I am back with another chapter, and I'm sure you'll like this one. Oddly, the last chapter I posted received no views. I must have posted it at an inopportune time, or something was up with the notifications or something of the sort. If you haven't faved this story, just hit the little button. It takes little time, and will let you know when I decide to post another chapter at 03:00 on a Wednesday or something. To those of you who have read it, or those who are just now catching up or joining, what do you think thus far? Is Major Veruna shaping up to be one of your favorite characters in this fic, or do you hate her? Enough of this though, let's hop in. Enjoy, my friends.

"So, where did you learn to do that wicked trick with the blaster?" Veruna asked as she flew their speeder along the dark level of 1313.

"What trick?" Drakken asked.

"You know, the whole gunslinger, spinning the pistol thing." She clarified. "That was so wizard."

"Oh. I used to do that kind of stuff when I was a bored kid." Drakken said.

"You played with…nevermind…" She grumbled. He glanced over.

"What?"

"Just forgot that while I was buying drinks with a fake ID, you were trying not to get killed by droids." She sighed. "You need to like…learn to deal with your trauma or totally see a psych droid, man." He narrowed his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure that if I had trauma, I'd know it." Drakken replied. "And what did you mean when you were buying drinks…how old are you?"

"I'm thirty-five, but you tell anybody, I'll have to kill you." Zala said with a grin.

"Damn. You don't look a day over thirty." Tharcourt mused. "Maybe a couple years younger." Veruna blushed a little.

"Thanks, sweetie." She said softly. "I try to take care of my looks." Drakken let out a small laugh.

"Well, it's working. Kriff…I probably look like an old bantha hide's been laid out in the weather for a decade."

"Nnnno…you actually factually look pretty damn good for a man your age. Hell…you could pass for thirty if you were done up properly."

"Huh."

"Seriously. You're a really attractive man, Drakken. Totes." He thought about that. Freya had told him the same thing. He'd never really cared how he looked, and it was almost bizarre to have somebody complimenting him on it.

"Thanks, I guess." He said with a smile.

"You're just a mess."

"I am not a mess." Drakken growled. "The Hell does that even mean anyway?"

"You got a few issues, you know, like deep-rooted stuff. But don't worry, that makes you even cuter." Zala said, then bit her lip. "You're like a manic pixie dream guy."

"Okay, this is getting really weird, Zala…" He grumbled. "And I don't have issues."

"You're a mess." She shrugged.

"No, I'm perfectly normal. You're the mess."

"You're so cute when you get angry, Drakken."

"You want me to put you out on the sidewalk?"

"Like you would." Zala chirped.

"Wanna try me?" Tharcourt said, feigning seriousness.

"Geez man, chill out." Veruna huffed. "Why you gotta be such a buzz-kill?"

"Why do you always have to talk like a teenager?" He countered with a smug smile.

"Because I'm cute." She said confidently.

"Ohhh…" Drakken sounded with an air of indifference.

"What? You don't think I'm cute?" She said, jutting her bottom lip out.

"You're certainly a good-looking woman…" Drakken admitted. "Just annoying as Hell."

"Ha!" Zala exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew you thought I was pretty." Tharcourt rubbed his face. She then added in a sing-song voice; "You want to daaaate me. You want to kiiiiss me."

"That's it, I'm throwing you out of this speeder." He stated. Veruna giggled.

"Alright, alright…enough of that. We're almost there. We need to keep on our toes. There's always the chance this could be a setup, you know?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we'll be in a clambake before all this is over." Drakken said unenthusiastically. "I'll play my part. You just try to get us close enough to Latoure."

"That's the plan." Veruna shrugged. They pulled onto a parking area beside a large, industrial-looking building. "Okay, so this is it. Let's go be awesome."

"Right." Drakken nodded. "I got your six." She nodded back with a straight face.

"And I got yours, Drakken."

They walked up to the large building, and with all due caution, Tharcourt pushed open the tall, creaky door on the front. They found themselves stepping into an unlit area, and before either could wonder why their contacts would leave the meeting place so dark, a bright light popped on from somewhere close by, temporarily blinding both of them, and making them shield their faces from the source of the intense light.

