Corellia

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

She smiled at him, leaning her cheek against his hand as he’d brushed the lock of hair away. “I won’t be making that same mistake again, Kand’ika. Fieyr’s tipped his hand more than he’s realized. His mind invasion wasn’t solely one-way. There’s still remnants of him from the last time. You can’t use what we can do the way he does and not expect to imprint yourself on your targets. He’s clever, but not nearly clever enough to orchestrate an operation of this magnitude. It’s in there,” she pointed to her head. “I just have to decipher it. Though,” she paused, closing her eyes as a dull ache began to form behind them. “I think I’ll wait for my body to catch up before I try.”

 

Reaching out, she took his hand and gently pulled him closer so she could rest her forehead against his. “‘Meh gar kyrayc, shuk bah ni’’,” she echoed. “You do seem to say that a lot with me. I hope you know I feel the same about you. I may be prepared to die to protect my aliit, but I have every intention of avoiding that particular situation as much as is reasonable."

[Moon Knight]

"See that you do," he said with a serious expression, poking a finger at her for emphasis. He gave her a short kiss before sitting upright again and allowing a smirk. "Now, I think if I stay in here any longer Nekkir will give me a set of injuries to match yours."

 

Kandor stood and made his exit, returning his face carefully back to neutral. His talk with Rhys made it sound like they already knew about his and Mirdala's involvement, but until he heard her acknowledge it openly with them he wouldn't address it directly. If they'd all gotten the same version of the story that Rhys had, they would most likely still be skeptical of him and protective of her. After ten days in the Omicrons' company, he was starting to feel comfortable with them professionally and knew how to talk to them, even Rahg, who he was pretty sure was actually a gundark trapped in a clone's body. But that didn't mean he was having open discussions with each of them about this.

 

Heading back into the information center, he reestablished his secure encrypted link with 2277, who was still aboard the Justice on the Enigma, and resumed trying with the beskar'ad's help trying to dig some usable data out of the Abraxos files. He'd gone without the droid's support for most of the mission for lack of guaranteed secure communication channels, but here from his safehouse nearly the first thing he had done was establish a trusted pathway so that 2277 could contribute with his sophisticated subroutines and informed analysis. It was still a painfully slow process, however, and Fett settled in for another long session.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

A few days later Nek had finally permitted her to get up and the room and to the refresher mostly on her own, at least. The others had mainly been under orders to let her get as much rest as possible. She’d even been able to dress herself with no assistance.

 

Nek was watching her pace around the relatively barren main room, stylus scan pointed at her like the tip of a dagger. "Well, there doesn't seem to be any permanent muscle trauma, or any sign of ulceration in your spine. You'll be pleased to hear that you're moving within a three percent margin of your optimal range," he said, checking the hand sized data slate at his belt.

“Now to finish getting the drugs out of my system again,” she muttered to herself. “Can I try going outside for a bit? I’m going stir-crazy. I’ll take one of the others with me and won’t go far, I promise.”

"Well, as long as you don't take Kandor. Having your hormones hit the high mark all the time won't help you process the medical residues," Nek said, grinning. "But yes, maybe I'll go with you. I'm a little bored with recalibrating probes and running a mobile urinalysis lab."

She nodded, “I’m good with that. It’s been a while since you and I got to catch up. As for Kandor and I…it’s complicated.” Her voice was quiet as if she were expecting Kandor to suddenly materialize.

 

“‘Complicated'," Nek said, nodding sagely. "That's where it usually starts, you know.” He led her outside.

“We both know that thinking about that right now isn’t really an option, or distraction we can afford now. Regardless of what you think you see.” Her half-smile gave a way her true impressions more than what she was radiating as the two of them stepped outside into the relatively fresh air of the city.

 

"It's alright, Mirdala," Nek said soothingly, letting her choose a direction. "Don't let us cut off the flow of positive endorphins for you."

 

“I don’t even know…” She closed her eyes, “Did you really offer to come along just to discuss my love life or lack there of?”

 

"Nope, that was just to break the stress," The medic said agreeably. "Since I got here, I haven't seen anything but the inside of that flat and the hospital. It’s been ages since I was in this part of the sector, so I thought doing a little urban exploring might be fun."

 

“Every man’s got to have his hobbies, I guess. Sorry to call you away from your family again, even if I am grateful for your skills.”

 

"You didn't call me away from family, simply another branch of my family required my help," Nek laughed.

 

She grew uncharacteristically quiet as they walked. They found a bench under a large tree and he helped her sit for a rest, glad that while she was attempting to push herself, she wasn’t trying to overdo it.

 

Finally at length she said, “He has to teach me. There is no choice. I can’t let my lack of skills handicap him as my hunt-partner."

 

Nek watched the people going about their day-to-day lives, apparently oblivious or indifferent to the shadow wars being waged in the galaxy around them. Mirdala could feel him reaching out. She knew he had heard her, but respected how methodical he could be with his thoughts. "Sarge? Rhys? Rahg? Dahls? Seeker Ethos," he asked.

“Yes. I know I can be strong enough. I just need to figure out how to convince him. It’d probably help if I waited until I had a clean bill of health before I have a frank and honest discussion with our father.” She glanced at him as she stretched her fingers cautiously.

 

"That's going to be fun. The only one he ever trained was Rhys, for very good reasons. And he's blatantly resistant to the concept of adding any of us, or you, to that roster." Nek leaned back a bit and shrugged. "But yes, you need to be healthy, or else he's just going to point out how you've come off so far."

“Well, while I’m healing he and I can hash out the other elephant in the room. Did I tell you that She pretty much threw me out of the water and told me that it wasn’t time. Said something about ‘Mom and Dad’ should have some time before the kids come crashing in. Pretty sure she’s claimed me for years, now to actually have the discussion with Tey at a moment where we’re not behind enemy lines or busy dancing our way around polite society.”

 

Nek laughed. "She has seemed rather...involved with you for your short life, hasn't she? With us, she's more often stern, but with you, it's more coaching and tender." His face quirked as he muttered “dancing" to himself. "Mom and Dad versus the kids, huh? That is rather blunt. I don't know how long she's been dead, but I sometimes wonder whether time has made her more determined or if she was simply always that way." He shook his head. "Though partly we also wonder if sometimes, she's gotten tired of waiting..."

Mirdala thought for a moment. “Maybe it’s because her sons are so stubborn like their father.” She nudged him. “I do think she is tired, but doesn’t want him taken from us before his time. Pretty sure she’s tired of waiting for him to accept the reality before him as well. She didn’t want him to be lonely."

"Are you sure that's all there is," Nek asked softly. "I don't know how long she's been gone, but it has to have been a long time, from what Grandfather said."

“I don’t really know. I’ve never really talked about her with him. You recall his reaction when I was very young at just drawing a picture of her…” She sighed. “Lots of tough conversations coming up…"

"This one, I'm not helping you with," Nek said, smiling. "There are some battles that I don't need to get involved in."

“So you’ll help convince him to train me as a Seeker, but the adoption discussion is on my own then?” She smiled at him.

 

Nek gave her a feral smile. "No, I won't help you with either. I'll simply put you back together when he kicks your butt for trying."

“Fair enough."

 

The two of them headed back to the safe house where Mirdala went back to her room and considered her course of action.

 

We need to get back to Dawn..., she thought as she glanced over the data they'd gathered.

 

It was a list of planets, but so far they hadn't found much to go on other than that. Kandor was working things from his angle and she knew that the information had been passed along to the others as well. Surely something in those files would yield some sort of result. There were also somethings she wanted to cross-check with Taen.

 

Fieyr damn near admitted to killing Carid himself. Why does he just want to watch the sector burn?

[Moon Knight]

When Mirdala and Nek got back, Kandor was dressing, having just taken a sanisteam after a workout. His devotion to keeping himself in peak shape seemed the only thing more important to him than working on the Abraxos data -- particularly when the days were relatively sedentary, he found time each morning and most evenings to get a session in, as time allowed. In addition to keeping him physically competitive, he used the time to ground himself mentally, getting his mirshe out of the abstract world of decryption algorithms and rearranged bits and giving it a chance to refresh, think about the problem from a practical perspective and consider where it might lead.

