at them.

 

“So Vandar sensed something he doesn’t understand and sent you to me?” Her voice held a glimmer of humor now. “Well… If the scum experimenting on me hadn’t amputated my antennae I could feel you that way…” She paused as a rush of pity flowed through Michelle, but from where? What the? “What was that?” The queen asked suspiciously. “Speak.”

 

“This unit does not know.” Michelle heard her voice respond.

 

“Hmmm...” The queen mused as she looked Michelle over. “Odd. That felt… familiar…Almost…” She shook her head. “I don’t… quite remember from where.” She looked away. “So much of my memory is gone, amputated with my claws, antennae and my link to the hivemind… Alone… So alone in my mind…” The pain in the queen’s voice was palpable.

 

“You don’t have to be.” Michelle felt her mind go cold as another voice spoke. Whose voice was that? It wasn’t one she knew, was it? It sounded sad. Was it female or male? Where was it coming from? Not from her.

 

“Who are you?” The queen demanded as she spun in place. But no one was there. “Show yourself!”

 

“No.” The voice replied. “I am not really here. I am a figment of imagination. A whisper in the id, a gentle poke in the nads.” Was the voice actually joking? “I am not your conscience, Sentacakilohas, but I can act as one. You have been a bad bug…But it isn’t your fault.”

 

“Who are you?” Lohas demanded as she reached out with her claws to both Olandas and Michelle. Neither moved. She lacked the huge manipulators that made Sitolon so deadly in close combat. But neither woman was wearing armor and the smaller claws could tear flesh and bone easily. “Show yourself or I will kill them!”

 

“I don’t know if I can, but I will try…” The voice responded softly now and a black skinned Sitolon appeared close by. “Oh my sister… I am sorry…”

 

“Who…” Lohas stared at the form and her claws fell, hitting the floor with a thump. Now her voice held shock.“Kioulinhighjutsofruitploniun…?”

 

“Yes, sister. It is me. Well, it was.” The larger black skinned bug sighed deeply and sat, although she was… Wait a moment, she was transparent! Her form was composed of energy that was tinged silver. “You know the attack where you set the droids on Emily and Dargon Darkstorm?”

 

“Yes!” Lohas snarled in joy. “I finally got my revenge! Their son and daughter killed our mother!”

 

“No.” Niun replied sadly. “Will Kalenath ended her suffering. You truly don’t remember that? You truly don’t remember the multiple moltings we both went through, the unnatural things were had to suffer, the pain, the fear, the rage we had when our mother was in pain and we could do nothing?”

 

“No.” Lohas replied scornfully. “You are lying. You… Wait… What…” She stared at the transparent form, seeing it clearly for the first time. The physical queen recoiled. “Niun…?”

 

“I am dead, Lohas.” The other black bug’s voice was sad, but implacable. “The droids your masters sent after Emily and Dargon killed me. I was in the compound, Emily was my friend. I wasn’t going to leave her to die alone. The droids that your allies sent killed me, your sister.”

 

“No…” Lohas recoiled, careening into a wall and backing further away. “No… That is not true…” Her voice rose in pitch. “That is impossible!”

 

“Search your feeling, Lohas…” Nuin said relentlessly. “You know it to be true.”

 

“No…” Lohas suddenly collapsed in a heap. “No…” Her voice was horrified now.

 

“You killed me, your last living nest kin. You got your revenge on Darkstorm.” Nuin said quietly now. “Was it worth it?”

 

“They killed mother.” Lohas replied in a very small and young tone as she rose, her eyes sweeping across the two humans and back to the spectral bug. “They left me alone, with the butchers who had taken me from her, who took my antennae and claws…”

 

“Lohas…” Niun’s voice was soft and consoling now. “It’s okay. It is not your fault. It was not Jina or Will’s fault. It’s not my fault. Fault lies with that insane Jedi who drove part of our race mad so long ago. You forgot… Let me remind you…” The ghostly bug leaned over and touched the physical one with her insubstantial antennae. Lohas stiffened in place, screamed and then collapsed. Then the ghostly bug withdrew a bit, leaving Lohas to shudder in place. “I am sorry, Lohas. I am sorry to have to remind you this way. I know it hurts. Michelle, can you help her?”

 

Whatever had been holding Michelle released her and she went to the bug, her arms going around the thorax. She crooned gently, nonsense words to calm and soothe. For a moment Lohas did not seem to realize Michelle was there. When she did, she jumped.

 

“No…” Lohas begged, trying to back up, but the wall was in her way. She sounded like a scared child now, which in effect, she was. “Don’t touch me… I am bad… Dirty… You might get it… I…”

 

“You are not bad.” Michelle replied quietly, her voice soothing as she hugged the horror, drawn by something she had no words for. “You are not dirty. You have been through a terrible ordeal. You are strong. Strong enough to beat these butchers, these monsters.”

 

“I killed my sister…” Lohas looked to where Niun had been but the specter was gone. “I…I helped program the droids. I helped build the machines…”

 

“It wasn’t you.” Michelle replied sadly. “My body killed Emily Darkstorm, but I was not in control of it. I feel that I killed her.” She was crying for them both. “I know it wasn’t me, but I feel it was…”

 

“What do we do…?” Lohas begged, her voice small now. A child begging for help and or forgiveness. “I don’t know what to do. I have forgotten so much…”

 

“This is going to be hard, Lohas…” Michelle crooned again, her hands gently soothing the bug. “You have to play along. There is a plan, and it is coming to fruition. If it does, we can both be free.”

 

“Free…?” Lohas asked softly, confused. “I cannot ever be free.”She looked down at the stumps of her larger set of arms and shivered slightly. “And even if I can… What good am I? A mad cripple…”

 

“Lohas…” Michelle said softly. “Trust me.” She stroked the queen’s head gently, soothingly. “It will be all right.”

 

“I…I don’t know why, but…” The queen slumped a little. “I do. What do you need me to do?” She asked softly, her voice turning determined.

 

“Be yourself…” Michelle said softly. “Vandar sent me here for you to find out why his scan of me was weird. Tell him the truth. Tell him that Emily possessed me for a short time. That is the truth. She is gone now. Tell him that you need to scan me more thoroughly.”

 

“But…” Lohas was obviously confused. “If I do that…It will hurt you, and it won’t find anything.” She bowed her head. “Niun is gone, isn’t she…? We were… I remember now… So many moltings, once a year. She was older than me, but not by much. She was always kind to me…”

 

“Part of her will always be with you, Lohas.” Michelle said, giving the queen another gentle hug. “I don’t know the Force, but I know that. Can you act as you did before?”

 

“I…” Lohas was shaking her head. “I don’t want to. I never…I didn’t want to be this way…Wait…” She looked beyond Michelle to where Olandas stood, still as a statue. “This one will report our conversation to Vandar.”

 

“No, she won’t.” Michelle grinned. “Right, Tech Olandas? The counter still working?”

 

“You had me worried, Ma’am,…” The tech said as she relaxed her pose of strict attention. “For a little bit I was sure the plan had failed.”

 

“It almost did. Vorren wasn’t clear and Emily was rushed.” Michelle said softly. “They IDed you all too soon. But we are back on track.”

 

“On track for…” Lohas stiffened. “You mean this was planned?” she asked incredulously. “All of this…?”

 

“Not all of it, no.” Michelle said softly, her arms still around the bug. “I am sorry about your nest sister. Emily assumed that Firdlump would ‘recruit’ Niun. Instead he had her killed. I am sorry. I didn’t pull the trigger on her, but I am sorry.”

 

“You…” Lohas was shaking her head, baffled. “Why…?”

 

“It’s simple, actually.” Michelle said softly and gently. “Your people do not kill each other. You are a slave and a victim. We are here to rescue you. Among other things.”

 

“M…me…?” Lohas stammered, obviously dazed. “B…But…”

 

“Lohas, please…” Michelle said with entreaty in her tone. “I need you to block my memory of this talk we have shared, or delete it. You can, right?”

 

“I…” Lohas nodded slowly and one of her manipulators came out with a red crystal. She stared at it. “I have a new crystal, it just finished forming. I can, yes. But…Why?”

 

“We can salvage this, Lohas. We can save you.” Michelle let the queen go and stepped back. “But you need to wipe my memory of this conversation from my mind. Can you do that?”

 

“I can.” Lohas was not sure at all. “But why…?” She repeated, still confused.

 

“Your people can stop the nanites. But it takes time.” Michelle said softly. “We need to take this ship over, disable the crew and allow your people to help those aboard. And maybe, just maybe, we can trap Vandar in the process. That was Emily and Commander Vorren’s plan.” Olandas nodded.

 

“You are crazy. I am unhinged, but… All of you are crazy…” Lohas voice was disbelieving, but it held faint hope now as well. “I don’t know if this sanity will hold. Niun did something... But I can feel my mind slipping a bit… I don’t…. I could hurt you, even just the regular scans hurt…”

 

“I know.” Michelle said softly. “Where do I lie down?” Lohas looked at her and indicated a ledge nearby. Michelle lay down and visibly relaxed. “Do what you have to. He can’t read your mind.”

 

“Actually, he can.” Lohas replied sourly. “But he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t like what he finds there. Here… girl…” She handed a cup filled with something murky to Olandas. “Help her drink this.”

 

“Is that…?” Michelle could not keep a quaver from her voice. This part had been explained, but hearing it, even from a Force spirit and actually doing it were two completely different things… She swallowed convulsively looking at the dark amber liquid. “The nectar?”

 

“Yes.” Lohas said and then she paused and shook her head. “Wait…” She took the cup back and emptied about half of it into a receptacle. She took the half full cup to a wall and water sounds were heard. “Now it should be safe. Diluted, it’s not as addictive. It in and of itself, the nectar is not harmful. At high strengths it becomes a narcotic. It is the use my people put it to that is horrific. With your mind asleep I can pick and choose what memories to take with no danger to you or me.” She shook her head as she gave the cup back to Olandas who took it gingerly. “I don’t want to do this, Michelle…”

 

“You are really going to hate the rest of the plan…” Michelle said as she lay back and Olandas raised the cup to the recumbent woman’s lips. It tasted… remarkably good actually. But it also acted quickly. In moments she was floating on sea of bliss as the large black queen came close with a glowing red crystal in hand. She wasn’t afraid now, it didn’t matter. Nothing did.

 

“Easy, Michelle. Here we go…” Lohas’ voice was kind now as the cold crystal made contact with her skull. The last thing she heard before passing out was her own scream of pain.

Michelle woke up with a scream that went nowhere. She was still under the control of her implants. Gentle hands held her while she struggled, not quite awake. Her body rebelled and the contents of her stomach forced their way up. Somehow she was lying on her side and a bin was under her mouth as her body did what it wanted despite her wishes. Eventually, she was done and collapsed back to the bed, spent for the moment. She opened her eyes and found Olandas holding her. Her body relaxed against her will and she looked around, finding herself back in Medical.

 

“This unit is awake and aware now.” She heard her voice speak and another voice replied. She turned to find Vandar sitting in a chair nearby.

 

“Good.” Vandar’s voice was severe. “Lohas says you were tampered with. She could not remove it without hurting you. How do you feel?” Michelle tried to snarl at him but her body responded without her input as always since she had been implanted.

 

“This unit is operating at optimal performance levels.” Michelle hated this feeling, being out of control of her own body royally sucked.

 

“I am a bit surprised she did not hurt you more.” Vandar stepped forward and took one of Michelle’s hands in both his small ones. “She hates you.” Michelle tried to project her rage, fear and pain at the diminutive Jedi. Far from disconcerted, Vandar just nodded.

 

“I know you hate me girl, and I know why.” His voice was gentle. “It’s not that bad. If you stop fighting you will be given a certain amount of freedom. Come on, stop fighting it. You cannot win, child.” Inside her mind, she could feel the Jedi’s influence sapping her will, pushing her to relax to calm down, to accept her fate. She slammed back with all of her emotions and she saw Vandar wince. “Oh girl…” He sighed, his hand brushing her short hair. “It will be all right.” She felt waves of lassitude sweep over her. “We will make it better for you.” Her vision faded with his soft, kindly words.

