《SWTOR: The Alpha Legacy - Alexandra 'Under the Black'》 1 - A New Life Preface - The Slaughter on Felucia Smoke and the heat of plasma fire. Alexandra woke suddenly. Every part of her ached. The sound of the jungle drown out by the ringing and rush of blood in her ears. Pain didn¡¯t matter. Nothing else mattered. Getting up from the ground she ran flat out, squeezing her hand she felt the lightsaber hilt she still held. The pressure release of being thrown through the jungle and hitting the tree enough that the blade of the saber had deactivated. With a squeeze of her palm, she activated the azure blue plasma blade again; arms swinging as she ran flat out. A blue blur, picking up speed as the Force strengthened her legs. Adrenaline, not the Force subduing the pain throughout her body. She had to get back, perhaps she was not too la¡ª --Alexandra had no idea how long she had been unconscious against the tree after being hurled through the jungle. All concept of time was gone. Skidding to a stop, she saw him first. Right where she saw him last. Blade deactivating again, she dropped the lightsaber hilt. Falling to her knees. Crawling toward him. He was gone. Struck down trying to defend them all. Just as she did. The village burned, fire lit the sky in crimson and blue. Littered with the bodies of the villagers. Alex lay her body over the top of her beloved. Looking up and feeling for the first time the pain which wracked her. Then it was gone again, pushing up and off the ground. Mourning period over for the moment, there would be more time for it later. Alexandra scrambled to her feet tripping over another fallen Mirialan and then another rolling and choking through the dust and dirt. Their pre-fab was almost consumed. Alex raised her hands in front of her face to block out the heat and try to part the smoke. To no avail. True fear gripped her, she called out and heard nothing. Were they gone? Truly gone? Had the Sith killed them, just like they killed everyone else? Sucking in a painful breath, falling against the burning hallway her skin sizzled. At any cost. She had to see; had to know. Exploding around her, Alex was cast from the pre-fab and thrown back into the courtyard. ¡®No¡¯, she thought. ¡®I need to know¡­¡¯. Unconsciousness gripped her once again. Everything she knew and everyone she loved was gone. And that included the two little girls that depended on her. -- Husband¡­if you were the sky, I was your star. When you set a course, I was your navigation. Where ever you would go, I would gladly follow¡­and will always follow. You were my Captain, my rock, my solace, my Love¡­my everything I that I gave all to.... And I have no idea what I am supposed to do now that you are gone¡­ May the Force guide me in figuring that out¡­until once again we can be together¡­. There is no Force, There is only sweet death and with time and speed may it bring me back to you¡­ Alexandra ¡­ -- Hoth¡­ The makeshift shelter rocked from high winds which swept up and over the dune like mounds of snow and ice. This was a geologically undefinable portion of Hoth. Those who studied the ice planet never took into account what man-made structures could eventually do to the wind shear and moving glacial plates of the planet. The section was carved, hollowed out by the destruction of man. Crashed ships and derelict facilities created the valley and within it, those who helped to create it found refuge. A climate zone all its own due to the massive junk plie that came to be known as the ¡®Graveyard¡¯. No one could exactly pinpoint when it started or why any ship in Hoth¡¯s outer atmosphere that took its final death plunge to the surface seemed to be redirected to that location. Magnetic wells and equilibrium of two poles on the planet¡¯s surface could have had something to do with it. There was no meridian of temperate weather on the planet, a slow distant star was all Hoth circled to give it light. There were two different climates on Hoth; cold and even colder. The temperate zone created within the ¡®Graveyard¡¯ was assisted by those who lived there. Dragging and pulling derelicts to further boost the height of the valley below. The planet got angry, it howled and blew all of its fury toward them. Just like it did across the rest of the planet. But the ¡®Graveyard¡¯ withstood the storm and fought back. There was no wind, no severe storm that could do them in. The ¡®Graveyard¡¯ was protected. Hoth sleeted its shards down into the valley; a valley which contained another set of dunes. Both man-made in the form of derelict starships and the natural landscape, they blended into the skyline with the natural ice fixtures. Lining the sides of the Ancient Shipyard Empire. An empire carved from the very ice shelf in which it lay. Crunching underfoot, Alexandra moved swiftly, but not so fast as to give away how much the cold was getting on her nerves. Mirialans were used to harsh climates, born into it on Mirial. But, Mirial was a different kind of cold. Dusky and harsh, a tundra of a planet with life that managed to adapt and flourish. Hoth was a massive ball of ice floating in space. The few ¡®bright¡¯ spots on the planet were few and far between. And those spots stood in stark contrast to the rest of the planet when they were found. Hot springs, created by lava; which in contrast ran under massive sheets of ice. A testament to how cold the planet was. Hoth couldn¡¯t decide if it wanted to melt or burn, so it did both. Alexandra was returning after being gone for many moons. A long time since she been ¡®home¡¯ and even more since she felt the bite of the cold quite like she did that particular day. ¡®Home¡¯, such a strange word to use on a planet like Hoth. But it was. Alexandra continued her climb down the valley. Every step in the ice and cold rattling and numbing her down to the core. Passing the first marker, Alex saw the first signs of life. Two individuals, blaster rifles at the ready, poked their heads out of a camouflaged alcove. Really a mound of packed ice, hollowed out by hand and torched on the inside to glaze it over and trap in what little heat they could take with them. Ironically, it was quite hot once the inside was glazed over. The two looking out waved at her, recognizing the markings on her fur jumper. To travel the zone without the proper identification was certain death. They wouldn¡¯t chase. They never chased. It was markings on clothing; hand signs from a distance. It was too cold to get up close. ¡®Shoot and let freeze¡¯. That was the mantra. And if time permitted, check on who the intruder was in due course. There was no rush. No one was going anywhere. And anyone stupid enough to be out in the cold more than likely wanted to get shot anyway. The cold made some wish for death, especially on those long nights of the winter solstice. This was a special day for her, not one she wanted to share with anyone. One she was forced to remember. As one of many ¡®crew runners¡¯ for the White Maw, Alex was one of many minor chiefs responsible for a particular salvage item or sector of Hoth space. Poaching and preying on those who strayed too close or left a salvage for too long. Stepping onto the doorstep, she stomped her feet to shake off the excess snow from her boots before opening the hatch to enter. And was immediately stopped by the voice behind the makeshift desk; the glow of electronics behind it barely illuminating the large figure. ¡°Ah, ah¡­ah¡­what do we do when we enter, Alex?¡± The voice was filled with sarcastic cheer as Alex backed up, smirked and rolled her eyes. ¡°We are NOT barbarians here, Alex. And if I have told you once¡­I have told you a thousand times¡ª¡° ¡°--Wipe my feet, yes I know¡­¡± She did before. The man behind the desk was poking a little fun. There was a time when Alex didn''t shake off the show at all. Backing up, Alex make a show of it. Stomping and scrapping her feet loudly, leaving the door open slightly as a punishment for the one who scolded her. Her rich and melodic voice carried over the small pre-fab headquarters used by the Clan leader, releasing a few choice curses his way. All of them in Mirialan, so he wouldn¡¯t understand. But he was learning. Taking it upon himself to pick up a word here or there, he recognized one and looked up sharply once Alex let the words fly. They weren¡¯t really a clan, as he liked to call it. More like a gang as Alexandra liked to think of it. Drogan sat up and let the glow of holo-units and miscellaneous data screens brighten his features as he sat back in the chair and smiled. Already moving to the chair bolted to the floor in front of his desk, Alexandra kicked her legs up and flopped her feet on his desk. An act by anyone else that would have more than likely gotten the offender shot. Drogan did grimace slightly, leaning forward to wipe the droplets from her boots off the desk as they landed unceremoniously.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Becoming quite the crew runner, aren¡¯t we Alex?¡± His smile returned as he sat back, the prominent scar on his face showing its deep crease in the low light, ¡°Most cargo hauled in, most salvage recovered¡­¡± He lost the smile as he looked down at the holo-field, ¡°¡­also most violent, most casualties; from either side actually. Both our ¡®clients¡¯ and the White Maw. I think you have replaced what¡­three of your men in the last month?¡± Shrugging, Alex reached forward and took one of the many candies out of her boss¡¯s jar. Opening it up noisily to plop it in her mouth as she continued to stare him down. All of the records he recited were exactly correct and it put a glint in her eye that went with the wry grin. ¡°They were not competent. I gave instruction, they failed to listen. It¡¯s that simple.¡± Drogan was in no position to argue, the returns from her crew more than made up for any losses. Leaning back again, he smiled, ¡°Well, while that¡¯s true¡­we don¡¯t want to give the impression that anyone is expendable.¡± He pointed at her quickly, ¡°You are¡­I am¡­but the men should never think that. It¡¯s a share, an equal share. And NO ONE comes on the account thinking they are expendable or that they are any less important than anyone else. We are in this for the credits and the loot¡­nothing else. This ''ain''t'' the Republic, Alex. Every crew is a committee.¡±, Alex frowned slightly, it didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Drogan quickly added with a slight laugh, ¡°Ok, not all of us are in it for the credits¡­some of us are in it for the anarchy and lack of governance¡­¡± His smile broadened as he stared at Alex, ¡°I won¡¯t mention any names¡­will I Alex?¡± ¡°No, you will not¡­¡± She smiled in return about to get up, her log and accounting placed carefully on the desk. Anxious to get to her own pre-fab. ¡°Just a moment¡­there''s a reason I held you so long¡­¡± Alex stopped moving, but did drop her feet to the floor in order to lean forward, ¡°¡ªas you may or may not know, The Sith are rearming. This is a fact unknown to the Republic, but¡­¡± Drogan stood up and paced around to the other side of the desk to lean on it, ¡°¡­I know a guy, who¡¯s friends with a guy who is a contact on Corellia. This guy ALSO is an insider in one of the arms companies. A company by the way, which does all their manufacturing offworld¡­Korriban--Imperial sector¡­¡± Alex¡¯s head snapped up as Korriban was mentioned, her eyes narrowing. Drogan smiled because he saw her interest, but not for the reasons he believed, ¡°So¡­ that interests you? Good, because I can¡¯t think of a better person to put out in that shipping lane.¡± His arms got as wide as his smile. Drogan pushed off the desk, ¡°We are branching out, Alex¡­goods, weapons¡­all of it equals more credits. Steal some, sell some back to the people we stole it from. Keep some, sell it to others. You know the drill. Keep in mind, all of it is good stuff, but its nothing compared to information. And with a War coming, one side having the advantage¡­.anything ¡®intelligence¡¯ will sell better than anything we could put in our holds.¡± Without a word, Alex got up and started for the door. The look of distain now permanently plastered on her face. ¡°Can I assume¡­that your silence is acquiescence?¡± Stopping at the door, Alex laid her hand on the keypad and nodded without turning around. She heard Drogan clap in delight behind her as he moved back behind the desk. ¡°One more thing, Alex. They fear your name¡­it¡¯s time the ones who hear it actually see the person behind it. Remember¡­the WORD of you is sometimes more terrifying than the actual person. For most people that¡¯s true, never for you¡­it¡¯s why I am sending you and no one else. You ARE your name¡­Alex.¡± After keying in the unlock and snatching open the door, Alex walked out of the pre-fab. The wind hitting her in the face. Before pulling up the hood, she let it blow her dreads away from the face she made, still disdainful. For no other reason than just to feel the bite, the slice of the cold. Of all days, this was the day she needed to feel. Alex was alive. The extreme temperature told her that. Placing her face to it proved it. Inside, she felt dead and deeper the cold reflected off an almost impermeable veneer of emotionlessness. She was a ¡®crew runner, a ¡®Captain¡¯ and had been for some time. Elevated by her own crew to the position, no one opposed her. The look she carried was not for the ugly work she had to do; glancing at her chrono she had to remind herself why she needed to feel, it was the one day out of the year she allowed it. This was the day¡­.she lost her life on Felucia¡­.an anniversary. Pulling up the hood she crunched through the snow to go inform her crew, they were going back out. -- Hoth¡­.a year prior¡­. Brought in under guard, Alexandra De¡¯nabre stood with her hands folded in front of her surrounded by all of the members of the ship, all of them with blasters trained on her. Drogan Summerset, White Maw Clan boss, gang leader and coordinator for all things White Maw related twirled one of the black Electrum-plated saberhilts taken from Alexandra, looking at her strangely. The clothes she wore, way too baggy for her curves. Something given to her when she was taken onboard as indentured labor. Labor she was happy to perform until the moment she chose to reveal herself. Everyone was shocked, a Chamber Maid, ¡®the help¡¯; ship¡¯s husbandry¡­a Jedi? It didn¡¯t make sense. Not to anyone of them, though all of them owed their lives to Alexandra. When the fighting stopped, that was when all blasters all turned to her. The Jedi were the peacekeepers of the galaxy, the people she was working for as ¡®the help¡¯ were pirates. It wasn¡¯t hard to do the math and figure out where all of the angst was going from. Jedi, the law, didn¡¯t get along very well with Pirates. Drogan saw something else. Alex wasn¡¯t saying anything or trying to talk her way out of being brought under guard or being discovered as a Jedi. That spoke volumes to him. But Drogan was just as perplexed as he continued to twirl the saber, keeping his eyes on her. ¡°Leave us¡­¡± All of the pirates looked at one another before Drogan gave them a stare. He was the boss, his word was law. Reluctantly they exited the pre-fab one by one; all of them casting wicked looks at Alex as they left. He stopped twirling the saber as the last of the crew left, moving to a position on the corner of the desk. Alex still stood silently; her chin slightly raised. Eyes fixed forward in defiance. Patches of dried blood still marred her face and clothing from the previous days battle. But she looked none the worse for wear. Standing behind the chair bolted to the floor, Drogan approached and slapped his hand down on the back of it looking at Alex with a smile. ¡°There is a reason¡­I keep this chair bolted to the floor. It¡¯s multipurpose see? Whether you are a ¡®client¡¯ or you are part of the White Maw¡­.everyone answers to the ¡®chair¡¯. And when I am sitting on the other side, behind my desk, those in the chair answer to me.¡± Drogan shook it to show that it would not move no matter how much force he placed upon it, ¡°I want it in front so if I ask you a question, regardless if you are tied or bound to it¡­.or you are simply here for a friendly chat; you know who is in charge. Make sense?¡± Alex finally hazarded a glance down at the chair, but quickly looked back up. Drogan continued to smile and look at her wickedly, ¡°See¡­this I don¡¯t get. We found you on Felucia, you ¡®volunteered¡¯ to take care of one of our ships for the promise of room and board. No one messed with you¡­surprising.¡± Looking down at the saberhilt he held, Drogan smiled to himself. ¡°¡­but now I figure you used some kind of Force trick on those who wanted to bed you.¡± Drogan slapped his thighs as he continued, ¡°You never told us you were a Jedi¡­why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Mouth twisting into a frown, Alex finally glanced down before locking eyes with Drogan. Her red irises burned into him enough that he back up slightly, ¡°I lost my life on Felucia. There was nothing to tell¡­¡± ¡°That you were a Jedi¡­that¡¯s pretty damn important.¡± ¡°Important to you¡­.not to me. I left that all behind on Felucia. I wanted a new start, I got that and I didn¡¯t care what form it came in.¡± The smile broadened on Drogan¡¯s face, he sat back and folded his arms, ¡°Good. How about we expand upon that¡­¡± He stuck a hand out, ¡°I¡¯m Drogan¡­I lead the White Maw. And you are?¡± Reluctantly, Alex took the hand and shook it. The grimace still firmly planted on her face, Alex relaxed realizing she wasn¡¯t going to die. ¡°Alexandra De¡¯na¡ª¡° ¡°--What?!?! Alexandra??? That¡¯s not a name for a pirate¡­.that¡¯s a Jedi¡¯s name.¡± Drogan stood up to his full height, dwarfing the smaller Alexandra. Though the way she looked at him with her burning red irises made him feel small. Drogan still had a point to make, ¡°Alexandra, you are your name. Whether it be a feared name, or a name that holds little meaning. First impressions mean everything. If I am a gladiator in some Hutt Arena and my name is ¡®Fluffy the Terrible¡¯ would you expect a man of my size to come charging out at you? No, you wouldn¡¯t.¡± Drogan released her hand realizing he was still holding it. Quickly stammering, rubbing the hand against his pants. ¡°It can be what you wish others to ¡®see¡¯ you as, without actually seeing you. To fake someone out, keep that element of surprise. I can see by the way you hid your past, you may be keen on that. Or it can be a name that, even uttered in distant circles, would make a chill run up some Republic Senator¡¯s spine. So¡­what do you want your name to be associated with? Fear, a fake-out¡­.subterfuge. You want your enemies to know your coming? Or do you want them to never know what hit them?¡± Alex narrowed her eyes. Drogan was trying to give her a name and she hadn¡¯t even agreed to stay on. But Alex had nowhere to go. Looking up slightly, Alex thought about it and shrugged. ¡°Drogan¡ªI assume I can call you that. This is all¡­.very strange to me and fast. I¡¯m not even sure¡ª¡± She was about to turn him down. Quickly she shifted gears after seeing the sudden look of disappointment on his face. The men told him. All of the crew told him what Alex did before she was brought in. They drew blasters not because they hated Jedi; which they did. Or because they were angry at having ¡®the help¡¯ jump into a fight. They drew blasters because they were scared. And Drogan desperately wanted someone who could strike that kind of fear into an enemy. Jedi were lethal, dangerous adversaries when they were on the opposite side of a situation. But Drogan didn¡¯t fear them. Looking at Alex, it was the first time he felt fear in the presence of a Jedi. The story the men told, Drogan initially thought they were mistaken. Perhaps Alex was a Sith. But blue plasma blades. That was a Jedi color. ¡°Take your time¡­there¡¯s no hurry¡­..¡± After sucking in a breath and letting it out slowly Alex nodded to herself. As if giving permission. ¡°I have no enemies¡­not anymore, but if I did¡­.I would want them to know it was ¡®I¡¯ who was coming for them.¡± Those words and the way she said it sent a cold chill down Drogan¡¯s spine that he tried to hide as he smiled. ¡°In this job¡­Alex, you are going to create enemies. A whole lot of enemies. And I¡¯m afraid, Alexandra will not do¡­.how about¡­¡± Drogan tapped his jaw and thought, smiling brightly down at her to extend his hand again. ¡°Elle¡­or ¡®L¡¯ for short¡­.shorter names are more terrifying trust me.¡± He laughed. Drogan turned his back expecting her to just leave as she stood there dumbfounded. He finally looked up, ¡°Oh¡­yea, we are done. See the quartermaster and pick up whatever you need. I will let you know what crew you are on tomorrow and we will get to work. You will get the hang of things around here¡­.Welcome to the White Maw¡­." "...¡¯L¡¯¡­.¡± 2 - The Crew Runner First Crew Mission¡­.Hoth Space, Several Months after Alexandra official joins the Maw¡­. ¡°BR-16 oscillating-gas infused plasma pistol. Only operates in two modes, safe and fire. I kinda like it, the gas chamber is way too small. Eats power cells like a mother. Whoever designed it, had no idea how to balance gas and power usage at the same time.¡± ¡°BR buddy. Bilringhi Rifling. Good at the long guns. Crap on handhelds. That thing smells.¡± ¡°Gas chamber, man. Tibanna ain¡¯t pleasant. Overfill it leaks, underfill¡­plasma scatters to hell and back. Ain¡¯t enough gas in there to fuse a bulkhead. Much less a charge outta this power cell.¡± ¡°Take a look at this. Old faithful. All¡¯a hugh youngsters can keep on keepin¡¯ on with them whiz bangy blasters. Ain¡¯t no leaks from a sword. All I gotta worry about is changing the power cell every week or so. It''s never on long enough to need a daily cell. Nothin¡¯ beats a vibrosword.¡± ¡°Yea, but ya gotta git close. Look at me¡­I¡¯m a runt.¡± ¡°I gotcha back brother. Ain¡¯t tha¡¯ right boys!!! We got his back!!!¡± A cheer went out among the men. They talked randomly, mostly to hide the anticipation and fear. Even though they were pirates, they still had it. Lining up in the pod, holding on to the troop straps as it shook against the hull and locked in. The pod¡¯s mouth like pincer opening digging into the offenders hull and prying it open enough to create the seal. When the door opened, it was game time. There was an unusual amount of tension rising among them all. Alex, the new runner for that particular squad of the crew was known, but unproven. They talked, loudly. Boisterously about random things. The three ¡®W¡¯s¡¯ mostly. Weapons, Women and Wine. When they had something to say about her and started whispering or conspiring together, she knew. Rumors surrounding her abounded. There should have been something to say to her crew, they all lined up at the airlock waiting for it to open. Alex could sense their angst as some of them bounced the vibroblades in their hand or gripped a little tighter on their blasters. Nothing came to mind, it was dishonorable work. Work she found herself doing as a penance for allowing her husband to be killed, for allowing her daughters to be taken from her never to be heard from again. This was her life and now she had to give all to it. There was no other way to live. The ¡®All or Nothing¡¯ days. The ¡®there was no in between¡¯ days. Alex was in and had no intention of getting out. The airlock slid open and Alex was the first one through, much to the surprise of all those on her new crew. Even the ¡®crew runner¡¯; a Captain type figure responsible for the rights and wrongs of the squad had to go on the attack. But upfront? That was unusual. In her mind, Alex was responsible for no one but herself. She didn¡¯t lead from the front because she was trying to show the crew how it was done or lead by example. Nor was she wanting to take the job of ¡®Captain¡¯ away from her new leader or challenge her crewmates. Alex did it because she had a deathwish and simply didn¡¯t care. As one of her fellow crew mates raised the blaster to fire, she quickly slapped it back down shaking her head, ¡°No! The Captain said hand weapons only.¡± The one who was slapped down, a burly Nautalian, grimaced at her narrowing the lids of the big dark pools it called eyes; shaking its head in return. Figuring out the nuances of the various species assigned to her was part of the fun. Alex noticed the rebuke in the Nautalian¡¯s look, but said nothing His part of the team pressing forward. It was a Republic freighter, straying too close to the posted limits of the quarantine zone of Hoth. A zone clearly marked for the Republic, by the Republic, to stay out of due to piracy. Blaster bolts began to splash behind them lighting up the accessway as they sailed overhead. The crew of the Republic vessel was trying desperately to fight them off, but they were untrained as far as Alex could tell. Republic troopers would never miss that badly. They pressed toward the cargo hold, half of the team splitting off to go and seize the bridge as the feeling hit her. Alex turned with a start and looked back at the direction the other part of her squad split off toward. She opened her mouth to speak just as the Jedi rounded the corner, his green saber leading the way. The Jedi hurled it Alex¡¯s direction, cutting the several of her crewmates down. It was then that the attacking Jedi caught the glimpse of the blue plasma in her hand. He frowned at her, apparently assuming that she had somehow mistakenly gotten possession of two sabers she couldn¡¯t possibly use. No Jedi would be caught dead on the side of Pirates. Trying to disarm her, the Jedi Guardian thrust out a hand in an attempt to pull both sabers from her. When his power reached the durasteel wall that was Alexandra, he lowered his hand slowly. Force on Force. Alex resisted the pull, placing a little of her own power into holding on. The rest of her crew moved past her to go toward their objectives leaving her alone with the Jedi in the gangway. ¡°It is never too late to come back to the light. We don¡¯t have to do this¡­.¡± The Jedi spoke softly, still raising his saber up to guard. Canting her head, Alex smiled. ¡®Did she ever sound that loathsome?¡¯ Perhaps it was the calm in his voice. Or even the tone that set Alex off. It could have been the centuries old linage of the Dark Side that ran through the De¡¯nabre line of Jedi in her family. Maybe it was the sense of loss and betrayal that Alex felt at the hands of so many. That Jedi on that particular day, unlucky enough to be the total embodiment of all of her angst. Even more, it could have been that Alex simply could not distinguish Sith from Jedi anymore. Or that she just didn¡¯t care. Alex leapt at the Guardian, her blades twirling in a pinwheel fashion out from her arms in a circular spinning blur; she realized the reason she went on the attack. Alex had chosen a new destiny. One free of the former constraints of a life that no longer held any meaning for her. She screamed, tears flowing down her face as she caught the Jedi unawares with the furiousness of her attack; striking him down in the first assault. One blade slicing cleanly through the sword arm of the Jedi Guardian, as he turned to swing the stump; not quick enough to realize Alex¡¯s other saber was already slicing horizontally through his midsection. With the killing, Alex passed the threshold. There was no going back and even if she could; Alex wasn¡¯t sure if she would want to. There was nothing there for her anymore. The moment froze Alex in place. She watched the body drop, heard the Jedi¡¯s green saber shut down. Closing her eyes, Alex wished him well. A prayer in the Unity. Miral¡¯s national religion. ¡°¡­go with your ancestors¡­¡¯Jedi¡¯.¡± The last word, ¡®Jedi¡¯, spoken louder and with a hint of malice. Praying over him was more for herself then the Jedi she slain. One part of who she was that would never change, her devotion to the Unity and the belief that there was some higher power. Only, the higher power be it the Force or whatever someone would believe picked that day for the Jedi to meet his maker. Alex made her way to the bridge; the rest of her crew started to move the cargo from the freighter to their ship. The ones looking over the Republic passengers all looked to her. The others coming back from transporting the ¡®booty¡¯ all looked to her; the entire crew was looking to her. Alex had slain the Jedi, the same Jedi who killed their buddies. Once again proving herself and justifying some of the rumors that flew around about her. Unproven when the door to the pod opened, Alex wasn¡¯t unproven anymore. Alex¡­.was officially their crew runner now. ¡°I¡­uh--what do you want to do with the passengers¡­.¡± One of the crew, a burly human holding a blaster rifle over the kneeling crowd asked as Alex looked up and over at them. ¡°Kill them all¡­all but one and then bring him or her to me. Let them all know MY name¡­.¡± Alex looked at the passengers as they looked away, some shuddering at the thought that their lives were about to end. ¡°I am ¡®L¡¯¡­Pirate to the White Maw, we will not bow to the whims of the Republic any longer. Whoever the survivor is¡­.you return to your masters and you tell them¡­stray into our territory and we exact a toll in blood. The White Maw fears no government or authority. Out here¡­.I AM the authority¡­.¡± -- Korriban space¡­.¡¯The Karolin¡¯, Alexandra¡¯s pirate vessel enroute to the shipping lane¡­.two years later¡­. Korriban, ancient birth place of the Sith. How Alex once hated that place, now it was just another planet. Just another rock like all the others. Drogan told Alex the Sith were rearming, but as ¡®The Karolin¡¯ entered the shipping lane she saw nothing on scanners. Signaling her Comm Officer, Alex stepped down out of her command chair and paced, ¡°Scan for residual hyperspace trails¡­set the scanner for medium yield and back it off chronometrically. I want to know if you do find a trail, how old it is¡­¡± Alex scoffed. All of it looked like a waste of time. That area of space was silent except for the occupying Republic and she was keeping ¡®The Karolin¡¯ well away from them. ¡°Captain. We have something¡­.long range, bearing two-two mark one seven-seven¡­.¡± Alex dipped her eyes low to the screen tracking the incoming trace on Comm-scan. Her red irises allowing the image to burn into her. The object was too large to be a freighter. The signature of the incoming ship had power levels that were almost off the chart. It was bristling with weaponry. There was no way it could have been a Republic vessel. Alex was familiar with those. The shape started to emerge more definitively on comm-scan. Slim, angular. Maybe a private vessel, something the Hutts put together. ¡°Have they detected us?¡± ¡°No, Captain¡­¡± Slapping her hips, Alex grasped at the saber hilts on each side attached to the low slung belt and smiled. Flipping her dreads out of her face, the beads in her hair clicked. ¡°Keep close to the far side of the moon. Use it to cloak our presence and approach. Come up alongside the moon and under the Dreadnaught¡­¡± Based on the size, Alex assumed what class the ship was. The bridge crew nodded returning to their stations. ¡°Careful¡­.¡± Alex spoke softly once the ship started moving again. ¡°Once we come out on the far side of the moon, the other ship will be past us. Go to station keeping thrusters¡­signal the boarding party to assemble outside the launch, I will be leading the party myself.¡± The large Gammorean, who traditionally sat still on the bridge; a self-elected bodyguard to the ¡®Captain¡¯ stood and grimaced. Alex couldn¡¯t tell him to stay, she tried that once. It didn¡¯t take. Anytime Alex was going near danger, the Gammorean was there. Unfailingly loyal. Fanatically obedient to Alexandra, she looked at the pig-faced creature giving him a wicked grin. ¡°No, Tras¡¯goh¡­you stay here. I am not doing anything today more unusual than any other day.¡± The Gammorean refused, just as she thought he would. Leaning in, Alex brought her lips close to one of his ears, blowing slightly before giving the creature a soft whisper. ¡°I need someone to take charge of the ship, while I¡¯m gone¡­¡± The two exchanged a look once Alex backed up. ¡°Can you do that for me?¡± Sitting back down, the Gammorean folded his arms and grimaced. His beady eyes still fixed on her. Looking out toward the forward viewport Alex watched as her ship slowly listed over the last part of the moon¡¯s surface. The Dreadnaught passing on the other side. Looking down at comm-scan sharply, Alex could see the other ship had not yet detected them. ¡®And they won¡¯t¡­¡¯ she said to herself, ¡®¡­not till it¡¯s too late¡­.¡¯Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Captain, we¡¯ve passed the moon¡¯s Terminator¡­..¡± ¡°Steady¡­steady now¡­.¡± The bridge fell silent once the ship passed the Terminator of the moon and emerged on the other side. Alexandra gripped her sabers, her lips getting tight while she watched, ¡°Keep it slow¡­no need to rush it. Any moment now¡­.¡± All of the patience was rewarded with a shadow. At first, small. As it grew, the light reflected off the moon¡¯s surface, illuminating the bridge went out. The larger ship¡¯s silhouette cutting all light off from outside. ¡®The Karolin¡¯ was traveling so close and under the other ship, they almost looked as one. Alex moved to the bridge exit and waved behind her, ¡°Moving below decks¡­have the extraction party on stand-by and have the rest of the crew assemble at the airlock. We are going to need some back-up for this.¡± She closed her eyes reaching out in the Force before allowing the door to close behind her. She could feel the angst of her crew. Assaulting a ship of that size was not going to be easy. But she also felt the unawares of the other ship; the crew, the confidence of them. The other ship had no idea they were coming. And that would be enough of an edge that size didn¡¯t matter. The other ship was not Sith, nor were they Republic. The ship was a private corporate entity. Either raiders or mercenaries; paid contractors. Her type of people. Easily persuaded that nothing they were carrying or being paid to carry was worth dying for. It wasn¡¯t for ¡®king and country¡¯ like it was for the Republic, their duty was bought and paid for in credits. If it was going to be a scrap, Alex had the element of surprise. -- A delicate procedure that Alex refined into fine art. Setting the droid¡¯s plasma torch on one side, Alex set the explosives on the hull opposite the droid on the other side of the lock. Stepping back into the airlock tunnel Alex turned around and looked at her engineer, nodding, ¡°Cut it. Detonate on my mark.