It was nighttime in Theed. In the Palace, Dorme ran quickly reaching the queen's chambers in seconds. She opened the door, "Majesty we have an intruder..."

"And he's already here. but don't think I forgot you lovely ladies," said Anakin holding out a bag.

Dorme took it and looked inside, immediately she was hit by the cinnamon smell. Donuts, warm too. Her favourite snack!

"You are not getting off that easily! If you can get in then anyone can," she said, her hand twitching.

"Oh, not anyone. I mean the surveillance systems are really good now and that pressure scanner in the crawlspace, not many can get past that," said Anakin.

"Is that how you got in?" said Dorme.

"It doesn't matter now," said Padme as she emerged into the main room. "Anakin's here and I shall receive him."

"I don't like this," said Dorme as she was shooed out by her boss.

Padme turned round to face Anakin, "Do you really have to bring them treats?"

Anakin grinned, "Hey, they're good, persistent and kind of devoted to you. One day they will catch me, so I like to have something on me that prevents them from shooting on sight."

"Did you bring me anything?"

Anakin blushed, "Uh not really, haven't had much time since the Kallballa. I mean, there was this," he said presenting a long golden needle, its head a brilliant sapphire.

Padme eyed it, by now the 'gifts' were no longer shocking, just surprising. "Is that," she began.

"Probably. I mean I haven't had time to get it appraised."

Padme rushed over to a holoset and ran through it. The holos were all of young women, their hair made up and using the needle as a prominent part of the styling. "Aleria's needle. It's part of my family, my dynasty. All the women in my family wore this when they, married."

Anakin walked over and kissed her gently, "Well, now you can too. I mean that's what Ironpant's ship is here for?"

"Ironheart." she corrected automatically.

"Aw, it's all Mando'a to me. He is the one though?" said Anakin with a shrug.

Padme swallowed. He knows, she thought, "Yes, no. Anakin, do you love me?"

"Course I do. You'll always be that girl I like brightening up the day of that I met on Tatooine." said Anakin, the habitual grin just drawing her in.

"Before you knew I was Queen," she said pausing.

"Yeah, before the Queen thing," he said, their heads almost touching.

"It's important. It's who, what I am." she pointed out.

"I know."

"I can't just give it up." she protested.

"I know."

"Everyone relies on me. My Planet, my government, my people," she said.

"And who looks after Padme. Not the Queen, you. Don't you get a say in all this?"

"It's not that simple,"

"Sure it is. If I were to say, carry you off, never to see Naboo again, they'd have a new Queen in a week, two tops."

"Yes please. wait! No! I can't!"

"Yes, you can. And you want to."

"No! It's not possible. It's a dream, for romantics who don't live in the real world. That alliance I'll be making does depend on me. Someone else won't work."

"Okay."

"Anakin please, you can't make me choose like this. Your breaking my heart, wait, what do you mean okay?"

"I mean okay. Your planet, your life, your alliance. That's important. I see that."

"But you said,"

"I know Padme. It's okay. If I took you away from this you would always regret it. So stay. Make the Mid-Rim a better place."

"But,"

"It's not fair? Probably not. Look at it like this. We'll both be miserable for a while but then you'll have a new husband and two systems to manage and I, well, if Kenobi or the Hutts don't get me, something else will. This is the best path. I mean, it's not as if I'm some uptight Jedi who wouldn't know what to make of all this am I?"

What a strange comparison thought Padme. She looked into his eyes, just opposite hers.

"So, we just say goodbye? Pretend nothing happened?"

"No, we remember what happened. Keep it as a happy memory when Valiant,"

"Ironheart."

"Whoever is being a bore. And when I'm in jail, I'll be happy knowing you're safe here."

"Alright. So, is this, goodbye?"

"Probably, I don't think I could fob off Ironheart with doughnuts."

"He would challenge you to a duel."

"Awkward," he said before they kissed. It drew on as they embraced.

"So, will you stay?" breathed Padme as they separated.

"No, bad idea all around. The last night becomes the last morning, then the next last time."

"I don't want to."

"Still best we don't." Anakin walked over to the balcony, opened it and looked into the night. "By the way, There's this path through your maze that's not monitored," he said as he leapt over the edge.

Padme rushed to the edge, she caught a brief glimpse of Anakin dodging unseen obstacles before vanishing.

"I love you," she whispered into the night.


Somewhere in Coruscant there is a room. If you know the comm code then you can request an audience with the room's owner. Someone was speaking to them now via holo. The speaker was cloaked and a privacy screen further occluded who they were. The owner was a heavyset man, used to wearing armour.

"There is something happening in the Outer Rim, something unanticipated." said the cloaked speaker.

"Where? The Outer Rim is a large place." said the man.

"Near the Kuros cluster. Something is moving. Find out what it is."

"Of course. Send my usual fee."

"It has been done."

And that was that. The speaker would send the fee and the listener would go see what was so disturbing in the Kuros sector.


Other attentions were on the Kuros sector. It lay defenseless before the Malmori. Where the Malmori had found the aging Xoson class dreadnought and how they had got it going was unknown. However, they had managed it, the Xoson supplemented their regular cruisers and starfighters. The new so-called Malmori Empire numbered twenty systems and it was rapidly growing. Now they approached the Akira system, which possessed the remote sector's only major hyperspace route into the wider Galaxy. Secure Akira and the Malmori would be free to do as they pleased.