 

That, or he did it because he was bored. Let's face it, I'm a soldier not an analyst, he thought. He could work with data when he needed to, and indeed it was half of bounty hunting, but after nearly two weeks it started to feel like it wasn't actually real progress, whereas at least a workout could provide measurable results if he pushed himself consistently.

 

But the fact that Mirdala was up and moving around, as well as TeVerd having made a complete recovery with the help of bacta, meant that it was time to at least get out of the safehouse and back to Concord Dawn. It was another long flight, but it would at least feel like they were taking steps forward again. A light at the end of this portion of the tunnel, as it were.

 

Back in his armor, Kandor found everyone packing up their meager travel belongings for the trip back to the Mandalore sector. Not long after, they were off, Fett locking up and re-enabling safehouse security as they left.

[Dashel Illioni]

During the sublight cruise into the system, Dash noticed an increased number of ships being delayed by Coresec at what looked like newly created checkpoints in the planet’s higher orbits. He hoped Aira’s modifications to the ship’s transponder held up under scrutiny.

 

Halfway to the planet, a Coresec controller contacted them.

 

“Corvette Scratch, please state your intended purpose within the Corellian system.”

 

Frowning, Dash responded, “Corvette Scratch carrying operator, replacement crew, and parts for the GrassTiger.”

 

The response given by the Coresec operator was a beauracratic “Proceed to marker 89.7, await escort.”

 

Dash typed the coordinates into the nav system and found he only needed to make a minor course correction to go towards the indicated marker. Setting his sublight drive to a minimum speed, he drifted forwards almost on momentum alone.

 

Seconds after arriving at the marker, the corvette’s proximity sensors indicated the arrival of two patrol ships that immediately fell into an escort formation with him.

 

The same controller again spoke, “Scratch, proceed to docking bay, meet with Captain Balletori, Corsec Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.”

 

“Roger that Coresec, have a nice day”

 

The comm system went silent even as the trio of ships proceeded to the docking bay that held GrassTiger

 

Dash was about to key the ship’s intercom when he felt Aira’s presence beside him. Looking towards her he asked, “Heard anything about this Captain Balletori?”

[Aira Cadan]

As the ship reverted to sublight, I felt the hum of the engines change beneath my feet. Rising, I pulled on my boots and headed up to the cockpit, arriving just in time to catch the tail end of the conversation with a CoreSec operator. That was the first sign that something was amiss. Clearly, Dashel sensed it too, because he immediately asked me if I had heard of this CoreSec captain.

 

I shook my head. "No, but it's telling that there are all these new security procedures, and that CoreSec is taking a direct hand in them. Normally they don't handle anything as mundane as air traffic control. They must have gotten a tip about something going down. Could be our friends," I said with a light cough, "but somehow I doubt it."

 

I sat down in the copilot's chair and started some scans. "While we take care of the red tape, let's see if we can find any more details about where the Black Fist has set up in system." A thought occurred to me. "If we need to, we might be able to get CoreSec in on this. It is their jurisdiction. What do you think?" We could lie to to CoreSec about the reason for our presence if we needed to, but it didn't sit well with me. On the other hand, the amount of red tape in CoreSec had increased mightily in the past few years since Commissioner Fett had stepped away from the position, and having to abide by their rules might only hurt our chances to wrap up this operation.

[Dashel Illioni]

Aira’s question roiled Dashel’s stomach that had little to do with the meat heavy sandwich he’d recently eaten. He gave her a single quiet look that contained all of his disdain for the question before carefully replying, “I think I’d rather have a quiet understanding with Corsec and build a little trust with them, even if causes us trouble later on.”

 

Following the navigation cues being given by the escorting ships, Dashel cruised slowly over one of many Coronet city’s main spaceports. He caught glimpses of various ships from all over the galaxy, but the primary types seemed to be Corellian engineering types.

 

As they approached their designated bay, the GlassTiger passed on their port side. Dash attempted a quick appraisal as they passed by, but a quick glance told him the ship appeared okay. He wandered why BlackFist attempted to attack the ship.

 

The two escorts quickly flew off once they landed in their designated bay, just a short walk from where the GlassTiger was berthed.

 

Before he could finish the engine shut down, the comm system crackled to life.

 

“Captain Dashel, please remain on board your ship. Captain Bellatori wishes to search your ship for contraband. Please prepare to receive boarders.”

 

Dashel keyed a quick response and then turned to Aira. “I am thinking this Bellatori might be more than what he seems.”

 

He turned towards the ships computer and queried the local databases for a picture of Bellatori. An image of a short, leaned human with dark hair and olive skin soon appeared on the monitor along with the highlights of a 20 year career.

 

“Aira, I think you should be the one to greet this man. Be honest with him about why we are here and let’s see what happens.”

[Aira Cadan]

I nodded. "Keep digging and seeing if you can find Black Fist's base of operations in this system. I'll go deal with CoreSec, and hopefully by the time we're clear to leave, the computer will have given us a place to start."

 

Rising, I headed towards the boarding ramp. It had been unexpected that we'd been forced to land in Coronet City, but hopefully it would work out. I trusted the Force, and I trusted that we were acting in the will of the Force. That was all that we could do. The ramp lowered, and I stepped down it. At the bottom of the ramp was the CoreSec delegation, Bellatori and three others. "Hi there," I said. "You're welcome to look onboard. The cargo area is in the standard place for this model of Corvette."

 

The three other cops headed into the ship. I glanced at Bellatori, who had pulled out a datapad. "Right then, miss," he said. "Got some forms to fill out here. Please list the names of all the crew onboard, purpose of your visit, final destination, where you're staying here in Coronet City, comm number for a local contact plus one for an emergency contact, then your ship's information and transponder codes."

 

I took the datapad and started entering the data. "Security is certainly heavier than the last time I was here," I commented. "Something going on?"

 

"Nothing that concerns you, miss, I'm sure," Bellatori said flatly. "ID?"

 

I handed him a chit, and he scanned it. His eyebrows raised. "Says here you're a Jedi?"

 

I nodded. "That's right. There are two of us, plus a few friends. We've been tracking a gang of criminal mercenaries and slavers, and our information says they might have a base in this system. We'd be happy to work with your people on this." I handed him the completed datapad.

 

He looked uncomfortable, and frankly, I didn't blame him. Being around a Force-user in general was enough to make most people nervous. Normally, that Force-user being a Jedi wouldn't cause too much additional concern, but our name had lost a lot of it's weight in the past years, and now many believed us to be no better than Sith. It was a sad truth.

 

"Honestly, ma'am...we don't have the manpower right now to do more than we're dealing with right now. Tell you what though, if you'll file some reports now and after you find whatever you find, I know my superiors will appreciate it. And...try not to get into too much trouble, okay?"

 

I smiled reassuringly. "We'll try not to cause you any problems. And when we complete our mission, let us know if we can help you with anything."

 

"Will do."

 

I didn't quite believe him, but he clearly just wanted to play nice and let us go on our way. That was fine by me. At least he didn't want to detain us or insist on one of his men accompanying us. A few minutes later, the other three officers came down the ramp and reported everything was in the clear and that we were free to go. I nodded and thanked them, then headed back onto the Scratch.

 

I sat down in the cockpit next to Dashel. "The good news is, we are not who they're looking for, and the captain seems willing to let us take care of our business as long as we file some reports with CoreSec. I don't think he was expecting Jedi."

[Dashel Illioni]

“That’s the official line anyway,” said Dashel, “It seems eight ships have been raided over 3 days. The attackers hit and fade before the military or anyone else can respond. Each time, they take a few of the passengers than disappear without making any demands. The press and public are pretty up in arms about the latest one where the mysterious attackers hit a refugee column and took several Miraluka families.”

 

He turned back to Aira with a grim smile on his face. He brought up another list, this one with the passengers missing from the previous linked raids.

“Everyone of the taken passengers has either been suspected or investigated for being Force-Sensitive by the Jedi order. A fact that the press has consistently missed somehow. I’ll bet Corsec hasn’t, but they are keeping the information from the public.”

 

Taking a quick breath, he said, “And there’s this…image that’s been circulating the local ‘net.”

 

A quick click brought up a grainy image file. It showed a clenched, black fist clearly displayed on what seemed to be a frigate of some sort. A captioned noted that the shot had been taken from a camera of a Corsec agent lost near Drall.

