"Up From The Dredges"
by Zion "The Worm" Xandler
and Raeila Mullerin

Location: Yellvin, New Plouton
Date: Niothe 23, 4 ABY

***

As bright as the sun in Thanatos was, it seemed far more garish and blinding when shining down upon New Plouton. Or perhaps her eyes were just overly sensitive to it now due to the entire day she'd spent locked in her dark apartment, curled up upon the floor and trembling from she knew not what. It could have been the residual pain from the beating, or perhaps it was hunger. Either way, her bones felt rattled now and her head still felt dizzy from the convulsions that had jarred her body yesterday.

She had to get out of that apartment, and that was the only reason she wandered the streets today. If she spent any more time in her small, dank prison, she knew her grim thoughts would consume her and drive her to take measures to end her suffering swiftly and permanently. Today, she hoped to find a reason to go on, and that purpose would be found only if she discovered Kael's location.

Raeila squinted up at the sign over the music shop, the one Zion had taken her to only days ago. If she was to uncover answers to her questions, she knew she had a good chance of doing so here. As she stepped through the doorway of the establishment, the screams of hovercars darting down the streets were replaced by the rhythmic, thumping music of synthesized instruments feeding through speakers positioned somewhere within the shop.

She scanned the modestly-sized room not for the hidden amplifiers, but for the man Zion had introduced her to the other day. He stood behind the counter, bouncing lightly to the music and smiling as he saw her approach. She kept her eyes and head down to conceal the bruises and swelling upon her face; she wasn't in the mood to go into detail about how she had acquired them. She flattened her shaking hands upon the counter and glanced up at the man. "Excuse me...sir?"

"Welcome to Max's Music World!" the man smiled. "How may I be of serv-- Wait, I know you. Mr. Xandler's friend are you not?" he asked as he recognized the woman, although she now looked less arranged than when he had seen her before.

"Uh...yeah," Raeila replied quietly. "I was just wondering..." She looked up at the man, whose eyes quickly widened upon witnessing the condition of her face. She abruptly looked down again. "My friend...the Kael fellow. I just wanted to know if you've seen him around lately."

"No such luck...yet. But I'll be sure to warn Mr. Xandler if I do," Max replied. "Listen, you don't seem too well. Is everything okay?"

Raeila nodded her head and backed away from the counter. "Uh...thanks anyway, Mister. I'll drop by again sometime next week, just to ask again if you don't mind."

"Sure thing...." Max nodded as he then began to pay more attention to his other customers who had just come in.

Raeila muttered an apology as she shouldered past a young man coming through the door in her hasty attempt to exit.

She moved sluggishly along the sidewalk while the other pedestrians seemed to rush hurriedly by, although they spared a moment in their busy schedules to eye her warily and gawk at her uncomely appearance. She pulled her cloak more tightly around her and stopped to rest her back against a wall. The pain in her stomach came and went, and when it was there, it made her wince and hunch over, just as it did now.

She wrapped her arms around her abdomen and groaned. It hadn't stopped hurting since the bastard in the alley kicked her, and compounded by hunger pains, it only felt ten times worse. Her money was running out and she desperately needed some customers before she starved. Combined with her efforts to find customers, she could keep on the look-out for Kael as well. With her life quickly becoming worthless, she figured she had nothing better to do.

***

Business had been painfully slow that day, but with the setting of the sun came the potential to make up for the meagerly earnings of the past eight hours. She'd been walking all day, pausing for the odd half hour to satisfy a customer and to rest herself up for the next. There was a throbbing ache between her legs now, and not the pleasant kind that came whenever Kael used to smile at her or touch her face; this one brought with it sharp pinpoints of pain that worsened with every hardened shaft that plunged into her, aggravating her injury from the other night. She needed time to heal, but there wasn't any, not when she needed to eat to survive.

Raeila shivered from the chill in the night air that carried with it the distant sounds of music, rhythmically much the same as the kind she'd heard in the music shop earlier in the day. Her eyes travelled up and straight ahead into the distance. Laser lights criss-crossed through the darkened sky, their source being a glitzy building twice the size of the other establishments lining the streets, and the word "Trancemania" blazing across the top in incandescent blue lights.

The brand of music and the young people filed outside wearing stylish attire gave Raeila the distinct impression that Trancemania was a danceclub. That interested her not in the least; it was the bounty of potential customers awaiting her within that sparked her curiousity.

She was hardly dressed for such an obviously exclusive place, but she had forty creds in her pocket and figured that would be enough to gain her entrance.

Raeila ran her fingers through her hair to loosen any knots as she manoeuvred her way up to the doorman. His broad, muscled physique almost intimidated her into scrapping her foolish idea, but the ache in her stomach was returning and reminded her of her desperate need for creds.

"Hey!" she hollered to him above the blaring music. Her voice obviously hadn't reached his ears, for he continued to stand by the door with his back to her. "Excuse me!" She tapped him on the shoulder this time and felt the hard muscles that once again caused her to almost change her mind. Finally, the hulking man turned around and looked down at her with a scowl. Raeila stepped back and gathered her courage. "Forty creds if you let me in there," she said firmly, despite the tremble in her voice.

The man shook his head and gave her a brushing gesture. She tapped his shoulder again and this time he whirled around to face with, now wearing an almost enraged expression.

"Fifty!" Raeila offered.

"Look, get lost or I'll toss you onto the street!" He glared at her to stress the sincerity of his threat, then turned his back to her again.

Raeila sighed sharply and this time grabbed his thick arm. If he hadn't intended on shifting around on his own to grab her by the shoulders and carry her to the street, Raeila would never have succeeded in forcefully turning him.

"Let go!" She kicked and hollered as she was physically removed from the doorway of the club and tossed onto the curb. The doorman jut a finger out towards her and threatened to call the authorities if she didn't stay out. Raeila gestured obscenely to him as he stormed back towards the club. She remained on the ground to wait until the pain in her stomach - triggered by her jostling tumble - passed. The evening, so far, wasn't going very well at all.

By then a swoop stormed past her and stopped quickly in the corner just past her. Zion descended from the swoop and turned back to face Raeila. He was wearing long baggy trousers with black boots underneath them that had metal screws popping out; a red tank top and green hair with silver stripe patterns. He took off his orange glasses. "I thought it was you... What are ya doin' 'round here? Long way from Thanatos!" he said first, then he saw her bad shape. "You look like shit girl! What happened?"

"Nothing," Raeila muttered. She got to her knees and was pushing herself to her feet before another stab of pain in her stomach felled her again. She groaned and clutched at her abdomen. "Just got a little roughed up, that's all," she said thickly.

"I'll say! Damn girl, you gotta be more careful!" he said as he picked her up in his arms. "C'mon, you need a doctor or somethin'!" he added as he took her to his swoop and sat her across his lap, not caring much for an answer. He considered himself a gentleman, a ladies man. And one not about to leave a girl like that.

Zion took her to a clinic, which seemed only to serve the rich and wealthy. The nurse twitched at the sight of Raeila but Zion was another thing. "Hey, we need us a doc here, prado! And you best not keep us waitin' too long either!" he hollered to the woman, making her rush down the aisle and get a doctor.

"How may I help?" a man asked as the nurse brought him back with her in no time. He was a middle-aged man with a thin beard.

"She's not doin' so well... Can you check 'er up?" Zion asked as he held Raeila.

"Credits or Medcard?" the doctor asked before he even looked at Raeila.

"It's always 'bout the money, ain't it?" Zion hollered to the man. "Medcard! Now check her up and treat her well, ya hear?!"

The doctor took Raeila to a room and had her lie down so he could examine her. As he was passing over her body with a scanner he asked her: "Tell me what hurts, my dear."

Raeila laughed dryly. "Everything." She took in a sharp breath as a cry for attention came up from her stomach in the form of an abrupt jolt of pain. "Mostly my ribs and...my stomach," she managed in a pain-stricken voice.

The doctor frowned and passed the scanners over her ribs and thorax. "Humm... You have a fractured rib and some minor internal injuries. We'll take care of that in no time!" he told her. He then told her to lie still and gave her a small injection. "Just to prevent you from feeling any pain while we fix this..." he explained.

Only a couple of minutes later she was sound asleep. With the aid of a new model medical droid, the doctor repositioned her fractured rib and took care of the internal injuries. He then ordered the droid to take her and place her in a bacta tank, where the liquids ought to make her well and leave only a few bruises on the skin, which she already had. It would take her about an hour to wake up and that was more than enough time for her to almost heal fully.

When Raeila finally did awaken, she was in a bed, which was in itself enough to spark her curiousity. She'd had only a blanket to lie on for the past four days and to now have a soft mattress beneath her...

Raeila blinked herself fully awake and scanned the white-walled room. They came to rest upon a green-haired figured hunched over in a chair by her bedside. She opened her mouth to call to him, but her throat was parched and she didn't really greet speaking with much anticipation. Instead, she picked up her weak arm and brushed her fingers along his hand.

Zion felt Raeila's hand and looked up at her. Smiling he got up and took her hand. "Hey... You look much better. Want some water?" he said as he handed over a glass with water. "Take small sips at a time. Doc's orders, just for a couple of hours more he said. So, how are ya feelin' now, Raeila?"

She moistened her throat with small dribbles of water, then handed Zion the glass again and sighed. "Better...I guess. You didn't have to do this, you know. It was nothing serious really. I would've gotten over it sooner or later."

"Sure you would!" he grinned. "Don't worry. I didn't hear you ask anything so you don't owe me, 'kay?! Now what the hell happened? I thought you weren't comin' back till I found your friend! Changing your mind and comin' to New Plouton seems quite impulsive... You wanna tell me 'bout it?"

Raeila shrugged. "I was no longer welcome there and I had nowhere else to go, so I came here. That's all."

"I see..." He frowned. "And I gather you have found a decent place to live? Some areas can be a really big shithole y'know?! You could've come seen me 'bout it!"

"Yeah...I got a place. I didn't want to be even more indebted to you so I didn't bother looking for you. I did go and see your man about Kael, though, the music shop owner. He hadn't seen him." Raeila looked down at the blue gown that was in place of her bloodied and worn clothes, and immediately visually searched the room for them. "I need to go. I can't stay here," she said as she pushed back the bedsheets and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "How long have I been here?"

"About three hours..." Zion sighed. "Listen, I could not help noticing you haven't got much money. Don't worry 'bout the bill though! That's taken care of. But I was wonderin' if you'd wanna rest in my place. The doc says you've gotta rest for a couple of days, take it easy, that sort of stuff... I reckon you'd be a lot better off in my place! Waddaya say, girl?"

Raeila narrowed her eyes at Zion, studying his face to determine his true intentions. "I won't spread my legs for you if that's what you're thinking. I won't do that just because you feel I owe you something. I thank you for your help, but I never asked for it and I don't think I should be entitled to repay it."

"Who's talking 'bout sex?!" he burst out. "Sex is great but it doesn't have to be about sex all the time!" he told her. "I was just tryin' t'be nice but if ya don't want my help I can leave you in the shithole you most probably live in! Or you can choose t'walk there if ya prefer!" he said as he turned his back on her and made his way for the door. "And I had told you about the bill. I took care of it and you don't owe me 'bout it. I had told you so already, no need t'repeat the words, ok?!"

Raeila sighed sharply and pushed herself up from the bed. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? Living in the desert, you learn not to trust people if you want to stay alive. I just don't know why you're being so nice to me and it makes me suspicious."

"Yeah, well not everyone is self-centered ya'know? And some are nice! In my case, I just like you, Raeila and I would never leave a girl like you in the streets when it's quite obvious that ya need help!" he told her. "Now ya wanna crash at my place until we find you a decent place or do ya just wanna go home?"

Raeila snorted wryly and hung her head low. "Home? I don't have a home anymore. But...your place is better than that dump I've been wasting away in." Raeila shuffled towards her clothing, folded neatly upon a chair by the doorway. She picked up her shirt and grimaced at the condition of it. "Uh...sorry. I know you spent a lot of money on this stuff, but..."

Zion laughed and tossed her his longcoat. "Put this on for now... We'll stop by a clothing shop on our way to my place. I know no better anti-depressant than going shopping for stuff. And don't worry 'bout the money!"

Zion took Raeila outside and they sat on the swoop. Putting his glasses back on, he ignited its engines and drove down the street, this time a lot more slowly than usual, since he didn't want to hurt her. They stopped at what seemed a street filled with clothing stores on both sides. Zion took Raeila's hand and took her into one of them with two large electronic doors. Inside, it had a black marble floor and a mirrored ceiling. Clothes of all sorts could be seen everywhere and a lift rode upwards to a second floor.

As Zion came in a man walked up to them with a large smile. He was very light-skinned and was dressed in a finely tailored suit. "Welcome to Fabric World! I am T'Palla, the store manager. How may I be of service?"

"Tell me, T'Palla. Do you have anything as beautiful as this lady here?" Zion asked with a grin, with Raeila by his side.

