Chapter 1

In a darkened room, Antinnis Tremayne sat at the head of a table, surrounded by Dark Jedi in black robes. He was deep in thought. An elderly man, also in black robes, with grayish black hair and a long beard walked in. He was followed by a small, red-haired girl in black.

The elderly man spoke. "You wished to see us, Tremayne?"

"Ah yes, Melkior and Tarkin's agent, Alexia. Do sit down. The others will be in soon. Alexia, I don't believe you have met Melkior. Melkior is a member of the Prophets of the Dark Side. He has been serving us on Dromund Kaas."

The girl rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Is he anything like you?"

Tremayne answered, "In some ways. But he still serves under me."

Melkior said, "Yes, you have nothing to fear as long as you remain loyal to the Empire."

Alexia continued, "Okay, cause I heard what you did to Raisen."

Melkior responded, "Tremayne, you didn't...?"

Tremayne folded his hands together. "Raisen needed to be taught a lesson. I was doing my duty so that she might do hers. Melkior, Alexia here was once a Jedi youngling until she was taught the true way. She has moments where she struggles with the truth but she still remembers who holds her reins, don't you, Alexia?"

Alexia frowned. "Yes, sir."

Armand Isard, the Emperor's security advisor, and his young daughter, Ysanne, a girl with brunette hair and a streak of white hair, entered the room. A dark-haired girl ran in behind them, out of breath.

Armand spoke, "Sorry I'm late, Tremayne. I was dealing with my daughter's education. I hope it is alright if she might join us."

Tremayne frowned at the sight of Ysanne Isard. He knew that this mere child had the ear of the Emperor himself. Yet he could say nothing against this if he wished to keep his position.

"That's alright. We may need her present for right now."

Ysanne spoke. "I heard you had to discipline Raisen, Tremayne. I hope that, whatever she did, it was serious enough to merit that. I would rather you consult my father and me on such matters."

"You forget, Ysanne, that Raisen was my pupil before she was gifted to you and your father. You should trust my judgment."

Ysanne gave him a cold look with her peculiar eyes: one red, one blue.

A hologram of Sate Pestage appeared by the table. "Greetings, I am here representing his majesty, the Emperor.Tremayne, you called this meeting. I trust it is important."

Tremayne stood up. "Indeed it is, Pestage. Fellow Imperials, we have an anomaly. A rogue agent. The sleeper cell, Shiro, has become active again. He had disappeared for three years after the Sith Reaver project. He has murdered Imperial officials at a base on Ord Mantell. It appears that the Jedi menace has reared its head again."

"How could this have happened?" Armand asked.

"I'll tell you how, father!" Ysanne interjected. "It's all Tremayne's fault. He was responsible for keeping track of sleeper cells such as Shiro and he fracked it up!" Ysanne smirked. She was in her element now.

"That's right, Tremayne," she continued. "Father and I know all about your debacle on Thule. You were specifically assigned by the Emperor to use Shiro to revive that weapon and instead you let him blow it up. Plus, you let many of your best men get killed. You should've silenced Shiro permanently when he betrayed you. You should have hunted him down. I was only too happy to let the Emperor know how you failed him."

Tremayne took a deep breath. This spoiled brat was trying to make him look like a fool, and it was working. On the outside, Ysanne looked like a simple little girl. But the truth was there was nothing simple about her. She was twice as cold and calculating as her father. That was why the Emperor trusted her to come by and watch over the experimentation on the Younglings even at such a young age. There was nothing she liked more than to see beings suffer.

Tremayne collected himself and started again. "If you're finished ranting, Miss Isard, you'll be happy to know that I do intend to do something about this. I'm assembling a special team to go after Shiro. Now, I think the Emperor would agree that Shiro is too valuable a prize to simply be eliminated right off the bat. However, the programming doesn't have as strong a hold on him as it once did, so we can't just send a signal to call him back to us. If we can get him to rejoin us of his own free will then we will see to it that he stays with us forever. If that doesn't work, we must catch him, to prevent him from leaking out any of our secrets to the public. Finally, we will consider terminating him if those other options fail. But we can't just afford to lose such an asset. Surely the Emperor will understand that."

"You had better be careful, Tremayne," Ysanne said. "The Emperor may agree with your plan of trying to capture Shiro, for now. But the truth is Shiro will never rejoin the Empire of his own free will. Shiro has now become an unstoppable fighter, whose driving force and sole objective is revenge against the Empire. You and I both know that it is most likely futile to persuade him. Our only option is either trick him or kill him. And if you fail and more lives are wasted, mark my words; the Emperor will not be pleased. You had better be determined, Tremayne. We must all be determined if we are to stop Shiro. Shiro is a rogue element that must be somehow contained. We must seal his fate."

