Corellia

[Moon Knight]

Kissing her back, Kandor embraced Mirdala and the moment. She was right, it was a strange reversal for him to be telling her to slow down instead of pushing always ahead to the next mission. And there was still a part of him that agreed with her -- he still had that drive to be relentless in the pursuit of the enemies of the droten and their own aliit, especially after more than two weeks of downtime already. Their marriage did not destroy that. But now he had multiple priorities to balance. A smart man did not go into battle when he was not healthy, did not make a major purchase when his finances were not stable, and made sure his own affairs were in order before taking on another's. A little time to themselves between missions was an extension of the same wisdom.

 

That, or he was just letting himself be a little bit selfish.

 

-------------------

 

After they showered, Kandor and Mirdala went back into the safehouse to begin preparing dinner. Although she didn't always let him help, Kandor offered, enjoying being a part of her ritual.

 

Meanwhile he expected Kirlocca would come to them with news at any moment.

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca had walked around Coronet City just to clear his mind, although he needed to remain out of sight in order to avoid any bounty hunters chasing down Force Users. He walked until he got a ping back from Xae to confirm, and then some more just to clear his thoughts. He felt like he needed to be of sound mind for the next chapter in his life, which would be meeting with Xae and this new Imperial Remnant. Upon collecting his thoughts, he walked back in to the safe house and found Fett and Mirdala in the kitchen.

 

<< I will be taking off shortly. I have decided to entertain this new Imperial Remnant and see what they have to offer. It may be a good thing for the Jedi Order... >>

 

Kirlocca left his words to hang in case Fett or Mirdala had any questions, comments, or just a simple goodbye. He trusted Fett and his counsel, and now with Mirdala added to the mix, he would trust her counsel as well.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Mirdala was looking over Fett's shoulder when Kirlocca returned, coaching him on how to get the right consistency for the flatbread dough while she cleaned and prepped the fish.

 

"I do hope you'll at least wait long enough for us to feed you one last time. I don't think I could show my face to my aunt, or my mothers for that matter, knowing I'd let a guest leave for a long journey on an empty stomach." She smiled at him, seemingly more at peace than she'd felt in a while. Having not been keeping close tabs on the holonet, like Kandor did, she wasn't quite sure what Kirlocca was speaking about beyond Jedi business.

[Moon Knight]

Fett wasn't sure what to think of this new Empire from the holoreports. According to the news, they were unlike the regime that preceded them in key ways. Worlds were given a choice on whether they wished to belong to the Empire or the Galactic Alliance proper. There was no Emperor, merely a Head of State. It appeared that they were no longer interested in ruling through fear as the old Empire had.

 

He was not totally convinced. The Empire which had stood for over forty years, although young in the galactic sense, did not completely change in the few short ones since the end of the war; it was not even long enough for the very same corrupt politicians and leaders to have cycled out of their posts, some of whom had been among the social elite that had seized power when the old Empire was first being built. A political system every bit as complex as the one he and Mirdala had left on Hapes, with just as many opportunities to increase political power and influence through misdeeds, drew just the sort of ruthless men that would no doubt attempt to sculpt the Remnant into the grand but tyrannical regime it had once been. As far as he knew, all of the reports that had made their way out of the Remnant had been censored or even fabricated as propaganda.

 

As Mand'alor, Fett strictly didn't care. If his gut prediction came true and tensions rose again, bringing about another war, the clans would prosper fighting for whichever side. But as Moon Knight, he had joined the Augury to fight against the Empire not for credits but because he stood against what they represented.

 

Of course, so had Kirlocca, and he knew the jetiise would not entertain the thought of working under a new Empire that was every bit as corrupt as its predecessor. Knowing the Jedi better than most that were not among their number, Kandor also knew that they could operate individually in any territory that accepted them, doing as much good as each could manage, their morals uncompromised should that territory happen to belong to a corrupt government. Establishing an at least cordial relationship with the Remnant could therefore extend the Order's reach to help those that needed it most, regardless of the political climate where they resided.

 

"I have to admit I'm curious as to the character of the new Empire myself," he said, his voice neutral as he attempted to wrangle the dough into the right thickness and shape for baking. "Talking to them is probably a good way to find out, though I wonder how many Jedi who fought in the war will be willing to put aside their history in honor of any new arrangement."

[Tares Vortex]

“Project Overwatch is running on schedule for stage two trials by the end of the month.”

 

He found himself in yet another meeting.

 

“But we have yet to find a beta tester for the project.”

 

Same faces. Same topics.

 

“Who has use for an enhanced star fighter defense unit when there is no war going on? We should have never continued with this project in the first place. It's a relic of a different time.”

 

Same conflict. Same debate.

 

“If the rumors are true, the galaxy isn't as peaceful as you might think.” This voice, one out of the chorus of his board of directors, Tares recognized, “Even on Coruscant, things are headed to turmoil.”

 

Rex Malster was the most cunning man on a board with the least cunning on individuals. The board as a whole merely maintained the profit streams of the company; Rex worked to increase them. Continuing Project Overwatch was his passion project. You could see it in the way he activated the boardroom’s main display with a slight bounce in his movements.

 

“This just came in hours ago,” he said has he activated the screen, “This is the galaxy today, where even a most advanced and highly trained security organization in vulnerable.”

 

The screen lit up in an array of orange and red hues. The colors danced around the surfaces of the dark room, causing Tares to take notice. The screen showed a sea of fire erupting in the foreground of the Coruscant skyline. The fires seemed tiny until Tares took note of the scale of the nearby buildings. The highest of the flames had to be a couple of stories, at least.

 

The bottom third title underneath read: CorSec Attacked. HQ Destroyed.

 

A few faces around the room began to shift in concern, but Rex’s remained the same. “This is what the galaxy is facing. This is nothing unique.”

 

“This is still a tragedy.” One of the other board members interjected.

 

“Of course,” Rex replied, “One that is both avoidable and motivating.”

 

“Motivating?”

 

Rex shifted in his seat to point towards the screen before replying, “Look for yourselves. Besides the first responders, who is coming to the aid of CorSec? Where are the GA troops? Where are the Jedi?” He remarked before turning to Tares, “No offense.”

 

Tares took the opportunity to chime in, “None taken. However, an event like this isn't representative of the need for Project Overwatch, nor what my brother had in mind.”

 

“Perhaps, but it shows the need for such a technology. Perhaps if we…” Rex began before being cut off by another board member.

 

“The GA obviously aren't interested until Project Overwatch is passed stage two. How about the Imperials?”

 

A chaotic confliction of voices arose at the mention of the name. “Solaris Enterprises has never done business with any of the Imperial iterations. It would be absurd.

 

“Perhaps many years ago, but now the galaxy is a different place. The Imps are no doubt changed as well.”

 

“Of course they are.”

 

“Says who? Some whispers and a 'trust our word' Holonet announcement?”

 

“Enough.” Tares weighed in once more, “The reality is that we need some willing participant for the stage two trials. Maybe the Imperials would be interested, maybe not. It's the best lead we have so far.”

 

“But how do we find a contact?”

 

Rex began to interject once more before a Tares cut him off, “I will worry about that personally. Until then, Overwatch is on hold until we have an avenue to proceed with. In the meantime, divert some supplies from the Gateway and send some freighters to aid in the relief efforts on Coruscant. Someone should show that this galaxy isn't completely a free-for-all.”

