The Travels of Washen Keeg

by Duhad

The story of a young Jedi learners ill fated, self discovery get away. The travels of Washen Keeg is a companion piece to a role playing game, thou edited to work as a a stand alone story. WARNING! Dyslexic author terrible spelling. You are forewarned.

The log of Washen Keeg

The adventurers of a wandering Jedi

Entry one:

And so I leave my friends, love and all the people who have defined my life for these many months. It is strange, but I feel that even with all the good I have managed to do that it has been outweighed by the laws I have broken in the Jedi Code. I am not ashamed to say that I have considered leaving the academy from time to time. I fear that should I gain the skills and powers of a Jedi that I would not be able to resist the temptation to abuse them. Back at the academy something came to the surface within me that frighted me. The desire to kill was almost overpowering. If I had succeeded in killing that man then I would have no option then to exile myself from the academy. As is, I will go on an expedition to see what the universe has to show. I hope that Jaina, Jacen and all the others will not forget me in the time that I am away.

Though I do not know yet where my path will end I do know one stop along the way. Before I can become a Jedi I must first face my greatest failure and confront the thing that has slowly destroyed me since I first lay eyes on it. But since I am in no great hurry, I will make a few random stops along the way. You never know when a Jedi's helping hand is just what someone needs!*(it?)

- Captain Washen Keeg

Entry two:

The events that have resistantly befallen me are rather hard to comprehend, but I will try and explain them in as compressible way as possible.

It all began with a little red warning light. In retrospect I should have spent more time picking out my ship, but then again I suppose that events that transpired would have happened even if I was flying the Falcon herself. Still that's neither here nor there, what is, is that one of the engines gave out on me, dropping me out of hyperspace much sooner then I had intend. I had enough power to get me to a near by small moon where I could hopefully make repairs, but not much farther.

The moon was brown, dry and just about as uninviting a place as I care to think of, but the air is breathable and the there are more then enough places for a shuttle to land. See though, this is where things got odd. As I was looking for a landing spot I picked up a distress beacon. With a stroke of luck I discovered that it was in a nice flat area. I came down near by the location of the distress call which proved to be coming from a shuttle not unlike my own and after double cheeking the atmospheres

breathable (not great, but survivable with a mask) I left the shuttle to cheek the other ship. To my horror I discoed* (discovered?) that it had the markings of the shadow academy painted on it. I drew my Saber and reached out with the force to check the ship. With ease I swept ship for life forms and found only one and that one, weak and only just cling to life. Careful I made my way into the ship. Inside the air was breathable but thin as though the life support had begun to fail. I slowly made my way to cockpit were I sensed the sole survivor was. I opened the door to the cockpit with one hand and stood prepared to receive whatever attack might come, but still none came. Slowly entering the room my fears where set at ease when I saw the solution to my easy entrance. In the Pilot seat, with a nasty gash on his forehead, was an unconscious Quarren. He was still breathing, but his breaths came in short shallow gasps. Even if I could not see the light saber attached to his belt or recognize the cut of his clothes, the feeling of the force arrowed him marked him more clearly then any banned(?). A dark Jedi, not a powerful one, but a dark sider none the less.

For a brief moment a red hot anger blinded me. The capture of Mayne, the turning of Brian, the death of all the people on Akul's father. All that caused by the dark Jedi, by people like him. Then another face came into my mind, that of the young Dark Jedi I had killed on Thyferra and what Miss Skywalker had told me when she took the lightsaber. We remember those we can not save, but that boy could have been saved. If I had not ended his life, what is to say that he could not have been brought back to the light. Then I remembered Brian. Brian who we had abandoned. Brian who I had failed.

The light gravity helped me more then I care to admit as I carefully cared the manicurist(?) boy from the downed ship back to my own. As I laid him on the bed his eyes opened for a moment and for a moment it seemed as thou he would speak, then his eyes once more closed and he fell into a deep sleep.

Now I am no doctor and don't any one tell you otherwise, but I know enough to know that this boy needed nourishment more then medicine. Fortunately for him I had packed more then enough for a long trip and with a little Bacta for the cut he was looking (marginally) better in to time. Still it was not the boy laying on my coat that had brought me to this moon and my ship would need more then some rations to fix. Fortunately for me the shadow academy ship was still in relatively working order. It looked like it had taken one hell of a beating though. The ship was covered in burns and scratches. The Pilot must was extremely lucky to have survived entry into the atmosphere. Still the engines where still relativity intact and they where similar enough that I was able to cannibalize parts from it to repair my own ship.

It had been year since I had done that much work on a ship, but when, exhausted I stood back to look at my handiwork I felt an eminent feeling of pride. For the first time in my life I had proven to be completely self-sufficient. As I came back into the ship I saw that the Quarren had once more awakened and was watching me. He opened his mouth and let out a low wheeze. I could not tell what if anything he meant to say, but thought slowly creeped into my mind. It was vague, shaky and was gone almost as fast as it had come, but it still left a cold feeling in the base of my spine. The feeling of thirst and the unspoken request had only lasted for a moment, but I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into. Still I arose and fetched him water. On an impulse, knowing there perfected(?) lifestyle I fed him half then slowly poured the rest over his dry skin. Once more I faintly felt the touch of another consciousness touch mine and a feeling of deep gratitude flicker through my thoughts. Then his eyes closed and once more he drifted of into the land of dreams. For my self I sat down to write this log and consider my next move. For now I will set and think.

- Captain Washen Keeg

Entire three:
Right. So another steers filled day for because I was getting too few of thous at the academy. Of all the back water moons to land on didn't I just have to pick one with a dark Jedi on it, didn't I? I am being to think that the force is far less benevolent then I have been lead to believe. I woke up in the flight chair thinking that I had just dozed of at the controls and had a bad dream. Then I see that... Quarren sleeping in my bed and that was that hope out the window.

I weighed my options as I heated breakfast. On the one hand I could turn around I drop him off at the academy, but then they would probably find some reason gowned me and there goes any hope of a couple of months. More importantly I have the strangest feeling that if I drop the kid off with some one else then my quest would end then and there. That even if I did find my lost comrades that I would not be able to help them. The Force guide me too that moon, of that I am sure and when the Force leads you to a problem you do NOT just drop it off with some one who happens to be good with puzzles. I am not sure if I am even making any sense or babbling like an idiot, but since no one else is likely to read this I spouse that it makes little difference ether way.

So I have dissed to keep the little bundle of evil and see if I can bring him arrowed to the light side of things. I mean how hard can it be right?

Any way so that is what I have been thinking over all day, well that and how to make sure that there is anything left of him to bring around. The little guys toughener then heel and ill give him that, but he is not in the best of shape. He is recovering well from the lack of food, but he was deprived of water for more then 25 standard hours by estimation and the way I finger it thats got to be more then a little time for a race that lives underwater. I retrieved a personal moisturizer from the other ship, but the one he was warring in the crash broke so he took a nasty knock to his system.

He woke a few time throwout*( throughout?) the day, but he never stays concise for long. Twice more he has used... that thing he dose with the Force to touch my mind. Once it was a plea for water and once it was... well it was like a question with out words. I felt his curiosity and apprehension as he stared at me with his brilliant blue eyes. Going on a hunch I told him him that I was a Judi and that I had rescued him. He did not respond to that, but stared at me for several long seconds before once more drifting away into slumber.

It is rather an odd thing, but pity the poor thing. He is hurt and alone, trapped at the mercy of his enemy. After the destruction of the shadow academy any friends that he may have still left too him where probably dead and to top it all off he can't even speak. Te fact that I had consecrated leaving him to die, even for a moment now strikes me has cowedly and disgustful. Light or dark, good or evil for better or for worse I will take care of this kid and bring him with me on my hunt. Who knows, with some luck he might even be help full. After all the force moves in mysterious ways.

- Captain Washen Keeg

Entire four:Part one

I am going to die. I know I have mentioned this before and most of the time it proves to be me just being... preemptive... Point is this time I am serious. Hell I am not even putting this in on the ship. I am putting this entire in my comm unit because I can't get BACK to the ship! OK I since I think I am relativity safe hear and since if I don't make it threw this I want some recored of this to survive Ill go over as much as I can now.

It started out a fairly normal day. I woke up. Ate warmed protein. Feed the semi-comatose, evil Quarren. Read some interesting info of an old Jedi splinter cell called the Judi. Then I got this grate idea. Find a planet with a dissent med bay and get some proper care for my 'guest'. So as fortune would have I was fairly close to a relativity small moon. A little back water, but more then populated enough to have a proper med center.

I hailed the local landing authority's, but got no response. That should have been an enormous red flag, but instead I just got curios and dissed*(decided?)to just go and stick my scanner where it didn't belong. I flew over the moon hailing any frequency I could think of, but to no effect. Finally reached a large (for such a moon) city. It was completely blacked out. No lights in the streets or at windows (it was night on this side of the planet) and only a few small fires to indicate any sighs life. I cut the lights on my ship and came down, fairly unobtrusiveness on an empty space port. I carefully locked the ship and made my way into the city. It was not a pretty sight. All arrowed*(around?) me where people hulled arrowed*(around?) small fires. It was freezing and most of the beings I saw where shivering.

I made some inquires and discovered that there apparently had been an attack on the geothermal tap that provide power to the people who lived on the orbiting body. Since the attack had not been on a strategic target and there had been no attack after the power whet down people had believed that it had been the result of pirates (unlikely since the moon was neither wealthy, nor strategically valuable for providing a base for attacking other, richer targets) or terrorists (aging unlikely since there was nothing of note on or arrowed*(around?) the moon that would make a good demonstration). Most of the people where willing to wight a day or two till the local authority fixed the problem or for others to come and fix it instead. Oddly none of the people I talked to seemed to now way the air comm system, as well as the other impotent systems that should have been able to run for days off the main grid, where also none functional.

I determined to find out what was going on. My fist stop was at the Geo tap near the edge of the city. When I arrived I found the area blocked off by local police and being tended to by local maintenance crews. I saw that getting access to the tap would necessitate more authority then I wised to revile at the moment so I instead disced to cheek up on my second line of questioning, way the power was cut is the essential locations of the city. This investigation turned out much more profitable since it was hear I discovered the truth or at lest part of it. You see- Hold on I think I might have company.

Entire four:Part two

Now to be fair, before I begin I would just like to point out that I was NOT the one who tried caught the stun grenade! I may not be much of a military Duros, but I do know better then to listen to some one who, when you have them at gun point shouts 'Catch!' to actual catch the small metal can they threw!

Right, I should probably explain. When I cut short my report earlier it was because I herd some one coming. Lucky (or so it seemed) it was nothing, but a local security agent. He was drawn to the sound of blaster fire. OK I am getting ahead of my self aging. Hear let me go a little further back.

I had dissed to cheek the city hospitable as the first place to look for clues censoring odd loss of power in vital city instillations. Good guess as it turned out since I had been exploring the for only a few minutes when I ran into three Sullustans. they where waring janitorial jump suites, but where far more heavily armed then any janitor I had ever seen. There was a brief moment of surprise were no one moved then they fired there weapons and dove threw an (mostly) open door. There was a brief, but intense fire fight where I was paused back to the end of the hall in an attempt keep some distance between my self and the crazy little monster with the scatter blaster. Final, as I said I got lucky and a night grade came arrowed the corner and was just missed by a stray blaster shoot. That gave him all the reason in the galaxy to help me and as the force would have it, together we actually beat them.