Armand spoke up, "But do we really need to spend all of our resources seeking out this one elusive, highly dangerous boy? I mean, what makes him so essential?"

Tremayne frowned. "Don't underestimate Shiro. Shiro has access to vital Imperial information thanks to his programming. If he reveals the Empire's hidden policies and projects, the public will turn against us. Shiro is a threat to all of the Empire. He must be silenced before he exposes us."

Though she was afraid, Raisen spoke up, "What does this mean? That Shiro is an enemy of the Empire? What will happen if Shiro is caught?"

Pestage said, "Shiro was programmed to assassinate Imperial enemies and help Dark Sider activities. If he continues his efforts against us and doesn't surrender himself and accept the Dark Side, he will be considered an enemy. He will join us or die. If he rejoins us or is captured, then naturally his brain will have to be wiped, in order to fix his programming. Then I guess we will start over again. However, it is most likely his brain will be too damaged already. Then we must consult the Emperor on the best course of action."

Tremayne eyed Raisen and motioned toward her, "I have assigned Armand's servant, Raisen, to hunt down Shiro. Melkior here will watch over her and Shiro and step in if anything goes awry."

Melkior said, "I promise nothing will go wrong."

Raisen and Alexia secretly whispered, "No!"

Tremayne continued, unaware, "Raisen's mission coincides with Alexia's mission to assassinate Senator Mox Hero. So, Melkior, keep an eye on her, too. Shiro may be looking for her since she shares his programming."

"Raisen, if you encounter Shiro, have a cover story," Ysanne commanded. "Say you are an envoy from Senator Evander Osma of Wayland."

Raisen spoke as she was expected to. "Yes, my lady."

"Senator Osma has supposedly taken an interest in protecting Jedi. He shall soon be assassinated for this. So says the Emperor."

"Shiro is to be considered very dangerous," Tremayne said. "He has been infused with great power as part of his experimentation. He has also been taught by Mulann Fennix. I fought with Shiro on Thule and he was surprisingly powerful. Be cautious and ready for powerful outbursts."

Alexia half-heartedly said, "Of course."

"Shiro has become insane because his programming has gone awry. He says all kinds of random things. He will snap at a moment's notice. He's very unpredictable."

Upon a sudden bold impulse, Raisen chuckled, "Sounds like Alexia here sometimes."

Alexia frowned at Raisen. "Oh, just because I went crazy that one night don't mean jack squat, Raisen!"

Tremayne didn't laugh and looked at Alexia. "Yes, which is what worries me. Are we going to stay calm and receptive, Alexia? I won't have to send another interrogator droid?"

Alexia took a deep breath. "Yes sir."

Tremayne finished, "Remember, all of you, Shiro is wary of Imperials, so have a cover story. His friends are Amelie Starkiller and Mulann Fennix, so say that you know them. If that's all, I think we can go. I know you have things to do. I will contact all of you as soon as I know more of Shiro's position. Melkior and Raisen, notify me as soon as you make contact with Shiro."

The participants of the meeting moved out of the room, one by one. Alexia and Raisen looked at each other meaningfully. They had never expected to be assigned this mission. And now despite their misgivings, they had no choice. They were bound by their programming. They did not want to harm the innocent but they would do as they were told. They both lowered their heads. They had long ago lost any hope of freedom. They respected Shiro for his stand against the Empire and they hoped that somehow he could show them the way to their own freedom, but their hope was little in the face of the odds against it.

Ysanne Isard smiled wickedly. She had plans of her own. Plans to prove her true worth to her father and the Emperor. She had been selected as part of the original team that experimented upon Shiro and the younglings. She would show the Emperor that she was truly worthy of such tasks and of many more honors.

Tremayne sat alone in the room. He wondered how this simple child could have bested him before and he vowed that he would do everything to correct his previous errors. He vowed to show his true worth as an unstoppable inquisitor of the Empire. Here was this mere boy who stood against everything he had come to accept as part of joining the Dark Side. He would make Shiro fulfill his purpose or he would lead Shiro to his doom. This time would be different.

The young woman moved easily through the busy streets, monitoring her surroundings as she made her way to her destination. Jkatha, I hate working on these backwater worlds, she thought to herself. This was the biggest gathering of souls on this miserable little planet called Wayland, a planet that seemed to consist of mostly dense jungles. And to call this pitiful backwater a city would be a joke. Most of the buildings looked like shanties; many of the roads were no more than packed dirt. Only the center of town, where the governmental buildings were, had any semblance of civilization. But that was not her goal.

