My nose itched.

I wiggled it, my eyes still closed, still caught halfway between dreams and reality; the persistent itch just wouldn't go away. Nothing for it then but a good scratch.

I moved my arm... which was stopped by something.

Oh great. That just figures. Always happens that your nose itches when you can't scratch it.

WHA--?!?

My eyes jerked open with the realization that my range of motion was severely limited by... something. Directly in front of me... a cold, durasteel wall. Beneath my knees...

My KNEES?! What in Hell's Seven Circles was I doing on my knees?!

...an equally cold and unfeeling durasteel deck.

I jerked fully awake as I finally took in my current predicament. I was draped on my knees, my hands cuffed together, then likewise cuffed to a small hook that was about half a meter above my head. Around me came the deep bass thrumming of a ship in hyperdrive... a ship that I had a sinking sensation I had never seen before in my life. I just knew that if I craned my head around, the gut feeling that I wasn't aboard the Hornett any longer would be fully justified.

I took a breath, braced myself. Craned my head... then heaved a sigh. If it wasn't for the fact that my life was probably in the direst of danger yet again, this all might actually be funny. I mean, a person can only be yanked from hearth and home so many times before becoming accustomed to the consistent change of scenery... Of COURSE I wasn't on the Hornett any longer! Why for all the Treasure on Roon would I be cuffed on the Hornett?

CUFFED?!?

I shook my head. Careful, ol girl; don't lose it now. Then I slowly climbed to my feet, to give my arms-- which I suddenly realized were aching like blazes-- a modicum of relief as my weight was removed from them. I turned sideways to look and see where in the universe I was now.

A small yet sleekly efficient ship. It looked vaguely like a lambda... yet somewhat like an interceptor. I was stuck toward the back of a central cabin which, from the looks of the dials and lights I could see farther ahead of me, I took to be the command center. A few rows of seats marched forward, each one facing a console on which lights blinked and flashed a merry dance. All were empty, save for one seat farthest from me.

The gentle being manning that seat must have heard the rustling noises I made as I came round; slowly, he got to his feet to face me, his trenchcoat cloaking him like furled wings.

His odd green and brown eyes stared directly into mine...

...which I closed. Oh dear Khaandon, here we go again....

I opened my eyes, and managed to flash a shaky grin at the man. "Hello, Admiral," I began, my voice full of bravado I was actually far from feeling at the time. "I suppose this means I'm not going to get my suite back...."

Tarian Slonaz was a Tarloc, a green fleshed, short, pudgy humanoid species. Tarian was the warden of one of the NR prisons on Coruscant. He had known Admiral Actar since the fall of the Empire, but never took an active role against the Rebellion, hence the reason he was warden of a NR Prison.

"Tarian, I need to speak with you imediatelty, I'll be landing shortly," the Admiral said to the hologram figure in fron of him, not wasting any time on "hellos".

"Why, Admiral, I'd be very happy to have you. May I ask why?" He said with a very strong accent. (I can hear it in my head, but don't know what origin to say it sounds like )

"No, I'll meet you in a few minutes, we'll discuss it then," Actar replied, and turned the hologram off. He looked back at Galen, then sat down at the controls and headed for the southern half of the planet.

He landed on a landing platform that sunk back inside of the prison. It was used mainly for transporting prisoners, so that they would never see daylight. Actar exited his ship pulling Galen by the middle of her binders. He was greeted by Tarian, who came out of what looked like a guard's station next to the landing platform.

"Admiral! I'm so glad to see you in person, it's been so long...uh, wh-who is this?" Tarian said gesturing to Galen.

"This," Actar said, pulling Galen forward for Tarian to see her better, "is why I've come. I need you to take her."

Tarian looked to Galen, then back to Actar, "You want me to hold her in the prison? Why, she looks weak, I don't think she could survive, unless.....that's what you want?"

"No, she must survive. She cannot be in the general population, give her her own cell, you will be paid generously." Actar answered.

"Well...I suppose I can do that, for you. We'll have to register her though, I can't give her a cell without registering her, it would look too suspicious. Come...we'll set it up." He turned towards two guards standing near the door he had come out of earlier and motioned to them to come and said, "Take her! Put her in level 23 cell block A A-thirteen." The two guards ran over and grabbed Galen by the arms and took her away. "Admiral, if you'll come with me, we can register her."

"No, I can't stay, I thank you for what you've done, I owe you greatly." the Admiral said and reached out his hand to shake Tarian's.

Tarian shook it and said, "But, what shall I put in as her name in the registration?"

Actar thought for a moment, "Jharmeen, put her name as Jharmeen. Now, I must go, I'll contact you later about payment, make sure she doesn't die, Tarian." He turned and boarded his ship. Tarian turned and walked back to the room he came from before and muttered to himself, "Jharmeen, what kind of name is that. With a name like that you'd think she was a-a hutt or something more primitive. Heh, Jharmeen."

They knew Actar was headed this way. It was the only possible route. But if they were wrong, and the ship hadn’t been seen...

“Captain?” one of the deck officers called as he entered the command area. Terrin tried to ignore the fact this guy was one of the comm officers.

Please let this be a good sign, Terrin couldn’t help but thinking as he walked over to the comm officer and quirked an eyebrow at him.

