Aboard the VCX 100 Light Freighter Ghost

"Alright, that was the last one. What now, Kanan?" asked Hera as she climbed back up to the cockpit.

Her Jedi lover was just sitting in the copilot's seat, a frown of intense concentration on his lips. "Kanan?" she murmured, not wanting to disturb him but also a little worried.

"We need to make another jump;" he said. "We aren't all that far from the planet we saw."

Hera studied him as he looked up and at her. Even if they were useless as far as seeing went, his white eyes were still quite expressive and she could see the seriousness in them. "Alright, take the stick, oh wise Jedi master!"

Kanan stood and Hera took an opportunity to gently stop him and kiss him before he sat down and took hold of the stick. Falling into the force, Kanan eased the stick port and up slightly. His other hand was already on the hyperspace lever. As soon as the force indicated, he eased them forward and they jumped again.

Kanan could sense her worry and smiled. Stand and stretching, he said, "We'll be fine. I just know that we're close and somehow, it's important that we get there."

He held her for awhile and kissed her before plopping down in the pilots seat.

Hera understood - to a point of course. She assumed that unless one could sense the force, they would never fully understand. "I'm going to cook something up for you and grab you a cup of caf, love. Can't have you falling asleep on me."

"Thank you, Sweetheart;" said Kanan, smiling in her direction.

Aboard the Rebel Assault Frigate Stubborn Fool

Most of the crew were either asleep, training or enjoying a little down time to ease the monotony. Only a skeleton crew was still on duty and a roster had been established. Regular training was being conducted for repelling boarders or emergency responses or whatever they could think of to keep lethargy down. General Kota was even giving a select few of his militia training on combating force users. Anything that they could do to keep their troops and crew members exercised and busy, they did.

Juno Eclipse and Alexsandr Kallus gazed into the blue tunnel of hyperspace. "Does it seem different to you too, or is it just my anxiety about the unknown that makes me see it differently?" Captain Kallus asked suddenly.

It took a moment for her to realize that he was speaking to her but when she did, Juno chuckled and said, "Hyperspace you mean? I don't know. It certainly looks like all the same old hyperspace to me. Though they do say that perception is reality."

Kallus snorted in amusement. "I have heard that before - perhaps even believed it once upon a time. But serving the Empire drove that thought from my mind. Perception is the view screen through which we view reality, not reality itself."

Juno looked at him, noting the grim tone of guilt in his voice. She knew his story, of course. Juno made a point of having PROXY give her a profile of everyone she was working with who worked with the Empire before. Kallus had once toted the common thought of the Empire - Humans were superior, aliens were second class. He had commanded the assault on Lasan that had decimated a massive portion of the Lasat people.

"What was it that made you turn your back on the Empire, Alexsandr?" she asked.

The man was silent for a long time until, finally, he said, "I always thought that most alien species were savage and uncivilized, wholly inferior to we "superior Humans". But when my enemy saved my life despite what I had done to his people, I began to view everything differently, including the Empire. The more I heard about what the Empire was doing, the more horrified I became by it."

Juno nodded. "I understand. One of the first things that clued me in to the evil of the Empire was the desolation of Callos. The final nail in the coffin was Darth Vader betraying Starkiller and myself - twice."

"The entire Imperial hierarchy is nothing but backstabbing one's colleagues to gain power and dominating one's enemies, even if they are only perceived enemies;" said Kallus grimly. "Admiral Pryce is the perfect example."

Juno nodded. Several others had been good examples as well. Ozzik Stern, Moff Tarkin - the list went on. "You once commanded a frigate, didn't you, Captain?" asked Kallus conversationally.

"Yes, the Nebulan-B Frigate Salvation. She was a great ship - until Galen decided to ram her into the planetary shield on Kamino;" answered Juno with obvious amusement.

Kallus laughed and shook his head. "The Jedi will never fail to amaze me."

"Me either;" murmured Juno.

"Preparing to revert, Captains;" called the hyperdrive operator.

Moments later, the stars collapsed to pinpricks of light and a beautiful planet appeared. Around the planet was a fleet of strange looking ships with strange looking starfighters. "I've never seen ships like that before;" commented Kallus.

