Chapter 6: Encounter

Disclaimer: Disney owns Star Wars, I only own my OCs

Last Paragons

A week passes since their attack on Kuat and the crew on the Forgotten Star contemplated where to strike next.

Kenta, Yuna and Alec engage in a triple threat sparring match. The fact they struggled against the Dark Jedi left a bitter taste in their mouths. They decided to use the back of the ship as the arena.

Alexandra lays on her bed staring at the ceiling. It took her a whole week and the crew's help to convince her she had no choice in the matter.

Her mind drifts to the duel she had with the Twi'lek Dark Jedi, the way she utilized Juyo with skill made Alexandra want to learn the form. But since her masters never used it, thus can't teach her it, she'll have to look for other means to master it. But where to start?

Sitting up, Alexandra realizes laying here won't help. Swinging her legs around to the side of the bed she stands up still wearing her armor. The door slides open for her to exit and makes her way toward the commons. There she spots Yuna sipping some tea after the sparring with Kenta and Alec. To her surprise, Leliana was there as well drinking an alcoholic beverage. The smuggler was slowly beginning to trust the three Sith.

Looking to her right, Yuna saw her student, "Hello, Alexandra. Nice to see you up." She then saw the troubled look in Alexandra's eyes, "What is it, apprentice?"

Alexandra scratched the back of her head, "Well..."

Yuna softly requested, "Speak your mind, child." Leliana shoots the redhead a curious look, not expecting her to say that in such a tone. It was almost...motherly. Then again, Kenta, Alec and herself aren't the typical Sith fueled by anger, rage and lust for power.

Alexandra said, "I just want to know why you don't hold the Jedi Order in high regard. I mean they are guardians of peace and justice, right?"

After taking another sip of her tea, Yuna placed her hands on top of each other, "The Jedi aren't as innocent as they claim. You see, at the end of the Great Hyperspace War, the Jedi and the Galactic Republic literally declared genocide on the Sith species on Korriban, destroying generations of Sith culture and became one of the factors of their burning hatred for the Jedi. The Jedi Order's passive nature has been a crippling weakness for them. Imagine how many lives have been lost due to the passivity."

Leliana said, "That's what I once told them. Their inaction led to a lot of people not liking them."

Yuna continued, "They caused untold amounts of damage upon civilizations, this is why not all of the galaxy saw the Jedi Order in a positive light. They saw the Jedi Order become a slave to politics, waiting for orders instead of actively seeking the dark side out, destroying it before it reared its ugly head. In addition some of the galaxy saw the Jedi as thieves, abducting children to train them in the Order's philosphy. Unless you witnessed their heroic deeds in person, of course. Your perception of them would change."

The redhead stopped to take a breath, "The Council chooses to debate to hide behind closed doors while planets burned. That alone is far worse than anything born of the dark side. Had they felt a proper course of action was needed, they would have done it. If they didn't follow their beliefs with a hardcore mentality. Sometimes a show of force is necessary to persuade an enemy faction to re-enter negotiations. However, they choose not to. Why do you think some Jedi chose to leave the Order? They felt inaction was costing more lives during a time of war. The Order had a very dogmatic view of the Sith. They viewed their ancient enemy as warriors that came up close to your face or cowards of the dark. The Jedi failed to see the Sith had changed. The Sith saw the Jedi as having grown complacent. Not weak but complacent. If you ask me the Sith themselves aren't evil, the dark side makes them evil. Unlike the Jedi, if the Sith felt a proper course of action is needed they will act on it. They aren't going to talk it out. Sacrifices are sometimes required to achieve a goal. The Sith Academy on Korriban had texts and other valuable information regarding Sith history." Alexandra rubs her chin, taking in this new information.

Were the Jedi truly not pure avatars of justice that Ahsoka said they were? Sure, their primary goal was to keep the peace but wanting to commit genocide of an entire species?

