Star Wars - Tales from the Outer Rim

"Contact"
By: Rylaa Lyssander - PC
Lani Vissip - NPC+
Lorgal - NPC+
Various NPCs

Location: Avalon VI
Date: Vadris 26, 4ABY

***

"So what exactly am I looking at, doctor?" Rylaa asked. He was in the excavation site in the middle of the camp and looking up at what appeared to be a carved stone wall half covered by dirt..

"It's part of the temple that we believe was built by the Jedi thousands of years ago," doctor Golaj replied.

"How can you tell?"

"Those figures in the wall are decorative carvings, but they really don't depict any one scene. That pair of figures over there appear to be two Jedi dueling one another while next to it is some ancient animal. The strangest thing about the carvings is that they all have evidence of being carved by a lightsaber."

Rylaa looked impressed. "That would be rather difficult, wouldn't it?"

"Extremely, especially to get even the crude level of detail we are seeing here."

"So where is the entrance to the temple? Doctor Queso informed me that you were waiting to access it."

"It's right over here," Golaj held up a hand to indicate the entrance. "Though, unless you knew what to look for, wouldn't couldn't even tell it was there."

Rylaa scan over the stone wall with the eyes of a man used to seeing every detail. He mapped out every run and every crevice in his mind, trying to make some semblance of where the artist might have tried to hide a doorway. After several minutes, he admitted defeat. "You're right, doctor, I've haven't the slightest clue where it might be."

"Well, It's very hard to explain how to see it. So I'll wait to show it to you until after we figure out what's going on and we can access it. Whatever is inside has been there for over three thousand years, I believe it can wait a few more days.

*** Present Location, 3,952 years ago ***

Jedi Master Vindoo Sharr and his two padawans looked over their glorious temple one last time. The stone walls had been carved many years ago by a Master long forgotten. His delicate hand with the lightsaber had ensured his immortality in the stone.

The main hall of the temple was a squat thing, barely two stories high, but it ran for several hundred yards. Four tall spires crowned each corner and housed the meditation chambers as well as a bit of crystal from the Dathomir caves known to help focus thoughts onto the Force. The majority of the temple lay underground, close to the beating heart of the planet. Tunnels, passageways, and rooms ran for many miles and anyone not familiar with them would get lost easily.

Master Sharr sighed and ran one hand down the sigil that would close the great stone door for the first and only time it would ever be used. He and his apprentices had to abandon this temple for the three of them could not maintain it. The army of droids inside would care for the facility until a time that it could be unearthed again.

"Master, when do you believe that we can come back to this place?" one padawan asked innocently. He was young, barely past his eighth year in life.

"It should not be long, young one," the Master replied in a gentle voice. It held the tang of sorrow, though, for he knew that neither he, nor his padawans, would ever see what had become their home again. "No, it should not be long at all."

His other Padawan, a young man on the verge of becoming a Knight only stood to one side. He too knew that they would never see this place again, but through the Force he could feel that it would not remain empty forever.

*** Present Day ***

"Yeah, you're probably right doctor," Rylaa said as he began to head towards the ladder to climb out. Lani was waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

"We've got a problem," she said simply.

"We've always got a problem, what is it this time?" he replied.

"The men set up the portable sensor stations and they are already picking up multiple contacts... all over the perimeter of the camp. I wouldn't trust the fences they have set up here to keep a wamp rat out, so we're going to go to alert status."

"Ok, if a fight goes down, see if we can capture one of the natives alive. Not that I care much about their well being, I just want to interrogate the bastard."

"I thought the briefing you gave me said we have no way of communicating with the Grelkin." Lani raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh yeah," he said, rubbing his chin, "I'd forgotten about that. Oh well, just take down anything that moves then."

The comm unit in Rylaa's pocket chirped so he pulled it out. "Yeah?"

"Sir," the platoon commander said, "I assume that Ms. Vissip has told you about the contacts on the perimeter."

"That's correct lieutenant, she had."

"Well, sir, they coming closer now... fast."

"How are we on getting the static defense set up?" Rylaa broke into a jog towards the prefab shelter that was his new home.

"We've got repeaters on the north and south sides sir, but we don't have any of the barricades set up." The lieutenant's voice sounded apologetic, they hadn't been fast enough in his thinking.

"Don't worry about it lieutenant, we'll be there as soon as we can." He stuffed the comm back into his pocket as the door to his dwelling fwooshed open. Lorgal was sitting inside smoking and having a drink. "Get up, Lorgal, and grab your negotiator. We've got multiple inbounds on all fronts and the bastards are coming in droves." Well well well, look at me. I sound like a regular military type.

Rylaa shucked his clothing and began to put on his personal LPDS and grab the HB-54B Blaster Rifle that was the destruction part of the combat system. Lorgal strapped on his portable fusion cell and plugged it into the base of his powerful repeater. The air crackled with power as the weapon charged up. Lorgal then put on a pair of heat resistant gloves since even barabel scale got hot... eventually. After suiting up, they left the prefab unit and headed towards the west perimeter.

Lani skirted the armor and ran full out to the east, there reports were coming in that the defense was the lightest and the fence previously damaged. The jungle's edge loomed closer as she neared the end of the camp and she could see a pair of troopers in their armor carefully scanning the treeline for enemy activity. Focusing solely on her objective, she planted a hand on one of their helmets and vaulted over the high fence.

Landing in a crouch, she looked at the startled faces of the troopers behind her and winked. She began to focus within herself, finding that spot of harmony that would allow her to feel what was out there. Slowly she began to extend her sense beyond her position. Behind her, she could feel the curiosity of the two men as they watched her, even a little underlying fear. Further, deeper into the jungle she stretched. And then she felt it.

Anger. Fear. Aggression.

The emotions crashed into her like a wave, buffeting against her mental barriers and trying to worm their way into her psyche. She fought them back, determined not to let whatever it was win. Then it was gone, just as suddenly as it had began to fight. Lani withdrew, allowing her normal awareness to creep back to normality.

Her body was covered in sweat, though only a few seconds had passed. Whatever she had touched, it had a powerful, though primitive mind. But at least she had an idea of where it was.

Lani sprang from her crouch into a dead run, tearing through the jungle as fast as she could. Leaves and branches tore at her bare face and arms, but she ignored the small pains. She soon came to a small clearing in the jungle with three hulking figures standing around. The shear size of them made her blanch, it was as if someone kicked a Corellian Marsh Bear in the privates and forced it to stand up. Not only that, but give it opposable thumbs and teach it to use a blaster.

That made her blink, and look again. Yes, all three were indeed carrying blaster rifles, though they looked unfamiliar with them. The three Grelkin were watching each other intently, like someone would watch you while you spoke to them. Occasionally one would grunt or toss his head. Then as one, they raised their snouts into the air and charged towards Lani's position.

She rolled out of the way and came up in a crouch, ready to fight. Instead, they ran past her as if they didn't even notice. They ran straight for the excavation site. She had to stop them, these beasts would easily overrun the pair of guards at the eastern position, even with their new technology. The Grelkin were huge, and could probably take several shot apiece to go down.

