A/N: Hello again dear readers! Welcome to a new version of DG's Grim Tales, this one focused on my Star Wars fan fiction. If you have been following my Avaryss story, or Rogue Jedi, know that the short stories that take place here do happen in the same universe. I wanted to give some of the other characters from those two stories a chance to be in in the spot light. Because let's be honest, without the other characters there is no story. If you wish to hear a story about one of your favorite characters in the Avaryss-verse shoot me a review. So without further gilding of the lily, allow me to take you back to the world of Darth Avaryss and Jas Dar Bynn.

Grim Tales: A Galaxy Far, Far, Away

The Events of this story take place four years before the events of the Bantoon job in Rogue Jedi.

1: Char Valenthyne: The System Always Wins

It had been just after midday when they had gotten the call.

Char Valenthyne, Protector Recruit, stood before the mirror, checking her uniform; making sure everything looked good and was in the right place.

It's finally happening she thought, we have been summoned.

She could barely keep down an excited giggle.

Today, their training would end.

Today…they would be protectors.

This is what she and her partner had been working towards for the last six months. How could she not be excited…or nervous?

She took a deep breath.

Relax, Valenthyne, she thought.

You will do fine.

She smiled to herself, taking one last look around the tiny two room lodge; the lodge that had been her home for the last six months, since she had begun the physical program of her training.

It had become a home of sorts, for several reasons, but it was never meant to be permanent.

A protector's job was out of the facility known as "The Resort." It was the last stop on the road that turned a recruit into a Sworn Protector of the Matriarchy.

The time had come…for her to leave it behind, for both of them to leave it behind.

I will likely not be coming back here, she thought, once I'm assigned a noble to protect, my new lodgings will likely be more…elaborate.

That thought made her smile.

Chin Valenthyne's daughter…living in a noble's estate, keeping them safe from all harm?

Dad would have laughed himself to tears, or with shame...

She looked into the mirror once again; looking at the young woman she saw staring back at her.

For the most part, she liked what she saw.

Char Valenthyne was a tall athletic young woman; her reddish brown hair was cut short, long only to about the jawline, with bright piercing green eyes. Trained by her parents, two of the best thieves ever to hold a lock pick, she had once been the next chapter of the Valenthyne legacy, a new generation of skilled thief to torment the nobles of Bantoon, until about a year ago, and a job that went as bad as any job could go.

She had gotten caught, sentenced to die.

She had just turned eighteen when her sentence had been handed down. She was to die, drowned in the garden of bones, and that sentence would have been carried out, had the protectors not come for her.

They saw…value in her, her training could be turned to serve the world she had mocked with her criminal lifestyle.

Now…here she was, serving the very same people that she had once delighted in stealing from.

Irony.

She was attractive as well, she supposed. Several of her father's old partners had called her cute in the past, but she ignored them. It wasn't her looks that kept her paid and fed, it was her skills, and they had served her well…well…mostly. In the end, they had saved her life, they allowed her to catch the attention of the Lady Janyss; the head of the Sworn Protector program, and its main financier Baron Hudlo.

As she looked in the mirror, she saw little of the thief she had once been, the girl who had lived for the thrill of surviving by her wits and a pair of lockpicks, but that was to be expected.

It wasn't a thief that the matriarchy needed; it was a protector, a sword and a shield.

Char Valenthyne had become that, it was something she had accepted.

The system changed you, and in the end, you were something more…something…better.

She smiled broadly.

She had come a long way in the last year.

She had every right to be proud.

For the third time she did a quick run through of her uniform, adjusting her belt, her boots, gloves, and generally making sure that her future mistress or master would have nothing to complain about when they met for the first time.

She looked at the empty holster on her belt; it was strange not to see a weapon there, not to feel the weight of a pistol against her leg. She had been wearing one for the last six months, the physical portion of her training had been demanding, but that was the way it was supposed to be.

How else could she be prepared to do what was needed?

She tried not to think about the fact that she did not have a weapon, technically, she did not need one. She had been trained in hand to hand combat after all. Her father had taught her a bit, and the instructors at the resort had taught her even more.

"You will no longer be a person when this is over," Baron Hudlo had informed them when she and her fellow recruits had first arrived. "You shall become…a weapon, a blade pointed at your master's enemies, and a shield to cover their back."

