Smarstar247: Jaina fics are my favorite too. Thanks :-)

A/N: Where are all my other reviewers? Tim Knispel, Tera Lands? Please don't leave me!


Quick Summaries:

The two years after waking up in the medcenter:

The Dark Angel was awoken the next morning by a rather strong Force suggestion from the New Emperor. It was the day her training would begin.

She was able to complete all basic and advanced training within one year. She excelled in all her areas of training, especially piloting.

She kept her love of piloting secret. Her master felt that too much attachment to anything was weakness. She didn't want him to forbid her to fly. But he approved of her piloting skills. He was immensely pleased with her abilities to lead a squadron and give quick orders.

She also excelled with her Force lessons, combat, history and languages but flying was definitely her favorite area. In her first month of training she had outflown the Imperial Academy's top pilots in the simulators and now she was leading squadrons of them and controlling fleets.

Her master said she had a gift for flying, and they could use her expertise in battles to their advantage.

Her master also held a lot of secret plans in his mind, that she didn't know...

The New Empire's status in the four years after the Peace Ceremony:

It had been two years since the attack on the Peace Ceremony and the New Empire had risen even further since then.

The had gained control of many worlds such as Eriadu, Varonat, Sullust, Umgul, Ando, Kubindi, Bimmisaari, Gammor, Pzob, Wayland, Efandia, Morishim, Bimmiel, and Agamar. Dathomir and Fondor were fighting. But on Dathomir, half of the population – the Nightsisters wanted to join the New Empire, the other half wanted to stay neutral.

The New Empire's long fingers had reached into the galaxy, and now, they wouldn't let go.

Chapter 7:

Arrival

((It has been four years, since the Peace Ceremony.))

"Yes, Master?" she asked, cringing inside at the word master. His blue-tinged hologram before her seemed as real and life-like as if he were still in the same system. But that was ridiculous; he was literally on the other side of the galaxy. On Bastion, was her guess.

"Ah, my little Angel. I have a few surprises for you." He started, giving her a hideous grin and pressing his hands together.

She just stood there, arms crossed over her stomach, waiting for him to continue. He didn't. He just stood there looking at her expectantly. She hated it when he did this...

"Really?" she murmured raising her eyebrows. Still he did nothing. Tossing her long, dark hair over her shoulder, she bit back her annoyance and spoke again, a bit grudgingly. "What are they, my Master?"

He smiled again, sensing her anger at his little game. "I have a student- I can't waste my time with him. I'm giving him to your care. He will follow you on missions, aboard your ship and you will train him along the way."

Anger boiled inside of her. What was she? Some kind of kriffing baby-sitter?

"The other little surprise was a mission I have for you about the...er...disturbances on Borleias. I want you to deal with them."

"Yes Master." Was all she said, anger still coursing through her. She hated her master and yet she loved him. After a few seconds of thought she decided she loved him, yet she hated his little games. Hating him would be disloyal.

"Your charge, Rek, should be arriving any time now. He left a standard day ago. And remember my Angel, let your anger fuel you." He said and then the transmission ended.

"Stang." She grumbled moving to her door. It slid open and she walked down the corridor. Curious eyes followed her as she walked, wondering what could have brought their Lady out of her quarters. If she noticed their stares she gave no sign of it, just continued on her way to the hangar bay of the Super Star Destroyer.

As her master had said, an Imperial shuttle had just arrived. A few long minutes later-, which she filled with the impatient tapping of her foot-, a wiry young man walked slowly down the boarding ramp.

"I presume you're the Angel?" he asked her, a small smile on his rather handsome face.

"Dark Angel. Get it right." She said, turning on her heel and motioning for him to follow with a very brief gesture of her hand.

The wiry youth quickly hurried to catch up with her, the Imperial crewmen watching the whole way.

He had to admit, he was a little surprised at her appearance. He didn't know someone so evil could be so pretty. In his short time with the New Emperor, he had noticed that the darkness had already seemed to tear at him. Perhaps his protégé, the Dark Angel had better control than the New Emperor. And if she did, maybe the New Emperor's rule was short-lived...

But it still shocked him that she looked the way she did.

Her formfitting black flightsuit showed off her perfect physique, true. But what he found strange was that there was not a single wrinkle on her face. She looked so young- about his age- and her liquid brown eyes seemed to hold galaxies within their depths not the simple hatred and lust for power the New Emperor had. Her long, chocolate brown hair fell straight down to her mid-back-

She turned suddenly and he got a better look at her. But that look ended when her hand connected with his face- hard.

"I'd appreciate if you'd keep your eyes in your sockets next time. If not, you'll get something worse than that."

Rek was shocked at her words. "No, no...I wasn't- no!"

She simply looked at him with her eyebrows raised, hands on her hips, apparently waiting for an explanation. Her glare told him he better come up with something good. So did all the slack-jawed crewmembers that had stopped whatever they were doing to watch.

"I ju- I was shocked that you were so young and pretty." He admitted, cheeks coloring a slight pink. "I thought all the Imperial leader people were old and ugly and wrinkly."

The Dark Angel looked at him with a stern face, but inside she was chuckling. She could have punished his boldness but she chose not to. He reminded her of someone. And besides- he had a point.

She turned and continued down the corridor, glaring at her crewmembers that watched them pass with wide, gossiping eyes and slackened jaws.

The wiry young man jogged up to walk beside her- a break in Imperial protocol- and attempted starting a conversation.

"I'm Rek...how old are you anyway?"

"You've never heard the saying Never ask a woman her age' have you?" she said, looking at him with all seriousness. Despite her cold demeanor there was a slight laughter in her dark eyes.

"Twenty." She said a moment later, stopping. As Rek allowed he was just a year older, she keyed a passcode into a wall panel and a door slid open. Stepping inside she gestured around, "As long as you're on the Dark Lady, these will be your quarters."

He looked around and whistled. "Pretty spiffy for a guy like me...are your quarters this nice?"

She gave him a small smile- now that they were out of view of prying eyes- and replied, "Yeah they are. Only a lot nicer."

He glanced at her and his hazel eyes widened a bit, but he smiled back. He had been caught off his guard at her smile...he didn't think evil people did that either. Or maybe he was just stereotyping evil people. That thought hadn't occurred to him before.

A chuckled escaped the Dark Angel's lips and he jumped at the sound. He didn't think evil people did that either!

"Stereotyping "evil people"?" she said past her smile, trying not to find humor in this young man's thoughts.

"Hey!" he cried. He had forgotten about the mystical powers it was rumored that the New Emperor and the Dark Angel possessed. "Are you reading my thoughts?"

"I'm not trying to..." she laughed, pushing a few strands of her dark brown hair behind her ear. "But you're kind of shouting."

This kid- young man, she reminded herself, as he was a year older than her- reminded her so much of someone, yet she couldn't quite place who...

"Well...I'll let you get settled in- but a quick warning...we're leaving tomorrow for Borleias...I-we have a mission there." And with that she strode out the door, leaving Rek alone.

Picking up his bag, he unpacked his clothes and mementos into the cupboards and shelf units that occupied his previously bare room. He presumed that he was to be permanently stationed aboard the Dark Lady, so he figured he might as well get settled in.

As he removed a lightweight durasteel box from his luggage a grim look crossed his face. He took it and quickly set to work finding a good hiding place for it.