Sorry for the pause but we continue.

Barriss stood outside the door of the medical bay not wanting to go inside. It had been three days sense she had thrown Victor so hard it knocked him out. The memory of him trying to walk after words haunted her dreams that night. The doctors said he stabilized but was injured and had to stay inside the med bay for a while. Slowly reaching up and waving her hand over the controls the door opened and the inside of the med bay was revealed. It was very bland in color with white adorning the walls no matter where she looked. All the beds were empty but in the corner one curtain was pulled around the bed where she believed Victor lay.

"Hey I heard that door open who's in here?" she heard his voice. It didn't sound like he was in a lot of pain.

She brought her courage up to her voice, "It's me Victor, Barriss."

A sigh echoed from behind the curtain, "So you did get the message I wanted to see you."

"Yes, I just wanted to say…"

"Don't start that."

"What? But I hurt you!"

To her surprise he started laughing, "You know you can come in here. It will make this talk easier."

She slowly reached forward pulling the curtain out of the way and laying eyes on Victor. It was the first time she had truly seen him. His helmet was off and he was out of his armor, a large bandage was wrapped around the right side of his head from below his eye up. It left hair uncovered where Barriss could tell he had short cut brown hair. Also adorning him was another bandage wrapped around his waist where she had stabbed him. She looked at his face her mind catching up with her eyes, 'he's young' she thought. It was true Victor was not very old at all if she were to judge him correctly he was only in his early twenties. He was more built than a clone trooper, but he didn't look like one. He had blue eyes that were a sky almost white color and he was 'handsome' she threw that thought out as fast as it entered.

"Hey Barriss you know it's rude to stare," Victor joking tone snapped her attention back to the present, "I mean my wounds are not that bad."

"Really now? You mean to tell me that the red stains on your side are not due to a sword wound and that you're not in pain due to it?"

He laughed again, "You know how many painkillers I'm on right now? I could be crushed by this entire building and not feel it I swear. Now come on over here we need to talk."

'That could be why he is not mad' she thought. She walked over to the side of the bed.

"I want to thank you," he said after he took a deep breath.

"Y-You what? Thank me? I stabbed you then I threw you against the wall so hard it almost killed you!"

"And I, like an idiot, was rushing at you like an angry two year old. Look I was angry, I was being stupid. After all this time once in a while I get this idea that I can do anything because I have started a rebellion. Then I need to be hit down," he looked away from her. "This time though it wasn't one of my men dying that told me I was being cocky." He took a long pause before taking a deep breath to speak again, "I have gotten many people killed Barriss, and every time I swear to do better. Then I do the same stupid thing again. You know how hard it is to hold a dying person in your arms? To hear their last word, their last coded love message they want to pass along to their family? Then not only to hold them as they die but then come back to a base and tell the family personally that you got their son, husband, wife, daughter, father, or mother killed. Some days I just don't know if I should continue this struggle but how can I say no to those who told me to go on as they lay in my arms dying?"

Barriss watched silently as Victor sobbed. She was right this little game of his was taking its own toll on him. 'Then again he did say he was on a high dosage of pain killers. Maybe they make him emotional?' she wondered.

Victor had stopped sobbing by now but had fallen fast asleep and Barriss took it as her chance to leave. Pulling back the curtain she saw one of the doctors working at a small terminal.

"You gave him quite the beating you know," the female doctor said.

"I didn't want to see him hurt," she said knowing how ridiculous it sounded.

The doctor just sighed, "Yeah Boss can be a hot head. He will never admit it but he still always tries the Mandolorian approach when it comes to any problem."

"This has happened before?" Barriss quickly asked.

"Well yes, it was when we got our first few sets of droids and reprogramed them for training. Boss thought he was going to be a big shot and take on the entire squad by himself. He ended up gunned down by four droideaks after killing two waves of super battle droids. His wounds were astounding and he laid in this room for a few weeks because of it."

"Was he like he is now during that time?"