We had them at blaster point and had just asked them who they where and who they worked for when one of them told us that he had all the answerers with him on a personal date log. He slowly reached into his pocket and with drew a small metal object. It was done up to look like a personal date pad, but my danger sense was going off like a warning siren I realized, to late what he was planing. He tossed the object the guarded then he and his still conscious companion turned away. I saw as thew in slow motion as the guard reached out to catch the false data pad. I know what I had to do. With the force I reached out and redirected the path of the object. In retrospect sending it at my self rather then the guard was noble, but sending at the fleeing suspects would have been smart.

Well one expostulation, one cloud of smoke and a one way tick threw a window and down a two floor drop to the street pretty, much ended the afire. I awoke some time later to find that the power was slowly coming back on. Fortnightly for me this included the hospitable where I have only just been cheeked out of. I am still unclear as to the identity or motivation of my attackers where. Nor am I any closer to unrevealing mystery of this resent attack, but do to local presser and the fact that in the end it is not relay a pressing issue (unlike my current goal) I will have to leave this mystery unsolved... For now.

Upon arriving back on the ship I also discovered to my horror that since I had been gone for more then a three day, no one had feed or hydrated the Quarren in all that time. Sissified to say, he was a little annoyed. For some one that can't speck he has a wonderful way 'expressing' himself. I am begin to relay regret my choose to leave the temple...

- Captain Washen Keeg

Entire five:

After all the hell of a time I had back on the moon I half expected to run in to a star destroyer or perhaps a petrol of blood thirsty pirates, but the day has been surprisingly nice. I still feel guiltily about leaving alone all that time, but my guilt was slightly alleviated to discover that he had not gone thirsty since I had left a timed mister on him that at lest kept him hydrated and kept him from drying out.

On an another happy note the Quarren was able to sit up in bed for the first time to day. He still can't speak, but weather this is due to his brush with death or some pasted event is still a mystery to me. He still views me with supposition however. When I am in the room his eyes never leave me as thew he fears that I will come at him if he lowers his grade. Oddly thew he seems to have no fear that I might position him since both times I have brought him food he has not hesitated to eat it with out even a thought and yet when I gave him the food he shied away from my hand. I can't tell what to mack of it, but it unnerves me.

This whole situation has my head in a whirl. My thoughts are dominated by the doubt and uncertainty. I am conflicted in my feelings about the Quarren, on the one hand he is a dark Jedi, a servant of evil and a festering sore in the force. All the Judi agree that the dark side is inherently evil and that thous who use it are there for also evil. Redeemable perhaps, but still evil. On the other the boy dose not seem to be evil. Frightened perhaps, suspicious with out a doubt, but not evil? The dark side of the Force is with him and with out the slightest hesitation I can point to it and call it evil, but dose the fact that he was welding that power make him a bad person? Surly the most impotent thing for us as Jedi to do is to protect thous who can not protect themselves? By condemning sentient beings for crimes that they may not even realize are crimes aren't we acting just as poorly as them?

I will try and bring this boy over to the light, but I will not do it by strong arming his and threating him with retribution like what we did with Brian (because that worked SO well) and instead try and make him understated my point of view using reason and compassion. If this works then I will know that there is still hope for Brian and thous like him and if not... well then I will consider that if it become necessary.

- Washen Keeg

Entire six:

Well this makes the second day straight that I have done nothing, sit around the ship doing nothing. I tried talking to the Quarren, but he has proved to be reluctant and going by the spirit my newly developed teaching method of understanding and companion I have disced to not push the issue too hard, but to work into it slowly and let him come to understand the importance of bring balance to the force. I mean its not like I don't have plenty of time for the slow meted right?

Any way that dose not matter since way would I want to spend time discussing the Force with the kid when I can enjoy the silence. The peaceful silence. Its not like I don't like being cut off from every one, trapped on a tiny ship with an evil mute and not even a vid to pass the time with or to fill the silence with noise. That would just be dreadful. No I think I will just enjoy the omnipresent silence like I have for the last 48 hours. Ya...

I had a dream last night! I should probability note it down. I mean doing this will cut down on my valuable silent alone time, but some sacrifices are more vitae then setting and meditating in the middle of no ware with out my friends...

So the dream. I dreamed that I was back on the planet that we had stranded Brian on, the one I am on coerce to now. I was wandering threw the trees a forest that I had seen in the distance from were we drooped him. I was calling for Brian and searching hi and low with no luck when suddenly a figure in a black rob militarize from behind a tree and began to approach me. His hood was low, but I could tell at an instant who the man was. The Emperor. I drew my light saber and moved into a ready position and that was when he raised his hood. I starred in horror at the face of the black clad man and realized that my search was over since hear stood Brian. He pointed his finger at me and in a cold yet far to filmier voice the terrible apparition spoke the word 'Traitor!'. I stumbled back and almost drooped my light saber, but then the face of the man in black changed. My light saber feel from my limp hand and I feel to my knee's and stared at the half coiled face of Mane. 'Failure!' the Mane thing hissed and its words stung like blaster bolts. I wanted to shout back that I was neither of thous things, that I was going even now to help them, but the thing just continued to point and shift between its two faces endlessly repeatings its two terrible lines.

I awoke in a cold sweet and have since been unable to meditate for whenever I close my eyes for any period of time the image of the terrible two faced man returns. I feel more lost and confused now then I have ever been in my life. I need guidance, but first I have to complete my quest. Only then can I return to the temple and only then can I truly call my self a Jedi.

Till then I spouse ill just get back to my silence. Fun...

- Captain Washen Keeg

Entire seven:

I come barring ill omens and good news.

Let it go on recored that today is the day that after almost a week of bed rest my passenger has finally regained the power of speech! Well he got out two words in a language I can't speak before his voice died out again, but that still counts! Point is after a few days of mediation, force training and one side debating with a mute its just nice to hear a vocal noise not made by me. I am still hoping that speaks latest a little basic because I am not fluent in his native tongue.

I am so excited that I feel like a kid trying to sleep on the night before Life Day! Finally a chance to really prove that even if Brian or Mane goes dark I can still bring them back! Hay! And with some luck i'll be come home not only with are lost friends, but also with an eager new student in toe! I am so existed!

Still every sliver cloud has its gray lining and this days was a big one. I had a dream last night that, in many ways was worse then the last one.

It all began with my triumphant return. Every one was at the temple to celebrate my astonishing success, for not only had I brought back the missing Jedi students, but I had also brought in two new students. Together we returned to the jubilant arms of are friends and teachers. As every one began mingle I found my self with... one of the other students who was very glad that I had returned safely and with such success. With out going into details we can just say that a certain hero's long standing offer of lunch was excepted and leave it at that. The reason I bring this up (because force knows I would leave it out if it was not impotent) is because it is at this moment, when things are at there best that it happens. Brian, Mane a my current companion all come up to me and begin to congratulate me. At first it feels like the final culmination of the whole thing when suddenly they all begin to berate me for being to slow, for to working hard enough and for dragging my feet.

Of all there insults and accusations one stances out beyond the rest. Looking me straight in the eyes Brina said to me "You dragged you feet in the name of morality when the time came." Then as there anger reached a fever pitch they suddenly drew there light sabers and in a streak of red they attacked, before anyone could react.

Jason was cut down by Mane before he could react, Brian ran threw Janean as she tried to draw her own blade as the Quarren delivered a lethal blow to the other student who I had brought back, thou who or what they were I cannot now say. The fight lasted less then I minuet, but by the time the master had finished with the three the damage had been done. And even has I collapsed next to the body of my friends, mortally wounded from the fight I could hear the voices of the dead, friend and enemy alike accusing me of bring this down upon them. By far the worst part thou was the fact that I knew that they where right.

Needless to say that the frequency and alarming nature of these dreams is giving me grate cause for alarm. I Hope that its just bad dreams or some odd quirk sleep to near a dark side force user, but if these are more then simple dreams or oddities then I shutter to think of the consequence.

No matter what happens I will not let my dreams come true, but fist I need more information. How is the other candidate that I found? When did I 'Drag my feet in the name of morality' and what was the alternative?

These questions still plague me, but with my first destination, Brian's world, I will hopeful can solve at lest some of them.

For now thou, I will try and look on the bright side. The first leg of my journey is almost complete and with both Brian and the Quarren talking it should make my life significantly less... boring...

- Captain Washen Keeg

Entire eight:
This is not good. Really, REALLY not good. I told them, but did they listen? NO! Way would they listen to me? I am only the pilot, only the cowered,only the Duros. Well who was being paranoid now? Oh this is so very not good...

Right so I reach the plant we doped Brian on and he has vanished! I asked arrowed, cheeked ship cheaters, I even used my Jedi sates (and a little white lie) to cheek the police and hospital date bases and nothing! I could not find him and now a potential dangerous force sensitive is wandering arrowed on his own. He could be killed or captured anti-Jedi gropes! He could slip further into the dark side and starred killing inconsistent! Actually knowing him he probably is in more danger of running his mouth to the wrong person and getting stabbed.

Still blaming myself and other wont save my friend... or Brian.

Still there is one ray of hope. If Brian left this plant then he could go any where, but he wont. Brian needs help and so he will go straight to one place that will welcome him with open arms. The one place where he will have friends or family who will give him rest and aid even in his darkest hour. Naturally he will return home to his family on Kuat! Even if dose not he probably let his family know where he is going and if I can convince them that I mean to help there son then things might not be so bad after all... Right? Positive thoughts.

OK I am back in control. I have been working on controlling my fear and anxiety by controlling my breathing like they toled us to do on the temple. Its odd, but we spend so much of are time trying to get the force to do fantastic things for us that we forget the foundations of are learning. I had day dreamed about teaching Craw about how to levitate star fighters with the force, but when it came down to it I was surprised realize how very impotent these basic technique are both for learning to properly use the force, but also for help us to open are minds to the flow of the living force around us.

Before we touched down and I began my fruitless search I sat down with the boy and tried to lecher to him, but he merely gave me a brief, Horace, exasperated explanation in his own langue, which I don't speak. I thus determined that lechering was probably not going to work. So I brought things down a level and tried to ascertain his name. Craw. I am not entirely sure if its him name or a request stop babbling at him, but either way it will work for now.

After that enlightening chat I was left to ponder how to teach some one who can not understated your language and vise versa? As I mentioned I eventual resorted to the basics and so threw a bit of improvised sign language we began with breath control and opening are minds to the force. It took a surprisingly long time, but when we finally the planet he was tentatively trying to feel the flow of the living Force and when I came back just a few minutes ago he was deep in silent meditation. Its not exactly a huge step, but I have him at lest showed him that there is more to the Force then a just a supply energy to dip from when you need some task done. Well its a start at lest.

As for are next stop I think we will pay Brian family a visit. I mean how bad can a house full of Brian closest blood relatives be?

P.S If any one would like to blow up the ship now would be an amazing time... just saying...

