...or he was somehow actually telling the truth. Somehow...

Aaron frowned at Cyprios's last comment. "I can provide you evidence of the Executor's destruction, as well as that of the 7th fleet and 149th squadron. You should speak to someone concerning all this...

...and I have a connection whom you may actually know. Are you familiar with a Gilad Pellaeon, who was the Captain of the Chimera?"

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

His face lights up with a strange inspiration. Surprised he hasn't asked this before, he attributes this oversight to the shock of all he's learned. "Where is this? Right now, where in the Galaxy am I?" With a hint of incredulity, he continues, "And... when... am I? Things that I believe haven't happened are what you consider to be in the past."

He draws himself up to his full height and with a bearing that rings almost comical under the circumstances, prepares himself for the possible truth...

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

...and times of utter conflict including the invasion of the galaxy by beings called the Yuuzhan Vong, who entered here from another galaxy. And you are correct--Pellaeon WAS the Commander of the Chimera--before her Captain was killed in the Battle of Endor. I reccomend that you speak with Pelleaon himself...

...and I would be happy to arrange a comm-discussion for you with him."

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

"I... I think that that would be a good idea." Dat states after he recovers. "And what if he can verify my identity..." His face hardens, "What will you do with me then?"

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

...but instead, what you will do with yourself that is in question, if you indeed are a part of the time anamoly it seems that you are. This is something, however, I'd like to look into further. But first--"

Here he trailed, keying a frequency in on his wristcomm then bringing it to his lips. "Admiral Pelleaon, this is Captain Aaron Barnes of Eagle Enterprises. I have a man here by the name of Major Dat Cyprios, who claims to be part of a time anomly. You see, the Major says he was a member of the elite Royal Guard for the Emperor, and was on a mission when he had encountered a hyperspace manulfunction and ended up coming out here, with us nearly 40 years after the time he claims to be from. I thought it would be helpful, both for him and for us, if you talked with him, first to verify his claims and secondly to reassure him; if what he says is truth then this is indeed a great shock. I will be escorting him to the communications station here on the Hornett shortly; he will be contacting you himself then. Barnes out."

Closing the connection then, Aaron motioned for the leader of the gaurd squad to come to his side, which he promptly did. "I need three of your men to accompany myself and the Major to the comm station. There you will stay with him until he has finished; after I want you to take him to private Red Level dining station 1181. The rest of your men may return to their regular duty."

The leader nodded, saluted, and turned to his men, pointing out three and motioning them to come to him. After they did so, the other men turned about-face and marched out of the main docking bay. Aaron turned to Dat. "Follow me," he said simply, then leading the Major and the three guards down a series of winding corridors, til at length they arrived at the main comm station on the Hornett. Aaron stepped inside, leading Dat to one of the open comm cubicles. He punched in an access code on the unit, which he knew would connect them with Admiral Pelleaon's personal ready room aboard the Chimera.

"When you are ready," Aaron then said to Dat, "This connection will link you with Pellaeon via hologram. All you have to do is begin a message then send it. When you are finished, the gaurds will be waiting for you."

With nothing more than that, Aaron stepped out of the cubicle, leaving Dat to speak with Pellaeon...

...and heading off on a mission entirely his own as he did so.

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

His speech is erratic as he can resist no more. He blurts out, "Is it really true? Is there no more Death Star? No more Vader? No more Emperor!?" His raised voice may well startle the guards attending him as the words come out in a flood of denial and confusion, "Tell me! I deserve to know! What has HAPPENED!?"

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

...only, you never arrived."

Pausing at that, the elderly man let this information settle in Dat's mind before he continued on. "The Emperor, as you probably have heard, was killed by Darth Vader...

...and Vader himself died after coming to terms with his son, Jedi Luke Skywalker. The Empire fell without the Emperor and Vader, and a New Republic was born. The New Republic had been in action until only a couple of years ago, when a faction of the Imperial Remnant--lead by an Admiral Actar--took over Coruscant by killing all of the Republic's senators. You will find this "New Empire" a shadow of the one we once were a part of...

...but so far as I've seen, since Actar has taken a step back, peace has been for the most part maintained. You will have to decide upon your path...

...as we all had to once the Empire died. I suggest you search your avenues carefully before you decide upon a path...

...and use the training I know that you have to your advantage."

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

"We have...an interesting situation," Aaron opened with. He couldn't help but not the flash of interest somewhere deep in Minna Manth's eyes. "And I think this is something you might find interesting, and might be able to help with," he added, turning to Manth. "We have a guy who has just arrived, flying a TIE Avenger...

...who claims he is a member of the Emperor's Royal Gaurd. He is insistent that the Emperor lives, that the second Death Star is under construction, and that the Executor is still Darth Vader's personal ship. He's either telling me the truth, or he's out of his mind...