"Of course we do!" the man answered fast, only to see Zion frown. "I mean... We have things as beautiful as she would want them to be! That's where I was getting at..."

Zion placed his arm around the store manager. "Listen, we'll be needing some help from your best clerks. I am willing to spend an obscene amount here, but that will depend on whether you can satisfy her..."

T'Palla seemed to illuminate. He moved his arms and clapped his hands. "Miryam, Shireen, Jaana. Come help this lovely lady here and show her whatever she wants to see!" he ordered. "Tell me, how much are you really willing to expend here, Mr..."

"Xandler... Listen, suck up to her not me!" Zion told him as he looked over at Raeila with a grin.

"Of course..." T'Palla nodded. "Miss... Please, any item you like..."

Raeila regarded the strange man uncertainly, then at Zion's urgings, trepidly stepped forward to appraise the clothing brought out by the three women. She ran her hand along the fabric of each, comparing textures and smiling at the sensation they each produced. One felt as soft as Kael's hands roaming delicately over her flesh, the other as silky as a kiss from his lips. Raeila rejected the first two outfits due precisely to the memories that were evoked by them. Instead, she pointed to a sleek, metallic blue jumpsuit being held up by the blonde-haired woman and looked over her shoulder at Zion. "That one. Can I have that one? I-I've got fifty creds in my cloak pocket. I can help pay if you want."

"No need to... My treat!" Zion said, choosing to omit that 50 credits wouldn't pay for the suit. "But don't you want more? I mean, just one? Perhaps the store doesn't have anything else you like..." he said to the manager's fright.

"Oh, no, that's not it!" Raeila assured him readily. "It's just...I'm not used to stuff this nice. I'll buy more if that's what you want, but--" This to the manager "--do you have anything a little less flashy?"

Zion laughed. "You buy whatever you want to... Don't do it to please me!" he told Raeila then turning to the manager. "Tough customer!"

T'Palla smiled gently not making any comment as to not offend either Zion or Raeila and gestured to one of the clerks. "Shireen, our elegant fabrics! Miryam, the night fabrics! Jaana, the personals!" he ordered then turning to smile as always. "These are simpler fabrics with more light tones. Anything in particular that you would like? I assure you we have all fabrics you can name!"

"I don't know about that sort of thing," Raeila said to the man. "I just know about what looks good to me."

The women returned shortly, all three flocking around her to show off the choices of apparel. They had clothes ranging from casual wear to lingerie. She was never one to wear undergarments, which was only a hindrance in her line of work, but admittedly, they were beautiful. She stepped forward and for each woman, pointed out an outfit she approved of. It took longer to decide upon one of the numerous lingerie sets she saw, and finally chose a red bra and underwear set, with intricate lace patterning and a light, diaphanous waist-length cape with silk ties. Raeila smiled at the sight of the garment and nodded reverently her wish to own it. "I think that's all," she said absently to Zion. "That's all I could ever need or want."

"Very well..." Zion nodded with a smile. He went with the store manager and paid for everything and had them delivered to his apartment. He then took Raeila out of the store and into a shoemaker store, and had him take sizes for some shoes and boots. Those too he had delivered to his place.

About ten minutes later they were off and back into his apartment building. By the time they were there, already did the receptionist at the building give him the clothes that had been delivered, all nicely packed. Zion and Raeila went up and into Zion's apartment.

"Home... I think you've had enough for a day already. I'm sure the doc would have disapproved of you shopping but that's okay. Listen, I have a guest room you can use just down that hall." He pointed. "Or you can use mine. But I think you'd like the quiet and privacy. Anyway, if you need anything just let me know... It's late and I guess you oughta rest."

Raeila shrugged. "I'm not really tired, but the guest room's fine. You going out now? I promise I won't steal anything if you do wanna go somewhere."

"I wouldn't bring you here if I thought you would..." He nodded. "Yeah I was goin' to Trancemania for some fun. But I'm not so sure I feel like it. Besides I got some work to do... Maybe I'd stay and do that instead."

"Well...as long as you're not staying because of me. I don't want to be a problem. But if you're staying to do some work, then...I promise to stay outta your way."

Zion nodded with a smile. "Holler if ya need anything, okay? The room's just straight ahead down that hall. Just make yourself at home..." he told her.

Raeila nodded and started for the door. She scrounged through her bags of purchases, lying adjacent to the doorway, and pulled out one of her more casual nightgowns to wear to bed. As she straightened up again, she glanced over her shoulder at Zion. "Thanks for basically saving my life. I would've probably died if I hadn't gotten to a hospital. For whatever reason you truly did it, you seem like a good guy to me."

"No sweat!" Zion smirked as he watched her go down the hallway. He then turned around and walked into his room. Once there he walked into his walkthrough closet where he pulled some clothes aside, facing a console. After voice, handprint, and retinal scans, the wall shifted aside and he entered a concealed division with another door. Only when the wall closed itself again did the second door open, granting access to a new room where modern computers and tech of all sorts could be seen. It was Zion's work area, where only he could access due to the top notch security systems modified by himself. Sitting down in a comfortable chair he cracked his knuckles and started to break through systems and gather information for a client. Something that would get him a large sum of money.

As for Raeila, he knew where she was since the whole apartment had movement scanners that he could see in several monitors in his work area. He knew that even if she did find the console she would never pass all the security systems, and even if she did she would never gain access to the computer room. But he trusted her for no known reason. He knew that Raeila meant no harm and even if he denied it, he cared for her.

---

"It's a Raid! Part 1"
By Lt. Ezekial Noth
Stormtroopers [NPC]
Informant [NPC]
Smugglers [NPC]

Location: Yelldon, New Plouton
Date: Niothe 23, 4ABY

***

"Ha! I win again!" Linden cried as he spread his cards out in front of himself. The other smugglers grumbled quietly as he reached out with his large arms to gather up the pile of chips at the center of the table. As Linden counted his winnings one of the other smugglers gathered up the sabacc cards.

"Okay, who wants to play another hand?" asked the dealer. He looked around at Linden and the other three men at the small table.

Yaiyaro ran his hands through his thick red hair then pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "I've lost too much to this snake already. I'm finished for tonight." He picked up his blaster rifle which was sitting nearby and headed for the front door. "I need a smoke, plus it's about time someone gave Dungar a break. I'll go make sure the others aren't sleeping also."

"Good idea. And get that kid of yours to go get us something more to drink! You can't play sabacc without some stiff drinks!" Linden barked to Yaiyaro.

"He isn't my kid," spat back Yaiyaro. "We only hired him to get us supplies and run errands for us."

"I think he took off already anyways," said one of the other men as he scratched his chin, carefully looking over his newly dealt cards.

"Good," replied Linden. He emptied another bottle of liquor into his glass and then threw the bottle across the room, sending it flying into the corner where the boy had been sleeping earlier. The bottle broke against the wall, glass shards covering the boys make-shift bed. "He had best hurry it up then, he doesn't want to see me angry again."

***

Lt. Noth surveyed the target building through a set of macro binoculars. The target building was a two storey warehouse in the business district of New Plouton. Noth and his command team had set up a command post in a similar building only a short distance away. According to the informant, a group of spice smugglers were inside awaiting transport off planet with their cargo. Intel had confirmed that a large group of smugglers were active in the area, and it was not long before Lt. Noth and his squad of troopers had located their hide-out.

"Are all squads in position?" Noth asked without looking away from the macro binoculars.

"Yes, sir," replied a nearby Stormtrooper. "A and B squads are already in position and C squad is waiting in the transport vehicle."

"Good," replied Noth. "Any word from the informant yet?"

"Yes, sir. He is on his way up."

"Good bring the boy in immediately once he is here."

Ezekial turned away from the window and checked the time. Everything was going just as planned. After double checking the squads' positions personally, he turned to face the doorway as a young boy in tattered clothing was escorted in by one of the troopers.

Ezekial looked over the boy. The boy was around the age of 15 years old. He had long dark hair and deep green eyes, one of which was severely swollen at the moment. Ezekial also noticed several other bruises on the boys arms and face. It looked as if the boy had been severely beaten by the smugglers. Upon entering the room the boy quickly recognized who Noth was. After glancing around at the other Stormtroopers the boy did his best to imitate the other troopers' poses of attention, even though the pain of his injuries must have been great. The boy's devotion brought a smile to Noth's face, although concealed under his helmet. The boy was a good informant and someday might make a good soldier for the Empire.

"What information do you have for us?" Noth asked.

The boy spoke clearly and with all the confidence he could muster. "There are about a dozen of them inside the building, sir. Two are positioned at each entry with four on the second storey and five relaxing near the stairwell to the sub basement. Two guard the basement and that is where they are keeping the spice. They wouldn't let me near it. One of them beat me when I tried to bring food down to the guards."

Lt. Noth pulled a pouch full of cred chips from his utility belt and tossed them to the boy. "Good work. Your service to the Empire will be remembered. We'll handle the rest of this. Corporal get him clear of the area, now."

"Yes, sir," replied the trooper who had escorted the boy into the room.. Without another word the stormtrooper escorted the young boy out of the room.

As soon as they exited the room, Lt. Noth turned back toward the window. He picked up the macro binoculars and scanned the warehouse one more time checking once again on the status of all the stormtrooper squads. Everything looked fine and he turned to the corporal at the comm unit.

"Inform all units to engage the target warehouse!" he shouted out.

---

"It's a Raid! Part 2"
By Lt. Ezekial Noth
Stormtroopers [NPC]
Informant [NPC]
Smugglers [NPC]

Location: Yelldon, New Plouton
Date: Niothe 23, 4ABY

***

Yaiyaro left the other smugglers to their card game and their alcohol. As he left the office area that others were in and closed the door behind himself, the noisy sound of the half drunk sabacc players disappeared and all that could be heard was the soft hum of the environmental unit keeping the warehouse slightly cooler than the temperature outside. He paced across the warehouse, slowly scanning it for any sign of intruders. The shipment they were going to transport off world was pretty hot. Yaiyaro didn't want anything to come between them and the large sum of credits their employer was paying them to handle the transportation of the cargo.

After checking the warehouse he headed over to the main entry door where Dungar and Dungar's brother were stationed, hopefully still awake and watching for any sign of trouble. As he rounded a large cargo crate, Yaiyaro's heart nearly stopped beating. Both Dungar and his brother were nowhere to be seen. Yaiyaro clutched at his blaster rifle and flicked the safety off. He sank into a crouch and brought the blaster up to his shoulder, slowly scanning the immediate area for any sign of the two. Where had the two guards gone? Was someone on to them? Had someone breeched the warehouse? Suddenly there was a soft voice from nowhere.

"Hey, over here," called out the voice.

Yaiyaro gave a sign of relief as he recognized Dungar's voice. "Where are you?" Yaiyaro asked.

"Over here," replied Dungar, as he slowly rose out of a dark shadow near the entry door. "Stay low and come over here," ordered Dungar.

Yaiyaro was about to ask why, but noticed that Dungar hadn't turned from looking out the warehouse window. Yaiyaro crawled over to Dungar's hiding spot and leaned up against another storage crate.

He leaned over to Dungar, who still had not turned from the window. "What's going on? Where is your brother?" questioned Yaiyaro.

"I sent him upstairs to check on the others and power-up the repeater cannon. I think we may have some trouble. Take a look. A speeder transport just pulled out from that alley up the street." Dungar slid away from his vantage point near the window to give Yaiyaro a view of the transport.

Yaiyaro squinted out the window and into the darkness of the streets outside the warehouse. After an instant he spotted the transport and looked it over. It looked like a standard cargo transport you could find just about anywhere. He was about to dismiss it as nothing, and then he noticed something different about it. Yaiyaro grimaced.

Dungar noticed the change in Yaiyaro's expression. "Ah, so you see it too. It looks like a normal speeder transport, but it's armored isn't it? I thought maybe I was seeing something that wasn't really there. It might be nothing but maybe we should alert the--"

Yaiyaro waved a hand at him and cut him off. "Quiet. It's moving!"

Both of them sat quietly and watched as the large speeder transport lurched forward stubbornly and then started to quickly speed up as it raced down the dark street towards the warehouse. The two smugglers readied their blaster rifles and held their breath as the transport came closer. For a moment it looked as if it would drive on past the warehouse then suddenly it lurched to a stop and spun around, coming to a jerky halt with the rear hatch of the transport facing the warehouse.

"It's a raid!" shouted Yaiyaro. He pulled out his commlink and began yelling into it as Dungar smashed out a couple windows to allow them a better shot on the speeder transport. Yaiyaro was still shouting into his commlink when Dungar began firing upon the vehicle.

"It's a damn raid! All of you lousy muthers get out here now! Now, now, NOW!" Yaiyaro finished yelling, then dropped the commlink and joined Dungar in firing on the transport. The two smugglers paled and nearly stopped firing as they watched the two side doors of the transport wisk open and nearly a dozen Imperial Stormtroopers leap out and begin advancing toward their position near the main entry door.

