“Blast……I should’ve just left my hair wet and put it up,” Natalia muttered when she heard the buzzer. She snatched a tube of lip gloss out of her makeup kit as she hollered, “It’s probably Aric.”

“You finish freshening up,” Robert called back, “I’ll let him in.”

Natalia felt a pang of sadness, knowing she’d miss her roommates when they parted ways. She’d been relieved that Edwin Bradley finally got justice served to him and hoped that meant they’d be getting back to their normal lives, but they’d gotten close over the past week. She figured Jonas was likely in the process of securing new identities for her and Roland to be on the safe side and that he’d probably contact her in the morning. Unitl then, she was operating on the assumption that things would continue as is with their confinement and the guard rotation. Knowing Aric would be there shortly, Natalia decided to take a quick shower to freshen up and had just finished blow drying her hair when the doorbell buzzed.

Natalia smiled at her reflection, pleased to see the long wavy tresses back to their ebony color, and satisfied with her appearance, she bent down to secure the small ankle holster that had been a constant accessory since the abduction attempt on Nar Shaddaa. She left the refresher as the buzzer went off again, that fluttery feeling still teasing her belly whenever she thought about Aric, just as it had back on Ord. Eager to see Aric, she hurried down the hall, grinning as she passed Roland’s room. The tech junkie was completely into his game, his lanky frame hunched over the keyboard, and even she had to admit the galaxy’s newest MMORPG was addicting. She got to the living room just as the door opened and froze when she heard two blaster bolts.

“Roland, lock yourself in!” Natalia shouted, diving for cover as Robert sank to the floor clutching his chest. She grabbed her blaster, thumbing it on as she called out, “System Override nine-one-two-seven-five…..Security Protocol Code Black!”

“Voice recognized, Agent Natalia Bryce. Code Black authorized,” a computer generated voice responded as all the lights went out. Durasteel shutters slid over the windows to put the apartment in total darkness and Natalia heard the click of the entrance locks a second later. “Phase One complete, all possible exits are sealed. Phase Two will commence in one minute. Messages have gone out to Agent Jonas Balkar and General Elin Garza.”

“Natalia, what’s going on?!” Roland called out, unable to see anything in the pitch dark.

“Get down!” she ordered as several blaster bolts immediately fired towards the young man’s voice.

Dread settled cold in her stomach when she heard Roland’s cry of pain followed by a loud thud and Natalia returned fire towards where the shots at Roland came from, a grunt and another thud telling her at least one of her bolts hit the intended target enough to take him or her out. She quickly ducked back down, but was grazed by a bolt fired in her direction. Biting back her own cry, she remained silent as she powered off her weapon, not wanting the glow to give her position away, and carefully slid the razor sharp knife out of her boot. Since she had the advantage of knowing the layout of the apartment, Natalia decided make a move and started to slowly crawl towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

Relief washed over her when she reached the back wall and heard the quiet hiss of gas coming from the vents above. She sat with her back against the wall, keeping her blade ready to strike as her free hand quickly dug the small breather out of her pocket. Her fingers shook as she placed the device over her mouth and put the nose clamps on, but she was able to get it secured before the vapors reached her. Natalia waited in silence, praying that their assailants didn’t know about the knockout gas and that Roland hadn’t been hit anywhere vital. Her first prayer was answered a moment later when she heard a body hit the floor. Always cautious, she decided to wait minute longer and was rewarded with another thud to her right shortly after that was a little too close for comfort.

Still on alert and clutching her blade, Natalia slowly stood and inched her way along the wall, moving towards where she thought Roland might be. Silently giving thanks to those yoga instructors at the gym she regularly attended on Nar Shaddaa, she focused on keeping her breathing quiet and steady as she moved fluidly, just in case any of the perps were still functional. As soon as she got to the corner, she crouched back down and reached out with her free hand to along the floor for the hallway rug. Her fingertips found locks of hair instead of the rug and she immediately felt around for Roland’s face.

“Phase Three commencing now.”

Floor lights began to glow dimly and Natalia holstered her knife and grabbed her blaster. She powered it on as she stood, prepared to fire on anything that moved but nothing did. As the lights brightened, she was able to see more of the room. Keeping her blaster ready, she crouched back down to look more closely at her lanky friend and was relieved to see the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Thank the stars he’s still alive! Wanting to make sure they were safe until help arrived, she walked over to where that last man fell, shivering when she realized he’d only been a couple feet from her when he did. She could see a couple of holes burned through his jacket, but they were on his shoulder and he was still breathing. Natalia knew the gas would keep most people unconscious for at least two hours without an adrenaline shot, but didn’t want to take any chances and hurried back to her room to grab some cuffs before doing anything else.

A moment later, Natalia returned to the man and cuffed his hands behind his back. She kicked his blaster away and fished around in his jacket, pocketing the knife she found. Satisfied he was weaponless, she moved towards the three bodies on the floor near the doorway. A lump formed in her throat when she crouched down next to Robert and didn’t see him breathing. She touched two fingers to his neck, her eyes stinging when she felt no pulse. The agent swallowed her tears for the moment, knowing she’d have time to cry for the loss of the old military man she’d gotten close to over the past week, and went to inspect the other two prone figures. Both had been hit by several of her shots, one of which was a fatal one to the head. Natalia was about to cuff the other one when she heard the click of a lock and immediately trained her blaster on the door as she took a few steps back, ready to fry whoever came through. Only two people had the ability to unlock that door from the outside, General Garza and Jonas Balkar, but no one besides their guards was supposed to be able to get to the apartment either and yet they did so Natalia wasn’t taking any chances.

“Take it slow or you’re dead!” she warned as the door slid open to reveal the silhouette of a man, her finger resting on the trigger.

“It’s Jonas,” he replied, keeping his tone calm as he slowly stepped inside so she could see him, “and I’m alone.”

“Thank the stars,” she breathed, letting the tears come as she felt her knees buckle.

Jonas grabbed Natalia before she fell, holding her close as she sobbed softly in his chest. Her whole body trembled and looking around, he could understand how anyone would shaken. Plasma scorches marked the walls and furniture and he saw a small hole burned into her sweater. Jonas had spent his fair share of time in a safehouse and never once did he have to use any of the advanced security measures built in. He couldn’t imagine the shock of having their apartment breached, but was thankful the young woman in his arms kept her cool during a crisis……at least until the danger was over. Having a soft spot for his protégée, he let her cry it out for a few minutes before gently easing her back.

“Are you alright?”

“They just grazed my arm,” she sniffed, “They killed Robert though and Roland got hit by a few bolts, but he’s breathing. I wanted to make sure our attackers were secured before I tended to him.”

“They look like hired mercenaries,” Jonas observed as he studied the two near the door, “and not just anyone off the street…….they’re equipped like professionals.”

“One’s dead, but we can definitely question the other two when they wake up. I only got one secured before you arrived. I’ll let you cuff that one while I go get the medikit,” Natalia replied, tossing a set of cuffs to him before heading towards the hallway, a hard edge to her voice that told Jonas didn’t hear very often. Then she paused outside the refresher, those sky blue eyes piercing as they narrowed at him, “How’d you get here so fast anyways?”

“I was already on my way when I got the Code Black alert. I have news, but it’ll keep for now,” Jonas answered, not wanting to add to her stress just yet by telling her she’d become one of the galaxy’s top bounties. There’d be plenty of time to fill her in once they had her and Roland in a safe place.

Natalia knew it would be fruitless to press the issue, so she went into the refresher to fetch the medikit without further comment. Jonas finished cuffing the other surviving merc then went to check out the one against the wall while Natalia tended to Roland. After running the scanner over the young slicer, she saw that none if the blaster bolts hit anything vital. Feeling it was safe to revive him, she took out an adrenaline stim and injected it into his arm. A few seconds later, his eyelids fluttered open, and Natalia could see pain clouding those whiskey colored eyes.

“Shhhh,” she murmured gently, running her fingers through his long coffee colored hair to sooth him a little, “Don’t move too much.”

“Being shot really sucks,” he groaned, trying to focus on the agent’s comforting touches instead of the burning pain in his side and shoulder.

“Dammit, Roland,” Natalia swore at him as tears rolled down her cheeks, “Didn’t you hear me when I told you to lock yourself in?!”

“Had my headset on,” he murmured, “But I figured something was up when the lights went out.”

“Then why in the hell would you come out?!”

“Because I knew……..that blaster………was always on you,” Roland gritted as the pain slowly intensified. “Figured you’d have a shot……at picking them off if you could see where they were. The only way that was going to happen was if they fired their weapons……so I gave them a reason to.”

“You sweet brave idiot,” Natalia shook her head, “You’re lucky you weren’t killed!”

“I deserve….”

“No you don’t,” she shot back, her nerves well beyond frayed. “You were a kid off the streets that turned to the gangs. Chet and Kane befriended you and saved you from that life, but they had their reasons. They needed your skills and your loyalty. You are a good person and they took advantage of that, offering more…….a paying job, a chance to make a decent life for yourself, all the while banking on the fact you’d feel obligated to repay them in any way you could. Most would’ve done the same in your place, but few would care enough to feel remorse for their actions after discovering the truth.”

“I should’ve tried harder to stop them…….should’ve stood up to-“

“You’re a smart man Roland, and you know full well if you would’ve pressed the issue with those two, they would’ve taken you out.” Roland’s response was prevented when Jonas’ comlink went off and Natalia turned her attention towards him as he answered.

“Talk to me, Stevens,” Jonas ordered as a young agent’s image appeared.

“We located Captain Jorgan and Corporal Vance,” Stevens informed his superior, “We tracked Jorgan’s weapon to a dumpster behind the abandoned store two doors down from the safehouse. As soon as we had backup, we busted the door in and found Jorgan and Vance inside, both unconscious.”

“Unguarded?!” Jonas questioned, his brow furrowing as he exchanged a look with Natalia.

“There were two men guarding them……look like hired mercenaries, but both were already dead when we got inside. From what we can tell, they had people tailing our guys and more waiting in the alley to hit Jorgan and Vance when they passed by. They dragged them inside, stripped off their uniforms, took their ID’s, and cut the security chips out of their arms. We’re guessing they were ordered to keep our men alive because Vance was shackled to pipe and other than his arm, was uninjured.”

“What about Aric?!” Natalia demanded, her voice wavering a little as fear gripped her heart.

“Looks like those mercs didn’t take Cathar metabolism into account. Captain Jorgan must’ve woke up when they tried to shackle him and he literally ripped the merc’s throat out. He must’ve grabbed the guy’s weapon because the other merc was killed by two shots, one to the head, the other to the heart.”

“Is Aric alright?” Natalia frowned.

“The guy trying to shackle Captain Jorgan managed to stab him in the side with a vibroknife before he died and Jorgan took a couple blaster bolts to the arm and shoulder from the other merc. The medics said he’ll need to spend a few hours in a tank, but that he should recover just fine. They revived Vance with an adrenaline stim, and Jorgan has been in and out of consciousness, but succumbed to blood loss before he could really tell us anything. Some of Garza’s unit is taking them to the med center in the Military Complex as soon as a transport arrives.”

“We’re going to need a couple medics at the safehouse as soon as they’re able……and a coroner as well.”

“Our people alright?”

“Agent Bryce has a minor wound on her arm, but nothing serious. Mister Zavala took several blaster bolts, but he’s conscious for now. Colonel Wilks is dead…..they shot him in the chest when he answered the door.” Jonas didn’t say it, but he was sure they were assuming she’d be answering the door for Aric and that shot was meant for her head.

“Damn,” Stevens shook his head, “What about the mercs?”

“One dead, two wounded. They’re in cuffs, but still unconscious from the gas.”

“The medics are on their way with the rest of Garza’s team. I’ll finish up here and report to General Garza.”

“No need,” Jonas told Stevens, “I’d rather you go the med center and keep me posted. I’ll call Garza when we’re done here.”

“You may think it’s over now, but I’m not finished yet…”

Edwin Bradley’s parting words as he was escorted out of the court room kept echoing in the minds of those he’d uttered them to and the subdued trio sitting quietly in General Garza’s office wondered what else the powerful man had up his sleeve. Mako had returned to the flat to share the news with Risha after Genaral Garza asked them to go to her office. The general hadn’t been there when they arrived, but her assistant showed them in and asked that they have a seat, promising she’d be there shortly. They didn’t have to wait long, the older woman arrived a few minutes later and without word, plugged her comlink into the Holoterminal in the middle of their table as she sat.

“What’s happened?” Zev asked when Jonas Balkar’s image popped up, knowing the grim look on the General’s face didn’t bode well.

“The safehouse was attacked,” Jonas informed them, “and Colonel Wilks is dead.”

“How in the nine Corellian hells did they find the safehouse?!”

“I’m working on the assumption that you’re right about Bradley’s connections extending to the SIS,” Jonas admitted, running his hands through his hair in frustration, “because these mercs knew exactly what was needed to get into the apartment. I have a couple of suspects that I’ll look into as soon as I get to the office.”

The look on the agent’s face spoke volumes and Zev felt bad for Jonas, but he was more concerned about his XO, “What about Aric? We haven’t been able to get a hold of him since he left the courtroom.”

“Both him and his partner were found unconscious in the abandoned shop two doors down from the safehouse. Bradley must’ve had people tailing Aric and Colonel Vance. Agent Stevens and his team had little to go on, but from what they could gather, they had someone waiting in the alley next to the shop and to hit our guys with a tranq dart as they passed by.”

“Is Aric alright?!”

“He suffered a stab wound and took a couple blaster bolts, but I’ve been told he’ll be alright after a few hours in a kolto tank,” Jonas assured him then went on to explain what happened. Then the agent paused at the end to look at his datapad, “Looks like Aric and his partner arrived at the med center at the Military Complex ten minutes ago and are being treated.”

“I’ll head over there and check in on him,” Elara volunteered, knowing that was the only way Zevryn would feel assured.

“Thanks Elara,” he smiled weakly at her, his bright green gaze following the woman he’d fallen for as she strode out of the office.

“You said Wilks was dead, what about the others?” Dek asked, stretching his long legs out as Elara left the seat across from him vacant.

“Roland will be spending the next couple of days in a kolto tank and Natalia’s pretty shaken. Wilks was alone in the room when he opened the door and Bradley’s man immediately shot him point blank in the chest. That gave Natalia enough of a warning that she took cover and activated one of the System Protocols. She has a couple minor injuries, but is fine. She’s just a little leery of who she can trust at the moment and refuses to let anyone other than me or General Garza in the door. She even had a blaster trained on the medics the whole time they were tending to Roland.”

“I can’t blame her,” Jax snorted as he stood, a muscle in his jaw twitching. The leatheris clad spacer was fully on edge and unable to keep still, “Where is she now?”

“She’s being detained in a solitary confinement cell in the Military Complex,” Garza sighed, “I have people I trust with my own life guarding her at all times and for now no one gets to see her without me or Agent Balkar present.”

“Detained?!” those azure eyes rounded on the general, “You’re treating her like a karking prisoner?!”

“It was the best I could do to keep her safe, Captain Roark, and I’ll thank you not to question my descisions again!”

“General Garza’s right Jax,” Dek told the pacing Cathar, “She’s being hunted and as we’ve just learned, Bradley still has well placed people working for him.”

“No offence General,” Zev spoke the question they were all wondering, “but how are you certain those people guarding her now can be trusted?”

“Because I didn’t get this far by being careless, Major,” General Garza replied in a voice that was stern enough to stop Jax in his tracks and make a shiver run down Dek’s spine. “One of guards is Sergeant Farn, you met him on Ord Mantell and helped him expose a corrupt officer. Another is Private James Taylor, you gentlemen met his older brother Jake who works as a bouncer at one Club Paradise on Nar Shaddaa and was good friends with Natalia. The third is Sergeant Amelia Hallyard, I believe you all knew her father quite well. Lastly I selected Sergeant Ryan O’ Shay, again I believe you knew his sister.”

“Erin’s little brother,” Dek nodded, feeling a pang of sadness when he thought about the petite redhead he’d tried so hard to save that fateful day. “My cousin meant no disrespect, General, and neither did Jax. This whole week has been stressful on all of us and now with Bradley escaping, then the safehouse gets attacked….”

“I understand that,” Garza replied, her mouth twitching a little as that sharp blue gaze took in the red skinned Zabrak still trying to get comfortable in a chair that wasn’t quite large enough to support his massive frame, “and I assure you we’re doing everything in our power to keep both Agent Bryce and Mister Zavala safe.”

“I also have Agent Stevens questioning Mrs. Bradley as we speak to find out if she has any idea where her husband might go,” Jonas added, “Seeing as she’s a bit angry with him for trying to put the blame on her, I expect her to cooperate fully.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” Jax agreed, “but you can bet he probably has places she doesn’t know about.”

“Oh I’m sure he does, but at least it’ll be a start. Unfortunately we have more pressing concerns at the moment,” General Garza replied, then turned to Zev, “Major, I’d like Havoc assembled in my office promptly at eight hundred. If Captain Jorgan has been released, he needs to be here as well. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to contact Colonel Wilks’ sister and tell her what happened.”

“I have some things to discuss with you and your crew Dekkyn. Can you meet me at the Dealer’s Den in two hours?” Jonas asked before signing off.

“Sure,” Dek agreed, knowing it was probably about the next step in dealing with Tormen.

“I’m going to go check in on Aric,” Zev sighed after Jonas signed off, then he turned to the general and saluted, “Havoc will be here at eight hundred, sir.”

“Let us know how he’s doing,” Jax clapped the tan Zabrak on his broad shoulder as they left the general’s office.

“I will,” Zev replied, then the weary trio left the Senate Tower in silence.

“You’re welcome to stay at my family’s flat until you leave Coruscant. I‘ll be there until I hear from Rogun,” Jax told Dek after Zev left them to head towards the Military Complex, “Or if we find out where Bradley is hiding.”

“I have an idea of how to speed that up a bit,” Dek replied once his cousin was out of earshot, “but I’d rather talk about it back at your parents’ place.”

A half an hour later, Dekkyn had called his crew and told them to meet him at the Dealer’s Den in an hour. Mako had filled Risha and Corso in on everything that happened while Jax, Dek, and Zev were in the general’s office. Risha relayed the news to the rest of Jax’s crew via holo so they were up to date as well and now Dek, Mako, Risha, and Corso were sitting in the living room. There was a Huttball match playing on the HoloVid, but no one was really paying attention to it when Jax came in with an ice bucket full of Alderaanian Ale.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Jax asked as he handed Dek a bottle.

“Well I know Tormen wants me to go to Corellia,” Dek replied, “He hasn’t given me his assignment yet, but I know he’s planning to use the fighting as cover for whatever he wants me to do.”

“You think Bradley went there?”

“No idea, but I do know someone there who will know.”

“Who?”

“Karen Mills,” Dek answered, “I’ve been keeping track of her and she still lives on Corellia. She works at Czerka headquarters there and with the Imperial invasion, I doubt she’s been able to leave the planet. I figure since I’ll already be there, I might as well pay her a visit.”

“Good call,” Jax nodded, his mouth curving into a cold smile, “I’ll gladly help you with that and Zev probably will too seeing as the three of us owe her that much.”