¡± Raising her wrist, she watched the distance count down between her ship and the target finally in meters. They had to almost be touching to get a solid lock. In her other hand she held the comm device, raising it to her lips while she still watched the target. ¡°Ok¡­now¡­¡± A vibration echoed through the hull and the preparation lock. ¡®The Karolin¡¯ firing a proton missile almost point blank into the engine intake of the other ship. It wasn¡¯t a very big target, for good reason. But as close as they were to the target, it was a sure shot. The larger ship shuttered. Out of the top of the airlock Alex looked up to see the other ship visibly slowing. ¡°They are going to think something went wrong on their end.¡± Firing distance to impact was almost instantaneous. No time for the offending ship to track any incoming fire from an enemy vessel. The next act was going to alert them. But they would be inside and through the ship before a solid response could stop them or any emergency bulkhead doors could cut them off. Alex moved to the end of the airlock and extended it toward the skin of the other ship. The torch droid moved out, quickly drawing a line along the edge of the airlock seal, but within it. Before turning back, the droid placed the detonite charge on the hull and waddled back toward them. Closing the blast door, the engineer covered his ears and laughed. ¡°I love this part¡­.¡± Imploding outward, shards of the hull exploded into the corridor. Alex and her pirates were greeted with a barrage of blaster fire. ¡®So much for the surprise¡­¡¯ Alex thought, waving her arms for the droid to come forward. It was utilitarian. Serving as a ¡®breacher¡¯ both to get in and to clear the same entrance. The same droid who cut into the hull lowered the cannons onto its arms and stepped forward past Alexandra blazing a trail ahead of them, taking the majority of the incoming fire. It was enough, the offending blaster fire withered and died. The ¡®breacher¡¯ having done its job, the droid finally succumbed to enemy blaster fire falling to its knees. But they were in and spreading out. There was a reason she picked that spot on the ship. A crossroads in the schematic that allowed her access to all of the vital areas. Without hesitation Alex moved forward picking up the cannon from the droid arm to continue the attack; until there was no more incoming fire. ¡°COME ON!!!¡± a scream both for her men and for the ones attacking her. Alex was angry, frustrated and wanting to move further inside; out of the crossroads of the kill zone. Blaster fire began on both sides. More contractors responding to a ship wide alert. There was nowhere to go in the breach. Those that started to spread out down left and right corridors soon found themselves running back to the safety of the breach. The contractors were fighting much harder than Alex anticipated. ¡°More!!!¡± Alex yelled into the comm, back to the bride of her own ship. ¡°We need more!!!¡± The target ship had the pirates located and were sending everything they had Alex¡¯s direction. ¡°Captain!!! We have got to get out of her¡ª¡° Her flag bearer, the yeoman that always kept Alex¡¯s ledger was struck as he moved close to her in order to yell a warning. Glancing right, she watched him fall. Sneering Alex reached down and picked up the ledger and the small tattered flag he always carried with him. The skull and crossbones that they added a skull to after every capture. Alex stuffed the flag in her belt activating one of the Azure blades in her other hand. Alex had enough, pressing forward she saw why they were having so much trouble. Armored warriors, their armor emblazoned with the colors of yellow and green set up a hasty barricade; most of her pirates returning fire was being absorbed by the barricade. Starting off at a run Alex started down the passageway. Jumping into the air once she got close and landing amongst the troopers. It was so fast they didn¡¯t have time to track her as she thrust her blade into one of the chest plates of a trooper, ripping the blade out to slash another trooper¡¯s head from his torso. Glancing behind her as the other troopers moved away Alex screamed at her pirates again. ¡°Get kriffin¡¯ moving!!! Bridge team get out of there¡­clearance team with me¡­¡± -- It would mean termination, the Czerka currier knew that and as he set the last of the charges on the servers surrounding the circular room his head snapped toward the distant sound on the other side of the door. Blaster fire and explosions. Then silence. The currier let out a sigh of relief. They were well armed with the semblance of a personal army onboard. No doubt the contractors took care of any of the fools who would dare board them. It was good to be prudent and proactive in any case. The currier knelt down and continued priming his charges around the servers. Just in case. No one was going to be getting the information. A blue plasma blade jabbed sharply through the currier¡¯s side of the door. It started moving in a circular pattern, the currier jumping to his feet to look on in horror. No amount of locks or encryption was going to keep whatever was wielding the blade out. Czerka always thought of everything in protecting a shipment. How could they not anticipate a lightsaber? Stepping back, he held the detonator in his hand. The explosion would consume him and the data, as well as the one wielding the lightsaber. In a strange way, he held off pressing the button just to see who it was. A colored blade meant Jedi. ¡®Did they have a Jedi onboard?¡¯ His death, a small price to pay considering his family would be taken care of for his sacrifice. The door dropped inward. Much to the currier¡¯s surprise, he turned to face the terrifying green skinned beast who stepped through the hatch. Looking down at what the currier was holding, Alex immediately jerked the controller out of his hand in the Force and pointed her Azure blade toward him. Simultaneously, the currier without missing a beat drew his own blaster placing it at his temple. ¡°There is enough poo-doo in here to wipe out the galaxy¡­¡±, the currier spoke as Alex paced toward him slowly. She smiled wickedly keeping the blade up toward him. ¡°I assume by ¡®Bantha poo-doo¡¯ you are referring to that mush you call a brain?¡± She glanced at the servers lining the walls and back to him. The currier was dressed in the corporate yellow and green of the Czerka corporation. Not something Alex expected, the ship was a Corellian Arms dreadnaught. The Czerka corporation and Corellian Arms were somehow in league with one another. A bit of information for sorting out later. Looking at the blaster wielding currier again, Alex smiled. ¡°I take it, these servers mean nothing. Otherwise, why shoot yourself? Not that I care, I was going to kill you anyway.¡± Alex smiled again. Stalling, Alex reached out. Searching the currier for some hidden sign. A cybernetic implant. Some kind of code cylinder device. Anything that would give her a clue as to why the man wanted to kill himself. The currier solved the mystery himself as Alex continued to circle the room slowly. The currier following her with the blaster still pressed against the side of his head. ¡°There is a ¡®kill switch¡¯ attached to this implant. I die¡­.the information dies with me.¡± Alex narrowed her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t want to die¡­otherwise you would have pulled that trigger already.¡± Alex had the layout of the ship before her pirates breached the hull; a little slicer trick they all picked up from another prize seized by the White Maw. Alex flexed the fingers of her other hand, laying them on the blaster at her hip, facing away from the currier, ¡°Let¡¯s be reasonable¡­you lower the blaster, we let you live. That¡¯s the deal¡­the best one you¡¯re going to get.¡± In the Force, she could feel his heartbeat increase, the tension on his trigger finger as the currier stepped back and started to slowly close his eyes. The thoughts ranged from regret to sorrow and then happiness. Happy that his sacrifice was about to secure the future of others. The currier was going to do it. ¡°Goodbye, my lov¡ª¡° Alex raised the pistol spinning around toward the man with a lightning quick move. Shooting the currier¡¯s hand holding the blaster, ¡°NOOOO!!!¡± The currier fell as Alex leapt forward. A quick flick of the lightsaber and the offending hand came all the way off. Alex kicked the severed hand away. It still held the blaster. Lightsabers cauterized wounds. She didn¡¯t want the currier getting some resolve and leaping to the severed hand to try and pry the blaster from the fingers. Kneeling down, Alex held the blade out to her side and shook her head at the Czerka man, ¡°Ordinarily, I would kill you where you lay, but¡­I sense you have something I need.¡± -- The entire operation took thirty minutes. Once the contractors realized that nothing they were carrying was worth dying for, the fighting stopped. Alex stood on the bridge of the enemy vessel, her hands on her hips as she looked at the vessel¡¯s manifest. Prisoners were being carted out. Her slicers began their work and Alex turned; manifest in hand as she smiled at the Corellian Arms Captain, ¡°Your vessel is now mine¡­cooperate and I will spare ¡®some¡¯ of your people. Don¡¯t and you all die¡­that¡¯s the deal, there is no other one to be had here.¡± The Captain returned the smile with a deadpan gaze. ¡°You should just kill us all. There is no way we will not resist.¡± He was hiding something and as Alex moved toward him, she raised a hand his direction lifting him off the ground in the Force. ¡°AND You should know¡­I can see inside of your mind. I know what you hide in there¡­¡± Clenching her fist, the Captain grasped at his throat at the unseen hands choking him, ¡°¡­not you, but everyone else¡­¡± She grimaced continuing to hold him in stasis, ¡°¡­nah, you¡¯re just a Captain, not vital in any way to our plans. In fact, you know nothing about what you have on board this ship, do you?¡± She clenched her fist in a rapid motion, the crunching sound of sinew and neck bone popped loudly on the bridge. The crew turned to see her drop the lifeless body in an unceremonious fashion. ¡°Get me out of here and set course back to Hoth¡­have the stay-behinds move ¡®The Karolin¡¯ back to base. I will Captain this ship¡­¡± She looked down at the lifeless body, ¡°It needs one¡­¡± Corellian Arms, Czerka, Arcnet¡­.various corporations working together for one client. Drogan was right. The Sith were rearming. Planning a War or engaging in war required a massive amount of men and material. The logistical train of any military force was always larger than the actual engagement force. Alex folded her arms across her chest looking down at the lifeless body of the Captain and the scattered prisoners still being removed from the bridge. This was a covert transport. Flying under the table and part of some kind of secret network rearming the Sith under the noses of the Republic. AND in Korriban space. The Republic was controlling Korriban space. How could they not know? The fact made Alex laugh. ¡°Captain, we have something¡­the slicers have reported ¡®extraction¡¯ from the currier as well as spike data from the servers.¡± The man reporting gave a wry smile as his eyes got wider, ¡°You are not going to believe this¡­.¡± 3 - Strange One Felucia Colony¡­.events leading to Alexandra¡¯s discovery by the Pirates¡­ It had only been a month out in the wilds of Felucia and already they were planning their next move. Bernard stayed away from trying to get Alexandra more involved in the affairs of ''state''. Headstrong and proper, Alexandra accepted her place on the pecking order when she agreed to marry Bernard. Warrior to the last, she put that mantle aside when she became a wife and then a mother. There was no regret, no since of entitlement from her. It was as it should be, as the Force willed it to be. Bernard had his colony and civilizations to build. Alex had her girls and a husband to support. Fiercely independent coming up through the ranks, those that knew Alexandra would know an entirely different person to see her on Felucia. The warrior¡¯s heart was still there, buried deep, fueling the passion that kept her and her household stable. It was a happiness she never knew she was capable of, knowing that she would never trade it for anything in the universe. She did advise Bernard on affairs of defense and military strategy. Not in the way a formal advisor would, usually carrying a baby in one arm as she leaned over his shoulder to look at the plans he was making. Alex would make offhanded comments, she didn''t want to seem too forward. Bernard took everything she said deadly serious, even if it was an offhanded remark or suggestion. He wasn''t a fighter, never possessing a fraction of the skill Alexandra did. Though he would never say it, it was that skill that drew him to her and that passionate heart. He saw something in her that she did not see. That her passion was limitless and could be channeled into anything. Alexandra was more than a warrior. Pushed into the far reaches of the galaxy following the Hyperspace conflict the last vestiges of the Sith hid in plain sight or retreated out of reach of the Republic. Moving into new sectors, the Republic expanded. Everyone reaping the benefits of a war hard fought and won by the Republic. For the Mirialans it was a chance to spread their culture, settle on new worlds and expand their knowledge of the galaxy. Without malicious intent, they moved into new areas, forming colonies and gaining the knowledge they craved. Alexandra smiled as she moved the research papers off the desk, shuffling a stack of holo-records causing them to clatter to the floor. Bernard only shifted in his sleep, as well as the little girl who lay so tiny in his huge lap. They seemed to move as one at the sound, shifting to the side in the large plush chair. Alex looked down at them smiling. She didn¡¯t bother Bernard, but did take a moment to run her fingers through the raven black of the infant''s hair. Staring for a moment, she watched lovingly as the child breathed softly finally settling down again in a safe position in her father¡¯s lap. Starting to move the baby, a large hand clasped around Alexandra¡¯s wrist. She stopped trying to recover the child, turning a shade darker from having been caught. ¡°You were supposed to put her back in the crib, Bernard. Not keep her up with you while you work.¡± Alex smiled jokingly turning to look down at her husband, who placed his hand on the infant to sit up a little. ¡°Karolin just cries and cries. She doesn¡¯t like to be alone¡­¡± A wicked smile started to cross his lips as he looked up at his wife longingly, ¡°¡­.much like her Mother, I think.¡± Alex swatted at him breaking free, stifling a bit of laughter once the baby started to stir. ¡°Your work makes me a widow¡­perhaps I should cry so you will take me out of my ¡®crib¡¯ and put me in your lap¡­¡± Reaching down, Alex picked up the infant and clutched her close to her chest turning to walk back to the baby¡¯s room, ¡°¡­besides, she is not alone. Neither of them are. They have each other.¡± Pushing himself up from the chair Bernard followed, smiling as they walked. Life was good. A family, a house built with love. Though it was a house built with droids and with their prefabricated materials. Still something to be proud of, something he liked to call built with his own ¡®two hands¡¯. Many hands were involved. It was the collective effort of the entire colony. Starting with pre-fabs and picking one of their number, they all worked until the house for that member was built and then moved to the next. The project was nearly finished, the housing established, it was time to move on to more community efforts. There was irrigation, electrical and industrial ideas that flowed in the plans he kept on his desk. All of them given by the leadership, all of them his design. As soon as it was up and running, the plans to move to the next colony were already set. It was hard to convince Alex to leave the Temple on Mirial. They were merely colleagues, just friends, acquaintances for years studying the Ways of the Jedi. On Mirial, the Agri-corps was a big deal for the Mirialan people, the terrain of the planet unusually harsh for growing and cultivating anything. Bernard was part of the group of Agri-corps Jedi who would help to establish the first of the Force imbued agriculture sites. At the end of The Great Hyperspace War, it was with little effort at all that Alex and Bernard jumped at the chance to share that knowledge with the rest of the galaxy. The challenge of actually growing and building something on worlds that would fight you in trying to survive was just the challenge he desired. Bernard was a builder, a thinker; he loved to watch things take shape. While Alex enjoyed the art of watching things Bernard created grow, it was the fight she loved more. To hear Bernard explain his motivations would put an insurance man to sleep. She saw more in Bernard. Even after her own fight ended with the end of the War and the banishment of the Sith, Alex still needed a challenge. A Jedi Sentinel, Alex stood on the vanguard of the battlefront well away from the tamer duties of the Agri-corps. Yet upon returning, she was drawn to him. Not because of Bernard¡¯s charm or his ideas. She was drawn because she saw what he did. Challenge excited her, the fight with the planet to give up its secrets and be tamed by the settlers. With the War over, her combat ended she needed new goals, new things to consider. Bernard would laugh that it took ten years for him to convince Alex that she loved him. Alex told a different story, she loved him the first time she heard him speak.Giving up one fight for another, Alex traded one form of combat for another. The battle to tame a wild landscape. The family came later. And after Karolin and Mrysti were born, Alex was hooked. From the moment she discovered they were twins Alex decided her real test would be in raising them as proper Jedi. Bernard had his civilization to build, Alex had her girls. To her, there was no greater duty than being a parent and passing on themselves to their children. A fact she never considered standing on the rustic red soil of Korriban facing the last vestiges of the Sith remnant. The thought of children and family never crossed her mind, it couldn¡¯t; she was a Jedi. At long last Alex had her fight, the fight to ensure her girls were ready for the universe. War changes a person, though as cruel as it sounded to outsiders; Alex was battle focused from the moment the girls expelled from her womb. One of her sole objectives to ensure that both girls would be ready for the evils of the universe. Outsiders thought Bernard¡¯s wife was crazy. Alex accepted that, no one had seen what she had. No one could understand. True evil existed in the galaxy. Bernard understood and loved her for it. He watched as Alex placed the raven haired infant next to her sister in the crib. A sister whose red hair stood in stark contrast to the other and exactly like her father. Moving his hand over the top of the red-haired child Bernard bent down and kissed the top of her tiny head before standing back up, to the sarcastic grin of his wife. ¡°Mrysti is a daddy¡¯s girl. I knew it the moment she opened her eyes¡­¡± Bernard smiled looking back at his wife as they retreated from the room to the sound of his deep laughter. ¡°You say ¡®Daddy¡¯s girl¡¯ like it¡¯s a bad thing. Sounds like jealousy. Yet it¡¯s Karolin who cries for me at night¡­.¡± Alex shook her head in response already reaching at the shirt bottom to pull it up and over her head as she walked. ¡°Don¡¯t think so highly of yourself, ¡®Daddy¡¯. Karolin cries for anyone, if a Gundark came in and carried her off to rock her to sleep she would be fine with it¡­¡± After dropping the shirt to the floor she folded herself into him pressing her skin against his, "Do I have to cry...to get your attention?" Alex smiled semi-wickedly. People on the outside saw a different side of Alex, a proper, very formal side. Always demure, always very careful as to how she carried herself. In Alex''s eyes, as one of two Jedi in the colony, she not only represented her family but also the Jedi and the rest of the Mirialan people. She didn''t have to take on that burden. Her family back on Mirial thought Alex crazy for doing so. She wanted to take it on. Stretching her arms over Bernard, Alex melted. Alone, together...this was the part Bernard always enjoyed. The relaxed, ''normal'' Alex. The part he wished everyone could see, but like a kid in a candy store Bernard would have been jealous to share it. The best part of the morning after working all night, his wife putting him to bed. This was the benefit of being on a planet whose Sun shined upwards of nineteen hours a day. Most of those days blending together. One into the other Bernard was never sure when morning began and night would end. Holding her as she pulled him into the bedroom he knew it didn¡¯t matter. Day, night¡­hours, days, months or even years; nothing could measure happiness as having her with him. All of his greatest moments, greatest achievements were accomplished with her. Everything good started and ended with Alexandra. -- They were crusaders, considered the very vanguard of Mirialan society as they advanced their culture taming the planet so it could take on more and more settlers. They were breaking new ground, advancing into the large mushroom and spore forests of the planet. Thick with the mists of exploding spore pods, Bernard backed out and waved the others away as he called for some safer gear. Pods could contain something poisonous and hearty as the Mirialan species was against harsh climates even the heartiest of species could succumb to foreign poison. ¡°Get back, establish a perimeter until the gear gets here...¡± Bernard stood up and poured the water over his face, gasping as he shook the droplets off. It was hot, humid and harsh out in the wilderness. Not a place for those not used to exploring that type of climate. Looking out over and through the forest, Bernard could see very little. It wasn¡¯t until he saw the red of a light suddenly erupt further in that he zoned into the location. Another bright red light erupted, then another joined and then another. Almost immediately, Bernard turned to run back toward the colony. Thanks to Alexandra¡¯s many war stories he knew exactly what it was. The Sith had returned or at least been discovered on their planet. If they had discovered Bernard and his scouting party. Then he knew they must have discovered the colony. -- Alexandra laid Karolin in the crib next to her sister for a nap the moment the first explosion hit the center of town. Even before she moved to the door, she stopped in her bedroom to grab both of her saber hilts. They were never far from reach. The need to wear them constantly started wearing thin over the course of weeks they had been in the colony. One of only two Jedi, Bernard being the other; the colonist started to sour on seeing either of them armed constantly. Reluctantly and after many arguments with Bernard, Alex laid them down. But didn¡¯t put the sabers away. Never away. Looking down next to where her sabers rested, she noticed that Bernard¡¯s was still there; he had not taken his with him. On impulse she picked it up and took it with her, just in case. Outside was pure chaos; beside the bodies of those caught unawares by the initial attack, smoke, debris and panic had settled in to the populace. The unknown attackers continued to hit the village at distance by what appeared to Alexandra as a ranged heavy laser. Immediately she pinpointed the location through the fog of battle and headed that direction igniting the first of her two azure sabers. When she saw the individual loitering close to the turret carrying a red saber, Alex knew. Putting a little of the Force behind her movement, Alex took off at a run. Gritting her teeth in defiance to mentally prepare herself for the next moment. Questions of why or how didn¡¯t matter. These were Sith. Alex knew what they were capable of. -- Not much for mortal combat, Bernard saw the flash of sabers connecting and the unmistakable grimace of his wife as she clashed with someone over the ridge. Alex screamed in rage. It made Bernard increase speed. The turret stopped firing for the moment. Bernard looked up again as he ran understanding why. Alex was in the middle of the turret crew. Alex was outnumbered, which meant outmatched; but still holding her own. Jabbing the azure saber through the armor of one dark warrior, Alex kicked the Sith off her blade in time to meet the downward slash of yet another red saber. The Sith made his way to the other side of the turret in order to place himself in between Alex and the cannon. The Sith viciously swung out wide in an attempt to horizontally decapitate Alex. Alex bent back, millimeters from the red blade; the heat of it making her eyes go wide. Jabbing back instantly in repost, impaling the Sith in his shoulder. Armor sparked and shattered. The Sith backing off with a cry in anger and rage. His arm dead from the counter, the Sith attacking Alex switched his saber to the other hand, twirling it once as a show of defiance. Grabbing the turret controls, Alex dove over the top of the gun both feet together and in front of her to plant them squarely in the Sith¡¯s chest. The attacker flew back, Alex completing her vault to spin backward and kick once again after landing on the ground. The dark figure fell backward against the stalk of a giant mushroom. Alexandra was all over the Sith following with a quickness and screaming in fury once again. Taking her blades up above her head, inverted. Ready to send them down into the chest of the fallen warrior and send the Sith to whatever hell they believed in. Alex planted a boot on the chest of the Sith, kicking the saber out its hand. ¡°You¡¯re finished!!!¡± Alex didn¡¯t see as Bernard just reached her. He reached down for a saber that wasn¡¯t there, cursing himself for not listening to his wife. From around the other side of the turret and out of the opposite direction another dark warrior emerged. Saber held with both hands; high over his head. Leaping up and over the turret toward Alex. Bernard launched, diving toward the attacker down the hill. Arms wrapped around the waist of the Sith; the smaller warrior bent from the impact of so large a Mirialan. They tumbled, Alex turning around in time to see Bernard tackle the unseen Sith. Looking down, Alex pressed down with her foot and screamed. Quickly dispatching the warrior underfoot with a thrust of two sabers. Moving away, Alex went to help her husband only to find him on his knees. The Sith locked in a pincer hold with both of Bernard¡¯s arms around his neck and head. A quick twist and a loud pop, the Sith fell limp. Both Alex and Bernard locked eyes a moment. Bernard¡¯s eyes got wide suddenly. He dove toward Alex, pushing her out of the way. The turret, formerly firing on the village turned both barrels toward Alex; and Bernard caught every ounce of the power released from the twin cannons in place of his wife. Shock hit first, Alex bent down to grab a hold of Bernard knowing what had just happened. It all happened too fast for her to react or to cry out, she only wanted to get to him. The cannon repositioned to fire again; the blast sent Alexandra flying into the air and deep into the tree line of the forest beyond. She struck the base of a tree hard, splitting it when she connected, a bright flash of pain and then darkness as she slid down its base. As the sound faded out along with her sight, she never heard the incoming thunder of several Republic assault shuttles, the sound of the Sith abandoning their position and retreating back into the forest from which they came. Alex woke to the village burning, her husband dead¡­.and her children missing. -- Hoth¡­a year after being elevated to the Captaincy within the White Maw¡­ Directing the crew, Alex took her share and told the men where to place it within her domicile. She followed them, not because she distrusted them, but because it was HER domicile. HER pre-fab, no one came in there. And everyone knew it. Drogan once made an illusion to Alex¡¯s being a Jedi as the reason no one tried to bed her while serving as ¡®indentured help¡¯ on board one of their ships. It had nothing to do with her being a Jedi and everything to do with her being vicious and lethal. Alex didn¡¯t have to rely on her Jedi powers to get what she wanted or to defend herself. No one messed with her or her stuff for fear of meeting the wrong side of her. Alex reputation as callous and cruel was well known across the galaxy as the persona ¡®L¡¯ that Drogan created for her. The reputation was even more well known among the White Maw, who got to see all of it first-hand. Quick to anger, quick to draw down and even quicker to kill. All of it without remorse. Alex was almost a different person since she came ¡®under the black¡¯. Fighting a demon that none of them could see. As they set the chests down, she wiped the blood off her face. Alex quickly pulled her hands back behind herself and held them close so the men couldn¡¯t see. They were shaking violently. This acquisition of their last ¡®client¡¯ was a particularly lucrative haul, but costly. Eighteen men lost and even more lost on the ¡®client¡¯ side. Alex scoffed at the word; ¡®Client¡¯. It was a word Drogan used to make it seem less like violent work. Killing was killing and Alexandra was no stranger to it. She did it for the Jedi and now she was doing it for the White Maw, the only thing different was the cause. Alexandra De¡¯nabre¡¯s cause was herself. The last of her crew was filing out, one of the last to leave saying something which broke her from her thoughts and made her jump slightly. Images of the slaughter still fresh in her mind. There would be an adjustment period in her new position. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Captain? You ¡®aight? Anythin¡¯ else ya need?¡± ¡°No¡­no, you men go and enjoy yourselves. G-good work today¡­¡± After the last of the men left, Alex turned back to the cache of guns and precious metals. She stood there for a long while, just staring at them. Her crew was giving her strange looks as they left. So far, there were no complaints. The crew couldn¡¯t ask for a better Captain. Those who were in it for fortune were finding it. The ones on the crew that had a bloodlust were filling it. And the crew who just wanted to hide, were being protected. Unlike other Captains, there was no talk of dissention or mutiny among the tribe. Not one of the crew thought they could do it better. Even alone or in jest, the crew kept talk like that well away from one another. It wasn¡¯t like Alex to be so moved by their work, they weren¡¯t used to seeing her ¡®not there¡¯. Even in the short time she had been Captain. As the door slid shut behind her, Alex continued to stare playing the events back in her mind. She ordered the execution of all on board the ship, the few that fought back caused her casualties. Thanks to how easy Drogan made it for Alex, she put all of them to the sword for no other reason than to increase her ¡®name¡¯. But the women and children, that was the hardest. It didn¡¯t matter. Examples had to be made and Alex had warned them when she and the rest of her pirates boarded the ship. Resistance by one was resistance by all. The crew of the other ship; all of their righteous indignation, they just didn¡¯t want to give in. Alex shook her head in disbelief. Moving from the center of her domicile around the stacked crates and stopping cold once her reflection came up in the reflector sitting on the far side of the room near her fresher area. This was who she was. ¡®Elle¡¯, Dread Pirate of the White Maw. Terror of the Hoth Sector. Alex was almost unrecognizable to herself. Same brownish-black hair. Though she kept it in dreads since her earliest days on the ¡®account¡¯. Same facial tattoos, denoting her position and status in not only Mirialan society, but also her family. They disappeared along her neck, connecting under her coat to the tattoos on her torso. Diamond shapes and triangles. Squares and rectangles. All of the shapes in various configurations, set in a predetermined and calculated order to tell a story to any other Mirialan who saw her. Matriarch of the De¡¯nabre. Jedi and Mother. Crusader and settler. Alex leaned forward and ran a hand over her face. The beads wove into her dreads clicked, smacking together once she moved the hair away. Alex, was falling fast. It had been nearly three years since the death of her husband and the taking of her girls and she didn¡¯t even recognize herself. Slowly, she removed the long overcoat and dropped it on the chair next to her. Water, a part of the Mirialan ritual of purity. They all washed before a mark was placed upon their skin to denote a change in their life¡¯s work. What mark would she get now? If the Unity could still see her, what shapes would it apply to her skin to tell the tale of what she was becoming? All she wanted to do was go stand in the water. There would be no marks applied to her skin, but the purity of the liquid could wash away the carnage of the day¡¯s haul. Make her feel better about the sin she committed and wash away the physical blood of her victims. -- Stepping out of the command shack, Drogan pulled the overcoat up and over his neck to block the chill of the air. It was bone-chilling cold and getting colder by the second. The sun didn¡¯t provide much heat on Hoth. What it did was maintain the ability to at least move around during the day. At night, they hunkered down and waited out the night. Pulling out a cigarra, Drogan lit it and leaned against the doorframe looking out over the starship graveyard. Dusk was coming quick. So were the shadows, already some of the men were starting fire pits and pulling out booze. Those not on guard were free to do what they wanted. The bravest of them drinking for a false sense of heat and trying to brave out the coming cold. Drogan drew in deeply on the cigarra, savoring its flavor. A rare kind of Ithorian blend, picked up on one of the crew¡¯s ¡®client¡¯ missions. Canting his head curiously once he saw several of Alexandra¡¯s crew pass by, Drogan pushed off the doorframe and called out to them. They were headed to the pits. Fresh, unopened bottles of looted liquor swinging from their hands. It was strange, Alex¡¯s men were back and yet, she had not reported in to him. ¡°¡¯Ey¡­is ¡®The Karolin¡¯ back? You guys done with that haul?