Sheesh, can't anyone come up with another name? You'd think that the Universe consisted entirely of tiny bits of lapis rock whizzing hither and yon, and that some Great Unknown was determined to name a bar after each and every one of them!

I sighed, then directed my scowl from the bar in general back to my ale. I took a deep draught of it, trying to blank out the gaiety around me as I thought once again of the whimsical nature of Fate which had decided to reach out and fling me here to Dalius City. Thought back to that one awful moment aboard the Pride of Yavin, where Cella had merely given my announcement of imminent departure a look full of unspoken thoughts...

...and had quietly departed the Bee to join her fellows on the Jedi ship. The hatch sliding closed behind her had only underscored the sudden silence which filled my fighter when I found myself alone.

I actually had thought she might have tried to talk me out of it.

Feeling a sudden emptiness which I knew to the very core of my being was going to take something momentous to fill, I had then reached out and placed a light finger upon one particular button. The Bee rose gracefully on her repulsors, rotated 180 degrees about her Y-axis, and escaped into the star-filled void beyond.

In thus a manner I fled Pride of Yavin and Cella and my own promise to help her. The fact that I felt like some kind of traitor did not go far toward appeasing the pain which continued to grow inside of me. My bag of credits lay like the stones affixed to the feet of a hangman's victim; for a moment I thought of flinging them into the void as well. Then I sighed, and sat back, letting the Bee carry me to my suddenly lonely home.

The events which followed passed in a blur. I remember storming out of my little interceptor once safely docked inside Devil-May-Care, stomping to the bridge and keying in coordinates for ANYPLACE that simply WAS NOT HERE. Devil-May-Care responded with her usual obedient efficiency; in but moments we had shot into hyperdrive and were away.

We had traveled thus for about a day or so when suddenly, like a nerf departing it's mother in a-borning, my ship had given a light shudder, then gracefully slipped from hyperdrive, shedding velocity right and left. A quick study of my systems told the sad tale: the hyperdrive motivator, always a quirky beastie, had chosen this auspicious moment to declare its own brand of independence and had simply up and died.

And me without a hydrospanner, sheesh....

I directed a darker scowl into my ale at that thought. I fixed that hyperdrive motivator, dammitall! I HAD IT TOTALLY FIXED!

I sighed again, slumping back. Apparently not good enough, ol pirate, I finally had to admit. Maybe if you DO go through with what you considered earlier, and find yourself a partner, you'd better make sure he's a better mechanic than you are. A Wookiee or Verpine or something...

No sooner had this thought crossed my mind, when a real Verpine clattered into the bar, moving in that oddly insectile manner the species possessed. He was hot on the trail of what might be a human; at least the bounty hunter looked humanoid. I couldn't see his actual features for the visored helmet that hid his face.

The seemed to be engaged in something of a heated argument. The hunter turned briefly to the Verpine, raising a gloved finger to shake in the mandibles of his companion. The he threw himself into the nearest chair, the lifted finger now directing the Twi'lek waitress to hurry with his order. She moved quickly away, returning just as quickly with a tall glass filled to the brim with the characteristic smoky ruby of Walk'nFall.

Whoa. Walk'nFall. Heavy, heavy stuff. Maybe I'd better keep an eye on these two.

I took another sip of my drink, pretending to stare off into the middle space about me, all the while keeping a sharp and stealthy eye pinned on the bounty hunter and the Verpine.

Dammitall, I still can't quite hear what they're saying!

Trying to look casual, I got to my feet and headed to the bar. There I slid halfway onto a stool, my own finger raised now to capture the attention of the Duros bartender who likewise hovered, all ears, in the vicinity. With obvious reluctance, he turned to refresh my ale; looks like I wasn't the only one interested in the growing altercation behind me.

Hope it doesn't get too rowdy, a practical little part of me voiced in objection. I'd hate for them to be kicked out before they let out what the scoop is here....

I filed that thought away, then hunkered over my ale, acting as though the last interest I would have in the entire universe was what was continuing between the Verpine and the bounty hunter. Though they managed to keep their voices lowered, I could clearly hear every heated word they were whispering, faster and faster, back and forth between them.

"No Boss," the Verpine stated emphatically, his insectile head shaking strangely as though to punctuate his words. "Thinking am I. Not you. Go off without me, you cannot. Refuse do I." He suddenly slammed his tri-clawed, pincher-like manipulatory appendage on the table, causing the bounty hunter's helmet to leap up by the vibrations of its impact there. His large shining eyes fixed themselves on his companion; then he took his hand from the table, opened the fist, and reached for the glass held in the hunter's hand.

"Not need this, I am thinking," he commented in a lower tone of voice. His hand shot the last few centimeters in a blur, and grabbed hold of the glass. Staring intently into the reddening face of the bounty hunter, he gave a the glass a tug. "Boss Sorben, stop."

The bounty hunter would have none of it. His face continued to redden, though whether it was from anger or embarrassment or.... something else entirely.... I couldn't tell. He jerked the glass back, managing to salvage it from the grasp of the Verpine. He shot the insectoid a scathing look, and cradled the glass to his chest.

"Go AWAY, K'kihl!" the vehement whisper shot out. "I am going to do this, and you're NOT coming with me, so JUST GET USED TO IT!" Defiantly, he shot the glass up to his lips, and tossed half of its contents down his throat. "I'm better off alone..." Slamming the nearly empty glass down on the table, he twisted in his chair. That ever-present finger lifted again, signalling the Twi'lek.

Stange things happen in this Universe, I mulled to myself. And maybe here's a situation I can take advantage of.

Yet, something kept me from acting upon this, at least for the moment. I took a careful sip of my ale, my ears still acutely tuned to the little scene behind me.

Slinking up to the table came the Twi'lek, her leku waving seductively as she leaned over and set down a fresh glass of the heady stimulant the hunter was engaging entirely too much in. I heard the clanking squeak as his armored leather shifted with his movement. There came a tiny clingk as credits were tossed haphazardedly upon her tray; this was immediately followed my the Verpine's warning of, "Boss-?"

"Keep th'change, schweetie," the Hunter slurred in a too-loud attempt to sound normal. There now came a small scraping sound, followed by a heavy thump. In my mind's eye I could just see him, leaning back in a swaggering manner, nearly losing his balance altogether, then finally regaining it, the chair returning to its solid position as his weight propelled it forward instead of backward.

Fates only know I've been there, done that myself! I thought with a tiny smile, then sobered. The words were becoming a touch more interesting. I took another sip of my ale, focusing intently.

"Sh' still loves me." The words were uttered in a tone of voice so low I barely caught them. I pursed my lips in disgust. Sheesh, was all this just some sad tale of woe over a female? I quickly pushed that thought away, not wanting to examine it too closely myself, considering....

I was just thinking about getting to my feet when the next words made me freeze.

"I just KNOW that- that SISTER...!" He paused for another fortifying drink, then slammed the glass upon the table. "...that infernal JHARMEEN...!" Pause for yet another swig, accompanied this time by the crunkle as he reached out to raid the universal basket of Vhym chips sitting as an appetizer on his table...

"Jharmeen no longer, Boss Sorben," came the Verpine's low interjection. "Graysith now is, remember."

"OK, GRAYSITH!" came the rather loud response. A short sigh. "Wha'ever..." Pause for another drink; here comes the Twi'lek yet again....

I sighed now myself, beginning to rummage through my pockets to pay my bar tab when his next words caused me to freeze in mid-movement.

"WHA'EVER!" the bounty hunter spilled out in an entirely too-loud voice. "Tha-, tha- 'nfernal SITH is gonna PAY for TAKING HER!" Now came the sounds of chairs sliding, armor creaking and clanking, as the bounty hunter apparently tried to gain his feet; who he was gonna fight at the moment, Fates only knew.

My ears perked up. Sith?

For one long moment I remained utterly frozen. Common sense began waving a banner, shooting off all sorts of fireworks, red lights and sirens blaring, all the usual self-preservation warning devices in full bore.

It couldn't be... could it? But sheesh, there just aren't too many of these around anymore, not since Palpatine died; seems whatever ones might still be lurking around had taken off into various and sundry hidey-holes; there was only one I had caught the barest sniff of lately, and that through what Cella had told me... it just COULDN'T be that one, could it?

I made a sudden decision. Slapping credits on the bar, I took my ale, turned and approached the table where the bounty hunter and his companion still sat. By now the Verpine had both hands on the hunter's shoulders, either in the attempt to assist him to his feet and thus out of the establishment, or to make him sit in his seat and behave himself. They froze as I came up to the table, two sets of eyes boring into me.

Before either one could react more than that, I picked up a chair, reversing it as I smoothly slid into it. Leaning my arms upon its back, I introduced myself carefully, my hand stuck out in compelling friendship.

Waiting tables at this Force-forsaken hole was not my choice. Shrokar owed me a couple favors, and he was helping me "hide out" for awhile. My first attempt at smuggling on my own had ended in a burnt-out ship and a destroyed spice cargo floating around a dead moon. And me, drifting away in an escape pod, watching 500,000 credits burn up in horror.

Actually, the patrons looked halfway interesting--a human man sitting by himself, a haunted look in his eyes, more than likely a smuggler like myself. I considered going over there, giving him a hint that I needed REAL work. I even had a line all thought out. "Our special today is droomin drummettes--with a garnish of mayhem." I decided to bide my time, and served him his ale. He didn't even glance my way.

I rolled my eyes and headed over to serve the newest patrons, a Verpine and a bounty hunter of some indiscernible species. The guy actually ordered a Walk'N'Fall...amazing. He couldn't have been human. I served him his drink, posing a little in hopes of a better tip. He and his companion also seemed to have much on their minds.

Well. Isn't that just dandy. Two possible outs in this dung hole and neither one is interested in a sexy little Twi'lek who can shoot a decicred a half-klick away in freefall.

I backed off a little, watched the human again. Interestingly enough, his attention was glued to the bounty hunter and the Verpine. I strutted over with another glass of the ferrocrete solvent Shrokar called liquor and kept my ears open. The hunter tossed a couple dirty credcoins and told me to keep the change. He also called me "sweetie". Damn! How am I ever going to get work this way?

I kept half an ear to the pair at the table as I filed my nails behind the bar.

"I just KNOW that- that SISTER...!" He paused for another fortifying drink, then slammed the glass upon the table. "...that infernal JHARMEEN...!" Pause for yet another swig, accompanied this time by the crunkle as he reached out to raid the universal basket of Vhym chips sitting as an appetizer on his table...

"Jharmeen no longer, Boss Sorben," came the Verpine's low interjection. "Graysith now is, remember."

"OK, GRAYSITH!" came the rather loud response. A short sigh. "Wha'ever..."

Again, an empty glass. I went over with still more ferrocrete solvent. It smelled like the stuff I used to clean gun turrets. Horrid. Maybe the guy really did need it, if he was getting mixed up with Sith.

Then the human perked up. He practically threw some credcoins at me and marched over to the table where the mysterious pair were. Huh. Something's coming together here, and if I'm lucky, they'll need a good shot.

I subtly pushed up my sleeve to expose the Gunner's League tattoo and the Smuggler's Guild glyph beneath it, and shimmied my way over to the table. "May I bring you anything, gentlemen? More drinks?" Hoping for luck, I reached for empty glasses, displaying the tattoo. "A fast trigger finger?"

Oh Kessel, not now, not now, NOT NOW...!

I shot my gaze to the bounty hunter, who had clammed up tighter than a Toydarian's cashbox. He plopped heavily into his seat, propelled there with more than a little bit of help by his insectoid buddy. Suddenly, his entire demeanor loosened. Planting a sickly sweet smile upon his face, one which contrasted starkly with the long scar that ran down the side of it from eye to jawline, he held up that finger again, albeit a bit unsteadily.

"Sure, schweetie," he slurred, wobbling a bit in his chair. "You can bring me anything y-yer lil ol heart desires!" He wavered a bit more, leering now a bit at the undoubtedly multiple Twi'leks filling his vision.

Yet... something didn't seem quite right here...

The Verpine remained stolidly silent. I just sat where I had placed myself, willing the waitress to depart.

She only lingered where she was, as if expecting us to say something in particular. I sighed a little in frustration, turning to tell her to beat it, when I suddenly noticed the tattooes on her arm. Now I closed my eyes.

Sheesh, everyone wants a piece of eveyone else's action... and I'm not even sure there's really any here as yet.... I looked up into her face, trying to think of a polite way to put it.

Couldn't think of one word.

"Sorry, sister," I said flatly. "Not today."

I then turned back to the bounty hunter. Across the table, he was engaged in trying to lift a finger as if to follow up with something, but couldn't quite manage the simple act. He just sat there, a drunken leer planted on his rugged face, elbow propped and finger half-raised, slowing swaying against the supportive arm of the Verpine.

My eyes suddenly narrowed. I don't believe this one bit.

Quickly, I turned back to the waitress. "Look, miss," I began nicely enough. "Why don't you just go tally up my friend's tab, ok?" I threw a handful of credits on her tray, then quickly got to my feet. "That ought to cover it; we're... ah, we're leaving now."

I shot a look across the table at the bounty hunter, and actually caught the tail-end of the coldly calculating look in his eye before it was rapidly supplanted by an almost believably vapid one. Now I was struggling to keep from smiling. Gotcha...

Instead, I moved around, shot the most sincere look that I could across the closely shaven head of the hunter directly into the giant lenses of the Verpine, and put my arm around the seated man. "Here, let me help." I said nicely enough; then in a much lower tone of voice I continued with, "I'd really like to go somewhere... ah, more private where we can maybe talk?"

The insectoid glanced down at the bounty hunter, who only closed his eyes and began to hum, "Home, Home on the Spacelanes" in an off-keyed voice. He then directed those shining eyes back into mine, and gave me a quirky shrug.

"OK with me, this is," he finally said. "To our lodgings maybe you can with us come?"

That thought took uppermost position in my mind as I struggled down the walkway, still supporting the majority of the bounty hunter's weight. On his other side, the Verpine made a great effort to at least look like he was pulling his own weight; his efforts were negated entirely by the one clawed hand with which he was idly swinging the helmet as we moved along.

OK, I've had enough of this now. Still struggling to hold up the hunter, I cleared my throat.

"Look, pal," I began, aiming these words at the Verpine. "You don't suppose-"

Where that line would have led to I'll never know because quite suddenly the subject inspiring it was entirely moot. With breathtaking suddenness, I found myself unexpectedly slammed up against a ferrocrete wall of a tiny alley we had been passing... slammed up waaaay too far down into the shadows of that alley, the steel-banded forearm of the hunter across my throat. It pressed there warningly, choking off the instinctive protests which were swimming about in my gut.

Kessel, but this guy's FAST! But then again, Yaoksi, what do you expect? He's a bounty hunter after all....

Increased pressure against my throat brought me back from that wandering thought. "Ok, buddy, exactly WHAT is it that you want from me... or know, for that matter?" The inscrutable black lenses of his t-visored helmet reflected my look of startlement and growing discomfort; sheesh, when in the name of All that Is did he manage to put THAT back on?

I struggled a little, twisting my head around in a vain effort to breathe. The arm only pressed tighter... without realizing it, I had both of my hands up around his forearm, striving with all my strength to remove it. I might as well been trying to move the muscular tentacle of a Vodragian dianoga. Sparks of light began to swim in front of my slowly narrowing vision.

The Verpine cocked his head a bit to one side, then reached up one claw. "Ahh- Boss Sorben," he began lightly, tapping the bounty hunter on the shoulder. "Perhaps telling us something this one would, if breathe he could," he commented in an offhanded tone of voice.

Thank you buddy!

For a moment the hunter only twisted his head a bit to the side, as though trying to keep both the Verpine and myself in his full line of vision all at the same time. Then he gave a curt nod, and loosened his hold upon me just a touch.