 

“Now, I don’t know why Inspector Ballestori didn’t request help or offer aid to us. But…”

 

A beeping near his feet interrupted his thoughts. He looked to down to locate the source of the noise and discovered a small, mouse type droid bearing the markings of Coresec. He reached and grabbed a pad and connected the two via a cable on the droid.

 

“Then again...”

 

A series of coordinates appeared on the pad along with a copy of a Corsec file that included a higher quality image of the one Dashel found on the local ‘net. The agent’s report inside detailed the agent’s tracking a suspected smuggling ship to an abandoned station around Drall before being found dead alongside a local prostitute.

 

He brought up yet another file on the screen.

 

“That station was purchased by a consortium of buyer’s with known ties to organized crime after the previous owners went bankrupt. And while the court records list the bankruptcy as due to fiscal mismanagement, a quick search reveals a number of their properties being destroyed by criminal activity.”

 

Looking at Aira he said, “None of this would be enough for a search warrant, but with a dead agent involved Corsec wants answers. Inspector Ballesori must think we can provide them. I wonder which of those four dropped this little droid off and when, not that is important.”

 

Taking a deep breath, he said, “The GrassTiger’s been cleared and ready for liftoff. We can have everything we need transferred aboard as soon as we’re ready. After that, we need to find a way to infiltrate that station and find out what’s there and I think we need to it quickly. BlackFist seems to be building to something and we need to find out what.”

[Aira Cadan]

I grinned. “Looks like we’ve got our starting point.” I loved when the Force did something like this. “Alright, go get your ship. I’ll stay here with the Scratch. Have we heard anything from my contact?”

 

I checked the comm log. “Ah, there she is.” While we had both been occupied with CoreSec, Walker had arrived and sent a text message to us. “She’s getting inspected too, but they’re just scanning her ships in orbit.” Meanwhile, there was another message from the Marines, too. “The Wookiees are also here, but they don’t have to be screened. Naturally. I’ll let everyone know the new coordinates.”

 

Once Dashel had headed to the Grass Tiger, I brought the Corvette off the ground. With luck, we’d find the Black Fist base of operations. I left a comm line open to my fellow Jedi so we could stay in communication and headed towards Drall.

 

The flight wasn’t long, even with all the space traffic. The Marines were already there, waiting, and I patched them and Walker’s group into a big group comm with us two Jedi. Everyone hung back and scanned the station from multiple vantage points. What we found was good news from one point of view, but bad news from another.

 

This was clearly the right place; that was the good. There was a surprising amount of covert traffic slipping in and out of the station, which meant that they were almost ready to launch that major operation I had been hearing about during my undercover work. That was the bad part. But at least we were still in time. Hopefully we could shut them down and figure out what they were doing, both without getting in too big of a mess.

 

Dashel had suggested infiltrating the station. Walker tended to be on his side, while the Wookiees wanted to go in, guns blazing. At first, I was confident we could take the station with force, but the longer we sat and observed it, the less sure I was. Eventually, we all agreed to Dashel’s plan: we’d form a small group—just Dashel, Walker, the Wookiee captain whose name I had forgotten, and I. The four of us would board the Scratch and try to slip in with the current traffic. Once on board, we’d use stealth to sneak around the station until we found out what they were up to. Then we’d figure out what to do from there. Walker’s people and the other Wookiees, along with Dashel’s people, would be listening in on our comms, ready to bring in the hammer if things changed and we were exposed.

 

It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it would do. While the designated people came onboard the Scratch, I put on my Black Fist merc armor again, stowing my lightsaber in its hiding place on my calf and holstering my standard issue blaster. With any luck, I wouldn’t need to use it, but I had to play the part in case anyone saw us, and a good Black Fist merc wouldn’t be caught dead without her blaster. Or rather, it would only be if she was dead that she would be separated from it.

[Dashel Illioni]

Cautious as we moved, it ended up taking us several hours for our three ships to coordinate our orbits and get decent scans of the pirate’s haven. The data we gathered brought the others around to my line of reasoning, of using a small reconnaissance team to gather information on the station.

 

I understood Aira’s and the Wookies’ desire to assault the station and sort through the rubble afterward. Our group just did not have the fire or man-power to complete a successful assault.

Before we began our ships even reached an initial orbit of Drall, I needed to prepare myself for what lay ahead. I’d went into the Coruscant raid nearly blind and that was not to be repeated on a personal level.

 

From its nook in my quarters, I took down the Ranger’s armor I’d worn before becoming a Jedi. Handling the thing brought back a flood of memories which my Jedi training pushed out of my consciousness. My hands lingered over the where the patches once were, torn off when my connection to the Force had been discovered on Trian.

 

A crudely painted representation of BlackFist’s symbol tarnished the armor further. A smile crossed my face at my attachment to the memories of my former life.

 

Closing my eyes, I began a brief meditation to cleanse my mind of the attachment or at least make it more manageable. The brief meditation brought a clarity that surprised me concerning these memories. They were a part of my. Denying them meant denying part of me. So I let them flow, let myself embrace them for the first time since beginning to train as a Jedi.

 

My meditation ended quickly, leaving me feeling whole and refreshed in a way that felt complete. Oddly enough, it left me feeling deeply connected and enfolded by some of the deepest currents of the Force.

 

Having finished uncaring for my armor, I took my Orcilinus double chambered blaster and began checking out the weapon. As always, it was in full working order along with a 3 clips each for the weapon’s dual chambers.

 

Laying down the blaster, I took a bag full of marbles, the special kind consisting of micro explosives that would go in a pouch opposite of the magazines for the blaster.

 

A glance at my preparations left me feeling uneasy, that it looked awfully short of being acceptable for a mercenary’s kit. Frowning, I stood and walked towards the door of my quarters to go and search for a blaster rifle of some sort and grenades.

 

The door opened to reveal Kala standing there with and old DxR6 carbine with an attached grenade launcher in her hands and the kind of satchel that held multiple types of grenades. My utility belt began to look to be more crowded yet complete by the second. Without saying a word she handed the weapons to me and wordlessly walked into my small suite. With a gesture, she let me know she wanted to talk.

 

I locked the door, engaged the privacy settings, and sat down to service the weapons. Kala sat opposite and watched the proceedings for a few moments before speaking. My fingers, at first frustratingly rusty, began remembering the old tasks and the weapon soon lay in several pieces.

 

She laid a data chip before me and began speaking.

 

“The good inspector that met us at the spaceport? I thought I recognized him from somewhere. Finally figured out where.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Remember Kharjo’s little run in on Coruscant? The man interrogated Marta and Delaney after the event.”

 

“On Coruscant? What would a Corsec investigator be doing on Coruscant?”

 

“Not Corsec, Republic Inteligence.”

 

Only my Jedi training kept me in my chair and from pacing about the room.

 

“Kala, does Aira know about this?”

 

“Haven’t yet. You need to look at that chip first and the message the agent left you.”

 

I reached out the chip and put into the appropriate slot on the cabin’s computer. Almost immediately the agent’s face appeared before us.

 

“Jedi Master Illioni, by the time you receive this I have no doubt you will be on your way to the task waiting for you on a certain Blackfist station. I can’t promise you any Republic or Corsec backup, but there’s a Corellian task force just sitting out there waiting for trouble to start.”

 

Kala smiled over at me and then continued speaking, “I’ll forward this to Aira. Did you ever take a look over the file on Knight Aira’s abilities?”

 

“You mean her empathy scores and Knight Onderon’s thoughts on what they meant?

 

“So you were paying attention.”

 

“I have a task for her to begin training those abilities that may or may not put her on the same path as Bastila Shan.”

 

I finished re-assembling the rifle and donned all the battle gear I had laid out.

 

Kala looked me over critically for a moment when I rose.

 

“Before you go to the bridge, we need to do something about that fur. Get out of that gear and come here.”

 

She finished darkening my fur to the darkest blue I had ever seen it just before the bridge crew announced the first of the scanning passes.

 

As I said, the scans convinced Aira and the Wookie to reconnoiter the station.

 

We gathered on the bridge of the ‘Scratch’ to discuss the particulars of how we intended to infiltrate the station. Our chance came when an Action 4, tethered to the station suddenly listed to one side.

A fireball erupted from the side of the stricken vessel causing the stern of the giant vessel to separate from the vessel. We watched in horror as debris and bodies spilled into the vacuum and no one moved to aid them.

