Bakura

[Sethe Bhren]

Sethe had barely gotten the words out when Jonas, Sara and Solo were yanked up by the monstrous droid. He watched them struggle as the thing, with the deftness of some kind of insect, pulled them toward the gaping maw of its containment chamber. His mind reeled. Jonas and Sara were only spoils, it was Solo they wanted alive.

"I'm going to need a bigger gun..." He mumbled and darted into the falcon. The cockpit was empty, and he, briefly, wondered where Leia had gone, or Solo's assistant. It was more than likely that they were seeing to the repairs because, judging by the sound he had just heard, the falcon would be able to lift off sooner rather than later. Hopefully.

There was very little time for the apprehension he felt touching someone else's ship, let alone The Millennium Falcon. He slid behind the console, scanning the compartement for the controls to the quads he had just repaired. There.

Manaully he swiveled the turret up and fisted the guns controls, shooting hard and heavily at the things tentacles. Unused to the controls and the blast force, he managed only slight distraction of the droids operator and it dropped both Jonas and Sara fifteen feet to the ground. He paused, trying to aim back where the thing had a hold of Solo, but with how big the cannon's were, and how powerful, there would be no way of getting a clear shot without killing the man. He tried to aim a few more times, before realizing that there was nothing doing. He cursed and removed himself from behind the console, jogging down and out of the ship, his boots making heavy footfalls on the metal of the plating.

Jonas and Sara were picking themselves up slowly.

"Why didn't you--" Jonas yelled at him.

"I couldn't get a clear shot!" Sethe protested. They watched helplessly as Han struggled with the droid's arms.

I hope this works, let me know if i should change anything

[Han Solo]

By some miracle, they had managed to secure the damaged coil and in a matter of seconds, Leia had the engines roaring to life. That was two things working in his favor - the Falcon had decided to cooperate for once and Leia still had enough tolerance for him to actually assist them in their escape. Or maybe, she was just worried about saving herself...

Han shook that thought from his head with a grim expression. After this was over, he was going to be in for a very long night...

"C'mon, let's get outta here," he called to Sara as he started to slide off of the Falcon's hull. Tucking the rest of the tools into his belt until he got back onto the ground, he started to push himself off of the edge when something grabbed him roughly about the ankle, threatening to cut off his circulation, as it hoisted him up into the air. A combined yelp of surprise and pain was all he could manage before he had a bird's eye view of the forest canopy, his arms dangling loosely below him as he was flipped upside down.

To make matters worse, whatever had grabbed him was anything but gentle. The creature began to thrash him back and forth, his head coming dangerously close to the tops of the nearest trees. It was only after the thing had hoisted him higher into the air and twisted him around, that he got a glimpse of his captor - a mechanical beast with long, spindly legs. Han clenched his jaw in recognition - and maybe to hold back the contents of his stomach. An Imperial combat droid.

Han was only passingly aware of the blaster bolts and lightsaber blurs swirling about him as he gritted his teeth and started to elevate his upper body in order to reach the blaster secured at his side. The strain was clearly evident on his face as he finally curled his fingers around the butt and pulled it free from the holster. Now came the fun part...

With his eyesight becoming blurry due to the rapid rush of blood to his head, Han tried to line up the mechanical cable that had wrapped itself about his ankle. It wouldn't be an easy shot and at this point, it would probably be more effective to just start firing and hope he got lucky. In fact, that sounded like a pretty good idea as he noticed patches of black starting to inch in at the edges of his vision. He was running out of time before he blacked out.

Squeezing the trigger, Han fired rapidly and wildly in the direction of the droid, bearing his teeth in a desperate need to escape. The darkness inched further into his awareness and he started to feel dizzy as white dots began to dance with more intensity before his eyes. Just when he thought he was going to lose this fight, one of his shots connected with something vital and the cable released him.

Gravity took over and Han fell hard and quick before hitting the ground with a thud.

Tag: Alex, Jess, Orrion Carn, Space Jawa

Catching a Corellian

The Invasion of Bakura

[Kalin Lohden]

18 Months Ago

Kalin was sitting on an over priced sofa exported from the Core in a suite on the upper levels of Cloud City. The Lady of the Sith, his beloved Shira who formally went by Lumiya, appeared in the door way. To him, she was the most beautiful thing this universe had ever seen. Her red hair floated as she approached, as though gliding in the air completely separate from the rest of her body. She sat across from him, staring at him with large beautiful green eyes. "You are going to help me kill Han Solo."

It wasn't the deed that surprised, but the cold delivery. He wrestled with the thought of this, not because of the moral implications, growing up on the Trandoshan homeworld meant he understood the hard-facts of life. But this woman, who appeared to him as so pure... so warm and affectionate, could she have been this hard? This cold? "Excuse me?" He said, rattling in the Coruscanti accent she had him perfecting.

"You will apply for an internship at Solo Enterprises, and once you are hired, you will do whatever is necessary to become his private assistant. Eventually, one day, you deliver him to me." She repeated as though this had been already discussed, that it was a reminder of a conversation already forgotten.

"He is so..." He tried to pick the words carefully, "Guarded."

"It will not matter, in the end you will have gained his trust." She turned and suddenly the glow, the warm embrace he remembered returned. She smiled, melting away the woes and conflict he had with this plan. He felt the fear and anguish about delivering the Republic's hero to the hands of a retired Imperial agent, a Sith - no, he stopped considering the repercussions. Such was the cost for love. She reached over and provided him with a warm embrace, her hands gliding across his back, while her tongue danced with his own, before pulling away and vanishing.

He had grown used to this type of communication, and collapsed into the bed. Han Solo, he thought, If that is what she wants...

Present

Kalin lifted his head, while squeezing the palm of his left hand. A series of random charges exploded, sending the droid above them in a small frenzy. It understood the signal, and what was once considered formidable, became monstrous. Large amounts of energy was inbound towards the ships, and with the battlecruiser closing in, there was nothing they could do. They were forced into retreat.

He dropped next to the old Corellian, "Hello, boss." He said, over the fires that was beginning to accumulate over their position. Kalin slapped a pair of cuffs and watched as a cloaked figure emerged.

"Knock him out and take him quickly. It won't be long before the smoke clears." Kalin informed, and treaded towards the nearest stormtrooper. By Solo's tirade, he had lost every shred of trust with the rest of the crew. It was best they believed he was dead...

The Invasion of Bakura

Catching a Corellian

[Vera Nico]

The fact that the cyborg who planned to kill her when they were off world was a few feet behind her, didn't bother her. What bothered her was that he was still alive, and there was little she could do about it, at least, yet. With the level of Imperial presence, she needed him for a decoy, a tool to get her back to the Khan in one piece. Han Solo was reckless, endangering not only his own life, but that of his wife over the safety of his ship.

But the Millennium Falcon was much more than that, Nico realized. It was a symbol for the New Republic. The vessel was a token of past triumphs, that if destroyed here and now, would validate a new symbol. A shift of power, the loss of balance that was so delicately provided by the treaties between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic.

Nico shifted her weight, rolling under a fallen tree to dodge a web of blaster bolts. How Morgan managed to survive was a token of his good luck, but the pair of them did proper work over the small squad. "I think we are getting close." She said, preferring to stick with the obvious versus diving into anything personal with the cyborg. The rumbling under their feet, the sharp hiss of energy shots and the rapid turret fire coming from the Khan meant they were damn close.

She reached for her ion blaster, but noticed she had dropped it. She looked at Morgan, it was likely he noticed this fact as well, but she kept walking forward without calling attention to it. Soon they'd a lot more options, they just had to get out of the woods first...

Tag: Space Jawa

The Invasion of Bakura

[Morgan ZIM]

”She’s surprisingly reserved.” ZIM commented when Nico refrained from giving any sort of retort to Morgan’s taunting.

”Fine. Maybe I’ll get used to it. It certainly beats having to hear her moan about her own self-importance.”

But hopes that he might be able to get away from her any time soon started to fall apart as the woods began to clear. The Falcon was being overrun, and the only other ship he could see that looked friendly – and that was a vast exaggeration of the word – was a Firespray that, if he wasn’t mistaken, belonged to Nico.

”Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” Morgan said as he contemplated his options. Either ride aboard the ship owned by the woman he hated most in the galaxy, or probably die trying to fight off who knew how many stormtroopers backed up by whatever war machines they were willing to throw at him.

The fact that dying meant that Nico would outlive him for sure made the decision a lot easier.

"Times like this I'm certain the Galaxy hates us for some reason."

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Morgan ZIM: Bounty Hunter, Gun for Hire, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, Cybernetic Scoundrel, and all around disruptor of the normal order of things.

[Tarison Var]

Tarison nodded to Lohden, honestly he tolerated him more than Kuat. Kalin wasn’t a spoiled brat with a name for himself, not to mention a friendship with Lucas. Now that he contemplated, Lumiya may know that he knew of her plans to turn Lucas to their side, though he never mentioned Sara once to her, meaning his trap was a secret that is still hidden.

Tarison lifted a hand to Solo. Fitting. He had met the old Hero once as a Jedi long ago, now here he is again as a Sith. With a twist of his wrist, the Force touched Solo’s mind and with a gentle squeeze sent him into unconsciousness.

Var used The Force to suspend Solo into the air, carrying him under the guard of smoke. With a spare hand he activated his shuttle’s homing signal, and in the clearing it waited for him.

He turned to several Stormtroopers, their armor different than the rest. Perhaps a special ops group. Var nodded to them. They saw Solo was in hand and must have been informed of Var’s allegiance to them, and they trotted over to provide a guard. Minions. He thought. Never had he had men follow him like the stormtroopers. The seven of them entered the shuttle and Var placed Solo in a durasteel cell, and a forcefield activated to seal him in.

Safeties triggered off on blasters behind him, and Var slowly turned to see the five Ops stormtroopers aiming at the Sith Lord.

“We’ll take it from here. We have orders from Admiral Krauss to take Solo from you.” The apparent leader noted.

Var snickered. So this Krauss wanted to go behind Lady Lumiya? Prove that her Empire could capture Solo without the help of a Sith? “Will you now? How could you?”

With a flash and a throw of his lightsaber in the close quarters, four of the men lay dead from beheading. “How can you now?”

A final swing and a futile blast from the man’s weapon, and all Var had to do was toss the pieces out the boarding ramp, and his shuttle was heading towards Lady Lumiya.

Tag: Alex

Catching a Corellian

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
"Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me."
Code of the Sith

[Jonas Eisley]

The fire engulfed the war droid, forcing it to shutter, then it moved in full attack force. His jaw was left ajar, completely dazed by what had just happened. Han had been swinging by the snatching-cables, and a few chaotic, yet precise shots, freed him. "Let's cover him!" Sara shouted and as they advanced, they were quickly tossed backwards and into the ground, watching the fiery scene engulf their galactic hero. "Noo!" Jonas called out, his hands reaching for the spot that Han was in when the explosion went off.

Sara looked over, she used the Force to try to clear the smoke and the flames, but the body was gone, with nothing but ash and cinders left in the man's place. According to the charge and yield, it couldn't been an organic flesh-fire, a weapon the Empire was rumored to have. Nothing would be left.

"He's dead." Jonas said, catching Sara's arm as she tried to advance, but the war droid made that impossible, whatever was keeping it restrained had vanished from its programming, the thing had activated its most lethal subroutines. "Sara, come on." She resisted, but he tugged at her again, spinning her around, "Han is dead, Sara. He's gone." He looked at her, straight in the eyes, "We have to go now, Sara, we have to leave. He isn't coming back, it's time for us to get out of here." He couldn't seem to stress that line of thought enough, and maybe not even for Sara, but for himself. He felt like he was trying to believe in that as much as he was trying to make her believe. "We will bring justice, another day."

"Jonas," She said, looking back, before nodding. Sethe was calling into the Millennium Falcon, a small petite figure created a silhouette on the plank. Leia. Jonas dropped his head, as Sara swung around to deflect a few blaster bolts. Something hit his side, forcing them into a tumble, two battledroids were ontop of them, how they got so close, he wasn't quite sure. One had tossed Sara pretty bad, their razor sharp claws slashing with almost fatal precision.

Sethe rolled into the middle of the fray, his blaster coming about with two perfect shots into the droid that was ontop of Jonas, before he wrapped up the droid engaged with Sara. "Go, go!" He shouted to them, his arm flinging Jonas into a running start as they beelined for the Falcon. The massive spider-droid had advanced considerably, with nothing in its way, the main cannon was pulsating with energy, it was about to fire.

"FLY LEIA!" Sethe shouted, "Get the hell out of here! That thing is gunning for you!"

A small personal launcher put a large energy blast between them, Sara tumbling, as Sethe flipped twice over and landed on his back. Jonas heaved himself up, "Get her to the Khan!" Jonas shouted, before collapsing...

Finally, it was quiet.

Tag: Cray, Orrion Carn, Jess, Han, Space Jawa

Catching a Corellian

The Invasion of Bakura

[Vera Nico]

They tread as softly and as quickly as possible, engaging the Empire only when necessary, as they traced their way back to the ships. The ground rumbled, somekind of massive explosion happened. "We're not far." She said, hoping that wasn't the Khan or the Falcon. She moved more quickly, allowing Morgan to maintain the position behind her. If he wanted her dead, he would've done that already, and the odds were, he was using her just as much as she was using him.

Nico understood the game they were playing, and with the Jedi around, he was forced to follow the rules set. Nico paused, her senses tingled and sure enough a small droid group was retreating? "When does the Empire retreat?" Nico asked casually, already knowing the answer. They were going to blow this entire area, with the spider-droid providing the last bit of cover for the remainder of the troops. They got what they came for.

"They have Han and Tseneca." She said, a little disappointed by the group's defensive abilities. "Let's just hope they aren't all dead." Adding shortly after, "We're going to need cannon fodder in the sky, and Jedi Master Denora makes the perfect rat for the Imperial fat cats."

They entered the arena, a good portion of the forest and field was ablaze with the spider droid advancing on the Khan and the Millennium Falcon....

Tag: Space Jawa

Catching a Corellian

The Invasion of Bakura

[Sethe Bhren]

Sethe flipped back over, Jonas' voice in his ears. He hoisted himself up and struggled to his feet, heading for Sara. She was heavily beat up and dazed, trying to pull herself into a sitting position. He reached her and flung her arm around his neck, his other arm looping around her waist as he pulled her along.

"C'mon..." He grunted, heaving her so that most of her weight was off the ground. She mumbled something incoherent and he wondered really how badly she'd taken the worst of it.

They boarded the Khan and he headed straight for the ships medbay. Sara, still dazed, let him push her onto the bunk. "in you go..." He wondered at his own use for this. He strapped her in with crash webbing. no doubt they'd be taking off soon.

"Jonas..." She muttered. and he nodded. Frakking Lucas had accused him of being a coward when he's only wanted to regroup out of the way of this assault... and now the son of a bitch had left them to their own devices. Droyk it, what did Jonas mean to Lucas? or Sara? What did any of them mean to someone who would just take off like that. And accuse him of cowardice....

"I'll go back for him" He gave Sara's wrist a squeeze and headed back down the gangplank, before stopping in his tracks. It looked, from where he was standing, that Morgan was handling the situation. Nico caught his eye, and gave a sharp jerk of her thumb, signaling Sethe to start the engines.

He about-faced and went back in. He felt slightly meeker for the orders he was taking, but what choice did he have? He slid into the co-pilots chair, and began take-off sequences...

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

Tseneca jerked awake as the perpetual rocking came to a halt. Her mind reeled and she wondered what on earth was going on outside that tiny compartement. It had seemed like hours since she's been taken from the woods. She'd tried deperately to kick outward, had been met numerous times with the jolts of the droids electro systems. She tried summoning enough of the force to unhinge the compartement door and/or topple the droid whose stomach she was resting in over, but that activated the cuffs on her wrists and ankles, sending a powerful jolt that shook her teeth. She had, however, been able to loosen and spit out the gag and so she'd also tried yelling curses and insults at the top of her lungs until her voice was hoarse, which had been met with the same effect. Finally, she just gave up. She was filthy, and boiling in the interior of the droid, sweat welling up under the collar of her jacket. She was in a tremendous amount of pain, which she couldn't use her powers to stifle for fear of being electrocuted. She knew, from the motion, that the troop transport had taken her off planet, and had stopped thinking about it all together, in favor of the few lengths of blissfull quiet she's have before... whatever was going to happen to her happened.

