Before Fellis became the Commander of the Alliance, he was a spy. He was a Cipher Agent with Imperial Intelligence until it was dismantled. His mastery in disguise, assassination, seduction and infiltration gave him more latitude to handle missions in any way he saw fit with very few limitations.

Darth Marr called him a ghost, he went to great effort to find Fellis. Even threatened him with death if the circumstances had not be so dire, he needed Fellis. Darth Marr gave special missions to Fellis and that meant he could no longer be a ghost. When Sith Intelligence was established, Marr put Lana Beniko in charge. Marr needed Fellis to do what he did best which was covert operations while Lana handled the Sith Council and day to day operations.

Revan had awaken the Emperor, he meant to kill him but he did far worse, he released him with his anger to get revenge. The Emperor known as Vitiate laid waste to the planet Ziost killing everything and then disappeared. Only to reappear as Valkorion, the ruler of Zakuul until his son Arcann killed him and framed Fellis. Fellis was put in carbonite for five years. His new crew rescued him and then they built the Alliance.

Fellis' "ghost days" were over, he couldn't hide in the shadows to do his job anymore, not with the Alliance. He was the leader which meant he was recognized and his profile was more public. While he was able to keep a large number of things secret, he was now known. And a fugitive from the Eternal Empire. The Odessen moon was well hidden from the Force and technological detection. The Alliance was growing and thriving on a tropical moon that was close to Zakuul. The secrecy of Odessen was a priority for the Alliance.

Fellis did wonder if his old life would come back and haunt him. While he was efficient at taking care of loose ends, there were a few times he had shown mercy and those were the loose ends that could haunt him. Doctor Lokin once warned him, that something as simple as a holoimage from a wedding or any other public event could cause an agent's death. The times he showed mercy is when he expected his enemy the Republic to take care of issues for him. All that was needed was planned out reports and information leaked to gain the Republic's attention and his loose ends would be a problem for the Republic.

Interlude 2 Before the Agent was leading the Alliance 5 years in the past

Navarell Traint was the leading specialist on holo-technology on her home planet. She worked with her father, Dr. Bertran Traint who had perfected holo treatment rooms that helped patients who had suffered traumatic events. Her part in the company was making believable and comfortable programs to help facilitate healing. Her holoprograms with serene locations and pleasant scenarios helped the patient work through their trauma and eventually integrate back into their life again.

While the work was rewarding, she found that she was bored with helping people. She didn't have her father's ideals. She created a side business that she kept hidden from her father. She had some rooms built in a smaller factory, she told her father she was testing programs. The slave trade was more profitable and slaves conditioned to perform or work for their new masters without the need of shock collars or any other type of enforcement was a lucrative business venture. The extra credits allowed her to have the life she always wanted, which was in high society.

It was their biggest gala event which was also a fundraiser for the medical facility, royals from all over the galaxy were invited as well as high ranking officials. The palace was modest in size but was the perfect size for mingling without the grand hall looking empty. The finest wine, beer and spirits were provided along with an expensive entree. All part of the fundraising to continue research to help others, the invitation only event featured a silent auction. Most used this event to reaffirm partnerships. "Nava", as her father affectionately called her, found the event useful in finding new clients, though she had to keep her dealings private.

A handsome man entered the palace ballroom. He was six feet tall, lithe and sinewy in build and blue. His blue wavy hair was just above his shoulders and he was dressed in an Alderaanian suit that looked like it was from a royal house, the long tan jacket fell to his knees. The red and gold stripes was accented throughout his attire, his pants and boots matched. His red eyes were outlined in black which made them stand out, and while he had scars on one side of his face they didn't detract from his looks. Nava was immediately smitten with him. She would have to meet him.

Interlude 3

Fellis, and Doctor Lokin walked into the ballroom like they belonged there. They had forged their invitations and found royal suits with the help of House Thul on Alderaan. Fellis and Doctor Lokin's uniforms matched to give the appearance of representing a royal house together. HK waited outside of the palace and monitored the patrons and communications.

Fellis and Lokin were at the ball to find out where the records of the illegal activities of the holo medical facility were located. Doctor Lokin asked Fellis to help him, they were doing a favor for a friend. Lokin's friend lost his family to the slave trade and when they finally found them, the conditioning was severe. Lokin explained it was like the joining with Kiliks, it could be undone but the people were not the same as they were. And similar to Project Protean, there needed to be a better command structure at the facility to ensure its use was proper.

The fundraiser was just a way to meet the owners of the medical operation and get an invitation for a tour of the facility. Lokin had concocted a story about a relative that might benefit from a procedure. Since they were royalty, they would not have to wait months for treatment. Their expensive look would guarantee special treatment. Lokin and Fellis made their way to the host of the event Dr. Bertran Traint.

Dr. Bertran Traint was a tall elderly gentleman with grey hair and mustache, his goatee was kept trim. His age lines around his eyes and mouth gave him a weathered look but he kept his posture in a manner that showed he was prideful. His tailor made suit were in the colors of his company, a green and blue combination symbolizing calm with just a hint of tan to offset the two colors. His suit jacket fell to his hips and he wore a black boots and belt.

