Na-quam stared out the window. Many speeders flew by in all directions. It was crowded out there and it made him uncomfortable. It was only the second day that Vidomina would do her new job. Everyone grew impatient the longer they remained on Coruscant, but not being able to do anything made them restless. He turned around towards the dining table. Chewbacca, Lando, Nebba, and Nil'Ss were playing a game of dice. Chadrina and Robuk were on the sofa, talking again. Na-quam had noted that Robuk liked to spend a lot of time chatting with Chadrina and Nil'Ss. It didn't matter though. They had not been much trouble and regularly helped with domestic tasks. Things were calm in the hotel room. Everyone was trying to kill the time making jokes and telling interesting stories… or playing games. Na-quam couldn't help feeling something was off. Something big was about to happen.

Kyle sat still in his cell. It had been hours since they last attempted to make him speak. He had been thinking. There was nothing else he could do. All he could think about was how he hated Jaden. He couldn't pin down the reason why. He was a traitor and had to be punished, but this was different. This was personal. He hadn't just betrayed the Empire, he had betrayed Kyle too! His own failure of turning him into a proper Dark Jedi obviously played a part in it. He couldn't grasp how Jaden had been able to hide his true self from him all this time. Nothing had seemed what it was and it freaked him out.

There was no way he could send a message anywhere. Kyle had no chance of escaping either. The cave was sealed off. The walls were rocks, but solid metal was right behind them and he could not force a hole in any surface. He had attempted to reach out to Jerec through the Force multiple times, but was unsure whether the message had come across. He did sense those members of the Reborn Clan, though. Their fear increased the longer he was held captive. They felt it too; their hideout would not be safe for long. Holding him captive was foolish. The army would come and find him any time soon.

Jerec gently strolled through the palace gardens. He found the atmosphere around them soothing and relaxing. It was still early in the morning. He tried to sense the state of affairs in the galaxy. There was still peaceful silence for most of the time. Maw had returned a few rotations ago and reported of Fyyar's death. He had also requested a new shuttle, since his old one had been destroyed. Yun was still on Coruscant to control the population. He did a good job holding that blockade. Boc and Rosh were still patrolling the Inner Rim. He had to admit that he did not have a use for Rosh in his plan. The boy was weak. The only reason Jerec spared him was because he was loyal. After all, he kept Boc occupied. He still had to find a more permanent station for the Twi'lek. He was annoying to be around and Jerec already had two dogs on his leash. Kyle Katarn was still on Sullust and had not reported in yet. Jerec assumed he was still searching. He had to admit there was something off about the whole affair with the Reborn. He sensed that there was more to the issue than just the Clan, but he wasn't sure how.

Padora felt excited. Today was an exciting day, after all. Not only was it the start of a weekend after a long week full of applications for the relax-buddy vacancy, but they were headed somewhere special today. Her boyfriend would come over and they'd get a free tour of the government facilities. She was also excited to meet Vidomina again. Out of all the applicants, she had been the first to be genuinely fun to talk to. She was quite young and inexperienced at life, but not unwilling to learn at all. In addition, Padora found she was quite intelligent. While the relax-buddy function was actually just a modified version of the baby sitter job, she noted that very different kind of people applied to the latter; none of whom she wished to hire. Admittedly, sixteen was a young age for a friend, but Padora hoped, with luck, that she would be able to mentor the young girl in her life.

She took a quick shower, got dressed, and headed to the dining room for some breakfast. Casto, the chef, had already prepared some food. Padora knew he loved the weekends too. She had given him all the freedom to experiment and come up with ideas on cooking in the weekends. He did not even have to stay for the entire weekend, but he had no family on the side and liked to cook for people, so he was nearly always at the mansion. Padora appreciated it anyway. He was a good cook and rarely spoiled dinner. She quickly ate her breakfast and headed for Cosmo's bedroom. The toddler greeted his mother with a loud scream as she woke him up gently. She took him downstairs.

"Excuse me, miss Hames, but the relax-buddy has arrived." The butler droid turned away again.

"Hi Pereilia, sweetie, good morning!" She greeted her with three kisses. "Looking forward to today? This is going to be fun!"

"Yeah, I'm really curious," breathed Vidomina, still getting used to the hugs and kisses Padora liked to give her. "What's he like?"

