Author's Note and Disclaimer: The Star Wars franchise does not belong to the author in any way, shape or form. This is not for profit. The setting begins roughly a hundred years after the Yuuzhan Vong Wars in the New Jedi Order series and summarily ignores any novels that took place afterwards. The plot and characters are all mine.

The Sith Insurgency – Chapter I I– Eight Years Later

Lucky Streak dropped out of hyperspace with a large rattling that echoed throughout the ship. A moment later came the expected shout of, "Blasted pilot!" And then, "Dryden! Get down to engine access, and help Arson fix the hyperdrive."

Dryden leapt out of the pilot's chair and dropped down the cockpit ladder. Just behind him was the fore landing hatch, and to either side were the crew compartments, and straight ahead was the lounge. Along the sides of the lounge were passenger compartments and entrances to the two cargo holds, and the hyperdrive access was in the aft-most section of hull. R6-S1, Lucky Streak's astromech repair droid, was hard at work fixing the hyperdrive.

"Arson, what happened?"

There was a series of beeps and whistles that made Dryden wince; Arson was talented at foul language along with a tendency to curse the ship's captain at any given opportunity. Apparently, Captain Hathes Parres had refused to pick up spare parts at their last stop, and now the reverse power coupling was fried. The Captain was not going to be happy. Dryden looked over the complete diagnostic before he left the main engineering terminal and walked to the fore-starboard quarters.

Dryden knocked on the Captain's door and politely waited for him to answer. "We just lost our last reverse power coupling, and the hyperdrive motivator has maybe one more jump left. The nearest planet is Ogden. Do you know anything about it?"

Hathes scowled. "Ogden? Of all the places... they don't like humans much."

"I might be able to get us to Curad..."

"Don't bother," the Captain snapped. "Every planet in the Kirran Sector is worse than the last. If Ogden is closest, then they're our best bet for parts. We'll have to sell our cargo at a loss, but we don't have much choice." He slammed a fist against the bulkhead. Once a professional fighter, Captain Parres now sported a potbelly and a balding head. His body, however, was still as resilient as ever. Anyone else would have pulled away a bloody hand from the force of that punch, but Hathes's knuckles were not even red. "I'll take care of the parts, you see if you can line up a high-paying job. People seem to like you more than me..."

"Isn't that because you yell louder than a gundark, have the looks of a wookiee, and punch the head off anyone who looks at you funny?" If Hathes did not say the same things about himself, Dryden would never have spoken to him so disrespectfully.

The Captain merely grinned in response. "That's right, Dryden, and don't forget it. Now get to the cockpit and take us to Ogden."

XxxxX

A robed figure appeared in blue light, hovering above the holographic emitter. "All evidence points to the Mudjarens," the hologram reminded the callers. "So why are you on Ogden?"

Red, glowing eyes framed by dark blue skin gave Jedi Tier'lor'nuruodo an evil appearance. Chiss were regarded with suspicion by most sentients in the Galaxy, and it was only through her title of Jedi Knight that she was able to earn any amount of trust. "Master Roke, I believe that the attack on Das'f'k was more than a border dispute. My Apprentice and I suspect that there is evidence to be found here on Ogden."

Jedi Master Quaad Roke visibly relaxed at her words, though he did his best to hide the reaction. Master Roke nodded in approval. "Very well, Jedi Lorna." He did not even try to speak her full name, since most non-chiss butchered the pronunciation. "You exhibit the best traits of your species: patience and thoroughness. The Council trusts your judgment. Keep us informed of your progress." He bowed his head and gave the traditional Jedi parting, "May the Force be with you." With those words, Master Roke blinked into nothingness.

Lorna's apprentice spoke up immediately. "Master Lorna, why did you not tell Master Roke that we already have evidence of a larger conspiracy?"

The Jedi Knight lowered her head ever-so-slightly to take on a more relaxed stance. She was now the humble teacher, not the confident agent of the Council. "Until we discover who is behind the conspiracy, I prefer to keep the details of the investigation to ourselves. We still do not know what resources they have at their disposal, and it would be presumptuous to assume that even an encrypted Holo-Net link is secure."