Nava couldn't believe her luck, the cute blue man was talking with her father. She took a quick inspection of her dress, a white and green gown that had a thin leaf like design throughout the bodice and skirt, her light yellow sash accented her hips and added to the gown. While the top came up on her neck it was open enough to see a jade necklace and matching earrings. She wore her brown hair up with a braid that wrapped around her head. Satisfied with her looks,she made her way to where the three men stood talking and enjoying some Corellian brandy.

She walked up and gave her father a hug and then kissed his cheek. She turned to his companions. "Father? Who are your guests?" Nava smiled at both Fellis and Doctor Lokin, but kept her gaze on Fellis.

"They're representatives of House Thul on Alderaan. Simon Thul," Dr. Bertan Traint introduced Lokin to his daughter, then gestured to Fellis. "And Devron Thul, his adopted heir." For some reason, Bertran wanted to explain why the two men didn't look like they were related to each other. Certainly the Chiss didn't look like any Thul relative he could recall.

"This is my daughter, Nava. She works with me in my medical facility. A brilliant holotechnologist," Bertran was proud of having his daughter work with him.

Fellis bowed and smiled at Nava, then he looked at Bertran, "You have a lovely daughter."

"Oooohhh Daddy …. can I keep him?" Nava gave Fellis a look of lust and swayed like a little girl with her dress fanning out over her shoes who wanted something from her parents.

Fellis was familiar with women looking at him in that way but he didn't have time this trip to play around. Maybe another time he thought. Yet there was something a little off with this woman. She reminded him of the woman who made herself look like Mia Hawkins on Tatooine. She had come onto him too hard for him to believe it was Mia. It turned out she wasn't Mia at all and she intended on killing him. Fellis noticed her watching him and now that he met her, his agent training was telling him to be careful.

Bertran sighed he never understood his daughters humor and sometimes she said things that worried him, especially when it came to strangers without really knowing who they were, its was a father's instinct."Nava …." Bertran was a little exasperated with his daughter.

"Oh relax, father." Nava chastised her father, then she took Fellis' hand and lead him to the dance floor. Bertran and Lokin stared at each other and thought it best to let things go for now. Young ones had a mind of their own. They resumed their conversation about Traint's company and what it does, how it works and any other detail that Doctor Lokin thought they would need. Lokin knew the Agent could disentangle himself from the clingy female and get access codes and security lockdowns.

##

The next day Fellis and Doctor Lokin toured the medical facility with Bertran and his daughter. Nava kept her arm locked with Fellis during the tour of the facility. She had clung to Fellis most of the previous evening but he was able to get away and do some searching for access codes that would be needed later on in their job. While her attentions were distracting at times, Fellis noted security cameras, the layout and other important information that would been used later in destroying the conditioned slave trade business.

Interlude 4 After the Agent becomes leader of the Alliance current day

Fellis and his inner circle in the Alliance were working away in the war room. Theron with his status reports on the Star Fortress space stations, Lana and Senya with their assigned projects, mostly recruits but there were also reports of skirmishes with the Eternal Empire. Koth handled repair reports and made sure things that needed to be fixed were on the list and taken care of, Tora being his main engineer for most projects. Fellis made sure everyone had what they needed to do their jobs which entailed looking over inventory and request reports.

Admiral Aygo cleared a shuttle to land at Odessen, it was a cargo shuttle with needed supplies. Unbeknownst to Aygo, there was a passenger on board in addition to the crew and equipment that wasn't accounted for in his datapad.

She waltzed off the shuttle like she owned the universe. She was modestly dressed in black greaves, boots and a frilly top that was open at the midriff section of her body. While she wore a short red pleated jacket to keep her warm, it was clear she had to be some sort of royalty. Her hair was done up with a braid surrounding her head. She looked around, for what Aygo didn't know. He only knew this was unexpected and potentially a problem.

Bey'wan Aygo walked over to Doctor Lokin and pointed him the direction of the new guest standing in the hangar. Lokin's eyes went wide, then he schooled his response.

"My manifest doesn't list any passengers for that cargo ship," Aygo explained. He looked at Lokin for any explanation. He was assigned as his intelligence officer and if there was something going on that Aygo should know, now was the time to tell him.

"Let me run a check on that ship, to my knowledge there shouldn't be any passengers traveling here at all, this could mean a breach in security." Lokin was as concerned as Aygo. However, Lokin recognized the woman and she was going to be hard to explain. Lokin kept to Imperial training and protocol.

"I concur. Run a full security sweep. Look for any leaks, I'll question the crew," Aygo was doing his job and while Lokin appreciated it, he knew things were about to get ugly for Fellis.

"Let me handle this, Admiral," Lokin was hoping his reputation would give him a pass with Aygo.

Aygo looked suspiciously at Lokin, he wasn't an Admiral in the Navy for the Republic all those years ago because he didn't know a thing or two. "Do you have information, Lokin?"

"Well … I … may have … run into her before. In the past, it's nothing to worry about, I assure you." Lokin sighed, "Just let me handle it, please, Admiral."

"Is she a threat? Do we need to worry about the Eternal Empire? Do you think we've been discovered?" Aygo needed to know, it was his job to protect the Alliance and he wasn't going to let any breach go unnoticed, too much was at stake. They were all counting on the Commander.

"Admiral … let me handle this. Question the shuttle crew, get as much information to protect the Alliance. But let me handle the woman," Lokin was pleading, he didn't think she was a threat. At least not to the Alliance but to Fellis, that could be a whole other issue.