“We have a lock on the ship you told us to seek for. We have an atmospheric disturbance that suggests it just came out of hyperspace.”

“Good. Jasyn, is the ship ready?”

The other man nodded. “Warmed and waiting.”

Leaving Aaron to keep charge and Matt to keep an eye on logistics, Terrin and Jasyn headed for a small shuttle that Aaron had designed and modified himself. The thing had no hyperdrive at all, and could barely seat four people—the pilot and one passenger in the front row and two more passengers in the back--without them being packed together. The little shuttle had two laser cannons on the corners of the forward hull, of what very little of that even existed. Between the two laser cannons sat one torpedo launcher which housed a whopping one torpedo to launch. The ship was certainly not designed for warfare, but rather for stealth. And when one is following the trail of a nasty, they need all the stealth they can get.

Strapping into the pilot’s seat, Terrin waited for Jasyn to get situated in the back with his sensors. With a ship as small as this one, the thing didn’t come with much in the way of scouting devices, so they had to bring their own. Terrin frankly hated piloting the thing, and would have said as much had his mind not been so focused on one thing.

Something in his gut told him he could get her back.

He moved the little shuttle into the docking bay air and out into the realspace just near Coruscant. The ship that they all thought was Actar's had come out of hyperspace just behind them; if Terrin had moved fast enough the Admiral just might fly right by him.

They were in luck. Just as Terrin established orbit, the strange ghost trail of the ship that Actar had been flying shot past them, and appeared to be heading for an entry window within the southern hemisphere. Terrin followed the trail down to the planet, staying after it until it stopped then settling the ship a bit away from where the Admiral had hopefully landed. As he popped the hatch—the only one the ship had-above his head, people wandering the streets of Coruscant stopped and actually stared.

Terrin had to grin just a bit about that as he worked his way out of the ship, pratically falling out of it after getting his foot caught in the “leg room” he was so ungenerously granted. He then turned to Jasyn, who was now outside the shuttle as well, checking out a sensor. “Do you have a lock on her?”

“Definitely,” Jasyn said, nodding has he readjusted his blaster.

“Okay, lead the way,” Terrin said, waving a hand out as he stepped to the side. They headed through a rather slummy looking part of Coruscant, Jasyn using a “people detector” of sorts to track a body type that matched the person they hoped they were following. The gadget worked about ninety-five percent of the time, and if it didn’t this time, Terrin didn’t know what he was going to do. But they did know Actar was in the area, so that along with the sensor should be enough to confirm.

Suddenly as they were walking a ship blasted past. Terrin glanced up and froze. “Damn!” he muttered.

Jasyn stopped a moment to turn and look quizzically at him. He just pointed to the sky helplessly, where that same damnable ship was flying once again.

“No, I swear, she’s still here,” Jasyn said quietly.

Here...where the hell was here on Coruscant anyway? This place was a dump...

...No, this place was an NR prison facility.

Terrin frowned, still standing dead still. How the hell were they going to get her out of this...???

I sighed a bit to myself, keeping up the "weak little female" charade I had put on ever since I found myself cuffed and kneeling on the deck of that sleek little ship Actar flew. No sense shattering his apparently naive assumption that I was anything otherwise. Actually, though, I was having problems with how Actar was treating me. Outside of being his prisoner, of course.

Didn't he remember what I'd done before? I mulled to myself as, having delineated his instructions to this charming personage into whose loving paws I was delivered, he turned and strode off.

Well... maybe he had a short memory. Or maybe he thought his rendering me unconscious had indeed weakened me more than I thought. And maybe it did, for that matter. But I was a firm believer in the old saw, "Mind over matter;" and right now I had a mind for nothing other than getting away.

Again.

Now I directed my mind to focus on the problem at hand. It churned rapidly as we strode along, weighing the pros and cons of my situation.

Ok. I'm inside a facility somewhere, haven't a clue where. That's going to make it difficult to be picked up. For all I knew I was somewhere like Hoth, which was more than a mere skip away from where I parted from Terrin's fleet. That could mean once I got away, I'd have to keep an alert eye peeled for possibly quite some time.

This I can do. And all signals come from an easily traceable source. Once I managed to send out an SOS, my location would be pinpointed. Problem One resolved.

The fact that I had been slowing my pace a bit as I mulled was brought to me quite clearly as the guard behind me poked me viciously in the back with his blaster rifle. "Hey, move along there!" he growled in an uncompromising tone of voice.

I muttered something unintelligible back at him. My thoughts were much more distinct.

Oh buddy, just you wait....

Quickening my steps, I went back to plotting, keenly aware of the dwindling time I had. If I didn't make a move soon, I'd find myself inside a cell, and I knew escape from that would be practically impossible. The fact that Actar wasn't personally accompanying me to that cell was still glaring in my mind's eye.

I can't believe he just dumped me like this and took off. It's almost like he wants me to escape. Does he have some other agenda I was unaware of, and by taking my leave of this inhospitable place would I be unwittingly playing into his hands?

I pursed my lips with a frown, unconsciously slowing once more. Be that as it may, there was no way I was going to hang around here for him to possibly yank me away and take somewhere else. Maybe he was trying to set up a false trail...

