“Thank you, Commissioner,” Faltonni said, smiling. He turned to one of his soldiers, a large man of thick muscle and the look of a veteran. “Master-Sergeant, have the men fall out and board the gunship for immediate deployment.”

Master-Sergeant Herado Barclay, survivor of more battles than he remembered and a former Imperial special operations commando, turned to the line of troopers and roared, “Alright, you motherless sons-of-Hutts! You heard the man, and you know the drill; load ‘em up!” Faltonni watched the slightly shocked expressions on the faces of some of the officers present as Barclay’s blunt nature countered Commissioner Dellos’ politeness. “Move, move, move!”

As Barclay basically chased the troopers out of the briefing room towards the hangar, only Faltonni and the other officers assigned to Alpha Team were spared his wrath. However, Faltonni knew most of it was an act for the rest of the assemblage, a show to both reassure and shock. Faltonni grinned slightly, carefully hiding it from everyone present. Then he turned to Dellos.

“Commissioner? If you’ll follow me?”

Faltonni led Dellos from the briefing room, passing through to the hangar where the team’s gunship was berthed. A Clone Wars-era LAAT/i gunship that had been extensively refitted, she was named the Erialc after a girl that her pilot, Captain Rekar Natti, had known. She had been killed in an Imperial raid several years earlier, and was regarded as one of the reasons that Natti joined the Alliance. Natti had once said he would have called her the Erialc’s Revenge, but she had never believed in vengeance.

The troop bay was open, and the team were going through final preparations; attaching thermal regulators to armour, donning cold-weather gloves and balaclavas, putting on combat headsets with communications and holo-recording packages, and, the most important part of the kit – refractive glareshades with thermal imaging and night vision software. Troopers collected their kits and weapons, boarding the transport one at a time, and falling into regular seating places on the ship.

Faltonni accepted helped from the young Corporal Desake in attaching his thermal regulator, then gathered his own kit and weapon, a modified E-11 blaster rifle with scope and micro-grenade launcher. Pulling on his gloves, he turned to Dellos.

“I’m assigning Corporal Desake to you, Sir. He’ll be with you at all times.” Raising a hand to ward off any protest, Faltonni continued. “No argument, Sir. This is non-negotiable. Your safety is paramount.” He took a pile of kit from Desake, and the young corporal scurried off to mount the gunship.

Holding the pile of kit towards Dellos, he opened it, revealing a pair of thermal gloves, a balaclava, a communications headset, a pair of glareshades, and a deadly looking blaster pistol. “If the quartermaster issued you any of this, ditch it now. It ain’t worth sithspit. Trust me, use these instead.”

Pulling on his balaclava, Faltonni said, “I understand that this is what we call an aggressive recon, Sir, and that, technically, you are in command. I have no problem with that. But, if we enter into a combat situation where lives are on the line, you have to do exactly what I say. If I say drop, you drop. If I say run, you run. No hesitation, no arguments. People may die if you don't, and I want everyone coming back for lomin ale and nerfsteaks.” Faltonni fixed Dellos with a firm gaze. “Are we clear on this?”

Darth Stygius, Hapless Stormtrooper colonel, Princess Arya Padmé Jello

The door opened, and the staccato shots of an E-web heavy blaster blew into the hallway.

Immediately Stygius ducked back around the corner, his black cloak barely missing the crimson energy. Taking a deep breath he sprinted around the corner and flicked a hand at the cannon, pushing it off aim to give him time to close the distance.

The cannon began blasting upwards and chewing holes into the roof. The gunners hurriedly deactivated it, but the colonel had a few moments of worry.

"Come on, Jedi," he called out. "Stop hiding behind the walls. Face me like a man."

"As you wish," Stygius replied and rounded the corner. He flicked a hand in the direction of the deactivated E-web and pushed it backwards into the room it was in. The black-robed figure strode confidently toward the command center. He had no weapons, no traditional lightsabers blazing in either hand. He was unarmed and seemed to not be worried about that fact at all.

The gunners jumped out of the way, but not quickly enough to avoid getting lodged behind the gun. One of them concentrated on pushing it away while the other began firing with his sidearm.

The colonel himself aimed a concussion rifle and fired it at the crazed Jedi.

The Force warned him of the impending danger and although he did not have the skills to move quickly, he still had quicker reflexes to dodge to the side. But despite the early warning, the blast clipped his robes, singing them at the ends and the ensuing concussion sent him staggering in the direction he dodged. Angered, Stygius reached out a hand towards the Colonel and yanked at the rifle.

The colonel felt the rifle being yanked from him, and as it slipped away, he set it to overload and explode. That'd teach the uppity Jedi.

He had no intention of using the rifle for his own use. He merely yanked it from the Colonel's grasp and let it fall between them with several meters distance apart. Stygius took a step back at the explosion, shielding his covered face from the shrapnel with his hands and did not even bother to glance to see what mess was left between them when he resumed his advance.

