Beyond - Legends Phantom of the Past (Completed 6/7)

Missed a few I guess. Well poor Teniel. She has a lot on her hands. Nice to see Jacen.
The wraiths have landed. And Mace and Kam are in enemy territory. More soon?

 

yoda: More is indeed on the way. Teneniel does have some things to worry about, not the least of which is how to protect Padme, should Ankin show up. As for Kam and Mace, well, they're walking into the heart of the Dark Side.


And here comes the next post!



"I have to go," Han told his parents. His mother was about to head to Coruscant to see what she might be able to do to aid the efforts of the Jedi there, and Ben had just returned from yet another Council meeting.

"Han, the fleet can handle the Hutts," Tiola said. "There's absolutely no reason that you should have to involve yourself."

"Besides, Valin's heading out with a full squadron of fighters," Ben said, adding his voice to Tiola's side of the argument.

"It's not the Hutts I'm worried about," Han explained. "I sense that unless I'm there, the darkness that we feel pressing in will swell over and consume everything."

Ben glanced at Tiola, then looked back at his son. "You've had another vision?"

"I saw him, clearly this time. And at his side was Lara. The Dark Side has consumed her, Dad. And I think she knows the truth about the clone's background."

"So it is a clone of Anakin?"

"Yes," Han said. "And I sensed that somewhere in the struggle that's coming, I've got a crucial role to play. I sense that like Jacen, I may be a balance point, a shatterpoint, to coin one of Master Maaizeh's favorite terms."

"You haven't spoken to anybody about this?"

"I didn't even want to tell you, Dad. I sometimes feel like I've been insulated from the true darkness of the galaxy. Even your father tried to shelter me, I think."

"Sometimes the truth must remain hidden," Ben said. "But that doesn't mean we should rush in blindly."

Han paused for a moment, and Ben thought that he might have finally convinced his son not to go off on what could be a foolhardy stunt. "Dad, unless I go, the Council will shatter. The galaxy will fall, and you with it." Han sighed. He really hadn't wanted to reveal the full nature of his vision. "Unless I go, Mom's going to end up either dead or a slave to Lara's will. And I saw you bow before them both in defeat. I have to go."

"You're not ready," Ben said. "For you to rush into this would be like your grandfather rushing to confront Darth Vader."

"Sometimes sacrifices need to be made. What would have happened if my grandfather hadn't confronted the reborn Emperor? Or if he hadn't taken action against the Yuuzhan Vong? Sometimes our only choice is to fight. This is my trial, Dad. I sense that the Force is ready to test me."

Tiola laid a hand on Ben's arm. "He needs to find his own path, Ben. We may not like it, but we can't protect him forever."

Ben sighed, realizing that both Tiola and Han spoke the truth. "Then may the Force be with you, my son. And for all our sakes, let us hope you succeed."

++++++++++++




That's all for now. More will be coming Monday.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Guess I'll have to up this with another post. Where'd everybody go?



The image of the planetary Chancellor appeared in the air before Ankin. The Chancellor didn't appear at all pleased by the contact with his "ally." In fact, he looked outraged. "What do you want now? I've sent the fleet, as you requested. But you've left me out on a limb. Do you think it's going to take the Republic long to figure out where those ships came from?"

"No," Ankin said evenly. "In fact, I think they'll be on you faster than you can breathe. Fortunately, you won't have to worry about it."

"Wait a minute. You're telling me that the Republic is going to come down on me like the heavy end of a hammer, and I don't have to worry about it? I just sent the planetary defense force to Nal Hutta. Even a child could see that Brentaal lies open to reprisal."

"Which is exactly how it should appear. With the Jedi drawn to Nal Hutta, along with the Republic fleet, they will think of punishing Brentaal as a minor annoyance. And that is exactly as it should be."

"You're challenging the Jedi?" The Chancellor's face blanched. "You're...insane."

"Far from it. I think you'll find that I am far more sane than you. I wouldn't have fallen into the trap as you have."

"What trap?"

"The one that was laid the day you entered into our agreement. You've never been anything but a pawn to me, a way to distract the Republic. It also kept you from looking too closely into my actions here. But now, with the endgame in sight, it's time to clear away the pawns that are no longer necessary."

"You can't run this government without me."

