"Wit's End"
By: Yelara Neerou
Va'Lesh Zaneth
Meer'esh

Location: Yelara's apartment, New Plouton
Date: Vadris 17, 4 ABY

***

"Come on now, Leshie, you have to sleep."

"Dadoo! Da-doo!"

Whimpering miserably and fussing in her arms, Yelara envisioned another three toilsome hours spent in her chair trying to rock Leshie to sleep. All he had seemed to do the entire evening was grab at something unseen in the air and call for Liam. Yelara wondered if the child even noticed her.

The morning had been fine, with Leshie giggling and happily touring the city with Yelara, but as the day dragged on, her normally cheerful child plunged into despair at his father's absence. Liam had been right - their child could sense emotions and moods outside of normal perception, and he certainly detected that his father was not coming home that evening. Or ever. The dinner Yelara had made them was now nothing more than a frigid, congealed nest of noodles; Leshie had refused to touch his food and Yelara could hardly sneak in a bite herself while coaxing Leshie to eat. In the end, she left everything where it was and carried a kicking, screeching Leshie into the refresher for a bath.

Ordinarily a playful time for her child, Yelara discovered immediately Leshie would not be placated. Soaking wet from Leshie's furious splashing in the lukewarm water, Yelara only truly gave up when her child attempted to take a chunk from her hand. She could still make out the teeth marks.

Now nearly mid-morning and only three hours till she was due at work, Yelara's nerves were frayed, her patience worn thin, and Leshie was no less uncontrollable than he had been earlier. I should never have driven Liam out, she thought to herself grimly.

As if reading her mind, Leshie emitted an ear-shattering scream that ended with a crack as his tiny palm swatted her cheek. Yelara's mental reserve snapped, and in her rage she seized Leshie's arms and held him out before her as she rose. His cries intensified when Yelara began shaking him briskly and uncontrollably, shouting at the boy with tears spilling from her eyes. "Just stop it, Leshie! Just shut up! He's not coming back! Just shut the hells up!"

Leshie was red-faced and sucking in air convulsively by the time Yelara recovered enough sanity to comprehend what she was doing to her child. With a piercing, horrified wail, Yelara sagged to her knees and buried her face into Leshie's heaving chest. Her own bitter weeping joined his, and instead of nearly murdering her child, she clung to him tightly, lovingly.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "Oh, Leshie...I'm sorry for everything! Just...please...stop crying. For mama, please..."

"Dadoo," he whimpered plaintively.

"I know," Yelara breathed. "We'll...we'll try tomorrow, okay? Just...please, Leshie...you have to stop." She smothered his tear-stained cheeks with kisses and stroked his red hair. "Mama loves you...but she needs your help. You have to go to sleep."

Va'Lesh, still racked with choking sobs, nestled his face into the curve of Yelara's neck, and she did all she could to soothe her child. It was still another hour before he'd ceased whimpering and had fallen asleep; meanwhile, Yelara could no longer contain her own grief and wept stifled tears well into dawn, then full-daylight. By the time she was due to leave for work, Yelara was bleary-eyed, exhausted, and despondent. Instead of rising from the floor and disturbing Va'Lesh, Yelara pressed her face into Leshie's tiny shoulder to blot out the sun and found a fitful sleep.

***

The midday sun was slanting through Leshie's bedroom window when the gentle tones of Yelara's comm summoned her from what little uninterrupted slumber she had achieved. Leshie, however, appeared to have sunken into a far deeper sleep, judging from the drool that was soaking into the fabric covering her shoulder. The persistent chirping from her comm unit seemed not to bother the child, and Yelara was loath to shatter the hard-fought peace to answer a likely unimportant comm.

But as she kissed Leshie's forehead lightly, the first thought that came to mind was: "And if it's Liam?" Bracing herself for what might cause another screaming fit from Leshie, Yelara supported her child with one arm and used her other hand for balance and extra push as she unfolded herself from the ground. She paused long enough once upright to ensure Leshie wouldn't wake, then nestled him into the thick blankets of his crib before rushing off to answer her comm.

Still disoriented from just waking, Yelara stumbled through the living area, into the kitchen where she had last seen her unit. She snatched it up just as it was sounding its fifth chime. "Yelara here," she responded hastily, breathlessly. However, the face staring back at her with concern was not Liam's. Yelara sighed. "Meer'esh..."

"Yelara," he said in surprise. Around him was the clatter of china and lively conversation. The Zacacea Blossom certainly was bustling that afternoon. "Are you unwell? You are not here." His pale cheeks coloured slightly. "I have been missing you."

"I-I'm fine," she assured him, though certainly didn't feel it. "I...my son isn't well so...I just...I had to stay with him. I should have let Sejal know...." Yelara smiled tightly. "He'll have me fired for this, won't he?"

"No, he would not do such." Meer'esh's consoling smile shined through the comm device and infused Yelara with a touch of cheer. "I should come to you, Yelara. You are now grown as light of skin as I am."

Yelara frowned, but once his meaning was understood, she smiled wanly. "I'm pale. I-I imagine so. I'm very tired, Meer'esh. Leshie's been crying all night and...." Lowering her head and covering her eyes, Yelara made her best attempt at concealing freshly forming tears. "I'm sorry...I have to go," she whispered.

"Alright," he answered slowly and paused before adding, "I will be over in twenty minutes."

"What?" She looked up in surprise, exposing the tears dribbling down her cheeks. "Meer'esh...you can't just leave. You'll be fired!"

He chuckled with mirth, sparking a twinkle in his eye. "Why would I fire my own self, Ms. Neerou?" Yelara shook her head slowly in clear perplexity. Meer'esh recognized her expression and clarified, "The Zacacea Blossom, I own. I will not be firing myself, Yelara. You will be seeing me very soon." And giving her no room for protest, Meer'esh ended the transmission.

Yelara simply chuckled in disbelief after overcoming her initial shock. "So, Meer'esh," she muttered to herself, "what other secrets are you hiding from me?" She stared at the blank screen, imagining his visage there for some time until reality snapped back to hit her. Meer'esh was coming over...and she looked a disaster. With a gasp, Yelara dropped her comm onto the kitchen counter and dashed for her bedroom. Company was coming and she needed to look her best. She only hoped Leshie would cooperate and stay fast asleep.

***

Primped, but hardly preened and still sporting dark bags under her eyes, Yelara hastily smoothed back her unruly curls as she hurried to greet her guest. Even just hearing the chime sent a surge of excitement and anxiety through Yelara, and the tiniest flicker of hope that Liam might be standing on the other side. Something in her, some subconscious feeling, told Yelara he was instead far, far away. It didn't diminish her enthusiasm, however, neither did activating her door release and discovering Meer'esh on the other side. He smiled tentatively at her, his violet eyes searching hers with restrained concern.

She exhaled a sigh of wry laughter and stepped aside. "Come in," she told him. "That was pretty fast."

"Not nearly," he answered apologetically. "I should have been arrived sooner if you had told me earlier." The seriousness of his expression and tone convinced Yelara his sentiments were not empty or an attempt to seem charming. For whatever reason, Meer'esh had an emotional investment in her well-being, and vulnerable as she was now, Yelara was touched to near tears by it.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You're a good friend, Meer'esh."

He smiled down at her upturned face and stroked her cheek with the backs of his pale fingers. They were cold to the touch, but the gesture warmed Yelara until she was blushing. Swallowing hard, Yelara backed away clumsily. "Your...your coat," she managed with a nervous laugh. "Let me take it for you and then I'll get you something hot to drink."

Noting her discomfort, Meer'esh chuckled gently and proceeded to remove his longcoat. Beneath he still wore the long dark pants and white shirt of their uniform - one still spotted with caffe splatter and indicating Meer'esh truly had rushed straight from work to Yelara's aid. She wasn't certain yet if he was being intentionally endearing or naturally; either way, he had impressed her.

Avoiding his inherently alluring gaze, Yelara deposited his coat on the wallrack, then crossed his path as she started for the kitchen. She gave him a decidedly wide berth lest contact with him frazzle her again. "Have a seat, Meer'esh. Just...relax." Yelara smiled tightly through the kitchen's opening at him. "You came all this way.... You didn't have to, Meer'esh. Va'Lesh is asleep now. Everything's fine." And quickly she turned to the range before he could see the lie in her shaky smile.

"I did want to come, Yelara," he assured her in his soothing, lilting accent. "I am your friend. This is not what I should do for my friend?"

"It's always appreciated," she informed him, "but not an obligation. Leshie's father, on the other hand.... Abandoning me is one matter, but his own child?" With a quavering sigh, she set the pot of caffe on the range and watched the liquid intently to keep her emotions under tight control. "That bastard," she spat, failing in her efforts. "Does he think he's punishing me with this? Doesn't he see how this is hurting his own son? I-I can't just pick up where we left off! I know it's what he wants...but I can't! I don't...feel anything towards him, not now." Yelara sucked in a strangled breath, and when she released, every emotion bottled up within her - frustration, anger, grief, resentment, and most of all desolation - expelled itself in one heaving sob.

She braced the counter with her hands to support her buckling legs, but with each shuddering sob, Yelara sank lower and lower to the ground until she was nearly on her knees. Only Meer'esh's hands gently gripping her shoulders kept Yelara upright. And it was his sheltering embrace that offered Yelara solace. He gave no words of comfort, no caresses; there was only the steady rhythm of his chest rising and falling beneath her cheek, his one hand cradling her head while the other fit perfectly against the small of her back. Pale as death, Meer'esh radiated only soothing warmth where they touched, and as suddenly as Yelara's outburst of emotion had begun, it abated to nothing more than convulsive breaths and gentle whimpers.

She remained pressed to Meer'esh's solid, willowy frame, where she derived an inner peace she hadn't felt since her blow-up with Liam, or even her raising from the dead. And he had done nothing more than hold her, listen, and refrain from offering useless encouragement and sympathy. It was more than she could have asked for.

Cheeks streaked with drying tears and eyes swollen red, Yelara turned her face up towards Meer'esh's, their twin violet stares being exchanged. Both were silent, though Meer'esh pensively so, until Yelara raised her hand to his cheek and drew herself up onto her toes. The distance between their faces closed, but not entirely so as Meer'esh intuited Yelara's intentions through the softness of her gaze. He smiled disarmingly, which only spurred Yelara on, and delicately trapped her face between his gentle hands to stay her.

"I am not here for this, my lady of the raven hair," he told her in dulcet tones that appeased her soul further. Long, slender fingers threaded easily through her loose curls and Yelara leaned her head into the caress. Meer'esh chuckled softly. "You are...very wanting, Yelara. But I am a friend to you, and to the little child. There should not be more."

"I know," she sighed, but at the same time as her admission, Yelara was basking in the heat of his body penetrating her own as they remained in contact. She never realized how deprived she had been of the security and comfort simply being near another individual provided. It gave her brief insight into what Liam might be experiencing with the loss of his wife.

"I'm sorry, Meer'esh," Yelara told him finally, fully discouraged from her intended act by thought alone of Liam. Smiling faintly, she stepped back and pulled Meer'esh's hands down from her face to rest in her own. "I hope I haven't done anything too untoward. I do appreciate your friendship and wouldn't want to lose it suddenly."

"You will not," he assured her. "You are the single friend I do have on this strange planet. I would not be liking to give you up."

Yelara chuckled at his choice of words, and couldn't yet decide if he had selected them intentionally or if his knowledge of standard had again put a romantic twist on his statement. Grinning, Yelara answered flirtatiously, "And I'm not giving you up, either. Which is why" --she stepped away and motioned towards her living area-- "you're going to have a seat and I'm going to finish this caffe."

Meer'esh bowed his head in jesting obsequiousness, though kept his captivating eyes on Yelara's. She shook her head laughingly and turned back to the stove to brew their caffe.

While Meer'esh silently slipped away to the living area, Yelara smiled at how quickly he had raised her spirits and how he had rejected her advances. It raised her opinion of him, and added to Meer'esh's mysterious appeal. Incapable of resisting the urge to, Yelara furtively stole glances his way as Meer'esh reposed on the sofa, and staring down into the simmering pot, she silently importuned the caffe to ready itself quickly.

---

"Running Away From Dahaka, Part 1"
By Kyra Ronso
Auron Ronso
Ellemiek Vermolen
Allison Blair
Aeris Strife - NPC+
Cloud Everblades
Kolonos - NPC

Location: Rebel Village, Mountains of New Plouton
Date: Vadris 17, 4 ABY

***

Auron made his way towards the medical house. On his way towards the medical wooden house, he saw Ellemiek not too far from it. He knew her very well. The last time he saw Ellemiek that way was when she received news that her father had disappeared. Her desperation, scariness for a loved one, made her very restless which meant that Ellemiek did care for Kyra after all.

He decided to leave Ellemiek alone for now, since there was probably a lot for her to think about. As he entered, he saw Aeris seated in chair, watching over Kyra. Aeris' eyes showed tiredness, but her eyes stayed constantly vigilant in her friend's condition. He finally looked at Kyra, who was lying over on the bed, sweating due to the high fevers. Her naked upper body was under the sheets to aid the fever go down, but it didn't help very much. "How she's doing?" Auron looked to the bandage around her front right arm.

