Chapter 9 – Hunters

"What news, General?" Leaning back in his seat Tious Markhan favored his second with a coolly stern glance, a reminder of what he expected of these news. They had better be good.

Zi'Assime nodded sharply, seemingly oblivious to his superior's mood. "My agents have located Admiral Tomas Piett on Rhinnal, and they have reason to assume that he will travel to Obora-Skai next."

"Obroa-Skai. That is dangerously close to our own territory. I assume this is a diplomatic voyage?"

"Not officially."

"I see. Anything else?"

"I have dispatched a team to apprehend him there and deliver him directly to Byss."

"Excellent. What else?"

"The project in Hutt Space. Sir, I know that Haman was supposed to initiate that rebellion and in turn was promised the seat of governor for Ryloth, but there has been some news-"

"I know." Markhan interrupted him curtly. "I wanted you to send a fleet to Nal Hutta to assist Joral. Have you done that?"

"Of course. What about Haman?"

"We can keep that asset for now, but as things are in the New Republc we can make use of a fleet in Hutt Space too, once the hammer falls. The Princess, unfortunately, is still in Zsinj's custody. How are your efforts proceeding in recovering her?"

"There may be a way. I will have to contact my agents on Yaga Minor."

"I remember that Joral sent Han Solo and this Calrissian to Yaga Minor. What are the chances that they will find out about the Princess and abduct her instead of Magrody?"

The General gave him a blank stare. Finally he nodded once more. "Yes, sir. I see what you mean. Perhaps it would be best to order Fett to eliminate both and assist my team in acquiring Magrody and the Princess at the same time."

"That may be advisable." The Grand Admiral clicked his tongue in exasperation.

If Solo and Calrissian went missing his little scheme to discredit the Dark Lord would lose much credibility. On the other hand that was not as important as the Princess. He hesitated and mulled over that aspect some more. No, With the new information they had things had changed. Apparently some of the exiled councils had decided to counter Haman's planned rebellion. How they had learned of that scheme he did not know yet. Fact was, though, that they were running out of time. Their only chance was to quell that rebellion before it could start. For a second his eyes flicked up to meet Sarreti's gaze. The lieutenant was standing across from him, waiting.

"General Zi'Assime, the troops you have dispatched for Nal Hutta will proceed to Ryloth immediately and reestablish the Empire's protectorate. Theoretically the planet still belongs to our realm, even if the New Republic sees that differently."

"Sir, that would certainly prompt the New Republic government to respond, wouldn't it?"

"I am sure that it will. Nothing of the rebellion must get back to the government though. Arrest any agent of theirs you can find and neutralize them. Who is leading the assignment?"

"Captain Kuyan."

"Good. As for the rebels you will undoubtedly capture, they will be made an example of, A message to every single Twi'lek and to the Hutts."

"Understood, sir."

"Excellent. You will personally secure Yaga Minor and bring Magrody and the Princess to me."

"Yes, sir. What about Solo and Calrissian?"

"None of your concern. Thank you, General. That is all." Once the transmission had ceased he rose from his seat, prompting his aide to step forward.

"Sir?" Sarreti asked quietly.

"How do you think that the New Republic will react?"

"An Imperial force moving into that sector would certainly have more weight than a simple rebellion and the Hutts' interference."

"Of course it is also the more obvious move. I doubt they will fall for the trap then."

"With all due respect, sir, why then did you give the order?"

"They will have to split their troops anyway. And even though I would much prefer the elegant solution I will settle for what I can get. It is a show of strength, and Mon Mothma knows that. This is a difficult time for them, and they can lose much now."

"Perhaps then she will be more cautious and not take unnecessary risks."

"No. If the New Republic does not interfere now they can forget abour acquiring new allies. And those they need badly, else Piett would not undertake that unofficial diplomatic mission. They will respond, undoubtedly. That's why we will have to have a very close eye on our dear friend Joral. The Hutts are powerful."

"Yana Dar always seemed to be getting along with Joral."

"Yes. She has a talent for negotiations. Which is why we need her." He gave his aide a cool glance. "Any news on Jixton and Jade?"

"No, sir. None so far."

"Very good. Yana Dar will join us soon, so I would have you break it gently to our moffs and governors that there will be some changes in the forseeable future."

"Yes, sir. I will be – diplomatic."

"As always. Dismissed, Lieutenant."

"Loya?"

Striding into Raisa Tobyn's small apartment, that had been turned into his new headquarters, Anakin had a hard time suppressing a yawn. He had discussed Karrde's news with Mon Mothma and her staff for hours, deciding on a course of action, or at least trying to. In the end they had come to the conclusion that it might really be better to not interfere in Hutt Space, even though that rankled the Dark Lord immensely. He wanted to know what interest his old nemesis had in that particular area. Right now though he had to trust in Page and his agents to uncover Roj Kell's plans, and truth to tell, he doubted that the NRI would succeed at all.

"Loya!" he said again, louder this time.

The Devaronian, who was seated on a small couch by the window, jerked from his quiet dozing and fixed the newcomer in an annyoed glare. "All's well, boss," he growled.

"That's not what I asked. "Jerking his thumb at the human who lay in one corner, seemingly asleep, he continued: "What did he have to say on Yana Dar's plans on Coruscant?"

"Ah." Loya got to his feet tiredly. "Some interesting things. Have to verify them, of course."

"Sure. So?"

"She knew that Roganda Ismaren would kidnap your daughter, and I think she wanted to discredit Mon Mothma to get your daughter in her place."

"How and what for?"