Her mind made up, Lani launched herself at the first of the ursine-like creatures. She managed to leap high enough that her right foot connected soundly with the first Grelkin's head. Her armored boot caused the alien's head to snap backwards well the rest of its body tried to go forward. She pushed off using the same foot and spun around to kick the second with a powerful roundhouse. As she fell she grabbed at the pair of vibroknives at her waist. A hum filled the air as the knives flashed to life but it was quieted as both blades sunk into the chest of the third Grelkin.

All three Grelkin were down, but only was seriously injured. Lani performed a kip-up and whirled around to face the now very agitated natives. The lead Grelkin swung his blaster like a club, so Lani redirected it and pulled the trigger as it passed over his kneecap. They may be big and scary, but they were very bright. It was obviously that these natives where more used to peace than war, and that fighting did not come naturally to them.

The first one went down with a scream while the other two decided to rush her as a team. Lani spun low to the ground and kicked out with her leg, slamming her armored heel into the knee of the second. She had decided that the knees were a good place to attack, they always seemed to be a weak point. The third looked at its fallen mates and turn to flee. Lani put a DL-44 bolt into the back of its neck, burning through the mass of hair and severing the spine.

They had gone down much easier than she had anticipated. But those emotions she had felt when she had touched their minds seemed out of place with their obvious inability to fight. Such rage and anger usually stemmed from a warlike race, one who was used to killing and swinging heavy objects in an attempt to kill or maim. Someone was manipulating these beasts, someone had to be. She had to tell Rylaa, perhaps he could think of a plan.

"Another Fine Mess"
By: Jedra Leesyn

Location: Starport - Yelldon District, New Plouton
Date: Vadris 26, 4 ABY

***

Free trade and commerce was the lifeblood of a civilized planet, and like so many of its contemporaries, the starport at New Plouton was no exception; the thriving starport, located on the outskirts of the city proper, played host to starships from nearly every system in the quadrant. Since these ships came and went on their own schedules, it operated all day, every day. Accordingly, the multitude of shops, restaurants, and bars had to stay open in order to cater to the wants and needs of the space jockeys and tourists that came to Tae'Karada. Some of these wants were to find a quiet, out-of-the way place to get good and sloshed.

Bor'Cha's Bar and Grill was one of these places. While it didn't exactly rate high on the list with the city's elite, the owner and proprietor, a corpulent and self indulgent Twi'lek named Bor'Cha Torn, managed to do quite well for himself. He catered to the less than honest, but not quite criminal, clientele that inhabited the starport. His was a place where deals that skirted the edge of legality could be made and broken, where a person could get lost for the right amount of currency, and where merchandise of questionable origin could be bought and sold; not quite a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Most any other proprietor would have long since been shut down, but Bor'Cha was a keen entrepreneur that knew whose backs he had to scratch in order to stay open and lucrative.

Newcomers to Bor'Cha's weren't uncommon, and so no one paid the woman with the hooded jacket any mind as she gave the club a quick appraisal. The scent of incense hung heavily in the air, barely masking the clouds of cigarra smoke and the putrescent smells of the perspiration given off by the variety of races and species looking to get themselves well lubricated between shipping cycles.

Finding a recently vacated seat at the bar, Jedra Leesyn wasted little time in parking her rear end on it to take a load off. Wearily, she ran a hand through a tangle of greasy blond hair, hood still in place, hoping that she wouldn't have to make eye contact with anyone. No such luck.

"What's your drink order?" A gruff looking barkeep snapped.

Jedra lifted her face to his and looked him directly in the eye. "One Altorian milk ale. And go easy on the cooling crystals."

The man's expression changed from indifference to downright hostility. Jedra had been pretty by human standards, but an angry guard's blaster rifle butt had long since put an end to that. Scavenged protocol and repair droid parts had been grafted and wired into what used to be the right side of her face. Jedra's left eye was a deep azure blue; her right eye consisted of a dull red photoreceptor. There was a soft whirring sound as the lens iris rotated and focused dispassionately on the barkeep.

"We don't serve no frakking droids," the man said loudly. Others were looking in her direction, drawn to the volume of the man's voice.

"I'm not a droid," Jedra replied. "And I'm not a synthetic, either." She sighed resignedly. "I'm just a tired spacer that lost her job, wants to sit down, and have one drink."

The barkeep looked to a nearby Trandoshan bouncer, whose job it was to give unruly visitors a toss. The reptile moved towards the woman with a confident stride; this one would be no trouble.

That is until she parted the folds of her jacket, resting a gloved hand on what looked to be a lightsaber. Jedra's gaze never shifted from the barkeep, though she could make out the Trandoshan at the edge of her peripheral vision. "One drink." she repeated, "and I'll be out of your way."

The noise and idle conversation had suddenly stopped, frozen in the moment; both the barkeep and the Trandoshan enforcer looked to their boss for a decision. The corpulent Twi'lek's response was a simple nod of his head. "Get her the Altorian milk ale." He looked to Jedra. "One drink, Jedi. And then be off with you - your kind is bad for business."

The entire club collectively relaxed; the tension over with, everyone returned to what they were doing. The one exception, of course, was that now Jedra was being accorded a great more space at the bar than a few moments ago.

Jedra let out her breath in a controlled gasp and clenched her hands rigidly in her lap, so that no one could see them shaking. She was not, nor would she ever be, a Jedi. The 'lightsaber' was a carefully constructed duplicate that was no more than a serviceable flashlight. 'Jedi' were legendary fighters, and if it could avoid violence or bloodshed, why not use their mystique to best advantage?

Up until an hour ago, Jedra had been gainfully employed for the last month as an assistant hyperdrive mechanic and quad gunner on a Barloz-Class Freighter called 'Don't Panic'. Hard currency at the end of the run had been the deal at the time, since she could ill afford to show up on record as an escapee from the Spice Mines of Kessel. Even if the Galactic Empire was on its way out, Jedra considered herself to be fair game for any bounty hunter looking to pick up a little 'pin money' on the side.

And now...with a handful of credits and a wad of useless Corporate Authority Cash Vouchers for her troubles. No big surprise that the freighters captain would short change her. After all, it wasn't like she was going to go to talk to Starport Security about it.

Next time, she thought, I'm going to ask for half of it up front... That is, if there was a next time. She couldn't even put down any contact information on the news kiosks, at least not until she had a place to stay. Her outlook was bleak, but, she reasoned, it was better to be free and looking over your shoulder than it was to be a prisoner. Jedra would die before she spent another day on a prison colony.

She finished up the last of her drink, and with a polite nod in Bor'Cha's direction, Jedra took advantage of the chance to make an exit. She had just enough money to get a rental habitat for perhaps one, maybe two days, if she stretched it. After that...she'd be flat broke. A few hours later, safely ensconced in her habitat and stretched out on her bunk, sleep did not come easily for Jedra - with the dawning of another day, perhaps her chances at employment would be better.