Yuna stated, as if reading her pupil's thoughts despite not having the Force, "We may be light Sith, apprentice but that doesn't mean we share the same views as the Jedi Order. Kenta, Alec and myself know when to show force as a means of persuasion and when to show mercy or use diplomacy to achieve victory. The takeaway here is not believe everything you hear."

Somewhat satisfied with the answer, Alexandra said, "We need to find sources of information about Form VII since you never used it in live combat." They hear footsteps and turn their heads to see Kenta and Alec enter the commons.

Kenta told her, "That will be hard, my friend. The Empire has either confiscated or purged information regarding lightsaber combat as a means of thwarting attempts of rebelling against the Empire."

One planet came to Alexandra's mind, "We'll head for the Jedi Temple on Coruscant."

Leliana said, "Are you crazy, Alex? That is the heart of the Empire, not to mention the temple will be crawling with Imperial troopers."

Alexandra replied, "It's the only place that holds what I need. Set course for Coruscant immediately, that's an order."

Leliana leaned against the table resting her chin on her fist as she smirked at Alexandra, "Giving me orders on my ship, you know you're the only person who could get away with that, right? Anyone else would be shot out of the airlock."

The young Sith froze for a second before smiling nervously, "Head to Coruscant, Leliana. Now!" The smuggler leaves for the cockpit and enters the coordinates and pulls the lever back, sending the Forgotten Star into hyperspace. After what seems like ages, the computer lets out a beeping noise, signaling they've arrived at their destination.

Exiting hyperspace, Coruscant appears before them. Leliana activates the ship's stealth system as she begins re-entry procedure, the ship descends through the atmosphere soon the enormous buildings of Imperial Center come into view. Leliana maneuvers ship through the traffic and lands in a clearing.

Winding the engines down, Leliana said, "Well, Alex we're here."

Alexandra asked, "Do you still have those speeder bikes?"

The smuggler shrugged, "Not the ones you remember, but I have new ones...why?"

Alexandra said, "They will be the fastest way to the Jedi Temple. Will you join me, Leliana?" A smile forms on the smuggler's face, happy that she can spend time with the person she fell in love with. She nods automatically.

Yuna placed her hands on her hips, "What does that make us? Chopped liver?"

Alexandra looked at her Sith Master, "If you joined us, the Emperor would sense your presence. Thus, you're best safe here on the ship. Besides, you'll have each other and Violet and Iron to keep you company."

Leliana added, "Do anything to my ship or my droids and I will kill you. Iron and Violet are to keep the ship in total lockdown while I'm away from it, if anything happens I will know."

Yuna raised her hand, "We'll behave, Leliana."

The smuggler nodded, "Good." Walking past them, Alexandra and Leliana head where the speeder bikes are. The rear ramp of the ship lowers and Alexandra carefully drives the speeder bike out. The two put their helmets on.

Leliana asked, "Do you remember how to drive this, Alex?"

The Sith nodded, "Yes." Leliana wraps her arms around Alexandra's waist, the black-haired girl fights to ignore the sensation running through her body.

Leliana chuckled seductively, "What's the matter? Are you that sensitive to my advances, Alex?"

Despite her best efforts, a moan escaped Alexandra's throat, "N-no." She felt Leliana's hand move up her sides that weren't covered by armor, making the girl shiver, "S-stop, Leliana!" The smuggler's hands begin tracing circles around Alexandra's stomach sending jolts of pleasure through her nerves causing Alexandra to clench the control sticks of the speeder bike.

A blush dons Alexandra's cheeks. As the sensations become more intense so did the blush. Clenching her teeth to keep the groans down, Alexandra leans forward the sensations too much for her.

She begged, "Please stop, Leliana. We're in the open."

Leliana grinned, "Why? Did I just find a weak point?"

Alexandra said, "It's embarrassing."

Leliana titled her head, "Oh? Would you prefer this in my quarters?"

Gathering what strength she had left, Alexandra cried, "Damn it, Leliana, stop!" To her relief, the smuggler relents her hands returning to her waist and stayed there.

