The Mercenary

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Brig of the DP20

Marie glared at the pirate as he stood outside the force cage, a grin on Ali's face as he looked at the two Jedi, his eyes looking over Marie's body. Allelujah hated how this Feeorin just openly gave her a lustful look, but he couldn't do anything about it. The man laughed as Marie narrowed her eyes, "Ali al-Saachez."

Allelujah's eyes widened, having heard the name before, though he had never personally met any ships belonging to him. He was a feared mercenary and pirate, and it was even rumored his crew would kill off weak members or those who didn't follow orders. 'The hazing rituals must help his reputation in the underworld.'

Ali spoked in a cheerful tone, "Well, it's good to see I'm recognized. Especially by an imperial agent. I wonder how much I pissed off that emperor of yours. Were you hunting me?" Marie wouldn't be the first imperial that hunted him and even the rebels tended to want him gone.

Marie gritted her teeth, "No, but bringing you to justice will be good for everyone. Why haven't you just shot us? You didn't do the same for the other agents and ships you caught."

Ali chuckled as Allelujah wrapped his arms around Marie, holding her close as the pirate tapped his foot, "That is the question, isn't it? Why did I spare you and your boytoy?" He pretended to think, and then let out a sigh, "Because you both are more valuable than just a simple rebel soldier and intelligence officer."

A hologram display showed Allelujah's wanted poster and a picture of younger Marie when she was a Jedi. Both of their eyes widened, and Ali continued, "You are both very valuable to my client. They are looking for Jedi, and they pay very handsomely for live Jedi. Honestly, the only reason you aren't being thrown to my crew is because you have the force, and my client wants you as unharmed as possible."

Allelujah growled as he glared intensely at the pirate, "You will not hurt her!" Marie looked at him in concern, and could feel the raw protective emotions radiating from him, his love and affection obvious. Just the way Ali said she could have been thrown to the crew filled her with anger. 'Ali was lucky a force cage was between him and me.'

But Ali just saw the anger of both of them, and just hummed, "My, those are some angry looks. It's almost like you don't want to be made into prizes. But business is business. It's nothing personal." He tutted as he looked at Marie, "You know what surprised me? That your adopted father hid a Jedi from everyone. Mr. Perfect Admiral committing such a major crime."

Marie stood up, marching towards the tall alien, a fire in her eyes, "You take that back. He is a good man who took care of me like his daughter." There was a hardness in her voice, a quivering of raw emotion as she brought the imperial officer up. Allelujah could detect no lies in her voice, and there was a hint of jealousy in him, though he was happy she got to be relatively safe.

Ali just shrugged, "I'm not condemning him. I honestly respect the balls it takes to hide a Jedi right under the nose of his superiors. Though I get the feeling he wouldn't like that. It would be a shame that the imperials find out what happened."

Marie slammed on the force cage, stumbling back as a shock went through her, "They would never believe a pirate like you!" Allelujah quickly rushed behind her, catching her and supporting as she had to focus to stay up, pain shooting through her.

Ali then looked at Allelujah, "And honestly I never expected to catch another Jedi in my net. She was the target, but who would have expected her lover to come to try to save her. You both did a number on my men, but I think a bonus for capturing two Jedi will make up for that." Ali then looked at him curiously, "Where is that lightsaber of yours? None of my men found it on you, and you Jedi never want to be separated from their special tool."

Marie growled, "Why do you care? You want it as a prize?"

The Feeorin just shrugged again, "What? I'm not allowed to ask questions in my own brig?" Allelujah sent a message telling her to relax. That he just wanted to rile them up. Marie huffed, but she took a breath as he responded to the pirate's question.

"Lost it after I fled. Too easily identified." Hallelujah appeared in his peripheral vision, a grin on his face as the rebel soldier lied.

"It seems you still remember my advice." Alleujah ignored him, Hallelujah leaning against a wall watching the scene continue. Marie felt a strange, dark sensation from Allelujah, but it disappeared as soon as he detected it.

Ali just sighed exasperatedly, "Ah well, hoped to get that answer. But you will be out of my hair soon enough. I hope you enjoy my clients…personal attention." He walked out of the brig, two guards standing there as they looked at him with a hint of fear. The man walked with a heavy step, the metal resounding whenever he stepped.