That was the point of the system; it is what it made you.

And the System always wins.

Thanks to her training, she was as much a weapon as a blaster, and just as deadly.

Not that the noble that was coming to inspect her had anything to fear, oh no.

Char Valenthyne was incapable of harming anyone, not without an order from her mistress, or to defend herself from harm.

The system had made sure of that, and the system always wins.

She had spent the first six months of her training going through it, the enhancement program known as the system, undergoing both genetic and mental alterations to prepare her for this post.

She had little memory of that training. She remembered being strapped to table, and of bright swirling lights, and voices. She also remembered the feel of many needles digging into her spine, filling her up with one genetic cocktail or another. It was a type of gene therapy, she was told, designed to increase her speed, strength and agility.

Chin Valenthyne had made sure that his little girl was in top physical condition, she needed to be in their line of work, but as a sworn protector, she needed to be more!

She needed to have the kind of skill to fight and kill one of the Reevan, the dark sorcerers that had invaded her homeworld of Bantoon almost three centuries ago.

According to her instructor; that is what the system did to those that went through it, she would be able to protect her charge from anything.

That was the promise that system made to the nobles of Bantoon.

The protectors can protect you.

You…have nothing to fear.

She frowned slightly; thinking about the first six months of her training always gave her a slight headache. She…dreamed about it sometimes, dreams of pain and tears; of begging to die, to accept the death sentence that she had escaped. She also remembered waking up one morning, with no idea of whom she was or why she was there.

Fortunately, one of the instructors had been there, calmed her. She reminded her of who she was and why she was there.

"You are Char Valenthyne, a protector recruit."

The woman had smiled then.

"You should forget this trouble, it is not important to your work. Comply."

Char had shuddered.

The memory had faded; it came back occasionally, just as it had now…but…

She shook her head.

She had no reason to think about it. It had nothing to do with her work.

Forget it.

Ignore it.

You are going to be a protector that is what mattered.

She focused on that, who cares what had happened during the first half of her training, it was done.

She got the feeling that she was not supposed to think about it, and in the end, what did it matter.

She was a part of the system now.

Who was she to question it?

Yes, it was the system that decided her actions; she was incapable of resisting its commands, or of harming the noble that was assigned to her by their use of the code phrases that bound her to them.

In short, she was their first line of defense, and she would die to protect them.

That was the way it should be, a sworn protector obeyed the system…

…and the system always wins.

"Char? Baby?"

She looked away from the mirror, drawn by the strong masculine voice emerging from the "fresher." It was just loud enough to be heard over the running shower.

"Are my gloves out there? I can't find them."

She smirked.

How the man was going to get along without her, she didn't know.

"They're on the nightstand, right where you left them, hotshot."

She shook her head.

"I swear; you would lose your head if it wasn't attached."

There was a laugh from behind the closed door.

"You take such good care of me, pretty lady. Whatever am I going to do without you?"

Char rolled her eyes.

That was a good question.

How would Rabb Talis ever get along without her? In fact how had he survived before they met?

It had to be one of the great galactic mysteries, to be sure.

IOI

They had first met six months ago. She had only just arrived at the resort from the birthing pool, the facility that dealt with the mental side of their training.

She arrived sore both from the surgeries and the genetic manipulation. She had arrived to find as ox of a young man in her quarters.

In their quarters.

Rabb Talis was a big boy, he outweighed her by about eighty pounds, and all of it was muscle. He stood a head taller than her with a thick neck, short black hair and grey eyes.

She tried not to be intimidated.

He had smiled slyly. He likely sensed her discomfort and reveled in.

Jerk.

"You must be Valenthyne," he said, "I'm Rabb, your training partner."

He held out his hand.

"It looks like we are going to be working together."

She had not been sure what to make of that. She shook his hand, but left quickly, going to see the director.

She couldn't share a room with this man. She…she was…

She just couldn't.

If she had been looking for sympathy from the director, she did not find it. The lady had made the room assignments herself.

Char was stuck. Rabb was her partner.

"It is tradition for a recruit to have a training partner," Lady Janyss had informed her.

She had shifted uncomfortably, she…she was not entirely comfortable around strange men.

"Is there nothing you can do," she asked, "I'm not sure if I can work with him."