"But I can. And I will," Ankin said, reaching out with the Dark Side. The Chancellor's hands flew to his throat. "You should have looked more carefully. When contending with a Sith, the mortal will always lose." Ankin clenched his hand into a fist, and the Chancellor slumped backward, his neck broken. "A new Empire begins today. And Brentaal will indeed see the glory I promised."

++++++++++++



That's all I have for now. I think I'll take tomorrow off, work up the next post, and give eberybody a chance to catch up. Check back for more Wednesday.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Wow. Perhaps I misread but in that first line you mentioned Ben and his mother. Does this mean Mara is still alive?

 

I was starting to wonder the same thing.

Errgh...Ben...Tiola...parents...overprotectiveness... *flaffs off ranting up a storm*

 

yoda: Sorry about the confusion. I was referring to Han's mother, not Ben's. I've gone in and edited the post to make that more clear. So no, Mara is defintely one with the Force, just like her husband.

Sebby: Sorry if I caused any confusion. As for the overprotectiveness, sometimes parents are like that when we least want them to be.



As I'd said earlier, no post tonight. More will be coming tomorrow night, however. I find it hard to believe that this sucker's been running for ten months!

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Okay, here's the next postie, as promised.


The Wraiths crept through the halls of the halls of the Hutt's palace, making their way towards the throne room. They'd passed guards, passed out in the hallway after what must have been a night of reveling. The fun for the Hutt stops today, Doran thought darkly, as they made their way to the throne room, where he hoped to confront the Hutt. Then, in the darkness, he spotted a pair of glowing red eyes. "Down!" he shouted, as the scarlet blaze of a blaster bolt flashed towards them. He then spotted a Shistaveanen wolfman, whose blaster added its voice, keeping the Wraiths from being able to move forward.

He saw Borsk stick a hand out, blaster trained down the hall, and the Bothan opened up, his blaster joined by the other Wraiths. But the advantage lay with the attackers, as they began working more closely to limit the opportunities for the Wraiths. "This is getting us nowhere fats," Olias said to Doran. "somebody's going to have to take them down." Out of the corener of his eye, Doran saw Borsk fiddleing with something, his blaster now on the floor.

"It's going to be noisy," he said, "but it should get the job done."

"I don't think noise is of any concern," Doran said. "The minute they opened up, they let the whole palace know we're here. I just hope that the Hutt doesn't have a secret escape route planned."

"Then we'd better get moving," Borsk said, his hand cocking to throw. At that moment, a bolt from the Defel's blaster scored a hit, right in the Bothan's elbow. The fragmentation grenade he held fell to the ground, already armed. Aalya scooped it up, and hurled it down the hall. They heard it bounce a couple of times before the corridor was rocked by the explosion.

Doran turned to the wounded Wraith. "How bad is it?"

"Nothing our medic shouldn't be able to fix," Borsk said with a weak grin. "Assuming he doesn't think it unlucky to treat a being where he falls."

"Elassar!" Doran called. Get over here, now!" He then looked down the hall. Borsk's grenade had done quite a bit of damage, but had served its purpose. The Defel's feet were visible under a slab of tile from the ceiling. and it looked like the human's head had been used by a team of banthas as squashball.

"Let's get moving. Somebody will have heard the explosion, and I'd like to avoid walking into a trap that's been lovingly set up for us." And there will be a trap, he thought, as surely as a Hutt seeks credits.

++++++++++++


That's it for now. I'm looking at Friday for the next post, though if things work out, I might get it up tomorrow night.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

What is it with wraith's and explosions?

Nice post.

 

yoda: Letting the Wraiths get in quietly would have been too easy. Besides, I needed to establish Borsk as the new "Demolitions Boy." I figured a Bothan invented it, time to return the favor.



Tonight's post is a bit dark, which probably is a result of a series of somewhat bad days teaching this week.


So like his twin, Midia thought as she made her way down to the cell in which Ankin had imprisoned their unexpected guess. She stretched out with the Force, hoping to feel an onslaught of anger and rage coming from the Chiss. Instead, she felt only peace, and calm. Damn the Jedi, she thought. She entered, and yanked the hood from Yoric's head.

"How is it that you can remain so blind? Your Order has abandoned you. Soon, they will consider what could happen, and send another to drag you back to Chandrila, whether you want to go or not. Then they'll seal you off from everybody else, to avoid letting the Senate get word of their dirty little secret. Is that what you want for yourself?"

"It won't be like that, Lara," Yoric said, his voice infuriatingly calm.