"Alright, we'll play it your way, Lokin, but … if she is a security risk, we'll need to take care of it." Aygo was serious about the issue and Lokin appreciated his determination for the Alliance.

"I understand Admiral, thank you." Lokin left his computer console to greet Miss Traint, he couldn't believe she was in the hangar. She shouldn't be here but, now he regretted asking for leniency for his friend. Fellis wanted to destroy all of the scientific work, and the people responsible. Lokin recognized the good and had to admit that he allowed his scientific curiosity to cloud his vision and implored Fellis to do what was necessary but leave the good portions intact. Then they would let the Republic take care of the rest. Fellis acquiesced, even though he didn't like it.

Lokin's friend wasn't a vengeful sort of person. He was just happy the holotechnologies company was held accountable. Fellis and Lokin had destroyed some of the data and leaked information and other documents to get the Republic's attention. They both knew the Empire wouldn't care, at least not about the slaves. It was the compromise they made with each other, the Republic would take this more seriously. Once they were certain the Republic was involved with prosecuting the illegal activity as well as the planet authorities, they left the planet and never looked back. Now the past was standing in the hangar, and Lokin wasn't going to let her get away with anything.

Nava Traint waited in the hangar. She hoped her Devron would meet her though she knew it might not happen. She noticed Simon walking up to her. He seemed to be the same as she remembered, elderly but had kind features. While she was aware that Simon and Devron Thul didn't really exist, they were how she knew them. And sometimes it was how she preferred them. And if she had her way, she'd have Devron back again with her somewhere. It took her a long time to rebuild her technology but she was certain, while she had revenge in mind, all she wanted was Devron. Her father's company was almost destroyed because of her side business. The toll it took on him personally was hard for the both of Republic had incorporated themselves into their affairs and did away with her projects, placing her in house arrest. It was the only way her father would allow them to involve themselves.

Nava's father died a few years after the Republic took over. It was too much for him to have so much interference. She supposed his disappointment in her and her side business played a part as well. But she just loved having real life dolls and puppets. They believed every story she created and it wasn't long before the new memories were the ones they accepted. She had finally found the male she wanted and she was going to keep him. She needed to catch him again.

"Miss Traint, very good to see you," Lokin (aka Simon) greeted her. She was pleased to see him, it meant she was onestep closer to Devron.

"Simon!" She hugged him but the hug was stilted. Lokin had to remind himself, they were not sure how she got here and he knew this would not be good for Fellis.

"I'd prefer Doctor Lokin, we can dispense with the false names." Lokin smiled at her but was watching her every move. He was also hoping to find out what she wanted before having to alert Fellis.

"Doctor Lokin, very well. Where's my husband? I would like to speak with him and get freshened up." Nava looked put out while she fussed with her clothing.

"Please excuse the inconvenience but you'll understand, we need to scan your belongings before taking you to ... uhmm, your 'husband'." Lokin was aware of her demeanor and knew full well they were not dealing with a reasonable person. She thought Fellis her husband even though they never married, it was an elaborate holocreation from her facility where she tried to convince Cipher Nine of things that did not happen. Some of these events traumatic, designed to keep him to her.

She made too many mistakes in her holoworld and Fellis discovered the ruse quickly, it still took a few days for him and his crew to deal with the problem. Fellis would have eliminated her then but they had already leaked information to the Republic. He couldn't afford to be caught by the SIS or any other Republic force. As it was he barely escaped before the authorities placed Nava Traint into custody and took control of the holotechnologies company.

Nava huffed but complied to her bags being searched. She tapped her foot while waiting. "This isn't very hospitable," Nava had a plan and man to catch. Delays were ruining her good mood.

"You know I can't allow these holotechno earpieces to stay with you, and this looks like a Rakata transport device, I will be taking that as well." Doctor Lokin looked satisfied with his search. The transport device he had seen before, it was a long round stick with a tripod at the bottom steadying the machine. It was the same type of device she had used on her planet to transport Fellis from the hangar and placed in a holosuite. She was ingenious, she knew when he would leave for his ship, and had the device calibrated for him. Once he walked past it, it activated.

"Whatever. If you are done, take me to Devron." Nava made it sound like a command and waited to be escorted.

"His name is Fellis," Doctor Lokin was annoyed for his friend. This female would be nothing but trouble and the sooner they found a way to be rid of her, the better.

##

"Commander," Doctor Lokin reached out to Fellis through his communicator, while keeping the new guest exactly where she was. He wasn't concerned about her annoyance being held in the hangar. He felt the less people who interacted with her the better.

"Doctor," Fellis was finishing up a report and waited for the Doctor to state what he needed.

"Come to the Military Hangar … alone." Lokin ended the transmission abruptly which wasn't like him, but Fellis thought it must be important.

While Lana, Koth, Theron and Senya gave him a surprised look, they dismissed the communication just as quickly. They knew that Doctor Lokin and Fellis had worked together before and that their relationship was more familiar. Fellis departed for the Military Hangar.

