Hello, loyal readers! I'm back with another chapter, and I bet you've all been waiting with baited breath for this one. I left you with a cliffhanger last time, and so I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Enjoy!

The six Imperial soldiers pushed their way through the forest. Tharcourt and Raliss were in the lead, the commander occasionally pausing to kneel down and examine the forest floor. Now and again, he would grunt, as if he had found something worthwhile, some sign of the quarry they were supposedly tracking. His three troopers were quiet, knowing what grim duty lay ahead. Their trust in Commander Tharcourt, the memory of the holovid he had shown them and the accounts he'd given of Raliss' treatment of Ensign Thorne steeled their resolve. It was a dark and risky task, but each one of them felt that it was more than necessary.

Felian had always considered himself a good soldier, a fighter, and a man of duty. To have ended up in Tharcourt's command had felt like the best assignment he could have gotten. The commander was an officer the likes of which the Scout Trooper sergeant had never seen. He was a soldier himself, and a leader that Felian knew he could trust. Tharcourt would never order him into something terrible and stupid blindly. No, if they ended up in the fire, Felian knew the commander would be there beside him.

Ensign Thorne was a good officer too, he thought. Maybe it was true that he didn't know the young ensign as well as he did the old man, but Thorne was a sweetheart of a girl, and a damned good fighter. Hearing what Raliss had done to her and seeing with his own two eyes had been enough to convince the sergeant that this Captain Raliss had to be done away with. Commander Tharcourt's plan seemed sound, and he assayed the risks and determined that he would see this through to the end.

Reeso Gallen was certainly more nervous than Felian about this whole thing, but he too wanted to see it done. He hated officers like this Raliss with a passion on a good day. Knowing how she treated that cute ensign the old man was fond of boiled his blood. He would have been more than happy to wait for a good day with a calm wind and Raliss five-hundred-meters away, but the commander liked his combat a good deal closer. It seemed that he liked his vengeance that way too. Either way, he had no doubts that the old man could pull this thing off.

Daraay was indifferent about killing Captain Raliss. The entire idea of doing so barely registered with the Death Trooper. She had killed an officer once before, and this was no different. No...she had to come to terms with that...it was different. This time, she wasn't assassinating someone because of the ambitions of her superior officer. No, this time it was to right a wrong that she herself had borne witness to. Captain Raliss had abused Ensign Thorne in ways she had never seen a soldier or officer be treated. It was reprehensible, even to the impassive and stalwart Daraay. She wasn't just following orders this time. Meeka Daraay understood why the commander wanted Raliss dead.

If she was apathetic toward the killing of the captain, Daraay was uniquely interested in the death of her subordinate, Lieutenant Drier. When she had seen the holovid of Drier trying to force himself on Thorne, she had felt herself growing livid in ways she hadn't felt in a decade. Perhaps it was Commander Tharcourt's forcing her to be more human again, to feel things more deeply. Maybe it was that she had felt protective of the young ensign as one woman to another. Whatever it was, Daraay had personally decided that if the commander was going to kill Captain Raliss, she was going to be the one to execute Drier.

"How much longer do you think this will take?" Raliss complained, pushing branches out of her way.

"Not too long, I don't think." Tharcourt answered honestly. "We just have to keep on this bearing until we find our quarry."

"Just make sure your men leave at least one alive for questioning." The captain advised.

"Very well." Drakken returned. "Troopers, set your weapons to stun. Kill the escapees only if necessary." He added lazily. "Whoever gets the first one will get an extra day's leave."

"Bribing your soldiers now?" Raliss scoffed.

"No captain, I never let good work go unrewarded." Tharcourt said in a vaguely prodding tone. "A good officer should earn a certain respect from their men."

"Hmph." Raliss shot indignantly. "Sounds like the actions of a parent more than an officer."

"Well, I do feel a certain paternal instinct toward my unit, yes." Commander Tharcourt stated. "Don't see a need to have them all trembling in fear of my iron fist." The captain paused and glanced over to Tharcourt. He ignored her, and effortlessly shoved a limb out of his way as he made his way through the brush. Raliss huffed and followed, Drier and Tharcourt's troops close behind.

