THE FOUNDRY

The groups had prepared as best they could before gathered in the large docking bay. It had been decided the rescue group would take the Wraith, while the StarWolf would make the run to Ziost. Both destinations would carry the ships deep into Imperial space. Teffa's ship had the armaments in case of trouble, while the sith fury would bear the transponder of the Emperor's Wrath. Necrolis was hopeful that would be enough to ward off most inquiring eyes. All that remained between those assembled were goodbyes. The mood was sombre, the bay quiet even for having all of them together in it.

Kira Carsen frowned as she looked at Asha Lightstar. The young woman, once her padawan, was still unhappy about going to Ziost while Asha went off on a rescue mission where the odds were stacked against them. It just isn't right, Kira thought, knowing she had argued that point over and over until exhausted. She knew Asha was keeping her out of this mission to try and protect her, but it still annoyed her all the same. Kira knew Asha had saved her, stood up for her, numerous times in the past. She wanted to at least be able to return the favour.

"I wish you'd change your mind. I should be going with you." Kira grumbled.

Asha smiled at her before reaching out and hugging the other woman. She studied her a moment, realizing that Kira had grown into her own and become a fine jedi. It had been an uphill battle for her. Kira had fought to overcome a past that tied her to the Emperor, but she had endured it all. She had proven herself time and again, even in the eyes of the Jedi Council. Asha could not have been more proud of her.

"Your path is not mine, Kira." Asha said softly to her. "Do not worry, we'll see each other back here once we are both done."

"I'm holding you to that!"


Vette stood with her hands pressed against Necrolis' chest, forehead resting against the cold chestplate of his gree armour. It contrasted with her own armour, hers casting a blue light, his a red. Necrolis reached a hand up to stroke one of his wife's lekku. Vette gave a slight shudder at the feel of his touch and then turned violet eyes up to him, staring into his eyes. Part of her felt the fear she would not see him again, and it was all she could do not to cry. Whatever happened, she reminded herself, she was the wife of the Emperor's Wrath. Who would have ever thought a tomb robbing twi'lek would ever find herself in such a position. Whoever thought I'd be loved so, Vette thought.

"You be careful ok?"

Necrolis laughed at such and nodded, free hand rising to caress fingertips down her cheek gently. If anyone should be worried it's me, he thought as he stared into her eyes. Of the two missions, hers was the more dangerous. It was the one most likely to end in failure. Necrolis was far too aware the broadcast was just a message, an invitation to come after Quinn. It was indeed a trap, and they were walking right into it. Part of him hated that he was not going along even though he knew he had to take care of the bigger problem. It made it no easier.

"You come back to me." Necrolis whispered before leaning down and kissing Vette hard and deep.

Aela Darkstar watched the two kiss, waiting until they broke apart to approach. Vette smiled at her and Necrolis nodded in greeting. Aela frowned and looked down, her conscience prickling her. Looking back up, her grey eyes regarded her brother. After all the years, all they had been through, she could never figure Necrolis out. She loved him dearly, but it annoyed her she could not decipher his mood or feelings. The bastard had too good a pazaak face, Aela knew.

"I need to say something brother, so just let me muddle through it." Aela said, watching as Necrolis nodded to her in response. "I know you have always had my back, been there time and again. I regret I let my anger, my hurt, override my better judgement. I said some things I never should have said to you, not after all the years you had my back the way you did. I am sorry my brother, and I ask your forgivness."

Necrolis looked at Aela and for once did not fight back the soft smile that came to his lips. Reaching out he placed a hand on her shoulder. He could tell it was important to her to get such said, knowing if things went wrong it might be the last they spoke. It was not needed, but then she did not know that, he knew. There was nothing to forgive. He had not liked his own words, how could he expect her, raw with emotion, to speak any different.

"Aela you and I are fine. They were words spoken in haste and hurt, I never took such to heart." Necrolis answered before hugging the woman tight. "Be safe, stay together, and bring Quinn home."

Necrolis caught sight of Jaesa and Pierce, the two standing by the ramp of the Wraith. With a wink to Aela, Necrolis walked to the pair. Jaesa said nothing, merely giving Necrolis a hug and nod before turning and heading up the ramp into the ship. Looking to Pierce the trooper merely shrugged.

"She's jut who she is. No help for that, is there?"

Necrolis laughed and nodded in agreement, offering his hand to the man. Pierce took the arm, clasping it in the common shake and bond of men of war. Pierce smiled and put a hand on Necrolis's shoulder, his dark eyes meeting the sith's.

