Hello everyone! Wow, this story has picked up so much steam in the last month. It's humbling to see the sheer amount of readers this story has. I'm glad you are all enjoying this fanfiction that I've been planning and writing for so long now. To my loyal readers, it's always great to be sending you a new chapter of this fic you've been following for so long. To all my new readers out there, thank you for joining us on this journey. Like, follow and send me comments. I'm the kind of guy who tries to respond to all of my friends, fans and followers out there.

Speaking of which, Guest reviewer: I'm sorry you may find some parts of this story a little boring and dialogue-heavy. It has battle sequences and tense moments, but also the mundane daily life and social interactions of Imperial officers that I so wanted to capture when this story first popped into my chaotic brain years ago. It's really a story of these characters more so than of what they are doing, and I hope that with action, horror, comedy, romance and drama, there's something for everyone in this fic.

To my PM'er: No, Freya is not based on Merida in any way. I hadn't even watched "Brave" until I had already written to about this point in the story. They share a few similarities yes, but Freya is not inspired by that character. I've known quite a few people from the Isles, and I've always loved watching Billy Connolly and Sean Connery, as well as listening to Irish and Scottish music from Enya to The Irish Rovers to Dropkick Murpheys. Freya is truly an OC, and I think she beautifully radiates the cultures and historical groups her people are based on; that being 13th-17th century Scotland, Ireland and Wales, along with the Viking peoples of Medieval Scandinavia and Rus. There's even a smattering of Apache, Spartan and Edo-era Samurai inspiration in the way her people raise their children.

Okay, enough character analysis. Let's get on with the story. I'm sure you're all anxious to finish the Tatooine arc, so let's do it. Enjoy, everyone!

"Oh, hello…Colton…Miss Rose." Gallen greeted with a sly grin as Drakken and Freya entered the bay the two troopers and one droid were standing in. "You'll never guess what we found out."

"The ship is called the Millennium Falcon, and it's piloted by a guy named Solo?" Tharcourt guessed. The sniper's face twisted in confusion.

"How do you do it, sir?" He asked. "And you probably know who was on that ship when it took off too."

"Wot? Some kid, and a man what looked like somebody's granpap?" Freya answered with a smirk. Gallen shook his head, and Ekks chuckled.

"Now you got her doin' it." Gallen sighed. "Yeah, that's what we found out. The pilot's name is Han Solo, and he left here with the boy, the old man, and a couple of droids. That was a couple days before the battle station got blown up."

"He's a smuggler and pirate, and has a wookie for a first mate." Ekks added. "You don't see that every day. Don't think I've seen it…ever."

"Beedeep boop blipbeep ernnnngh." R-5 stated. Ekks clarified.

"R-5 said the logs here didn't register the ship under it's real name, or even as a Corellian freighter." He said. "This pilot was probably using an old smuggler's trick of changing the ship's transponder code, to make it look like another vessel if it's scanned. He must be a professional."

"Alright. You two get us a speeder bike or some kind of transportation. I gotta check something out, and I need something that flies and doesn't look Imperial." Tharcourt ordered.

"Sure. There's a place across the road that rents out and sells used speeders." Ekks replied. "I was thinking of seeing if I could boost one…you know, for my private collection." As they talked, Freya wandered across the hangar. She sat down on a small crate with a view of the outside. R-5 rolled toward her as Tharcourt chided the Corellian.

"And you plan on keeping said stolen speeder where, corporal?" He asked with a smirk. "Didn't know your lodgings on board The Executor were that big."

"Yeah, you're right." Ekks sighed.

"An' how are ye on this hot, sandy day, R-5?" Freya greeted the astromech as it came to a stop beside her.

"Bemp bomp bedeep doot." The droid answered.

"Still no clue what you're sayin', 'lil fella." She said. R-5 started to roll past her, when suddenly a red blaster bolt came from somewhere outside, hitting the astromech in the dome. Sparks showered the area, and Freya rolled backwards off the crate, using it and the poor destroyed droid as cover. Another bolt flew into the hangar, and Freya fired a couple of shots in return as Drakken, Ekks and Gallen entered the fray.

