Darkest Before

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Bridge of the Omen

Marie walked towards the bridge, and something in the back of her head was telling her something was wrong. She wanted to reach out with the force, to try to figure this out, but for all she knew Ribbons or one of his men was on board. 'If there is one thing Imperial Intelligence doesn't trust, it's everyone else.' She took a deep breath, and arrived on the bridge as the captain was giving out orders, the ship resting in orbit of an imperial outpost. The crew saluted her, and she saluted back to the captain and Sergei as he turned to face her.

"Lieutenant Peries." She stood at ease, and he gestured to the door, "Inquisitor Almark should be here soon, and he requested your presence."

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow, "Did he say why?" She had debriefed with Regene at the base after everything had been done, so she wondered why the busy inquisitor would want to ask for her. 'Unless he somehow learned who I was. But there is no way he could have detected me.' She sweated a little at the thought, and Sergei gave her a curious look.

"Everything ok?"

Marie just nodded, "Yes sir. Just thinking back to the ruins." Sergei could read her like a book, and having raised the girl since she was a teenager, he could see the nervous girl that lay below the trained agent. He didn't say anything, and soon clicking bootheels were echoing through the halls, several sets audible. There was a firm and strong rhythm, the group walking in step as they approached the bridge.

Both Sergei and Marie met eyes, and both of them had the same thing go through both of them. That bad feeling Marie had gone through both of them, and Marie took a deep breath as Sergei stood straight. There were no words between them, but Sergei's eyes shown with a deeply held promise. 'I will protect you.' Something he had said when he adopted her, and her eyes shined as that reassurance filled her with confidence.

She hoped it was nothing bad, and just that Ribbons just wanted to ask her for more info or interview her himself. The air only got thicker as the sounds closed in on the bridge, and she focused inwardly to keep her calm as Ribbons turned the corner. He was in his white outfit, and surrounding him were a unit of four troopers, all of them with force staves in their hands.

They all turned simultaneously to face the captain, and the pair of imperial officers saluted him. The man smirked and gestured for them to relax. Sergei spoke up, "What can we do for you?"

Ribbons looked at the pair, and the inquisitor showed no emotion as he raised his hand, "You both are under arrest for treason." A half smirk rose on his face as the bodyguards raised their staves at the pair. Marie instinctively jumped to a defensive posture, and Sergei's eyes went wide.

"What are you talking about? We are loyal servants of the Empire!" Sergei kept his eyes on the inquisitor, the rest of the crew on the bridge frozen as the scene played out. The captain was looking at this with great interest, and Ribbons just pointedly looked at Marie.

"You are guilty of harboring and covering up the knowledge of a Jedi. And Soma Peries, or should I say Marie Parfacy, are guilty of infiltrating the Empire and being a threat to the Empire." He pulled out his lightsaber, and ignited it, a red glow darkening his white outfit, "Now come along peacefully and you won't have to be hurt, though I welcome the challenge if you do."

Sergei stood in front of Marie, and growled, "What evidence do you have that she is a Jedi? There is no proof."

Marie spoke quietly, "Dad, don't…"

Sergei shook his head, "No." He lowered his voice, "Get out of here if I can't solve this. Find that old friend of yours. Live on." He looked back at Ribbons, "I'm waiting for your proof."

Ribbons chuckled darkly, "Oh, I have plenty of evidence." The guards began to approach the pair, and Ribbons held up his hand, stopping them, "We did blood tests and found that her sample matched one of her cousins. It may have worked initially, but you didn't fool me. And her adoption paperwork was falsified by her clan. I thought you were a respectable officer, but it's clear that you are a threat to the empire."

Sergei's hand went to his blaster, the bridge silent except for the beeps from the machinery. No one made a move, but Sergi, seeing that there was no way out of this. 'Even if it kills me, I won't let them get her!' He gave one last look at his daughter, and shot at one of the guards, pulling his blaster out, the hit glancing against the hip of the staff wielding guard. Ribbons took a step back as chaos broke out. There was yelling and confused orders being given, Sergei's voice rising above them, "Hold the guards!"