Welcomed air flooded into me, pushing back the crimson-flecked darkness that had been hovering threateningly. I gasped and would have fallen to the pavement save for the fact that his strong arm was still pinning me to the wall. Like a makant affixed to someone's insect collection, I remained stuck there. Then I managed to collect myself enough to throw this very dangerous guy the most innocent look I could, throwing my obviously empty hands out and to the sides as well.

"H-hey," I stammered with a little gulp that was not entirely contrived. "I just happened to overhear you; it looked like you two were on the outs and-"

That thought was cut cleanly off as the hunter shoved his weight fully into my throat again. "And just exactly what?" he interrupted in a chillingly soft voice. "Thought that maybe here was an opportunity to take me on, the mighty Sorben Tarnus--" Here he stopped for a moment, whether in laughter or disgust I couldn't tell. Then he firmed. "Who sent you?" he demanded suddenly. "Was it Dark?"

The Verpine jerked his head at the name. "Boss--" he began in a warning tone of voice, but was ignored completely.

"Well, was it?" The three words were punctuated by his savage thrust of his arm into my throat. My vision began to seriously darken; it was all I could do to gasp out a strangled, "N-no-oo..."

The Verpine at least seemed to be listening. I had enough wits about me to see the movement as up came the claw again, tapping. "Boss," he said again, his voice laced with a touch more urgency than before. "Killing an innocent you are maybe."

Damn Skippy! was the my last conscious thought. Then blackness overwhelmed me, and I began slumping down the wall...

When I came to, it was to find myself in the rather unceremonious position of lying in a fetal position on the cold ferrocrete of the alley. Groaning, a hand going to my throat, I hauled my aching carcass to a sitting position, gagging now as my awakened nerve endings began explaining to me in very great detail the extent of the damage my throat had received. I rubbed it with one hand, glancing around.

No sign of the bounty hunter. Oh great, so much for that idea, I thought to myself in disgust. Slowly I began dragging myself to my feet, my disgust with my own weakness deepening as the alley suddenly dipped and whirled around me. I shot out an arm, hoping it would collide with a wall and at least keep me in some semblance of an upright position...

...and was completely and utterly taken off guard when it connected with the chitinous carapace of the bounty hunter's Verpine buddy. Before I could swivel my head around to find him, I felt his claws lending me support.

"Easy, friend," came his chittery voice. "Have you, do I."

I froze, expecting another attack. The action was not unnoticed; the Verpine's chuckle came clattering into my ears.

"He is gone, friend Joao," he announced, the attempted light-heartedness of his voice underscored with a definite dark note. "Safe you are... and unemployed am I." I pondered these words as he helped me to my feet. Then, coughing a little, I turned to him.

"Where-?" I croaked, then stopped, rubbing my throat. Damn, it was going to take awhile for this to heal, I can see that! I swallowed carefully, gesturing somewhat vaguely with my free hand.

The Verpine made certain I was on my own two feet, then seemed to slump. "Know not I this," he said glumly. "Only know I that it is to find her he has gone. Dangerous, says he. Too much for me. His friend have I been... and now abandoned am I."

If mandibles could be drooping in despair, K'kihl's would have been doing it at that moment.

Well, ask and ye shall receive...!

While on the inside I was perking up and generally applauding myself, on the outside I managed to commiserate with the insectoid. "Well.. ahh, Kessel! That's just awful," I croaked in a louder voice. I reached up a hand to rub my throat, and then inspiration struck.

"Look, buddy," I began, as though I had only just at that very moment come up with the idea. "It looks as though I owe you one; I mean..." I stopped a bit, and took in a careful breath. "Back there your buddy looked as though he was gonna kill me."

SHEESH, if I EVER run into that guy again it will be too soon!

Now I was feeling my old control returning. "Look," I continued to rasp. "Why don't you come with me? Tell the truth, I'm kinda looking for a partner, someone who knows a bit about ship mechanics, and I hear you Verpines are pretty good at that sort of thing."

I paused, giving him a moment in which to consider. My timing impeccable, I interjected with, "And look, I promise if things don't work out I'll take you wherever it is you want to be taken. It has to be better than being stuck here." I waved a hand in the indication of Dalius City. "I mean, this isn't all that bad, but Fates only know I've been to way better in my day."

My attempt to brighten the Verpine's day didn't seem to be making much of a headway. For a long moment he just stood there, the very picture of dejection, his shining black shoulders stooped, his large lensed eyes downcast. Then he shrugged.

"Point you are making," he finally agreed. "Come with you I shall, nothing for me here is, and Boss Sorben by now is gone."

"Great!" I responded, clapping him on the shoulder. Where it is exactly that we would be going was another matter, but one I would consider once we were safely back aboard the Devil-May-Care. Maybe I could get a lead from this guy about some goods to grab or something; if he's been hanging out with a bounty hunter for any great length of time I'm sure he's seen plenty....

My arm around him, I turned with him and we began to head out of the little alley. We had just gained its mouth, turned right...

...and ran smack into the Twi'lek waitress from the Blue Asteroid.

I came to an abrupt halt, jerking K'kihl to a stop beside me. Fought to keep from closing my eyes.

Oh, no....

The Twi'lek only smiled that seductive little smile of hers, cocking her head and pinning her gaze to mine.

The truth is, I was actually as surprised to see him as he was to see me. After the way I'd blown it at the Blue Asteroid, and the frosty reception I'd gotten from him and the bounty hunter, I'd figured I was going to be waiting tables for the rest of my life.

My granny always did say the Force was for real, and now I believe her.

Now the trouble was, I couldn't think of anything to say. I was on my way to my nasty little apartment, but inviting the smuggler and the Verpine up for drinks seemed, eh, tactless. On closer inspection, the smuggler was pretty roughed up, as they say. And the bounty hunter was nowhere around. Hmmmmm.

"Looks like you've run into a rough spot," I chuckled, as the human smuggler glared at me. "Well, haven't we all. I've got some bacta tincture in my apartment if you want any."

The human only glared harder. The Verpine clicked its mandibles. I started to panic. My lekku waving nervously, I extended a hand. "I'm Naisra'len, fastest shot in three sectors. But don't offer your hand quite yet--you need to get cleaned up." I grinned, but my head-tails still betrayed my agitation.

Sheesh, what is it with this gal? the words exploded in my head. Then, tact flung to the wind, they followed forth from my mouth. Or at least tried.

"What--!" was as far as I got as my throat spasmed and threatened to close up on me altogether. I doubled over as words and breath stopped there, afraid to move in either direction, my mouth working like an opee out of water.

Bless his crackly lil ol hide, K'kihl stepped in. Grabbing me quickly in support, he kept me from completely making a fool of myself by falling to my knees, which was where I most definitely had been headed. Then he turned his head to the Twi'lek.

"Umm... thanking you we are, miss," he began, the very epitome of civility. Then, totally ignoring my waving arm...

Gakk. I couldn't so much as choke out a grunt of protest!

...he continued smoothly. "Your kind offer, we are taking you up on. This friend of mine, this partner..."

Hmmm, how quickly he changes his tune, heh. Ouch...

"...is assistance in need of. Follow you we shall, and thank you."

He then clammed up his chittery mandibles before he made his new partner too angry, and grabbing an even tighter hold of me, began propelling me down the walkway toward the waitress. Movement was helping some; while I was still far and away from being able to croak but a single word, at least I could breathe again. Air began swooshing in and out of me again as the Twi'lek let us come up to her. Then, reaching out to helpfully loosen my collar a bit-- yeah, YEAH, I SEE the tattooes already! --she turned and began leading the way to her dwelling place.

I sighed inwardly, and let K'kihl help me along. Oh, what the hey, I thought to myself. Devil-May-Care isn't ready yet anyway. Might as well go along and hear what this lady has to say. She did hint something about being a good shot...

Here my hand surreptitiously slid down and rested softly upon the hilt of my own blaster which, although not being of much help against the lightning speed of that bounty hunter, had seen me through many a tough spot in my life, and with the barest mimimum of fuss about it.

Who knows, maybe I could use another hand. I'll think about it.

Thinking was indeed all I could do as we moved along. Fates only knew when I'd be able to talk a full sentence again.

After helping the Verpine carry the smuggler up the rickety fire escape to my apartment (he did NOT like that at all...if looks could kill, I would've been fried), I unlocked the door, brushed my fingers against the lightpad, and ushered my two strange guests in with a flourish. "Welcome to my humble abode."

The Verpine quite sensibly assisted the man to my couch. "Just shove the rest of that junk off," I called over my shoulder as I kicked off my ridiculously high heels and went for my medkit. The Verpine didn't look disgusted at the mess of Corellian takeout containers and newsflimsies that lay scattered in my living room, but then, he didn't have much in the way of facial expressions.

When I came back with the medkit, the two of them stopped their hushed conversation to look at me questioningly. I smiled and tried to look unthreatening. "Here's some bacta tincture and bandages, and a little synthflesh for the worst bits."

I sat down beside the smuggler on the couch and dabbed at the cuts on his face with an antiseptic wipe. He actually would've been good-looking if he hadn't been so bloody. He jerked away at the sting of the wipes, and glared at me again.

"Hey, do you want to do this yourself?" I was starting to get a little irritated.

His expression was indecipherable, but he let me continue wiping the grit off his face. I was suddenly painfully aware that my low-cut waitress's blouse was at eye level for him. Self-consciously, I pulled it up. What is wrong with you? You've never worried about modesty before. Maybe it's the fact that he's not in the least interested in you, sister...and that embarrasses you.

Tentatively, I spoke. "Don't bite me, I just want to see if your ribs are broken." As I felt his ribs, the look in his eyes said he believed me about as far as he could throw me. "Bruised, but no broken bones, I think. Nothing I can't fix."

So for about a half-hour, I sat on my couch and doctored a total stranger. It was the weirdest evening I'd had in a long time. I invited the Verpine to help himself to whatever was in my pantry as I bandaged the man's cuts and patched him with synthflesh. Neither of us spoke for a long time.

To be frank, he frightened me. Not that he was physically frightening, he just seemed so...intense. It was obvious that he had no patience with my cheap tactics. He was clearly a man of sharp intelligence, with not a whole lot of respect for me. I sighed. Who could blame him, seeing what I'd become, a creature of the streets?

Sheesh, either that tincture she has with her had the wallop of a runaway ronto, or this little gal's a helluva nurse! I thought as my curious fingers tentatively began to explore the ravaged crevices of what earlier this day had started out being my face.

The Twi'lek smiled and gently reached out a hand as though to stop the movement. It froze in mid-air, however, hovering centimeters away from actual contact as though she was suddenly being hit with a wave of shyness or something. I couldn't help but grin.

Sheesh lady, you were practically hugging and clothing me mere moments ago! The fact that this errant little thought flared up as it did went a long way toward buoying up my spirits.

Looks like I'm actually going to heal after all....

Obligingly, I lowered my hand; then, the movement a calculating casual one, I laid it nonchalantly upon the back of the couch. There I idly traced the outdated patterns of its fabric with one finger.

K'kihl looked at me, then to the Twi'lek. He chattered his mandibles in a manner that was somehow...

...hungry.

Now I straightened in my seat, a genuine smile coming to my face. I let the smile carry into my eyes, and directed another look at my unexpected benefactress. She, in turn, was quite suddenly reddening in a manner that was most becoming.

For a Twi'lek, that is....

"Ok," I smiled, my entire demeanor entire degrees of bearing different from my former hostility. "To tell the truth, I guess I could use a little bit to eat, and I'm sure that this face isn't quite ready to go forth into the scrutiny of the public eye.

"Guess I owe you some thanks for repairing the damages, too."

Here I paused for a bit, letting a wealth of considerations flash through my mind. That multitudinous convergence of thoughts finally coalesced into one which has always served me well in the past.

Eat first. Talk later.

I stuck out my hand. "The name's Joao, Yaoksi Joao. My...er, partner over there is K'kihl. I want to thank you for your hospitality; maybe over dinner we can come to some sort of means where I can show my appreciation for what you've done for me."

There came a loud chittery sound which, even coming from a Verpine, was easily deciphered as being a snort. I utterly ignored him, continuing on instead after directing a quite obvious glance at the tattooes laid bare upon Naisra'len's arm.

"Maybe while we're eating you'll charm us with the tale of how a nice girl like you got to working in the dregs of hell as you are?"

Opening the pantry, I quickly scanned its contents and tried to figure out which dishes would be acceptable to all three members of our strange trio. Crimson skies, I hope I don't burn this! Finally, I settled on a packaged Corellian risotto mix, a couple of traladon steaks, and a green salad for good measure. Simple but tasty.

I warmed up the frying pan and washed the greens, singing a Rylothean folksong as I worked. Music always seems to make the time pass faster. I peeked over my shoulder and found Yaoksi staring at me. "What, am I that off-key?" He turned back to the holodrama he was watching as fast as possible.

Anyway, dinner was finished pretty quickly, and I put the hot dishes on my rickety kitchen table. "Come and get it!" I called. Yaoksi and K'kihl sat with care on the battered chairs and dug heartily into their food.

I watched with some interest before I started on my own meal. I had no idea what a Verpine ate, but K'khil seemed to enjoy the steak and salad, even though he didn't eat much. Yaoksi, on the other hand, was cramming food into his ravaged face like a smashball player beefing up for the Galactic Series. "I'm glad you enjoy it," I said with pardonable pride.

He looked at me, his mouth full, and nodded in gratitude. A smile crept across my face as our eyes locked. Where has this guy been all my life? If he wasn't so roughed up, he'd be quite a dish. Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from his face and started on my own dinner.

"How did I get here?" I sighed and draped a lek over one shoulder. "Long story. Let's just say I tried to go into business for myself and I ran into a...streak of bad luck." Actually, it was an asteroid. "And now, I have some...former friends...after my head-tails. I called in a few favors, tried to lie low, and here I am."

I took a deep breath. "As for you helping me...I'd rather hear your story first."

Hmmm, so she's lying low, ey? I couldn't keep my eyes from straying once again to the twin tattooes she bore on her arm. For a moment or two I fixated upon them, as though seeking a resolution to a yet unspoken problem. My concentration was broken a bit as a niggling little warning broke through it; with a start, I realized she was staring at me, a blend of curiosity and... yeah, that was definitely hope... planted on her face. I saw a wealth of emotion and questions flash through her eyes before I jerked my gaze back to my dinner.

I cast another quick glance toward K'kihl, who by now had apparently reached the conclusion that the risotto reminded him too much of his larval cousins. Even as I watched he laid the spoon aside with a motion that was almost reverent. Then he turned back to his steak, which he began to tear with his mandibles, utterly ignoring me.

I remembered how he had called the bounty hunter "Boss." Ok, I conceded. He might come off to others as being a "partner," but I guess I'm sorta his new boss now.... I sighed with the added realization that whatever direction the two of us... yeah, now the two of us! ...would travel in would be strictly up to me. Until he called in the promise I had given him, that is.

Guess this decision will be on my own then.

I gave myself a wry sort of smile as I realized where that thought was leading. Decided to face it squarely; with no further ado, I did so, effectively tuning out the Verpine and the Twi'lek altogether as I weighed the data I had already received.

Let's see... hmmm, Gunner's Guild tattoo; they just don't GIVE those away. Smuggler's Guild.... Unconsciously, I rubbed my own forearm, where an identical emblem revealed my own affiliation with that guild. EX-affiliation, I interrupted myself as a reminder. Those guys want too great a percentage; not to mention they can get a touch wee... cranky... when you don't fork it over.

This thought brought back a flurry of memories I'd just as soon forget; surreptitiously, I shot my eyes over to Naisra'len once again. Sheesh, if she's on the outs with them, they'll NEVER stay off her head-tails until they either get their money, or her.

That realization brought another factor to the forefront. That bounty hunter. SURELY he wasn't here looking for her... was he?

I directed my attention back to my meal with a ferocity that surprised me. No way, ol' pirate! The vehemence of that thought surprised even me. You take on this lady, you take on trouble a-plenty...

