Last time: Oppie had a nightmare. Cien was given a mission.

Now: Trouble arrives to Vestora

Part 1-Chapter 3: The Empire is Here

The next day, Viran finished his daily tasks at the spaceport like he always did on days where he didn't anger his boss. He walked the usual route to Sasha's bar. He walked it so much everyday there might as well be a sunken path in the ground from the sheer amount of times he walked this exact path.

He approached the entrance portal to the bar and entered to find it fairly empty. It was almost closing and there was only one guy. There were usually at least three to five drinkers there that would be thrown out around this time from either a brawl or for having too much to drink or because she was closing. Viran approached his usual spot at the bar as he stared, confused, at the man in the booth in his spot. He didn't look like a regular and Viran didn't remember seeing him arrive at the port at all today. The man was of medium build, but with a scar over his eye and a grizzled beard. Viran thought he looked aged, not necessarily old like Master Yoda, but old like the sense of age and weariness that came from someone that had traveled too far and had seen too much...or half as much...as Viran thought wryly to the scar over the man's eye. The question remained, where did he come from?

As Sasha rounded the bar to him, Viran reached out and stopped her with his hand.

"Who the hell is that guy?" Viran asked in a low and confused tone as he gestured with his thumb to the random guy.

Sasha followed his gaze then shrugged. She leaned over the bar towards Viran.

"I have no clue," Sasha said in a whisper to Viran as she continued to stare at the man. "He just showed up this morning shortly after opening. Ordered food and a few drinks and has been drifting in and out of sleep in that booth all day."

Sasha straightened and proceeded to give Viran his usual order.

"But you are closing soon," he said, sounding concerned. "Do I need to kick him out for you?"

Sasha shook her head as she slid him his drink. "Nah, not yet. Besides, I was going to wake him and tell him to leave here in a minute anyway."

Sasha then went through her usual closing checklist while Viran sat slowly sipping his drink, watching the sleeping man. Something about this guy felt off. He didn't always have a bad feeling, but when he did, his stomach would turn with unease. Once Sasha was done, she walked over to the man. Viran followed her with almost a protective nag in his chest, but also with a little curiosity toward the mystery man.

Once at the table, Sasha reached over and gently shook the man's shoulder while also silently hoping he wasn't dead in her bar. No one had time for that kind of paperwork. As she touched his shoulder, she noticed almost a familiar pull from the Force. Sasha was usually able to sense other Force users fairly easily, but always kept her abilities at bay as Oppie taught her. However, this guy felt different than most. Suddenly, the man shot straight up in the booth seat with a loud gasp. Sasha and Viran jumped at the man's startled awakening.

"Whoa! Sorry I had to wake you, but we are closing and you need to get out," Sasha said as she placed her hands on her hips. This was her powerful, demanding stance she gave just before throwing goons out.

The man looked up at her from under his hood. His hair was messed up from the hood and he had red markings on his face from it resting on his hands. His eyes were wide with worry and panic at first, but as he stared at Sasha, he slowly became intrigued as if she was a new species of Bantha.

"You… I haven't seen you...someone like you in a long time," he corrected. "It is good to feel a familiar presence again, are you on the run as well? Like me?" the man stammered. "I always knew that there were other survivors. Are you hiding from the Inquisitors too?"

Sasha and Viran both felt their hearts drop. What was this loon talking about? Is he… A Jedi? That would make sense and why the Force seemed to call out to her when she touched his shoulder. Besides, who else ran away from Inquisitors. The real question and worry that plagued their minds was how the hell did he get there? And are the Inquisitors on their way? Whatever the case maybe, Sasha couldn't let this man see through them. She narrowed her brows at him in confused anger.

"What the hell are you talking about? Like you? A familiar presence? I don't even know you. You just randomly showed up at my bar! Now get out!" She demanded as she stomped her foot down and pointed toward the exit.

The man didn't budge. She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out of the booth with almost superhuman strength dragged him toward the door. Viran followed close behind him with his hand hovering over his holstered blaster, making sure this guy didn't do something he might regret.