Padora threw her hands in the air and made a whistling sound. "Well, where to start? He's mighty handsome; dark hair, dark eyes, tall, charismatic… he always makes me feel like he's in control of everything, you know? But he's kind of a bad boy too, in a sense." She giggled. "You just wait until you meet him. We have a surprise for you too."

"When will he be here?" asked Vidomina.

"Just before lunch, so we'll have the morning for ourselves! Let's go to the market and get some groceries."

Corporal Thoronis was waiting for him.

"Did you gather many?" asked Jonvidis.

"About twenty officers. You have a plan?"

"Yes. I need a ship."

"How do you plan on getting a ship?"

"Fyyar's barge."

"Too risky! Everyone will be searching for you!"

"Have a better idea?" Jonvidis sighed impatiently.

"It'll come to us. I'll think on it." Thoronis left the cantina.

Jonvidis unpacked his sandwich. The Corporal had raised a valid point. How would they get out of there without things getting suspicious? Someone sat down opposite him at the same table. The Colonel recognised Admiral Perlon.

"Afternoon, Admiral," said Jonvidis. "Enjoying a well-deserved break?"

The Admiral laughed nervously. "Well, I'm not sure it's well-deserved…"

"How so?"

Perlon looked at him and hesitated. "You know how it is…"

Jonvidis sat back and scrutinised his superior. "Did the Emperor give you a rough time again?" He knew that's what the Emperor liked to do. For sport.

The Admiral nodded. He spoke softly. "Just part of the job."

"What was wrong?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"We can try to prevent it from happening again?" Jonvidis knew this was his chance.

"Th…" He sighed. "There's no point, he'll find other reasons. Can we talk about something else?"

The Colonel nodded and leaned back. "Sure." He took a sip from his soup. "It doesn't have to be like this forever. There is an alternative."

Admiral Perlon's eyes widened. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"I know you've thought about it. We're being treated like Bantha feces. Fyyar, you. Where does it stop? How many more must be sentenced to death?"

"I can't listen to this…"

Jonvidis grabbed his arm. "Wait, Admiral… you are not alone. Something is happening. All we need is a ship to get out of here… your ship!"

The Admiral rose. "No, dammit! This is madness!" He strode out the cantina with his hands in his hair. Jonvidis wasn't sure whether his method had worked. Perhaps he had been too straightforward. This could mean the end of their little movement. They had to leave today.

Boc giggled as he sent the officer to his death. He deactivated his lightsabre and returned it to his belt. How he liked punishing the army. He turned around. Promoted a random soldier and resumed his walk. He knew Rosh liked to distance himself from him when this happened. The apprentice was weak. How could he ever become a good Dark Jedi when he feared others more than they feared him? Boc shook his head at the thought of it.

"There's a ship in orbit of Tanaab, Master," reported Rosh. "What shall we do with it?"

"I'm glad you ask, little one," said Boc. "Let's board them and have a look at what they're doing!" He giggled again.

"You heard him!" shouted Rosh to a nearby officer. They instantly moved around passing orders further down the chain of command. Rosh turned to his master again. "If you ask me, I think it's just some merchant ship."

Boc grinned. "That is exactly why I don't ask you."

They waited for the men to arrange the boarding party and to attach the ship to their Imperial battle cruiser. Boc and Rosh were the first ones to enter. The people inside were apparently caught by surprise. Boc activated his lightsabre, which he spun around playfully. They patrolled through the ship, inducing fear among the merchants. Rosh found this particular boarding very pointless. Boc insisted that they were not merchants and inquired who their leader was. A tall Zabrak man came forward.

"We were doing nothing wrong," he said. He had a low voice and his torso was filled with tattoos.

"Yeah, yeah," said Boc. "I recognise this ship. This is the Yellow Armada, is it not?"

The man was visibly a bit distressed by this question. "Yes, why?"

"Back in the day," began Boc as he strolled around comfortably, "the Yellow Armada was the property of a certain bounty hunter… what's his name? Ah, yes, Teo Danillos. Where is he?"

The Zabrak man pointed to the the wall. A hidden door opened and a man of Bith origin emerged through a secret door, covered in armour. "Looking for me?"

"Ah, yes." Boc took a closer look. "Funny, I always thought you'd be more tiny."

The bounty hunter didn't know how to respond. He sniggered nervously as Boc still had his lightsabre ready to strike. "Have I encountered you before, Jedi?"

