"Vette is that the holo?"
Vette looked up from her blaster that she was cleaning. "Yes."
Sahesri was bent over a datapad, reading it intently. It contained all the information he could find on the planet Hoth and the Jedi Knight Xerender. They were the only ones in The Fury's common area. Jaesa was off at a cantina, Quinn had some super secret meeting and Pierce was off buying ammunition to replenish their stock.
"Could you read me the message please?"
"Umm...it...I...ermm..."
Sahesri looked up from his datapad and regarded her curiously. "Are you alright?"
She tried hard to hide it. But she had been born a slave, nobody had ever allowed her to be properly educated. She had learned so many things on her own, she understood three different languages, could pilot a ship and was decent enough with a blaster.
But she still didn't know how to read.
Sahesri placed his datapad down on the table in front of him and walked over to her. "You can tell me."
"It's nothing." she tried to laugh it off but something must've betrayed her inner feelings.
"You can't read it, can you?"
She sighed and tried to look away from his bronze eyes but to no avail so she just nodded lamely.
"I should've known. I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's not your fault. It's not like you were the one who kept me from going to school."
"But still..." he sat back down in his chair, thoughtful "Would...would you like to learn?"
"Learn...?" she turned back to him.
"To read." he pulled out a chair beside him with the force. "I can teach you."
"Really?"
He smiled. "It's never too late to learn."
Vette liked reading about space combat. She hungrily devoured accounts of tactics employed by the Empire and the Republic alike in battles dating back as far as The Great Hyperspace War.
All of this acquired knowledge had made her a capable commander. She had led many battles on her own but now combining her own fleet with Jaesa's had turned them into a force to be reckoned with.
"It's kind of pretty." Jaesa muttered as she looked at the planet outside the The Scoundrel's Bridge viewport.
"Wasn't the Jedi Grand Master born on this planet?" Vette asked.
Jaesa nodded. "Nomen Karr used to tell me how Master Shan's mother was a heretic. A traitor to the Order. Nobody ever knew who her father was. Obviously she didn't care to know either."
"Nomen Karr said alot of things Jaesa."
Jaesa laughed heartily in agreement. "That's true. But his views on Master Shan's family history were shared by the rest of the Order. It still stumps me how with such a lineage she has become their Grand Master."
"Sahesri says it only proves the Jedi Order's hypcorisy."
"Yes it does."
Moff Tia Kardee had been groomed especially for Jaesa and Vette's fleet. They liked the idea of a female Fleet Commander because there were still so few. And Tia had proven herself up to the challenge.
"Your Grace, My Lady we are in position."
"Excellent Tia. We were just admiring the view." Vette smiled. "Come join us."
Tia had come from a military family so she was raised with a certain amount of discipline. She still was a bit uncomfortable with how informally The Empress and Emperor's Hand, Jaesa Wilsaam operated.
"Our blockade is set?" Jaesa asked.
"Yes Lady Jaesa. We also have shuttles ready for you and the Empress to depart on when you both are ready."
Jaesa turned to her friend. "Shall we pay the Bretaalans a visit?"
"It's up there little one."
Odelio nodded, peering through the darkness to see a small hut built into the bottom of a tree. Truly remarkable that it still was there after three hundred years.
"It's still there after all this time?" he answered in Shyriiwook.
The golden haired Wookiee beside him nodded. "The Home of the Hairless One is a sacred place. It has been protected by our village for centuries. Teacher Maksimm sees to it."
The other Wookiees in the hunting party nodded sagely.
"It has been a pleasure to hunt with you all. And I thank you very much for helping me find this place."
To'min, the golden haired Wookiee nodded. "We will meet again one day little Sith."
"I hope so To'min."
The hunting party continued on their way and left Odelio alone in front of the hut.
The holos he had read described how Jedi Master Jolee Bindo had gone into a self-imposed exile after the war with Exar Kun. He traveled to many different but eventually landed on Kashyyyk, settling there for twenty years until he was found by the memory-wiped Revan in his quest to find the Star Forge.
Some time in his life, Master Bindo had returned to his former home on Kashyyyk and brought his holocron there. The Emperor had sent Odelio back to his homeworld to find it.
Odelio kept his lightsaber ready in hand in case he needed it. With his other hand he gently tested the wooden door of the hut.
With a little bit of muscle behind it, the door swung open.
But there was someone waiting for him inside.
He ignited his weapon. "It can't be..."
