Chapter 2

Alanna walked into the lobby of the degraded-looking Mud Puddle hotel. She had her blaster at the ready. She knew this could be a trap. Luckily, she had worked with Kreepa before and he was always a dependable contact. She ignored the other businesses he was involved with, black market thievery and slavery among them, and he provided her with information that was almost always accurate and promised not to stab her in the back. This time felt different though. Shiro was a dangerous criminal and the Empire would stop at nothing to get their hands on one such as him. She knew personally how much the Empire loved to deal harshly with Jedi and those who protect them.

Kreepa, the Dug, sat in his booth at the far end of the room, a personal bodyguard at his side. There were few customers in the lobby but still he couldn't be too careful. He motioned her over to him.

"Welcome, Alanna Sitara, to Ord Mantell. Not the cleanest part of the galaxy but then I hear you don't mind a little dirt on you. Drink?"

Alanna sat down. "No, thank you. And do not bring up ancient history, Kreepa. It is unbecoming."

Kreepa smiled wickedly. He was not the kindest barve in the galaxy. "I must say I found your request for information on a Jedi interesting. I thought you had sworn off Jedi since that debacle on Coruscant. Old habits die hard?"

Alanna raised an eyebrow and curled her lips in disgust. "You know very well that I don't take that kind of job anymore. My inquiry serves a different purpose this time."

"Right, right. Well, whatever your interests, I expect to be payed for my information."

Alanna slid the credits across the table under her hand. She lowered her voice to the barest whisper. "So what information do you have for me?"

Kreepa greedily grabbed the credits and stashed them away. "The target you are looking for is being hunted by a bounty hunter from the Black Sun named Drakk Menace. There is also an Imperial agent on your tail and a smuggler named Amelie Starkiller. Be careful. This target is very dangerous. As you may already know, he raided the Imperial base here. He's in room 6-J in this hotel."

Alanna turned her head and muttered a curse. "I thought I would have more time."

"Better hurry. That bounty hunter could be here any minute."

She rose and cast an eye about the place. "As always, it has been a dubious pleasure working with you, Kreepa."

"Always good doing business with you. Good luck on this one. You will need it."

She walked to the rear of the establishment, where the rooms were located. Walking up the stairs, he reached the hallway and pulled out her blaster, set to stun. She moved silently down the hall and approached room 6-J. She tried the door. It was locked.

She muttered softly, "Damn." She formulated a plan to open it.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind the door. "Trouble behind door. Once in, no way out, Bounty Hunter."

Alanna was taken aback a little. But her resolve remained. She gathered herself and replied, "I like trouble, and I care not if there is no way out."

There was a pause. Then the voice continued, "I sense you carry a guilty secret. Answer truthfully, what does a thief and murderer lack?"

Alanna thought for a moment. "Honor."

"Good. Do you have any honor, Bounty Hunter?"

Alanna was caught off guard. Who is this person? Does he know about my past? Who is he to ask these personal questions? She sighed deeply. "I lost it once. I hope that one day I shall find it again."

There was another pause. "I sense truth in you. You may enter. But you may not be safe."

The door opened immediately. Taking this odd invitation, Alanna shivered a little and stepped into the darkened room.

She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, holding her blaster in a position that looked deceptively relaxed. Her eyes searched for a figure in the room but the room appeared empty.

The mysterious voice once again issued from an invisible source in the dark. "I suggest we begin with a modicum of trust, Hunter. Let's put down our weapons. You do want us to trust each other, don't you?"

Alanna slowly moved her weapon back to its holster. "Yes..." Especially since, right now, the advantage is his.

"I have disabled my lightsaber, hunter. Let's talk. What is her mission?"

Alanna peered into the dark, hoping for a glimpse of her mysterious host.

"What is your mission? I can tell if you're lying."

"My mission is to protect the one that they call Shiro. I was sent by a friend."

"Interesting. Protection. Most want to catch Shiro or kill him. This will be a dangerous mission, hunter. Are you prepared for the danger?"

This time, Alanna spoke confidently. "Yes, I am prepared. Of all that I have protected, only two have met with an early end. I am used to danger." She wondered why she still could not see the figure despite the fact that her eyes had had plenty of time to adjust to the dark.

Then suddenly the figure appeared before her in a dark corner of the room, illuminated by the blue blade of a lightsaber. It was a youth of almost seventeen. "Wonder no more, Hunter. I was using a cloaking power. It's a little known Force power that hides one from view. Does she have a name?"

Alanna relaxed a little. "Are you the one they call Shiro? I am Alanna Sitara."

"…I am Shiro."

