Chapter 12

Aboard Han Solo

Zeth entered the wardroom and looked around somewhat nervously. He didn't really know why he had been summoned to a meeting with the Admiral, General Shawnkyr and the judge advocate of the Fifth Fleet, but he had an idea. His eyes fell upon Cherith and her eyes flicked to him. He opened up to the Force and reached out to her. He sensed a calm defiance in her and yet he could tell that she was unsure. He poured his love and acceptance into her even though he was unsure if she actually felt it. It had been three days since the attack, since that first kiss and they had tried to spend as much time as they could together. Their time was secret moments stolen in an underused observation platform. He loved her, no question about that. No declarations had been made but he was certain that she felt the same for him.

His eyes settled on Admiral Fel and he quickly snapped into a sharp salute. He felt extremely overdressed in the dress uniform but knew that such an event demanded that he wear it.

"At ease, Lieutenant," Colonel Pillar responded but not before looking Zeth's uniform over. Her large eyes fell onto his lightsaber and he felt her displeasure through the Force. Pillar was a Mon Cal female who had spent her entire life in the military as a judge advocate. She was known for her hard line adherence to procedure and military law. Obviously, she felt the Jedi weapon was out of place. But he didn't care. He was a Jedi just playing the silly games that came with his mission.

It didn't take Zeth long to determine that he was correct in his suspicions as his eyes fell onto his squadron commander Gabe Darklighter—Cherith was under investigation. Zeth took his seat beside Gabe at one of the table sides and looked back over at Cherith who was sitting at one of the other blunted corners of the triangular table. She was sitting ramrod straight and staring ahead with not a trace of emotion on her face. He knew she was hurting about what had happened. She blamed herself for the deaths of the six pilots that were lost. However, Zeth tried to assure her that she was not at fault, that even though her reasoning may not have been purely innocent, it was good sound reasoning.

Finally, General Shawnkyr, who was sitting next to the admiral along one of the long sides of the conference table, opened the proceedings in a voice that betrayed nothing, "We have called this board to determine if Commander Cherith Nuruodo-Fel acted irresponsibly when she requested for the duty change that led to the deaths of six Rogue Squadron pilots."

Zeth was stunned. He couldn't believe that her parents would do something like this. How could they even think of having a hearing regarding Cherith's command decisions? But as Zeth let the surprise and flare of anger that came with it wash over him he realized that his parents could just as easily be placed in the same situation as members of the Jedi Council. He also realized that if any other officer had done such a thing that they too would be brought in for formal debriefing. Procedure required it and he knew Cherith would have wanted this hearing even if it found her responsible.

Suddenly, he realized that Pillar was speaking again, "Colonel Darklighter, please explain what precipitated to the duty roster change that placed Rogue Squadron on patrol rather than Grey Squadron on the day of the attack."

Gabe shifted uncomfortably and glanced over at Cherith, Zeth could feel his reluctance to speak ill of the young commander. He looked back to the military lawyer, who was pinning him with at hard stare from her side of the table, and cleared his throat, "Commander Nuruodo-Fel asked to have the assignments changed. She expressed an eagerness to not be here for the Change of Command Ceremony but explained that since it involved," Gabe looked at Jag and Shawnkyr, "her parents, whom the two of us, Lt. Durron and I also know personally, that it would give younger, less experienced pilots a chance to be here for the ceremony, since it was such a history making event. I agreed with her and had the roster changed."

"You agreed; even though, four of your squadron are or were green, fresh out of the Academy?" Pillar countered.

Gabe never wavered his hard stare, "Yes, however, Grey Squadron has eight green pilots. I agreed that it would be better for the Greys to experience the command change since they are a newer squad altogether."

Suddenly, Zeth said, his growing frustration with all this madness bubbling to the surface, "If I may speak freely, Colonel?"

The Mon Cal swiveled her bulbous eyes towards him and nodded her large head, "Lt. Durron, you have a differing opinion?"

Zeth looked once more to Cherith who turned to meet his eyes briefly then he looked at her parents and the admiral's Chiss executive officer, finally, his gaze fell upon the lawyer, "Yes, Colonel, I do. I realize what is being done here and why, but it is not Commander Nuruodo-Fel's fault that we were essentially ambushed. And personally," he let out a slight snicker, "I think if the Greys would have met what we did there wouldn't have been a single pilot left."

"Lt. Durron, that is biased opinion and cannot be proven," the old lawyer's displeasure at such a conjured belief clearly evident in her gravely voice.

