721. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr

Dianna pulled out  a data comm and punched a button. Instantly yellow lights began flashing and a klaxon horns began blaring. She lifted the device to her lips and spoke over the intercom system throughout the base. "This is Captain Kingsdoom. Two Republic capital ships are inbound. Ee-tee-ay 30 mike. Abandon base, make for rendezvous point Omicron Delta." She paused a moment before adding, "Good luck everyone."

Dianna yanked the Governor's Blade from the abdomen of the dying Sith girl and wiped it clean on Anya's clothes. The blonde issued a last gasp before her eyes glazed over.

Dianna turned and began walking away from the ships back toward the base and Raezyr hustled to get in front of her. "Whoah. Your ship's that way," he said, pointing in the opposite direction.

"I'm going to make sure everyone gets out, then I'll follow," she said flatly, then reached out, put her hand on Raezyr's forearm and looked him in the eyes. "Please, Raez. If there's anything you can do to hold them off, I'd appreciate it."

People began streaming into the hangar as the massive doors began to slide back once again, allowing the howling wind and snow of the blizzard to be driven indoors. The two looked at each other, not taking notice of their surroundings. Both of them knew the implications of what she was saying. The Republic ships would be here long before everyone was evacuated, and even if she did manage to somehow to get aboard the last ship, the atmosphere and orbital space would be crawling with Republic fighters. She'd either be captured or killed. Yet the look in her eyes told Raez that argument would be futile. Her mind was made up. She wasn't asking Raezyr for permission or his blessing. She wanted his help to delay her death or imprisonment.

That wasn't acceptable. Raezyr finally tore his gaze away and looked over at his brother who was furiously typing away at his data pad. He didn't know what was going on, but he was sure of two things: Trychon was too busy to help him argue and that his brother was already working on a plan to delay the enemy.

He turned back to his lover, noting Rhox running toward them across the hangar. He opened his mouth to argue with her anyway, to convince her to get on the Ice Spectre and go, but she knew him too well. "Stop looking at your brother for help and shut your mouth," she told him, beginning to grow agitated. "If you love me, help me. Oh hell, run away. I don't care which. Just stop wasting the precious seconds I have left before..." she let the final words drift off unspoken, but hanging.

Rhox Vega finally arrived. "Captain, we have to get out of here. I've begun emergency engine start procedures by remote," she said holding up a data pad.

A black cloud crossed Dianna's face. Was everyone mad? Did they think she was going to run and let her crew be caught and or slaughtered? They had served her loyally, and the least she owed them was to give them the best chance to escape. She turned to tell Rhox the same thing she had told Raezyr.

A flicker of movement caught her eye, but it didn't have time to register before something struck her jaw like a hammer. Lights exploded in her head and the galaxy went black.

Raezyr caught her in his arms before she fell to ground, and swung her up into his arms.

"What the?" Rhox asked angrily. "Why did you punch her?"

"She wasn't going to leave. You have to get her out, Rhox," the big Sith explained. He saw argument in Rhox's eyes and headed it off. "You don't like me. You don't like the Sith. I get it. But there's one thing I know that we both have in common. We both love Di."

He let that sink in for a moment before he continued. "No matter what happens here today, this," he indicated the base on Hoth," is over. But there's a chance some of the crew may escape on their own. If she's not there to lead them then all of it is over... for good."

Her hardened features softened, and for just a moment, she allowed herself to believe that maybe this single Sith might be different. "Get her on board and strap her into the bunk. Atmo conditions are pretty hairy right now."

The two ran for the Spectre as the loading ramp began to lower.

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

Raezyr watched as Rhox expertly guided the converted light freighter out of the hangar, then turned his attention to his brother. "C'mon, Trych. Put down the data pad. It's our turn," he said.

Trychon didn't bother to look up. "Raez, we can't leave yet," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"There's too much data in the computer about you and me and the Sith, and there are links to the base on THX as well," he explained. "I've initiated a full memory wipe with my data pad, but we have to physically destroy them too. We can't take the chance they put things back together."

 "No problem," Raezyr said, shrugging. "You start the emergency warm up on the Jet Razor and I'll go gather our stuff and toss a thermal detonator in the control room."

"Raez," Trychon said, clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder and looking directly at him. "The remote data storage site has to be physically destroyed as well."

"That's on the other side of Hoth, Trych," Raezyr said. "We'll never have the time."

"If we don't do it, we might as well turn ourselves in," Trych stated flatly. "Don't worry, though. I have a plan."
-------------------

"Damn it!" Captain Wash Moklam, commander of the Unity said, slapping his palm onto the arm of his command chair in mild irritation. "We came out of hyperspace too far away," he said as he watched the battle screen in front of him and the first shuttle blip came on screen, banking away from his task force. They had hoped to catch the Sith and the pirates unaware and engage them on the ground.

"Launch the fighters and order them to contain and disable any escaping ships. We want them alive," he ordered. It wasn't really that big of a deal, he thought to himself. This one ship might be getting away, but the rest of the criminals would be just as cornered. Rounding them up would just take longer than expected.

720. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr and Trychon

 Raezyr and Trychon stood shoulder to shoulder in the center of the hangar. The motors running the giant doors kicked on and strained. The usual loud crack filled the room as the ice which had formed on the outside broke loose.

Snow swirled in through the widening gap. A blizzard was in it's infant stages outside. It was already bad and by the look of it, things were going to get much worse before they got better. It wasn't a good day to be outside on the planet Hoth.

"What do you think she's up to?" Raezyr asked his brother, staring out into the whiteness, searching for any sign of a dark shape approaching.

"I don't know," the other Sith answered, "but it worries me that I can't sense Tyr with her."

"A thousand creds says she either left him in some sort of lurch, or she got him out-right killed."

"If you want a bigger allowance then say so," Trychon chuckled, "because that's not a bet I'm willing to take." He listened to his brother's chuckle coming from under the dark blue helm. After a moment of silence, he was about to comment on the fact Raezyr probably didn't need to be wearing it since Anya already knew what he looked like, but just then a dark shape began to take form out in the white nothingness and the faint whine of repulsor lifts began to grow louder.

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

Anya Tachi was glad to be on Hoth. She knew they'd probably not be the happiest with her, but they could either get over it or stay mad. She really didn't care which. She decided she'd act as if absconding in the middle of the night with the Sith holocron and then losing it to the Jedi was no big deal.

She didn't bother looking out of the transparisteel windows of the cockpit. Everything was vague shapes obscured by a white haze in the surmounting blizzard. Instead, she relied on the instruments, allowing them to guide her into the hangar of the base.

Suddenly she was inside. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the relative darkness inside compared to the bleak whiteness that was the Hothian landscape. Her gaze settled quickly on the two figures standing, waiting. She was instantly nervous. Raezyr had his helmet on, which wasn't a good sign, and Trychon didn't have his usual grin.

The ship settled to the deck, and after shutting all the systems down, she headed for the loading ramp. Tee Seven beeped at her and followed. "Might as well get this over with," she said to the little astromech and slapped the controls to lower the ramp.

"Raez! Trych!" she exclaimed happily, putting away her nervous thoughts and concentrating on pretending she was happy to see them. In truth, she really didn't know where else she could have gone. Back to Korriban, she supposed. But to what end? There was nothing there but an empty building.

"Oh it's so good to see you guys!" she said striding down the ramp and hugging Trychon. After giving him a kiss on the cheek she pulled back just a bit and held him at arm's length. "Wow! You look great! The simple pirate life is suiting you two well!"

Before he could answer, Anya turned to Raezyr. "C'mon, Raez," she said, grinning and holding her arms out for a hug. "Take that helmet off and let me hug you." Raezyr made no move to do so, but she reached up and pulled the protective headgear off and threw her arms around his neck. "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but it's truly good to see you," she said and kissed him on his cheek.

Raezyr snatched his helmet back from her and pushed her back. "Where have you been, Anya, and where the niufen is Tyr?"

Anya frowned, before forcing a feminine laugh.  "Where haven't we been?  Even though we didn't leave on good terms, we figured we could still help out by leading the Jedi on a wild kornack chase through the better part of the galaxy."

"But..." Trychon folded his arms.

"Tyr got sloppy."  She frowned again.  "He got us shot down on an uninhabited planet, with no way out.  The Jedi hunted us down, but they got him before they teamed up and got me.  They took us to Dantooine and tortured us to find you.  I didn't give anything up, of course... but I'm not so sure Tyr will hold out forever."

"And they just let you go, eh?" Raezyr growled.

"Of course not!"  She giggled again.  "I  was able to escape.  I couldn't be expected to break into another part of the compound though.  You guys are going to have to come with me to get Tyr out and deal with him."

The two Sith stared at their wayward companion and didn't say a word.  Her composure dropped a few notches and she began babbling through more detail than the others probably cared to know.