"You have to recruit; it is part of your training. You will need to trust him, and he you. Your continued success in the program depends on each other. You will eat together, live together and train together. You will help each other, learn each other's weaknesses and help your partner overcome them, only together can you make it through the training."

"But director," she had said blushing slightly.

"There…um…is only one bed in the lodge. How are we going to…um…ah?"

Janyss had smiled at that.

"You will just have to learn to sleep in shifts. Consider it practice for when you will need to watch over your noble charge at night."

Char had nodded.

It made sense, she supposed.

She would try to do just that, and it had worked, at first.

She and Rabb had been as different as night and day. He had been a fourth born son of a noble family, one who had had no prospects when it came to inheriting his family's wealth and prestige.

Having few options, he had elected to join the protectors. A story that was not uncommon in their ranks. Most protectors were either nobles with no prospects, thrill seekers, or criminals that had been offered a second chance.

Seeing no option, and wanting to excel in her training, Char had done what she had to, she had worked with Rabb.

That work, in the end had paid off.

They ate together, studied together, and trained together. As their training progressed they were put through mock battles, competing with other training pairs. Men and women as equally skilled as they were, and still, they managed to prevail, quickly becoming the top team here at the resort.

They had come to depend on each other, neither of them liked to lose, and so they made sure that they didn't.

Slowly any sense of nervousness between them had faded; they were soon working like a well-oiled machine, a hand inside a glove.

After about a month in their tiny two room lodge, a month of bumping into each other most…innocently, pretending they had not been stealing glances at each other. Rabb had come to her, he woke her from a deep sleep with a gentle touch on the cheek, she looked up into his eyes; they were dark with need…desire.

"Hey," she murmured shyly.

"Hey yourself, pretty lady," he said smiling warmly.

She smiled back.

"You want the bed?" she had asked, figuring that it was her turn to sit up and keep watch.

"Not just the bed," he said in a husky voice.

The four little words made her whole body warm.

She had swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. The desire he felt mirrored in her eyes.

She had not resisted. She threw off the covers as he took off his shirt and leggings. She slipped out of her nightgown, watching him with hungry eyes. That night, she gave up the last of her innocence. The single bed was no longer a problem.

The two of them became lovers. They grew closer than even their instructors had hoped, sleeping together at night, and catching quick cat naps during the hottest parts of the day, stealing quite moments in the hallways, and showering together after a tough day of training.

It was more intimacy than Char had known in her entire life.

She felt overwhelmed. She was in love. Had she been free, she might have asked Rabb to marry her, they were almost husband and wife now anyway.

Of course, that was not meant to be, they were protectors, or soon would be.

They both belonged to the system.

And the system always wins.

IOI

She tried not to stare when he stepped out of the shower, water glistening on his heavily muscled form.

She tried not to look, but could not help it.

The sight made her body warm.

He came up behind her with a smile. He wrapped his arms around her.

"You look good enough to eat," he purred, in her ear, making her shiver with excitement.

He nuzzled her neck with his lips.

"We…we don't have time for this," she reminded him, "The baron expects us to report within the hour."

"An hour you say," he murmured, his hand moving down the front of her uniform.

"That is plenty of time."

She shuddered.

No, she thought, be strong.

You don't have time for this!

"You need to get ready, hotshot." The nobles…"

"We will have to spend the rest of our lives serving the nobles," he reminded her, "We may not be able to speak to each other for weeks at a time."

He nibbled playfully on her ear.

"Come on, baby, one last time, whatcha' say."

Char Valenthyne groaned.

Damn him.

She…she was so hot!

He spun her around and kissed her, fiercely.

"Come here, pretty lady."

She tore off her gloves, as he unzipped the front of her uniform.

"Yes," she groaned, "Yes Rabb."

She giggled as he kissed his way down her throat.

"One….last...time."

He pulled her down into their bed.

"Oh," she cried out, "OH GODS!"

They had an hour.

It took an hour…and ten.

IOI

"You…are late."

"Sorry, Sir," Char and Rabb said in unison the two had almost run the last few yards to the resort's receiving area.

Baron Hudlo stood waiting for them, looking every bit the disapproving noble that he was.

Char Valenthyne blushed.

She hoped that she had not missed anything, that she looked presentable, considering the rush that she and Rabb had been in.

She pulled nervously at her collar, hoping that the noble would not notice the love bruise on her neck.

Thanks Rabb.