Zeth shook his head and grinned a lopsided grin that was pure disregard for the rules, "Colonel, we were ambushed by three fully armed and experienced squads. If the Rogues didn't have some of the best pilots in the whole military flying with it, even the Rogues wouldn't have survived that assault. I believe what is really the issue, isn't weather Commander Nuruodo-Fel violated some vague rule or may have made an error in judgment; but rather, is what are we going to do about Dro'godda getting hold of cloakers." He paused long enough to glance at Gabe to get a read on him and to see if he agreed with Zeth. Then he went on, "We were attacked on three sides. Didn't anyone read the reports? The first attacked head on after simply dropping out of hyperspace in front of us. The other two probably came out at the same time but were cloaked. If I hadn't sensed their presence before they actually attacked, even we may not be here to discuss this right now."

"What do you mean by 'sensing them'?" asked the other Chiss in the room. The tall middle aged looked at Zeth with suspicion from his seat beside Jag. Then he added, "As in using your Jedi abilities?"

"Yes, Fiskyn," the admiral spoke for the first time addressing his executive officer. Jag Fel gazed at Zeth with contemplation; he went on, "Lt. Durron, what is your feeling on the attack?"

Zeth swallowed and then looked from one face to another, finally settling back on the admiral. "I feel as Colonel Darklighter does, Commander Nuruodo-Fel made no errors in deciding to have the roster changed. The Hunters Squadron was also attacked and lost just as many pilots. I think the enemy wanted to see what they could do with their new toys and they wanted to see what our reactions would be to the revelation that they too had the technology to hide. They attacked with enough force to completely destroy a squadron. We were attacked with X-wings and Eta-5's, the Hunters with Eta-5's and Sixes. The pilots were over confident that we would be easy kills for them." Zeth grinned and added, "We proved that the Rogues aren't easy kills."

"Do you think they were trying to completely destroy an entire squadron?" the general asked, her red eyes fixed on Zeth.

"Yes," Gabe chimed in before Zeth could answer, "I do. It may be true that we shouldn't have been out there but I do not think she made a bad decision. Our Phantom-Xs were better equipped to fight against the attack than the Greys Eta-6s would have been. Sure they are fast, but they don't carry the firepower a Phantom does. Which means that I also agree with Lt. Durron, had the Greys faced the attack we did they would have been completely destroyed."

Pillar, not happy that her hearing was being high jacked, turned to the general, "Sir, that is not what is at issue. We need to determine if Commander Nuruodo-Fel acted out of her own self interest."

Shawnkyr looked at the Mon Calamari, nodded and then turned to her daughter, "Commander Nuruodo-Fel, please explain to this board why you requested the change."

Cherith gazed at her mother and Zeth was actually amazed that not a slightest bit of emotion visibly passed between them. But he could feel Shawnkyr's deep love for her daughter and he could feel Cherith's for her mother. Then she said evenly, "I asked for the change for the reasons Colonel Darklighter related. However, I will admit that I felt that it would be better if I was not present for the ceremony."

"And can you tell us why you felt this way?" Pillar inquired.

Finally, Jag Fel stood and turned to the lawyer, "Colonel Pillar, Commander Nuruodo-Fel did not want to be present because she has been feeling pressures from other officers aboard this ship. She has been personally under attack for her relationship to the General and me." Jag turned to gaze at his daughter and went on by saying almost as much to the rest of them as to her, "She was unfamiliar to this sort of attack regarding her skills and abilities since family ties and connections are not of a concern in the Ascendancy." Zeth thought he saw a smile on the admiral's otherwise impassive features. Then he said, "I will personally take the responsibility for her lack of knowledge of this. But I assure this board," he turned back to stare hard at the colonel, "that Commander Nuruodo-Fel did not act irresponsible in her request." Then the admiral did smile, "I would have made the same request regarding allowing the more experienced seasoned pilots to take the places of new ones in order to allow them the opportunity to see such a controversial Change of Command. However, I also feel that we are overlooking the more important issue. We need to determine where Dro'godda has got its cloaking devices or we will be mourning the loss of even more pilots."

Pillar visibly bristled, "Admiral Fel, regardless of what perceived 'pressures' she felt that she was under, she requested a change that led to the deaths of six beings that would not have otherwise been in jeopardy."

Fel looked at the lawyer and countered, "That may be true, Colonel Pillar; however, I also agree with Colonel Darklighter and Lt. Durron. If Grey Squadron had been attacked as such, we may be contemplating and mourning the deaths of twelve pilots not six." Suddenly, he turned and announced in a voice that didn't allow for any further comment, "I believe we have enough information, you are all dismissed."