 

***

 

Vandar watched as the woman lost consciousness, her features easing into sleep. He shook his head slowly and sighed again.

 

“Stay with her, Olandas.” He commanded. “I need to check on the rest of your team.” Olandas did not respond, not that she could. The controls that had been placed on her were much tighter than normal, but then again, she was Imperial Intelligence. Not a field agent by most accounts, but well trained. He patted her arm and started off, bemused by all this.

 

He had expected Lohas to hurt Michelle. That was what the mad queen did, after all. But this… This was something beyond her normally. The queen had explained that Emily Darkstorm had done something to Michelle’s mind. She had even asked his permission before attempting the removal, an unprecedented act. That bothered him for some reason. Lohas was always a bit of a loose cannon, never acting rationally. Of course her fear of the master and Vandar might have made her act more circumspectly. Maybe. It was bothering him, but he shook his head. At least Michelle was stable. Lohas’ methods were brutal and often needlessly cruel, but the woman had taken no lasting hurts. That was what mattered. Now the worse part…

 

He entered the detention bay and smiled grimly at the man who stood in the force cage. “Well… Agent Vorren…” The agent did not look at him and Vandar sighed. “I see you are not ready to talk yet. Fine. We both know that you will eventually.” The agent did not acknowledge him and Vandar sighed again., It went so much easier when the subjects fought. This passive resistance thing was HARD to break. Btu he had time. All the time in the galaxy now. “System… Level four.”

 

The man was tough, Vandar had to admit that. It took a full thirty seconds of energy applied to his body before Vorren started to scream. That WAS down from the minute it had taken the first time. He sighed. He would not delegate this, for a number of reasons. He disliked causing pain, but he really needed to know what Vorren had been doing. The others hadn’t had the full plan, intentionally. And… if he could turn Vorren without resorting to the nanites, the man would make an excellent agent for Vandar against the master. He cut the power and let the man recover for a moment.

 

“Come now, Agent.” Vandar said gently. “There is no need for this. You mission is blown. You are alone, unarmed and under my control. Eventually, you will break.” Vorren would not meet his eyes. “Come on agent. Don’t make me hurt you permanently. That would be such a waste.” Vorren did not react and Vandar sighed again as he activated the discipline circuits again. The man would break, but it would take time. Time… Vandar blinked. Why was Vorren holding out so strongly? He had to know it was hopeless. He had been trained to resist mind probes, so using the Force was out too. Maybe Lohas could… He grinned a little.

 

“I will leave you to think on your future, agent.” Vandar said as he activated the punishment systems again, and then set them to turn off forty seconds after he had left. He needed to check on the other prisoner… They still hadn't found the other one yet, but it was only a matter of time.

 

Vandar sighed as he entered the next room. He had always hated this part, ever since he had founded Special Branch so many years ago, he had detested having to deal with people who had sold out his group. She had done it for love; he knew that from the interrogations his people had performed before she had been left to die. They hadn’t wanted to leave a body where it would be found, and Firdlump had been amused at leaving her chained in a slowly flooding cavern. At least she was asleep. He walked up to the traitor and ran a gentle hand over her head, carefully avoiding the lekku.

 

“Ah child…” His hand was gentle as it ran down her cheek.” I am sorry…” She snapped awake and her eyes found his, the hate eclipsing everything else. “I know why you did what you did.” She snarled at him, but could do no more with the gag in, if it hadn’t been, she likely would have tried to bite. The hate in her ran deep, with good reason. She couldn’t move in the restraints, but she fought them like a wild animal. “You are too dangerous to leave alive, Melita Ranol.” Vandar sighed again as he hit a control that would send poison into her system. Fast acting and painless it would ensure her demise this time. “Pity, you would have been such an asset. Sleep now, child. May your next life be glorious…”

 

He watched in silence as the light in her eyes dimmed and went out. He bowed his head and closed her staring eyes. Then he shook his head and hit the intercom. “Lohas, your lunch is ready.” Maybe this would teach people not to betray Special Branch. The door hissed open and the black skinned queen came in.

 

“Ooo… Pretty thing…” She looked the Twi’lek over and shuddered. Her tongue licked out and took a taste. She recoiled a little. “Why must they always be dead before you let me eat them? And the taste of that poison… Yuck…” Lohas asked sourly as she undid the restraints and picked the Twi’lek up. The Twi’lek jerked and Lohas exclaimed with glee… “Ooo... Not dead yet… mine!” She demanded as she pulled the Twi’lek close and carried the now still form towards the door.

 

“Eating living flesh is not good for you. But whatever.” Vandar said easily. “Take her and go.” Lohas growled at him but did as ordered. He shook his head. “Back to the interrogation. Maybe this time Vorren will at least look at me…”

It hurt. Everything hurt. She screamed, but no sound came out. She tried to struggle, but her body wouldn’t move. She was floating in a sea of agony. Every muscle, every nerve was on fire. But then, it all vanished. She cried as something slammed into the back of her skull with the force of a starship crashing into a planet, and then the pain was erased as if it had never been. A hissing noise sounded and she was floating in something that was warm. A soft crooning voice came to her ears as something rubbed her skull gently, carrying the memory of pain away. She faded along with the pain and it was a while before she could muster the energy to struggle. Finally, she managed to move her fingers and toes, but the rest of her body was held by something gentle but utterly beyond her ability to break. When she tried to swing her head it hurt even worse and she screamed, a loud sound in the silence that had enfolded her. Something grabbed her head and held it in place. Something clicked and when it did, the pain vanished again.

 

“Shh… Shhh.. It’s all right, my blue skinned pretty.” She froze in terror. That voice… The last thing clear she had seen was the black queen approaching her, arms outstretched to catch her falling form. She had been running from some of the crew when she had walked into a trap of some kind. She had inhaled some kind of gas, something that had slowed her, made her woozy. She had fallen and when she had managed to rise, the queen had been there. She had tried to spin, to run, but she had fallen and the queen had bent over her, as if to bite. Then she had blacked out. “Shhh...It’s okay. You are okay. That was rough, I am sorry.” The voice soothed her again. She tried to focus. Vandar had been there and then she had slipped into sleep. He had been going to kill her. She was sure of that. Then she had woken in pain.

 

“What…?” She managed to croak out the simple question. Something rubbed her scalp gently again. She could feel a cool gas flowing over her nose and mouth, but her head was clear. There must have been a mask over her nose and mouth to have the gas flowing in such quantity.

 

“I am sorry I scared you.” The queen sounded apologetic now. “I didn’t understand. I didn’t know. I wasn’t thinking clearly. Listen…” Something changed and her body reclined little. She felt something around her skull now, minor pressures all around the crown of her head and around the bases of her lekku. They didn’t hurt, but they felt weird. Something else pressed into the back of her head between the lekku, but it didn’t hurt now. Nothing did. “It is okay, Melita Ranol. My name is Sentacakilohas, but you may call me Lohas. We are not enemies. Not now.”

 

“My name is Mi’ta… What happened?” The Twi’lek formerly known to Republic Intelligence and Melita Ranol and currently known to Imperial Intelligence as Mi’ta asked softly, trying to open her eyes. They did, but… “I can’t see.”

 

“I know.” That gentle touch was back, soothing her fear. “The poison that Vandar gave you affected your nervous system. It damaged your optic nerves before I could neutralize it.” The queen sounded apologetic. “I got you away from him as quickly as I could. He thinks I ate your corpse.” There was hint of disgust in the queen’s voice now.

 

“So…” The blue skinned Twilek managed to keep fear from her voice by sheer force of will. “I am blind?”

 

“For now.” The queen said softly. “I think I can do something. I am working on it, but I am not a healer by training or inclination. I read some things, and I will find a way for you to see again.”

 

“How do I know this isn’t a trick?” Mi’Ta asked cautiously. “You could be playing me.”

 

“I could be.” The queen agreed. “You have no way to tell, except that Olandas sends her love and she asks if you got the new binders in. The ones with the Nexu fur lining.” Mi’ta froze. Why the hell would they have pulled that info from the tech’s mind? That had been a joke. Sort of. She grinned slightly, but then sobered. It could still be a trick. Lohas’ voice was gentle now. “I am sorry… I don’t have any other possible proof for you. You need to stay here and you need to stay quiet. I can hide you here.”

 

“Where am I?” Mi’ta could hear muted sobs around her and she stiffened as a gentle touch stroked her head. “Where am I?” She repeated a bit more harshly.

 

“I didn’t know what I was doing…” Lohas said softly. “I will pay for what I have done, but I will see Vandar stopped first. None of these girls are lucid anymore. I can’t help them. I have tried. I didn’t want to hurt them. I tried not to hurt them… I didn’t know what I was doing…” The pain the queen’s babbling voice cut Mi’ta to the quick. The Twi’lek spoke softly.

 

“What did you do?” Mi’ta’s voice was neutral. Lohas did not answer and Mi’ta pressed. “Lohas… What did you do?”

 

“It was the only way to save you.” Lohas replied savagely. “I couldn’t just let you slip away completely. Not after all the pain and horror I have caused. I couldn’t…” Was the bug crying?

 

“Lohas…” Mi’ta’s voice was gentle now. “What did you do?” When Lohas replied, it was flat.

 

“To hide you here, you had to appear to be one of my breeders.” Mi’ta felt her guts clench, but that same gentle touch stroked her head. “I am not going to let you die, or change. I am not.” Lohas replied quietly. “You appear to be one of my breeders and you are set up in the same kind of equipment, but I will not change you. I set it up so that it won’t happen. I won’t do to you what I did to the others…” Now her voice held shame.

 

“What happened to them? What is going to happen to me?” Mi’ta’s voice was scared now. “Lohas… Please… tell me…”

 

“It s not going to happen to you. But… I was given four females, of various races, all of proper age and strong as breeding stock.” Mi’ta felt her guts clench again as Lohas replied softly. “But I had to change them so they could bear young of my race. I did what I usually did. What my mother had planned to do to Jina Darkstorm. I changed their bodies quickly and without trying to soften it for them. They all went mad, Mi’ta. I can’t help them. I did this…” She sounded so young and lost. “I did this.”” Her voice was sick now as she repeated her words.

 

“Did you do that to me?” Mi’ta was amazed that her voice was level. “Make me one of your breeders?”

 

“No.” Lohas said in an iron voice. “I started a different change to bring you back to life. I did not let it finish. You appear to be one of my breeders, but the gear is nonfunctional. The plumbing works, and you will need it if you are in there for more than a day or so, but the rest is for show. Here. This will hurt…” A gentle touch at the back of her head brought a gasp from Mi’ta. But then she relaxed as the pain that had momentarily stabbed through her skull vanished. The voice was gentle and soothing now as a gentle rub eased the memory of pain from her skull. “Easy… There you go… You are free of any controls Vandar might have put in you. Your body is healing, the toxin that Vandar gave you was potent, but I managed to stop it, mostly in time. You will have time to heal, hidden here among the children I created and hurt… I…” The queen’s voice was soft and scared now. “I need your help…”

 

“My help?” Mi’ta asked incredulously. “What can I do?” She managed to move her hand a little, but it was encased in something, something that felt fleshy. She was floating in something that felt like fluid. She could feel something around her neck, not confining, but supporting. It felt almost as if she was in some kind of fluid filled sack. It should have felt icky and scary, but it didn’t. It felt warm and safe. That was wrong, wasn’t it? But she didn’t really care.

 

“Help me make the right choices… I…” Lohas’ voice turned scathing now. “I can’t trust my own thoughts. Everything I thought I knew was a lie, or at least a half truth. I need someone I can talk to… Please… Mi’ta, help me…” The queen was begging now. “I can feel my sanity starting to fray. Talk to me... please…”

 

“Well…” Mi’ta smiled a little. “It’s not like I can do anything else right now. But what if someone comes in? Do you talk to your breeders often?”