##

Fellis entered the hangar and searched for Lokin. Lokin wasn't in his normal place. He looked around the wing and noticed the Doctor with a female near the entrance where ships would come into the Military Hangar. He made his way down the stairs and walked toward the couple standing there waiting for him. As he got closer he recognized the woman and was momentarily shocked by her presence on Odessen. He was halted in steps. He felt an adrenaline rush, he never wanted to see this woman again. While he wouldn't admit to being scared, this woman did give him pause. He waited for a few minutes, he needed to calm himself and gather his wits about him. He needed to be a cold Chiss and an Imperial Agent while protecting his command. This game would be deadly, there was no way around it.

He resumed his walk to Lokin and Nava Traint, once he reached them he acknowledged Lokin.

"Doctor, thanks for summoning me." Fellis knew Doctor Lokin had his back and with this particular woman more than that, the good Doctor would do whatever needed to help Fellis even if that meant killing her.

Nava was happy to see Fellis. She was all smiles and gave him the once over with her eyes, "Husband!" She reached for him.

Fellis quickly contained her hands to stop her from embracing him. "We both know, I'm not your husband." He eyed her over, mostly to see if she was concealing weapons or any other device.

"I've searched her bags, removed a Rakata device and holotech earpieces," Doctor Lokin wanted to assure his friend.

"Weapons?" Fellis wanted, no he needed to know if she was armed.

"None that I found or detected." Lokin and Fellis treated this like a mission debriefing.

"Alright, good." Fellis looked about the hangar. He was going to have to explain her in some way but could avoid it for now. Nava squirmed but watched Fellis and waited to see what he would do.

"Bring her things, contact HK and T7, we'll put her in my office for now." Fellis quickly maneuvered her so that he could walk with her but had her constrained so that she couldn't do anything.

"Awww, honey, you're so sweet," she rested her head on his shoulder and allowed him to lead her. Fellis flinched, then shook it off as he escorted her to his office.

Fellis managed to get her to his office without attracting too much attention. The walkway from the Military Hanger to his office wasn't crowded. He purposely kept her to his right side, thereby shielding her from any eyes in the War Room. While he wasn't running, he kept a brisk pace until he was able to sequester her in his office. She didn't seem to mind, she was being held by him and that was all she wanted, at least for now.

Once they were in the office, he let her go. He backed away her from just staring at her, loads of things racing through his mind. A few of which were how she escaped her prison, how she'd track him down and whether anyone else in the base knew about her presence gestured toward the round couch for her to sit down. She obliged him. Lokin wasn't far behind them, he walked with her bag and placed it next to the couch.

"Doctor Lokin, watch her, I need to lock down my computer," he walked to the computer console and entered his codes for locking down the machine.

HK-51 and T7-01 entered the Commander's office, they both stood just inside the doorway waiting for instructions.

"Master." HK wanted Fellis to know he was ready for action. T7 made a noise that meant he was ready to help Fellis.

"HK, I need you and T7 to stand guard at the door, you do not let this woman out of this room." Fellis sat down at his computer desk but faced the robots and glanced briefly at Nava.

Nava crossed her legs on the couch, "Husband …"

Fellis cut her off, "I'm not your husband."

Undaunted she pulled out a datapad from her bag, "This says otherwise."

Fellis rose from his chair and took the datapad, he back away from her while he read it over. "This must be a forgery."

"Slice into the registry. You'll see that it's not, and I must say darling, I'm starting to get angry with you. You should be treating me better." She rocked her legs on the couch, she was feeling smug. She knew it was a forgery but by the time anyone figured out what she was really doing, she would have her man on a ship and heading to a secret location where she would keep him forever.

Fellis handed the datapad to Doctor Lokin, then they walked out of the room. "Doctor, research into this, we need to find out how she got here, how she forged this document, how she escaped, and if we have other problems waiting for us because of her. We don't need the Eternal Empire tracing her steps to us."

"I'll begin right away, but ... I may need Theron's help. He may be able to find documents from the Republic that could prove useful." Doctor Lokin knew Fellis wouldn't like it but Theron was on his team now. And as a former SIS agent may find things that Lokin wouldn't be able to find himself.

"Alright, Doctor, but let's keep this discreet. I don't need rumors flying throughout Odessen." Fellis paused looking down at the ground, he shook his head because it was clear to him that he might have to kill her, like he should have done years ago. It was just more complicated now with his position in the Alliance and being on Odessen complicated the matter as well.

"Get to it," Fellis looked back into his office. What was he going to do with her, he wondered if they had a stasis or carbonite chamber on Odessen. If she were unconscious, she would be easier to deal with. He thought he could shoot her with a sleep dart, that would be good for a few hours. He walked back into his office to discover she was getting too comfortable in his office. His office.

The cleaning droid was helping her unpack and placing her things amongst his things and this just irritated him. It was why he would have HK-51 and T7-01 stand guard. They wouldn't be swayed by her and would only follow his orders.

"HK and T7, she is not allowed to leave this room. Do you understand? You keep her in here." Fellis wanted it very clear to both droids that this was important. "In addition, only C2-N2 and that cleaning droid are allowed in or out of this room. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Master. Query: if she leaves can I liquidate her?" Fellis wanted to pat HK on the back and say 'Good droid', but T7's bleeping noises of disapproval sobered him up.

"No, no liquidating, just keep her inside and only let the cleaning droid, C2-N2 and myself inside this room." Fellis heard T7's approval bleeps.