Aeris let go a breath of despair and hopelessness. "Not very well, Auron. The fever doesn't go down by any means. She had a very rough night, and I started to think that she is probably not going to make it," Aeris said, as absolute sadness struck her and she tried to hold and not cry, even though a tear rolled down her right cheek. She cleaned it fast, but Auron had already noticed her tear.

Auron was also not very comfortable in that situation either. "Now, now. She is a strong woman, Aeris. I know that she will fight for her life." Auron sighed heavily to Kyra. "This is the second time on my life that I feel so helpless. When my mother was hit by a speeder, she didn't die on the spot. She was transported to the hospital where she stayed for two days. I was there for two days on the hospital seeing my mother fight for her own life. I wanted to help her, but as time passed, her body slowly started to give in."

"I didn't know that." Aeris sighed. "I feel hopeless too, Auron. If there was any way to ease her pain, I would give her, but there isn't. Seeing a person that you love on a bed fighting for their lives when we can't even help them, is a lot more difficult than to lose someone on the battle field."

Auron approached Aeris and looked at her. "I know it's hard, but it is up to us to pray to the gods not to take her life. It is the only thing we can do. Why don't we do it together?"

Aeris sighed. "I never thought that you believed in the gods!"

"I don't, not ever since my mother died. But I learned that during situations like this, it is the only thing we can do to ease our pain." Auron sighed and both started to pray.

***

Outside, Ellemiek leaned against the side wall of a small hut. She was worried about Kyra's condition and was looking over at the Medical house, but had decided against going there. Seeing Kyra's fragile state was not something that Ellemiek cared to remember. Not that they were good friends now, but they had been once. And even if she thought Kyra to be different than she was before, she didn't wish her any harm at all.

Fact was that this whole ordeal made Ellemiek wonder about her father. She had left the Tae'Morad at the time to search for him, and yet she had never found him. And at the time, Kyra was perhaps the one person who helped her surpass the feeling of loss that she had. And Ellemiek had never thanked Kyra properly. Not really. And now it seemed that she never would have the chance to do so.

"Perhaps you should go there..." someone said from behind.

Ellemiek turned and saw Alisson Blair. She nodded at first, but then shook her head. "No... I think I'll let her rest. There's nothing I can do in there."

Alisson sighted and gave Ellemiek a reassuring nod. "They do say that even dying people are able to hear the words that their loved ones speak to them, even if they are in a critical state and out of their senses," Alisson commented.

"Kyra and I... We..." Ellemiek began to explain. "Our friendship isn't what it used to be."

"And yet you stand here, wondering about her and hoping that she lives," Alisson commented, stating the obvious.

"I owe her that much, even if we don't get along anymore... She changed a lot, you know? She's not at all the way she used to be," Ellemiek said. "Sometimes I wonder how can she have changed so much. But then, I didn't really give her a chance. I wasn't exactly fair."

Alisson smiled gently and placed her hand in Ellemiek's shoulder. "I'm sure she knows that. But even so, perhaps you should tell her that once she wakes up."

Ellemiek raised an eyebrow, somewhat confused. "What do you mean? She's going to make it? She's out of danger?" she asked, somewhat hopeful that it was so.

"Well... To be honest, I do not know. But I was on my way there..." Alisson replied. "Right now only time will tell. But there are Jedi healing techniques that I have learned which may be of assistance. I may be able to help her body react more strongly and hopefully heal faster," she explained. "Do you care to come inside with me?"

"Thanks..." Ellemiek smiled. "But I think I rather stay here. Thanks for the reassurance."

"Anytime," Alisson bowed before she made her way over to the Medical house.

***

Once inside the Medical house, Alisson saw Auron and Aeris. Kyra was lying down and still, which was not a bad sign, though it wasn't good either. She bowed at the two. "May I come inside?" she asked politely.

"Of course," Aeris said, with a dim smile, although it was visible that she was forcing it. "Cloud said that he called the doctor who used to treat her. Since you two are here I might as well tell you what is wrong with her. She is called a Night Walker. She got this during a mission in a planet called Klain. As you may know, Klain is known by the extension of wildlife, and for some reason it is a unique place to study the evolution of the species. It is said that each month they find a total of ten new animal species. One of those animals is one of the most dangerous animals known to exist. Once the victim is bitten the poison affects the nervous system, causing probably madness or something like that. Anyway, Kyra lost herself in the forest and got bitten by the dark angel, a flying bird with several pointy teeth. She was treated by this doctor called Kolonos, and was able to maintain herself intact, by these injections." She showed a capsule containing an orange liquid. "But it doesn't cure her. It only prolongs her life longer than without it. But now these capsules don't seem to work anymore."

"That explains the sporadic behavior," Auron said.

"Not quite. I think that the changes you noticed were not of behavior, but the Angelor taking over her body slowly. Which means why Ellemiek noticed her drastic change," Aeris said.

Alisson thought about what Aeris had told them and wondered why Kyra had not informed her friends and superior officers of her condition. Though such questions were not a priority at this time. "Perhaps there is a new antidote that can be given. Perhaps with the new medical science there are new discoveries for a way to counter this disease," Alisson commented, trying to grant some hope into the situation. "I will try some Jedi healing techniques. I can't assure you that they will cure her, but they will surely help her resist it and fight it harder."

"I don't how much good it will do.but at least we can give time until that Kolonos fellow arrives!" Auron said.

Alisson nodded and sat beside Kyra. She closed her eyes and placed her hands gently on her arm, barely touching them. She entered a deep concentration and felt Kyra through the Force. Her vital signs were not as strong as a healthy person, but she still had a presence through the Force, as all living things. Alisson was not an expert in Jedi healing techniques, but she had learned to pump up the vital organs and increase the immunity system's response against diseases and poisons as well as cuts and bruises. Hopefully, Kyra would fight this disease harder with her help.

***

Kyra stopped at the crossroad. She had a black hood with a long cape and she looked in every direction, still trying to find where she was. It seemed like she was in the poor side of some town. A strong noise came from the distance. She looked towards the noise and heard something distinct, like something being crushed.

Kyra took the street in front of her and started to run has fast she could. The sound of her feet was loud and her breath increased as she strolled to the semi curved tiny streets. The sound of crushing became nearer. Kyra increased her speed, but stopped facing dog like beasts. She looked towards the beast's eyes, but the sound of rubble falling down made her turn, facing a vast darkness that was destroying everything in it path.

Kyra ran towards the wall, grabbing the wood above the street. She continued to flee from the darkness, jumping from one wooden pole to the next, as fast as she could.

She reached a point that she stopped at a dead end. She turned backed to face the darkness approaching, still destroying everything in its path. Several black tentacles exited out of the darkness, towards her, and Kyra stood there without fearing what would happen next.

---

"Unanswered Questions, Part Two"
By: Cirran Tyris
Sgt. Mathias 'Walker' Coin

Location: Drogen Shipyards, Prison Level 2
Date: Vadris 17th, 4ABY

***

It seemed to Cirran that events had moved with surprising swiftness. Of course, he reasoned groggily to himself, it might be that loss of blood had affected his perceptions somewhat, but it felt to him that it had been a very short interval indeed between Walker stepping up to the angrily insane, stun-prod wielding Aqualish in the middle of a prison riot, and said Aqualish being loaded onto a stretcher amid relative calm. The stun-prod was still in the criminal's possession, but the soldiers and guards who were in the process of cleaning up after the riot and locking down the prison were nevertheless unconcerned.

As he sat on the dining room table in the centre of the hall, a medic began to attend to the nasty gash on Cirran's chest, as around them guards righted up-ended furniture, herded away the now cowed prisoners and attended to those injured amongst their own number. Walker loomed into Cirran's still swimming vision, having just pointed him out insistently to the medic.

"You're making a bit of a habit of this having people hand your arse to you, m'lad," Walker observed cheerfully - too cheerfully, for Cirran's liking - as the medic snipped open Cirran's gory jumpsuit and went about his work with bacta pads and painkillers.

"Yeah, well it's not part of a grand scheme or anything, I can assure you," Cirran muttered tersely, wincing as the thoroughly incapacitated Aqualish was carried out past him. Cirran gestured at his quietly groaning form as it was taken away. "How are they going to get that out, anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Not my department, spacer," Walker replied smiling. Participating in a decent scrap had obviously put him in a much better mood. "I'll leave that to the boys in medical...who might also be taking a look at your mate over there too, I'll wager," he added, nodding towards the prone form of Cirran's would-be assassin. "Friend of yours, was he?" he asked.

"Not exactly," said Cirran. "I think he was here on behalf of a former employer of mine."

"Oh, he came to retrieve the office supplies you stole then?" Walker chuckled.

"No, he came because I trashed his bosses' entire pirate fleet," Cirran replied. "His boss who is sort of, you know, a Hutt gangster."

"You pissed off a Hutt?" Walker feigned surprise. "Good, one spacer, I'd never have thought you had it in you. What happened to the lizard, anyway?"

"Er...I struck him dead with the power of my mind?" Cirran replied, as puzzled as anyone else who had witnessed the events in the dining hall.

"Oh, Darth Vader now, are you?" Walker chuckled. "Call me cynical, but somehow I don't think so." He sauntered over to the corpse of the one-eyed Saurin, bent down and ran a professional eye over the body. Something caught his attention at the Saurin's neck. He bent over and plucked something out of it. "Here's your culprit," he said, bringing a tiny dart up between his huge fingers. "Hmmm, very professional," he murmured appreciatively. "Looks like someone in here likes you!"

Cirran waited until the medic turned his attentions to other wounded, and then beckoned Walker over. "Your mysterious friend on the inside?" he whispered conspiratorially.

"Ha!" Walker boomed, and then lowered his voice when he realised people were looking at him. "Spacer, my friend on the inside is Ty. I was having him tap into and monitor communications into and out of the prison, and keep an eye on the internal surveillance footage. Didn't want to mention his name before; he's in enough trouble with Kir right now. And he's sure as hell's not responsible for this."

Realisation dawned on Cirran's face. "So...your friend on the inside...my protector and back-up here for two weeks in here...is in fact Ty, the slicer, sitting in a room somewhere else in the station, occasionally glancing at a monitor?"

"Well, gee, sorry spacer," grumbled Walker, "But I don't count a lot of convicted criminals amongst my friends. Sort of a side-effect of putting 'em in jail, you see. And Kir's watching me like a hawk at the moment, I could hardly go throwing my weight around down here."

"I dunno, you just made a pretty good job of that," Cirran said more appreciatively.

Walker grinned. "Yeah, well, Ty got on to me as soon as he saw what was going on down here anyway, and I got here as fast as I could."

Cirran thought about this. "And that would have been about 5 very critical minutes too late for me, had it not been for..."

"...whoever," Walker finished for him, joining Cirran in looking suspiciously around the room at the ongoing clean-up effort. "You done anyone any favours lately, flyboy?"

"Well, the cook in here might have appreciated me not turning him in for horrendous crimes against sentient life, but apart from that, I haven't even talked to anyone," Cirran mused.

"Something strange is going on here," Walker growled uneasily. "I don't like it."

"Well, I'm all for strange events that keep me non-perforated and still breathing," Cirran responded, shifting his weight painfully. "But who...I mean, why look out for me?

"Why indeed? You are pretty worthless," grinned the sergeant.

Cirran, mind wandering, let the jibe pass. "Something to do with our little effort on Gallor, perhaps?" he thought out loud.

But Walker's thoughts on this, and in fact any immediate further discussion on such matters, was cut off by the arrival of the prison administrator, who some 20 minutes after the last resisting prisoner had been pacified had finally decided things had calmed down enough for him to risk setting foot in the prison. He was a gaunt, no-nonsense type of man in his fifties, flanked by two guards. Walker snapped himself up to his full height - an imposing sight, which also allowed him to covertly conceal the dart responsible for the Saurin's death in a small pouch in his battle armour as he did so. He fired off a salute.

The administrator raised his hand in a 'that's not necessary' gesture. "At ease, Sergeant. Our thanks for your assistance. Your response to our little, er, incident, was remarkably swift."

Walker did not relax his parade-ground stance. "I was in the area, sir," he lied convincingly. "A soldier simply doesn't leave his comrades in the lurch, sir - I was more than happy to help, sir." Cirran smiled to himself at the way Walker made 'sir' approximately every third word when dealing with the 'brass'.

The administrator smiled in a tight-lipped fashion, obviously unaware about what Walker probably really thought about him. "Well, we thank you again for your outstanding efforts above and beyond the call. You are an outstanding example to my own men," he added, glancing sharply towards some of his own detail, clearly unimpressed by their recent performance. "I shall be reporting your brave actions to Captain Kir." He nodded a head towards Cirran - the first hint of any kind of acknowledgement of the wounded pilot - and his two escorts peeled off to each lay a hand on Cirran's shoulder.

