"Xarga said that he and your friends are making good progress through the jungle," Zuka told Liara as he led her through the Mandalorian camp to their garage. "They will reach the tunnels leading to the enemy's base within the hour."
Liara said nothing as she followed Zuka. She had wanted to leave for Onderon right away, but Mandalore had told her that their transportation still needed a few minor repairs.
She was worried about Atton, Mical, and Visas. Did she make the right decision in sending them? Should she have sent someone else?
No. I chose them because each has skills to compliment the other two's abilities. So no matter what they encounter, they will be able to handle it. No one can heal better than Mical, and he knows all the powers of the Force to strengthen the others. Visas can make use of her own Force powers, she is deadly in battle, and she can hack into any computer system. And Atton…well, he's a jack-of-all-trades.
So was Bao-Dur, in all actuality, so she had almost sent him with Mical and Visas. She had almost asked Atton to accompany her to Iziz. But she had changed her mind. This was going to be an intense battle, and she didn't want to be looking over her shoulder at him every five seconds to make sure he was okay. She knew it was ridiculous. If anyone in their group knew about self-preservation, it was Atton. But since she had realized her feelings for him, she found herself worrying over what Kreia had warned her of. She didn't think she could go on if something happened to him. Well, any of them really. So Liara asked him to lead Mical and Visas so she wouldn't be distracted by him.
She had also asked him to do it because she wanted him to see what he was capable of when he really tried. Deep down, he thought he was beneath the others. That when it really counted, he would let everyone down. She didn't believe that and it pained her that he did. She hoped that when (when, not if, she told herself) he succeeded in his mission at the enemy's camp, he would realize his worth.
"Are the repairs done on the shuttle? If the Queen is to have any chance, we need to be on our way," Liara said to Zuka.
He chuckled as they stopped at the doors to the garage. "Trust me, this is worth the wait."
Zuka opened the garage doors. Liara gasped in surprise.
"And here it is, a salvaged Basilisk War Droid," he said with pride. "Mandalore said he would make it available to you for insertion into the city of Iziz. I assure you, they won't know what hit them."
Liara was rendered speechless for a moment. The warrior in her couldn't help but feel some anticipation over the opportunity to fly a Basilisk. She remembered how, during the war, the Mandalorians would fall from their airships riding a Basilisk, bellowing their battle-cries, instilling fear into the Republic soldiers. She had always been awed by the sight in spite of herself.
She turned to Zuka, her eyes shining with excitement. "I get to fly a Basilisk?"
Zuka smiled from beneath his helm. "Yes, just like a new Mandalorian recruit proving themselves. Into the heart of war, as well. Mandalore has given you a great honor. The Basilisk war droid is the epitome of weapon technology. State of the art weaponry, armor, and maneuverability."
Liara was walking around the Basilisk, inspecting it. It was a little banged up and had been altered. Instead of riding on the outside, as was custom, a make-shift cockpit had been built to fit a small group of people.
Zuka's voice followed her. "Unfortunately, this particular war droid's weapon systems aren't fully functional yet, as are some other unimportant support systems. But she will get you to Iziz in one piece. Onderon's fighters won't be able to stop that."
Liara stopped and turned back to him. "What kinds of 'unimportant' support systems?"
Zuka held a hand up to her. "Minor systems. Nothing you need concern yourself with." He changed the subject. "We've modified the interior to hold three people. It may be a little tight, but you can manage, I'm sure. Now, Iziz is in the grip of civil war so there will be considerable resistance. They remember the last time Basilisk War Droids visited their planet. Fight ferociously. And if you die, take as many as you can with you."
x x x x x
"Everyone ready? Because we are going down now whether we want to or not!" Mandalore shouted over the alarms that were going off in the Basilisk.
They had entered Onderon space when some of the 'minor systems' Zuka had told Liara about decided to cause some problems. They were now freefalling to the planet below.
Kreia had a death-grip on her seat as she held on for dear life. If it was possible, she was even paler than usual.
Mandalore seemed to be enjoying himself. He was whooping and hollering as they fell faster and faster, the outside of the Basilisk burning a bright orange-yellow with the heat. Liara was sure that if she could see his face at that moment, he would be grinning.
