Dirk sat back in his favorite lower level cantina, pounding back the Korma Ale, a Kidriff 5 special, enjoying the easy money that he was making hand over fist. The "L" Street gang use to run everything from spice, stolen goods, to weapons, once in a while of flesh but now they work almost exclusively on running Bliss. It was the best business decision he ever made when his contact with the big players approached him a few months ago. Back then no one had heard of Bliss, nor did anyone know just how many credits it would bring in, but he was willing to give it a shot; he could always get out later if it fizzled.

Fizzled it didn't, oh it took awhile to get the nova started as with any new product, but now he had all of his gang running around the planet trying desperately to find enough runners to move the product, dumping places to exchange the stolen loot into credits and enforce his turf. That was before it went illegal, now it was twice as popular and twice as much work. The dumpsites were being swamp, not only by his gang but also by other gangs around the planet. He has to go as far as the Utiotla district down by the lower pole, where the freaking sun never shines and a good day meant temps near -40 C, to unload most of this junk these Bliss freaks were bring in. They brought him electronic goods, vehicles, droids, a ship once, body parts; anything they could dream up. He had men, women, and children, young and old, poor and rich; selling themselves in gutters trying to turn enough tricks to get their supply. The was even the one guy who killed his mother for a party he threw one night for an extra hit, those freaks would do anything to feel their so-called gods.

The enforcement parts was getting easier, for the freaks just hint that you would hold out on them and they crumble like a pile sand on a beach. The other gangs came to him for help on running this stuff, since he and only he started at the ground floor. That was another smart idea he had early on, he learned his lesson from his own rather bloody take over of the gang 6 years ago. These scums respect only one thing, power! Since he was an old timer in the game, being 36 has its advantages and disadvantages, and a large man in size, projecting power has never been a problem before Bliss. Once the others saw the profit he was making, he approached them to give advice on how to set up their own Bliss enterprise. Only a few took him up on his offer, at first, in repayment he asked only that his turf be respected. Now, of course, no one care two spits about turf, who had the time to worry about that? More then a few gangs actually collapse under the strain of trying to keep up with demand.

Of course, dealing with those who refused to be hooked or play along the game hasn't changed that much. For those who were in position that could either help or hurt them, he paid off handsomely. Why not, even if his scumbag lawyer had to work 24-7 to get all his gang off, they would still have enough credits to retire on. For everyone else, traditional methods still worked or if they really get in the way … he was sure that Bea would be remembered by those who might entertain thoughts of going against him.

"Hey boss," Dirk looked up to see one of his jr. members, the kid's father and uncle use to be major players in the "L" street before they were wasted in a turf battle. Many of the members had family sponsor them in; it was the easiest way to join. "There is some lady out front, a real looker, says she wants to talk to you."

"Who is she?" Dirk said he was in no mood to listen to some sap drone on about how she needs this and that or just a bit more time on repaying a loan or something. They all come in through his lower level men; only he had the power to say 'yes' or 'no'.

"Says she is Ratnena Bora and she says you owe her a favor," the kid said, clearly not making any connections with that name. Dirk wished he could forget it also; especially now that he was riding the wave, but that girl helped him plan and carry out his take over of the gang with minimal bloodshed, well at least among his supporters. In gratitude, he promised her anything, but she declined, to his great relief, and just blew it off as another job

"Tell her she got three minutes," he said in his best nonchalant voice he could muster. Until she was shipped off to the military, he would lay in his bed at night wondering how she planned to give her self a promotion. He has seen her in action and he knew if she pushed it, he would be replaced probably before he was even aware of the change. That kid worried him more then anyone else did, but he couldn't show fear in front of his people; especially not a jr. His whole reason he was able to stay on top was to remind everyone, you mess with him and you die. Threatening Ratnena never worked, it just annoyed her, almost as badly as making a move on her.

He could tell as soon as she walked into the cantina, since all conversation would stop as she walked by. The years in the military had really sharpened her body, not that there was anything wrong with it before, and her looks still made every man and women in the bar stare at her in admirations. Ratnena still wore her "L" street hair beads and still wore her hair piled on top of her head. She was also not visible armed, which wasn't new, she has been known to carry spring loaded knives on both of her wrist to help any one who couldn't take no get her point. She rarely had to tell a guy no twice.