“I don’t know about involving my cousin,” Dek frowned, “With our records cleared, I don’t want to do anything that would cause him any trouble in the future. It’s different for you and I…..”

“Because we don’t intend to return to military service,” Jax finished.

“It’s not like I plan on killing her,” Dek shrugged, casting his red rimmed green gaze downwards as he went on, “But….”

“But what?” Jax’s azure eyes narrowed at his old friend. “You got a plan for her?”

“Not really yet……..I want some answers from her,” Dek sighed, understanding his friend’s irritation, “and I was going to see what your thoughts were before planning anything else.”

“She deserves to get wasted,” Jax growled, pounding his fist on the table. “Or have you forgotten what they did to us? What they did to Colonel Hallyard? What they planned to do to Mako? To Natalia?”

“I haven’t forgotten, but after seeing all those files Roland got for us, I don’t think she was in on all of that,” Dek argued, “and I certainly don’t think she was in on what Bradley wanted to do to Natalia.”

“I’d have to agree with Dek,” Mako nodded, “According to Roland’s files, Karen Mills and Senator Bradley were lovers. I doubt she’d be supportive of a man she regularly slept with r*ping another woman.”

“Maybe not,” Jax relented, “But she was definitely in on setting us up to save her good buddy’s reputation because she had a lot to gain from it. Thanks to the footage Roland got us from Manson Strategies and the recordings Natalia got from the club, we have proof Mills knew Bradley hired them to take Colonel Hallyard and later us. Even if she was never physically present, she was in on at least one call and didn’t do a damn thing to stop his madness.”

“Point made,” Dek conceded, “But I’m still not comfortable with killing her. Bradley’s one thing and I relish making that crooked bastard suffer before he dies, but….”

“What is it with you and women?!” Jax sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes skyward. “Fine, but I want her to suffer like we did. She deserves to have her reputation sh*t on…….she deserves to lose everything she has and be left to find her way in the galaxy alone.”

“That can be arranged without killing,” Mako spoke up, her brown eyes lighting up as an idea began to take shape in her sharp mind.

“What are you thinking?” Dek cocked his head at the pretty slicer he’d fallen head over heels for.

“You know the saying…….hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” she smirked, “I say we give Mrs. Bradley a call.”

The next morning found Dek and his crew eating an early breakfast in the living room of the Roark flat with Risha and Corso. They’d been up late meeting with Jonas Balkar at the Dealer’s Den and Jax invited Gault, Torian, and Blizz to stay with Dek and Mako at his parents’ flat for the night.

“Rogun just called,” Jax informed the group as he came into the living room, “His sources have tracked Darmas to Corellia.”

“Doesn’t surprise me with what’s going on there right now,” Risha replied, “Darmas is probably using his connections to help the Empire.”

“Seems like it’s all coming down to Corellia now,” Dek nodded as his comlink went off.

“At least we can take care of Karen Mills while we’re there,” Mako reminded the group as Dek answered.

“General Garza,” Dek saluted out of habit as the stern faced general's image appeared, but was unable to keep the surprise out of his tone.

“Did something happen?” Jax asked, his brow furrowed with concern as he wondered why the general would be calling Dekkyn.

“Ah, Captain Roark, I’m glad you’re there as well,” General Garza smiled, “I’d like to speak with you both in my office as soon as possible. An urgent matter has come up that I could use your assistance with.”

“We actually are getting ready to leave planet, but….” Dek began.

“Yes, I’m aware,” she nodded, “and I promise it won’t take long.”

“We’ll be there in half an hour, General,” Jax promised.

“Thank you…….Garza out.”

Jax shrugged at Risha’s pointed look, “I know we’ve got to leave soon, but I figure we owe General Garza since she’s the one who brought the Bradley’s crimes to the Senate and called the military review board to clear our names.”

“What are you guys doing here?!” Zev called out as Jax and Dek entered Garza’s office.

“They’re here because I invited them. Now Major, you have your assignment and I need Havoc ready to depart as soon as Captain Jorgan is released,” General Garza instructed, “If he would like to see Agent Bryce before you leave, call me and I will take him to her. Otherwise I will be in contact as soon as I arrive on Corellia.”

“You’re going to Corellia?!”

The general’s normally hard mouth twitched for a brief second as those blue eyes met with the tall Zabrak’s bright green ones, “This isn’t my first time going into combat, Major, and I can assure you that despite my advancing years, I am still perfectly capable of defending myself if needed. You just worry about getting Havoc to Corellia and stopping General Rakton. Dismissed.”

“Yes sir,” Zev saluted, then with one last confused look at his friends, he turned and led his squad out of the general's office.

“I would like to speak to Mister Varlok and Captain Roark alone,” Garza told the group, then her gaze settled on the Deveronian, “and you as well, Mister Rennow.”

“Go ahead and get the Lucky Fool ready to leave,” Jax told Risha and Corso, “I’ll head there as soon as we’re done here.”

“I’ll do the same,” Mako volunteered, giving Dek’s hand a squeeze before she left with Torian and Blizz.

“I know you gentlemen are on your way to Corellia as well and I promise not to keep you long,” Garza spoke after the others were gone, “But this is something we can’t discuss here, so if you would please follow me.”

Used to giving orders and having them obeyed, the older woman didn’t wait for a response before striding out the door. Dek shrugged at the other two and followed, knowing the general was the type who had valid reasons for everything she did. Jax and Gault filed out after the Zabrak and the group walked down the short corridor, taking the elevator at the end. The elevator opened back up to another corridor that ended in a private taxi station. The protocol droid greeted General Garza by name and the four of them climbed into a taxi that took them to the residence tower of the Military Complex.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Dek murmured when they got out of the taxi several minutes later.

“Definitely a first for me,” Gault drawled, his easy tone at odds with the tension in his neck and shoulders.

“Well I don’t exactly make a habit of inviting guests to my home either,” the general told them, “This way.”

She led them towards the side door of the tower in silence, pausing only long enough to swipe a small keycard before entering the building. They followed her to the elevators where she swiped her card again to open it and a few minutes later, she swiped the card for a third time and the group entered a spacious and well furnished apartment.

“Gentlemen, please have a seat,” General Garza instructed as she showed them into the living room, then got right to the point as she sat in one of the cushy armchairs, “As you already know since Agent Bryce’s most recent undercover identity was leaked to the public, there have been numerous bounties placed on her head. Meaning there is nowhere in the galaxy that is safe for her as long as they stand and you know as well as I that they won’t be going away. Her only options at this point are to live the rest of her life locked away like a prisoner, or die.”

“We already know about the bounties,” Dekkyn frowned as he sat on the couch across from the general, assuming she called him here because of his current profession, “and I looked into them all, but I don’t see any way I can possibly help. I wish there were because it’s our fault she’s in this mess. If it were just with the Mandalorians, I might be able to work something out, but the price on her head is across all boards and I don’t have ties with most of them.”

“I realize that,” Garza held up her hand, “but that’s not why I asked the three of you here. Since we can’t get rid of the bounties and Agent Bryce doesn’t want to be shut in for the rest of her days, we’re going to go with the second option.”

“You’re not saying you want her to die,” Jax blanched, nearly jumping out if his chair, “are you?!”

“Not only am I saying exactly that,” Garza replied, arching a grey brow at the befuddled Cathar, “But gentlemen are going to take care of it!”

“Have you lost your kriffing mind?!” Jax growled incredulously.

“No, Captain Roark,” Natalia answered as she and Jonas Balkar entered the room, “The general hasn’t lost her mind at all. Like she said, I refuse to live like this for the rest of my life, so I’m going to die……and I need you three to help make it happen.”

“It’s not cheap,” Gault finally spoke up, the wily Devaronian catching on to why the agent wanted him there, “and it’s gonna take at least a week to finish if memory serves, but an offer of bonus credits might make things go faster.”

“A clone,” Dek sighed in relief as he turned towards the con man, “Is the guy who did yours still in business?”

“I think so……I can make a discreet call and find out for sure.”

“Okay, so you make a clone of Natalia and what, stage her death?” Jax surmised, “I still don’t understand why I’m here and why Zev isn’t.”

“Havoc is being kept in the dark about this for the time being,” General Garza answered the second question, “Agent Bryce’s death needs to real…..as do the reactions to it.”

“That makes sense,” Jax agreed, “but Gods I don’t relish having to tell Aric you’re dead.”

“Believe me, I don’t like the thought putting him through that,” Natalia shook her head and they could all see the strain events have taken on the young agent. “But as long as nothing goes terribly wrong with my identity change, he won’t have to mourn me long.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem though, right?” Dek’s brow furrowed, “I mean you guys in the SIS have all sorts of false ID’s just for this type of situation…….don’t you?”

“We do,” Jonas answered, “but they’re designed as a temporary solution for when an agent needs to drop off the grid for a little while or for someone going into witness protection. Natalia needs a permanent solution and witness protection would mean she’s hiding and unable to have contact with anyone from her current life……ever.”

“And I don’t want that,” Natalia insisted. “I liked my job and my life…….I don’t want to be relocated to some Outer Rim territory where I know absolutely no one to live as a farmer or school teacher or whatever for the rest of my days. Besides, there’s no guarantee that I’d be safe even then.”

“She’s correct,” Jonas elaborated when Jax looked confused, “For most people it would work, but Natalia’s situation is a little different. Records are kept on file for all military personal for decades after a person is declared dead, including medical history so if she goes to any med center for even a minor injury, it could raise a flag.”

“Isn’t there a way you can change her records?” Dek asked, “Any good slicer should be able to take care of that without an issue.”

“Again, normal records…..yes,” Jonas conceded, “But military records have a lot more security protecting them…….just ask Mako about that. So no one can access those except for authorized personal. Even then, altering a person’s record has to go through multiple channels and there’s a risk with the more people that know the truth so it’s really not a feasible option.”

“He’s got a point,” Jax sighed.

“Trust me, we’ve thought this out and it’s not just her military records,” Jonas continued, “There’s always a chance random droid scanners would still have her DNA in remote areas that don’t update their systems frequently and it would take even the best slicer months to find all those databases. I’m sure there’s ones out there that Mako missed for Tyresius Lokai.”

“Uh-oh,” Gault murmured, his eyes darting towards the stern faced general then over to the exit.

“You have nothing to worry about, Mister Rennow,” Garza assured the now tense Devaronian, “As far as I am concerned, Tyresius Lokai is indeed dead, end of story. But we will need your cooperation with this…….and it would be nice if you and Tanno Vik could keep your schemes to a minimum.”

“You got it,” Gault agreed, visibly relieved as he sat back in his seat next to Dek.

“Good,” the general acknowledged, her mouth twitching for a brief second before she went on, “Now as for dealing with those remote scanners and Agent Bryce’s military records…..we figure the only way she’ll be safe is if that DNA no longer exists in her.”

“How in the hell do you expect to accomplish something like that?!” Jax shook his head, “I may not have been at the top of my class in Biology, but I’m pretty sure you can’t just go in and alter a person’s DNA.”

“You’d be surprised at what we can do, Captain Roark,” Garza smiled, “There is actually experimental technology out there that will not only change someone’s DNA, but has the capabilities to even change an individual’s species, which is exactly what Agent Bryce intends to do.”

Jax turned to his friend, “You were always the smart one…….have you heard of something like this?”

“I had no idea something like that was even possible,” Dek shook his head, turning to his crewmate, “You’ve been down this road before……”

“Never had a clue that was an option,” Gault replied before Dek got the question out

“It’s a relatively new technology,” Jonas explained, “and it’s still in the experimental stages, so it’s risky.”

“I’m so sorry we got you involved with that dirty bastard Bradley,” Jax shook his head at the pretty agent, remorse making his voice thick, “But I’ll do anything I can to help you get your life back.”

“Same here, but are you sure you want to go through with something like this?” Dek asked Natalia, deeply troubled at the thought of her dying after everything she’d done for them.

“The way I see it, I’m going to die anyways,” Natalia shrugged, “because I refuse to live my life like a prisoner or spending the rest of it looking over my shoulder. At least this way I have a shot at getting some semblance of my life back. Plus, Jonas just found out about a recent breakthrough.”

“A few weeks ago it was discovered that you can reduce the risk by using DNA taken from an unrelated male and female from the same species…..preferably a couple who’ve had children between them without complications.”

This time it was Jax who caught on as Natalia’s sky blue gaze focused intently on him and the Cathar smiled at the brave young woman who’d stuck out her neck for them, “You love him?”

“Back when I was stationed on Ord Mantell I sorta had a crush on him,” Natalia admitted, blushing a little, “Seeing Aric that first night at the club brought all those feelings right back. Then spending time with him both on Nar Shaddaa and in the safehouse……well, it’s a lot more than a crush now. So yes, I love him.”

“I’ll call my parents,” Jax nodded.

The scarlet skinned Zabrak entered the corridor to find yet another contingent of uniformed guards waiting. I should’ve tried to contact Jax and had him try to delay his part of the mission, he thought to himself as he activated his flame thrower. Unfortunately he hadn’t been able to reach his old friend and there was a lot riding on everything going smoothly at Axial Park, which is why two members of his crew were headed there with the key component they’d spent the past six days acquiring instead of assaulting Czerka headquarters.

Dek hadn’t planned on making a grab for Edwin Bradley’s greedy partner without Jax or his cousin’s aid, but when he left the spaceport with another mission from Darth Tormen, an Imperial Agent caught his attention with a job offer he couldn’t refuse. The Empire found out that Czerka was helping the Corellian resistance’s attempt to gain back control over their planet for the Republic and they intended to show their displeasure to the corporate executives. Since it coincided with his own intentions, Dek accepted the job and assured the agent he’d deal with the execs as soon as he could gather enough intel to make a plan of attack. Then the agent informed him there was no time to wait since there’d been word of a rescue in the works for the Czerka execs and Dek knew if that happened, Karen Mills would disappear and so would their last hopes of catching Bradley.

Dekkyn could tell his shield wasn’t going to last much longer and cursed himself once again for not taking the time to properly case the corporate tower himself before going in, but he couldn’t risk letting Karen Mills escape so he went in on the agent’s information alone. The dossier she’d given him had been detailed and complete with blueprints, but her source had obviously been wrong about enemy numbers. They’d only made it half way to the executive suite, but it had been a difficult slog without Gault’s sniper skills and the little Jawa’s gadgets. Both Dek and Torian were starting to tire a little, but the two Mandalorians pressed on until a feminine cry caught Dek’s attention and his heart stopped cold when he saw his slicer’s slender figure slumped against the wall.

“Mako!”

“I’ll be alright,” she gritted, clutching her right shoulder. “Just focus on taking the rest of this group out and barring the door so we don’t have anymore surprises.”

“Haar'chak!” Dek swore, turning when Torian gave another shout in Mando’a to see that another group of Czerka security had come up from behind their position. The tall Zabrak gave his shield full power and praying to the ancestors it held out, he charged at the group just as they were struck with a barrage of lightening.

“Where’d that come from,” Mako whispered, her doe eyes wide.

“Why it came from me,” a soft, feminine voice replied as a slender black robed figure entered the corridor followed by young Togruta and an Imperial officer.

“Darjetii,” Torian observed, his eyes watching the slip of a woman carefully as she strode towards them.

“My Lord,” Dek bowed, his prior experiences making him leery of Sith but he was grateful this one had shown up.

“Lord Rhianna Zavala,” she bowed in return before raising her black hood to reveal a surprisingly young and normal looking Human, “and I’m going to assume you are Dekkyn Varlok.”

“I am,” Dek confirmed, his red rimmed green eyes looking her over more closely as he tried to figure out why she looked familiar to him.

“The agent who sent you discovered her initial intel wasn’t accurate about the security forces’ numbers and asked if I could lend a hand.”

“I’ll say it was inaccurate,” Mako grumbled as she fumbled in her medikit for a kolto patch.

“I should’ve done my own research,” Dek sighed as he turned away from the Sith Lord, unable to recall ever meeting her before yet the feeling he knew her from somewhere still lingered. He strode over to help Mako as Torian sat to look at his own injuries.

“Please allow me,” Rhianna smiled as she knelt next to Mako and Dek only saw compassion in those whiskey colored eyes before they drifted shut, “Talos can you take a look at the other Mandalorian before we press on?”

“Certainly my Lord,” the Imperial officer answered, pulling out his own medikit as he hurried over to the bench where Torian was sitting.

“Ashara, reach out with the Force and let me know if we have more company coming,” Rhianna instructed as she placed her palm over the nasty burn on the young woman’s shoulder.

“Oh” Mako gasped as warmth spread through her injured shoulder.

“Sorry, healing isn’t my strongest suit,” Rhianna murmured, tucking a lock of caffa colored hair behind her ear as she narrowed her focus, “so I’m not always as gentle as I should be, but you’ll recover faster this way at least.”

“I-i-it’s fine, I just wasn’t prepared that’s all,” she swallowed as the warmth began to dull the pain, “I’m thankful you can heal because I didn’t want to hold everyone up.”

“Without you patching me up this past year, I’d never be here,” Dek told Mako as he took her tiny hand in his own, “I don’t want you ever thinking you hold anyone up.”

“Patching you up would be a lot harder with only one arm, not to mention shooting or tazing anything,” Mako argued, then she smiled up at him, “but thanks for the sentiment big guy…….and thank you, Lord…..er my Lord.”

“Would you believe I’m still not used to that whole ‘my Lord’ stuff?!” Rhianna raised a brow at the couple, her lips twitching in a smirk as she finished up.

“My Lord!” Ashara called out suddenly, “There’s another group coming from ahead.”

“Then by all means,” Rhianna replied as she stood, “we should welcome them.”

Dek immediately grabbed his blaster, thumbing it on as he turned towards the doorway on the opposite end of the room. Lord Zavala helped Mako stand, then stepped towards the doorway as lightening began to crackle over her hands. Torian got to his feet, his tech staff humming as the blond Mandalorian held it at the ready. As soon as the door opened, Rhianna unleashed a lightening storm that fried most of the group before they could even step into the room.

With the addition of two Force users, one of which was deadly with her control of lightening, and another medic, the group made quick work of any remaining guards who impeded their progress towards where the executives were holed up. Less than an hour later, Dek and Rhianna were entering the conference room with an ultimatum for the CEO. The shaking man accepted defeat, his anxious eyes darting back and forth between the giant Zabrak’s intimidating figure and the petite robed Sith with the lightening sparking along her arms.

“You have my word, there will be no more opposition from Czerka,” he told them, “Please don’t kill us.”

“For your sake, I hope there won’t be,” Rhianna nodded, “There will be a group of Imperial soldiers here shortly to see that you keep your word.”

“Thank you, my Lord,” the frightened man bowed deeply.

“Karen Mills will need to come with me,” Dek spoke up when he spotted her seated at the far end of the table.

“A target?” Rhianna mused.

“Something like that,” Dek answered vagely.

“You heard him,” Rhianna glared at the CEO who was still prostrating himself at her feet.

“Y-y-yes, m-m-my Lord,” the older man stuttered as he quickly moved aside for the hunter to get to his quarry.

“Unhand me this instant!” the willowy blonde ordered, her tone as coldly indignant as the blue eyes that glared up at the armored Zabrak hauling her to her feet.