 

I felt their deaths in the Force, their fear and terror at dying in the void. A few survived long enough for me to see many of them as the Force saw them.

 

That Action IV’s casualties were pirates, sentients whose nature and choices in life allowed us the choice of holding our position or asking. I passed the information on to Aira and the rest of our parties.

One of the overhead bridge monitors chirped for attention. Looking up, I saw the opportunity the Action IV was providing for us. The debris and radiation spewing from the wreckage meant that the sensor’s aboard the station now had several large and mobile blind spots.

 

I turned to Aira and said, “If the ‘Scratch’ or a shuttle can follow the blind spots that ship provided, we should be able to quietly board the station.

 

Turning to the Captains Kenithan and Walker, I asked them, “Gentleman, I have a request for you but its contingent upon Knight accepting a task while we board the station. You see, I would like her to use her empathy to track all three of our ships, and the three of us using the Force. Not a temporary track, not a part time tracking, but a continuous track on all of us even during our infiltration.”

[Aira Cadan]

The Force was with us; we had just finished ironing out our plans when the docked ship exploded, leaving the sensors temporarily blind. I grimaced at the feeling of the deaths through the Force. That was a sensation I never got used to. Men like my old master were eventually able to not let it affect them so much--they had to, in a battle--but empathy had always been my greatest weakness and my greatest strength. But I said nothing about it. Instead, I focused on what the now dark-blue Dashel was saying. His proposal surprised me. "Are you speaking of something like battle meditation or a Jedi battle bond, master?" Onderin had encouraged me to practice the former. He himself had been a practitioner, and knew it would be something I'd be good at, but the war had ended not long after that, and I hadn't had very many opportunities to practice.

 

Walker was totally on board. She had experienced first hand how much more efficient it had made a team. "That would be very helpful, I'm sure. Aira, can you do it?"

 

I shrugged. "I'll tr--" I paused, correcting myself. "Okay, let's do it." It was interesting that Dashel seemed eager to encourage my growth as a Jedi. It felt good, actually. It had been a long time since I had worked with other Jedi, much less Jedi Masters. "Is that alright with you, Captain?" I asked the Wookiee. He growled an affirmative from the pilot's chair, where he was already bringing the Scratch into the station, taking advantage of the short window where the sensors would be out.

 

I slowed my breathing. The trick with this would be to not get distracted. Normally when he did it, Onderin would find some quiet corner so that he could really focus. But I was going to have to do it on the move. On the other hand, I only had to worry about three ships worth of people, not a whole battle. By the time the ship docked, I had connected with the other three going on board with me. Walker was the easiest to sense, because I knew her the best, and she was human. Dashel's mind was very foreign, but there were also similarities between us as Jedi. And the Wookiee had a very regimented and disciplined mind with a undercurrent of an almost primal desire for violence and havoc.

 

As soon as the ship settled down on it's struts, we dashed on board the station. The hanger we had chosen to land in was actually fairly empty. I could sense most of the station crew's attention focused on recovering the sensor systems or fixing other damage from the blast. Nevertheless, we ran across the hanger until we reached a hallway, then slowed to a non-suspicious walk as we began to move carefully through the station.

[Dashel Illioni]

One of my talents as a Jedi lies in the realm of what the old order called Sorcery. As such, I spend a great amount of time watching how living Jedi utilize the Force, the better to create objects that can enhance those same talents or even grant those skills t those without them.

 

Watching Aira extend her empathy into the meld we now shared proved fascinating. An intensive longing found its way to my fingertip, making them ache for a stylus and pad to record my observations and start planning for a new piece.

 

It had to wait until I had time. WE were about to run a data raid on pirate stronghold. My companions were counting on me being a legitimate part of the meld, of adding my gifts to enhance us.

 

With Aira busy with the meld, I immediately extended my Force sense as far as I cold and still leave myself present and able to interpret the Force currents made by the living beings of this station. As we paused at the first intersections, one of those currents immediately stood out because of how different it was. While most of the currents around consisted of a tangle of greed, anger, and other dark emotions, it told a faint story of selflessness, devotion, and a deep steady compassion.

I wanted to take point immediately, but my group consisted of three seasoned professional. While Aira would probably understand, if I just walked forward, my other two companions might not despite their previous interactions with Jedi.

 

Something in the meld told me the others were about to move in a direction opposite of the way I felt we should go. What I needed to do required direct contact between two Jedi.

 

Quietly, carefully, I crossed to where Aira crouched, I gently touched her shoulder and extended my senses so she could sense what I did. I only had a moment to do so, but also had to be gentle about it or risk a possible overload of her senses. It was probably an unnecessary worry, but I never forgot my responsibilities as a teacher.

I knew my Jedi companion was key to convincing the others and felt sure that whatever waited at the end of that current was somehow important to our success.

[Aira Cadan]

The sensations I was getting from everyone else in the meld would have been overwhelming if I hadn't been a Jedi. Everyone saw the world differently, and that was literal in the case of the Wookiee and the Trianni. But I was deep in the Force, and so I was able to process everything as a whole--as long as I didn't let myself get distracted. We had moved into the hallway and were working our way carefully through. I was counting on Dashel's senses to warn us of any approaching mercs, as well as the Wookiee's keen sense of smell.

 

We came to a junction, and suddenly I sensed Dashel reaching out to me. He communicated through the Force a sense of purpose and direction. There was somewhere we were supposed to go, and he was picking up on it. I smiled to myself as he touched my shoulder, and nodded to him. "This way," I said to everyone in a whisper. Captain Walker was used to working with Jedi, so I sensed nothing but gratitude for a sense of direction from her. The Wookiee was a little more nonplussed, but he was game with the change.

 

With Dashel's senses guiding us, we made quick time through the station. I was unsure of what exactly he was sensing; the bond was not that specific. But I understood that he felt it was key to the mission's success, and I trusted the Jedi Master.

 

But when we ended up in the detention area, my faith was beginning to waver. The Wookiee's certainly was, but he was too professional to speak aloud about it. The Force, through Dashel, directed us to a particular cell. In it was a human man, probably in his late 20's or early 30's, dark-skinned like me with long black dreadlocks. He was dressed in normal civilian clothing, and was handsome in a rugged way. I pulled back from the bond a bit so I could focus. "Hello," I said softly.

 

He frowned. "I'm not cooperating with you any more. There's nothing more for me to say."

 

"Who are you and why are you in the brig?" Walker asked.

 

"Don't tell me," he said sarcastically. "You're not with Black Fist. You're infiltrating them, trying to destroy them."

 

I sensed that the truth was best here. "Actually yes."

 

He looked me in the eye. "Get me out of here, and then I'll believe you."

 

I could sense the Wookiee was very against letting him out, but the Force was swirling strangely around this man. I felt a strange connection with him. He radiated regret through the Force, and I wanted to help him. I glanced at Dashel, then reached out through the Force and unlocked the door and the man's manacles.

 

"You're...Jedi?" he gasped.

 

I smiled. "Yes, we are. And I think you can help us."

[Dashel Illioni]

Some situations keep finding ways to repeat themselves throughout galactic history, albeit with some minor details that change the entire dynamic of the situation. And that’s where we found ourselves, recreating one of the greatest, craziest and badly conceived rescue attempts to ever succeed. Had I not been a Jedi, I might have found the whole situation amusing.

 

And maybe it would be in the future. At the moment, we had other things to worry about. Like being in the middle of a detention center in the middle of a base full of ruthless pirates trying to complete an information raid that suddenly got far more complicated.

 

Yet the Force led us here, and that meant the man standing before us had to be important in some way to our mission. We just had to discover how and for that we needed time and space to get to know each other, our needs, and how we all could help each other.

 

I immediately turned to the Wookie captain and said, “Sometimes these things happen when you’re a Jedi. We learn to accept them and their consequences.”

 

A short growl was my answer followed by a lengthy but quiet reply in Shyriiwook.

 

”We grow up with the stories of Jedi, this is not a surprise. The questions I want is answered is how do we trust this man, what does he want, and what are we going to do now? We don’t even know his name. Whatever answers we come up with, let’s not come up with them in the middle of a detention center.”

 

Looking at Walker, I saw and felt acceptance of the situation but felt she had the same questions.