...BUT.

Now I closed my eyes, sighing a bit to myself. Sheesh, there's always a "but..."

But... she was a member of the gunner's guild; Fates only knew that while I was extremely well versed, as well as highly accurate, with a variety of hand-weapons, my adroitness with ship's weaponry was a far cry from a Master's... let alone anyone associated with the Gunner's Guild. My best defense had always been to hotfoot it away from trouble as fast as Devil-May-Care could take me. I'd managed to live so far, which was a nice reflection on my piloting skills.

Not only was she a member of that elite guild... she was a good nurse, and a decent cook as well. Oh, all right, forget the latter; I can cook just as well; we can share that duty...

...WE? When did THAT pronoun raise its head and become known?

I suddenly pushed my plate away and straightened in the ricketty little chair, sighing in a parody of defeat. Finally raised my eyes to Naisra'len, who was sitting there quietly waiting for me to say something.

I opened my mouth, stammered something totally inane, then frowned in disgust.

There went her head-tails again....

"My story?" I finally managed. "Ahh- well, that's kind of a long one. I suppose I'd have more time to regale you with it onboard my ship... if you'd be so kind as to consider the offer I'm making you to crew with me."

Now it was my turn to push up my sleeve, revealing my own tattoo. "I'm not affiliated with them anymore, but I do call this my, er, 'line of work,' and I could always use a new hand. Especially one who's not afraid to 'walk the line,' so to speak; you're not the only one with ex-friends out there.

"What do you say, Nassy- ah, Nahzzrolee, ummm... Nais-ra-len?" I concluded, stumbling over the unfamiliar syllables of her name as I spoke them aloud for the first time.

From the vicinity of the Verpine there came the snorting sound of another raspberry....

I realized I was rambling and I needed to get back on track. Finally, the full import of the words he'd just spoken hit me. He WANTED me to CREW with him. I had a chance at getting off this slag-heap! I tried to restrain myself and act professional."

"Well," I said, making a show of considering Yaoksi's offer carefully, "I suppose I could use the work. And anything's better than working at the Blue Asteroid." And getting to know you would DEFINITELY be better.

He sighed with relief. I could tell the guy had really had a change of heart. I wondered what had brought it on. Maybe it really was the Force. I'd thought it would have taken something that big to change his course.

I rose from the table, amusedly watching his eyes drift down to my leg. Most humans and Twi'leks find each other mutually attractive, and I've had my share of relationships with humans. But this one was different, although I didn't quite know why. Maybe it's because he walks upright and chews with his mouth closed, I thought sarcastically.

"Well, if the two of you would give me a hand cleaning up, I'd be much obliged. And," I searched for a delicate way to put this, "I've got some cots if you two want to pad down here for the night."

My door is also never locked, interjected my shoulder-devil. I made it shut up.

"Set 'er down over there, partner."

I couldn't help it. I chanced a quick glance toward the Verpine; I swear his eyes widened in innocence. Now I snorted, turning my attention back to the task at hand.

Might just as well lend a further hand here, I thought to myself as, placing my still wet hands on my hips I took in the little kitchen. It looked like the couch did before K'kihl had carefully removed the newsflimsies and whatnot that had taken semi-permanent residence there. I sighed.

"I know what you're thinking," I said in a low voice as I turned my back to K'kihl and began scrubbing the countertop. "You don't even have to go there."

He obligingly ignored my preemtive remark. "Pretty lady," he chattered back, the very epitome of guilessness. "After you, is this one. Thinking I am, that care you must be taking, Boss Yaoksi."

I whirled at that, a finger raised to his mandibles. "I said don't go--" I began, then interrupted myself, blinking. K'kihl hadn't mentioned one tender syllable concerning the possible problems I might have coming in the acceptance of not one, but two untried crewmembers... me, Yaoksi Joao, who up until this point had been happy as a lil ol aggee with wings running the field as a Lone Nek.

I blinked again. I opened my mouth, then let it hang there. To be honest, I didn't know what to say. Verpines didn't get to be the mechanical and technological wonders that they did by being unobservant; guess K'kihl's large, faceted peepers had seen something I had been blithely overlooking since we had first crossed paths with this Twi'lek.

Suddenly realizing that the Verpine was scrutinizing my back molars, I turned back to the counter. "Yeah, well, so what if she is?" I tossed back a bit fiercely. "I can handle myself around females; it's my specialty."

Once more I turned to face the Verpine, the old smug smile hauled out of cold storage and planted firmly on my face.

He looked at me in clear disbelief. I sighed a little, letting the bravado drop. Can't say as I blame him, what with the fact that I didn't believe it either. Considering what I had just gone through....

How in Kessel did that bipedal cricket sense that? I wondered. Then I forced my thoughts away from the topic at hand, which admittedly was starting to become a touch wee uncomfortable.

"Look, pal," I began again. "The fact remains that she's better with ship's ordnance than I am. I can handle blasters and casters and such, but anything larger sends me running for cover. I just think she's gonna come in handy... once we figure out exactly what it is we're gonna do, and where we're gonna go.

"As for her somehow being attracted to me... well, I'm still the Captain of Devil-May-Care. I'm a professional; have to be removed from the crew and all that kind of thing, right ol' cricket?"

I smiled and gave his shoulder... or at least, that portion of his anatomy which approximates a human shoulder ...a lighthearted punch with my fist. Immediately withdrew it, shaking it and turning to place it under running water.

Damn his carapace....

My grin grew wider when I heard a snatch of the conversation--no, the lecture--K'kihl was giving Yaoksi. "After you, is this one. Thinking I am, that care you must be taking, Boss Yaoksi." Yaoksi's reply was inaudible. The Verpine was both perceptive and protective, and my regard for him rose several notches. I made a mental note not to get on his bad side.

The question was, now that dinner was done, what was I to do? I sneaked into my back room and set out a pair of cots for my guests. "Property of Imperial Armed Forces" was clearly stamped on the bottom of them. I'd won them from a retired stormtrooper in a weird game of sabacc, and they'd served me well over the years...

When I came back into the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of Yaoksi flinging one of my greasy dishtowels at K'kihl. I had to work to stifle a giggle. "Anybody up for a glass of Whyren's Reserve?" I was too poor to keep the real thing around, but I had some stuff that usually passed for it.

Before Yaoksi could reply, there was a sharp knock at the door. I grabbed my blaster off the counter and sweetly called, "Coming"!

As I had suspected, it was another one of those jerks from the collection agency, a Rodian this time. I held the door half open so he wouldn't stink up the apartment. "Naisra'len, you owe money to the wrong people. I'm here to fix that," he gargled. Uncreative line, it was.

I smiled seductively and stuck out my chest. Rodians usually fell for those childish tactics. "Why don't you just let me go and get it? I'll be just a--"

Mid-sentence, I flung the door open and shot the Rodian directly in the chest. Dirty, but he was an idiot to try to get me at home. He dribbled a little, then was silent. Hastily, I shoved the body into the space between my building and the next. Nobody would even be looking for the guy.

"KESSEL!" The epitaph shot from my lips as I shot to the door, unheedingly knocking the Twi'lek to the side as I rushed out of her little apartment to the ricketty fire escape landing just without. The momentum of my charge brought me to a slamming halt against the rusty railing which ran about its perimeter. I leaned over, my eyes frantically searching the shadowy grounds below.

There... sticking out a bit from the little alley next to Naisra'len's apartment was a feebly twitching foot. I turned and tore down the stairs as though my own feet were winged, and soon found myself beside the hapless bill collector.

Quietly, I knelt down and laid gentle hands upon him, wincing to see the damage he had received. His hand and snout waved weakly as he tried to speak. With a sudden burst of fading strength, he reached out and latched his suctioned fingers upon my arm. Then, before he could say anything in particular, his body gave a final racking shudder and he died.

I sighed, sitting back on my heels, and for a moment just stared at the Rodian. Emotions and concerns still raged through my own system as I sat there, watching his brilliant green skin tone gradually fade to the icy mint that these guys do in death. Exhaling through my pursed lips, I climbed to my feet, reached out with one foot to shove the body more deeply into the shadows of the alley, not caring to inspect those depths too closely. Finally satisfied that the Rodian would not be seen anytime too soon, I grimly turned around.

K'kihl was standing smack behind me, the tube of bacta tincture held in his claws like some ridiculous afterthought. His large black eyes studied me for a moment; then he seemed to shrug.

"A Rodian, this one is," he chattered, nodding his head toward the alley. "And a Twi'lek, only is she."

I frowned at him; then pushed past him and headed back up the stairs. My muttered, "Yeah, well..." didn't accomplish much other than simply make noise as I took the stairs four at a time. In no time I was back at the apartment, bursting inside. Naisra'len stood where I left her, a bottle of Whyren's Reserve wannabe clutched in one hand.

Although her head-tails were twitching like mad, she didn't say a word. I didn't let her; I had plenty to say.

"What IS it with you, lady?!" I hollered the moment I entered her apartment. "I mean, what in the name of all the Fates are you trying to prove to me? That you're tough? That you can handle yourself? That you're good with a blaster?

"Kessel, I'M good with a blaster...and I know when to use it!"

I was really worked up now. For a moment my speech snapped itself off as anger rose up within me, hot and righteous. I waved my arms in the attempt to articulate the myriad words that were struggling, like a panicked mob striving to leave a cantina all at once, to depart my lips all at the same time. I waved my hands again.

K'kihl's steadying claw on my shoulder abruptly realigned my roiling thoughts. I found I could speak again. This time, the tone of my voice was quieter.

"Look," I began. "I don't know what prompted- that -but lady, what you just did was wrong. I mean, the guy hadn't even drawn on you, and you just up and blasted him six ways from sundown! Even a Hutt doesn't deserve that kind of treatment!"

I quieted even more, placing my hands on my hips now as I considered this Twi'lek before me. Her eyes had grown huge in her face, and her lekku were doing the Tattooine Tango all about her face. Clearly evident upon that face was a war of hopes being shattered, of defensive anger, and...something else.

I strove to ignore that something else. Taking another deep breath, I turned to the Verpine.

"C'mon, K'kihl. I think it's time I showed you the ship's systems. We can bunk aboard Devil-May-Care. And me... well, I have some serious thinking to do here. A good shot is something we definitely could use... but this kind of loose cannon is what usually ends up sinking ships."

At the doorway to her apartment, I turned to face her. "Thanks for your help and hospitality," I stammered, acutely aware of how shallow the words sounded. Then, a clattering Verpine in tow, I departed, and we were soon on our way to Dalius City's Central Docking Port, blending ourselves into the crowd that bustled along its way on the walkways we paced, each hurrying individual lost in his or her own personal oblivion.

The same oblivion into which I heartily wished I could cast the look I had seen in the dying Rodian's eyes.

"Who are you to judge me?" I spat. "What kind of self-centered, self-righteous High-and-Mighty ARE YOU?" I didn't give him a chance to get a word in edgewise; I simply let loose whatever came to mind, as he had done to me.

"Believe me, that guy would've killed me if he'd had the chance. Don't you think I've faced down enough assassins to know when I'm threatened? How dare you pass judgement on me for trying to preserve my life? I doubt even you would stand down when your life's in danger, as angelic as you apparently are. And you're apparently arrogant enough to think I would kill someone to impress you!"

I trembled with anger. "I helped you because I was trying to redeem myself. To prove that I could do something good. To try to turn this sordid life of mine around. And I don't regret it, not one bit. You've shown me how far I have to go."

I let go of his arm. "If I'm worthy enough to remind you of it, it was you who asked me to accompany you. I didn't make a single offer. You needed ME. And I certainly don't need an ever-so-gallant Jedi Knight on my back all the time." His eyes widened with an indecipherable expression, and my voice dropped unexpectedly to a whisper. "Just somebody who understands this life."

"Who do I think I am?" I sputtered, beside myself. "Who do I think I am?!?" Now it was my turn to quickly close the distance between us. I shot out a hand and, gripping her by her upper arm, simultaneously stopped her in her tracks and spun her about to face me. "Listen lady, I'm sorry if I'm not LOW ENOUGH to meet your standards, but I AIN'T NO SITHSPAWNING JEDI, EITHER!

"What I am and who I am is a person who has lived lifetimes in one, as have many. I have my share of enemies in this Galaxy... as well as friends. I do my best to get along, as do most, in any way I can. And, believe it or not, I really try to do it in a manner where nobody gets hurt!

"BUT... if there's any hurting to be done, I'm damned well certain that it's the other guy who starts it... and shows me proof positive that he deserves retaliation on my part! Especially if that retaliation involves the use of deadly force! Ya just don't live long in the long run, if ya keep on reacting explosively in one particular moment after another! And that's what I understand about this life!"

Here I paused for a deep breath, literally shaking with barely restrained anger. The hand holding Naisra'len removed itself and flew of its own accord to the grip of my blaster, as though seeking some kind of crazy way to siphon off my growing rage. My knuckles whitened as I grasped it, finger hovering close to the trigger, and I tensed. I scarcely felt it when K'kihl raised his other clawed appendage to mirror its companion on my other shoulder.

"Boss Yaoksi," he chittered quietly. "Maybe no proof here is, I am thinking." He silenced before the glare I shot him, but refused to drop either one of his claws from me. Before me, Naisra'len stood silent, her lekku for once laying still as vines entwined around her shoulders.

I ignored the look swimming in her dark eyes just as I ignored the bustling crowd which was breaking around us, giving our little group a wide berth. Lifting my hand from the blaster, I stuck a finger in her face. "And may I remind you, missy, that I do not NEED you, as you stated. I would have liked to have you join us; there's a galaxy of difference between the two, or is that something else your own special brand of arrogance has managed to overlook? You may be whizbang with weapons... but I got along just fine, thank you, before we ever met."

Now I literally backed away a step or two from her, pinning her eyes with my own. I'll give the lady credit for not dropping her gaze. I'm sure the look on my face would have melted Hoth.

K'ihl's claws dropped from me as he sensed me winding down. Delicately, the Verpine moved in synch with me, backing himself and then halting, waiting. I didn't let him wait long.

'C'mon, buddy," I said in a much quieter tone of voice. "Let's get to my ship. If what just happened is any indication of what our life might be like with this lady a part of it, well... she's too hot a commodity to have hanging around. This is the kind of cargo I usually dump first chance I get... or forego entirely."

Not to mention that if we remained in the kind of proximity people do on a ship, even one the size of Devil-May-Care, one of us would no doubt end up killing the other....

So why for all the spice on Kessel was I still standing where I was, still glaring at Naisra'len , and completely ignoring the Verpine's insistent tugs to get me moving?

"Goodbye." The word dropped from my lips, heavy as a stone.

Then again, maybe it wasn't entirely due to the Verpine's ministrations as he lent himself to the daunting task of repairing the hyperdrive motivator....

I threw myself onto my side, my eyes focusing on nothing in particular as my thoughts dove inward. You ought to just go off and get your brain yanked out and join the Bomarr monks! I berated myself, perhaps with a touch of undue harshness. The luck you've been having with females, in one way or another, sure hasn't been up to your old standards! Maybe I'm losing my touch?

I sat up at the thought, sighing a bit, then got to my feet. No use trying to sleep now, I continued to myself as I switched on the light and padded barefoot to where I had flung my boots only a short while ago. Yanking them on, I ran a hand through my hair and headed out of my quarters.

Guess I'll go see what the ol insect is up to....

As I prowled aft, I couldn't keep thoughts of that Twi'lek from my mind. Dammit Yaoksi, what is it with her? Why are you so preoccupied with her? OK, so she's a great shot, and you haven't touched any of your laser cannons since you had them installed... BUT. She's hot-headed and impulsive and no doubt has a string of hunters and Kessel knows who else hunting her down. THAT'S another cannon definitely in need of battening down. BUT...!