Marie crossed her arms, and Allelujah looked at her with concern, "Do you think Sergei will get in trouble?"

The Echani pursed her lips, "No, he's faking it. He covered his tracks too well."

"But he knew you were-"

She raised her voice a bit, "No! He will be safe. I will never endanger him." There was a hint of desperation in her voice, and Allelujah just nodded. 'There is nothing we can do right now. The best bet we have is hoping my friends can find us…they will find us.'

Bridge of the DP20

Ali sat in his small private office, the small bridge crew doing their jobs as he rested his feet on his desk. His heels tapped against the desk. He was going to receive a good payout, and tracking someone through hyperspace was nearly impossible. Running had been his best friend since he had become a pirate over a century ago, though he had to admit the imperials were harder to evade compared to the rebels.

A sound then rung out from his communication console, and he casually pressed the button, "Hey boss. Checking in?"

The screen showed no face, merely static, the voice heavily masked by a voice changer, "Yes. Have you acquired the target?" The voice was calm and controlled, a contrast against Ali's more rough and tumble one. His client preferred to stay anonymous over comms, just in case anyone tried to track him.

Ali chuckled, "Yeah. Your intel was on the mark. She tried to ambush some of my men, but we overpowered her. And I got you a bonus."

"Bonus?"

Ali sent over the info to his contact, smiling, the money filling his mind, "Yeah. Some Jedi named Allelujah. I expect the same pay for him?"

The contact remained silent for a second, then responded with a chuckle, "I would certainly reward you for another Jedi. The payment will come once we meet, but not till then. I will give you a heads up when we reach the agreed upon coordinates."

The call dropped and Ali let out a slightly annoyed sigh. This client had paid him a little to get a bite, but frustratingly wouldn't pay in full till he completed the job, in contrast with how they did before. But a job is a job, so he would do his. It did help they did pay reliably, so he wasn't worried about being cheated. Only a few hours to the coordinates, and he would be a rich man. 'I always wanted to get a bigger ship.'

Brig of the DP20

Both Marie and Allelujah took the opportunity to rest as they sat in the brig. Marie's head rested on Alleujah's shoulder, but they were both woken up by the sound of the ship shaking, lights dimming and the blare of alarms. Both of them recovered quickly, and could hear the calls of guards echoing through the brig door, and the two guards in the brig looking away from them.

Marie looked at him, "What's going on?" Both noticed the force barrier was flickering, and the Jedi prepared to act.

Allelujah had the same question, but could sense Feldt and Setsuna getting closer, "Help is here." The barrier around them fully fell, the voice over the PA system say they were shifting over to secondary power, their engines, hyperdrive, and sensors, among other systems were down.

Both Jedi quickly took advantage of the chaos, rushing towards the guards. Both were still sore from the beating they got, but they had mediated during the probably several hours of hyperspace, so they were definitely feeling better. Marie reached the guards first, knocking one to the ground and elbowing the side of his head, the man's eyes rolling back as he fell unconscious.

Allelujah tackled the other guard, a few blows to head after hitting him in the throat left him on the ground as well. Allelujah grabbed the blaster rifle off of the guard, Marie grabbing a stun baton and blaster pistol. The rebel soldier looked at her, "My crew is here to save me. You should come with me." His shaky voice had a hint of desperation, but Marie shook her head.

"Allelujah, I can't be associated with rebels. I don't want to leave you either, but you know how that would look." It wasn't exactly the time to talk, but she wouldn't lie to herself and say she wasn't tempted to leave with him. But she had others to worry about, and the sounds of footsteps headed towards the brig interrupted both of their thoughts as the door opened, a Twi'lek pointing at the two, "Don't kill them!" A group of over six men charged into the room, the pair of Jedi reacting fast. Allelujah took cover behind a desk that was bolted to the ground, opening fire as Marie jumped into the fray, using her jedi reflexes to her advantage.

Both could feel the bond flowing between them, Allelujah able to avoid hitting her as she pulled in few of the men. She took advantage of the small area, as she didn't have to work about friendly fire. The three pirates struggled to hit her; the chaos of the ship being attacked distracting them and making it harder to recapture her. Red emergency lights filled the room, decreasing visibility. Marie focused on blocking and doing quick takedowns of the men, trying her best not to kill them if possible.