Marie could see that there was no getting out of this, and a look of loss crossed her face as she knew this might be the last time that she might see Sergei. But as she watched two of the bridge crew tackle another one of the guards while Sergei struggled with his, the man clearly in better shape than her father, but his years of experience seemed to be paying off. The rest of the crew stood back, this clearly a very complicated situation, Ribbons seemingly content to stand back for now.

The two guards looked down at her, and she prepared herself as both struck forward with their staves, intending to shock and incapacitate her. With her cover blown or at least suspected, she ducked below the strikes, sending a man flying against the wall using the force as there was a clear cracking sound. The sensation of using the force was exhilarating, like she was able to fully let herself go. Sure, she had done it with the pirates, but doing it in front of everyone was all at once enlightening and terrifying. There was no way she could deny who she was anymore, but escape was more important right now.

The man was clearly still breathing, but she had no time to react as he had to roll away from the next blow. His blows were precise and fast, but he was no Echani, nor a Jedi. She recovered quickly and used the force to call the downed man's weapon into his hand, catching it just in time to deflect a blow from the skilled soldier. She used the blunt end of the rod to smash into the helmet of the soldier, knocking him off balance before she swept him with the staff, the trained soldier falling on his back.

She quickly thrust the tip against his neck, shocks going through his body as it convulsed and writhed, stopping after several seconds. The man's body stilled, his breaths shallow and harsh. Marie took a deep breath and surveyed the situation, taking it all in.

While Marie had been fighting her enemies, Sergei struggled and grappled with his younger opponent. His muscles cried out at being so rusty, not having to have done this in a long time. The last time he did this was when he had to deal with some drunken officers, who got a bit too wasted, as well as very belligerent. But this man was in his right mind, and Sergei struggled to hold him down. The blaster was in one of his hands, in no position to shoot at him, the barrel angled away from the soldier.

The man grunted and tried to use the staff to slam into him, the blunt end hitting his side. He hissed in pain but held on as his desire to protect his daughter pushing him through any pain. He grunted as the gun fell out of his hand, ripping off the helmet of the man, who seemed to celebrate for a second. 'Bad move. Never celebrate till you win.' The man had a hard face, his tan skin highlighted by the lights of the bridge. The man just grinned at him, "You are going to be executed along with your traitor daughter."

Sergei growled, "She is a good woman, unlike you thugs!" He slammed his elbow into the man's throat, the struggle immediately turning in his favor as the soldier tried to recover. The main tried to choke down air, but Sergei used those precious seconds to grab the fallen blaster, shooting the man in the chest, smoke rising as there was a visible hole in the armor. He panted and looked at Marie, "GO! NOW!" He charged Ribbons as he grabbed the staff, but was quickly shoved into the wall, pain shooting through him. His vision went black, his eyes opening and closing as he groaned. His ribs were definitely bruised, but he struggled to get up.

Marie wanted to reach out and help him, but she could sense his determination flowing out of him. A vision of the past entered her mind, the death of her master repeating in her head. 'No, have to focus.' She braced herself then charged past Ribbons, not looking at Sergei to keep the guilt from filling her heart. She could feel him trying to grasp her with the force, but she threw it off, closing her eyes to concentrate. Ribbons was stronger than her, but all she had to do was use just enough force to push him away.

The inquisitor scowled as Marie moved past him, the ship captain the last line of defense, but he was thrown into the wall as she brushed by him, the white-haired woman running down the halls, her rapidly quieter footsteps getting further away. Ribbons looked at Sergei, who smirked at him, "You'll never catch her." The man struggled to stay on his feet, and Ribbons walked over to him, just humming under his breath.

"Oh, she'll be found." He looked at the captain, "Please send out an announcement that Soma is a traitor and to be brought to me. The person or people that catch her will earn a pay raise." He looked back to Sergei as the captain saluted the inquisitor. Sergei glared at the captain, could do nothing as he watched the two men who attacked the bodyguard getting shackled and pulled off the bridge, "I may not have gotten two traitors here, but I got an admiral who betrays the value of our empire."