"I grow tired of this childishness. I am not here to destroy or kill but if you continue to try my patience I will see to it that this city is never the same again." He warned the Colonel as he passed through the black smoke and the small flames licking at the debris.

"Then why have you spread chaos and madness through the city? What are you after?"

"An unfortunate side affect which I have now corrected by reclaiming what is rightfully mine," he answered as he stepped into the control room. "There will be no more misfortune unless I allow it. Now... as for what I am after here, only you can provide."

He reached out with a gloved hand to grab the Colonel by the collar.

"You said you weren't out to kill," the colonel protested.

He grabbed the man by the collar and placed the fingers of his other hand onto his brow and face. His blank visage stared blankly back at the Colonel, only a tilt of his head betrayed any sign of emotion. "I do not kill the messenger." Ignoring his surroundings he took what he sought, the knowledge to how they were tracing him and perhaps who the Jedi were.

The colonel began twitching in panic. What if this crazy Jedi killed him? What would happen to him? He hated Jedi--hadn't they all been killed?

If the princess didn't come help him soon, this crazy Jedi would kill him. Then all the tracing would go for naught...

Stygius dropped the Colonel and was disgusted at the mere thought that a child was chasing him. But every child had a parent, especially a princess. Still, he would deliever his message and perhaps it will reach this Force-using Emperor.

"You will inform your masters that I am of the First of the Enlightened and the Wanderer. I am neither Sith or Jedi for the war of dark and light had yet to begin when I sought the forbidden knowledge. If they insist on persuing me, they will only find their corruption. Turn back now and I will ignore the fact that they exist."

Stygius began to walk away. He only paused at the door to add; "And thank them for destroying the Jedi."

As the darksider was speaking to the colonel, a holographic image of a young girl in an armored breastplate and plumed helmet appeared.

"So you are the one that has been giving us so much trouble," she said.

The black figure slowed to a pause, its cloak gently falling back around his booted feet. Stygius kept his back to the holographic image for several seconds before he began to face the child. "Trouble, you say? I am merely but a man reclaiming lost property with little interesting in getting involved here. I did not start the carnage, ma'am. If you did not want trouble, all you had to do was leave me alone and I would have left this world."

"Unfortunately you had already started trouble. You very actions have spread chaos all over one of my planets--how can you possibly assure you won't do so again?" the princess replied haughtily.

He raised one of his forearms. "These will ensure it," he simply replied.

She narrowed her eyes. "So that's why I could no longer sense you." Putting her hands at the side of her hips, she posed another question. "What is it, then, that you plan on doing? The Jedi are destroyed and the Sith have killed each other. There is nothing for darksiders."

"For as long as I have lived, I have studied the Force," he answered. "For as long as I continue to live, I shall continue to study the Force. The Darkside, as you call it, is merely another aspect of the Force that which I study to so I may understand. You cannot hope to understand and use an object if you don't learn about all of it's capablities. Forbidden by the Jedi and misunderstood by the Sith. Where they have fallen many times in history, I continue to thrive."

"The Dark Side cannot be controlled," she insisted, "you think you may command it but in the end it will corrupt you, just as you corrupted those around you."

He chuckled softly for a second; "How little you know child. Of course the Force cannot be controlled. It is as much a living thing as you or I. You do not command the Force, you let it command you. Dark or Light, neither can be commanded, only used for its purpose--the destiny which it has chosen for you and others."

He shifted his blank gaze toward the Colonel that was still sprawled on the floor in fear. "I know far more about the Force," he continued and lifted the Colonel off of the floor, "then you could ever possibly imagine. Many of the Jedi philosphies have come from my studies on all the aspects of the Force..."

"I would have a care how you spoke to me," the princess shot back imperiously, "for one thing I do command is a galaxy. I am well acquianted with destiny--its star has lead my family high, and we will go higher still."

"Arrogant child," Stygius sneered. "The destiny that which your family has created for itself is not the destiny that which the Force has chosen for them. You and your family are merely a speck of sand in the sea of time. I have seen, lived and created events in history that have led both the Jedi and the Sith to hunt me out of fear and desperation. Do you ask yourself why?"

She smiled smugly. "I would. A family that is fated to rule for eternity might be a tad curious."

"I am stygian. The Jedi hunt me out of fear and indoctrination. The Sith hunt me out of desperation for a Sith'ari. I am that which cannot be controlled and I will continue to exist once your family's light has been snuffed from this galaxy."

He turned away from the hologram and started back down the hallway, dropping the Colonel at the feet of the holographic princess. "Arrogance will lead you and your family to me, Princess. Learn humility before it is too late." His words echoed down the hall.