 

Tares gave a shall nod to signal the conclusion of the meeting, then proceeded to stand up. He could feel his joints cracking as they came back into motion. On his way out, he began to think about the task ahead.

 

If he was going to contact the Remnant, he'd have to reach out for help. Tapping his personal comm, he said, “Atlas, prep my ship for launch. We need to see some old friends about some old enemies."

 

After a half hour of preparation, Tares was off in the Sogno....

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca was careful in what he said. Xae's communication could leave much in doubt with the Jedi Order, even to Fett and Mirdala. The Jedi Master did not want his own judgement left in question leaving behind Dahar as a leader quite yet. The need to meet the Imperial Remnant was out of knowledge. Fett down thoughts were very evident to the Wookiee as they sat and ate. Feeling his own mood change, he took a giant drink.

 

<< I think we'd both be surprised. Although it depend on who is in charge. Raven is a name I recognize from the War... but I think she is more later half that made the Galatic Alliance... >>

 

Kirlocca then finished his meal with the two Mandalorians, said his goodbyes, then left the safe house and Coronet City without drawing any attention to himself. He was then off to Chandrila.

[Moon Knight]

Another three days passed largely without event after Kirlocca left, the first days Kandor and Mirdala got to spend truly alone since their marriage. They made good on their decision to enjoy the time they had, although they never truly separated themselves from their work. As always, Kandor kept up with the news and, with 2277's help, continued to perform quiet data searches for any information they could find that would give them an edge against Ab'ki and her associates. In addition to those enemies, he was keeping tabs on CoreSec's situation on Coruscant. The Headquarters out of which he and Mirdala had operated for quite some time had been destroyed in an attack not long after the destruction of the three skyscrapers nearby, and so far the perpetrators had not been brought in. If the situation continued to develop there and he was available, he decided he would take up that investigation himself, but for now CoreSec's other agents would have to handle their problems.

 

But when it wasn't pursuing these passive operational mainstays, Kandor and Mirdala started exploring Coronet City a bit almost as they had Gransys on Hapes. Corellia's capital was full of culture, and Kandor had spent some time here largely due to the safehouse. Between what he knew and what they were both able to find, they managed to come up with a few activities to pursue together mostly in the evenings, from sampling Corellian cuisine to experiencing some of their cultural hotspots.

 

One such cultural nexus was Treasure Ship Row, an enormous bazaar just inside the city's rough-edged Blue Sector. The two Mando'ade weren't in particular looking to purchase anything from the enormous selection of items of varying legality, but simply perusing the many wares that were on display in the open-air market proved to be an interesting pursuit. From weapons shops to antique stores, art houses to restaurants -- one of which they picked for dinner that night -- the market was one of Coronet City's most unique offerings, a place of galactic reputation. And it starkly contrasted Hapes in the enormous diversity of human and alien characters that packed the streets.

 

Kandor had ventured out without his beskar'gam and buy'ce that evening, as he had begun doing around the city at a suggestion from his wife. He'd always guarded his identity closely, but here the odds of someone linking his face to the ShadowFett persona were very slim, and the armor would attract considerably more attention when they were trying to lay low. He was starting to come around the idea that he didn't need to be quite so paranoid, and going without the armor for much of their time on Hapes and Concord Dawn had slowly acclimated him to the practice.

 

By the time they had finished the sun had set and they returned to the safehouse, time well spent despite their inability to plan even a day ahead, so certain were they that the call to action would soon come.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

"You know," Mirdala started as she brushed her long raven hair as they readied themselves for bed. "I think I actually don't mind Coronet City all that much, at least this area of it anyway. I know our lives will keep us on the move a lot, but I wouldn't be opposed to settling in the Core if it came to it." She quickly wove her hair into a simple braid and climbed into bed next to him. "Though in light of recent attacks on Coruscant, I'm not sure how safe it would remain. Though I guess that can almost be said for anywhere in the galaxy. Concord Dawn used to be safe, heck the whole sector relatively so, but with the continued fallout with the corruption scandals it seems that neighbors are turning against each other."

 

She'd spoken briefly to Trita that day, Taen and Reska's oldest daughter who'd opted to pursue her own career as a bounty hunter rather than follow in her parents' footsteps and join the Protectors. The news hadn't been good considering that allegations were now being cast in Taen's direction as Sector Protector since at least one other of his "inner circle" had gone missing and was considered to have run off with some information in her wake. For all intents and purposes, it seemed that all faith in Taen's ability and leadership had dissolved in a few short months. Mirdala had been quiet most of the day after that, until Kandor had suggested they escape the apartment and get some air.

 

The evening had been a most welcome distraction and had helped Mirdala shift her focus back to more personal things that she and Kandor had relative control over, like ideas for where to settle once Ab'ki was behind them and they were ready to really start things moving with Kandor's organizational idea.

 

Things like the relative safety of an area weren't something she'd ever really concerned herself with before, but she was determined to make it past this fight with Kandor at her side. He wanted a family and she wanted to give him one at some point. He was a good man and the two of them deserved something passing for normal within their lives. "I guess we'll always have Enigma as a fall-back location," she joked slightly as she rested her head against his chest and felt his arms tighten around her.

 

The news of the destruction of CoreSec Headquarters had unsettled her more than a little considering how secure the location supposedly had been. Sure the organization would survive the blow to its heart, but the loss of morale would be devastating. She thought briefly to those she'd trained and befriended during her time there and wondered how many had made it out safely or been killed in the attack. Having practically grown up as a trained enforcement officer, losing a colleague or even acquaintance in the line of duty was nothing new to her, but it never made it easier to deal with, especially in the wake of something as catastrophic as this had been to CoreSec. She felt her heart clench again at the thought of the loss and felt him kiss the top of her head, as though he knew the road her thoughts had taken as she'd grown quiet again.

 

"Sorry I haven't been the best company today," she apologized.

[Moon Knight]

"Mird'ika," Kandor answered, "you don't have to apologize for anything, and I will never get tired of having you around. I'm ready to get back out there, too, though... I feel the call to action in my bones." Even though he had worked hard over the past two weeks to keep his body strong and his reflexes sharp, there was a thing about downtime that he could never escape. He was just not wired to be at rest for this long. He needed new challenges to make him feel well-used, both physically and psychologically.

 

He gently turned her head up by her chin and kissed her. "Let's talk more about it tomorrow, okay?"

 

---------------------------

 

Late that night, Kandor dreamed.

 

He was walking through the hallways of what looked like any of a dozen space stations or capital ships he'd visited. There was a general bustle of people around him, bearing no commonality of uniform or species, everyone on their way somewhere or standing in small groups talking. He looked down at himself and saw that he was in full beskar'gam, and as he walked various sentients met his eye, many of them giving him a nod. These were people that knew who he was, an environment much like CoreSec HQ.

 

As he continued to walk, not sure where he was going, he started to recognize the layout of the hallways, the design of the door markers. This was the Enigma station... but it looked so different. It was lived-in, the walls decorated with a mix of familiar and unfamiliar heraldry and art. Mandalorians, the Antarian Rangers, the Jedi Order, and many others were represented within these halls.