"Thank you, sir," Walker said, seemingly unconcerned. "May I ask where this prisoner is being taken?" he inquired as casually as possible, as Cirran started to be led off unceremoniously.

"We're putting him in solitary confinement. As always, we want to make a good impression on the New Republic, and having their prisoner sliced open in our prison before he reaches trial is not the look we're going for. Orders from upstairs say we've got to keep him alive - we had no idea you would be so unpopular," he smirked at Cirran as he was taken past. Cirran smiled as sarcastically as possible, trying to annoy the officious man with the mere fact that he had survived. The officer's self-satisfied look vanished and turned back to Walker. "He'll be much safer out of the general population."

"Throw 'em all into a pen like crazed vornskrs and let them whittle their own numbers down sir, that's what I say," deadpanned Walker, meeting the indignant and incredulous backwards glance of Cirran with a quick and surreptitious wink that went unobserved by the senior officer.

The administrator chuckled to himself. "Yes, sergeant, I'd tend to agree with you on that," replied the officer, "But that particular scum is earmarked for other things. You're dismissed; we can finish up here without you. Thank you again." The administrator turned on his heel and addressed his own reporting sergeant in stern tones. Together they turned to face a ragged line of guards who had assembled for a debriefing after the riot, and at the administrator's behest, the NCO began to bark uncomplimentary things about the assembled troops and their mothers.

Not bad, thought Walker, taking a moment to admire the prison sergeant's stream of vehement rhetoric with the respect of a fellow professional. Looking around, Walker could see Cirran had been hustled away, and with little else he could do, he left the harried prison security staff behind to finish cleaning up the mess he'd made.

***

Outside the prison complex, a neutral observer may have noticed that one of the crowd of busybodies who had gathered to see what was all the converging troopers, security cordon and blaring alarms were about seemed to be paying attention to events with closer scrutiny than most. As Walker left, the cloaked figure raised an ever-present commlink.

"He's been put in solitary," said the figure into the commlink softly.

"Are you sure?" his superior replied into his earpiece.

"Yes, the bug I slapped on Coin is working perfectly," replied his minion. "I'm not sure he actually ever takes that armour of his off," he added, with a hint of disgust.

"Well, that's one thing you've done right," snapped the voice on the commlink. "We nearly lost Tyris again! From the initial reports in the station records it looks like that oaf of a sergeant was lucky not to arrive and find him eviscerated!"

"Varsk did his job well," replied the figure, trying to keep its voice even. The crowd began to disperse, seemingly disappointed that the violence at been contained within the prison. The cloaked figure pulled its hood up further and began to move off amongst them. "Amazing what an addict will do to get a fix. He used to be one of the best bounty hunters in the sector, and now he's reduced to doing our dirty work because we can smuggle a couple of tabs of salt into a secure area."

"I'm not interested in the life story of a wretched Arcona junkie!" the furious voice hissed via the commlink. "There's going to be all sorts of questions about what happened, and they will trace that dart eventually. See that to it that his next overdose is a fatal one, understand?"

The hooded figure sighed. "Understood," he affirmed. "Though I'm not sure who you expect to keep an eye on Tyris in there. I'm not going to get myself thrown into jail to..."

"Silence!" The voice was uncomfortably loud in his ear. "Prison on this crate is obviously not the safe haven we thought it was. If a second-rater like Durga the Hutt can get to our boy in their supposedly high security facility, he's just a sitting duck in there. How is it we didn't know that Durga was still after Tyris? Anyway, it's of little importance. Between the attentions of you and the good sergeant, he's better off outside until we can use him. I'm going to call in some favours and get the charges against him dropped."

The figure stopped in its tracks in the corridor. "But you risk exposure!" he whispered urgently. "That will take more influence at the New Republic than you..."

"Don't underestimate my influence," warned the voice of his boss icily. "If I can delay his damned trial, which I have, I can get it dropped."

"But it's not the same thing, you don't just sweep desertion in a war under the rug..." the figure started.

"Are you questioning me?" came the reply. The tone of the disembodied voice in his ear was now deadly dangerous. There was a lingering silence, during which the cloaked sentient took a long, deep breath, but said nothing.

"Very well then," replied his superior haughtily, assuming correctly that this silence represented acquiescence. "I suggest that you turn your attention to watching Tyris like a Gran 24 hours a day while we plan our next move. Do I make myself understood?"

"Perfectly," murmured the spy, and snapping off his commlink, he headed deeper into the station.

---

"Almost Father, Almost Son, All Family, Part 1"
By: Keeve Shivral
Kimara
Maeren Shivral

Location: Zenarr-Tregat Residence, New Plouton
Date: Vadris 17, 4 ABY

***

Together, Kim and Keeve watched as the last drop of chocolate dripped into the waiting mug. They looked up at one another and smiled. "Okay," Kim said. "That's Maeren's, and these two here are for us. I'll be waiting for you here, and take as much time as you need with her. We can always warm the chocolate up after or something. Okay? Oh, and if you aren't able to come back down to me, I'll understand. I know she's in a bad place now, and she needs lots of love."

Keeve smiled wanly as he raised Shiv's filled mug from the counter. "Don't we all, Kim? Besides, I think she'll go to sleep in no time. Sounds like she had a rough night. I can only imagine how hard it was to reject Kaysa and Cadwin's advances." Feeling a slight sense of hope in knowing she was able to resist, Keeve grinned and told Kim, "I think it's an important first step."

"It is," Kim said with a smile as she covered his hand with hers. "And, she came home for you, which is a big step too. You should talk to her about not coming over here as much anymore, not if Cadwin and Kaysa are going to keep trying to tempt her. Here, her chocolate is on the tray. Do you think she'll want anything else? We can put it on there for her too."

"The chocolate's fine for now," Keeve answered. "Thanks, Kim. You're a good friend to both of us. I know Maeren will really appreciate it." Accepting the tray from her, Keeve kissed her cheek, then stepped away smiling. "Warm up the couch for us. I won't be long."

"Okay," Kim said as he headed toward the door. "And, while you're gone, I'll slip into something more comfortable." With a last grin for him, she took their mugs of steaming chocolate and disappeared into the other room.

"Tease," Keeve muttered in amusement and headed for the stairs. The climb was a short one, and when he reached the top he'd hardly spilled a drop of the steaming chocolate. He knocked gently on the door with the toe of his boot. "Maeren? Are you awake?"

"I'm awake," came the reply on the other side of the door. As Keeve opened the door, Maeren sat up on the bed and smiled at him. "Is Kim alright?"

"She's fine. She's watching the holoprojector and drinking some hot chocolate." He grinned and raised the tray in presentation as he approached the bed. "I brought you a mug."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I'm so sorry about all of this, Keeve. I wish I was stronger. Now, with you helping me, I know I'll get through this."

Keeve gave her an admonishing look as he set down the tray and sat down beside her. "Maeren...you are strong. I mean...you didn't used to be, but tonight, you walked away when you could have just given into Kaysa and Cadwin. Doesn't that say something about how strong you really are?"

Shiv looked away. "There's something I didn't tell you, a part I...I didn't elaborate on. I started to give in...I couldn't help it...couldn't stop myself. But, then I was able to stop, and leave. I wasn't strong at first, but...but somehow I found the strength...I feel so terrible, Keeve..."

It was an effort to maintain a level-head, but using much of his newly found reserve, Keeve sighed and covered Shiv's knee with his hand. "You...didn't do anything with them no matter how much you wanted to. That's-- It's a start, Maeren. You may have started--" Keeve paused, watching her suspiciously. "What exactly is 'started', Maeren? How far exactly did you go before stopping?"

Shiv sighed heavily. "Do you really want details, Keeve? Can it just be enough that I left?"

"No," he told her curtly, unleashing a spurt of his anger. "You lied to me earlier, I can see that now. You did something, Maeren! Why the hells did you ask for my help if you can't even tell me the truth!?"

"So it counts for nothing that I left," Shiv snapped back. "It counts for nothing that I'm here now, rather than off in some club while Cadwin and Kaysa fuck my brains out! I came home, Keeve! I came here, to you! What the hells do you want with me? I want to stop being like this! I want to stop being some slut who can't close her legs when some guy whistles at her! I didn't give you details before because I knew you'd do this! You'd get all condescending and superior about it, and you'd make me feel even worse than I already do! I'm sorry I'm not perfect, alright!? But, I'm trying to get better!" By the time the last of her words were out of her mouth, tears were flowing freely but her face was red with the anger she was letting loose.

"Stop it," Keeve told her harshly. "Stop turning this around and blaming me! Isn't that part of the problem? You don't trust me, Maeren! You didn't trust me to tell me what really happened. Maeren," he said gently, "you lied to gain my sympathy. You lied because you didn't trust me to understand what you'd gone through. Is it so difficult to think that I might have changed? That I might just be a little more open-minded about what's happening with you?"

"I didn't lie, Keeve," Shiv said, her lips curling into a pout. "I just didn't tell you everything. Maybe you might be a little more understanding now, after talking to Dargus. But, I had no idea where you went after you said all those awful things to me, and then ran out. What was I supposed to think after that, Keeve? That I could tell you everything now and expect you to be understanding? When you've never been understanding about what's been going on with me before?"

"You've never tried to relate to me that there was something wrong before, Maeren," he said. "It was always 'I am the way that I am and why can't you accept that?'. I was always the bad guy, Maeren, and there was nothing at all wrong with what you were doing. Of course I'd be far more understanding if you admitted, for once, that there was some sense to what I have been saying all along."

"If you really think telling me 'I told you so' will make you feel better, Keeve, then go ahead," Shiv said. "I know there's a problem now, alright? I know I need help. Will you please stop ripping me apart over it? I can't take it anymore...not like this."

Keeve sighed wearily. "Maeren...I'll stop pestering you if you just promise to tell me the truth. Stop holding it all in," he urged her gently. "Just...tell me, Maeren. It's killing you to keep all this to yourself. I'm...I'm your husband. I owe it to you to help you through all this."

Shiv sighed again and nodded. "And, I owe it to you to be honest with you about everything. I won't hold it all in anymore, Keeve. I want to get better and...stop being like I have been."

He smiled warmly and cupped her cheek in his palm. "Me, too. I'll be as understanding as I can, Maeren. We'll both falter...but I think we can help each other be the person we want to be."

Shiv smiled and turned her lips to kiss his palm. "That sounds perfect," she said. "And, you've got Kim to help you too, but you're all I need to help me get through this, Keeve."

"You sure?" he asked her teasingly. "I mean...you can't use some Hope affection to help you along? I bet she misses her mommy." Leaning in and brushing his lips with Shiv's lightly, Keeve whispered, "I know I have."

"I've missed you both," Shiv said with a loving smile. "I guess...since...since I can't have children, Hope will really be my baby now. Oh gods, Keeve, and she's at home all alone right now."

"Don't worry," he whispered, "I'll run out with Kim to get her. Unless you wanted to just go home. It might be better for you, Maeren. It'll keep you far from any...temptations."

"You're right," she said with a smile for him. "I should go home. My baby's all alone there, and...and Kaysa and Cadwin won't be there."

His smile faltered, but not out of anger, only concern. "You sure you don't want to tell me what happened? I...I promise not to yell."

"I'd rather not," Shiv said. "Not because I want to keep it from you, but because...I know how upset you get, and...after what happened earlier, I don't want to cause any more of that. Let's just say they were very persistent, and enticing, but in the end, it wasn't what I wanted." Before she realized it, she was actually telling him more than she'd intended. "We had some drinks out on the dancefloor, and Kaysa and I were dancing. And, she was telling me to forget how upset I was. Then we were going into the back with Cadwin, to a room, and Kaysa's hands were...everywhere...and...somehow, in the heat of the moment, we somehow got undressed, and then there was a pile, and I was at the bottom...and Kaysa and Cadwin were fucking...and then they said they had a surprise for me...and, I wasn't sure what was what...I was delirious, I think, from all the feelings, and...and then he was inside me. I didn't know what to do, and I felt trapped...and then...then Kaysa put her...her whole hand in me...and...and...I was so scared, and...it'd definitely stopped being pleasure...I...I had to leave, but I couldn't..."

Keeve's once warm touch cooled against Shiv's cheek, though his anger was raging hot inside him. It was difficult keeping it bottled up. "You-- You let them do those things to you?" he asked with some effort as his throat was tightening in disgust. "Have you done that sort of thing before, Maeren? With...others?"

"Done what, Keeve," Shiv asked. "You don't want to know what I had to do the first time I was caught by Dargus. I'd had too much to drink and too much spice, and I was confused and hurt, and I let Kaysa talk me into things I shouldn't have. I was upset over what happened, and...your mother can be very good at talking people into things. I don't know what you want me to say, Keeve."

"I don't know," he sighed. "I just...I want to know if that's the sort of thing you like. Because I can't give that to you, Maeren. I won't be like my mother, or Dargus. I won't seduce you, or pump you with alcohol, or force you to get you into bed. Sometimes, Maeren, I'm not even sure I satisfy you."