"They're hailing us, Captain;" called the comms officers.

"Go ahead;" said Kallus as he kept an eye on the ships.

Juno hurried over and said, "This is Captain Juno Eclipse of the Rebel Alliance. Whom am I addressing?"

"This is Admiral Lackart of the Japarus Navy. We wish no trouble with you or your enemies. Therefore, we respectfully request that you continue on your journey as your friends did before;" came a richly accented voice.

Juno nodded. "That is our precise plan, Admiral but, if I may worn, those who are pursuing us may not be so gracious. I would recommend not engaging them at all unless necessary."

There was a long pause before the Admiral replied, "We will take your words to heart, Captain Eclipse. Safe travels."

The connection was cut and Kallus called over, "We picked up their beacon, Captain. We will be jumping shortly."

They jumped again and once again, Juno and Kallus were side by side at the main viewport. "Are you sure that it isn't different out here?" he asked again, causing her to laugh.

"General on the bridge;" called one of the crew men.

Turning, they saw Galen striding toward them. "We jumped again?" asked Galen.

"Yes, love; the locals decided they rather we weren't around when the Imperials showed up."

"Strange;" murmured Galen. "I would have sworn that planet was the one we were trying to reach. It looked very similar at least."

Juno shrugged. "I'm sure there are many lush, green worlds. Wouldn't the force give you a nudge once you saw it or something?"

Galen chuckled, "I would assume so. I don't know. Kota would probably be a better person to ask. Anyhow, any new word from Kanan and Hera?"

"No, Sir;" said Captain Kallus, "at this point, we're just following the beacons."

Galen nodded and gazed into the blue tunnel of hyperspace. "Is it just me;" he asked casually, "or does hyperspace look different out here in the unknown?"

Juno and Kallus both burst into laughter and Juno hugged him and said, "Yes, darling, it does look just a little different out here, I think."

Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Predator

"Dropping out of hyperspace now, Admiral;" called the bridge officer.

When they had reverted, they were surprised to see a planet with a fleet of ships in an unfamiliar, yet still obvious, defensive blockade. "Interesting;" she said, "I have never seen ships like that before. Hail them, comms officer."

Over all frequencies, she said, "Unknown fleet, this is Admiral Pryce of the Imperial Navy. I would like to speak to your commanding officer please."

For some time, there was no reply and Pryce was about to try again when they finally replied, "Admiral Pryce, this is Admiral Lackart of the Japarus Navy. Is there something that I can do for you?"

"There is a hyperspace beacon on the edge of your system;" she explained. "It was left by members of the Rebel Alliance, traitors to Emperor Palpatine's Empire. If there are any of these rebels hiding in your system, it would be most helpful if you informed us."

"They were here;" said Lackart, "but we had not desire to cause enmity of any kind. Therefore, we sent them on their way."

Admiral Pryce shot a look at the scanner and sensor operators who immediately set to work locating the new beacons before replying, "A wise choice. It would not due to make an enemy of the Empire. We thank you for your assistance and advice, Admiral. As soon as we have a heading, we will leave."

"Much obliged, Admiral;" replied Lackart and the connection was dropped.

"They're terrified;" said Stalker Prime beside her. "I can sense their fear."

"Is that a surprise?" asked Pryce dryly. "Their largest ships are no larger than Rendili Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruisers. I've never seen their like before, though. Of course, there is very little known about the Unknown Regions. For whatever reason, there have been so few attempts to explore it."

"There is enough chaos and conflict in the known galaxy;" said Stalker Prime, "perhaps when the Emperor brings it under his thumb completely, he will send mapping expeditions and the like out to see what is in the Unknown Regions."

"Perhaps;" said Pryce.

"Admiral, we have a heading;" called the nav officer as he furiously tapped at his console.

"Good, make for it and begin the countdown to the jump to lightspeed. The rebels will only run for so long. Come, Stalker Prime. Let's go to my quarters and discuss strategy for when we finally catch up to the rebels."

The dark sider smiled and said, "Very well. I am eager to hear your brilliant plans, Admiral."