"Alright, don't make any sudden movements." A voice commanded.

"Sure." Drakken answered. "We've been getting that a lot lately."

"Hand over your weapons."

"Hey, no way." Zala countered, her hand going to her blaster. "How do I know you aren't Imps?!"

"How do we know you aren't?" The voice asked back. Veruna relaxed her hand.

"Because…yeah, okay, fair point." She slowly took out her blaster and handed it off to a dark figure. Drakken did the same with his twin blasters. The figure stepped away, and the light went off. Then suddenly, overhead lights illuminated, revealing a huge room with half a dozen armed humans and aliens standing about, and two stacks of crates in the middle of the floor. The man from the cantina stepped forward.

"Thought you changed your mind about coming." He stated. Veruna shrugged.

"Had a little speeder trouble." She explained. "Two thugs tried to jack our ride."

"How did that work out for them?" The man asked.

"Dunno. I tried to ask them afterwards, but they were as quiet as the grave."

"Sounds like you two can't go a day without spacing some poor bastard." The contact said.

"Usually Imperials." Tharcourt shrugged. "But the occasional lowlife sometimes makes themselves a target of opportunity."

"Why, I'm offended." The man said dramatically. "Not all of us lowlives are bad people. Some of us only work to get by." He cleared his throat. "Speaking of which, you bring credits?"

"Think we're stupid?" Veruna shot. "We want to see the merch before we talk business. Like I said to my partner here on our way over, we might have been walking into an Imperial trap." She shrugged with her arms. "Gotta be careful. Especially when you're doing what we do."

"And what do you do, exactly?" The man asked suspiciously. "You never mentioned why you need so much hardware."

"Do I have to?" She answered with a smile. "You gonna show me the stuff or what?" The man raised his eyebrows and stepped aside, motioning to the crates. A male Twi-lek opened the first to reveal a dozen E-11 blaster rifles.

"Two crates of these." The arms dealer stated. A human female opened another crate, this one containing eight DLT-19 Heavy Blaster Rifles. "Two crates of those, and two of thermal detonators. Fifty SE-14r's, and a rotary blaster if you're in the market for something a bit…more destructive." Tharcourt and Veruna walked among the crates, peering inside at the weapons as if they were shopping for vegetables.

"You weren't lying, that's for sure." Drakken commented. "This is a nice collection."

"We try." The dealer said smugly. "Now, how much you want?"

"All." Veruna stated. "Can you get more, or is this like…your whole inventory?"

"Okay, now you got my hackles up." The man said. "I'm not selling a single detonator until you tell me why you want all of this stuff. You going to kriffing war or something?" Zala gave him her twisted grin.

"Oh, there's already a war on, honey. Don't you watch it on the holonet? Hear about it in the underground? Smell it in the air?" She took a deep breath. "It's already on, and it's just now getting good."

"You're rebels." The dealer stated. Some of the other occupants of the room raised their blasters. Veruna cast a glance at each of them.

"Thought you weren't an Imperial sympathizer." She said accusingly.

"I…I'm not." He stammered. "Just…we don't get that many rebel fighters coming down here." He smacked his lips a couple of times, and motioned with a hand for his people to lower their weapons. "Damn…okay…so you want to arm a bunch of alliance soldiers then."

"No, I didn't say that." Zala answered, still fixing the people in the room with her intense and slightly deranged stare. "The rebellion kicked us out. Us and all of our followers. Said our methods were…unsound." She stared at the arms dealer. "You think my methods are unsound?"

"By the void…I'm not sure what your methods are at all." He said. "Okay, I get it. You're from a terrorist cell. I don't give a damn. I'll sell to anyone…as long as you have the credits."

"We hit a couple imperial payroll shipments a couple weeks back." Drakken shrugged. "We're good for it."

"Good…farkle, you people are crazy." The dealer breathed. "Okay, so you want this and you want more. I can do that."

