It's been forever and a day but I've finally gotten around to getting this
story up and running. Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy.

Recap: Luke was kidnapped by a group known as Black Aurora. The group was
run was the mysterious Master who was responsible for erasing Luke's memory
from Cloud City to the present. The gang rescued Luke from the groups base
on Tatooine. Mara killed the Twi'lek dark Jedi that was thought to be the
leader of Black Aurora.

Title: Shadows of the Past: The Second Imperium
Author: Arikel
Rating: R, for violence and language
Disclaimer: If you don't recognize the name I probably made them up,
everybody else is part of the Star Wars universe, and I'm making no money
off of them. Please R&R. Many many thanks to my beta-reader, Gariel, who I
couldn't have gotten through this without. Muchas gracias, mi amiga.
Setting: Two years after Vision of the Future.

Is man a product of the Force, or is the Force a product of man?

Episode Two: Empire Reborn
Prologue
Somewhere in the Unknown Regions; Day 143, 22 A.B.Y.

Krios stood silently on the bridge of the Imperial Star Destroyer Gauntlet.
His time in the Unknown Regions had been fruitful, but tiresome. He longed
to return to civilization. A thrill rushed through him at the thought of
what was to come. He was anxious to pit his master's plan against the
galaxy. He was even more anxious to meet the one who had trained his
master. The Dark Lord of the Sith.

Krios didn't turn as he heard the sound of his master's boots on the metal
floor.

"Report."

"We will revert from hyperspace within the hour. If our information is
correct, then we will have a fifteen minute window in which to take the
planet with minimal resistance."

"Good. Are our ground troops ready to be deployed?"

"Yes. They await your command."

The Master of Black Aurora nodded his head in approval. He had spent the
last year using the information he had gained from Skywalker's mind to
assemble his army from the unorganized Imperial forces scattered throughout
the Unknown Regions. Through the Force he could sense that the time had
come to make their move. It was time to rebuild the Empire. Everything was
proceeding as his master had foreseen.

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

Chapter I

Yavin 4; Day 143, 22 A.B.Y.

Mara watched as Luke struggled to levitate the rocks. They had spent the
last year working on his Force skills and trying to regain his knowledge of
the Force. It had been a bittersweet year as Mara was forced to give Luke
time to adjust to a new life. There were times that she just wanted to be
with him, to be in bed together, but he wasn't ready for that step. They
had moved from strangers to friends. She just needed to give it time for
them to become lovers again. She just had to be patient.

"Now what."

Mara came out of her reverie to find the rocks balanced on top of each other
and a smug smile on Luke's face. Mara reached out through the Force and
threw a rag in Luke's face.

"Wipe that smile off your face."

Luke's smile widened as he took the rag in his hands and threw it back at
her. Mara took a seat on the cargo bay floor and gestured for Luke to do
the same. He sat down where he was and Mara gave him an annoyed look.

"Come over here. I'm not going to bite."

"That's not what the students say."

"You're funny Luke. Now get over here."

Luke rose and then sat down in front of Mara.

"Okay, now close your eyes. Concentrate on the flow of the Force through
you and through the air around you. Imagine a bubble in front of you.
Place whatever emotions you are feeling right now into that bubble. Good,
now push the bubble over to me."

Mara inhaled sharply as she felt waves of trust wash over her. She smiled
and nodded, even though he couldn't see it.

"I think that's enough for today. Looks like it's getting pretty close to
time to eat. You want to go for a run first?"

Luke rose and dusted off his pants. Stretching the muscles in his lower
back, Luke took a look around the Yavin jungles from his vantage point at
the Great Temple of the Massassi. Pulling his arms back and slightly over
his head, Luke closed his eyes as Mara continued to watch him stretch. Luke
bent down to touch his toes and then came back up to find Mara staring at
him. Smiling slightly, he nodded.

"You ready?"