Liara was somewhere in the middle. She had always wanted to ride a Basilisk so this was a chance of a lifetime. But on the other hand, being killed in a vehicle going faster than can even be imagined before crashing on a planet's surface wasn't a way she wanted to go out.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the ship. Through their Force Bond, Kreia sensed what Liara was attempting. She closed her own eyes and focused on the Basilisk. Between the two of them, they were able to use the Force to slow the falling ship down considerably. Mandalore barely noticed their decreased speed as he saw Iziz's AD Towers take aim at them and start firing. He maneuvered the Basilisk around so that they weren't hit.
Even with the Force slowing the ship, they still crashed into the middle of the Iziz Merchant Quarter. They weren't flattened upon impact, however. Over the noise of gunfire and the alarms that were still sounding off inside the Basilisk, Liara could hear people shouting:
"It's the Mandalorians! They're attacking the city!"
"Run! It's Mandalore himself!"
"Attack! We can't let them aid the Queen!"
Mandalore immediately jumped out of the Basilisk and fired upon General Vaklu's troops as they surrounded the downed shuttle.
Liara and Kreia leapt from the wreckage and began battling the small battalion that was guarding the Sky Ramp that led to the palace. When they had finally managed to take down everyone on Vaklu's side that hadn't run away at the sight of the crashing Basilisk, they headed for the Sky Ramp.
Captain Bostuco ran down the ramp to them. He wasted no time on pleasantries. "There are two force shield checkpoints along this path. Vaklu's forces have held this ramp for ever a standard hour. That means they control the checkpoints now. If we can get to the Turret Tower up ahead we can deactivate the first barrier. The forces we're encountering right now are their rear guard. The fighting will get tougher the closer we get to the front of the battle line."
"Good," Mandalore said as he hefted his weapon.
Liara nodded at Bostuco. "Lead the way."
x x x x x
Queen Talia and Master Kavar were currently holed up in the throne room in the Royal Palace. They had fortified the room as much as possible, but it was not impregnable. General Vaklu would get in eventually. Once he broke into the throne room, Queen Talia had only herself and a handful of Royalists, soldiers who were defending her against Vaklu. Master Kavar was with her for now, but once the enemy entered the Palace, he would station himself somewhere else.
Talia was trying not to worry too much. She was extremely talented with a sword, even better than Vaklu was himself. If it came down to a duel between Vaklu and herself, she had no doubt she would emerge the victor. But she knew her cousin well enough to know he wouldn't hesitate to fight dirty.
Much of the Onderon military had sided with Vaklu, and now they had discovered that Vaklu was also being aided by the Sith. The Sith had come with many beasts. They had taken a page from Onderon's beast riders and had tamed many animals. One of Talia's soldiers had even reported seeing a drexl among them.
"Your plan seems to have succeeded, your enemy has indeed revealed himself," Talia said to Kavar.
Kavar frowned. "I anticipated the Sith. Those beasts…those beasts weren't in my battle plan."
"Even now Vaklu is using them to breach the Palace. I will not surrender to that usurper. I would die first!" Queen Talia's green eyes flashed as she spoke, her pretty face in a scowl.
"Every man here would give their life to keep that from happening," one of her soldiers told her. She managed a smile. Vaklu may have persuaded some of her soldiers to follow him, but the ones who stayed were fiercely loyal to her and she didn't doubt that they would lay their life down for her. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.
Queen Talia looked to Master Kavar. She was about to ask him if he had any more ideas up his sleeve when she noticed the far off look in his eyes, like he was listening to something. She had seen that look many times. He was detecting something through the Force. She waited patiently for him to divulge whatever news he was picking up on.
Kavar's eyes swam back into focus and he turned to Talia. "There is hope… It is faint, but growing stronger. I think my message was received."
"Which message? What are you talking about?"
"An old student is returning. I don't think the Sith are going to know what hit them."
x x x x x
Liara, Kreia, Mandalore, and some Royalist soldiers had fought a whole barrage of Sith and Vaklu supporters before coming to the last checkpoint. There was a force shield blocking the way. One of the royalist soldiers went up to it to try and disable it. Before he could reach it, a power conductor near him blew, catching him in the blast. He was killed instantly.