"You know, I am beginning to think that those rebels didn't even come this way." She stated. Tharcourt narrowed his eyes.

"Huh. I assure you, captain…this is the right direction." He replied. "Just a little further."

"Hm." She hummed curiously. The group carried on through the forest for a couple more minutes.

"When we recapture the rebs," Drakken finally spoke. "What do you plan on doing with them?" Raliss stopped, and looked back at the commander.

"Interrogation, of course." She answered. "Perhaps you should try your hand at it." The captain turned and kept walking along the faint trail.

"No thank you, captain. I've always been too nice of a guy for torture." Tharcourt said dryly. "Soldiers like me should best leave that to officers of your…vicious nature."

"Careful…or I should take that as an insult, commander." Raliss stated coldly, glancing back over her shoulder. "And I'm surprised that you find my…viciousness disagreeable. You know as well as I that it is the law of the jungle. You're either the one in the chair…or the one with the knife."

"Interesting philosophy, captain." Tharcourt pondered out loud. He glanced back at his troopers. They were still close behind him. Felian and Daraay shot small nods toward him, and Gallen attempted a nervous affirmation of his own. "So how is that Ensign of yours working out? Oh, what was her name again? Freya Thorne…right. Has she shaped up into a proper officer yet?"

"Not yet…" Raliss answered, suspicion creeping into her tone. "I'm beginning to think she's a lost cause..."

"Hm. Too bad. You know, I never had that much of a problem out of any of my subordinates." He stated. Raliss stopped for a moment, then slowly began making her way forward again.

"Let us turn our attention to the matter at hand, Tharcourt." She advised. "How do you know the rebels went this way?"

"It's exactly where I would have gone." He answered simply.

"Well then…are you even certain you and your squad can track them in this primordial mess?" Raliss asked condescendingly, picking her way through the brush and into a small clearing.

"Oh don't worry, captain." Tharcourt said callously. "My troopers are the best. That is what happens when you treat your men right...and not like kriffin' animals." Raliss suddenly stopped. Tharcourt saw her stand tall, but she didn't turn toward him. Drier looked at his captain, toward Tharcourt, and the four blasters now pointed toward them. His face went from confused, to fearful. He dropped his blaster and raised his hands. Raliss instead simply stared off into the trees.

"So…that's what this is about." She said snidely. "Why not just call this what it is, commander?"

"What?" He stated in reply. "Justice? Consequence?" Raliss turned toward him. She passed a cold glance at every member of the team present, her eyes finally resting again on Drakken.

"Spare me. You brought us out here over what? A worthless little brat from the Outer Rim? Is that why you came to commit sedition, commander? You people will hang over a wildspace whore?" Tharcourt felt anger rising.

"You don't remember our first conversation? I'm one of those worthless Outer-Rim brats, remember?" He growled. Raliss looked toward the other members of Delta-7.

"And you…you men are going to allow this filthy rogue, this…traitor to threaten an Imperial officer?"

"I'm from Saleucami." Gallen quipped. "Outer-Rim brat myself, ma'am. I'm gonna have to side with the commander here."

"Death Trooper." Raliss said angrily. "Your allegiance is to the Empire! Arrest this scum at once." Sergeant Daraay almost imperceptibly turned her helmet toward Captain Raliss.

"My allegiance is to the officer I am assigned." Daraay corrected her. "Unless my orders from said officer contradict my oath to support the ideals and unity of the Empire. You are counter to that oath…and the way you treat Ensign Thorne is disgusting. So you may sit on it and rotate, ma'am." Felian simply held his blaster rifle on the pair.

"So…it's treason then." She spat.

"You are the traitor to our Empire." Tharcourt returned with a snarl. "How many good young officers have you destroyed in your sadism? How many prisoners have you brutalized?"

"Brutalized?" Raliss said back arrogantly. "Don't tell me you have a soft spot for the rebels, commander. Never pictured you as…"

"I've killed more rebels than you'll ever know, you smug schutta!" Drakken cried out, jabbing his blaster toward the captain in his anger. "And I can at least halfway justify nearly every kriffing one! I fight enemies of the Empire. I don't get my thrills cutting on helpless people like you do!" The corner of Raliss' upper lip turned up in a sneer.