"Rooftop!" Freya shouted. "Across the road!" Gallen nodded, and flipped the scope covers up on his rifle. He ran to the large doorway, and flattened himself against the wall beside it.

"How many?!" The sniper called.

"One I think!" Freya yelled back.

"Shoot at 'em. Pin em down." Gallen advised. Freya, along with Drakken and Ekks, who popped into the opening, all poured fire on the building's rooftop for a few moments.

"STOP!" Gallen shouted. As soon as they had ceased firing, Gallen has swung out into position, ready to take the shooter as soon as they raised their head. He had no sooner swung out, than a bolt whizzed by, striking the doorframe by his head. "Okay, they know that one." He gasped, rolling back behind cover. On the roof across the road, they saw a lone figure make a sudden leap to the next building and quickly disappear. Gallen pivoted around the door frame again and scanned the rooftop as Ekks ran outside and cleared the street with his E-11.

"Roof clear!" Gallen reported.

"Street clear!" Ekks called. The two moved back into the landing bay, where Freya was now mournfully examining the destroyed astromech. Drakken squatted down beside her and patted her shoulder gently. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"He saved me life…" She said and sniffed. "If 'e hadn't come over t' talk t' me, I'd a been done in. The poor 'lil thing…"

"Hey…ma'am?" Ekks said softly. "Me and Lago can fix him up. It'll be alright…"

"Ye can?"

"Sure. We'll scavenge some parts and get him repaired soon as we can." The Corellian rogue smiled a genuine smile.

"Thank ye…Ekks." Freya said. Tharcourt sighed.

"I hate to rain on the funeral, men…but what the Hell was that?!" He exclaimed, gesturing outside.

"A sniper, sir." Gallen answered. "Good one too. Bout took my ear off."

"I thought you were supposed to be the best." Drakken fired back.

"Unfamiliarity with the terrain, and shooting from an unsupported standing position with no cover has it's drawbacks, sir." Gallen said sourly.

"Think you two were made?" Ekks proposed. "Like somebody knows who you are?"

"Unlikely." Drakken replied. "Not impossible, but downright implausible. Maybe another bounty hunter. I had to blast one in the cantina earlier. Could be somebody wanting revenge."

"That sounds about right in this place." Ekks agreed. Freya patted R-5's dome.

"What do you want to do now?" She asked. Tharcourt looked at Ekks.

"I still want that speeder."

Drakken had only ridden a speeder bike once in his life. After a little trial and error, he managed to get the hang of it, and finally allowed Freya to join him on the machine. She climbed on behind him, and they secured their goggles in place. The minute she wrapped her arms around Drakken, the powerful vehicle under her, Freya blushed. This felt so daredevilish and adventurous to her that her heart was already pounding away in her chest. Ekks and Gallen were ordered to stay behind and guard the ship in case their attacker returned. Then with the bearing of someone who is reluctantly about to start some grand adventure, Drakken hit the throttle and sped out of the spaceport and onto the streets of Mos Eisley.

"Aren't ye worried about our friend the sniper?" Freya called to him as she hung onto the man for dear life, her long hair flowing behind her like a cape.

"The way I'm driving?" Drakken called back, somewhat enjoying the thrill of operating the bike. "He'd have to be a lot better than Gallen to hit us."

"So where we goin'?" She asked loudly.

"I told Felian we're going to meet him. Something about all this don't add up."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I don't know yet…I just know that it's not sittin' right with me." He answered, then made some spitting noises.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. Pffft. Just got sand in my mouth. Gah. This stuff gets everywhere."

It was a twenty-minute ride to the isolated farmstead where Felian, Mets and Coleth were waiting. When Commander Tharcourt pulled up, Coleth shook his head.

"Never knew you were a rider, sir." The scout trooper called. "You just keep the surprises coming."

"Well, I have to try and keep up with you younger set, don't I, trooper?" Tharcourt returned as he climbed off the speeder bike. He turned and helped Freya down, and noticed that she had an awkward expression. "You good?" He asked.

"Aye…" She breathed. "Ne'er…done that afore…I think I like riding on one a' those, Drakken." She bit her lip.