And Allelujah avoided the melee in the middle of the group, shooting at the pirates with guns who aimed at both of them. It wasn't easy, but the rifle felt easy in his arms. Two men fell after several shots, the last man focusing fire on him as he ducked back into cover. He peeked over cover to see Marie get hit in the ribs, causing him to worry. But she threw the man over her shoulder, the alien hitting the ground with a thud, his eyes closing as he fell unconscious.

Marie disposed of the last man, a knee to the jaw leaving the man out as both caught their breath. They looked at each other, and Marie smiled, "Good shot." Allelujah blushed, and Marie poked her head out of the door. The ship's alarms were still blaring, and men rushed past the door, headed to engineering, where she could see smoke was leaking from.

She closed the door as she looked back at Allelujah, "Well it looks like the ship is in chaos, but we still are outnumbered. We should head to an escape pod."

Allelujah nodded, "Good idea."

But just as they prepared to leave the room and make a run for it, a voice echoed over the PA system, "The prisoners have escaped! The prisoners have escaped! All available crew try to apprehend them."

Ali's voice then rumbled as he seemingly took the microphone, "And if you kill either of them, I'll kill you myself." The PA system went dead, and a mass of footsteps headed towards them. Marie hissed, but moved to the cover Allelujah was behind. 'I don't know if I have the energy to fend off so many at once.' She looked Allelujah in the eyes, resting her hand on his face.

"Allelujah, I hope this isn't the end, but I wanted to show you how I feel." Allelujah was about to respond when her lips met his, wrapping her arms around his neck. His eyes widened before closing, pulling her close as he moaned lightly at the kiss, their breath mingling as they both felt more complete than before. It was unlike the kiss they shared as teenagers. There was a desperation and depth of feeling both lacked at the time, and the only reason both broke apart is the sound of boots getting closer.

With reluctance from both of them, they both raised their guns as the door slid open, voices outside claiming they want to get the Jedi for what they did to the crew. There was a clanging and smoke began to fill the room, completely blocking the sight of the two as the pair shot through the open door, a cry of pain going out as one seemed to get hit.

Another jumped over the cover they were behind, narrowly missing the pair as they were forced to jump from the cover, Allelujah's blaster nailing him in the chest. But more footsteps threatened to enter, when suddenly the ship rocked, everyone but the Jedi stumbling. Marie took the split second to dive into the smoke, using her force senses to feel for the enemy. She found one taking aim at Allelujah, bashing him in the chest with the baton, sending him stumbling back.

However she did miss a blow that came to her side. She grunted as she was unable to roll to recover, hitting a metal bulkhead. She couldn't see the man's face, but she narrowly dodged the next blow, tripping him with a sweep of her legs as she ducked low, a blow to the back of his neck knocking him out cold. She could see her love narrowly avoid a killing blow from a pirate, deflected by the blaster in his hands, breaking it in half.

Red lasers began to fill the hazy smoke with red as a barrage of bolts carved through the men outside, the slash of a sword filling her and Allelujah's hearing. The rebel perked up, "They're here!" He looked at Marie after stabbing the man who just broke his gun with a vibroknife on the pirate's belt, but he couldn't see her, only a regretful voice in his head, her sweet voice full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry…"

Allelujah let out a despair filled moan, but watched as Tieria and Anew entered the room, weapons raised. Tieria was in his normal armor, Anew in a light set herself, similar to Setsuna's, but he could hear the relief in Tieria's voice, "It's good to see you are alive. Any serious injuries?"

Allelujah shook his head and Anew spoke in a collected manner, "Should we be worried about that woman?" Both had seen a white-haired imperial woman, but she looked like a prisoner. Tieria had narrowed his eyes at Marie, but his teammate mattered more.

Tieria spoke cooly, "It's fine. We have to get you to the medbay." Tieria offered his shoulder, and Allelujah happily took it, seeing a pile of bodies just outside the door.

The Jedi looked at the pair, "I felt Setsuna with you. Where did he go?"