Bostuco ran to the dead soldier's side, checking for signs of life that he knew wouldn't be there. Then he inspected the conductor that had exploded. He turned to Liara, shaking his head. "This isn't good. One of Vaklu's slicers has control of the security grid. He blew up that power conductor. Their slicer has to be using a Palace security terminal. They've already locked down all secondary computer systems on the Sky Ramp. Until we deal with their slicer in the palace, you can bet that there will be more surprises up ahead."
"Ok. Everyone!" Liara said loudly so her voice would reach all of the soldiers. "Watch your step from here on in. There are traps set, so stay together, watch for mines, and keep away from any power conductors you see."
Liara went up to the Force Field and thrust her silver saber into it, disrupting the charges and causing it to shut down. The group of Vaklu troopers looked at her in fear.
"She's still alive! Run! Run!"
Liara caught their eyes. Using a little Force persuasion, she said, "I will not harm you if you leave now."
The words had barely left her mouth when the traitorous soldiers turned tail and fled up the ramp. At the top of the ramp were Sith Lords. One of them used Force lightening on some of the retreaters, electrocuting them until they fell to the ground, dead. He turned to the other Sith. "Hold the Line! Those cowards will be dealt with."
Mandalore responded by shooting him several times in the chest. Liara and the others jumped into the fray, fighting with everything they had. Liara hardened her heart against the sight of her temporary allies getting cut down or shot. She wouldn't let herself get distracted. The enemy was too many for her to do more than glance at the fallen.
Kreia used the Force to bring fear and horror to their enemies. Most were immobilized with whatever images were in there head, clawing at their skulls in their terror. The remaining Royalists used the opportunity to gun them down.
Once the last Sith had fallen Liara healed herself and then went around to the others, healing a slash here and a blaster shot there.
When she was done, she addressed the group once more. "My group and I are going to continue forward. Everyone here needs to hold this area. Ensure that no one gets through. Our success depends on it."
Liara, Kreia, and Mandalore ran into the palace, Bostuco right behind them.
"We've made it to the palace. General Vaklu's troops haven't been here too long," he informed them. "Hopefully, we still have time to save the Queen. Straight ahead is the throne room. Vaklu's hand-picked troops will probably be here. I'm going to stay here and keep the intersection secure."
Liara nodded to him, then went ran for the throne room. From where she was at, she could see a giant drexl larva clawing at the shield that was still protecting the room. Then she saw Tobin, Vaklu's right-hand man, run to the doors and seal them shut, effectively cutting her off from them.
She looked to the computer terminal near the recently shut doors and saw Tobin's face leering at her from the screen.
"I'm impressed you made it this far. But you are too late. Soon, the Queen will be dead, and General Vaklu will be the new King. This is no ordinary door between us. The same material is used for the hull of capital class vessels. I'm afraid you have no way of getting through it."
"Any door can be opened, Tobin. This isn't over," Liara told him calmly.
He smirked at her. "I'm afraid it is. Now if you will excuse me, we have one last barrier to take care of." And with that he walked away.
Kreia looked to Liara. "Perhaps we should hurry."
x x x x x
"I don't know how you made it, but well done," Kavar said to Liara when she entered the room he was in. She, Mandalore, and Kreia had left a trail of bodies in their wake. She and Kreia were exhausted, but Mandalore seemed to be thriving in the carnage. "Come in, quickly, before more Sith or Separatists arrive. We really need to talk, but Kadron and I are coordinating the defense of the war. I know Captain Kadron needs someone to handle a dangerous assignment. But I'm needed here, so I can think of no one better than you to take it on."
"What do you need?" Liara asked him.
"We've managed to hold this part of the Palace, but Vaklu's forces control the rest. We need to get to Talia before the drexl breaks through the inner door. There are two security consoles in the Palace. The primary console is on the other side of the Palace. There's an expert slicer over there who has been hampering our every move. We need to transfer all primary functions to our terminal here, then disable the primary console. That will also take their slicer out of the picture. After that, we will control security again and can get to General Vaklu before he gets to Talia."
"I'll take care of it right away."
