RETURN TO BASE

Most of the rebels are back to base in one piece and with marital status intact. And they also have some new guests, most of whom are welcomed but a few...not so much - LS

...

Lux helps King Dendup onto a sofa when they arrive back at base and the rebels buzz with excitement. It's not every day the king of the entire planet sits on your sofa, after all. As soon as Dendup is settled, Lux takes the seat next to him.

Dalla all but collapses onto another couch with Thias in one arm and Kason in the other.

"Thank gods," she murmurs, hugging Kason first and then Thias. "Thank gods, thank gods."

"I'm so sorry," Thias blubbers. "I thought they were going to kill you, I didn't know he -."

"Rash pulled it out of my head somehow," Kason says. "I heard you were here from your friend, and then he sat me down to breakfast and asked me all these questions that I didn't answer. I tried to warn you. I told him to wear a cloak. It was supposed to be a clue that he knew you were coming."

"You did everything you could." She rubs his back. "Thank you for trying to warn me. Kase, are you hurt at all?" Kason shakes his head. "Thias?"

"No," Thias says. "I should be though. I'd deserve it."

"What you did today was incredibly stupid," Does 'incredibly' even cover it? "But it does not warrant getting shot or losing your head. Father would kill me if either one happened."

Thias sniffs. "Father's really gonna kill me, isn't he?"

"You're chum, Thias." He smiles for a second before sobering up again so she takes that as a good sign. "I'm just glad we have Kase back."

"And that the king's alive." Kason looks at him across the room as if he's a favorite grandfather. "He's a good roommate."

"I dearly hope we won't have to share for much longer." Dendup smiles at the three of them. "So these are the cousins I've heard so much about."

"Your Highness," Dalla rises, kicking herself for sitting down in the first place in the presence of a king.

Dendup shakes his head. "Sit down. You've had a long day."

"He's really cool," Kason raves while Dalla lowers herself back into her seat. "He plays dejarik, and he took me into the greenhouse and taught me about carnivorous plants! I bet he can teach you too."

"That's great. But I'm sure the king is tired too, and he needs to talk to Steela."

Just then the door opens and everyone's hands go to their blasters. They relax and a few even applaud when they see who it is: General Tandin flanked by none other than Ahsoka, who most definitely did get involved.

Dendup looks to Tandin. "Why now?"

"It was time for a new approach, my lord."

"Do I have your loyalty?"

Tandin nods. "And that of the army."

"You also have ours," Steela says. "With your rule, our numbers will grow."

"Thanks, child." Dendup lays a hand on Lux's shoulder. "Your mother would be proud."

"Thank you, my lord." Lux glows from the praise.

"We must first win the will of the people. That is the only way," he stands. "The Separatists will assemble their forces. Count Dooku will want me dead more than ever."

"Then we'll have to teach them another lesson," Saw beams and claps Steela on the back. "Together!"

Everyone cheers and the rebels welcome their new allies the militiamen: finding them seats, pouring drinks, and introducing themselves. Tandin shakes Dendup's hand and then makes his way to the Blackwells.

"Young lady, this is an interesting way of staying in the north."

Dalla winces. "It was no longer safe after we had a … situation at the Hold."

"So I heard," his face darkens. "All that aside, I'm glad all three of you are safe."

"All thanks to you. This is the second time you've saved my skin, and I don't know how to repay you."

"There's no need. I was simply doing my duty."

"You went far beyond your duty. Rash could have killed you and he almost did if Ahsoka hadn't stepped in. Of course that deserves some kind of -."

"Not that duty." He gently cuts her off and sits on the edge of the couch. "My duty to my family," he says in a lower voice.

"Family?" Thias repeats.

"You wouldn't know," Tandin explains. "Your aunt may have mentioned I was interested in Beast Rider culture and came to the Summer Fete whenever I could, but one of my main reasons for doing so was to see her and her father. We're distant cousins, and after my parents died of the dalgos flu they were the only family I had left."

"Is that why you helped us?" Kason asks. "Because you're related to my mom?"

