Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars crossover redux.

Thank you all for your wonderful patience and support. I deeply appreciate it.

Just so you know, there will be a two week delay before the next main chapter is written. Part of the reason why there will be a delay is that the next two chapters will cover a battle that's so lengthy that, in order to make sure it is consistent, my beta readers and I will be checking both to make sure that they are not only consistent, but flow well. In the meantime, there will be a short story that will explain what happens before those two chapters.

Either way, I deeply appreciate your feedback and support, and I hope that you continue to support the story as time goes on.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, Disney Films, etc. Any matterial original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to its original composers and/or artists.

UNSC Infinity

Geosynchronous Orbit, Pantora

June 27th, 0BBY, 0700 Hrs (March 6th, 2559)

"SITREP?" Lasky asked as he stepped onto the bridge.

"All systems running nominally," Gabriela reported. "All section heads have reported in and all forces are ready to deploy in case they are needed."

Lasky smiled. "Very good. Inform me of any developments."

"Aye, sir."

Lasky sat down in the command chair near the holo-table, eyes glancing over the holographic image of Pantora. It's been a little over two months since we arrived here, he thought. Already, we have done well to establish our foothold in the wider galaxy. Forty ODPs are online, and the shipyards are able to service most of our ships now.

His smile faded as he recalled the incident from just ten days earlier. I'm glad we could get that standing order revised. I understand the necessity of it, but the way it was set up bit us in the ass that day. He could still remember the meeting that had happened ten days prior.

. . .

10 Days Earlier

"So, you're telling me that Standing Order 35-J4 needs to be revised?" Hood asked Lasky. "Why?"

Lasky sighed. "We had an… incident that resulted in seventy seven casualties on the Infinity due to deficiencies in that standing order, sir."

The others on the Security Council frowned. "Go on," Hood said.

"Around three hours ago, at 1130 local time, the Infinity intercepted a bulk freighter known as the Rimward Flight attempted to land at Pantora without stating its cargo, nor its intent after attempting to access a spaceport that the CAA Marshals shut down due to rampant crime in the area. When the Rimward Flight attempted to flee, I ordered Roland to prevent it from doing so. Once we brought it onboard, we sent Fireteam Majestic onboard to deal with the Captain of the ship."

Hood looked at the file Lasky had sent them prior to his call. "Yes," he said. "One Hondo Ohnaka, who has been suspected of multiple counts of piracy, smuggling of illegal goods and defrauding. The man's a con artist and a noted criminal."

"You can add seventy seven counts of unintentional manslaughter onto the list."

"Why?" Hood asked. "Something tells me that this is related to the standing order."

"It does. When we boarded the ship, we discovered that Hondo had been transporting a species of aliens known as Rathars. According to the Galactic Empire's registry of organisms that are barred and banned from selling, Rathars are incredibly dangerous. They eat anything that isn't of their own kind, and they are extremely resistant to small arms fire and blasters. According to Hondo, his employers didn't inform him as to what he was transporting, only that it was dangerous cargo.

"During Majestic's boarding action, one Rathar managed to escape from the ship, whereupon it went into a feeding frenzy after spotting the personnel inside of Hangar 21-Delta. Military police called for help, but due to standing order 35-J4, Lieutenant Commander Phillip was not permitted to share security footage with Colonel Parisa, leaving her and her team unable to respond effectively. Only after Cortana informed RDML 117 of what was happening was the situation finally contained, but only after fifty deck crew, twenty Marines and seven ODSTs were devoured by the Rathar that escaped. Blue Team eliminated the rest and took Hondo into custody."

All the while, the Security Council watched the footage taken from the attack not three hours ago. Hogan blanched when he watched the Rather swallow a Marine whole, before spitting out the armor and weapons the Marine had on his person. Once the footage ended, he said, "Damn… and I thought we had trouble with creatures like that during the war. Is this galaxy trying to kill all of us?!"

"That's a question that I'm seriously considering," Lasky said. "To put it simply, sirs, were it not for 35-J4 being structured the way it is now, we might've been able to contain the situation with a minimum of casualties."

Hood rubbed his face with a hand. "Damn. First the pirates, now we're dealing with organisms far more dangerous than anything we've faced before." Sighing, he said, "You've made your case pretty loud and clear, Rear Admiral. Given what's happened, I believe that revisions to Standing Order 35-J4 are in order."

"That they are," Hogan agreed. "I don't want to lose any more men because some bureaucratic idiot put an order in before considering the possible consequences."

. . .

Present Day

"Rear Admiral Lasky," Gabriela said.

Lasky jumped, his train of thought derailing. "Y-yes?"

"I've got a message from HIGHCOM. For your eyes only."

"All right." Opening his datapad, Lasky made sure no one was watching, then skimmed through the message. He smiled when he read the contents. Looks like HIGHCOM has revised standing order 35-J4. Finally, now it's structured to where it does its job, but doesn't result in unnecessary casualties for us.

He had just closed the datapad when Roland came in. "Sir, we've got a development!"

"What's going on?" Lasky asked.

"Got another suspicious landing request, sir. Pantoran Orbital Defense Command says that a ship known as the Mantis is requesting permission to land at another private spaceport. CAA Marshals closed it down due to safety regulation violations and potential criminal activity."

Lasky frowned. This month just keeps getting better and better. "Understood. Inform PODC that we are moving in to investigate. The Infinity's the closest ship, so might as well."

"Understood," Roland said. "Course plotted. We'll be there in just a few seconds."

. . .

Onboard the Mantis, Greez was whistling a merry tune as the ship traveled through the non-dimension that was Hyperspace. "Feels good to be piloting this baby again," he said. "You know, I used to do ship racing when I was a younger guy. Did you know that, Cal?"

Cal smiled. "No," he said. "I didn't."

"I thought as much," Greez said, a smirk forming on his face. "When we've arrived at Pantora, I'll tell you all about it at a bar. I hear the Pantoran Shantyhouse is one of the best bars there. I'll get you something light."

Cal smirked at that. I will have to apologize for that fib I told him just now, he thought. Contrary to what Greez believed, Cal actually knew quite a few of his exploits. Psychometry is a really useful talent when it comes to learning about things other people don't really know.

His smirk faded into a frown as he walked towards his usual meditation spot in the ship. Ever since we've begun our journey to Pantora, I've felt a presence in the Force, he thought. It's very strong, but it's quite elusive and difficult to pin down. Perhaps some meditation will allow me to focus on it.

Reaching the back of the ship, he closed the door and locked it. Lowering himself to his knees, he closed his eyes, then began to breath in and out rhythmically. The various sounds, smells and sensations of the ship faded away, replaced by a calm tranquility that couldn't be described, only experienced. Within a few moments, Cal had entered a meditative Force Trance.

Focusing his thoughts, he began to reach out towards the presence he felt in the Force. Like always, however, it remained elusive. It's like it's intentionally trying to hide its presence from me, he noted. Yet I do not sense any intent to remain hidden. Perhaps there's some factor or clue to its behavior that I've missed. He shrugged mentally. Perhaps the Force will reveal the answer in due time. Disappointed, but not deterred, he began practicing the usual meditation techniques.

His meditation was interrupted when someone brushed against him, distracting his train of thought. Opening his eyes, he looked to see a young woman standing nearby. She was still quite young, though the bulge in the clothes on her chest indicated that she was pubescent. "Kata?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

Kata smiled. "Just checking in on you. I noticed that you've been a tad antsy in the past few days. Why is that?"

Cal shook his head with a smile. Kata's quite an observant young woman, he noted. Hiding the truth from her is like trying to use flimsiplast to cover a star. "I don't suppose it would hurt for you to know," he decided. "However, could you keep this between myself and Merrin?"

Kata shrugged. "Sure. Why not? Go ahead and tell me."

"Good." Composing himself, Cal said, "I've been feeling a presence in the Force for quite some time. It's very strong, but whenever I reach for it, it fades into the background, almost as though it's reflexively trying to hide itself." Kata frowned, but remained silent. "You've sensed it too. Haven't you?"

"Yeah," Kata said. "Even with my connection to the Force, I can feel it. It's difficult trying to find where it is. I do know, however, that it's where that pull in the Force is coming from. Perhaps that tugging in the Force is distracting us from finding it."

Cal shrugged. "Maybe. We'll have to wait and see. I can sense, however, that the presence in the Force isn't the only thing that's on your mind."

Kata looked away, a blush forming on her cheeks. "It's nothing, really."

"Are you sure? If something's bothering you, you can tell me about it. I'll see what I can do depending on what it is."

"Fair enough," Kata said. "You've let me in on one secret. I'll tell you another." Grimacing, she said, "I've… been having pains from my… er… nether regions. This morning, when I got up, there was blood on my bunk's sheets. When I showed Greez, he just winked at me mischievously and told me that it would be fine. On top of that, I've been having… cravings lately." She huffed in frustration. "I can't seem to figure out what's wrong with me! I was perfectly fine, then all of this happened!"

Cal frowned as Kata vented. There's more to this than what she's telling you, a part of the Force seemed to whisper to him. "Is that all?" he asked. "When did this begin to happen?"

"Around two years ago," she said. "I was able to keep it hidden for some time, though that was because everyone was busy with moving around and hiding from the Empire. Yesterday, though, was the first time that I had blood on the sheets."

As soon as she said that, Cal immediately understood what she was getting at. "I think I know what your problem is."

"You do?"

"Yep," Cal said. "I've been through something similar myself. You've entered puberty, and for women, that often means the start of their menstrual cycle. I don't know all of the science behind it, but the hormones your body's putting out are responsible for those strange feelings. It's nothing to worry about; it's perfectly normal for a person at that stage of life to experience those feelings."

Kata's blush deepened. "Oh… I uh… I see. I'm sorry if that was a bit… much for you."

"No, no, it wasn't," Cal reassured her. "I've been through that stage of life, already, so I know how you feel. Every time I was near Merrin, it felt like my entire body was going to explode with desire. I can say, though, that I'm happy that part of my training as a Jedi involved controlling those urges. If you want, I can help you learn how to do the same for you."

Kata smiled. "That would be really good," she said. "I know you've taught me some already, but a little more training there would be nice."

Standing up, Cal patted her on the shoulder. "I'll do so with Merrin around. She's been through that before, so she'll be able to better help you."

"Good. I'd best be going now. Thanks, Cal."

Cal nodded. "Anytime, Kata." Once Kata walked out of the room, he turned towards another part of it. "You can come out now, Merrin."

There was a green flash and a chorus of whispers before another person appeared in the room. Cal smiled when he spotted the red and black clothes, the white makeup and kind eyes that Merrin had. "How'd you know I was here?" Merrin asked.