"Secrets Revealed"
by: Rylaa Lyssander - PC
Lani Vissip - NPC+
Lorgal - NPC+
Captain Blake - NPC
Various NPCs

Location: Avalon VI
Date: Vadris 26, 4ABY

Lorgal, with his loping strides, made it to the western end of the compound first. A pitched battle was already underway between the few troopers Rylaa had brought with him and an unknown number of assailants firing form the cover of the jungle. Large shadows moved within the deep foliage, running from tree to tree. The two troopers guarding the location had set up a heavy repeating blaster as well as several short walls of blast shielding.

They were firing into the jungle blindly, hoping to hit anything that might be out there. The weapon, though built well by Rylaa's corporation, was in danger of overheating. Lorgal placed one huge hand on a trooper's shoulders and the man looked back with a look of grim determination.

"We don't know what the hell those things are, or how many there are," the trooper said. "They're big, but they've got the accuracy of a blind jawa."

The big barabel only nodded and set his hand to his own "crew served" weapon. Another large shadow moved and he unleashed a torrent of blaster bolts at it. The crimson darts slammed into the thick trunk of the jungle tree, scorching deep into the wood. But these trees grew tough, and the bolts barely made it shudder.

Rylaa puffed his way up to the troopers and leaned against one for several seconds to catch his breath. He looked rather comical wearing the body armor normally reserved for those in peak physical condition, even though his had been modified for his girth. He tapped the side of his helmet and a pair of dark glasses slid over his eyes.

A holographic HUD displayed on the inside of the glasses provided him with all the data he need to some to a conclusion. "There aren't that many of them out there," he said after a few minutes of breathing hard and scanning the jungle's edge.

Two troopers and a barabel stopped firing long enough to give him an incredulous look. "No, seriously," Rylaa said, "There's only three or four of them, they are just moving and firing quickly enough that it seems like there's more. That's a very complicated tactic for the primitives these Grelkin are supposed to be."

"Want me to take them down, boss?" Lorgal growled. "If there's only three or four of them, they shouldn't be too hard."

"Let them come to us, Lorgal, I suspect that if we stop shooting, they will become confused and come out to see what is going on." Rylaa had a suspicion that these beasts may not be as primitive as they were told. They were, after all, firing blasters at them.

"North and south perimeters, report," he said over his sub-vocal tactical frequency.

the platoon commander said,

"Copy that," Rylaa replied, "Keep an eye out. There is something going on here that doesn't add up.

"Sir!" one of the troopers behind the repeater called out. "They're retreating!"

Rylaa looked up and saw three large figures crashing through the underbrush away from their location. He looked down at the portable sensor screen and saw that they were not alone, at least four other blips were also moving away.

Strange, he thought, very strange indeed.

***Location Unknown***

A man sat behind a table in a tent, carefully reassembling an antique slug thrower commonly called a revolver. The weapon fired a .75 caliber shell and would fling itself out of your hand if not for the recoilless gas dampers. The weapon could only hold three of the huge bullets, but it was enough.

A hooded figured of undescernable gender or species slipped through the flap and glided up to the edge of the table. The man on the other side did not look up but somehow the figure knew it had been commanded to speak.

"The skirmish on the camp went as planned," it said in a scratchy voice. " The beasts are learning their new role well, though we lost three of them. The new soldiers guarding the scientists are well trained, they will not be bought off like the mercenaries were."

The man slid the firing pin home and lifted up the weapon to inspect it before he spoke. "Pity," he said in a deep voice, "we may have to take drastic action here." He slid the barrel back into place and clicked it into its housing. "Keep a tight surveillance on the camp for a few days and learn what we can about them." The man set the weapon down and leaned forward, highlighting the scrawny face a man well into his forties.

"I want that jedi temple back," he said, slamming his hand onto the table. "I want those scientists dead for daring to come to this planet and trying to take my temple from me." He reached out and snatched the cloak of the figure and jerked it into the light with him. "You will find out what you can, and you will report back to me in one week. If you do not, then I will be sure to include you as a casualty in the raid."

He let go and the figure rushed out of the tent without further word. The man leaned back and the shadows covered his face once more. The light, however, gleamed clearly on a set of tabs on his chest.

A set of tabs that showed the rank of an Imperial Colonel.

***Archeology Camp, midnight***

Lani sat on the roof of the prefab shelter with her legs crossed atop each other. Everyone else in the camp had gone to bed and only the perimeter lights burned. The sky was awash with stars and the sounds of the jungle's nighttime creatures filled the air. A cool breeze blew gently across the clearing and brought the scents of night blooming flowers with it.

Lani had placed herself into a state of absolute focus, emptying her thoughts a best she could. There was a lot on her mind, after all. After the skirmish she had spoken with Rylaa about her thoughts on the Grelkin. Surprisingly, he seemed to agree with her.

What was confusing was that every side of the perimeter saw three or four of the hulking natives, but the sensors had picked up at least four or five more contacts. Rylaa's naturally paranoid mind had kicked in and he suspected that there may be another party involved.

But she pushed this from her mind, she needed to maintain her focus. Something twinged on the edge of her senses and she open her eyes. They had already adjusted to the darkness some time ago and she was able to make out the outline of someone slipping back into the compound through a gap in the fencing.

She did not bother to stand up, but instead rolled from her position to the edge and peered intently to try and make out a face. The figured was obviously heavily cloaked, perhaps to ward off the night chill, perhaps to hide its identity.

Lani watched the figure as it made its way back to one of the prefab huts. It drew back its hood briefly before stepping in. The moonlight clearly revealed the face of Doctor Carlyle.

"The Plea"
By: Anow Taron - Bounty Hunter
Rylon Taron - Ithorian, Anow's Brother - NPC

Location: Ord Mantell
Date: Vadris 26, 4 ABY

***

Mr'cany's Club and Sports Bar was neither the nicest nor most reputable of facilities within the city limits, but Anow was hardly one to care. The drinks were good and cheap, the waitresses friendly and beautiful (thank the gods for Falleen and Twi'leks), and the holoscreen large. Odds are given the opportunity and the space he could've watched it from miles away, but nevertheless he found himself glad to catch the action at levels that were unhealthily close-up.

Well, given how many credits he was in the hole, Anow probably wasn't that glad, but as he tended to do, he held out some hope. The betting form between his fingers was worn out from five races worth of bets, five races worth of nervous rubbing, and thus far, four races worth of losses. Come on, pass him high on the left, no, THE LEFT, THE LEFT!!! Damn, close one, you can do this, almost there, you're close, come on, hit the boosters, no, stay away from the wall, stay away from the wall, STAY AWAY FROM THE WALLS!!!

He didn't stay away from the walls.

Looking down a bit angrily to the betting form in his hands, Anow tore it in half and tossed it to the floor. It's been a good week, you've had two bounties, two catches, and what'd you do? Blow it all on the pod races. That last one seemed close too, I mean, how could he have lost? He had a good run, a good vehicle, strong engines and seemed like a good bet to pull off a long shot win that'd gain a hefty profit. In a race between a Dug and a Muun, you placed money on the Muun. Smart move.

Stretching a cramp out of the back of his S-shaped neck, Anow ambled on back over to the bar as he placed a fair amount of weight on his aged walking stick. Taking a favorite stool at his favorite spot of the bar, Anow leaned his stick against the bar, placing both elbows on the metal and rubbing his eyes with free hands. How could you have pissed away so much money so fast?