 

Aira and the cell’s former occupant seemed removed from any concerns, focused on something the rest of us could not see. The currents of the Force swirling around them indicated a budding attraction there, stemming from the physical and already beginning to extend into the emotional. Oddly enough, the man before us was not a Force User.

 

The Force currents around the two held answers, but they only seemed to lead to more questions. Experience told me that the best place to start would be at the beginning. I did sense the man was trustworthy and came to us with the greatest need. The Wookie had given me the answer for the problem of getting to know him and the Jedi code gave one to what was happening to Aira and our new member.

It was an absolute solution that I rejected in light of the happiness that stemmed from my own experience. Something I often admitted that brought wonder and trouble in equal measure.

 

“We seem destined to travel together. So let’s start with names. I’m Jedi Master Dashel Illioni, this is Captains Kenithan and Walker,” I said, nodding to the Wookie and the other Human respectively.

 

Continuing I said, “This is Jedi Knight Aira Caiden who is leading the mission. We need to find somewhere to talk further to sort this all out. If you have a suggestion that doesn’t scream trap, say so now or we’ll beat a retreat back to our ship”

 

Gently, I stepped between the two and laid my hands on their shoulders. “When we move out, I’ll lead, Aira will follow and the two captains can guard our flanks with you in the center.”

 

“So, what’s your name and where shall we go?”

[Aira Cadan]

((OOC: I'm so sorry, Dashel, I didn't see your post and just happened to look this morning!!))

 

IC:

 

Once freed, the man's attitude changed. I could sense from him a cautious joy. For him, this clearly seemed too good to be true. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you," he said. "Clearly, your Force is something to be reckoned with. There's a command center right down the hall." He motioned to the right. "There will only be two or three guards--I've never seen more. We can talk there."

 

I nodded. "Let's go then."

 

True to his word, Dashel took point as we filed out of the cell. The guard post was easy to find, and with a mental nudge, Dashel and I were able to send the guards into a deep slumber without setting off an alarm with blaster fire. I set Kenithan on keeping an eye on the security monitors to ensure no one snuck up on us, then turned back to our guest. "So, what is your name and why did Black Fist have you locked up?"

 

He leaned against the wall. "My name is Apollo Antilles Vine. As for why Black Fist has me locked up...well, it's a long story. I don't know how much you know...do you know about the Scarif sleeper ship?"

 

I traded glances with Dashel. The name rung in the Force as something of significance. "No," I said slowly.

 

He gave us an appraising glance. "I really hope you are Jedi, not Sith...Alright, so, many years ago, the Sith developed a disease, for lack of a better term. They set it loose upon my people in a settlement on Scarif. It basically turns people into willing Sith mind-slaves, but only once it's activated. The Sith demonstrated vividly its effectiveness, then disappeared, promising us that one day they would return and activate the disease in everyone affected. They were building an army, you see, a army of slaves." He met my eyes briefly. "They didn't count on us fighting back." He then looked back towards the ceiling, his arms crossed. "We took all the infected and put them on a sleeper ship and sent it on a meandering course through the stars. If the Sith couldn't find them, the Sith couldn't use them. Only a few of us knew it's course, a protection against the Sith if they returned. My sister was one of the infected. We put them on that ship with promises to find a cure, but we knew there was nothing we could do. They were as good as dead, and everyone knew it. It was just if the Sith would come, or if they would die of old age first.

 

"That was ten standard years ago. We're a small colony with limited resources, and everyone pretty much gave up looking for a cure. But I couldn't. I left Scarif and traveled as much as I could, taking random jobs to pay for my passage. And finally," he said, his voice dropping low, "I found something. A cure. Or at least, I'm pretty sure it'll cure them. I went back to Scarif and spoke to the elders. They gave me the coordinates of the sleeper ship. I hired a pilot to take me there, but the pilot turned out to be Black Fist." His tone was bitter. "I was so eager that at last we might cure our families, that I shared all of this with him. Instead of taking me there, he brought me here and threw me in that cell. Black Fist interrogated everything right out of me. They want to find the ship and activate the disease so that the people are their slaves. And once it's activated, it can quickly spread to others. They'll have an army quicker than you can say 'Kowakian monkey lizard'."

 

He took a deep breath. "Unless you stop them. You're Jedi. Please, stop this. I'll help you however I can. I can take you right to the sleeper ship, and give you the codes to get onboard. But we have to hurry. If we get there too late, then we'll be infected just like everyone else. I know it's a risk, but please..."

 

His story rang true in the Force, and I could feel his bitterness, overwhelming regret for having revealed his peoples' location to Black Fist, and dread at what might still happen. I was impressed with his bravery and willingness to do whatever he could to stop this from happening. And the fact that the Force had led us to him seemed to indicate that this was the right path to take.

 

To me, there was no question what we should do. But I wasn't going to put the others in unnecessary danger. "Give us a minute, Apollo," I said, then motioned for the other three to gather by the Wookiee. "What do you all think? I, for one, think this is the right path. But it's a volunteer basis only. I know we don't know Apollo at all and have only his word on this, but I can't see how he would have made that all up. It must be true. And if it's true, we can deal a blow to Black Fist and the Sith at the same time, while freeing those people. Thoughts?"

[Dashel Illioni]

Once we arrived safely in the command center and secured the two sets of doors into the place, I turned my full attention, both physical and Forced based, onto Apollo.

 

I had good reason for doing so. During our initial meeting outside his prison cell, Apollo’s speech rang with a partial truth. The man held something back, a natural reaction for anyone who had been through what he had.

 

If he wanted our help, however, he needed to be more forthcoming with everything he knew. To do that, we needed to trust each other far beyond our initial meeting.

“Aira,” I said, “Scarif was the home of a sect of Force users. They saw the Force differently but stayed on friendly terms with the Jedi. We exchanged information and studied each other’s techniques for many years.”

 

My mind drifted back through the years to that briefing in the Temple when we learned some of the cost of the war years. The Master and the Force that day felt heavy with sadness, regret and pain.

 

“We lost contact with them during a massive offensive by the Empire. The Council listed them as destroyed during one of the purges of Force Users conducted by the Sith throughout their conquered territories.”

 

Bowing my head in Apollo’s direction, I said, “Apparently, the Council’s decision was wrong. I can’t imagine the suffering that has resulted.”

Apollo knew though, and he radiated that pain into the Force along with an intense anger directed at the Jedi that clashed with the hope he also felt. Understandable considering everything the man had gone through to get to this point.

 

My heart went out to the man, but that was the past. We now had the opportunity to change what had gone wrong.

Taking a seat at a center console, I turned to the room at large. “As Aira said, we are coming with you to help your people. It’s up to the two Captain’s if they and their units are coming with us.”

 

Meeting Apollo’s eyes I said, “On the listing of ships we have for BlackFist’s fleet, an anomaly popped up.” I accessed the terminal and transferred that list to the command room’s central screen and highlighted the name that caught my attention earlier.

 

“The Valentine-Hunt group specializes in extremely high risk salvage operations. They became the darling of the holonet a few years back when they rescued a refugee ship. A ship considered impossible to rescue because of how deep into a Black Hole’s gravity well the ship had fallen.”

 

Apollo's eyes went to Aira and locked onto hers. I found that interesting and filed it away for later. After a very long time, he replied very quietly in a voice almost devoid of emotion.

 

"My people's ship is orbiting a Blue-White hyper giant."

 

To me, it was simply another ingredient in the stew we'd fallen into. One that seemed to be rapidly coming to a boil, but we needed to focus on our present to be useful later.

 

“Captains,” I said, “We need to get safely out of here. If we can do so without Blackfist realizing Apollo’s going with us so much the better. Once we are safe, if you want to part with us it will be okay.”

 

They nodded my direction even as I turned towards Aira and Apollo.

 

“Apollo, Aira’s commanding this mission and will command the mission to save your people. Once we get out of here, you’ll need to start talking to her and let her know everything you can. I am here to advise and serve.”

 

Finally, I looked directly at Aira. “It is up to you, but I think you should extend your meditation to include Apollo. It will make getting out of here that much easier.”