"No, wait!" The man begged as he tried to pull himself loose of her ironclad grip.

"Why?" Viran hissed as Sasha continued to drag him along. The man was really putting up a fight. "What are you..."

Suddenly, all three froze in place as the high screeching sounds of small spacecraft zipped overhead. All three recognize the sound. TIE Fighters…. No, it couldn't be. No, they were safe here. Sasha paled as her pulse sped up and her breathing became uneasy. Viran was just purely frozen in place. He hadn't heard the sound in so long. As much as he loved the hum of fighter engines, TIE Fighters were the one exception. The man between them had seemed to break out of his spell and point with heavy nuance toward the ceiling of the bar.

"That's why!" The man said finally breaking from her now lax grip. He reached into his belt pouch and pulled a data card from it. "Here take this." He pressed the data card into Sasha's hand. That caught her attention as she looked down at the device in confusion and horror. "They have been following me for a while now. This data card would be safer with you. Now you must go."

Before Sasha could respond, the man made his way to the sealed door and pressed his ear against it, listening.

"What is it?" Viran asked as he examined the data card in Sasha's open palm.

"Something more important than any of us. Keep it safe," the man said. He quickly looked at Viran, winked and nodded, before he went from the front door to the back door in one swift motion as if the Force had aided him in his speed. Then just like that he disappeared into the back and most likely out the back portal.

Sasha and Viran looked from his exit to the data card in her hand. Their hunch had to be right that he was Jedi, but what did he just get them into? They both exchanged a glance of worry. This had to get to Oppie as soon as possible.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door sliding open caught their ears. Sasha quickly stashed the data card in her belt as she turned with an annoyed look. The look she gave when people arrived at the bar after close. Viran also shot whoever it was a glare. Somehow, the sound of the door opening pulled them out of their dazed stupor and back into their usual facades.

What they didn't expect was who was standing in the doorway. They both paled at the sight of the shiny white armor that loomed in front of them. They had seen this type of armor before. In person and on the Holonet. This armor would send chills down anyone's spine who feared or hated the Empire. The TIE Fighters should have been a sign that more unfriendlies would show up, but they had been distracted by the Jedi. However, this was the last place either of them were hoping to expect two Stormtroopers to waltz into.

Greer slammed the office door open, "The Empire's here, they have a Star Destroyer in orbit and have cordoned off the area around the cantina. They said they found a Jedi there, I think it's the guy from the news." Greer exclaimed.

Oppie just looked at him in shock for half a second, his fingers frozen over the keyboard as he had been looking into crime reports for outposts he was thinking of moving on to. After fifteen years of running he had finally failed them. The Empire had gotten here and they were here for Sasha. Viran would already be there since the Empire had to have arrived at the spaceport, and it was closer to the cantina anyway, and he would do everything he could to keep her safe, so both of them would be discovered. His heart started pounding in his chest at the enormity of the moment, of his failing. "I'll go check it out… Watch the office while I'm gone." he said to Greer in a voice as steady as he could make it while he shot up and moved toward the door, grabbing his jacket on the way out.

"Sure boss." Greer stepped aside as Oppie rushed through the doorway, "Hey Ty?" Greer said with serious tone instead of his usual nonchalant levity. Oppie stopped for a second and looked back at the Greer, Ty was his assumed name for their stay at Vestora. "Be careful out there, ya hear?"

"I will Greer - thanks." Oppie wasn't sure if Greer knew this was the last time they would see each other, but that would have to suffice as goodbye for the two friends.

After the Stormtroopers arrived, they started demanding the location of the Jedi. Sasha and Viran couldn't find it in them to rat out one of their own. So they lied and used what deception skills they had to get the troopers to leave the cantina. Sasha had even wished she had more practice with Jedi Mind Tricks, but her basic knowledge of deception would have to do. And it worked… for a moment.