"Well, well, well look at what the rancor dragged in form the swamp," Dirk said staying seated.

"I am sure the pleasure is all your," Ratnena said sitting down across from him, with a smirk on her face and … damn, she not looking around she has back up with her! "I have heard you done well for yourself."

"It is a living," Dirk said shrugging, wishing he could signal his guys to keep a look out for her back up, except she knew all the stupid codes! "Heard you are a big time hero girl, got yourself some pardons and everything."

"It's a living," she echoed back, her very light blue eyes staring steady at him and her smirk still on her lips.

"Care for a drink before we talk," Dirk said about to signal his waiter.

"No," Ratnena said rather rudely, "I don't have much time and neither do you."

"And what is that supposed to mean," Dirk said putting a growl in his voice, hoping he was able to mask the shot of fear that coursed through his body.

"Your door boy said I had three minutes, by my calculations 45 seconds have already been used." She said sitting there calmly, her hands folded together on top of the table.

"You were always the funny one Bora," Dirk said letting out a nervous laugh, "Ok, lets cut to the core, what is it that you want."

"Nothing to grand," she said with her smirk still on her face, "just the name of the person who is controlling the Bliss trade here on Kidriff 5."

Dirk blinked at her, what game is she trying to pull here. "What makes you think I can help you?" Ratnena never said a word, she just sat there calm and cool, her expression never changed. "What makes you think I would help you, even if I could?"

"Because Dirk you are in control in one of the most powerful … business … on Kidriff 5. If anyone knows who that person or persons is it would be you."

"And of course you think that the help you gave me back when I 'retired' the old leader grants you the privilege to ask this 'favor' of me."

"Yes."

"In your dreams, Bora," Dirk said while pulling a swig of his ale.

"Why Dirk, that is not a friendly way to do business," she said sweetly.

"This is not business, Bora."

"What are you afraid of, Dirk?"

"Nothing Bora," he growled out, "you however, should be afraid. Moreover, you should remember something else you've gone straight. That puts you on the trust level of a gundurk. I don't owe trash anything."

"You should remember that I will find the answers I want, one way or another, Dirk. I have my ways, I rather go through you but I will find out." Her smirk, somehow when from friendly to predatory without her moving a muscle, "I'd thought you would want to get in one the ground floor and reap the profits but looks like I was wrong."

"What profits?"

"Why the opportunity not to get … 'retired'."

Dirk gave the hand signal that got his back up moving, not carrying if she knew what was happening. With in seconds, five blasters had her covered by his best bodyguards. "No one, Bora, especially not some damn fly girl threatens me in my own bar." Again, her smirk changed, somehow, to sadistic.

"Nice to see you again Dirk, give Bog my regards when you see him."

Then the power went off, completely. One of the guards opened fired as Dirk dove under the table to avoid being fried in the crossfire. However, except for that one idiot, no other shots were fired. When the power was restored, and he climbed up of the floor with as much dignity as he could muster, all he saw where Bora had been was a belt of some kind and a note. Bora was nowhere to be seen.

"I think she left boss," one of the bodyguards said lamely.

"Go find her you idiots and bring her back to me … Alive!" Dirk shouted out as he picked up the note. It had one word on it, "BOOM!" with a bunch of 'x' and 'o' on it. His eyes darted from the note to the belt … she couldn't have … he didn't waste time worrying about it. He just ran for the entrance screaming about the bomb. The panic to get out of the bar impeded his exist as the rest of the afternoon crowd, seeing him run, did the smart thing and tried to beat him out the door. Just as the last person got outside the bomb went off, flames and smoke poured out of the building.

Give Bog my regards when you see him, echoed in his head as his men tried to talk to him. He knew just what he was up against now, he wasn't sure if he could deal with it. I'll get my contacts to deal with her, after all it their necks that she really wants, he thought as the memory of their old boss, Bog, flashed through his mind.


