So pre-emptive Author's note. I tell this story in third person, as well. I want to see what reader's think, which better former, personally This started off as a short story, hence the first person perspective, but as I got more ideas and wanted to revisit the crew of the Forward Dawn, I decided third might be a little more suitable, just an experiment

Constructive criticism is welcome. This is an evolving piece of fan fiction

One step forwards two steps back

Where to next was a question that answered itself. The screen revealed a warning light as the Forward dawn started to drift, Ace smacked his head on the controls. The engine's stopped working. The haste to get off planet meant Ace had failed to check the fuel. After how many years lying about, the thing that made the engine's burn would have been siphoned, leaving only the reserves for take-off, and landing. Emergency breaks forced the ship to a halt, saving the crew from turning into a missile, and rocketing into the moon. The power was at least on, so they didn't end up floating. Death by asphyxiation in their own ship was one of the more embarrassing ways to die in space. Ace sat back and turned to Jack who's amber eyes wide, or wider than they'd been before, staring at the all-encompassing darkness of space. Ace put out an S.O.S from the radio, close enough to the planet, someone would grab them. He walked towards the kitchen and grabbed one of the tube's of 'food' nutrition paste didn't go out of date, that was what worried Ace. The language was galactic common not a bad sign, holding the cylinder above my mouth and squeezing the pale pink sludge out It took one drop to make him pull a face, rations were better. Jack spat out any he was offered. Rat slapped it out of his hand.
"Why have we stopped?" He'd came out of his room with red eyes and stained cheeks.
"Out of burner. Ship should come soon."
"And take us back down to Tatooine?"
"We just gotta hope we don't land where we took off."
"Hoping doesn't do anything"
"Do you have a way to speed up a planet's orbit?" Rat returned to his cabin to keep his hands busy, a practice in each division of the army. Ace had always been busy cleaning the ship, learning all the parts to worry if the next mission he'd be shot down, or the village he was bombing was populated with soldiers or civvies. Rat was taking his blaster apart, reassembling it, exercising anything to keep his mind off what happened minutes ago. The screen flickered.
"Come in, Ship designation EC-8576, this is your rescue. We'll be taking you to Mos Eisley spaceport." The ship jolted; the tractor beam was attached. Ace watched the black start to grow brighter, having to turn away from such a sight. Starbound and stopped by something an idiot would think of.
"So close to getting off!" I took a deep breath and hunched over, Jack by my side, tugging at my coat.
"We, Not dead."
"Yet, somehow I'm back here on this dust bowl of a planet, how much do you think this'll cost us? I'll give you a hint, more than I got." Jack reached in their pockets, revealing the creds Ace had given him, That would help. Ace walked down the ramp, greeted by a corporate man sweating under his suit.
"The retrieval will cost a hundred credits." Axe slapped the coin against the suit's chest. The impact sent them fumbling back. "I need repairs and fuel." The suit, reached for the coin and stared at the ship, tapping away a few floating droids scanned my girl, transmitting the date to the pad. They were all branded with the logo of the Telgorn corporation
"It appears you'll also need a replacement. We have a class 5 hyperdrive and with the propellant, it with cost eight hundred credits"
"Eight hundred for class 5! That's getting us across the galaxy in weeks."
"Better than months." Ace wanted to choke the corporate suit.
"Don't have the money." The man smiled; his eyes turned towards the slug thrower.
"Then maybe we can come to a deal, but it's a sensitive matter, we can't discuss here." Ace was taken into the cleanest place in all Mos-Eisley. Telgorn's head office on Tatooine. The shutters permanently down to keep the heat out, It didn't help much. The building had air conditioning, but as the staff weren't fainting constantly it remained inactive. The only thing making it better than the sand crawler was that this mix of species that didn't give off the same stench as Jack. The Telgorn employee took me through the office, as Ace looked at a few various cubicles of those working at data pads, making calls with equipment that was nailed to a desk, which was bolted to the floor. Upstairs was segregated by a glass door.