Once they left, Sasha and Viran made their way out so they could hurry to Oppie. However once they were outside, they spotted another squad of troopers detaining the Jedi. And apparently the detaining was the most interesting thing in the galaxy, because it was drawing a large crowd.

Sasha and Viran stood watching from the back of the crowd as the Jedi was being arrested. Sasha's heart raced as she watched in horror and sorrow. Angry tears were brimming in her eyes as she started forward to push her way through the crowd. A tight hand grabbed her forearm and stopped her from going much further.

"Let me go," Sasha begged knowing it was Viran who was holding her back.

He didn't do as she said. She knew he wasn't going to let her just run head first into a crowd while a Jedi was being arrested by the Empire. She would be arrested too or worse… But she had to do something. An opportunity had just arrived in her bar and she couldn't just stand there and let him fall like all the others.

Struggling to think of a way to help the Jedi, Viran suddenly felt something. A presence in the Force so faint, he would have mistaken it as Sasha's but it felt different, a presence he had never felt before. Viran looked at Sasha and noticed that she was too distracted by the capture of the Jedi. So he knew it wasn't her that was reaching out to him. Viran looked at the Jedi and was met with the same feeling again, this time even stronger than before, Viran had been taught about keeping up mental walls in the Force to prevent others from entering, but this feeling didn't even seem like it was one entirely centered in the Force.

The thoughts from the Jedi suddenly entered Viran's mind, shifting from terrible images, to feelings of complete joy to intense fear, hatred, and suffering, and finally to a sense of peace. It was as if a whole lifetime of experiences and of feeling had just been emptied into Viran's mind. The Jedi then spoke to him directly,

I wish our meeting could have been different, you deserved more, but you must keep that data chip safe and make sure it gets to your Master. More importantly trust your friends, especially Sasha. You will need her more than you could ever imagine, and she needs you. And remember, the Force will always be with you. Also don't worry about me, my journey is finally complete.

"We need to go," Viran said in a surprisingly steady voice. Why was he so calm about this?

Sasha looked back at Viran, clearly upset. Viran looked so worried and his face had gone paler than she had ever seen, she had only ever seen him look like this after Order 66. That look on his face and a terrified look in his eyes, shook her to her core. However, she shook her head and tried escaping his grip. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was, but she also knew he would do anything to protect her from harm first.

"But we can't just leave him!" She pleaded.

"I know, but…" Viran started to console her but was cut off by a hand on his shoulder. Viran looked up to see who the owner of the hand was. "Oppie…" he mumbled.

Sasha stopped struggling for a moment and stared at Oppie. Their friend and Jedi looked past both of them towards the crowd. His face was stern and unwavering.

"What's going on? I heard the Empire is here," Oppie asked in a hush tone. He then finally looked down to meet their gaze. That's when Sasha noticed his face fall slightly as he looked at them, concerned. He must have gotten the word and been so worried about them. "Are you two okay?"

Sasha nodded as she finally pulled herself from Viran's grip. She then approached Oppie and gestured back into the crowd. "Yes, but we need to help him!"

She watched as Oppie raised his gaze back toward the crowd. This is when she realized that he just now spotted the Jedi being arrested. His mouth became a thin line as he slowly shook his head.

"We can't," he said sorrowfully. "He has done his part. Now we have to get out of here." Oppie swiftly turned and started moving the opposite direction. The direction of their hidden ship.

"Sasha," Viran pleaded. "We need to go, Op is right, I think that Jedi is letting us get out of here." Viran squeezed her arm and Sasha started to follow, but looked back one last time.

Her eyes met, through the crowd, the Jedi's eyes. This was the first time that she had really seen his eyes, and he suddenly felt so familiar, but he had this solemn and tired look, but also a look of someone finally at peace. He seemed to flash her a small smile, and mouthed something but Sasha could not make out what it was before the Stormtroopers started ushering him away.

Sasha's heart clenched. She turned her head away as tears threatened to fall. "Come on." She heard Oppie beckon.

She turned and rushed after them. This wasn't right. This wasn't right at all.

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