Everyone stood and saluted the senior officers then began to file out one at a time. Cherith left without saying a word or even looking at Zeth. He knew where he'd find her later. He needed to talk to her. Unexpectedly, Jag's voice stopped him, "Lt. Durron, a moment, please."

Zeth stood near the door where he had stopped and waited for the last of the officers to file out, including the general. Zeth however did not miss the look that flashed between her and her husband. Zeth swallowed his sudden nerves, wondering what the Admiral wanted to discuss with him privately.

Finally, Jag said, after he came from around the table, "I wanted to thank you, Durron, for your skill and quick action the other day." He smiled and added, "You are very much like your mother."

Zeth returned his smile and countered, "I've been told I'm more like my grandfather with a little Kyp Durron tossed in just to keep things interesting."

Zeth was surprised by the chuckle that the usually severe admiral let out, "Yes, I can see that." Then he grew more serious, "I've been told that you and Cherith don't particularly like each other."

Zeth felt his mouth go dry as he wondered what Cherith's father was driving at. He calmly replied, "I wouldn't call it that. She is an incredible pilot and an excellent commander and I have the utmost respect for her. We just don't always see eye to eye. I don't particularly like the military and she takes things on occasion way too seriously, which has led us to more than one—huh—heated discussion."

Jag smiled and said, "She was raised as a Chiss and they take everything seriously; it's how they attack life. I remember also having that problem. It took your mother to lighten me up some but even then I have always been more Chiss in my thinking and beliefs. But I am curious as to why the sudden change. Cherith has mentioned you more than once at dinner last evening."

Zeth couldn't help the feelings of discomfort that crossed over him—first, at the thought of Jag and his mother together; second, at the suspicion that he was feeling coming off the admiral. The last thing Zeth wanted Jag to know was that he loved with his daughter. "Emmm…Sir, Cherith and I have become friends. I guess you could say that she has proven herself to me and I have accepted her as she is, however," Zeth grinned lopsidedly, "I still do enjoy watching her temper rise."

The admiral laughed again and then said, "That is a dangerous venture, Durron. I'm surprised that you haven't been relieved of something important."

Zeth laughed too, "She tried to take my rank once but when I was willing to give it to her freely she realized that I'm can be as—emmm—hardheaded as she can."

"Well, I hope you survive her wrath, not many willing provoke it. That is one thing she has inherited from her human relatives. However, if you hurt her in any way you won't survive mine." Zeth actually felt a shudder at the meaning behind the stern gaze and uncompromising words.

Zeth matched the older man with, "Sir, you need not worry," leaving the meaning as vague and yet just as pointed as Jag had left his.

X

Cherith was waiting for Zeth later that evening in the small observation chamber that she had discovered not long after boarding Han Solo over a month ago and since their first kiss had served as their private meeting spot. She looked out the large transparasteel portal at the stars in the distance. She loved to look at the vast expanse of stars and the swirling colors of nebulae in this area of truly Unknown Space. In the near distance she could see the silver sleek silhouette of the Mon Calamari Battle Cruiser Memory. However, her mind wasn't on the wonders of stars, she was thinking about Zeth Durron. She hadn't told him about the hearing that Pillar had requested and her mother, as her senior commander, had to agree too. She hadn't told him because she didn't want him to raise a fuss about it. However, even though, she felt a great responsibility for the deaths of the six pilots that had lost their lives; she felt as Gabe and Zeth did, any other squad would have been obliterated. What angered her wasn't that she had been called upon to explain her reasoning for the roster change; but rather, that Pillar was out to have her discredited and by extension her parents.

Cherith knew exactly why, the lawyer didn't like the fact that a Chiss Admiral had been placed in charge of what she perceived as a GA fleet. It didn't matter to people like Pillar that the Chiss was as much a part of the GA as the Remnant or Hapes. Or, that her father was next in line to command the entire military once Gavin Darklighter stepped down. People like Pillar talked about having one unified Galaxy out one side of their mouths and out the other side they expressed their superiority over the rest of the galaxy.

"A credit for your thoughts," he said as he slipped his arms around her from behind.

Cherith started and chided, "Lieutenant, you have an uncanny way of sneaking up on me."

He nuzzled her neck and whispered into her ear, "I am a Jedi. We are really good at sneaking around." She shuddered at his hot breath on her skin. She had never felt as alive as she did with Zeth. Weather it was while he so easily accomplished with a kiss what even the most heated battles could not do—make her breathless and trembling; or, if it was while they were engaged in an all out verbal lashing.