"Uh…good…we uh…we have a bit further on it still so…" He stammered. He blinked away his gracelessness and turned back to his men. "You find anything of value, Felian?"

"Not much, sir." The sergeant answered. "Most of this place was burned out as you can see." Indeed, the rotund house bore char marks around the door, and the faintest trace of burnt debris could be seen scattered out from the doorway for a couple of meters. "Looks like a couple Incinerator Troopers hit the place. Any idea what happened here, sir?"

"Hm. Think those stormtroopers back in the city know what we're really up to?"

"No sir."

"Exactly. This was a covert op. My guess is that it had something to do with recovering the stolen plans for the DS-1. Either ma and pa farmer here were harboring somebody, or they refused to cooperate with a strike team."

"So they burnt 'em up?!" Freya gasped, looking at the black marks on the small home.

"You get armed holdouts in a small building or room…" Drakken explained. "The burners come in…just stick the nozzles of those flamethrowers in the hatch and...let loose." He shook his head a little. "Takes a certain breed for that job."

"There's a few things left inside that the scavengers didn't get." Sergeant Felian said. "You want to have a look?"

"I didn't come here for the beach, sergeant." Tharcourt shrugged.

He cautiously made his way into the home. It was a small but cozy place, built into the ground, no doubt to help keep the occupants cool in the extreme environment. He came to the first room, which was charred and empty. He explored the residence further, trying to find anything that might give a clue as to the nature of the former residents. There was something on the floor. He knelt and picked it up. A ball of yarn with two long needles stuck into it. Drakken narrowed his eyes. Such an odd thing to find in a place where such carnage happened…

"Boo." Freya said behind him, making Drakken jump a little. "Sorry Drakken. Didnae think I'd actually spook ye."

"Yeah…I was just…not paying attention." He muttered.

"What is that?" She asked. "Somebody's bloody knitting?"

"Look like…" He whispered. Drakken stood and walked into a nearby room. The space looked as though it had been stripped by intruders, likely the jawas Lago spoke about. Short lengths of wire hung from the ceiling, and random bits of hardware littered the floor here and there. He saw something on a shelf, and carefully took it down, turning it around in his hands. It was a model of a ship, some kind of airspeeder that looked similar to his team's shuttle. He blinked, his mind trying to make sense of what a toy ship was doing on an isolated moisture farm on this planet. Did the people have some odd interest in ships? Were they rebels who had these models to study Imperial vessels for devious reasons? Was it just some child's toy…

Maybe that was it. They had a kid. Likely killed with the rest of them, he thought. He looked back at the toy shuttle. Some kid played with this, not too long ago. He was probably dead now. It felt odd to him now, wrong to be touching this stuff...like he was disturbing somebody's grave. He solemnly sat the toy ship back on the shelf, and placed the yarn and needles he'd found next to it. It felt foolish, almost like he was building a shrine to these people, but it seemed appropriate.

"Come on." He said to Freya.

"Find anything, sir?" Felian queried as they exited the house, pausing to allow their eyes to readjust to the bright light.

"Nothing, sergeant." Tharcourt answered. "Nothing but ghosts in there." He gazed out over the barren landscape. "You go to the other place yet?"

"We were about to head that way when you called us." Felian said.

"Alright. I'm going with you." The commander stated. "Far as I know, that place hasn't been picked through yet. A patrol found it a week ago. They think it might have belonged to someone in league with the rebels for some reason."

The structure was on a hilltop thirty minutes away, and Freya enjoyed every minute of it. She didn't understand what had come over Drakken lately. He seemed more than okay with occasional hugs, and had allowed her to hold his hand twice now. It still felt somewhat awkward for her, and she expected any minute for him to comment on how unprofessional it all was. Still, here she was, her arms wrapped around him tightly, her body pressed into his back as he raced the speeder bike over dunes and hills. It was thrilling, and she wished that this what they did every day. That big ship and all of those stuffy officers, that terrifying Lord Vader, it all seemed so far away. This felt magical.

"We're here." Drakken called, breaking her out of her daydreaming. She looked up to see a sand-colored house on a hill. It was roughly square-shaped, with part of the roof forming a dome. Drakken climbed off the speeder bike and helped Freya off again.

