I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters.


Chance Meeting

Damian stood on the cruiser's bridge, watching the port grow larger in the distance. Beside him, Ohnaka was blabbering away, reminiscing about the old days when Damian was working for him. Damian was distracted by what he saw on the landing pad. Stormtroopers. A lot of them. Waiting.

"Why are they here?" Damian asked.

"Don't worry," Ohnaka said. "Have more faith. They're just here to check documentation and search the cargo. I'll pay them off."

"And if you can't?" Damian asked. "What happens if they find our less than legal cargo and the stolen Imperial Shuttle in your hangar?"

"Relax," Ohnaka smiled "I have it all worked out."

"Alright," Damian growled. "What if they recognize me?"

"They won't," Ohnaka laughed. "I payed good money to make sure we would make it through uninterrupted. We'll be fine."

Damian looked back to the landing pad and his arms fell to his sides. Two. There were two Force Sensitives on the pad. He activated his communicator instantly.

"Barriss, two Force Sensitives on the pad," Damian warned.

Barriss swore.

"Understood," Barriss said.

She disconnected and Damian's hand rested on his lightsaber.

"If you double-crossed me, you're going to die before I do," Damian warned.

"Oh such little faith," Ohnaka said. "Relax. The Force Sensitives are just Inquisitors."

"What?" Damian asked.

"Inquisitors," Ohnaka said. "The Emperor's new group of Force Sensitives who all have the job of hunting Jedi."

"And the fact that there are two on your ship didn't register as a problem to you?" Damian asked.

"Not at all," Ohnaka said. "Just watch."

Damian looked to a screen as a video feed from the hangar appeared, showing the stormtroopers walking on with the two inquisitors, both wearing matching suits of black armor. The troopers spread out, searching the hangar, seeming to completely disregard the fact that there was an Imperial shuttle in the center of it, before walking out. The Inquisitors stayed.

"Why are they not leaving?" Damian asked.

"I...don't know," Ohnaka said. "They should have left with the stormtroopers."

Damian pulled his saber from his belt but after another moment, the Inquisitors turned and walked out of the cruiser as well and a call came in on the main computer.

"Your ship is clear," a voice said. "Lando Calrissian sends his regards. Have a nice day Mr. Ohnaka."

Then, the person disconnected.

"Lando Calrissian?" Damian asked. "That's who you payed?"

"He has a lot more sway than you would think," Ohnaka said.

"I guess so," Damian said. "So you won't mind if your men load our cargo onto whichever shuttle we're acquiring would you?"

"I called in a favor," Ohnaka said. "The shuttle will be here momentarily."

Damian nodded and walked to the cargo bay where Ohnaka's men were offloading Damian and Barriss's crates while Barriss and the kids watched.

"Who?" Barriss asked.

"Inquisitors," Damian said. "The Emperor's new Jedi Hunters. Glad you taught me to suppress my connection to the Force now."

"So am I," Barriss said. "Shall we?"

"Not yet," Damian said. "Our ride's not here yet. It's on the way."

"Actually, he's landing now," Ohnaka said walking past and tossing them a pair of helmets, both a dark brown and blocky with decorative yet convincing breathing apparatuses attached. "Let's go and meet him, shall we?"

Barriss and Damian put the helmets on, leading Jek and Shaeeah out of the ship after Ohnaka to a shuttle that was still powered up as Ohnaka's men were loading the crates onto it. Standing beside the ramp, was Cad Bane.

"Well well," Bane smirked, walking over. "Look who it is. Nice helmet."

"Bane," Damian said, not surprised in the least that he instantly recognized him. "Sorry about the shuttle."

"Not a problem," Bane said. "My job was to make the weapons disappear. So after I got payed, I killed him and took his ship."

"My, you are truly a horrible business man," Damian said.

"No hard feeling for shooting you down, I hope," Bane said.

"Worked out in my favor," Damian shrugged. "I'd say we're even."

"Agreed," Bane said, looking at the stormtroopers who were standing back to them. "I don't even want to know who you payed off, Ohnaka."

"A wise idea," Ohnaka said. "At any rate, now that you have your shuttle and your cargo is loaded, I believe our partnership is at an end. I will see you around my friend. So, would you care for a lift Bane? I know of a little space station where there are many ships and shuttles just waiting to be...commandeered."

"That sounds like a good idea," Bane said. "Oh, and Damian. Easy on the Hyperdrive. It's a little skittish."

"Thanks for the warning," Damian said, walking onto the shuttle and closing the ramp. "Barriss, let's get going. No Hyperdrive yet, I need to check it for sabotage."

The shuttle lifted off and Damian walked to the bridge, kneeling down and pulling a panel off, lying down and examining the wires. A couple were crossed and three were in the wrong spot. Just enough for a fancy explosion.