Another poke in the back brought me out of my reveries once again. I blinked, drawing in a slight breath.

Now was the time to count up the pros involved. Such as the fact that I was with a mere two guards, one now behind me, the other leading the way, both having positioned themselves in this manner as we left Actar, presumably so I could be kept under tabs by the blaster rifle held by the one at my back. I fought down a little grin; I just loved blaster rifles....

I tried to make my voice as humble as I could. "I-- I'm hurrying as fast as I can," I whined, turning my head slightly to face the guard behind me. He didn't look like he was buying this. I hurried on, "You try getting Force blasted, then travel gods know how many lightyears on your knees, buster!" I ended that with a little artistic tremor; the guard's face merely darkened as thoughts of what he would love to be doing at the moment ran rampant across his face. Then my eyes travelled beyond him, to the corridor we had just traversed.

Fairly empty; the last people we had passed turning down an intersecting one even as I watched. Good.

I jerked my head forward, only my eyes moving now as I glanced sideways, thus managing in but a few seconds to get a firm grip on my bearings. We were rapidly approaching another intersecting corridor... and the smug guard leading the way had yet to so much as turn to even acknowledge me. As we passed that corridor I tilted my face down to my feet, turning my head slightly from side to side in feigned despair. Once agian my eyes were busy: that corridor, filled with twin marching rows of cell doors, was devoid of life as well. Only a tiny messenger droid blurbled its way on some errand or another.

Now or never, ol' girl. Time to earn Terrin's pride in you....

With startling suddenness, I whirled and executed a flawless reverse side kick to the guard behind me. I was short... he was tall. The kick was exquisitely aimed directly beneath that blasted blaster...

He immediately dropped his rifle, clutching bodily parts most valuable to him as with a crossing of eyes and an explosive exhalation of breath he fell to his knees. I didn't leave him in misery long, but followed that kick with a scissors one that caught him on his jaw and snapped back his head. He fell over like a sack of yesterday's laundry.

Stupid, stupid, not to have full body armor. Dumb NR... get a clue from the Impys willya, sheesh!

I scarcely acknowledged my own thought, but kept in motion. Without looking I just knew that the forward guard was turning around in surprise, the blaster in his hands pointed at my back. I whirled about, planting both my hands on that weapon, gripping it as closely to him as I could.

His eyes widened in surprise... and something approximating a touch of approval. I didn't even try to figure it out, but kept my momentum going. Pushing in toward him and upward, I made a little bridge out of his arms through which I quickly ducked, never releasing my deathgrip on that rifle. The unfortunate guard now found himself with his arm twisted about and raised over his head, the wrists bending more and more in a direction not designed by Nature. With a small grunt, he released the rifle...

...the butt of which I promptly slammed into his temple. He too fell like a slaughtered nerf.

The entire episode took maybe 15 seconds to play out. Hmmm... you're slowing down, ol gal, I murmured to myself as I quickly took stock of my situation.

Corridor; empty and quiet. Khaandon knew for how long, however; quickly kneeling to the guard at my feet I located the keys to my binders and soon freed myself. Then, after appropriating one of their weapons, I took off running down the corridor.

No sense trying to be stealthy, kiddo; no time for that. And into what shadows are you gonna hide anyway? This place is nothing but a metal maze. I followed that maze, feeling more and more like a laboratory rat, holding my breath, blasting at random whatever spycams and personages I happened across in my bid for freedom, not caring at the number of bodies I was leaving piled behind me.

Suddenly klaxons began blaring, echoing loudly in the confines of the facility. Oh, great. This just keeps on getting better and better.

Desperate now, my eyes darting everywhere, I wondered where in Hell's Seven Circles I was gonna go now...

...and then I saw it. A maintenance hatch set in the wall. No time for niceties; I slammed it with the butt of the blaster until it creaked obligingly open. Behind it were the sinuous forms of a worrt's nest of pipes.

Water conduits! I was in luck!

Shimmying in, I took momentary pains to pull the hatch closed behind me, making certain it was flush with the walls. Then I began the fastest and longest belly-crawl of my life. The pipes went on interminably, each painful and highly confined meter bringing the haunting shadow of imminent discovery. Whether in my favor or that of the NR guys, only Khaandon knew.

Once more I was in luck. Ahead of me now, the pipes merged almost seamlessly into a metal wall, and I had a good idea as to what lay on it's other side. Pipes have to enter a facility from somewhere.... I didn't pause to think, but aimed the blaster and nailed the wall. The pipes glowed from the heat of that blast as a hole opened beside them... a hole through which I saw the loveliest vision of my life.

A duracrete walkway, and light rapidly dimming as somewhere far above the sun was beginning to set over this part of the planet-wide city.

I shimmied rapidly through the hole, paused but a moment to gather my bearings, and took off running into the encroaching twilight. Khaandon knows where I was and where I'd end up, but at least being on the right side of that facility gave me a good head start on success.

I'm not going to waste the opportunity, either! I vowed firmly as I merged into the shadows and was gone.

"Terrin!" he whispered intensely. "She's moving."

"Wha--?"

Before he could get another word out, alarm klaxons within and without the prison facility began to blare. His eyes widened a bit. "Maybe she..."