"As you wish, Master." HK wasn't happy with the orders but he would comply with his master's wishes.

Fellis walked away from his office and headed toward the War Room, he had some things to look up himself and see if he had any damage control, he wasn't paying attention when he literally walked into Lana.

"Commander, is everything alright?" Lana and Fellis had grabbed onto each to keep from falling onto the ground.

"I'm … fine," Fellis gave her his best smile in hopes of setting her at ease but it didn't work.

"No, I don't believe you are, your moods have been all over the place. Because of our connection I sense you, even when you hope that I don't." Lana was very concerned for him. "What's happened. Is it Valkorion?"

Fellis laughed, how much easier he thought dealing with Valkorion would be over Nava. "No, it's not Valkorion, he's been silent for awhile." While he didn't think Valkorion would be silent forever, for now the Emperor was content just to reside in his head.

Lana gave him a concerned look and and ran a hand through his hair and caressed his face. Normally they wouldn't behave so affectionately toward each other in public but she was worried about him. He was normally very focused, his emotions were concealed. Not that he didn't show them from time to time.

Fellis took her hand in his and raised to his lips to kiss the back of it. If she was going to give him affection he was not only going to take it, he would reciprocate. He was surprised at how much he needed her at this moment. It gave him comfort and steadied his resolve.

"Ch'asebo! How dare you touch him," while she couldn't leave the room Nava watched the pair from the doorway. She had angled her body and caught them a few feet from the room she was stuck in. She thought she could get by the small droid but T7 was more of a challenge than Nava thought he would be.

Lana ignored the woman, she closed her eyes to get a better sense of her through the Force. She open her eyes abruptly, and shook her head. She didn't like what she felt. Lana straightened her outfit and looked at Fellis. "Who is your friend?"

"I'm not a friend, I'm his wife! And you had better keep your hands to yourself, ch'its'ircoten," Nava knew if she was to keep Fellis off his game she would need to up hers. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Lana.

Fellis put his hand to head, he was getting a headache. He looked at Lana and then at Nava. Could this day get any worse. He thought probably yeah, it could. He looked at Lana sincerely. "She is not my wife. She thinks she is, but she isn't."

"I have proof! Doctor Lokin took the datapad! Show it to her!" Nava shouted on purpose, to make sure the ch'asebo heard her. Nava learned Cheunh, the Chiss language when her father told her what Devron's (aka Fellis) race was years ago. She learned enough to have a conversation with him, in hopes of making him feel at home once they got to the place she had picked out for them to live.

Fellis refused to argue with her anymore, he pulled Lana toward the War Room so that he could explain the crazy woman in his office.

Nava knew at some point he would confront her and she would be ready for him. It would be difficult with the droid guards, but she had hidden a Rakata device in the seams of her jacket, it gave the jacket a pleated look and the pieces were small enough to go undetected. She located a perfect place hidden from both droids for her to set it up. When she was ready, she would transport both Fellis and herself to a waiting ship.

Lana and Fellis entered the War Room, and he could tell by the looks from the rest of his inner circle, that everyone knew about the crazy woman in his office. They wanted an explanation, too much was at stake to keep this problem a secret.

"So, you're married?" Senya raised a brow, giving him a stern look. She didn't bother waiting for him to start his story.

"No, I'm not." Fellis was emphatic.

"I sliced into the registry with the help of a friend. A cute little slicer I met on Nar Shaddaa. She used the same method to 'marry' some Great Hunt Champion with his consent of course." Theron was looking over the datapad, Mako had helped him greatly with this and he planned on sending her a gift.

Theron continued "I removed the entry, you are no longer listed as married. Whoever sliced in was good, but Mako was better. She traced it back to a ship, its in orbit above Zakuul. It appears to be a transport ship. It makes frequent trips to the planet but nothing out of the ordinary. It's not on the Eternal Empire's radar since its allowed to land, drop off passengers and leave." Theron stared at the Commander for a few minutes, letting him digest the information.

"What about the marriage certificate?" Fellis couldn't imagine what Nava was up to but he needed to clean the whole mess up.

Doctor Lokin had entered the room while Theron was giving his briefing. "It's a forgery, like we suspected, it's a very good forgery." Lokin and the rest of the inner circle were working diligently to handle this situation.

"Anything else, Doctor?" Fellis believed they should lay all their sabacc cards on the table.

"Yes, Theron and I found out with the Republic and Empire governments weakened, and the core worlds suffering from the Eternal Empire's control that some of the resources used for deterrence were greatly reduced. Simply put, they could no longer afford to keep everyone convicted of a crime in a cell. They shipped the worst offenders to Belsavis and let others go." Lokin gave Fellis a sympathetic look, he knew he was the one who convinced him to show mercy and now they were both paying for it. "In the process, many escaped or were able to bribe their way free with enough credits."

"How long has she been free?" Fellis was concerned, the longer she was free the more dangerous to the Alliance she would become.

"Not long, a couple of weeks or less. Long enough to see reports from Zakuul, the public image of you and Senya by Arcann probably gave her a better idea of how to find you." Lokin brought with him a datapad, and glanced down to review the notes before continuing.