 

Now a certain door called to him. He walked over and opened it, and inside he found a young man in a colorful beskar'gam, leaning casually against the wall in what were a set of living quarters. The man reminded Kandor of himself when he was younger, in a way, but his bright green eyes bore none of the cynical edge that Fett had had in those days. The room opened up at the far end and had a kitchen and few more doorways leading to other areas. In the kitchen was Mirdala, but she looked a number of years older and was wearing her long raven hair in a different style. For all the years Kandor found her no less attractive.

 

The man perked up when he saw Kandor. "Me'bana?" he asked, though Fett knew not what to answer.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Mirdala smiled and nodded as she drew back from the kiss to settle further into his arms. It wasn't long before sleep caught up with her.

----

 

With a long-practiced hand, Mirdala blended the flour, yogurt, and water together with just a pinch of salt to the right consistency for the flatbread she'd so often made to go with whatever meal she'd prepared. Her sleeves were rolled back and her apron carried a light dusting of flour as she turned towards the sound of the door opening and shook the dough off of her fingers. As she ran her hands under water to get the excess off she called out "Kand'ika, is that you?"

 

Turning towards the figure at the table, she stopped slightly as though she were trying to place who their guest was. Then the scene began to shift until the same man sat before the two of them as a toddler with the same bright green eyes, her eyes, seated in a high chair as Kandor tried to coax him to try a piece of the bread she'd been making moments before. He was stubbornly refusing until Kandor resorted to tearing it into small pieces, which the boy then snuck into his mouth when his father wasn't looking.

[Moon Knight]

As the ik'aad took the bread, he seemed to grow, the dream taking Kandor to another time. They were on the floor in the living area, sitting on a well-worn rug. The boy was maybe seven or eight, sitting facing him. Arranged between them were a variety of toy models -- Imperial walkers and support vehicles backed up by ground troops, all arrayed against a rag-tag force of juggernauts and armor of a design Kandor had never seen before. Scattered around the makeshift battlefield were various datapads and other household objects simulating the "terrain".

 

The boy studied the arrangement carefully, then got up on his knees, turned his familiar jade eyes up at him, and pointed at the juggernauts. "Why move the armor there?"

 

Fett recognized the formation. This was a lesson in battlefield tactics. "See how tall the walkers are?" he asked. "Their legs and head give them excellent field of view, but they have trouble fighting on the foothills."

 

Dropping back into sitting position, the boy nodded sagely. "Then the walkers should go around to the side and these guys," he indicated some of the foot soldiers, "should go to the hills. Being short can be good too."

 

Kandor smiled, and the dream changed again, the room aboard the Enigma fading away and being replaced by a shadowy world.

 

The boy was an adult now, fully clad again in his beskar'gam. He was on one knee, crouched behind some improvised cover, his assault rifle blazing against a host of unseen threats. Shadows moved in the darkness ahead of him. Kandor's eyes were drawn to the the Mando'ad's shoulder plate, on which was openly emblazoned a symbol. It appeared as ten arches, or perhaps five broken rings, arranged horizontally in rows of two. Kandor had seen the symbol before -- Rahg had worn it on Abraxos -- but he did not know its significance. The shadows continued to close, but the young man remained resolute, his movements precise and deliberate, almost counting his shots.

 

-------------------

 

Kandor's eyes flicked open. He glanced at the chrono. 0417.

 

In his arms he felt Mirdala's breathing change, and she shifted slightly. "Cyar'ika..." he said, just barely above a whisper. "I... I saw our son."

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

At the sound of his voice, her eyes opened and she shifted again to face him, partially sitting up in the process. In the dim light that came through the window from the street lamps outside, he could just make out the outline of her features and the curves of her body. She looked at him for several moments, not sure how to respond herself to what she'd seen, to what they'd shared, before settling on a smile.

 

On one hand, the dream or vision was a sign that the two of them would have some sort of normalcy. The thought of one day being a mother thrilled her, but that same fear from before couldn't help but creep back in, especially in the wake of the final scene the two of them had shared. It wasn't the thought of their son being in combat that had worried her, it was knowing that, at least in the version of the vision they'd shared, he was like her enough to take up the Seeker legacy.

 

"And he'll possibly be enough like me that he'll convince one of his uncles, grandfather, or myself to let him take the oaths and be able to fulfill them," she remarked ambivalently. "The mark on his armor usually goes on the inside where it stays hidden. It's the Seeker sigil. Rahg is the only one I've met who's worn it on the outside. It's not something commonly worn so blatantly."

 

"Still," she shook her head and lay back against him, deciding to embrace the happier part of the vision, "You'll get your chance to be a father. We'll have a son."

[Moon Knight]

Kandor looked at his wife in wonder. "You saw it too," he voiced as he came to the realization. "Some kind of... shared vision. But not Moon Knight, Seeker, nor the Force?" Or had it been one of those, but they had become so linked that somehow one of them had pulled the other into the experience.

 

He may never understand it, he knew. But whatever had happened, it seemed prophetic. Neither of them could have invented the details as they had been presented. He wondered what source of truth could have brought it to them... and how accurate it was. Memories of being a Blademaster and a Jedi rose in his mind, warning him that the future was always in motion, and that what he had seen was only one possible path. Still, he found it to be a great comfort to him in this moment, because it predicted not only the birth of a son but also his upbringing on the Enigma, quite possibly in the company of the organization for which he was even now laying the groundwork. There was a huge jump from thinking he would like to become a father and actually seeing what it might be like.

 

The Mando'ad closed his eyes and relaxed. Mirdala seemed a little bit concerned about the choice their son had made to follow the path of the Seekers... but she was just as headstrong. He knew she desired normalcy for them, but would there ever really be normal for the child of a man who was Mand'alor and Moon Knight and a woman who was a Seeker and Force adept? However such a life would look, he was eager to take on that challenge.

 

But there was no timeframe for the vision, no guarantee of its certainty. Right now, Kandor felt the warmth of Mirdala's body against his and the earliness of the hour calling him back to sleep, and he began to drift off again.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

He awoke later that morning to the sound of what he thought was Mirdala working on breakfast, but he found her digging through the cabinets instead.

 

“Good morning. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I reorganized,” she offered, sitting back on her heels as she poked her head back out of the cabinet at the base. “Or I might be going stir-crazy, who can tell anymore.”

[Moon Knight]

He stretched. "I'm right there with you," he said. "What do you say we get out of here today?"

 

Scratching the back of his head, he looked to be focusing. "You said you might be able to find Ab'ki on your own... do you have any leads?" he asked. "We'd have to answer to TeVerd, but it is what it is. Alternatively, CoreSec hasn't caught the responsible parties behind the destruction of the three buildings nor HQ. The trail should still be hot on that one, at least."

 

Kandor thought about what it would mean to pursue any lead. "We'd probably need a quick supply run to restock the Justice before heading out, but otherwise we just need to pack and put a little skraan in us and we could leave."