"Sweetie, we want all you can sell us." Zala smiled. "And if you know anybody who has inside info on Imperial strength in the mid-rim…we'd make it well worth your while."

"I might." The man thought. "Tell you what, come back tomorrow night, same time, and bring credits. Then we'll talk."

"Deal." Veruna said. "Can we have our blasters back now?" They took back their weapons, and the two of them walked out of the building and climbed back into their speeder. Veruna blew a tense breath out from pursed lips, and sped off in the opposite direction from which they came. They were quiet for a couple of minutes as she flew, then Veruna snorted. Then she chuckled, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ohmygosh…" She laughed. "That was crazy, wasn't it?" She nudged Drakken's arm. "And that story about the payroll shipment?! Did you see their faces? That guy looked like he was about to narfle a garthok! Geez man, you are a kriffing natural at this job!" Tharcourt chuckled to himself.

"Oh indeed. Those guys thought we were a couple of real top-tier super-terrorists." He laughed.

"Well, I mean we kinda are, just for the Empire." She giggled.

"Terrorists?"

"Pshh, yeah!" She waved. "You blow up more people on a daily basis than half the rebels could dream of. We just do it for the government. They do it for…whatever, nobody knows."

"They believe we're evil." Drakken stated. "I've heard it a hundred times. They're trying to reinstate the republic, I think."

"That's a great idea…" Veruna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I know. But they are convinced for some reason that the Empire is some malicious force trying to enslave everybody." He scoffed. "Yeah, I get that we've had to declare martial law in a few systems, and what do they expect us to do when insurgents attack Imperial forces? Wag our fingers?" He shook his head. "We're not perfect. The Empire I mean. Where they get these notions about forced-labor camps and us executing civilians though, I don't know."

"Well…"

"Yeah, don't say it. Tarkin, right? He had his ways, and it made us all look bad. He's dead and gone now though. They took a few incidents Moff Tarkin did, and make it sound like we're all…" He waved his arms in a confounded way. "…krinking…carrying around prison moons in our back pockets and killing people for fun. I dunno."

"Drakken, sweetie…" Veruna said in a tone that made him pause. "You don't know about the labor camps…"

"What?" He said in a low voice.

"The Empire has been using prison labor since…well, the beginning." Veruna explained. She went slowly, and tried to pick her words wisely, noting Drakken's exasperated expression. "Prisoners…like, especially political dissidents, are used in Imperial factories and mining operations. It's supposed to be like a big psy-ops thing, you know? Making enemies of the Empire build the war machine of their enemy kind of thing." Tharcourt huffed and made a vague flip of his hand as he stared off the side of the speeder. "Populations deemed non-useful to the Empire for trade or military service…well…"

"Don't." Drakken warned. "Don't you damn bloody tell me that…" She winced.

"Hon, I thought you knew. I thought everybody knew. Kriff…the Death Star was built with Geonosian and Wookie slave labor. It was a top secret program through ISB and the Tarkin Initiative and they wanted absolute secre…"

"Stop!" Drakken commanded. "It was Tarkin…of course. If anybody's that ruthless, it was him." He held a hand to his forehead, feeling a little nauseated as he tried to process this new information. "Bastard…killing civilians to punish terrorists, going around popping planets like bubbles…sithspit!" He rapped his fist on the side of the speeder. "Of course enslaving planets was his idea."

"I…no…it happens everywhere. I'm not sure who started it." Veruna said softly, trying to keep her eyes on the traffic ahead, while watching Tharcourt to make sure he didn't blow a gasket. "Maybe it was Tarkin. Maybe Emperor Palpatine, I don't know. By the time I joined ISB, we were already working on using slave labor on large-scale projects."

"We…Veruna, I swear to Kriffing Hell if you ever had anything to do with that kind of…"

"I didn't!" Zala cried out. "I swear, Drakken! I don't go near that! For crink's sake, my family is old Naboo royal stock. We're heavy against slavery and junk. My parents are totally good Imperials, but if I got involved with forced labor, my daddy would totally come and beat the Hell out of me!"