Alanna was surprised a little by the fact that he was still obviously just a teenager. She said, "Then I am here to protect you."

Shiro looked her up and down. He deactivated his lightsaber, restoring darkness to the room. "I sense I can trust you, Alanna," he said. "I am glad to have your protection but I wonder if you are truly prepared for the trouble. The Empire is after me, as is the Black Sun. And I intend to cause more trouble. In a few days I am going to follow Senator Mox Hero of Ord Mantell. The Empire has sent an assassin after him. I intend to engage this assassin."

Alanna nodded slightly. "From what I've heard of you, I would expect no less of you. He said that you always liked to stir things up."

"He? Your employer. Tell me of him. Go ahead, Alanna. I'm not going to eat you."

"My employer, like I said, is an old friend of yours. He thought you were dead in the attack at the Temple. When he heard you were alive, he hired the best protection that money can buy: me. His name is...Jedi Knight Marik Horn."

Shiro's eyes went wide. "Marik! He's alive!"

Alanna reached into her pocket and pulled out the small disc Marik had given her. "I think that this will prove the truth of my words."

Suddenly, Shiro fell on his knees and started shaking all over, breathing heavily. "Blasters ready, war unsteady! No cease fire, no true pyre!" It was another of his mad outbursts, with strange dialogue that hid dark secrets of the past, present and future.

Alanna gasped in surprise as she watched the boy convulsing.

"No end to attack, they might come back!" he screamed.

Before she knew what she was doing, Alanna knelt beside Shiro. "Breathe, relax."

Seeming to ignore her, Shiro continued speaking erratically. "Don't you think I'm trying? Have to cut it out. It's in all the walls. What you need is help. Unfortunately you've got me. To the end and back! Too much deep inside me!"

Alanna grasped Shiro's shoulder in an effort to steady him.

"Tried to find missing piece. Dreams of killing. The spark."

She pressed the disc into Shiro's hand, hoping that would snap him out of it.

Shiro grasped her arm firmly. He turned and looked her straight in the eye. "It's not enough. You can't just watch, you have to see." Then Shiro suddenly went still. His breathing slowed and he became calm again. He picked himself up. "Sorry. I do that."

Alanna took a breath. "Are you a screw-loose or something?"

Shiro grinned bitterly. "Or something."

Alanna nodded and shrugged. "Well, Shit happens, I guess."

Shiro smirked. "Yes... Sith happens." He tapped his head with his finger.

Alanna wondered what he meant by that. "Is there anything that I can do to help when it occurs?"

"More about that later. First, I must establish if you are to tag along for the ride."

Alanna cocked her head quizzically. "Come again?"

"I told you I'm gonna cause more trouble. Instead of hiding, I raided an Imperial base. I'm looking for the cure. What I need to know is, are you gonna tell on me, get out of the way or tag along."

Puzzled by the question, Alanna shrugged nonchalantly. "If I was afraid of trouble, I would have run when I found out that my employer was a Jedi. You might want to take a look at that." She gestured toward his hand still holding the disc.

"Oh, yes." Shiro pocketed the disc without glancing at it. "When I have more time."

"To answer your question, I'm going to help you as much as I can, and get out of the way when I am a liability. It is what I've been paid to do. I would never tell on you. I don't work for the Empire. Never again."

"I trust what you say because I have abilities to see into your mind. But we have trouble. There is someone coming. Someone dangerous. Is your ship near?"

"Yes, it is in port here. And she's fast."

"Good to know. We'll need to head for the ship." Shiro's eyes suddenly went wide. "He's here!"

Alanna was startled by the sound of blasterfire downstairs. Shiro announced, "The innkeeper is dead. He's downstairs. Be careful. He has weapons."

Alanna took out her blaster and set it to kill. "Is there a back door?" She positioned herself between Shiro and the door.

"No, but there is that." Shiro pointed to the window." If we jump I can steady us with my power, but I cannot guarantee he will not see us."

Alanna looked out the window and recalled that they were on the sixth floor. She took a deep breath. "Just great!" She raised her wrist to speak into a device on her arm. "Begin launch procedure." She turned to Shiro. "Then out the window we go."

Alanna opened the window. "Okay, we'll jump together. Are you ready, Shiro? My swoop bike is just under the window and my ship is readying for launch."

"Yes. I'm ready." Shiro took Alanna's hand and together they jumped out the window.

Alanna felt the wind rushing by her but suddenly she was lowered steadily until her feet gently landed on the ground. There was Alanna's swoop bike waiting for her. She pulled Shiro towards the bike, got on the bike and started it up.

"Get on!" she yelled.