¡± ¡°Aye!!!¡± One of the others called back to him, continuing on. Several members of ¡®The Karolin¡¯s¡¯ crew turned and started making their way toward Drogan. He was the ¡®prince¡¯, if he talked you listened. One of them looking at the ¡®big boss¡¯ and nodding, ¡°Yes Sir¡­tha Captain is doing ¡®er wisdom thang. Solitary as usual, but yea¡­we ¡®er all back.¡± His brow tightened in concern. Alex never missed a log report. If for no other reason than to track snow into his office or gloat over the size of her most recent haul. Drogan dropped the cigarra and stubbed it out with the heel of his boot pushing off the doorframe. Everyone knew the ¡®wisdom¡¯ thing the men spoke off. Rumors abounded about Alex from the moment she joined the account, but none were more talked about. After her report Alex always secluded herself away. Never participating in the bonfires or drinking with her men. At first, talk ran that Alex thought herself ¡®too good¡¯ for the likes of them. That she was somehow above drinking with the dregs she meant to command. Drogan even asked her about it once. Alex¡¯s answer was simple and very precise. Jedi were trained leaders, schooled in one of the finest leadership academies the galaxy could provide. You couldn¡¯t consort with those you meant to command. How could you send any of them to their deaths if you cared about who they were? It was a job, plain and simple. An answer that Drogan more than happily accepted. This was not like her, Alex usually reported in before she secluded herself away. ¡®The wisdom thing¡¯. A way to make fun of Alex and the Jedi at the same time. Jedi, known for their long hours of meditation and seclusion. Drogan knew it for what it was and did nothing to set the rest of the men straight. He let them talk about the prudish Jedi of a Captain who refused to join the rest of them in the revelry of celebration after hauling in a big prize. Drogan continued to probe. Continuing to ask about it from time to time. Never had she given him a reason to doubt it for anything other than what it was. A Captain, that refused to consort with her men for fear of lowering her ability to command them. Privately, Drogan and Alex would laugh about it. Laughing about the rumors as they spun and grew among the White Maw. Drogan instilled in Alex the need to increase her name and she was doing just as much to increase her mystique inside the White Maw as she was in the rest of the galaxy. Alex had truly mastered the art of creating the legend. Talk would inevitably turn to a more sexual and intimate nature. The prudish Jedi. A monk among the pirates. Alex didn¡¯t drink, she didn¡¯t smoke, she didn¡¯t have any of the vices that most pirates possessed. And that made her the strange one. It was those times that Alex would smile and say, ¡®A Captain¡¯s place is above the men not lying alongside of them.¡¯ There was truth in that. For the women of the White Maw, life was much harder. Men and women had needs. Alex was not unattractive. Quite the opposite, the way she looked and carried herself made more of the rumors in that regard run rampant. Word would spread fast if a woman spread her legs for her crew, Captain or otherwise. That was something Alex never did and it served her well. Something Drogan always depended on was how prompt and predictable Alex was. It was the first time in memory that she didn¡¯t come by to see him after returning from a mission. Alex always reported in, she always gave the reports the same way. It was almost as if all of her movements and actions were written in some book that only she had read and understood. And she was following her own set of rules to the letter. He assumed it was the discipline of a Jedi to be so ¡®by the numbers¡¯. Alex had never had formal Republic Military training as far as Drogan knew, though she mentioned ¡®a great conflict with the Sith¡¯ from time to time. Other than the knowledge that she had been a Jedi, the subject of her military experience never came up. Nor did Alex ever talk about her Jedi past. It was clear from the stories her crew told that she had plenty of combat experience. The subject was something no one asked about and she never offered. Again adding to the mystery and mystique of the one known as ¡®Elle¡¯. Knocking on the hatch, Drogan heard nothing on the inside. Leaning his ear against the door, he tried to listen and almost felt guilty for doing so. Still nothing. Reaching down he pressed the appropriate keys to override the door and unlocked it. Alex moved the towel down over her dreads patting them dry careful not to wring them completely out. It was the oil of her hair that kept them together. Taking any shower, Alex was always careful not to get her hair too wet. The dreads were part of her image. The Dread Pirate ¡®L¡¯. It was who she was, sighing she looked up and wiped her hand over the mirror to clear the fog on to give herself another look. Alex was starting to hate herself. She was no longer Alexandra, she was ¡®L¡¯. The image staring back at her was the terror she tried to create. And it scared Alexandra. Moving to the adjacent room she threw a foot up on a stool and pulled the long thigh-high boots back on pulling up the zipper. Switching legs, she did the same to the other. Glancing over at the crates which filled her room. More wealth than she ever dreamed of having in a lifetime. If wealth was something she cared about. She didn¡¯t. That last bit of ¡®Alexandra¡¯ in her, the Jedi and missionary. Settling colonies and visiting new worlds. Spreading the Mirialan culture and knowledge of the Unity to those who didn¡¯t have it. That Alexandra never thought about wealth or power. What was she supposed to do with boxes and boxes of blasters, precious metals and booze? Thoughts drifted back to her crew, Jedi were used to living sparce by a normal person¡¯s standards. Alex didn¡¯t need any of it. And she began to wonder how it would be viewed if she just gave it all to her crew to disperse among themselves. Alex turned with a start, reaching out to call the lightsaber hilt to her hand in the Force; activating it immediately. The blue plasma blade lighting the far side of the room toward the door as it rattled and started to slide open. Her head perked up as she sensed Drogan on the other side of the door, already coming through. Ordinarily she would have been angry at being intruded upon. In a former life, Alex would have been ashamed of her nakedness. Trying to cover it. Reaching out, she sensed real worry on the other side of the door. And it struck her as strange coming from a man like Drogan. Someone who cared nothing for others and only himself. Wealth and power were his mistresses. Something Alex cared nothing for. But there was something else accompanying the worry coming through the door. She sensed the feeling, canting her head curiously; lowering the saber. As Drogan stepped through the door and stopped cold seeing her standing there in nothing but her boots the source of the feeling and what it was hit Alex as cold as the wind which blew in with Drogan. Never did Drogan expect to find Alex just standing there in the buff, he nearly tripped over himself stepping back toward the threshold of the door in shock, but quickly recovered. Alex was giving him a look, the look caught between a scowl and trying to figure out if she should kill him or not; at least that¡¯s how Drogan interpreted it. It was a serious look, but Alex always looked serious. Always intense. The fact she was naked did nothing to subdue the intensity of the gaze. It was part of what drew him to her, the stare. ¡°Uh¡ªI--¡­¡± He tried hard not to let his eyes move themselves over her body and failed. ¡°I¡ªyou didn¡¯t bring in your report¡­I thought¡­¡± Alex already had the lightsaber in hand as the door opened. Drogan looked down at it, wide eyed. The blue plasma the only other thing his eyes went between other than her body. Relaxing once she saw who it was, Alex lowered the blade and shut it down. Alex recognized the look. It wasn¡¯t just shock. All men got it. Desire. She could feel it coursing through him in the Force and grimaced narrowing her eyes. This¡­was NOT going to happen. ¡°You thought what?¡± ¡°I thought¡ªwell you always come directly to my office after¡ª¡° His eyes moved up and down again. It was harder to keep them away once Alex deactivated her lightsaber. He had nothing other than the woman to gaze at. Drogan had to turn himself away. Turning his head to look at the opposite wall. The door slid closed behind him, making him jump slightly. Alex seemed unaffected by the arctic air that poured in from the few moments the door was opened. It wasn¡¯t as if Alex was given a ¡®physical¡¯ or some kind of examination before she was ¡®asked¡¯ to join the White Maw. Drogan had no idea what Alex was hiding under all of the loose and baggy clothes she liked to wear. What he saw, much more than he bargained for. Rich green skin, marred with the black and grey markings denoting her station in Mirialan society. He had no idea what they meant, but there were more shapes and configurations than he could count. The Mirialan was covered head to toe in them. Drogan asked about the marks once before, referring only to her face. The explanation was not one that lent to being curious about the rest of her, until that moment. The Jedi forged the body. A tight muscular physique. There were still curves expected of a woman Alex¡¯s age. But the clothes she wore gave none of that away. Drogan looked back slightly and turned away again just as quickly catching a bit of the angry glare. Alex was still standing there, hands on her hips as she stared. Modesty, obviously not a problem for her. ¡°¡ªwell you always come by before you hide yourself away.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t this time, is that a problem?¡± There was an edge to her, the voice and the stare more intense than usual. Drogan dealt with people, vicious killers, vagabonds, thieves¡­but still people. Something was going on. Alex turned away setting the saberhilt back down to look back at the pile of boxes, saying nothing else. Moving into the room, Drogan felt awkward moving forward but willing himself to keep his head turned away. Drogan was searching himself. He jumped when the door shut. Was acting demur in the face of a woman half his size. Why did he feel so awkward around her? Alex being naked and doing nothing to remedy the situation could have been part of the answer. But Drogan knew there was more to it than that. Women were nothing new to him, he had plenty. Suddenly Drogan realized there wasn¡¯t a moment when Alex was in his presence that he didn¡¯t feel some level of nervousness around her. He just did a better job of covering it up before. It took the impromptu visit and Alex being in a compromising position for Drogan to actually face it. He moved a step closer, turning his head back to look at her fully. ¡°Look, it¡¯s no problem¡­you just come by whenever. I¡ª¡° Drogan turned back to the door reaching for the keypad. The feeling of being awkward overtaking him. It was too much all at once. Realization, facing a fear. He had to get out of there. Alex looked at him, there was a sadness buried. What happened on the latest haul playing out behind her eyes. Drogan paused and gave a concerned look. In light of the situation, walking in unannounced, catching Alex literally with her pants down; being compromised and vulnerable was the least of his worries. Drogan stopped typing on the pad and let out a sigh. Turning, he moved a step closer back toward her. Alex put her head down and looked at the floor. Crossing the distance in an instant, Drogan grabbed the Mirialan up in his arms and held her. It wasn¡¯t sexual, much to both of their surprise. Drogan didn¡¯t try to look at her or reach her lips with his own. He just held, holding her tight. Alex folded into him without resistance. Finally allowing her arms to stretch up and along his back, pulling him tighter. A moment passed and then another. Drogan released and pulled away enough to look at Alex and smile. He was about to speak. But Alex interrupted him, reaching up to grab the back of his head and pull his face toward her own. There was the heat Drogan expected. It lit a fire in him, feeling her pull then feeling the lips he constantly wondered about. The awkwardness struck again as Drogan stepped back and released her, Alex willingly letting him go, ¡°I should¡ªI should go¡­¡± He ponited at the door and nodded to himself. ¡°Yea¡­maybe.¡± Alex looked down again, her voice unusually demur and soft. She finally turned her naked form away from him. All of the bravado gone. There was no more front to keep up. Drogan wanted to ask but couldn¡¯t, he turned to leave and quickly pressed the keypad to exit the room. The cold hit him and instantly quenched the fire that was burning inside. Drogan stood there a moment. Part of him in a state of shock. When he opened the door and walked in, what happened was not what he expected. ''What in the Void had just happened?'' He laughed at himself starting to walk away. The crunching sound of ice bringing him back to reality. Since when did he get shy around a woman? Since when did HE, the pirate leader of one of the largest pirate organizations in the galaxy, ever NOT take a women who gave in to him? Those weren¡¯t the only questions. Thousands were filling his head. Did she--? Drogan walked in on her, he was the interloper. Did he take advantage, more WHY didn¡¯t he? Was it some kind of strange Jedi trick that provided him restraint? Drogan froze. Literally and figuratively; stopping in the cold of the Hoth night. Respect. Was that it? Drogan actually respected her. More than he could say for most women he met. Questions and more questions. Drogan quickened his step heading back toward his shack. Another strange feeling coming over him. Something he never experienced before. It was deeper than respect or admiration. Deeper than friendship or the lust directed at a beautiful woman. Butterflies ate at his stomach and Drogan found himself at a run. Jogging back toward his pre-fab. Anything to get away. At a flat out run, Drogan realized why he doing everything he could to not only get away from the situation he fell into but the feeling that suddenly wracked him; making him feel weak. Drogan¡­.was in love and he just realized it. And it scared the hell out of him. -- Korriban Hyperlane¡­¡¯The Karolin¡¯ and her ¡®Prize¡¯ preparing for hyperjump¡­ Moving her foot over the rubble; the server room looked different than when Alex first entered. The slicers tearing the room apart and shredding the hardware to get to the server cores and apply their spikes to the hardened information centers. She moved around the trash and kicked things out of the way. Working her way to the huddled men, all of them still working on extracting information. The pirate who gave her the message on the bridge was back; crouched down with the other slicers. Hearing the Captain behind him, he and the others turned giving their leader a big smile. ¡°Mother LOAD!!! We got over a billion Terabytes in just this one server and there are eighty more in here; all of them shielded, but all of them crackable!¡± Alex shook her head, she understood the language, but not the tech. It was hardly her thing. ¡°You said you had something?¡± Remembering why he brought the Captain down, the slicer stood and handed her a tiny piece of metal which still glowed slightly, ¡°The implant from the currier. We extracted it after deactivating his genetic ¡®kill switch¡¯...¡± They both glanced at the far end of the room. The crrier''s feet the only thing sticking out from behind the databank. Alex was still shaking her head, palming the device and looking down at it. Still not really understanding what the slicer was trying to say. ¡°It¡¯s the key Captain, we don¡¯t even need spikes. That combined with the servers¡­.we got the information of a universe in here; corporate secrets, Sith Communiques¡­weapon schematics¡­.everything!!!¡± He said excitedly, ¡°We might as well start printing our own credits. Someone is going to be pissed we got all this¡­¡± The statement met revelation. Rocking from a blast, Alex placed her hand on the wall after being knocked off balance. The ship being struck by something from outside. Alex looked up, recognizing the sound and vibration. It was ordnance. Turbolaser. Possibly a low-yield missile blast. Reaching down, she keyed the comm on her wrist. Some one on the bridge was already messaging her before she could say anything. <¡°Captain!!! Get up here!! We got company!!¡±> Alex glanced at the implant in her palm, closing her fingers around it. ¡°Raise bridge deflectors and place all batteries on auto¡­target the incoming vessels or whatever is firing on us!!! Whoever is free, have them take up manual targeting. Get the ship moving back toward the moon and away from the hyperlane.¡± <¡°You want to go back to the moon?!?!¡±> The excited question got a scowl from Alex as another blast rocked the ship. She recognized the sound clearer the second time. There was only one sound like that. Something Alex wished she never heard again. ¡°Do you hear that?!?! THAT¡­is a Sith turbolaser. We are about to be engaged by something none of us are prepared for¡­you listen to me or we are all dead!! Head back to the moon!¡± Moving quickly to the door, Alex glanced at the implant again. The implant was most likely what brought the Sith to them. The currier, so ready to kill himself. Perhaps it was a key. The key continued to glow blue. Alex turned it over, reading the words emblazoned on the implant side of the interface before pocketing it and rushing from the room. 4 - The Key Korriban Sector¡­. <¡°To ¡®whomever¡¯ is piloting our freighter¡­. You have seized property of the ¡®Sith¡¯ Empire. Come about, cut your engines and prepare to be boarded¡­¡±> Face buried in the scanner; Alex could see it was two small scout class corvettes. A configuration that looked like the typical triangular Sith in design but much more angular than she remembered. They bristled with weaponry. It made sense that the Sith would not send a capital ship to a sector they wished to remain hidden in. Still, three to two, the Corvettes outclassed both her captured Dreadnaughts and ¡®The Karolin¡¯. She had no doubt she would prevail, but at too high a cost. Flipping the Comm channel to ¡®broadcast¡¯ she smiled wickedly and spoke so the one who sent the message could hear her. ¡°As far as I understand, the ¡®Sith¡¯ no longer exist in this part of the galaxy. How do I know you are who you say you are?¡± She was goading them, buying time. Her response was met with another barrage of turbolaser fire as the dreadnaught rocked again, shaking the bridge. Looking toward the navigation console, the member of her crew manning it mouthed to her, ¡®Closing¡­¡¯. They were getting closer to the moon, but the Sith were catching up. ¡°Fool! You have no idea who you are speaking with! I am a High Inquisitor of our Glorious Emperor Vitiate the Wise. You play with Forces you cannot possibly imagine. Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded, there is no escape¡­.¡± Again, Alex smiled. Sith and their titles, how they loved them. ¡°Vitiate? That guy?!?! I heard of him¡­wasn¡¯t he a pazzak dealer on Nar Shaddaa?¡± Alex laughed and quickly flipped the comm switch, closing the channel. Losing the smile, Alex gave her navigator a stern gaze. ¡°How close now?¡± ¡°They are closing fast¡­they will be in tractor range in two minutes, though they don¡¯t have the power to stop us. I can¡¯t say that for ¡°The Karolin¡¯ she¡¯s in their class. However¡­.¡± The Navigator grimaced, ¡°¡­.they will be in boarding pod range in three--¡± Alex¡¯s head snapped up, something in the Force prompting her to look aside. Drawing her sabers, she activated them. Her head snapped to the bridge exit, ¡°No¡­they are already here¡­¡± The hull rocked as she spoke again. It wasn¡¯t a blast from a turbolaser, the hull echoed with the sound of something hitting it multiple times. Landing pods clasping themselves to the outer hull. ¡°Every man to battle stations¡­.repel boarders!!!¡± The double door slid open as Alex strode through into the outer gangway, sparks already cascading down from the pod which latched onto the bridge access. As the pod hatch dropped open, Alex thrust a hand out at the first emanation of red light, the Sith blade already coming through carried in the hands of one who knew nothing of the ship or the ship¡¯s captain who was attacking. The Sith dropped his blade, the body hurling into the pod¡¯s bulkhead Forced aside by Alex¡¯s shove. Another Sith attacker stepped over his fallen comrade right behind him. Taking a moment to glance down. Eyes got wide over the rebreather he wore after looking up. Azure blades, a Mirialan, ¡°A Jedi?!?!¡± His voice was almost excited to say it, his saber up and over his head to swing down. Launching forward under the blade Alex grabbed the man by his armored throat pushing him into the same pod bulkhead. With a slick finesse rarely seen by her crew, Alex jabbed the blade through the Sith¡¯s chest. Just as smoothly removing it as she dropped the hand on his throat. ¡°Maybe once¡­¡± His body slumped as Alex stepped past the pod pointing to the inside for her crewmates following her to see. ¡°Ice it¡­¡± Continuing to move she hacked and slashed at the assault droids, the hall vibrating at the detonation of the pod behind her; her crew throwing several thermal detonators into the inside. ¡°How many Captain?? Do we know?!?!¡±, Alex glanced over her shoulder at her Comm officer who held the blaster rifle nervously, ¡°I have never seen anything like those guys?!?!¡± ¡°Standard Sith protocol calls for Eighteen landing pods for a ship this size¡­we just got one. Seventeen more to go.¡± She smiled wickedly turning back around to continue stalking the hall, ¡°We will start here and work our way to the main reactor¡­. that¡¯s where their headed¡­.¡± ¡°How do you know all of this???¡± ¡°Trust me¡­.I know¡­.¡± -- Republic Main Flagship ¡®Valiant¡¯¡­Korriban Orbit, the Last Day of the Hyperspace Conflict¡­.and the Sith Remnant¡­. The remnant was an appropriate name for them. Zealots who refused to give up the grounds. Holy in their eyes. Those who remained were the Guardians of Forever. With no illusion that they wouldn¡¯t die at the Jedi¡¯s hands. But not before placing a mark upon them that would stand for all time. The desire was to have their own names remembered. Not strong enough to be Darths, hardly worthy of being called Sith. They chose their destiny during the final stages of the war to stand their ground and make the Republic pay for every yard. And they were successful. As the last of the Guardians died from Republic turbo laser fire and orbital bombardment, Jedi; some of them newly minted in their skills set down upon Korriban to take an accounting of what the Sith lost and what the Jedi would now be reasonable for safeguarding. The Republic decreed the entire planet quarantined even before the flag had been planted. Too evil to let anyone roam freely and too historic a find to simply destroy; it would be the Republic¡¯s job to watch over the planet. Ensuring none would ever set foot on Korriban soil ever again. Holding her arm, Alex was helped off by her Master who beamed a smile, ¡°You did well Padawan¡­¡± He gestured at the medics who were standing by in the landing bay, ¡°Quickly, get her to medical and the Sages, we¡ª¡° His words interrupted by the ¡®swoosh¡¯ and flash of a Sith carrier and several escorts ending their hyperspace jump right on top of their location. The Sith were evacuating, this was the last of the Sith fleet. Their target: The Flagship ¡®Valiant¡¯¡­.a holding action to buy themselves more time. Someone in the Sith came back for the Remnant. Almost immediately the flagship began rocking from multiple turbolaser hits, the hull echoing with the sound of multiple landing pods. The Sith were taking no chances, even continuing their own turbolaser fire directly in the path of some of their own landing pods. This was a suicide run. The Master released Alex and pulled her chin to his, ¡°Concentrate in the Force Alex, deaden your pain¡­let the Force put it aside.¡± He looked at the pods landing in the bay unmolested, his mouth getting tight as he stood to his full height, ¡°We are not finished yet.¡± The ramp to the pod dropped and droids spilled out of the entryway. Alex¡¯s master didn¡¯t see the red blades come to life behind the swarm of droids. Alex did, just as she opened her eyes, putting the pain of the lightsaber wound to her arm aside. Her hand launched out to grab him, but it was too late. ¡°Master!!!¡± The red Sith blade came through the crowd of droids, struck her Master and returned to its source. The crowd and the mass of droids moving to the left and toward the hangar exit. Alex and her fallen Master of no consequence to the attacking Sith. In her arms, she held her dying teacher. He looked at her with wide eyes, almost in disbelief and then relaxed with a smile, ¡°Th-they are headed t-to the reactor¡­y-you must stop them.¡± Tears leaked from her eyes for the man who kept her safe since she was a small child, he touched her face his smile getting broader, ¡°D-do not weep for m-me¡­there is no d-death. There is on-only¡­.¡± Alex looked up and at the exit, the last of the Sith boarding party disappearing out of the hangar. ¡°¡­there is only¡­.the Force¡­¡± Alex lowered her Master to the floor of the hanger gently, standing up to look down on him. Her fist got tight as she reached and grabbed the twin sabers with each hand, clutching them in defiance. The Azure blades came to life. Alex completely forgot the pain of her wounds, the pain of losing her Master. Steeped in the Force, it told her what she needed to know. ¡®¡­.the Sith typically use twenty four pods for a vessel this size¡­they always class their attacks in multiples of four¡­.¡¯ Placing some speed behind her movement she launched for the door, headed to the reactor. -- Korriban Sector¡­the Dark Side of the Moon¡­ Every Sith she encountered was surprised to see her. Alex could feel that in them as they caught a glimpse of her blades or sensed her approach. Sometimes the surprise was enough to give her a moments advantage. They were prepared for a Jedi, not the ruthlessness of a Pirate. She fought them like she didn¡¯t care. She fought them as if she had nothing to lose. Her movements sound, she moved from one saber form to another flowing in and out of variations taught to her in the Temple. The forms the Sith used were similar, ancient. Alex adjusted her style to match the heavy handedness of the Sith. The added bonus of a ruthless pirate added the unexpected flair. Unlike the Sith, Alex moved with a quiet confidence and slickness rarely seen by her crew. They knew their Captain was ruthless, rageful. Alex was always the first one through, the one leading the charge. She led them down the hall, but there was no rage or aggressiveness. Alex seemed to be waiting on the Sith as they attacked. They watched her slide, parry and then strike. Each one a death blow before she moved on to the next. Multiple attackers only changed her speed. Taking the first with a swipe and a jab, then sliding into the others to parry or perhaps pull them in close. The sound of clashing sabers and groans in death the only thing alerting the other attackers that Alex was approaching. The Sith parried her thrust and as Alex brought the other saber around. The attacker kicked sideways disarming her other hand. The blade deactivated and clattered to the floor. Alex could sense the pride from the Sith at having disarmed a Jedi. Part of the ruthlessness came back. The Sith met the business end of the blaster. Without pause, Alex drew it from her belt immediately after dropping her saber. Punching the suppressor into his face and pulling the trigger. Alex stepped over him before the body completely fell. Knowing the Sith were almost to the reactor. ¡°Damn¡­¡± The crew following her looked at one another. This was a side they had never seen. Alex was silent, contemplative as she moved softly; almost floating on air as she concentrated. Proceeding to the ship¡¯s reactor room. Her crew would blast the droids from behind creating a path for her, but backed up every time a Sith blade came into view. Stopping at the door, Alex laid a hand on it closing her eyes. ¡°They are moving back to their pods. The reactor has already been set to blow¡­¡± Looking behind, her eyes snapped open. ¡°¡­quickly, tell the slicer crews and the extraction teams to get what they can off the ship and move to the breach point. Have ¡®The Karolin¡¯ pull up alongside¡­get the men to ¡®The Karolin¡¯¡­.¡± ¡°C-captain¡­?¡± Alex had already turned back around, her hand back on the door as she slowly closed her eyes, ¡°¡­we will wait for you at the launch.¡± She spoke softly, deliberately; her voice with a slight edge to it as she continued to concentrate on the lone occupant still in the reactor room. ¡°No. This is my fight. There is nothing left for any of you to do here¡­¡± She sucked in a breath and activated one of her sabers again, ¡°GO¡­.NOW!!!¡± -- The door slid open on its own. The lone occupant in the room opening it for her. ¡°I heard there was a Jedi onboard. I never expected it to be a Jedi Master¡­¡± Alex stepped into the light at the voice. The other¡¯s red blade glowing brightly in the dying light of the reactor room. His eyes got wider as he saw Alex enter, smoke ebbed from her hair and clothing. Remnants of the fight it took to get that far. Dreads and beads; the smoke. It made Alex look nightmarish in the low light. The Sith actually backed up a step, not as magnanimous as before after seeing her. ¡°Not a Jedi¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Raising the blade, he placed it between himself and the nightmarish figure that approached. Sensing nothing in her but hate, he almost smiled, but held his features taught. There was no need to provoke her, ¡°A pirate? Really? Why would a Jedi¡­¡± It was a ruse to try and break her concentration. The Sith Commander didn¡¯t care. Lifting the blade in a quick motion over his head she was almost in striking distance. Alex dropped the one saber reaching for the blaster on her belt. She unleashed the full complement of the power cell toward the Sith Commander. He quickly lowered the blade blocking one, two, three shots--The rest of the incoming bolts hit him; sending the Commander careening toward the control terminal. Propping himself up to a knee, the Sith laughed slightly. Alex grimaced, finger pressure tightening on the trigger. Sith were animals. They deserved to die like an animal would. ¡°And what are you?!?!¡± The Sith called out, as if reading her thoughts. Alex didn¡¯t respond. Smoke encircled her head as she grimaced and glared down at him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!!! You and all of your crew are DEAD!!! And none of this material will ever see the light of a planetary sun¡­.¡± Raising the saber with her other hand, she placed it at his throat speaking softly before melting the skin and the rest of what held up his head all the way through. ¡°I was dead the moment I signed up for this¡­we are all dead men and dead men¡­have nothing to lose.¡± ¡°Lose?!?! Lose??? You have gained everything!!!¡± ¡°No. I lost everything¡­¡± The head rolled away from her as the lifeless body of the Sith Commander clattered loudly to the floor. Alex sat with her knees under her, her head down and slowly closed her eyes to await the inevitable. The feminine voice of the computer, her only solace as it continued to countdown. The end was near. ¡°There is no death¡­there is only the¡­¡± She stopped the thought, ¡°Kriff it¡­I¡¯m ready¡­.¡± <¡±Self ¨Cdestruct in Thirty Seconds¡­you now have zero minutes to reach minimum safe distance¡­¡±> -- It started to come down around her, the ship shook and rattled. Alexandra opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling of the reactor room; a huge grin on her face. Thoughts turned to Felucia. Two lost daughters. And finally, Bernard. Bowing her head, she did something she hadn''t done in a long time. She prayed. ¡°Ancestors...it''s been sometime since I have come to you. Unity''s Light, I am soon to return. Accept me, with all of my transgressions. I know Bernard and my daughters wait for me. To them I say: Soon baby¡­.soon¡­.I am coming back to you¡­¡± Alex always thought her end would be more dramatic. Lightsaber battles ended quickly. Depending on where you were struck, you either suffered or died instantly. She shrugged. A ship blowing up around her wasn¡¯t half bad. It was much better than a disintegration or being hit by an orbital strike from space. Overall, that death was not a bad one by her estimation. One she could be proud of. It had elements of everything she would have wanted in the ultimate death. Heroic victory, sacrifice¡­Alexandra laughed to herself; she even got to monologue to a villain before she severed his head from the rest of his body. But the biggest thing was giving her life to save her crew. She had never been a Captain before settling in with the White Maw, had never led troops in battle. Even though she was a veteran of war. As a Padawan she followed her Master¡¯s lead. But if she had been a combat leader, if she had the chance to lead troops or command men in conflict; this is what a true leader would do.