[Aira Cadan]

It was times like this that I really appreciated having Master Illioni here. He had a wealth of background knowledge, and it was clearly one of his Force giftings that the random, seemingly unrelated bits of information would come to his mind when they were applicable. I had completely missed the connection that Apollo had had to the Jedi previously, but now that Dashel had pointed it out, it was clear. Apollo looked at me, and our eyes met. I could see his pain, but I could also see his hope. He may not like it, but he knew that we were his sister's only chance, and he was willing to let the past die if it meant that the future could be bright. It was an admirable quality. But right now, I couldn't dwell on it. Captain Walker was expressing her agreement that her forces would join us, no matter what. It was, I knew, due to her sense of loyalty to me. "I won't forget this," I told her quietly.

 

The Wookiee was apologetic, but he expressed that he couldn't risk his Marines in this. They could provide backup for us from space, but he wouldn't be able to send any of his forces with us when we boarded the ship. It was good enough for me.

 

Dashel refocused us on getting out of here, and suggested I extend my meditation to include Apollo. I winced inwardly, but he had a point. If he was coming with us, it made sense to include him.

 

"What meditation is this?" Apollo asked, looking back and forth between Dashel and myself.

 

I took a careful breath. "It's a Jedi technique to increase efficiency among those in a group. It boosts the morale, stamina, and overall battle prowess of an individual's allies while simultaneously reducing the opposition's combat-effectiveness by eroding their will to fight. On a small scale like this, one person acts as a focus and sort of brings everyone's best abilities to the benefit of the group."

 

He looked at me intently. "So what does that mean?"

 

"It means that I'll link my mind with yours, and with the others'. What you see and sense will be communicated to me, and I'll in turn send the pertinent facts to everyone in the bond."

 

"You'll be in my mind?"

 

I didn't blame him for his uneasiness. "Yes. But it's not like I'm going to read your thoughts or anything. You'll hear my voice in your head, but I'm not going to pry." For some reason, I felt myself blush slightly.

 

Walker saved me. "Don't worry about it," she said. "The benefits far outweigh the awkwardness, and Aira's a good woman. She's never used anything she learned in mind for her own advantage. You can trust her."

 

I shot her a smile as Apollo slowly nodded. "I think you're right. Alright, do it," he said.

 

"We still need to figure out a way to take this base out of operation," I said, eager to change the subject. "That's the whole reason we came aboard."

 

The Wookiee Captain rumbled something. "We're close to the main generator," he said in Shyriiwook. "If we get there, we can cut the power to it and the backup generators. In the ensuing bustle, we can get off the station. Then with the shields down, our ships can destroy it."

 

Walker nodded. "It'll be tight timing-wise, and the Black Fist will know something is up the moment we cut the power, but it's our best shot. And we can do it quickly so that we can still get to the sleeper ship before they do. Might just buy us some time, too, in the long run."

 

No one voiced any objections, so I nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan." Slowly, I reached out with the Force and linked with the others through my meditation. I linked Apollo in last. It was always very personal, linking minds with someone, and it was awkward to do with a stranger. But that was what was needed here. As I merged my mind with his, I couldn't help but pick up flashes of his identity and personality. In that moment, I knew that this was meant to be, and that we could indeed trust him. His character was complicated, but he was honest and honorable at the core.

 

"Alright," I said softly. "Let's move out."

 

It was a short walk to the generator station, and with my battle meditation in place, we didn't run into any trouble. Of course, that would certainly change the moment we destroyed the generators. Once there, Kenithan crept forward and began to place charges all around the room, keeping to cover behind various pieces of equipment. There were only two people in the room, and one droid, but it would be easier if they didn't see us.

[Dashel Illioni]

Watching Captain Walker, I took a moment to examine my own expertise in sabotage and quickly realized that I knew how to do damage on a small scale. Her damage would be a whole magnitude or two greater than anything I had ever created during my days as a Ranger.

 

On the other hand, I was a Jedi Master, one with considerable knowledge of the Force and the same as an Ally. Looking over at Aira, I grinned, closed my eyes, and began filling myself with the Force. Soon, the sweet intoxicant of the Light flowed through my body, expanding my awareness throughout the room.

 

Details invisible to the naked eye soon became known to me. Time slowed to a crawl as my mind expanded in an attempt to organize and coalesce the data being shown to me. A picture formed of strengths and weaknesses within the walls of the room and soon became a map of damage that could be inflected for even greater effect than the Captain’s explosives.

 

I found that interesting, since it seemed that my mind might be synthesizing the data according to my limited knowledge of starship construction, a discipline that had been dormant almost as long as my commando skills. It explained the amount of effort it took to assemble the knowledge into something I could use.

 

The three pirates in the room presented a further problem. Any attempt to move might draw their attention and that was something we should not, could not risk at this point.

 

My consciousness expanded even further the station, flowing along the hallways most likely to be used during our escape. Flaws became apparent, a weakness in the metal, a power junction poorly wired, and at a least a pair of conduits carrying volatile chemicals throughout the station.

 

Letting go of the Force, I turned to Aira and said, “If it is okay with you, I will take up the rearguard on the way back to the ship. I have some additional tasks that will insure extra chaos for our piratical friends and contribute to the station’s destruction. ”

[Aira Cadan]

I could see Dashel's mind was full of possibilities, and I returned his smile. "Of course, Master," I whispered back.

 

After another minute, all the charges were set. It was time to make a strategic exit. Kenithan showed us the detonator, which was set for five minutes. It wasn't going to be long enough for us to get very far before Black Fist was on the lookout for us, but it would give us a head start. I nodded and signaled for us to move out. We beat a quick retreat through the hallways. I could sense the two captains' focus, and Dashel's determination. From Apollo I was getting mostly a sense of shocked hopeful bewilderment. He hadn't had time to digest everything that had happened yet, but he was still moving, and still attempting to focus on the present.

 

The backup generators were not far, and we were able to make it there before the main ones blew. They were unguarded, so I ignited my lightsaber and sank it into the generators. They died with an ominous whine.

 

We headed out, but the five minutes passed very quickly. Suddenly the deck shook with the force of the explosion, and all the lights flickered and died. There was a loud whine as the backup generators tried to take over, and then red emergency lighting lit the length of the hall. I could sense the change in the atmosphere of the base immediately. "Let's move!" I said loudly. We began to run, taking off down the hallway, heading for the hangar bay as quickly as our feet could carry us.

 

((OOC: I'll be out of town the next three weeks and may have limited internet, but I'll post if I can. ))

[Dashel Illioni]

Watching Aria while we made our retreat reminded me just how dangerous Jedi became when armed with a little knowledge. The corners of my mouth kept trying to curl at Aria’s expertise in causing havoc, but suppressed most of the urge. The remainder I quietly shared with our group through Aria’s link.

 

As we withdrew towards the landing bay amidst red lighting and blaring alarms, I allowed a small distance to open up between them and myself.

 

I intended to be subtle about it, to quietly drift away and cause some havoc of my own. I needed some practice, as I found the Wookie captain beside me and offering to help.

 

My bracer mounted comma system buzzed quietly before I could refuse. Finding a mall alcove, I ducked inside and opened the cover.

Kala face filled the small screen.

 

“Hey boss,” she said, “I am assuming the station’s main and secondary generator going offline were your doing. It must have served as a signal to someone on the surface, cause you got incoming from planetary batteries. And our sensors indicate several planetary ion cannons and turbolasers coming up.”

 

“And without the main reactor or the secondary the shielding’s going to fail fast,” I finished. “How long?”

 

“Less than five or six minutes unless that main goes first. Better get a move on.”

 

“Tell Aira. I got work to do. Out.”

 

Her image began to fade and I closed the gauntlet’s cover.

 

“Okay Captain, we need to hurry. I’ve got two targets of opportunity that will make station recovery far more difficult.”

 

When I told him the targets, the Captain nodded and took off towards a series of conduits I knew went towards the reactor, growling as he went.

 

I sprinted towards a bank of breakers we passed on the way in. The smallest held a warning sign indicating the kind of current flowing through the circuits.

 

I didn’t want to get close and didn’t have to. Opening my pouch, I levitated a dozen or so spheres of microexplosives toward the bank.

 

A slightly harder push insured they stuck. Turning, I sprinted back the way I’d come, turned and began pursuing Aira. A single press of a button on my bracer detonated the explosives. Everything flashed a very harsh white and black. Apparently, the breakers must have retained some charge.

 

As I pursued Aira’s group who was moving very rapidly, I looked over and realized I was about to pass the Wookie captain who held a Mandalorian designed heavy blaster rifle in a very unusual configuration. He tossed me a second one when I skidded next to him. We faced a series of pipes marked ‘Reactor’.