Frakking Ryles. How could Lucas have been so stupid. She didn't want to blame her friend, because she had gone along with it just as well, but all the same... She'd rather have taken her chances on some backwater with a man-eating plant then be in the same space as that kid. In fact, she recalled telling Lucas as much before they'd left Bespin. And knowing that the other didn't know that backstabbing, traitorous little--. She tried to breathe, the air around her suffocating her. She thought of Sethe. If Ryles laid a hand on him, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself for allowing the little demon into their party. But he could handle it, right? She wondered what on earth was going on on the planet she knew was far underneath her now.

She hardly remembered falling asleep, though, with how hurt she was, it was little wonder. Her muscles were starting to ache from her wounds and being crammed in this tiny holding chamber.

The compartement door opened and she squinted as blinding artificial lights flooded her. She tried to hold her bound wrists against the light, but they were seized roughly by strong fingers. She was dragged from the compartment, her legs and broken ankle giving out under her. More hands gripped her under her arms, preventing her from collapsing onto the deck.

Deck? She looked around as her eyes adjusted, shaking dirty and matted hair from her face. She was met with the stark clean interior of what looked like a...

"Sithspit." She hissed under her breath and was immediately met with the harsh shove of one of the stormtroopers that held her up.

"Quiet you." He said, his voice static against his helmet.

A star destroyer. She was being dragged through the bustling hangar of a star destroyer. She felt a shudder go through her. It had been, what? sixteen years since she's set foot on one of these things? It wasn't exactly something she was proud or happy to return to.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked the guard on her right.

The guard smacked her again. "What did I just tell you?"

"Right. No conversation. Got it." She nodded her head and promptly got another whack and a flesh-biting squeeze from both the guards gloved hands.

They were stopped in one of the corridors buy a Grey clad officer, his face pockmarked and peeled into a sneer. "Take this one to the command deck." He inched closer to Tseneca's face. His breath was hot and acrid. "Commander Krauss is waiting for her."

[Morgan ZIM]

”You are unbelievable!” Morgan shouted at Nico as she expressed her hope that the Jedi could serve as ‘cannon fodder’. ”That is all anyone is to you, isn’t it? You’re even worse than I could have…”

He paused as he focused on a retreating stormtrooper that was aiming in his direction, firing and hitting the trooper dead on, but not after he got off a couple of shots. However, as the shots passed dangerously close to Nico, he realized it had been her that the trooper had been aiming at, not him. Worse, he realized that he had probably just unintentionally helped save her life.

” IT! IT ALL!” Morgan shouted at the top of his lungs upon this realization.

”Frak it!” He thought. If the universe hated him that much, he couldn’t care less about the consequences. He turned his attention to Nico, aimed his blaster to shoot her in the back, and prepared to pull the trigger.

Before he did, however, his attention was caught by the sight of someone who didn’t appear to be an Imperial falling to their fire. Not a regular shot, but a stun blast. From the appearance of it, he was still alive, still someone that could be rescued. And he was far enough away he doubted anyone else was close enough to get to the man before he was gobbled up or killed for real.

The debate on whether to go for him died when he turned his attention back to Nico and saw that his opening towards Nico was no longer an option anyway.

”You know what, universe? I hate you too.”

Charging towards the retreating Imperials, Morgan opened fire with his rifle as he went, diving as he emptied the clip then reloading when he came up, and opening fire again as he reached the mans side. Lifting the man over his shoulder, he took his rifle in his free hand and began his retreat towards Nico’s accursed Firespray.

”You’re lucky I’ve got super-strong robot parts.” Morgan said, not caring that the guy probably couldn’t hear what he was saying. Looking behind him, he saw one of the capture arms reaching towards him. He fired wildly, and one of the shots went true and hit the arm head-on to send it into retreat.

”Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be able to do this.”

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Morgan ZIM: Bounty Hunter, Gun for Hire, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, Cybernetic Scoundrel, and all around disruptor of the normal order of things.

[Dryas Quy'teff]

The good news was that the Imperials were retreating. The bad news was that with as outmanned and outgunned as they were, it couldn’t mean anything good for those who were still on the ground. Dryas continued to block any remaining blaster fire for those who were still on their way, but he knew it wouldn’t be much longer before the ship would have to lift off and leave behind anyone who wasn’t yet aboard.

Fortunately, there didn’t appear to be many people left to wait for. Nico, the supposed owner of the ship, was on her way, and the cyborg was busy rescuing a fallen ally, though Dryas wasn’t sure if he would be able to make it.

Reaching out, he focused on the man and his passenger, and lifted them both into the air to pull them towards the ship faster than they could have run there on their own.

“Hold on!” he shouted as he pulled them forwards.

He failed to get them all the way, however. The Imperials weren’t all gone, not yet. His concentration on the men he was trying to help broke when he was forced to deflect further shots, causing both of them to drop to the ground in a heap. Fortunately, he had gotten them most of the way there, leaving him safely assuming that they’d all be able to get aboard in the short amount of time they had left.

“Move! I’ll cover you.” Dryas shouted as he ran out to where Morgan and the other man had fallen, blocking a shot that was aimed at them and cutting two last capture lines as the cyborg picked himself up. In anticipation of their departure, he began to make his way back to the ship, not wanting to he himself be left behind when their deadline hit zero.

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Jedi Knight Dryas Quy'teff

[Selena Krauss]

The deck was lined perfectly with her finest officers, her personal guard just feet away as the turbolift doors hissed open. She listened to the scuffle, the feet dragging against the sterilized flooring of her Command Deck, where just two hours before, blood and human remains trashed the Imperial gloss due to Lumiya's rampage. But that was over, it was restored to perfection. Krauss kept her back to the Thyferran born woman, keeping her gaze on the planet hovering in their display screen. "Tseneca Lowry-Fink, Commander." Their boots clicked as they announced their prisoner, and inside, she felt the dramatic climb of an orchestra, her body tingling within this most special of moments. It was rare to have anything on Emmett Fink.

In a slow dramatic fashion, Krauss turned her eyes looking into the bruised and beat up woman. Lumiya does deliver, Krauss toyed mentally, amused at the woman's image. She quietly cackled and took a step forward. "Good morning," At least to the live action feed, the woman had just experienced the sun rise. "You certainly woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Frak you," The defiant woman let out, causing her bridge crew to cringe. Her lips curled with affection, she loved how afraid they were, how respectful her crew was. Tseneca seemed to notice this response, but kept her bloody pride nonetheless.

Krauss took a step down from her viewing port, her boots tapping in the silence that followed. They could hear the quiet scuttle of a mouse, had this been a Hutt cruiser. She approached the woman now, with a steady drawl of a walk, soaking in the glory of having this woman on her vessel, with no one to protect her. "My name," Krauss spoke slowly, clearly, "Is Selena Krauss, Commander of the True Empire."

She let her title soak in, the authority, the prestige her position had under Zend. "Bilbringi fell to me. Bakura has fallen to me. You will fall to me." She said, now reaching to touch the woman's face, only to affectionately part her hair out from her eyes, tucking it behind her ears. The Thyferran opened her mouth, or perhaps was collecting enough saliva to project it onto her, but a cautious touch of the lips stopped that in her tracks. "We know you are pregnant, Tseneca. My officer scanned you while placing you aboard the troop transport. It would be in the best interest of this child if you behaved." She hinted to the means of removing it from her belly should she speak or resist any further. It was time for ultimate surrender.

"Now," She smiled, attempting to conjure joy in the room, "You are my guest of honor. And I have many, many questions." She circled the woman, noticing more and more wounds. "You will be cleaned up before we speak in great detail." She turned and began to walk back to her port, when she stopped, circled around, "Do you know how I know so much about you?" It was a curious question, one that did not require any specific answer.

"I might have an idea," Came the gritted response, her teeth and palms clenching as she spoke.

Krauss smiled as though posing for a holo-ad. "No." She answered, "I don't think you do, my dear. You see..." She approached a data console and loaded Emmett Fink's profile. A handsome image appeared. "You have had relations with this man, at some point, is that correct?"

Tseneca didn't answer.