"I was just listening and feeling in the Force," he said. "Plus, you did make a little sound when you followed Kata in. I'm guessing you did that on purpose."

Merrin shrugged. "I did, mostly because I wanted you to know."

"Fair enough." Becoming serious again, Cal asked, "Did you hear what Kata was saying?"

"Yes," Merrin said. "I suspected that she had entered that stage of her life, though it was only confirmed when I looked at the bed sheets she disposed of. She'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

"Did you have help when you entered that stage of your life?" Cal asked.

"Yes. My adopted parents at Dathomir helped me manage my own teenage years. It was… difficult, but I did manage to learn how to control my urges. We should do the same for Kata, as you said. If we don't…"

"Things will get quite heated," Cal agreed. "We'll have her undergo another training session soon. It'll be around controlling feelings and urges, that way she can manage how she's feeling."

"That would be wise," Merrin agreed. "Though, we have another matter to tend to first."

Almost immediately, Cal felt a swell in the Force. Opening the door, he quickly advanced through the ship and into the Mantis' cockpit. In the pilot's chair, Greez was tapping a few buttons, then he looked at Cal. "We're about to arrive at Pantora. Here's hoping that nothing goes wrong."

"We'll be fine," Cal reassured him. "The Force has pulled us through before. I'm not about to start doubting it or its motives, however mysterious they are."

Greez shrugged. "Here we go. Exiting Hyperspace in three… two… one… now!"

Cal, reaching up towards the ceiling, threw a lever back towards himself. The blue glow of Hyperspace shifted to blackness, with the streaks of light resolving themselves into the pinpricks of light that were stars. Up ahead, Call could see the planet that he had seen in his Force Vision, exactly where it was supposed to be.

What was unusual was the sheer amount of wariness, caution and suspicion he felt in the Force. Reaching out, he gasped when he heard the Force whisper a cautionary warning to him. "Greez, I think the UNSC is here," he said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I just sensed them," Cal said. "I sense… I feel a lot of suspicion, caution and wariness in this system. I felt the same when we saw that broadcast across the holo-net. I can also feel that pull more strongly than before. This is definitely where we need to be."

"Sounds like it," Greez remarked.

Nearby, Merrin rested a hand on Cal's shoulder. "I'll be ready in case something happens to you." She promptly disappeared in a flash of green light and whispers.

That never gets old, he thought. Sitting down in the chair for the communications console, he threw the earpiece on. "I'm ready when you are."

"About time, kid," Greez said. "We've got quite a few ships out there, and they look quite gnarly."

Cal nodded. He was about to key the HoloCOM when a voice spoke up. "Unidentified ship, this is Pantora STC. Identify yourself and state your intentions."

Keying his end of the system, Cal said, "Pantora STC, this is the luxury ship Mantis. We are requesting permission to land at a private spaceport. Sending you the idents for it now." He punched in a button.

A reply wasn't long in waiting. "Mantis, this is Pantora STC. That spaceport is no longer valid according to our records. It has been shut down due to safety violations and criminal activity."

"Understood. Requesting permission to land at the local civilian spaceport."

"Affirmative, Mantis. Please sent ident codes now." With a casual ease, Cal quickly punched in the ident codes. He was about to speak to Greez when he got a response. "Mantis, this is Pantora STC. The ident codes you have sent us are invalid. Do you have another set that you can use?"

Another warning came through the Force to Cal. "Checking. Please standby." Closing his end of the COM, he said, "Greez, get ready to make the jump to hyperspace in case something happens. Something tells me we might be in a spot of trouble."

"Got it," Greez said.

Keying the COM again, Cal said, "Pantora STC, this is the Mantis. We do not have any valid ident codes at this time. Would you be willing to send us temporary ident codes for the duration?"

"Negative," came the reply. "Your codes are invalid, and your ship registry has a number of anomalies. Please stand by and await further instructions."

"Greez?"

Greez reached for the lever and gave it a firm tug. "What?!" he gasped when the lever moved, but nothing happened. "Cal, I think we may be in some trouble. The hyperdrive's not spinning up, and I can't move the ship! We're stuck!"

No sooner had he spoken, the HoloCOM speakers crackled to life. "Mantis, this is Rear Admiral Thomas Lasky of the UNSC Infinity. Pantora STC and PODC has informed us of the situation. Remain where you are, or we will fire on you. A flight of Pelicans will be with you shortly to escort you into the ship."

"Poodoo!" Greez shouted. "I had a feeling something bad was going to happen! Now we've put our feet into it!"

"Cal, what's going on?!" Kata asked. Fear tinged her voice.

"No idea," Cal said, "but the best thing we can do is to remain calm. It's our only course of action."

"We have to get out of here!" Greez grumbled. "I'll head to the hyperdrive! Maybe we can -"

"NO!" Cal shouted, the force of his voice catching everyone off guard. "No. If we try to run, the UNSC will perceive that as a hostile action. That much the Force is telling me. If we remain calm, then we'll buy ourselves a chance to survive this situation." Seeing Greez's panicked expression, he said, "Trust me. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think we were going to be all right."

For a moment, Greez looked ready to throw a retort back into his face. "Fine!" he said at length. "If they so much as leave one thing out of place on the Mantis, I'll take a hydrospanner to their faces until it's put back!"

"I trust you, Cal," Kata said. "Whatever happens next, I'll trust you."

Cal smiled. "Thank you, Kata."

Any further conversation was halted when a series of jolts ran through the ship. Looking out the bridge viewports, Cal watched as two ships exactly like the ones he'd seen in the broadcast attach hauling cables to the ship.

It was then that he caught sight of the Infinity. Wow, he thought when he saw the ship's massive proportions and angular construction. That looks nothing like the ships I helped pull apart at Bracca. Reaching out with the Force, he felt the pull become even more intense than before. The entire ship seemed to be bathed in a diffuse glow. For a moment, he thought he could hear the music that he'd heard in the Force vision once again.

All thoughts were quickly put aside when the ship slowly entered a large hangar bay filled with people. With a grace that belied its size, the Mantis gently landed inside of the hangar bay, it's engines powering down. Seeing some of the individuals outside, Greez reached for a pocket blaster, only for Cal to pull it out of his hand with the Force. "Greez, please…" he said. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"I'm sure of that," Greez said. "I'm just not sure they know what they're doing."

No sooner had he said that than the door to the ship opened. One moment, Cal was looking at his friend in an attempt to reassure him, the next he was pressed against a bulkhead by a man that was covered from head to toe in body armor. "Hands in the air!" the man shouted. "Nobody move!"

"Keep those hands where I can see them!" another one shouted, weapon aimed at Greez. The ship mechanic turned bar owner wisely kept both pairs of hands in the air.

"I've got a civie over here!" another person shouted. A moment later, Kata was dragged into view.

"Is that a kid?!" the first soldier asked.

"Looks like it," a disembodied male voice said. "Scans indicate that she's likely fifteen years old. Whoever these people are, they certainly travel in strange company."

The armored soldier looked directly at Cal. "I hope you can explain why you've got a teenager on your ship."

"I can explain all of that and more," Cal said. "I would like to talk to your superior as well. I would like to ask him or her a few questions as well."

"We'll see about that," the armored man said. "Majestic, inform the Rear Admiral that we have the crew in custody. Better have the spooks come down and talk to them. We need to find out whatever these people know, and get the CAA Marshals down here. We've got an underage minor down here.."

. . .

This is just lovely, Osman thought, her eyes focused on the young man in the interrogation room. First we end up having an Imperial defector, and now we have more suspected pirates to talk with. At least the man in question looks good.

Inside the interrogation room, Ian sat at the table opposite from Cal. The Jedi Knight could clearly tell that Ian was irritated, and he didn't need the Force to know it. He looks like he's got a bad case of constipation, Cal noted. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage.

His thoughts refocused on Ian when the man sighed, then spoke. "Interview Log #5923-B4, Commander Ian presiding. Subject is a male Human in his mid to late twenties with red hair and green eyes." Looking at Cal, he asked, "Would you kindly state your name for this interview?"

"Cal Kestis."

"Thank you. We may begin." Ian pulled up a datapad, then began writing in it. "Your ship, the Mantis, has a number of anomalies with its registry, anomalies that have my superiors think that it is a pirate ship. Could you explain as to why?"

"Sure, but for the record, I am not the owner of the ship. I'm a friend of the owner, Greez. According to him, he bought the ship at an auction in a criminal controlled city known as Dentar. According to him, it's at a world known as Genarius."

"So the ship had previous owners?" Ian asked.

"Yeah. However, when Greez bought it, he was unable to change the registry to comply with regulations even with my help, hence the anomalies you noticed in it."

"I see. Throughout the time you were being processed, you kept on asking to see the Commanding Officer of the Infinity. Why is that?"

"I'm looking for someone," Cal said.

"Who would that someone be?"

"Did you ever see a young woman with brown hair and green eyes? I think she went by the name Jyn Erso. Have you seen her lately?"

Alarm bells ran at the forefront of Ian's mind. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm looking for her," Cal said. "I would like to talk with your boss, though, in that regard."

Ian looked at Cal suspiciously. Her physical identity wasn't shared by anyone outside of the Infinity, aside from that one time she was abducted, he thought. To have someone else mention exactly what she looks like that isn't from the Infinity raises a lot of alarm bells. He sighed. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

"Sure," Cal said. "You might also want to get something to drink for your boss in the other room. I sense some discomfort from her."

Again, Ian's spine stiffened. That's unusual. "I'll see what I can do." he said, masking his shock. Proceeding out of the room, he walked into the recording room nearby. "Did you notice that?" he asked Osman.

"I did," Osman said. "He very clearly knew I was in here, even though you didn't tell him I was here. The fact that he knows where I am without anyone telling him is… disturbing."

"He also knows about Jyn," Ian said. "Not only does he know her name, he knows what she looks like. Either he's met her earlier in the past, or…"

"… or maybe he's been to wherever she ended up when the pirates abducted her," Osman finished. "Either way, it's too much of a coincidence for him to just know about her without us telling him about her."

"Should you take over the interview, ma'am?"

"Yes," Osman said. "I will, but you will come with me. Oh, and he's right about one thing."

"Oh?"

"I do need a drink." Without another word, Osman strode out of the room, a small flask in hand.

"She's... creepy," one of the technicians said.

"She is, with good reason," Ian agreed as he followed Osman out…

Inside the interrogation room, Cal tapped a foot on the floor as he waited. Ian certainly seemed surprised, he thought. I sensed genuine surprise and shock coming from him, especially when I gave Jyn's appearance and her name. Clearly, something's happened to her. Looking at the table, he reached out a hand and touched the datapad.