"No, you have not! But I have heard of you… You were once one of those slave traders, were you not?"

"That was a long time ago!" He was now genuinely scared.

"Forgotten nor forgiven!" screamed Boc as he sliced the bounty hunter into pieces. He giggled as he went, but Rosh did spot the tears of rage in his eyes. As soon as they'd come, they left again.

Maw floated angrily through the many officers and troopers. He looked at them, but they appeared no different. They felt very different, though. There was an unusual amount of fear among them. He wanted to know why. He grabbed one by the shoulder.

"What is wrong with you?!" he belted. The soldier had not expected it, dropped his plate with hot soup, and widened his eyes. Maw let him go roughly and grunted. He passed a few more, but now they all looked at him with a combination of surprise and fear. "WHAT?!" he shouted. They all backed up and went on with whatever they were doing.

Maw headed up to Jerec's office. He knocked politely.

"Come in, Maw!" he heard the Emperor shouting from the other side. Maw opened the doors and saw Jerec standing at the far side of the room. He spoke softly. "I know why you have come here, Maw."

As if he hadn't heard that, Maw spoke. "Something is very wrong with the troops, Master. Can you feel it? It's almost as if they fear us more now…"

"I share your worries, Maw. Yet I have no clue what they might be onto. We shall await and see what will happen and act accordingly."

Maw grunted.

Yun happily left his office. Jerec had permitted him a day off. There wasn't a lot happening in Coruscant at the moment, but neither was there in any other place of the galaxy. Until Jerec knew where to find the Reborn, Yun would be stuck on Coruscant. He called his personal guards and entered his barge. He couldn't wait. Jerec didn't know yet, but Yun had slipped away from the office in the evenings to enjoy the local bars. Of course he had his guards with him, but he hadn't needed them ever. There was a particular person he was glad he had met. He would see her now and they would spend the day together. He had not forgotten what happened to Sariss, his mentor. Yun remembered all too well how Kyle and Sariss had endangered themselves by allowing their hearts to weaken their minds… he remembered how it had been fatal to Sariss. He would not make the same mistake.

They arrived at the mansion. Yun eagerly got off his ship and told the guards to remain there. He knocked on the large doors. A little camera appeared from the wall.

A robotic voice said, "To whom do we owe the pleasure?"

"You know who I am, BT-17LN," Yun said with a bored tone. When the doors finally opened he hastily pushed the protocol droid aside and strode through the entrance hall of the mansion. He knew exactly where to go. The weather was really good, so she'd probably be in the gardens. He stepped outside and inhaled deeply. The smell of the fresh and exotic flowers entered his nostrils. He knew she liked to import flowers from all over the galaxy. She had even hired a gardener to take care of the plants. As he walked further into the gardens he saw the long table surrounded by some of her staff and finally… he saw her.

"Padora!" he shouted with a smile. She saw him too and came racing at him. She jumped into his arms and they kissed for a bit. "It's good to see you again."

"I missed you!" she said. She kissed him again, before they let go of each other.

Yun suddenly felt curious. He wasn't sure he felt what he thought he felt, but it felt like a disturbance of some kind. He scanned the garden, but all he could see was flowers. Yun looked at the staff. He knew every single one of them by name; all of them, except for one. The moment he had seen her, he wondered. The Force was strong within her, he felt it. She had not noticed him yet.

"A new face?" he asked Padora casually.

"Yes, I want you to meet her!" she laughed. "Pereilia, come here!" Yun saw the young girl with pitch black hair approach them. As soon as she noticed Yun her face grew dim for a moment. Her smile disappeared. She felt it too, Yun knew it. Padora had no clue what was going on. "Hey, Pereilia, this is my boyfriend Yun!"

"Nice to meet you, Pereilia," said Yun monotonously as he forced a smile.

Vidomina felt tense and also forced a smile, but less convincingly. "Yes…" was all she could say. She breathed heavily, obviously distraught. Padora looked at her and frowned.

"Well, aren't you shy." She smiled again. "No need to be careful, this is my guy and he is cool." She explained to Yun how she had never been with a man in her life without her hearing it. Yun didn't really care. He didn't want to ruin the ambience as Padora clearly had done her best at making this lunch memorable.

They sat down at the table. The chef approached and served lunch.

"All right, hope you will enjoy this fruit salad," said Padora. "Casto here has prepared it from ingredients Cosmo, Pereilia, and I got from the market."