"This man, was a soldier and eventually promoted to a Commander of the True Empire, a man of equal status to my own." Krauss could feel the distaste in her mouth as she spoke of him, his whereabouts were currently unknown. What had happened to him? "I believe you know where he is." She said bluntly. She hit the button on a pre-planned slideshow, images of invasions across the Unknown Regions. Worlds on fire, savages burned, and slaves captured. "He is responsible for this." She approached, "What lies did he sell to you, Tseneca? What lies? Did he ask for technical specifications of Thyferra's defense grid?" Perhaps he was planning on invading the galaxy's supply of bacta, and with Tseneca in his pocket (or his pants) it made that job a lot easier. That would be enough prestige to garner another promotion.

Krauss slapped her, "Tell me. Tell me what you know Tseneca." Almost losing it, she waited.

Tag: Jess

The Invasion of Bakura

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

Selena Krauss was a tall woman, fierce and beautiful in an ice cold and horrible way. Her fingers were freezing, soft and slender, her nails like claws as she pressed them to Tseneca's lips, and then promptly backhanded her.

Tseneca moved with the force of the slap, and remained still, her eyes stone frozen on the foredeck. coming onto the bridge, she'd no idea what to expect. Now, however, she understood perfectly. Emmett had told her nothing after his desertion, nothing of why he'd been gone for so long, nothing of his life since their separation, all for a few moments of passion and a battle to be won. Of course he hadn't told her how he'd climbed in rank and hosted dozens of deadly assaults on innocent planets, the destruction of worlds next to this.... beastly woman. She had so many reasons to distrust him, but she's never asked questions, only let herself forgive him for trespasses against her. And only her. He hadn't lied to her, only omitted the very things she would never... never have forgiven him for.

She felt her chest tighten. Had he really been such a monster?

Krauss' voice, congenial to a point, broke through her waylay. The commaders fingers coiled around her chin and yanked it up, to face her. Her eyes shone a cruel emerald green. "Tell me. What. I want. to know." She hissed in halted sentences, for clarification.

Tseneca allowed herself to straighten, her back aching from the force of the stillness and force of her own weight pressing her lower vertebrae. She held Krauss' gaze, her lips spreading slowly into an ironic smile.

"Go to Hell." She told her.

She watched Krauss's face light up with fury, and then, as if bi-polar, calm itself. She turned with a flip of her uniform's duster, and returned her gaze to the port window.

"You see out there?" She said, loudly, as if starting a new conversation entirely. Sure enough, Tseneca could see Bakura, blue and green and shining against its midmorning sun. "I'm sure you realize." Krauss continued, "I'm sure you understand the gravity of the situation you and your little band has found itself in. That... excitement you saw earlier, why, that was nothing more than a distraction for us. Bakura? Now really, you don't honestly think this planet meant anything more than a first skipping stone?" She turned back around and approached Tseneca again, once again, her face too close for comfort. "You have no idea what kind of power it is you are dealing with girl." Her voice was cut dry and cruel.

Then, like a strange rubber band, the woman's face changed once more. She became soft, almost motherly. She stroke Tseneca's face with the tips of her nails, just barely aggravating the soft skin of her cheek. "Ah... but you're tired, yes?" She snapped her fingers, and the guards who were at Tseneca's side but not touching her took hold of her biceps roughly. Krauss looked at them, speaking almost conspiritorially. "Get her cleaned up. I want a.... clean slate... to work with." She almost spat these last words, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

[Vera Nico]

She had become one of the most famous faces in the galaxy, and for someone like Morgan to place judgement on who she decided deserved to be skewered in the skies by the Empire was none of his concern. He didn't have any authority, any elected opinion, or actions that spoke along the same side of justice she fought so hard to deliver. A few shots bellowed from her blaster, her body hitting the ramp of the Khan with a thud, as the Jedi bothan projected his lightsaber with courage to defend Morgan and the fallen Jonas. He had arrived with Denora, so he was unlikely to be trustworthy, his fate floating the thin line between what was considered good and evil. She did not care for labels, but Denora's actions of the past could never grant him redemption, despite whatever political tricks he may have pulled to get seats on the Jedi Council, a traditionally moral court.

She watched them retreat backwards and towards her vessel, just as the engines began to fire up. She had left Rylii Kuat in place, but it was Sethe in the cockpit. She gave him the thumbs up, they were going to need lift off soon. The Falcon's engines whined, but came to life, the blue reactor pulsed as it slowly rose off the guard, Leia Organa Solo providing enough cover fire for Morgan to meet her. He handed the boy to the Bothan Jedi, before bolting to a downed droid. The Bothan took Jonas inside, disappearing around the small corner of the interior of the firespray. It would take him a minute to secure Jonas in place, maybe longer if he had to make a few adjustments.

The droid might've been a valuable commodity, it would be nice to know some of the inner workings of the Empire's footsoldiers, but with no prying eyes, she took this as an opportunity. Her hands dropped to her side, switching one of her blaster to stun. She might've preferred to kill him, but that wasn't the game she was playing.

She waited till he was close, Sethe had begun to hover the Khan as Morgan's heels met the ramp, it began to rise as he attempted to heave the droid aboard, only she set the blaster to his back and pulled the trigger, catching him before he tumbled. She leaned into his ear, watching the ground gain further and further away, as she said, "You worthless cybershit head." She said with venom, "When you get to hell, tell 'em Vera Nico sent you."

She released him, kicking his back as she did, sending him flying over the ramp and sailing back down to the surface...

[Morgan ZIM]

Over the years, ZIM had attempted on multiple occasions to convince Morgan to make it possible for the droid to take control of his robot parts in case of emergencies. However, it had been some time since he had given up making any kind of serious argument about it. Morgan had never seriously considered the idea, as despite the fact that they had grown to be able to function as a single unit at times, the human still hadn’t gotten completely over the fact that he had never asked to have ZIM attached to him in the first place. By not granting ZIM the potential to take full access of such systems, Morgan had been taking precaution against the possibility of ZIM managing to hijack said systems even during normal routines or while the human was sleeping.

ZIM had adamantly denied this accusation every time it was made, and while he would never admit it, that was in fact something he likely would have done had it ever become an option for him.

It was for situations like this that ZIM had argued in favor of such a possibility, however. As if that had been an option, he could have gained access to Morgan’s magnetic grips after the idiot had been so stupid as to turn his back on the woman that had quickly become his worst enemy. Had that been the case, ZIM could have stopped their body from falling off the ship and being left to whatever fate awaited them when they hit the ground. As it was, all ZIM had been able to do was hear Nico’s taunt and record it for later use, then watch helplessly as he fell out of the sky without being able to do squat about it.

On the bright side, it meant that ZIM was rather detached from and unable to feel whatever pain Morgan would have felt as he fell through the trees and hit the ground for what seemed the umpteenth time in recent history.

”Scratch what I said before.” ZIM thought as he looked up to the sky above him, unable to do little beyond watch and wait. ”I would list this as your ‘Worst Day Ever’.

He wished he could have waited for a reply from Morgan, but of course the meatbag was out cold, a result of the stun blast.

”You moron.”

ZIM wasn’t sure exactly how stun blasts affected his organic counterpart. Morgan hadn’t been hit enough times with one for the droid to really consider it. For that matter, such issues weren’t a field he cared much about. He was a ‘techie’, so to speak. Like an violent astromic droid permanently grafted to a human being.

It was one of the things that went through the droids mind as he waited for something to happen. Off in the distance, back in the direction they had come from, he could hear the sounds of laser fire beginning to clean up the former mish-mash camp that the assortment of refugees from the city had formed. He could only hope that they wouldn’t blast their way out as far as he and Morgan were lying.

In short time, the blasts calmed down, and ZIM was thankful to someone or other that he had apparently been in no real danger, at which point the annoyance at his current immobile state returned. Just what was he suppose to do under these circumstances?!

It was a short time later that he heard the sound of new arrivals. He couldn’t tell whether they were friendly or not initially. They sounded like humanoid footsteps, little more. Then they spoke.

“Sir, we have one over here!”

That sounded roughly like a stormtrooper. Definitely not friendly.

“I think he’s still alive.”

” right, I’m still alive.” ZIM answered, even though he knew the trooper couldn’t hear him.