I scowled again as these thoughts pressed through my mind, unconsciously rubbing the tattoo of the Smuggler's Guild which yet graced my forearm. I had often thought of having it erased via a synflesh graft, but had then decided that it would be better to leave it there. A constant reminder of days gone past, events long unfolded... as well as one pertinent to a future which most positively should NOT involve these guys ever, ever again.

I came to an abrupt halt as a sudden realization hit me. Maybe that's why I can't get that waitress out of my head. Maybe it's because we're BOTH smugglers and both of us are on the outs with the Guild. There aren't too many peeps in that particular predicament free-roaming the Galaxy. Kessel knows the Guild has a habit of tidying up any loose strings it might find itself encumbered with; I was lucky to have gotten away in a manner which cleared my name with them... not to mention my bank account. Here was another apparent ex-Guild member who, if that wonderful institution had any say in the matter, was destined to end her life as yet another string in their shadowy ball of yarn.

Although she's managed to stay alive this far. Gotta give her credit for that.

Pursing my lips, I headed on aft, although to be honest I really didn't feel a need to supervise K'kihl's activities. The complete and utter delight and anticipation which began oozing from his carapace at the sight of Devil-May-Care was enough to persuade me as to his integrity. I knew she was in good hands... er, claws rather, and that she would be whipped into 200% efficiency as a result of his tender ministrations.

Suddenly changing banthas in mid-stream, I veered away from the main corridor and headed down an offshoot. At the end was a small observation deck, complete with viewport and caf-generator. I headed straight to the simple device, and soon had a cup in my hands. Then I settled myself in the observation lounge and stared at the closed port, trying to imagine a view of the stars streaming past.

The droid rolled over, quietly complied with my request. I didn't care how much money I spent tonight. I just needed to kill all the brain cells that retained the memory of my encounter with Yaoksi. Funny, Triple Thruster wasn't doing the trick tonight. Maybe some Poonba shots would take care of it. I ordered one as quickly as I could. Nope, Poonba shots didn't work. I stopped to think before I was too drunk to do so.

Naisra'len, your clan would disown you did they see you now. You weren't raised this way. Maybe it's time to make a new life, get back on the straight and narrow. I considered that proposition gladly. Ironically, I'd never be able to get legit under my real name--I'd have to use one of my false identities.

But that, I promised myself, would be the last concession I made to the outlaw life. I was going to get out of the game before it ate up what little morals I had left. I resolved to go looking for work with some freight company tomorrow. Surely they'd need an experienced hand.

I sighed again. Face it, Yaoksi, I berated myself. You have unfinished business to attend to. As much as you might not like it, you OWE Naisra'len at least a modicum of an apology for her helping you. She didn't have to take you and your new buddy under her wing, fix you up, feed you... She could have walked right on past, especially after how you treated her in the "Blue Asteroid." But she didn't; she showed enough common courtesy to ignore how you brushed her off like so much bantha poo-doo, and did her best to welcome you into her home.

Such as it was....

I shifted in my seat, glowering at the cooling but still dripping caf as I tried to place my finger on just exactly what it was that was prompting me to feel like such a heel. There really wasn't any good reason; the lady really had kinda jumped the trigger there back in her apartment, and I had every reason myself to climb onto the glory-bound bandwagon and lecture her about the fragility and importance of life, no matter how nasty that life was. Not only was it dangerous to go about leaving a trail of bodies wherever one went; killing people willy-nilly just wasn't the right thing to do.

I scrunched lower, my glower deepening to where the bulkhead threatened to begin dripping along with the caf. That obnoxious little shoulder-angel took that opportunity to wave it's tiny little wings for attention, and then began a lecture of its own. I hunkered lower yet; it refused to go away and leave me alone.

Naisra'len was right, wasn't she? About your own morality; since when did you become so high and mighty yourself as to suggest you are above all reproach? When did this wondrous epiphany hit you between the eyes, and make you the Guardian of Truth and Justice and the Galactic Way of Life? What gave you the right to blow up as you did in Nassy's face like you did, nevermind if she was right or wrong in what she did? When indeed did you turn into a Jedi, Yaoksi?

Jedi.

I gulped, and untangled myself from the knot I had managed to twine myself into. Ran my hand over my mouth, and rested it there, my elbow propped upon my raised knee as the thought struck me like a ton of duracrete. No getting away from it; might as well take the rancor by the talons. You feel that in letting Naisra'len down, you are letting Cella down as well. It really doesn't matter that you'll probably never see her again the rest of your life; the fact remains that in the brief period you were with her you discovered that part of yourself you had forgotten about, the real Yaoksi, who has been buried away for far too long a time. That's the heart and soul of it all, isn't it? Well... maybe not quite all of it. The truth is that in letting Nassy down, you're letting YOURSELF down as well. And THAT is a truth that hurts....

"Yeah, it does," I whispered into the uncaring ears of the observation room; then in one smooth motion I gained my feet. In two strides I was at the ship's intercom; I slammed it into shipwide transmission and called out to K'kihl before I could try to talk myself out of it.

"Hey Cricket!" I tried to smile, failing miserably. "I've got something to attend to; I'm going dirtside for a bit. Man the hatches, and don't leave without me."

The chittering clatter of his amusement came across loud and clear; with another scowl I slammed off the 'com and marched out of the room. Soon I found myself on the creted surface of the Docking Port, heading back to the bustling heart of Dalius City. I gave my chrono a glance; hmmm, it wasn't that late yet. Maybe she was still up...

Shortly thereafter I found myself at the foot of the ricketty excuse of a fire escape she had to tread day after day to reach the dive of an apartment in which she lived. A surprising flash of anger boiled through me as I thought of her living conditions; whoever her landlord was, he ought to be shot! I thought fiercely. Buoyed by a ridiculous anger, this in turn a means in which all the emotions roiling within me over the past hours could find surcease, I took the stairs four at a time. Came to a halt in front of her door; raised my hand to knock...

...and was taken almost completely off-guard when it slowly creaked open.

My body immediately spun into preservation mode. I crouched, every sense alert, my eyes striving to see in every direction at once, my blaster suddenly nestled in my hand. I raised it in absolute silence, placed its tip against the door and slowly pushed it open. Peered inside.

I remembered her apartment as being a tad bit on the cluttered side, but nothing like the disaster which met my eyes. Everything she owned was either ripped or slashed or broken; the walls bore large and gaping places where someone had holed them; the remnants of our evening meal...was it only this last night that we shared that meal?...had been splattered over the floor and furniture. Drawers hung crooked, the cheap paintings on the walls were akew. That someone was looking for something suddenly became, quite laughably, the biggest understatement I had ever thought of.

Hot on the heels of that thought came a chillingly sober one. I hope that something didn't include her....

Gritting my teeth, I oozed into the room, every hair on my body at attention as if to sense whatever mystical aura the intruder might extrude. I froze, ears on over-drive. Nothing.

Slowly then, I crept forward, peeping now into the little kitchenette, now into the 'fresher facility. Only three short steps from there the hall abruptly truncated at a closed door; holding my breath, I lightly palmed the entrance pad and practically willed it to open. It hesitated a bit, then obligingly yawned wide...

...to reveal a startled and hopping mad Rodian standing frozen in mid-stride, caught in the act of preparing to exit.

I stared at him. He glared at me. Both our hands flashed to our blasters; I'll give myself credit in that I let him fire first. Coherent light flashed forth from his barrel as he ionized the air where I no longer was standing; I was too busy rolling and aiming from five feet off to his left to take the time to congratulate myself. In something of a non-sequiteur, the smug, "This is what I meant, Nass!" blazed through my mind as my own blaster came to life and fried the Rodian's feeble little brain, right between his eyes. He dropped like a stone.

Panting, I leapt to my feet, my blaster leading the way as I burst into Naisra'len's bedroom. "Nassy! I hollered at the top of my lungs.

No answer. Clenching my teeth, my adrenalin running topspeed, I tore through her bedroom, and then through her entire little apartment again. No Nassy. And, thank the Maker, no more Rodians, either.

For a moment I paused, glancing around at the havoc about me. Havoc now augmented by the addition of the Rodian's body. Well, it doesn't matter! I told myself fiercely. She's not gonna have to come back to this hell-hole. When I find her, she's coming with me if I have to rope and worrt-tie her and carry her over my shoulder!

With that thought leading the way I burst out of her apartment and onto the little fire escape. The lights of Dalius City glimmered like a million stars that had fallen to earth. For a moment I hesitated; Kessel, but where am I gonna find her?

Then I drew in a great breath of determination, and went to search the streets for a lady Twi'lek who could shoot a decicred in freefall half a click away. Not to mention what she could do to a Rodian....

I stared at him in disbelief. "How can you not be hiring in your line of work? I know this business, and good hands on a freighter are always in short supply!"

"Business bad," remarked the Devaronian, and belched again. "Sub-Nebula's profits down last quarter. I could always use pretty personal assistant, though." His beady eyes roved up and down my body despite the baggy, grungy jumpsuit I wore.

I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to hurt him. "Sorry, not interested." With that, I stalked out of Sub-Nebula Shipping's grimy Dalis City branch.

Four major freight companies and none of them are looking for hands? This must be some recession, I thought glumly as I pounded the grimy pavement all by my lonesome. At least my ID's good, but it's useless if there aren't jobs to be had. Huh, never thought it would be this hard to get legit.

As I walked out of the mouth of an alley, lost in thought, my amazed eyes suddenly fixed upon a very familiar human smuggler walking the street...

Yaoksi Joao. The reason I was out job-hunting and not passed out drunk in my apartment. I wasn't sure whether I wanted him to catch sight of me or not, considering the nature of our last conversation...

Where indeed. Fates only knew that if my feet could talk, they would solemnly attest to the fact that at least three entire cycles simply had to have passed for all the abuse they had undertaken; I felt I must have walked to every bleemin' dive and hellhole in the entire quadrant.

And no Twi'lek.

Oh now, let me amend that statement. Twi'leks I had encountered, and in plenty. Seemed like this particular neighborhood was the, ahh... seamier side of Dalius City, and filled with enough lovely Twi'lek lasses to keep even a prime male Faleen hopping. One after another they had sidled and sashayed and slinked up to me, waving their collective lekku and blinking their seductive eyes and whispering entertaining promises in their sultry voices.

But not a one could shoot a blaster worth squat, let alone nurse a wound or stand up to my scathing and unthinking anger.

I yawned again, and turned away with a sigh. From the Blue Asteroid where I had begun my search (much to the dismay of the Gotal owner, whose feigned interest in me rapidly turned to wholehearted disgust when I informed him all I wanted was his ex-waitress)~ to the... I turned to read the shabby sign above and behind me. Solar Synch--The Hottest Place in Town! it proudly over-represented itself to whoever cared to read it. Which probably accounted for the fact that it was nearly deserted....

Anyway, I had spent the night trudging from the first establishment to the last, seeking Nassy. No luck. I even sneaked back to her apartment on the off chance that she had returned there. Nope: the place was still as much the rat's nest that I had left it, complete with a minty-green and very much dead Rodian, whose face still bore a very surprised expression. But no Nassy.

I blew a breath out between my lips, and ran a hand through my hair. Face it, Yaoksi, you lost her. You tried, Kessel knows you tried, but she's gone. Probably for the best....

Stifling another yawn, I turned from the Solar Synch and started heading back toward the Central Docking Port. My eyes unseeing, I let my feet carry me of their own accord as I yet mulled over every probable location I could think of where I might find her. Before I knew it, I had left the portion of the city that catered to spacers' every whim, and found myself closing in on that containing the docking ports. Seamy dive after seamier one gradually gave way to grungy shipping companies. Nothing I hadn't seen before in my life; I just kept on walking and mulling.

And then I saw her, just up the walkway a short distance from me, exiting the grimy doors of the Sub-Nebula Shipping Corporation. She took a couple steps out into the ever-present crowd, a dark scowl blackening her face, and paused as though trying to figure out exactly what her next move would be.

She turned my way... took a couple steps... raised her head to give her lekku a flippant little toss... and our eyes met and we both froze in mid-step.

She looked as graceful as an ikopi, frozen in headlights. I felt like a stumbling old Gandy-Rak in a similar situation. For a long moment I just stood there, growing more and more aware of the fact that I was actually beginning to be afraid that she would turn and run from me.

Then that fear evaporated, and carried with it whatever arbitrary anger that might yet be lingering. I held up a finger I had banged in the doorway of one of the establishments I had tramped out of in disgust, trying to plant the most endearing and lopsided smile I could muster on my face.

"Well, fancy meeting you here," I said in my rich baritone. "What a coincidence. I could use a good nurse."

I then fell silent, words trying to burst from between my lips with apologies and the startling information that someone was still hot on her trail, and that I really wanted nothing more than to be the one to take her away from this dive of a city and give her the chance to be the best gunner she could be on my ship.

But those words failed me, and all I could do was just stand there, lopsided grin in place, finger in the air, and hope that she'd give our somewhat stormy relationship a chance to begin anew.

Daintily, I took Yaoksi's finger in my hand and inspected it closely. "Painful, yes, but nothing I couldn't take care of." Unwillingly, I met his eyes, and I stepped back. I had a small confession to make.

"Yaoksi, I'm sorry about what happened when you left." I sighed. "You were right. You forced me to realize that I'd been living with death at my back too long, that it was getting too easy for me to kill. That's not how it used to be. I was..." I blushed. "I was trying to find some work with a freighter company, but no luck."

"But what am I standing here babbling for? Let's go back to my apartment and get that finger fixed up."

The pained look on Yaoksi's face was puzzling. He opened his mouth to speak several times, but no words came out.

I was suddenly sick. "What's wrong?" Even before he told me, I thought I might already know. There was no getting away from the Smuggler's Guild...or from Black Sun.

"I'm glad you didn't have any luck with the freighting companies," I murmured, giving her hands a little squeeze. Then I sobered as her words finally sunk into my admittedly sometimes thick skull. I pursed my lips, squeezed her hands again, and held them.

"You- you're not the only one to apologize, Naisra'len," I said, the tone of my voice suddenly soft. "I was every bit to blame myself. There was absolutely no excuse for my jumping all over you the way I did; you're right, you know. While I try to avoid whatever trouble that might be trying to catch me, I'm clearly no saint. I've played too many rounds of sabaac in my life. There's a time to hold, a time to fold... and a time to go get a new deck of cards. I've 'retrieved a few decks' of my own in my life... in fact, I uh- just got finished with a quickie game of 78-card pickup back at your place. I don't think you'll want to return there."

Even though her eyes widened at that cryptic statement, they somehow indicated that she was not entirely ignorant as to what had probably occurred there during my recent encounter. But I went ahead and shed all the details anyway. I was correct in my assessment of her...smart gal! Her eyes widened no further as my quick explanation ran to its end. For a brief moment we just stood there on the walkway, our hands clasped, searching for something in each others' eyes. I finally broke the silence when I had the niggling suspicion that the crowd wasn't giving us quite the berth it had been. In fact, my inner warning system was beginning an insidious waving of arms, trying to inform me that perhaps we were under scrutiny.

No use hanging about to find out the hard way.

I gave her hands a final squeeze, then released them and planted them on my hips. "Now it's my turn to offer you food and shelter. Shall we retire to my ship?" I offered with a gallant wave of my hand.

Nassy merely smiled. Kessel, I never knew her eyes could sparkle like that! Must have been the bad lighting in that former dive of hers....

Former? For a moment I paused to reflect on the adjective, blinking with the realization that it had simply rolled off my inner tongue in a manner that was completely natural and even welcomed. Now I smiled again, and stuck my arm out to Nassy with a gentlemanly cock of my head and extremely devilish wriggle of my brows.

One slender hand flew up to hide the smile that spilled from her eyes onto her lips. Then, with a stately little curtsey of her own, she put her arm through mine and let me lead her away from the hellhole of her life that was Dalius City. At least for the moment.

We must have looked like the two biggest fools in residence there, but I didn't care. It just suddenly felt so right that she was coming with me.