"Every time we've been together," Shiv answered, "you have. And, that's not what I want. I realized that tonight, Keeve. With the two of them, all I could see was your face, and us together...and I didn't want to be there any longer, and I don't want to do that again. I only want you, Keeve. I only want my husband."

He nodded decisively. "Good. Then drink up your hot chocolate and get ready to leave. We're not staying here another minute with those sick bastards. We'll come by as often as possible to visit Aria, but I don't want anything to do with either of them anymore."

"Okay," Shiv said as she brought the mug to her lips and took a long sip. "Maybe we can talk Zale into bringing Aria to our place sometimes."

"Really?" Keeve was stunned by her ready agreement and watched her in astonishment. "You'll really do it, Maeren? You'll forget about them both?"

"To be all better, and to be happy with you," Shiv said. "Anything, anything at all."

"Then we'll do it!" he announced joyously. Careful not to spill her chocolate, Keeve kissed Shiv deeply, then pulled away with a laugh. "This'll be a new start for us, Maeren. We'll finally have the family we were meant to have."

Shiv grinned happily at Keeve and, while holding the mug in one hand, slipped her other into his. "I'm starting to feel a lot better already. But, what I think I really need, after this chocolate, is my little reisakitty and some sleep."

"I think I can arrange that," he told her, smiling suavely. "Let me go talk to Kim and then we can go. We'll come back for all our things tomorrow. So" --he kissed her forehead-- "drink up."

Shiv watched him as he walked toward the door, a content smile on her lips even after he was gone. Then she raised the mug and drank, the chocolate inside tasting much sweeter than previously. It was true, she felt far better than she had in quite a long time. And, above everything else, she felt loved more than she could remember in a very long time. Their lives were definitely turning around.

Hopefully, they'd be able to stay that way...

***

"Kim!" Keeve called, hurrying down the stairs. "Are you finished drinking? We're leaving soon."

"Not finished yet," Kim said as she stood from the couch, showing him the mug that still appeared to have some liquid chocolate in it. It appeared that she wasn't quite finished with it yet because time had been taken to change her clothing. She was now wearing a short robe, belted around her waist, and what appeared to be little else. The robe gave a better than good view of her long legs. She gave him a smile as Keeve took in the deep blue garment with his eyes. "I guess I'll have to change again then, won't I?"

"Wha--" Keeve tripped on the last step, coming to a stumbling halt at the entry of the living area. He looked around quickly to ensure Shiv was still upstairs, before whispering, "What are you doing?! I thought-- You said you were going to wear something comfortable. You're...you're not wearing anything at all!"

Kim grinned. "But, it is very comfortable," she said. "But, if you'd prefer, I could make it nothing at all."

Keeve rushed towards her in a panic, and with barely a foot between them, the short distance bringing the subtle curves outlined by the silken garment into greater prominence, he shrieked, "What are you trying to do to me?! Maeren's upstairs waiting for us and you're" --he gestured wildly at her-- "standing here like that! You're trying to drive me over the edge, aren't you?"

"No," Kim answered, "I'm trying to be comfortable. If you want me to put more on, I will. I was just getting comfortable. This is just normal for me, Keeve. It's comfortable, and nice, and I like it."

"So do I!" he told her. "That's the problem. I'm liking it a little too much, and I can't afford to...slip," Keeve said, glancing down at the length of her legs, "after promising Maeren I wouldn't sleep with you."

Kim noticed the glance and smiled to herself. "I'll go change then," she said. "After I finish my chocolate though."

Keeve snorted in frustration. "Fine." And stalked off. "I'll find you a blanket to cover up!"

"But, I don't need a blanket," Kim called after him as she returned to the couch to finish her chocolate. She couldn't stop grinning as she sipped at the drink, waiting for Keeve to return to help instill some modesty in her life.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me," Keeve was still muttering sullenly as he made his way back to the living area. Draped over his forearm was a folded blanket - a large folded blanket. He stopped in front of Kim, her lips twitching slightly with a suppressed smile, and said, "Here," then grasped either corner of the blanket and unfurled it with a snap of his wrists. After letting it fall gently over Kim, Keeve began adjusting the blanket to ensure no flesh was left uncovered. "You did this on purpose," he accused. "I'm sure you would've been just as comfortable in pants and a shirt."

"This is my chocolate sipping outfit," Kim said with a pout. "And, besides, you love it, even though it may have been naughty of me. You still love it."

He glowered and stood over her with arms crossed. "I do," he admitted reluctantly. "That doesn't mean it was right to do. Besides, we're leaving soon. You can get comfortable when we arrive at the apartment."

"I'll go get dressed again," Kim said with a grin. "And, I won't even ask you to help me."

"And I wouldn't if you did," he riposted sardonically. "You're bad news, you know that, Kimara?"

"It's part of my charm," Kim said as she snuggled deeper beneath the blanket to finish off her chocolate. "If you want yours, it's still over here."

Keeve glanced between his beverage and Kim's sweetly alluring smile, nearly giving in to the latter. But, using a fresh spurt of resolve, Keeve shook his head firmly and backed away. "There's no way I'm falling for it, you flirt. Getting cozy with one another and drinking hot chocolate together under that blanket can only lead to one thing...and I've already told you," Keeve finished, reaching the entryway, "I can't have sex with you!"

"At least not with my daughter around," came a voice behind both of them. "Keeve, Kim, I'm not even going to ask, other than to ask, how everything is."

---

"Almost Father, Almost Son, All Family, Part 2"
By: Keeve Shivral
Kimara
Maeren Shivral
Zale Tregat
Aria Tregat

Location: Zenarr-Tregat Residence, New Plouton
Date: Vadris 17, 4 ABY

***

Keeve swung around, nearly tripping on the low step leading into the living area as he did. A very weary, yet smiling Zale with baby Aria bundled safely in his arms met Keeve's surprised regard. He sighed and gave his sister a large grin as he approached for a kiss. The sleeping child barely stirred when his warm lips touched the tip of her nose. "How was she?" he whispered. "Was she crying?"

"Barely a peep," Zale said with a grin as he turned so Keeve would be able to better see his baby sister. "There was one diaper incident that I won't go into, but other than that, she was happy and content. I figured, with Kaysa out again, I'd go over and visit with Saris and Moril. They were very happy to have us. You should come over with us sometime. I'm sure they'd love to have you, despite that one incident between you and Moril."

"Oh, we're over that," Keeve assured him absently, instead keeping all his attention on Aria. "Kim and I will drop by tomorrow or something. Right, Kim?" he called back to her.

"Of course," Kim called from beneath her blanket. "And, we'll wear lots of clothes."

Keeve grumbled and shot a scathing look her way. "Besides," he sighed, addressing Zale again, "there are a few things we all need to talk about. It'd be best to do it together. Such as...." He hesitated, but one glimpse at Aria, so peaceful, innocent, and oblivious to her mother's negligence, and Keeve refused to restrain himself. "Kaysa's out with Cadwin again, Zale. Now, I know you insisted there was nothing wrong with that, but you should hear the things Maeren's told me. Hells, she nearly had to fight her way home when Kaysa and that Cadwin jerk forced her into bed. She's your wife, Zale, and it's your responsibility to keep her in check!"

Zale's face darkened at Keeve's words, but he showed no other outward sign of anger. He knew he would need to keep those feelings in check for as long as Aria was in his arms. He could be upset later. "I'll talk to her," he said. "I'm sure it won't be a pleasant conversation, but I'll talk to her. Thank you for saying something, Keeve. Is Maeren alright?"

He shrugged. "I think she was pretty shaken up. She's even agreed not to see them again. Not to see Kaysa, Zale!" he reiterated for effect. "Would you ever have believed Maeren could do something like that? She wants to just pack up and leave here and never come back." Keeve jutted out his chin haughtily as he said, "I may be stubborn and prudish, but at least I had the sense to realize beforehand that this spice-smoking and partying wouldn't lead to any good. I told you so, Zale."

"Well, it's lead here," Zale said. "Let's see if I can talk to Kaysa and end it. She can be just as stubborn, so we'll have to see. So, what are your plans now?"

"Kim, Maeren and I are going to the apartment. Maeren doesn't want to be here when Kaysa gets back. If she ever does," he muttered, then added, "We can stay a little longer, though, if you want to talk to her. She's upstairs resting now."

"No," Zale said. "It's alright. And, I'll stop by tomorrow to see her and we can talk then. If she's trying to rest, it's probably better to just let her rest, and not bring it all back up again."

Keeve exhaled slowly, reining in his own emotions. "Fine.... We'd better get going then. You sure you and Aria will be alright alone? We can take her with us for the evening if you want to be alone with Kaysa and Cadwin."

"She'll be fine," Zale said. "I don't think I'm going to confront them tonight. I'll talk to Kaysa tomorrow, but I may bring Aria over before I do. Unless you really want to take her with you tonight. I was figuring you may have your hands full."

"With this one?" He jerked his thumb towards Kim. "She's been trying to seduce me all night."

Zale glanced over and saw Kim peek her head over the couch and grin. "Well, it could be worse," he said. "She could have succeeded, right?"

Keeve chuckled uncomfortably, unwilling to admit how close they had come. Clearing his throat, Keeve snapped his fingers at Kim and said quickly, "You'd better get dressed. We're leaving now."

Kim set her mug down and hopped up off the couch to snap him a brisk salute. In the little robe she was wearing, it gave more than a glimpse of what lie beneath. She gave him a big grin, and quickly hurried off to grab warmer clothing for the trip back to Keeve and Maeren's apartment.

Keeve gave Zale a despairing look. "See what I have to put up with? And after Dargus admitted she's not really a clone, how hard do you think it is for me to resist her?"

Zale raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean Kim's not a clone," he asked. "That means...Maeren, right? Maeren's really the clone?" He let out a low whistle. "Just when things were starting to make sense."

Keeve sighed exhaustedly and nodded full agreement. "Now do you blame me for always being a brat? My wife isn't really my wife and now, the woman who really should've been my wife...I can't even sleep with because I'm already married. Frustrating, huh?"

"Very," Zale said. "What will you do?"

"Go home, for now," he answered. "From there...I'm going to help Maeren get better. I do still love her, Zale. I'm just not sure if I don't feel more sympathy for her than affection. She doesn't know yet, though," Keeve told him quickly. "So...this should sorta be a secret between us" --he smirked-- "Father."

Zale gave Keeve a smile and nodded. "I won't say a word until I've heard from you. They're both wonderful, young women and I think you'd be very happy with either or both. I don't know if there's any way through this without hurting one of them, but if you need any help or advice through this, I'm here for you. And, I'm sure your sister will be here for moral support and...drooling."

Keeve chuckled weakly. "Yeah...though wait till you talk to Kaysa before handing out relationship advice, okay?" he advised. "It'd probably be best if you talk to her alone...without Cadwin there to influence her."

"You don't know how tempting it is, just based on what you've said, to give Moril a call to arrange a little surprise for Cadwin," Zale said. "And, if he knew, I doubt he'd even wait for me to say anything. I'll talk to her, and if Cadwin tries to butt his way in, I'll introduce him to the present Dargus gave him." While holding little Aria in one arm, Zale held up the other, an artificial hand courtesy of Dargus Kandran's lightsaber. "I wonder if Cadwin would like a spanking like the ones I used to give you."

"Yeah," Keeve muttered, nearly reaching back to rub away the remembered pain. "Though, I did get you back. Still have that buzzing in your ear from Elf's electric shock?" He smirked.

"From time to time, I sent electric arcs between myself and metal objects," Zale said with a grin. "Though, I'm not sure if that's from Elf or when Kaysa used that nerf prod on me when she went after Dargus."

Snickering, Keeve companionably clapped Zale on the arm and taunted, "Make sure she's not armed this time. You're no match for her."

"Oh, I've made some improvements to my hand," Zale said with a grin. "Still, I'm just hoping that we can discuss it. I'd rather it not turn into a fight. Things get monumentally more difficult when she starts to dig her heels in."

"And if she's hi on spice or...intoxicated?" Keeve asked carefully. "Maeren's told me stories from when they first met...."

"I can deal with it," Zale said. "I'm good with conflict, despite my past performance. I'm no Jedi, but I've been around a bit and I can deal with problems. If she's doped up on anything, I know some tricks."

Keeve raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Oh? Anything you can teach me one of these days? Especially," he confided, leaning in towards Zale and watching for Kim's return, "when Kim gets too...eager."

"I'll show you a few tricks," Zale said with a grin. "Though, tonight, you should get your women home." With that, he nodded toward the door where Kim had just emerged.

Keeve turned his head towards her, and his body followed when their eyes met. He smiled. "Ready?"

"I'm ready," she said, doing a stylish turn for him to show him the non-revealing, cold-weather outfit she now wore for him. "All bundled up and ready for the blizzard out there."

"Good. Then go start up the speeder." He smiled charmingly. "Please?"

Kim grinned at him, then she gave a little wave and scampered toward the door.

Zale looked between the two and shook his head. "On one hand I envy you, but on the other, I definitely don't envy you."