After several minutes, and more silence from the brothers, Dianna came pounding through the landing bay, clearly upset.  Anya turned her cheer back on and welcomed her friend.

"Di!  I think I've missed you most of all!"  She jogged over to her to close the distance, and opened her arms to embrace her.  She wrapped her arms around Di's neck and then gasped.

With a shove, Dianna knocked her to the floor on her back.  As she stood over the blonde Sith, small object was barely visible in Dianna's hand which looked like a cloth of some sort.

Anya tried to say something to her, but only a grunt and a gurgle escaped her mouth, followed by a trickle of blood down her lips. Slowly, she looked down at the object she clutched, protruding from her stomach.

She moved her hand and there, covered in blood, was the Tingel Governor's blade.

Raezyr finally broke the silence. "Wo de ma he ta de fengkuang de waisheng dou!" he exclaimed. "Di, we're mad too, but that's a little extreme, don't you think? Or was it the kiss? Because that was still a bit of an overreaction... it was on the cheek and didn't mean anything," Raezyr said. He was about to go on, but something in Dianna's look told him he better shut up.

"She was followed," the pirate captain said.

719. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr

Raezyr felt a gentle, familiar nudge in mind. A sign his half-brother was trying to get his attention with the Force. He awoke and groaned. "Shut up, Trych," he said to himself and covering his ears with his hands as if he could block out his sibling's voice.

"Is he making dirty jokes again?" Dianna said in a sleepy, yet playful voice as she wrapped her arms around the big warrior and nuzzled her head into his back.

Raezyr didn't answer her. She could tell he was listening to Trychon again. Suddenly the big man swung his feet out of bed and began urgently searching for his clothes. Dianna sat up and pulled the sheet up to her neck. "What is it, Raez? What's wrong?"

"She's back," was all he said, sliding into his trousers.

"Who's back?"

"Anya. She's back."

"How do you know?" she asked.

The big man paused as he slid his boots on. "Di, I can feel her. That's what Trychon was telling me. He sensed her first."

"How can you be sure, Raez? Someone would have commed me if a ship had entered the system," she said.

Suddenly the comm started to beep. She looked over at her lover, who just gave her a quick, "I tried to tell you" glance. She'd have thought she would learn to trust him on these things by now. She hit the comm switch on the nightstand. "Go for Di," she said.

"Captain, we have a Sierra Alpha," came Rhox Vega's voice on the other end.

"Ee tee ay?" She asked.

"Approximately 30 minutes," Rhox said.

"I'll be there in 20." Dianna clicked off the comm and crawled out of bed and crossing to her closet.

Raezyr paused before heading out the door. "What the Sith is a 'Sierra Alpha?'" he asked.

"A vessel has just jumped out of hyperspace and is on course for Hoth," she said slipping into a pair of form fitting black trousers. "You meet her on the deck. I'll be in the control room. She better have a damn good explanation."

The big Sith warrior gave her a grin as he slid out the door.

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

Raezyr entered the quarters he and his brother shared, surprised to find Trychon still in the process of getting dressed. He glanced over at the bed which had clearly not been slept in last night. Remembering Teera's flirtatious nature the previous evening he put two and two together. Raezyr grinned but said nothing, going straight to his closet and began donning his armor.

Trychon buckled his utility belt, lightsaber dangling from the side. Turning to face his half-brother he said, "You're dying to say something, so let's get this out of the way, shall we?"

Raezyr paused as he buckled the breastplate. "Teera?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"It sure as Hell wasn't Rhox," the elder brother responded, his grin almost as big. "Although that might be tempting to try."

"You'd have better luck trying to bed a rancor, I think," Raezyr responded, and they both laughed out loud.

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

"What have you got?" Dianna asked her security officer as she stepped into the control room.

"Standard Vector-class cargo freighter. Hull profile eye-dee and transponder pings both identify the ship as the Wasted Rancor," the dark haired woman replied.

"Did she have a code?" Dianna asked.

Rhox gave her a surprised look, wondering how she knew for sure that it was a female piloting the ship, but said nothing about it. Instead she said, "It's an older code, but it checks out. I was about to clear her." She watched her captain for a moment who was intently studying the radar and other instrumentation. "Shall I deny her access?"

"No," Dianna said. "Give her clearance. This is for Raez and Trych to handle." The leader of the Kingsmen walked over to the window overlooking the entire hangar and the two figures striding out to the middle of the landing deck. When they stopped she hit the switch to open the doors.

"But I don't trust her. Keep sensors on full and if there's even the slightest fluctuation, I want to know about it."

718. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr and Trychon

The Spectre glided into the hangar on it's repulsor lifts in a swirl of snow. It gently eased to the deck without the slightest jostle. Raezyr turned to Dianna. "That easy enough for you, boss lady?" he asked with a grin. The red haired woman gave him a playful slug in the shoulder.

The occupants of the modified freighter stood at the top of the loading ramp waiting for it to lower. Below stood Dek and Teera who had come out to meet them. "Good news, Captain," Dek said as Dianna led the the others down the ramp.

"Let me guess, the deposit came through as planned?" she asked with a grin. She didn't stop to talk, and the young slicer and the blue Twi'lek fell in beside her.

"It did indeed, Captain," Teera replied. "After paying the last of our outstanding debt, I sent payments to get the supplies we had on held order as well."

"Good job."  Dianna commented, still smiling.  "Enough business for now though.  Let's celebrate a mission going off without a real hitch for once.  Running weapons to Alderaan, no less."

"Maybe we should do more of the less enviable runs in the future?"  Dek asked, half joking.

"You may actually have a point."  Dianna conceded.  "Our most dangerous mission was actually primarily successful if it weren't for a few bad eggs."  She realized what she'd said after it was already out of her mouth, and she quickly added.  "But enough about business.  Please tell me some food's hot in the cafeteria, before Trych starts nibbling on our extremities."

Teera shook her head.

"Alright, everyone go put something more comfortable on, order everyone on duty to put systems on maximum automation and join us.  We're going to do a hand made meal as a group."

As Trychon turned down the hall towards their room, Raezyr continued to follow Dianna.  Depending on the situation, he used both quarters and had clothes in both.  Dianna stopped and turned around, holding her hand up to his chest.

"Not this time, big guy."  She scolded him, before winking to assure him that she wasn't still mad.  "I have to get ready for the party."

Raezyr headed back down the hall to find his brother half dressed in their quarters, tinkering with his datapad which was a common enough sight.

"Quit playing and get ready.  I'm hungry."

"Something's wrong.  I can't get into the computer system on THX."  Trychon frowned, not looking up from his miniature screen.

Raezyr gave off a hearty laugh.  "I've seen you look less frustrated cracking Republic encryptions."

Trychon countered with a smile, still not looking up.  "Everyone looks less frustrated cracking Republic encryptions than they would cracking mine."  He paused, tapping rapidly on his pad.  "Seriously though, this is weird and probably a bad sign."  There was several moments of silence as Raezyr began getting prepared, finding something casual yet nice to wear.  Finally, Trychon spoke up.  "Ok, this is definitely bad."

"Yeah, I get it.  You forgot your passkeys and that's bad."

"Shut up for a second and listen.  I'm in.  The system actively fought back against me even after I found a way in, but that's not the oddest thing.  It's bad, but I don't know if it's related to this."

"What is it already?  Out with it."  His younger brother growled, beginning to lose his patience and anxious to get to the cafeteria.

"I've got Mannix's readings here, and everything looks good.  Better than we could have reasonably expected.  Yet for some reason, the expected finish date on his recovery is now listed as 'indeterminate'."

Raezyr's attention was finally caught.  "What?!" 

"I don't have the slightest clue what that means, but we're definitely going to have to make a trip out there."

Dianna wasn't going to be happy.  "You want to tell Di?"  He asked his older brother, half curious, half pleading.

"How about you tell her next time I'm in a different system?  I say we wait it out for at least a few days and see if the readings make more sense and then figure it out."

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

As they arrived in the cafeteria, the crew was already joking with each other and sharing humorous stories from their varied pasts.  Trychon joined Teera and a few other staffers he didn't know in the kitchen and began looking through the storage cabinets for something to contribute to their rare meal.  He found some bethnik noodles and began scrounging to find the right ingredients for a decent cream sauce.  He had gathered nearly everything he needed, and figured he would would be able to make a fair approximation when he felt something hit him on his backside.

He turned around to see Teera's lekku whipping around her head, as she'd obviously just spun quickly.  She began to whistle a tune to put on an air of feigned innocence, and she giggled when he finally turned back to get a pot to cook his dish.

Raezyr helped bring in tankards and glasses as well as various bottles of spirits and basic ales.  As he was pouring drinks for the group, an idea struck him and he excused himself and jogged out of the room.