The old man sitting in the hut scoffed. "Put that thing away boy. Come, pull up a stump. We have alot to talk about."
"Master why must we stay on Dromund Kaas? Especially now that you said Lord Secura was hurt." Roshi asked.
"You are needed amongst your people apprentice. With your Mother, Father and siblings fighting in the war, your people need someone to look to." Tiaba answered as they walked through Kaas City.
"They're not my people though."
Tiaba raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you not the daughter of the Emperor and Empress or did I choose the wrong apprentice?"
"I don't mean it like that." She sighed. "I...just...well, my brother's going to lead the Empire if something happens to my father."
"That's true. " Tiaba nodded. "Your brother Augustus is next in line to take your father's position but these are still your people too. They will look to you as a guide just as much as they will to your him and your other siblings."
Roshi pondered that.
Tiaba smiled. "You must have some confidence in yourself Roshi."
"I do. Just not with politics and stuff like that."
The Miralan put a hand on her apprentice's shoulder. "I will teach you then how much fun politics can be. It's like a battlefield of words."
When Lord Dryzell had felt Daesha's wound in the Force he had immediately arranged to go to Felucia as soon as he could. Now that Dantooine was in the hands of the Empire he felt confident enough to leave his Fleet for just a little while to be at Daesha's side.
Out of "The Great Six" Dryzell was especially close to Daesha. He spoiled the twi'lek like the younger sister he never had, doting upon her constantly. Feeling her pain through the force had effected him unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
His two apprentices stood watching as their Master hastily prepared his things.
"Will you be gone long Master?" Alvanna asked.
"Just a few days. Moff Rills should be able to handle the day to day maintenence of the Fleet but you both are formally in Command of the Storm's end Fleet in my absence. Do not dissapoint me."
"Of course not Master." Khulmako said, his chest swelling fiercely with pride.
He softened a little. "You both fought well on Dantooine. Consider these few days a break. Take some time to relax before we are sent off on our next assignment."
The pair smiled gratefully. "Thank you Master." they said in unison.
"I know, I'm the best Master ever. Goodbye apprentices, I must go get catch a shuttle. I'll see you in a few days."
Kabien and Ka'hirr didn't really have much to do while they were waiting for the "Jedi Hunter" Commando recruits to finish their excercise so they did what any two warriors would and sparred.
Ka'hirr laid in cover behind a crate shooting at the young Sith as he expertly deflected the bolts.
"Who do you think will come back first?" Kabien asked the Mandalorian as he continued to fight off the blaster bolts, his lightsaber moving with an almost blinding speed, a single ribbon of red light.
"Who knows." Ka'hirr reloaded his rifle and continued to shoot. "Once you throw live Jedi targets into the mix, even the best trainees can fall flat."
"That's true." Kabien expertly leapt away from a blaster bolt aimed for his leg.
The Mandalorian responded by tossing a flash grenade at the young Sith.
Kabien easily batted the grenade away with a wave of his hand. Treating it like a toy ball as it exploded safely far away from him.
"You're good kid. You keep your form tight. Never letting your defenses down for a moment. That's the key."
Kabien smirked and twirled his lightsaber, deflecting another flurry of bolts. "That's the beauty of Form II. It's only weakness is in de-"
"My lord! Sergeant! One of the squads has returned!"
Behind the soldier came a group of commandos dragging an Ithorian Jedi between them.
"Only 48 hours? You guys have done splendidly."
The commandos of "Black Squad" as they had been informally dubbed bowed before Kabien. "We wanted to bring him back to you alive, my lord. Allow you the honor of ending him."
"That's very kind of you."
Kabien bent down next to the Jedi. "Anything to say for yourself?"
"There is no death. There is only the Force." the Jedi replied hoarsely in his own language.
"Your armor looks pretty beat up soldiers, did the Jedi give you a good fight? Tell the truth."
"The Jedi fought bravely my lord." the commando leader admitted.
"Good. Then he deserves a quick death."
The Ithorian stumbled to his feet. "I want to look you in the eye Sith."
Kabien bowed his head respectfully and brought his weapon to bear. "I admire your resolve Jedi."
And with one quick and elegant flick of his wrist, the Ithorian Jedi was dead.
"You've done well Commandos. Go, clean yourselves up and get something to eat. Sergeant Ka'hirr and I have much to talk about."
"Well well well. The Black Squad commandos were the first back."
Kabien smirked. "They exceeded our expectations."
"It's like I told you Kabien. People can surprise you."