"I can't chew on this right now…oh damn…" Drakken growled. "Take us back to our room."

"I am, Drakken." She reassured him. "I'm just taking a longer route to make sure we aren't being followed, that's all. We'll be there soon, okay?" Zala was almost taken aback. The man was more angry than she'd ever seen him. At this point, Drakken wasn't even saying anything. He was turned away, staring out at the passing buildings. For whatever reason, the notion of the Empire using forced labor had more than upset him, and she felt like she was watching a canister of rhydonium sitting in a blaze. He was quiet, and looked deep in thought.

Still, Veruna was no fool. She had studied body language in depth. His shoulders were squared and tense, and his left hand was periodically clenching into a fist. Tharcourt was seething, and it almost scared her. He wanted to destroy something, she thought. Every fiber of his being wanted to crush, kill and destroy. She wondered why he hadn't known about the labor camps. Maybe he was just so far removed from news that didn't concern him, that he had somehow never witnessed it in any way, and hadn't bothered to notice. He seemed like that kind of guy…

"Are you like…okay, Drakken?" She asked meekly.

"Yeah…of course, major." He answered in a stoical tone. Veruna winced. Okay, that was bad. She made a turn, and, making absolutely sure they weren't being tailed, she flew back to the motel. Drakken didn't say a word as he exited the speeder. They returned to their room in silence, and he moved the dresser out of the way to allow her to enter their hideout. He crawled in behind her and shut the way behind him. It was only now that Veruna made an attempt to speak to him again.

"I was thinking…"

"No." He said, and drew himself up straight and tall, an impassive look on his face. She imagined that for once, he had the bearing of every other dutiful Imperial officer she had ever met. "I'm a bit tired. We should rest, hm? We have a rough day ahead of us, wouldn't you think, Major Veruna?"

"Drakken…" She said, then sighed. She unbuckled her gunbelt and tossed it, blaster and all, onto the night stand. "I'm going to say something to you. You can like…punch me around after if you want, but I gotta say it." He raised an eyebrow. "You are having thoughts bordering on treason right now, and we both know it."

"You can read minds now, Veruna." He stated coldly. "I guess they teach you everything in ISB."

"No, I just know that you had no idea the Empire did something you obviously find revolting. Now you're pissed."

"Yeah well…" He grumbled. "A man has a right to be pissed, or is that against the law too? Don't worry. It won't interfere with our mission. I'm still game for killing Latoure. That's what we're here for, right? You brought me in because I'm good enough at killing to get the job done."

"Drakken, no…"

"I'll do it. What I'm thinking don't matter a damned bit. I do my duty…regardless of whether or not I like who I'm doing it for."

"I feel that sometimes…" She whispered. "Tharcourt, this is about Garos, isn't it?" He fixed Zala with a hateful expression.

"You don't know what you're talking about." He returned bitterly.

"Oh no? That Hell you went through when you were a kid didn't turn you against occupations and slavery?" She argued. "You're not radiating annihilation right now because you literally see everything those crinking droids represent inside your head in your own government right now?"

"I know you outrank me Veruna, but with all due respect, why don't you shut your smart-assed mouth for once?!" Drakken exclaimed. "Don't you dare presume to act like you know me! Don't try to come off all wise because you have your stupid little cameras all over my life! You have no farking clue what it was like back then, poor little spoiled rich girl, and you don't know what I am now!"

"Oh, I don't?!" She shot back.

"No, you don't. I live in a world of death and blood and misery, and you treat it like it's all fun and games because you get to dip your toes in it, then run back to your pretty little dolls! You're…you…" He clenched his fists. "You're a mother-kriffing tourist in my world, Veruna!"