Yun smiled at her, but regularly glanced at Vidomina. Padora seemed to notice, for she gave him a soft kick under the table. Yun immediately shot her a complicated look. She seemed to understand it, for she began eating her bit of the salad.

"By the way, Pereilia," she said as if nothing had happened, "I told you we had something special planned, didn't I?" She grinned widely. "Guess what, Yun is going to give us a free tour of the government facilities!" She awaited a reponse.

Vidomina seemed to only have partly listened as she replied in a distracted manner. "Oh, yay, that sounds cool." She nervously sniggered.

Padora looked at her to see if something was wrong, but in the end just seemed to accept it as part of the alleged shyness. "Yun, why don't you tell us something about it? Just to get the enthusiasm flowing here." It seems she was trying hard to break the tension she, too, noticed was there.

Yun swallowed a piece of fruit. "Okay, then. We'll be going through the military academy, where the troops are training; that's truly a sight to behold. We'll also see the war bridge, the old senate building, and let's not forget about the offices. The science labs are unfortunately off limits, for now."

Yshua replied. "Sounds like you're in for a treat." He continued talking to Padora, but Yun didn't listen. He closed his eyes. He knew Vidomina was scared. Did she know why? Was she trained in the ways of the Force or was she unspoilt? He tried to reach out to her through the Force. He immediately opened his eyes as she shut him out. He turned towards her. She stared at her plate. She had not eaten.

Vidomina panicked. She knew he was one of the Dark Jedi of Jerec. What did he know about her? He knew she was Force-sensitive. She felt his eyes poking. But did he know that she was a padawan? What was she to do? He would certainly want to capture her. Either he would kill her or he would try to turn her. There was no way she could take him on… certainly not now her lightsabre was with her Master. She had to find a way to get out of here. If she joined them on the tour through the enemy's camp, she'd be captured for sure. She had to get out.

"Padora?" She interrupted a vibrant conversation between her employer and two of her staff members. Yun was still staring at her uninterruptedly. "Please excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom."

Padora looked at her with a worried look. "Are you all right? You're sweating all over."

Vidomina nodded and smiled unconvincingly as she got up and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight she started running. She stepped inside and bumped into Casto, the chef.

"Hey, what's the hurry?" He stopped her. He, too, appeared worried as he stared into her eyes. "What's wrong?" Vidomina remained silent and tried to go. Casto stopped her again. "Is it Yun? Did he kill someone you knew?" Vidomina looked up, wondering why he'd ask, but then she realised Yun had a reputation. Casto's grip loosened and she ran away. She did not go to the bathroom, but headed for her speeder instead.

Padora followed her. Something was wrong with Pereilia, she knew it. Poor thing. Just when she stepped inside, she saw Casto. He beckoned her.

"Pereilia has gone home. I gave her permission," he lied. "I think your boyfriend might have killed some of her family."

Padora swore. She stopped to think for a moment. "That's not what we're going to tell. We'll tell them she had allergies… the fruit salad! Let's go."

Just as they were about to go outside again, Yun joined them. "Where did she go?" he demanded.

"She went home. Allergies," said Padora.

"Out of my way," he said as he pushed Casto aside. He quickly ran to the entrance hall, determined to follow that girl.

"Be careful with my relax-buddy!" she shouted.

Just when she took off, Vidomina heard the large doors open again. Yun came running towards the barge with the troopers at the end of the landing zone. He shouted something, but Vidomina quickly steered her airspeeder into the traffic lanes. She had a head start, but she wasn't sure for how long. Where would she go? She couldn't go to Na-quam… that would jeopardise the entire mission. She heard the barge behind her. When she looked back for a moment she saw that troopers on speeder bikes were two seconds behind her. She didn't like flying. She wasn't that good at it either and knew she could not shake them off. After a few misleading turns, Vidomina decided to go to her hotel room. There was nothing else she knew. She hadn't exactly spent enough time on the planet to explore the city. She flew her speeder as fast as she could around a few curves and eventually saw her hotel.

She parked her speeder, but not properly; she more or less jumped out as soon as she saw surface. When she looked back she did not immediately see the troopers. The distance must have been larger than she thought. She hasted inside and fell to her knees. She tried to control her breathing. She wanted to contact her Master and the others, but knew they would be lost if she was caught doing so. The troopers arrived. They did not enter, but secured the exits instead. Vidomina smelled her armpits and knew that her entire body was covered in sweat. She had never felt so afraid.