"Admiral Aygo interviewed the crew of the shuttle, they didn't know she was onboard until they were almost here, when they discovered she stowed away, there was nothing they could do. They asked her questions and she kept to her story of finding her husband. She was quite convincing. Dispatch didn't relay the information. Admiral Aygo assures me that anything out of the ordinary will relayed to the Admiral from this point on." Lokin nodded his head to indicate he was done with his report.

"Has the Alliance been detected?" Fellis knew the Alliance wasn't ready to take on Arcann yet, and they needed more time.

Theron spoke up, "Not that we can tell. Everything is normal, but for the next few weeks, we'll step up security, communication monitoring and add extra training for pilots flying shuttles."

"What'd you plan to do?" Koth had been silent through the entire briefing.

Fellis had his head down in contemplation, with hands on his hips he muttered, "Kill her." When he realized he said that outloud, he looked up. He saw the looks of dismay on Koth and Theron's face. "I was joking, sort of. I don't know yet." Senya and Lana didn't have a reaction to his words and Lokin merely looked away, he knew Fellis was right but wasn't going to say anything.

Koth understood dislike for a woman, he had issues with Senya for a long time. She had hunted him because he made the right decision which was against Zakuul orders. He deserted and she made him her number one priority in bringing him in. Now, they were working through their trust issues. He made the Commander aware of his situation and while he didn't seem sympathetic, he knew Fellis hoped that Senya and Koth would work it out. Koth looked at the group in disbelief, was no one going to ask the question? It was mind blowing, but if they weren't, he would. "What happened between you two?"

Fellis had hoped the matter was closed, he looked at Koth then at Lokin and knew it wasn't. Resigned, he told them the story of a mission that went bad. While Fellis explained his part in the mission, Lokin provided the details of the holo-company and the illegal side business that almost destroyed a worthwhile practice of holotherapy.

Fellis had been transported to a holding cell, and knocked out. When he awoke he was in a home located on a grassy plain. He wasn't sure what planet he was on. He hadn't recognized anything and he couldn't remember where he had been or what he had been doing.

Fellis explained the elaborate lie of his life as a married man who was a mercenary until a traumatic event happened and forced him to stay home. It was part of his therapy his wife told him to regain his well being.

When he finally pressed the issue, he was shown a holovid of the X-70B Phantom being blown up in a space dock, that he had been tossed back by the explosion and he was the only survivor. It had shocked him to see the ship explode, but Fellis left his feelings out of the story. They weren't necessary and he just wanted to be done with this sordid tale.

His "wife" told him tales of things they had done together and while she managed to have holovids and images, none of these things looked quite right to him, his Agent and Secret Police training kicking in even if he wasn't aware of it.

He discovered "his" farm had an odd feature, a force field keeping him from going any further than the curtilage of the farm. A farmer who couldn't actually go out and work the land. He thought it was part of his therapy but it still didn't make sense to him.

Growing suspicious, he searched the farmhouse and broke into a locked room that had a computer console. He did what felt natural, searching the holonet and looking through files. He discovered his ship that was blown up was not a mercenary class vessel. In fact, it was an prototype high-tech ship exclusively used by Imperial Intelligence, a division of the Empire. In addition there were no reports at all anywhere of any ship exploding in the local space dock.

He found a file on himself and what had been done to him, the holotech ear pieces he didn't know he was wearing blocked part of his memories. The devices sent signals to the brain that made it easier to manipulate him into believing whatever his captors wanted.

There was a file on Doctor Lokin with a holoimage, his persistence and constant inquiries were causing problems for the holo-facility. The file on the Rakata transporter was interesting tech, could prove to be useful. The holotech company managed a way to make that tech smaller and portable. It felt right taking the information. He downloaded the files on a datapad, and planned his escape.

Fellis skipped details on blowing up the force field and how he got to the space dock, or that it was instinctual for him, that wasn't important. Only that he had freed himself, and found Doctor Lokin.

Lokin took over the story, he had to hide Fellis from the Republic forces who had begun to populate the planet. They began their own investigation in the holotherapy company. Lokin's leaked files had worked and it was important to find Fellis and get off planet.

Lokin had hidden the ship knowing the Republic were in the area, he found clothing to cover Fellis from head to toe. Chiss were still seen as Imperial, even if some did defect to the Republic. Once onboard the Phantom, they safely made it to Imperial space and the Doctor performed the necessary procedures to restore Fellis.

Koth shook his head, "Wow, that is one serious head game, no wonder you don't like that woman."

"How long were you stuck in that nightmare?" Theron remembered coming across reports on the conditioned slave trade company and was disgusted by the business. The fact the Commander did something about it spoke volumes to Theron.

"Long enough," Fellis shrugged, feeling he had said all he was going to on the matter. The general consensus was to make sure the Alliance was protected and leave Fellis to handle the problem from the past.

Interlude 5

Fellis visited Nava the following day, he had all he could take the day before. While he spoke with the droids, he had avoided her as much as he could since she arrived. When he did spend time with her, her constant advances toward him just irritated him. She kept trying to lead him to the bed and he wasn't having any of that, which was saying something.

It was time to interrogate her; find out what she knew, who her associates were, all he had to do was get her to focus beyond her wishful delusions. He'd have to play the seduction game with her. He entered his office and she waited for him on the circular couch reading the one datapad they allowed her to keep.