"I am not afraid to do my duty. Perhaps you are." She said.

"Duty? Duty?!" Drakken roared. "Your duty include torturing a scared little girl to death?! Making Freya…" He was almost too choked up to speak. "Making her murder the poor girl like that?"

"She was rebel trash." Raliss shot back. "And what I do with my ensign is no business of yours. She belongs to me. Now stop this charade and…"

"Get down on your knees, Raliss." Tharcourt ordered, stepping toward her. She stood defiantly, and Tharcourt kicked her knee as he pressed down on her shoulder, forcing the woman harshly to a kneeling position. He gave one look at Drier, and the degenerate lieutenant fell to his knees as well. Raliss narrowed her eyes.

"You won't kill me." She said haughtily. "You have too much at stake, commander. Despite your uncivilized upbringing, you are at least intelligent enough to…" He silenced her with a blow to the side of her face with his blaster pistol. He stepped back and pointed the muzzle of the weapon at her forehead. On cue, Daraay stepped forward and aimed her rifle at Drier with one hand. With the other, she stripped off her helmet and dropped it to the ground.

"Sort of fitting, isn't it?" She stated icily as Drier's eyes widened. "You enjoy the company of women so much, and it is a woman who ends your life."

"Look…look, I can explain…" Drier stammered. "All that stuff…I didn't do it…It's a lie…"

"Your pupillary response, heart-rate and breathing show that you are scared." Daraay stated robotically. "It also tells me that you are lying…and poorly." He closed his eyes.

"Well, crick…" He whispered. "You got me killed after all, Raliss, you bitch." Daraay squeezed the trigger and Drier fell back dead on the forest floor. Raliss watched her adjutant's execution coldly, then looked back up to Commander Tharcourt.

"Never really did like him much." She commented. "Nor his…proclivities. He served his purpose though."

"And what purpose do you think you serve?" Tharcourt asked.

"I am a faithful officer of this Empire, unlike you." She returned. "But if you stop now…just…walk away, I can make this entire incident go away."

"I've never been the type to walk." Drakken growled. "This is for Freya...and for the Empire." He pressed the muzzle of the blaster against her head. "It's been tainted by filth like you for long enough." He hesitated, and his hand began to shake. Raliss sneered.

"Can't do it, can you?" She purred. "Just can't pull that trigger..."

"No…" He said in a low voice, tears in his eyes. "Just hoping you would beg." The blaster bucked lightly in his hand, and Captain Rallis teetered a moment before falling to her side, a hole in her forehead and a look of surprise frozen on her face. Drakken stared down at the lifeless form of the captain for a few moments, then slowly turned to the squad.

"It's…done." He muttered. He let out a sigh. "By the kriffin' void…" He walked over to a tree and leaned against it, trying to regain his composure. He had just committed murder against an officer of the Galactic Empire. It wasn't some enemy soldier in combat. It wasn't even some unarmed rebel who had nonetheless committed heinous crimes. Tharcourt had just killed an unarmed officer of his own side. He felt sick to his stomach, but knew that the deed wasn't fully done yet. No, there was still the problem of getting away with it.

"Gallen." He stated. The sniper stepped forward a bit.

"Yes sir?"

"Your breastplate…is it proofed against blaster pistols?" Tharcourt inquired. Gallen looked down at his body armor.

"Oh yes sir." He answered. "I reinforced it with a thin plate of durasteel. It would deflect a shot from a heavy blaster at this point. Still hurt like hell though. Why?"

"Then I'm awful sorry about this, son." Tharcourt said unhappily. He quickly drew his blaster and shot the sniper center-mass in his chest plate. The trooper fell to his back. Gallen lay quiet for a second, then coughed and sat up. Tharcourt was already standing over him, and offered him a hand. Gallen grunted and allowed himself to be helped up by the commander.

"You shot me…" He grumbled.