A few moments later she heard the barge arrive. This was it, she knew it. All she needed to do was conceal the others. Footsteps outside.

Yun looked at the hotel. It wasn't much and it did not give a luxurious impression. He figured she was likely a Force-sensitive child which never got picked up by the Academy when it was still active. What other explanation could there be? And why else would she be living in this hotel while working as a babysitter? Oh yes, he knew how Padora called it. He didn't care; to him, she was just a babysitter. Yun slowly walked to the troopers guarding the main entrance. "Let nobody in or out while I talk to her." They confirmed the order. Yun reached the door, but it was locked. Of course, he reckoned. "Open this door." The soldiers approached with blowtorches and other tools, and proceeded to force a hole in the door. It didn't take very long. Yun kicked the door in when they were almost done and stepped through the opening.

Vidomina felt her heart beat faster as she heard footsteps approaching. She had decided to keep up her act. It was her only way out. If she was revealed to be a Jedi padawan, he would kill her surely, she reckoned, or at least he would make her talk about the others. Perhaps if she could play innocent, she would survive. The footsteps came closer. Yun emerged from around the corner. He looked at her with a determined look. She knew he was powerful.

Yun felt powerful. Before him was a girl of approximately sixteen years old, cowering on the sofa. He closed his eyes. The Force was really strong in her. He wasn't sure what that meant. There was no time to ask Jerec, he had to act now.

"The Force is strong with you," he said as he opened his eyes. Vidomina did not reply. She did not even dare look at him. Yun continued. "Who are you?"

Vidomina stared at the floor. "Pereilia Nebula," she said softly.

Yun wasn't sure what to do with this. "What were you doing at the Hames mansion?"

The girl looked up for the first time and sported a look of confusion. "I have to get by." Her head hung down again.

"Why did you run?" The Dark Jedi was running out of questions. She had to give him some reason to draw his sabre.

"I was afraid." Her voice was almost reduced to a whisper. She was dead honest. Vidomina felt the insecurity in Yun and hoped to be able to take advantage of it.

"Afraid of what?" He now sounded disbelieving.

Vidomina looked up again. "Y-you… It feels really unpleasant…"

"Are you a rebel?"

"What? No!" She felt genuinely alarmed.

"Are you a Jedi?"

She now remained silent and casually shook her head.

"How do I believe you?" he barked. "Are you alone?" He looked around to see if there was at all any space to hide a second person. He sensed no other presences.

"I am alone…," she whispered. Her voice sounded squeaky for a moment. She realised she should not come across as too calm, which would indicate training. She retracted her legs and made herself small. She rested her head on her knees. She believed her own words. She was alone. The others were too far away to notice what was going on here. It genuinely made her feel small.

"We'll see if I can find your lightsabre…," said Yun as he began opening all drawers, cabinets, and hatches. He found one box with a lock and a small vault which he threw at her feet. "Open it." Vidomina obeyed. Her hands shook as she unlocked both. She handed them back to Yun. The Dark Jedi eagerly took the vault and emptied its contents on the floor. He was disappointed to only see some credits.

"I don't have a lightsabre," Vidomina told him.

Yun looked at her. He had doubts. Her story seemed good. There was no sign of a bigger picture she supported and the lack of a lightsabre indicated her unawareness. "Do you know why I've come here?"

She shook her head. "Y-you smell fear?" she said hesitantly.

He laughed. "Well, well… It seems we are dealing with an unspoilt flower here." He slowly walked towards her. He wasn't sure if he trusted completely, though, but the evidence seemed in her favour. He sat down beside her on the sofa. "You and I will be spending a lot of time together."

Vidomina now felt a fear of a completely different kind. She wasn't sure what he meant. She decided to play dumb. "Y-you're arresting me? For what?"

Yun sniggered. She was still very young, but she was pretty. "Do you know what you are, Pereilia?"

Vidomina shot him a questioning look.

"You are special. There are things you must have noticed that made you different from all the others, aren't there?"

Vidomina stared at the floor. She couldn't play that dumb. "Sometimes… when I'm angry… things shake…"

"That is just a sign of your power, Pereilia. You can learn to control and improve that power by learning the ways of the Force."