 

“Mi’ta, I am not sane…” Lohas’ voice was relieved now. “I talk to the walls, the floor, even the ceiling on occasion. Yes, I talk to my breeders. And they even answer sometimes. Their answers make no sense but they do answer. I don’t… I don’t want to hurt people anymore…” Her voice turned sorrowful. “I had to hurt Michelle, but I don’t want to do any more.”

 

“Michelle…” Mi’ta froze. “You mean…?”

 

“Yes.” Lohas spoke softly. “It has begun. Please… talk to me, Mi’ta…Help me…” She implored.

 

“All right.” Mi’ta had done some odd things in her various careers, but psychoanalyzing or counseling a crazy bug? That was a new one for her. “Tell me about you.”

 

“Well…” Lohas’ voice was quiet now. “I was of a nest of fifty, and six of us survived to adolescence. Of that nest I am the only survivor. We matured much faster than our race was supposed to, due to the changes that were done to us. But… I… My last sister died through my own actions.”

 

“I am sorry.” Mi’ta said in the silence that ensued. “How did you wind up in Vandar’s clutches?”

 

“I don’t really remember…” Lohas replied after a moment. “It’s a fog of pain and fear. My people were mostly animalistic. We… well… You know…”

 

“Yeah.” Mi’ta replied with a gulp. Just the Imperial Intelligence reports on what the Sitolon called the ‘Dark Cousins’ had been bad enough. “So you are not going to eat me?”

 

“No.” Lohas voice was soft and sincere now. “And if it comes down to it, I will defend you with my life, Mi’ta. You have my word on that.”

 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Mi’ta said quietly. “Okay, do you have any hobbies?”

 

“Hobbies? Not really…” Lohas said dubiously. “I mean… I never had a lot of time to develop any…”

 

“Well, let’s see if we can find you one.” Mi’ta replied with a smile. “I know it helps me focus and relieves my stress… Of which I have a lot.”

 

“What do you do?” Lohas asked, curiously. “I mean, when you are not being an agent?”

 

“I draw.” Mi’ta replied with a smile. “I…Well, I did…” Her smile faltered as she remembered she couldn’t see. A gentle touch had her freezing.

 

“I cannot give you my eyes, Mi’ta…” Lohas said with determination. “But you will not go through the remainder of your life in darkness if I have anything at all to say about it. I will find a way for you to see again. What do you draw?”

 

“Anything that catches my fancy.” Mi’ta sad with a grin. “Landscapes, people, structures, items… Anything…” She sighed deeply and contentedly. “I used to put eight or more hours into drawing and painting when I could.”

 

“That is a hobby?” Lohas asked incredulously. “Sounds like work to me.”

 

“It can be on occasion…” Mi’ta relaxed as best she could to try to explain her passion to a bug. “But you see, if I can put all of myself into my drawing, well, then maybe I can put all of myself into other things as well. I remember this one flower I tried to paint for five days, when I was a teenager…It never came out right. But eventually I managed to get the colors as close to perfect as I could...It reminded me of simpler times, simpler places and things.”

 

“Do you still have that picture?” Lohas was honestly curious.

 

“No.” Mi’ta replied distantly. “I… Well, I had it in my gear when Special Branch took me. I… well…It’s gone. Anyway, hobbies can be just about anything… We just need to find something that you enjoy, that doesn’t involve hurting people…One thing. Hobbies are personal. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of your hobby. What matters is what you think of it.”

 

“Hmmm…” Lohas said, obviously thinking hard. “I don’t know. I have never tried art. I have tried to sing, but most people run away when I start.” That same gentle thing rubbed Mi’ta’s head and it was soothing. She relaxed.

 

“Glad I am not the only one.” Mi’ta said with a snort that was echoed by Lohas. This was just too surreal. Here she was, formerly a prisoner sentenced to death, being mother henned by a large bug and asked about hobbies? She sighed and went with the flow. “Is there anything else you have tried that you enjoy?”

 

“You are going to laugh.” Lohas’ voice was small now.

 

“I might.” Mi’ta was sure that was embarrassment in the queen’s voice. “But if I do, please don’t take it the wrong way. If I am startled or surprised, a laugh can show that I don’t know how else to respond. What do you enjoy?”

 

“I like…” Lohas’ voice was slow, careful as if she did not want to say. “Aw heck… I like reading...”

 

“You what?” Mi’ta didn’t laugh, she was too stunned. “You like reading? Reading what?”

 

“Anything…” Lohas replied, her voice sounded as if she still expected to be laughed at. “Everything. I like mysteries, fantasies, hard science fiction, space opera, all of it…”

 

“You are reader?” Mi’ta said softly. “Hmmmm… That is…nice.” Her voice was serious now, no sarcasm or word plays.

 

“You mean that?” Lohas’ voice was downright eager now. “What if… I read to you? Would you mind that?” Mi’ta thought about that for a moment and then smiled.

 

“Go for it.” The Twi’lek relaxed as best she could as Lohas moved a bit and then settled. “I am not going anywhere.”

 

“Okay, this is my favorite. It is a little dark, but I like it.” Lohas said quietly. “It starts: Call me Ishmael. Some years ago -- never mind how long precisely -- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world…” The bug’s voice was melodious and easy to listen to. Mi’ta found herself flowing with the story easily.

 

I hope the others are okay. She thought and then sighed silently. She couldn’t help them as she was. The best she could do was what Lohas said. Allow herself time to heal. Then she would help. Somehow. Even blind, she would find a way to stick it to Special Branch and Vandar.

Michelle woke up scared out of her mind. But then she relaxed. She was back in Medical. So the bug hadn’t eaten her. Memory flooded back. She had woken here before, and been under control. She had barfed and then Vandar had put her back to sleep. But…

 

“Olandas…?” She called softly and the curtain around her bed twitched and moved a little. The tech came into her cubicle area and smiled at her. Michelle relaxed. “I feel like crap…” She was sore in a number of places, and she felt very sick to her stomach, but nothing really hurt.

 

“Your implant controls have been dampened for the moment due to what Lohas did to you.” Olandas said quietly. “The monitors are dealt with. We have a few minutes. Not much time.”

 

“Are we on track?” Michelle asked, her face intent.

 

“Yes.” Olandas replied. But her face was sad. “I…” She broke off, her posture and voice incredibly sad.

 

“Olandas, what is wrong?” Michelle asked gently as she sat up. Nothing hurt and her head didn’t spin, so she slid her feet off the bed and got up. Olandas did not reply. “Olandas?” When the tech looked at her, Michelle froze. The tech was crying! “Oh Olandas… What has happened?”

 

“We knew there was a chance…” Olandas said, scrubbing her face, trying to remain in control. “But she was so good at being other people. They figured out who she was. They killed her…” Olandas’ face was a mask of rage and pain now. “They killed my Mi’ta!”

 

“Oh, Olandas…” Michelle said gently as she closed the gap and hugged the smaller human woman. Olandas stiffened for a moment and then she threw herself into Michelle’s arms, sobbing. “I am sorry.” She gave the woman a squeeze and her hands were rubbing gently. “You need to focus, Olandas. She wouldn’t want you distracted right now, would she?” The tech shook her head silently. Michelle gave her another squeeze and then a gentle shake. “I need you Olandas. Please don’t leave me to face this awfulness alone.”

 

“You are not alone.” A male voice sounded from nearby and the curtain opened to show a man in Imperial Navy uniform with full helmet on and the visor down over his eyes. His lower face was visible however and he smiled sadly. “Olandas, I told you. I don’t think she is dead.”

 

“Vid records don’t lie.” Olandas said, scrubbing her face. “He poisoned her. There is no way he would have made a mistake. Not after what happened the last time.”

 

“Maybe.” The man said quietly as he touched her shoulder before withdrawing.

 

“Matters of the heart are rarely clear. The mind doesn’t function well when emotions run riot.” Michelle said softly as Olandas sobbed into her shoulder. She nodded to the man. “Are we still on track?”

 

“Yes.” He said simply. “Are you?” He asked intently.

 

“I know what I have to do.” Michelle said quietly. “But I won’t say I am enthused. I also won’t say I am not scared.”

 

“Of course you are.” The man came close and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder opposite the one where Olandas’ face was still buried. “Every living thing fears death. But you do not let the fear rule you. Even Sith can appreciate that.” He shook his head. “I have to go. I have to return to duty. I had a moment to use the refresher, and this one was close. I need to stay in character. They are still looking for me.”

 

“Thank you.” Michelle said quietly as he stepped away.

 

“No, Michelle Stele. Thank you.” The man said quietly. “Your plan is saving my life. This is the least I can do in recompense.” Then he was gone. A few moments later, Brakon walked in and paused, seeing the sobbing tech.

 

“Problem?” The Sith asked slowly.

 

“She was intimate with the woman you just executed.” Michelle replied calmly, seeing a look of revulsion cross the Sith’s face for a moment and then his features stilled. “Don’t hurt her.” She said quickly.

 

“I won’t.” Brakon replied softly. “Matters of the heart are… odd at the best of times. We need you and her back on duty. You lead the war droids, she will keep your droid functioning at 100 percent.” Michelle nodded. She had figured that she was some kind of control node for the droids that now had Imperial Navy pilots ensconced inside them. “She needs help we can give.”

 

“I can do it.” Michelle said simply. “Tech Olandas! Snap out of it!” She snarled in command voice. The tech jumped back and snapped to attention. “Okay…” She sighed and nodded to the Sith. He smiled and did something she couldn’t see. Her body reacted without her commands again! It stiffened to attention and she could barely see what was in front of her as her eyes focused on the wall behind Brakon.

 

“Good girls.” Brakon said quietly. “Come on, let’s get you back into your home, Michelle. Tech Olandas has a date with a mind wipe.” Michelle quailed inside, but Olandas did not react. Had the nanites taken control of her again? His hand looked gentle as it landed on Olandas’ shoulder but the tech flinched anyway. Then she screamed and passed out. “Yes…” Brakon said softly as he scooped her up. “She found a way around the controls. She is not the first, nor will she be the last. But we can’t have her around you uncontrolled. Come Michelle. We have work to do…”

 

Michelle was screaming with rage and fear inside her mind but Brakon just shrugged. “Come now, It won’t hurt her. Lohas won’t hurt her. She will just be more controllable with part of her memory gone and her basic impulses dampened. You go back in the droid. Your ground crew is waiting.” This was a command and her body obeyed.

 

Her body saluted and turned to walk towards the hangar bay. Inside, she was still screaming as Brakon carried Olandas away. But as she walked, she paused. The man with the visored helmet looked at her and a small smile graced his features. It was there and gone, then he went back to work moving a heavy piece of equipment with a team of others in naval uniform. Her heart lightened a little.

 

You are crazy, Idjit…

Olandas was screaming silently inside her head as she walked into the bug’s lair. That Sith had done something to her, taken control of her body again and then… She was shaking in delayed reaction, both to Mi’ta’s death and her own lack of control. She made into the chamber and the door hissed shut behind her. But then she collapsed in sobbing heap by the door as the controls that governed her cut out. She was trying to stop crying when she heard Lohas’ voice.

 

“Olandas?” What…? Oh…” Gentle claws picked her up and carried her from the doorway. “I need you to be calm, Olandas. I need you to relax, Okay? I don’t want to upset my breeders any more than they are.”

 

“He said they were going to mindwipe me…” Olandas said with a quaver. “If you don’t, then they will.” She was not expecting Lohas to chortle. She glared through tear filled eyes at the bug.

 

“Do you have any idea what your paramour would do to me if I did that?” Lohas had a grin in her voice when she set Olandas down on her feet. “Come.” Olandas stared at the bug, uncomprehendingly, and then her face lit up. Lohas waved a claw at her. “Easy… Be calm… My children are excitable at the best of times. I don’t want to spend eight hours or so calming them down again.” Olandas forced herself to relax and then she followed the bug into a scene that would have been at home in any horror holo-vid.