"I'll do all I can to bring them all back. I promise."

"I know, Pierce. Just make sure you come back with them!" Necrolis added the stipulation and then nodded, knowing there was nothing more to be said, letting the man head after Jaesa to get the ship ready for flight.


Mako looked between her husband and Torian, shaking her head. It still bothered her she was not going with either of them. It was brief and fleeting, but for a moment she detested being pregnant. It was a silly thought, she knew. Such meant too much for her, for them both. She knew she would not have changed such at all. It did not alleviate the frustration, however.

"You have a cargo bay full of droids as well, courtesy of Blizz." Necrolis informed her as he joined their small group. He and Teffa had ensured they fit in as many of the units as possible into the ship, knowing they would need all the help they could get. Blizz had done the impossible, provided a glimmer of hope. The little jawa had outdone himself.

"That should help even the odds when you go to get Quinn." Teffa added, pleased to have a bit of hope to ease the worry he felt.

"Damn good to have the firepower." Torian replied.

Teffa smiled at Mako, the zabrak leaning in to kiss her before donning his helmet and fastening it in place. She grinned admiring him geared up and ready. He did make a striking sight, predatory and intimidating. He had bought the Tionese armour long ago, but it seemed to simply suit him. The black with red trim paint just made him all the more intimidating. Torian wore the heavy green and grey armour he had purchased, carrying the mandolorian looking helmet still under one arm. The blonde haired man gave her a wink, and Mako leaned in to hug him and kiss him on the cheek.

"You both had better get your asses back here, or I will be really pissed off." Both men laughed and nodded back to her at her words.

"We can't have that now." Teffa's filtered deep voice said with a laugh.

"I'm not worried. You're married to her. You have to deal with that. I'll just take a vacation!" Torian joked and Mako punched him in his shoulder playfully in response.

"We'll be back before you know it."


Kamthar Mantell stood with Alric and looked at Tanno, Yuun, and Elara. Kamthar gave them a quick salute and a smile, knowing there was little to be said between them that they did not already know. It was rare these days they did not fight as a full unit, but under the circumstances Kamthar wanted to minimize the risks. If they did not come back, at least Yuun could step in and Havoc Squad would carry on. The Republic could not afford to lose them all. In the end, they may have been fighting with the sith, a common goal in this case, but once over the war would continue on.

"We'll see you when we see you, boss." Tanno remarked and Kamthar nodded.

"Just keep this place secure so we have a place to come back to." He ordered them.

Alric nodded to Tanno and Yuun before looking to Elara. The cathar stared at her, made to say something and then stopped. Elara smiled softly reaching up to tussle the fur atop his head making it stand up. Alric frowned in annoyance and brushed down his fur with a hand.

"Hey!"

"Watch your back out there." Elara said then leaned in close, her breath soft against his ear as she whispered to him. "You come back in one piece, I'll welcome you proper!"

Alric's eyes widened and he stared at the woman as she turned and walked away. Aware the others were staring and giving questioning looks, Alric immediately closed his mouth. Spinning about on his heels, the cathar marched towards the waiting ship without another word. Kamthar, Tanno, and Yuun all looked at one another and laughed before shaking hands, and then Kamthar hurried to join his comrade.


THE WRAITH

Pierce manned the controls of the sith fury class starfighter, taking off from the Foundry and guiding the ship through the surrounding asteroid field. Jaesa rode the co-pilot chair beside him, the sith keeping close watch on the sensor readings until they were clear of the danger the asteroids posed. Behind them Aela Darkstar stood and watched, the sith watching out the viewport.

"This is your pilot speaking." Pierce said as he hit the internal ship intercom. "Our destination is pending, our flight time unknown, and we have no little snack packets to hand out. Complaints can be filed in the airlock."

Aela and Jaesa both broke into laughter and the Imperial trooper grinned and winked to both woman. He'd decided to just try and lighten the mood while he could, figuring Vette would do so anyways eventually. He just would beat the twi'lek to the proverbial punch.

"This is Scourge. I have a heading and have located the Vaiken. It is in orbit at Balmorra." The sith-turned jedi advised. "It appears the Empire has mounted a full offensive to retake the planet and its resources."

"Copy that." Pierce advised before looking at Jaesa, who began plotting their course.