 

The last few weeks had been great, but he was looking forward to getting away from Corellia and to somewhere that needed their skills.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

"Sounds like a plan." She extended her arm towards him and he pulled her to her feet. "I do have a plan for tracking down Ab'ki, but...it's probably not the safest thing considering I was planning to reverse-engineer how I suspect she found me. I really don't want to have to deal with the fall out with TeVerd if something like that went majorly south just because I wasn't patient. I'll bring it up with him next time we speak. CoreSec could apparently use the help more right now, I think. I'll go put in the order to be delivered to the space dock and get us a berth for the re-supply."

 

She kissed him without further comment and left to freshen up and dress to blend in a bit better with their Corellian neighbors. She'd made Vi'ika stay behind with Kandor since she was wanting to attract as little attention as possible with this trip and the large sand hound was anything but subtle.

 

-----

 

Waving her good-byes to the grocer, Mirdala headed towards the next goods store on her list when she heard the sound of someone crying coming from one of the narrow alleyways she was walking past. She paused, listening for a moment until her mind registered that it was a child's cry. Forgetting the supply run for the moment, she looked a little ways into the alley and eventually found a young boy, maybe no more than four or five standard years old, partially hidden behind some crates obviously scared and quite alone.

 

"Hey kid," she soothed, reaching out to touch him, pulling her hand away slightly as he jerked back in shock. "What's wrong? Do you need help?"

 

He looked back up at her with wide light green eyes before throwing himself into her arms and sobbing into her shoulder. Out of instinct Mirdala closed her arms around him, feeling her heart wrench slightly remembering the little boy, her little boy, from the vision the night before and wondered if this was some sort of trick of the Manda or Force to help ease her fears about what her own son might one day become.

 

Mentally she shook herself. This was a scared little boy nothing more. She had to find out what help he needed and get him back to his parents or to CorSec so they could help reunite them. If he has any to begin with... Sighing she pulled the boy back, but held his hands in hers as she knelt down, looking up at him. "Hey...it's okay," she tried again, wiping his tears away. "Did you loose somebody?"

 

The boy sniffed, then nodded.

 

Mirdala rose and held out her hand. "I can help you find them." The boy hesitated slightly and looked back towards the opposite end of the alley like he might bolt. Mirdala sorely wished he wouldn't. There was no shortage of tragedy that could befall one this young on his own in the city, especially if he kept to the alleys. She really didn't want to think about him getting snatched up by slavers or some other criminal ring, so she added, "It's okay. I'm Kida. I may not look like it, but I'm an off-duty officer. It's my job to help people, even when I'm not wearing my regular uniform. I'll even walk you to one of the local stations if you're not sure about looking. Now let me see that knee and we'll get you fixed up. How does that sound?" She reached into one of her pockets and withdrew a small med kit. The bit about her being an off-duty officer, wasn't wholly incorrect, even if she was far from her jurisdiction. A scared kid didn't need to know that particular detail.

 

The boy sat back down and allowed her to treat the scrape on his knee, watching her intently. Other than the eyes, the little boy in no way resembled either her or Kandor. His hair was rust-colored and his skin was pale and freckled.

 

"There now," Mirdala said once she'd finished, "All better. Who have you lost?"

 

"My dad. I want to go home."

 

"I know buddy." She took his hand and led him from the alley and started looking around, secretly wishing she were much taller or that Kandor was with her so he could see over the crowds. "Do you think he's nearby somewhere? What were you doing before you got lost?"

 

"Playing. He left me because he had shopping to do."

 

Wracking her brain, Mirdala tried to remember where in the neighborhood there was any sort of kid's play area near shopping and came up empty. As though he picked up on her hesitation, the boy offered, "He always says to go home if we get separated."

 

Looking down at the boy, Mirdala furrowed her brow. "And you know the way? Or did you get turned around somewhere and that's how I found you?"

 

The little boy nodded. "It was a new playground and I got lost."

 

Mirdala pursed her lips together, wondering how any kid this young could be expected to find his way home in a bustling city where more than one land mark looked remarkably similar to another in the same neighborhood. "Do you know your address?"

 

The boy shook his head. "I think we better find the local CorSec station and they can get you h-," she started, but was cut off by the boy's sharp "No!"

 

"I think they'd be best to help you," she started as the boy fervently shook his head and started to cry again.

 

"No! Doonn't leaaave meee!" He wailed.

 

"Shhh...shhhh...Okay. We can figure this out together. We'll walk around a bit and see if there's anything you recognize. If we don't find something in a little bit, I'll call my partner to come help us okay?"

 

He seemed to consider her words for a bit before nodding slowly.

 

"Great. Now which way did you come from?" The boy indicated a direction and he and Mirdala walked hand-in-hand in search of the boy's father or home.

[Moon Knight]

After Mirdala left, Kandor took a quick sanisteam and put on his beskar'gam. It had been about four months since he'd announced his extended leave from CoreSec, and since then they had called him a few times requesting further information on when he might return to work. So far he'd been putting them off, extending his leave indefinitely, and since they weren't paying him they seemed satisfied with the arrangement. Not only did he know the commissioners, but he'd put most of them into those positions, so at this point it was more of an open offer to return to work at his old rank whenever he was ready, rather than a formal leave process. He was certain, at any rate, that they would be glad to have an extra hand at solving the problems on Triple Zero, especially with his knack for getting to the bottom of things as he had on the Senate and Naboo attacks.

 

Once he was suited up, he thew together some breakfast -- one of the dishes he'd picked up from Mirdala over the past weeks -- and put it in the oven so it'd be hot when she came back, then set to work packing up their belongings. They'd never been heavy travelers, and most of what they had was already aboard the Justice where they'd been sleeping, so the job wouldn't take long. Still, he expected Mirdala's supply run would be quickl, so she'd most likely be back before everything was ready.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Luckily it hadn't taken the boy long to find a landmark he knew and before long they were heading with some confidence to a section of the city Mirdala wasn't yet familiar with.

 

As they headed up the street to a small shopping strip, the boy darted ahead of her and around the alleyway beside a restaurant with what appeared to be a living space on top of it. Following the boy to make sure he was okay, she saw him run into the waiting arms of an older-looking man with a long white ponytail. "Is this your dad?" she asked stepping further into the alley and eyeing the staircase that lead to a doorway on the second floor above the eatery.

 

The boy nodded eagerly.

 

Mirdala extended her hand to the man as he sat the boy down on the ground beside him. "I'm Kida. I found your son about four blocks northeast of here. I'm glad to see him safely back home."

[Judyc Viba]

"We're greatly in your debt, Kida," Judyc Viba answered, shaking her hand. He had a convincing smile on his hardened features, but in his mind repeating the lyrics of an old Mandalorian drinking song so that her danger sense wouldn't alert her to what was really going on.

 

Suddenly he gripped the small woman's hand more tightly and yanked it across her body to spin her around while his left hand produced a small holdout blaster pistol. He put two stun bolts into her back kidney-level and she dropped like a sack of rocks.

 

The Kyr'tsad looked down a the boy by his feet. "You did real good, kid," he said, producing a credit chip worth more than what the kid probably saw in a month and tossing it to him. Over the past few weeks since the report he'd received that put ShadowFett in the local grocery store, he'd been slowly working the area, monitoring Fett's and Mirdala's movements, looking to catch her alone. It had taken the Wookiee jetii forever to leave, but by the time he had, Judyc had a significant number of eyes, both organic and digital, watching the whole area. Getting the help of a local street urchin to lure Ad'Goran to this location had been the easy part once she'd finally gone out alone. He could always trust the law enforcement types to feel sorry for some random lost child.