Sergei spit on his boots, and Ribbons used the force to shove him to the ground, Sergei grunting as he was dragged in front of the dark force user, "I saved my daughter. What any good parent would do." His heartbeat with pride, and Ribbons just shook his head, getting on his knees as he whispered to Sergei.

"You think I didn't suspect your little charade? Who do you think hired Ali to capture her? That he randomly found her?" His smile said everything, and Sergei glared at him as he was moved to be shackled by some of the guards.

"So, you waited all this time to go after her? Why wait until you have proof before arresting her? Why not just use you power to grab her before?"

Ribbons shook his head, "Because proof meant that you were a traitor as well. If she had just hidden her identity, that could just mean she hid it from you. But I think I've indulged you enough." He looked to his guards, "Take him to a shuttle." Sergei glared at the man as he was dragged away, being shoved roughly. Ribbons watched him retreat, and quickly strode out of the bridge, the captain taking command. 'I've already won.'

Hallways of the Omen

Marie moved quickly through the hallways, her pace only increasing as the announcement of her status was told to the entire ship. She needed to find a place to hide and plan, fast. The staff had been dropped, and she kept her head down before she ducked into a small repair closet. She carefully looked around to see if there was a camera, and saw there was one, but it didn't seem to be working. She took a deep breath and tried to collect herself. 'Kriff. Not only am I trapped on this ship as a traitor, but Ribbons is here as well. I have no idea where he could be, and I can't use the force to find him because he might sense that.'

She leaned against the wall, her emotions creeping up as she could feel tears welling up. She blinked harshly, pushing that down. There was an intense core of emotion sitting in her, but she chanted her Jedi mantras to collect herself, not needing this distraction. Right now, she needed to survive. Sergei had sacrificed himself for her, and she wouldn't let that go to waste. She looked around the room and spotted a few sets of stormtrooper armor on racks.

She looked at them for a second, and a plan began to form. And after a few minutes, a smaller set of armor was fitted onto her, her hair in a bun to keep in the helmet. There was some scuffing on the shoulder pads, but she could easily cover that. Her uniform was hidden in a corner, not that she would need it anymore. Taking one of the defective blasters, she opened the door and marched through the hallway, hoping no one would that her rank marker was a bit off.

The hallway was full of people, everyone on high alert as she followed the rhythm of the crowds, trying to follow them to the hanger, where she would find a shuttle to escape. An escape pod would only get her caught, and for all she knew they would just shoot her down with TIE Fighters. She kept her cool as she moved further down the labyrinthine halls, finally reaching the hanger.

But to her shock, it was swarming with guards. 'Well, there goes that plan.' A shuttle took off, marked by the inquisition's symbol. She growled, knowing that Sergei was probably on that. 'Not that I intended to rescue him immediately, but I hoped that I ran into him.' She cursed at herself before moving through the hanger, looking like she was on patrol. One advantage she had was this chaos meant people weren't questioning every soldier. She spotted a shuttle that was lightly guarded, only two men at the ramp. 'So we have my transport, but I need to disable the tractor beam.'

She made a turn and used her credentials she swiped from the captain to open the door that accessed the control room. She walked up the stairs to the room, and looked around the corner before she did anything. Inside the room was three men sitting at consoles, all of them focused on the ground floor or the displays in front of them. Lieutenant Ming was in the furthest station away from her. 'Time to move.'

Marie moved with grace, the clacking of her boots the last thing two of the men saw before she smoothly knocked them out with strong attacks to their neck, a hard kick to the head making sure they were out, stopping them before they could raise the alarm. And in a flash, she grabbed a heavy object and threw it at the camera in the corner, breaking it. Lieutenant Ming looked at the soldier who suddenly attacked them and was about to raise a question before Marie raised her blaster, "Alright. I get it." He raised his hands, and Marie removed the helmet.