She noticed up ahead the establishment that she had been seeking. The tattered sign above the faded door pronounced it as The Mancor Vine. A terrible-looking vine, which included several mouths ringed with razor-sharp teeth, was painted on the sign. She shivered, and hoped that the vine was a figment of the artist's imagination and not in fact a true representation of the local flora.

She stepped into the tavern, and warily looked around. There were few customers here at that time of day, and it was easy to pick out her mark. As promised, it was a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, not unlike her. The man appeared a little travel-worn, like a man who had seen too much in his life. But he had a look of strength, and she noticed that the other clientele of the tavern, as well as the tavern keeper, seemed to respect and even feared the man to a degree. She smiled. This man is used to eliciting fear from others? Let us just see what he thinks of me.

As she neared the corner booth at which the man sat, she noticed the news holo on above the bar.

"The attack on Ord Mantell is one that no one could prepare for, or prevent. It seems like the Jedi are still in our midst and are still a danger to…"

She passed out of hearing distance before the report can continue further. It was of little interest to her. Right now, she had a job.

She slowly approached the table, where the young man was sitting. When she was within easy hearing distance, she spoke the code phrase, "You can have me but cannot hold me, gain me and quickly lose me. If treated with care I can be great, and if betrayed I will break. What am I?"

The young man smiled and simply answered, "Trust."

She looked the man up and down and stated, "Then you are the one that I have come to meet with. How interesting. Regardless, I am Alanna Sitara, the bounty hunter that you contacted."

The man rose and introduced himself. "I am Marik Horn, and I am in the employ of the senator of this planet. He is the one that will be providing the monetary compensation for you. I will be the contact between you and the senator."

Alanna nodded. She did not expect to deal with the senator directly. Inwardly she shrugged. As long as she was paid, she cared not who was her contact. "I understand." She sat at the table. "Now tell me, what kind of job is it that you intend to hire me for?"

Marik gave the woman a measuring look. Her blonde hair was pulled back and fastened with pins. I bet those pins are in fact a form of weapon, he thought to himself. She was tall, but not as much as him. Her deep crimson red clothing was fitted against her muscular frame, which implied that she could hold her own in a fight. She is definitely everything that her references had claimed, and more. For instance, none had mentioned how her blue eyes sparkle like stars… He shook his head minutely to clear it. It is time to get to the business at hand; I have no time to be distracted!

He took a deep, steadying breath as he prepared to weave his web of half-truths. "The senator wishes to hire you to protect someone. This person is of great import to the senator, and there are many that would wish him to come to harm. Are you interested?"

Alanna sat back, contemplating the offer. It seemed straightforward enough; despite the fact that Horn seemed a little too anxious while he waited for her response. A simple bodyguard position, similar to ones she had filled before. This job, however, was offering a bigger reward than any job that had previously come her way. Who is this person that the senator is willing to pay this dearly for his safety? What kind of trouble could he have gotten into, and with whom? No matter. Alanna looked Horn straight in the eye and stated simply, "Give me the details."

Marik smiled a little and rose. "Please follow me to more…private climes, m'lady." He walked towards the back of the tavern, where it was possible to rent private dining areas. He looked over his shoulder to ensure that Alanna was following as he ducked into the farthest private room, the one closest to the back entrance.

The room was dark, and Alanna walked in, all of her senses on high alert. Why does it feel like I am being set up? As she struggled to see in the darkness, the door mysteriously closed behind her. A light suddenly flared in the middle of the room and Alanna was forced to shield her eyes. She reached for her blaster and aimed it for Horn's last location. "You can put that weapon down," said Marik, in an odd tone of voice that tugged at her mind. Without thinking, she immediately lowered her weapon like he told her to.

Her eyes adjusted to the light in the room, and she saw that she and Horn were the only ones in the room. He had lit the lantern in the center of the table, which was the source of the light. Though still on guard, she placed her blaster back in the holster loosely. "What is with this trickery?" she demanded.

Marik sighed a little. This was not going completely as planned. He didn't think she would be this jumpy. And while he had not expected the Jedi mind trick to work on her, he had thought that she might be persuaded to calm down.

He looked at her apologetically. "A thousand pardons m'lady. T'was never my intent to startle you. Please, take a seat." With that he gave the chair nearest to her a tiny push with the Force. It moved a few inches away from the table.