Mara nodded and started jogging down the trail from the Temple out into the
jungle. Luke had blazed most of the trails and before his abduction knew
them by heart. Now though, Luke had to stumble along and watch where he was
going. Just last year he could run these trails at night, but now he could
hardly do them in broad daylight. It had been about a year since Black
Aurora took him and the memories were slowly returning.

Luke spent the first couple of months of his return feeling pangs of
jealousy at watching Leia and Han being together, despite the fact that they
had told him she was his sister. It was another couple of months before the
memory returned. Now he was left in the position of trying to figure out
how he would fit into Mara's life. He could tell that she was agonizing
over the lack of intimacy after all this time. She just wanted to be with
him, to be comfortable with him, to be comfortably in bed with him, but he
wasn't ready for that. To Luke, she was someone he had just known over the
last year and most of that time was spent between the doctors and the Jedi
trying to regain his lost memories. Whatever Garr, or his secret master,
had done, it was far more powerful than anything they had ever dealt with.
Mara had been there with him, every step of the way. She was with the Jedi
giving her own input on such applications of the Force. She was with him
when he went to see the doctors, finding out what they would diagnose.
Luke counted himself lucky for having found someone like this.

He just wished he had his own memories of her, rather than stories.

So preoccupied was he with his thoughts that Luke didn't hear the death cry
that heralded the arrival of the piranha-beetles. Mara, however, did and
ignited her lightsaber.

"Luke!"

Luke looked up just as a swarm of the creatures descended to shred their
victims. Mara cut down bug after bug as the creatures flew at her. Luke
was bit and cut a number of times before he could even get his lightsaber
ignited. Once he did, Luke was able to cut down a few of the bugs, but he
was sluggish. His reaction time was greatly diminished by the lack of
experience and the pain. Mara had to pick up the slack and once all the
bugs were charred remains on the jungle floor, Mara went over to Luke and
laid a hand on his chest. Mara tried to catch her breath before speaking.

"Are you okay?"

Luke nodded and they just stood there looking at each for some time. They
were both thinking the same thing. These simple-minded creatures had nearly
killed Luke and probably would have had Mara not been at his side. However,
there were much more intelligent predators out there that would know to
strike when Luke was weak, when Mara was not there. Predators of the
two-legged variety. The kind that Luke had made quite a few enemies of.

Mara broke the silence. "C'mon, we should get back before it gets dark."

Luke nodded and put his lightsaber back on his belt. The two of them
quickly made their way back to the temple, slowed somewhat by Luke's
injuries. Once there, Mara made Luke go to the medibay, despite his
assertions that he was fine. After the doctors patched him up, the two Jedi
headed down to the mess room and sat down for dinner.

Over a bowl of marrash soup, Mara told Luke another story from his life.
They had repeated this little scene a number of times and yet she still
seemed to have more stories to tell. To Luke, it appeared that he had led a
very full life in the past twenty years. He was sure that the next twenty
years would probably be just as interesting.
********************************************************************
Empress Theta System; Day 146, 22 A.B.Y.

The serving droid poured out wine into the seven glasses and then rolled
away. Yael raised his glass and the others joined him.

"To the future. May the teachings of our Master bring us riches beyond our
imaginations, power beyond our wildest dreams, and the ability to crush all
those who stand in our way. To the future."

As one, the seven nobles at the table intoned, "To the future."

Sora, with her arms wrapped around Tyro's massive bicep, looked over at Yael
with a sensual smile. "When do we make our first move?"

Yael took another sip of his wine before answering. "Soon. Our Master has
given us the name of our first victim."

Sora, her eyes dilating, looked up to him in anticipation. "Oooo... who?"

"Skywalker."

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

Chapter II

Bastion; Day 151, 22 A.B.Y.

Pellaeon gripped the handrail as a tremor went through the building. He
looked up at the structural damage on the ceiling and prayed that it would
hold for just a few more minutes. Outside the defense bunker, his common
gray-suited foot soldiers were defending themselves from a group of
stormtroopers in glistening white armor. The last of his troopers were
killed years ago. It was a sight the Admiral thought he would never see.

"Sycar! Where are those reinforcements?"