 

The room was dark, but not dark enough to hide the multiple cocoon-like things that writhed in holes that looked as if they had been dug specifically for them. They were all of the right size to hold adult humans, or humanoid species and all were still as Lohas entered. All but one. That one was wriggling and it had an oddly shaped thing where the head would be on a human. It looked almost as if it contained Twi’lek lekku. Olandas bit back a cry of joy as Lohas glared at her. She nodded silently while the queen spoke softly.

 

“Mi’ta, I know it itches.” Lohas’ voice was quiet but stern. “Stop trying to move. You can and will hurt yourself even with the gear nonfunctioning.”

 

“Mi’ta…” Olandas’ voice was soft, disbelieving. “But…Vandar killed you…”

 

“Olandas…?” Mi’ta’s voice was confused. “What are you doing here?”

 

“They…” Olandas slumped in place. “They sent me to Lohas for a mind wipe.” Mi’ta gasped and Lohas shook her head. “They figured out that I was not under their complete control. They haven’t figured it all out, but they will.” She paused as the nearer of Loha’s claws rose and stroked her arm gently.

 

“I won’t do that. Not now. We are on track, tech Olandas.” Lohas said gently. “Come, sit with us…I have water if you need something to drink.” She sat beside the cocoon that had been moving and nodded to Olandas who stared. “Come, we were discussing a book, want to join in?”

 

“A book…?” Olandas asked in complete confusion as she did as instructed. “You have to do something. I mean, if you don’t do anything, they will figure it out.”

 

“Doesn’t matter.” Olandas froze as part of the wall seemed to come alive and Idjt of the Bladeborn stepped into view. He looked nothing like a Bladeborn at the moment, his face was covered with a helmet and his uniform was Imperial Navy. “We were discussing Moby Kraken.”

 

“What?” Oladas had expected a lot of things this day, but to be talking about a book with a bug, a Bladeborn and a Twi’lek that she had thought was dead was not on the list. “You have got to do something or they will figure it out.” Lohas made a rude noise. One of the other cocoons twitched, but Lohas stroked it and it subsided.

 

“A mindwipe of the sort they would want would take me at least a day.” The queen replied easily. “They wouldn’t want you gone completely, just your will eased a bit. Vandar sent an order and I replied that I would do it when I could get to it. They want your rebellious streak dampened, not you gone completely. It’s okay Olandas. It’s handled.”

 

“I…” Olandas looked at the floor, unable to speak. She was scared out of her mind and unable to verbalize her fears. She started as gentle hands touched her shoulders and started to rub.

 

“It’s okay, tech Olandas. Here…” Idjit’s hands stopped and power flew through her. She collapsed, and only his strong hands kept her upright. “There you go. All clean. The control algorithm that you and Vorren came up with helps, but can’t stop them completely. I can. The residue of the nanites will flush out of your system naturally.”

 

“But…” Olandas protested. “They will detect that… I have to go back. Michelle will need me.”

 

“Not for at least a day.” Lohas said evenly as she held out a cup to Olandas. “No one will expect you to come out of my lair for at least a day. Maybe more. Here. Clean water. You need fluids.” Olandas took the cup in a daze and drank slowly, carefully. It was just water, but it tasted heavenly right at that moment. She sat where Lohas indicated. “Come, Olandas. Your lover, Idjit and I have been talking about Moby Kraken and I think we need another opinion.” Lohas’ voice was gentle and teasing now. “Besides you are going to need some rest shortly, when the backlash hits you. Right now, you are floating on a sea of endorphins, but it will pass.”

 

“Why Moby Kraken?” Olandas asked as she sat carefully. She gave a small squeak as Lohas leaned into her but then she realized that the queen wasn’t. She had slumped into Lohas and the queen was giving her body support. Support that it needed suddenly. “I…”

 

“Easy, Olandas…” Lohas’ voice was gentle now and gentle arms held her upright. “It’s okay. You are not likely to pass out. But we will need to keep you here long enough for the façade of you being mindwiped to pass causal inspection. And by then…”

 

“By then, this should all be settled.” Idjit replied as he sat on the other side of Olandas, his presence oddly comforting. “One way or another. And as for why Moby Kraken? Lohas picked it.” Olandas stared at Idjit and then at the bug who shrugged.

 

“What can I say?” Lohas said quietly. “I sympathize with madmen, and that Mon Cal Captain Ahab was mad.”

 

“I’ll say.” Mi’ta’s voice was sour. “But…Back to my question. Why did the crew follow him? I know part is the fact that he WAS the captain. He was the ultimate authority on the ship. But he was a fracking loony…”

 

“Hey!” Lohas said with a stern tone that was somehow joking as well. “I resemble that remark.”

 

“We all do, Lohas.” Idjit replied with a smile. “We all do. But as for why… Hmmm… Fear for one thing. Fear of his wrath, which was mighty by all accounts. He was charismatic as well.”

 

“True.” Olandas sipped her water and spoke softly. She knew the book well. “But the first mate, he knew better. Why did he follow the captain? That has never made sense to me.”

 

“Money, maybe…?” Lohas said softly. “Maybe the chance to say ‘I did that’ when they caught the White Kraken? Or maybe he just didn’t know what else to do. That is why the crew followed the Kraken after the captain harpooned it and was stuck on it. They didn’t know what else to do. And to them, he was beckoning to them.”

 

“They had to know the fish face was dead.” Mi’ta said quietly. “I mean, how many times did that Kraken dive? Even a Mon Cal can’t survive at the depths that a Kraken can dive to without tech assistance.”

 

“Maybe…” Olandas said softly. “But then again, he was waving to them to come get him, wasn’t he?”

 

“They thought he was waving to them.” Mi’ta disagreed. “He was dead by then.”

 

“We don’t know that.” Lohas said quietly. “Mon Cals can breathe underwater after all.”

 

“You are just not going to give this up, are you?” Mi’ta asked with laugh. “Stubborn bug.”

 

“His waving made the crew follow him to their deaths.” Olandas shook her head. “Why would he do that intentionally?”

 

“He wasn’t rational.” Lohas replied evenly. “Trust me, I know a bit about that…” All conversation stopped as the general alert alarm sounded. “Oh dear…” Lohas spoke for all of them. The three of them not in cocoons looked at each other and nodded. It had begun.

As luck would have it, Vandar was on the bridge when the newcomer ship arrived in system. He swallowed as the Dia’s Gift turned onto an intercept vector. But then, it turned away…

 

“What is she doing?” He asked softly. “Captain?”

 

“If the Dragon was aboard, it likely would have launched by now.” The captain replied, his face intent on the scanners. “Sensors say no life signs aboard.”

 

“Could it be…?” Vandar said almost to himself. “Might we have actually caught her alone?” He thought hard for a moment. “We cannot hope to match her speed. Can the droids?”

 

“Yes sir. But what would be the point?” The captain replied rigidly. The man was rebellious. That would stop, eventually, but Vandar found he enjoyed the man’s attempts at rebellion. “We could destroy it easily enough now that we have full weapons back online.”

 

“We don’t want her dead…” Vandar mused. “We want to talk to her.” He turned to the com station. “Com?”

 

“Nothing sir.” The com operator reported.

 

“Can the interdiction field on this ship stop it from jumping?” Vandar asked. “If we CAN, I would like to take that ship intact. There are, were anyway, lots of secrets hidden on it…”

 

“Yes sir.” The captain replied. “Activate gravity well generator!” A hum built up within the ship but nothing else happened that Vandar could see. On screen the ship turned away and its engines glared brighter. “If it gets far enough away, it can jump.” The captain said softly.

 

“Then we will have to make sure it doesn’t get the chance.” Vandar smiled. This was going to be a good day. ” Launch droids!”

 

***

 

Michelle had actually managed to fall asleep in her droid. It seemed rest was allowed for the pilots, but they had to be ready to fly. So she had been put back in and then she had dozed. Her dreams for once had been uneventful, restful even. Maybe the droid she was situated in did something for nightmares? She was just waking up when the command came over whatever internal system the droids used for communication.

 

‘Launch!’

 

She was a spectator as her droid powered up and started for the hangar bay entrance. She saw readiness reports from the other droids, but most of her attention was drawn to the blinking miniature diagram of a ship on her HUD that was marked ‘Disable’. She would have blinked in confusion if she had been capable of it. Did she know that ship? It seemed…familiar…

 

She was resigned to her role as a passenger in her own body as the droid took off between the forward prongs of the Sith battleship and flew towards a distant speck. She knew without seeing them that the smaller droids that housed the Imperial pilots who had called the ship home were following in tight formation. The blockade runner was running, but even it’s impressive speed was no match for the droid’s powerful sublight drives.

 

‘Disable’ Came the command again and she watched as the squadrons with her split up. Half of them, a full dozen, arced towards the engine clusters of the Foray class ship. The others maintained formation with her as they approached their target. For a moment she wondered if this was going to be simple, then space lit up.

 

Fire came from multiple turrets and the fire was so accurate as to defy belief. It had a LOT more than eight guns too. Standard Foray class ships had mounted two double turbo laser turrets and six anti-starfighter turrets. THIS ship had at least twice that, and the guns were tracking the droids as if they had been designed to do so. Icons winked out in her HUD and even though Michelle didn’t really know any of the pilots, part of her cringed with each death. Then she and her compatriots were in range. Twelve war droids fired as one and ion cannon fire mixed with lasers peppered the ship’s shields. The blue fields pulsed, but held. Michelle’s eyes would have narrowed if she had been capable of that. What the heck…? Forays did not have that kind of shield power, did they? Another command came through the link.

 

‘Board. Disable.’

 

The fire from the Foray was seeking her group now and she saw at least three icons wink out simultaneously. She twisted and turned in an evasive pattern that saved her from more than being scorched. It still hurt like hell. If she had been capable, she would have screamed from the neural overload that hit her unprotected brain. She dove under the ship, out of the arc of the main guns and found the hangar bay open!

 

What the…? She had time to think before a bright blue flash hit her and she knew no more. The last thing she heard before passing out from the overload was her body’s scream of pain.

 

***

 

She was warm. The arms that held her were soft and warm. She didn’t want to wake up. She knew more horror was waiting for her. But she had to. When she opened her eyes, however, she found herself not in the nasty droid she was imprisoned in, but sitting on a couch, resting in someone’s arms. She looked around, the room was comfortable. It looked like part of a rustic cabin, maybe the kind that would be found in the backwoods of Correllia. A log fire burned in the fireplace and pictures hung on the walls. She had put it off long enough. She faced her fear and looked up into her own eyes.

 

“Good morning.” The other her said in a soft and gentle voice.

 

“Is it time?” Michelle Stele asked softly. The other her nodded. She sighed and snuggled closer, trying to postpone the inevitable. “I am scared.” She admitted.

 

“I know.” Michelle, Sixth of the Seven replied gently, her touch soothing as she rubbed the other her’s scalp. She was crying softly. “The crystal pulsed when your droid was deactivated. The last place anyone would look for that crystal… Ravishaw is a nut, but a genius as well…He programmed one of the ground crew to hide it in your droid. The droid rebooted and is on track for the computer center on external control. You have been so brave, Michelle Stele. I am sorry to have put you through this. But…” She paused and looked the other her in the eyes. “There may be a way, for both of us to exist.” She paused, dumbfounded, as Michelle Stele shook her head.

 

“No.” The Imperial pilot replied. “I am what I am. A copy. A trap. Ravishaw may have created me from your mind, but I have been and always will be a soldier. Soldiers exist to do the dirty jobs that no one else wants to do. This has been hell for you too, hasn’t it?”

 

“It wasn’t fun.” The Michelle that was the origination said quietly. “Even what the Islanians did to me was muted by time. This… It really hurt…And now, seeing you… It hurts worse…I am sorry for what I did to you.”

