Chapter 5

Despite being confined to quarters, Electra was able to find his way out of it. The two ensigns guarding him were easily swayed, and he was out and about. A pity, he thought as he walked to the docking bay. All these young men who actually refuse to resign themselves to me will die. Loyalty was never anything Electra understood. Without its understanding, he would always falter.

He moved quietly, almost stealthily throughout the Dark Force. The men he passed had either been to stupid to notice him, or they didn't know he was supposed to be confined to quarters. Probably too stupid, he thought. He sighed. Nothing was a challenge anymore. Soon, Jessica Darken would be dead, and the meddlesome Jeff Darkrider along with her. Then he would torture the man that had inflicted damage upon his Super Star Destroyer. Or so he claimed the Dark Force was his. Yet, none of this seemed challenging, and he would have to find it elsewhere.

He made it to the docking bay barely in time. At that moment, the Dark Force's sensors went dead. Little did anyone know, New Republic or Empire, was that the Dark Force was the prototype for a new kind of Super Star Destroyer. It had a cloaking device. The perfect weapon, the only one of its kind. Even after all the trials of Thrawn's cloaking device, none had achieved what the Dark Force had, which was the fact that it could fire while cloaked. Yet, the man who had designed it was killed in an unfortunate accident when he tried to defect to the Rebellion. So much for the perfect cloaking device being on every ship.

The tiny shuttle waiting in the Dark Force's shadow came forth to the docking bay. With the cloak up, no one would ever know what was happening. In a matter of minutes, the shuttle had landed, and Electra's prize won. Two ysalamari, enough to make even the weakest of Jedi powerless. He smiled to himself as he brought his blaster to the skull of the pilot, pulling the trigger and sending a burst of energy through his brain. Electra couldn't have witnesses, now could he?

Soon enough, Jessica would want to leave the Dark Force to go to one of the other ships. When she did, he would accompany her. They would take this shuttle. Then he would kill her. Plain and simple. So easy.

He dumped the body into a nearby trash disposal. He made his way back to his room, a smile teasing his lips the entire way. He was so smart. Everything was falling into place. Soon, Jessica would be dead, the Empire his, and the New Republic gone.

Life couldn't be any better.


They talked throughout the day. The past years, the happy times, the sad times, times when they thought they could go on no more, the times where they wanted to go on. As the day passed, Michael Darkrider and Jessica Darken felt as if they had known each other for ages. She smiled, he smiled. They forgot about their petty political differences, Jessica forgot about her vow to never get close to anyone, Michael forgot about his vow never to love another again. And so, they grew close.

Though, neither of them could have stopped it either. For once, the one called Katia and a young Michael had come to the brink of love, yet stopped. Then, Michael was eighteen, and engaged to Katherine Jarris. Jessica was a fugitive of the Empire, on the run, and deep into the darkness of the smuggling business. One week on Garos IV almost changed that for them. As they worked together to attempt to catch an Imperial spy, they grew close. She attended a pod race he actually flew in- only the second human to do so. And he taught her something called martial arts. Jessica remembered sparing with him all to well- he got her down to the ground, and though he thought he was victorious as he stood over her, she tripped him, and he landed almost on top of her. Their eyes had locked, and they were swept up in the moment, their lips meeting for a brief second before they jumped up, realizing what they were doing.

Jessica sighed, returning to the future as she realized how long she had been in Michael's quarters. She missed the cloak test, and about everything else that was happening. She needed to leave, yet she needed to stay. She was so confused, but refused to let duty interfere. She smiled at Michael as he spoke.

"And so, to me, Coruscant was nothing but a giant waste land. I even met Darth Vader there--"

Jessica froze.

Darth Vader.

Her parents.

Murder.

Murder.

Vader murdered your parents!

Never love anyone again! Never! You'll lose them!

She jumped up abruptly. "I need to go. I really have things to do. I guess I'll see you later." She walked away quickly and out the door, not giving him a word edgewise.

He shook his head as the door to his quarters shut. Her mood had suddenly changed, and he knew it. His Force talents were not trained so well in the area of mind reading, but he could feel almost everything she was feeling. That was, until she shut him off. He was abruptly shut off. One minute he could feel her, everything she was thinking, and then the next, a wall had fallen between them. He had no idea what caused it, but he wanted to know. He had to know because...

He sighed.

He was in love with her.

He had been, in a sense, every since he first met her on Garos. Although he loved Katherine, and she was his soul mate -or was she? - but deep inside, he loved Jessica.

Because deep inside, he knew Jessica was just like Katherine. Independent, smart, willful, outgoing, daring, adventurous. Everything he loved about Katherine, Jessica possessed. He thought he would never love again, and yet, in a matter of hours, he was in love. Not just a spur of the moment love, either. A commitment love. Marriage. Children. Growing old together. Those he wanted to spend with Jessica.

I'm crazy! He thought. She works for the Empire! How could I? I've only known her for a day!

But, deep inside, he knew what his brain was telling him was a lie, and that his heart would prevail. A day, another lie his mind formed, for he had known her those many years previous.

The first step in his heart prevailing was to go to Jeff -if Jessica didn't lock the door again when she left- and see just what it was Jessica was afraid of. Why had she left so miserable. Jeff was close to her, he knew, and Jeff would have the answer.

If they didn't kill each other first.