"Damn! Imps! Imps! It's the damn Imperials!" Yaiyaro shouted into his hand as he fired on the troopers, suddenly realizing to his dismay that the commlink was no longer in his hand.

Dungar kept firing on the Stormtroopers as they rushed the door. A dizzying array of blaster bolts flew forth from the troopers, shattering windows and blasting smoldering craters in the wall of the warehouse. Yaiyaro dove to the floor trying to find the commlink. Glass showered over him as he scooped it up and scurried off using the nearby tables as cover.

Dungar dropped two of the Stormtroopers with his blaster rifle and turned to where Yaiyaro had been. "Yeah baby! I got two of them Yaiyaro! Two of..." His voice trailed off as he realized Yaiyaro wasn't next to him but instead running off like a dog under the tables, towards the main office area where the other smugglers were. Dungar shouted after him, first confused then enraged. "Hey? Hey? Hey! Where are you going man?! You cowar--" Dungar's abusive comment was cut short as a volley of blaster fire tore into his chest and flung his writhing body into the nearby crates toppling several of them.

***

Lt. Noth watched the raid from his vantage point. The blaster firing from the warehouse's first floor had ceased and with the opposition cleared, the Stormtroopers from the speeder transport continued advancing on the main entryway. The first trooper reached the bulkhead door as did the second.. Noth watched as they placed a demo charge and backed away.

Suddenly instead of the charge going off, the second floor erupted with an explosion of glass and heavy blaster fire, all raining down on the Stormtroopers below on the street. Dungar's brother and several other smugglers manned a portable repeating blaster cannon from the second floor, and were now hammering the advancing Stormtroopers into the ground with it. One trooper exploded from the waist up and another took several hits and fell; the others scattered against the building and behind what little cover there was in the street. With most of the easy targets gone the smugglers turned the cannon upon the speeder transport. The transport sparked and bits of its armor blew off as the blaster cannon tore into it.

Ezekial watched the carnage below and smiled under his helmet. Simple fools. He thought, regarding the smugglers. He spoke into his commlink which, at this moment, was linked to each of the squads assaulting the warehouse.

"C-Squad hold position, wait for the demo charge to blow. B-Squad give cover fire to C-Squad. I want that blaster cannon eliminated! A-Squad wait 20 seconds and then enter the target building."

***

Yaiyaro stumbled into the office area where Linden and the other smugglers were gathering their gear. Linden tossed his sabacc winnings into a pack and heaved it, along with his blaster rifle, onto his back. Two of the other smugglers tipped over the table and pushed a couple of crates in front of it and the door Yaiyaro had just came through, forming a crude yet effective barricade. Linden grabbed another blaster from several setting against the wall and looked up at an out of breath and nearly pale Yaiyaro.

"What the hell is going on out there, Yaiyaro?" he bellowed, waving a fist in the direction of all the noise now coming from the warehouse. "What kinda trouble we got?" Linden demanded to know. He would be damned if some punker gang or some other less credible smuggler was trying to steal his precious shipment.

Yaiyaro slid behind the make-shift barricade with the other smugglers. He grabbed a bottle of hard liquor and sloshed it down his throat, hoping that the liquor would somehow invigorate him with the luck to survive what was about the come through the door. Barricade or no. He kept looking at the barricaded doorway, unaware of Linden's raving.

Linden grabbed Yaiyaro by the shirt and shook him harshly. "I asked you what kinda trouble we got!" he shouted into Yaiyaro's pale face.

Yaiyaro began to shake and sputter, the fear evident in his expression. "Imps! Imper-- Imperial Stormtroopers!" he cried out. "We're dead, we're all dead!"

Linden threw Yaiyaro to the ground and kicked him in the gut. "Shut up, fool! No one's getting in here. No damn punker gangs and no damn Imps!" He kicked Yaiyaro in the gut again just for extra effect. "No one is getting in here, remember? That's why we picked up that cannon and all." He gently picked up the cowering Yaiyaro and stuck a blaster rifle in his hand. "No one's getting in here, Yaiyaro, old pal, not with them boys on the second floor."

Suddenly there was a large thudding explosive quake from above them all. Dust and small debris fell from the ceiling, as several more quakes shook the ceiling. As the dust settled, the smugglers all realized that noise of the repeating blaster cannon could no longer be heard.

Linden spat and yelled to one of the smugglers in the corner of the room. "Rel! Quaid! Get on the comm you slime and contact the ship. Tell the other boys to take off and come pick us up!"

Linden's words were lost as a large explosion ripped through the room, and a huge three meter hole was blown into the rear exterior wall of the warehouse office area. An injured and dust covered Yaiyaro watched in horror as a fresh group of Stormtroopers poured into the room, red blaster bolts dancing from their blaster rifles, tearing apart his remaining smuggler comrades who continued to fight. Yaiyaro desperately looked around for a weapon. A blaster pistol lay in some nearby debris. He knew that the Imperials would find the shipment and confiscate it. And when they did he was as good as dead even if they set him free. Yaiyaro used his remaining strength to raise the blaster to his head and pull the trigger.

***

Lt. Noth strode through the debris that littered the warehouse office area. His men had already pulled the smugglers' bodies from the debris and arranged the corpses out in the main warehouse area. They had managed to take three of the smugglers alive but one died almost immediately and the other two were severely injured from the fighting. Ever since the raid had started something about it had bothered him. There was an extra number of smugglers participating in this spice shipment. And they were extremely well-armed. More so than the other raids that he had overseen in New Plouton so far. Two of his men had been killed and three others badly wounded. A good exchange compared to the number of smugglers they had sent to the sands. But losing even one trooper never made Ezekial very happy.

He looked around the warehouse again, over the dead bodies and back into the office area. The smugglers had fought hard and desperately. To no avail, but hard indeed. What was it they were trying to defend, or keep for themselves? And where was their cargo?

Ezekial's helmet comm buzzed. "Yes?" he spoke into it, still surveying the carnage.

"Sir, we've managed to salvage the repeating blaster cannon from the second storey. It took a good hit from the concussion grenades but it is definitely repairable."

Ezekial recognized his second sergeant's voice. "Good work, Sergeant. Confiscate it and load it into the transport. We'll add it to the unit's armory. Out."

"Yes, sir!" replied the Sergeant with enthusiasm.

Ezekial turned to the row of bodies as one of the Corporals stood and signaled for Ezekial to come over. "Lieutenant! I've found something, sir."

"What is it, Corporal?" Ezekial asked looking at the datapad and papers the Corporal had taken from one of the smugglers' bodies.

"This man's papers say he is Elimi Linden, a freighter captain. He has a ship berthed at the spaceport." At the same moment Ezekial's helmet commlink buzzed again and his first Sergeant's voice came over it.

"Lieutenant Noth, sir." The man's voice was a bit shaky. "There...there is something down here, down here in the basement you should, uh, see, sir. Right away." Ezekial could tell that something was wrong, and quickly turned to head to the warehouse's basement access.

Remembering the smugglers' ship, he quickly spun around toward the Corporal and pointed a finger at him. "Corporal, contact the Stormtrooper unit at the spaceport and have that ship seized and locked down! Now!"

The Corporal shook as Ezekial gave the order and didn't wait around to watch the Lieutenant enter into the office area.

Ezekial and two other stormtroopers headed down the short flight of steps which led under the warehouse to its underground basement. Several pipes and conduits ran along the ceiling above their heads. By the looks of the equipment on the walls the basement was some sort of cold storage for frozen produce. Ezekial noted that nothing looked as if it had been used to store anything of that sort down here in a while. Ezekial rounded a corner and came across a large bulkhead door guarded by three Stormtroopers and his first Sergeant. The lock on the door had already been blasted off and he could tell that the door had been forced open previously.

Ezekial strode up to the Sergeant and menacingly stood over him. "Well, what is it, Sergeant?" Disappointment and anger were in his voice. "What is the situation? Is there something you cannot handle here?" Ezekial knew his Sergeant was very capable of handling any situation without his personally being there to oversee anything. There was something about this whole raid that was bothering Ezekial, something just wasn't right. He could feel it. The smugglers had fought far too hard for only a shipment of spice. And the way the Sergeant was acting was only increasing the nagging feeling in Ezekial's mind.

Ezekial relaxed a bit, reassuring himself of the Sergeant's ability. As he did so he noticed again the fact that the Sergeant seemed a bit unnerved about something. Something behind the bulkhead. Ezekial placed a hand on the Sergeant's shoulder. "I'm sure we can handle anything those smuggler dogs have in here, Sergeant." Ezekial stepped back and placed his hands behind his back. "Now open this door," Ezekial said with a confident, commanding voice.

At the order, the Sergeant snapped to life. "Yes, sir!" And with the help of one of the other troopers, he pulled the door open.

Beyond the door Ezekial expected to see some outlandish amount of spice or some other illicit drug. At worst an entire drug production facility. That would have easily explained why the criminals had fought so fiercely to defend the warehouse. But what laid behind the door was beyond the range of even Ezekial's mind. Inside were perhaps nearly three dozen young girls, none maybe over the age of fourteen or sixteen and the youngest maybe eight years of age. Some clothed in rags, most wearing nothing at all. The smell of urine and feces was quite evident. All of the girls were bruised and beaten, most likely all abused and some worse. As Lieutenant Noth stepped into the small crowded room, the girls crawled away pressing the others into the far end of the room. Many hid their faces from him and several others began to cry.

Ezekial's hands curled tightly into fists. "Slave girls," he spat harshly into the comm.

"Yes, yes, sir," replied the Sergeant weakly. "By the looks of them, sex slaves. Probably taken from the desert villages outside of Thanatos."

Rage burned in Ezekial and he turned quickly, and roughly barked at the Sergeant. "Enough! I get the picture!" Ezekial stepped past the trooper and headed toward the stairs, his fists still clenched tightly. Stopping quickly he turned back to the Sergeant.

"You're in command of this site now, First Sergeant. You are to secure these citizens and are now in charge or their well being. Contact command, inform them of the situation and have a transport brought out here. I'll send the medical examiner down on the way out. Ezekial turned from the Sergeant and began climbing up the stairwell.

The Platoon's First Sergeant quickly stood at attention and saluted Lt. Noth. "Yes, sir!" he shouted after Ezekial and then turned to fulfill the Lieutenant's orders.

As he headed up the stairwell, Ezekial accessed the platoon's comm channel. "A-Squad and the heavy weapon team from B-Squad meet me in the transport now!" he roared into the comm unit. "And I want the Corporal who was in contact with the starport also!" The sound of his voice alerted the entire platoon that something was up and as Ezekial and his escorts rose from the basement stairwell, all members of the required squads were rushing quickly, but orderly, to the speeder transport.

The Corporal was standing ready before the speeder as Ezekial approached. "Sir?" he called out in a strong voice, awaiting his commander's orders.

Ezekial pointed a black gloved finger at him as he neared, and fiercely shouted his orders to the Corporal. "Get back in contact with the unit at the starport, tell them not to move on that smuggler's ship until we get there!"

Ezekial boarded the speeder transport along with the rest of the Stormtroopers who were nearly finished loading. Strapping in, Ezekial shouted some more orders to the Corporal. "Have them be sure that that freighter doesn't take off. Even if I am not there. Call for a TIE group, just in case. If it tries to take off, they may blow it out of the sky!"

The Corporal had barely acknowledged Ezekial's orders when the transport's hatches slammed shut.

As the transport sped off towards the spaceport, Lt. Noth addressed his men. "Alright men, it turns out we didn't bust a spice smuggling operation, we're dealing with Slavers!" The word 'slavers' echoed off the inner hull of the transport. "They have a freighter at the spaceport and we are seizing it. A-Squad is to re-arm and prep for starship boarding actions. I want the heavy weapons team armed with armor-penetrating rounds. B-Squad is to make sure that the freighter does not, I repeat does not take off. You all know what to do, now let's make it happen. For the Empire!"

"For the Empire!" all the Stormtroopers shouted in response, then began preparing for the boarding of the freighter.

---

"Searching for Answers, Part 1"
by Koran Darr
Laedra Vorrel
Liam Zaneth
and Kael Selrid

Location: Thanatos, Tae'Karada
Date: Niothe 23, 4ABY (early morning)

***

Of all the qualities Laedra admired in Liam, his patience had to be the most commendable. She'd hunkered down beside him on the ground floor at dusk, and the sun had long since set, yet still Laedra hadn't said a word. She was shamed into reticence and despaired of being unable to admit her disgrace to the man she loved. He deserved to know, especially for tolerating almost an hour of complete silence while waiting for her to gather up the courage to finally speak.

Laedra wrapped her cloak tighter around herself as the night's chill penetrated her robes. She was too nervous to even seek warmth in his embrace, no matter how ardently she wished he would hold her. If he did, however, it might put her at ease, then the admission would come whether she was prepared to divulge it or not. "I'm such a coward," she murmured as her head fell upon her drawn up knees.