I should have never let him talk me into that," she thought morosely.

Still…it had been…fun.

She tried very hard not to blush in front of the Baron.

She doubted he would understand.

Tall and elegant, Baron Hudlo was every bit the Bantoon gentleman. His short brown hair tinged with grey gave him an almost regal look. To the unenlightened, most would think that he was some matriarch's father or perhaps a former high general.

He was neither.

Hudlo had first arrived on Bantoon during the reign of Queen Annara's mother. The ship that he had arrived on crashed after some mechanical failure. He could have tried to contact one of the Galactic governments that ignored Bantoon, but he had instead chosen to stay, chosen to help refine the Sworn Protector program, earning praise from both the queen and the matriarchy. He was one of the few off worlders that had ever managed to make his way into Bantoon high society.

Most thought him a gentleman of means, perhaps even a senator from the mysterious Republic that they had heard about from other off-worlders. These people were strangers that had gotten lost trying to blaze a new hyperspace route.

Perhaps he was, Char Valenthyne thought, he certainly looked it, but there was something that did not fit the gentleman image that he projected.

It's the eyes, she thought, with a shiver.

Those eyes.

Hudlo had the strangest of eyes, they were yellow, and almost always appeared blood shot. Char had only seen him angry a few times, usually at some recruit that performed poorly in his training.

When angered, Hudlo's eyes almost seemed to glow, a bright golden color that intimidated even the senior protectors.

Those eyes were now focused on Char and Rabb.

The Baron was not happy.

"The nobles are waiting for you recruits," he said, "I shall inform them of your arrival, please wait here."

He turned without another look; flipping his cape dramatically behind him.

Char Valenthyne let out a breath she had not realized she was holding.

"He is certainly in a cheery mood," Rabb said dryly, "Maybe he needs to get laid."

"Rabb," she hissed.

"What?" he said, "The guy is seriously high strung."

She rolled her eyes.

Gods protect me, she thought

She shifted nervously, not sure what to do.

Her training partner smiled at her.

"You're sweating, relax; take a deep breath."

She did as he advised; he did know her quite well.

She had learned to trust him.

"What if we end up in different cities," she asked, "What if we don't see each other again?"

"Don't sweat it, pretty lady," he said, "You think I could ever forget about you?"

She winced.

When she had first said yes to joining the protectors, she had not understood what it meant to become one. She had even thought to fake her way through her training; to wait until she was serving some spoiled noble, and rob them blind when they weren't looking.

That would not happen now, she could no more run from her duty then she could steal from her master or mistress.

The system wouldn't allow that, even thinking of leaving her duty now made her head throb.

She belonged to the system, and the system always won.

The great doors before them opened, a chime sounded, informing them that it was time to enter.

Char Valenthyne took a deep breath.

This is it, she thought, the moment of truth.

She looked at Rabb; he nodded at her, giving her a warm smile.

She returned it.

They would both be sworn protectors; they had trained hard for this.

Now it was time to see that training pay off.

They were good, the best here at the resort.

The nobles would soon know that.

They would see.

IOI

Only four people awaited their arrival, and they were at the far end of the chamber.

Char recognized Lady Janyss immediately; the director was practically beaming with pride; at her side stood Baron Hudlo, his golden eyes almost blazing with anticipation.

To their right, sitting on a throne was…

Char's breath caught in her throat.

"Your Majesty," she gasped, bowing deeply.

"Your Grace," Rabb said, following suit.

Her Majesty, Queen Annara, Fifth of her name, Voice of the people, and Shield of the matriarchy nodded to the two protectors, at her side stood her husband, the High General Trenn. He nodded, offering them greetings.

"My Queen," Lady Janyss began," May I present, for your consideration. Rabb Talis, and Char Valenthyne, two of the finest recruits we have ever trained at this facility."

"Two of the finest you say," The High General said nodding.

"Excellent."

The queen nodded, her long blonde hair done up in a tight bun, her robes of blue and purple shimmering in the midday light.

The Queen's eyes fell upon Char Valenthyne.

"Valenthyne," she said, "As in Chin and Tara Valenthyne?"

"My parents, Your Grace," Char said standing straighter.

"Incredible," the queen said, "I never imagined I'd get to meet an actual Valenthyne. I'm most pleased to meet you, Val."

The girl tensed.