"You don't get it!" she spat. "They've forgotten about you, just like they forgot about me. It wasn't until I posed a threat to the Republic that they took action."

"My master will come for me," Yoric said. "You can still come back to us, Lara. Let the Force flow through you. Forgive yourself."

"NO!" she screamed. "I won't forgive them. They don't deserve it!" And then, she pulled her lightsaber from her belt, and slugged Yoric full across the face with the weapon's hilt. "Let the Jedi come," she said. "The only thing they will find here is darkness, and death." She then pressed the emitter of the lightsaber against Yoric's gut, and ignited the scarlet blade.

"See if the Force saves you now, Jedi. For what you feel now is what all those who refuse to bow will ultimately face." She then deactivated the blade, turned on one heel, and strode from the room, her cloak billowing around her.

Yoric hung there for a moment, then let himself slip into a healing trance. He would need it, if he was going to survive until his master arrived. *Hurry, Master,* he sent through the remains of the bond he shared with Kam Rhysode. *I can't hold on much longer.*

++++++++++++


That's all for now. More to come on Saturday, I think.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Lara pulled a Depa I see.

 

yoda: I suppose you could say that, though Yoric, unlike Mace, probably saw it coming.

No post tonight, as I've got some reading to catch up on. But expect something during the day tomorrow, probably sometime in the early afternoon board time.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Kam and Maaizeh had made a temporary camp in a craggy outcropping of the canyon. They'd known, soon after landing, that making their way to the tower in a single day wouldn't be possible. From the camp, they could see the fortress, whose shape speared across the horizon like a needle stabbing upward from the planet's surface. "He's still there," Kam said, confident that his apprentice would be able to hold out just a little longer.

"He's growing weaker," Maaizeh said. "His reserves are incredible. I haven't seen anything like that since..." His voice trailed off, as though he knew what he wanted to speak of, but couldn't access the memory.

"How did you know your Padawan had fallen?" Kam asked.

"I knew from the moment we received her message that something was wrong. But it wasn't until I was face-to-face with what she had become that I realized what had happened. I almost slipped to the dark myself, before I was able to overcome it." A shudder ran through his entire body. "I had hoped I might never have to do this again."

"You mean hunt down a student?"

"Yes. Even after we brought her back to Coruscant, Depa never recovered. Then Palpatine seized power, and the Jedi didn't have time to worry about something like a single wounded Master, even if she had been a member of the Council."

"We won't face the same thing..." This time, it was Kam's voice that trailed off. Pain stabbed into his midsection, and then he heard Yoric's voice in his mind. "We have to hurry, Maaizeh. He's dying."

She's dying. The jungle is killing her. Mace was suddenly overwhelmed by memories of Mace's journey into the jungles of Haruun Kal. He saw Depa, her lightsaber to her temple. Saw his own failure to keep her from pressing the activation stud. Saw the lightsaber go flying as a wounded Nick Rostu shot the hilt from her hand.

"Then we'd best get moving."

"Won't they know we're coming?"

"If they tried to kill your apprentice, there's a good chance they know we're here already. Delaying will only give them more time to convince him that we've abandoned him, and left him for the Dark."

"So we go in without any hope of surprise?"

"That's right. As usual, we'll have to do things the hard way."

"Why do I suddenly have a very bad feeling about this?" Kam asked.

++++++++++++



That's it for now. DWB's launched a bit of an attack, but I'm hoping I'll still be able to post something on Monday.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Just a quick up to keep this from slipping any further.

 

I replied to this. I know I did. The parrelells between this and shatterpoint are great. Nice job.

 

yoda: The boards just seem to have your number, it seems. Glad you're enjoying the parallels, it's something I've enjoyed weaving in so far.


The battle for Nal Hutta had begun, as the combined fleet of the Republic dropped from hyperspace into the space over the Hutt world. It looked as though the Hutts had called upon every mercenary and slaver at their disposal. The Hutt fleet, while a hodgepodge of fighters and capital ships, struck at the Republic fleet with ferocity that those in command hadn't quite expected.

The slavers had pounced on a pair of Corellian corvettes, destroying them almost immediately. Most of the other ships had absorbed some kind of damage, though the larger ships were still fully functional. And at the center, driving like a lethal arrowhead through the Hutt fleet, was the Anakin Solo. Aboard Alderaan's Pride, Captain Tarkin pulled herself from the deck, where she'd been thrown when an explosion rocked the ship. "Status!" she called, brushing aside some hair and feeling it a little thick, thanks to a cut near her hairline.