Ace passed through, hit by a wall of cold, It made me shiver. This was one of the bosses room, a Neimoidian. Ace shivered in the office, he'd forgotten outside was a desert, had the window not looked down on the people below. The boss chewed on a cigar, turning to his employee. He spoke fast, like one of those people from the core. As much info, wasting as little time as possible.
"Why are they here?"
"For the job sir." The boss's eye locked on Ace.
"I didn't say you could sit." Ace chewed my lip to stop himself from swearing, The hyperdrive wasn't going to be cheap. "Sit." Ace's trigger finger twitched as they continued standing. "Pockets, now." The employee made the two empty their pockets and a quick pat down, for any device's.
"Now, you boys." He paused to let the word sink in "I assume by the weapons, you're from here, willing to get your hands dirty." The boss snapped his fingers as the datapad revealed a contract. The first order never taught Ace to write, so my signature was a scribble, Jack on the other hand could barely read, their signature was slapping their hand on the screen. The contract not being in galactic common didn't help. The boss blew a plume of smoke. "Now. This jobs all very hush hush, so not a word to anyone, if so, we'll sue." That was less of a threat in the outer rim, the bounty hunters that came after were usually the things to worry about. Ace scoffed "You want the job boy?" I turned away, nodding my head. "Then look at me when I talk to you." Ace had to do what he asked. "Good. Now The Telgorn corporation had an idea with a few unsavoury people, just to acquire some assistance."
"What was stolen." Ace said.
"Sentient property."
"Slaves."
"A vulgar term. The sentient property is not to be harmed." Ace's jaw clenched at the mention. they had to force it open to talk.
"Fine." Ace stared the bug brain in his eyes, watching him not even blink when mentioning the 'property'. His yellow teeth revealed themselves when he smiled. He stood up, offering the two a hand. "Just tell us where to go." The boss snapped their fingers at a corporate guard who vanished, returning in half a minute She placed a labour droid's head on the table, their exterior stained by sand and only one eye was working. The droid could open its mouth
"It's so bright here, what's happening master?" The boss slapped the droid's head.
"Our little droid here was there. He'll lead you to where he lost his body." Jack grabbed the head, Ace had to wrestle it from his partners grip.
"I have one demand, install the hyper drive and refuel ready for when I'm back."
"An odd demand, I need compensation, so you don't runaway." The boss straightened his collar, turning to stare at The Forward Dawn. "If you don't bring back the Lethan Twi'lek alive your ships mine."
"What's so special about her?"
"She's a red Twi'lek, put two and two together. I'll have a company speeder wait outside." Ace's stomach churned at the thought, he didn't want to do the math, focussed on getting his girl out of orbit. He left the building, realising that the droid's head was absent.