Little Brother waited nervously near the power control panel for the building that had housed the cantina in which Ratnena had vacated before he remotely activated the bomb. If he were a fleshy, he would have been annoyed that it took so long for the other fleshes to evacuate the building before he was able to detonate the bomb. He was unable to directly harm living creatures, especially humans, due to a very deeply buried program, so even if wanted to he couldn't have done it. The only override he has been able to successfully create, without completely deactivating himself, was to protect Tahiri and Ratnena from any harm. However, it didn't kick in since Ratnena had successfully escaped the harm while he had disconnected the power to the cantina.

Thanks to the two way, tracking and monitoring device they had created from parts found at her father's repair shop, he was able to track her movements and know when she was in trouble. Now he just had to wait for her to make her way down to the sub-level so they could plan their next move.

The other droids he had talked to and from the news services found on Kidriff 5, he has learned a great deal about this chemically altering substance that many of the fleshes found so appealing regardless of the known and visible side effects. Thanks to Artoo Detoo, Whistler and Squeaky, along with Tahiri, Ratnena and the other Wraiths; he had a better understanding of fleshes then most R2 units around, he was still perplexed as to why any creature would purposely self destruct as so many have done on this chemical "Bliss". Nor did he completely understand Ratnena's motivations behind her desire to combat this problem. Although he was quite willing to assist her, as was their mission, he wished that Tahiri were here to explain it to him. Little Brother did not like unknown variables.

His internal tracking device showed that Ratnena had successfully made her way to the position that he occupied, so he activated his external lights to help her see him better. It was probably not needed since she wore a pair of 'night enhancement' eye wear, but he like to make things as easy as possible for her.

"Good work on the lights and bomb, Little Brother," Ratnena said as she sat down on the ground next to him.

YOU ARE WELCOME RATNENA; I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT YOUR PLAN HAD NOT YIELDED ANY RESULTS.

"Well like I told you before, I wasn't sure it would work but I had to try. If for no other reason then to keep Tahiri and the others happy." She said after reading what he said on her wrist communicator. Unlike Tahiri, who had learn to speak droid well enough, Ratnena needed to use the built in translator device. Talking to humans was already a slow process, and he had to use simpler ideas instead of the complex words he used when talking to other droids but having to go through a translator just slowed things down even more. "Besides, it did let them know that I am here and what I am going to do."

WOULD IT HAVE BEEN BETTER NOT TO ALERT THE TARGET TO OUR INTENTIONS BEFORE WE ARE PREPARE TO ELIMINATE THE TARGET? Little Brother had downloaded and analyzed many hours of research when Tahiri was first assigned to the Wraiths on the proper conduct of espionages and commando warfare. All the manuals stress the need for secrecy before the elimination of any target. WE STILL HAVE NO DATA ON OUR TARGET AS OF YET.

It doesn't matter Little Brother if they know or not," Little Brother knew he was no expert on humans and their non-verbal expressions, however he would classify her expression as one of merriment or amusement. Her body and vocal scans show that she was not experiencing either of those emotions. Before he could do a complete and through annalist of this anomaly, she asked if he had gotten the information for the Ship Resisters that, she asked for before she left for her recon mission.

OF COURSE RATNENA.

"Great, time for plan 'fun time'!"


"Hey Smith, you got a minute."

Inspector Smith looked up from his increasing workload and saw another inspector standing outside his workstation.

"Barely, Jones. I got 15 new cases of Bliss related crimes in the past shift alone," Smith said closing down one more file on one more dead woman that had overdosed on Bliss.

"You know, I always knew most people didn't have the brains the creator gave them; these scum who use Bliss hasn't improved my opinion any, I tell you." The other man said sitting down in a chair in front of his desk.

"You are preaching to the choir, Jones. Although I sure would like to know how it is spreading so sithing fast."

"Who knows why the stupid do what the stupid does," Jones said dismissing the problem out of hand. That was one problem Smith was having with many of his co-works right now. Why wasn't important, just to clean up the mess. Smith figured the mess would be cleaned up faster if they understood why there were so many new cases everyday. However, it was spreading to fast, to new for that kind of action; even a department as large and well staffed as their was; a planet wide drug problem was beginning to strain their resources. "Anyways I got a question for you, has Ratnena Bora ever dealt with bombs before?"