"Alright, scout the area. Watch for booby traps."

"Yessir." Felian called back, and motioned with his left hand. Mets and Coleth jogged up the hill, blasters at the ready, Felian following close behind with his E-11.

"I'm kind jealous of 'em, Drakken…" Thorne whispered. He looked at her, and thought at first she was blushing, until he realized that her nose and cheeks had turned red from exposure to the suns. "They got those nice climate-controlled suits. I think I'm a' startin' t' roast like a tattie." He smiled kindly, and took off his cap, placing it on her head. At least the bill would block some of the sunlight.

"Better?" He asked. She smiled, and he handed her a canteen. "Take some water too. Easy to get desiccated in a place like this. She turned up the container and took a few swallows of water, and handed it back to Drakken. He took a long drink and replaced the cap. "Let's have a look in this place."

As they climbed the hill, the woman who had hunted them in town lay prone a thousand meters away, watching them through her macrobinoculars. She couldn't believe she had missed the woman. That droid had happened to get in the way at just the wrong moment. She looked through her device as they went into the house with the three scout troopers, noting that one of them had a rifle. If the incident earlier was anything to go off of, it would be difficult to engage them when around other members of their team. She rolled over and pulled her scarf down, revealing a young woman of about twenty-five with light brown skin, dark brown and black hair. She looked down the hill at her speeder bike.

"Okay…new plan." She muttered. She hadn't been sure when the man and woman had walked into the cantina, but it hadn't taken long to figure out that they were indeed Imps. Once she had tracked them to the hangar and seen the pilot and the sniper, then spotted their Death Trooper, their identity was confirmed; this was the elite Imperial counter-insurgency team that had been responsible for wiping out several Alliance outposts, and was suspected of several more attacks on rebel ships and personnel. This then, made the man in civilian clothes Commander Tharcourt, the Imperial Special Forces commander that was number sixteen on the current 'Top Twenty Most Wanted' list. The woman with him was likely a subordinate officer or even an ISB operative.

Agent Terinda Mala had called in her observations and the identity of the Imperial team to rebel intelligence. She was given the green light to eliminate the dangerous Imperial officer at all costs. There was no reason for anyone up the chain to believe she would fail. After all, Mala had successfully infiltrated three Imperial bases, and her repertoire of skills and record of assassinating her targets quickly was well regarded amongst her superiors. Now, the twenty-four-year-old rebel agent was content to bide her time, and wait on her quarry to place themselves into a situation advantageous to her. A little more patience, and Terinda would bag yet another Imp officer. They didn't call her 'The Sand Spider' for nothing.

Ten minutes later, the team emerged from the house, Tharcourt being the first out the door. Nothing. Old food, some crude dishes…some random pieces of outdated tech. There was nothing in the house to indicate that the former occupant had been anything but some poor hermit living out in the desert. The only thing of any interest was a well-made wooden box with a piece of fabric inside. The cloth had light stains of oil on it, and it looked like someone had stored something in the container at one time.

The oddest thing about the house, marked simply 'Location C' on their electronic map, was the feeling. Freya had been the first to pick up on it, and commented how strange the place felt. Felian said it was like being in a clearing in the middle of a forest at sunrise. Thorne said it felt like some sacred site back home. Drakken closed his eyes and cleared his mind. It was peculiarly easy to do in the house. In fact, he felt at peace in some indescribable way. It was way too eerie for the commander, and after their search was over, he couldn't wait to get back outside.

"I want to check something out." Drakken said to Felian as they stood outside the empty home. "Just before we got here, you guys see a pile of rocks…about six, seven-hundred meters back?"

"Yes sir…" Felian thought out loud. "I did see that. You think it's relevant?" Tharcourt just looked at him for a few moments. "Dumb question, commander. Anything could be relevant until proven otherwise."

"Right. Let's check it out, then head back. This mission's been almost too damned weird for me."

They mounted up and rode the short distance to the small pile of rocks they had spotted on the way to the house. There was no denying that the mound was artificially created. There were no stones for a hundred meters, but someone had obviously carried them out here and stacked them on the sand. Tharcourt stood by his speeder bike looking at the cairn for a moment. Part of him wanted to leave it be. It looked like someone had buried something out here…or someone. Regardless of his misgivings, it had to be investigated.