"Oh you mean getting upset over anything and everything. Yeah he doesn't respond to pain killers that well. They bring out the real human inside him."

"How long do you think he will be down?"

"A day or two maybe. He likes to just get up and go before he is released most of the time."

Barriss slowly walked out from the medical bay after that heading down to her room again. Halzo had brought her a small lamp so she did not have to leave the bright celling light on. She sat on her bed and closed her eyes; shifting her position she began to meditate to relieve the stress of the last few days.

* B *

Barriss learned that Victor had jumped at the first chance to get out of the medical bay after they stitched him back together. As she sat in her room that night she heard heavy footsteps walk by her door. As she looked out the door she saw Victor back in his Mandolorian armor walking down the hall.

"What are you doing?" she called out to him.

"Well I was going to bed. I am tired so I usually go back to my room to sleep. Why?"

His sarcastic tone angered her, "You were in the medical bay bleeding and now you just decide that you should do whatever you want. Do you not know how reckless that is?"

His tone darkened as she yelled, "About as reckless as bombing the Jedi temple. Two can play that game Barriss."

She quickly turned around and ignored anything he had to say after that as she retreated back into her room, "Fine get yourself killed."

* V *

Victor watched her go into her room. Chuckling to himself he headed down the hall. He was lying to her when he said he was going to sleep, he had bigger eggs to crack. A metal door met him, its words printed in different languages adorning the front, each one saying the same statement "Authorized Personal Only." Typing in the key code the door opened for him and he walked inside.

"Boss? I thought you got stabbed?" a human said. It was Robert Skry his trusted engineer and combat pilot. Robert was a scrawny man but it aided him to be able to climb into the tight compartments of any vehicle for repairs. His thinning, greying hair told his age but his youthful face made you question it.

"I did get stabbed but I'm better."

"Better my ass, your limping, trying not to double over from the pain on your side. You're not fooling me I have been around here too long. You go to your room and sleep you're not going to sit up all night working on that monstrosity."

"Come on Robert, I just had to come down here to work on it. It's my baby."

"It's a machine of death and that's all it will bring."

"It's a tool for an artist whose canvas is the battlefield."

"You really think you're getting it up and running again?"

"I know so."

Robert finally gave in, "Fine if you want to try to keep that thing around be my guest but when your little plan comes together and the leaders and jedi find out about it you're in for a never ending sentence to jail."

Victor smiled under his helmet, "Let them try to get a Mandolorian off of a Basilisk droid." Walking past Robert, Victor went to the far end of the large room, lying in the corner was a large dark shape; turning on the light Victor peered on his beautiful machine. It was dark grey or at least was at one point but had been burned and tarnished from years of remaining in stasis. The large head of bent gun barrels that had rusted and melted beyond use slowly turned and looked at him. It made a metallic purr noise at the sight of him. The large clawed leg creaked and grinded itself as it moved over to him. Victor petted the large claw.

"Hey buddy, I know it hurts but we're getting the parts I promise you won't be in pain much longer. Here we even got one of your legs fully repaired," Victor moved around on the other side seeing the large leg hanging from a chain from the ceiling. The droid made a light screech almost like a beg.

"Yeah I am going to put this on you don't worry," Victor started to activate the controls for the crane in the room as he started to repair the droid.

* B *

Barriss knew that Victor wasn't going to his room. She had explored the base some over the few days Victor was in the medical bay, and learned where he kept his little secret workshop. It wouldn't have done her any good to try to go through it but that didn't stop her from wondering what was on the other side. Barriss jumped off her bed walking silently out of her room and down the hall. There was a small room where some of Victor's friends would gather and discuss the next plan or just sit around and play cards. It had been a few hours sense Victor had went into the workshop so she figured he would be with his men. Sneaking to the door she could hear a deeper voice bellowing out a plan.

"Look, I'm not saying it's perfect but if we can get ahold of a few cruisers we can begin to build these. It would help us at least hold out against bombardment," he chimed to the others around the table.