"Cuh-coming sir! Moff Guh-Gakes detained them in protecting his
buh-bunker."

Pellaeon scowled and looked at the holographic display. A large section of
the planet was illuminated in white light, signifying the sections of
Bastion that were still under the control of the Imperial Army. Pockets of
blue and orange representing the different Moffs, like Gakes, who had split
from the Imperial body and declared themselves autonomous. The rest of the
planet was taken up with a dark gray representing the territory taken by the
invading army.

Pellaeon looked down at what had recently become of his first officer and
decided he had best step in before the man fell apart.

"Sycar, do you remember old man Hilse at the Academy?"

"Uh... y-yes sir."

"If that grumpy old bastard was here right now, what do you think he would
say?"

Sycar paused as he thought about it, momentarily taking his mind off his
surroundings.

"Pro-probably that we should keep a level head lest we lose ours."

"True. Any idea what he would advise in this situation?"

Sycar thought about the question, his heartbeat slowing to a steadier beat.

"Withdraw into the inner keep and wait for the reinforcements to arrive."
He considered it some more. "Attempt to establish contact with the other
Moffs and make a coordinated attack on the enemy. After the attack,
establish a perimeter and hold our position until we have time to regroup."

Pellaeon nodded in approval. "Good. Attempt to make contact with Moff
Daobr and see if he will assist his Admiral."

Sycar gave a crisp salute then ran off to fulfill the Admiral's wishes.
Pellaeon watched him go, satisfied that the man would be okay. Turning to
his comm officer, Pellaeon waited for the man to salute before addressing
him.

"Issue the command to fall back to the inner keep. Once our soldiers are
inside, seal the blast doors."

The comm officer turned to his panel and began relaying the information.
Pellaeon turned to look at the display before quickly turning back to the
comm officer.

"I want a lock down on the communications going out. Make sure this doesn't
get back to the New Republic!"

*******************************************************

Bastion; Day 151, 22 A.B.Y.

Moff Fatmu Buhot had spent the last thirty minutes running his bulbous form
back and forth in the communication room attached to his suite. Guards were
posted at the door and he was hoping to establish relations with the
commander of the attackers and keep his position and belongings on Bastion.

So intent was he on the communications panel that Buhot didn't notice the
mini-laser cutting away a section of the glass window overlooking the main
courtyard. A small black droid slipped in through the hole and scanned the
room. Finding its target, the droid trained its poisoned needle gun on the
large form. A barrage of blaster bolts signaled that the guards had noticed
the droid. It made a quick shot at the Moff, which thunked into the comm
panel, just an inch from his head. The guards finished the droid off and it
exploded in a shower of sparks. Buhot had a look of pure hatred on his face
as he stared at the ruined shell.

"Alita! It has to be! I'll make sure that Corellian bitch pays!"

*******************************************************

Bastion; Day 151, 22 A.B.Y.

Moff Devin Daobr rolled over and looked at Alita. She was half asleep with
a content smile on her beautiful face. Devin rose from the bed and walked
naked over to the window looking out onto the main courtyard. There was
something about having sex during a coup d'etat that amused Daobr.

He was about to step into the refresher when his doorbell chimed. Wrapping
a towel around himself, Daobr went to the door. Outside was the man he had
hired.

"Job done?"

The former Intelligence agent nodded and held out his hand.

"It got his attention alright."

Daobr nodded and picked up the credit stick from his table. Handing it to
the agent, Daobr closed the door behind him and went back to the refresher.
He turned on the hot water and watched as the steam filled the room and
fogged the mirror. This attack had presented Daobr with a perfect
opportunity. If he were lucky either Alita or Fatmu would kill the other.
If he were really lucky, they would both die.

That would leave only one victor. Daobr.

***************************************************

Hyperspace, along the Corellian Trade Spine; Day 151, 22 A.B.Y.