Jack poked the droid, speaking his native language, Ace had to keep it out of his reach. On the other side of the company speeder, the beacon in clear view, so stealing wasn't an option. There was no risk of Rat sneaking off, leaving him was safe the Droids head on the dashboard, leading them to where the rest of the bot was, the body still at the wheel. Ace pushed the droid back observing the burns in its chest. Two in the chest, one in the neck to sever the head, they must have missed the head.
"Telgorn didn't take your body?"
"It sustained too much damage, cost too much to repair, so they took my head." The droid sounded calm, seeing their own body. The transport was a flatbed, with a cage the lock shot off.
"You see who did this?"
"No." Jack had already desecrated the droid's body, digging for gold. Ace had to pull him away, holding the two up.
"That body is Telgorn property, cease."
"Property they're not coming for." Owning a body in the middle of a desert, pointless on Tatooine. "Jack, clues." Ace dropped the jawa, seeing him search the sand. "How many slaves Droid?"
"Fifteen." The cage was not made for fifteen people, ten at most. Jack shoved parts in his pockets, I had been a bounty hunter, but never much a tracker. It was Jack that was closest to the sand, the tracks had been there at one point, the wind would hide them within a day. It had been more than a day. Jack circled the cage, sticking fingers in the sand, searching for cacti, burrows, or insects.
"They need water."
"We all need water."
"We not stranded." The land was too flat for Tusken raiders. The fact that the droid's body was intact was a sign that not many people had been around. Ace looked for place's he'd take up position, the mountains were too far, the sightline would be obscured by the dunes. It all seemed too clean, a hit and run would have left more bodies, a bandit gang would have left a trace. This was a single professional. Ace held the head up.
"How often do you use this route?"
"Every time Please, stop shaking me." Jack climbed up a dune and looked beyond the horizon. Tatooine to a foreigner was nothing but dessert and rocks. Jack was a native, taught how to survive and search for water. Jack turned back to the speeder, and I reached out to stop him.
"We walk." Ace slid down the dune and passed the droid head to Jack. "Check for a tracker."
"I am Telgorn property." Jack was already in the thing's head tearing a wires out to get the chip. The lights in the droid faded, with Jack smashing the chip against the rock. Ace knelt by the rock and checked the chamber, fifteen slaves and he had six bullets before having to reload. He should have asked for a blaster, Guns blazing wasn't exactly an option. He holstered the weapon behind and raised his hands. His feet on the sand, as he yelled through the rocks. "We're here for water, nothing else." Surprising an opponent was a good way to get shot. Jack would have been a lot more apprehensive had there been signs of Tusken raiders, but that usually meant a lot more blood. The tiny valley made between the crack in the rocks descended into a valley, a place to hide. If you were found though, Ace knew where the firring squad would be placed, before he'd be called in to drop a bomb. His minds eye could see it now, it looked indistinct from the other republic bunkers, bodies on the floor and the tarpaulin that they had over their heads to shield them, burning. It was a woman that had to wake Ace up, poking a spear at him, spear was a kind word, it was a sharp rock tied to a stick. She was on guard, another woman next to her.
"Let's not be hasty." Ace, gently pushed a spear away from his neck, but it was re-adjusted to between his eyes. "My friend's sand crawler left while we were doing business." Ace knew every good lie had a tiny bit of truth to it. Jack's sand crawler did leave them. "He thought water would be here." The woman only had the sacks on their back and looked towards each other with a small nod.
"You'll need to talk to the human first." She nodded her head and walked down towards the Oasis, leading me. I kept my head on a swivel and looked for the red skin, I saw every colour but crimson.
"Not until everyone is safe." Ace heard the voice come from inside a tent, and there was the slave he was looking for, pushing storming out. They had to play their part though. A grab and run would lead to complications. The save stepped under the flap and made a pitiful attempt at standing to attention. The human saluted the same. A military man with a high collared jacket, they looked to Ace and nodded, though the Jawa was ignored. Informed by the slave before dismissing her. This place was a camp, or had been, the fold up chairs and ground mat showed that, with a sleeping bag for Tatooine nights. A white and black F-11D blaster rifle, Ace knew it was the infantry weapon of choice for the stormtroopers infantry. All flocked to the outer rim.
"Here for water?"
"Nothing else." Ace said. "You?"
"Freeing slaves."
"What do you get out of it?"
"Just, doing my part." Ace tapped the back of his neck, watching the man's eyes widen, a subtle signal. He took a deep breath in. "It's been a while. At night I heard the sound of thunder."
"It's nothing to worry about, if you see the flash start running."
"Welcome to the Oasis." The signal had been spoken and the man stood up to offer a hand, revealing a mark on his arm. Ace took it and had to hide a scowl. He waited for the man to speak. "You had the dream as well."
"It's a little foggy, I was well. It was a low point. I was drinking"
"It was for all of us brother. When we take the red tail head to Korriban, it will only improve.
"Lucky us I have a ship, in mos eisley."
"Good thing I have a ship. Just need a way to move these girls." The Ex-trooper nodded.
"Nicknames Stryder."
"Ace." There was transport alright. Ace placed his hands on the hips and tapped their foot, waiting for Stryder to get the slaves together. A speech about them going off world, as Ace's eyes watched them gather supplies. A slave made a mistake of walking in the corner of Stryder's vision, just enough to be slightly out of vision. The next display was with trained efficacy. The blaster pointed at the slave, eyes wide unblinking, the look of a Stormtrooper that had an image printed on their eyes. Few loyalists had that image. Stryder apologised as what there was to carry were sacks of water and tarpaulin over a people carrier, as his slaves began to crawl in the back. Ace's job was to give directions. The transport would follow. Jack was next to Ace.
"What plan?"
"We get them to drive themselves to Telgorn."
"In heat?" Ace's skin was already turning red, the two suns nearly at their apex, he sighed, the Oasis behind.
"Find us a cave." The Jawa nodded, searching. Not even the highest factor could block the twin suns.