She now quickly turned to him and tried her best to look surprised. "Do I… feel the Force?"

Yun nodded. "Yes. That is why you responded to me the way you did… we share a connection through the Force. I believe the Force has led me to you, Pereilia. It was our destiny to meet."

Vidomina closed her eyes and rested her head on her hand for a bit. "What does this mean?"

Yun smiled. "You will be trained in the ways of the Force. You will learn to call me Master." He caressed her long black hair with his right hand.

Vidomina was perfectly all right with him attempting to turn her, but the caressing felt really uncomfortable. She hesitantly looked at him. He was smiling at her.

The Dark Jedi looked at her. A diamond in the rough. If he were the one to flesh her out and to define her, she would become powerful, but he would earn the credit. He stared at her. She was really pretty, he thought. Her black hair felt soft. He noticed that her green eyes told him to stop touching her.

His smile disappeared. He could not allow her to tell him what to do. He was in control. He had the power. Yun leaned forward and tried to kiss her. He noticed that she turned away from him and attempted to resist, but he was stronger. He forced himself on top of her and began touching her body.

Vidomina didn't know what was happening, but she couldn't pretend anymore. With all the power she could gather, she called upon the Force to push him off of her. With enormous force, Yun flew to the ceiling and crashed on the kitchen cabinet. She cried as she realised what she had done. The Dark Jedi got up hesitantly, feeling his back, but soon approached her with anger in his eyes. He activated his lightsabre and pointed the yellow blade at Vidomina.

Yun heard his com-device beep. He grabbed it and answered the incoming call. A hologram of Padora appeared. "Yun, sweetie, are you coming back? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I will be with you shortly," he replied. "Everything is fine."

"And Pereilia?"

"She will be fine… she just has to learn her place… and then she'll be fine." He looked at Vidomina as he spoke those words. He deactivated both the device and the lightsabre. He hurried to leave the hotel room.

Vidomina was unsure what would happen now. Were they going to let her alone? She heard Yun talk to the guards.

"Should we bring her to the prison, sir?" asked a trooper.

"No. She is too dangerous. I will escort her myself. Don't let anybody in and don't let anybody out. If she tries to leave, kill her. She is unarmed."

She heard the barge take off and saw it fly away through the window. She heaved a sigh of relief. It was over.

Na-quam rolled the dice. As soon as the numbers surfaced he smiled.

"This is the third time in a row you win," said Lando with disappointment. "It's not fair."

"Gambling never is," said the Jedi Master. He briefly looked at Chewbacca and Rilus before he took the dice and prepared for another roll.

"Master," interrupted Robuk. "I'd like to talk to you for a moment, is that okay?"

Na-quam looked at the Rodian surprised. "Sure, Robuk."

"Don't get up," Robuk said hastily. "When this is all over… I'd like to join the Reborn Clan."

"What?!" exclaimed Lando.

Na-quam instantly gestured him to shut up. "Are you sure that is what you want, Robuk?"

The Rodian nodded. "I believe it is the will of the Force that I join them, Master."

The elderly Jedi thought on it for a moment. "We all must follow our own path."

Suddenly Nil'Ss approached them. "Na-quam, your communicator is beeping, shall I get it?"

Na-quam looked up. Who on earth would contact him on that channel at this time of day? Only Vidomina had his frequency, but she was supposed to be at work now. Unless it was an emergency. He quickly got up, almost knocked over the table, apologised for spilling Lando's drink, and hastened himself to the com-device. Vidomina appeared as a hologram. She looked tired, worn out, and flat out traumatised. She wasn't standing or sitting either, but lying on the floor.

"Vidomina, my padawan, what's wrong?"

Vidomina breathed for a bit and then uttered, "Help."

"Colonel, you are summoned," said Admiral Mobbis.

Jonvidis closed his eyes. Had Perlon ratted him out? "By whom?"

"Admiral Perlon requires your help. Apparently there are some issues with the new training programme. You must advise. Don't worry, we are on top of this one."

Colonel Jonvidis was unsure what Perlon wanted from him. If he had been ratted out, it would've been Jerec or Maw who would have summoned him. He obeyed, left his station, and headed for the offices.

Admiral Perlon sat behind his desk. "Sit down, Colonel," he said. "This meeting is strictly unofficial."

"Sir?"

Perlon looked Jonvidis right in his eyes. "I'm in. You have my ship."