The Long Road

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Escape Pod

Marie braced against her seat as her pod was caught in a tractor beam. After having rushed to an escape pod, she had managed to launch from the ship before it exploded. Her body was sore from the adrenaline fading, and right now she just wanted to sleep. But she needed to stay up, especially now that she was rescued. She glanced out the window to see a Tartan-class corvette, with imperial markings on the side.

She took a deep breath as wondered how she was going to be able to act the same now that she knew her enemy was the man she cared for. Her nails bit into her palm, and she let out a sigh, hoping she wouldn't have to hunt him, though she was certain that was unlikely. 'Why is the force so cruel?' She put up her walls, suppressing her force powers as she could feel the pod land.

The door hissed open, and she was greeted by a tall, lithe, short green-haired man in a white uniform, no marks or traditional ranks. The pale man's purple eyes greeted hers as she stepped out, him bowing respectfully as a curved lightsaber hung at his waist, "Greetings. I am Inquisitor Ribbons Almark. I arrived as soon as I got the transmission. Are you ok?"

Marie barely resisted giving away she had heard the name, "I need rest, and medical attention." Her ribs were screaming for help, and she leaned against the pod. It also didn't help she was staring at the man who had tortured and help Allelujah prisoner for years. She was lucky she knew how to hide her force powers.

Ribbons just offered a hand, which she didn't take. He gave her an easy smile, pulling his hand back, "Alright. I'll send a message to the medical bay to prepare for you. I also will prepare a room for you, with a…" His eyes glanced over her form, "…proper uniform. An imperial officer should wear something better than the rags you have on."

Marie was surprised at how friendly he seemed, but she knew how much a skilled operator could hide behind a friendly smile. She nodded at him, "Thanks." She limped past him, her mind rushing at what to do, and questions flew through her mind. 'How did he get here so soon? We are in the middle of nowhere. It normally can take a day or two for rescue to show up. It was possible that he could have been in the area, but why?' She took a deep breath, and left the hanger. She couldn't trust Ribbons fully, but in a public setting like this, she would be fine.

But the Echani was unaware of the eyes on her, a small smirk crossed Ribbons face. It was always fun to see someone caught in his net, not aware of their true position. But he just hummed as he walked towards the bridge, happy to play the part of friendly ally.

Medbay of the Vagabond

Feldt watched nervously as Setsuna and Allelujah were treated. The droid worked, bandaging up both as the pair were given bacta to speed up the healing, though it would be a day or two before they were functional again. Tieria was in the armory, and Anew and Lyle were on the bridge, keeping watch as they traveled through hyperspace. Everyone had checked up on the wounded pair, but Feldt was the only one remaining.

Haro rolled up to Feldt, bumping into her. Feldt smiled at the little droid, who whistled at her, worried. Feldt patted his head, giving him an uneasy smile, "It's fine. I'm just happy everyone is safe."

A questioning whistle was the response, and Feldt groaned, "No, it's not just Setsuna. I-" Haro let out knowing whirl, and Feldt blushed, "Haro, please…" The droid moved on, the Miraluka's mood cheered up. Haro wasn't wrong about the fact her focus was on Setsuna.

During the fighting, Feldt had sensed something wrong with Setsuna, and when she felt his apology, she couldn't help but cry out, sending out a force surge to him, hoping to do anything. Something strange happened, like he absorbed it, but she didn't know what that meant.

The medical droid finished up on Setsuna, and it chided him as Setsuna got up, but he stubbornly tried, hissing as he ignored the pain, "Please relax in the medical bed. You are injured."

Feldt looked worriedly at Setsuna, and he could see her begging him to listen. He let out an annoyed breath, and laid down, Feldt approaching him as the droid moved onto Allelujah, pulling a curtain between the two injured men, "What happened?"

Guilt filled Setsuna's mind as she asked him the question, and he pursed his lips as she sat down next to him. He could sense her relief at him being ok, and that just made the guilt worse, "When I chased down Ali, I underestimated him. I thought I was winning, then he tossed a gas grenade at me. I couldn't fight back, and he nearly killed me." He paused, placing a hand on her shoulder, his tone softening, "But you saved me."

Feldt looked at him, confused, "What?"

Setsuna looked where her eyes would be, "I felt a surge of the force, allowing me to knock him back. I would have died without that."