He returned fifteen minutes later with a few cases in a Force grip following closely behind.  He began unloading the more exotic ales that he and his brother usually saved for slightly more special occasions such as this one. 

As he opened a bottle to pour for himself he caught sight of Dianna, who must have arrived while he was retrieving the drinks from the Jet Razor.  After catching the bottle he nearly dropped, his eyes scanned her from head to toe.  She'd put her hair up in an elaborate core-system style, showing her neck as it led to her nearly bare shoulders.  Her shimmering blue dress hung lightly from the thin straps on her shoulders, gently flowing over her form.  There was no frills or styling to interrupt the contour of the fabric caressing her curves, until a slit formed halfway down her thigh and continued to tease looks at her smooth legs all the way down to the floor.


He watched her as she laughed at Delki and Bleetz's comedic antics juggling fruit, and the smile on her face was the most sincere he'd seen her share publicly since he'd met her.  Clearly, the chance to relax and spend some downtime with her crew absent the stresses that had been on her was exactly what she had been needing and it only made her more gorgeous.

Trychon walked over, removing an apron covered in handprints that looked too small to be his own.  He grabbed the ale from Raezyr's hand, opening it with his bare hands.  "What's that Raez?  You think that girl over on the other side of the room is cute?  Why, yes... I do believe you should go talk to her..."

Without a word, he walked over to Dianna and embraced her from behind while kissing her on the cheek.  Whatever he whispered in her ear made her smile again.

Trychon smiled as he took a long drink from his tankard, and caught a wink from Teera who was also watching the happy couple's brief embrace.

"Alright everyone!" He yelled loud enough to be heard over the crowd noise.  "Dinner should be about ready!  Someone come help me carry everything from the kitchen!"

Rhox entered the party as though she had been waiting to be called.  She was wearing a similar dress to Dianna's in a darker shade and with a belt hung over her hip.  Trychon watched her walk by for a moment, but knew better than to let her see him do so.

The next several hours were spent with everyone telling countless tales.  Some were of mischief, others of blunders, many stories were of both.  They took turns telling about each others' follies, and even Trychon and Raezyr joined in, though hiding a lot of the details that they couldn't or wouldn't share.

The only person in the entire room who did not share stories or have stories about her being told was Rhox, who sat at the end of the table, quietly smiling when it was appropriate.  Once or twice, Trychon raised a drink from across the room through the Force and set it in front of her to keep her engaged.  She didn't say anything, but even she seemed more and more relaxed as time went on.

As various lips around the table began to split into yawns with increasing frequency, Dianna was the first to stand up and dismiss herself.  She grabbed Raezyr by the hand and led him off.  Rhox stood up no more than a minute later and headed to her room as well.

As the crowd dwindled slowly, Teera's looks in Trychon's direction became increasingly obvious with her flirtations intentions, until finally she walked behind him and gave him a brief backrub.  She slid her hands over his shoulders softly as she pulled away and said goodnight.

The Sith followed her out the door.

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

Raezyr walked into the room, stripped off his shirt and plopped back onto the bed. Dianna came in behind him, closed and locked the door. "You're not leaving that shirt there, are you?" she asked, indicating his tunic lying on the floor.

"I'll get it in the morning, babe," he said with a grin. "You know I'm good for it."

She turned to the mirror and removed her earrings. Her reflection smiled at the big man with the scar. "Don't forget it," she said, and knew he wouldn't.

As she reached behind her back to undo the hidden magnetic clasps on the back of her dress, Raezyr came off the bed in one swift movement catching her arms with his hands and trapping her arms behind her head. She wiggled her arms, trying half-heartedly to escape. "Raez...," she said in a half annoyed tone.

He spun her around, still holding her arms trapped behind her head and pulled her close. She parted her lips, waiting for his mouth to close against hers. She didn't have to wait long. They kissed long and deep before he finally removed the dress completely, holding his bare chest close to hers.

He swept her legs up and carried her across the room, laying her gently down on the bed. She pulled him on top of  her as he kissed her again. Gently, she pushed him back to look into his eyes. Raezyr brushed a strand of red hair from her face.

"I love you, Raez," Dianna breathed quietly.

He reached over and switched off the lights. He looked at her through the gentle glow of the nighttime illuminator. "I know," he replied. He pulled her body close to his and for a few hours, they spent a lifetime together.

717. Like Womprats in a Cage - Raezyr

Tyr stood before the two seated Jedi Masters in the Enclave Council Chamber.

He cleared his throat before starting the small speech he'd been rehearsing and amending over the past several days.  "Grandfather, Master Taisun, I've come to terms with the fact that I have spent a large portion of my life dedicated to a hatred built under false pretenses.  Much of what I've known in my life is a downright lie told to me by others or myself.  Other things that have shaped me I've simply misremembered or misunderstood."

Tyr made eye contact with his grandfather, who smiled at him despite the decorum.  He gave a brief smile and nod in return.  "As an adult, I have made poor choices and done horrible things.  I've also aligned myself with Sith, and received and been receptive to poisonous teachings.  I know now that I've made these decisions based on lies, purposeful and not.  That does not excuse my actions and decisions, nor does it escape me from the consequences I deserve from them.  I am fully deserving of any and all consequences because while misled, I was of sound and able mind."

This earned him a nod from the more feline master, Master Taisun.  Again, he nodded in return.  "I hope that I am able to make penance for my deeds with further good deeds, particularly on Coruscant.  I will accept any other punishments that the Council and Republic deem me worthy though."

It looked as though Tanner was about to interrupt him, but Tyr had to finish.  "However."  He cleared his throat again.  "I cannot give up the location of my two associates who are still at large.  They have been my only friends in the past two years, and would not betray me under any circumstances.  They are also guilty of horrible deeds, and I am aware of this.  They are still my friends though, and loyalty is something that most Sith are not noted for, they are capable of it and the Jedi admire it in each other.  I know that this is not a situation where the council will admire my decision, but I hope they can understand where it comes from and what it means to me.  If I knew the location of the Sith master known as Eiron who was behind the Coruscant attack, I would likely give that up in their stead, but none of us have the means of reaching him.  I apologize."

Taisun and Tanner stood silently for a moment. Finally Taisun spoke. "If given the opportunity, would you dedicate yourself to the Jedi Code, and submit yourself to Jedi training, even if it means becoming a Padawan to someone who may be younger than yourself?"

"I would."

"Then in instances like this, the Republic allows the Jedi Order to take in former Sith, but only if the offender is truly remorseful about their past and earnest in their willingness to change and make amends," Taisun informed him.


Tyr bowed to the pair of Jedi Masters, and a smile grew from ear to ear that he couldn't contain.  Weeks ago, he'd have never seen himself here in this spot.  What was more surprising though was how great he felt about the new direction his life seemed to be taking.  It was not so much as though a load had been lifted from his shoulders as much as it was that he was given a whole new body with which to have a second chance.  He felt utterly refreshed.

"I'd like to share something with you before your decision is final."  Master Solumni offered.  "I do not know if this will sway your view or not, but you deserve to hear this story of two brothers."

"Like a parable?"

"Not exactly."  Tanner crossed his arms and closed his eyes.  "Years ago, there were two brothers, born to a Jedi Father."

Tyr looked confused.  "Raezyr and Trychon?"

"No."  Tanner frowned.  "Please let me finish.  One of these brothers was very gifted in the Force, and was trained to become a Jedi.  The other was not, and he led a very bitter life regardless of the things that those close to him would do to try to make him happy.  He lived on the wrong side of the law often, he drank too much, and he slept with many women jumping from one shallow relationship to another shallow relationship, in between one night stands."

Tyr sat down on the floor and crossed his legs.  He had no idea where his grandfather was going with this story.

"As time went on, the wayward brother became a father, unwittingly.  He began to come around and tried to become a good father, but he refused to allow the Jedi to meet his son because of his own misguided principals.  Fast forward a few years, and now he has two sons from different relationships and his brother has one.  Either out of spite of the news that his brother's son will someday join the Jedi, or out of pure greed, he decides to sell his sons to the Sith."

Even new to the ways of the Jedi, Tyr was disgusted by this, but still unsure of how the story was related to him, so he kept his opinions private.

The Jedi master continued.  "One of his sons was gone before we got word.  When we sent a pair of recruiters to contact him about his sons, worried about their fate, he had already made a deal with the Sith for the younger child.  His brother and a Master intervened in the second son being sent off to the Sith, but the Master was grief stricken and decided not to hand over the child to the order either, and she took him off on his own."

Tyr started to think he knew what the connection was.  "You believe this child was Raezyr."

His grandfather nodded.  "We sent a team after the Sith who had gotten ahold of the older child.  We never heard back from that team again, but our spies among the Sith said that the group we had gone after also disappeared.  No news was ever found about the boy, but he was presumed dead along with the others."

"Trychon?  How can you be so sure of either?"