"That last hit did a number on the port sensors," Rodan called from the other side of the bridge. "They've been taken out completely. I think it was probably that last concussion missile launched by the battlecruiser," he said, referring to the Kaloth-class cruiser that had dogged them almost from the moment the battle began.

"Then pull back our fighters," she ordered. "I don't want them sitting off to port and dissecting our hull. And get somebody down there to check for a possibility of repair."

"I've already sent a team," Rodan replied. "But I would guess that based on the damage, we might need to pull back."

"That's not an option. I we pull back, we leave a hole in the defense around the flagship." Even as she spoke, one of Pride's sister ships exploded. She hulk tumbled towards the planet. May the Force help anybody who's still aboard.

"Captain," Rodan called, "we've got enemy fighters on approach from sector forty seven!"

"Can you get a torpedo lock?"

"I thought you'd want to save those."

"I wish I could. But we don't have much choice. Take those..." She didn't finish the sentence as the sensor screen lit up with twelve new fighters.

"Sorry we're a little late," the voice of the lead fighter's pilot said, "but if you'll shift course, Pride, we'll take some of that heat off your tail."

The flight of fighters had been tagged as Twin Suns Squadron. But they're supposed to be in Chiss space. Then she recalled hearing that Jagged Fel's nephew had shown up shortly before the briefing. "We'd appreciate it, Twin Lead," she said. "Welcome to the party." If that pilot was who she thought it was, then the tables had just turned in favor of the Republic.

++++++++++++



Bad day at school is keeping me from writing today, so I don't think I'll be getting anything up tomorrow. But one can never know for sure.

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Is it jaina?

 

yoda: The answer will be coming in tonight's post.



Jag Fel, Syndic within the Chiss Expeditionary Defense Force, couldn't help but smile as the Star Destroyer dropped from hyperspace right into the middle of a battle. Leave it to the Republic to jump the gun. "Deploy all fighters," he said. Make sure to watch your back Twin Suns Lead, he thought.

*Don't worry,* came a reply to the thought, though not over the command channel. Jag thought it strange every time Jaina pulled something like this, but realized that it was probably part of being married to a Jedi.

Jag then turned his attention back to the situation at hand. He spotted a corvette drifting, and another ship, one of the Republic's new cruisers about to fall victim to a Kaloth-class battlecruiser. "Gunners, focus all firepower on the battlecruiser. Maybe that will send the Hutts a message."

Lances of green energy shot from the Star Destroyer, slamming into the battlecruiser. It turned, wounded, but brought its guns to bear on the Vigilance. It never got a shot off, however, as the Star Destroyer's second volley shredded it. "Incoming message, Syndic," the officer called from one of the comm stations. Jag hurried over.

"Syndic Fel, you picked a hell of a time to drop in," Admiral Tschel said. "Something keep you busy in Chiss space?"

"You know Twin Leader. She had to make sure all her pilots were up to current standards."

"Or what?" Tschel asked. "She wouldn't let them come out to play?"

"She might not have. Though she certainly would have. I don't know if there's anything in the galaxy that could have kept the Sword of the Jedi from a battle like this. Especially with the stakes at hand."

"Let's hope your added presence makes the Hutts see reason," Tschel said.

"Reason from a Hutt? I wouldn't count on it."

"Neither would I, but we can always hope. Good hunting, Syndic."

"May the Force be with you, Admiral," Jag said, signing off. He then headed over to the sensor display. "Now let's see. Where can we hurt the Hutts most?"

++++++++++++



That's all for now. Next post will be Friday, I think, as I'm still trying to work my way out of a block in this story.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Sword of the jedi still follows jaina I see. Glad to see some familiar faces. Up!

 

yoda: After an appearance by Jacen and Tenel Ka, I couldn't resist bringing Jaina back into things. And yes, she is still the "Sword of the Jedi."



And as a bonus, heres' the next postie!


"We've got to be getting close," Olias said as the group made their way even deeper into the Hutt's palace. "The whole place stinks."

"Did you expect anything else, old friend?" Doran asked. "If you didn't want to deal with the odor, you should have said something sooner. I'm sure you could have stayed back with Squeaky to keep an eye on the fighters."

Olias shuddered. "I think I'll take my chances with the Hutt." Like most protocol droids, Squeaky didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. And unlike most droids, he could say just about anything he wanted to, without having to worry about being shut off.

