A/N: Sorry, this has taken so long to update, got hit with nasty writer's block. I know where I want it to go, just not how to get there. Hopefully it clears up! Also, I want to thank Andrigno and Shifty830 for their reviews. It's always nice to know how much people enjoy your story or if they have any suggestions (hint hint lol)

Javen

"I've booked three rooms for us in the Star Cluster Casino. They're all located next to each other on the 6th floor," Dorne announced as we disembarked at the spaceport on Nar Shaddaa.

"I vote we drop our stuff off at our rooms and meet down at the bar," Jorgan volunteered in his usual brash manner.

"That is an acceptable offer," Dorne seconded.

"Well who am I to argue when the two of you actually agree on something," I replied with a smile.

We headed to the hotel and went up to our respective rooms to change. 20 minutes later I was outside Dorne's room. She opened her door and gave me a curious glance when she saw I was alone. "Jorgan went ahead," I explained. An amused smile graced her features as she turned around and locked her door before walking with me to the elevator.

"Lieutenant," she started before I stopped her.

"We're on leave for the next two weeks, and I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to drop any reminders of work. Please, call me Javen," I said as I held the elevator door open for her.

"I-I don't know if I can," she admitted honestly.

"I refuse to answer to any rank," I replied, "so you'll have to figure something out."

"In that case… I will see what I can do," she said reluctantly.

"That's the spirit. But in the mean time I'd advise against calling me sir." The look she was giving me a look that proved she didn't understand, and I should have left it at that, but I couldn't help myself. "I'm a big guy and you're a beautiful woman, you walking around in civvies calling me 'sir' could give people the wrong idea."

She raised an eyebrow at me and I started thinking maybe I'd crossed a line. As the doors of the elevator opened on the main floor, she started to walk past me, but she suddenly stopped next to me and said, "You are absolutely correct, we would not want a closet S&M big shot looking for a release making an offer to buy you so you can... punish... him. Knowing Jorgan, he would probably accept."

I stood watching her walk away, mouth open, unable to comprehend she'd actually just said that.

She turned around after she'd gone a few steps. With that eyebrow raised again, she asked, "Are you coming, Javen?" She waited a beat before resuming her path for the bar.

'Well son of a bitch,' was the only thought I could string together. I laughed and jogged to catch up.

When I got to her she was already seated at a high top table a little away from the main bar. "Where's Jorgan," I asked as I took a seat.

"At the bar, hitting on some dancer."

I looked over to where she'd indicated and saw Jorgan leaning on the bar angled towards a twilik girl. "She's pretty, doesn't necessarily mean she's a dancer."

"See that mark on her left shoulder," Dorne replied, after finally catching the eye of a waitress. After she'd taken our orders I took a closer look.

"Looks like a birth mark," I said with a shrug.

"That's intentional. The Hutts don't want customers to think they have damaged goods."

"What are you talking about?"

"Walk up and take a close look at it and you'll see there's a pattern to it, design of interlacing squares. Each Hutt has their own design."

I humored her and walked up to the two of them. "Hey, Aric."

"Um... hey," he said, not really looking at me. It was clear he'd had quite a bit to drink at this point.

"Friend of yours," the girl asked, leaning into Jorgan. I took the opportunity to take a closer look at the shoulder. Wouldn't you know it, Dorne was right.

"Uh, yeah, we go way back," he stumbled.

"I'll go find my own company," I said with a laugh. "You may want to lay off the booze a bit."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, already focusing on the girl.

"How'd you know," I asked her when I got back to our table.

"My uncle taught me to watch the small details ever since I was a little girl. When I was growing up Father would have a few dealings with Hutts and sometimes I got to come along. I always noticed the different marks, and one day I asked my uncle about it."

"How did your uncle know what they were?" The fact that she hesitated told me I might not like the answer.

"The Personnel Division is not aware of his occupation. If they did..."

"I can keep a secret," I promised.