He was about to close his eyes and use the Force when the door opened. Retracting his arm, he watched as a woman with brown hair and brown eyes advanced into the room, followed quickly by Ian. A small nametag on her uniform read 'O. Serin.' Sitting down, she said, "Cal Kestus, was it?"

"That's right," Cal said. "Who are you?"

"I will be the one asking questions here," the woman said. "However, I suppose it would be courteous for me to give you my name. I am Rear Admiral Serin Osman, RADM Lasky's chief of intelligence while I am on his flag staff."

Cal frowned very slightly. I can feel a mix of both the Light and the Dark Side of the Force flowing off of her, he thought. She's a good person, but she's done terrible things in the past. I'd best be careful. "All right. What do you want to know?"

"I would like to know how you know of Jyn Erso," Osman said. "You listed off her name and you had her appearance down to a T. Not many people would know of someone that's been abducted recently."

That had Cal's attention. "She was abducted?" he asked, concern suffusing his features. "When?"

Genuine concern, Osman noted. I'll keep that in mind. "Around three weeks ago," she said. "Some pirates hired by a crime lord in the slave trade decided to abduct her, and then hired pirates to attack Pantora. We drove them off, and we've been looking for her since. However, I would like you to tell me how you know of her."

"I met her when I did work with Saw Guerrera," Cal said.

"You've worked with Saw Guerrera before?"

Cal shrugged. "Many times. He had great respect for the Jedi. I met Jyn, however, during one of the missions he requested me to do. I think it was around six years ago, when we were sabotaging an Imperial refueling station at Sullust. Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"

"Saw Guererra has been posthumously convicted of using child soldiers, which is a crime in UEG territory," Osman said. "Given that you worked with him, and didn't confront him on the topic, I also have the power to arrest you as well."

Now Cal could sense anger coming from her. Stay cool, he reminded himself. A Jedi never lets the emotions of other influence him into doing rash actions. "I suppose that you do, though that might not be particularly wise. Besides, I never raised any child soldiers, nor do I condone the act."

"The fact that you had a thirteen year old teenager on your ship says otherwise," Osman growled. "Unless there is something that I am missing here."

"There is," Cal said. "During our journeys, we were betrayed by one of our own, a fallen Jedi named Bode. His daughter, however, was innocent, but she was also a Force Sensitive. After we defeated her father, we realized that the Empire would also hunt her down; the Empire either kills Force Sensitives, or forces them to turn to the Dark Side and become Inquisitors.

He sighed. "If we could've turned Bode back to the Light, we would've done so, and Kata would still have a father. Unfortunately, we couldn't because he wasn't willing to allow us to do so. Do I regret what happened? Yes. Do I regret taking Kata under my wing, and training her to understand her connection to the Force? No. However, I will make it clear that I do not condone child soldiers. In addition, I did confront Saw about that, and it's one reason why our paths parted."

"He's telling the truth," Roland said into Osman's earpiece. "I just did a biometric check on Cal. He's showing no signs of deception thus far."

"I see," Osman said. "You mentioned something about a 'Force Sensitive.' What does that mean?"

"You don't know?" Cal asked. To Osman, he seemed genuinely surprised. "You don't have Force Sensitives where you are from?"

"No," Osman said. "However, we wouldn't know if we do, because we've never heard of a 'Force Sensitive' before. Could you elaborate on that please?"

"Sure," Cal said. "Force Sensitives are individuals that can use the Force. The Force is what gives a Jedi his or her power. It's an invisible energy field that all living organisms create. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together. Most individuals are unable to use the Force, mainly those that have low midi-chlorian counts. Those that have high midi-chlorian counts, however, can wield the Force like an extension of their own body."

"So… the Force is some psychic energy field that certain individuals can manipulate?"

"Yes," Cal said. "The Jedi were the most prominent of them. I should know; I was part of the Jedi Order before the Empire destroyed it."

"I see," Osman said. "I'm not sure that I believe you when it comes to the existence of the 'Force.' For all I know, you could be lying to me about -" Osman would've continued, except for the fact that she was rudely interrupted. A loud, undignified yelp came from one corner of the room. Looking to the right, Osman opened her mouth to berate Ian, then saw what was wrong.

To her utter amazement and shock, Ian was floating in the air. The ONI Commander was floating around three feet into the air as though he was in zero g. A bewildered and terrified expression was on Ian's face, with the man trying to reach for the wall, only for something to pull him away

Osman was about to ask Roland what was going on when she felt odd. Looking down, she nearly jumped when she found that the chair she was sitting on was floating. Reaching down with a hand, she was surprised to find that she herself was floating two inches above the seat; even the table was floating in the air, as though the gravity in the room had been disengaged, only it wasn't, as she could clearly feel her own weight.

Even Cal Kestis and his chair was floating, but that was where the similarities ended. Cal was the embodiment of calm meditation; the young man's eyes were closed and his hands calmly clasped in front of him. Then the chairs and the trio of people began to orbit around the table like planetary bodies.

"Roland, what's going on?" Osman asked, a hint of panic in her otherwise calm and steady voice.

"I don't know!" Roland said. "I'm reading some kind of energy field, but there's no source at all. It's like it's coming from everywhere and nowhere at once; I can't figure it out. Either the sensors in the room have gone completely ballistic, or there's something to this 'Force' thing that Cal's talking about."

"That's an understatement!" Ian said. "I'm floating in the room while orbiting the table! I really hope that this ends soon!"

In the center of the room, Cal opened his eyes and looked around. His expression remained serene and calm, as though what was happening was nothing out of the ordinary. At that moment, Osman could feel herself being lowered to the floor. Before long, she, Cal, Ian and the chairs the former two were sitting in, were back in their normal places. Even the table was back in its usual spot.

"I hope that was enough of a demonstration for you," Cal said. "Most people don't believe in the existence of the Force, so I often do a demonstration to show that it does exist."

"I see," Osman said. The man was able to lift everything in the room without even raising an arm! she thought. An individual that can do that is a major security threat! "I don't suppose you can read minds, see the future or even mind-control people."

"I can, actually," Cal said. "The Force gives visions to those that are sensitive. These visions are sometimes of the past, but mostly they are of the future. It even allows Force Sensitives to perceive danger before it happens. It's why Jedi have good reflexes. I myself have Psychometry, which is the ability to use the Force to perceive events that an object or person is tied to in the past."

"Interesting," Osman said. 'I don't suppose you could give an example of that, could you?"

"I can," Cal said. He looked around the room, his eyes settling on her datapad. "That datapad in your hand. May I?"

Osman thought about it for a moment. Pressing a button, she locked the screen. "I don't see why not." She handed it to him. "Here."

Taking the datapad in his hands, Cal closed his eyes and concentrated. For a moment, he felt nothing, then he heard voices. Two belonged to a pair of men, while one he noted belonged to Osman. "There was a pirate in this room," he said. "He was terrified of you and another man that was in the room. Something about an 'unintentional manslaughter' charge."

Osman's eyes widened fractionally. "I was there," she said. "We were interrogating a pirate by the name Hondo Ohnaka. He was quite terrified, especially after he unintentionally caused the death of seventy seven people when a Rathar got out of his ship."

Cal winced. "I'm sorry to hear that. I know what it's like to fight Rathars. Still, you interrogated Hondo?"

"Yes," Osman said. "Why do you ask?"

"Hondo once abducted some Jedi on a job,' Cal said.

"A very interesting story. As for the Rathars, you've faced a few before?"

"Yes," Cal said. "I faced a few while protecting colonists in the Outer Rim. What happened to them… it wasn't pretty."

"I see. You also mentioned something about 'midi-chlorians.' What are they?"

"Midi-chlorians are intelligent microscopic lifeforms that have a symbiotic relationship with all living things," Cal said. "Without them, life wouldn't exist, or if it did, it would have no knowledge of the Force."

"And you know of this because?"

"Basic Jedi training," Cal said. "I have to know about that sort of thing."

"I see. How do you determine if someone has enough midi-chlorian counts to use the Force?"

"Force Sensitives can often sense others that are sensitive too," Cal said. "However, the most reliable way is to look at blood samples taken from the person in question. Most people generally have twenty five hundred midi-chlorians per cell inside of their bodies, with the lowest known being around two thousand. Most Jedi have midi-chlorian counts ranging between five thousand to around fifteen thousand. The highest known count, according to my late master Jaro Tarpal, was twenty thousand, and that was from an apprentice known as Anakin Skywalker."

"I see," Osman said. "That is quite enlightening information. However, it does mean that you pose a major security risk." At that, a pair of Spartan IV's came into the room. "Guards, escort Cal Kestus to the Supermax section in the brig. He claims to not be training child soldiers, but until we have evidence that corroborates his account, we cannot take any chances."

The Spartans were able to do so when Cal said, "Wait! I can prove it to you, if you're willing to listen to me!"

"Belay that order!" Osman ordered. The Spartans moved back at her command. Keying her COM, Osman said, "Roland, could you send a scientist down here please?"

"I'll ask Halsey if she's willing to send Olivia down to you."

"Who?" Osman asked.

"She's Dr. Halsey's Deputy Chief Scientist. She's an expert in microbiology and genetics, at least by Imperial standards."

I see, Osman thought. She shrugged. "Send her down."

"Roger that. She's on her way now."

"Good." Clasping her hands, Osman said, "You have my attention now, Cal Kestis. Our Deputy Chief Science Officer will be down here to speak with you shortly."

"Who?" Cal asked.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Cal sighed. I don't see why it's necessary to put me into a prison cell, he thought. Though… to be fair, I can understand her caution. Some Jedi are known to be quite powerful, so caution is a good trait to have.

He was about to ask again when a woman with blond hair and brown eyes walked into the room. "Rear Admiral Osman," she said. "Did you need something from me?"

"Of course, Olivia," Osman said. "Cal Kestis, here, has some biological traits that I believe ought to be studied, especially something about midi-chlorians. You are aware of what I am talking about, yes?"

Olivia's eyes lit up almost immediately. "I do," she said. "Wait… You're telling me that Cal Kestis is a Jedi?"

"How did you know?"

"I've heard about them, before," Olivia said. "To meet one in person is a very rare opportunity nowadays. In fact, I can't remember the last time one of them visited Kamino." Extending a hand, she said, "Dr. Olivia."

"Cal Kestis," was the reply. Looking at her, he asked, "You were at Kamino?"

"Yes," Olivia said. "I was born there as a clone, then I worked for Nala Se, my 'mother' for lack of a better term. Why?"

Cal's face hardened. "Did you kill any Jedi?"

Olivia was mortified. "Why would I do that? Of course not! Jedi are to be welcomed if you ask me. Why?"