“I’m not one of your paid lackeys,” Dek growled in her ear before dragging her past the amused Sith Lord to exit the room.

“I suggest the rest of you remain in here until the soldiers arrive,” Rhianna told the shell shocked group, “and as long as you cooperate with the Empire, no one will be harmed.”

“What about Karen?”

“Sorry, my associate is a Bounty Hunter,” Rhianna shrugged, “Apparently miss Mills has a price on her head and I make a point of not interfering with the Mandalorians. I do suggest you follow the same protocol.”

Rhianna chuckled when the pale faced man nodded before sinking into his chair, then curious about the hunter’s intentions for the executive, she left the room to seek him out. A moment later, she found the rest of their group at the end of the corridor, Talos and Ashara hanging back as they anxiously watched the towering Zabrak release the blonde woman.

“I won’t insult either of our intelligence by pretending I don’t know who you are,” Karen raised a cool brow at her captor as his thick arms crossed over an impressive chest. A smug smile curved her generous mouth as she continued, “So, Dekkyn Varlok……what can I do for you?”

"You know damn well what I want," Dek scowled.

"Good luck getting it," Karen sneered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dek frowned.

"It means we're at an impasse…….hunter," she deadpanned, "You can't kill me since dead people don't talk and I've done enough homework on you to know you're too much of a soft touch to torture the information out of me."

"Not a soft touch," Rhianna countered, "I saw plenty of carnage on my way in here that will attest to that. He's just a good and honorable man....qualities you'd know little about. I, on the other hand, have no qualms about extracting answers from a reluctant person."

“Seems too easy for the likes of her,” Mako muttered, “She deserves to suffer a little.”

“Oh trust me…….I’m not going to be gentle about it,” Rhianna smiled coldly before kneeling to focus once again. Her aura began to glow a soft purple and tendrils of ruby smoke swirled around her petite figure for a moment before extending towards the now shaking older woman.

“W-w-what are you doing?!” Karen stammered, those cold blue eyes widening in horror showing a crack in her ice queen persona as fear gripped her for the first time.

“Oh my, you’re right about this one,” Rhianna murmured, her voice competing with Mills’ soft whimpering, “She’s been a very bad girl. Shady deals, few ethics……..and people accuse Sith of having no morals! So what do you need to know?”

“We’re looking for her corrupt Senator buddy, Edwin Bradley.”

“Hmmmmm, let’s see……Edwin Bradley……Edwin…..oh you little schemer.”

“Did you find something?”

“I think I’ve got a good idea of where you can start your search,” Rhianna answered, “She has distant relatives on Alderaan…….House Baliss. They planned to lie low at the estate until they could make arrangements to defect to the Empire. She was to meet Edwin there yesterday, but got held up with all the fighting going on here.”

“We made some friends in House Thul when we were on Alderaan……..or we could give our contact in House Rist a call,” Mako suggested quietly.

“House Rist would be more discrete,” Dekkyn decided, “I’ll contact her after we’re finished here.”

“Is there anything else you need from this woman?” Rhianna asked, “If I keep up much longer, there’ll be permanent damage.”

“No, you’ve gotten us just what we needed.”

“Alright,” Rhianna bowed her head as she reined those ruby tendrils back into her aura. A moment later her aura receded and the Sith Lord stood.

“Will she be okay?” Mako grimaced as Karen clutched at her head.

“She’ll have quite the headache for a few days, but other than that she’ll be fine.”

“Thank you my Lord,” Dekkyn bowed respectfully as that nagging feeling he knew her somehow returned.

“It was my pleasure hunter,” Rhianna's nose wrinkled in disgust at the whimpering Karen, “People with her lack of scruples are the reason I was enslaved as a child.”

“I’m sorry,” Dekkyn replied genuinely, still not quite able to place his finger on why she looked so familiar.

“I survived and despite the odds have made a life for myself,” she shrugged, then cocked her head at him as those whiskey colored eyes looked directly up into his, “You keep staring……and something is troubling you. What is it?”

“It’s nothing…..just keep thinking I know you somehow,” Dek admitted, embarrassed to have been caught staring at her.

“We were on Dromond Kass a few times,” Mako reminded him, “Maybe you’ve met before and just don’t remember it.”

Rhianna’s glossed lips curved in broad smile as her gaze traveled down the scarlet skinned Zabrak’s considerable height, taking in his very broad and well sculpted frame, the barest hint of a blush kissing her pale skin by the time she finished her perusal. “No……I’m sure I’d remember someone like him very well if we’d met.”

“I….uh…..d-d-don’t think w-w-we’ve met,” Dek stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck as Mako glared at the Sith lord.

A giggle bubbled out of Rhianna's throat when she picked up on the tiny slicer’s obvious jealousy, a sweet sound few would expect from a lord of the Sith, “Don’t worry, I have no designs on your Mandalorian. I was merely making an observation. Perhaps I just look similar to someone you know.”

“You know, they say everyone has a twin out there,” Talos offered, “Maybe you have a look alike my Lord.”

“You never know,” she shrugged, her smile fading and all traces of merriment left those topaz eyes as she turned away from the group.

“I can never repay you for this,” Dek bowed to Lord Zavala, “I wasn’t looking forward to trying to get information from her myself.”

“I sensed as much,” Rhianna admitted, “and there might be something you could do for me. I may need someone of your skillset at some point in the future. Would you mind if I contacted you for a job?”

“Depends on what the job is,” Dekkyn frowned, not sure he wanted to work for any Sith after he dealt with Tormen.

“I’m not like most of my bretherin,” Rhianna assured him, “and if I wanted someone dead, I’d take care of it myself. This involves a personal matter from my past and it wouldn’t involve killing at all……just locating someone and a lot of discretion.”

Dek hadn’t missed the flicker of pain in her eyes when her officer companion made that twin comment earlier and wondered if she wanted him to locate a lost relative, “I can definitely do discrete, and locating people is a key part of what I do. Just contact me when you’re ready.”

“Good,” Rhianna nodded, programming his frequency in her personal comlink, “If I ever do decide to go through with my search, I’ll know who to contact.”

“My Lord,” Ashara called out, holding up her comlink, “Andronikos says Moff Pyron has information for us.”

“Hope it’s something that spells disaster for Thanaton," Rhianna muttered darkly, "Tell him we’re on our way.” Then she lowered her hood back over her head as she turned back towards Dek, “Looks like I’m heading out now.”

“Should we stick around for the troopers?”

“They should be here any moment.....actually they’re entering the building right now.”

“We’ll wait until they get up here before we leave,” Dek told her, “Good luck and thank you again.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Dekkyn Varlok,” Rhianna bowed, “Good hunting.”

Dekkyn and Mako took a seat on one of the benches along the corridor while Torian stood guard over a now meek Karen Mills. Dek’s comlink went off a few minutes later just as a contingent of Imperial troopers showed up.

“We’re not alone,” Dek warned the Devaronian when his image appeared.

“Just wanted to let you know that we just dropped off the package and everything is in place.”

“We’re finished here so I’ll head to the tram station now,” Dek acknowledged.

“See you soon.”

“Tranq her, Mako,” Dek instructed after Gault disconnected, “Headache or no, I don’t trust her to go quietly.”

“You don’t see me arguing,” Mako snorted as she loaded a dart in her gun and fired it at Karen before the other woman could even utter a squeak of protest. Torian grabbed the unconscious woman before she fell to the floor and hoisted her over his shoulder.

“Take her back to the ship and secure her in the holding cell,” Dekkyn told Torian when they got outside, “Mako and I will go meet up with Blizz and Gault. I’ll contact you if we need you.”

“Jate'kara vod,” Torian replied as he secured Karen in front of him on the speeder and a moment later he sped away towards the spaceport.

“We’d better get moving,” Mako told Dek after Torian left, pausing to kiss him before climbing on the other speeder.

*I sorta fudged with an Imperial Corellia planetary mission for this story. Hope no one minds, but it made sense for this storyline.

*Mando’a translations from mandoa.org :

Haar'chak!- Damn it!

Darjetii- Sith, Dark Jedi

jate'kara- good luck, luck, destiny

Vod- brother, sister, comrade (mate)

“So what’s the plan?” the young woman asked the grey Cathar as he finished wiring some explosives to the tunnel wall. Then she grinned when those azure eyes narrowed at her, “I meant for Senator Dodonna……trust me, I know my part.”

“That all depends on her,” Jax shrugged.

“Look, I can get wasting Darmas…..he had it coming,” Natalia told him, “but he duped Senator Dodonna just as much as he did you and Rogun. I’m not excusing her actions in the least, but hauling her in seems fitting enough. Plus she’s probably got some decent info…..”

“Oh I planned on dragging her sorry a** back to Coruscant so she can go on public trial.” Jax growled, “The only reason I took out Darmas is because I didn’t trust him not to try and weasel out of custody somehow and I have enough to deal with right now without having to keep one eye on him at all times.”

“Okay, I was just wondering.”

Jax smiled at the agent, knowing they were all a little anxious just then, “How you holding up?”

“Eh,” she shrugged, “Just ready for this to be over.”

“How’s Aric?” Risha asked, feeling bad for the agent after having witnessed their argument yesterday.

“Still pissed at me for being here,” she sighed, shaking her head.

“He’s not mad at you, he’s just afraid of something happening to you,” Jax assured her, then his face sobered as he bowed his head, “Gods I’m not looking forward to having to tell him…..”

“I know,” Natalia murmured before he could finish the statement, blinking back tears as Corso and Bowdaar entered the tunnel.

“The package was just delivered,” Corso told them as Bowdaar appeared to set something down, “Generator is on the belt in front.”

“Let’s prop it up next to the charges,” Jax suggested, “I’ll make a grab for it when we come back and as soon as any shots are fired, I’ll take off the stealth generator.”

“Are we ready then?”

“Everything’s in place,” Jax replied, “Bowdaar, go ahead and return to Akaavi. I want you two to keep a lookout and make sure no one else gets in this tunnel after us. Oh, and send Guss in……without knowing what’s waiting in these tunnels, I want him with us in case we need a medic.”

As soon as Guss joined them, they headed deeper into the tunnels towards their destination. It didn’t take the group long to reach the underground entrance to the Museum of Alien History which was currently serving as an Imperial POW camp. Once they entered the museum itself, they had a few Imperial troopers guarding it to contend with, but they’d been prepared for that and burned through them quickly. However, the group hadn’t been prepared to see their target wearing servant clothes and a slave collar.

“Well, well, well……if it isn’t my old friend Senator Dodonna,” Jax chuckled coldly, fangs glinting as his mouth twitched in a feral smile. “I have to admit, that slave collar is quite becoming on you……and much deserved.”

“Come to gloat then,” Dodonna snapped, “Fine……just get me out of here afterwards.”

“What’s wrong? Are you upset that I fried your good buddy Darmas……or were you more than just friends?”

“I trusted him every bit as much as you did….”

“You want to bring up trust?!” Jax snarled, those azure eyes glinting dangerously at the older woman. “Fine, let’s talk about trust……I trusted that I was working for the Republic this whole time, but instead I find out you sold out to the Voidwolf! I’ll bet you and Darmas got a real good laugh out of that…….well he’s not laughing anymore.”

“Then kill me if that’s what you came to do!”

“Captain Roark,” Natalia warned, knowing they needed whatever information Dodonna had.

“Don’t worry……I’m not going to shoot her, Agent Bryce. That’s too easy for the likes of her,” Jax relented, thumbing off his blasters and holstering them before he gave into the temptation. He nodded at Risha and Corso and they kept their weapons at the ready and trained on the doorway in case reinforcements showed up.

“A-a-agent,” Dodonna murmured, a sigh of relief escaping her when the young woman stepped forward. “I-I-I have information. On the Voidwolf. You have to stop him! He’s going to destroy the naval fleet!”

“We intend to stop him,” Jax growled as Natalia cuffed Dodonna, “and you’d better make sparing your disgusting life worth it.”

“I have recordings, schedules……all kinds of intel. It’s all yours. I’ll give you everything I have if it’ll help you bring that bastard to his knees.”

“That still won’t keep you out of prison,” Natalia reminded her.

“I deserve it for what I did,” Dodonna conceded as she let the agent lead her out of the room.

The trip back through the tunnels was just as uneventful as the first. Jax commed Bowdaar to let him and Akaavi know they were on their way. The Wookiee reported that the fighting was minimal in their section of Axial Park, but that he and Akaavi would keep an eye out. As the group approached the exit, Natalia let go of Dodonna and took a position next to the tall Cathar as he reached out to grasp something near the wall. Risha and Corso grabbed the Senator in case she tried to flee just as a shot reverberated through the air.

“Get down!” Jax barked, clutching his shoulder where the bolt went through. Gritting his teeth, he pushed past the pain to rip the generator off the bundle he was holding up and thrust it out as two more shots rang out. Natalia’s shriek of pain echoing through the tunnel said at least one of the sniper shots found a mark.

“We’ve got hostile fire! Find that shooter!” Jax shouted into his com as Natalia’s scream died suddenly. “The rest of you fall back until we get word on that sniper!”

“Captain,” Guss’s voice wavered as he scanned Natalia’s body a second time. “I’m sorry, but the agent……..she’s dead.”

Dek and Mako arrived in Axial Park less than an hour after Gault contacted him, having to make his way around the battling forces of Imperial and Republic troops without attracting any fire. Mako spotted the tall Devaronian in a quiet area on the outskirts of the main park and they headed over to check in with Gault and Blizz.

“It’s done,” the Deveronian stated simply.

“Good,” Dek nodded, “and our contact?”

“Jedi is in government district,” Blizz answered, “Blizz send coordinates. We meet in three hours.”

“Let’s go check in on Jax before we go meet up with Master Seros,” Dek sighed, hoping things went smoothly as planned.

“The tunnel entrance is this way,” Gault replied, and the rest followed him through the park.

They arrived at Jax’s location a few minutes later to find the grey Cathar sitting on the ground near the partially collapsed tunnel, his bare left shoulder sagging as the Mon Cal cleaned out the wound that burned through it.

“You alright?” Dek frowned as Mako went over to help Guss.

“Guss says it was a clean shot,” Jax grumbled as the Mon Calamari began stitching his back, those azure eyes narrowing on the Deveronian.

“Any other wounded?”

“Three shots fired, one hit me………and the other two hit Natalia. Guss ran a scan,” Jax told his friend, a yowl of pain escaping when Mako started stitching the entry point of the shot just under his collarbone, “The shots were both fatal. Either my blasts deeper in the tunnel or those shots must’ve loosened some rock because part of the tunnel collapsed on her body before we could get it out though. We barely made it out ourselves.”

“Where are the others?” Dek asked, knowing that besides his crew, only Risha, Corso, and Bowdaar were aware of the real mission in Axial Park.

“I had Risha and Corso take Dodonna to Master Sumalee and fill her in on the current situation with the Voidwolf. Akaavi and Bowdaar were combing the area to see if there was a trail left behind by the sniper that got us.”

“Agent Bryce is confirmed dead then?”

“Guss scanned her twice to confirm it. We’ll inform the liaison here as soon as we can and word is bound to get out after I do that. I’m sure the SIS will want to retrieve her body.”

“I guess we’d better call my cousin,” Dek murmured thickly, not looking forward to being the bearer of bad tidings.

It had been a long and exhausting battle, but thanks to a massively coordinated military effort led by Havoc Squad, the Bastion was once again in the hands of the Republic. Prisoners were being secured and hauled away by late afternoon and reports were coming in that Imperials were being driven out of Axial Park. The Republic had gained a lot of ground that day, but the Imperials weren’t done fighting for control of Corellia yet. Still, taking back the Bastion was a victory for the Republic and a hard fought one at that.

“How you guys doing?” the tall tanned skinned Zabrak asked as he walked into the medic tent.

“Injuries were minimal to the squad, sir,” Elara answered without looking up from stitching a gash in Tanno’s forhead, “Sergeant Vik is the last of Havoc needed tending to, but there are still many wounded soldiers on both sides and with your permission I’ll continue to assist in here.”

“Granted, El…..Lieutenant,” Zev nodded, his jade eyes lingering on the pretty blonde for a moment before he turned to his snickering XO, “I trust you’re doing fine, Captain.”

“Well enough to catch that near slip, sir,” Aric replied, “I only needed a few stitches and some kolto on my arm.”

“I’m glad you made it out in one piece this time,” Zev clapped his shoulder, “Even if you are a smug bastard sometimes.”

“Me too,” Aric sighed, an involuntary shiver running down his spine as it did anytime he thought about the Gauntlet. “Was General Garza upset about Rakton?”

“Not really,” Zev shrugged, “I think it was higher ups that wanted him taken in alive.”

“Well I’m the one who fired the shot that killed him,” Aric nodded, “and I’m more than happy to take any flack over it.”

“Rakton deserved what he got,” Zev shook his head, “and you weren’t the only one who fired on him, just the first.”

“I still can’t believe he was stupid enough to pull a weapon while Yuun was cuffing him.”

“I think he knew what he was doing,” Zev admitted, “You heard him, he said he’d rather die than be taken as a prisoner.”

“I guess I can’t blame the guy,” Aric replied after a moment.

“Me either,” Zev agreed, then braced himself as he went on, “Which is not all that different from Natalia, Aric. I know it’s none of my business, but I’m your friend and I’ve known you long enough that I can tell you care about her a great deal. I understand why you’re mad about her being here, but she’s not the type to stay locked away in some safe house forever.”

“I know that here,” Aric tapped his head, “but I don’t think I could bear something happening to her. Being stuck in that safehouse on Coruscant was getting to her after only a few days, no way was she going to handle much more of that, but I just wish she would’ve given us all more time to figure out a way to deal with the threat before getting back out into the field. Hell, Corellia is a karking warzone right now……that’s dangerous enough without having an extra target on your back.”

“I know……and I can’t blame you for being upset. If it were Elara in that situation, I’d probably react the same as you did,” Zev admitted, “and she probably would’ve chewed me out just as Natalia did to you.”

“I can see that,” Aric snorted, then ran his hands over his face, “I owe her an apology though……I shouldn’t have blown up at her like that.”

“I think she’s smart enough to know it was fear for her driving you Aric,” Zev assured him, then grinned, “but you should probably be prepared to do some serious a** kissing when this is all over with…….”

“Gee, thanks,” Aric grimaced, knowing full well he’d do whatever he could to make it up to her.

“Anytime,” Zev chuckled as his comlink went off. “Hey cuz…..Jax, what are you two doing together?” Zev asked when their images appeared, then he noticed the grim looks on their faces and the bandages on Jax’s shoulder. “What’s happened?”

“I can’t tell you much since I just got to Axial Park a few minutes ago,” Dek began, “It’s a long story, but I have Karen Mills in a cell on my ship and I’ll fill you in on that later. Jax was being patched up by Guss when I got here.”

“What’s wrong with your shoulder Jax? Did you guys get caught in the fighting over there? Is anyone else hurt?”

“Where’s Natalia?” Aric asked as fear began to settle in, knowing she’d been assigned to bring Senator Dodonna in.

