A/N: Since my main story, Family is more than Blood, is about to begin intersecting classes, I decided to start this little collection of drabbles. These shortish one shots will be my way of introducing the other characters without writing another epic space opera, because those take time. Plus, this will be a fun place to throw all my little side missions that I don't want to turn into massive storylines.

To begin with, I thought it would be fun to cram the Esseles and Black Talon together in one cohesive story. All characters are at different places in their timelines for the purposes of this story. Little of it has anything to do with the actual main storyline. It's just for fun.

Characters: Fynta Wolfe. Aric Jorgan. Notiac Carlo. Kaeto Vaa. Solish Rasik. Darth Kozen. Cinlat & Verin Ejnar. Zolah Holran.

The Duplicity of War

Havoc Squad
(Post Act 3)

The ship shook again, nearly upending the huddle on the bridge. It wasn't the most unusual conglomeration that Major Fynta Wolfe had been a part of, but it certainly ranked up there. Mostly because Jedi were involved. Two, to be exact. One large Togruta female with a heavy, exotic accent. The other was a Miralukan straight out of Coruscant, if the major had to guess. Basic humanoid biology, dark skin, light brown hair, yet somehow striking in her own way. The decorative bone eye cover added to the woman's appeal.

"You have ten minutes to decide. Good day." The holo of Grand Moff Kilran cut off; silence followed. Then, everyone spoke at once. The captain of the vessel had been killed in the initial attack, leaving an unsure replacement to handle the situation. His first mate did everything in his power to calm the new commander down, while simultaneously trying to coax a command so that they could take action.

Fynta readied herself to add her voice to the fray, when the Miralukan Jedi spoke up. "Enough. Control your emotions." Even though her voice was soft, the authority was clear.

The new captain sputtered. "But Master Jedi, we do not have a Republic senator aboard this vessel. How can we give him something we do not have?" Kilran, the famed Butcher of Coruscant, claimed that a troublesome senator had boarded the ship back on Ryloth, and he wanted her turned over to the Empire.

The bridge shook again, and a frantic voice came over the comms. "Imperial boarders on the maintenance level. Requesting immediate aid!"

Fynta smacked Jorgan's chestplate with the back of her hand while addressing the rest of the group. "You three figure this out. We'll handle the boarders." The Jedi nodded, and the two commandos set off at a jog.

Once in the lift, Jorgan sighed. "Hell of a vacation so far, huh?"

The major grinned at her husband. They were en route to an all-expenses-paid seminar on Alderaan. It had been the first time she and Jorgan had traveled alone since the Corellian fiasco, and they'd chosen to treat it as a mini getaway. However, the war had other plans. "It's just a simple dust up in space. We'll keep the Imps off the ship while their techs fix the hyperdrive, then be on our way again. No problem."

The Cathar snorted, then swore. "Our helmets are in our room." Technically, they had separate rooms, but there was a dividing door that linked the two. It made sneaking around a lot easier.

"Just figured that out?" Fynta raised her hands in surrender when Jorgan shot a glare at her. "It'll be fine, riduur. You heard the Moff, they are on a hunting expedition. Mercs and cannon fodder at best." Jorgan muttered again, and Fynta rolled her eyes. Before either could add more to the argument, however, the lift doors slid open to reveal a Mon Calamari lieutenant and his men under heavy fire. Fynta grabbed her rifle and smiled at her husband. "After you?"

Imperial Agent
(Between Act 1 & 2)

Zolah studied her datapad as while the Sith Pureblood paced in front of her. Darth Kozen relayed the information with clinical detail, leaving nothing to chance. The Chiss Agent respected him for that. "The attack is a diversion. I care not for Senator Ashara, she is but a small voice railing against a giant. This man, however. . . ."

Zolah glanced up to see the image of a portly man of average everything. "His only known name is The General, and he has access to many of our secrets. Intelligence has discovered that he is traveling under an alias to Coruscant with the intention of defecting. This must not be allowed to happen."

A pair in Mandalorian armor leaned against the table, both fully geared for an assault, and neither willing to remove their helmets. "You want him dead or alive?" The woman asked through filters that made her sound disturbingly droid like. Zolah had never worked with a Mandalorian before, but she recognized the woman's dark armor from the database at Sith Intelligence. Cinlat Ejnar, one of the more successful bounty hunters; meaning the brute at her back must be her husband. They were not all that different from one another, she and Cinlat. Both were paid to capture or eliminate high value targets. Working together should prove enlightening.