"My master was murdered by clones," Cal said. "They turned on us when Order 66 was enacted. If it wasn't for my master's sacrifice, I'd be dead too!"

Olivia's face paled at that. "I'm… I'm so sorry," she said. "I… I honestly didn't know. No one ever told me what happened."

She's genuinely contrite, a part of the Force whispered to Cal. Sighing, he said, "It's all right. I can sense your honesty in the Force."

"As touching as this is, could we take a few samples from Cal?" Osman asked, interrupting the duo.

"Yes," Olivia said, "but only if Cal consents to do so. If he doesn't, then I have to speak with the head of the UNSC Medical Corps and the UNSC Quartermaster's Office in order to do so. As you know, I cannot run experiments on him without their explicit permission. Besides, it would make you look bad if I were to do so without their authorization."

Damn, Osman thought. There goes that possibility. Still, Olivia does have a good point. ONI's already in enough hot water as it is. Doing that would only sink us into even hotter water. "A fair point," she admitted. "Cal? Would you be willing to provide a few blood samples?"

Cal shrugged. "Why not? It's not like I could refuse you. I could push you all away with the Force, but one of you would be lucky enough to sedate me, and that's never been a pleasant experience." Holding out an arm, he said, "Go ahead. I won't fight."

"Thank you," Olivia said. Taking a small device, she gently pricked Cal's arm, then took a sample of the blood that came out before putting a band-aid on. "That'll do," she said. "Is there anything else, Osman?"

"Beyond running a few tests to see what differences there are, no," Osman said. "You may go now. Spartans, escort Cal Kestis to the brig's Supermax wing, but no harm is to come to him." The Spartans nodded, then hefted Cal from his seat. Before they left, she said, "Oh, and Cal? If you somehow manage to get to my office if you somehow manage to break out from your cell, then I'll think about believing you on some of this stuff."

Cal smiled, the first time he had since coming onboard the Infinity. "I'll take that bet," he said. "In fact, I'll bet you a hundred creds that I get there within ten minutes of breaking out." With that, they left.

Osman facepalmed herself once they left. Oi oi oi, she grumbled. As if this galaxy wasn't strange enough. First we have humans here, then we encounter hostile aliens, and now there are psychics that can move things with just their minds and some damn psychic field. She sighed. What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?

Either way, she knew that she had to tell Lasky this. Keying her COM, she said, "RADM Lasky, are you there?"

"Affirmative," came Lasky's voice. "What is it?"

"We just interrogated the people on that ship. One of them did something really strange."

"I know," Lasky said. "Roland told me about it just now. Really freaky what happened. Are you sure that keeping someone like that contained is a good idea?"

"We have to secure the ship somehow," Osman said. "I'm not about to let some psychic have the run of the ship. It would be a breach of protocol and security, not to mention professionalism."

"Understood. Where is the man you were interviewing just now? Cal Kestis?"

"He's currently being taken to the Supermax wing," Osman said. "It's one of the most secure places on the ship, plus I suspect that he might've been training child soldiers. Then there's the muddle about the educational laws, since she is likely in her mid teens."

"Understood," Lasky said. "I'll come down to speak with him shortly, unless anything else happens."

"Good," Osman said. "I'll keep an eye on him. Unless we let him out, he won't be getting out of the Supermax wing." Closing the COM, she said, "Send in the woman named Kata. I want to know from her if what Cal says is true."

. . .

Unbeknownst to Osman, there was someone else that had been on that ship, someone that was craftier than she was. She had also made a critical error in judgment, one that was about to expose itself.

Striding through the hallways of the Infinity, Merrin kept as silent as she could as she wove past people that went about their daily business, completely unaware as to what was going on. Thank my sisters and my mother that I can become invisible, she thought.

Still, that means that I must be extremely careful not to be detected. One wrong move and this whole venture becomes pointless. Moving through the hallways, she kept just a few meters behind Cal and the Spartan IVs escorting him.

Eventually, they reached the entrance to the brig, which was protected by an armored door and several guards. Moving quickly, Merrin quickly followed the two. Her heart leaped into her chest when she heard one of the guard ask, "Hey? Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" his companion asked.

"I thought I heard whispering for a moment. It's gone now."

"You're probably imagining things," the other guard said.

"You're right," the first one said. "My job's probably making me hear things. I'll see if I can have the warden give me a few days leave. Perhaps I just need a little fun is all."

"Perhaps."

Merrin mentally sighed with relief. That was too close! Gathering herself, she continued to follow Cal through the ship.

Eventually, they came to the Supermax wing of the prison. Seeing the security checkpoint, Merrin frowned. I can't go through that way. As powerful as my Magick is, even I can't get past that many people. I'll have to use a more exotic method. With a thought, she reached deep into herself, her Magick swirling around her.

Within seconds, she felt herself dematerialize. Moving quickly, she passed through the security checkpoint and the guards within. A few of them shivered, but none of them questioned as to why they had shivered. So far, they have not noticed me, she thought. How curious. Do they not have the means to find me, or can they, but are their methods not meant to find this manner of invisibility? She put that question off for another time…

As the Spartan IVs escorted him through the halls of the brig, Cal could feel someone following them. I think I know who, but I'm not sure, he thought to himself. If it is who I think it is, then the UNSC is definitely going to be in for a shock.

His thoughts were interrupted when they reached a single door. Standing by it were a pair of ODSTs, and a single man in military police armor. "Is this the man that Osman arranged for?" he asked.

"Yes," one of the Spartans said. "Due to his… unique abilities, Osman has deemed him a major security breach."

"I see," the man said. "You're Cal Kestis?"

"Yes," Cal said.

"Ronald Jones," the man said. "I'm the Warden of the Infinity's brig. Normally, I'd send one of my men, but I wanted to see for myself who our new guest is. You don't seem to be Supermax material. Why Osman wants you in here is beyond me. I hope it won't be permanent."

"Me neither," Cal said. "I haven't committed any crime, nor have I intended to. I'm being imprisoned simply for my ability to use the Force."

Ronald winced. "Ouch. I know how that feels. I don't know whatever the Force is, but I feel for you. If it's of any comfort, I'll do what I can to make your stay comfortable. I'm definitely going to log a complaint about this. So long as you don't make a fuss, I'll do what I can to get you out of the prison, legally of course." Opening the cell door, he said, "It's not much, but I'll make sure the other prisoners don't hurt you."

"Thank you," Cal said. "Oh, and Ronald?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for your hospitality," Cal said.

"Least I can do," Ronald said as he closed the door. "I hope that your innocence is proven! I really do!"

Cal sighed as Ronald left. Not a good start to my day, he thought. Still, it could've been far worse. I could've been executed, so I can be grateful for that much. Crossing his legs, he quickly settled into meditation.

He jumped, as such, when a voice in his mind said, Cal, are you there?

He was about to ask who it was when he realized who the voice was. Merrin? Is that you?

It's me, Merrin said. I'm using our Force Bond to communicate with you. You remember when that formed?

Cal nodded. Yeah. It formed once we got together. Where are you, by the way?

I'm inside of your cell, Merrin said. Having the ability to dematerialize and rematerialize is a very useful trait to have. The fact that I can do it for others is quite useful as well.

That it is, Cal agreed. In fact, we could use that to our advantage here. By randomly appearing across the ship, we could show the UNSC just how powerful a Force user can be.

Merrin thought about it, then sent a wave of consent to Cal. That would be best. Where would we end up on the endpoint is the question.

Can you get us to where Osman usually works? Cal asked.

I can, Merrin said. I'll have to follow her imprint in the Force, but I can get us there.

Good. May the Force be with us.

May the Force be with us, Merrin agreed. A moment later, Merrin appeared on the cot, then dropped down, intentionally landing hard.

Both guards at the door turned around, eyes widening when they spotted her. "Who the hell are you?!" one of them shouted.

"I am Cal Kestis' friend," Merrin said. "And you have made me angry. You will learn why it is never wise to anger a Nightsister." With that, she and Cal promptly disappeared.

"OH SHIT!" both guards shouted.

"What's going on?" Roland asked. "I just detected an energy surge!"

"We've got prisoners on the loose!" one of the guards shouted. "I repeat: prison break!"

"Aw, shit!" Roland groaned. "That's not good. I'm contacting Osman and Lasky right now!"

"Make it fast!" the guard shouted. "They could be off ship by this point!"

. . .

"We'll need to up the training of the Spartan-IVs so that they can handle unfamiliar combat environments," Lasky said to Chief via HoloCOM.

"Yes," Chief said. "I've been working on changing the training regimen to -" He stopped when Roland appeared on the holo-call. "Roland. What is it?"

"We've got a problem," Roland said. "You know the newest resident of the Infinity's Supermax?"

"Yeah," Lasky said. "Cal Kestis. Why?"

"I don't know how, but he managed to escape!" Roland said. "I detected an energy burst inside of his cell, and a woman appeared in there. The next thing I knew, both Cal and the woman were gone in an instant!"

Chief and Lasky both sat up straight. "What?!" Lasky asked. "How did that happen?!"

"I believe we can tell you ourselves," a voice said. Both Lasky and Chief whirled around to see Cal sitting in Chief's chair, while Merrin was sitting on his desk. "After all, it's pretty difficult to contain someone when they can move through walls and the like." An instant later, both of them disappeared in a flash of green light and vapors.

Chief looked at Lasky. "General Quarters?"

"General Quarters," Lasky said…

All across the ship, alarms rang as military police, Marines, ODSTs and Spartan IVs went on high alert. Every half minute, reports would come in about two individuals matching the description of the escaped inmates, before reporting that they had disappeared. Inside of his office, Lieutenant Commander Phillip could see the two teleporting around without a care in the world. "How the hell are they doing that?!" he shouted.

"No idea," Parisa said. "Whatever the hell it is, it's got us running around like chickens with their heads cut off!"

. . .

While the drama was going on, another interloper was making his way towards part of the ship. Scuttling along the vents, BD rounded the corner and began making his way through the bowels of the Infinity. The droids programming egged him on to find a means of accessing the ship.

Eventually, this was found in the form of a computer that had been left unattended. Hopping onto the table the terminal was at, BD quickly began looking for a means to access it. Looks like the only means of accessing the terminal is to do so either wirelessly, or to splice in via one of the cables, the droid determined. Let's try the wireless method first…

Within the AI Core of the Infinity, Cortana watched as hundreds of alerts raced throughout the entire system as the two individuals, one identified, one unidentified, seemed to pop in and out of existence on random points of the ship. "What is going on?!" Gabriela said.

"I don't know," Roland said, "but whatever the hell it is, it's some crazy ass bullshit! It's like they're popping in and out of existence at random points all over the ship! I can't even figure out how to trace it!"

