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."