Anew gestured to the bridge, which was the direction away from where they needed to go, "He headed up there. Said something about finding someone." She looked to Tieria, "Hey, I can handle him. Go back up Setsuna."

Tieria grunted at being ordered by her, but Setsuna was all alone, and she was making a lot of sense, "Got it. If you hurt him, I'll hurt you." With the sounds of heavy footsteps, Tieria rushed to the bridge, leaving Anew and Allelujah to head towards the Vagabond. Allelujah grunted in pain, and he looked at Anew.

"Thanks." He was surprised at how strong she was for a woman of her size and frame.

She just nodded, "C'mon."

Bridge of the DP20

Blood dripped off his blade as he cut through the last of the pirates on the bridge, anger filling him, "Where are you, Ali?" The traitor was somewhere here, he could sense it, but where? The blare of the alarm was dulled as blood pumped in his ears. It had been so long, and Ali deserved to die. Not just for his group, but for what he did to Feldt.

Clapping echoed through the bridge as Ali stepped out casually, looking at the rebel soldier, "Well, never expected to find you alive. Thought you bit it when I blew up those civilians. Though honestly, I prefer to kill you personally." He pulled out a large Gamorean axe on his back, seeing Setsuna's blade covered in blood.

"And it seems you got better. Maybe you'll actually provide a challenge." Ali had on a simple tunic and pants, a few grenades on his belt, along with two large daggers.

Setsuna flashed his sword, "That's not the only thing I learned." Using force speed, he charged the large alien, Ali barely able to step out of the way as the blade cut into a console, sparks emanating from it as Ali gave Setsuna an appreciative look.

"Not only better, but a Jedi as well. If my ship wasn't falling apart, I would bring you in too. But survival is more important than a bit of money." Ali took a large overhead strike at Setsuna, the Kiffar dodging out of the way as the heavy metal head created a dent in the metal floor, "Say what you will about the Garmoreans, but the pig-headed morons know how to design an axe."

Setsuna slashed at Ali, who blocked or dodged most of the blows, the two maneuvering through the room as more damage was being done to the empty bridge. Ali just laughed, Setsuna nicking him, the mercenary barely noticing the attack, "Good, good. Want revenge for all your buddies I killed?"

Setsuna deflected a blow from Ali, getting knocked back slightly at the sheer strength of the man he was facing, "Not only for that, but for what you did to Feldt!" Setsuna cut off the bottom of the axe Ali was using, the Feeorin unable to move fast enough. 'I have him on the ropes.'

Ali stopped the next blow with the axe head as he fell back onto a console. Setsuna's vibroblade bit into the metal, but was annoyed as Ali looked at him casually, "Trying to mess with my head again?"

"Not really." Ali slammed his hand down on a button, and a display showed a countdown of time, "Just wanted to toy with you a little before I set off the scuttling charges. I hope you enjoyed the little show." Ali suddenly seemed to move faster, Setsuna barely dodging the blow as he pushed Setsuna back, throwing the axe, which imbedded into the wall. "Now let show you how I have survived over a century of being a mercenary."

Ali cracked his neck as he pulled out the two vibroswords, looking like daggers in his hands. A small pop went off in front of Setsuna, gas floating in his face as he coughed violently. Setsuna barely managed to raise his sword to block a blow from Ali, nearly knocking Setsuna on his ass as the mercenary struck faster and harder than he expected.

Ali laughed, "The Jedi may have been powerful, but they never liked getting gas in the face." Setsuna's head was muddled, his force senses confused as Ali cut into his thigh, Setsuna only able to block one blade as his reflexes were dulled. Setsuna coughed heavily, "Coward!" He attempted to strike out at the mercenary, but his sluggish strike went right by him, Ali letting Setsuna see how outmatched he was.

"I call it being smart!" More blows rung out against his sword, Setsuna's head clearing a little, but Ali was like a machine, keeping the Kiffar from being unable to recover. Setsuna bumped into consoles and walls as the Feeorin's strength and speed overwhelmed him. A bloodthirsty smile reached Ali's face as he delivered a big kick to Setsuna's chest, sending him crashing into a bulkhead, his body sore all over. His sword fell to the side, out of his grasp, his head swimming.