Stryder reached for his blaster and checked the cave. Ace went with him, those were the only two trained in combat, so it made sense. Ace's lighter was able to ignite the wood to make a torch. The cave wasn't damp, and the lack of a draft, coming from the end was a promising sign. Ace didn't want to accidentally awaken a Krayt dragon, or something else that could make them lunch, still didn't mean that there couldn't be parasites. It was Stryder that had to talk.
"Were you infantry?"
"Armoured Corps, flight division. I flew the fighters and bombers."
"And you got a ship, can I ask You called here, chosen specifically?"
"I was already on Tatooine, when I was told to find you." Again, not a total lie. "I didn't know about Korriban, or why the girls so special."
"Orders are orders."
"Could be lies." The wind whistled through the cave, Stryder turned, shooting blaster bolts at the shadows. Ace had to grab the weapon and tear it from his grip. "Easy, Easy. Think what's behind and Infront of you." Ace released the weapon, with Stryder, keeping his finger on the guard. The eyes flicked around the cavern searching for something. Ace, held the torch up, there were a few rocks scattered but none of them large enough to hide anything.
"You alright?"
"Sorry." Stryder scratched his branded arm. "Just I think. I think. I'm ok."
"When was the last time you slept?" Ace could see the bags under the other eyes, as bad as Ace's even in the low light.
"It's just a dream, the same place, red sand." Ace slapped the man across the face. The other storm trooper held their jaw and stared up, they had reached the end of the cave, nothing but rocks, no sign of any behemoth. Stryder, staring off into space. The slap hadn't helped. Ace could do it now, try and brain Stryder on a rock, say he fell. Stryder was infantry though; he could see it at the front letters on the back of his neck. He had more experience in fights, and a gunshot would raise too much suspicion. A shake didn't help break the trance, he was still staring. He shook his head and left him, dragging his feet and yawning. It hadn't slept since taking Rat in. The slaves waited by the cave entrance and Jack was playing with the Red Twi'lek's lekku, gently pulling on it. Ace shook his head and sat on a rock, yawning.
"Jack, quit annoying the girl."
"Shara." She said. "And you'll know it actually feels quite nice. Boy."
"I'm twenty-two standard years, I'm not a boy."
"I've been told I'm in my mid-twenties." Shara stuck her tongue out. She reached out to Jack, patting his head.
"You don't know?"
"No, but I'll find out. When you get us off world."
"Well…I have a ship."
"Is it big enough."
"Oh she is. Explorer class, but a little beat up. I like to think it gives the gal a little bit of character you know, she's been places. We've got everything but the hyperdrive working, enough manoeuvrability to get us through an asteroid field with a tiny scratch, I've been with her for a few minutes, but she's as smooth as a fighter."
"Are we still talking about your ship?" Shara chuckled "And what's the captain called."
"Ace Corsair." Her laugh grew louder.
"Is that your real name?"
"One I made, wasn't exactly given my real one."
"Oh, sorry. I well I didn't know. It's a cool name, like the pirates from those old holo's." Ace shrugged off the fingers she placed on his shoulder, walking to the other side of the room.
"Jack, you keep lookout, I need rest." Ace, placed himself on the floor, neck against a rock. It wasn't the least comfortable place he'd slept, he'd slept in the brig. The bunks on a mega class dreadnought were much closer together. Shara stood up, leaving through the cave. Ace sat up, watching her go, heading towards Stryder's carrier, coming back with a dark mat rolled up. Unfurling it next to Ace. A sleeping mat.
"A thank you, for taking us off world." Ace reached out and pressed into the mat it t. There was no way it could be trapped as he crawled onto it. Shara waited around as if for a thank you, but Ace's eyes had shut.