She cast a burst of speed on herself, Mandalore, and Kreia. They flew down the halls, back to the other side of the palace. They were moving so fast that the Sith and their beasts barely had a glimpse of them before they themselves were cut down or shot. Liara and the others made it the room at the end of the long corridor when the speed boost wore off. Liara opened the door to find a few more of Vaklu's troops. The soldiers began firing at them the moment the door opened. Kreia used her lightsaber to deflect the bolts back at each of the shooters, killing them.
Once they were out of immediate danger, Liara saw Captain Riiken imprisoned in a force cage. Then she saw Vaklu's slicer. It was Kiph, the twi'lek who had assisted them on their last visit to Iziz by hacking into a Starport Visa, making it an open one. Liara was able to then give it to Xaart, a spy for the Republic.
Kiph turned to her. He wrung his hands as he kept moving his eyes around the room, never stopping on anything or anyone for longer than two seconds.
"Ahhh… the Jedi arrives. I am counting on the vaunted Jedi compassion and regard for all life forms. I was hired by General Vaklu to do a job. I meant… no malice. Haha… just a misunderstanding really."
Liara narrowed her eyes at him. "You seemed to have enjoyed your job."
He tried to draw himself up as if he took offense to that, but stopped as his shifty eyes settled on Mandalore. "I take pride in my skill, and your constant avoiding my careful plans caused some measure of distress. But I can now see the error of my ways. I should go, right now, and contemplate the depth of my mistakes."
"I don't believe a word you just said," Liara replied, taking a step toward him.
Kiph backed up. "I have perhaps embellished a little bit," he said quickly. "But this is true, I am done working for Vaklu. I just want to survive."
Liara sighed. "I can tell you aren't lying about that."
"Of course not. It's obvious to me, at least, that General Vaklu is not going to win today. So survival is my first concern. I sense that causing you anymore…complications…would be counter-productive to that goal."
Mandalore grunted in disgust at the cowering figure in front of him. If was up to him the guy would already be lying in a mangled heap. But it wasn't up to him. He knew that Liara wasn't going to harm the worm.
"But you helped me clear Dhagon Gent." She couldn't help but mention his going from a help to a hindrance.
"Incidentally, perhaps. I just answered a heavily armed Jedi truthfully. Then later I helped the same heavily armed Jedi with a quick task. I waived payment, I might add. I may have helped, but I saw it as the most prudent course. I am less interested in politics than whatever can give me more…material advantages."
Liara shut her eyes and shook her head. "Just… stay here. The Royalist soldiers will deal with you."
The look of relief that crossed Kiph's face was evident to all of them. "That is fair. I will wait here. I am not a criminal, I should be fine…right?" he asked Liara, almost begging her to assure him.
She said nothing to him, just motioned for him to move away from the security console. He scurried to the far corner.
Kiph was still logged into the console, so Liara didn't have to waste time slicing into it. She deactivated the force cage that was still holding Captain Riiken. Then she opened all the security doors in the palace before finally transferring all the primary functions to the secondary console that Master Kavar was at.
"Thank you!" Riiken said as he stretched his limbs. He had been standing in the same position for several hours and his body was stiff from it. "Now that you've got me out, we need to get to the secondary security system so we can get into the throne room. Hopefully, we aren't too late."
x x x x x
The door to the throne room was indeed open when Liara and the others got to it. The drexl larva was still attacking the door, so they had made it in time to assist the Queen. Colonel Tobin heard them as they ran inside.
"Will you just die already?!" he asked, his frustration clear in his voice. "You'll go no further than this."
"I told you that door wouldn't stop me," Liara said calmly.
"You're too late," he sneered at her. He gestured over his shoulder at the animal clawing at the shield. "Our pet beast is about to breach the force field to the throne room. The Queen will be dead in moments!"
Tobin's prediction turned out to be partly correct. The drexl did indeed break through the force field. But the fate of the Queen still remained to be seen. Just as the force field shut off, the beast became frenzied.
The Sith who had been manipulating the animal with Beast Control shouted to the others. "Watch out! I've lost control of the beast!" The drexl gave an angry roar before swiping at the Sith with its massive claw. It had almost torn the Sith in two as he was knocked aside.
Colonel Tobin tried to bring order to the panicked troops. "Ignore the beast! Into the throne room! The Queen must die!"
