@alaurin I always wonder about things like traditional art in such a technology driven society like star wars. I love the idea.

@bright Mama Savins might be my favorite minor character. I can imagine her dragging a giant boy by the ear. I also like that Vierce isn't a "perfect child" and not always the kind level headed brother. It's not surprising that Elara is more graceful about accepting an apology than Kirsk.

Poor Colran, interesting that he became a healer later.

Also, you are terrible. You made me agree with Quinn. Sobrik should burn.

@Euphrosyne Loved the grifter story. The best part of that grift is that if the target is honest he never gets caught in it.

@Lesaberisa I really love the idea of Game of Sith. Pia got off too easy, chocolate is serious business.

@marissalf Vector and Kinka are so sweet together. I'm glad they got a ceremony, he was so willing to accept that the life of an agent would never allow them one.

@Mrtwo Welcome back! The plot thickens. Riz seems like a lot of trouble, I wonder how much Couhun is willing to put up with. They're still an awesome "Odd Couple".

@Striges I love Jurial's philosophical analysis of everything. While I agree that Sith = Dark Side is far too simplistic it did make for nicer sounding prose.

While I'm glad Tharan got put in his place I ended up feeling bad for them both. I also wonder what favor he would have asked for.

@Lady-Jean Welcome to the thread. Is Maldecka a Knight or a Consular or something else entirely?

The beast had fed too long on the darkness of the nightmare lands and though it had escaped into the wild hills of Voss it was damaged and confused. It had tried to join another pride but it was weakened by exposure to the Dark Heart and attacked by the others for its twisted appearance. Now it hunted alone and stole food when it could not find prey. Its senses, twisted by dark side energy, allowed it to detect the presence of others making it especially elusive to Voss Commando patrols. Soon, there were legends of a ghostly beast that roamed at the edges of Voss Ka. Few ventured into its territory and those who did, did not return.

Lord Scourge peered down at the Jedi and scowled. This was a waste of time and time was running out. She had proven herself competent on Belsavis, though far too merciful, and now that mercy would be the end of them all.

“We are wasting time with this errand for the natives.” He said finally when they had walked for some distance in silence. “There is no ghostly monster preying on their folk and if there were they deserve their fate if they cannot take care of themselves.”

She held up her hand for silence, she pointed at her head then her heart and drew her lightsaber. He drew his understanding that she sensed something. Now he could sense it too, it was faint, alien yet familiar. Something large lunged out of the grass nearby and knocked him off his feet. He rolled with the beast losing his saber. He prepared to focus his energy to throw it off of him, knowing the Jedi would not want to risk injuring him. His hand had found the soft skin below its jaw and kept its enormous maw away from his face.

He could see why the Voss had not been able to slay the beast. Its skin had been transformed from fur to a dark leathery appearance that tricked the unwary hunter into looking away. Its eyes were red, corrupted by an unknown source. The familiarity he had sensed was its connection to the dark side. The creature looked at him as they struggled, it sensed his recognition and opened its jaws despite his efforts.

It mewled.

The sound was plaintive and lonely; its tongue snaked out and lapped at his cheek. The beast, he recognized as a corrupted nexu, backed away allowing him to stand. It sniffed the air and sat on its haunches. The Jedi approached his side cautiously handing him his lost lightsaber.

“Can we keep him?” Remi asked.

He ignited his lightsaber ready to finish their task and return to more important matters. The beast only watched him and made no move to escape. It had run alone for years keeping itself hidden from its enemies and others of its kind. The Jedi watched him too but made no move to stop him. He deactivated his saber. “We have no time to waste. You have found their 'creature of legend,' it is nothing more than a beast. The Voss may do with it what they will.” He backed away from the nexu until he was certain it would not follow or attack, then turned on his heel and strode back to the city.

“Would you really have taken him?” He asked after Remi explained the situation to the commandos that guarded the city. She had convinced them not to send more hunting parties, instead they would stay clear of its territory, persuaded by the idea that it could guard their borders from the gormack. He wondered if she would try to rehabilitate something so obviously bound to the darkness that there could be no separation without death.

“Why not?” She replied with a shrug and a grin, “I seem to pick up a lot of strays.”

I made up that Voss side quest, but I can't help but laugh at how frustrating it must be to the companions that you meet on any particular planet. You have to save the world from destruction but you keep running off to do menial jobs for every native, stranded soldier, lousy agent, sith or jedi you meet along the way.

Maldecka walked slowly along the hallway. She was on her way to her mandatory meditation time with Master Sellanni. It was the punishment for breaking into the kitchen. All things considered, Maldecka got off pretty light. Kally was offered a much steeper punishment. In the end she decided to leave the Jedi. Or her parents made her; Maldecka wasn't really sure.

Maldecka pulled her head up and tried to force the image of Kally's angry glare out of her mind. Now was the time to meditate. Master Sellanni was not happy with Maldecka's inability to go deeper than basic meditation.

Walking into the garden Maldecka was surprised to see Knight Zarro waiting for her.

"Master Sellanni had to meet with the council today. I hope you don't mind me taking her place today, Maldecka."

Maldecka felt a smile tug at her lips, "Not at all Knight Zarro. Though I'll warn you, Master Sellanni is pretty unhappy with my mediations."

Zarro grinned and knelt down for mediation, "I'll be the judge today kid. Let's get started."

Maldecka knelt and closed her eyes. She focused on slowing her breathing and reaching out to the force. It was so much easier to feel the force in the dojo; but this was mediation, not combatives.

As Maldecka sat more and more images of the kitchen raid and the last time she saw Kally rose in her mind. Kally blamed Maldecka for getting caught. Kally had to go before the council and then her parents came. Maldecka had run to say goodbye but Kally had just glared and glared and she was so angry....

Maldecka slammed back out of meditation, afraid to think about how that broken friendship made her feel.

"Maldecka, open your eyes." Zarro commanded.

Maldecka did and to her surprise found that Zarro was not meditating at all, but instead looking at her quite curiously.

"Maldecka, I could feel you emotions, you were projecting quite strongly. Why did you suddenly deny them?"

Maldecka looked down and fiddled with her hands, "Jedi don't feel emotion, they feel peace. I'm a Jedi."

Zarro placed his hand on Maldecka's shoulder, "Do you think I never feel emotion?"

Maldecka frowned, "Well, you’re a Jedi so..."

Zarro reached to his side and pulled forward his lightsaber, "Between you and me; I don't by it. We are emotional begins, having a connection to the force doesn't spare us that."

he held the lightsaber between them, "But, we can control our emotions, prevent them from controlling us. Do you know that all Cathar are part of a pride? Prides are much like your Zabrak warrior clans."

Maldecka instinctively traced the tattoo markings on her face.

Zarro grinned, "See, these claws on my lightsaber hilt are distinctive to the pride my parents were in. Because of that heritage I handle many emotions the Cathar way so that I may be a more effective Jedi."

Zarro placed his lightsaber back at his side, "Now, I know your afraid that feeling emotion makes you less of a jedi, but what did your Zabrak brothers teach you about fear?"

Maldecka, "To conquer it."

Zarro folded his arms across his chest, "And how does that apply to this situation?"

And so Maldecka talked. She brought all her jumbled feelings about Kally leaving to the surface and addressed them. She explained her frustration about meditation. And finally, she revealed that she was scared she would not be good enough to be a Jedi.

Zarro nodded along until Maldecka was done. Then he smiled sadly, "We can not help but form relationships with those around us. But there is great danger in letting those relationships get to strong. That is why I can count on one paw my friends."

Maldecka gasped, "But that's so few! Surely everyone wants to be your friend."

Zarro grinned, "That’s why I pick my friends carefully. If I became friends with the whole galaxy I wouldn't be a very good Jedi now, would I?"

Maldecka nodded in stunned silence.

Zarro rolled his shoulders casually, "Now, I think you understand why this little conversation should stay between the two of us."

Maldecka beamed at being trusted, "I understand completely, Knight Zarro."

Zarro reached out and ruffled Maldecka's hair, carefully avoiding her head spikes, "There's my fierce little sunbeam. I was wondering where you were hiding! I think I have an solution for your mediation problem; if you're willing to work hard."

If Master Sallanna yelled at Zarro the next day for teaching a five year old Kata Mediation, well, he would just reply that Maldecka was probably born with a sword in hand, why try to make her meditate without one?

Finally, Miriah thought, Devin is sleeping finally. She glanced over at her son, and had to smile. He was curled up with Lucky, their pet lynx. Lucky, who had been raised from a kit by Miriah and Corso, was lying flat on her belly, and Devin was draped across the big cat’s shoulders, his black hair blending with the darker stripes of the animal. Miriah crossed the room and gently scratched Lucky’s ear, getting a resounding purr and one half opened eye from her.

Miriah remembered very clearly the night she’d found Lucky and brought the injured kit home. Corso had put ointment on the claw marks a kath hound had left on her little body, fed her dropperfuls of warmed milk and she’d spent her first night as a pet in a basket lined with soft towels placed close to the bed. The baby lynx had imprinted on her human saviors and had been a constant companion to Miriah since. Even now, all sixty pounds of sleekly muscled cat would rather be at Miriah’s feet than anyplace she’d ever been. Lucky had taken to Devin as if the boy were her own kit, and, as Miriah watched them, curled protectively around the little boy. Miriah was glad for the company, since this was ronto calving season and Corso was out on the ranch until late, if he got back to the house at all. She sighed and took a cup of cocoa to the sofa, gently rubbing the bump that would be their second son.

They spend the rest of the day in typical fashion, Devin playing and running, Miriah keeping an eye on him, and Lucky guarding them, pouncing on shadows and never straying far from her humans. As dusk grew, and Devin got tired, Lucky stayed close to the little boy, gently pushing him closer to the house. Miriah got him fed and ready for bed, and he threw his arms around Lucky’s neck before going to sleep. Miriah went back into the kitchen, putting fresh food and water out for her pet. Lucky ate, savoring both the food and the gentle scratches her owner gave her. Miriah finally ate dinner herself, giving up on Corso having a meal with her. She sighed, and went into her own room, the big cat following her. She got into bed, and as was typical these days, immediately fell asleep.

Lucky jumped up on the foot of the bed and settled down, eyes closed but her ears twitching, taking inventory of the sounds that she expected to hear. She hadn’t moved a couple of hours later when Corso wearily made his way into the house. The lynx silently jumped down from the bed and went to greet him, rubbing against his legs as he walked through the house.

“Hey, Lucky,” he said softly, his hands gentle as he petted the big cat, who purred against him. “You’ve been keeping an eye on them, I know.” He went into the refresher to shower, and when he came out saw that Lucky had resumed her position on the foot of the bed. He crawled between the soft sheets, felt Miriah reach for him, and held her close. Lucky waited until they were settled then lifted her head to look at her humans. “Good girl,” Corso told her, and would have sworn the big cat winked at him before putting her head on her paws and joining the house in slumber.

“Is it dead?” a pale faced Mallay asked nervously, her smoking cannon at the ready.

Sergeant Jorgan looked down at the small, blackened patch of ground in front of him and snickered, “I think you disintegrated it, sir!”

“Are you sure?!”

Aric looked at the charred ground and called back in his usual acerbic tone, "Everything in a two foot radius has been obliterated, sir."

“Thank the stars!” she sighed in relief and secured her cannon on her back.

“Yes, Taris is now safe from that vicious, man-eater,” Aric snorted, shaking his head.

Mallay’s blue eyes narrowed, “You know, I could decide to abuse my authority over you and make you scrub the toilet with a tooth brush every day for the next month if you keep it up, buster.”

“It might be worth it, sir,” Aric retorted, a wicked gleam in his eye as he suddenly pointed, “Oh, is that another one?!”

Mallay let out a shriek as she scrabbled up onto Aric’s back, frantically looking around.

“Oh, my mistake….” Aric chuckled as Mallay got off of his back.