 

Presently he scooped Mirdala's limp body up off the duracrete and carried her to his backup ship, a small freighter outfitted with prisoner cages, and took off.

 

This was just the beginning. There was a lot to do before he would finally turn her over to Ab'ki for whatever sick ends the dar'jetii had in mind for her. His freighter disappeared into hyperspace for a short jump to Nubia, where everything was pretty much ready to go.

[Moon Knight]

Kandor had completely finished packing and the breakfast in the oven was slowly becoming overcooked, but Mirdala hadn't yet returned and Vi'ika was starting to look agitated. He put his buy'ce on and attempted to connect to her implant over their private link.

 

Signal not found. Device unavailable or out of range. His blood ran cold. In the years he and Mirdala had been partners, her implant had never so much as had a brief outage. The only reason he wouldn't be able to connect with her is if it was being jammed or she'd left the operational range of their link. He switched channels and tried her comm number, routing through the local tower. Nothing.

 

ShadowFett grabbed his assault rifle and other besbe'trayce. "Vi'ika," he called the sand hound. "Let's find Mirdala." He tried not to think about what could have happened to her. Last time she'd disappeared suddenly like this had been on Coruscant when she'd been nabbed by the Thalassian slavers. But if some beroyase had gotten wind of her Force abilities and were looking to collect on the substantial bounty, or if one of Ab'ki's agents had somehow learned of their presence here... Mirdala could be injured, in custody, or worse.

 

He wasn't ready to face that. Locking down his emotions, turning himself off to anything but his objective, Mand'alor moved purposefully toward the store where he knew she'd been, Vi'ika trotting alongside him. The time for keeping a low profile was over. He needed to find out what had happened to his wife.

[Judyc Viba]

<< A transmission comes in for ShadowFett from Nubia. >>

[Moon Knight]

ShadowFett and Vi'ika made efficient hunt partners. The Mando'ad led them quickly to the store where he'd last known Mirdala had been, the crowds parting before the heavily-armed man and the large black hound beside him. Once there, Vi'ika picked up on Mirdala's scent, and she led Fett at a jog along the route she had followed. At first the path seemed random, but soon it became very directed, until it led to an alleyway.

 

Pausing the hunt for a moment, Fett examined the area for any sort of indication what had happened here. There was no sign of a fight whatsoever, so if Mirdala had been captured here, she had been caught completely offguard. There was no blood, either, which didn't guarantee she was still alive but helped her odds. Vi'ika whined a bit, then barked, and continued to lead until they reached a landing pad. He'd known the chances were high that she was offworld already, but it still stung a little that he hadn't tried to check in with her earlier and had a better chance of catching up with her.

 

Still, like most landing pads, this one had a camera. Using his buy'ce's computer and his uplink to 2277 aboard the Justice, he didn't bother asking for permission from whoever owned the device, instead slicing it. Scanning back through the footage, he quickly found the last ship that had been here... a fairly generic light freighter. He then played the footage forward until he saw the boarding ramp lower and a figure carry Mirdala's limp body on board. The figure had long white hair and broad shoulders, but Fett couldn't see his face from the camera angle.

 

"Master," 2277's voice came over the comms. "I took the liberty of comparing the gait of the man in the footage to that of Judyc Viba from your combat recordings, who I find to be the most likely suspect. There is a 72% chance that it is him."

 

"I thought as much," Fett answered. "Query the Port Authority and check for any information on the freighter." It probably wasn't going to amount to anything. Viba was too professional to make mistakes like that. Similarly, Fett had his comm number from Vorpa'ya, so he could try to make a connection trace if he could get Viba to answer the comm, but he doubted the Kyr'tsad would make that mistake like Bialle had.

 

"Yes, Master. But it seems we have an incoming communication from Nubia."

 

"Put it through." An image appeared of what was clearly Viba in his orange and red beskar'gam standing over Mirdala, and Fett gritted his teeth. The man's face again didn't appear in the holo, but the armor and the voice were a dead giveaway. Fett's anger grew as the man spoke and made his ultimatum, cutting Mirdala's implant out of her kovid with a knife.

 

He kept himself locked down, though. Mirdala was alive, at least, and that was enough for now.

 

"Master, I am sorry about your wife," 2277 said. "I recommend deleting the message and returning to solo work or finding another partner. You cannot walk into a trap like that."

 

Fett shook his head. "Twenty-two, I appreciate your concern for my well-being," he said. His voice was perfectly level. "But we are going to Nubia, we are going to kill Viba, and we are going to get Mirdala out of there alive or die trying. Put a call in to TeVerd through the emergency channel, please, so we can keep him in the loop."

 

"I would recommend rethinking your decision, Master," 2277 responded. "But I know that it would be wasted effort. Placing the call now."

 

"TeVerd," ShadowFett said into the channel, his tone that of someone giving a military report. "Something's happened to Mirdala here on Corellia. She has been abducted by Judyc Viba and he has delivered this ultimatum." Fett then forwarded Viba's transmission. When it ended, he spoke again. "I'm going. It may be appropriate to have someone nearby for the aftermath."

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

It wasn't TeVerd's voice that answered him, but Vy'ika's cold and deadly tone. "We'll be on standby. Tell us what you need - extraction, backup, ambush. We'll make it happen. Pinging Nek for medical."

 

"Kill him twice for me," TeVerd's growl cut in. "He might be able to take the implant from her, but she's already reached out to us once empathically. There's nothing but individual will that can block that. Let me know if you need anything."

[Moon Knight]

"If someone's close enough, get them nearby, but keep it quiet," he said. Eight hours didn't anyone very far on the galactic scale, but the team was spread around and he knew at least Nek was in the Core. "We'll have to play it by ear. If I fail, the best you might be able to do is follow Viba back to Ab'ki." He cut the comm.

 

There was a chance Viba was bluffing on being willing to kill Mirdala. The way Ab'ki had tortured and killed others made it seem like she wouldn't be too happy if someone else robbed her of her personal touch on this particular kill. Unfortunately, Fett wasn't confident enough to call Viba's bluff, not when the stakes were Mirdala's life. No, he would have to think of a way to win even without his weapons... unless...

 

An idea started forming in Moon Knight's head. "2277, prep the ship for the trip to Nubia. I won't be long."

 

He visited one of the stores nearby and picked up a large but plain cloak. This was going to be tricky.

 

As soon as he'd paid for the item he headed back to the safehouse with Vi'ika and boarded the Justice, beginning to remove his beskar'gam. He had less than eight hours to get everything figured out, and he could save Mirdala considerable pain if he did it even faster. It would be enough to pull together the plan he had in mind and fill 2277 in on it.

 

Minutes later, the Justice disappeared en route to Nubia.

[Fynn Relmis]

The angular shuttle called the Agemmenon exited hyperspace after a series of unregistered jumps. It's log showed that it was out of Coruscant, but little else about it's true origin. Still as a registered transport of RelmCorp, the shuttle had the correct registration for simple transport of passengers.

