A StarWars Fable

by IAmElvie

The story is based on the SWTOR online game. There will be a mix of my characters & game NPCs. All class protagonists exist & occasionally come into contact with each other. My fable may veer some from the actual game content & timeline is imperfect. You will meet KOTOR descendants & a few Star Wars movie ancestors as well as whatever else I toss in. As always, mature readers only.

7. A StarWars Fable - Prologue Agent

SWTOR

An Old Republic Tale

Prologue

Agent – Fall of the Hutt, Rise of the Eagle

He looked out the window of the shuttle and then glanced at the woman sitting next to him. Annora was very beautiful with her pale teal coloring and blonde hair with only the palest blue sheen to it, lending it a metallic blonde appearance. He'd met her several years ago and he'd been allowed to make her part of his team. And though, she'd often pose as his wife on missions that required such, he'd never been able to get her into his bed. As much as he would love the opportunity to dive between her legs, maybe it was for the best…he didn't wish to lose her as a partner. She'd been invaluable, both with her slicing ability and with her ability as a living lie detector. Still…he couldn't help but wonder what she got out of their partnership. She appeared content, but was it a lie? That was the only real downside to his job – he saw lies everywhere. Because he was untrustworthy due to his job, it was hard for him to trust anyone in return. She was one of the very few he felt he could count on. He saw her hand pressed against one of the shuttle's windows. "Quite the sight, isn't it?"

Her breath feathered against the cool permaglass fogging it up. "It looks awful down there, Neo. I hope we do not have to come back to this nasty place. I wonder what Hutta looked like before the Hutts took it over?" She sighed softly. "Doesn't matter – not that it'd be any better under…." Her words trailed off and her eyes opened wide at the thought she'd nearly spoken out loud. Neo was far too intelligent to let her words slip away.

"Imperial rule?" he finished quietly. He shrugged. "That may be so. The Empire doesn't much care for aliens, but they treat us well enough," he reminded her, referring to their race. "Either way, Hutt rule is better than Republic rule. Those warmongers would lay waste to Hutta just to conquer it."

She pursed her lips. She'd been with him for some time, but knew he wasn't yet ready for the truth. She was a deep undercover triple agent. She was an agent for the Ascendancy, personal ghost-agent to the Keeper and had a handler in the Republic, Lorianna Onasi. She'd learned firsthand the propaganda the Empire spread about the Republic was not true. Her goal was to slowly create doubt in the Ascendency – to help her people see the truth and side with the Republic. She would never betray her people and she would never betray the Republic. As much as she liked the Keeper, the Empire could rot for all she cared. She didn't dislike everyone in the Empire, she disliked the Empire's morals and sense of honor. She disliked the Sith that ruled everything with an iron fist drenched in blood. But most of the people in the Empire were just blind or oppressed and she had no quarrels with them. Indeed, she had many friends among them – even if they did not truly know her. That was the sad lot about her life. No one would truly ever know her – except Lorianna Onasi. Working with her had opened her eyes and they would never be shut again. She scanned the yellow, smog-filled sky. "I'm not sure Hutta could get any worse," she murmured.

He drew his gaze away from the window to study her. They'd been through a lot of ups and downs over the last few years and he trusted her with his life, for the most part, but sometimes he didn't quite understand her. He knew there were parts of who she was that she kept away from him, but he respected that. He knew what he needed to know about her. He knew she was loyal to him and knew she was far more honorable than he ever could be. At times, she was even his conscience. Not that he didn't have one, but sometimes the lines blurred in his line of work and she helped ground him so that he did not lose his soul to the deceit he lived in, like so many agents did. He looked back out the window at the smog haze. "You might be right about that."

They disembarked with the rest of the passengers when the shuttle touched down and breathed lightly through their mouths so that they did not choke on the stench. Of course, they would get used to it quickly…but the initial punch could make your eyes water and that could wait until they found relative safety.

He checked his datapad for the coordinates they were supposed to go to. Good. Nothing had changed. The only thing he hadn't liked was that the room procured for them was leased for a month. Neither one of them had wanted to remain on this heap that long.

They acted nonchalant as they moved through the port. But it was an act. Their heads moved subtly and they relied heavily on peripheral vision to monitor everything that was happening around them. From an arguing couple, to children racing around to security personnel that seemed bored with their job and paying little attention. Though that too could be a ruse. But he doubted they'd be so well trained as an Imperial agent. Likely, they truly were bored…or worse, apathetic. A movement caught his eye and he pulled her into his arms for a kiss as gamorrean guards chased down a rodian. He wasn't overly worried about the guards noticing them, unlike humans, it was harder to tell chiss apart, though his size worked against him with that generalization. Most agents were average in every way to be able to hide among the masses, he had to be better than other agents because his looks, his musculature and his height made him stand out.

Her soft moan went straight to his groin. She often played his wife on assignments but in this case his lover, for all intents and purposes, and they held nothing back in public. There was no denying their attraction to one another and sometimes they went a little farther than intended due to the attraction, but their marriage had never been consummated…at least not yet. And even if they had to share the same room, they'd never shared the same bed and they'd never kissed in private. Though they'd never said anything to each other, he was certain they both knew that if they did ever share a bed, far more than sleeping would happen on it.

His hand slid over the curve of her ass, his fingertips grazing along her core as he lifted her thigh to press her heat against him. The giggle of children and the gasp of an offended mother brought him back to his senses and he released her leg, dropping his forehead to hers while they tried to regain their composure. "One of these days, I'm going to taste every inch of you, Annora," he murmured softly.

A breath caught in her throat as a shiver raced down her spine. She inhaled a shaky breath and pulled away to resume the direction they'd been going. She knew exactly where they were supposed to meet the Keeper. "In our dreams, Neo," she hissed back in a whispery voice.

He stopped for the briefest moment and grinned, before his long legs brought him back to her side. That was the first time she'd ever actually admitted her attraction to him. The last few years of abstaining might just become worth it. Before they were a team, he'd sleep with a female target to get what he needed from them - but since he'd met her, he found other means to get what he needed. He wasn't a man who liked abstaining, but the games they played with each other were far more stimulating than any easy conquest. "There," he said as he motioned towards the cantina.

She nodded, trying to ignore the looks they were being given, and followed him into the bar. Chiss were not as common on this world – on many worlds, truth be told, so they did tend to stand out…and Neo's mountainous build stood out as much as his dark blue skin and darker blue hair. But it was their solid red eyes that drew most of the attention and unless they work dark glasses, there was no way to hide them. But dark glasses made a being all the more suspicious…like they had something to hide.

They turned a corner into a deserted room and looked at each other questioningly. He glanced back down at the coordinates on the micro-terminal on his wristband. This was where they were supposed to be. A soft chime turned their heads in the direction of a holo-display being used to show a holo-dancer. Neo nodded as Annora sliced into it to program a secure channel.

"I could have done that," he teased.

"True," she admitted. "But I'm faster."

Garrett Thermond pulled his arms behind his back as he observed the two chiss. "Secure transmission established. This is Keeper." He glanced at his personal plant, Annora and then looked at Neo. "We may speak freely, Neo. Prepare to receive your orders."

He studied the man that appeared on the holo. In his forties, balding, but had an air of authority. He'd not had cause to meet the Keeper before. "Are you to be my new handler?"

"Correct, Neo. I'm speaking to you from service headquarters on Dromund Kaas. I'll be directing you personally on this mission. You were chosen for this operation because of your exemplary performance during training and your past assignments. You have proven yourself capable of operating independently in the field. We need that right now. Nem'ro the Hutt and his organization run Jiguuna. You're in town to convince Nem'ro to supply the Empire."

"What can you tell us about this assignment…Keeper?" she asked.

"Jiguuna is an industrial town and Nem'ro runs most of the industry. The Hutt supplies weapons, drugs and raw materials – but not to us. We believe Nem'ro has been reluctant to lose Republic customers by publicly siding with the Empire. It's time he overcame this reluctance. We need to know what Nem'ro and his advisors are thinking before we can act. I want you both to obtain access to the Nem'ro clan's inner circle. You'll require a cover identity. One of our contacts – an alien named Jheeg, has prepared a background for you and will provide you the details."

Neo slipped his hands behind his back at military rest. "Can you tell me anything about this cover identity?"

"You'll be taking the roll as a visiting pirate and trader. As I said, our contact will give you the details. Jheeg will be waiting for you at the safe house. Locate him, take what he offers, then report to me. Keep in mind, most of Jiguuna is caught up in a turf war. Some of the gangs involved belong to the Hutts, others are independent. Expect brutality and expect to be targeted. Jiguuna isn't friendly to strangers. Keeper out."

The coordinates for Jheeg led them to a small pre-fab not far from the casino. With the very unsavory riff-raff that populated Hutta, they were both glad that they'd left their bags on the ship. Jheeg, as it turned out, was an arcona.

Jheeg looked up from his datapad and blinked. He had not been informed the contacts would be chiss, though it didn't really matter. He knew this pair was who he was expecting. "You are here softly, from the Empire. I am Jheeg. I am expecting you. I have your new identities." He cocked his head to the left. "You know the Red Blade?" He could not see recognition in the chiss' eyes. No matter. "Small-time pirate. Rich. Mysterious. No one knows true species, gender, color. I planted rumors, made Nem'ro think the Red Blade is going to visit – enjoy Hutt palace, do business. You will be the Blade. No one will doubt you." He glanced at the female chiss. "You will be Sola, the Blade's technician."

"What is to say that the real Red Blade won't show up?" he inquired. That could become a major flaw in this cover story.

"No. Real Blade is far away now, looking for new trade in Outer Rim. Out of contact; won't cause a problem. Only one concern: I arranged tribute for Nem'ro, gifts imported from the Empire, but there was …interference at the space port."

When the arcona said nothing more, Neo prodded him. "What kind of interference?"

"Gang steals from docks. Dangerous men, unaware of us. Nem'ro's tribute taken. But I saw everything - I observed well, yes?"

"Then we will just buy them back." It was obvious the arcona wanted to say more. He motioned with his finger for Jheeg to continue.

"There is no time. I propose solution: you quickly eliminate gang members. Only method to recover gifts, remove witnesses." He nodded his head in encouragement.

Neo did not like murder for the sake of murder, but he would not mourn gang members that hurt others because they felt entitled. "Fine," he replied with very little emotion. He felt Annora's small hand on his forearm and gave her the barest of nods. He would not kill unless he was given no choice.

Jheeg nodded, unaware of the meaning behind the subtle communication, though could read their pheromones easily. They were a tight knit pair, their pheromones responding to each other almost as if predicting what the other would need. It was an intricate dance and he wondered if they were courting or mated. "I will communicate plan to our handlers. Speak again once Nem'ro's tribute has been recovered."

There first stop was at the docks. They found a secure location, set up a blind and waited. After several hours, it was Annora that caught the suspicious activities first. They watched the men load up crates on hover tables and, under the cover of darkness, they left out a side exit at the port. An alarm should have been triggered, but it had not. She held up a small device and pressed the trigger. A small transmitter shot from the gun and tagged one of the crates.

They were able to follow the thieves from a safe distance. They were expecting to find a warehouse, but were surprised to see the crates being unloaded at a small, two-story, prefab. A home…not a warehouse. When the delivery boys took the last crate into the home, Annora sliced the door's lock and they slipped into the house behind them. There were only two people inside, one on the first level and one on the second. The two men they'd followed refused to surrender. The Empires' tagged goods were located on the second floor. They laid the two crates on the hover-trailer and hopped the speeder that hauled it. They took the back allies to get back to Jheeg. It was late, but if they had to be up then so did the arcona.

They were surprised when Jheeg opened the door as if he'd been expecting them. Likely, he had very strategic surveillance that alerted him to their approach. It's what he would have done.

Jheeg motioned to the crates and waved them in. "All witnesses eliminated? Gifts recovered. I will examine." He put the code in to unlock the crates and smiled. "Good. Many things Nem'ro wants, things Nem'ro likes. Once Nem'ro has his gifts, all his suspicions go away. You become a pirate. You become Red Blade."

Neo inclined his head to the arcona. "You've done well. The Empire is grateful to you." Even if Jheeg had not done his job properly, there was no sense burning bridges.

"Yes. The Empire shows its gratitude generously."

"Contact us when we can move forward, Jheeg." He slipped his arm around Annora's waist. "Come, let us retire for the evening."

Since they didn't have a room yet, they retired to the shuttle they'd been given to use, ate a quick dinner and went to their separate rooms. He to the captain's quarters and she to what would have been considered a XO cabin, had this been a military ship. But since it was a shuttle, it had two very small rooms, likely once storage compartments. Still, more secure than anything on Hutta.

Come morning, they still had not heard anything, so they explored the area, making sure to call each other Blade and Sola to cement their personas here on Hutta. That evening, they found themselves at a lounge in the palace for dinner, wine poured freely and the dancing was exhilarating. They were a few times they'd let loose together, but this time was different. This time the stakes were higher. This time, they'd already admitted their attraction to each other and that put a far different sway to each dance step.

Three years she'd put him off. Three years she'd fought the attraction to avoid the mess it could create. He may have started out a job, but she'd come to care for him a great deal through their first year together. He had become a friend that she could count on. If she knew they could give into this attraction and not let things get messy, she would do so in a blink. She shivered as his lips trailed along her jaw to her ear. She felt the feathering of his breath and the grazing of his teeth against her lobe.

"Time to go if we're to get any sleep tonight," he murmured. Though, sleep was the last thing he wanted right now. What he wanted was in his arms. What he wanted was a woman who'd been masquerading as his wife for the last three years.

Arm and arm, they left the lounge and walked the short distance from the palace to the port and boarded their shuttle. A few more daring beings had crept out to eye them as a possible target, but one look at him and they disappeared back into the shadows. He was not dressed as a pirate tonight and he did not have his sniper on him, but he did have two very large and wicked daggers at his hip. That and his size were enough to keep the ruffians at bay.

The walk back to the shuttle was silent, but not uncomfortable. They'd been together too long for silence to be awkward. Awkward awaited them aboard the shuttle. Once the ramp closed behind them and they headed towards their beds, the tension mounted, which she'd expected to happen. She raised her hand to his chest when he backed her up against the wall. "What do you want from me, Neo? I'm not a casual girl. I'm not asking for undying love, but I am demanding monogamy." There...that ought to scare him away.

He picked her up and pinned her against the ship's wall. "There has been no one since I met you, Annora. I've already given you three years of monogamy – I think I've proven…" her lips cut him off and that was all the encouragement that he needed. He groaned into the kiss when her legs encircled him and locked him tight against her heat. He slid his arms around her, carried her into his cabin, and lowered her to the bed. After three years, he intended to make sure this was a night she remembered…a night she would want repeated over and over again.

He'd intended to go slow and savor every inch of her as he revealed it, but she was tearing at their clothing. "You know…I had this slow seduction all planned out…" he crooned to her as the last bits of their clothing ended up in a pile on the side of the bed.

She looked up at him as her hand lowered to stroke his arousal. "I've been celibate for years, Neo…I don't want to wait another moment to feel you inside of me."

He pulled back from the pleasure of her hand, knowing it wouldn't take much to spill his seed. He couldn't wait either, but he would see to her pleasure first – no matter how badly he ached to fill her. He quickly slid down her body and lowered his gaze to her swollen, wet petals. He would arouse her slowly later, for now….he spread her soft folds and drew the swollen nub into the heat of his mouth. He gripped her hips to hold her in place when they arched up at the erotic contact. He looked up. Her breasts were quivering with each harsh breath, the dark teal peaks almost painfully tight. "I want to see you watch me…" he breathed out across her sensitive flesh.

His tongue slowly stroked the fully aroused nub as she rose up on one elbow. Her muscles tightened, quivering, and she cried out at the sight and feel of his tongue flicking and grinding against her. Her free hand sank into his dark blue hair to cradle his head against her. "Suckle me…" When his lips sealed around her, her hips jolted with electric pleasure. She bit her lip to keep from screaming and then his tongue worked her even as he continued to suckle her and the scream tore from her lips as waves of pleasure rocketed through her.

She wanted to ride his mouth, but he was already gone. Before she understood what happened, he was buried deep inside of her, stretching her further than she'd ever been stretched, but the pleasure outweighed the pain. The aftershocks of her orgasm were prolonged by the slow thrusts into her. Her legs wrapped around him and she angled her hips until he was stroking against a very sensitive spot that radiated a different kind of pleasure, though no less intense.

His mouth captured her cries and split her attention between the two pleasures. He was far too large to suckle her breasts while he filled her, he was already bent just to reach her mouth. But he did put all his weight on one elbow so that he could caress her breast and tease her nipple. Pleasure rippled through her and her thighs tightened as she rode each thrust mercilessly, propelling them towards the extasy that awaited them.

Her body stiffened beneath him, but he did not slow his movements. Her muscles clamped down around him and his control snapped completely. His hand lowered to grip her hip as he emptied himself inside her with a guttural cry. Then she was riding him hard again until her orgasm finished. He brushed his lips against hers, rubbed her nose with his and then dropped his sweaty forehead to hers. He'd been overly sensitive after he came, so the pleasure of her hard ride bordered pain, but it had been worth it. He grinned when he noticed her body trembled and shook as much as his own. "Let's not wait another three years…" he murmured.

She laughed softly as her fingers caressed his back. "Not after I know what you can do to me."

He rolled them onto their sides and pulled her thigh up to rest on his hips so he could remain deep with her gripping walls. "You say such beautiful things to me."

Although, they woke each other up a couple of more times during the night, they rose in the morning far more refreshed than they expected. They showered and were just finishing up breakfast when they received the call.

In less than twenty minutes they were at Jheeg's.

"Imperial handlers wished me to bring you here. I've just contacted handlers. The call is arriving now," Jheeg informed them.

As soon as Garrett saw his agents in the room, he turned to Jheeg. "Jheeg. From this point forward, operational security will be at a premium. You will not contact us from this terminal again."

Jheeg nodded. "Yes. Leaving for your privacy. I will await contact."

Garrett watched the arcona leave and then leveled his gaze on Neo. "I understand you two corrected Jheeg's mishandling of the situation, Neo. We'll proceed now."

"Acknowledged and understood, Keeper."

"Your next task is to access Nem'ro's inner circle. Present yourself to the Hutt as a fellow gangster – the Red Blade – and offer him Jheeg's gifts. One of the gifts is implanted with a listening device, which we will use to monitor conversations within Nem'ro's palace."

Annora nodded. "Good call. I assume you are trying to find out weaknesses or exploitable corruption within?"

"We are," Garrett responded with a nod. Her intelligence and quick thinking were why he'd chosen her as his personal ghost agent. She was not on Imperial or sith radar, she was not an implanted agent. To anyone who knew her she was simply one of the best tech engineers around. But she was also his long-arm and had been ever since she'd saved his life five years ago by detecting lies and deception that would have trapped him and led to his death. For the past three years he'd assigned her to Neo, though Neo was unaware. Neo had shown the most promise of anyone during his training and through her he evaluated the chiss in depth during his first three years as an agent. Despite his race and memorable size, he was a superb agent – though limited in the scope of what he could do due to those attributes. "Even if the Hutt won't join us, we might influence his lieutenants. Talk to Nem'ro and his men. Determine who we can turn and how we can sway them. We will be listening. Oh – be careful what you say – and lose the accent. When you're in the Hutt palace, you're no longer an Imperial. Contact me from the cantina once Nem'ro has his presents. Keeper out."

He looked at Annora and chuckled. "Maybe we are not Imperial on Hutta but we might as well be, since the known galaxy equates the Ascendency with the Empire."

"Not every chiss is raised in the Ascendency," she reminded him.

"Perhaps not, but most are and it raises suspicion. We have no room for errors," he warned.

-BREAK ONE-

She laughed softly and grabbed his shirt to pull him down towards her. "That just makes the game more exciting." She squealed when he swept her up in one arm. His mouth crashed down on hers before she finished the sound. Her arms looped around his neck. Distracted by the fiery kiss, she hadn't realized her pants were lowered until he was plunging into her. Apparently, there was a lot that man could do with one hand…then all thought disappeared as she rode the waves of pleasure.

He continued to hold her, one arm clamped around her, his other hand stroked the soft mound of her ass while her inner walls continued to spasm around him. It would seem that now that he was released from three years of celibacy that he was making up for lost time. He pulled out only after the last remnants of her orgasm faded away. With one last kiss, he gripped her pants with both hands, raising her pants over her hips as he lowered her to the ground.

He grunted when she stroked his still swollen shaft.

She looked down at his dark blue shaft, the bead of excitement standing out like a beacon. "Had I known you were still so eager, I wouldn't have let you stop." She drew her fingertip across the small pearl and brought it her lips. Her tongue darted out slowly to taste him. She smiled when his chest rumbled and his shaft jerked in her hand. She pulled gently on his arousal as she moved towards a chair. It hit the backs of her knees and she fell back into it. She rolled and teased his testicles in one hand while her other pumped his thick root.

He was at her mercy and beyond caring. Hell, he didn't even care if Jheeg walked in at this point – though he doubted the man would until they departed. Rational thought fled when he felt her warm breath fan over him. His gaze lowered to meet hers and then dropped further to watch her mouth and tongue make love to him. He knew she watched him intently and he hid nothing from her. She deserved to see every bit of the pleasure she gave him. His large hands slipped through her metallic ash-blonde hair, not to force her or guide her but simple to caress and touch her.

Her hands and mouth knew just what to do to wring the most pleasure out of him and he was drowning under it. He felt himself thicken and his balls grow tight. "I'm going to come," he warned in a throaty murmur, giving her time to finish him by hand if she did not wish take all of him. But she didn't stop and his hips jerked with a powerful release. She suckled him hard until he had nothing left to give and then tucked him back into his pants. He lifted her and settled her feet on the chair to claim her mouth without hunching over. "Tonight, you will be at my mercy." He pulled back after a promising kiss and plucked her off the chair to lower her to the floor. "Let's go visit the palace."