"Me neither," Cortana said. "It's almost as though they're… teleporting somehow."

"Teleporting? You mean like how the Prometheans teleport around via Slipspace?" Roland asked.

"Yep," Cortana said, "only in this case, there's no hint of technology being used. I… hang on a second."

"What is it?"

"I'm getting an odd security breach near the hangar deck," Cortana said. "You two figure out how those two people are playing hopscotch with space-time while I investigate this." While Roland and Gabriela began trying to figure out how Cal and Merrin were literally doing something that would confound most scientists, Cortana began investigating the security breach.

Eventually, she narrowed it down to a terminal owned by one member of the crew. Accessing the camera feeds, she spotted a single small robot attempting to use it's transceivers to access the console. Already, it had burned through a few thousand attempts to get in. Well, it seems to be trying to get in, so why not invite it.

Within a second, Cortana had accessed the terminal and was listening to the robot's attempts to get in. "I have to find where my master and friend Cal is at," she heard the robot's AI mutter. "If I can at least access the terminal, I can get to the schematics and find out where he's at."

"I'm afraid you don't have clearance," Cortana said.

The other AI froze. "Whoa!" he, as it sounded distinctly male, shouted. "Who's that?!"

"My apologies," Cortana said, "I am the UNSC AI known as Cortana, one of three onboard the Infinity. To whom am I speaking to?"

"My name is BD-1" the other AI said. "I'm an exploration droid that's been paired with Cal. I've been looking for him ever since he was taken off of the ship by those armored soldiers."

"Hold on a second," Cortana said. "You're telling me that you're Cal Kestis' friend?"

"Yes," BD-1 said. "He's my master, but he's also my friend. I chose him after Cordova briefly locked down my memory and after… after he died."

Cortana frowned. "I'm sorry."

"I know," BD-1 said. "However, when those armored men came aboard and took Cal away, I had to hide myself. Now that I know he's on the ship, I'm trying to find him."

"I see," Cortana said. "Well, right now, he's currently causing mayhem for the Infinity by haphazardly teleporting around the ship with whom I'm presuming is his girl friend. I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to access the ship schematics, but I can have an Engineer come by and take you to wherever they're going."

"Really?" BD-1 asked. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Cortana said. "After all, a resourceful little guy like you can get around. However, you'll need a companion, since the UNSC doesn't appreciate droids moving around their ships without their consent."

"I see," BD-1 said. "So, when will I be able to go?"

Cortana smiled as she watched the pair move around. "I'm sure we're about to find out."

. . .

Olivia was so focused on studying the readouts before her that she had barely noticed the General Quarters alarm being sounded. Now that she had, she was deeply worried. "Are we being attacked, Dr. Halsey?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"Cortana's keeping me in the know," Halsey said. "It would appear as though Cal Kestis and whom I'm presuming is his girlfriend are currently teleporting around the ship, causing a panic to erupt. I must admit, teleportation without the use of technology. How very intriguing."

"Perhaps more intriguing than you realize," came a voice. Turning around, Halsey watched as the duo causing the panic appeared in her lab. She reached for a weapon when Merrin approached Olivia. "There's no need for that," Merrin said. "We're not going to hurt Olivia. We're going to be bringing her to Serin Osman's office."

"She's right," Cal said. "Besides, it's the last jump we'll be able to do before Merrin needs to rest. It's been something of a workout."

"I see," Halsey said, noting the beads of sweat gathering on Merrin's forehead. "You're lucky that I'm more forgiving of these sorts of things than Osman is. In fact, before you go, I have one question for you."

"And that would be?" Merrin asked.

"Why do this to the entire ship?"

Merrin smirked. "To demonstrate the power of the Force to the UNSC, of course." With that, she took Olivia's hand. Before Halsey could react, all three of them disappeared.

Halsey shook her head. "Well, not much I can do about stopping them when they can just come and go as they please."

. . .

The next thing Olivia knew, she was standing inside of Rear Admiral Osman's office. It was then that they saw that the room wasn't as unoccupied as they had believed. Sitting in the chair behind her desk, Osman was looking at the two with widened eyes. Her jaw had opened slightly while her finger rested on the grip of an M6D.

"I don't think that would be wise," Merrin said.

Osman, snapping out of her shock, reached for the weapon, only for it to fly into Cal's hand. "You don't need to threaten us in order to get compliance," he said. "After all, why would you want to end a bet like that?"

"I don't recall you making a bet," Osman said stiffly.

"You did, actually," Olivia said. "Before I left, you told Cal that if he broke out of his cell and reached your office in under ten minutes or so, you'd be impressed enough to put in a good word for him. As far as I can tell, we're at the eight minute mark, which means that he's won the bet."

Osman's eyebrows went up. Damn… Olivia's right. She shook her head an chuckled. "Well then, it seems as though you've won the bet." Hearing a chiming, she said, "Wait one." Keying her COM, she said, "Yes?"

"RDML Osman," Lasky said. "Roland says that he's picked up an odd energy signature in your office. Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Osman said. "Everything is fine. You can call off General Quarters. The duo you're hunting are here. Apparently, I unintentionally challenged them into reaching my office in less than ten minutes if they could break out of their cells. All that teleporting around they did was a demonstration we were part of."

Lasky sighed on the other end. "Seriously, Osman? You need to be careful with what you say. However, since all they did was give us a fright, and expose a major problem with our brig, I'll let it drop, but we will have a discussion later on."

"Of course," Osman said as the alarms stopped wailing. Closing the COM, she said, "Now that we've settled that, I do believe that I don't know your name, Mrs…?"

"Merrin," came the reply.

"I see, Merrin. How long have you been onboard the Infinity."

"Around forty minutes, give or take," Merrin said. "Why?"

"How were you able to evade us?"

Merrin shrugged. "A ritual I performed to make me unseen."

Osman sighed, then rubbed her nose with a hand. "Just when I thought that the Force was just something that you people made up. It seems like we have a lot to do. How did you manage to get past the guards?"

"I dematerialized and rematerialized inside of the cell," Merrin said, as though it were plainly obvious.

"Olivia, how come we don't have any countermeasures for that?"

"Well, until they showed up, we didn't know about the Force," Olivia said. "Without knowledge of a threat, we can't counter it. Plus, I don't exactly have the resources needed to create countermeasures, so…" She shrugged.

"I see. We'll have to speak with Director Parangosky on that." As the doors opened to permit the Spartans inside, Osman said, "There's no need to arrest them, though they will have to undergo a interview. As for you, Cal and Merrin, you'll need to speak with RADM Lasky. He'll be interested in the information you have on Jyn."

"I'm certain he will," Cal agreed. Both individuals walked out, the Spartan IVs escorting them.

Once the door closed, Osman rubbed her forehead. "Damn…" she muttered. "To think that Supermax is no longer as secure as we believed it to be. In fact, Olivia, I'm going to be setting up that call right now." Hitting the HoloCOM button, she waited for the call to go through.

Within seconds, Director Parangosky was on the line. "Osman," she said. "Is there something you need from me?"

"Yes," Osman said. "There's been a bit of a development here, and I think it would be best if I showed you. Roland, can you send Parangosky footage of what happened a few minutes ago?"

"You got it," Roland said.

"What happened a few minutes ago?" Parangosky asked.

"We intercepted a ship known as the Mantis. It was carrying two individuals that claimed to be able to use some strange thing known as the 'Force.' I didn't believe them, but just in case they posed a security threat, I had them placed inside of the Supermax wing aboard the Infinity. The footage, though, will show you how well that went."

Parangosky's expression remained unreadable as the footage began to play. Over the course of the video, though, Osman spotted a slight tightening in Parangosky's eyes, as well as a clenching of her hand. When it ended, she said, "I see… A pair of human beings that can teleport around the ship with the same ease as the Prometheans did during the Requiem Campaign." She shook her head. "It would appear that none of us saw that coming, and that our security measures are ineffective. Has Olivia been able to make any headway there?"

"Unfortunately, no," Olivia said. "For one thing, no one's given me the resources required to begin making countermeasures for stopping a Force Sensitive. On top of that, if you look at the documents I've worked on recently, you'll know that Halsey signed off on it, because I'm not a doctor. In addition, my asylum and temporary residence papers haven't been done yet by the State Department, which means that I cannot apply for tuition or funding for my education. In short, I need your help for that."

"I see," Parangosky said. "In light of what has happened onboard the Infinity, I will ensure that you acquire the resources that you need and that the documents you need are provided to you. Now go." Once Olivia had left, Parangosky said, "Is it just me, Osman, or does Lasky and the Infinity seem like a strange attractor to you?"

"It certainly does," Osman said. "Some days, I wonder if I've got completely batshit insane."

"I know the feeling."

. . .

At least that drama is finally over, Lasky thought. Sitting down behind his desk, he rubbed at his hair with a hand. Still, a pair of psychic individuals able to jump across the ship without a care. He shook his head. I guess I didn't see that one coming. Keying his COM, he asked, "Roland, are the individuals that are onboard the ship on their way?"

"They are," Roland said. "Osman just got done interviewing all of them. Took her long enough. I swear, it was about to be lunchtime before she finished."

"Roland…"

"Sorry sir," Roland said. "They're about to arrive."

"Good." Clasping his hands, Lasky watched as the door opened, permitting Cal, Kata and Merrin inside. Both Spartan IVs remained inside when the doors closed. I don't blame them, he thought. Those two gave us quite the fright. Sighing, he sad, "You scared us pretty badly with all your shenanigans."

"That wasn't our intention," Cal said.

"Of course it was," Lasky countered. "We were skeptical and you stomped on us. In my opinion, we kinda deserved it." Noting there was only three, he asked, "I thought there were more coming along."

The door opened, with two Marines escorting a short, squat alien with four arms. "Hey! Knock it off!" Greez shouted. "I can walk perfectly fine on my own, thank you!" He was about to shout some more when he caught sight of Lasky. "I… oh, well… crap."

"Settle down," Lasky said. "Normally, I would be a bit peeved by the breach in protocol, but given recent events and the fact that Osman said you continually protested your innocence, I'll let it go." Adjusting his chair, he said, "Now, Cal. You said that you had information on where one of my crew was, Jyn Erso. Correct?"

"Yes," Cal said. "I heard that she was abducted. What happened?"

"Yeah," Kata said. "What happened to Auntie Jyn?"

"She was on shore leave when some pirates abducted her. Got her really drunk, then pumped her full of sedatives. Then, some pirates attacked us while investigating what had happened to their comrades in arms. We wiped them out, but since then, we've been looking for Jyn with little success." He leaned in towards Cal. "That is, until the very man sitting before me tells Osman that he knows where she's at, before performing acts of magic or whatever that would have Penn and Teller turning green with envy. If it wasn't for that stunt, I might not have believed you were psychic."