"Yeah…this had to look believable." Drakken explained. He nodded to Daraay and Felian. The death trooper lowered her weapon, and Felian shot her twice with his small hideout blaster, making two score marks on her otherwise flawless black armor. "Nobody would ever believe that we shot each other to cover up a murder."

"Yeah…" Gallen sighed. "Still hurts." Tharcourt slapped him on the shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll let you punch me in the face."

"Drakken?!" Freya cried as the team entered the barracks. She ran to her friend, and pulled off his helmet. He looked like he'd been hit by a meteor. He looked away, something sad and distant in his eyes as she gently ran her fingers over his swelling eye. A trickle of dried blood had begun to crust underneath Tharcourt's nose, and it was only now that Freya looked at the other three members of the unit. Gallen had a dent in the center of his armored chest plate. Felian sported a crack on the visor of his helmet, and even the tall and imposing Daray had two blast marks on her armor.

"What 'appened?!" She asked with a shaky voice. "Are…are ye alright?" She took Drakken by the arm and led him to a wide bench and forced him to sit down. "I'll get some ice on yer eye, okay? You hit anywhere?" He didn't answer. He didn't even look at her, and Freya felt a knot in her stomach. She knew that something was terribly wrong. "Drakken…are you alright?" She looked at the others. "I'll get to helpin' you three in a minute…wait…" She said, examining the room. "Wh…where's Captain Raliss?" Tharcourt winced.

"She…didn't make it, ma'am." Daraay stated softly, taking off her helmet. "There was an incident."

"What…what do ye mean an incident?" She questioned. Thorne looked back to her best friend, who now was sitting with his head down, staring at the floor. "Drakken?"

"Captain Raliss is…dead…Freya." Tharcourt said in a low voice. "So is Drier. The rebel prisoners…it seems they got away."

"Oh kriff…oh my stars…" Freya panted. "You were attacked…you…" She gritted her teeth. No, something about this didn't add up. Tharcourt wouldn't be acting like this unless…

Freya seized Tharcourt by the sleeve of his tunic, and pulled him up. Without any explanation, she dragged him forcefully out of the room, down the hall and into a bunkroom. Closing and locking the door behind them, Freya shoved Drakken against the wall and held him there by the lip of his breastplate. He didn't bother to resist or even to speak. He still wouldn't even look her in the eyes, something that made her even madder.

"What did ye do, Drakken?!" She demanded. "Ye didn't…tell me ye didn't…" He finally met eyes with her, his full of tears. "Oh no…ye did…"

"I had to, Freya." He whispered, and she could hear pain in his voice. "I had to get you out…" She let go of him and let out a scream of anguish, falling to her knees.

"Damnit Drakken, ye stupid idiot!" She cried out. "I ne'er wanted to…why? Why?! Ye murdered 'em! You feckin' right merked 'em…and yer gonna go to prison now! Fer what?!"

"Freya…" Drakken whispered. "I'm so sorry…there wasn't any other way. I didn't want to…" He tried to reach down to touch her, to console her, but she jerked away, falling back.

"Don't ye touch me!" She whimpered angrily. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm gonna lose you now…I'm gonna lose you, an' I got nobody…nobody else…why'd ye do this?" Drakken sat down on one of the beds and wiped his eyes.

"The only way I'm going to get arrested is if you report us." He stated. "We cleaned it up, alright? Made it look like an ambush. The prisoners hit us, killed Raliss and Drier and got away in a stolen ship that's set to blow. You're the only one outside of my team that knows the truth." Drakken let his head drop. He felt like a monster. Maybe he was, and it had taken this long for him to figure it out.

"You want to report me, go ahead. I understand. But if you do, I ask two things, Freya…" She looked at him coldly. "Know that what I did, I did because of how much I care about you. I had to save you…no matter what the cost." He felt tears in his eyes again. "You're…you said once that I was your best friend. Well Freya…you're mine. You're my best friend, and I can't imagine not having you around…and I couldn't imagine Raliss breaking you…losing you like that…I couldn't…" She heard him sniff, and saw tears dripping off of his nose onto the metal floor. "Cricking…not like that…"

"An' the second thing?" She asked blandly, trying to control her own conflicting emotions.