Leliana said, "Sorry, Alex. You're just so cute I can't help myself."

Alexandra looked at her, "Show some restraint."

A Cheshire grin appeared on Leliana's face, "Trust me I was." Alexandra's heartbeat normalizes and the blush disappears.

Now that she calmed down, Alexandra revs up the engine and steers the vehicle towards the Jedi Temple. They make it halfway into the heart of Imperial Center when they stop at a checkpoint. A pair of Imperial troopers approach them.

The commander ordered, "Let me see your identification." Alexandra decides to use one of the best known Force abilities.

She waved her hand, "You don't need to see our identification."

The trooper said, "We don't need to see your identification."

Alexandra went on, "We're mere visitors to the city."

The commander stated, "They're mere visitors to the city."

Alexandra withheld the urge to grin, "We can go about our business."

The trooper said, "You can go about your business."

Alexandra finished, "Move along."

The trooper gestured with his hand, "Move along." Alexandra resumes driving to the Jedi Temple.

Leliana grinned as they drove off, "Oh the ways I could abuse such a power." 10 minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

Alexandra shuts the engine down and removes her helmet, shaking her black locks before stepping off and sets the helmet on the seat. She next conceals her Force signature to prevent the Emperor from sensing her presence.

Turning around, she saw Leliana's face near hers and the smuggler said, "You have no idea how much I want to kiss you."

Alexandra's cheeks turned red again, "They were weak-minded so it wasn't difficult. Show some restraint, Leliana we're here on a mission."

Leliana playfully pouted, "You're no fun today." They start walking up the stairs, reaching the top they see Imperial troopers guarding it.

Undeterred the smuggler draws her blaster pistols and fires at the troopers near her while Alexandra ignites her lightsaber, running at her targets cutting them down. When the guards are killed, the two enter the Jedi Temple. What they saw sent chills down their spines.

Articulate stone pillars lay on the ground, scorch marks littered the walls indicating a huge raid took place within the temple, the air smelled of ash meaning at some point a fire raged. What had been a structure filled with eons of Jedi history and knowledge became the site of a brutal massacre.

Placing a gloved hand on a cracked, ruined pillar Alexandra asked, "What happened here?"

Leliana clenched her fist, "Order 66." Alexandra turned to her while the smuggler continued, "Someone led the sacking of the Jedi Temple with the clone troopers. What you're seeing is the end result of that order. It was not just here but across the galaxy, Jedi were killed by the clone troopers that fought side by side with them during the Clone Wars. I know this because I was on Cato Neimoidia when Order 66 was issued. In addition to that, I helped the Jedi try to fight back here."

Alexandra dared to ask, "Who issued the order?"

Leliana said, "Chancellor Palpatine aka the Emperor, Darth Sidious, whichever you prefer. He was the Sith Lord the Jedi had been searching for. He orchestrated everything including the Clone Wars. A Jedi who I befriended and still am sensed the executions taking place. If we see the Emperor, he's a dead man." Taking a moment to regain her composure she said, "Come on, let's find the information about Form VII you seek and get out of here." She along with Alexandra walk through the hallways of the Jedi Temple.

Reaching the Jedi Archives they see shelves that once held holobooks now lay in pieces, no doubt part of the raid. They split up to speed up their search, journeying to the upper floors. Alexandra enters the hallway that housed holocrons, she didn't know why but the Sith apprentice felt compelled to search here. Alexandra's eyes scan the room looking for anything that contained information about the lightsaber form she wanted to learn. She doesn't see any holocron in sight but then the black-haired girl sees a holocron hovering in front of her. It wasn't cubical in shape like the typical Jedi holocron, it was in a configuration that Alexandra can't identify. It was either sheer luck or a Jedi defended the holocron with his or her last breath. Walking forward Alexandra reaches out to grasp the object.

A voice asked, "You found something?" Alexandra jumps and whips around to see Leliana standing there.