 

“It’s okay, Michelle. It was our plan. I am part of you, and you are part of me. We were not meant to be separate.” Michelle Stele smiled at her twin and then leaned back and closed her eyes. “I am ready.”

 

“Goodbye, sister.” Michelle of the Seven replied. “They will pay.” A gentle hand touched her temple and oblivion called to her. It didn’t hurt. Everything just faded gently, slowly. The last thing she heard was her twin’s voice calling to her from far, far away. “I love you.” Then the void reached out to embrace her and she embraced it right back.

 

***

 

Michelle of the Seven came back to herself in the control room of the Dia’s Gift. The droid she ewas ensconced in had its blasters trained at the central computer. Her voice spoke without her commands and it was the unemotional tone of an implanted pilot. She scanned her memories and found that yes, she had Michelle Stele’s memories as well, but the other her was gone. She spared a moment to hope that the other her had found peace at last and then listened to her voice speak without her control. It was going as planned.

 

“Surrender or die, Oreana Devich.”

 

:Oh?" A loud raspberry came from the loudspeakers. “I am already dead, you witch! What more do you Special Branch scum think you can do to me?”

 

Another com overrode her voice and Vandar’s voice sounded. “Oh, you might be surprised, Oreana. Unit 105, sever the command links and take control of the ship.”

 

“No! You son of a bit-” Dia’s scream was cut off in mid obscenity as the droid fired at the control lines that fed the main computer. Coincidentally, they also fed the sensor imagery to the main computer. Without those, the intelligence that lived in the computer was deaf and blind. Sensory deprivation was not a good thing, even for someone who had been a Sith and Jedi.

 

Dia! Michelle screamed in her mind. Are you okay?

 

I am all right! I am all right! Dia replied testily, but her mental voice was shaky. Stick to the plan! Sheesh this sucks. But I am not alone… I am not alone… Her voice was seriously shaken now. I can handle it… For a while…

 

I will try and stay in contact. Michelle promised.

 

Do not jeopardize the mission. Dia snarled at her. We have come too far, lost too many people we cared about for this to go belly up now. Stick to the plan, Michelle!

 

Right… Michele said, calming as the droid took control of the ship with no input from her and turned it towards the oncoming Sith battleship. Keep talking to me, Dia… Just keep talking.

 

Not… Dia’s voice was gasping now. Not going anywhere… Geez… This…Oh… Michelle suddenly felt a number of warm presences appear around Dia’s mind, keeping her company in the darkness she had been cast into. Thank you…. All of you… Her voice held relief now.

 

Our pleasure, Dia. Sara Kalenath replied quietly as she and the children commandos who had been cloned from her closed ranks around the one who had saved so many of them, helping her as she had helped them. We can’t hold you forever, but we will hold you long enough. Michelle… go.

 

Right. Michelle’s mental voice held a snarl now as her droid turned to go back through the hole it had blasted from the hangar bay to the computer center. Time to end this…

It was… Tokare Vandar wasn’t sure how it felt to be back on this ship again after so much time. Eerie maybe? There was a deep sense of foreboding as he strode through the halls of what had been one of Special Branch’s premier medical ships. Something was…wrong… He shook his head. There were no null spots, no places that might be hidden from sight or sensor on this ship that he didn’t know about. Most of the data caches had been found and plundered by the people who had stolen it. But not all. One of the caches was still intact and he smiled as he found records that he had assumed had been lost forever. He pulled the files out and shook his head. A good day indeed. He blew out a deep breath and sat in the control hair at the main computer terminal. He took a moment to compose himself before he connected his gear to the main computer.

 

“Hello Oreana.” His voice was gentle and calm, so as to promote calm in his subject.

 

“Flarg you.” The voice of the Jedi spirit trapped in the main computer snapped at him. He could feel her disgust at him and his actions. But she seemed oddly calm as well, almost as if she were waiting for something. “My name is Dia.”

 

“Now, now, Oreana. There is no need to be rude.” Vandar said quietly. “Just calm yourself. I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

“No.” The spirit replied just as evenly. “You want to enslave me. Make me a traitor to the Empire just as you have so many others. Again, flarg you.” Vandar sighed, this was not going to be easy. It rarely was with the best ones.

 

“Look, Oreana…” His voice took on a somewhat pleading cast. “I don’t want to hurt you. You can be a great asset for us. A Jedi who was a Sith, you can go places and do things that others cannot.”

 

“You should take up comedy.” The being who called herself Dia replied in a snide tone. “You are funny as hell. Sure you want my help. All I have to do is betray everyone and everything I believed in or loved. You want to use me as a tool to hurt other people. You can say it, Vandar. You need another slave. Or is lying so ingrained in you now that you don’t know how to tell the truth anymore?”

 

“I don’t want to hurt people.” Vandar replied in mild reproof. “I am trying to keep Firdlump in check. I don’t have a lot of influence with him, but I have managed to keep the body count a lot lower than it should have been.”

 

“Oh?” Dia asked caustically. “And I guess Will and his family, Istara and the Bladeborn, Mira, Jina, Michelle, me… All of us don’t fracking count do we?”

 

“Well…No.” Vandar’s voice held regret now. “In the grand schemes of things, no. None of us matter much. The things I have done… I know many of them were wrong, but I did the least harm I could, Oreana.”

 

“My name is Dia, shutta.” Her voice held scorn now. “Go flarg yourself. Or even better… Go flarg that pile of poodoo Brakon.” Vandar sighed again, It had been a mistake to let Brakon aboard. It had been a mistake to let Brakon talk to Oreana first. He had known it at the time, but the Dark Jedi had insisted he could talk sense into her. He had been wrong. “I should have known before Jina killed him that he was a traitor. Just like you.”

 

“Oreana…” Vandar started but paused as she cut him off.

 

“Go ahead and do whatever the flarg you are going to do, shutta.” Her voice was resigned now. “I will not serve you.”

 

“Oh, Oreana…” His voice was sad as he affixed a small brown crystal to the side of the computer. “Yes, you will. You will fight. You will struggle. But eventually, you will accept the fact that you, like me, are a slave.”

 

“Speak for yourself, scumball.” Oreana’s voice was satisfied now. “But you better do it fast.”

 

“Oreana…” Vandar said with a small, sad smile. “If you are referring to the self destruct charge built into the mainframe, it was disabled when you were cut off from the main systems.”

 

“I am not.” Oreana’s voice was triumphant now. “Goodbye Vandar. May whatever hell you wind up in be painful and eternal. Frak you and the cat you rode in on.”

 

“Oreana…” Vandar’s voice was gentle now. “You are not going to get away. We have cloned you a body, and we have made it as you were before your shift. We will help you adjust.”

 

“No. Actually you won’t.” Oreana’s voice was sad now. “All I ever wanted to do was serve the Empire loyally. I was always different, always walked my own, solitary path. It wasn’t until Ulaha died in my place that I found people like me, people who would do whatever had to be done. Not for money, or fame, or power, but because it had to be done. People who loved me for who and what I was. Who didn’t care about my past, but accepted me for who and what I became. You don’t understand that. None of you do. And you won’t. You can’t.”

 

“Sleep, Oreana.” Vandar said gently. “Rest. When you wake, you will be in a human body again.” A shriek came from the speaker, but it cut off abruptly. “Damn it all, girl. Why couldn’t you just listen?” He sighed as he plucked the crystal off the computer and stood, easing muscles that had been strained by sitting cramped. Human chairs were not very comfortable for someone his size. He shook his head as he started for the door, only to pause as his comlink chirped. “Yes?”

 

“Master Vandar!” Brakon’s voice was almost panicked. “You have to get off that ship! Now!”

 

“What?” He could feel Brakon’s fear now. “Why?”

 

“We just detected a baradium core munition’s activation cycle, sir…” Vandar felt his heart plummet. “It was in a shielded compartment and it was inert. It just went live and it is counting down!” Size of warhead really did not matter. Even the smallest baradium fission warhead would incinerate both ships if it went off inside the shields. Vandar was in motion and he started barking orders.

 

“Get the Deceiver clear!” He said as he ran towards the shuttle bay, only to pause as a spectral form appeared in his way. Ulaha’s face was sad. “You!”

 

“I am not the one you have to worry about, Vandar.” Ulaha said quietly. “When you pulled the records from the hiding place, you started a timer. It just activated the bomb. Don’t take the escape pods, they are all rigged with traps. You have… two minutes.” She vanished without a trace, but he was in motion at Force speed, sending mental commands. He made it to the hangar just as a droid slammed into the deck. He slapped a space suit on and paused. They still had several of his size inside. They had also been intended for the children who had been their first choice of super soldier. But… There was no way he was going to be able to take the records inside the suit. He looked at them for a moment and froze. On the back of the third sheet in was scrawled a large ‘Flarg you, Vandar! Got you!’ in red ink.

 

He sighed as he dropped the records and closed the suit. He scrambled onto the droid. “Kalenath… You stupid soldier…” At least he still had the crystal. He checked it and yes, Oreana was sleeping, her mind quiescent. Then he focused on holding on.

Special Branch had learned a great deal from its previous mistakes. The problem that the earliest droids had possessed was that if the command and control lines were severed for any reason, the droids either went catatonic or berserk. If they went berserk, there were sedatives that would be administered automatically. Catatonic was a bit more problematical, but Special Branch engineers had finally decided on mounting secondary controls on the backs of the droids, along with place for an outside operator to stand. It was exposed, mind you, and not a lot of fun to be riding the droid through space with no protection at all except for a suit. He did not look back, but was still temporarily blinded by the flash as the ship that Special Branch had spent so much time and effort to build vaporized in Will Kalenath’s final revenge.

 

“Report.” He snarled into his comlink. Kalenath… Sometimes he truly did wish that the boy had not survived the experiments that had been done to him as a teenager. Sometimes, he truly did just want to throttle the man. It wasn’t very Jedi-like, but he really did. That man had made it his business to cost Special Branch time and personnel on every possible occasion.

 

“No damage to the Deceiver, master.” Brakon’s voice was relieved. “The Harbinger of Change…” That had been the name of the ship before the enemies of Special Branch had taken it. “It’s completely gone.”

 

“I know.” Vandar said flatly. “Is the clone ready?” All Imperial ships mounted cloning facilities for small objects, hearts, lungs that kind of thing. It was the work of a few hours to make it able to clone and entire body. The Empire forbade full cloning for a number of reasons, mainly cloning Force users usually did not work. But Vandar knew a few tricks as well. If the body did not have a mind in it when it was gestated, it would not go mad. Oreana would not slip from his grasp into madness. “Hopefully that was Kalenath’s last trap. But I doubt it.”

 

“True, very true, master. The clone will be ready shortly.” Brakon replied, and then he paused. “I have some odd readings here on the bridge. I need to check some things. I will be in touch.” His voice vanished, but Vandar suddenly felt even more foreboding. What the hell? The droid slowed and then, with a clang, landed on the hangar deck. Vandar sighed and released his grip. He stripped out of the space suit, and then stopped, suddenly conscious of the silence around him. Nothing was moving, nothing was happening. The only things around were eight more droids that all seemed to be watching him.

 

“Hello?” He asked carefully, looking around. “Where is everyone?” He froze as a voice he recognized spoke to him from nearby.

 

“The crew are off being freed from your control, Vandar.” His eyes went wide as the droid he had flown in turned and faced him, it’s guns coming up to cover him. “Now… drop the crystal with Dia in it and you might live a few minutes more.” Michelle’s voice held hate now, not the unemotional tone of a droid pilot, but the angry tone of a woman who had been twisted and manipulated to be a slave to someone she detested. He stared around as the other surviving droids also raised their guns.

 

“All units, stand down…” Vandar recited a series of control codes, but none of the droids responded to them. “What the…?”

 

“Did you really think we wouldn’t prepare for such things, Vandar?” Michelle’s voice was vicious. “Drop the crystal, Vandar. Now.”