"She had a slicer, Marten Anderland, plant false information in the Mainframe. At an opportune moment Mothma would have been implicated in the happenings and it would have looked as if she had initiated this particular scheme to make a grab for power. Man, I really hope you have finally found out what scheme that's supposed to be!"

"I believe she's goading the Empire into attacking us. Not an entirely convincing plan, though."

"I guess when people are running for their lives they don't stop to look over some manipulated files. They would have believed it."

"Yes, I think you are right," Anakin conceded. "Thrawn's supposed betrayal would have been the perfect excuse to attack the Imperial remnant and throw every single ex-Imperial commander we have in jail. Myself included."

The Devaronian gave him a wide grin. "Yeah, very true." He crossed his arms in front of his chest expectantly. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"The Imperial remnant is busily cooking up plans to bring the New Republic government down. They won't risk a war yet, though."

"Isn't that good news?"

"No, because they want us to take the first step, and we don't have that many resources left. We'd weaken ourselves if we took up the challenge."

"Then what are we going to do?" Loya repeated.

"The info Karrde gave us puts us at an advantage concerning the Empire, but I still wonder what Yana Dar's goal truly is. And, for that matter, what our old friend Kell is up to."

Loya frowned at him. "What do you want me to do?"

"Try to gain as many facts about Yana Dar as you can. Any tiny snippet of information. I want her history, no matter what it takes. I'll introduce you to the NRI sources. They'll give you whatever you need."

"Okay. What about that guy over there?"

"He's going to detention. No need in letting him run around right now."

"Sure thing." Throwing him a mocking salute Loya went to pick up the recumbent form of Yana Dar's spy with ease. "I hope you know what your are doing, your lordship."

"I hope so, too," Anakin said under his breath as he watched Loya leave.

Countering the Empire's plans would not prove a problem, that he was fairly certain of. Even if the Executor attacked, the Super Star Destroyer was far from invincible. It was an awesome weapon, certainly, but it also needed a good crew and a commander who could make efficient use of the ship's laser batteries, TIE squads and other defenses without losing track of the battle. Thrawn was such a commander, but Thrawn would not be in command of the ship. Or would he? Frowning slightly Anakin pondered that possibility for a moment and dismissed it again. There was no chance of the Grand Admiral helping Irek Ismaren in his quest, whatever that might be, not even under duress.

Far more worrying was his uncertainty considering Yana Dar and Roj Kell. Mon Mothma might have decided to not interfere in Hutt Space, but he was certain that the sector was bound to explode sooner or later. For some reason Talon Karrde had failed to uncover Yana Dar's scheme. despite having questioned her. The Dark Lord suspected that the two information brokers had struck a silent deal on that. For what reasons he would rather not know.

The third problem to solve then was, of course, getting Leia out of Zsinj's clutches. He had sent an emergency message to the Millennium Falcon, but so far no one had answered, which was also slightly worrying. There had been no news from Jix and Mara either, which was no surprise, They would check back in once their mission was accomplished, if they managed that at all.

So many uncertainties....

It had been easier back when he had only had to fight the Empire and the Sith. Granted, there had been some back-stabbing, too, but that had been well under his control. Mostly. The only one he had not been able to manipulate had been Roj Kell, and he had a feeling that he would not succeed this time either.

"Telmann Page?"

Turning around with a suspicious glance the General lay a hand on his blaster carefully and nodded at the short Twi'lek standing in front of him. The alien's lekkus were tattooed and he recognized the pattern instantly. "Cesh Kendar?"

"Yes." The Twi'lek's shoulders sagged with relief and he gave Page a rueful grin.

"Sorry. I am not used to this sort of thing."

"You mean spying?"

"Yeah." Kendar threw a careful glance around, but there was no one close enough to overhear their conversation.

The Twi'lek was one of Skywalker's new agents, and again Page had to admire the Dark Lord's insight. Sending a native certainly was more considerate than having the Chief Security Advisor run off into a danger zone. Not that he minded much. It was good to get out of his office again. He really missed the old days sometimes, and he knew that Admiral Piett for one felt the same way. He smirked ever so slightly, trying to imagine what horrors the Dark Lord must have gone through when Mon Mothma had dismissed him from her staff.

"What news, Kendar?" he asked quietly.

"Let's go find someplace more private," the alien suggested.

Following Kendar into another, narrower corridor the General kept a close watch on their surroundings, in case they had picked up a stalker somewhere along the way. The Twi'lek agent led him to a nondescript door, opened it and went inside. Once the General had joined him Kendar barred the door again.

"What is this place?"

"This is where we are going to find out what Ryloth is facing," Cesh Kendar explained softly. "This is the back-entrance of a major eatery. Nothing fancy, but they have quite an extensive storage room, and people have been meeting there over the past weeks. A lot of people."

"And today they meet again?"

"Yes."

"Won't we stand out?"

"No. I have ... arranged matters." Page mustered the other with a level stare, and in the end Kendar gave a shrug and sighed: "It is a political movement of a sort. And I have joined."

"Ah. Excellent. But I am human."

"Won't be a problem. Lots of human traders on Ryloth. Come."

They hurried along the hallway, which was a bit too gloomy for Page's taste, and took an ancient elevator down, into what had to be the storage area. It was very quiet, a bit too quiet, perhaps. But once they exited the elevator again Telmann Page stopped short, his mouth almost dropping open in awe. The chamber they had entered was huge. Glow panels had been fixed to the high walls, and stacks of crates and freezing units had been neatly arrayed on sturdy shelves. Among them perhaps a hundred Twi'lek of all shapes and colors mingled, and an apprehensive silence filled the room, arrowing in on a bunch of crates that had been arranged into something resembling a stage.