"And you're a broken little toy soldier, Drakken!" Zala screamed. "You're the best man I ever farkin' met, but you've been fighting so long, for so many people, you don't know how to be human anymore. Yeah, I don't know what kind of suffering you went through, I don't know what your misery feels like now, but unlike you, I know you have it!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "And you listen to me…don't you even think for a second I haven't done awful things too, you bantha's ass…and don't you ever…ever call me a poor spoiled rich girl again." She got close enough that their bodies were touching, and looked up into his eyes angrily. "You do, and there's going to be two dead bodies in this room. I know you can kill me, but I'm not some little girl. You piss me off, and I'll show you a bad bitch."

"We get this mission done and over with, and I never want to see you again." Tharcourt said.

"Why? Because I tell it like it is?" She shot back. "Because I won't hold your hand like your sweet little ensign…"

"Leave…Freya…out of it." He growled. "You're nothing but a monster like everyone else in the Empire." Zala turned away, and walked to the bed, where she flopped back on the mattress.

"Yeah, no dwang, Tharcourt." She said. "Aren't we all? You just now figuring that out? Blows major chuff, don't it?" He felt himself lose steam. Veruna's comment was unexpected to say the least.

"Well, why do you do it?" He asked.

"Why do you?" She countered.

"I…"

"Uh-huh." She quipped. "You're in it for the ride. Same as me."

"I doubt that."

"Doubt it then, but it's totally true. You like doing dangerous and dirty things. The only diff 'tween me and you is that I lack your moral compass." She sighed and put her arms behind her head. "I got my lines I won't cross, but they're so far away from yours, they're in the next star system. Yeah, I'm one sick little freak, but you're on the same hyperspace lane as me…just a few parsecs back." Tharcourt huffed a few times.

"You know something?"

"Hmmm?"

"I hate it that you're right." He said. "And I hate it even more that you're laying there looking all smug about it." He paced a few times. "No contact with the outside."

"Nope. Could screw the whole thing." She sighed.

"Yeah…and I really…really hate that the only person I have to talk to right now is you." He declared. Veruna let out a dramatic scoff.

"Oh, I am sooo offended." She said mockingly. He sat down on the bed.

"Dammit." He placed his head in his hands. Veruna sat up, part of her hating to see him this way. She wrapped her arms around him from behind. He tensed up for a moment, then relaxed.

"You probably wish Thorne was here right now, don't you?" She said in a sympathetic voice.

"Yeah…kind of." He admitted. "She…gets me, I guess."

"Don't I?" She asked softly.

"She gets the good side of me." He said sadly. For reasons he couldn't understand, Drakken grasped her right hand and squeezed gently. "You get my bad, I guess."

"Maybe we get what we can take, sweetie." Zala said gently. "Know what?"

"Hm?"

"It all kinda blows sometimes." She sighed.

"What does, Zala?" Drakken asked.

"This universe? Life? Just…existence, I dunno. It all kinda seems…you know, like pointless and sad. Unless you're having fun, I guess." Drakken scoffed.

"That's deep, Veruna." He stated. "Especially coming from you. I thought life was a party."

"Kriff man, it's either a party or a funeral." She returned. "I just try to have fun, you know…like whatever."

"In the Empire." Tharcourt pointed out. "You want fun and excitement, so you're an ISB agent."

"Hey…I have fun." She countered, then huffed. "Sometimes. Unless I'm bored. Then Zawa gets aw sad." She added in a pouty voice. Tharcourt squeezed her hands again, and chuckled a little.

"Stars, you're a weird one." He said.

"So are you, sweetie."

"Why do you always call me that?" He asked directly. Zala was silent a moment.

"I…damn it, Tharcourt, you know why." She shot. "You're not that obtuse."

"It could never work." He said bitterly. Veruna let go of him and slapped his shoulder.

"Give me one good reason why it wouldn't, laser brain." She demanded. Drakken made a few sounds like he was trying to form words. "Yeah. Uh-huh. Exactly. You can't make up excuses because you won't lie to somebody you care about."

"Oh, go to Hell." He muttered.

"You're afraid of hooking up because some dumb, whiny, pacifist little girl dumped you all those years ago."

"Go to Hell in hyperdrive." Drakken reiterated.

"Then what is it? It's not work. Hell, back when I was just an agent, I shagged three people in one month…while I was dating another guy." She said. "Work doesn't stop personal time." Drakken wrinkled his nose.