"You want us to risk showing ourselves by stealing at least four fully operational star cruisers from either the Republic or the Separatists. You really think we could do that without losing every one of our pilots? Even if we did they would just track us here," it was Victor talking.

"Well Boss if you would allow us to build a star ship we might feel more confident about the battles to come," another voice called.

"What if we don't have the base to even build one at? Did you think about that? That is why I was going to propose this," Barriss heard Victor say. She figured something was pulled upon a holo-map but she was not sure. There was a chorus of agreement from the others in the room about what ever Victor had.

"That will work perfectly," the deep voiced man said, "but we need funds and material for a project like that."

She heard a sigh before Victor spoke up again, "Leave that to me I have been in contact with a few senators recently and they want to meet me to discuss an alliance."

"Boss you sure that's safe?" a woman chimed in.

"No."

"You can't just fly in there solo," the deep voice called.

"I won't I am taking Skry as my pilot and Barriss as my back-up."

"The Jedi that almost killed you? You have to be kidding, that is the stupidest idea you have ever had," the woman said with malice in her voice.

"Oh, hush the Boss has himself a little crush doesn't he?" one of the men prodded. Causing the room to break out in laughter.

Victor stuttered making Barriss freeze, "I-I do not, besides it taboo for both of us. I was raised to hate Jedi and kill them. She was raised to not form attachments. Neither of us could work around our history."

"Jeez Boss I was just kidding. You know you're still not into the idea of jokes," the man said.

Victor grumbled something before Barriss heard his heavy footsteps heading towards the door. She knew she wouldn't get away in time so she just stood up and acted like she was walking down the hall.

"Barriss?" Victor asked.

"Huh? Oh I just felt like stretching my legs, it's not the most comfortable bed," she lied.

"So you just wonder around this exact area at three in the morning. Not buying it," his voice strengthened with each word.

"Well I uhh, wanted to make sure you were ok?" her voice let her down as her statement came out sounding like a question.

"You know in Mandolorian society they very much frown upon eavesdropping, but I never really was one for following custom," he laughed, "well now you know where we headed. Besides we need to get you some decorations for you room and Coruscant has the best shops for that."

"We're going to walk on Coruscant, the place where my wanted poster will be everywhere and where you will be shot on sight for aiding me."

"Yeah sounds like fun right?

"One of these days you're going to get yourself killed by doing something this stupid," she scorned.

"That's why you're coming; someone has to keep me in line. Well for the most part. Pack up we leave tomorrow," Victor said as he walked by her. Barriss was about to leave as well but turned around as she heard voices in the other room.

"So how is Boss' pet coming along?" the deep voiced man asked.

"Which pet?" one of the women wondered aloud.

"The giant monster that he spends his days working on," another man scolded.

"Hey, leave him be. If that robot keeps him happy then it's not a problem," Barriss knew this voice, it was the pilot that was with Victor, she believe his name was Skry.

"It's a Basilisk! Once he finishes it up what's to stops him from killing everyone here?" The deep voice bellowed.

Barriss froze, 'He has a Basilisk! That is illegal how did he get it?' Turning on her heels Barriss ran back to her room.

Barriss did not get any sleep that night as she continued to ponder upon the Basilisk that Victor had owned. She was not surprised that he had one after he thought about it. He was a Mandolorian made for war and ready to kill. The more she thought about it the more angry she got. Grabbing her blades she marched to the hanger to head to Coruscant; when she got here Victor and Skry were waiting.

"Ahh there she is. I wondered when you would get here, we were just about to leave without you," Victor called.

Barriss didn't say anything but walked by him onto the shuttle. It had a large hull for any supplies, 'He is going to buy more parts for that beast why he is there' she thought.

Out side the ship Victor just shrugged at Barriss as him and Skry boarded the ship for takeoff.

So we take off with some of the new secrets. How will this end?