“Really not funny, Jorgan!”

“Oh, it really is!” Aric told her, “You charge into a throng of rakgouls, purposely trying to get bitten, yet a little…”

“It wasn’t that little,” Mallay muttered, embarrassed at having one of her fears exposed. “Speaking of being bitten, let’s get going a little faster, huh. I'm starting to feel kinda warm so I need to get to that medic station and have them start running their tests. Who knows what I'm going to feel like in the next hour or so.”

“Hey, I'm not the one who freaked out and had to stop to annihilate that poor little…”

“Come on, it wasn’t that little, was it?” Mallay asked, getting more embarrassed when she recalled her reaction. “I guess I didn’t get that good of a look….just wanted it dead before it got too close,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Mission accomplished, it never had a chance, sir!” Aric teased, shaking with laughter as Waypoint Station Draay finally came in their distant sight.

“Stars, I hate you!”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do,”

“Baby!”

“Turd!”

“sssssssssss,” Aric hissed quietly.

Mallay let out another squeal and climbed back up on Aric’s back before she realized it was him.

“Yup, totally hate you!” she muttered, a shiver running down her spine.

Mallay was terrified of all snakes, no matter what size they were, and didn't react well when encountering one as her squad mate now knew. She ignored his teasing laughter as he continued on to the outpost with her on his back. Since she was feeling quite tired and feverishly warm at that point, she decided to stay on where she was.

“Now you have to carry me to that droid, consider it your punishment for being a jerk,” she mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder, and in less than a minute, she was fast asleep.

Maldecka tried to keep from bouncing of the tips of her toes. Padawan Tekka had already asked her to stop once and Maldecka figured it was a bad idea to annoy the Twelik while he was piloting a ship. But it was so hard to stay still. It was a whole year after Master Alleth had offered Maldecka the chance to train with the Jedi. And now, today, on Maldecka's birthday, was Visitation day!

Master Alleth offered Maldecka an elegant smile as Tekka maneuvered them through the atmosphere.

"Maldecka," Alleth's smooth voice began, "You understand what this trip is for, correct?"

Maldecka stilled herself and looked Master Alleth in the eye, "Today I choose if I want to continue to train as a Jedi or if I want to rejoin my tribe. But it's also my Birthday. Will I be allowed to participate in the challenges? I'm six now, so it's a Challenge of Height!"

Master Alleth looked confused for a second before her face went back to being smooth, "A challenge? Do you not have a party with cake and gifts?"

Maldecka grinned, "If we survive our challenges then we get to sit at the chiefs table and eat as many sugar canes as we want! We also get to keep the item that we retrieve during the challenge. So, may I participate?"

The ship bumped slightly as Tekka landed on the surface.

Master Alleth stood gracefully, "I see no harm. Come Maldecka. Padawan, secure the ship and then enjoy the day as you wish."

As Master Alleth walked down the ramp Maldecka felt a spike of fear. Would her brothers remember her? Would they still like her?

Maldecka grinned as she swallowed those fears. These were her brothers, they were family.

Even as Maldecka walked down the ramp with new confidence as small thorn of fear remained. Would they still like her if she choses the Jedi?

Before she could think to address this fear Maldecka was swept up and tossed in the air.

"MALDECKA! YOU'RE HOME!" Maldecka had been tossed up by one of her brothers even as the rest crowded in. Master Alleth was to the side with a happy little smile on her face. The rest of the morning passed in sharing stories and getting caught up on the happenings of the tribe.

All to soon the bells of the village began to toll. Maldecka walked with confidence to the Chief as he stood before the village gates.

The Chief smiled down at Maldecka before turning to face the crowd, "Today one of us reaches a new age in her life. With that new age comes new challenges. But today is especially unique. For Young Maldecka must also choose her path in life! Weather to be a Warrior for the Sunset Tribe!"

A roar of cheers erupted from Maldecka's brothers and the rest of her tribe.

The Chief continued with less enthusiasm, "Or to follow the life of a Jedi!"

A single WOOO went up. Maldecka turned in surprise to see Padawan Tekka had joined them and was happily cheering Maldecka to join the Jedi.

The Chief coughed to reclaim the crowds attention, "In honor of this choice your challenge has been slightly modified. A Jedi Knight came along a few days ago to offer a token for you to claim at the end of the challenge. We have placed the Jedi token and a token from the clan at the top of the Rainbow Tower. You will climb to the top and return with the token of your choice. If you return we will celebrate your decision at the feast!"

With that Maldecka and the Chief lead the way to the Rainbow tower. Maldecka's brothers and the Jedi guests would be able to observe from just behind the tribe elders. The rest had to be content with wherever they could stand.

As they walked Maldecka could hear Tekka talking with Master Alleth, "Master, what's so challenging about a Rainbow Tower?"

Alleth answered with uncertainty in her voice, "I do not know, but I am concerned."

Maldecka could hear their gasps as the crowd rounded the corner to reveal the Rainbow Tower. It an ancient seventy foot structure left from some empire long forgotten. It was now tucked into a canyon cove. It received its name from the sixty foot waterfall right beside it. The waterfall's mist cast beautiful rainbows over the entire structure. It also made every surface slick and slippery.

Master Alleth turned to the chief, "You expect her to climb that?"

The chief shrugged, "Normally this challenge is for eight year olds, but since Maldecka is force sensitive..."

Maldecka shrugged and tuned out the explanations. She could feel the force here and could see a window ledge about twenty feet up. Taking a deep breath Maldecka leapt.

Exhaling Maldecka felt her toes tough the window ledge as the force amplified her strength and lifted her. Staggering Maldecka tossed out a hand to regain her balance on the tower. Looking up she could see a second window on the right side of the tower. Between this window and that were several questionable foot holds, slick from the mist.

Maldecka grinned, knowing exactly what to do. Gathering the force to herself again Maldecka launched herself away from the tower at just such an angle that she was able to bounce off of a rock near the waterfall and leap toward the higher window. Or, she would have had her foot not slipped on the rocks. Maldecka scrabbled as she thumped against the tower just two feet short of her goal.

Finding a single hold, Maldecka hung, feeling sudden and solid fear of falling. Gritting her teeth Maldecka concentrated on the window ledge and the arm she hung from. With a yell she bent the force to strengthen that arm so she might launch herself the two feet she needed. Huffing, Maldecka pulled herself into the tower. Glancing outside she again realized just how high this tower was.

Maldecka turned from the window determinedly, knowing there would be time to face her fear when she stood at the top. The floor was rotten and steel beams crisscrossed the tower periodically. Maldecka frowned, debating if she had the mental strength for that many more force leaps. Then, to her delight, she spotted cables hanging down past the floor she stood on. Dancing past the rotten spots on the floor, Maldecka happily grabbed onto a cable and began to shimmy up to the top.

Getting on to the roof was simple enough. Once she was firmly planted on top, feet wide to keep her balance, Maldecka looked around. It was the finest vista she had ever seen. The mountains to her back, the planes before her. And the sun, just beginning to set, painting the whole planet in shades of red and gold. Grinning Maldecka let out a shout of victory. Several Eagles screeched back as they passed by on their way to hunt.

Turning her back on the beauties of her planet Maldecka looked at the talismans. They both hung from the spire and it was very clear what represented who. The Tribe had placed a small sword, decorated with beads and claws. As a six year old, Maldecka would be starting sword training in the Tribe. The idea of finally having a weapon was appealing.

Tearing her eyes away from the sword, Maldecka saw the pendant. It hung from a leather cord and glinted in the light. Looking closer it was a silver colored symbol of the republic, circled in gold. Below it was a note.

Maldecka,

First off, Happy Birthday. Hard to believe we meet only a year ago. I wanted to give you this in person but the Force had other ideas. That's why I presented the idea of it being the token of your Birthday challenge to your Chief. No matter what path you choose today, I would like you to wear it and remember.

Keep on shining Sunbeam

Knight Zarro

PS. Don't you dare try to jump straight down, you'll break you legs.

Maldecka looked back up at the pendant, realizing now how much it shined and reflected sunlight everywhere.

Looking between the two tokens Maldecka knew where she belonged. As certainly as she knew she had two feet.

Master Alleth was having second thoughts about permitting Maldecka's participation in this ritual. Her padawan was gleefully teasing her about not respecting other cultures but both of their hearts stopped when Maldecka almost missed the second window. Now it had been some time, and they were uncertain as to where little Maldecka was in the tower.

Master Alleth smoothed out her expression. But her instincts to protect younglings cried out against such a dangerous birthday tradition.

"Master, Look!"

Alleth turned her eyes skyward just as Maldecka launched herself from the top of the tower. She was bouncing between the rocks beside the waterfall and the tower itself.

Finally Maldecka landed on the ground before the whole group, a massive smile on her face and a confidence in her stance. Everyone shielded their eyes as something on Madlecka's chest reflected the setting sun at them.

Maldecka's voice cried out, "I am Maldecka, Jedi of the Republic!"

Few things in the galaxy gave Lord Rissia pause — thrantas, sure, and the phrase “trust me” — but Malavai Quinn was never one to inspire trepidation. Until today. Following a Dark Council meeting in which she forced her husband to harm himself by way of a secret brainwashing program, she wasn’t in any hurry to go home. He wouldn’t understand any of it, despite the fact that it was his fault to begin with.

Twenty-seven years earlier, her world had come crumbling down on a lonely transponder station somewhere across the galaxy. She could still feel the chill in the air, smell the acrid stench of burnt flesh from a glancing wound. She could still hear his voice telling her he was choosing her greatest enemy over her. Over their love and their future. That cold, humorless voice that haunted her every time she closed her eyes, every time she let her guard down.

She couldn’t be safe with him around, but she couldn’t let him go.

When she was six months pregnant, Rissia began searching for a solution to her little Quinn problem. Over the years, she’d met many interesting people. Most she only pretended to listen to, but some were remembered for what they might be able to do for her one day. Eckard Lokin was a young fixer working for Intelligence when Rissia met him on Dromund Kaas. He was a brilliant researcher — too good to be squandering his time with Intelligence, she thought — and the rare scientist Rissia didn’t want to Force choke after five minutes of conversation. She always got the impression that he was working more outside the bounds of Intelligence than the organization knew, and he was the first person that came to mind whenever some kind of unconventional solution was needed.

Castellan restraints, he’d called this particular solution. Inject a serum, apply a keyword and a person’s mind could be yours to do whatever you wished. With the promise of safety and peace of mind dangling in reach, Rissia snatched away her husband’s free will.

She sighed. He’d never understand.

Quinn was lying stiff on the settee when she got home. The lights were dim, and his body was still save for the shallow rise and fall of his chest. She hoped he was asleep; the day had been tiring enough without having to explain a decision from nearly three decades ago. Rissia quietly padded across the living quarters toward her bedroom, watching for waking movement from her husband. Perhaps he was sleeping off the horrors of the day after all.

“That word, what was that?”

Perhaps not. Quinn’s voice stopped her cold. He hadn’t moved from the settee. For the first time in decades, he was angry with her. It almost felt good to hear after the years of spineless graveling.

“Venigo is your keyword; it allows me to access the programming in your head. I chose it many years ago after...” She thought back on the memory, she was so young then. So wounded — something she vowed never to be again. Rissia cleared her throat, planting herself firmly in the present. “Venigo... it sounded like whimsical vengeance, and I liked the thought of that.”

He sat up slowly and folded his arms across his chest. “So that’s what you do then, at your Dark Council meetings? You dream up new ways to terrify and harm people?”

“If you’re awaiting some sort of apology, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.” She unclipped the light saber from her belt and left it on the end table. “I did something today to protect our daughter. I don’t regret it. I won’t ever regret it, because she gets to be alive.”

“What do you mean?”