"I don't think so. Localized Base Delta Zero--execute."

And at that very moment, hundreds of heavy turbolasers fired on that lonely, empty, garrison delivering unstoppable death and destruction.

The former Sith Lord raised his head and listened to the sound of an armored building being hit by something hard and exploding in the distance. Realizing what was happening, he sprinted and raced against time.

She would only go to the extreme in destroying him if she believed he was too powerful to stop by her self. That meant she was overestimating him and his present abilities. He prefered them to underestimate him, but this at least provided him an oppurtunity to disappear from her scopes... for a while anyway.

He felt the danger growing ever closer as the turbolaser blasts pelted their way through the base's armor. Rather than try and escape the place, he chose to feel for the best place to burrow himself in and safely wait out the barrage.

He chose to go deeper and into the base's underground levels. There, most of the debrie created above would stay above, certainly some areas of the underground would collapse, but he intended to not be in those areas. The Force would let him know where he needed to be and so he fully opened himself up to it and let it guide his footsteps to safety.

Arya was watching her viewscreen intently. The sacrifice of the colonel saddened her, but he had volunteered. He would be honored--but currently, she had to focus on the datascreen.

The blasts were devastating and most of the base was rubble, but she vaguely began to sense his presence in the Force. He was alive, obviously.

She could direct the bombardment, but that solution felt less satisfying. She would have to pursue him in person. She knew that her decision would be even harder to justify to her father than that to bombard the garrison. If she brought a squad of the Imperial Guard with her as well as a contingent of four Imperial Knights, she was sure to be safe. The other knights could serve as witnesses, too, if it came to combat.

[...]

An Imperial shuttle touched down over the ruins of the base. The Guard was to keep watch over it while Arya and her knights began to infiltrate the ruined base.

Stygius felt her coming. Her presence in the Force was unmistakable for it was the only one that burned the hottest among the five sensitives above. Slowly he stood from his position on the floor, grabbing onto some of the debrie, a piece of collapsed ceiling, as a stab of pain arched its way up his side causing him to cough and more pain. Although he had found the place where he would survive, the Force did not assure him that he would not be safe from total harm.

He had a couple broken ribs and no doubt a bruise to match it, that much he knew from feeling. What he did not know was the full extent of the damage caused. He probed at his injuries and felt the exposer of bone in his side. He knew that if he tried to move too much, he would collapse under the assault.

This put him at a serious disadvantage.

They were coming for him, he was weaponless and wounded and his ability in the Force was not as strong as he would like it to be. He had to hide. It was his only chance of survival now. He glanced at his bracers. He knew they were electronically tracking him, he just did not know where the device was located in the bracers. Having no desire to disassemble the pieces to find the damned devices, he chose instead to fry them.

With a controlled amount of electricity from his fingertips, he zapped his own bracers while he still wore them. It would be stupid of him to take them off. While they were off he could be easily detected by the Imperials above and his location would be easily revealed. After the second controlled volley of lightning, Stygius collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily.

Never before had he ever needed to electrify himself. It was a sensation he did not enjoy, especially in his present state of health. The cloaked figure grimaced as he attempted to sit up and chose to lay back down to rest.

He wasn't going anywhere soon.

Quickly he closed himself off from the Force and closed his eyes, thinking that perhaps the pain he was feeling echoed through the Force. If she thought he was dying and when he disappeared from the Force, she would believe he was dead and leave the area.

He left his fate in the hands of his master.

The princess was picking her way through the debris, glad she had not arrived in a dress. It was a mess, and she had to climb over chunks of charred metal. Some of it was still super heated, and she had to jump back after being nearly scalded on a few occasions.

She felt that they were getting closer to their quarry, when she felt a sudden surge of pain. She had a disciplined mind and could fight it off, while at the same time tracing it.

"Princess! Over there!"

She looked over in the direction the knight had pointed to, and spotted a body in a nearby crevasse. She stepped over to it, but then recoiled in horror.

"He's dead," she pronounced calmly, but she had to wrinkle her delicate little nose.

"The bombardment must have shorted the electrical system, highness. Look--he's charred to bits."

Arya nodded slowly, wondering what to do from here.

He listened to them chatter and discuss on what to do. So long as they did not try to approach any closer to him then they have, everything would be fine. If they attempted to take his body away...

...

He did need to get off of this planet and past their fleet. So long as he could keep up the illusion of being dead, they would not think twice about him anymore. He would let them near him if they intended no further harm to him. Otherwise he would attack.

Despite it all, Arya was sad. She had come to eliminate him, but this was so impersonal. He was too dangerous to be left alive, of course, but she wished there was another way. Undoubtedly her father would prefer it this way, though.

"We should give him a burial," she mumbled.