"Should we start digging, sir?" Felian asked. Tharcourt was silent a moment.

"Yes…yes, we have to see what's in there." Not content to have his troopers do all of the work, Drakken and Freya worked beside them, moving the head-sized stones to the side. After about half an hour, they had uncovered a six-foot by three-foot patch of sandy earth underneath that showed signs of being disturbed.

"Alright…I'll be the ein t' say it…" Freya remarked sourly. "Looks like a grave." Tharcourt sighed.

"Do it." With that simple order, the scout troopers began digging with the small folding shovels from their speeder bikes. It didn't take long for the desert to give up the secret it held. Only a couple of feet down, they hit something, and the five of them could discern a vaguely sweet and musty smell in the air. Undaunted, they carried on with the grim task, and before long, had fully uncovered a dead body buried in the desert.

They all stood around the grave, looking down at the silent figure before them, each trying to piece together who and what this person was, and why he was here. The hot, dry environment had preserved the dead man so well that it was impossible to tell how long he had been buried here. A month? A year? Probably not much longer than that. The man's face had been covered in red and black tattooing, and from his head grew a ring of short horns. He was dressed all in black, and it was apparent that somebody had gone to a lot of trouble to bury him with the utmost respect and care. Not only had they labored to cover his grave with stones, but they had also posed him in a dignified position.

"What is he?" The commander finally asked. His lip twitched. "Looks almost like that Zabrak girl I knew back in the day, but…different. Those tattoos…"

"Looks almost like an Iridonian…" Felian replied. "But not quite. You got me, sir." Tharcourt knelt down beside the body in the shallow grave and examined the cadaver. Who had buried this man out here, and why? He seemed so out of place. Not just his appearance, but his clothing as well. The alien man wore some kind of black fabric and leather garment, and at his waist was a leather belt. Something was clasped in his hands. Drakken took hold of the object and tugged it free, falling back onto the sand. He stood, and held out the long, cylindrical object in his right hand.

"Wot do ye reckon' that is, Drakken?" Freya asked, leaning in to look at the item. It was like a tube or pipe, with fittings attached to it, seemingly randomly.

"I dunno…some sort of electronic device?" Tharcourt conjectured. He looked at the open end of it, then held it away from himself and everyone else before experimentally pressing one of the buttons. With a slight rearward jolt, a shaft of red energy shot from the tube, startling him and almost making him drop it.

"Stars…" Freya breathed.

"Wizard…" Mets said, entranced by the laser sword in his commander's hand. Tharcourt stared into the red beam, and felt his heart beating faster. This weapon was just like the one Lord Vader used. It was the weapon of a Jedi. He felt himself growing angry, and released the button, the red blade of the sword disappearing back into the handle. Drakken took a few heavy breaths, a scowl on his face, and he tossed the laser sword back into the grave with the strange man, this dead Jedi.

"Damn it…" The commander muttered. He looked at the corpse. "Damn this place…damn the Jedi…and damn you for being dead." He spit on the ground. "Cover him up, men. We're kriffin' done here."

"You alright, sir?" Felian asked, placing a hand on Tharcourt's shoulder. He shrugged it off.

"Yeah…I'm good, sergeant." He said with an ugly attempt at a smile. "You don't know…just…not a big fan of those jedi people." The scout nodded. "We'll rendezvous with you at Location Bravo, then return to the shuttle. Come on, Thorne. Let's get out of here. I could fill out a six-page report with everything I've seen so far…" He cast one more glance back to the grave. "And more…if I included everything I certainly didn't see." He added in a low voice.

He climbed on the bike, and Freya mounted up behind him. Drakken paused for a moment, and looked back to where the three troopers were reburying the dead jedi. He heaved a sigh and started the speeder. They headed back the direction they had come, back toward the city. From the position of the twin suns in the sky, Commander Tharcourt reckoned that they had about two or three hours of daylight left. Plenty of time to get the team back together and get the Hell off of this strange planet before things could get any weirder. They had made it about halfway back when the first sign of trouble came.