...because he sure believes what he's telling me. I think it would be helpful if you'd look through his cargo pod and assess his belongs...

...just to see if they match with the person he claims to be," Aaron ended with, looking to Manth and Nefrai. "Are you up for a little investigation before your departure tomorrow morning?" he queried, then fell silent, waiting for their reply.

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

Turning to the guards slowly, he nods and takes one step forward. "I'm ready to go now, wherever you wish to take me."

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

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

He noticed that a few peculiar looks were cast his way at this. "Just say not everyone died from blaster or explosion."

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

By all indicators, the man you have taken aboard your ship, Major Dat Cyprios, was to take the lead of the 149th TIE Avenger Squadron in a mission to ensure the loyalty of men working on the construction of the second and final Death Star. Cyprios never arrived for his assignment...

...and his file indicates that his TIE, belongings, and body were never found either. The man I spoke to aboard your ship matches the image from his file precisely. Unless this is some extremely well-designed hoax, this man is indeed who he says he is...

...and he is from the time that he says he is. Take any precautions you see fit...

...but do not discount the Major, at least not unless you have evidence. My insticts, along with the evidence, lead me to believe he is telling the truth.

[ 04-24-2005 10:23 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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On entering the room, he is immediately stricken with a faint unease, the source of which he is unable to pinpoint. His eyes rove quickly over the others there, then lock to Aaron. "It seems that you were telling the truth. I'm sure you understand my incredulity, however. The whole situation is... Improbable, at best."

Seeing drinks in the hands of the others, he takes the liberty of getting one for himself. With hands that still betray a slight tremor, he finishes the first glass in one draught, and pours another. Thus steadied, he moves to an observation window, staring out into the blackness of a galaxy where he is but an anomaly, an accident of fate...

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

Plus something else that her carefully honed spy senses couldn't quite place a finger on. She frowned a moment, studying the man as he downed a hefty drink in one gulp before settling down to sip in a more genteel manner upon another, apparently lost in the vision of the starfield without the ship.

Then she turned back to Barnes, noting the brief flicker of unease that flashed across his features before he closed his comm-link with a little snap and raised his eyes to both her and Nefrai again.

She gave him a little smile.

"Please," she said in her soft voice.

"If you would be so kind as to have someone escort us to the vessel in question, I believe my partner and I would be more than happy to take a quick assessment of what might be there, and apprise you accordingly."

Unused to speaking in so lengthy a manner, the little Bothan then closed her mouth, looking somewhat embarrassed before she turned to her partner and gave him a nod of affirmation, silently cementing the pair of them to this new, if probably short-lived, adventure.

[ 04-25-2005 03:36 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Minna Manth ]

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The gaurd replied with a "Yes sir" and then did precisely that, leading both Manth and Nefrai off and leaving Aaron, Dat, and Shawn Petrolu in the dining area.

Aaron took a drink, then sat across from the Jedi. "Major Cyprios, this is Jedi Shawn Petrolu," he then said, motioning to Shawn as he looked to Cyprios. An idea was niggling in the corners of his mind. And with absolutely nothing more than that he sat back...

...and just took a sip of his drink, quietly waiting.

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

In either case, what with technological advancement over nearly fifty ensuing years, the TIEs had disappeared from sight, other than an occasional relic popping up here and there as either a recently discovered crash victim or museum speciman.

She blinked again, staring.

A TIE Avenger... a real TIE Avenger, and in what looked to be perfect condition....

Well, as nearly perfect as can be stated about a fighter that had seen heavy use, judging by the carbon scoring it bore.

She shot a quick, trembling look up at Nefrai, suddenly very, very wary.

How could such a ship come to be in such condition? And those carbon scores looked relatively fresh.

She made a mental note to score one point in favor of its unknown pilot's story; then drawing in a deep breath she allowed herself to gain entry into the tiny vehicle.

All looked extremely ship-shape within: every system seemed in noncommittal running order, for various lights blinked upon its console, and the ratchety sound of relays opening and closing came clearly into her ears.

Her eyes widened further, and she backed out, turning to her hulking companion as she exited.

"Outwardly, it is exactly as it was stated to be: an almost 50-year old TIE Avenger in nearly perfect condition."

She paused, taking in his huge form again, shooting yet another glance back at the TIE, before settling her gaze on Nefrai once more.

"I shall gain access to its computer and navigational logs; why don't you check out what there might be in it's cargo pods?"

She pointed to a pair of egg-shaped partitions that hung innocently beneath its main body, just begging to be opened. Then she smiled, trying to make what might be misconstrued as being a command into a simple request, for Nefrai was large and would have a far more difficult time nosing about the interior than she, with her small and lithe frame, would have.

[ 04-25-2005 05:00 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Minna Manth ]

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He moved back as some items dropped out of it and he opted not to sift through them, not sure of what he was too look for and afraid his claws would damage any fragile items, if the fall had not already done so.