Alexandra said, "Don't do that!"

Leliana brushed it off, "Anyway did you find something that'll help you?" Nodding Alexandra showed her the holocron she found, "Cool. Let's get out of here, please. This place is bringing back horrible memories." They head for the exit of the Jedi Archives little do they know they aren't alone.

Elsewhere in the temple, a tall figure standing 6'8 clad head to toe in black armor searches for the disturbance he sensed moments ago. His respirator produces a cold mechanical sound that reverberates through the air.

This was Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith.

His head moves from side to side until his cybernetic enhanced hearing detects footsteps and heads directly at the source.

Leliana and Alexandra are near the exit when Alexandra stops, detecting a presence.

Leliana noticed the young Sith standing there, "What's wrong?"

Alexandra said, "We're not alone."

Leliana asked skeptically, "How? There's no one here besides us. Maybe your imagination is playing tricks on you."

Alexandra shook her head, "No, somebody is here. Whoever it is, they're extremely powerful." At that moment a noise the young Sith would never forget reaches her ears, turning around Alexandra sees a tall specter walking out of the shadows of the temple.

Leliana wondered, "Who is that?"

Warning alarms rang through Alexandra's mind, "This must be the Darth Vader that Twi'lek Dark Jedi was talking about. The dark side is strong with him." Even though they can't see his face, the duo can feel Vader's piercing eyes gazing over them.

He said, "You're either brave or foolish to come here." The deep, bass, mechanical tone in his voice made the Dark Lord more intimidating as he stared at Alexandra, "The Force is strong with you, young one. I couldn't detect your presence. However, you've only begun tapping into your power. Join me and I will complete your training. Together we can bring order to the galaxy."

Leliana yelled, "Like hell Alex would ever join you!"

Vader directed his gaze at the smuggler, "Leliana Ashford. You are still alive."

The smuggler spat, "Glad to see I'm famous. How the hell do you know who I am?!"

Alexandra held out her arm, "Calm down, Leliana. He's trying to get inside your head."

Darth Vader spotted the holocron on Alexandra's belt, "You have something that doesn't belong to you. Return it at once."

Alexandra declined, "I can't do that."

Vader said, "Then I'll pry it from your dead body." He draws his lightsaber, a red blade emerges while Alexandra ignites hers.

Alexandra makes the first move throwing a Force push that Vader blocks with ease and retaliates with a Force push of his own sending Alexandra flying through pillars, the Sith rolls on the floor until she comes to a stop. Groaning Alexandra struggles to get up having not seen that kind of power before.

'He's nothing like the Dark Jedi we encountered during the attack on Kuat.' She thought, getting to her feet.

Standing on wobbly legs, Alexandra looks through blurry vision Darth Vader deflecting shots from Leliana's DL-18 blister pistols, one bolt strikes her in the chest though the armor in her flak jacket softened the impact. She takes aim but then finds herself being choked by some invisible hand.

Darth Vader said, "It is pointless to resist."

Fighting through asphyxiation, Leliana throws a fragment grenade that Vader catches with the Force and crushes it. With a wave of his hand, the Dark Lord throws Leliana across the hallway. Pain hits Leliana after feeling her back collide with the pillar, looking up she sees Vader standing over her and raised his lightsaber to deliver the killing blow. Refusing to die the smuggler aims her blaster pistol when Vader blocks a strike from Alexandra.

The Sith Lord thwarts every strike launched by his opponent, sidestepping a jab Vader grabs Alexandra's wrist squeezing it that made her release her lightsaber and throws Alexandra across the hallway. Sensing danger he whips around, pinning Leliana to a pillar with the Force.

He taunted, "You underestimate the power of the dark side." He starts manipulating the knife in Leliana's hand toward her throat despite the smuggler's efforts to prevent it.

Darth Vader detects his second opponent approaching and blocks her attack with his red lightsaber and kicks her in the stomach. Saliva explodes from Alexandra's mouth. She felt like she got hit by a speeder. Gritting her teeth, Alexandra rubs her stomach.