"It's one reason. I didn't want you boys to be taken hostage or for Dendup to die either, and I certainly don't approve of forced marriage. Yes, I helped you all because you're my kin. But I also helped you because if I didn't, I don't think I could have slept at night."

"You're a remarkable man, general." If praise is the only thing he'll accept from her, then Dalla is going to give him a life's supply.

"That he is," Dendup breaks in. "He, and your cousin, and your husband are all upstanding men, Lady Blackwell."

Dalla raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me, my husband?"

Saw suddenly looks very guilty. "Erm, sire? General? What I said in the palace wasn't all true."

Steela glares at him. "Saw, what did you do?"

"I may or may not have told Rash that Dalla and I were married."

The girls' jaws drop. "Saw, he almost took your head for that!" Steela cries.

"I was just trying to protect you all," he protests and then looks sheepishly at Dendup and Tandin. "What I said isn't true. We're not married. We're not even courting. Dalla and I are just friends."

Dendup laughs. "You fooled me, young man!"

"Yeah, I guess I did." Saw rubs the back of his neck. "General? Sorry for growling at you at the palace, but under the circumstances…"

"And I'm sorry for being a pain," Kason butts in. "All the stuff I said and did."

"I understand," Tandin says. "I can't say I liked it, but I understand. There was no way you could have known I was there to help."

"Someone get him a sainthood," Dalla implores.

Some of the militiamen agree, some snort, and Tandin sighs. "Are you alright, Dalla? That stun pulse was set to high power, and what happened after wasn't a picnic."

"I could be a whole lot worse." Dalla's brows knit in confusion. "Why is everyone staring at me?"

Lux, Saw, and Steela look at each other like do we tell her?

"It's not a big deal," Steela says. "It's just kind of eye-catching."

"Your face was pressed into Rash's doublet so hard, it left lines. That's all. They'll fade away in a few minutes," Lux explains.

Dalla touches her cheek and yes, she can feel the little dints in her skin. She rubs her cheeks to make them less noticeable. It's bad enough Rash caught her; she hates that he left even a temporary mark. "Thanks for telling me."

"I bet Rash has an even worse mark." Kason zeroes in on Lux. "You're Lux Bonteri, right? It was so cool how you hit him right in his stupid head!"

Lux rubs the back of his neck. "I wouldn't say it was 'cool,' but I guess I did."

Steela takes a seat and Dendup angles himself toward her. "I never caught your name, young lady."

Steela startles. "Oh! I'm Steela Gerrera, sire. I'm Saw's sister."

"Lady Steela Gerrera," Lux corrects. "She never mentions the Lady part."

"She's amazing, sire," Ahsoka says. "I'm sure you saw that today."

"And so I did." Dendup reaches across Lux and places his hand on Steela's arm. "You are a true daughter of Onderon," he says. "And I'm honored to be here with you."

Steela blinks with shock. "T-thank you, your Majesty!"

"And a Lady too. I can't say I've heard of House Gerrera."

"We're Beast Riders," she begins. "And we're close to Bremon Kira."

"Close?" Werda Flint, their tunnel guide, queries. "Of course you're close. You have clan ties. Way back in the Beast Wars, Oron Kira's little sister Oona married Timo Gerrera, one of the men who helped him take Princess Galia from the palace."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Saw asks.

Werda shrugs. "I'm a Flint."

"House Flint is so big they have to keep on top of genealogy just to make sure they don't marry their cousins," Thias explains. "Grandmother Flint is like a wizard with it."

"I found that bit out from a book she sent me," Werda says proudly. "She's teaching me how to do the same thing."

Dalla can't believe there's a basis to her "Lady Gerrera" stunt. And it looks like Steela can't believe it either.

"Well I guess that settles all the business in this room," Lux says brightly.

Tandin's face darkens. "Not all of it."

He's wearing the same expression as he did during the execution. Even if he is her kin, Dalla knows she doesn't want to be on the wrong end of that. "General?"

"It's not you, Dalla. It's not any of you." He stands up and and walks over to a couple of his men standing along the wall.

"I didn't think you two had made it back in time to join the rest of us."

"We returned only a few hours ago, General." The first agent says and strokes his thin beard. It looks like it's grown out of his being unable to shave more than from a personal choice. "Hadn't even been debriefed yet."