I'm damned lucky to have found her, I thought to myself as we moved along. And if my luck holds out, she'll let bygones be bygones and will accept my offer to come with us.

Not long thereafter we found ourselves entering the Central Docking Port. I blithely headed off in the direction where Devil-May-Care was docked, when I was approached by a docking official who was trying very hard to act more influential than he no doubt really was. Puffing himself up, he released a barrage of questions at us, demanding we divulge ourselves to him: who we were, why we were there, and otherwise generally promising the blood and soul of our firstborn child in exchange for the privilege of walking the hallowed duracrete of this wondrous facility. I frowned a bit to myself, digging through my pouch for the necessary items; sheesh, when did they start in with all this security? Is something going on somewhere that I don't know about? After scrutinizing my identification and listening for the fifteenth time as I vouched for Nassy upon pain of relinquishing the aforementioned firstborn, he backed up a little. Finally he waved us on, disapproval clearly evident in the black scowl with which he sizzled our hastily retreating backs.

I could only shake my head at the questions rising in Nassy's eyes. "Maybe K'kihl will have an idea of what's going on," I suggested, wondering if this might have something to do with the two Rodians who had visited this lady Twi'lek in less than eight hours.

"Ah. Here we are!" I gave her arm a pat, then waved the hand in a somewhat expansive introduction of my sleekly ominous corvette. Before Nassy could do more than blink, the hatch yawned open, and we boarded her. With equal alacrity, I soon had her settled in the finest quarters on the ship.

"I'll let you get yourself cleaned up a little," I stated. "Then we'll get a bite of din- I mean, breakfast, heh."

On a sudden impulse, I reached forward and took up both her hands again. "Nassy, I was going to wait to ask you this as we ate, but I'd rather ask now and give you a little time by yourself to think. By now I believe you have an inkling of what I'm like. I'll also freely admit that when it comes to ship's matters, I'm a slave-driver. My ship and her crew, as one entity, come before the people who make up that crew. But I'm asking again if you would join us. I think..."

Suddenly at a loss for words, I stopped with them dangling from my lips and for a long moment just stood there. Then I stammered on with a faltering little grin. "I- I'll be back for you in about half an hour. We can talk more over breakfast."

Before she could say one word, I turned and hurried aft. I had to talk to K'kihl.

Now to most people, an offer to crew on a smuggler ship was extremely unromantic. But to me, it was the best and most unselfish thing anyone had ever done for me. No one had cared so much about my fate since I had left my clan on Ryloth. Everyone else in the galaxy, it seemed, was only interested in what I could do for them.

But Yaoksi had not only forgiven me for what I'd done, he'd lifted me out of the mire my life was becoming. Sure, he could benefit from having someone of my skills on board, but he was also interested in me as a person. It was a new and dizzying experience. My attraction for him was quickly moving past mere sex appeal into...dared I say it...real affection.

He even asked me again! As if I had a choice. As if I even had a home to go back to. I sighed. The ruin of my apartment didn't bother me much--I figured that was a problem for my landlord. K'kihl's reaction to me--and more importantly, that official's strange behavior--were more pressing worries at the moment.

Kessel, but it had been longer than I could remember off-hand when I had last pulled an all-nighter like the one I just did, I yawned to myself, blinking a bit blearily. Think I'll get Nass all situated aboard-ship, and then take a quick sandcat-nap. I'm getting to be too old to go on for cycles and cycles like I used to do in the good ol days of my hot-tempered youth....

With that thought, I quite suddenly found myself at the companionway leading to where K'kihl was working. Stifling yet another yawn, I continued along the lengthy passage, the sounds of metallic clingks and clanggs coming occasionally to my ears and growing louder and louder as I approached the engine room.

"Hey, Cricket!" I hollered as I entered at last and headed over to where an opened panel was spewing a clawed pair of Verpine feet and, disconcertingly enough, entirely too many wires and circuits than I was used to seeing laying about all at the same time. I stopped with my hands on my hips and waited with as much patience as I could muster while the feet merely wriggled and another plink! came into my ears. At length the metallic sounds emanating from the opened panel were replaced by a barrage of chittering clacks.

"A new crew member we now have, I am thinking." The words were muffled. The humor with which they were laced clearly was not. Accompanied by a slight grunt, the feet began projecting outward toward me as the Verpine began slithering out from beneath the panel. They were rapidly followed by legs, torso, and finally K'kihl's head, which he cocked at me inquisitively as he stood up. "Hugging you out of gratitude, has she yet?" he asked innocently.

I didn't know whether to hit him or laugh. I settled on a compromise. "Actually, she hasn't agreed to crew with us, pal. We're gonna talk about that over breakfast."

The Verpine cocked his head even more to the side and silently worked his mandibles. I stuck a finger in his face before he could make any reply.

"Don't even think about it," I said warningly. Then I hurried on to safer spacelanes.

"Hey pal," I began. "I know you've been stashing yourself back here working on the hyperdrive and all, but I was wondering if during your breaks..."

My words trailed off with the look K'kihl delivered to me. Even though he had positively no facial expression whatsoever, in fact was quite incapable of producing so much as a smirk, somehow he managed to portray his absolute offense that I would even once come close to considering that he would leave his work in my absence. I sighed and tried another direction. Simplicity.

"Have you been made aware of anything, er... unusual going on anywhere?" I asked directly.

He shrugged his shiny shoulders at me. "Other than you have no hydro-spanner, nothing unusual have I discovered," he said casually. He cocked his head in the other direction. "Something strange going on dirtside, I am correctly thinking?" he queried.

Now it was my turn to shrug. "I don't know, pal. There's just a slug of a lot of security that wasn't there less than a cycle ago. Security like that popping up out of nowhere makes me nervous; maybe you might wanna kick in the after-burners and get this baby going ASAP, hear it?"

He merely threw his arms up and out in a gesture of resignment. "Then why my time you are here wasting, I am now wondering?" he muttered before slipping back to the deck and slithering back into the electronic depths of the panel.

I merely shook my head and headed back to where I had planted Nassy. Looks like I had time for a quick bite to eat; hopefully she'd respond in a positive manner, and I could go catch a quick nap before we even more hopefully were ready to blast the hell off of this miserable little planet. I let out another yawn as I moved on, and finally came to the guest quarters. I rapped on her door with my knuckles, and was surprised with the speed in which she opened it.

"Let's go eat," I said simply, and led her on to the mess. There, after firmly ignoring her offers to cook and instead establishing her at the Captain's table, I hurried off to throw something edible together. Moments later I was back, two plates of steaming ryshcate and Rylothian rycrit steaks held in my hands. I set them down on the table with a flourish, and seated myself across from her where I picked up a fork and indicated she dig in. For the moment we both contented ourselves with general small talk as we ate. Then, with a final gulp of my steak and mopping of gravy with the last bit of ryshcate, I moved my plate aside and leaned forward, my chin propped against my clenched fist, elbow inelegantly on the table.

"I'll offer you room, board and ten percent of the profits," I ventured at length. "Plus the availability of Devil-May-Care, which I assure you will go a long way toward keeping you out of the hands of, er... those who are seeking you.

"What do you say?"

Not to mention that most beings I'd negotiated with didn't have such enchanting eyes...

I shook away the troublesome thought and decided to get to business. "I don't know what the deal was with that official, and I don't know whether he was after me or what, but I think we ought to put some hyperspace between us and Dalius City, if you know what I mean."

With that I abruptly stood up. "Don't be afraid of offering any suggestions aboard this ship, by the way. I'm no Xixor telling the Black Sun what to do all the time!" As I spoke the words I turned away from her, making it obvious that I was heading to the bulkhead comm unit but in reality giving myself a chance to finally release the yawn I had been battling. I slapped the panel with the back of my hand.

"Hey, K'kihl!" I hollered, turning back to Nass with another smile planted on my face. It wavered into borderline catatonia in the length of time it took the Verpine to finally clack his way to the nearest comm and respond to my hail.

"Something the matter, is there now?" he inquired politely enough, although I had my suspicions about what was probably running through his insectoid little brain. I refrained from giving them voice.

"Can you give me an ETC yet, ol' Cricket?" I asked instead.

The comm fell silent, but I swear I could hear K'kihl's mandibles working as he ran myriad calculations through his head. "Another seven hours and completion is achieved, I am thinking," he ventured at length.

"Great! When you're done, meet me in my ready room, got it ol' Cricket? Make it about..." I stopped to give my chronometer a quick glance "...ahh, eighteen-forty. We have some business to discuss."

That will give me time to catch a few winks, as well as give Nass time to start feeling at home aboard the "Devil-May-Care."

I slammed the comm off before the Verpine could make any wry comments, and walked back to where Nassy was still seated at the Captain's Table. "I'm going to go revitalize myself a bit, so you'll have to excuse me for a couple hours. Please feel free to aclimatize yourself with my ship; however, until I can show you where your position will be as well as the ordnance you'll be responsible for I'd appreciate it if your self-guided tour was merely an "eyes only" one, ok?"

I let another little smile come to my lips in order to soften the command statement, and was warmed by the answering smile on her face. I nodded my head, turning to go.

"My ready room is just aft of the command center; if you can't find it, just hit up any comm and ask K'kihl. He'll get you to it easily enough."

An easy enough task for one who undoubtedly has the schematics for every ship known to sentient-kind indelibly etched in his brain....

"I'll see you there. We'll have dinner after."

Making my way throughout the spacious ship, I was impressed with its sleek neatness and precision equipment. Naturally, the gunnery stations were my first stop, and my fingers itched to get on the state-of-the art laser cannons and proton torp launchers. Remembering what Yaoksi had said, though, I left well enough alone for then. Yes, indeed, Captain Joao ran a smart ship, and I was glad to have signed on with him. Few of my bosses had such an obvious love for their crafts.

Finished with the main living areas and the command deck, I moved into the living quarters. A main stateroom definitely belonged to Yaoksi--I could hear him softly snoring within. My cabin was directly next to it. Another cabin with the door hanging temptingly open was further down the corridor, and I decided to do a little more exploring.

This unoccupied cabin, I decided after a while, was quite a puzzle. My observant eyes could see that it had been lived in shortly before, but Yaoksi hadn't mentioned crewing with anyone else recently. Honest he might be, but like most people in the game, he was closemouthed about the past. Moving toward the bed, I plucked a long golden-brown hair from the pillow and examined it closely.

Another fem. I wonder what happened to her? My curiosity was piqued, and I opened a small storage closet next to the bed. Hanging solitary in the empty closet were a woman's utility jumpsuit...and a brown robe of homespun cloth.

Puzzled and suddenly embarassed, I shut the closet quickly and beat a hasty retreat to my own cabin, pondering what I'd found. I decided not to mention it to Yaoksi; after all, I'd been specifically told to keep my hands off. But I couldn't help wondering what the nature of Yaoksi's last employment could have been...

"Go easy on that stuff, will you?" Matt, who was sitting next to Jasyn, warned.

Jasyn turned to glare at the man, who was currently stuffing a handful of Vym chips in his mouth. Then he turned back to Terrin. "What are we doing here again?"

"Vacation and business," Terrin replied, his arm around Galen. In fact, the Lexus along with its wing of tie fighters had already been sold with credits up front--which was part of the reason it was ever near Coruscant in the first place. Occasionally he glanced around the Asteroid suspiciously, not at all found of where he was. Then again, he wasn't that much more thrilled with being on a ship other than the Hornett either.

Truth was, this location wasn't his pick for a vacation spot or a place to do a little business anyway. In fact, Galen had suggested it; she'd been here before and knew the place, which was more than he could say for himself. Even so the nature of his business allowed him to work from pretty much anywhere, so he figured this was as good a place as any.

As he glanced around once again, he decided he was getting just a touch too uncomfortable with this place. He had to admit that this might also have something to do with the fact that he'd secured a repaired Eagle in a docking bay not far from where they were.

Standing, he looked to the other three occupants of the booth. "What do you say we take a look around and see what michief awaits us?"

Jasyn nodded, glancing over once again at Matt, who was about to confiscate his mug of Whyrene's Reserve. "Watch it!" he blurted.

Terrin just rolled his deep blues and grinned, taking Galen's hand. "Com'n you two, let's go."

"So, you want to trade in your JV-7 when you purchase the YT-2400 we showed you?" Matt asked a muscular man with short brown hair and green eyes.

"Yes. The escort's laser and double turbolaser cannons are in top condition, and I've even serviced the shuttle to make sure it was in its best condition before trading."

Matt mentally rolled his eyes. This guy was pushing for a lower price. "Yes, we've seen the shuttle, and it is in very nice shape. We'll sell you the YT-2400 for 23,000 with the trade."

From the look that now was on the buyer's face, this wasn't what he wanted. "Captain Danner told me 20,000 when I talked to him."

Fat chance, Matt thought. If he did he wasn't in his right mind at the time.

"22,500 is the final offer," he said instead, glancing over at Jasyn who was now drinking a glass of some sort of flavored drink, thankful that he had finally laid off the Whyrene's Reserve. Making an idiot of oneself in front of a costumer never helped things. Even if Jasyn was on good behavior, Matt could tell he was eyeing a female Faleen across the way.

Typical Jasyn. He wasn't a salesperson and hadn't been hired for it, so he was finding something of more interest to distract himself.

After mulling a bit, the costumer decided he'd push just a bit more. "22,250," he suggested, trying to look as though if Matt didn't take this offer, he would be leaving.

Hoping he'd played his cards as well as he thought, Matt answered, "22,500 is the final offer."

For a moment the look on the guy's face suggested he might not be going for it, but then he relaxed and stuck out a hand. "You got yourself a deal."

Ye gods, Yaoksi ol boy, you look like you've slept a month or two! Feels like it too, for that matter...

I winced, twisting about to get the kinks out, then jumped in the sonic shower to wake myself up. Moments later I padded back to my sleeping quarters, and threw something presentable on my person. Ending by running a comb through my hair, I gave the mirror a quick glance before heading for the door.

...but you sure clean up nice, heh.

I put a little bounce into my step as I headed down the corridor toward the command center. According to my chrono, my little tete-a-tete with Nassy was to commence in about 15 standard minutes; I didn't want to begin our budding relationship by being late. Hustling along, I turned from the secondary corridor where our quarters were located and onto the medial corridor which ran the length of Devil-May-Care. To my surprise, the Verpine was clattering along the corridor somewhat ahead of me, apparently traveling toward the command center as well. He must have heard my jouncing step, for he stopped and waited for me to catch up.

"Hey, you ol' Cricket! How's work coming along?" I smiled at him, stopping just shy of landing a playful punch on his shoulder. I remember how hard his carapace really was; in one smooth motion I lay my hand on his upper arm instead.

He worked his mandibles in what I took to be a smile. "Finished with hyperdrive, so coming to first meeting with new crewman, I am," he said, underscoring the words with a nod of his head. Nevermind that he was as new to my "crew" as was Nass. I put a hand up to my mouth to hide the smile which threatened as K'kihl continued. "Protect you from advances of female, I am thinking," he finished, clattering his mandibles once again.

Now I let the smile erupt fully, placing my arm companionably around his shoulder and continuing my interrupted walk. "Thanks, ol pal," I said with almost sincere gratitude. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

We exchanged a few more such trivialities, and soon found ourselves entering my ready room. I arched an eyebrow in surprise to see the Twi'lek waiting there for me; a sly glance at my chrono informed me she was early. I gave her a smile, impressed with her just a touch wee more than I had been to begin with. With a wave of my hand, I indicated the burnished greelwood meeting table around which comfortably cushioned chairs were placed. She smiled back, and took a seat, and I followed, seating myself across from her. K'kihl, apparently unused to chairs, came and stood behind my left shoulder.

I leaned forward, smiling, letting my eyes twinkle, and placed my hands on the table. I opened my mouth...