Solumni swallowed.  "We have some footage of your friend Raezyr on Nal Hutta, when he was careless with his helmet.  The scar over his eye matches the description of the one received by the child at a later attempt to retrieve him from the ersatz master.  That also matches what you told us about him being raised by a rogue Jedi, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does."  Tyr had to admit.  It was unsettling having these 'revelations' so often.  "What about Trych?"  He asked, noting to himself that he used the informal nickname for the first time in his discussions with the Jedi.  He'd avoided using the familiar terms up to this point.

"He is a little less shy, and we have several good holos of his appearance, including a few where he stared directly into the camera.  He looks exactly like his father.  Too much to be a coincidence.  In fact, we don't really believe in coincidences.  Your fate was intertwined with theirs from birth."

That caught Tyr off guard.  "Huh?"

"Tyr... the lost son here... the criminal, boozer, womanizer who sold his children to the Sith, only to lose them both to the galaxy... he was your uncle.  Your father's brother."  He sighed.  "My son."

"I..." Tyr didn't know what to say.  "I don't know what to say.  I have to meditate on this." 

Master Taison put his hand on Solumni's shoulder.  "Of course.  We're done here, and you're free to go."

Tyr turned to leave but turned around at the door.  "I'm not sure this will change my opinion.  They are still my friends... my cousins.  I don't know that I can betray their trust."

"It is of little consequence."  Taison responded.  Seeing the continued confusion and exasperation on Tyr's face, he told him what they had been undecided on revealing.  "Last night, Anya escaped in your ship.  We expected this and are tracking her.  We believe she will lead us to the Sith base."

716. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr

The trip back to Hoth was fairly uneventful. Dianna fretted about not being able to find a load to take back in the direction of Hoth to at least cover some of the expenses even though the single run they had just done had been quite lucrative. Not many were willing to take a load of weapons into Alderaan. The risk of getting caught was hardly worth the payoff, and normally not even Dianna would have attempted it, but not everyone had access to a slicer of Trychon's abilities. It had been a simple matter to alter their transponder signal to mimic one of the cargo ships which was actually still docked back at the spaceport. By the time the Alderaanian officials sorted out the mess of why the ship was requesting to leave a second time, they'd most likely chalk it up to a computer malfunction or an operator error, leaving Dianna free of any questions... until the next time she wanted to land on Alderaan.

But that was a problem for another time.

In the meantime, Raezyr was able to successfully keep his broken hand wrapped in bacta patches long enough for it to heal without his lover noticing. He was actually rather surprised that Rhox Vegha didn't go run and tattle on him. He decided that she might not have to die by his hand one day.

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

The four crew members of the Ice Spectre sat in the cockpit of the freighter as the mottled blue swirls of hyperspace turned into star-streaks stretching into infinity, then coalesced into pinpoints. Dianna banked the ship to port and the white orb of  Hoth swung into the center of the transparisteel screen, slowly growing as they approached.

After the ship's captain had been cleared for landing and received the local weather report, Dianna turned to Trychon. "As soon as we get back, I'd like it if you'd find out how Mannix is doing," she said. "I'm worried about the kid. I'd like to bring him to Hoth to convalesce as soon as the doctors will allow him to leave the hospital."

Trychon leaned back in his seat, putting his hands behind his head. "That shouldn't be a problem. The last time we checked in with the, uh, doctors... they estimated that he should be nearly ready to begin his rehab by now." He had almost slipped and said "med program." Thankfully, it didn't look like she noticed.

"Wait," she said. "The original estimates said he'd be nearly finished with rehab by now and ready to leave. What's the hold up?"

"Oh, I don't know," Trychon said, blowing off the question. "Things are just taking longer than expected, I guess."

Dianna half turned in her seat. They were about to re-enter the atmosphere, one of the most dangerous parts of landing from space, but she wanted to look at Trychon who was sitting diagonally behind her. "What kinds of 'things?'"

"C'mon, Di," Raez interjected. "We're not doctors. We can't interpret all those charts and data by ourselves." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was sorry he had said them.

"What do you mean?" Dianna said as she turned back around to watch her instrument panel during re-entry. The ship was beginning to buck and the climate controls in the cabin were beginning to have a hard time compensating for the heat from the friction on the hull. "Didn't you speak with a doctor? Can't they tell you what's on the chart?" the captain asked as they passed the dangerous point and the cockpit began to cool to a normal temperature again.

Trychon spoke. "Di, I'm sorry. We just set it up so we receive his medical data. We check to make sure everything is within normal ranges and if it's not, we look to make sure the trend of the data is drifting towards normal. It's just the last couple times we've checked, the final estimates for each stage of his recovery have been pushed back each time. We haven't been able to see a reason for it at all, but he's getting better."

"Gorramit, guys," Dianna said as she dropped the ship below the last of the clouds. In the distance, up a long valley in the side of a mountain, a black rectangle was opening, growing bigger as they approached, and more square as the doors to the main hangar opened. "You have to contact them, and talk to a doctor as soon as we get back, alright?"

They promised to contact the facility.

715. Hoth: King's Lair - Trychon

The two brothers had been sitting in their room for a little over an hour when Rhox called them to the cockpit.  Trychon agreed that Raezyr hadn't overreacted, he would have handled it the same way except maybe backing down sooner.

They headed up to the cockpit to find Ms. Vegah already going through a pre-flight routine.  She continued to work and didn't turn back to address them.  "Dianna's going to meet us at the drop point.  She sent the coordinates."

"She's riding with them?  I don't like this at all."  Raezyr growled as he sat down.

"She said you'd say that.  She told me to tell you that it's fine, and she just wants to get out of here."

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

As the Ice Spectre finished its approach to the landing pad they were directed to, they could see a second, much larger ship already awaiting them.  In front of it, was Dailo and several of his men.  Dianna sat on the outside of their little circle, tapping her foot.

Trychon and Rhox walked down the lowered ramp and Dianna walked over to them briskly.  As she reached the pair, Dailo gathered his thugs and headed their way.

"Where's Raez?"  She asked nervously through clenched teeth.

"He uh... opted to stay on board to avoid conflict."  Trychon smiled at the look of relief from Dianna, who seemed reassured that Raezyr hadn't gone off and done something stupid.  "Are we all good?  Can we bring the stuff out now?"

Dianna nodded and her apprentice and the Sith went to retrieve the two loaded gravsleds from the cargo bay.  After they brought them down, Dailo kept glancing at Dianna as his men inspected the crates and their seals, confirming that they were not modified.  She ignored him entirely while the process went on.

Finally, she turned to the smuggler's techs.  "Satisfied?"

The tech nodded.  "Yes, Ma'am."  Then he turned and headed back towards the ship, his job done.  As he did, he mumbled something under his breath about being the only one satisfied, which caused his boss's face to turn red.

After a little bit of grumbling, Dailo punched a few codes into his datapad, and Dianna's pad gave off a quiet note, confirming that the correct amount she'd been expecting had been transferred.

"Thank you, Dailo."  She flashed him a forced smile.

As he turned to walk away without a word, she called out to him.  "I may not have your familiarity with this sector, but I do know that not many runners will bring your sort of cargo here.  I suggest better manners next time."

Then, the three of them headed back into the Ice Spectre, with Dianna's parting comments not being acknowledged.  After closing up the ramp, they headed as a group to the cockpit, which they found empty.

Dianna turned to Trychon. "I thought you said Raez waited on board?" 

"I did."  Raezyr's voice came from down the hallway.  "Why?"

"What... were you doing?" Dianna seemed to hesitate to even ask.

"I was manning the quads, just in case.  What did you think I would do, sit and watch the sensors?"

Dianna called him some playfully insulting pet name quietly and headed to her seat to begin their ascent.  As she calculated their trajectory, she spoke up again.  "I didn't get what I was after, anyway... but he should behave better if there's a next time."

"You mean making me jealous?"

She rolled her eyes.  "No, I was trying to pump him for contacts.  When he wouldn't open up to me, I tried to use Dek's program for siphoning some from his datapad, but he turned it off hoping to avoid interruptions."  She turned to Raezyr.  "Business first.  I knew I could make you jealous, and I don't need a blowhard like that to do so."

Not much more was said before they headed out of atmosphere and entered hyperspace, looking forward to a little downtime to heal their short-term wounds.

714. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr and Trychon

Rhox Vega, Trychon and Raezyr climbed into the cab and sat down. The droid cab driver attempted to make small talk, but the former Czerka employee told it to be quiet.

They rode in silence for several minutes. Finally Raezyr slipped off his helmet, slicked back his hair and spoke in a regretful tone. "I should have ripped his throat out."

Rhox burst. "Don't get mad. It's your own go tsao de fault, you hwoon dahn."