A few soldiers managed to run inside, taking the drexl by surprise. It came over its confusion as another soldier was running by. He was knocked into the wall behind him by the animal with such force that his spine was broken. He lay there, unconscious and paralyzed. The beast spotted Tobin and Liara and stomped their way.
"Oh blast it all!" Tobin said through gritted teeth. He gripped his blaster rifle and took aim at the beast. He fired three shots, all three direct hits. The shots did little more than anger the drexl, however, and before Liara could reach him, the beast smacked him down, leaving Tobin practically dead on the floor.
Having learned from her training days on Dantooine that Drexls were immune to the powers of the Force, Liara simply focused on physical combat. Mandalore put away his rifle, having seen what little it did for Tobin, and pulled out a vibroblade. Kreia ignited her own violet lightsaber and all three of them began attacking the larva. They each fought from a different angle, confusing the beast. It couldn't make up its mind on who to attack so it generally just roared and swiped its claws or tail wildly, aiming at no one.
It did manage to get a few hits in on the group. Liara had received a huge gash along her back, which Kreia managed to heal. Mandalore had been knocked in the head so hard that he fell to one knee and stayed there for several moments until his dizziness subsided.
Liara almost swore when she saw Vaklu take advantage of the Drexl's distraction and run into the throne room. Some of his followers ran after him.
Well, Force Powers may not work on this animal, but they'll work on us! she thought as she cast speed and valor on the three of them.
Once that was done, they were able to finally take down the drexl larva. They hurried after Vaklu, barely taking the time to heal their injuries.
What they saw when they made it to the throne room could only be described as chaos. There was not a man or woman in the room who wasn't battling someone. There were a few dead soldiers on the ground from both sides, and many more injured. There was debris all over the floor and dust and smoke in the air. The noise of blaster fire, swords clanging, battle-cries and last-cries were almost deafening. But it was nothing Liara and Mandalore hadn't seen before. Mandalore sheathed his blade and pulled his rifle once more. He began firing at the enemies whenever a shot became available to him.
Liara calmly sat cross-legged on the floor and concentrated through the Force, using her Battle Meditation to help turn the tides of the war in the Queen's favor. Kreia kept watch over her, killing any of Vaklu's soldiers who came near.
She could sense it was working. The Royalists were becoming more confident, almost reenergized. Vaklu's supporters began to lose the will to fight. They were easily disposed of after that. Once the fighting amongst the soldiers had stopped, Liara was able to spot Queen Talia and General Vaklu at the far end of the room. They were locked in a furious battle, his vibroblade against her double-bladed sword. It was obvious to those who remained to watch that Talia was the better swordsman. It was also obvious that Vaklu was getting nervous, trying to use whatever words he could to throw her.
"Your time is at an end, Talia. Your people have abandoned you. And now your life is forfeit," he ducked as Talia swung her blade at his head.
Talia snarled at him. "You would destroy everything just for your ambition, Vaklu. The Republic, Iziz… everything!" She jumped as he tried to kick her off her feet.
"That is a gross simplification, Talia. Change is a painful process. A price must be paid. But Onderon will have a new destiny, one larger than you could even imagine. Argh!" Vaklu cried out as Talia brought her blade down on him, catching him in the arm. Blood seeped through his fingers as he gripped the wound.
Talia gave him a triumphant grin. "You're getting careless, Vaklu."
He ran up the small ramp to the dais that her throne sat upon.
"One more mistake, and you're the one who will pay the price," the Queen shouted after him.
"Damn you! Your skill with a blade won't save you from my men!" He motioned to the men who had been standing on the dais, the men who had been doing nothing while the battle had raged on. Vaklu had hoped it wouldn't come to this. He didn't want anyone saying he was weaker than the Queen and he couldn't win without resorting to tricks. But he was no fool. If using tricks was the only way he could win this fight, than use them he would. "Goodbye, Talia. Fire!"
His soldiers raised their blasters and took aim. Liara put herself in front of the Queen, her silver double-bladed lightsaber at the ready. "Your plans end here, Vaklu."
General Vaklu nearly choked when he saw her. "What?! The Jedi lives? But how?"
"You'll find that I'm full of surprises."