“We got Dodonna and were coming back out when shots were fired. There wasn’t any fighting at all in this section of the park…..it was a sniper……a professional hit. I took a bolt through my shoulder,” Jax explained, then swallowed down the lump forming in his throat as Dek looked down.

Zev had a sick feeling of what was coming next and turned to his XO as Jax’s next words confirmed the worst.

“I’m so sorry, Aric,” Jax finally managed to choke out, his voice thick with guilt and remorse, “Natalia took two shots…….one to the chest, the other to the head. She……she didn’t make it.”

They heard Elara’s gasp, the rest of the squad having been listening in, and Zev felt the sting of tears in his own eyes as the Cathar’s anguished shouts filled the tent.

A week after Natalia’s death, her remains had been recovered and there was a memorial service held on Corellia since it was her homeworld. It was a quiet affair attended by the staff at the orphanage Natalia grew up in, as well as friends she’d made over the years, including Jake and Rose from Club Paradise. General Garza had attended with Jonas Balkar, both of whom left immediately after. Havoc Squad, Dek, Jax, and both their crews had attended and Ka’van had even given his condolences before leaving the planet. Dek, Zev, and Jax were consumed with guilt over her loss, the latter feeling keenly responsible and barely able to look a devastated Aric Jorgan in the eye since that fateful day.

A week following the service found Dek and Jax on Nar Shaddaa at their new place, waiting for word on Edwin Bradley’s whereabouts from Dek’s contact in House Rist on Alderaan. Having earned good pay from those completed blacklist targets as well as compensation from the SIS for his valuable assistance taking down Darth Tormen, Dek decided to go in on the purchase of the sky palace with Jax. Considering their professions, both men liked the idea of having a residence in neutral territory and the anonomity that the Hutt moon provided.

Jax fully intended to continue a Republic Privateer, but he’d made a lot of Underworld contacts during his travels, not to mention his take of the Exchange operation run by Scratch on Voss and the Hoth faction of White Maw run by Alilia. Then there were the gang leaders that turned on the Voidwolf when Jax finally caught up to him after dealing with Senator Dodonna. Jax had contacted all of these people after deciding to run Port Nowhere with Rogun and they would all meet on the small space station as soon as Edwin Bradley was dealt with. Until then, Jax had left Corso, Akaavi, Bowdaar, and Guss at Port Nowhere to help get the place running after hashing the partnership details out with Rogun, while he met Dek on Nar Shaddaa so they could finalize the paperwork on the sky palace.

They were currently in the process of making arrangements with contractors to do some work on the place since the previous owner was a Hutt who came to a rather untimely and violent end. The damage done to the place during the attack was extensive, but having an in with Drooga, Jax was able to get a deal and they got the palace cheaply as a result. The costly part would be the renovations, but between both men, they had more than enough to make the place comfortable. Having stayed up late going over some plans with the builders, it was mid-morning before anyone was awake. Smelling breakfast cooking, the large Cathar extracted himself from a sleeping Risha, pulled on a pair of sleep shorts, and headed towards the kitchen which was the only room in the place that had no damage at all.

“Shoulder still bugging you?” Dek looked up from the pan of sausages he was cooking as the rumpled Cathar trudged into the kitchen rubbing the angry red scar on the upper right side of his chest.

“It’s really stiff when I first wake up,” Jax grumbled, his eyes narrowing at the Devaronian sitting at the counter with a mug of caffa.

“Not my fault you can’t give decent directions,” Gault snorted, “You told me to fire that first shot to the left, which I did.”

“I meant to my left.”

“You’re mistake, not mine.”

“Come on guys,” Dek sighed, “Do you really need to argue this every time you’re in the same room together?! It was an accident Jax…….and I’m sorry, but Gault’s right on this. You told him shoot to the left and he did. You just weren’t taking perspectives into account and that’s not his fault. You’re lucky he was aiming for a target of Natalia’s height.”

“I’d have been luckier if he’d have shot to my left,” Jax muttered, but the former soldier couldn’t deny that he’d screwed up and he was really pissed at himself. He looked sheepish as he turned towards the con man, “But that’s my own fault and I shouldn’t be taking it out on you.”

“Did I just hear right?!” a snarky voice called out from the doorway. “Did Jaxzin Roark just admit to being wrong?!”

“I’m pretty sure he just did,” Mako giggled as she entered the kitchen behind Risha, both women going over to the caffa pot as Dek’s comlink went off.

“Hey……I’ve got to get this,” Dek told them as soon as he saw who the caller was, “Gault can you take over here?”

“Why me?”

“Because we don’t want to eat anything Jax cooks,” Dek muttered as he stepped away from the stove.

“And I need caffa,” Mako smirked as the Devaronian took over for Dek.

“Hey now, I’ve gotten better,” Jax defended himself as the Zabrak went into the next room.

“If you’re better now then I’d hate to see what your cooking was like before,” Risha snorted into her caffa mug.

“I don’t see you volunteering to take over,” Jax shot back.

“That’s because I can’t cook either,” Risha shrugged.

“You heard anything from Coruscant?” Gault asked as he prodded the sausages, deciding to change the subject before the Cathar got riled up again.

“The procedure was a success,” Jax answered, “and things are going pretty well considering it was such a drastic change. She’s staying with my parents on Coruscant and I actually spoke with her yesterday. She’s still adjusting and there have been a couple minor incidents….”

“Incidents?” Mako repeated, looking a little concerned until Jax smiled.

“Nothing major, little things like not being used to more acute hearing and a sharp sense of smell,” he explained, “She also forgets about her claws sometimes and has torn a few things on accident, but my parents have been helping her adjust and are also getting her new identity established. Balkar is in contact with her as well and they’re working on a plan to get her back into the SIS…….and I’ll be playing a small role with that.”

“Oh?”

“Yup, anyone looking at her new file will see that Republic Privateer Captain Jaxzin Roark told Agent Balkar about this remarkably talented young Cathar he met while working to bring down Darmas Polleran. She was part of the Resistance on Corellia, but with her homeworld back with the Republic, she told me she was interested in a career with the SIS and asked if I could put in a good word with my contact there.”

“Nice,” Gault grinned, “no records to worry about fixing.”

“That’s right,” Jax nodded, “She’ll have to go through training again, but I get the feeling Jonas will oversee that personally and that it’ll be rushed.”

“Good news guys,” Dek announced when he returned, “That was my contact in House Rist……we’ve got Bradley.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yup, it’s just like what we got from Karen Mills,” Dek confirmed, “He’s on Alderaan and staying in the House Baliss complex. My contact has trusted people keeping discrete tabs on him and they’ll only intervene if he tries to leave. I told her we were on Nar Shaddaa and would leave as soon as I could get in touch with my cousin.”

“We’re finally going to get that bastard,” Jax clapped his buddy on the shoulder, fangs glinting in the light as his mouth curved in a cold smile.

“That we are,” Dek nodded, “I’m going to go call Zev……hopefully he can leave Coruscant right away.”

The tawny Cathar sat on the couch, staring at the HoloVid without really seeing anything. It was the first time Aric had really been alone since that devastating day on Corellia two weeks ago. Ever since they left the planet, one of the squad had been with him. He’d thought about going to see his parents, but he didn’t really feel up to the questions they’d be sure to ask as soon as they got a good look at him. So he decided to just hole up in Havoc’s suite in the Military Complex for the time being, only leaving to brood in the Slippery Slopes with either Zev or Vik tagging along, or to grab a bottle of whiskey from the nearest liquor store. Dorne kept quiet for the most part, but he knew he wasn’t fooling the all too observant medic when he insisted he was doing okay. This evening however, Vik had plans, of which it was probably best none of them knew details about, Yuun had left on some Findsman ritual that Aric really didn’t understand, and Zev was taking Elara out on a date, leaving Aric alone with his thoughts and the letter.

His gaze fell to the plain brown envelope sitting in his lap. General Garza had given it to him after the service on Corellia, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to open it. Every time he caught sight of it this past week, it set off a maelstrom of emotion that he could barely contain. Profound sadness over her loss, despair he hadn’t been there to protect her, anger that she put herself in danger she obviously knew about otherwise she wouldn’t have left something for him with the general, anger at Jax for dragging her into a warzone, and crushing guilt because their last conversation had been an argument. The rest of Havoc’s time on Corellia was a blur and he’d barely made it through her memorial service without breaking down. He couldn’t eat and only slept when sheer exhaustion claimed him or when he passed out from drinking himself into oblivion.

“No time like the present,” Aric sighed as he extended a claw and before he could change his mind, he tore the envelope open and began to read the familiar writing on the single sheet of flimsiplast.

Dearest Aric,

If you’re reading this then I wasn’t careful enough. I know you weren’t happy about me being on Corellia, but I needed to be there. Think about if the roles were reversed and it was you that was hunted......would you be content hiding away in some safehouse?! I know damn well you wouldn’t and I’m no different. It’s not a life, Aric, and I’d rather risk dying than be a prisoner. I hope someday you can understand why I made the choice I did.

I only regret we didn’t have more time together and I am so very sorry for that. I wish I would’ve had the courage to admit my feelings back on Ord Mantell, but then again maybe it wasn’t meant to be at that point. I think we both changed since over the past few years and I can tell you my feelings now surpassed the school girl crush I had on you back then. I love you now and forever Aric, but I want you to be happy and move on with your life. Please don’t let grief or anger stop you from that.

Yours always,

Natalia

Aric didn’t make a move to wipe at the hot tears that fell from the eyes that scanned the letter over and over again. Finally he let the letter rest on his lap as emotions began to overwhelm him and those laser green eyes fell upon the bottle of whiskey he’d set on the end table.

“Move on and be happy?!” he whispered hoarsely as more tears fell, “I lost my lifemate…….I’ll never be happy again.”

Then once again needing to drown out the unbearable pain his heart was suffering, Aric snatched the bottle and took a long drink.

“We’re taking Jax’s ship. It’s faster and he can land under his dummy corporation in case Bradley has eyes at the spaceport.”

“Good plan,” the tanned skinned Zabrak nodded in agreement, his bright green gaze looking up from his comlink to see if his date had left the shop yet. He’d taken Elara to one of the new restaurants that recently opened up in the Old Galactic Market and they were wandering around the shops while waiting for their movie when Elara spotted a blouse she’d been trying to find for weeks in the window of a boutique they passed by. Zev assured her they had plenty of time and took a seat on the bench to wait for her. She’d just disappeared inside when his comlink had gone off.

“Shoot me a message when you takeoff. I’ll grab a shuttle to Carrick and you guys can just pick me up there,” Zev told his cousin, “and if you guys don’t object, I’m going to bring Aric with me. He deserves a few shots on Bradley for what that bastard did to Natalia.”

“I don’t have a problem with that and I can’t imagine Jax would either,” Dek replied, “How’s he holding up?”

“Not good,” Zev sighed, “He reminds me of what Jax was like right after Raney died.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if that bastard had gotten to Mako,” Dek admitted, bowing his head as a fresh wave of guilt surged through him, “Maybe ripping into Bradley will light a spark under him.”

“I hope so,” Zev replied as he spotted Elara heading towards him. He glanced at his wrist chrono, “Hey cuz, I’ve got to go……..we’re getting ready to head into the Cinaplex. I’ll give you a call in the morning and see where you’re at.”

“Did you get it?” Zev asked as he pocketed his comlink.

“I did,” Elara held up her bag in triumph, “Was that Dekkyn?”

“It was,” Zev nodded, but didn’t want to ruin their date by discussing Edwin Bradley…..even if it was good news for once. “I’ll fill you in when we’re back at the suite.”

Zev and Elara returned to Havoc’s suite a few hours later to find the tawny Cathar passed out on the living room couch. Elara quietly approached, picking up the empty liquor bottle and a crumpled up piece of flimsiplast off the floor. Curious, she smoothed out the latter while Zev tried to rouse Aric. Tears glittered her eyes when she read the contents and she looked up to meet Zev’s concerned gaze.

“She left him a letter,” she murmured thickly as she held it up.

“I thought that’s what it might be,” Zev sighed, having seen General Garza hand Aric an envelope after Natalia’s memorial service. Giving up on trying to wake his second in command , he managed to shift him enough so he was at least laying on the couch. “She shouldn’t have given it to him so soon.”

“No, she did the right thing,” Elara argued softly as she carefully folded the letter and put it in her pocket. She’d hang on to it and when Aric was ready, she’d return it to him. “Waiting wouldn’t make it any easier. I just hope he can move past this….”

“I might have something for him to focus on for the next few days,” Zev told her, “That was Dek that called me earlier and his contact on Alderaan came through. We know where Bradley is and I’m supposed to meet them on Carrick Station. I’m leaving in the morning and planned to ask Aric to come with me.”

“See if you can keep him from drinking too much,” Elara nodded, concerned at how bad the Cathar looked, “and get him to eat……he’s lost weight. I hate to say it, but if he doesn’t start taking better care of himself, I’ll have no choice but to declare him unfit for duty.”

“That’ll destroy what’s left of him,” Zev frowned.

“He’s merely a shell,” Elara chided, “and I wouldn’t in good conscience be able to allow him out in the field right now. You know I’m right Zevryn.”

He couldn’t argue her point and it pained him to see that happen to Aric after everything they’d been through together, “I’ll do everything I can to get him through this and I’ll let Jax know as well. Maybe he’ll have an idea of what we can do to help.”

“Well I don’t have to make any decisions until we’re off leave, so there’s still time,” Elara replied, “Just work on keeping him sober, and get him to eat and sleep properly while you’re gone.”

“I will,” Zev promised, “Who knows……maybe going after the man responsible for Natalia’s death will be enough to light a spark under Aric long enough for him to at least get back into soldier mode, but I don’t think he’ll ever be the same.”

The sun had barely risen the next morning when a tall figure came into the living room and threw open the blinds. Worry furrowed his brow as he stood over the snoring Cathar whose appearance testified to the grief eating away at him. Determined to help his friend fight his way back into the land of the living, Havoc Squad’s CO cleared his throat and let out a commanding shout which startled his XO enough to make that tawny fur puff out a little.

“Good……you’re awake, Captain,” Zev said when those laser green eyes cracked open enough to glare up at him, “I really didn’t want to bring out the bull horn.”

“What gives?” he growled, closing his eyes against the offensively bright room.

“What gives is that you need to get your furry hide off that couch and spend at least an hour in the shower!”

“Why?”

“Because you need to Aric,” Zev sighed, sinking in the chair across from him. “I know you’re hurting because Natalia died, but I can’t let you go on like this.”

“What does it matter?” Aric muttered as he reluctantly sat up, feeling the sting of tears but his system was too dehydrated for them to actually come.

“It matters because you’re a good soldier and my friend,” Zev told him. Then he sighed, taking in his XO’s gaunt face and the dark circles under those bright green eyes, “You look like hell Aric and you know damn well you aren’t fit for combat right now. What do you think is going to happen if you keep this up? She hated to mention it, but Elara told me last night she might not have a choice but to declare you unfit for duty.”

“Gods Zev…..she can’t! It’s all I have left!”

“Then don’t force her hand,” Zev shot back. “You’re gonna have to push past the grief and take care of yourself man.”

“I’m not sure if I can,” Aric admitted, his throat tight.

“She was your Lifemate, wasn’t she?”

Aric nodded, “I never expected the bond would form so quickly.”

“Maybe it didn’t,” Zev suggested, “I don’t know much about Lifemates other than what you told me and Dek the day after that bachelor party, but is it possible that the bond started forming back on Ord without you even realizing it? You said so yourself, you liked and admired her…….and you had a hard time getting past what happened to her. Sure some of it was probably guilt, but did you ever consider maybe a part of you was missing your mate.”

“I guess I hadn’t thought of it,” Aric sighed.

“That’s because you were too close to the situation,” Zev replied as he stood, “and I may have something to help you push past the grief for a bit. We found Bradley and have someone keeping tabs on him on Alderaan. I’m leaving in four hours to meet my cousin and Jax on Carrick Station……and you’re coming with me.”

“We’ll be landing on Alderaan in roughly eleven hours,” the black leathers clad Cathar announced as he entered the Lucky Fool’s rec room.

“I forget how fast this ship is,” Zev grinned, his broad frame reclining in one of the cushy armchairs, “If I recall, that was a fourteen hour flight for us when we flew there from Carrick to deal with Gearbox.”

“That sounds about right,” Aric nodded, then gestured at the large screen HoloVid, “and we don’t quite have these comforts aboard the Thunderclap.”

“What can I say?” Jax shrugged, an unapologetic grin lighting up his face, “I like to travel well.”

“Something smells really good coming from that direction,” Zev sniffed, his jade eyes peering over at the open doorway to the galley, “Let me guess, you suckered my cousin into cooking.”

“Suckered nothing,” Dek’s shot back, “I like to eat edible food and Jax can’t even make toast!”

“I told him about our earlier conversation,” Jax admitted, his face sobering as he turned towards the other Cathar, “and I can see why Zev’s so concerned about you Aric. I know it’s not worth much, but I’m so sorry about what happened. It’s…….it’s my fault sh-“

“No, Jax, it’s not,” Aric sighed, knowing this conversation was bound to come up during their trip and needing to clear the air, he swallowed past the lump forming in his throat, “You need to stop blaming yourself for that. You did everything you could to keep Natalia safe on that mission and I know better than most how easy it is for a sniper to lay in wait for their target without being spotted…..”

“I could’ve refused to take her along,” Jax shook his head, the guilt eating at him once again after seeing how utterly broken Aric looked when he and Zev boarded the Lucky Fool.

“Then she would’ve found another assignment,” Aric countered, “Natalia could be really stubborn at times. There was no way she was going to sit around and do nothing when her homeworld was in chaos. I was so wrong to be angry with her and it’s tearing me up inside that the last time we were together, we fought. I’d give anything to be able to go back and change that……to tell her how much she means to me…..how much I love her.”

Jax studied Aric for a moment, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and how haggard he looked. The truth war written all over him, “She was your mate, wasn’t she?”

Aric nodded and Jax gave a silent prayer to the Gods that the older Cathar could hold out just a little longer. He remembered what those first months were like after Raney died and the bond had only just started to form. From what Zev told him earlier, Aric had already started to head down that very same path of self destruction. Jax took it as a good sign that Aric hadn’t made use of the Lucky Fool’s well stocked bar yet and hoped whatever culinary masterpiece Dek was creating in the galley would be enough to get him to eat. Zev also mentioned he’d spoken with Aric about the impact his current mental and physical state could have on his career and Jax hoped it would be enough to get Aric back to some semblance of himself. Dealing with Bradley would keep him distracted from his grief for the next day and after that, it was just a matter of keeping him out of that downward spiral until they got back to Coruscant.

“I can’t say I know exactly what you’re going through, but losing Raney…….” Jax bowed his head as he trailed off, the memory still able to choke him up.

“It nearly killed you, Jax,” Zev finished, clapping his friend on the shoulder before turning to Aric, “Which is why I’ve been your shadow since Corellia. I saw how Jax was after Raney died and it was scary. I didn’t want the same happening to you.”

“And the bond hadn’t really formed yet for us,” Jax sighed, “Did it with you and Natalia?”

“I had no idea how strong it was until she……was gone,” Aric closed his eyes at the sting of tears.