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Be willing to sacrifice themselves for the welfare of their men¡­. All of it was ripped away, just before the ship came down around her. Wrapping his powerful arms around her; Drogan pulled Alex from her seated position and up to her feet. She was in a daze, so much that even as Drogan threw Alex over his shoulder and ran from the Reactor Room; she still wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. She didn¡¯t start hitting or cursing at him till they were almost at the airlock. ¡°GET GOING¡­.MOVE, MOVE, MOVE¡­..NOW!!!¡± Drogan tossed Alex through the airlock door and closed the hatch behind him. The the sound of bent and twisted metal followed them; ¡®The Karolin¡¯ moving quickly away from the Dreadnaught snapping and bending the breach lock connected to their ship. The explosion tossed ¡®The Karolin¡¯ to the side as the ship hurled toward the hyperlane. It was a tumultuous moment. Alex and Drogan rolled into each other¡¯s arms as the ship was being launched sideways. Sounds of screams from the bridge echoed from the ship wide comm system. Either happiness or utter disaster. Turbolaser blasts from a pursuing Sith Corvette continued to rock ¡®The Karolin¡¯. Neither of them could tell what was worse; Drogan looked at Alex lying on his back. His arms wrapped around her; smiling up into what he considered the most beautiful face he ever seen. She promptly slapped him and spat at him angrily. An act which not only caught Drogan by surprise, but actually made him laugh. Crawling to her feet, she slammed her foot down like an insolent child, ¡°You had no right Drogan¡­NONE, what so ever¡­I was¡ª¡° ¡°About to die? Yes¡­and thank you so much for saving my life Drogan¡­¡± He retorted in a mock version of her voice, wiping the spittle off his face, ¡°Are you some kind of loon or something?!?! I just saved your kriffin¡¯ life you stupid¡ª¡° He stopped himself. ¡°What?!?! Say it! You were about to call me a Bitch weren¡¯t you???¡± ¡°CRAZY ASS!!! I was about to call you a crazy ass¡­why do you always take things so serious? I thought I had a problem understanding women, my problem has nothing to do with understanding women at all. IT¡¯S UNDERSTANDING YOU!!!¡± ¡°NO ONE ASKED YOU TO DROGAN!!!¡± She screamed back in response, finally dipping her head a little. ¡°Look, it¡¯s been a long day¡­I¡¯ve lost my ship and now find myself on yours after coming to see what was going on out here. Let¡¯s just get away from one another and we can talk lat¡ª¡° Grabbing him, Alex pulled the taller man into a forceful kiss. The both of them falling into the bulkhead with Alex pressing into him. Drogan couldn¡¯t tell if he was being kissed or attacked, the kiss was so forceful. Alex backed up after tossing Drogan away. The pirate prince started to speak, Alex slapped him again. ¡°That¡¯s for rescuing me and interrupting my destiny. I was all ready to join with the Unity. I said the prayers and made my peace. And then YOU¡­busting in like¡ª¡± It was Drogan¡¯s turn. Grabbing Alex, he forced her into the opposite bulkhead. Kissing her again. After a long forceful second kiss, Drogan looked bashful. He started to apologize. ¡°Look, someone had to stop that monologue. You were about to recite the entire tenets of the¡ª¡± In a lightning quick move Alex swung her hand out and slapped him again. ¡°OWWW-EEE!!!¡± Drogan rubbed his face. ¡°What was that for?!?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s for taking advantage of me.¡± Breaking off from him, Alex shoved him again and walked away. Drogan wiped his mouth as he smiled and watched her leave, ¡°I can never tell if I want to kill her or kriff her¡­¡± Speaking to himself before leaning his head out of the airlock. ¡°And for the record¡­I DID NOT take advantage of you. I did everything I could to put you to bed!!¡± Drogan knew exactly what Alex was talking about. It was a continued point of contention between the two of them. One night, what Alex considered a dreadful mistake. He didn¡¯t voice the rest of his thoughts. An all too familiar feeling of warmth easing its way back up to the pit of his stomach. The uneasy feeling, he hated to get. A feeling of love that he was just not equipped to deal with. ¡®Damn it, what a woman¡­¡¯ the part he didn¡¯t say out loud. There was no way he was going to let the men see him falling susceptible to something as insipid as ¡®love¡¯. No matter how many mistakes he and Alex made together. -- Gathering of the Captains¡­three years, six months into Alexandra¡¯s Captaincy¡­. It wasn¡¯t her usual fare. There had been only two other gatherings of all the Captain¡¯s and their crews that Alexandra could remember. And she didn¡¯t have much play in those festivities as she was still creating her name. But, the White Maw was growing. It was already vast; a gathering was coming to decide some very important matters. Promotions of some persons to the rank of Captain, a round table discussion with Drogan on some direction and emphasis on what the White maw were looking for, a talk about loot and adventure; perhaps even a sharing of some of the bounty. Most of all it was an excuse for a huge party. The three ¡®W¡¯s¡¯, the men would say. There would be friendly competition among the crew; drinking games, combat; anything to put one crew against the other to see who was the best. All unofficial and all in good fun. The White Maw worked hard and no one held a grudge if they played just as hard. Drogan encouraged the kind of healthy competition that came from a gathering of his clan, he enjoyed it. More importantly, the men enjoyed it. It created a bond between all of them that only pirates could understand. Saying it, without really saying it; Drogan explained to Alex that she was expected to participate in every facet of this particular gathering. Her crew being the top earners of the entire gang. Alex was a name now. They wanted to see ¡®Elle¡¯. Size her up. And it was encouraging among the other crews, some of them had women among them; to see one of their own standing toe to toe with the other Captains. Drogan was a misogynist. But he considered himself an equal opportunity misogynist. If a woman could stand toe to toe with her peers, do what they did without any concessions then why not? There would naturally be some resentment from the other Captains that would encourage the ¡®friendly¡¯ competition in that regard. The top crew would need their Captain there to answer the call, woman or not. As such, Alex resigned herself to be there though she much preferred not to be. There were instances of Alex ¡®cutting loose¡¯ over the years. A time she got drunk and knocked out her first mate for calling her a name; unintentionally of course. There were several things you didn¡¯t call a woman. ¡®Cunt¡¯ was one. Alex didn¡¯t mind that word as much for some reason. The men used it in such a variety of ways in their everyday speech that she would overlook it. There was one other word she absolutely would not stand for when directed at her or any other woman on her crew. ¡®Bitch¡¯, that she couldn¡¯t forgive. It was not as common as the other word. And when used in her direction, you were lucky to walk away intact. No one really understood why. No one bothered to ask, it was just understood after the first mate ended up on his back that you DID NOT call the ¡®Captain¡¯ that name. The gathering got rowdy, as expected. The day¡¯s discussions having ended as the Captains all emerged from Drogan¡¯s pre-fab. The different crews all intermingled; laughing, fighting; teasing one another. It was exactly what Drogan said it was going to be, one big party. As the Captain¡¯s joined, Alex was almost immediately called out being the only female Captain among them. She tempered her good cheer trying to remain serious as the first of many of the night¡¯s events revolved around who¡¯s crew¡¯s Captain was truly the best combatant. Most of the other Captains were big burly sorts. All men. Much larger and tougher looking than Alex. Size did not matter to her, she would stand with the best of them. It was with much glee that as one of the rival Captains stood, a bottle of Rum sloshing in his hand, he called out to Alex. ¡°No, no¡­heim noh gonna fight ¡®er¡­I migh¡¯ try ta kriff ¡®er¡­buh heim noh gonna fight!!!¡± The others all laughed at his comment as Alex very gently sat down in the circle flipping her coat out behind her. She smiled condescendingly at the comment and the Captain that gave it. ¡°That would require something on my part would it not¡­Captain?¡± Her pearly whites showing as she forced the smile, ¡°You would have to be moderately attractive to me¡­which you are not.¡± The sounds of ¡®ooooo¡¯ and ¡®ahhhhh¡¯ cascaded around the fire pit as the one sloshing the rum looked around; a little red in the face before sitting down. The words got close to calling for combat. But none of the big, burly men hazarded that close. Alex was a name. Not only a name, her legend preceded her to the circle. No one wanted to fight a Jedi. ¡°Ya may be able ta fight¡­¡± Another Captain leaning over her shoulder said in a drunken haze, ¡°¡­Buh can ya drink?!?!¡± he slammed the bottle down, everyone¡¯s eyes moving to Alex as the other issued the challenge. A cheer went up, the peer pressure. The jeers directed toward her. She was about to say no, but as she looked around her eyes locked with Drogan who was watching her intently. He shook his head slightly so that only she would notice. Alex couldn¡¯t tell if it was a ¡®no¡¯ or ¡®yes¡¯ but either way the challenge hung in the air. ¡°Well¡­¡± Alex smiled and looked at the bottle, ¡°¡­I¡¯m no Zeltron, but I can hold my own¡­¡± Snatching the bottle into her hand, she kept her eyes on Drogan as she upended it and downed a full third of the harsh tasting rum. A cheer went up among the crowd again as Alex stood and shoved the bottle back into the hands of the offending Captain, ¡°You¡¯re on, Mate!!¡± -- The night wore on and as the offending Captain was long past drunk and ¡®under the proverbial table¡¯ by Alex, she stepped over her defeated foe and stumbled back to the log she was sitting on; bottle still in hand. Giggling to herself, she pointed down at the passed-out man and screamed, ¡°Weak¡­assssss ¡®bitch¡¯¡­.¡± Alex giggled again and nearly fell off the log as she righted herself, laughing outloud. Drogan watched the whole thing and was amused, but also concerned. He hadn¡¯t seen Alex in that state before. On one other occasion, Alex and Drogan drank together till the sun came up. He found himself bleary eyed and confused. The two literally drinking themselves through a full case of Corellian Scotch only to see Alex looking as if she hadn¡¯t drank a thing. ¡°I¡¯m going to let you in on a little secret, Drogan¡­¡± Alex said. ¡°¡­Jedi can purge things from their blood. Every drink, I burned it out of my system. The only one drinking was you.¡± Alex hadn¡¯t done that, not this time. Or if she had it wasn¡¯t working. It was the first time Drogan actually saw the woman fully intoxicated. Usually a model of concentration, seriousness and control, he caught the looks of the other crews. Some of her own crew starting to unconsciously gravitate toward their Captain as a shield. The ¡®vultures¡¯ were starting to circle. Alex was drunk enough to be reckless and some of the others, licking their lips and gazing at her were starting to notice. She felt the arm slip around her waist and pull her to her feet as she drunkenly looked up and over at her boss; most if not all of the men were in a state of being passed out or would shortly be unconscious. Giggling again, Alex threw her arm around her bosses¡¯ shoulder, ¡°Droh¡ªgaaaaaann.¡± She laughed. ¡°Come on¡­time to call it a night Captain. You¡¯ve had enough¡­¡± It was his attempt to rescue her from the ¡®vultures¡¯ but also let her save some face. He was a study of people and had he asked, Drogan was pretty sure what Alex¡¯s answer would be concerning the amount of times she had been drunk in her life. Most likely Drogan could have counted them on one hand. Reaching over she ran a drunken finger over his lips. ¡°Awwww¡­you puttin¡¯ meh ta bed?!?! Lightweights¡­.¡± Alex frowned and looked at the mass of men at the fire pits, ¡°Yur all lightweights!!!¡± There was collective laughter as sounds of ¡®Good night Captain¡¯ and ¡®Sleep well¡¯ were heard. Alex had proven herself, taking a big step in participating and besting some of the other Captain¡¯s at their own games. Drogan was proud of her, but at what cost? His pride turning to worry as he stumbled with her toward her pre-fab. She seemed to have a moment of clarity as they moved away from the fire pit and toward her own domicile, breaking free from his grasp. ¡°NO!! Nigh¡¯ ain¡¯t ova¡­¡± Alex flipped around and started walking back the other way, ¡°Got ta be more rum ¡®round here sumwhere¡­.¡± Drogan ran to catch up with her, placing his arm around her waist again. ¡°Oh no¡­it¡¯s beddy bye time for you young Jedi¡­.¡± She broke free again, pointing her finger at him. A faux serious look on her face as she stumbled in the snow, ¡°Young?!?! I will have hugh know¡­¡± Alex started laughing as she fell down landing hard on her butt, ¡°HA!!!¡± Drogan tried to reach out for her again. Alex rolled away eventually getting to her feet and taking off at a run. Giving chase, Drogan called out, ¡°Hey!!! Where are you goin¡¯?!?!¡±, She didn¡¯t answer, continuing to run as she landed hard against the door to his pre-fab. Her hands slipped down and squeaked loudly against the outside of the door. ¡°Alex¡­seriously?!?!¡± ¡°Thas ¡®ELLE¡¯ to hugh¡­.Mister¡­hugh gave me tha¡¯ name¡­.¡± Alex¡¯s words drifted into giggles. Finally, she flipped around to face him. ¡°Get meh sum rum¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not¡­¡± Drogan reached past her to work the controls to his door. He was close, very close as Alex melted into him. Sniffing loudly, almost animalistic she ran her nose up his neck until it found the bottom of his chin. Her lips absorbed his bottom lip; sucking on it. Drogan felt like he drank himself under the table suddenly; his knees getting weak at the surprising gesture. Shaking his head, he pushed away. The door was already open. Grabbing his hand Alex pulled him inside and kicked the door to close it. Nearly falling backwards on the floor. Drogan caught her. Her words were soft as she threw her arms around his neck. ¡°Geh me sum rum¡­.¡± It was a breathy and hot request. Alex¡¯s hands drifted south. Drogan felt the snaps on his pants start to come undone. ¡°Or I fin myself sumthin¡¯ else ta drank¡­.¡± ¡®It shouldn¡¯t be happening¡¯, he told himself. Alex fell back against his desk pulling him with her. Already crawling backwards on top of it. Wiping her hand across the surface, she cleared some space. Things Drogan had on his desk falling off noisily and hitting the floor. Grabbing his collar, Alex pulled him close; wrapping and surrounding him with her thighs. She tightened her legs around him, digging the heels of her boots into his pants to pull them downward. Drogan bit his lip fighting the urge. This was his last attempt. But he knew he had to try. Pirate though he was, he respected Alex too much to just let her go on with what she was doing. ¡°Hugh need to go to bed¡­¡± The belt of his pants was already undone and being pulled down his legs. Alex pulled them the rest of the way down with her heels. A wicked smile ensconcing her face as she did so, ¡°I am¡­¡± Looping her fingers around his neck, Alex pulled his mouth into hers. That was it. Drogan gave up. In his mind he actually saw himself toss the huttball over his shoulder. There was no need to lie to himself. He wanted it as much as she did at that moment. His only worry was her impairment. ¡®Kriff it¡¯, he thought to himself. Deal with the aftermath later. Hands went down and under her wrap. Drogan found the strap and balled them between two fingers, snatching them violently away. He tossed them over his shoulder as her eyes flashed wickedly. Words were done, eyes were talking. Drogan thrust into her almost as if they had been doing this with one another for years. The first was always the sweetest. Alex slapped a hand behind herself to steady from falling backwards; with a slight whimper and release of pent up breath. Breath that she been holding for years waiting on that moment. A moment she reserved for someone worthy. The fury and violence went on for a moment. Drogan just need to get a taste. Alex rocked back and forth with him to his movements; her nails digging into the back of his neck. Drogan¡¯s mind burned, he saw himself on fire getting consumed. Alex had him now. All of the care and the concern for her and her well-being were gone. Drogan was back to being a pirate. She wanted it, she asked for it. Pulling her from the desk, Drogan flipped her around harshly. Alex landed face down on the desk¡¯s digital surface. But she cooed her acceptance once he went back to work. More bottles and miscellaneous items from the desk hit the ground and shattered. Neither one of them noticing in the low light of the room. Drogan cried out, they cried out in unison. He never knew¡­ he had thought about it, but never guessed in a million lifetimes of what she would be like. It was too late for him. Alex had become the one he was looking for. -- Korriban Hyperlane¡­on route to Hoth and White Maw headquarters¡­. Wiping her face in the fresher, Alex¡¯s head snapped to the door as Drogan leaned himself on its frame placing an arm up on the top to glare at her, ¡°How much did we lose?¡± Alex sighed and backed up out of the fresher. She didn¡¯t say anything, moving to her desk and placing herself behind it. Drogan was the big boss of the White Maw, but this was her ship. ¡®The Karolin¡¯, named after the daughter she lost so many years before. Not getting an answer he stepped into the room and was about to ask again as Alex took the implant and placed it on the surface of the desk between them. Drogan picked it up and eyed it with his one good eye, his cybernetic one already analyzing the surface of the small device. ¡°Implant. So?¡± He sat it back down as Alex smiled and sat back in her chair. ¡°We got most of the data off the Dreadnaught¡± she picked up the device and pointed it toward him, ¡°This¡­.is the key to the universe. With it we can unlock all of that data.¡± Alex smiled wickedly, ¡°You wanted intelligence¡­I give you the entire galaxies worth. How¡¯s that for a haul?¡± Drogan¡¯s brow went up in surprise. ¡°You did listen to me¡­¡± ¡°What? About intelligence?!?!¡± Alex scoffed. Narrowing her eyes, she gave Drogan a lazy sarcastic smile. ¡°Every now and again, you have these moments of utter brilliance.¡± Reaching down, she picked up the implant. ¡°That wasn¡¯t one of them. You think I¡¯m daft?!? I know the value of intelligence.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t arguing that you knew. I was simply stating that¡ª¡± ¡°--No you were arguing!!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?!?!¡± Drogan¡¯s brow tightened as Alex fell silent. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t expect a thank you or an apology. But what I do expect is a modicum of respect.¡± Sitting back in the chair, Alex slumped. Putting her head down. He continued to stare until she started speaking again. And when she did, it was with a low soft tone. Reflective of her words. ¡°A long time ago¡­I faced the Sith under similar circumstances. I was scared. Angry that they just killed my Master. I had to go back to that place tonight. Put myself back in that ¡®mode¡¯ in order to fight them. Only, there was a difference now¡­¡± Alex looked up. ¡°¡­I was no longer scared.¡± Drogan smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good. Fear can be a mind killer, make you hesitate when you should¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªNO!!¡± Alex screamed out, then softened. ¡°No. I wasn¡¯t scared because, I didn¡¯t care. I was numb. At any moment, a Sith could have struck me down and I was ok with that. The ship was about to explode, I was ok with that too. Then you showed up and¡ª¡± Alex looked up at him and frowned. ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing here Drogan. We steal things, kill innocents¡­for what? I don¡¯t need anything, I don¡¯t care about the ones I¡¯m killing. I¡¯m like a droid. Just going through the motions.¡± ¡°You want to quit?¡± Drogan pulled up a chair and sat down across from her. Alex shook her head. ¡°No, not really. This is the only life I have. I don¡¯t have anything else.¡± ¡°You have me.¡± Alex looked up sharply as he spoke. Drogan¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t waver. It made Alex uncomfortable enough that she had to look away. ¡°I¡¯m serious. You do. You have me. You want to leave¡­I¡¯ll go with you, right here. Right now. You need to stop, I¡¯ll make it stop. I¡¯ll do¡­whatever you need me to do to make you happy.¡± Alex smiled wryly, looking up. ¡°Shut up, no you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°I already have. You think it¡¯s coincidence I send you out on runs that ONLY take you a few light years away?¡± Drogan stood up, opening his arms. He started speaking frantically. ¡°I sit up at night, wondering what you¡¯re doing over there. When you don¡¯t report in¡ª¡± They both looked at one another. ¡°¡ªwell you remember me showing up. And when you get tired, sick¡­drunk¡­I put you to bed.¡± Alex narrowed her eyes. ¡°I know you think it was a mistake. I pray that you don¡¯t, but I know you do. It wasn¡¯t a mistake for me¡­¡± They both looked at one another. Drogan making his way toward the door. ¡°I want you to remember something, Alex. I will do whatever you need me to do in order to get you to stay. It¡¯s that important to me¡­¡± 5 - Hope Returns Three and a half years prior, The Morning After the Gathering of the Captains¡­. She got out of there quickly, leaving even before the sun crested over the valley and while it was still well below freezing outside. Alex moved quietly as not to disturb Drogan, the last thing she needed was him waking up and adding to an already awkward situation she was desperate to escape from. She didn¡¯t care about the temperature or the fact that she could very well die on the walk back to her own pre-fab. All she wanted to do was escape. Rolling over, grimacing and then seeing who it was laying on the floor with her; not to mention where she was, Alex could have been struck dead in that instant and it wouldn¡¯t have felt worse. Already feeling like she betrayed her husband¡¯s memory, all of what she was doing; becoming ¡®L¡¯ the Dread Pirate, destroying things, stealing things. Finally, waking up next to Drogan. Her whole life was a betrayal of everything she once stood for. And she sealed the lid on the coffin, her final act; to sleep with a man she cared nothing for after a night of drunken partying. Placing her hands on her fresher sink, the steam of the shower she took still thick in the enclosure, Alex slapped down on the basin hard. ¡°What am I, twelve?¡± Alex certainly felt as if she was acting like a child, everything was leading her down the wrong road. Her sleeping with Drogan simply proved the obvious that she chose to ignore. Alexandra De¡¯nabre was lost and she cast away the last thing she had with the previous night¡¯s activities; her dignity and self-respect. -- There was a slight awkwardness at waking up alone. Drogan kicked himself for thinking it, what did he expect in the first place? She wasn¡¯t in her right mind. That she would even care one ¡®legitimate¡¯ iota for him was a pipedream. Still, it hurt. For the first time Drogan was now on the other end of something he had put other women through most of his life. He was the lovesick child, he was the one looking at the door to see if she was going to magically walk back through. Getting up off the floor, Drogan looked at the thermometer on the holo-display. His eyes widened a bit, she must have been desperate to get out to subject herself to the dangerous temperature. His face dropped as well as his posture; shrugging slightly. At least it was one time, he could be thankful for that. And we would gladly do it again if called upon. Void, maybe he could even get her to like him; a little. Drogan smiled thinking it and shook his head. ''Nah, Alex would never go for that.'' He knew he had to say something to her, clear the air. He didn¡¯t want there to be awkwardness between them. The warm feeling started to work its way back into the pit of his stomach again as he stood there thinking of the beautiful green goddess and the night¡¯s previous activity. Never once had he given up on something he wanted. Clearing the air or not, he was going to tell her how he felt about the whole thing. -- They both left simultaneously, she from her door and he from his. The temperature finally at a manageable level. Alex had worked herself up into anger. She was furious that he would take advantage like that. All of it was a smoke screen. Alex was mad at herself and she needed someone to take it out on. Drogan was looking at his feet and talking to himself as he walked slowly, trying to rehearse what it was he was going to say, ¡°Look¡­lets just call it what it was¡­two people who needed one another. Ships colliding in the nigh¡ªNO, that¡¯s stupid.¡± He continued to walk not seeing that Alex had already noticed him and was making a beeline his direction, ¡°Ok, whatever it was¡­I have to say this, I have been and am now madly in Love with yo¡ª¡° The slap was hard and fast, Alex reaching up to strike the man with all her might. She even placed some of the Force behind the blow and it nearly knocked him down as he bowed to the right from the left-handed slap. He slowly rose and was about to ask, ¡®What the kriff?!?!¡¯ Alex never gave him the chance. ¡°That was for last night!!! To think I ever trusted you for one tiny instant!!!¡±, Anger started to rise in him, but he held his tongue glaring at the smaller woman, ¡°You are a pirate!! A Scoundrel¡­you waited until I was vulnerable just to pounce. Well, I hope you had fun Drogan, because that¡¯s as close to me as you will ever get again!!!¡± ¡°Yea, you keep believing it went down that way, Alex. You keep telling yourself that.¡± Now he was mad and ready to lash out. All thoughts of professing love, gone. ¡°You want to blame me for something that was completely your fault!!!¡± ¡°My fault?!?¡± She stepped forward, even going so far to place a hand on the top of one of her sabers, his eyes followed the hand as he took a step back, ¡°Oh¡­so I guess I just kriffed myself?!?! Is that it???¡± ¡°Oh I wouldn¡¯t say you kriffed yourself¡­but you can definitely go KRIFF YOURSELF right now¡­.¡± Drogan folded his arms, he saw the look in her eye and realized where the anger was coming from. Since she attacked him he couldn¡¯t lose the opportunity to twist the knife, ¡°This is about your ¡®long lost life¡¯¡­¡± he said it while making quotation marks in the air, ¡°¡­you feeling guilty for kriffing another man? Your husband is DEAD Alex. It¡¯s time to start living¡­.like you have been.¡± His voice got softer at the end, Drogan realizing where he was going. He should have never mentioned her husband. Alex was enraged, her voice getting low as she stopped screaming to take her own step back. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at Drogan with a sneer. ¡°Mention him again¡­and I kill you where you stand¡­.¡± She turned around to leave, no more to say and not wanting to even if she could muster words. ¡°Oh that¡¯s it Alex¡­RUN!!! Run like you always do, like you have been for the past three years. Who was it that took you in?!! Huh??? Who gave you purpose, a home, a family again? ME!!! I did!!¡± Alex stopped cold and Drogan swallowed hard. There was a threshold with Alex and he just crossed it as he watched her turn back around slowly. ¡°And you think that means I ¡®owe¡¯ you? Is that it¡­is that what all of this, last night, everything is all about?¡± Alex gave a deadly smile, ¡°Honey¡­you have nothing I need. But if jumping in the sack with you is all I have to do to keep you off my back, then fine. You wanna kriff? Anytime¡­I¡¯m always ready.¡± Drogan was trying hard to stand his ground as he watched Alex approach, her hand still on the top of one of her sabers, ¡°But know this¡­none of it, including you, mean a damn to me. All of this is just an act. A sad sick little play I find myself in¡­¡± She stopped close to him locking eyes, letting her dark red irises burn into his, ¡°And that includes loving you or giving a damn about what you do to me or with me. THAT, will never happen¡­you can count on that¡­.¡± -- White Maw Base, Hoth¡­after returning from the Korriban Sector¡­ The largest datamine haul in the history of the White Maw, that¡¯s what they were calling it. Alex knew if she was able to advertise, she would most likely find it made Galactic record books. And they didn¡¯t even get all of the stuff. Some of the servers lost when the ship exploded, her slicers determining which were the most valuable and trying to cart away as much as possible. Drogan was pleased, she was pleased. The two of them well rewarded her men, with much time off and bounty; some of which Drogan kept in the private stores. He wanted to throw a party, but Alex convinced him that there wasn¡¯t time. They may have stolen the data, but they had yet to decipher all of it. It was not over, no one could cash in on the data found or sell it to any bidders until they discovered exactly what it was they had. While Drogan was busy trying to make contacts in which to sell it or estimate how much they had in order to calculate how much they were going to bring in; Alex busied herself with oversight. It had been a week, only twenty percent of the data had been deciphered and cataloged. It was enough to start filing systems in which to begin deciding which contacts would be interested in the various bits information. Compromising Holo-transmissions. Corporate Records; it was a treasure trove. Drogan started reaching out. Czerka was back in the bidding as one the primary bidders. The Corellian Arms Company was not far behind. Neither corporation wanting their involvement with the Sith to become public knowledge. Drogan didn¡¯t even have to mention it, the bidders did. Knowing full well the Pirates already knew. They all wanted to buy their own stuff back, some of it so priceless they didn¡¯t want prototype schematics or information on secret projects to fall into the wrong hands. Compromising information was at the top of the list. It was all proprietary and all of it rested in the hands of the White Maw. Credits ran the universe, even for a so called ¡®righteous¡¯ company that wish to help humanoid kind.