A sad smile grew at Rissia’s lips. “She’s like us, Malavai. She excels in everything she does. And in her line of work, that excellence is either rewarded or punished depending upon who feels threatened on any given day. She does remarkable things, our daughter, and that put a target squarely on her back.”

“And you just gave them her free will like it’s nothing?”

Rissia felt a surge of rage building inside her. She had no patience for someone who would rather pout like a child than consider the rational arguments in front of him. “Don’t ever presume that you know what goes on in that place. You’ve been around Sith long enough to know what they’re capable of. If certain members of the Dark Council knew she was my child, they’d kill her just to spite me. I suspect some of them do know, and this was the only way to save her. When the alternative is death, one does what must be done. You’d have done the same.”

“And what of my situation, my lord?” Quinn was on his feet — full of anger now, practically spitting the words. He’d never dared to talk to his wife this way, and it had been decades since he’d called her “my lord” in private. “Was death on the line in that instance, too?”

“Yes,” she said softly, leaving him taken aback. “Whether it was yours or mine, I couldn’t know, but the Castellan restraints allowed me peace of mind that you could no longer give me. I couldn’t lose you, but I couldn’t trust you either. It was the only viable solution, short of outfitting you with a slave collar, and I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t have people knowing what you did.”

Quinn sat wearily on the couch, his head in his hands, regret from decades ago slumping his shoulders. “She won’t like this, Rissia. Kinka’s a strong-willed girl. She won’t accept—”

“Stars willing, she’ll never know. They’ll administer the serum under the guise of vaccinations and apply her keyword a few weeks later. She won’t know anything of it. And as long as she doesn’t threaten the Dark Council, it won’t make any difference in her life at all.”

He sighed, resigned to the fact that what’s done was done. “She’ll be safe,” he concluded, but it still sounded more like a question.

Rissia nodded. “She’ll be safe.”

Rissia becomes pregnant right before the “Quinncident” and starts to worry that he’ll try to betray her again after the twins are born. That’s why she goes looking for a way to neutralize him when she does.

The smoke was still steaming from the corpse of the dewback. I was still not entirely sure why Vette had suggested slaughtering the local wildlife for body parts, but I suspected she wished to vendor them to fund her Game of Sith habit. She has become entirely too bold since I foolishly let her talk me into removing her collar.

Something squeaked from behind the corpse, an organic sound of something still living where nothing should. I kicked over the body with my boot, revealing a small, squirming, dewback. It could not be more than a few weeks old. No matter, we could use another dessicated claw or worn fang, no doubt. I drew my lightsaber, activating it and swinging it behind me for the deathblow in one, efficient, movement.

The blade was at its apex when I felt Vette's eyes upon my back and felt a nearly imperceptible amount of disagreement from her through the Force. My arm lowered and hung slack against my side, my lightsaber now pointing nowhere in particular. I looked more closely at the mewling creature, trying to determine why Vette would be so concerned for its well-being and coming up with no answers.

She walked past me, with a confidence she had not had with the collar still on. Another unfortunate consequence of my weakness. Leaning down, she picked the beast up in her arms, making bizaare cooing noises towards it. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, exaggerating the expression as she brought it over to me.

"Look at the mean old Sith that wanted to kill you. Can you believe her?" It took me a moment to realize she was talking to the dewback and not me, only moments before she thrust the thing at me. In my surprise, I dropped my lightsaber and instinctively reached out my arms to hold it.

I looked down at the squirming mass of life-matter, and it looked to be gazing back up at me, even as it nuzzled against me. It squeaked again, then squirmed some more. It occurred to me that the dewback was not an entire waste of space and was, if one looked at it in just the right light, almost somewhat appealing to look at it. Not that I felt that way, of course. I gently pet the dewback on the head.

Vette was looking at me curiously, "What happened to the crazy Sith I've come to know and love?"

I stared back at her, with a look that promised death if my words were ignored.

"You will never speak of this. To anyone."

By the Force, it's cold.

Whoever had decided to settle anyone on Hoth must have been out of their mind, on that Kira and I had agreed from the moment we landed on the miserable world. The experience wasn't made any more enjoyable by our liaison from the local garrison, Fideltin Rusk, who seemed to have developed an insatiable thirst for calculating statistics in place of a personality.

"Hey there, Gorgeous. Want me to, em, warm you up?" Doc leered at me as he leaned against one of the heaters located throughout Aurek Base. "I can assure you, I've been professionally trained." He winked, sending my stomach into violent convulsions and putting my gag reflex on high alert.

"I need some fresh air," I managed to get out before sprinting for the exit. Kira followed close behind. I was moving so quickly that I almost ran right into one of the beasts outside, managing a spectacular faceplant as I lost my balance.

"You alright boss? Didn't realize you were so interested in the tauntauns." As she spoke, one of the animals made its way over to me and licked my face. The warmth of its tongue tickled, and I let out an involuntary giggle. "Or maybe it's the tauntauns that are interested in you."

One of the Republic soldiers helped me to my feet, chuckling to himself. Everyone seemed way too amused with it. Even the tauntaun that had been licking me had opened its mouth in a rough approximation of a smile, making some baying noises while it was at it. The trooper handed me some scraps of food. I placed them on my palm and cautiously extended my hand to the tauntaun. It seemed thrilled by the gift, licking my hand clean and then nuzzling it.

Well, I guess it's kind of cute.

I pet its head, then stroked the fur along its neck. It seemed to like it.

"What are these tauntauns doing on base, anyway?"

The trooper tossed some more scraps at the other tauntauns before replying. "Oh, we're training them to be used as cold weather mounts. If it works, they'll be a lot more reliable than electronic mounts in the worst weather conditions."

I tried, and failed, to hold back my laughter.

"Using one of these as a mount, who'd be crazy enough for that?"

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw!" I really let loose as my tauntaun rounded the last turn into the final straightaway. Vik was a full lap behind me, and Aric was still trying to get untangled from the spill he had taken right from the start. "Forza Tauntaun!"

You can take the farmboy off Ithaca, but you can't get the Ithaca out of the farmboy.

The only member of the garrison still mounted was trailing behind me by a good margin now, too. Forex seemed particularly pleased by this, from the "Havoc Squad!" I heard him repeating over and over.

I glanced over my shoulder at Elara. She seemed to be either grinning or grimacing behind the palm firmly planted over her face.

I decided it was a grin and spurred my tauntaun on.

“Daddy! I won I won!” Kirya ran up to Adoko and embraced him, the clear polyplast bag in her hand sloshing against his back between his lekku.

“Won what, Kirya?” he asked, patting her head.

“This!” she stepped back and thrust the water-filled bag up at his face. Huge bulbous eyes stared out at Adoko Bilali from above a wide mouth filled with rows and rows of needle teeth.

Adoko took a step back, “What is that thing?” he asked, startled.

Kirya beamed, clutching the bag full of rubbery body and teeth and tentacles to her chest, “It’s a squidling! I won it!”

“It’s hideous,” Adoko objected, “put it back,” he said. He looked over his youngest daughter’s head to his fourth wife Maathai, bringing up the rear with two of the younger boys, “What have you been doing?”

Kirya retreated to her mother’s saffron robes. Maathai wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “You asked me to keep the little ones busy on the midway. So I did.”

Odoko glared down at the squidling in its polyplast prison. It glared right back at him, twisting its silvery tentacles. “I did not tell you to buy them presents. Take it back.”

Kirya looked up at Maathai, eyes wide and pleading. Maathai rubbed her shoulder and smiled at Adoko, “I did not buy it for her. She won it. At the target shooting booth.

Horrified, Adoko sputtered, “The target shooting booth? You let her play the shooting game? That’s not a game for girls, Maathai.”

“The boys played too,” Maathai said with the smile that won Adoko years ago.

“That’s fine for the boys. Not the girls.”

“I don’t see why.” Kirya’s head followed the adults' conversation like a game of pong.

Adoko ground his teeth, “What did the boys win?”

“Nothing,” Maathai replied.

“I was the best shot!” Kirya burst in, “I hit all the targets even the mynocks and the little bitty kreetles and I won! I picked the squidling because Ace of Staves has one in a big carboy in his bedroom and he mixes drinks with the water so I--”

Adoko took a disapproving breath, “This again. Maathai, that program is too old for Kirya.”

“You also only allow one holonet terminal for the children,” Maathai said, “If Kirya is in the room while the older ones are watching Ace of Staves...” she trailed off with a shrug.

Adoko sighed. The squidling’s tentacles writhed behind its ugly face like repulsive, slimy, mutated lekku, “Were there other prizes she could claim instead?”

“No!” Kirya objected.

Maathai hugged her, “Yes, Adoko, there were other prizes.”

Adoko pulled on his tunic, “Then take it back and exchange it for something more,” he looked at the squidling and shuddered, “appropriate. Something for a girl.”

“No!” Kirya stomped her foot, “I won and I want this!”

Maathai sniffed, “I don’t think the booth operator will exchange her prize, dear.”

“I want this!” Kirya insisted.

“Kirya,” her father warned.

“Hush,” Maathai said, “The midway games do not offer refunds, Adoko.”

He glared at the creature squirming in the polyplast, “I don’t want a refund, I want to exchange it for a prize a girl should have. A giant toy bantha. Or a puffle if she has to have a pet. I will not have this horrible thing in my house,” he said, waving at the squidling. It followed his gesture with its enormous unblinking eyes. Its jaws opened and closed as it watched his movement.

“His name’s Toothy,” Kirya said.

Adoko stroked his young daughter’s head, “Kirya, you're too little for a pet and even if you weren't, this is not a pet for a girl.”

“I’ll take care of it! I promise!” Kirya tugged on Adoko’s hand, “I’ll keep it in our bedroom with a cover on the tank! You won’t have to see it! My sisters won’t either! You never go in our room anyway so you won’t even know it’s there! I’ll clean the tank and change the water and feed it and take care of it and everything. Please, daddy, let me keep him. I don’t want a puffle. They smell. And they’re messy.”

Adoko pulled out of her grasp, “Kirya, this beast is not a pet. Go with your mother and pick out something else.” He directed her into her mother’s arms, “Maathai, exchange it.”

Maathai nodded, “And if the booth operator will not take it back?”

Adoko stepped back, “Try.” he said.

Weeks later...

Adoko Bilali surveyed the carnage in the small pond and waterfall in their private stone garden. A sluggish, silvery tentacled creature stared back at him from the pool’s deepest point, right by the water intake. A single blue swimmeret from his last remaining ornamental crustacean stuck to the filter, restricting the flow.

Kirya, sitting on a flat stone by the dribbling waterfall, looked up at him, “I fed him, daddy. Every day. You can ask any mama. But I guess Toothy was still hungry.”

Adoko Bilali spun on the petrified gardener, “Build it a small pond. In the corner. Then get it out of this one,” he growled.

“Y-yes master,” the gardener whimpered.

July, 11 ATC - three days after the confirmation of the Wrath

Dromund Kaas

In the northeast corner of the Niral compound was an old courtyard of mossy stone, centered on a stone bier overgrown at the moment with creeping vines. It served one purpose in the Niral household; it was not often called for.

Ruth had nothing to burn here. She didn’t know where her father’s remains were. She had felt his death, she knew the hour; she had received Lord Draahg’s taunts, she knew the hand; but she did not and might never know the place.

Now, weeks later, after her great adversary’s death, she had the time to come here, to where the preparations would have been.

Colran Niral was gone. Her friend, her mentor, her father. She had agreed to keep a little distance from him when she set out from home. Foolish pride, that effort at independence. She should have stayed in close touch, should never have let him go off to challenge her enemies. If she had known his intent she wouldn’t have let him go alone. He had wisdom, yes, but she had the strength. She had the strength. If only she had been there to use it.

The words crept up on her, a name she hadn’t spoken except in private since she was old enough to learn the beginnings of caution. The name came unbidden now. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

Ruth had nothing to burn here. She turned away to attend to her work: there was blood to spill before nightfall. It wasn’t what she had wanted. It wasn’t what he had wanted for her, what he had taught. But she had no choice now. And anyway, she couldn’t disappoint a man who was already dead.