- Captain Washen Keeg

Entire Nine:

I have a plan! After yet another terrible nightmare (this one involving a gigantic murder in a hospitable with a disturbing sound) I have come up with a plane. I will not sleep. Ever. I will admit that for some this might seem a daunting task, but that is because the one thing that is most nursery for this kind of operation, a strong superstition that if you fall asleep a pissed off Quarren will kill them in there sleep. Also on that note, how was I spoused too know that Craw was a rascal insensitive tram for a Quarren? I asked for his name and that word came up almost three times in the answer so its relay HIS fault for using that langue... Krifing Nurfherder...

Entire Ten:

Not much to report today. The ships fine, foods plentiful and training has been going well. Even two days with out sleep and things are running smooth as can be. I never realized how much time we wast laying about till I gave it up. Its crazy! Its been an eye opening experience for me. In fact I am just coming to realize levels of depth and complexity that I could never have reached if I stayed awake. Way just a few hours ago I discovered that with a little help from the force, combined good old fashion body work that we Jedi can make defying and comical sounds using are arm pits!

As of yet the lad still refuses to join me in sleeplessness and has merely locked him self in his room, but I have an idea to bring him arrowed! I am sure that he will gladly agree that not sleeping would be a small price to pay for the return of his light saber! I was going to bring it back with me to the temple to give to mistress Jade, but that idea was stupid. Now we will excuses me I have to turn down the heat to keep me up.

- Washen Keeg King of the ship

Entire Eleven:

Now I am a a big enough Duros to admit when I have made a mistake. So maybe becoming so tiered that when you go to turn down the heat you ACCIDENTALLY (and that is a point that I cannot stress enough) turn off the heat threw out the ship was a bad idea, how would we learn if not threw are mistakes. OK so I was planing on giving a potentiality dangerousness man who I had recently offended the most dangerous hand weapon in the know universe so that he would join me in using the life force of the universe with me to make farting sounds, but is that relay so bad? Yes, but can you relay blame me? OK also yes. In my own deference thou they where very scary dreams.

On a completely not a thinly vied sewage from the subject of my massive stupidity, we are will on are way to Kuat! I should have us there in just a few days.

On that note I have disced that I will bring the kid down with me when I go to visit Brian's next of kin. After careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that since He has shown no outward displays of violence or otherwise evil behaver and since he did save both are lives when he turned the heat back on when I passed out that he should be aloud some time off the ship. Hell we might even be able to pick him up a translator and if he is with me he can't steal the ship! Its relay a win win situation!

Finally before sighing off I would like to add in briefly an odd... some thing that happed earlier. I am not sure if it was real or if I just imaged it, but just has I was regain consciousness I could have sworn that some one spook to me. It was no voice I had ever herd before and yet it seemed oddly familiar. I can't recall what it told me, only that it seemed impotent... Still as I said, I was tiered it was probably just part of a dream. Still with how odd my dreams have been lately I would like to keep take off all I can.

- Washen Keeg

Entire Twelve:

The Travels of Washen II

The Travels of Washen Keeg

Episode II

Growing Shadows

It is a time of relative peace in the galaxy. After the battle for the Jedi

academy and the defeat of the shadow academy the young Jedi of Master

Skywalker's school have begun the task of rebuilding the temple on Yavin 4.

Yet even as the heroes of the battle revel in there victory many of there friends

remain uncounted for. Seeking redemption for his passed misdeeds a young Duros

named Washen Keeg sets out on a quest to find the lost Jedi students. On his journey
he met and nursed to heath a Quarren who had been seduced to the dark side. Together

the two traveled to the planet Kuat to no avail. Now lost without direction the two drift through

space searching for clues, never suspecting that forces greater the either of them are begin to stir...

A bright ray of light lanced into the darkness of space. It was soon followed by another and then two more. Finally the whole side of the planet was bathed in the light signaling the beginning of a brand new day. On the planets surface a small child looked out at the rising sun and wondered how it must look from space. He lent against a moisture collector and daydreamed of life among the stars till, with a heavy heart, he returned to his chores. Little did the child realize that at that moment, thousands of miles above him a small space ship had just passed over head. In the cockpit facing out over the impossible beauty of the sunrise sat a little blue Duros. From his flight chair the full majesty of the scene could be safely observed by the pilot, protected from the harsh light by the polarized transparisteel of his front viewport. The light played and danced off on the plethora of small ocean snaking across the planet in a display of brilliance that would stir the soul of even the most ancient and jaded of pilots. In light of this incredible beauty Washen Keeg snored. The light of the newly risen sun played across Washen's goggles, but could not penetrate the smoky green lenses.

Standing behind the sleeping Duros the young Quarren watched him with intense curiosity. Suddenly Washen frowned and twitched in his sleep. This was the moment that that the Quarren had been waiting for and with out hesitation bent his whole mind towed reaching out to that of the sleeping Duros.

Washen walked through a great stone hall. Along the walls hung portraits of stern faced men and women and from all sides a lovely, yet mournful melody played. At the end of the hall way two men sat faced away from the approaching Duros. As he approached the two slowly rose to their feet and turned to face him. Twin red light sabers flashed to light in the hands of Mayne and Brian. Washen came to a halt still ten feet from the crimson blades. Brian took a step forward. "You know" he began "I relay have to thank you, Duros." The edges of Brian's lips began to curl ever so slightly. "If you had not dropped me off on that nice little planet then I would never have had a chance to practice my 'arts'. I mean its not like they would let me learn how to control Force lighting at the academy now would they?" Brian began to smile more broadly."I am making my own academy now, you know? Mane hear is my first pupil. He was very eager to join up after you abandoned him to the Shadow Academy."

At this Washen tried to protest, but found that he could not speak. Brian smile broadened. "What's the matter? Bantha got your tongue?" With that Brian walked right up to Washen and slapped him full across the face. The surprise of the pain shocked Washen more than the pain itself. Washen brought a hand up to feel his cheek, which still stung. He slowly looked up at his former companion in mounting horror. Brian looked back at him and there was not even the ghost of a smile on his face. "This is no dream Washen, you failed. Now go run and hide, it's the only thing you were ever good at, but do yourself a favor and give up your hunt, because if you find me I will make sure that you thoroughly regret it." And with that he raised his hand again.

The Quarren's hand struck Washen full on the side of his face again and this time his eyes flashed open. He stared wildly around till his eyes focused on the Quarren. "Did... Were you just hitting me?" Washen asked, still groggy.

The Quarren spoke several words in his own language, then nodded. Washen stared dumbly at his companion for several seconds. He knew that there was some response to this, but, for the moment, his sleep addled brain struggled with it. Then finally from the depths of his mind he landed upon the relevant response. "Why?"

The Quarren shrugged and pointed to the Duros.

"Me? You slapped me because of me?" Washen asked, confused.

The Quarren nodded again with more vigor. To expand upon his point he proceeded to shake himself violently in imitation of how the Duros had twisted in his sleep.

Washen stared in growing confusion. "If I accept that it was necessary then will you please stop doing that?" he asked uneasily.

The Quarren scowled at the Duros, who sank perceptively in to his chair. Then with a click he turned on his heel and stalked back into the recesses of the ship. Washen watched him go with unease before returning to his consoles. He had to admit that the Quarren frightened him. He could never predict what the strange alien would do from one day to the next. Some days he did nothing, but meditate in his quarters and on others he would pace up and down the length of the ship, ignoring Washen, who would have to move out of his way to avoid a collision

Washen sighed. It seemed like life had become an unending series of problems for him ever since he had left the academy. Even there things had been hectic and often freighting, but then he had his friends with him. Not that they had always been overly helpful. After all he had never been beaten into a coma before meeting Mador.

Washen was pulled from his thoughts as his com crackled to life.

"Ryloth Rose you are cleared for landing, proceed to docking bay 54."

Washen sent his confirmation and began his descent through the atmosphere.

Washen shielded his eyes against the sun as he stepped from his ship. After the near silence of the ship the sounds of the busy space port were nearly overwhelming. As Washen turned back toward the open hatch he caught sight of the Quarren. A thought occurred to Washen then and he called the Quarren over.

"Listen" Washen began pulling a card from his pocket. "Take this and get yourself a translator, okay?" Washen placed the card in the Quarren's outstretched hand. "That's more than enough for a simple translator and some lunch. I am going to get us some less suspicious clothes and ask around a few places. I'll meet you back here at sunset, deal?" The Quarren stared at the card in his hand for a moment then nodded slowly.

"Great!" Washen exclaimed with an admirable attempt at enthusiasm.

Washen frowned as the Quarren jogged into the churning crowd. "I do believe that is the last I am ever going to see of that boy." He muttered under his breath. He took another sigh. If the boy ran off now than he would at least have some money. As Washen slowly made his way towered the nearest shopping center he was surprised to find how much he hoped the boy would return from his own excursion.

Washen frowned as the Quarren jogged into the churning crowd. "I do believe that is the last I am ever going to see of that boy." He muttered under his breath. He took another sigh. If the boy ran off now than he would at least have some money. As Washen slowly made his way towered the nearest shopping center he was surprised to find how much he hoped the boy would return from his own excursion.

Suddenly and without warning a hand garbed Washen by the shoulder and a low voice whispered in to his ear. "Kish Kish Kish AH AH AH" Washen's blood seemed to freeze his vines as he spun around, hand dropping to his blaster and mind filling with visions of hulking shadows and metal walls. Then he saw the face of his aslant and the whole world seemed to freeze. There standing before him was Akul. The sight of the Togruta pushed all other thoughts out of Washen's head as he embraced his comrade.

"By the stars Akul what are you doing here?" almost shouted in his excitement as he paused his friend to arms length.

"Oh the same as always, Mara Jade sent me on one of her death schemes." Akul shrugged in a passable attempt at nonchalance.

Instantly Washen's eyes narrowed. "Mara Jade... Death schemes... you're here to drag me off on some suicide mission or something aren't you?" He accused glaring.

"Nah. I am investigating something for my dad's old company. They've been ordering military sized bacta shipments and they claim to be some sort of civilian business." Akul explained soothingly. "Lessen way don't I take you some place for some lunch? My treat." Akul put on his most winning smile, razor sharp teeth almost shying.

Washen opened his mouth to decline, to tell him that if it was all the same to him that Washen would rather not get roped into whatever crazy mission Mara Jade had cooked up for his friend, but be for he could say any of those things his stomach let out a growl loud enough for them both to hear. Washen coughed to cover his embarrassment, but Akul was already laughing.

"I'll take that as a yes then." Akul continued to chuckle as he turned beyond Washen to flow. Taking one last wishful look at the shopping center Washen reluctantly flowed.

The main street was crowded with beings from a thousand worlds all busing and shouting in there verses languages. Fighting to keep up with the Togruta Washen yelled over the noise, "Where are we going?"

"My tourist book says that there is a great place that serves alien foods about ten minutes that away" Akul shouted back pointing towered down the main street.

After what felt to Washen like an hour of being bumped along threw the crowed the two found themselves standing outside the door to a nice looking cantina. The faint strains of music floated out from within before being swallowed by the roar of the crowded. In front of the door a massive Abyssin slowly watched the comings and goings of swarms of beings on the street.