They ordered a drink in the central lounge and nursed it as they listened in on the conversations around them. When one story came to ear, they glanced at each other and nodded. It would appear that one of the Hutt's lieutenants had fallen into disfavor recently. That could be the opportunity they were looking for. After a few discreet inquiries, they were able to get Karrels' location and description. Thankfully, he was also the man who could take him to the Hutt. They found him in conversation with a disreputable looking rattataki female. Thanks to his hearing implant he was able to pick up on their conversation.

"The pirate's on his way. Security droids say he's armed, but he won't be trouble." Kaliyo told Karrels. "He's got his little tech toady with him – hear he started going everywhere with her recently. Hot couple - I bet their banging."

Karrel's shook his head. "I don't care who warms his bed - but let's hope you're right about them not causing trouble. They're here now." Chiss. That was a surprise. He hadn't pegged him for an Imperial…though he'd heard the Blade was large. That had certainly been no stretch of the truth.

Kaliyo smirked. "I'll go tell the boss."

Karrels nodded and opened a call to the Hutt's guards. "This is Karrells. Tell the throne room that the Blade's arrived."

Karrels looked up and met the Blade's unnerving red eyes. Red Blade, indeed. Kinda ironic. "When Nem'ro shows, stay at least five meters back and don't come up unless you're called. One wrong move and you're a pile of ash."

"Is the mighty Nem'ro afraid of a little Red Blade?" he taunted.

Karrels bit back a grin. The chiss seemed to have no fear, which meant either he was stupid or he had nothing to live for. He did not peg the man as stupid. "There's nothing little about you, Blade – and he probably should be. Just going over the rules. You've got a reputation, and we don't want any problems." He motioned the pair to follow him as he entered the Hutt's chamber. "Allow me to present Nem'ro the Hutt – the illustrious crime-king of Jiguuna."

Nem'ro chortled. "So, the Red Blade finally comes to visit the house of Nem'ro. Great honor comes to the both of us. You are younger than I imagined…and bluer. Ha! But youth is good in a business partner. And you are proof enough that even the honorable chiss can fall."

He saw a look of greed as the Hutt glanced behind him. Two crates were being brought in. His so-called tribute to the fat slug.

"Now," Nem'ro almost beamed. "Let us see if the legends of the mighty Blade's generosity are true. What have you brought me and my clan?"

"Dazzling trinkets of favor, mighty Nem'ro." His grin did not falter when Nem'ro eyes narrowed on him.

"I do not care about trinkets, little pirate." Why was the chiss so boldly smiling at his displeasure? He should be trembling in fear of the mighty Nem'ro.

"Nice!" Karells stated as he looked through the crates. "Nem'ro – the idols here are real aurodium. The cloth looks like -"

Nem'ro held up a stubby arm. "I see, Karrels, I see. Mmmm…." So, the wily pirate preferred to understate things. He would keep that in mind when dealing with him. "You are an impressive creature, Blade, and your assistant is most becoming. Give her to me."

He stiffened, his gaze narrowing on the Hutt. "She's not on the table, great Nem'ro. She's mine."

Nem'ro exaggerated a yawn and nodded. He didn't think the pirate would sell her to him and the tribute was more than he'd anticipated, so he chose to let it go. "You may conduct your dealings on Hutta with my approval. Now -experience the luxuries of my palace. Enjoy my slaves and wallow in opulence."

He inclined his head to the Hutt. "We are very grateful for your hospitality. We shall enjoy our stay as you said."

"Good, very good! Let me introduce my advisors. You have met Karrels Javis; any business you have, you may discuss with him. And this is Toth'lazhen," he motioned to the twi'lek who was busy on his micro-terminal.

"Bantha balls…" Toth'lazhen grumbled. "Nem'ro – we have little time for guests right now. Security reports that Fa'athra and his clan have struck our shipments again."

Neo blinked at the loud howl that burst from the Hutt.

"Jiguuna is mine! Hutta is mine! Fa'athra knows he defies the laws of the Cartel! I will destroy everything Fa'athra treasures and -"

Karrels motioned them to follow him out of the room. "Looks like your audience with Nem'ro is over. You'll have to forgive the interruption. I've been working for that Hutt since he killed my gang when I was thirteen. Trust me – you can't talk to him when he's like that."

Neo shook his head in wonder. "Killed your – why are you working with him if he killed your people?"

Karrels shrugged. "I was just a kid with no place to go. Nem'ro's got power and smarts, along with that temper. I like things a little more orderly than he does, but I don't complain." He cracked his knuckles. "We're having trouble with the Fa'athra clan and it's getting to all of us. Fa'athra's out of line, but the Hutt Cartel hasn't bothered to interfere."

"So, it's a turf war – What are you feuding over?" he inquired.

"Everything – the mines, the factories, the slaving operations…" Karrels stopped his flow of words and stood straighter. "Now, look – I need to work up new plans with security and keep an eye on Toth'lazhen to keep him from suggesting anything stupid. In the meantime, you're both guests. Your suite is A4. You've got the run of the palace, so I'll see you around."

"That you will." He shook Karrels' hand and then held his arm out to Annora. "Come, Sola, dear. Let us find some entertainment, my love."

They returned to the lounge and dined. Their inane small talk covered the fact that they were keenly listening to what others were saying. The dance floor allowed them to burn off a little energy and when the main crowd left for the evening, they retired to their suit. Annora scanned the room and neutralized three surveillance devices. "We're clean now," she told him.

He could have performed the deed himself, but he had to concede her tech skills were on par with his own – perhaps better if he was honest with himself, so he allowed her to handle that aspect. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel like nothing more than a sidekick. "For now…but I intend for us to get wickedly dirty very soon."

She sighed dramatically and looked down at her nails. "Promises…prom -" the word ended in a shriek when he tossed her on the bed and made good on his promise.

They spent the next several days scouting, locating the lines between Fa'athra and Nem'ro as well as what each was doing to the other. It was essentially a civil war and those never ended well. When they weren't out investigating, they were spending free time with Karrels and even Toth'lazhen on occasion. Of course, they gave full disclosure to Karrels on anything Toth'lazhen told them that wouldn't compromise Toth'lazhen's trust. They'd even helped prevent a couple of raids from Fa'athra's men.

A couple of days in, they were forced to kill a scoundrel who demanded money to keep silent about how he knew Neo wasn't the real Red Blade. Paying off people like that only led to future payouts…a never-ending cycle. When he'd refused to pay the zabrak, the man had actually threatened to kill them and take over whatever Neo was up to. Good luck with that. Needless to say, the zabrak had become an unstable loose end that had to be neutralized.

Five days later, the holo-terminal in their room chimed in the middle of the night. He pulled on his pants while she slipped into one of his shirts that went down to her knees. He activated the console and Keeper appeared.

"I didn't mean to pull you both from your beds, but we are on opposite daylight hours and what we've discovered needs to be acted upon. First off, well done, agent. The listening device has been working perfectly and Nem'ro can keep no more secrets from us. Imperial Intelligence has determined that Nem'ro's human lieutenant, Karrels Jarvis, is the weak link in his operation. You're going to twist the man until he serves us."

"We've already been working on it, Keeper. We'd heard rumors that he was falling into disfavor and chose to ingratiate ourselves into his life. We've already helped prevent a couple of raids from Fa'athra's men. Karrels is starting to look better already and he is very thankful for our assistance.

Garrett just blinked and then laughed. It was not something he did much of unless he was taking a vacation with his wife. "I do not know why I am surprised at your ingenuity. You both have surpassed my expectations – but then you always have, which is why I chose you both for this assignment. Do whatever you can to further weaken Fa'athra's interference. One other thing, agent. This operation of ours has drawn the attention of a member of the Dark Council – Darth Jadus himself. The Council's authority is second only to that of the Emperor. It's a rare…honor for an Intelligence operation to be overseen in this way." He would do what he could to protect Neo from the sith, but he knew there were some battles even he could not win.

Neo's lips tightened. Honor indeed. Nothing good happened with a sith put their fingers into Intelligence matters. "I understand, Keeper." It was obvious the Keeper was as irritated as he was – they were both impotent to do anything about it.

"Report back when Karrols is back in favor – as much as he can be. Keeper out."

Later that morning, it was Karrels that came to their room to talk.

Neo poured drinks and they settled around the table. "We were going to drop by later and ask if you'd want to come to dinner with us. Seems my…Sola has made friends with a woman by the name of Niami and she didn't want Niami to feel uncomfortable by feeling like the odd man out. We hoped you might do us a favor - "

Karrels laughed and wiped his eyes. "You two setting me up, Blade? Don't think I've ever been on a blind date, come to think of it. Sure…" he said with another laugh. "I'll entertain this Niami tonight." He wasn't sure what Niami would think of him though. He wasn't the same man he'd been before he took on a desk job. He absently patted his belly and then took a long pull of his drink as his features sobered. "I need to talk to you," he admitted.

Neo leaned back in his chair. "What's on your mind, Karrels?"

Karrels rubbed the back of his neck and took another pull on his drink. "You've been around the galaxy a few times – what's it like dealing with the Empire?"

In this persona, he had no affiliation with the Empire and could not speak of its benefits. "The Empire's a pain to deal with. I stay away from it…these days."

He rubbed his chin. "You're lucky to have that luxury. Not many of us do. The Hutts have taken control of the gangs. And I think real soon, the Republic and the Empire will want control of the Hutts – even if Nem'ro won't believe it. So, if we gotta pick a side, I wanna pick a winner…and I don't see the Empire losing."

"You don't? It has lost to the Republic before. I'm not about to place bets on it coming out the winner in a new war. No…don't ever get political. It will bite you in the ass every time. The money is on playing both sides. Give them each what they need. We all walk away happy."

There was truth in the chiss' words. "My sons are free traders – they're doing business in the Sullust System. It's their first time dealing with the Empire, so I worry. I probably shouldn't."

He shook his head. "Not true – it is every parent's job to worry. Just warn them to stay away from sith and jedi…that kind of power will corrupt anyone and make them dangerous."

"I'll do that. Thank you, Blade…for hearing me out. Now…I have a favor to ask of you. Nem'ro's been stirring in his slime since we lost a shipment of the rare ores in the evocii lands. He blames me for some reason. The evocii are natives that mostly hate us for stealing their land. If you'll get that shipment back, you'd have my appreciation and then some."

"Of course we will, Karrels," Annora assured him. She would try to do it without killing the natives.

"Thanks. I – just thank you. There's an evocii workcamp outside of Jiguuna. Nem'ro set it up for some evocii that wanted peace. Bad deal; poor rubes. The chief there, Odeph, was supposed to talk to the other evocii tribes about returning the ore, but he didn't come through. He knows something, though."

"Then we'll find out what he knows. It won't be a problem," he told Karrels. "We'll head out to the camp in the morning."

Karrels nodded and slapped his thighs before he rose from his seat. "I should get back to the grind before I'm missed. See you both…and Niami, tonight."

After he left, they researched the Hutt/evocii relationship. Apparently, the natives knew nothing about business, but were impressed by what they'd never known. Over time, they became indebted to the Hutts. Eventually, the Hutts took over the planet – all but enslaving the natives. She looked up at Neo. "The evocii were at the mercy of a race that did not know the word. I would like to approach the evocii diplomatically. Perhaps we can come to an agreement we all will benefit from."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and released a short breath. "In as much as anything can benefit them. Even removing the Hutts from Hutta will not improve their quality of life. The planet is far too polluted. But I agree. I have no desire to add to the hardship the natives are facing."

-BREAK TWO-

Annora tucked herself into Neo's side, her body still thrumming from Neo'ss exquisite lovemaking. The evening had gone just as she'd hoped. Karrel's and Niami hit it off. Whether things went any further between them, who could say? But they'd had an enjoyable dinner and the pair had elected to continue the evening after she and Neo retired. It would seem that beauty could be found even on a nasty little planet like Hutta. Maybe Niami would take Karrels with her when she left on her freighter, Night Hawk. She liked Karrels and that meant that she wanted to see him far from Hutta. Her thoughts evaporated as fingers stroked along her hip, tracing a path downward to stroke her into wanton need once more.

The morning came before either of them were ready, as mornings often did. But they had a shipment to retrieve from the natives. They hopped on their speeders and navigated through the walled city and out into the 'wilds' beyond, where plants dared to grow once more. It was high summer and rains must have been scarce. The grass was browning, but is was still a far more welcoming sight than the dusty dried out city, with but a token tree or plant to break up the dreary landscape. The air was not pure – she doubted anyplace on Hutta could claim that honor, but life had found away and nature was determined to survive…much as the natives themselves. No, the air out here smelled of more than just chemicals. It was dank with the scent of wet and decomposing vegetation. Swamps were nearby. Not her favorite place to visit. Swamps meant bugs and creepy-crawlies. Perhaps even more dangerous predators. But it also meant life.

She could not feel the 'force' - or so she believed. But she could feel the life surrounding them. The animals, the people, the leaves that whispered through the breeze. She would never admit to anyone that she was force-sensitive. Her own people considered it impure, despite the fact that her pedigree was distinguished. Many still refused to believe that they had any links to human ancestry…that they were never once human themselves. From what she knew, force-sensitives left the Ascendency to live quiet lives on distant planets. She did not know any who left to train with the jedi or sith. So, she only used her talents as a lie detector. As far as her superiors were concerned, she was simply hyper-observant…and that was how it would remain.

She glanced over at Neo as they followed a dirt pathway. There were so many lies between them. What they had was great, but it could never go further. The lies were a wall they would never be able to get around. So long as the Ascendency was in the grasp of the Empire…so long as the Empire threatened the galaxy, she was stuck in the life she'd made for herself. She was not proud of what she'd done in her life. Never that. But what she did she deemed necessary. And the consequences of her actions were her burden to bear alone. Alone…in the end that would be all she was left with.

"Sola…" It was the second time he'd called her name. He raised his hand to activate the tiny, flesh colored communicator embedded in the fold of his ear. "Annora…are you well?" He spoke quietly, despite the rumble of the speeder. Their communicators were top of the line and voice configured. The barest whisper could be picked up and amplified, while background noises were cancelled completely. These devices were normally used between an agent and their handlers, but Annora had managed to get hold of a pair and reconfigured them to use a private frequency, so that their communications were unrecordable. He wasn't sure what he'd do when she moved on. Would he be able to find anyone even half as talented as she was? He doubted he could replace her if he wanted to. And he wasn't sure he wanted to. She wasn't replaceable. If he lost her, he'd continue on alone. But, hopefully, it would be some time before he had to face that issue.

"I'm fine, Blade…just lost in thoughts. The coordinates lead to that small home over there," she said as she pointed to the right as she steered her speeder to the side of the small hut. She powered it down and waited for him to join her before approaching the hut.

"You said you were going to get the ore back!" The deep voice was followed by the sound of flesh being struck. She frowned and stepped into the entryway. An evocii was bent over, clutching at his head.

"I've done all I can," the evocii said wearily, trying to hold back the nausea caused by the painful blow. "They…the other tribes will not listen."

"If you say so," the thug sneered, not even caring if the ugly alien spoke the truth or not. His fist tightened and he pulled back for a shot to the alien's kidney. If they even had them.

"I would suggest you rethink that move," Annora growled, her hand poised over her blaster.

His arm stilled mid-swing and he turned towards the newcomers, which may well be a more worrisome threat by the tone in the woman's voice. Great two more aliens. Chiss…wait…his gaze rose to meet the intimidating stare of the large male's red eyes. "Hey – you the Red Blade?" Of course, he was. There was talk everywhere about the massive chiss. "Heard you were coming. Thought we'd soften the chief up for you."

Her eyes narrowed on the three humans. "More like, you were bullying someone who doesn't have the means to fight back. Get out of here," she warned.

The man's brow lifted. "You always let your woman do the talking for you, Blade?" he inquired.

"A wise man knows how to keep his bed warm at night. Now do what the lady told you to do." He took an aggressive step forward. "Leave."

The man grunted his displeasure. He may not like being told to leave by damned aliens, but he did not want to mess with the Red Blade. "Guess even a mountain can be pussy-whipped. Come on, boys. We've wasted enough time with these swamp rats."

She sucked in a harsh breath and forced herself to release it slowly, before she did something she would regret to those ignorant humans.

"I..I am Odeph of the Evocii. Leader of the Voam, sacred keeper of the histories. I greet you in peace…and I am…grateful for your timely intervention." He inclined his head to the chiss.

"Are you in need of medical assistance?" she asked softly.

"No," Odeph said with a slight shake of his head. "Thank you, but no." He knew why the chiss were here. There would be no other reason for them to have entered an evocii village. "You've come about the ores, I think. I swear it was one of the other tribes who attacked your shipment. Evocii who refuse peace. In gratitude to Nem'ro for all he has done, I spoke to my…misguided brothers. But they will not return Nem'ro's metals." He rubbed his hand over his bald pate. He hated violence, but so many of the young…it was all they could think about.

"They aren't willing to negotiate?" Neo asked as he folded his arms over his chest.

Odeph shook his head slowly. "The tribes – they stole the shipment to spite the Hutts, and to use for themselves. They will make weapons…machines. They took the metals to their great village in the swamps. Only a beast or shadow can enter – seek the shipment there, if you wish."

"Thank you," Neo said with an incline of his head. "We appreciate that you were willing to speak with us."

"I only want peace," Odeph said grimly. "We cannot survive a war against the Hutts. My people are dying needlessly. One day, either the Republic or the Empire will come. Until then, we must make peace with the past before it destroys any hope for a future."

"You are a wise man, Odeph. I hope the other tribes will eventually heed your words." She nodded to Neo and he joined her as she left the hut. She could feel the weight of the chief's stare. He probably did not know what to make of them. She doubted very many people treated the evocii with compassion on this filthy planet.

They hopped back onto their speeders and made their way through the village and past the walls that protected it or perhaps the boundary was a precaution to be used if the Hutts wanted to wall them in. The latter was likely more true than the former.

They followed the dirt road towards the left, cutting through the trees to avoid more hostile armed evocii. The skimmed over a small pond and pulled up when the putrid scent of decay made breathing difficult. "There!" Neo exclaimed; his arm outstretched to point to the bodies that littered the ground. They saw four crates, though it appeared that there must have been more, because fresh drag marks tore a ragged path through the undergrowth.

He swung off the speeder and moved closer to the four remaining crates to scan them. "Ore…" he murmured. "This must be what's left of the shipment of stolen ore. Pull the ties from the seats of the speeders and we'll get these back to Karrels."

He hefted the crates onto the speeders and worked with Annora to get them tied down securely. With a satisfied nod, he swung his leg over the seat of the speeder, grunting when the speeder sank dangerously close to the ground. "It is probably best we stick to even terrain for now. Not sure my speeder can handle too much ground distortion at the moment."

Her hand rose to her mouth to cover a giggle before it could escape. "We'll see about working off those love handles later, Blade," she teased with a wink before turning sharply around and heading back towards the palace.

They swung around the far end of the palace until they located a shady alcove and pulled up. "I'll meet with Karrels and find out where he wants these delivered. I'm not sure if he'd appreciate a holo-communicator call. He might be trying to keep this quiet. I'll be back soon." He grazed his thumb over her cheek and brushed his lips across her forehead.

His lips twitched as he hurried towards the front of the palace. A big, bad pirate with a soft spot. He cut through the palace bar to reach the room where Karrels tended to do most of his work. He spotted the rattataki seated at a table, just like he noted everything, but he paid her little mind.

"Slow down, Blade." Kaliyo rose from her chair and rested her backside against the small gaming table. His little blue shadow wasn't with him. How interesting…and how encouraging. The best way to learn all a man's secrets was pillow talk. "Stay with me awhile – we haven't had the chance to talk." She pushed off the table when he turned towards her. "I'm Kaliyo. Nem'ro puts me in charge of the good stuff: his guns, his troops…the safety of his little palace. You can spare some time for me, right?"

His large armed crossed over his massive chest and his gaze narrowed on hers. "I have a minute, but not much more. What do you want?"

Touchy. She could do touchy. "You've got a nasty reputation, you know. I hear you went and murdered poor Dheno Rey right over there," she said as she pointed to a location a bit closer to the bar. "What was that about, Blade?"

"If you know my reputation, then you know I don't need a reason. But as it was, he had it coming. That's all you need to know," he growled.

"Is it now? Well, it's too bad. He had a pretty face before you messed with it. Me, I'm betting you and Dheno has something else going on. You had a reason for coming to Nem'ro's house – maybe money, maybe power…maybe just to play games and stir things up a bit." She shrugged her slender shoulders and glided slowly towards the very large chiss. "I like to think you'll be trouble, Blade. You'll be bloodthirsty. Treacherous." She looked up at him, her body nearly brushing against his. "Because I could enjoy keeping an eye on a bloodthirsty, traitorous pirate."

He refused to give any ground to her, but his hands clenched at his side. "Do what you will, but stay out of my way." He leaned down towards her with a sneer on his lips. "Because I'm more traitorous than you will ever know." The tattoos dripping down her face were as unappealing as she was irritating.

She shivered with the ominous growl of his words and one corner of her lips rose. "Touchy. I can deal with touchy." Her shoulders swayed just a bit. "If you are trouble, take your time. I'd hate to stick a blaster to your pretty head or a slave collar around your large, very muscular neck before I've seen everything you can do." She winked and slowly slid past him.

"Watch your back, Kaliyo," he warned. He didn't take well to threats and right now, he had the urge to bury a knife in her back.

She barely turned her head. "I'll watch yours. You can watch mine…"

He frowned as she stepped out into the main bar and shook his head. That woman was trouble. He knew just what to do with trouble. He would deal with her later. He approached Karrels and Toth'lazhen, who were deep into a discussion.

Karrels grumbled. "Fa'athra will not stop his mining operation. He's going to keep tapping our gas pocket and cut our supply in half!"

The twi'lek gave a sharp shake of his head, his lekku swayed with the movement. "When Fa'athra's customers see he can't refine the gas the way we can, they will return to us. How is that a problem?"

"Bah!" Karrels scoffed. "Don't play dumb with me, Toth'lazhen. Fa'athra doesn't need to steal our customers if he doesn't leave us any gas to sell. And we can't uproot him without help -"

A heavy thud on the floor drew Toth'lazhen's attention. He frowned at the large chiss. "I will not discuss this in front of an outsider, Karrels! Enough."