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

Oh dear, she couldn't help but sigh as she flowed back into the pilot's seat and settled herself before the console.

I do hope he's not inadvertently destroyed anything...

Then giving a mental shrug, she left Nefrai to his own devices and turned her attention to the computer system. It was a small but powerful unit, heavily encrypted and riddled with hidden, one-way backdoors through which sensitive information might flee to parts unknown in the unlikely event that it was being hacked into.

But again, fifty years is fifty years, and part of being a good spy in this day and age is keeping up with the virtual Joneses....

Minna smiled as she neatly by-passed the backdoors and gently convinced the system that she was its rightful owner. The unit muttered to itself for a moment or two before complying; soon file after file began scrolling across the tiny screen, files with strange names and numbers heading them.

She opened one at random... more names, dates: dates of birth, dates of employment, dates of...

Impending termination?

She shuddered, not believing one whit that said termination had anything to do with the unfortunate's current -- or past -- state of employment.

She drew in a breath, aligning her thoughts, and then continued on until one little file caught her eye simply by its seeming innocence.

In tiny, non-descript letters, it was merely headed, Black Light.

She cocked her head, curious, and tried to open the file.

A series of blockades popped up to scream profanities at her; she sat back in surprise, wondering why this particular file was so well protected.

Well, no matter...

Bending to the task once more, it wasn't until she had utilized every hacker's trick that she knew of before the file grudgingly obliged her access to it. Even then, it took her a long moment before she finally realized what it was she was looking at.

Inherited racial memories, shared from generation to generation, screamed at her from a point in history far, far too close to the present. A face rose up, smiling at her; a gnarled but strong hand reaching out to tousel someone's hair...

She watched in utter fascination as her own inherited memories showed her an image of her grandmother's hair being ruffled by another, battle-scarred Bothan:

Minna's great-grandfather...

...who had been one to die that others might gain the privilege of viewing that which she was staring at now....

She shook her head, tossing the cobwebs out of her brain, and continued to stare at the specs of the Empire's then-latest destroyer:

The second, and most powerful, Death Star.

What would anyone give to have this formidable knowledge, even today?

She shivered again, suddenly knowing that this craft's pilot had been telling the truth after all...

Knowing as well to whom this utterly dangerous man was still loyal to, no matter that his god was dead and gone lo these fifty years....

"I have to tell Captain Barnes," she whispered to herself as she reached to close up the files before exiting the ship. There she paused a moment, considering.

Indeed... such formidable knowledge...

Part of being a good spy was taking advantage of whatever opportunities might come unexpectedly flying her way. With no further hesitation, she dug into her personal bag and withdrew a tiny data chip. After a moment's hunting about, she found where to insert it into the little ship's computer. Once inserted, she quickly downloaded the everything and anything having to do with the file, Black Light. Withdrawing the chip, she secreted it upon her person before closing up the computer and exiting the ship.

A quick glance about and she caught the eye of the nearest EE employee.

"I think you should watch over this ship very carefully," she cautioned as she approached him. "Do not let anyone gain entry to it; as one sent by your employer, you must trust me in this."

Then she hurried to Nefrai, and quickly told him of what she had discovered in the cramped cockpit of the little TIE, finally ending with,

"Have you found anything of use or particular interest?"

[ 04-25-2005 06:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Minna Manth ]

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Rarely does one see a person move as quickly as Dat did at the utterance of that word, Before Aaron can utter the next, Dat has shifted from contemplating an alien starfield beyond the window to resting on his heels facing the pair in some sort of martial arts stance, hands placed before him as if to ward off an evil spirit. In his eyes burn hatred and fury of an intensity that can only come from a purely visceral reaction, etched into his mind beneath any layer of conscious thought, buried by years of training in civility and discipline.

...<CRASH>...

The high-pitched sound of a glass shattering where he dropped it, tiny fragments of glass tinkling to the deck, breaks the relative silence of this scene For Dat, it is a moment frozen in time. Yet, at the same time, the noise seems to bring him back to his senses. Blinking twice and shaking his head as if to clear it, his face begins to return to its usual cool, controlled expression.

"Hello, Master Petrolu... Forgive my... reaction. I was unaware that there were any of your kind left, after all this time."

[ 04-25-2005 08:38 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Dat Cyprios ]

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"I believe we should inform Mr. Barnes of our discovery," she allowed, leaning in closer to whisper in Nefrai's ear.

"But that is the only person who should be informed of this."

She then pulled back, and ran a quick hand through the personal belongings her partner had so ruthlessly uncovered. Buried in the heaps of what had once undoubtedly been arranged in a more orderly, military fashion, she spotted a flash of red. Her hand darted out, and from the piles of things she pulled out a red item.

It was an Imperial guard's helmet.