Feldt looked down at her hands, wondering how she did that. Her mind looked for answers, and she bit her lower lip, "Maybe it's due to our bond? Or something unique I can do?" Her parents had always said every jedi had a unique connection to the force, and some could develop special or rare abilities. 'That could be mine.'

Setsuna looked at her, nodding, "We can figure that out together." He looked at the droid treating Allelujah, and back to her, lowering his volume, "I have something I need to talk to you about, in private."

Feldt nodded, and saw Setsuna moving out of the bed. She reluctantly supported him, the pair walking to the engine room as Setsuna took deep breaths, resisting crying out in pain from his bruised ribs. Feldt smiled at him, "You are stubborn."

Setsuna blushed, "You aren't the first to say that." The pair reached the engine room, the low hum of the engines hiding their words from the outside. And to Feldt's surprise, Setsuna wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as he looked at her lovingly, "When I got hurt, I realized I wanted to say something to you. What I said I wanted to talk about at the station. I could feel your desperation, and it hurt me to know that my loss would be so bad for you. I wanted to say…" His throat became dry, and the words fled his tongue as he looked at her, her face red from blushing, her lips parted slightly.

She was beautiful, and he tried to say something. But Feldt just put a finger on his lips, and stood on her tip toes, softly kissing him as she wrapped her arms around his neck, softly mewling as both closed their eyes. Their bond surged with affection, and Setsuna pulled her closer, her breasts pressing on his chest.

Their kiss remained chaste, but both didn't want to stop, the other tasting too good to stop. Their bodies surged with happiness, smiles on both their faces as they let their actions speak for themselves. But the lack of air finally forced them apart, and both took heavy breaths as they looked each other in the eye.

They both caught their breath as they smiled at each other, holding the other close as they let their newfound happiness flow through them. Feldt giggled as she rested her head on his shoulder, Setsuna's fingers tapping on her back. Feldt's voice wavered slightly, "Please don't scare me like that again, I can't take it. I know he hurt us both, but I can't lose you to the dark side, to him." A tear rolled down her cheek, which he quickly caught.

Setsuna kissed her forehead, "I will try my best." He grunted slightly as she squeezed him, but Feldt didn't catch that. Setsuna gave her another squeeze himself. Setsuna moved to sit down, pulling Feldt in his lap as she hummed happily. His arms were around his waist, resting on her thighs, "So are we together?"

Feldt nodded, "If you want." She looked at him, kissing him softly for a second, "Can we just stay here?" His arms around her sent pleasure and happiness through her, feeling truly safe and loved. 'We still have plenty to go, but I don't want to give this up.'

He nodded, kissing her neck, causing her to giggle, his voice a bit husky, "As long as you want." The pair of force users relaxed as they traveled through hyperspace, treasuring this peace for as long as they could.

Armory of the Vagabond

Tieria focused on cleaning his weapon, sighing as he let himself calm down from the chaos of the last couple hours. Setsuna and Alleujah would be ok, and a major pirate had been defeated. Yet a weight lay on his chest still.

And he was so caught up in his work that he didn't notice Christina walked up behind him, her comforting voice filling his ears, "Hey, how are you doing?"

Tieria stopped cleaning his weapon, turning around to look at the Zeltron. He pursed his lips, but kept his tone calm, and a bit cold, "I'm fine. We won."

Tieria hoped that she just left him alone. If he had only been better, just a little more accurate, than none of this would have happened. Setsuna wouldn't be hurt and Allelujah wouldn't have been kidnapped by a pirate. He barely kept his regrets off his face, but Christina caught a split second of a frown.

Christina frowned as she could sense something was bothering him, his cold exterior hiding an issue weighing on him. She walked up and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it, "Tieria, it's not your fault he got captured. You were outnumbered."

Tieria grunted, but her words caused him to let out a breath, before a small smile cracked his face, "I know. I just can't help but fall back into old habits. No matter how much I pretended to be cold on the outside, I hated letting my team down, of failing a mission."

He had lost members on his other teams before this, but he had never been put in a position to save a teammate like that. It had felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and watching Allelujah be brought onto the ship had filled him with anger and determination.

But he relaxed as Christina smiled at him, seeing the radiant happiness from her as she spoke, "Hey, don't get caught up in the past. You and Anew managed to save him. And without you holding off the pirates, we wouldn't have been able to rescue him."

