Beyond - Legends Finished, finally!!! New Jedi Order: Night Stalkers (Face Loran, Kell Tainer, OC) 10/17/0

Here's a loooooong one. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Four
Coruscant



Iella sat at her desk, feet propped up, rubbing her eyes wearily. She had been awake almost continuously since the beginning of this crisis, over two and half days ago. She had managed to catch a few minutes of sleep here and there on the couch she kept in her office, but not much more. She was really beginning to feel the exhaustion now, having spent most of the day simply waiting for word of some kind about Operation Free Royal, as they had taken to calling it. She glanced at her chrono for the tenth time in the last ten minutes, showing her nervousness. It was early evening on the New Republic capitol world, and that meant it was the middle of the night on Bastion. The operation, if everything went as planned, would have taken place within the last few hours, and word could come back at any moment.

Her comlink buzzed softly from its place on her desk, and she brought it gently to her mouth. "Antilles."

"Hi honey, it's Wedge. How are you?"

Iella smiled to herself at his concerned tone. "I'm exhausted, Wedge."

"Yeah, I figured as much. I take it you won't be home for dinner, huh?"

"No chance, I'm afraid. We're waiting on some tests results, it could be a while," she answered. Wedge would know what she meant by "test results." She heard him sigh a little into the receiver.

"Any chance I could bring dinner to you? I'm making topatoe stew. Your favorite." She laughed at that comment.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. Not this time, Wedge." She grimaced as she spoke, secretly hoping that Wedge would pick up on her disappointment.

He sighed, "Yeah, that's what I thought. Make sure you're eating well, you sound like you're getting run down."

"I will. I'm just tired."

"Well, just take care of yourself."

"You too, Wedge. Kiss the girls goodnight for me." She said, sadness suddenly in her voice.

"I will. I love you, Iella."

"I love you too."

***********

Jensen Kal stared straight up at the sky, watching as a TIE Fighter soared by high overhead, circling. "The patrols are getting more frequent," he observed. "We've got to hurry up."

Loran nodded his agreement. He was now in the lead, having traded off with Kell twenty minutes earlier. They had been trekking through the woods for two hours, and were just reaching the outskirts of the small settlement where they hoped to find a transport of some kind. Face could see the edge of the forest now, and building lights were visible in the distance. He motioned for everyone to crowd around. "Alright, Kal and I are going to go in and find us a ride of some sort. Kell, you're in charge until we get back." He shucked his pack and handed it to his old friend, Kal did the same, handing his to Davis. They were left carrying only their rifles. "Lead the way, Night Stalker," he said to Jensen.

Kal jogged to the edge of the trees, and knelt down, using one as cover. He pulled out his macrobinoculars and gave the nearest buildings a quick scan. "Nobody I can see. This looks like a residence of some kind, the rear. Might be a speeder parked around front." He lowered the binoculars and looked up, seeing the pesky TIE Fighter orbiting overhead. "That could be a problem, if he sees us."

"I agree, we'll have to be quick. Any chance there could be patrol already here?"

Jensen shook his head. "I doubt it, the place looks dead. We won't know for sure until we get there, though. Ready when you are."

"Same here, lead the way." Jensen stowed the binoculars and rose up into a sprinters stance. He focused on the TIE Fighter overhead, waiting for it to loop around and head off in the opposite direction, it's "back" to them. "Go," he said as quietly as he could manage. He leapt free of the last bits of foliage and sprinted for the nearest building's wall, which was bathed in deep shadow. Face charged after him.

They dove into the shadows and quickly scrambled to their feet, pressing their backs to the wall, trying to make themselves invisible. Face searched t

 

Wow, this is a great chapter! I love the way you do action scenes... Can't wait for more!

 

Up!!!

 

Arr, matey, please give us a postie! I'm beggin' ye...

 

Agh! Someone else help me nag this truant author!

 

Oh geez, I could've sworn I finished this thing. I am so sorry. There's only one chapter left. I'll find, it'll be up soon, I promise. Oh man....

 

Here it is, only 3 months late. I feel really bad, it's just a short little epilogue. Not to worry though, I've already written the outline for the sequel, and it's pretty ambitious. I have no idea when I'll find to time to write it though, so be patient.


Epilogue



?Iella, you look horrible.?

?Thanks, Face, I appreciate that.?

?No problem, my dear,? he added with a broad grin. Turnabout was fair play. ?When was the last time you slept?? The pair strode down a long corridor in the NRI Headquarters building.

?Too long ago, I?m headed home now, I need to catch up on a few days worth of unconsciousness,? she smiled wearily at that. ?Colonel Kalenda has kept me busy these last few days. Waiting for your situational reports, mostly.?

They came to a halt in front of a nondescript door. ?Sorry about that, next time I?ll try to make sure Bijo is more prompt with his messages.?

Iella laughed. ?Nah, I shouldn?t complain, I?m the one who recommended you for the job, I got you into that mess. It?s good to have you home,? she said, stifling a yawn. ?You should come over for dinner tonight. The girls love it when you stop by. Wedge?s is cooking,? she said, trying to make it sound enticing.

?I?ll be there.?

?Alright, I?m heading home, I will see you tonight. Good work, Loran.?

Face remained in front of the door, alone and silent, for a moment. Then he activated the door, and it slid smoothly into its housing. Within the small room was an equally small cot, nightstand, and chair. The sparseness of the room was typical for the quarters housed in the headquarters building. Stretched out on the cot lay Allysen Menin, awake and very bored.

?Hey,? she said as she saw him enter.

?Howdy,? he replied, pulling the chair up to her bed. ?How?s the ankle??

?Getting better. It?s my mind I?m worried about, not my ankle. If I have to stay in this room any longer, I think I?m going to go crazy.?

Face smiled, ?Crazy, you say? Maybe we should think about making you a Wraith. Craziness is the chief requirement. Seriously, though, they?re telling me it?s only going to be a couple more days. I?ll try to make it sooner if I can.? Since her return from Bastion, Menin had been under close observation, both for her sake and the NRI?s. The Director had been very concerned about any information she could have potentially shared with the Imperials, and had had her thoroughly debriefed by a number of investigators. Also, staff psychologists were visiting with her daily to make sure she was not suffering from any types of posttraumatic stress disorders. ?The doctor says you?re doing well. Who knows, in a few more years, you might actually be fit to return to society.?

She punched him lightly in the shoulder, ?Hey! Between the two of us, which one of us is stranger?? She asked, reveling in the light hearted moment. ?I?ve seen you in action?.? She trailed off, suddenly realizing she still didn?t know his name. ?You know something? You still haven?t told me who you really are.?

?Yeah, I know. I like it that way. I?m going for that dashing, secret operative look. Nice, huh,? he grimaced at his own bad joke. ?My friends call me Face.?

She reached out her hand to him, ?Nice to meet you, Face.?

 

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Woohoo!! It's finished! An awesome story; please PM me when you start your sequel, okay?

 

Yay! Great job, Face!

(which reminds me, my fan fictions REALLY need updating!)

 

Thanks