"Bora? No, not her style really, why?"

"That scum Dirk claims that she broke into his cantina down on 'L' street, threaten him and the rest, then blew it up. He claims that he had no idea why she did it but seemed to be really sure it was her."

"Dirk was her leader before she was shipped out to G.F.F.A military, but I don't remember them having any problems before she left. If anything there has always been whispers that she was the master mind behind his take over of the gang."

"Is there anything in her file about having explosive training?"

"No, then again most of her file after that one incident is sealed with a classified material seal on it."

"Uh," Jones said looking thoughtful, "I know she back here on leave, anyone who comes close to Blinkie knows that. He complains about it enough."

"They knew each other from that school and never really got along since."

"First good thing I have heard about her yet," Jones said, as most career men who worked up from the ranks, like him, he had very little use for those 'special' members who got promoted because of who they were related to or went to a certain school. "Still, this isn't quite her style is it?"

"No," Smith said, although it came to close for his taste, "usually she likes to watch them die up close and personal."

"That is what I thought," Jones said, looking even more thoughtful and tapping his data pad.

"Look, I am supposed to be the expert on her, you want me to look into it," Smith said not sure why he was volunteering, he just had a nasty feeling that she had done the bombing.

"How long is she supposed to be here anyways?"

"Three months total."

"Well," Jones said pausing and tapping his pad some more, "we both know that Dirk is up to his eyebrows in Bliss, we just can't prove it." Smith just nodded, the 'L' street gang is suspected as being very high up in the chain. "And to tell you the truth, I don't mind seeing Dirk shaking in his boots right now. Moreover, no one was hurt … tell you what we are going to do. If you hear anything let me know but I think I am going to just shelve this for now, who knows when we will get a chance to get back to it with the way things are right now. Unless of course we find out that, she does want to get back in the business. Thanks for your time."

As Smith got back to his workload, he began to wonder exactly what that girl was up to and why. All Smith knew for sure was the fact that he knew this was only the beginning.


"Sir, we have a problem."

Major Thompson looked over at the trooper station at one of the satellite control. He swore slightly under his breath when he saw which station it was, during the Yuuzhan Vong war they had launched and maintained 50 special satellites that looked ordinary on the outside but had very powerful blasters hidden inside them. They didn't have much of a life expectancy and were only good for 20 minutes of heavy fighting but they could punch through most shields and hole any ship known. They were one of the many surprises that they had developed if the Vong ever poked their noses in this system. Some of the surprises were dismantled after the war, but many others were kept around since you just never knew what might happen in the future.

"What is the trouble," he asked as he hurried over to the station.

"B-34 is not responding to my commands, it just self powered and the targeting computer is going …" the trooper cut himself off as the weapons opened up at nothing.

"Shields now, control get the planetary shields up in that sector," Major Thompson yelled out as alarms began sounding. "Comm warn all ships in the area to raise shields and get out of this sector."

"Sir, one freighter was just struck," another trooper cried out.

Thompson said something that would have resulted in eating soap if his mother was still alive to hear what he said. "Try to over ride that satellite son."

"Trying sir, but it is not responding to …"

"Sir, second freighter was hit!"

"Dispatch two S & R teams, assign one squad of security with each incase the crews get rowdy. How many more shots left?"

"It is using full power, I would estimate another 8 minutes."

"Comm, tell S & R they will launch in 9 minutes, then inform the freighters of our timetable. Control, bring every B satellites off line now."

For the next 15 minutes, Thompson was busy fielding calls from the surface, the other freighter captains and his own technician to worry about the two-damaged freighter. As soon as it stopped firing, the S & R teams flew out to do their jobs while a team went out a retrieved the wayward satellite to see what went wrong where.

"SIR! Alpha team reports they need back up now! They found a large, I say again, a large supply of Bliss on Target One."

"Sir, Beta is reporting the … sir, team Beta is under fire they need back up now!"

As he assigned more teams and alerted his superiors of what was going on, in the small recesses of his mind, he wonder what the odds of this happening actually were.