"Finally", she huffed. "Why are you avoiding me?" Nava was a patient person but time was ticking and she paid a lot of credits for a waiting ship, but she only paid for a couple of days at most. She needed to act and soon. It was time to change tactics, perhaps try to give him what he wanted and she would get what she wanted.

"I'm not avoiding you," Fellis lied. "I just haven't decided what I'm going to do with you." Fellis choose to sit in his computer chair.

"Do with me? I have plenty of suggestions," she gave him a seductive smile. He smiled faintly at her, which she took as a sign to approach him.

She placed the datapad down and rose from the couch. She walked to him, and he sat up straight, he knew he would have to play this game for a little bit if he was going to get any information out of her. She sat in his lap and put her arm around him.

"Thats better my darling," she purred.

He put his hand on her hip to steady her on his leg she leaned in to kiss him, and he allowed it. When she tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled away and put a finger to her lips.

"I need to know how you found me." Fellis gave her a smile in hopes it would get her to open up to him, and caressed her chin.

"I have my ways," she stroked his jawline. Fellis held back a sigh, this was easier when he wasn't a Commander. When he could use whatever methods he needed. But at the base, there were too many people around. Certainly several who would not approve of more severe methods. A blaster rifle did have a way of getting people to talk. And he wasn't into using seduction as a method with women he wasn't interested in. Hedonistic he may be, but he was still choosy.

Fellis tried again, he leaned in to her as if to kiss her but didn't, "Do you know anyone on Zakuul?"

"Zaa-whaa?" She leaned away from him with a confused look. She got over her confusion quickly.

She sidled up closer to him on his lap and rubbed his back. "You're too you what, I'll tell you everything if you'll lie down with me on the bed. It will be like old times. We don't have to do anything but talk." She knew if she pushed for more he would hesitate or worse, just walk out. Though she wanted him, it was clear he wanted the blond ch'asebo with yellow eyes.

"Old times? Alright for 'old times' sake." Fellis and Nava got up to walk to the bedroom area of his office.

Fellis put his hand on her back to escort her up the stairs, in an effort to show interest. They reached the second to the last step when a zap noise and lightning type beam struck both of them. They disappeared with the exception of Fellis' weapons that dropped to the floor with a thunk.

"Master!" HK immediately ran to where Fellis had been and looked around, on the side of the cargo hold that Nava used as a changing area was a thin Rakata device. The female had told the droids she needed privacy to change and would use the open door as a dressing partition. They didn't know she had set up the device. It couldn't be seen from the doorway. And neither droid detected anything amiss in the room.

T7 immediately took off for Lana, she needed to know that the Commander was gone.

##

Fellis and Nava recovered from the transport, and she was already being helped up while someone put a foot on him to hold him down. He looked up at four blaster rifles in his face.

Nava straightened out her outfit and gave herself some distance. Even if his weapons didn't transport with him, he was still dangerous. "Now what are you gonna do, lover?"

"Where are we?" Fellis knew he was on a ship but how far from Odessen he didn't know. He had to be close, Rakata tech could transport large distances, it still couldn't go from planet to planet. They had to be nearby.

"On a shuttle to a remote little planet that no one knows about. I have a nice little place built for us and believe me, no one will find you. I intend to make sure of that." Nava's demeanor changed from anxious lover to controlling alpha akk dog. And she liked it that way.

"You can try to escape but believe me, there will be nowhere for you to go, and no one to help you. No one will be able to find you, not even those who use the Force will be able to sense you. I've made sure of that." Nava shook her head at the men holding Fellis down, it was an unspoken directive to pick him up and put him in a holding cell.

"Nava, we need to talk about this," Fellis realized he had played this entire thing wrong. He should have killed her in the hangar. Now he needed a new plan.

"What's to talk about, your Alliance? Who cares. Zakuul and its politics? Who cares," she scoffed at him. "I've worked hard to rebuild what you almost destroyed and now I'm going to use it as I see fit and when I tire of you … you'll be as worthless as your Alliance." Nava gared at Fellis.

She turned to her hired crew and gave an order, "Pick him up, put him in the holding cell, keep an eye on him. I'll check on him after we've made the hyperspace jump out of this sarlacc pit." She started to walk away but paused. "He is not to be harmed." Nava headed to the bridge of the ship.

##

T7 was hysterical when he entered the War Room, he was jumping from side to side on his wheels and made bleep noises that ranged from short to long but mostly he was trying to be heard.

"What is it?!" Lana and Senya asked at the same time, both of them watching T7's distress.

T7 kept going on, with his bleeps saying "He is gone, she took him, he is gone, she took him."

Lana and Senya went to the droid, placed their hands on T7 to hold him still and to calm him. While T7 trembled under their hands, HK ran into the room, the circuits that passed for his eyes were the most eerie shade of red they had ever seen.

"Declaration: I WILL KILL THE UNDESIRABLE!" HK was close to overloading his programming. The droid held a piece of tech in its hand. He handed the device to Koth.

"What the hell is this?" Koth had never seen a device like the one in his hand. He looked at HK and knew they'd have to calm him. "Hey buddy, it'll be alright." He patted HK on the shoulder hoping it would be enough to keep the droid from killing everything in his sights. He wasn't like HK-55, this droid had a more direct approach to almost everything. It was why everyone let Fellis handle him.