Karrels watched the twi'lek storm away and then looked up at the pirate. "Idiot," he grumbled. "Sorry about that, Blade. 'Legitimate' business brings out the worst in us. Makes me miss actual crime, you know?" He exhaled slowly. "Any news about the ore shipment?"

He nodded. "Bring a loader to the northeast side of the castle in the alcove. We've got four crates waiting for you." He sent the man the coordinates.

Karrels flipped on his micro-terminal and ordered a loader for a pickup at the coordinates supplied to him. He motioned with his hand towards a couple of chairs. "Come on, let's have a seat while we wait for the pickup."

Neo lowered himself into the chair next to the older, one-eyed man. "Need me to help you stop Fa'athra?"

His eyes widened on the chiss, stunned that he would say such a thing, and shook his head quickly. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, Blade. I don't want to see you dead."

"Do not worry, my friend. He won't even see me coming until it is too late…maybe not even then," Neo told him. "I don't have to go in with blasters blazing and bellowing to the rafters. I can be covert when I have to be." He shrugged at the older man's disbelief. "I have eyes and ears everywhere. You'd be surprised what I can do."

"Don't do anything stupid. I don't have many people I can call friend -" Karrels rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "and I don't want to lose one." He was glad the blush did not show on his dark skin. "I mean, Toth'lazhen is ass awful at social interaction."

"You don't survive long doing what I do if you stand in stupid." Time for a change of subject, it was obvious Karrels was uncomfortable about his admission. Though the admission was both surprising and touching. "Sola tells me you and Niami have another date lined up."

Karrels slapped his thighs and leaned back into the chair with a small laugh. "We do. Then I suppose you heard things went better than okay between us."

He grinned at the older man. "You might say that. Word is…you're a man of many talents."

"Yeah, well…don't let this belly fool ya," he said as he patted his girth. "I was good with the ladies…once."

"Sounds like you still are," he cajoled with sincerity.

He nodded. His night with Niami went a long way towards boosting his confidence again. "Maybe so, Blade. Niami's a remarkable woman. I'm glad you introduced us."

"Sola will be pleased to hear that," he told Karrels.

The older man flicked at an imaginary piece of lint on his pants. "I'm just wondering how long it's going to take for her to realize I'm no good for her. She's a better person than I have ever been." He cleared his throat. He couldn't believe he was baring himself to the pirate. "You know, you're not what I expected, Blade. In a good way," he amended quickly.

"You would be surprised at what the love of a good woman can do to a man," he admitted to Karrels. "Though, I expect you to keep that between the two of us – I have a reputation to uphold."

"Maybe I'll have the chance to find out, I -" His micro-terminal chimed and he read the message, a grin spreading over his lips. "We've got the crates and the fee's been transferred to your account – you'll have access by the time you're back at your apartment." He planted his hands on the chair's arms and shoved off into a stand. "You two have earned every credit…and my thanks. I'd buy you a drink at the cantina, but I need to have a word with Nem'ro. I'll be seeing you soon, Blade, my friend." He clapped the large chiss on the shoulder as he passed him by.

"Good luck with the Hutt," Neo said, raising his voice just enough to be heard.

"I'll need it," Karrels grumbled as he disappeared into another room.

He sent a quick message to Annora that he'd meet up with her in their room. She was already there by the time he arrived. She settled her drink on the table and motioned towards the large, blinking holo-communicator in the corner of their room.

"Looks like daddy wants to talk to his children," she replied as she took another swallow from her glass.

He motioned his head in the direction of the communicator. Daddy. Now he was going to have a hard time getting that analogy out of his head. "Let's see what daddy wants, shall we?" When she joined him, he used his handheld device to activate the larger one because he was too tired to bend over to do so.

"The operation is proceeding well, agent. Thanks to your intervention. Karrels Javis will once again have Nem'ro's ear. I took note of you meeting with Nem'ro's security chief, Kaliyo. You handled yourself well. Still, keep on guard – she's a little too interested in you. Though…you may be able to use that to your advantage."

"I'd rather bed a viper, Keeper," he responded dryly.

"I know you'll do what's needed for the sake of the mission, agent."

His gaze slid to Annora, whose arms were crossed over her chest with her brow arched.

"It appears Kaliyo quite enjoys threats to her life." He shrugged. "Or she thinks I'm an idiot that will fall for her charms." He told his partner with a barely suppressed a shudder.

"Like the Keeper said, I'm sure you'll do what you have to," she acknowledged demurely. Though, damned if she would take him back to her bed if he did sleep with that woman.

"Quite so," Keeper said. "We've identified her as a freelance assassin, enforcer, and anarchist. She's been attached to a dozen employers in half as many years, using several different aliases."

"Do you want her to disappear?" he asked the Keeper candidly and with a fair amount of hope.

"Not yet, agent. She's a wildcard. She may prove a liability, but she could also prove very useful. Watch her for now. Now, on to more immediate concerns: Nem'ro operates a major shvash gas mine on Hutta. The Empire wants access to Nem'ro's refined gas. Unfortunately, Fa'athra is tapping the same gas pocket as Nem'ro. We need to destroy Fa'athra's operations in the Rust Yards before Nem'ro's grinds to a halt."

"I already discussed the matter with Karrels and assured him we would handle the Fa'athra situation. Nothing a little sabotage can't handle."

Garrett nodded, trying to keep the surprise from his face. He really shouldn't be surprised by anything Neo did, the kid always seemed to be one step ahead. He admired that, though he hoped Jadus did not discover that particular skill. The sith was becoming too interested in his agent and that never boded well. "That's correct," Garrett replied with a nod. "You will travel to Fa'athra's mining facility and place explosives in the drill shaft, destroying the equipment and collapsing part of the gas pocket. You'll need to strip a couple of uniforms and credentials off the facility guards to pass the final security checkpoint. Your disguise may not hold up under close inspection, do avoid conversation."

Neo grinned and looked over at Annora before turning back to the Keeper. "You realize that the disguise may not work at all considering we're chiss. They'd probably know if they had any chiss on the payroll."

"True, but there is a high turnover rate in Fa'athra's security guards. This will work in your favor, agent."

"Of course, Keeper."

"The explosives have already been delivered to your room. Once you're finished, go back to Karrels and make sure he knows what happened. Good job on earning Karrels' friendship and trust. That is an added bonus that can be exploited if needed."

That was a job irritant. He actually liked Karrels and he did not want to put the man in danger. "Anything else?" he asked, his tone a bit cooler than he intended.

"Yes, one more thing, agent. Darth Jadus pays increasing attention to your work. He will reward success or failure appropriately, and I cannot intervene," Garrett warned.

Neo nodded. He would deal with the sith if he had to, but that was a future concern, not an immediate one – though he welcomed the heads up. "Understood. I'll report back after we've destroyed the mine and talked to Karrels."

"Quite so," Garrett said with a slight incline of his head. "Keeper out."

"At least we do not have to come up with a plan - it would appear one has been handed to us."

"True," she said, her hand finding his arm. "But that will wait for the morning…"

-BREAK THREE-

Neo swung the large bag over his shoulder and followed Annora out of their assigned apartment. He glanced up at the sun that was rising as they exited the palace and rounded to the northeastern side of the palace where their speeders were hidden in the shadows. Annora released the locking field and they headed out to the coordinates of the Rust Yards.

He motioned to her when they'd gone far enough and they located a dilapidated building that looked like it hadn't been used in years and hid their speeders behind it. Now, they needed to locate Fa'athra uniforms if they wanted any chance of passing through the yards unmolested.

They moved slowly from scrub brush, to large rock to junk pile, keeping low and moving slowly through enemy territory. When they finally located a female similar in size Annora, they quietly slipped up behind the two guards and took them out. Finding uniform for him was proving a bit more difficult. By the time they neared the entrance to the compound, they spotted a man carrying an assault cannon with only a droid at his side. Annora slipped away and hurried up to the larger man. He wasn't sure what she told him but the man and the droid followed her towards where he was hiding. When they passed him by, he took out the human while she sent an electromagnetic charge into the droid.

He grimaced as he pulled the guard's uniform off. "I don't think he's bathed in a week."

"Probably a month," she teased. "Just try not to breathe."

"For more reasons than one," he grumbled when he had to hunch his shoulders in a bit just to fasten the uniform's jacket. The boots were bloody torture. "I can't breathe, I can barely walk but I'm sure no one will notice."

"Well, it almost fits you. If it's any consolation. Besides, they will probably take more notice of our blue skin and red eyes than they will of a tight uniform." Her gaze slid down to the very obvious bulge in his pants. "Or maybe not," she teased.

"I feel so objectified. My eyes are up here, Annora," he teased, pointing to his face dramatically. "Let's try not to make things more difficult that they are for me, shall we?" Getting an erection in these pants would prove painful at best and embarrassing at worst, if he busted the fasteners. "Let's get this done."

He matched his strides with hers, which made it less likely that he would bust out the ass of his pants. They nodded at a few guards, but no one paid them much attention until they were inside the compound. A man slammed into him and stumbled backwards.

Danver's hand lifted to his aching head. Did he run into a wall? He gave his head a small shake to clear it and then looked up at the jolly blue giant. "Ain't seen you two before. New, huh?" He laughed when he noticed the ill-fitting uniform. "Damn me, looks like ya got Nevin's old uniform. Least they got all the blood out, but ya might want to let Margo know that it doesn't quite fit. I'm sure they can scrounge somethin' else for ya to wear."

"It's on backorder," Neo told him. "Have to make due for now."

Danver laughed again. "Fucks all to be you. Try not to move…or breathe. Name's Danver – be seein' ya." He nodded at the two blue aliens and darted for the front door.

"That went better than expected. Glad he was in a hurry," Neo murmured as he turned left to move deeper into the compound. "The coordinates are upstairs."

There were a few groups of guards on the lower level, apparently that was where they hung out when there was nothing else to do. While they garnered a few looks, no one approached them and the guards quickly resumed their conversations.

Once upstairs, they hooked a right across the catwalks and continued their journey until they reached a large shielded doorway. Annora was already at the console before he could even take a step towards it. She held up the identi-chip badge that was affixed to the uniform.

"Cartel representative identity confirmed. Entry authorized," the computerized voice told them. The field turned from red to green.

The room they entered into was shaped like a 'B'. they hurried through the first room and into the second and located the console they needed. "This is the console that will open the mineshaft we need," Annora replied with a grin. She sliced the console and the heavy door lifted on its hinge. "Down the hatch, Blade" she motioned to Neo.

He carefully pulled the round bomb from the padded case in his bag and threw it down into the shaft. It detonated before they could even get a few steps away, the building shuddered and the lid flew off ventilation shaft, propelled by the concussive force of the explosion. He noticed Annora had flung her hands out as if she could stop the lid with the sheer force of her will alone, but thankfully, the lid blew the opposite direction and had not been a danger to their lives.

"Gas leak detected. Activating ventilation system," the computer warned. "Lockdown in place until ventilation complete. Recalling all mining and security droids."

They heard the clanking or metal steps and hurried towards the droids, coughing and gasping for breath. "We were taking readings due to a report of instability and the damned shaft blew up in our faces!" Neo wheezed out. "We're going to find a medic – you find out what the hell happened down there or I'll make sure you're nothing but a pile of scrap metal!" He stumbled onward as the droids went to investigate the shaft.

As soon as they were out of sight, they picked up speed until they exited the shielded chamber. They slowed to a comfortable, fast-paced walk until they were back outside. The sun was nearly over head. It looked like they would get back in time to have lunch with Karrels.

They returned to their speeders and pulled their clothing out of the bag to get back into it. They stuffed the Fa'athra uniforms into the bag in case they would be needed at a later date.

The ride back to Nem'ro's palace was uneventful. They hid their speeders back in the shadowy alcove, shield locked them as a precaution and headed into the palace. They found Karrels in the cantina's back lounge where he liked to hang out to do most of his business. But this time he wasn't alone.

"You'll get the gory details after I report to Nem'ro. Figure you can wait that long?" Kaliyo asked as she dropped her hand to rest on her jaunty hip.

"Looks like I'll have to. But you don't get-" A long shadow fell across him and he looked up to see Blade and Sola.

Kaliyo's pose softened when she caught sight of Blade. "Blade," she said, pointedly ignoring the female chiss next to him. "Nice you decided to come by, but I was just telling Karrels I can't stay." Her fingertips grazed his very well-muscled bicep as she walked past him. "I know you understand."

Karrels noticed the touch and his eye darted briefly to see the stony look in Sola's gaze. Kaliyo only appealed to a certain type of man or woman and he doubted she was Blade's type. Especially when he had a very pretty Sola to come home to. "That girl's a menace. But she'd good at what she does."

"She's trying to play a player. She'll fail. I'm out of her league."

He held his belly when it shook from his laughter. "I always find myself smiling when you're around, my friend. Sola, good to see you as well," Karrels told her with a wink from his one good eye. "It would appear you two found a way to do what we'd discussed. At least, I assume the explosion in the Rust Yards had something to do with you?"

Neo's lips twitched. "I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation. Covert activity might damage my reputation as a hellraising pirate."

"Nem'ro should know what you've done for us, but I won't tarnish your reputation any more than that. With Fa'athra's mine destroyed, we can increase production. Fa'athra will want revenge, but we'll be ready." He cleared his throat. "Look, I have something for you. You'll like it – I'll send it to your room. Blade…er…how long will you be staying on Hutta? We've never really talked about that."

That was a question he did not have an answer for. "I've got some business I still need to wrap up and I don't know how long that will take. Trying to get rid of us, Karrels?" he teased.

"Just the opposite. If you're still around in a few weeks, I'd like you to meet my sons when they get back from their trading expedition. I've told them about you and they are excited to meet you. I was hoping you could tell them a few stories – so they can learn from your experience. I just – I want to keep them safe out there, you know?"

"I know. If I'm still here, we'll talk to them. We'd be glad to. Still on for tonight, Karrels?" Neo asked.

He shot a quick glance over at Sola, his lips pulling into a small smile. The ladies wanted to see a play that was being put on in the palace. Not something he would normally be caught dead doing, but Niami really wanted to see it. And he benefited when she was kept happy. "We'll meet you there at 8pm, Blade. Now get out of here before I get in trouble for gabbing my trap instead of working. You know how Nem'ro can get and how Toth'lazhen loves to tattle like a child."

"We're going," he said as he slapped Karrels on the side of his shoulder.

She saw Karrels rub the sting out of his shoulder out of the corner of her eye. Sometimes Neo forgot his own strength. But if Karrels didn't want to mention it, she wouldn't either.

Later that night, they enjoyed the expensive bottle of wine that Karrels had gifted them.

Over the next few days, they patrolled Nem'ro's land during the day and hung out with Karrels and Niami at night. It was the most routine and relaxed they'd been in some time. Though, they were both still eager to get the hell off Hutta.

"I can't wait to shower. I swear it was raining mud today," Annora grimaced as they entered their palace apartment.

"Come on, Luuti," Targen motioned with his hand for her to hurry up. "We don't have time to waste, here. I don't want to be around when Blade shows up."

"I'm going as fast as I -"

"Too late," Targen growled.

"Well, well…it would appear we have company, Sola." He lifted a brow. "Friends of yours?"

"Nope. I would have waited until I was presentable, Blade."

Targen gave a slight tug on his belt to show off the pistol that was slung from it. "Hey, there. You must be the Blade."

"If you know that, then I'm sure you also know you being here isn't a very wise idea," Neo countered. "Who are you?"

"Me and my gang are freelancers, and we're here on business," Tagen responded in a guarded voice. It was four to two, but this was the Blade. Regardless, he would not show fear.

His eyes narrowed on the human that appeared to be the leader. "Business…in our room? That, my friend, is not a very healthy business arrangement."

The gangster shrugged. "Someone wanted to know what you were up to. Luunti here was installing a listening device before you interrupted – but I guess that plan's off now."

Neo's hands flexed into fists. The man was telling him everything because he didn't intend to let him and Annora live. "You're a pretty smart man to have figured that out all by yourself. Now, why don't you tell me who you work for and I might allow you to walk away from this business deal."

"No," Tagen said with a shake of his head. "I won't cross my employer. As I see it, I know we're dead if we cross him. On the other hand, there are four of us and two of you. The odds are not in your favor, Blade, so-"

Neo pulled his backup blaster and put a hole in the man's head before he could complete his sentence. He spun his pistol and snapped it to his magbelt when the other three darted out of their room as if the hounds of hell were nipping at their heels.

"You didn't kill them all," Annora said quietly as she snapped her pistols into place.

"They saw reason," he said with a shrug. "Though, they will probably be back," he warned her.

"They won't find anything, even if they do come back."

"I know – but the Blade wouldn't have let them walk the first time," he reminded her. "We have a part to play even if we don't like it."

Their talk was interrupted when his communicator chimed. He pulled the body out of view and then sent the encrypted frequency to the large communicator in the corner. The Keeper appeared, hands behind his back, at military rest.

"I understand Nem'ro's shvash gas production is back on schedule, agent. Excellent work. Keep it up and Darth Jadus may loosen his grip on operations. However, I'm afraid…unforeseen circumstances have caused a problem."

That sounded ominous. "Any relation to the gang that broke into our room? I suspect Fa'athra or maybe Kaliyo."

The Keeper lifted a hand to rub his chin. That was a problem too. "No. That's a separate matter and one I advise you to watch closely – but it isn't what concerns me now. Three days ago, Karrels Javis' sons encountered a sith apprentice in Imperial space. A dispute broke out. One son is dead and the other was crippled. When Karrels hears that a sith slaughtered his child, his sympathy for the Empire will evaporate. We can no longer use him to get to Nem'ro. He's too close to his sons for us to cover it up and the circumstances of the encounter aren't exactly secret. We need to take care of him before he becomes a problem."

Kill Karrels? He'd done a lot of things he wasn't proud of in his career, but this was not okay. "The problem will be taken care of." Though not in the manner the Keeper intended. He hoped.

"I'm sending you an interference program to download on one of your computer spikes. Go to Karrels' suite and activate the spike to black out his security monitors. You'll be able to eliminate Karrels and his bodyguards without being seen. When Nem'ro's people investigate, they'll recognize the jamming program as Republic technology."

Of course. This was wrapped up a little too tidy. Almost as if Karrels would have been eliminated one way or the other regardless of anything happening to his sons. Blaming the Republic on Karrels' death would ensure Nem'ro would not consider working with them in any way. "So we frame the Republic for the murder of Karrels and ensure Nem'ro remains loyal to the Empire."

Again, the boy was on the ball. "Toth'lazhen is already expecting Fa'athra to seek revenge for the destruction of his mine. The spike will show that the Republic helped Fa'athra kill Karrels. Once Karrels is gone, speak to Toth'lazhen about his suspicions. As Karrel's friend, you will promise to do whatever it takes to find the assassins. We'll talk more once you've completed that part of your mission. Keeper out."

As soon as the Keeper vanished, Annora paced the room in agitation. "Tell me you do not intend to kill Karrels!"

"Of course not. Call your friend, Niami. See if she will be willing to take Karrels offworld immediately. See if she has a cloak as well. He can't be recognized. We'll plant an explosive in Karrels' suite and use the body over there," he said with a motion of his thumb. "Won't be enough left of the bones to identify it. It's the best we can do in the amount of time we have." He tossed her bag to her. "Prepare the spike and grab the explosive. I'll need you to take care of the camera – I'll carry the body."

While she did what she needed to do, he shaved the dead man's head bald and tossed a towel over his head. When he looked over at Annora, he saw her sling the bag over her shoulder. He nodded and picked up the body, drawing the dead man's arm around his shoulders. He stood still while she adjusted the towel over his face, hiding it in shadow. This was risky as hell, but it was late at night and most people would be too deep in their cups to pay attention to a man helping someone drunk off their ass home. "Is everything taken care of with Niami?"

She pulled back to study the dead man's face. Nothing but shadows. "Yes, she'd been wanting to leave Hutta for some time. She just wasn't in a hurry to leave Karrels. She's on board with this, Neo."

"Let's hope Karrels will prove just as amenable." He waited until she draped the dead man's other arm over her shoulder. If their luck held out, they wouldn't run into anyone. Karrels' suite was next to theirs. Only a long hall separated them.

They moved quickly down the hall and swung right. The security station was in the middle between their two suites. He took the dead man's full weight while Annora spiked the console.

The next part of their plan she did not like. Since he was important to Nem'ro, the slug had him guarded. There was no way she could hold up the body. She would have to kill the guards. The guards knew them well by now so there was no way to let them live. "I'll take care of Karrel's guards," she said, though she could hear the strain in her voice.

"I don't mind taking care of them," Neo told her.

"We can't risk someone seeing a dead man lying on the floor. I may not like to kill, but I know when there is no choice. I've got this."

He didn't like letting her do this alone, but he knew she was an accomplished agent and they couldn't risk contaminating the hall with the dead man's DNA. He nodded and watched her slip around the corner. He heard a few small thuds and nothing more until she returned to him and took the dead man's arm once again.

As they walked down the hall leading to Karrels' suite, he noticed she'd dragged the bodies to the sides of the hall so that they didn't risk tripping over them. She's used her knives and the kills were clean. The doors slid as they approached and they ducked inside, carried the dead man to Karrels' bed and dumped him on it.

"What the hell, Blade!" Karrels demanded as he jumped up from the reports he was going over at his desk. "Who is he and why is he on my bed? Man, this is not the time for this shit, Blade."

"I know," Neo said quietly. "He is you…and dead. Remember when I told you I have eyes and ears everywhere? Well, I found out what happened to your sons and I also discovered a contract on your life. I don't know why your family is being targeted, but you're my friend and I'll be damned if I'm going to just let you die."

"How the hell -" he rubbed the top of his bald head and then sighed. "It doesn't really matter how you found out. My sons are dead, Blade."

"I don't think so. At least I don't think both of them are. If what I heard is true, then one survived - injured but alive…and he needs you to be there for him," Neo explained as best he could.