He managed to regain a sense of command. "Kill her and the Queen, men! Quickly, they must not be allowed to live!" He ducked behind his men as they started firing. Kreia gave a shrill Force Scream which reverberated through the enemy, tearing at them. Mandalore returned their blaster fire with his own. Liara was deflecting blaster bolts as she made her way to the soldiers. She saw Kavar out of the corner of her eye. He ran into the fight with both of his blue lightsabers on. Seeing Kavar fight with a lightsaber in each hand momentarily reminded Liara of Atton. She hurriedly pushed him back out of her mind and concentrated on the foes in front of her.
There were only four soldiers firing for Vaklu, and they were no match for a Mandalorian and three Jedi. Soon, Vaklu was alone before them, his coup in ruins before his eyes. He dropped his blade as Captain Kadron and some of the Queen's soldiers surrounded him. He would surrender for now, but he'd get his chance again.
He stumbled as the Royalists led him down off the dais. He glared at Talia, still clutching his arm, blood having long since soaked his sleeve. "You've won…this battle, Talia…" he spat out between breaths, "…but your reign won't be an easy one. The Republic is a sinking ship. And you're too attached to it."
"He is too dangerous to leave alive. As distasteful as it is, it might be best to silence him forever. Until he's dead, all of Onderon is in peril," Kreia whispered to Liara.
Liara shook her head. "As much as I respect your advice Kreia, it is the Queen's decision, not mine."
Ex-General Vaklu stood up straight as he looked his cousin in the eye. "So what will it be, your majesty?" he addressed her with disgust. "Send me to your best detention cell. I will be free within the week. And vengeance will be mine!" He spit on the ground then tried to stare her down. One of the Royalist soldiers clubbed Vaklu in the back at the rude gesture to his Queen. Vaklu grunted as he bent forward, but kept his feet and continued to scowl.
Talia met his stare calmly. "Are you so sure of my decision, Vaklu?"
Uncertainty crossed Vaklu's face.
"As monarch I decree you are guilty of treason. The punishment is death, to be carried out immediately. Captain Kadron."
For the first time since his rebellion had started, Vaklu was afraid. He hadn't counted on her carrying out an execution against him. He was her own cousin, her own flesh and blood! He tried to appeal to her sense of justice. "Talia, you can't. What about my trial?"
His plea did nothing to change her mind. "Your whole life has been a trial. But it's over now. You are right, we can't detain you. Too many people are still loyal to you. You've left me with no real option," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
She tried to keep from remembering how Vaklu used to be. They had been great friends as kids as well as close cousins. He was several years older than her and she had looked up to him. He, in turn, looked after her. But as they got older, his father's ambitions became his own. Jealousy and a warped sense of self-entitlement turned him into the man he was today.
Captain Kadron lined his riflemen up. "Men, ready blasters. Aim…"
Vaklu fought to keep from falling to his knees. "But you can't…this can't be…" he stammered, still in disbelief.
" … Fire!"
The firing squad let lose several shots , each hitting Vaklu square in the chest. He did a weird, wobble dance as the blaster fire riddled his body before finally succumbing to his injuries.
Talia kept her eyes from her dead cousin as Captain Kadron had his men quickly remove the body from the room. "What is done, is done," Queen Talia said to no one in particular. Then she turned to Liara. "I don't think the service you have given us can ever be repaid. I must go with Captain Kadron, the fighting must be stopped. Please remain here. I will be back shortly to try and repay you."
Liara said nothing as the Queen left with her guards. She could see that this had affected the young ruler a lot more than she let on. She turned to ask Kreia if she was all right, only to find her gone. She could sense through their bond that she was indeed okay and that she was going to rest.
Master Kavar came up to her, smiling as he did so. "We spent all this time looking for you and you came to us. I thought you might return to Onderon. Looks like just in time. But I'm sure you have many questions for me."
Liara took a deep breath. "Well, I would like to know…"
x x x x x
Kreia made it out of the throne room before Kavar got a good look at her. She had managed to shield her presence in the Force, but she couldn't hide herself from someone looking straight at her, and Kavar knew who she was and who she had been. She couldn't let him reveal anything to Liara about her, not yet anyway. So once the danger had passed, she made a hasty exit.
She came upon Colonel Tobin, still lying in the outer room where they had left him. She knelt and inspected his injuries.