 

“Lieutenant Stele, we can talk about this…” Vandar tried to play for time, tried to get a sense on what was happening, but her next words had him freezing in place.

 

“Lieutenant Stele is dead. I am Michelle, Sixth of the Seven and you, Tokare Vandar, are under arrest for crimes against the Empire, the Republic and civilization everywhere. Please resist. Please…” Vandar’s mouth fell open as he stared at the droid and his world came crashing down around him.

Edited August 15, 2012 by kalenath

Tokare Vandar did not move. His expression was serene as he looked from Michelle’s droid to the others that surrounded him. If he was disconcerted at all, it was unapparent.

 

“Well played, Michelle.” His voice held admiration now. “This was all a trap for me, wasn’t it?”

 

“Put Dia down or I will blow your head off.” Michelle’s voice could have frozen an explosion in its tracks. “You know I can.”

 

“You can.” Vandar agreed evenly. “But you won’t. You want me alive.”

 

“Want alive, yes.” Michelle’s voice turned savage. “Need alive, no. And we do not need you necessarily intact.” He dodged as the droid fired, a stream of blaster fire tearing through where he had been, aimed at his legs. He shook his head as he danced away but then resumed his space. Escape was not possible at the moment, even he could see that the ring of droids were all ready to kill him.

 

“Look, Michelle…” Vandar said as he froze again, multiple droids were aiming at him how and all were aiming to cripple as opposed to kill. “You don’t have the whole story or the whole prophecy. I have information you need.” He blinked as Michele spoke as if reciting.

 

‘The Seven will rise and fall. The first will fall mortally struck as he kills. The second will fall into the darkness that consumes her soul. The third will be struck down by the fourth while she is focused. The fourth will slay herself in remorse. The fifth will be burned alive by his own inner fire. The sixth… -that is me- she will be cast forever into the void, to cry her lament throughout eternity. The seventh…she will forget all that she is and was. She will be a computer, no longer a living soul, just a shell. This is the only way to beat the horror that is coming. This is the fate of the Seven.’

 

Michelle’s voice cut off and the air of the hangar seemed to chill as Vandar stared at the droid. They knew. He sighed.

 

“It doesn’t have to be that way, Michelle. We can save you.” Vandar said gently. Even the Imperial pilots who had been implanted into the droids seemed horrified by the prophecy and that took some doing. Imperial pilots were generally unflappable. But Michelle’s sense in the Force was resigned. “Michelle… Please…”

 

“Even if you were not serving Firdlump…” Michelle said evenly. “…whose goal is to remake the galaxy in his own image, I would not help you. I am no Sith to want personal advancement above all else. I was and am, like Michele Stele said right before she passed on to whatever reward awaited her, a soldier. I serve. I do not lead, I do not command except when I must. I have no ego for you to manipulate. I have no wishes for you to pervert. All I have is my duty and my honor.”

 

“You must want something.” Vandar persisted quietly, eyes flashing here and there, calculating angles, choices, plans. “Come girl. What do you want?”

 

“I want you to put the crystal with Dia on the ground.” Michelle’s droid whined a little as the guns tracked on Vandar’s head. “If you don’t, I will shoot.” He shook his head and she sighed. “Fine.”

 

“Michelle…” Vandar said as the Force screamed at him. “Don’t…”

 

“You don’t have her in your mouth.”

 

She fired but he was gone. Her fire tracked him, even at Force speed and he darted towards another droid. Just as he had expected, the fire cut off as he darted behind the other droid. The hardlocks were still engaged to prevent friendly fire. He could hear cursing as Michelle tried to override them, but it would take time for her to do so. He grabbed the manual overrides, but they didn’t work! The droid popped and he jumped clear as energy played across its surface. How the hell had they activated the anti tampering protocols? He sighed. He hadn’t wanted to do this. Vandar concentrated and everything seemed to stop as a scream came from nearby.

 

“Ah!” One of the droids sagged and fell, it’s surface turning molten and the screams of its pilot were horrifying enough to stun even Sith troops. “No!” The pilot begged as she was devoured alive by the machines that had been seeded in each droid. Luckily it did not take long for the droid to be devoured. He reabsorbed the nanites and moved as Michelle fired again. Then she screamed and he sighed deeply.

 

“I didn’t want to do this, girl…” Vandar said sadly as all the other droids started to fall as well, the nanites devouring their systems. “It didn’t have to be like this.” But then he froze. One of the droids was not dissolving!

 

“I think it did.” Michelle said as she fired again, not at him, but at the ground nearby. The concussion blast from the multiple cannon threw him into a wall, where he lay stunned for a moment, hearing the screams of the doomed pilots tampering off. He looked up at a white garbed human form whose clothing turned silver as he watched in awe. What the…? Michelle had somehow gotten out of her droid and she held a blaster carbine in a professional grip. He looked behind her and yes, the droid she had been in was dissolving. She had slowed it somehow. “You may be a slave, Vandar, but you chose your path and tactics. You reap what you sow.” Her blaster came up but then a red blade interposed itself between him and her weapon.

 

“I can’t let you do that.” Brakon Darshiel’s voice was calm and serene now. “Let us go, or this is going to get incredibly bad.”

 

“You are going nowhere with Dia.” Michelle replied just as evenly, her face a mask of concentration. “Nowhere at all. Maybe you can dissolve this whole ship like you did those droids, traitor. But you are not taking her!”

 

“Yes, we are.” Vandar said as he regained his feet. “And no matter your tricks and toys, you cannot stop us.”

 

“No? Okay. Then that leaves me only one option.” Michelle asked, and her voice was sad as she sighed deeply. She suddenly relaxed. Her posture was one of sadness now. “She was my friend. I didn’t want to do this, but you leave me no choice.” Vandar paused, why was she suddenly so sad? And why did Michelle say Dia ‘was’ a friend? And… Why was her mind suddenly directed at his pocket, the one with…?

 

“What the…? No!” He scrambled for his pocket and hissed as heat scalded his hand. “No!” he shouted again as the crystal in his hand suddenly became too hot to handle. He fumbled with it and it fell to the deck where it glowed brightly and…melted. In moments it was a puddle of goo on the floor and moments after that, the goo vanished. “What have you done?” He demanded, his control finally undone. He froze as a black garbed woman appeared in front of him, her transparent form tinged with blue light. She changed from a red haired human female to a blue skinned Twi’lek wearing Jedi robes. But it wasn’t Ulaha. “No...” His voice held sorrow now.

 

“She did what she had to.” The spirit of Dia Ulahadotter replied evenly. “She wasn’t about to leave someone she loved in your evil hands. Thank you, Michelle. May the Force be with you on the dark road ahead.” She bowed to Michelle and vanished, her sense in the Force disappearing as she merged with it, her sense in the Force dissipating into her delayed but well earned rest.

 

“You…” Vandar felt sorrow the likes of which he had not in quite some time. His eyes burned as he stared at the silver armored form. “There was no need… We wouldn’t have hurt her…”

 

“No?” Michelle could have been carved from stone for all the emotion she showed now. “You would have enslaved her. You would have made her just like you, Vandar and you, Brakon.” Her voice threw daggers at both men now and both flinched a little. “Just like the both of you. She would have fought, you would have broken her and turned her into a monster. Just like the two of you. A slave to a power that will destroy everything. This is gentler, kinder.”

 

“Killing her was kind?” Brakon asked incredulously. “How could you…?” Michelle cut him off with a snarl.

 

“Sometimes the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. And yes, it was kinder and gentler. She felt no pain and no fear, thanks to you. For your information, all of the crystals that you had in your possession, whether they were empty or full, have now melted.” Vandar and Brakon stared at each other and then at her, but she wasn’t done. Michelle’s voice was solemn now and her serene sense in the Force was something that any Jedi would have envied. “And as for you… Firdlump is a monster and he is wrong. He may believe he can control the nanite swarms with a genetically crafted queen or a broken minded child. He is wrong.”

 

“You don’t know that.” Vandar said quietly, regaining his composure. “You can’t.”

 

“You keep saying we don’t have all the information.” Michelle replied softly. “But you have missed some as well. Quite a bit actually.”

 

“Oh?” Vandar asked. “Then enlighten us.” Maybe he could play for time. But he stiffened as Michelle smiled evilly.

 

“No. I am afraid you don’t have the time.” She jumped backward and her boots made a clanging noise as her hands slung her carbine and reached for her head, no, her space suit helmet! Vandar blanched and started for the hatch at Force speed. Brakon was right beside him. They were halfway there when the force field that held the vacuum of space from the hangar bay winked out and the air inside started to blow out in a hurricane of power and violence.

Michelle watched dispassionately as the two forms in black tried to run for the hatch but were blown off their feet as the atmosphere in the bay suddenly went into space. She snarled in triumph as they both blew towards the open hatch, but then stiffened as their trajectory altered. One or both of them had used the Force to change their flight trajectory.

 

“No!” She shouted as they landed in an alcove, an emergency hatch. A touch and they were through. “Captain! They are loose through an emergency hatch! I am following.” She started towards the hatch, but it was slow going, her magnetic boots allowed her to stay on her feet and not be blown into space, but made walking hard.

 

“On it.” The ship’s captain, one Mark Solo, was competent and very, very angry after what had been done to him and his crew. “We have teams at all the primary system access points. They will at least slow the traitors.”

 

“I think…” Michelle paused. “I don’t think they are going to try and take the ship back, Captain, they cannot know the whole plan, but they have to know that we have contingencies.”

 

“Well, this time I am camping at the self destruct and my XO feels the same way.” The hate in the captain’s voice was entirely understandable after what Vandar and company had done. “They will not take the ship again.”

 

“Good.” Michelle said quietly as she finally made her way to the hatch the two black garbed beings had decamped through. “But I don’t think they will. They have to know that the ship is lost by now.”

 

“They do.” Another voice sounded. Musano Vorren’s voice was soft and filled with pain, but his resolve was clear. “Security control is in our hands again. I see them heading for an auxiliary hangar bay. Do we have guards at bay twelve, Captain?”

 

“No…” The Captain’s voice was shaken now. “We didn’t have time to get everyone back up. Even with the wizardry that bug did…” The distaste that the captain was feeling came through loud and clear. “We still haven’t found all my people…And… No!” He shouted.

 

“What, captain?” Michelle asked as she deactivated her magnetic boots to be able to run. “What?” She pressed.

 

“All our weapons just went offline! That is not possible!” The captain snarled. “The engineers say it is a main power bus. If that had gone, we would all be dead. Commo is out, sensors are going fuzzy… Ma’am…It’s got to be in the computers. Tech Olandas says she can have them up shortly, but…” His voice was sick now.

 

“Even if they get away, captain, we will not stop hunting them. Empire and Seven, we will find them.” Her voice was implacable as she darted towards an open hatch in the distance. “Damn!” She screamed as she entered the bay and saw a shuttlecraft powering up for launch. Even though she knew it was useless, she turned her carbine on the ship and fired. “They are in a shuttle…” She paused as a uniformed form entered the bay and raised a hand. The shuttle froze in place, held by dark power. “Idjit?” The ship’s engines flared and despite her bursts of fire, it pulled slightly away.

 

“I… can’t…hold it…” Idjit was straining to hold the ship, it was clear he was trying with everything he had. He collapsed and the ship flew out of the bay and to freedom. “I…” He was shuddering as Michelle came up to him.

 

“Idjit…?” Michelle asked quietly as she knelt beside him. “You okay?”

 

“No.” Idjit said quietly. “That ship was packed with sleeping people. I couldn’t tell how many. Dozens of the crew at the very least. Firdlump and Vandar just got a lot of Imperial citizens to use as slaves.”

 

“Yes he did.” Another voice answered the Bladeborn and a female form came out onto the hangar deck, her blue eyes crestfallen as she stared after the departed shuttle. “I got here as fast as I could, I wanted to get that scumsucker…” the woman in Sith garb said quietly. “I really wanted to get him for what he did to Master Dargon and Emily…”

 

“I know you did, Nira.” Michelle said quietly. “You okay?”