Alanna jumped back in panic. "Jkatha! That chair just moved! What is going on here? What are you?" Her breath came in shallow gasps as she fought to find reason in this situation. Suddenly it dawned on her, and she calmed. "You are a Jedi, aren't you?"she breathed in the barest whisper.

Marik nodded. "Yes, I am Marik Horn, Jedi Knight. And I am asking you for your help to save one that is very near and dear to me from the Empire. You have a reputation as one of the best bodyguards that can be hired for an indeterminable length of time. I beg you, m'lady, please help me protect Shiro." He withdrew a small disc and activated it, showing her a hologram image of the subject.

Alanna's eyes grew wide with shock when she heard first Horn's admission of his true identity and then the identity of the mark. She had seen the news holos over the past few hours. This Shiro had attacked and wiped out an Imperial Base on Ord Mantell, single handedly. This was the one she was to protect?

Marik chuckled, low enough that the woman could not hear it. "I see that you have heard of my friend. Yes, he is the one that attacked that base and wiped it out. All of the Empire's resources will be bent on retrieving him, and more. There will be many other bounty hunters looking for Shiro, as well as Imperial agents. Are you up to the challenge?"

Alanna's eyes burned with anger. Who is he to insinuate that I cannot do this? She looked at him with disdain. "The better question is, when I do this, will you have the credits that you promised me?"

Marik smiled. This was going even better than he had anticipated. "You will be paid, bounty hunter. Just complete the job. Find him and bring him here." He handed her a disc. "This disc contains the coordinates for the meeting when you find Shiro, and a communication link that you can use to contact me. This way I will be able to take him from your care when the time comes."

Alanna took the disc from him. "I would ask you for his last known location, but it seems like the entire galaxy has to know by now. So instead, I will ask how he will know that I come to help him and not to turn him in for his ridiculously large bounty."

Marik reached into a hidden pocket of his shirt. He pulled two items from it, one a holo disc and the other a strange coin of some sort. "Take these. Shiro will know what the coin is, and it is safer that you do not. It will tell him that I sent you to him. He knows me, even though he might think me dead." Under his breath he muttered, "For I thought all these long years that such was his fate…The other is a holo disc, in which I will explain the situation to Shiro. Show it to him only after he has received the coin and agrees to your assistance. He will understand then why I cannot risk coming for him myself." Marik's face grew dark, hiding some deep pain inside.

Alanna took the disc and the coin from Horn. "So was this your plan all along? Get me hooked into the job by portraying him as helpless before revealing the truth? That the mark is in truth a mass-murderer, that you are a wanted fugitive, and that this entire mess could end up with me having a bounty on my head as well?"

Marik looked at her skeptically. "Does that mean you don't want the job?"

"On the contrary, it means that I accept. I could never back down from a challenge. Besides, there is no love lost between the Empire and myself. And I have much respect for all that the Jedi were, and can be again." Alanna smiled, sympathetically.

Marik held out his hand. "Good, then we have a bargain. I wish you the best of luck, Ms. Sitara. I fear it shall take all of your skills to complete this job successfully. I am depending on you to bring back my lost brother."

Alanna took his hand to complete the bargain. "If it is within my power, I swear to you that I will bring him safely to you. You can trust in that." With that, Alanna walked out the door and back out into the busy streets of the town to make her way back to the Levana, her ship. She had a mission to complete and the sooner started the sooner paid.

Marik watched her leave, the lines on his face deepening slightly. "That is what I am counting on…"

Amelie Stryker stood on the staircase in the club on Ord Mantell. Purple and green lights flashed on and off all around her. Loud techno dance music blared through the speakers across from her. Her long dark brown hair was encircled by her trademark headband. She was now wearing her best purple suit with green glasses perched on the tip of her nose. She didn't want to be recognized and so she had dressed nice. She was not usually known for wearing the most stylish clothes, rather the exact opposite. But that was part of the life she had chosen as a smuggler living amongst the dregs of the galaxy.

She surveyed the crowd. Where is he?,she wondered. He told her he would meet her here. She was nervous to say the least. She was now wanted by the Empire for her previous actions on Thule. The Empire's presence was still gathering at that time. Now it was everywhere. And thanks to Shiro's actions the Empire would be keeping an extra special watch on Ord Mantell in the next few months. Since her heroics on Thule, She and her husband Frell had retreated to the good old Outer Rim, doing odd jobs for people who had not heard of her or had thought she was dead. She should have died many times in her life. Why she was still alive was a mystery to her.