“Really? What’s he doing out here?” Said a second voice.
“Does it matter?” Said a third.
“Should we torch him or take him prisoner?” Said the first voice.
“He’s just lying there?” Said a fourth, which was quickly suggested to be the officer in charge.

“Yes, sir.” Said Trooper One. “I think he’s been stunned.”
“Out here?” Asked the Officer.
“Don’t ask me.” Said Trooper One.
“Fine.” Said the Officer. “Put some binders on him and let’s take him back to the shuttle so we can fly him back to base. We’ll let them decide what to do with him.”

There was a moment of pause, with one of the Troopers beginning to pick Morgan’s unconscious body up so they could haul him away.

”Watch it, bud.” ZIM commented.

“Sir, shouldn’t we haul him to one of the spider units or call one in to pick him up?” Trooper Two asked.
“Why would we do that?” The Officer asked.
“To ensure he’s secured.” Replied Two.
“Seems like overkill, don’t you think?” Three asked.
“We don’t have time to wait around here for one of the big units to pick him up, and I’m not having us haul his @$$ all that way for nothing.” Said Officer.

“You sure, sir?” Asked Two.
“What, you scared of him?” Asked One.
“No, I just presumed that would be protocol.” Replied Two.
“You’re overthinking this, son.” Officer replied. “Does he have a lightsaber?”
“I don’t see one, sir.” Replied Two. “Why?”
“Because that would mean he’s a Jedi, and your concerns might actually be worthwhile.” Said Three.

ZIM suddenly found himself thankful that Morgan’s efforts to acquire a lightsaber earlier had managed to fail.

“That.” Said the Officer. “Remove his gear, bring it along, and put some binders on him. Between the four of us and our War Droid, I don’t think we should have much too much trouble from him when he wakes up. Now let’s move! We don’t have all day!”

“Yes sir!” Replied two.

They took Morgan’s helmet off first, which got a reaction that wasn’t all that surprising, but one that ZIM wasn’t too pleased by anyway.

“Looks like some kind of cyborg.” One commented. “Real creepy looking, too.”
“Looks more ugly to me.” Three said.

”I beg your pardons?” ZIM said.

After getting Morgan’s upper body-armor off, the troopers slapped a pair of binders on the cyborg and began hauling him towards the shuttle, with one of the troopers hauling the gear they had collected, including the droid head.

“You think this head got any information?” Two asked.
“We’ll let the higher-ups worry about that.” Said Officer as the troopers pulled Morgan’s body aboard the shuttle and placed him in a seat, with his gear laid down near the front end of the craft.

“Alright, let’s take off.” Officer said as he headed towards the cockpit. “Report in, tell them we found a combatant in the woods, unconscious, and we’re bringing him in. Some kind of heavily armed cyborg, carrying around…”

ZIM didn’t hear the rest of the Officers comment, as the door between the troop area and the cockpit closed at that moment.

And then ZIM could tell that the shuttle was lifting off.

”I really hope you wake up soon, Morgan.” ZIM said. ”For both our sakes.”

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Morgan ZIM: Bounty Hunter, Gun for Hire, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, Cybernetic Scoundrel, and all around disruptor of the normal order of things.

[Rylii Kuat]

The Kuat Estate had seen better days, most of the servants and hired help had been laid off, and most of their savings their family had acquired almost over a thousand years was lost in a power vacuum led by Alatáriël Pallanén-Davad. Rylii was born into this mess, growing up with a father slothed by alcohol and chasing the high of deathsticks. His mother retained as much noble dignity as possible, her head was high, maintaining the image of what it meant to be a Kuat. Her cousin, Kuat of Kuat had damned them all with his attempted sabotage of Kuat Drive Yards, the Empire seeking to replace him and his entire family immediately.

Rylii was halfway to his lecture at the Imperial Academy when he saw the son of Alatáriël Pallanén-Davad, walking without a care in the world. To him, the entire galaxy was at the edge of his fingertips, with endless amounts of money, the holomedia at beck and call to sell whatever story or image he wanted, and diplomatic channels to open practically any world inside the Remnant and the Galactic Union, with even major acceptance inside the New Republic.

He felt the envy soak into every pore, his tongue rolling with disgust, at how robbed his destiny had been. "Kuat," Lucas smiled as he passed, rummaging through his side bag to bring up a new holopadd toy his father had designed. Rylii gave him a polite return, with a dip in his head, but he could feel his skin burn with loathing hatred. He understood that one day, one day soon he'd replace him, and return his own family to their rightful ownership.

Several stood between him and this ultimate goal, but the first and possibly the most dangerous, was his own father. The man had proved to be a loose cannon, his words poorly chosen and a diplomatic nightmare. For most dinner parties they'd have to slip out, him and his mother walking nearly three blocks, before having the driver dip to pick them up. An illness, they'd say, he was sick and couldn't make it. Oh how they saw through that, Rylii cursed them for it.

But one day, on his fourteenth birthday, he stumbled upon his father half passed out, with several syringes of deathsticks laying at his side. His body twitched, his eyes were glazed and saliva dripped from the side of the mouth to form a puddle on the floor below him. "Father," He had said aloud, "Why do you this?" He kicked the man, but there was no reaction. He kicked him again, and again.

Rylii bent low taking the unused sticks and injected them all into his father's left arm and tossed them aside, closing the door as he went. "This door is not to open until my mother returns." Rylii sealed it, while commanding the droid passing by. His mother was at a small business meeting on Utapau, and would not return to Kuat for another 12 days. By then, his father would be nothing but a rotting corpse on the floor.

* * *

"Where did you get that?" Lucas was looking at a small exposed portion of his arm, breaking his concentration on scouting for a viable haven from the invasion. Rylii looked down and smiled, "Maybe another time."

* * *

His father had broken free, and in his ultimate delirium, he had tried to kill his only son that night. Rylii fought, but the man did not flinch to inflicted pain, his ambitions were gone, nothing but carnal, terrifying rage as he tried to rip flesh. It was a security officer of their Estate that pulled him off and suspended him. Rylii's arm was gashed, the bone exposed, but so much emotion allowed him to function as though it were a pinprick. He took the officer's blaster and shot his father six times.

On his mother's return, she did not shed a tear. She held her head and dismissed herself. Rylii never talked to his mother about this night again, perhaps she never forgave him, or maybe she was unhappy that he had beaten her to the punch. Whatever the reason, they were free from all his political shortcomings, all the drunken blunders that sent their family into further ruin. It was the first day he discovered he had control over his own destiny, that people around him, could not influence what his life was supposed and could be.

The Pallanén-Davad family. They'd pay. They'd pay more dearly than anyone in the galaxy.

* * *

The Blight Leaper touched down in small mountainous town, one that was remotely off the tourist path and vaguely registered on any of the populated maps. It used to be a mining colony, using the local rock foundations to fuel a mineral trade to the Inner Rim, but that trade had shifted away from this world nearly a century ago during the onset of the Clone Wars. Rylii set them down, using one of the larger caves nearby to shield them from orbital scanning equipment. He powered down the ship and brushed the hair out of Lucas's eyes. "You're safe now." He whispered, smiling.

[Tarison Var]

Var’s shuttle entered the Star Destroyer ventral hangar. With a flip of a switch the landing gears lowered and his shuttle vibrated when it touched down onto the deck. A team of twelve Stormtroopers in a double-file line marched towards the shuttle, a group of four High Ranking Officers in front of them. Var pulled the hem of his cloak over his forehead and moved to the back of the craft. He gestured towards the panel next to the boarding ramp, and depressed the button pattern that lowered the ramp with a thought. Expended life-support exited the craft as soon as the ramp began to descend, creating streams of fog that flung downwards and clung to the deck. Through the fog he could see the four Officers standing at attention at the base of the ramp, with the team of Stormtroopers standing in line.

Var stepped out and paused in front of one of the officers. “Commander Krauss would like confirmation of Solo’s capture.”
“He is onboard.”
The officer waved back to the two line troopers and waved them forward to retrieve Solo.
“You’re service is completed here, my lord.” The officer clearly knew his status as a Sith, he was certainly old enough to have served under a Sith. “My men can handle it from here.”

“I will accompany Solo to his cell.”