"Hard to do that if I'm dead."

"Snap out of it, Karrels! We're not going to let you die. Well, you will be considered dead." He motioned to the dead guy on the bed.

"Are you ready?" Niami asked as she hustled into the room, her dark hair pulled up under her hat. "Nice job on the guards."

His guards were dead and he hadn't heard a sound. So the Blade was right, he could be covert when he needed to be. "Are you a part of this, Niami?"

"I am now. I'm your ride off this rock, sugar. Here," she said, tossing him a long, hooded cloak. "Put that on. We can't risk you being recognized since you're supposed to be dead."

He took the cloak and put it on. "I can't believe it's come to this. I've lost everything."

"You haven't lost me," Niami said indignantly. "You still have a son, you still have your friends," she said motioning to the Blade and Sola, "and you still have your life. We take what we can get in this old world, sugar. Now," she said, shoving a large duffle bag into his hands. "Pack up what you can and head to my shuttle. It will be at the coordinates that I'm sending to you now. I'll have the Night Hawk's coordinates programed into the nav computer." She brushed her lips against his. "See ya soon, sugar." She hugged the Blade and Sola. "We'll never forget the chance you've given us." She waved and hurried out of Karrels' suite. Sola had given her a number to one of her contacts. An SIS agent of all things. No matter. Leaving the Empire behind seemed as prudent as avoiding a bantha on wildweed.

Karrels shoved what personal items he had along with whatever clothing would fit and swung the bag over his shoulder. "This is not how I thought things would end."

"It's not an ending, Karrels," Annora told him. "It's a chance at a new beginning. Maybe you won't be living in a crimelord's palace, but you'll see more of the galaxy than you ever imagined, with a beautiful woman and your son at your side. You and your son will need to change your names – your appearances. But it's a new start, away from the Hutts and away from the Empire." She sent him the contact information for a woman that helped people disappear from the Empire. "Call my contact as soon as you can. She'll take care of you and your son."

He grabbed the cowl and pulled it down low over his head. "I don't know if I deserve a second chance but I'm going to take it anyway. I hope that I will see you two again. I won't forget what you've done for me."

"We'll meet again, Karrels. Niami doesn't need to disappear, so we'll reach out through her when we can. I'm sure we'll have much to talk about by then. Take care of yourself," Neo said as he took the older man's hand in his for a shake. He watched as Annora gave Karrels a brief hug and then nodded to her when the older man slipped out of the room. He reached into the bag and pulled the explosive out of its protective case. He carried it carefully over to the dead man settled it on his belly. He grabbed two pillows, placing next to each arm to cocoon the explosive device. "Let's go. We don't want to be seen anywhere near his room when it detonates."

They scrambled out of his room and darted down the hall and hurried into their suite. Less than a minute later, their room shook with the concussive force of the detonation. He pulled off everything but his pants and ran out of his room just as guards were running past.

Mike pulled up and held his hand out in a stop gesture to the large chiss. "Stay in your suite, Mr…er – Blade. We are investigating an explosion. It may not be safe to get any closer and we wouldn't want you to contaminate the scene."

"Of the crime? Is that what you mean? What happened? Was Karrels in there?" he asked in a tone that hinted at concern. He was a pirate after all.

"We don't know what's happened yet, sir. We just asked that you st-stay back." He cringed back when the blue mountain clenched his fists.

"Karrels is my friend! I demand to know what happened or I will take matters into my own hands!" he growled at the frightened guard.

The guard held up his hands in surrender. "We'll let you know as soon as we know, Mr. Blade. Pl – please let us do our job."

"For now…" he said coldly and returned to his room.

-BREAK FOUR-

Two days later, he received a brief report from the guard who'd spoken to him. The man did little more than hand him the report and run. Neo supposed the guard feared the Red Blade would hunt him down if he didn't pull through. He looked over the paper, but there was nothing identifying the guard that delivered it. He ran his hands all over the brief document and had Annora do the same, so if it was investigated, it would be their prints all over the document. "It's time to play Toth'lazhen a visit."

He stormed out of his room, Annora at his heel. With angry strides he moved swiftly to where the twi'lek handled his business. He frowned when he passed by where he'd often met Karrels. It was strange to see the empty table…to know that he'd never see his friend sitting there again.

The sound of voices grew louder as they drew closer to the twi'lek.

"Fa'athra murders my lieutenant? In my own house? How, Toth'lazhen? Tell me how Fa'athra does this!" Nem'ro rumbled in aggravation.

"The guards report finding many bodies, great Nem'ro, and the slicers are examining the technology involved," he assured the Hutt. "They say -"

"Do not echo the slicers to me! Find out, Toth'lazhen – I tell you to find out how…you find out how! Do not disturb me until then! I must think on this."

"Yes, great Nem'ro."

The hutt vanished from the handheld holo communicator. "Your boss is no more happy than I am, Toth'lezhen. What is the meaning of this?" he asked coldly as he waved the message he'd received around. "My friend is dead and I find out with a message affixed to my door? Why? Why didn't you tell me yourself? I didn't deserve to find out about – not in like this," he said with another wave of the note.

Toth'lezhen grabbed the waving note and read it. "I don't know who sent this to you, but it wasn't me. I only learned about what happened to Karrels and his guards a couple of hours ago. I'm still waiting for the full report. No one has seen you and Sola for a day. I thought you might have been incinerated with Karrels. I can see that didn't happen. Where have you been?"

"Busy…in bed. Sola wanted to…" he felt a hard jab to his ribs and frowned, absently rubbing his sore side. "It doesn't matter. Suffice it to say we were busy."

"Right. I don't really care to know more. I know you and Karrels were close. I know you helped him go after Fa'athra. I suspect those attacks are what got him killed. I know we weren't as close as you were with Karrels, but I respect your talents. If you wish to be a part of Nem'ro clan's response to this incident – for your own safety, and to avenge your friend, I will work with you."

"I will see that his killers meet justice," Neo replied coldly.

"Good. You truly are an honorable individual." While he knew about the Red Blade's reputation, it did not usually involve sticking his own neck out. But reputations were not always what they seem. "This assault by Fa'athra is unprecedented, but we should not be surprised by his boldness; he hires more mercenaries and bounty hunters daily. Now I fear he has outside help. During the assault, our surveillance monitors were disabled using Republic protocols. If Fa'athra has brokered a deal with the Republic politicians, we will need to answer his newfound strength. I must know for certain who is helping Fa'athra. Find out what I need, Blade – speak to your contacts and business partners. Find Karrells' killers."

"I will. I will get back to you when I have more to go on," he assured the twi'lek before turning and walking back the way he'd come.

His hand fell to his pistol when he walked into his room and saw Kaliyo standing there. "Son of a…You weren't invited into our room."

She grinned and sauntered closer to the big, blue chiss. "So, this is where you've been hiding. Nice. Is the blood on the floor fresh or did that come with the room?"

He barely slid her a glance as he walked by her and activated the com frequency to alert Keeper of their little issue. "We've already played this game, Kaliyo. You shouldn't have come here and I'm not too sure you'll be leaving…in one piece," he warned.

"You really know how to turn a girl's head, don't you, big guy?" She shrugged. "Maybe I shouldn't have come. Maybe you'll kill me. Or maybe you'll take me to bed." She shrugged again. "But I won't be leaving without coming to an understanding. You've been all over town, racking up quite a body count. And I think you are behind what happened to Karrels. You're after something bigger than Nem'ro. I'm not sure what, and I'm not sure why – but I want in on it." She took a step back when she saw his eyes narrow and held up her hands in a surrender motion. "I'm an ambitious girl and all I'm asking for is a cut. Think about what I can do for you, Blade."

Garrett flipped his holo on so he could be seen. "Allow me to respond to that."

Kaliyo spun around, surprised to see a military officer's holo. "Hmmm…what's this now?"

Garrett slipped his hands behind his back and widened his stance. "We know who you are, Kaliyo Djannis. And we are willing to offer you a deal. I am Keeper. I represent Imperial Intelligence, as does my operative," he said with a motion towards Neo. "We are aware of your activities on Rattatak, Ord Mantell and Brental Four, to name a few…as well as your…affiliations." He held up his hand to halt the words that were about to fall from her mouth. "Your skills could prove useful and we are willing to offer you a place in our ranks. You would become a very well-paid servant of the Empire."

She tilted her head and rubbed her chin as she chewed over the offer. Well-paid had a very nice ring to it. "I've heard worse propositions. What do you think, agent?"

"I think shooting you would be simpler," he grumbled.

"You're probably right, but your boss just offered me a free ride and I'm not a girl who can pass up a well-paid free ride." She turned to the Keeper. "Count me in. But call me a servant of the Empire again and I'll bust your face."

Oh, for fuck's sake…just shoot me now. He shot an apologetic glace at Annora, who was staring intently at the Keeper.

"Charming," Garrett said, holding back a sigh of annoyance. "We'll discuss the details later. As for you, agent," he said to Neo. "Toth'lazhen is convinced that Fa'athra the Hutt is a major threat to business. Well done. Now we must bring Toth'lazhen proof that Fa'athra has support from the Republic. The first step is to obtain a holodisc from Fa'athra's palace. The disc contains holorecordings of all Fa'athra's dealings. The Hutt is too paranoid for his own good. You'll have to break into his archives to get it."

Kaliyo nodded. "It will mean lifting security codes off the palace overseers. Like you said – paranoid Hutt."

"Noted," Keeper responded. "Once you reach the archives, use a computer spike, downloaded with the program I'm sending you now, on the holodisc. It will be altered to show Fa'athra meeting with Republic officers. Then, bring the forgery to Toth'lazhen."

Annora frowned. That could go sideways real fast. "You realize that turning over a forgery is very risky." And they would be left holding the tampered evidence. Her gaze narrowed on Garrett. Doing this meant they were expendable.

He knew what she was thinking and she was right. She deserved better, but his hands were tied. This mission had to succeed. He didn't want to risk their lives, but he was under too much pressure from the brass...from the sith for this to succeed at all costs. He tore his gaze away from Annora and settled it on Neo. "We have decided the risk is acceptable." He pushed on, not wanting to think about the words he'd just spoke. "With Toth'lazhen convinced that his enemies are allied with the Galactic Republic, have no doubt – he will turn to us for help. We are in endgame. You will take Kaliyo on this mission under your command. She has experience on Hutta that you may find useful. Keeper out."

Things turned out better than Kaliyo had hoped. She was alive, that was always good. She was going to be paid well and she was going to be able to leave this miserable hell hole. Not that she hadn't had her moment of fun here, but it was time to move on to greener and wealthier pastures. "Last time I went to Fa'athra's palace, I had so many adrenals in my system I was coming down for a week. This should be entertaining."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do not think of coming with us if you're high."

"Geesh…I won't. So, what is it with you two…you're not really the Red Blade, are you? And I'm guessing you aren't Sola either."

"What gave it away? The fact that I'm an agent?" he grouched.

"Neo! She's here…she's coming with us…let it go," Annora told him.

"Yeah – what she said," she jerked a thumb at the female chiss.

Having Kaliyo here was wrong. Having her know anythjing about him or the Imperial Intelligence waved red flags through every instinct he had. But it was done. While his name was actually Sabosen'ero'Nuruodo, he had no intention of giving her is full name. He didn't trust her further than he could look at her. "I'm Neronu," he informed her in a tight voice. "but most people just call me Neo. It's easier to say, I've been told. Annora is my partner."

"Does she go by Ann?" Kaliyo quipped.

"No," Annora responded quickly. "You don't know me well enough to call me Ann."

"Touchy," Kaliyo mumbled. "If she's your partner, why didn't your Keeper say she was an agent?"

"Because I'm not an agent of the Empire. I'm an engineer. I slice," she grinned, "and dice…" Not that she was thinking about dicing Kaliyo…or at least she wouldn't admit to having such a thought. "Neo and I have been friends for years and like you, the Empire pays me for my talents." She did not tell the rattataki that she was also a talented lie detector. She would find out soon enough.

"So, I suppose that means that you two aren't really lovers?" Kaliyo inquired, with her finger motioning back and forth between them.

"Not that it is any of your business, but since you will be coming with us…yes, we are lovers for now," she informed the nosy woman.

"Fuck buddies…I can stand behind that. So…are others invited into your bed? I could show you a few things I've learned…"

"Kaliyo," he said, his patience slipping. "We are friends and while we are lovers too, we are monogamous. No one else – just us."

"Boring…" she said with a sigh.

"Done," Annora said as she slipped the computer spike into a pouch on her belt and faced Kaliyo. "Are you going to rent your own speeder or are you riding with me?"

"You're hot enough, but I'd rather ride with the big guy." She enjoyed needling the two of them. Maybe because they liked to think they were so calm and composed or maybe she just needed to get laid and was taking it out on the couple. The why of it didn't matter when it was fun.

"Not going to happen," Annora replied in a cool and detached tone.

"Fine, if you are going to be prude about it, then why don't you ride with the big guy?

"In case you haven't noticed, Kaliyo, I'm a little…big," Neo pointed out with air of irritation.

Her gaze shamelessly dropped down to the junction of his thighs. "So, I've noticed. Why do you think I've been trying to get you in bed…or up against a wall…on a table…I'm an adventurous girl."

"He barely fits on the seat, Kaliyo. Riding with him is a last resort. It's me or get your own speeder," Annora all but growled in frustration. How had the irritating woman survived up until now?

"Well, considering I have yet to see this well-paid part of the deal, it's you and me." She turned and headed towards the door. "I'll try to keep my hands from wandering."

Annora closed her eyes and counted to ten before she followed Trouble out the door. "I think Trouble is a more apt name for that…woman." She stilled right outside the door. "Damn it…what about the Fa'athra guard uniforms?"

"Agreed, about Kaliyo" he murmured back. "But I'm not sure if the uniforms will help much at the palace. If he were intelligent, he'd surround himself with only guards he trusted."

"You are banking on the fact that he's intelligent. I say we wear them. They might give us a moment of hesitation that we can exploit," she pointed out.

"I was hoping not to have to squeeze back into that," he grumbled. "But you are right. Let's get dressed."

They pulled out their duffle bags and hurried to get into the uniforms before Kaliyo returned. That, they supposed was too much to ask for.

"You could have invited me," Kaliyo replied after taking in the half-dressed status of the chiss. "Even your muscles have muscles, big guy…A big, blue mountain built for climbing." She looked over at the woman. "And curves worth exploring. Nice. I don't have to join to enjoy the ride. I don't mind watching."

"Funny," Annora grimaced. "Security might be tighter," she said as she fastened up her top, "but if these uniforms can buy us a moment then it will be worth it."

Despite the rattataki's words, Kaliyo's hand didn't wander. Annora wasn't sure what she'd have done if they had. But visions of slicing them off had flitted through her mind.

They zipped past the evocii work camp and hung a right at a small Rust Yard settlement, moving in a southeastern direction towards Fa'athra's palace. While they had schematics for the palace, Kaliyo had actually been there and that was far more reliable than schematics.

They hid their speeders outside the palace grounds and took out the first guards they saw. They hid the bodies, gave Kaliyo a uniform and grabbed the three access cards they would need to enter the palace.

"I look ridiculous," Kaliyo muttered, the uniform larger and looser than she would have liked.

"No," Neo bit out. "I look ridiculous."

Kaliyo grinned. "You kinda do. I'm also hoping to watch you burst out of that thing. That would be entertaining…and enjoyable."

Neo rolled his eyes and they proceeded on foot. Not all the guards wore hats, but they all needed to, their faces stood out too much. With the hat bills pulled down low, few guards even looked their way. They strolled confidently through the palace doors as if they belonged there. Attitude played a big role in believability.

Kaliyo led them down a hall on the left of the reception room and then hooked another left before hopping the lift on the right. "This way," she motioned then onto the lift. "it's on level 2."

The security on level two was tighter, but their uniforms gave them the hesitation they needed to take down the first set of guards they came to. Annora shot a menacing glare at Kaliyo. "Your rifle doesn't even have a silencer?"

"What can I say? I like to make an entrance," Kaliyo quipped.

With a frown of irritation, she yanked open her a pouch hanging from her belt and withdrew her back-up silencer. She liked to keep one on hand in case one of hers started to go. She tossed it to the rattataki. "Use it- we've got company coming. Hopefully, not the whole damned floor."

"Is she always so bossy?" Kaliyo asked Neo with a smirk as she screwed on the silencer.

"Are you always so annoying?" he hissed back and raised his blaster to greet the guards that ran around the corner.

"Face it, big guy – I'm growing on you."

"Like mold, maybe…" he murmured under his breath.

"Follow me!" Kaliyo said as she jogged past the bodies, stepping on the last as she rounded the corner. "In here!"

They entered the room, weapons ready and took down the two guards before they could sound the alarm. "That's the console we need," Kaliyo told them, pointing to the large computer in the attached room.

"Annora, let's see what you can do with that spike." He followed her into the room, one eye on the door. After a couple of minutes, three guards walked in. "Company," he warned, his hand near his pistol.

Nohn looked at the three guards in the room, he was about to leave when a familiar face drew his attention. Not guards. Intruders. "So, Nem'ro's little servants are here to raid the archives. A pity. If you'd raided the armory instead, you might have survived."

"Does anything about him look little to you, Nohn?" Kaliyo quipped. "What brings you down here? Fa'athra finally order you to check out the shooting?"

"You misunderstand. While lowly thugs sapped your strength, I waited with these men – Fa'athra's elite." His gaze skittered uncertainly towards the blue giant and then back at a more familiar face. "Now, you are too weak to fight us."

Kaliyo folded her arms across her chest and cocked a hip. "I like that about you, Nohn. You only bet on a sure thing." How could shooting a blaster tire her out? Give her a sore trigger finger? It's not like she wielded the force. He always had been an idiot.

Neo laughed at the absurdity of his statement. "A sure thing…of all the…Even if my blaster was too tired to put up a fight, I don't need my blaster to squash you like a bug under my foot."

Nohn finally looked up at the blue giant and had to force his feet not to take a step back. "Master Blade, I presume?"

"You're smarter than you look, Nohn." Kaliyo looked up at Neo. "Nohn wanted me for himself when I got to Hutta. He couldn't afford me."

"Unfortunately, she refused to join Fa'athra – so now all three of you must die. I will make certain your heads are sent back to your homeworlds."

Annora released an impatient breath. "I thought you said he was smarter than he looked?" she shot at Kaliyo.

Kaliyo shrugged. "He was, for a moment, but then I blinked and saw the truth."

"Let me get this straight, little man. I've passed through dangerous swamps, fought through Fa'athra's army of thugs, invaded your palace and you think you are going to kill the Red Blade?" He took a threatening step towards small alien.

Nohn blinked as his brain ran through various outcomes, most of which ended in his death. "Perhaps I was a bit hasty in my choice of words. Perhaps I should have waited longer before striking. You do not appear to be weakened as much as I'd hoped." In fact, he did not appear weakened at all. "I…propose a deal. I will turn my back on this scene and depart the archives, and you will not shoot me on your way out. I will mention none of this to Fa'athra."

Kaliyo settled a hand on her hip. "Hmmm…considering who you are facing and his rather bloodthirsty reputation, it seems you're getting off light. And there was that game of pazaak we never finished…"

It would appear he needed to up the ante to walk out of this situation alive. "Ah, yes. I would…also be willing to transfer a sum of credits to your accounts. Old debts paid…and a symbol of my gratitude."

"Go while you can, little man. But you best do as you say…or I will find you," Neo warned.

When the guards left, Annora returned to the console. She knew what the Keeper wanted and for the most part, she would give him that. But she wasn't okay with wholesale slaughter. And if all of Fa'athra's contacts were on this disc, not for a moment did she think Nem'ro would let that go. The slimy Hutt would have a contract on each and every head. She tapped a hidden implant at her hairline near her temple and a holovisor slid out to cover one eye. She made a quick backup copy before she downloaded the program via the spike and quickly ran through the data's footage. Once she saw enough to implicate the republic, she flipped on her micro-terminal and ran a distortion program. It was a program she'd created. No one had access to it. Static followed by partial smeared and ripped images; the quality grew worse until nothing intelligible was left to see.

The rattatki leaned against the console. "Better hope your boss knows how to make a convincing forgery….of course, there's going to be a bloodbath once Nem'ro and Toth'lazhen see what's on the disc. If that disc really names all of Fa'athra's business partners, it probably identifies half the people in Jigunna alone. Merchants, gangsters, debtors," she said with a roll of her hand. "All the usual scum. When Nem'ro gets a hold of it, he'll want revenge on anyone who dared to work with Fa'athra. There will be bodies clogging up the gutters for weeks," she told the agent, studying his facial expressions. Impressive. The man gave nothing away.

"I'm surprised you care what Nem'ro does," he responded evenly.

"I don't. But I thought you might." The Red Blade certainly wouldn't have cared. But Neo wasn't the Blade, he was an intelligence operative. But she didn't know enough about agents to know if their morality was any better or worse than a ruthless pirate.

When the distorted download completed, she scrubbed the console of all data it had once contained. She withdrew the spike and dropped it back into a pouch on her belt. "That is not something we will need to worry about. We have enough viable data to show collaboration with the Republic, the rest is…a garbled mess." Neither of them needed to know she'd kept a backup copy; she would send it as well as details of what they were doing with Nem'ro to Lorianna Onasi. The SIS agent could decide what she wanted to do with that data. "Here," she said as she handed the disc over to Neo.

He nodded, and slipped it in a pouch on his belt. "I will imagine it will be easier to leave than it is to enter the palace. People don't tend to pay attention to someone leaving."

"That I learned a long time ago, big-guy. This is getting better and better. We're conning Intelligence and conning Nem'ro. Let's see how far we can ride this scam."

-BREAK FIVE-

They returned to the palace and he settled the flat of his hand at the base of Annora's spine. "Showtime, girls, we have a con to run and a Hutt to fleece."

Since Kaliyo was Nem'ro's enforcer, she stepped forward to announce the Red Blade when they reached the twi'lek. "The Red Blade claims to have something to show you."

