[18 BBY]

[Personal Deck of Moff Daron Stormcrow, Eriadu Authority Capital-class Warship Stormcrow, Task-force Hospitaller, Republic 5th Fleet, In Orbit Rattatak, Guter Wade System, Trilon Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

"Ughhh….I am soooo full right now…" Ahsoka Tano complained as she practically fell back into the fancy looking, but also comfortable, behind her "…and boring too. Every day isn't going to be like this is it?"

Barriss wasn't wearing the uncomfortable robe either Ahsoka mentally huffed, just her usual 'dress like Tepasi Nun' outfit "You didn't have to eat everything put on the table Ahsoka, you understand that correct?"

"Hey, you haven't lived on travel rations for waaayyy too long no! Paste, Paste, more Paste, and some days we even had edible mush!" Ahsoka replied with a groan as her stomach protested again "Not everyone gets to live on a space hotel pretending to be Venator!"

"Well you get to live on it now, so don't complain…and no need to eat like a hungry orphan when you get aboard"

Ahsoka folded her arms across her chest and glared at Barriss, who giggled back her instead "Oh don't pout like that Ahsoka! You did!"

"Did not!" she replied in annoyance, then sank back into the chair "Filling us with food and wine…your boyfriends evil plan won't work! I'm unto it!"

Barriss raised an eyebrow "His evil plan to….bring you to a formal dinner that he doesn't like?"

"Doesn't like?" Ahsoka huffed back "He seemed fine to me!"

"So did you Soka…mostly, all dressed up and acting like a proper Jedi" Barriss teased back, before giggling again "But Daron doesn't like big formal things like that…even if he's always at them lately. And he was so happy to be out here not-having them and fighting pirates instead!"

"I wouldn't mind fighting pirates instead of having to wear stuffy robes….even for fancy food" Ahsoka muttered, neither of them wanting to talk about the…War…as they weren't….quite…on the same side right now. It was so much easier when Separatists were the Bad Guys, and they, the Republic, were the Good Guys, all on the sad side against the Separatist. Now it was…dangerous to want to get and fight, because it wasn't droids anymore. Jedi had taken different sides and that sleemo Palpatine had been a Sith Lord all along!

"Now I doubt you'll be allowed do that unless Daron's got told to" Barriss replied with a smile as they enjoyed each other's company for the first time since…well, since the galaxy went insane and things stopped making sense "But I'm sure you'll get to spar with Celeste….just to warn she's very skilled"

Ahsoka frowned "This is the…frozen Jedi, right?"

Barriss nodded sitting all proper while Ahsoka put her feet up tiredly on the foot rest "Yes, she's a Knight from before…everything truly. It might be best for you to burn off all that punching-villains-in-the-face energy that you seem to build up in time"

"Hmmm….this sounds like a trap"

Barriss smirked "No, not at all"

Ahsoka gave her the 'suspicious glare' then groaned again tiredly as her grumbling stomach "Ughhhh"

"That's what you get for eating things you don't recognise…"

"Nnnnnnn…..so'your evil boyfriend's fault…"

--

[18 BBY]

[Command Bridge, Eriadu Authority Capital-class Warship Stormcrow, Task-force Hospitaller, Republic 5th Fleet, In Orbit Rattatak, Guter Wade System, Trilon Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

"So, we've found what could be their base of operations?" I asked as I came over to strategic map of the various nearby star clusters and what hyperlanes we knew of, along with icons indicating known colonies and vessels we'd scouted out. The meal had been…dull…with lots of polite, non-committal, diplomatic talk that was basically welcoming everyone aboard. Honestly, I was surprised Ahsoka Tano had made it through without cracking up, though it seems they hadn't exactly been eating well these past few weeks judging by the welcome-ness of the meal to them.

Gardan gestured at one of the forward flashing icons "We've got a report from this forward recon unit here while they were investigating the Mokivj system. Flash report indicates ground base, a Recusant in orbit, and a number of freighters. There's also…"

He brought up the holo-images and sensor readings that the squadron had transmitted, turning the data into a representation of the system with planets and ships within "…this, another one of those unknown vessels in-systems with the Separatists"

I frowned as I studied the data. It didn't quite address the disturbances in the Force we'd felt, but had died down before Tano and her groups arrival. I was reasonably sure she hadn't picked up on that particular problem as yet either "Yet another alien ship….hmmm, though that does look like a colony world, but is it a main base? Or is there a larger one I wonder?"

"We could easily overwhelm the Recusant if we jumped in. Our squadron pulled out before they were notice, they believe so at least, and they deployed two probe droids in the outer belt before they did, so we should have tracking data when we do"

"Hmm….yeah, I agree, and I think we'll have to do that, but….hmmm…I think we need to know more about what we're walking into before we deal with them. I don't want to jump into an alliance, or eliminate them and then get a larger fleet counter-attacking. We're pretty much at the edge of our knowledge of known systems…and that's with Jedi Archive data and really old exploratory maps. No, the Confederates have some sort of deal going on….I think we need to capture that freighter, along with continue our plan to investigate Black Spire Outpost"

Gardan nodded "They is the possibility they'll become aware of our presence Sir"

I nodded, rubbing my chin "I know, there is, but I think we need to take the chance. What we will do is push up to one of these systems…" my fingers danced over a few unnamed star systems nearer to hyperlane Mokivy was on, and up beyond Batuu "…as we can move quickly on this base. I'm very curious what's so important out here for them to have invested this much effort into secrecy on it"

It was darkly amusing in a way, hyperspace and 'reality' interacted funnily, along with the oddly aetheric nature of space in the galaxy. Distant stars were often just a visual mirage, and we had to be very careful out here to navigate along dark forest paths, as I thought of them, to move from system to system without being easily detected…or ambushed more importantly. Just like I was plotting now was I tapped various systems that should need to be transited by our enemies freighters for them to reach territory such as Yag'Dhul, or other Known systems.