"Do you know what we will be discussing tonight?" he said, lowering his voice to almost a whisper.

"Some big decision," Kendar replied just as quietly. "An announcement, of sorts." Page noticed the slight hesitation in the other's tone.

"About what?"

"There's a rebellion afoot on Ryloth. Ot perhaps I should say counter-rebellion."

"What?"

"Apparently the Nameless have discovered that a Twi'lek is whipping up the masses to rebel against the Hutts. But it is against tradition. He does not belong to the ruling clan."

"The Nameless, that would be the ousted Councils?"

"Yes. they have lost their power and names, but they seem to still keep watch over their people." Now there was a hint of pride in Kendar's voice.

"So, what do they want to rebel against?"

"The Hutts, of course."

"Eh? But you just said-"

"I said it is against the law, and besides, Haman wants to expel the ruling Council and rule himself, once the rebellion has succeeded."

"If it succeeds at all. Haman, you say? Isn't that Joral's majordomo?"

"Yes. A very ambitious one."

"Just like his master," Page hissed under his breath, but his eyes were tracking the progress of a hooded figure that had just exited the elevator and was making its way toward the make-shift podium. It wore a dark, brown cloak that hid its form effectively, but Page had a suspicion as to the newcomer's identity. "Who is that?"

"Never seen him before," Kendar answered, sounding slightly startled.

"Really? Then why is he here now, do you think? Let's go get a closer look."

Following her charge silently Belana Jen was quietly concerned. Quietly, because she was very careful not to let him know she was concerned; a difficult feat, considering how easy it seemed for him to pick up on her mood. She knew that he did not like this at all, that much was apparent in his bearing. When he stopped in front of the stage, waiting for the nameless councils to arrive, Belana took the liberty to scan the faces in the crowd idly. To her surprise there was another human here tonight, and he was heading purposefully toward Kell, pushing his way through the crowd with silent determination. A worried-looking Twi'lek male was following in his wake.

For a moment the Jedi Master was unsure of what to do. She could either stop the man's advance or else warn Kell. But there was no telling what he would do to that unfortunate interloper. Drifting closer to the man she concentrated and winced when she found that it would be impossible to alter his intentions. He had his mind set. Well, she could hardly make herself visible and prevent him from getting to Kell bodily, could she? Luckily the councils saved the day and chose exactly that moment to make their entrance.

Fifteen Twi'lek, three surviving councils from the daylight zone, their eyes cast demurely to the floor, were closing in on the dais. The others gave them a respectful berth, but then, the fifteen were shamed, and there was a nasty sort of respect shame demanded. Turning toward them Roj Kell pulled back the hood of his cloak, and Belana heard the man at her side curse quietly. Again she considered interfering, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed the slight frown that appeared on Kell's forehead. He had seen the human, too, now.

In awkward silence the three councils climbed up the three steps that led up on the stage, and Kell followed last. For a long moment there was silence, as the Twi'lek up on the stage gathered their courage and dignity. Belana could tell that her lover was getting impatient. Impatience and exasperation was about the closest he ever got to being angry, and that was probably for the best, or else the human scowling up at the Sith Lord would have been a tiny spot of grease on the floor by now.

"Friends," one of the councilors began hesitantly. "We thank you for your patience with us. We are not worthy of your attention, yet our news is. We just received the information today that the Empire is backing Haman up."

Belana heard some startled shouts from the crowd, and hushed conversations filled the chamber with a loud hum.

"Please, hear us out." The councilor who had spoken previously held up his hands in a calming gesture. Once he had their attention again he threw Kell a hesitant glance, that the Sith ignored. "Our ... information goes further than that. Apparently the Empire will only act once certain events have taken place. If we make our move now they will not interfere."

Again there were protests and questions shouted from the assembly. Belana felt slightly uneasy, recognizing a mob about to break. This was madness! Why had she let him call this gathering at all? He could just as well have traveled to Nal Hutta and told Joral what exactly was going on. When the elevator started going up all of a sudden she knew why. Shock blossomed in her mind in an icy explosion. He had betrayed them!

Moving through the panicking Twi'lek Belana steered firmly toward the stage, where Kell was holding his ground with a distant haughtiness and a very distinct air of command shielding him effectively. The three councils were staring at him, looking bewildered, shocked or simply dumb-struck. Only the other human kept his cool. He charged ahead and vaulted onto the dais easily.

"Lord Kell!" he called out loud.

The Sith turned his head ever so slightly, but he did not seem to recognize the man confronting him. Just at that moment the elevator had descended once more, spilling a squad of fifty white-armored soldiers into the chamber. They opened fire immediately. Recognizing the danger the human hopped off the stage and sought cover behind the crates. He started making his way toward the elevator stealthily, but Belana doubted that whoever had ordered this raid would leave the only way out uncovered.

Returning her attention to Kell she glowered at him angrily. As she drifted closer his smile widened, and there was such a look in his eyes that she almost stopped. The last time he had looked at her like that he had killed her.

"Why?" she demanded. "Why did you do this?" He ran a hand over her cheeks affectionately, sending butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach, and cocked his head to one side to study her face. "You promised," she managed in a whisper.

"I know. But I could not let this chance pass either. Everything will be well, you'll see."

"Kell, if you think - "

He kissed her then, very tenderly. Meeting his clear green eyes Belana frowned at him fiercly. "Lleva su," he said softly. "Trust me."