 

Kern could feel the difference immediately. The confines of Kesh had isolated him from the larger galaxy. The planet so far from the well worn areas of the core. Here he could feel so much more. There was life in abudance here, the immense tangled web was intricate. But light prevailed here. Kern new that he would have to keep his powers at a low ebb for the duration, lest some curious inteloper would disturb him and his plans. They were out there, the weak ones, the jedi, the sith. All the universe was busy with their individual lives. So few had the potential to know just what he planned, or the potential to stop him. He couldn't wait to see one of them try.

 

Lallu...

 

The other student of Furion. The favored one, the one who had defeated him. She must be out there as well. He would find her, or she would find him in time. One way or another, Kern sensed that a reckoning with her would occur sooner or later. Whether or not it would be violent, was beyond his knowledge. Despite their commonality, they both sought to prove themselves worthy of their master. Two children of the same Father... different dreams. Unless there was a change, the two of them would be locked in deadly struggle for as long as the other existed. There might be others that Furion favored as well, powers and abilities as vast as what Furion commanded were not meant for soul inheritors.

 

The ship descended after receiving permission, and entered a landing pattern headed for The Relmis Estate. Hundreds of kilometers from Corellia’s capital city of Coronet, the Estate of Relmis stood in stark relief from the undeveloped countryside. It’s stood on the edge of a The large compound, consisting of the main house, the outer courtyard, and various guests villas sprawled for almost half a kilometer, hailing from the period before the rise of the constitutional democracy. It’s main slate gray building cast a long a shadow that fell onto the surrounding landscape.

 

It’s various gardens and hedgerows hid it’s underground facilities and storage areas. Underground however, an ancient network of tunnels and caverns carved by an subterranean river served as a refuge from the prying eyes of those on the surface. Here the House of Relmis stored it’s treasures and it’s long history, along with jedi and sith relics of a bygone age, collected by Garm Relmis. One of them was a small jedi artifact which gave visions of possible futures. The veracity of such tales were unknown, but Kern intended to find out. Objects that Fynn had taken from the outpost on Ilum before his turn were enshrined there as well. Half a dozen lightsabers and weapons from across the universe were there as well, collected from the long military careers of various Relmis ancestors.

 

The vast gardens held various statues of hero’s and characters, but none so grand as a statue of Halin Relmis, the first Relmis and the founder of the house. It had long since turned a reddish orange color, as it’s metal’s degraded in the morning mists. He had preformed some great deed, and in so doing ensured that his family name remained on honored lists long since his demise, and unlike others whose lands were seized at the end of the monarchy, he had maintained his property, leading to wild speculation as to what means he used to keep his precious lands.

 

Kern's shuttle landed at a small landing pad near the large estate, where several figures waited patiently. The tall and thin form of Venbraan awaited the master of the house. The long ramp of the Agememnon extended, and Kern and his entourage exited shortly after.

 

Venbraan gently bowed to the master of the house. He was dressed in the garb of the chief butler. A position he'd risen to after 40 years of service. Along with a Bronze colored protocol droid, and the chief of the grounds security. Venbraan was closest thing Kern had to family. Yet, Kern valued him, for always keeping his distance, of not allowing the weakness of love to enter the bond between servant and his master.

 

"Master Kern, welcome home." the older man said sharply.

 

"Venbraan, you're looking well. I trust all is well with the Estate." Kern said returning the pleasantry. His Keshiri guard flanked him on either side, taking in thier surroundings with a mixture of awe and interest.

 

"Indeed sir, you'll find everything just as you left it. I took the liberty of preparing quarters for your... guests." Venbraan motioned for the chief security officer to escort them away. The Keshiri guards were hesitant. Some turned towards Kern. L'shara especially looked concerned.

 

"Excellent." Kern turned to the guards, and spoke quickly in Keshiri. "Go with him. Follow his commands as though they were my own." As they complied and left with the chief. Venbraan approached Kern's side.

 

"You look well sir." Venbraan said as he came near.

 

"The cosmetic aspects aside, the wound is still there. Fortunately the pain is no longer an issue for me" Kern said with a smile. It was true that he looked almost normal. Only close inspection would reveal the long scar along the left side of his face. For now, he looked much like and older and wiser version of the once compassionate weakling who called himself Fynn. Kern however reveled in the continued pain of his wound, each pang giving him strength and deepening his connection with the force.

 

The two men walked slowly down the dusty path towards the estates grounds. Kern saw that it was as Venbraan reported. The grounds were immaculate, perfectly preserved. Kern remembered running the grounds as a child, in the time before he was brutally pushed aside for that other son of Relmis.

 

"So much happened here." Venbraan said as they approached the main gate. He stopped looking up at the Relmis crest.

 

"So much is about to happen." Kern finished, smiling as he looked to the majestic house in front of him.

[Fynn Relmis]

Chaos... entropy... lawlessness...

 

He could feel it in the air... although a lot of that air was the vacuum of space. Still something was changing, although Kern wasn't sure what it was. The holonet, as usual, was completely unhelpful. The manufactured propaganda of the imperial remnant and the various fawning reporters of the Jedi and their exploits were all deplorable. The galaxy had a complete lack of leadership, from all sides.

 

It enraged Kern. He'd spent the better part of two years re-shaping Kesh into a planet worthy of the Sith. Long needed reforms in fiscal policy, transitioning their agrarian/hunter-gatherer economy into early industrial slave state. Yet the galaxy still was without the same strong hand on larger scale. Someone needed to rise above the petty squabbling, bring the same discipline and structure to the unruly and wayward. However without a fleet, and several billion worth of soldiers and a nexus of force power.

 

Still the galaxy was forever in flux, and eventually, he was certain that the wheels of power would end up where they belonged, in his strong, capable, yet blood soaked hands.

 

---

 

He sat in a tall dark leather chair, looking out from an elevated platform in the cool night air watching as several of his guards paired off, sparking with each other in the light of several bonfires lit just for such an occasion. Around them, guests from the upper crust of Corellia and several other worlds swarmed, watching in awe as the warriors battled for their approval. Kern was bored however, he enjoyed the blood, and a sparring match was decidedly without it. The search programs were doing their work, but he couldn't help but feel restless in the meanwhile.

 

 

L'thara put on a particularly good show, having to be stopped several times before decapitating a fellow fighter.

 

"Baron Kern, I must say what a spectacular ball." Said an older woman from Coronet city. Her vast fortune showed in her dress and grooming. Kern had almost forgotten that actual people were in attendance, so vapid was his interest in them to any degree.

 

"Never let it be said that the House of Relmis doesn't know how to entertain." He replied genteelly, stifling a vision of severing her neck from the rest of her hideous form. The party was customary, a needed cover for any activities Kern wished to do going forward. There wasn't any chance of conducting his activities with people talking. However a lavish party would do well to keep any interested parties at arm’s length.

 

"I have heard a rumor... that you intend to announce for the presidency of Corellia." Said an older man who reminded Kern a little of his father, except fatter, and without the years of hatred he felt emanating from the dark pit where his heart used to be.

 

"Wherever from?" He inquired. The idea of the Sith running for anything seemed preposterous at first. Power was taken in this universe, power given, was not power worth having. Power taken however...