"Yeah," he sighed, watching Kim until she was out the door. Chuckling to himself, Keeve said, "I mean...me, Kim and Maeren in the same room at the same time? Both require so much attention...I'm not sure how I'm going to do it." He shrugged. "Good luck to us both, I guess."

"To us both," Zale said with a grin. "I'll see you tomorrow, Keeve. I'll let you know how it goes with Kaysa." He gave the young man a smile, then held out a hand to him. "I'm sure we'll get through his, but I can't promise what we'll look like on the other end."

"Well," he quipped, trapping Zale's hand in a firm grip, "you can't get any worse-looking, so what are you worried about?" And hoping it would dissuade Zale from swatting him in the head, Keeve leaned over and kissed Aria's brow. "Night, little sister," he whispered, then looked up at Zale and added, "You too, Almost Father."

"I'm proud of you, Keeve," Zale said with a hint of affection in his tone. "I'll see you soon. Have a good night, and a safe one." With that, he ruffled Keeve's hair and stepped back to let him head upstairs to get Maeren.

Zale's comment had turned Keeve's cheeks as red as an open-handed slap would have. But hearing the man he'd once nearly killed admit pride in him gave Keeve a confidence boost he knew would definitely be required for the struggles that lay ahead. So, with an optimism inspired by Zale's, and his praise, Keeve smiled to himself and headed for the stairs. Now, juggling two women - one near a mental breakdown and the other an unrelenting tease - didn't seem nearly as difficult a task as it had originally.

As the door to the room opened, Shiv opened her eyes and sat up. At the sight of Keeve framed in the doorway, she smiled. "Hi there," she said as she pushed back the covers and looked around for some clothing. "Time to go home?"

"Yeah...Zale's home and he plans on having a long chat with Kaysa when she arrives...so we'd better not be here when she is," he responded. "Just change for now and we can grab the rest of your clothes another day."

"Okay," Shiv said and slipped out of the bed. She moved to her closet and rummaged for a moment before coming away with a long skirt and thick, warm sweater. She undressed quickly and pulled on the clothing. She then grabbed a pair of boots and a set of long socks. Within just a few minutes, she was fully dressed and approached Keeve. "Thank you for being here for me, Keeve. You don't know how much it means to me to have you still by my side."

"I married you," he explained glibly, "it's my duty. And as long as you try to keep your promise to us, I'll still be here."

"I promise," Shiv said with a smile as she raised a hand to caress his cheek. "And, I'd rather you do it because you love me and want to, rather than just doing your duty."

He grinned. "How about a little of both? Now come on...let's get going. I think Kim's excited to see you." Stepping aside, Keeve rested his hand on the small of Shiv's back and led her out of the room, one, if he had any say in the matter, they would never sleep in again.

"There she is," came a deep voice from the base of the stairs. Zale stood there with Aria still in his arms, though much less bundled than before. "I heard you haven't had the best of nights. I'll be bringing the little one over tomorrow and we can have a long chat."

Shiv grinned and stuck a finger out to Aria as she got close. The infant quickly reached out with both hands and grasped it. Shiv laughed as Aria tried to draw her finger into her mouth. As she looked down into the happy face, tears welled in her own eyes at the realization of what Keeve had told her earlier. She swallowed, but didn't pull her hand away. "I can't get over how beautiful she is."

"She's got my genes," Keeve explained, "why wouldn't she be?" He nodded silent gratitude to Zale, for his advice and most of all his tender care of Aria. Turning his lips to Shiv's ear, he whispered, "Time to go. We'll see her again soon."

"Tomorrow," Shiv whispered with a smile as she whispered in babytalk to Aria. With a final smile, she stepped back and slipped her hand into Keeve's. "I guess we should go before Kim leaves without us."

"She would, too," Keeve joked. Giving his sister one last kiss, and a final wave to Zale, Keeve and Shiv took their leave. It was still snowing when the door slid away for them, and instinctively Keeve opened his jacket for Shiv and wrapped her in it for protection against the harsh cold. "Warm enough?" he asked softly.

"I am now," Shiv whispered. She looked up at him and smiled. "Do you suppose Hope's okay?"

"She will be once her mommy comes home," Keeve answered with a grin. Motioning his head towards the speeder, Keeve and Shiv left the mansion behind and hurried through the snow to the vehicle. Kim released the hatches when they neared, and Keeve continued to shield Shiv from the snow as she slipped inside. He followed behind.

Shiv slipped into the back of the speeder and slid over behind Kim's seat. She smiled over at Keeve as he entered. She noticed that Kim had turned back to watch her, and Shiv reached up and took her hand. "I'm sorry about earlier," she said.

"You should be," Kim said with a grin. "And, I'm sorry for starting to give your husband a handjob."

"Don't worry about it," Shiv said. "Just don't make it too much of a habit."

"Hey," Keeve interjected petulantly, "I'm right here. I should be deciding who gives me handjobs and when, not you two."

"Well, true," Shiv said with a grin as she snuggled closer to him. "Though, it seemed as if you had made that decision earlier until I interrupted the two of you. Kim had the situation well in hand, and didn't need me barging in."

He grumbled, irritated by their laughter. "You two are trouble together," he sulked. "Kim, you drive. Maeren, you work on conserving energy. That means," he stressed, "no talking."

As Kim's stifled laughter filled the speeder, Maeren curled in against Keeve, resting her head against his shoulder for their trip home. Despite what had happened earlier, she was feeling far happier and content than she had in some time. Perhaps things were getting better already.

---

"It's Just a Job"
By Phalen Maxim, (PC)

Location: Drogen
Date: Vadris 17th, 4ABY

***

"It's about time!" the red head exclaimed. "I've been waiting over a standard hour! What is with you people?!"

Phalen, dressed in a techs jumpsuit and carrying a toolbox just shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry ma'am, paperwork musta been crossed," he said with an apologetic tone and look about his face. "I realized the mistake when I went to replace a power coupling on a freighter 10 bays down, didn't need a power coupling after all! It happens...nothing gets done around here without some paper pushing, and when the paperwork is..." he rambled before she cut him off.

"Look, I don't give a Gundark's ass, alright?! Just get this confounded thing fixed so I get out of this forsaken system!!"

"Yes ma'am!" Phalen said with a wink as he motioned for her lead the way.

The red head led him up the ramp into her ship, a Sullustian Light Tramp Freighter. It was kind of boxy in shape, but the edges were rounded off and the body had an over-all streamlined look about it. Clearly it was designed as a work-horse, to be more dependable and sturdy than for aesthetic value. Phalen could appreciate that, he valued worth of use than worth of appearance.

He followed behind her as she led him back into the engine maintenance compartment. He opened the tool box while he followed and procured a small yet effective BlasTech model blaster.

"Excuse me," he said to her as he dropped the open tool box from his grasp.

It clanged loudly against the durasteel floor with the clatter of tools, startling the woman.

Jumpy, he thought to himself as she turned around with a start.

"What the?!" she exclaimed before being silenced by the sight of the blaster pointed at her chest. "Oh..."

"I'm sure you know why I am here," Phalen said gravely.

"I'm sure," she said almost in a whisper.

Phalen took a few steps back, never taking his eye of her, nor did the direction of the blaster leave its mark. He slapped the control panel to shut the safety door, closing them in the engine maintenance compartment.

"Listen, I will pay you twice what they offered," she said as her lip quivered.

"I doubt you have the resources," Phalen replied emotionlessly. "Besides, that would be a breach of contract. Kinda hard to maintain a level of reputation when you don't stay loyal to your employers...you would know all about that wouldn't you Miss Boofay?"

"If you knew the truth about the atrocities the Empire committed in the name of justice, you would understand," she said as she fought back tears. "But I guess you would know all about that, wouldn't you!"

"I don't have much in the ways of ethics or allegiances," he said told. "Its just a job, and I always do my job."

"Please..." she implored as her knees buckled and she slumped to the floor. She slyly reached for one of the tools that had fallen out of the box.

Pathetic, Phalen thought as he stepped forward, stepping on her hand and placing the blaster to her scalp.

"It's nothing personal," he said as he pulled the trigger.

---

"A New Home"
By Alexis Soren, smuggler

Location: Corporate Sector - Drogen Shipyards
Date: Vadris 17, 4 ABY

***

Alexis Soren relaxed in the chair as the ship sped through space. It seemed to be doing alright, there was no need for him to interfere really. Alexis didn't really know where he was going, he'd had to flee a couple of weeks ago after some rather disastrous smuggling runs. His old business associates were almost certainly looking for him and he had no wish for them to find him. Not that they would look too hard, once they realised he was gone and not coming back that would be the end of their concerns, they would simply tell everyone they had killed him horribly. It did however mean that Alexis was starting from scratch. He had a large supply of credits but certainly not enough to sustain him. He would have to find business associates, corrupt officials, things to smuggle, things to steal and all this would take time. The frightening thought of having to actually find legitimate work was looming, and that was not a happy thought.

Alexis had once been legitimately employed, he had been a freighter pilot, working for a respectable company, delivering innocent things here and there. Then his old employer was arrested for tax evasion and that had been that; Alexis had stolen the ship and been a smuggler ever since. He enjoyed it much more. He was also very good at it, no risk was too big, no danger too great, as long as he was getting paid well for it of course. He dodged official patrols with ease and talked his way out of any trouble he got into, except for the last two times. Alexis felt he had been set up, with official patrols waiting for him when he dropped out of hyperspace. He had managed to get away twice, but he had been extremely lucky. Still, Alexis was sure that everything would be OK wherever he was going. Wherever that was. Alexis still hadn't decided yet, he was heading towards the Corporate Sector though, and stuff was always going on there.

He had heard of a major casino in the area, having a month of special competitions, sabaac tournaments, sporting events, games of skill and chance. Alexis was terrible at these, but a lot of money moving around could easily end up in his pocket, but he didn't know. Alexis checked the time; he should be coming out of hyperspace soon, he had set the co-ordinates while he had been drinking and so was hoping he would come out somewhere reasonable.

He decided he should go and prepare himself for wherever he would emerge, he wanted to look his best. Alexis could be quite vain and this was clearly apparent to anyone who met him. As he was preparing himself in front of the mirror, he heard a beeping sound coming from the cockpit. He rushed back and jumped back into the seat. His hands working the controls, the ship shuddered slightly and dropped back into realspace. He checked the computer, but he needn't have bothered. Directly in front of his ship was a rather large space station. He remembered where he was now, the Drogen Shipyards. Of course, a friend of his had told him about the Drogen Shipyards a couple of months ago and advised him to check it out if he was ever there. Well here he was.

Alexis was quickly granted permission to dock with the station. They seemed to have a lot of traffic and didn't seem to be worried about who was coming aboard, although he was warned that the station had strict rules which he should abide. Alexis shrugged this off. Most stations said that, basically so if you did mess up they could be as violent as they wanted in dealing with you as they had warned you.

Alexis quickly made his way off his ship as soon as it was docked. He had been cooped up for a while and needed to get into a slightly bigger sealed metal box. Alexis had never named his ship, to him it was still Art's Business Freighter 1. Once he bought his own ship, a ship that was really his, then it would be named. Whenever he docked or was asked the ship was always described ABF1, a boring name he admitted but one the ship had grown into.

Alexis quickly realised that the Drogen Shipyards were his kind of place, bars, shops, blaster shops, it was a hive of activity, smugglers, traders, and some extremely dangerous looking people. While Alexis liked it he realised he should perhaps buy some more firepower soon, to put off any of these would-be assailants. But that could wait for another day, right now he was enjoying the atmosphere and the snatched conversations of a hundred strangers. Yes, Alexis felt at home here.

---

"Gift Giving, Part 1"
By: Koran Darr
Laedra Vorrel
Cole Slaton
Vaya Bek
Zari Zathmir
Win'Los
Vee'Ta

Location: The Helix; Surface of Hjar 1
Date: Vadris 17, 4 ABY

***

Just an hour ago, the planet had been just a bright blip in the distance. Now, now it filled the viewport Koran Darr and Laedra Vorrel gazed through. The ship rumbled as its landing gear was extended and it arced downward toward the conflict that had raged for so long, that they were expected to heal.

Koran looked at Laedra and squeezed her hand. "Are you ready for this?" he asked. "Not that there is any turning back now. Despite the danger, I believe this could be the first true test of our new Jedi Order."

"I am confident," Laedra answered and smiled at her mate. "It's the children I'm more worried about."

"Yes," Koran said with a sigh. "We will have to watch closely, but their training has been good. Our first task should be to meet with the Hjari leaders, if they will see us."

"And if not, is our mission complete?" she asked.

Koran thought for a moment, then finally nodded. "Yes, then our mission is over. I would like to be able to help them, but if they do not wish for us to help them, then there is nothing we can do for them."

"What of those people who do wish for our assistance?" she asked curiously. "What of Win'Los and Vee'Ta?"

"We cannot overthrow the established government of a planet on the authority of two beings who do not have the backing of their leadership."

"Then," Laedra decided, "we will have to then prepare accommodations for them at the Temple, for I do not doubt they will beseech us for asylum if this fails."