Her knight mentor, Drayneen, was shocked. "Absolutely out of the question, Your Highness. He is a killer and a murderer. Leave him where he rots, this was of his own doing. You gave him a chance."

Arya nodded in assent, her emotions too conflicted to offer an argument. She kneel down to the corpse's side, and briefly touched her head to his in compassion. Her first victim.

She twitched. He was still alive. Struggling, but barely. She wasn't entirely sure what to do, but she knew she was not barbaric enough to administer the coup de grace. She was already distraught enough.

She leaned over him and made it seem like she was uttering some sort of burial prayer. "I know you're still alive, and I know you're wounded. I will not kill you. After I leave, I will arrange for a first aide capsule to be left here," she whispered softly.

She was aware what she was doing was crazy, and that giving aide to a darksider was the enemy. But it felt like the right thing to do--and she felt her father would approve.

He was... confused.

Why would she try everything within her power to destroy him only to discover he was barely alive and at her mercy and then spare him? Does she not listen to anything her mentor says?

Apparently not, he thought.

He said nothing to her and continued to lay there dead, resisting the urge to cough. He wondered about her. He could see she had the makings of a dark jedi within her. She had the arrogance and the pride as well as the temperment. If he could kill her mentor, he could attempt to take her on as his apprentice.

But could he handle someone with as much fire as she after all these millenia? There was only one way to find out. But first he had to survive this encounter.

He did not respond. This was good, because if he was alive, the knights would assuredly kill him. That would bring dishonor to her.

With a heavy heart, she got up. Then she immediately composed herself and radiated serene confidence. "The deed is done and the monster is dead. Now we shall go."

She ordered her knights to led the way, and as they did, she slipped a hand into her belt and pulled out a small bacta spray kit. As she walked, she pretended to trip on some debris and let the object fall from her hands. Her knights would be too distracted checking if she were okay to notice.

After they fussed over her a bit, she led the way back to the shuttle and to the governor's palace. She would, of course, have to explain the bombardment to her and soothe the worries of the populace.

IC: Colonel Julian Halivan[Alias: Turner Barak], Commenor

---

Julian did not have enough information to make an informed decision about the target. He had Halsen's service packet and everything the Alliance knew about him and had put into a data record. Not much. It was difficult for the Alliance to coordinate the command structure between High Command, the service commanders, unified field commanders, and individual task forces -- and that was the very core of what was needed to operate this rebellion. Keeping detailed records on everyone was a monumental task... but one that the Alliance would have to learn. Halivan was a major proponent in the military establishment for more funding to institutional and organizational operations rather than to field ops. This was not a popular stance and Halivan had few supporters. And he, too, understood the argument: no one wanted to see someone's son going off without body armor in return for new desks and laser-pens.

It wasn't possible to gain any more information about Halsen through this manner, but Julian did seem to interested the query enough. In the end, it might lead only to a more detailed personnel file on a former member of the Alliance, perhaps even a weapons cache seized. But maybe, just maybe, something greater would be established. Julian did not have the luxury to hope, though.

Turner stood up and began walking closer to Halsen, tapping his datapad.

<<I want the cache intact if possible, destroyed if not.>>

He then moved directly toward the door leading to the larger gaming facilities. The datapad had an effective range of several kilometers, even through all of the walls and signal interference from the sabacc tables. Halsen would have to find Julian now.

<<I know you're tracking me. Come find me.>>

Halivan sat down at one of several bars in the larger room and ordered a juice. He had had enough booze for the day. Any more and he would lose his edge in this little dance. And there was no reason to give Halsen too much of an advantage.

TAG: ktala

---

IC: Commissioner Pax Dellos, Rebel Reprisal, Helska Orbit

---

Pax nodded his head. "I understand your concern, Major. I will be leading the discovery, you will be leading the military mission. And I would not presume to question your combat expertise in a firefight. Believe me, I will be experiencing incredible terror if I do not listen to you. And I'm certain that Corporal Desake will be an excellent guide for me through this... adventure," Pax concluded.

The team boarded the LAAT/i. Pax remembered acquiring a fleet of the things several years ago from a planetary government that had fallen on hard times. What if this was one of those very vessels. Maybe the one he had tested with that Corellian who tole him the history of the LAAT during the Clone War. And now Pax would be riding in one of these. Truly seeing what the fruits of his labor had brought to the Rebellion. And yet... he was not satisfied. Something crucial was missing, and Pax could not determine what. Little matter, especially now, though. Pax felt the ship pressurize and the engines hum.

"Major, take us to the surface. There are two grid coordinates that ComScan has identifies as unusual and has red-tagged for us. Take us to Alpha and set up your LZ," Pax said, relinquishing control to the burly Major, a strong man who knew the meaning of hard work.