“Like I mentioned to him last night, I’m wondering if the bond started forming back when she was stationed on Ord,” Zev admitted.

“That would explain a lot,” Jax mused, his finger scratching at the small goatee on his chin as he pondered Zev’s theory and his own recent experience with Risha, that bond having begun without him realizing it. A second later, he was startled out of his thoughts when his comlink went off. He glanced at it, then patted Aric on the shoulder, “I gotta take this, but if there’s anything I can do, just name it and I’m there.”

“Food’s ready,” Dek announced as he came in from the galley a moment after Jax left to take the call.

“Come on man,” Zev stood, then prodded his second in command, “Elara said you needed to put on some weight……and trust me, my cousin’s cooking will make it easy. There’s a reason he never had laundry, cleaning, or maintenance detail during our Tempest days.”

“That good, huh?” Aric raised a brow as he stood, knowing he had to try to push past the grief or else risk losing his career as well. He had to admit whatever it was smelled wonderful and for the first time in weeks, the ghost of a smile appeared, “If it tastes as great as it smells, I’d probably trade some of those chores to keep him working in the galley too.”

“That was the one thing that sucked about striking out on my own,” Dek chuckled as they sat, “I actually had to start doing my own laundry again.”

“I had to live off of takeout for until I got some cooking programs downloaded into SeeTwo,” Jax grinned as he joined them.

“Who called?”

“My parents actually,” Jax answered as he grabbed a large helping of nerf roast. “They’re on Coruscant meeting with my apparently long lost cousin.”

“What?!” Zev choked.

“I was wondering when you’d hear back from them,” Dek murmured thickly, then he took a drink and went on, “I take it they got confirmation.”

“You knew about this?!” Zev glared at his cousin.

“Relax Zev,” Jax nodded, “I only found out about the possibility a few days ago and Dek was with me at our new place when my parents called. I knew I’d be seeing you soon enough to take care of Bradley and figured I could fill you in then.”

“Not to mention you really didn’t know anything for certain,” Dek reminded him.

“So fill me in then,” Zev prompted before taking a large bite of his roast.

“So like I said, a few days ago my parents called and said they’d been contacted by a young Cathar claiming to be a relative on Dad’s side of the family. As you can imagine with my trust issues, I was pretty doubtful. There were only two kits in my Dad’s litter, him and Jaysin, and that was the only litter my Grandpa and Grandma Roark had. Uncle Jaysin never had a Lifemate, but apparently he got a girl pregnant before he was KIA. From what we know, this woman……Leena was a freelancer pilot on Corellia and she hooked up with Uncle Jay when he was stationed there during her cycle…….just a random fling shortly before he was reassigned to the Outer Rim. By the time this Leena found out she was expecting, Uncle Jay had been killed in combat. Unfortunately, there was a complication during the pregnancy and Leena died along with two of the three kits. The only survivor in the litter was a girl Leena named Natasha with her dying breath. Leena’s crew had no idea who the father was, only that he was a Republic soldier she referred to as Jay and he’d been killed in the line of duty before the birth. Two of the crew who’d been close to Leena took jobs in the shipyards and raised Natasha themselves.”

“Her mother didn’t have family?” Aric’s brow furrowed, surprised strangers raised the kit when most Cathar had surrogates in place by the time of birth. Children were valued by their society and even if there wasn’t any family members able to raise orphaned kits, there were plenty of Elders willing to open up their homes and provide a loving environment.

Knowing what Aric was thinking, Jax elaborated, “I guess Leena wasn’t exactly forthcoming about her past, but that’s not uncommon in that line of work. Most freelancers are people trying to start over. The couple that raised her searched what databases they could access, but the name Leena Delaney came up empty…….most likely an alias. They went through all her personal belongings, but there was nothing that gave any hint of who Leena really was. By that time, the couple had become attached to the baby and they decided not to pursue the father’s family, preferring to raise her themselves instead of handing her over to strangers. When Natasha was old enough, they told her what they knew of her real parents and offered to take her to the Republic military base on Corellia to see if they could find a match for her DNA in their databases, but she wasn’t interested at the time.”

“HA!” Zev snorted, “yet all the sudden she is interested?! I mean come on…….you’ve been all over galactic news recently and it’s no secret that your family is wealthy and well connected in Republic society. This all sounds a bit dodgy to me.”

“I have to agree with Zev,” Aric nodded, taking the last bite from his plate.

“I said the same thing and believe me, my parents were suspicious as well when Natasha first contacted them, but they gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided to meet with her. Even I had to admit there was no harm in them travelling to the Republic capitol to investigate her claim for themselves.” Jax paused to grab seconds off the roast and potatoes before continuing, “Anyway, Sienna decided to come with them since she wanted to meet with Senator Krazul in person about some new delegates to Cathar and they all arrived on Coruscant yesterday. Dad wasted no time and as soon as he and Mom met with Natasha, they took her to their private physician on planet and did the DNA tests right away. The results came in a couple of hours ago and she’s definitely a genetic relation to my father…..enough to be his niece. A comparison to Sienna’s DNA on file confirmed Natasha as a cousin.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Jax admitted, then a wicked grin lit up his furred face, “But Sienna says she’s an absolute sweetheart and Syarra is thrilled to have another single girl for Mom and Dad to introduce to the Krazuls’ sons.”

“I’ll bet,” Zev snickered, knowing how Jax’s littermate felt about relationships. “So, are you going to stick around on Coruscant when you drop me and Aric off?”

“Well, Syarra just finished her mission on Belsavis and will be on Coruscant in a couple of days so I told my parents I’d probably be there a day or two after her.”

“Have you seen your new cousin at all yet?”

“Funny thing is, I already met her,” Jax replied, “In fact, you might say I’m part of the reason she ended up seeking out my family.”

“Oh, this should be good,” Zev rolled his eyes, “Please don’t tell me you were hitting on some random girl who turned out to be your cousin…..because I am going to give you crap about it for the rest of your life if you did!”

“Nah……she’s pretty cute though,” Jax grinned sheepishly, “but I wouldn’t do that to Rish. I met her shortly after I landed on Corellia. I ended up working with the resistance movement while trying to track down Darmas and Natasha was part of it. Her tech skills were impressive, but she was a pro gathering intel and using it to her advantage. She’s also really good at reading people……and suspected Darmas was lying to them from the start. She’s the one who led me to him that first day. It would’ve taken me twice as long to get into those tunnels without her and when I confronted him, she stood with me and convinced the rest of who he really was. He managed to escape as you all know, but thanks to her, he lost half of his supporters. After we got back to the base of operations for the resistance, Natasha and I got to talking and she told me she planned to look into becoming an SIS agent once the battle over Corellia was over. I told her I knew someone in the SIS and she asked if I could put in a good word. I said I would and gave her info to Balkar that evening.”

“I’m guessing he contacted her at some point.”

“After Natalia’s memorial service,” Jax nodded, “and since most of the fighting was over, he agreed to take Natasha back with him to Corescant. He was impressed with what I told him, but since she wasn’t formerly trained, he intended to test her mental and physical skills to determine what training she’d require……..and she also needed an entry level medical exam.”

“Let me guess,” Zev surmised, “When they ran her bloodwork through, her genetics came up as a relation to you since I’m assuming their search included military databases.”

“Sure did……and not just mine. Syarra’s, my father’s, and Uncle Jay’s information are still in those databases as well and all our files came up. Jonas broke the news to her and they contacted my parents.”

“Wow……what are the odds of that happening?” Aric snorted. “At least she has some family now…..but I just hope she doesn’t take advantage of that.”

“Honestly, she really didn’t seem the type to me, but Darmas didn’t exactly strike me as an Imperial either.”

“I don’t think anyone could’ve seen that though,” Zev frowned, knowing his buddy was still feeling the sting of that betrayal.

“Hey, why don’t you guys come visit while I’m there?” Jax suggested, “I know Mom and Dad would love to see you two again and I’d like you to meet my family, Aric.”

“I think I’ll pass,” Dek declined, “I can take care of getting Bradley secured and I’d like to start looking into those contracts out on Roland.”

“You think you might be able to get rid of them?”

“Well I checked a couple of different boards and they originated from the same person,” Dek told them, “I’m going to see if I can track them down……I’ll let you guys know if I find anything out.”

“Sounds good,” Zev nodded, “Since I’ll be on Coruscant, I’d be happy to see your folks again Jax and I haven’t seen Sienna since we graduated from the Academy. Would it be alright if I brought Elara?”

“Sure, Mom and Dad would be thrilled to meet the girl that got you to settle down. You should’ve seen them when I told them Dek had a girlfriend.”

“Were they shocked he figured out how to talk to one coherently?” Zev snickered, ducking when his cousin went to cuff him.

“They were happy for him……..Syarra still can’t believe it though and demands proof,” Jax grinned, then turned to Aric, “What about you?”

“I don’t know,” Aric sighed, not sure he was ready to be around a lot of people just yet.

“Just think about it,” Jax nodded, “You don’t have to decide right now. Invitation’s always open and you never know……it might be good for you to get out for a bit.”

“Right now we have other things to think about,” Zev intervened, not wanting Aric to feel pressured. Then he turned address his cousin, “Care to give me and Aric the rundown on what you’ve got on Bradley’s location?”

Twelve hours later, the four men descended the Lucky Fool’s ramp to see a dark haired woman waiting for them in the hangar’s small lounge. Her leatheris armor bore the colors of House Rist and Dek’s simple nod of acknowledgement told the rest of the group she was his contact.

“I’m glad you were able to get here so quickly,” she greeted them softly.

“Has there been any trouble, Mia?” Dek frowned.

“On the contrary, you gentlemen should have an easier time collecting your target now,” Mia replied. “One of my men has a friend in House Baliss and it seems they are eager to rid themselves of Edwin Bradley.”

“Really?” Jax’s brow furrowed in confusion as he cocked his head at her, “How come? Not that we’re complaining mind you, but last time I was here, House Baliss wasn’t too happy with me.”

“Me either,” Zev frowned, exchanging a look with Aric as both of them remembered having to fight their way into the complex in order to take out some artillery and try to track down the former Havoc member Bex Kolos.

“There’s a tentative peace of sorts on Alderaan now,” the former assassin explained, “and House Baliss doesn’t want to risk causing trouble with the Organas by giving sanctuary to a man wanted by the Republic.”

“Then why let him stay there at all?” Dek asked.

“Because even if she is a distant cousin, Karen Mills is still family to House Baliss. However, after her sudden disappearance on Corellia, there’s been speculation that she’s now in Republic custody for her crimes. I have done nothing to correct that assumption.”

“I appreciate it and everything else you’ve done,” Dek told her, “Your help has been invaluable.”

“Consider it a thank you for ridding us of Tarro Blood,” Mia shrugged as they left the hangar, “He was a blight on our house.”

“Does House Baliss know we’re coming?”

“They do,” she nodded, “Senator Bradley’s trial was on our news feeds for several days, so your faces are well known and that will work in your favor. House Baliss has been told that representatives from the Republic are coming to quietly collect Edwin Bradley. I’m sure they assume you will be taking him back to Corescant and it might be for the best to keep it that way……..whatever your real plans might be.”

“Not a problem,” Zev assured her as they walked towards the spaceport exit.

“Good,” she nodded before climbing on a speeder that had the Rist emblem on it, “Well gentlemen, this is where I leave you. Good hunting.”

A little while later, the four men were speeding towards House Baliss, quietly admiring the scenic route taking them past snow capped mountains and through a sparse forest now devoid of blaster fire. In no time, they arrived at the complex and as Dek’s contact in House Rist had promised, they encountered no resistance at the entrance.

“Can I help you?” one of the Baliss guards asked.

“We’re here for Edwin Bradley,” Zev replied.

“Ah……thought I recognized you,” he nodded. “We’ve been wondering when someone would come for him. It seems fitting that it’s the ones he wronged in the first place.”

“Oh, we’re looking forward to this,” Jax grinned.

“I can imagine,” the guard chuckled, “Follow me.”

The guard climbed onto a speeder and led them through the complex to a small building not too far from the library Jax had raided. When they arrived at the small house, the guard spoke with another at the entrance for a moment, then Zev, Dek, Jax, and Aric were waved in.

“I told you I didn’t want to be interrupted unless you had word from Karen!” Edwin bellowed as the door opened without warning.

“Hey there, Ed,” Jax greeted the former senator as they stepped inside, those azure eyes not missing how the man bristled at the shortened version of his name, “You don’t mind if I call you Ed do you? Because just thinking about the name Edwin Bradley makes me want to rip his head off, but plain old Ed……eh not so much. At least not yet anyways. So it’s been a while……nice digs you got here.”

“How did you find me?” Edwin seethed indignantly as the tan Zabrak closed the door.

“Let’s just say I’ve got some well connected friends,” Dek shrugged.

“I’d be more worried more about the ‘what’ than the ‘how’ at this point,” Zev added as Aric strode past him towards the older man reclining in his posh chair.

“I see you’ve brought along a thug,” Edwin sneered at them as Aric roughly hauled him out of his seat, “Don’t want to get your hands dirty?”

“By the stars, where are my manners?!” Jax exclaimed, with only a hint of sarcasm as he smirked at the two Zabraks. Then he gave a mock sigh of despair, “Mom would be so disappointed in me……”

“You know she hates that,” Zev played along, enjoying when Jax was on a roll.

“She would,” Jax agreed, “Please forgive me, Ed. This is our friend Aric Jorgan…….I don’t think you’ve ever formerly met, but you did have his mate killed. You remember her, right? Cute girl, posed as a dancer at a club on Nar Shaddaa. She even did a party for you.”

“Let’s not forget that he arranged for her to be kidnapped so he could rape her because she turned him down at that party,” Dek added.

“Yeah, that was bad form Ed,” Jax cringed, shaking his head at the former senator as a painful cry escaped him when Aric let his claws sink in a little. “You’re not a bad looking man……a little old and total scum of the galaxy, but I’m sure there are decent looking women out there that would willingly f*ck you given enough credits.”

“I think Karen would’ve done it for free,” Zev suggested, biting back the laugh that threatened with the look on Edwin’s face at Jax’s taunts.

“She probably did,” Dek amended.

“See…..there you go,” Jax grinned, “Karen’s a beautiful woman Ed. Maybe a little too old for my tastes and she does have that whole ice queen vibe going on…….which is a turn off for me, but I’d be willing to wager you’re into that.”

“She’s not like that sl*t Agent Bryce……..Karen would never let alien filth like you touch her!”

“Now that was uncalled for, Ed,” Jax sighed as Aric slammed the man’s face into the wall, wincing at the audible crack when Bradley’s nose broke on impact.

“Really not that smart considering you’re in the company of two Zabraks and two Cathar,” Zev added, admiring his XO’s control as Edwin spat blood in his face. “And I know for a fact that Aric would just love to see you suffer a bit.”

“It’s the only thing keeping me from ripping his disgusting head off too soon,” Aric growled as he shoved Edwin away before he gave into the urge, “But as much as I really want to……I can wait.”

“Gee Ed….that nose looks broken,” Jax observed, crossing his arms as he leaned his tall frame against the wall, “I’d consider being a little nicer if I were you. I mean we did come all this way just to see you after all.”

“It would’ve been easy to just to let my friends in House Rist take care of you instead,” Dek told him.

“Well go on then,” Edwin spat, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, “Finish me and be done with it.”

“Finish you?” Jax raised a brow at the pathetic old man, then he laughed, “Did you hear that guys? Ed here thinks we’re gonna kill him.”

“Isn’t that what you’re here to do?”

“Oh, we’re here for you alright,” Zev nodded, “but I don’t recall any of us saying we were going to kill you.”

“That Cathar said he was going to rip my head off!” Edwin argued, pointing at a snarling Aric.

“No, I said I wanted to rip your head off, not that I was actually going to do it.”

“At first we figured we’d all do some damage, slowly tear you to pieces,” Jax admitted as he extended a claw, “After all, you really do have it coming. But then Dek got this really good idea.”

“Actually it was Mako’s idea,” Dek corrected.

“That’s right…..I forgot,” Jax replied, a feral grin crossing his features as he went on. “I still can’t believe that sweet girl has such a mean streak in her.”

“She’s just really protective of my cousin,” Zev shrugged, “and she owes Ed some payback as well if you think about it.”

“You must remember Mako,” Jax turned that azure gaze back to Edwin. “She’s a talented slicer and Dek’s girl, who also ended up on your hit list. Anyways, I digress……where were we?”

“We were just getting to Mako’s plan for our new buddy Ed,” Zev reminded him, then turned to his cousin, “Why don’t you tell him all about it.”

“See Ed, we decided simply killing you would be too quick and easy,” Dek explained. “You ruined our careers, threatened people we care about, tried to kill us, planned to kill my girl, planned to rape a stripper because she wouldn’t sleep with you……”

“Come to think of it, maybe I’d like to tear into him a little more,” Aric growled at the second reminder of what the sick man wanted to do to Natalia.

“Let’s share our plan with the good Senator first,” Jax smiled cruelly at Edwin, “Then you can have at him for a bit. I know I’d like a turn myself…….I owe him for Zara and trying to make Raney’s death look like my fault.”

“What are you animals going to do to me?!”

“Oh you have the gall to call us names?!” Zev challenged, green eyes flashing dangerously as he grabbed his rifle and leveled it at the Senator. “Good soldiers died that day all because your son, who had absolutely no business being in Spec Forces mind you, refused to obey orders. Then instead of admitting Junior’s shortcomings, you arrange the whole thing to be covered up with your good buddy Colonel Wilks and we get the blame.”

“And if that wasn’t enough, you arrange for another soldier, no……..a highly decorated officer to be killed because he found out the truth,” Dekkyn added. “Colonel Hallyard was more than our former CO, he was our mentor and a good friend who didn’t deserve what you did to him anymore than we did.”

“Yet the truth came out in the end,” Jax sneered, “and you sit here in disgrace. Kicked out of the Senate, assets frozen, hated by a public that once loved you, and on the run to try and escape imprisonment. All your power, all your money…….none of it mattered in the end. No Ed…….nothing can help you now.”

“Actually I got word from General Garza a few days ago,” Zev told them, “Looks like there’s enough there’s enough evidence to pin the murders of Colonel Wilks and Agent Bryce on you as well, Ed. You’re being charged with treason now.”

“Oh, that’s nice…….you know what that means, don’t you Ed?” Jax taunted, enjoying himself as Edwin paled visibly.

“I think he does,” Dek observed.

“S-s-so you’re going to f-f-feed me to the wolves then?” Edwin stuttered, hating that his composure was shaken beyond his rigid control.

“In time perhaps,” Jax nodded, “but not the ones you’re thinking of.”

“Nah……in a few weeks, you’re going to have a price on your head from the Hutt Cartel to worry about,” Dek informed him. “They don’t take kindly to people who refuse to pay their gambling debts.”

“I don’t owe the Hutts anything!” Edwin protested.

“Actually you do,” Zev countered as he brought out his datapad and handed it over to the sputtering man.

“How’s this possible?! This must be a forgery……or some trick!”

“It’s not a trick but I’ll admit there’s some forging involved,” Jax smirked wickedly, “You see Ed, your wife wasn’t too happy with you trying to make her take the rap for all that nasty stuff you did, and was thankful that we had proof to clear her…….enough that she agreed to help us a little.”