The thought of a stranger observing them sent a chill up the apprentice's spine.

"We have several hours until our final meeting with our contact," Lorna reminded her apprentice. "Be wary, Perhi. Open yourself to the Force and be on the lookout for anything unexpected."

XxxxX

Ogden was a desert world with understandably few settlements on the surface. Though the planet was known for great underground seas and precious gems, the allure of riches was not enough to offset the surface climate. Lucky Streak landed in Ogdenim, the only settlement large enough to be called a city.

Dryden left the spaceport in search of the nearest cantina. Flying for Hathes had taught the young pilot that a cargo hold full of contraband was worth a hell of a lot more than textiles or foodstuffs. The best place to find less-than-legal work was by word of mouth, which meant anywhere that sold drinks was his first destination.

As he reached the entrance one of Ogdenim's cantinas, two familiar figures caught his attention. Loose-fitting robes like theirs were a fairly common sight on Ogden, even though the species were less common – a chiss and a human. Even if he did not recognize the chiss, their stance was enough to give away their identities. They were Jedi. His hand went unconsciously to a binoc case attached to his belt. It was an unwelcome reminder of what could have been, and yet the case was always with him.

The Jedi moved cautiously towards the mouth of a nearby alley. Dryden followed without knowing why, keeping hidden when they checked to see if anyone was behind. They must have been anxious, because they did not notice the freighter pilot who had happened upon them. He snuck to the corner after the Jedi entered the alley, to watch what transpired.

A nervous twi'lek awaited them. He twitched constantly and kept looking around, as if he expected something to jump out of the shadows. His behavior would have been comical, in other circumstances. The twi'lek spoke to the Jedi in hushed, hurried tones that did not reach Dryden. Then he handed over a datapad.

Perhaps several minutes of conversation passed between them before the chiss suddenly took a half-step back and the human stiffened. "Someone is watching us," the chiss announced to the whole alley. The twi'lek took this as a sign to run; he took off in the opposite direction, with the speed of one whose life was in danger. Anticipation settled in the twi'lek's absence.

Dryden realized that it was time to come out of hiding. They clearly knew he was there; better that he reveal himself and resolve the situation as peacefully as possible. Just as he stepped into the alley, others also decided it was time to drop the charade. Four black-clad humanoids shimmered into existence, with only a spark of electricity and slight hum to announce their presence. It was a technology that had not been seen in many centuries.

The humanoids held dark vibroswords that would easily cut down the unarmored females. Before the attackers were in range, the females drew and activated green-bladed lightsabers. The fight was on, and Dryden had to decide if he wanted to watch or participate.

Out of the binoc case came Dryden's lightsaber. The blade switched on with a snap-hiss as he charged the attackers. His lightsaber cut a deep gash into the back of the nearest sentient. The human female took advantage of the distraction caused by Dryden, and sliced open the thorax of another black-clad enemy. Both sentients dropped to the ground with faint cries before life left them.

One of the chiss's opponents was dead by the time the humans checked on her progress. The other came in high with a slash designed to cleave her at the shoulder, and the chiss's lightsaber came up to parry. Dryden expected the lightsaber to cut the vibrosword in two, but to his surprise the blades met as if both were solid. Skill and speed were in the chiss's favor as she stepped towards the attacker and disemboweled him with the same movement used to stop his attack.

Four corpses surrounded the three sentients with lightsabers.

"We should leave before more assassins show up," the human female advised.

Dryden accepted her logic. There would be time for conversation later, though he would likely be the one answering questions at first. He wanted to be somewhere he did not have to worry about invisible assassins. "Where do you suggest?"

The two Jedi shared a look. "We have a hotel room in the city. We can speak there."

XxxxX

"I do not recognize you from the Order," the human female began. "Who is your Master? Why are you here?"