Toth'lezhen slashed a hand at her in a dismissive and irritated gesture. "I do not have times for your games, rattataki. Leave us to our business." He looked up to meet the chiss' unnerving red eyes when the irritating rattataki backed off. Not that he would ever let the chiss know his eyes were unnerving. "What did you find? Did you learn the identity of Fa'athra's supporters?"

He pulled the disc from his pouch and handed it to the twi'lek. "I stole these recordings from Fa'athra's palace. I suspect they will tell you what you need to know." Or at least what the Empire needed them to know.

Toth'lezhen scanned through a few of the files. "These – these are Fa'athra's archives! All his bargains…his contracts are on this disc. A pity about the damage – but some of these recordings still function…" He pulled out his communicator and called the Hutt. "Mighty, Nem'ro! I have news Fa'athra's attack on the palace!"

"I saw, foolish Togh'lazhen," Nem'ro rumbled. "I know what happens in my palace, even when my mind is occupied. So! Fa'athra is allied with the Republic and has employed Republic men to fight my clan. If Fa'athra alliances then we will make alliance and grow stronger!"

Toth'lazhen looked back up at the giant. "In return for your assistance, Blade, generous payment will be transferred to your account."

Nemro wiggled his mass around to better see the pirate. "Yes, you have done well by my house. You will be rewarded."

"Now, be on your way," Toth'lazhen told the pirate. "Nem'ro and I have much to discuss."

"Much to discuss," Nem'ro agreed. "And revenge to plot."

Neo returned his hand to Annora's back. "Come, Sola. We are done here."

In the week that followed, they enjoyed Nem'ro's hospitality while they waited to hear back from Keeper. They had to wait out the negotiations between the Hutt and the Empire. His mission was not complete until the alliance was cemented. During that week, they saw Kaliyo only in passing, which was fine with them. A little of Kaliyo went a long way. They were both eager to be on their way and with luck, leave Kaliyo behind on Hutta.

Not long after a satisfying lunch, their door chimed. Annora looked at the holofeed. "It's Kaliyo."

He motioned with his hand for her to proceed. "You might as well let her in, I'm sure she'll find a way to make our lives miserable if we don't."

"I was sent a message telling me to go to your room – not that I wasn't in the middle of something."

His communicator chimed. "I doubt that is a coincidence. He beamed the frequency to the large holo-display in the corner of his room. Keeper appeared on the screen.

"Nem'ro has already reached out to several Imperial embassies, seeking relations. He'll be eating out of our hands within the month. In the short term, our chemical and stimulant stockpiles will nearly double. In the long term, we're a step closer to bringing all of Hutta under Imperial control. I'll make a full report to Darth Jadus shortly. I expect he will be very pleased with our work. Your mission is now complete. Take your shuttle to Dromund Kaas. Once you've arrived on planet, report to Imperial Intelligence headquarters in the Citadel. I'll debrief you there."

"Acknowledged, Keeper."

"Kaliyo – you will also report to Dromund Kaas. I assume Nem'ro won't be surprised by your sudden disappearance?"

"Oh, he'll be hurt – but no one'll be surprised that I left with the Blade."

"Right," Garrett responded. "He's certainly not the first employer you've walked out on."

"Well, then…at least we will not be surprised…" Neo grumbled.

"Quite so," Garrett cut him off. "In any case, I expect to see you both soon. Keeper out."

"Well, this is it. Pack up, Kaliyo. We'll meet you at the shuttle."

Her gaze slid from Neo to Annora and back to Neo. "Don't keep me waiting."

With their bags packed, they dropped their speeders off at the rental lot and hoofed it to the spaceport. "Would it be too much to hope that we don't have to return here?" Neo asked Annora with a half-grin on his face.

"Probably, I -"

His communicator chimed, interrupting whatever she was going to say. He removed it from his belt and flipped it on. They were both surprised to see Jheeg's holo.

"This is Jheeg – I made you into Red Blade, yes? Very little time to talk, very bad news."

He glanced at Annora, who shrugged. Perhaps the arcona was over exaggerating. "What is bad?"

"Blade – the real Blade – is here. Very unexpected, very sudden. Just requested to land at spaceport. Kill Blade quickly in shuttle bay, no one knows."

"Good to know," he told the arcona.

"Yes. I have warned you. Done my part. Good luck. Goodbye. Tell your handler that Jheeg serves well."

The hollow shut down and he reattached it to his belt. "Well, looks like we have one more loose end to tie up, before Nem'ro learns the truth," he said when Jheeg sent him the shuttle bay the Blade was landing at.

Neo wasn't really surprised to find out the Red Blade was as large as he was. The pirate wore heavy grey and red armor with a massive, tusked helmet in place.

"You're the one who killed my men – the pretender who wants to be the Blade. At least you aren't a total embarrassment. You're bigger than I thought you'd be. But showing your face? The Blade never shows his face," the Blade informed him.

What was he even talking about? "What men? I've killed a lot of men."

"I sent some thugs to raid your room. Since I never heard back, I assume you dealt with them. They wouldn't have the balls to betray me. I'm the Red Blade – you worm – the real Red Blade. And you've got one chance to explain yourself before I burn a hole through your head."

Neo pursed his lips and nodded. "Well, that changes things. I heard the Red Blade was dead. I only wanted to carry on your legacy," Neo told him." If he could get the man to get right back on the shuttle and leave, maybe he wouldn't have to kill him. Annora would certainly appreciate that.

The Blade studied the chiss for a moment. There was something earnest in his face. Either he was a hell of a liar or he was serious. And if he was trying to honor the legacy of the Blade, that touched him. It changed nothing, but it touched him. "You know? I can actually believe that. I'll tell you what, kid…take this weapon," he said as he handed the kid a rifle. "It's yours. I still have to kill you – I'm not ready to retire. If you'd waited a few years to pull this shit…but you didn't. At least you get the chance to die as one of the Blades."

Neo took the rifle handed to him and snapped it to his back next to his sniper. What had he meant by one of the Blades? Was there some king of Blade gang? "For both our sakes, get back in the shuttle and let us both forget about this. Neither one of us has to die over a mistake."

"Sorry, kid. It's nothing personal. There can be only one and I'm not ready to retire. Since you've shown your face, I have to set the record straight and expose you as a fraud. The Blade never shows his face. I'll try to make this painless – but no promises." He took a few steps back from the chiss, his hand hovering over his weapon.

Neo waved Annora off. This was his fight. He considered using the gun the Blade gave him, but he wasn't even sure it worked. A dual was not the place to test the truth of it. He quickly scanned the armor, noting a glaring week spot – if he could get the Blade to look up even the smallest bit. The front of the helmet, below the jawbone, the neck area was made of bendable material. He fisted one hand and drew it up and made a high throwing motion. The Blade took his eyes of him for just a moment to look up instinctively and he whipped his blaster off his mag belt and fired.

The Blade took a stumbling step backwards, his hand rose to his neck and he wavered a moment before toppling over like large tree, the clank of armor hitting the bay's floor was nearly deafening. The battle was over before it started. But it had to be. They couldn't risk a shootout that would draw attention.

"Help me remove his armor. If this armor is known, and I suspect that it is, then if they don't find me dead in that armor, they will know something is up."

She had hoped he wouldn't figure that out. That would have been one way she could helped the Republic, by having Nem'ro second guess what happened. But it was out of her hands now. "Let's make this quick."

They worked efficiently to remove the armor. "He was a zabrak," Neo murmured. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but species didn't matter - he was just thankful the man was of a similar size. "Look for cameras – take care of them, while I become the Red Blade." He did not want to keep this persona up, though he would have preferred to have kept the armor in the event he was ever assigned to be the Blade again. But it was large and bulky and certainly would not fit in their bags. Shipping it would work. "I need to go to the packaging center in the spaceport to ship out this armor."

What he really wanted to do was stuff Kaliyo in a box and ship her out of his life. But that was just wishful thinking. Whether he liked it or not, she would be staying until Keeper said otherwise. So, he would put on his best game face and pretend that he was stating to like her. If anything, it would keep the peace. And he had a very good game face. Only Annora had ever been able to read it.

With Neo back in plainclothes and the package on its way to an anonymous postal locker they boarded the shuttle, content to be away from Hutta.

The shuttle met up with The Harbinger and from there, they traveled to Dromund Kaas in comfortably moderate style. While the ship was of decent size, he was still aggravated that he could not steer clear of Kaliyo. The rattataki was everywhere they went. On purpose? That he didn't know. But for now, he had to play nice because the Keeper wanted him to work with the woman. Playing nice required him to "act" almost all the time. It was Annora that kept him grounded when his nerves started to fray. She always knew when it was time to spend a bit of 'girl' time with Kaliyo. And he greatly appreciated her gesture.

Finally, and in no time too soon, The Harbinger docked at the Dromund Kaas Spaceport. They rented a taxi to get to the Intelligence Headquarters in Kaas City. It rained a lot on Dromund Kaas and the weather did not disappoint. Well, it did…the sun would have been welcomed, but it was weather as usual here. Lucky them. Thankfully, parking was covered at the headquarters, so they did not have to arrive looking like drenched swamp rats.

-BREAK SIX-

Sith Intelligence on Dromund Kaas was impeccable as every other Intelligence office. Agents in disfavor would often find themselves on clean up detail. That is not a place he ever wanted to be. He glanced over at Annora when he saw a man, obviously sith, talking with Keeper. Darth Jadus, he presumed. This was going to be fun. While he did his job well, he was not a very good "yes-man". He fulfilled his mission his way, not necessarily as he was instructed to do. He released a slow breath and slid on the dutiful agent mask. He had to look at it as just another "acting" assignment.

Men in masks…over-compensation for what is lacking? Or hiding so no one is aware of his true identity. He could not begin to fathom a sith's mind. That was just as well. All they seemed to care about is drama and stabbing each other in the back. The Empire and Republic would be better off if the jedi and sith killed each other off instead of trying to control everyone else.

"This is not your domain, Keeper. It is mine. It has always been mine," Darth Jadus grumbled to Keeper.

"Of course, my lord," Garrett replied with the barest nod of his head. He had hoped to have Jadus gone before Neo arrived, but luck had not been in his favor when he received the brief alert of his agent's arrival. Neo was too good of an agent to be wasted on sith politics. His lips firmed as he tried his best to will the sith to go.

Jadus slowly rose his arms up an outward to encompass everything around him. "All you have here, all you hope to control – it falls apart as easily as a human life. An hour ago, the Minister of Intelligence dropped to his knees and wept before me. You would do so too, if not for fear of being humiliated."

Neo blinked twice and forced his eyes not to roll. Sith posturing left a lot to be desired. He heard a slight cough from Kaliyo's scoff. He shot her a brief, hard look. The actions of one could affect them all when it came to a moody sith.

Garrett slipped his hands behind his back. "Your dissatisfaction is clear, my lord. It will be remedied. Now…I am asking you, humbly, to leave. So that I may resume my duties."

Jadus held up a hand and waved it negligibly. "I will leave my domain at the moment of my choosing, Keeper." Only then did he give his attention over to the three arrivals he'd sensed. His gaze settled on the larger sith. "You, agent. You were the one sent to Hutta. Is that correct?"

"It is," Neo responded, clipped and formal.

Jadus flourished a hand to his chest. "I am Darth Jadus. You served me well in your dealings with Nem'ro. You will serve me well again."

Acting…acting…acting….he reminded himself. "What did you have in mind, my lord?" Sith did not have the nobility required to be a noble lord. Calling some uncouth bully 'lord' rankled him.

Yes, he will do nicely. "All will become clear in time, agent." Jadus turned his attention back to Keeper. "Keeper -you will use this one," he pointed in the large chiss' direction. "He will complete the assignment as I have instructed."

This simply wouldn't do. Garrett straightened his slim shoulders. "He's quite capable, my lord, but he lacks experience. A more seasoned agent -"

Even better. Skilled, but still naive. "I have made my decision." Jadus told the Keeper in no uncertain terms. No mundane little human knew more than he did. That was preposterous. "I wish the situation resolved before I leave Dromund Kaas. See to it that my will is done."

Garret gave a brief incline of his head. "Very well. I'll make arrangements." He frowned as he watched the sith walk away. That could have gone better. "Neo," he said as he swung his head around to look up at the chiss. "Congratulations. You've made a friend on the Dark Council. I don't envy you."

"Nor do I," he mumbled, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

One corner of Garrett's lips twitched. "I imagine not. But there's nothing to be done about it now. Even hearing you were a novice agent did now sway him."

"Novice…" He was hardly a novice agent, but he appreciated what the Keeper had tried to do. "Thank you for…"

"Yes, well…" he cut the chiss off. "It did not work as intended." Garrett cleared his throat. "I want you outfitted and ready to leave as soon as possible. Grab any equipment you need from the lockers and meet me in my office. Once we are through with your debriefing, we will discuss your next mission." His gaze moved to the rattataki. "Kaliyo? Wait outside, please. One of the Watchers will handle your debriefing."

He inclined his head to the Keeper and abruptly turned towards where the lockers should be, not catching Kaliyo's response to the Keeper and not caring. His lips twitched when he saw the lockers where he expected them to be. Having almost every Intelligence building designed the same did scream efficiency. He spotted his number on one of the lockers and a brief retinal scan popped open the door. There were several vials of slv-16 serum within. Interesting. He slipped the vials into a discreet pouch on his belt. "Come," he said to Annora, quickly pulling his arm back when he held it out to her. He stiffened at his slip. "Let's see what our next mission will be."

Annora was pleased he remembered himself. There public relationship, when not on assignment, was as associates, perhaps friends, but nothing more. Nor could they ever show how close they were, that would allow for manipulation, even within Intelligence. "Hope it's better than Hutta."

"Could it get worse?" he quipped as he turned a corner.

She grunted softly and shot a sidelong glance at him, her eyebrow cocked. "Wish I could forget that mined out asteroid as easily as you."

His footsteps stuttered before he caught himself. He'd forgotten all about DR-47. He and Annora had joked that the DR stood for Dead Rock. They'd dropped into an underworld hell. Faulty shielding allowed temps to fall to deadly levels in areas, along with pockets of no recycled, artificial atmosphere. All to find one contact - that had already died in said hell before they even arrived. "I stand corrected. Nothing is worse than Dead Rock."

"Dead Rock?" Garrett asked as he turned to face the duo that entered his office.

"DR-47," he told the Keeper.

Kaliyo cackled. "Can't believe you ever landed on that dump! I've been to some pretty seedy places, but I have never been to that asteroid. Lost a buddy on DR….Dead Rock…." She nodded, her smile growing. "Can't wait to spread the new name."

When the door to his office slid shut, Keeper nodded. "So, I've been reviewing the report of your activities on Hutta. You were busier than I'd expected. You were extremely effective in your mission. However, you went out of your way to avoid violence. You were not sent to Hutta for missions of mercy."

"Nor was I sent there for a massacre, Keeper. I played to my strengths: distraction, manipulation, stealth and successfully executed my mission without blowing my cover. Why do you have issue with how I perform my duty now?" Neo inquired, slipping his hands behind his back.

Garrett absently rubbed his chin. "I do not, Neo. You have not disappointed me thus far and I do not expect you to. You are one of the finest agents I've seen. It was Darth Jadus that felt you were soft on Hutta. Then again," he murmured, "it did not stop him from seeking you out." He gave a slight wave of his hand before Neo could say more. "As to your next assignment: One of the mandates of our organization is to eliminate dissidents and terrorists within the Empire. We've located one cell of radicals here in the capital, working towards the violent overthrow of our government. We must know precisely what the terrorists plan."

"Have we found anything more out about them? Their goals?" Neo inquired.

"Very little," Gerrett said with a shake of his head. "They're unsatisfied with Imperial policies, but they're not anarchists or Republic stooges – at least so far as we know. We've intercepted chatter suggesting the radicals are planning a major attack soon, but we've only identified a handful of cell members. You will investigate the cell and obtain its plans."

"With all due respect, Keeper. I'm Chiss." He waved his hand between himself and Annora. "We are chiss. Wouldn't a human be better off on this assignment?"

"You are the best agent we have, Neo. Besides, the Ascendancy might work with us, but their politics differ from our own. You will likely be met with less suspicion than you believe. Regardless, you two will not be alone for this mission. You will have two other operatives assisting you and full support from the Citadel."

"Who will we be working with?" He asked.

Garrett depressed the intercom on his desk. "Watcher Two? Please come to my office and bring Kaliyo Djannis with you.

"Watcher Two, huh?" Kaliyo snorted as they entered the office. "That's a pretty name, is it twi'lek?"

Shara stiffened her spine. "It's basic," she asked, barely able to glance at the alien. "Unlike many civilizations, the Empire teaches its children how to count." She looked up at the Keeper. "Watcher Two reporting, sir."

Garrett inclined his head to her. "Kaliyo will be your aide in the field. She'll report to you and take your orders…since you seem able to handle her."

Kaliyo smirked. "I'm making you look good, Neo. You should be grateful."

Garrett stepped in before Kaliyo could say anything further. "Watcher Two will be your liaison to base. She'll stay in contact remotely and provide you will mission details."

Shara looked up at the very tall chiss. He was rather attractive…for an alien. "I've heard a lot about your species. Your unique skills should complement the team well."

His gaze briefly darted to Annora who seemed just as perplexed as he did. "Er…thank you."

"Watcher Two is one of our finest analysts," Garrett assured Neo. "She is a success from the government eugenics programs. Her brain is faster than most computers."

That was interesting, though he wasn't sure if Watcher Two was going to prove more beneficial than problematic. He and Annora had their own ways of doing things. Now, more than ever, they would have to ensure their transmissions to each other remain private.

"Thank you, Keeper," Watcher Two replied with a brief nod of her head. "Our primary lead on the radicals is at the site of the slave rebellion beyond Kaas City. You've been outfitted with the necessary equipment already; once you're in the field, signal me via holocommunicator and I'll brief you in full."

His arms fell from behind his back to his side. "We'll head out immediately."

"Remember, you're not undercover," Garrett told him. "Identify yourself as an Intelligence officer if you need to – use the fear that it creates. You're on Imperial soil now, Neo. Welcome home."

Indeed. It had been awhile since he could just be himself. At times, it was hard to hard to remember who he really was. There wasn't often a lot of down time between missions. Even in ships between missions they were "practicing" their upcoming identities. This could prove interesting.

They hopped speeders to the nearest navpoint and found a secluded spot behind a makeshift tent. He stepped behind the tent and signaled Watcher Two that he was ready to receive her holo. A moment later, his holo chimed.

"Watcher Two here. I'm receiving your signal. Mapping your location now. Glad you mad it through the jungle safely, agent. Ready to work?"

The jungle. All manner of beasts on two legs and four. They'd gone offroad a couple of times to go around animals none of them wanted to tangle with. There was no need to kill innocent animals, if it could be avoided. "Of course, but you may call me Neo," he told her.

"I must decline. I do not allow myself get close to agents. They are prone to…die." She cleared her throat, her lips tightening.

Wonderful, that. "That's a cheery thought. But we can talk more about that later. I'm awaiting the details."

"You may have noticed the chaos out there. There's a slave rebellion going on, and you're heading into the middle of it. Our analyst charged with monitoring the rebellion is with me. His name is Lodenth Kashar – he can fill you in on the details."

He was surprised to see a Duros face he recognized.

"it is pleasing to see you again," Lodenth told the chiss, his pursed lips not quite able to pull off a smile. "I will do my best to meet expectations; I have been observing the revolting slaves and believe my knowledge may be useful. This rebellion began several months ago. The slaves- many of them aliens – were being used for construction, but they began fighting for freedom. They are now organized and armed. Their camp is entrenched around the construction site. So far, they have held up under siege."

Shara cut the duros' com. "Imperial Intelligence is leaving concerns about the rebellion itself to the military. You're here for a specific slave -an alien named Jurithus."

"I will extract him, what's his story?" Neo inquired.

"Jurithus was once owned by an anti-government radical who used slaves to carry messages to like-minded dissidents."

Lodenth caught the nod from Watcher Two and the connection turned to him. "My analysis suggests Jurithus kept copies of those messages encoded in his native language. You will need to interrogate the slave leaders to find him."

Why hadn't they gotten what the needed from the master already? "Haven't we questioned the slave's former master?"

"He's gone," Shara responded. "Dead at the hands of an overenthusiastic agent. That's why Minder 4 is no longer with us."

"You were supplied at base with a medical kit," Lodenth explained. "And a syringe along with vials of SLV-16 serum. You mus incapacitate a slave leader. Inject him with the serum. He will awaken in a suggestible state and he will tell you where Jurithus is."

In the past, he never really thought about slaves. It is said they were better off as slaves, then to be without food in their bellies and roofs over their heads. But he wasn't sure that he would prefer to be a slave than poor and destitute. However, he'd never been in dire straits. So how could he know what he would truly feel? He was torn. A part of him wanted the slaves to return home, where they'd be taken care of and another part of him hoped they found their freedom to live and die as they wanted. "One way or the other, he will talk."

"I will keep the channel open," Lodenth replied. "As soon you obtain Jurithus' messages, I will download them and begin translating."

"Another reason why it's useful to have aliens on staff," Shara responded, her lips almost stretching into a small smile. "In any case, good luck."

The human could not be any more prejudiced if she tried. He pursed his blue lips. "Thank you, Watcher Two. I'm glad you find us aliens useful to have around."

Her lips rounded as a soft "Oh.." slipped through them. She blinked twice. "Of course…I didn't mean to offend." She never really thought about what she said before. No one had called her out on her choice of words before. No matter, handsome or not…good agent or not…he was still an alien and she had best remember that. "You should find your targets inside the camp. This is the only way we can learn what the radicals are planning. Time's running out, agent." She cut the feed and drummed her fingers on her desk.

"Well, ladies," he said dryly. "We aliens have a job to do."

Kaliyo shook her head. This rebellion could have had such potential. "There's what, a couple thousand slaves here? If they had any brass, they wouldn't have waited until the statue was half-built to start shooting. They deserve what they get."