Liam looked up, his eyes glowing in the failing light of the moons above. Clouds blocked out much of the light. The darkness helped them now though. The darkness was their ally. "You rushed out toward a ship that could have easily gotten you killed as well. How is that cowardice?"

"That was desperation," Laedra corrected. "I was afraid I was going to lose the man I loved, so I went to him. Hardly bravery."

Liam nodded slowly, and then reached out and took her hands in his. "What is bothering you, my love?"

"It's that I can't tell you what's on my mind. I hate that." Laedra leaned against Liam and laid her head upon his shoulder. "You'll be ashamed of me, Liam," she whispered.

"You think knowing that you can't talk to me about something makes me feel better than not knowing?" He brought one of her hands to his lips. "I could never be ashamed of you, Lae. I love you far too much."

Laedra sighed. "I'm going to tell you... I just need a moment. And you have to promise to at least keep the disappointment from your face, for my sake, when I do tell you. You promise?"

"If there is any disappointment," Liam said, "I promise to keep it from my face. And, we're here for most of the night, so you have time."

Laedra stretched out her legs and let out a deep breath. "I'm no longer Kael's master, but you know that." She glanced up at Liam. "Did you ever wonder why?"

"I wondered, but I figured you'd talk to me about it," he said. "I have a suspicion that it has something to do with what you want to talk to me about."

Laedra nodded her head glumly and unable to bear Liam's compassionate gaze upon her, she pushed herself to her feet and moved away to the far wall. With her back turned to him, she stared blindly out of the opening that served as a window. Still, she could feel his eyes upon her. "I lied when I said I couldn't get away the other night at the hotel. Koran wasn't meditating. He couldn't because I was talking with him, of my own choosing."

Liam felt like someone had kicked him in the gut. Hard. "What are you saying?" he heard himself ask.

Laedra braced the walls either side of the opening with her hands and lowered her head. "I didn't mean for it to happen," she said quietly. "We were just talking and then he just... I mean, I begged him not to, Liam. I pleaded with him. I didn't know he was going to do it."

Liam's eyes narrowed. "What did he do to you?" he said, his voice a harsh rasp. "How dare he call himself a Jedi Master..."

Laedra squeezed her eyes tightly shut and reviewed the events in her mind, and felt even more ashamed by what had happened than when it had first occurred. "He was right to do it, Liam. I see that now. I-I deserved it. Don't blame him. I deserved it."

"You deserved it? How could you even think such a thing? The man raped you, and you say you deserved it? What is wrong with you, Laedra? Jedi Master or no, he's going to answer for this!" Liam started up, pulling his lightsaber from his belt as he did.

"Liam!" Laedra whirled around and rushed towards him. Her fingers came around his wrist and she jerked his hand away from his weapon. "Liam, no! You don't understand!"

"Then make me understand," Liam said. "Make me understand why he did those things to you and that you're fine with it. Unless--" He shook his head, trying to force the thoughts away. "Why, Laedra?"

"No," she said softly. She pressed her hand to his cheek and shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry. I should have explained it better... He never raped me, Liam. It's nothing like that. In my mind...it's far worse than that." Her eyes lowered and her gaze fell upon her trembling hand gripping Liam's wrist tightly, for support, she suddenly realized. "I confided in him... I shouldn't have, but he would've found out sooner or later. It would've happened eventually."

"Laedra, will you please tell me what happened before I go insane? What happened that's far worse than being raped?"

"I snapped," she said quietly. "We were talking, and I completely lost control. He said I was flirting with darkness, Liam." Laedra met Liam's gaze and sobbed. "He banished me, Liam. He stripped me of my title and banished me."

Liam stared for a moment. "But you're not banished," he said. "Right? He didn't banish you in the end. You're still a Jedi. You wouldn't be here otherwise. He--" He stopped as the realization struck. "He made you his Padawan."

Laedra turned her face away in disgrace. "A Padawan," she repeated bitterly. "That was the stipulation. I could stay, but only if I gave up my rank and trained under him. Like I said: I deserved it."

"He's a good Jedi, Laedra," Liam said. "This is better than getting expelled from the Jedi. You can now be a Jedi taught by a Jedi Master who will make sure you do get the training you need. You won't be falling in love with him, and he won't spook at the thought and push you away. It'll work this time. You'll truly be a Jedi."

"You think he was right, then?" Laedra met Liam's gaze again, determined to hold it this time. "You're not disappointed in me? I'm a Padawan, Liam. I'm a disgraced Jedi Knight who is now a Padawan. Doesn't that bother you?"

"He could have kicked you out of the Order and I would have still loved you," Liam said. "And, after our argument in New Plouton after our last visit with Raxis...I think that what he can teach you won't hurt. And, you'll still be in the Order, so...it's not the best thing, but it could have been much worse. And, Laedra Vorrel, I could never be disappointed in you."

"Good," she said softly, "because hearing that makes it easier to feel less disappointed in myself. And I'm sorry I kept this from you for so long. It was just so hard, Liam, and I was so afraid."

"Well, I'll get over that you kept it from me," Liam said with a smile and then pulled her into his arms. "I know now and that's what matters. Now, let's go back and stare up at the stars again. I think I like stargazing with you. Maybe some night we should get together with Dani and Nieme, and Nieme can name all the stars for us."

"Stargazing with three Padawans..." Laedra smiled ruefully. "You can't tell anyone, Liam. Please. I don't think I could do this if everyone was looking at me and judging me."

"I'll say nothing," Liam said with a smile. "However, if you behave around other people as you were today, you will rouse suspicions. You deferred to Koran on every point. Maybe others won't be as astute, but I knew something was going on."

"I haven't been a Padawan for almost twenty years. I can't remember how I'm supposed to act." Laedra grinned. "I was just being extra careful." She kissed Liam lightly, then tightly embraced him. "Thank you for understanding," she whispered. "I thought I was going to lose you over this."

"I thought I was going to have to actually fight Koran," Liam said with a wince. "I haven't actually watched him fight yet...but he is a Jedi Master."

"I think I would have enjoyed watching you fight for my honour." Laedra brushed her lips against his. "I would also have enjoyed giving you my thanks...many times throughout the night."

"How about you give me your thanks for being so understanding?" Liam whispered. "As opposed to getting myself killed on Koran Darr's lightsaber."

"That works too." She brought her fingers to his lips and caressed them delicately. "And he's fine with us being together. But I don't think we should go and reveal our relationship to everyone in the Temple."

"I don't think so either," Liam said. "Especially since I am married. However, in private I think it's perfectly fine. Like right now."

"Not exactly private. I think Koran Darr is actually spying on us right now, just to make sure we behave." Laedra kissed Liam slowly and deeply. "But private enough."

"Private enough for me to have you in my arms," Liam said as he pulled himself and Laedra down to the ground. "That's all I need right now, but expect some private time when we get back to the Temple."

"If we get back to the Temple," she amended rather negatively. "How are we going to get out of Thanatos with thousands of Imperial officers scouring the streets?"

"We'll find a way," Liam said. "One option, if we can find a speeder, is to go deep, then cut around and come back into the city from a different angle. The other option is to go out on foot. If we do it at night, relying on the Force, we have a chance."

Laedra pulled herself closer to Liam and nestled her cheek to his chest. "I know you'll find a way, my love. I know you'll get us back safely. I have faith in you."

"Good," Liam said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Laedra to keep them both warm against the desert's nighttime chill. "At least one of us does. But, we'll find a way. We'll get back, and then we will show the Empire the error of its ways."

"More will come, though. If we drive off these, more will replace them. I trust in the Force, Liam, but I still don't think we can do this alone."

"No," he said. "We'll need the rest of the Jedi. We'll need diplomacy. We need an army at our backs to keep them in check, and then we can talk to the Empire. We can do it. The Force is with us. We just need to get somewhere we can do some good."

Laedra nodded her head subtly and found herself clutching to Liam's robes. "I'm afraid, Liam. I almost watched you die today. I could lose you in this fight and that scares me."

"And, I could lose you," Liam said softly. "We will just have to make vows to each other to stay alive. I promise to not die, Laedra. Not until I'm much older, ancient beyond ancient. And, I will never leave you alone in this galaxy."

"I promise always to stand by your side and make sure no one and no thing ever takes you away from me." She looked up at him and smiled. "How's that for a vow?"

"That's a damn good vow," Liam said with a smile. "And, now that we've done that, nothing can stand in our way." He settled his arms around her. "And, I like that very much. Very much indeed."

Nothing in our way but your wife, she thought but didn't dare verbalize. At least he'd chosen her over Yelara...for now. She sighed and shifted onto her back to gaze up at the stars. There was no Empire, no danger, nothing while she lay there with Liam, but knowing that once the sun rose all of it would exist again, Laedra clung tighter to him. "I love you, Liam Zaneth," she whispered.

"And, I love you, Laedra Vorrel," Liam whispered in return.

***

It was several hours later that Koran Darr approached where Liam and Laedra lay clinging to each other. He crouched down beside them and pressed a hand to each's shoulder. "We're going to try to make a break out of here," he said. "Kael has secured us some water and ration packs. We're going to make for New Plouton."

Laedra rubbed at her tired eyes and nodded. "What's the plan?" she asked, then seated herself upright.

"We're going to start out to the east," Koran said. "Once we put sufficient distance behind us, we'll turn south for New Plouton. It will be precarious at first, but with Kael's help out there we should have no problem getting to the city. Also, once we're far enough, we can signal the Temple."

Laedra nudged Liam's arm to wake him completely then rose from the sand covered floor of the dwelling. "Has Kael spoken to his friends, Master?"

"He has," Koran said. "He went to speak with the leader of his former gang. I guess the boy is injured pretty badly but his spirit is still strong. But, he explained what we would do, and they will work at uniting the gangs against the Empire."

"It's a start...but we're still out of our league here. But," Laedra said with a grin, "I have trust in the Force, and it gives me faith that we might just succeed after all."

"Good," Koran said. "Kael has our provisions inside. Getting out of here should be easier, especially since the moons are setting. We will still need to be careful and mask ourselves with the Force. I spent about an hour teaching the skill to Kael. I trust that the two of you can do it."

"I can, Master, but I don't understand what use that will be to use. Do the Imperials have Force-sensitives among their ranks now?" Laedra asked.

"When you mask your presence through the Force, you also mask your presence outside of the Force. It'll make it harder for them to track us when we are using the Force to shroud ourselves from their sight."

"Of course, oh wise Master," Laedra teased. She quickly remembered her place though, and bowed her head in apology.

"Just remember that when they can't see you," Koran said. "Prepare yourselves. We leave in fifteen minutes."

Liam looked up at Koran. "Any idea what kind of patrols they're running?"

The Jedi Master shook his head. "Not the kind we want. They're pretty tight in the cities, and they have fighters patrolling the outsides, as well as speeders. We will be able to time our exit though. We'll make it through." With that, he returned to the upper level of the building.

"I don't think we'll be sleeping much tonight."

"And not for the reason we'd like," she replied with a suggestive smile. "But," she added, sobering her expression, "as long as we make it back to the Temple safely, I'm willing to make the sacrifice."

Liam nodded slowly, and then pulled Laedra into his arms. "As much as I enjoyed sitting here with you," he said, "I think it'll be good for us to be moving and trying to get ourselves out of this. And, then trying to get all of Thanatos out of this. We should probably go see about our provisions." He brushed his lips against hers. "In a minute."

Laedra smiled. "Only a minute?" Without waiting for a witty reply, she kissed Liam fully on the mouth and pressed herself firmly against him. If this was the last time she would be able to touch him, she wanted to at least make the most of it.

Liam's senses seemed to be on fire as he fell deeper into the passion Laedra had ignited within him. How difficult it was not to strip off their clothes then and there and make love in the desert darkness. But he knew they didn't have time for that. He knew that would be too great a risk. What if Koran sent Kael to get them? Then I just tell Kael to tell nothing to Yelara or I will kill him for their little tryst. He finally had to break their kiss in order to gather air in his lungs once more. "Oh gods," he whispered after a few deep breaths. "First thing I'm doing when we get back to the Temple is taking you to bed."

"Then we'd better get moving so you can fulfill your promise." Laedra kissed Liam again, but pulled away before their desires seized control of their actions. "Let's go look for those provisions now, while we're still clothed."

Liam slipped his hand into hers and smiled. "I love you, Lae," he said, and then gently pulled his hand free and led the way up to the second level where Koran and Kael were assembling packs with water and rations.

Kael looked up at their approach and smiled. "The Feltreys were able to help us out with these," he said. "And, if we have time, Ferrig...Ferrig asked me to try to find Raeila in New Plouton. If we have the chance, that is."

"Let's get there first, Kael," Laedra said. "Then you can decide if there's time for that."

Kael nodded, and then gave her a smile. "Good idea," he said with a sheepish grin. "All the packs are ready, and there should be enough water to last the trip. We'll have to conserve though." He handed a pack to both Laedra and Liam.

Koran stepped forward. "Are we ready?"