After the heat and noise of Main Street the low hubbub of conversation and a cool air of the cantina proved a welcome relief.

The two sat at a small table near the center of the floor and Akul placed his order of live rodents to the serving droid. When it came to his turn Washen ordered a Palinen stake and closed his eyes, allowing the music to drown out his worries and troubles.

Washen was brought out of his lulled state by a question. "Washen, why did you have a Quarren with you when you landed?" Akul asked.

Washen chose his words carefully. He was still unsure as to how his friends would react to the Quarren. "Well, I kinda ... picked him up," Washen began slowly"My ship need repairers so I leaned on some little moon when I picked up a distress call. I found him passed out and half dead in a crashed ship. I nursed him back to heath and I thought that when he was better I could bring him back to where ever he came from..." Washen's words trailed off as he stared detrimental at a decorative plant several feet from Akul's eyes. This last part of less than true, but he hoped that Akul would not push the matter to hard.

"And he's from Commenor?"

"No, I brought him here so that he could pick up a translator," Washen replied, "I'm not sure where he's from." This at least was true, but the line of questions was moving in a way that he did not like.

Just then the serves droid returned and Washen breathed a silent sigh of relief. Apparently live food was not overly time consuming to prepare. Furthermore his friends eating habits, while less then appetizing would keep him busy for at least a few minutes. While this would only delay the inevitable confrontation Washen was willing to take any delay he could take.

It was at this point that he began to notice that the band had faltered and that several of the patrons where looking at him with looks of disgust. Washen suddenly became aware that his street cloths, thou doing a more then serviceable job at disguising him as a simple cornelian fraters, did not quite live up to the relatively higher standers of the other patrons. Added to the fact that he had not washed them in a number of days and he was almost assuredly causing some sort of fopa. Looking over he saw the lumbering presence of the bouncer coming toward there table. Washen slowly began to sink under his table.

The Abyssin reached their table and striated to his full menacing height. "Hello" came a quivering voice from arose the table and for the first time Washen realized that it was not his fashion fopa that had brought the ire of the bar down on them, but Akul's blood splattering eating habits.

"Hello. Boss says you must leave. You hinder ability of patrons to eat," the Abyssin stated bluntly to Akul.

"Wait... I am a paying customer and he's the one who GAVE me my meal. At least let me sit here with my friend while he finishes," Akul said, fear being supplanted by indignity. "And give me a to go box or something."

Ignoring this the Abyssin grabbed Akul's shoulder. In a flash Akul had thrown the Abyssin to the ground, frightened costumers fleeing the flying Abyssin.

Getting to his feet the Abyssin charged the Togruta aging to no more effect Washen rose to his feet and made to draw his blast, thou to what alive he could hardly guess. Then a wide swing from the Bounce caught the table and slammed it in to Washen's gut. With a wheeze the Duros doubled over on the table. He heard what sounded like Akul apologizing and the Abyssin roaring, but most it all registered as back ground noise. Finally gasping for breath Washen pushed himself in to a seated position just as the Abyssin finally crashed to the ground. Akul stood over his opponent hand on his belt.

"Tolerating, the file said! A place of cultural and dining diversity the file said! I bet they kick out Rodians before they walk in the kriffing door! Stupid upper class human establishments screw everything up. Waiter!" Akul shouted. Glaring arrowed the Cantina. To Washen's surprise, the droid trundled up, deafly avoiding the prone bouncer. "Bring me the check, and another thimiar to go, please." Akul stated his voice sounding almost conversational, almost as thou the fight had not occurred.

Washen only sunk lower under the table, his face glowing green with embarrassment.

Washen fell heavily into his accustomed flight chair and closed his eyes. The walk back had been a nightmare for him as he had been sure that at any moment they would be hauled off to jail or worse for their activities in the cantina. Adding to his growing unease Akul had continued to complain about his mistreatment (the serving droid had returned with the check, but not the thimiar) in a voice that to his friend seemed entirely too loud. Upon reaching the space port he had made a quick excuse about rejoining the Quarren and had slipped away before Akul could get out more than a surprised Farwell.

Washen began to feel the weight of stress begin to crush down on him.

"Of all the people" He thought "who had to pop down for a friendly 'hello' and a commando raid, didn't it just have to be Akul. The one person, apart perhaps from the Solo twins, who he lest wanted to know about his dealings with the corrupted Quarren.

"I'm doomed!" Washen called out into the empty ship. "I spent all that time telling him how we should not take a chance with Brian and now I am playing ship mate with a dark Jedi!" Washen let out a strangled laugh and kicked his chair causing it to spin like a top. As his chair slowed he kicked aging harder. The world became a blur of motion as Washen span round and round. As the world began to slow Washen kicked aging with more than his faire share of strength and with a creek the old pilots chair let out a terrible squalling screech and toppled to the ground.

Washen stared up at the ceiling as it slowly began to come back into focused. Washen's eyes began to sting and he angrily brushed his eyes. "Ok you have made your point!" He shouted into the emptiness of the ship. "I should not have used you to spine the charier, I am sorry." Washen continued "But what am supposed to do? How am I spouted to tell him without making thing I am a hypocrite or an idiot?" Washen lay staring at the ceiling for several long minutes before sighing and adding quietly "and explain what the hell I am doing on the floor talking to myself."

Washen pushed himself to his feet and looked at the broken flight chair.

As luck would have it the chair it's self was fine, only the screws that had held the chair to the beam sticking from the floor had been damaged and those where one of the few things that the Rose had in plentiful supply.

Opening the tool compartment Washen pulled a number of the small automatic screws from there box. As he got to work inserting and activating the tiny machines Washen let his mind wonder back to his problem. Akul had not been in contact with the Quarren yet as far as he could tell, but if the two of them would be working together there would be no way of avoiding the issue.

Watching the last screw spin itself into place Washen stared glumly at his handy work. "At least I can activate screws right." Washen mused. He lend back stared up at the ceiling. In the end there was only one real solution, he knew. Tell Akul the truth. He would wait till he could explain in person, but it would have to be done.

Standing up he looked over at his main console. He would have to send the log to, he realized. He had planned to send the whole report in after he had found Brian and Main, once the issue of the Quarren had been settled, but with Akul on the scene he would not have that luxury, if Akul's report came in before his and had an account of the Quarren he would not like to even contemplate what Mare jade would do to him.

With a heavy hart Washen keyed contact information and sent in his log.

Morosely Washen wondered who much of his dealings with e Quarren he had typed into the log before sending it off and beguine to reread it from the beginning. Washen's eyes slowly began traveling across the screed as faint frown lines began to cross his brow.

By the time he had reached the bottom and had moved back up to the top Washen entire face had frown an almost florescent whit. Sweet stood out on his skin framing his eyes as they twitched in anxiety. Thoughts, each more horrible then the last began to crowd in to his brain. There was the fact that he had sent and unedited copy of his log to his friend's teacher. This thought was almost instantly supplanted by the fact that there teacher was Mare Jade Skywalker and finally just as this thought seemed ready overwhelm him, with all it hideous and potentially painful (if unlikely) connotations a final thought burst into his mind, blinding all others with its terrible brilliance. "Ma…" Washen slowly began, specking aloud the thought that controlled every fast of his mind, "Mare Jade is the Solos Grand Ante…" He slowly, reluctantly looked back at the screen. There it was. Seven words in… the word love…

The last dregs of color drained from Washen's face. The world began to spine aging as all the strength left his legs. As the world began to diaper into an enveloping blackness one last thought flitted across Washen's mind. "Well at least I get find out if some can really kill you with the force over a holo." Then the world was consumed by the darkness and Washen knew no more.

Washen stared up at Mare Jade with pleading eyes. He had been buried up to just blow his lower lip, not three feet from him the terrifying trio of Mara Jade Skywalker, her husband and by far worst of all, Hon Solo himself. Behind them a collection of students including all of his companions and the Solo twines, all looked mad enough they could shoot blaster bolts from their eyes. All that was, except for a long haired human boy, who stood at the back and merrily grind a self satisfied grin.

Washen's attention was brought back to Mare Jade as she took a step forward and bent over the barely visible Duros. "Washen Keeg" She began, voice practically dripping with venom "for your most terrible of crimes you have been sentenced to death! By Paraná Beetle!" there was a round of applause from the assembled crowed. Washen felt his blood freeze. He tired to speck, to tell them that he was sorry but before could he heard them. The load beeping of the Paraná beetles. Suddenly the world was washed out in a tied of dark gray. For a moment the assembled crowed was superimposed upon the dark gray blob of reality then the beeping came aging.

Washen reached down and drew his com. "Ug?" He asked before his brain could remind him how to form words.

"Hey Washen. Bring your buddy and meet me at the port authority, we have something to discuss." Akul voice piped through from the other side.

A tiny part of Washen's realizing that this was final proof that yesterday was not a dream began cursing and shouting as the rest of his brain quietly ignored it. There would be time for that latter.

"Right," Washen said, raising his head off the ground. "Are we going for breakfast?"

"No, I've already eaten. We're coming up with a game plan for later today."

Washen was about to point out that Akul having eaten did not mean that he could not eat and infect that it might actively help, but before he could say anything else the line went dead. "And a fine good morning to you to." Washen grumbled and paused himself to his feet. He brought his hand up to rub his eyes when he felt something on his forehead. Reaching up he grabbed hold of a tiny slip of flim.

Pulling it off his forehead he turned the tiny note over and read 'Captain, have meet a friend here. I will stay with them till late tomorrow. Don't leave without me!

-Nirian Palzo'

Washen read then reread the note. Then he almost jumped for joy. He wasn't going to have to tell Akul about the Quarren yet! Attest not till there Mistress decided to have him kill the Duros.

And so with a marginally lighter steep Washen jogged out of his ship and out in to the landing pad.

Washen crammed the last bite of protean into his mouth as he finally reached Akul's ship. He was talking to pair that Washen did not recognize, but as the Duros climbed the ramp that lead to the landing pad Akul turned to meet him with a smile. "Washen!" He called out with his usual cheer. "I don't believe that have meet my friends here." He turned back to face his comrades and gestured. "The lady is Ceraline and the Draethos is Hrothgar." The human woman turned and Washen became distinctly aware of fact that her eyes were covered by a length of cloth. The two lowered their heads in a slight bow as Akul continued "and this is my friend Washen." Washen mimicked the nodding bow in turn. Akul beamed delightedly. "Excellent, now that we are introduced the plane. I have just been going over the details with my friends hear and as I was saying-"

"Akul, are you sure we should just blow this place up instead of actually investigating it?" The Miraluka cut him off.

Washen's eras pricked up at the mention of explosives, but before he could speak Akul took a deep breath and explained "I did my investigating last night. The place has a military bunker appearance to it, and half of the fighter craft here are owned by that company. What kind of financial place has that? This is the base, there no question in my mind. We will go in plant the charges and get out before anyone's the wiser." Akul pulled his date pad from his pocket and examined it. What he read mead him swear under his breath as he looked up at his assembled team. "Right he said an edge of urgency slipping into his voice. I have set up an appointment for us at their building to give us a cover. Unfortunately where running a little late" his eyes flicked involuntarily to Washen who felt his face to heat "so will have to discuss this on rote."