"Well, technically, it's not psychics," Cal said, "but I can see where you're coming from."

"Indeed. So, with that in mind, do you know where Jyn has been taken?"

"I don't," Cal said, "but Greez does."

Standing up, Lasky walked around the table. "Did your kind have to be so small?" he asked.

"Now watch who you call small," Greez grumbled. "I might be small, but I can still beat the stuffing out of you."

Lasky smiled. "Something tells me we're going to get along." Extending a hand to Cal, Kata and Merrin, he said, "Now, let's start off on the right foot this time around. RADM Thomas Lasky."

Cal shook the offered hand. "Cal Kestis. This is my friend Merrin, a Nightsister, Kata, one of our adopted friends, and this is Greez, our pilot and local cook."

"Good," Lasky said. "Now, Cal says that you know where Jyn was taken, correct?"

"I do," Greez said. "Say, where's that little guy of yours, Cal?"

"You mean BD?" Cal asked. "No idea."

They got their answer when they heard a few chirruping sounds from the other side of the door. "Sir, we've got what looks like a droid wanting inside along with an Engineer. Cortana says that the little guy needs inside. Permission to allow them through?"

"Granted," Lasky said. The door opened, permitting a single Engineer through the door. Following the Engineer was a small droid with chicken-like legs that supported a short and wide upper chassis. Hopping onto the holo-table, it examined him with its optics. "Hey, he's a cute little guy," Lasky noted. "Who's he?"

"BD-1," Cal said. "He and I have been through a lot. Right, buddy?" BD-1 chirruped in reply.

"I see," Lasky said. "Cortana, where'd you find him?"

"I found him attempting to access one of our consoles," Cortana said. "That being said, he was just trying to reunite with Cal, though he could've gone about it in a more polite manner." BD-1 made a sound like a raspberry. "Hey!" Cortana growled. "Mind your manners! You're lucky that I'm a nice AI. Anyways… BD-1 says that he can provide you with a star chart on where Jyn's at."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and show me." BD-1 beeped happily, then extended one of his transceivers. Moments later, a holographic image of the Andromeda Galaxy appeared over the holo-table, then a specific section was highlighted and magnified.

"OK, Greez," Cal said. "Go ahead."

"Thank you," Greez said. "Mind if I have a chair?" Lasky quickly pulled one over. Clambering up onto it, Greez said, "Can you zoom in on that area there? The system where your friend is at should show up if you do."

"One moment," Cortana said. The star chart shifted, then a few systems came up.

"Ah! There it is!" Greez nearly shouted. "The Cularin System! That's where your friend's at!"

"What's so special about the system?" Lasky asked.

"The Cularin System is where Genarius is at. Genarius is a large gas giant that is host to a number of floating cities. There's one city, though, that has a reputation as being the hub of criminal trade in the galaxy."

"That city being?"

"Despatar," Greez said. "I've been there before. It's how I got the Mantis. Despatar is known as the 'City of Masks.' As for why, everyone that does business there wears a mask, or even a full body cloak, to keep their identities hidden. You also have to buy a permit to do just about anything there, if you're an off-worlder that is. Just about anything is sold there. Weapons, ships, armor, illegal technology, exotic animals -"

"People?" Lasky asked.

Greez frowned, then nodded. "That too. I saw a lot of bad stuff there. However, I can bet every credit you guys have that your friend's likely been taken there. Now who would do that, I have no idea, but it's safe to say that whatever they're doing is not good."

Kata shivered. "It's not a good place. I've never been there, but I do know it's a horrible place to live. My dad went there a few times before he... passed on. Every time he came back, he was always a little quieter."

Lasky nodded. Understatement of the year. "Thank you for this intel."

"Anytime," Greez said.

"Rear Admiral, I would like to be on the ground if we do attack that city," Cal said.

"Why?" Lasky asked. "Unless you have something other than your psychic abilities to defend yourself, you're not going to that city, if we do attack it that is."

"I know what it seems like, but we Jedi are far from defenseless," Cal said. Reaching out with a hand, a metal cylinder that had been on Lasky's desk flew towards him. A blue-white beam of energy erupted from the top, then stopped a few feet into the air. A melodic hum came from the weapon, the pitch changing as the blade moved.

"I was going to ask you what that was," Lasky said. "We determined that it was a weapon of some kind, but beyond that, we really don't know much about it."

"It's my lightsaber. It is the weapon of a Jedi. As my master once put it, it is an elegant weapon that is not as clumsy or random as a blaster. With it, I can use my precognitive abilities to deflect blaster bolts before they can even though me. Not so sure about slugthrower rounds, though."

Lasky shook his head. First I find out Cal is psychic, and now he has a plasma sword that can block blaster and plasma bolts. What a day this is. "Is Kata...?"

"No," Kata said. "I'm too young to fight according to Cal."

" I see. Any other reason why you want to go, if we attack Genaris that is?"

"I can sense Jyn if I get close enough," Cal said. "Plus, it's also the perfect opportunity to show you what I can contribute to an assault."

Lasky pursed his lips. He's got some very good points. Besides, I haven't seen someone like him in battle yet. This might be a good opportunity to see how effective Jedi are when part of a combined arms force. "All right," he decided at length. "I'll discuss your intelligence with HIGHCOM. Needless to say, though, you've earned the right to remain outside of a prison cell. However, there will be sections of the ship that you will be barred access from. Understood?"

"Yes," Cal said, switching off his lightsaber. "Merrin and I can work with that."

"What about me?" Greez asked. "I ain't a soldier, and I'm getting too old to go flying around the galaxy."

"You did run a cantina at Koboh."

"Yeah, but cooking on a military ship?" Greez asked. "They'd kill me for even the slightest violation."

"I'm sure my flag cook will have that fully handed," Lasky reassured him. "He's a bit… rotund, but he knows how to cook good food. Spent the past eight years at culinary school. You'll do quite fine, so long as you don't cause any trouble. You three'll just have to go through processing to be cleared for work on the Infinity, and then you're good to go."

"All right," Cal said. "I hope that our stay goes much better than our arrival. May the Force be with you."

"Pardon?"

"It's a traditional Jedi farewell," Cal explained.

"Ah, I see. Same to you." As the door to his office closed, Lasky shook his head. Hell of a way to get intelligence, he thought to himself. Something tells me, though, that this will be worth all of the effort.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the HoloCOM in his quarters chime. What now? he thought. I've already dealt with one bit of drama. I do not need more! Sighing, he keyed the system. To his surprise, he found Admiral Rich on the line. "Admiral Rich, what do you need?"

"I would like to have my men go onboard the Star Destroyer that Teron lent to us ten days ago," Rich said.

What? Lasky thought. Why does he need a Star Destroyer? "Why?" Lasky asked.

"Section Three is interested in some of the technologies onboard," Rich said. "As such, it falls within my jurisdiction to ask you for it. I would like to have the holo-table onboard as well as some of the technologies that might be marked out for ONI Section 3 to study. I'll also need Section One agents to head aboard and begin SIGINT work."

Lasky thought about it, then nodded. "I'll allow you agents to have some of the technologies onboard, and to begin SIGINT work. However, I have to deny your request to have the entire ship.

"On what grounds?"

"Why do you need a Star Destroyer?" Lasky asked. "Section Three is mainly for major technological developments or black operations, not ship design, which falls under Admiral Sark's jurisdiction."

"That's classified."

"Really?" Lasky asked. "If I recall correctly, ONI Section Three is a division of the UNSC Navy, not it's superior. As such, I reserve the power to deny such requests."

Rich frowned. "Damnit," he growled. "Hang on. I'll call Margaret and see if we can't sort this out. Give me a minute."

"Take your time," Lasky said.

Within two minutes, both Parangosky and Harper's images appeared over the holographic projector. "Rear Admiral Lasky," Harper began. "I heard that ONI Section Three wanted to have the Star Destroyer, but you denied them. Parangosky just told me about that. Why?"

"They don't need it," Lasky said. "Rich asked me why and I asked him a question. Why does Section Three need a Star Destroyer? I know that they do special projects and I granted them permission to have some of the tech onboard, like the hyperdrive and the like, but studying a Star Destroyer falls under Admiral Sark's jurisdiction, not that of ONI Section Three."

"You know what, Lasky is right," Harper said. "Why does Section Three need a Star Destroyer."

"For reasons that cannot be disclosed at this time," Parangosky said, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Really? Should I call Hood and ask him for clarification? I'm certain that he'll be more than happy to clarify the Navy's position on such matters."

At that, both Rich and Parangosky shared a glance. "All right," Parangosky sighed, irritation clear in her voice. "I'd rather not get Hood involved in this matter. Rich, you can't have people go onto the Star Destroyer. Lasky is right. It falls under his jurisdiction, not yours."

Rich shrugged. "Oh well, not like we need the damn thing. Sorry for bothering you, Lasky."

No you're not, Lasky grumbled inwardly. "Of course," he said aloud. "I hope you and the others have a lovely day." As Ned and Parangosky's holograms faded out, he said, "I'm sorry to have dragged you into all of this, Harper."

Harper waved a hand dismissively. "No, no, Lasky. It's perfectly all right. Besides, Ned might be an Admiral, but I'm a Fleet Admiral. He can't bully me around, no matter how much he tries. Still, I have a feeling that Parangosky is a little peeved at him for wasting her time."

"Yeah," Lasky said. "Either way, I'm glad we got that hot mess sorted out."

"Me too," Lasky agreed.

. . .

Far away, at Coruscant, Colonel Yularen sighed as he finished the last piece of paperwork he had for now. When I decided to become a Colonel in the ISB, I didn't expect this much paperwork, he thought. Oh well... We all have a price to pay in our service to the Galactic Empire.

His gaze flicked to a small holo-photo on his desk. On it was an image of himself, and a pair of Jedi. Those were simpler times, he thought. I still can't believe that the Jedi betrayed us in the end, but I guess it was to be expected. They were a tad... out there, after all. His thoughts were interrupted when the door chime sounded off. Yularen reached for a blaster under his desk, hand poised to snatch it out of its hiding spot. "Come in." The door opened, permitting a human with a small tray in his hands. Yularen relaxed, but not too much. "Ah, you have my recaf. Thank you."

"You're welcome," the orderly said. "I've also got something else for you as well."

He reached for his blaster again. "And that would be?"

"A letter from Vice Admiral Teron, sir," the orderly said. Reaching into his uniform, he pulled out a small envelope and placed it on his desk. "What strikes me is that he sent it in flimsiplast when he could've called you."