Annora frowned at Kaliyo's utter lack of sympathy and narrowmindedness. "Kaliyo – we cannot know their situation or how long it took them to gather the man power and weapons they needed. Attacking before they were prepared would have been suicide."

"Whatever…" Kaliyo grumbled under her breath. Miss goody two-shoes seemed to like tossing her unwanted opinion about. Talk about a real stick in the mud. Sometimes it was better to just let the woman flap her lips until she was blue in the face. Ha! Maybe that's why she was blue. She snorted back a laugh. At least Neo's stick wasn't dug quite so deep. And she sure as hell wouldn't mind wrapping her legs around that blue mountain. The man was hung like a bantha. Yum…

From the Imperial post, they crossed a bridge. Dead bodies strewed down its length. Many of them appeared to be slaves. Despite his glaring dress whites, very few slaves stepped out in their path. He wasn't sure if they were afraid or if the path they'd chosen was not well-guarded.

Once they'd reached the compound the slaves had taken over, there was greater resistance. Some chose to fight, some ducked away - probably to fight another day…or perhaps set a trap. With their sound-filtered weapons, they made very little noise as they cut a path through to the compound. They stopped long enough to draw bodies into the shade as they continued onward. No need to announce their presence. It wasn't their mission to take down the slave revolt – he wasn't sure that was a mission he would even want.

With a nod to the two women he pulled out a flasher. When they grabbed their grenades as well, all three lobbed them into the main room to knock out visibility for most of the slaves. The flash-bang grenade would give them a few seconds to grab the slave leader. Thanks to the insignia on the slave's uniform, it gave his status away. Honorable…but not smart.

He darted into the room and pressed the injector gun against the blinded man's neck while Annora saw to the locking of the door. Getting out might be more interesting.

Johnson grabbed his head as his world spun memoires like a kaleidoscope. "I'm running…chest hurts…something's on my head." Memories spiraled. "Rain's coming down. Everything's sinking into the ground…" His feet stumbled, trying to maintain balance.

Kaliyo laughed softly. "Stuff's potent. Haven't seen anyone zoned out like that since Nar Shaddaa."

His body tremored, but he was so turned around that he didn't know how to find the floor to sit down. 'I thin – I think I know you. But I…I don't remember anything. I don't …I don't know what you want, everything hurts. Everything's spinning. Upside down…inside-out." He shook his head in his tightly gripping hands. "I don't know what to do with my head. Please tell me."

"Help me find Jurithus and I will do what I can to help you," Neo told him.

"Jurithus? Gone. Days gone. It all goes so slowly. Jurithus burns and starts to look like our colossus. Incomplete…" He shook his head, but couldn't clear it. "He died fighting…in the jungle. I don't remember why we were fighting. Dead. Died. Gone…"

Well that was not what he wanted to hear. But perhaps there was still something that could help with his mission. "Do you know where he kept his belongings? A datapad – anything."

Johsnon swayed backwards, his back hitting a wall. A small comfort in a world gone crazy. "He – he kept his old life on him. Stange life. Stange datapads – he thought they were valuable. He died with Sathun, and Rennith, and Avoira. All aliens. Not blue like you. All friends. All fighting…fighting beside the foot of the statue. Still there. Dead…died…gone. If the beasts haven't eaten him."

Neo smiled and gently patted the man's shoulder. "Thank you for your help."

"Don't….leave me. What should I think of now? I don't know what to do with my head...I don't know…"

"Shhh….close your eyes and you will feel better in a moment," Neo told him. When the human's eyes closed, he pulled back his arm and let his fist fly. If the slave leader wasn't already against the wall, he'd have slammed into it by the force of the blow. As it was, his head jerked to the right and he toppled over, out cold. "Sorry, but you're going to feel that in the morn, but at least your mind will be your own when you wake up," he murmured to the downed human.

"Really?" Kaliyo snorted. "Do you always talk to the people you knock out?"

He shrugged. "Most of the time," he admitted.

"You're a strange one, Neo. But I like strange." She looked back down at the human. "You took his dignity and then sucker-punched him a good one. Wouldn't want to be him when he wakes up."

"Me either," Neo muttered. He hoped he never found himself in that man's position. "Kaliyo, grab my belt and don't let go. Annora and I will each toss a flasher out the door when it opens. You toss a smoker. We have films that allow us to see through smoke and gas. If you hang onto me, we'll all get out."

She pulled a smoker off her belt and then slipped her fingers around his belt. "Next time you ask me to grab your belt…turn around and make things far more interesting for the both of us. Not that you don't have a nice -"

"Kaliyo!" Annora hissed.

"Alright…alright…I'm ready. Geesh…" Kaliyo groused.

As Annora released the lock and the door just started to open, she tossed a flasher into the crowd. Before the door was half-way open, he tossed his. A moment later Kaliyo tossed her smoker and the crowd stumbled blindly backwards, choking on the choking on the thick, hazy gas.

They darted out of the building and up a small incline, moving from one large stone cropping to another, using shadows to cover their retreat. The base of the statue was not very far away. Closer to the statue, they ran into more resistance, most choosing to fight and dying for their trouble. They tossed the bodies onto a pile of burning crates. Better than the dead bodies causing disease to spread. While he was doing that, the women were looking through corpses.

"Neo!" Annora said, barely raising her voice. "I found something."

He hurried over to the rodian's body. Hmm…he thought he'd be bigger. She handed him the datapad and he uploaded the data. A moment later, his holo-communicator chimed. He slipped further into the shadows before answering.

"Lodenth Kashar speaking. I have downloaded all the files attached to the datapad. Watcher Two has authorized me to translate the contents. It will take time, but I am already accessing names and locations. The time is yours for now. We will alert you when you can proceed with the mission. Lodenth out."

-BREAK SEVEN-

For the next three days, they explored the restaurants, museums and other points of interest at Kaas City. Well, he and Annora did. He didn't have a clue how Kaliyo was spending her days, but it was a relief not to have her tagging along like unwanted baggage. The only downside, there was not a lot to explore in Kaas City. Even the restaurants cuisine was bland and boring. Maybe he'd spent too much time outside Imperial space and no longer enjoyed the refined Imperial palate. That being said, they were in the middle of a late lunch at Tobrani's when Kaliyo pulled a chair up to their table and plopped down.

She grabbed a piece of what looked to be some sort of meat off Neo's plate and popped it in her mouth and promptly spit it out onto the floor next to her. "How can you eat that swill?"

"You have the manners of a sewer rat," Annora grumbled as she scooped up the masticated mess with her linen napkin and set it on the table.

Kaliyo crossed her arms over her chest. "At least I'm not eating one."

"Why are you here?" Neo asked briskly. "You've done your best to avoid us up until now." Thank the stars.

She smirked and pursed her lips. "Did you miss me, handsome? You know where I sleep…." Her words trailed off into a husky purr.

Before Neo could respond, his holo-communicator chimed. He pulled it from his belt and flipped it on. Keeper, neat and unflappable as ever, popped up on holo.

"You are being pulled off the mission as of today and are to report to Darth Jadus' office immediately. You know what Jadus is like, Neo. You would do best to treat him with respect when you speak with him."

"Charming," Kaliyo quipped with dry sarcasm when the communication cut off. "Someone really should pull the stick out of his ass." Her gaze slid to the mountainous chiss with impressive arms. "I bet -"

Neo held his hand out to halt Kaliyo's words. "Not today," he told her as he rose from the table.

They took a taxi to their destination and entered the sith headquarters. A soldier explained where Jadus could be found, without the slightest movement. With his helmet on, Neo wasn't even sure if the man's lips had moved. Without a backwards glance, they followed his directions. The second soldier, standing in front of Jadus' office suite, merely pointed.

A robed guard stepped forward to block the trio from entering his master's office. "Only the agent may enter. The master has not requested their presence."

"Shame I have to miss out on a boring meeting. You have fun with that, agent." Kaliyo grinned and winked at Neo and then strolled out the door.

"I'll join you momentarily, Annora." He didn't like her being in the Sith Sanctum without him, but he knew she could take care of herself. As much…if not more so, than most against a sith.

"Come," Jadus commanded. Bored with their personal interactions. His time was too important for such trivial sentiment. "Stand before me and revel in the power of the Dark Council."

Neo inhaled silently, slipping himself into acting mode. Sanctimonious sith were little more than a pain that must be endured. He approached the sith lord.

"Allow your body to betray you. Allow your blood to boil and your heart to slow. Everything that is not of the dark side will be purged – or it will be tainted."

Did the lunatic truly think that he had the power to taint and turn everyone evil around him?

"This is inoculation, agent. This is a sacred rite. You are privileged."

So, his presence is an inoculation against all things good? His bit the inside of his cheek to keep the grin off his face. All sith were alike with their narcissistic delusions of grandeur. He inclined his head. "It is an honor, my lord."

"It has been earned. This is your due reward. You proved yourself outmaneuvering the Hutts. Now I choose you to exterminate the dissidents who would destroy our way of life." Jadus tilted his head as he studied the agent. "I sense your uncertainty – you wonder why I involve myself in this affair, why I take an interest in you and Imperial Intelligence. Many in the Dark Council hold themselves above the mundane business of the Empire. I believe this to be a mistake. No, we must spread the ways of the Sith to the Empire entire – plant terror and hatred in every heart. I believe in the democratization of fear. But these dissidents threaten all progress. Left unchecked, they would reduce our world to ash and raise nothing in its place." Fools! They are all fools. Only HE knew the way. And HE would enlighten them all. "The dissidents want what children want – unlimited freedom without responsibility. This makes them no less dangerous. Do not underestimate our enemies, agent. They are powerful and there are those who would sympathize with them. People at the highest level of government. I chose you for the assignment not only because of your paste successes, but because you are relatively new to your organization. Your loyalty is uncompromised. Do you understand?" He didn't bother to wait for an answer. Any answer would be inconsequential. "Serve your Empire. Watch those around you and trust no one. I will leave Dromund Kaas soon aboard the starship Dominator. I will travel with a thousand dignitaries, diplomats and slaves. I will show them the galaxy as I envision it. When I return, I expect the dissidents to have been purged. Kneel before me now and I will ensure that you have the means to succeed.

Like all sith, he was a pompous, arrogant windbag that thought he knew everything. With little more than a tightening of his jaw, Neo lowered himself to one knee; his gaze dropping to the floor to hide anything that might betray his feelings. "I kneel before you, my lord."

They all paid homage to him. The agent was no different. His thin lips tightened into a smug grin under his mask. "I have remade the pitiful creatures around you into my image," he said with a wave of his hand to the cybernetically enhanced men that surrounded him. "So shall I remake you into the vessel for my power. Now rise, go from here and return to your duties."

Neo rose, nearly eye level to the large sith. The darth was utterly insane. "I've learned a great deal. Thank you for the audience."

"Heed my words. Remember that you walk the path to power – and remember that I am eternal."

And so, he was dismissed. That was all fine and dandy, he'd heard more than enough bluster for the day. Anorra and Kaliyo was waiting for him when he left Jadus' office. He gave them a brief update as they exited the Sith Sanctum.

"Point me to those dissidents so I can get wing-bat out of my life," Kaliyo muttered. She did not need or want a sith anywhere near her business. Agents were supposed to be under the radar and that's just the way she liked it…most days."

Annora's lips tightened, wondering what the Empire might have been if it wasn't controlled by insane, power-hungry sith. "It's not that simple with sith. If we do not perform as expected, we'll be killed. If we perform as expected, they will continue to use us until we are no longer useful to them."

"Let me guess – and then they will kill us?"

"That's possible, Kaliyo, though I'm damned sure not one of intends to be an easy target," Annora assured her, in as much as anyone can ensure anything in regards to the sith.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to anyone." While Neo would love to see Kaliyo gone from his life, the Keeper had made her his responsibility. That meant he had to keep her safe. "We'll play Jadus' game for now – but I have a way with problems. They tend to go away when the time is right."

Conning Imperial Intelligence was one thing, but conning a sith…that was three kinds of crazy. Hmmm….now that sounded like fun. A grin spread over Kaliyo's lips. "I like the way you thing, Agent."

Neo's micro-terminal chimed and he glanced over the message. "I'm to comm Watcher Two when we arrive at the Nexus Room cantina."

They took a taxi back to the Nexus Room in central Kaas City.

Kaliyo slowed her steps and scanned the room as she entered the cantina. "Knew a guy who went to a sith party once. He was the entertainment. He came back…wrong. Had to put him down. This place is three kinds of messed up."

"My status will likely keep us from becoming entertainment," he told her.

"Likely? Thanks for the comfort, big guy," Kaliyo frowned, "but I think I'd find more comfort in a cold glass of knock me on my ass. What's a girl gotta do to get a drink in this joint?"

A cleansing breath slipped from his lips and he pulled his communicator off his belt and commed Watcher Two.

"This is Watcher Two. Signal established. I've tapped into the cantina holocams, agent. I can see you from six different angles. We're ready to go."

"Give me the rundown."

"So…Theivor Mindak is a genius inventor and entrepreneur working with the radicals. Unfortunately, Theovor is being sheltered by the Sith Lord Grathan. Grathan turns a blind eye to Theover's affiliations in exchange for weapon designs."

"I am to assume there is a reason you chose to have me contact you in the cantina? Am I to speak to someone here?" he inquired.

"Dealing with Grathan directly isn't an option. He's involved in a power struggle with the other Dark Lords – in essence, he's gone rogue. However, Grathan's daughter, Samara, frequents this cantina. She has access to Theovor's workshop in Grathan's estate," Shara explained to him.

"I'll talk to her. What's her profile?"

"Samara Mindak is rich, young and willing to flaunt her advantages. She's popular with the Kaas City elite, but hardly beloved – no meaningful connections or reputation. Our profile suggests she'll cooperate if given incentives. I've located her in a private lounge – sending you the navpoint; it's up to you how to handle her."

"She won't be a problem," he assured.

"Once Samara's told you how to reach her father's workshop, head to Lord Grathan's estate. Send us anything you find on Theovor's computers."

He inclined his head. "Consider it done."

"Go," Shara told him. "I'll be watching."

"She's upstairs," he informed the others and led them to the lift on the right of the cantina. There were seven private lounges upstairs. Hers was the second door on the right. It would seem they caught her. They arrived just in time to watch her berate one of the partygoers.

"She's a brat," Kaliyo smirked, "but she's got spirit. Want to break it?"

He knew the moment he caught her eye and his race probably had nothing to do with it. No, it was his size that never failed to draw attention.

Samara slowly approached the largest chiss she'd ever seen before. Handsome too. Perhaps he would not bore her. "And look at you. Enjoying yourself? It's not the worst party I've ever been to…but it needs improvement, you know?"

His lips pulled up into a slow smile. "I know what you mean – but things are looking up now."

She grinned at his response to her and patted her hair. "I get that a lot. Not usually from guys like you, though – military guys, I mean. You are military, right? You have that look about you." She didn't give him time to answer, she really didn't care. "Not a lot of aliens walk in here without a chaperone – I figure you've got to be very special." And special was intriguing. Not to mention, he has such pretty blue skin and his eyes sent shivers down her spine. Nice, indeed.

If she were alone, he'd probably schmooze her as far as he could – without crossing the line. Doesn't usually take much to get them to talk, especially if they are attracted to him. But she wasn't alone, so he would blend truth with sweet talk. "I can see that you are a woman aware of what is going on around her. I'm impressed. You were very close in your supposition. I'm with Imperial Intelligence."

Oooh…now that was exciting! She primped and posed, flexing her muscles in exaggerated movements. "Mmm…I see….You going to make me mysteriously disappear?" she teased.

Obenth's mouth dropped open in stunned surprise. Samara had no common sense at all. "Samara – be careful. You need to take this seriously -"

Samara shot a cold glare at her companion. How dare he interfere with her fun. "Shut up, Obenth. I said I'm done with you." Her smile returned when she returned her attention to the chiss mountain. "So tell me – how can I serve the Empire?"

He lowered his voice and looked at her intently. "I came looking for a dangerous man – but I suspect you are much better company."

Mmm…maybe her night was about to get much better. "Ohh…forward – I like that." Her gaze slid down…bigger was better. But she didn't kid herself. The chiss hadn't walked into her lounge for a hook up. "My dad doesn't approve of military guys – says it's hard to know what they're really after."

"Then I shall be up front. Theovor doesn't approve of anyone in the government. That's why I need to see him."

She wished he'd have flirted a bit longer…but she'd had to open her mouth and ruin their fun. She sighed dramatically. "Dad's working for Lord Grathan these days – creepy guy. Anyway, if you want to talk to Theovor, not sure what I can do. He isn't seeing a lot of visitors."

"That is where your help comes in. What would you want in return?"

If she couldn't get him into bed…then maybe he had other uses. "My father's inventions made us rich. So, I don't want that taken away – no government seizures, okay? I want all his credits and all his property transferred to my accounts. Seem like a good deal?"

He pulled his communicator of his belt and flipped it on. "Watcher Two – can we accommodate her?"

Shara looked from the agent to Miss Mindak. "If the information pans out, we'll give you what you want, Miss Mindak." Having said what she intended, she cut the com.

Ohhh…this was getting good! "Okay. Good, then. We've got terms." Her hand flew to her mouth to cover the giggle that escaped. "Theovor's workshop is in Lord Grathan's estate. It's sealed tight – I'll give you my codes., but you will still need a guard's keycard."

"Thank you," he said with an incline of his head. "I'll try to ensure your father is not treated too harshly."

"Sure," Samara replied, her forehead wrinkling. "But…don't try too hard. We were never that close."

Neo couldn't get out of there fast enough. It was unfortunate when family became enemy. Greed and jealousy were almost always the reason behind familial betrayal. If he ever had a family…but, how could he? It was too dangerous in his line of work.

With dinner time coming on, they returned to the hotel for the night. Kaliyo swallowed another bite of medium rare bantha steak and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before she looked from her plate to the couple across the table in the hotel's restaurant. "So, this thing you got going," she said as she waved her fork between the two of them. "You secretly married or something?" She didn't really believe anything they may have said in the past. They had the married vibe.

Anorra's startled eyes flew to Neo to catch his shuttered look before she shook her head. She knew he was leaving her to answer the question. "No. We've been close friends for a number of years. But we often play a married couple when we're out on assignment. Sometimes, habits made in the field can be hard to break." Her gaze lifted and she winked at Neo. "Especially if you care about each other."

"Hmmm," Kaliyo hummed around another bite before swallowing it. "I get the grinding – that's a hell of a lot of fun, if you ask me. But you two give off the married vibe – you don't even look at other people and that's unnatural," she said with a shudder of revulsion. No one would ever see her chaining herself to anyone. She enjoyed the game too much. "You two in love or something?" she asked, not caring if the question too invasive. They'd answer it or they wouldn't, it was all the same to her.

Neo cleared his throat and forced his hands not to tighten into fists in their need to meet up with Kaliyo's face. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Kaliyo said or did anything that would cause Annora to rethink the carnal side of their relationship. "The status of our relationship is none of your concern. It does not interfere with our missions and we are content, so let it be."

Kaliyo's lips twitched. It would seem the agent had something to lose – or didn't want to lose, she corrected. "Touchy," she mumbled as she rose from the table. "I'm out. Don't do anything…I would do."

Annora caught the rattataki's smirk as the woman walked away. She could also feel the heat of Neo's gaze boring into her. She turned a smile on him and settled her hand over the top of his. "It's fine. Don't let her know when she's gotten to you – you're just giving her ammunition."

He released a heavy breath. "I know – I mean, I know better. I don't know why I'm letting her get under my skin. You know I'm usually better at hiding my emotions than this." He raked his free hand through his short, dark blue hair and then shoved his empty plate away. "Honestly, I think it might have to do with not liking the need to wear a façade on my own time. It's fine if we're under cover and there is no my time – but right now this is my time – our time."

"Fake it until you make it, right Neo?" she asked gently.

He grunted. "I doubt I'll ever make it. I'm not sure she has any redeeming qualities, Ann."

She patted his hand. "Give it time, maybe she will surprise you. Until then, think of this as another Riko's Gambit. Remember when we posed as smugglers and joined his crew aboard the Star Runner? We had no our time during that mission. And he never once questioned our loyalty and friendship." She forced herself to remain neutral. Riko was another secret between them. Riko had been smuggling sith artifacts to the jedi to have them locked away. By the end of the mission, after they'd gathered the evidence they needed against the smuggler, she'd worked with Riko and a few contacts to fake his death and the destruction of the Star Runner. It was believed the artifacts were destroyed with the ship. Overall, it was a win on both sides. They were able to successfully close the assignment. And the dead Riko and destroyed artifacts made it to Republic Space, hidden in the belly of a frigate.

He nodded, the tension falling from his shoulders. "You're right. I don't like having to give up my personal time because of the Keeper's whims, but I will tolerate the situation for now. And maybe I will find a redeemable quality in Kaliyo," he said with a shrug of his massive shoulders, "either way, I'll earn her friendship and loyalty. I'm just glad I'll be able to shower all the shit off before I retire for the night."

He was still in a quandary over the Riko Gambit assignment. Despite the man's proclivities, he'd actually come to like him. If things had been different, the man may have ended up being one of his best friends. The truth wasn't far from that. Watching the Star Runner explode had been far more painful than he'd expected it to be. But it was also a far more noble exit for his enemy come friend than torture at the hands of the sith. Her soft laughter soothed him as they rose from the table and he led her to the chambers they shared.

-BREAK EIGHT-

After breakfast, they rented speeders and took as close as they could to Lord Grathan's estate. They would draw less suspicion on foot, especially if their disguised held up. They took a few moments behind a grove of trees to change into their Grathan guard uniforms. They talked and joked as they made their way past the guardsmen. Neo could feel eyes on him. So far, he hadn't seen any other chiss, so it was possible that he and Ann could trigger alarm. When the guardsmen merely watched, he understood that it was likely his size that gave them pause.

Lord Grathan was a very paranoid little sith; his estate was extremely well guarded. So long as Kaliyo didn't open her mouth and say something stupid, then they would likely make it to their destination. Making it out was another matter altogether. He had several escape route plans, not the least of which was shooting their way out. He would worry about that when the time came.