Ali laughed as he looked at the helpless Kiffar, moving over him, putting away his own blades as he picked up Setsuna's, "My, what a good blade. Probably did you a lot of good." Setsuna glared at him as best he could, but his mind was too muddled to react properly.

"I'll…kill…-" Setsuna coughed again, less violently than before, but that only caused Ali to grin wider. 'Bastard! I cannot die here! Not now!'

"Not with this." He broke the blade over his knee, two fragments falling to the side as he dropped the hilt. The mercenary knelt down, looking Setsuna in the eye, "Now should I kill you now? Or wait till the ship explodes? Choices, choices." Ali pulled a blade from its holder, fiddling with it for a second, "I want to see the life leave your eyes. That is worth way more than the money I would get." There was a sick enjoyment lacing his tone, causing Setsuna's to shudder a little.

Setsuna was internally panicking as the blade was raised, trying to move, but his body refused to cooperate. Nothing was broken, but it screamed in pain as he moved. The world almost became slow motion as the blade neared his throat, and a surge of fear from Feldt filled him, guilt also filling him. But the force surged through him, foreign, yet familiar. Raising his hand, Ali was blasted into a wall, causing a heavy grunt of pain to leave him as he looked at Setsuna, anger apparent on the Feeorin's face.

Ali could feel bruising in his ribs, and he stood back up as Setsuna struggled to his feet, feeling more energy filling him. He raised his vibrodagger, and just as Ali was ready to strike again, footsteps were heard, and Ali growled as he knew whoever it was would be force him to get distracted from Setsuna. Injured, he growled as he stared daggers at Setsuna, "Next time, Kiffar punk." He ran to his personal quarters, which he had turned into a secret escape pod.

And as he ejected from the ship, Setsuna stumbled forward as Tieria saw his injured teammate. Tieria came to the side as Setsuna's eyes were drooping, "What happened?"

"He…got…away." Anger laced his voice as he fell unconscious, Tieria shouldering his weight. The rebel soldier saw the countdown for the ship's destruction, and called out to the bridge of the Vagabond.

"I got Setsuna. Be ready to go." His heart was weighed down looking at Setsuna, pain across the man's face. He hoisted Setsuna over his shoulder, grabbing the hilt and broken blade of Setsuna's sword. He didn't know if it could be repaired, but Setsuna would probably want it. Taking off with a fast pace, he ran towards the ship, getting out of this pirate ship.

Ali's Escape Pod

Ali swore as he launched away from the ship, watching his flagship disappear in an explosion. The Vagabond flew away at top speed, and the Feeorin had to watch his payday disappear. Taking a deep breath, he opened up his comms, sending out a signal to his client, who quickly appeared on his display, a green-haired man with a feminine face speaking briskly, "Did something happen?" There was nothing hiding his voice, his tone superior and in control.

Ali nodded, "Some troublesome mercenaries boarded my ship and rescued my prisoners. The girl got away, along with the rebel. My ship is gone, but I managed to escape."

"Unfortunate, but did you get the blood sample I asked for?" There was no distress in the voice, and Ali was surprised he was taking it so well. Purple eyes met Ali's, the mercenary sweating a little at the power behind them.

"Yes. I kept it in my office."

The figure almost seemed to chuckle, "Then you will get your full pay. I just needed the blood really. Send out a limited distress signal, and I will send people to rescue you."

Ali quirked his head, "Do you want me to find the girl? I can get another ship."

"No, I have another task for you. Just hunker down and you will be brought to where I need you." Ali's annoyance at losing his ship faded, and he just smiled. 'It pays to be adaptable. Better to survive than die doing something stupid.'

"Whatever you say, Ribbons." The transmission dropped as Ali put his feet up on his desk. He had enough food for a while, and as he pressed a button, sending out the distress signal, he imagined what he was going to do to Setsuna the next time they met. 'And Setsuna mentioned that little Miraluka. I always wondered what happened her.'

Author Note

Welcome back! Our favorite mercenary is here, and I will have some fun with him. Also romance drama. Marie and Allelujah have a lot to go through before they resolve everything. Thank you for reading and I'll see you guys next time.