Theron took the device from Koth. "This is a portable Rakata device, and by the looks of it, based on the design, it was good for one transport." Theron studied it further, "But we might be able to get coordinates off of it."

Lana looked at the little droid. "T7, what happened."

T7 bleeped for a bit and the room fell into attentive silence. When he was done with his transmission he stamped his wheels on the floor to show urgency.

Theron put the Rakata device on the command table and started slicing for coordinates, without looking at him, he gave orders to Miot, "check ships in the area, docking authorization or anything that is out of the ordinary." Miot compiled.

"Senya and I will take a ship and go after him," Lana wanted it to be a small group, there would be no reason to alert any more people than necessary of the Commander's abduction.

"Oh wait a second, not without me .. I can fly better than you two .. I'm in." Koth was determined to go besides he knew he was a better pilot then both of them combined.

"Fine, let's go. Theron stay in contact, as soon as you have the location from the device, upload it to the shuttle." Lana was in a hurry to find Fellis.

"Shuttle? Let's take the Phantom, it's faster and we may need firepower." While Koth didn't want to hurt people, a firefight wasn't something that could be easily avoided. And a shuttle may not be good enough.

Lana hesitated, "Are you absolutely sure about this? Maybe we can use a different ship. That one is Fellis' pride and joy; you wreck it, he's going to be very angry."

Koth rolled his eyes, "I can fly it, and if anything happens to it, I'll do all the repairs myself."

"We don't have time for this. We need to get going," Senya interrupted their discussion. They nodded in agreement and departed for X-70B Phantom.

##

Fellis looked about his cell. What a mess he was in now. He squandered two opportunities. He had no weapons, and while he was certain he could take the guards, it would be easier if he could get past the force field holding him inside. On the plus side, they hadn't made the jump to lightspeed yet. He wasn't sure why that made him feel better but it did.

Time stood still, he recognized the dreamscape that surrounded him. It was Valkorion when he wanted to talk to him. He either stopped time or led Fellis to a place where only they could speak to each other.

Valkorion looked at their surroundings, "This … will not do."

"I know, but at the moment, I can't get out. At least not yet." Fellis studied the room they were in, he had already noted how many guards and their locations.

"I will make sure your Sith friend finds you," Valkorion looked at Fellis to gauge his reaction to his words. Valkorion had already sensed the Sith and his wife on their way to the shuttle. He would just have to make sure the shuttle stayed in the same location.

"You are telling me, not asking. Do you plan to just take over?" Fellis suddenly felt more trapped.

"This situation does not help our cause. The female is foolish. Either accept my help or I will do what is necessary. We've come too far and I won't allow failure." Valkorion had no patience for someone who would take them off the path he had foreseen.

Fellis understood, he knew Valkorion wasn't threatening him but he wasn't going to let this situation go on. "Alright, take care of it."

"Gladly," Valkorion took control of Fellis. Lightning shot through him and filtered through out the ship and people on the ship within a few minutes the entire crew was dead. The ship floated in space with every system on the ship shorted out.

Fellis fell to the floor holding his midsection. Valkorion's power coursing through him, ripped him up inside. With the cell force field down, he staggered to his feet and began a search of the ship. He knew Valkorion would be thorough but he just needed to make sure Nava was dead. While making his way to the bridge he checked compartments, looking for an oxygen mask. He wasn't sure how much air was left on the ship or when Lana would show up. He only knew based on his conversation with Valkorion that she would.

He found Nava's body just outside the bridge, slumped over against the door. He checked for a pulse, and was relieved when there wasn't one. He looked around, maybe he could get the bridge to work again.

The ship jerked and he heard a docking clamp locking on to the ship. He quickly grabbed a weapon off one the dead bodies on the bridge and then waited just inside the doorway of the bridge. The hatch for the ship's airlock wasn't far from the bridge. He would be able to see the enemy and shoot.

He waited, he heard the air compress to allow entry for his new enemy. When he saw Lana enter the ship, he relaxed his grip on the blaster and sat down to rest.

"I'm over here," Fellis closed his eyes.

Lana ran to him. "Are you alright?" She looked about the ship and noticed the dead bodies and she felt Valkorion's presence on the ship. It didn't take her long to realize that Fellis used the Emperor's powers. She gave him a questioning look.

"I'm fine, ready to go home." Fellis took Lana's arm to help him rise and walk with her. They went through the airlock and into the Phantom. Senya and Koth watched them enter the ship, Senya took his other arm to help Lana get him to his room. Koth went back to the bridge and disengaged the ship from the shuttle.

Lana and Senya helped him onto the bed so that he could rest, Lana recognized that he was recovering from the use of Valkorion's powers. Senya started to leave to give the couple some privacy.

"Wait," Fellis couldn't leave any traces behind.

Senya turned back to Fellis.

"Destroy the shuttle. Leave no evidence behind." Fellis wasn't going to show mercy. The Alliance was too important to him, there could be no evidence. Nothing for Zakuul to find and lead them to Odessen. It wasn't just about him, he realized that now and was accepting of his fate.

Senya nodded her assent to the order.

When he heard the Phantom's blasters fire and the resulting explosion, he closed his eyes and knew his nightmare was over.

TBC - fini for now.

Cheunh is the official language of the Chiss.

ch'asebo = tart

ch'its'ircoten = harlot