 

"Things come my way." The older man sad. It was Jan Corvis, his resplendence was usual for one of the richest industrialists on the planet. "The Relmis name maybe a bit old fashioned for some. But there is still a lot of old family friends in high places. With the money, and your name, you could be quite the political powerhouse." Corvis said holding his glass to his lips.

 

"Not interested in such political victories at the moment, but if I feel the need to enter a special level of hell with backstabbing, conniving, corruption, and blood sucking demons... I'll let you know." Kern said with a wry smile.

 

---

 

The evening ended as his guests wandered home drunken and entertained. Kern sat in the highest room in the house, the search algorithm's running silently on the screens behind him. One location popped up again and again.

 

"Carida...", He said under his breath. Skye must be there...

 

The logical answer to where he could find Jedi was clear. They were invited publicly, and it was the closest thing to an answer his search program could determine. Given the offer absolution, and fellowship, Kern decided that going there wasn't the wisest move. One did not simply arrive at an imperial facility, let alone one with multiple Jedi at peak alert.

 

He held the goblet in one hand, and the large crystal a certain Fynn Relmis recovered on Hoth. The force relic was powerful, that much was sure. But what was it's purpose? Furion might know, or perhaps... who knew more about ancient artifacts.

 

"Resume search for Lallu, sub-subject Furion, cross reference...Skywalker." He said aloud. Taking another sip of blood tinged wine from the goblet in his hands. Chaos... chaos was never so far from his mind.

 

"Cancel that. Cancel all searches dammit." Kern said as he slammed the screen off.

 

He concentrated his mind, reaching out with darkness that continued to fuel him. There had to be an answer. The force refused to guide him, there had to be a way to push through the barriers in front of him. The word came... clear in his mind.

 

Korriban...

 

That was it... that's where he needed to go. He felt it. The crystal in his hand seemed to attune his thoughts, giving a focus he hadn't previously known. But Korriban's coordinates were not known to him. Raging at his inadequate knowledge wasn't enough... he needed answers.

[Fynn Relmis]

L’thara slammed her fist into the large slab of muscle known as U’mbaro. The man groaned as the strike shoved him backwards several feet crashing him into a nearby column. The man raged, in pain, but refused to relent, realizing he was nearly out matched by the statuesque and powerful Keshiri woman.

 

“Your dropping your guard to much U’mbaro, if you are going to have a chance against L’thara your going to have to-“

 

The man charged as he usually did, ignoring his advice.

 

“Nevermind,” Kern said his attention elsewhere.

 

Kern sat above his dueling guard, hunched over a laboratory table, deep at work. There were many things he had learned in his time on Kesh, the application of medicinal poisons was one of them. The Kesh had many plants that caused all sorts of pain. One plant the J’sin Flower, had an extreme effect on the central nervous system. Kern had learned from Morrigal how to extract it’s essence. He sat flanked by various fauna in his work.

 

Venbraan approached his eyes fixed on the match below. His eyes however wandered occasionally to the table.

 

“An interest in Botany sir? I never realized you were the greenery type” Venbraan said amused.

 

“You would be surprised what things I’ve learned on Kesh. I’ve quite the red thumb.” Kern said eagerly. As he continued to mash the various collected ingredients. What he could accomplish with his new found resources was boundless. There were so many applications for Kesh’s flora and fauna, and he had only just begun to unlock them.

 

"The traditional Keshiri shaman’s had a thousand years to find ways to extract vengeance on their enemies. It’s quite fortuitous being sent to that remote planet. We can learn so much from primitives.” Kern said as he held a vile of clear liquid up to the light.

 

“Perfect.” He said satisfied with the nearly finished product. He took a small syringe and stabbed into his own side.

 

“Sir?” Venbraan questioned, concerned with his master well-being.

 

“No progress is made without a little pain my old friend. Worry not, the amount I need is minuscule. The experiments on Kesh were most fruitful. Now I just need the right test subject to finish my observations.” He removed a small amount of blood, and added it to the mix. Shaking the vile, it turned a sickly pale yellow. Using the force on a microscale, Kern separated the plasma and goaded the toxins into highly potent mix.

 

Finally Kern added it to one of four small darts on a rack in front of the small table.

 

“Interesting. Do you have anyone in mind to use it on?” Venbraan inquired.

 

“Of course. You came on business?” Kern said pausing his work only momentarily.

 

“An attack sir, on Coruscant. It devastated the Corsec Headquarters. Multiple civilian casualties, many injuries.”

 

“Well finally some good news.” Kern said thinking aloud.

 

“It couldn’t have happened at a better-“ Kern stopped in mid-sentence, a thought occurring to him.

 

“Also, L’thara has been hunting the help. It wouldn’t be an issue except-” The man was troubled. His job was to keep order, and Kern was certain that L’thara was anything but when out of his control.

 

“Yes, she does have trouble cleaning up after herself. Hmm… Injuries severe?” He queried, his mind going back to something he remembered a long time before.

 

“Nothing a local doctor can’t treat, still-“

 

“No, no, on Coruscant?” Kern inquired, as he doused the last dart and placed them in a pouch on his belt.

 

“Why, I do believe so… is that of interest to you?” His servant replied.

 

Could it be that simple?

 

“Not to me, but there is a chance-, with Corsec in shambles, the Jedi spread far and wide… there would be need for a healer. Wouldn’t there be? Someone to show how much the Jedi value Corsec and their allegiance. Show the flag as it were.“ Kern stopped again.

 

“I suppose sir, but surely-“

 

“Venbraan, make ready my shuttle. I think I have some hunting of my own to do.” He said with an eager smile.

 

---

 

“Listen, all of you. I’ve spent years giving you the benefit of my training and discipline”, Kern said aboard the shuttle Agamemnon.

 

“I’ve come to think of you as my children. Dangerous, murderous, and severely dangerous children with a thirst for blood, but all mine.” Kern said proudly and ironically.

 

The ship rose of the ground swiftly, making for high orbit in moments.

 

“Make me proud. Or death will not be swift… I promise you.” Kern said as the ship rocketed into hyperspace.

[Non-Playable-Characters]

Jarret stared at the ceiling, frustrated he couldn't simply fall asleep. There were too many things going on in his mind, too many stresses that wouldn't let him fall asleep. Beside him, Azel breathed softly, probably frolicking about in a comfortable dream. But Jarret had no such luxury. Not tonight. He checked his comlink once more for new messages, of which there were none, then grabbed a datapad to begin browsing his favorite sites on the holonet again to see if his sites had updated, which they hadn't. Nearly another hour had passed before Jarret was done with this, and still was no more tired than he'd been the whole night. He just couldn't stop thinking about the way things were. About her.

 

Azel grumbled softly, fidgeting, having caught her horns on her pillow again. Jarret refrained from chuckling as he reached over, unhooking her gently from the loose woven fabric. He'd told her not to get the sheet set, Zabraks always had problems with them, but did she ever listen to him? Of course not. Softly, he allowed his own head to clunk back against the headboard, his own cranial horns forcing him to lean at an awkward angle that began to ache after a bit. Not as if he really cared, though. It was a minor annoyance in the sea of troubles.