"I believe we are, Master Darr." Laedra slipped her arm through the straps of the pack and hefted it onto her back. "Kael, you should stay close to one of us so that we can help shield you with the Force."

Kael glanced to Koran Darr, who nodded in agreement with Laedra's suggestion.

"Let's go," Liam said, and led the way to the door. He looked outside and then back to the others. "It's clear."

The group started out and across the sandy streets. They used the many shadows to their advantages. Even with the scant light available, the Stormtroopers on the street shone in their white armour. They'd reached the edge of town, and all that lay ahead of them was a final patrol and then a vast expanse of the desert.

"We'll have to move quickly," Liam said quietly. "If they see us, we should separate so we don't offer them a single large target. As soon as these speeders approaching have passed, we'll go."

Laedra closed her eyes briefly to confirm that she truly was enshrouded by the Force. She assessed the strength of the cloak she'd created then gently expanded it to meld with Kael's and reinforce his own shield. Once she was satisfied that she would be concealed, as would Kael, she opened her eyes and nodded to Liam. "Just tell us when."

While they waited, Kael shifted closer to Laedra. He looked up at her and smiled. "Don't be afraid to let go of your masking on me," he whispered. "I know other tricks for hiding in the desert. If you need it for yourself, I'll be okay."

"Don't worry, Padawan. I'll help shield you for as long as I'm able," she assured him, smiling. "But thank you for your concern."

Kael smiled, and then dropped into silence as Liam crept out slowly from their position. After a moment, he turned back. "Now!"

Without waiting, he lurched forward with Koran beside him. Moving on the sand wasn't easy, but they had to make it. They wouldn't be getting many other chances like this. They had to make it work now, or else they would be stuck in Thanatos until they could try again or help arrived.

As he moved across the sand, Kael had a loping, awkward movement, but he was as stable on the precarious surface as if it were one of the paved streets in New Plouton.

Laedra sighed sharply and followed after Kael. She made a note to reprove the boy for breaking too far out of reach of her protective shield. But, when they made it back to the Temple. Still, though, he was moving impressively well across the yielding sand, much better than she. No longer needing to protect Kael, Laedra diverted some of the Force flowing through her to her legs and managed to catch up with Kael. "Stop showing off," she whispered to him.

"Move like this," Kael urged to her. "It makes it easier to run on sand."

Laedra mimicked Kael's motions and found that it was considerably less difficult to make her way across the sand. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Impressive, Padawan. Now, stop trying to impress the female Jedi and run!" she ordered quietly.

Kael laughed. "As long as she is impressed, I am happy," he said, and then shifted his concentration to fleeing Thanatos. A part of that thought sent pangs of guilt through him. He was abandoning his home when they needed him most. But, he had his duty, and they were going to bring help. I just hope we can find enough to save Thanatos.

"Speeder's returning," Liam called back. "Hurry!"

Once again, Laedra extended her cloak of the Force around Kael, and as one they edged towards freedom. She sensed a moment of hesitation from Kael, and admired his nobility. If she were in his place, she would scruple to leave her friends and home behind as well. "Almost there," she whispered to him. Laedra slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently. "We'll be back, Kael. Don't worry."

"Thanks," he said softly. They hurried forward, running as fast as they could.

And, then they were free of the danger. Out in the empty sands beyond Thanatos with only more sand ahead of them. But, they were out of the speeder's patrol zone.

They paused to rest behind a large dune that easily obstructed them from view. "We still have a long way to go," Laedra said. "But at least the hardest part is over with. Do you think we'll be safe the rest of the way?"

"From Imperial patrols," Koran said, "we should be. I would imagine if there were other dangers between here and there they would be more prominent even against speeders. We should be safe. I think the only difficulty will be if we don't make it before sunrise. Five more minutes, and then we'll head out again."

"Agreed." Laedra settled down upon the ground and reclined back against the rise of the dune. "Kael, it will be up to you to find us the best route back to New Plouton, preferably near plenty of dunes in case we need cover again."

Kael nodded quickly. "I haven't traveled all the way to the city," he said, "but I can find the best path for us. And, there should be plenty of dunes, except maybe as we get closer to the coast. If they come looking for us, they won't see us."

Laedra curled her right leg in towards her and massaged her sore ankle. It would be no better off after they travelled the entire way to New Plouton on foot, but she saw no other option. "I am somewhat confident they will not seek us out," she went on. "It would appear they don't even know we exist. That seems like a good thing."

Liam took a seat next to Laedra. "Or if they know we exist, they believe us still in Thanatos. That could work to our advantage, but I'm not sure how yet. In any event, if they think they have Jedi loose in the town, then they will be more wary and less likely to send too many troops in as an occupying force."

"They've already sent too many troops," Laedra remarked grimly.

"This is overkill," Liam said. "They could have taken Thanatos with a single battalion. They didn't need this. There has to be more to it. There's a larger objective. Or it's all show."

"A ruse?" Laedra offered. "Or perhaps a smug Imperial commander is merely displaying his prowess to deter the Rebels from trying to free Tae'Karada, and Thanatos is merely better suited for such a large fleet. Still...why would they prevent anyone from going in or out, thereby keeping the news of their presence from disseminating? And why destroy all the communication towers, all but deterring anyone from discovering they're here?" She sighed. "Nothing makes sense."

"There has to be more to it," Liam said with a shake of his head. "We need more pieces in this puzzle. We don't know enough yet."

"Well, we certainly won't find any answers out here." Laedra picked herself up from the cold ground and dusted the sand off her robes. "Their intentions will reveal themselves soon. I only hope we're prepared for whatever they do have planned."

"We will have to be," Koran said as he came around the dune. "It will be difficult, but we will make it through. After we have briefed the others, I am going to see about paying a visit to Admiral Tarkin."

"Not alone, I hope," Laedra said.

"Are you volunteering to accompany me?" he asked with a smile. "If you are, then I accept. I have a feeling I could get in and out on my own, but with another Jedi Knight at my side I am certain we will succeed."

Laedra nodded reservedly and wondered if Koran was intentionally trying to wound her by reminding her of her shortcomings. "I believe Liam will be more suited to act as that Jedi Knight, Master Darr. He is a better fighter if it comes to that."

"Liam will have other tasks to take care of," Koran said. "And, the idea is to not fight. Not if we can avoid it. If you are up to the challenge of finding out what Admiral Tarkin wants, then I would be glad to have you at my side."

Laedra bowed her head to Koran. "I would be honoured," she muttered awkwardly. "But there is still plenty of time to decide upon a partner for your proposed endeavour, Master Darr. Once we return to the Temple, I believe it will be up to the Council to decide who is best suited for such a diplomatic mission."

Koran smiled. "I will discuss it with the Council, then you and I will go meet with Tarkin. We should get moving again before too much of the night passes."

With a nod, Laedra departed alongside Kael, who now lead the small group through the desert. She looked over her shoulder at Koran and sighed. He certainly was stubborn when he so chose to be.

The small group moved on across the sands. It would be a very long night.

---

"Searching for Answers, Part 2"
by Koran Darr
Laedra Vorrel
Liam Zaneth
and Kael Selrid
Arlen [NPC]

Location: Thanatos, Tae'Karada
Date: Niothe 23, 4ABY (early early morning)

***

There was still several hours until sunrise, and Koran Darr had a strong feeling that they would still be out here in the desert when it rose. He guessed they still had eight hours of travel to go. If they weren't Jedi, he would fear. Three skilled with the Force, and one who was a very quick student. In the last hour, Kael had nearly mastered the technique Koran had been trying to teach him earlier. It just took a shift of focus, and an added suggestion from Laedra. He would make a fine Jedi very soon.

"Let's go ahead and rest again," he said. "I think we can all use a swallow of water."

Laedra showed her agreement emphatically by sighing airily and sinking down onto the sand. She reached back into her journeypack and dug through it in search of her ration of water. "This would almost make a perfect training exercise for the Padawans." Fellow Padawans, she meant. "If we were cruel, that is."

Koran nodded. "Indeed," he said as he too sank to the ground. "I think this sort of survival is important. It also will help with focus and physical enhancement. Just think how fit the three of us will be when we walk out of the desert."

Liam nodded his agreement and then laughed. "We may be fit, but I've got sand in places where water won't reach."

"I'll help you clean that out after," Laedra muttered to him slyly.

"We may have to use the Force to get it out," Liam said with a chuckle. "That makes me nervous though. I-- I think I'll stop talking about this now. However, it gives me a new respect for the-- What's that?"

Off in the distance a cloud of dust was rising into the sky. All eyes turned to Kael, the resident expert in the deserts of Tae'Karada.

"It's not a storm," the youth said. "That's someone on a speeder, and probably people on foot judging by the way the sand is going up."

"Another patrol?" Laedra asked. "Out this far though?"

Koran pulled a pair of macrobinoculars from his journeypack and focused them on the approaching cloud of dust. "It's an Imperial patrol," he said. "And, they're marching someone in front of them. There's a speeder and a small hover-transport. I see about twenty stormtroopers, not counting however many are inside either vehicle. We'll have to be careful of the civilian, but we can take them."

Laedra cocked a skeptical eyebrow at Koran. "Are you certain, Master Darr? Twenty against three and a half? No offense, Kael."

"And, the two vehicles," Koran said. "And, I'm quite certain. Twenty against Jedi."

"There were more than twenty Feltreys," Liam said.

"You have to have faith in your skills as a Jedi," Koran said. "If you trust in yourself and the Force, you could take that whole group on yourself. It is not arrogance or conceit, but simply a matter of skill. And, we have the Force on our side. I almost feel sorry for them."

"Well then." Laedra rose from the ground and slapped her hands together. "Shall we? I could use a little work-out to fight off this chill."

Koran pulled his lightsaber from his belt and turned to face the onrushing Imperial force. "Liam, concentrate on disabling that transport. Kael, Laedra and I will take those on the ground. Try to get their prisoner clear first, and then take down as many as you can. Non-lethal if we can, but we need to free that prisoner and we need to get back to New Plouton and the Temple."

Laedra winked at Liam as she unclipped her lightsaber, then twirled it in her hand. "See you there, Liam Zaneth." She shot him her most alluring smile, then nudged Kael and the two crept forward in the darkness.

The Jedi all moved forward, using the shadows and dunes to hide their approach. With the Imps moving toward them, it made their progress that much faster.

And, the Imps were there. Koran gave the signal and sprang up into the air, leaping over the dune to come down between a small group of stormtroopers. As he touched the ground, a verdant blade sprang to life and sheared the weapons in their hands. He leapt up again, arcing back over the now-weaponless troops and raised his weapon into a defensive position. He hazarded a quick glance back to make certain that he was in line to block any shots that might stray to the poor man they held captive.

Laedra and Kael moved in to flank the soldiers, she with her pink blade and Kael with his blue. Their vibrating, humming blades remained poised in the air, waiting for the soldiers to make a move. They were to attack only in defense, for they could easily slaughter each trooper if they so chose, especially since they had caught them offguard. But deaths were not what they wanted.

"The rest of you please put down your weapons," Laedra ordered. "We will not harm you if you cooperate."

The troopers decided they wouldn't go down without a fight, and immediately raised their weapons. Unlike his last attempt at this sort of thing, Kael's blade moved with perfect precision, deflecting blaster bolts into the sand, harmlessly boiling away into small pools of liquid glass. Between one shot and the next, he pivoted his blade back and sliced through the manacles binding the young man who Kael recognized as a Razor. Once he was free, Kael's blade came back to deflect another shot away that would have caught him in the chest.

Laedra herself was busy with half a dozen troopers who decided they had a grudge against her they wished to fulfill. Her blade worked intricately to redirect blaster fire back to its source: two troopers with rifles. They slumped to the ground upon impact, but their friends quickly moved in to finish the job they had begun. Laedra, however, decided they wouldn't get the chance.

A wave of the Force knocked back three of the remaining four soldiers, but one persistent trooper eluded her. He fired a relentless stream of blaster shots at her, but all disappeared into the dark abyss laid out by the night as she vaulted over him and came down behind the confused trooper. She subdued him by thrusting a wall of the Force into his back that sent him sailing through the frigid desert air. Laedra didn't see where he landed, nor did she care.

The remaining troopers were regrouping and beginning another attack. Of course they would fail, but it was obvious they weren't aware of that or deluded enough to actually believe they had any chance against three trained Jedi, one a former Knight, and a Padawan. Laedra joined Kael as he fended off an assault from four troopers using sizable bank of sand as a shield. Their white-helmeted heads peered around the corner of the vehicle every periodically to spy their targets and fire, then they vanished again behind the hill while she and Kael deflected the bolts of light. "Have you got a plan, young Padawan?"

Kael sent a bolt of blaster fire back at a group of stormtroopers. "I was figuring they'll be running low on their powercells soon enough," he said. "Especially the way they're firing at us."

Laedra laughed, even though her lightsaber was twisting and parrying in a mad flurry trying to block the energy pulses. "So we wait until their weapons give out? Not very practical."