"It is odd," Yularen said. "Has it been thoroughly scanned?"

"Yes," the orderly said.

"Good. I'll read it. As for you, get some rest. You look like you've been up all night."

"I have," the orderly admitted. "Another one of that man's meetings."

Yularen sighed sympathetically. "I understand. Get some rest. You need it." As the orderly left, Yularen opened up the envelope, while putting some sweetener into his drink. As he read it, he brought it to his face, only to stop halfway when he reached a part of the letter. His eyes widened fractionally, then, in his shock, his glass fell out of his hand, splattering part of the desk with his drink. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he hammered the HoloCOM and said, "Get me the Emperor! NOW!"

The Emperor's hologram promptly shimmered into existence. "Yes?" he asked.

"I just got word that Vice Admiral Teron has left the Empire!" Yularen said.

Palpatine frowned. "Elaborate, now."

"I got a letter from Teron announcing his intentions to defect to the UNSC and UEG. Not only have his officers left with him, they've taken the Tenacity with them to wherever they're going."

Palpatine snarled. "That traitorous fool! I will personally see him punished for his disloyalty. You have done well in informing me of this development, Yularen. Have your spies begin hunting for Teron and his crew."

"Yes, my lord."

. . .

Leia had to admit, this was, arguably, one of the nicer dreams that she had in her life. She was sitting on the bench to her office, talking with her staff about something. All of them seemed to be listening intently to her, as though she had their full respect.

That's odd, she thought. From what I remember about UNSC cryonic procedures, the subjects usually don't dream when they're frozen. Then it occurred to her what the dreams meant: she was beginning to wake up.

Before long, her dreams faded into blackness, and then her senses returned. The sound of a hatch opening greeted her hears. Her eyes opened, her vision so blurry she could only make out shapes. Blinking a few times, she felt nauseated as the various chemicals that lined her lungs and prevented them from drying out came to the back of her throat when she coughed. Before long, she was dry heaving, wet coughs erupting from her mouth.

From the sounds of it, the others weren't doing well either. Leaning out of one of the pods, Gesar was dry heaving onto the ground, while Hondir was lying on his side, coughing as his lungs began working again for the first time since he entered cryonic stasis. Looks like I came out of it the best out of all of us, she realized.

She was proven wrong when a familiar man with blue skin and red eyes walked into view. "Well, that certainly wasn't pleasant," Thrawn said. He rolled his neck, eliciting a few pops and cracks. "Are you well, Ambassador?"

Leia nodded. "As well as can be." She coughed a few more times. "I never thought that cryonic stasis was going to be so… unpleasant."

Thrawn smiled sympathetically. "Certainly makes one appreciate hyperspace travel. While I do understand the UNSC's necessity for cryonic stasis, I find it a tad… primitive. It does speak a lot about them, though."

"And that might be?"

"That they pride themselves on efficiency," Thrawn said. "A crew in cryonic suspension doesn't consume foods and liquids, consumes almost no oxygen whatsoever, and takes up a minimum of space. The amount of automation they have also means they have an implicit trust in their droids, a trust that we do not share."

Leia smiled. Just a few minutes out of his cryopod, and he's already analyzing what's going on. I guess that's natural when you're an Admiral or whatever his rank currently is.

Her thoughts were interrupted when one of the ship's crew walked into view. Before him was a cart that held all of their clothes in long and flat plastic bags. "Good morning, or rather, good after noon!" the crew member said, a smile on his face. "How did you all find the trip?"

There were a few murmurs, though Gesar was the most vocal. "How can you bear traveling around in such a manner?" he asked. "I felt like I was going to vomit out whatever I had been eating for lunch before I entered these damnable tubes!"

The crewman shrugged. "You get used to it. In fact, I find it to be rather pleasant, especially since I'm a good prodreamer."

"Prodreamer?" Leia asked.

"Some people have really vivid and intense dreams. I'm one of the few that have dreams that can be recorded and played back for the entertainment of others. It's not common, but it's becoming popular within the Inner Colonies. Really shows how the human mind words. Now, on to work." Pulling out a few bags, he began to hand them each of their clothes.

Looks like they've also done us the liberty of cleaning up our clothes as well, Leia observed as she put her dress back on. They really are going out of their way to make certain that we're comfortable. Glancing towards Thrawn, she found that he was fully dressed in his military uniform. He looked so good, that it seemed to be a second skin for him.

"Is everyone all dressed?" the crewman asked. When the others gave affirming replies, he smiled and said. "All righty then! If you want to see Earth, come to the observation deck. Captain James says that we've come in at the Inferior SSEP."

"What does that mean?" Hondir asked.

"Safe Slipspace Entry Points. They're kinda like your hyperspace exit points. Sometimes, a ship might experience drift while in Slipspace, so civilian ships arrive at those points in order to ensure that they don't end up inside of a planet when they come out of slipspace."

Makes sense, Leia thought. "Are you ready?" asked the others.

"Yep!" Gesar said. "Let's see what this 'Earth' looks like…"

The observational booth of the Dreamliner was packed to the brim. Looking outside, Leia saw Earth for the very first time. It… it's beautiful, she thought. The planet's appearance reminded her considerably of Alderaan and many other garden worlds that she had seen in her career. Way off to the side, she could see a large, pockmarked satellite that she realized was Earth's moon.

Off to her side, Thrawn gazed out of the viewport. "Very impressive," he said. "While the UNSC seems to be all olive drab and grays, Earth is a much more interesting spectacle."

"It would seem so," Leia admitted.

The sound of footsteps drew their attention. Behind them, Captain James walked into view. "Beautiful planet, ain't she?" he asked.

"It is," Leia said. "It's hard to imagine that your subspecies of Humanity's homeworld looks so beautiful when you've seen nothing but their ships. If someone told me that Earth looked very similar to Alderaan, I would've laughed."

"I know the feeling," James said. "I was born on Earth, just so you know. My grandfather owns a harbor near the city of New Mombasa. Beautiful place, and the fish are really good."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Oh, I encourage you to see for yourself," James said. "I'd best be going now. I have to tend to my duties."

"Of course," Leia said…

As the ship drew closer, Leia watched as a thin line appeared in the distance. To her amazement, she found that it connected to what looked like a space station of some kind. "What's that?" she asked.

"That would be the Sydney Spaceport," a crewman said. "That's where the ships coming in to Sydney dock and offload their cargo, as well as their goods. We'll be heading there and taking the elevator down to the surface…"

Within a few minutes, the Dreamliner had docked with the station. The airlock door that Leia and the rest of her entourage gathered at opened, allowing them to proceed into the docking area. "Follow me," a man said to them. "My name's Fred Jaworski. I'll be your guide for the duration of your stay at Sydney. If you would be willing to follow me, we'll head to the elevator banks."

As the group followed Fred, Leia leaned in to Hondir and said, "I didn't know they used space elevators. Where we are from, a ship can just land on a surface spaceport if needed. Why would they need space elevators?"

"No idea," Hondir said. "I'll be that, eventually, we will find out."

. . .

The trip to the surface was quick and smooth, with the elevator coasting down the cable. They might use elevators, but at least they run smoothly, Leia thought. It was another reminder to her of the UNSC's engineering capabilities.

Stepping out of the elevator, they found themselves inside of a long and large hallway. At the end of the hallway was a Marine that stood at parade rest. Apparently, he was one of their escorts, as he nodded at Jaworksi, before turning on his heels and walking out.

Past the hallway was an enormous atrium. Here, Leia found all manner of people going to and fro about their daily business. Glancing around, she found Thrawn examining the architecture of the place. "Hhmm, more signs of their efficiency," he noted. "It does appear, however, that they appreciate some of the finer aspects of architecture." Michael I'm so sorry you're missing out on this wonderful trip of our's, he thought to himself. You would love it, but then again, this might be my chance to hold something over him. He chuckled mentally. Oh yes... well until he finds his own way here that is.

Leia glanced upwards. A transparisteel ceiling, she thought. How very interesting. Her thoughts were interrupted when they were surrounded by a group of guards that escorted them outside. In the parking lot, Leia spotted a series of military vehicles.

"That's odd," one of her entourage said. "You'd think that they'd use repulsorlift vehicles, not a primitive means of transport."

"Well, they've only recently come out of a war," Leia said. "Perhaps they find this method of travel more secure and efficient. Besides, they seem well armored."

"Yes," Thrawn said. "They do." Without a word, all of them climbed in, each one flanked by a Marine, two in Thrawn's case. Even the Stormtroopers moved inside quietly and efficiently.

"So, where are we heading?" Leia asked.

"The Presidential Suite," Fred said. "That's our first destination of the day. Buckle in now!"

The convoy began to move out; before long, they were traveling at a terrific speed. Gazing outside of the armored vehicle's windows, Leia could see dozens of ground cars that moved along the roads and streets. Such diversity, she thought. I can't even see two copies of the same ground speeder. Even the buildings are quite unique.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of driving, the vehicles came to a stop. The doors to the backs of each one opened, allowing them to step outside. Leia quickly caught sight of a large house whose architecture was ornate. Every surface was painted a white color, though it was a warm white, rather than the cold, sterile white the Empire seemed to prefer. A large column of water was ejected gracefully out of a fountain, and the grass was a bright green color.

Her enjoyment of the view was interrupted when a pair of men in black suits approached the two. Sunshades covered their eyes, masking part of their identity. "Ambassador, welcome," one of them said. "The President would like to speak with you. The others will have to remain outside, but you can take two of your body guards."

"Where will they be going?" Leia asked.

"Jaworski will be showing them to their hotel. The UEG President, however, wishes to speak with you."

"Leia?" Thrawn asked.

"It'll be fine," Leia decided. "You can go ahead and head to where we'll be staying. I'm sure that no harm will come to me." A pair of Stormtroopers walked to her side. Once they did, the two men in suits turned and headed towards the house. Once they were at the doors, they opened them and permitted Leia and her guards inside. The internal architecture reminded her of the place that ambassadors from Alderaan stayed at. "Your Presidential Suite looks beautiful," she said.

"Thank you," one of the men said. "The Presidential Suite is a replica of the White House in Washington D.C. Given that the United States was one of the first highly successful democracies, it made sense for the UEG to have it's seat of governance appear the same."

That makes sense, Leia thought. Each of the rooms and hallways held something new, yet familiar at the same time. She could see busts of whom she assumed were former Presidents, while paintings adorned the halls. One of them showed a man in an odd dress and white hair. "Who's that?" she asked.

"That? That would be President George Washington. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Helped create the nation in 1776, which means that the United States was founded nearly eight centuries ago."

Leia nodded in appreciation. "When was the UEG founded?"