She looked doubtful, but told me all the same. "He is a member of Imperial Intelligence. In fact, if I have heard correctly, he was just promoted to the position of Minister of Intelligence."

She looked at me apprehensively as I digested what she told me. "I can understand why you wouldn't want Kalor to know about that one. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She visibly relaxed when I said that.

"I know they may figure it out someday..."

"Honestly, wouldn't be surprised if SIS already knew. You stay in contact with your uncle?"

"No."

"Been involved in any shady dealings?"

"Certainly not."

"Then I wouldn't worry. We can tell Garza if you'd like so we can cover all our bases, and you know she'll watch your back."

"That would probably be the wisest course of action," she sighed.

"Come on," I said standing. "Let's take a walk." She finished off her drink before rising to join me. The hotel had a balcony that wrapped around its perimeter that was deafeningly quiet compared to the noise coming from inside. I offered her my arm as soon as we stepped outside. She raised her eyebrow again, so I explained with a shrug, "Manners that have been drilled into me since I was young enough to walk dictate I offer my arm to any lady who is kind enough to grace me with her presence."

"Since manners I was raised with dictates one never refuses an escort from a gentleman, I suppose I have to accept," she said as she gracefully slipped her arm into mine. Her accent thickened and I could tell she had slipped back into old habits her mother had forced on her.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Dorne," I told her sincerely. I didn't want her to feel trapped.

"Since you insisted I call you by your given name while we're here, the least you could do is call me Elara," she stated as she started walking, forcing me to follow.

"As my lady decrees," I said with a smile. We walked in comparable silence for a while, before something she said sank in. "When you called that girl a dancer...?

"I was being polite," she said smirking.

"So does Jorgan know he's gonna have to pay?"

"Odds are he already has." When she saw my shocked look, she explained, "Did you notice what he was drinking?"

"Not really," I confessed.

"The liqueur bottle had the same design as the marking on the girl's shoulder. Since some clientele might frown at the idea of paying directly for... services, they will get their money in indirect ways. The client is none the wiser."

"You were close to your uncle."

"He always looked out for me, did his best trying to teach me to trust no one."

"Even him?"

"Especially him," she said with a small smile. "Although, I had a hard time not trusting him; sometimes it seemed like he was the only one really looking out for me."

"What do you mean?"

"After Lord Baras' attack on the Cathar settlers, it was passed down from the top of command that I was labeled a high UA risk, and therefore not to go on patrol. However, suddenly a few days later I was assigned to a night patrol, despite the OIC's objections. As I gathered my equipment prior to heading out, I saw a note in my locker with the routes of both Republic and Imperial patrols for the night."

"Sounds like he heard what happened and gave you his blessing."

"He is Mother's older brother, and did not necessarily see eye to eye with Father. He was open minded about promoting aliens inside intelligence and he hated the Sith."

"Sounds like a decent man, for an Imperial," I said with a small smile. She smiled back and looked down. Changing the subject, I asked, "Did you have a hard time getting used to the culture shock going from the Empire to the Republic?"

"Absolutely. It was like a whole new way of thinking that I'd never dared imagine. Not only equal rights, but equality under the law? Even if it is not always practiced, just the theory of it was amazing to me."

"It was the food that got to me. Don't you give me that look, I'm a guy, it's how we tick," I said with a smile. She laughed, something I'd never heard out of her before. "Plus, I'd grown up with the idea of equal rights."

"Then you were extremely fortunate," she said with a sigh. "Please do not misunderstand, growing up wasn't all bad. In fact, my family could be warm and loving in private."

"Do you ever regret your decision to defect?"

"Never," she said with conviction. "I knew I would miss my family, I just did not imagine this much. It is the little things that I miss the most: family discussions over dinner, listening to Grandfather's stories, the view from the back of the estate of the Kaas jungle… I will hear a sound, or catch a whiff of some familiar smell and it is like I am back," she trailed off.

