A Temporary Leader

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Lower Levels of Port Athor

Marie stayed alert as she traveled through a crowded hallway of the commercial area of the large spaceport. Everything here screamed danger, and the masses of people pinged her senses, forcing the Echani to take a deep breath and control herself. She knew she could handle herself, but the looks she got from people, either of suspicion or lust, made her want to punch someone.

She was also in an outfit she preferred to not be in. To hide her imperial loyalty, she wore a simple baggy short-sleeved shirt, tight green pants, a dark vest and simple, practical shoes. Her toned arms were emphasized with no sleeves, showing the warrior build of her. A simple pistol sat on her side and on her hands were a pair of shock gloves, which paired up well with her skills at hand-to-hand.

But one thing she did not expect was doubts beginning to filter into her mind, now that she was out of the central influence of the empire. Sure this place was in imperial territory, but these people were not interested in showing any loyalty to it. And she had to admit she wasn't exactly the model imperial officer, despite outward appearances.

She could never get over how the empire treated the jedi like people to be exterminated, and how aliens were treated as second-class citizens. 'They brought law and order, but did it need to come at so high a cost?' She even had to train herself to hide her own powers, which was no easy feat without someone to train her, just to not be executed or turned to the dark side by the Inquisition. And she had no one else to turn to. Marie only had Sergei and she wanted to show how thankful she was to him saving her when he could have easily turned her in.

And the thought of going rogue, of hiding out on the station, maybe even trying to find that man she had sensed on previous missions, crossed her mind. It's not like they could track every ship going out. She could be free, not having to look over her shoulder all the time, not having to worry about the inquisition detecting her force-sensitivity. And she had been taught skills to survive on her own. Maybe Allelujah even survived and she could find him. 'Some jedi must have survived Order 66.'

But she shook her head at that, focusing back on her goal. She was loyal to Sergei, and looking for her old friend and potential flame was a pipe dream. If he ever defected, she would follow him, but he was too loyal to the Empire to consider that. Sergei gave her a mission to do, and she would get it done. Ignoring most glances, she overheard loud, raucous laughter coming from a nearby bar. 'Not the worst place to start an investigation.'

Entering the bar, it was dark and dingy, several aliens at the bar and tables, the conversations overlapping as she tried to listen in, though it was a bit too much. She would have to focus on one at a time. Sitting down at the bar, the stool was comfortable, if worn-out. A Devaronian man was cleaning a glass, smiling at her, "What will you have?"

"Just what's on tap." He nodded and moved to fill her drink, and she took a breath. Her job meant blending in, and to not drink here would mean she drew attention to herself. To her right, a Human man and Trandoshan were probably a few drinks in, the Human waving his arms dramatically. Their conversation seemed normal, both of them talking about mercenary work, the Trandoshan mentioning some brutal kill he did last week. Marie rolled her eyes at that, but the next words from the human catching her attention.

"Did'ja hear Captain Ali is at the station?" The man laughed, "Apparently he's looking for men. We should join them. I heard he pays well." There was a hint of sarcasm lacing his voice, as well as an undercurrent of fear.

The Trandoshan hissed lowly, "The man issss a danger. My cousin joined him and he wasssss beaten for not being strong enough."

Marie's eyes widened. Ali al Saachez was an infamous pirate and mercenary, and was high up on the wanted list, a laundry list of crimes under his belt. He had been wanted under the republic too, but he had the miraculous skill to scrape out of things despite the odds thrown against him. 'Well there is one lead.'

Marie turned to the bartender, who put her drink in front of her, "Those men say Ali al Saachez is here. They lying?"

The bartender groaned, "They aren't. The man uses this place a resupply point then disappears for months. Very few are willing to confront him and the powers that be here like to use him for their ends."

Marie's lips were an even line, "Do you know where he's docked? I always wanted to see the man."

The Devaronian chuckled, though his eyes traced side-to-side before looking back at her, "If you want to get yourself killed, there are less painful ways to do it. His men tend to be…destructive. And women tend to be…mistreated by his crew. Most bars don't like when they show up. They only tolerate them because they pay well. You sure you want to see them?"

Marie gave him a smirk, "I can handle myself. So can you tell me where he is?" She placed a credit chip on the counter, and the bartender just looked down at her before grabbing her money.

"His ship will be on the middle ring. He uses a few docks, so I can't tell you what one exactly he's at. But his men all have a Feeorin face in a circle as their mark, either a tattoo or their clothes, so it shouldn't be too hard to find them." She could hear the trepidation in the man's voice and while she hadn't really studied the man in depth, Ali was a threat not to be taken lightly. But she wasn't planning on fighting him. She wasn't dumb.