"Drakken! There be a speeder comin' up fast!" Freya yelled.

"Is it ours?!" Drakken called back. Thorne turned back and squinted. It seemed to be a lone figure in tan clothing on the machine.

"No, it's not our troopers." She answered. "Ye think they're lost? A local?" As if to answer her, a red blaster bolt shot past, and the young woman let out a yelp.

"I think our friend is back!" Drakken hollered. "Hold on!" Freya hugged him tightly, and the commander punched the accelerator and turned the handlebars to the right, putting the speeder bike into a tight turn. He sped up a dune, propelling the bike through the air for a few seconds before it dropped back down, almost hitting the sand before the gravity repulsors forced it back to its normal clearance. Twenty meters from the dune, and the enemy speeder jumped as well, the rider expertly gliding it down to the ground below.

"Is he still there?" Tharcourt called back to Freya. She looked back in time for a blaster bolt to pass two feet from her.

"Oh yeah…he's still there!"

"Who is this damn lunatic?!" Drakken cursed. He put the bike into an erratic serpentine as more rounds from the attacker's blaster struck the ground around them. Freya fired back a few times, but the enemy rider weaved out of the way of her shots. Further and further into the desert they sped, the assassin behind them gaining ground on them by the minute. After a foray into a narrow valley, and an attempt to lose their pursuer with another leap over a dune, Tharcourt realized he would have to come up with something and fast.

"Freya! Get ready to use your staff!"

"Me staff?! Wot in the kriff's a staff gonna…"

"Just do it! Trust me. When I give the word, flip that thing open and swing for the rider." He explained.

"Okay…I trust ye, Drakken me darlin'." Thorne said. She holstered her blaster and drew her sectional staff. She knew she would only get one go at this, and took a few deep breaths, centering herself on what she had to do.

"Ready?" Drakken called.

"Aye! Do it!" She screamed.

"NOW!" Tharcourt locked up the braking so hard that the engine instantly overheated and shut down. His upper body pitched over the handlebars, and he was nearly thrown from the bike as Freya was squeezed up against him hard. She fought the inertia, and flicked the long staff open. Their pursuer, caught off-guard by the maneuver, didn't have time to stop their speeder bike, and the machine carried them past the left side of Drakken's, and right into a whipping bar of metal.

Freya let out a cry as she swung her staff, twisting her body to the left to increase the momentum of her strike. She caught the rider across the chest, and their speeder bike shot forward without them, the assassin landing on their back hard. The movement also sent Freya off the right side of the bike and onto the sand as the mysterious figure reached for a blaster.

"Hold it!" Tharcourt ordered, rolling off the bike to a kneeling position and drawing both of his blasters. The figure froze for a moment, their gloved hand on the grip of a blaster pistol underneath their long, off-white coat. "Pull that weapon and I'll light you up." He was surprised when they dove onto him, ramming their head into his sternum. His blasters fell from his hands as he was tackled to the ground. Drakken fell to his back and brought his knees up, rolling the smaller person over his head. He got to his feet just as his attacker did. Their scarf had fallen from their face, revealing a woman of about twenty-five.

"Who are you?" He asked, panting for breath. She drew her blaster, then a curved knife from the back of her belt. With a flick of a switch, the blade began to vibrate.

"Imperial pig." She spat. "Your days of hunting rebels are over. I'm about to make you pay for all those people you and your team have killed." Drakken got into a fighting stance, and the two began to circle one another like lothwolves. "I know who you are, Commander Tharcourt."

"Okay, you know my name…but I seem to have missed yours." He stated coolly.

"Rebel Intelligence. That's all you need to know." Terinda Mala said through clenched teeth. "Now get ready to eat my vibroblade, murderer." Just then, Freya leapt from the speeder bike behind the rebel, where she had taken position. Drakken had lured the assassin into turning her back to Freya, and now the Breohan girl bore down on her with her six-foot staff. Mala barely rolled out of the way in time to dodge the weapon, but the staff caught her pistol, stripping it from her hand. The rebel agent sprang up, and had to duck as Thorne swiftly swung out with the staff.