Even before I knew much about RP I wondered about adventurers. They always have to have their parents out of the way, it seems. Often the start of the adventure is the destruction of one’s home village. All this was just the occasional idle thought until I started writing for SWTOR; that’s when I really got to thinking about families. I imagine Baras was thorough in cutting his disfavored apprentice’s support base.

Placement in the timeline:

Part 1: Amidst SFC posts it comes after What If? with Wynston and before Confessions.

Part 2: Amidst SFC posts it comes after Allies and before…actually this here is the latest RMC-era piece. After that the SFC posts skip to Don’t Call Them Ruth-less, Wynston’s adventures.

June, 28 ATC – 17 years after the confirmation of the Wrath

The cult’s planetkiller weapon had been neutralized, and Ruth returned to the Prodigy Burst with her strange team: two Jedi, an ancient Wrath, a droid, a Chiss masquerading as human, herself, and the husband who had finally returned to her side.

She ate with them, discussing strategy and the further moves of the destroyers they had banded together to stop. Afterward she retired to the quarters she shared with Quinn. She tried not to let herself worry about everything that had happened since she joined these people.

Quinn seemed to divine, if not her thoughts, at least her emotion. “Is something troubling you?” he said as he sat on the edge of the bed.

With him she could speak freely. “Everyone on this ship is waiting for me to apologize,” she said. “For what I did as Wrath. All I did to make things safe for our son, all of it. Even Wynston, though he’s nice about it. Even Scourge, though that’s more about what he views as my inconsistency than anything. Everyone here expects me to apologize.” She sat beside him on the bed, angled to face him, and half smiled. “Except you.”

“Between us, if one of us was ever at fault, it wasn’t you.”

“Shh.” She touched a finger to his lips. “We’ve been over that enough.”

He caught her hand and laid it against his cheek, silent for a moment, gazing at her.

“This is better,” Ruth said thoughtfully. “I know this, what we’re doing now, is so much better. I’m glad I’m doing it. But I won’t crawl for them over my life before now.”

“You don’t owe them anything.”

“I know.” And she could ignore their disapproval. They all had bigger things to worry about. Bigger, and better.

Quinn was shifting a little to wrap an arm around her waist. The happiness of contact with him met with another happiness, bright and buoyant: the satisfaction of worthy work, the promise of the future. “We were heroes today,” she said.

“You were always a hero,” he told her.

He hadn’t been there. He couldn’t know. But as a variant of “I love you” she accepted it, and was glad.

The Castellan restraints, their application and use, is the major story arc in Agent Chapter 2. Because it’s a game, we never see the reasoning behind the choice other than what the Minister tells us. I like this look behind-the-scenes. It’s also a good look at how the Empire pushes otherwise good people to do some pretty bad things. In another environment, Rissia would never have touched that serum, or had reason to.

Maldecka didn't know what to do. All she had wanted to do was greet Knight Zarro when he returned from his mission so she could tell him about the Rainbow tower and thank him for the pendant. But then she had heard the chirping and discovered the baby bird sitting on the ground under the tree near the landing platform. A quick inspection uncovered that the nest was in the tree and the Mama bird was franticly jumping from branch to branch. Maldecka cupped her hands around the baby bird protectively.

She knew she couldn't jump, because she didn't want to hurt the baby bird with the sudden movement. She couldn't climb, because she couldn't hold the baby bird in one hand. Annoyed and stumped, Maldecka glared at the tree.

"That tree must hold the secrets of the Force, the way your looking at it Sunbeam."

Maldecka spun around, "Knight Zarro! You're back!"

Zarro set down his bag and dropped to one knee with his arms out, "As are you! Come give me a hug."

Maldecka almost did, but then she remembered her unexpected passenger, "I can't. I'm don't want to drop the baby bird."

Zarro looked bewildered for a second but soon took in the scene, "I see. Have you tried to place the baby in back in the nest?"

Maldecka felt like a failure as she explained why she hadn't managed it yet.

Zarro hid his smile behind a stern look, "What is a smart Jedi to do when they can not accomplish a task by themselves?"

Maldecka lit up, "Ask for help! Knight Zarro? Will you help me save this bird?" She held it out for Zarro's inspection.

Zarro bowed dramatically, "Of course. Hand it over."

Maldecka carefully passed the baby over, marveling at how Zarro could hold it in one paw. Zarro carefully scaled the tree with one hand holding the baby. As he got closer to the nest, the Mama bird panicked, thinking a cat was going to eat her chicks.

"What that... HEY! I'm helping you crazy....Ouch!" Zarro sunk his claws into the tree as the Mama Bird pecked at his fingers.

Gently, despite the best efforts of the Mama bird, Zarro placed the chick back in the nest. He then swept the force over it to remove any lingering scent from himself and Maldecka.

The Mama bird had enough and dove for Zarro's eyes. Startled Zarro fell ungracefully from the tree, thumping onto his back.

Maldecka giggled, "I thought Cathar always land on their feet!"

Zarro huffed and sat up, "Do I get that hug now?"

Maldecka wrapped her arms around Zarro's neck, "I'm glad you're home safe, Knight Zarro."

Zarro let the disturbing images of his mission fade from his mind as he returned the hug, "As am I, Sunbeam."

@Bright: Mama Stavins is a force to be reckoned with, indeed! I would love to see her forcing Kirsk to apologize.

@Mrtwo: Oo...I am hooked, I will have to look back and catch up with your other pieces. Oh, and

“Cripes, what did he do to you?” the bounty hunter asked in a stunned voice, forgetting her professionalism in her surprise.

@Lesaberisa: Oh, so sad for Veresia! HAHA Ami/Opympia, especially

"Not to mention the Jedi Code has a special exception for acting while enraged in such cases. I humbly beg your forgiveness, so we can watch the Game of Sith season finale in peace, without Scourge looking like he is sizing me up to be a trophy."

Elara hmphed, a sign even a drunken Aric could recognize. He fled with alarming speed, leaving me all alone, a nerf in the headlights.

and later on Hoth

"Using one of these as a mount, who'd be crazy enough for that?"

You can take the farmboy off Ithaca, but you can't get the Ithaca out of the farmboy.

@Stirges:

I exit to the corridor. I think it is unlikely we will play again, truly a shame. This is why deception hurts. The Doctor would not tell me the true reason he wished to play. Hoping to make him happy, I let him think I was new to the game. In the end, we both lost something more valuable than credits.

@Euphrosyne: Well done, from start to finish, that was a smoothly set up con. Loved the interaction with Aly and Jaesa at the end as well!

@sthrift: A family reunion would be certainly awkward with those two! I love it!!

@Lady-Jean: a very belated WELCOME!!!

Wow, Thank you for all the welcomes. I think I stumbled into the nicest little community on the site!

@Yoshi:

in my headcanon Aaran was out in the fields one day and saw a nerf giving birth. He helped her along and the baby was born safely. Years later, here's the baby returning the favor.

@Kabe: thank you for all of your work managing the index!!!

“Why not?” She replied with a shrug and a grin, “I seem to pick up a lot of strays.”

@Magdalane: awwww, I remember reading when Miriah found Lucky and I am glad to see her still around! I know many people, myself included, who have owned rescued pets and there truly is no greater thing that the love from a pet like that. Hope you feel better soon!!!

@Marissalf: Well done indeed! I like that choice in dealing with Quinn after....you know. I can't imagine how she felt knowing she was pregnant and not being able to part with or fully trust the father. I can't wait for more!

@Bright:

@alaurin There's a solidity to art on the page that sets it entirely apart from holopics as a way of keeping memories. It's sweet to see everything Bella has captured.

@Stirges: Corso and Aric are going to feel guilt over that one for a while. That was the worst possible person for that prank to backfire on.

alaurin: Oh, Jorgan's going to be paying for that prank, I bet. I do like seeing characters with genuine, understandable flaws. Like fear of snakes or spiders.

@Lesaberisa:

@ Alaurin: The shenanigans (sp?) always make me laugh. Not a good thing when I'm at work though I must admit that it's nice to have someone demonize poor C2-N2 even more than me. Also looking forward to seeing more sisterly/familial adventures

@kabe:

@alaurin I always wonder about things like traditional art in such a technology driven society like star wars. I love the idea.

@Marissalf:

This sounds exactly like me with spiders Mallay's reaction is totally justified.

Maldecka moved gently through the basic katas. Each kick and punch were slow and deliberate, practicing form instead of power and speed. Maldecka wanted each motion to be perfect, because she really wanted to impress Knight Zarro's friend. Zarro had mentioned that his friend was coming here after a long time away. Maldecka wasn't entirely sure why Zarro's friend had to spend so long away but she figured it was some sort of important mission.

Chambering her foot Maldecka felt the force flowing around her. As she began another kick Maldecka realized she had only felt the force like this once before. And that was when she was on the top of the Rainbow Tower. Marveling at feeling such Rightness again Maldecka continued into the final punch. Breathing deeply Maldecka brought her feet together and swept her arms down to her sides.

Rolling her shoulders like she's seen Zarro do, Maldecka prepared to start another form. Before she was through the first punch the gym door opened. Maldecka turned, startled to see a human Jedi standing in the door looking curiously at her.

Before Maldecka could greet him his expression turned to anger, "Bloody Hell."

Maldecka was speechless. The warriors in her clan swore all the time, but she had never heard a Jedi swear.

Suddenly the stranger strode angrily into the room looking around, "Zarro told you to be here didn't he." His tone assured Maldecka that she shouldn't answer.

Frustrated at the sudden fear growing inside her Maldecka decided to confront him anyway, "Knight Zarro did not tell me to be here. I reserved this room to practice by myself. Now either you can leave or I will!"

The stranger looked taken aback for a second before returning, "Why on earth would you need a practice room. Your what, five?"

Maldecka could feel how red her face was. But genuine anger at this man rose within her. "I am six. And I can practice alone if I so choose."

The force was doing flip-flops in the room, Maldecka felt like she was trying to swim upstream.

The stranger simply narrowed his eyes at her, a new wave of anger rolled off of him.

Maldecka decided to carry through on her threat and grabbed her stuff.

She tried to put all the insult and indignation into her voice as she could muster, "Good Day to you."

Storming from the room Maldecka was barely aware that she passed Knight Zarro in the hall.

"Maldecka? Oh no..."

She didn't see him run to the gym, nor did she hear the raised voices. All Maldecka could hear was the roar in her ears as her blood pumped. All she could feel was the force trying its best to push her back to the gym.

Maldecka narrowed her eyes. She would not obey. She did not want to spend one more second with that man! Maldecka determinedly walked forward, letting her feet lead when the force would not.

________________________

Knight Zarro found Maldecka on the roof sooner than she expected. Maldecka felt a spike of jealousy as Zarro scaled the walls in three effortless jumps. It had taken Maldecka ten jumps and one near miss.

Maldecka determinedly looked away and crossed her arms. Zarro ignored this and sat beside her anyway.

He let the silence sit between them for about five minutes, "Maldecka, what did you feel when Orgus entered the gym?"

Maldecka was shocked, "That man was Orgus Din? Your Friend?!"

Zarro continued to look our across the landscape, face carefully blank, "Please answer the question."

Maldecka looked at her knees, not wanting to anger two Jedi Knights in a row, "I felt the same way as I did when I chose the Jedi on the top of the rainbow tower. Like everything was right."

Zarro frowned slightly, "And after you two began to talk?"

Maldecka frowned too, "It was like swimming up stream, like I was fighting something."

And Uncomfortable silence settled between them.

Maldecka felt her eyes suddenly tear up, "I'm sorry I yelled at your friend. I didn't mean to be mean, or to ruin his homecoming."