Talon Karrde sat on the command deck of the Wild Karrde sipping at a carafe
of coffeine. He liked the quiet. Karrde had spent years running from one
catastrophe to another. Now that the war between the New Republic and the
Empire was over, a well-earned peace and quiet had settled over the galaxy.
Individual systems and sectors were beginning to call on Karrde's
information agency for the kind of info he was supplying the New Republic
and the Imperial Remnant. His agency wasn't becoming overwhelmed yet but he
could see problems on the horizon. So Karrde savored these quiet moments
when no one was clamoring for attention.

"Captain!"

Karrde sighed and swiveled around in his chair.

"Yes Brinko."

"Sir, there's a transmission we've intercepted that you need to see."

The crewman extended a datapad to Karrde, which he took with a sigh.
Reading over the transmission, Karrde felt himself starting to wake up.

"Get me in touch with NRI."

The crewman ran off to carry out Karrde's command. Karrde took one last sip
before leaving his chair. It wasn't going to be quiet much longer.

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

"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one
suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to
suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then,
is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy one
must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness."

Chapter III

Yavin; Day 152, 22 A.B.Y.

Luke toed the remains of the DX-series droid off the top of the temple and
into the Yavin jungle. Someone had sent a group of the assassin droids
after him at the temple. Two young Jedi were killed in the machine's
progress to reach him. The alarm went through the temple and the collective
Jedi made quick work of the droids.

Leia shut down her lightsaber and reattached it to her belt. She had been
one of the first Jedi to come running and had no small part in dispatching
the assassins. Luke looked over at his sister and frowned.

"Really Leia, you and Han don't have to be here. I'll be okay."

Leia shook her head adamantly. "No, Luke, we're staying. Besides, the
advantage to being retired is that I can be anywhere I want, whenever I
want."

Luke smiled as he looked at her. "It's hard to think of you as being
retired. The Leia I remember was always in the middle of things."

"That was almost twenty years ago, Luke. This Leia has earned a much needed
rest."

"All the more reason for you to be someplace where you can get that rest."

Leia stepped over and laid a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Luke, we're family.
That means we stick together. If someone wants to get to you, they'll have
to go through Han and me first."

"And the kids," Han Solo piped up from the doors leading back into the
temple.

Luke looked up to see Han walking out of the temple and putting his blaster
away.

"Hey kid. Has Leia convinced you we're staying yet?"

Luke smiled as he looked at his brother-in-law. "Just about. The kids are
out of this though."

"Try telling them that. Good thing about the kids is that they won't bend
over for anybody. Bad thing about the kids is... they won't bend over for
anybody. Teenagers, can't live with them, can't ship them off to Kessel."

Leia swatted her husband playfully and turned her attention back to her
brother. "Seriously, Luke. We're here and we're not leaving. Just think
of it as some quality family time."

Luke smiled slightly and wrapped his arms around Leia's neck. Turning his
nose into her hair, Luke whispered, "Thank you, Leia." He kissed her
forehead and took note of the gray hairs at his sister's temples.

Leia smiled up at her brother and rubbed his arms. "Where's Mara?"

"She's at landing bay two welcoming a delegation from the Empress Theta
system. They're...."

*Luke!*

Luke heard the sudden message from Mara and felt a sense of danger from her.
Breaking into a run, Luke yelled over his shoulder for Leia and Han to
follow him. Luke ran through the halls of the temple, quickly passing
startled students, until he finally came to the landing bay. He could hear
blasterfire from behind the sealed doors and quickly punched the button for
them to open. There was no electronic beep from the console or any
indication that it was working as the doors remained closed. Luke ignited
his lightsaber and stabbed it into the bay doors. He cut down one side, as
Leia ignited her lightsaber and started cutting down the other way. The
metal cutout fell to the floor with a thud and Luke stepped in and to the
left of the door. He saw a ragtag group of men taking cover behind the
landing struts of a vessel to avoid the return fire from Mara. He saw she
was holding her blaster in one hand and deftly deflecting incoming shots
with the lightsaber in her other. She spared a moment to glance over to the
door and smiled.

"It's about time you got here."

Luke replied wryly, "Sorry. Got stopped by the hall monitor."