There was a main thoroughfare that ran through the compound, with the estate situated at the rear of the compound. He was surprised to find so few guards near the entrance to Grathan's estate. The compound had been riddled with them like a corpse gone to rot, but there were surprisingly few past the doors of the estate.

They took the lift down and he glanced quickly at his micro-terminal. The navpoint coordinates for the workshop were on the left.

Annora pointed towards the entrance of another room on the left. "There's the terminal."

He activated the terminal and swiped the identicard. The door slid open and he motioned for the others to follow him at a slight distance. He moved forward, his body tense and ready to react to the slightest danger.

With his heart pounding hard in his chest, Theovor stormed a few footsteps towards the intruders before halting to allow his security droids to catch up to him. "You! You thought you could take me by surprise, but you can't!" No. He wasn't fooled by his gardsman's uniforms. Intelligence had been after his intel for some time. And he'd been ready.

Kaliyo smirked. "What do you want to bet this ends badly?"

Yes, it would. Intelligence had taken everything from him. And he intended to repay them for it. "Those were my daughter's access codes you used. Whatever you've done to her -" he lifted his hand and curled it into a fist. "I'll have my revenge!"

"We've done nothing to her. She's made herself a lucrative deal – she's fine," he informed the older man."

Theovor shook his head, his hand sliced through the air. "My daughter wouldn't do that! And she's not fine! Imperial Intelligence doesn't leave people fine. You people took away my wife – stole her from my house one night and never told me what happened! My only daughter grew up to be worthless, and now you've taken her from me too! I despise your kind!"

Neo crossed his arms over his wide chest. "This can be solved peacefully. Comm your daughter, Theovor."

"No!" Theovor bellowed. "There can be no peace until the Empire changes its ways!" With a motion of his hand, he sent his protection detail into attack mode and drew his blaster. He wasn't much good with the blasted thing, but his hatred of Intelligence overrode everything else. He had nothing left to lose.

They darted to the side when the droids' weapons armed, finding what cover they could. By the time the last blaster bolt fired, the droids were scrap and Theovor lay in a pool of blood. Such a waste. With a last frown at the dead man, he located a terminal and proceeded to upload its contacts to Imperial Intelligence.

A few moments later, his communicator chimed. He glanced around to make sure they were still safely alone and then flipped the device on.

"This is Watcher Two. I'm downloading the contents of Theovor's computer – looks like blueprints, work he's done for Lord Grathan, and…Ah! Encrypted files. I should be able to decifer them if I cross-reference with the slave's datapad….Hmmm…I don't like what I'm seeing. There's a timetable, activity convergences, indications of something big. Get back to base as soon as you can."

"We'll head there immediately."

"I'll see you soon, agent."

He snapped his communicator back onto his magbelt. "Be ready for anything. I doubt Theovor turned off the security feeds in this room. Consider our cover blown."

It was clear until the re-entered the large, central room. The sounds of running feet and blaster bolts, spoke of a great man people heading their way. They darted out into the central chamber with their weapons firing at anyone armed and dressed in guardsman issued uniforms.

Neo was bemused to realize the guardsmen weren't aiming at them at all…of course, now they were; but prior to that, they were aiming at a large, red sith and a massive monster that made even him feel small.

Vrok looked over in stunned surprise when another trio of guards burst into the room and started firing on their own. Spies, then. For the Ascendency or for the Empire? It didn't matter. What mattered was that they were fighting with him and not against him. Not that he didn't enjoy shooting lightning bolts up the asses of fools, but right now he'd managed to kick a hornet's nest – one he wasn't even sure he and Khem could survive without aid. He picked up a guard with his power and flung him against a hard metal wall "Join us, my new blue friends," he waved them to join him, "and we shall make it out alive!"

"I'm not blue," Kaliyo grumbled, though she was thankful for the assist.

Vrok blasted a row of guard backwards to give the three spies room to reach him. The large chiss' hesitation was almost nonexistent. But then, he didn't think a spy would survive long if they didn't think fast on their feet. "Vrok," he said jovially as drew his hands together to shoot a massive wave of lightening into the guards. "The dashade is Khem." He shook the tingle from his hands then picked up one unfortunate bastard and threw him at several others.

So, it was to be pleasantries in the middle of battle. Crazy, but taking on another man's battle had been too. Though, that had been quite by accident. Since he didn't want to lose his hidden blades, he was stuck using his sniper. Not the best weapon of choice in close quarters, but he aimed for the rear of the attacking horde. "Neronu. The other chiss is Ann, the rattatki is Kaliyo."

They fought their way out of the estate, leaving a trail of dead and injured in their wake. The outer compound was fairly clear, as most of the guards ran inside to deal with the invaders. Once they reached the compounds outer boarders, there was another skirmish, though nothing compared to what they'd faced in the estate.

When they reached the copse of trees that hid their speeders, he turned to face the sith and his monster. "It was a pleasure kicking arse with you both," Neo told them with a slight bow.

Vrok absently rubbed a finger over his chin growths, feeling the slight give of the thickened cartilage. They were not bony and sharp like the spurs many of the Blood had, instead they held a number of nerve endings and gave a tingling pleasure when touched. In appearance, they resembled a beard at the end of his chin. "I am aware that you could have safely slipped through the other guards and yet you stayed to help us. And in doing so, you burned your cover. Your courage will not be forgotten. Here," he said as he aimed his micro-terminal at the spy's wrist to send his frequency to the chiss. "If you are ever in need of assistance, comm me. If I am able, I will help in any way that I can."

Neo felt the small vibration of his micro-terminal accepting the data stream. "That is a kind offer – but to be completely honest, we assumed our cover was blown and came out fighting."

"Can I eat them?" Khem growled, not liking all the standing around.

The Blood laughed heartily over the blunder that had been most beneficial to his and the dashade's survival. "No, Khem. You can't eat them," he said with a roll of his eyes. "An honest spy. You are quite the oxymoron, Neronu, my friend. The why doesn't matter, the assistance was appreciated either way."

Kaliyo took a step back. She didn't get paid enough to get eaten. "I'm stringy – the big guy here," she motioned towards Neo, "will keep you fed a long time, monster…thing…"

There was no point denying he was a spy. There would be no other reason for him to be firing on his own people. "Ignore my companion, Khem. Either she was dropped on her head too many times as a baby or spice abuse has addled her brains."

"Hey!" Kaliyo shot back at him and then blinked. "All things considered...you could be right about that."

He forced himself to wink at Kaliyo and then grinned at the chuckling red sith. Only, the grin wasn't forced. He had not expected to ever like a sith, but the guy was arguably hard to dislike. "Call me Neo. Give us a moment." With a nod to the women, he hurried over to where he'd left his clothing and eagerly got back into his Intelligence dress whites. He tossed his disguise in the small bag and returned to the gliders. He flipped up the seat and dropped the bag in the storage compartment beneath it.

"You clean up nice, Neo," Vrok teased.

He cleared his throat. "Right. I do stick out a bit," Neo admitted. He probably should have chosen something else to wear. Nothing he could do about it now. "Ride with us. We can take you as far as the taxi pad outside the sith sanctum."

And again, Vrok was stunned. Despite his noble birth, he been enslaved and treated poorly for so long it was still shocking to hear anyone say anything kind to him or treat him as an equal even. He eyed the three speeders warily. "I'm not sure we'll fit – unless we sit on each other…and I have no desire to sit I Khem's lap"

Annora sensed no deception and the sith had spoken no lies. Instead, the man was proving to be charming in an exaggerated, humorous sort of way. "That would be a sight to see, but we can spare you the pleasure. Kaliyo can ride with Neo, I'll ride with you and Khem can take the third speeder."

Kaliyo found herself quite relieved with that arrangement. She didn't want to be at the mercy of the sith and his monster. That just wasn't going to work for her. But this…this plan of Annora's would.

Vrok tilted his head and stroked his chin growths. "I would ask what you seek in return, but I suspect you will ask nothing of me. You are unlike anyone I've met before."

"The same could be said about you. You are unlike any sith I've met before. You are not narcissistic and blinded by your own self-absorbed grandeur. If I did not know that was even possible," Neo admitted.

The man's candor was highly refreshing. Either he was subjugated by those who knew him as having been a slave or people feared him because he was sith. His ribs ached with his laughter. When he could finally catch his breath, he grinned at the large chiss. "I like you, Neo. In my last life, those words would have offended me - but the life am living now, it allows me to see things much more clearly. And you, my friend, are priceless. We would be glad to join you."

They were all grateful that it hadn't started raining and they made it to the taxi pad without getting soaked.

"Thank you for everything. We will not forget your generosity, my friend." And he did consider the spy a friend. He was the first truly kind soul he'd met since he'd been awoken from his centuries long sleep in carbonite only to end up a slave. "I hope that you will keep in touch."

"Count on it," Neo told him. He didn't know when that would be, but he suspected he'd not seen the last of the red sith. He held out his hand to shake on it and the sith grabbed his forearm, so he gripped the sith's forearm in return.

"Well met, my friend. Well met."

"Take care, Vrok. It's a sith eat sith world out there," Neo warned.

"Tell me about it," Vrok said with a frown. A rough rumble drew his attention to Khem. Was that a laugh?

"I like to eat sith," Khem agreed.

With a shake of his head, Vrok released the chiss' arm and inclined his head to the ladies. "Until we meet again…"

Neo mounted his speeder. "Let's get back to Intelligence." His speeder rose from the ground. With one last look back, he saw the sith disappear into the Sanctum. For the first time, and encounter with a sith felt good. He eased back on the clutch and turned in the direction of the landing pad they needed.

They dropped their speeders off and hurried into Intelligence headquarters. Keeper and Watcher Two were waiting in the command center.

Garrett nodded when he saw the trio approaching. "Watcher Three, I need that linkup to the Dominator. If Lord Jadus wished to observe, we must accommodate him."

Watcher Three nodded, his fingers flying over the holokeys. "Establishing hololink, sir. Dataflow is synchronized."

"You were nearly late for the briefing," Garrett scolded his agent.

His dark blue brows rose in confusion. "I was unaware of any briefing, Keeper."

"Sorry, agent," Shara apologized, a flush warming her cheeks. "It's been hectic." Still, that was no call for her to forget to mention the briefing.

Garrett ignored their words. "Lord Jadus. Are you receiving our transmission?"

Jadus nodded when Intelligence Command came into view. "I am, Keeper. Proceed."

"Very well. You all know we've been attempting to determine the dissident's plan of attack. Thanks to recent operations, we have the information we need. Unfortunately. The news is worse than we expected. A major strike is imminent." He glanced over at Shara and nodded.

Shara explained the intel she'd discovered. "The dissidents are targeting the ancient power conduits that run beneath the capital. Their intension is to overload the power grid, causing a cascade failure that would detonate the power relay stations. The resulting explosions would kill hundreds of people, and the blackout would leave us vulnerable to further attacks."

Watcher Three shook his head. That didn't sound right. It shouldn't be that easy. "Sir, aren't all access points to the power grid under military control?"

"All but one," Garrett told him. "The terrorists intend to access the power conduits through the Dark Temple."

The Dark Temple? That hadn't even heard whispers of such a place. Obviously, it had to be a sith temple, but he needed to know more about the place. "Sorry to interrupt – what's the Dark Temple?" Neo inquired.

Keeper was glad Neo had spoken up. An agent needed to be armed with as much intel as possible. "I'll sum it up for those of you unfamiliar with the history. The Dark Temple predates Dromund Kaas' colonization. It was sealed by the sith during the city's construction. When the Dark Council opened it some months back, they found it inhabited by force-driven phenomena. Workers on-site began disappearing inside, controlled by unknow entities."

"But, whereas we saw the Dark Temple as a threat to be contained," Shara jumped in, "the dissidents saw it as an opportunity. The temple rests directly above a key power junction. If the dissidents can push past the, ah, phenomena, they can access the grid."

"These dissidents have been planning – they have supplies," Garrett informed them, "that includes maps and weapons – they're not counting on making it out alive. This is a suicide run."

"Then we will not have to waste resources hunting them down later," Neo pointed out.

Garrett nodded. "We have security footage of the dissidents heading toward the Dark Temple. A full squad of operatives will pursue -"

"No!" Jadus cut in before any more could be said about soldier infiltrating the temple.

Garrett took a step back in surprise. "My lord?"

"There will be no squad. The Dark Temple is sacred ground and will not be unduly disturbed. My agent will go alone," Jadus informed the Keeper.

Garrett couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was too much at risk to assign such a task to a single agent. "My lord, I strongly urge you to reconsider. If the dissidents succeed - "

Jadus frowned, though it was wasted behind his mask. "I said, no. The spirits of the temple must not be disturbed – not by terrorists and not by Imperial Intelligence. One agent will suffice. My role here is finished." He pointed his finger at the Keeper. "Do as I will, Keeper."

Garrent inclined his head to the sith lord. "Very well." When the holo went dark, he turned his attention to Neo. "The decision has been made. You will go to the Dark Temple. Stop the radicals from reaching the conduits and detonating their charges."

"We'll take care of it, sir,"

"Good man," Garrett stated proudly.

"We'll monitor you as long as we can, but the temple blocks most transmissions. So just, ah…good luck, agent." Shara hoped she'd be seeing him again. He was a good field man and his loss would affect them all.

This was going to be one hell of a long day. They'd spent the morning and early afternoon at Grathan's and it looked like they'd be spending the late afternoon and possibly a chunk of the evening at a haunted temple. "Come on, we'll head to the kitchens and get something to eat on the way."

They grabbed something ready to go at the kitchens and ate quickly, tossing the wrappers into the bin before they even made it out of Intelligence. As they were leaving the buildingd, they all but ran into another group consisting of a what appeared to be two women and a man dressed in mando armor. Not the usually type seen at Intelligence.

Annora grinned at the trio, flashing the female in charge a wink before she hopped into the taxi Neo had procured for them.

Neo punched in the navpoint coordinates and the taxi lifted off. "Do you know them?" he asked Annora when he caught her friendly overture.

"Not at all," she said with a gentle shake of her head. "There was something about them though…I don't know, I can't explain it." She shrugged.

What could he say to that? He'd had feelings like that before as well.

As their taxi settled on the landing pad closest to the temple, Annora caught sight of the trio in mando armor refueling their speeders as she exited the taxi. She grinned as she approached the other group. "So, you beat us even though you left after us," she said with a gentle laugh. "Impressive."

Sylver grinned at her. "We…took a short cut."

Annora bumped Neo with her elbow. "How come we didn't know about that, Neo?" she teased. The white-haired woman had impressed her. She'd been on Dromund Kaas many times and had been unaware of any short cut. But she's also been unaware of the Dark Temple, so perhaps that didn't mean much.

Neo grunted and eyed the woman in armor. Unless she was an agent infiltrating the mandalorians, he didn't think she was an agent, despite having seen her in Intelligence. "It would appear we didn't bother to ask the right people."

"I didn't say it was a smart shortcut," Sylver admitted. They'd barely avoided some rocks that were hurled at them by some big, angry beast. She was pretty sure they only avoided to projectiles because of Xocha.

"Priceless!" Annora laughed. "I'm Annora, the big guy is Neo and woman with the frown is Kaliyo. She's always a ray of sunshine," Annora teased.

"Up yours," Kaliyo groused. "No one trusts people who are happy all the time. It just makes them liars."

Annora shook her head, but the smile stayed in place. "You're far too pessimistic, Kaliyo – one does not have to equal the other. You might find life more enjoyable if you smiled."

"I'd smile if you fell face first into that mud puddle," she motioned towards the puddle to the right. "Seeing you covered in mud would keep me smiling all day."

"Right then," Sylver butted in. "I'm Sylver Wren, this is Xocha," she motioned to the jedi in mando armor, "and this is Mako. I'm assuming, you are going to the ancient sith temple too, seeing as there is nothing else around here?"

"We are," Annora admitted. "Why don't we join forces to get there? We'll go our own way once we're inside and then, if luck prevails, we join up again before we leave."

"I'm inclined to agree, since I don't know what we'll be facing," Sylver agreed. "We can double up and ride the speeders. You take mine, Neo. One of your party can ride with Mako."

He inclined his head to the white-haired woman. "Thank you, Sylver. Kaliyo, you're with me." He didn't trust Kaliyo at his back, but she had been made his responsibility. There wasn't much room for her…if she fell off he would not cry in his caf.

Mako smiled at Annora. "It looks like it's you and me, girl. Hop on."

They picked their way carefully up to the temple's entrance. With one arm around Xocha, Sylver used her free hand to shoot anything that got too close to them. She noticed the other group was equally impressive with their shooting. "Riding double saved us a lot of time," she told the other trio once they dismounted the speeders and entered the main hall. "I hope we meet up on the way out. It would be faster leaving, if you're with us. K'oyacyi! Stay alive. Something is very wrong with the people here. It is like they are…possessed."

Neo nodded. "Well met and good luck." He motioned his companions to the left and ascended the stairs. The temple's interior showed signs of construction but overall it was in remarkable shape. Intricate stone collumns and statues lined the massive inner chamber. A second level could be seen from below and archways lined the walls on all sides, allowing access to further chambers.

Whispers tickled at Kaliyo's head. "Did you say something?" she asked hesitantly. She frowned when he shook his head. "I swear there's someone talking to me…."

"I hear it too. The spirits want you to let them in. But you're a strong woman, Kaliyo. You won't let them in," Annora assured her.

"You better be right about that," Kaliyo grumbled and shook her head again to clear it.

"Our navpoint is at the end of the central chamber on the right," Neo informed them. He caught quick sight of the other trio disappearing through an archway at the opposite side of the large chamber and wished them luck. He pulled his rifle, the barrel extending outward, ready to fire as he entered the archway that led down to the power junction…and to the dissidents.

For the most part, they'd been left alone coming through the large, central chamber. Not so, in the hall leading down to the lower level. They had to clear out the few possessed men that had stumbled into the hall ahead of them. With no room to keep away from them, the possessed had attacked. At the end of the stairwell was a metal, railed balcony. The electrical current was so intense he could feel the hair raising all over his body. Looking down over the railing, he saw massive power conductors. Across the way there was a central platform. He motioned for the women to head right, while he sighted down the barrel of his sniper at one of the dissidents. The first two he took down with headshots before they even knew he was there. He calculated the roll of the third and took him down as well.

The remainder of the men were rolling into cover and firing back. He doubted the crew had any snipers, no bolts were reaching him, but he would keep them distracted while his team got into position. Between the three of them, it did not take long neutralize the terrorists. Holovids always showed, long drawn-out fights, but fights were seldom ever very long. Most were over in minutes. They spread out, each taking a detonator charge to disable.

Annora had just disabled detonator when she thought she heard something. She stilled and a moment later she knew she'd been right when she heard the man speak out again.

"Is anybody there?" the wounded man spoke out into the silence.

She turned her head and saw Neo approaching her. "Neo – there's someone down here. He must be injured, he's not trying to kill me."

"Then he may just live to tell stories of this day," Neo responded grimly.

With weapons ready, they came around the pile of crates and saw a man, his back resting against the crates. He was clutching his side, the trickle of blood seeping out from between his fingers showed the injury he'd received. Though, how he got injured was another matter. That wound had not come from his team.

Glenn looked at the two chiss. "Are you with the military? I heard shots, but I wasn't sure." He sucked in a harsh breath as pain stabbed at him. "I can't believe you followed us in here. None of us are going to make it out – you know that, right?"

"I'm not so easy to kill," Neo told the man matter of fact. "What happened to the others?"

"We came here to make a stand – but I'm the last one. A dozen of us came into the temple, and the rest are dead – or gone. Same with you, I guess."

Neo pursed his lips and shook his head. "Not exactly. My team consisted of three, we have yet to die. Why throw your lives away like this?"

"For the only reason that matters! To show the Empire what it means to fight for freedom – and we still will. You can shoot me now, you can save the power grid, preserve the Imperial lifestyle for a little longer. But there are other cells. They'll keep fighting."

Other cells. Of course, there were. "What other cells?"

He gripped his side, hissing with another sharp pain. "Other cells, other planets. This attack was just the tip of the iceberg. There's worse coming – but that's all you're going to learn from me. I know you're going to kill me, Imperial. So shoot me now, before the ghosts get into your head."

"I'm not going to shoot an unarmed and injured man. That's not how I operate," he assured the terrorist.

Glenn grimaced. "You have to shoot me! I need you too! I saw what happened to my friends. I took comfort in the fact that I'd die when we took down the power grid…Have mercy. Kill me now, before the ghosts come."

"You mean the ones that are talking to me inside my head? The bastards are so damned pushy," Kaliyo grumbled as she raised a hand to rub at her temples.

"Do it now!" Glenn's voice rose to near hysteria.

"As I said, I'm not going to kill you." He pulled a medpac out of a pouch on his belt and dropped it onto the wounded man's lap. "Take the medpac. Patch yourself up and get out of here."

What? No! He would never make it back out of the temple on his own. He used the medpac, a moment later, the pain lessened to a tolerable level. "I can't go out there on my own. Take me with you. I'll turn myself in. I'd rather face torture than the things down here."

"Fine, but you're going to have to keep up and when we reach the speeders, you'll be riding with Kaliyo and Mako – they're the smallest."

On the way out of the chamber, he grabbed a blaster from one of the corpses and handed it to wounded man. If the man couldn't keep up, he would need to be able to defend himself. "I hope you know how to use it….and don't even think of turning that blaster on us."

"No…no, I won't. You have my word. Just get me out of here," Glenn pleaded. He wasn't a skilled fighter, his skill was technology, but he was glad to feel the weight of the blaster in his hand. At least he knew he could end his life…if he had to.

Possessed were coming into the hall and they were having to shoot a path out. Unfortunately, the blaster he'd taken from the corpse did not have a silencing diffuser on it and that alerted every possessed to their position.

"Oh – that's not good," Kaliyo groaned as they exited the hall and saw the possessed swarming towards them. "I bet were gonna catch up to the others," she said as she fired behind her.