"We can interdict these systems here, and then hit'em with Ion torpedo equipped Y-Wings or ARC-170s once they aren't in range of…well, once there isn't anyone to see us grab them. I'll prepare a team once I've gotten some sleep, and Celeste and her team is already headed to Black Spire, so see what you to get this done, and we'll coordinate with Yulen in case they try the more spinward or southerly routes"

Gardan nodded "And if they use a route we don't know about?"

I shrugged "Then they use a route we don't know about and we move against Mokivy directly and work it from that end. We are on a time limit after all, but that doesn't mean we have to rush into danger either…"

--

[18 BBY]

[Oga's Cantina, Smuggler's Alley, Black Spire Outpost, Batuu, Trilon Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

Celeste Morne looked like just another bored and unhappy smuggler, drinking Andoan White with a droid bodyguard she'd salvaged somewhere. Inside though her mind was focused, the Force allowing her to catch whispers on the wind and usual dark shivers of the corruption that pulsed through this place. The Galaxy may have changed so disturbingly much since she had gotten into that device…and yet , somehow, some things never truly changed over the millennia of her imprisonment. Oh the style of dress might have, but not the underlying factors…

"…spoke to Urgan bout dem credits, gutta kalla dem droids…"

"…takin' over our terf, whoosa deys thinks deys yars?"

"…blasted Thinfaces. Sumin' wrong with'em ya know. Who'n wanta paya that fer a lizard? Ner heard a Ysa-lar or wotsits me life …"

"…like she's a different woman since she did the run. Not gonna stay on the crew with that…"

"…want hibernation chambers. Nersunno paid me good credits for passin'em on to'em…"

…and on and on during her brief sojourn here. Something was bubbling on Batuu, and it felt just so slight off in the Force. That it was being used as a smuggling base of operations by this 'Confederacy' was proven very true, but there was also this mysterious ally of theirs, somehow linked, perhaps as master or even further party ally, to a group called the Darshi. 'Accidents' had happened to certain smugglers who'd crossed the 'wrong' person, this Cantina having being Jannotts till very recently, and others had done secret, well paid, smuggling runs only to come back…strange according to crew.

Worse, they were looking for someone, a 'mad' human female, one that clearly was a Force-user, even if they were trying to hide it….poorly. Nothing here indicated a positive situation, and that was only a shallow investigation with dealing with the weak-minded and drunk, and simply giving a tired smile at the bar and telling tall-tales of her own while she 'finished ship repairs on a budget' as she explained it. This felt like a Darksider investigation, too much so, with the added problem of mysterious outsiders with agendas of their own, and a Sith Lord sitting on Kuat….and others in other Galactic 'governments' now the Republic had shattered apart.

Yet all she seemed to get were more questions with each nugget of an answer…

Who were the Darshi for one, and who were they working with?

What was being smuggled through this world, and to where?

Who were the Chiss, and why were these Darshi and the smugglers looking for information on them?

Who was this mysterious 'mad' Forcer-user, and were they a Darksider needing to be dealt with?

What had happened to those that had journeyed out to suddenly switch allegiances?

…she doubted the young Moff would be overly happy at the results so far…

--

[18 BBY]

[Confederate Merchant Vessel Larkner, Unlisted Star System, Edge of Trilon Sector, Outer Rim Territories-Wildspace Border Systems]

"Push forward, secure the bridge and engines while power is non-functional" Asajj Ventress commanded as the armoured strike team stormed the disabled heavy freighter. Power was completely out from the looks of it, night-vision on her helmet turning the darkness into brightness as the Ion Torpedoes had done their job….better than expected it seemed. She could feel the fear of the crew aboard, and she led the four soldiers assigned to her, cutting through a secured door with her crimson lightsabers in a circular cut, then kicked, with the Force as much as her leg as that the metal smashed into the enemy crewman and a droid standing watching.

Even with the armour she could move fast, bouncing off the wall of bulkhead as blaster fire came at them, her right blade catching the first blaster shot and sending it back the way it came even as she flew forward. B-1s serving as crew, with the usual terrible aim as they'd been clearly grabbing emergency arms to repel boarders rather than being dedicated combat models. Blaster fire came over her shoulder, destroying a unit further up, as they made swift progress up the corridor, combat data shared and flashing on their helmet's HUDs.

It was only as they neared the bridge they encountered proper security in the form of a B-2 droid, arm raised and arm-blaster firing, and her blades danced in the air, sending each shot back as the thing advanced. The damned thing seemed to be blaster resistant, each shot hitting it, but only shrugging it off with a mild stagger as it marched forward. Irritated Asajj sent her right lightsaber forward, slamming through the machines chest where the control processing unit should be…

Sssssssss…..wshhht….

…and her blade crackled and went out suddenly. Her eyes widened at that, but rather than waste her flash of anger, she controlled it, focused it, now free hand gripping with the Force and raising the machine off the deck floor "It is blaster and lightsaber resistant. Penetrating slugthrower rounds now. I will hold it in place"

"Copy, swapping….engaging" came back to her ears and moments later the two team members with the modular additions for those weapons opened up with the loud snapping cracks. She held the droid in the air, preventing its arms weapon at bay as she summoned back her crackling lightsaber as she brought it back to her hand, turning it off…and then reigniting it at the suggestion of the kriffer running the mission in her ear. It did appear Daron was guessing it was cortosis, and not just cortosis weave that the droid was built of. Which would cost a solid fortune to do such a thing…

Then they were unto the bridge, fools there begging for mercy, and, since they needed answers right now, she granted as she point her blazing crimson blades at them in the pitch blackness of the disable vessels bridge…

--