The officer turned in a bewildered look, “It is not necessary. My men are completely competent-”
Perhaps Var was incorrect. “You clearly do not know of my position, Officer…?”
“Lieutenant Drezdin, my lord.” He replied.

“Lieutenant,” Var admonished, “I am Darth Var. A Sith Lord. I will accompany Solo to his cell.”

The two stormtroopers exited Var’s shuttle with Solo’s arms over their shoulders, and they paused in front of Var.
“Darth Var will accompany you to the prison block, troopers.” Drezdin nodded. He turned back to Var, “My apologies, my lord. It has been far to long since I’ve worked under someone with your title. It will not happen again.”

“Pray that you don't, Lieutenant.” Var followed the stormtroopers to the prison block, while Drezdin, the other officers and stormtroopers left the hangar. Var suspected that Drezdin would follow the usual Imperial fashion, and report to this Krauss herself.

* * *

Tarison stayed long enough to ensure Solo was secure in his cell before moving off. He turned, and saw that woman who was captured by one of Lumiya’s agents, Tseneca. He looked at her for a moment, assessing her abilities in The Force. She’d make an excellent apprentice. She looked back, then must have remembered something about him, and her eyes widened.
“You…” She reminisced.

He moved out of sight from the woman. Then he sensed his Master, and looked ahead of himself. The doors hissed open and Lumiya appeared, and began to approach him. He kneeled to her, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“My duty is done, master.” He said.

“I regret to…inform you. That I encountered Davad. He is whole and unconscious, he was an obstacle to Solo. He is still alive, as you had ordered.” He looked up to Lumiya. “But I have fueled anger in the young Jedi, and I feel he could be an asset to us in the future.” He stated his own observations of Lucas’ competence, and pretended that he didn’t know of her plans.

Tag: Alex

Catching a Corellian

_________________
"Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me."
Code of the Sith

[Morgan ZIM]

It was soon after the shuttle lifted off the ground that Morgan began to come-to.

”…and THAT’s when I realized I’d forgotten to put on my pants!” Morgan said, his mind returning to the land of the living from a thought train even he wasn’t sure about the origin of. The stormtroopers looked at him as he woke up, and Morgan looked around at them as he tried to figure out what was going on.

”Hello?” He asked to no one in particular.
“Quiet, you.” Said a trooper sitting directly across from him. Sitting next to the Imperial was a war droid that Morgan was recognizing well by this point.

”Good, you’re awake.”

Taking a moment to close his eyes and clear his head, the cyborg shook his head to get his mind in the here-and-now. When he opened them again, he took another look at his situation in order to set in place the pieces of the puzzle as to where he had found himself.

He quickly came to the assessment that he had been captured, thanks to the binders on his wrists and the troopers that were escorting him, though he had no idea where they were planning to take him. He had a good feeling he’d be happier not knowing, however, and that he would need to act quickly if he didn’t want to find out.

”So, ZIM, mind filling me in on what happened?”
”Nico shot you in the back. You moron.”
”Yeah, that was kind of dumb of me, wasn’t it?” Morgan admitted, not believing that he had had the lapse of judgment to actually turn his back on the madwoman.

”So the current situation?”
”Remember that time on Etti IV?” ZIM Said.
”It’s kind of like that?” Morgan asked.
”Yeah, more or less.”

Morgan smirked as he remembered the incident that ZIM was referring to. Perhaps things weren’t looking so bad after all.

Doing a mental check of his internal systems, Morgan was able to discover and confirm that despite having been stripped of his armor and gear, the Imperials had failed to check him for any internal systems. That meant he was still armed and dangerous.

”Alright, ZIM, let’s do this.”

Morgan looked around the passenger area of the shuttle to confirm where everyone was again. There were four hostiles in total – one stormtrooper on either side of him, one sitting directly across from him with a war droid at his side. It would be tricky with his hands cuffed in front of him, but he was pretty sure he could pull it off with the right moves.

”Hey, want to hear a joke?” Morgan asked. ”What did the demolitionist say when he left the party?”

“I said quiet!” Trooper one said.
”What, you have a thing against humor or something?”
“You got to admit, that’s a new one, trying to tell a joke.” Said the trooper to his left.
“I don’t care.” One said. “As far as I’m concerned we’re already off protocol. I’d rather not make any more exceptions. Including allowing prisoners to speak.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, he’s got a point.” Said the trooper to his right as he looked at ‘Lefty’. “It’s probably better if we just keep him quiet.”
“Fine.” ‘Righty’ said, then turned to Morgan. “Be quiet or I’ll stun you again.”

”Wow, you guys have no sense of humor.” Morgan said, ignoring the warning.

“Fine.” ‘Lefty said. “Have it…”

Morgan didn’t let him finish.

”What I was going to say was ‘Sorry I’ve got to leave, but it’s been a-‘“

Morgan cut off his own punchline, popping his wrist blaster and giving trooper one a blast of gunfire to the neck as he moved forward. In the process, he both took out the first trooper and evaded ‘Lefty’s stun blast.

Using his repulsorlifts to throw himself at the war droid, he popped a small grenade out of his leg as he went and tossed it to ‘Righty’.

“LOOK OUT!” He shouted as he dived for cover, his instincts ignoring the fact that Morgan hadn’t actually armed the device. With Righty diving for the floor and Lefty trying to get a new bead on Morgan, the Cyborg used his precious moments to throw his feet out against the War Droid before it could aim properly, not wanting to accidentally hit either of the two remaining stormtroopers.

He feet hit the droid in the chest and slammed it backwards against the interior hull, disorienting it momentarily. Morgon activated his magnetic grips as the impact ended, and as he fell on his back to the ground, the droid was pulled with him, and he used the momentum to then push the droid off of him at ‘Lefty’, sending both droid and trooper to the ground.

Coming to his feet, Morgan shot his wrist blaster at ‘Righty’ as the trooper got to his feet several times, taking him out quickly enough that he could return his attention to the last two enemies. Picking up one of the troopers dropped blasters, he opened fire on both, taking them both out of commission.

Hearing the sound of a door opening behind him, he saw an officer standing there, apparently dumbfounded. Knowing it wouldn’t last, he raised the rifle and pulled the trigger. The weapon jammed, however, and Morgan used the few precious moments he had before he got shot to throw the blaster rifle at the officer, then lunged at him as the trooper was distracted, planting both his feet into the officer’s chest. The impact threw him backwards all the way into the cockpit.

Morgan rolled to his feet, and shot the officer while he was down, then turned his attention to the pilot as he turned to see what was happening. Not wanting to let the ship crash, Morgan quickly pulled the pilot out of his seat and pulling the ship upwards so that it wouldn’t crash right away. He then quickly took the keys to his binders off of the dead officer and freed his hands before taking a seat and gaining control of the shuttle properly.

”And THAT is how it’s done!” Morgan shouted out loud for no one to hear.
”Excellent work, Captain! What be our course? Back to Denora and the other escapees?”
”As if.” Morgan said. ”The moment I get there, I’m going to have to kill Nico. And I’m not ready to put up with the sith that’s going to happen when they try to stop me. Those morons want to hang out with her, then they can have whatever misfortunate fate she brings them.

Morgan checked his systems, and retrieved a locater signal.

”Besides. We’ve got a bug to meet.”

Morgan turned the ship to plot a course towards the direction of the signal, finally ready to go meet back up with Norrteth and the Shape.

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Morgan ZIM: Bounty Hunter, Gun for Hire, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, Cybernetic Scoundrel, and all around disruptor of the normal order of things.

[Sethe Bhren]

The Khan took off in with a torrent of underbrush disruption, sending dustclouds up in the wake of its boosters.

"Was that entirely necessary?" Sethe said to Nico as she entered the cockpit. Watching Morgan get shot in the back wasn't the most gallant thing to do. She gave him a sharp shove away from her side of the console and sat, adjusting her instruments.

"You've got your battles, i've got mine." She snapped.

He shrugged. "We'll don't do me any favors in the future."

"Don't worry, I wont." She was curt, her eyes blazing ahead as the tops of the trees rushed past the bottom of the Firespray, the ship gaining height and maneuvering away from the mess they had left in the forest.

"Where to?" He asked, and swiveled the nav computer console over so it rested at typing length.