She smiled and turned in his arms, she then put hers around his neck. She countered him by saying, "I was under the impression that Jedi were only really good at being extremely arrogant."

Zeth grinned, "No, that's what we are second best at."

"Really, you had me fooled then. So, sneaking is first?"

Cherith gazed into his deep dark green eyes and tried not to smile at the mischievous gleam she saw there. He then said his voice huskier than before, "No, wrong again, Commander Fel," she glared at him but before she could respond he want on while an amused smirk twisted his full lips, "the first thing that I'm really good at is kissing you after sneaking up on you."

"You—" the rest was silenced by his lips as he captured hers in a passionate kiss. She moaned and opened her mouth under his allowing him to deepen it. She was lost in the kiss, she had only ever been kissed a few times before, but she had never experienced anything like Zeth's kisses. They were both tender and demanding at the same time. She wryly thought as the need for air finally broke the kiss, that Zeth's kisses were a lot like him. She smiled and continued in their banter, "Zeth Durron, you are way too sure of yourself."

He laughed as he reached up to pull the pins from her hair. As her long black hair fell over her back and he quickly began to bury his hands in it he said, "I haven't seen you deign me yet."

She smiled and admitted, "No, you're right I haven't deigned you yet, but then I'm still investigating in order to make an educated decision."

He grinned, "Well, I guess I will need to provide you with more evidence." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. Then he looked into her eyes and she could see in his a change in mood; he softly asked, "Why didn't you tell me about the hearing?"

She turned away again but didn't step outside the safety she felt wrapped within his arms. She laid her head back on his shoulder and looked out the portal, "I didn't want you to make a big deal about it; I knew everything would be alright. But even if it didn't, I didn't want my parents accused of protecting me."

"I suppose you're right. But I wish you would have told me. I thought you trusted me." Then he turned her around again to face him.

She reached up and cupped his face, which was beginning to shadow with new growth. She never thought he looked more handsome. "I do trust you—with my very life. I just know that you would have gone to Colonel Darklighter demanding it to be stopped. Something that I couldn't have you do."

He gave her a contrite grin and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I would have gone to Gabe."

She smiled, "I don't believe it. You actually conceded to me twice."

"Well, don't get used to it, Commander." Then he gazed at her with pained look in his eyes, "Cherith, I'm going to have to leave for a while. I should be back within a few weeks."

She swallowed and inquired, "The Conclave that you told me about?"

He nodded, "Yes, I actually began feeling the call my great-uncle put out yesterday. He must have made a decision. It's important that I go. The Rogues will be grounded for a few weeks anyway until we have the new recruits up and trained. I've already spoke to Gabe about it."

She slowly nodded and then placed a tender kiss on his lips, "When will you be going?"

He whispered, her lips nearly touching his, "At the end of the week." Then he captured her lips again and Cherith wondered if she would ever be able to let him go.

She loved him so much.

X

Coruscant

Pader Barrett paced back and forth as he waited for the holocomm to come to life. He knew that she would make him wait, if for no other reason than to ensure his realization that she was the one in charge. He had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes when a flickering light over the holoplate announced that she had finally responded to his urgent call.

He immediately stopped in his pacing and stepped over before the transceiver. He kneeled as her image came to life. "Milady," he said as he stood.

"Why have you contacted me, Pader?" Her voice had a hard edge to it and her blue eyes flashed. She really didn't like to be disturbed, mainly because it meant that something occurred that she was unaware.

He swallowed and said evenly, "We have a problem, Erida."

She glared at him and responded, "I have a problem, Pader?"

He swallowed knowing she wasn't going to like this, "It seems two Jedi are snooping around on Naboo."

"How did this occur? You are to know what that niggling Order is up to." Pader actually had to look away from her too intense eyes.

"I'm sorry," he snapped, "but I am not privy to the inner workings of the Jedi Council and neither is Syal. If they don't inform her of their actions, then I have no way of knowing."

"It is your duty to know, Pader." Then as if remembering why he contacted her to begin with she asked, "Well, what is the problem?"

He sighed and plunged, "It seems that Valin Horn and Anakah Durron are undercover pretending to be Bespin owners of a tibanna gas operation. They were snooping around and somehow Farker never looked farther than his nose into Horn's supposed operation."

She growled, almost animalistic, "Let me guess that idiot offered them a partnership if he supplied the tibanna gas that I want?"

Pader slowly nodded, "Yes."

Erida then pinned him with a glare, "You will make sure Mr. Farker never makes that mistake again. Then you will take care of the Jedi."