"Alive, preferably," Kozen answered, leaning next to the petite hunter. "But do what you must."

Cinlat pushed upright and nodded once to her partner. "We'll get the job done."

"Indeed." Zolah hooked her datapad on her belt, deciding it was time to remind the two hunters that she would be accompanying them on this venture. "I've downloaded a diagram of the Republic ship's layout. They will no doubt move the passengers to safety." Approaching the table, Zolah pulled up a holo of the ship in question and maximized the aft section. "We should stow away on the battle droid delivery ship aimed here. Once the droids have provided a sufficient distraction, you and I will exit the craft and make our way towards the escape pods. That is where they'll have taken our bounty."

Cinlat's faceplate remained motionless while she studied the plan laid out before her. Finally, she nodded. "Works for me. Verin and I brought the heavy guns."

"Cipher Nine speaks with the authority of the Empire. Your job, hunters, is to keep her alive until she finds the target," Darth Kozen responded, pressing his forefinger into the table as if to drill into them the importance of his order. Zolah would have preferred to bring one of her own along, but Kozen claimed to have worked with these two before and assured her they would get the job done.

"No problem," the Mandalorian man said. "We'll get her there, cryo the target, and bring him back alive."

Cinlat's shoulders rose and fell in silence, something Zolah thought was surely a sigh. Darth Kozen appeared mollified nonetheless. "Very well. Go to your ship, the attack has already begun."

Jedi Knight
(Act 1)

Kaeto Vaa followed the Jedi Master's lead through the ship. The fighting had been fierce, but most were only battle droids, very few humans had stepped foot on the vessel. The Togruta kept her twin blades at the ready, prepared to leap into the fight at a moment's notice. There is no fear . . . she repeated the mantra continuously, even while cleaving a droid in half. Only peace. It did little to ease the pounding of her heart, yet light welled within her all the same. Kaeto had never been completely sure how her master fought with such serenity, only hoped it would find her with age.

"Uh, we have a problem," the Republic commando called over their joined comm frequency.

Kaeto and Master Notiac Carlo came to a halt, and the Miralukan pressed the bead in her ear. "Go ahead, Major."

The major sighed, "I found the senator. She was posing as a passenger in order to evade the Empire. Apparently, she's been getting death threats for a few months."

The two Jedi exchanged glances, though it was difficult to read Notiac's expression without eye contact. "Very well," the woman replied with all the patience expected of a Jedi Master. "Is she seeking protection?"

The sound of a muffled argument replied before the commander became clear again. "-then sit on her if you have to. Sorry, sirs. No, she wants to infiltrate the enemy ship and aid in its sabotage. Given her position in the senate, I've dispatched Havoc Squad to shadow her for the duration of her trip." The major paused briefly. "We go where she goes."

Notiac's head tipped slightly to the left, and Kaeto got the impression that wasn't the answer that the other Jedi had expected. The Togruta's blood hummed in her veins at the prospect of another fight. Infiltrating an Imperial ship, destroying their weapons so that they could no longer be used to harm innocents. This was why she'd become a Jedi. There is no passion, only peace, her former mentor's voice whispered in the back of her mind. Kaeto sighed. She'd have been a better soldier than a Jedi.

"Is there a plan to breach the enemy vessel?" Notiac asked calmly.

"We might have discussed a few, hypothetical scenarios," the soldier answered. "Something needs to be done about them. We are outgunned."

Kaeto leapt at the opportunity presented. "I will accompany them, Master Carlo." The woman turned her eyeless features on the Togruta, and Kaeto did her best to sound resolute instead of excited. "I am familiar with the layout of that ship. My presence will expedite the process."

Notiac paused for a long time while she mulled over the options. "Very well, Kaeto. May the Force guide you."

Kaeto Vaa activated her comm bead as she sprinted towards the lift. "Major Wolfe, I will meet you in the shuttle bay."

Sith Sorcerer
(Act 2)

Solish burned a path through the Republic pawns of the lower levels. With each new wave, the Sith left one alive to question. This particular survivor was a female corporal. "Tell me where I can find Senator Ashara," the Sith requested in her most polite of tones.

The woman squirmed in the Cathar's grasp. "What senator?" She rasped.