"Flattery will get you everywhere;" she murmured only loudly enough for him to hear it.

Aboard the VCX 100 Freighter Ghost

Hera eased the hyperdrive lever back and there it was. "Is this the right planet, Kanan?" she asked.

"Yup; this is it;" her replied, "I can feel it. Something is down there on that planet."

"Great!" said Hera, sighing with relief. "I wonder what we were avoiding considering that we moved in a big arc."

"I have no idea;" murmured Kanan. "Let's do a scan of the planet - then it's going to be a few days before the rest of the fleet catches up."

Hera commanded the scan and then commented, "I wonder how many worlds are in this system and how many are habitable."

"We can check it out when the rest of the fleet gets here;" said Kanan. "I want to end this chase if we can."

"Couldn't agree more. I'm worried about the rest of the Alliance. The main part of the war is back there."

Suddenly, their comms crackled. "What the hell?" murmured Hera, tapping the equipment. "This is General Hera Syndulla of the Rebel Alliance. Your transmission was cut off. Please repeat."

There was a long pause - long enough for them to decide it was an equipment glitch. But then, suddenly, the comms crackled and an eerie voice spoke in a language that neither of them recognized. Frowning, Hera replied, "I can't understand what you're saying. If you can repeat your message in Basic, Ryl or Huttese, I'll be able to-"

A long stream of speech interrupted her, sounding frightened and as if it were pleading for help. It went on for minutes before cutting off. Just as they thought that it was over, a deep voice spoke. "The Crooked One rises."

Hera frowned at Kanan before saying, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"The Crooked One rises."

"I have a bad feeling about his;" muttered Kanan.

Hera cleared her throat and said in a shaky voice. "Who is the crooked one?"

"The Crooked One Rises."

"Hera, cut the connection;" murmured Kanan.

"The Crooked One Rises." the voice said again.

Hera reached out cut the comms. "Well that was a little too creepy for me;" murmured Kanan.

"The scan shows signs of civilization but it seems as though it's primitive;" said Hera, her voice trembling. "I can't sense even the most primitive electrical powering. No nuclear reactors, not even wind or water powered devices, nothing."

Kanan nodded and remained silent for some time. "When the rest of the fleet gets here, I think we need to investigate the planet below. Something down there is making me particularly uncomfortable."

Hera nodded solemnly and shivered. Kanan smiled and said, "Come on. Let's go eat and then get some real sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Me too;" said Hera. "But I don't want to sleep yet."

"Really?" Kanan frowned. "What would you rather do?"

Hera's husky giggle was her only response.

Aboard the Captured Escort Carrier

Ezra frowned and sat up slowly. There was just the mildest sense of discomfort in the back of his mind. Something had happened. Even at the distance they were still undoubtedly at, he could just barely sense Kanan's similar feelings of unease. Beside him, Sabine shifted and murmured sleepily, "Ezra, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Babe. Go ahead and get back to sleep;" he replied, lying down next to her and wrapping one arm around her.

Even sleepy, Sabine managed to reply wryly, "Whatever. I'll ask again when we wake up and you'd better have a more sufficient answer that that."

Ezra chuckled and kissed her neck. "I will, Sabine. I will."

The other Jedi sensed it too - a disturbance in the force. Ahsoka, Maris, Galen and Rahm could tell that something somewhere was stirring and it wasn't good. Even the Dark Stalkers aboard the Predator sensed it. When they dropped out of hyperspace and Pryce was informed, she had them send scout ships to check on every beacon they picked up on Stalker Prime's suggestion. It left the fleet stagnant for several days but, when they returned, they reported that the rebels had gone in a very large arc.

"Why do you suppose they did that?" asked Pryce as she clipped and adjusted her bra.

Prime stomped his boots into place before answering, "I would guess that, in unknown and uncharted space, the Jedi are steering and making their hyperspace jumps with the force. If that be the case, sending our scout ships with their own beacons right through the center of their arc may buy us a little time. If we're lucky, we may be able to catch them unawares. But that disturbance I felt, it concerns me. We should proceed with great caution."