"No time to discuss this with commitee," Jasyn countered, cutting him off. Then, eyeing his sensor once more he added, "Com'n!"

With that they scurried out into the dimness of Coruscant sunset, following the body signature that had been appropriated from the log of the K'eel Doban scout ship. As they moved, Terrin recalled how much he hated Coruscant--it was nothing but a place of mazing streets and pathways, and this portion of the city-planet was nothing short of a ghetto.

As the sky began to darken more, Terrin could see Jasyn's sensor seem to pick up more and more data as they moved, until it became lit so much with life that he began to ignore the data stream and look forward.

To see a familiar figure a few meters before them, running rapidly away...

Jasyn quickened the pace, and quickened even more. Finally they were in close enough range that Terrin could reach out a hand.

She whirled, and he forgot for a moment that she was probably running for her life and had no idea who was trailing her. In fact, he hadn't considered that perhaps their following her might put her senses on even higher alert. But somehow, after the initial shock of someone coming in contact with her, she seemed to calm.

"It's me, Terrin," he whispered, giving her a moment more to recover.

Jasyn stood back, but quietly interjected, "We've gotta move, now. Patrol is surely on the lookout."

Without another single word, the group retraced their tracks quickly, carefully making sure to avoid the prison facility as much as possible. As they neared it, however, a patrol officer spotted them. Terrin tensed.

"Act casual," Jasyn muttered, as the officer approached, clearly recognizing Galen. Jasyn was actually leading them to play along. This was going to be fun.

"Can I see some identification?" the guard muttered, eyeing Galen suspiciously.

This was when he wished he could use the Force and reply with the wave of his hand, "You don't need to see any identification..."

Instead, he made to go for his I.D. in a pocket, and Jasyn did much the same. Only instead of reaching his hand back out of his jumpsuit pocket to present identification, Jasyn returned it with a blaster which was quickly fired with no sound--a modification only a combat specialist might think of.

From the looks of the shot, the guy wouldn't be recovering. Ever.

The group immediately got on the move once again, this time the pace quickening to almost a dead run. The next few minutes were a blur, and Terrin was frankly surprised they had no more pursuers and no more distractions.

The New Republic was REALLY too trusting. Especially in a place such as Coruscant.

Everyone crammed back in the small shuttle, which only took a moment to warm up since there really wasn't much to the engine anyway, Terrin headed up to the Lexus, which was thankfully still awaiting their return unharmed. As he settled the ridiculously little transport back into the hanger of the Imperial Class Star Destroyer, Jasyn commed Aaron, who was waiting on the command deck.

"Aaron, we're in. Get us out of here," he said.

As Terrin shut the few systems down the ship had and popped the hatch, the Lexus made a smooth jump into hyperspace.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, he stumbled out of the transport again and helped Galen out of the quirky little ship, wrapping arms around her as if to make sure she really was with him. Jasyn remained in the "backseat" a bit longer before he exited, collecting the things he'd brought along before getting out.

Smiling a bit, he gave Terrin a quick saluate. "Catch you later on deck, now that you are going to be a wanted man."

As Jasyn walked away, Terrin shuddered just a bit. As if he weren't already wanted for another certain atrocity he had recently committed. But at least he knew the Nar Khelba was still safely in their hands.

He released his grip upon her, at last draping an arm around her as they proceeded out of the hanger of the in-transit ship. Suddenly curious, he glanced over at her and said, smiling just a bit, "I don't know how you managed to get out of that one Sweetheart, but you never cease to amaze me..."

He was happy to be back on his fleet, taking command of it once again. As soon as he was on the bridge, he started giving out orders, "Find out everything you can about Eagle Enterprises, I want to know every shipyard the own, or even partly own. When we arrive at Ambria, I want Zardoff Sar'lazac waiting for me. Tell him I have a very high paying job for him. We leave for Ambria in an 45 minutes." He turned and left the bridge for his personal quarters, taking off his coat on the way.

He sought no personal revenge toward Terrin Danner, it was business, plain and simple. This man had interfered not once, but twice in his plans for Galen. He knowlingly crossed the Admiral, and would pay greatly for it. Now in his quarters he laid down to rest, he definately needed some. The rest was shortlived, however, he was interrupted 30 minutes later. "Admiral, I have the information about Eagle Enterprises you asked for." Said a young Captain holding a data disk, he continued, "Eagle Enterprises is a sh-"

"That will be all Captain, thank you," Actar interrupted, "sit it on the table."

He did so and brought out a slip of paper, and looked down at it as he spoke, "Another thing, Admiral," Actar looked up, "There's a hologram message for you from Tarian Slonaz, a New Republic Prison Warden, it's urgent."

"Thank you Captain," and he was gone as quick as he had arrived. Actar rose to his feet and switched on the hologram message, "I'm extremely sorry that I've f-failed you Admiral, but the prisoner you brought, she has escaped. It seems she wasn't as weak as she appeared. But fear not, I have alerted the Republic Police, they are searching for the escaped prisoner. I will contact you if she is found." Actar sighed and fell back onto his bed. This was more trouble than he had hoped for, and he didn't doubt Terrin was involved yet again. He made his way back to the bridge and gave the order to send out probe droids across the galaxy. They could have gone anywhere.