"Lead," Borsk called, drawing Doran over to a dark, dank side of the hallway. Or rather, a darker, more dank section, since the whole palace seemed to favor such things.

"What is it?"

"There's a tunnel behind here," Borsk said. "Listen." He rapped a hand against it. Sure enough, the sound seemed to echo.

"Can you get us in there?"

"Do Corellians gamble? Only problem is that anybody hiding down there might be able to rig up a nasty little surprise. Besides, it doesn't look big enough for a Hutt to squeeze through."

"Then we'll hold off, for the moment. If we have to, we'll come back here and blow the thing."

"Ah, Doran?" Aalya called from what seemed like the end of the hall. I think we just missed the jackpot."

Doran hurried over. "Sithspawn!" The Hutt's throne room lay before them, totally empty. And at one side lay the crumbled remains of what must have once been an ornate archway. Now, it was nothing but a pile of rubble. A pile of rubble that stood between the Wraiths and their goal.

"Well, time to earn our pay," Doran said, grabbing a chunk of rock and tossing it over his shoulder. "We'll have to clear this away, or at least some of it, before we can continue the pursuit."

"You weren't expecting this?" Olias asked.

"I'd expected the Hutt to try something. But bringing down an archway carved from Alderaanian quartz isn't quite what I had in mind. I mean, it's not like he can easily replace it."

++++++++++++



I'm thinking about a Kam, Maaizeh post next, possibly up tomorrow.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

nice post.

 

yoda: Thanks.



Kam and Maaizeh continued their trek towards the tower, with Kam becoming just a little more unsure of what was waiting for them as they went. Halfway through the second day, he had lost almost all contact with his apprentice. Maaizeh had argued that it might be that Yoric had finally given in to the Dark Side, but Kam refused to believe it. "He's not going to turn that easily, Maazieh."

"That's what Mace thought about Depa. And she ended up sticking a lightsaber into his guts."

"This isn't Haruun Kal," Kam argued. "Each situation is it's own. How many times have we both heard Master Skywalker quote Yoda's line about the future being in motion."

That seemed to catch Maaizeh for a moment, his determined stride faltering for a bit. "I suppose I have been caught up in the past," he murmured. "How could I have forgotten?"

"You'd forgotten the statement?" Kam asked, a little confused.

"No, I'd forgotten something else Yoda once told me, or rather, Mace Windu. It's something I think he told Obi-Wan on occasion. He'd commented about how wonderful the mind of a child is. They can look at problems from angles adults can't. We're so grounded in logic and reason that we sometimes overlook the simplest possibilities."

"I'm afraid I still don't get it."

"If we go in there expecting to find the dark, that's all we're going to find. You recall Luke's story about the cave on Dagobah?"

"You mean where he fought Darth Vader, only have the face behind the mask turn out o be his own?"

"Right. That place was strong with the Dark Side. If we go in there," Maaizeh pointed to the tower, expecting to find only darkness, our own inner darkness could snuff out what little light remains in that place."

"So we do something else?"

"We take an extra day," Maaizeh said. "Tonight, we each need to find that inner darkness, and bottle it up. Or else it will consume us, as surely as Anakin Skywalker's anger and impatience turned him into the Dark Lord of the Sith."

++++++++++++



That's all for now. More will be coming on Monday.

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Interesting reference to shatterpoint and aotc. I wonder what maizeh's inner darkness is.

 

yoda: Maaizeh's inner darkness may be nothing more than a reflection of Mace's own inner conflict, as seen in Shatterpoint. Then again, it may be something else entirely. Glad you enjoyed it.


Now, how about we get back to Jaina?


Jaina Solo Fel felt the blood sing in her veins as the Twin Suns dove into the thick of the fight. Originally her uncle's squadron, the Twin Suns had become Jaina's command in the latter half of the war with the Yuuzhan Vong. When she joined Jag on Csillia, she had taken the Twin Suns with her. They now had the honor of being the only Republic squadron within the Chiss command structure.

"Watch your tail, Twin Three," Jaina said. "You've picked up a tail." Three dove, leading the pursuing fighter, an old Corsair, straight into Jaina's line of fire. She pulled the trigger, but the shot went wide as her fighter bucked. She twisted to look over her shoulder as she reflexively pulled up, and caught sight of an older model Z-95 Headhunter.