"Ahh, the wound is not a mortal one. Though it has been some time since I exercised my healing powers, there is a shred of life within you still. A gift from your Master, no doubt."
Kreia sent the Force through Tobin's body, healing the damage. "Awaken Colonel Tobin, your part in this is not over." He stirred and slowly got to his feet. He looked about in confusion. Kreia spoke to him, using some Force Persuasion on him as she did.
"Colonel Tobin, I am with Vaklu. The war has gone against him. He sent me to rescue you, to tell you to make haste off-planet. The Jedi have struck. They had a secret academy buried on Telos, and they are showing themselves at last. We are all in danger."
Her coaxing worked. Colonel Tobin did not bother to confirm for himself if General Vaklu was dead or alive. He had to let the Sith Lord, Darth Nihilus, know of the Jedi academy. Perhaps then Nihilus would reward him by helping to free Onderon from the Republic. "Out of my way, old woman," Tobin replied angrily as he pushed past Kreia. "This war can still be won and Onderon can be freed." He raced out of the room and disappeared around the corner.
Kreia smiled from beneath her hood. "Indeed…this war is far from over."
x x x x x
Liara, Mandalore, and Kreia finally made it back to Dxun. Kreia immediately headed back to the Ebon Hawk. The first thing Liara did was ask was how the others were doing. Kelborn told her they had performed quite admirably and that Atton, Visas, and Mical had made it back all in one piece. Liara felt a weight come off her shoulders.
Mandalore stayed with his clan while Liara made her way back to the others. It almost felt like a homecoming of sorts. She couldn't wait to see everyone.
When the Ebon Hawk came into view, Liara was surprised to see Atton come running out of the ship. He looked relieved that she was there. But then he seemed to catch himself and stopped right in front of her.
"Hey, the gang's back together. I must hear all about your vacation in Onderon," he said, his half-smile bringing a full-smile to her lips.
"I single-handedly ended a war," she teased him.
He laughed. "You think you're hot stuff, don't you?"
She smirked but then answered his question seriously. "The political situation on Onderon has been dealt with. Onderon has only one leader now."
"Well, that's good, I guess. Usually when powerful people butt heads it's the little guy who suffers most," he told her with a sigh.
Atton looked at Liara while she looked back at him. Liara broke the silence. "I guess I should go and check on the others," she said quietly as she walked past him. He walked after her, his fingers reaching up to her hair and touching it so lightly that she didn't even notice.
x x x x x
With the exception of Kreia and Mandalore, they had all been in the Main Hold for quite some time, discussing everything that had happened. Atton didn't say anything, unless someone asked him something directly. He wanted the conversation to be over. He was kicking himself for not kissing Liara when he had the chance. He planned to remedy that as soon everyone else left the room. That is, if they ever shut up.
After what seemed like an eternity, everyone filed out of the room. Atton exhaled loudly as he stood.
Finally he thought as he started toward Liara. But before he could touch her, Mical walked back into the room.
"Liara? May I speak to you a moment?"
Son-of-a-bitch! Atton stomped out of the hold and went to the cockpit. Is it too much to ask for a second alone with her? He threw himself into his pilot's chair. Guess I'm going to have to wait for Mical to finish.
But after a few minutes he decided he had been patient enough. He went back to the hold. Mical and Liara will still talking. Liara looked over Mical's shoulder at him and stopped talking when she saw the purposeful look in Atton's dark eyes. "Atton?"
He said nothing as he grabbed her arm and pulled her up against him. He pressed his lips to hers, not caring that, once again, Mical was watching. When he stopped kissing her, Liara looked back up at him, dazed. Then she smiled and kissed him back. Atton broke off the kiss and pulled her after him into the cockpit, leaving a bewildered Mical behind.
Once they were in the cockpit, Atton turned to the door. He winked at Mical, then closed and locked it.
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A/N: You guys are probably getting tired of hearing me thank you, but I'm going to keep thanking you anyway!
Thanks to Sithmouse for making me smile with the compliment about that particular Atton line in the last chapter. I'm glad it made you laugh!
Thanks to Ujemaima for pointing out the things you loved about the Chapter 10. I'm relieved you didn't mind me throwing an original character in there with Sogan.
And a HUGE THANKS to all of you who are still reading these chapters!