“She’s been having a pretty good time with her girlfriend Fiona at the casinos on Nar Shaddaa,” Zev added, knowing that knowledge would piss off the older man.

“Actually I think they’re engaged now,” Jax chuckled as Edwin’s face reddened, “Which doesn’t surprise me, they seemed pretty happy when we spoke last.”

“They did, didn’t they,” Dek nodded, “We should send them something nice……after all, they’re doing us a pretty big favor.”

“What do I care what she does?!” Edwin snapped.

“You should care,” Jax warned, “because your soon to be ex wife is a horrible gambler and she’s losing like crazy……all under your name. The casino reps have tried to collect, but everytime they call you, you aren’t very nice to them.”

“They’ve never called me!”

“You’re right,” Zev conceded, “Technically they haven’t, but they think they have.”

“You really should’ve been nicer to Natalia at that bachelor party, Ed,” Dek shrugged, “because she was recording the whole time.”

“And thanks to our new friend Roland……you remember him, don’t you Ed? He was a partner in that little firm you hired to take us out, but then decided to turn on you because he actually has a conscience. I’ll even wager you’re behind that price on his head.” Jax went on, “Anyways, Roland’s been working with Mako and they put together some nice soundbites of you that get played whenever any Hutt reps call the frequency your wife listed for you at their casinos.”

“Go ahead, take me to them,” Edwin dared them, “I’ll tell them all of this and you’ll be sorry you tried messing with me.”

“Do you really think they’ll believe you?!” Jax snorted, “Your trial was broadcast all over the HoloNet. The whole galaxy knows what a dirty, lying, backstabbing piece of bantha sh*t you really are.”

“Why do this? You obviously want me dead, why not just kill me now?”

“Because you deserve to suffer,” Aric growled, barely controlling the urge to kill the man.

“And no one’s better at making people suffer then the Hutt Cartel,” Dek finished, those red rimmed green eyes meeting Edwin’s head on. “Trust me, I’ve seen what they’re capable of whenever someone crosses them. Plus we aren’t going to take you to them right away.”

“What?! Why?” Edwin asked and the four men enjoyed the sound of panic in the man’s voice.

“There’s no bounty on you yet,” Zev answered. “So we’re going to hang on to you for a little while, let the outstanding debt accumulate a little more. Eventually the Hutts will take out a contract on you in order to make an example…….they really do hate it when someone tries to cheat them out of their credits.”

“Then the fun begins, Ed,” Jax chuckled coldly, “and you’ll get to see first hand what it’s like to be hunted.”

“Someone will know you’re holding me hostage……someone will find me!”

“I doubt it,” Jax shook his head, “because you’re about to become a wall decoration in my Nar Shaddaa residence and the only people that will know are standing in this room.”

“But don’t worry, you’ll have company,” Dek assured him as he loaded a tranq dart into his gun. “We’ll put you right next to your good friend Karen Mills.”

Dek’s contact in House Rist is the representative that is waiting in the hanger at the end of BH Alderaan. She didn’t have a name so I gave her one. I also took liberties with Tarro Blood and hinted that he was a distant relation to House Rist……which probably would be an embarrassment to them. I hope no one minds.

“This is quite an impressive place,” Elara commented, taking in the lush garden surrounding a marble fountain in front of the building they were heading towards.

“Just wait until you see the inside,” Zev grinned, then was quick to reassure her when those forest green eyes met his anxiously. “Don’t worry, Jax’s family is wealthy and both his Mother and sister are ambassadors, but they are good people, Elara, and I know they’ll love you every bit as much as I do.” Then he turned towards the tawny Cathar trailing behind, “You coming Aric?”

“Yeah,” Aric sighed heavily, not too keen on being around so many people when all he really wanted to do was be left alone.

Zev waited, knowing his XO had been reluctant to come and understanding why, but he was worried Aric would start sinking back into the pit of despair he was in before their little trip to Alderaan. “You don’t have to stay long, but Jax would love for you to meet his family and it isn’t often that they’re all on Coruscant together.”

“I know,” Aric replied as they entered the building, “I’ll be alright, I just don’t know how long I’ll stay.”

“They’ll understand if you need to go,” Zev assured him.

A few minutes later, a protocol driod had let them into a lavish two story apartment and led them into the parlor adjoining the entryway.

“Zevryn Varlok,” a cream furred Cathar called out when they stepped into the parlor, “It’s so good to see you!” She gave him a hug, then she turned to address the other two, “and you must be Elara and Aric. I’m Sharon and this is my mate Jarrod,” she gestured at the tall, brown furred Cathar who'd gotten up to stand next to her, “We’ve heard a lot about you from Jax and Syarra.”

“Don’t worry, most of it was good,” Jax chuckled as his father clapped Zev on the shoulder and shook hands with Aric and Elara.

“I’m the third littermate, Sienna,” a petite Cathar introduced herself, a spitting image of her mother save for her facial markings. “And this is my mate, Raul.”

“Nice to meet you three,” the black furred Cathar held out his hand.

“Where’s your new cousin, Jax?” Zev asked, not seeing anyone else in the room.

“She had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction,” Syarra snickered.

“I’m sure she’ll be down in a minute,” their mother replied, giving her daughter a stern look, “Please, have a seat! So Zevryn, how long are you guys on leave for?”

Aric barely heard Zev’s reply as they sat, his mind being occupied by thoughts of Natalia that began creeping in. He could swear he even smelled her scent in the room and worried he was starting to have some sort of mental breakdown. He tried to ignore it and focus on the conversation, but it kept haunting him. It was strange, the scent wasn’t quite Natalia’s, but every time he caught a whiff, it was enough to bring more memories to surface. It certainly wasn’t the first time something triggered thoughts or memories of her, but the heartache these events left him with was more then he could bear most times and he hated for Jax’s family to witness that.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m not feeling all that great….probably some bug I caught. I-I probably shouldn't have come,” Aric began making his excuses as he stood. “It was really nice to meet you all though……”

“I’m sorry Aric,” Jax sighed, feeling guilty again when he realized the grief stricken Cathar was probably picking up Natalia’s scent since she’d been all over the apartment in the past couple of weeks. “Is there any way you can wait until my-“

“There she is,” Syarra interrupted, pointing at the doorway just as a young Cathar woman came through. “Elara, Aric, Zev…….this is our cousin, Natasha Roark.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Roark,” Zev held out his hand.

Her eyes twinkled as she cocked her head at him, “Nice to see you again……Major.”

That voice was enough to make Zev snap to attention and he grasped Elara’s hand as he turned towards Aric who was staring wide eyed at her, his lips parted in shock.

Before she even spoke, her scent had hit Aric in full force and he instantly recognized it. He reached out, his hand shaking as it cupped her furred cheek, its color a brown similar to Jarrod Roark’s higher up on her face and nose, then fading into tan towards her mouth and jawline. He studied her face, noticing most of its features were that of the woman his heart had been breaking for these past few weeks, only more feline in appearance. Her eyes, the same sky blue as their irises been in Human form, were a little larger and more almond shaped now, but there was no mistaking the love that was shining in them. A tear rolled down his cheek and he swallowed hard before finally whispering, “Natalia?”

A brief nod was all she gave before Aric had his arms around her in a crushing embrace, holding on for dear life as he sobbed.

“I’m so sorry we couldn’t tell you,” she murmured, tears in her own eyes at the anguish he’d obviously been in, “My death had to look real, so only the people directly involved in that process knew.”

“Why don’t we go into the living room,” Sharon suggested, geaturing towards another doorway to their left, “give them some privacy.”

“I’ll go check in on the kits,” Raul told his wife as the rest started filing into the living room, “Make sure they’re really asleep this time.”

“How?” Zev asked his buddy as he glanced back through the doorway at the reunited couple, still dumfounded at what he was seeing. “Is she a real Cathar now?”

“I was as shocked as you were when I found out they had the technology,” Jax replied as they entered the living room. “I guess it’s still in the experimental stages, but has a higher success rate when a male and female of a species is used in the process. I asked my parents if they’d be willing to help and they-”

“And we were more than happy to do this for the remarkable young woman that put her life on the line for you boys,” his father finished as he sat on the sofa next to his mate, giving her hand a squeeze when she smiled up at him.

“When Jax called and told us about Natalia’s situation,” Sharon elaborated, “I felt so bad for her. Unable to even set foot out of her apartment without fear of being shot down by someone in the shadows……..” She trailed off, giving a small shake as the yellow fur along her neck rolled a little.

“That’s no way for anyone to live,” Jarrod continued. “We told our son we’d do anything we could to help, but when he told us what they had planned……..we couldn’t believe such a thing was even possible…….not to mention dangerous.”

“Then Jax told us about Aric and how she felt about him,” Sharon’s yellow eyes glittered. “I thought about what I’d do in the same situation…….what I’d risk in order to be with my mate and said as much to Jarrod.”

“So how long has this been in the works?” Zev’s jade eyes narrowed at his friend.

“Since the day we left Coruscant for Corellia,” Jax answered, “General Garza asked me and Dek to her office…..remember?”

"She dismissed us just after you arrived,” Zev recalled, "I was wondering what she wanted with you guys."

“She actually took us, along with Gault of all people, to her apartment where Natalia was waiting with Jonas.”

“Why him?” Zev’s brow furrowed.

“Because he knew a guy that could make a body double, it's another story altogether, but then they explained that Natalia dying wasn’t enough. There were too many powerful people after her that had access to all kinds of databases. Natalia couldn’t just make do with an new identity, she had to genetically become someone else and there was no way to alter her medical records without too many people knowing.”

“Makes sense, the more people that know, the greater the chance of the truth getting out,” Elara mused, “and all it would take was one wrong person finding out……”

“and the target would be right back on her.” Zev finished.

“You got it,” Jax nodded, “but believe me, Dek, Gault, and I were just as shocked as everyone else when they told us what they had planned for her. Jonas explained it was new and experimental technology, that wasn’t without risks, but apparently it had a higher success rate if DNA from a couple who had conceived children together. After Natalia told us her choice, I immediately called my parents and when they agreed, we set the rest in motion.”

“Everything that happened on Corellia was staged then?”

“Pretty much…..at least up until Axial Park,” Jax replied, “Dek’s little raid on Czerka was a last minute surprise, but he didn’t want to risk Mills getting away. Gault and Blizz brought the body double to Axial Park under stealth, I rigged an explosion in the tunnel. Bowdaar and Akaavi were patrolling while we were inside getting Dodonna. I let them know when we were coming out and Bowdaar gave our sniper a signal. The first shot fired was the queue for the switch. I told everyone to hit the floor as I unhooked the stealth generator from the body double, then Natalia stealthed and gave one hell of a scream as the other two shots were fired……I worried for a moment she really got hit!”

“That had to take some serious timing,” Zev acknowledged, impressed with both the coordination, “Not an easy thing to pull off, but it sounds like you guys managed alright.”

“Well Jax wasn’t supposed to get shot,” Risha smirked, “but that was his own fault.”

“I’m guessing your shooter had to be hidden at long range,” Zev surmised, “That couldn’t have been an easy shot to make. Who’d you get to do it?”

“Gault,” Jax snorted, “and Rish is right…….there might’ve been a little miscommunication on positioning.”

“So how did Natalia get off planet?” Elara wondered, “And how many people knew the truth?”

“Besides General Garza and Jonas, Dek’s crew all knew and I told Risha, Bowdaar, and Corso,” Jax replied, “I don’t trust Guss not to let something slip and Akaavi had made it clear that she goes her own way so I decided not to tell her. Natalia was travelling with Dek because they had to take her to Nar Shaddaa to meet Gault’s body double guy. Luckily it’s a fairly quick process…..”

“Even faster the more credits you’re willing to burn,” Risha added.

“It didn’t hurt that this guy had some transgressions he wanted off his record and that the SIS was willing to take care of that,” Jax shrugged. “After her staged death, Natalia returned to Dek’s ship where she stayed until after her memorial. She was actually there for it and Dek said it tore her up to see Aric grieving. She returned to Coruscant with Jonas and Garza on a private military shuttle and they immediately took her to the underground laboratory facility at the Military Complex. My parents were waiting there for her and the procedure was done that very same day.”

“It still sounds extremely risky,” Elara’s brow furrowed as she pondered the genetics of it all, “Is she a real Cathar now? A hybrid of sorts?”

“It was,” Jax nodded, “But she felt the risk was worth it since she’d be in hiding for the rest of her life otherwise. Genetically she’s a full blooded Cathar now whose DNA will be similar enough to mine, Syarra, and Sienna’s that she could easily pass as our cousin.”

“Fascinating,” Elara smiled, “I’d love to read up on it.”

“You’ll have to talk to General Garza about that,” Jax shrugged, “and it did take her some time to adjust.”

“I’ll say,” Sienna snickered, “She went through several shirts before she remembered to mind her claws.”

“Smells are still difficult for her to handle,” Sharon sighed, “The poor dear nearly got sick while we were out shopping a few days ago.”

“Yeah, but I can’t blame her……..that spacer had the worst BO!” Syarra wrinkled her nose, her azure eyes twinkling as they met her brother’s.

“Don’t look at me,” Jax rolled his eyes, “Not all spacers are like that. I have never gone out in public looking or smelling bad.”

“That’s true,” Zev grinned, “Dek and I were always waiting on Jax to be ready before hitting the cantinas.”

“He used to take longer than Sienna in the fresher before school,” Syarra giggled, ducking when Jax tried to swat her.

“Luckily Natasha likes to keep it simple,” Sienna nodded, “Grooming took some getting used to for her as well, but Mom and I found a shampoo for fur covered species that smelled similar to what she used as a Human.”

“All things considered, I’d say she’s adjusted well considering all the changes she’s dealing with,” Sharon told them.

“But boy was she ever shocked when her cycle hit a couple days ago,” Syarra grinned wickedly, her azure eyes twinkling as peered over at the doorway to the parlor the reunited couple had yet to emerge from, “But I’ll bet she’s gonna love it tonight! In fact, it seems pretty quiet in there…….they’re probably already getting started.”

“Syarra!” Sharon chided, “You saw that young man when he came in, he was absolutely devastated! I’m sure he’s still too overwhelmed by the fact she’s alive to even notice her cycle.”

“Right,” Jax snorted, “No way is a Cathar male going to miss the scent of a female on a cycle.”

“Sorry hon,” Jarrod looked sheepishly at his mate, “I have to agree with our son on this. I’d have to be unconscious not to notice when your cycle starts……and even then I’m sure I’d know it on some level.”

“See…….a hundred credits says they’re at least making out in there right now,” Jax grinned.

“I’ll take that bet,” Elara challenged, “I know for a fact Aric hasn’t been sleeping much and he’s beyond exhausted. I doubt he’d have enough energy for more than a simple kiss.”

“I gotta side with Elara on this,” Zev agreed, “Aric’s a bit private about his personal feelings, especially around people he doesn’t know, which is why he lied about not feeling well earlier. I could tell he was close to losing it and he didn’t want you all seeing him like that. I doubt he’d be getting too hot and heavy in there when anyone could walk in. Plus, Elara’s right, he hasn’t been sleeping much at all lately.”

“Maybe she took him to bed,” Syarra’s azure eyes sparkled with mischief as she snuck over to the doorway.

“She has better mannars than you, sis,” Sienna smirked, “I don’t think she would do that.”

“Speaking of mannars, don’t you dare spy on them young lady!” Sharon hissed at her daughter.

“I’m so sorry Aric,” Natasha repeated softly, grateful the others were leaving them alone in the parlor. She reached up to stroke the fine fur of his head as he held her tightly. His whole body shook and she felt awful for putting him through so much pain.

“You’re alive,” he whispered against her neck, almost afraid to believe it and for a moment he feared it was all a dream that reality could crush when he woke. “Oh Natalia……..please tell me this is real.”

His plea tugged at her and she pulled back enough to look up into those bright green eyes, “I promise you, this is real…….I’m alive, but I’m afraid you can’t call me Natalia anymore.”

“Natasha,” he nodded, a weak smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He cupped her cheek again, his thumb stroking the soft fur as his watery gaze took her in once again. “Natasha Roark……a Cathar.”

“You don’t mind it……do you?” she asked, her heart stopping at the thought she’d been mistaken about his feelings for her. “I-i-its such a huge difference from how you knew me just a few weeks ago and I know we haven’t been together for very long and never made any plans for........”

“You’re stunning,” Aric interrupted, instantly wanting to alleviate the worry and doubt creeping across that beautiful face. “You always have been……inside and out. My whole world came crashing down that day on Corellia,” he murmured, leaning forward to touch his forehead to hers as his eyes closed, trying to shut out the painful memories those words caused. “I thought I’d lost you forever without ever telling you how much I love you. But you’re here and the Gods have given me another chance. I love you, no matter what your name is or what species you are. Although I can’t deny that I’m glad you chose to become a Cathar, but I’m just floored that such a thing was even possible and that you’re really alive!”

“It was Jonas that found out about the technology……that very same day the safehouse was attacked and Robert was killed,” Natasha began as she pulled back. Then she grasped his hands and guided him over to the small sofa so they could sit. He looked exhausted and this was all a shock to him, but all she could see on that handsome face was relief and love. She squeezed his hands in gentle reassurance as she continued, “He’d been searching for a way to alter my medical records without anyone knowing about it when he came across some notes about experimental technology called Project SA. He didn’t have the clearance to view the files, so he went to someone who did……General Garza. They took me from the high security holding cell I was being kept in and under stealth, took me to meet with the scientists working on the project. Jonas told them he had an agent that needed to disappear completely and in order to achieve that, she would either need her medical records altered or somehow change her DNA. He explained that too many people would know if we went the medical record route. One of the lab tech recognized me and figured everything out. He’s the one who said it was possible to change my DNA and even my species so that any medical scan wouldn’t be able to detect who I really was. He warned us it was still in the experimental stages, but that they’d had some successful transformations. His partner explained that a recent breakthrough was responsible…….they found out that by using the DNA from a couple who’d successfully reproduced together to splice in with the subject’s DNA, the species change had an eighty-nine percent success rate.”

“That’s still pretty risky,” Aric frowned, his heart stopping at the thought.

“It was, but no more than the risk I’d be taking anytime I went outside. There were too many powerful people wanting me dead……that target on my back wasn’t going away while I was still alive. Therefore I needed to die before I changed species.”

“That whole thing…….in Axial Park was staged,” Aric prompted, unable to keep the catch out of his voice. Needing to touch her, to feel that she was real, he let go of one of her hands and ran his fingers through her thick caffa colored mane that was long and wavy just as her hair was as a Human.

“Pretty much,” Natasha confirmed, a pleasured sigh escaping her at his touch. “When I first started working Dek, Zev, and Jax’s case, I gathered all the intel I could on anyone they were associated with and I have all sorts of underground sources. One of these sources led me to figuring out that Gault Rennow was really a con man named Tyresius Lokai who was supposed to have been killed on Tatooine by the Great Hunt Champion. I dug deeper and found out he had a clone made…….one that was never alive, but kept frozen in carbonite until he decided to use it, which he did when Dek finally had him cornered on Tatooine. It had his exact DNA and any biological scan would show him as deceased.”