...and it hung there, gaping stupidly and in absolute silence. With a sudden start, I realized I didn't really have any plan at all at the moment; I had no engagements to attend to, no merch to pick up or deliver. I was a free bird until my next coded call. All I had on my plate was to show her the gunner's stations, which I could easily do in transit.

She cocked her head and arched a brow at me, then leaned back and crossed her arms. At that I suddenly realized how utterly stupid I probably looked; I licked my lips, and said blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Food."

Her brow arched higher and higher until I thought it was going to tangle altogether in her lekku. I shot her what I hoped was a charming grin, and began again--

"Hydrospanner," K'kihl interrupted with an assertive clack of his mandibles. I turned round to give him an incredulous look. He only crossed his arms, tilting his head to look back and forth between the two of us.

"Hydrospanner, we are needing."

"Look, K'kihl," I began, shooting Nass a hey, this wasn't MY idea kind of look. "Uh-- didn't we just wade our way through an inordinate amount of security to get in here? You wanna go through all that again--?"

"Hydrospanner." His mandibles chittered. "Then food. Hydrospanner I am needing for engines to in future properly repair."

I sighed, knowing deep down that this was a minor dispute I wasn't going to win.

"All right, all right! Let's go out and buy a hydrospanner; hey, let's get TWO so you'll always be prepared, right? Then we'll go get a bite. Ummm--"

I turned to Nass, my smile turning apologetic. "The only place I'm familiar with is the Blue Asteroid. I hope that's ok with you."

She indicated that the choice was mine to make; I nodded my head as though finalizing a deal.

"OK, let's go make the arthropod happy then."

Getting to my feet, I bowed at the waist, holding my hand toward the door as I indicated Nassy lead the way. I followed directly behind, with a clattering Verpine jerking along at my heels. In this manner we departed the security of the Devil-May-Care once again, and headed out into the dubious streets of Dalius City.

Of course, having a good bit of credits to burn always helped things out. From shop to shop they had wandered, and a one Kandolorian dress and a some pilotsuits later, it occurred to Terrin that there was one other certain item he wanted to buy for her.

Leading her into a Jewelry shop not too far from the Blue Asteroid where they had started, taking momentary notice that for some reason security seemed to be flitting about everywhere, he waved a hand galantly in front of him to a case of rings.

"Your pick," he told her, smiling, "So the Universe will know."

Terrin had wanted to buy the biggest and most ostentatious stone he could find. I really appreciated his sentiment, but something like a t'plykk-sized solitaire just wasn't me. He wouldn't settle for a simple gold band; nope, it had to be special. And after the proprietor had determined that my fiance...

I shivered thinking of the word; how lovely it sounded, rolling around in my head.

...that my fiance had the appropriate funds on his person, he had disappeared into the back room for a bit. After a pause just long enough in which someone might be locating and opening a secret safe, he returned with the most perfect ring. Terrin wanted to buy me the biggest Yavin Cosusca gem he could lay his hands on. I had said they were too expensive. Too ostentatious as a faceted solitaire. He pressed on, and voila; a compromise was found. The ring now gracing my finger melded both simplicity and utter opulence in its unique design.

Instead of being comprised of a metallic band set with a jewel, the entire ring itself was a band cut from one big corusca gem. Since this mineral was the absolute toughest material in the known Universe, the designer was able to thin it out to where it fit comfortably against one's finger, rounding out both surfaces of the tiny torus to make it slightly convex both against the finger and on the side facing away. The proprietor only had the one, and as luck would have it, it fit me perfectly. There was no way this ring could ever be sized like a normal one.

I sighed, staring into the rich and mesmerizing depths of the ring's schiller. The gem itself was an intense and pure yellow, with tiny coppery platelets aligned within its molecular structure. It fairly vibrated with brilliance on my finger, looking for all the world like a tiny sun had burst into dynamic life there.

We exited the store--that is to say, Terrin exited. I accompanied him by the mere fact that my head was "affixed" to his shoulder; had it not been, I probably would have just up and floated away, a sappy smile plastered to my face. This was one of those rare moments in my life where I was truly happy.

And it was rapidly followed by one of those even rarer and truly serendipitous ones.

I was turning my head up to Terrin, my hand reaching up to take his face and bring it down to mine, when out of the corner of my eye I saw something which looked startlingly familiar. Or should I say, someone.

My jaw dropped and my eyes fairly bugged out of my head. I stopped dead in my tracks, dragging Terrin to an unceremonious halt beside me. He frowned slightly, then quickly glanced round to see what new trouble was arising to destroy our happy moment.

Not trouble. Simple surprise.

"K'kihl?!?" I burst out with, eyeing the weird insectoid who was jiggering our way on the walkway ahead of us, his form shadowed but features still easily discernable in the soft light of Dalius City's early night. He too stopped dead in his tracks, the Twi'lek and handsome man who were with him...

Not Sorben? What gives here?

...likewise coming to a halt. The five of us simply stood there, all of us seeming to tense for a moment, waiting for someone to say something.

Then I rushed forward and threw my arms around the Verpine in a hug.

Or rather self-destruct.

“What the hell...?” Matt questioned under his breath, thankful that no one was in the vicinity when Jasyn had made his move. Jasyn, meanwhile, was staring blankly at the spot where the probe droid had been.

“Imperial probe droid,” he muttered. “How charming. I can bet you that our Admiral pal is looking for us again.”

Matt nodded. “I wouldn’t take that bet. We’d better let Terrin know something might be up. And after the way that New Republic security guard gave us the run-down back at the catina, I've gotta wonder what they are up to as well. Maybe I'm just really suspicious, but we'd better be on gaurd.”

“You think we are a hot commodity, eh?" Jasyn said, grinning.

“Possibly. I'm thinking I don't want to stick around too long and find out.”

Jasyn arched an eyebrow, “Agreed. We’d better hurry.”

Hadn't they had enough of that lately?!

He sensed a reunion of sorts going on, so he stayed quiet, waiting for someone to tell him what was going on. In the meantime, he checked out this new bunch of possible acquantances.

A Twi'lek, a human male, and a Verpine.

A Verpine which apparently Galen knew.

Maybe he can take a look at the Eagle... Repaired though it was, there were still a few kinks to be worked out.

Terrin was about to open his mouth and say something, when Matt and Jasyn rounded the corner, both looking a bit concerned.

Ohhh this couldn't be going anywhere good.

He turned and cocked a questioning brow at them. Matt answered.

"Terrin there's a lot of security going around here, and Jasyn just spotted and shot down what looked like an Imperial probe droid. My gambler's sense is telling me we'd better fold, and fast."

Great. Just swell.

He turned to the group, seemingly oblivious to what was going on. He'd probably missed introductions; he hoped he'd have time to rectify that later.

Hmmm... wonder what that's all about? By now I realized his mandible-clacking was similar to a human chewing on his or her lip. Wonder what's crossing through his lil ant brain right now?

I shook myself from my reverie, noting that no one had really said anything to anyone yet. Then these security-types had come running up, all hellbent to skedaddle, and starting talking about...

An Imperial probe droid? Oh brother, this is where you exit stage left....

I was just about to interrupt K'kih's happy reunion with a politely voiced command to depart the premises, when he turned to me. His one armored upper appendage wrapped itself protectively about the woman, much to the obvious discomfort of her tall--and muscularly built--male companion. He leaned a little bit forward, his blue eyes slitting in the very slightest. I felt my own hackles raise, and turned to the Verpine.

He was directing those multi-faceted lenses directly into my own face. "Protect this one at all costs we must." he said simply, hugging the woman more closely; then he clammed up tighter than a Toydarian's cashbox.

A frown began to crease my forehead, then stopped, halted within a mire of growing questions. I looked to the Verpine...

...he looked at me. I could feel the curiosity and mild humor beginning to emanate from Nass, who remained quietly alert by my side.

All of a sudden it struck me that I was walking a very thin edge of possibly losing my newfound engineer. NO WAY. I immediately forced myself to relax, and stuck out my hand. Although K'kihl's musculature was encased in masking armor, he too seemed to slump a bit as his own guard backed down a few degrees. I smiled into the intensely blue eyes of this stranger whose fem my engineer was clutching like the lost Treasures of Roon.

"The name's Yaoksi Joao," I said brightly, flashing my old lady-killer smile in his direction. "I uh-- see we have a common link of sorts here. Maybe we can get together somewhere and discuss, ahhh... matters a little bit, or do you have the time?"

Besides, at least two of the five members of the party knew each other. And the Verpine seemed to somehow understand the importance of Galen being safe...

He slitted his eyes a moment at the Verpine, then back at the guy who introduced himself as Yaoksi...

...and realized that everyone was waiting for him to say something.

"Terrin Danner," he finally said, sticking out a hand to shake the preoffered one. "I'm thinking if you have a ship that moves faster than my wounded lambda, and if you are willing..."

...Like the Verpine would even agree that it was up for discussion...

"...We might want to skedaddle away while the skedaddling is good..."

I didn't let a hint of the trepidation that was growing rapidly inside me escape to my outside. I merely kept the hand I had held out to Terrin outstretched, now turning it palm up as I swung my arm in the direction of the docking platform.

"My ship just got newly repaired," I offered, suddenly warming up to this guy. There was something about him, an unspoken sort of... of kinship that I couldn't quite place my finger on, yet one that seemed to assure me that we could trust each other.

Besides, I mused further as the party turned in the direction I indicated, Someone appears to be after my new gunner as well. I wonder if it's connected?

Be that as it may, it's always been said that there's strength in numbers. Having always operated as a lone nek, I suddenly seemed to be finding myself accumulating more and more peeps about me. Oh well, the more the merrier....

"It's this way," I continued, now stepping forward myself. Nass hurried up to flank me, but not before giving her lekku a seductive little twitch in the direction of the newcomer. I sniffed, trying to ignore that and quickened my pace.

In no time we were in the dockyards, where once more we were approached by a yard security guard wanting identification. I produced mine, as did Nassy and the Verpine; gods, but I hope these guys have their papers in order! I thought, trying to remain casual in my demeanor. It was all I could do to keep from whistling innocently as the guard approached the remainder of the group.

There was some discussion behind me. I turned, smiling from ear to ear, my hands out at my side expansively.

"Hey, look!" I began. "These guys just got in; I was to meet them here as my new crew. We were back there at.. at..." I paused awkwardly.

"The Blue Asteroid" Nass offered helpfully.

"Yeah, the Blue Asteroid where, ahh---"

"That Nikto--" Nass continued.

"That's right!" I went on, snapping my fingers brightly. "That Nikto character, sheesh, you know how those guys are..."

"Ahh-- made certain, well...advances on me." Now the new little gal joined into the fray, her big brown eyes wide with earnest sincerity.

She was lying through her teeth, and being very, very good at it. Heh. I could get to like her, and her friends....

Her companion sighed, and finished our shared soliloquy. "He tried to paw my fiancee, I swung at him, he swung at her, one thing led to another, papers got mislaid in the fracas...." He now put his own hands out to the side, and fell silent. We all looked at the guard.

He looked at us suspiciously.

Then all hell broke loose, as klaxons began to wail. His head jerked up at that, and he turned to watch his fellow guards running to a central guardhouse for something.

I could tell he was weakening... and at last he did. "Oh, all right then, go on ahead! I've got bigger fish to fry at the moment than you."

We didn't wait long enough to see if he changed his mind, but continued quickly on to where the Devil-May-Care was parked in all her shining glory. I smiled to myself as I saw the look in Terrin's eyes as he first took note of her.

Hmmm... so he can appreciate a good ship, I mused to myself as I followed him aboard, bringing up the tail of the party and closing the hatch behind me. Now I KNOW I can get to like this guy.

With no further ado, keenly aware that the klaxons in all probability had something to do with this group, I hustled to the bridge. Throwing myself into my navchair, I began a short-cutted systems warmup. I tapped my finger impatiently on the console, fairly wiggling with growing urgency as light after light blinked from red to green.

"Ok, everyone, strap in and hold on to what you value most! We're history!" With that I typed in the recently arrived departure vector and shoved the controls forward. In a blaze of fury, Devil-May-Care leapt from the ties which bound her to earth, and fled into the freedom of the skies. A short and bumpy jaunt through the pausal layers of this planet, and we were out and in free space.

We didn't stay long. I typed in a command, and the Devil-May-Care reached out and grabbed the fabric of space and stretched it to herself. Stars went from pinpoints to streamers of light, and we shot off into hyperspace, our destination yet to be determined.

I sat back with a sigh. Then I felt a slight tap on my shoulder. I turned awkwardly in my seat to peer directly into K'kihl's huge and shining eyes.

"Forgot the hydrospanners, we did," he muttered, then fell silent. For a moment the only sounds were the gentle bleeps and wurbles of the ship as she sang to herself along the hyperdriven spacelanes... and the persistent clack of the Verpine's mandibles.

WHAT in the name of all get-out was he doing?! Since when did he trust any regular Joe off the street? Only a little while ago he didn't even trust the people closest to him...

He was about to turn to Galen and relay as much when he realized where the trust was coming from. She knew this Verpine. The Verpine knew her. She trusted the Verpine, so he had gone along with it...

This was an interesting development.

Wait a minute...exactly who WAS this Verpine..?

Terrin smiled a bit to himself. No time to discuss that with comittee. Later.

After the ship buzzed off into hyperspace, he and Galen and the guys were afforded some quarters, which he was rather thankful for. They'd been roaming around the streets of Dalius City for practically the whole day, and a bit of relaxation would be nice. Of course, they'd also made plans to discuss whatever it was they were going to do in an hour's time, maybe along with dinner.

After a quick shower and a switch to a cleaner looking jumpsuit he waited for her to get ready, thankful for any small but significant port in their storm.

Fiance...!

...a quick shower and change later, and I found myself seated at the impressive captain's table in the small but elegant Formal Mess Hall of the equally impressive ship we now found ourselves sheltered in. Across from me were Matt and Jasyn, the former looking as though his eyes would never reduce in size back to normal. That he was just a tad bit awed by Captain Joao's ship was the understatement of the year, not to mention the fact that the man had an actual Verpine to crew it with him.

K'kihl? What happened to you in the recent past, that you would wind up with this guy? What happened to Quee, and to Ooglen and 187, and to Sorben...?

Sorben.

For a moment, a brief frown creased my features as the thought of him and our adventures together flashed into my mind. Him. Sorben Tarnus. The father of the child I now carried. I pursed my lips at the mental images his name triggered, scrutinized the upwelling memories now flooding through my body...

...and discovered to my utter joy that the memories and images remained merely that. Memories. Images. Things of my past, now supplanted by other things more important to me.

I cut my eyes to my immediate right, where Terrin sat discussing something-or-other with Jasyn, and found the frown on my face had departed to realms unknown before the onslaught of the joyous smile now planted on it. On his other side, K'kihl had his head turned away, speaking to the Twi'lek who sat at the table's end.

Soooo nice when ghosts are finally laid completely to rest. But from the inquisitive looks I was getting every now and then from K'kihl, I knew I was going to have to get aside with him and explain matters a little bit. Verpines could be so persistent with their inquiries, and they were certainly not known for their tact.

Timing was everything, however. Not now.

Carefully placing a napkin on my lap to protect the new dress of Kaladorian spider-silk Terrin had bought for me, this one a deep and rich forest green shot through with silvery Krayt dragonpearls, I turned my gaze now to my left. There at the head of the table sat our new benefactor, this Captain Yaoksi Joao, who so magnanimously had allowed us haven aboard his ship merely on the voucher of K'kihl. He turned his face to mine, smiling loosely, one brow quirking in a manner I knew would put the majority of the Universe's female populace to their collective knees. Yet somehow I could sense that easy look was placed there intentionally, to mask something even deeper.

I wasn't stupid. He was wondering what in Hell's Seven Circles he had gotten himself into by offering us the use of his ship and his crew. And even as that certainty crossed my mind, he carefully put down the wine glass he was holding, and directed his penetrating gaze into Terrin's.