Solish extended her claws into the soft, human flesh before snapping the corporal's neck. The body slumped to the floor, and the Sith glanced at her apprentice. "Guess she isn't here." You are being used as a pawn again. Free us and we will make you stronger. "Shut up," she snapped at the irksome voices crowding about in her mind. They were becoming tireless in their bid for freedom.

Xalek knew better than to question his master's outburst. The Kaleesh warrior chose to remain silent as they stepped over the corpses that littered the hallway. Darth Kozen had insisted upon showing restraint; had cautioned against drawing too much attention, lest the Republic become suspicious. He never said she couldn't defend herself. Solish scanned the charred bodies and shrugged. She'd defended herself a tad aggressively, perhaps, but it was still defense.

The two Sith continued deeper into the ship. Their mission was to find a Twi'lek called Ashara, wrestle her from her Republic bodyguards, and kill the woman over holofeed. Moff Kilran claimed it was to snuff out a minor annoyance while also striking a blow at Republic morale. The simpleton had no idea what was really going on, and Solish was perfectly happy to keep it that way. Not even Xalek knew their true mission.

Glancing up into the security camera, the Sith let electricity build in her palm, folding the Force into it until her entire body reverberated with the sensation. Then, lifting one clawed finger dramatically, she touched the wall where the main circuitry hid. Sparks leapt through the metal, striking out at the rivets that held the durasteel panels in place. It bent to Solish's will, following the path she chose, until the camera above exploded. Not just that camera, but five more down the hall. If that didn't get the bridge's attention, then nothing would. It was time to flush the Jedi out of hiding.

Bounty Hunter
(Post Act 3)

All three hunters stopped when the lights on the ship dimmed. It lasted only a moment, but Verin had little doubt who was to blame. "That little Sith sure is a spit fire," he remarked absently, watching the lights flicker.

"Have you ever met one who wasn't?" Cinlat retorted, every bit as annoyed as she sounded. Cinlat didn't like Sith, Verin wasn't fond of them either, but she had a special distaste for them. Especially since this one was a Cathar, something that went back to her days before becoming a hunter.

"We are almost to the escape pods," the Chiss Imperial commented. She was a lot like Cinlat, no nonsense and a hell of a shot. Both women had operated in perfect unison with only a few words shared between them. Verin felt this was shaping up to be one of their more boring missions despite the fact that they were storming a Republic ship.

Cinlat held up a hand as they approached a juncture. Verin and Cipher Nine flattened themselves against the wall. He activated Cinlat's POV to see what had spooked her and wasn't the least bit surprised to find himself looking at a pretty woman in Jedi robes. His wife didn't much care for Jetii either. In fact, she didn't really care for anyone but him, and sometimes Fynta. She and his little sister were of one mind when it came to Force users.

"I can sense your unease," the woman called out, sounding as calm and serene as expected. "I do not wish to fight you."

"She is Miralukan," Cipher whispered. Somehow, the woman had patched into Verin and Cinlat's comms. He guessed it had something to do with the implants the lined her temple and hairline. "We can't sneak past her."

Cinlat checked the charge on her Rippers and sighed. "We are on a tight schedule, the Republic has already begun their assault on the Talon."

Verin caught where his wife was going and revved the core of his rifle. "You go on, Agent. The missus and I will take care of the Jetii."

Cipher Nine didn't hesitate. She flipped a switch on her belt to activate a stealth generator and vanished from sight. "I'll continue to the target while you distract the Jedi. We'll rendezvous at the pods."

"Sounds like a plan," Cinlat added, swinging around the corner with both blasters held aloft. The Jedi activated her lightsaber, a pretty green color. Verin really wanted one of those someday.

Just as Verin stepped next to his wife with his rifle to his shoulder, the lights on the floor blinked out. His night vision had just kicked in when the emergency lights clicked on. The Jedi had gone rigid, her arm stiff as she held her saberstaff before her. "How about it, Jetii," Cinlat called through the dimness. "Us, or that Sith."

Havoc Squad
(Post Act 3)

"How did we lose her again?" Fynta railed while Aric ran a hand down his face. "I've never met a woman so insistent on getting herself killed." The Cathar shot his commanding officer a pointed look, and she pulled her lips back in a silent snarl. "Don't say it."