"Win anything this time, Anow?" Mr'cany asked, laughing as only a Sullustan could.

"No, not again," Anow replied.

"Next time, right?" Mr'cany replied as he polished a glass and not even looking up.

"Next time, yes, like I always say, victory will be mine next time," Anow said with two barely visible smiles, "it may not be mine now and it may not always have been so, but it will be in the future. Right now, I could use a Corellian Ale if you've got one."

"Do you have the credits?" the barkeep asked.

Anow paused silently, reaching into a pocket on his tunic with his long fingers and coming up with nothing.

"Can I put this round on my tab? I'm a little short at the moment," Anow replied honestly, trying to force a sympathetic smile and getting none from the mousy yet tough Sullustan.

"No money, no drinky, come up with some creds and it's all yours, until then, you're stuck with water."

Looking to a patron further down the bar, Mr'cany left the Ithorian on his stool, holding his head and wondering how everything got to be the way it was. You've had three good hunts, three in the course of one week. They were all good paying, they were all with reputable bosses who are liable to give you work again, and they were all from individuals who don't mind hiring someone who is supposed to be past their prime, and what happened? The money was all pissed away on another of these accursed tickets. The hunt is good, you can live and escape and survive in the hunt, but in the betting, the gambling, it is a vice that is completely unnecessary and if anything detrimental to the hunt. Why must you keep letting this happen? You'll lose yourself, you'll destroy yourself, and nothing, nothing good will come of it except massive debts and a bounty hunter waiting to destroy your livelihood to retake the claim of the greatest hunter this side of the outer rim. Why can't you jus-

"I'll buy you a drink if you'll let me," a deep, resonating voice said from behind.

Knowing that propriety indicated that he turn around yet not feeling very proprietary (a combination of loss and four shots of Corellian Ale), Anow continued to hold his head as he didn't even look to the stranger.

"If you're buying then I'm willing to take charity," Anow replied, sensing the figure as they took a seat beside the bounty hunter.

"Bartender, two please," the stranger said with a familiar accent, then turning to Anow, "I must say, I rather admire your staff."

"Thank you," Anow said, feeling a headache hit full blast as he lay his head against the bar, "it is a family heirloom."

"I know, great care was obviously taken in it," the stranger continued, "it is bafforr wood, is it not?"

"It is indeed," Anow continued, clearly impressed, "you know your trees."

"I make it my business to know my trees," the figure replied in basic with what Anow was sure was a smile, then switching into a thick Ithorian dialect, "and it is good to see that you have taken care of it as well as you have, lifestyle considered at least."

Bolting up into a sitting position, Anow came to realizing what had happened one moment slower than he should have. No other being has a voice like that, no other knows of this...

"Rylon," Anow proclaimed as he looked to the Ithorian sitting next to him.

"Hello brother," Rylon replied, "it has been a while, has it not?"

"Not by my choice," Anow added gruffly, "how did you come to find me?"

"Bounty hunter."

"Wonderful," Anow mused, "who?"

"Balen Torr," Rylon replied as he tried to remember the name.

"The least you could've done is found someone with some level of competence," Anow replied with a dry double laugh, "not some Toong always eager to please."

"I was desperate," Rylon responded, "I really needed to find me."

"Needed to find me?" Anow asked with an even drier laugh, "That's a good one."

"Hey, I didn't throw you out, I didn't want you to leave, and I'd appreciate it if you let down the hostility enough for me to make my plea."

Anow sighed, looking to his brother. The last time he'd seen little Rylon he was, what, maybe a meter tall? Eight years old, greatly enthusiastic and already a skilled farmer. He was destined for greatness, a greatness that Anow would never get to see. He looked him up and down, quickly scanning his younger brother. Definitely a farmer, a prosperous one too by the looks of it. He dressed in fine cloths that allowed him to show some level of wealth while at the same time remaining functional and anonymous.

"I'm sorry," Anow replied honestly as he took a sip from the glass that Mr'cany had just provided, "every time I think of what used to be it opens up old wounds that I never thought would need to be opened up again."

"Understandable," Rylon replied.

"You look like you're doing well though," Anow continued.

"Thank you," Rylon replied with some grins and a bit of pride, "last season's Meet was more prosperous than any of us could have imagined, particularly for my family."

"You've started a family?" Anow asked genuinely.

"Yes," Rylon replied with a wary smile as he reached into his pocket and produced a small hologram. Pressing a button on the devices side, a light blue picture of an Ithorian woman and two youths appeared.

"My wife, Jynnis, my eldest daughter, Sunn, and my boy, Marin. We're expecting our third within the year."

"Congratulations," Anow replied. He put out his hand and Rylon accepted, the brothers sharing their first physical contact in nearly thirty years.

"I'm sure you've made a wonderful father." Anow mused. He had so many questions, yet didn't know which to bring up first. Why now? Why here? What brought you here? Despite the many profound and intriguing possibilities, only one came to mind.

"How are mother and father?"

"Mother passed on three years ago. I pled with the Council and they said they would have allowed you to enter for her funeral. I enlisted another bounty hunter, a Dashade I believe, but we never got word from him, we assumed he never found you."

It wasn't too hard to remember back those three years to that encounter with the Dashade. He encountered the beast of a hunter outside of Ord Ibanna and seemed more interested in taking Anow's head in on a platter than he was in relaying the message of a funeral. Still, even Anow was one to have a pang of guilt over having murdered the messenger of his mother's death.

"While father..." Rylon continued, "father died in one of the first attacks."

"Attacks?" Anow asked with a hit of anger. He had assumed already that given their age his parents would have already passed on, and although he would miss them, he also knew that their spirits would live on and that he would see them again in the afterlife. Having their lives taken though, instead of the peaceful death that any Ithorian (no matter how hypocritical) deserved, was unconscionable.

"They've been coming for the last several months." Rylon added, "At first we could buy them off with the crops and they would leave our ships and the Jungle alone, but they've become impatient and more bold. They come in at night, and raid the ships."

"Who?" Anow asked with even more anger.

"They've already taken down two of our cities, destroyed thousands of acres of the Mother Jungle, killed gods only know how many and taken even more."

"Who?" Anow demanded.

"Slavers," Rylon finally blurted out with some difficulty, "Trandoshan slavers. They've taken a position within an abandoned imperial garrison and make their attacks upon us at their whim. Hundreds of them. We've tried to fight them off, but we are not warriors. Whenever we resist, they kill, and when we don't, they kidnap and make slaves. I was sent to find some warriors."

"And you came for me?"

"While no one among the old guard is proud of you, your reputation is rather widely known," Rylon added, "We've tried for mercenaries, we've tried militias, but none have worked, none know how delicately to treat the Jungle, none know to respect it. You're our last chance."

Anow laughed wryly, suddenly wishing the headache would go away.

"I thank you for seeking me out brother, but I'm afraid you have wasted your time," Anow replied, "I am not allowed within the system lest I want to face an imminent and immediate death."