Zarro snarled into the distance, "It was more of a visit anyway. And he hardly has an excuse, sleep deprived my..." Hearing a sniffle Zarro turned to see Maldecka valiantly trying not to cry.

"Ah, it's okay Sunbeam. Orgus was mad at me, not you. It was a misunderstanding that we cleared up."

Maldecka sniffed, "Then why are you still sad?"

She could physically feel Zarro tossing up force walls around himself, "Never you mind that."

Maldecka did mind, but if Zarro didn't want to talk about it then she would let it be. For now at least.

Zarro laughed lightly, "For what its worth, you'd like Orgus. He was just out of sorts."

Maldecka frowned,"So was I, I should apologize to him next time I see him."

Zarro ruffled Maldecka's hair, "Might be years Sunbeam. Depends on when he's ready to come home."

Maldecka nodded, and the two of them watched the sun set, both lost in thought.

Master Sellanni stormed through the hallway. It took a lot to drive her to such anger, and Zarro seemed to have a knack for it. It didn't help that the topic of their last discussion was the education of an initiate. Sellanni was not a fighter, she was an educator. Sellanni made peace with this a long time ago. But by the force, just because Maldecka was clearly meant to be a knight didn't mean she could ignore her other studies!

Sellanni sighed. That was unfair, Maldecka did try, it just wasn't enough. Sellanni's pace increased as she continued to walk away from the landing site. None of the normal methods for motivation had gotten through to Maldecka. Girl had a one track mind, if it didn't involve fighting or physical competition or exploration then she just didn't give it everything she had.

Sellanni let a scowl rise on her face. She had managed to corner Zarro on his way to another mission. Seemed he was always on missions now, must have annoyed a council member one to many times. The new combative instructor had been so impressed with Maldecka's skill, he had bumped her up to the higher class. Meanwhile Sellanni was considering holding Maldecka back due to reading challenges alone!

All Zarro had suggested was to make the information relevant; hide bits of the lesson around the grounds, make Maldecka work for it. Sellanni felt her gut twist at trying to out explore Maldecka. The girl seemed to delight in exploration; be it the roof, the sewers or even the woods around the grounds. Sellanni wasn't even sure she could get to the roof herself.

Sellanni felt the creeping burn of frustration. She couldn't let Maldecka be, because the child needed to learn and the current method wasn't working. She can't take the Knight's advice because she physically wouldn't be able to challenge Maldecka's exploration and jumping skills. Nor should she give Maldecka the impression that the world would adapt to her needs. No, Sellanni needed to find the compromise between the two extremes; the tradition course and the Maldecka specific course.

Sellanni stopped dead in the hall, her thoughts were running in circles and no solution was forth coming. She needed to calm down and get a grip on her emotions. Glancing around Sellanni made sure no initiates or council members had seen her so un-composed.

Assured by the empty hallway Sellanni set off for the library. Maldecka went to the roof to calm down, Sellanni went to books. Just another marked difference between the two of them it seemed.

Simply walking into the library calmed Sellanni. She grinned as she walked among the holocrons and datacubes, picking them up and reading summaries, noting which sound interesting and forming a mental list for future reading. Moving quietly along Sellanni found she had stumbled into the fiction section.

Admittedly it was a tiny part of the library, barely ten shelves. Why read made-up stories when the lives of real jedi are so much more interesting? Sellanni grinned to herself. She had spent a lot of time with these fiction stories during her training. There was just something satisfying about idealized heroes and neatly tied up plots that made the mess of real life more tolerable.

Letting her hand trail along the shelf Sellanni stumbled upon brilliance. Grabbing the first two books in a series she nearly skipped in joy to the checkout machine.

____________________________

Maldecka walked uncertainly through the halls, clutching a small booklet to her chest. Master Sellanni had give her a story, written in Maldecka's native language! It was about the adventures of Alderaan Solo, gentle lady and adventurer extraordinary. Aldy traveled the galaxy recovering lost artifacts...and she did it all with the help of her trusty manka cat Spike!

Problem was the story stopped as Aldy was dangling over a Rancor pit and the evil Hutt Gubbblee had a head start on reaching the Staff of the Ancients! Maldecka knew the story couldn't just stop like that so that's why she was going to see Master Sellanni.

Madlecka hesitated in front of Master Sellanni's office. They didn't exactly see eye to eye. Maldecka tried to pay attention and work hard in Master Sellanni's class, but it just wasn't as exciting a combatives.

Maldecka rolled her shoulders to reassure herself and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Maldecka stepped through and waited for Sellanni to look at her.

Sellanni set down the paper she had been grading, "How can I help you Maldecka?"

Maldecka held up the Booklet, "I was wondering...well...is there anymore? It's just Aldy's in danger and Spike is stuck in a net and Gubbblee's gonna win!"

Sellanni turned and opened a drawer, "Ah, I see, I did leave out half. Here you go Maldecka."

Maldecka eagerly took the second booklet, "Thank you Master Sellanni!"

Maldecka flipped to the first page. Sellanni watched carefully, hoping she had done the right thing.

"Master Sellanni?"

"Yes Maldecka?"

"This is in basic."

"Indeed it is Maldecka. Many things in the galaxy are."

Maldecka chewed her lip, "But...I don't read basic very well. You know that Master Sellanni."

Master Sellanni picked up a Zabrak to Basic dictionary and shooed Maldecka over to a couch, "We better fix that then. We can't leave Aldy hanging above rancors now."

Maldecka eagerly followed to the couch, and slowly began reading.

If Zarro landed from his next mission only to find himself regaled with the tales of Aldy, Spike and Gubblee...then find he can't find any record of these people in the archives … well it serves him right. It was his suggestion after all.

Zarro glared at Orgus, "That's two birthdays in a row I'm going to miss because of you."

Orgus returned the glare with his own. The effect was somewhat ruined when he began sneezing. The two of them were stuck in quarentine with a nasty little space bug they picked up in the wildest swamps of Taris. And, unfortunately, it was actually Orgus' fault Zarro had been drug into it.

Orgus finally stopped sneezing, "Yes, you've explained. I'm sorry. Its not like I wanted to break my arm chasing a sith fugitive."

Zarro stopped his pacing and looked at his friend. A broken arm was a gross understatement. Orgus wouldn't be in the field for months. And that's assuming nothing goes wrong with fixing all his tendons and muscles. Months that Orgus would be at the temple while Zarro was stuck in the field picking up the slack.

Orgus scratched an itch beneath his cast, "You're thinking too loud. I'm not going to steal your little padawan from you. I didn't know they'd send you when I asked for back up."

Zarro sneezed, "We've had this conversation. I had just wanted you to meet her. I didn't know …. I told you, Maldecka sensed it too."

Orgus sighed, tired of this fight, "I don't know what that was. And I've already apologized for thinking you were tying to set me up with another padawan. But we've been over this. I'm never taking another padawan. Besides, all the knights I've talked to assume your going to take her."

Zarro sniffed, "You can't fight destiny."

Orgus scoffed and then sneezed, "I don't believe in destiny."

The two of them let the silence settle between them.

Orgus laughed, "I always wondered when a woman would come between us. I never figured she'd be seven."

Zarro snorted, and then succumbed to full laughter. The two soon started sneezing, but the conversation was once again smooth and light between them.

Two weeks later and the doctors assured them that they only needed to spend another week in quarantine.

"What is this, the Jedi zoo?"

Orgus and Zarro both turned to the viewing window.

"Nettesh? Is that you? Allwa's padawan?" Zarro was shocked to see the young woman before them.

Nettesh grinned, "That's Knight Nettesh now. I had a delivery in the area, though I'd visit."

Orgus and Zarro crowded around the window, glad of the distraction.

Nettesh grinned stepping to the side, "I brought a friend too."

"Sunbeam! What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting you! Knight Nettesh said you were sick."

Zarro laughed as he knelt down to be eye level with Maldecka, "We're almost better now."

Orgus and Nettesh watched Zarro and Maldecka continue to talk.

Nettesh grinned at Orgus,"So sweet I'm getting a cavity. How are you holding up?"

Orgus shrugged, "At least Zarro and I know each other. Anyone else and I'd probably be a murderer after the first week in here."

Nettesh laughed, "Fair enough. So, you looking forward to some vacation back at the temple?"

Orgus scoffed, "The council got fed up after having Zarro underfoot for 15 months. They won't stand me for a week."

"Oh, they'll try to scare you off. But are diplomatic missions really better than teaching initiates while you heal up?" Nettesh turned as Maldecka scampered past, "Everything okay kid?"

Maldecka grinned back. She grabbed two sheets of paper from Nettesh's pack and quickly returned to the window. Eagerly she slapped the pages against the glass.

Maldecka grinned, "I made this for you in art class, Knight Zarro!" Timidly and much quieter, " I made one for you too Master Orgus."

Curious, both knights stepped closer to look at the drawings. They were drawn in crayon without much understanding of how limbs work.

Zarro's was what looked like Maldecka and Zarro standing on the roof of the temple with a bunch of stars above them. Judging from how Zarro's smile stretched even farther, Orgus figured it had some significance.

Orgus' drawing was of Maldecka and Orgus sparing in a room. Clearly the training gym where Orgus and Maldecka had a disastrous first meeting.

Maldecka was looking at Orgus, face as blank as a seven year old could manage, "I thought we could spar next time you're in the temple."

Orgus held back a smile, he could recognize a peace offering when he saw one. Kneeling down he put on a mock serious face, "I see you've got duel sabers. And in bright yellow too! You must be a fearsome warrior to master two lightsabers."

Maldecka giggled, all previous fear forgotten, "I haven't mastered them yet. They only let us work on basic lightsaber forms. But I will! And then I'll fight evil like Knight Zarro!"

Orgus blinked, surprised by the intensity of Maldecka's force signature as she spoke of the future so certainly. No wonder Zarro called her Sunbeam.

Laughing Orgus stood, "Force help the first Sith to cross you, Mal. You're going to burn them just by walking into the room!"

The four of them chatted away the afternoon. Eventually Nettesh and Maldecka left, assured that Orgus and Zarro weren’t dying and would be back to the temple in a week or so.

Later that night Orgus realized he felt better than he had in years. Like the galaxy wasn't spiraling into darkness. Startled, he realized it was hope. Maybe he had been away from the temple too long, if one initiate could make him feel hope again. Orgus grinned, he was going to enjoy this time at the temple. It was time to go home.

This happens at the same time of Uninvited Guests and it's Lilith's PoV

Lilith checked her rifle once more: the barrel, the sight, the energy pack, the recoil system, the frame. All had to be in peak condition.

“Are you going to take it apart again?” Kaliyo was standing next to the exit door and she had already unsheathed her blasters

“Just making sure” Lilith replied

“Come on, Agent, we've done this before. Blast a few droids, overload a core, get the hell out before it all goes boom.”

“Yes” she replied but judging by the look Lokin shot at her, she had failed to sound convincing. Something was bothering her and it was not the whole situation. Somehow, she had not yet learned to trust a Sith and, even though it was her sister, she felt like a stranger. Would she really stick to the plan or was she simply pretending?

The main door started to open taking her mind off her thoughts. 'This is it' she thought. The sound of metal clashing and buzzing of battle got Lilith’s attention. She quickly unlocked the main bay doors and was ready to dash down the access ramp but she was caught at the arm. She turned around to find Lokin holding her.

“Let me go” she said glaring at him while trying to break free but his grip was surprisingly steady. She was somewhat surprised to notice how strong it was.

“Let them deal with the droids. We must try to draw as little attention to us as possible.”

“And you just expect me to stay here and watch?”

“You would only get in the way, Agent. There’s three force users and a brute against a few security and maintenance droids. It’s not going to be a fair fight”

He was right and she knew it. She stood half-way down the ramp, watching the onslaught for a few moments before moving to the opposite side of the hangar where a series of maintenance shafts was waiting for her and her small team. Lokin was right behind her while Kaliyo lagged a bit behind, wanting to blast a few things but knowing it was not what had been planned.