Pax could not shake the thought that now would be the time for Alliance Heroes. Men and women of fortitude and vigor. Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa reborn. And to win, the Alliance would need not just two heroes. Every member, every warrior and senator and tradesman, would have to become heroes. Though it was a dark time, Pax did not despair. He knew he was in the company of heroes.

The nimble ship began its descent into the wild tundra of Helska, ready to shatter any ill ice might hold.

TAG: cavalier_one

Despite having adequate seating in the troop bay, Faltonni found himself standing in the cockpit hatchway as the gunship surged through Helska's atmosphere. Faltonni was surprised to see no cloud cover, only the bright sunlight from Helska's primary reflecting off of the arctic tundra.

"Helska; vacation spot of the Outer Rim. Hope you all remembered your turbo-skis," said the co-pilot, Lieutenant Rollos. "Who did we kriff off to get this assignment?"

Captain Natti adjusted several controls. "Keep the channel clear, Shaan," he admonished. "Or the Major may decide you could benefit from field duty, and not spend the mission in a warm cockpit."

With no apparent effort, Natti leveled the gunship off, and whipping over the tundra at full speed. Displays came to life as terrain sensors kicked in, and Rollos consulted them. "LZ Alpha appears clean, Sir. Two minutes to target."

"Give me a circle of the target area, then set us down. Dust off on my clear, then stay on station."

Faltonni retreated back into the troop bay, surveying his squad - seven trained soldiers and one diplomat. But a very brave diplomat. Unslinging his rifle, he checked the power pack, then announced, "Two minutes! Gear up!"

Each trooper responded immediately, rechecking their own gear quickly, just to make sure one final time. Without speaking, each soldier moved to one of the outer doors, forming into two fireteams, ready to debark. Faltonni motioned Dellos towards him. "This side, Commissioner. And hold onto the rail above your head."

"All clear, stand-by," Natti said over the comlink. "Opening outer doors - get ready for some chop." With a whirring of gears, the troop bay doors slid open, revealing the icy wastes beyond. Cold wind invaded the troop bay, swaying the passengers slightly. Damn, Faltonni thought. It's cold. Be a while before the thermal regulators compensate for the temperature change. Descending rapidly, the ground rushed towards them, until, in a blast of repulsor energy, their fall was arrested, and the gunship hovered a few feet above the snow and ice.

"Go, go, go!" Faltonni yelled into the comm. Almost as one, the troopers dropped out of the bay, moving forwards and spreading out, securing two separate areas on either side of the gunship. Boots crunched on the densely packed ice as Master Sergeant Barclay and Corporal Coynyrs, the heavy weapons specialist, raced ahead of Faltonni. Behind him, Corporal Desake gently, but firmly, assisted Dellos out of the transport, and into the middle of Faltonni's fireteam. Weapons swept the terrain, searching for any sign of hostile activity that might require the gunship to remain behind. Finding none, Faltonni issued the All Clear command to Natti. With a whine of repulsors, the gunship surged forward and away, climbing into orbit to await further orders.

Shouldering his weapon, Faltonni retrieved a datapad containing all geographical information and intelligence relating to Helska. Calling up a map of the immediate area, he passed it to Dellos. "Where do you want to start, Sir?"

IC: Commissioner Pax Dellos, Helska, Surface

---

The ice wind cut through Pax's thermal regulator. In the past, Pax had been stationed at the Hoth command center, he had made acquisitions on Rhen Var, but none of them compared to this place. The star charts identified the central as Helska and the planets simply radiated outward one through seven. Helska Four. So impersonal, distant. This planet... it seemed like a place where things came to die.

Pax eyed the map Faltonni had displayed. He had already done his research on the probe scans. The Beta location was tagged because it met Alliance parameters for a small base -- if the rebels could use it, surely someone else could. Alpha, though, was much more disturbing. It appeared that a comet had impacted the surface approximately two kilometers from their location. That was something no one but Pax, Captain Talkon, and (soon) the War Committee knew.

Tapping a corner of the map twice and entering a control key, Pax brought up the newest information the probes had gained. Immediately, the information on the comet-like object was layered on the map. Right now, it was classified. As soon as High Command got their act together, they would probably increase the classification to code word clearance only. No one wanted this scan to be seen outside the highest circles until Pax could finish the discovery. And hopefully prove the rumors false.

At the very least, if this was all smoke and ice-mirrors the Alliance might be able to establish a weapons cache and deep Outer Rim listening station on-planet. At the very worst... the Alliance would be threatened by a rising near-pear possibly throwing a wrench in the new Outer Rim military strategy. Even a medium scale pirate group could be a deadly force if they contested the Alliance on the Rim. A massive operation could be disastrous. Thankfully, there could be no force so large as the Alliance in the galaxy at this moment. Such a large build up would have been noticed by someone.

Pax's duty was all contained in his highly classified briefing book. If this was a powerful new group... the planet was the be destroyed. At all costs.