"Farker is already dead. But Jedi are harder to kill. You should remember that from the last debacle concerning Valin Horn. Out of four Jedi we only managed to kill one." Pader expected this type of reaction from her but it frustrated him anyway, "Erida, you don't understand, they've learned that Passer Barlay is not a real person. I've ran a scan on our internal banking records and found that they have been sliced into. They know that Passer owns NT and that Lina is the only buyer. Do you think they haven't already began trying to figure out just who Passer Barlay is?"

"Of course they have. That is why it is important to get rid of them and that pesky niece of yours as well. It was probably her paranoia that got the Jedi involved to begin with. Pader, it is important to my plans that I have Naboo," her voice was low and held as much warning as he had heard in it for a while.

He swallowed. He was finding it hard to assonate his sister's daughter, who like her mother before her, was serving her youth as the elected queen of Naboo. But he nodded and replied evenly, "I have taken steps towards her demise, Milady. She will be dead by the end of the week."

"Good. I have my two Jedi pests making them selves useful until I'm finished playing with them." She paused and Pader thought for a moment that she was finished then she asked, "Is everything set to go on Corellia when you and that imbecile wife of yours arrives?"

Pader let his own displeasure in Syal bleed into his answer, "Yes, Milady, she will never know what hit her."

Erida granted him one of her rare smiles and nodded, "Good. I will see you soon, Pader. And you had better not fail," her last words were so colddespite her smile that he shuddered. Then abruptly the comm went dead.

Pader let out a long sigh and immediately dialed the frequency for his contact on Naboo. As he waited for the image to come to life he pulled the hood of his cloak up to hide his familiar features from the human man. Once the black clad human male responded, Pader addressed him, "Rekkels, the Boss is getting impatient. Do you have everything in place?"

The helmeted man nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Bast, we intend to attack the ball tomorrow night."

Pader smiled, "Good. I also need you to make sure you dispose of two Jedi as well."

"They are as good as dead, Mr. Bast," the thug said with a mirthless laugh, "and performing the task will be a pleasure as well."

X

Dro'godda Base

"I don't understand why you put up with him, Mother," the voice of the twelve year old girl broke into her thoughts.

Erida gracefully turned around from the holocomm and smiled at her daughter, her apprentice. As she studied her features, it amazed her that Beth could have so much of her father in her and yet the girl never saw it. Nor, on the few times Pader Barrett had seen her, he had ever realized that she was the child his wife had never been able to provide him with. She smiled at the auburn haired, green-eyed girl, "I will only keep him around until he is no longer useful, but until then we need to put up with him." She stepped over to her and again called her lightsaber to her hand from the bench in the training facility where she had laid it when Pader's call came in. She ignited only one side of the red saber, which she had copied from the lightsaber that had been used by the Sith Darth Maul prior to the Clone Wars. She in fact possessed an actual double saber in her Sith collection but she wanted one of her own when the time had come for her to create one.

She smiled at her daughter as she too ignited her traditional red Sith lightsaber. The girl held hers in a high guard and Erida lunged, beginning the training session a new.

She thought of her own Master Lumiya. The once beautiful woman turned mostly cyborg found her when she was ten years old while walking home from the store in her home town of Moenia, Naboo She had taken the young girl named Lina Doglan and shown her a life she could only dream of. Lina then decided to run away from home and Lumiya took her as an apprentice. Within fifteen years Lina had become more talented and powerful then Lumiya ever could be, of course, the secret Sith Holocrons she had found on Korriban helped. Then one night Lina, then going by Erida, decided she no longer wanted to be the Apprentice, she wanted to be the Master. She killed Lumiya and began the organization that became Dro'godda.

The sudden clash of the sabers brought her back to the task at hand and within seconds she had the girl disarmed. "Beth, you must use your anger and your hate."

"But Mother, I'm not angry and I don't hate any one." The girl walked over to retrieve her saber and to pet the whisperkitthat was lying on the bench. She sat down beside it and it began to purr. "Ahhh…Mikky," she said as kissed the animal's wet black nose.

Erida watched her daughter and realized she had to make the girl hate, she had to make her angry. It took her Master's murder of her parents and siblings to make the young Lina such, but Beth lived a sheltered life. The only thing the girl knew was her mother and her pet. That was it, Erida decided. She then ignited the saber again and in a swift flick of her wrist the much loved whisperkit was cut in smoking halves to fall into the girl's lap.

She then turned to leave the room. Letting a shocked little girl staring at the dead animal. Erida actually smiled when she felt the girl's growing hate when Beth finally looked up to watch her mother walk through the door.

Now, her training could really begin.

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