------- Later the next day on Ambria -------

Actar took a lambda-class shuttle to the surface and was greeted with the uual hoo-haw of the Empire, along with Admiral Swatzi who informed him that Zardoff Sar'lazac was indeed waiting for him, as he had asked.

Zardoff Sar'lazac was the leader of a radical group of space pirates based in the outer-rim, far from the reach of the New Republic. The organization had no official name, but was commonly referred to as Altair, no one knew why it was called that, however.

Zardoff was waiting in one of many meeting rooms that looked over the city. When Actar entered it, Zardoff was staring out the window, watching the people and the speeders, but he turned when Actar entered. Zardoff spoke, "So, Admiral, I hear you have a job for me?"

"I, I think so. They build ships right?" Zardoff replied.

"Yea, they do. They own parts of various shipyards. On this data disk is the location of some of those shipyards, along with information about Eagle Enterprises."

Zardoff interupted, "What is it you want me to do Admiral?"

He didn't like being interrupted, and made it clear with his eyes to Zardoff, "What I want you to do is find these shipyards, and destroy them."

Zardoff raised his eyebrows and paused, "That will cost an awfull lot Admiral. I mean, we don't usually leave the outer-rim, it's risky, and attacking a shipyard means ships are around, I could lose a lot men, and ships of our own."

"How does 650,000 credits sound?" Actar replied.

"850,00." Zardof said, trying to bargain.

"800,000."

"You have a deal Admiral," he said, shaking Actars hand, "How soon do you want it done?"

Actar thought for a moment, and decided, "Immediately."

"Well, I'll have it done as soon as possible," he paused, thiking, "And if these shipyards are partly owned by the New Republic, or even the Empire, what then?"

"Destroy them just the same," Actar replied staring across the table at Zardoff. Zardoff nodded his head indicating he understood.

"Wait here and your money will be brought. Thank you," The Admiral turned to leave.

"Thank you, Admiral, for the business." Zardoff said to Actar's back.

--- The Command Center at Ambria

Admiral Swatzi was in command at Ambria, so Actar made sure to sit aside while in the command center, or he may end up giving orders. He was waiting for information from the probe droids he had sent out before he let for Ambria. "Why did you send out probe droids anyone?" Admiral Swatzi turned and asked Actar, who was sitting in a chair behind a computer station, but facing away from it.

"I'm looking for Galen, and a few of her friends. I entered a description of Galen in them, so they knew what to look for."

Admiral Swatzi shook his head, "She's trouble Actar, and you know. If you want that baby to stay out of the wrong hands, you should just kill her," he said turning back to face the screen in front of him. "Well, the first transmission from probe droids are coming back, have a look."

Actar got up from his chair and watched the screen. What he saw was Terrin, Galen, and two others sitting at a booth in what looked like a restaurant. "Well, I'll be damned. The first one back and it's the right one. Where's this one at?"

"Dalius City"

"Good, have it find them again and follow." Actar said.

Swatzi replied, "I can't, it malfunctioned shortly after, that's why it's the first back."

"Damn," Actar said, "well, I suppose it's time to alert the New Republic where thier escaped prisoner is." he said as he left the Command Center. Swatzi turned and said, "Escaped prisoner?" but he was too late, Actar was gone.

Besides, he really didn't like all the glitz and glitter of Coruscant. Which was why, when the message finally made it out to him, it was Admiral Swatzi that he sent off via special "do or die" courier to the capital world of the Empire, there to oversee the newly risen problems and do what he could to find exactly what had happened to their Third-in-Command.

((OOC: To see what has provoked this, please go to page 8 of Destiny Uncertain in the "Jedi/Sith" forums. Admiral Swatzi, meanwhile, is off to Back Into the Fire in these forums, thank you.))

A communications alert blinked suddenly on his desk console. It was a deep, vibrant blood red; thus he was assured that the particular speaker on the other end was absolutely reliable, and utterly innocent in the eyes of all those said speaker walked with in everyday life. Not to mention the words about to be revealed to him traveled a pathway so untraceably encrypted that a snarl of Tatooine sandworms was practically linear by comparison.

He punched the button, read the brief words that scrolled across the screen.

Leaned forward, and spoke quietly in return.

"You know what to do."

A punch of a finger, and the link was severed.

...Not too much time passed, when a gentle thump informed me we had landed. I rose, tugged my clothing again, and moved toward the hatch. I could almost feel the electricity passing between Kani and myself as I passed her; holding my head staunchly upright, eyes forward, I merely treated her as would any upper echelon officer treat an underling.

The hatch oiled open, I stepped foot upon the gangway...

...only to be suddenly enclosed by overly-armed men in their gleaming white armor.

"You will come with us, Lt. General," one with a brilliant red shoulder patch allowed, his helmet dipping with... was it respect, or something else?

I couldn't be certain.

My hackles rose as my mind went into overdrive, wondering if the pilot had managed to fool me after all. I then relaxed the slightest; nope, that couldn't be it. Only I was being surrounded; they had left Kani out of the square of soldiers.

I turned my head, to see her standing in the hatch of the courier, every inch of her body the perfectly obedient young officer.

Could it have been her...?