"You best shut your xi niu mouth or it will be your throat that gets ripped out, si san ba," Raezyr replied. It would have sounded almost casual if it hadn't been for the menacing undertone in his voice.

"Do it!" she yelled. "I dare you, you chùsheng xai-jiao de xiang huo!"

The two stared each other down in the back of the cab as speed down the dark streets of Aldera, each waiting for the other to make a move. Finally it was Trychon who spoke. "Isn't this the part where you two are supposed to kiss?"

Rhox turned to the window and stared out, crossing her arms against her chest in disgust. The thought of kissing a Sith, any Sith, made her throw up in her mouth a little.

The ride was nearly silent after Trychon's quip.  They arrived at the spaceport and headed to the docking bay without any further conversation.

Raezyr was the first one to and up the ship's ramp.  He keyed in the unlock code and mishit a button on his first attempt.  "Open, gorramit!' he yelled as he smashed his fist into the locked door.  There was a hard metallic clang as he impacted the ship with his fist, but Raezyr was fairly sure he was the only one that heard the crunch that accompanied it.

He quickly punched in the code again and headed back to the cargo hold before the others could catch up to him.  He was already moving crates when Rhox caught up to him.

She stood behind him and waited for him to put down the crate he was moving and grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.  "You really are as dumb as you look!" 

"Don't start with me.  I'm sick of this kriff."

"That had to have fractured a bone or two in your hand.  If you drop one of those crates or throw them around in your little tizzy, we're either not getting paid or we're exploded.  I want no part of either option."

Raezyr flexed his hand in front of his face to show he was fine.  Rhox grabbed it and squeezed.  The large Sith didn't even flinch, though it hurt badly when she did.

"I know why you're upset, but she's putting you in your place because you overstepped your bounds."  She didn't let go of his hand as she continued.  She squeezed it enough that his bones were shifting in ways they shouldn't have, and she could likely feel it, too.  "You have no real reason to be worried, because for some reason she's completely devoted to you.  I've never seen such attachment to... one of you.  Doesn't make sense, and I think she may be sick... but trust her, for all our sake."

Raezyr just stared at her.

She finally released his hand, which was throbbing now nearly to the point of numbness, though not quite.  "Now go take care of your hand while we take care of this.  Otherwise, she's going to think I did this to you."

The look on her face was stern, but the unintentional jest at the end of her tirade cause the corners of her mouth to turn upwards slightly.

Raezyr left without a word, and managed to make it out of the cargo bay before chuckling a little to himself as well before regaining his scowl.

713. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr

Rhox and Dianna slid into a booth in a small alcove in the back of the club while Trychon took the seat opposite. Raezyr stood by the entrance to the alcove and surveyed the room. A music engineer stood at a booth in the corner just off the dance floor, mixing songs so the dance beats flowed effortlessly. Strobes and lasers lit up the smoke-filled room while scantily-clad bodies writhed and clung to each other in time to the hard bass as it thumped.

A server approached and Raezyr held him up with one hand. He then made a show of patting him down for weapons before he allowed the club employee to take drink orders. The pat down had been unnecessary for the big Sith warrior as he could sense no ill-intent when the man approached, but he knew they were being scrutinized and appearances must be kept and roles must be played. His was the hulking, meat-head to provide physical security in close quarters, a role he was happy to play as it would give him the edge if hostilities broke out.

After an hour a young Rodian female wearing a skimpy clubbing outfit and bobbing to the rythym, bounced up to Raezyr. He held up his hand, indicating she should approach no further, but instead she moved closer and began to dance against him. He expected to feel some emotion from Dianna, anger, jealously, anything, but instead there was nothing. It surprised him for the briefest of moments, realizing that she knew this was a job, and it wasn't as if Raezyr had gone looking for this female.

He grabbed the Rodian roughly by the shoulder and was about to push her away when she slid her hands down his torso and tucked something in the waistband of his trousers. She then danced her way back into the crowd. Raezyr reached down and pulled out a folded napkin with something scrawled on it. At first he assumed it was probably just her private comm channel and he was about to crumple it up and throw it on the floor when he took a second look.

The big Sith turned to the table he was guarding. Dianna was trying hard to look disinterested in what had just taken place, Rhox looked disgusted, and his brother had a grin on his face from ear to ear. He could tell Trychon was about to make some comment so he spoke first. "You better take a look at this," Raezyr said, tossing the napkin on the table in front of Rhox.

"Eww," she said in disgust, holding her hands up and away from the disposable paper product in front of her. "I'm not touching that. I saw where she put it."

Dianna reached over, snatched it up and read the note. "Let's go," she said and slid out of the booth. Raezyr led the way to a side hallway, the entrance to which was marked with the universal restroom signs. The four walked past the doors there and to the end of the hallway where three more doors were located. One was to a storage room, one was an emergency fire exit, and the other revealed a set of stairs going up.

They took the stairs quickly despite the poor lighting. One of the glow rods was flickering and they could see where others were missing, leaving just enough light to see the stairs. They reached a landing, turned and went up a second flight, coming to a halt at a small landing just big enough for the four of them.

A heavy security door marked with a sign that read 'Office' stood in their way. Raezyr knocked, his gauntleted fist rapping loudly on the steel door.

A slot in the door and a camera eye slid out to examine them. "Haku uba naga?" a voice asked in Huttese.

Raezyr, who was standing closest, answered. "We're here to see Dailo."

"Bolla neechu. Hees nopa tah baatu baatu," the voice said.

Dianna pushed forward. "Tell Dailo that if he wants his shipment he better stop playing games."

The camera eye studied moved it's focus from Raezyr to Dianna and studied her for a moment. "Wanga tee-tocky," the voice said. Several moments went by before it spoke again."Dailo stuka chuba ateema." The camera retracted and the door slid open.

A male Weequay stood there with a wide stance, his hand on the hilt a very large vibro-sword sheathed at his waist. "Bolla wata," he said and turned, leading them down a hallway. They passed several doors, some of which stood open revealing supply closets and offices. The alien tapped in a sequence into the key pad at the door at the end of the hall and it swooshed open.

Inside was a large office. Behind the desk was a large wall-sized window showing the entire club. Raezyr assumed it was a one-way mirror or they would have noticed it when they came in. The occupants of the room all sat around a sabacc table. Five beings were playing cards while three ladies seemed to have the appearance of groupies, but all four pirates noticed they didn't move like civilians. They were tensed and ready and it was clear to the trained eye that they were body guards, despite how they were dressed and acting.

"Con tah stuka chuba, Lorda," the Weequay said.

A middle-aged human male with a black vest and gray shirt on the far side of the table put down his cards and gave the guard a rather irritated look. "Ak-sev! What have I told you about the Huttese?" he asked. "This is Alderaan, for Lor's sake. Speak Basic."

The man stood up from the card table and crossed to the desk. He looked back over at the card table. "I fold this hand, boys." He opened an ornate box on the desk and pulled out a big cigarra. "Any of you want one?" he asked the new arrivals. When they declined he lit his own and came around the front of the desk, then sat on the very edge.

He motioned to the Weequay. "Get back to the door," he told the guard. When he had gone he finally turned his full attention to the pirates. "Dianna Kingsdoom," he said and grinned. "I've hear a lot of things about you." Dailo scanned the red-headed woman up and down with a gaze that said he was looking for more than just weapons. "And they clearly didn't do you justice."

Trychon could feel Raezyr's ire starting to rise, and for a moment he wondered whether he'd have to restrain his brother.

"You know, a gorgeous, enterprising woman such as yourself could do pretty well for herself here on Alderaan," Dailo said. "What do you say that the two of us discuss some business plans over dinner... with out the riff-raff," he suggested, motioning to the others in the room.

Dianna spoke quickly. Even she could feel the heat coming off Raezyr and wondered it had been a good idea to bring him along. "I'm here to make this deal, Dailo," she said. "Let's do it so my crew and I can get the kriff off this rock."

Dailo looked a bit sad. "I heard that about you too... all business and no play. If you ever change your mind..."

"Just transfer the creds and give me the drop coordinates," Dianna said, rolling her eyes at the lame pick-up attempts. She'd received better offers from much better people and it hadn't worked before. These kinds of offers might work on regular girls, but she was no regular girl.

"Well, not so fast," the man said. "I think first I need a demonstration. I want to make sure that I'm not paying for a load of junk."

"You're far to naive," Dianna retorted. "Alderaan is much too populated for an effective demonstration... if you'd like a test, a test on a remote planet, then name the system."

Dailo just looked at her for a moment then gave her a mischievous grin. "I'm sorry then. I guess you've come all this way for nothing... unless you could persuade me otherwise." He took a step forward and stroked the tips of her red hair that hung by her neck with his fingers.

Raezyr had had enough. "Get your damn hands off her, scum bag," said reaching for Dailo's throat.