She raises her lightsaber to thwart an overhead chop, the sheer power of it made the black-haired Sith stagger on her feet. Directing her gaze at the soulless lens of the Sith Lord's mask, Alexandra charges. She finds herself on the defense as Vader hammers the Sith apprentice with crushing power attacks. Alexandra ducks to prevent her head being chopped off then jumps to save her feet.

Leliana watches Alexandra and Vader clash blades, scenarios running through her head until she concluded they have to retreat. Darth Vader was too powerful in the Force, more skilled with the lightsaber and his cybernetic enhanced strength meant he could crush their throats with his hands if he wished.

Pulling out her communicator Leliana said, "Violet, come in. Violet, come in, this is Leliana!"

Violet answered, "What can I do for you, Leliana?"

The smuggler ordered, "Have Iron direct the Forgotten Star towards the entrance of the Jedi Temple."

Darth Vader enters a saber lock with Alexandra but the Sith Lord was too strong and backhands the younger Sith, the metal of his prosthetic hand making the hit more painful. Keeping his eyes on Alexandra Vader uses the Force to launch pillars at her. The first gets cut in half, the second comes at her quicker than the first, Alexandra thwarts it. The third pillar strikes her in the chest sending her flying past Leliana and stopping mere inches from the top step of the temple. Vader deflects the bolts shot by Leliana, the smuggler barely dodges them knowing how fatal blaster bolts are.

Getting back up, Alexandra executes a Force push that her foe blocks. She throws a charged Force push at Darth Vader, sending him to the ground. Directing her gaze at a pillar above the Sith Lord, Alexandra focuses on it, a faint rumbling sounds and the pillars cracks. Vader turns his head to see the pillar coming down on him and raises his gloved hand, using the Force to soften the impact. The pillar falls on top of him.

The Forgotten Star lands at the bottom step of the temple and the ramp lowers, Alexandra and Leliana move toward the ramp when the pillar starts rising turning around they see Darth Vader emerge unharmed, he then drops the pillar behind him as if taunting them.

Alexandra said, "What will it take to keep this guy down?"

Leliana replied, "Don't know but retreat would be a good idea." The two run down the steps while Vader watches them from the top.

Reaching ground level, Alexandra runs up the ramp as Leliana steers the speeder bike into the compartment housing the bikes. Once that was complete, Leliana runs up the ramp herself, raising it and dashes to the cockpit hopping into the pilot seat and steers the Forgotten Star.

Once the freighter reaches a safe distance, Alexandra falls into the seat in the commons wincing every time she took a breath. It's obvious she cracked some ribs from that kick Vader hit her with. She detaches the holocron from her belt and places it on the table.

Kenta asked, "You okay, apprentice?"

Alexandra said, "No, I have some cracked ribs. Turns out we weren't alone in the Jedi Temple."

Yuna blinked in surprise, "You weren't?"

Alexandra shook her head, "No. We encountered Darth Vader, a Sith Lord."

Alec said, "Really?"

Leliana joined them in the commons, "Yeah, should've seen him. He was covered head to toe in black armor and hooked up to a respirator, I guess at one point he suffered injuries so severe he needed to wear that armor to survive. He was nothing like the Sith Lord I faced, Count Dooku."

Alexandra nodded, "He was extremely powerful in the Force and skilled with the lightsaber. His lightsaber form was obviously Djem So but he didn't use Form V exclusively. He used elements from the other lightsaber forms as well. His power attacks were ruthless. His physical strikes weren't any better, they had more power behind them."

Kenta said, "Cybernetic augmentation most likely. They're useful when a person suffers severe injuries like you stated, Leliana."

The smuggler sighed, "He fought us like we were amateurs."

Alexandra said, "We need help to take down such a powerful adversary."

Leliana replied, "I know one. There is no one who wants to see the Empire burn more than him. The tricky part is finding him."