"We could continue throwing them around like rag dolls," Kael said. "We have to find a way to take them out of the fight. Master Koran had the right idea to slice their weapons, but they are too tightly packed for us to get in and disarm them. I guess we keep throwing them into the sand until they realize it's safer for them there."

"Or until they realize they never should have come to Thanatos to begin with." Laedra dodged a lance of blaster fire and dropped into a shoulder roll to avoid another. "This isn't going to work. Kael, you're more mobile on sand than I am. You need to sneak around behind them. I'll cover you. It's the only way."

Without a word, Kael sprang away from Laedra as he moved around to the other side of the fight. Once they had managed to flank the troopers, then it would be really interesting. His blade flashed in a wide arc to send a series of blaster bolts from the stormtroopers flying back at them, thus scattering them once more. Two of them had figured out his plan, and moved forward to cut off his path. He raised a hand and pushed as the others had done, and the troopers went flying to the sand. As he moved into position on the other side of the fight, he quickly drove his blade through the blaster rifles of the downed Imps.

He looked through the fight to Laedra and nodded. They were ready.

"Surrender!" Laedra hollered. She pointed her lightsaber at the troopers who had yet to fall or lose their weapons, prepared to disarm them or worse if it was required. "It's over. Put down your blasters and drop to your knees, and you will not be harmed."

The troopers, obviously, didn't even deliberate their decision before they opened fire. Laedra's lightsaber swept through the air and made easy work of dispersing the blaster bolts and finally subduing the troopers with them. They crumpled to the ground and the one that was left standing did nothing but point his blaster at Laedra, most likely contemplating the wisdom of firing on a Jedi. "Please, lower your weapon."

His hand tightened on the blaster, trembling as he nearly squeezed the trigger. Then finally, after a war had raged in his mind, his hand sprang open and he dropped the weapon to the sand.

From behind, Kael approached the trooper with his lightsaber still ready. "On your knees, and remove your helmet. Slowly."

The trooper obeyed and Kael quickly used the man's own binders to secure his arms behind his back. He looked over and Koran had already subdued the last of his stormtroopers and was binding them as well. The transport had lurched to a stop and sank to the sand with Liam sitting lazily atop it. "Looks like we have our transport back," he said with a grin.

"We are in your debt, oh great one," Laedra announced grandiloquently, adding a pompous bow for good measure.

"Of course you are," Liam said with a wide grin. "Now, what do we do about these troopers? If I hadn't been forced to make this transport unusable, we could have piled them in there and take them with us. I'm not sure how the Empire views prisoners of war, but it might have given us a position from which to bargain."

Laedra deactivated her lightsaber and returned the weapon to her belt clip. "I doubt the Empire would bargain for a dozen stormtroopers. They've got plenty more at their disposal."

Koran observed the twenty white-clad men lying on the sand and frowned. "They would slow us down in returning to the Temple. I don't believe we have any choice but to let them continue on to Thanatos. We will relieve them of their weapons and comlinks...and their prisoner, and they may go."

Liam hopped down from the top of the transport and landed gracefully in the sand. "We should relieve a few of them of their armour. It may come in handy later...depending on how things go."

Laedra grinned at Liam, admiring his cunning. "A good idea, Liam. Getting the urge to engage in some infiltration work?"

Liam smiled "It's a good way to get inside information on them," he said. "Though, we'll see. Hopefully it won't be something we need. Let's grab some of their armour and stuff it in the back of the speeder."

The three of them removed the white stormtrooper armour from the unconscious and semi-unconscious soldiers lying in the sand. Kael was with the prisoner, speaking with him while they packed the empty, white shells of the men now littering the desert floor into the speeder.

"I think we have enough," Laedra said. "Make certain to collect any intact weapons as well. We want them unarmed when they wake up."

Liam quickly moved about, collecting the weapons and piling them into the back of the speeder.

Koran used the macrobinoculars to make sure there was no one coming from out on the distance. No dust rose into the sky. No help was coming.

"Masters," Kael said. "Arlen managed to get away, but they caught him. He can't go back to Thanatos yet, but we can't just leave him out here."

Liam nodded and looked at Laedra. He raised a questioning eyebrow to her, and then indicated a private conference with a nod of his head.

"You want to bring him with us," Laedra surmised once she had joined Liam out of earshot.

"I couldn't send him back to Thanatos," Liam said. "If the Empire caught him on the way in, they'd kill him. What if we find a decent place in New Plouton, put him up there, and eventually maybe he can become a contact for the Temple. We will need people outside of the Jedi. He may not have much influence in the city, but he'll have some in the desert."

"Perhaps we can introduce him to Mr. L'Ygr," Laedra suggested. "At least then the boy would have allies to watch out for him."

"Good idea," Liam said with a smile. "I knew there was a reason I loved you. Well, other than the obvious ones."

"If we had time, I'd make you list them all." She grinned demurely, then gestured with her head towards Kael and the ganger. "Let's go fill them in on our offer."

He successfully fought back the urge to take Laedra's hand. Kael and Arlen looked up from where they were talking. "We don't want to send you back into Thanatos," Liam said. "I can't say that you would be killed, but the chances are too great for my tastes. Here's our proposal. We can find an apartment for you in New Plouton, at least until the situation in Thanatos is cleared up. But, you'll have a place to stay for now. We have a friend who could use someone with your knowledge and skills. And, we need someone in Thanatos."

"You want me to be a spy?"

Liam laughed. "Not exactly, but close. We're not asking you to spy on your friends. We're asking you to be a contact for us. Someone we can go to in order to rally the gangs, or pass on information. And, possibly provide information on events in Thanatos."

"You're not doing this only for our benefit, though," Laedra added. "You'll be helping to free your people. If we can track the movements of the Imperials in Thanatos, we might find a way to stop them. It's your home and we are giving you the means to help free it. If you do this for anyone, do it for yourself and your people."

Arlen looked between the three of them and nodded. "I'll do it," he said. "Just as long as you won't ask me to go against my people...I'll do it."

"Don't worry," Laedra assured him with a gentle smile, "we're on your side now, and that of your people. They will be free again. Trust in that, and it shall be so."

The young ganger smiled. "Thank you," he said. "If you're with Kael, you can't be bad." As he smiled, years seemed to be stripped from his face and revealed him for the fifteen years he was. "I'll be really good for you, and I'll tell you lots of things." Suddenly a thought seemed to strike him. "Will-- will there be running water?"

Laedra glanced sidelong at Liam and barely stifled a gentle laugh at the boy's wonder and innocence. "Yes," she replied. "There will be plenty of running water and you can use as much as you like."

With much effort he managed to keep his smile from getting too large. "Thank you," he said. "I'd like that very much. We don't have much water here in the desert. I've never seen more than a cupful at a time."

Liam grinned. "Oh, there will be whole tubs full of it."

The boy's eyes went wide as his imagination went to work.

Liam glanced at Laedra. "We should probably check with Koran, and then see about getting moving."

Laedra and Liam departed from the awestruck boy and Kael to confer with Koran. Soon, all of them had crammed themselves into the speeder and were rocketing towards New Plouton, or at least the general direction. "Sorry to say this, but I hope I never see the desert again."

"The desert will be the perfect place to fight this war," Koran said. "Though, preferably away from any inhabited areas. Hopefully we will not be required to return, but I will if the people of Thanatos need it. Perhaps Tarkin will be accommodating."

Laedra refrained from snorting derisively in expression of how implausible she found that idea. Tarkin would destroy them the moment he caught wind of their existence, and he most likely would after the less than low profile actions they engaged in during their stay in Thanatos. "Let's just go home now," she said. "And after an actual night's sleep, then we can decide what our next step will be."

"We should be to the New Plouton border in twenty minutes," Koran said. "If anyone wants to close their eyes, be my guest."

With a shrug, Laedra pulled her cloak tightly around her and snuggled up against Liam. If they ran into trouble, someone would wake her and if they didn't, at least she would be well-rested.

It was just over an hour later as the speeder slipped back into the clearing in front of the Temple. They had made a quick stop in the city to get Arlen a place to stay, and then moved on. Liam would check on him later in the day. After sleep.

Ten minutes after arriving, he carried Laedra into her room and laid her down on the bed. "We're going to get your bed all full of sand, you know," he said softly as she opened her eyes to look at him. "But, we can take care of that later."

"Later..." she murmured weakly. Her hand brushed along Liam's arm languidly. "You're staying, aren't you?"

"Of course," Liam said with a gentle smile. "After all that I couldn't stay apart from you. But, you're going to have to make room for me on the bed." He grinned. "And, you really should unclip your lightsaber from your belt. I wouldn't want to get the wrong idea, and we wouldn't want an accidental...accident."

Laedra laughed soundlessly and with lethargic movements, unclipped her lightsaber and let it fall from her hands onto the ground. She had never been so exhausted in all her life, but she rejected sleep's shroud of oblivion until she was satisfied that Liam was securely in her embrace. "We did well today," she sighed.

Liam levitated both lightsabers to a nearby table and then quickly removed his robe before climbing onto the bed with Laedra. "We did very well," he said. "And, you handled yourself well in that fight. I was impressed, my love. I think you've incorporated those tricks I taught you well. Next time we face Kandran, he's going to be surprised. I would reward you for today, but I don't think I can. Later though."

"Okay," Laedra replied, senseless from fatigue. "Just remember to wake me up. I think I want to be up for that..." Her drowsy eyes closed and Laedra whimpered softly as Liam's arms encircled her, followed by sleep's.

"I promise," Liam whispered as he too closed his eyes. They had had a very long day, and the only thing that had kept him awake for the last two hours was the Force. But, it was over now and they could rest. At least they had that luxury, unlike the people of Thanatos. After sleep, a plan would be made for them. But...after sleep.

---

"Changing Sides, Part 1"
by Kaysa Zenarr-Braston-Tregat
Merrick Braston
Zale Tregat
and Oot Kovan

Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Niothe 23, 4ABY

***

Exhausted, grinning from ear to ear, and utterly euphoric, Kaysa and Merrick strolled lazily down the ramp of the transport hand in hand. They hadn't expected to make their stay on Bespin so lengthy, but after their extraordinary first night, making love as man and wife, they were loath to return to Tae'Karada where all their responsibilities would once again weigh down upon them and prevent them from celebrating further their union. She enjoyed being Kaysa Braston, but revelled more in the smile that touched Merrick's lips when she called herself that. The potency of the love she felt for him almost induced insanity it was so overwhelming, but she embraced it freely.

As her foot came down upon the deck of the spaceport, melancholy swept over her and she squeezed Merrick's hand. She didn't want the happiness they had discovered with each other to end; she didn't want their relationship to veer close to the precipice again. Kaysa needed Merrick and wanted him in her life for always, but Tae'Karada seemed to breed disappointment and heartache, and her relationship with Merrick had not been spared. They had salvaged what little had been left behind after the ravaging dealt their love, and it once again managed to blossom. She feared, however, that it would suffer under Tae'Karada's pernicious curse all over again.

"So...what now, Merrick?" Kaysa gazed up at him, her smile waning slightly. "What now?"

Merrick looked down at Kaysa and smiled. "We...we could take another week. Get an apartment at the edge of town, and just hide out together. No one will know we're here, and we can slowly acclimatize ourselves to this place again." He looked around and gave a wry laugh. "Maybe we could pack everyone up and just move to Bespin. We could live next to your parents, never visit them, but drive them completely insane. I'm sure Shiv prancing around without a stitch on will do nicely to start them on the path down to an asylum."

"Where they deserve to be." She nestled her cheek against Merrick's shoulder and ran her thumb over the ring upon her finger. That alone was enough to bring her smile back fully. "I want to go to the first show you play when you go back to the White Noise. I want to be there so you can sing to me, just to me."

"You're the only person I ever sing to," Merrick said with a smile. "Oh, the Morality Guard is going to love that we're back if we act on the thoughts going through my head right now. Should we contact the others, or enjoy our togetherness for longer? I'm voting for togetherness."

"We should at least drop by Zale's office and tell him we're back," Kaysa said. "Then we can lock ourselves away and I can remind you of how lucky you are to have me."

"Lucky like last night? Oh, I felt very lucky last night. Come on, let's walk there. I don't think I'm up for a cab right...then again... But, I want to spend the time with you, and cab rides are far too fast." He glanced up the street and laughed. "Of course, it doesn't help that his building's just right over there." Merrick slipped his hand into Kaysa's and started toward the tall building that housed Zale's criminal empire. "I just hope Keeve and Shiv don't go through our bags when they're dropped off at the apartment."

"Looking for souvenirs from the trip, no doubt. Oh, I can't wait to see them, Merrick. Surprisingly enough, especially Keeve." Shiv had done wonders in bringing him around from the bitter, petulant boy he had first been to one who she thought could love her. She couldn't wait to see how much more progress Shiv had made. "Have you thought of how to explain this to Shiv?"