"Why do you people have to monologue so damned much?" Drakken commented disappointedly before reentering the fight, taking a swing at the rebel woman and dodging a swipe from her blade. Thorne tried a strike from behind, but Mala spun out of the way, and grabbed the long pole, used it for leverage and propelled herself at Thorne, kicking the ensign in the gut. Drakken dove at her, but Mala executed a hip throw, and Tharcourt found himself on the ground, regretting his decision. By now, Freya had recovered enough to plant her staff in the ground and attempt a kick of her own. The rebel redirected her leg and sent her to the ground as well. Then picking up her vibroblade, Mala turned to the two Imperials.

"Dank Farric…I've had enough of this…I'm gonna gut you two here and now."

"Who the feck pissed yer oatmeal this mornin' ye slag?" Freya growled. Mala let out a yell and rushed her, but Thorne suddenly sprang up, catching her knife-hand, and delivering two solid punches to the woman's face. Thorne drew her blaster, but Mala disarmed her, sending the weapon to the sand. Mala kneed Thorne in the gut, and Freya headbutted the rebel, and both staggered back. Thorne eyed her staff laying a few feet away, and got into a combat stance, her feet apart, left arm toward Mala, her right elevated behind her. "I don't like it when mean ol' folk like ye try to kill me…" She stated. The rebel lunged at her, swiping her knife in an obvious ploy to keep Thorne off-guard. She instead dropped and swept Mala's legs from under her with her right foot, then rolled to her staff, rising to her feet with the weapon in hand.

"Schutta…" Mala muttered.

"An' when some feckin' gobshite tries t' kill me c'mander…I get right pissed."

"Then let me really make your day, scrawny Imp bitch…" Mala hissed, and turned with her knife to attack Tharcourt, only to find him standing behind her. Drakken seized her by the wrist and delivered a powerful kick to her chest that knocked the wind from the rebel. She staggered back a few steps, wheezing for breath.

"That's enough, you rebel scum." Tharcourt growled. "Give it up."

"Go to hell." Mala returned.

"This is why I hate your rebellion…you're too stupid to know when you're beat." Drakken said angrily. "You're gonna die out here for nothing…nothing!"

"Nothing…" The rebel woman repeated bitterly, keeping her distance between herself and the two officers. "My brother is dead because of you! Remember? An arms cache on a small planet? You blew the Hell out of that place! Killed everyone!"

"Well we didn't bloody ask for this war!" Thorne shot back.

"Your brother was a criminal...a terrorist. He died trying to kill people." Drakken stated. "He brought it on himself." This propelled the rebel agent over the edge.

"I don…nugh…farkin…kill you…gahhh! Monsters!" She exploded.

"For kriff's sake…take hold of yourself…and speak the Emperor's basic." Drakken said boredly. Mala threw her knife at Thorne, who deflected it with her staff. Distracting the only one of her opponents with a weapon, she ran at Tharcourt, and drove him to the ground. She landed a punch on his head, and he an elbow to her face. She bit Drakken's arm, and he rammed his forehead against hers. Freya grabbed her by the collar and literally threw Mala off of Tharcourt. She hit the ground and rolled, scooping up her blaster before deftly gaining her feet.

"Okay…okay, now you die…" Mala huffed. She sneered bitterly. "Long…live…the rebellion." In a flash, Freya launched her staff like a spear, the weapon striking the rebel agent in the forehead with a ringing sound. The rebel's blaster went off, and she stumbled backwards into a depression in the ground. Before she could recover from the blow enough to react, four tentacles had shot from the sand and seized her as the ground beneath her opened up into a small pit of teeth. She shrieked as she was dragged down into the maw of the creature who had lain dormant in the sand for months, waiting for its next meal to happen by.

"Wot…the…shite…" Thorne panted in shock as the enemy operative was pulled to her death by the hidden monster. Tharcourt watched wide-eyed as the last of the deranged assassin was devoured and the sand settled back over the spot as if nothing had happened.

"Oh…okay…" He finally breathed. "That was…something…"

"Wh…what was that somethin'?" Thorne asked nervously, eyeing the ground around her as if the monster would spring forth at any moment. She felt Drakken's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey…" He said gently. She turned to see he was kneeling beside her. His nose was bloody, and he would likely have a shiner. She self-consciously wondered how bad she looked. And just after healing up from last time too. He smiled. "You okay?"