"I need you to disable the tractor beam." Ming looked at her with shock, his mind going over the announcement that had been made a while ago. Marie sighed and raised the defective gun, "Please don't make me shoot you."

Ming let out a breath, "What is going on? Why are you being hunted? And why has the admiral been taken off the ship?"

Marie just shook her head, "I don't know how long I have, but in simple terms, I'm an escaped Jedi, Sergei hid my identity, and the inquisitor wants to take us away for being traitors." She watched the man's face twist at the revelations.

The officer looked her in the eyes and could see the desperation that filled her shining yellow eyes. His thoughts were rushing as Marie was glancing behind her. He shuddered and chuckled bitterly, "So was all of that bonding fake?"

Marie shook her head, "No. You saw as much of me as I could show to you. Tell anyone my full past would have put me in danger." She steeled herself for what she needed to do, and approached him, lowering her gun, "Please lower the tractor beams. I don't know how much time I have."

Ming groaned and rested in his chair, "So you want me to risk my position for this? For our old friendship?" Marie could sense his unease, and she nodded. He grunted, hands on the controls, "Fine. But you better rescue the admiral, or I'll never forgive you." His face twisted into a half-smile, and Marie let out the breath she was holding.

She gripped the controls as she watched him deactivate the controls, the display clearly showing they were down. And with a slam of the side of her hand, she hit his neck, knocking him out as he fell onto the console, "I'm sorry. But it's better that you look innocent and that I threatened you into do it." She put the helmet back on, grabbing one of the pistols on the men she knocked out. She walked down the stairs confidently.

Her steps were hidden by the hustling of everyone through the hanger, and as she approached the lightly guarded shuttle, one of the two stormtroopers raised his hand, "Stop! I wasn't told anyone was replacing us."

Marie cleared her throat, "I was told to investigate the inside of the shuttles here by the inquisitor himself. Do you want to disobey a direct order from the inquisitor?"

The man looked at her, then at his fellow stormtrooper, both of them uneasy and she could feel they were nervous about all of this. Marie gestured to the soldiers, "Listen, I don't want to fight this Jedi either. But all three of us checking could overwhelm her. Would you rather risk her sneaking up on you?" She grimaced at her words, as it was a favored tactic of hers. 'At least most people on the ship don't know me by my voice. And this helmet somewhat hides my voice.'

The soldier who hadn't spoken so far shrugged his shoulders, "I mean it wouldn't be too long. And three is better than one."

The other soldier chuckled, "You mean like what you said to those three Twi'leks at the bar last leave?"

The other man grunted, "Kriff off."

"While I would love to hear this story, let's check the ship first." She took the first steps up the ramp, and raised her blaster, pretending that she was looking for herself. She could hear the men spread out behind her, looking through the empty passenger area. One of the men moved towards the bridge, and she could hear that the other was heading towards the weapon storage locker. Marie looked at the pistol, and her finger sat on the mode. 'Killing them would be easier.' Yet she couldn't and shifted it to stun.

And with a quick draw, two stun shots left the blaster, hitting the two men as they didn't even have time to recover. They crumbled to the ground, and she took a breath as she moved towards the pilot seat, flipping switches as she warmed up the ship. The cockpit began to light up, and the displays lit up. She intentionally did not turn on the comms. She looked back at the unconscious forms of the two soldiers, and she closed her eyes, her conscience screaming at her.

She got up from her seat, and took their blasters, pulling them down the ramp, dropping them behind a crate. Yet as she turned, she saw a group of soldiers heading her way, and at a fast pace. She ran up the ramp and jumped over the pilot seat, closing the ramp. The men were rushing towards the ship, and she started taking off, the repulsors activating. There was a sharp hiss of steam, and guns in the hanger began to raise towards her. 'They are probably yelling at me on the comms right now.'