"The Council is willing to give you a pardon," Rylon replied, "your transgressions will be forgotten and you will be allowed residence within the Princess again. We will pay you what we can, we don't have much, but we are desperate and need whatever help we can get. Please brother, they've killed our father."

Anow mulled his options over for a few moments less than he probably should have. This was not a hunt, this was not what he did. He was one for precision attacks, not mercenary work. This demanded big guns and more intensity than he could offer, all for a planet that had thrown him out long before he was rightfully mature enough to be out on his own. Then again.

"I will take the job, but I cannot accomplish it on my own," Anow replied, "give me two days to assemble some associates. I will not accept any money, I will take this one on sheer honor, but should they take the job the people I know will expect to be well paid."

"Fair enough," Rylon replied, relieved, "thank you for accepting this. Thank you very much, you have no idea how much-"

"Save your breath, brother," Anow said as he got dizzily to his feet, "if the situation is as dire as you say then our time is short. You have a transport?"

"No, but I can charter one," Rylon replied.

"Good, tell everyone to lie low and I will arrive soon with aid. Until then, just lie as low as possible and try to avoid whatever attention you can."

"Thank you brother," Rylon continued as the emotion clearly took him over. The two brothers embraced warmly before Rylon made a quick departure from the bar. Anow could only laugh slightly as he looked to the saloon's swinging doors. You're going home, old timer, never thought it would happen, but you're going home.

"Improvement"
by Quinlan Vos
and Aurra Sgall

Location: Jedi Temple
Date: Vadris 26, 4 ABY

***

She stood in the room, blindfolded. The sand that laid on the floor gave away the sounds of any movement that occurred around her, and she listened. She listened not only with her hearing, but with her mind also.

Broadening her senses, Aurra could feel Master Quinlan Vos' presence just across her. He was also blindfolded as she was and both stood silent, merely concentrating in what surrounded them. The large room echoed when the training sabers that both held moved, the similar sound of a real lightsaber.

Aurra ran towards Quinlan Vos and lashed out at him. But even she could foresee his defense and read the counter attack that he was about to perform. She moved one step back and parried his strike, stopping before him, her blade against his.

With a swift motion, Aurra slid her training saber's blade against that of the Jedi Master, rolling to be able to strike in a better angle. However, Quinlan was able to read her movement and perfectly motioned to have his training saber in a vertical position against his back, defending against Aurra's attack.

The Twi'lek girl moved back when he motioned to strike and flipped backwards a few times to avoid his saber. She then stopped a few meters away from him and took time to breathe and concentrate.

With a fierce movement, Aurra began to run back and threw her saber against Quinlan Vos. She used the Force to control the saber as it spun towards him and somersaulted high above him.

The Jedi Master fended off the spinning lightsaber, that on a split second flew back onto Aurra's hands as she came down. She girl tried to lash out at him once more, but Quinlan pushed her blade away and spun. He stopped when his blade was but an inch away from her neck. Not that a training saber would hurt her, but there was no need to press the matter further.

Aurra immediately understood that in a real situation she would have been beaten and took her blindfold. Master Vos did the same.

"You have improved," he smiled with a nod.

"Not enough to pose a threat to you, Master Vos," she nodded back. Not that she expected to beat Quinlan, but she wondered if he even felt himself in trouble.

Quinlan merely smiled. "Practice makes for improvement and that shows in your skills with the lightsaber. I'm sure that you will develop quite rapidly from now on."

"Thank you, Master Vos."

"Come... We are done for the day," he motioned as he safeguarded his training saber.

Aurra smiled and followed the Jedi Master out of the room.

"Resting and Planning"
by Alicia Ashantee Gardan
and Dumah Gardan

Location: Yuarteira, New Plouton
Date: Vadris 26, 4 ABY

***

The recent events of late had not been the better ones that Alicia had gone through in the past few years... Although she would get her funding back through the insurance that they had made for the prototype vessel, it was not good to know that lives of important people like the engineers for the project had been lost.

But things could have been a lot worse. She could have been one of the many who had died in that hangar, and surely if not for her personal guard and friend, Kaede Aoki, she would have. Now she hoped that things would come to justice and that those responsible would pay for their crimes.

Back in New Plouton, Alicia rested in a balcony on top of one of the many tall buildings in the Yuarteira district. It was her private luxurious apartment and in it she felt she could really rest.

She was just about to close her eyes, when her brother Dumah entered the balcony and walked over to look over at the sun setting itself.

"I've heard the recent news of the accident in Drogen Shipyards," he commented. "It is fortunate that you're ok."

"It was no accident," she replied. "But yes, it was fortunate."

"Perhaps you should rest... Take a break, a vacation, and go somewhere nice. I hear Zuma beach is nice," he commented.

"And leave you to the family business all alone here in Tae'Karada?" she raised an eyebrow. "Not a chance! You should know me better, brother."

He laughed. Always the same business mind who thought of nothing else most of the time. "Perhaps not then. But you should rest. And I don't mean for a few hours, but rather a few days."

"Perhaps," she admitted. A break would feel nice. "Any news that I should know of?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Father called. He wanted to know how you were. I'm not sure how he heard of the attack on Drogen, but he had his sources..." Dumah answered. "I told him you were ok and that you'd call him back later on."

"And besides that?"

"Casino's doing well. And there's a hot prospect for a new vacation resort. Father seemed interested in this one and wanted me to check things out, see if there's any worth in having the family build and run it."

"Father wanted you to check it out?" she asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Us..." Dumah smirked.

"Then we ought to have it done," she said. "I'll call our prospect engineer and have him take a look at the lot. See what's it worth."

"Already did that, sister," Dumah intervened. "He'll call us back as soon as he's done."

Alicia smiled. Even though her brother and she always seemed to compete in things, she could appreciate when he was serious about something. She nodded and let herself rest into the lounge chair.

"Why Didn't He Tell Me?"
By: Chun Li - pilot

Location: somewhere in space
Date: Vadris 26, 4ABY

***

Li shifted in the ejection seat of her fighter. Long hyperspace jumps were not that comfortable. Maybe she should put in some form of entertainment if she did another upgrade, like a holoprojector or something similar. But first she had to deliver a set of boxes for a droid company to their site on Russ VII. Given some business she had done with this company before, it were probably prototype parts she was transporting.

While she was still thinking about the holoprojector, when her proximity sensor started to bleep, seconds before she was thrown out of hyperspace. She always went into hyperspace with shields on, and weapons ready, and she was lucky she had done so. In front of her was an asteroid, which was the reason she was dragged out of hyperspace. To starboard she could see a star which was larger then the others, and her computer indicated that she was close to system M87482. First she thought it was a rogue asteroid, thrown out of its system by gravitational forces, but the Corellian Corvette that came around the asteroid belied that option.

"Unknown ship," she heard through the comm., "this is the independent space force cruiser Warhawk. You have intruded in our space. Surrender your vessel immediately."

"Cruiser," Li laughed, "that's a good one." She closed her comm. unit and pushed the speed handles to full. The inertia made her push against her seat, as she had her compensator only on .95 instead of 100%. She had seen that this corvette was one of the modified series, and it didn't have the weaknesses the first series had. That meant she had to go for the engines.