"A comet, Major Faltonni, has been discovered two kilometers from our location, beyond those ice hills. A comet impacted an ice ball planetoid...?"

"A false construction." the Major said.

"Quite possibly. With the Rebel Reprisal's sensor stealthing and the small vehicle that we used I doubt we attracted their attention -- if there is indeed anything beyond those hills. We need to recon the area immediately around that rock. Passive sensors only, to be safe. We should be able to get a good idea about the composition of the object. Perhaps it's ancient and was part of the creation of this planet. But... it could be anything at the moment," Pax said, tapping the map on the detail of the rock. "With luck, it will be nothing and we can all get back to a warm ship."

Pax looked out into the expanse with doubt in his eyes, hidden by the equipment. The Commissioner did not need a scanner to tell him that this planet did not seem to add up at all. And he could not shake the feeling that death whispered in the icy winds.

"I'll leave the march up to you, Major. Let's be off."

TAG: cavalier_one

IC: Colonel Julian Halivan[Alias: Turner Barak], Commenor

---

The datapad ran a string of code and sang out a few mournful beeps, having enough sense to turn off the connection to the station Halivan had been using to route his signal through. It got out a burst transmission to the Kanix, uploading all its scans and mission data to Julian's primary computer. Then the device emitted a puff of smoke as Julian began moving for the exit.

Nice trick. Julian thought as he pulled the zipper of coat all the way up in anticipation of a bit of wind. Halsen would have noticed the minor explosion and to simply sit and wait for him would be foolish. Time to move to the streets. Without a datapad to guide Julian. Without its uplink to his ship to aid in monitoring any Imperial transmissions or signals that the target might make. Julian had previously memorized most of the surrounding area as a matter of form and thankfully he remembered most of the streets. Surely Halsen was following him. No need to go to the ship. A Skipray was a nice catch for someone like him (although Julian doubted anyone but the best Imperial slicers could crack its security systems -- there were indeed perks to being a Senior Intelligence Officer).

I might not get him tonight. He might just get tired of chasing me. That's fine. I have time. And if he's not interested... that fine to. A waste of talent, but greater wrongs have been perpetrated upon the galaxy, I guess. Julian mulled as he hailed a ground cab.

"Hutt's Head bar."

"Gotcha..."

The cab moved swiftly on to one of the large thoroughfares of Commenor. Julian would get another drink (he deserved it and quite honestly needed it) in private room 22. Possibly pick up a cheap replacement for his datapad from a vendor and check in with the Kanix so she didn't think he had died. And return to his hotel if Halsen did not arrive. Halivan slumped back into his seat and closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to let some of his stress out through a few breaths. It had been a long life, and it was just getting to the good part.

TAG: ktala

Galactic Emperor Iaius I

The plan was going poorly. The bombardment of Cinnagar had caused a wave of confusion amongst the Core nobility, and some had openly questioned the sanity of the Princess Imperial. Her adroit diplomacy had averted the situation from turning into a disaster—but though fright was assuaged, concern remained. His plan to force Tigellinus’s hand was not working out—he would need to suffer a true disaster to get the plot revealed out in the open, but at that point it might be too late.

No, what he needed was a glorious campaign. Some sort of new effort that would put the citizenry behind him, as the Clone Wars had done for Palpatine. The problem is that the Rebellion was played out—they were no threat to the Empire at all. Many in the Core felt that the Rebellion was nothing more than a band of pirates, hardly worth the attention of the Galactic Emperor! If only some new enemy would be forthcoming. It seemed nonsensical to wish for a fight, but the Empire desperately needed it. Peace was grand, but not right after a civil war. No, that hardly united the Empire—what the Empire needed was a majestic peace after an epic battle with evil.

Now if only some sort of enemy would be forthcoming…

IC: Colonel Julian Halivan[Alias: Turner Barak], Commenor, Hutts Head Bar

---

"Hey Frein, you got any spare datapads? Something cheap?" Turner asked as he unzipped his jacket and threw a cred-chit at the bartender, walking slightly past the main bar to scan the holovids for any news. An aging Bothan (with an ego to match his years) took the chit and ran it through a reader, for form's sake alone. Frein and Turner/Julian had a history and while they did not trust each other they at least respected each other. After a moment, the Bothan had keyed up Julian's favorite room and had a waitress ready to serve him. And a bottle waiting.

"Yeah, I have hundreds," implying a recent acquisition. "I can have on in 22 in a second. Anything special?"

"Short range transmitter?"

"How far?"

"I don't know... ten, fifteen kilometers."

The Bothan considered the deal for a second, consulting his computer station hidden within the bar structure. "Three hundred credits."

"I know that it'll be hot."

"That's why you get a deal on it. Datapads aren't cheap, my friend... and for you, I'll even take off ten percent. Favored customer," the Bothan said. The weight of their relationship laying over the phrase.