Dailo didn't move, but instantly all his people had blasters out and pointed at Raezyr. Raezyr's hand paused just inches away. Trychon could almost hear his brother's thoughts, but Rhox and Dianna didn't need a Force connection to guess that he was calculating... not whether or not to attack, but how fast he needed to move to be successful.

"Ray! That's enough out of you!" Dianna reprimanded him. They decided previously to use aliases for the Sith. "Step back and stand down until you're ordered to do otherwise, got it?" She knew she had to step in before her lover did something foolish.

The big Sith didn't move. He was tired of this fool's insolence and disrespect. Every ounce of his being was telling him to teach this big fish in a little pond just exactly who he was dealing with and who as in charge. 

"Remember. Your. Place," she told him through clenched teeth. The tension in the room was so strong it was almost alive. She knew if he didn't back down that it would snap like synth-rubber and people would die. Dianna knew Trychon and Raezyr probably had a good chance of surviving, but Rhox and herself didn't have the benefit of the Force.

Finally Raezyr slowly dropped his hand to his side and stepped back and guns around the room were lowered. "Yes, Captain," calm a quiet but tense voice from the helm.

"Looks like you need to keep your hounds on a shorter leash, Di," the middle aged man said. She noticed that he had dropped his hand away from her though.

"Look," Dianna said, ignoring the jab. "I've got a holo right here," she pulled out a small disc. "It shows the sealed crates being opened, random weapons pulled out, tested, replaced, and the crates resealed. The data is all here. When we make the drop, you'll be able to see that the seals have not been tampered with since the holo was created." She dropped the disc in his outstretched hand.

Dailo smiled. "I see this is not your first trip into the black, so to speak." Dianna didn't answer, just crossed her arms while the man crossed to the holoprojector and watched the recording.

"Fine," he said when it was over. "We'll begin the transaction, but I'll give you the final code at the drop point after I have inspected the crates."

Dianna stood there for a few moments, pondering. "Agreed," she said and turned to her crew. "You three get back to the Spectre and make her ready. I think I'll take Dailo up on his offer for dinner." She let that sink in for a minute. "Any questions?" she asked, although the glare she gave the helmed Sith told him there better not be any.

712. Like Womprats in a Cage - Raezyr and Trychon

Anya slipped quietly down the dark hallway. She felt vindicated in her actions, knowing that if she just held strong to her beliefs that the Force would take care of her. Had she not fought the Jedi at every turn, she never would have come into contact with that little T1 astromech. From there it had been a simple matter to trick the little droid into getting close enough to short it out, then reprogram it.

As she came to the door at the end, she flattened herself against the wall and the little black and white droid wheeled to a stop behind her. She leaned out just far enough to see through the window in the door. The corridor beyond seemed deserted. Not strange since she wasn't at the main entrance to the detention level yet. She looked around and spotted a data port just below the door controls. "Tee One, plug in and see if you can shut down the alarm systems and unlock all doors. Also check the security cams and see where the guards are posted," she instructed the little droid.

The droid rolled forward and it's data arm extended out from a compartment on the front of it's round, can-shaped body and inserted it into the computer port. It whirred as it spun for a few moments, then suddenly began chirping and beeping.

Anya frantically gestured for the droid to be quiet. "Shhh, TeeOne, not so loud or you'll get us caught before we ever have a chance!"

The droid chirped and beeped again, but this time at a lower volume.

"Good work," the blonde woman replied. "Now here's what you're going to do when we get to the guard station." Anya laid out her plan for the astromech.

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

Rik was sitting at the terminal of the guard station, just surfing the holonet looking for anything interesting when the battered old astromech came wheeling through the door. He glanced at the chrono. The dang thing had been in there for quite some time, but that was becoming more and more the norm. The Sith girl had taken to droning on and on to the little droid about how misunderstood and mistreated she was, playing the victim card to the only thing that would listen to her. Rik thought it was amusing. Her, a victim, and not the many innocent people she had hurt and killed.

"She still babbling away to you?" he asked the droid.

The flat-topped dome swiveled his direction so it's visual sensor could view him. It started to beep, but then made a strange groaning noise and slumped forward slightly and it's lights began blinking.

"Hey, you okay?" the Jedi asked. When it didn't reply, he got up and walked around the terminal. He stood looking at the droid, then banged a couple of times on it's dome with his fist. "Piece of junk anyway." Rik squatted down in front of the robot. He didn't know the first thing about droids, but he looked at it's knobs and buttons anyway in case something obvious stood out.

He was about give up when it suddenly sprang to life. Relieved he wasn't going to have to do the security checks in person, he began to stand up. "You gave me a little scare..." he began, then looked back down as a forked appendage extended from the droid's body and touched his leg. "What the?"

Rik crumpled into a heap as the forks crackled to life, jolting him with a heavy dose of electricity.

The smell of ionization and burned flesh hung in the air as Anya walked through the doors and picked up the Jedi's lightsaber. She snapped it on and the yellow blade hummed to life. She looked at it for a moment in disgust. Of course it had to be yellow, she hated yellow. Things could be worse, she decided. It could have been green. How she detested those colors. Nevertheless, it would have to do until she could get a red synth-crystal or maybe build herself a new weapon.

She plunged the blade into the heart of the unconsious Jedi. His body twitched for the briefest moment, then held still. Anya sneered slightly as she let blade sizzle for a moment before flicking the switch off, and breathing in the stench as if it were a delightful aroma. "I love the smell of burnt Jedi in the morning," she said to no one in particular.

She clipped the weapon to her belt as she stepped around to the terminal and, with a few quick finger taps on the keyboard, found a map of the facility and the quickest way to the landing area.  Hopefully she could steal a ship here. If not, things might get a bit hairy as she'd have to hoof it to the nearest town... Khoonda, according to the computer. She'd have to move fast. It wouldn't take long for them to discover the dead Jedi. She glanced at the chrono. Most likely she had two hours before the day shift guard came on duty. She only hoped no one checked on him before that.

Quickly she slipped through the rest of the Jedi base. Thankfully, everyone was asleep. She paused at the door to the landing pad and had TeeOne check the security cams once again. Still no guards. The Jedi clearly trusted the security systems to alert them to any danger from outside.

The Sith opened the door and stared in disbelief. In addition to a shuttle and a couple star-fighters she recognized as belonging to those damn Nautolan and Chiss freaks, there sat the Wasted Rancor and the Nefarion Wraith. She couldn't believe her luck.

For a moment, seeing Tyr's ship made her think of her former lover, and for the briefest of moments she considered going back to rescue him, but it occurred to her that not only would that increase the likelihood of her getting caught, but that if he were strong enough, he could rescue himself.

She felt smug. She was finally proving that she was the the stronger of the two Sith. Besides, if Trychon and Raezyr cared, they could come rescue him themselves. First, though, she'd have to think of some story to tell those two, but that shouldn't be hard. They were easy enough to control.

She quickly boarded the Wasted Rancor, as it was the one she was a bit more comfortable with and she would have access to what she understood of Trychon's programs.  Behind her, she could hear the little droid obediently rolling up the ramp behind her, not beeping to question her at all.

She sprinted to the cockpit and pulled up Trychon's security protocols.  A quick diagnostic showed that there was no tracking devices added to the outer hull or anywhere detectable inside the ship.  No programs had been run other than standard data dumps and checks that the computer was protected against.  No malicious programs added.

Excellent.  They're as foolish as they are arrogant.  She thought to herself, not wanting to admit that she had been worried that the ease of her escape was due to some trap.  She started the engine warmup and grinned, feeling the best she had in months.  She'd personally bested an entire Jedi enclave, and she couldn't wait to boast to the others. They'd have to respect her now.

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

Val sat with his legs crossed in front of the crackle of the fire and took in its heat as he meditated on his brief mission with Nal.  He was a simple Jedi Knight himself, just as she was... but he did feel like a bit of a mentor to the younger Jedi.  She had handled herself better than even he had hoped for, and now she was rewarding herself with well deserved rest.

He wasn't sure he'd ever accept a Master rank from the council, as happy as he was with his assignment of teaching combat at the temple.  It'd been hinted at him before that he could make the transition to Master soon, and at a rather young age considering when he'd joined... if only he was a bit more ambitious.  He found that a bit ironic, given that ambition was frowned upon by their very tenets.

Still, he felt that his place was best served teaching the younglings to protect the galaxy.  He'd have a much greater impact in that role than he ever could on front lines with a padawan.  He may never have a padawan, given his choices.  Yet here he was, away from the temple and teaching a youth of sorts in a one on one basis as he had been for months now.

He was very proud of her, and even in his meditative state the irony of his position now mixed with the pride caused him to smile.

His introspection was cut short as it often was, when a small freighter flew overhead in a vector that indicated it had come from the base.  He'd been expecting that this might happen.