The people on the Warhawk had also seen that she didn't cooperate and they opened fire. Further modifications, Li thought as she saw that they had 3 ion cannons and three turbolasers instead of 6 turbolasers. While the latter were better, they also destroyed the ships they wanted to plunder. At the moment, only the ion cannons had opened fire. Li spiralled towards the corvette, firing her lasers and ion cannons while doing so. She scored a few hits, but their shields absorbed the energy without trouble. She flew over the corvette so fast they couldn't track her with the big guns.

After the corvette, she pulled a turn as tight as she could manage. This brought her right in line with the engines, and those engines also shielded her from the guns. Switching over to concussion missiles, she linked both launch tubes and pushed the fire button 3 times. Six missiles launched at the corvette. The first two hit against the shield. The second group of two collapsed the shield and the last two exploded against the engines. As soon as she saw the shield collapse, she fired her lasers and ion cannons again, their fire playing over the engines and as she overtook the corvette again, also over the front armour. At least one of the turbolaser batteries exploded.

Suddenly she was almost pushed against her viewport. "Damn," she said, "tractor beam. Time to try something daring." She had learned a trick from a colleague pilot at intelligence to escape a tractor beam. He had said that she had to reverse the acceleration compensator, while firing a concussion missile into the tractor beam. That way the missiles would be tractored in and explode the projector, while you got away. She quickly gave the necessary commands to the computer and as she did it, she got thrown into her pilot's harness again. She also heard something make a horrible noise in her fighter, but she had no time to think about it as she launched two concussion missiles into the tractor beam.

As she got free from the tractor beam, an ion cannon bolt nailed her. Her front shield went offline, as did her left engine. Not waiting around, she turned away and tried to shield herself behind the engines of the corvette and from there behind the asteroid. While running, she used her aft lasers to pump bolts into the corvette's engines, until she was out of range. She saw with the few sensors that the ion bolt didn't short out that the corvette had significant damage to its engines. Assured that it probably wouldn't follow, she ran from the asteroid on her original vector. It took her a bit longer on one engine to get the necessary speed to make the transition to hyperspace, but she managed, and as the stars became lines, she sighed with relief.

Her relief was very short, because less then half a minute later she was again in normal space, but this time without an interdictor asteroid. She called up a damage report and saw that both her hyperdrive motivators had failed. The left engine was only at 50% power, the shield generator wouldn't come online, some other components were down as well and she was slowly leaking atmosphere somewhere. All in all not so good a report.

"Thank the heavens that I've put in a backup," she said to herself, as she punched in the commands to connect it to the rest of the ship. This backup hyperdrive was in normal conditions isolated from the rest of the ship, making it very likely that it survived shorts in the other systems. And so it did, as the backup came online, its diagnostic indicated it worked at 100%. While the diagnostic was running, she ran a search for a suitable system to go to.

There was only one real option in this part of the galaxy. Russ VII was too far away, and the closest inhabited system was Tae'Remok. In fact, her computer, who had a number of intelligence reports, had quite some information about this system. It was only very late until an imperial presence had been made on Chimaeria, its primary planet. She wondered if they were still there, but given that most of the outer rim was devoid of imperials, a couple of warlords not counted, they probably had left there as well.

Imperials or not, it was her only option at the moment. She turned her fighter into the proper heading, and accelerated to light speed. With one engine at only half power, it took a bit longer, but in the end she managed. Because the backup wasn't as large as the two motivators it replaced, the trip took longer then normal, trapping her in her cockpit for five more hours. In the end she even had to switch to her personal life support system due to loss of atmosphere in the ship. She was glad when she made the reversion near Drogen Shipyards.

There was a lot of activity around the large space station, with ships coming and going. Li didn't saw any imperial ships, at least not the larger ones. And on a world with this much trade going on, there should be at least one Victory class, and more likely an imperator class star destroyer on guard. "Unidentified ship," a voice came through her comm. system again, "this is Drogen Shipyard control. Please state your ID and business." Two fighters, TIEs by the look of it, flew on a parallel course

"This is Chun Li with the escort fighter Fa'Rong," Li said, "I'm in need of repairs. An ion bolt shorted some circuitry, including my IFF."

"Please change course to 186/14," control said, "you're cleared to land in bay 405-12."

"Copy, control," Li said, steering her ship onto the indicated heading. The two TIES stayed with her, a bit back at both sides of her, but it didn't bother her that much. There were planets were safety measures were a hell of a lot more stringent then here.

As she entered the bay, she cut in her repulsorlifts and put the fighter down at the spot indicated by a technician. Then she shut down her engines and opened the canopy. A helpful technician put a ladder against her ship and she climbed down. On the ground, she stretched. Being in a fighter for too long made her uncomfortable, as she liked to move around. While she was stretching, a bunch of officials arrived on scene.

"Can I have your ID, please," the leader said. While he definitely wasn't imperial, he looked kind of official, so Li simply took out her luggage from its compartment and handed him her ID card and the documents her current employer had given her for his cargo. "Please state your business on Chimaeria," he said.

"Repairing my ship," Li said, "and if I find employment here, then that too."

He nodded, and cleared her. "We just have to do a scan of your ship and you're clear," he said. The two other were already standing by with the scanning equipment. Five minutes later it was all done and she could go. First of all she went to a public terminal to tell her employer about the problems. He had a ship delivering droids on Chimaeria, so he told her to give the boxes to the captain, and he would bring them to Russ VII.

With that arranged, she went in search for a place to live while her ship was in repair and someone to actually do the repairs. After some search she had found a small one bedroom apartment and the name of a tech.

"Time For Repairs"
By: Chun Li - Pilot
and Tasia Harough - Shipyard Foreman

Location: Drogen Shipyards, Repair Bay
Date: Vadris 26, 4 ABY

***

Li was looking at her fighter. It had been in worse shape, but still. Those last turbolaser shots had been too close for her comfort. Add to that the fact that she would probably have to replace both her hyperdrive motivators. She could repair most of the things that broke on her ship, but hyperdrives were touchy systems, needing the hand of a professional. She had asked around a bit for such a professional and here she was, waiting.

"So, you're the one who beat up your ship?" Tasia Harough, still striking in unflattering blue coveralls and a grease smear across her cheek, shoved a hydrospanner into her tool belt and nodded in greeting to her client. "What's the trouble, then?" she asked, all business and no intention of making small-talk. There was no room for such trivialities when a ship was in disrepair.

"Greetings," Li said, "I'm Chun Li. Glad you could come. I have, unfortunately, a long list of things that are broken on my ship." She led the other woman to the battered fighter. The ship was matte black, with no signs on it whatsoever, except for the latest battle damage.

Running one hand over the scars and scorch marks, Tasia raised a delicately arched eyebrow at Li. "Looks like you got away from someone in a hurry. Mind telling me what did this?"

"I don't know...yet," Li said, "some pirates a couple of light-years down the road. I have to check my sensor logs later on. They had an asteroid acting as interdictor, and they pulled me in with a tractor beam. I used a trick someone taught me, but he forgot to tell me that it leaves your hyperdrive in pieces. Luckily I have a backup installed. They also had a couple of shots on me, blowing out a shield generator that refuses to come back on. I did, however, put about eight concussion missiles up their engines. You have any idea what's it going to cost?"