Dryden winced at the questions. An interrogation was not what he had in mind. The three were in a modest hotel room, located in one of Ogdenim's upscale neighborhoods. There were two separate beds, a single armchair, and a view that showed the spaceport in the distance. A communications console that doubled as an entertainment center was the room's only other feature. Chiss and human Jedi stood with arms folded in their robe sleeves, studying Dryden as he sat in the armchair. He was made to feel like a suspect, rather than someone who had helped them.

"You surprise me, Perhi," the chiss chided her fellow-Jedi. "You used to idolize this very man."

Perhi studied Dryden's face intently before recognition set in. The moment it did, she looked away with a slight blush. "Rel Dryden. I didn't recognize you with a beard."

Only then did Dryden place her name. She was six years his junior, and she had been a young teen when they last met. Her confession of love had led to many events and finalized his decision to leave the Order. He was surprised to see her in Jedi robes.

"Why did you leave the Jedi Order?" Perhi demanded. There were hints of betrayal in her voice, which surprised the other two sentients in the room. Perhi's companion noticed Dryden's flash of emotion and did her best to calm them both before a fight erupted.

"There will be plenty of time for those questions," the chiss said. "Dryden, I am Jedi Tier'lor'nuruodo, core name Lorna. Perhi is my apprentice."

None of Lorna's words inspired Dryden with hope. He was trapped in his past and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. Leaving the Order was a deliberate choice and he wanted nothing to do with them. Nonetheless, he could not leave people in danger when there was such a clear threat as those invisible assassins. He let Lorna ask why Dryden was on Ogden before he spoke. "I fly a transport for Hathes Parres. We landed on Ogden for repairs, and I was sent to line up our next job."

Lorna was quick to believe that his presence was benign, though her apprentice was clearly skeptical. "We can use a new ship," the Jedi Knight told him. "Our last one was left on Das'f'k, and public transportation can only take us so far."

Invisible assassins were more than the average transport crew wanted to tackle. Hathes had asked for a job and he would likely take this one for enough money. Lorna's statement provided a much larger dilemma than finding work or the right price. If Dryden extended an offer, then he was also going back on his decision. It felt like betrayal to offer them help, even though part of him knew it was the right thing. "Tell my why you are on Ogden and who those assassins were. Then I might introduce you to my captain."

A wave of bitterness washed over Perhi at his request. She took her master aside and they conversed in hushed tones. Whatever objections she had were quickly overcome, though not to Perhi's satisfaction. Her bitterness remained.

"We believe there is a conspiracy to overthrow the Alliance."

Dryden looked at the pair as if they were insane. Generations ago, the Alliance had saved the Galaxy from the Yuuzhan Vong and reunited it under a common banner. The Galaxy was unified to a degree unlike ever before and the thought that anyone would want to destroy that unity was preposterous. Then the Jedi presented him with their findings on Das'f'k and what the twi'lek had told them earlier, and Dryden knew that it was his responsibility to help them. Both Lorna and Perhi were right; their meeting was far from coincidence.

"Lucky Streak isn't the fastest or best-armed freighter in the Galaxy, but I guarantee no one will notice her. Consider her yours."

Lorna thanked him for his pledge. Everyone in the room was aware that they had been brought together by the Will of the Force. Of the three, Perhi seemed to be least comfortable with the idea – Dryden's many reservations, notwithstanding. "Lucky Streak sounds like exactly the kind of ship we need. Perhi and I are ready to leave at your convenience."

XxxxX

"Ghtroc 720 stock freighter." Dryden introduced the ship with a measure of pride, almost as if she belonged to Dryden and not Captain Hathes. "At one time, the 720 was the most popular ship in the Outer Rim. Now, they haven't been built in over a century." He ran a hand along the bottom of the hull with all the adoration of a doting father. "Hathes found her in a scrap yard and hired an engineer to piece her together from spare parts. The engineer was shot while trying to mutiny, but the Streak still flies." The word "barely" hung in the air, unsaid.