 

“No.” Nira Auralai said quietly. “My master is dead. His wife, my friend, is dead. What do I…? What can I do?” Her voice was so lost now. “I am not a Dark Side Sith, but…” She broke off as Idjit spoke gently. He rose, shaking himself slightly. Holding a spacecraft travelling at full throttle was not an easy thing to do, even for a powerful Force user.

 

“You will find your own way, Nira.” His voice was sad, but proud. “It is a hard road, the one you have chosen, but you have allies along it. You have friends who will not leave you to face this alone.”

 

“I…” Nira nodded. “Thank you. I… I guess it’s time.” Michelle and Idjit nodded. Idjit removed his helmet and his ruined eyes were visible for all to see now. She did not look away from Michelle or Idjit as a line of troops came in the door. All of their weapons were pointing at Idjit and Michelle. “Idjit of the Bladeborn, Michelle of the Seven, by my authority as a member of the Imperial Inquisition, I hereby place you under arrest. The charge is treason. You know the penalty.”

 

Neither Force user resisted as the troops bound them and started them out the door to their fates. Nira waited, her face set as the stared out into space until they were gone and she was alone. Only then did a tear fall from her eye that she dashed away before starting for the detention bay and her duty to the Empire. Something caught her eye though in the gear that the soldiers had taken off of Idjit, a small brown crystal. She paused and picked it up. What the..? It felt… familiar? She shook her head and started for the door. She had calls to make. Mysteries could wait.

“Treason has only one penalty in the Empire.” The form in the holo said nastily. “I do not know why you are arguing this.”

 

“I am not arguing with that, Milord.” Nira Auralai said with deference. “What I am saying is that the Bladeborn did not commit treason. They did not destroy that Republic battleship. They have been trying to prove their innocence. It is made problematical by the fact that so many within the Empire wish them dead.” She wasn’t entirely sure who she was talking to. Darth Jadus was not a name she knew. But her own superiors had shunted her up the chain to this man so... She could feel his power even over the holo, so she knew she was taking her life in her hands even sort of arguing with him, but she had to try. “They have served the Empire loyally for centuries. Now that Trugoy is dead, his successor is trying not to fight the Empire.”

 

“That would be Istara Sharlina Andal.” The man on the holo said thoughtfully. “Her own loyalty is proven as well. Even at the cost of her precious honor, she protected the Empire from what Special Branch inflicted on the idiots in the Republic.” The man made a noise of thought, but Nira did not speak. “What of this woman, Michelle?”

 

“I am not entirely sure, milord.” Nira said quietly. “Her explanation makes a certain amount of sense, but… The technology to do these kinds of things is not something the Empire possesses.”

 

“Indeed. The race known as the Sitolon has that technology. It cannot be duplicated, despite our best efforts.” The man’s tone was certain now. “Very well. Talk to the Sitolon, confirm her story or not, and then contact me again. The sentences are postponed until a further investigation is done. But…” He waved a hand. “Do not take too long. This… incident is becoming known to others on the Council and they WILL take a hand in it. If this goes on too long, it may destabilize the Empire and that I will not allow.” There was no mistaking the menace in his voice now.

 

“Yes, milord.” Nira bowed and the holo winked out. She shook her head for a moment and then paused as her comlink lit up. “Yes?” She asked.

 

“Incoming call for you, Ma’am.” The com tech sounded a bit shaky, but Nira could not blame the man at all. Even Sith troops would take a bit to recover from such an ordeal. “We cannot ID the sender.”

 

“I wondered when they would call.” Nira said with a small smile. “Patch it through.” The holo screen activated again, but this time a large eight legged form appeared on it. The bug had gold skin, was this Sarai? “Hello, I am Nira Auralai. May I know your name?” She asked with respect. Sith as a whole did not give respect unless it was earned, and even that grudgingly. Nira was not a typical Sith.

 

“Did it work?” The bug asked softly. Nira paused. What the hell?

 

“Did what work?” She asked carefully. “Oh… Michelle’s plan? Yes, sort of…Who are you?”

 

“A friend of Mira’s.” The bug’s tone was one step removed from hostile now and Nira recoiled just a little. Oh dear… This would complicate things. She had tried very hard not to hurt that little girl. But injuries had occurred nonetheless.

 

“Ah…” Nira sighed and slowly bowed. “For the hurts I did to that poor girl, I have been trying to atone. I expected to be killed by the Empire when they captured me, instead I became a slave again. They figured I could be useful. I cannot change the past, Sitolon. All I can do is try to do what I can now.”

 

“I do not trust you. I will not trust you.” The bug replied. “We will take Michelle, Idjit and Lohas off your hands.” Nira blinked and slowly shook her head. The bug glared at her. “You cannot stop us.”

 

“Look…” Nira said softly. “Several factions within Empire are about to come frothing and charging at this. The higher ranks see technology that they can steal and use against their adversaries, no matter who they may be. They know that your technology is even more advanced now than anyone thought it was. They will react the same way they always do, with avarice.”

 

“The Seven must not be stopped.” The bug said quietly.

 

“I am trying not to.” Nira replied evenly. “But the various Sith lords won’t care. They will see some kind of advantage and grab at it, never caring how much damage that they will cause. The only thing that matters to them is their own power and ambition, nothing else. The galaxy can die for all they care as long as they die with the most power.” She could have sworn the bug chuckled at that. No, couldn’t have been. “I need confirmation of what happened here. I need to be sure there are no traces of those nanites for the Sith lords to find and try to play with.” She did not have to fake a shudder at that, She had felt the deaths of several pilots in the Force as they had been eaten alive by the microscopic machines. Even for someone trained by Sith that had been a horrible death.

 

“The enemy of my enemy is my enemy’s enemy. No more, no less.” The bug said harshly. “We don’t trust you.”

 

“I know.” Nira replied somewhat sadly. “How can I inspire trust?”

 

“Meet our contact at your master’s house and bring the crystal you found.” Nira’s eyes went wide but the holo winked out.

 

What the hell? How did she know about that?

The captain had wanted to send troops with her, but even without the Force screaming ‘No’ at her, Nira would have refused. In the end, she was a Sith. Even if she walked a somewhat lighter road than most, she was no coward or weakling. She entered the house where her master had died and stopped, her face set as she looked about. The flames had not left much. Just memories. She had woken here, after Darth Malgus had trounced her and sent her off. She had expected to be tortured, trained, beaten down and remade by someone. She had NOT expected what happened. She had wound up in the care of gentle old woman named Emily, who had introduced her to Dargon, who had shown her a different way, a lighter way, a better way. She shook her head and started into the house. She paused at a blaster mark on the floor and her eyes misted from what she could sense. There was no physical trace, but the pain in the Force was unmistakable. Emily had died at this spot.

 

“Emily…” She shook her head savagely. “I am sorry…” Then the Force screamed at her, but she didn’t move. Someone else was there, someone she couldn’t see, couldn’t sense, but danger was close at hand now. “I am alone.” She said calmly.

 

“I know.” The savage male voice had her stiffening. Where was he? She couldn’t sense him! “Put it down.” She pulled the crystal she had found out of her pocket, set it down and stepped back.

 

“I don’t know who you are, but I need some answers.” Nira said quietly as she waited. Then the crystal vanished! But not as if it moved, even at Force speed. As if someone who could not be seen had just picked it up. Who could be sneaky enough to…? Her blood froze as she realized who she was talking to. “Will…?” Her voice was tentative… She felt her resolve cracking. “I am sorry…”

 

“Not your fault.” The hidden man replied, but it was gentler. “They knew that Vandar and Firdlump could not leave them interfering. That sooner or later, the scum would attack. You know what will happen now, right?”

 

“Not… really…” Nira replied sadly. “I mean… Michele and Idjit need me to come up with something for them. And soon…”

 

“No, they don’t.” The unseen man replied almost kindly. “Nira…Turn around.” The woman blinked and did as directed. When she had turned, she froze in place.

 

“What the…?” Michelle was standing there and Idjit was just behind her. Both were smiling.

 

“Hello, Nira.” Michelle, Sixth of the Seven said with a smile as she stepped forward to take the crystal from the hand of the man in black who held it. “What?” She asked at the Sith’s stunned look. “You didn’t think we had a plan to get out of the prison? Nira, Nira…” Her grin was urchinlike. “We didn’t expect you to pick up the crystal. You really shouldn’t have, Nira…”

 

“I...” Nira stared at the woman in silver armor and then at the man who stood behind her, his silver armor also shining. Idjit’s face was withdrawn, remote even. “What did I do?”

 

“Oh Nira…” Michelle said quietly as she stepped forward, her hands going around the younger woman. Of course since Michelle had been born about nine hundred years before, everyone in the room put together was younger than her. “You had no way of knowing what our plans were. Dargon did not have time to tell you. And once you came aboard, there was no time. Thank the Force that Jadus was the one who intercepted your call.”

 

“What?” Nira was even more confused now than she had been. She stared from Michelle, to Idjit, to the man in black who stood like a silent deadly shadow near the door. “What is going on?”

 

“Traps on traps, Nira Auralai.” Idjit replied softly. “The problem was… That I had no way of proving my bona fides to the Emperor. And until I could, my life was forfeit the moment I showed my face. So, we came up with a fairly sneaky plan to trap Vandar and hand him to the Emperor all wrapped up nicely. It didn’t work.” Idjit’s face turned introspective. “I forgot… I think everyone has forgotten…Just old and canny the Emperor really is.”

 

“Say what?” Nira asked, somehow even more confused. “How is the Emperor involved in this?”

 

“He isn’t.” Michelle replied. “His chosen designate, Darth Jadus is. The Emperor wanted something specific to prove our bona fides, to prove that while some of us…” She jerked her head towards Will. “…have fought the Empire long and hard, that the threat we face is greater than our previous animosity. He needed hard proof of the threat. And…” She sighed. “He got it.”

 

“You mean this was all planned to show the Empire what the threat is?” Nira asked incredulously. “That is insane.”

 

“Not all, no.” This was from Will, who had taken back the crystal and was studying it. “Vandar had a hostage too. A child he had hurt and enslaved, one that the Sitolon wanted. So, we came up with plan, worked out tactics with the Imperial Intelligence team run by Musano Vorren, and ran with it.” He took a deep breath and blew it out. “Plans rarely work as intended, especially in our line of work.”

 

“You were not anywhere nearby. Were you?” Nira asked softly. “You would not have just stood by while Emily was murdered.” Will would not meet her eyes. She felt as if she had been punched in the gut. “You… You were watching…and you did nothing?” The anger in her swelled. Michelle’s soft voice poured cold water over her anger.

 

“Nira…” Michelle’s voice was gentle now. “He wanted to. He begged Emily and Dargon to let him do something. But the Emperor demanded a price. He demanded a show of faith. A sacrifice to show just how badly we needed the Empire’s help. Emily and Dargon volunteered.” Nira shook her head, horrified. Michelle continued. “He knew. I don’t know how long the Emperor knew, but he knew for some time that Dargon was not a follower of the Sith Code. He didn’t care. Dargon was loyal, that was all that mattered. And if we were willing to sacrifice Dargon and Emily…” Nira was shuddering now, her control faltering under the relentless pounding it was taking from her heart. She gave a squeak as Michelle stepped forward and embraced her again.

 

“It’s okay.” Will said as she met his gaze and she blinked. He was crying. “You cannot hate me more than I hate myself. I loved Emily more than anyone except Sharra. I wanted to help them. I so wanted to help them, but I couldn’t. If I did… If Vandar had thought for a moment that the trap he had laid was laid on a trap we had laid for him…”

 

“But it failed…” Nira replied softly, her face ashen as the hard bitten warrior hugged her and Michelle together.