With that he spun on his heel and began to walk briskly back to his ship, flanked momentarily by his companions. Feeling distinctly out of place Washen began to hurry after his friend.

The transport ship flew through the warm summer air of Commenor maneuvering through the early morning traffic. Akul effortless guided the ship along it coerce wile deep within the engine room Washen examined the ship.

Washen taped his communicator studied the engine of Akul's ship. He had awes been fascinated by the inner workings of ships and there matinees, thou in his role as plot he rarely had time to work with them while in motion. He had been given a threw education in starship repair when he was younger and was more than a faire shake with a hydrospaner, but had been groomed to fly, like his parents before him.

Still even now in his mines eye he watched as the varies parts of the engine separated and reformed, as did the pipes and wires of the ship. Slowly piece by piece the ships parts came together in a whole new way forming the core of an all together new ship. With its carved hull and twin excuses his ship would usher in a new age of light cargo ship design. He would change the very face transportation, he Washen Keeg would-

"Yes?" Akul's voice crackled over the com. The fables ships of Washes child dream dissolved into the rusted cogs and power converters of reality. "You there?" The voice came agene a touch of concern leasing the question.

"Ya," Washen said mind returning to the matter at hand. "I had a question about this mission."

"Shoot."

"Where not" Washen hesitated for a second before pushing on "where not going to indiscriminately kill the people in there are we? I mean it a pirate base, but it employs regular people as part of their front right? So if you blow up there base aren't you going to kill a lot of insistent people."

"Hopefully where not going to kill anyone." Akul replied soothingly "When I'm done planting the charges, I'll set off the fire alarms."

"And how are you going to do that?" Washen asked, interested. "I doubt they are going to run out of the building fast enough if they think it's a fire drill or some joker playing with the alarm."

"That's way it won't be. I am going to light an actual fire."

There was a brief pause then Washen ended the call. "Remind me never to ask him about his methods." He commented to the empty room.

The front office of the building that they intended to blow up was stylish yet subdued. Deep reds and browns gave the impression of fall one of the more temperately inclined planets. The effect brought across to potential costumers was one of relaxation, the kind that can only be truly enjoyed by thus with too much money to care about anything else's.

Washen stared at a picture of a tall thin human handing a multicolored orb to a group of uniformly clad Gamorrean piglets. The caption sated it was the companies CO presenting a local children's sport teem a good sportsmen ship award.

Washen along with the rest of the team was dressed in the traditional delivery uniforms of Akul's father's company. As Washen entertained himself with the portraits Akul finished talking with the receptionist.

"Right this way" Akul said pointing towered far door, passed the receptionists desk and together they entered into the depths of the building.

As soon as they were out of ear shoot of the receptionist Akul turned around to face the grope, "OK everyone, here's the deal" He bargain staring stonily at his company "We're just going to unload our shit, and get out of here. We are NOT, I repeat NOT splitting up." He punctuated this with a glarer Washen. Washen threw up his hand in mock surrender. "Good." Akul stated with finally and began to walk down the hall way.

Washen waited till Akul had turned his back then stuck out his tong at his retreating back and it was at this moment that he saw saluted in a nearby door way, a very familiar Quarren. There was a long second where the two stared at one another, the Quarren warring a newly cleaned rob of dark green and with a poised translator raped round his neck. Washen warring a rumpled gray delivery uniform, his tong still protruding from his mouth.

Suddenly the Quarren turned and ran down the corridor and heedless of the mission Washen perused. Robs billowed and feet rang as the two pounded down the richly ferniest hall way. Dimly Washen noticed a slight warning twinge at the back of his neck, but even the early warning sign could stop Washen once he had focused totally on something. Coming up straight ahead Washen saw a pair of double doors. The Quarren saw them too and put on an extra burst of speed. He was at the doors. He was threw. He was closing them, but it was too late and both of them new it. Washen dived forwarded and caught Quarren round the middle and the two of them fell to the floor in a pile of failing limbs and flying robs.

Finally Washen rolled on top of Quarren pinned him to the ground. Washen opened his mouth, but before he could even diced on which of his many questions to ask first he heard the sound of someone laughing and in that monument he did not need the flaring siren in the back of his head, nor the hideous smile spreading across the Quarren's face to tell him that he was in serious trouble.

Washen slowly rose to his feet never keeping his eyes focused of the Quarren's smiling face. He clenched his fist and raised his head.

The man standing less than ten meters from Washen was tall, well groomed and wore a suit of a deep rich colure that was popular among wealthy humanoids of the sector. If not for the cylindrical tube hanging from a silk sash, tied around his waist and the air of menses radiating from him, Washen might have mistaken him for a businessman that had happed to take a wrong turn. With an almost casual motion the man in the elegant suit clasped his hands and let them drop to within a hires breath of the handle of his light saber.

Washen's eyes locked on to the man's as he let his own hand drift to his blade.

"Keeg, I presume?" The man's voice was light and pleasant, but his eyes remained on to Washen's with an intensity that was almost palpable. "You are a rather difficult fellow to meet with, I should have you know." Slowly he began walk diagonally towered Washen forcing the Duros to side step away from the Quarren to maintain the distance between them. "Do you know," The man continued in the same pleasant, conversational voice, "how much it cost to find out where you have been hiding?" He cocked one perfectly manicured eyebrow.

Washen merle contained to put a minimal distance between the two of them.

After the pause had stretched out for a short time the man contained. "Well when I found where you where I have to admit I was now exactly overjoyed ether. You must have felt nice and safe tucked away in that little school of yours, didn't you?" There was another short paused, presumably waiting for a response that never came.

Meanwhile inside Washen's head the Duros mind was spinning; on the one hand the man looked sane, his words made no sense. After all, who would spend any number of credits to find him? The light saber disavowed any notion that he was a family friend and self admitted knowledge of him before coming to academy meant the only two enemies of his he could think out of the question.

"So my question is why did you leave?"

This time he barely weighted to a reply and had jest about to continue when Washen blurted out question of his own. "Who are you?"

The man's eyes quieted, as thou looking for some lie is the young's Duros face. Finally the man furrowed his brow and asked in a slightly perplexes tone, "Your serous aren't you? You really don't know how I am? Do you?" Washen shook his head fractionally back and forth.

The man stared at Washen a second longer then stopped, Washen mimicking a moment later. My name" the man in the suite began "is Harkin Jazrad and until a few months ago your parents worked for me."

Washen froze momentarily before continuing to circle. "You're going to have to try a bit harder than that." He commented dryly. "My parents are long haul shippers, not pirates. Besides up to a few months ago we lived in the same confined space for weeks on end. Unless they were using my sleep shifts to break out consoled weapons to terrorize the hyperspace lanes, then hiding them away aging as soon as I woke up, I don't they were flying with a pirate crew without me knowing."

"Naturally!" Harkin's voice taking on erudite tone. "Because I established and run this legitimate company and ran by having a few squadrons of pirates raiding space lanes!" He held out one hand, leaving the other next to his blade. "This company is not only a front for my base of operations, but also a ligament and might I add successful business. In the same way I have diversified and combined. Have you ever heard of a weapon crafter named Bonja'wa? He runs a blaster store down on Main Street. A perfectly ligament enterprise, except for the costume blasters that he slides me under the table in exchange for his establishment remaining safe from accidents. How about Keeg Runner Shipping?"

Washen's felt a cold feeling run up his spine as he tried to swallow past a rising bulge in his through.

Seeing this Harkin mouth curled into a smile seemed almost genuine. "I see you recognized that one didn't you?"

Washen tried to speak, but no words came out.

"Well I know you will like this one then." And then smile split into a grin. "You see there was this sweet little couple just starting out in the galaxy, but they had a problem see they sank all their money into buying a ship of their very own." The man's face sank into a parody sadness. "Unfortunately there was a problem; they had a ship a company and a little one on the way, but no cargo. They looked high and low, but it seemed no one could give them the kind of jobs could do for the type of money they needed. Then I, genres sole that I am, steeped in to lend a hand."

Stared in disbelieving horror. Part of him wanted to shout that none of this was true, but another part, stronger then the first wanted nothing more than to keep leaning. As Washen struggled with his inner turmoil the human continued.

"Now when someone is ether under a lot of presser, desperate or offered a lot of money than they are libel to do things that they normally would not. As it turns out Mr. and Miss Keeg where motivated by all three. I am a little fuzzy on some of the history, but I am sure that you could fill in some of those blanks" and with that the horrible sincere smile was back. "Now sixteen years is a pretty long time and they did not work for me all that time, but whenever some extra credits where need for repairs or fuel or just a shiny new holodeck player they awes knew where to find the best paying jobs."

Washen wished he could shrink sink into the floor. As he remembered how existed he had been when they had purchased the Holo player. It had never crossed his mind as to how they could afforded it after spending almost three months scraping by for fuel. Washen tried to shake the thoughts away, "A nice story" Washen tired to adopted and air of cool skepticism "but I think I would have also noticed if they had been peddling drugs or some such."

Harkin gave him a bemused smile. "And you personally cheeked the inventory did you?"

"No, but-"Washen began, but was cut off.

"Then did you perhaps accompany them on their accusations?"

"Well yes, actually, but-"

"But not all of them?" Harkin pressed.

"No, but it's not like would have joined them on every planet side trip." Washen countered defensively.

"No, but on some trips you could not even leave ship could you? You where given Holo vids and given all day to watch them, weren't you?"

Washen did not replay, but the look of consternation on his face was all the answer Harkin needed.

"The trips after those stops. They where strange weren't they? You couldn't go in the back could you? You didn't care thou since those where the times that your mother thought you how to fly weren't?"

"Shut up!" Washen shouted, but his voice sounded feeble even in his own hears.

Ignoring Keeg Harkin pressed mercilessly on. "But then the good times endued didn't they? Mommy and Daddy shoved you over to that Jedi academy didn't they?" The smile faded from his face to be replaced by a dark scowl. "Convent that. They gave you up to that privet school not two days before the feds found them out. Almost like clockwork wasn't it? They send you off just in time to not take the fall for a bust, then the federal boys don't even pay you the slightest mind, but suddenly become a little too noisy about my business." He gave Washen a hard starrer. "What do you think about that one boy?"

Washen gulped. "My parents are in prison? They were ignoring my messages because they are in prison?" Washen's hands where begging to tremble as pricks of water began to form at the corners of his eyes.

For the first time Harkins face registered genuine surprise. "Well I'll be dammed." He wished.

Washen stared at him in surprise. "What?" He asked feeling a bubble of panic forming in chest, thou way he could not tell.

"Nirian said that you where focused, but that's impressive."

"What are you talking about?" demanded urgently.

"I am surprised no one mentioned this to you, but your parents were killed in a prison riot a little more than a week ago."

Washen felt the world spine around him as he struggled to make sense of what he had just heard. The words all made sense, but the order was all wrong. It had to be. Thus words could not go together like that. They just could not.

Yet even has he tried to rationalize it away memories began to intrude upon his thoughts. Visions of impending danger that he had assumed has warnings about his friends. His long standing attempt to block out his former life and all that he had lost in it from his mind. The feeling of something important missing that he had bruised aside as home sickness.