Mara chuckled. "I thought Threepio was still on Coruscant."

The gunmen ignored the new arrivals and kept their fire focused on the
fiery-haired Jedi standing between them and the door. Mara slowly picked
off the assassins one by one, with the help of her family. When the last of
the mercenaries fell, Luke made his way over to Mara.

"You okay?"

"Fine. How about you?"

"I'll be better once these attacks stop."

"I still say we should leave the planet. You'll be safer if they don't know
where to find you."

Luke just looked at the gunmen and then at the ship. "Any idea what
happened here?"

Mara frowned and walked up the landing ramp into the Thetan vessel. Piled
up in the corner of one room were the bodies of a number of different men
and women in formal regalia. She turned to look at Luke over her shoulder
when he entered the craft.

"By the looks of the guys outside I'd say they're mercenaries. Guess they
killed the delegation and took the ship."

Luke shook his head in regret. "I guess we'll have to establish contact
with the Thetan government and let them know what happened to their people.
Any idea how they'll take the news?"

Leia stepped up next to Luke and looked down at the bodies. "I don't really
know that much about them. The Empress Theta system has remained relatively
quiet and isolated all these years. Any records of their ways was lost in
the war. Mara? You know anything else?"

Mara crouched down and examined an insignia on the shoulder of one of the
delegation members. "Not much. I remember something a long time ago,
before the Empire, where there was some practitioner's of the Sith teachings
that stirred things up in the Empress Thetan system. Palpatine kept a
pretty tight reign on that sort of knowledge. I guess he wanted to make
sure he had total control over who would know the Sith arts. Guess he
figured what he could control, couldn't hurt him." She smiled evilly as she
thought about Vader. "Guess he was wrong."

Luke nodded and laid a hand on Mara's shoulder. "Makes sense. Might
explain why there weren't many Dark Siders running around during that time.
I guess we should get this cleaned up and get in touch with the Thetans."

Leia laid a hand on Luke's arm. "I'll do the calling."

"Thanks Leia. Han, want to give us a hand?"

"Just...," Han walked over and hefted a body onto his shoulder, "what I
wanted. Where to?"

***************************************************

Leia finished up with the Thetan bureaucrat about the time that Han came in.
Han walked up behind his wife and kissed her on the crown of her head.
Leia smiled and rubbed her hand over his arm draped across her chest.

"Did you notice that look Luke shot at me this morning?"

Leia sighed and smiled sadly. "He's still adjusting, Han. We just have to
give him time to get used to the way things are. Luke doesn't have his own
memories anymore and doesn't know us as well as the old Luke did. I always
knew back then that Luke was sweet on me. Ever since the two of you rescued
me from the first Death Star, I knew that he was taken with me. He didn't
really show it that much. When we rescued you from Jabba's he was starting
on this whole idea of a jedi not feeling emotion, he was very stoic then;
but I knew that Luke felt awkward around me after he found out that I was
his sister. Now he has to relive that again. He's awkward and maybe a
little bit jealous."

"Yeah, well, I guess we can live through another, oh what was it, a year or
so?"

Leia swatted at his shoulder and frowned. "Lay off my brother. What are
Luke and Mara up to?"

"Packing. I think Mara finally talked him into taking off on the Shadow.
Want to pack a bag so we can go with them?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

***************************************************
Bastion; Day 152, 22 A.B.Y.

Pellaeon stood tall and proud as the holographic image resolved into the
congenial face of Moff Devin Daobr.

"Moff Daobr. Given the present circumstances I'll forgo the pleasantries.
I need you and your men to take the southern post of the barracks."

"I am, as always, a loyal son of the Empire. You can count on me."

Daobr's image dissolved just as the comm officer announced there was an
incoming transmission from the commander of the invading army.

"Grand Admiral Pellaeon, I am Krios Fra and by the end of this day, Bastion
will be mine. I will restore the Empire to its former glory. You can stand
with me or lay dead aside those already needlessly slain."

"I stood at the side of a man far greater than you who also wanted to
rebuild the Empire. He failed. So will you."