Pierce looked over his shoulder at Aela Darkstar who was frowning at the news. He knew exactly how she felt. He had been there before, and the war torn planet was nothing more than a torn up pile of rock and dirt. He considered the place more dangerous than Taris, even with its rakghoul problem. The sheer amount of mines, weapons, and fact that there had never been much of a peace put Balmorra to the top of places he had no interest in going to. Just one big damn turkey shoot, he thought sourly.

"Balmorra." Aela muttered. "I hate that place."

In the ships spacious lounge area, the group of them had crammed in and were now stuck with nothing to do but wait. Scourge had busied himself with finding the location of the Vaiken. Knowing now where it was, where they needed to be, the sith busied himself with going over potential strategies they might employ. Kamthar and Alric sat against a wall, checking their armaments, the two Havoc Squad just making sure they were prepared for when they were needed. Kyl'thanis Lightstar meanwhile sat near to them, but remained apart in meditation. Torian had wandered to the cargo bay to work out in what little room remained. That left just Vette and Asha Lightstar sitting at the small table, both suffering through the boredom of travel.

"Think someone would shoot me if I asked are we there yet?" Asha grinned and joked, Vette laughing at that and shaking her head.

"I don't know, seems everyone is taking my job of cracking jokes away so I have no clue!"

"So how is it you wound up marrying a sith?" Asha asked Vette changing the subject. In all honesty she really was curious as to how a twi'lek and a pure blooded sith had wound up together.

Vette laughed and shrugged. She was not surprised at the question, and took no offence at it. While the woman was a jedi, and on the opposite side, there was no point in being rude or standoffish. In the end the twi'lek knew she might well be counting on the woman to save her life in what was to come. Vette had learned a long time ago it was better to just be practical about things. Being about those of the Republic and Jedi Order, she was beginning to see the people beyond the titles and sides of the war. There was also the fact that if what Shadelis had said were true, then she was Vette's sister-in-law, as much as any of the others.

"Believe it or not, he sort of… well, saved me from being killed. I was tossed to him as a pet." Vette said, knowing she was really glazing over things. "I guess I sort of grew on him. He's… different that way. He kept me around when most would have killed me once my usefulness was done."

"I can imagine." Asha chuckled and nodded.

"Oh you've only seen his nice side." Vette stated. "You likely wouldn't want to see him angry. I don't mean to be insensitive, but he's killed enough jedi over the years."

"No more than I have killed my fair share of sith." Asha answered back, nodding and knowing it was just the truth of the matter. There was no getting around it, but she did not need to take offence they were still on opposite sides of the war.

Vette nodded at the jedi's words before sighing and looking at the woman. She liked Asha, but she was also wary of her. Something about her just seemed to bother her. Maybe it was asking about Necrolis, she thought. She also had the thought of perhaps it was just because she was jedi. Normally she would have been shooting blasters at her instead of sitting and sharing quiet time talking. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Vette thought. What would happen after all this was finished? Would they go their separate ways, turn on each other, Vette had no answers and decided it was simply best to leave those thoughts well enough alone.

"Perhaps one day all this will end and we will all find we can be friends." Asha laughed even as she said such, knowing the odds of that happening were quite slim.

"Perhaps." Vette said, though not believing such. "Stranger things have happened."

"Yes they have." Asha agreed.


THE STARWOLF

Teffa Darkstar touched the controls and the ship came alive in response. The StarWolf followed the Wraith out of the docking bay and along the same trajectory as it left the asteroid field. Blizz sat in the co-pilot seat, excited as he watched Teffa manouver the ship, then hit the button to take them into hyperspace. Necrolis stood behind his brother, watching silently, having had a bad feeling as he watched the Wraith disappear from sight before they took off in their own direction.

"Relax, you're making me tense." Teffa complained over his shoulder to his brother.

"Sorry." Necrolis said. "Just had a bad feeling there is all. Like I wasn't going to see her again"

"What is it you sith say? Don't center on your fears or something like that?" Teffa offered, not quite sure if he meant the ship or Vette, or both.

"That's the jedi!" Necrolis corrected the zabrak, watching as he waved a hand dismissively back.

"Whatever, same shit." Teffa growled. "This is why I like my blaster. Saves on the bullshit."

Necrolis laughed as did Teffa, the sith shaking his head. Only his brother would make a remark like that. Teffa had never really got into the edicts of the order. He knew they had gotten into enough arguments when they were younger over such. Necrolis was glad they had moved well past the old arguments to where they could both laugh about their differences now. Age and maturity had smoothed over adolescent silly disputes.

"I'll have you with me anytime in a fight, brother." Necrolis said in answer to Teffa, patting the bounty hunter's shoulder.