 

Slowly, he became aware of an itching sensation on his horns. Of course, it would happen now. It also explained why he'd been so sleepless. Checking to ensure Azel was fast asleep, Jarret rose from the bed as stealthily as he could, opening a hidden panel in the grungy apartment's walls, and withdrawing a small black box. Jarret fumbled with the contents, pouring one substance into a device that lit the powder with UV rays, before adding it with some liquid into a needle, and injecting the concoction into his leg in the old familiar spot. He managed to stow the contents and seal up the wall panel again before the spice began to wash over him, painting him in waves of ecstacy. He stumbled back to the bed, flopping down softly. If Azel woke, she would want some too, and Jarret was tired of giving her freebies. She was nothing more than a sponge, a parasite on his neck draining him dry. But she was hot, and a sister of Nerf-Trader Teng, an important gangster in the West End Cohorts, so he tolerated her.

 

Even as the fake pleasure rolled across his body, tingling his every nerve with varactyl feathers, he still couldn't get her off his mind. If only things hadn't turned out how they did...even as he smiled, a tear rolled down the side of his face. This was how it was. This is how it had to be, or he'd just drag her down with him. He'd done it to everyone else in his life, and he'd be damned if he did it to her. Even though she still followed him like some kind of lost puppy, he'd need to drive her off, like he always had.

 

High above the apartment building in the west end ghettos of Coronet city, the clouds parted in the sky, allowing the light from the twin moons to spill into Jarret's room, seemingly comforting him as he slipped into a deep but turbulent sleep. The next day would come all too soon.

[Non-Playable-Characters]

The next day:

 

The streetlights slowly flicked on, one by one, traffic on the streets of Corellia calmed and slowed, and the daylight faded. Night was a time that true predators came out and hunted, and Hannah Xeros counted herself among that population. She rode her hoverbike slowly, not wanting to attract the attention of the CoreSec night patrols. Not yet, anyways. The bike itself looked like a junker, but the trained eye would easily be able to spot a handful of upgrades that made the bike a mean son of a gundark when it came to just about any feature. Hannah had built it that way intentionally, finding it cheaper to simply keep it at top performance instead of looking amazing. As such, it tended to delude some of the newer racers in Coronet, making them think that the cute orange Twi'Lek with the beater bike would be an easy win. Most of the experienced racers left her alone, either out of respect from having lost to her once or twice, or simply just being uninterested in how she chose to make her money.

 

Tonight, though, she hunted. It only took looking through a couple of the usual spots to find a parking structure with several beings wearing the colors of the Cohorts hanging about a couple bikes, and of course, Jarret was there, Azel hanging off his shoulder. Not to mention, the group was primarily Zabraki, with the odd Human or Weequay dotting the group, but they would never be full fledged members of the group, and were really only around for muscle. Almost like clockwork as she pulled up and dismounted, Azel spotted her first and sneeringly called out, drawing attention.

 

"Well, looks like the little sewer rat decided to actually turn up for once! Wasn't hard to smell you coming."

 

Amidst the laughter, Hannah grinned maliciously, clipping her helmet to the bike.

 

"I'm sure it was just your upper lip, Azzole."

 

The sneer on Azel's face dropped to one of pure rage as Hannah used the derogatory nickname, but Jarret held her back as she started to move forwards. One of the larger, more muscular Zabraki spoke up, stepping forward. Hannah knew him well, even though she despised him about as much as Azel. Kron, Jarret's older brother, was leader of the Cohorts, and a staunch Zabrak supremacist even though he didn't show his hate as outright as Azel tended to. Kron's voice boomed over the cacohpany, his deep rumbling bassoon voice carrying power.

 

"So are we doing this, or what? The terms stay the same. We win, you never show your filthy face on our turf again. You win, and you can have one of our bikes. As if that's going to happen. You know the usual route."

 

Kron was off his rocker for even agreeing to this, but Hannah had something to prove. She knew this was going to be an easy win, and she knew Kron probably suspected it, but one way or another, she'd get her trophy from them and show them up. She was sick of him getting in the way of seeing Jarret. Simply nodding, she began mounting back up, speeding off to the starting mark. After she left, Kron handed Jarret his helmet.

 

"One more thing. Jarret, you're riding for us. Make her think she's going to win."

 

There was a certain coldness in Kron's voice as Jarret slowly took the helmet, looking his brother up and down. After a moment, he was speeding off on his own bike, as the rest of the gang moved towards the top of the parking structure to survey the race. For a moment, Kron and Azel made eye contact, and Azel grinned.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Two bikes lined up at the starting spot, waiting for a traffic light to turn green, signalling the start of the race. It was the only law recognized by the racers.

 

The only law.

[Non-Playable-Characters]

Jarret gunned the gas on his bike, the opaque helmet and flight suit hiding his identity from Hannah. He grinned to himself, knowing this would be fun. He didn't really intend to win, but he'd certainly make it look good for her benefit. He always liked to toy with her when they raced. Kron probably thought Jarret fully intended to smoke her, but Kron didn't know about him and Hannah yet. At least he didn't think. There's no way he would have set those terms otherwise.

 

The signal flashed green.

 

She was good, getting a faster start than he did, though that could have been because Jarret hadn't been completely focused on the race. As the wind ripped at them, and lights turned to streaks, adrenaline began to pump in his veins. He loved this, lived for this. At any moment, if either of them made a bad turn, or handled their acceleration wrong, it could mean their lives. But that also didn't matter to either of them. Speed meant freedom. Freedom was life. Behind them a distance, a slow coresec patrol craft hit its lights, but just as quickly shut them off, realizing there was no way to catch up with the far more maneuverable bikes. Freedom.

 

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Next to him, Hannah was focused intently on the race, oblivious as to whom she raced against, her fiery orange lekku flapping in the wind. Occasionally the other biker pulled ahead, frustrating her and making her drive harder. She was going to embarrass Kron and prove she wasn't to be trifled with. Maybe even that she was 'worthy' to be with Jarret, though it wasn't likely. One way or another...she'd get what she wanted. She always did. He pulled ahead again with a maneuver on an inside turn, irritating her, though something was familiar about the maneuver, something only one other person had ever done...Jarret?

 

She barely had enough time to react to the cargo truck that pulled out in front of them, swerving and breaking hard. There was an explosion, a bright flash of light, then...

 

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Kron surveyed the race from high on the parking complex, tracking the two streaking lights between the buildings with macrobinoculars. It helped he knew their route, and he also knew where it would all end. If his brother had listened to him, everything would be taken care of. The two bikes disappeared behind a building, and there was the flash and fire of an explosion. Kron dropped the binoculars, smiling and turning to Azel.

 

"It's done."

 

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Over the next few days, Hannah faded in and out of consciousness. She saw figures clad in white standing over her, she felt various hoses and needled buried in her body, she felt the duracasts encasing and immobilizing parts of her, though she didn't have the energy or pain tolerance to move much. Jarret visited her sometimes, glowing and beautiful, always smiling. This was temporary, she knew. Everything seemed to be a blur to her, the sounds, the voices talking near her calling her just another adrenaline junkie. It was always hazy. Everything hurt.

 

Jarret visited her again, still not speaking, just softly waiting. Nearby, a machine began to sound an alarm. White shirts rushed about. But Jarret was still calm. It didn't hurt half as bad as Hannah expected. But as she stood with him, and the white shirts stopped making such a fuss, he held her close. Nothing would keep them apart ever again.