 

He fired from a launcher underneath the rifle at the pipes. A flash of liquid light and energy left the tube and exploded against the pipes.

The resulting explosion felt massive and I found myself blinking spots from my eyes as we began sprinting to catch up with Aira. A series of secondary explosions echoed from behind us, headed in the direction of the reactor.

 

My companion rumbled an appreciation of the weapon we both held. When he got to part about the micro proton torpedo I doubled my efforts.

 

On their own, individual micro proton might not hurt a reactor this size, but one already unstable from all of our handiwork? Ouch.

 

About halfway to catching up with Aira, I suddenly had to dodge the massive, furry arm of a very enraged Wookie. Looking at the door that had caught his ire, I reached out with the Force and encountered Wookie minds.

 

Igniting my lightsaber, I plunged the blade into the door lock and shoved against the door with the Force. The door obediently recessed into the wall and stayed there.

We faced a large room configured as a pair of holding pens. In one pen stood four Silverback Wookies that the Captain freed by blasting one of the pen’s doors.

 

Very aware of time rapidly passing, I gave my rifle to the Captain to distribute to the Wookies. I looked at the second pen as the Captain began shouting directions at the former captives. BlackFist must have been keeping them for their pelts.

 

My lightsaber made short work of the lock and I saw an oversized slab of carbonite supported by heavy duty repulsors. The face of a humanoid barely cracked the surface and made species identification impossible.

 

It was fairly easy to maneuver the carbonite to the hallway. A grin spread across my face as I found a way to catch up with all parts of our group.

 

Something I needed to do immediately as the Force warned me of a large group of BlackFist soldiers converging between us and the hanger.

 

I jumped on the top of the slab. Trying to ignore the sentient beneath my feet, I pushed heavily with the Force and surfed towards the running Wookies.

My comm toned.

 

A quick glance showed Kala’s concerned face.

 

“Whatever you did, that reactors going to blow. Blackfist’s fleeing the station like the rat’s they are.”

 

“Except for the ones between us and the hangar. Get the ‘Tiger’ down to the same bay as the ‘Scratch’.”

 

“On the way,” she shouted even as I caught up with the Wookies. I heard the repulsors whine and the slab dipped when all 5 Wookies jumped on board. The five large bodies crowded together and made our transportation seem very small and crowded.

 

The repulsors recovered and after a couple of massive Force pushes we began closing the distance between us and Aira. Three of the Wookies reached out their hands to Aira and her group.

 

If Aria and her party accepted the lift, if we avoided the needed to make a sudden turn and if we hit the Black Fist lines fast enough, we might just be under the safety of the weapons onboard the ‘Scratch’ and the ‘Tiger’.

[Raven Nasra]

An encrypted, private communication arrives for the War Hero Aira Cadan from her fellow signatory of the Death Star Peace accords, and founder of the Galactic Alliance.

 

<>

 

"Hello old friend."

 

Though it had been nearly a decade, Raven was still familiar. Her features had hardened and her voice had become harsher, but she still retained the scars and battle wounds from when she was a 16 year old stormtrooper.

"If you have been following the news from the galactic senate, ex-Imperial Worlds are itching for separation from the union we fought so hard to achieve. I have decided to lead this exit myself. I know it seems like a betrayal, but I would like to involve you in this process, as well as your fellows in the Jedi Order. I promise you this, there will be no return to the Sith Influence Empire whilst I still live. I will not allow the few planets that wish to leave start a war. I am available by comm as needed. Or if you wish to speak in person, I invite you and whomever else you may wish to involve to Raxus Prime."

 

She bowed and the holographic message dissolved into static.

 

<>

[Aira Cadan]

It was times like this when I wondered if the ancient Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi had been right--it certainly felt like luck was on our side. As as pounded through the base, Walker and I were able to handle the few mercs that engaged us. Kala's voice came through my earpiece warning of a planetary bombardment, and I acknowledged. "Thanks for the info! We're hurrying!" Dashel and Kenithan had dropped back, but they were still in the bond, so I could sense what they were up to.

 

However, suddenly I felt them coming up behind us fast. I turned to look, and almost stumbled. They were...surfing? With multiple wookiees? I let out a bemused laugh. This Jedi was crazy. "Get ready!" I yelled to Walker and Apollo. Then I felt myself hoisted in the air by massive wookiee paws. I couldn't help it--I let out a whoop of excitement as we flew through the blast doors into the hangar. Dashel and I were in the front, and out lightsabers formed a screen to protect the whole group from the sudden hail of blasterfire coming our direction.

 

But we showed no sign of stopping. With one more boost from the repulsors, we plowed through the group of Black Fisters, sending them diving out of the way and us into the safety of the range of our ships' weaponry. We leapt off of our ride. Walker and Apollo followed me onto the Scratch while the wookiees went with Dashel onto the Tiger. "No time to waste!" I called as I pounded my way to the cockpit. The ships' armor would protects us for a few minutes, but it wouldn't be long before the base blew and we needed to put as much distance between us and the base as possible before then.

 

In my haste, I probably pushed the engines of the Corvette a bit too much, because they made an uncharacteristic whining sound, but we blasted out of there at top speed, narrowly avoiding a falling piece of debris. 60 seconds later, the station blew spectacularly. I let out my breath in a whoosh and leaned back in the pilot's chair. I suddenly realized Apollo was there and grinned at him. "Well, that was an adventure."

[Dashel Illioni]

OOC: Forgive me for this post but I felt I needed to get something up. Everything else just wasn't working.

 

During the War Period, the heavy guns of the GrassTiger thundered often in battle after battle. Their unique vibration made itself known through the souls of his feet to the roots of his heart. He found that where they’d once brought a measure of satisfaction, they now brought a feeling of immense sadness.

 

A sadness that wrapped itself around the core of his being as his ship fled the confines of the hangar, spitting fire back at the mercenaries trying to bring down his ship or the Scratch. Kala kept them just of the Scratch’s starboard quarter as they fled the rapidly disintegrating station.

 

Dashel, after checking with Kala concerning their escape, escorted the Wookies back to the ship’s MedBay to have them checked out. He’d forgotten about their passengers.

 

The roaring assault on his hearing that resulted from the Wookies greeting each other immediately reminded him. The following rapid fire exchange left him nearly deaf and a need to take a refresher course in basic Shyriiwook.

 

He waited for his ears to stop ringing and the Wookies to settle down.

 

They settled when the artificial gravity whined with the strain of their acceleration from the station Something deep within his ships popped and sizzled heralding the need for a damage assessment when they found someplace safe to do so.

 

One of the rescued Wookies turned to him and said .

Dash loved happed endings even when he had difficulty translating someone’s language.

 

He left the Wookies in the MedBay figuring their medical exams could wait until the mini-reunion finished. Meanwhile he needed to secure their other passenger in the cargo bay. A few steps and a few minutes later he finished his task and went to the bridge of his ship.

 

Kala looked over at him as he sat in the co-pilot’s seat before turning back to piloting the ship.

 

“See we picked up some new passengers. We’re going to need a bigger ship or a place to put them all.”

 

Dash replied with a glint of humor in his words, "I think our Wookie friends will go with the Marines to eventually return to Kashyyk. It’s our other guest that concerns me, the one frozen in carbonite.”

 

“Really, why?” asked Kala.

 

“Just a feeling. But I think’s that’s something for later. Let me contact Aira and see what our next move is.”

 

He turned to the comm system and hailed the Scratch. “Hey Aira, what’s next?”

[Aira Cadan]

As the adrenaline of our narrow escape began to die down, I also slowly released the mind meld I'd been doing. One by one, people dropped out of the meld, until we were all left alone in our own minds again. I let out a deep breath, suddenly fatigued. It had been a long time since I had used the Force that heavily. On top of that, the wave of death that had come from the station when it blew was painful. I rubbed my face with my hand.

 

"You okay?" Apollo asked.

 

I dropped my hand. "Just tired," I smiled. "I'm a little out of practice doing stuff like that." At his puzzled expression, I explained. "I've been undercover with Black Fist for the past several months, which has required me keeping myself pretty closed off from the Force. It feels good to have that base gone. I've been working towards that for a long time." Didn't mean I liked feeling all those beings die when the place blew, though.