"I'd call that incredible luck. Where was your assignment?"

"We were ordered to maintain complete secrecy, sir."

"And our collective defection voids those orders. Where. Were. You?" He picks out the other militiaman. "Jarvis?"

"The Northern Seas, sir," Jarvis admits.

Everyone else falls silent and starts to pay attention.

Tandin crosses his arms. "I don't suppose you were fishing for your assignment?"

"No, sir." Beard hangs his head.

"You two were sent to kidnap Lady Blackwell, weren't you?"

Realization breaks over Dalla like a cold wave and it takes all she has to restrain herself. Thias grabs the couch cushions and counts to ten through clenched teeth. But they know to let Tandin handle this.

"We didn't get near her," Beard says and gestures to Dalla. "Obviously. We only were conducting surveillance on Blackhold; we never had contact with any of the family members. We weren't close enough to cause any harm."

"You didn't harm anyone while you were in the north?" Tandin boxes them into the corner. "Really? Not a soul?"

"Aside from a few mistakes, no."

Tandin loses it.

"Mistakes?!" he bellows. "You killed a teenage girl in cold blood!"

Thias' face crumbles in silent agony and Dalla fills to the brim with rage. Only the barest sense of reason keeps her from ripping Beard and Jarvis apart limb from limb.

Dendup stands up very, very slowly. "They did what?"

"Tell him," Tandin orders. "Tell your king what you did!"

"It was a mistake!" Jarvis bleats. "We were just following orders!"

Dendup scans the room and selects Dalla as the one person who knows what went on and can speak normally instead of screaming. "Lady Blackwell, what is this?"

"My friend," she gulps. "Miranda Harkon. Right before I left…" she feels a sob threatening to choke her. "They killed her," she gasps. "Rash sent royal agents after me, they took her instead by accident and when they realized what happened they killed her!"

Dendup glares at Beard and Jarvis. "Is this true?"

"It's not like she says," Beard protests. "This girl looked just like the target. And she didn't say otherwise until we were already on the water and it was too late to turn back."

"So you shot her," Tandin spits. "You murdered that innocent, sixteen-year-old girl to hide your incompetence."

"We couldn't leave any witnesses or we'd risk compromising the mission. After you didn't bring the girl back Rash would be furious if we failed too."

"Do you know what he said when I returned without Dalla?" Tandin demands. "He said he was disappointed, but he was glad no one was hurt."

"He was going to kill us. He said he'd deal with us when he learned of our mistake and we all know what that means." Jarvis tries to back up but the wall thwarts him. "We tried to do right. We did it quick; she didn't feel anything."

Dalla can't keep quiet any longer. "You shot her in the head and threw her into the water like she was nothing!"

"If I could go back and change it, I would," Beard swears. "But there was no other way."

"You could have checked before you took her. You could have asked her, or searched my name on the HoloNet! Did you ever think of that?"

Steela places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

Tandin jumps back into the fray. "Your Highness, they've confessed to the crime. I ask your permission to execute these two on the charge of murder."

"Please, sire! Mercy!" Beard falls to his knees groveling. "That's why we left Rash, that we would serve the king who knows mercy!"

"You left to save your own skins," Tandin snaps. "There was no honor in it; you joined us to evade justice. Well justice has a way of always exacting itself, whether it's by Rash's hands or mine."

Dendup glares at the two agents long and hard.

"What you have done is an unspeakable crime and justice must be served," he says. "However, the crime took place in northern jurisdiction. They must be tried by a northern court. Until Lord Blackwell arrives to deliver a formal charge, they will be detained in order to be transferred to Harkon Hall for trial."

The agents share a terrified gaze as the implications of that set in. "No! My lord, please not Harkon Hall!"

"Get these two out of my sight before I kill them myself," Tandin seethes.

Four militiamen converge on the killers and drag them away, still pleading to Dendup and Tandin and even the Blackwells.

"Please!" Beard cries. "We're sorry! We're sorry!"

"Sorry?" Thias sobs so quietly almost none of them can hear. "Miranda is dead! I would've...I might have married her." And then he crumbles and Kason hugs him.