"Thanks for the heads up Bane," Damian smirked. "This is going to take me a minute. Hey, maybe we should invest in an astromech."

"Good idea," Barriss nodded. "Next job we'll buy an astromech. For now, fix the hyperdrive."

Damian rolled his eyes, getting to work. After a few minutes, he finished and stood, putting the panel back on just as an Imperial cruiser dropped out of hyperspace. Damian's eyes shot to it instantly as cold flooded him.

"Oh shit," Damian swore. "Jump. Jump now!"

Barriss did as instructed and Damian swallowed, sitting down and watching his hands tremble.

"Who?" Barriss asked.

"The first one," Damian said. "The one from Saleucami."

"I see," Barriss nodded. "Good thing we left then."

Damian nodded slowly.

"What?" Barriss asked.

"Scan the ship," Damian said. "Look for a tracking device."

"On it," Barriss nodded, beginning the scan. After several moments, the scan was complete and she shook her head. "Clean."

Damian nodded, leaning back in his seat.

"What's going on?" Barriss asked.

"I could sense that it wasn't random," Damian said. "He knew I was there, and in this shuttle. I think he was tracking me."

"How?" Barriss asked.

"I don't know," Damian said. "Maybe I'm imagining things."

"I guess we'll find out. We have an hour until we get there," Barriss said.

Damian nodded and leaned back.

"I do not want to go to Lothal," Damian sighed. "But, at least they're paying good money for this job. Let's just get it done before our friend finds us for a third time."

Barriss nodded, turning back to the controls as Damian began to meditate in his seat, deciding he needed to calm down.


Damian walked off the shuttle, looking around at the city. Dusty, dirty, and with everyone already afraid to look up from the ground. And it hadn't even been a year since the Empire took control of Lothal. No spine. That was it. No one on Lothal, save for a couple of other smugglers, had enough of a spine.

"This place is filthy and disgusting," Damian said as the stormtroopers checking imported cargo walked toward them. "Barriss, handle them."

"You there, we need to inspect your cargo," one of the stormtroopers said.

Barriss waved a hand.

"No you don't," Barriss said.

"No, we don't," the stormtrooper repeated.

"You already inspected them," Barriss said.

"We already inspected them," the trooper said.

Then, they turned, walking away.

"Thank you," Damian said. "Now, our contact should arrive in a couple of minutes."

They waited in silence for a bit until a Rodian walked into the area, looking around and keeping a careful distance from the stormtroopers until they reached Damian and Barriss.

"Those who seek their fortune will always find work," the Rodian said.

"And those who seek work will never find their fortune," Damian responded. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Damian. Smuggler and entrepreneur of slightly owned goods."

The Rodian nodded, walking to a crate and turning on its anti-gravity systems, before beginning to push it away. Damian and Barriss followed with Jek and Shaeeah in tow. They walked to an unassuming house and went inside, the Rodian lifting a circular slab of stone out of the way.

"Who is it?" a voice asked.

"Your supplies are here," Damian called down.

"Oh thank God," the voice said as a man appeared at the bottom of the shaft. "Drop them down and I'll store them."

Damian nodded, opening he crates and Barriss stared at the food and medical supplies.

"What..."

"The Empire is denying practically all of it," Damian said. "And don't start with what I know you want to say. This is you and Ahsoka's influence."

Barriss grinned and she and Damian began to float the supplies down with the Force, the Rodian, the man at the bottom, and his wife all staring in shock. Once finished, Damian and Barriss went down the ladder where Jek and Shaeeah were storing the supplies.

"Please don't tell anyone," Damian said.

"We wouldn't dream of it," the man's wife said, walking over with her baby. "My name's Mira Bridger. This is my husband Ephraim. And this is our son, Ezra."

Damian smiled as she held the son out, then it shrank slightly as he saw the aura around Ezra. It was slightly more dense than what Barriss and Ahsoka had, though not nearly as dense as the Sith Stalkers' all but shining auras.

"He's very handsome," Damian said, glancing at Barriss and nodding slightly.

She smiled as well, nodding back before turning back to the supplies, helping Jek and Shaeeah.

"So, you two are Jedi then?" Ephraim asked.

"She's an ex Jedi and I didn't start training until I met her after the Empire," Damian said. "So, technically no. But we're not Sith either and we bear no love for the Empire."

"I see," Ephraim nodded. "Thank you for your help. We'll see the supplies get distributed."

"Of course," Damian nodded. "Kids, time to go. We have to go get payed."

Jek and Shaeeah nodded, heading back up the ladder.

"Take care," Damian said. "And Mrs. Bridger, take care of your son. I can tell he's going to be very special one day."

Mira nodded and Barriss and Damian climbed up the ladder after Jek and Shaeeah, leaving the house with the crates and returning to the shuttle, getting on and leaving. Somehow, Damian knew he'd be back. He just seriously hoped not.


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