The Hutts aren't holding anything back, are they? The thought crossed her mind even as she pulled the more nimble X-Wing into a steep climb. She then swooped down, pouncing on the Headhunter. Moments later, it was scrap. "How's the damage look, Cappie?" she queried the astromech droid.

ABOUT AS YOU'D EXPECT, LEADER.

"I'd prefer a straight answer," she said, once again telling herself that it was definitely time to give Cappie a memory wipe. But the two had been together for so long that she never could bear to give the order. "Anything major hit?"

SHIELDS ARE DOWN TO ABOUT 10%. I WOULD NOT SUGGEST LETTING THEM HIT US AGAIN.

"Thanks for the suggestion, Cappie," Jaina growled, wondering if her uncle had ever felt this way towards Artoo. She scanned the sky, looking for another target, when she spotted her wingman, engaged in a chase towards the surface of Nar Shaddaa. "Two, pull up! They're leading you..."

She never finished, as Twin Two exploded in a brilliant ball of flaming metal that quickly extinguished itself in the void. Yet another pilot lost. "Cappie, did you get a record of Two's final recording?"

"YES, JAINA."

Then at least I shouldn't have to worry about anybody else falling for that one. "Twin Lead to squadron. Keep away from the Smuggler's Moon. The Hutts appear to have fortified it." She then switched to her comm with the flagship.
"Having fun out there, Lead?" Jag asked.

"Just another day at the office," Jaina said, the words phrased to let Jag know that she was all right. "Any chance you can take out whatever weapons they've got on the moon? I'd like to see the Hutts sacrifice something."

"Vengeance leads to the Dark Side," Jag reminded.

"This isn't vengeance. This is about justice, and protecting others."

On the flagship, Jag smiled. "I think we can give you a hand, Leader. And then I take it you're going to strafe whatever we leave behind?"

++++++++++++


I'll try and get something up tomorrow. If not, look for something Wednesday. This week is looking to be a bit busy, so my writing time is going to be somewhat limited.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Seems Jaina is enjoying the fight. Up!

 

yoda: Jaina is indeed enjoying the fight. Let's just hope it doesn't get the best of her.


"I still say the time has come to cut our looses!" one of the Hutts said. They had met in the hold of a slaver's ship, commandeered to provide them with a mobile location to meet. None seemed to think that their holdings were safe. "We kill the slaves, and keep only those necessary to replenish our stock!"

"If we bow to the Republic, or way of life is over. Keeping any slaves would be useless. We would be watched not only by the Republic, but by the Jedi as we11," Lamag argued.

"We were able to deceive the Jedi for ten years," a Hutt from one of the minor families argued. "Who is to say that we can't do it again?"

"You're more of a fool than Jabba," Lamag responded. "The Jedi know that they've been fooled, and will be on the lookout for any further deception. Meanwhile, the Republic will no doubt analyze every transaction we make, down to the shipping details. Do you think they'll let us remain in business?"

"I must agree with Lord Lamag," Okkuu said. He'd been strangely silent, probably due to the fact that he'd fled his palace, forced out by what seemed to be commandos. "But I also agree that we must begin to plan for defeat. We must gather our slaves in one place, so that they can be more easily...misplaced."

"And how do we choose?" One of the Hutts asked, stroking the shoulder of a Falleen dancing girl. "How do we decide which slaves are worth saving?"

"That is up to each of us," Lamag said, looking over his shoulder towards where Alema lay, curled up and doing her best to keep out of sight. No doubt she had realized what had occurred. She also had to know that Lamag would never set her free.


"We must begin to move the slaves without attracting their attention," Okkuu said.

"That's not going to be easy, said a younger Hutt, who had only recently taken over his family's holdings. His name, Lamag recalled, was Eelakai. "Some our more important slaves have more intelligence."

"Then kill those you don't intend to save," Okkuu rumbled. "Or if you won't, sell them to somebody who will. We cannot have a slave revolt on Nal Hutta while our paid servants fight above us."

Kill the slaves, Alema thought. How many others had Lamag impregnated as he had her? And how many of those was he willing to save, to keep as breeding stock for the day that the Republic once again placed a modicum of trust in the Hutts?

++++++++++++


That's it for tonight. I might be able to squeeze a post in tomorrow, but I'm not making any promises, except for the one regarding Friday. By the time that day is over, we'll be seeing another postie.



Force be with you,

Tych_sel