Washen realized that Harkin was still talking and struggled to focus on his words, on his face, anything, but that terrible feeling of loss that was bellowing threw him.

"So I am sorry to have to have been the one to tell you this, but it probably makes the next part easier for both of us."

"What are you talking about?" Washen asked, his voice sounding hollow and dead.

"Well as I was just saying." Harkin elaborated, a note of annoyance creeping into his voice. "I am a man of my word and when we stroke up are deal that if they ever betrayed me I would tell you exactly what they where, which I have now done." He paused momentarily to let Washen's brain absorb this then continued. "And then I was going to kill you and then them. Unfortunately are fine penitentiary system has rather screwed up the order, but we will just have to make do I guess." He looked at Washen, but the Duros had seemed to have gone slightly comatose.

Harkin sighed, he would finally get to go toe to toe with a Jedi and he had gone catatonic. 'Still' he thought switching on his light saber 'at least that whole speech was fairly therapeutic. He would have to make a note to do it more often.'

"Any last words?" he called to the Duros who had secede trying to back away and merely stood staring at him.

"For Guide me…" the Duros muttered.

Typical, Harkin thought with a twinge of discussed. He raised his light saber. If he wanted to die saying something as cliché as 'Force guide me' then that's was his look out.

He swung the blade in an arc towered the Washen's neck. Suddenly with a hiss and crack his blade stopped mid swing, just before reaching its target. In between it and the Duros's blue skin was a crackling jade beam.

His eyes snapped to Washen's. The Duros eyes where no longer vague and unfocused, but bright and alive. Harkin opened his mouth to say something, though he had no idea what, when he was cut off by the Duros.

"And don't let me die!" Washen shouted and paused forwarded.

Flashes of light blazed to life than fade away has the beams of red and green light coiled parted. Washen forced his foe back step by step as he hammered away with blow after blow, but with etch block Harkin was recovering and Washen slowed. Thou galvanized to action by the instinctive need to survive, a need that had cut threw his paralyses like a hot knife thru butter, his conations mind had begun to try and reassert control

As Washen parried a low counter slash that part of his mind that had ruled so much of his thoughts and feelings since being left by his parents began to reclaim control. "You are going to die!" The voice of this part of him wailed. "You have come all this way and now you are going to die!"

"I will not die." Washen shoot back, beginning to feel his hands tremble on their gripe. "I will not die unless I let myself die here."

"But what is the point?" That part of him bemoaned. "Before there was the chance to go back home, now what is there? Way not die hear? Leave it all behind?"

Washen felt himself give a steep, then another. Soon he would be on a full out retreat unless he did something soon. Searching his mind he looked for anything that would answer his question. Then it came to him.

"Because" He whispered to himself under his breath "I am needed."

Washen stopped and caught the red blade temporally in a lock.

"What?" The voice of self pity and despair came once more, but this time smaller as tough from further away.

"They need me!" Washen repeated out load as he and Harkin paused apart, causing the give him a puzzled look before thrusting at the Duros face. With a flick of his wrist Washen knocked the up and pushed towered his opponent with his light saber hilt extended. "Brain, Mane, Akul! Even Rossa and Madore! They need me as much as I need them!" Washen was yelled as he drove the hilt of his light saber into Harkins chest. The humans eyes shoot open as the air was violently expelled from his chest.

Harkin raised his light saber to defend his head as he doubled over and with a quick slash Washen sent the blade spinning across the room. The blade skittered to stop as the blade deactivated.

Harkin raised streaming eyes to the tip of the dark jade beam of plasma that hovered near inches from his face. "Pleas," He pleated voice almost braking, "Please don't kill me."

Washen stared at him for a long moment. From the back of his mind, where it had been forced to, that part of his mind screamed at him to strike. To kill the man the way that he had killed his parents, to make the bastard pay before he did the same to him. As he looked at the helpless man before him the desire for easy revenge seemed to beacon him. "Fear to anger." He commented riley to himself. "Anger to hate and then what ever came after that." He looked down at the quivering man at his feet and his diseur for revenge quietly slipped away.

"I am not going to kill you." He said and surprised even himself with the weariness in his own voice. "Even if killing you changed anything, which it won't, it not who I am nor who I want to be."

Harkin's face slide into an exasperation of abject relief. "Thank you!" He almost sobbed. "Thank you! Thank y-"And at that moment there was a defying explosion. Everyone turned towed the sound, every one that is except for Nirian Palzo'. Nirian had watched the unfolding events with raped attention waiting for the outcome.

He had debated with bated breath weather to intervene as Washen had fallen back, but had held as he had recovered pressed frowned for the final assault. Then his master was down and the Captains light saber was held right next to his face. The Quarren breathed an almost palpable sigh of relief. Washen, the captained would do it and save him the orneriness task. Then just as he thought things where finally settled he saw the Duros pardon his master. Forgive the wrong that he had done. "He let him live!" The young Quarren growled in wordless furry.

Glaring he reached into a fold of his rob and drew and heavy blaster pistol. He had been given basic training in the use of the light saber, had even excelled at it in his class at the shadow academy, but that had not dulled skill with the blaster by one bit. Drawing upon the force like he had a hundred times before he carefully aimed his shoot, he might not get another. Suddenly there was an explosion of sound and the two turned to face it, turned away from him. Perfect.

Washen's dangers sense screamed a warning to him and too late he realized that it was not warning him about the wall or the explosion. He heard the crack of a blaster and the sizzle of flesh, but before he could turn arrowed there was a second crack and he felt what felt like a wampum swatting his leg out from under him.

Has he fell he saw Harkins dead eyes stare at him in wide eyed disbelief as the hair on the back of his head burdened and gobbets of blood, brain and bone spread out of a jagged hole that had once been the back of his head. Just before his head hit the floor he saw the Quarren walking towered him, blaster in hand. Then his head and the floor once aging joined company to Washen's dismay.

Washen stared up at the ceiling as the smell burnet flesh began to register in his mind. Somehow the questions of whose it was never made it into his mind at that time, thou same question would keep him up at nights for weeks afterward. For the time being the only thing that Washen could think of was how he could live a little longer, if only to tell Jacen the story and to see the exasperation of amazement on his friends face one more time. Thinking of Jacen also brought forth thoughts Jaina and as his life's blood pumped out of his mangled leg he thought and as his vision began to swim before his eyes he began wonder distantly weather humans girls concerted being killed to be manly when an indistinct shape loomed into view. The shape ducked out of sight and there was a distant pain, like pinch form a thousand light years away. Then there was nothing.

The Quarren injected the enter syringe to the chaired flesh of Washen's lower right leg. The wound was deeper then intended and Nirian swore under his breath for his choice such a heavy blaster. Still the leg should recover, he supposed. Not quickly and certainly not painlessly, but he would recover with no more than a scare which was more than his former master could say, if he had ever been able to say anything ever aging.

Bending down Nirian lifted the Captain over his shoulder with an eases that belied his wiry physique. Before leavening the room for what he knew must be the last time he turned back to his master and looked at him. Making up his mind he reached out with the force and pulled from the dead dark Jedi's belt a long bronze tube. Holding it in his hand he felt its weight as it comfortably rolled into his poem. With a click and a buzz he ignited the golden blade and twirled it once in his hand he cut the power and stowed his uncles light saber onto his belt.

And so Nirian Palzo' left the room, the survives of his master and his life up to that point with his uncles light saber stood in his once empty belt and the Duros who had saved his life slung over one arm.

Washen awoke to find a tube in his arm and dull throb in his leg. Sitting on a chair next to his bed Akul quietly watched him. "Welcome back to the land of the living." Akul said with the faintest hint of a smile playing around the congeners of his mouth.

"What happened?" Washen tried to ask, but could not make it past the word before his voice gave out in a wheeze.

"What happened?" Akul guest and when Washen nodded Akul began. "That Quarren friend of yours shoot you in the leg and made to run off with you. Got all the way to the Ross with you then saw me waiting, took one look at my light saber then drooped you and ran. I would have gone after him to, but you looked about on deaths door so I brought you in hear first and gave chases in the ship." Akul gave Washen a side long glance that Washen distinctly did not like.

"What?" He repeated this time without wheezing.

"Well turns out he had grabbed a Yeti before leaving the base and well he blew out are engines and made his escape." Akul looked back at Washen, but the Duros expecting to see indignation or anger and was thus surprised to see that Washen, far from flying into a rage as he had when the Jade Falcon had been dismantled was actually silently laughing. Smiling Akul stood up. "I have to send out a distress call, but I'll be back and as soon as you can talk you will have to tell me what happened back there.

Washen's smile faded slightly, but only for a moment then closed his eyes and nodded. Confused, but pleased Akul stepped out of the Spartan medical bay of the Rayloth Ross and closed the door behind him. If he had looked back in that last second before the door close he would have seen the first tear roll down Washen's cheek as he continued to laugh silently in his hospitable bed.

Epilogue

In the silence of space the Dream of Shadows drifted almost lazily threw the inky blackness of space. At its controls Nirian Palzo' pored continued to study the blade that had once been his grandfather's most prized position.

Finally he carefully hocked it back onto this belt with its slivery counterpart. The shadow academy blade was little more than a manufactured toy compared with the handmade bronze blade, but he would need it for what he wanted to do. At least for now.

Finally he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He flipped open his com and typed in the long remembered secret channel. Not knowing where it would still work or weather any one still lived who would know how to cheek Nirian made the call that would give him the last piece he needed or confirm the ruination of his plan.

Taking a deep breath he begin to recorded. "To whomever this still may concern this is Nirian Palzo' Captain of the Dream of Shadows and I am coming home." He flipped the switch and stopped the recording.

Now he would have to wait.

The Travels of Washen Keeg 3

Summer of Youth

Three years before the rise of the shadow academy and its subsequent destruction thanks in large part due to the actions of a small grope of Jedi commandos the sighing of the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty ended the distractive 15 year war between the Galactic Republic and its Imperial counterpart. This would be the first step toward in healing the riffed that had divide galaxy for decades…

Washen Keeg stared out across the wind swapped space port with a feeling of mounting despair. There had to be a mistake he knew, but even as he turned back toward his parent's ship the Keeg Runners lift was already halfway raised.

At one of the view ports he could see his father waving as the ship began to rise into the air. "Wait!" He shouted panic rising in his thought. "You can't leave me here!" It was a fetal jester and he knew it, but for the moment that did not matter. All that matured was that his whole world was lifting into the sky and leaving him to the mercy of people he had never even known. The fact that they where family made little difference to Washen, as far as he was conserved strangers where strangers no matter who his mother's sister might be.

As the Runner despaired from sight Washen sunk to his knees and surrounded by his small pile of luggage he began to cry.

Days or perhaps it was only a few minutes later he felt a hand come to rest gently on his shoulder. "Washen?" A strangely familiar woman's voice asked.

Wiping the tears from his eyes he looked up to see a face he had only ever seen before in old haloes. "Ante Lillian?" He asked in a slightly quavering voice.