So far, it had been really easy: the security droids had been overwhelmed by the initial assault and Lilith’s team had been able to sneak all the way to the main corridor. They would have to go through series of side tunnels and access the main power plant to upload a virus that would disrupt the normal functions of the cooling system which would lead to a shutdown of the coolant liquid pumps. This would cause the ship’s reactor to overheat and go into meltdown.

The option of a bomb had been scrapped from the start as it would have been too risky to carry a device powerful enough to inflict serious damage. Also, it would have required transportation which cannot be assured while fighting off any security.

Security which was severely missing, Lilith thought. This far, it seemed that her sister’s team had drawn much of the attention but to be completely unchallenged was not what she had expected. She carefully scanned every passageway they crossed but it was silent, save from the usual low humming coming from the ship, like a heartbeat, which confirmed that power was flowing through its systems.

“Too quiet”. Kaliyo broke the silence. She was covering the back and Lilith could see that she was nervous.

“Got an itchy finger, Kaliyo?” Lilith asked

“Come on Agent, you know I’m right”

She was right. It was not normal for such a high priority target to be left so defenceless. The whole situation was starting to smell. Badly.

Lokin had kept quiet so far and Lilith could not help but wonder as to what thoughts were going through his head. Keeper had said that he was no stranger to this sort of missions and, from what she had read from the sketchy Intelligence files, he seemed to have been a proper ghost, an agent that completed his missions without leaving any trace behind.

“Doc?” she asked

He glanced at her for a moment as they snuck through a maintenance corridor. “What is it?” he simply replied.

“Assessment?”

He raised an eyebrow and faced her “Agent, if you think that this whole thing is normal, you have not been paying attention”

Of course. There could not have been any other response from Lokin.

“Suggestions?”

“Simple. We keep going” he continued

“Great” interrupted Kaliyo “We just keep going when we’re obviously falling down a hole?”

“You never struck me as someone who backs away, Kaliyo” mused Lokin

“I don’t. I am actually looking forward to whatever we’re running into”

“Can we keep the noise level to a minimum?” asked Lilith

“Hey, he started it. Besides, not that there is anyone who can actually hear us. This ship’s dead.”

They kept moving quickly until they reached a set of double durasteel blast doors. These were very large and looked impervious to any damage. The lock mechanism was controlled from the other side and, from where they were standing, the only access was via a command console. Lokin moved quickly to it and started typing.

“Unless you have the command lines to open these doors, it could take a while before we are able to go through” said Lilith while moving closer.

“I do not plan to wait that long, Agent. Time is a luxury we do not have right now” he replied while he typed.

She felt uneasy as their current position was vulnerable: a large open space, not much cover and the only ways out were the corridor from where they had just come out and whatever was on the other side of the blast doors. And they were still closed. So, she followed her training: seeing some side ladders leading to the higher levels, she scanned for potential niches where to set up a vantage point. One good thing of capital ships, she thought, was that there were air vents, access shafts and maintenance trapdoors all over the place and she did not have to search for long before finding a good spot.

“Is this going to take long?” asked Kaliyo

“It’s going to take as much as it needs to take” replied a busy Lokin, without looking at her.

The Rattataki was about to come back with a sharp remark but she was distracted by a loud metallic noise as the doors started to part

“There” Lokin exclaimed

There was a rush of hot air as the two massive doors started to slide. Kaliyo moved closer to the opening followed by Lokin while Lilith, still perched on a higher level, waited for the doors to come to a complete stop before making her way down to join the others.

The room beyond was large enough to house one of the main reactors powering the ship. Large steel pipes ran parallel to the ceiling through a web of electric cables. Lilith looked around and she saw what they were here for: the main control consoles. She would have rushed for it but something else caught her attention: this was the heart of the ship and there were no defenses, no maintenance droids, no repair crews. Only the low humming of the reactor was giving some form of life to the stillness of the chamber.

“Let’s do what we came here for.” She told her team

“This is not normal” commented Lokin “If this is our intended target, there is an awful lack of security”

“Shouldn’t this be playing to our advantage?” commented Kaliyo

“No.” he replied dryily “Don’t you think that if this was truly the Maw, we would have been fighting for every inch we walked?” he paused “This is a set up and we need to leave. Now”

Lilith was surprised to hear him speak those words; he almost sounded worried.

“We knew this was some sort of trap Doc” she said “Why back up now?”

“Because I would have expected an ambush or some sort of resistance once we got here. But the total lack of response tells me that whoever controlled this ship, has no interest in it. Also, a ship mounting a super weapon would not be left just floating in space”

“So this is not the Maw.” Kaliyo readied her rifle “What is it then?”

The answer came but not from a voice Kaliyo recognized:

“Obvious statement: if this is not the ship you were meant to destroy, it must be another”

Lilith spun to the right. For her, instead, the voice was an all too familiar one and her eyes now noticed an all too familiar form. Some distance away, the polished metal frame of an HK assassin droid was observing her.

“Query: were you expecting someone else, Agent?”

She did not reply as a red dot appeared on the droid’s head.

Torian Cordera came stomping up the ramp to the ship. Dolstine Halyard came storming up close behind. “It’s not my fault!”

Torian turned on her. “You could have damned well given me warning!”

Mako leaned over the railing on the second deck and gaped as the two squared off on one another. “Hey!” She yelled as she charged down the ladder well and wedged her petite frame between the tall Mandalorian and the equally as tall bounty hunter. “What is going on here?”

Torian glared at Dolstine. “Well, tell her.”

“Oh for the love of…Torian, it was an accident. How was I to know?”

“I thought an accomplished bounty hunter would know how to handle the equipment she carries!”

Mako looked back and forth between the two. When looked back to Torian, she noticed he was holding a lump of something in one hand. She glanced at the blackened shriveled mess he held and tried to picture what it could have been. She puzzled at it while the other two continued to argue.

“Well I would have thought a Mandalorian would have known better than to get in front of an armed individual.” Dolstine shot back.

Mako’s brow furrowed as she studied the lump Torian still held.

“These WERE my best pair of boots.”

Mako’s eyes widened and she looked down at Torian’s feet. Both were red and blistered. Mako whirled on Dolstine. “What did you?” She yelled in near horror. She grabbed Torian by the arm and pulled him toward the med bay without waiting for Dolstine to respond.

“Ures adenn!” Dolstine declared in Mandalorian. “It’s just the tops of his feet.”

“Have you never heard of infection?” Mako shot back.

“Well, yeah.” Dolstine replied lamely. “It’s not my fault.” She stated again from the door of the med bay as Mako helped Torian up on one of the tables and started treating the burns. “He got in the way.”

Gualt looked over her shoulder with an amused look on his face. “I thought you were hunting reeks, not Mandalors.”

Dolstine elbowed the Devaronian hard enough to take his breath and make him bend at the waist. “Shut up Gault.” Dolstine moved into the bay and leaned against one of the cabinets. She watched as Mako treated the burns with Kolta and some other compound she didn’t recognize.

“Is he going to be OK?” She asked after a few minutes.

“He’ll be fine. How did this happen?”

Dolstine took a deep breath and looked at Torian. He met her gaze and shrugged his shoulders. “OK,” she finally started. “here’s what happened.”

“We’d tracked down a reek and had it cornered. It put up a pretty good fight and before it went down it charged me. The beast caught me with one of it’s horns as it went by. Knocked my gear for a loop. Torian took it down and we stood there a minute catching our breath.”

Torian spoke up then. “Well, that was mostly my fault. I thought I had the reek crippled. I guess I didn’t. “

Dolstine shook her head. “I think you did. I think it was that explosive dart I hit it in the *** with that made him turn on me. Anyway, like I said my gear was glitchy after the hit and so I started a diagnostic scan. And you know that the scan fires my flamethrower during the scan. I was looking at the scanner and put my left arm out and well, …..”

“I happened to be standing in the burn zone.” Torian finished for her.”

Dolstine looked sheepishly at the Mandalorian. “I’ll buy you a new pair of boots.”

The young smuggler checked her chrono. It was only 2235 ships time. She stepped over to her stateroom door and cracked it just enough to stick her head out. She looked to her left toward the crew common area. She listened hard but heard nothing but the sounds of a ship moving through real space. She smiled and turned to grab a bottle of Alderaanian wine she had been sampling. She giggled nervously as she slipped the hatch open and slid out into the corridor.

She was well on her way to being drunk. The wine was more potent than she had believed it would be. After two glasses she had admitted to herself that she cared for Corso Riggs way more than she wanted to. By glass three or four she was convinced she shared the love he had already professed to her. As she finished the bottle she had become brazen and had decided that no matter what, she was going to bed that young man this very night. She had slipped into a tight pair of shorts, a sheer top and nothing else.

She knew he would still be in the galley. He had cooked dinner that night and would still be cleaning up. For some reason he believed in hand washing every dish instead of the built in dishwasher. She eased up to the galley hatch and peeked in. His back was turned to the hatch so she was able to slip in without being seen. She quietly put the bottle and two glasses on the table and eased into a chair at the corner of the table. She eased her legs onto the table and leaned the chair back. She struck her sexiest come get me pose and waited to be noticed.

It didn’t take long. Corso straightened and slowly turned. His breath caught at the sight before him. He struggled to not drop the dish he was currently drying. His breathing shallowed and his mouth dried out worse than the Dune Sea. He swallowed hard once, then twice but couldn’t muster his voice to save his life.

“What’s wrong Corso? Womp rat got your tongue?”

“Something like that Captain.” Corso finally managed.

Altest Halyard smiled sweetly and reached for the bottle on the table. She stretched a leg forward and took the stem of one the glasses between two toes and brought the glass back to her hand. She filled the glass with the sweet vintage. “Drink?” she asked huskily.

Corso put the plate in hands on the counter and moved awkwardly toward the table. He took the glass and waited as she filled her glass. “What should we drink to Captain?”

“How about we drink to you calling me Altest? That would be nice for a start.”

“Altest, what should we drink to?”

Altest looked thoughtful for a minute then smiled. “How about nights to remember?”

Corso fought the urge to shoot the whole glass back in one gulp but took a healthy sip from the glass. He was trying hard not to stare at the vision before him. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. His heart was beating a klick an minute.

Altest peered over her wine glass at him. She was enjoying the effect he was having on him. “So Corso, I’m sure there’s something you’d like to ask me?” She was being easy she knew, but she wasn’t going to be THAT easy.

“Well Cap…uh Altest, there is something I want to know, if you wouldn’t mind my asking.”

“Anything Corso, you want to know, just ask.” She smiled a sweet innocent smile that made him almost melt. She slowly rubbed one leg with her other foot waiting for him to ask her back to her room. It didn’t matter if he didn’t ask, she’d drag him back to her room, tell him how she felt and, then, well there was that.

“How did someone as pretty as you become a smuggler?”

Her breath caught in her throat and her face fell. “You could ask me anything and you ask me, and tonight of all nights you ask me that?”

Corso knew he had chosen poorly. The look in her eye told him that. Now he did gulp the rest of the wine. He took a deep breath and started to speak, but now didn’t know what to say. Nothing could say now would be the right thing. He closed his eyes and let his head droop.

Altest removed her legs from the table and let her chair fall back to the floor. “I come in here,” she began softly, “dressed like ‘this’” she gestured at herself, “thinking, hoping that you would ask me back to my stateroom and you ask me that? Are you really a dense farmboy?”

She saw him flinch from the rebuke and was immediately sorry for. “Corso..”

“No, you’re almost right. I am dense about some things. I do know I want what you want, but Altest, I hardly know anything about you. I know you’re generous, courageous tough and smart. But you know more about my background than I know about yours. I’m sorry, but I need to know.”