She nodded at the bartender, placing another credit chip, "Thanks for the info. And this is for my drink." She stood up gracefully, hearing the Devaronian pick up her money. Her eyes narrowed, happy to have an objective to follow. He wouldn't be the only person she tracked, but he was a start.

Little to her awareness, a quiet Twi'lek man quietly drinking followed her with his eyes as she left. Pulling out a communicator, he spoke quietly, "Hey, get me Ali."

Dock near The Vagabond

As Lyle, Tieria and Allelujah passed by a stack of crates in their dock, Tieria stopped, putting a hand on Lyle's shoulder. The Corellian jerked as he had to suddenly stop, turning to see Tieria's red eyes staring at his intensely, his eyes narrowed. Alleujah stopped, wondering what was going on, but he quickly found out as Tieria looked over to stare him in the eye, "Allelujah, go ahead to the ship. I just have a private chat I want to talk to Lyle about."

Allelujah could see the tension between the two men, and definitely did not want to potentially be in the firing line. He nodded his head, "Got it. I'll tell the others to gather in the meeting room."

Lyle nodded at him, adding, "And tell everyone Tieria and I are just having a friendly chat. No need to worry everyone." The heterochromatic soldier nodded at that and walked back to the ship, looking back one last time as the pair was now out of sight behind the large stacks of crates.

Lyle then looked at Tieria, ready for a fight, but keeping his cool, "You know there are better ways to stop me than to grab me, right?"

Ignoring the question, Tieria spoke low and inquisitively, "Lieutenant, what is your plan?"

Lyle took a breath, "Well, Tieria, I plan to gather info in the next couple days. As well as find out more about Wang Liu Mei if possible. Stuff like this is never as simple as it looks. And maybe try to sneak in and ambush the Duros gang if possible."

Anger flowed into Tieria as he realized the team would be stuck here for a few more days, stuck in this place. 'She gave us a simple mission. Why is he making this so complicated?' Exhaling a harsh breath from his nose, he scowled, "We can attack them and be done with it. We know where they are, and they are only simple criminals."

Lyle wanted to roll his eyes, but as a counter formed in his mind, another idea popped into it. With a practiced smile, Lyle just leaned against a crate, crossing his arms over his chest, "So, you think this will be an easy in-and-out? We kill them and be done with it?"

"Yes." Tieria nodded confidently, "I also don't want to be stuck in this den of…criminals." Tieria had to control his anger, not wanting to draw the attention of any of the wandering workers or other denizens of the station.

Lyle raised an eyebrow, "And you are positive you can keep all of us alive?"

Tieria bristled, "The only reason the team would die is if they made mistakes." Even he understood that they couldn't afford to lose people, though it was their job to fight and die to free the galaxy.

"Well seeing you are so confident, why don't you take over this operation?" Tieria blinked at Lyle's words, narrowing his eyes, but saying nothing. Lyle took that as a sign to continue, "I'm going to leave you in command of this operation. I'll take over if I feel you are risking the team unnecessarily, but you plan and lead the team this time."

Tieria looked Lyle in the eye, wondering what the trick was. Him and Lyle had improved their relationship a bit, but he had never trusted him to lead the team. But here he was putting the team in his hands. 'What was his game?'

Tieria crossed his arms, matching Lyle, "So you are trusting me? Just like that?"

"Yep. I want you to prove to me that you're right. If you complain about my methods, then show me you are better than me. I think we need to investigate, but you don't."

Tieria could feel the challenge resonate through him. It had become very apparent that he and Lyle thought differently. With a grunt, Tieria responded, "Alright. I'll show you why you are being too cautious. I don't want to hear any complaints from you."

Lyle raised his hands in fake surrender, "Not from me. I will offer advice, but I will follow your plan." Lyle offered a hand, "Are we in agreement?"

Tieria studied his hand, before grasping it with one of his, "Deal."

Meet Room of the Vagabond

The crew sat down in the meeting room, patiently waiting for their two superior officers to arrive. Christina had already loaded up the information they were given, and now they waited for Lyle to lead the briefing.

Feldt had calmed down since her attack on the station, and she had asked Setsuna to not to tell anyone, which he reluctantly agreed to. This was something that happened to her, and it wasn't up to him. The door slid open, and the two remaining crew members took their positions at the table, everyone else surprised at Tieria standing at the head of the table.

Christina looked around confused, matching the rest of the team, but Lyle's calm voice filled them in, "Guys, relax. I decided Tieria is going to run this operation."

Setsuna looked between Lyle and Tieria, before focusing on the Corellian, "Did he threaten you?"