She gave him a cold look. "No, my dear. This time you will trust me."

He did not know how he had managed to get out of the storage room, but what he knew was that he was far from safe. He had lost Cesh Kendar somewhere in the crowd, but Telmann Page was certain that any agent of Lord Skywalker could look after himself. Right now he was running alongside other fugitives from the raid, and they were heading purposefully toward one of Kala'uun's city gates. He doubted that it would be open, though. To his surprise it was. Just before he darted through he noticed a shadow lounging against the side of the entrance.

"Page."

He stopped and peered into the gloom, trying to make out the man's features. Disengaging from the wall the stranger stepped forward and turned out not to be a stranger at all.

"Better get out while you still can," Roj Kell said coolly and followed his own advice immediately. Page had to run to catch up with his long strides.

"People are dying!" he shouted after the Sith.

"They always do."

"You bastard! You are a traitor, you – you-!" Words failed him, and as he spluttered off into outraged silence the calm in Roj Kell's pale eyes filled his entire being. Floating in that vast sea of tranquility Telmann Page almost began to cry. He could not wait for an opportunity to capture the Sith and bring him back to Coruscant for judgement, that he knew. His only chance to blunt his plan was now. The utter calm he felt helped, and he forced himself to remain focused. Roj Kell sneered at him, a malvolent sparkle in his eyes.

"You do not understand any of this, Page. And you should never have come here."

For a heart-beat the silence that hung between them became overwhelming. But then a volley of blaster bolts roared overhead, prompting both men to duck down and seek cover. Telmann Page, his blaster still firmly in his hands, did not hesitate at all. A single shot burned through the Sith's mid-section. The look he gave the General was one of utter disbelief, but anger replaced it quickly.

"Fool!" Sitting down heavily on the ground Roj Kell shook his head as if to get rid of an annoying thought. Page moved over him instantly and pressed the muzzle of his blaster against the man's forehead calmly.

"As I see it they still have a chance to escape in the mountains. They don't need you for that," he said.

"You are an even greater fool than I thought, Page," the Sith growled softly, but then a cold smile appeared on his lips, and the light the General could see in the other's gaze was one of pure madness. "Whatever made you believe I wanted this rebellion to succeed? No," he continued in a hiss, "the Twi'lek will have to learn their lesson first. Only then their liberation can begin."

"I will never understand why Master Yoda let you live at all," Page spat and increased the pressure angrily. "I am leaving. We shall see what the Imps will do once they get their hands on you. They won't be gentle, that's for sure."

"You are making a mistake, Page."

"No. I don't think so."

"No? You do not believe I could fool the Empire just as easily as I have fooled you?"

Page's jaw dropped, but then his attention refocused on the battle. Damn! "What do you mean?"

"The Imperial forces stationed here to assist the Hutts will be cut off from their main force. They are doomed already, if you take the hint and ignore what is happening here."

"Was that your grandiose plan?"

"My plan, General, was to prepare this galaxy for the future. As we speak the Chiss are being attacked by an invading force. They will not be able to aid you. The Empire prepares to move against your borders and you sit here, playing petty games."

"How?" he asked, feeling icy cold.

"There are eyes and ears everywhere, as you should know. They have seen the death of the Emperor, and they will try to take you by surprise. I scared them off for now, but they will return. Already have, in fact. Needless to mention that the Imperial warlords have been panting for a chance just as this one. Yet they have no idea what is approaching at their backs." The ancient Sith Lord arched his eyebrows coolly, and Page noticed that the wound seemingly did not bother him at all. "Your New Republic has been drifting placidly toward meaninglessness, oblivious to the dangers that remained after the war. It is the nature of sentients to forget danger when it is not imminent, and politicians unfortunately are very inclined to indulge the people. What better way to rouse your spirits again than put everything you fought for in deadly peril? You will fight, and you will survive."

"You are mad!" Page shouted, but the Sith Lord did not seem to have heard him. He was completely focused on the retreating rebels. "I cannot believe you managed that all on your own."

"Better believe it, General."

"You initiated a war," Page hissed viciously, the urge to kill the other right then and there becoming almost unbearable. "You sold the New Republic out to its enemies and certain doom."

"We shall see about that."

"Indeed we will." Grabbing the collar of the other's cloak Page hauled Kell up and pushed him ahead. "You are coming with me."

Turning his head around to look over his shoulder at him Roj Kell smiled slowly, and for a moment his eyes caught what little light there was, turning into icy mirrors. "Too late."

"What?"

"Freeze!" a stormtrooper's distorted voice barked at them and Telmann Page tensed all over, realizing that there was no way he could escape now. Damn! He glared at the Sith Lord furiously, but an icy shower of dread gushed down his back when he noticed the change in the other's expression. He was smiling. The man was mad, no doubt about that. Unfortunately it was far too late to change anything about that.

Hurrying across the dance floor, deserted at this time of the day, even on Nar Shadaa, Yana felt her heart beat faster as she closed in on her office door. Sharam was following at her heels, shadowing her mistress like the dutiful bodyguard that she was. Upon reaching the door Yana turned toward the Twi'lek, beaming all over her face.

"Wait here, please," she said softly and the other nodded in understanding.

Entering her office Yana felt all wound up, hardly able to stand the tension any longer. When she saw Abla sitting on the sofa, intent on the screen in front of him, her mind blossomed with fondness and love. She had missed him, she truly had.

"Abla!" she called, excitement making her voice tremble.

He looked up and a smile flashed across his features as he rose to welcome her. "Hey, baby," he said as he wrapped her in his arms. "You're back at last."