"Blizz fight too! Blizz tough!" Blizz chimed in, causing Teffa to laugh and nod.

"Yes, you can fight with us too Blizz. You're pretty damn handy, buddy."


Kira Carsen sat in the small room, glancing about it. Curiosity made her wonder just who's room it was, given the collection of expired gambling tickets and brochures on Relax Company Galaxy, the notorious timeshare which boasted of having fine resort rooms on almost any planet one could want. She would never have trusted such a shady company, but many did. Green eyes scanned over the room once more, but other than her discoveries, it was a rather simple plain bunk, standard for a starship.

"Seems rather cozy." Tormen Darklight said, leaning on the wall of the open entry.

"I wondered when you would show up." Kira gave the smuggler a glare. "What do you want?"

"Hey!" Tormen held up his hands defensively and straightened up. "I just came to say hello, beautiful."

Kira gave the smuggler a hard glare before taking a deep breath to calm down. There was no sense in losing her temper with him. She had already decided at some point they were going to have to work things out and get along. Working together, and walking into danger, there was no way to get around their past history together. That said the last thing she wanted, and she guessed Tormen would agree as well, was to have their personal problems affecting how they worked on the mission.

"Tormen look, save the smooth talking for someone else. I'm not Asha falling for that crap you and Doc spew out." Kira threw out bluntly and honestly. "We both know what happened before, let's just leave it at that and get the job done."

Tormen looked at the young woman and arched an eyebrow at her. Sure they had a history, but he had not thought it was all that bad. Being compared to Doc irked him though, and Tormen had to remind himself to just let that go. Getting angry over that was not going to help. Whatever slight Kira had taken offence to, Tormen knew he had to ensure it was not going to cause problems down the road. He racked his brain, trying to recall what would have her so upset, but he came up empty handed.

"Hey now, that's fine by me." Tormen agreed, before looking at her questioningly. "I don't know why you're so mad though."

Kira swore under her breath even as she rose and grabbed the pillow off the bed and threw it at the man. Damn him, she thought, knowing he was just that dense. How could he not know, she fumed? She refused to allow herself to cry in front of him, instead marching to him and shoving him back out the door and slapping her hand over the controls to seal it. Tormen caught the pillow but then backed up, watching the door cycle shut on him, leaving him perplexed.

"I take it I'll give this back to you later?"

"Don't bother!" Kira snapped through the door. "You're good at not caring!"


"Have you ladies had your physicals lately?" Doc asked, looking at Shadelis and then Kaliyo. "I'm a certified doctor after all. You should not go into battle without a good check up."

Kaliyo gave the chiss a look and then rolled her eyes. Shadelis laughed at her friend, and shook her head. It had not taken either of them long in the man's company to determine Doc was nothing more than a walking hard on. Worse, the doctor shtick was about the worst pick up line either of them had heard. Given the places they had been and the company they had kept, that was saying something.

Doc looked between the two but knew he was not going to get anywhere with either of them. He had hoped against hope, but it was not going to be. They just were not interested. I bet they just don't go for such, he thought, looking at how the two of them acted together and drawing the conclusion they were an item. Not that he minded at all, but he would not have been opposed to joining them.

Doc saw Tormen come up the stairs from below. He watched the smuggler and saw his mood was dark. Doc felt a moment of gleeful delight, guessing that Kira Carsen had put the man in his place. He just did not like the smuggler at all. Given how he and Asha seemed to have some sort of relationship and history, Doc was not at all pleased to have the man about.

"Struck out, did you?" Doc asked with a smirk.

Tormen heard the question, sparing the man a glare. There was no love lost between the two men, though in all honesty Tormen did not know why. In truth, Tormen did not like Doc because he was nothing but a walking pick up line, cared only about his indulgences, and was a user. Tormen saw a world of difference between them. What Asha and Kira saw in the man was beyond him. If he hurts either of them, Tormen thought not for the first time, he'd best pray he's the hide and seek champion of the galaxy.

"You should be well used to that I would think." Tormen shot back and walked on, nodding to both women before heading to the cockpit.

Doc made to say something back but both Shadelis and Kaliyo laughing stopped him. He cast both a glance and saw both shaking their heads and rising to leave. They headed downstairs leaving him alone. They'll come around, he thought to himself, skilled doctors were hard to come by after all. Casting a glance back to the smuggler he watched as Tormen went up to the cockpit. Well this is unexpected, Doc thought, seeing he was left alone with only his own thoughts to pass the time.