"Char, if you would be so kind, Your Majesty," she said.

Hudlo glared at her.

"Are you correcting your queen, recruit?"

"She is merely being honest, Baron," the Queen said, clearly taking no offense.

"If this woman ends up as my protector, I will want her to feel comfortable around me."

"As you say," the Baron said, bowing to his monarch.

Char glanced around the room, looking for the other nobles.

She did not see any.

If only the queen needs a protector why were we both summoned? She wondered.

Certainly they don't mean to only promote one of us?

She glanced up at the High General.

Perhaps he needed a new protector as well, or perhaps the queen's heir needed one.

Char knew that the Queen Annara did have a daughter. The Princess Vessaria was eight years old now; at least Char thought she was eight.

Time tended to flow differently for you when you were at the Resort, the system left things…foggy.

"I've heard many good things," the queen informed them both, "I look forward to having one of you at my side."

"But one final test remains," Lady Janyss says, "We must ask one thing more of you recruits, if you are ready?"

"We are ready," Rabb and Char said at the same time, their training starting to take over.

"Command us."

The queen, her face looking slightly troubled, nodded to Baron Hudlo, who grinned in response.

"The queen requires an act of supreme loyalty," he told them, "You must now obey her order, and do what needs to be done."

Hudlo drew to wicked looking knives from a stand next to throne; he tossed them at the two protector's feet.

He gave them both a wicked smile.

"The person standing next to you is a traitor; they desire to kill your queen. You will fight, and you will kill them."

Char's eyes widened.

WHAT?!

She looked down at the knife on the floor, a wicked thing, a tool originally designed to bone Goliath fish.

She looked up at Rabb, the color drained from her face.

"Rabb?" she murmured.

He looked as ill as she felt.

"Char…I…"

"Do your duty, recruits," Lady Janyss said, "Kill the traitor."

The queen winced and said one word.

"Comply."

Both Char and Rabb tensed.

Char Valenthyne looked up at the man standing next to her, her vision turned red as anger flashed through her eyes.

"TRAITOR!" she hissed.

She dove for the knife.

Rabb kicked her in the head, her vision exploded with shining stars, the force of the blow sending her skidding across the floor. He did not bother with the knife, he leapt on top of her, grabbing for her throat.

"Die murderer!" he snarled.

Char hissed pushing her legs beneath and between them.

She pushed off, and sent her enemy flying back.

He tumbled away, turning his fall into roll and regaining his feet.

It was all the time that Char needed, she flipped to her feet, and darted for the fallen knife.

She made it, first, as the traitor she was fighting made his move.

She struck out with her blade.

It caught him a glancing blow in the chest; he danced around her blade, and now, with his own. He stood and faced her, dropping into a fighting crouch.

Char Valenthyne gritted her teeth.

Traitor, she thought, murderer!

You will not harm my lady!

She darted forward, trying to get inside his guard.

He met her charge and forced her back, their blades flashing.

Distantly, Char could hear voices, words that made no sense.

"Barbaric," a woman's voice said, "Simply barbaric."

"This is the way it has always been done, my queen," another woman said.

"The director is right, my queen," an older voice spoke up, "This final act will ensure that your protector is loyal only to you."

"I understand the reason Baron, but that does not mean that I have to like it."

"As you say, my queen."

Char ignored the exchange, it had no meaning; it was useless chatter.

She had a traitor to slay.

It was for the matriarchy, for the system.

And the system always wins.

IOI

She was not sure how long the test had gone, but she was aware of the pain, a cut on her left thigh, and blood flowing freely from a slash on her cheek.

She did, however, know how it ended.

Char Valenthyne awoke, she felt…lost, she hurt, she…

She looked down, and gasped in horror.

Rabb was lying on the ground before her, he…he was bleeding from a vicious wound in his neck. He…he…

He was going to drown in his own blood.

"No," Char gasped, her eyes wide with shock.

What?!

What had happened?

She almost lost her voice, the only sound to emerge was a shocked squeak, but she quickly pushed through it.

Rabb…what had…?

NO!

"Help," she shouted, "Somebody help! HE needs a doctor!"

She knelt down beside her training partner, her lover. She tore off one of her gloves, used it to try and stop the bleeding. She…she…

She looked up and saw the queen and her party watching.

She…she…

Why weren't they calling for help?