Merrick gave a dry laugh. "Well, I don't think she'll be upset that we're married," he said. "I think she'll be very happy, and will think we did the right thing. What worries me though is the whole bride's maid thing. From what you've said, it sounds like she really wanted to. However..." He grinned. "What if we were to stage a ceremony at the White Noise for our loved ones? We're already married, but there's nothing to say we can't do this for them."

"And maybe include Keeve as well," Kaysa added. "He can be the one to give me away." She chuckled. "I wonder if he'll grant you permission to marry his mother."

"As long as I'm not marrying Shiv, I think he'll be fine with it. But, there's only one way to find out." They mounted the steps that led to the doors of Zale's building together. Merrick couldn't help smiling at the thought of riding up in the elevator with Kaysa. The idea of putting an elevator car in their bedroom was still an appealing idea, however strange it may sound.

"I wonder how things went with Oot." Kaysa repressed a scowl at the thought of the pink-fleshed creature with her hands on Zale. "Like he'd tell me anyway if anything happened," she grumbled.

"I'm sure Zale would tell you everything, Kaysa," Merrick said. "I don't think he'd hide it from you. Well, maybe unless they had sex. But, Zale's faithful to you. He'd never do anything like that, knowing how much it'd hurt you."

"Well...what if she overpowered him or something. I mean, those lekku look pretty powerful. I bet she could subdue him with one swat from those things."

"Well, I guess that's true. Or if she was more of a sex master than he is. Or drugs. I've heard that there are a lot of clubs in town where drugs are a common way for the trancers to convince their dates to come home willingly with them. The stuff practically turns them into sex slaves."

Wild thoughts of Zale strapped to Oot's bed and submitting to her every sexual desire filled Kaysa's head. She batted Merrick on the arm for provoking her paranoid delusions. "Not helping here, Braston! Now I'm going to have to examine Zale for any signs of infidelity." She narrowed her eyes. "A thorough examination."

A mischievous smile curled at Merrick's lips as they stepped into the elevator. "If you need any help, let me know."

"Okay...still not helping here, Merrick. Now you've got me thinking there's something going on between you and Zale, and that Oot was just a convenient distraction."

"After last night, how can you still think that? Kaysa, there's nothing going on between me and Zale, and while I may be heterosexual, he does have the nicest man-ass I've ever seen. Though, it's nowhere near as nice as yours."

Kaysa smiled silkily as she pressed closer to Merrick. "And if you want to keep the privilege of viewing this nice ass, you'll stop driving me insane with paranoia and kiss me."

Merrick's arms enveloped her and she was pulled tight into his embrace as he kissed her with all the passion he could gather within himself. After several long moments of a kiss, he pulled back and smiled. "Better?"

"Mmm..." Kaysa smiled dreamily and closed her eyes to savour the last lingering sensations of the kiss. "I would've married you for your kissing abilities alone if I didn't love you as much as I do."

"Wait until you see what else I can do with my mouth," he said with a seductive grin. "Oh, but I showed you some of them last night. But, with as much as you were screaming, I may have to show you again so you remember."

Before he could go on, the door to the lift opened, revealing the lobby of Zale's office. As they both stepped out, it was clear that something was dreadfully wrong. Moril was nowhere in sight, making the place seem as dead as a tomb. Aron and Deez were there, but each wore a suit of heavy battle armour and a very grim expression. The only acknowledgement they gave Kaysa and Merrick was a brusque nod.

Kaysa stopped Merrick as the tension pervading the hallway knotted her stomach. She looked to him, then back to Deez and Aron, but instead of wasting time questioning them, she hurried to the doors of Zale's office and burst through them hollering his name. If something's happened to him...

But Zale was inside his office when she got there. He stood facing outward from one of the windows overlooking the city. It was evident from his posture that he was upset. Seated across from his desk, looking over a datapad, was Oot Kovan. For the moment, she appeared to have no interest in Zale or whatever was upsetting him.

Kaysa's anxieties lessened compared to the growing rage Oot's presence evoked in her. She had the urge to storm over to the witch and tug on her swaying lekku, but the sight of Zale motionless and almost oblivious to her presence banished the thought and infused her with a deep-rooted fear. "Zale..." She took a step forward but was reluctant to get too close, unprepared for what to expect. "Zale? What's wrong?"

Zale's back stiffened and for a moment he was too paralyzed to move. But, he finally did, and turned to face Kaysa. "It's very bad, Kaysa. Worse than it's been before." He swallowed. "I don't know what to do."

The helplessness in his voice and his eyes drove Kaysa forward. She took him into her arms and stroked his back soothingly. "Tell me," she whispered. "Tell me and I'll help you, Zale. My love, I'll help you through this. Just tell me."

Zale could feel his already strained facade cracking. "Dargus," he said quietly. "Dargus killed two of my men. Somehow, he managed to get to Moril. He's missing, Kaysa. And..." He swallowed, unsure if he could even put the next part into words. It was a struggle, but he finally managed. "He got Shiv again. And this time...this time he got Keeve. But, it's worse, Kaysa. Keeve...Keeve went willingly. Somehow that bastard corrupted your son."

If her hold on Zale hadn't been so secure, Kaysa's weakening legs would have collapsed beneath her. She heard the words spoken, but comprehension came slowly and reluctantly. Not her boy, and not Shiv. It was only a week, just a week... She should have been there was all Kaysa could think of. If she'd stayed behind, she could have protected them and kept Dargus at bay. Perhaps she would have lost Merrick in the process, but they would have reconciled eventually. Shiv and Keeve, on the other hand... Kaysa had little hope that she would ever see them again.

She was too numb to feel the agonizing despair she knew was a standard reaction for something as traumatic as this; all she did experience, however, was confusion and incredulity. Keeve had chosen Dargus over her, a stranger over his own mother. It was obvious to Kaysa now that she truly had lost him the day she abandoned him and that all her foolish hopes of redeeming herself and being accepted by Keeve were wasted dreams. It never would have happened and she felt idiotic for ever believing it could. Dargus had him now, and he had Shiv, her girl. He'd won, just as he said he would. Kaysa should have simply given up the fight long ago.

She had barely noticed she'd slipped from Zale's arms and lifelessly drifted to the windows like a spirit. Looking out upon the cityscape, but not really seeing it, Kaysa found herself searching for Shiv and Keeve, searching for a reason to even keep up the struggle life now represented. How could she go on with only a memory of her two precious loves, yet without them in the flesh? She would only long for them and pine for them, but knowing they would not be there to answer her cries filled her with an ache that would never fade. So, she continued to stare out of the windows, seeing nothing else worth doing and began a silent vigil for those who were lost to her for always.

Zale closed his eyes and turned away, concentrating on holding his fists at his side or else he'd end up smashing them repeatedly against the transparisteel window. How could he have let this happen?

The rustling sound of a body shifting its weight in a chair seemed extremely loud in the otherwise silent room. "Perhaps I might be able to be of assistance."

The voice of Oot Kovan was sufficient to induce a spark of emotion in Kaysa, but not a very pleasant one...for Oot, at least. She turned slowly to face the Twi'lek and regarded her with a cold, steady glare. "You, help us?" Kaysa smiled cruelly. "You're a whore. What could a person like that possibly contribute in the way of aiding us?"

"A whore receives money for services," the twi'lek said with a smile. "However, I do have information. Before they left the apartment, I put a tracking device on Lerrah. I also have someone working within Dargus' organization. He has a heavily armed cruiser out there somewhere, and your son and lover are there."

"Lerrah?" Kaysa shook her head. "What does this have to do with her?"

"Oh gods," Merrick moaned from the floor where he'd happened to end up. Useless legs splayed out from his body and he was propped against the door. "Lerrah, Kaysa. From Agarra. The young woman Shiv left the planet with. Her former lover. Oh gods."

Kaysa saw Merrick through suddenly bleary, unfocused eyes and thought in passing that she should go to him and comfort him, but she didn't, couldn't. Shiv had been unfaithful to she and Merrick. She'd been sharing herself with another while Dargus was unknowingly encroaching upon them. The betrayal pained her as much as losing Shiv did, but her rage directed itself at Oot. "What do you want, Twi'lek? You say you're not a whore, but I know your information has a price," she spat with disgust. "So tell me what it is you want or else you can leave now."

Oot smiled. "You should have seen your son ordering those two around. Kept them naked too." She shook her head and then sighed. "My price. Zale Tregat whenever I want him, and you shall have all the information I possess on Dargus Kandran and your son and lover. Oh, and Zale's man too. Dargus has him as well."

Kaysa's face flared red with anger and her body trembled violently. Watching the woman casually bargain three lives for sexual gratification sickened her and infuriated her to the point where her body flew towards Oot and her hand cracked across her high-boned cheek. It threw her off balance and Oot ended up upon the ground. "You self-serving bitch," she hissed. "Sex? That's what you want? You'd risk the life of my child, Shiv, and Moril for the sake of having Zale's dick inside of you? Is your brain defective in some way, or do you merely lack a heart?"

Oot gracefully got to her feet and in the same movement backhanded Kaysa. "Your child wanted to go with Dargus, Shiv -- as you claim -- was cheating on you anyway, and poor Moril is stuck in the middle. However, he's being taken care of, and won't be put to death until it's convenient for Kandran to make an example of him to Zale. So, I have time, and I want your husband's dick. I live on a ship filled with droids and my only companion is a gungan. Perhaps one day I will be desperate enough to go to Kambra for gratification, but right now I want your husband, and in this situation, my knowledge is the only leverage I have to get that. He's far too devoted to you, and the only way I'd ever have a chance is either by drugging him or extorting it from him. Then again, I wouldn't expect you to understand since you probably haven't gone a day in the last year without having someone's dick inside you."

Kaysa's hand fell away from her stinging cheek and to her side. "You're cold, Oot Kovan," she whispered. "You've probably been working with Dargus all along, all for a night with Zale. Do you care about anyone but yourself?" Kaysa laughed wryly and shook her head. "No, of course not, because if you did you would never have made such a selfish, pathetic request. If you want Zale, convince him to take you. I won't do it, not even for this supposed information of yours. You're obviously a woman lacking in integrity, and that isn't the kind of scum I waste my time negotiating with."

Oot looked at Kaysa and then at Zale's back. She could see a slight tremor in his posture and she knew that he was very upset. She felt herself about to sigh, but stopped before it could form. A conscience is a weakness to a crimelord. She forced a smile to her lips. "And, you're the type of woman that would leave that decision to him, and then get upset with him when he goes through with it to save your son's and lover's lives, aren't you? Like you were upset at him when I only asked for a weekend of his time? Very well." She started toward the door. "If you aren't willing to negotiate, Kaysa, then I wish you good luck finding Dargus."

"And I wish you good luck finding the next available dick to satiate your desires with," Kaysa called back. "But from what I've just seen, it's no wonder you're alone. I pity you, Oot Kovan. I pity you."

The only answer Oot gave was a laugh, but before she could get through the door Merrick was blocking her way.

"Look, you self-serving bitch," he rasped. "If anything happens to Keeve, Maeren, or Moril, I will hold you personally responsible. Two million credits to anyone who can bring me your head. Five hundred thousand to anyone who brings me one of your lekku; one million for both. You will spend the rest of your days looking over your shoulder, wondering who might be the one working for me."

Oot put a hand to Merrick's chest to push him away, and suddenly found herself pressed against a wall with his hand at her throat.

"If you think I'm joking, walk out of here. If you think I'm joking, let Shiv, Moril, and Keeve get hurt. I've heard that the lekku are quite sensitive, and I can only imagine what it would feel like with someone trying to hack one of them off." He leaned close. "There's a bounty hunter rumoured to be on the Drogen Shipyards. Maybe I won't dick around with posting a large reward publicly. Maybe I'll just pay her two million to track you down and turn you into a wall ornament."

"You wouldn't da--"

"Wouldn't I? Try me, bitch. Try me and see." He pulled a comlink from his jacket and pulled his other hand from her throat. "Walk out the door and I'll sign your death warrant."

The fury in her eyes was intense, but nothing compared to what burned within Merrick.

"Fine," Oot snapped. "They're currently heading toward Corellia, and Dargus has a base on one of the outer moons. I have the location of both through the tracking device and my informant."

Kaysa overcame her surprise and shock quickly, and stepped forward. "And this informant... They can give us the layouts of this base if we require them, and information on Dargus' movements?"

"As much as she can," Oot said. "She has access to many areas, but there are some that she can't get to. I can get her to provide as much detail as possible."

"And...she can get a message to Shiv for us?" Kaysa looked down and cleared away the knot in her throat. "She can tell her that we love her and we're coming for her?"

Oot nodded. "She can. She is Dargus' head...harem girl." She clenched her jaw and looked away, out into the distance. It was obvious she was trying to come to a decision, and then finally nodded. "I can also contact the Jedi. You'll need their help against Dargus."

"The blue-eyed fellow?" Kaysa asked. "He'd risk his life again to help us?"

"He'd risk his life to go after Dargus Kandran. They have this hero-villain thing going on, and Liam will stop at nothing to try to stop and destroy Dargus. Especially since I have a suspicion why Dargus is headed for Corellia."