"Yes dear." His ant said in a soothing voice. "Your parents asked me to pick you up from the space port when you arrived." She looked up in the direction that he had flown in and commented almost to herself "Since clearly they could not be bothered to come by and say hello." She let out a sigh then smiled down at Washen. "Would you like some help with thus bags?" She asked as he bent down to pick them up.

… And this is you room she finished dropping Washes bags in the small guest room that had been set aside for him. It was small and spartanly ferniest, which judging by the fine furnishings of rest of the house gave Washen the impression that this room had only recently taken on the roll of bed room. Dejectedly Washen soused that he was not the only one caught off guard by this unexpected family visit.

Washen realized that his ant was still waiting in the door way. Affecting his best cheerful smile he turned to his hostess. "Thanks. It's really nice." The words sounded hallow even in his own ear, but if his ant simply smiled warmly at him.

"I'll leave you to unpack and if you need anything just call." She was about to leave the room when Washen blurted out the question that had been on his mind for the last three days.

"What's it like hear?" Washen stood in the middle of the plain room with worry etched on his face. "What's life like hear?" He repeated almost pleadingly.b

"You mean hear on Tigren or hear in the Republic?" She asked a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Both I guess." Washen offered uncertainly.

"Well as for Tigren its nice and quite most of the year. Good place to live if you'll believe a bias source." She laughed.

Some of the strain seemed to leave the young Duros face at the sound. "And living under the republic?" He asked causally.

Pausing she considered this for a second then said in a marginally more serious tone. "It's like living in the Empire I spouse." She offered casually. Then with a wicked grin she added "Only better!" She added and burst into another peal of laughter as she left a confused Washen to unpack.

The Keeg Runner cruised thru the inky blackness of space, engines glowing with a yellow condenses that sent beams of light arcing threw the empty void surrounding it. Within the cockpit of the ship a flickering light winked out of existence.

Yuther Keeg leaned back in his flight chare and stared blankly at his now empty screen. "That Man is insane." He stated in a low, flat voice. He turned to his wife and asked in the same toneless voice. "Do you think Washen will be alright living with your sister for a full month?"

This was not a new question and Katrina Keeg had quickly come to realize that question had lost all actual relives had instead become a place holder, an excuse to fill the dead air as he considered how to broach the subject that had been on both of their minds for the last few days. For a fleeting instant she considered changing her accustomed response if only to see how he would react, but she knew that that only would delay him for so long.

"Yes." She resisted. "Lillian is an odd one, but she's more than willing and perfectly willing to take care of Washen for a month or so." The seemed whole to her ears. She had spoken the answer so often that become a mindless litany. In her head she began to count down. '1… 2…'

On queue her husband said. "What are we guns for hire?" This phrase too had been robbed of the fiery intensity that had permeated his voice when he had first heard the transmission. "We aren't killers." He repeats for the hundredth time or maybe the two hundredth, she had lost track.

They had revised the message two weeks ago on rout to visit her cousin Lillian and her son who had just turned seventeen and would be leaving to join the naval academy soon. Lillian had insisted that the family come be together at least once before her son left. Due to political differences this would mark the first time the sisters had been reunited since before she had married Yuther, before either Washen or even Erina had been born.

The call came late into the sleeping hours and only Yuther had seen it come in. He had roused her and together they watched and listened as Harkin Jazrad spelled out there doom. For year they had run black market goods for Harkin's organization and had profited greatly from their dealings with the Human crime lord, but this time the rules had changed.

"A small time producer has been pocketing more than his faire of the product and has used the excuse of shoddy harvester drones not only to account for the loss, but also to put presser on me to up his pay." Harkin explained the recorder with a carefully pretested air of calm. "I don't like being cheated" He stated dryly. "And I don't like being lied to." He finished and his teeth came together with an addible click. There was a monument where the air seemed to grow still, as thou waiting for the derided conclusion. "Kill him" He said quietly and reached for the off switch. His hand froze over it for a moment then he turned back to face the recorder, a small slime touching the corners of his mouth. "Oh" He said with a disarming half smile creeping up his face. "And make it messy. I would like to send a message." And with that the video ended.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the dinner table as both Lillian and her son Kalois stared fixedly at Washen and Washen stared equally fixity at his plate.

"How is the food?" Lillian asked casually as Washen rolled a small green vegetable around his plate.

"It's alright." Washen muttered. Silence once more claimed table.

Finally Kalois had had enough. He dropped his utensils on his plate and rose from the table. "Thank you for the lovely meal Mom," He said briskly. "But I think that we should drop the formality and introduce Washer-"

"Washen" Washen corrected glumly.

"That's what I meant." Kalois corrected, then returning to his original subject. "We should intrude Washen to life around here with something that he might actually enjoy!"

"I don't think that they would let a boy his age into the places that you consider to be 'fun'." Lillian voice was as cold as ice.

Kalois waved his hand airily. "You do me an injustice mother!" His took on a hurt tone, but his eyes seemed to gleam in the soft light of the kitchen. "No I propose a holo dram night!" This last he proclaimed with intensity that worried Washen. Growing concerned Washen turned to face his ant and was disturbed to see the same glowing smile had come to her face as was now dominating the face of her son.

Washen opened his mouth to protest that he was still feeling tired from his long journey and point out that he would likely feel much better in the morning when he was physically grabbed by his cousin and lead into the holo room.

Washen found himself casually pushed toward a large red chair as his cosine and aunt made a B line towered a large shelf of holo recordings next to the projector.

"What types of holo dramas do you like Washen?" His Aunt called over her shoulder.

Washen shrugged then realized that neither of them could see him so reshaped his response. "I don't know."

"Do you like horror" Lillian asked helpfully.

Washen shock his head and replied "No, not really."

"I have a few high quality audio, visual pieces of a sensual nature." Kalois offered, smirking.

"What?" Washen asked genuinely confused.

"I thought I told you to throw out that porn collection." Lillian snapped at her son, who ignored her and continued to sift through the pile of holos.

"How about action?" His aunt offered and Washen immediately agreed. "Right then." Lillian mussed over a number of holo cases. "Do you prefer fictional or historical action?" Lillian asked finally.

Washen, whose experience was with holo films was mostly constrained to documenters about life around the galaxy did not fully understand the question and pointed this out without hesitation.

"Oh." Lillian said, mildly taken aback. "Fictional action, horror or whatever holos are based on characters and situations that have no real world counterparts. Historical action, horror or whatever holos are based on real people or events even if only one of those two things is actually grounded in reality. Get it?"

Washen thought he did so nodded his head. Then added "If it's alright by you then I think I would prefer a Historical action over a fiction one.

"Right" She smiled "So then Luke Skywalker or Hon Solo? Or are you more in a fighter squadron type of mood?"

For a few moments her words did not register in Washen's mind then he recalled where he was. Deep in new republic space. Surrounded by people who idolized Luke Skywalker and considered the battle of Endor to be a great victory. A crushing sense of home sickness suddenly settled on Washen like a cloud and at that moment a new memory began to suture deep inside him. A Red symbol, his parents and sister shouting. The word rebel sympathizer drifted threw his brain, but thou he knew that its home rested inside that memoire he could not recall who had said it. His mother? Father? Sister? Himself? This last seemed unlikely since his sister had left when he was still no older than four and had not returned once since then.

Lost in thought it took him a moment to understand what his Aunt was saying. "What?" He asked.

"I asked if you where feeling alright." She repeated "You seemed to have drifted off into your own little world there for a monument" There was a look of concern on her face and so with an effort Washen pushed aside his memories and affected a smile.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly. "I was just thinking how my parents awes told me that holos about Reb- Republic hero's where just a bunch of lies made up by propagandists." Suddenly he realized how that must sound and looked away. "Sorry. I didn't mean…"

"That alright." Lillian said a little too shapely. Her tone softened as she explained. "Yes there is plenty of ridicules propaganda out here in the republic. Probably about as much as back in the Empire. I know where my sister stands politically, but I think it couldn't hurt for you to see a bit of history from the other side of things before you get to judgmental on us."

Washen nodded meekly and Lillian gave him a rehearing pat on the back. "There is an old documentary series that shows the history of the war from the capture of Princes Leia to the destruction of the second death star and the death of the emperor. It's very cheap looking and most of the actors, even the none humans are played by humans in costumes, but it's one of the most full and accurate depictions of that time period ever filmed. Would you like to see it?"

Washen nodded and found himself actually growing existed despite himself. Deep down he had awes suspected that the Imperial records seemed a little too rosy. The prospect of seeing an unaltered account trilled him to no end.

Pleased by his obvious excitement Lillian pointed to her son. "OK you heard the boy, put in 'Flight of the Falcon'."

Namus Polo connected the last of the losses circuits and carefully closed the access panel of the HL-42 home mantic droid. With a quick flick of its activation switch the small machine wirier to life. Namus turned it to face him. "Now that should keep you running for at least a week so don't come crying to me about a faulty cooler till then. Understand?" He chided in a mock serious voice. The droid either playing along or not understanding joking nature of the request nodded in agreement. Namus Laughed and pushed the droid back towered his ascend work space.

Namus looked after him and a frown came to his face. That was the thread brake down this week. To run his operation he had been forced to rebuild older models that had been scraped and left to rust. These discount modules (as he was found of calling them) where much cheaper than new droids and did not have the same problem of people ask way he needed eight home matinees droids for a four room house, but the high matinees almost balanced it out, almost.

A knock at the door cut threw his privet thoughts like a hot vibrow knife threw jam. Steeling himself he dipped one finger into the viscose red jell formulating at the bass of the plants his droids busily tended. If this guest was who he thought it was he would need all his wits about him and that meant that he needed his 'medicine'. It was becoming harder and harder to think without his medicine these days and in some small far off part of him mind he knew that he was entering the finale and often fatal part of his addiction, but as awes this voice was drowned out by the calm.

There was a second knock as he locked the basement door behind him. He saw rather than felt his hand activate the fount door. Two Duros stood on the door steep staring at him with their huge glowing red eyes. Namus stifled a cry of alarm at this sight and reminded himself that it was just a side effect. Still after cutting himself off from everything in that color save the drug itself it was a shock to suddenly have it thrust upon him like that.

In a deadpan the taller of the pair asked "Are you Namus Polo?" Namus nodded slowly and a feeling of fear began tingle at the back of his mind. "Are you alone hear?" the red eyes continued and before could thing better of it he nodded. "Good." The pulsating red light from the eyes seemed to be growing and in a panic Namus reached for a knife to gouge out the hateful red glow, but as his hand reached the handle of the blade pain serried from his shoulder and the strength went from his arm in an instant. He looked down and tried to scream because the red light was now pulsing and bubbling from his own arm in a river of hellish light that socked threw his cloths and splattered on his clean floor, but no scream would come as he opened his mouth the smaller of the pair had jammed a large red ball into his mouth so that so sound could escape, only the hatful red light. He howled uselessly into the ball as his stomach split open and an ocean of red spilled over his crouch, down his legs and into a growing lack on his floor. He did not feel himself fall, but he did see threw clouding eyes as the two hatful red eyed devils flew down and out of his line of sight and the bright white glow of the ceiling lamp replaced it. As his vision faded to black his last thoughts that passed through his head was how at least in the end there was nothing, but a white light.