Yuna asked, "Where do you think this person would be at?"

Leliana told her, "Anywhere with a high concentration of Imperial troops, at the moment the Core Worlds are our best bet to find him. At the same time, there are too many planets so we can't go searching blindly." She tapped her blaster pistols, "This is going to be fun."

Just then Violet walked in, "Excuse me, Leliana but you have an incoming transmission from 'Frequency Echo'." Alexandra sees Leliana's face darken and was about to ask what the droid meant when the smuggler rushes to the cockpit, knowing who's trying to contact her.

She activated the holocommunicator, "What is it, Hondo?" The Weequay space pirate's holographic image appears.

He sighed in relief, "Woo, I'm glad this frequency works, we never had to use it before."

Leliana nodded, "Emergencies only. What happened?"

Hondo said, "That Mandalorian friend of yours is here." The fiery redhead Mandalorian, Bo-Katan Kryze steps into view.

She began, "Ashford, I had no other way of contacting you. We need your help at once, your Jedi friend is in danger. The one we helped on Coruscant."

Leliana gasped, "Leon. I'm on my way, where are you?"

Bo-Katan replied, "Florrum. I'll tell you everything when you get here." The transmission ends afterward.

Typing in the coordinates, Leliana activates the hyperdrive that will take them to Florrum.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination.

Bringing the Forgotten Star down for a landing, the crew disembark and make their toward Hondo's fortress. Entering they move for the central meeting room.

Upon arrival, they're greeted by Bo-Katan and the fiery redhead explained, "Thanks for coming, Leliana. The Empire forced control of Mandalore from me and my group, Nite Owls and myself were about to be executed before someone saved us. He led us to a spaceport, gave us a ship and held off the enemy while we escaped. Just before we left, our rescuer revealed himself to be Leon."

Leliana said, "So he's on Mandalore. Well, he's not dead it's impossible to kill that guy. And I really doubt he's been captured either."

Bo-Katan looked at her, "He said the ship's hyperdrive was already programmed to take us somewhere safe and to wait until the time was right."

Hondo nodded, taking over, "The boy said the same to me. That is one of my ships. He appeared one day in another shuttle that was beaten up and offered me a large sum of credits for one of my own, even threw the shuttle in as extra, an Imperial shuttle with some fine goods in it."

Leliana asked, "Where's he at?"

The Weequay space pirate rubbed his chin, "Not sure but I'm taking a guess here and say he's on Mandalore."

Leliana shook his hand, "Thank you for you the information." She looked at Bo-Katan next, "Take care, beautiful. Sometime you, me and Alex will have a girl's night out after this nightmare's over."

A blush formed on Bo-Katan's face, "Y-yeah. I wish you the best of luck finding him. And watch yourself, the Empire has beefed up security ever since your little stunt on Kuat."

The smuggler gave her the two fingered salute, "I've faced worse." The group returns to the Forgotten Star and Leliana sets course for Mandalore.

Alexandra asked, "So this Leon character is the Jedi you were talking about earlier?"

Leliana nodded with a grin, "Yep. He'll prove a powerful ally." While the freighter travels through hyperspace, Alexandra activates the holocron she retrieved at the Jedi Temple.

The device contained enormous wealth of knowledge including wars she never heard about and one entry caught her eye, pressing the button a holographic projection of a male Human Jedi Master appears.

The Jedi had a dark complexion to his skin, equally dark eyes and had a calm yet stoic aura around him.

Leliana recognized the man, "That's Mace Windu!"

Alexandra asked her, "You know this man?"

Leliana replied, "I met him a few times. He's...an interesting person." They watch the holographic Jedi Master explain Vaapad, a variation of the dangerous Juyo.