"Tell them…that I acted alone, alright?" He muttered. "That I killed her and Drier by myself, and my team had no knowledge of my actions. If I go down, I want to at least save them." He buried his face in his hands. "At least I'll have died for something, damn my soul. I'm done living for nothing." A few moments later, he felt Thorne sitting on the bed beside him. He was a little surprised when she put an arm around his shoulders.

"Damn ye, Drakken Tharcourt…" She sighed. He wiped his eyes again, and turned his head toward her. She shook her head. "I'm mad at you. I'm angry, but I don't think I'm angry fer ye killin' Raliss. She was a gobshite. I'm mad cause you kriffin' went an' done this to yerself. I don't know what t' feel right now. I love ye fer savin' me from that 'ell…but I hate the livin' shite outta you fer makin' yerself into a bad person doin' it."

"I don't care…" He spoke weakly. "I kept my word to you. I stopped it…whatever that means for me…"

"Ye shut your face, Drakken!" Freya shouted, and tore her arm away. "I ought to beat the hell out of you still!" She now had tears in her eyes again. "Don't you understand? A man shouldn't be that nice an' sweet as ye. You ought not have t' sacrifice like that! It's not right! I hate meself as much as I'm mad at you! You…you…" She balled up her fists, and he expected a blow from the young woman. What happened next was completely unexpected. She grabbed him in a hug, and lay her head on his shoulder.

"Damnit, curse ye fer bein' a lovely fool. I'm not turnin' ye in." She said softly. "We're gonna get through this, and I'm not lettin' ye go. Ever, ye hear me?" Drakken let her hold him. He felt oddly at peace. Mostly, save for one thing eating at him.

"Am I a monster?" He asked.

"No, Drakken…" Freya said earnestly. "You just had to do somethin' bad. Doesn't make you a bad person."

"We work for monsters, I think." He muttered lowly.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm beginnin' t' believe that meself." She sighed. "Don't mean we have t' be though." He nodded, and broke the embrace. For the longest time, the two simply gazed at each others' faces.

"I'm sorry, Freya." Tharcourt finally said. "I'm sorry all this had to happen like this." She nodded.

"Me too." She returned before letting out a sniffle. "So, what 'appens now?"

"Now, I guess I have to make a report back to The Accuser. I'll inform Piett that we were ambushed by the prisoners, Raliss and Drier were killed in combat, and that we have injured. That's the story we concocted. My team were able to damage the stolen ship, at least. When the navy finds what's left of it, it'll add credence to the story."

"Think he'll believe it?" Thorne asked.

"Piett? Yeah, he'll sign off on it. He um…he kind of knows something like this was going to happen. He's been supportive of my…attempts to get you away from her…"

"Captain Piett?" Freya queried, confused. "As in the commander of our ship?

"Yeah." Drakken admitted. "I may have had him on it a little bit, though his involvement was by necessity a little low-key. An um…agent in a certain governmental entity I can't name was a little more involved in the execution of this stupid little show."

"Stars end!" Freya exclaimed. "Wha…You mean you had some vast bloody conspiracy network all built up…involvin' all these high-up people an' yer whole team and…it was all for me?"

"Well…I mean I did promise you I'd help…" Tharcourt said. "I would've gone further if I had too."

"Why do I believe that?" Thorne said with an incredulous shake of her head and a small smile. "And what 'appens now? I mean with me?"

"I'll put you in a transfer to Delta-7, and Piett will make sure it goes through. Whoever is handling that stuff now probably won't think anything of it." He scoffed. "What you wanted, right?"

"Yeah." She breathed. "Just ne'er thought…" She didn't finish her statement. She had wanted to be a part of his team almost from the first time she'd met Drakken. This wasn't how she had envisioned it happening, but it had. Even the dark cloud over the whole situation did little to keep it from feeling like some amazing gift. She smiled. It was over. All of the pain and fear, the waking nightmare of the last few months was finally over. She wiped her eyes and stood.

"Ugh. Come on, ye crazy chancer. Let's see if we can't make this work."