He stood and brushed himself off, following with his eyes the trajectory of the ship.  He stared into the fire for just a moment, as though it maybe held answers to their future, but it never did.  He turned to wake Nal from her slumber, to find her already sitting up.

She rubbed her eyes.  "Time to go?" 

"Yes."  Val nodded as he began gathering his own things and stuffing them into his pack.  "I believe that Anya has just escaped.  We need to report back to the temple."

"You don't seem surprised at all."  She watched his body language carefully as she followed his lead and began packing.  He was hard to read nearly all the time, but she was sure she was getting better at it.  "You knew she'd escape?"

"I do not pretend to know the future, Nal."

"You knew."

"A wise Jedi prepares for all possibilities." 

"You knew."  She said, finally looking away to pick up everything she'd packed.

Val began the march back to the Temple, and smiled.

711. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr

Standing in the open docking bay outside the ship Trychon pulled the cap down low on his head. It was a little large, covering his ears and had only a bill in the front. Additionally, he wore a pair of dark tinted goggles with smart lenses which detected the ambient light levels and adjusted appropriately, as well as popping up the collar of the shirt he was wearing. "I feel ridiculous with all this crap on," he said, looking at his half-brother who was wearing a full faced helmet and mismatched armor.

"It's either that or a helmet," Raezyr replied, wistfully touching the spot on his belt where his lightsaber normally hung. Anya Tachi had taught them the only useful thing she had ever been good at: to use the Force to alter their appearance. And although Raezyr was much better at it due to prolonged use, it would never fool any facial recognition scanners they might encounter here on Alderaan which would see through the image they projected as it only affected the minds of those who were looking at them and had no affect on the holocams.

"Oh, Hell no," Trychon replied, remembering the last time he had tried to wear a helmet and it ended up flopping around on his head like a kid wearing his dad's headgear. "I still can't see how anyone can get used to wearing those things all the time."

"Well, you were the one who had to pose for the camera back on Coruscant*," Raezyr retorted. He wasn't particularly happy with the helmet he had. It was a spare taken from the armory back at King's Lair on Hoth, and while it was serviceable, it wasn't as good has his old one, and bulkier as well.

Finally, Dianna Kingsdoom walked down the loading ramp of the battle-tested space ship followed by Rhox Vegah, their dark green hooded cloaks billowing around them as they moved. "Let's go, boys," she said, striding on past the waiting Sith. Rhox followed her right on by.

Raezyr looked over to his brother who just shrugged. "Aye, aye, Captain," the big man said and turned to follow.

Trychon fell in beside his brother. "Yar," he said under his breath.

Raezyr chuckled.

The woman with the fiery red hair whipped around so quickly that she nearly ran into Rhox, who just barely got out of the way. Dianna shoved her finger in Trychon's face. "I swear by all the dieties in the galaxy... if you start that again, I'll leave you here on Alderaan."

Despite her threat, it was all she could do to keep from cracking a smile.

Dianna and the two Sith brothers stood there silently for a moment, all on the verge of cracking up. Rhox just looked confused and shifted her gaze between the three. Finally she broke the silence. "I don't get it."

 That was all it took to break the dam. They broke out laughing while the former Czerka security officer kept asking, "What? What is do damn funny?"

They all turned to head out and Dianna threw her arm over Rhox's shoulders. "It's an inside joke, Rhox, but if you want to know, remind me to tell you about the time the three of us broke out of the brig of a Republic Hammerhead."

Rhox just looked at her captain, unsure as to whether someone was pulling her leg or not.

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

The four walked briskly through the bustling spaceport in the capital city of Aldera, and once outside they hailed a taxi and climbed in. They told the driver to just to drive where ever he pleased and eventually had him set down near a large park. The four got out and walked straight through to the other side and looked for another cab to hail.

"Nobody is following us," Raezyr said just loud enough to for his small group to hear.

Rhox rolled her eyes. "I suggest we continue on a few more maneuvers just to be sure, Captain."

Raezyr's helmed head turned slowly to gaze at tough security officer. Even with the eye pieces blacked out she could still feel his staring at her, but she didn't care.

"We'll make one more little ride just to be sure, then head to our meeting," Dianna decided, taking into account both people's experience and training.

The four climbed into another cab, and after a shorter ride and quick walk through of a crowded market place they headed straight for the small night club that was to be their meeting place.

710. Hoth: King's Lair - Raezyr and Trychon

The Ice Spectre glided in and set down in the designated docking bay, settling down on the duracrete landing pad with just the slightest hint of a bounce.

"Take it easy with my ship there, Ace," Diana said, grinning and giving Raezyr a playful nudge.

"Are you kidding?" He replied. "I could land this piece of space junk on running tauntaun and the it wouldn't even know I was there."

"Raez, you know how I hate to side with Di," Trychon said apprehensively, "but we all know you wouldn't know a tauntaun if you were swallowed by one."

Raezyr thought about that for a moment, then shuddered. "I don't even want to think about that. Those things smell bad enough on the outside."

Rhox just rolled her eyes, shook her head and headed back to her quarters to grab her gear. Dianna suggested the half-brothers do the same and meet on the landing pad. Before following Rhox to their shared quarters, she reminded the boys that this was Alderaan, and they routinely scanned for energy weapons. If they were caught with unregistered lightsabers or blasters they'd most likely be thrown in prison.

"I think we can take care of ourselves. We once fought off an entire army single-handedly," Trychon objected.

Dianna chuckled. "Shut up, Trych."

Raezyr stood up and stretched after sitting for so long at the controls. "While we all know that Trych is full of go-se 99% of the time, this one is actually true."

Dianna looked back and forth at the brothers serious faces for a moment, not sure whether they were pulling her leg or not. Finally she shook her head. "Just leave the Sith toys this time, alright? Alderaan's a peaceful planet. They don't like people bringing weapons, and we don't need the attention it would bring if you got caught, dong ma?"

She left before they could object again, as she knew they would. She didn't really care what they had to say as long as they listened. Dianna was beginning to grow her contacts once again despite her wanted status here in the Core, and she couldn't afford to have these two screw things up.

She opened the door to her quarters and stepped in. The ship had been modified to carry mostly cargo, and since most of the time she had at most one other crew member with her on a run, she had converted all but two cabins to extra cargo space.

Rhox was just sliding a dagger into each of her calf-high boots. She stood up and flipped her hair over her shoulder, then pulled it back tightly into a pony-tail. "Captain, may I speak frankly with you?"

"Of course, Rhox," Dianna replied. "You're my security officer. I'll listen to anything you have to say."

"What the hell are you doing with those... Sith?" she asked, twisting her mouth and nearly spitting the last word as if she were trying to get rid of a bad taste in her mouth.

Dianna sighed. "I know you haven't had a really good experience with the Sith, and I was pretty apprehensive at first, but I try to take people at face value. They've claimed the Sith are misunderstood and have been given a bad rap by a few bad apples, and so far, they've done nothing but prove that statement correct. They've lived up to their word and they've done a lot for me and the entire crew. You need to give them a chance."

"Captain, it's been my experience that if a Sith is being nice to you, he or she is using you or wants something from you, or you have something that they can't take from you by force," Rhox explained, crossing her arms across her chest. "And I've never seen an exception to the rule."

"All I know is that Zanz, my former security officer and first mate, a man I looked up to and thought of as a father-figure, once thought the same way you do about these two," Dianna said. "In the end, it was he who ended up making off with a dozen lifetime's worth of aurodium and left the rest of us holding the bag. If it hadn't been for the Sith, you wouldn't be here because I would have had to disband the Kingsmen and sell everything I own to try and repay a slimy Hutt."

Rhox snorted. "I heard that story, Cap. Let me guess, it was probably those two Sith who came up with the idea for that heist, wasn't it?"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything, but yes... it was."

"If I had to guess, I'd bet that they worked some angle. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that they ended up with all that money somehow anyway, blamed your loyalest crew member and got rid of the only person who might question them about it in one fell swoop. Then they come swooping in with an 'investment,' using the money that was rightfully yours anyway to do it, and now they own you, lock, stock and barrel," Rhox said smugly.

"Own me?" Dianna's jaw dropped.  "You think they own me?"

"No."  Rhox's face went a little flush, realizing she'd overstepped not by insulting the brothers, but by insulting her boss.  "You know what I mean.  I know they seem nice, but I wouldn't put that sort of deception beyond any Sith."

"And if they were just some random Sith who'd hired me to do a job for them, you'd probably be right.  Hell, I'll even grant you that possibility given the fact that we'd gone to them looking for some help finding jobs."  Dianna paused to let that small concession sink in.  "It doesn't explain the half dozen times they've come to my... our aid.  Let me tell you more, and you go ahead and give me your theories."

Rhox simply stared back defiantly.

Dianna began.  "The time they rescued half my crew from a rival who'd kidnapped them, wiping out my rival in the process?  A long time thorn in my side?"