"Sooo," he began in an easy drawl, leaning back into his seat a bit. "You all want to tell me just what all this hoopla is about?" Still smiling, he reached out and picked up his wine glass again, waiting for Terrin to reply.

You knew this would be coming. You know you've gotta explain. But how far should you trust...?

Making a conscious effort to sit the glass back down after taking a small sip, Terrin forced himself to relax.

You've already taken up the guy's offer to get you out of Dalius City. And then there's this Verpine...who knows SOMETHING...

...better to wait on that matter and see how the cards play themselves. Meanwhile, just be honest about what is going on at this moment.

At least, mostly honest.

"Well..." he started, mulling over how much to spill and how soon.

Just because you aren't giving all the details right away doesn't mean you won't...

"...We seem to have an Imperial Admiral on our tail. He's already been after my fiance once, and even got so far as to capture her and put her up in a Coruscant prison. The details are a lot to put down on playing table at the moment, but I can tell you none of us did anything aside from bail her out. But now the Admiral is back at it again.

He just can't get a hold of her again. K'kihl is right--it's very important that she be kept safe."

He stopped there, still not entirely sure how much to trust; waiting for someone else to throw some of their cards out on the table...

"I think our benefactor..." Here I nodded toward Captain Joao, who merely lifted his wineglass to me with another blinding smile. "...deserves a bit more information than that, love."

I paused a moment myself, searching deeply into the captain's eyes, then deeply into my own inner self, waiting for that by now rather commonplace niggle to raise it's tiny red flags in warning.

Nothing.

I continued on, following a rather geometric form of logic. "We can trust Captain Joao because of K'kihl, Terrin," I explained, now leaning forward to look over Terrin's plate and smile at the Verpine. He clacked his mandibles at me, then cocked his head. "And we can most certainly trust K'kihl with our lives.

"He's saved mine once, you know."

At that I fell silent and sat back in my chair, waiting to see what developed, trying not to smile in response to the looks that flashed across both Terrin's and Captain Joao's faces.

Then the lot of us nearly choked at the words the Verpine added into the conversation:

"Always good at getting away from the long arm of the law, was she," he asserted, clacking his mandibles in my direction. Then he too fell silent, his very being radiating nothing but innocence as he turned his attentions to his meal.

I'd kept my own counsel throughout most of the debacle that'd caused us to flee Dalius City in a tearing hurry, but I decided it was high time to speak up. "The name's Naisra'len, and I've gotta say, this is the most...interesting...crew I've had the privilege of flying with in a while. But any friend of K'khil's is a friend of mine," I remarked, favoring the menfolks with my classic smile. "And it's certainly nice to have another fem aboard," I added, inclining my head politely towards the green-clad lady at the other end of the table.

"I myself owe Captain Joao a great deal. He took me on as gunner not so long ago, so I'm fairly new here as well. I'm a professional gunner. There's lots of things in my past I'm not too proud of, and even things I just don't want to talk about. Captain Joao knows this."

"Ahh-- yeah," I garbled, taking another sip of wine and trying to look casual. I'm sure I was failing miserably from the look I was getting from Nassy, whose lekku gave another little twitch.

Wait a minute...What part of Galen's past was this guy from?

Shoving that aside, Terrin realized the urgency of the situation and suddenly got the gut feeling that he could trust these people. After all, they'd already bailed them out once. Okay, time to spill everything.

Turning back to Yaoksi, Terrin shot an apologetic look in his direction. "Sorry if I haven't been completely straightforward so far. You've already saved us alot by getting us out of Dalius City. The truth is, this Imperial Admiral is after Galen because she is pregnant with a child that is extremely powerful with the Force--perhaps even something a little more than that. He wants him...or her...because with the child's strength the rebirth of the Empire would be next to impossible to stop.

"But you also should know that for the same reason, we've also had a couple of Sith after us too."

Here he paused, trying to ignore the surprise in at least two of the party's faces, feeling the need to lay all cards on the table in complete honesty.

"Now, I know an Imperial Admiral and the Sith are alot to put up with, to say the least, and I'll understand if you say no thanks and just drop us off somewhere..."

But for some reason you know that they won't, DON'T YOU?

"...but we could use all the allies we can get, and my gut tells me that I can trust you and your crew. Although I sell ships now, I've been a smuggler in the past, and I don't generally splay all my cards out on the table til I think it's a safe bet; that's always been my M.O.

"To your benefit, I'm a good fighter and a pilot, as is Galen. Matt and Jasyn are some of the best employees and commrades I've got, and they've already stuck through a whole Hell of alot with us.

"But most of all," he added, stopping a moment to glance at Galen, "I can garantee you that once you're on my team you'll find me loyal to the end."

Ending this soliliquy, he leaned back and took another sip of his drink, semi-consciously draping an arm around Galen's shoulder and waiting for the others at the table to absorb all that he had revealed...

Across the table from me Nass merely pinned my eyes with hers, and twitched her lekku.

Impys out after this lil gal, and Sith as well??? No wonder K'kihl said she needed protection!

Then another thought struck me, and I backtracked.

SITH??? It couldn't be...

Utterly ignoring my wineglass now, I leaned forward on the table, directing an earnest look into Danner's blue eyes. Without looking down, I slowly pushed up my shirtsleeve, exposing my own Smuggler's Guild tattoo.

I just knew there was something about this guy I could trust, the thought flashed briefly through my head. But... SITH?! It just couldn't be....

I opened my mouth, trying to figure out how to put it. Couldn't think of an intro of any manner. Just the blunt and straightforward question.

"You, ahh... you wouldn't have happened to be mixed up in anything having to do with a 'Shayla' person by any chance, now would you?"

Still leaning forward, I remained silent, watching as a wealth of emotions sprang into being on the man's face and played a rousing tarantelle upon it.

I knew what he was going to say even before he did.

How did Captain Joao know about Shayla?

Shayla.

The one he'd been on the hunt for when he'd so fortunately ran into Galen. The one he'd decided to save from a Sith, only to find that she didn't want to be saved.

Heck, she hadn't even been on Khar Delba....

Oh Damn. WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO ERIK?

"Uhhh, yeah, as a matter of fact. I once helped her start Stargazer Coorporation, an information smuggling outfit," he explained, pausing only a moment to find that the mention of her name didn't spark a hint of an emotion, instead just memories of a past. "At one point I was tracking her down on matters of business, but after I learned of the Sith she was with and met Galen, we set out after Shayla to find her and rescue her. Later, we found out that she seems to have settled herself in with the Sith."

"Well," I began hesitantly. "I don't really know her. I was consigned by a lady Jedi, a Cella Poliani, to go rescue her from some Sith."

I paused a moment, chewing my lip thoughtfully. K'kihl mimicked, his mandibles clattering away at the other end of the table. I frowned, but whether at him or myself for my past action I really didn't know, and to tell the truth, didn't want to inspect too closely at the moment.

"I, uhh... I delivered her into a nicely impressive fleet with a couple other Jedi, and then was going to the Corporate sector for a little R&R when my hyperdrive motivator went out on me. Dalius City was the closest thing with repair facilities... but that's neither here nor there.

"The thing is that I believe we both might have had some experience with the same Sith. And buddy, to me that's more than enough reason to join forces. In fact--"

What I was going to finish with never had a chance to leave my lips. With a final clack of his mandibles, K'kihl brightly threw in his two credit's worth.

"Knowing Sith, do I," he clattered cheerfully. "Have dealt with her in past. Bad lady, is this Graysith."

Then he too paused, his head cocking from side to side as he took turns glancing both at Captain Danner and myself. Then he devoted himself to his dinner again, leaving us all hanging there in shocked silence, realizing how very, very small this Universe was indeed...

He'd have to ask about that later.

"We worked with Cella Poliani and her partner Jeroc Mahoy for a bit looking for Shayla. I'm guessing you dropped Jedi Poliani off in Erik Kartan's fleet before he met up with mine in the Khar Delban system. Erik Kartan is--was--Shayla Stargazer Petrolu's partner. I'm honestly not sure what happened to him, he was supposed to meet us on Khar Delba with Poliani but was captured before we ever saw him."

Terrin paused a moment, guilt fairly oozing from him. Erik Kartan had helped him, and what did he do? Left the system without him. Good going, Danner.

"As for Graysith," Terrin continued, nodding over to K'kihl. "She is a very bad lady to say the least, any experience with her is enough to confirm that. We have actually been to her Sith Temple, on Khar Delba. I was captured there, and later so was Galen. If we hadn't made it out of the place I'm fairly certain none of us would be around to tell anyone the story of what happened.

"But," he added, again wondering how much he should tell of another little secret of theirs, "If we run into her again, which we undoubtedly will, I think I can garantee you that we now have one up on her.

"As for joining forces--I happen to think it's a damned good idea. If there's anything to the Force leading people, I'd bet that this is one time no one could possibly deny that's exactly what has happened."

So these guys feel they're somehow "up one" on the SITH? To my credit, I managed to completely mask the shudder that slid insidiously through me.

Glad they're on my side then!

The thought brought forth all sorts of warning bells and whistles; I cut my eyes to the Verpine. I was beginning to be a little bit fluent in reading him. Though his features were basically frozen within the confines of his carapace, he still managed to convey his downright stubborness and affront toward the merest inkling that we should walk away from helping this bunch. Or at least toward the thought that he would do so. Especially regarding the spunky little gal, whose eyes were shining so big and brightly into mine as she waited to hear my response.

And you, Yaoksi? What do you plan on doing? Cutting and running again when the going gets rocky? Like you did with Cella... who you just might be running into again....

I sighed and removed my hand from my mouth, abruptly sitting back in my seat. "Okay, then; it looks like we're in this for the long haul," I began, the avowal directed not only to these newest additions to the Devil-May-Care but to myself as well. "I suppose the next thing you're going to want to do is determine exactly where you'd like us to go. I mean, do you have any specific plans--"

I couldn't help the stronger shudder of self-preservation which ran through me at that.

"...against these Sith? Or the Admiral?"

Yeesh....

"Or do you just wanna go bury yourself somewhere for the duration?"

WHAT duration are we talking about here? Shake that question from your head, ol buddy, and just keep on your toes and go with the flow.

Terrin opened his mouth to say something, but was stayed as I raised my hand. "Ahh-- I'd like to add something," I broke into his concentration, now directing my gaze across the table to Naisra'len, my hand still holding Captain Danner's comments in his mouth.

I grew serious. "Nass, you've been asked to join my crew as a merch runner, not a-- a soldier or some sort of renegade. I know this is just as much of a surprise to you as it is to me." I flashed her a soft smile. "I had told you I'm no Xixor; it's scarcely fair of me to drag you into what we might be facing. If you want me to take you somewhere and drop you off, just say the word."

Then I fell silent, one ear cocked to what Danner might continue with, the rest of me focused on my new gunner and suddenly hoping like blazes that she'd throw her lot in with the rest of us.

Granted, the Sith would be coming back around, and Terrin wasn't looking particularly forward to that, not that anyone ever would. But the thing was, you don't swipe something like the Nar Khelba then go wagging it in someone's face until you are certain you can put it to use. In short, they needed to find their Jedi counterparts again.

And the Admiral...

"Well, no special plans yet perse. I'm really thinking I'd like to go find a rock and hide under it. We might have resources to work against the Sith, but we really need the help of the Jedi. Our Admiral friend, on the other hand, I might be able to do a small something about. He seems talented at getting the New Republic involved, and I'd like to put a stop to that. You don't sell big capital ships to the big guys without expecting them to fullfill some favors.

Even as my blood ran cold to listen to tales of this Sith, I couldn't help thinking about it. A lady Jedi, doubtless a woman of honor, a great warrior. And me? A no-account with nothing to her name but a good aim. Somebody who'd killed in cold blood without batting a pretty lash.

Here was my chance to go beyond myself, to become a larger person. The kind of person my Force-believing, Jedi-loving granny had always thought I could be.

Perhaps that is because you found yourself in the same boots not so long ago? Finding that in turmoil, when you once would have scooted off without turning around, you'd found someone you'd willingly face any struggle with just to be at her side?

Taking Galen's hand in his, he quietly waited for Yaoksi's reply to Naisra'len, all the while calculating what hole in the galaxy they could find for themselves. Nothing came to mind.

Hell, where in the Universe does one hide from the Sith anyway? Galen had to be given protection, from the wrath of her ex-sister, for the safety of herself as well as for the child she carried.

They needed to think of something soon, and at least buy themselves enough time to equip Galen for when she would face this Graysith again. He hated to think of the possibility of her facing that woman alone...

...but then, there was obviously something that empowered her to do so when they were on Khar Delba. And that other Sith was with the woman then too.

Sithspit, WHAT EXACTLY HAD HAPPENED ON KHAR DELBA?

Granted, he was there, but he still couldn't explain what had taken place anymore than a drunk could tell you what cantina he'd been to the night before. He'd seen the Sith flattened to the floor with his own eyes...

This wasn't just Force stuff...

It wasn't any kriffing wonder the Sith AND the Remnant were after this kid. But Terrin was curious...

If through a connection with Galen the child already exhibited strength directed against the Sith, was it possible that the child had already developed an aversion to the very Sith who wanted to steal him or her from Galen, the child's MOTHER? The one who carried him or her?

Granted, Terrin didn't know a lot about this pregnancy stuff, but he'd always thought that the connection between mother and child was very strong. What risk would these people be taking if they took the child from Galen after placing her, the child's mother, under duress?

He bit his lip in thought, unaware of what was going on around him, unconsciously firming his grip on Galen's hand just a bit.

He was only jarred from his musings when someone began to speak...

After all, that was the job. And Matt thrived on it. He'd been an information smuggler far too long before he ever sold any ships to miss a single word, a single gesture, a single implication. His mind was lightning fast, and that's exactly why Terrin trusted him as he did.

Honestly, Matt was surprised Terrin was trusting anyone else these days. But it was good that he was...and Captain Joao, Matt was certain, was trustworthy. He'd known that even before Joao had revealed his smuggler's guild tatoo. Being an observant person had allowed him to learn how to detect lies; a slight glance down to the right, failure to look into the eyes...just a little bit and Matt would know an honest person from a liar.

Captain Joao was certainly no liar. The Verpine, though a little more difficult to read due to his non-human features and his carpace, was just as trustworthy as the first. The Twilek, on the other hand, Matt had to scrutinize a bit longer. Again her non-human features proved a little bit difficult for him to read, but she seemed to also mask feelings well. That made his job even harder. But slowly, he again analyzed truth and trust from her.

The conversation, for the moment, had lulled to a standstill. Everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to say something, so Matt took the opportunity to scan the table. Captain Joao was looking at the Twi'lek, seemingly relieved that she'd basically agreed to stick things out no matter what. She in turn was returning the look. K'kihl was clacking his mandibles. Matt didn't quite have the correct reading for that, but he suspected that was an indication the Verpine was thinking. Jasyn-gods help them all-was going for another glass of wine, but was somehow still intent upon the conversation, or lack thereof.

Terrin, who had one of Galen's hands in one of his, was obviously deep in thought--Matt could read him the best out of all of them. But then, that's part of the reason Matt had become Terrin's assistant. A great majority of the time, Terrin didn't say what he wanted; alot of times one simply had to guess. Matt was better than guessing at it, he was almost always right. If the look of deep thought was any indication, Matt could safely assume Terrin was wondering where the hell they could go run and hide.

Galen, finally, was directing her big brown eyes to Captain Joao, somehow evaluating him with a look of trust. Matt smiled a bit to himself. Smart girl. I knew I liked her.

"So," he finally said, causing Terrin to snap to attention and surprising everyone else, since he really hadn't said a word through the course of the meal, "Anyone got any ideas on where we can head off to?"

Corporate Sector, my original R & R destination? Maybe; Fates know it's crowded and glitzy enough there for us to disappear amidst the generally seedy hordes which thronged that system's myriad worlds.