They reentered the room where the rest of Delta-7 were waiting. Ekks and Lago had returned from their part in the maneuver, and the two scout troopers along with Dall had only just come in from the depths of the forest. The three troopers who had opted to "support but not take part in" the risky mission all nodded to Tharcourt, a gesture he returned. The deed was done.

"Daraay, get me a link to Captain Piett." The commander stated. "It's time." The death trooper walked to the small communications console and keyed in the frequency. The screen illuminated to show Captain Piett, standing on the bridge of The Accuser.

"Tharcourt." Piett greeted solemnly. "Yes…I have been instructed to patch you through to Lord Vader with any status updates on your...ahem…mission."

"Joy." Drakken grumbled. "Very well." The screen went to black for a few moments, then lit up again, this time showing an image of Vader's masked face. Tharcourt came to attention dutifully. "Lord Vader."

"Have you recaptured the rebels on the moon of Endor yet, commander?" The dark figure asked sternly.

"Sir, the mission hit a bit of a snag." Tharcourt began. He felt a dreadful pressure in the room, and cleared his throat against it. "The prisoners escaped in an imperial freighter. We damaged their engines and the ship's comms dish with heavy ground fire, and they won't make it far. I am going to inform Captain Piett to scour the surrounding system for the ship at once." Vader said nothing, so Tharcourt took it as permission to continue. "We were ambushed trying to apprehend the escapees, and a Captain Raliss and Lieutenant Drier of The Accuser were killed in the attack…we sustained..."

"The loss of two persons is of little consequence to me, commander." Vader admonished. "Those prisoners must not be allowed to report what they have seen there." Tharcourt felt a grip around his throat, as if someone had wrapped their fingers about his neck, and had begun to tighten them in a slow choke. He struggled to catch his breath. Freya made a move to come to his aid, but Drakken held out a hand to stop her. "Pray that the ship and those rebels are found, and that my faith in you has not been misplaced." Suddenly the feeling was gone, and Tharcourt was able to suck in a deep breath. He coughed.

"They…they will be found, sir…you have…my word…" Tharcourt choked out.

"I do not want you word, commander. I want those prisoners. Dead or alive." With that, the signal was cut, and the heavy feeling in the room was gone. Drakken found himself looking at an image of Captain Piett again. Firmus seemed relieved to see Drakken, and visibly sighed.

"Good. You're still there." He said with a relieved expression. Tharcourt rubbed his throat.

"Barely." Drakken commented, and coughed again. "He can do that…over a damned comms screen?"

"Yes…he has some…strange abilities, my friend…" Piett answered. "I take it everything went well?"

"As it could." Drakken said soberly. "I need you to search the area for an Imperial cargo ship. It's either disabled or destroyed. Shouldn't be too hard to find. The rebel prisoners are on that ship."

"I will send out my squadrons at once." Piett said with a nod.

"Find it, Firmus." Tharcourt stated. "As if my life depended on it…because it does."

"I understand." The captain stated. "I'll see you when you return to the ship. Out." With that, the screen went black. Freya finally came to Drakken's side.

"What in the blazin' 'ell was that?!" She exclaimed. "That man…how'd he…was he throttlin' you through the screen?"

"Yeah…he was." Tharcourt responded stoically.

"Who was that?"

"Our boss, Freya." Drakken muttered. "Lord Vader…the Emperor's right hand…"

So much to address here, eh? Drakken just did one of the noblest things a friend can do for someone. Raliss is now dead. Stone cold dead. Deader than Abe Lincoln. I bet not a one of you mourn her either, save only for it being the loss of a good villain. But rest assured, the story does not end here. No indeed...it is only nearing the end of this arc. What will happen now that Captain Raliss is gone, and Freya is going to become a member of the team? I will try to have another chapter up within the next three days or so.

On another note, we're getting the Youtube, and Facebook for the sideshow up and running. Content should be upcoming in a couple of weeks. If any of you are into freak shows, circus history, prop building or things of a strange and bizarre nature, I'll hook you up with links to everything.

Until I return with the next installment, thanks for tuning in, and please send me your reviews and feedback, my loyal readers! Till then, Cheerio!