Windu said, "With Vaapad, I transform my inner darkness into a weapon of the light. It's said a Vaapad user was moving so fast they appeared to be wielding multiple lightsabers at once and attacking from every angle, the moves flowing one to the next with liquid precision. Vaapad is more than a fighting style, it's a state of mind. It drives the wielder through the penumbra of the dark side of the Force. In addition to requiring the user to enjoy the thrill of battle, the user would accept the fury of an opponent, becoming one half of a 'superconducting loop', the other half being your opponent. Vaapad users would feed off the enemy's aggression and using it against them. In practical terms, allowing the dark side of the Force to flow through the Vaapad user without touching him. The two maneuvers of the style were the Swift Flank, which was a rapid dash around and behind an opponent before making a quick strike, obviously intended to catch the enemy off-guard. The Tempered Aggression allowed easier control over the aggressive nature of Vaapad without falling to the dark side. The hazards Vaapad possessed requires a great deal of mental discipline." They next watch him go through the lightsaber sequences.

Leliana sees Alexandra devouring the information.

The Forgotten Star lets out a notification that they arrived at Mandalore.

Setting the ship down, Leliana sees Bo-Katan wasn't kidding about the Empire forcing control of the planet.

Stepping off the Forgotten Star the gang heads into the city in search of Leon. As they wander through the streets the Mandalorians give them curious looks with wariness mixed in, unsure if they were affiliated with the Empire.

Tapping a random citizen Leliana asked him, "Excuse me, have you seen a person named Leon Solstice?"

The man shook his head, "No, I've never heard of the guy, lady. Sorry."

Leliana said, "Thank you. Have a good day." They continue searching for five minutes when Leliana decides to stop at a local cantina for a short break.

Kenta commented, "This Leon is proving to be elusive."

The smuggler responded, "That or wrecking Imperial property." As if some voice from above heard her, Leliana's ears pick up the sound of a fire speeder rushing past them and toward a base. Curious, Leliana leads the group up to the roof of the cantina to get a better view. Reaching the roof they see a cloud of smoke in the sunset sky. The group follows the fire speeder and spots an Imperial patrol closing off the area.

Behind the patrol are bodies of stormtroopers. Some were missing heads, some had stab marks in chests indicating a lightsaber pierced the armor. In addition to the corpses, the base sustained massive damage.

Leliana and the others watch the fire speeder fly over the base and opens the hoses up, spraying water onto the blaze.

In her mind the smuggler knows this was Leon's doing.

The stormtrooper commander saw them and ordered, "There's nothing to see here, move along." Satisfied with the survey, the group resumes searching for Leon.

As they continue their search, Leliana realizes how difficult it was to find her friend. Deciding they'll have better luck finding him tomorrow they return to Leliana's ship. Reaching the Forgotten Star, she notices the ramp was down.

Leliana furrowed her brows, she remembers raising it before heading out. That meant she had an intruder on her ship, grabbing her blaster pistols Leliana walks up the ramp. Stepping inside the smuggler looks both directions while aiming her DL-18s in front of her.

Alexandra asked, "Something wrong, Leliana?" The smuggler hushes her.

Suddenly a smell permeates the air. It smelled...good and coming from the kitchen.

Arriving at the said location Leliana spots a Human male finish up making a sandwich and stew.

Leliana reprimanded, "You do know sneaking on my ship without permission is bad for your health."

The intruder turned around, "What? No 'Hello Leon, how you've been?' or 'What have you been up to?' I'm hurt, Leliana." Alexandra and her Sith Masters take in the Human's appearance.

He stood 6'1, around Alexandra's age of 19, black hair that reached his shoulders, icy blue eyes, lightly tanned skin and average athletic build. His current attire consisted of a white sleeveless jacket left unzipped without an undershirt, revealing his bare torso, long black leather pants and matching heavy combat boots.

Leon continued, "By the way, your kitchen sucks. I did what I could with what you had, but there's only so much you can do with such poor quality ingredients." He tasted the stew he made and grimaced, "God that sucks." He looked back at Leliana, "You don't even have any good spices, how do you eat any of this?"

Alexandra asked Leliana, "So this is your Jedi friend?"