“So you had him get you a body double.”

“I left Coruscant the same day you did,” she replied, her voice becoming sultry as her sensitive body began to react to his exploring touches. “Dek took me to Nar Shaddaa and we convinced Gault’s man to put a rush on the job. Not to worry…….he was paid well for his silence and is keenly aware of how dangerous it would be to betray our confidence. It also didn’t hurt that Dekkyn is one scary looking guy when he puts effort into it.”

“Not someone I’d want to cross,” Aric agreed.

“Me either, but Mako insists he’s all fluff inside and he really is the sweetest thing with her,” Natasha nodded, having felt a little envious of the couple when she was unable to be with Aric. She squeezed his hand, her other resting on his knee as she continued her recount of her death, “It wasn’t until we were actually on Corellia that we planned my untimely demise. Axial Park was perfect since it was a large open space with many places for my so called killer to conceal himself.”

“Gault was the shooter, wasn’t he? There was footage……not many could’ve made those shots and I saw his work on Nar Shaddaa when we came after you.”

“He was. The first shot was our signal,” she paused, a smirk twitching her mouth, “and Jax wasn’t supposed to get shot. He told Gault to shoot to the left, but he meant his left.......Risha said he was grouchy over that for days.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Anyways, Jax managed to rip the stealth generator off of my body double just as I activated mine while everyone else was busy hitting the floor. I slipped out, tapping Jax on the shoulder to let him know I was going. Ten seconds later he set off a charge that blew part of the cave.”

“So he could bury your body double.”

“Figured it would be good to do as much damage as possible just in case there were any slight differences that could give everything away,” then she bowed her head. “I stuck around for a little while and was listening in when Dek and Jax called you. Neither of them wanted to do that you know, they hated lying about something that they knew would hurt you. Jax looked so guilt ridden when he broke the news and I wanted so badly to shout out that I wasn’t dead…….”

“But you couldn’t,” Aric finished. “You, Dek, Jax…….you did what you had to do and you’re now free to live a life without worrying about looking over your shoulder. I won’t lie to you, it was as if half my soul was ripped out and part of me wanted to die at that very moment. The following days were a blur. I couldn’t eat, everytime I slept, I dreamt of being with you, or of Jax telling me you were dead and watching that footage. I started drinking in hopes I’d pass out or to dull the pain. Gods I was so devastated……then later the guilt and anger came…….rage at the nameless person who shot you, anger at Jax for letting you come with him that day, and guilt and anger at myself…….”

“Why were you mad at yourself?” Natasha frowned as she looked up at him.

Aric let go of her and stood, pacing for a moment before turning to face her, “Because we’d fought……the last time I saw you, I was arguing with you.”

“Oh Aric,” she sighed as she stood, hating to see the guilt eating away at him for something he had no control over. She wrapping her arms around his neck and gently kissing him before resting her head on his chest, “You can’t blame yourself for that. How were you supposed to know? I understood why you were upset at me being there. I felt terrible for what I was going to be putting you through so I was a little more short tempered than I normal. That’s part of the reason I wrote that letter.......in case something went wrong and I couldn’t tell you in person how I felt.”

“Thank the Gods everything went as it should,” Aric murmured, brushing his mouth on the top of her head. “You're safe now and that's worth all the heartache I suffered these past few weeks. But I can’t imagine what it would feel like to wake up and be another species.”

“It was definitely an experience,” she snorted, a wry grin curving her lush mouth, “It took some time to adjust to all the changes. I was warmer than I used to be and was sweating under my usual blankets. I went to throw them off and ended up ripping them to shreds because I wasn’t used to having claws. I also ruined some of my favorite tops as well, but Jax’s mom…….err my Aunt Sharon now, took me shopping with Sienna and Syarra. Oh and then there’s the enhanced senses. I swear I can now hear a whisper across a room as clear as if the person is standing next to me……..and don’t get me started on smells.”

“Yeah, you’re probably not going to like perfumes as much now……and I’d avoid Taris if I were you.”

“I know,” she sighed in frustration, “I didn’t wear them often, but I loved my perfume collection…..or I did before they were overpowering. Sienna did find me a shampoo for fur that smells similar to the favorite one I used on my hair, so that was nice at least.”

“I love you so much Natal…..Natasha and I wish I could’ve been here to help,” Aric told her, gathering her even closer, happy she was in his arms again……his Lifemate. Then he decided to say the words out loud, “You are my Lifemate. I didn’t realize just how strong the bond was until I was told you were dead. Zev brought up a good point and I think he’s right……..I’m pretty sure the bond started forming back on Ord and I never realized it. Despite my penchant for being hard on new recruits and keeping my distance, I was drawn in by you just like everyone else. I had such a hard time getting past what happened to you that General Vander sent me off on mandatory leave and looking back I can see it was more than just guilt…….it was a small part of me missing the mate I wasn’t even aware of.”

“I can feel the bond now," she admitted, not ever wanting to let go of him, "and I love you too, Aric, I have since Ord Mantell.”

“And that makes me the luckiest man in the galaxy,” he smiled against her cheek. He was content just to simply hold her close, nuzzling against her neck, but then he heard the little growl of pleasure she gave and couldn’t resist the urge to take in her scent again. This time Aric didn’t miss the telltale musk that signaled a female on her cycle. He gave a low chuckle, letting his fangs tease the spot just under her ear before whispering hotly, “Now this is a change you’re going to really appreciate as soon as we’re alone.”

“Why wait?” Natasha purred, angling her head to give him better access.

“I’d hate to offend your new family.”

“Well they’re used to Jax and Syarra……”

“Point made,” Aric murmured against her mouth just before he claimed it with a searing kiss.

“I knew…..ah…..you’d see things…..ooooh……my way,” she finally managed a moment later when his mouth began trailing down her neck.

“I think we’d better go join the others before they decide to see what we’re up to,” he told her before capturing her mouth again, the heady knowledge that his mate was on her cycle making it difficult to resist the urge to peel off her clothing and make love to his mate right then and there.

“Do we have to?”

“Gods I wish we didn’t,” he groaned when he felt her hand snake under his shirt.

“Looks like Elara owes Jax some credits,” Syarra grinned as she turned back towards them. “There’s some serious kissing going on in the parlor! Trust me, Aric looks anything but tired……oh I’ll bet he’s really liking that……our sweet little Natasha is working her hand up his shirt. Hope she doesn’t forget about her claws again……”

“Isn’t your room right next to hers?” Jax smirked, “Have fun with that tonight!”

“Nope,” Syarra shook her head, “I got a call a few minutes before they arrived, they found one of the other Jedi Masters that fell to the Emperor when we assaulted his fortress. My ship’s feuling right now and I’ll be leaving Coruscant within the hour.”

“Oh Syarra,” their mother sighed with annoyance, “I promised the Krasuls you’d be coming with us to dinner.”

“Sorry Mom,” Syarra shrugged, looking anything but, “Duty calls so they’ll just have to try pawning their son off on me some other time……..like maybe never.”

“He’s a nice young man,” Sharon insisted, “and it wouldn’t kill you to consider settling down.”

Syarra gave a mock sigh, “Alas…..the Order frowns upon attachments.”

“Since when did you start becoming a model Jedi?” Jax snorted, wincing when she cuffed him in his bad shoulder. “Easy with that……it’s still sore dammit!”

“And who’s fault is that?!” Natasha smirked from the doorway.

“His,” Syarra teased, mussing her littermate’s mane when he scowled at her.

“Okay……so I karked up when giving the instructions,” Jax grumbled, “Can we let it go now?”

“Maybe,” Syarra shrugged, then a wicked grin lit up her face when she turned towards the couple who’d finally decided to join them. “Glad to see you guys came up for air. I was about to go suggest you two go get a room.”

“Thanks for giving us some time alone,” Natasha smiled, leaning her head on Aric’s shoulder.

“I apologize for my lack of manners……I was just so shocked when-“

“You have nothing to be sorry for Aric,” Sharon assured him, “It broke my heart to see how sad you looked and seeing the two of you together now just makes me all the more glad Jarrod and I were able to help.”

“I know I probably don’t need to say this, but you need to be cautious and take things slowly,” Jarrod began, then his azure eyes twinkled as he amended his statement, “at least in public.”

“We consider this wonderful young woman part of our family now, and you will always be welcome here,” Sharon continued. “However, I think as far as the public is concerned, I agree with my mate. I think a few more weeks of a mourning period would be appropriate considering most people probably didn’t know she was your mate, Aric.”

“I have no troubles stating that I counselled Aric to help him move past his loss, but that there was no sign that the lifemate bond had been formed for Agent Bryce,” Raul offered. “It is my job after all and Sienna will need to remain on Coruscant for another week at least so it would be plausible.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Sienna jumped up, “I have to finish packing…….your parents are watching the kits while we’re at the Krasul’s dinner party tonight and I said we’d be there in an hour!”

“Speaking of…..I need to get ready,” Sharon said as Raul followed Sienna out of the living room. She paused on her way out to look over her shoulder at her mate, “and you do as well, Jarrod. So don’t get too distracted by the HoloVid.”

“How about I come help you get dressed?” Jarrod suggested as he stood.

“Gross!” Syarra cried, glaring at her father as he hurried after her mother, “I totally didn’t need to hear that Dad!”

Zev was relieved to see the change in Aric, who still had his arm wrapped around Natasha’s waist, “I’m happy for you both and hopefully Garza doesn’t deploy us for a while. After all this, you two deserve a decent stretch of time together.”

“You should have a few hours of privacy tonight,” Jax added, “I booked four reservations at the dinner theater tonight…….Risha’s suggestion actually. We were hoping you and Elara would like to go, Zev.”

“Sounds good to me,” Zev agreed, “Elara?”

“I’d love to go!”

“Then it’s settled,” Jax grinned, “With us four at there, my parents, Sienna, and Raul at the Krasul’s party, and Syarra leaving shortly……that means the two of you will have the place to yourselves for several hours.”

“Plenty of time for Natasha to reap the benefits of being a Cathar female on her mating cycle,” Syarra winked at her new cousin. “In fact, I think I’ll go talk to EnFive and have him prepare a nice romantic dinner for two since you guys can’t go out just yet.”

“Your family has been so nice to me Jax,” Natasha wiped at a tear forming as Syarra left the room, “Taking me in, making me a real part of the family…….they didn’t have to do that. Growing up in that orphanage wasn’t bad by any means, but I always wanted a real family……parents, siblings, all of it. I just never expected it at this point of my life.”

“They wanted to do that for you,” Jax told her.

“Jax’s parents have always been like that,” Zev told her, “They always treated me and Dek like family. Anytime they were on Coruscant when we were at the Academy, they’d always have us over for dinner….and we spent more than one holiday here when we didn’t have enough leave time to go off planet.”

“You’re a Roark now,” Jax patted her shoulder, then a wicked gleam lit his eyes as they focused on Aric, “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up with a different last name in the near future.”

“I think Elara and I are going to head out,” Zev announced as he stood, “I doubt casual wear is acceptable for where we’re going.”

“Evening wear is required,” Jax confirmed as he glanced at his wrist chrono, “and you’ve got about two and a half hours to get ready. Risha and I can pick you up at the Military Complex and the four of us can head over to the theater together.”

“I’d better start getting ready now then,” Risha announced as she stood and Jax’s hot gaze remained fixed on the pretty brunette as she followed Zev and Elara out of the living room until he heard a snicker.

“Maybe you should go see if she needs some help,” Natasha suggested, a not so innocent tone to her voice.

“I think go do just that,” Jax grinned, “I’ll shut the door on my way out and I’ll even lock it…..just in case.”

“I do believe you said something about me enjoying a certain change once we were alone,” Natalia purred after the door shut, a seductive smile on her face as she slid into his lap, “How about a little preview?”

“Gladly,” he murmured as their mouths met.

The reunited couple picked up right where they left off, Aric wanting to explore every inch of his mate in her new form and Natalia’s cycle making her burn for his touch, but they held themselves in check despite the locked door. Unable to completely resist the pull, the lovers gave in as much as they dared and soft moans filled the room as hands found their way under clothing, seeking pleasure spots both new and known to get them by until they had the place completely to themselves. Before heading off to spend some quality time getting ready for the dinner theater with Risha, Jax had warned the rest of his family that he’d left Aric and Natasha alone in the living room. Wisely, the rest of the occupants in the apartment decided to avoid that area completely.

Evening was just beginning on Nar Shaddaa when four figures quietly entered a small, nondescript office and immediately saw a bald headed Human sitting at the desk in the back, his athletic frame hunched over as he studied the computer monitor in front of him.

“Calvin Hayes,” a deep voice called out from the group and the middle aged man looked up.

“Who wants to know?” his dark eyes narrowed at his visitors, noting the Republic Military patch on the sleeve of the tan Zabrak’s leatheris jacket.

“Dekkyn Varlok,” the scarlet skinned Zabrak replied, “I’m here about the bounty on Roland Zavala…...the one you put on him for the deaths of Chet and Kane Manson.”

“You got that back stabbing punk that killed my nephews?” a woman called out as she entered the room behind them.

“Roland Zavala didn’t kill them, ma’am,” Zev spoke up.

“This is my wife, Julia,” Calvin nodded at the woman, “and we were given a reliable tip that Roland turned on his partners and killed them in cold blood.”

“I’ll bet I know who that tip came from,” Mako muttered next to Dek.

“Mister and Missus Hayes, I’m sure that tip came from Edwin Bradley……you might have heard of him.”

“The Senator that was on the news a few weeks back, right?”

“That’s him,” Zev confirmed, “and if you were paying attention, you know he has his reasons for wanting Roland dead.”

“That doesn’t mean he was lying about Roland being responsible for my nephews’ deaths,” Julia contradicted.

“It doesn’t,” Dek conceded, “But I know for a fact that Roland didn’t kill Kane Manson because I did.” Dek paused for a brief moment to let his words sink in. His red rimmed jade eyes locked with the old couple as he went on, “Kane led a group of mercs into my hangar at Mezanti spaceport about fifteen minutes after I landed. They were disguised as a maintenance crew and brought two missiles into the hangar to blow up my ship, fully intending to kill everyone aboard before we even had a chance to leave the ship. Fortunately for us, we got a tip they were coming so we were ready for them. I gave them a chance to back down, but Kane attacked anyways.”

“We have the video feeds from the hangar that can prove it,” Mako added when Julia looked skeptical.

“I’d like to see it,” Calvin frowned.

“What about Chet?” Julia demanded, her eyes flashing as she glared at the towering Zabrak.

“Chet Manson was killed when he attacked a Republic Spec Forces ship in Dulcen spaceport the very same day,” Zev answered, “I’m Major Zevryn Varlok, commanding officer of Havoc Squad, and it was my ship Chet attacked. I wasn’t there when Chet and his people attacked, but three members of Havoc defended themselves and Chet was dead by the time I arrived on the scene.”

“Lieutenant Elara Dorne, Havoc Squad’s medic,” Elara spoke up, “and I was present when Mister Manson broke into the hangar and attacked our ship. Lieutenant Yuun and I ordered Chet and his men to stand down multiple times, but they refused. Our wardroid, M1-4X open fired when the group advanced. Chet Manson was struck in the first volley and by the time his men ceased fire, only two were alive. Chet was one of the deceased. If you require proof, as per mandate all video feeds from military vessels involved in any incidents are held by the division commander. For Special Forces, that is General Elin Garza.”

“Dammit,” Calvin swore softly, shaking his head in disgust, “I told those fools they were getting in over their heads by taking on that job for the Senator in the first place.”

“But we saw on the HoloNet that Roland gave evidence……he betrayed his company!” Julia insisted. “His actions would’ve landed my nephews in a cell for the rest of their lives.”

“Roland also led a group that day after Agent Natalia Bryce, but surrendered after finding out that his partners were already dead,” Dek informed her, “He admitted that he tried to talk his partners out of going through with the attacks and there’s proof of that as well.”

“Roland’s a good kid,” Calvin sighed, “and I had a hard time believing he’d killed Chet and Kane in cold blood. I always thought he wasn’t really cut out for the kinda work my nephews did, but my wife insisted we seek justice for their deaths. When that tip came through, it made sense given what we’d seen on the HoloNet.”

“Now you can see that tip was clearly inaccurate,” Mako nodded towards the monitor now playing the footage of Kane’s group attacking their hangar.

“No point in paying a bounty for an innocent man,” Calvin told his wife as he paused the video, the image of a beskar clad Dekkyn holding a rifle trained on Kane an intimidating sight.

“No there isn’t,” she sighed, unable to refute the brutal truth that her nephews were responsible for their own fate.

Seeing his wife’s acceptance, Chet brought up the contract he’d put out on Roland, “I’m taking it down now. Only five people had made inquiries on it anyways, all pretty green, and after getting the initial information, three turned it down. The missus and I can’t afford much so I’m guessing most pros didn’t want to risk going after someone under SIS protection for a small payout.”

“What about the other two?”

“One called me a few days later saying he changed his mind after one failed attempt that resulted in two members of his team getting injured…...kid wasn’t even there at that point. I’ll contact the other one personally and let her know the contract is no longer available. She really didn’t seem too keen on the bounty, but needed the credits.”

“We appreciate that,” Dek nodded, “As will Roland. He’s trying to start over and has a promising future ahead of him now.”

“You aren’t going to try and go after us, are you?” Mako’s doe eyes narrowed at the older man.

“Nah……can’t blame people for defending themselves and my nephews were stupid to go after you men in the first place. I always warned them to stay the hell away from Republic and Imperial Military and anyone with a lick of common sense knows not to mess with Mandalorians.”

“If you have any trouble with that girl who accepted the contract, contact me and I’ll handle it,” Dek told him, then gave the old man his contact information before they turned to leave.

“Glad we got that taken care of without any trouble,” Zev sighed as they left the office. While his cousin was used to dealing with bounty contracts, he wasn’t and had no idea what to expect. However, he’d insisted on coming along since he was responsible for one of the deaths Roland had been pegged for. Curious as to the other reasons Dek had chosen to remain on Nar Shaddaa after they dropped their prisoner off, Zev glanced over at him, “What about the other stuff you were looking into? Any luck tracking down those rogue members of Clan Varad?”

“I put some feelers out through a few discrete channels, but nothing’s turned up yet,” Dek answered with a shrug, having expected as much. “Jax is going to ask some of his connections while he’s at Port Nowhere. I may take a trip to Dromund Kaas and visit the Mandalorian Enclave……see if anyone there has a lead.”

“Sure that’s safe after what happened with Darth Tormen?”

“Should be,” Dek replied, “Tormen tried to force me into taking a job and Mandalorians don’t take blackmail threats lightly. His death was justifiable in their eyes and the Empire really doesn’t want to risk the shaky truce they have with us.”

“Still, just promise me you’ll watch your six cuz.”

“I will,” Dek promised, then turned to his cousin as they continued on down the walkway, “Hey, I meant to ask earlier…...how’s Aric doing now that he’s met Jax’s new cousin?”

“Much better,” Zev assured him, “I mean you saw him when we went to Alderaan…..”