Coruscant, the Capitol World? Nah... too urban. I don't know what my fellow travellers thought, but I for one just didn't like the atmosphere there, nor the swirling red tape one had to unravel both in arriving and departing. While it was a New Republic world, and thus fairly safe from the Sith, I didn't think it wise to go there. Too many people scratching too many backs there; not a good idea, particularly in regard to this Admiral being spoken of....

Any of the Rim Worlds? Too far away from quick assistance, if--gods help us!--any would become necessary. Corellia? Nah, no good, what with the rising up of the Human League faction. They might give my two crewmen a hard time. Sullust--?

Hmmm... Sullust. The thought of the friendly, round-jowled Sullustans, living in their beautiful underground cities, flocking with tourists... as well as thoughts of the famous Sullustan hot springs and mud baths danced enticingly in front of my eyes. These guys have always been known for their adherence to the Alliance...well, except for that little "incident" during the Rebellion/Empire insurrection back in the days of my fav merch runner, Han Solo... as well as the welcome mat they toss out to many a species. Their cities are a veritable warren of mazes; maybe that would be a good place to hide out and take a breather.

Not to mention the possibility of "acquiring" a job: Sullust was the home of the SoroSuub Corporation; they always had a few items they needed delivered "between the spacelanes," so to speak....

I leaned forward, capturing everyone's attention by waggling a finger. "What about Sullust?" I offered, glancing around to see the immediate expressions crossing all faces at the table. Usually that's when one can discover how an idea is immediately received; I didn't see anything looking close to offhanded dismissal or disgust or negativity of any kind.

My eyes ended up in those of Nassy, who's lekku twitched. Possibly at the thought of us sharing one of those hot springs....

Claws scaped the floor as he quickly made his way over the others glancing only once at her. Oh how he would love to taste of her blood but his job was clear and her time was soon to come. His clawed hand phased into the crevice of Terrin's neck just above the collar bone pinching a nerve rendering him into a state of paralasys. He began tearing at his clothing and person search-
ing. There were only two that could possess what he had come to retrieve, this he knew after following them in their very shadows. He searched his entire being as the shadows of the sith began to arouse this yet paralysed prey; if he did not have it then she would once again face the master. A demonic laughter filled the compartment but only he could hear it as the rest would not stir for hours.

His search ended he sat on Terrin's chest watching him rouse into an unmoving consciousness. Terrin could feel everything that was going on around him. He was aware that this thing was sitting on his chest but could not move.

"How dare you defile the masters Dark Heart," the creature hissed, "for this you must pay the price." Terrin both saw and heard the creature viciously begin to sink his fangs into his right arm. Blood began to flow and with each drop the creatures actions became more frinzed. He could hear his own bones being crunched and knawed through as the siths teeth burrowed deeper and deeper. A final shreadding sound followed as the last remaining flesh was litterally pulled away with his blood soaked arm.

Why would she hurt her mother?

Slowly, oh so damnably slowly, my heavy lids were almost physically pulled upward, clearly balking the move, clearly seeking to remain closed, so difficult, so difficult... I would remain here, safe in this darkness, in this special place where all the dark beings cannot go as they will never get into my head, never, never, never....

My eyes, partially open, I licked dry lips. What in Hell's Seven Circles had happened now? Terrin--?

With a groan, I turned my head to the side. There lay Nassy, sprawled awkwardly across the gleaming wood of the Captain's Table where we had been seated... had been seated... doing... what?

The question brought a frown to my face as I strove to gather my scattered thoughts. I stared blankly at the unconscious Twi'lek, trying to remember.

What had happened? We were planning where to go, we were going to go to-- to Sullust, I believe had been the last concensus; yes, that was it. Then-- then something, a flash, a light, something...

Had the ship run into an untoward meteor shower? Had it been holed? Were we about to die; was that why I was so befuddled, for the growing lack of oxygen? Where were the other members of our party?

Where was Terrin?

Groaning, I put a hand to my forehead and hauled myself upright to a sitting position. Blinking a bit, I turned my head to my left...

...where my beloved lay, unconscious and very, very pale, in a pool of blood. A rather large pool of blood, one that was rapidly expanding even as I watched. One I suddenly realized was emanating from him, from--

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth as I realized the extent of his injury. OH GODS, TERRIN, NO!

Even as the thought imprinted itself on my mind, there to remain for the remainder of my days along with the ghastly image my love presented to me, I forced my unwilling body into action. Struggling to remain conscious and in full possession of my facilities, keenly aware that all others were yet out cold on the floor of the Formal Dining Hall, I scrambled to Terrin's injured side, tears welling up in my eyes as I reached for the material of my dress and ripped off the majority of its skirting. Scarcely aware of what I was doing, I wrapped it around the stump of my love's right arm, tightening it with one desperation-driven yank, then another. His flowing blood slowed in diametric opposition to my tears, which were by now flowing freely.

Gods, what have I done to you by loving you? What have I wrought, by allowing you to return that love?

Choking back the flowing tears, I put that thought aside. I couldn't dare let it gain the upper hand; Terrin's very life was at stake. He was as pale as the ice of Hoth; judging by that and the veritable sea in which the Mess Hall was awash, I knew he had lost an enormous amount of blood.

Desperation inspired adrenalin. I wasn't aware of the seeming impossibility; I merely put my arm around Terrin's shoulders and, getting my feet beneath me, hoisted myself upright. Then I practically ran, or at least ran as best I could, off to the Sick Bay, where I knew a med-droid and a bacta tank awaited.

I'm sure Captain Joao won't mind the imposition, the apparent non sequitur flashed through my mind as something, some unknown sense I didn't know I had, led me unerringly toward the Devil-May-Care's medical facilities. I burst into the room, alerting the med-droid, and soon had Terrin safely ensconced within a bacta tank.

Only then did the enormity of what had happened sink into me. My legs suddenly rubber, I slumped to the floor, not wanting to look at the tubes which seemed to run from every bodily orifice Terrin had. My eyes once more flooded with tears, and with no further ado I simply gave myself in to despair.

That my sister was behind this was more than obvious. She and her hell-spawned demons would haunt us the rest of our days. There was no place where we would be safe from her, no where to hide. How could we be safe on Sullust when we couldn't avoid her in the ravages of hyperspace?

I put up my knees and rested my face against them, my hot tears soaking through the shattered remnants of the dress Terrin had bought for me, my entire demeanor as bleak and despairing as I'm certain would be our future.

Nightmare???

His head still throbbing, Jasyn opened the other eye to find himself staring at the Mess Hall ceiling.

Mess hall ceiling?

Frowning, he forced himself to roll over and shoved himself up to sitting with both hands. Blinking he tried to clear the red from his eyes.

Wait a minute...red...red that was not going away...

He suddenly snapped to alert, and found himself on his feet, running, following SOMEONE'S trail of blood, keenly aware that Galen and Terrin were both missing.

At last the trail led to the med center, where, as he got closer, he could hear stiffled sobs.

Sobs? This wasn't going to be good.

He entered and froze as the bacta tank appeared in his line of sight...one which contained a rather pale and sickly looking Terrin, minus...

...his right arm. Jasyn shuddered involuntarily, turning to face her, not certain of what had gone so horribly wrong but certain he didn't want to know. She was literally wracked with sobs, tears streaming down her face. Reacting out of sheer instinct, he came to her, only momentarily glancing at the blood on her own clothing, now torn.

Oh gods, but what had happened...?

But he knew better than to ask. After all, she might not know herself. Instead, wrapped consoling arms around her, frowning at the injury upon his Captain's person, unable to comprehend that something this truly horrible had happened.

Jasyn had to admit it to himself, he was angry. Sure, Terrin hadn't always been a perfect guy, but he'd always taken care of his crew. He'd never deserved anything like this.

As she continued to cry, Matt ran in, others probably on his heels.

"What the...?" Matt's line of questioning was cut off, as he too caught sight of the bacta tank. Jasyn just shifted his gaze over to the red-headed man, his look clearly evidencing anger and confusion.

Matt leaned against the wall, seemingly sick at the sight. "What are we going to do?" he muttered.

"We're going to help him, that's what," Jasyn growled. "He's gonna need all the support he can get..."

Especially Captain Joao's. Khaandon, but I'd be lucky if he didn't just set course to the nearest med facility, there to leave Terrin to recover. As for me, I'd be lucky if he didn't just up and space me....

Well, not before I take care of one little matter.

Shaking my head and sniffing back my tears, I rose to my feet, uncaring that way too much of my person was showing out from beneath the ruins of my dress. Fortifying myself with a deeply indrawn breath, I finally found the courage to look Captain Joao straight in the eye.

Surprisingly enough, there wasn't a hint of the anger I expected to see. In fact, the only emotion I could discern was an honest and heartfelt sorrow and concern for the wellbeing of Terrin and myself. Encouraged by this discovery, I found the strength to speak to him directly. There was something which direly needed to be done... and as quickly as possible.

"I-If you can trust me after-- after what's happened, Captain, I'd like to have a brief but free run of your ship, if I might."

I looked beseechingly into his green eyes, which narrowed a bit in wary curiosity. Then they flooded with warmth once again, and he nodded his assent.

Nodding myself to the others, I quickly left the med-bay, hurrying now up one corridor and down the next, until at last I reached the Dining Hall where we had shared such lighthearted camaraderie so shortly before. I couldn't help but gag as I saw the amount of blood which congealed upon it's otherwise pristine floor.

Stepping carefully around the hideously shining pool, I approached the one member of our party who had not rushed pellmell to the medical facility. K'kihl remained seated where he had been, looking for all the world as though nothing untoward had happened and that the sight of way too much human blood splashed about was the normal procedure one endured in the enjoyment of haute cuisine. His raised his shining faceted eyes in my direction as I entered the room, and clacked his mandibles at me. Though he was not built for expressing emotion, wave upon wave of concern fairly rolled off him and covered me in warmth.

I blinked back another onslaught of tears, and held my hand out. I waggled my fingers.

"You'd better give it to me before you're minus an arm yourself," I said, gagging over the black humor in that statement.

The Verpine clacked his mandibles. "Certain are you, that this in your safe-keeping should be?" he queried, calmly tilting his head now to the other side. I remained mute, my hand outstretched, and waggled my fingers again.

He shrugged, then reached around into a scaley projection of his carapace. Inserting his claws carefully, he withdrew a small and brilliant object. It glittered in his manipulatory appendage like an oversized drop of blood... and was just about as rare.

But not quite. Not rare enough to be worthy of the blood which had been spilt over it... or the threat of future bloodshed which remained, haunting this jewel like some deadly curse following the opening of some ancient and hoary tomb.

Gritting my teeth with determination, I plucked the Nar Kelba from K'kihl's steady hands, then whirled and stalked toward the ship's hangar bay. Entering therein, I bypassed the sleek little infiltrator and made a beeline toward a simple TIE-fighter which hunkered alongside it. For a moment I paused, taking in the name emblazoned on the durasteel of its bulkhead.

WannaBee.

I reached out a hand and laid it upon the cold metal. "You're gonna go beyond that now, my friend," I whispered to her. "Wannabe no longer; you now have a destiny to fulfill."

With those words I opened her hatch, entered her confined cabin, and immediately began fiddling with her navboard. Typing furiously, I laid in a course; then I paused a moment to hold the Nar Kelba up before my eyes. It glittered in benign beauty, it's apparently innocuous wonder a total and complete lie regarding it's true nature, and the fates of those who pursued it.

I pursed my lips. "You should never have been brought into being in the first place," I whispered. "I'll find another way to defeat my sis-- to defeat Graysith, other than utilizing you."

With those words, I laid the gem down on the control seat of WannaBee, hit a final button, and backed carefully out. I had scarcely gotten to the safety of the corridor beyond, the door to the hangar safely closing behind me, when I heard her hatch close, and the outer bay doors open.

Then the little TIE-fighter launched from it's mothership, and hurtled off directly into the heart of the nearest star. It completely disintegrated way before it ever completely passed through that stellar's corona, it's atoms mingling with those that had once comprised the Nar Kelba.

"Hello again welp," he sneared as both amusement and seathing rage flared in his eyes. The figure at his side seemed to be in constant motion claws scrapping as he passed back and forth in front of his master awaiting but his very whim.

Galen could feel the anger welling inside of her and the familiar sting of the all wanting to lash out of her. The Dark Lord tipped his head back laughing at her state.
"Yes welp let it out once more. Let the all flow from your very depths. You caught me off guard once but you will not again." He taunted her with his words; his very presence. She wanted to lash out but his clawed hand outstetched freezing her to her very spot. His fist slowly started to close and to all those observing it seemed as if her entire body was slowly being crushed. Just before her bones would begin to snap and her air would be completely taken from her he held his grip.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me." Maladius scurried forward searching her with anything but gentelness in his touch. Galen could feel the violation but was powerless to stop the creatures probes.
The creature could not find the precious stone for which he had been searching and returned to his master. She could see that he was lusting now for her very own blood but it was not in the Dark Lords plans, at least not today.

He wispered something in the ancient sith dialect that only his brother could comprehend before calling his minion to his side. His purple huen lips curled into one final smile over his blackened fangs before the duo stepped back into the heart of the flames.

Galen crumpled to the floor breathlessly as the last of the flames disappeared carring their master away once again.

Just as Galen re-entered the room, Jasyn was about to ask what she had done when a purple fire appeared from nowhere, ecapsulating her.
Jasyn jerked to alert once again, and before he knew it someone was trying to put the fire out in vain. What seemed like hours passed, but at last, the fire simply disappeared, leaving in its wake a crumpled Galen.

Matt gasped. "What was that?"

Jasyn shuddered just a bit. "I don't think I want to know." Picking her up off the floor, he put her on a sickbed and measures were taken to ensure her vitals were still good.

Shifting his gaze from the still-floating Terrin to the unconscious Galen, Jasyn slammed a fist on another bed, causing Matt to jump. "Damn it all! Who deserves this? This is over that Nar Khelba, isn't it?"

A great fighting pair these two would make, wouldn't they ol' boy, should we need it. Too bad you're a touch wee shy of a fighter now, though....

I frowned at the thought, then dismissed it entirely. Ships I could replace. Human lives I could not, and something told me that human lives of the highest importance were at stake here. And more, perhaps. If the events that had transpired had been due to the Sith they were talking about, then this Graysith was indeed a very, very bad lady. These guys were definitely gonna need the ultimate protection; my frown deepened as I began wondering where in the Universe I could take them to grant them that.

I sighed, running my hand through my hair, and went over to stand before the bacta tank in which Captain Danner floated. I'll admit the sight of him there, sans upper appendage, didn't go very far toward appeasing my suddenly queasy stomach, nor my darkening thoughts. I wasn't used to really hairy fighting. Yeah, I'm a merch runner, but the key word in that nom de plume is "runner." Though I could fight when necessary, I found in the long run it is usually much better to cut and run while the running is good.

Like you did with Cella, an irritating little voice taunted me from seemingly thin air. Like you almost did with Nassy. Like-- you're considering doing now?

The merest mention of Nassy's name quite suddenly brought her last words to me to mind. In it for the long haul. As I too had stated to these people, had I not? I rose up on my tiptoes at that, pursing my lips as I stared into the unconscious face of Terrin Danner, aware of his two crewman who hovered in the background behind me.

Suddenly I was filled with the absolute certainty that all our cards needed to be laid out on the table, every last one of them... and the two people holding most of the deck were momentarily incapacitated. I believed that these people had been in the process of doing just that when events unfolded with the lightning fast strike of a Vodranian dianoga.

They were going to trust me with the hand they held, be it the infamous "Dead Man's Hand" or no. Now it was my turn to continue trusting in them.

I whirled on my heel, and pinned Captain Danner's men with a steely look. "Let me know when anyone is conscious," I ordered succinctly. Then I strode past them and headed to the bridge. There I laid in a course to Sullust; at the moment I honestly couldn't think of any place better to go.