"Around five centuries ago, though it was reformed into a planetary government in 2170, over four hundred years ago."

Leia's eyes widened fractionally. The UEG was founded during the High Republic era, she realized. Fascinating.

All other thoughts were put aside when they came to a pair of wood double doors. Two UNSC Marines were standing outside. When one of the suited men approached, the two talked for a few seconds in low voices. With a nod, one of the Marines opened the door, allowing Leia and her guards inside.

Beyond the doors was a large room with a series of shelves and bookshelves near the back. A pair of windows allowed light to stream in, and there was a beautiful blue carpet on the floor. Behind a large wooden desk was an older lady with gray-white hair and kind brown eyes. Looking up, she smiled and said, "Ah. I was wondering when you would arrive. It seems as though you've arrived on time." Standing up, she walked over and extended a hand. "President Ruth Charet."

Leia smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Madame President. I'm Leia Organa, Senator from the Galactic Empire."

"Friendly, and well mannered," Charet said with a smile. "I've got a feeling that you and I will become close friends. Come, have a seat." Leia smiled as she sat down. Once they were both seated, Charet said, "I must admit, I've been keen to learn more about you ever since you handled First Contact with us and the Galactic Empire. It can't have been easy, managing it in the middle of a crossfire."

"No, it wasn't," Leia agreed. "However, I'm very happy to have ensured peace between our nations. I would've been messy had they gone to war." She frowned. "It's also unusual for a foreign diplomat to be meeting with the head of a foreign state."

"Quite so," Charet agreed. "However, these are strange times, and the Secretary of State is otherwise occupied, which means I needed to meet with you. We've been busy setting up an embassy and consulate in our city since we heard about what happened. That being said, we won't be starting work until tomorrow. Tomorrow, the UEG Senate will be open, and that's when business will really begin. Today is just a meet and greet between you and me, while the others will get to see what being out on the town is like."

Leia smiled. "That is most gracious of you."

"Think nothing of it," Charet said. A chime came from the HoloCOM, interrupting the two. Opening it, Charet and Leia were surprised to see Palpatine's face appear. "Emperor Palpatine," Charet said, her voice more curt and cold than before. "To what do I owe this call?"

"I am here to discuss why one of my officers defected to your government," Palpatine said.

Leia shivered. He doesn't sound happy, she thought. Something must've gone wrong.

Charet frowned. "Could you elaborate on that please? I'm afraid I'm not aware of what you speak of."

"One of my officers recently received a letter from Vice Admiral Teron that he and his officers were intending to defect to your government. While doing so, he stole a Star Destroyer and faked his own death. I would prefer it if you returned him and his crew to me for sentencing, as well as the Star Destroyer he stole. I'm sure Ambassador Organa can arrange for that."

Leia shuddered. So that's why he's so upset: an entire Star Destroyer crew defected to the UNSC. Why would they do that?

Charet clasped her hands before her face. Looks like we've got a situation that reminds me of the Cold War, when a MiG-25 Foxbat pilot defected to the US and brought his plane with him. How lovely when the past repeats itself. "I see," she said. "I'm afraid I cannot return Teron to you. UNSC protocol states that, if a person requests asylum in the UNSC and UEG, they are allowed to do so. However, I can say that we will give back the Star Destroyer when we can." Once we're done with it, she added silently to herself.

Palpatine frowned, then surprised Charet when he nodded. "I see... You can have Teron and his traitorous men. It saves me the trouble of executing them myself. However, I do expect you to return the Star Destroyer within the next two months. That is Imperial property, and I would hate to see it vandalized."

"We'll have it back to you before long and we will keep it secure," Charet retorted. "I can assure you of that. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"Beyond that, I would like to wish Senator Organa good luck in her mission." Glancing to where she was at, he said, "How was the journey for you?"

"Fine," Leia said. "A bit unusual in how they did it, but fine."

"Good. That is all for today."

"Then I hope you have a pleasant day," Charet said. When the hologram faded out, she said, "And I thought my day was going to be nice and quiet, aside from you arriving that is."

"Why would someone defect to the UNSC?" Leia asked with faux-innocence.

Charet smiled. "I'm certain that we'll find out shortly." Hearing a growling sound, she said, "I'll see if we can go to the local restaurant district and have some food. You must be famished."

"I am," Leia said. "Oughtn't we eat here, though?"

"Understandable, but I often become bored of the food here. Your guards can come, and I'm inviting some of your retinue to come as well." Using her HoloCOM, she said, "Connor, can you have a limousine ready for us? Oh, and contact Jaworski. Inform him that we'll be heading to the restaurants in the city as part of the tour once hte guests are settled in." Closing the COM, she said, "My agents have scouted out a location. When you can, could you be at the Sydney Resort Restaurant when you can?"

"Of course," Leia said.

. . .

The good hospitality extended to the hotel they were staying at as well. Stepping out of the car, Leia found that the hotel was a massive building that stretched high into the sky. "Impressive," she heard Thrawn say. "Most impressive."

"Indeed," Gesor said. "The UEG seems to choose only the best for visiting diplomats."

Leia was about to speak when two men in red buttoned uniforms with gold trimming approached them. A pair of brass colored carts were with them, with two more men pushing them. "Greetings," the first of the duo said with a flourished bow. "Welcome to the Sydney Regency. We hope you have a pleasant stay here. Would you be so kind as to follow us inside?"

"Sure," Leia said. Following the concierge inside, they found themselves in a vaulted room with a high cream colored ceiling and red carpeting. Around them, people walked to and fro as they went about their daily business.

At the center of the room was a enclosed, circular counter that employes were busy working at. One of them, looking up, said, "Would you kindly state your name and reason for staying please?"

"Leia Organa. I'm here on an ambassadorial mission from the Galactic Empire."

"One second," the employee said. His eyes widened as he ran a few queries. "Ah, just arrived from the Andromeda Galaxy, and the President has arranged for the penthouse suites on the uppermost floors to be given to you for the duration of your stay." He smiled. "My apologies for the delay, ma'am. Just making sure that all is in order."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Leia said. "Shall we head there now?"

"Of course. One of the concierge's will show you the way." One of the men in the red, double breasted uniforms nodded to Leia, then motioned towards an elevator with a slight bow. Leia smiled, then proceeded inside...

The penthouse suites were some of the most luxurious rooms Leia had ever seen. Walking inside of her room, she found herself gazing through windows out over the city itself. Red and black sofas were present in various areas, and a counter was present. Behind it were a number of drinks in flasks. As the men following her proceeded inside, she said, "You can put our things in here for the time being. We'll be back after another trip to the city."

"How very impressive," came Thrawn's voice. Walking towards the window, he looked outside. "It would appear as though the scars from the recent war have yet to heal."

"Why do you say that?" Leia asked.

Thrawn pointed towards a few high rise buildings. "Notice those buildings, specifically their state of completion. They haven't been finished yet. The war touched their homeworld, yet even now, they rebound with surprising resilience. Such a sight speaks to the strength and courage of the UEG and its citizens."

Leia nodded. "That it does," she said. Noticing the time, she said, "Would you kindly accompany me to that place that President Charet said for us to come to?"

"Of course," Thrawn said. "I'll have a few of our Stormtroopers provide a guard for us there, though the UEG will doubtlessly do the same."

"Of course," Leia said...

A few minutes later, Leia found herself sitting at one of the many chairs in the outside portion of one of the restaurants. All around her, wealthy people dinned and chatted with each other, while casting curious looks and glances at her and the newcomers. Thrawn seemed to have attracted quite a bit of attention, especially from some of the women. Thrawn seemed to have taken it all in stride, as he barely paid them any mind. Nearby, the Stormtroopers that had made the journey with them stood guard, each one watching the rooftops and civilians carefully.

Leia looked at Charet, who sat on the opposite side with her bodyguards. "I must admit, I've never been invited out to lunch at the same day of my arrival here," she said. "Is this normal for visiting ambassadors?"

"No," Charet said. "However, this is a rather unusual circumstance we find ourselves in. However, I can say that we are well protected. No one would dare think of attacking us here."

Leia was about to take a sip when she heard a loud noise. Turning around, she watched as someone in what Charet had called a 'car' began honking the horn at someone. To her amazement, the someone in question was the most enormous man she had ever seen. He looks bigger and wider than a Wookie! she thought. "Who's that?"

"That would be Jonas," Charet said. "He's a butcher and restaurant owner that started out in New Mombasa. Since the war, he's become something of a millionaire, especially after he opened up a restaurant chain here. In fact, he owns this restaurant."

Leia continued to watch the interaction intently. "Come on!" she heard the driver shout. "Get out of the road!"

Jonas, to his credit, simply smiled. "Calm yourself, my friend," he said in a deep, rich voice, "and have a kebab."

"Move it, you big -" The driver's ranting was interrupted when Jonas sat down on his car. A loud creak came from the vehicle as the suspension bent under the weight of Jonas' body. Leia felt a laugh building up, while Thrawn smiled with obvious amusement at what was hapepning. "Whoa! Hey! Get off my car!" the driver shouted.

"My friend, I am an eight hundred pound man with a large cleaver, who kills animals each day and chops them to pieces. Do you really want us to be enemies? Or would you rather have a nice kebab?"

Apparently, the driver didn't the message, as he kept on honking at Jonas. "Somebody make him stop!" someone shouted.

"Get that horn honking asshole off the road!" another man shouted.

"For the last time, you big oaf! Get out of the fucking road!" The driver shouted. Jonas frowned, then gave a loud grunt as he lifted a large cleaver. Before Leia could say a word, the man drove the cleaver through the hood of the man's car. A loud CRUNCH filled the air. "AUGH!" the driver shouted. "You put your cleaver through the hood of my car!"

"Oh! A thousand pardons!" Jonas said. Taking his cleaver out of the car's hood, he tapped the windshield. "But it was either that, or smash your windshield, tear you out, and make you into kebabs."

"What?!" the driver shouted. "Oh no! Hey! HEY! HEY!"

"Then please. Stop honking your horn. It frightens the children that come here and irritates my customers." The driver quickly backed up and away, allowing Jonas to come to them. Spotting Charet, he said, "Ah, Madame President! How can this humble chef serve you?"

"I'm here with some of the members of the delegation from the Andromeda Galaxy," Charet said. "I'll take a nice New York Steak. Leia?"

"I'll have one of these kebabs I've been hearing about," Leia said.

Jonas smiled. "Ah, so you're from the galaxy I've been hearing so much about?" He make a few tsking sounds. "I will gladly begin cooking them. A thousand pardons for my tardiness. I was making sure we were fully restocked."

As Jonas talked with Charet, Leia laughed, with Charet smiling alongside her. This might be the best trip I've ever had, she thought.