"Just to have reality come crashing in that this is your life," I finished for her wistfully. "Even though you wouldn't trade it for anything, a part of you can't help but mourn for all that's lost."

"I knew you would understand," she said quietly.

"You know you can talk to me anytime and it'll stay between us. You're safe with me, Elara."

"I would not know where to start. I have been doing this on my own for so long..."

"You don't have to be alone. I know I couldn't have lasted without being able to keep regular contact with my brothers. I know how difficult this can all be."

"Those around me just seem to get hurt," she said sadly.

"If this is about Kessik IV..."

"I never told you the rest of story, the other reason I ran from the Empire." She stopped walking and let go of my arm before moving to lean on the guard rail running along the outside. "I met Sergeant Malavai Quinn when I arrived on Kessik IV, he had been there about a week at that point and showed me around. There was an instant attraction and soon after we started dating."

She was looking out over the city, and I could almost see the memories playing out over her eyes. "He was the one who helped me deal with everything. He did not exactly approve, mind you. There were rumors flying, how I was an alien lover since all the Cathar would come to me; how I was having a secret relationship with Capt. Donhal. Your cousin was a good man," she said, looking at me before focusing back over the city. "I greatly valued his friendship. Although Malavai objected, he saw how important it was to me so he did not get in my way. He came home with me for leave one time and my parents adored him, he was everything Mother wanted in a husband for me and his service record impressed Father. They were both thrilled when we announced our engagement a few days later. It was shortly after we returned from that trip things started to fall apart."

"What happened," I asked softly.

"He started to pull away. He did not believe the lies that were spread about me, but it was clear he believed I had disgraced our unit by helping embolden the Cathar. He had such blind loyalty to the Empire; I should have known something was wrong when Mother approved of him. The night before the massacre we had a terrible fight. He said he still loved me, but he did not know if he could commit his heart to someone who betrayed the Empire so egregiously. I told him that if that is what he truly believed I had done then he did not have a heart. He walked out and I did not see him for the rest of the night. I avoided him the next day, even though some mutual acquaintances informed me he was looking for me so he could apologize."

"Did he ever get the chance?"

She shook her head as tears started to silently stream down her cheek. "After Lord Baras had the survivors murdered, he told Col. Presley to have me taken to his chambers, and that I should be restrained so I could be 'disciplined'."

"What did that entail," I asked, dreading the answer.

"Everyone knew the basics: rape, torture, death if you were lucky… I never found out exactly what Lord Baras had planned for me. Before the order could be carried out, someone shot Col. Presley and the other solider that moved to take me into custody. I looked over to see Malavai standing behind me with a blaster rifle. He told Lord Baras that he would never have me, that he would have to be taken first. And that is exactly what Lord Baras did. The last I ever saw of Malavai was Imperial troops dragging him away as Lord Baras laughed. Before the Dark Lord left, he told me he liked this outcome better."

"Elara..."

"Those around me get hurt," she said softly.

"No, those around Sith get hurt," I said as I turned her to face me, keeping a hand on each arm. "My father lusted for more political power, but he never would have considered murdering an entire house for it if it hadn't been for the Sith advisor he'd taken up with. None of this was your fault, just like what happened to Nee'ran's family wasn't my fault. It took years before I accepted that fact, and I'll do whatever I can to help you accept it too."

She started to sob, so I pulled her to me and held her, giving all the support she needed. After a while she pulled away and started wiping her eyes. "I apologize, Lieutenant. Here we are, supposed to be having a good time and I end up crying all over you…"

"After everything you've been through, it's only natural to need to find a release, and I'm guessing you haven't really had anyone to talk to about this."

"Not so much," she said with a small laugh.

"Look," I said, pulling her back into my arms, "I'm here whenever you need me. I know I'm your CO, but that doesn't have to be all."

"What are you saying," she asked looking up at me. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying and she looked extremely vulnerable.