Nico shook her head. It was obvious her reluctance to participate in any alligence, but he had to know he himself wasnt a threat. He'd no quarrel to pick with her other then the bad blood between herself and Tseneca, and even that was nothing to do with him. If anything, there was something about Nico he admired. She was sharp, and she knew what she was about. That was rare in a galaxy where seperatism and corruptions still reigned even in the face of the new republic. It was disheartening, but true, and when an intergalactic terrorist can become the idol of the underdog, well, then, he had no choice but to respect her. Plus, he hadn't signed any brotherhood documentation, so he didnt have to like her. The outcome was his own feeling, no one elses.

"Got something to say, say it, Bhren." She snapped him out of his reverie, he must have been looking at her.

"No, nothing. Whats you're deal with Tseneca?" He said, changing the subject and getting back to scanning the comp.

She snorted. "You mean besides her keen attention to minding other people's business? That woman's a bed warmer."

Sethe felt a pang of defensiveness. "What do you know about it?" He wanted to stand up for Tseneca, wanted to claim her as his woman, even though there was no telling what the hell their relationship was.

Nico turned to him. She was startlingly beautiful when she wasn't scowling or gun-toting. Her eyes on him were... pitying, in a way. "How long was Emmett Fink dead before you two slept together?"

"Thats different--"

"She's pregnant with his child am I correct?" She faced the port, her chin high, her sharp features accentuated in the glow of the cockpit lights.

"I see what you're doing." He didn't break his gaze away from her.

"Do you?" She looked at him, her eyes staring into his, sharp and unbreaking. The moments passed unfettered. Finally, after a minute, he broke away from her gaze. They were quiet, the silence of the cockpit lasting far longer than it took for him to add it all together.

After a long time he spoke, his voice softer. "If you loved him, why didn't you tell him?"

At that she jerked up from her seat, pushing herself heatedly away from the cockpit. "Watch yourself." She hissed angrily, and dissapeared down the back corridor toward the med bay.

Sethe shook his head, smiling a small smile against her rage and concentrated once more on his readings. It actually made a lot of sense, the tension between two women who were so obviously alike. Both Vera Nico and Tseneca Lowry-Fink had the tenacity the creator gave them, and both of them used it. Their hatred for each other only made that more evident.

Thoughts of Tseneca made his heart clench. God. He hoped to hell she was alright. He could barely get his mind around the fact that she was being held captive by imperials, something that he never in a million years would have thought possible in this new age of reform and peace. It was... he couldn't think about it, it made his stomach churn. He pressed his fingers to his eyes for the beat of a second, trying to get his mind around her. He loved her....

There was a blip on the console, and he looked up at the sound of a familiar voice, covered in static.

Khan, this is the Blight Leaper..

"SAMM?" Sethe keyed the channel working through the noise until the voice became clear.

I believe I've been hijacked again.

"SAMM where are you? Where's Lucas?" Sethe spoke clearly, trying to make sure the AI could hear him properly.

Radio silence,please, they don't know I'm speaking with you, and i'm quite sure he doesn't want me to. We're on the outskirts of town off the main villa. I'll send you coordinates shortly.

"He who, SAMM? Lucas?" Sethe lowered his voice accordingly.

If a computer could be derisive, this one would have been. Not Lucas, no, Ryles Kuat... he jammed me. Lucky for you he doesn't know about this channel.

Ryles? Why would he...

Suddenly a light snapped on in his head. The medbay emergency on Bespin, the appearance of Ryles after Tseneca's dissapearance. Hoth.... How could he have been so blind. Oh, god. Lucas....

"Sit tight. We're on our way." Sethe shut down the channel and set a fixed course for the Khan, hoping to god Nico wouldn't kill him for jacking her ship...

Alex, i've taken a few liberties, let me know if i need to edit

[Sara Soto]

Sara heaved a heavy breath, her ears ringing endlessly from her close proximity to the blast. She wondered, since she had joined the crew, how many times did her ears ring? How often was she placed in a situation that had this result? She vaguely heard Jonas, but then more ringing. She realized she was face first in the ground, her cheek prickled with dirt. She needed to get up. She pushed hard and rolled onto her back. The trees above her twisted and warped, double-vision made them dance back and forth. Sithspit.

Sara tried to get back on her feet before the Imperials arrived to finish them all off, her lightsaber in hand she tried to activate it, but it malfunctioned and failed to ignite. Dammit, she cursed. She managed to hook it back onto her belt before moving onto another thought. At least I still have my-- Her blaster was gone. Her head whirled around to try and find something, a rock even, but all she managed to do was mess her head up more.

Her arm was quickly grabbed and wrapped around something, she looked in that direction while her body was hoisted up. At first she couldn’t tell who was helping her up. Then the double-vision subsided partially. Sethe.

She tried to voice her thanks, but her voice slurred and she abandoned the effort. She helped as much as she could with limping along towards The Khan, but she didn’t see Jonas. While limping up the boarding ramp, she looked back and saw Jonas on his back, not moving.
“In yah go.” He grunted, pushing her into one of the bunks and strapped her in.
“Jonas…” She was finally able to mutter, her body numb and sore, but as far as she could tell there were no broken bones.

Sethe looked at her for a moment, her vision beginning to darken. Sethe reached down and squeezed her wrist. “I’ll go back for him.” He said reassuringly, and he ran back out to get Jonas she hoped. The ringing stopped, her eyes closed, and she didn’t know if she’d wake up again.

Sara Soto

The Invasion of Bakura

_________________
Jedi Initiate Sara Soto

[Lumiya]

Lord Var knelt before her and Lumiya was reminded of this man's practicality. His usefulness was never doubted, but in such perilous moments, where things could not go wrong, he delivered. Lumiya felt the cool rush of her perfectly concocted plan, one that had Han Solo, the famed General of Endor, locked in an Imperial detention cell. Her agents had delivered to the True Empire Tseneca Lowry-Fink, Thyferra's most important daughter. “My duty is done, master.” He said. And he kept going, “I regret to…inform you. That I encountered Davad. He is whole and unconscious, he was an obstacle to Solo. He is still alive, as you had ordered.” He looked up to Lumiya. “But I have fueled anger in the young Jedi, and I feel he could be an asset to us in the future.”

His words were never more true, and she was pleased Lucas handled Var well enough to earn praise. Lumiya dipped her head, accepting the information with internal delight. "Rise, my friend." He did, and together they walked the corridor of the Imperial Star Destroyer. "Young Lucas will prove a valuable asset, this I have foreseen, he is favored by the Ancient Sith Lords of Korriban." She let that sit, allowing whatever jealousy and insecurity seep into her apprentice. "You have served me long and well, Lord Var, your duty to the Sith has never been questioned. You are a powerful ally, that has been never been more proven before today." She cooed at the man's ego, feeding him the rare compliment. But today was a better day, for nearly two decades, they had remained off the galactic radar, mostly dealing in Outer Rim politics, but Bakura has stirred her feelings, it was time to return to Coruscant.

They stopped in front of the cell, "Return to the surface, Lord Var, there is a small insurrection forming in one of the southern cities. Crush it relentlessly, show no mercy. Let the Imperials see the power of the Sith." He bowed carefully, whispering Master, he must've sensed she did not have time for conversation, not now... not when the man she had been plotting to capture was finally in the palm of her hand.

Lord Var turned, the black fabric just inches from the ground as he swept around the corner to fulfill his duty. Lumiya turned to the cell, and closed her eyes. Inside truly waited Han Solo, a man that deserved every kind of torture, every kind of death. He had destroyed the might of the Empire, spinning it into a pathetic Remnant ruled by insignificant Moffs, and corrupted by War Lords. He helped Skywalker destroy her Master, Lord Vader.

Vader.

That was a name she had not heard in a long time. He had created her, he melded her into the woman she was today. Beauty had long been replaced, she was old now anyways, but the mechanics of her body made it possible to do things others her age could not. Years in meditation had suspended some of the years on her life as well, and kept the youth in her veins. Vader had taught her ways of the Sith, he had professed and showed the power of the Force, before delivering her to the Emperor. She had been chosen to become an Emperor's Hand. But this was all a very long time ago, and he had taken that from her. She had spent the last 40 years learning, and she was ready to show what had become of those four decades.