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Alex scoffed at the corporation¡¯s righteous indignation. She didn¡¯t like them when she was a Jedi and she definitely didn¡¯t like them now. Just stepping out of the shower, Alex moved the water over her face, finishing her morning regime. Primary exercises were done. There was a meeting with Drogan, target practice; another exercise regime and meditation to do. And all of it before noon time. It was going to be a long morning as it always was, but she subjected herself to it because routine kept her sane. It gave her a semblance of stability in such a chaotic line of work. Moving through the quad, the passing pirates all tipped hats or acknowledged her with a smile. Greetings of ¡®Mornin¡¯ Captain¡¯ or simply a kind look were enough to know she had more than earned her place. The latest haul was the biggest in the history of the White Maw, there was even talk of perhaps an elevation. Someone to work alongside of Drogan. Perhaps even replace Drogan should the opportunity arise. Alex had no designs on that, it was just talk. Drogan didn¡¯t seem nervous about the rumors, at least he didn¡¯t appear that way. Things were still ¡®icey¡¯ between the two of them and had been for years since the one ¡®episode¡¯. The conversation on the way back to Hoth on board ¡®The Karolin¡¯ did a little to crack the ice. After Drogan left her cabin, neither of them spoke about it again. Alex knew where he stood and Drogan knew she was unhappy. He kept his distance after they returned, kept things professional. Alex wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. In her heart, Alex was sorry for what she did that morning after. Though much too proud to apologize to him. Even in her cabin, she didn¡¯t apologize. Not that Drogan was seeking it even after he mentioned it. Alex never let on that in that moment, as the two of them stood off against one another, she sensed his desire; his love for her. Drogan professed it again on board her ship. And Alex knew It was genuine. Not some schoolboy¡¯s fantasy or a desire from a lusty Pirate Lord. Which was surprising to her given what he was. Pirates traditionally didn¡¯t have attachments. In a line of work that could very well see you dead from one moment to the next, attachment complicated things; destroyed focus. Still, Alex initially wanted to run to him on that morning. To give in to the desire he had for her. More because she desperately needed someone. And had professed her unhappiness in that regard on board her ship. But, Alex destroyed all of that with those final words. Only repairing it slightly by not repeating them after Drogan professed his willingness to do anything she needed him to do in order to make her happy. Alex had to face a difficult truth. All of it rested with her. They would never be a ¡®thing¡¯ if she didn¡¯t want it to be. They wouldn¡¯t be together if she wouldn¡¯t have him. The decision was all Alex. Drogan made that very clear. Walking into the Comm shelter, Alex stomped her feet to shake off the snow and removed her coat. The slicers, still hard at work briefly turned to acknowledge her before going back to their duties. Not many of the Pirates in the White Maw possessed the kind of slicing skill required to not only extract the data, but catalog it. The work was mind-numbing. A Slicer had to truly love what they did and understand the need for it to be done to stay focused. These were ¡®tech guys¡¯. On the open market, they would still find employment and perhaps make even more credits independently. Something always brought an individual to the White Maw. Those slicers were wanted, had Death Marks or were hiding from something. Even working in shifts, Alex took it upon herself to keep regular hours with them. If for no other reason than to ensure they stopped, stretched their legs and got something to eat. Slicers were notorious for working long and getting so involved with data they forgot the time. Days, sometimes a week would pass. Then there were the ¡®stims¡¯. Drugs some of the slicers took so they could keep going. Losing track of time, they often forgot how many ¡®stims¡¯ they taken. Take too many, the heart would explode. Alex kept tabs on that as well. The Slicer crew was desperate to finish extracting all of the data. Not because of a time crunch Alex or Drogan had placed on them. They were looking for the ¡®golden mynock¡­¡¯ A Cybertech term referring to the diamond in the rough, the one piece of data that stuck out and would make all of them extremely wealthy. Finding some very interesting pieces of information as well as some very lucrative ones already. It was like Life Day for them. A present waiting to be opened. And they desperately wanted to be the first to find it. Sleep deprivation and overdose was becoming a very real threat. Alex walked in and saw all of the rings under their eyes. The hollow looks from all of the men. But she wasn¡¯t going to stop them, not yet. Looking down at the checklist she was keeping on her portable wrist unit that gave her information about that particular shift; she saw that they were actually the freshest bunch. It made sense; this was the time of day Alex spent the most time in the shack with them. Mothering them. Moving to the adjacent room, Alex took her place behind the desk and picked up the holo-pad to go over what had been found during the previous nights work. Her finger traced the screen of the holo-pad, categories like , , ¡­.she stopped at the last one; and opened the file. Something seemed to buzz in the back of her head. Usually it was the Force. Years ago she listened to it every time it buzzed or pinged at her. Years of not following her instincts or listening to what it said and simply choosing not to; had weakened her connection. But it was still there. She may not have been as attuned to the Living Force as her late husband Bernard was, but she could hear and sometimes even see if she concentrated. The file opened, there five entries. Alex scanned them briefly skipping over the top one as all of them were listed in Alphabetical order. Her eyes went back to the top as she read them all, going back to the first listed as . The buzzing increased and Alex actually put the holo-pad down a second to bring a hand to her forehead and pinch the top of her nose, ¡°UGH¡­stop¡­¡± She picked the pad back up and expanded the file. Her eyes cascaded over the information, the glow of the holo-field lighting her face. As she read, she saw the notation under two of the test subjects of the project, she read their backgrounds. Slowly her heart began to sink. <¡­Recovered in a burned out colony on one of the moons of Felucia¡­two infant twins¡­Mirialan¡­tests conducted on viability of protocol as one child designated the other ¡­.highly gifted¡­strong in the Force¡­Test began immediately following acceptance into the program¡­.> Moving quickly, Alex got up to close the door, her heart racing. Quickly, Alex picked up the pad again, still standing; her eyes moving over the screen as she read the rest. Eyes got wider as she saw there were Holos of all the test subjects, the ¡®twins¡¯ in particular. Alex quickly transferred the pictures to two different Holo-comm units and slapped the pad back down on the desk. The images popped up on the screen, both girls floating in the ions above the transmission pad and slowly Alex picked both units up to hold them in her hands. It was the reason for the buzz in her mind, it was why the Force was screaming at her as she picked up the pad in the first place. There....in the ions of the two holo-units floated Mrysti and Karolin De¡¯nabre¡­.her two little girls, not so little anymore. Breathing increasing, Alex started to feel lightheaded. Grasping the desk to hold herself up as she bent at the waist. Struggling to hold back tears and emotion. Not sure what she was thinking, her mind racing at the possibility. Hope. Something she lost and hadn¡¯t had in years. Alex dropped the two holo-units on the desk. The images fizzling at the impact. Before she looked up, everything she ate that morning came up. Alex bent to the side and retched the morning meal all over the floor. Sickness engulfed her as guilt overcame everything she was feeling. After reading what the Republic had done and was doing to them, it made her sick. Alex shook her head and fell back against the servers lining the wall. What had she done? If ever she felt she betrayed Bernard¡¯s memory in what she was doing with the White Maw, she felt worse now. The two she swore to protect, were being used by the hands of a ruthless government. A government she and Bernard once swore to protect. Trying to regain her composure, Alex looked around quickly; her mind racing as she wiped her mouth. What was she going to do? She looked around the room. Erasing the file came to mind. Erasing it and herself, fleeing the White Maw and heading out to Republic space in order to recover her daughters. Alex found she couldn¡¯t keep a thought in her head, nothing rational. Emotions started cascading through her like a kaleidoscope. Anger, hate, rage, guilt, sadness¡­.all of them coming and going in a flash. The room was spinning and Alex knew she needed to get control of herself. Gritting her teeth, she snatched up the holo-pad and stormed from the room. It was time to see Drogan, she had a meeting with him anyway. The information would most likely come as a shock to him. The possibility of it ending her time with the White Maw came to mind. She was going. That was a foregone conclusion. Even though Alex could not sync her thoughts logically at the moment that was the one thing she was sure of. She had to leave the White Maw in order to go get them. Her daughters were out there and one way or another, she was going to get them back. 6 - The Pirate Queen Hoth¡­.shortly after the events of ¡®Destiny¡¯¡­. This was something she had to do. It was with little irony she strode through the old areas, past her former domicile constructed in the shadow of a Republic Dreadnaught; her daughter¡¯s own ship the ¡®North Star¡¯ just around the corner. She remembered the day it crashed, they all looked skyward at the mess it made. All of that information, the knowing of what was coming. Alex knew of Karolin then, she followed her career closely. Yet, she could not help her or get her out of the disaster that was her life; her own life taking hold and the promises she made. It was one of those promises that brought her to that moment as she passed the shadows of the abandoned ships in the ¡®Graveyard¡¯. An appropriate name. The ¡®Graveyard¡¯. More appropriate returning to it after so many years away from the White Maw and on her own. Alex moved silently, unabated through the snow and the ships. The White Maw, moving aside for their ¡®Queen¡¯. The gang was smaller now, the clan facing attrition at the hands of two opposing forces. The Empire came and then the Republic. Both of them damaging and forcing the organization to make hard choices. Alex had long since passed the mantle to others; still their unofficial ¡®Queen¡¯ she ran nothing; there was no desire to. Her desires lay elsewhere and had laid elsewhere since the day she discovered the existence of her girls. Even after she took his hand and said, ¡®I do¡­¡¯ she had no desire to run the clan. It was a marriage of convenience. Drogan knew that. But over time she learned to love him; almost as much as she loved Bernard. He was a part of her and would always be a part of her. After all, it was the Force that brought her to his doorstep and without him and the White Maw she never would have discovered the part of her life she lost. But, the time had come. Both of those bonds now broken. There were no more promises to keep. It was time to go home, time to go and find her daughters and bring her family back together again. That thought made her apprehensive. So much time had passed. So much watching and waiting. And so much had happened to her girls. Karolin and Mrysti both were lost and found, then lost again only to be found once again by her. They faced death so many times, it was the Force that kept them alive and Alex had to believe that it was the Will of the Force that they remained alive for her. That the Force in its infinite wisdom would not deny her that which it dangled in front of her face her entire life. Alex finally stopped. Looking down, she opened the heavy cloak she wore taking out the Rose she carried all the way from Alderaan. She knelt and brushed the snow away from the marker, smiling down at it. ¡°Hello, love¡­¡± She placed the Rose on the surface and continued to adjust the snow around it until the steel etched marker was visible and shining again in the midday sun, ¡°I kept my word. I did what I said I would do¡­¡± Alex dipped her head and looked down, the words not able to come as she played them in her mind, ¡°I wanted to say thank you¡­thank you for my life, thank you for helping me discover who I was and rediscover who I needed to be. But most of all¡­thank you for loving me, even when I didn¡¯t want you to¡­¡± Reaching out she placed her hand on the cold metal, closing her eyes slowly, ¡°I should have said it more often¡­I should have said it as much as you did. I was ashamed¡­you never let that stop you and you saw me for who I needed to be¡­¡± Alex took the hand away and tucked it back in her cloak standing to look down at the steel, ¡°I love you¡­Drogan. I¡¯m just sorry I waited till now to say it¡­here, at the very end of things¡­.¡± -- Hoth¡­Years Earlier, Drogan¡¯s office, after discovering her daughter¡¯s existence¡­ Sitting up, Drogan looked at his Chrono as Alex rushed in. He glanced at her feet and was about to say something about tracking in the snow. As soon as he saw her face, he lost the thought jumping up quickly to round the desk. ¡°Alex¡­what¡¯s wrong? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghos¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯m out Drogan! Done¡­.I¡¯m leaving.¡± She was still twitchy and looking around nervously as her mind raced to try and catalog rational thought. He put his hands out and laid them on her shoulders. ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa¡­hold on, what¡¯s happened?!?!¡± She gently pushed the hands off and stepped away, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it. I-I just need to go¡­¡± In her hands she still held the Datapad, its light glowing off her leg as he glanced down at it. Drogan¡¯s mind racing as well, he glanced at the pad trying to put things together. He knew she was over watching the data retrieval. The fact she held a Datapad said she found something, something that disturbed her to the point of losing her mind. Alex was acting irrational, nervous and still bobbed and weaved around the room, looking around. ¡°Alex¡­talk to me. No one just leaves the White Maw¡­¡± He glanced at the datapad again as Alex¡¯s face twisted into anger. She gestured with the Datapad toward him, pointing it at him angrily. ¡°This is about more than your credits Drogan!!! Excuse me if I am taking away your biggest earner, but I have something more important that I have to do¡­.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Those words hurt. That she would think losing his biggest earner was the sole reason for questioning her. Drogan backed off, giving the nervous Mirialan some space. Folding his arms across his chest. It was the first time he seen Alex in a state such as the one he was witnessing. Lowering his voice Drogan knew it was time for calm. Looking at her sadly he spoke in a tone he usually reserved for his quiet moments, ¡°You really think that¡­you think I am asking because I am worried about what you earn for us?¡± He started to reach for the Datapad, Alex jerked it away. Slowly, she relaxed her hand and allowed the datapad to slip from her grasp as Drogan took it. It didn¡¯t take long, Alex watched his eyes move over the data. They got wide at one point and as he continued reading, relaxed again. She could tell as Drogan read he was already thinking. After he finished, the silence of the room surrounding them broke with a large sigh. Running his fingers through his ashen hair, Drogan pushed off the desk and smiled weakly. Drogan then did something unexpected. Alex initially backed up as he approached. He slowed, taking a moment to place the datapad gently on the desk before turning back to her. Alex was looking at him wide eyed and questiongly, again he started to approach. Extending his arms, he slowly wrapped them around her and pulled her in close. Holding her still a moment. Alex was shaking. She had been shaking from the moment she entered his office. Once he pulled her in, she stopped. Being held was what she needed. It wasn¡¯t every day that you discovered your long-lost children were out there, somewhere. Alex folded into him, her arms coming up between them as he squeezed. She started to sob, her voice muffled in his chest. ¡°I am a terrible person and a horrible mother¡­I should have gone back for them. I should have known after they weren¡¯t among the dead that they had been taken. But I didn¡¯t know by whom and I was stricken with such grief after the loss of¡­¡± She stopped speaking, she didn¡¯t want to say his name for fear she would be struck down in the Force by him. A ghost from the past coming to claim the right of vengeance against a mother who abandoned their children. Drogan pulled her away and left his hands on her arms. ¡°Tell me about it then¡­and lets decide what we are going to do¡­¡± -- Alex recounted the tale for the first time since all of it happened, she actually smiled as she spoke of Bernard and her girls. It was a perfect life, one of adventure; a house and a union built of love. He listened and actually smiled with her. Envy hit him. Envy that her life was so perfect. It made him feel small. No one would have guessed it the way Alex was as ¡®L¡¯ the Dread Pirate. She had truly changed, in her mind, sunken into the abyss. Drogan didn¡¯t see it that way. He was not a big believer of the Force, but listening to Alex as she talked about her life and what brought her to his door, he began to have respect for it. Alex was a believer and as she talked, he could hear the conviction returning to her voice. A renewed hope and a repentance for having given up her faith. Alex was changing even as she sat there, returning to who she was. He watched her with a keen eye. In her mind, she was already gone. On her way to try and rescue the daughters she abandoned. Drogan knew he had to find a way to make it happen. Alex fell silent as she finished the story, letting out a sigh of relief. Years of never telling it or living with the pain of loss suddenly felt lifted from her. Drogan noticed she sat up straighter, crossed her legs and had more of a regal air about her. She actually looked funny in a way, still outwardly appearing as the Dread Pirate, but sitting there in a proper ladylike fashion. ¡°Alex¡­I don¡¯t have to tell you¡­¡± He got up and paced to the window to look out at the snow, ¡°¡­what you ask, it¡¯s difficult. No one leaves the account¡­it¡¯s like giving up your citizenship only we don¡¯t deport you, we kill you for that.¡± He glanced at her; Alex¡¯s face was rigid with stern concentration. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Either way, I¡¯m leaving¡­if I have to kill every man in this encampment to do so, I will¡­¡± Laughing at the statement, Drogan shook his head. Alex was deadly serious. It was Drogan¡¯s attempt at levity. Drogan still loved her, he always had and had buried it deep for her sake. Even after professing it to her. He said it once, he meant it. Drogan was prepared to do whatever it took to make her happy. Not wanting to appear as if he was taking advantage, he turned, his one good eyebrow arching slightly as the businessman in him came out; taking the seat behind his desk. ¡°Alex¡­¡± he folded his hands together as he watched her, ¡°¡­what I am going to propose will sound ludicrous, but I am speaking from more of a business perspective.¡± Sitting forward, Drogan let his one good eye bore into her. ¡°There is a way you can go¡­in fact you would be able to come and go whenever you please, no one would ask any questions¡­not ever¡­¡± Alex leaned forward as well, extremely curious but maintaining her rather rigid posture, ¡°¡­I am, in a way the defacto ¡®King¡¯ of this clan, I run things and have run things as I was shown by my father and his predecessors before him. There is only one other who would be able to do what I do¡­¡± He swallowed hard as he was about to say it, ¡°¡­only the ¡®Queen¡¯ could come and go without so much as a ¡®by-your-leave¡¯¡­¡± Alex tried to stifle it, the smile which was joining the darker flushing of her skin. The thought crossed her mind instantly that Drogan was actually proposing a ¡®union¡¯ just to get her into bed one last time. But she could see he was serious. Looking at him, Alex sensed his angst. It was not something he proposed lightly. And after the conversation they had, Alex telling him everything. It had to be sincere. Alex had poured her heart out to him and he listened to every word. Drogan legitimately cared for her. Part of ¡®L¡¯ the Pirate came back as she smirked, very carefully standing and moving to the other side of the desk. She stood before him. The time had come to shock Drogan¡¯s world. Without being prompted, Alex waited very patiently as Drogan got the hint that she was going to remain standing until he got up out of his seat. As he did so, she took his hand. ¡°Thank you, for offering me a way out¡­¡± Drogan looked down, prepared for the worst. No good conversation ever started out with the words ¡°Thank You¡¯ that weren¡¯t immediately followed by, ¡®No, Thank You¡¯. She placed her other hand on his chest and smiled warmly. Alex¡¯s lips moved silently and only for herself as she prayed. Softly, she closed her eyes. In her mind, she saw them. All of her Mirialan Ancestors. Alex was asking permission. ¡®Unity, grant me peace. Give me the wisdom to guide him and love him¡­as he will guide and love me.¡¯ Drogan was confused, but he didn¡¯t move. Just as softly, Alex opened her eyes and smiled. ¡°Drogan¡­.the Ancestors have spoken. And though I am unworthy, they have given me their blessing to move on. Drogan Summerset¡­.will you marry me¡­¡± 7 - Marriage of Convenience A Pirate wedding was a big deal. Most of the honored traditions of a human wedding were adhered to, though there were facets of different alien cultures thrown in. One thing that didn¡¯t change was the seclusion away from one another before the actual ceremony. Alex had spent the time trying to decide what to wear, also comb the dreads from her hair. It no longer seemed appropriate to her. From the moment she asked Drogan to marry her, she was no longer a Pirate. She didn¡¯t see herself that way. From that moment onward, she was on her way out. There was one thing she needed to do, something she didn¡¯t feel powerful or Mirialan enough to do before. As she set the hairbrush down, she knew the time had come; she could go no further or put her family back together without doing it. Being Mirialan, there were things to be done. Things she needed to do to honor her Ancestors. Reflections on her marriage to Bernard came flooding back. The preparation. The Ritual, both before and after the ceremony. Uniting under the Unity was no small matter. It was the joining of two sentient beings under the watch of that which they worshipped, which controlled their destiny. And one¡¯s destiny was no longer their own, it was now a shared destiny under the eyes of the Unity. Drogan was not Mirialan, he wouldn¡¯t understand the reasoning behind doing what she needed to do in order to prepare. And Alex was not going to subject him to any of the pre-ceremony ritual or post-ceremony prayers that went with being married to one another. Alex was sure the Unity and her Ancestors would understand. The time had come to ask him. Nothing was more important than communing with her late husband. Mirialans are a spiritual people, she was raised and trained in the academies on Mirial to adhere to the rituals and scriptures of ¡®The Unity¡¯. The De¡¯nabre¡¯s were no exception to that rule and it had been so very long since she even approached her Ancestors, though they were never far from her thoughts. As Alex knelt in the darkness of her room, she removed the candle from her personal things and lit it. Kneeling before the dim light and as the green smoke of the candle began to slowly waft its way around her, she bowed her head; closing her eyes. ¡°Unity be praised. I come to you now, this hour of need. To seek audience with the one who has gone before. I have heard from my Ancestors, Great Unity of my Blood. I seek to hear from the one I am bound to. Ancestors watch over me. Great spirits of my people, Ancestors of my line¡­I come before you humbled and ashamed by my lack of communion. It has been so long since I have spoken to you or touched any of you in prayer. I ask that you come to me now in this my hour of greatest need. I ask that you¡­Bernard; my husband¡­answer my call¡­¡± The smoke seemed to move with an unseen force, a wind that was not present as it sped up and seemed to disappear in the darkness of the room. In her mind¡¯s eye, Alex steeped deeply into the Force, she began to see the emergence of an image. Time passed, she lost track of it until in that eye she saw a shape emerge clearer. More, she felt it in the Force, move through her. A voice that only she could hear. Alex smiled as she recognized it. <¡±I hear you¡­my love. And I answer your call¡­we all¡­.answer your call¡­.¡±> Alex looked up and into the image of her long-lost husband. Bernard¡¯s blue glow seemed to fill the room. There were no words as tears dripped down the side of her face. Time was short, he knew it and Alex knew it. With her power as well as her former life returning to her; Bernard smiled, reached out his hand and nodded to his wife solemnly. The permission had been given. Unlike before, when Alex asked permission from the Ancestors of her line, this request was much more solemn. And she lacked the strength to ask before, even considered not asking at all. But with her faith returning, she knew at some point; on the day of days, she would have to answer to The Unity for not asking. Though it was only a formality as far as Alex was concerned. Having Bernard appear and give his blessing spoke volumes to the new found faith and returning connection she once had to the Force. And Alex knew she still had a long way to go. -- They talked details, Drogan seemed sullen and sad. She knew it was for her that he was doing it. Never once did he complain, never did he say anything about the ¡®arrangement¡¯. Guilt crept into her once again, the only thing overriding it was the guilt at having lost her children. Drogan did his best to keep it ¡®professional¡¯ and even as he talked to her like it was a business relationship, she could sense him holding something back. Alex hated herself, she was hurting him to get what she wanted. Try as he might to play it off, Alex could sense it. It was more than just possessing her or doing her a favor; Alex reclaiming a part of her life was like placing the pieces of a broken heart back together. Something she never thought a pirate would understand. But, he understood much more than she gave him credit for. Listening to her talk about her ¡®babies¡¯ was like listening to her talk about their own children. In a way, though Drogan had never and would most likely ever meet Karolin or Mrysti, he already felt attached. What he did, he did for Alex. But he was also doing it for the children. Drogan felt close, bonded in a way that he was unaccustomed to. Marrying her was a way of becoming a part of a life he only heard about and he wanted to be part of Alex in some small measure. There were no illusions that she did not feel as he did. Now that she was regaining her power and changing back to the woman she once was. Carefully, Alex lay the outfit out on the bed. White did not seem appropriate. She was hardly virginal, nor was this the first time she had been married. Even though she wished to make it special for Drogan, she did not want to sully her values or cheapen the fact that the first marriage was the true marriage in her eyes; a fact that marrying Drogan would never change. ¡®Values¡¯, she scoffed at the word. How long had she placed them aside, how long had she forgotten the words associated with Values? Duty, honor¡­integrity, they seemed so foreign to her from a Pirate¡¯s sense. But as a Jedi. The words had meaning again, even as she felt unworthy to use any of them. The Jedi was returning. Alexandra would have to face setting those words and the deeds associated with them aside from all she done. Even as she looked at the rather mystical looking black and gold outfit; very Jedi looking in nature, Alex ran a hand across its fabric in admiration. She would have to become the Jedi again, to reclaim her life. To reclaim what was taken from her. In her heart she hated everything the Republic and the Jedi stood for at the moment, but in order to get what she wanted she would marry a man she didn¡¯t love and act like the proper Jedi she should be. Looking out of the window, she could see the men setting up the festivities. Drogan would be having his night out with the men and she had sworn, with much humor, ¡®to stay away¡¯. Tomorrow was going to be a big day for him and the last day on Hoth for her. The thought of leaving got to her as she looked down sadly and glanced at the outfit. It was truly something a Jedi would wear, less the heavy brown robe. She shook her head, there had to be something more she could do to honor his sacrifice to her. Moving back to one of the chests which contained mounds upon mounts of clothing, she tore through it until she found what she was looking for. Holding it up to herself, she smiled.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it A wicked smile only the Dread Pirate ¡®Elle¡¯ could give. -- A long night of partying, Drogan stumbled back to his pre-fab yelling toward the men who were ¡®booing¡¯ his departure, ¡°I drank ya all under already¡­how many times ya want meh ta prove et!!!¡± He waved them off; the dancing women and loud music fading as he approached his domicile. The bulk of the White Maw still booing as he placed his hand on the door access. They would continue to party in his honor. There were a lot of slaps on the back and comments; ¡®Ya finally tamed ¡®er¡¯ or ¡®Careful she don¡¯t kill ya¡¯. Laughing it off with much cheer, no one was the wiser. They had no idea that their new ¡®Queen¡¯ would be leaving almost as soon as he said ¡®I do¡¯. It saddened him, but it was necessary. He knew it was. As he stumbled in and nearly tripped over the threshold reaching for the light, he sensed something, but blew it off. When the light didn¡¯t come on, he looked up and around, ¡°Hmm?¡± Eyes that were still adjusting to the dark, the scent of the candles reached him and something sweet, spicy, exotic; just as the low light of the candles reached his one good eye. Out of the corner, Alex stood and slowly walked toward him. It was a predatory walk, one foot in front of the other as she moved slowly, silently. It startled him at first, seeing someone suddenly stand up in his office. At any other time it could have been a rival or another pirate sent to kill him. A slow smile ebbed to his lips, he smelled her sweet scent even before she got close. Shaking a finger at her, he laughed slightly, ¡°Hugh¡­are breakin¡¯ tha rules¡­¡± She stopped right in front of him, her arms slowly making their way up and over his shoulders as she slid them across his body, ¡°I am your prize¡­your ¡®last night¡¯s¡¯ entertainment¡­¡± The smile got broader as he looked down at her, at more of what she was not wearing than what she was. The boots had become a fixture for the Dread Pirate ¡®Elle¡¯. Thigh high, shiny-black leatheris. Drogan closed his eyes in a drunken haze and remembered the first time he caught her with only her boots on. There was very little covering the rest of her, but what she did have on she wore for him. Only a corset. Sometimes ¡®Elle¡¯ wore one under her armor. Other times, just because. She was very careful to make sure it matched the boots. With nothing else but the corset and the boots on, Drogan knew it did. The expression; was all ¡®Elle¡¯, not Alexandra. The vicious smile, the manner in which she moved. Only ¡®Elle¡¯ had that look. A confidence born, knowing what she wanted. ¡®Elle¡¯ took it. The only difference in her appearance, the dreads. They were gone. Brushed out, Alexandra¡¯s hair was a rich lustrous dark brown; almost black in the low light. Drogan stepped back, staggered a bit and crooked an eyebrow as ¡®Elle¡¯ started to push him backward, ¡°Tomorrow, we are goin¡¯ ta be married¡­how ¡®er hugh my entertainment¡­¡± ¡®Elle¡¯ stood on tip-toes, opening her mouth to bite his lip and pull it away from his jaw before answering. Nibbling his lip in between words, ¡®Elle¡¯ released a bored sigh. ¡°Tomorrow¡­you marry¡­.Alexandra¡­¡± ¡®Elle¡¯ pushed him to the wall. Hands reaching down to take her own prize in hand through the britches he wore. The other hand she planted in the center of his chest, scooting her legs open as she prepared herself for the ¡®taking¡¯. She groaned, releasing the rest of him from the confines of the pants; sliding herself up and them down over him. Again speaking in between motions. ¡°¡­tonight¡­you have ¡®L¡¯¡­.for the final time¡­after tonight¡­there is no more ¡®Elle¡¯¡­.¡± For being his prize, she wasn¡¯t acting like it. Prizes were taken. Combination of drink and his thoughts of possession came back. The warm feeling started to ebb its way up from his loins into the pit of his stomach again. Silently, he cursed. This was not going to be about love. Hidden anger at her unleashed. Thoughts of her leaving. Of giving up the life he gave to her. There were good reasons behind it, but this was ¡®Elle¡¯. The Dread Pirate. Grabbing her up forcefully, Drogan planted his mouth on hers. Pushing her down forcefully. If ¡®Elle¡¯ was the prize. ¡®Elle¡¯ was not going to be the one taking. Alex fell limp for a moment, the both of them giving in to one another as the battle began. She didn¡¯t want to be Alexandra, not at that moment. And Drogan deserved to have the woman he created. One last night, one last kiss¡­one last everything, before it all went away. Drogan was going to have her every way he could as many times as he could and resist the urge to be tender. He didn¡¯t want that, he wanted the women he created to be destroyed. Screams of passion, cries of lustful anguish gave way to the darkness. It would go on the rest of the night. And this time; it was Drogan who left as the sun came up. Leaving Alex to think about it. The candles nearly burned down to the base, ebbed in the air the two of them moved that evening and as the sun came up, they died along with the Last of ¡®Elle¡¯ the Dread Pirate. Darkness gave way to light, the sun coming up and shining over the naked form of Alexandra; alone. Left to think about the woman Drogan destroyed all night long. She sat up, pulled the sheet around herself¡­and smiled. -- Standing on the precipice that overlooked the Starship Graveyard, Drogan waited alone; the other pirates all assembled in states of either sitting or milling around. He glanced at his chrono. Was Alex really going to be late to her own wedding? The crowd grew silent as Drogan turned to look down the hill, the mass of men starting to slowly part for something heading their way. They peeled back and finally revealed Alexandra, who strolled up the hill, her long skirt and cloak flowing over the snow and billowing out behind her. The silence came from having never seen an ¡®L¡¯ quite like the one slowly marching up the hill. Though in her heart and Drogan¡¯s heart, ¡®L¡¯ was gone. What was coming for him was Alexandra. As she made her way toward him, a regal air surrounding her as she walked, some of the pirates actually bowed or took their hats off as she passed. Reverence to their former Captain, soon to be their queen. Alex gave a shy smile as she stopped next to him, and looked down. He didn¡¯t expect her in white, what she wore the way she carried herself, the sparkle of her eyes and skin gave him more than he could have ever hoped. Placing her hand out in front, folded together one in the other she looked at him. There were no religious figures, just a droid preparing to direct the proceeding. Drogan started even before the droid gave his que; placing his hand on top of hers. Her words were short and sweet, she stopped short of saying ¡®I Love you¡¯ implying it with the look she gave. ¡°My heart¡­I give to you. For the good of the clan, for the good of our people. May The Unity guide me in being the best wife and queen, I can be.¡± Alex cast her eyes down, leaving out what they both knew, ¡®¡­and for the good of my daughters¡­.¡¯. Though it was implied, he gave her a kind smile squeezing the hands briefly as he watched her look down. Drogan frowned slightly, as if he expected more. It wasn¡¯t what he practiced hearing from her in his mind. But, it didn¡¯t change what he was about to say. He squeezed her hands again, laying the other on his heart. ¡°You travel through life, not really knowing where you¡¯re going or what it is you¡¯re looking for¡­¡± He looked deep into her eyes, ¡°¡­from the moment you walked through my door, I knew. There was no more reason to search, my purpose had been realized. It just took me a while to realize it. My life, is yours¡­all that I am is yours as it always has been for the past ten years. I was yours even before I realized it¡­.