I shot her a glance, a heavy look that displayed nothing but surprise laced with a bit of trepidation.

Curse that damned helmet; I can't read her eyes...!

Then I thought I saw that helmet dip, just the slightest little bit. Behind her came the pilot, who after standing down the little courier was waiting to disembark. He placed a hand on Kani's shoulder, let it sit there the tiniest of moments, then proceeded to move it as though brushing off a speck of lint.

Two ways to read that, Sorben ol' boy...

The thought pushed through my mind, and was forced away as I turned to my "entourage" and nodded to them, keeping my own bearing as militarily upright as I could.

Thus it was that I was delivered to another little ship that was standing by upon the next landing circle. Moments later, and we were off.

Dear Khaandon, as Galen was often wont to say. I can only hope that I judged Kani correctly, and that she would have it within her to do whatever it is that had to be done.

Whether that was keeping somehow to our furtive, if budding, and very very traitorous plans, finding what in Hell's Seven Circles was happening to me, or simply continuing on with her own little militaristic life.

I've always marveled at the concept, actually. Time was something that had both meaning and meant nothing to me, both in infinite quantities. And that alone defined it, the infinite, for years could pass by in a heartbeat, and seconds could become eternities...

There came a genteel bing on my desk, announcing someone was without my door. I knew full well who it was, for indeed hadn't I ordered none else come near? Those with the appropriate rank and protocols could continue with my plan, aiming albeit slowly, with infinite patience, each day ever more closely toward my ultimate goal.

Indeed it could proceed without me.

This I knew.

This, with my powers, I had foreseen.

I knew what was to come. But without its coming, my goal would not be reached, my great vision would dim.

A small price to pay.

I rose, straightened my wrinkle-less uniform, brushed invisible lint from my chest.

"Enter," I said, letting just the right touch of sadness tinge my voice.

---------------------------------------

They did: the armed guard and the shackled Tarnus, once Top Gun bounty hunter of the entire damned galaxy, then bribed to becoming my Third in Command, my Voice, my Will and my Patsy, and in the end the End and in that end, one day his own...

Although, of course, right now he couldn't possibly have the slightest inkling of what was to come. Well, at least not much beyond his immediate future. Which, I'm sure, he was at the moment seeing as nothing but the blackest drops of dying ink.

I smiled.

"Welcome, Lt. General Tarnus, my Esteemed Third."

He looked confused, helpless as he was without his masking Mandalorian helm. I took a moment to take in his features: noting the sandy brown hair he usually kept cleanly shorn, now somewhat long and a bit on the shaggy side; the scar running down the side of his face giving him a rakish look, but the icy blue of his eyes showed me nothing but...

Death.

Ahhh... yes, that I saw clearly. Expected it, in fact. What else could there be planted in those intelligent orbs, considering what he had seen, what he had experienced, and what he was certain he thought I would think?

How little he really knew me, knew who I was, what I stood for, who I knew, and Who had promised me all her assistance...

All for one small sacrifice, one that would produce nothing but a win-win scenario for me. In the long run, but of course.

Not to mention being one he wanted, though he hadn't quite come to accept it at face value yet.

I nodded to the guards, my silence speaking volumes. They immediately turned to Tarnus, released him from his shackles, saluted stiffly, and departed.

The door to my private quarters whooshed shut on their exit, leaving the two of us staring into each other's eyes.

His were clearly confused. Mine, well... I felt the weight of eternity hovering about my shoulders, for I knew what was soon to come.

I merely smiled again, took a deep breath.

"It's yours now, Tarnus," I said, letting him know by that one statement that the assassination of my Second on Ambria had been a quiet success. Letting him know that owning the Galaxy can bring about it's own brand of horrors.

One which I knew he was going to face, both him and that damned female of a wife he once had, not to mention the baby I never could quite get my hands on but by with the wheel I was now setting into motion would at least be brought to those who promised me their help, that by their help I would indeed show the final, winning hand in this particular game of sabaac we were all playing.

With all the promised sacrifices, of course.

A cold wind seemed to come from somewhere, although I doubt Tarnus felt it. I merely lifted my hands, strethed out to each side, welcoming that icy chill deep into my body, into my heart, into my soul.

I peered into his eyes.

They are Lost to You. They are Sacrificed. You will go from here in Fear and Confusion, wondering what to do, to whom to turn, knowing the Power you hold yet agonizing how to wield it, knowing that The Two you love are lost to you more certainly than that day I ordered you to kill them.

Now they will not be dead. They will be Dark. They will seed Those who will aid, those who will help me take my revenge, against what you, you blathering idiotic Third in Command, have unleashed upon the Galaxy.

But in that relinquishment, We shall surely succeed...

My smile deepened, and with that smile I bit down upon a certain tooth in a particular way.

There was no poison. It was just a tooth.

But They are of the Realm where teeth are just a bit more than merely that...

((OOC: Admiral Actar will leave the dimension of life and death for the Darker Realms in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle in the Jedi/Sith forums. He might not post for some time, however, but for all intents and purposes he is out of play in the "normal" galaxy. Aka, he's DEAD. He will "follow along" in the Darker Realms threads, and may post at some time either there or in whatever thread that current thread may evolve into, thank you. He may not be resurrected to life, thank you.))