Leon directed his gaze at her, "Leon Solstice, ex-Jedi, self-proclaimed ladies man and hopeless romantic. Pleased to meet you." He took in the young Sith's body, "I must say, you look hot in that armor."

Leliana said, "Still the same flirt."

Alexandra cleared her throat, "Hello, Leon I'm Alexandra Wolf. These are my Sith Masters Kenta Stone, Yuna Rose and Alec Sunrider." That ends up being a mistake because the next thing Alexandra sees is her masters pinned to the wall via Force grip. The three Sith struggle to break free.

Leliana jumped in front of Leon raising her hands, "Please put them down, Leon. I will not tolerate violence on my ship. Those three aren't like the Emperor."

Leon nodded in a doubtful manner, "Uh-huh, sure and I'm Jubba the Hutt." He tightened his grip on them, "What are these Sith here?" Leliana can see Leon was threatening to strangle Alexandra's masters.

The smuggler said, "I will explain, Leon just release them." She moved closer, "Please."

Leon glared at the three Sith, surprisingly they haven't tried to fight back against his grip, instead they were calm, "There better be a damn good reason for this." He releases them and returns to the stew he was making.

Leliana looked at him, "No fighting on my ship." She next looked at the Sith, "The same goes for the three of you. We'll sort this out when we're somewhere safe." She heads for the cockpit to get the Forgotten Star off Mandalore.

Later that day, Leon shows off his skills as a cook. The resulting dinner he whipped up surprise the four Sith but not Leliana as she expected nothing less. While the crew eats, Leon keeps his distance at the other side of the room continuing to glare at the Sith as he ate alone.

After dinner, Alexandra has another training session with her Masters before the crew decides to call it a night save for Leliana and Leon, the latter expressing doubts about her other crew members.

Leon said, "This ain't a good idea letting those Sith on this ship, Leliana. They'll cast you aside once you outlived your usefulness."

Leliana placed a hand on her hip, "I shared you thoughts initially but I'm giving Kenta, Yuna and Alec a chance."

The ex-Jedi said, "You're treading dangerous territory. The Sith are power hungry, bloodthirsty tyrants who will manipulate to achieve their ends. And once they reach those ends they'll kill you."

Leliana retorted, "I don't need a lecture, Leon. If Kenta, Yuna or Alec hurt Alex, they will regret it."

Leon said, "Don't say I didn't warn you if they stab you in the back." He turned around, "Since you came to Mandalore that means you got my message, it's time to take the Empire down. I'll set up residence in the back of the ship, keep those Sith away from me and we won't have any problems, but know this." He turned back to her, "If they try anything, if for even a second they act suspicious I will kill them."

Leliana said, "Leon." The ex-Jedi looked over his shoulder to see the smuggler giving him a warning glare, "Say what you want about the other three, but if you hurt Alex, friend or not you will answer to me. That's a promise. Don't forget it."

Leon waved it off, "Whatever you say, Leliana." As he walks away, he can feel Leliana's eyes boring a hole in his head as if reinforcing her warning.

When he disappears from sight Leliana heads for the cockpit, making herself comfortable in the pilot seat the smuggler looks out the window.

She said to herself, "This is the beginning of the end for the Empire. Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, get ready. You're about to face a group of people with the balls to fight you." Closing her eyes Leliana drifts off into sleep.

A/N: Chapter 6 done.

Yuna expressed her opinion about the Jedi Order and why she didn't hold them in high regard to Alexandra.

Leliana did a little flirting with Alexandra.

They next went to the Jedi Temple to retrieve information about Juyo that Alexandra wanted to learn but instead found a holocron describing Vaapad before encountering Darth Vader. The Sith Lord practically owned them. Realizing they couldn't win against him, they retreated.

Finally they meet Leon Solstice, the person causing havoc on the Empire. Will it be a good idea to have him or big mistake?

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Stay tuned for Chapter 7.

Vader 23A