 

Dashel's voice crackled over the comm. "Hey Aira, what's next?"

 

I glanced at Apollo. "You can take us to the sleeper ship, right?"

 

He frowned, but nodded.

 

"It seems clear to me that our next move is to get there and distribute your cure. As fast as possible too. It wouldn't surprise me if Black Fist is already moving on this. If we hurry, we might be able to beat them there. Either way, though, that should be our next stop." I met Apollo's dark eyes, suddenly struck again with how handsome he was. I almost blushed, but quickly got control of myself. None of that, Aira, I told myself firmly. Focus. "Can you give me the coordinates?"

 

He held my gaze for a moment, then started punching in the coordinates to the navicomputer. Once they were in, I sent the data to the Tiger and to the rest of our group. The Wookiees, however, were ready to bow out. Kenithan rumbled over the comm that he'd take the Wookiees they found in the base back to Kashyyyk and then give their report to the GA. Even though we'd have reached a conclusion to the situation before the GA could get involved, it would be good to let them know. The Tiger would dock with the Rep ships and transfer everyone.

 

In the meantime, I had a comm waiting for me. I played it, and was surprised by the contents. Raven... That had been one of the most insane times in my life, and the moment for which I was the most famous, although in the moment it had simply been the most logical and peaceful course of action. The idea that the Empire was finally seceding...this was big galactic news. For a moment, I was tempted to head to Raxus Prime immediately. But I couldn't leave this situation hanging. I'd contact Raven after we were done here; I'd be very interested in what she was planning. For now, I simply sent a quick message back, sending my regrets that I couldn't attend, and letting her know I'd contact her when I was available. I also expressed my hopes and wishes for a peaceful future between the GA and the new Empire.

 

Once that was taken care of, I rose. It would take a bit longer for the transfer of personelle, and I wanted to take those moments to eat something. Belatedly, I realized Apollo was still there, and had been there for my message to Raven.

 

"You're the Aira Cadan who signed the peace treaty that formed the Galactic Alliance?" he asked when I looked at him sheepishly.

 

"In the flesh," I answered. "Come on, you must be hungry. I'm famished. Let's get some food."

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca stared down from his own viewport of the Jedi Ace Starfighter that now floated above Corellia. The Wookiee could feel so much life on the surface, yet he felt slightly confident that he would have beaten Fett here by a good hour or more. It wasn't his thing to be too early, but with a bounty on all Force Users and Corellia being such a high profile location for smugglers and bounty hunters... anyone could turn him in or attack him on sight. And he was a far greater target then most other Jedi, as his face and name was plastered everywhere during the wars as the infamous Jedi who helped lead the Republic fleets into battles next to Starlisk. He would be spotted if not careful, so more time was almost a requirement from now on until the bounties seized to exist. Letting out a sigh, Kirlocca pushed the yoke towards the planet and began his decent towards the location that was sent to him. He would not want to land without first scouting the place and making sure it was safe, or if he saw signs that Fett had arrived...

[Moon Knight]

An innocuous-looking G9 Rigger-class freighter exited hyperspace over Corellia, checked in with the port authority, and descended toward ShadowFett's safehouse.

 

Fett, sitting in the copilot seat, scanned the space above and around Coronet City to make sure there wasn't anything suspicious going on, but time was of the essence so they wasted none of it. The ship did receive a ping almost immediately from another vessel which he knew to be Nekkir's -- apparently the Omicron doctor had beaten them to Corellia and had been awaiting their arrival. He returned the ping as they descended towards the safehouse and the small private hangar attached to it.

 

Clad again in his customary black beskar'gam, he put his buy'ce on so its computer could interface with the automated security and maintenance systems running the safehouse and ensure it didn't trap or fry any of his invited guests. He headed back into the main hold where Mirdala still lay passed out, though they had moved her onto a hoversled rigged up with a cot to make her comfortable and able to be moved. Her condition hadn't shifted much during the trip from Hoth, but the way her vitals occasionally spiked and how she'd reacted to the ysalamir suggested there was a raging battle going on beneath her placid appearance.

 

The Mando'ad quickly disembarked as soon as the ship let down and started disengaging the building's lockdown, its internal systems coming to life to regulate the temperature to be more suitable for occupation and powering up the medical center. Not only would having a full suite of scanners and medicine give them a better chance of helping Mirdala, but he also had the bacta and other tools that would help heal her through the physical injuries she'd sustained on Hoth.

 

Finally, as the others maneuvered Mirdala and the hoversled into the house, he sent out a ping to Kirlocca in case the Wookiee was already nearby, and he saw Nek's ship making its approach. Help was close at hand.

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca received the ping he was looking for only a short while after making a fly by to check the surrounding area of the location given. He was being cautious not to draw attention to himself, and once he was sure he would not be detected, he made his landing. Carefully moving towards the building, he made his presence known by a wookiee style knock at the door, but did so in such a way that only those inside would be able to hear it.

[Moon Knight]

As Nekkir was entering, Torne and Valkieth were making their departure. They knew they wouldn't be of particular use in speeding along Mirdala's recovery, and the Hoth mission was complete, so they were off to the next thing. They would take the G9 Rigger back wherever they were going, so Fett put in a call to 2277 to bring the Justice to the safehouse from the Enigma where he'd left it what now felt like ages ago. They'd have to work out how to get back to the other ships on Iridonia later -- he would be glad to have his own ship back in the mix and be physically close to 2277 again for more constant secure communication.

 

Presently as Nek headed back to the med center to start looking at Mirdala, there was another knock at the door and the safehouse security systems showed Fett through his buy'ce a video feed of the entrance where he saw Kirlocca.

 

He pulled the helmet off to answer the door. Kirlocca had been one of the few to see his face even before he'd changed his policy, and right now he wanted a face-to-face conversation with his old ally. He shook the Wookiee's hand and gave him an appreciative nod. "Thank you for being so prompt, Kirlocca," he said. "Please follow me."

 

The Mando'ad led the Jedi Master directly back to the medical center, where the Wookiee would find Mirdala on a medical bed and three men with her. Two of them were in full beskar'gam with their helmets on, obviously Mandalorian, but the other was not armored and had features that resembled a Bothan if not quite the same.

 

Fett introduced them, starting with the helmeted ones. "These are Mirdala's brothers Rhys, Verdeyuii, and Nekkir. Nekkir is a doctor, and all three of them should be able to help you considerably," he explained. Some secrets could be kept, hence the buy'cese, but he wasn't going to hold back the things that Kirlocca would need to know to help him help Mirdala. He was going to mention that they were all empaths, but knew it was a closely guarded secret, so he glanced at Rhys, who gave him a slight nod. "They and Mirdala are closely-bonded empaths, so they should be able to help keep her grounded while you approach the Force side of things."

 

He looked at the others and gestured at the Jedi Master. "Team, this is Kirlocca." He could tell that they hadn't been expecting a Wookiee. "How's your Shyriiwook?" he asked them. He would help translate if necessary, but these three had been around for a while, so he wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them had picked the language up.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

The good doctor wasted no time getting Mirdala back to the safehouse's medical suite, somewhat grateful that Kandor's previous lone-wolf inclinations had led him to invest in such equipment in lieu of seeking attention at a local hospital in times of need. "I guess that would be his Jedi friend then?"

 

Vy'ika shrugged as he started helping Nek attach electrodes to Mirdala's still form. The longer this situation carried on the less he liked it. He glanced up and met Rhys's visor, knowing his brother felt the same thing. Whatever their sister was fighting, she was starting to tire. It was also beginning to physically show in the rise of her body temperature, her heightened breathing, and her sweat-soaked braid. "Don't suppose it's a food delivery," he remarked darkly as Kandor returned with Kirlocca.

 

A Wookiee was the last thing any of them were expecting to see duck into the room. Vy'ika let out a low whistle over his private comm to Rhys a Kandor made his introductions. "Pleased to meet you, better circumstances, all that," Vy'ika extended a hand to the Jedi before turning to Fett. "Kandor, you might want to get some ice packs ready. Her temp is spiking again and last time it got dangerously high. As for my Shyriiwook, never learned. Rhys?"

 

"Rusty as hell," the other helmeted form answered in a similar voice that seemed not quite distracted.

 

"Mine is fairly passable," Nek interjected. "Glad to have you on board Kirlocca."