Just a moment, the merest speck of time in which something screamingly familiar rent the very fabric of spacetime, ripped it apart molecule from molecule, atom from atom, maybe even up from down, strange from left, right from...

Wrong. Now this was so very wrong, so very much out of left wing, so... so...

Damnit, Actar!

I jerked, let my old Hunter's instincts take over to guide my hand as it lashed out, quick as lightning, aiming for the Admiral's shirtsleeve, his cloak, any part of him I could make physical contact with, my feet propelling me toward that sudden tear through which all-too familiar clawed hands reached, accompanied by the sounds of insane, drooling laughter.

My fingers closed on nothing. The black portal returned to nothing. And where Admiral Actar, He who held the whole bloody Empire together, he with the will and the strength and the plan and the connection, and he who had miserably enough kept those little details from everyone but the newly deceased Swatzi...

...was nothing, too.

Shock interfered with my normally sharp reflexes, and I flew forward to slam into Actar's gleaming desk. My hands flat-slapped it's greelwood surface, my stomach impacted with its edge hard enough to send a chuff of air escaping from my lips. I hung there for what seemed an eternity, trying not only to wrap my brain around what had just happened, but around the ramifications which would certainly follow.

Ye ghods, but I had to play this one out just right...

Strange, that nothing momentous happened. The quietude seemed enormously at odds with the event that had just transpired. I expected guards to be flying in, weapons bared, all sorts of warning sirens to start blaring, the very base to go into extreme defensive posture.

But nothing more exciting happened than one tiny light on his boards turning from red to green, and then blinking out.

I let a few more moments pass before I allowed myself to exhale, to take in a breath, and then finally ease myself back into normal respiration. A quick glance behind myself: nope. No one at the door. I remained alone, my guards presumably standing at the ready on the other side of that door.

Which only rammed home more severely the predicament I found myself in.

If this were Coruscant, life would simply go on it's merry way in my favor, a new life where I suddenly would find myself leading the herd--

Ye Ghods, don't even think yet about what that involved. But Tarnus, you are now Numero Uno, the Big Kahuna, the Top Dog, the one to decide just what moves the Empire would make next.

Another fraction of a moment to allow that savory thought to ferment a bit... only to turn to ash as once more the actuality of my current situation slammed deep into my gut. I was not innocent enough to not be thoroughly aware of the quiet assassinations which ran rampant through Imperial ranks... but said assassinations had never reached levels any higher than perhaps lieutenant colonels fiddling with becoming full-fledged fliers.

Until now.

Thank you, Actar, for paving the road for me with your own quiet elimination of Swatzi, the poor dupe... but damn you to the eternal Hell to which you seem to have sided for doing what you have done on Ambria. This was his little private Shangri-la, his little base, where he ran the show and more than likely owned everyone here.

I slammed my hand against the desk again, cursing him to an even lower circle of hell. And then jerked upright.

Galen had escaped here from under not only Actar's nose, but Swatzi's as well. You two have gotten out of worse places; remember those days, Tarnus?

I let a little smile smooth some of the stress from my features.

If she could do it, so could I. As a Hunter this would have been just another challenge, another peak to conquer before moving on to higher mountains.

Get with it, you sorry--

I let the smile broaden, my mind whirling with a budding plan even as I opened the door and utterly surprised the waiting guards. Their surprise didn't have time to fade from their faces even as death took them into it's embrace; I was that quick.

You've still got it, I allowed myself as I quickly dragged their bodies into Actar's room, stuffed them underneath that gleaming greelwood desk, and then poked my head out into the corridor. It was empty in the immediate vicinity, but in the distance I could see the silhouette of figures hastening up and down a cross-corridor. I backed quietly inside, closed the door, and headed to the dearly departed Troopers. It didn't take me long to divest one of them of his armor.

It felt strangely comfortable, although I wished to hell it was my own Mandalorian armor.

That will come later, buddy. Now it's time to skedaddle from here, and make your way back home again...

I opened the door again, and took another fast look around. For the time being the cross corridor was devoid of figures; no time better than now to shoot off a quick, low energy blast to melt the locking mechanism on Actar's door, after I had moved quickly through it, of course.

No one heard a thing. I smiled behind the gleaming white metal, and headed up the corridor, putting the cross-corridor further and further behind me as I searched for some kind of conduit or ductwork into which I could duck, and thus hopefully quickly and quietly get as far from here as was humanly possible.

My goal: the nearest docking port. My intent: to steal whatever ship I could lay my hands on, hopefully fly on out under the pretense of business, and once gaining space hyper to Coruscant.

Where I would make the grand announcement of my sudden promotion, surrounded by those I could trust, who in turn I planned ordering to eliminate those immediate few I knew I could not. Still, I had to be careful. What would be announced as the disappearance of Admiral Actar could be seen as assassination, and once that particular door was opened by one, it could easily be passed through by others.

I shoved that thought aside, and kept going.

After slipping from Actar's offices, I had moved quickly and efficiently along the corridors of his Headquarters, giving my helmeted head a cursory nod to those passing troopers whose insignia revealed them to be of lesser rank than that held by the one whose armor I now wore. But as I hastened along it came to me that while I might wander hither and yon within this building, looking as if I were on official business of one sort or another, actually getting out might prove to be a bit more problematic.