¡± She broke the look in his eyes, looking away slightly. Drogan was going to say it and she couldn¡¯t bare to look at him when he did, ¡°I Love you¡­with every part of my being now and forevermore¡­¡± The words struck her to the core. Those three little words. Those words, his solemn vow. It was all too much. What had she done? Now more than ever she wanted to leave. To run away from the shame of it all. It was done, as the droid piped in and said something to the effect of pronouncing them man and wife, it droned on and the two of them turned to face the clan. He raised her hand in the air and together they looked out over the sea of pirates. ¡°YOUR QUEEN!!!¡± The crowd erupted. Hats flew in the air as blaster came out pointing to the sky firing in sporatic bursts. Alex thought she smiled. She didn¡¯t know, everything went dull and numb in her mind. Even as she folded into him for the first kiss as husband and wife, she was still numb. Alex was already gone and guilty for having done what she did to get out. Drogan felt it in her, as he held her close after the kiss. Leaning down and whispering in her ear over the roar of the gathered pirates, ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­I will love you enough for the both of us¡­.¡± 8 - Corellia Coronet, Corellia¡­One week after Alex¡¯s departure from the White Maw¡­ She chose the direct route, it was easy to find the Green Jedi Enclave; easier still to determine which orphanage they were running in Coronet. The information gave very detailed instructions in this regard, but Alex had to see it for herself. She held her breath that first night, standing outside the gated entrance and looking in. So close, so very close; her daughters were just on the other side of the bars. Over the course of the week, Alex established her presence. Requested a meeting with the headmaster; a Jedi matron in charge of overseeing the orphanage. As the date of the meeting drew near, she determined how she was going to approach things. They were Jedi, she was a Jedi; things should be simple in any case. Alex decided to just tell the truth about all of it, all of ¡®her¡¯ if it came to that. There would undoubtedly be questions; the subject would come up as to where she had been for the past decade and a half. And why now? Jedi always loved to ask that question, they always wanted to know the ¡®why¡¯ of everything. Blame it on the lifelong study of everything related to the Force, the ¡®why¡¯ was not as important as the how, to Alex. One thing she decided she would not do was betray Drogan''s trust. If the subject of any information concerning the White Maw came up, she would not speak of that. She owed him that much. Alex was welcomed with suspicion; she could feel it in all of the Green Jedi who greeted her as she made her way to the headmaster¡¯s study. They glanced down at the two black electrum plated lightsabers which were clipped prominently on each hip. For a moment, Alex thought they were going to ask for them. Perhaps it was just the differences of the Green Jedi and other Jedi Temples, but tension was unusually high. She could feel their angst as she walked the halls. Her eyes going around; searching. It was killing Alex to be that close and not see them, to not even catch a glimpse of her ¡®babies¡¯. They understood her feelings, they understood a Mother¡¯s heart. One of the few Jedi Temples that actually did. The Green Jedi married, they had children, families. Attachment wasn¡¯t forbidden to them. Her own Mirialan Temple frowned on it, but turned a blind eye in extreme cases; such as her own marriage to Bernard. The two marrying so they could become crusaders for ¡®The Unity¡¯. It helped that the both of them went out to colonize the Universe and not have the marriage right in front of those in the Temple¡¯s faces to be reminded of it and see it every day. The Jedi Matron was waiting outside her door, she looked like the typical ¡®old maid¡¯ type, which was surprising in a way, given the Green Jedi¡¯s predisposition for families and relationships. Alex didn¡¯t know what she was expecting. Alex didn¡¯t expect to see an advanced Jedi of some years and reaching out she felt no attachment from the Matron to the Green Jedi, which housed the Orphanage. All of it caught Alex by surprise. ¡°Your reputation precedes you Alexandra De¡¯nabre¡­¡± The Matron bowed and moved aside with a flourish of her arm, ¡°¡­please, come inside and have a seat.¡± That comment also caught Alex off guard, forcing a smile as she moved past the Matron to enter her chambers. No doubt they would have checked on her background after she requested the meeting. Some of it they would have found, the rest they would never know about. Moving behind the desk, the Matron sat down very elegantly and folded her hands with a plain smile, ¡°Well¡­¡± She let out a sigh and smiled again, ¡°¡­shall I get us some tea?¡± The Matron looked at her wall chrono. Alex shook her head ¡®no¡¯ and the silence ensued, the two looking at one another plainly. Alex already having sized up the woman as she walked in, it was now her turn. As the silence continued, it was obvious the Matron was waiting on Alex. It was Alex who had requested the meeting. ¡°Oh¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­of course I should begin. First of all, thank you so much for taking my request to see you.¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± It was all The Matron said, curt and very to the point. Another silence ensued and try as she might, Alex could not get a clear sense of the woman; though she did have the feeling that the Matron was continuing to be purposefully elusive. ¡°Well¡­I suppose I should tell you why I¡¯m here. In my request I outlined my reasoning and my desire to be reunited with my children. I understand they are here and I would like to see them¡­.¡± Again, the elusiveness. The tea arrived in a most inopportune moment as it gave the Matron another few moments not to answer, ¡°My husband and I¡­well, my Late Husband, we lost them on our colony many years ago. I thought them dead and among the ashes of the ruins. It was by pure happenstance that I learned of their existence.¡± Setting the tea cup down, the Matron regarded Alex with a keen eye and picked up the flimsy, evidently the request by Alex to see her, ¡°Yes, I read your request.¡± She smiled plainly; it was fake. Alex got the clear feeling in the Force that she was indeed hiding something, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­how exactly did you come by the information that told you they were here?¡± It was a probe, there was no legitimacy behind the question. The Matron was now clearly on the attack and searching for verification of what she already assumed about Alex. Grimacing, Alex sat her own cup down after accepting the offer of tea, even though she really didn¡¯t want to. Anything to keep her hands and the nervousness in check. Edging forward to place the cup and saucer on the Matron¡¯s desk, Alex smiled back. Though not fake, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s confidential¡­¡± It was Alex¡¯s turn to hide things. Though she held the Matron¡¯s gaze with an intense look as she said it. ¡°I see¡­¡± The Matron pursed her lips, ¡°We, of course, have Mirialan children here¡­all of them orphaned by War or some other unfortunate circumstance. The Jedi pride itself on the repurposement of children. All life has value, even those that others would discard or disregard¡­¡± Returning the intense stare with one of her own, the Matron lied flatly; Alex could sense that much, ¡°¡­but I am afraid that wherever you received your information, it is incorrect. Your children are not here.¡± The boldness of the lie struck Alex, it was like an electrical shock entered her body. From the moment she arrived, besides the elusiveness of the Green Jedi; Alex could also feel her children¡¯s presence. Karolin and Mrysti were very close, she could feel their presence in everything around her. The look the Matron gave as she told the lie was also a challenge, a way of getting Alex to say more. Perhaps a ruse to gain knowledge of how Alex came upon her information. Loyalty to Drogan and the White Maw would not allow Alex to tell and as the anger started to rise within her, so did the intensity of the Matron¡¯s stare. It was a Green Jedi stronghold, she did not fear any retribution from Alex, even as her hands unconsciously drifted to her sides and the lightsabers she kept close to her hip. It was why they didn¡¯t disarm her when she entered, why would they need to? ¡°I must say, I find that hard to believe. My sources are almost one-hundred percent reliable¡­¡± ¡°Your sources are wrong. Our listings for who is contained within these walls is a matter of public record¡­.¡± Alex knew she was headed that route, it was almost as if she foresaw that. There was no listing for Karolin or Mrysti De¡¯nabre. There were no listings for twin girls who matched that description. Alex had previously checked on that. The words only confirmed what Alex already knew. The Matron was hiding them for whomever the Jedi were in league with. Unfortunately for the Matron, Alex already knew who that was. The time for pleasantries was over. ¡°Fine, you wish to be elusive. I have no problem with that.¡± Alex stood quickly, ¡°I will expose your involvement with the Republic concerning this project and my daughters involuntarily participation in it. I am sure the Jedi Council would be most pleased to learn of its existence¡­¡± As she stood the Matron slowly rose. Alex was going to get nowhere with these people. She had tipped her hand and she moved for the door, the Matron spoke after her. ¡°So, you are ¡®her¡¯. Tales of a Jedi Pirate made its way through these and other halls over the years. I never thought I would come face to face with one, refreshing in a way¡­¡± The condescending tone, the way the Matron said it. All of it pushed Alex to the edge as she turned back. She raised a hand to blast the Matron in the Force, an attack which found its power absorbed by the Matron¡¯s own Force abilities. The two stared at one another for a long moment, their hands raised at one another before Alex spoke again, ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics of whom you are protecting or who are involved with in Project Alpha, but I will soon¡­¡± The Matron raised her eyebrow as she lowered the hand after absorbing Alex¡¯s Force Assault. She smiled kindly, condescendingly toward the other woman as Alex moved once again to open the door, ¡°You will find no allies on Coruscant¡­¡± Alex looked back over her shoulder, ¡°¡­I suppose that¡¯s where you¡¯re headed.¡± The Matron rounded the desk slowly, ¡°May I offer you some advice?¡± Alex stopped, lowering her hand from the pad which would open the door, ¡°Forget that you came here. Forget that those girls¡­¡± She laughed slightly, ¡°¡­wherever they are, exist. This is much larger than you¡­or I. This goes all the way to the very top echelons of Jedi and Republic leadership. A height which friends are few and enemies abound.¡± The Matron crossed her arms, ¡°¡­And you have neither, ¡®Elle¡¯¡­¡± Alex turned her face towards the Matron, the condescending stare the Matron was giving her. They knew who she was, at least the Jedi did. Without further action, Alex left suddenly. The Matron watched the door close and quickly went behind her desk to activate her Holo-comm. An image came up and as it did the Matron gave the person on the other end; a large humanoid with a military style haircut and a look like she given Alex, ¡°General¡­we have an issue that has just come up¡­.this should be high priority.¡± <¡°What issue?¡±> Looking down, the Matron spoke before looking at the General and the door which Alex just passed through, ¡°It¡¯s headed your way¡­to Coruscant. I will send you details, but you need to know General Stone that Project Alpha¡­.has been compromised¡­¡± -- Rounding the corner, the Matron passed through the different Pods containing various sets of children. She continued to walk the courtyard until she came to a secured door. Pressing a series of keys, the door popped open. She nodded to the two guards who stood watch on the other side as she continued to walk. The walls were stenciled with words as she passed one wall and then the next; ¡­ ¡­. ¡­she stopped when she reached the only occupied Pod area, the words stenciled on the observation wall behind a series of one sided glass panels. The scientists milled around the other side and looked up as the Matron walked in. She said nothing to them as she took position alongside of them to look in on the children occupying the play area. Her eyes went from one child to the next; the Large Ratataki who seemed to once again be keeping to himself and watch over all the others leaned on the far wall, his massive arms folded one over the other. The two Zabrak boys were busy arguing over something, the Matron couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. Eventually her eyes drifted to land on the two Mirialan twins. Both girls sitting across from one another. The larger one, with red-hair was already growing at an astronomical rate. So much that she no longer held exactly the same features as her twin. The raven-haired girl waited patiently in a cross-legged seated position. Mrysti floated the block in the air, her fingers seeming to weave an invisible tapestry as she spun the block slowly and then started to pass it in the air by an unseen force toward her smaller sister. Karolin watched the block make its way toward her, as if she were waiting on something. The block made it half-way the distance between the two as Mrysti suddenly and without reason pressed out hard with the hand which was weaving the invisible force. The block sailed like a ball shot from a cannon toward the raven haired Karolin. It was headed for her face and shortly before it struck, almost in slow motion; Karolin raised a hand and stopped it. The momentum gone, the block hung in the air right in front of her, before Karolin waved to the side and sent the block sailing away from them both. Their power was growing, they were growing. And soon the Project would have to make a decision; as all of the children were going to soon outlive the confines of the orphanage. As the Matron watched them, Mrysti got up and walked over to her sister smiling, they exchanged words that the Matron could not hear on the other side of the glass. She was shocked as both sets of eyes, Mrysti and Karolin went to the glass and then directly to her. It made the Matron stumble back a step. They knew. The two girls didn¡¯t know what they knew, but they knew something was amiss. Perhaps it was their Mother¡¯s untimely arrival at the orphanage, perhaps it was the Matron herself who came into the pod just to look at them. As Karolin and Mrysti approached the glass, the taller one looming over the smaller; Karolin placed her hand on the glass; fingers spread as she tried to look through. They were both directly across from the Matron looking at her, though the Matron knew neither could see her. Karolin removed her hand and breathed some fog onto the glass and began writing in the mist left by her breath. The Matron watched and as the two girls shrugged and walked away the Matron looked at the message as it already started to fade away. It was something far beyond what the adolescent girls should have been capable of reasoning at their age; words far too ancient and seasoned for mere children. And Karolin had written it backward, so the words would be readable to those watching them from the inside. <¡±The Darkest heart hides truth from the light¡­the light¡­will not be denied¡­.¡±> -- Zakuul¡­the End of ¡®Reprogrammed¡¯¡­.Years later and after the Eternal Empire invades the galaxy.... Karolin spun with a fervor shown only a few times to her sister. The blast came from the hand she had free, slinging the purple saber in her other hand behind her. It hit Mrysti dead center of the chest and sent her flying. Had she been any other warrior, it would have burned clear through her breastbone. Mrysti bringing her own purple blade up at the last moment. The body slid to rest at Alex¡¯s feet, Mrysti unconscious. Alex bent down and placed her hand on her daughter¡¯s forehead and bowed her head closing her eyes. She lived. Barely, but Mrysti was still alive. Passing a little of her own Force energy into her daughter, Alex stabilized the fallen Mirialan and stood slowly. The Lab was in shambles. Not a single inch of the facility went untouched and as Alex looked over at Karolin who was busy picking herself off the floor after such an awesome display of power, the two faced one another. <¡±Your presence changes nothing. You merely make my work easier. I have terminated her, now I shall have you¡­¡±> Karolin leveled the tip of the purple blade at her Mother and stood up a little straighter. The battle with her sister had taken a toll on Karolin, but she was still formidable. And Alex was no longer the young Jedi she once was. The odds were even. Remembering when they brought Karolin back from Hoth and before she once again fell under the spell of her programming, it was emotion that broke the hold the program had over her. Extreme emotional response from Karolin, brought the woman back for brief periods. Alex glanced behind her at her other daughter¡¯s unconscious body.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°She lives.¡± Alex cracked a crooked smile as the two started a slow circle around each other and the room, ¡°You are no better at killing than you are at¡­¡± Alex shrugged, ¡°¡­well anything else really.¡± Karolin¡¯s mouth twitched in a sneer, her lip starting to move involuntarily. ¡°You fail at relationships, you fail at love¡­.driving men to absolutely kill themselves to get away from you.¡± The sneer increased as Alex watched Karolin grit her teeth, ¡°Face it¡­you¡¯re a loser. And I am ashamed to call you daughter¡­that anything like you would come from my womb¡ª¡° The words had the desired effect, Karolin charged; her other hand reaching out to grab the yellow blade which had been sent flying from her hand by her sister back to her palm. She ignited it in the spin as Alex brought both her Azure blades up. ¡°AGGGGHHHHHH!!!¡± Karolin screamed as she struck down with both blades and spun again to try and cut her mother in half. Only to meet the blue flashes of her Mother¡¯s twin sabers. ¡°I HATE YOU!!!¡± It was enough, the fact that Karolin expressed hate; Alex knew Karolin was breaking. Now she had to survive her daughter¡¯s rage to get through to her. Jumping backwards to try and get some space, Karolin¡¯s Power in the Force was threatening to stifle her; Alex landed hard next to Mrysti only to have the purple blade sailing from Karolin¡¯s hand toward her. That angered Alex, enough was enough. Reaching out, Alex swatted it away. All of this had taken its toll. Watching her two daughter''s fight after she been blasted out of the doorway. Watching and waiting to see one kill the other and now to hear her daughter express absolute hate. Karolin had never seen that side of her Mother; she never had the chance being stolen from her before the two could have a life together. The Dark side gene ran strong within all of them, but no stronger than the source of both Mrysti and Karolin''s Darkness. Their Mother. Alex slung the sabers out to her side and sneered in the direction of the child, ¡°You think you are the original Dark Lady of the family¡­¡± The rage continued to build, "You think you can strike ME down?!?! How dare you...you are a weak little nothing, playing with a power you cannot begin to understand! And to think I thought you were stronger than this, stronger than that programming, stronger than anything the Republic could put inside either of you!!" Twirling the blades, she let go and started at a run, ¡°You want power¡­.I WILL SHOW YOU POWER, LITTLE GIRL¡­¡± Very rarely did Alex ever completely let go. She did it when the Sith killed Bernard. She did it when the Republic killed Drogan. She did it after Mrysti was presumably killed in her attempt to escape the Jedi¡­and she did it the day the Zakuul attacked Mirial. As Alex¡¯s eyes lit with a purplish black haze of raw energy she stepped forward, the blades in her hand spinning with almost inhuman speed. She became a blur; warping behind Karolin as the younger Mirialan tracked her in the Force. She slashed out behind her, spinning to try and decapitate Alex. Fading to mist as Alex struck Karolin¡¯s thigh, ¡°AGGGHHH¡±. Karolin stabbed to the front. Alex was already gone, striking her shoulder. Karolin fell to one knee and dropped her yellow saber, placing her other hand on the leg to keep herself upright. It was a ruse, Alex didn¡¯t sense it. Saturated in the Darkness as she was, seeing Karolin stumble and fall; her own power and lust for battle waned. For a moment, as Karolin looked up with sad eyes and the mother''s met her daughter''s, Alex thought Karolin had broken. That she had finally freed herself from the program that had made her a mindless killer. As Alex faded back into normal space, Karolin smiled wickedly to herself; both hands jutting out before her in a blinding barrage of white hot lightning. It caught Alex unawares, the smile faded as she was struck down. From the floor, Mrysti shook her head to clear it, sitting up slightly. Karolin was just getting up off her knees and stalking toward their mother. Alex had fallen, the white-hot lightning searing her skin and disintegrating her. Karolin was going to erase their Mother, the lightning beginning to do its work of burning her away. Mrysti leapt up, the look of complete rage on her face. Mrysti''s hand was already pointed as she stretched it out calling the purple blade back to her hand and bringing it to life as she landed. -- Looking up, Alex weakly crawled toward the sound of the body falling; the lightning having stopped abruptly. Her skin still smoking as she looked up. Standing over her and with a look of shock on her face; Karolin stared down at her Mother and then the purple blade which protruded through her heart from the backside of her body. Over her shoulder, Mrysti laid a hand on her sister¡¯s shoulder as she quickly withdrew the blade. ¡°Damn you for making me do this¡­¡± As Karolin fell, Alex dipped her head back to the floor; placing her forehead on its cold surface. She screamed. Alex let out a scream so shrill and so loud that even she could not hear it, feeling her daughter¡¯s light burn out in the universe. Falling face first, Karolin fell dead into a heap and within an inch of her Mother¡¯s face, the two locking eyes as Alex watched the light behind her now purple irises fade away. Sacrifice, Alex had known a lifetime of it. Alex had given up so much to come to that point only to have it stripped away from her again. Time and time again, everything was stripped away from her. Weakly, she crawled toward Karolin and turned over her lifeless body to look down upon it. It would not be for nothing¡­death was the only thing that would stop her. And that time had finally come. Her duty as a Mother. To do everything she could for her children. Even at the cost of her own life. -- - Coronet, Corellia¡­.The Hotel Anchor¡­. <¡±In position¡­¡±> There were no call-signs or identification. The communication was the only one from the team and it was from the team leader as they set-up. Stacked six deep against the wall, their eyes focused between the HUD display and the drone feed which was monitoring the hotel from the outside and the digital display of the hotel¡¯s schematics, which detailed a floor-by-floor layout of the hotel; in particular the room they were stacking up to assault. General Stone got up from his chair in the command vehicle. Taking out his blaster he charged it and reholstered it on his hip. The last bit of a cigarra clenched between his lips to take one last look at what his team was seeing from their point of view. Holo-screens floated along the command terminal, each one identified with a code number corresponding to the trooper who was transmitting the image. Stone looked over at the Jedi. As usual, she was uninterested in the going-on¡¯s of any of General Stone¡¯s maneuvers. The designated Jedi liaison for the Alpha Project, she had to endure so much of General Stone; the Republic¡¯s representative to the Alpha Project, she often meditated instead of taking part. ¡°I¡¯m getting ready to send them in.¡± Stone said gruffly. He paused, waiting for a response. ¡°This is a Jedi. Not some run of the mill terrorist or someone stealing secrets. I would think you would have something to say about that.¡± Stone cleared his throat, correcting himself. ¡°I take that back, she¡¯s both a terrorist AND a Jedi.¡± Master Anna Craft, the leader of the Jedi Order¡¯s secret sect of assassins opened her eyes slowly, looking up at the General. Her face was impassive as she stood and finally faced him. ¡°General, despite what you have heard or what is regarded as fact concerning former Jedi Knight Alexandra De¡¯nabre, she is no terrorist. At least not in this regard. Simply a mother, trying to recover her children.¡± ¡°You have sympathy, Craft that¡¯s not like you.¡± Stone replied gruffly, reaching down to pull the tactical vest on and fasten it. Armor plates dangled off the shoulders and back. The General synched them down, locking them into place. ¡°Sympathy is the wrong word.¡± Stone sneered, the stubble of cigar moving reflexively in his mouth. ¡°I¡ªWE got orders, Craft. And I intend to carry them out.¡± The Jedi Master smiled condescendingly. Both moving to the ramp of the vehicle as it started to lower. Once they made it outside, the General and the Jedi turned and started walking the last block toward the Hotel. ¡°Don¡¯t misinterpret my disagreement with you as disregarding my orders, General. I intend to carry them out. It¡¯s not only my duty to advise the Jedi, but you as well.¡± Master Craft looked up toward the hotel as they approached. ¡°She¡¯s in pain. Hurting. And she knows she¡¯s been lied to. Lied to by the very people she once swore to protect.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The General lifted his arm, exposing the transmitter buried in the armored gauntlets he wore. ¡°¡­in a few minutes, it won¡¯t matter. This loop is about to be closed.¡± General Stone squeezed his palm and spoke into the gauntlet. ¡°Initiate¡­¡± Reaching down, he took the helmet off his belt and slapped it over his head. The sound of vacuum seals locking the helmet on to the rest of his armor. -- Her first instinct was to fight, to storm the gates of the Green Jedi Orphanage and just unleash every bit of the Darkness she had in her. It was the darkness after all that spoke to her like that, egged her on to do unspeakable things in order to reclaim her life. Very rarely had she unleashed the Darkness within herself, she didn¡¯t like the way it affected her afterwards; weeks sometimes months were spent as she tried to regain balance. All of the time she spent in seclusion after a mission with the White Maw. They thought she was meditating. She was recovering. Only one other time had she ever allowed the Darkness to fully take her; the day that Bernard died. This was almost as serious. Even as a pirate, she never allowed the Force to control her; sometimes setting it aside or disregarding it completely. It opened a whole new world for her. She learned what it was like to fight without its whisper, without its guidance. Alex incorporated new weapons and new techniques to build her new image. It was always there, the Force. Followed closely behind by her own Darkness, she made a conscious decision to ignore them both. Only using either of them when it suited her. For the first time ever, she viewed the Force as a tool and not as an all encompassing entity. It was that line of thought that had her kneeling in the center of her derelict room in the dilapidated part of town, trying to find her center after almost getting mad enough to unleash on those Jedi. But that¡¯s what they wanted, what they expected. Since they knew that Alex was also ¡®Elle¡¯ Dread Pirate of the White Maw. As she meditated on all of what happened the previous day, she thought about what the Jedi would do with that information. It was clear that a resistance was building against her, yet she had no idea how serious. That anyone would go to that length to keep a Mother from her children was baffling. It added to how little she thought of all of them and to what length they would go to hide the truth. The fact the Jedi were involved made it even worse. An organization dedicated to peace and justice in the Galaxy doing anything BUT that. Saturated in the light, she felt the presence, multiple presences a second before the door to her room imploded inward. She was already leaping from the floor sideways to the bed; flipping it upwards and over her as the blaster bolts and several canisters of a nerve agent entered the room. The attackers had no plans to subdue or take her in, these attackers meant to kill her. The fact that they were using a very dispersive nerve agent meant, they also didn¡¯t care how many people they had to kill to take her down. That gas would most definitely affect those in the adjacent rooms and on her floor. Sucking in the air around her, Alex held her breath as she reached out a hand pulling one of the blasters from her holster to her in the Force. She fired the full complement of the power cell in it. They said nothing, as she took down one of the attackers dressed in full black armor. His or her body falling hard on the floor as the attackers backed up out of the door. -- The door to the hotel room flew apart with an inward explosion. The tinkling sound of charges and rolling canisters following; the assault team throwing in round rolling concussion grenades along with gas canisters immediately after the door blew. The first one through the door was shot as he moved in. The second trooper behind him instantly taking his place. Alex dove to the side, beside the bed, pulling it with her over the top of her body. She waited until the tinkling sound of the rolling charges gave way to a series of timed explosions. One through six, each a millisecond apart. Only because it took all six of the team members a rehearsed millisecond to arm and throw them in, in order. It told Alex everything she needed to know. A hit squad, six strong. She expected it, just not so soon after visiting the enclave. Once the last charge went off, Alex tossed the bed upward with a blast from the Force. Jumping up, lightsabers in hand. The first of the team was already coming through the door, weapons held high and pointing toward the middle bisection of the room. Intercepting the first, it threw the rest of the team coming in behind the leader off. Their plan, a well-rehearsed and thoroughly trained plan; was one taught to all room and facility clearance teams. Get in fast, kill any targets visible and secure the room in predesignated positions. The second trooper was already coming in, turning to the left. Heading to the corner. When Alex intercepted the first man through the smoke of the concussion grenades, the second man stopped and pointed his weapon toward her. Alex sliced through the barrel of the leader¡¯s carbine with a quick swipe of her saber, spinning to kick the leader into the rest of his follow on. The flying body missed the second trooper as the leader fell back into the rest of his squad. The slice from her lightsaber causing the blaster bolt meant for her to make his weapon explode. She dove to the side, blaster bolts tracking her; grabbing the nightstand next to her bed as she moved and hurling it toward the second trooper. -- <¡±..contact, we¡¯ve got conta¡ªAAGGGHHH!!!¡±> General Stone stopped before he got on the lift, placing a hand to his helmet. Master Craft couldn''t hear what was going on being transmitted inside of his helmet, but she felt it. Looking up the lift shaft as General Stone confirmed. ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡± His voice strained from inside the helmet¡¯s vocabulator, both he and the Jedi skipped the lift and took the stairs next to it. Bounding up two at a time. -- Blaster bolts tore the room apart. The rest of the squad minus the leader and the second man, firing inside from outside the door. Alex flipped the bed frame. Bringing it up to block the majority of the incoming fire, the troopers weapons shredding the bed to pieces. She glanced at the window. -- <¡±¡­one and two are down. Laying down suppressive fire!!!¡±> General Stone made it to the floor in time to see his men get up from their position and try to re-enter the room. The sound of lightsaber and screams of anguish coming from inside. Stone drew his blaster and pushed out in front of Master Craft. Entering the room, he saw the flash of movement and the dive toward the window. The rest of the squad was down, scattered along the floor in various shapes of contortion. Smoke ebbed from places along the armored plates of the squad. Stone fired at the blur, running toward the window as it shattered. Seeing the last bit of Alexandra dive through, shattering the glass as she dove out. She fired back, a blaster in each hand. Making Stone back up as he persued. Sounds of the blasters following her out of the window and then down past her as she fell faded further and faster as she fell toward the ground. At last she gasped in clean air and looked down at the quickly approaching surface, righting herself and placing both palms out in front of her. Calling on the Force, she started disturbing the air around her, twisting the molecules of the environment to make it thicker, slowing herself as she continued to descend. As she made it to the ground, she landed hard, but on her feet, the Force of her ¡®disturbance¡¯ in the air and the Force itself cushioning her fall as she looked back up the way she came. Her time on Corellia had come to an end and any illusions she had about taking the Green Jedi by force also went away. Finally going back to the window and looking down. Alexandra was a red streak. Red boots and red jumpsuit darting away as only a Jedi could using their enhanced speed. He dropped the arm holding the blaster in resolution, his head sagging. Master Craft entered the room and looked around, leaning down to place a hand on the neck of one of the troopers. ¡°They are alive¡­damaged, but alive. She didn¡¯t kill any of them.