“He looked terrible,” Dek nodded, “I could tell he’d lost weight and his eyes……I felt so bad for lying to him. Both me and Jax had a hard time not telling him the truth at that point. I came very close to fessing up more than once.”

“It was as if part of him died with her that day, but it returned when she did,” Zev replied, shaking his head in awe as he thought again of what Natalia had done. “Man I can’t believe you guys pulled that off…..and that she actually….you know,” Zev looked around, lowering his voice as he went on, “changed species! It’s probably good I didn’t know because I’m not sure I could’ve kept it from him.”

“You always did have a terrible poker face,” Dek snorted, then he cast his gaze downwards, “I don’t think I would’ve been able to keep it from him in your situation either.”

“It wasn’t easy seeing him like that,” Elara spoke up, “and I feared I’d have to declare him unfit for duty.”

“Not the case now though,” Zev amended, “He’s back in shape and his lack of sleep is for another reason entirely.”

“I take it they’ve managed to spend some time together.”

“I’ll say,” Zev grinned, chuckling when he spotted the pinched look on Elara’s face. “He’s been keeping Elara busy.”

“Oh?”

“Natasha keeps forgetting about her claws.”

“I’ve had to stitch him up several times over the past week,” Elara sighed.

“Yeah, but you’ve got to admit it’s better seeing him happy than where he was before,” Zev insisted as he wrapped his arm around the pretty blonde.

“It is,” Elara smiled, blushing a little when Zev leaned over to kiss her cheek, “and I’m truly happy for them both. I just hope our leave time doesnt end before they get to actually go out on a date.”

“They haven’t gone out yet?” Mako’s brow furrowed.

“They’re having to take things slow,” Zev explained, “Too many people saw how decimated Aric was over Natalia’s death. It would be pretty suspicious if suddenly he was dating another woman already. So he spends a lot of time over at Jax’s parents’ place and when he’s not there, he’s on the comlink with her.”

“Won't it seem odd that he's going to the Roark apartment when Jax isn't around?” Mako pointed out.

“That's been taken care of,” Zev replied. “Sienna is on Coruscant meeting with some other ambassadors and will be on planet for another week at least. Her mate Raul is a psychiatrist and anyone doing any digging will find out that Aric is seeing him for grief counseling.”

“That probably will help when they do start going out in public together,” Dek mused, “He's there working through his grief, she's there getting to know her new family…...of course they'd meet at some point. She’s so open and friendly that it's natural she'd see how sad he was and want to talk to him. They strike up a friendship and being both single…..it would be perfectly understandable that they would become attracted to one another at some point.”

“That ‘s a brilliant idea!” Elara exclaimed, squeezing Zev’s hand, “They still hadn't worked out what to tell people when they started officially going out. I'm going to call Aric when we get back to the sky palace.”

“They'll be happy that problem is solved,” Zev agreed, clapping his cousin on the shoulder as they strode towards the taxi station, “Good thinking, cuz!”

“Alright Big Guy, this is where we leave you. Try not to get into too much trouble, huh,” Mako smiled, leaning up on her tippy toes to brush Dekkyn’s lips with her own, only to be rendered breathless when he wrapped a thick arm around her waist to bring her in closer and kissed her quite thoroughly.

“Cyar’ika,” he murmured in her ear before they parted several moments later.

Grinning at his shy cousin’s uncharacteristically public display of affection, Zev took a leaf out of Dek’s book and by the time he and Elara parted, she had that dreamy look on her face he loved and Zev was sorely tempted to forget about his promise to Jax and get into the taxi with her instead.

“I really don’t feel like going over to the club,” Dek grumbled enviously as he watched Mako climb inside the taxi with Elara.

“Me either,” Zev agreed, “But without Ka’van, Wilks would never have made it out of there alive and his warning allowed Natalia to be prepared for that ambush. That night could’ve gone a lot worse had he not been there.”

“I know......but Jax is the one who promised him this night out.”

“And he asked us to come along,” Zev grunted as he gave his cousin a shove towards the next taxi, snickering as Dek gave in. “I think it’s his way of reassuring Risha he’ll behave.”

A half an hour later, the two Zabraks were striding towards a familiar pair waiting outside Nar Shaddaa’s premier gentlemen’s club. After exchanging greetings, the four men headed into the club.

“Hey,” the dusky pink Twi’lek greeting them with a warm smile, “Didn’t expect to see you guys come here anymore.”

“I promised my buddy Ka’van a visit here,” Jax gestured at the tall ginger haired Human standing next to him, “He’s the one who helped us get Wilks out of here without being seen and helped rescue Natalia when those men were after her.”

“I thought his face looked familiar,” Rose mused, then the smile faded and she bowed her head as tears threatened. “We miss her a lot. How’s Aric doing?”

“It was pretty tough on him,” Zev answered, having been prepared for any questions like that, “Our medic mandated he go to grief counseling, otherwise she wasn’t going to be able to clear him for duty. Luckily Jax’s brother in law does that for a living and happens to be on Coruscant right now. He agreed to see Aric for a few sessions while he’s there.”

“Is it helping?”

“I think so,” Zev nodded.

“Good. He seemed like a nice guy and I could tell Naula….err Natalia was totally gaga for him,” Rose smiled weakly, “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to bring everyone down. So, you guys here for a party or just hanging out for a bit?”

“I promised Ka’van an hour with a private dance,” Jax told her.

“Got anyone in mind?”

“There was this pretty Zeltron I saw the last time I was here,” Ka’van answered, “short white hair with pink streaks in it…..”

“That would be Jilli,” Rose nodded, then bent over her laptop, “I have to double check, but I think she’s here for another couple of hours…….yes she is. You guys can go on into room two. I’ll send in a waitress to get you set with drinks and Jilli will join you shortly.”

“Thanks Rose,” Jax smiled, handing her a generous credit chit as Dek, Zev, and Ka’van walked past.

“Oh you don’t have to….” Rose protested as the grey Cathar turned to follow his friends.

“But I want to,” Jax interrupted, “You and Jake didn’t know it at the time, but you helped us that night as well. Dek and I bought a place here and if there’s ever anything either of you needs, just call.”

A few minutes later, the foursome was seated comfortably around a small platform awaiting Jilli. When she returned with their drinks, the waitress had told them the popular dancer had just finished in another room and was changing costumes.

“How long you on leave for?” Ka’van addressed the tan skinned Zabrak seated across from him.

“I’m not sure really…….technically Havoc is on call at this point which is why me and Elara have to head back to Coruscant in the morning. We just came here to help Dek straighten out that bounty on Roland. I get the feeling we might end up getting sent to Ilum pretty soon though.”

“I heard that some fighting had broken out there,” Ka’van nodded.

“It’s not serious yet, but that can change quickly.”

“Indeed it can. So…..Jax says you guys dealt with Mills and Bradley,” Ka’van raised his glass in salute, “Congrats.”

“Thanks, Ka’van,” Zev raised his glass in return.

“I’m just thankful that Sith lord turned up when she did,” Dek admitted, “Mills might’ve gotten away if it hadn’t been for her.”

“Really? Who was she if you don’t mind me asking?” Ka’van raised a curious brow at the scarlet Zabrak.

“Lord Rhianna Zavala,” Dek answered, then he shook his head before raising his mug of ne’tra gal to take another swig, “Funny thing.......there was something familiar about her and damned if I still can’t put my finger on it.”

“Zavala?” Zev’s brow furrowed, “That’s not a common name……I wonder if she’s related to Roland?”

“Wayii! Gar serim!” Dek choked on his ale, clarifying a moment later after he stopped coughing. “That’s it! Her hair and eyes were the same color as his and she’s got to be close in age to him. She even mentioned being a slave as a child and asked about hiring me to locate someone in the future. She said it was a personal matter.”

“Roland escaped slavery from Tatooine,” Jax nodded, “Maybe we should ask if he has a sister or cousin when we let him know that bounty on him is gone.”

“I’m sure he’d want to know,” Zev agreed.

“I’ll give him a call when we get home if it’s not too late on Coruscant,” Dek volunteered.

“Speaking of your new home…..I can’t wait to see the sky palace,” Ka’van nodded as he leaned his tall frame back on the sofa, “How’s the construction coming along?”

“Fast,” Jax replied, taking a swig of his ale before going on, “The section where the bedrooms are all located is nearly finished……just in time too since Zev and Elara are staying with us. We’ve only got the one fresher right now, so that kinda sucks, but the other two are almost finished. The kitchen was fine…..only room that didn’t have any damage, so Dek’s been happy and keeping us well fed. I thought he was going to get all teary when he saw it.”

“I couldn’t help it. All the appliances are the latest top end technology…….and there’s tons of counter space. It even has a convection oven and a warming drawer!” Dek defended himself, looking sheepish.

“I don’t think I’ve seen my cousin that excited since they redid the library at the Military Academy,” Zev snickered.

“Maybe if you’d actually visited it, you’d know why……and you might’ve passed history class the first time around,” Dek shot back, “And so what if I like books?! It’s not a crime you know….”

“No, it’s not a crime,” Zev agreed, a wicked gleam in his jade eyes, “I just wished you would’ve hit the cantinas more with me, Jax, and Syarra, that’s all……but you liked books more than people so that library was your haven.”

“I went out sometimes,” Dek crossed his arms, shooting a smug look at his cousin, “and usually ended up dragging your sorry carcass back to the barraks because you were too drunk to walk in a straight line……or I’d be pulling Jax out of a fight because he hit on the wrong girl. So yeah, I usually enjoyed the library more than the cantinas.”

“He’s got a point, Zev” Jax grinned, “We did tend to find our share of trouble…….and Dek and Syarra had to intervene more than once. Plus, that was a really nice library at the Academy.”

“The only reason you went to the library was because one of your regular hookups worked there,” Zev accused with a snort before taking another drink.

“Oh she was a limber little thing,” Jax sighed, “I remember this one time I was helping her shelve some old texts……”

“I’m not sure I want to hear this,” Dek muttered into his mug.

“Anyways,” Jax wisely decided to change the subject before his book loving friend had a fit and started lecturing about appropriate respect for the delicate texts, “The main area for entertaining in our new place was the worst hit since the Hutt was having a party when the palace was attacked. I’m actually putting in a lavish bar and got a deal on a really sweet card table.”

“We’ll have to try it out,” Ka’van grinned.

“That we will,” Jax replied, “In fact, according to the contractor, it should be finished by the time I get back from Port Nowhere. If you’re still on planet, I’ll have a poker night.”

“That’s right, you’re leaving tomorrow too.”

“As soon as I get up and get the Lucky Fool ready,” Jax nodded, “I’m going to drop Zev and Elara off at Carrick on my way to the Port. I need to meet with all my contacts and that’s happening in three days. Plus Rish and I want to get some work done on our suite there since we’ll be staying there frequently. Darmas didn’t really do any repairs to the Port at all after that staged attack by the Voidwolf. Rogun’s already started making arrangements for the critical things, but I need to start outlining what else needs to be done. Biggest thing is to get the money coming back in, but that’ll take time since many of the shops took a lot of damage and a quarter of the docking bays aren’t functional right now.”

“Sounds like you have your work cut out for you,” Ka’van murmured as he grabbed the bottle of Corellian whiskey and poured some more into his rocks glass just as their entertainment entered the room and hopped up on the stage.

“Hello gentlemen….I’m Jilli,” the vixen greeted them. “and it’s a pleasure to dance for such a good looking bunch of men.”

The conversation stopped for a few minutes as they watched Jilli, even Dek and Zev caught themselves eying her seductive movements from time to time.

“There is a lot of work,” Jax told Ka’van when the first song ended, shaking his head and gesturing towards the leatheris clad Jedi when Jilli went to settle on his lap, “I’m tempted my dear, but it's all about Ka’van tonight. Anyway, I’m not going to stress too much over it. I still have a lot of credits from that hei…..err job I did a few months back so don’t need the income that badly right now. Plus I still plan to continue on as a Privateer for the time being……..but I need some downtime first.”

“Don’t we all,” Ka’van grinned as the beautiful Zeltron settled on his lap and started teasing her fingers through his long ginger locks, “But this is a good start.”

“Well sugar,” Jilli purred, her movements becoming more sensual and errotic, “My shift is over in about an hour and I’d be happy to give a handsome fella like yourself a good finish as well.”

“and I’d be happy to let you,” Ka’van grinned, then gave a groan as the sultry vixen’s mouth met his in a kiss that promised he’d be thoroughly enjoying his night.

An hour later, Ka’van left the club with the exotic beauty on his arm and Jax, Dek, and Zev were walking towards the taxi station when Jax’s comlink went off.

“Heya Jax,” Syarra greeted him when her image appeared.

“Hey yourself,” Jax smiled at his littermate, “What’s up? Things go alright with that Jedi Master?”

“We’re getting ready to take her back to Tython,” Syarra replied, “She’s still trying to come to terms with things, but I know first hand how difficult that will be….”

“If anyone can help her through it, it’s you,” Jax assured his littermate.

“I’ll do my best,” Syarra nodded, the a sly smile spread across her face, “Actually I’m going to need a little time away after I drop her off and I was wondering if I could come spend a few days at your new digs.”

Jax knew that what that look meant, “That time huh? Well I’m leaving in the morning for Port Nowhere and I’ll probably be gone for a couple weeks. Dek might be around…..Dek?”

“I don’t know. I’m leaving as soon as the construction is finished,” he shrugged, “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone……depends on what I can find out.”

“Sounds like you might be alone,” Jax warned his sister, “You sure you don’t want to just stay at the apartment on Coruscant?”

“That’s alright,” Syarra assured him, “I’d rather not go to Coruscant since the lovebirds there could use the privacy and trust me, I’ll be fine on my own for a few days.”

“Just give me a call when you’re headed to Nar Shaddaa,” Jax told her, “If Dek’s not around, I’ll give you the codes and make sure SeeFive knows you’re coming. I’ll try to get back as soon as I can…..”

“Eh,” Syarra shrugged, “Don’t rush on my account……I’m probably going to be spending a lot of time out those first few days. Nar Shaddaa is full of eligible men who don’t ask questions or make demands….”

“I figured as much and I really don’t need any details,” Jax snorted, “but if you have time after your hormones cool down, we can spend some time together.”

“Absolutely,” Syarra grinned, “I do plan to do some shopping on the Promenade while I’m there and you and Risha can take me out to dinner at one of those ritzy places.”

“You got it,” Jax agreed, happy that his littermate seemed to be back to her old self.

Always observant about people, Dek noticed the same and said as much, “Syarra sounds like she’s doing better.”

“Can’t keep her down for long,” Jax agreed, “and it helps that she’s working to bring her own brand of justice to the Emperor.”

“Knowing Syarra, he’s going to pay for what he did to her and those other Masters,” Zev nodded, “Hope she’s able to put that bastard down for good!”

“She will,” Jax replied, having every confidence his littermate would do just that. Then a wicked grin lit up his furred features as they passed by the bench they’d waited on while Corso was dealing their sick crewmate the night of Dek’s bachelor party. “You never know…..a lot can happen in a short time.”

“You got that right,” Zev snorted, recognizing where they were as well, “Just a little over two months ago you interrupted what was probably going to be an awesome kiss to tell me that we were being hunted. Less than a week after that, we were walking down this same path.”

“Not my fault you were dragging your feet,” Jax chuckled, “I honestly was surprised it took you that long to close the deal with her. Hell, even Dek was faster than you…..”

“Thanks a lot,” Dek grumbled, cuffing the grey Cathar on his broad shoulder as he was fishing a little black leatheris case out of his jacket, causing him to growl when he dropped it. Then memories of the last time they were walking towards this taxi station came popping back into his mind as well and his mouth twitched in a rare smile, “You guys ever find out what Guss drank that made him so sick?”

“We think it was just too much hard alcohol for his system,” Jax grunted as he bent down to retrieve his cigarra case, “Guss tends to like those frufru girly drinks and those usually aren’t that strong.”

“Unless Risha is making them,” Dek’s grin grew broader as he remembered how drunk Mako got after drinking one of Risha’s concoctions the other night. Then he turned to his cousin, still curious about something, “You know, speaking of that particular evening and closing deals……did you ever find out what really happened when Aric went back for his wallet?”

“Nope,” Zev shook his head, a wicked glint in his jade eyes, “Vik swears Aric had sex with her and Aric still denies it……but he can’t quite look anyone in the eye when he does either, so I’m not sure.”

“I know damn well he did more in that suite than looking for his wallet,” Jax muttered as he lit a cigarra, a smug look on his face. “Her scent was all over him…..”

“Duh,” Zev rolled his eyes, “You do remember that dance she did for him, right?”

“Not the sort of thing one forgets ********,” Jax shot back, flashing them a sly grin as he elaborated, “But her scent was a lot stronger and a little muskier than it had been after that dance.”

“Meaning?”

“I think Jax means Aric smelled like sex,” Zev explained to his baffled cousin

“Pretty much,” Jax confirmed, “So at the very least, they fooled around a bit.”

“Which is more than any of us did,” Zev chuckled, remembering how badly hung over he’d been the next morning.

“I don’t know cuz,” Dek shrugged, a teasing look on his face, “I heard you got into bed with Elara that night.”

“You know…..I still can’t remember doing that,” Zev looked sheepish.

“I never even made it to a bed,” Jax snorted, “I stumbled into the rec room and passed out on the couch. I get the feeling tonight might be different though.”

“It already is,” Dek nodded as they approached the taxi station, “The truth about Operation Landslide is finally out, our military records are clean again, Bradley and Mills are no longer a threat, Jax is now a big deal in the Underworld as well as a Privateer…”

“You dealt with Torman and are welcome in Republic space again,” Zev added, slinging an arm around his cousin’s shoulder, “and from what I’m seeing, you might need a real bachelor party pretty soon.”

“Maybe,” the taller Zabrak admitted shyly, “but I’d be happy with just a simple card night.”

“We can do simple,” Jax promised, “What about you Zev? You and Elara look pretty comfortable together….”

“We’re actually having a private meeting with General Garza when we get back,” Zev replied. “We’d be pushing at the boundaries of a couple regs by getting married and remaining in the same squad, but Elara might’ve found a loophole.”

“If there’s not one, I’d be willing to bet Garza would make one,” Jax told him, “She takes care of her people no matter what. Look at everything she did for us and for Natalia…….and we’re not even military anymore. Havoc is a well oiled machine at this point and she’s not going to risk that by letting Elara or you be removed.”

“I have to agree with Jax on that,” Dek nodded as an available taxi landed. He was about to bring up Risha, but wisely decided against it. Even though he got the feeling the pretty brunette wasn’t as keen on Dubrillion’s throne as she used to be, he figured it best if he kept it to himself for now and see what time would bring for his best friend.

The three men climbed into the taxi in comfortable silence a moment later, each thinking about the woman in his life. All of them content with the present and despite a war still going on, they were excited about what the future would bring.

Mando’a translations from Mandoa.org:

*cyar’ika = darling, sweetheart

*ne’tra gal = black ale - sweet, almost spicy black beer similar to milk stout

*Wayii! = Good Grief! “Good grief!” General exclamation of surprise, good or bad.

*gar serim = “Yes, you’re right.” or “That's it.”