Shiro moved toward the bike but hesitated with some nervousness. The sound of blaster fire came from the lobby and there was an explosion. Shiro cringed. He hopped on the bike just as the bounty hunter flew out the lobby window with a jetpack. Alanna recognized the figure from Holonet broadcasts as the infamous Drakk Menace. He fired a blaster at Alanna. Alanna fired back at him with her own blaster and then she and Shiro zoomed off on the bike.

Alanna careened down alleyways and across city streets, pursued by the fearless bounty hunter. Luckily, Alanna's swoop had a special setting that would navigate robotically while she steadied the craft with one hand and fired at the rocketeer with the other. For a moment, it seemed that they had lost the delinquent but he suddenly appeared again from another corner.

Then Alanna had an idea. "Shiro, steady us for a moment!"

Shiro shifted around Alanna and used the Force to steady the bike. Alanna turned completely around, grasped her blaster with both hands, aimed at the jetpack and fired. The blast made direct contact with the jetpack and Menace sped out of control. Menace fired a blast at the swoop bike's engine before crashing down an alleyway.

The bike began to slow. Alanna cursed colorfully as the bike came to a stop. "Looks like we're going to run it."

Shiro hopped off the bike. He looked back at the alley where Menace had crashed down. He heard Crow's voice saying, "Be the predator! Take your prey!" Shiro looked back at Alanna.

"Shouldn't we go and make sure we kill the other hunter?"

Alanna was surprised. She was tempted to go through with it but she realized Shiro was requesting to kill an unconscious, injured man in cold blood. She had thought that a Jedi would never think of doing such a thing, no matter how practical. The important thing was to get Shiro away to the ship. She would worry about the hunter later when Shiro was safe.

She shook her head. "No. Right now he is off-course and most likely injured. It is safer to go to the ship and leave him here." She grabbed Shiro's hand. "Come on!" She began moving in the direction of the ship.

After a moment's hesitation, Shiro nodded and followed Alanna "You're right. I guess we run. Show me the way. I can keep up."

They came to the spaceport. They were almost inside when a light shone in their path and blocked their sight. An amplified voice from a helmet spoke to them. It was a Stormtrooper.

"Excuse me, miss. Inspection. What are you doing out so late at the port?"

Now I'm cornered for sure, Alanna thought. But she decided to bluff. "I'm sorry. I'm a bounty hunter and I just got a tip on a great bounty close by. Here is my license."

She took out her license, which of course was not up to date. "I was going to try to catch him before he got too far away." She pointed towards her ship. "See, mine is the ship already warming up. My crew is waiting for me."

The trooper flashed the light at Shiro. "And the boy?"

Alanna shrugged. "A slave. He travels with me for my pleasure."

The trooper paused. "Okay. You may go ahead. Just see that you watch yourself at night. Ord Mantell is not a safe place at night."

Alanna took back her license. "Thank you for the warning." She motioned to Shiro like one would to a slave. "Come on, boy. The ship is waiting on us."

Suddenly, Shiro shouted, "No end to attack! Don't come back!" He reached out his hand and Force pushed the trooper to the ground. The trooper cried out and went unconscious.

Down the road, another trooper called out, "Hey, what's going on over there?"

Alanna cursed, "J'katha!" and yelled, "Run!"

They both ran towards her ship. She reached the door and positioned herself to cover Shiro. Shiro ran into the ship and Alanna ran after him. Once inside, Alanna moved towards the bridge of the ship. She activated the controls. The ship took off as troopers fired.

As the ship gained altitude, Alanna turned to Shiro. "Shiro, we need to set a course to somewhere safe. Where do you wish to go?

"Head for the Brawl Canyon. We'll talk more once you get there."

Alanna sat in the pilot's chair and sighed deeply. What have I gotten myself into?

Tremayne sat in his office in anxious anticipation. A hologram of Raisen appeared before him on his desk. She looked drowsy and definitely not sober.

"I was wondering when you'd get around to your report. Have you found the boy yet?"

Raisen hiccupped, "Yeah. But he got away. A bounty hunter found him first...Do you know you're an ass?"

"What?"

Raisen hiccupped and blew a raspberry at Tremayne.

Tremayne gritted his teeth. "You're drunk?"

Raisen mock saluted. "And I intend to get drunker, sir!"

Tremayne slammed his fist upon his desk and cursed. "You had better be careful, Raisen! My patience is thin on this matter. Keep focused on your mission. Seek him out! Find him and this bounty hunter."

"We have a bigger problem. Starkiller is alive."

"I thought as much."

"Treymane, I'm worried. She has this big bodyguard of a Mandalorian named Frell."

"I remember. That barve wounded me on Thule... I'm going to come personally."