Not bothering to reply Yana started kissing him hungrily. "Did you – hm – confirm Marten's death?" she asked, slightly out of breath but loath to leave off yet.

"Yes," Abla said, sounding very quiet all of a sudden. "Yana, I am sorry."

She laughed at that and took his head in her hands to give it a tiny shake. "Why should you be sorry for that? It wasn't your fault, after all."

Taking her hands in his gently he drew away and the smile faded from his face. "I did not mean Anderland, Yana."

"Then what – " she stopped, her mouth still open, when the back-door slid open and two stormtroopers came in, blaster rifles cocked. The sense of betrayal flaring in her heart was close to a tiny nuclear explosion. "Abla ..."

Letting go of her he took a step back. "It's for your best, baby. Really."

"Why? Abla, why did you do this?" she asked, her mind cooled by icy dread.

"Markhan thought it best to leave the program to you, for a while. Now I am almost finished and he needs you on Byss."

"Tious Markhan? You are – " Shaking her head in disbelief she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "You know the rules, Abla. You are a dead man."

He shrugged. "That is somewhat of a mute point now, Yana. Best make the most of it. You cannot deny your heritage any more than Irek can."

"Irek! Irek is a freak!" Yana screamed, outrage taking hold of her at last.

"That's why the Grand Admiral wants you alive, and your brother dead."

"Half-brother!" she snapped. "Better watch out, Abla Othana. If i get the chance I will kill you personally."

"I'll be careful, then," he answered with a smile, then nodded at the troopers. "Take her away."

Somehow, Talon Karrde thought, he should have known. Seated in his command chair on the Wilde Karrde's bridge the information broker was smiling at his two guests pleasantly. They knew exactly that he wasn't overly thrilled by the prospect of infiltrating Imperial space, and yet they also were well aware of the fact that he would still help them.

"We would be immensely grateful for your assistance, Mister Karrde," Mara Jade told him expectantly, and what she expected was that he would agree to her request.

"You understand, don't you, that it is very dangerous for me to return to that particular part of our beautiful galaxy."

"We are not asking you to return to Yaga Minor, Mister Karrde. Not at all. And besides, you still are in that particular sector of this galaxy. Which means you aren't too keen on leaving."

She had him bang to rights there, he had to admit. "Well. I suppose you have a plan on how to get into Byss?"

Jade snapped her fingers with a smile. "Jix?"

The Corellian gave a low grunt, awakened from whatever daydream he had been pursuing so far. Knowing Jixton, though, Karrde doubted that his thoughts had been very far from the task at hand. "He's right," the agent replied. "The Wilde Karrde isn't exactly unknown,"

Mara gave him a cool glance. "I know, Jix. But we have a plan, don't we?"

"Yeah." Looking straight at Karrde the Corellian nodded. "You know all the trade routes, and I daresay you know a few guys who could make the Byss run and not be questioned too closely. Does a name come up, maybe?"

"Offhand?" Pursing his lips thoughtfully the information broker swivelled his chair around and activated the ship's databank. "Byss. Not much industry, but they sure import a lot. There's got to be something ... " He paused and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "This is somewhat odd."

"What is?" Rising from her seat Mara Jade came over and whistled through her teeth when she saw what he meant.

"Can someone perhaps tell me what is going on?" Wrenga Jixton asked in exasperation.

Turning his head slightly to face the Corellian Talon Karrde smiled. "There's been an unofficial announcement. The Empire has apparently invited every available bounty-hunter for a meeting on Dubrillion."

"Dubrillion? That's a long way off, " Jixton said, sounding doubtful.

"The meeting was scheduled a few days ago. I guess not many did attend, because, as you have spotted correctly, Dubriliion is not exactly close by."

"I wonder what task the Empire had for them."

"Yes, that's what I wonder, too. i will find out, don't you worry," Karrde promised them. "That does not exactly solve your problem, though." He hit another key and smiled. "Ah. Here's something for you. A transport from Nar Shadaa, stopover planned at Garqui."

Mara leaned toward the screen, frowning. "How did you get that?"

"Yana was very generous and let me have llimited access to one of her informant's databank."

"Does the informant know," the red-head asked with a wide grin.

"I doubt it."

"When are they due?" Jix inquired, joining them in front of the screen.

"Estimatet date for the stopover is a week from yesterday."

The Corellian nodded firmly. "Then we will wait for them to give us a lift."

"Josh Inmay has gone missing," Toss Halan announced solemnly, prompting Erinin to look up from the star chart he had been studying in the Executor's bridge debriefing room.

"He is what, the second?" the bodyguard asked, his one eye narrowed slightly.

"Yes."

"Any clues as to what happened?"

"His neck was snapped, just as with Suhane, so I suppose we can exclude the stormtroopers from our suspect list."

"Yes. I will ask his lordship to question Thrawn on that once again," Erinin promised.

It rankled that Irek had taken to spending more and more time with the Chiss and Shamesha, leaving everything to Erinin to organize. And now this. Two days after they had made their escape from Niaruan Suhane, a Twi'lek, had been found dead, and Erinin knew very well that only Thrawn stood between his team and the stormtroopers on board. So a thorough investigation was out of the question. He did not want to endanger his men more than necessary. They had control of the bridge, and thus control of the entire ship, through Irek, but they had no way of moving through the ship on their own. So far the threats against Thrawn seemed to be working, though.

"Will he listen?" Toss Halan asked innocently, but his eyes spoke volumes.