It was a well thought out strategy and it may well have succeeded. Kuros was remote and far from the attention of the leaders on Coruscant. The Malmori should have become another petty kingdom on the Rim. Emphasis on should have...


In the dusty spaceport on the Rimworld Oranga, Anakin Skywalker kneeled before R2, the droid was not reacting well to the sandy environment.

"Anakin!" came the voice.

Anakin continued to tune the motivator, it was sticking again.

"Anakin!" it was his brother Owen.

Anakin looked up, "Yes?"

"We need to get to this Akisuk system," said Owen.

"So, find a local map. What do you need me for?"

"There isn't one."

"What do you mean there isn't one? It's a system, with people and presumably traders." Anakin waved vaguely at a light hauler in the adjoining bay. "Ask them."

"Care to help me brother?" asked Owen. He was about to add more when he was stopped by Adara.

"Come on Owen,"

"But,"

"Hon, just give him some space,"

"But,"

"He just needs some time,"

As Owen and Adara walked towards the ship Owen worried about his brother. He had never seen him like this, he was moody and well, he could sulk at times, but he got over it and was back to his normal self. This latest affair of his had run its course and ended well enough.

"I don't see why he's still sulking."

"Owen, he was in love with her."

"So? He's been in love before."

"Has he? Think Owen. Before I met you, had your brother really been in love?"

"Well, there was that time he married Kara."

"Yes, and you married her sister. That was a scam."

"He's had girlfriends before."

"But, has he been actually in love?"

Owen thought about that. Had his brother been in love? He tried to remember. "Yeah, okay. It's his first real love and he's heartbroken. What do you want me to do?"

"Make sure he doesn't do anything foolish."

"Foolish? It's Anakin." pointed out Owen.

"Well, more foolish than you two."

"We're not doing anything like that now," said Owen as he rapped on the hatch of the hauler.

After a moment the hatch opened and an elderly human stuck his head out along with a strong smell of grain alcohol.

"What do you kids want eh?"

Owen refrained from stepping back, "We're looking to go to Akisuk."

"I don't take passengers." said the Human swiftly.

"We have our own ship, we just need to go there,"

"Why? Name 'Sador' mean anything to yer?" said the man.

"Sador? Can't say that I have," said Owen.

"Well, if yer heading to Akisuk then you'll be meeting him soon enough. Akisuk's part of Sador's great Empire now."

"Empire?" said Adara.

"Yeah, you get them out here from time to time. The Malmori are just the latest to try. So, as it happens I'm headed that way. We could go together. Kuros is a dangerous place." said the man.

Owen and Adara looked at one another. "Okay. We're waiting for one other but we can go together."

"Excellent. Put it there. Name's Cowboy." said the man holding out his hand.


A day later the Petit Mort landed at Oranga. Panolpei disembarked and found the trio with Cowboy plotting hyper routes through Kuros.

"Hello there, who's the old guy?" said the Draxian.

Owen looked up, "Oh, hi Panolpei. This is Cowboy, a local trader. He's got the charts to where we are going."

Cowboy stood up, "That's right ma'am. Now, I got the idea that ya'll treasure hunters. Take it from me, There's no treasure in Kuros, but if you wanna look I ain't going to stop ya."

Panolpei smiled, "Well, we have a map that says otherwise. Don't we Anakin?"

There was an affirmative grunt from Anakin.

"Okay, your funeral. Just stay clear of Sador and his boys," said Cowboy.

"Sador? Who's that?" asked Panolpei.

"Just some wannabe warlord. No interest to us." said Owen.

Panolpei sat down beside Adara. "I hear Anakin had that talk with his Queen."

Adara nodded, "Yes."

"He still taking it hard?"

"Yes."

"So, do you think the groom's cufflinks might cheer him up?" said Panolpei revealing some jewellery in her hand.

Adara shook her head. "No."

The items were whisked away, "Pity. Well, here's hoping this will knock him out of his funk."

"I sure hope so."


Deep in the Akira system, three ships made transit. The lead ship was a silver flying wing, the two large thrusters clearly custom additions. The smaller ship was an X50, lightly armed but one of the fastest ships built, the last was a light hauler, its crab-like frame carrying a large cargo pod. They turned and began thrusting for the next transit point.

"Where are we?" said Adara.

"This ladies is Akira. Known for, known for absolutely nothing. Wait, I tell a lie. The Akirans built them Corsairs." said Cowboy.

"Not those Akiran Corsairs? The uh, you know, boobships?" said Owen.

"Yeah, yeah, that's them. Still, they were quite the small fighting ship in their day," said Cowboy.

"Well, that was then, we probably won't be, wait what's that?" said Adara.

Down near the planet could be seen the flash of blaster fire of a battle in space underway.

Anakin worked the yacht's sensors. "Looks like one of those antiques is in trouble." The sensors showed a Corsair being pursued by two toad-like snub fighters. How about we help them out.

Moments later the yachts cargo bay opened and released two Lancers. Trailing the X50 they raced to assist. Owen grinned in his ship as the target's approached. This would bring his brother back!