"Yeah…I think so." She answered. "You?"

"I'll live." He said. "Come on." He helped her to her feet, and she stared at him. He looked the part of someone who had just been in a knock-down, drag-out brawl. She bit her lip. It was kind of attractive. And he had been so amazing in the fight.

Drakken swallowed, despite the grit in his mouth. Freya's hair was a mess, tangles of her curly red locks sticking out hopelessly everywhere. Her lip was bleeding, and her face was caked with dust and sweat. Her low-cut shirt had been torn, almost exposing her large breasts. Their last engagement had been different. Here before him stood not only his ensign…not only his friend, but a beautiful and battle-hardened woman, a warrior fresh from victory. His heart, still pounding from the adrenaline of his battle, seemed to beat harder. He saw her bite her bottom lip, and her eyes were locked on his with a passion he'd never seen in her.

"Freya…" He exhaled. Her green eyes flicked back and forth between his for a moment, and she suddenly grabbed him in a passionate embrace and kissed him fully on the lips. He surrendered to his feelings and wrapped his arms around her. He slid his tongue into her mouth and she gripped him tighter. To Hell with protocol, he wanted this. He lifted her off the ground, and Freya wrapped her legs around him. He pinned her to the speeder bike, kissing her deeply.

Freya didn't care about anything in this moment, except Drakken. She felt maddened by the rush of all of her pent-up desire and passion spilling out in this one singular moment. She arched her back and pushed off of the speeder and Drakken toppled over. For a brief moment, she was on top of him. Then he rolled her over and now he had conquered her. He broke the kiss, and his lips began to plant more kisses on her cheek, her neck, her chest.

"Please, me love…" She gushed in a voice ragged with raw emotion. "Drakken…me darlin'…right here…right now…"

"Oh Kriff…" He panted, and brushed his lips against her left ear. "Yes, ma'am…" He whispered. Freya let out a whimper. He started to roll off of her, but she violently seized his gun belt and pulled him back. She unbuckled the belt and tossed it to the side. Then she grinned deviously, grabbed his shoulders, and the next thing he knew, she'd rolled herself back on top of him. She kissed him on the lips again.

"I got ye right where I want ye now, Drakken Tharcourt…" She teased.

"Your prisoner, ma'am." He said with a cunning smile.

"Mmhmmhmm…" She chuckled and kissed him again. Freya cast a glance to the spot where the rebel agent had been devoured minutes earlier. "What about the little beasty o'er there? Ye think 'e can see us?"

"Heh. Let him enjoy the show." Tharcourt returned. Catching her distracted, Drakken once again regained the high ground over Freya, and sloppily threw off his vest. She sat up and wrapped her arms around him.

"Yer the air in me feckin' lungs, Drakken." She said. "I wanna be yours." He nodded and started to pull off her shirt. She giggled as he struggled to get the garment over her hair. In an attempt to win the worst timing in the galaxy award, the commlink in his vest beeped. He paused, almost wanting to ignore it. It beeped again.

"Damnit…" He growled. He clawed the vest over and drew the device out of the chest pocket.

"Go." He stated.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Felian's voice spoke over the commlink. "My squad made it to location Bravo, and you two weren't here."

"Yeah…we're alright, sergeant." Tharcourt answered. "We got held up by a rebel assassin. I'll fill you in when we get there."

"Roger that, sir." Felian said. Drakken tapped the commlink against his forehead a couple of times before turning to Freya who was putting her shirt back on. "I guess we head back." He sighed disappointedly. "Oh…and you're sunburned."

Well that was...a thing that happened...and I mean all of it. R-5 got scrapped, they found Maul's body, and our favorite Imperial duo just fed a rebel assassin to a juvenile sarlacc. Oh, and they almost did the deed. What a chapter, huh? I look forward to hearing the comments I'm going to get for this one, and by all means, let 'em roll. I'll try to have the next chapter up either tomorrow or the next day, so until then my loyal readers...Cheerio!