Now waking to the sun

I calculate what I had done

Like jumping from the bow

Just to prove I knew how

It's midnight's late reminder of

The loss of the one I love

My will to quickly end it all

Set front row in my need to fall

-Blue October "Into the Ocean"

Kirney Slane was in trouble.

Not that she hadn't known that earlier, but as they got closer to the waterfront the feeling became much more keen and her stomach began doing somersaults. The waterfront was a bad place to end up at the mercy of someone seeking to cause her harm. Once away from her shuttle, Planeth had introduced himself and sprayed some horrid perfume in her face.

At least her headache and throat constriction had gone away.

"Thrawn is willing to offer you quite a signing bonus," Planeth chatted as they walked along the waterfront. He tried to pretend he was being friendly, business like, but Kirney harbored no illusions about her position: she was his hostage, surely as if he had tied her in ropes or bound her with chains. She was on very shaky ground.

And the water was very cold. And used to having bodies of people who made ill business arrangements thrown in it.

"It better be quite a bonus," she lied. It had to sound like she was considering it, like it was possible, even as it boiled her blood.

-- ----------- ----

Kell was surprised to run straight into Tonin as he neared the shuttle. The droid was beeping wildly. "Slow down. I'm not as quick as Kirney." The droid repeated slowly, but the larger man still shook his head. "I'm sorry- I don't understand."

No option left, Tonin played the message from Cracken.

Leaving Kell stunned.

"Oh no."

------- ----- ----

"Not nearly enough," Kirney answered. "Sorry."

"It isn't a request. You accept or I get to kill you."

Kirny thought about that a moment- only not in the way Planeth thought. She was considering the chances of getting to her vibroblade where it rested in her boot, and advancing before the other human had a chance to reach his own concealed weapon- wherever it was. And she had no guarantee that he didn't have a blaster, and could draw it prior to her most basic attack.

Never leave yourself without options. An agent without options is useless, and therefore dead. Kirney found that she knew that voice, steeled with ice and heartless. It was Ysanne Isard- Sunny, as some of the other teachers would refer to her when her back was turned. Those that had known her as a child, at least, and relayed stories of her youthful games of hide and seek with biologically hazardous chemicals.

The voice was right. So Kirney reached into her mind, hoping to find some sort of way out other than luck. It should have come easily- as a code slicer, she had always found that there was a back door. In real life, it had once seemed just as true.

Just- not tonight.

0---- -- --- ------------- --------------

"I think she's in trouble," Kell told the others as they gathered, hearing the last part of the message. "Ton here started by beeping up a storm."

Kolot pushed forward. "Just got message. Kirney gone?"

A woeful blat responded.

Myn looked at the astromech for a moment as he came up with Face behind the others. Some recognition shone in his eyes, but he shrugged it off quickly.

--- --- ------------------ --------- ---

"Let me explain my position here. Corellia is a free planet, not part of any Imperial regime. If I do this, it is considered subterfuge. They find out you're filtering anything through me, they are in their rights to execute me. Then you lose an agent. And I'm dead. Neither of us would gain."

"Thrawn protects his agents better than that."

Kirney shifted uncomfortably, looking over her shoulder to the waterway. "No Imperial Admiral has offered protection in the case of failure- even a slight failure."

"No other Imperial Admiral is like Thrawn."

Kirney chuckled. "How different can one be from the next? You're going to have to make quite a case to get me to believe that."

---- --- - -- -------

Kell went into the cargo bay and sought out a few crates he'd had his eye on. Alone, none of the elements were likely to do anything. Together, they would make a small bang.

It wasn't much, but it would distract in a jiffy.

"Hey Myn," he called up, "got something that'll shoot long range with you?"

"Always."

Face leaned against one of the walls, a datapad in his hand. "How are we going to find out where our dear old friend wound up?"

"That's the easy part," Myn supplied. "Most Corellians know that the waterways is the best place for a dirty dealing. If this agent is in trouble, that's the first place I'd look."

"If this plan is going to work, we're going to have to trust a lot of things." That was Shalla. "Are we sure this is on the level?"

"Core, Shalla! She's in trouble."

"Could be. COULD be in trouble."

"She's in trouble."

Myn resisted the urge to be confused. "I'm going to check my settings," he suggested, walking out of the area. He would have to make sure everything was in order if he planned on doing some shooting, and this seemed as good a time as any…

--- ---------- ------ -

"I think I have a way to make you see the light." With that, Planeth reached into his pocket…

Kirney tensed, but was surprised when he pulled out a simple holograph.

"That," he provided, "is Grand Admiral Thrawn."

Kirney looked at the holo.

Her world promptly erupted into stars and bombs.

------------------- - ---- --------- --

Face walked along the waterway with Tyria. They didn't stand out in the least, looking more like shadows than anything else. Both kept their eyes ahead and their ears open, searching for Kirney. Myn had assured everyone that this was the most likely spot, and chances were that he was absolutely correct. Face for one couldn't think of a sleazier, dirtier place to do business.

About five pairs of people were in plain view, and the waterway stretched about twice his field of vision in either direction. He knew that Myn was set up on a nearby rooftop, ready to provide cover in case of difficulty, and that his view was probably better.

Would he even recognize Kirney when he saw her?

"Any sign of the Lancer?" Kell asked over the direct link. He was at a far end, ready to make a lovely display to distract whoever had gotten hold of Kirney.