Her husband, Frell, a silent, athletic man with a keen awareness of situations but more good sense than Amelie to know how to avoid dangerous conflicts if possible, waved her down to the bar table. She smiled and went toward him.

"Feels good to be out," she said and sat down beside him.

Frell noticed that she was tense and ordered a light brew for her. "Come on. You are going to relax if it's the last thing you do."

Scrapa, the bartender, looked up from mixing his drinks. "What the…? Amelie? Amelie, is that you? Amelie Starkiller! What are you doing here? I'd be careful if I were you. The Empire has gotten more soldiers on this planet recently."

Amelie put her finger to her lips and whispered. "Keep it down, Scrapa! I don't want any Imperial entanglements. Anything going on here that I should be wary of?"

"There's been a raid on the Imperial Base here. Something about a kid with a lightsaber."

"Yeah. I'm aware of that."

Amelie talked with Scrapa, unaware that she was being watched by a figure in the crowd. He was wearing a helmet and a jet pack and had an extendable double-edged vibroblade sword on his back. He moved rather unsteadily underneath his dark grey garments, which hid a secret. Drakk Menace was a cyborg. He had been injured severely by Amelie in a blaster fight once in the past. At first he had accepted the cybernetic implants for health and safety but after a while, his desire for greater strength made him continue to take on more and more improvements. His hands and feet were crafted into claw-like shapes and his eyes were enhanced for better sight. His chest was covered with armor plating. When Menace walked it sounded like small gears turning.

Drakk Menace had encountered Amelie many times before this. He had known her as a smuggler before the Clone Wars when he was a Black Sun operative, serving under Vigo Kralla. Vigo Kralla had found Menace on the streets and took him into his service. Amelie ended up murdering Kralla during the Clone Wars. Menace had never forgotten this and was still looking for a way to pay Amelie back for killing his employer and mentor. He had a feeling he would soon have a chance.

The Imperial operative Raisen had been dancing vigorously on the floor to the techno tunes. She saw Frell Stryker and recognized him from the holonet. She smiled and walked up to the bar table, tossing her hair. She sat down next to Frell and winked at him. Frell felt uneasy.

"Hey barkeep," She said to Scrapa. "Give me a Juma and keep 'em coming."

Stealthily, a hooded figure crept up to Amelie and tapped her on the shoulder. "There's a message for you from Kreepa. He says he needs to see you alone."

Amelie looked at Frell and said jokingly, "I'll be right back, honey. Try not to get into trouble while I'm gone." She followed the figure into the crowd.

Raisen saw her leave. She took a big drink of her beverage and looked Frell up and down. She noticed a tattoo of an elephantine skull on his muscular arm. "So, you're a Mandalorian, huh?"

Frell was startled by the question. Who is this girl? "Uh, yes," he said. "But that was a long time ago."

The figure led Amelie to a darkened corner. Amelie folded her arms, impatiently. "So, what's up? Got any dirt?"

The figure removed his cloak. After a moment, Amelie recognized Shiro. He certainly knew how to blend in. Under his cloak he was dressed in Ord Mantell street gang attire. He wore dirty and worn apparel of orange and black, fingerless gloves, an odd cap, and goggles on his eyes that mechanically enhanced his sight. Amelie thought the clothes suited him well and smiled at her old friend.

"Shiro, I was so worried."

"Amelie, the people dance, we can talk. Did you bring the stuff?"

"Of course." She handed Shiro a bottle of Corellian ale. "You don't know what I went through to get that."

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Amelie! No! I mean the weapons!"

"Oh! That I had a little more trouble with. But, yeah, I got 'em back at the ship."

"The assassin will be here any day and the senator will be well guarded. We need to get to Senator Hero before the assassin does."

Amelie looked away. She had a feeling she was being watched. Shiro followed her glance. "Who else knows?" he said.

"Frell."

"Ame, eyes are watching you. Are you sure you weren't tracked by any bounty hunters?"

"I…I don't know."

Shiro's eyes suddenly went wide. He sensed two presences he knew shouldn't be there.

"Amelie, you've got a shadow. We have to leave soon. I'll meet you at the Mud Puddle Inn. I paid off the people there. We should be safe."

"Shiro, it's too dangerous for you."

"It's more dangerous without any weapons. I have a plan. Go back and get the supplies. Take your landspeeder and meet me later. I'll be alright. You know me."

"Alright, Shiro. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Me too."

Amelie cautiously moved back towards Frell. Shiro watched her leave then slipped out. He knew Menace was following him. He wasn't sure he could lose him but he knew that if Menace tried anything, he would regret it. Shiro was a whirlwind waiting to happen.