Krios sighed and shook his head. "I thought that would be your answer. I
am truly sorry, Admiral. I will see you soon."

The image faded and Pellaeon turned to broadcast orders to his generals.

"Prepare your soldiers for a counterattack. The...."

From behind him, a near-panicked officer cried out, "They've broken
through!"

"What? Where?"

"The barracks. They're coming in through the barracks."

"Daobr must not have gotten there in time."

Pellaeon stepped over to the balcony overlooking the heart of the city.
Below, the streets were filling with stormtroopers cutting their way through
the defenses with a precision Pellaeon hadn't seen in a long time and
couldn't help but admire. It crossed his mind that a couple years of peace
must have made his men lax.

"Seal the blast doors."

Pellaeon stepped away from the balcony and took his seated position back in
the command center. "This story will the good man teach his son. We in it
will be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he
today that sheds his blood with me will be my brother. Our men now asleep
will think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods
cheap while any speaks that fought with us upon this day."

Pellaeon smiled as he quoted his favorite Imperial playwright. Beyond the
blast doors, he could hear the sound of blaster fire. His eyes slowly came
up to rest on the blaster doors as he settled a blaster onto his lap.

"Give them hell, men. Give them hell."
Chapter IV

Yavin 4; Day 152, 22 A.B.Y.

"Mara, I don't see why we can't make a few stops along the way. It's not
like some assassin is going to be sitting at the local hotspot, just waiting
for Luke Skywalker to stop by."

"Luke, we're trying to keep you away from danger, not expose you to it. If
we stop at every problem that arises, then something's bound to happen. You
have far too many enemies out there for us to be taking chances."

"Mara, I really don't...."

"Luke! We can't...," Mara paused and then shook her head. A slight smile
crept onto her face as she watched Luke standing there with his arms crossed
over his chest.

"What?"

"For a moment there, it seemed like old times. Y'know, before...."

Luke lowered his gaze and cleared his throat.

"I'm... I'm sorry that things have been so... strained lately. I know you've
wanted...."

Mara stepped up and put her index finger on his lips.

"Hush. It's okay. It's not like I expect us to pick back up where we left
off. Black Aurora did a major number on your mind. I don't expect you to
just get over it." She laid a hand on his cheek and rubbed her thumb over
the corner of his mouth. "I'll wait as long as you need."

She smiled in a fashion that even Han Solo would call roguish. "Don't keep
me waiting too long though. I might have to find a replacement."

Luke smiled and laid a hand on her neck as she started to step away. "Maybe
you can stop waiting."

Luke slowly leaned in and Mara felt her heart racing, finally getting the
kiss she'd been waiting the last year to receive. His lips were just a
fraction of an inch from hers when the door opened and Han barged in.

"Hey kid, we're... oh. Bad time?"

Luke puckered his lips and looked at his brother-in-law. "It's okay. Are
you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Has Mara convinced you that we're not making any unnecessary stops?"

"I hardly think that helping people is an unnecessary stop." Luke looked at
Mara, who was watching him expectantly. "Fine. No stops. I will bow to
your infinite wisdom and experience."

Mara smiled wryly. "So kind of you." She then turned to glower at Han.
"Now, if you'd be so kind as to get out, we have some packing to finish."

Han smiled, unrepentantly, before apologizing and stepping out of the room.
The moment broken, Luke returned, awkwardly, to packing what he would need
for an extended journey.

***************************************************
Coruscant; Day 152, 22 A.B.Y.

Kerr passed the saltshaker to Vu, their fingers brushing against each other
as the salt changed hands. Kerr was relishing the feeling of having Vu
sitting at his side again. He looked up to Alya across the table and
smiled.

"So where's your partner-in-crime?"

Alya leveled her fork at Kerr, gesturing with it to make her point. "We're
jedi, Kerr. Not criminals. I thought you were past these Imperialistic
attitudes."

"I was kidding. So, where is Nevik?"

"He was going to visit the Horns while he's here on planet. Corran was
Nevik's master."