"They are probably long gone by now. Why would they wait around here and risk getting possessed?" he countered.

"Less talk and more running," Glenn cried out in fear.

With the possessed fast on their tails, they found themselves running nearly backwards, firing behind them at the corrupted people that were giving chase. They heard a shouted 'K'oyacyi!' and then suppression fire came to bear against their assailants.

"What do you know?" Kaliyo called out. "I knew we'd catch up with them again. You owe me, agent!"

"Later, Kaliyo. Let's focus on getting out of her in one piece," Neo reminded her. His arm swung to the right to take out another possessed soul. "And call me Neo – not agent." Her mouth was going to make his job very difficult or get them all killed. The idea was not to tell everyone that he was an agent.

Thank you, Kaliyo. That certainly explained who he was and who Kaliyo wasn't. At least Sylver knew to be more careful around them. Mouthing off about the sith or the Empire, probably wouldn't be the best route with that group.

Once the Sylver's group got far enough ahead, they laid down cover fire while his group withdrew. In that manner they made their way to the exit. Not every possessed came after them, some were fighting their own internal battles or just didn't seem to care. Likely, different groups were controlled by different dead Sith Lords, some more prone to aggression than others.

They didn't stop until they were mounting their speeders and moving at a fast clip away from sith-spawn central. Once they reached the taxi pad where they'd met up, there was a round of grateful handshakes.

"What you heard in there…" Neo began.

"Don't worry, Neo. My line of work has as many secrets in it as yours. We are very good at keeping secrets," Sylver assured him. "If you are ever in need of assistance, comm me. If we are in the area, we'll help. Consider us…contacts. Is that the right word?"

He chuckled. "It is as right as any other. You may comm us as well – or Annora, in any event. It is wise to have contacts my superiors are unaware of."

Mako locked her hands behind her back to keep from grabbing his micro-terminal and giving him a secure, unmonitored channel. But why would a spook trust her poking around in his micro-terminal?

With a farewell to their new…friends, they hopped a taxi. He turned the terrorist over to an agent near the entrance of Intelligence before heading deeper in to meet up with Keeper. They needed to know that there were other active cells and other targets.

-BREAK NINE-

"Scans are finding no ships nearby," Lodenth reported.

Neo could feel the tension as he entered the command center. Something happened. But what?

"We've got wreckage coming down over the city – from that height and at that velocity, the collateral damage alone could cost millions," Shara warned.

Watcher head shook his head. Money wasn't the only problem. "If the reactor core was breached, the radiation damage will -"

"I don't care about the radiation damage!" Garrett growled. "Damn it! Get me security footage, communications logs, something we can use."

"All military channels are reporting in," Shara told him. "The Dominator has been completely destroyed."

Destroyed? With Jadus and all the civilians he was going to take with him? "What happened?" Though, how could this happen would have been the better question to ask.

Shara looked up, a small grin played on her lips. "It's good to see you. There was a secondary target. Apparently - "

"Watcher Two!" Garrett grumbled. "I still need confirmation. And you, agent – get ready to move. We need everyone operational.

"Sorry, sir," Shara responded quickly. "But there were over 3000 people on that ship. Half of them civilians -"

Garrett sighed. "I'm aware of that. Do your job, Watcher Two. Run the numbers."

"Lockdown procedures are in place," Watcher Three interrupted. "All traffic has been grounded. Getting conflicting reports from the Kaas City spaceport; trying to sort it out."

Shara read the report coming in. "Initial analysis is done. Cross-checking with the droids. All sources confirm: casualties are one hundred percent."

A darth died on his watch. Garrett rubbed his aching forehead. "Then Darth Jadus is dead."

"Do you know how it happened?" Neo inquired.

Shara rubbed her dry, stinging eyes; she'd been staring at the screen too long. "There was an explosion aboard the Dominator. We're not sure about the origin, but it has to be connected to the dissidents. Darth Jadus was leaving on a special tour of the Empire – he brought military personnel, civilians and sith to his flagship as part of some grand vision. Now, they're all dead."

"And how are we responding?" he asked quietly.

"Standard planetary security procedures. No one goes anywhere until we say so."

"Sir, we've got a starship trying to take off," Watcher Three warned. "Several dissidents from the watch list are aboard. Military squads are moving to intervene."

Soldiers were hammers and right now they didn't need a hammer. "They'll blow the ship to pieces. I want the terrorist alive, and I want their computer intact!" Garrett spun on his heels. "You! Fixer – do we have any SEC-M units available?"

Fixer Twelve halted in his tracks. He rarely had to deal with the Keeper directly and his nerves were all over the place. "What…"

Of all the…"The mouse droids! Find one and bring it back now!" Once the Fixer was on his way, Garrett turned to face Neo. "Whatever ordeal you went through in the Dark Temple, your recovery will have to wait. You are my best agent and I need you in the field." He briefly evaluated Kaliyo and then locked gazes with Annora. Her nod sent a wave of relief through him. She believed Neo was up for the task. Now, where was the…Fixer!

Fixer Twelve rushed back into command with the mouse droid in his arms. "I have the droid here, sir"

About damned time. "Take the droid, agent, and deliver it into one of the ship's maintenance conduits. With the droid aboard, we can disable the hyperdrive and download its computer contents."

"What would you have me do after that?" Neo asked the Keeper as he took the mouse droid and its remote from the Fixer.

"Nothing more. We'll use a tractor beam to bring the ship back after they take off. I have interrogators standing by. You three are free for the rest of the night. We will meet first thing in the morning. There is much we need to discuss."

"Then we will be on our way." Neo lowered the droid to the ground and activated the it with the remote.

Kaliyo wasn't pleased with the extension of their mission. She'd put in a long day and if it didn't end soon, she wouldn't even have the energy to enjoy a nightcap before bed. And that would be a tragedy. This gig paid well and working with Neo guaranteed chaos. Of course, that meant she had to follow his schedule rather than her own. For now, she was okay with the sacrifice. She could always leave when it stopped being interesting. A smile curled over her lips. Credits and chaos – what more could a girl want?

Since it was raining by the time they left Intelligence, they opted for taxi over speeders. Working in wet clothing was less than ideal. Thankfully, taxi rooves could be raised or lowered as needed. Though, they automatically raised in conditions that could damage the interior of the taxi. The ride was short and quiet. Neo assumed the others were also contemplating the enormity of what had happened and what the ensuing consequences might be. Then again, maybe they were just exhausted.

The taxi dropped them off at the navpoint he'd put in and he further instructed it to remain. Intelligence would cover the bill and they needed to be prepared if a fast get away was needed. Neo was surprised to see the room they'd been led to was empty. "Our ride," he said, motioning to the elevator. Once, they were in, he selected the holokey for Cargo Port A3. "Lock and load, ladies."

"What does that even mean?" Kaliyo grinned. "It sounds sexual."

Neo rolled his eyes. "It means, be ready for anything…weapons ready."

Well now, that wasn't near as fun. "Then why didn't you just say that?"

"Trust that I will from now on." Anything to keep her from going on about inconsequential jargon.

The doors opened, drawing the attention of the dissidents stationed nearby. They rolled behind crates stacked near the walls and took out the men that were firing at them. They rounded the corner, tight to the wall to avoid being seen by the terrorists in the cargo bay. He motioned for them to take cover behind the crates up ahead and then motioned that he was moving to the other side of the door. When they acknowledged, he lowered himself and dove across the hall to the opposite wall.

His crate was further back than theirs, but that worked out better since he was the one carrying the sniper rifle. He was surprised that no one fired at him. It would seem that the dissidents had become complacent. He pulled out the mouse droid's remote and directed it in through the maze of crates and terrorists, strait up a venting pipe and into the ship. Their job here was done. When they looked back at him, he motioned for them to return to the elevator.

"I think that was more fun for you than for us," Kaliyo griped once they were topside. At least you got to play games with the mouse droid."

"Sorry, Kaliyo. Next time I'll let you play with the mouse droid," he told her as he slid into the waiting taxi.

That brought a sparkle to her eyes. "You will?" she asked, cheered by the thought. His silence and serious expression told her he would do no such thing. "Good on you, agent. You got me." Her smile widened when his white teeth flashed between his dark blue lips. She suspected this was the first real smile he'd ever given her. Maybe she was growing on him after all.

When they returned to command, there were fewer agents running amok, but those that remained showed signs of the strain they were currently under.

Movement caught Garrett's attention and he quickly bit back the smile that curled his lips. "Welcome back, agent. Excellent work out there – absolutely excellent.

"The mouse droid has just sent back the contents of the ship's computer, sir," Watcher Three reported. "The tractor beam has captured the ship; I'll send the military to pick up the dissidents."

Garrett released a soothing breath, the weight on his shoulders feeling a little lighter. "At least one thing's gone smoothly today. It would seem, the worst has passed. I know it's late, but it will be a while longer before you are released."

Neo nodded his understanding. "Do we know anything more about the attack?"

Garrett fell into a military rest stance - a reflexive move from years past. "We're fairly certain the explosion came from the inside of the Dominator: in all likelihood, one of the civilians onboard was the bomber."

"Keeper!" Watcher Two cut in. "I'm receiving a transmission. Someone's broadcasting a holorecording to the entire Imperial communication network."

Clever dissidents, Neo mused. "It would seem the terrorists want to talk – maybe they will say something useful."

"Patching it through now," Watcher Two told them. "I'm going to try to pinpoint the source…"

Eagle raised his hands to his viewers. "Citizens of the Empire – this is the Eagle. I'm here to tell you that our government is corrupt. Apathetic Moffs and wicked Lords of the Dark Council vie for power while our soldiers die over worthless planets in nameless star systems."

Garrett looked over at Neo. "Typical consolidationist rhetoric. Watcher Two, keep trying to find a source for the broadcast. Everyone else, start pulling up any files we have on the Eagle. We've been hearing rumors about the Eagle for years, but we never thought he could pull off anything this big. Another mistake."

The Eagle's voice rose. "Anyone who speaks out in favor of reform is kidnapped and tortured by Imperial Intelligence This must not continue!"

"The Ministry of Logistics reports that they can't jam the signal," Watcher Three relayed. "Everyone in the Empire is seeing this!"

"A short time ago," Eagle said with a smirk, "a group of defiant revolutionaries destroyed an Imperial dreadnaught. Three thousand people were aboard – including Darth Jadus, a Lord of the Dark Council. We chose to strike at Darth Jadus publicly so that every Imperial citizen would know the truth: The Dark Council is not invulnerable. We can effect change." His smile fell. "We regret the sacrifice of so many civilians, but is was necessary. The Empire cannot cover up this momentous event. Imperial Intelligence cannot silence our call to arms."

"Get to the point, you piece of filth," Garrett growled. "What is it you really want to say?"

The man knew how to give a speech and no doubt many would be moved by it. But 3000 people were killed for his agenda. 3000 people that did not volunteer their lives – their lives were stolen. Just as many would find the Eagle's solution unforgivable. "He's coming to the climax; shall we see if he sings?"

"This is only the first step toward a better future. We have agents throughout the Empire preparing to strike again….and again. We will not relent until our government chooses strength over weakness; unity over discord." Eagle lifted his hand and curled it into a fist. "We will continue to show the anger of the people. This is the Eagle. End transmission."

The holo flickered out and Garrett turned to address the room. "We've made mistakes today. We underestimated the Eagle. We ere to slow to eliminate the dissidents. We assumed the Dark Temple was the sole terrorist target." He gave a the barest of nods to Annora and then caught and held Neo's gaze. But you performed above and beyond expectations. You showed you can handle these people. And now you're going to show us the way forward."

"What would you have me do, Keeper?"

"You are going to head our operation to dismantle the Eagle's network. You will locate and eliminate his terror cells through infiltration, manipulation and assassination. I am assigning you a rank and designation as suits your new position. You no longer have a name. You will answer only to Cipher Nine."

Shara smiled warmly at him. "Congratulations, Cipher Nine, you earned this."

Garrett cleared his throat. "With the rank comes certain privilages – including a degree of operational independence. You may recruit your own operatives, and you will be outfitted with a starship." He glanced over at Shara. "Watcher Two, you will remain Cipher Nine's liaison to base. I assume that won't be a problem?"

She shook her head. "No problem, sir. Glad to stay a part of this operation."

Garrett inclined his head to her. "Good. When you report in tomorrow, begin analyzing all repots on recent dissident activity – I want a list of possible terrorist cell location." Without giving her a chance to reply, he turned back to Neo. "The Eagle says he's got agents around the galaxy. Assuming he's telling the truth, you're going to be doing some traveling. Your starship is at the spaceport. It's been refit and removed from public record. Tomorrow, Watcher Two will upload likely activity centers for the Eagle and his network. Proceed to your targets as you see fit. Do whatever is required. Be careful…and good luck."

"Thank you, sir." He smiled at Garrett and nodded. He was eager to leave command and see his new ship. With a ship of his own, his life would become simpler. "Give me a moment," he told Annora and Kaliyo when he saw Watcher Two rubbing her head as she stared at whatever the holoscreen displayed.

Shara turned when she heard Neo's heavy footfalls. "Looks like we've got a moment of calm. How are you handling everything?"

It was kind of her to think of him. He had Annora to keep him grounded, but he suspected she had no one, at least no one nearby. "It has been an exhausting day, both physically and mentally. You have a lot riding on your shoulders. How are you doing?"

She was surprised that a chiss would care about her welfare. She'd tried to keep guard up with him, like she did with other agents but she was finding it difficult not to like him, even if he was an alien. "I appreciate the concern." She rubbed her forehead briefly before realizing what she'd done. Her hand fell back to her side. "Honestly. I don't know. The situation with the Dominator…shook me." She looked up into his eerie red eyes. "How is it that I can torture a colleague without feeling a thing - but three thousand dead strangers is too much to handle?"

He kept the concerned look on his face and hid the revulsion that welled at her words. She'd tortured a colleague without remorse? No, he couldn't judge. He didn't know the story behind it. "Those three thousand people were innocent. The torture or death of innocents can breach even the most hardened of souls. What you are feeling, Watcher – it's normal."

His words were not only true, but she felt solace in them. "Thank you. I did not expect that you could comfort me in any way. And yet you have." She drew in a breath and straightened her shoulders. "Anyway, I shouldn't bother you with this. I've been monitoring you for too long – I'm starting to think of you as a friend instead of our alien agent."

Alien agent? Perhaps one day, she would see him as just an agent. "Being alien has nothing to do with the capacity to care. Friends are precious and few, Watcher. Especially in our line of work. Just know, I'll be there for you in any way that I can – if you let me. That's what friends do," he said with a smile. He had very few friends himself. His life was full of lies and deceit. He found it difficult to weave friendships into that clusterfuck.

He was an alien, she had nothing in common with him. Even so, she sort of liked him…for an alien. She wasn't sure she would ever trust him. How could she? He was not even human. Not that all humans were decent, trustworthy people. She would analyze her thoughts and feelings on the matter later…maybe over a glass of red wine. Red..like his eyes. She shook the thoughts from her head. She still had a couple of loose ends to tie up before she could retire. "I…appreciate that. It takes some getting used to, is all. But, thank you. You are kind and thoughtful. I didn't expect that."

"Of course. Just be sure to take care of yourself, all right?" he asked quietly.

"And you," she replied back and then quickly turned her attention back to the data on the holofeed. She needed to distract her brain before it returned to analyze his words.

He'd done what he could. She did not appear as dejected as she had before. Perhaps he had been able to give her some small amount of comfort. He rejoined Annora and Kaliyo. "Let's get something to eat and then gather our things. We'll sweep the ship for bugs and sleep there tonight."

They were far too exhausted to enjoy a lengthy, laidback dinner. So, they ate quickly, gathered their belongings and took a taxi to the spaceport. When they reached the hangar bay, he could only stare at the ship, impressed with its sheer beauty. He'd never been inside anything as fine as the ship that was now his.

Kaliyo whistled. "Looks like we're going to be riding in style now, agent – er..Neo."

"That we are, Kaliyo. Let's go check her out."

The airlock opened to a small room where they were forced to wait. "Decompression not needed. Decontamination in progress." The ship's VI told them.

As soon as the inner door slid out of the way, the ship's droid introduced itself as 2V-R8 and gave them a tour of his new ship. It was a smaller ship, but he suspected she was fast. To the left of the airlock opened up into a spacious area that contained four rooms. To the left, the hangar bay/cargo room, which held a number of speeders, supply cabinets and crates. There was also a large double door in the deck's floor. There appeared to be a large magnet on the ceiling above the door. This was obviously how the crates and speeders were loaded onto the ship. At least the bay came with its own repair table and droid.

The engineering room was at the back of the ship and to the right were two rooms that were side by side: crew quarters and the facilities/laundry room. The door slid open to the laundry room. On the right wall of the laundry room were two doors. The closest one opened to the toilets. There were three stalls and two sinks. The further door opened to the shower, it was circular and allowed 4 people to shower with a modicum of privacy. On the far wall were cabinets likely full of towels and toiletries.

The crew quarters held four beds, two desks and two armoires. The beds were fully enclosed captain bunks. With a ladder between the two sets of bunks. Each bed was lighted, had storages compartments on three sides, two drawers beneath the bed and a door that could be pulled down from the top to completely close off the bed for privacy. Likely soundproof with the doors closed. So long as they weren't claustrophobic, any crew members he picked up would be thankful for the privacy. If he had more than three more people on the ship, however, he would have to consider rearranging somethings on the ship to add more beds. But that was thinking ahead.

To the right of the airlock, there was a small lift where 2VR8 seemed to like to be. Taking the lift down, he found two escape pods, the ship's battery, storage, water recycler and other things he knew nothing about. But he saw three droids scuttling around and was thankful they were taking care of making sure the ship ran efficiently.

Further down, the hall opened up into a large command/commons area, which held long-range comms, computer stations and even a couple of small gaming/entertainment tables surrounded by chairs. Talk about mixing your business with pleasure.

To either side of the main hall he'd just come through were two additional rooms. One was the medbay containing two beds, a terminal, a subversive Kolto tank and a few small diagnostic units that were a mystery to him. Hopefully, no more than two of them would be injured at one time. The room on the other side of the hall was the galley. It featured a large fridge, two stoves, storage cabinets and a long table seating three on each side and one at each end.

He found the bedroom he wanted at the front of the ship just before the bridge. Captain of his own ship. After years of hopping any vessel heading the direction he needed, this was a vast improvement. He put his clothing and weapons in the supply cabinet that was apparently meant to be used as an armoire. There was a tiny refresher along the back wall of his room. The door slid open to reveal a sink. To the left was a toilet and further to the left was a small shower stall.

Once he had himself sorted, he peeked in the bedroom across from his. In appearance, it was a mirror image of his. "What do you think?" he asked Annora who was just closing her armoire.

She shot him a bright smile as she walked towards him, her arms coming around his waist. "I suspect we will be sleeping in the same bed – but it is thoughtful of you to give me my own room. It will be nice to have my own personal space."

He chuckled and hugged her back. "I'm glad we think alike. Besides, if you didn't take that bedroom, I'd have had no reason not to offer it to Kaliyo."

She pulled back and patted his chest. "And you would have loved that."

He laughed and pulled back to take her hand. "Let's go see what provisions the galley has."

They met up with Kaliyo in the galley.

Kaliyo closed the fridge with a frown. "I've been through the cabinets and the fridge. I don't know who supplied us, but this isn't going to work. Imperial rations are nasty, and I lived on grubs and two-credit wine for a year." She waved her had at Neo. "They raise you on those things, no wonder you're a bunch of stiffs."

His stance stiffened and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Really, Kaliyo. I was not raised Imperial. I work for the Imperials, but I was raised in the Chiss Ascendency. We do not do Imperial rations. We will purchase additional supplies before we leave."

"Good." Kaliyo studied the chiss mountain. "Yeah, you're blue...but you still got the accent."

"It pays to blend in," he stated simply.

"Ok. I get that. But here's what I don't get – you got a little brass, you got a little style…maybe you aren't totally one of them, but you still play Keeper's pet."

He raked a hand through his dark blue hair and sighed. "I'm a secret agent, Kaliyo. Nothing is ever quite as it seems."

"So, you're a liar."

"Pot-kettle and all that," he pointed out.

She chuckled at him. "Touche, Neo. Then we know where we stand with each other."

"It would seem that we do, Kaliyo" he agreed.

"So," Kaliyo said as her eyes rolled over to Annora. "Are you a liar too?"

"I can be if I need to," Annora said with a sardonic laugh. She was probably the biggest liar of all three of them.

"Right then. Sounds good." She headed for the door. "Just so you know, you're taking me with you when you make a run for supplies in the morning."

They followed her out of the galley and continued on to their bedrooms. "I'll join you shortly. I'm going to get ready for bed," Annora told him as she disappeared into her room. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth and pulled on a robe before she settled on her bed with her legs crossed. She pulled out her communicator and commed Lorianna. When the holo lit up she could see the other woman was also on a bed, her hair mussed. "Sorry to wake you, I just wanted to check in. Time to myself has been hard to come by."

"No…I'm glad you commed." Lorianna tucked her messy hair behind her ears. "You should know, I'm on extended leave…or maybe an extended assignment. I'll still handle you – I'm afraid you're stuck with me for life. But for the unforeseeable future, my name is Anna Paulo and I'm a techie." She'd received a brief message about what happened on Hutta, but nothing about Dromund Kaas. "Catch me up on Dromund Kass."

She told her friend everything that happened to them on Dromund Kaas, relaying what the Eagle said was going to happen. "We don't know anything more at this time. I'll keep you updated. We've got a ship at our disposal now, we'll be departing Dromund Kaas tomorrow. As for Neronu…his eyes are starting to open. It's slow going, but he needs to be the catalyst of his own change. It is the only way he will ever truly believe the truth about the Empire. It must come from within him."

"You know what you're doing. That is good enough for me," Lorianna told her. "I'll message you if I hear anything about the Eagle. Lorianna out."

With that out of the way, she joined Neo and fell into his waiting arms. Tomorrow, they would be leaving Dromund Kaas in search of a featherless bird. Tonight was for lovers.