He dreamed of red sands; this was not Tatooine. The air was still, not even a gentle breeze below the sands. A light shone down from above, contrasting the black skies. Ace looked up to see it come from a window, looming over him. An arch carved into rock, leading to eternal blackness, a command beckoned from it.
"Enter." Ace turned on his heels, braving the cold dessert, would lead to better chances of survival. The sand began to vibrate, under the outlaw's feet, he felt the vibrations through his boots, as the sand began to shake, sifting over each other as it began to be pushed aside by a spike. It raised taller to reveal a spire. It did nothing to walk away from this one. A quick view of the surroundings had a mirror image, of the spires and stained window's, each depicting a foreign symbol that Ace didn't recognise, silhouettes behind the vibrant colours, stealing Ace's concentration from the matte scenery, there were vaguely human shapes behind the window's, silhouettes. The voice came from the sky, each word was a different voice of differing genders and races.
"Foolish, A simple soldier." Ace felt a light breeze at the back of his neck and covered the back of his neck. He reached for his weapon but grasped the air. A figure stepped through the window without breaking it, veiled in bloody mist and a hood over their head, revealing ebony lips and snow coloured skin.
"How do you know?"
"The remnants are on Korriban, where you'll take the girl."
"If I say no?" The red fog vanished, it re-appeared in front of Ace.
"And deny yourself your heart's desire?"
"And how will you do that?"
"For such valiant work, an honourable discharge can be distributed to those with tremendous valour, perhaps even we can get rid of that brand, a little bit of our remedy can help heal."
"War's over."
"This one is." The sound of marching could be heard.
"First order are remnants, but they've been given a place to regroup."
"Without Palpatine?"
"There are others. He upheld the rule of two, now he is dead, others may come out of hiding. The troops can rally behind, and They'll call on you, unless I pardon you? Take the Lethan to Korriban. You could ignore it of course. When the war comes, you won't be able to run." The figure stroked their claw over Ace's arm, his skin began to burn. Ace opened his eyes.

He jolted up in the cave and screamed through his teeth pulling his sleeve up, watching his skin glow, before fading, once it died down it revealed the mark, still red while Stryder ran up to Ace, their eyes on his ark, as he revealed an unbranded arm.
"They've passed it onto you?"
"Passed what." Ace reached for his gun and slammed Stryder into the wall, barrel under his chin.
"The brand, the people from the dream, see what you see, hear what you hear. You'll hear them soon, like me." Ace let go and scowled. He looked towards the brand and poked it, stinging like a fresh wound. Shara reached for a flask of water from her hip and doused the wound, tearing off some of her cloth. Ace pulled his arm.
"Stay back."
"I know how to deal with burns, please." Ace frowned, infection without bacta would mean he'd lose and arm, he couldn't afford that. Shara, didn't touch the mark, making sure that her clothing was wet, wrapping it around the burn Seth bit his tongue, wincing in unfamiliar pain. "Change the bandages every few days at most, and make sure it's with a cold wet rag." The mark was still warm. A shadow flickered in Ace's eye, he stepped back and twisted around, aiming down the irons at nothing. Shara stepped back and rubbed her temples. Ace holstered his weapon.
"We're moving."
"You be ok?" Jack watched Shara as her face twisted in pain.
"Just a migraine. It's fine, I'm used to them." Ace reached to his pocket and grabbed a cigarette; the sky was orange over the horizon. The hands struggled to keep the lighter still, so that Ace could smoke. Stryder moved next to him.
"They chose you for a reason."
"I wanted to just be a pilot." He spoke, booting up the speeder, levitating off the floor. Jack had the droid in lap, it's ability to speak halted by the Jawan hands in it's cranium. Not long until Ace was among the stars, at the cost of fifteen people in chains.