Halivan needed to get out of sight and link the device with his ship. No time to banter and/or barter with Frein tonight. "Alright, you know who to charge."

Frein tapped a few keys, smiling to himself, no doubt counting his profit. "How about a drink with me, for old time's sake? Unless you're in a rush... ?"

"Kind of," Halivan said, sardonically. Damn Bothans. "There's a man coming in. Picture's on the chit. Offer him a drink from me and tell him where I am. He's probably going to have a blaster..."

"Turner," Frein said, using the Colonel's alias, and stressing the name. The one real leverage the alien had on Julian was his identity. Thankfully, Julian had plenty of dirt on the former arms dealer. The Bothan government would pay a fairly high price for this one's head. Julian hoped the economics of using him instead of turning him in was equivalent or better. So far, Frein had been one of his best contacts. "I don't like blasters in my establishment."

"Then you should run a library, Frein. I'll be in room 22."

*****

Picking up the bulky datapad, Julian plugged a datacard into it, loading a few essential programs and items to allow a connection to the Kanix. In a moment, the ship and Julian were reconnected. He activated his secure link to the bar's holocams to watch Halsen and had his ship begin preparations to leave. And Halivan thumbed his holdout blaster on in case this went bad. Money talked, but it could be drowned out by a well placed shot.

No sign of Halsen yet.

Julian took the bottle the waitress had brought and opened it. Fairly cheap whisky from some super-production facility in the Expansion Region. But it wasn't unpalatable and in sufficient quantities it would knock one over. The Colonel let the amber liquid pour out into a stout little tumbler (no ice) and downed it in one gulp. The burn was satisfying and the taste... well the burn was satisfying. The drink reminded Julian of so many missions past. Before he had risen into the bureaucracy -- although that moniker was deceptive. Julian spent more time on active missions than anyone of his level in Father, and was butting up on that magic 20th mission -- after which he was "officially" barred from performing any more. In reality, Julian had performed more missions than that, but many were so highly classified that they could not count on his official record. And as Julian was an SIO, he could pretty much post himself where he wanted.

Old missions and old friends (and enemies) flashed before Julian as he poured another helping of the whisky into the glass. This one would be sipped, as always. The pattern was very familiar to the Colonel. Death and life. Pour a shot or two of booze and watch his new contact tortured by an Imperial agent, giving information that Julian had fed to the young man knowing full well he would crack and allow the disinformation to infect the Empire. Drink it down and detonate the blast cap on a dam, water spilling out on to a civilian population center. Feel the burn ache down his throat and clean the blood from his hands in a dilapidated space port, a Rodian dying in the next room. Get drunk and wonder where Layla was, whether she was alive.

Halsen, if he were coming, would be in shortly. Julian tapped the security feed again and set the glass down, losing it comfortable weight. "No more games," Halivan thought, checking his blaster one more time.

TAG: ktala

Cinnagar, Emperess Teta System

He had been... confused by his encounter with the Jedi Princess. But after a few days thought and healing, he had been able to understand what had occured. The young Jedi was still a child both physically and mentally. If she had truely understood the threat that which those who welded the darkside could bring to her and the galaxy, she would have allowed her companions to finish him off rather than protect him from them.

But he was never one to look a gift rancor in the mouth. He appreciated the fact that she spared him, but he would not thank her for it. Still, her actions had intrigued him and left her open to his manipulative ways. The next time they met, he would begin her journey down the dark path of the Force. It was, after all, his philosophy to corrupt everything with the Darkside of the Force. He knew, from experiance, that the Darkside can dominate if enough of the galaxy was tainted by it. He had caused it many times in the past and had seen it happen by others.

Stygius stiffly pulled his cloak around himself and resisted the urge to use the Force while the child's masters were still near. Bringing his thoughts back to his teachings, he also knew that the darkside could not dominate forever. The Force would not allow it. But he did know that the Force will allow the darkside to continue to exist under the flickering flame of the light. That was the one thing the Jedi never seemed to truely understand. The Darkside can never be destroyed in its entirety. He also knew what the Sith and other Darksides lacked in their quest to rule the galaxy.

He understood the Force and how it worked to maintain balance in the universe. He understood that the Darkside could not forever dominate the galaxy but what everyone else lacked in understanding he understood that if the Darkside allowed the Lightside of the Force to gain ground in the war, the Darkside then could extend it's longivity. It was simple and yet complicated at the same time. Stygius smiled softly at an old proverb he had once heard in his travels; rule with an iron fist but wear a velvet glove. To simply put it, take the lives of a hundred people but spare the lives of twice as many. The Darkside would still dominate, but the Lightside would momentarily flourish before simmering down to a flickering flame once more.