Kaysa nodded her head slowly. "When's the soonest your people can arrange a rescue mission? Zale will gladly provide the necessary resources." She glanced over her shoulder at him, and sighed at his lack of participation in the discussion. Instead, he stared through the window, silently. "And if I were you," Kaysa continued, her eyes once again upon Oot, "I'd forget this foolish notion of using Keeve and Shiv's location as leverage in achieving whatever sick fantasy you've chosen to include Zale in. You're not his type."

Oot narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice so only Kaysa would hear her. "How badly do you want your child back? How badly do you wish to have your girl removed from the harem of that depraved psychotic? Before you begin dictating the terms upon which I will be helpful, think about the sick fantasy that your loved ones are now a part of."

"One I have little doubt you helped Kandran to make possible." Kaysa gritted her teeth and took a menacing step towards Oot. "If I find out you had anything to do with their capture, finding a satisfying sexual partner will be the least of your concerns, Twi'lek."

---

"Changing Sides, Part 2"
by Kaysa Zenarr-Braston-Tregat
Merrick Braston
Zale Tregat
and Oot Kovan

Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Niothe 23, 4ABY

***

Oot crossed her arms over her chest. "So, you believe that I'm working with Dargus Kandran? You believe I had some hand in all of this? Is my help now part of a trap? Luring you in so Dargus can finish you off? Perhaps you spent too much time in the sun at Vendra."

"And perhaps you've spent too much time being a conniving bitch, so much so that you've become callous and uncompassionate," Kaysa riposted. "You're a bitter woman, Oot Kovan. Whether you wittingly colluded with Dargus or not, withholding knowledge of Shiv and Keeve's location until divulging it suited you is just as depraved as if you were openly conspiring with the bastard."

"I don't know if your child will even wish to leave," Oot said. "And if Shiv is still as drugged out as she was when we arrived here, then you will have a difficult time getting her out as well. According to my contact, Dargus gave Keeve a drug to make 'his girls' more pliable and cooperative because they were too unruly and wouldn't obey his commands."

Kaysa looked away and shuddered at the thought of what Keeve could have done to an insensate Shiv, the yearnings he could have fulfilled with her. "And you never said a word," Kaysa said in a low frigid whisper. She returned her gaze to Oot, but in her eyes all light and warmth had fled. "You knew what was happening, and you said nothing. Is it your purpose in life to make everyone as miserable as you are? Do you sit back and watch such travesties occurring simply because you've been dealt misfortunes and it consoles you to see grief afflict others? Are you that sick?"

"I didn't know what was happening until after," Oot snapped. "I received no updates while I was in Vendra and the desert. It wasn't until after Zale and I returned here that I received a report and learned what was actually happening. I didn't know anything was amiss until we were inside your apartment and I had that other girl trying to have sex with me out of desperation. That's when I managed to get the tracer on her." Her eyes narrowed. "However, you make the idea of sitting back and watching all too appealing."

"To one as bereft of emotion as you, I have no doubt you would enjoy that." Kaysa glared up at Oot for an interminable expanse of time, but the sight of her quickly became revolting and Kaysa was forced to turn away. "Get her out of here," she said quietly. "Get her out of here and let her carry on with whatever rank and self-serving schemes she's concocted. Just...get her out of my sight."

"Kaysa," Merrick said, quickly stepping forward, and moving to block the door as he did. "We need her help. We can't just let her go like this. What about Keeve and Shiv?"

"If you want her help, then take it, Merrick. Just being near her makes me queasy."

Oot turned her gaze onto Merrick. "She doesn't want my help," she said. "So...get out of my way."

"You're helping him by walking out of here," Merrick said. "You're aiding Dargus Kandran by blocking our efforts. He's enslaved the woman I love--well, one of them--and he's taken prisoner a good friend." His eyes narrowed. "And, you're willing to just sit back and let that happen."

Oot watched Merrick for a long moment, a quiver running through her body as she tried to stand her ground. Finally she closed her eyes and looked away. A sob broke free as she collapsed to the floor, her lekku writhing in silent agony. How could she have even thought--? The tortured thoughts only helped to increase the suffering she now felt. So many of her people could have done this so well...but she had wilted under the pressure. She could see Kambra's disapproving gaze. She could see Yelara and Liam's disappointment. She had failed.

Oot had done what Kaysa had felt like doing since Zale confessed to her Shiv and Keeve's abduction. She wanted to cry and clutch her aching bosom; she wanted to batter Oot while she lay helplessly upon the ground, but her emotions were far too tangled for her to draw on one alone and act upon it. Instead, she remained neutral and unaffected, watching Oot's guilt overwhelm her.

"You've no right to feel," Kaysa muttered sedately. "You don't deserve to, not after all you've done. It's a privilege to be capable of love and joy and all those things Shiv and Keeve brought into my life." She knelt upon the ground, beside Oot and continued to simply watch. "You're not worthy of feeling, not even sadness," she droned. "So stop. Stop crying. Stop pitying yourself. Stop it now and do something useful, like helping save them. Do you hear me?" she asked, her voice still a murmur. "I said stop it."

Oot looked up at Kaysa with tear-reddened eyes. "I am a crimelord," Oot said softly. "I run a crime syndicate. I'm expected to be cold, heartless, and only looking out for my own needs and goals." She shook her head and cursed herself in ryl. "But, I can't do that. I...I can't believe what I've done here. I can't believe that I would have ever done this. And, then when I try to be a true crimelord, try to be like the others of my planet...I can't do it." Her shoulders wilted and her lekku drooped. "I'll provide you with the frequency of the tracer. Any information I have...it's yours. I will do everything I can to help you."

Kaysa nodded imperceptibly and silently stared at the fragile, broken creature before her. She did pity Oot Kovan, as much as she hated her, but she herself had been vindictive and ruthless at one time in her life, so she understood her more than she cared to. She had changed, though, and had been forgiven for her past transgressions. Oot deserved the same...eventually. Numbly, Kaysa wiped the tears from Oot's cheeks and managed a tight smile for her. "Thank you. We could use your help."

Oot nodded slowly. "I give my help willingly and expect nothing in return, but the fall of Dargus Kandran." She looked up at Kaysa, but couldn't keep the woman's gaze. She looked away, shamed. "I have a cruiser we can use to go after Kandran. But, we'll need to have a team that can get inside to get our people out. Tiala can keep me informed, and she should also be able to let us know where Keeve, Moril, Shiv, and Lerrah are. Kandran is a Sith, though. We'll have difficulty stopping him without the help of the Jedi."

"Then we'll appeal to them. It would be nice to see Blue Eyes again." Kaysa rose slowly and held out her hand to Oot. "Stand with me, Oot Kovan. Together, we'll stop him."

Oot looked up into Kaysa's eyes, and then nodded. She put her hand into Kaysa's and allowed Kaysa to help her to her feet. "Please accept my deepest apologies for what I have done," she said. "I was so very wrong to attempt such a thing, and for as much as I know you hate me, it can't come close to what I feel for myself. I allowed myself to turn a blind eye to something that has been the cause I fight for from the very beginning." She shook her head. "Hopefully I can do something to even partially make up for what I've done."

"Just help us destroy Kandran, and you shall be redeemed, Oot." Kaysa's smile softened as she leaned closer to Oot. "And if I'd been in your position," she whispered, "I might have bargained for a night with Zale too. He's quite good, you know."

Oot smiled. "That's what I've heard," she said. "I almost drugged him one of the nights in Vendra, but I couldn't do it. And, I know he was slipping up to your room as well." She laughed and shook her head.

"Well, he finds it difficult to resist Merrick." Kaysa sighed as she looked back at Zale, still standing motionless by the window, saying nothing, doing nothing. "If you combine your efforts," she said to Oot, "you and Zale can stop him. The trick will be getting Zale out of whatever rut he's in. You'll help me with that too, won't you?"

Oot smiled. "Of course," she said. "I'll have Kambra bring the ship farther in-system. While he's off toward Corellia, perhaps we should stage something against his base in Tae'Remok. It'll be a very nice welcome home, I'm sure."

"That would certainly bring Zale's spirits up. You see," Kaysa said with a sigh, "I have to be strong, Oot. I can't be there with arms wide open, offering a comforting embrace, because I have to be strong for them. If I crack...it'll weaken us and Dargus will win. So, I'll be needing your help from now on. I hope you don't mind giving it."

"I am happy to help in any way I am needed," Oot said. "I want to see that bastard brought down, and then made to pay for all his crimes. He will pay, Kaysa. He will pay."

"Well then." Kaysa detached from Oot and swivelled the leather chair opposite Zale's desk towards her. "Get comfortable and have a seat. We have much work to do, Ms. Kovan."

Oot took the offered chair and got as comfortable as she could under the circumstances. Merrick moved to one of the couches and stretched himself out on it, content to just listen. Zale, however, was still looking out over the city. The trembling anger that had been there before had subsided, but he still hadn't turned away.

Kaysa studied him as she approached, but instead of stopping behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, she veered right and ensconced herself in his leather chair. She folded her hands atop his desk and gazed across it levelly at Oot. "Now, where do we begin?"

"I'm not entirely certain what sort of defenses he's left behind." She picked up a datapad from Zale's desk and tapped in some of the information she had and then slid it over to Kaysa. "Those are the coordinates of his base. We can bombard it from space, and then send in ground forces to mop up whatever's left. I don't know if we can hide our involvement from him, but that may be best -- at least Antorial involvement -- while he still has Moril, Shiv, and Keeve in his possession."

"Then perhaps we should not be seen together, at least not while appearing amicable towards one another. If you had hair, I would suggest a public hair-pulling match, but I'm sure we can come up with something else."

Oot laughed. "Well, please don't try pulling my lekku. It would have a similar effect to grabbing a man's genitals and yanking. It's quite an uncomfortable and painful sensation. However, publicly we shouldn't appear friendly. An argument could be very effective however. We will need to discuss the specifics, and rehearse our parts. I'm certain we can come up with something that will perk up the ears of any of Dargus' people."

Kaysa smiled slyly. "And I imagine we could make it appear quite believable. We have had practice, after all."

"Indeed we have," Oot said with a smile. "However, I think I would prefer practicing to be your friend. However, outward appearances must be maintained. But, once Dargus has been eliminated..."

Kaysa's expression sobered as she nodded thoughtfully. "We will see, Oot Kovan. But for now, allies." She sat back in her chair, sliding towards her the datapad into which Oot had entered the coordinates. She reviewed them quickly, then chewed her lip nervously. "Using that moon as his centre of operations, he can set up a pretty secure and heavily fortified base. Any attack on it will have to be tactically flawless and executed precisely. I hope the strategists you have working for you are brilliant."

"Kambra Gant has one of the best tactical minds in the galaxy," she said.

"You have Kambra Gant working for you?"

When both women looked, Zale had turned back around and was regarding Oot with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, he is the head of my security," he said. "I take it you've heard of him."

Zale shook his head and laughed. "Very few people haven't. Maybe all hope isn't lost then."

Kaysa looked between the two, frowning and perplexed. "What? What am I missing here? Who's Kambra Gant?"

"Kambra is my head of security," Oot said.

"He's also got one of the fastest blasters in this side of the galaxy. Probably the other side as well. He's a gungan, but completely unlike most of the rest of their kind. If we have him on our side, we're not doing half bad."

"What can one blaster do against a whole army, Zale?" Kaysa asked skeptically. "Legendary as he may be, we'll still need a plan."

"In addition to his blasters, he's also got a very strong tactical mind. However, if we want the Tarabassic Syndicate to appear to be doing this on their own, we'll need to bring your ship in. You can bombard from orbit of the moon while fighters strafe it. Once we've done enough damage, we can land ground forces and let them clean out the place. I would like for Kandran to find his place a smoking ruin when he returns."

Kaysa smiled, satisfied with the discussion hovering about her and with Zale's participation in it. She pushed back her chair and vacated it for Zale. "I think this belongs to you, Mr. Tregat."

Zale watched her leave his chair, completely stunned at the action. "You are feeling alright, aren't you?" he said as he moved to take a seat. "I can't remember the last time you willingly got out of this chair." He grinned as he sank into the soft nerf hide cushions.

"It's your chair," Kaysa explained with a shrug. "I was just keeping it warm while I waited for you to come around." She grinned at Zale as she moved towards the couch occupied by Merrick and took a seat beside him.

As Oot and Zale began going over the strategy that would deal a blow to Dargus Kandran, Merrick sat upright on the couch and opened his arms to Kaysa. "Oh gods, Kaysa," he whispered. "That bastard is going to pay. I'll rip him apart with my bare hands if I have to, but he will pay for this."

Kaysa smiled wanly and buried herself in Merrick's embrace. "I know how you feel, Merrick. But I tried that myself one time, remember? You didn't like it so much and neither would I if you attempted to go after him yourself. We'll get them back, though, one way or the other. K