"N-no Sir, don't worry. I have a feeling I can crack this cookie."

"Are you truly confident?"

"Well, Mando's are a proud race…"

"If you fail me, you will regret it, Raisen. My advice: follow Starkiller. Wherever she is, Shiro will be. And once you find Shiro, use your persuasion to bring him to me. Anything else?"

"Any information on a Drakk Menace?"

"An operative of the Black Sun. He has a long history with Amelie Starkiller as a nemesis. He's always wanted a crack at her. He's tried to kill her for years. If he's on the hunt for Shiro, be careful not to get in his way. But you make sure he doesn't get to Shiro before us. If he does, he'll drag him off to the Black Sun and they will try to use him as an assassin for their benefit."

"Frack! I heard he's half machine, like another Grievous. Look, isn't there some way we can get him to compromise? Maybe persuade him and the Black Sun to lay off the case?"

Tremayne suddenly had an idea. "Hmm. Doubtful. The Black Sun is relentless but I do think Menace and his fellow agents might be willing to make some kind of deal. I could convince them to assist us for a fee. Yes, we could work together. Thank you, Raisen. Good thinking. You may yet prove your worth to us on this mission. But if you don't, Melkior will be watching."

Raisen gulped.

"You have your orders, Raisen."

Tremayne's hologram faded out. Raisen began to think deeply. She thought about what the Empire would do to Shiro. I can't let that happen to my friend. Even though the Empire will punish me, I can't just send him to the lions. But what can I do? Wait…If Shiro attacked that base, he must have had a reason for doing it. It couldn't just be revenge. He planned to find out how to disable the programming. That's it! Maybe he can fix me! Give me my freedom! It's worth a shot! I'll go to him. But not to turn him in. I'll go to help him. He would do the same for me. Maybe Shiro holds the one chance to save me and the other younglings. I must try. I can't let them win. They've won too much already.

Shiro spoke to Amelie over his comlink. She and Frell were headed for his position.

"We're in the Brawl Canyon, Ame."

"Are you okay, Shiro? Has she hurt you?"

"Not yet. Just hurry."

"I'm on my way…Shiro, I have to ask, why the heck did you raid that Imperial Base? Are you trying to get caught?"

"… It's about time to start some action and anyways I have a plan. I'm trying to find the cure."

"What cure? Shiro, come on talk. I have no time for Jedi riddle-speak."

"Wrong in brain, too much pain. I've found the code to disabling the programming for the Younglings. It will only work for some. Not all. I haven't found the right code for me yet. And they have to be nearby for the signal to work. But this isn't the final step. There's only one way to be sure. We have to find the source of the computer programming. But I haven't found out who knows where it is yet. But when I do…some changes are yet to be made."

"Just be careful, Shiro. Frell told me about this girl. I think you're being hunted by an Imperial agent, named Raisen."

"You know about Raisen? She's like me. She needs help but she's freer in her mind than the others."

"So she was one of the Younglings? Shiro, what happened to her that night? Do you know?"

There was a pause. "Yeah. I saved the files I hacked into at the base to a disc. It told me what happened to her. She ran away from the troopers and fell in a pile of dead Jedi bodies. The guards came back later and almost burned her with the other bodies. They found her and, on the order of Darth Vader, took her to the lab. What's worse is Tremayne got a hold of her. Tremayne: dark in power, kills by the hour."

"Shiro, why'd you leave Mulann?"

"Have you spoken to her?"

"Maybe."

"...I couldn't let her get hurt. I wanted to cause some trouble and I didn't want her in it. She wouldn't understand. Besides, I'm strong. I can take care of myself if I need to. You're not gonna tell her, are you?"

"Yeah, I am…"

"Ame!"

"Shiro, she is a good friend. I have to tell her something. I owe it to her."

"But why, Ame? You know she'll freak! What if she comes and gets hurt?"

"She can take care of herself, Shiro. She and I have been through some pretty rough spots together. You need to trust her, Shiro. She is your teacher."

Shiro sighed. "Alright, tell her. But don't tell her yet. I'm not ready yet. I need time. Time to get my mind right. Thanks for coming though. It's nice to have friends in this cruel galaxy. Friends are all I have."

"Yeah well, you and Frell and Mulann are all I... Shiro, you'll have company!"

"What?"

"Someone bugged my swoop. If I know anything, we've got a tracker."

"Who do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure. It could be that assassin I heard about on the net."

"What's her name?"

"Word on the street is her name is Alexia."

"Wait. Alexia? ...Two by two, blade of blue. Ame! She was one of the Younglings!"

"Looks like we've got trouble."

"So what else is new?"