Lumiya opened the door of the cell to find the Corellian chained to the wall, his head drooped in clear unconscious fashion. Lumiya waited there for a moment, staring at the man responsible for everything the galaxy had become, and laughed. He had never looked more pathetic. He stirred slightly, and she removed the Mandalorian metal hilt from her side and ignited the long lightwhip, snapping just short of the hair covering his ear. It was close, she could see some of the hairs sizzle.

She was not a slave to her emotions of revenge, in fact, she needed to torture this man, not because she would surrender into the hatred she felt for him, but because it would call his family. Jacen. Jaina. Anakin. Leia. Luke. Mara. Ben. These were the real names, these were the real prize. While as significant as his role had been throughout the years since Endor, these individuals would shape the galaxy, possibly toppling the recently emerged Grand Admiral Zend.

"Han Solo, the Reckless Corellian."

Tag: Han

Catching a Corellian

[Jonas Eisley]

It wasn't the rocky, almost harsh vibrations of the ride, nor the jolt of the landing, but the sudden silence and stillness that jarred him awake. Jonas groaned and rolled, at least he tried, but he was strapped in. Using his hands and in a controlled manner, he slowly unsnapped himself, and jumped off the small medical cot. His head pounded in a sudden rush of confusion and pain, but disappeared as a hand dropped on his shoulder, it was Sara.

To be honest, she looked like hell.

"You look awful." Sara said, and Jonas laughed.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Well... I was thinking the same." And that brought a small smile to Sara's face, and they shared the moment. Where ever they had landed, they seemed safe. But that could only be a temporary illusion of a feeling, as the whole damn planet was under invasion. That thought must've entered Sara's mind as well, sobering their laughter. "Do you know where we are?"

"No clue." He remembered the wounds he had collected and took precaution while he undid Sara's harness. She joined him and they stepped out of the small room, watching as Nico tossed Sethe a blaster. "What's going on?" Jonas asked.

Nico looked at Sethe, choosing to ignore the question as she stepped outside with a blaster at the ready. Jonas looked for his, but it seemed that it was left behind. Sara readied her lightsaber, damn was she handy. "Look," Sethe said, "Jonas." He tried to pick how to deliver this conversation carefully, "Rylii is..."

"Evil?" Jonas answered, whatever happened, his memory was jogged. "Yeah. I was brainwashed by a woman called Valexxia." He didn't go into more detail than that, having been seduced, then his memory erased of the entire event. He didn't go into it, not with Sara so close. He'd talk to her about everything, eventually. It boiled down to Rylii playing on his girl's brainwashing techniques... Jonas knew he was in love, they just made it appear as though it had been with Rylii, instead of Lucas.

"Oh good, you're up to speed then." Sethe said, before he reached over for a blaster and tossed it over. Jonas snatched it in the air and stepped out, ready to end the miserable Kuati's life himself.

By the looks of it they were a few meters from a cave opening which overlooked a small abandoned mine. The cave was large and judging by Nico's advance, the Blight Leaper was just inside.

Valexxia

[Vera Nico]

Sethe had hit home. She had never admitted her true feelings for Emmett Fink, no even to herself, until he had called it so bluntly. She had felt the protective bubble swallow her, ignoring most of the conversation for the duration of the trip after the Leaper's artificial intelligence's communication relay. "I think we figured out one of the three comm signals." Nico had also detected the relay, only Sethe and Tseneca broke the news before she could, in an attempt to change the subject to the task at hand.

"The other was probably the Jedi, the one using a red blade." Sethe added, "We are still missing one."

Nico tried to recall, trying to figure out the last comm link. Then it hit her. "Lohden." She hissed, "Kalin frakkin' Lohden." His position on the rooftop with the snipers that tried to take out Leia, the immediate surge of Imperial troops advancing specifically for the Millennium Falcon.

"Who? Wait. Han Solo's assistant?"

Sethe sat a little stunned, they all did. Somehow, this was all twisted together in some wild scheme. Was it coincidence some of the most powerful galactic figures were present on Bakura and then all were under sudden attack of the True Empire?

"Sethe," Nico started, "I believe Tseneca is alive." She started to roll through the thought process on this one. "They need her.... Thyferra." It was all she needed to say. And Lucas was a possible heir to Kuat Drive Yards, Leia Organ Solo a previous Chief of State, Han Solo with military knowledge of the Republic, not to mention his shipping fleet with data from all over the galaxy....

Holy shit!

They landed just outside the cave, if they were going to catch Rylii, they couldn't afford the time it took to create a surprise. Nico and Sethe dropped down, Jonas and Sara emerging from the small cabin. "What's going on?" Nico looked towards Sethe, before stepping out. They didn't have time to explain to the boy that his lover was working for the enemy. Nico held out her blaster and ran to the mountain's wall, before peering into the cave.

The rest of the Khan emptied, the Bothan in tow, Nico had forgotten about him entirely, but it was helpful to have two Jedi among them. He seemed less wounded than Sara, so he took a couple steps forward. The ramp of the Blight Leaper opened, the group creating and forming up like a small strike team, sweeping the decks of the Blight Leaper. When they arrived on the bridge, only Lucas was present. Sethe advanced on him, but Nico already knew the answer. "Lucas. Lucas." He lightly tapped the boy's face, "Where is he? Where is Rylii?"

Lucas opened his eyes and in a slow drawl, "He's gone."

"Jedi, you're with me." Sethe spoke to the Bothan and they retreated out of the Leaper, Jonas and Sara following him instantly, obviously not wanting to be left out. Nico was about to turn, when she saw a delicate smirk form on the boy's face.

"What ha-"

"Sorry, SAMM." Lucas had said, before trying to pull the side of his shirt like it was a blanket. Something was odd about him and as Nico approached, she realized he had been hit with a dose of pain medication. Not once, but three times. He was gone...

"He overloaded my systems, I was out for about three minutes. I believe he is off the ship, though I can't be sure. I'm running sweeps now."

Nico bolted for the medical bay, she'd need to use a counter if she was going to stop the boy from overdosing. In the last five years, she never thought she be saving the life of a noble, especially this one. She rummaged through the medical racks before finding the proper vial. When she arrived on the bridge, Lucas was in a contorted fetal position, shaking. She slid the vial into an injection-gun and shot it straight atop of his heart.

It took a few minutes, but the boy came around. Nico let out a sigh of relief, leaning against a console. "That was close, do you remember what happened?"

Catching a Corellian

[Sara Soto]

Nico had ran back inside The Leaper, Sara couldn’t figure out the situation until she saw that Lucas had been injected with pain killers and Nico was trying to revive him. She succeeded and began to question him. Sara knew that she would be kept in the loop, at least if it was coming from Sethe, and left The Leaper in a slight limp. She looked for someplace where she could figure out what was wrong with her lightsaber, or in the least attempt to do so.

She left the cave and moved past The Khan, through a sets of trees that seemed to keep going, finally she peered past one, seeing a small village. She figured it was best to avoid it for now and doubled back. Moving past Nico’s ship and the cave once more, with everyone still huddled around Lucas, she continued on.

She found a series of stones, one flat enough for her to dismantle her lightsaber without losing any pieces. With a stiff grunt, she slowly lowered herself into a position as comfortably as she could. She unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and ran her hand over it. When she was over the maintenance panel, she gestured her fingers slightly to detach the internal clamps. With a satisfying Click, she twisted the top and bottom halves of the saber until they separated and the internal components of her saber were visible.

She slowly dismantled every pieced and organized them as much as possible before she began looking for the problem. Emitter-No. Crystal Chamb-No. Oh what the frak!? She had found the problem as soon as she looked at the power cell. One of the power cords had been disconnected from the concussion from the blast. Not only had it come disconnected, it had somehow managed to wedge itself between itself and the casing. Sitting right next to the edge of the battery, it had welded itself to the battery. If it weren’t for the fail-safe in her saber, it probably would have exploded when she tried to activate it. With a sigh she worked on disconnecting it.

“Hey.” Someone said behind her, a familiar voice. She couldn’t identify it immediately, since she was so into her work she was caught by surprise and jumped. The components to her lightsaber all over the forest floor.

“Frak…” Sara muttered and glared at whoever surprised her.

Tag: Alex

Sara Soto

The Invasion of Bakura

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Jedi Initiate Sara Soto