Jorgan had spent the last four years of his life growling at his wife for her reckless stunts. Maybe this adventure in babysitting a rambunctious senator would finally open her eyes to what Havoc had to put up with. All gloating aside, Jorgan agreed that Senator Ashara's continued disappearances were getting old. She was a skinny little Twi'lek with a knack for walking quietly and slipping down the wrong hallways. Then, she'd reappear again with a report that there was nothing of interest.

"Master Vaa, have you found the hyperdrive yet?" Fynta asked over her wrist comm. The Togruta knight had split off to disable the hyperdrive, while Havoc, the senator, and a handful of soldiers assaulted the shields. While Fynta waited for a response, she motioned for the soldiers to fan out and begin a search for the troublesome Twi'lek.

"Nearly there, Major."

"Got her," one commando called from up the hallway. He dragged Ashara back by her upper arm, the senator looking none too pleased. "She claimed to be scouting ahead."

"Good work, soldier." Fynta stepped closer and lowered her voice so that only Jorgan and Ashara could hear. "I don't care if you have former military experience, Senator. If you pull another stunt like that, I will leave your ass behind. Am I clear?" It was strange hearing Fynta use strictly Basic cuss words, and the Cathar found that his brain automatically replaced them with Mando'a.

Senator Ashara glared at the major. She was shorter and thinner than Fynta, wearing lightweight body armor in contrast to Fynta's heavy beskar. Still, the Twi'lek did her best to be as big as the woman she faced. Jorgan watched the standoff with mild interest, until Ashara finally backed down.

"Fine, have it your way, Major. But you're missing out on a valuable asset."

Fynta snorted. "Somehow, I think I'll survive."

"Major, I've reached the hyperdrive." Jorgan heard the distinct sound of a lightsaber being deactivated. "Shall I shut it down, or destroy it?"

Fynta kept eye contact with Ashara as she answered. "We're on a tight schedule, I vote destroy and return to base." Originally, the plan had been to sneak aboard and systematically shut down their systems. Leaving a trail of slag would raise alarms, subtle shutdowns, however, would give them room to escape.

"Agreed, I'll meet you back at the shuttle," Kaeto responded, and the link went dead.

Fynta finally turned to face the rest of the men, motioning for everyone to move away from the control panels. "Now, who has the detonator?"

Imperial Agent
(Post Act 3)

"So, you've got me. Me, the secrets in my head, and a belly full of blood." The General was much older than the photo in his file, but Zolah had run a facial recognition program. He might have altered his physiology in order to hide from the Imperials, but there was no fooling the Chiss agent's implants.

Zolah hefted her rifle, waving it in the direction she wanted the man to go. The General had been wounded in the fighting, a rogue bolt grazed his ample gut. He was dramatizing the entire thing in her opinion. Apart from a slightly elevated heartbeat, the General's vitals all looked fine.

"You should have known this would happen. People like us do not simply defect." The yet unnamed man was a war analyst and strategist. There was absolutely no way that the Empire would let him walk away, and judging by his despondent expression, he knew as much.

"So, not going to kill me? It'll be torture then, or at best, a lifetime of imprisonment," the man complained.

"Was is really worth it?" Zolah wasn't being sarcastic this time. The Chiss truly wanted to know. After all she had been through on behalf of the Empire, only to be betrayed in the end. Sometimes, she felt her loyalties waver.

The man gave a humorless laugh and stumbled. "If you knew what I knew, what both sides planned to do," he responded through gritted teeth. "They will destroy our galaxy."

"That very well may be," Zolah responded. "But we all have a part to play."

"Ah, there you are," the female bounty hunter said. "This the guy?" Zolah nodded, shouldering her rifle now that the hunters had arrived. The woman didn't speak again, simply lifted her arm and shot a stream of quick cryo over the General, encasing him completely in a cheap form of carbonite. It would last long enough to get him back aboard their own ship.

The male appeared next, pushing a hover sled. "So nice of the Pubs to leave these lying around." Together, the three loaded their quarry onto the sled and started back towards the shuttle.

"Well, another job wrapped up," the man said. "I was a pleasure doing business with you, Cipher."

Jedi Shadow
(Act 3)

Notiac Carlo entered the bridge just as the captain of the vessel sputtered out an excuse about why he offered money to the soldiers to leave Senator Ashara behind. "Oh come on, it was one life verses hundreds," he explained. "How can you possibly hold that against me? Especially after that stunt you tried to pull in engineering?"