Steela squeezes Dalla's shoulder. "Can I have a word?"

"Aye." Dalla shakes her head to force her sobs down and walks with Steela into the briefing room. Steela locks the door behind them. "What is it?"

Steela runs a hand through her hair. "We're gonna take a minute and freak out."

"Freak out?" Dalla repeats. She's spent the better part of today desperately trying not to freak out.

"Saw got captured last night, your brother had to be locked in the storeroom, we walked into a trap at the palace." Steela starts ticking them off on her fingers. "The king was almost executed, Saw and Lux and I were almost executed, you almost married a megalomaniac, and we've both lost friends today. I'm about to lose it, and I know you're about to lose it, and we each need a friend and some time for ourselves right now." She talks faster and faster as she goes on, then plops into one of the seats.

Dalla sits next to her and takes her hand.

"I was so scared," she gasps. "I didn't realize it on stage because I couldn't move, and I couldn't speak, and then he had me..." She gives in to her freakout but clamps her free hand over her mouth to stopper in the sound. "And then when I could. When I could fight. It was like he couldn't feel pain. I was trapped and he had ahold of me, and I was so scared, Steela!"

"I was too," Steela squeezes Dalla's hand like a lifeline. "When I saw you didn't get away and then the droids took us, I was out of plans. And then he put us in line for the guillotine and I couldn't do anything! I didn't know what to do and I was terrified. I wanted to run away screaming." She squeezes her hand again and seems to notice something.

"Uh...nice rock, by the way."

"Nice...what?" Dalla follows Steela's gaze to her hand and almost jumps out of her skin. On her left ring finger is an enormous ruby ring, the stone almost eclipsing her finger. How in salt gods' names she didn't realize she was wearing it she has no idea. But still there's only one way it got on…

Dalla yanks it off as fast as she can and stares at it. When did Rash put this on her hand and how didn't she notice? If she had she'd have torn it off just like the necklace.

Before she can think about it any longer Steela plucks the ring from her hand, examines it for a split second and then nonchalantly tosses it over her shoulder into some random corner of the briefing room.

"As Dono would say, there are some things that just shouldn't be worn." She grabs Dalla's hand again.

Dalla takes a deep breath. "Do you want a pillow to scream into now? Cause I think I do."

"Maybe later. But right now I need something to hold and do you mind if I use you?"

Dalla nods and Steela hugs her. It's not the possessive and restrictive hold Rash put her in, but a tight friendly embrace. She wraps her arms around Steela as well and pats her back. "There's no way you could have foreseen that. No way."

"I'm the leader. It's my job to foresee everything."

"But that's not possible." Dalla urges. "I never thought Rash would try for a marriage alliance. I never thought he would send people to take me. I never thought he would kill -." She can't swallow her sobs anymore. "Miranda didn't deserve that! She was kind, and brave, and the best person in the galaxy. She didn't deserve to be gunned down and thrown away like garbage. I'd give anything for them to have taken someone else. I'd give anything for them to have taken me."

"If you say that again I'm going to slap you," Steela informs her. "Even if we're having a freakout session."

Dalla sniffs. "Then quit saying you should have seen it coming."

"Okay, that's fair." She rubs Dalla's back. "I'm so glad you're okay. After what happened with Dono -."

"Dono was your Miranda, wasn't she?"

Steela wipes her eyes. "She wasn't my best friend, but she was a friend and a loyal soldier. And after she died...we're the only ones left. We don't have any more friends to lean on. We're it except for Ahsoka, and she's not staying when this is over."

"What can we do? Avenge them, I guess. Honor them." She pulls back. "Are you done freaking out?"

"Yeah." Steela composes herself. "We should go back in. There's work to be done and our brothers are going to start looking for us soon."

"We don't want that to happen," Dalla smiles thinly and stands up from the couch.

"After what happened today? No, we do not."

…

Justice is beginning to be served, but the rebels still have a long way to go to right wrongs. The next chapter in Gen 2 brings in some characters from The Ashla Awareness, so if you ever needed an excuse to go read that story - this is it!