The forward Dawn was in view, the speeder where Ace had borrowed it from. He sat on the outside, looking to his makeshift bandage, unable to resist the urge to poke it, still hurt. Stryder parked next to him.
"Ready which ship?"
"I'll show you, I just need to make air control know we'll be taking off. Keep hidden for now, Mos Eisley ain't exactly known for self-control." Jack shook his head, Ace still entered the Telgorn corporation, the slaves were already at work, making a new landing pad. Ace, watched as their hand moved, their bodies marked with the company logo, A large orange circle with a round bulbous T in the centre. Ace's jaw tightened. The symbol of the first order replaced by logo's, to be taken by a pilot. Those that could fly valuable for transport, often called for 'recruitment' drives. Delivering slaves that had been loaded on. The first order asked it, now he was doing it of their own volition. It was worse. He hadn't just driven them. Shara had talked. Ace looked at the Dawn. Jack was already inside. A quick check in the cockpit revealed the Hyperdrive was there, and the fuel. Ace could fly off now, abandon the deal that would be the dream, but the ship wasn't clear for take-off. The Telgorn's landing pad kept it locked in the dock. Ace was going to regret this, he had to. He knocked on Rat's door. The red eyed soldier opened the door.
"What."
"I came to ask about the kids." Ace had to grab the door to stop it from closing.
"I want to ask, the recruitment."
"Old colony on the Outer Rim."
"Any Aliens?"
"Always, but we relocated them to the mines."
"Slaves."
"Involuntary workers."
"Sentient property." Ace muttered under his breath.
"That's what they called them." The door was slammed shut. Ace sat on the ramp, watching the Telgorn building the boss's eyes down at him. The suit that had welcomed them down came through the door.
"Is It done?" Ace turned towards where the slaves were kept hidden. He nodded his head and joined the long walk to the boss' office, the freezing cold suitable in the office.

The boss looked out the window at the Forward Dawn.
"She's a fine ship. Is she mine?"
"I have the slaves."
"Sentient property."
"Slaves." Ace lit a cigarette. Jack shook their head, staring at the floor. "They're in a carrier outside, it's a speeder, Ex-stormtrooper." The boss nodded, and the corporate police guard behind left the room, taking a strike force to the people carrier.
"I've cleared your ship for flight. For such good work, a little bonus." The boss reached inside their drawer and placed a credit chip on the table. Ace reached over and flinched as soon as he heard blaster fire. The boss walked towards the window and stared out. If any of the guards killed a slave, the boss would have to dock it from their pay. Ace grabbed the credit chip, their eyes lingered on the man with his back turned, watching the fight. Ace reached for the knife in his boot.

The Boss' office had it's own bathroom to wipe off the green blood Jack's eyes hadn't left Ace the whole time. Ace stared at his face in the mirror, he could still see it the back armor on his body, The screech of a TIE fighter. The burning wreck dropping planet side. He smashed the mirror breaking the young reflection.
"Let's just…get in the air." There was one last screech, Shara. The sound made Ace's grip tighten around the sink, hearing breaking glass, then silence. Ace stepped outside, Stryder was hanging outside the vehicle, a hole in their chest still smoking. The metal of the speeder wall burst open, with the slaves scattered on the floor. Ace could watch, the flames from that night, the people running, the bodies were arranged like this, no rhyme, no reason thrown about to see how far they could get.
His eyes distracted by movement, Shara rolled over, her mouth wide open, It was easier making the wrong decision when Ace could fly away. He picked her up in his arms. The people would be a speck by now if he flew off, but Ace had to step past them to reach his ship. The ramp already lowered Ace placed her down on the couch. The bodies soon nothing compared to the planet bellow. Ace had already seen them though.