"Excellently done!" The voice of Harkin Jazrad boomed over the ships com. Yuther and Katrina lounged in the piloting chairs in an audited of comfortable realization that belied there earlier nervous irritability. Continuing Harkin said "This hear will put back in line anyone who even thought about trying to cross me and its all thanks to you!" He raised a glass of wine to the screen and after of monument of poring the Keeg's flowed suite. "To us." He intoned solemnly raising his glass. Together all three drank then laid there glass aside.

Harkin audited changed slightly as he looked at the couple displayed before him thoughtfully. "Listen" He began slowly "I am paying you more than twice your usual pay for a job that half as long as one of your runs." The Keeg's nodded slowly. "Well I have one or two other issues that I would not mind having taken care of. The pays good, better than this job even. I don't spouse you might be interested..." He let his words trail off as he waited for a response. He did not have to wait long.

There was a final tossed and a round of pleasant well wishes from both sides, then the screen went dark. There was a minute of silence where neither Keeg spook. Finally Katrina said. "I am sure Washen will be fine for a few extra months. Yuther remind silent, but nodded.

2 YEARS LATER

"I brought you lunch!" Kalois looked up over the top of his monitor to see his 15 year old cousin waving a wrapped bundle in front of his face.

"How sweet of you." Kalois's eyes begin to lower back down to the report he had been working on.

He had just found his place aging when he heard something that caught his attention. "Oh well I guess that I will just have to tell your mother that you don't want any of her packed lunches anymore."

Kalois eyed his cousin warily. "Mom made this?" He asked watching for any sign of false hood.

"Yes."

"Not you?" He pushed eyeing the package with suspicion.

Washen sighed in mock exasperation. "Yes. I am just delivering this time." The word's had barley left his mouth when a hand shout out from behind the desk and grabbed the package, but before it could return with its prize the package slipped thru maniacal fingers. Washen saw, as though in slow motion as the package tumbled free and beguine its deceit carpet wards. Reacting on he reached out, quick as a flash and grabbed it before it had fallen more than a few inches from its point of origin.

Kalois swear and for a second Washen thought that he was angry with him till he recognized the true sores of the outrage. Kalois gave his false right arm a smack with his good left. Washen pushed the package over the desk then turned away. He would not want his cousin to see him in his moment of shame.

It had been almost three months an engine malfunction on a training run had lead to a crash that had cost Kalois his right leg, most of his right arm and any hope of living out his ambition to be an A-Wing pilot.

He was in recovery for most of the intervening time, trying to adjust to his new situation. Thou his wounds recovered well enough the mechanical replacements had not been able to acclimate as well as had been anticipated. The damage to the nerves had prevented a full connection between the replacement limbs and the brain, this caused them work with only a fraction of the control and grace of the original body parts. Attempts to fix the problem had proved fruitless with a heavy hart Kalois returned to services filling reports.

Washen had made it a point to make this drastic change as smoothly as possible by doing everything possible to help his cousin, everything that was except cooking, which after one disasters attempt he had left to Aunt Lillian. Still despite all this Kalois was still prone to sudden fits of anger and depression that Washen could neither help nor fully understand. Eventually he had learned to read danger sighs and avoid the situation all together when they occurred. Still there remained a deep seated felling of inadequacy that, like his cushions outbursts, Washen could neither fully understand nor help.

These thought hounded him as he pushed open the front door of the New Republic military reduction station. As he awls did returning from a delivery Washen stirred at the versos images of New Republic space craft flying around superimposed imagines of current and former New Republic generals and Heroes. His eyes skimmed over the proudly displayed image of pilots of rogue squadron with Luck Skywalker standing proudly at its head. He over looked the strain visage of Admiral Akbar with its dire warning about the still precinct danger of the Republics enemies and her need for more pilots to combat these enemies. Finally he found what he was looking for. Partially covered by a glowering storm trooper warning about the dangers of defeat was an old poster of a Human and a Wookie standing in front of an old freighter. Without even having to see the faded letters Washen recited the slogan. "Anyone can be a hero. Everyone has the postnasal for greatness." Washen repeated each word with solemn. He realized it was more than a little backhanded of a compliment, but he did not care. The grates star pilot in the galaxy was telling him that he had the potential for greatness.

"I'M BACK!" Washen shouted closing the door behind himself with more hast then he had anticipated. The slamming door caused him to cringe in unconscious expectation of the verbal assault that this usually triggered. After several monuments flitted by in fretful silence Washen relaxed. Clearly is ante was not in and since the window had not broken this time she would never have to know.

Tossing the bag he had used to carry Kalois's lunch on to the kitchen counter then turned and made a B-line straight towered the main room. If his Aunt was out at this hour it could only mean that she had goon out after work with one of her friends. Before she would go out once or twice in a month and would stay out till late in the evening. After the accident however they had become more frequent and went on till eerily in the morning.

As with his cousins shifting modes Washen had learned to deal with these absences as best he could (pushing the feelings of guilt responsibility aside) by exploiting the unused Holo Projector.

He had just settled on 'Solo Commando' as the first Holo of the night when he was caught dead in his tracks by the sight of his aunt sitting in her accustomed chair, staring blankly in to the distance, a wireless com clutched in a trembling hand.

As Washen slowed to a stop she cut the line and without turning spook in a low deadpan. "Washen I want you to pack your things. Your Parents will be hear in a week to pick you up."

There was a long still silence. Washen looked at his Aunt then quickly around the room then back to his aunt. This had to be a joke, not a kind or even particularly funny one, but that was the only explanation. "Was that them?" Washen heard himself ask and was mildly surprised at how calm and he sound.

"Yes" In the same deadpan. She tapped a tobac stick out of a crumpled pack and struck a match. There was another uncomfortable silence as she drew breath then exhaled a stream of smoke. Finaly she looked eyes on Washen and in a moment of pure, unbridled fear he realized that tears where running down her face. In a strained voice she asked. "Have you had fun?"

Utterly thrown off by this unexpected turn of events Washen groped for the right response. Absurdly the cover of the Holo that he had been planning on watching centuries ago when he had first entered the room floated threw his mind. "Of course!"

There was another pause then Lillian began to sob. Running forwarded she embraced her nephew.

Washen sat on the pile of boxes that had been his life for the last two years and stared up at the calling. In a few hours his parents would arrive to pick him up.

There was the faint sound of a door opening and closing and looked down to see Kalois standing before him his a small wrapped package in his hands. "Shouldn't you be at work?" Washen asked tiredly.

"I took the day off." He reached out and offered the package to Washen. Washen eyed it with mounting curiosity. He reached out and took hold of the soft, warped gift. Washen turned the bundle around till he found a place where the wrapping was held together and carefully hooked one finger under the wrapping and finally with one swift motion he tore away the covering.

For a second the world seemed to fade away. Nothing existed except for bright orange cloth that seemed to shine through the torn wrapping. In some small faraway part of himself he heard his cousin explaining about his father's services recorded and the mementos recovery, but overriding this was an increasingly shrill voice screaming in side of his head. 'A FLIGHTSUIT! AN ORIGINAL REBLEION FLIGHTSUIT!' As thou under its own volition he felt his body fly thru the air as he dive tackled his cousin with a tight bear hug.

'If anything happens to that boy because of your 'business' I will kill you.' The whispered parting statement still infuriated Katrina just to think of it. Her own sister had threatened her life over the safety of her own son. It was all well and good to lounge about and allow one's self to fall to rack and ruin over their own son's injures, it would seem to Lillian, but the moment someone else's business was concerned, well then criticism was perfectly justifiable. The nerve!

It had been Yuther idea naturally. At the time it seemed so easy, brake ties with Harkin then swing around and cut off his ability to silence them as they received the rewarded for turning him in. The plan might even have worked save for the Harkin's blasted for sight. They had just begun there surprise strife when their victims had risen to attack. The escape nearly killed them and had severely damaged there ship. Unable to land for proper repairs for fear of discovery they had slowly and quietly made their way to the one place in the galaxy that they could be garneted safe harbor.

Now six weeks out from the unspent family reunion the three passengers' of the Keeg Runner took it in shifts to run the ship threw the longer 'scenic' root toward the heart of the new republic.

"And so that is it." Katrina Keeg folded her hands on the spotless desk and looked the peace officer directly in the eyes. "We give you Harkin and we go in peacefully and in exchange you put Washen under your protection. Take it or leave it."

The officer looked slowly around crowded café then taped on finger on the table flowed by three more. Without a word Yuther slide a credit marker across the table. To a member of the chronically under paid, under staffed officer of the Republic anti-piracy division the three thousand credit marker would probably be more then he would make in a good month, but to the Keeg's it was the tip of the iceberg, scratching the surfs of a rainy day fund that would, in time allow the family to retire to a life of luxury.

The marker slipped into an interior pocket of the man's jacket as he said in an almost friendly tone "I will personally make sure that he is taken care of. He will have to go thru all the basic tests and protégées, but save any major holes in your story and no hiccups in the testing and we can have him in your friend's protective custody in no time."

"Good." Katrina sighed. For once things were going to work out alright.

"He's a WHAT sensitive?"

Epilogue

Palzo kicked his legs up on to the desk and folded his arms over his chest. His face contorted into the Quarren equivalent of a smug smile. Haley Milon hated it when he did that. She had worked tirelessly to work her way up to her positions in the anti-piracy branch of the New Republic sector peace keepers and she had not done this all so that self important thugs could dirty her clean desk. Grabbing his right boot she pushed, sliding the boots off the polished wood. "If you put thus things on my desk one more time I will fry them off."

"Testy today?" Nirian continued to exuded an air of unbearable smugness as he swung his legs lazily back up to their privies roust. For a brief wonderful moment Haley envisioned drawing her blaster and making good on her Promise. She was brought back to reality by a loud tapping on her desk. Palzo was taping a date card on the disk. With distress she saw the casing leave light dents in the wood of her desk.

"Give me that!" Haley snapped and reached out for the disk. Quick as a flash the Quarren held it out of her reach.

"Two thousand credits." Nirian laughed holding the disk above the irritated Duros head.

"For one lousy pirate! Are you insane?" Haley snarled and made a grab for the disk.

With out warning the Quarren dropped the disk into her outstretched hands. "No." He said and sat down into his chair. Breathing hard and eyeing him warily Haley sat down on her side.

"If you aren't selling dead pirates then what are you selling exactly?" she inquired.

"Information" Nirian stated. "Activate that disk." With some trepidation she flicked the activation. Instantly a translucent blue figure appeared floating above her desk. Before she could responded the Quarren quickly tapped a second switch. The name 'Washen Keeg' glowed to life under the floating holo image.

"That's not…" Haley begin her mouth growing dry.

"Washen Keeg. The LAST Keeg or attest the last to still use that name…" He allowed his words to trail off into silence. After a still moment Haley drew a credit marker out of her desk draw and placed it in the Quarren's out stretched hand.

"Two thousand now" She said quietly "and ten more if you can do it quietly without letting it get back to me." The Quarren nodded and without a further world turned and left the office. Haley watched him go then slumped into her chair. As she drew a bottle of her desk drawer she mused to herself.

"Family" She muttered "can't live with 'em, can't ever get rid of 'em." It was going to be a long night.