She wondered briefly why it would be secreted within the cargo pod, but then dismissed the matter entirely. That it had only cemented her convictions that the man was telling Barnes the truth...

...not to mention that it only further cemented her conviction that he was probably more dangerous to them than he might appear.

"Let us go, and take this with us as proof," she whispered, holding it out to her partner that he could secret it on his person. Then she assisted him in repacking to the best of their combined abilities what he had ripped asunder, and turned to seek the employee with whom she had just spoken.

"Perhaps that cargo pod could be repaired--?" she suggested before, nodding to Nefrai, she requested they be returned to the Dining Hall and Aaron Barnes.

"Keep the helmet hidden for now," she cautioned Nefrai as they moved through Hornett's maze of corridors once again.

"If the pilot of the ship happens to be in the Dining Hall as well, I do not know how he will respond if he sees we have it in our possession."

Sometime soon thereafter she found herself entering the Red Level Dining Hall once again, her hulking companion gliding silently along at her side. With a brief smile, the most non-prepossessing one she could drum up, she let herself be escorted to a table fairly close to where Barnes and his companions were seated, still deep in conversation.

A passing waitress recognized her, and soon she had a goblet of her favorite blue liqueur in front of her. Wanting to toss it back in one gulp, she took it daintily in hand instead and took a ladylike sip.

Only the most astute observer would have noticed the fact that her hand was shaking... a motion thoroughly justified by the newcomer's sudden burst of activity.

Moments after his blindingly fast movement he appeared to calm, and said something Minna couldn't quite hear to the others seated with Barnes.

Minna merely shuddered again, and took another sip of her liqueur, waiting for an opportunity to speak with Barnes.

[ 04-25-2005 08:46 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Minna Manth ]

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...and in the same glance, totally nonjudgemental. In fact, there were traces of something resembling understanding deep in his greeny-blue eyes.

His gaze did not shift..and his senses clearly read the utter hatred Dat had felt in a mere split second.

"No forgiveness is needed," he then said to Dat simply, finally taking the smallest of drinks from his ale before continuing. "You cannot leave behind what you are, after all...

...even though you are now finding yourself displaced in time. And I do hope that, in time, you will find that your deeply-rooted feelings change. But that is, of course, a discovery and change you will have to embark upon on your own."

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

Looking past Petrolu, he notices that the diminutive Bothan female and the cloaked hulk accompanying her have returned. Though he can't place it, a sense of vague unease settles over him once again, this time tempered with a more acute perception of deception. A furtive glance here, a nervous shifting of the feet there. Curious, he thinks.

Turning his gaze to the officer before him for a moment, he asks in a not unfriendly manner, "Captain, you've not told me your name, yet I'd like to know to whom I owe my life." Offhandedly, he continues, "You seem to have other guests as well. Could I trouble you for introductions?"

[ 04-25-2005 09:32 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Dat Cyprios ]

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And not the rightful Captain of this ship, a shoulder devil added. Be careful what you do, and what you say, Aaron...

This thought in mind, Aaron stood, motioning to Manth and Nefrai. "These are...employees of mine. They will be departing from here shortly, but I've allowed them the liberty of looking at your ship, just to ascertain the validity of your claims."

Aaron paused at that, noting a peculiar shift in Manth's body language. He was able to read between the lines. "Now, if you would excuse me once more...

...I need to speak with them."

And, saying nothing more than that, Aaron left the table where Shawn still sat, still barely drinking the ale in his hand. He came to Manth and Nefrai's table, nodding for them to follow him, which they did. Departing from the dining area, Aaron found a nearby conference room, lead them inside, and locked the sliding door behind them.

He turned to them, making no preamble. "What have you found?" he queried, then fell silent.

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

Minna turned to Barnes.

"It would appear that the pilot of the ship is in fact what he states: an Imperial guard from a time of the Old Republic, around fifty years in our past."

She paused a moment, cutting a wary look Nefrai's way before she turned once again to the acting captain of the SSD. Leaning over the conference table, she breathed in a tone of voice with which sky-doves coo their younglings into slumber.

"He bears the full schematics of the Second Death Star, the one history reports as having been destroyed at Endor."

She then sat back, clasping her hands together so as to keep them from trembling. Her knuckles grew white with her effort as she continued.

"This is a dangerous man, Captain Barnes. He is one of those who swore their very lives... no, their souls to one thing, and one thing only, and that was being in service to Emperor Palpatine."

She paused, stared down at her death-white knuckles.

"I know of these things, my great-grandfather was one of the Bothans who gave his life that the Rebellion could have these self-same schematics."

Her head jerked up again, and she pinned a surprisingly steady look directly into Barne's eyes.

"They are there, in his computer, in a hidden file, in their entirety, Captain..."

Of having a copied set of her own, she chose, at that time, to make no mention.

[ 04-25-2005 10:25 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Minna Manth ]

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