Tieria just nodded, and looked at the door out, not focusing on anything in particular, "How is our new…guest…anyway?" He couldn't hide the tension in his voice, his mistrust still not going away fully. She had helped rescue their friend, but her appearance set him off. Her eyes were the same as his, and he had never seen anyone like her before, besides his jailer.

Christina pulled her hand away, shrugging her shoulders, "Lyle has her setup in the bunk room, but I'm pretty sure both of them are talking. A blind man could see the flirting between the two of them. Did Lyle flirt with her immediately?"

Tieria nodded, an annoyed sigh leaving him, "I never expected him to immediately start that. It was shameless."

Christina chuckled, "That's him. You should have seen his attempts on me. Honestly, he tries too hard most of the time. And to think when I first met him I would have given him a shot if I wasn't already dating someone." She shrugged her shoulders, then poked his nose, "I have to get back to the bridge, but I wanted to make sure you were ok."

Tieria remained silent, and Christina took that as a sign to leave, but just as she opened the door, the red-eyed man's voice rung out quietly, "Thank you."

Christina just smiled as nodded, "No problem."

Medbay of the Vagabond

Allelujah, lying in a medical bed, grunted at a surge of pain going through him with every breath. The bacta was doing wonders, but it would still be a few days before he was fully recovered. The beating he took was bad, but nothing compared to the mental frustration and anguish he was going through. The woman he loved had been right there, and the taste of her lips was still on his, but she fled as soon as she got the chance.

'I understood she cared about her adopted father, but how can she serve the Empire?' He still was questioning her choices, but he didn't know what situation was worse; never finding her or finding her but learning what she did. But it was too late for that, and his mind wandered as didn't know if he could fight her the same anymore.

But his love for her surged through him still, and the love she sent over their now re-established bond sent some home into him. He could convince her to join him, and even if he couldn't, she seemed safe under the empire, as distasteful as it seemed.

An unwelcome voice filled his mind as a ghostly apparition leaned against the wall, a smug tone leaving Hallelujah, "Well, it seems that your lover is your enemy. What tragic irony."

Allelujah glared at him, balling his fists, "I'll find a way to get her to safety, so we can be together." A surge of anger went through him, not wanting to hear his opinion on Marie.

Hallelujah smirked, "What an amazing scenario! You get to save the girl and be happy. All that stands between you is her loyalty to her father and the empire." His tone darkened a bit, "You would risk your life for a silly romance your own order outlawed. I would say I'm surprised, but I really am not."

Hallelujah walked close to the Jedi, and Allelujah looked at the dark version of himself, still mildly disturbed at the yellow eyes looking at him, "She managed to survive and thrive. The force will find a way to bring us together."

Hallelujah just laughed, "The same force that had you tortured and held for years? The same force that caused you to jump from planet to planet for years? Oh, I'm sure there is a happy ending for you." Venom leaked from his voice, and Allelujah had to resist the urge to yell at him.

Allelujah's voice was low, and he cleared his throat, "I'll figure it out. I found a team who's willing to protect me, to not turn me in. I even found fellow force users. It won't be easy, but I'll find a way." There was an unusual strength to his words, and Hallelujah scowled at that.

The ghost began to fade, the dark side presence speaking with a sneer, "Keep believing that. You'll come around to my view eventually. It's the only way you will be safe." The ghost faded fully, and Allelujah looked where he formerly was.

"I refuse to become you." He couldn't deny that Hallelujah was speaking some truth that selfishly hiding and not caring about others might keep him safe, but an inner light spoke to him, feeling right as he closed his eyes, letting his body relax.

Captain's Quarters of the Vagabond

Lyle relaxed on his bed, knowing they had a several hours in hyperspace before they would stop at their safe spot. Then they could get Anew to tell them what she knew and what they were going to do about it. The team needed rest before they did anything, and they did have some wounded team members that needed a few days before they were back in action.

The ambush against Ali's ship had gone perfectly, the pirate never suspecting the stealthy craft of the rebels. A few well aimed shots to the engines and other essential parts had effectively disabled the ship, and for once the stealth drive worked with no hiccups. It felt good to have an operation go to plan, and beyond his worry about some of the injured crew, it was relatively calm.