My pace slowed as the pedestrian traffic thickened: clerks and troopers, secretaries and minor officials, all moving one way or another, all carrying about their business, all...

All being studiously ignored by the others. Which brought a sudden epiphany to mind.

My lip curled behind the helmet I wore as I sidetracked to a directory gleaming on the cinderstone wall up ahead. I reached out a gloved hand, touched it with one finger, ran that finger down the list of names and numbers and finally came to a small, unassuming black star.

My lip curled even further.

Nodding to myself I took in the proffered route to the place indicated by that star, looked about myself to get oriented to the map, and headed off along yet another branching hallway.

Traffic lessened. Standing guards became more and more frequent. That was a little wrinkle I thought might throw up some dust in the face of my budding plan, but to my great relief not a one bothered to stop and question the one trooper who hastened along, bee-lining it through the black star area as though he was on a mission to the Admiral himself.

Which of course was the impression I was trying to make.

I finally drew up before yet another gleaming greelwood door, this one of a more vintage age for the rich sheen it displayed. I paused a fraction, then raised my hand and rapped on the door, glancing furtively behind me as I did so.

Not a single one of the guards lining the corridor bothered to move. I smiled to see their loyalty to the paltry duty they held, then turned back to the door and rapped again.

"Admiral, Sir; this is RB-3418, here to repair your, ah... sticky lock."

I winced at the inanity of the words, shot another look behind me. The guards remained still as statues, each staring at the wall directly across from the doors each one was guarding.

Shrugging inwardly, I returned my attention to the door. I grasped the handle, wiggled it as if I were testing it. Of course it was locked; now I brought forth some of the skills I had learned in my Hunting Days, and in moments had the lock jimmied. I wiggled the door, opened it inward a crack.

"Admiral, Sir... um, I think we may need to put in an entire new handle, this one is-- what's that, Sir? Yes- yessir!"

Snapping to an icy attention before the imaginary Admiral, I waited as long as it would have taken for the Real McCoy to relieve me of that stance; then taking a breath boldly entered into the private quarters of Admiral Actar.

I didn't let the door lose any time in closing behind me, either.

After making certain the door was locked, I scouted his quarters, hunting for the door, the hidden door, the one I absolutely knew within my heart of hearts that he had, a door which would lead to a hidden corridor and from there to--

Ah. I knew it.

There it was, hanging coyly upon an indentation in the wall: an elaborate Alderanian tapestry which had to have cost ten years of a colonel's pay. It was rich and beautiful and very ornate, and bulky and annoying as hell; grasping it I snorted and tugged it to the floor and to my great satisfaction found a small, unobtrusive door to be revealed.

I knew Actar wasn't one for art!

Now my lips curled into a full-fledged smile as, after divesting myself of the bulky armor, I opened the little door and entered into a small and dimly lit corridor. Shadows leapt from places I didn't notice before as the door closed quietly behind me; shrugging, I simply placed one hand upon the wall to my right and followed it.

And was led exactly where I had believed I would be led: right to a secreted, private launchpad. Upon which sat the prettiest, sleekest little ship one would ever have the pleasure of laying eyes on. It was something like a lambdy, something like an interceptor, and wholly like my break to freedom and finding Kani and...

And what? Rescuing the whole damned Galaxy? From...?

I didn't want to think about it. I'd think about that when the time came to do so. Right now the time was to fly, so pushing away visions of horned and red-skinned Sith and white spiders and laughing faces and drooling imps, I hurried to the sleek little ship and went aboard.

Trusting that the Admiral himself would have followed the same protocols as did all his minions, all who hustled hither and yon while being ignored by others, I simply fired up the thrusters and soon was winging skyward.

The comm station didn't so much as squeak.

Actar, too, enjoyed the privilege of being ignored, it would seem.

Who knew how often he had done this very thing, taken off to parts unknown in this very ship, perhaps after quiet communications with friends and allies off-world but certainly without feeling the need to stoop so low as to inform anyone else in HQ of his activities.

I had always figured him to be a man full of himself and his own importance; my smile was practically cracking my cheeks with the realization that my Hunting senses had come up gold once again.

I didn't even have to request an escape vector. It would seem that area controllers knew what to do when they saw a ship departing from these particular coordinates; the thought of having possibly been watched sent a brief chill through me but then I realized that more than likely it was automatic sensors that were relaying the ship's departure. Sensors which picked up metal, not living flesh.

And so it was that, as I said, my break from Ambria proved to be something of an anticlimax.

Galen would have laughed out loud.

Moments later and I had threaded my way through the floating landing platforms, cleared them, gaining altitude, and found sky. That sky darkened, segueing from pale blue to robin's egg, royal to navy, and finally to star-speckled black.

Those stars smeared out into streaks of light, converging upon a point directly in front of me as the mynock flies, a point behind which I knew lay the Central Core and Coruscant.

And then?

Ghods knew. But I knew the first order of business was to find Kani.

I'm coming! The promise wafted out into the ravening night, as I settled into the pilot's seat for the journey to Coruscant.

((Follow Sorben Tarnus into "Back Into The Fire" in the "Empire and New Republic" forums, thank you.))