When no response seemed to be forthcoming, she continued.  "How about the time that they went with me to confront a Hutt on Nar Shadaa, where they're very wanted, just so that I wouldn't give up my base?"  Another pause.  "No theory on that?  They nearly lost an apprentice on that mission, and from what they tell me, he's still recovering, and may never be the same."

"Well, I..."

"Or how about when these two Sith," Dianna spat the word as an insult the way her officer had.  "Took my side and backed me up over their two Sith friends, including a friend of mine who I've known since long before he was a Sith?"

Dianna let that sink in as well.  "We haven't heard from them since.  I suppose that's a ruse as well?"  Dianna put her hands on her hips.  "Don't worry, Rhox... I'm not mad at you, and you can continue to voice any concern you may have, but I'd appreciate it if you avoid calling me stupid when you don't know everything."

"Understood, Ma'am.  I'm sorry it came out like that."

"And please try to play nice with them unless you have a real reason not to.  They aren't like the Sith you've known... but, " Dianna paused briefly to collect her thoughts. "You don't want to be on their bad side either.  I've seen people who ended up on their bad side before.  Don't let that be you."

Dianna walked out of the room, suddenly a perfect picture of calm again.  Maybe she was telling the truth about not really being mad, but Rhox could tell she touched a nerve by pushing the issue on her former first mate.  She wondered if her captain's last pause had been to avoid using the phrase 'or you'll end up like Zanz.'

709. Like Womprats in a Cage - Raezyr

The Nautolan Jedi carefully pried a piece of purple crystal from the rock wall of the cave. She and the Chiss had already found a small handful of crystals: two blues, four greens and a yellow, but this was the first purple. The purple were hard to find, so hard in fact, that she was considering keeping this one for herself.

The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She would construct a new lightsaber using the violet focusing crystal and it would signify her new start, overcoming the dark side of the Force. She whispered her idea to Val who was standing watch while she worked carefully.

"I think that's a most excellent idea," he replied in whisper, trying not to draw the attention of any more kinrath.

So far they had encountered three of them. Each one had been a tough fight, but through all of them, Nal had kept her cool. She had stayed calm and focused, and Val was impressed. Rarely did a Jedi bounce back so quickly. Some never did.

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

Anya sat on the floor of her cell. Thankfully she had learned a bit about understanding the beeps and boops that a standard astromech droid usually emitted back during her days on Corellia. During her early days at the brothel, she had only been a scullery maid, cleaning and doing menial tasks. She was forced to sleep in a small closet along with the owner's pieced together astromech. Eff Two, was what they called it.

She allowed herself a smile. She hadn't thought about Eff Two in many years. How she had hated that little droid. It had constantly broken down, and she had been forced to repair it, even though she knew nothing about droids.

That one had been nothing like this old Tee One. That had been a conglomeration of parts from several other droids while this was the real thing, old as it was.

It didn't take long for her understanding of the droid's speech to come back to her, and thankfully so. Tee One was her only conversation as no one living even bothered to come to her cell any more. Luckily for her, the droid seemed inclined to talk a bit whenever it brought meals or made it's rounds, presumably to check on her.

Still, she was beginning to go crazy. She he had to get out of here somehow. She just needed to think. "I've got plenty of time for that," she thought to herself wryly.

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

"I thought you were going to get his consent before you did the memory transfer," Taisun growled to the other Master Jedi, clasping his hands behind his back and peering out of the window of the Council Chamber onto the Dantooinian prairie. It was clear the Cathar was a bit irritated. "It's not usual to force that upon someone. It's rough enough even when fully prepared for what is about to happen, not to mention the risk of..."

"I know the risks well," Tanner Solumi interrupted. "Oovo IV wasn't that long ago. The thing is, I don't think it was avoidable, and his mind is stronger than that poor Bothan's was. Besides, Tyr is alright."

"That really isn't the point," Taisun said.

"I know," the human replied, dropping his eyes to his feet. "He's as stubborn as his father was." Tanner chuckled a bit at the memory of his son. "Do you remember the time we had even trying to convince Jaron to give up on the search for Tyr?"

"All too clearly, my old friend," the big Cathar replied. "All too clearly."

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

The tears wouldn't stop rolling down his face, no matter how hard he tried. The memories were fresh in his mind and Tyr couldn't stop them from flooding to the surface.

It felt weird remembering them. It was clear that they weren't his, but he saw them all from his point of view. Holo-reports from his father... older, and worn. Years of tracking down and fighting slavers, looking for his son had taken it's toll, making him look older than he really was.

He remembered first-hand the meeting before the Jedi Council. He watched in his mind's eye as Jaron Solumi stubbornly refused to give up the search for his son, even though it had been going on for years. Only the intervention of Tanner had kept him from being removed from the Order.

All those years he had been wrong. In his own mind he had grown resentful of his father for trying to send him to the Jedi, and it had tainted his memories, making him believe that he had never wanted to be a Jedi, but remembering his own smiling face on the holo-recording, brought back the memory of his true feelings.

After what seemed like forever, Tyr he was able to pull himself together and sit up in the bed. He took a long hot sani-steam in the refresher and got dressed in the Jedi garb they had given him. They had never brought his old clothes back, but that was okay. He had begun to realize just how comfortable these robes were. He crossed to the door and punched the intercom button. When the guard answered, he asked to speak with Val or Tanner.

Within a few minutes, Tanner Solumi was at the door. "You asked for me?"

"Can we talk?"

"Of course, Tyr. Follow me," the old Jedi said.

Tyr held out his hands so the binders could be put on.

Tanner looked Tyr in the eye without glancing down. "I don't think that will be necessary."

708. Hoth: King's Lair - Trychon

After they were underway Dianna explained that it really was a simple exchange they were going on.  As if to prove the point, she brought along only the two Sith and the newest member of her crew, Rhox Vegah.

The trip had been quiet and uneventful, with Rhox and Trychon keeping largely to themselves, and Dianna and Raezyr spending most of their time together.

The entire crew gathered in the cockpit of Dianna's personal small cruiser for the last leg of the trip, so they could be prepared should things go awry at the last minute.  Rhox continued to stay quiet and not speak except when Dianna addressed her.  Raezyr wondered if that was due to a conversation that Dianna had with her, or if she was simply going to be this cold to them for some time.

Dianna seemed to answer his thoughts by attempting to break the ice.  "Trych, I've come to terms with the fact that you guys aren't like most Sith... but even Raez has his moments with his temper.  You on the other hand, almost always seem so... optimistic.  I don't get it."

"Oh that's simple."  Trych said, swallowing the last mouthful of a treat he'd plundered from Dianna's cabinets.  "It's just a common misconception about the Sith."

That was apparently exactly what it took to get Rhox to speak up.  "Oh, this should be rich.  Do tell."

Trych couldn't help himself.  Everyone else in Di's crew was used to him and his over zealousness at times.  Rhox was like a clean datasheet for him to play with.  So as much as he expected her attitude, he put on his best imitation of shock, which was a fairly good one, and turned around to address her.  He could feel Raezyr's mirth more than he could see or hear it, but he heard Di snicker.  "Well my young lass, it's quite simple.  Between the Sith and the Jedi, the Sith are the true optimists.  The Jedi are pessimists."

"By the suns, you are so full of it."  Rhox glared at him.

"No.  I'm serious."  Trychon met her gaze, acting as though her words hurt him.  "You see... the Sith are viewed as evil... but it takes a true optimist to proclaim 'I am going to rule the galaxy!'  where it would be much easier to say 'Gosh, that sounds like an awful lot of work... and they'll probably try to stop me.'  Meanwhile, the Jedi are always running around the galaxy saying things like 'I've got a bad feeling about this...' or 'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate... leads to suffering'."


"You think you're so clever."  Rhox spat.  "I've dealt with the Sith though.  Way more than I liked to during my stint with Czerka.  There's something wrong with you."

"You're not the first to notice, either."  Trychon nodded sadly as he turned around.

The conversation ended as they exited hyperspace.  Raezyr took over the controls and made a direct course for the planet.  As they neared orbit, the controls beeped an indication that one of the large frigates was scanning them.

"Are we good?"  Raezyr asked.  "How do you want me to play this?"

"We should be fine." Dianna mused, staring at her readings.  "Just in case, keep your distance.  But don't look like you're trying to keep your distance."

"Hunh?  How am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know.  Fly casual."

"Ice Spectre, You're cleared for landing in landing dock 71511.  Please ensure that your weapons remained powered down at all times, and you are not to bring any handheld weapons off of your ship."

"Copy that."  Raezyr commed back, before shutting down communications.  "I don't like this at all."

"Knock it off, Raez."  Trychon laughed as he got up from his seat and headed back out of the cockpit.  "You're starting to sound like a Jedi."