Thoughts of the beautiful imperial agent drifted through his mind, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the luck he had at her flirting with him almost immediately. Christina had already ribbed him about it, saying he had finally found someone desperate enough to sleep with him. He had rolled with it and said at least he was getting laid, to which she just stuck her tongue out at him.

Not only was she a skilled fighter, helping them find their crew member after he had been captured- but she was friendly enough and incredibly attractive. 'I know what's going to be filling my dreams tonight.'

He heard a knock at his door and stood up, opening the door, "Can I help you?"

The Corellian was surprised to see the lavender-haired woman smirking at him, leaning against the wall with a pair of handcuffs on her, "Hey flyboy. I saw the bunkroom and decided it wasn't my style. And your room looks very comfortable." She slipped by him, and Lyle felt a weight in his chest as he looked at Anew.

Her tone was unsubtly seductive, and he took a breath to take a look at the woman's ass as she faced away from him. It was clear to him what she wanted and the handcuffs in her hands caused him to blush. He gave her a smile and pulled her close, his hands around her waist, tapping against her thigh, "And why would I share it?"

Anew turned around in his grasp, and tilted her head playfully, "Because I can promise you more than a kiss." And she leaned forward, biting his earlobe, whispering in his ear, "And these handcuffs aren't for me."

Lyle excitedly looked at her and pulled her in for a kiss, which she eagerly responded to. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled close as he squeezed her hips. Their kiss went on for minutes, groans and moans leaving both of them as they swapped spit. Anew broke the kiss eventually, pulling away from him to close the door and lock it, turning back to face him with lust in her eyes, "I hope no one needs you for a few hours, because you are all mine."

Officer's Quarter's on Ribbon's Tartan

After getting a medical exam and being told she would need at least four days to recover fully, Marie was guided to officer's quarters. Dressed in fatigues, she sat at the desk, looking blankly at the wooden furniture. Here she was on the ship of the man who supposedly tortured and held Allelujah for years. She was lucky to be able to suppress her force powers, but she would have to be extra careful for a while, till she could be reunited with Sergei.

The screen in the room then lit up, and Sergei's friendly and worried face appeared, "Soma? Are you ok?"

Marie couldn't help but smile as she looked at her adopted father, "I'm fine. Just need to recover, but I should be good in a but under a week."

Sergei frowned, "What exactly happened?" Marie proceeded to tell him the story, leaving out Allelujah and the fact it was a rebel ship that destroyed Ali's ship. Sergei nodded as she continued, noting she seemed to be holding something back, but didn't know if that was just because this channel was probably monitored.

And as Marie finished the story, Sergei gave her a comforting smile, "It's good you got out of that alive. And hopefully that pirate died with his ship." Both Marie and Sergei knew he was a menace across the Empire, but it wasn't the only time he had disappeared and reappeared again.

Marie just nodded, "That roach dying would be better for everyone." She then changed topics, "Were you aware an inquisitor would be in the sector?"

Sergei shook his head, pursing his lips, "Not in the slightest. Inquisitor Almark contacted me an hour ago telling me he found you and that it was lucky he was nearby."

'Very lucky.' Marie wasn't so sure about being grabbed by him, but he didn't seem to be trapping her. So she would play along for now, "Did you learn anything from him?"

"He plans to meet my fleet and bring you onboard my flagship. He also informed me he was heading towards a dig he was organizing on an ancient Sith site."

"A dig?" Marie hadn't heard of any archeological digs in this sector, especially one dedicated to the ancient Sith. Something puzzled her and worried her about that, her gut telling her that was bad. She looked at Sergei, determination in her eyes, "Do you mind if I head there once I recover? I want to see it for myself, maybe assist with security."

Sergei gave her an even look, "I'll talk to Inquisitor Almark. But I don't see why that would be a major problem." He gave her one last smile, "Now get some rest. I need you at your best." Marie smiled warmly, blushing as the call dropped, leaving her alone.

She moved to the bed, lying down as she stared blankly at the ceiling. She needed to know what Ribbons was up to. Inquisitors were always fears and mistrusted by officers, but something about Ribbons acting like a friendly man raised the hair on the back of her neck. She could only hope Ribbons didn't catch onto her force powers or her plan.

Author Note

And we come to the end of act 2! We move into the middle of our story as both our imperial and rebel protagonists figure out what their next step is! I'll see you guys next time and please review and comment!