Altest leaned forward and gulped the rest of the wine in her glass and poured her another. She gestured to Corso and he slid his glass across the table. She filled his glass and handed it back. She put her elbows on the table and held the glass up to her face. “OK” she said finally.

Altest had grown up on Corellia the fourth child of five and second oldest girl. It wasn’t easy with one brother who All-Corellia everything, a gorgeous older sister, one force sensitive older brother and a younger sister that everybody thought was so cute. Add the fact that dad was a CorSec district commander in Coronet City and mom was a force sensitive counselor and life at time was difficult.

Her older sister was a bit wild and rebellious. She was a constant irritation and embarrassment to her straight-laced father. Her mother tried to calm her down but she would not be restrained. At one point when Altest was fifteen, her father about lost it one evening when his eighteen year old daughter was brought home by one of his CorSec patrols. He had tried grounding the girl but that just pushed her to more heights of rebellion.

Her sister would slip out after the family was asleep and stay gone most of the night. At first, Altest had thought her sister was selling herself since she always had credits. She had decided to confront her sister about that and finally did. Her sister had taken her shopping one day and while they were enjoying a café at a local eatery, Altest had asked.

“Oh stars no, sis. I’m just running errands for one of the Twi’leks at one of the casinos.”

This went on for nearly two years. Her sister stayed under their father’s radar and Altest completed her studies and prepared for the entrance exams to enter the CorSec Academy. Her brothers had both left, the oldest to join the Republic Marine Corps and the other to the jedi academy on Tython.

Then one night her oldest sister came into her room and asked her if she wanted to earn some credits. It would be easy she said as all she needed was someone to go with her on that evenings errand. Altest didn’t think it was such a good idea, but the thought of having some extra money to burn would be nice. She agreed and they left later that evening.

They went to the casino where her sister’s boss “worked”. The twi’lek seemed nervous and didn’t really like the idea of her tagging along on the job. There was a heated discussion and the twi’lek almost didn’t let her go, but he said time was too short and he needed a case delivered. In the end Altest had been allowed to go along.

Altest didn’t see a problem with the whole thing. After all, they were supposed to deliver a case. She began to feel differently as they neared the drop point. All they were supposed to do they were told was meet a guy, give him the case, he would give them a case and to bring the case they retrieved back. The meeting place was in a warehouse near one of the ship yards.

Everything seemed to go alright at first. The man showed up with a case and the exchange seemed to be about to happen. Suddenly, the man said he decided that he’d just keep both cases and the twi’lek could hump the rest. Altest’s sister disagreed and the two argued for moment. Then three other men showed up. More words were exchanged. Altest tried to get her sister to back down, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Then one of the men pulled a blaster. Events seemed to slow to a crawl. Instinct took over and two daughters of a CorSec officer went to work. All the children Ricard Halyard had been taught self-defense since childhood and all five children could handle blasters with the best of the CorSec troops.

Altest had taken one down without realizing she had done it. A vibroknike slashed at her face but the man wielding it was off balance and didn’t know what he was doing in the first place. She took the wrist in front of her, turned it and drove the man’s fist toward his sternum just like in practice. Unlike practice however, the knife was real and it was there Altest took her first life. For a second she stood there staring into the lifeless eyes of the man she had just ended.

Her sister’s scream brought her back to the present. Her sister was on her knees holding the right side of her face. The man they had originally met stood over her, vibroknife in hand. He staggered back to one of the other two bodies on the floor and picked up a blaster. He walked back toward her sister and raised the weapon, intending to shoot her sister. She did the only thing she could do at the moment, she grabbed the nearest thing she could find and charged the man, hoping she could get there before he shot. She screamed in rage and got his attention. Her sister launched herself up, driving her shoulder into the man’s stomach. The blaster went off and her sister screamed again. Altest swung her make-shift weapon, which turned to a piece of durasteel conduit, and connected with the man’s face. He went down hard and she hit him three or more times or good measure.

She knelt next to her sister expecting the worst. Her sister moaned and half rolled to a sitting position. Altest could hear the CorSec speeders in the distance. Someone had heard the blaster fire no doubt and called it in.

“Bastard took my eye, didn’t he?”

Altest pulled her sister’s hand away from her face. A cut ran from her forehead to about two inches below her right eye. The ruined eye was still in place but the cut had split it nearly in two. She nodded her head and turned her attention to more pressing matters.

“Where else are you hurt?”

“He shot me in the back of the thigh.”

“OK Dolstine, we have got to get you out of here.”

“Help me up. And grab both of those cases.”

Altest didn’t think about it, she helped her sister to her feet then grabbed the two cases. She got her sister’s arm around her neck and wrapped an arm around her waist to help her move. They were only a minute or so ahead of the first CorSec patrol to arrive. Altest didn’t know what to do from there. She couldn’t take her sister home, nor could she take her to a hospital.

“Take me to the casino.” Dolstine instructed seeming to read Altest’s mind.

It was a struggle nearly all night to make it back to the casino. They had to dodge patrols and had to stay mostly in alleys and back streets. When they finally made it, the twi’lek was happy to see the case he had paid for, but not happy to see the girls especially in the shape they were in. He was even less happy with them explained what had happened and that the men they were sent to meet were dead. “Bad business” he said as he called a doctor friend that he knew.

Altest left Dolstine there grudgingly and made it back home before the sun was up. She slipped back in her room only to find her father sitting in a chair waiting for her. “He had come to expect that kind of thing from Dostine, but not her he explained. Then he laid out a crime scene that his men were investigating. Three dead and two in the hospital in critical condition. Before one of the suvivors lasped into unconsciousness he had said they were attacked by two girls.

All five were members of the Corona gang her farther told her, and deserved what they got. He had sighed heavily and looked at Altest. The blood on her clothes told him all he needed to know. He stood and walked to the door before stopping. “You have until I get home from work to be gone. Tell your sister the same thing. There is only so much I’m willing to do. I’ve done all I can for her. I’ll keep the investigation off the two of you till you are off world. Then I can’t say what will happen.”

With that he left and Altest was homeless. She did the only thing she could do. She cleaned herself up then packed what she could for herself and Dolstine and left. She went back to the casino and told her sister what had happened. The twi’lek gave them what was in the case and got them on the first ship to Nar Shadda.

There Dolstine got cybernetic implants to replace her eye and to enhance a few other senses. Dolstine naturally gravitated toward the same crowd she had been involved with on Corellia. Altest found this irritating since it was that behavior that got them in the whole mess to begin with. They argued one night and next morning, Dolstine had split what was left of the credits they had and left. Altest hired on a freighter who’s captain took a liking to the kid and taught her to fly. He also taught her the ins and outs of smuggling and she was surprised in herself that she was good at it. Her old captain had told her it was probably because she was cops kid.

“Anyway, I saved enough credits to buy The Razor Cat here and haven’t looked back to much.” Altest finished and took another drink from the bottle.

“What about your sister Dolstine?”

“Haven’t seen or heard from her since. She’s a bounty hunter now.”

“Your sister is THAT Dolstine Halyard?”

Altest nodded her head and stood. She stretched and then finished off the bottle. She turned headed for the corridor. Corso watched her walking away. “Altest, what about tonight?” he asked hesitantly.

“Corso, I came in here to for two things; to tell you I love you and to take you to bed.”

Corso brightened a bit. She actually admitted she loved him.

“I love you Corso, but now I’m not in the mood.

]

@Striges, I love that Maathai took Kirya's part. You never do know what they're going to do when you get them home, though...

Maathai is pretty liberal for a Twi’lek woman. Even a fourth wife.

Striges, Your story reminds me of many an ill-fated trip to the fair to win one of those tiny goldfish that never lives more than a few days after you bring it home. You can just imagine Adoko’s horrified face looking at the squidling. Also, “polyplast prison.” I like this phrase a lot.

Lady-Jean: I forgot that Orgus didn’t want another padawan. I think you’re handling Maldecka’s transition from youngling to knight padawan well. I liked that Orgus finally understood Zarro’s nickname for her, and that he chooses her because she gives him hope. We don’t often think about what the teacher gains from the teacher-student relationship.

Selentar: I enjoyed how the tone of this story was so different from Lilith’s. Sith Inquisitor: take the direct route in and kill everything along the way. Agent: sneak in quietly and worry when there’s no resistance. Also HK=win.

sthrift: Score one for equipment malfunction. Nice way to incorporate the BH recharge animation.

Corso knew he had chosen poorly.

Toothy’s tentacles poked up above the surface of his pond and his big eyes tracked Kirya’s every movement. She looked down at him, “I don’t have any food this time, Toothy,” she whispered. Toothy didn’t listen. He swam closer to the edge, mouth open and gaping at her, hoping for a treat.

Slim yellow hands gave Kirya a playful shove, “TAG!” the older girl yelled, “I found you! You’re it!”

Kirya jumped, “Aiee!” she squeaked, “Nasha! You scared me!”

“You should have been paying attention,” Nasha quipped, “you didn’t even try to run.”

“No fair. You snuck up on me,” Kirya countered.

“Too bad,” she said, “you always hide here when we play hide and seek, Kirya.”

“I do not!”

Nasha looked over Kirya’s shoulder to the small pond with its equally small waterfall, “He’s fat.”

Kirya turned. Toothy was rounder than before. Over the past several weeks his belly right before the tentacle mass had grown quite rotund. But he wasn’t fat. He was round. It meant he was happy. “He is not.”

“Yeah he is.” Nasha said, “He’s going to blow up.”

“He will not!” Kirya exclaimed.

“Will so!” Nasha teased, “Then you’re going to have to clean icky bits off everything,” she teased.

“He’s not going to blow up, Nasha! Take it back,” Kirya said.

Nasha looked down at her younger sister, “Ok, I take it back,” she said. The two girls watched Toothy for a moment. He stared right back at them, silvery tentacles begging. “He is fat, though,” Nasha insisted.

“Is not,” Kirya said.

Nasha looked at Toothy’s rounded body and glistening tentacles. “Hey, wanna play Ace of Staves?” she asked.

“I get to be Ace!” both girls shouted in unison.

“I do, I’m older,” Nasha said.

“I do, I have a squidling!” Kirya replied.

"My mom's senior wife," Nasha countered.

"So what?" Kirya said.

Nasha considered her position. “First one to the front garden gets to be Ace!” she yelled and took off at a run.

“No fair!” Kirya shouted after her, close on her heels.

Toothy watched the girls disappear, then went back to swimming around his little pond.

“Mama?” Kirya asked.

Maathai looked up from her needlework, “Yes, dear?”

“Is Toothy fat?” she asked.

Maathai set her project down, “Well, he is roundish, Kirya,” she admitted, “have you been feeding him more?”

“No!” Kirya said. She ran up to Maathai, “I feed him the same as always. A scoop of nidge worms every week.”

Maathai cocked an eyebrow, “Sure you’re not giving him an extra-big scoop?” she asked.

Kirya scuffed a foot on the ground, “No,” she said.

“I don’t know then, Kirya,” Maathai admitted, “the reiso moths were swarming the last few weeks. Maybe some fell in the pond and he’s been eating those or the grubs."

"Maybe," Kirya said, unconvinced.

Maathai held out her arms, "Come here, Kirya," she said. Kirya fell into her mother's soft embrace. Maathai stroked her daughter's lekku, "Is he swimming like normal?"

"Yes. He's moving the rocks around in the pool and making a pile by the waterfall. Mama Nellie says he's redecorating, but I think she was being silly," Kirya said.

"Probably. How about eating? He comes for the nidge worms?" Maathai asked.

"Always." Kirya answered.

"Does he still follow you when you get close to the pond?"

"Yes. He touches me with his tentacles when I put my fingers in the water, even though daddy told me not to," Kirya admitted.

Maathai couldn't help but smile, and was glad her daughter couldn't see. Kirya didn’t need any encouragement. "Your daddy worries that Toothy will bite you and hurt you, Kirya. He has a point, you know."