Erinin gave the man a cold glance. "Leave that to me, Halan. Check the weapons' and shields' status once more. I don't want to hit Ord Mantell and find that we are unprepared."

"At once."

"Good." He waited until Halan had left before he went and made his way to the upper bridge, where he would undoubtedly find both Irek and the Grand Admiral. He walked up the last few steps and nodded at Shamesha, who was lounging in one of the vacant seats dotting the nearly empty bridge. Irek was seated in the command chair, a look of childish delight on his face. Thrawn was standing at his side, his white uniform somewhat rumpled, and his bluish skin pale. Yet the glow in his bright red eyes was as strong as ever.

"Erinin!" the boy shouted and bounded out of the chair. "When will we reach Ord Mantell?"

"A couple of hours, my lord," the bodyguard told him calmly. "We may have a problem, though."

"What problem?" Suddenly Irek's blue eyes became chips of ice.

"Another one of my men was killed."

"Stormtroopers?"

"I doubt it. They would not risk the Grand Admiral's life."

"No, they would not, would they," Irek mused aloud, and somehow he sounded far older than his years. A cruel smile lit up his features as he turned his gaze on Thrawn. The Chiss' expression showed gave no indication whatsoever that the malice lingering in Irek's features had any effect on him. A cool one. "We can still access the ship-wide holochannel" the boy continued pensively. "I believe it might be time to show them that our threats are to be taken seriously. Is that not so, Grand Admiral?"

"Indeed."

"And I need a fully functioning fighting force to attack a planet, am I right?"

"Yes. Well done." There was just a hint of mockery in the Chiss' smooth voice then.

"Thank you. I dearly hope that our unknown assailant will be reasonable and come out of hiding once the show is over. I may not have a knack for reading other people's minds, but there are always ways, aren't there?"

This time Thrawn kept silent.

He had been wondering what could possibly have happened to his Sith bodyguard, but this news confirmed what he had already suspected. Cronn had undoubtedly been too late to intercept Irek at the hangar bay, so he had decided to approach this another way. He would take out Erinin's men, one after the other, and keep the boy for last. The trick was, of course, to provoke the bodyguard into ordering a search for the Falleeen. Unfortunately Cronn had overlooked an important fact: Irek could force the stormtroopers to conduct the search, and then Cronn would have exactly two choices: kill his hunters or surrender. Surrender, of course, would result in his immediate death, that was, if Irek was smart enough not to let the Sith come close to him.

The Grand Admiral almost smiled. He knew Cronn pretty well by now, and while the Falleen was not Chi'in, he was certainly an adept assassin, as his actions had proven so far. It was reasonable to assume that the Sith had come to the same conclusion he himself had: Irek might be able to influence machines, but he was not very adept at reading other people's intentions. Chances were, that he had no clue who or what Cronn was, whereas the Falleen knew exactly what he was facing, and knew how to avoid being detected by Irek. Still, if Cronn chose surrender, which would be the only plausible option, the Grand Admiral would have to prepare Irek for that eventuality. Erinin might see through this game, perhaps, but it was the boy who gave the orders.

"My lord," the bodyguard began on cue, "I suggest we have the stormtroopers search the ship. We need to have this problem removed by the time we hit Ord Mantell."

Irek gave Thrawn a questioning glance, that he returned coolly. "I agree," the Chiss replied.

"You agree?" Erinin was visibly taken aback. "There's someone out there on this ship who might be able to free you and you agree to having him hunted down?"

"It stands to reason," the Grand Admiral explained, " that the Executor will not receive a very warm welcome. Even if that man managed to take out all of you, his actions might cost this ship dearly, might even lead to its destruction. I for one will not allow that."

"Why?"

"You saw what happened at Niaruan. I need the Executor intact."

"I told you he would be reasonable!" Irek crowded and flung himself into the command chair, practically bristling with excitement. But when he looked up to meet Thrawn's gaze a malevolent smile was marring his features. "You will tell the troopers exactly that, Grand Admiral. You will order that interloper to give himself up to my men. And then you will execute him personally." His smile widened. "Isn't that the proper procedure for cases such as this one?"

"It is, my lord."

"See? I am listening to what you say. Erinin, please prepare the transmission."

It could not possibly be that easy! Suppressing his own excitement Thrawn mentally drew up a suitable speech that might hide clues for Cronn as to what to expect. Not that he truly believed that Cronn did not already know what that would be. He knew the ship's regulations and procedures as well as his superior, after all. Over the past two days Irek had demanded that he be let in on exactly those, and it was clear to Thrawn that the boy was pursuing two goals by that. First, to be able to control the stormtroopers he had to understand the rules they lived by and second, a more personal ambition, he wanted to get to know more about the Grand Admiral. Why, Thrawn had not been able to find out yet. Well, no time for such speculations. If he managed to delay the announcement just a bit Cronn would be brought to the bridge exactly at the moment the Executor was scheduled to leave hyperspace.

Two hours later, and after a heated discussion between Irek and Erinin, the announcement had been made and stormtroopers were scouring the ship, in case the unknown attacker decided that fighting still was the better option. As expected, though, the Falleen was smarter than that, and soon an announcement was relayed to the bridge, telling them that the asailant had come out after all. Leaving the Weequay warrior Shamesha behind to guard Irek, Erinin went to oversee the capture personally.

Stalking through the eerily silent corridors of the giant warship Erinin hefted his heavy blaster rifle tighter. It seemed logical, on the outside, that Thrawn wanted the ship to remain intact and functioning, and one man's life was certainly a small price to pay for the greater good of his people. Admittedly he had been shaken quite a bit himself by the sudden appearance of those strange alien ships at Niaruan. The Grand Admiral seemed to have made closer acquaintance with that race beforehand, which was why he was so concerned about the ship's survival being tied so closely to his people's well-being.