"Help him," she cried, "Please help!"

Baron Hudlo sighed and stepped forward.

"Coral," he said "loyalty, ocean, incarcerate…"

Char's eyes widened.

"No," she cried out, "Don't! Please! Stop!"

Hudlo did not listen; he continued to recite the code phrase.

Char looked down at her lover, his eyes were wide, pleading for help he did not understand, any more than she did, he…

"Comply, Comply. Comply."

Char Valenthyne tensed.

She stood silently, staring forward, her eyes seeing nothing.

Rabb Talis died in her arms, but she did not see it.

Char Valenthyne saw nothing.

She was lost in the system, and the system always wins.

Baron Hudlo stood before her; he nodded as he made sure the boy was gone.

"Protector Valenthyne," he said to Char, "Are you ready to comply?"

"Yes, Baron," she said in a flat monotone, "Protector Valenthyne is ready to comply."

He nodded a pleased look on his face.

"As you can see my queen, this unit is ready to serve."

Queen Annara shook her head; she looked down at the carnage with distaste.

"Did the boy have to die?" she asked, "His training, his programming, all wasted."

"Not wasted, sacrificed," Hudlo said, "We could not afford to let this boy live."

"The Baron is right, your grace," the director agreed, "What if one of your enemies found out about the girl's affection for this boy. What if they kidnapped him, forced her to choose between her duty and her love? What if they asked her to hurt you, or to hurt your daughter?"

The Queen glared at them both.

Hudlo smiled.

"How is the little princess, is she six now, seven?"

"She is eight," the queen said, "And I'm extremely grateful that I did not let her join me today. How would she have reacted to this?"

"It is unfortunate that it needs to be this way, Your Grace, but it is necessary.

He turned back to Char, she could hear what was being said, but did not understand.

She was waiting.

She was an empty cup waiting to be filled with new orders.

Hudlo gave her that.

"Your training has been hard, recruit, but it is now over. You have spent the last six months alone, and have few friends among the protectors, they were a distraction, holding you back, and you did not need their interference."

"I didn't need it," Char said, her voice sounding like a recording, "I trained alone."

Hudlo nodded his smile more than pleased.

"You are now a sworn protector, you are a sword and shield for the Queen. If you are to die, let it be in her service. If you should fail, you will follow her into death. A protector that fails must fall."

"A protector that fails must fall." She repeated.

"And now your task begins," the baron said with a shark-like look in his eye, "You will accept any order or suggestion Her Majesty gives you."

He turned back to Annara.

"You must now enter the pass phrase, Your Majesty; that will make this unit, yours forever."

Annara rose.

"Don't you mean this girl, Baron?"

He shrugged dismissively.

"A protector is not a person, your majesty, they are a weapon, a sword and shield. The girl Char Valenthyne died a year ago, when she chose to enter the program, when she accepted the system.

"My life for the Matriarchy," Char murmured, "The system always wins."

"Indeed, child," Hudlo said stroking her cheek almost lovingly.

"The system always wins. Now, dry your tears, and stand at attention, your queen is about to give you your code phrase, you will be hers from now on. Are you ready to comply?"

"Yes," the protector said, "Char Valenthyne is ready to comply."

Hudlo nodded and stepped back, he snapped his fingers, and two guards emerged, they dragged the body of slain protector away.

Queen Annara stood before her new protector, her husband at her side.

"I promise you," she said staring into the girl's vacant green eyes.

"I will never ask you to do such a thing again."

The queen took a deep breath and repeated the code phrase, and ended it with the words: comply, comply, comply.

Char Valenthyne gasped and opened her eyes, she looked around, unsure of where she was.

She…

She smiled.

Oh yes, now she remembered.

"My queen," she said bowing deeply, "Protector Char Valenthyne, at your service."

The ruler of Bantoon gave her a sad smile.

"Greetings protector," she said, "I look forward to having you in our house."

Char beamed, high praise coming from the queen, and nice after she had been alone all these months, it would be good to leave the resort, to be around people again.

She had had no time to make friends here; her duty was what had mattered.

It had served her well.

"Please, My Queen," she said warmly, "There is no reason to be so formal."

She grinned at her noble, her friend.

"Please, call me Val."

A/N: The first short story is done, what did you think, and who would you like to see in the next one? Until next time Dear Readers…

May the Force be with you!

DG