"A diagnostic will run you around 50 creds," she told her, walking around the ship to visually survey all the damage. Tasia let out a low whistle when she reached a particularly nasty surface scratch. "Needs some bodywork, but judging from this structural damage, I think replacing some plating is the least of your troubles." When she returned to Li's side, Tasia pushed a curl of brown hair away from her eyes before returning both hands to her hips. "I'm gonna level with you: it won't be cheap, but if any parts need replacing and I can salvage them for scrap, it might lessen the blow."

"Run the diagnostic," Li said, "and then we'll see what can be done. One other thing: do you know someplace where I can buy concussion missiles. I only have two left, and that's a bit on the low side."

Tasia grinned slyly at Li as she leaned casually against the hull of her ship. "If you want to pay full price, I've got a list of distributors...but if you're strapped for funds..." She winked and confided, "Then Downbelow is the place for you. Try a man named Lek - Level 489. He runs a hell-hole of a shop called 'The Manacle.' Just be sure to ask him for his special discount."

"I'll check it out," Li said, "well, I'm going to leave you to it. If there's anything, I have an apartment on Level 124. You can contact me there should there be any problems." Li turned around and left the repair bay to check her new quarters, confident that her ship was in good hands.

"Surveillance"
By: Zale Tregat
Moril Astren [NPC+]
Saris [NPC+]
Tel [NPC+]
Analesse D'vrishay

Location: Antorial Industries; Analesse's Apartment - New Plouton
Date: Vadris 26, 4 ABY

***

The view from the office was magnificent, as it was every day. Today, the three men and one woman occupying the office had other matters to focus on. Moril Astren took a sip of the tea he'd made just a few minutes earlier, and received an encouraging smile from Saris. He couldn't help smiling back at his fianc�e. She had really started to fit in well here, assisting him where needed, but she'd also begun assisting Tel with his work. He was very proud when, just before the meeting, the Antorial Head of Security mentioned that he would like to make Saris' position more permanent.

Of course it would require upgraded security clearances and additional training, but both he and she were more than willing. And, neither Zale nor Tel had issue with them watching Aria during business hours. Zale was content with the arrangement since it gave him more time to visit with his daughter. Tel approved since Zale seemed to be more easy-going when the little one was around. There was never a doubt that Zale was just as he'd always been, but the attitude when his daughter was near made office life much more pleasant.

"Do you have descriptions," Saris asked of Tel after he'd finished with the update from the night before. "I can run a profile."

"I'll have them prepped for you," Tel said. "Three over the course of the last two days. All low-lifes, but all definitely watching her apartment. I was suspicious from the start, but I don't believe I have any doubts now. And, just this morning, I spotted this." He passed a datacard over to Zale.

Zale read over the information, his frown deepening. "I wasn't certain if it was hers, but I spotted that this morning too. Confirmed."

"Confirmed," Tel replied. "Analesse D'Vrishay put her apartment up for sale at 06h00 this morning. That combined with her missing your last two meetings, something is definitely up."

Zale was silent for several moments as Saris busily made notes on a datapad, and Moril went over the information presented so far and began prioritizing and re-evaluating. "I can have a buyer ready to talk to her within an hour. The added intelligence will give us additional--"

"No," Zale said. "No shadow ops for that. I'll go to her, talk to her. Something's not right, and if we don't move quick, we could lose her. Whoever's watching her, pressuring her, she knows about it and she's ready to bolt. She's scared and needs a friendly face."

"Agreed," Tel said.

Saris nodded and glanced aside at Moril. Moril nodded as well. "You're right, of course," he said. "Agreed."

"I'll need backup stationed close enough to intercept," Zale continued. "They're to stay shadows until they receive word otherwise from me. I'll let her know more when I can, but for now, I don't want her to know that she's been watched."

"And Merrick," Saris asked.

"Nothing yet," Zale said. "I think being trapped between Kaysa and Analesse is getting to him, and I don't want to know what he'll do if he finds out about any of this. Merrick may not look like much at first glance, but I have firsthand experience with him when he's upset, and I fear for anyone on the other side of it."

Saris grinned, but hid it behind a teacup. Moril mentally went over their meeting agenda, and sighed. "I'll have the intelligence report on Kaysa's actions prepared for you and on your desk by the time you get back, Zale. Kadyn just reported in a few hours ago, and I've almost finished putting it all together."

Zale nodded. "Good," he said. "I think that's it then. Tel, keep me posted if anything new pops up. And, Saris, congratulations. I haven't seen Tel this organized in years. And, officially welcome to the team."

"Thank you, sir," she replied with a grin. At a look from him, she amended, "I mean, Mr. Zale, I mean Zale. Thank you."

"Let's get to work," Zale said with a grin back to her. "I'll check back in as soon as I'm able. Have a safe house prepared, just in case. I have a bad feeling about this, and if my hunch is right, we'll need it." With that, he strode toward the door and off into the city to get to the bottom of whatever had forced Analesse D'Vrishay into a corner, and then forced her to bolt.

***

She gazed out her window again, and once more failed at acquiring a moment of serenity from the view when her eyes focused only on the reflection staring back. Bruised, weary, and emotionally spent, her face was a reminder of what had transpired and only made Analesse D'vrishay all the more eager to leave behind Tae'Karada.

Selling her apartment was a minor concern - she wouldn't wait around long enough to see it leased, for her transport had been secured, and only four gruelling hours remained before she would be whisked away to safety. If she could gather the courage to leave her home, that is. It would only be a couple short minutes to descend in the lift and hop into the waiting hoverlimo. But what concerned her was who might be waiting in the shadows for her when she did. Sighing a bitter laugh at her cowardice, Analesse turned away and returned to her kitchen to pour the caffe she had prepared.

The steaming liquid poured into her cup in a steady stream - a surprise considering how frayed her nerves were. But, as the doorchime sounded, Analesse jerked and searing liquid splashed onto the counter. She hastily set down the kettle and seized the large knife she had kept close at hand for the past three days. Gripping it white-knuckled and trembling, Analesse crept from the kitchen into the living area. The chime sounded again and a startled cry involuntarily escaped. She stood frozen in the center of the hallway, watching the door in stark terror. "Please...go away," she whispered desperately.

"Analesse," came the call from the other side of the door, "it's Zale. Let me in. We need to talk."

Analesse allowed a tiny sigh of relief, but still held onto the knife as she cautiously approached the door. She tapped on the viewer on the wall, and Zale's face resolved on screen. Although he was a welcome sight, he was also the last person she wanted to chat with. She activated the intercom, audio only; one look at her, and Zale would not be dissuaded from entering.

"Zale?" she asked. "What are you doing here? I...I'm busy. Can we talk later?"

"I don't know if we'll have time to talk later," Zale answered. "Open the door, Analesse. It's very important. We need to speak about why you haven't left your home in the last two days, why your home is up for sale, and why you have one-way passage out of system booked for just a few hours from now."