Tieria bristled as Lyle just laughed, "No, I am willing to let him. I am still team leader, but Tieria is going to take over the mission Wang Liu Mei gave us."

Feldt spoke up, "What mission? How did the meeting go?" She looked between the three men who were at the meeting, noticing Tieria tensing at the mention, Lyle looking his normal casual and Allelujah seemed to be shrinking a bit. 'If she was as bad as the woman we met, it must not have been fun.'

Tieria, taking the role of team leader, puffed out his chest, "It went fine. The most important thing was the fact that we were told to clear out a gang who has been harassing her agents." The group could see the confidence filling him, but Christina, practiced at reading people, could see a hint of frustration and anger. And there was a hollowness to his confidence, like it could shatter given the wrong conditions.

But she held her tongue as Tieria pulled up the information, the projection showing the small vault that gang was located at. He pointed to the area, showing a projection of a very large, blackened metal vault door, and the face of the gang leader, "This is our target. This Duros gang called the Dusk Raiders." Tieria emphasized the image of the vault door, faded hazard symbols on it still, "There are around thirty or so of them, but the hard part is that door."

Feldt interjected, "Oh I've seen those!"

Setsuna looked at Feldt curiously, and Allelujah asked, "When was that? I've never seen them." The rest of the group concurred, looking at the Miraluka, who just realized she drew attention to herself.

She blushed, but continued, "I've seen them at some old republic facilities the Rebel Alliance has used. I moved around a bunch with Sumeragi." Feldt looked down at the table, but Setsuna put a hand on her hand, smiling at her. She smiled warmly back, "Thanks."

Christina smirked at the touching of their hands, but her mind refocused on Feldt's words, "So what do you know about them? Anything useful to us?"

Feldt nodded, her blush fading, "They were and are used as containers for more dangerous substances. Rated to survive a blast by anything but heavier vehicle laser cannons and the highest grade explosives. So I don't think we can just blast our way in." She looked nervously at Tieria, "Do you mind if I stood up there?"

Tieria shook his head and Feldt pulled up the image of the vault door closer, humming under her breath. Lyle tilted his head at that and asked a casual question, "So if we can't blast our way in, how do we do it?"

"You have to either have the passcode to get in, or if it's older, some sort of physical key to access it. And I think this is an older model, though I can't tell for sure." Feldt studied the door, though it was hard to tell due to the fact she lacked eyes. Setsuna smiled a small, proud smile at her standing up in front of the team like this, leading this part of the briefing.

Christina frowned at her words, "So that means you can't hack in?"

Feldt nodded her head, "Yes. But if we can get inside, then it should have an access panel of some kind. These vaults do need some way to filter air in, especially because men would work in these places."

Feldt pulled down the image, showing a map of the outside of the vault. Tieria was impressed with Feldt, who he had never really thought about too much. She quietly made her way back to her seat, taking a few deep breaths as she realized she actually talked to the team like that. And a comforting hand touched her shoulder as Setsuna reached out to her through the force, silently complimenting her. She flushed, but sent affectionate feelings back. Setsuna resisted blushing himself, letting out a breath.

The rest of the group focused on the information that was presented to them, scanning for anything they could use. The wall seemed to have no side doors, and any sort of vent seemed to not be visible. There also seemed to be some strange lines in the door itself, but what that meant could be anything.

After several minutes of scanning, Christina made a happy noise. The group looked at her, and Christina moved the image to what she spotted, a blurry vent much easier to see. It was only big enough for someone to crawl through, and even that would still be a tight fit.

Allelujah pursed his lips, "Not that I'm complaining, but wouldn't that be a weakness if the materials got out or leaked?"

Feldt spoke up again, "It has bulkheads that can seal in case of emergencies. Thankfully that shouldn't be an issue."

Lyle then spoke, "But if we get detected going through the vent, or start an attack, they could probably drop it on us."

Tieria took in his words, and he spoke with a confident tone, "Then we are going to have to send someone in. The whole team would draw too much attention, but if we could send in someone who could open the door for us, then that would make this easy." His eyes went to Feldt, "You know how to use these doors?"

Feldt nodded, a growing sense of tension in her gut. Tieria hummed under his breath before speaking evenly, "Then I need you to go in and open the door for us."

Her eyes widened and Setsuna, along with Christina, bristled at that, Setsuna standing up, "She's not a combatant. You can't just send her into danger like that!" Christina nodded aggressively, agreeing with every word. Lyle was shocked by the passion in Setsuna's voice, though for some reason he felt he really shouldn't based on how close Setsuna was with Feldt.