Kerr turned his face to feel the cool, night wind blowing in through the
duranet windows. Picking up his glass of wine, Kerr focused on his friends.

"I'd like to make a toast. To the future. May we always be together and
never part ways. May the future hold nothing but wonderful times and the
blessed company of friends. To the future."

Alya and Vu picked up their glasses and clinked them against his glass.

"To the future."

Just as soon as Alya set down her glass, her communicator started beeping.

"Alya."

"Hey, it's Nevik. Corran just got a call from a buddy of his in Rogue
Squadron. News came down that the Imperial Remnant is in the middle of a
civil war. The New Republic isn't stepping in yet for political reasons,
but that doesn't stop us. Our duty is to the galaxy, not one government. I
think we should head out there and offer to help."

"Agreed. I can meet you at the ship in an hour."

"See you then."

As Alya was turning to address her friends, Vu's communicator beeped.

"Lieutenant Nin."

"Lieutenant, it's Major Stevez. We've just received orders to be on call
for a situation that has just developed in the Imperial Remnant."

"Yes sir, I just heard about what was going on. We're being sent in?"

"We're prepping for that eventuality. I need you down at HQ ASAP."

"I'm on my way."

Vu smiled sadly and took a sip from her wine. "To the future."

***************************************************
Ord Mantell; Day 152, 22 A.B.Y.

With the collapse of the Black Aurora syndicate, the Rose's business had
slowed down. There just wasn't as much call for someone of his talents now
that the war between the Empire and the New Republic was over. Black Aurora
had given him a good source of income, but now the Phaeran actually had to
look for clients. Not the other way around.

So when he received word that someone wanted to do business with him, the
Rose quickly set up a time to meet.

The Rose arrived early at their meeting place and spent his time watching.
Given his talents and natural ability of shape shifting, the Rose found it
invaluable to watch other beings. How they interacted with each other,
their expressions and mannerisms. He paid attention to the amount of space
people put between themselves and everyone else, especially in a dive like
this. He noticed how they swaggered or stalked through the club. He noted
that the Gamorrean playing sabacc would adjust the hidden holdout blaster on
his leg whenever he was bluffing. He noticed the Trandoshan was doing a
good job of hiding his tells, but not good enough. He could tell that the
Twi'lek slave hiding in the corner was in love with the human looming over
her, much to the chagrin of her owner at the bar whose overtures of love
were unrequited by her. This keen attention to detail led the Rose to
believe that his contact was doubtful about the job he was carrying out.

Krios Fra walked into the cantina and noticed the signal that the Rose had
established for meeting with him. Krios made his way through the crowd to
the table where a Trandoshan was seated, sipping on a Red Sunrise. The jedi
took a seat across from the Rose and slid a data reader to him.

"Your target is on the data card. The target is supposed to be on Bastion
in ten days. My Master has specified that she be eliminated at this time."

The Rose picked up the data reader and looked over the information provided.

"Is this information reliable?"

"Yes. We have an inside source that procured the file on that card. It
provides everything you need to know about her."

The Rose went back to reading over the information and then nodded.

"Payment as usual. Ten days?"

Krios nodded.

"Very well. The Alderaanian is as good as dead."

***************************************************
Bastion; Day 155, 22 A.B.Y.

Krios piloted his shuttlecraft into the hangar bay of the SSD Juggernaut and
quickly made his way to the command bridge. His Master was standing on the
deck watching the holographic display of the battle being waged on the
planet's surface.

"The Rose has accepted the contract and it's terms."

"Good. I sense that you are troubled."

Krios frowned and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Yes, Master. I fail to see the significance of this maneuver."

"Patience, Krios. It is all according to my Master's plan. The galaxy will
see his glory once again when this woman dies. Her death will be the last
blow that will open up the host to the Dark Side. Only then can my Master
take him."

Krios merely frowned.

"I fail to see how he is significant."

"You should know well enough. Look to your understanding of dejarik. Even
a pawn can become a queen, Krios. Even a pawn can win the game."