Analesse gripped her weapon tighter, channeling her irritation into the handle. "You've been spying on me," she shot back. "Just...leave me alone, Zale. I've made up my mind. This is...it's for the best, you'll see."

"I watch everyone I'm close to," Zale said. There was a click and the door popped open. "Merrick says this is a nice place. Perhaps I should buy it once you leave. I'm sure we could use it as a place to get some rest while working on the renovations." He pushed the door open and stood framed in the doorway. One hand casually slipped a small device back into a pocket. With the darkness, he couldn't see her clearly in the room. "I haven't told Merrick about this yet. Now, we need to talk about the other person who's been staking out your place."

"What?" she gasped. "Who?" Her eyes darted to the open doorway, and hastily she grabbed his hand to pull him inside. Hers was cold to the touch and trembling. "Please...don't leave that open."

Even as she pulled him inside, Zale's other hand managed to catch the door and close it. It was a moment after that when his focus returned to her and the bruises marring her features. A mix of fury and concern played over his face as he studied her briefly. "My people are running a check now. In total over the last three days, there have been three out there. Street life by the descriptions, and from what I spotted coming up. I started having my people watch you after I dropped you off the other day, and so my guess, judging by that timing and those bruises, this happened shortly after I dropped you off, and before my people could get into place. This isn't Reinrich's style. What happened, Analesse? And, please don't leave anything out."

She swallowed hard and looked down at the knife loosely clutched in her hand. With an insuppressible sob, Analesse let it fall to the ground. They moved to her living area, where all signs of the struggle had been cleared away, though her broken lamp was now missing. Both took a seat upon the sofa, and she explained all that had happened, almost succeeding in maintaining her composure throughout. By the end, she was sagged forward and wiping at what tears had escaped. "I can't stay here," Analesse whispered. "This shouldn't be happening...and I don't want to risk Merrick's life. It's...it's not as if I have many attachments here, Zale. Why shouldn't I leave and end all of this?"

"I guess that's a reasonable course of logic," Zale said. "But, I guess the other question would be why should you leave and let them win? Is leaving everything here really what you want, Analesse?"

"Don't you understand?" she replied. "They'll hurt him. They got into my home and threatened me. How am I going to feel safe on this planet after that!" Sighing shakily, Analesse whispered, "I've never been so scared, Zale. I've never encountered anything like this before in my life. I don't want to again. I need to leave."

"I'm going to find out who did this, and I'm going to convince them to stop," Zale said with a smile that seemed to suggest some wicked methods of convincing. "I don't take well to people threatening and hurting my friends, and I intend to fully stop them from ever being able to hurt anyone again. And, this place won't be safe for you for now. Here's the plan." With that, he laid out the plan that would help them find the ones responsible and allow Analesse to live her life in freedom and safety.

The information was digested with deep thought by Analesse, who had begun pacing slowly across the living area by the middle of Zale's scheme. "That's...that's something," she murmured, absently caressing her neck with delicate fingers; the bruises were still tender to the touch and provided a reminder of what she had suffered. It helped, in a small way, to fix her mind to one decision. Stopping, she turned to Zale. "How long will this take? I can't live like this much longer, Zale. And what about Merrick? What are you going to tell him? He'll wonder, you know."

"There are three people, possibly four, I would trust with any information I have, Moril, Tel, and Merrick," he said. "I'll talk to Merrick, let him know. And, I'd like to say within a week, you should be living your life normally again. Merrick will be very upset, and I do worry about what he'll do, which is why I've not talked to him about this yet. Is there anything you would like for me to tell him?"

Analesse shook her head decisively. "Don't tell him. Let him be, Zale. He has a marriage to salvage, and he can't do that if you burden him with something like this. He'll blame himself for what's happening, and I just...I don't want that for him," she finished in a whisper.

Zale nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'll need to contact Moril to set things in motion. What time will you be leaving?"

Analesse's tired eyes glanced languidly across the room to her wall chrono. She smiled faintly. "You have three hours. But" --she faced him once again-- "I never said I'd do this. What do I have on Tae'Karada, Zale, but enemies and a business I can afford to lose? I have no idea why you want to do this for me, Zale, but it's more trouble than I'm worth. If I get on that transport in three hours, you'll have the White Noise, Utopia Building Corp and its assets... But why try and stop me?"

"Because if you leave this place, that means I'm the one who's going to be left consoling Merrick," he said. "He's my best friend, Analesse, and I know how much losing your friendship would mean to him. Besides, in the short time I've known you, I've decided I like you. I guess really the only downside is that since we've begun communicating, Moril's efficiency is slipping." He gave her a knowing wink.

A touch of her usual sparkle touched Analesse's eyes as she chuckled lightly. "I think Nemyos mentioned a wedding the other day. That's bound to unnerve anyone." As fast as it had appeared, Analesse's lightheartedness faded quickly into gloom. "He'll get over it, Zale. We haven't known each other long enough for my leaving to make an impact on him. Haven't you heard his song?" She took a seat beside him, and smiled wistfully as she recited, " 'Gone are the radiant days, but the winds of my sorrow will someday carry despair away.'" Analesse shrugged lightly. "He said it himself. He won't suffer long, if at all. I'm not that important to him, Zale - I know it."

"How important is he to you, Analesse? Is your friendship with Merrick something you want to just give up?"

"Of course not," she replied. "Gods, Zale...he's the first person on this, or any other planet, for that matter, who's seen me for who I am. I don't want to lose that...but your plan can't work, Zale. Someone's going to get hurt; I don't want that guilt."

"I risk getting hurt every day I wake up," Zale said. "It's part of my life and part of who I am. And, to make that decision for Merrick is doing him a disservice. Trust me, Merrick can take care of himself, and I fear for anyone who thinks for a moment that he's some wastrel pansy they can push around. The ones who did this to you are the ones who will get hurt, Analesse."

"And what if this doesn't work?" Analesse shook her head weakly, her will slowly bending to Zale's encouragement. "If you can't find these people...I'll have to go away and quickly. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Zale said. "Yes, I can. I know you know of some of my work, Analesse, but I assure you protection and security is something I do excel at. I will catch them and make them pay, and I promise to lay as much hurt on them as I can until I catch whoever's pulling the strings."

Analesse smiled at him curiously. "I still can't understand why you're doing this. Or is this more for Merrick?"

"He's my best friend," Zale said. "And, for some strange reason, now that we're not yelling at each other, I find that I actually like you. You're a good woman, Analesse. You're a friend, and I don't like to see my friends put through things like this. So, I guess it's a little bit of both." He gave her a grin.

"Well then," she sighed, rising from the sofa. "I suppose I'd better finish packing." Her countenance, although marred by the purple bruises spread over her cheek, expressed warmth and the brightness of renewed hope. Analesse held out a thin, delicate hand to Zale. "Thank you...no matter what happens."

Zale took her hand in his and smiled. "For a friend, anytime," he said. And with that, he stepped away to contact Moril and set their plan into motion, while Analesse did her best to pack much of her belongings. Whoever had attacked her would soon learn the error of his ways in a specially delivered world of pain. Zale Tregat was looking forward to being able to play dirty again.