Yet, despite all those sensible reasons, that additionally fitted exactly with what he personally had been able to gather about Thrawn, Erinin still felt uneasy. There was something more behind this than what he could see at first glance, he knew. Escorted by four of his own people the bodyguard tensed when they met the squad of stormtroopers that had apprehended the interloper. He could hear his team shoulder their weapons behind him, but the white-armored soldiers did not seem to want to try anything. After all, they had received their orders from the Grand Admiral, and besides, those guys usually were not known for their initiative. Therefore it came as no surprise to find that the attacker was no trooper, but in fact a tall alien. A Falleen. Dressed in a black uniform with no apparent insignia the alien stood silently amidst his captors, but he regarded Erinin with some interest. There was no weapon apparent about his person.

Erinin gave the warrior a careful nod and noted with some relief that the troopers had been considerate enough to secure the alien's arms behind his back. "Good work," he told the assembly. "Where did you find him?"

"Deck 18."

"Weapons?"

"A BlasTech."

The trooper who had answered his previous question handed the blaster over and the bodyguard tucked it behind his belt before he gestured for the Falleeen to step forward.

"All right. Get back to whatever you were doing. You are coming with us."

They waited until the stormtroopers had vanished at the far end of the corridor, and Erinin ordered two of his men to form a rear guard and make sure there would be no surprises, while he headed back for the bridge, along with the remaining pair and their captive. The Falleen moved with a fighter's grace and he seemed all too quiet for Erinin's taste. But then, he had chosen surrender himself and he was probably aware of the consequences. Nevertheless he did not seem very resigned.

They made their way to the ship's bow in silence, and Erinin relaxed a fraction once they had reached the lower bridge. If the Falleen had had anything planned he had missed his chance.

"Up there," he told the alien and pushed him toward the stairs. Irek was waiting for them, along with Thrawn and Shamesha. For some reason the Grand Admiral's features seemed to turn even colder than before Erinin had left, but the look on Irek's face was one of pure glee.

"You've got him!"

"Yes, my lord."

"Excellent. Who is he?" The boy looked straight at the Falleen, but it was clear that he was talking to the Chiss.

"My second-in-command," Thrawn answered coldly and stepped forward smartly to confront the alien. "You put the ship and its commander at an unnecessary risk," he hissed viciously, prompting the other to lower his head ever so slightly.

"There is no excuse, sir," the Falleeen answered softly.

Someone behind Erinin snorted contemptuously, but the bodyguard was frantically trying to understand what his brain was trying to tell him.

"It seems you have disappointed your commander," Irek said suddenly, his young voice an ugly purr. "What do you think your punishment will be?"

The Falleen threw a quick glance at Thrawn, then averted his eyes again in apparent shame. "I take full responsibility for my actions," the alien answered, his voice shaking just a little bit.

Waving the prisoner closer Irek straightened in his seat. "Your superior has already sentenced you to death and still you gave yourself up. That is a true and very rare loyalty. Perhaps you should be rewarded."

Erinin shook his head in quiet disapproval. He did not like the way Thrawn was filling the boy's head with that nonsense about a warrior's honor, about tactics and strategy. But Irek was drinking in everything the Grand Admiral said, and the bodyguard knew very well that this could be extremely dangerous, if Thrawn gained too much influence. Admittedly there was perhaps just a bit of jealousy playing into his sentiments. He had raised the boy, taught him, and now Irek was turning away from him. It hurt to be dismissed just like that. Frowning at the Grand Admiral's back Erinin paused. The instance he realized that Thrawn was blocking his line of fire his mind flooded with icy shock. And then Irek screamed.

He had to admit that Cronn had played his role perfectly and goaded Irek into exactly the trap Thrawn himself had anticipated. Standing in front of the boy the Falleen waited for the perfect moment to strike, giving his superior time to move into position. It was clear to both that Erinin would not expect the Chiss to act in his subordinate's defence, which gave both an element of surprise. When Cronn finally exploded into action it therefore came as a complete shock to all except Thrawn.

The Falleen freed himself of his bonds and slapped the palm of his right hand against the boy's forehead lightning quick. Irek sat bolt upright, a horrible piercing scream escaping from his mouth. By then the Grand Admiral had pivoted on his heels and punched a fist into the bodyguard standing behind him full force. Erinin stumbled back with a pained grunt and Thrawn twisted the blaster rifle from the man's unresisting hands and aimed it at the Weequay who came charging at him with an ear-splitting howl. To his mild horror the alien warrior did not even break stride as the laser bolts hit home. He pushed the Grand Admiral aside like a straw-figure, intent only on Cronn.

As Thrawn stumbled to the deck the blaster rifle landed beside him in a loud clatter. For a moment, as he reached for the weapon again, he spared a glance at the Falleen, who was going in for a high-kick that whipped Irek's head around and flung the boy back into his chair hard, leaving him unconscious or dead. Then, spinning in mid-air the Sith warrior caught hold of an emergency handle installed into the ceiling in case of g-failure and twisted his body around to hammer his boots into the advancing Weequay's face with bone-shattering force. Shamesha stumbled back, clutching at his ruined head. Using the blaster rifle like a club the Grand Admiral battered it against the Weequay's ankles when he passed him by. In the background he noticed the nav comp tick away slowly as they closed in on their re-entry into realspace.