"We can talk about this later," I said with a regretful sigh. As much as I wanted to continue this conversation, it was clear it needed to wait. "How about we call it a night? That way we can get up refreshed and give Jorgan's hung over ass a hard time tomorrow."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Elara said, turning toward the hotel entrance. Although she pulled away, her hand remained in mine, giving me hope for a future between us.

A few days later we were back in General Garza's office. Our leave had been cut short thanks to new intel about a growing threat. Before she would brief us on our next assignment, Garza needed me to make a choice.

"Alright, Jorgan, what makes you think you'd make a good XO?"

"Are you kidding me," he demanded, "I was a lieutenant when you met me. I was an operations officer on Ord Mantell for more than three years. If Tavus hadn't left the lazy jerks upstairs hungry for a scapegoat I'd still be a lieutenant. Besides, you've seen my results in the field; I'm obviously the most qualified for XO. Don't get me wrong, Dorne's a good soldier, but she has no command experience, and in this line of work, that's what really matters. Whoever you pick, thanks for at least hearing me out."

"Ok Dorne, what makes you a better choice for XO than Jorgan?"

She looked like she wanted to say something before thinking better of it. Finally, she said, "I have experience leading SAR teams, both in the Imperial and Republic military. You've seen my record and know all the commendations I have received, more than Sgt. Jorgan in just two years of service in the Republic. However, he makes a compelling case that cannot be ignored. Although I have plenty of experience leading small groups, I have no real command time. Therefore, for the sake of Havoc Squad, I respectfully request my name be removed from consideration as Executive Officer."

"Are you sure?" I was blown away by what she said. Truth be told, I was torn over who to select, and I wasn't expecting this.

"Yes Captain," she said looking at me. Although I could see disappointment in her eyes, there also looked like something akin to mischief in there as well. I made a mental note to ask her about that later.

"Looks like Havoc has a new XO," Garza announced. "Lt. Jorgan, Sgt. Dorne, if you would please excuse the Captain and me, we have much to discuss. He can brief you once he's finished. Dismissed."

Elara

Lt. Jorgan and I stepped out of the General's office and made our way back to the ship. It was clear the Lieutenant wanted to ask me something, but for once did not seem able to figure out how to say it. To save him the trouble, I finally broke the silence. "Sir, if I may, I would like to be the first to congratulate you on your promotion."

"Thanks Dorne, although I gotta ask, what made you give it up?"

"Clearly you were the better candidate," I said, telling a partial truth. I personally believed I would have made a better XO, but I couldn't tell him what I was really planning.

"Thanks for that," he said. "Means a lot coming from a soldier like you."

"I do not know how much time you've had to review your copy of the handbook regarding responsibilities to be carried out by the Executive Officer…"

"I know how to run a squad, Dorne," he said suspiciously.

"Of that I have no doubt, sir," I continued patiently. "However, I was wondering if you knew that it fell to the XO to manage all reports containing to the ship and crew, not to mention in charge of the 3M program, ensuring all proper medical paperwork is filled out properly and signed by the CO, then there is performance related paperwork…"

"How much can one squad generate," Lt. Jorgan interrupted, suddenly looking overwhelmed. "We didn't have half as much in the Deadeyes."

"If you look in the handbook, you'll see a list of everything you are expected to oversee. It also states, should you think it necessary, you can designate a member or members of the team to assist in this as a collateral duty. I would like to volunteer for this position, should you feel the need for help. I believe the past few months have demonstrated my ability to properly maintain crew reports and medical documentation, since the job was assigned to me upon first reporting as the senior medical personnel. However, should you desire, I can provide references."

"That would be appreciated," he said with a sigh. "Thanks Dorne."

"It is my pleasure, Lieutenant."

A/N2: The 3M program is a Navy program (as I am a sailor I'll be using a lot of terms from the Navy). To sum up it's the maintenance program and there is an ungodly amount of paperwork generated. There's always one person at each command to oversee it and that's their whole job.