"Negative. Wait- hold on…"

On the other side of the water, there was a pair. The shorter of the two stopped, and the other turned abruptly to keep the partner in plain view. The shorter one held something in their hands, and yet even as Face realized this fact the object dropped from their hand.

"Ty?"

"Whoever it is, they're in distress."

"Sithspit. We're on the wrong side… Shadow Guest, do you have a visual?"

"I…do."

Face heard the voice, listened to its lack of quality. And knew for certain that Myn had a target lock, and the right one.

Guess he does recognize her after all.

- ------- --- --- -

Kirney dropped the holo. She didn't remember doing it, didn't remember holding it. She just dropped it. Her feet stopped, though she willed them to go on. Her hands grew cold, and she felt suddenly very tired.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn," she whispered.

"He is a member of a race called the Chiss," Planeth offered. Kirney didn't hear him, couldn't hear him. The words didn't make sense, even if they had made it to her brain.

It's happening again.

That was the only thought that was allowed in Kirney's head. the only one there was room for suddenly. She had nothing to stand on, no anchor this time.

"No." The word escaped her lips, though she wasn't sure what it meant.

Planeth grabbed her harshly. It actually was a good thing, because at that moment Kirney's legs were not steady, could not hold her. It was as if every bone in her body suddenly snapped, and refused to mend. It was not something she would remember later- if there was a later- and at that moment it didn't register. It was numbness.

Nothing but numb.

"You're coming with me," Planeth explained harshly. "You are coming now."

Kirney just barely nodded, unable to do anything but follow orders.

----- ------ ---- ---

"Take the shot."

That was Face's voice over the commlink, and Kell was making a lovely show on the other end of the waterway. Yet neither quite registered in Myn's mind as swiftly as seeing the petite form on the other end of his sights.

You have to be kidding.

It took several seconds to realize that she wasn't the target, but the one who needed protecting. It became obvious when she was grabbed in such a way that even Myn winced- that was going to leave some lovely bruises.

The firewords ended.

"Any time."

"He didn't go for it," Myn reported hastily. "I don't want to hit the agent. Right now, she would be my main target."

That was greeted by quiet. "Understood. Now what?"

Myn thought about that and watched. Then he saw her nod at the man, and walk with him, and his heart sank. She's one of them.

------- --- ---

Kirney felt like there was something wrong, even if she had no idea what it was or why.

"Thrawn is going to love you. So susceptible to conditioning."

That was it. She was being led somewhere, following an order. That felt right, though; it was how things were in the scheme of things. Why would she disobey?

"I have to do this for me."

The thought took her by surprise. She wasn't sure where it came from, though she was vaguely aware that the voice was her own.

"I have to do this because it's right."

Blink. Blink. There was something she was supposed to do, someone she was supposed to be.

"I have to do this because I have nothing else to do."

The figure leading her was silent, but exuded triumph. Suddenly, it made her very mad. She pushed him in front of her, stepping back half a step…

----- -------- ---

Myn watched as she pushed her aggressor forward, and stepped out of the sensor. Knowing it was what he wanted to do, he took careful aim…and the shot rang out, true.

--- ---- ----------- ---

Planeth was surprised to be hit by something so uninteresting as a bullet. He had only a moment for thought, realizing that he was done for. He knew taunting would be useless with this girl, and she looked uncertain enough that it would mean nothing. All he could do was deny these people their prize, the agent he had come to collect.

Kirney was only half a step away from him. With the last of his strength, Planeth lunged at her…

They fell together into the waterway, his weight on top of her forcing her down. Just before he drowned, Planeth spared a moment to be surprised that she wasn't even fighting the drift to the bottom of the water lane.

- --------- ----

In actuality, Kirney did register the sinking sensation, felt the water close over her even as she didn't understand it. Instead, she just accepted what was happening and vaguely wondered why the feeling was so very familiar…

"All the furniture that made up the way I'd thought and felt about things in my life started coming loose in my head. Nowadays it slides around and breaks into pieces and I have no idea what parts of it are real and what aren't. It hurts, and a lot of the time I don't know who I am anymore. But I know what I have to do."

-- ------ ------ ----

Myn hadn't realized how fast he could move. He didn't stop to gather anything, suddenly running down the steps toward the waterways where he had seen her be pushed into the ebb and flow.

By the time he got there, Face and Tyria were already bobbing up and down, looking for any sign of her.

Three minutes had passed.

Myn made eye contact with Tyria, gave a brief nod, and joined the search. Underwater, it was dark and somewhat cold…

His hand grabbed onto something that had once been living. But it was colder, older…had been submerged longer. He kept going.

Just before coming up for air, his hand hit something that was still vaguely warmer than the water. Grasping, hoping, he pulled it up with him.

Above, in the evening light, he was able to see that he had indeed grabbed the correct person. Within minutes he had her on the shore- the others walking glanced their way, but kept about their business. Myn ignored Face and Dia as they approached, concentrating on his newly returned flame.

She choked a bit, and sputtered water. Her eyes opened to slits, but beyond that there was no response.

"Myn…" Face began.

"You don't get to say anything," Myn warned darkly.

"I just thought this was a bad place to stay for long."

Myn looked around and realized he had to agree. Convinced that Kirney was indeed still breathing, and normally at that, he admitted that Face had a point. "Then let's get out of here."

A sentence came to his mind unbidden. It was a thought Myn had analyzed a few times, and now found he had an answer for. The answer had been tested, and proven, only minutes ago.

"I was just sort of hoping that you wouldn't hate me anymore…I wish I'd been someone else. To give you that chance you wanted."