"Four guys at once?" He asked incredulously. She laughed.

"Not at once, you weirdo!" She giggled. "And it was three guys and a girl. My point is, you totally need to stop running and do what makes you happy for once. Stop being such a prudish ass."

"You sound like…"

"Her?" Veruna interrupted. "You talk an awful lot about Thorne for her to just be your ensign. You love her, don't you?"

"No…" He said. "I…I dunno. But I do know know, and we both agreed, that nothing can happen between us. It would cause too many problems in the unit."

"Mm."

"I guess we should get some sleep." Drakken said, changing the subject. "We need to be well rested for tomorrow." He stood. "You can have the bed. I'll make myself a spot on the floor." Veruna let out an undignified scoff.

"Oh no you're not." She ordered. "You think I'm gonna let Mister tall, dark and broody sleep on a gross motel room floor? You gotta have brain worms, Drakken!" He shrugged. "You get in this bed and sleep."

"What…with you?!"

"I said get in here and sleep, not ravage me all night." Zala said with a smirk. She stood and started for the refresher to change, then turned back. "Though I wouldn't complain too much if you did."

"Dank farrik woman!" Drakken exclaimed. "The Hell is wrong with you?!"

"Chill out. I'm gonna go get my nighties on. I take it you sleep fully-dressed?"

"On missions? Yeah." He stated, still perturbed by her comment.

"At least take off the boots and the blasters." She waved, then walked into the refresher. He heard her call out. "I like to cuddle sometimes, and I don't feel like getting poked in the ribs by a sidearm."

"Then let me sleep on the floor." Tharcourt called back.

"When I'm dead and gone!" Zala announced.

"You know, I can arrange that!" He chided.

"Oooo…I'm sooo scared." She mocked. Drakken sat on the bed, grumbling, and pulled off his boots.

"Bossy…bloody girl…" He complained, then took off his gun belt and vest, depositing them unceremoniously on the floor beside the bed. "…I don't take orders from…ugh…like a prissy teenager stuck in an ISB agent's body…"

"I hear you mumbling about me." Veruna stated from the refresher. Tharcourt narrowed his eyes as he threw off his hat and gloves, then laid back on the bed.

A few minutes later, Veruna emerged from the refresher. She had changed into a low-cut, thin, white silk tank-top, matching pants and a long, white, sheer silk dressing robe that slightly dragged the floor behind her. She had showered, and her hair was still damp, the pink strips in the front framing her light tan cheeks sweetly. Drakken caught himself staring too long at her features, and lowered his eyes guiltily before hers could catch his. He stopped when he realized how painfully thin her night-clothes were. They weren't see-though by any means, but they were obviously tailored to her body, and fit her very closely, revealing all of her natural curves. Veruna saw him staring and blushed a little.

"Like what you see?" She asked with a smile.

"Ye…what? No…" He stammered. Her smile turned into a knowing grin. "I'm going to sleep."

"Good." Veruna stuck her tongue out between her teeth to keep from giggling. She turned off the room's sole light, tossed off the dressing gown, and vaulted over him, landing on the other side of the bed nimbly. She burrowed herself under the comforter.

"Everything have to be a show with you?" She heard him groan in the darkness.

"Yes." She answered. Tharcourt sighed, and rolled over, his back to her, and still laying atop the blanket.

"Uh…um…good night, Veruna." He said. Zala almost squealed, hearing the man wish her a good night from the same bed. It felt so perfect. She rolled over and put an arm over him.

"Mmmmm…Sweet dreams, Drakken."

"Don't cuddle me." He growled, and closed his eyes, wondering what Freya was getting up to in his absence.

Okay then...Zala is a cuddler. So, what did you lot think? Will Drakken and Veruna catch the rogue ISB officer? Will they become involved in a romantic entanglement? And what is Freya and the team doing while Tharcourt is on Coruscant? Tune in next time for an epic sidequest in this story! Until then loyal readers, Cheerio!