"Ugly, but serviceable," Lorna decided with her chiss sensibilities.

Perhi gave the ship a small smile and placed her hand against the hull. "I think she has a lot of potential, if only she had a more attentive captain."

As the Universe went, that was when Hathes entered the hangar. "What are you doing to my ship?" He had clearly heard the comment, and he thought it inappropriate. "Not every captain has the credits to waste making his ship look pretty, lady. I prefer to use my money to keep her in running order." Hathes pointed his chin towards Dryden. "The dealer said all the parts were delivered. Check in with Arson and help finish the repairs."

Dryden nodded. "Captain, this is Tier'lor'nuruodo, core name Lorna, and Perhi Niseer." His pronunciation of the chiss name revealed fluency that was exceedingly rare in non-chiss. Only Lorna was unsurprised. "They want to hire the Streak for a series of light cargo runs in and out of Alliance space." Dryden called out to the repair droid without concern for the business deal. Jedi knew better than to be cheated and were too fair to cheat a freighter captain – particularly a mostly-honest one like Hathes.

"Bleep-deet-du-du-dreev," the droid beeped as Dryden walked up the boarding hatch, an astromech's equivalent to a string of curses. Its personality was as ugly as its red-and-gold paint job.

"Keep it down, Arson," Dryden shouted to the droid. "We have passengers, and I'll wipe your personality if you're not polite."

"Bleep-du-du-bleep."

"Just do what you're told." He smirked as he climbed up to the cockpit. Despite his occasional annoyance, there were times that the droid's language genuinely amused him. Perhaps he would write new personality algorithms sometime in the future. In the meantime, Arson worked just fine.

XxxxX

"We have a launch window," Hathes announced. He took the fore-left cockpit seat and turned towards his pilot, bringing Dryden's full attention to the present. "Arson tells me the hyperdrive will be working by takeoff, which is scheduled in about three hours."

Dryden sorted the information on his console to verify the claim. If Arson maintained its current pace, the ship would be ready with plenty of time to spare. "Did our passengers tell you their first stop?"

"Ivri, near the Unknown Regions. They have a copper shortage that the chiss wants to cash in on."

So the Jedi had opted not to confide in Hathes. The Captain was probably trustworthy, but it was Lorna's choice to make. The fact that Dryden could not vouch for Hathes' ethics probably made the Jedi uneasy. Even so, Dryden had to admit that transporting copper made for a fair cover... except for the fact an entire ship was rented out, solely for the sake of a few light cargo runs. Profits would be minimal, at best. "That's... strange."

Hathes shrugged. "The Boss is entitled to whatever quirks she wants to have. She offered to buy the ship for a generous price at the end of our contract. I hope to use the money to get a ship that didn't come from the local trash heap."

"Buy the Streak? Who in their right mind would want to do that?" Lucky Streak was beyond a piece of junk, no matter how much pride Dryden had in the ship. Those blasted, meddling Jedi with their ideals and incessant need to "help" people...

"You got me. The only condition was that you stay on as pilot, so you know you have another job lined up." Hathes looked at the ceiling, as if trying to remember something. He scratched his nose and it came to him. "Oh, right. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Pretend you don't know, will you?"

"I –" Dryden cut himself off. An argument was not worth his energy. Soon, they would be on their way to Ivri, and... What was it about Ivri that he kept forgetting? "I was born on Ivri," he recalled. Quite the thing to forget, he mused. "I haven't been there in almost twenty years."

Hathes grinned, genuinely happy for his pilot. Despite the Captain's gruff demeanor, he considered Dryden to be a genuine friend. "Then this is your lucky day, Dryden! You get to go home."

A growl was forthcoming. Dryden could feel it ready to build in the back of his throat, but he held back. No use in getting angry at his captain; scoundrel was as scoundrel did. Besides, the former Jedi knew better than to let his emotions get the best of him. Dryden would speak to the Jedi once they were underway. In the meantime, he had more systems to check.