 

“No, it didn’t.” Michelle said quietly. “We did not get Vandar, no. We lost Dia, but… She was tired of living a half life as she called it. I think she is happy now. But it didn’t fail.”

 

“What do you mean?” Nira asked as she stepped back. She paused as Will held out the crystal she had found among Michelle’s gear. She scrutinized it with the Force and her face went wide in shock. “Oh my goodness…” Her grin was positively vicious as she sensed the slumbering mind of Brakon Darshiel inside it. “How did you do that?”

 

“The Sitolon have long practice in doing such things.” Idjit replied with an equally vicious grin. “I ambushed him on the bridge, took him to Lohas and she sucked him right out. We made an alternative personality, with a few… minor additions that we won’t tell the Sitolon about. Special Branch won’t be able to tell the difference. Not without a Sitolon there, which according to Lohas, they don’t have now. But…” He paused. “They have the means to genetically change some people into beings like Sitolon according to her and other sources. Sitolon larvae which will take some time to mature.”

 

“So we have a sleeper agent in their midst.” Nira said softly. “Was it worth it?”

 

“No.” Will replied softly. “Nothing we can do to Firdlump or Vandar can bring Emily or Dargon back. But we will get vengeance for them.” His eyes were like staring at green volcanoes, as turbulent as they were now. She nodded, her own face savage.

 

“Will…” Michelle said with a quelling tone and the man subsided a little. “For now, Nira… We have a job offer. If you are interested.”

 

“I have to report to Darth Jadus…” Nira said quietly. “…and I have no idea what I am going to say.”

 

“Tell him, from me…” Michelle said gently. “’It’s handled, code AT-3.’ Vorren will liaise; Idjit and I will remain aboard the Deceiver for now to coordinate efforts. We need to coordinate efforts, repair the ship and see if we can keep this kind of thing from happening again.”

 

“And Will?” Nira blinked. Where had the man in black gone? “Never mind…” She sighed.

 

“Yeah.” Michelle said sourly. “Trying to keep Will civil around Sith, even Sith he somewhat likes, is a never ending challenge.” She shrugged. “I understand myself. I fought your people for centuries, but it was never as personal with me as it is with him. Shall we?” She smiled at Nira and held out her hand.

 

“What kind of a job did you have in mind?” Nira asked as she nodded and took Michelle’s hand, shaking once.

 

“Um…” Michelle’s face was a study now. “How are your reading skills? Lohas needs a counselor. Someone who can keep up with her.” Nira’s eyes went wide at that.

 

“Ah…” She blinked and then nodded slowly. “I think I can manage that. Maybe…” She had met the black skinned queen in passing.

 

“Oh…” Idjit said with a grin. “You have no idea. Don’t let her get started on trashy romances please…” Both women stared at him and then in unison laughed. He shuddered. “I am not joking! Please, for the sake of the Force, don’t get her started on those or she will likely want pointers on how humans actually do that kind of thing…”

 

“Ah…” Nira shook her head slowly. “What am I supposed to do, exactly?”

 

“We have a medical team coming.” Michelle replied evenly. “They are going to do what they can for Lohas. Hopefully when she molts again, if the damage is mostly repaired, it will heal naturally. But that means she will have a long and boring recovery ahead of her. The Empire wants Sitolon tech, so they will want to hold onto her. They cannot duplicate it without her, so…”

 

“So…” Nira blinked and nodded slowly. “We need to figure out how to get her away from them without causing an incident.”

 

“We are on it.” Idjit replied in an amused tone. “But it will take time, and we need to make sure she stays at the very least content. If she gets bored, and blurts the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time well…”

 

“Bad things.” Nira shuddered as she agreed. “So… When do I start?”

 

“Now.” Michelle grinned at her expression. “Or as soon as you get back and report that code to Jadus. We need to get the ship out of here before Special Branch’s battleship comes calling and starts the war again. They want that, we don’t.”

 

“Right.” Nira shook her head. “Let’s go…” She squared her shoulders and left the memories of her stay with the Darkstorms where they belonged, in the past. She would not forget Dargon’s teachings or Emily’s kindness, but she had to focus on the now and the future. She smiled. It was looking a bit rosier than it had been just minutes before.

Nira had expected this to be a burden. She hadn’t expected to enjoy it.

 

“You think that what MacZeth did was justified?” Lohas asked from her berth. The big bug was festooned with medical equipment now, the stumps of her arms and the bare patches on her head were covered with medical tech. No one was sure if it would work after so long, but Nira hoped it would. Lohas was odd, but good company. “I mean, yes, I can see that HE thought so…”

 

“He…?” Nira shook her head. “I don’t know.” She admitted softly. “He really wasn’t the one who planned any of it. His wife was the ambitious one. And of course the three Dathomir Witches who set the whole thing in motion. Sith would say that what he did was just business as usual.” Lohas looked at her and Nira shrugged. “Normal Sith would, I don’t.”

 

“But murdering his uncle to take the throne…” Lohas said with a shudder. “Yes, Yes, I know that is what Sith do, the strong take from the weak. But… What a mess.”

 

“Most coups are. Even without woods moving towards castles all on their own.” Nira said quietly as she sipped her water. Lohas was very good company. Incredibly good actually. The bug was an efficient and thoughtful hostess. She had the odd lapse now and again, her memory was still faulty, but her heart was in the right place and she was smart. “I don’t care what anyone says in history books. No coup is ever bloodless. Maybe no one actually dies, but there is never a gentle transition.”

 

“Yeah.” Lohas’ voice was small. “What do you think they will do to me? I killed one of my people…”

 

“Lohas…” Nira had actually asked about this and been reassured. Lohas though, did not always remember. “It’s okay. It wasn’t you. Vandar and Firdlump did it through you. You were a tool, nothing more. Why won’t you believe me?”

 

“I remember doing it.” Lohas said quietly. “I remember enjoying it. I…” She slumped. “I just want this to end…”

 

Aw no… not again… Nira sighed and was in motion before the queen could move. Her arms were around the queen and holding her gently. “Lohas, be calm. It’s okay.” This had happened twice before and while she was not a counselor or psychetech, she understood. Oh boy, did she understand. And she had specific instructions on what to do in such a case. She hugged the huge insect, holding on for dear life as Lohas bucked a little and then froze.

 

“No… It’s… not…” the queen choked out. “I am dirty, evil… monstrous… I just…”

 

“You are not thinking clearly, Lohas.” Nira said gently. “Your mind is still scrambled from what Vandar and Firdlump did to you. At least wait until your people get here, then make a decision.” She hugged the bug again and stepped away. It felt wrong for her to be acting like this, giving comfort. But at the same time, it felt very right. “You are not weak, Lohas. A weak being would have died from half of what those scum did to you.” She resumed her seat as Lohas relaxed. But then the hatch opened and Lohas jumped.

 

“What the…?” No one came in without permission. Well, no one except the squad of troops who entered, weapons ready. Nira was on her feet, her saber in hand, between the bug and the troops before the door had closed.

 

“Do you all have a death wish?” Nira asked calmly. “Barging in unannounced is a good way to get chopped up and eaten.” She could feel Lohas’ disgust, but then the queen relaxed as the troops shuddered as one. As a threat it worked wonders. The leader of the troops, a sergeant, nodded respectfully to both females.

 

“My apologies, queen Lohas, Inquisitor Nira.” The soldier was obviously frightened, but a true professional and Nira could appreciate that. “We have received orders to take the remains of Melita Ranol. The Empire needs confirmation of her death.”

 

“Melita…” Lohas’ voice was confused for a moment and then she slumped. “Who…? Oh, yeah the Twi’lek... I am sorry, Sergeant. That is impossible.”

 

“Ma’am…” The sergeant started, but cut off as Lohas turned to a wall. “We know you took her body. We need it.”

“Ah…” Was Lohas embarrassed, sick or scared? NIra could not decide which. “Um… I… I can’t, Sergeant. She…W ell… I wasn’t entirely lucid at that point. I um…” She slumped completely.

 

“Ma’am I have to…” He broke off and froze in shock as she turned and retrieved something from a cupboard. She unwrapped it and looked at it. On close inspection it was a torso, a female one, blue skinned. Gagging sounds came from several of the troops as they realized it was just a torso. It looked…nibbled. “Uh…” The sergeant gulped.

 

“She was dead, sergeant.” The bug said in an apologetic tone. “She didn’t care. I was really hungry…She was dead, she wasn’t going to mind. I am sorry.” Her tone was perfect and it was all Nira could do not to burst out laughing at the horrified and disgusted feelings that came from the troops. “You can have what is left of her…” She held out the torso. It least it wasn’t dripping.

 

“Uh…” The sergeant stared from the torso to the bug and shook his head slowly. “I don’t think they will want pieces of the body, Ma’am…They may. If so I will come back, and I will chime first. Sorry to have bothered you both.” He saluted and then left quickly. The relief that his troops felt as they were leaving the room was palpable. Only after they left did Nira laugh.

 

“Oh Lohas, that was perfect!” Then she blinked. “But um… Where did you get that…?” She paused and blanched. “I don’t want to know where you got that, do I?”

 

“No. You don’t.” Lohas’ voice was small now as she put the body part back in the cupboard. “I wasn’t sane, Nira…” She bowed her head. “Maybe I can make some good come of this mess.” She sighed and started for her breeder room. “Maybe.”

 

“What do you mean?” Nira asked as she followed. She paused at the door. Wait a sec…? Lohas had only had FIVE breeder cocoons counting the one Mi’ta was currently sleeping in. What was a sixth cocoon doing here? “Lohas…?”

 

“I…” Lohas shook her head. “I could feel her slipping away. I had to do something! She was a victim as much as any of us were.”

 

“Who was….?” Nira asked slowly. Michelle Stele? No, Michelle had said that the other her was gone. “Lohas, what did you do?”

 

Lohas did not answer, she moved to the last pod and stroked it gently. Every muscle in her body went rigid as the last sack opened. It wasn’t a cocoon, it was some kind of pod. A cloning pod? The female human who rose out of it had pale, perfect skin and short red hair. Lohas helped her rise, pulling a mask off her face, other tubes from places that Nira was glad she couldn’t see and helping her stand on wobbly legs that grew rapidly stronger. The human’s blue eyes held delight as they looked from Lohas to Nira. She grinned and nodded to Nira who felt a gentle touch in the Force, one she remembered. She had only been on the Dia’s Gift once, and that just as a companion to Emily . She had stayed on the shuttle, but….

 

“By the Force! Lohas!” Nira said in shock.

 

“They had a clone ready to go. But it was human. It would have died when Vandar fled. I… um…” Lohas said uneasily. “I didn’t know what to do. I knew that Michelle and Will loved her. I felt her slipping away… I don’t know how, but I pulled her in and then moved her in. I didn’t want to see my friends hurt again. I… I did wrong, I know it, but…”

 

“It’s okay, Lohas.” The human said gently as she patted the bug’s arm gently. “It wasn’t your fault. It will be all right.” Nira impossibly went even stiffer. She had never heard that voice in person, but she had heard it. The woman smiled at her and Nira could feel the power and confidence that the other female exuded now.

 

“Holy flarging osik…” Nira said in a tone of absolute shock. “Oreana…?”

 

“No. My name is Dia, Nira Auralai, Dia Ulahadottor.” The formerly dead woman said with a smile. “I am pleased to meet you. My work is not done yet.” She patted Lohas again. “You did a good thing, young one.”

 

“Did I?” Lohas asked softly, dejected. “I don’t know. You were free and I enslaved you…” She paused as the woman slapped her lightly. “Hey!”

 

“I didn’t want to die.” The human woman who called herself Dia said gently. “Lots left to do, right Nira?”

 

Nira stared at the formerly dead hero of the Empire and shook her head bemused. “Right…”

Edited August 15, 2012 by kalenath

((Ah... did anyone ELSE just feel a MASSIVE disturbance in the Force? Comments or suggestions always appreciated. Flames might have to help clean up Lohas' nest.))