¡± Stone took off the helmet. A release of the seal and the hiss of trapped pressurized air filled the space between the two. Shaking his head he turned around to leave the room. ¡°This isn¡¯t over¡­.¡± -- They were on to her and they meant business. It was time to play the game the way it was meant to be played. The Jedi recognized her as ¡®Elle¡¯ and whomever attacked her in her room expected to find just a pirate there. In a very sick and twisted way they were asking for ¡®Elle¡¯ to come back. She smiled wickedly, placing a little speed in the Force behind her run as she ran off in the direction of the Starport. They wanted ¡®Elle¡¯, that was exactly who they were going to get. The war had been declared and they had no idea of the lengths Alex would go, the sacrifice she was willing to make in order to get her girls. They were going to have to kill her in order to stop her, no one; not even the Force itself could rip this away from her. -- General Stone was on the ground level. A second assult team, on stand-by quickly realized they were not going to be needed; they came to attention, saluting as the General passed. Walking out to the road, he looked down where Alexandra landed and then the direction she ran. Toward the Starport. The agent he used to try and kill her was pervasive. Civilians were staggering out of the building around them. A loud rumbling sound of air scrubbers activating on the inside to try and purge the interior of the hotel. Stone opened his wrist comm speaking into it to the unseen people monitoring, his face a mask behind the disappointment. ¡°She has escaped. I have it in mind that she is headed to Coruscant. We need a listing of anyone that was around during her time in the Jedi Order, some of those people may still be active on Coruscant.¡± <¡±We have made an enemy of this woman General, I don¡¯t mind restating my objection to your assault in the first place¡­trying to eliminate a woman who is merely trying to reclaim her life, I don¡¯t¡ª¡°> Stone grimaced at the voice as he moved further away from the hotel and the rest of his troopers, ¡°You forget yourself!!! This project, the investment already placed into it¡­we cannot afford to be sentimental concerning anything project related.¡± He sighed, ¡°Does it bother me¡­of course it does, it is unfortunate that the girl''s mother has returned from the dead. But need I remind all of you that we are not the only ones invested in this and those girls now hold a significant part of that investment. It¡¯s unfortunate, but Alexandra De¡¯nabre must go. One way or another¡­she is going to disappear so that we can get back on track¡­¡± Pressing the comm unit he disconnected only to connect again almost immediately, ¡°Get me the Supreme Commander¡¯s office, and place the entire Ministry on High Alert¡­.¡± <¡°¡­we have just learned that a very dangerous terrorist is enroute to Coruscant¡­.¡±> The reply came to his earpiece as he replied to the question, ¡°Name?¡­check the database for known enemies of the Republic, the White Maw datafile and ¡®Elle¡¯¡­Dread Pirate of the White Maw¡­¡± 9 - Loose Ends Hoth.... Business, continued as usual. New Captains appointed and still the matter of the data cache to be pieced out and sold. It was that matter that now occupied the thoughts of Drogan, he set aside his thoughts of Alex to do so. Continuing to review the amount of data, his lists of contacts; the comm channel erupted with chatter. A ship, a very large ¡®green and yellow¡¯ ship was landing on the outskirts of the encampment unannounced. Flipping on the scanner, Drogan viewed the unescorted shuttle. A Czerka Corporate carrier. How they found the hidden base was no longer a matter of concern, they were landing. It was with some relief as he watched the landing cycle complete that one man emerged from the ramp. One man, dressed in the finery of the Czerka Corporation, with only a handful of escorts. Drogan flipped the Comm channel open and called his men to action. ¡°Let them through, have the rest go down the ¡®rabbit hole¡¯ and initiate the holding action¡­no need to play our hands just yet¡­¡± He spoke continuing to watch the monitor and the approaching visitors. -- The Director was shown to one of many pre-fabs, adjusting his coat as he stepped up to the threshold. The door opened before the finely dressed executive could touch it and he lurched back in alarm. ¡°Do come in, Sir. I must say we are not used to having visitors here¡­you seem to have some of my men on edge and me at a disadvantage.¡± The Director bowed slightly as he entered. ¡°We know each other by reputation alone, Mr. Drogan¡­.¡± The Director wiped his feet before proceeding. It told Drogan much in that action, a civilized act. These men who came to visit were not prepared for the type of barbarity that awaited them should they try anything sorted. Drogan gestured for a seat standing slightly as the Director took his. ¡°Let me be frank, Mr. Drogan. We know your¡­¡¯faction¡¯ is in possession of some very valuable information we would like to get back.¡± He adjusted his collar, ¡°Our ¡®partners¡¯ are none too pleased that their plans may very well be spoiled by outside parties should that information make its way to the wrong hands.¡± Sitting back, Drogan steepled his fingers and watched, a crooked smile ebbing its way to his face as his cybernetic eye scanned his visitor, ¡°Let¡¯s say¡­I do have what you are looking for, just for the sake of argument; what do I have to gain by giving this information back to you? Surely those ¡®other¡¯ parties would be more inclined to pay handsomely for it.¡± Reaching in his coat, The Director produced a datapad; a move which made Drogan¡¯s hand go immediately to the holdout blaster under his desk. Seeing the change in the pirate, The Director took out the pad and shook it in his hand for Drogan to see; it was not a weapon. Without looking at Drogan further, he began to type something and then sat the Datapad on Drogan¡¯s desk sliding it toward him. ¡°This is what we offer, if it¡¯s not enough you name the price. Credits are no object in this matter¡­¡±, Drogan picked it up and allowed his one good eye to go over the enormous number. He was just about to respond, The Director feeling comfortable and at seeing Drogan¡¯s reaction smiled wickedly and sat forward, ¡°I don¡¯t mind telling you Mr. Drogan, this has been an embarrassment for all parties concerned. The fact that Alexandra De¡¯nabre, a once thought lost Jedi was leading your crew has many of my associates up in arms. We deal with both the Republic and our¡­¡¯other¡¯ associates.¡± Drogan looked up with a quickness at the mention of Alex¡¯s name, setting the Datapad down without another thought, ¡°It would be quite an embarrassment for the Republic to find that one of their lost Jedi was now leading a band of pirates under your banner¡­¡± Moving past the not so veiled threat, Drogan had more pressing concerns. The enormous amount displayed on the holo-pad had no meaning for him anymore, not since the Czerka executive saw fit to mention his wife. Eyes losing the good cheer as he leaned forward; his hand going to the blaster under the desk again. ¡°What do you know about Alexandra? How is it you came by this information?¡± Again, The Director noticed the change in demeanor in Drogan, this time believing he said too much, but having the big man bear down on him and wanting a resolution to the theft; he cleared his throat continuing, ¡°We have holos of course. Transmitted to us during the course of the seizure. We had to identify whom it was that was responsible¡­which is what brought me here, to Hoth.¡± He forced a smile, ¡°You didn¡¯t really think that a notorious pirate and her hideout would remain secret with such things at stake did you? This type and level of information, not to mention the amounts. You¡¯ve stolen more than half of the galaxy¡¯s secrets in a single action. We are not stupid, Mr. Drogan. Our ¡®associates¡¯ have been monitoring this area of Hoth from space from the moment you brought the information back.¡± The Director almost laughed, Drogan moved his hand to the hidden switch under his desk pressing it, laying his hand back on the blaster. ¡°No, I suppose not. Still it does not answer the question. Your threat, veiled as it was, did not escape me. You mean to inform the Republic of her if I do not agree to some number¡­¡± This time the Director lost the smile, he had just crossed into dangerous waters and he could feel the air get thick. ¡°Wh-well no, I merely suggest¡ª¡°The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Drogan produced the blaster leveling it at the man, ¡°You mean to suggest that you would have my ¡®wife¡¯ swinging from some gallows for piracy should I not play this game with you.¡± The blaster whined as it powered up, ¡°No Director¡­¡± He watched as the man frantically pressed the wrist comm unit and turned to look at the door. When nothing happened, Drogan laughed out loud. ¡°Your men are not coming, I had them killed as you sat there.¡± Drogan lost the smile and stuck the blaster out rigidly from his arm, ¡°And you just made your last threat.¡± Drogan¡¯s blaster bolt hit the Director right between the eyes, the body falling against the back rest and then forward. There was a reason he kept that chair bolted to the floor. Rounding the desk he slid the door opened to the bodies of the two Czerka guards, their blood turning the threshold of his domicile red. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to do¡­get me Alexandra. If you fail to reach her, ready my ship¡­we are going to Coruscant¡­¡± -- Coruscant.... ¡°Hate¡­makes the world simpler. Wouldn¡¯t you say, my dear¡­¡± The Devaronian Senator bent slightly to hand Alex the glass, ¡°You have been away far too long child, alliances have changed¡­and I do not have the clout I once did in the senate¡­¡± Accepting the glass graciously, Alex sat up formally, her legs crossed under the billowing gown she wore; one hand resting gently in her lap. The model of elegance and formality, she bowed her head in response, on the inside she was screaming. Not much had changed in the Republic during her time away, things were still not moving any faster. The Devaronian, once an ally to her and her husband, signed the appropriations to begin the Colonization project for the Mirialans. He was the first one she went to after arriving. Everything about her movements secret up till that point. ¡°Nevertheless, Senator¡­it should concern you that a Project like this is going on right under the general Senate¡¯s nose, with only those on the special projects committee aware and in control.¡± The Senator smiled, a politician¡¯s smile. It looked even more devilish than normal for a man of his race, who were known for devilish smiles. ¡°Yes, of course it does my dear¡­it does. And I understand your concern¡­it¡¯s why when you contacted me I reached out¡­¡± He looked at the door, Alex already sensing the armed men coming for her. She tossed the glass down and stood up as the Devaronian also got to his feet. ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t resist Alexandra.¡± The doors opened to a Republic General and several Republic Troopers, all with blasters drawn as her head jerked toward the door flying open ¡°Don¡¯t¡­we have no compunction of killing you where you stand¡­¡± Slapping the glass on the ground as she stood, Alex instinctively reached for her lightsabers, but took her hands away as the troopers weapons powered up. She tossed a glare at the Senator, who raised his hands in resignation. ¡°They contacted me before you arrived. It seems you made a show of yourself on Corellia¡­Piracy, Murder? Really Alex¡­you should not have come back¡­¡± ¡°That. I am most certainly aware of now, Senator¡­you weren¡¯t lying about the change in alliances.¡± Her eyes went back to the Republic General, whom she immediately recognized from Corellia leading the assault on her room. The last glance she caught of him as she tossed herself from her window to freedom, ¡°Let¡¯s see how far your conspiracy goes, shall we? I wonder how the Jedi Council or the rest of the Galactic Senate will react once they learn of the secrets you¡¯ve been hiding.¡± General Stone lowered his blaster slightly to smile at Alex through a toothy grin, ¡°Oh no ¡®Master Jedi¡¯, you will not be given that chance. The tribunal is already formed and you have no standing in the Jedi Order; you are dead as far as they are concerned.¡± Stepping forward he continued the grin, ¡°No, you are not a Jedi at all, are you? You are nothing more than the notorious pirate ¡®Elle¡¯ who hails from a group called the White Maw. Responsible for looting, pillaging and murder across the Hoth sector.¡± Alex visibly slumped slightly, the General standing up a little more formal and losing the smile. ¡°Alexandra De¡¯nabre I am hereby placing you under arrest for the charge of Piracy against the Galactic Republic¡­we plan to give you all the rights and privileges associated with any terrorist that raises the sword against the Republic. We will try you, then we will execute you for your crimes¡­.and no one will be the wiser.¡± He looked at two of the troopers behind him, ¡°Take her¡­and keep it quiet¡­¡± As Alex was lead away General Stone holstered the blaster and waited till the entourage escorting Alex out disappeared down the hall; the doors closing behind them, ¡°You did the right thing, Senator. The information she carries would shake the very foundations of the Republic. Something we cannot afford given the approaching appropriations. We need that funding, Czerka needs that information back.¡± The Senator sat down behind the desk and fiddled with some papers before looking up, ¡°You are sure the Czerka angle is being handled? I took an awful risk betraying her, regardless if you realize it or not; if she gets a message out to the Jedi we are done for.¡± Shaking his head and turning for the door, General Stone smiled wickedly, ¡°There will be no issues with that. Even now Czerka is handling the pirates on Hoth. We will have the information back soon and Alex De¡¯nabre will return to the grave from wince she came¡­NO ONE will ever know she or the twins are linked or that Alexandra De¡¯nabre had any connection to them.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re right. I have dealt with this woman for years, I signed the appropriation which sent her and her husband to their doom.¡± The Senator looked down reflectively, ¡°Such a different time then, so full of promise.¡± He looked up with a glare, ¡°I liked her¡­perhaps more than I should have.¡± Closing the book on the papers he shuffled stated the last fact bluntly, ¡°Make sure it¡¯s painless General, she was a friend once. And these circumstances are unfortunate. She acts as any Mother would act in regards to their children.¡± ¡°Agreed. Who can blame her? Pity really. She could have been a powerful asset. The Mother of the twins included in the Project¡­¡± Opening the door, the General turned and gave a slight bow, ¡°It will be swift and painless. I owe you as much for helping us end this.¡± ¡°End this?¡± The Senator stood and laughed slightly, ¡°This isn¡¯t over¡­my gut tells me if she can survive a war, a sith incursion on her colony, Piracy¡­she will definitely survive the likes of us both. Move quickly General¡­this is only beginning.¡± 10 - Shared Destiny Master Anna Craft sat silently in the assault shuttle, seemingly in her own little world as she watched an old analog tape containing the information on Alexandra De¡¯nabre. The monocular shined a slight blue hue in her one eye as she stared at the images. Her desire to learn all she could before being called upon to do her duty. It was a duty she took reluctantly, but one she was sworn to. Hand-picked by the Grandmaster to lead the group of Jedi assassin¡¯s, they were the most fanatical of the Order. Sworn to the code, sworn to the Grandmaster. Used to do the duties that no one else could dare to be asked. They were above the code, in Anna¡¯s own words; ¡®They were the code¡¯. The parchment it was written on and the holo-type that formed the words; they were all of that and more. General Stone sat down next to her. Anna held her annoyance in check. It was only a year since she became the Jedi liaison to ¡®Project Alpha¡¯ and she did not appreciate her Republic counterpart; ¡®General Stone¡¯. He was the Republic equivalent of what she and her assassins were in the Order. Only not as subtle. His repeated attempts to engage her in conversation, the most annoying part of the General. It was clear he was not keen on Jedi or the Force, but he was clearly keen on her. Anna glanced out of the corner of her eye. The blue field projecting itself on her iris moving with it as she glanced at him. ¡°General, I have not finished reviewing the data on our target. If you wish me to be prepared I must¡ª¡° "I understand ¡®Master¡¯¡±, he smiled devilishly, ¡°I just wanted to let you know, we have entered the Hoth system. I am already sending forward scouts to locate the camp Czerka identified and keep an eye on them¡­¡± Anna frowned and went back to the holo-field; her eye lighting up blue again as she spoke softly, ¡°Thank you for informing me. I would appreciate however if you remember my advice on that¡­you will want to have a few of my Shadows on your reconnaissance teams.¡±, Sitting back, the General rocked the seat slightly which added to Anna¡¯s annoyance at him. She said nothing as he adjusted himself only to find that the General was now trying to peer into the oculus with her. Anna leaned further away and fully turned her head. ¡°General, please¡­I would prefer to view this and meditate on it in my own way. You have the same holo I do.¡± Stone backed off and sat up straight, ¡°I know¡­I am just wondering how you plan to deal with this.¡± He looked around at the collection of troopers and Jedi in the shuttle, ¡°This seems like overkill for one Jedi and a band of pirates. I mean, I had her on Corellia.¡± He looked away slightly, ¡°I wasn¡¯t prepared for her to jump from a sixty story window, but otherwise¡­¡± ¡°You just stated it.¡± Anna gazed at him with the eye not covered by her oculus. ¡°You were not prepared.¡± The monotone of her voice continued, ¡°Alexandra De¡¯nabre has shown extreme resilience throughout her life, from the earliest stages of her training at the Jedi Temple. She was identified early on for survival training within extreme environments due to her predilection toward ¡®opposite¡¯ thinking. She is not the norm as far as Jedi Sentinels are concerned. It led her to be chosen for the colonization program and we allowed her to be married to temper some of her more ¡®extreme¡¯ ideals.¡± Anna turned the eye away and seemed to be staring off into space, as her other eye continued to watch the holo-field. ¡°General, you are a veteran of conflict as am I. You know the value of combat experience and Alexandra De¡¯nabre has more than both of us combined, in many different scenarios. She has faced the Sith not just in war, but in multiple scenarios.¡± Taking off the oculus, Anna seemed to stretch her eyes a moment as she placed her hand on her forehead before looking up again, ¡°We wish to bring her in, unharmed for debriefing and reassimilation into the Jedi Order. There is no other way to do this. She is an asset and the Grandmaster wishes¡ª¡° Standing abruptly, the General scowled at his counterpart, ¡°The Grandmaster ¡®ain¡¯t¡¯ out here. We are. And you know as well as I do that she is far too dangerous to the project that you and I are sworn to, to be left¡ª¡° ¡°--The Project YOU are sworn to General, I am sworn to my duty to the Jedi Council and the Grandmaster. I am merely the Project¡¯s overseer for Jedi concerns.¡± ¡°And this isn¡¯t one of them?!?!¡± The General sat back down and leaned in close, ¡°Do you have any idea what she could do to us with the information she carries, not to mention the millions and near billions of credits that will be lost should she go public about the ¡®twins¡¯. Let¡¯s not forget, the others in Alpha pod.¡± He sat back up shaking his head, ¡°No Master, she dies¡­there is only ONE way to do this.¡± ¡°The Force will have its way concerning this, General. I am not concerned with credits or publicity.¡± Anna closed her eyes and sat back a moment before speaking again, ¡°There is much that surrounds the three of them. All of them have a destiny that lies elsewhere¡­and it is not time for Alexandra to join with the Force.¡± Craft kept her eyes closed. There was much she learned from watching the file on Alexandra, but the majority of her insight was coming directly from the Force. And whether the General realized it or not, both her and his destiny were now tied to the Alphas. Alexandra included, though she was not going to tell him. A man like General Stone would never understand something as intricate as the Will of the Force. <¡±Two minutes, General¡­¡±> The loudspeaker got everyone moving as the ship began its decent into Hoth¡¯s atmosphere. -- 48 hours prior¡­Coruscant, Outer Orbital Marker.... They were half asleep. The old model Hutt frigate made outer marker range. It popped up on the scanner and no one noticed amid all of the other traffic that seemed to frequent the hyperlane. It was large enough to cause one of the technicians to drop his feet off the console and sit up, pointing at the screen for one of his co-workers to look at. ¡°Hey, Doug¡­got another one. This one is Hutt...running without a transponder.¡± The other technician approached sleepily, stretching off the last of his twelve hour shift. He peered bleary eyed at the screen, reaching for the comm button to send out a blast to the Frigate. ¡°Probably malfunctioned or something else. Those things are like decades old¡­¡± Thumbing the switch, the technician cleared his voice to sound more official, "Approaching Frigate, you are running without your transponder. Please key in your transponder code or transmit the decommission code for your vessel.¡± He looked at his companion after speaking, shrugging slightly. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll take either¡­it¡¯s not the first time a decommissioned warship has approached Coruscant. I would rather ask than cause a planetary incident.¡± The one who was monitoring the screen nodded in approval before stifling a yawn. -- Drogan steeped down off the Command terrace and approached his slicer terminal nervously. He paced back and forth slowly, watching the team of slicers work. Looking at his chrono, ¡°Now?¡± One of the slicers glanced at him from behind. His fingers working the spike that was placed in the ancient Hutt console. ¡°One moment¡­we''re working on it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to remind you¡­a ship of this size is hard to stop. We are already approaching the inner marker.¡± The slicer glanced up at the wall chrono with Drogan¡¯s words; Drogan following his eyes, ¡°I need it done, NOW!!¡± It was too late to turn back, it would look suspicious; besides the fact that Republic protocol gave him only another minute before the entire planetary defense force was alerted to an enemy capital ship. Drogan tapped his foot in time with his finger on the glass of his chrono, ¡°Thirty seconds¡­¡± -- Both technicians looked at one another. The ship had not yet responded and it was approaching the inner marker; in range of the planetary defense platforms. As the one who spoke prepared to speak again; reaching for the alert panel that would activate the planetary defense, everything went black. Power whined down as emergency lights popped on. The skyhook losing power as it shook from the generators popping on in response, ¡°What the hell?!?!¡± -- Drogan smiled brightly as he watched the far side of the planet go dark and then pop back to life slightly; the flicker of emergency back-up power bringing some aspects of the surface aglow. ¡°Good¡­full power to the engines.¡± He looked down at his own command console and thumbed the switch to the launch bay, ¡°Ok, you guys are up. I am on my way down¡­but don¡¯t wait on me. I will be right behind you.¡± -- - Ministry of Defense, Government Sector.... ¡°¡­and in conclusion, let me say that I not only speak for the prosecution but for ALL of the citizens of the Republic when I say NO MORE. No more will we allow the barbarity of piracy and the disorder that comes with it to pollute our serene society! We have seen the face of that barbarity here today.¡± The prosecutor who began going on for over an hour pointed at Alexandra who sat opposite in a corner of the small room, ¡°¡­and that is the face of it. It is the symbol of that chaos. On a personal note and just to add to my personal request that this be handled immediately following your decision; there is nothing more heinous than a Jedi gone rogue. A Jedi who not only went off the rails and turned against all the ideals the Order holds dear, but attacked the very existence that this ¡®pirate¡¯ once defended.¡± Bowing his head slightly, the prosecutor looked back up at the three person tribunal. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I have but one answer for all that this pirate has done. It is an answer that the people of the Republic call for, it is what I call for and it is what the victims this ¡®Jedi¡¯ is responsible for committing crimes against, calls for¡­Death. In accordance with our most sacred traditions of ¡®law and order¡¯. Death is the only punishment suitable for her crimes.¡± He glanced over at Alexandra with a sneer before sitting back down. The entire time, Alexandra kept a wicked smile on her face. The smile meant as a show of defiance, though she couldn¡¯t help herself. In the room, the three hand picked persons who stood in judgment of her as well as the hand-picked prosecutor and the first-year defender she was given. Alexandra fired him after opening arguments. She didn¡¯t bother to tell him why, she knew he was in over his head and it wasn¡¯t his fault. The cards were stacked against her, but the show the trial put on; it made the smile get deeper and more sinister as the time went on.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "The record will show, Prosecution has finished their closing remarks. As Alexandra De''nabre IS a citizen of the Republic and considered a threat to National Security, the record will also show she will continue to be judged as a priavte citizen and not a Jedi. As such, all of the prosecutions remarks about her former affiliation with the Jedi will be striken from the record." Here was the Galactic Republic, calling out all the guns on her. Taking out all the stops. The very argument they made against her; words they used like ¡®law and order¡¯, ¡®justice¡¯¡­she had to laugh and in fact had done so several times outloud during the course of the trial. She didn¡¯t know if any of them were in on the conspiracy that brought her to Coruscant, if any of them knew about Project Alpha or the people associated with it. She didn¡¯t know if they all were told to set her up for the kill. She didn¡¯t know if any of them knew just how sinister and corrupt the underbelly of the Republic had become. What she did know was that the entire affair was a farce and she was not going to give them the courtesy of hearing her beg for her life or fight for it. This was all an elaborate game. And she lost. She knew she did. ¡°Will the defendant please rise¡­.¡± The tribunal looked toward Alexandra, who hesitated at first then slowly rose to look at the three of them. ¡°Alexandra De¡¯nabre, this tribunal finds you guilty of treason and high piracy against the Galactic Republic. Do you have anything to say on your behalf?¡± She was tempted, even opening her mouth slightly before shaking her head. The wicked smile softening slightly as she waited. This was how it was going to end, but she could go knowing she had done her best and done right by her children. After all, they were what all of it was about anyway. ¡°Then in accordance with Republic Law, you will be summarily executed for your crimes. Sentence to be carried out immedi¡ª¡° The power flicked briefly before going out completely to the pop of emergency generators and lights coming on. The small room in the Ministry of Defense having an eerie glow as the low light came on to the surprise of all those present. Alex looked up quickly, but then slowly sat back down. The Force calling out to her as she sensed it. No other Force users in the room, she was the only one who did. The Republic purposefully keeping the Jedi out of her ¡®trial¡¯, even going as far as to conduct it in the wee hours of the morning. As she sat, the smile grew wicked again, the people in the room starting to scramble and ask questions. No one had any idea what was coming. -- Eighteen assault ships and twenty seven Mandalorian type fighters streaked a bee-line for the Ministry of Defense. They moved fast and deliberate, no need to hide their approach as the power outage caused by the White Maw had the sensors and defense systems on full reset. Drogan looked at his chrono again, tapping his ear to listen in on the slicers back on the capital ship. <¡±We are going to continue to rotate the encryption¡­but I have to tell you, we may miss one. They are rotating the passkey in ten second intervals. As long as I can keep the system in reset, we¡¯re good. If not¡­¡±> The slicer let it trail off as Drogan swallowed, a bright smile coming to his face. ¡°Hey, I got no complaints. You done good, kids¡­real good. Just get me on tha surface. If we get resistance, everyone back to the ship and hyper out as soon as possible. I will make my own way out¡­¡± <¡±But Sir¡­¡±> Drogan opened the frequency so everyone in the White Maw could hear, ¡°No ¡®buts¡¯¡­get out. I mean it. She is more important to me than anyone else. And¡ª¡° Voices started replying, almost too many to hear everything. The one coming through loud and clear was Alexandra¡¯s old crew. ¡®The Karolin¡¯ was flying with the Capital ship in escort, it¡¯s new captain chiming in; the low bass of his voice drowning out all of the others. <¡±We don¡¯t leave our crew mates behind¡­not you¡­and not our ¡®Queen. We¡¯ll get her Sir, I promise you. We¡¯re in this to the end¡­even if it¡¯s our end.¡±> Smiling at that, Drogan didn¡¯t reply nodding to himself with a kind smile as he flicked off the comm. Letting the cheering from everyone in channel be the last thing he heard. Again, glancing at his chrono. Drogan opened the cargo door and watched the ground approach fast. Grabbing the handle on the inside he let the shuttle almost set down as he stepped off into the early morning light. Blaster fire was already coming from the other side of the building and the other shuttles. His was alone and exactly where he told them to drop him. Looking up at the west side of the Ministry, Drogan clenched his fist as he drew the blaster in his other hand looking down at the building schematic on the opposite wrist. ¡°I¡¯m coming baby¡­.¡± -- Sounds of armored boots echoed in the hall as the others in the room all looked at one another. There were few professional Soldiers in the room. Two guards stationed next to Alexandra and General Stone who sat in the audience area. Stone was the only one in the small room¡¯s audience area. He immediately stood and went for the door, but didn¡¯t open it, listening at first. It was utter chaos outside as the klaxon began to blare outloud. Alex looked down but kept the smile on her face. Even in the darkened room, General Stone could see it. ¡°Watch her!¡± He pointed toward the guards. "And don¡¯t leave this room until the facility is locked down¡± Drawing his blaster, Stone reached for the door access control. It opened even before he pressed it. A face full of pistol was the last thing he saw as the butt of Drogan¡¯s blaster smacked him square in the face. The guards drew their rifles, but having to unsling them from their backs they were a moment too late as Drogan crouched and fired twice, hitting each one of the guards. Alex stood immediately, looking at him with a smirk. ¡°Took you long enough¡­I thought I was going to get fried before¡ª¡°, Drogan¡¯s blaster was already moving around the room, settling on the other administrators which were holding the tribunal for Alex. She approached, raising her cuffed hands and pushing down on the barrel of his blaster, ¡°The''re harmless.¡± She looked down at Stone, who lay unconscious at their feet. ¡°You got the one who counted, though I kinda wish you would have killed him.¡± Drogan scooped her up and kissed her as she looped the arms, still in shackles, around his neck squeezing him tightly. ¡°Can we go home now? Have you had your fill of ¡®King and Country¡¯?¡±, She nodded excitedly as the two of them left the room and took off the way Drogan came in. Already doors were shutting, the echo of large blast doors coming down in all areas echoed throughout the facility. A protocol designed to limit movement by assailants throughout the Ministry. Before turning around, he snatched Alex¡¯s wrist up in one hand stretching the shackles and placing the muzzle of his barrel against the connecting rod, ¡°Turn your head¡­¡± There was a blinding flash as the shackles came apart, Alex turning back to look at Drogan as he thrust a blaster into her hand. They turned back to go the opposite way, their previous route now cut off with the sound of armored troopers heading their way. ¡°Ok so what¡¯s the plan? That way is no good, are we going to¡ª¡° ¡°Shut up¡­.let me think.¡± Alex frowned but reached up and kissed him again anyway, ¡°Bless your heart. You came in here blind with no way to get out, how cute¡­¡± He frowned sarchastically at Alex as she pulled him against the wall in time to avoid incoming blaster fire. ¡°Sorry, I sensed it coming.