"We can give them temporary lodging at the Temple until more suitable arrangements can be made," Koran said.

"We will have no choice but to if we do not succeed, for they have placed all their hopes and faith in us." Laedra sighed and muttered, "I just hope their trust was not misplaced."

Koran raised an eyebrow. "They've already admitted to misleading us," he said, surprised by her sudden change of heart. "Laedra, they withheld the truth from us in order to gain our assistance. If they had not misrepresented themselves and their cause, things would have been very different. It wasn't until we were on our way to their planet that we found out the truth, and that we may not even be welcome there. If there was any misplaced trust in this matter, it would be in our acceptance of their words from the start."

"They were desperate," she reminded him gently. "I do not condone their lies...but they had everything to lose and we were their last chance for freedom. If you had no other avenue to explore, would you, too, not at least entertain the same methods they implemented in recruiting our aid?"

"If one man came to you and asked you to overthrow his entire planet's way of life, against the will of the two factions that lead, would you?"

"It depends on other factors involved," Laedra answered diplomatically. "If people's lives were at stake if we did not intervene, I would strongly consider interfering. Such loss can never be condoned, Koran. Never."

"If that is the case here," Koran said, "do we send the Padawans home? Or do we bring them into the war between us and the people of the planet? Do we ask them to assist us in forcing our will upon this planet, light-years from our own home?"

Laedra smiled at him admonishingly. "Koran, I have not suggested we march in there and impose changes upon them. I'm merely expressing that if innocent lives are being lost needlessly, I'm not so certain I can simply stand back and allow such atrocities to continue. Can you?"

"And, not sitting back means you would take action," Koran said. "All I am asking is what action you would take, and how would you handle the young ones we have brought with us."

"Am I being tested, Koran Darr?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Do you not trust me?"

"From what you have said," Koran said, "it doesn't sound as if you trust yourself. I need to know, before we are on the ground, if Win'Los and Vee'Ta's leaders do not wish for us to assist them, what do you plan to do?"

Laedra watched him impassively to conceal her disappointment. "I will forget you asked me that, Koran," she said quietly. "I am not a rogue, and I am not a Padawan. Have I not proven myself reliable and worthy of being accorded the title 'Jedi Master'?" She sighed. "It is not my actions you need to worry about, Koran, it's the Padawans'. I suggest you focus on them rather than on what you believe I might do if the situation on Hjar 1 disintegrates. I am not an unstable, confused child any longer. I am your peer, your equal, and I will not be spoken this way by you, of all people." Laedra bowed to Koran with far more respect than he had shown her. "Now if you'll excuse me, Master Jedi, I must prepare the children." And with barely a glance at him, she turned for the doorway.

"Stop," Koran said, his voice filled with an air of command. "Just hours ago, we were in agreement on the situation and what we would do if the leaders rejected us. Now, you have come completely around to the opposite side, almost to the point of stating we should assist Win'Los and Vee'Ta, even if their leaders will not permit it. As for the doubts I may suddenly be expressing, you told me that you were not certain if you could simply stand back if the situation warranted. That is the crux of my questions to you, Master Vorrel. I am trying to find out where you now stand on this matter, because it is very different from the last time we spoke on it."

With her back to Koran, but no longer proceeding towards the door, Laedra answered, "You will find that out, Master Darr, if and when we are confronted with such a situation. I'm afraid you will have to be satisfied with that answer, Koran. If you truly do trust me, you will be. Now, may I go?"

"I trust you implicitly," Koran stated, though he did not like the sudden distance between them, and Laedra's unwillingness to speak of the matter with him. He trusted her, but he also trusted her to do what she thought was right toward the situation. He only hoped that the words she spoke and the actions differed, otherwise he did not believe he would be able to trust her on missions of such importance again. Communication was crucial, and the communication between the two Jedi Masters had been abruptly severed and Laedra seemed to show no interest in restoring it. "I will meet you in the cargo bay once you have spoken to the Padawans; I will have our speeder prepared."

"Thank you," she replied and was gone.

On her way to the Padawans, she summoned all her training to keep her emotions under control. It took Laedra everything she had, but she succeeded and was as reserved as ever when she arrived at the Padawans' quarters. She looked over each of the young students inspectively, scrutinizing their uniforms, though only with pretended severity. When she had completed her examination, Laedra smiled. "Are you all ready for your first endeavour as representatives of the Jedi Order?"

Zari was first to notice Laedra and had quickly sprung from her bed to stand ready for her new Master. "I'm very excited, Master," she said, her eyes glittering with excitement. "I'm ready!"

Laedra nodded and shifted her gaze to the other two Padawans. "Any reservations before we land?"

Vaya bowed to her Jedi mentor, "I am ready Master. The Force will be with us."

I'm as ready as I'll ever be... he thought, sliding his arm through his brown robe. He pulled the hood up over his head allowing the excess material to hang loose in front of his face, interlocking his fingers in front of him. He turned to Laedra standing in the doorway. "I am also ready, Master." He kept the excitement that Zari showed, bowing as he spoke. There was something else in the background. Elusive. Was it his vision plaguing his mind?

He couldn't see how his vision had anything to do with this mission, he remembered the sky and surroundings. Though there had been a red sun in the sky; it was still night with many stars shining brightly overhead. He had spent anxious moments looking over the system scans and saw that this planet didn't have a red sun.

"Before anything," Laedra told the trio, "I just want you to know that Koran and I are proud of you and we have faith that you will serve the Order well." She smiled and moved aside, gesturing to the door. "He is awaiting us in the cargo bay. We land soon, and it's imperative we review our roles one final time."

Zari started toward the door, leading the way. Her bare feet made hardly a sound as they whispered along the floor. She was still excited, an excitement the others could feel, but there was a control to it as well.

***

The bulkheads gave a slight shudder of the Helix's descent into the gravitational pull of the planet Hjar 1. Win'Los and Vee'Ta sat together in prayer, knowing that the fate of their people was before them, and that the fate of their love was paramount to the events that would unfold shortly.

"Do you believe then, that we should take the Jedi straight to the Shaman, before meeting our Fathers and Mothers?" Win'Los asked.

"I do, yes," Vee'Ta replied. "I do not doubt the wisdom and heart of our Clan Fathers and Mothers, but these days are dark. The Shaman is our best chance at gaining the approval of our Fathers and Mothers. If nothing else, our people still revere and trust in the Shaman, she is our link to the Gods!"

"We shall do that then, it will be easy to trek up to Shaman Hill without news of the Jedi to reach our villages, or the Company for that matter," Win'Los replied. "The Shaman will lead us and the Jedi down to the Commons, where our people will meet. The Shaman will indeed persuade our Mothers and Fathers to allow the Jedi to help us reclaim our world and lives."

"Win'Los? Are you patronizing me?" she said, a mix of jest and genuine concern.

Win'Los gave a nervous huff of laughter, "In some ways yes, but I mean no disrespect. I just wanted to sound confident for you. You are always so confident in your convictions. As if you already know the future."

"I do not know the future, my love," she replied. "I see what can be, what should be, and what needs to be. I believe in it. How can we ever accomplish anything, if we do not believe whole-heartedly in the cause and the hopeful outcome? Were we to just accept defeat before defeat takes us, then we would have already lost. I see the Jedi helping us. I see the Company leaving this world, I see our two great peoples truly and finally becoming one people. And I see you and I taking the Vows of Union..."

"If nothing else, Vee, I do believe in you," Win'Los said as he pulled her close. "I believe in you, and that what you say and think, and what you feel and believe is true. And for that, I stand by you...until the end."

***

Vaya followed her Master and her fellow Padawans to the cargo hold. For the first time since joining the ranks of the Tae'Karadan Jedi, she felt she truly belonged and that she was well on the path to her destiny as a Jedi. She knew she had learned some very valuable lessons with her mentor, and the extra lessons she had been fortunate to acquire from Master Vos. Vaya was also pleased to have had the exercises with other Padawans of varying skill levels to test her own skills and work on those areas she was rough with. Something inside her told her that she would call upon these skills, that the mission to Hjari was paramount to her future with the Jedi.

Just focus on the mission, Vaya, she thought to herself as the Jedi filed into the cargo hold. The needs of these people are what is important here.

Going on the mission with Laedra and Koran to her was more than a test of how she stood as a potential Jedi. Vaya saw it as a larger picture, as her first step into a much larger world. She felt some pride, standing before the two Masters and her fellow Padawans. Not pride in herself, but the pride one felt when those who were capable of doing good, were about to act in the better interest of those who needed help. It made Vaya feel centered and focused, more centered than she had ever felt in all her life.

Laedra took her place beside Koran as the small group gathered, but kept a noticeable distance between them to mirror their sudden rift. She maintained a dispassionate facade, and attempted to do the same internally, but knowing Koran doubted her still stung.

Koran took in the space Laedra allowed between them and wondered when they would have time to mend the damage between them. He wondered if the Padawans could sense it. He put the thoughts from his mind, knowing that it would only do more harm to dwell upon it, and bowed to the Padawans. "Once we are planetside, which should be momentarily," he began, "we will all be conducting ourselves, within this speeder, to the leaders of Win'Los and Vee'Ta's people. Hopefully, they will be amenable to the assistance we offer them, and will allow us to help them in their plight. Should they not be, we will return here to plan the next stage of our strategy. May the Force be with us all in this. Are there any questions?"

"None, Master..." Cole said, his arms folded within the sleeves of his robe. They were finally doing it! They were here, doing what Jedi were born to do, what they were meant to do. Fight for justice, for the weak that could not fight for themselves. And he was at the forefront. Do you see me now, father? he asked in his mind while staring at the floor. You were never a hero, compared to me you will be nothing, a memory.

"No, Master," Vaya replied with a bow.

"Then we are ready," Laedra announced. But before she could continue, the two Hjarii filed in to meet the Jedi. They both bowed to the Jedi and joined the group.

"We have discussed the matter of your meeting our Clan leaders," Vee'Ta said to the Jedi. "We do apologize for our earlier discretion, but do feel every confidence that our Clans will welcome your aid. It would be most appropriate for you to first meet with our Shaman, our spiritual leader. It is customary to receive his wisdom and the Blessing of our Gods before going before a Clan Patriarch and Matriarch."

"You will find the Shaman to be most receptive, Jedi," Win'Los added. "Our leaders will still have the last say as to whether or not your help will be received, but with the Shaman's Blessing, they would no doubt have more of an inclination. Nothing of such matters can be approached, without first having asked the Gods, through the Blessing of the Shaman. It has always been so with our people."

"Yes," Vee'Ta said. "Though you will find that those who have been corrupted by the Company, have forgotten the Gods."

Laedra bowed her head. "As you wish. We would be honoured to participate in your customs."

The Hjarii bowed to the Jedi.

"You would honour us, Jedi." Vee'Ta replied.

"If your gods accept us in this matter, then it is we who are honoured," Koran Darr answered. "What will be required of us for this? We are unfamiliar with your customs, and would not wish to misstep in this."

"We will help you along the way of course," Vee'Ta replied with a smile. "Our ways are not so complicated, though they may seem strange to you."

"We can explain the meeting with our Shaman, on the way of course," Win'Los added.

"We are due to land in a matter of minutes," Laedra informed them. "That does not leave much time for an explanation."

Win'Los gave Vee'Ta a look. He knew as well as she that they had time on the way, it was not an elaborate explanation of customary rites. Perhaps the Jedi was being cross for their earlier indiscretion.

"We will bring you before the Shaman," Vee'Ta explained. "I will explain to him why you are here, and that we wish for the blessings of the Gods. The Shaman will ask for a gift to be given in honour of the Gods, by which he will meditate on the matter. If she is confident that the Gods will give their blessing, then she too will give a gift to you. The Shaman would then lead us to the Clan Council."

"It is nothing elaborate, and won't take much time," Win'Los added. "However, even with the Shaman's support, we will still have to make our case to the Clan Council, before our Patriarchs and Matriarchs. It is rare that our leaders dismiss the wisdom of the Shaman, but these are trying days. The Council will want to know why you are willing to help us, how you shall do so, and what you desire in turn."

"The Council will more than likely wish to deliberate on the matter, which may take several days. In that time, perhaps you may find more reasons to help justify your involvement, Win'Los and I will help of course. After all, it was we who came to seek your aid. We too will be before the Council. When the Council agrees, there will be a feast in your honour. The Council will give to you a gift, and you would then want to give to the Council, the gift that the Shaman had given you before," Vee'Ta finished.

"May we not make our own gift to the Council?" Laedra asked. "Would that not be more meaningful to them?"

Both Hjarii looked at each other questioningly at the Jedi's question.

"It can be so yes," Vee'Ta replied. "Your true gift is for the liberation of our people, the Council will know this. Your own gift would be most welcomed I am sure, and would no doubt have more an effect."

"But is that not a gift we can give until after we have gained the approval of the Council?" Koran asked. "It is a gift we will give willingly should the Council permit it, but should we not give them a gift before this task has been undertaken?"