She didn't hesitate to push the stick forward as she flew over the rest of the hanger, blaster bolts hitting the chassis of the shuttle. The shields were coming up, and thankfully there were no heavy guns in the hanger, but she had to get out. Pushing out through the ray shield, the guns of the ship began to shoot past her, the only thing helping her was the fact she was force sensitive. A few blasts were too close for comfort, and the shields were definitely taking a battering.

Prepping the hyperdrive, she punched in coordinates for an abandoned mining planet that some pirates had used for a hidden base. She could see on her sensors that TIE Fighters were incoming, and she wasn't as good a pilot to avoid that. She wasn't even that good of one, if she had to be honest. But thankfully for her, the Imperial war machine liked to keep things well maintained, and the hyperdrive jumped to life as she jumped forward, escaping the Omen.

She gave one last look at the ship as she lost sight of it. This had been her home for the last several months, and her place of comfort. And now it was all gone. The walls were squeezing around her, and the only benefit she had was the Empire taught their intelligence agents very well. And she had one lifeline. 'Allelujah.'

Bridge of the Vagabond

Feldt grumbled as she walked out of the bunk room. Another day had passed, and Christina had asked her to check on the data, as the Zeltron was too tired to stay up all night to check. Feldt's shift was up, and she wrapped her arms around herself, the ship cold in contrast to how warm Setsuna chest was. She blushed as she blew a kiss to Setsuna. 'I hope he gets it in his dream.' She giggled and made her way to the bridge, her footsteps echoing quietly as she walked up the metal stairs.

Yet as she got closer, she heard mumbling. No one else was on duty, and everyone should be asleep. The last person on the bridge should have been Lyle, and he definitely went to bed as soon as he could get off his watch. She slowed her steps, and carefully peaked around the corner. She could hear the clicking coming from Christina's station, and she snuck up closer, unable to see who it was.

As she closed in, she could see a bright red line that came down from the roof of the ship. This was definitely the force, and this radiated some form of force bond, though it was darker than anything she had seen before. The force was mysterious, but to see something like that…

She finally got a good look at who was at the console, and she had to hide a gasp as she could see Anew at the console, sending the data to some ship nearby. Anew's eyes were yellow, and that red line ended at her. 'What is she doing?' Their sensors hadn't detected any ships in orbit. Anew hummed under her breath, an uncharacteristic smirk on the defector's face. Feldt shivered, but then Anew's voice echoed through the bridge, "Come out seer. I know you are there."

The voice was lower and threatening, with a hint of pride. Feldt stepped out, and Anew's new yellow eyes looked at the Miraluka, "Anew, what is going on? Who are you transmitting to?"

Anew chuckled, "Oh you silly child. You think this is Anew? Even I know your kind can sense connections that others can't. Who do you really think this?" Feldt let out a breath, her eyes going wide, "It's a shame that you were never captured. You could have been such a strong agent of mine."

"Ribbons!" Anew just smiled, and Feldt glared at him, "What are you doing to Anew?"

"The force is a very useful tool. And with enough tweaking and time, controlling someone is child's play." Anew raised a blaster, grinning, "I would have loved to see what I could have taught you, to bring out your true potential. But I have bigger things to worry about." Anew looked over at the upload, and saw the data had finished transmitting, "Well, it looks like I got exactly what I wanted. And all it took was letting Anew think she got away." He pressed a button on the console, activating something.

Feldt sent out a message through her bond with Setsuna and to Allelujah, hoping even the weaker one with Allelujah got the message across. But the stagnant air of the ship was broken by the sound of a blaster bolt, and Feldt fell back as she looked up at Anew, some of her hair singed, "And just to be sure, I'll try to get at least one of you." There was a malicious smile on Anew's face, and Feldt swallowed heavily, letting out a scream. 'Please save me. Setsuna, Allelujah. Anyone.'

Author Note

Welcome back! Things don't look good for our heroes, and it looks like it's about to get worse. This power was suggested by a friend for Ribbons to have, and it fit perfectly with his MO in the show. And Marie is about to have a whole lot of fun. I hope you guys enjoy as act 3 reaches its crescendo! Please review and comment, and I'll see you guys' next time!