Dread and Hope. Life and Death. That's how the Force worked and once you understood it, the easier it came to manipulating. And he had thousands of years to perfect his understanding and methods. Now he just needed to instigate the events that will lead to the universe he wished to create. But first, he needed to finish gathering his relics. He would not be caught helpless again like he had this first encounter.

Stygius turned toward the space port where his stolen craft waited. He would wait for the blockaide to be removed before he left the system. There was no point in letting these Imperials, aside from the Princess, that he was still alive.

Staring out at the unforgiving ice stretched before him, Faltonni felt a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the cold wind swirling around him. The ice hills, two kilometres distant, called to him. They promised adventure. They promised death. Hefting his modified E-11, he nodded.

"Squad; we're moving to the ice hills. Patrol formation, single file. Five metre spread. Eyes and ears open - possible hostile contacts ahead. Joahnis, take point. Sergeant Barclay - you're on rearguard. Cover our tracks as best as possible."

Joahnis, the squad's combat engineer, nodded and started off, heading for the ice hills. One by one, the squad moved off in single file. Faltonni turned to Dellos. "Commissioner, I'll be ahead of you. You follow five metres after me, and Desake will be five metres after you. Anything happens, drop and cover. And ready your weapon, just in case."

Without another word, Faltonni set off, Dellos following him. The rest of the team formed up as Master Sergeant Barclay took up the rear, dragging a long tarpaulin behind him in an attempt to cover their tracks long enough for the wind to cover them naturally. Barcaly knew it was only a token effort - the cold wind would obliterate their traces soon enough. But chance was not something commandos dealt in.

In silence, the squad moved on, towards the ice hills and adventure.

IC: Commissioner Pax Dellos, Helska, Surface

---

After a kilometer's march, which took nearly an hour in the winds and heavy ice, the squad parked on a ice cliff perhaps one hundred meters above the ground. A perfect survey of the expanse and the vast bulk before them. The asteroid was huge, the end it was displaying a full kilometer wide. The orbital scans pegged its length as even more than that. And it was evident from the snowfall around it that it had been here for some time. It was impossible to tell without an astromech, but at least a few weeks. Perhaps even a month. One of Faltonni's men was setting up a smallish sensor to begin a passive scan of the rock and hopefully analyze just how it had come to survive on this unlikely planet.

Ice-winds and snow blew past Pax as he eyed the asteroid from the cliff through a pair of electrobinoculars. It was difficult to make out the entire shape of the object, but one thing had become immediately evident. This was like nothing any of the men had seen before. Colors, bizarrely vibrant, crisscrossed the surface of the rock. It even had spines and crags inconsistent with interstellar debris.

"Major, I think that the pirates we're chasing either had a piss poor designer for this fake rock... or we have discovered some new kind of material..." the Commissioner said, quizzically, adjusting the settings in a useless attempt to make out more of the object.

Pax could not stop the cold, even with all of the equipment the Major had given him. The other men were surely experiencing the frozen temperatures just as much as Pax and were not complaining, though. Looking back, Dellos saw that the sensor was operating.

"What are we getting?"

"We're starting to get some information back... not much, Commissioner. Really just a high resolution detail of the rock. Nothing penetrating. The ice is refracting a lot of the scans... I can't even get a composition scan."

"Damn... I don't really want to get much attention, especially so close to this... thing," Pax said, contemplating the situation. He had his orders, as they men did. And he would follow them, as was his duty -- even into danger. "We need to know what it is. Go active on the sensors and... and make sure we have a good uplink to the Rebel Reprisal in the event of a transmission loss," Pax said, forcing any thought of death from his mind. All that existed was the discovery. He had performed countless missions such as these. But none had seemed so dire and... alien.

A light hum began to throb, mostly blanketed out by the sound of the wind, as the device drew on more power from the portable fusion pack. A minute passed as the sensors pinged outward on numerous transmission bands and with many gravtic and density scanning devices. To Pax's surprise, the materials in the rock were... almost wholly unknown. Carbon and nitrogen was detected, but not in ratios found anywhere else in this galaxy. Most disturbing of all... some of the scans were bringing back indications of lifesigns. Nothing conclusive, but enough to prove that this was no mere rock in Pax's mind. The sensor was not the most powerful in the universe and had to sacrifice some operational abilities for stealth, but even it could detect some signs of a superstructure to the asteroid, or rather, base... perhaps even ship, Pax noted, looking at some of the aerodynamics of the vessel. He would have to have the ship's computer run the structure through a battery of simulations, but it seemed even space-worthy, which chilled Pax more than any Helskan wind could. But the thing was hardly conventional, at least what Pax could see.

Almost organic.

"What the kriff..." Pax said almost under his breath, uncharacteristically swearing. His expletive was directed at the readout, but the other men's were directed at a odd piece of rock-like mat