¡± Looking around behind her, she looked up at the maintenance conduit and the other passages that were still in the process of closing. The conduit was big enough for her, but not for Drogan who stood almost two head lengths taller than she did. Moving out and into the hallway, Alex drew the blaster firing in the direction of the incoming troopers; gesturing to Drogan. ¡°C¡¯mon! Someone has got to rescue you!¡± He smiled running across and firing in the same direction as the two of them landed hard against the opposite wall. He gave the words back to her as he again gave his trademark smirk, ¡°Ok, so what¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°The plan¡­is this¡­¡± Alex twisted around the wall extending her hand toward one of the lowering bulkheads. She grabbed the heavy door in the Force and held it open, the mechanisms groaning as she struggled to keep it up, ¡°G-GO!!! Drogan¡­.now¡­¡± He hesitated and looked at Alex for a moment, not sure if she was planning to follow. The fierce tone of her voice got him moving as he rolled under the door and immediately extended his hand toward her. ¡°Alex!¡± Releasing the door it quickly tried to catch up with itself from being held, the door lowering much faster than before as she rolled under grasping his hand to get pulled in the rest of the way. It lowered on a corner of her dress and tore it off as she came to a stop in his arms, the two lying on the floor looking at one another. ¡°I recognize this position. We have been here before haven¡¯t we?¡± She smiled. ¡°Like this? Many times, but I didn¡¯t know you were so kinky¡­the Ministry? You should be ashamed¡­¡± Alex pushed off of Drogan smartly and stood, the smile fading as she looked across the building chasm that once had a bridge connecting the Ministry to the skyway. The bridge was retracted and now only a very large chasm stood in the way of their flight to freedom. She looked down and grimaced trying to figure it out. Outside the door, the troopers were already trying to sever the mechanisms control over the door to open it. It was long shot, but Alex was willing to try as she turned to give Drogan her idea on getting across. She was too late, Drogan already twirling a grappler attached to a large lanyard in his hand. Slinging the grappler out it latched on the far side with a loud ¡®clang¡¯. Drogan pulled on the cord and then gestured for Alex to come to him and hold on. She shook her head, ¡°I was going to float you across¡­¡± ¡°Not today sweetie¡­.maybe later.¡± Taking a step back, placing his hand on Alexandra¡¯s back to hold her he launched the two of them across the chasm, the line pulling tight. Doors opened on the over look which sat above and in the middle; as well as the door they came through. Blaster bolts cascading and ricocheting around them. Alex fired at the overlook, the speed at which they sailed through the air and then landed on the far side prevented the troopers behind them from hitting them at all. They landed softly, Drogan hugging her slightly before letting her go. The two of them joked throughout, it provided levity to a very dangerous situation. But the hug from Drogan, the touch and warmth of his hand put it all in perspective for her. She got serious as Drogan turned, still holding her hand to lead her out of the building and to safety. She pulled him back slightly. As he turned, Alex¡¯s eyes were watery, but she didn¡¯t cry. Merely smiling and looking down. ¡°I was stupid. I should have never left¡­and you risked everything to come and get me. I ¨C¡° Drogan almost laughed, instead smiling joyously. ¡°You were never alone. Never far from my thoughts.¡±, he put a finger under her chin to lift her red eyes toward his face, ¡°I would die for you¡­¡± The humorous smile came back, ¡°¡­just don¡¯t tell the other guys.¡± -- Rubbing his head, Stone watched the last launch leap up an into the sky streaking straight for the upper atmosphere from the ceiling window of the courtroom. He heard the chatter in his earpiece as he rubbed the knot on his head. Gritting his teeth he thumbed the control and answered the multitude of voices. ¡°Quiet, they''re gone¡­but, I know where they''re headed.¡± Stone turned to walk back into the courtroom, glancing at his Aide-de-camp as he passed. ¡°Get me the Grandmaster¡­it¡¯s time we brought the Jedi into this¡­¡± -- Hoth¡­48 hours later¡­ They deployed in a fan formation, the few scouts and the near invisible Shadows. The team leader fighting with his face scarf to bring the macrobinoculars up to his face. The camp looked near deserted. He wasn¡¯t fooled as he lowered the binos and squatted to activate the holo-comm. ¡°General¡­we are in position. The camp looks deserted, my estimation is that they are ready to repel borders¡­¡± -- ¡°Good Commander, stay on top of it and signal me if anything changes¡­¡± Stone looked down at Master Craft and smiled viciously. ¡°They know we are coming, this will be a glorious victory.¡± Anna was still leaning back on the bulkhead, her eyes closed. The oculus deactivated and off of her face as she slowly opened her eyes to look at her counterpart. She didn¡¯t smile, didn¡¯t say a word at first. Almost as if she was just realizing he was there or where she was. Steeped deeply in the Force, she almost seemed to ¡®come to¡¯ from a long sleep. Sighing at the tone of his voice, for the first time she stood and moved to the starboard window of the ship to look out at the armada they brought against Alex. This would truly be the end of whatever was down there. But, The Force was telling her otherwise. Looking from the outside in and without the benefit of the Force, it was hard to see anyone surviving the assault to come. Turning, she looked through General Stone. He lost the smile once he saw the intense gaze Master Craft was giving him. ¡°No, General¡­my intuition says otherwise. This is going to be a slaughter and when we leave, we will have set Alexandra De¡¯nabre on a path that will have ramifications for all of us, for years to come¡­.¡± 11 - Solemn Vow - Hoth, ¡®The Graveyard¡¯¡­. Opening the chest in her quarters, Alexandra ran her fingers over the soft leatheris of her old Captain¡¯s coat. She smiled weakly; it was something she never thought to wear again. Taking it out she shook it out gently and folded it over her arm looking toward the door. She could sense him coming even before the door chimed. Alex turned. The coat folded over her arm watching her husband come through the door. He smiled on approach, twiddling his fingers playfully even as the first explosions of the traps their pirates laid were going off in the distance. The first of the Republic troops falling prey to the dangers of the White Maw Stronghold. Neither of them seemed in a rush, there was a lot of ground to cover before the Republic troops made it to the headquarters proper. Alex moved toward him and folded her arms with the coat into herself and allowed the hug to come. Drogan grasped her tightly wrapping his arms around her. It should never have come to this as far as Alex was concerned. It was never going to be easy, getting her girls back. Alexandra never thought the Republic or the Jedi would go this far. She looked up while he held her; a sorrowful look on her face to which he shook his head with a bright smile. ¡°I told you¡­I would die for you. I meant it. They are coming to OUR home, entering OUR lives. They are going to remember this day, I promise you.¡± He pulled her back into his arms, her expression unchanged and riddled with guilt. This was never her intent and no words or oaths could ever change how very badly she felt for dragging them all into her life. Things she should have done as a Mother, as a Jedi. Things she regretted even at that moment. As Drogan spoke again, it made her smile weakly. Especially his words concerning the Force. A surprise from one who was an adamant non-believer. ¡°All is¡­.as the Force Wills it¡­¡±, Backing out of his arms she gave him a smirk, the coat once in her arms, Drogan now held out for her to get into. ¡°You ready baby? It¡¯s time for them to see the REAL Dread Pirate Elle¡­¡± -- <¡±We ar---sustaining H-heavy losses General, Request permission to alter the phase line approach¡ª¡°> The field commander¡¯s voice riddled with static suddenly cut out as General Stone tightened his grip on the handset transmitter. ¡°Commander!?!? Commander?!?!¡± He slapped it down and looked at Master Anna Craft, who looked serene in the midst of so much chaos. ¡°Where are the Jedi??? You have a Strike Team¡­your assassins???¡± Master Craft moved to the side of the command vehicle and touched the door pad, it chimed as it slid open, the cold arctic air of Hoth pouring in as she glared at the General. ¡°Of course General, as I told you¡­this is not going to go as you planned. We are on the wrong side of the Force on this one¡­¡± -- Republic units began to pour in from the North Ridge of the Starship Graveyard, the traps and ambushes having been tripped; pirates in that area already dead or overwhelmed. Alex drew her saber and activated one of the Azure blades. Her old crew and it¡¯s new Captain already standing by for her. ¡°We need to re-enforce that ridge!¡± She pointed her saber in a flourish. Already her forces began to move. Giving a glance back to Drogan she smiled at him, the bright smile from her husband accompanied by a wink. This was what he was born for. Alex still unable to shake the feeling of dread the Force was giving her. -- Craft and her assassins moved through the lines, careful not to engage any of the mass of pirates massing on the ridges of the hulks of derelict ships within the yard. They had a target, one of two Master Craft had already spotted. As they passed the stealth detection systems, Drogan moved back and signaled too late for his pirates to move back with him. The mass of sabers activated simultaneously as the alarm systems on the ¡®Star of Coruscant¡¯; one of the derelicts in the yard, sounded loudly. All of the assassins derezzing out of their Force Cloaks among the very surprised Pirates. Drogan shot one, then another as he dropped down to the next level of the broken gangway within the busted ship. Arctic air poured in as he quickly began to type a self destruct on what was left of the grounded battleship. The screams of dying men his background as the beeps and whistles of the system began to activate. The Master was in pursuit as the rest of her assassins engaged the remainder of Drogan¡¯s guard. He flipped his holo-comm out and pressed the instant return to signal Alex. Craft dropped in front and slashed at him taking the holo-comm from his grasp, Drogan returning fire on the Master instantly. She forcefully extended her hand in a Disruption. The air around Drogan rippling and curling with power; sending him crashing into the far bulkhead. Craft looked down, whispering into her collar comm as Drogan hit hard and slid down. ¡°Eagle acquired¡­still searching for the primary¡­¡± -- The fighting was hard on the North Ridge as Alex stood to the front deflecting Republic blaster bolts. Next to her, her old crew was falling. The dead and wounded falling like weeds next to her. Alex struggled to get them to advance. Her Holo-comm signaled a harsh tone and quickly ceased; Alex¡¯s head going straight up and looking toward the ¡®Star of Coruscant¡¯ deep in the graveyard. She flourished her saber, slicing a trooper who got close and extended her hand blasting the next few troopers coming up over the ridge away like leaves in the wind. Looking back at the few pirates who were left she screamed in their direction. ¡°Back to the strongpoint!!! Now!!! Move!!¡± She was not headed there, her eyes already on the ¡®Star¡¯ in the distance. Alex dropped off the broken gangway as the Republic troopers began to pour in. Force speed behind her, Alex darted off toward Drogan¡¯s last known location. -- Master Anna Craft held the other end of her double-sided sky-blue saber toward Drogan approaching slowly, kicking his blaster pistol off the edge as she stalked toward him. ¡°It was not supposed to be this way, Master Drogan¡­if only she could have been reasoned with¡ª¡° Drogan wiped the blood from his lip huffing a laugh toward the Jedi Master, whose double-bladed saber still pointed toward his neck. ¡°Reasoned??? Reasoned¡­that¡¯s what you call it? Would a Mother reason over the safety of their child, would you?¡± That made Anna drop the saber slightly as she looked away, but only for an instant. ¡°Children are not in my destiny. Nor will they ever be¡ª¡° ¡°Jedi platitudes. You took everything from that woman and now you try to justify your actions. For what?¡± Anna raised the saber, her face getting tight. ¡°For something greater¡­¡± -- Jumping up in the Force, Alexandra pressed hard into her power. Leaping a full four stories up to Drogan and Anna¡¯s level. Before Master Craft struck down, Alex was already there; her saber stopping the death blow just before Anna¡¯s double-bladed saber came down upon Drogan. It was surprising to Anna, she had not sensed Alex¡¯s approach. Mired in the thought Drogan had placed within her. Even as Alex blocked Anna¡¯s saber strike, her mind was still riddled with the question, ¡®Would any mother reason¡­¡¯ Alex jabbed forward as Anna spun away from the block; Alex allowing her second saber to drop from her belt into her other hand. Both sabers now a whirlwind as she attacked Anna with a fury that only a Mother defending her children would have. It was the Dark Side, a realm Anna dwelled in to do the dirty work the Jedi Order called her to do, but she could not fight back the fury unleashed by Alexandra De¡¯nabre. A block, another slash and a pinwheel of azure blades, Anna was on the defensive spinning and blocking with both ends of her saber. Alex backed her off and away from Drogan who was just getting to his feet. Backing into the bulkhead, Anna glanced up quickly and attempted to leap to the next shattered level of the grounded capital ship only to have Alex grab her in the Force while she was still in midair; slinging her back to the ground in a heap. ¡°Arrrgah!!!Get back here!!!¡± Alex lowered the saber hand in a flourish as the power unleashed ensconced and surrounded Anna; the shadow landing in a heap as her saber clattered away from her hands. She looked up to see Alex standing over her, the tip of an Azure blade at her throat. Slowly, Anna raised a hand as a sign of surrender. Her face still tight in concentration. ¡°Alexandra, I am truly sorry¡­you have no idea what you¡¯ve gotten yourself into here. I must obey the Order¡­¡± Gritting her teeth, Alex raised the saber slightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry too, Master. You have no idea what lengths I will go to in order to reclaim my life.¡± The sound of a dozen blaster rifles powering up stopped Alex just before she jabbed her blade down into the Order¡¯s Master of Assassins. ¡°Oh I have some idea¡­¡± General Stone stood among the troopers, blaster pistol raised as he gestured with his other hand for Anna to get up and join him. ¡°You are truly remarkable Alexandra¡­¡± He glanced at Drogan who also had the blaster rifles of at least a dozen fully armored troopers on him. ¡°¡­you both stumbled onto something here that must remain a secret.¡± The battle was over. Below the surviving pirates were being corralled by the Republic Army in long lines as they were being marched out of the graveyard. Alex stood her ground, her saber following Anna as the Shadow slowly got up and stood to face Alex. The two women did not exchange words, but Anna didn¡¯t move looking over at the General. She had some idea about what was going to take place. General Stone gave Anna the ¡®look¡¯, still the Shadow did not move. Anna finally shaking her head ¡®no¡¯ to General Stone. ¡°It has to be this way, Master Craft!!! They are both too dangerous to be left alive!!¡± ¡°No General, it doesn¡¯t¡­the Jedi Order would not condone this action. Not after what¡¯s taken place.¡± ¡°I would rather ask forgiveness than permission¡­.¡± As Stone pulled the trigger on the blaster, Drogan who could already see what was about to take place; years of measuring a man¡¯s resolve of having stared down the business end of a blaster hundreds of times; jumped to the front of Alexandra. The blaster bolt tearing through his chest armor as he fell back against Alex. Shock was the only thing staying her blade as she dropped one of her sabers to catch her fallen husband. The troopers all raised arms ready to end it as the scream cut through the circle of armored men.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°NO!!!!¡± Anna raised her arms to the troops, ¡°Stop this!!!¡± ¡°Get out of the way, Anna!!!¡± Stone lurched forward, his blaster now trained on the kneeling Alexandra who cradled Drogan in her arms. The sound of a dozen sabers activated behind the Republic troopers as Anna kept her arms up. Anna¡¯s assassin¡¯s arriving to her aid. Slowly the Republic troops lowered their rifles as Anna and the General exchanged a deathly glare. She extended her hand to the General. ¡°Give me the blaster, General.¡± Stone knew he had lost. Lowering the pistol but not relinquishing it. ¡°An Officer never relinquishes their sidearm.¡± Holstering it, he took another look at Anna and then at Alex and Drogan; Alex still not looking up at any of them; her hand combing through Drogan¡¯s hair. ¡°You will answer for this Master, this is your mess to clean up¡­.¡± Stone curled a finger, gesturing to the line of the Republic Soldiers who followed their commander out as Anna nodded to her Shadows to do the same. The sound of sabers deactivated. Anna stood silently over Alex and Drogan. -- As she moved her hand through his hair, she never got to hear a last word, never heard anything. Just saw him jump to her defense and take the bolt meant for her. Alex sat for a long time, just cradling him. Master Anna Craft did not move, her eyes closed as she contemplated the Force and the extreme sadness she felt emanating from Alex. The General was right about one thing. It was her mess now. All of it was. Nodding to herself as she communed with the Force, Anna knew what she was going to do. It was the right thing to do, the only thing to do. It was¡­.The Will of the Force. -- 48 Hours after Karolin¡¯s Decent into Madness; The Defeat of the 7th Fleet over Hoth¡­More than Ten Years after the White Maw''s Defense of the ''Graveyard''.... Though the Jedi relocated to Tython after the ¡®Sacking of Coruscant¡¯; Master Anna Craft did not. Her relationship with the Republic vital to maintaining the Jedi¡¯s affiliation with the ¡®Project¡¯. Her mission had many facets, none more than her continued observation of the ¡®Twins¡¯ and their progress. Mrysti, was gone. Having left the Republic with another of the members of the Alpha Pod to follow a call they assumed was from the Empire. Anna Craft still had loose ends. Karolin the only end that needed tying as far as the Jedi were concerned. Things had progressed well for Master Karolin Alpha, up until the holo-call forty-eight hours prior. Up till that point, Anna Craft was merely an advisor to her long time cohort; General Stone. Entering the apartment, Anna let out an exasperating sigh. Karolin was sealed in maximum security surrounded by the Republic¡¯s finest. It was clear that she had fallen to the Dark-side. And Anna¡¯s mission now would be to determine if her genetic alterations or her connection to the ¡®Project¡¯ had anything to do with it. This was not Jedi work, nor was it the work of the Master of Assassin¡¯s within the Jedi Order. Anna sealed her fate to the ¡®Project¡¯ the day she let Alexandra live and the day she assumed responsibility for anything related to Karolin and Mrysti. That was her solemn vow to Alexandra. That SHE would look after them. Anna sensed the presence as soon as the door slid closed. But even the Master of Assassin¡¯s knew it was no ambush. Anna learned a long time ago, if you do not die in the presence of an intruder in the first few seconds; they wanted something. They always wanted something. It was not fear that Anna projected, but curiosity. Curiosity as to why it took Alexandra so long to reach out to her. ¡°I wondered when you would show up at my door¡­¡± Anna went into the kitchen area as she spoke out loud, directing her speech to no one. Busying herself with the tea maker she poured in an ample amount of liquid and pressed the start button setting out two cups, ¡°I am making myself some tea, would you like one?¡± ¡°I want to see her.¡± Those words came from the far corner of the room, in the darkness. Exactly where Anna sensed Alexandra would be. The shadow of Alex did not move. The shadow sat with her legs crossed, a cloud of smoke from something tangy wafting above her head. Alex subbed it out on the table after speaking. From the kitchen Anna could see the fiery red irises follow and burn into her. She continued with her preparation, taking the steaming hot cup and allowing the silence to permeate between them; walking casually back into the room. Anna stood and leaned on the wall of her apartment, stirring the cup. There was no reason to lie. Alex had been on Coruscant more times than Anna could count. She didn¡¯t always know from intelligence, sometimes Anna just sensed Alex¡¯s presence. ¡°You realize, that¡¯s quite impossible. In light of recent events, there is no way to¡ª¡° ¡°I don¡¯t give a kriff about recent events!!¡± Alex finally shifted in the shadows, snarling at Anna. There was no love lost between them. The unfortunate incident which claimed the life of Alex¡¯s second husband the day Anna made Alex the promise to watch over her daughters. It was the only thing that stopped Alex from taking vengeance on the Republic, on General Stone, but most of all Anna Craft. Spare the ¡®Project¡¯. Spare both herself and General Stone and Anna would ensure that both Karolin and Mrysti were taken care of. It was the reason for the visit. In Alexandra¡¯s eyes, Anna had not lived up to her part of the bargain. Moving to the loveseat across from Alex, Anna sat down delicately setting the cup down first and then lowering herself to cross her legs and peer into the darkness. She did not bother turning on the lights, she didn¡¯t need to. ¡°Alex, I know what you must be thinking. But that is not the case. We did everything we could to ensure that Karolin was well trained to assume¡ª¡° The next words shocked Anna, it was not what she expected even though all she could feel was hate pouring off of Alex. ¡°I don¡¯t hold you responsible. How could you have known, how could any of you when you assumed control of my daughters.¡± Anna crooked an eyebrow and picked up the cup to blow over the top, ¡°That¡¯s not the response I expected. Still, this is a Republic matter. She killed a lot of people Alex, they are going to make her pay for that.¡± Even as she said it, she felt the hate well up in Alex. Enough that Anna quickly set the cup back down. Moving out of the shadows finally, Alexandra De¡¯nabre stood and walked to the far window. The endless and timeless traffic of the Coruscant skyline zipping by as she peered out. Slowly, Alex shook her head and dipped it low. ¡°This¡­is not Karolin¡¯s fault.¡± She turned and gave a hateful glare to Anna, ¡°Nor your ¡®Project¡¯¡­this has to do with me. This has to do with where me and my family are from, the curse we bear. The curse you and the Republic could not have possibly known about when you subjugated my daughters!¡± Anna didn¡¯t know what to say. It explained a great many things about the whole affair. Alex¡¯s desperate attempt to get her daughters back was more than a Mother¡¯s love, it was out of fear. Fear for them and fear for the Republic. Mrysti¡¯s departure to the Empire. Karolin¡¯s inherent darkness. All of the things that Project Alpha had determined were side-effects of the process were not what they seemed. In all actuality, had the Republic known about the darkness Alex spoke of; Mrysti and Karolin would never have been selected for the ¡®Project¡¯. Karolin¡¯s latest ¡®incident¡¯ would never have happened. Anna thought about all of it in a flash as Alex continued to stare at her. But, it was too late. Anna had a duty. Not only to the Jedi, but to the Republic and finally Project Alpha. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter Alex. It¡¯s out of my hands, General Stone has¡ª¡° The mention of his name sent a lightning bolt up Alex¡¯s spine that was felt across the room. Anna reacted, closing her eyes and visibly shivered, ¡°---the General has determined that this should fall into Military Jurisdiction. She was a Jedi on board a military craft at a time of War. A Commander, commissioned to protect and lead those men¡­she killed them.¡± Practically charging forward, Alex turned and stalked toward Anna. The other woman did not move, it was out of anger and Anna still could feel no ill intent on the part of Alex. The Mirialan pointed at the Jedi¡¯s Master of Assassins. ¡°You MAKE it your problem, Master. You do it! After what I just told you, how could you not?!?!¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Anna set the cup down again and crossed her legs, ¡°You will still not be allowed to see her.¡± Alex started to speak, but Anna raised a finger to her. This time the Master of Assassins returned Alex¡¯s deathly glare with one of her own, ¡°No, it¡¯s my turn. You said what you needed to say; I appreciate the truth of it. You could have shared that with me a decade ago and we might have avoided some of this unpleasantness.¡± There was momentary silence as Alex visibly sagged. ¡°She needs me. She needs her Mother¡­¡± ¡°Needs you?!?¡± It was Anna¡¯s turn to bring on the hate, this time she sat up defiantly. ¡°Needs you? Alex she doesn¡¯t even know you.¡± Alex stood still as Anna let the statement sink in, ¡°You never wondered why, on all of those trips to Coruscant; even when you were yards away from them both¡­they never sensed your presence? Don¡¯t look so surprised, of course I knew¡­the entire ¡®Project¡¯ knew. We felt as long as you didn¡¯t interfere we would never have to take action. And you didn¡¯t.¡± Anna pursed her lips, ¡°You are not their Mother, you are a ghost. A phantom¡­you are the fleeting ¡®what if¡¯ that passes through a little girl¡¯s mind. The thought that comes in moments of trouble, the person who was never there in their greatest triumphs or the shoulder to cry on during their unfortunate defeats.¡± Anna stood and paced back toward the entrance, ¡°But we were. We have been there through it all. We are their parents¡­they are property, subjects¡­weaponized versions of a life that could have been.¡± Gesturing toward Alex, Anna¡¯s voice rose as she finished. Clearing her throat she realized her emotional level was getting slightly out of control as it always did concerning the ¡®Project¡¯ or Karolin. Anna frowned slightly as Alex passed headed for the door. Anna politely opened it for her with the touch of the pad. Before leaving Alex stopped, she didn¡¯t look at Anna. There were things she¡¯d seen, things she already knew would come to pass. Anna would die as would General Stone. The time would come when Karolin and Mrysti would need their Mother. She knew what none of them did about Mrysti. Even though everyone had written off Mrysti as dead, Alex knew differently because the Force had already shown her. ¡°There will come a time¡­when this deal no longer holds any meaning for me. When there is no longer a Republic to hold sway over my daughters. When there is no longer a side or a Jedi Order for YOU to sit on¡­.when this Project and all that it encompasses are gone.¡± Alex looked over at Anna stepping over the threshold. ¡°¡­it is then that I will return.¡± -- Six Months after the Fall of the White Maw Stronghold on Hoth¡­Coruscant, Galactic City.... ¡°I wonder if Jedi can fly???¡± Karolin peered over the side of the skyway, Mrysti pulling her back quickly as Karolin giggled at her sister. ¡°Wanna find out?? Get back over here¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a crazy question, Mryst. I mean they can do all kinds of things. Do you think we are going to learn to fly? I mean, I wonder if anyone has ever tried it?¡± Karolin smiled brightly as she looked up at her overly tall sister. ¡°Jedi, do not fly Karolin. Levitate, maybe¡­I have seen them do that. WE have done that.¡± Mrysti turned her attention back to the road and the stop they were waiting at. Glancing at her chrono, she realized the transport was late. Karolin was in no hurry to return to the Temple, having been sent on an errand. The two of them stood waiting and watching for the public transport so that both of them could return to study. The errand, a cleverly cloaked disguise to get both of them to a nearby Alpha facility for a test and measurement. Neither Karolin or Mrysti were the wiser. Extending her arms, Karolin twirled around. Her brown cloak flapping in the wind as she smiled and looked up into the skylane and traffic of the artificial sky. The Padawan¡¯s braid wove into her rich dark raven hair twirled with her movement. Mrysti watched her with a smirk and finally laid both hands on her to stop the spinning. ¡°Look, I¡¯m flying!¡± ¡°Yes, like a crazy person. No wonder all of the citizens think Jedi are crazy. Remember who we are and what we represent.¡± Mrysti¡¯s scolding already had passers-by looking at the both of them. More from Karolin¡¯s spinning than Mrysti¡¯s words. As the large transport finally hovered at the stop and ceased movement the doors opened so both girls could get inside. Mrysti stopped a moment and looked back behind her, a sense of something as if someone was watching. The driver already late tapped on the console harshly. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!!!¡± Moving through the people, Mrysti flopped down on the seat next to her sister, but her eyes were on the far bridge trestle. Something familiar was there, but she saw nothing. Something Mrysti thought was watching them both. Karolin crooked an eyebrow at her sister as the speeder started off, her eyes following Mrysti¡¯s to the window as she looked back and forth finally settling on her sister. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, ya see somethin¡¯??¡± ¡°No¡­it was nothing. Just a feeling I had¡­¡± -- Ducking back behind the trestle, Alexandra pulled the hood up and over her features. It was the first time she had seen them, she had to make sure it wouldn¡¯t be the last. Mrysti looked back at her almost catching her watching them both. Alex sobbed suddenly and stifled it as she dropped down off the trestle to the street below. She looked so much like him. Mrysti had so much of Bernard in her. Alexandra could see it in her eyes, that same wonder, that same tenacity. How beautiful they both were, it was everything she could do to stop from calling out to them both. But, a deal was a deal. Alex was content that the Force would lead them back to her someday, that the Force would call her and her daughters to be together again. Pulling the hood up a little tighter, Alex dipped her head to the passers-by and cloaked her aura in the Force. They were seers, all of the De¡¯nabre women. And Alex had seen, she knew what her purpose was and what had to be done. There would be much pain in both Karolin and Mrysti¡¯s lives before any of that happened. But Alex would never be far away. She and both of her daughters had a destiny. It was the Will of the Force. 12 - Epilogue Alexandra De¡¯nabre ¨C Link to the Past The Force moves in mysterious ways. Always balancing itself. Even for someone like Alexandra De¡¯nabre, who carried on the family curse from ancient times. Strong in the Force, Alexandra shared the Mirialan spiritual connection to the Force, but in the learning academies of Mirial was recognized for having the ¡®Gift¡¯. Something all Mirialan¡¯s aspired to, but did not have. It was The Force, but recognized differently in Mirialan Society. Had she been anything other than a De¡¯nabre, she would have been selected to lead a section of society or granted permission to form her own academy to teach. Due to her curse and her family name she was shuffled off to the Jedi Academy on Mirial as soon as her teachers could get rid of her; unknown to the Jedi that the De¡¯nabre name carried with it the curse of the Dark Side that raged within their family line for generations. Allowed to marry, together with her Husband Bernard; he and Alexandra spread Mirialan culture and society throughout the far reaches of the galaxy. As builders, advisors and Jedi, this was not their greatest achievement. Their greatest achievement was their two twin daughters, Karolin and Mrysti. Both strong in the Force and the hope of both parents that they would finally break the curse of the De¡¯nabre name. Something even with all of Alexandra and Bernard¡¯s good works, neither of them were able to accomplish.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Alexandra lost Bernard, she lost her girls. It seemed the curse of her family line had once again caught up with her. The life of a Pirate, Alex soon discovered the existence of her girls, became the Queen of her Pirate clan and set out to once again reclaim her life; falling in love again along the way. The curse seemed to once again rear its ugly head as she lost that love. Alexandra soon realized, as all parents realize, that their lives are not about their own dreams or desires. Their lives are meant for something far greater, their children. Alex never lost sight of that, the Force revealing to her a higher purpose after all was said and done. The deal struck with the Republic, she watched and waited from afar until finally the deal was no more. The Republic, no more. And she returned to find that her children were not the answer to her prayer of ending the De¡¯nabre family curse. That prayer was in the form of¡­.Samantha Alpha, her granddaughter. Alexandra fulfilled her destiny, she saved both her children and did what the Force called her to do safe in the knowledge that someday, Samantha would end the curse. Alexandra De¡¯nabre joined with the Force following the events of ¡®Reprogrammed¡¯.