Pryce studied him. It was proving very fortunate that she had her own personal Dark Jedi kath hounds for protection as well as tracking down her targets. Idly, as she enjoyed watching him put his shirt and armor back on, she wondered why the Emperor had them made a requirement aboard every admiral's Star Destroyer. "Then we shall do so, Prime."

They both stood and considered one another, knowing fullwell that to one another, they were both a means to an end. Once they had both fulfilled their missions, this alliance they had, as easy and pleasurable as it was, would be wholly reconsidered.

With a smile, the admiral said, "What shall we do while we wait?"

Prime returned the smile and said, "Let me check on the others and ensure that they are continuing their training and not getting out of practice. I should probably do some myself. You can be quite a distraction, Admiral."

"I take that as a compliment;" she said, clearly pleased with herself. "I shall see you on the bridge when you are satisfied with your training, Prime."

"As you wish, Admiral;" he said with a bow.

Aboard the VCX 100 Freighter Ghost

The proximity alarm woke them both and forced them to scurry into clothes. What's more, the comms was going off. As she shrugged on her flight suit, Hera slapped the comms switch. "Glad you could make it. We fell asleep waiting for you;" she said with a smile.

Rahm Kota chuckled with amusement. "Well done, Hera. I think we should go to the far side of the planet and wait there while we send ships to explore the rest of the system. We Jedi are going to head down to the planet below as soon as you get back aboard. Go to the Venator, we're calling it the Taunter by the way, and land. We'll be sending various ships out to explore the nearest planets in the system and get an idea of what we're looking at."

"Understood;" said Hera as she put on and adjusted her head gear and plopped into the pilots seat before yelling over her shoulder, "Hurry up, love. The fleets here and I'm willing to bet the Empire isn't far behind."

As they entered through the dorsal docking bay doors, they looked from right to left and saw that numerous Rebel fighters were being assembled and readied. "When did we have all that anyway?" she muttered.

"All what?" asked Kanan from behind her.

"They're building a bunch of fighters - R-22's, Z-95's, all of them. I knew we carried parts and the like but not whole kits;" she explained.

Kanan grinned. "I'm willing to bet that was Kallus's idea - have each ship carry a part of the kits that would be needed to replenish our fighters as we needed them. None of us expected this to be a long, drawn out campaign but apparently, that's exactly what it is."

They set down and went to the comms center. There, they met with the rest of the fleet's command staff and Jedi via holo-communications. "There is something on that planet down there and we need to investigate it."

Ezra lifted a hand and asked, "But why do we need to? If it's down there and we stay up here, what harm could it do?"

"That depends;" said Kanan. "If it's something powerful, do you really think that the Empire won't try to harness it?"

Ezra nodded slowly. "An excellent point. We should probably check it out."

Sabine laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Nerf brain;" she said affectionately.

"Mandalore, we'll have to borrow your consort;" said Kota gravely.

Snorts and chuckles of amusements followed the declaration. With a mock scowl, Sabine put her helmet on and said, "You'd better return him to me just the way I lent him to you. I'm going to need him later."

Hera and Kanan shook their heads. "We don't need to hear this," said Kanan, "So what's the plan?"

"We'll all take the Rogue Shadow down there;" said Kota. "The Rogue Explorer, Ghost, Phantom II and some of our other freighters and the like will start their exploration of the surrounding system. Until we return, General Syndulla is in charge. Assign people to the exploration missions as you see fit. Keep everyone on high alert. We don't know when the Imperials will catch up to us."

"When they do;" said Hera, "we won't have the ships to keep them from destroying us. What do you recommend we do?"

"Fighter blitz;" said Kota, "All fighters will attack one or two of the smaller craft. Once they are destroyed, make preparations for the jump to lightspeed."

Hera's eyes widened. "Where will we be jumping, General?"

Kota shrugged. "We're going to meditate before we head to the planet below and get ourselves a vector. As soon as we're done, we're heading to the planet below."

"And how will we know when to stop?" she asked anxiously.

"Wait two hours and then revert and drop a beacon for us;" he replied.

Obviously, they were all anxious about it but it was the best plan that any of them could come up with. "Alright, let's get started."