Kirya looked up at her mother's gentle face, "Toothy wouldn't hurt me, mama."

"He might not mean to, Honey, but he's like daddy's blue lobsters. They're for looking at, not playing with. They're not really pets," Maathai said. "I'm not quite sure what Toothy is, exactly. But if he's acting normal, he's probably fine. Just keep an eye on him."

"Okay."

Kirya burst into the parlor, “Mama!” she cried before even looking. Mama Nellie and Nasha looked away from the latest fashion holo at her panicked entrance. “What now?” the older Twi’lek woman said.

A frown crossed Kirya’s face before concern banished it, “Mama Nellie,” she cried, running up to the senior mama, “Something’s wrong with Toothy!”

“Ugly creature,” Mama Nellie muttered, “Has it died yet?”

“No!” Kirya cried, “He’s all bitey and mean and there’s something in the water with him! I don’t know what’s wrong, please come and see, Mama Nellie!”

Mama Nellie yawned, “Hideous little monster. I don’t want to see it.”

“Mama, please!” Kirya begged.

“Oh, very well,” Mama Nellie leaned on her elbow, “Cessa.” she ordered.

A pale blue serving girl, only a few years older than Kirya, turned from her cleaning and bowed before Nellie, “Yes, mistress?” she asked.

“Go see what’s wrong with Kirya’s beast,” she ordered and went back to her catalog.

Cessa went a paler blue but took up proper station in Kirya’s wake, “Yes, mistress,” she squeaked.

“Mama Nellie,” Kirya started. No use. Mama Nellie was absorbed in her fashion magazine. Crestfallen, Kirya traipsed back to the pool in the far corner, tucked in between the cavern wall and the high stone wall surrounding the property, hidden from view behind the lichen-row.

Toothy’s pool was still except for the ripples from the waterfall. As soon as Kirya got close, water splashed at her. Followed by a stream of water with remarkable aim. Toothy’s tentacles writhed at the water’s edge, flicking pebbles and small stones at her. Kirya stepped back, tears in her eyes. Toothy’s tentacles retreated beneath the surface. “Cessa, please go find my Mama.”

“Yes, mistress,” Cessa said with a bow.

She returned shortly, Maathai in tow. “What’s wrong, Kirya? Cessa said Toothy was spitting--Oh dear!” A jet of water shot from the pool, dousing Maathai. She backed away from the edge, gravel pelting her feet. Cessa shrieked and ran off down the slope. Maathai spotted Kirya, sitting on the ground not far away. Her eyes were puffy. Maathai rushed to her side, “Kirya, are you all right?”

Kirya sniffed and hugged her mother, “I’m fine. Something’s wrong with Toothy,” she sobbed.

“Oh, Kirya,” Maathai held her close, ignoring her wet gown, “Tell me what happened.”

“I came out to visit Toothy. He likes to touch my fingers, so I went up to the rock by the waterfall,” Kirya sniffed.

“Kirya, we talked about playing with Toothy,” Maathai said.

“I know, Mama, but he never bites me,” Kirya said, “he just comes up to me and touches my fingers for a while, then he goes back to swimming. He’s nice. He likes me. But today, he threw rocks at me and spat water. I couldn’t get close to him. I saw something else in the water but I don’t know it is. Please help, Mama.”

Maathai patted her distraught daughter’s shoulder, “Let me see if I can see him, okay? You stay here.”

“Okay,” Kirya said.

Maathai crawled toward the pool, hoping to stay low enough that Toothy wouldn’t notice her approach. She peered over a stone. Toothy swam back and forth beneath the waterfall. He’d arranged the rocks from the bottom around the spill, making a small hollow beneath the flowing water. A pale grey mass like slender fingers or sausages swayed in the current behind him. It seemed to be attached to an overhanging stone in the recess. Every few passes, he took time out of his patrol to caress it with his tentacles, carefully separating each soft strand.

“Do you see him, Mama?” Kirya called.

“Yes, I see him, Kirya,” Maathai answered, “The growth under the waterfall, is that new?”

“Yes!” Kirya agreed, “It wasn’t there yesterday when I fed Toothy. Something invaded the pond.”

“Maybe,” Maathai replied. She observed Toothy, watched his patrol, his attention to the strange new object in his pond. “Kirya, did Toothy eat his nidge worms yesterday?” she asked.

“Yes. He gobbled up the whole mass in one bite. He’s having a harder time getting to the edge of the pond now, so I put it farther out in the deeper part. He likes that.” Kirya said.

Maathai realized that Toothy’s circumference had returned to normal. She jerked upright, laughing. Toothy immediately swam to the edge closest to her and spat, dousing her with more water and pelting her with pebbles from the shore. Maathai held up her hands against the stream, “Okay, okay, I’m going Toothy, don’t worry,” she said, retreating to Kirya.

“What’s funny Mama?” Kirya asked, “is Toothy okay?”

Maathai wrapped a damp arm around her daughter, “Toothy’s fine, Kirya. Except he’s a she. The mass under the waterfall must be her eggs.”

“Toothy’s a girl?” Kirya asked.

“Yes,” Maathai giggled.

“So,” Kirya peered up at the rocks surrounding the pool, “will we have baby Toothys?”

“Probably not, Honey,” Maathai said, “there weren’t any boy Toothys in the pond with her.”

“Oh,” Kirya sounded disappointed, “but why is he--she mad at me now?”

“I don’t think she’s mad, Kirya. She’s protecting her eggs. Maybe on her homeworld there are lots of predators that would eat them, so her instinct is to scare everything away,” Maathai concluded.

“Even me?” Kirya asked.

“I don’t think she recognizes you right now, Kirya,” Maathai said, “All she sees is a big creature that wants to eat her eggs. That’s very brave of her, trying to scare away the monster and keep her nest safe.”

Kirya snickered at the thought of being a monster, “So, now what?”

“I think we should leave her alone for a few days,” Maathai said, “then you can come check on her and see if she’s calmed down a bit. Maybe her instinct is strongest when her eggs are new. I’ll look again and see if I can’t find some information on whatever she is.” Maathai stood and held out her hand to Kirya.

“Okay,” Kirya said, taking it. The pair retreated back to the house, leaving Toothy to her nursery.

Toothy accepted Kirya’s approach about a week after she laid her eggs, though she still sprayed everyone else. A month or so after she laid it, and despite her tireless care, the unfertilized egg mass began falling apart. The filter system removed all traces of the them, leaving the water fresh and clean. With the demise of her eggs, Toothy no longer protected her pool against all intruders.

Kirya sat with her feet in the pond. Toothy sidled up against her, twining and untwining her tentacles gently around Kirya’s little-girl legs and dangling fingers. She stroked the squidling’s tentacle. Her beautiful silvery skin had gone grey with white leprous patches and her sharp teeth had fallen out. Bright bony needles lay scattered among the rest of the debris to heavy for the filter to vacuum up.

Maathai came up the path, "Kirya, honey?" She called.

"I'm here, Mama," she answered.

Maathai eased herself down on the sand beside Kirya. "Toothy's almost gone, isn't she?" Kirya nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Why does she have to die? It's not fair." Kirya said.

Maathai sighed, "A lot of things in life aren't fair, Kirya. Toothy dying isn't one of them. It's how her body works. Saying it’s not fair is like saying it’s not fair that rocks are hard or water is wet. Fair has nothing to do with it."

Kirya stroked Toothy's sloughing skin, "Why, then? Twi'leks don't die after having babies."

"Toothy is not a Twi'lek," Maathai replied. Then, because even to her ears her statement sounded harsh, she continued, "Animals have different ways of making sure their children survive. Twi'leks like us have only a few children, but we care for them for a long time. Toothy is different. Her babies can take care of themselves. But her eggs can't. So she grew strong while getting ready to lay eggs, made a safe place for the eggs to grow, and spent the last of her life making sure they all hatched. You saw her. She didn't eat or sleep and made sure they were clean and getting fresh water all the time. That's how she takes care of her family."

"But Toothy's eggs didn't hatch," Kirya objected, "Why can't she live?"

Maathai carefully rearranged Kirya's lekku, "All the changes in her body already happened. It was time for her to lay eggs, so she laid eggs. Like the reiso moths. She didn’t understand they wouldn’t hatch. She took care of them because that’s what her instincts told her to do. She doesn’t understand enough to know she didn’t need to protect them. She’s all worn out. Even if she did eat, I don’t think it would help.”

Kirya’s eyes never left Toothy, “I wish Toothy could live forever,” she said, feeling the squidling’s gentle grip on her fingers.

“I know, sweetheart,” Maathai said. She stroked Kirya’s lekku again, “Do you want to stay with her a little longer?”

“Can I?” Kirya asked, finally tearing her gaze from her dying pet.

“Sure,” Maathai said, giving Kirya a little squeeze, “I’ll check back on you in a bit, okay?”

“Okay.”

Maathai squeezed her again then stood, brushing sand and pebbles from her skirt. She returned down the narrow path to the main house. Inside, she pulled up a holosite on her datapad. A guide to the fauna of Glee Anselm. She reread the entry on the species that most closely resembled Toothy:

“The freshwater kaplach is a common species, native to Glee Anselm’s swamps, now spread to other worlds. It is an exclusive carnivore and usually solitary. The sexes are difficult to tell apart, though generally the females of the species are larger than the males. Typical skin colors are brown or grey, sometimes with a silty sheen. Biologists are still debating whether the animal is most properly a cephalopod or a fish as it resembles both.

In the wild, kaplach are short lived, aggressive, and cannibalistic. Older kaplach often prey on larvae and smaller adults. In the breeding season, a female chooses a pool with a continual supply of fresh water and builds a nest. On Glee Anselm, males seek out receptive females with the seasonal floods, often by following the water’s course downstream. When she has found an acceptable male, the female glues clusters of eggs to the roof of her nest, as many as 100,000 in some species. Fertilization is external, and a female kills and eats her mate as soon as he has fertilized her eggs. But it is a last meal. The female will not eat again. She devotes the remainder of her life to caring for her egg cluster. A kaplach brooding eggs will not hesitate to attack any creature that comes near, no matter what the size. Larvae emerge in about four weeks depending on temperature and water flow. The hatchlings’ first meal is their devoted mother, who, having lost all her teeth in the last stage of her guardianship, makes no move against them. A larva molts to its adult form only three months after hatching, thereafter increasing in size until reaching the species maximum in another three months. Typical lifespan is one to three years.

Nautolans consider the creature a delicacy, and it is becoming so on other worlds as well, most notably Mon Calimari. Because of its fecundity and rapid growth it is often raised commercially. However these traits also lead it to becoming a pest in favorable environments.”

Maathai closed the article. She explained the basics of Toothy’s life cycle when Kirya discovered the egg cluster, glossing over the more gruesome parts. Maathai had no doubt Kirya would look it up for herself when she was older. She was too young and too inexperienced to see the mother’s sacrifice as anything but horrible. For now, Maathai wanted Kirya to remember Toothy as the prize she won at the fair shooting game, the squidling like the one her holonet hero owned, the pet she loved and took care of with as much devotion as Toothy cared for her eggs. Let her be a child just a little longer.

Glee Anselm is the Nautolan homeworld, but squidlings/kaplachs are invented. I based their life cycle and behavior on the giant pacific octopus and some spider species.

Originally, Ryloth was a tidally-locked planet like our moon, with one side always facing its sun (the ‘Bright Lands’, if you read diplomacy mission descriptions) and the other always in shadow. The inhabitants lived below ground in cave networks. The Clone Wars TV show retconned Ryloth to have a more normal rotation and the people lived on the surface. However, I did not realize that when I imagined Kirya’s family, how and where they lived, and what their house was like. Hence I’m ignoring the retcon, since I get to describe with words and not expensive environmental animation I can’t reuse/copy from anywhere else. I think it makes for a more interesting planet anyway.