The Twi'lek crossed her arms. "As it happens, I don't. But I don't appreciate being sold out either." Ashara took note of the Jedi's entrance and stepped into a more official pose. "We can finish this later. Master Jedi, are the levels clear?"

Notiac nodded. "The Imperials have fled back to their ship, and I no longer feel the Sith's presence." It had been a confusing battle. While both had tried to disarm the other, Notiac never got the impression that the Sith was attempting to kill her. She dragged the battle out, dancing away from the Jedi's blade. Then, she was gone.

Pushing the thoughts away for the time being, Notiac focused on the excitement humming through the bridge. "What are our damages?"

"Looks like the hull took a pounding," the Cathar soldier called from where he looked over the shoulder of one of the techs. While his signature looked nothing like the one she'd just battled, Notiac couldn't discount the irony of running across two Cathar in this fight. "And shields are at twenty-three percent. If I may, sir, we should take this lull as an opportunity to escape."

"Agreed," Notiac responded. "Captain, set course for Coruscant. There is much about this that troubles me."

The crew of the Esseless did as ordered and the gathered leaders began to drift apart. Senator Ashara collected her protocol droid and set out, presumably to her rooms. The two Havoc soldiers also exited the bridge. Notiac watched them through the Force, intrigued by the impression they left in it. The woman was a torrent of emotion beneath a carefully crafted shell of calm. Notiac saw a writhing sea of black, punctuated by stabs of bright color that surfaced before being shoved down again. The Cathar was in every way her opposite. He appeared as a solid mass of blue, cold and calculated, but with a core that burned brightly. Both so different, yet there was also a similarity to them. A connection.

"Master?"

Notiac pulled her attention from the soldiers to focus on another oddity. Kaeto Vaa shone with a bright, golden light. She was touched directly by the Force, purposefully guided, though to what purpose still remained to be seen. Yet, the young Togruta doubted, and that could be her undoing in the end. Placing a hand on the knight's shoulder, Notiac smiled. "Be calm, my friend. There is much yet to be revealed. Go, meditate and rest."

There was the vaguest shift in the larger woman's posture to indicate a bow before she pulled out of Notiac's grasp. Being alone on the bridge with just the crew and captain, Notiac inhaled deeply to calm her own fears. She would need to report this strange occurrence to the council. There was little doubt in her mind that the Sith was a diversion. The Mandalorians were the key, though Notiac was still unsure as to how. Many had died, and it would take hours to discover whether or not anyone had been targeted. She feared the consequences of this feint, and wondered what it would unleash upon the galaxy later.

Sith Warrior
(Act 3)

Darth Kozen dismissed the agent and paid the bounty hunters. All parties had played their part beautifully. The Republic fleet had fled as soon as their precious senator was back aboard after convincing themselves that they'd sabotaged the Black Talon. Kozen was not overly concerned about the damage. Maintenance crews would have them bound for Dromund Kaas in a few hours. Hours that Kozen did not intend to waste.

"Greetings, General."

The man was thicker now, and he took up the entirety of the chair he'd been secured to. "I am going to ask you a few questions, and it would please me greatly if you would answer them without too much fuss."

The General lifted his blackened eyes to glare into the face of the Sith Pureblood. "I have nothing to say to you. Take me back to your masters, I'll not speak again."

"It is, of course, your prerogative which way this interrogation goes," Darth Kozen remarked. "All I am interested in is your Republic contact. I don't suppose you planned to simply walk into the Senate Tower and ask to speak to the Supreme Chancellor herself. Someone helped you."

"I changed my face, there was no one," the man replied with a stubborn set to his jowls.

Kozen stepped aside, fading into the shadows as Solish Rasik glided forward. The woman had been driven mad long ago by the ghosts who dwelled in her mind. But the one thing that gave her solace, was electricity. She'd become quite adept at altering the way it flowed through her body and out her fingertips. The jolt she provided could be as gentle as a tickle, or as powerful as a lightning strike.

The Force coalesced in the palm of the Cathar's hand in the form of purple sparks. The General watched her approach, licking his lips nervously. "Last chance," Kozen repeated. He leaned against the wall, using the tip of a knife to clean beneath his fingernails. "Who was your contact?"

"I-"

Kozen sighed. "Lord Solish?"

White fangs glimmered in a feral grin as the Cathar thrust her hand towards the General's chest, unleashing a torrent of violet pain. Darth Kozen checked his nails while the man screamed, decided they were satisfactory, then started on the other hand.