"I apologise, perhaps I am not being clear," Vee'Ta explained. "Once the Council has deliberated on the matter, you would give to our leaders a gift, as they shall give one to you. It is a token of respect, a trade that goes back to our days as a bartering people. I understand that you be willing to give the gift of help if allowed to do so, I meant no confusion. So please, after our leaders deliberate, when they welcome your help, a gift is to be given to them, and you shall also a receive a gift. It is our way."

"A gift need not only be something of material, gifts come in many forms of course," Win'Los added. "Perhaps a show of your customs, be it in song, story or dance. Or whatever you deem to be of worth in your eyes and in your cultures. We know somewhat of Jedi culture. But not much. We understand that Jedi do not always have much in the ways of personal objects, so we just suggested that perhaps you give to the Council what the Shaman gives to you before. It is done often, that is why the Shaman gives a gift of blessing. Of course you may give something else, as you say, leaders would no doubt see it as more personal, and show to them you respect our ways."

"So, if I understand, the shaman will give us a gift to give to the Council," Koran said. "So, in essence, we'll be giving the Council the Shaman's gift, not our own. If they desire material goods, then we can come up with something for them. Otherwise, I have an idea of something which we might gift the Council."

"You may give your own gift to the Council, it would be well received," Vee'Ta replied.

Cole rubbed the top of his nose in between his eyes as if a headache was beginning to surface. It felt like they were going in circles.

"Padawan Slaton," Laedra interrupted, "are you feeling well?"

"Yes, Master..." Cole said with a faint smile nodding. "Can I ask something, what happens if the Shaman doesn't give her support? Is there a Plan B?" He glanced at both Win'Los and Vee'Ta in turn, hoping to shift the topic.

"If the Shaman were not to see us, we would just have to approach the Clan leaders," Vee'Ta explained. "But I am certain the Shaman will welcome and give us blessing."

Vaya moved in close to her Master and whispered, "I do believe our Hjarii friend here has seen the Shaman before. Did she not say that such endeavors did not go without seeking the wisdom and blessing of the Shaman?" Vaya asked. "These two may not have the authority of their leader, but I am certain that she had spoken with their Shaman prior to their journey to our world."

"I recall so as well, Padawan," Laedra murmured, barely moving her lips as she watched the Hjarii inspectively. "Tell me, Win'Los," she said aloud, "are your Shaman expecting us?"

Win'Los just looked at the Master Jedi. Then to Vee'Ta

Vaya received no sense of deception, through the Force or with her uncanny Lorddian skills. That is how she had deducted her belief to her mentor. As a Lorddian, she was quite skilled at reading people through their speech patterns and body languages. It was very useful, especially if you were attuned to the Force.

"The Shaman knows a great many things. It would not be beyond her to have foreseen, and to be expecting us," he replied.

Vee'Ta took his hand, and also replied to the Jedi.

"I had spoken with the Shaman prior to seeking your help. You already know that I have not the authority of my leaders, though I believe to have the authority of my people, in heart and spirit at least. As I had explained, many things are not partaken without first speaking to the Shaman and receiving the Blessing. She knows I was off to find the Jedi, and she is expecting us. Please, do not view this as something I was keeping as a secret. It is not so. The Shaman is our link to the Gods, it is most sacred. I am sure your people have their beliefs, it is something we take for granted sometimes, unfortunately..."

"We do not take such beliefs lightly, either," Laedra assured her. "However, if the Shaman knows we are coming, why are we still required to seek approval before proceeding with our efforts to liberate your planet?"

"I sought out the Shaman before seeking the Jedi. She gave me the Blessing to come find you and bring you here, and here you are. But we must go before the Shaman for the task you have come here for. She will get a sense of what is to come, to look into your souls, and ask the Gods for their guidance and blessing," Vee'Ta explained. "It is not the Shaman's approval, it is the Shaman gaining the Gods' blessing on our behalf, so that your efforts will have the grace of the Gods."

Laedra smiled politely. "Then that is what we shall do the moment we land." She furtively winked at Vaya to reassure the girl, then nodded to the Hjari representatives. "Is there anything more we should know before we venture into these peace negotiations?"

"I don't believe so no," Win'Los said as he looked to Vee'Ta with a look as if to say, There isn't, is there?

Vaya felt the Jedi had their work cut out for them, for sure. And not just on the part of actually bringing peace and salvation to the lives of these people. But still, she felt she was ready for the challenges, and was looking forward to participating in the culture of the Hjarii people.

Jedi Master Koran Darr bowed to both of the Hjari, and then indicated the speeder. "I believe that there is nothing more we can gain from conversation here," he said. "Let's get in the speeder and we can meet with the Shaman. I don't believe we want to keep her waiting any longer than we already have." As if to punctuate his words, a rumble went through the ship as it touched down on the planet's surface.

Vaya hopped in and was followed by the two Hjarii.

Laedra, still avoiding Koran's gaze, stepped past her fellow Jedi Master and moved to occupy one of the vacant forward seats.

Zari glanced up at Cole with a smile, then started forward to follow Vaya and the Hjarii into the back of the speeder. Being the smallest among them, she climbed all the way into the back.

Cole caught the smile from Zari, even a small gesture like that got his heart racing. It took him a few moments to control his breathing before he stepped up following the other Padawans, taking one of the empty seats, strapping himself in. It was strange that the Shaman could see into the future. Was she Force sensitive? or something else entirely. We'll find out sooner or later...

Once the others were settled, Koran climbed into the controller's seat and started the speeder's powerplant. After a moment, the indicators flashed green. Koran glanced to his side to where Laedra sat, and using a small amount of the Force, sent a caress over the top of her hand. He gave her a brief, apologetic smile, then turned his attention back to the mission at hand. With a silent command sent to the ship, the bay doors opened and the speeder raced out and on its way to the shaman.

---

"Gift Giving, Part 2"
By: Koran Darr
Laedra Vorrel
Cole Slaton
Vaya Bek
Zari Zathmir
Win'Los
Vee'Ta

Location: Surface of Hjar 1
Date: Vadris 17, 4 ABY

***

The landscape was dotted with thickets and rolling hills as the speeder zoomed along the path that Vee'Ta had directed. It was early morning on the small lunar world that revolved around the large gas giant of Hjar. The sky was nearly cloudless and showed the brilliant violet-blue hue of the alien sky.

Vaya was taken by its natural beauty. She had seen a few worlds in her time, and most were more or less developed over the generations with technologically advanced constructs. She appreciated the natural beauty that Tae'Karada offered, but she had never seen such a world with open wilderness. High above their speeder she gazed upon the looming gas giant of Hjar; an object that dominated most of the sky and lent the violet hue to the world's sky. Hjar looked to be a cloudy mass of swirls comprised of mottled swashes in hues of blues and violets that faded into the bluish sky of the small lunar word, as if painted there. Far to the other side of the sky a star burned bright, a bright blue-white star.

The beauty of the world's wilderness soon faded though, as it gave way to the ravages of strip mining. The speeder zoomed up a hill and back down, leaving the wooded areas behind, and revealed a scarred landscape of crater-like pits and barren paths. At one point, Vaya looked down out of the speeder, and she could not see the ground below. There was only darkness as the pit stretched fathomlessly down like a giant maw that even stretched out for kilometers. All about were the signs of intense and thorough mining, large section of land all but forgotten as the precious resources were consumed to leave the land with no more interest or value.

Vaya remembered from her study of the world, that the moon world, Hjar 1, or Hjari as the Hjarii spoke of it, was rich in many minerals. The most valuable being a type of crystal that was not to unlike those mined across the galaxy and used as energy conductors for many things such as large energy weapons, space craft hyperdrives, shield generators and power generators. She knew that the crystals were forged over a millennium under precise circumstances which made the crystals quite valuable. Vaya could not see destroying the landscape of a world for the attainment of such materialistic values, let alone to enslave a world's population to mine the materials.

Vaya's thoughts drifted as the speeder raced on, thinking about the mission ahead and the plight of the Hjarii people. Her hand rested along the side of her hip as she felt her lightsaber. She knew lightsabers were constructed with the use of crystals and that the right size Hjarii crystal could be used for a lightsaber. She wondered where the crystal in her own lightsaber came from, if it had once rested on such a world and had been mined from a similar people...

Win'Los pointed up ahead where there was another thicket of woods atop a hill.

"There," he said. "The Shaman resides there within those woods.

"We can stop the speeder at the edge of the woods," Vee'Ta said. "The Shaman is a short walk into the trees."

"I would imagine this was once a beauty to behold... now look at it..." Cole whispered to no one in particular with an element of disgust. He had thought it only as a small area of the moon, but seeing it on such a scale, and at first hand, he could see the Hjarii's problem. And it was a large one. How two Jedi, and three Padawans, were going to solve this he did not know. What he did know was they would do their best to help, whatever that meant.

At a spot Win'Los indicated, Koran turned the speeder and began decelerating. After a few moments, the speeder glided to a smooth stop at the edge of the woods. Sensing they would be here for some time, Koran shut down the speeder's engine and released the locks holding the doors and canopy closed..

"Has it always been like this?" Laedra asked the Hjarii as the small group exited the speeder. "There doesn't seem to be much left."

"No, not always," Vee'Ta replied sadly. "The Company came and has done this to our world for several generations. They bring in many devices, that chew and eat up the land."

"They get everything they can from one area, and move on to another," Win'Los added in disgust. "I imagine we will be treated the same, as soon as we are all used up."

"Our people work night and day, there is always a shift working."

"Provided we are allowed to continue our mission here," Koran said as he looked out across the land, "that will be changing soon enough."

"Hopefully so," Vee'Ta said as she walked forward. "These lands here," she said as she waved a hand about the woods they were walking through. "Are one of a few left. Reserved for our people. There are a few fields spared for the growing of some crops. The few animals we have left, are meager herds that dwindle with every season."

"Yes, we are allowed to have some hunting grounds, but there is little to hunt these days," Win'Los added. "Our herds have always been used for milking, now we butcher a few now and then to add to our tables. Mostly we eat what we can manage to sow from the earth. It is barely enough to get by on. Just enough to keep us working..."

"There is the Shaman's hut," Vee'Ta pointed out.

Vaya saw up ahead a small construct of wood, thatch and mud-brick. And it didn't look like much. A light smoke puffed from the roof with a smell of herbs.

As the group neared the hut, a soft chanting could be heard from within. Vaya thought it had a nice melody to it, though she didn't understand any of what she could hear. To her, it sounded familiar to the language the Hjarii used, but different. She deducted it was probably a sacred dialect.

All around the hut were stakes driven into the ground. From them flittered feathers and beads, and each had strange carvings upon them. As they came upon the hut, Vee'Ta motioned a halt to everyone.

"I shall approach the Shaman and let her know that we have come to seek her aid."

Koran bowed to Vee'Ta and glanced around at the others, then off through the trees. There was a strong feeling of life here, but the sense of oppression was palpable. To his senses, it was painfully obvious that the life force of the area was being killed off. He could only hope the leaders would grant them the opportunity to do what they could, for the Hjari and their world.

"What do you think?" Laedra asked Koran softly. "Are we worthy of the Shaman's blessing?"

"I believe that we are," Koran said with a slight smile as he glanced at her. "Though, in the end it will be up to the Shaman herself. That she gave them her blessing to seek us out in the first place, though, is a very good sign in our favour. I don't know yet what we can do to help them here, but they definitely need someone to step in on their behalf. Once we have first tested the strength and intentions of the Company, I will know more, but I think perhaps after our initial overtures, perhaps the New Republic may have an interest here."

"At which point," Laedra reminded him, "our task will be completed. Is the Order quite ready yet to openly declare themselves comrades of the New Republic? Our last joint endeavour was hardly a promising start..."

"No," Koran said with a slight frown, "it wasn't. If the New Republic is willing to step in, I believe they will be able to do a better job than we, despite our abilities. We will be able to pave the way for them though. I believe that it might not be a bad idea, if the New Republic takes over negotiations here, to have a Jedi representative on hand to observe."

Laedra smiled. "You, I gather?"

"Perhaps," Koran said. "Though, I think it might be better to have more than a single opinion on the matter." He smiled to her. "Though, we will have to see how things go."

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes...we shall."

Vee'Ta and Win'Los came out of the hut and rejoined the Jedi.

"The Shaman is ready to see you," Vee'Ta told them.

"We shall enter with you, of course," Win'Los added. "A gift must be presented to the Shaman, she will receive it and talk to you about why you are here. She will then meditate on the matter, and then we will leave her for a time, and wait for her blessing back outside. With her blessing, she will give to you a gift as well, and then lead us to the village to go before the Clan leaders."

"Seems easy enough..." Cole joked with a faint smile looking around the hut. His eyes were moving from one stake to another, looking at the various beads and skulls. He stepped up to one such stake, tracing his finger over the carving in the wood. Interesting....

"Enjoying the adornments, Padawan?" Laedra asked from beside Cole. "Considering what most of you have experienced, this will likely be one of the most exotic places you've visited to this point."