He knew he had to move fast, because Cronn was at a disadvantage, however bravely he might fight. By attacking Irek first he had made the mistake of leaving himself open to the others' fire, a mistake that had been unavaoidable. To the Sith the boy had automatically been the more dangerous target, but then, he did not know the limits of Irek's abiities. Thrawn scrambled to his feet quickly, the rifle clutched to his chest, only to find Erinin waiting for him, blaster at hand. Before the bodyguard could bring the BlasTech to bear, though, a dark shadow blocked his way. Cronn ripped the weapon out of the one-eyed man's hand, and just in that moment the Executor decelerated and lept into space bordering Ord Mantell like a predator, elegant, and deadly.

From a professional point of view Erinin would have been thoroughly impressed by this turn of events, if it had not been so damn dangerous. Irek was down, and Shamesha certainly would not recover again, and the Falleen was moving like a snake, with a fast, silent grace that made it almost impossible to hit him. As in most cases, almost did not count, though. Suddenly Shamesha fell to the deck, opening a breach in the tight cluster he, Thrawn and the Falleen had formed around Irek.

Moving instantly the bodyguard darted forward to at least make the odds even by taking the Grand Admiral out, but the Falleen was faster. Something grabbed Erinin's blaster and tore it out of his hands. It was right then that he understood that he was a dead man. The alien was a Sith. He had seen too many not to know when he was facing one. The Falleen's cool gaze met his eyes and froze him where he stood. Raising Erinin's own weapon the warrior took aim – and lurched backward when the Super Star Destroyer made the jump to real-space.

The spell broken Erinin lunged at his opponent, smashing his fist against the other's chest hard, and sent him careening into the Grand Admiral, who had just gotten to his feet. His arms flailing the Sith sought to regain his balance, but too late. Erinin noticed Toss Halan raise his blaster out of the corner of his eye and retreated immediately, to get out of the other's line of fire. The Sith managed to deflect the first bolt, somehow, but then Anjuri, another member of his crew, moved in low and bore him to the deck.

"Get back!" Erinin roared as he scooped up the BlasTech the Falleen had dropped when he had fallen. Sheer terror made his arms shake and forced him to hold the blaster with both hands. He did not wait for the Sith to get up again, squeezing the fire button as fast as he could.

"Enough!"

He stopped, relief rushing through his veins like ice, cooling his temper considerably. Lowering the blaster he turned his head to look at Irek. The boy was hanging in his seat, his face deadly pale, but there was a sparkle in his blue eyes that foreboded nothing good. Chest heaving Irek straightened ever so slowly and rose. He gave the Grand Admiral a withering stare. Standing a bit off to the side the Chiss was very still, with Toss Halan's blaster boring into his ribcage. His glowing eyes were fixed solely on the Sith's silent form.

"You betrayed me!" Irek screamed, his lower lip quivering with outrage. "You told me that you would help me!"

"I did no such thing." That smooth, cool voice was unnerving, as unnerving as the Grand Admiral's seeming calm as he faced the boy down. "I made my interests plain, my lord. I want this ship back at Niaruan, not on some foolish crusade that serves nothing but your ego."

"I trusted you," Irek said between gritted teeth.

Thrawn shrugged. "A mistake, I should say."

"You!" Letting loose a wordless howl of pure rage Irek stormed over to where the Falleen lay unmoving and started kicking the lifeless body repeatedly. "You wanted to kill me!" Whirling around the boy growled loudly, but that animal sound was at odds with the icy look in his eyes. "You will pay for this, Grand Admiral," he declared, and for a moment Erinin thought that the words were alive, snapping at the air like a pack of Nek battle-dogs. "You will pay dearly." Suddenly a malevolent smile twisted Irek's mouth into a horrible grimace. "One down, Grand Admiral. Thousands to go. I can kill every stormtrooper on this damned ship, and of what use would it be to you then? Eh?"

The Chiss did not answer. He held himself proudly, head raised high, but Erinin suspected that there was a lot of pent-up anger and frustration hiding behind that haughty exterior. The problem was that they needed Thrawn alive. Or did they? Perhaps he should have a private talk with Irek on that. Very soon.

"Anakin?" Padmé peered at her husband's face in some concern. A faraway look played in his eyes, as he was staring off into the distance.

"What?" he asked suddenly, startled.

"What is going on? You seem distracted."

Turning his head to look at her his lips compressed into a thin line. For a moment there was a hint of that old anger lurking in the depths of his blue eyes. "There was a disturbance in the Force," he explained softly. "Cronn is dead, which can only mean that they have succeeded in bringing the Executor under control."

"Thrawn?" she asked, worry creasing her brow.

"I do not know. But we cannot be certain that he is alive."

She hugged her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. "I hope he is alive," she whispered. "What can we do?"

Anakin kept silent for a while. "There is something," he said at last. "I do not like it, but it might turn the tide."

"What is that?"

"If we make it public that Thrawn is attacking the New Republic, perhaps we can goad Irek into responding, maybe even respond in a way favorable to us."

Smiling up at him Padmé felt incredibly proud of her husband. "A good idea," she conceded. "But will it work?"

"We shall see, won't we? I hope Leia is truly planning what I think she does."

"Play the court against the military?"

"Yes. Zsinj is no fool, he knows that he is being manipulated by Andorwyn, but he agreed voluntarily, so there must be something in it for him, too. He'll help Andorwyn against Markhan, that is for sure. The question is whether Leia can convince the court to help her."

"She'll find a way, I am sure."

Anakin nodded slowly. "Yes, you are right. If anyone can find a way it is her."

TBC