Tieria stared down Setsuna, who matched his glare. The two men matched eyes as Lyle let out an annoyed grunt, Allelujah looked nervously at the sight and Feldt swallowed, fear going through her as she could sense the anger in Setsuna.

But before this could go on too long, Lyle yelled, "Hey! We are a team!" Setsuna and Tieria looked at him, but backed down, grumbling as the tension left the room. Setsuna looked at Feldt, who gave him a conflicted smile, but he could sense her unease. He knew it was selfish, but Feldt was becoming more and more important to him, so it was hard to not react strongly.

And with a now calm voice, Lyle looked at Feldt, "Are you ok with joining us? We could use your expertise, but I'm certain even Tieria would take your opinion into account."

Feldt looked down at her hands, taking a few deep breaths, "It's ok. It makes sense why he's asking me." Setsuna was probing her feelings in the force, and she responded by sending him her desire to help. Looking back up at Tieria, she put up a confident front, "I'll do it. But I can't go in alone."

Tieria just nodded, annoyed, "I was going to say I was sending in Setsuna with you before you interrupted me." A sense of relief went through both the force-users, and Tieria continued like that wasn't an issue, "The rest of us will wait outside and when the door is opened, we will attack them in a frontal assault."

Allelujah frowned, "If they outnumber us, then wouldn't a frontal assault be suicide?"

"We are rebel commandoes. These criminals won't be an issue."

Christina was disturbed by the confidence at attacking thirty or so men, but she could see in Tieria's eye that there was no moving him. She looked at Lyle, who just shrugged but smiled at her. She would need to tell him about her worries in private after this.

"So does anyone have any questions?" Tieria's arms were crossed, looking expectantly at the crew. Everyone shook their head, and Tieria turned off the projection, "We move out in an hour." The crew watched as Tieria started marched out of the room. But he was stopped as Allelujah's voice rung out in the room.

"I am a Jedi."

Everyone's eyes turned to him, a dead silence filling the room. And the same thought went through the people who hadn't learned it already. 'He's a what?'

Bridge of the Omen

Sergei stood at the window of his flagship, his arms at his side. The fleet was in dry dock, having just eliminated a small pirate fleet that had been preying on shipping in the sector for the last month. Only a few ships were fully operational, and Sergei was happy to have the break. How Marie was doing weighed on his mind, but she could handle herself. 'Still, it's the job of a father to worry.'

Letting out a breath, he heard rapid footsteps approaching him, and turned to see a young woman with Lieutenant pips looking up at him out of breath, "Admiral Sergei…you need to…hear this."

Sergei gave her a smile, "Catch your breath, Lieutenant." He waited till she was ready, and nodded at her, "Now what did you want to show me?"

"Please follow me, sir." She guided him to her station, which was a communication station, and she continued, "I received a distress call. It's gargled, but I have the coordinates identified."

"Play it."

A deep, static-filled voice greeted his ears, words cutting in and out, "This is Captain…Ishna. Pirate fleet…under attack…running to nebula…need help…" The distress call listed out the coordinates, and repeated again.

The audacity of the pirates filled Sergei with anger, but he kept his cool. Looking at the Lieutenant, he nodded, "Thank you for the information. Transfer the data to the command console."

"On it!" She saluted him, "It's my duty, sir. I do whatever the empire asks of me."

He nodded and moved to the main command console, "Messenger, Siren, form up on the Omen. We are heading out." The two ships he called out were Tartan escort corvettes, the rest of his larger ships not ready yet.

The ship captain, who was standing nearby, looked at him with worry, "Sir, what are you doing? The fleet is still getting repaired and refit. Where are we even going?"

Sergei looked the middle-aged man in the eye, "We received a distress call by civilians under attack by pirates. We are going to rescue them. Is that understood?" He put a heavy emphasis in his voice, making sure his subordinate knew this wasn't a question.

"Understood, sir." The captain turned to the bridge, "Input coordinates and coordinate with the Messenger and Siren. We move out as soon as we are ready." Sergei watched as the crew prepared themselves to move, unquestioningly following his orders. He could see the disapproval from the captain, but if he wanted to make this an issue, he could contact command.

The job of the imperial navy was to protect imperial citizens. 'What is the point if the military if they didn't keep their people safe?' He wasn't in this sector to get glory. Hunting down pirates wasn't something that got you promoted. But it ensured the people of this sector of space would be free from getting raided by pirates and other threats.

And as bad as the rebels were, they were at least more picky with their targets, avoiding civilians if possible. The pirates targeted everyone. 'And once the pirates are contained, I can help hunt down any rebel activity.'

Author Note

And chapter 10! We have plans, plans, plans! And drama. Next chapter will be fun. Thank you for reading and please review and comment! I'll see you guys next time!