Cole nodded, his eyes still fixed on the face carved into the wood. "It's hard to believe you can get so much detail from one piece of wood..." he said, allowing his finger to run down over the face's nose. It wasn't hard to make out what it was supposed to be. An animal of some kind, a predator by its large teeth, but it was the eyes that had caught Cole's attention. "... so life like..." he whispered to be glancing at Laedra embarrassed, though he couldn't say why.

"This is a beautiful moon, or was once... I can understand how something like this can happen, before I became a Padawan money was all that mattered, it kept you alive on the streets. But this..." He looked around, still able to picture the scale of what was happening here. "How could they let their home become such a... graveyard..." It was the best word he could find to describe what he felt through the Force, the sadness, the pain, the sorrow and anger. That was the most dominant, he could feel it everywhere.

"Sometimes, Padawan, you cannot anticipate the consequences before it is too late," Laedra explained.

"Come, Jedi," Win'Los beckoned. "The Shaman awaits."

Laedra bowed her head at the Hjarii, and as they started forward she murmured, "Keep your weapons out of sight, Padawans. It would not be courteous."

Zari fell in line first behind Laedra, deftly easing her cloak in front of where her lightsaber hung on her belt. She smiled up at her master, even though she knew Laedra was not looking. As much as she liked Master Jae Dyn, she was very happy to be Master Laedra's student while on this mission. Their differences in style, both in teaching and in interaction, helped Zari to learn even more. She wondered why the Jedi didn't do such things more frequently.

Vaya followed after Zari and Laedra, with Koran, Cole and Win'Los in tow. They entered into the Shaman's hut and followed Vee'Ta's lead by kneeling down upon the ground.

Vaya took in the interior, as she knelt down upon a mat made of woven grass. The hut was quite spacious, she thought, compared to how small it seemed from the outside. The ceiling domed upward, where there was an opening, directly above from a stone lined fire pit. All around the hut were tables and shelving with numerous herbal items and the scents of dozens of alien aromas.

The Shaman sat crossed leg before the Jedi, a Hjarii woman in her later years. Her hair was a mixture of grey hues with streaks of white, intricately braided and fashioned upon her head in a style unlike any other Vaya had ever seen. She wore a plain tunic of dark green with a modest accessory of feathers, beads and painted symbols. She had upon her lap a staff made of wood, its head held a pink colored crystal, adorned with feathers and beads upon strands of leather.

"Tyahoma, kommiry Hjarii ty'nlassto Jeedai?" the Shaman spoke with a gruff voice as she the threw into the fire pit a handful of ingredients which brought forth sparks, smoke and tongues of fire.

Vee'Ta translated for the Jedi, "The Shaman asks why it is that the Jedi have returned to the Hjarii people."

Cole frowned in confusion, leaning slightly toward his master whispering, "I thought the Shaman knew we were coming, that she gave her blessing for Vee'Ta, and Win'Los, to approach us for help... Why would she ask why we've returned?"

Koran gave a nod that he had heard Cole's question, but with the focus of the Shaman on him, he could not take the time to answer it. The same question was in his mind, and it would be something to look into at a later time. "We have come to offer our assistance in a matter of dire importance to the Hjarii," he said in a resonant voice. "We have come at the request of these representatives of your people to aid in your survival that threatens your very existence. We come, as always, to offer our service to you."

The Shaman shook her head and spoke again, with Vee'Ta translating.

"The Shaman says that she knows this, but again asks, why," she said with emphasis.

"Because it is part of our responsibility as Jedi," Laedra answered respectfully. "The moment we neared this planet, it was obvious its balance in the Force had been upset. It is our duty to ensure that balance is restored as much as it can be."

"For us, there is no why," Koran continued. "There is only life as it is, and our part of life is to serve those who need a light in the darkness. With the Force, one does not ask why. We are here because the Force has guided us here."

The Shaman appeared to consider the words of the Jedi, as she sat in silence and looked to each of the Jedi and their Hjarii guides.

"Dowmwata nyevark'na, aysa jahaaadi tooozwa nar Jeedai," the Shaman said with a warm smile.

"The Shaman says that indeed the Jedi are wise and noble as the tales of old have said," Vee'Ta explained to the Jedi.

"Dar Hjarra nar aysa dowmwata, meinet vor Joohdoo," the Shaman said as she waved her staff about over her head.

"The Shaman says that it is important to open our souls to the Gods and beseech them for guidance and their Blessing," Vee'Ta explained again.

The Shaman stood and walked around and behind the Jedi. She chanted and waved her staff about. One by one she touched each of the Jedi, barely touching the tops of their heads with the feathers upon her staff. She returned in front of them, sprinkling some herbs into the fire which crackled and smoked.

Vaya smelled sweetness from the flames, as she continued to pay attention to the ceremony.

The Shaman then pulled from a pouch under her tunic, what appeared to be a stick of wax.

"Dar Hjarra, dowmwata vor Joohdoo...dowmata Joohdoo Jeedai," she chanted.

"The Shaman asks the Gods to look into our souls and give their Blessing," Vee'Ta explained. "The Shaman will mark our foreheads with the colored wax, it will not hurt and it shall be washed off."

The Shaman came first to Vee'Ta and chanted again, marking her forehead from between the eyes and to the left, over the eye. And then again, on the opposite side. She then came to Laedra, and followed on down the line, chanting and marking their heads.

Laedra felt the woman's eldritch power flowing through her fingertips and leaving a trail over her painted flesh. She glanced up at the elder woman without displaying any show of surprise and observed the ritual with humility.

At last the Shaman arrived at Cole standing in front of him. He knew she was old, he could feel it, but seeing her up close her skin seemed to hang from her bones, but not in an ugly way; she still held onto her youthful attractive appearance. Her eyes held him as her hand came to his forehead while her lips moved, speaking the alien language. His eyes twitched slightly as her finger made the same pattern as those previous.

Cole's hand clenched at his side, holding onto the material of his robe as the wax burned. It wasn't painful it was more of a burning itch, like the bite from a fire-ant. He tried to keep his discomfort from the Shaman, and his companions. He hoped he was hiding it well.

After having marked the Jedi, Vee'Ta and Win'Los, the Shaman walked back to where she had been sitting before, continuing her chant to the Hjarii gods.

Though Vaya did not believe in a higher being, in the sense that most religions did, she found it rather intriguing, and she felt honoured to be a part of such a tradition. She had never believed in such things, it had never occurred to her. But when she discovered and began to learn about the Force, it was a religion of sorts to her. A way of life, something greater than her self, something that focused and guided her destiny.

"Jeedai, mahari oompaloo tzarnava darndai," the Shaman said.

"The Shaman requests an offering to the Gods, so that she may meditate and speak one-on-one with them," Vee'Ta explained.

Koran gave Vee'Ta a pointed look, since the two Hjarii had been insisting all along they had the gift the Jedi were to give, though had given no details regarding.

Laedra, not consulting Koran, the senior member of the mission, addressed the Shaman. "We have nothing of value, honoured one. Nothing but knowledge that we may share with you, if you will have it."

The Shaman replied, as Vee'Ta translated, "Offerings come in many forms. Those with wisdom are not wise less they share."

Win'Los procured a small package from his small bag. He unwrapped the object from its cloth covering and laid it on the ground before the Shaman.

"Allow the Jedi to share their wisdom as an offering to the Gods," he said in Hjarii, by which Vee'Ta translated for the Jedi. "I also offer this candle to you, Wise Shaman, for the Blessing of our Gods, on behalf of our journey to bring the Jedi here. May it be lit to lift the shadows that cloud our future, and burn with the hope of our peoples' deliverance."

The Shaman took the candle, bowed and turned to the Jedi to hear out the wisdom they wished to share.

Laedra reached inside her robe, pulling a mini holoprojector free of her inner pocket. She set it down between herself and the elder woman before activating the datastream of images she'd collected. With a serene smile, Laedra asked, "Shall I teach you of the Ancients, honoured one? Of their unique practices and connection to the Force?"

"Oohs dawmwatta shumpka Jeedai..." the Shaman said with great interest as she sat to see what Laedra offered.

Interpreting the old woman's words through her facial expression, Laedra smiled at her apparent eagerness. Gesturing to the holoimage of the Temple levitating before them, Laedra described their home to the Shaman in detail, from the forest surrounding them to the wondrous falls to even the colour of stone that composed the structure. With another slight hand movement that delivered a small push of the Force, she called up the next image. From there, Laedra explained their encounter with Tarkin's dark soldiers, their discovery of the Ancient Force-spirits inhabiting their Temple, and their ultimate victory.

"Even now, they are sometimes felt watching over all those in the Temple," Laedra finished. "They offered us a gift of insight and power many of us could not have achieved without their assistance. Still...I do believe they allowed us to keep a part of that gift with us even today. It is simply up to each individually to tap into that knowledge, but only through much study and meditation, I believe." She smiled nostalgically upon recollection of how the Ancients' touch had aided her in rediscovering the path to Light. One last, gentle hand gesture and the image of the Ancients' altar room vanished. "So...there it is," Laedra whispered. "Knowledge bestowed upon us, now offered to you. I hope this pleases you."

Vee'Ta had translated to the Shaman, who in turn expressed her pleasure in what the Jedi had to share. She then instructed for the group to leave the hut so that she could meditate on the issue, and that she would call for the Jedi when she was done.

Koran looked around at the others, and then turned to the Shaman. He bowed with respect, then turned and led the way out of the small hut.

Cole followed his master out of the hut after bowing to the Shaman. That was easier than I thought... He glanced around once outside the hut, stepping away from the entrance, looking at the forest. With the Force he could sense the animals, they were everywhere, he could feel them, their emotions.

Vaya followed out behind Laedra, with the two Hjarii behind her. Though she made no comment, she had enjoyed Laedra's sharing of the Ancients. Her mentor had spoken of them before to some degree, and it had opened up a desire for Vaya to learn more.

She felt a connection in the Force with the Shaman's hut, and she wondered if the Shaman perhaps had some form of Force attunement. With the Force being created and bound by all living things, she felt truly sad for the Hjarii and their world. Vaya felt there was a great unbalance about them all.

---

"Gift Giving, Part 3"
By: Koran Darr
Laedra Vorrel
Cole Slaton
Vaya Bek
Zari Zathmir
Win'Los
Vee'Ta

Location: Surface of Hjar 1
Date: Vadris 17, 4 ABY

***

Once they were outside, Koran turned to Laedra and gave her a slight smile. "Nicely done in there," he said.

"You make it sound like I was implementing a strategy," she answered quietly. "It was a genuine gift, Koran."

"I did not intend for it to sound that way," Koran said. "I was merely expressing my appreciation of your actions and words in there. Your choice of a gift was perfect, and I cannot think of any greater wisdom to share than that of the Ancients."

Laedra sighed. "I only hope the Shaman considered it a worthy offering. It is all we have, Koran."

"I've always believed that the greatest gift anyone could give another is the gift of wisdom," Koran said with a warm smile. "And, your decision to give it to the Shaman also shows a great depth of wisdom. Things here may go very badly when we have to deal with the Company. I have every confidence that the Ancients will help guide the Hjarii through the times after we have gone home. I know that we are now equals within the Order, Laedra, but as one who taught you for a brief time and as one who cares deeply for you, I am honoured to have been able to share these moments, this progress, here with you today."

"So, you no longer believe I'm on the brink of turning rogue?" she asked with no hint of mockery or bitterness. "I have impressed you enough during our meeting with the Shaman that you again trust me?"

"Of course," Koran said. "What you were saying before, there was a hint of rebellion in it." He looked around and then back at her. "And I feel that here, the desire to help these people and this world, no matter the cost. I can only hope that our mission here is approved, so that we may step in and help as we are able. And, I can't think of anyone whose side I'd rather be at through this than yours."

Cole couldn't help but smile as he watched the two masters. They were almost acting like they were married. They're not married are they? He had to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. His smile didn't leave though. They should definitely get married, or at the very least get rid of all the built up tension between them... He sniggered slightly, turning away, hoping they didn't catch him.

"Thank you, Koran," Laedra answered softly. "I think, now that it is behind us, we can move on with this mission. Our personal matters should not have gotten in the way to begin with." She smiled tautly. "Forgive me, Koran."

"As long as you'll forgive me," Koran replied. His love was displayed in his eyes for only her to see, and it was clear there that she had already been forgiven, had it even been necessary.

Laedra nodded. "Agreed." And she downplayed the severity of her reply by giving Koran a hint of a smile. "For now, we should seek out Win'Los and Vee'Ta. I wonder how long the Shaman and Council will deliberate for."

Koran glanced around for their Hjarii guides. "If anyone would know, they would be the ones." They spotted the two, and quickly made their way over. Koran bowed. "We feel the meeting with the Shaman went well. Though we were wondering how long the deliberation would take from this point."

"It is hard to say," Win'Los replied. "Please, be patient. The Shaman will meditate, connect with the Gods. When the Gods give their answer, the Shaman will let us know."

"Come, Jedi. There is food and drink this wa